Gaya Vedanta US / Mahabaratha 1: 1

Mahabharata
of
Krishna-Dwaipayana Vyasa
BOOK 1
ADI PARVA
Translated into English Prose from the Original Sanskrit Text
by
Kisari Mohan Ganguli
[1883-1896]
Scanned at sacred-texts.com, 2003. Proofed at Distributed Proofing,Juliet Sutherland, Project Manager. Additional proofing and formatting atsacred-texts.com, by J. B. Hare.

TRANSLATOR'S PREFACE
The object of a translator should ever be to hold the mirror upto hisauthor. That being so, his chief duty is to represent so far aspracticable the manner in which his author's ideas have been expressed,retaining if possible at the sacrifice of idiom and taste all thepeculiarities of his author's imagery and of language as well. In regardto translations from the Sanskrit, nothing is easier than to dish upHindu ideas, so as to make them agreeable to English taste. But theendeavour of the present translator has been to give in the followingpages as literal a rendering as possible of the great work of Vyasa. Tothe purely English reader there is much in the following pages that willstrike as ridiculous. Those unacquainted with any language but their ownare generally very exclusive in matters of taste. Having no knowledge ofmodels other than what they meet with in their own tongue, the standardthey have formed of purity and taste in composition must necessarily be anarrow one. The translator, however, would ill-discharge his duty, if forthe sake of avoiding ridicule, he sacrificed fidelity to the original. Hemust represent his author as he is, not as he should be to please thenarrow taste of those entirely unacquainted with him. Mr. Pickford, inthe preface to his English translation of the Mahavira Charita, ablydefends a close adherence to the original even at the sacrifice of idiomand taste against the claims of what has been called 'Free Translation,'which means dressing the author in an outlandish garb to please those towhom he is introduced.
In the preface to his classical translation of Bhartrihari's Niti Satakamand Vairagya Satakam, Mr. C.H. Tawney says, "I am sensible that in thepresent attempt I have retained much local colouring. For instance, theideas of worshipping the feet of a god of great men, though it frequentlyoccurs in Indian literature, will undoubtedly move the laughter ofEnglishmen unacquainted with Sanskrit, especially if they happen tobelong to that class of readers who revel their attention on theaccidental and remain blind to the essential. But a certain measure offidelity to the original even at the risk of making oneself ridiculous,is better than the studied dishonesty which characterises so manytranslations of oriental poets."
We fully subscribe to the above although, it must be observed, thecensure conveyed to the class of translators last indicated is ratherundeserved, there being nothing like a 'studied dishonesty' in theirefforts which proceed only from a mistaken view of their duties and assuch betray only an error of the head but not of the heart. More thantwelve years ago when Babu Pratapa Chandra Roy, with Babu Durga CharanBanerjee, went to my retreat at Seebpore, for engaging me to translatethe Mahabharata into English, I was amazed with the grandeur of thescheme. My first question to him was,--whence was the money to come,supposing my competence for the task. Pratapa then unfolded to me thedetails of his plan, the hopes he could legitimately cherish ofassistance from different quarters. He was full of enthusiasm. He showedme Dr. Rost's letter, which, he said, had suggested to him theundertaking. I had known Babu Durga Charan for many years and I had thehighest opinion of his scholarship and practical good sense. When hewarmly took Pratapa's side for convincing me of the practicability of thescheme, I listened to him patiently. The two were for completing allarrangements with me the very day. To this I did not agree. I took aweek's time to consider. I consulted some of my literary friends,foremost among whom was the late lamented Dr. Sambhu C. Mookherjee. Thelatter, I found, had been waited upon by Pratapa. Dr. Mookherjee spoke tome of Pratapa as a man of indomitable energy and perseverance. The resultof my conference with Dr. Mookherjee was that I wrote to Pratapa askinghim to see me again. In this second interview estimates were drawn up,and everything was arranged as far as my portion of the work wasconcerned. My friend left with me a specimen of translation which he hadreceived from Professor Max Muller. This I began to study, carefullycomparing it sentence by sentence with the original. About its literalcharacter there could be no doubt, but it had no flow and, therefore,could not be perused with pleasure by the general reader. The translationhad been executed thirty years ago by a young German friend of the greatPundit. I had to touch up every sentence. This I did without at allimpairing faithfulness to the original. My first 'copy' was set up intype and a dozen sheets were struck off. These were submitted to thejudgment of a number of eminent writers, European and native. All ofthem, I was glad to see, approved of the specimen, and then the task oftranslating the Mahabharata into English seriously began.
Before, however, the first fasciculus could be issued, the question as towhether the authorship of the translation should be publicly owned,arose. Babu Pratapa Chandra Roy was against anonymity. I was for it. Thereasons I adduced were chiefly founded upon the impossibility of oneperson translating the whole of the gigantic work. Notwithstanding myresolve to discharge to the fullest extent the duty that I took up, Imight not live to carry it out. It would take many years before the endcould be reached. Other circumstances than death might arise inconsequence of which my connection with the work might cease. It couldnot be desirable to issue successive fasciculus with the names of asuccession of translators appearing on the title pages. These and otherconsiderations convinced my friend that, after all, my view was correct.It was, accordingly, resolved to withhold the name of the translator. Asa compromise, however, between the two views, it was resolved to issuethe first fasciculus with two prefaces, one over the signature of thepublisher and the other headed--'Translator's Preface.' This, it wassupposed, would effectually guard against misconceptions of every kind.No careful reader would then confound the publisher with the author.
Although this plan was adopted, yet before a fourth of the task had beenaccomplished, an influential Indian journal came down upon poor PratapaChandra Roy and accused him openly of being a party to a great literaryimposture, viz., of posing before the world as the translator of Vyasa'swork when, in fact, he was only the publisher. The charge came upon myfriend as a surprise, especially as he had never made a secret of theauthorship in his correspondence with Oriental scholars in every part ofthe world. He promptly wrote to the journal in question, explaining thereasons there were for anonymity, and pointing to the two prefaces withwhich the first fasciculus had been given to the world. The editorreadily admitted his mistake and made a satisfactory apology.
Now that the translation has been completed, there can no longer be anyreason for withholding the name of the translator. The entire translationis practically the work of one hand. In portions of the Adi and the SabhaParvas, I was assisted by Babu Charu Charan Mookerjee. About four formsof the Sabha Parva were done by Professor Krishna Kamal Bhattacharya, andabout half a fasciculus during my illness, was done by another hand. Ishould however state that before passing to the printer the copy receivedfrom these gentlemen I carefully compared every sentence with theoriginal, making such alterations as were needed for securing auniformity of style with the rest of the work.
I should here observe that in rendering the Mahabharata into English Ihave derived very little aid from the three Bengali versions that aresupposed to have been executed with care. Every one of these is full ofinaccuracies and blunders of every description. The Santi in particularwhich is by far the most difficult of the eighteen Parvas, has been madea mess of by the Pundits that attacked it. Hundreds of ridiculousblunders can be pointed out in both the Rajadharma and the Mokshadharmasections. Some of these I have pointed out in footnotes.
I cannot lay claim to infallibility. There are verses in the Mahabharatathat are exceedingly difficult to construe. I have derived much aid fromthe great commentator Nilakantha. I know that Nilakantha's authority isnot incapable of being challenged. But when it is remembered that theinterpretations given by Nilakantha came down to him from preceptors ofolden days, one should think twice before rejecting Nilakantha as a guide.
About the readings I have adopted, I should say that as regards the firsthalf of the work, I have generally adhered to the Bengal texts; asregards the latter half, to the printed Bombay edition. Sometimesindividual sections, as occurring in the Bengal editions, differ widely,in respect of the order of the verses, from the corresponding ones in theBombay edition. In such cases I have adhered to the Bengal texts,convinced that the sequence of ideas has been better preserved in theBengal editions than the Bombay one.
I should express my particular obligations to Pundit Ram Nath Tarkaratna,the author of 'Vasudeva Vijayam' and other poems, Pundit Shyama CharanKaviratna, the learned editor of Kavyaprakasha with the commentary ofProfessor Mahesh Chandra Nayaratna, and Babu Aghore Nath Banerjee, themanager of the Bharata Karyalaya. All these scholars were my referees onall points of difficulty. Pundit Ram Nath's solid scholarship is known tothem that have come in contact with him. I never referred to him adifficulty that he could not clear up. Unfortunately, he was not alwaysat hand to consult. Pundit Shyama Charan Kaviratna, during my residenceat Seebpore, assisted me in going over the Mokshadharma sections of theSanti Parva. Unostentatious in the extreme, Kaviratna is truly the typeof a learned Brahman of ancient India. Babu Aghore Nath Banerjee also hasfrom time to time, rendered me valuable assistance in clearing mydifficulties.
Gigantic as the work is, it would have been exceedingly difficult for meto go on with it if I had not been encouraged by Sir Stuart Bayley, SirAuckland Colvin, Sir Alfred Croft, and among Oriental scholars, by thelate lamented Dr. Reinhold Rost, and Mons. A. Barth of Paris. All theseeminent men know from the beginning that the translation was proceedingfrom my pen. Notwithstanding the enthusiasm, with which my poor friend,Pratapa Chandra Roy, always endeavoured to fill me. I am sure my energieswould have flagged and patience exhausted but for the encouraging wordswhich I always received from these patrons and friends of the enterprise.
Lastly, I should name my literary chief and friend, Dr. Sambhu C.Mookherjee. The kind interest he took in my labours, the repeatedexhortations he addressed to me inculcating patience, the care with whichhe read every fasciculus as it came out, marking all those passages whichthrew light upon topics of antiquarian interest, and the words of praisehe uttered when any expression particularly happy met his eyes, served tostimulate me more than anything else in going on with a task thatsometimes seemed to me endless.
Kisari Mohan Ganguli
Calcutta

THE MAHABHARATA
ADI PARVA
SECTION I
Om! Having bowed down to Narayana and Nara, the most exalted male being,and also to the goddess Saraswati, must the word Jaya be uttered.
Ugrasrava, the son of Lomaharshana, surnamed Sauti, well-versed in thePuranas, bending with humility, one day approached the great sages ofrigid vows, sitting at their ease, who had attended the twelve years'sacrifice of Saunaka, surnamed Kulapati, in the forest of Naimisha. Thoseascetics, wishing to hear his wonderful narrations, presently began toaddress him who had thus arrived at that recluse abode of the inhabitantsof the forest of Naimisha. Having been entertained with due respect bythose holy men, he saluted those Munis (sages) with joined palms, evenall of them, and inquired about the progress of their asceticism. Thenall the ascetics being again seated, the son of Lomaharshana humblyoccupied the seat that was assigned to him. Seeing that he wascomfortably seated, and recovered from fatigue, one of the Rishisbeginning the conversation, asked him, 'Whence comest thou, O lotus-eyedSauti, and where hast thou spent the time? Tell me, who ask thee, indetail.'
Accomplished in speech, Sauti, thus questioned, gave in the midst of thatbig assemblage of contemplative Munis a full and proper answer in wordsconsonant with their mode of life.
"Sauti said, 'Having heard the diverse sacred and wonderful stories whichwere composed in his Mahabharata by Krishna-Dwaipayana, and which wererecited in full by Vaisampayana at the Snake-sacrifice of the high-souledroyal sage Janamejaya and in the presence also of that chief of Princes,the son of Parikshit, and having wandered about, visiting many sacredwaters and holy shrines, I journeyed to the country venerated by theDwijas (twice-born) and called Samantapanchaka where formerly was foughtthe battle between the children of Kuru and Pandu, and all the chiefs ofthe land ranged on either side. Thence, anxious to see you, I am comeinto your presence. Ye reverend sages, all of whom are to me as Brahma;ye greatly blessed who shine in this place of sacrifice with thesplendour of the solar fire: ye who have concluded the silent meditationsand have fed the holy fire; and yet who are sitting--without care, what,O ye Dwijas (twice-born), shall I repeat, shall I recount the sacredstories collected in the Puranas containing precepts of religious dutyand of worldly profit, or the acts of illustrious saints and sovereignsof mankind?"
"The Rishi replied, 'The Purana, first promulgated by the great RishiDwaipayana, and which after having been heard both by the gods and theBrahmarshis was highly esteemed, being the most eminent narrative thatexists, diversified both in diction and division, possessing subtilemeanings logically combined, and gleaned from the Vedas, is a sacredwork. Composed in elegant language, it includeth the subjects of otherbooks. It is elucidated by other Shastras, and comprehendeth the sense ofthe four Vedas. We are desirous of hearing that history also calledBharata, the holy composition of the wonderful Vyasa, which dispelleththe fear of evil, just as it was cheerfully recited by the RishiVaisampayana, under the direction of Dwaipayana himself, at thesnake-sacrifice of Raja Janamejaya?'
