SECTION CI
(Sambhava Parva continued)
"Vaisampayana said, 'O monarch, after the nuptials were over, kingSantanu established his beautiful bride in his household. Soon after wasborn of Satyavati an intelligent and heroic son of Santanu namedChitrangada. He was endued with great energy and became an eminent man.The lord Santanu of great prowess also begat upon Satyavati another sonnamed Vichitravirya, who became a mighty bowman and who became king afterhis father. And before that bull among men, viz., Vichitravirya, attainedto majority, the wise king Santanu realised the inevitable influence ofTime. And after Santanu had ascended to heaven. Bhishma, placing himselfunder the command of Satyavati, installed that suppressor of foes, viz.,Chitrangada, on the throne, who, having soon vanquished by his prowessall monarchs, considered not any man as his equal. And beholding that hecould vanquish men, Asuras, and the very gods, his namesake, the powerfulking of the Gandharvas, approached him for an encounter. Between thatGandharva and that foremost one of the Kurus, who were both verypowerful, there occurred on the field of Kurukshetra a fierce combatwhich lasted full three years on the banks of the Saraswati. In thatterrible encounter characterised by thick showers of weapons and in whichthe combatants ground each other fiercely, the Gandharva, who had greaterprowess or strategic deception, slew the Kuru prince. Having slainChitrangada--that first of men and oppressor of foes--the Gandharvaascended to heaven. When that tiger among men endued with great prowesswas slain, Bhishma, the son of Santanu, performed, O king, all hisobsequies. He then installed the boy Vichitravirya of mighty arms, stillin his minority, on the throne of the Kurus. And Vichitravirya, placinghimself under the command of Bhishma, ruled the ancestral kingdom. And headored Santanu's son Bhishma who was conversant with all the rules ofreligion and law; so, indeed, Bhishma also protected him that was soobedient to the dictates of duty.'"
SECTION CII
(Sambhava Parva continued)
"Vaisampayana said, 'O thou of Kuru's race, after Chitrangada was slain,his successor Vichitravirya being a minor, Bhishma ruled the kingdom,placing himself under the command of Satyavati. When he saw that hisbrother, who was the foremost of intelligent men, attained to majority,Bhishma set his heart upon marrying Vichitravirya. At this time he heardthat the three daughters of the king of Kasi, all equal in beauty to theApsaras themselves, would be married on the same occasion, selectingtheir husbands at a self-choice ceremony. Then that foremost ofcar-warriors, that vanquisher of all foes, at the command of his mother,went to the city of Varanasi in a single chariot. There Bhishma, the sonof Santanu, saw that innumerable monarchs had come from all directions;and there he also saw those three maidens that would select their ownhusbands. And when the (assembled) kings were each being mentioned byname, Bhishma chose those maidens (on behalf of his brother). And takingthem upon his chariot, Bhishma, that first of smiters in battle,addressed the kings, O monarch, and said in a voice deep as the roar ofthe clouds, 'The wise have directed that when an accomplished person hasbeen invited, a maiden may be bestowed on him, decked with ornaments andalong with many valuable presents. Others again may bestow theirdaughters by accepting a couple of kine. Some again bestow theirdaughters by taking a fixed sum, and some take away maidens by force.Some wed with the consent of the maidens, some by drugging them intoconsent, and some by going unto the maidens' parents and obtaining theirsanction. Some again obtain wives as presents for assisting atsacrifices. Of these, the learned always applaud the eighth form ofmarriage. Kings, however, speak highly of the Swyamvara (the fifth formas above) and themselves wed according to it. But the sages have saidthat, that wife is dearly to be prized who is taken away by force, afterthe slaughter of opponents, from amidst the concourse of princes andkings invited to a self-choice ceremony. Therefore, ye monarchs, I bearaway these maidens hence by force. Strive ye, to the best of your might,to vanquish me or to be vanquished. Ye monarchs, I stand here resolved tofight!' Kuru prince, endued with great energy, thus addressing theassembled monarchs and the king of Kasi, took upon his car those maidens.And having taken them up, he sped his chariot away, challenging theinvited kings to a fight.
"The challenged monarchs then all stood up, slapping their arms andbiting their nether lips in wrath. And loud was the din produced, as, ina great hurry, they began to cast off their ornaments and put on theirarmour. And the motion of their ornaments and armour, O Janamejaya,brilliant as these were, resembled meteoric flashes in the sky. And withbrows contracted and eyes red with rage, the monarchs moved inimpatience, their armour and ornaments dazzling or waving with theiragitated steps. The charioteers soon brought handsome cars with finehorses harnessed thereto. Those splendid warriors then, equipped with allkinds of weapons, rode on those cars, and with uplifted weapons pursuedthe retreating chief of the Kurus. Then, O Bharata, occurred the terribleencounter between those innumerable monarchs on one side and the Kuruwarrior alone on the other. And the assembled monarchs threw at their foeten thousand arrows at the same time. Bhishma, however speedily checkedthose numberless arrows before they could come at him by means of ashower of his own arrows as innumerable as the down on the body. Thenthose kings surrounded him from all sides and rained arrows on him likemasses of clouds showering on the mountain-breast. But Bhishma, arrestingwith his shafts the course of that arrowy downpour, pierced each of themonarchs with three shafts. The latter, in their turn pierced Bhishma,each with five shafts. But, O king, Bhishma checked those by his prowessand pierced each of the contending kings with two shafts. The combatbecame so fierce with that dense shower of arrows and other missiles thatit looked very much like the encounter between the celestials and theAsuras of old, and men of courage who took no part in it were struck withfear even to look at the scene. Bhishma cut off, with his arrows, on thefield of battle, bows, and flagstaffs, and coats of mail, and human headsby hundreds and thousands. And such was his terrible prowess andextraordinary lightness of hand, and such the skill with which heprotected himself, that the contending car-warriors, though his enemies,began to applaud him loudly. Then that foremost of all wielders ofweapons having vanquished in battle all those monarchs, pursued his waytowards the capital of the Bharatas, taking those maidens with him.
"It was then, O king, that mighty car-warrior, king Salya of immeasurableprowess, from behind summoned Bhishma, the son of Santanu, to anencounter. And desirous of obtaining the maidens, he came upon Bhishmalike a mighty leader of a herd of elephants rushing upon another of hiskind, and tearing with his tusks the latter's hips at the sight of afemale elephant in heat. And Salya of mighty arms, moved by wrathaddressed Bhishma and said, 'Stay, Stay.' Then Bhishma, that tiger amongmen, that grinder of hostile armies, provoked by these words, flamed upin wrath like a blazing fire. Bow in hand, and brow furrowed intowrinkles, he stayed on his car, in obedience to Kshatriya usage havingchecked its course in expectation of the enemy. All the monarchs seeinghim stop, stood there to become spectators of the coming encounterbetween him and Salya. The two then began to exhibit their prowess (uponeach other) like roaring bulls of great strength at the sight of a cow inrut. Then that foremost of men, king Salya covered Bhishma, the son ofSantanu with hundreds and thousands of swift-winged shafts. And thosemonarchs seeing Salya thus covering Bhishma at the outset withinnumerable shafts, wondered much and uttered shouts of applause.Beholding his lightness of hand in combat, the crowd of regal spectatorsbecame very glad and applauded Salya greatly. That subjugator of hostiletowns, Bhishma, then, on hearing those shouts of the Kshatriyas, becamevery angry and said, 'Stay, Stay'. In wrath, he commanded his charioteer,saying, 'Lead thou my car to where Salya is, so that I may slay himinstantly as Garuda slays a serpent.' Then the Kuru chief fixed theVaruna weapon on his bow-string, and with it afflicted the four steeds ofking Salya. And, O tiger among kings, the Kuru chief, then, warding offwith his weapons those of his foe, slew Salya's charioteer. Then thatfirst of men, Bhishma, the son of Santanu, fighting for the sake of thosedamsels, slew with the Aindra weapon the noble steeds of his adversary.He then vanquished that best of monarchs but left him with his life. Obull of Bharata's race, Salya, after his defeat, returned to his kingdomand continued to rule it virtuously. And O conqueror of hostile towns,the other kings also, who had come to witness, the self-choice ceremonyreturned to their own kingdoms.
"That foremost of smiters, viz., Bhishma, after defeating those monarchs,set out with those damsels, for Hastinapura whence the virtuous Kuruprince Vichitravirya ruled the earth like that best of monarchs, viz.,his father Santanu. And, O king, passing through many forests, rivers,hills, and woods abounding with trees, he arrived (at the capital) in notime. Of immeasurable prowess in battle, the son of the ocean-goingGanga, having slain numberless foes in battle without a scratch on hisown person, brought the daughters of the king of Kasi unto the Kurus astenderly if they were his daughters-in-law, or younger sisters, ordaughters. And Bhishma of mighty arms, impelled by the desire ofbenefiting his brother, having by his prowess brought them thus, thenoffered those maidens possessing every accomplishment unto Vichitravirya.Conversant with the dictates of virtue, the son of Santanu, havingachieved such an extraordinary feat according to (kingly) custom, thenbegan to make preparations for his brother's wedding. And when everythingabout the wedding had been settled by Bhishma in consultation withSatyavati, the eldest daughter of the king of Kasi, with a soft smile,told him these words, 'At heart I had chosen the king of Saubha for myhusband. He had, in his heart, accepted me for his wife. This was alsoapproved by my father. At the self-choice ceremony also I would havechosen him as my lord. Thou art conversant with all the dictates ofvirtue, knowing all this, do as thou likest.' Thus addressed by thatmaiden in the presence of the Brahmanas, the heroic Bhishma began toreflect as to what should be done. As he was conversant with the rules ofvirtue, he consulted with the Brahmanas who had mastered the Vedas, andpermitted Amba, the eldest daughter of the ruler of Kasi to do as sheliked. But he bestowed with due rites the two other daughters, Ambika andAmbalika on his younger brother Vichitravirya. And though Vichitraviryawas virtuous and abstemious, yet, proud of youth and beauty, he soonbecame lustful after his marriage. And both Ambika and Ambalika were oftall stature, and of the complexion of molten gold. And their heads werecovered with black curly hair, and their finger-nails were high and red;their hips were fat and round, and their breasts full and deep. Andendued with every auspicious mark, the amiable young ladies consideredthemselves to be wedded to a husband who was every way worthy ofthemselves, and extremely loved and respected Vichitravirya. AndVichitravirya also, endued with the prowess of the celestials and thebeauty of the twin Aswins, could steal the heart of any beautiful woman.And the prince passed seven years uninterruptedly in the company of hiswives. He was attacked while yet in the prime of youth, with phthisis.Friends and relatives in consultation with one another tried to effect acure. But in spite of all efforts, the Kuru prince died, setting like theevening sun. The virtuous Bhishma then became plunged into anxiety andgrief, and in consultation with Satyavati caused the obsequial rites ofthe deceased to be performed by learned priests and the several of theKuru race.'"
SECTION CIII
(Sambhava Parva continued)
"Vaisampayana said, 'The unfortunate Satyavati then became plunged ingrief on account of her son. And after performing with herdaughters-in-law the funeral rites of the deceased, consoled, as best shecould, her weeping daughters-in-law and Bhishma, that foremost of allwielders of weapons. And turning her eyes to religion, and to thepaternal and maternal lines (of the Kurus), she addressed Bhishma andsaid 'The funeral cake, the achievements, and the perpetuation of theline of the virtuous and celebrated Santanu of Kuru's race, all nowdepend on thee. As the attainment of heaven is inseparable from gooddeeds, as long life is inseparable from truth and faith, so is virtueinseparable from thee. O virtuous one, thou art well-acquainted, indetail and in the abstract, with the dictates of virtue, with variousSrutis, and with all the branches of the Vedas; know very well that thouart equal unto Sukra and Angiras as regards firmness in virtue, knowledgeof the particular customs of families, and readiness of inventions underdifficulties. Therefore, O foremost of virtuous men, relying on theegreatly, I shall appoint thee in a certain matter. Hearing me, itbehoveth thee to do my bidding. O bull among men, my son and thy brother,endued with energy and dear unto thee, hath gone childless to heavenwhile still a boy. These wives of thy brother, the amiable daughters ofthe ruler of Kasi, possessing beauty and youth, have become desirous ofchildren. Therefore, O thou of mighty arms, at my command, raiseoffspring on them for the perpetuation of our line. It behoveth thee toguard virtue against loss. Install thyself on the throne and rule thekingdom of the Bharatas. Wed thou duly a wife. Plunge not thy ancestorsinto hell.'
"Vaisampayana continued, 'Thus addressed by his mother and friends andrelatives, that oppressor of foes, the virtuous Bhishma, gave this replyconformable to the dictates of virtue, 'O mother, what thou sayest iscertainly sanctioned by virtue. But thou knowest what my vow is in thematter of begetting children. Thou knowest also all that transpired inconnection with thy dower. O Satyavati, I repeat the pledge I once gave,viz., I would renounce three worlds, the empire of heaven, anything thatmay be greater than that, but truth I would never renounce. The earth mayrenounce its scent, water may renounce its moisture, light may renounceits attribute of exhibiting forms, air may renounce its attribute oftouch, the sun may renounce his glory, fire, its heat, the moon, hiscooling rays, space, its capacity of generating sound, the slayer ofVritra, his prowess, the god of justice, his impartiality; but I cannotrenounce truth.' Thus addressed by her son endued with wealth of energy,Satyavati said unto Bhishma, 'O thou whose prowess is truth, I know ofthy firmness in truth. Thou canst, if so minded, create, by the help ofthy energy, three worlds other than those that exist. I know what thy vowwas on my account. But considering this emergency, bear thou the burdenof the duty that one oweth to his ancestors. O punisher of foes, act insuch a way that the lineal link may not be broken and our friends andrelatives may not grieve.' Thus urged by the miserable and weepingSatyavati speaking such words inconsistent with virtue from grief at theloss of her son, Bhishma addressed her again and said, 'O Queen, turn notthy eyes away from virtue. O, destroy us not. Breach of truth by aKshatriya is never applauded in our treatises on religion. I shall soontell thee, O Queen, what the established Kshatriya usage is to whichrecourse may be had to prevent Santanu's line becoming extinct on earth.Hearing me, reflect on what should be done in consultation with learnedpriests and those that are acquainted with practices allowable in timesof emergency and distress, forgetting not at the same time what theordinary course of social conduct is.'"
SECTION CIV
(Sambhava Parva continued)
"Bhishma continued, 'In olden days, Rama, the son of Jamadagni, in angerat the death of his father, slew with his battle axe the king of theHaihayas. And Rama, by cutting off the thousand arms of Arjuna (theHaihaya king), achieved a most difficult feat in the world. Not contentwith this, he set out on his chariot for the conquest of the world, andtaking up his bow he cast around his mighty weapons to exterminate theKshatriyas. And the illustrious scion of Bhrigu's race, by means of hisswift arrows annihilated the Kshatriya tribe one and twenty times.
"And when the earth was thus deprived of Kshatriyas by the great Rishi,the Kshatriya ladies all over the land had offspring raised by Brahmanasskilled in the Vedas. It has been said in the Vedas that the sons soraised belongeth to him that had married the mother. And the Kshatriyaladies went in unto the Brahamanas not lustfully but from motives ofvirtue. Indeed, it was thus that the Kshatriya race was revived.
"In this connection there is another old history that I will recite toyou. There was in olden days a wise Rishi of the name of Utathya. He hada wife of the name Mamata whom he dearly loved. One day Utathya's youngerbrother Vrihaspati, the priest of the celestials, endued with greatenergy, approached Mamata. The latter, however, told her husband'syounger brother--that foremost of eloquent men--that she had conceivedfrom her connection with his elder brother and that, therefore, he shouldnot then seek for the consummation of his wishes. She continued, 'Oillustrious Vrihaspati, the child that I have conceived hath studied inhis mother's womb the Vedas with the six Angas, Semen tuum frustra perdinon potest. How can then this womb of mine afford room for two childrenat a time? Therefore, it behoveth thee not to seek for the consummationof thy desire at such a time. Thus addressed by her, Vrihaspati, thoughpossessed of great wisdom, succeeded not in suppressing his desire. Quumauten jam cum illa coiturus esset, the child in the womb then addressedhim and said, 'O father, cease from thy attempt. There is no space herefor two. O illustrious one, the room is small. I have occupied it first.Semen tuum perdi non potest. It behoveth thee not to afflict me.' ButVrihaspati without listening to what that child in the womb said, soughtthe embraces of Mamata possessing the most beautiful pair of eyes. Illetamen Muni qui in venture erat punctum temporis quo humor vitalis jamemissum iret providens, viam per quam semen intrare posset pedibusobstruxit. Semen ita exhisum, excidit et in terram projectumest. And theillustrious Vrihaspati, beholding this, became indignant, and reproachedUtathya's child and cursed him, saying, 'Because thou hast spoken to mein the way thou hast at a time of pleasure that is sought after by allcreatures, perpetual darkness shall overtake thee.' And from this curseof the illustrious Vrishaspati Utathya's child who was equal untoVrihaspati in energy, was born blind and came to be called Dirghatamas(enveloped in perpetual darkness). And the wise Dirghatamas, possessed ofa knowledge of the Vedas, though born blind, succeeded yet by virtue ofhis learning, in obtaining for a wife a young and handsome Brahmanamaiden of the name of Pradweshi. And having married her, the illustriousDirghatamas, for the expansion of Utathya's race, begat upon her severalchildren with Gautama as their eldest. These children, however, were allgiven to covetousness and folly. The virtuous and illustrious Dirghatamaspossessing complete mastery over the Vedas, soon after learnt fromSurabhi's son the practices of their order and fearlessly betook himselfto those practices, regarding them with reverence. (For shame is thecreature of sin and can never be where there is purity of intention).Then those best of Munis that dwelt in the same asylum, beholding himtransgress the limits of propriety became indignant, seeing sin where sinwas not. And they said, 'O, this man, transgresseth the limit ofpropriety. No longer doth he deserve a place amongst us. Therefore, shallwe all cast this sinful wretch off.' And they said many other thingsregarding the Muni Dirghatamas. And his wife, too, having obtainedchildren, became indignant with him.
"The husband then addressing his wife Pradweshi, said, 'Why is it thatthou also hast been dissatisfied with me?' His wife answered, 'Thehusband is called the Bhartri because he supporteth the wife. He iscalled Pati because he protecteth her. But thou art neither, to me! Othou of great ascetic merit, on the other hand, thou hast been blind frombirth, it is I who have supported thee and thy children. I shall not doso in future.'
"Hearing these words of his wife, the Rishi became indignant and saidunto her and her children, 'Take me unto the Kshatriyas and thou shaltthen be rich.' His wife replied (by saying), 'I desire not wealth thatmay be procured by thee, for that can never bring me happiness. O best ofBrahmanas, do as thou likest. I shall not be able to maintain thee asbefore.' At these words of his wife, Dirghatamas said, 'I lay down fromthis day as a rule that every woman shall have to adhere to one husbandfor her life. Be the husband dead or alive, it shall not be lawful for awoman to have connection with another. And she who may have suchconnection shall certainly be regarded as fallen. A woman without husbandshall always be liable to be sinful. And even if she be wealthy she shallnot be able to enjoy that wealth truly. Calumny and evil report shallever dog her.' Hearing these words of her husband Pradweshi became veryangry, and commanded her sons, saying, 'Throw him into the waters ofGanga!' And at the command of their mother, the wicked Gautama and hisbrothers, those slaves of covetousness and folly, exclaiming, 'Indeed,why should we support this old man?--'tied the Muni to a raft andcommitting him to the mercy of the stream returned home withoutcompunction. The blind old man drifting along the stream on that raft,passed through the territories of many kings. One day a king named Valiconversant with every duty went to the Ganges to perform his ablutions.And as the monarch was thus engaged, the raft to which the Rishi wastied, approached him. And as it came, the king took the old man. Thevirtuous Vali, ever devoted to truth, then learning who the man was thatwas thus saved by him, chose him for raising up offspring. And Vali said,'O illustrious one, it behoveth thee to raise upon my wife a few sonsthat shall be virtuous and wise.' Thus addressed, the Rishi endued withgreat energy, expressed his willingness. Thereupon king Vali sent hiswife Sudeshna unto him. But the queen knowing that the latter was blindand old went not unto him, she sent unto him her nurse. And upon thatSudra woman the virtuous Rishi of passions under full control begateleven children of whom Kakshivat was the eldest. And beholding thoseeleven sons with Kakshivat as the eldest, who had studied all the Vedasand who like Rishis were utterers of Brahma and were possessed of greatpower, king Vali one day asked the Rishi saying, 'Are these childrenmine?' The Rishi replied, 'No, they are mine. Kakshivat and others havebeen begotten by me upon a Sudra woman. Thy unfortunate queen Sudeshna,seeing me blind and old, insulted me by not coming herself but sendingunto me, instead, her nurse.' The king then pacified that best of Rishisand sent unto him his queen Sudeshna. The Rishi by merely touching herperson said to her, 'Thou shalt have five children named Anga, Vanga,Kalinga, Pundra and Suhma, who shall be like unto Surya (Sun) himself inglory. And after their names as many countries shall be known on earth.It is after their names that their dominions have come to be called Anga,Vanga, Kalinga, Pundra and Suhma.'
"It was thus that the line of Vali was perpetuated, in days of old, by agreat Rishi. And it was thus also that many mighty bowmen and greatcar-warriors wedded to virtue, sprung in the Kshatriya race from the seedof Brahmanas. Hearing this, O mother, do as thou likest, as regards thematter in hand.'"
SECTION CV
(Sambhava Parva continued)
"Bhishma, continued, 'Listen, O mother, to me as I indicate the means bywhich the Bharata line may be perpetuated. Let an accomplished Brahmanabe invited by an offer of wealth, and let him raise offspring upon thewives of Vichitravirya.'
"Vaisampayana continued, 'Satyavati, then, smiling softly and in voicebroken in bashfulness, addressed Bhishma saying, 'O Bharata of mightyarms, what thou sayest is true. From my confidence in thee I shall nowindicate the means of perpetuating our line. Thou shall not be able toreject it, being conversant, as thou art, with the practices permitted inseasons of distress. In our race, thou art Virtue, and thou art Truth,and thou art, too, our sole refuge. Therefore hearing what I say truly,do what may be proper.
"My father was a virtuous man. For virtue's sake he had kept a (ferry)boat. One day, in the prime of my youth, I went to ply that boat. It sohappened that the great and wise Rishi Parasara, that foremost of allvirtuous men, came, and betook himself to my boat for crossing theYamuna. As I was rowing him across the river, the Rishi became excitedwith desire and began to address me in soft words. The fear of my fatherwas uppermost in my mind. But the terror of the Rishi's curse at lastprevailed. And having obtained from him a precious boon, I could notrefuse his solicitations. The Rishi by his energy brought me under hiscomplete control, and gratified his desire then and there, having firstenveloped the region in a thick fog. Before this there was a revoltingfishy odour in my body; but the Rishi dispelled it and gave me my presentfragrance. The Rishi also told me that by bringing forth his child in anisland of the river, I would still continue (to be) a virgin. And thechild of Parasara so born of me in my maidenhood hath become a greatRishi endued with large ascetic powers and known by the name ofDwaipayana (the island-born). That illustrious Rishi having by hisascetic power divided the Vedas into four parts hath come to be called onearth by the name of Vyasa (the divider or arranger), and for his darkcolour, Krishna (the dark). Truthful in speech, free from passion, amighty ascetic who hath burnt all his sins, he went away with his fatherimmediately after his birth. Appointed by me and thee also, that Rishi ofincomparable splendour will certainly beget good children upon the wivesof thy brother. He told me when he went away, 'Mother, think of me whenthou art in difficulty.' I will now call him up, if thou, O Bhishma ofmighty arms so desirest. If thou art willing, O Bhishma, I am sure thatgreat ascetic will beget children upon Vichitravirya's field.'
"Vaisampayana continued, 'Mention being made of the great Rishi, Bhishmawith joined palms said, 'That man is truly intelligent who fixes his eyesjudiciously on virtue, profit, and pleasure, and who after reflectingwith patience, acteth in such a way that virtue may lead to futurevirtue, profit to future profit and pleasure to future pleasure.Therefore, that which hath been said by thee and which, besides beingbeneficial to us, is consistent with virtue, is certainly the best adviceand hath my full approval.' And when Bhishma had said this, O thou ofKuru's race, Kali (Satyavati) thought of the Muni Dwaipayana andDwaipayana who was then engaged in interpreting the Vedas, learning thathe was being called up by his mother, came instantly unto her withoutanybody's knowing it. Satayavati then duly greeted her son and embracedhim with arms, bathing him in her tears, for the daughter of thefisherman wept bitterly at the sight of her son after so long a time. Andher first son, the great Vyasa, beholding her weeping, washed her withcool water, and bowing unto her, said, 'I have come, O mother, to fulfilthy wishes. Therefore, O virtuous one, command me without delay. I shallaccomplish thy desire.' The family priest of the Bharatas then worshippedthe great Rishi duly, and the latter accepted the offerings of worship,uttering the usual mantras. And gratified with the worship he received,he took his seat. Satyavati, beholding him seated at his ease, after theusual inquiries, addressed him and said, 'O learned one, sons derivetheir birth both from the father and the mother. They are, therefore, thecommon property of both parents. There cannot be the least doubt about itthat the mother, hath as much power over them as the father. As thou art,indeed, my eldest son according to the ordinance, O Brahmarshi, so isVichitravirya my youngest son. And as Bhishma is Vichitravirya's brotheron the father's side, so art thou his brother on the same mother's side.I do not know what you may think, but this is what, O son, I think. ThisBhishma, the son of Santanu, devoted to truth, doth not, for the sake, oftruth, entertain the desire of either begetting children or ruling thekingdom. Therefore, from affection for thy brother Vichitravirya, for theperpetuation of our dynasty, for the sake of this Bhishma's request andmy command, for kindness to all creatures, for the protection of thepeople and from the liberality of thy heart, O sinless one, it behoveththee to do what I say. Thy younger brother hath left two widows like untothe daughters of the celestials themselves, endued with youth and greatbeauty. For the sake of virtue and religion, they have become desirous ofoffspring. Thou art the fittest person to be appointed. Therefore begetupon them children worthy of our race and for the continuance of ourline.'
"Vyasa, hearing this, said, 'O Satyavati, thou knowest what virtue isboth in respect of this life and the other. O thou of great wisdom, thyaffections also are set on virtue. Therefore, at thy command, makingvirtue my motive, I shall do what thou desirest. Indeed, this practicethat is conformable to the true and eternal religion is known to me, Ishall give unto my brother children that shall be like unto Mitra andVaruna. Let the ladies then duly observe for one full year the vow Iindicate. They shall then be purified. No women shall ever approach mewithout having observed a rigid vow.'
"Satyavati then said, 'O sinless one, it must be as thou sayest. Takesuch steps that the ladies may conceive immediately. In a kingdom wherethere is no king, the people perish from want of protection; sacrificesand other holy acts are suspended; the clouds send no showers; and thegods disappear. How can a kingdom be protected that hath no king?Therefore, see thou that the ladies conceive. Bhishma will watch over thechildren as long as they are in their mother's wombs.
"Vyasa replied, 'If I am to give unto my brother children sounseasonably, then let the ladies bear my ugliness. That in itself shall,in their case, be the austerest of penances. If the princess of Kosalacan bear my strong odour, my ugly and grim visage, my attire and body,she shall then conceive an excellent child.'"
"Vaisampayana continued, 'Having spoken thus unto Satyavati, Vyasa ofgreat energy addressed her and said, 'Let the princess of Kosala clad inclean attire and checked with ornaments wait for me in her bed-chamber.'Saying this, the Rishi disappeared, Satyavati then went to herdaughter-in-law and seeing her in private spoke to her these words ofbeneficial and virtuous import, 'O princess of Kosala, listen to what Isay. It is consistent with virtue. The dynasty of the Bharatas hathbecome extinct from my misfortune. Beholding my affliction and theextinction of his paternal line, the wise Bhishma, impelled also by thedesire of perpetuating our race, hath made me a suggestion, whichsuggestion, however, for its accomplishment is dependent on thee.Accomplish it, O daughter, and restore the lost line of the Bharatas. Othou of fair hips, bring thou forth a child equal in splendour unto thechief of the celestials. He shall bear the onerous burden of this ourhereditary kingdom.'
"Satyavati having succeeded with great difficulty in procuring the assentof her virtuous daughter-in-law to her proposal which was notinconsistent with virtue, then fed Brahmanas and Rishis and numberlessguests who arrived on die occasion.'"
SECTION CVI
(Sambhava Parva continued)
"Vaisampayana said, 'Soon after the monthly season of the princess ofKosala had been over, Satyavati, purifying her daughter-in-law with abath, led her into the sleeping apartment. There seating her upon aluxurious bed, she addressed her, saying, 'O Princess of Kosala, thyhusband hath an elder brother who shall this day enter thy womb as thychild. Wait for him tonight without dropping off to sleep.' Hearing thesewords of her mother-in-law, the amiable princess, as she lay on her bed,began to think of Bhishma and the other elders of the Kuru race. Then theRishi of truthful speech, who had given his promise in respect of Amvika(the eldest of the princesses) in the first instance, entered her chamberwhile the lamp was burning. The princess, seeing his dark visage, hismatted locks of copper hue, blazing eyes, his grim beard, closed her eyesin fear. The Rishi, from desire of accomplishing his mother's wishes,however knew her. But the latter, struck with fear, opened not her eyeseven once to look at him. And when Vyasa came out, he was met by hismother, who asked him, 'Shall the princess have an accomplished son?'Hearing her, he replied, 'The son of the princess she will bring forthshall be equal in might unto ten thousand elephants. He will be anillustrious royal sage, possessed of great learning and intelligence andenergy. The high-souled one shall have in his time a century of sons. Butfrom the fault of his mother he shall be blind 'At these words of herson, Satyavati said, 'O thou of ascetic wealth, how can one that is blindbecome a monarch worthy of the Kurus? How can one that is blind becomethe protector of his relatives and family, and the glory of his father'srace? It behoveth thee to give another king unto the Kurus.' Saying, 'Sobe it,' Vyasa went away. And the first princess of Kosala in due timebrought forth a blind son.
"Soon after Satyavati, O chastiser of foes, summoned Vyasa, after havingsecured the assent of her daughter-in-law. Vyasa came according to hispromise, and approached, as before, the second wife of his brother. AndAmbalika beholding the Rishi, became pale with fear And, O Bharata,beholding her so afflicted and pale with fear, Vyasa addressed her andsaid, 'Because thou hast been pale with fear at the sight of my grimvisage, therefore, thy child shall be pale in complexion. O thou ofhandsome face, the name also thy child shall bear will be Pandu (thepale).' 'Saying this, the illustrious and best of Rishis came out of herchamber. And as he came out, he was met by his mother who asked him aboutthe would-be-child. The Rishi told her that the child would be of palecomplexion and known by the name of Pandu. Satyavati again begged of theRishi another child, and the Rishi told her in reply, 'So be it.'Ambalika, then, when her time came, brought forth a son of palecomplexion. Blazing with beauty the child was endued with all auspiciousmarks. Indeed, it was this child who afterwards became the father ofthose mighty archers, the Pandavas.
"Some time after, when the oldest of Vichitravirya's widows again had hermonthly season, she was solicited by Satyavati to approach Vyasa onceagain. Possessed of beauty like a daughter of a celestial, the princessrefused to do her mother-in-law's bidding, remembering the grim visageand strong odour of the Rishi. She, however, sent unto him, a maid ofhers, endued with the beauty of an Apsara and decked with her ownornaments. And when the Vyasa arrived, the maid rose up and saluted him.And she waited upon him respectfully and took her seat near him whenasked. And, O king, the great Rishi of rigid vows, was well-pleased withher, and when he rose to go away, he addressed her and said, 'Amiableone, thou shalt no longer be a slave. Thy child also shall be greatlyfortunate and virtuous, and the foremost of all intelligent men onearth!' And, O king, the son thus begotten upon her by Krishna-Dwaipayanawas afterwards known by the name of Vidura. He was thus the brother ofDhritarashtra and the illustrious Pandu. And Vidura was free from desireand passion and was conversant with the rules of government, and was thegod of justice born on earth under the curse of the illustrious RishiMandavya. And Krishna-Dwaipayana, when he met his mother as before,informed her as to how he had been deceived by the seniormost of theprincesses and how he had begotten a son upon a Sudra woman. And havingspoken thus unto his mother the Rishi disappeared from her sight.
"Thus were born, in the field of Vichitravirya, even of Dwaipayana thosesons of the splendour of celestial children, those propagators of theKuru race.'"
SECTION CVII
(Sambhava Parva continued)
"Janamejaya said, 'What did the god of justice do for which he wascursed? And who was the Brahmana ascetic from whose curse the god had tobe born in the Sudra caste?'
"Vaisampayana said, 'There was a Brahmana known by the name of Mandavya.He was conversant with all duties and was devoted to religion, truth andasceticism. The great ascetic used to sit at the entrance of hishermitage at the foot of a tree, with his arms upraised in the observanceof the vow of silence. And as he sat there for years together, one daythere came into his asylum a number of robbers laden with spoil. And, Obull in Bharata's race, those robbers were then being pursued by asuperior body as guardians of the peace. The thieves, on entering thatasylum, hid their booty there, and in fear concealed themselvesthereabout before the guards came. But scarcely had they thus concealedthemselves when the constables in pursuit came to the spot. The latter,observing the Rishi sitting under the tree, questioned him, O king,saying, 'O best of Brahmanas, which way have the thieves taken? Point itout to us so that we may follow it without loss of time.' Thus questionedby the guardians of peace the ascetic, O king, said not a word, good orotherwise, in reply. The officers of the king, however, on searching thatasylum soon discovered the thieves concealed thereabout together with theplunder. Upon this, their suspicion fell upon the Muni, and accordinglythey seized him with the thieves and brought him before the king. Theking sentenced him to be executed along with his supposed associates. Andthe officers, acting in ignorance, carried out the sentence by impalingthe celebrated Rishi. And having impaled him, they went to the king withthe booty they had recovered. But the virtuous Rishi, though impaled andkept without food, remained in that state for a long time without dying.And the Rishi by his ascetic power not only preserved his life butsummoned other Rishi to the scene. And they came there in the night inthe forms of birds, and beholding him engaged in ascetic meditationthough fixed on that stake, became plunged into grief. And telling thatbest of Brahmanas who they were, they asked him saying, 'O Brahmana, wedesire to know what hath been thy sin for which thou hast thus been madeto suffer the tortures of impalement!'"
