Chapter 1
OM! AFTER HAVING bowed down to Narayana, and Nara, the foremost of men,and unto the goddess Saraswati also, must the word Jaya be uttered.
OM! AFTER HAVING bowed down to Narayana, and Nara, the foremost of men,and unto the goddess Saraswati also, must the word Jaya be uttered.
“Dhritarashtra said, ‘Thou hast, O son, mentioned the names of those ofmy side that have been slain in battle by the Pandavas. Tell me now, OSanjaya, the names of those amongst the Pandavas that have been slain bythe people of my side!’
Vaisampayana said, “The foremost of kings, viz., Yudhishthira the son ofDharma, still remaining speechless, Pandu’s son Arjuna addressed Krishnaand spoke as follows:
“Markandeya said, ‘Having slain Ravana, that wretched king of theRakshasas and foe of the celestials, Rama with his friends and Sumitra’sson rejoiced exceedingly.
“Yudhishthira asked, ‘Who were the first Prajapatis, O bull of Bharata’srace? What highly-blessed Rishis are there in existence and on whichpoints of the compass do each of them dwell?’
Sanjaya said,–“When the night having passed away, the dawn came,Santanu’s son Bhishma, that chastiser of foes, gave the order for the(Kuru) army to prepare for battle.
“Vaisampayana said, ‘Thus worshipped by the Pandavas, the royal soil ofAmvika passed his time happily as before, waited upon and honoured by theRishis.
Vaishampayana said, “Hearing these words, O monarch, Ambika’s sonDhritarashtra, with heart agitated by grief, addressed his driverSanjaya, saying, ‘Though the evil policy, O sire, of my son of littleforesight, Vikartana’s son hath been slain!
“Yudhishthira said, ‘How did the son of Srinjaya becomeSuvarnashthivin?[103] Why also did Parvata give Srinjaya that child? Andwhy did he die? When the lives of all men in those days extended for athousand years, why did Srinjaya’s son die in infancy? Or, was he in nameonly Suvarnashthivin? How also did he come to be so? I desire to know allthis.’
“Markandeya said, The Ten-necked (Ravana), excited to fury at the deathof his beloved son, ascended his car decked with gold and gems.