"Sauti then said, 'Having bowed down to the primordial being Isana, towhom multitudes make offerings, and who is adored by the multitude; whois the true incorruptible one, Brahma, perceptible, imperceptible,eternal; who is both a non-existing and an existing-non-existing being;who is the universe and also distinct from the existing and non-existinguniverse; who is the creator of high and low; the ancient, exalted,inexhaustible one; who is Vishnu, beneficent and the beneficence itself,worthy of all preference, pure and immaculate; who is Hari, the ruler ofthe faculties, the guide of all things moveable and immoveable; I willdeclare the sacred thoughts of the illustrious sage Vyasa, of marvellousdeeds and worshipped here by all. Some bards have already published thishistory, some are now teaching it, and others, in like manner, willhereafter promulgate it upon the earth. It is a great source ofknowledge, established throughout the three regions of the world. It ispossessed by the twice-born both in detailed and compendious forms. It isthe delight of the learned for being embellished with elegantexpressions, conversations human and divine, and a variety of poeticalmeasures.
In this world, when it was destitute of brightness and light, andenveloped all around in total darkness, there came into being, as theprimal cause of creation, a mighty egg, the one inexhaustible seed of allcreated beings. It is called Mahadivya, and was formed at the beginningof the Yuga, in which we are told, was the true light Brahma, the eternalone, the wonderful and inconceivable being present alike in all places;the invisible and subtile cause, whose nature partaketh of entity andnon-entity. From this egg came out the lord Pitamaha Brahma, the one onlyPrajapati; with Suraguru and Sthanu. Then appeared the twenty-onePrajapatis, viz., Manu, Vasishtha and Parameshthi; ten Prachetas, Daksha,and the seven sons of Daksha. Then appeared the man of inconceivablenature whom all the Rishis know and so the Viswe-devas, the Adityas, theVasus, and the twin Aswins; the Yakshas, the Sadhyas, the Pisachas, theGuhyakas, and the Pitris. After these were produced the wise and mostholy Brahmarshis, and the numerous Rajarshis distinguished by every noblequality. So the water, the heavens, the earth, the air, the sky, thepoints of the heavens, the years, the seasons, the months, thefortnights, called Pakshas, with day and night in due succession. Andthus were produced all things which are known to mankind.
And what is seen in the universe, whether animate or inanimate, ofcreated things, will at the end of the world, and after the expiration ofthe Yuga, be again confounded. And, at the commencement of other Yugas,all things will be renovated, and, like the various fruits of the earth,succeed each other in the due order of their seasons. Thus continuethperpetually to revolve in the world, without beginning and without end,this wheel which causeth the destruction of all things.
The generation of Devas, in brief, was thirty-three thousand,thirty-three hundred and thirty-three. The sons of Div were Brihadbhanu,Chakshus, Atma Vibhavasu, Savita, Richika, Arka, Bhanu, Asavaha, andRavi. Of these Vivaswans of old, Mahya was the youngest whose son wasDeva-vrata. The latter had for his son, Su-vrata who, we learn, had threesons,--Dasa-jyoti, Sata-jyoti, and Sahasra-jyoti, each of them producingnumerous offspring. The illustrious Dasa-jyoti had ten thousand,Sata-jyoti ten times that number, and Sahasra-jyoti ten times the numberof Sata-jyoti's offspring. From these are descended the family of theKurus, of the Yadus, and of Bharata; the family of Yayati and ofIkshwaku; also of all the Rajarshis. Numerous also were the generationsproduced, and very abundant were the creatures and their places of abode.The mystery which is threefold--the Vedas, Yoga, and Vijnana Dharma,Artha, and Kama--also various books upon the subject of Dharma, Artha,and Kama; also rules for the conduct of mankind; also histories anddiscourses with various srutis; all of which having been seen by theRishi Vyasa are here in due order mentioned as a specimen of the book.
The Rishi Vyasa published this mass of knowledge in both a detailed andan abridged form. It is the wish of the learned in the world to possessthe details and the abridgement. Some read the Bharata beginning with theinitial mantra (invocation), others with the story of Astika, others withUparichara, while some Brahmanas study the whole. Men of learning displaytheir various knowledge of the institutes in commenting on thecomposition. Some are skilful in explaining it, while others, inremembering its contents.
The son of Satyavati having, by penance and meditation, analysed theeternal Veda, afterwards composed this holy history, when that learnedBrahmarshi of strict vows, the noble Dwaipayana Vyasa, offspring ofParasara, had finished this greatest of narrations, he began to considerhow he might teach it to his disciples. And the possessor of the sixattributes, Brahma, the world's preceptor, knowing of the anxiety of theRishi Dwaipayana, came in person to the place where the latter was, forgratifying the saint, and benefiting the people. And when Vyasa,surrounded by all the tribes of Munis, saw him, he was surprised; and,standing with joined palms, he bowed and ordered a seat to be brought.And Vyasa having gone round him who is called Hiranyagarbha seated onthat distinguished seat stood near it; and being commanded by BrahmaParameshthi, he sat down near the seat, full of affection and smiling injoy. Then the greatly glorious Vyasa, addressing Brahma Parameshthi,said, "O divine Brahma, by me a poem hath been composed which is greatlyrespected. The mystery of the Veda, and what other subjects have beenexplained by me; the various rituals of the Upanishads with the Angas;the compilation of the Puranas and history formed by me and named afterthe three divisions of time, past, present, and future; the determinationof the nature of decay, fear, disease, existence, and non-existence, adescription of creeds and of the various modes of life; rule for the fourcastes, and the import of all the Puranas; an account of asceticism andof the duties of a religious student; the dimensions of the sun and moon,the planets, constellations, and stars, together with the duration of thefour ages; the Rik, Sama and Yajur Vedas; also the Adhyatma; the sciencescalled Nyaya, Orthoephy and Treatment of diseases; charity andPasupatadharma; birth celestial and human, for particular purposes; alsoa description of places of pilgrimage and other holy places of rivers,mountains, forests, the ocean, of heavenly cities and the kalpas; the artof war; the different kinds of nations and languages: the nature of themanners of the people; and the all-pervading spirit;--all these have beenrepresented. But, after all, no writer of this work is to be found onearth.'
"Brahma said. 'I esteem thee for thy knowledge of divine mysteries,before the whole body of celebrated Munis distinguished for the sanctityof their lives. I know thou hast revealed the divine word, even from itsfirst utterance, in the language of truth. Thou hast called thy presentwork a poem, wherefore it shall be a poem. There shall be no poets whoseworks may equal the descriptions of this poem, even, as the three othermodes called Asrama are ever unequal in merit to the domestic Asrama. LetGanesa be thought of, O Muni, for the purpose of writing the poem.'
"Sauti said, 'Brahma having thus spoken to Vyasa, retired to his ownabode. Then Vyasa began to call to mind Ganesa. And Ganesa, obviator ofobstacles, ready to fulfil the desires of his votaries, was no soonerthought of, than he repaired to the place where Vyasa was seated. Andwhen he had been saluted, and was seated, Vyasa addressed him thus, 'Oguide of the Ganas! be thou the writer of the Bharata which I have formedin my imagination, and which I am about to repeat."
"Ganesa, upon hearing this address, thus answered, 'I will become thewriter of thy work, provided my pen do not for a moment cease writing."And Vyasa said unto that divinity, 'Wherever there be anything thou dostnot comprehend, cease to continue writing.' Ganesa having signified hisassent, by repeating the word Om! proceeded to write; and Vyasa began;and by way of diversion, he knit the knots of composition exceedingclose; by doing which, he dictated this work according to his engagement.
I am (continued Sauti) acquainted with eight thousand and eight hundredverses, and so is Suka, and perhaps Sanjaya. From the mysteriousness oftheir meaning, O Muni, no one is able, to this day, to penetrate thoseclosely knit difficult slokas. Even the omniscient Ganesa took a momentto consider; while Vyasa, however, continued to compose other verses ingreat abundance.
The wisdom of this work, like unto an instrument of applying collyrium,hath opened the eyes of the inquisitive world blinded by the darkness ofignorance. As the sun dispelleth the darkness, so doth the Bharata by itsdiscourses on religion, profit, pleasure and final release, dispel theignorance of men. As the full-moon by its mild light expandeth the budsof the water-lily, so this Purana, by exposing the light of the Srutihath expanded the human intellect. By the lamp of history, whichdestroyeth the darkness of ignorance, the whole mansion of nature isproperly and completely illuminated.
This work is a tree, of which the chapter of contents is the seed; thedivisions called Pauloma and Astika are the root; the part calledSambhava is the trunk; the books called Sabha and Aranya are the roostingperches; the books called Arani is the knitting knots; the books calledVirata and Udyoga the pith; the book named Bhishma, the main branch; thebook called Drona, the leaves; the book called Karna, the fair flowers;the book named Salya, their sweet smell; the books entitled Stri andAishika, the refreshing shade; the book called Santi, the mighty fruit;the book called Aswamedha, the immortal sap; the denominatedAsramavasika, the spot where it groweth; and the book called Mausala, isan epitome of the Vedas and held in great respect by the virtuousBrahmanas. The tree of the Bharata, inexhaustible to mankind as theclouds, shall be as a source of livelihood to all distinguished poets."
"Sauti continued, 'I will now speak of the undying flowery and fruitfulproductions of this tree, possessed of pure and pleasant taste, and notto be destroyed even by the immortals. Formerly, the spirited andvirtuous Krishna-Dwaipayana, by the injunctions of Bhishma, the wise sonof Ganga and of his own mother, became the father of three boys who werelike the three fires by the two wives of Vichitra-virya; and having thusraised up Dhritarashtra, Pandu and Vidura, he returned to his recluseabode to prosecute his religious exercise.
It was not till after these were born, grown up, and departed on thesupreme journey, that the great Rishi Vyasa published the Bharata in thisregion of mankind; when being solicited by Janamejaya and thousands ofBrahmanas, he instructed his disciple Vaisampayana, who was seated nearhim; and he, sitting together with the Sadasyas, recited the Bharata,during the intervals of the ceremonies of the sacrifice, being repeatedlyurged to proceed.
Vyasa hath fully represented the greatness of the house of Kuru, thevirtuous principles of Gandhari, the wisdom of Vidura, and the constancyof Kunti. The noble Rishi hath also described the divinity of Vasudeva,the rectitude of the sons of Pandu, and the evil practices of the sonsand partisans of Dhritarashtra.
Vyasa executed the compilation of the Bharata, exclusive of the episodesoriginally in twenty-four thousand verses; and so much only is called bythe learned as the Bharata. Afterwards, he composed an epitome in onehundred and fifty verses, consisting of the introduction with the chapterof contents. This he first taught to his son Suka; and afterwards he gaveit to others of his disciples who were possessed of the samequalifications. After that he executed another compilation, consisting ofsix hundred thousand verses. Of those, thirty hundred thousand are knownin the world of the Devas; fifteen hundred thousand in the world of thePitris: fourteen hundred thousand among the Gandharvas, and one hundredthousand in the regions of mankind. Narada recited them to the Devas,Devala to the Pitris, and Suka published them to the Gandharvas, Yakshas,and Rakshasas: and in this world they were recited by Vaisampayana, oneof the disciples of Vyasa, a man of just principles and the first amongall those acquainted with the Vedas. Know that I, Sauti, have alsorepeated one hundred thousand verses.
Yudhishthira is a vast tree, formed of religion and virtue; Arjuna is itstrunk; Bhimasena, its branches; the two sons of Madri are its full-grownfruit and flowers; and its roots are Krishna, Brahma, and the Brahmanas.
Pandu, after having subdued many countries by his wisdom and prowess,took up his abode with the Munis in a certain forest as a sportsman,where he brought upon himself a very severe misfortune for having killeda stag coupling with its mate, which served as a warning for the conductof the princes of his house as long as they lived. Their mothers, inorder that the ordinances of the law might be fulfilled, admitted assubstitutes to their embraces the gods Dharma, Vayu, Sakra, and thedivinities the twin Aswins. And when their offspring grew up, under thecare of their two mothers, in the society of ascetics, in the midst ofsacred groves and holy recluse-abodes of religious men, they wereconducted by Rishis into the presence of Dhritarashtra and his sons,following as students in the habit of Brahmacharis, having their hairtied in knots on their heads. 'These our pupils', said they, 'are as yoursons, your brothers, and your friends; they are Pandavas.' Saying this,the Munis disappeared.