SECTION CVIII
(Sambhava Parva continued)
"Vaisampayana said, 'Thus asked, the tiger among Munis then answeredthose Rishis of ascetic wealth, 'Whom shall I blame for this? In fact,none else (than my own self) hath offended against me!' After this, Omonarch, the officers of justice, seeing him alive, informed the king ofit. The latter hearing what they said, consulted with his advisers, andcame to the place and began to pacify the Rishi. fixed on the stake. Andthe king said, 'O thou best of Rishis, I have offended against thee inignorance. I beseech thee to pardon me for the same. It behoveth thee notto be angry with me.' Thus addressed by the king, the Muni was pacified.And beholding him free from wrath, the king took him up with the stakeand endeavoured to extract it from his body. But not succeeding therein,he cut it off at the point just outside the body. The Muni, with aportion of the stake within his body, walked about, and in that statepractised the austerest of penances and conquered numberless regionsunattainable by others. And for the circumstances of a part of the stakebeing within his body, he came to be known in the three worlds by thename of Ani-Mandavya (Mandavya with the stake within). And one day thatBrahamana acquainted with the highest truth of religion went unto theabode of the god of justice. And beholding the god there seated on histhrone, the Rishi reproached him and said, 'What, pray, is that sinfulact committed by me unconsciously, for which I am bearing thispunishment? O, tell me soon, and behold the power of my asceticism.'
"The god of justice, thus questioned, replied, 'O thou of ascetic wealth,a little insect was once pierced by thee on a blade of grass. Thoubearest now the consequence of the act. O Rishi, as a gift, howeversmall, multiplieth in respect of its religious merits, so a sinful actmultiplieth in respect of the woe it bringeth in its train.' On hearingthis, Ani-Mandavya asked, 'O tell me truly when this act was committed byme. Told in reply by the god of justice that he had committed it, when achild, the Rishi said, 'That shall not be a sin which may be done by achild up to the twelfth year of his age from birth. The scriptures shallnot recognise it as sinful. The punishment thou hast inflicted on me forsuch a venial offence hath been disproportionate in severity. The killingof a Brahmana involves a sin that is heavier than the killing of anyother living being. Thou shall, therefore, O god of justice, have to beborn among men even in the Sudra order. And from this day I establishthis limit in respect of the consequence of acts that an act shall not besinful when committed by one below the age of fourteen. But whencommitted by one above that age, it shall be regarded as sin.'
"Vaisampayana continued, 'Cursed for this fault by that illustriousRishi, the god of justice had his birth as Vidura in the Sudra order. AndVidura was well-versed in the doctrines of morality and also politics andworldly profit. And he was entirely free from covetousness and wrath.Possessed of great foresight and undisturbed tranquillity of mind, Vidurawas ever devoted to the welfare of the Kurus.'"
SECTION CIX
(Sambhava Parva continued)
"Vaisampayana said, 'Upon the birth of those three children, Kurujangala,Kurukshetra, and the Kurus grew in prosperity. The earth began to yieldabundant harvest, and the crops also were of good flavour. And the cloudsbegan to pour rain in season and trees became full of fruits and flowers.And the draught cattle were all happy and the birds and other animalsrejoiced exceedingly. And the flowers became fragrant and the fruitsbecame sweet; the cities and towns became filled with merchants,artisans, traders and artists of every description. And the people becamebrave, learned, honest and happy. And there were no robbers then, noranybody who was sinful. And it seemed that the golden age had come uponevery part of the kingdom. And the people devoted to virtuous acts,sacrifices and truth, and regarding one another with love and affectiongrew in prosperity. And free from pride, wrath and covetousness, theyrejoiced in perfectly innocent sports. And the capital of the Kurus, fullas the ocean, was a second Amaravati, teeming with hundreds of palacesand mansions, and possessing gates and arches dark as the clouds. And menin great cheerfulness sported constantly on rivers, lakes and tanks, andin fine groves and charming woods. And the southern Kurus, in theirvirtuous rivalry with their northern kinsmen, walked about in the companyof Siddhas and Charanas and Rishis. And all over that delightful countrywhose prosperity was thus increased by the Kurus, there were no misersand no widowed women. And the wells and lakes were ever full; the grovesabounded with trees, and the houses and abodes of Brahmanas were full ofwealth and the whole kingdom was full of festivities. And, O king,virtuously ruled by Bhishma, the kingdom was adorned with hundreds ofsacrificial stakes. And the wheel of virtue having been set in motion byBhishma, and the country became so contented that the subjects of otherkingdoms, quitting their homes, came to dwell there and increase itspopulation. And the citizens and the people were filled with hope, uponseeing the youthful acts of their illustrious princes. And, O king, inthe house of the Kuru chiefs as also of the principal citizens, 'give','eat' were the only words constantly heard. And Dhritarashtra and Panduand Vidura of great intelligence were from their birth brought up byBhishma, as if they were his own sons. And the children, having passedthrough the usual rites of their order, devoted themselves to vows andstudy. And they grew up into fine young men skilled in the Vedas and allathletic sports. And they became well-skilled in the practice of bow, inhorsemanship, in encounters with mace, sword and shield, in themanagement of elephants in battle, and in the science of morality.Well-read in history and the Puranas and various branches of learning,and acquainted with the truths of the Vedas and their branches theyacquired knowledge, which was versatile and deep. And Pandu, possessed ofgreat prowess, excelled all men in archery while Dhritarashtra excelledall in personal strength, while in the three worlds there was no oneequal to Vidura in devotion to virtue and in the knowledge of thedictates of morality. And beholding the restoration of the extinct lineof Santanu, the saying became current in all countries that among mothersof heroes, the daughters of the king of Kasi were the first; that amongcountries Kurujangala was the first; that among virtuous men, Vidura wasthe first; that among cities Hastinapura was the first. Pandu becameking, for Dhritarashtra, owing to the blindness, and Vidura, for hisbirth by a Sudra woman, did not obtain the kingdom. One day Bhishma, theforemost of those acquainted with the duties of a statesman and dictatesof morality, properly addressing Vidura conversant with the truth ofreligion and virtue, said as follows."
SECTION CX
(Sambhava Parva continued)
"Bhishma said, 'This our celebrated race, resplendent with every virtueand accomplishment, hath all along sovereignty over all other monarchs onearth. Its glory maintained and itself perpetuated by many virtuous andillustrious monarchs of old, the illustrious Krishna (Dwaipayana) andSatyavati and myself have raised you (three) up, in order that it may notbe extinct. It behoveth myself and thee also to take such steps that thisour dynasty may expand again as the sea. It hath been heard by me thatthere are three maidens worthy of being allied to our race. One is thedaughter of (Surasena of) the Yadava race; the other is the daughter ofSuvala; and the third is the princess of Madra. O son, all these maidensare of course of blue blood. Possessed of beauty and pure blood, they areeminently fit for an alliance with our family. O thou foremost ofintelligent men, I think we should choose them for the growth of ourrace. Tell me what thou thinkest.' Thus addressed, Vidura replied, 'Thouart our father and thou art our mother, too. Thou art our respectedspiritual instructor. Therefore, do thou what may be best for us in thyeyes.'
"Vaisampayana continued, 'Soon after Bhishma heard from the Brahmanasthat Gandhari, the amiable daughter of Suvala, having worshipped Hara(Siva) had obtained from the deity the boon that she should have acentury of sons. Bhishma, the grandfather of the Kurus, having heardthis, sent messengers unto the king of Gandhara. King Suvala at firsthesitated on account of the blindness of the bridegroom, but taking intoconsideration the blood of the Kurus, their fame and behaviour, he gavehis virtuous daughter unto Dhritarashtra and the chaste Gandhari hearingthat Dhritarashtra was blind and that her parents had consented to marryher to him, from love and respect for her future husband, blindfolded herown eyes. Sakuni, the son of Suvala, bringing unto the Kurus his sisterendued with youth and beauty, formally gave her away unto Dhritarashtra.And Gandhari was received with great respect and the nuptials werecelebrated with great pomp under Bhishma's directions. And the heroicSakuni, after having bestowed his sister along with many valuable robes,and having received Bhishma's adorations, returned to his own city. And,O thou of Bharata's race, the beautiful Gandhari gratified all the Kurusby her behaviour and respectful attentions. And Gandhari, ever devoted toher husband, gratified her superiors by her good conduct; and as she waschaste, she never referred even by words to men other than her husband orsuch superiors.'"
SECTION CXI
(Sambhava Parva continued)
"Vaisampayana continued, 'There was amongst the Yadavas a chief namedSura. He was the father of Vasudeva. And he had a daughter called Pritha,who was unrivalled for beauty on earth. And, O thou of Bharata's race,Sura, always truthful in speech, gave from friendship this his firstborndaughter unto his childless cousin and friend, the illustriousKuntibhoja--the son of his paternal aunt--pursuant to a former promise.And Pritha in the house of her adoptive father was engaged in lookingafter the duties of hospitality to Brahmanas and other guests. Once shegratified by her attentions the terrible Brahmana of rigid vows, who wasknown by the name of Durvasa and was well-acquainted with the hiddentruths of morality. Gratified with her respectful attentions, the sage,anticipating by his spiritual power the future (season of) distress(consequent upon the curse to be pronounced upon Pandu for hisunrighteous act of slaying a deer while serving its mate) imparted to hera formula of invocation for summoning any of the celestials she liked togive her children. And the Rishi said, 'Those celestials that thou shallsummon by this Mantra shall certainly approach thee and give theechildren.' 'Thus addressed by the Brahmana, the amiable Kunti (Pritha)became curious, and in her maidenhood summoned the god Arka (Sun). And assoon as he pronounced the Mantra, she beheld that effulgent deity--thatbeholder of everything in the world--approaching her. And beholding thatextraordinary sight, the maiden of faultless features was overcome withsurprise. But the god Vivaswat (Sun) approaching her, said, 'Here I am, Oblack-eyed girl! Tell me what I am to do for thee.'
"Hearing this, Kunti said, 'O slayer of foes, a certain Brahamana gave methis formula of invocation as a boon, and, O lord, I have summoned theeonly to test its efficacy. For this offence I bow to thee. A woman,whatever be her offence, always deserveth pardon.' Surya (Sun) replied,'I know that Durvasa hath granted this boon. But cast off thy fears,timid maiden, and grant me thy embraces. Amiable one, my approach cannotbe futile; it must bear fruit. Thou hast summoned me, and if it be fornothing, it shall certainly be regarded as thy transgression.'
"Vaisampayana continued, 'Vivaswat thus spoke unto her many things with aview to allay her fears, but, O Bharata, the amiable maiden, from modestyand fear of her relatives, consented not to grant his request. And, Obull of Bharata's race, Arka addressed her again and said, 'O princess,for my sake, it shall not be sinful for thee to grant my wish.' Thusspeaking unto the daughter of Kuntibhoja, the illustrious Tapana--theilluminator of the universe--gratified his wish. And of this connectionthere was immediately born a son known all over the world as Karnaaccountred with natural armour and with face brightened by ear-rings. Andthe heroic Karna was the first of all wielders of weapons, blessed withgood fortune, and endued with the beauty of a celestial child. And afterthe birth of this child, the illustrious Tapana granted unto Pritha hermaidenhood and ascended to heaven. And the princess of the Vrishni racebeholding with sorrow that son born of her, reflected intently upon whatwas then the best for her to do. And from fear of her relatives sheresolved to conceal that evidence of her folly. And she cast heroffspring endued with great physical strength into the water. Then thewell-known husband of Radha, of the Suta caste, took up the child thuscast into the water, and he and his wife brought him up as their own son.And Radha and her husband bestowed on him the name of Vasusena (born withwealth) because he was born with a natural armour and ear-rings. Andendued as he was born with great strength, as he grew up, he becameskilled in all weapons. Possessed of great energy, he used to adore thesun until his back was heated by his rays (i.e., from dawn to midday),and during the hours of worship, there was nothing on earth that theheroic and intelligent Vasusena would not give unto the Brahmanas. AndIndra desirous of benefiting his own son Phalguni (Arjuna), assuming theform of a Brahmana, approached Vasusena on one occasion and begged of himhis natural armour. Thus asked Karna took off his natural armour, andjoining his hands in reverence gave it unto Indra in the guise of aBrahmana. And the chief of the celestials accepted the gift and wasexceedingly gratified with Karna's liberality. He therefore, gave untohim a fine dart, saying, 'That one (and one only) among the celestials,the Asuras, men, the Gandharvas, the Nagas, and the Rakshasas, whom thoudesirest to conquer, shall be certainly slain with this dart.'
"The son of Surya was before this known by the name of Vasusena. Butsince he cut off his natural armour, he came to be called Karna (thecutter or peeler of his own cover).'"
SECTION CXII
(Sambhava Parva continued)
"Vaisampayana said. 'The large-eyed daughter of Kuntibhoja, Pritha byname, was endued with beauty and every accomplishment. Of rigid vows, shewas devoted to virtue and possessed of every good quality. But thoughendued with beauty and youth and every womanly attribute, yet it sohappened that no king asked-for her hand. Her father Kuntibhoja seeingthis, invited, O best of monarchs, the princes and kings of othercountries and desired his daughter to select her husband from among herguests. The intelligent Kunti, entering the amphitheatre, beheldPandu--the foremost of the Bharatas--that tiger among kings--in thatconcourse of crowned heads. Proud as the lion, broad-chested, bull-eyed,endued with great strength, and outshining all other monarchs insplendour, he looked like another Indra in that royal assemblage. Theamiable daughter of Kuntibhoja, of faultless features, beholdingPandu--that best of men--in that assembly, became very much agitated. Andadvancing with modesty, all the while quivering with emotion, she placedthe nuptial garland about Pandu's neck. The other monarchs, seeing Kuntichoose Pandu for her lord, returned to their respective kingdoms onelephants, horses and cars, as they had come. Then, O king, the bride'sfather caused the nuptial rites to be performed duly. The Kuru princeblessed with great good fortune and the daughter of Kuntibhoja formed acouple like Maghavat and Paulomi (the king and queen of the celestials).And, O best of Kuru monarchs, king Kuntibhoja, after the nuptials wereover, presented his son-in-law with much wealth and sent him back to hiscapital. Then the Kuru prince Pandu, accompanied by a large force bearingvarious kinds of banners and pennons, and eulogised by Brahmanas andgreat Rishis pronouncing benedictions, reached his capital. And afterarriving at his own palace, he established his queen therein.'"
SECTION CXIII
(Sambhava Parva continued)
"Vaisampayana continued, 'Some time after, Bhishma the intelligent son ofSantanu set his heart upon getting Pandu married to a second wife.Accompanied by an army composed of four kinds of force, and also by agedcouncillors and Brahmanas and great Rishis, he went to the capital of theking of Madra. And that bull of the Valhikas--the king of Madra--hearingthat Bhishma had arrived, went out to receive him. And having receivedhim with respect, he got him to enter his palace. Arriving there, theking of Madra offered unto Bhishma a white carpet for a seat; water towash his feet with, and usual oblation of various ingredients indicativeof respect. And when he was seated at ease, the king asked him about thereason of his visit. Then Bhishma--the supporter of the dignity of theKurus--addressed the king of Madra and said, 'O oppressor of all foes,know that I have come for the hand of a maiden. It hath been heard by usthat thou hast a sister named Madri celebrated for her beauty and enduedwith every virtue; I would chose her for Pandu. Thou art, O king, inevery respect worthy of an alliance with us, and we also are worthy ofthee. Reflecting upon all this, O king of Madra, accept us duly.' Theruler of Madra, thus addressed by Bhishma, replied, 'To my mind, there isnone else than one of thy family with whom I can enter into an alliance.But there is a custom in our family observed by our ancestors, which, beit good or bad, I am incapable of transgressing. It is well-known, andtherefore is known to thee as well, I doubt not. Therefore, it is notproper for thee to say to me,--Bestow thy sister. The custom to which Iallude is our family custom. With us that is a virtue and worthy ofobservance. It is for this only, O slayer of foes, I cannot give thee anyassurance in the matter of thy request.' On hearing this, Bhishmaanswered the king of Madra, saying, 'O king, this, no doubt,' is avirtue. The self-create himself hath said it. Thy ancestors wereobservant of custom. There is no fault to find with it. It is alsowell-known, O Salya, that this custom in respect of family dignity haththe approval of the wise and the good.' Saying this Bhishma of greatenergy, gave unto Salya much gold both coined and uncoined, and preciousstones of various colours by thousands, and elephants and horses andcars, and much cloth and many ornaments, and gems and pearls and corals.And Salya accepting with a cheerful heart those precious gifts then gaveaway his sister decked in ornaments unto that bull of the Kuru race. Thenthe wise Bhishma, the son of the oceangoing Ganga, rejoiced at the issueof his mission, took Madri with him, and returned to the Kuru capitalnamed after the elephant.
"Then selecting on auspicious day and moment as indicated by the wise forthe ceremony, King Pandu was duly united with Madri. And after thenuptials were over, the Kuru king established his beautiful bride inhandsome apartments. And, O king of kings, that best of monarchs thengave himself up to enjoyment in the company of his two wives as best heliked and to the limit of his desires. And after thirty days had elapsed,the Kuru king, O monarch, started from his capital for the conquest ofthe world. And after reverentially saluting and bowing to Bhishma and theother elders of the Kuru race, and with adieus to Dhritarashtra andothers of the family, and obtaining their leave, he set out on his grandcampaign, accompanied by a large force of elephants, horses, and cars,and well-pleased with the blessings uttered by all around and theauspicious rites performed by the citizens for his success. And Pandu,accompanied by such a strong force marched against various foes. And thattiger among men--that spreader of the fame of the Kurus--first subjugatedthe robber tribes of asarna. He next turned his army composed ofinnumerable elephants, cavalry, infantry, and charioteers, with standardsof various colours against Dhirga--the ruler of the kingdom of Maghadhawho was proud of his strength, and offended against numerous monarchs.And attacking him in his capital, Pandu slew him there, and tookeverything in his treasury and also vehicles and draught animals withoutnumber. He then marched into Mithila and subjugated the Videhas. Andthen, O bull among men, Pandu led his army against Kasi, Sumbha, andPundra, and by the strength and prowess of his arms spread the fame ofthe Kurus. And Pandu, that oppressor of foes, like unto a mighty firewhose far-reaching flames were represented by his arrows and splendour byhis weapons, began to consume all kings that came in contact with him.These with their forces, vanquished by Pandu at the head of his army,were made the vassals of the Kurus. And all kings of the world, thusvanquished by him, regarded him as the one single hero on earth even asthe celestials regard Indra in heaven. And the kings of earth with joinedpalms bowed to him and waited on him with presents of various kinds ofgems and wealth, precious stones and pearls and corals, and much gold andsilver, and first-class kine and handsome horses and fine cars andelephants, and asses and camels and buffaloes, and goats and sheep, andblankets and beautiful hides, and cloths woven out of furs. And the kingof Hastinapura accepting those offerings retraced his steps towards hiscapital, to the great delight of his subjects. And the citizens andothers filled with joy, and kings and ministers, all began to say, 'O,the fame of the achievements of Santanu, that tiger among kings, and ofthe wise Bharata, which were about to die, hath been revived by Pandu.They who robbed before the Kurus of both territory and wealth have beensubjugated by Pandu--the tiger of Hastinapura--and made to pay tribute.'And all the citizens with Bhishma at their head went out to receive thevictorious king. They had not proceeded far when they saw the attendantsof the king laden with much wealth, and the train of various conveyancesladen with all kinds of wealth, and of elephants, horses, cars, kine,camels and other animals, was so long that they saw not its end. ThenPandu, beholding Bhishma, who was a father to him, worshipped his feetand saluted the citizens and others as each deserved. And Bhishma, too,embracing Pandu as his son who had returned victorious after grindingmany hostile kingdoms, wept tears of joy. And Pandu, instilling joy intothe hearts of his people with a flourish of trumpets and conchs andkettle-drums, entered his capital.'"
SECTION CXIV
(Sambhava Parva continued)
"Vaisampayana said, 'Pandu, then, at the command of Dhritarashtra,offered the wealth he had acquired by the prowess of his arms to Bhishma,their grand-mother Satyavati and their mothers. And he sent portion ofhis wealth to Vidura also. And the virtuous Pandu gratified his otherrelatives also with similar presents. Then Satyavati and Bhishma and theKosala princes were all gratified with the presents Pandu made out of theacquisitions of his prowess. And Ambalika in particular, upon embracingher son of incomparable prowess, became as glad as the queen of heavenupon embracing Jayanta. And with the wealth acquired by that heroDhritarashtra performed five great sacrifices that were equal unto ahundred great horse-sacrifices, at all of which the offerings toBrahmanas were by hundreds and thousands.
"A little while after, O bull of Bharata's race, Pandu who had achieved avictory over sloth and lethargy, accompanied by his two wives, Kunti andMadri, retired into the woods. Leaving his excellent palace with itsluxurious beds, he became a permanent inhabitant of the woods, devotingthe whole of his time to the chase of the deer. And fixing his abode in adelightful and hilly region overgrown with huge sala trees, on thesouthern slope of the Himavat mountains, he roamed about in perfectfreedom. The handsome Pandu with his two wives wandered in those woodslike Airavata accompanied by two she-elephants. And the dwellers in thosewoods, beholding the heroic Bharata prince in the company of his wives,armed with sword, arrows, and bow, clad with his beautiful armour, andskilled in all excellent weapons, regarded him as the very god wanderingamongst them.
"And at the command of Dhritarashtra, people were busy in supplying Panduin his retirement with every object of pleasure and enjoyment.
"Meanwhile the son of the ocean-going Ganga heard that king Devaka had adaughter endued with youth and beauty and begotten upon a Sudra wife.Bringing her from her father's abode, Bhishma married her to Vidura ofgreat wisdom. And Vidura begot upon her many children like unto himselfin accomplishments.'"
SECTION CXV
(Sambhava Parva continued)
"Vaisampayana said, 'Meanwhile, O Janamejaya, Dhritarashtra begat uponGandhari a hundred sons, and upon a Vaisya wife another besides thosehundred. And Pandu had, by his two wives Kunti and Madri, five sons whowere great charioteers and who were all begotten by the celestials forthe perpetuation of the Kuru line.'
"Janamejaya said, 'O best of Brahmanas, how did Gandhari bring forththose hundred sons and in how many years? What were also the periods oflife allotted to each? How did Dhritarashtra also beget another son in aVaisya wife? How did Dhritarashtra behave towards his loving obedient,and virtuous wife Gandhari? How were also begotten the five sons ofPandu, those mighty charioteers, even though Pandu himself laboured underthe curse of the great Rishi (he slew)? Tell me all this in detail, formy thirst for hearing everything relating to my own ancestor hath notbeen slaked.'
"Vaisampayana said, 'One day Gandhari entertained with respectfulattention the great Dwaipayana who came to her abode, exhausted withhunger and fatigue. Gratified with Gandhari's hospitality, the Rishi gaveher the boon she asked for, viz., that she should have a century of sonseach equal unto her lord in strength and accomplishments. Some time afterGandhari conceived and she bore the burden in her womb for two long yearswithout being delivered. And she was greatly afflicted at this. It wasthen that she heard that Kunti had brought forth a son whose splendourwas like unto the morning sun. Impatient of the period of gestation whichhad prolonged so long, and deprived of reason by grief, she struck herwomb with great violence without the knowledge of her husband. Andthereupon came out of her womb, after two years' growth, a hard mass offlesh like unto an iron ball. When she was about to throw it away,Dwaipayana, learning everything by his spiritual powers, promptly camethere, and that first of ascetics beholding that ball of flesh, addressedthe daughter of Suvala thus, 'What hast thou done?' Gandhari, withoutendeavouring to disguise her feelings, addressed the Rishi and said,'Having heard that Kunti had brought forth a son like unto Surya insplendour, I struck in grief at my womb. Thou hadst, O Rishi, granted methe boon that I should have a hundred sons, but here is only a ball offlesh for those hundred sons!' Vyasa then said, 'Daughter of Suvala, itis even so. But my words can never be futile. I have not spoken anuntruth even in jest. I need not speak of other occasions. Let a hundredpots full of clarified butter be brought instantly, and let them beplaced at a concealed spot. In the meantime, let cool water be sprinkledover this ball of flesh.'
"Vaisampayana continued, 'That ball of flesh then, sprinkled over withwater, became, in time, divided into a hundred and one parts, each aboutthe size of the thumb. These were then put into those pots full ofclarified butter that had been placed at a concealed spot and werewatched with care. The illustrious Vyasa then said unto the daughter ofSuvala that she should open the covers of the pots after full two years.And having said this and made these arrangements, the wise Dwaipayanawent to the Himavat mountains for devoting himself to asceticism.
"Then in time, king Duryodhana was born from among those pieces of theball of flesh that had been deposited in those pots. According to theorder of birth, king Yudhishthira was the oldest. The news ofDuryodhana's birth was carried to Bhishma and the wise Vidura. The daythat the haughty Duryodhana was born was also the birth-day of Bhima ofmighty arms and great prowess.
"As soon as Duryodhana was born, he began to cry and bray like an ass.And hearing that sound, the asses, vultures, jackals and crows utteredtheir respective cries responsively. Violent winds began to blow, andthere were fires in various directions. Then king Dhritarashtra in greatfear, summoning Bhishma and Vidura and other well-wishers and all theKurus, and numberless Brahmanas, addressed them and said, 'The oldest ofthose princes, Yudhishthira, is the perpetuator of our line. By virtue ofhis birth he hath acquired the kingdom. We have nothing to say to this.But shall this my son born after him become king? Tell me truly what islawful and right under these circumstances.' As soon as these words werespoken, O Bharata, jackals and other carnivorous animals began to howlominously And marking those frightful omens all around, the assembledBrahmanas and the wise Vidura replied, 'O king, O bull among men, whenthese frightful omens are noticeable at the birth of thy eldest son, itis evident that he shall be the exterminator of thy race. The prosperityof all dependeth on his abandonment. Calamity there must be in keepinghim. O king, if thou abandonest him, there remain yet thy nine and ninetysons. If thou desirest the good of thy race, abandon him, O Bharata! Oking, do good to the world and thy own race by casting off this one childof thine. It hath been said that an individual should be cast off for thesake of the family; that a family should be cast off for the sake of avillage; that a village may be abandoned for the sake of the wholecountry; and that the earth itself may be abandoned for the sake of thesoul.' When Vidura and those Brahmanas had stated so, king Dhritarashtraout of affection for his son had not the heart to follow that advice.Then, O king, within a month, were born a full hundred sons untoDhritarashtra and a daughter also in excess of this hundred. And duringthe time when Gandhari was in a state of advanced pregnancy, there was amaid servant of the Vaisya class who used to attend on Dhritarashtra.During that year, O king, was begotten upon her by the illustriousDhritarashtra a son endued with great intelligence who was afterwardsnamed Yuvutsu. And because he was begotten by a Kshatriya upon a Vaisyawoman, he came to be called Karna.
"Thus were born unto the wise Dhritarashtra a hundred sons who were allheroes and mighty chariot-fighters, and a daughter over and above thehundred, and another son Yuyutsu of great energy and prowess begottenupon a Vaisya woman.'"
SECTION CXVI
(Sambhava Parva continued)
"Janamejaya said, 'O sinless one, thou hast narrated to me from thebeginning all about the birth of Dhritarashtra's hundred sons owing tothe boon granted by the Rishi. But thou hast not told me as yet anyparticulars about the birth of the daughter. Thou hast merely said thatover and above the hundred sons, there was another son named Yuyutsubegotten upon a Vaisya woman, and a daughter. The great Rishi Vyasa ofimmeasurable energy said unto the daughter of the king of Gandhara thatshe would become the mother of a hundred sons. Illustrious one, how isthat thou sayest Gandhari had a daughter over and above her hundred sons?If the ball of flesh was distributed by the great Rishi only into ahundred parts, and if Gandhari did not conceive on any other occasion,how was then Duhsala born. Tell me this, O Rishi! my curiosity hath beengreat."
"Vaisampayana said, 'O descendant of the Pandavas, thy question is just,and I will tell thee how it happened. The illustrious and great Rishihimself, by sprinkling water over that ball of flesh, began to divide itinto parts. And as it was being divided into parts, the nurse began totake them up and put them one by one into those pots filled withclarified butter. While this process was going on, the beautiful andchaste Gandhari of rigid vows, realising the affection that one feelethfor a daughter, began to think within herself, 'There is no doubt that Ishall have a hundred sons, the Muni having said so. It can never beotherwise. But I should be very happy if a daughter were born of me overand above these hundred sons and junior to them all. My husband then mayattain to those worlds that the possession of a daughter's sonsconferreth. Then again, the affection the women feel for theirsons-in-law is great. If, therefore, I obtain a daughter over and abovemy hundred sons, then, surrounded by sons and daughter's sons, I may feelsupremely blest. If I have ever practised ascetic austerities, if I haveever given anything in charity, if I have ever performed the homa(through Brahamanas), if I have ever gratified my superiors by respectfulattentions, then (as the fruit of those acts) let a daughter be born untome.' All this while that illustrious and best of Rishis,Krishna-Dwaipayana himself was dividing the ball of flesh; and counting afull hundred of the parts, he said unto the daughter of Suvala, 'Here arethy hundred sons. I did not speak aught unto thee that was false. Here,however, is one part in excess of the hundred, intended for giving thee adaughter's son. This part shall develop into an amiable and fortunatedaughter, as thou hast desired' Then that great ascetic brought anotherpot full of clarified butter, and put the part intended for a daughterinto it.
"Thus have I, O Bharata, narrated unto thee all about the birth ofDuhsala. Tell me, O sinless one, what more I am now to narrate.'"
SECTION CXVII
(Sambhava Parva continued)
"Janamejaya said, 'Please recite the names of Dhritarashtra's sonsaccording to the order of their birth.'
"Vaisampayana said, 'Their names, O king, according to the order ofbirth, are Duryodhana, Yuyutsu, Duhsasana, Duhsaha, Duhsala, Jalasandha,Sama, Saha, Vinda and Anuvinda, Durdharsha, Suvahu, Dushpradharshana,Durmarshana and Durmukha, Dushkarna, and Karna; Vivinsati and Vikarna,Sala, Satwa, Sulochana, Chitra and Upachitra, Chitraksha, Charuchitra,Sarasana, Durmada and Durvigaha, Vivitsu, Vikatanana; Urnanabha andSunabha, then Nandaka and Upanandaka; Chitravana, Chitravarman, Suvarman,Durvimochana; Ayovahu, Mahavahu, Chitranga, Chitrakundala, Bhimavega,Bhimavala, Balaki, Balavardhana, Ugrayudha; Bhima, Karna, Kanakaya,Dridhayudha, Dridhavarman, Dridhakshatra, Somakitri, Anudara;Dridhasandha, Jarasandha, Satyasandha, Sada, Suvak, Ugrasravas, Ugrasena,Senani, Dushparajaya, Aparajita, Kundasayin, Visalaksha, Duradhara;Dridhahasta, Suhasta, Vatavega, and Suvarchas; Adityaketu, Vahvashin,Nagadatta, Agrayayin; Kavachin, Krathana, Kunda, Kundadhara, Dhanurdhara;the heroes, Ugra and Bhimaratha, Viravahu, Alolupa; Abhaya, andRaudrakarman, and Dridharatha; Anadhrishya, Kundabhedin, Viravi,Dhirghalochana Pramatha, and Pramathi and the powerful Dhirgharoma;Dirghavahu, Mahavahu, Vyudhoru, Kanakadhvaja; Kundasi and Virajas.Besides these hundred sons, there was a daughter named Duhsala. All wereheroes and Atirathas, and were well-skilled in warfare. All were learnedin the Vedas, and all kinds of weapons. And, O, king, worthy wives werein time selected for all of them by Dhritarashtra after properexamination. And king Dhritarashtra, O monarch, also bestowed Duhsala, inproper time and with proper rites, upon Jayadratha (the king of Sindhu).'
SECTION CXVIII
(Sambhava Parva continued)
"Janamejaya said, 'O utterer of Brahma, thou hast recited (everythingabout) the extraordinary birth among men, of the sons of Dhritarashtra inconsequence of the Rishi's grace. Thou hast also said what their namesare, according to the order of their birth. O Brahmana, I have heard allthese from thee. But tell me now all about the Pandavas. While recitingthe incarnations on earth of the celestial, the Asuras, and the beings ofother classes, thou saidst that the Pandavas were all illustrious andendued with the prowess of gods, and that they were incarnate portion ofthe celestials themselves. I desire, therefore, to hear all about thosebeings of extraordinary achievements beginning from the moment of theirbirth. O Vaisampayana, recite thou their achievements.'
"Vaisampayana said, 'O king, one day Pandu, while roaming about in thewoods (on the southern slopes of the Himavat) that teemed with deer andwild animals of fierce disposition, saw a large deer, that seemed to bethe leader of a herd, serving his mate. Beholding the animals, themonarch pierced them both with five of his sharp and swift arrows wingedwith golden feathers. O monarch, that was no deer that Pandu struck at,but a Rishi's son of great ascetic merit who was enjoying his mate in theform of a deer. Pierced by Pandu, while engaged in the act ofintercourse, he fell down to the ground, uttering cries that were of aman and began to weep bitterly.
"The deer then addressed Pandu and said, 'O king, even men that areslaves to lust and wrath, and void of reason, and ever sinful, nevercommit such a cruel act as this. Individual judgment prevaileth notagainst the ordinance, the ordinance prevaileth against individualjudgment. The wise never sanction anything discountenanced by theordinance. Thou art born, O Bharata, in a race that hath ever beenvirtuous. How is it, therefore, that even thou, suffering thyself to beoverpowered by passion and wrath losest thy reason?' Hearing this, Pandureplied, 'O deer, kings behave in the matter of slaying animals of thyspecies exactly as they do in the matter of slaying foes. It behoveththee not, therefore, to reprove me thus from ignorance. Animals of thyspecies are slain by open or covert means. This, indeed, is the practiceof kings. Then why dost thou reprove me? Formerly, the Rishi Agastya,while engaged in the performance of a grand sacrifice, chased the deer,and devoted every deer in the forest unto the gods in general. Thou hastbeen slain, pursuant to the usage sanctioned by such precedent. Whereforereprovest us then? For his especial sacrifices Agastya performed the homawith fat of the deer.'