When the Kauravas saw them introduced as the sons of Pandu, thedistinguished class of citizens shouted exceedingly for joy. Some,however, said, they were not the sons of Pandu; others said, they were;while a few asked how they could be his offspring, seeing he had been solong dead. Still on all sides voices were heard crying, 'They are on allaccounts welcome! Through divine Providence we behold the family ofPandu! Let their welcome be proclaimed!' As these acclamations ceased,the plaudits of invisible spirits, causing every point of the heavens toresound, were tremendous. There were showers of sweet-scented flowers,and the sound of shells and kettle-drums. Such were the wonders thathappened on the arrival of the young princes. The joyful noise of all thecitizens, in expression of their satisfaction on the occasion, was sogreat that it reached the very heavens in magnifying plaudits.
Having studied the whole of the Vedas and sundry other shastras, thePandavas resided there, respected by all and without apprehension fromany one.
The principal men were pleased with the purity of Yudhishthira, thecourage of Arjuna, the submissive attention of Kunti to her superiors,and the humility of the twins, Nakula and Sahadeva; and all the peoplerejoiced in their heroic virtues.
After a while, Arjuna obtained the virgin Krishna at the swayamvara, inthe midst of a concourse of Rajas, by performing a very difficult feat ofarchery. And from this time he became very much respected in this worldamong all bowmen; and in fields of battle also, like the sun, he was hardto behold by foe-men. And having vanquished all the neighbouring princesand every considerable tribe, he accomplished all that was necessary forthe Raja (his eldest brother) to perform the great sacrifice calledRajasuya.
Yudhishthira, after having, through the wise counsels of Vasudeva and bythe valour of Bhimasena and Arjuna, slain Jarasandha (the king ofMagadha) and the proud Chaidya, acquired the right to perform the grandsacrifice of Rajasuya abounding in provisions and offering and fraughtwith transcendent merits. And Duryodhana came to this sacrifice; and whenhe beheld the vast wealth of the Pandavas scattered all around, theofferings, the precious stones, gold and jewels; the wealth in cows,elephants, and horses; the curious textures, garments, and mantles; theprecious shawls and furs and carpets made of the skin of the Ranku; hewas filled with envy and became exceedingly displeased. And when hebeheld the hall of assembly elegantly constructed by Maya (the Asuraarchitect) after the fashion of a celestial court, he was inflamed withrage. And having started in confusion at certain architectural deceptionswithin this building, he was derided by Bhimasena in the presence ofVasudeva, like one of mean descent.
And it was represented to Dhritarashtra that his son, while partaking ofvarious objects of enjoyment and diverse precious things, was becomingmeagre, wan, and pale. And Dhritarashtra, some time after, out ofaffection for his son, gave his consent to their playing (with thePandavas) at dice. And Vasudeva coming to know of this, becameexceedingly wroth. And being dissatisfied, he did nothing to prevent thedisputes, but overlooked the gaming and sundry other horriedunjustifiable transactions arising therefrom: and in spite of Vidura,Bhishma, Drona, and Kripa, the son of Saradwan, he made the Kshatriyaskill each other in the terrific war that ensued.'
"And Dhritarashtra hearing the ill news of the success of the Pandavasand recollecting the resolutions of Duryodhana, Kama, and Sakuni,pondered for a while and addressed to Sanjaya the following speech:--
'Attend, O Sanjaya, to all I am about to say, and it will not become theeto treat me with contempt. Thou art well-versed in the shastras,intelligent and endowed with wisdom. My inclination was never to war, notdid I delight in the destruction of my race. I made no distinctionbetween my own children and the children of Pandu. My own sons were proneto wilfulness and despised me because I am old. Blind as I am, because ofmy miserable plight and through paternal affection, I bore it all. I wasfoolish alter the thoughtless Duryodhana ever growing in folly. Havingbeen a spectator of the riches of the mighty sons of Pandu, my son wasderided for his awkwardness while ascending the hall. Unable to bear itall and unable himself to overcome the sons of Pandu in the field, andthough a soldier, unwilling yet to obtain good fortune by his ownexertion, with the help of the king of Gandhara he concerted an unfairgame at dice.
'Hear, O Sanjaya, all that happened thereupon and came to my knowledge.And when thou hast heard all I say, recollecting everything as it fellout, thou shall then know me for one with a prophetic eye. When I heardthat Arjuna, having bent the bow, had pierced the curious mark andbrought it down to the ground, and bore away in triumph the maidenKrishna, in the sight of the assembled princes, then, O Sanjaya I had nohope of success. When I heard that Subhadra of the race of Madhu had,after forcible seizure been married by Arjuna in the city of Dwaraka, andthat the two heroes of the race of Vrishni (Krishna and Balarama thebrothers of Subhadra) without resenting it had entered Indraprastha asfriends, then, O Sanjaya, I had no hope of success. When I heard thatArjuna, by his celestial arrow preventing the downpour by Indra the kingof the gods, had gratified Agni by making over to him the forest ofKhandava, then, O Sanjaya, I had no hope of success. When I heard thatthe five Pandavas with their mother Kunti had escaped from the house oflac, and that Vidura was engaged in the accomplishment of their designs,then, O Sanjaya, I had no hope of success. When I heard that Arjuna,after having pierced the mark in the arena had won Draupadi, and that thebrave Panchalas had joined the Pandavas, then, O Sanjaya, I had no hopeof success. When I heard that Jarasandha, the foremost of the royal lineof Magadha, and blazing in the midst of the Kshatriyas, had been slain byBhima with his bare arms alone, then, O Sanjaya, I had no hope ofsuccess. When I heard that in their general campaign the sons of Panduhad conquered the chiefs of the land and performed the grand sacrifice ofthe Rajasuya, then, O Sanjaya, I had no hope of success. When I heardthat Draupadi, her voice choked with tears and heart full of agony, inthe season of impurity and with but one raiment on, had been dragged intocourt and though she had protectors, she had been treated as if she hadnone, then, O Sanjaya, I had no hope of success. When I heard that thewicked wretch Duhsasana, was striving to strip her of that singlegarment, had only drawn from her person a large heap of cloth withoutbeing able to arrive at its end, then, O Sanjaya, I had no hope ofsuccess. When I heard that Yudhishthira, beaten by Saubala at the game ofdice and deprived of his kingdom as a consequence thereof, had still beenattended upon by his brothers of incomparable prowess, then, O Sanjaya, Ihad no hope of success. When I heard that the virtuous Pandavas weepingwith affliction had followed their elder brother to the wilderness andexerted themselves variously for the mitigation of his discomforts, then,O Sanjaya, I had no hope of success.
'When I heard that Yudhishthira had been followed into the wilderness bySnatakas and noble-minded Brahmanas who live upon alms, then, O Sanjaya,I had no hope of success. When I heard that Arjuna, having, in combat,pleased the god of gods, Tryambaka (the three-eyed) in the disguise of ahunter, obtained the great weapon Pasupata, then O Sanjaya, I had no hopeof success. When I heard that the just and renowned Arjuna after havingbeen to the celestial regions, had there obtained celestial weapons fromIndra himself then, O Sanjaya, I had no hope of success. When I heardthat afterwards Arjuna had vanquished the Kalakeyas and the Paulomasproud with the boon they had obtained and which had rendered theminvulnerable even to the celestials, then, O Sanjaya, I had no hope ofsuccess. When I heard that Arjuna, the chastiser of enemies, having goneto the regions of Indra for the destruction of the Asuras, had returnedthence successful, then, O Sanjaya, I had no hope of success. When Iheard that Bhima and the other sons of Pritha (Kunti) accompanied byVaisravana had arrived at that country which is inaccessible to man then,O Sanjaya, I had no hope of success. When I heard that my sons, guided bythe counsels of Karna, while on their journey of Ghoshayatra, had beentaken prisoners by the Gandharvas and were set free by Arjuna, then, OSanjaya, I had no hope of success. When I heard that Dharma (the god ofjustice) having come under the form of a Yaksha had proposed certainquestions to Yudhishthira then, O Sanjaya, I had no hope of success. WhenI heard that my sons had failed to discover the Pandavas under theirdisguise while residing with Draupadi in the dominions of Virata, then, OSanjaya, I had no hope of success. When I heard that the principal men ofmy side had all been vanquished by the noble Arjuna with a single chariotwhile residing in the dominions of Virata, then, O Sanjaya, I had no hopeof success. When I heard that Vasudeva of the race of Madhu, who coveredthis whole earth by one foot, was heartily interested in the welfare ofthe Pandavas, then, O Sanjaya, I had no hope of success. When I heardthat the king of Matsya, had offered his virtuous daughter Uttara toArjuna and that Arjuna had accepted her for his son, then, O Sanjaya, Ihad no hope of success. When I heard that Yudhishthira, beaten at dice,deprived of wealth, exiled and separated from his connections, hadassembled yet an army of seven Akshauhinis, then, O Sanjaya, I had nohope of success. When I heard Narada, declare that Krishna and Arjunawere Nara and Narayana and he (Narada) had seen them together in theregions of Brahma, then, O Sanjaya, I had no hope of success. When Iheard that Krishna, anxious to bring about peace, for the welfare ofmankind had repaired to the Kurus, and went away without having been ableto effect his purpose, then, O Sanjaya, I had no hope of success. When Iheard that Kama and Duryodhana resolved upon imprisoning Krishnadisplayed in himself the whole universe, then, O Sanjaya, I had no hopeof success. Then I heard that at the time of his departure, Pritha(Kunti) standing, full of sorrow, near his chariot received consolationfrom Krishna, then, O Sanjaya, I had no hope of success. When I heardthat Vasudeva and Bhishma the son of Santanu were the counsellors of thePandavas and Drona the son of Bharadwaja pronounced blessings on them,then, O Sanjaya, I had no hope of success. When Kama said unto Bhishma--Iwill not fight when thou art fighting--and, quitting the army, went away,then, O Sanjaya, I had no hope of success. When I heard that Vasudeva andArjuna and the bow Gandiva of immeasurable prowess, these three ofdreadful energy had come together, then, O Sanjaya, I had no hope ofsuccess. When I heard that upon Arjuna having been seized withcompunction on his chariot and ready to sink, Krishna showed him all theworlds within his body, then, O Sanjaya, I had no hope of success. When Iheard that Bhishma, the desolator of foes, killing ten thousandcharioteers every day in the field of battle, had not slain any amongstthe Pandavas then, O Sanjaya, I had no hope of success. When I heard thatBhishma, the righteous son of Ganga, had himself indicated the means ofhis defeat in the field of battle and that the same were accomplished bythe Pandavas with joyfulness, then, O Sanjaya, I had no hope of success.When I heard that Arjuna, having placed Sikhandin before himself in hischariot, had wounded Bhishma of infinite courage and invincible inbattle, then, O Sanjaya, I had no hope of success. When I heard that theaged hero Bhishma, having reduced the numbers of the race of shomaka to afew, overcome with various wounds was lying on a bed of arrows, then, OSanjaya, I had no hope of success. When I heard that upon Bhishma's lyingon the ground with thirst for water, Arjuna, being requested, had piercedthe ground and allayed his thirst, then, O Sanjaya, I had no hope ofsuccess. When Bayu together with Indra and Suryya united as allies forthe success of the sons of Kunti, and the beasts of prey (by theirinauspicious presence) were putting us in fear, then, O Sanjaya, I had nohope of success. When the wonderful warrior Drona, displaying variousmodes of fight in the field, did not slay any of the superior Pandavas,then, O Sanjaya, I had no hope of success. When I heard that theMaharatha Sansaptakas of our army appointed for the overthrow of Arjunawere all slain by Arjuna himself, then, O Sanjaya, I had no hope ofsuccess. When I heard that our disposition of forces, impenetrable byothers, and defended by Bharadwaja himself well-armed, had been singlyforced and entered by the brave son of Subhadra, then, O Sanjaya, I hadno hope of success. When I heard that our Maharathas, unable to overcomeArjuna, with jubilant faces after having jointly surrounded and slain theboy Abhimanyu, then, O Sanjaya, I had no hope of success. When I heardthat the blind Kauravas were shouting for joy after having slainAbhimanyu and that thereupon Arjuna in anger made his celebrated speechreferring to Saindhava, then, O Sanjaya, I had no hope of success. When Iheard that Arjuna had vowed the death of Saindhava and fulfilled his vowin the presence of his enemies, then, O Sanjaya, I had no hope ofsuccess. When I heard that upon the horses of Arjuna being fatigued,Vasudeva releasing them made them drink water and bringing them back andreharnessing them continued to guide them as before, then, O Sanjaya, Ihad no hope of success. When I heard that while his horses were fatigued,Arjuna staying in his chariot checked all his assailants, then, OSanjaya, I had no hope of success. When I heard that Yuyudhana of therace of Vrishni, after having thrown into confusion the army of Dronarendered unbearable in prowess owing to the presence of elephants,retired to where Krishna and Arjuna were, then, O Sanjaya, I had no hopeof success. When I heard that Karna even though he had got Bhima withinhis power allowed him to escape after only addressing him in contemptuousterms and dragging him with the end of his bow, then, O Sanjaya, I had nohope of success. When I heard that Drona, Kritavarma, Kripa, Karna, theson of Drona, and the valiant king of Madra (Salya) suffered Saindhava tobe slain, then, O Sanjaya, I had no hope of success. When I heard thatthe celestial Sakti given by Indra (to Karna) was by Madhava'smachinations caused to be hurled upon Rakshasa Ghatotkacha of frightfulcountenance, then, O Sanjaya, I had no hope of success. When I heard thatin the encounter between Karna and Ghatotkacha, that Sakti was hurledagainst Ghatotkacha by Karna, the same which was certainly to have slainArjuna in battle, then, O Sanjaya. I had no hope of success. When I heardthat Dhristadyumna, transgressing the laws of battle, slew Drona whilealone in his chariot and resolved on death, then, O Sanjaya, I had nohope of success. When I heard that Nakula. the son of Madri, having inthe presence of the whole army engaged in single combat with the son ofDrona and showing himself equal to him drove his chariot in circlesaround, then, O Sanjaya, I had no hope of success. When upon the death ofDrona, his son misused the weapon called Narayana but failed to achievethe destruction of the Pandavas, then, O Sanjaya, I had no hope ofsuccess. When I heard that Bhimasena drank the blood of his brotherDuhsasana in the field of battle without anybody being able to preventhim, then, O Sanjaya, I had no hope of success. When I heard that theinfinitely brave Karna, invincible in battle, was slain by Arjuna in thatwar of brothers mysterious even to the gods, then, O Sanjaya, I had nohope of success. When I heard that Yudhishthira, the Just, overcame theheroic son of Drona, Duhsasana, and the fierce Kritavarman, then, OSanjaya, I had no hope of success. When I heard that the brave king ofMadra who ever dared Krishna in battle was slain by Yudhishthira, then, OSanjaya, I had no hope of success. When I heard that the wicked Suvala ofmagic power, the root of the gaming and the feud, was slain in battle bySahadeva, the son of Pandu, then, O Sanjaya, I had no hope of success.When I heard that Duryodhana, spent with fatigue, having gone to a lakeand made a refuge for himself within its waters, was lying there alone,his strength gone and without a chariot, then, O Sanjaya, I had no hopeof success. When I heard that the Pandavas having gone to that lakeaccompanied by Vasudeva and standing on its beach began to addresscontemptuously my son who was incapable of putting up with affronts,then, O Sanjaya, I had no hope of success. When I heard that while,displaying in circles a variety of curious modes (of attack and defence)in an encounter with clubs, he was unfairly slain according to thecounsels of Krishna, then, O Sanjaya, I had no hope of success. When Iheard the son of Drona and others by slaying the Panchalas and the sonsof Draupadi in their sleep, perpetrated a horrible and infamous deed,then, O Sanjaya, I had no hope of success. When I heard that Aswatthamanwhile being pursued by Bhimasena had discharged the first of weaponscalled Aishika, by which the embryo in the womb (of Uttara) was wounded,then, O Sanjaya, I had no hope of success. When I heard that the weaponBrahmashira (discharged by Aswatthaman) was repelled by Arjuna withanother weapon over which he had pronounced the word "Sasti" and thatAswatthaman had to give up the jewel-like excrescence on his head, then,O Sanjaya, I had no hope of success. When I heard that upon the embryo inthe womb of Virata's daughter being wounded by Aswatthaman with a mightyweapon, Dwaipayana and Krishna pronounced curses on him, then, O Sanjaya,I had no hope of success.
'Alas! Gandhari, destitute of children, grand-children, parents,brothers, and kindred, is to be pitied. Difficult is the task that hathbeen performed by the Pandavas: by them hath a kingdom been recoveredwithout a rival.
'Alas! I have heard that the war hath left only ten alive: three of ourside, and the Pandavas, seven, in that dreadful conflict eighteenAkshauhinis of Kshatriyas have been slain! All around me is utterdarkness, and a fit of swoon assaileth me: consciousness leaves me, OSuta, and my mind is distracted."
"Sauti said, 'Dhritarashtra, bewailing his fate in these words, wasovercome with extreme anguish and for a time deprived of sense; but beingrevived, he addressed Sanjaya in the following words.
"After what hath come to pass, O Sanjaya, I wish to put an end to my lifewithout delay; I do not find the least advantage in cherishing it anylonger."
"Sauti said, 'The wise son of Gavalgana (Sanjaya) then addressed thedistressed lord of Earth while thus talking and bewailing, sighing like aserpent and repeatedly tainting, in words of deep import.
"Thou hast heard, O Raja, of the greatly powerful men of vast exertions,spoken of by Vyasa and the wise Narada; men born of great royal families,resplendent with worthy qualities, versed in the science of celestialarms, and in glory emblems of Indra; men who having conquered the worldby justice and performed sacrifices with fit offerings (to theBrahmanas), obtained renown in this world and at last succumbed to thesway of time. Such were Saivya; the valiant Maharatha; Srinjaya, greatamongst conquerors. Suhotra; Rantideva, and Kakshivanta, great in glory;Valhika, Damana, Saryati, Ajita, and Nala; Viswamitra the destroyer offoes; Amvarisha, great in strength; Marutta, Manu, Ikshaku, Gaya, andBharata; Rama the son of Dasaratha; Sasavindu, and Bhagiratha;Kritavirya, the greatly fortunate, and Janamejaya too; and Yayati of gooddeeds who performed sacrifices, being assisted therein by the celestialsthemselves, and by whose sacrificial altars and stakes this earth withher habited and uninhabited regions hath been marked all over. Thesetwenty-four Rajas were formerly spoken of by the celestial Rishi Naradaunto Saivya when much afflicted for the loss of his children. Besidesthese, other Rajas had gone before, still more powerful than they, mightycharioteers noble in mind, and resplendent with every worthy quality.These were Puru, Kuru, Yadu, Sura and Viswasrawa of great glory; Anuha,Yuvanaswu, Kakutstha, Vikrami, and Raghu; Vijava, Virihorta, Anga, Bhava,Sweta, and Vripadguru; Usinara, Sata-ratha, Kanka, Duliduha, and Druma;Dambhodbhava, Para, Vena, Sagara, Sankriti, and Nimi; Ajeya, Parasu,Pundra, Sambhu, and holy Deva-Vridha; Devahuya, Supratika, andVrihad-ratha; Mahatsaha, Vinitatma, Sukratu, and Nala, the king of theNishadas; Satyavrata, Santabhaya, Sumitra, and the chief Subala;Janujangha, Anaranya, Arka, Priyabhritya, Chuchi-vrata, Balabandhu,Nirmardda, Ketusringa, and Brhidbala; Dhrishtaketu, Brihatketu,Driptaketu, and Niramaya; Abikshit, Chapala, Dhurta, Kritbandhu, andDridhe-shudhi; Mahapurana-sambhavya, Pratyanga, Paraha and Sruti. These,O chief, and other Rajas, we hear enumerated by hundreds and bythousands, and still others by millions, princes of great power andwisdom, quitting very abundant enjoyments met death as thy sons havedone! Their heavenly deeds, valour, and generosity, their magnanimity,faith, truth, purity, simplicity and mercy, are published to the world inthe records of former times by sacred bards of great learning. Thoughendued with every noble virtue, these have yielded up their lives. Thysons were malevolent, inflamed with passion, avaricious, and of veryevil-disposition. Thou art versed in the Sastras, O Bharata, and artintelligent and wise; they never sink under misfortunes whoseunderstandings are guided by the Sastras. Thou art acquainted, O prince,with the lenity and severity of fate; this anxiety therefore for thesafety of thy children is unbecoming. Moreover, it behoveth thee not togrieve for that which must happen: for who can avert, by his wisdom, thedecrees of fate? No one can leave the way marked out for him byProvidence. Existence and non-existence, pleasure and pain all have Timefor their root. Time createth all things and Time destroyeth allcreatures. It is Time that burneth creatures and it is Time thatextinguisheth the fire. All states, the good and the evil, in the threeworlds, are caused by Time. Time cutteth short all things and createththem anew. Time alone is awake when all things are asleep: indeed, Timeis incapable of being overcome. Time passeth over all things withoutbeing retarded. Knowing, as thou dost, that all things past and futureand all that exist at the present moment, are the offspring of Time, itbehoveth thee not to throw away thy reason.'
"Sauti said, 'The son of Gavalgana having in this manner administeredcomfort to the royal Dhritarashtra overwhelmed with grief for his sons,then restored his mind to peace. Taking these facts for his subject,Dwaipayana composed a holy Upanishad that has been published to the worldby learned and sacred bards in the Puranas composed by them.
"The study of the Bharata is an act of piety. He that readeth even onefoot, with belief, hath his sins entirely purged away. Herein Devas,Devarshis, and immaculate Brahmarshis of good deeds, have been spoken of;and likewise Yakshas and great Uragas (Nagas). Herein also hath beendescribed the eternal Vasudeva possessing the six attributes. He is thetrue and just, the pure and holy, the eternal Brahma, the supreme soul,the true constant light, whose divine deeds wise and learned recount;from whom hath proceeded the non-existent and existent-non-existentuniverse with principles of generation and progression, and birth, deathand re-birth. That also hath been treated of which is called Adhyatma(the superintending spirit of nature) that partaketh of the attributes ofthe five elements. That also hath been described who is purusha beingabove such epithets as 'undisplayed' and the like; also that which theforemost yatis exempt from the common destiny and endued with the powerof meditation and Tapas behold dwelling in their hearts as a reflectedimage in the mirror.
"The man of faith, devoted to piety, and constant in the exercise ofvirtue, on reading this section is freed from sin. The believer thatconstantly heareth recited this section of the Bharata, called theIntroduction, from the beginning, falleth not into difficulties. The manrepeating any part of the introduction in the two twilights is duringsuch act freed from the sins contracted during the day or the night. Thissection, the body of the Bharata, is truth and nectar. As butter is incurd, Brahmana among bipeds, the Aranyaka among the Vedas, and nectaramong medicines; as the sea is eminent among receptacles of water, andthe cow among quadrupeds; as are these (among the things mentioned) so isthe Bharata said to be among histories.
"He that causeth it, even a single foot thereof, to be recited toBrahmanas during a Sradha, his offerings of food and drink to the manesof his ancestors become inexhaustible.
"By the aid of history and the Puranas, the Veda may be expounded; butthe Veda is afraid of one of little information lest he should it. Thelearned man who recites to other this Veda of Vyasa reapeth advantage. Itmay without doubt destroy even the sin of killing the embryo and thelike. He that readeth this holy chapter of the moon, readeth the whole ofthe Bharata, I ween. The man who with reverence daily listeneth to thissacred work acquireth long life and renown and ascendeth to heaven.
"In former days, having placed the four Vedas on one side and the Bharataon the other, these were weighed in the balance by the celestialsassembled for that purpose. And as the latter weighed heavier than thefour Vedas with their mysteries, from that period it hath been called inthe world Mahabharata (the great Bharata). Being esteemed superior bothin substance and gravity of import it is denominated Mahabharata onaccount of such substance and gravity of import. He that knoweth itsmeaning is saved from all his sins.
'Tapa is innocent, study is harmless, the ordinance of the Vedasprescribed for all the tribes are harmless, the acquisition of wealth byexertion is harmless; but when they are abused in their practices it isthen that they become sources of evil.'"
SECTION II
"The Rishis said, 'O son of Suta, we wish to hear a full andcircumstantial account of the place mentioned by you as Samanta-panchaya.'
"Sauti said, 'Listen, O ye Brahmanas, to the sacred descriptions I utterO ye best of men, ye deserve to hear of the place known asSamanta-panchaka. In the interval between the Treta and Dwapara Yugas,Rama (the son of Jamadagni) great among all who have borne arms, urged byimpatience of wrongs, repeatedly smote the noble race of Kshatriyas. Andwhen that fiery meteor, by his own valour, annihilated the entire tribeof the Kshatriyas, he formed at Samanta-panchaka five lakes of blood. Weare told that his reason being overpowered by anger he offered oblationsof blood to the manes of his ancestors, standing in the midst of thesanguine waters of those lakes. It was then that his forefathers of whomRichika was the first having arrived there addressed him thus, 'O Rama, Oblessed Rama, O offspring of Bhrigu, we have been gratified with thereverence thou hast shown for thy ancestors and with thy valour, O mightyone! Blessings be upon thee. O thou illustrious one, ask the boon thatthou mayst desire.'