"The deer then said, 'O king, men do not let fly their arrows at theirenemies when the latter are unprepared. But there is a time for doing it(viz., after declaration of hostilities). Slaughter at such a time is notcensurable.'
"Pandu replied, 'It is well-known that men slay deer by various effectivemeans without regarding whether the animals are careful or careless.Therefore, O deer, why dost thou reprove me?'
"The deer then said, 'O, king, I did not blame thee for thy having killeda deer, or for the injury thou hast done to me. But, instead of acting socruelly, thou shouldst have waited till the completion of my act ofintercourse. What man of wisdom and virtue is there that can kill a deerwhile engaged in such an act? The time of sexual intercourse is agreeableto every creature and productive of good to all. O king, with this mymate I was engaged in the gratification of my sexual desire. But thateffort of mine hath been rendered futile by thee. O king of the Kurus, asthou art born in the race of the Pauravas ever noted for white (virtuous)deeds, such an act hath scarcely been worthy of thee. O Bharata, this actmust be regarded as extremely cruel, deserving of universal execration,infamous, and sinful, and certainly leading to hell. Thou art acquaintedwith the pleasures of sexual intercourse. Thou art acquainted also withthe teaching of morality and dictates of duty. Like unto a celestial asthou art, it behoveth thee not to do such an act as leadeth to hell. Obest of kings, thy duty is to chastise all who act cruelly, who areengaged in sinful practices and who have thrown to the winds religion,profit, and pleasure as explained in the scriptures. What hast thou done,O best of men, in killing me who have given thee no offence? I am, Oking, a Muni who liveth on fruits and roots, though disguised as a deer.I was living in the woods in peace with all. Yet thou hast killed me, Oking, for which I will curse thee certainly. As thou hast been cruel untoa couple of opposite sexes, death shall certainly overtake thee as soonas thou feelest the influence of sexual desire. I am a Muni of the nameof Kindama, possessed of ascetic merit. I was engaged in sexualintercourse with this deer, because my feelings of modesty did not permitme to indulge in such an act in human society. In the form of a deer Irove in the deep woods in the company of other deer. Thou hast slain mewithout knowing that I am a Brahmana, the sin of having slain a Brahmanashall not, therefore, be thine. But senseless man, as you have killed me,disguised as a deer, at such a time, thy fate shall certainly be evenlike mine. When, approaching thy wife lustfully, thou wilt unite with hereven as I had done with mine, in that very state shalt thou have to go tothe world of the spirits. And that wife of thine with whom thou mayst beunited in intercourse at the time of thy death shall also follow theewith affection and reverence to the domains of the king of the dead. Thouhast brought me grief when I was happy. So shall grief come to thee whenthou art in happiness.'
"Vaisampayana continued, 'Saying this, that deer, afflicted with griefgave up the ghost; and Pandu also was plunged in woe at the sight.'"
SECTION CXIX
(Sambhava Parva continued)
"Vaisampayana said, 'After the death of that deer, king Pandu with hiswives was deeply afflicted and wept bitterly. And he exclaimed, 'Thewicked, even if born in virtuous families, deluded by their own passions,become overwhelmed with misery as the fruit of their own deeds. I haveheard that my father, though begotten by Santanu of virtuous soul, wascut off while still a youth, only because he had become a slave to hislust. In the soil of that lustful king, the illustrious RishiKrishna-Dwaipayana himself, of truthful speech, begot me. A son though Iam of such a being, with my wicked heart wedded to vice, I am yet leadinga wandering life in the woods in the chase of the deer. Oh, the very godshave forsaken me! I shall seek salvation now. The great impediments tosalvation are the desire to beget children, and other concerns of theworld. I shall now adopt the Brahmacharya mode of life and follow in theimperishable wake of my father. I shall certainly bring my passions undercomplete control by severe ascetic penances. Forsaking my wives and otherrelatives and shaving my head, alone shall I wander over the earth,begging for my subsistence from each of these trees standing here.Forsaking every object of affection and aversion, and covering my bodywith dust, I shall make the shelter of trees or deserted houses my home.I shall never yield to influence of sorrow or joy, and I shall regardslander and eulogy in the same light. I shall not seek benedictions orbows. I shall be at peace with all, and shall not accept gifts. I shallnot mock anybody, nor shall I knit my brows at any one, but shall be evercheerful and devoted to the good of all creatures. I shall not harm anyof the four orders of life gifted with power of locomotion or otherwise,viz., oviparous and viviparous creatures and worms and vegetables. But onthe contrary, preserve an equality of behaviour towards all, as if theywere, my own children. Once a day shall I beg of five or ten families atthe most, and if I do not succeed in obtaining alms, I shall then gowithout food. I shall rather stint myself than beg more than once of thesame person. If I do not obtain anything after completing my round ofseven or ten houses, moved by covetousness, I shall not enlarge my round.Whether I obtain or fail to obtain alms. I shall be equally unmoved likea great ascetic. One lopping off an arm of mine with a hatchet, and onesmearing another arm with sandal-paste, shall be regarded by me equally.I shall not wish prosperity to the one or misery to the other. I shallnot be pleased with life or displeased with death. I shall neither desireto live nor to die. Washing my heart of all sins, I shall certainlytranscend those sacred rites productive of happiness, that men perform inauspicious moments, days, and periods. I shall also abstain from all actsof religion and profit and also those that lead to the gratification ofthe senses. Freed from all sins and snares of the world, I shall be likethe wind subject to none. Following the path of fearlessness and bearingmyself in this way I shall at last lay down my life. Destitute of thepower of begetting children, firmly adhering to the line of duty I shallnot certainly deviate therefrom in order to tread in the vile path of theworld that is so full of misery. Whether respected or disrespected in theworld that man who from covetousness casteth on others a begging look,certainly behaveth like a dog. (Destitute as I am of the power ofprocreation, I should not certainly, from desire of offspring, solicitothers to give me children).'
"Vaisampayana continued, 'The king, having thus wept in sorrow, with asigh looked at his two wives Kunti and Madri, and addressing them said,'Let the princess of Kosala (my mother), Vidura, the king with ourfriends, the venerable Satyavati, Bhishma, the priests of our family,illustrious Soma-drinking Brahmanas of rigid vows and all elderlycitizens depending on us be informed, after being prepared for it, thatPandu hath retired into the woods to lead a life of asceticism.' Hearingthese words of their lord who had set his heart on a life of asceticismin the woods, both Kunti and Madri addressed him in these proper words,'O bull of Bharata's race, there are many other modes of life which thoucanst adopt and in which thou canst undergo the severest penances alongwith us, thy wedded wives--in which for the salvation of thy body(freedom from re-birth), thou mayest obtain heaven. We also, in thecompany of our lord, and for his benefit, controlling our passions andbidding adieu to all luxuries, shall subject ourselves to the severestausterities. O king, O thou of great wisdom, if thou abandonest us, weshall then this very day truly depart from this world.'
Pandu replied, 'If, indeed, this your resolve springeth from virtue, thenwith you both I shall follow the imperishable path of my fathers.Abandoning the luxuries of cities and towns, clad in barks of trees, andliving on fruits and roots, I shall wander in deep woods, practising theseverest penances. Bathing morning and evening, I shall perform the homa.I shall reduce my body by eating very sparingly and shall wear rags andskins and knotted locks on my head. Exposing myself to heat and cold anddisregarding hunger and thirst, I shall reduce my body by severe asceticpenances, I shall live in solitude and I shall give myself up tocontemplation; I shall eat fruit, ripe or green, that I may find. I shalloffer oblations to the Pitris (manes) and the gods with speech, water andthe fruits of the wilderness. I shall not see, far less harm, any of thedenizens of the woods, or any of my relatives, or any of the residents ofcities and towns. Until I lay down this body, I shall thus practise thesevere ordinances of the Vanaprastha scriptures, always searching forseverer ones that they may contain.'
"Vaisampayana continued, 'The Kuru king, having said this unto his wives,gave away to Brahmanas the big jewel in his diadem, his necklace ofprecious gold, his bracelets, his large ear-rings, his valuable robes andall the ornaments of his wives. Then summoning his attendants, hecommended them, saying, 'Return ye to Hastinapura and proclaim unto allthat Pandu with his wives hath gone into the woods, foregoing wealth,desire, happiness, and even sexual appetite.' Then those followers andattendants, hearing these and other soft words of the king, set up a loudwail, uttering, 'Oh, we are undone!' Then with hot tears trickling downtheir cheeks they left the monarch and returned to Hastinapura with speedcarrying that wealth with them (that was to be distributed in charity).Then Dhritarashtra, that first of men, hearing from them everything thathad happened in the woods, wept for his brother. He brooded over hisaffliction continually, little relishing the comfort of beds and seatsand dishes.
"Meanwhile, the Kuru prince Pandu (after sending away his attendants)accompanied by his two wives and eating fruits and roots went to themountains of Nagasata. He next went to Chaitraratha, and then crossed theKalakuta, and finally, crossing the Himavat, he arrived at Gandhamadana.Protected by Mahabhutas, Siddhas, and great Rishis, Pandu lived, O king,sometimes on level ground and sometimes on mountain slopes. He thenjourneyed on to the lake of Indradyumna, whence crossing the mountains ofHansakuta, he went to the mountain of hundred peaks (Sata-sringa) andthere continued to practise ascetic austerities.'"
SECTION CXX
(Sambhava Parva continued)
"Vaisampayana said, 'Pandu, possessed of great energy, then devotedhimself to asceticism. Within a short time he became the favourite of thewhole body of the Siddhas and Charanas residing there. And, O Bharata,devoted to the service of his spiritual masters, free from vanity, withmind under complete control and the passions fully subdued, the prince,becoming competent to enter heaven by his own energy, attained to great(ascetic) prowess. Some of the Rishis would call him brother, somefriend, while others cherished him as their son. And, O bull of Bharata'srace, having acquired after a long time great ascetic merit coupled withcomplete singleness, Pandu became even like a Brahmarshi (though he was aKshatriya by birth).
"On a certain day of the new moon, the great Rishis of rigid vowsassembled together, and desirous of beholding Brahman were on the pointof starting on their expedition. Seeing them about to start, Pandu askedthose ascetics, saying, 'Ye first of eloquent men, where shall we go?'The Rishis answered, 'There will be a great gathering today, in the abodeof Brahman, of celestials, Rishis and Pitris. Desirous of beholding theSelf-create we shall go there today.'
"Vaisampayana continued, 'Hearing this, Pandu rose up suddenly, desirousof visiting heaven along with the great Rishis. Accompanied by his twowives, when he was on the point of following the Rishis in the northerlydirection from the mountain of hundred peaks, those ascetics addressedhim saying, 'In our northward march, while gradually ascending the kingof mountains, we have seen on its delightful breast many regionsinaccessible to ordinary mortals; retreats also of the gods, andGandharvas and Apsaras, with palatial mansions by hundreds clusteringthick around and resounding with the sweet notes of celestial music, thegardens of Kuvera laid out on even and uneven grounds, banks of mightyrivers, and deep caverns. There are many regions also on those heightsthat are covered with perpetual snow and are utterly destitute ofvegetable and animal existence. In some places the downpour of rain is soheavy that they are perfectly inaccessible and incapable of beingutilised for habitation. Not to speak of other animals, even wingedcreatures cannot cross them. The only thing that can go there is air, andthe only beings, Siddhas and great Rishis. How shall these princessesascend those heights of the king of mountains? Unaccustomed to pain,shall they not droop in affliction? Therefore, come not with us, O bullof Bharata's race!'
"Pandu replied, 'Ye fortunate ones, it is said that for the sonless thereis no admittance into heaven. I am sonless! I In affliction I speak' untoyou! I am afflicted because I have not been able to discharge the debt Iowe to my ancestors. It is certain that with the dissolution of this mybody my ancestors perish! Men are born on this earth with four debts,viz. those due unto the (deceased) ancestors, the gods, the Rishis, andother men. In justice these must be discharged. The wise have declaredthat no regions of bliss exist for them that neglect to pay these debtsin due time. The gods are paid (gratified) by sacrifices, the Rishis, bystudy, meditation, and asceticism, the (deceased) ancestors, by begettingchildren and offering the funeral cake, and, lastly other men, by leadinga humane and inoffensive life. I have justly discharged my obligations tothe Rishis, the gods, and other men. But those others than these threeare sure to perish with the dissolution of my body! Ye ascetics, I am notyet freed from the debt I owe to my (deceased) ancestors. The best of menare born in this world to beget children for discharging that debt. Iwould ask you, should children be begotten in my soil (upon my wives) asI myself was begotten in the soil of my father by the eminent Rishi?'
"The Rishis said, 'O king of virtuous soul, there is progeny in store forthee, that is sinless and blest with good fortune and like unto the gods.We behold it all with our prophetic eyes. Therefore, O tiger among men,accomplish by your own acts that which destiny pointeth at. Men ofintelligence, acting with deliberation, always obtain good fruits; itbehoveth thee, therefore, O king, to exert thyself. The fruits thouwouldst obtain are distinctly visible. Thou wouldst really obtainaccomplished and agreeable progeny.'
"Vaisampayana continued, 'Hearing these words of the ascetics, Pandu,remembering the loss of his procreative powers owing to the curse of thedeer, began to reflect deeply. And calling his wedded wife the excellentKunti, unto him, he told her in private, 'Strive thou to raise offspringat this time of distress. The wise expounders of the eternal religiondeclare that a son, O Kunti, is the cause of virtuous fame in the threeworlds. It is said that sacrifices, charitable gifts, ascetic penances,and vows observed most carefully, do not confer religious merit on asonless man. O thou of sweet smiles, knowing all this, I am certain thatas I am sonless, I shall not obtain regions of true felicity. O timidone, wretch that I was and addicted to cruel deeds, as a consequence ofthe polluted life I led, my power of procreation hath been destroyed bythe curse of the deer. The religious institutes mention six kinds of sonsthat are heirs and kinsmen, and six other kinds that are not heirs butkinsmen. I shall speak of them presently. O Pritha, listen to me. Theyare: 1st, the son begotten by one's own self upon his wedded wife; 2nd,the son begotten upon one's wife by an accomplished person from motivesof kindness; 3rd, the son begotten upon one's wife by a person forpecuniary consideration; 4th, the son begotten upon the wife after thehusband's death; 5th, the maiden-born son; 6th, the son born of anunchaste wife; 7th, the son given; 8th, the son bought for aconsideration; 9th, the son self-given; 10th, the son received with apregnant bride; 11th, the brother's son; and 12th, the son begotten upona wife of lower caste. On failure of offspring of a prior class, themother should desire to have offspring of the next class. In times ofdistress, men solicit offspring from accomplished younger brothers. Theself-born Manu hath said that men failing to have legitimate offspring oftheir own may have offspring begotten upon their wives by others, forsons confer the highest religious merit. Therefore, O Kunti, beingdestitute myself of the power of procreation, I command thee to raisegood offspring through some person who is either equal or superior to me.O Kunti, listen to the history of the daughter of Saradandayana who wasappointed by her lord to raise offspring. That warrior-dame, when hermonthly season arrived, bathed duly and in the night went out and waitedon a spot where four roads met. She did not wait long when a Brahmanacrowned with ascetic success came there. The daughter of Saradandayanasolicited him for offspring. After pouring libations of clarified butteron the fire (in the performance of the sacrifice known by the name ofPunsavana) she brought forth three sons that were mighty car-warriors andof whom Durjaya was the eldest, begotten upon her by that Brahmana. Othou of good fortune, do thou follow that warrior-dame's example at mycommand, and speedily raise offspring out of the seed of some Brahmana ofhigh ascetic merit.'"
SECTION CXXI
(Sambhava Parva continued)
"Vaisampayana said, 'Thus addressed, Kunti replied unto her heroic lord,king Pandu, that bull amongst the Kurus, saying, 'O virtuous one, itbehoveth thee not to say so unto me. I am, O thou lotus-eyed one, thywedded wife, devoted to thee. O, Bharata of mighty arms, thyself shalt,in righteousness, beget upon me children endued with great energy. Then Ishall ascend to heaven with thee; O prince of Kuru's race, receive me inthy embrace for begetting children. I shall not certainly, even inimagination, accept any other man except thee in my embraces. What otherman is there in this world superior to thee? O virtuous one, listen tothis Pauranic narrative that hath been, O thou of large eyes, heard byme, and that I shall presently narrate.
"There was, in ancient times, a king in the race of Puru, known by thename of Vyushitaswa. He was devoted to truth and virtue. Of virtuous souland mighty arms, on one occasion, while he was performing a sacrifice thegods with Indra and the great Rishis came to him, and Indra was sointoxicated with the Soma juice he drank and the Brahmanas with the largepresents they received, that both the gods and the great Rishis beganthemselves to perform everything appertaining to that sacrifice of theillustrious royal sage. And thereupon Vyushitaswa began to shine aboveall men like the Sun appearing in double splendour after the season offrost is over. And the powerful Vyushitaswa, who was endued with thestrength of ten elephants very soon performed the horse-sacrifice,overthrowing, O best of monarchs, all the kings of the East, the North,the West and the South, and exacted tributes from them all. There is ananecdote, O best of the Kurus, that is sung by all reciters of thePuranas, in connection with that first of all men, the illustriousVyushitaswa.--Having conquered the whole Earth up to the coast of thesea, Vyushitaswa protected every class of his subjects as a father doeshis own begotten sons.--Performing many great sacrifices he gave awaymuch wealth to the Brahmanas. After collecting unlimited jewels andprecious stones he made arrangements for performing still greater ones.And he performed also the Agnishtoma, and other special Vedic sacrifices,extracting great quantities of Soma juice. And, O king, Vyushitaswa hadfor his dear wife, Bhadra, the daughter of Kakshivat, unrivalled forbeauty on earth. And it hath been heard by us that the couple loved eachother deeply. King Vyushitaswa was seldom separated from his wife. Sexualexcess, however, brought on an attack of phthisis and the king diedwithin a few days, sinking like the Sun in his glory. Then Bhadra, hisbeautiful queen, was plunged into woe, and as she was sonless, O tigeramong men, she wept in great affliction. Listen to me, O king, as Inarrate to you all that Bhadra said with bitter tears trickling down hercheeks. 'O virtuous one', she said, 'Women serve no purpose when theirhusbands are dead. She who liveth after her husband is dead, draggeth ona miserable existence that can hardly be called life. O bull of theKshatriya order, death is a blessing to women without husbands. I wish tofollow the way thou hast gone. Be kind and take me with thee. In thyabsence, I am unable to bear life even for a moment. Be kind to me, Oking and take me hence pretty soon. O tiger among men, I shall followthee over the even and uneven ground. Thou hast gone away, O lord, neverto return. I shall follow thee, O king, as thy own shadow. O tiger amongmen, I will obey thee (as thy slave) and will ever do what is agreeableto thee and what is for thy good. O thou of eyes like lotus-petals,without thee, from this day, mental agonies will overwhelm me and eatinto my heart. A wretch that I am, some loving couple had doubtless beenseparated by me in a former life, for which, in this life, I am made tosuffer the pangs of separation from thee. O king, that wretched woman wholiveth even for a moment separated from her lord, liveth in woe andsuffereth the pangs of hell even here. Some loving couple had doubtlessbeen separated by me in a former life, for which sinful act I amsuffering this torture arising from my separation from thee. O king, fromthis day I will lay myself down on a bed of Kusa grass and abstain fromevery luxury, hoping to behold thee once more. O tiger among men, showthyself to me. O king, O lord, command once more thy wretched andbitterly weeping wife plunged in woe.'
"Kunti continued, 'It was thus, O Pandu, that the beautiful Bhadra weptover the death of her lord. And the weeping Bhadra clasped in her armsthe corpse in anguish of heart. Then she was addressed by an incorporealvoice in these words, "Rise up, O Bhadra, and leave this place. O thou ofsweet smiles, I grant thee this boon. I will beget offspring upon thee.Lie thou down with me on thy own bed, after the catamenial bath, on thenight of the eighth or the fourteenth day of the moon.' Thus addressed bythe incorporeal voice, the chaste Bhadra did, as she was directed, forobtaining offspring. And, O bull of the Bharatas, the corpse of herhusband begat upon her seven children viz., three Salwas and four Madras.O bull of the Bharatas, do thou also beget offspring upon me, like theillustrious Vyushitaswa, by the exercise of that ascetic power which thoupossessest.'"
SECTION CXXII
(Sambhava Parva continued)
"Vaisampayana said, 'Thus addressed by his loving wife, king Pandu,well-acquainted with all rules of morality, replied in these words ofvirtuous import, 'O Kunti, what thou hast said is quite true. Vyushitaswaof old did even as thou hast said. Indeed he was equal unto thecelestials themselves. But I shall now tell thee about the practices ofold indicated by illustrious Rishis, fully acquainted with every rule ofmorality. O thou of handsome face and sweet smiles, women formerly werenot immured within houses and dependent on husbands and other relatives.They used to go about freely, enjoying themselves as best as they liked.O thou of excellent qualities, they did not then adhere to their husbandsfaithfully, and yet, O handsome one, they were not regarded sinful, forthat was the sanctioned usage of the times. That very usage is followedto this day by birds and beasts without any (exhibition of) jealousy.That practice, sanctioned by precedent, is applauded by great Rishis. Othou of taper thighs, the practice is yet regarded with respect amongstthe Northern Kurus. Indeed, that usage, so lenient to women, hath thesanction of antiquity. The present practice, however (of women's beingconfined to one husband for life) hath been established but lately. Ishall tell thee in detail who established it and why.
"It hath been heard by us that there was a great Rishi of the name ofUddalaka, who had a son named Swetaketu who also was an ascetic of merit.O thou of eyes like lotus-petals, the present virtuous practice hath beenestablished by that Swetaketu from anger. Hear thou the reason. One day,in the presence of Swetaketu's father a Brahmana came and catchingSwetaketu's mother by the hand, told her, 'Let us go.' Beholding hismother seized by the hand and taken away apparently by force, the son wasgreatly moved by wrath. Seeing his son indignant, Uddalaka addressed himand said, 'Be not angry. O son! This is the practice sanctioned byantiquity. The women of all orders in this world are free, O son; men inthis matter, as regards their respective orders, act as kine.' TheRishi's son, Swetaketu, however, disapproved of the usage and establishedin the world the present practice as regards men and women. It hath beenheard by us, O thou of great virtue, that the existing practice datesfrom that period among human beings but not among beings of otherclasses. Accordingly, since the establishment of the present usage, it issinful for women not to adhere to their husbands. Women transgressing thelimits assigned by the Rishi became guilty of slaying the embryo. And,men, too, viol ting a chaste and loving wife who hath from her maidenhoodobserved the vow of purity, became guilty of the same sin. The woman alsowho, being commanded by her husband to raise offspring, refuses to do hisbidding, becometh equally sinful.
"Thus, O timid one, was the existing usage established of old bySwetaketu, the son of Uddalaka, in defiance of antiquity. O thou of taperthighs, it hath also been heard by us that Madayanti, the wife ofSaudasa, commanded by her husband to raise offspring went unto RishiVasishtha. And on going in unto him, the handsome Madayanti obtained ason named Asmaka. She did this, moved by the desire of doing good to herhusband. O thou of lotus-eyes, thou knowest, O timid girl, how weourselves, for the perpetuation of the Kuru race, were begotten byKrishna-Dwaipayana. O faultless one, beholding all these precedents itbehoveth thee to do my bidding, which is not inconsistent with virtue, Oprincess, who is devoted to her husband, it hath also been said by thoseacquainted with the rules of morality that a wife, when her monthlyseason cometh, must ever seek her husband, though at other times shedeserveth liberty. The wise have declared this to be the ancientpractice. But, be the act sinful or sinless, those acquainted with theVedas have declared that it is the duty of wives to do what theirhusbands bid them do. Especially, O thou of faultless features, I, who amdeprived of the power of procreation, having yet become desirous ofbeholding offspring, deserve the more to be obeyed by thee. O amiableone, joining my palms furnished with rosy fingers, and making of them acup as of lotus leaves, I place them on my head to propitiate thee. Othou of lair looks, it behoveth thee to raise offspring, at my command,through some Brahmana possessed of high ascetic merit. For then, owing tothee, O thou of fair hips, I may go the way that is reserved for thosethat are blessed with children.'
"Vaisampayana continued, 'Thus addressed by Pandu, that subjugator ofhostile cities, the handsome Kunti, ever attentive to what was agreeableand beneficial to her lord, then replied unto him, saying, 'In mygirlhood, O lord, I was in my father's house engaged in attending uponall guests. I used to wait respectfully upon Brahmanas of rigid vows andgreat ascetic merit. One day I gratified with my attentions that Brahmanawhom people call Durvasa, of mind under full control and possessingknowledge of all the mysteries of religion. Pleased with my services,that Brahmana gave me a boon in the form of a mantra (formula ofinvocation) for calling into my presence any one of the celestials Iliked. And the Rishi, addressing me, said, 'Anyone among the celestialswhom thou callest by this shall, O girl, approach thee and be obedient tothy will, whether he liketh it or not. And, O princess, thou shall alsohave offspring through his grace.' O Bharata, that Brahmana told me thiswhen I lived in my father's house. The words uttered by the Brahmana cannever be false. The time also hath come when they may yield fruit.Commanded by thee, O royal sage, I can by that mantra summon any of thecelestials, so that we may have good children. O foremost of all truthfulmen, tell me which of the celestials I shall summon. Know that, asregards this matter, I await your commands.'
"Hearing this, Pandu replied, 'O handsome one, strive duly this very dayto gratify our wishes. Fortunate one, summon thou the god of justice. Heis the most virtuous of the celestials. The god of justice and virtuewill never be able to pollute us with sin. The world also, O beautifulprincess, will then think that what we do can never be unholy. The sonalso that we shall obtain from him shall in virtue be certainly theforemost among the Kurus. Begotten by the god of justice and morality, hewould never set his heart upon anything that is sinful or unholy.Therefore, O thou of sweet smiles, steadily keeping virtue before thyeyes, and duly observing holy vows, summon thou the god of justice andvirtue by the help of thy solicitations and incantations.'
"Vaisampayana continued, 'Then Kunti, that best of women, thus addressedby her lord, said, 'So be it.' And bowing down to him and reverentlycircumambulating his person, she resolved to do his bidding.'"
SECTION CXXIII
(Sambhava Parva continued)
"Vaisampayana said, 'O Janamejaya, when Gandhari's conception had been afull year old, it was then that Kunti summoned the eternal god of justiceto obtain offspring from him. And she offered without loss of time,sacrifices unto the god and began to duly repeat the formula that Durvasahad imparted to her some time before. Then the god, overpowered by herincantations, arrived at the spot where Kunti was seated in his carresplendent as the Sun. Smiling, he asked, 'O Kunti, what am I to givethee?' And Kunti too smiling in her turn, replied, 'Thou must even giveme offspring.' Then the handsome Kunti was united (in intercourse) withthe god of justice in his spiritual form and obtained from him a sondevoted to the good of all creatures. And she brought his excellentchild, who lived to acquire a great fame, at the eighth Muhurta calledAbhijit, of the hour of noon of that very auspicious day of the seventhmonth (Kartika), viz., the fifth of the lighted fortnight, when the starJyeshtha in conjunction with the moon was ascendant. And as soon as thechild was born, an incorporeal voice (from the skies) said, 'This childshall be the best of men, the foremost of those that are virtuous. Enduedwith great prowess and truthful in speech, he shall certainly be theruler of the earth. And this first child of Pandu shall be known by thename of Yudhishthira. Possessed of prowess and honesty of disposition, heshall be a famous king, known throughout the three worlds.'
"Pandu, having obtained that virtuous son, again addressed his wife andsaid. 'The wise have declared that a Kshatriya must be endued withphysical strength, otherwise he is no Kshatriya.' Therefore, ask thou foran offspring of superior strength. Thus commanded by her lord, Kunti theninvoked Vayu. And the mighty god of wind, thus invoked, came unto her,riding upon a deer, and said, 'What, O Kunti, am I to give thee? Tell mewhat is in thy heart" Smiling in modesty, she said to him, 'Give me, Obest of celestials, a child endued with great strength and largeness oflimbs and capable of humbling the pride of every body.' The god of windthereupon begat upon her the child afterwards known as Bhima of mightyarms and fierce prowess. And upon the birth of that child endued withextraordinary strength, an incorporeal voice, O Bharata, as before, said,'This child shall be the foremost of all endued with strength.' I musttell you, O Bharata, of another wonderful event that occurred alter thebirth of Vrikodara (Bhima). While he fell from the lap of his mother uponthe mountain breast, the violence of the fall broke into fragments thestone upon which he fell without his infant body being injured in theleast. And he fell from his mother's lap because Kunti, frightened by atiger, had risen up suddenly, unconscious of the child that lay asleep onher lap. And as she had risen, the infant, of body hard as thethunderbolt, falling down upon the mountain breast, broke into a hundredfragments the rocky mass upon which he fell. And beholding this, Panduwondered much. And it so happened that that very day on which Vrikodarawas born, was also, O best of Bharatas, the birthday of Duryodhana whoafterwards became the ruler of the whole earth.'
"After the birth of Vrikodara, Pandu again began to think, 'How am I toobtain a very superior son who shall achieve world-wide fame? Every,thing in the world dependeth on destiny and exertion. But destiny cannever be successful except by timely exertion. We have heard it said thatIndra is the chief of the gods. Indeed, he is endued with immeasurablemight and energy and prowess and glory. Gratifying him with myasceticism, I shall obtain from him a son of great strength. Indeed, theson he giveth me must be superior to all and capable of vanquishing inbattle all men and creatures other than men. I shall, therefore, practisethe severest austerities, with heart, deed and speech.'
"After this, the Kuru king Pandu, taking counsel with the great Rishiscommanded Kunti to observe an auspicious vow for one full year, while hehimself commenced, O Bharata, to stand upon one leg from morning toevening, and practise other severe austerities with mind rapt inmeditation, for gratifying the lord of the celestials.
"It was after a long time that Indra (gratified with such devotion)approached Pandu and, addressing him, said, 'I shall give thee, O king, ason who will be celebrated all over the three worlds and who will promotethe welfare of Brahmanas, kine and all honest men. The son I shall givethee will be the smiter of the wicked and the delight of friends andrelatives. Foremost of all men, he will be an irresistible slayer of allfoes.' Thus addressed by Vasava (the king of the celestials), thevirtuous king of the Kuru race, well-recollecting those words, said untoKunti, 'O fortunate one, thy vow hath become successful. The lord of thecelestials hath been gratified, and is willing to give thee a son such asthou desirest, of superhuman achievements and great fame. He will be theoppressor of all enemies and possessed of great wisdom. Endued with agreat soul, in splendour equal unto the Sun, invincible in battles, andof great achievements, he will also be extremely handsome. O thou of fairhips and sweet smiles, the lord of the celestials hath become gracious tothee. Invoking him, bring thou forth a child who will be the very home ofall Kshatriya virtues.'
"Vaisampayana continued, 'The celebrated Kunti, thus addressed by herlord, invoked Sakra (the king of the gods) who thereupon came unto herand begat him that was afterwards called Arjuna. And as soon as thischild was born, an incorporeal voice, loud and deep as that of the cloudsand filling the whole welkin, distinctly said, addressing Kunti in thehearing of every creature dwelling in that asylum, 'This child of thine,O Kunti, will be equal unto Kartavirya in energy and Siva in prowess.Invincible like Sakra himself he will spread thy fame far and wide. AsVishnu (the youngest of Aditi's sons) had enhanced Aditi's joy, so shallthis child enhance thy joy. Subjugating the Madras, the Kurus along withthe Somakas, and the people of Chedi, Kasi and Karusha, he will maintainthe prosperity of the Kurus. (Surfeited with libations at the sacrificeof king Swetaketu), Agni will derive great gratification from the fat ofall creatures dwelling in the Khandava woods (to be burnt down) by themight of this one's arms. This mighty hero, vanquishing all theeffeminate monarchs of the earth, will, with his brothers perform threegreat sacrifices. In prowess, O Kunti, he will be even as Jamadagnya orVishnu. The foremost of all men endued with prowess, he will achievegreat fame. He will gratify in battle (by his heroism) Sankara, the godof gods (Mahadeva), and will receive from him the great weapon namedPasupata. This thy son of mighty arms will also slay, at the command ofIndra, those Daityas called the Nivatakavachas who are the enemies of thegods. He will also acquire all kinds of celestial weapons, and this bullamong men will also retrieve the fortunes of his race.'