"Rama said, 'If, O fathers, ye are favourably disposed towards me, theboon I ask is that I may be absolved from the sins born of my havingannihilated the Kshatriyas in anger, and that the lakes I have formed maybecome famous in the world as holy shrines.' The Pitris then said, 'Soshall it be. But be thou pacified.' And Rama was pacified accordingly.The region that lieth near unto those lakes of gory water, from that timehath been celebrated as Samanta-panchaka the holy. The wise have declaredthat every country should be distinguished by a name significant of somecircumstance which may have rendered it famous. In the interval betweenthe Dwapara and the Kali Yugas there happened at Samanta-panchaka theencounter between the armies of the Kauravas and the Pandavas. In thatholy region, without ruggedness of any kind, were assembled eighteenAkshauhinis of soldiers eager for battle. And, O Brahmanas, having comethereto, they were all slain on the spot. Thus the name of that region, OBrahmanas, hath been explained, and the country described to you as asacred and delightful one. I have mentioned the whole of what relateth toit as the region is celebrated throughout the three worlds.'
"The Rishis said, 'We have a desire to know, O son of Suta, what isimplied by the term Akshauhini that hath been used by thee. Tell us infull what is the number of horse and foot, chariots and elephants, whichcompose an Akshauhini for thou art fully informed.'
"Sauti said, 'One chariot, one elephant, five foot-soldiers, and threehorses form one Patti; three pattis make one Sena-mukha; threesena-mukhas are called a Gulma; three gulmas, a Gana; three ganas, aVahini; three vahinis together are called a Pritana; three pritanas forma Chamu; three chamus, one Anikini; and an anikini taken ten times forms,as it is styled by those who know, an Akshauhini. O ye best of Brahmanas,arithmeticians have calculated that the number of chariots in anAkshauhini is twenty-one thousand eight hundred and seventy. The measureof elephants must be fixed at the same number. O ye pure, you must knowthat the number of foot-soldiers is one hundred and nine thousand, threehundred and fifty, the number of horse is sixty-five thousand, sixhundred and ten. These, O Brahmanas, as fully explained by me, are thenumbers of an Akshauhini as said by those acquainted with the principlesof numbers. O best of Brahmanas, according to this calculation werecomposed the eighteen Akshauhinis of the Kaurava and the Pandava army.Time, whose acts are wonderful assembled them on that spot and havingmade the Kauravas the cause, destroyed them all. Bhishma acquainted withchoice of weapons, fought for ten days. Drona protected the KauravaVahinis for five days. Kama the desolator of hostile armies fought fortwo days; and Salya for half a day. After that lasted for half a day theencounter with clubs between Duryodhana and Bhima. At the close of thatday, Aswatthaman and Kripa destroyed the army of Yudishthira in the nightwhile sleeping without suspicion of danger.
'O Saunaka, this best of narrations called Bharata which has begun to berepeated at thy sacrifice, was formerly repeated at the sacrifice ofJanamejaya by an intelligent disciple of Vyasa. It is divided intoseveral sections; in the beginning are Paushya, Pauloma, and Astikaparvas, describing in full the valour and renown of kings. It is a workwhose description, diction, and sense are varied and wonderful. Itcontains an account of various manners and rites. It is accepted by thewise, as the state called Vairagya is by men desirous of final release.As Self among things to be known, as life among things that are dear, sois this history that furnisheth the means of arriving at the knowledge ofBrahma the first among all the sastras. There is not a story current inthis world but doth depend upon this history even as the body upon thefoot that it taketh. As masters of good lineage are ever attended upon byservants desirous of preferment so is the Bharata cherished by all poets.As the words constituting the several branches of knowledge appertainingto the world and the Veda display only vowels and consonants, so thisexcellent history displayeth only the highest wisdom.
'Listen, O ye ascetics, to the outlines of the several divisions (parvas)of this history called Bharata, endued with great wisdom, of sections andfeet that are wonderful and various, of subtile meanings and logicalconnections, and embellished with the substance of the Vedas.
'The first parva is called Anukramanika; the second, Sangraha; thenPaushya; then Pauloma; the Astika; then Adivansavatarana. Then comes theSambhava of wonderful and thrilling incidents. Then comes Jatugrihadaha(setting fire to the house of lac) and then Hidimbabadha (the killing ofHidimba) parvas; then comes Baka-badha (slaughter of Baka) and thenChitraratha. The next is called Swayamvara (selection of husband byPanchali), in which Arjuna by the exercise of Kshatriya virtues, wonDraupadi for wife. Then comes Vaivahika (marriage). Then comesViduragamana (advent of Vidura), Rajyalabha (acquirement of kingdom),Arjuna-banavasa (exile of Arjuna) and Subhadra-harana (the carrying awayof Subhadra). After these come Harana-harika, Khandava-daha (the burningof the Khandava forest) and Maya-darsana (meeting with Maya the Asuraarchitect). Then come Sabha, Mantra, Jarasandha, Digvijaya (generalcampaign). After Digvijaya come Raja-suyaka, Arghyaviharana (the robbingof the Arghya) and Sisupala-badha (the killing of Sisupala). After these,Dyuta (gambling), Anudyuta (subsequent to gambling), Aranyaka, andKrimira-badha (destruction of Krimira). The Arjuna-vigamana (the travelsof Arjuna), Kairati. In the last hath been described the battle betweenArjuna and Mahadeva in the guise of a hunter. After thisIndra-lokavigamana (the journey to the regions of Indra); then that mineof religion and virtue, the highly pathetic Nalopakhyana (the story ofNala). After this last, Tirtha-yatra or the pilgrimage of the wise princeof the Kurus, the death of Jatasura, and the battle of the Yakshas. Thenthe battle with the Nivata-kavachas, Ajagara, and Markandeya-Samasya(meeting with Markandeya). Then the meeting of Draupadi and Satyabhama,Ghoshayatra, Mirga-Swapna (dream of the deer). Then the story ofBrihadaranyaka and then Aindradrumna. Then Draupadi-harana (the abductionof Draupadi), Jayadratha-bimoksana (the release of Jayadratha). Then thestory of 'Savitri' illustrating the great merit of connubial chastity.After this last, the story of 'Rama'. The parva that comes next is called'Kundala-harana' (the theft of the ear-rings). That which comes next is'Aranya' and then 'Vairata'. Then the entry of the Pandavas and thefulfilment of their promise (of living unknown for one year). Then thedestruction of the 'Kichakas', then the attempt to take the kine (ofVirata by the Kauravas). The next is called the marriage of Abhimanyuwith the daughter of Virata. The next you must know is the most wonderfulparva called Udyoga. The next must be known by the name of 'Sanjaya-yana'(the arrival of Sanjaya). Then comes 'Prajagara' (the sleeplessness ofDhritarashtra owing to his anxiety). Then Sanatsujata, in which are themysteries of spiritual philosophy. Then 'Yanasaddhi', and then thearrival of Krishna. Then the story of 'Matali' and then of 'Galava'. Thenthe stories of 'Savitri', 'Vamadeva', and 'Vainya'. Then the story of'Jamadagnya and Shodasarajika'. Then the arrival of Krishna at the court,and then Bidulaputrasasana. Then the muster of troops and the story ofSheta. Then, must you know, comes the quarrel of the high-souled Karna.Then the march to the field of the troops of both sides. The next hathbeen called numbering the Rathis and Atirathas. Then comes the arrival ofthe messenger Uluka which kindled the wrath (of the Pandavas). The nextthat comes, you must know, is the story of Amba. Then comes the thrillingstory of the installation of Bhishma as commander-in-chief. The next iscalled the creation of the insular region Jambu; then Bhumi; then theaccount about the formation of islands. Then comes the 'Bhagavat-gita';and then the death of Bhishma. Then the installation of Drona; then thedestruction of the 'Sansaptakas'. Then the death of Abhimanyu; and thenthe vow of Arjuna (to slay Jayadratha). Then the death of Jayadratha, andthen of Ghatotkacha. Then, must you know, comes the story of the death ofDrona of surprising interest. The next that comes is called the dischargeof the weapon called Narayana. Then, you know, is Karna, and then Salya.Then comes the immersion in the lake, and then the encounter (betweenBhima and Duryodhana) with clubs. Then comes Saraswata, and then thedescriptions of holy shrines, and then genealogies. Then comes Sauptikadescribing incidents disgraceful (to the honour of the Kurus). Then comesthe 'Aisika' of harrowing incidents. Then comes 'Jalapradana' oblationsof water to the manes of the deceased, and then the wailings of thewomen. The next must be known as 'Sraddha' describing the funeral ritesperformed for the slain Kauravas. Then comes the destruction of theRakshasa Charvaka who had assumed the disguise of a Brahmana (fordeceiving Yudhishthira). Then the coronation of the wise Yudhishthira.The next is called the 'Grihapravibhaga'. Then comes 'Santi', then'Rajadharmanusasana', then 'Apaddharma', then 'Mokshadharma'. Those thatfollow are called respectively 'Suka-prasna-abhigamana','Brahma-prasnanusana', the origin of 'Durvasa', the disputations withMaya. The next is to be known as 'Anusasanika'. Then the ascension ofBhishma to heaven. Then the horse-sacrifice, which when read purgeth allsins away. The next must be known as the 'Anugita' in which are words ofspiritual philosophy. Those that follow are called 'Asramvasa','Puttradarshana' (meeting with the spirits of the deceased sons), and thearrival of Narada. The next is called 'Mausala' which abounds withterrible and cruel incidents. Then comes 'Mahaprasthanika' and ascensionto heaven. Then comes the Purana which is called Khilvansa. In this lastare contained 'Vishnuparva', Vishnu's frolics and feats as a child, thedestruction of 'Kansa', and lastly, the very wonderful 'Bhavishyaparva'(in which there are prophecies regarding the future).
The high-souled Vyasa composed these hundred parvas of which the above isonly an abridgement: having distributed them into eighteen, the son ofSuta recited them consecutively in the forest of Naimisha as follows:
'In the Adi parva are contained Paushya, Pauloma, Astika, Adivansavatara,Samva, the burning of the house of lac, the slaying of Hidimba, thedestruction of the Asura Vaka, Chitraratha, the Swayamvara of Draupadi,her marriage after the overthrow of rivals in war, the arrival of Vidura,the restoration, Arjuna's exile, the abduction of Subhadra, the gift andreceipt of the marriage dower, the burning of the Khandava forest, andthe meeting with (the Asura-architect) Maya. The Paushya parva treats ofthe greatness of Utanka, and the Pauloma, of the sons of Bhrigu. TheAstika describes the birth of Garuda and of the Nagas (snakes), thechurning of the ocean, the incidents relating to the birth of thecelestial steed Uchchaihsrava, and finally, the dynasty of Bharata, asdescribed in the Snake-sacrifice of king Janamejaya. The Sambhava parvanarrates the birth of various kings and heroes, and that of the sage,Krishna Dwaipayana: the partial incarnations of deities, the generationof Danavas and Yakshas of great prowess, and serpents, Gandharvas, birds,and of all creatures; and lastly, of the life and adventures of kingBharata--the progenitor of the line that goes by his name--the son bornof Sakuntala in the hermitage of the ascetic Kanwa. This parva alsodescribes the greatness of Bhagirathi, and the births of the Vasus in thehouse of Santanu and their ascension to heaven. In this parva is alsonarrated the birth of Bhishma uniting in himself portions of the energiesof the other Vasus, his renunciation of royalty and adoption of theBrahmacharya mode of life, his adherence to his vows, his protection ofChitrangada, and after the death of Chitrangada, his protection of hisyounger brother, Vichitravirya, and his placing the latter on the throne:the birth of Dharma among men in consequence of the curse of Animondavya;the births of Dhritarashtra and Pandu through the potency of Vyasa'sblessings (?) and also the birth of the Pandavas; the plottings ofDuryodhana to send the sons of Pandu to Varanavata, and the other darkcounsels of the sons of Dhritarashtra in regard to the Pandavas; then theadvice administered to Yudhishthira on his way by that well-wisher of thePandavas--Vidura--in the mlechchha language--the digging of the hole, theburning of Purochana and the sleeping woman of the fowler caste, with herfive sons, in the house of lac; the meeting of the Pandavas in thedreadful forest with Hidimba, and the slaying of her brother Hidimba byBhima of great prowess. The birth of Ghatotkacha; the meeting of thePandavas with Vyasa and in accordance with his advice their stay indisguise in the house of a Brahmana in the city of Ekachakra; thedestruction of the Asura Vaka, and the amazement of the populace at thesight; the extra-ordinary births of Krishna and Dhrishtadyumna; thedeparture of the Pandavas for Panchala in obedience to the injunction ofVyasa, and moved equally by the desire of winning the hand of Draupadi onlearning the tidings of the Swayamvara from the lips of a Brahmana;victory of Arjuna over a Gandharva, called Angaraparna, on the banks ofthe Bhagirathi, his contraction of friendship with his adversary, and hishearing from the Gandharva the history of Tapati, Vasishtha and Aurva.This parva treats of the journey of the Pandavas towards Panchala, theacquisition of Draupadi in the midst of all the Rajas, by Arjuna, afterhaving successfully pierced the mark; and in the ensuing fight, thedefeat of Salya, Kama, and all the other crowned heads at the hands ofBhima and Arjuna of great prowess; the ascertainment by Balarama andKrishna, at the sight of these matchless exploits, that the heroes werethe Pandavas, and the arrival of the brothers at the house of the potterwhere the Pandavas were staying; the dejection of Drupada on learningthat Draupadi was to be wedded to five husbands; the wonderful story ofthe five Indras related in consequence; the extraordinary anddivinely-ordained wedding of Draupadi; the sending of Vidura by the sonsof Dhritarashtra as envoy to the Pandavas; the arrival of Vidura and hissight to Krishna; the abode of the Pandavas in Khandava-prastha, and thentheir rule over one half of the kingdom; the fixing of turns by the sonsof Pandu, in obedience to the injunction of Narada, for connubialcompanionship with Krishna. In like manner hath the history of Sunda andUpasunda been recited in this. This parva then treats of the departure ofArjuna for the forest according to the vow, he having seen Draupadi andYudhishthira sitting together as he entered the chamber to take out armsfor delivering the kine of a certain Brahmana. This parva then describesArjuna's meeting on the way with Ulupi, the daughter of a Naga (serpent);it then relates his visits to several sacred spots; the birth ofVabhruvahana; the deliverance by Arjuna of the five celestial damsels whohad been turned into alligators by the imprecation of a Brahmana, themeeting of Madhava and Arjuna on the holy spot called Prabhasa; thecarrying away of Subhadra by Arjuna, incited thereto by her brotherKrishna, in the wonderful car moving on land and water, and throughmid-air, according to the wish of the rider; the departure forIndraprastha, with the dower; the conception in the womb of Subhadra ofthat prodigy of prowess, Abhimanyu; Yajnaseni's giving birth to children;then follows the pleasure-trip of Krishna and Arjuna to the banks of theJamuna and the acquisition by them of the discus and the celebrated bowGandiva; the burning of the forest of Khandava; the rescue of Maya byArjuna, and the escape of the serpent,--and the begetting of a son bythat best of Rishis, Mandapala, in the womb of the bird Sarngi. Thisparva is divided by Vyasa into two hundred and twenty-seven chapters.These two hundred and twenty-seven chapters contain eight thousand eighthundred and eighty-four slokas.
The second is the extensive parva called Sabha or the assembly, full ofmatter. The subjects of this parva are the establishment of the grandhall by the Pandavas; their review of their retainers; the description ofthe lokapalas by Narada well-acquainted with the celestial regions; thepreparations for the Rajasuya sacrifice; the destruction of Jarasandha;the deliverance by Vasudeva of the princes confined in the mountain-pass;the campaign of universal conquest by the Pandavas; the arrival of theprinces at the Rajasuya sacrifice with tribute; the destruction ofSisupala on the occasion of the sacrifice, in connection with offering ofarghya; Bhimasena's ridicule of Duryodhana in the assembly; Duryodhana'ssorrow and envy at the sight of the magnificent scale on which thearrangements had been made; the indignation of Duryodhana in consequence,and the preparations for the game of dice; the defeat of Yudhishthira atplay by the wily Sakuni; the deliverance by Dhritarashtra of hisafflicted daughter-in-law Draupadi plunged in the sea of distress causedby the gambling, as of a boat tossed about by the tempestuous waves. Theendeavours of Duryodhana to engage Yudhishthira again in the game; andthe exile of the defeated Yudhishthira with his brothers. Theseconstitute what has been called by the great Vyasa the Sabha Parva. Thisparva is divided into seventh-eight sections, O best of Brahmanas, of twothousand, five hundred and seven slokas.
Then comes the third parva called Aranyaka (relating to the forest) Thisparva treats of the wending of the Pandavas to the forest and thecitizens, following the wise Yudhishthira, Yudhishthira's adoration ofthe god of day; according to the injunctions of Dhaumya, to be giftedwith the power of maintaining the dependent Brahmanas with food anddrink: the creation of food through the grace of the Sun: the expulsionby Dhritarashtra of Vidura who always spoke for his master's good;Vidura's coming to the Pandavas and his return to Dhritarashtra at thesolicitation of the latter; the wicked Duryodhana's plottings to destroythe forest-ranging Pandavas, being incited thereto by Karna; theappearance of Vyasa and his dissuasion of Duryodhana bent on going to theforest; the history of Surabhi; the arrival of Maitreya; his laying downto Dhritarashtra the course of action; and his curse on Duryodhana;Bhima's slaying of Kirmira in battle; the coming of the Panchalas and theprinces of the Vrishni race to Yudhishthira on hearing of his defeat atthe unfair gambling by Sakuni; Dhananjaya's allaying the wrath ofKrishna; Draupadi's lamentations before Madhava; Krishna's cheering her;the fall of Sauva also has been here described by the Rishi; alsoKrishna's bringing Subhadra with her son to Dwaraka; and Dhrishtadyumna'sbringing the son of Draupadi to Panchala; the entrance of the sons ofPandu into the romantic Dwaita wood; conversation of Bhima, Yudhishthira,and Draupadi; the coming of Vyasa to the Pandavas and his endowingYudhishthira with the power of Pratismriti; then, after the departure ofVyasa, the removal of the Pandavas to the forest of Kamyaka; thewanderings of Arjuna of immeasurable prowess in search of weapons; hisbattle with Mahadeva in the guise of a hunter; his meeting with thelokapalas and receipt of weapons from them; his journey to the regions ofIndra for arms and the consequent anxiety of Dhritarashtra; the wailingsand lamentations of Yudhishthira on the occasion of his meeting with theworshipful great sage Brihadaswa. Here occurs the holy and highlypathetic story of Nala illustrating the patience of Damayanti and thecharacter of Nala. Then the acquirement by Yudhishthira of the mysteriesof dice from the same great sage; then the arrival of the Rishi Lomasafrom the heavens to where the Pandavas were, and the receipt by thesehigh-souled dwellers in the woods of the intelligence brought by theRishi of their brother Arjuna staving in the heavens; then the pilgrimageof the Pandavas to various sacred spots in accordance with the message ofArjuna, and their attainment of great merit and virtue consequent on suchpilgrimage; then the pilgrimage of the great sage Narada to the shrinePutasta; also the pilgrimage of the high-souled Pandavas. Here is thedeprivation of Karna of his ear-rings by Indra. Here also is recited thesacrificial magnificence of Gaya; then the story of Agastya in which theRishi ate up the Asura Vatapi, and his connubial connection withLopamudra from the desire of offspring. Then the story of Rishyasringawho adopted Brahmacharya mode of life from his very boyhood; then thehistory of Rama of great prowess, the son of Jamadagni, in which has beennarrated the death of Kartavirya and the Haihayas; then the meetingbetween the Pandavas and the Vrishnis in the sacred spot called Prabhasa;then the story of Su-kanya in which Chyavana, the son of Bhrigu, made thetwins, Aswinis, drink, at the sacrifice of king Saryati, the Soma juice(from which they had been excluded by the other gods), and in whichbesides is shown how Chyavana himself acquired perpetual youth (as a boonfrom the grateful Aswinis). Then hath been described the history of kingMandhata; then the history of prince Jantu; and how king Somaka byoffering up his only son (Jantu) in sacrifice obtained a hundred others;then the excellent history of the hawk and the pigeon; then theexamination of king Sivi by Indra, Agni, and Dharma; then the story ofAshtavakra, in which occurs the disputation, at the sacrifice of Janaka,between that Rishi and the first of logicians, Vandi, the son of Varuna;the defeat of Vandi by the great Ashtavakra, and the release by the Rishiof his father from the depths of the ocean. Then the story of Yavakrita,and then that of the great Raivya: then the departure (of the Pandavas)for Gandhamadana and their abode in the asylum called Narayana; thenBhimasena's journey to Gandhamadana at the request of Draupadi (in searchof the sweet-scented flower). Bhima's meeting on his way, in a grove ofbananas, with Hanuman, the son of Pavana of great prowess; Bhima's bathin the tank and the destruction of the flowers therein for obtaining thesweet-scented flower (he was in search of); his consequent battle withthe mighty Rakshasas and the Yakshas of great prowess including Hanuman;the destruction of the Asura Jata by Bhima; the meeting (of the Pandavas)with the royal sage Vrishaparva; their departure for the asylum ofArshtishena and abode therein: the incitement of Bhima (to acts ofvengeance) by Draupadi. Then is narrated the ascent on the hills ofKailasa by Bhimasena, his terrific battle with the mighty Yakshas headedby Hanuman; then the meeting of the Pandavas with Vaisravana (Kuvera),and the meeting with Arjuna after he had obtained for the purpose ofYudhishthira many celestial weapons; then Arjuna's terrible encounterwith the Nivatakavachas dwelling in Hiranyaparva, and also with thePaulomas, and the Kalakeyas; their destruction at the hands of Arjuna;the commencement of the display of the celestial weapons by Arjuna beforeYudhishthira, the prevention of the same by Narada; the descent of thePandavas from Gandhamadana; the seizure of Bhima in the forest by amighty serpent huge as the mountain; his release from the coils of thesnake, upon Yudhishthira's answering certain questions; the return of thePandavas to the Kamyaka woods. Here is described the reappearance ofVasudeva to see the mighty sons of Pandu; the arrival of Markandeya, andvarious recitals, the history of Prithu the son of Vena recited by thegreat Rishi; the stories of Saraswati and the Rishi Tarkhya. After these,is the story of Matsya; other old stories recited by Markandeya; thestories of Indradyumna and Dhundhumara; then the history of the chastewife; the history of Angira, the meeting and conversation of Draupadi andSatyabhama; the return of the Pandavas to the forest of Dwaita; then theprocession to see the calves and the captivity of Duryodhana; and whenthe wretch was being carried off, his rescue by Arjuna; here isYudhishthira's dream of the deer; then the re-entry of the Pandavas intothe Kamyaka forest, here also is the long story of Vrihidraunika. Herealso is recited the story of Durvasa; then the abduction by Jayadratha ofDraupadi from the asylum; the pursuit of the ravisher by Bhima swift asthe air and the ill-shaving of Jayadratha's crown at Bhima's hand. Hereis the long history of Rama in which is shown how Rama by his prowessslew Ravana in battle. Here also is narrated the story of Savitri; thenKarna's deprivation by Indra of his ear-rings; then the presentation toKarna by the gratified Indra of a Sakti (missile weapon) which had thevirtue of killing only one person against whom it might be hurled; thenthe story called Aranya in which Dharma (the god of justice) gave adviceto his son (Yudhishthira); in which, besides is recited how the Pandavasafter having obtained a boon went towards the west. These are allincluded in the third Parva called Aranyaka, consisting of two hundredand sixty-nine sections. The number of slokas is eleven thousand, sixhundred and sixty-four.
"The extensive Parva that comes next is called Virata. The Pandavasarriving at the dominions of Virata saw in a cemetery on the outskirts ofthe city a large shami tree whereon they kept their weapons. Here hathbeen recited their entry into the city and their stay there in disguise.Then the slaying by Bhima of the wicked Kichaka who, senseless with lust,had sought Draupadi; the appointment by prince Duryodhana of cleverspies; and their despatch to all sides for tracing the Pandavas; thefailure of these to discover the mighty sons of Pandu; the first seizureof Virata's kine by the Trigartas and the terrific battle that ensued;the capture of Virata by the enemy and his rescue by Bhimasena; therelease also of the kine by the Pandava (Bhima); the seizure of Virata'skine again by the Kurus; the defeat in battle of all the Kurus by thesingle-handed Arjuna; the release of the king's kine; the bestowal byVirata of his daughter Uttara for Arjuna's acceptance on behalf of hisson by Subhadra--Abhimanyu--the destroyer of foes. These are the contentsof the extensive fourth Parva--the Virata. The great Rishi Vyasa hascomposed in these sixty-seven sections. The number of slokas is twothousand and fifty.