'Kunti heard these extraordinary words, while lying in the room. Andhearing those words uttered so loudly, the ascetics dwelling on themountain of a hundred peaks, and the celestials with Indra sitting intheir cars, became exceedingly glad. The sounds of the (invisible) drumfilled the entire welkin. There were shouts of joy, and the whole regionwas covered with flowers showered down by invisible agents. The varioustribes of celestials assembled together, began to offer their respectfuladorations to the son of Pritha. The sons of Kadru (Nagas), the son ofVinata, the Gandharvas, the lords of the creation, and the seven greatRishis, viz., Bharadwaja, Kasyapa, Gautama, Viswamitra, Jamadagni,Vasishtha, and the illustrious Atri who illumined the world of old whenthe Sun was lost, all came there. And Marichi, Angiras, Pulastya, Pulaha,Kratu, Daksha the lord of creation, the Gandharvas, and Apsaras, camethere also. The various tribes of Apsaras, decked with celestial garlandsand every ornament, and attired in fine robes, came there and danced injoy, chanting the praises of Vibhatsu (Arjuna). All around, the greatRishis began to utter propitiatory formulas. And Tumvuru accompanied bythe Gandharvas began to sing in charming notes. And Bhimasena andUgrasena, Urnayus and Anagha. Gopati and Dhritarashtra and Suryavarchasthe eighth, Yugapa and Trinapa, Karshni, Nandi, and Chitraratha,Salisirah the thirteenth, Parjanya the fourteenth, Kali the fifteenth,and Narada the sixteenth in this list, Vrihatta, Vrihaka, Karala of greatsoul, Brahmacharin, Vahuguna, Suvarna of great fame, Viswavasu, Bhumanyu,Suchandra, Sam and the celebrated tribes of Haha and Huhu gifted withwonderful melody of voice,--these celestial Gandharvas, O king, all wentthere. Many illustrious Apsaras also of large eyes, decked with everyornament came there to dance and sing. And Anuchana and Anavadya,Gunamukhya and Gunavara, Adrika and Soma, Misrakesi and Alambusha,Marichi and Suchika, Vidyutparna and Tilottama and Ambika, Lakshmana,Kshema Devi, Rambha, Manorama, Asita, Suvahu, Supriya, Suvapuh,Pundarika, Sugandha, Surasa, Pramathini, Kamya and Saradwati, all dancedthere together. And Menaka, Sahajanya, Karnika, Punjikasthala,Ritusthala, Ghritachi, Viswachi, Purvachiti, the celebrated Umlocha,Pramlocha the tenth and Urvasi the eleventh,--these large-eyed dancinggirls of heaven,--came there and sang in chorus. And Dharti and Aryamanand Mitra and Varuna, Bhaga and Indra, Vivaswat, Pushan, Tvastri andParjanya or Vishnu, these twelve Adityas came there to glorify Pandu'sson. And, O king, Mrigavyadha, Sarpa, the celebrated Niriti, Ajaikapada,Ahivradhna, Pinakin, Dahana, Iswara, Kapalin, Sthanu and the illustriousBhaga--these eleven Rudras,--also came there. And the twin Aswins, theeight Vasus, the mighty Maruts, the Viswedevas, and the Sadhyas, alsocame there. And Karkotaka, Vasuki, Kachchhapa, Kunda and the great NagaTakshaka,--these mighty and wrathful snakes possessed of high asceticmerit also came there. And Tarkshya, Arishtanemi, Garuda,Asitadvaja,--these and many other Nagas, came there, so also Aruna andAruni of Vinata's race also came there. And only great Rishis crownedwith ascetic success and not others saw those celestials and other beingsseated in their cars or waiting on the mountain peaks. Those best ofMunis beholding that wonderful sight, became amazed, and their love andaffection for the children of Pandu was in consequence enhanced.
"The celebrated Pandu, tempted by the desire of having more childrenwished to speak again unto his wedded wife (for invoking some other god).But Kunti addressed him, saying, 'The wise do not sanction a fourthdelivery even in a season of distress. The woman having intercourse withfour different men is called a Swairini (heanton), while she havingintercourse with five becometh a harlot. Therefore, O learned one, asthou art well-acquainted with the scripture on this subject, why dostthou, beguiled by desire of offspring, tell me so in seemingforgetfulness of the ordinance?'"
SECTION CXXIV
(Sambhava Parva continued)
"Vaisampayana said, 'After the birth of Kunti's sons and also of thehundred sons of Dhritarashtra the daughter of the king of the Madrasprivately addressed Pandu, saying, 'O slayer of foes, I have no complainteven if thou beest unpropitious to me. I have, O sinless one, also nocomplaint that though by birth I am superior to Kunti yet I am inferiorto her in station. I do not grieve, O thou of Kuru's race, that Gandharihath obtained a hundred sons. This, however, is my great grief that whileKunti and I are equal, I should be childless, while it should so chancethat thou shouldst have offspring by Kunti alone. If the daughter ofKuntibhoja should so provide that I should have offspring, she would thenbe really doing me a great favour and benefiting thee likewise. She beingmy rival, I feel a delicacy in soliciting any favour of her. If thoubeest, O king, propitiously disposed to me, then ask her to grant mydesire.'
"Hearing her, Pandu replied, 'O Madri, I do revolve this matter often inmy own mind, but I have hitherto hesitated to tell thee anything, notknowing how thou wouldst receive it. Now that I know what your wishesare, I shall certainly strive after that end. I think that, asked by me,Kunti will not refuse.'
"Vaisampayana continued, 'After this, Pandu addressed Kunti in private,saying, 'O Kunti, grant me some more offspring for the expansion of myrace and for the benefit of the world. O blessed one, provide thou that Imyself, my ancestors, and thine also, may always have the funeral cakeoffered to us. O, do what is beneficial to me, and grant me and the worldwhat, indeed, is the best of benefits. O, do what, indeed, may bedifficult for thee, moved by the desire of achieving undying fame.Behold, Indra, even though he hath obtained the sovereignty of thecelestials, doth yet, for fame alone, perform sacrifices. O handsome one,Brahmanas, well-acquainted with the Vedas, and having achieved highascetic merit, do yet, for fame alone, approach their spiritual masterswith reverence. So also all royal sages and Brahmanas possessed ofascetic wealth have achieved, for fame only, the most difficult ofascetic feat. Therefore, O blameless one, rescue this Madri as by a raft(by granting her the means of obtaining offspring), and achieve thouimperishable fame by making her a mother of children.'
"Thus addressed by her lord, Kunti readily yielded, and said unto Madri,'Think thou, without loss of time, of some celestial, and thou shallcertainly obtain from him a child like unto him.' Reflecting for a fewmoments. Madri thought of the twin Aswins, who coming unto her with speedbegat upon her two sons that were twins named Nakula and Sahadeva,unrivalled on earth for personal beauty. And as soon as they were born,an incorporeal voice said, 'In energy and beauty these twins shalltranscend even the twin Aswins themselves.' Indeed possessed of greatenergy and beauty, they illumined the whole region.
"O king, after all the children were born the Rishis dwelling on themountain of a hundred peaks uttering blessings on them and affectionatelyperforming the first rites of birth, bestowed appellations on them. Theeldest of Kunti's children was called Yudhishthira, the second Bhimasena,and the third Arjuna, and of Madri's sons, the first-born of the twinswas called Nakula and the next Sahadeva. And those foremost sons born atan interval of one year after one another, looked like an embodied periodof five years. And king Pandu, beholding his children of celestial beautyand of super-abundant energy, great strength and prowess, and oflargeness of soul, rejoiced exceedingly. And the children became greatfavourites of the Rishis, as also of their wives, dwelling on themountain of a hundred peaks.
"Some time after, Pandu again requested Kunti on behalf of Madri.Addressed, O king, by her lord in private, Kunti replied, 'Having givenher the formula of invocation only once, she hath, O king, managed toobtain two sons. Have I not been thus deceived by her, I fear, O king,that she will soon surpass me in the number of her children. This,indeed, is the way of all wicked women. Fool that I was, I did not knowthat by invoking the twin gods I could obtain at one birth twin children.I beseech thee, O king, do not command me any further. Let this be theboon granted (by thee) to me.'
"Thus, O king, were born unto Pandu five sons who were begotten bycelestials and were endued with great strength, and who all lived toachieve great fame and expand the Kuru race. Each bearing everyauspicious mark on his person, handsome like Soma, proud as the lion,well-skilled in the use of the bow, and of leonine tread, breast, heart,eyes, neck and prowess, those foremost of men, resembling the celestialsthemselves in might, began to grow up. And beholding them and theirvirtues growing with years, the great Rishis dwelling on that snowcappedsacred mountain were filled with wonder. And the five Pandavas and thehundred sons of Dhritarashtra--that propagator of the Kuru race--grew uprapidly like a cluster of lotuses in a lake.'"
SECTION CXXV
(Sambhava Parva continued)
"Vaisampayana said, "Beholding his five handsome sons growing up beforehim in that great forest on the charming mountain slope, Pandu felt thelast might of his arms revive once more. One day in the season of springwhich maddens every creature the king accompanied by his wife (Madri),began to rove in the woods where every tree had put forth new blossoms.He beheld all around Palasas and Tilakas and Mangoes and Champakas andParihadrakas and Karnikaras, Asokas and Kesaras and Atimuktas andKuruvakas with swarms of maddened bees sweetly humming about. And therewere flowers of blossoming Parijatas with the Kokilas pouring forth theirmelodies from under every twig echoing with the sweet hums of the blackbees. And he beheld also various other kinds of trees bent down with theweight of their flowers and fruits. And there were also many fine poolsof water overgrown with hundreds of fragrant lotuses. Beholding allthese, Pandu felt the soft influence of desire. Roving like a celestialwith a light heart amidst such scenery, Pandu was alone with his wifeMadri in semi-transparent attire. And beholding the youthful Madri thusattired, the king's desire flamed up like a forest-fire. And ill-able tosuppress his desire thus kindled at the sight of his wife of eyes likelotus-petals, he was completely overpowered. The king then seized heragainst her will, but Madri trembling in fear resisted him to the best ofher might. Consumed by desire, he forgot everything about his misfortune.And, O thou of Kuru's race unrestrained by the fear of (the Rishi's)curse and impelled by fate, the monarch, overpowered by passion, forciblysought the embraces of Madri, as if he wished to put an end to his ownlife. His reason, thus beguiled by the great Destroyer himself byintoxicating his senses, was itself lost with his life. And the Kuru kingPandu, of virtuous soul, thus succumbed to the inevitable influence ofTime, while united in intercourse with his wife.
"Then Madri, clasping the body of her senseless lord, began to weepaloud. And Kunti with her sons and the twins of Madri, hearing thosecries of grief, came to the spot where the king lay in that state. Then,O king, Madri addressing Kunti in a piteous voice, said, 'Come hitheralone, O Kunti, and let the children stay there.' Hearing these words,Kunti, bidding the children stay, ran with speed, exclaiming, 'Woe tome!' And beholding both Pandu and Madri lying prostrate on the ground shewent in grief and affliction, saying, 'Of passions under completecontrol, this hero, O Madri, had all along been watched by me with care.How did he then forgetting the Rishi's curse, approach thee withenkindled desire? O Madri, this foremost of men should have beenprotected by thee. Why didst thou tempt him into solitude? Alwaysmelancholy at the thought of the Rishi's curse, how came he to be merrywith thee in solitude? O princess of Valhika, more fortunate than myself,thou art really to be envied, for thou hast seen the face of our lordsuffused with gladness and joy.'
"Madri then replied, saying, 'Revered sister, with tears in my eyes, Iresisted the king, but he could not control himself, bent on, as it weremaking the Rishi's curse true.'
"Kunti then said, 'I am the older of his wedded wives; the chiefreligious merit must be mine. Therefore, O Madri, prevent me not fromachieving that which must be achieved. I must follow our lord to theregion of the dead. Rise up, O Madri, and yield me his body. Rear thouthese children.' Madri replied, saying, 'I do clasp our lord yet, andhave not allowed him to depart; therefore, I shall follow him. Myappetite hath not been appeased. Thou art my older sister, O let me havethy sanction. This foremost one of the Bharata princes had approached me,desiring to have intercourse. His appetite unsatiated, shall I not followhim in the region of Yama to gratify him? O revered one, if I survivethee, it is certain I shall not be able to rear thy children as if theywere mine. Will not sin touch me on that account? But, thou, O Kunti,shall be able to bring my sons up as if they were thine. The king, inseeking me wishfully, hath gone to the region of spirits; therefore, mybody should be burnt with his. O revered sister, withhold not thysanction to this which is agreeable to me. Thou wilt certainly bring upthe children carefully. That indeed, would be very agreeable to me. Ihave no other direction to give!'
"Vaisampayana continued, 'Having said this, the daughter of the king ofMadras, the wedded wife of Pandu, ascended the funeral pyre of her lord,that bull among men.'"
SECTION CXXVI
(Sambhava Parva continued)
"Vaisampayana said, 'The godlike Rishis, wise in counsels, beholding thedeath of Pandu, consulted with one another, and said, 'The virtuous andrenowned king Pandu, abandoning both sovereignty, and kingdom came hitherfor practising ascetic austerities and resigned himself to the asceticsdwelling on this mountain. He hath hence ascended to heaven, leaving hiswife and infant sons as a trust in our hands. Our duty now is to repairto his kingdom with these his offspring, and his wife.'
"Vaisampayana continued, 'Then those godlike Rishis of magnanimoushearts, and crowned with ascetic success, summoning one another, resolvedto go to Hastinapura with Pandu's children ahead, desiring to place themin the hands of Bhishma and Dhritarashtra. The ascetics set out that verymoment, taking with them those children and Kunti and the two deadbodies. And though unused to toil all her life, the affectionate Kuntinow regarded as very short the really long journey she had to perform.Having arrived at Kurujangala within a short time, the illustrious Kuntipresented herself at the principal gate. The ascetics then charged theporters to inform the king of their arrival. The men carried the messagein a trice to the court. And the citizens of Hastinapura, hearing of thearrival of thousands of Charanas and Munis, were filled with wonder. Andit was soon after sunrise that they began to come out in numbers withtheir wives and children to behold those ascetics. Seated in all kinds ofcars and conveyances by thousands, vast numbers of Kshatriyas with theirwives, and Brahmanas with theirs came out. And the concourse of Vaisyasand Sudras too was as large on the occasion. The vast assemblage was verypeaceful, for every heart then was inclined to piety. And there also cameout Bhishma, the son of Santanu, and Somadatta or Valhika and the royalsage (Dhritarashtra) endued with the vision of knowledge and Vidurahimself and the venerable Satyavati and the illustrious princess ofKosala and Gandhari accompanied by the other ladies of the royalhousehold. And the hundred sons of Dhritarashtra, decked with variousornaments, also came out.
"The Kauravas, then, accompanied by their priest, saluted the Rishis bylowering their heads, and took their seats before them. The citizens alsosaluting the ascetics and bowing down unto them with touching the ground,took their seats there. Then Bhishma, setting that vast concourseperfectly still, duly worshipped, O king, those ascetics by offering themwater to wash their feet with and the customary Arghya. And having donethis, he spoke unto them about the sovereignty and the kingdom. Then theoldest of the ascetics with matted locks on head and loins covered withanimal skin, stood up, and with the concurrence of the other Rishis,spoke as follows, 'You all know that that possessor of the sovereignty ofthe Kurus who was called king Pandu, had, after abandoning the pleasuresof the world, repaired hence to dwell on the mountain of a hundred peaks.He adopted the Brahmacharya mode of life, but for some inscrutablepurpose the gods have in view, this his eldest son, Yudhishthira, wasborn there, begotten by Dharma himself. Then that illustrious kingobtained from Vayu this other son--the foremost of all mighty men--calledBhima. This other son, begotten upon Kunti by Indra, is Dhananjaya whoseachievements will humble all bowmen in the world. Look here again atthese tigers among men, mighty in the use of the bow, the twin childrenbegotten upon Madri by the twin Aswins. Leading in righteousness the lifeof a Vanaprastha in the woods, illustrious Pandu hath thus revived thealmost extinct line of his grandfather. The birth, growth, and Vedicstudies of these children of Pandu, will, no doubt, give you greatpleasure. Steadily adhering to the path of the virtuous and the wise, andleaving behind him these children, Pandu departed hence seventeen daysago. His wife Madri, beholding him placed in the funeral pyre and aboutto be consumed, herself ascended the same pyre, and sacrificing her lifethus, hath gone with her lord to the region reserved for chaste wives.Accomplish now whatever rites should be performed for their benefit.These are (the unburnt portions of) their bodies. Here also are theirchildren--these oppressors of foes--with their mother. Let these be nowreceived with due honours. After the completion of the first rites inhonour of the dead, let the virtuous Pandu, who had all along been thesupporter of the dignity of the Kurus, have the first annual Sraddha(sapindakarana) performed with a view to installing him formally amongthe Pitris.'
"Vaisampayana continued, 'The ascetics with Guhyakas, having said thisunto the Kurus, instantly disappeared in the very sight of the people.And beholding the Rishis and the Siddhas thus vanish in their sight likevapoury forms appearing and disappearing in the skies, the citizensfilled with wonder returned to their homes.'"
SECTION CXXVII
(Sambhava Parva continued)
"Vaisampayana continued, 'Dhritarashtra then said, 'O Vidura, celebratethe funeral ceremonies of that lion among kings viz., Pandu, and of Madrialso, in right royal style. For the good of their souls, distributecattle, cloths, gems and diverse kinds of wealth, every one receiving asmuch as he asketh for. Make arrangements also for Kunti's performing thelast rites of Madri in such a style as pleaseth her. And let Madri's bodybe so carefully wrapped up that neither the Sun nor Vayu (god of wind)may behold it. Lament not for the sinless Pandu. He was a worthy king andhath left behind him five heroic sons equal unto the celestialsthemselves.'
"Vaisampayana continued, 'Then Vidura, O Bharata, saying, 'So be it,' inconsultation with Bhishma, fixed upon a sacred spot for the funeral ritesof Pandu. The family priests went out of the city without loss of time,carrying with them the blazing sacred fire fed with clarified butter andrendered fragrant therewith. Then friends, relatives, and adherents,wrapping it up in cloth, decked the body of the monarch with the flowersof the season and sprinkled various excellent perfumes over it. And theyalso decked the hearse itself with garlands and rich hangings. Thenplacing the covered body of the king with that of his queen on thatexcellent bier decked out so brightly, they caused it to be carried onhuman shoulders. With the white umbrella (of state) held over the hearsewith waving yak-tails and sounds of various musical instruments, thewhole scene looked bright and grand. Hundreds of people began todistribute gems among the crowd on the occasion of the funeral rites ofthe king. At length some beautiful robes, and white umbrellas and largeryak-tails, were brought for the great ceremony. The priests clad in whitewalked in the van of the procession pouring libations of clarified butteron the sacred fire blazing in an ornamental vessel. And Brahmanas, andKshatriyas, and Vaisyas, and Sudras by thousands followed the deceasedking, loudly wailing in these accents, 'O prince, where dost thou go,leaving us behind, and making us forlorn and wretched for ever?' AndBhishma, and Vidura, and the Pandavas, also all wept aloud. At last theycame to a romantic wood on the banks of the Ganga. There they laid downthe hearse on which the truthful and lion-hearted prince and his spouselay. Then they brought water in many golden vessels, washed the prince'sbody besmeared before with several kinds of fragrant paste, and againsmeared it over with sandal paste. They then dressed it in a white dressmade of indigenous fabrics. And with the new suit on, the king seemed asif he was living and only sleeping on a costly bed.
"When the other funeral ceremonies also were finished in consonance withthe directions of the priests, the Kauravas set fire to the dead bodiesof the king and the queen, bringing lotuses, sandal-paste, and otherfragrant substances to the pyre.
"Then seeing the bodies aflame, Kausalya burst out, 'O my son, myson!'--and fell down senseless on the ground. And seeing her down thecitizens and the inhabitants of the provinces began to wail from griefand affection for their king. And the birds of the air and the beasts ofthe field were touched by the lamentations of Kunti. And Bhishma, the sonof Santanu, and the wise Vidura, and the others also that were there,became disconsolate.
"Thus weeping, Bhishma, Vidura, Dhritarashtra, the Pandavas and the Kuruladies, all performed the watery ceremony of the king. And when all thiswas over, the people, themselves filled with sorrow, began to console thebereaved sons of Pandu. And the Pandavas with their friends began tosleep on the ground. Seeing this the Brahmanas and the other citizensalso renounced their beds. Young and old, all the citizens grieved onaccount of the sons of king Pandu, and passed twelve days in mourningwith the weeping Pandavas.'"
SECTION CXXVIII
(Sambhava Parva continued)
"Vaisampayana said, 'Then Bhishma and Kunti with their friends celebratedthe Sraddha of the deceased monarch, and offered the Pinda. And theyfeasted the Kauravas and thousands of Brahmanas unto whom they also gavegems and lands. Then the citizens returned to Hastinapura with the sonsof Pandu, now that they had been cleansed from the impurity incident tothe demise of their father. All then fell to weeping for the departedking. It seemed as if they had lost one of their own kin.
"When the Sraddha had been celebrated in the manner mentioned above, thevenerable Vyasa, seeing all the subjects sunk in grief, said one day tohis mother Satyavati, 'Mother, our days of happiness have gone by anddays of calamity have succeeded. Sin beginneth to increase day by day.The world hath got old. The empire of the Kauravas will no longer endurebecause of wrong and oppression. Go thou then into the forest, and devotethyself to contemplation through Yoga. Henceforth society will be filledwith deceit and wrong. Good work will cease. Do not witness theannihilation of thy race, in thy old age.'
"Acquiescing in the words of Vyasa, Satyavati entered the innerapartments and addressed her daughter-in-law, saying, 'O Ambika, I hearthat in consequence of the deeds of your grandsons, this Bharata dynastyand its subjects will perish. If thou permit, I would go to the forestwith Kausalya, so grieved at the loss of her son.' O king, saying thisthe queen, taking the permission of Bhishma also, went to the forest. Andarriving there with her two daughters-in-law, she became engaged inprofound contemplation, and in good time leaving her body ascended toheaven.'
"Vaisampayana continued, 'Then the sons of king Pandu, having gonethrough all the purifying rites prescribed in the Vedas, began to grow upin princely style in the home of their father. Whenever they were engagedin play with the sons of Dhritarashtra, their superiority of strengthbecame marked. In speed, in striking the objects aimed at, in consumingarticles of food, and scattering dust, Bhimasena beat all the sons ofDhritarashtra. The son of the Wind-god pulled them by the hair and madethem fight with one another, laughing all the while. And Vrikodara easilydefeated those hundred and one children of great energy as if they wereone instead of being a hundred and one. The second Pandava used to seizethem by the hair, and throwing them down, to drag them along the earth.By this, some had their knees broken, some their heads, and some theirshoulders. That youth, sometimes holding ten of them, drowned them inwater, till they were nearly dead. When the sons of Dhritarashtra got upto the boughs of a tree for plucking fruits, Bhima used to shake thattree, by striking it with his foot, so that down came the fruits and thefruitpluckers at the same time. In fact, those princes were no match forBhima in pugilistic encounters, in speed, or in skill. Bhima used to makea display of his strength by thus tormenting them in childishness but notfrom malice.
"Seeing these wonderful exhibitions of the might of Bhima, the powerfulDuryodhana, the eldest son of Dhritarashtra, began to conceive hostilitytowards him. And the wicked and unrighteous Duryodhana, through ignoranceand ambition, prepared himself for an act of sin. He thought, 'There isno other individual who can compare with Bhima, the second son of Pandu,in point of prowess. I shall have to destroy him by artifice. Singly,Bhima dares a century of us to the combat. Therefore, when he shall sleepin the garden, I shall throw him into the current of the Ganga.Afterwards, confining his eldest brother Yudhishthira and his youngerbrother Arjuna, I shall reign sole king without molestation.' Determinedthus, the wicked Duryodhana was ever on the watch to find out anopportunity for injuring Bhima. And, O Bharata, at length at a beautifulplace called Pramanakoti on the banks of the Ganga, he built a palacedecorated with hangings of broad-cloth and other rich stuffs. And hebuilt this palace for sporting in the water there, and filled it with allkinds of entertaining things and choice viands. Gay flags waved on thetop of this mansion. The name of the house was 'the water-sport house.'Skilful cooks prepared various kinds of viands. When all was ready, theofficers gave intimation to Duryodhana. Then the evil-minded prince saidunto the Pandavas, 'Let us all go to the banks of the Ganga graced withtrees and crowned with flowers and sport there in the water.' And uponYudhishthira agreeing to this, the sons of Dhritarashtra, taking thePandavas with them, mounted country-born elephants of great size and carsresembling towns, and left the metropolis.
"On arriving at the place, the princes dismissed their attendants, andsurveying the beauty of the gardens and the groves, entered the palace,like lions entering their mountain caves. On entering they saw that thearchitects had handsomely plastered the walls and the ceilings and thatpainters had painted them beautifully. The windows looked very graceful,and the artificial fountains were splendid. Here and there were tanks ofpellucid water in which bloomed forests of lotuses. The banks were deckedwith various flowers whose fragrance filled the atmosphere. The Kauravasand the Pandavas sat down and began to enjoy the things provided forthem. They became engaged in play and began to exchange morsels of foodwith one another. Meanwhile the wicked Duryodhana had mixed a powerfulpoison with a quantity of food, with the object of making away withBhima. That wicked youth who had nectar in his tongue and a razor in hisheart, rose at length, and in a friendly way fed Bhima largely with thatpoisoned food, and thinking himself lucky in having compassed his end,was exceedingly glad at heart. Then the sons of Dhritarashtra and Pandutogether became cheerfully engaged in sporting in the water. Their sporthaving been finished, they dressed themselves in white habiliments, anddecked themselves with various ornaments. Fatigued with play, they feltinclined in the evening to rest in the pleasurehouse belonging to thegarden. Having made the other youths take exercise in the waters, thepowerful second Pandava was excessively fatigued. So that on rising fromthe water, he lay down on the ground. He was weary and under theinfluence of the poison. And the cool air served to spread the poisonover all his frame, so that he lost his senses at once. Seeing thisDuryodhana bound him with chords of shrubs, and threw him into the water.The insensible son of Pandu sank down till he reached the Naga kingdom.Nagas, furnished with fangs containing virulent venom, bit him bythousands. The vegetable poison, mingled in the blood of the son of theWind god, was neutralised by the snake-poison. The serpents had bittenall over his frame, except his chest, the skin of which was so tough thattheir fangs could not penetrate it.
"On regaining consciousness, the son of Kunti burst his bands and beganto press the snakes down under the ground. A remnant fled for life, andgoing to their king Vasuki, represented, 'O king of snakes, a man drownedunder the water, bound in chords of shrubs; probably he had drunk poison.For when he fell amongst us, he was insensible. But when we began to bitehim, he regained his senses, and bursting his fetters, commenced layingat us. May it please Your Majesty to enquire who is.'
"Then Vasuki, in accordance with the prayer of the inferior Nagas, wentto the place and saw Bhimasena. Of the serpents, there was one, namedAryaka. He was the grandfather of the father of Kunti. The lord ofserpents saw his relative and embraced him. Then, Vasuki, learning all,was pleased with Bhima, and said to Aryaka with satisfaction, 'How are weto please him? Let him have money and gems in profusion."
"On hearing the words of Vasuki, Aryaka said, 'O king of serpents, whenYour Majesty is pleased with him, no need of wealth for him! Permit himto drink of rasakunda (nectar-vessels) and thus acquire immeasurablestrength. There is the strength of a thousand elephants in each one ofthose vessels. Let this prince drink as much as he can.'
"The king of serpents gave his consent. And the serpents thereupon beganauspicious rites. Then purifying himself carefully, Bhimasena facing theeast began to drink nectar. At one breath, he quaffed off the contents ofa whole vessel, and in this manner drained off eight successive jars,till he was full. At length, the serpents prepared an excellent bed forhim, on which he lay down at ease.'"
SECTION CXXIX
(Sambhava Parva continued)
"Vaisampayana said, 'Meanwhile the Kauravas and the Pandavas, afterhaving thus sported there, set out, without Bhima, for Hastinapura, someon horses, some on elephants, while others preferred cars and otherconveyances. And on their way they said to one another, 'Perhaps, Bhimahath gone before us.' And the wicked Duryodhana was glad at heart to missBhima, and entered the city with his brothers in joy.
"The virtuous Yudhishthira, himself unacquainted with vice andwickedness, regarded others to be as honest as himself. The eldest son ofPritha, filled with fraternal love, going unto his mother, said, aftermaking obeisance to her, 'O mother, hath Bhima come? O good mother, Idon't find him here. Where may he have gone? We long sought for himeverywhere in the gardens and the beautiful woods; but found him nowhere.At length, we thought that the heroic Bhima preceded us all. Oillustrious dame, we came hither in great anxiety. Arrived here, wherehath he gone? Have you sent him anywhere? O tell me, I am full of doubtsrespecting the mighty Bhima. He had been asleep and hath not come. Iconclude he is no more.'
"Hearing these words of the highly intelligent Yudhishthira, Kuntishrieked, in alarm, and said, 'Dear son, I have not seen Bhima. He didnot come to me. O, return in haste, and with your brothers search forhim.'
"Having said this in affliction to her eldest son, she summoned Vidura,and said, 'O illustrious Kshattri, Bhimasena is missing! Where has hegone? The other brothers have all come back from the gardens, only Bhimaof mighty arms does not come home! Duryodhana likes him not. The Kauravais crooked and malicious and low-minded and imprudent. He coveteth thethrone openly. I am afraid he may have in a fit of anger slain mydarling. This afflicts me sorely, indeed, it burns my heart.'
"Vidura replied, 'Blessed dame, say not so! Protect thy other sons withcare. If the wicked Duryodhana be accused, he may slay thy remainingsons. The great sage hath said that all thy sons will be long-lived.Therefore, Bhima will surely return and gladden thy heart.'
"Vaisampayana continued, 'The wise Vidura, having said this unto Kunti,returned to his abode, while Kunti, in great anxiety, continued to stayat home with her children.
"Meanwhile, Bhimasena awoke from that slumber on the eighth day, and feltstrong beyond measure in consequence of the nectar he had taken havingbeen all digested. Seeing him awake, the Nagas began to console and cheerhim, saying, 'O thou of mighty arms, the strength-giving liquor thou hastdrunk will give thee the might of ten thousand elephants! No one now willbe able to vanquish thee in fight. O bull of Kuru's race, do thou bath inthis holy and auspicious water and return home. Thy brothers aredisconsolate because of thee.'
"Then Bhima purified himself with a bath in those waters, and decked inwhite robes and flowery garlands of the same hue, ate of the paramanna(rice and sugar pudding) offered to him by the Nagas. Then that oppressorof all foes, decked in celestial ornaments, received the adorations andblessings of the snakes, and saluting them in return, rose from thenether region. Bearing up the lotus-eyed Pandava from under the waters,the Nagas placed him in the selfsame gardens wherein he had beensporting, and vanished in his very sight.
"The mighty Bhimasena, arrived on the surface of the earth, ran withspeed to his mother. And bowing down unto her and his eldest brother, andsmelling the heads of his younger brothers, that oppressor of all foeswas himself embraced by his mother and every one of those bulls amongmen. Affectionate unto one another, they all repeatedly exclaimed, 'Whatis our joy today, O what joy!'
'Then Bhima, endued with great strength and prowess, related to hisbrothers everything about the villainy of Duryodhana, and the lucky andunlucky incidents that had befallen him in the world of the Serpents.Thereupon Yudhishthira said, 'Do thou observe silence on this. Do notspeak of this to any one. From this day, protect ye all one another withcare.' Thus cautioned by the righteous Yudhishthira, they all, withYudhishthira himself, became very vigilant from that day. And lestnegligence might occur on the part of the sons of Kunti, Viduracontinually offered them sage advice.
"Some time after, Duryodhana again mixed in the food of Bhima a poisonthat was fresh, virulent, and very deadly. But Yuyutsu (Dhritarashtra'sson by a Vaisya wife), moved by his friendship for the Pandavas, informedthem of this. Vrikodara, however, swallowed it without any hesitation,and digested it completely. And, though virulent the poison produced noeffects on Bhima.
"When that terrible poison intended for the destruction of Bhima failedof its effect, Duryodhana. Karna and Sakuni, without giving up theirwicked design had recourse to numerous other contrivances foraccomplishing the death of the Pandavas. And though every one of thesecontrivances was fully known to the Pandavas, yet in accordance with theadvice of Vidura they suppressed their indignation.
"Meanwhile, the king (Dhritarashtra), beholding the Kuru princes passingtheir time in idleness and growing naughty, appointed Gautama as theirpreceptor and sent them unto him for instruction. Born among a clump ofheath, Gautama was well-skilled in the Vedas and it was under him (alsocalled Kripa) that the Kuru princes began to learn the use of arms.'"
SECTION CXXX
(Sambhava Parva continued)
"Janamejaya said, 'O Brahmana, it behoveth thee to relate to meeverything about the birth of Kripa. How did he spring from a clump ofheath? Whence also did he obtain his weapons?'
"Vaisampayana said, 'O king, the great sage Gautama had a son namedSaradwat. This Saradwat was born with arrows (in hand). O oppressor offoes, the son of Gautama exhibited great aptitude for the study of thescience of weapons, but none for the other sciences. Saradwat acquiredall his weapons by those austerities by which Brahmanas in student lifeacquire the knowledge of Vedas. Gautama (the son of Gotama) by hisaptitude for the science of weapons and by his austerities made Indrahimself greatly afraid of him. Then, O thou of Kuru's race, the chief ofthe gods summoned a celestial damsel named Janapadi and sent her untoGautama, saying, 'Do thy best to disturb the austerities of Gautama.'Repairing unto the charming asylum of Saradwat, the damsel began to temptthe ascetic equipped with bow and arrows. Beholding that Apsara, offigure unrivalled on earth for beauty, alone in those woods and clad in asingle piece of cloth, Saradwat's eyes expanded with delight. At thesight of the damsel, his bow and arrows slipped from his hand and hisframe shook all over with emotion; but possessed of ascetic fortitude andstrength of soul, the sage mustered sufficient patience to bear upagainst the temptation. The suddenness, however, of his mental agitation,caused an unconscious emission of his vital fluid. Leaving his bow andarrows and deer-skin behind, he went away, flying from the Apsara. Hisvital fluid, however, having fallen upon a clump of heath, was dividedinto two parts, whence sprang two children that were twins.
"And it happened that a soldier in attendance upon king Santanu while themonarch was out a-hunting in the woods, came upon the twins. And seeingthe bow and arrows and deer-skin on the ground, he thought they might bethe offspring of some Brahmana proficient in the science of arms.Deciding thus, he took up the children along with the bow and arrows, andshowed what he had to the king. Beholding them the king was moved withpity, and saying, 'Let these become my children,' brought them to hispalace. Then that first of men, Santanu, the son of Pratipa havingbrought Gautama's twins into his house, performed in respect of them theusual rites of religion. And he began to bring them up and called themKripa and Kripi, in allusion to the fact that he brought them up frommotives of pity (Kripa). The son of Gotama having left his former asylum,continued his study of the science of arms in right earnest. By hisspiritual insight he learnt that his son and daughter were in the palaceof Santanu. He thereupon went to the monarch and represented everythingabout his lineage. He then taught Kripa the four branches of the scienceof arms, and various other branches of knowledge, including all theirmysteries and recondite details. In a short time Kripa became an eminentprofessor of the science (of arms). And the hundred sons ofDhritarashtra, and the Pandavas along with the Yadavas, and the Vrishnis,and many other princes from various lands, began to receive lessons fromhim in that science.'"
(Sambhava Parva continued)
"Vaisampayana said, 'O monarch, after the nuptials were over, kingSantanu established his beautiful bride in his household. Soon after wasborn of Satyavati an intelligent and heroic son of Santanu namedChitrangada. He was endued with great energy and became an eminent man.The lord Santanu of great prowess also begat upon Satyavati another sonnamed Vichitravirya, who became a mighty bowman and who became king afterhis father. And before that bull among men, viz., Vichitravirya, attainedto majority, the wise king Santanu realised the inevitable influence ofTime. And after Santanu had ascended to heaven. Bhishma, placing himselfunder the command of Satyavati, installed that suppressor of foes, viz.,Chitrangada, on the throne, who, having soon vanquished by his prowessall monarchs, considered not any man as his equal. And beholding that hecould vanquish men, Asuras, and the very gods, his namesake, the powerfulking of the Gandharvas, approached him for an encounter. Between thatGandharva and that foremost one of the Kurus, who were both verypowerful, there occurred on the field of Kurukshetra a fierce combatwhich lasted full three years on the banks of the Saraswati. In thatterrible encounter characterised by thick showers of weapons and in whichthe combatants ground each other fiercely, the Gandharva, who had greaterprowess or strategic deception, slew the Kuru prince. Having slainChitrangada--that first of men and oppressor of foes--the Gandharvaascended to heaven. When that tiger among men endued with great prowesswas slain, Bhishma, the son of Santanu, performed, O king, all hisobsequies. He then installed the boy Vichitravirya of mighty arms, stillin his minority, on the throne of the Kurus. And Vichitravirya, placinghimself under the command of Bhishma, ruled the ancestral kingdom. And headored Santanu's son Bhishma who was conversant with all the rules ofreligion and law; so, indeed, Bhishma also protected him that was soobedient to the dictates of duty.'"
SECTION CII
(Sambhava Parva continued)
"Vaisampayana said, 'O thou of Kuru's race, after Chitrangada was slain,his successor Vichitravirya being a minor, Bhishma ruled the kingdom,placing himself under the command of Satyavati. When he saw that hisbrother, who was the foremost of intelligent men, attained to majority,Bhishma set his heart upon marrying Vichitravirya. At this time he heardthat the three daughters of the king of Kasi, all equal in beauty to theApsaras themselves, would be married on the same occasion, selectingtheir husbands at a self-choice ceremony. Then that foremost ofcar-warriors, that vanquisher of all foes, at the command of his mother,went to the city of Varanasi in a single chariot. There Bhishma, the sonof Santanu, saw that innumerable monarchs had come from all directions;and there he also saw those three maidens that would select their ownhusbands. And when the (assembled) kings were each being mentioned byname, Bhishma chose those maidens (on behalf of his brother). And takingthem upon his chariot, Bhishma, that first of smiters in battle,addressed the kings, O monarch, and said in a voice deep as the roar ofthe clouds, 'The wise have directed that when an accomplished person hasbeen invited, a maiden may be bestowed on him, decked with ornaments andalong with many valuable presents. Others again may bestow theirdaughters by accepting a couple of kine. Some again bestow theirdaughters by taking a fixed sum, and some take away maidens by force.Some wed with the consent of the maidens, some by drugging them intoconsent, and some by going unto the maidens' parents and obtaining theirsanction. Some again obtain wives as presents for assisting atsacrifices. Of these, the learned always applaud the eighth form ofmarriage. Kings, however, speak highly of the Swyamvara (the fifth formas above) and themselves wed according to it. But the sages have saidthat, that wife is dearly to be prized who is taken away by force, afterthe slaughter of opponents, from amidst the concourse of princes andkings invited to a self-choice ceremony. Therefore, ye monarchs, I bearaway these maidens hence by force. Strive ye, to the best of your might,to vanquish me or to be vanquished. Ye monarchs, I stand here resolved tofight!' Kuru prince, endued with great energy, thus addressing theassembled monarchs and the king of Kasi, took upon his car those maidens.And having taken them up, he sped his chariot away, challenging theinvited kings to a fight.
"The challenged monarchs then all stood up, slapping their arms andbiting their nether lips in wrath. And loud was the din produced, as, ina great hurry, they began to cast off their ornaments and put on theirarmour. And the motion of their ornaments and armour, O Janamejaya,brilliant as these were, resembled meteoric flashes in the sky. And withbrows contracted and eyes red with rage, the monarchs moved inimpatience, their armour and ornaments dazzling or waving with theiragitated steps. The charioteers soon brought handsome cars with finehorses harnessed thereto. Those splendid warriors then, equipped with allkinds of weapons, rode on those cars, and with uplifted weapons pursuedthe retreating chief of the Kurus. Then, O Bharata, occurred the terribleencounter between those innumerable monarchs on one side and the Kuruwarrior alone on the other. And the assembled monarchs threw at their foeten thousand arrows at the same time. Bhishma, however speedily checkedthose numberless arrows before they could come at him by means of ashower of his own arrows as innumerable as the down on the body. Thenthose kings surrounded him from all sides and rained arrows on him likemasses of clouds showering on the mountain-breast. But Bhishma, arrestingwith his shafts the course of that arrowy downpour, pierced each of themonarchs with three shafts. The latter, in their turn pierced Bhishma,each with five shafts. But, O king, Bhishma checked those by his prowessand pierced each of the contending kings with two shafts. The combatbecame so fierce with that dense shower of arrows and other missiles thatit looked very much like the encounter between the celestials and theAsuras of old, and men of courage who took no part in it were struck withfear even to look at the scene. Bhishma cut off, with his arrows, on thefield of battle, bows, and flagstaffs, and coats of mail, and human headsby hundreds and thousands. And such was his terrible prowess andextraordinary lightness of hand, and such the skill with which heprotected himself, that the contending car-warriors, though his enemies,began to applaud him loudly. Then that foremost of all wielders ofweapons having vanquished in battle all those monarchs, pursued his waytowards the capital of the Bharatas, taking those maidens with him.
"It was then, O king, that mighty car-warrior, king Salya of immeasurableprowess, from behind summoned Bhishma, the son of Santanu, to anencounter. And desirous of obtaining the maidens, he came upon Bhishmalike a mighty leader of a herd of elephants rushing upon another of hiskind, and tearing with his tusks the latter's hips at the sight of afemale elephant in heat. And Salya of mighty arms, moved by wrathaddressed Bhishma and said, 'Stay, Stay.' Then Bhishma, that tiger amongmen, that grinder of hostile armies, provoked by these words, flamed upin wrath like a blazing fire. Bow in hand, and brow furrowed intowrinkles, he stayed on his car, in obedience to Kshatriya usage havingchecked its course in expectation of the enemy. All the monarchs seeinghim stop, stood there to become spectators of the coming encounterbetween him and Salya. The two then began to exhibit their prowess (uponeach other) like roaring bulls of great strength at the sight of a cow inrut. Then that foremost of men, king Salya covered Bhishma, the son ofSantanu with hundreds and thousands of swift-winged shafts. And thosemonarchs seeing Salya thus covering Bhishma at the outset withinnumerable shafts, wondered much and uttered shouts of applause.Beholding his lightness of hand in combat, the crowd of regal spectatorsbecame very glad and applauded Salya greatly. That subjugator of hostiletowns, Bhishma, then, on hearing those shouts of the Kshatriyas, becamevery angry and said, 'Stay, Stay'. In wrath, he commanded his charioteer,saying, 'Lead thou my car to where Salya is, so that I may slay himinstantly as Garuda slays a serpent.' Then the Kuru chief fixed theVaruna weapon on his bow-string, and with it afflicted the four steeds ofking Salya. And, O tiger among kings, the Kuru chief, then, warding offwith his weapons those of his foe, slew Salya's charioteer. Then thatfirst of men, Bhishma, the son of Santanu, fighting for the sake of thosedamsels, slew with the Aindra weapon the noble steeds of his adversary.He then vanquished that best of monarchs but left him with his life. Obull of Bharata's race, Salya, after his defeat, returned to his kingdomand continued to rule it virtuously. And O conqueror of hostile towns,the other kings also, who had come to witness, the self-choice ceremonyreturned to their own kingdoms.
"That foremost of smiters, viz., Bhishma, after defeating those monarchs,set out with those damsels, for Hastinapura whence the virtuous Kuruprince Vichitravirya ruled the earth like that best of monarchs, viz.,his father Santanu. And, O king, passing through many forests, rivers,hills, and woods abounding with trees, he arrived (at the capital) in notime. Of immeasurable prowess in battle, the son of the ocean-goingGanga, having slain numberless foes in battle without a scratch on hisown person, brought the daughters of the king of Kasi unto the Kurus astenderly if they were his daughters-in-law, or younger sisters, ordaughters. And Bhishma of mighty arms, impelled by the desire ofbenefiting his brother, having by his prowess brought them thus, thenoffered those maidens possessing every accomplishment unto Vichitravirya.Conversant with the dictates of virtue, the son of Santanu, havingachieved such an extraordinary feat according to (kingly) custom, thenbegan to make preparations for his brother's wedding. And when everythingabout the wedding had been settled by Bhishma in consultation withSatyavati, the eldest daughter of the king of Kasi, with a soft smile,told him these words, 'At heart I had chosen the king of Saubha for myhusband. He had, in his heart, accepted me for his wife. This was alsoapproved by my father. At the self-choice ceremony also I would havechosen him as my lord. Thou art conversant with all the dictates ofvirtue, knowing all this, do as thou likest.' Thus addressed by thatmaiden in the presence of the Brahmanas, the heroic Bhishma began toreflect as to what should be done. As he was conversant with the rules ofvirtue, he consulted with the Brahmanas who had mastered the Vedas, andpermitted Amba, the eldest daughter of the ruler of Kasi to do as sheliked. But he bestowed with due rites the two other daughters, Ambika andAmbalika on his younger brother Vichitravirya. And though Vichitraviryawas virtuous and abstemious, yet, proud of youth and beauty, he soonbecame lustful after his marriage. And both Ambika and Ambalika were oftall stature, and of the complexion of molten gold. And their heads werecovered with black curly hair, and their finger-nails were high and red;their hips were fat and round, and their breasts full and deep. Andendued with every auspicious mark, the amiable young ladies consideredthemselves to be wedded to a husband who was every way worthy ofthemselves, and extremely loved and respected Vichitravirya. AndVichitravirya also, endued with the prowess of the celestials and thebeauty of the twin Aswins, could steal the heart of any beautiful woman.And the prince passed seven years uninterruptedly in the company of hiswives. He was attacked while yet in the prime of youth, with phthisis.Friends and relatives in consultation with one another tried to effect acure. But in spite of all efforts, the Kuru prince died, setting like theevening sun. The virtuous Bhishma then became plunged into anxiety andgrief, and in consultation with Satyavati caused the obsequial rites ofthe deceased to be performed by learned priests and the several of theKuru race.'"
SECTION CIII
(Sambhava Parva continued)
"Vaisampayana said, 'The unfortunate Satyavati then became plunged ingrief on account of her son. And after performing with herdaughters-in-law the funeral rites of the deceased, consoled, as best shecould, her weeping daughters-in-law and Bhishma, that foremost of allwielders of weapons. And turning her eyes to religion, and to thepaternal and maternal lines (of the Kurus), she addressed Bhishma andsaid 'The funeral cake, the achievements, and the perpetuation of theline of the virtuous and celebrated Santanu of Kuru's race, all nowdepend on thee. As the attainment of heaven is inseparable from gooddeeds, as long life is inseparable from truth and faith, so is virtueinseparable from thee. O virtuous one, thou art well-acquainted, indetail and in the abstract, with the dictates of virtue, with variousSrutis, and with all the branches of the Vedas; know very well that thouart equal unto Sukra and Angiras as regards firmness in virtue, knowledgeof the particular customs of families, and readiness of inventions underdifficulties. Therefore, O foremost of virtuous men, relying on theegreatly, I shall appoint thee in a certain matter. Hearing me, itbehoveth thee to do my bidding. O bull among men, my son and thy brother,endued with energy and dear unto thee, hath gone childless to heavenwhile still a boy. These wives of thy brother, the amiable daughters ofthe ruler of Kasi, possessing beauty and youth, have become desirous ofchildren. Therefore, O thou of mighty arms, at my command, raiseoffspring on them for the perpetuation of our line. It behoveth thee toguard virtue against loss. Install thyself on the throne and rule thekingdom of the Bharatas. Wed thou duly a wife. Plunge not thy ancestorsinto hell.'
"Vaisampayana continued, 'Thus addressed by his mother and friends andrelatives, that oppressor of foes, the virtuous Bhishma, gave this replyconformable to the dictates of virtue, 'O mother, what thou sayest iscertainly sanctioned by virtue. But thou knowest what my vow is in thematter of begetting children. Thou knowest also all that transpired inconnection with thy dower. O Satyavati, I repeat the pledge I once gave,viz., I would renounce three worlds, the empire of heaven, anything thatmay be greater than that, but truth I would never renounce. The earth mayrenounce its scent, water may renounce its moisture, light may renounceits attribute of exhibiting forms, air may renounce its attribute oftouch, the sun may renounce his glory, fire, its heat, the moon, hiscooling rays, space, its capacity of generating sound, the slayer ofVritra, his prowess, the god of justice, his impartiality; but I cannotrenounce truth.' Thus addressed by her son endued with wealth of energy,Satyavati said unto Bhishma, 'O thou whose prowess is truth, I know ofthy firmness in truth. Thou canst, if so minded, create, by the help ofthy energy, three worlds other than those that exist. I know what thy vowwas on my account. But considering this emergency, bear thou the burdenof the duty that one oweth to his ancestors. O punisher of foes, act insuch a way that the lineal link may not be broken and our friends andrelatives may not grieve.' Thus urged by the miserable and weepingSatyavati speaking such words inconsistent with virtue from grief at theloss of her son, Bhishma addressed her again and said, 'O Queen, turn notthy eyes away from virtue. O, destroy us not. Breach of truth by aKshatriya is never applauded in our treatises on religion. I shall soontell thee, O Queen, what the established Kshatriya usage is to whichrecourse may be had to prevent Santanu's line becoming extinct on earth.Hearing me, reflect on what should be done in consultation with learnedpriests and those that are acquainted with practices allowable in timesof emergency and distress, forgetting not at the same time what theordinary course of social conduct is.'"
SECTION CIV
(Sambhava Parva continued)
"Bhishma continued, 'In olden days, Rama, the son of Jamadagni, in angerat the death of his father, slew with his battle axe the king of theHaihayas. And Rama, by cutting off the thousand arms of Arjuna (theHaihaya king), achieved a most difficult feat in the world. Not contentwith this, he set out on his chariot for the conquest of the world, andtaking up his bow he cast around his mighty weapons to exterminate theKshatriyas. And the illustrious scion of Bhrigu's race, by means of hisswift arrows annihilated the Kshatriya tribe one and twenty times.
"And when the earth was thus deprived of Kshatriyas by the great Rishi,the Kshatriya ladies all over the land had offspring raised by Brahmanasskilled in the Vedas. It has been said in the Vedas that the sons soraised belongeth to him that had married the mother. And the Kshatriyaladies went in unto the Brahamanas not lustfully but from motives ofvirtue. Indeed, it was thus that the Kshatriya race was revived.
"In this connection there is another old history that I will recite toyou. There was in olden days a wise Rishi of the name of Utathya. He hada wife of the name Mamata whom he dearly loved. One day Utathya's youngerbrother Vrihaspati, the priest of the celestials, endued with greatenergy, approached Mamata. The latter, however, told her husband'syounger brother--that foremost of eloquent men--that she had conceivedfrom her connection with his elder brother and that, therefore, he shouldnot then seek for the consummation of his wishes. She continued, 'Oillustrious Vrihaspati, the child that I have conceived hath studied inhis mother's womb the Vedas with the six Angas, Semen tuum frustra perdinon potest. How can then this womb of mine afford room for two childrenat a time? Therefore, it behoveth thee not to seek for the consummationof thy desire at such a time. Thus addressed by her, Vrihaspati, thoughpossessed of great wisdom, succeeded not in suppressing his desire. Quumauten jam cum illa coiturus esset, the child in the womb then addressedhim and said, 'O father, cease from thy attempt. There is no space herefor two. O illustrious one, the room is small. I have occupied it first.Semen tuum perdi non potest. It behoveth thee not to afflict me.' ButVrihaspati without listening to what that child in the womb said, soughtthe embraces of Mamata possessing the most beautiful pair of eyes. Illetamen Muni qui in venture erat punctum temporis quo humor vitalis jamemissum iret providens, viam per quam semen intrare posset pedibusobstruxit. Semen ita exhisum, excidit et in terram projectumest. And theillustrious Vrihaspati, beholding this, became indignant, and reproachedUtathya's child and cursed him, saying, 'Because thou hast spoken to mein the way thou hast at a time of pleasure that is sought after by allcreatures, perpetual darkness shall overtake thee.' And from this curseof the illustrious Vrishaspati Utathya's child who was equal untoVrihaspati in energy, was born blind and came to be called Dirghatamas(enveloped in perpetual darkness). And the wise Dirghatamas, possessed ofa knowledge of the Vedas, though born blind, succeeded yet by virtue ofhis learning, in obtaining for a wife a young and handsome Brahmanamaiden of the name of Pradweshi. And having married her, the illustriousDirghatamas, for the expansion of Utathya's race, begat upon her severalchildren with Gautama as their eldest. These children, however, were allgiven to covetousness and folly. The virtuous and illustrious Dirghatamaspossessing complete mastery over the Vedas, soon after learnt fromSurabhi's son the practices of their order and fearlessly betook himselfto those practices, regarding them with reverence. (For shame is thecreature of sin and can never be where there is purity of intention).Then those best of Munis that dwelt in the same asylum, beholding himtransgress the limits of propriety became indignant, seeing sin where sinwas not. And they said, 'O, this man, transgresseth the limit ofpropriety. No longer doth he deserve a place amongst us. Therefore, shallwe all cast this sinful wretch off.' And they said many other thingsregarding the Muni Dirghatamas. And his wife, too, having obtainedchildren, became indignant with him.
"The husband then addressing his wife Pradweshi, said, 'Why is it thatthou also hast been dissatisfied with me?' His wife answered, 'Thehusband is called the Bhartri because he supporteth the wife. He iscalled Pati because he protecteth her. But thou art neither, to me! Othou of great ascetic merit, on the other hand, thou hast been blind frombirth, it is I who have supported thee and thy children. I shall not doso in future.'
"Hearing these words of his wife, the Rishi became indignant and saidunto her and her children, 'Take me unto the Kshatriyas and thou shaltthen be rich.' His wife replied (by saying), 'I desire not wealth thatmay be procured by thee, for that can never bring me happiness. O best ofBrahmanas, do as thou likest. I shall not be able to maintain thee asbefore.' At these words of his wife, Dirghatamas said, 'I lay down fromthis day as a rule that every woman shall have to adhere to one husbandfor her life. Be the husband dead or alive, it shall not be lawful for awoman to have connection with another. And she who may have suchconnection shall certainly be regarded as fallen. A woman without husbandshall always be liable to be sinful. And even if she be wealthy she shallnot be able to enjoy that wealth truly. Calumny and evil report shallever dog her.' Hearing these words of her husband Pradweshi became veryangry, and commanded her sons, saying, 'Throw him into the waters ofGanga!' And at the command of their mother, the wicked Gautama and hisbrothers, those slaves of covetousness and folly, exclaiming, 'Indeed,why should we support this old man?--'tied the Muni to a raft andcommitting him to the mercy of the stream returned home withoutcompunction. The blind old man drifting along the stream on that raft,passed through the territories of many kings. One day a king named Valiconversant with every duty went to the Ganges to perform his ablutions.And as the monarch was thus engaged, the raft to which the Rishi wastied, approached him. And as it came, the king took the old man. Thevirtuous Vali, ever devoted to truth, then learning who the man was thatwas thus saved by him, chose him for raising up offspring. And Vali said,'O illustrious one, it behoveth thee to raise upon my wife a few sonsthat shall be virtuous and wise.' Thus addressed, the Rishi endued withgreat energy, expressed his willingness. Thereupon king Vali sent hiswife Sudeshna unto him. But the queen knowing that the latter was blindand old went not unto him, she sent unto him her nurse. And upon thatSudra woman the virtuous Rishi of passions under full control begateleven children of whom Kakshivat was the eldest. And beholding thoseeleven sons with Kakshivat as the eldest, who had studied all the Vedasand who like Rishis were utterers of Brahma and were possessed of greatpower, king Vali one day asked the Rishi saying, 'Are these childrenmine?' The Rishi replied, 'No, they are mine. Kakshivat and others havebeen begotten by me upon a Sudra woman. Thy unfortunate queen Sudeshna,seeing me blind and old, insulted me by not coming herself but sendingunto me, instead, her nurse.' The king then pacified that best of Rishisand sent unto him his queen Sudeshna. The Rishi by merely touching herperson said to her, 'Thou shalt have five children named Anga, Vanga,Kalinga, Pundra and Suhma, who shall be like unto Surya (Sun) himself inglory. And after their names as many countries shall be known on earth.It is after their names that their dominions have come to be called Anga,Vanga, Kalinga, Pundra and Suhma.'
"It was thus that the line of Vali was perpetuated, in days of old, by agreat Rishi. And it was thus also that many mighty bowmen and greatcar-warriors wedded to virtue, sprung in the Kshatriya race from the seedof Brahmanas. Hearing this, O mother, do as thou likest, as regards thematter in hand.'"
SECTION CV
(Sambhava Parva continued)
"Bhishma, continued, 'Listen, O mother, to me as I indicate the means bywhich the Bharata line may be perpetuated. Let an accomplished Brahmanabe invited by an offer of wealth, and let him raise offspring upon thewives of Vichitravirya.'
"Vaisampayana continued, 'Satyavati, then, smiling softly and in voicebroken in bashfulness, addressed Bhishma saying, 'O Bharata of mightyarms, what thou sayest is true. From my confidence in thee I shall nowindicate the means of perpetuating our line. Thou shall not be able toreject it, being conversant, as thou art, with the practices permitted inseasons of distress. In our race, thou art Virtue, and thou art Truth,and thou art, too, our sole refuge. Therefore hearing what I say truly,do what may be proper.
"My father was a virtuous man. For virtue's sake he had kept a (ferry)boat. One day, in the prime of my youth, I went to ply that boat. It sohappened that the great and wise Rishi Parasara, that foremost of allvirtuous men, came, and betook himself to my boat for crossing theYamuna. As I was rowing him across the river, the Rishi became excitedwith desire and began to address me in soft words. The fear of my fatherwas uppermost in my mind. But the terror of the Rishi's curse at lastprevailed. And having obtained from him a precious boon, I could notrefuse his solicitations. The Rishi by his energy brought me under hiscomplete control, and gratified his desire then and there, having firstenveloped the region in a thick fog. Before this there was a revoltingfishy odour in my body; but the Rishi dispelled it and gave me my presentfragrance. The Rishi also told me that by bringing forth his child in anisland of the river, I would still continue (to be) a virgin. And thechild of Parasara so born of me in my maidenhood hath become a greatRishi endued with large ascetic powers and known by the name ofDwaipayana (the island-born). That illustrious Rishi having by hisascetic power divided the Vedas into four parts hath come to be called onearth by the name of Vyasa (the divider or arranger), and for his darkcolour, Krishna (the dark). Truthful in speech, free from passion, amighty ascetic who hath burnt all his sins, he went away with his fatherimmediately after his birth. Appointed by me and thee also, that Rishi ofincomparable splendour will certainly beget good children upon the wivesof thy brother. He told me when he went away, 'Mother, think of me whenthou art in difficulty.' I will now call him up, if thou, O Bhishma ofmighty arms so desirest. If thou art willing, O Bhishma, I am sure thatgreat ascetic will beget children upon Vichitravirya's field.'
"Vaisampayana continued, 'Mention being made of the great Rishi, Bhishmawith joined palms said, 'That man is truly intelligent who fixes his eyesjudiciously on virtue, profit, and pleasure, and who after reflectingwith patience, acteth in such a way that virtue may lead to futurevirtue, profit to future profit and pleasure to future pleasure.Therefore, that which hath been said by thee and which, besides beingbeneficial to us, is consistent with virtue, is certainly the best adviceand hath my full approval.' And when Bhishma had said this, O thou ofKuru's race, Kali (Satyavati) thought of the Muni Dwaipayana andDwaipayana who was then engaged in interpreting the Vedas, learning thathe was being called up by his mother, came instantly unto her withoutanybody's knowing it. Satayavati then duly greeted her son and embracedhim with arms, bathing him in her tears, for the daughter of thefisherman wept bitterly at the sight of her son after so long a time. Andher first son, the great Vyasa, beholding her weeping, washed her withcool water, and bowing unto her, said, 'I have come, O mother, to fulfilthy wishes. Therefore, O virtuous one, command me without delay. I shallaccomplish thy desire.' The family priest of the Bharatas then worshippedthe great Rishi duly, and the latter accepted the offerings of worship,uttering the usual mantras. And gratified with the worship he received,he took his seat. Satyavati, beholding him seated at his ease, after theusual inquiries, addressed him and said, 'O learned one, sons derivetheir birth both from the father and the mother. They are, therefore, thecommon property of both parents. There cannot be the least doubt about itthat the mother, hath as much power over them as the father. As thou art,indeed, my eldest son according to the ordinance, O Brahmarshi, so isVichitravirya my youngest son. And as Bhishma is Vichitravirya's brotheron the father's side, so art thou his brother on the same mother's side.I do not know what you may think, but this is what, O son, I think. ThisBhishma, the son of Santanu, devoted to truth, doth not, for the sake, oftruth, entertain the desire of either begetting children or ruling thekingdom. Therefore, from affection for thy brother Vichitravirya, for theperpetuation of our dynasty, for the sake of this Bhishma's request andmy command, for kindness to all creatures, for the protection of thepeople and from the liberality of thy heart, O sinless one, it behoveththee to do what I say. Thy younger brother hath left two widows like untothe daughters of the celestials themselves, endued with youth and greatbeauty. For the sake of virtue and religion, they have become desirous ofoffspring. Thou art the fittest person to be appointed. Therefore begetupon them children worthy of our race and for the continuance of ourline.'
"Vyasa, hearing this, said, 'O Satyavati, thou knowest what virtue isboth in respect of this life and the other. O thou of great wisdom, thyaffections also are set on virtue. Therefore, at thy command, makingvirtue my motive, I shall do what thou desirest. Indeed, this practicethat is conformable to the true and eternal religion is known to me, Ishall give unto my brother children that shall be like unto Mitra andVaruna. Let the ladies then duly observe for one full year the vow Iindicate. They shall then be purified. No women shall ever approach mewithout having observed a rigid vow.'
"Satyavati then said, 'O sinless one, it must be as thou sayest. Takesuch steps that the ladies may conceive immediately. In a kingdom wherethere is no king, the people perish from want of protection; sacrificesand other holy acts are suspended; the clouds send no showers; and thegods disappear. How can a kingdom be protected that hath no king?Therefore, see thou that the ladies conceive. Bhishma will watch over thechildren as long as they are in their mother's wombs.
"Vyasa replied, 'If I am to give unto my brother children sounseasonably, then let the ladies bear my ugliness. That in itself shall,in their case, be the austerest of penances. If the princess of Kosalacan bear my strong odour, my ugly and grim visage, my attire and body,she shall then conceive an excellent child.'"
"Vaisampayana continued, 'Having spoken thus unto Satyavati, Vyasa ofgreat energy addressed her and said, 'Let the princess of Kosala clad inclean attire and checked with ornaments wait for me in her bed-chamber.'Saying this, the Rishi disappeared, Satyavati then went to herdaughter-in-law and seeing her in private spoke to her these words ofbeneficial and virtuous import, 'O princess of Kosala, listen to what Isay. It is consistent with virtue. The dynasty of the Bharatas hathbecome extinct from my misfortune. Beholding my affliction and theextinction of his paternal line, the wise Bhishma, impelled also by thedesire of perpetuating our race, hath made me a suggestion, whichsuggestion, however, for its accomplishment is dependent on thee.Accomplish it, O daughter, and restore the lost line of the Bharatas. Othou of fair hips, bring thou forth a child equal in splendour unto thechief of the celestials. He shall bear the onerous burden of this ourhereditary kingdom.'
"Satyavati having succeeded with great difficulty in procuring the assentof her virtuous daughter-in-law to her proposal which was notinconsistent with virtue, then fed Brahmanas and Rishis and numberlessguests who arrived on die occasion.'"
SECTION CVI
(Sambhava Parva continued)
"Vaisampayana said, 'Soon after the monthly season of the princess ofKosala had been over, Satyavati, purifying her daughter-in-law with abath, led her into the sleeping apartment. There seating her upon aluxurious bed, she addressed her, saying, 'O Princess of Kosala, thyhusband hath an elder brother who shall this day enter thy womb as thychild. Wait for him tonight without dropping off to sleep.' Hearing thesewords of her mother-in-law, the amiable princess, as she lay on her bed,began to think of Bhishma and the other elders of the Kuru race. Then theRishi of truthful speech, who had given his promise in respect of Amvika(the eldest of the princesses) in the first instance, entered her chamberwhile the lamp was burning. The princess, seeing his dark visage, hismatted locks of copper hue, blazing eyes, his grim beard, closed her eyesin fear. The Rishi, from desire of accomplishing his mother's wishes,however knew her. But the latter, struck with fear, opened not her eyeseven once to look at him. And when Vyasa came out, he was met by hismother, who asked him, 'Shall the princess have an accomplished son?'Hearing her, he replied, 'The son of the princess she will bring forthshall be equal in might unto ten thousand elephants. He will be anillustrious royal sage, possessed of great learning and intelligence andenergy. The high-souled one shall have in his time a century of sons. Butfrom the fault of his mother he shall be blind 'At these words of herson, Satyavati said, 'O thou of ascetic wealth, how can one that is blindbecome a monarch worthy of the Kurus? How can one that is blind becomethe protector of his relatives and family, and the glory of his father'srace? It behoveth thee to give another king unto the Kurus.' Saying, 'Sobe it,' Vyasa went away. And the first princess of Kosala in due timebrought forth a blind son.
"Soon after Satyavati, O chastiser of foes, summoned Vyasa, after havingsecured the assent of her daughter-in-law. Vyasa came according to hispromise, and approached, as before, the second wife of his brother. AndAmbalika beholding the Rishi, became pale with fear And, O Bharata,beholding her so afflicted and pale with fear, Vyasa addressed her andsaid, 'Because thou hast been pale with fear at the sight of my grimvisage, therefore, thy child shall be pale in complexion. O thou ofhandsome face, the name also thy child shall bear will be Pandu (thepale).' 'Saying this, the illustrious and best of Rishis came out of herchamber. And as he came out, he was met by his mother who asked him aboutthe would-be-child. The Rishi told her that the child would be of palecomplexion and known by the name of Pandu. Satyavati again begged of theRishi another child, and the Rishi told her in reply, 'So be it.'Ambalika, then, when her time came, brought forth a son of palecomplexion. Blazing with beauty the child was endued with all auspiciousmarks. Indeed, it was this child who afterwards became the father ofthose mighty archers, the Pandavas.
"Some time after, when the oldest of Vichitravirya's widows again had hermonthly season, she was solicited by Satyavati to approach Vyasa onceagain. Possessed of beauty like a daughter of a celestial, the princessrefused to do her mother-in-law's bidding, remembering the grim visageand strong odour of the Rishi. She, however, sent unto him, a maid ofhers, endued with the beauty of an Apsara and decked with her ownornaments. And when the Vyasa arrived, the maid rose up and saluted him.And she waited upon him respectfully and took her seat near him whenasked. And, O king, the great Rishi of rigid vows, was well-pleased withher, and when he rose to go away, he addressed her and said, 'Amiableone, thou shalt no longer be a slave. Thy child also shall be greatlyfortunate and virtuous, and the foremost of all intelligent men onearth!' And, O king, the son thus begotten upon her by Krishna-Dwaipayanawas afterwards known by the name of Vidura. He was thus the brother ofDhritarashtra and the illustrious Pandu. And Vidura was free from desireand passion and was conversant with the rules of government, and was thegod of justice born on earth under the curse of the illustrious RishiMandavya. And Krishna-Dwaipayana, when he met his mother as before,informed her as to how he had been deceived by the seniormost of theprincesses and how he had begotten a son upon a Sudra woman. And havingspoken thus unto his mother the Rishi disappeared from her sight.
"Thus were born, in the field of Vichitravirya, even of Dwaipayana thosesons of the splendour of celestial children, those propagators of theKuru race.'"
SECTION CVII
(Sambhava Parva continued)
"Janamejaya said, 'What did the god of justice do for which he wascursed? And who was the Brahmana ascetic from whose curse the god had tobe born in the Sudra caste?'
"Vaisampayana said, 'There was a Brahmana known by the name of Mandavya.He was conversant with all duties and was devoted to religion, truth andasceticism. The great ascetic used to sit at the entrance of hishermitage at the foot of a tree, with his arms upraised in the observanceof the vow of silence. And as he sat there for years together, one daythere came into his asylum a number of robbers laden with spoil. And, Obull in Bharata's race, those robbers were then being pursued by asuperior body as guardians of the peace. The thieves, on entering thatasylum, hid their booty there, and in fear concealed themselvesthereabout before the guards came. But scarcely had they thus concealedthemselves when the constables in pursuit came to the spot. The latter,observing the Rishi sitting under the tree, questioned him, O king,saying, 'O best of Brahmanas, which way have the thieves taken? Point itout to us so that we may follow it without loss of time.' Thus questionedby the guardians of peace the ascetic, O king, said not a word, good orotherwise, in reply. The officers of the king, however, on searching thatasylum soon discovered the thieves concealed thereabout together with theplunder. Upon this, their suspicion fell upon the Muni, and accordinglythey seized him with the thieves and brought him before the king. Theking sentenced him to be executed along with his supposed associates. Andthe officers, acting in ignorance, carried out the sentence by impalingthe celebrated Rishi. And having impaled him, they went to the king withthe booty they had recovered. But the virtuous Rishi, though impaled andkept without food, remained in that state for a long time without dying.And the Rishi by his ascetic power not only preserved his life butsummoned other Rishi to the scene. And they came there in the night inthe forms of birds, and beholding him engaged in ascetic meditationthough fixed on that stake, became plunged into grief. And telling thatbest of Brahmanas who they were, they asked him saying, 'O Brahmana, wedesire to know what hath been thy sin for which thou hast thus been madeto suffer the tortures of impalement!'"