"Listen then to (the contents of) the fifth Parva which must be known asUdyoga. While the Pandavas, desirous of victory, were residing in theplace called Upaplavya, Duryodhana and Arjuna both went at the same timeto Vasudeva, and said, "You should render us assistance in this war." Thehigh-souled Krishna, upon these words being uttered, replied, "O ye firstof men, a counsellor in myself who will not fight and one Akshauhini oftroops, which of these shall I give to which of you?" Blind to his owninterests, the foolish Duryodhana asked for the troops; while Arjunasolicited Krishna as an unfighting counsellor. Then is described how,when the king of Madra was coming for the assistance of the Pandavas,Duryodhana, having deceived him on the way by presents and hospitality,induced him to grant a boon and then solicited his assistance in battle;how Salya, having passed his word to Duryodhana, went to the Pandavas andconsoled them by reciting the history of Indra's victory (over Vritra).Then comes the despatch by the Pandavas of their Purohita (priest) to theKauravas. Then is described how king Dhritarashtra of great prowess,having heard the word of the purohita of the Pandavas and the story ofIndra's victory decided upon sending his purohita and ultimatelydespatched Sanjaya as envoy to the Pandavas from desire for peace. Herehath been described the sleeplessness of Dhritarashtra from anxiety uponhearing all about the Pandavas and their friends, Vasudeva and others. Itwas on this occasion that Vidura addressed to the wise king Dhritarashtravarious counsels that were full of wisdom. It was here also thatSanat-sujata recited to the anxious and sorrowing monarch the excellenttruths of spiritual philosophy. On the next morning Sanjaya spoke, in thecourt of the King, of the identity of Vasudeva and Arjuna. It was thenthat the illustrious Krishna, moved by kindness and a desire for peace,went himself to the Kaurava capital, Hastinapura, for bringing aboutpeace. Then comes the rejection by prince Duryodhana of the embassy ofKrishna who had come to solicit peace for the benefit of both parties.Here hath been recited the story of Damvodvava; then the story of thehigh-souled Matuli's search for a husband for his daughter: then thehistory of the great sage Galava; then the story of the training anddiscipline of the son of Bidula. Then the exhibition by Krishna, beforethe assembled Rajas, of his Yoga powers upon learning the evil counselsof Duryodhana and Karna; then Krishna's taking Karna in his chariot andhis tendering to him of advice, and Karna's rejection of the same frompride. Then the return of Krishna, the chastiser of enemies fromHastinapura to Upaplavya, and his narration to the Pandavas of all thathad happened. It was then that those oppressors of foes, the Pandavas,having heard all and consulted properly with each other, made everypreparation for war. Then comes the march from Hastinapura, for battle,of foot-soldiers, horses, charioteers and elephants. Then the tale of thetroops by both parties. Then the despatch by prince Duryodhana of Ulukaas envoy to the Pandavas on the day previous to the battle. Then the taleof charioteers of different classes. Then the story of Amba. These allhave been described in the fifth Parva called Udyoga of the Bharata,abounding with incidents appertaining to war and peace. O ye ascetics,the great Vyasa hath composed one hundred and eighty-six sections in thisParva. The number of slokas also composed in this by the great Rishi issix thousand, six hundred and ninety-eight.
"Then is recited the Bhishma Parva replete with wonderful incidents. Inthis hath been narrated by Sanjaya the formation of the region known asJambu. Here hath been described the great depression of Yudhishthira'sarmy, and also a fierce fight for ten successive days. In this thehigh-souled Vasudeva by reasons based on the philosophy of final releasedrove away Arjuna's compunction springing from the latter's regard forhis kindred (whom he was on the eve of slaying). In this the magnanimousKrishna, attentive to the welfare of Yudhishthira, seeing the lossinflicted (on the Pandava army), descended swiftly from his chariothimself and ran, with dauntless breast, his driving whip in hand, toeffect the death of Bhishma. In this, Krishna also smote with piercingwords Arjuna, the bearer of the Gandiva and the foremost in battle amongall wielders of weapons. In this, the foremost of bowmen, Arjuna, placingShikandin before him and piercing Bhishma with his sharpest arrows felledhim from his chariot. In this, Bhishma lay stretched on his bed ofarrows. This extensive Parva is known as the sixth in the Bharata. Inthis have been composed one hundred and seventeen sections. The number ofslokas is five thousand, eight hundred and eighty-four as told by Vyasaconversant with the Vedas.
"Then is recited the wonderful Parva called Drona full of incidents.First comes the installation in the command of the army of the greatinstructor in arms, Drona: then the vow made by that great master ofweapons of seizing the wise Yudhishthira in battle to please Duryodhana;then the retreat of Arjuna from the field before the Sansaptakas, thenthe overthrow of Bhagadatta like to a second Indra in the field, with theelephant Supritika, by Arjuna; then the death of the hero Abhimanyu inhis teens, alone and unsupported, at the hands of many Maharathasincluding Jayadratha; then after the death of Abhimanyu, the destructionby Arjuna, in battle of seven Akshauhinis of troops and then ofJayadratha; then the entry, by Bhima of mighty arms and by that foremostof warriors-in-chariot, Satyaki, into the Kaurava ranks impenetrable evento the gods, in search of Arjuna in obedience to the orders ofYudhishthira, and the destruction of the remnant of the Sansaptakas. Inthe Drona Parva, is the death of Alambusha, of Srutayus, of Jalasandha,of Shomadatta, of Virata, of the great warrior-in-chariot Drupada, ofGhatotkacha and others; in this Parva, Aswatthaman, excited beyondmeasure at the fall of his father in battle, discharged the terribleweapon Narayana. Then the glory of Rudra in connection with the burning(of the three cities). Then the arrival of Vyasa and recital by him ofthe glory of Krishna and Arjuna. This is the great seventh Parva of theBharata in which all the heroic chiefs and princes mentioned were sent totheir account. The number of sections in this is one hundred and seventy.The number of slokas as composed in the Drona Parva by Rishi Vyasa, theson of Parasara and the possessor of true knowledge after muchmeditation, is eight thousand, nine hundred and nine.
"Then comes the most wonderful Parva called Karna. In this is narratedthe appointment of the wise king of Madra as (Karna's) charioteer. Thenthe history of the fall of the Asura Tripura. Then the application toeach other by Karna and Salya of harsh words on their setting out for thefield, then the story of the swan and the crow recited in insultingallusion: then the death of Pandya at the hands of the high-souledAswatthaman; then the death of Dandasena; then that of Darda; thenYudhishthira's imminent risk in single combat with Karna in the presenceof all the warriors; then the mutual wrath of Yudhishthira and Arjuna;then Krishna's pacification of Arjuna. In this Parva, Bhima, infulfilment of his vow, having ripped open Dussasana's breast in battledrank the blood of his heart. Then Arjuna slew the great Karna in singlecombat. Readers of the Bharata call this the eighth Parva. The number ofsections in this is sixty-nine and the number of slokas is four thousand,nine hundred and sixty-tour.
"Then hath been recited the wonderful Parva called Salya. After all thegreat warriors had been slain, the king of Madra became the leader of the(Kaurava) army. The encounters one after another, of charioteers, havebeen here described. Then comes the fall of the great Salya at the handsof Yudhishthira, the Just. Here also is the death of Sakuni in battle atthe hands of Sahadeva. Upon only a small remnant of the troops remainingalive after the immense slaughter, Duryodhana went to the lake andcreating for himself room within its waters lay stretched there for sometime. Then is narrated the receipt of this intelligence by Bhima from thefowlers: then is narrated how, moved by the insulting speeches of theintelligent Yudhishthira, Duryodhana ever unable to bear affronts, cameout of the waters. Then comes the encounter with clubs, betweenDuryodhana and Bhima; then the arrival, at the time of such encounter, ofBalarama: then is described the sacredness of the Saraswati; then theprogress of the encounter with clubs; then the fracture of Duryodhana'sthighs in battle by Bhima with (a terrific hurl of) his mace. These allhave been described in the wonderful ninth Parva. In this the number ofsections is fifty-nine and the number of slokas composed by the greatVyasa--the spreader of the fame of the Kauravas--is three thousand, twohundred and twenty.
"Then shall I describe the Parva called Sauptika of frightful incidents.On the Pandavas having gone away, the mighty charioteers, Kritavarman,Kripa, and the son of Drona, came to the field of battle in the eveningand there saw king Duryodhana lying on the ground, his thighs broken, andhimself covered with blood. Then the great charioteer, the son of Drona,of terrible wrath, vowed, 'without killing all the Panchalas includingDrishtadyumna, and the Pandavas also with all their allies, I will nottake off armour.' Having spoken those words, the three warriors leavingDuryodhana's side entered the great forest just as the sun was setting.While sitting under a large banian tree in the night, they saw an owlkilling numerous crows one after another. At the sight of this,Aswatthaman, his heart full of rage at the thought of his father's fate,resolved to slay the slumbering Panchalas. And wending to the gate of thecamp, he saw there a Rakshasa of frightful visage, his head reaching tothe very heavens, guarding the entrance. And seeing that Rakshasaobstructing all his weapons, the son of Drona speedily pacified byworship the three-eyed Rudra. And then accompanied by Kritavarman andKripa he slew all the sons of Draupadi, all the Panchalas withDhrishtadyumna and others, together with their relatives, slumberingunsuspectingly in the night. All perished on that fatal night except thefive Pandavas and the great warrior Satyaki. Those escaped owing toKrishna's counsels, then the charioteer of Dhrishtadyumna brought to thePandavas intelligence of the slaughter of the slumbering Panchalas by theson of Drona. Then Draupadi distressed at the death of her sons andbrothers and father sat before her lords resolved to kill herself byfasting. Then Bhima of terrible prowess, moved by the words of Draupadi,resolved, to please her; and speedily taking up his mace followed inwrath the son of his preceptor in arms. The son of Drona from fear ofBhimasena and impelled by the fates and moved also by anger discharged acelestial weapon saying, 'This is for the destruction of all thePandavas'; then Krishna saying. 'This shall not be', neutralisedAswatthaman's speech. Then Arjuna neutralised that weapon by one of hisown. Seeing the wicked Aswatthaman's destructive intentions, Dwaipayanaand Krishna pronounced curses on him which the latter returned. Pandavathen deprived the mighty warrior-in-chariot Aswatthaman, of the jewel onhis head, and became exceedingly glad, and, boastful of their success,made a present of it to the sorrowing Draupadi. Thus the tenth Parva,called Sauptika, is recited. The great Vyasa hath composed this ineighteen sections. The number of slokas also composed (in this) by thegreat reciter of sacred truths is eight hundred and seventy. In thisParva has been put together by the great Rishi the two Parvas calledSauptika and Aishika.
"After this hath been recited the highly pathetic Parva called Stri,Dhritarashtra of prophetic eye, afflicted at the death of his children,and moved by enmity towards Bhima, broke into pieces a statue of hardiron deftly placed before him by Krishna (as substitute of Bhima). ThenVidura, removing the distressed Dhritarashtra's affection for worldlythings by reasons pointing to final release, consoled that wise monarch.Then hath been described the wending of the distressed Dhritarashtraaccompanied by the ladies of his house to the field of battle of theKauravas. Here follow the pathetic wailings of the wives of the slainheroes. Then the wrath of Gandhari and Dhritarashtra and their loss ofconsciousness. Then the Kshatriya ladies saw those heroes,--theirunreturning sons, brothers, and fathers,--lying dead on the field. Thenthe pacification by Krishna of the wrath of Gandhari distressed at thedeath of her sons and grandsons. Then the cremation of the bodies of thedeceased Rajas with due rites by that monarch (Yudhishthira) of greatwisdom and the foremost also of all virtuous men. Then upon thepresentation of water of the manes of the deceased princes havingcommenced, the story of Kunti's acknowledgment of Karna as her son bornin secret. Those have all been described by the great Rishi Vyasa in thehighly pathetic eleventh Parva. Its perusal moveth every feeling heartwith sorrow and even draweth tears from the eyes. The number of sectionscomposed is twenty-seven. The number of slokas is seven hundred andseventy-five.
"Twelfth in number cometh the Santi Parva, which increaseth theunderstanding and in which is related the despondency of Yudhishthira onhis having slain his fathers, brothers, sons, maternal uncles andmatrimonial relations. In this Parva is described how from his bed ofarrows Bhishma expounded various systems of duties worth the study ofkings desirous of knowledge; this Parva expounded the duties relative toemergencies, with full indications of time and reasons. By understandingthese, a person attaineth to consummate knowledge. The mysteries also offinal emancipation have been expatiated upon. This is the twelfth Parvathe favourite of the wise. It consists of three hundred and thirty-ninesections, and contains fourteen thousand, seven hundred and thirty-twoslokas.
"Next in order is the excellent Anusasana Parva. In it is described howYudhishthira, the king of the Kurus, was reconciled to himself on hearingthe exposition of duties by Bhishma, the son of Bhagirathi. This Parvatreats of rules in detail and of Dharma and Artha; then the rules ofcharity and its merits; then the qualifications of donees, and thesupreme ride-regarding gifts. This Parva also describes the ceremonialsof individual duty, the rules of conduct and the matchless merit oftruth. This Parva showeth the great merit of Brahmanas and kine, andunraveleth the mysteries of duties in relation to time and place. Theseare embodied in the excellent Parva called Anusasana of varied incidents.In this hath been described the ascension of Bhishma to Heaven. This isthe thirteenth Parva which hath laid down accurately the various dutiesof men. The number of sections, in this is one hundred and forty-six. Thenumber of slokas is eight thousand.