SECTION CVIII
(Sambhava Parva continued)
"Vaisampayana said, 'Thus asked, the tiger among Munis then answeredthose Rishis of ascetic wealth, 'Whom shall I blame for this? In fact,none else (than my own self) hath offended against me!' After this, Omonarch, the officers of justice, seeing him alive, informed the king ofit. The latter hearing what they said, consulted with his advisers, andcame to the place and began to pacify the Rishi. fixed on the stake. Andthe king said, 'O thou best of Rishis, I have offended against thee inignorance. I beseech thee to pardon me for the same. It behoveth thee notto be angry with me.' Thus addressed by the king, the Muni was pacified.And beholding him free from wrath, the king took him up with the stakeand endeavoured to extract it from his body. But not succeeding therein,he cut it off at the point just outside the body. The Muni, with aportion of the stake within his body, walked about, and in that statepractised the austerest of penances and conquered numberless regionsunattainable by others. And for the circumstances of a part of the stakebeing within his body, he came to be known in the three worlds by thename of Ani-Mandavya (Mandavya with the stake within). And one day thatBrahamana acquainted with the highest truth of religion went unto theabode of the god of justice. And beholding the god there seated on histhrone, the Rishi reproached him and said, 'What, pray, is that sinfulact committed by me unconsciously, for which I am bearing thispunishment? O, tell me soon, and behold the power of my asceticism.'
"The god of justice, thus questioned, replied, 'O thou of ascetic wealth,a little insect was once pierced by thee on a blade of grass. Thoubearest now the consequence of the act. O Rishi, as a gift, howeversmall, multiplieth in respect of its religious merits, so a sinful actmultiplieth in respect of the woe it bringeth in its train.' On hearingthis, Ani-Mandavya asked, 'O tell me truly when this act was committed byme. Told in reply by the god of justice that he had committed it, when achild, the Rishi said, 'That shall not be a sin which may be done by achild up to the twelfth year of his age from birth. The scriptures shallnot recognise it as sinful. The punishment thou hast inflicted on me forsuch a venial offence hath been disproportionate in severity. The killingof a Brahmana involves a sin that is heavier than the killing of anyother living being. Thou shall, therefore, O god of justice, have to beborn among men even in the Sudra order. And from this day I establishthis limit in respect of the consequence of acts that an act shall not besinful when committed by one below the age of fourteen. But whencommitted by one above that age, it shall be regarded as sin.'
"Vaisampayana continued, 'Cursed for this fault by that illustriousRishi, the god of justice had his birth as Vidura in the Sudra order. AndVidura was well-versed in the doctrines of morality and also politics andworldly profit. And he was entirely free from covetousness and wrath.Possessed of great foresight and undisturbed tranquillity of mind, Vidurawas ever devoted to the welfare of the Kurus.'"
SECTION CIX
(Sambhava Parva continued)
"Vaisampayana said, 'Upon the birth of those three children, Kurujangala,Kurukshetra, and the Kurus grew in prosperity. The earth began to yieldabundant harvest, and the crops also were of good flavour. And the cloudsbegan to pour rain in season and trees became full of fruits and flowers.And the draught cattle were all happy and the birds and other animalsrejoiced exceedingly. And the flowers became fragrant and the fruitsbecame sweet; the cities and towns became filled with merchants,artisans, traders and artists of every description. And the people becamebrave, learned, honest and happy. And there were no robbers then, noranybody who was sinful. And it seemed that the golden age had come uponevery part of the kingdom. And the people devoted to virtuous acts,sacrifices and truth, and regarding one another with love and affectiongrew in prosperity. And free from pride, wrath and covetousness, theyrejoiced in perfectly innocent sports. And the capital of the Kurus, fullas the ocean, was a second Amaravati, teeming with hundreds of palacesand mansions, and possessing gates and arches dark as the clouds. And menin great cheerfulness sported constantly on rivers, lakes and tanks, andin fine groves and charming woods. And the southern Kurus, in theirvirtuous rivalry with their northern kinsmen, walked about in the companyof Siddhas and Charanas and Rishis. And all over that delightful countrywhose prosperity was thus increased by the Kurus, there were no misersand no widowed women. And the wells and lakes were ever full; the grovesabounded with trees, and the houses and abodes of Brahmanas were full ofwealth and the whole kingdom was full of festivities. And, O king,virtuously ruled by Bhishma, the kingdom was adorned with hundreds ofsacrificial stakes. And the wheel of virtue having been set in motion byBhishma, and the country became so contented that the subjects of otherkingdoms, quitting their homes, came to dwell there and increase itspopulation. And the citizens and the people were filled with hope, uponseeing the youthful acts of their illustrious princes. And, O king, inthe house of the Kuru chiefs as also of the principal citizens, 'give','eat' were the only words constantly heard. And Dhritarashtra and Panduand Vidura of great intelligence were from their birth brought up byBhishma, as if they were his own sons. And the children, having passedthrough the usual rites of their order, devoted themselves to vows andstudy. And they grew up into fine young men skilled in the Vedas and allathletic sports. And they became well-skilled in the practice of bow, inhorsemanship, in encounters with mace, sword and shield, in themanagement of elephants in battle, and in the science of morality.Well-read in history and the Puranas and various branches of learning,and acquainted with the truths of the Vedas and their branches theyacquired knowledge, which was versatile and deep. And Pandu, possessed ofgreat prowess, excelled all men in archery while Dhritarashtra excelledall in personal strength, while in the three worlds there was no oneequal to Vidura in devotion to virtue and in the knowledge of thedictates of morality. And beholding the restoration of the extinct lineof Santanu, the saying became current in all countries that among mothersof heroes, the daughters of the king of Kasi were the first; that amongcountries Kurujangala was the first; that among virtuous men, Vidura wasthe first; that among cities Hastinapura was the first. Pandu becameking, for Dhritarashtra, owing to the blindness, and Vidura, for hisbirth by a Sudra woman, did not obtain the kingdom. One day Bhishma, theforemost of those acquainted with the duties of a statesman and dictatesof morality, properly addressing Vidura conversant with the truth ofreligion and virtue, said as follows."
SECTION CX
(Sambhava Parva continued)
"Bhishma said, 'This our celebrated race, resplendent with every virtueand accomplishment, hath all along sovereignty over all other monarchs onearth. Its glory maintained and itself perpetuated by many virtuous andillustrious monarchs of old, the illustrious Krishna (Dwaipayana) andSatyavati and myself have raised you (three) up, in order that it may notbe extinct. It behoveth myself and thee also to take such steps that thisour dynasty may expand again as the sea. It hath been heard by me thatthere are three maidens worthy of being allied to our race. One is thedaughter of (Surasena of) the Yadava race; the other is the daughter ofSuvala; and the third is the princess of Madra. O son, all these maidensare of course of blue blood. Possessed of beauty and pure blood, they areeminently fit for an alliance with our family. O thou foremost ofintelligent men, I think we should choose them for the growth of ourrace. Tell me what thou thinkest.' Thus addressed, Vidura replied, 'Thouart our father and thou art our mother, too. Thou art our respectedspiritual instructor. Therefore, do thou what may be best for us in thyeyes.'
"Vaisampayana continued, 'Soon after Bhishma heard from the Brahmanasthat Gandhari, the amiable daughter of Suvala, having worshipped Hara(Siva) had obtained from the deity the boon that she should have acentury of sons. Bhishma, the grandfather of the Kurus, having heardthis, sent messengers unto the king of Gandhara. King Suvala at firsthesitated on account of the blindness of the bridegroom, but taking intoconsideration the blood of the Kurus, their fame and behaviour, he gavehis virtuous daughter unto Dhritarashtra and the chaste Gandhari hearingthat Dhritarashtra was blind and that her parents had consented to marryher to him, from love and respect for her future husband, blindfolded herown eyes. Sakuni, the son of Suvala, bringing unto the Kurus his sisterendued with youth and beauty, formally gave her away unto Dhritarashtra.And Gandhari was received with great respect and the nuptials werecelebrated with great pomp under Bhishma's directions. And the heroicSakuni, after having bestowed his sister along with many valuable robes,and having received Bhishma's adorations, returned to his own city. And,O thou of Bharata's race, the beautiful Gandhari gratified all the Kurusby her behaviour and respectful attentions. And Gandhari, ever devoted toher husband, gratified her superiors by her good conduct; and as she waschaste, she never referred even by words to men other than her husband orsuch superiors.'"
SECTION CXI
(Sambhava Parva continued)
"Vaisampayana continued, 'There was amongst the Yadavas a chief namedSura. He was the father of Vasudeva. And he had a daughter called Pritha,who was unrivalled for beauty on earth. And, O thou of Bharata's race,Sura, always truthful in speech, gave from friendship this his firstborndaughter unto his childless cousin and friend, the illustriousKuntibhoja--the son of his paternal aunt--pursuant to a former promise.And Pritha in the house of her adoptive father was engaged in lookingafter the duties of hospitality to Brahmanas and other guests. Once shegratified by her attentions the terrible Brahmana of rigid vows, who wasknown by the name of Durvasa and was well-acquainted with the hiddentruths of morality. Gratified with her respectful attentions, the sage,anticipating by his spiritual power the future (season of) distress(consequent upon the curse to be pronounced upon Pandu for hisunrighteous act of slaying a deer while serving its mate) imparted to hera formula of invocation for summoning any of the celestials she liked togive her children. And the Rishi said, 'Those celestials that thou shallsummon by this Mantra shall certainly approach thee and give theechildren.' 'Thus addressed by the Brahmana, the amiable Kunti (Pritha)became curious, and in her maidenhood summoned the god Arka (Sun). And assoon as he pronounced the Mantra, she beheld that effulgent deity--thatbeholder of everything in the world--approaching her. And beholding thatextraordinary sight, the maiden of faultless features was overcome withsurprise. But the god Vivaswat (Sun) approaching her, said, 'Here I am, Oblack-eyed girl! Tell me what I am to do for thee.'
"Hearing this, Kunti said, 'O slayer of foes, a certain Brahamana gave methis formula of invocation as a boon, and, O lord, I have summoned theeonly to test its efficacy. For this offence I bow to thee. A woman,whatever be her offence, always deserveth pardon.' Surya (Sun) replied,'I know that Durvasa hath granted this boon. But cast off thy fears,timid maiden, and grant me thy embraces. Amiable one, my approach cannotbe futile; it must bear fruit. Thou hast summoned me, and if it be fornothing, it shall certainly be regarded as thy transgression.'
"Vaisampayana continued, 'Vivaswat thus spoke unto her many things with aview to allay her fears, but, O Bharata, the amiable maiden, from modestyand fear of her relatives, consented not to grant his request. And, Obull of Bharata's race, Arka addressed her again and said, 'O princess,for my sake, it shall not be sinful for thee to grant my wish.' Thusspeaking unto the daughter of Kuntibhoja, the illustrious Tapana--theilluminator of the universe--gratified his wish. And of this connectionthere was immediately born a son known all over the world as Karnaaccountred with natural armour and with face brightened by ear-rings. Andthe heroic Karna was the first of all wielders of weapons, blessed withgood fortune, and endued with the beauty of a celestial child. And afterthe birth of this child, the illustrious Tapana granted unto Pritha hermaidenhood and ascended to heaven. And the princess of the Vrishni racebeholding with sorrow that son born of her, reflected intently upon whatwas then the best for her to do. And from fear of her relatives sheresolved to conceal that evidence of her folly. And she cast heroffspring endued with great physical strength into the water. Then thewell-known husband of Radha, of the Suta caste, took up the child thuscast into the water, and he and his wife brought him up as their own son.And Radha and her husband bestowed on him the name of Vasusena (born withwealth) because he was born with a natural armour and ear-rings. Andendued as he was born with great strength, as he grew up, he becameskilled in all weapons. Possessed of great energy, he used to adore thesun until his back was heated by his rays (i.e., from dawn to midday),and during the hours of worship, there was nothing on earth that theheroic and intelligent Vasusena would not give unto the Brahmanas. AndIndra desirous of benefiting his own son Phalguni (Arjuna), assuming theform of a Brahmana, approached Vasusena on one occasion and begged of himhis natural armour. Thus asked Karna took off his natural armour, andjoining his hands in reverence gave it unto Indra in the guise of aBrahmana. And the chief of the celestials accepted the gift and wasexceedingly gratified with Karna's liberality. He therefore, gave untohim a fine dart, saying, 'That one (and one only) among the celestials,the Asuras, men, the Gandharvas, the Nagas, and the Rakshasas, whom thoudesirest to conquer, shall be certainly slain with this dart.'
"The son of Surya was before this known by the name of Vasusena. Butsince he cut off his natural armour, he came to be called Karna (thecutter or peeler of his own cover).'"
SECTION CXII
(Sambhava Parva continued)
"Vaisampayana said. 'The large-eyed daughter of Kuntibhoja, Pritha byname, was endued with beauty and every accomplishment. Of rigid vows, shewas devoted to virtue and possessed of every good quality. But thoughendued with beauty and youth and every womanly attribute, yet it sohappened that no king asked-for her hand. Her father Kuntibhoja seeingthis, invited, O best of monarchs, the princes and kings of othercountries and desired his daughter to select her husband from among herguests. The intelligent Kunti, entering the amphitheatre, beheldPandu--the foremost of the Bharatas--that tiger among kings--in thatconcourse of crowned heads. Proud as the lion, broad-chested, bull-eyed,endued with great strength, and outshining all other monarchs insplendour, he looked like another Indra in that royal assemblage. Theamiable daughter of Kuntibhoja, of faultless features, beholdingPandu--that best of men--in that assembly, became very much agitated. Andadvancing with modesty, all the while quivering with emotion, she placedthe nuptial garland about Pandu's neck. The other monarchs, seeing Kuntichoose Pandu for her lord, returned to their respective kingdoms onelephants, horses and cars, as they had come. Then, O king, the bride'sfather caused the nuptial rites to be performed duly. The Kuru princeblessed with great good fortune and the daughter of Kuntibhoja formed acouple like Maghavat and Paulomi (the king and queen of the celestials).And, O best of Kuru monarchs, king Kuntibhoja, after the nuptials wereover, presented his son-in-law with much wealth and sent him back to hiscapital. Then the Kuru prince Pandu, accompanied by a large force bearingvarious kinds of banners and pennons, and eulogised by Brahmanas andgreat Rishis pronouncing benedictions, reached his capital. And afterarriving at his own palace, he established his queen therein.'"
SECTION CXIII
(Sambhava Parva continued)
"Vaisampayana continued, 'Some time after, Bhishma the intelligent son ofSantanu set his heart upon getting Pandu married to a second wife.Accompanied by an army composed of four kinds of force, and also by agedcouncillors and Brahmanas and great Rishis, he went to the capital of theking of Madra. And that bull of the Valhikas--the king of Madra--hearingthat Bhishma had arrived, went out to receive him. And having receivedhim with respect, he got him to enter his palace. Arriving there, theking of Madra offered unto Bhishma a white carpet for a seat; water towash his feet with, and usual oblation of various ingredients indicativeof respect. And when he was seated at ease, the king asked him about thereason of his visit. Then Bhishma--the supporter of the dignity of theKurus--addressed the king of Madra and said, 'O oppressor of all foes,know that I have come for the hand of a maiden. It hath been heard by usthat thou hast a sister named Madri celebrated for her beauty and enduedwith every virtue; I would chose her for Pandu. Thou art, O king, inevery respect worthy of an alliance with us, and we also are worthy ofthee. Reflecting upon all this, O king of Madra, accept us duly.' Theruler of Madra, thus addressed by Bhishma, replied, 'To my mind, there isnone else than one of thy family with whom I can enter into an alliance.But there is a custom in our family observed by our ancestors, which, beit good or bad, I am incapable of transgressing. It is well-known, andtherefore is known to thee as well, I doubt not. Therefore, it is notproper for thee to say to me,--Bestow thy sister. The custom to which Iallude is our family custom. With us that is a virtue and worthy ofobservance. It is for this only, O slayer of foes, I cannot give thee anyassurance in the matter of thy request.' On hearing this, Bhishmaanswered the king of Madra, saying, 'O king, this, no doubt,' is avirtue. The self-create himself hath said it. Thy ancestors wereobservant of custom. There is no fault to find with it. It is alsowell-known, O Salya, that this custom in respect of family dignity haththe approval of the wise and the good.' Saying this Bhishma of greatenergy, gave unto Salya much gold both coined and uncoined, and preciousstones of various colours by thousands, and elephants and horses andcars, and much cloth and many ornaments, and gems and pearls and corals.And Salya accepting with a cheerful heart those precious gifts then gaveaway his sister decked in ornaments unto that bull of the Kuru race. Thenthe wise Bhishma, the son of the oceangoing Ganga, rejoiced at the issueof his mission, took Madri with him, and returned to the Kuru capitalnamed after the elephant.
"Then selecting on auspicious day and moment as indicated by the wise forthe ceremony, King Pandu was duly united with Madri. And after thenuptials were over, the Kuru king established his beautiful bride inhandsome apartments. And, O king of kings, that best of monarchs thengave himself up to enjoyment in the company of his two wives as best heliked and to the limit of his desires. And after thirty days had elapsed,the Kuru king, O monarch, started from his capital for the conquest ofthe world. And after reverentially saluting and bowing to Bhishma and theother elders of the Kuru race, and with adieus to Dhritarashtra andothers of the family, and obtaining their leave, he set out on his grandcampaign, accompanied by a large force of elephants, horses, and cars,and well-pleased with the blessings uttered by all around and theauspicious rites performed by the citizens for his success. And Pandu,accompanied by such a strong force marched against various foes. And thattiger among men--that spreader of the fame of the Kurus--first subjugatedthe robber tribes of asarna. He next turned his army composed ofinnumerable elephants, cavalry, infantry, and charioteers, with standardsof various colours against Dhirga--the ruler of the kingdom of Maghadhawho was proud of his strength, and offended against numerous monarchs.And attacking him in his capital, Pandu slew him there, and tookeverything in his treasury and also vehicles and draught animals withoutnumber. He then marched into Mithila and subjugated the Videhas. Andthen, O bull among men, Pandu led his army against Kasi, Sumbha, andPundra, and by the strength and prowess of his arms spread the fame ofthe Kurus. And Pandu, that oppressor of foes, like unto a mighty firewhose far-reaching flames were represented by his arrows and splendour byhis weapons, began to consume all kings that came in contact with him.These with their forces, vanquished by Pandu at the head of his army,were made the vassals of the Kurus. And all kings of the world, thusvanquished by him, regarded him as the one single hero on earth even asthe celestials regard Indra in heaven. And the kings of earth with joinedpalms bowed to him and waited on him with presents of various kinds ofgems and wealth, precious stones and pearls and corals, and much gold andsilver, and first-class kine and handsome horses and fine cars andelephants, and asses and camels and buffaloes, and goats and sheep, andblankets and beautiful hides, and cloths woven out of furs. And the kingof Hastinapura accepting those offerings retraced his steps towards hiscapital, to the great delight of his subjects. And the citizens andothers filled with joy, and kings and ministers, all began to say, 'O,the fame of the achievements of Santanu, that tiger among kings, and ofthe wise Bharata, which were about to die, hath been revived by Pandu.They who robbed before the Kurus of both territory and wealth have beensubjugated by Pandu--the tiger of Hastinapura--and made to pay tribute.'And all the citizens with Bhishma at their head went out to receive thevictorious king. They had not proceeded far when they saw the attendantsof the king laden with much wealth, and the train of various conveyancesladen with all kinds of wealth, and of elephants, horses, cars, kine,camels and other animals, was so long that they saw not its end. ThenPandu, beholding Bhishma, who was a father to him, worshipped his feetand saluted the citizens and others as each deserved. And Bhishma, too,embracing Pandu as his son who had returned victorious after grindingmany hostile kingdoms, wept tears of joy. And Pandu, instilling joy intothe hearts of his people with a flourish of trumpets and conchs andkettle-drums, entered his capital.'"
SECTION CXIV
(Sambhava Parva continued)
"Vaisampayana said, 'Pandu, then, at the command of Dhritarashtra,offered the wealth he had acquired by the prowess of his arms to Bhishma,their grand-mother Satyavati and their mothers. And he sent portion ofhis wealth to Vidura also. And the virtuous Pandu gratified his otherrelatives also with similar presents. Then Satyavati and Bhishma and theKosala princes were all gratified with the presents Pandu made out of theacquisitions of his prowess. And Ambalika in particular, upon embracingher son of incomparable prowess, became as glad as the queen of heavenupon embracing Jayanta. And with the wealth acquired by that heroDhritarashtra performed five great sacrifices that were equal unto ahundred great horse-sacrifices, at all of which the offerings toBrahmanas were by hundreds and thousands.
"A little while after, O bull of Bharata's race, Pandu who had achieved avictory over sloth and lethargy, accompanied by his two wives, Kunti andMadri, retired into the woods. Leaving his excellent palace with itsluxurious beds, he became a permanent inhabitant of the woods, devotingthe whole of his time to the chase of the deer. And fixing his abode in adelightful and hilly region overgrown with huge sala trees, on thesouthern slope of the Himavat mountains, he roamed about in perfectfreedom. The handsome Pandu with his two wives wandered in those woodslike Airavata accompanied by two she-elephants. And the dwellers in thosewoods, beholding the heroic Bharata prince in the company of his wives,armed with sword, arrows, and bow, clad with his beautiful armour, andskilled in all excellent weapons, regarded him as the very god wanderingamongst them.
"And at the command of Dhritarashtra, people were busy in supplying Panduin his retirement with every object of pleasure and enjoyment.
"Meanwhile the son of the ocean-going Ganga heard that king Devaka had adaughter endued with youth and beauty and begotten upon a Sudra wife.Bringing her from her father's abode, Bhishma married her to Vidura ofgreat wisdom. And Vidura begot upon her many children like unto himselfin accomplishments.'"
SECTION CXV
(Sambhava Parva continued)
"Vaisampayana said, 'Meanwhile, O Janamejaya, Dhritarashtra begat uponGandhari a hundred sons, and upon a Vaisya wife another besides thosehundred. And Pandu had, by his two wives Kunti and Madri, five sons whowere great charioteers and who were all begotten by the celestials forthe perpetuation of the Kuru line.'
"Janamejaya said, 'O best of Brahmanas, how did Gandhari bring forththose hundred sons and in how many years? What were also the periods oflife allotted to each? How did Dhritarashtra also beget another son in aVaisya wife? How did Dhritarashtra behave towards his loving obedient,and virtuous wife Gandhari? How were also begotten the five sons ofPandu, those mighty charioteers, even though Pandu himself laboured underthe curse of the great Rishi (he slew)? Tell me all this in detail, formy thirst for hearing everything relating to my own ancestor hath notbeen slaked.'
"Vaisampayana said, 'One day Gandhari entertained with respectfulattention the great Dwaipayana who came to her abode, exhausted withhunger and fatigue. Gratified with Gandhari's hospitality, the Rishi gaveher the boon she asked for, viz., that she should have a century of sonseach equal unto her lord in strength and accomplishments. Some time afterGandhari conceived and she bore the burden in her womb for two long yearswithout being delivered. And she was greatly afflicted at this. It wasthen that she heard that Kunti had brought forth a son whose splendourwas like unto the morning sun. Impatient of the period of gestation whichhad prolonged so long, and deprived of reason by grief, she struck herwomb with great violence without the knowledge of her husband. Andthereupon came out of her womb, after two years' growth, a hard mass offlesh like unto an iron ball. When she was about to throw it away,Dwaipayana, learning everything by his spiritual powers, promptly camethere, and that first of ascetics beholding that ball of flesh, addressedthe daughter of Suvala thus, 'What hast thou done?' Gandhari, withoutendeavouring to disguise her feelings, addressed the Rishi and said,'Having heard that Kunti had brought forth a son like unto Surya insplendour, I struck in grief at my womb. Thou hadst, O Rishi, granted methe boon that I should have a hundred sons, but here is only a ball offlesh for those hundred sons!' Vyasa then said, 'Daughter of Suvala, itis even so. But my words can never be futile. I have not spoken anuntruth even in jest. I need not speak of other occasions. Let a hundredpots full of clarified butter be brought instantly, and let them beplaced at a concealed spot. In the meantime, let cool water be sprinkledover this ball of flesh.'
"Vaisampayana continued, 'That ball of flesh then, sprinkled over withwater, became, in time, divided into a hundred and one parts, each aboutthe size of the thumb. These were then put into those pots full ofclarified butter that had been placed at a concealed spot and werewatched with care. The illustrious Vyasa then said unto the daughter ofSuvala that she should open the covers of the pots after full two years.And having said this and made these arrangements, the wise Dwaipayanawent to the Himavat mountains for devoting himself to asceticism.
"Then in time, king Duryodhana was born from among those pieces of theball of flesh that had been deposited in those pots. According to theorder of birth, king Yudhishthira was the oldest. The news ofDuryodhana's birth was carried to Bhishma and the wise Vidura. The daythat the haughty Duryodhana was born was also the birth-day of Bhima ofmighty arms and great prowess.
"As soon as Duryodhana was born, he began to cry and bray like an ass.And hearing that sound, the asses, vultures, jackals and crows utteredtheir respective cries responsively. Violent winds began to blow, andthere were fires in various directions. Then king Dhritarashtra in greatfear, summoning Bhishma and Vidura and other well-wishers and all theKurus, and numberless Brahmanas, addressed them and said, 'The oldest ofthose princes, Yudhishthira, is the perpetuator of our line. By virtue ofhis birth he hath acquired the kingdom. We have nothing to say to this.But shall this my son born after him become king? Tell me truly what islawful and right under these circumstances.' As soon as these words werespoken, O Bharata, jackals and other carnivorous animals began to howlominously And marking those frightful omens all around, the assembledBrahmanas and the wise Vidura replied, 'O king, O bull among men, whenthese frightful omens are noticeable at the birth of thy eldest son, itis evident that he shall be the exterminator of thy race. The prosperityof all dependeth on his abandonment. Calamity there must be in keepinghim. O king, if thou abandonest him, there remain yet thy nine and ninetysons. If thou desirest the good of thy race, abandon him, O Bharata! Oking, do good to the world and thy own race by casting off this one childof thine. It hath been said that an individual should be cast off for thesake of the family; that a family should be cast off for the sake of avillage; that a village may be abandoned for the sake of the wholecountry; and that the earth itself may be abandoned for the sake of thesoul.' When Vidura and those Brahmanas had stated so, king Dhritarashtraout of affection for his son had not the heart to follow that advice.Then, O king, within a month, were born a full hundred sons untoDhritarashtra and a daughter also in excess of this hundred. And duringthe time when Gandhari was in a state of advanced pregnancy, there was amaid servant of the Vaisya class who used to attend on Dhritarashtra.During that year, O king, was begotten upon her by the illustriousDhritarashtra a son endued with great intelligence who was afterwardsnamed Yuvutsu. And because he was begotten by a Kshatriya upon a Vaisyawoman, he came to be called Karna.
"Thus were born unto the wise Dhritarashtra a hundred sons who were allheroes and mighty chariot-fighters, and a daughter over and above thehundred, and another son Yuyutsu of great energy and prowess begottenupon a Vaisya woman.'"
SECTION CXVI
(Sambhava Parva continued)
"Janamejaya said, 'O sinless one, thou hast narrated to me from thebeginning all about the birth of Dhritarashtra's hundred sons owing tothe boon granted by the Rishi. But thou hast not told me as yet anyparticulars about the birth of the daughter. Thou hast merely said thatover and above the hundred sons, there was another son named Yuyutsubegotten upon a Vaisya woman, and a daughter. The great Rishi Vyasa ofimmeasurable energy said unto the daughter of the king of Gandhara thatshe would become the mother of a hundred sons. Illustrious one, how isthat thou sayest Gandhari had a daughter over and above her hundred sons?If the ball of flesh was distributed by the great Rishi only into ahundred parts, and if Gandhari did not conceive on any other occasion,how was then Duhsala born. Tell me this, O Rishi! my curiosity hath beengreat."
"Vaisampayana said, 'O descendant of the Pandavas, thy question is just,and I will tell thee how it happened. The illustrious and great Rishihimself, by sprinkling water over that ball of flesh, began to divide itinto parts. And as it was being divided into parts, the nurse began totake them up and put them one by one into those pots filled withclarified butter. While this process was going on, the beautiful andchaste Gandhari of rigid vows, realising the affection that one feelethfor a daughter, began to think within herself, 'There is no doubt that Ishall have a hundred sons, the Muni having said so. It can never beotherwise. But I should be very happy if a daughter were born of me overand above these hundred sons and junior to them all. My husband then mayattain to those worlds that the possession of a daughter's sonsconferreth. Then again, the affection the women feel for theirsons-in-law is great. If, therefore, I obtain a daughter over and abovemy hundred sons, then, surrounded by sons and daughter's sons, I may feelsupremely blest. If I have ever practised ascetic austerities, if I haveever given anything in charity, if I have ever performed the homa(through Brahamanas), if I have ever gratified my superiors by respectfulattentions, then (as the fruit of those acts) let a daughter be born untome.' All this while that illustrious and best of Rishis,Krishna-Dwaipayana himself was dividing the ball of flesh; and counting afull hundred of the parts, he said unto the daughter of Suvala, 'Here arethy hundred sons. I did not speak aught unto thee that was false. Here,however, is one part in excess of the hundred, intended for giving thee adaughter's son. This part shall develop into an amiable and fortunatedaughter, as thou hast desired' Then that great ascetic brought anotherpot full of clarified butter, and put the part intended for a daughterinto it.
"Thus have I, O Bharata, narrated unto thee all about the birth ofDuhsala. Tell me, O sinless one, what more I am now to narrate.'"
SECTION CXVII
(Sambhava Parva continued)
"Janamejaya said, 'Please recite the names of Dhritarashtra's sonsaccording to the order of their birth.'
"Vaisampayana said, 'Their names, O king, according to the order ofbirth, are Duryodhana, Yuyutsu, Duhsasana, Duhsaha, Duhsala, Jalasandha,Sama, Saha, Vinda and Anuvinda, Durdharsha, Suvahu, Dushpradharshana,Durmarshana and Durmukha, Dushkarna, and Karna; Vivinsati and Vikarna,Sala, Satwa, Sulochana, Chitra and Upachitra, Chitraksha, Charuchitra,Sarasana, Durmada and Durvigaha, Vivitsu, Vikatanana; Urnanabha andSunabha, then Nandaka and Upanandaka; Chitravana, Chitravarman, Suvarman,Durvimochana; Ayovahu, Mahavahu, Chitranga, Chitrakundala, Bhimavega,Bhimavala, Balaki, Balavardhana, Ugrayudha; Bhima, Karna, Kanakaya,Dridhayudha, Dridhavarman, Dridhakshatra, Somakitri, Anudara;Dridhasandha, Jarasandha, Satyasandha, Sada, Suvak, Ugrasravas, Ugrasena,Senani, Dushparajaya, Aparajita, Kundasayin, Visalaksha, Duradhara;Dridhahasta, Suhasta, Vatavega, and Suvarchas; Adityaketu, Vahvashin,Nagadatta, Agrayayin; Kavachin, Krathana, Kunda, Kundadhara, Dhanurdhara;the heroes, Ugra and Bhimaratha, Viravahu, Alolupa; Abhaya, andRaudrakarman, and Dridharatha; Anadhrishya, Kundabhedin, Viravi,Dhirghalochana Pramatha, and Pramathi and the powerful Dhirgharoma;Dirghavahu, Mahavahu, Vyudhoru, Kanakadhvaja; Kundasi and Virajas.Besides these hundred sons, there was a daughter named Duhsala. All wereheroes and Atirathas, and were well-skilled in warfare. All were learnedin the Vedas, and all kinds of weapons. And, O, king, worthy wives werein time selected for all of them by Dhritarashtra after properexamination. And king Dhritarashtra, O monarch, also bestowed Duhsala, inproper time and with proper rites, upon Jayadratha (the king of Sindhu).'
SECTION CXVIII
(Sambhava Parva continued)
"Janamejaya said, 'O utterer of Brahma, thou hast recited (everythingabout) the extraordinary birth among men, of the sons of Dhritarashtra inconsequence of the Rishi's grace. Thou hast also said what their namesare, according to the order of their birth. O Brahmana, I have heard allthese from thee. But tell me now all about the Pandavas. While recitingthe incarnations on earth of the celestial, the Asuras, and the beings ofother classes, thou saidst that the Pandavas were all illustrious andendued with the prowess of gods, and that they were incarnate portion ofthe celestials themselves. I desire, therefore, to hear all about thosebeings of extraordinary achievements beginning from the moment of theirbirth. O Vaisampayana, recite thou their achievements.'
"Vaisampayana said, 'O king, one day Pandu, while roaming about in thewoods (on the southern slopes of the Himavat) that teemed with deer andwild animals of fierce disposition, saw a large deer, that seemed to bethe leader of a herd, serving his mate. Beholding the animals, themonarch pierced them both with five of his sharp and swift arrows wingedwith golden feathers. O monarch, that was no deer that Pandu struck at,but a Rishi's son of great ascetic merit who was enjoying his mate in theform of a deer. Pierced by Pandu, while engaged in the act ofintercourse, he fell down to the ground, uttering cries that were of aman and began to weep bitterly.
"The deer then addressed Pandu and said, 'O king, even men that areslaves to lust and wrath, and void of reason, and ever sinful, nevercommit such a cruel act as this. Individual judgment prevaileth notagainst the ordinance, the ordinance prevaileth against individualjudgment. The wise never sanction anything discountenanced by theordinance. Thou art born, O Bharata, in a race that hath ever beenvirtuous. How is it, therefore, that even thou, suffering thyself to beoverpowered by passion and wrath losest thy reason?' Hearing this, Pandureplied, 'O deer, kings behave in the matter of slaying animals of thyspecies exactly as they do in the matter of slaying foes. It behoveththee not, therefore, to reprove me thus from ignorance. Animals of thyspecies are slain by open or covert means. This, indeed, is the practiceof kings. Then why dost thou reprove me? Formerly, the Rishi Agastya,while engaged in the performance of a grand sacrifice, chased the deer,and devoted every deer in the forest unto the gods in general. Thou hastbeen slain, pursuant to the usage sanctioned by such precedent. Whereforereprovest us then? For his especial sacrifices Agastya performed the homawith fat of the deer.'
"The deer then said, 'O king, men do not let fly their arrows at theirenemies when the latter are unprepared. But there is a time for doing it(viz., after declaration of hostilities). Slaughter at such a time is notcensurable.'
"Pandu replied, 'It is well-known that men slay deer by various effectivemeans without regarding whether the animals are careful or careless.Therefore, O deer, why dost thou reprove me?'
"The deer then said, 'O, king, I did not blame thee for thy having killeda deer, or for the injury thou hast done to me. But, instead of acting socruelly, thou shouldst have waited till the completion of my act ofintercourse. What man of wisdom and virtue is there that can kill a deerwhile engaged in such an act? The time of sexual intercourse is agreeableto every creature and productive of good to all. O king, with this mymate I was engaged in the gratification of my sexual desire. But thateffort of mine hath been rendered futile by thee. O king of the Kurus, asthou art born in the race of the Pauravas ever noted for white (virtuous)deeds, such an act hath scarcely been worthy of thee. O Bharata, this actmust be regarded as extremely cruel, deserving of universal execration,infamous, and sinful, and certainly leading to hell. Thou art acquaintedwith the pleasures of sexual intercourse. Thou art acquainted also withthe teaching of morality and dictates of duty. Like unto a celestial asthou art, it behoveth thee not to do such an act as leadeth to hell. Obest of kings, thy duty is to chastise all who act cruelly, who areengaged in sinful practices and who have thrown to the winds religion,profit, and pleasure as explained in the scriptures. What hast thou done,O best of men, in killing me who have given thee no offence? I am, Oking, a Muni who liveth on fruits and roots, though disguised as a deer.I was living in the woods in peace with all. Yet thou hast killed me, Oking, for which I will curse thee certainly. As thou hast been cruel untoa couple of opposite sexes, death shall certainly overtake thee as soonas thou feelest the influence of sexual desire. I am a Muni of the nameof Kindama, possessed of ascetic merit. I was engaged in sexualintercourse with this deer, because my feelings of modesty did not permitme to indulge in such an act in human society. In the form of a deer Irove in the deep woods in the company of other deer. Thou hast slain mewithout knowing that I am a Brahmana, the sin of having slain a Brahmanashall not, therefore, be thine. But senseless man, as you have killed me,disguised as a deer, at such a time, thy fate shall certainly be evenlike mine. When, approaching thy wife lustfully, thou wilt unite with hereven as I had done with mine, in that very state shalt thou have to go tothe world of the spirits. And that wife of thine with whom thou mayst beunited in intercourse at the time of thy death shall also follow theewith affection and reverence to the domains of the king of the dead. Thouhast brought me grief when I was happy. So shall grief come to thee whenthou art in happiness.'
"Vaisampayana continued, 'Saying this, that deer, afflicted with griefgave up the ghost; and Pandu also was plunged in woe at the sight.'"
SECTION CXIX
(Sambhava Parva continued)
"Vaisampayana said, 'After the death of that deer, king Pandu with hiswives was deeply afflicted and wept bitterly. And he exclaimed, 'Thewicked, even if born in virtuous families, deluded by their own passions,become overwhelmed with misery as the fruit of their own deeds. I haveheard that my father, though begotten by Santanu of virtuous soul, wascut off while still a youth, only because he had become a slave to hislust. In the soil of that lustful king, the illustrious RishiKrishna-Dwaipayana himself, of truthful speech, begot me. A son though Iam of such a being, with my wicked heart wedded to vice, I am yet leadinga wandering life in the woods in the chase of the deer. Oh, the very godshave forsaken me! I shall seek salvation now. The great impediments tosalvation are the desire to beget children, and other concerns of theworld. I shall now adopt the Brahmacharya mode of life and follow in theimperishable wake of my father. I shall certainly bring my passions undercomplete control by severe ascetic penances. Forsaking my wives and otherrelatives and shaving my head, alone shall I wander over the earth,begging for my subsistence from each of these trees standing here.Forsaking every object of affection and aversion, and covering my bodywith dust, I shall make the shelter of trees or deserted houses my home.I shall never yield to influence of sorrow or joy, and I shall regardslander and eulogy in the same light. I shall not seek benedictions orbows. I shall be at peace with all, and shall not accept gifts. I shallnot mock anybody, nor shall I knit my brows at any one, but shall be evercheerful and devoted to the good of all creatures. I shall not harm anyof the four orders of life gifted with power of locomotion or otherwise,viz., oviparous and viviparous creatures and worms and vegetables. But onthe contrary, preserve an equality of behaviour towards all, as if theywere, my own children. Once a day shall I beg of five or ten families atthe most, and if I do not succeed in obtaining alms, I shall then gowithout food. I shall rather stint myself than beg more than once of thesame person. If I do not obtain anything after completing my round ofseven or ten houses, moved by covetousness, I shall not enlarge my round.Whether I obtain or fail to obtain alms. I shall be equally unmoved likea great ascetic. One lopping off an arm of mine with a hatchet, and onesmearing another arm with sandal-paste, shall be regarded by me equally.I shall not wish prosperity to the one or misery to the other. I shallnot be pleased with life or displeased with death. I shall neither desireto live nor to die. Washing my heart of all sins, I shall certainlytranscend those sacred rites productive of happiness, that men perform inauspicious moments, days, and periods. I shall also abstain from all actsof religion and profit and also those that lead to the gratification ofthe senses. Freed from all sins and snares of the world, I shall be likethe wind subject to none. Following the path of fearlessness and bearingmyself in this way I shall at last lay down my life. Destitute of thepower of begetting children, firmly adhering to the line of duty I shallnot certainly deviate therefrom in order to tread in the vile path of theworld that is so full of misery. Whether respected or disrespected in theworld that man who from covetousness casteth on others a begging look,certainly behaveth like a dog. (Destitute as I am of the power ofprocreation, I should not certainly, from desire of offspring, solicitothers to give me children).'
"Vaisampayana continued, 'The king, having thus wept in sorrow, with asigh looked at his two wives Kunti and Madri, and addressing them said,'Let the princess of Kosala (my mother), Vidura, the king with ourfriends, the venerable Satyavati, Bhishma, the priests of our family,illustrious Soma-drinking Brahmanas of rigid vows and all elderlycitizens depending on us be informed, after being prepared for it, thatPandu hath retired into the woods to lead a life of asceticism.' Hearingthese words of their lord who had set his heart on a life of asceticismin the woods, both Kunti and Madri addressed him in these proper words,'O bull of Bharata's race, there are many other modes of life which thoucanst adopt and in which thou canst undergo the severest penances alongwith us, thy wedded wives--in which for the salvation of thy body(freedom from re-birth), thou mayest obtain heaven. We also, in thecompany of our lord, and for his benefit, controlling our passions andbidding adieu to all luxuries, shall subject ourselves to the severestausterities. O king, O thou of great wisdom, if thou abandonest us, weshall then this very day truly depart from this world.'
Pandu replied, 'If, indeed, this your resolve springeth from virtue, thenwith you both I shall follow the imperishable path of my fathers.Abandoning the luxuries of cities and towns, clad in barks of trees, andliving on fruits and roots, I shall wander in deep woods, practising theseverest penances. Bathing morning and evening, I shall perform the homa.I shall reduce my body by eating very sparingly and shall wear rags andskins and knotted locks on my head. Exposing myself to heat and cold anddisregarding hunger and thirst, I shall reduce my body by severe asceticpenances, I shall live in solitude and I shall give myself up tocontemplation; I shall eat fruit, ripe or green, that I may find. I shalloffer oblations to the Pitris (manes) and the gods with speech, water andthe fruits of the wilderness. I shall not see, far less harm, any of thedenizens of the woods, or any of my relatives, or any of the residents ofcities and towns. Until I lay down this body, I shall thus practise thesevere ordinances of the Vanaprastha scriptures, always searching forseverer ones that they may contain.'
"Vaisampayana continued, 'The Kuru king, having said this unto his wives,gave away to Brahmanas the big jewel in his diadem, his necklace ofprecious gold, his bracelets, his large ear-rings, his valuable robes andall the ornaments of his wives. Then summoning his attendants, hecommended them, saying, 'Return ye to Hastinapura and proclaim unto allthat Pandu with his wives hath gone into the woods, foregoing wealth,desire, happiness, and even sexual appetite.' Then those followers andattendants, hearing these and other soft words of the king, set up a loudwail, uttering, 'Oh, we are undone!' Then with hot tears trickling downtheir cheeks they left the monarch and returned to Hastinapura with speedcarrying that wealth with them (that was to be distributed in charity).Then Dhritarashtra, that first of men, hearing from them everything thathad happened in the woods, wept for his brother. He brooded over hisaffliction continually, little relishing the comfort of beds and seatsand dishes.
"Meanwhile, the Kuru prince Pandu (after sending away his attendants)accompanied by his two wives and eating fruits and roots went to themountains of Nagasata. He next went to Chaitraratha, and then crossed theKalakuta, and finally, crossing the Himavat, he arrived at Gandhamadana.Protected by Mahabhutas, Siddhas, and great Rishis, Pandu lived, O king,sometimes on level ground and sometimes on mountain slopes. He thenjourneyed on to the lake of Indradyumna, whence crossing the mountains ofHansakuta, he went to the mountain of hundred peaks (Sata-sringa) andthere continued to practise ascetic austerities.'"
SECTION CXX
(Sambhava Parva continued)
"Vaisampayana said, 'Pandu, possessed of great energy, then devotedhimself to asceticism. Within a short time he became the favourite of thewhole body of the Siddhas and Charanas residing there. And, O Bharata,devoted to the service of his spiritual masters, free from vanity, withmind under complete control and the passions fully subdued, the prince,becoming competent to enter heaven by his own energy, attained to great(ascetic) prowess. Some of the Rishis would call him brother, somefriend, while others cherished him as their son. And, O bull of Bharata'srace, having acquired after a long time great ascetic merit coupled withcomplete singleness, Pandu became even like a Brahmarshi (though he was aKshatriya by birth).
"On a certain day of the new moon, the great Rishis of rigid vowsassembled together, and desirous of beholding Brahman were on the pointof starting on their expedition. Seeing them about to start, Pandu askedthose ascetics, saying, 'Ye first of eloquent men, where shall we go?'The Rishis answered, 'There will be a great gathering today, in the abodeof Brahman, of celestials, Rishis and Pitris. Desirous of beholding theSelf-create we shall go there today.'
"Vaisampayana continued, 'Hearing this, Pandu rose up suddenly, desirousof visiting heaven along with the great Rishis. Accompanied by his twowives, when he was on the point of following the Rishis in the northerlydirection from the mountain of hundred peaks, those ascetics addressedhim saying, 'In our northward march, while gradually ascending the kingof mountains, we have seen on its delightful breast many regionsinaccessible to ordinary mortals; retreats also of the gods, andGandharvas and Apsaras, with palatial mansions by hundreds clusteringthick around and resounding with the sweet notes of celestial music, thegardens of Kuvera laid out on even and uneven grounds, banks of mightyrivers, and deep caverns. There are many regions also on those heightsthat are covered with perpetual snow and are utterly destitute ofvegetable and animal existence. In some places the downpour of rain is soheavy that they are perfectly inaccessible and incapable of beingutilised for habitation. Not to speak of other animals, even wingedcreatures cannot cross them. The only thing that can go there is air, andthe only beings, Siddhas and great Rishis. How shall these princessesascend those heights of the king of mountains? Unaccustomed to pain,shall they not droop in affliction? Therefore, come not with us, O bullof Bharata's race!'
"Pandu replied, 'Ye fortunate ones, it is said that for the sonless thereis no admittance into heaven. I am sonless! I In affliction I speak' untoyou! I am afflicted because I have not been able to discharge the debt Iowe to my ancestors. It is certain that with the dissolution of this mybody my ancestors perish! Men are born on this earth with four debts,viz. those due unto the (deceased) ancestors, the gods, the Rishis, andother men. In justice these must be discharged. The wise have declaredthat no regions of bliss exist for them that neglect to pay these debtsin due time. The gods are paid (gratified) by sacrifices, the Rishis, bystudy, meditation, and asceticism, the (deceased) ancestors, by begettingchildren and offering the funeral cake, and, lastly other men, by leadinga humane and inoffensive life. I have justly discharged my obligations tothe Rishis, the gods, and other men. But those others than these threeare sure to perish with the dissolution of my body! Ye ascetics, I am notyet freed from the debt I owe to my (deceased) ancestors. The best of menare born in this world to beget children for discharging that debt. Iwould ask you, should children be begotten in my soil (upon my wives) asI myself was begotten in the soil of my father by the eminent Rishi?'
"The Rishis said, 'O king of virtuous soul, there is progeny in store forthee, that is sinless and blest with good fortune and like unto the gods.We behold it all with our prophetic eyes. Therefore, O tiger among men,accomplish by your own acts that which destiny pointeth at. Men ofintelligence, acting with deliberation, always obtain good fruits; itbehoveth thee, therefore, O king, to exert thyself. The fruits thouwouldst obtain are distinctly visible. Thou wouldst really obtainaccomplished and agreeable progeny.'
"Vaisampayana continued, 'Hearing these words of the ascetics, Pandu,remembering the loss of his procreative powers owing to the curse of thedeer, began to reflect deeply. And calling his wedded wife the excellentKunti, unto him, he told her in private, 'Strive thou to raise offspringat this time of distress. The wise expounders of the eternal religiondeclare that a son, O Kunti, is the cause of virtuous fame in the threeworlds. It is said that sacrifices, charitable gifts, ascetic penances,and vows observed most carefully, do not confer religious merit on asonless man. O thou of sweet smiles, knowing all this, I am certain thatas I am sonless, I shall not obtain regions of true felicity. O timidone, wretch that I was and addicted to cruel deeds, as a consequence ofthe polluted life I led, my power of procreation hath been destroyed bythe curse of the deer. The religious institutes mention six kinds of sonsthat are heirs and kinsmen, and six other kinds that are not heirs butkinsmen. I shall speak of them presently. O Pritha, listen to me. Theyare: 1st, the son begotten by one's own self upon his wedded wife; 2nd,the son begotten upon one's wife by an accomplished person from motivesof kindness; 3rd, the son begotten upon one's wife by a person forpecuniary consideration; 4th, the son begotten upon the wife after thehusband's death; 5th, the maiden-born son; 6th, the son born of anunchaste wife; 7th, the son given; 8th, the son bought for aconsideration; 9th, the son self-given; 10th, the son received with apregnant bride; 11th, the brother's son; and 12th, the son begotten upona wife of lower caste. On failure of offspring of a prior class, themother should desire to have offspring of the next class. In times ofdistress, men solicit offspring from accomplished younger brothers. Theself-born Manu hath said that men failing to have legitimate offspring oftheir own may have offspring begotten upon their wives by others, forsons confer the highest religious merit. Therefore, O Kunti, beingdestitute myself of the power of procreation, I command thee to raisegood offspring through some person who is either equal or superior to me.O Kunti, listen to the history of the daughter of Saradandayana who wasappointed by her lord to raise offspring. That warrior-dame, when hermonthly season arrived, bathed duly and in the night went out and waitedon a spot where four roads met. She did not wait long when a Brahmanacrowned with ascetic success came there. The daughter of Saradandayanasolicited him for offspring. After pouring libations of clarified butteron the fire (in the performance of the sacrifice known by the name ofPunsavana) she brought forth three sons that were mighty car-warriors andof whom Durjaya was the eldest, begotten upon her by that Brahmana. Othou of good fortune, do thou follow that warrior-dame's example at mycommand, and speedily raise offspring out of the seed of some Brahmana ofhigh ascetic merit.'"
SECTION CXXI
(Sambhava Parva continued)
"Vaisampayana said, 'Thus addressed, Kunti replied unto her heroic lord,king Pandu, that bull amongst the Kurus, saying, 'O virtuous one, itbehoveth thee not to say so unto me. I am, O thou lotus-eyed one, thywedded wife, devoted to thee. O, Bharata of mighty arms, thyself shalt,in righteousness, beget upon me children endued with great energy. Then Ishall ascend to heaven with thee; O prince of Kuru's race, receive me inthy embrace for begetting children. I shall not certainly, even inimagination, accept any other man except thee in my embraces. What otherman is there in this world superior to thee? O virtuous one, listen tothis Pauranic narrative that hath been, O thou of large eyes, heard byme, and that I shall presently narrate.
"There was, in ancient times, a king in the race of Puru, known by thename of Vyushitaswa. He was devoted to truth and virtue. Of virtuous souland mighty arms, on one occasion, while he was performing a sacrifice thegods with Indra and the great Rishis came to him, and Indra was sointoxicated with the Soma juice he drank and the Brahmanas with the largepresents they received, that both the gods and the great Rishis beganthemselves to perform everything appertaining to that sacrifice of theillustrious royal sage. And thereupon Vyushitaswa began to shine aboveall men like the Sun appearing in double splendour after the season offrost is over. And the powerful Vyushitaswa, who was endued with thestrength of ten elephants very soon performed the horse-sacrifice,overthrowing, O best of monarchs, all the kings of the East, the North,the West and the South, and exacted tributes from them all. There is ananecdote, O best of the Kurus, that is sung by all reciters of thePuranas, in connection with that first of all men, the illustriousVyushitaswa.--Having conquered the whole Earth up to the coast of thesea, Vyushitaswa protected every class of his subjects as a father doeshis own begotten sons.--Performing many great sacrifices he gave awaymuch wealth to the Brahmanas. After collecting unlimited jewels andprecious stones he made arrangements for performing still greater ones.And he performed also the Agnishtoma, and other special Vedic sacrifices,extracting great quantities of Soma juice. And, O king, Vyushitaswa hadfor his dear wife, Bhadra, the daughter of Kakshivat, unrivalled forbeauty on earth. And it hath been heard by us that the couple loved eachother deeply. King Vyushitaswa was seldom separated from his wife. Sexualexcess, however, brought on an attack of phthisis and the king diedwithin a few days, sinking like the Sun in his glory. Then Bhadra, hisbeautiful queen, was plunged into woe, and as she was sonless, O tigeramong men, she wept in great affliction. Listen to me, O king, as Inarrate to you all that Bhadra said with bitter tears trickling down hercheeks. 'O virtuous one', she said, 'Women serve no purpose when theirhusbands are dead. She who liveth after her husband is dead, draggeth ona miserable existence that can hardly be called life. O bull of theKshatriya order, death is a blessing to women without husbands. I wish tofollow the way thou hast gone. Be kind and take me with thee. In thyabsence, I am unable to bear life even for a moment. Be kind to me, Oking and take me hence pretty soon. O tiger among men, I shall followthee over the even and uneven ground. Thou hast gone away, O lord, neverto return. I shall follow thee, O king, as thy own shadow. O tiger amongmen, I will obey thee (as thy slave) and will ever do what is agreeableto thee and what is for thy good. O thou of eyes like lotus-petals,without thee, from this day, mental agonies will overwhelm me and eatinto my heart. A wretch that I am, some loving couple had doubtless beenseparated by me in a former life, for which, in this life, I am made tosuffer the pangs of separation from thee. O king, that wretched woman wholiveth even for a moment separated from her lord, liveth in woe andsuffereth the pangs of hell even here. Some loving couple had doubtlessbeen separated by me in a former life, for which sinful act I amsuffering this torture arising from my separation from thee. O king, fromthis day I will lay myself down on a bed of Kusa grass and abstain fromevery luxury, hoping to behold thee once more. O tiger among men, showthyself to me. O king, O lord, command once more thy wretched andbitterly weeping wife plunged in woe.'
"Kunti continued, 'It was thus, O Pandu, that the beautiful Bhadra weptover the death of her lord. And the weeping Bhadra clasped in her armsthe corpse in anguish of heart. Then she was addressed by an incorporealvoice in these words, "Rise up, O Bhadra, and leave this place. O thou ofsweet smiles, I grant thee this boon. I will beget offspring upon thee.Lie thou down with me on thy own bed, after the catamenial bath, on thenight of the eighth or the fourteenth day of the moon.' Thus addressed bythe incorporeal voice, the chaste Bhadra did, as she was directed, forobtaining offspring. And, O bull of the Bharatas, the corpse of herhusband begat upon her seven children viz., three Salwas and four Madras.O bull of the Bharatas, do thou also beget offspring upon me, like theillustrious Vyushitaswa, by the exercise of that ascetic power which thoupossessest.'"
SECTION CXXII
(Sambhava Parva continued)
"Vaisampayana said, 'Thus addressed by his loving wife, king Pandu,well-acquainted with all rules of morality, replied in these words ofvirtuous import, 'O Kunti, what thou hast said is quite true. Vyushitaswaof old did even as thou hast said. Indeed he was equal unto thecelestials themselves. But I shall now tell thee about the practices ofold indicated by illustrious Rishis, fully acquainted with every rule ofmorality. O thou of handsome face and sweet smiles, women formerly werenot immured within houses and dependent on husbands and other relatives.They used to go about freely, enjoying themselves as best as they liked.O thou of excellent qualities, they did not then adhere to their husbandsfaithfully, and yet, O handsome one, they were not regarded sinful, forthat was the sanctioned usage of the times. That very usage is followedto this day by birds and beasts without any (exhibition of) jealousy.That practice, sanctioned by precedent, is applauded by great Rishis. Othou of taper thighs, the practice is yet regarded with respect amongstthe Northern Kurus. Indeed, that usage, so lenient to women, hath thesanction of antiquity. The present practice, however (of women's beingconfined to one husband for life) hath been established but lately. Ishall tell thee in detail who established it and why.
"It hath been heard by us that there was a great Rishi of the name ofUddalaka, who had a son named Swetaketu who also was an ascetic of merit.O thou of eyes like lotus-petals, the present virtuous practice hath beenestablished by that Swetaketu from anger. Hear thou the reason. One day,in the presence of Swetaketu's father a Brahmana came and catchingSwetaketu's mother by the hand, told her, 'Let us go.' Beholding hismother seized by the hand and taken away apparently by force, the son wasgreatly moved by wrath. Seeing his son indignant, Uddalaka addressed himand said, 'Be not angry. O son! This is the practice sanctioned byantiquity. The women of all orders in this world are free, O son; men inthis matter, as regards their respective orders, act as kine.' TheRishi's son, Swetaketu, however, disapproved of the usage and establishedin the world the present practice as regards men and women. It hath beenheard by us, O thou of great virtue, that the existing practice datesfrom that period among human beings but not among beings of otherclasses. Accordingly, since the establishment of the present usage, it issinful for women not to adhere to their husbands. Women transgressing thelimits assigned by the Rishi became guilty of slaying the embryo. And,men, too, viol ting a chaste and loving wife who hath from her maidenhoodobserved the vow of purity, became guilty of the same sin. The woman alsowho, being commanded by her husband to raise offspring, refuses to do hisbidding, becometh equally sinful.
"Thus, O timid one, was the existing usage established of old bySwetaketu, the son of Uddalaka, in defiance of antiquity. O thou of taperthighs, it hath also been heard by us that Madayanti, the wife ofSaudasa, commanded by her husband to raise offspring went unto RishiVasishtha. And on going in unto him, the handsome Madayanti obtained ason named Asmaka. She did this, moved by the desire of doing good to herhusband. O thou of lotus-eyes, thou knowest, O timid girl, how weourselves, for the perpetuation of the Kuru race, were begotten byKrishna-Dwaipayana. O faultless one, beholding all these precedents itbehoveth thee to do my bidding, which is not inconsistent with virtue, Oprincess, who is devoted to her husband, it hath also been said by thoseacquainted with the rules of morality that a wife, when her monthlyseason cometh, must ever seek her husband, though at other times shedeserveth liberty. The wise have declared this to be the ancientpractice. But, be the act sinful or sinless, those acquainted with theVedas have declared that it is the duty of wives to do what theirhusbands bid them do. Especially, O thou of faultless features, I, who amdeprived of the power of procreation, having yet become desirous ofbeholding offspring, deserve the more to be obeyed by thee. O amiableone, joining my palms furnished with rosy fingers, and making of them acup as of lotus leaves, I place them on my head to propitiate thee. Othou of lair looks, it behoveth thee to raise offspring, at my command,through some Brahmana possessed of high ascetic merit. For then, owing tothee, O thou of fair hips, I may go the way that is reserved for thosethat are blessed with children.'
"Vaisampayana continued, 'Thus addressed by Pandu, that subjugator ofhostile cities, the handsome Kunti, ever attentive to what was agreeableand beneficial to her lord, then replied unto him, saying, 'In mygirlhood, O lord, I was in my father's house engaged in attending uponall guests. I used to wait respectfully upon Brahmanas of rigid vows andgreat ascetic merit. One day I gratified with my attentions that Brahmanawhom people call Durvasa, of mind under full control and possessingknowledge of all the mysteries of religion. Pleased with my services,that Brahmana gave me a boon in the form of a mantra (formula ofinvocation) for calling into my presence any one of the celestials Iliked. And the Rishi, addressing me, said, 'Anyone among the celestialswhom thou callest by this shall, O girl, approach thee and be obedient tothy will, whether he liketh it or not. And, O princess, thou shall alsohave offspring through his grace.' O Bharata, that Brahmana told me thiswhen I lived in my father's house. The words uttered by the Brahmana cannever be false. The time also hath come when they may yield fruit.Commanded by thee, O royal sage, I can by that mantra summon any of thecelestials, so that we may have good children. O foremost of all truthfulmen, tell me which of the celestials I shall summon. Know that, asregards this matter, I await your commands.'
"Hearing this, Pandu replied, 'O handsome one, strive duly this very dayto gratify our wishes. Fortunate one, summon thou the god of justice. Heis the most virtuous of the celestials. The god of justice and virtuewill never be able to pollute us with sin. The world also, O beautifulprincess, will then think that what we do can never be unholy. The sonalso that we shall obtain from him shall in virtue be certainly theforemost among the Kurus. Begotten by the god of justice and morality, hewould never set his heart upon anything that is sinful or unholy.Therefore, O thou of sweet smiles, steadily keeping virtue before thyeyes, and duly observing holy vows, summon thou the god of justice andvirtue by the help of thy solicitations and incantations.'
"Vaisampayana continued, 'Then Kunti, that best of women, thus addressedby her lord, said, 'So be it.' And bowing down to him and reverentlycircumambulating his person, she resolved to do his bidding.'"
SECTION CXXIII
(Sambhava Parva continued)
"Vaisampayana said, 'O Janamejaya, when Gandhari's conception had been afull year old, it was then that Kunti summoned the eternal god of justiceto obtain offspring from him. And she offered without loss of time,sacrifices unto the god and began to duly repeat the formula that Durvasahad imparted to her some time before. Then the god, overpowered by herincantations, arrived at the spot where Kunti was seated in his carresplendent as the Sun. Smiling, he asked, 'O Kunti, what am I to givethee?' And Kunti too smiling in her turn, replied, 'Thou must even giveme offspring.' Then the handsome Kunti was united (in intercourse) withthe god of justice in his spiritual form and obtained from him a sondevoted to the good of all creatures. And she brought his excellentchild, who lived to acquire a great fame, at the eighth Muhurta calledAbhijit, of the hour of noon of that very auspicious day of the seventhmonth (Kartika), viz., the fifth of the lighted fortnight, when the starJyeshtha in conjunction with the moon was ascendant. And as soon as thechild was born, an incorporeal voice (from the skies) said, 'This childshall be the best of men, the foremost of those that are virtuous. Enduedwith great prowess and truthful in speech, he shall certainly be theruler of the earth. And this first child of Pandu shall be known by thename of Yudhishthira. Possessed of prowess and honesty of disposition, heshall be a famous king, known throughout the three worlds.'
"Pandu, having obtained that virtuous son, again addressed his wife andsaid. 'The wise have declared that a Kshatriya must be endued withphysical strength, otherwise he is no Kshatriya.' Therefore, ask thou foran offspring of superior strength. Thus commanded by her lord, Kunti theninvoked Vayu. And the mighty god of wind, thus invoked, came unto her,riding upon a deer, and said, 'What, O Kunti, am I to give thee? Tell mewhat is in thy heart" Smiling in modesty, she said to him, 'Give me, Obest of celestials, a child endued with great strength and largeness oflimbs and capable of humbling the pride of every body.' The god of windthereupon begat upon her the child afterwards known as Bhima of mightyarms and fierce prowess. And upon the birth of that child endued withextraordinary strength, an incorporeal voice, O Bharata, as before, said,'This child shall be the foremost of all endued with strength.' I musttell you, O Bharata, of another wonderful event that occurred alter thebirth of Vrikodara (Bhima). While he fell from the lap of his mother uponthe mountain breast, the violence of the fall broke into fragments thestone upon which he fell without his infant body being injured in theleast. And he fell from his mother's lap because Kunti, frightened by atiger, had risen up suddenly, unconscious of the child that lay asleep onher lap. And as she had risen, the infant, of body hard as thethunderbolt, falling down upon the mountain breast, broke into a hundredfragments the rocky mass upon which he fell. And beholding this, Panduwondered much. And it so happened that that very day on which Vrikodarawas born, was also, O best of Bharatas, the birthday of Duryodhana whoafterwards became the ruler of the whole earth.'
"After the birth of Vrikodara, Pandu again began to think, 'How am I toobtain a very superior son who shall achieve world-wide fame? Every,thing in the world dependeth on destiny and exertion. But destiny cannever be successful except by timely exertion. We have heard it said thatIndra is the chief of the gods. Indeed, he is endued with immeasurablemight and energy and prowess and glory. Gratifying him with myasceticism, I shall obtain from him a son of great strength. Indeed, theson he giveth me must be superior to all and capable of vanquishing inbattle all men and creatures other than men. I shall, therefore, practisethe severest austerities, with heart, deed and speech.'
"After this, the Kuru king Pandu, taking counsel with the great Rishiscommanded Kunti to observe an auspicious vow for one full year, while hehimself commenced, O Bharata, to stand upon one leg from morning toevening, and practise other severe austerities with mind rapt inmeditation, for gratifying the lord of the celestials.
"It was after a long time that Indra (gratified with such devotion)approached Pandu and, addressing him, said, 'I shall give thee, O king, ason who will be celebrated all over the three worlds and who will promotethe welfare of Brahmanas, kine and all honest men. The son I shall givethee will be the smiter of the wicked and the delight of friends andrelatives. Foremost of all men, he will be an irresistible slayer of allfoes.' Thus addressed by Vasava (the king of the celestials), thevirtuous king of the Kuru race, well-recollecting those words, said untoKunti, 'O fortunate one, thy vow hath become successful. The lord of thecelestials hath been gratified, and is willing to give thee a son such asthou desirest, of superhuman achievements and great fame. He will be theoppressor of all enemies and possessed of great wisdom. Endued with agreat soul, in splendour equal unto the Sun, invincible in battles, andof great achievements, he will also be extremely handsome. O thou of fairhips and sweet smiles, the lord of the celestials hath become gracious tothee. Invoking him, bring thou forth a child who will be the very home ofall Kshatriya virtues.'
"Vaisampayana continued, 'The celebrated Kunti, thus addressed by herlord, invoked Sakra (the king of the gods) who thereupon came unto herand begat him that was afterwards called Arjuna. And as soon as thischild was born, an incorporeal voice, loud and deep as that of the cloudsand filling the whole welkin, distinctly said, addressing Kunti in thehearing of every creature dwelling in that asylum, 'This child of thine,O Kunti, will be equal unto Kartavirya in energy and Siva in prowess.Invincible like Sakra himself he will spread thy fame far and wide. AsVishnu (the youngest of Aditi's sons) had enhanced Aditi's joy, so shallthis child enhance thy joy. Subjugating the Madras, the Kurus along withthe Somakas, and the people of Chedi, Kasi and Karusha, he will maintainthe prosperity of the Kurus. (Surfeited with libations at the sacrificeof king Swetaketu), Agni will derive great gratification from the fat ofall creatures dwelling in the Khandava woods (to be burnt down) by themight of this one's arms. This mighty hero, vanquishing all theeffeminate monarchs of the earth, will, with his brothers perform threegreat sacrifices. In prowess, O Kunti, he will be even as Jamadagnya orVishnu. The foremost of all men endued with prowess, he will achievegreat fame. He will gratify in battle (by his heroism) Sankara, the godof gods (Mahadeva), and will receive from him the great weapon namedPasupata. This thy son of mighty arms will also slay, at the command ofIndra, those Daityas called the Nivatakavachas who are the enemies of thegods. He will also acquire all kinds of celestial weapons, and this bullamong men will also retrieve the fortunes of his race.'
'Kunti heard these extraordinary words, while lying in the room. Andhearing those words uttered so loudly, the ascetics dwelling on themountain of a hundred peaks, and the celestials with Indra sitting intheir cars, became exceedingly glad. The sounds of the (invisible) drumfilled the entire welkin. There were shouts of joy, and the whole regionwas covered with flowers showered down by invisible agents. The varioustribes of celestials assembled together, began to offer their respectfuladorations to the son of Pritha. The sons of Kadru (Nagas), the son ofVinata, the Gandharvas, the lords of the creation, and the seven greatRishis, viz., Bharadwaja, Kasyapa, Gautama, Viswamitra, Jamadagni,Vasishtha, and the illustrious Atri who illumined the world of old whenthe Sun was lost, all came there. And Marichi, Angiras, Pulastya, Pulaha,Kratu, Daksha the lord of creation, the Gandharvas, and Apsaras, camethere also. The various tribes of Apsaras, decked with celestial garlandsand every ornament, and attired in fine robes, came there and danced injoy, chanting the praises of Vibhatsu (Arjuna). All around, the greatRishis began to utter propitiatory formulas. And Tumvuru accompanied bythe Gandharvas began to sing in charming notes. And Bhimasena andUgrasena, Urnayus and Anagha. Gopati and Dhritarashtra and Suryavarchasthe eighth, Yugapa and Trinapa, Karshni, Nandi, and Chitraratha,Salisirah the thirteenth, Parjanya the fourteenth, Kali the fifteenth,and Narada the sixteenth in this list, Vrihatta, Vrihaka, Karala of greatsoul, Brahmacharin, Vahuguna, Suvarna of great fame, Viswavasu, Bhumanyu,Suchandra, Sam and the celebrated tribes of Haha and Huhu gifted withwonderful melody of voice,--these celestial Gandharvas, O king, all wentthere. Many illustrious Apsaras also of large eyes, decked with everyornament came there to dance and sing. And Anuchana and Anavadya,Gunamukhya and Gunavara, Adrika and Soma, Misrakesi and Alambusha,Marichi and Suchika, Vidyutparna and Tilottama and Ambika, Lakshmana,Kshema Devi, Rambha, Manorama, Asita, Suvahu, Supriya, Suvapuh,Pundarika, Sugandha, Surasa, Pramathini, Kamya and Saradwati, all dancedthere together. And Menaka, Sahajanya, Karnika, Punjikasthala,Ritusthala, Ghritachi, Viswachi, Purvachiti, the celebrated Umlocha,Pramlocha the tenth and Urvasi the eleventh,--these large-eyed dancinggirls of heaven,--came there and sang in chorus. And Dharti and Aryamanand Mitra and Varuna, Bhaga and Indra, Vivaswat, Pushan, Tvastri andParjanya or Vishnu, these twelve Adityas came there to glorify Pandu'sson. And, O king, Mrigavyadha, Sarpa, the celebrated Niriti, Ajaikapada,Ahivradhna, Pinakin, Dahana, Iswara, Kapalin, Sthanu and the illustriousBhaga--these eleven Rudras,--also came there. And the twin Aswins, theeight Vasus, the mighty Maruts, the Viswedevas, and the Sadhyas, alsocame there. And Karkotaka, Vasuki, Kachchhapa, Kunda and the great NagaTakshaka,--these mighty and wrathful snakes possessed of high asceticmerit also came there. And Tarkshya, Arishtanemi, Garuda,Asitadvaja,--these and many other Nagas, came there, so also Aruna andAruni of Vinata's race also came there. And only great Rishis crownedwith ascetic success and not others saw those celestials and other beingsseated in their cars or waiting on the mountain peaks. Those best ofMunis beholding that wonderful sight, became amazed, and their love andaffection for the children of Pandu was in consequence enhanced.
"The celebrated Pandu, tempted by the desire of having more childrenwished to speak again unto his wedded wife (for invoking some other god).But Kunti addressed him, saying, 'The wise do not sanction a fourthdelivery even in a season of distress. The woman having intercourse withfour different men is called a Swairini (heanton), while she havingintercourse with five becometh a harlot. Therefore, O learned one, asthou art well-acquainted with the scripture on this subject, why dostthou, beguiled by desire of offspring, tell me so in seemingforgetfulness of the ordinance?'"
SECTION CXXIV
(Sambhava Parva continued)
"Vaisampayana said, 'After the birth of Kunti's sons and also of thehundred sons of Dhritarashtra the daughter of the king of the Madrasprivately addressed Pandu, saying, 'O slayer of foes, I have no complainteven if thou beest unpropitious to me. I have, O sinless one, also nocomplaint that though by birth I am superior to Kunti yet I am inferiorto her in station. I do not grieve, O thou of Kuru's race, that Gandharihath obtained a hundred sons. This, however, is my great grief that whileKunti and I are equal, I should be childless, while it should so chancethat thou shouldst have offspring by Kunti alone. If the daughter ofKuntibhoja should so provide that I should have offspring, she would thenbe really doing me a great favour and benefiting thee likewise. She beingmy rival, I feel a delicacy in soliciting any favour of her. If thoubeest, O king, propitiously disposed to me, then ask her to grant mydesire.'
"Hearing her, Pandu replied, 'O Madri, I do revolve this matter often inmy own mind, but I have hitherto hesitated to tell thee anything, notknowing how thou wouldst receive it. Now that I know what your wishesare, I shall certainly strive after that end. I think that, asked by me,Kunti will not refuse.'
"Vaisampayana continued, 'After this, Pandu addressed Kunti in private,saying, 'O Kunti, grant me some more offspring for the expansion of myrace and for the benefit of the world. O blessed one, provide thou that Imyself, my ancestors, and thine also, may always have the funeral cakeoffered to us. O, do what is beneficial to me, and grant me and the worldwhat, indeed, is the best of benefits. O, do what, indeed, may bedifficult for thee, moved by the desire of achieving undying fame.Behold, Indra, even though he hath obtained the sovereignty of thecelestials, doth yet, for fame alone, perform sacrifices. O handsome one,Brahmanas, well-acquainted with the Vedas, and having achieved highascetic merit, do yet, for fame alone, approach their spiritual masterswith reverence. So also all royal sages and Brahmanas possessed ofascetic wealth have achieved, for fame only, the most difficult ofascetic feat. Therefore, O blameless one, rescue this Madri as by a raft(by granting her the means of obtaining offspring), and achieve thouimperishable fame by making her a mother of children.'
"Thus addressed by her lord, Kunti readily yielded, and said unto Madri,'Think thou, without loss of time, of some celestial, and thou shallcertainly obtain from him a child like unto him.' Reflecting for a fewmoments. Madri thought of the twin Aswins, who coming unto her with speedbegat upon her two sons that were twins named Nakula and Sahadeva,unrivalled on earth for personal beauty. And as soon as they were born,an incorporeal voice said, 'In energy and beauty these twins shalltranscend even the twin Aswins themselves.' Indeed possessed of greatenergy and beauty, they illumined the whole region.
"O king, after all the children were born the Rishis dwelling on themountain of a hundred peaks uttering blessings on them and affectionatelyperforming the first rites of birth, bestowed appellations on them. Theeldest of Kunti's children was called Yudhishthira, the second Bhimasena,and the third Arjuna, and of Madri's sons, the first-born of the twinswas called Nakula and the next Sahadeva. And those foremost sons born atan interval of one year after one another, looked like an embodied periodof five years. And king Pandu, beholding his children of celestial beautyand of super-abundant energy, great strength and prowess, and oflargeness of soul, rejoiced exceedingly. And the children became greatfavourites of the Rishis, as also of their wives, dwelling on themountain of a hundred peaks.
"Some time after, Pandu again requested Kunti on behalf of Madri.Addressed, O king, by her lord in private, Kunti replied, 'Having givenher the formula of invocation only once, she hath, O king, managed toobtain two sons. Have I not been thus deceived by her, I fear, O king,that she will soon surpass me in the number of her children. This,indeed, is the way of all wicked women. Fool that I was, I did not knowthat by invoking the twin gods I could obtain at one birth twin children.I beseech thee, O king, do not command me any further. Let this be theboon granted (by thee) to me.'
"Thus, O king, were born unto Pandu five sons who were begotten bycelestials and were endued with great strength, and who all lived toachieve great fame and expand the Kuru race. Each bearing everyauspicious mark on his person, handsome like Soma, proud as the lion,well-skilled in the use of the bow, and of leonine tread, breast, heart,eyes, neck and prowess, those foremost of men, resembling the celestialsthemselves in might, began to grow up. And beholding them and theirvirtues growing with years, the great Rishis dwelling on that snowcappedsacred mountain were filled with wonder. And the five Pandavas and thehundred sons of Dhritarashtra--that propagator of the Kuru race--grew uprapidly like a cluster of lotuses in a lake.'"
SECTION CXXV
(Sambhava Parva continued)
"Vaisampayana said, "Beholding his five handsome sons growing up beforehim in that great forest on the charming mountain slope, Pandu felt thelast might of his arms revive once more. One day in the season of springwhich maddens every creature the king accompanied by his wife (Madri),began to rove in the woods where every tree had put forth new blossoms.He beheld all around Palasas and Tilakas and Mangoes and Champakas andParihadrakas and Karnikaras, Asokas and Kesaras and Atimuktas andKuruvakas with swarms of maddened bees sweetly humming about. And therewere flowers of blossoming Parijatas with the Kokilas pouring forth theirmelodies from under every twig echoing with the sweet hums of the blackbees. And he beheld also various other kinds of trees bent down with theweight of their flowers and fruits. And there were also many fine poolsof water overgrown with hundreds of fragrant lotuses. Beholding allthese, Pandu felt the soft influence of desire. Roving like a celestialwith a light heart amidst such scenery, Pandu was alone with his wifeMadri in semi-transparent attire. And beholding the youthful Madri thusattired, the king's desire flamed up like a forest-fire. And ill-able tosuppress his desire thus kindled at the sight of his wife of eyes likelotus-petals, he was completely overpowered. The king then seized heragainst her will, but Madri trembling in fear resisted him to the best ofher might. Consumed by desire, he forgot everything about his misfortune.And, O thou of Kuru's race unrestrained by the fear of (the Rishi's)curse and impelled by fate, the monarch, overpowered by passion, forciblysought the embraces of Madri, as if he wished to put an end to his ownlife. His reason, thus beguiled by the great Destroyer himself byintoxicating his senses, was itself lost with his life. And the Kuru kingPandu, of virtuous soul, thus succumbed to the inevitable influence ofTime, while united in intercourse with his wife.
"Then Madri, clasping the body of her senseless lord, began to weepaloud. And Kunti with her sons and the twins of Madri, hearing thosecries of grief, came to the spot where the king lay in that state. Then,O king, Madri addressing Kunti in a piteous voice, said, 'Come hitheralone, O Kunti, and let the children stay there.' Hearing these words,Kunti, bidding the children stay, ran with speed, exclaiming, 'Woe tome!' And beholding both Pandu and Madri lying prostrate on the ground shewent in grief and affliction, saying, 'Of passions under completecontrol, this hero, O Madri, had all along been watched by me with care.How did he then forgetting the Rishi's curse, approach thee withenkindled desire? O Madri, this foremost of men should have beenprotected by thee. Why didst thou tempt him into solitude? Alwaysmelancholy at the thought of the Rishi's curse, how came he to be merrywith thee in solitude? O princess of Valhika, more fortunate than myself,thou art really to be envied, for thou hast seen the face of our lordsuffused with gladness and joy.'
"Madri then replied, saying, 'Revered sister, with tears in my eyes, Iresisted the king, but he could not control himself, bent on, as it weremaking the Rishi's curse true.'
"Kunti then said, 'I am the older of his wedded wives; the chiefreligious merit must be mine. Therefore, O Madri, prevent me not fromachieving that which must be achieved. I must follow our lord to theregion of the dead. Rise up, O Madri, and yield me his body. Rear thouthese children.' Madri replied, saying, 'I do clasp our lord yet, andhave not allowed him to depart; therefore, I shall follow him. Myappetite hath not been appeased. Thou art my older sister, O let me havethy sanction. This foremost one of the Bharata princes had approached me,desiring to have intercourse. His appetite unsatiated, shall I not followhim in the region of Yama to gratify him? O revered one, if I survivethee, it is certain I shall not be able to rear thy children as if theywere mine. Will not sin touch me on that account? But, thou, O Kunti,shall be able to bring my sons up as if they were thine. The king, inseeking me wishfully, hath gone to the region of spirits; therefore, mybody should be burnt with his. O revered sister, withhold not thysanction to this which is agreeable to me. Thou wilt certainly bring upthe children carefully. That indeed, would be very agreeable to me. Ihave no other direction to give!'
"Vaisampayana continued, 'Having said this, the daughter of the king ofMadras, the wedded wife of Pandu, ascended the funeral pyre of her lord,that bull among men.'"
SECTION CXXVI
(Sambhava Parva continued)
"Vaisampayana said, 'The godlike Rishis, wise in counsels, beholding thedeath of Pandu, consulted with one another, and said, 'The virtuous andrenowned king Pandu, abandoning both sovereignty, and kingdom came hitherfor practising ascetic austerities and resigned himself to the asceticsdwelling on this mountain. He hath hence ascended to heaven, leaving hiswife and infant sons as a trust in our hands. Our duty now is to repairto his kingdom with these his offspring, and his wife.'
"Vaisampayana continued, 'Then those godlike Rishis of magnanimoushearts, and crowned with ascetic success, summoning one another, resolvedto go to Hastinapura with Pandu's children ahead, desiring to place themin the hands of Bhishma and Dhritarashtra. The ascetics set out that verymoment, taking with them those children and Kunti and the two deadbodies. And though unused to toil all her life, the affectionate Kuntinow regarded as very short the really long journey she had to perform.Having arrived at Kurujangala within a short time, the illustrious Kuntipresented herself at the principal gate. The ascetics then charged theporters to inform the king of their arrival. The men carried the messagein a trice to the court. And the citizens of Hastinapura, hearing of thearrival of thousands of Charanas and Munis, were filled with wonder. Andit was soon after sunrise that they began to come out in numbers withtheir wives and children to behold those ascetics. Seated in all kinds ofcars and conveyances by thousands, vast numbers of Kshatriyas with theirwives, and Brahmanas with theirs came out. And the concourse of Vaisyasand Sudras too was as large on the occasion. The vast assemblage was verypeaceful, for every heart then was inclined to piety. And there also cameout Bhishma, the son of Santanu, and Somadatta or Valhika and the royalsage (Dhritarashtra) endued with the vision of knowledge and Vidurahimself and the venerable Satyavati and the illustrious princess ofKosala and Gandhari accompanied by the other ladies of the royalhousehold. And the hundred sons of Dhritarashtra, decked with variousornaments, also came out.
"The Kauravas, then, accompanied by their priest, saluted the Rishis bylowering their heads, and took their seats before them. The citizens alsosaluting the ascetics and bowing down unto them with touching the ground,took their seats there. Then Bhishma, setting that vast concourseperfectly still, duly worshipped, O king, those ascetics by offering themwater to wash their feet with and the customary Arghya. And having donethis, he spoke unto them about the sovereignty and the kingdom. Then theoldest of the ascetics with matted locks on head and loins covered withanimal skin, stood up, and with the concurrence of the other Rishis,spoke as follows, 'You all know that that possessor of the sovereignty ofthe Kurus who was called king Pandu, had, after abandoning the pleasuresof the world, repaired hence to dwell on the mountain of a hundred peaks.He adopted the Brahmacharya mode of life, but for some inscrutablepurpose the gods have in view, this his eldest son, Yudhishthira, wasborn there, begotten by Dharma himself. Then that illustrious kingobtained from Vayu this other son--the foremost of all mighty men--calledBhima. This other son, begotten upon Kunti by Indra, is Dhananjaya whoseachievements will humble all bowmen in the world. Look here again atthese tigers among men, mighty in the use of the bow, the twin childrenbegotten upon Madri by the twin Aswins. Leading in righteousness the lifeof a Vanaprastha in the woods, illustrious Pandu hath thus revived thealmost extinct line of his grandfather. The birth, growth, and Vedicstudies of these children of Pandu, will, no doubt, give you greatpleasure. Steadily adhering to the path of the virtuous and the wise, andleaving behind him these children, Pandu departed hence seventeen daysago. His wife Madri, beholding him placed in the funeral pyre and aboutto be consumed, herself ascended the same pyre, and sacrificing her lifethus, hath gone with her lord to the region reserved for chaste wives.Accomplish now whatever rites should be performed for their benefit.These are (the unburnt portions of) their bodies. Here also are theirchildren--these oppressors of foes--with their mother. Let these be nowreceived with due honours. After the completion of the first rites inhonour of the dead, let the virtuous Pandu, who had all along been thesupporter of the dignity of the Kurus, have the first annual Sraddha(sapindakarana) performed with a view to installing him formally amongthe Pitris.'
"Vaisampayana continued, 'The ascetics with Guhyakas, having said thisunto the Kurus, instantly disappeared in the very sight of the people.And beholding the Rishis and the Siddhas thus vanish in their sight likevapoury forms appearing and disappearing in the skies, the citizensfilled with wonder returned to their homes.'"
SECTION CXXVII
(Sambhava Parva continued)
"Vaisampayana continued, 'Dhritarashtra then said, 'O Vidura, celebratethe funeral ceremonies of that lion among kings viz., Pandu, and of Madrialso, in right royal style. For the good of their souls, distributecattle, cloths, gems and diverse kinds of wealth, every one receiving asmuch as he asketh for. Make arrangements also for Kunti's performing thelast rites of Madri in such a style as pleaseth her. And let Madri's bodybe so carefully wrapped up that neither the Sun nor Vayu (god of wind)may behold it. Lament not for the sinless Pandu. He was a worthy king andhath left behind him five heroic sons equal unto the celestialsthemselves.'
"Vaisampayana continued, 'Then Vidura, O Bharata, saying, 'So be it,' inconsultation with Bhishma, fixed upon a sacred spot for the funeral ritesof Pandu. The family priests went out of the city without loss of time,carrying with them the blazing sacred fire fed with clarified butter andrendered fragrant therewith. Then friends, relatives, and adherents,wrapping it up in cloth, decked the body of the monarch with the flowersof the season and sprinkled various excellent perfumes over it. And theyalso decked the hearse itself with garlands and rich hangings. Thenplacing the covered body of the king with that of his queen on thatexcellent bier decked out so brightly, they caused it to be carried onhuman shoulders. With the white umbrella (of state) held over the hearsewith waving yak-tails and sounds of various musical instruments, thewhole scene looked bright and grand. Hundreds of people began todistribute gems among the crowd on the occasion of the funeral rites ofthe king. At length some beautiful robes, and white umbrellas and largeryak-tails, were brought for the great ceremony. The priests clad in whitewalked in the van of the procession pouring libations of clarified butteron the sacred fire blazing in an ornamental vessel. And Brahmanas, andKshatriyas, and Vaisyas, and Sudras by thousands followed the deceasedking, loudly wailing in these accents, 'O prince, where dost thou go,leaving us behind, and making us forlorn and wretched for ever?' AndBhishma, and Vidura, and the Pandavas, also all wept aloud. At last theycame to a romantic wood on the banks of the Ganga. There they laid downthe hearse on which the truthful and lion-hearted prince and his spouselay. Then they brought water in many golden vessels, washed the prince'sbody besmeared before with several kinds of fragrant paste, and againsmeared it over with sandal paste. They then dressed it in a white dressmade of indigenous fabrics. And with the new suit on, the king seemed asif he was living and only sleeping on a costly bed.
"When the other funeral ceremonies also were finished in consonance withthe directions of the priests, the Kauravas set fire to the dead bodiesof the king and the queen, bringing lotuses, sandal-paste, and otherfragrant substances to the pyre.
"Then seeing the bodies aflame, Kausalya burst out, 'O my son, myson!'--and fell down senseless on the ground. And seeing her down thecitizens and the inhabitants of the provinces began to wail from griefand affection for their king. And the birds of the air and the beasts ofthe field were touched by the lamentations of Kunti. And Bhishma, the sonof Santanu, and the wise Vidura, and the others also that were there,became disconsolate.
"Thus weeping, Bhishma, Vidura, Dhritarashtra, the Pandavas and the Kuruladies, all performed the watery ceremony of the king. And when all thiswas over, the people, themselves filled with sorrow, began to console thebereaved sons of Pandu. And the Pandavas with their friends began tosleep on the ground. Seeing this the Brahmanas and the other citizensalso renounced their beds. Young and old, all the citizens grieved onaccount of the sons of king Pandu, and passed twelve days in mourningwith the weeping Pandavas.'"
SECTION CXXVIII
(Sambhava Parva continued)
"Vaisampayana said, 'Then Bhishma and Kunti with their friends celebratedthe Sraddha of the deceased monarch, and offered the Pinda. And theyfeasted the Kauravas and thousands of Brahmanas unto whom they also gavegems and lands. Then the citizens returned to Hastinapura with the sonsof Pandu, now that they had been cleansed from the impurity incident tothe demise of their father. All then fell to weeping for the departedking. It seemed as if they had lost one of their own kin.
"When the Sraddha had been celebrated in the manner mentioned above, thevenerable Vyasa, seeing all the subjects sunk in grief, said one day tohis mother Satyavati, 'Mother, our days of happiness have gone by anddays of calamity have succeeded. Sin beginneth to increase day by day.The world hath got old. The empire of the Kauravas will no longer endurebecause of wrong and oppression. Go thou then into the forest, and devotethyself to contemplation through Yoga. Henceforth society will be filledwith deceit and wrong. Good work will cease. Do not witness theannihilation of thy race, in thy old age.'
"Acquiescing in the words of Vyasa, Satyavati entered the innerapartments and addressed her daughter-in-law, saying, 'O Ambika, I hearthat in consequence of the deeds of your grandsons, this Bharata dynastyand its subjects will perish. If thou permit, I would go to the forestwith Kausalya, so grieved at the loss of her son.' O king, saying thisthe queen, taking the permission of Bhishma also, went to the forest. Andarriving there with her two daughters-in-law, she became engaged inprofound contemplation, and in good time leaving her body ascended toheaven.'
"Vaisampayana continued, 'Then the sons of king Pandu, having gonethrough all the purifying rites prescribed in the Vedas, began to grow upin princely style in the home of their father. Whenever they were engagedin play with the sons of Dhritarashtra, their superiority of strengthbecame marked. In speed, in striking the objects aimed at, in consumingarticles of food, and scattering dust, Bhimasena beat all the sons ofDhritarashtra. The son of the Wind-god pulled them by the hair and madethem fight with one another, laughing all the while. And Vrikodara easilydefeated those hundred and one children of great energy as if they wereone instead of being a hundred and one. The second Pandava used to seizethem by the hair, and throwing them down, to drag them along the earth.By this, some had their knees broken, some their heads, and some theirshoulders. That youth, sometimes holding ten of them, drowned them inwater, till they were nearly dead. When the sons of Dhritarashtra got upto the boughs of a tree for plucking fruits, Bhima used to shake thattree, by striking it with his foot, so that down came the fruits and thefruitpluckers at the same time. In fact, those princes were no match forBhima in pugilistic encounters, in speed, or in skill. Bhima used to makea display of his strength by thus tormenting them in childishness but notfrom malice.
"Seeing these wonderful exhibitions of the might of Bhima, the powerfulDuryodhana, the eldest son of Dhritarashtra, began to conceive hostilitytowards him. And the wicked and unrighteous Duryodhana, through ignoranceand ambition, prepared himself for an act of sin. He thought, 'There isno other individual who can compare with Bhima, the second son of Pandu,in point of prowess. I shall have to destroy him by artifice. Singly,Bhima dares a century of us to the combat. Therefore, when he shall sleepin the garden, I shall throw him into the current of the Ganga.Afterwards, confining his eldest brother Yudhishthira and his youngerbrother Arjuna, I shall reign sole king without molestation.' Determinedthus, the wicked Duryodhana was ever on the watch to find out anopportunity for injuring Bhima. And, O Bharata, at length at a beautifulplace called Pramanakoti on the banks of the Ganga, he built a palacedecorated with hangings of broad-cloth and other rich stuffs. And hebuilt this palace for sporting in the water there, and filled it with allkinds of entertaining things and choice viands. Gay flags waved on thetop of this mansion. The name of the house was 'the water-sport house.'Skilful cooks prepared various kinds of viands. When all was ready, theofficers gave intimation to Duryodhana. Then the evil-minded prince saidunto the Pandavas, 'Let us all go to the banks of the Ganga graced withtrees and crowned with flowers and sport there in the water.' And uponYudhishthira agreeing to this, the sons of Dhritarashtra, taking thePandavas with them, mounted country-born elephants of great size and carsresembling towns, and left the metropolis.
"On arriving at the place, the princes dismissed their attendants, andsurveying the beauty of the gardens and the groves, entered the palace,like lions entering their mountain caves. On entering they saw that thearchitects had handsomely plastered the walls and the ceilings and thatpainters had painted them beautifully. The windows looked very graceful,and the artificial fountains were splendid. Here and there were tanks ofpellucid water in which bloomed forests of lotuses. The banks were deckedwith various flowers whose fragrance filled the atmosphere. The Kauravasand the Pandavas sat down and began to enjoy the things provided forthem. They became engaged in play and began to exchange morsels of foodwith one another. Meanwhile the wicked Duryodhana had mixed a powerfulpoison with a quantity of food, with the object of making away withBhima. That wicked youth who had nectar in his tongue and a razor in hisheart, rose at length, and in a friendly way fed Bhima largely with thatpoisoned food, and thinking himself lucky in having compassed his end,was exceedingly glad at heart. Then the sons of Dhritarashtra and Pandutogether became cheerfully engaged in sporting in the water. Their sporthaving been finished, they dressed themselves in white habiliments, anddecked themselves with various ornaments. Fatigued with play, they feltinclined in the evening to rest in the pleasurehouse belonging to thegarden. Having made the other youths take exercise in the waters, thepowerful second Pandava was excessively fatigued. So that on rising fromthe water, he lay down on the ground. He was weary and under theinfluence of the poison. And the cool air served to spread the poisonover all his frame, so that he lost his senses at once. Seeing thisDuryodhana bound him with chords of shrubs, and threw him into the water.The insensible son of Pandu sank down till he reached the Naga kingdom.Nagas, furnished with fangs containing virulent venom, bit him bythousands. The vegetable poison, mingled in the blood of the son of theWind god, was neutralised by the snake-poison. The serpents had bittenall over his frame, except his chest, the skin of which was so tough thattheir fangs could not penetrate it.
"On regaining consciousness, the son of Kunti burst his bands and beganto press the snakes down under the ground. A remnant fled for life, andgoing to their king Vasuki, represented, 'O king of snakes, a man drownedunder the water, bound in chords of shrubs; probably he had drunk poison.For when he fell amongst us, he was insensible. But when we began to bitehim, he regained his senses, and bursting his fetters, commenced layingat us. May it please Your Majesty to enquire who is.'
"Then Vasuki, in accordance with the prayer of the inferior Nagas, wentto the place and saw Bhimasena. Of the serpents, there was one, namedAryaka. He was the grandfather of the father of Kunti. The lord ofserpents saw his relative and embraced him. Then, Vasuki, learning all,was pleased with Bhima, and said to Aryaka with satisfaction, 'How are weto please him? Let him have money and gems in profusion."
"On hearing the words of Vasuki, Aryaka said, 'O king of serpents, whenYour Majesty is pleased with him, no need of wealth for him! Permit himto drink of rasakunda (nectar-vessels) and thus acquire immeasurablestrength. There is the strength of a thousand elephants in each one ofthose vessels. Let this prince drink as much as he can.'
"The king of serpents gave his consent. And the serpents thereupon beganauspicious rites. Then purifying himself carefully, Bhimasena facing theeast began to drink nectar. At one breath, he quaffed off the contents ofa whole vessel, and in this manner drained off eight successive jars,till he was full. At length, the serpents prepared an excellent bed forhim, on which he lay down at ease.'"
SECTION CXXIX
(Sambhava Parva continued)
"Vaisampayana said, 'Meanwhile the Kauravas and the Pandavas, afterhaving thus sported there, set out, without Bhima, for Hastinapura, someon horses, some on elephants, while others preferred cars and otherconveyances. And on their way they said to one another, 'Perhaps, Bhimahath gone before us.' And the wicked Duryodhana was glad at heart to missBhima, and entered the city with his brothers in joy.
"The virtuous Yudhishthira, himself unacquainted with vice andwickedness, regarded others to be as honest as himself. The eldest son ofPritha, filled with fraternal love, going unto his mother, said, aftermaking obeisance to her, 'O mother, hath Bhima come? O good mother, Idon't find him here. Where may he have gone? We long sought for himeverywhere in the gardens and the beautiful woods; but found him nowhere.At length, we thought that the heroic Bhima preceded us all. Oillustrious dame, we came hither in great anxiety. Arrived here, wherehath he gone? Have you sent him anywhere? O tell me, I am full of doubtsrespecting the mighty Bhima. He had been asleep and hath not come. Iconclude he is no more.'
"Hearing these words of the highly intelligent Yudhishthira, Kuntishrieked, in alarm, and said, 'Dear son, I have not seen Bhima. He didnot come to me. O, return in haste, and with your brothers search forhim.'
"Having said this in affliction to her eldest son, she summoned Vidura,and said, 'O illustrious Kshattri, Bhimasena is missing! Where has hegone? The other brothers have all come back from the gardens, only Bhimaof mighty arms does not come home! Duryodhana likes him not. The Kauravais crooked and malicious and low-minded and imprudent. He coveteth thethrone openly. I am afraid he may have in a fit of anger slain mydarling. This afflicts me sorely, indeed, it burns my heart.'
"Vidura replied, 'Blessed dame, say not so! Protect thy other sons withcare. If the wicked Duryodhana be accused, he may slay thy remainingsons. The great sage hath said that all thy sons will be long-lived.Therefore, Bhima will surely return and gladden thy heart.'
"Vaisampayana continued, 'The wise Vidura, having said this unto Kunti,returned to his abode, while Kunti, in great anxiety, continued to stayat home with her children.
"Meanwhile, Bhimasena awoke from that slumber on the eighth day, and feltstrong beyond measure in consequence of the nectar he had taken havingbeen all digested. Seeing him awake, the Nagas began to console and cheerhim, saying, 'O thou of mighty arms, the strength-giving liquor thou hastdrunk will give thee the might of ten thousand elephants! No one now willbe able to vanquish thee in fight. O bull of Kuru's race, do thou bath inthis holy and auspicious water and return home. Thy brothers aredisconsolate because of thee.'
"Then Bhima purified himself with a bath in those waters, and decked inwhite robes and flowery garlands of the same hue, ate of the paramanna(rice and sugar pudding) offered to him by the Nagas. Then that oppressorof all foes, decked in celestial ornaments, received the adorations andblessings of the snakes, and saluting them in return, rose from thenether region. Bearing up the lotus-eyed Pandava from under the waters,the Nagas placed him in the selfsame gardens wherein he had beensporting, and vanished in his very sight.
"The mighty Bhimasena, arrived on the surface of the earth, ran withspeed to his mother. And bowing down unto her and his eldest brother, andsmelling the heads of his younger brothers, that oppressor of all foeswas himself embraced by his mother and every one of those bulls amongmen. Affectionate unto one another, they all repeatedly exclaimed, 'Whatis our joy today, O what joy!'
'Then Bhima, endued with great strength and prowess, related to hisbrothers everything about the villainy of Duryodhana, and the lucky andunlucky incidents that had befallen him in the world of the Serpents.Thereupon Yudhishthira said, 'Do thou observe silence on this. Do notspeak of this to any one. From this day, protect ye all one another withcare.' Thus cautioned by the righteous Yudhishthira, they all, withYudhishthira himself, became very vigilant from that day. And lestnegligence might occur on the part of the sons of Kunti, Viduracontinually offered them sage advice.
"Some time after, Duryodhana again mixed in the food of Bhima a poisonthat was fresh, virulent, and very deadly. But Yuyutsu (Dhritarashtra'sson by a Vaisya wife), moved by his friendship for the Pandavas, informedthem of this. Vrikodara, however, swallowed it without any hesitation,and digested it completely. And, though virulent the poison produced noeffects on Bhima.
"When that terrible poison intended for the destruction of Bhima failedof its effect, Duryodhana. Karna and Sakuni, without giving up theirwicked design had recourse to numerous other contrivances foraccomplishing the death of the Pandavas. And though every one of thesecontrivances was fully known to the Pandavas, yet in accordance with theadvice of Vidura they suppressed their indignation.
"Meanwhile, the king (Dhritarashtra), beholding the Kuru princes passingtheir time in idleness and growing naughty, appointed Gautama as theirpreceptor and sent them unto him for instruction. Born among a clump ofheath, Gautama was well-skilled in the Vedas and it was under him (alsocalled Kripa) that the Kuru princes began to learn the use of arms.'"
SECTION CXXX
(Sambhava Parva continued)
"Janamejaya said, 'O Brahmana, it behoveth thee to relate to meeverything about the birth of Kripa. How did he spring from a clump ofheath? Whence also did he obtain his weapons?'
"Vaisampayana said, 'O king, the great sage Gautama had a son namedSaradwat. This Saradwat was born with arrows (in hand). O oppressor offoes, the son of Gautama exhibited great aptitude for the study of thescience of weapons, but none for the other sciences. Saradwat acquiredall his weapons by those austerities by which Brahmanas in student lifeacquire the knowledge of Vedas. Gautama (the son of Gotama) by hisaptitude for the science of weapons and by his austerities made Indrahimself greatly afraid of him. Then, O thou of Kuru's race, the chief ofthe gods summoned a celestial damsel named Janapadi and sent her untoGautama, saying, 'Do thy best to disturb the austerities of Gautama.'Repairing unto the charming asylum of Saradwat, the damsel began to temptthe ascetic equipped with bow and arrows. Beholding that Apsara, offigure unrivalled on earth for beauty, alone in those woods and clad in asingle piece of cloth, Saradwat's eyes expanded with delight. At thesight of the damsel, his bow and arrows slipped from his hand and hisframe shook all over with emotion; but possessed of ascetic fortitude andstrength of soul, the sage mustered sufficient patience to bear upagainst the temptation. The suddenness, however, of his mental agitation,caused an unconscious emission of his vital fluid. Leaving his bow andarrows and deer-skin behind, he went away, flying from the Apsara. Hisvital fluid, however, having fallen upon a clump of heath, was dividedinto two parts, whence sprang two children that were twins.
"And it happened that a soldier in attendance upon king Santanu while themonarch was out a-hunting in the woods, came upon the twins. And seeingthe bow and arrows and deer-skin on the ground, he thought they might bethe offspring of some Brahmana proficient in the science of arms.Deciding thus, he took up the children along with the bow and arrows, andshowed what he had to the king. Beholding them the king was moved withpity, and saying, 'Let these become my children,' brought them to hispalace. Then that first of men, Santanu, the son of Pratipa havingbrought Gautama's twins into his house, performed in respect of them theusual rites of religion. And he began to bring them up and called themKripa and Kripi, in allusion to the fact that he brought them up frommotives of pity (Kripa). The son of Gotama having left his former asylum,continued his study of the science of arms in right earnest. By hisspiritual insight he learnt that his son and daughter were in the palaceof Santanu. He thereupon went to the monarch and represented everythingabout his lineage. He then taught Kripa the four branches of the scienceof arms, and various other branches of knowledge, including all theirmysteries and recondite details. In a short time Kripa became an eminentprofessor of the science (of arms). And the hundred sons ofDhritarashtra, and the Pandavas along with the Yadavas, and the Vrishnis,and many other princes from various lands, began to receive lessons fromhim in that science.'"
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