"Then comes the fourteenth Parva Aswamedhika. In this is the excellentstory of Samvarta and Marutta. Then is described the discovery (by thePandavas) of golden treasuries; and then the birth of Parikshit who wasrevived by Krishna after having been burnt by the (celestial) weapon ofAswatthaman. The battles of Arjuna the son of Pandu, while following thesacrificial horse let loose, with various princes who in wrath seized it.Then is shown the great risk of Arjuna in his encounter with Vabhruvahanathe son of Chitrangada (by Arjuna) the appointed daughter of the chief ofManipura. Then the story of the mongoose during the performance of thehorse-sacrifice. This is the most wonderful Parva called Aswamedhika. Thenumber of sections is one hundred and three. The number of slokascomposed (in this) by Vyasa of true knowledge is three thousand, threehundred and twenty.
"Then comes the fifteenth Parva called Asramvasika. In this,Dhritarashtra, abdicating the kingdom, and accompanied by Gandhari andVidura went to the woods. Seeing this, the virtuous Pritha also, everengaged in cherishing her superiors, leaving the court of her sons,followed the old couple. In this is described the wonderful meetingthrough the kindness of Vyasa of the king (Dhritarashtra) with thespirits of his slain children, grand-children, and other princes,returned from the other world. Then the monarch abandoning his sorrowsacquired with his wife the highest fruit of his meritorious actions. Inthis Parva, Vidura after having leaned on virtue all his life attainethto the most meritorious state.
"The learned son of Gavalgana, Sanjaya, also of passions under fullcontrol, and the foremost of ministers, attained, in the Parva, to theblessed state. In this, Yudhishthira the just met Narada and heard fromhim about the extinction of the race of Vrishnis. This is the verywonderful Parva called Asramvasika. The number of sections in this isforty-two, and the number of slokas composed by Vyasa cognisant of truthis one thousand five hundred and six.
"After this, you know, comes the Maushala of painful incidents. In this,those lion-hearted heroes (of the race of Vrishni) with the scars of manya field on their bodies, oppressed with the curse of a Brahmana, whiledeprived of reason from drink, impelled by the fates, slew each other onthe shores of the Salt Sea with the Eraka grass which (in their hands)became (invested with the fatal attributes of the) thunder. In this, bothBalarama and Kesava (Krishna) after causing the extermination of theirrace, their hour having come, themselves did not rise superior to thesway of all-destroying Time. In this, Arjuna the foremost among men,going to Dwaravati (Dwaraka) and seeing the city destitute of theVrishnis was much affected and became exceedingly sorry. Then after thefuneral of his maternal uncle Vasudeva the foremost among the Yadus(Vrishnis), he saw the heroes of the Yadu race lying stretched in deathon the spot where they had been drinking. He then caused the cremation ofthe bodies of the illustrious Krishna and Balarama and of the principalmembers of the Vrishni race. Then as he was journeying from Dwaraka withthe women and children, the old and the decrepit--the remnants of theYadu race--he was met on the way by a heavy calamity. He witnessed alsothe disgrace of his bow Gandiva and the unpropitiousness of his celestialweapons. Seeing all this, Arjuna became despondent and, pursuant toVyasa's advice, went to Yudhishthira and solicited permission to adoptthe Sannyasa mode of life. This is the sixteenth Parva called MaushalaThe number of sections is eight and the number of slokas composed byVyasa cognisant of truth is three hundred and twenty.
"The next is Mahaprasthanika, the seventeenth Parva.
"In this, those foremost among men the Pandavas abdicating their kingdomwent with Draupadi on their great journey called Mahaprasthana. In this,they came across Agni, having arrived on the shore of the sea of redwaters. In this, asked by Agni himself, Arjuna worshipped him duly,returned to him the excellent celestial bow called Gandiva. In this,leaving his brothers who dropped one after another and Draupadi also,Yudhishthira went on his journey without once looking back on them. Thisthe seventeenth Parva is called Mahaprasthanika. The number of sectionsin this is three. The number of slokas also composed by Vyasa cognisantof truth is three hundred and twenty.
"The Parva that comes after this, you must know, is the extraordinary onecalled Svarga of celestial incidents. Then seeing the celestial car cometo take him, Yudhishthira moved by kindness towards the dog thataccompanied him, refused to ascend it without his companion. Observingthe illustrious Yudhishthira's steady adherence to virtue, Dharma (thegod of justice) abandoning his canine form showed himself to the king.Then Yudhishthira ascending to heaven felt much pain. The celestialmessenger showed him hell by an act of deception. Then Yudhishthira, thesoul of justice, heard the heart-rending lamentations of his brothersabiding in that region under the discipline of Yama. Then Dharma andIndra showed Yudhishthira the region appointed for sinners. ThenYudhishthira, after leaving the human body by a plunge in the celestialGanges, attained to that region which his acts merited, and began to livein joy respected by Indra and all other gods. This is the eighteenthParva as narrated by the illustrious Vyasa. The number of slokascomposed, O ascetics, by the great Rishi in this is two hundred and nine.
"The above are the contents of the Eighteen Parvas. In the appendix(Khita) are the Harivansa and the Vavishya. The number of slokascontained in the Harivansa is twelve thousand."
These are the contents of the section called Parva-sangraha. Sauticontinued, "Eighteen Akshauhinis of troops came together for battle. Theencounter that ensued was terrible and lasted for eighteen days. He whoknows the four Vedas with all the Angas and Upanishads, but does not knowthis history (Bharata), cannot be regarded as wise. Vyasa of immeasurableintelligence, has spoken of the Mahabharata as a treatise on Artha, onDharma, and on Kama. Those who have listened to his history can neverbear to listen to others, as, indeed, they who have listened to the sweetvoice of the male Kokila can never hear the dissonance of the crow'scawing. As the formation of the three worlds proceedeth from the fiveelements, so do the inspirations of all poets proceed from this excellentcomposition. O ye Brahman, as the four kinds of creatures (viviparous,oviparous, born of hot moisture and vegetables) are dependent on spacefor their existence, so the Puranas depend upon this history. As all thesenses depend for their exercise upon the various modifications of themind, so do all acts (ceremonials) and moral qualities depend upon thistreatise. There is not a story current in the world but doth depend onthis history, even as body upon the food it taketh. All poets cherish theBharata even as servants desirous of preferment always attend uponmasters of good lineage. Even as the blessed domestic Asrama can never besurpassed by the three other Asramas (modes of life) so no poets cansurpass this poem.
"Ye ascetics, shake off all inaction. Let your hearts be fixed on virtue,for virtue is the one only friend of him that has gone to the otherworld. Even the most intelligent by cherishing wealth and wives can nevermake these their own, nor are these possessions lasting. The Bharatauttered by the lips of Dwaipayana is without a parallel; it is virtueitself and sacred. It destroyeth sin and produceth good. He thatlisteneth to it while it is being recited hath no need of a bath in thesacred waters of Pushkara. A Brahmana, whatever sins he may commit duringthe day through his senses, is freed from them all by reading the Bharatain the evening. Whatever sins he may commit also in the night by deeds,words, or mind, he is freed from them all by reading Bharata in the firsttwilight (morning). He that giveth a hundred kine with horns mounted withgold to a Brahmana well-posted up in the Vedas and all branches oflearning, and he that daily listeneth to the sacred narrations of theBharata, acquireth equal merit. As the wide ocean is easily passable bymen having ships, so is this extensive history of great excellence anddeep import with the help of this chapter called Parva sangraha."
Thus endeth the section called Parva-sangraha of the Adi Parva of theblessed Mahabharata.
SECTION III
(Paushya Parva)
Sauti said, "Janamejaya, the son of Parikshit, was, with his brothers,attending his long sacrifice on the plains of Kurukshetra. His brotherswere three, Srutasena, Ugrasena, and Bhimasena. And as they were sittingat the sacrifice, there arrived at the spot an offspring of Sarama (thecelestial bitch). And belaboured by the brothers of Janamejaya, he ranaway to his mother, crying in pain. And his mother seeing him cryingexceedingly asked him, 'Why criest thou so? Who hath beaten thee? Andbeing thus questioned, he said unto his mother, 'I have been belabouredby the brothers of Janamejaya.' And his mother replied, 'Thou hastcommitted some fault for which hast thou been beaten!' He answered, 'Ihave not committed any fault. I have not touched the sacrificial butterwith my tongue, nor have I even cast a look upon it.' His mother Saramahearing this and much distressed at the affliction of her son went to theplace where Janamejaya with his brothers was at his long-extendingsacrifice. And she addressed Janamejaya in anger, saying, 'This my sonhath committed no fault: he hath not looked upon your sacrificial butter,nor hath he touched it with his tongue. Wherefore hath he been beaten?'They said not a word in reply; whereupon she said, 'As ye have beaten myson who hath committed no fault, therefore shall evil come upon ye, whenye least expect it.'
"Janamejaya, thus addressed by the celestial bitch, Sarama, becameexceedingly alarmed and dejected. And after the sacrifice was concludedreturned to Hastinapura, and began to take great pains in searching for aPurohita who could by procuring absolution for his sin, neutralise theeffect of the curse.
"One day Janamejaya, the son of Parikshit, while a-hunting, observed in aparticular part of his dominions a hermitage where dwelt a certain Rishiof fame, Srutasrava. He had a son named Somasrava deeply engaged inascetic devotions. Being desirous of appointing that son of the Rishi ashis Purohita, Janamejaya, the son of Parikshit, saluted the Rishi andaddressed him, saying, 'O possessor of the six attributes, let this thyson be my purohita.' The Rishi thus addressed, answered Janamejaya, 'OJanamejaya, this my son, deep in ascetic devotions, accomplished in thestudy of the Vedas, and endued with the full force of my asceticism, isborn of (the womb of) a she-snake that had drunk my vital fluid. He isable to absolve thee from all offences save those committed againstMahadeva. But he hath one particular habit, viz. he would grant to anyBrahmana whatever might be begged of him. If thou canst put up with it,then thou take him.' Janamejaya thus addressed replied to the Rishi, 'Itshall be even so.' And accepting him for his Purohita, he returned to hiscapital; and he then addressed his brothers saying, 'This is the person Ihave chosen for my spiritual master; whatsoever he may say must becomplied with by you without examination.' And his brothers did as theywere directed. And giving these directions to his brothers, the kingmarched towards Takshyashila and brought that country under his authority.
"About this time there was a Rishi, Ayoda-Dhaumya by name. AndAyoda-Dhaumya had three disciples, Upamanyu, Aruni, and Veda. And theRishi bade one of these disciples, Aruni of Panchala, to go and stop up abreach in the water-course of a certain field. And Aruni of Panchala,thus ordered by his preceptor, repaired to the spot. And having gonethere he saw that he could not stop up the breach in the water-course byordinary means. And he was distressed because he could not do hispreceptor's bidding. But at length he saw a way and said, 'Well, I willdo it in this way.' He then went down into the breach and lay downhimself there. And the water was thus confined.
"And some time after, the preceptor Ayoda-Dhaumya asked his otherdisciples where Aruni of Panchala was. And they answered, 'Sir, he hathbeen sent by yourself saying, 'Go, stop up the breach in the water-courseof the field,' Thus reminded, Dhaumya, addressing his pupils, said, 'Thenlet us all go to the place where he is.'
"And having arrived there, he shouted, 'Ho Aruni of Panchala! Where artthou? Come hither, my child.' And Aruni hearing the voice of hispreceptor speedily came out of the water-course and stood before hispreceptor. And addressing the latter, Aruni said, 'Here I am in thebreach of the water-course. Not having been able to devise any othermeans, I entered myself for the purpose of preventing the water runningout. It is only upon hearing thy voice that, having left it and allowedthe waters to escape, I have stood before thee. I salute thee, Master;tell me what I have to do.'
"The preceptor, thus addressed, replied, 'Because in getting up from theditch thou hast opened the water-course, thenceforth shalt thou be calledUddalaka as a mark of thy preceptor's favour. And because my words havebeen obeyed by thee, thou shalt obtain good fortune. And all the Vedasshall shine in thee and all the Dharmasastras also.' And Aruni, thusaddressed by his preceptor, went to the country after his heart.
"The name of another of Ayoda-Dhaumya's disciples was Upamanyu. AndDhaumya appointed him saying, 'Go, my child, Upamanyu, look after thekine.' And according to his preceptor's orders, he went to tend the kine.And having watched them all day, he returned in the evening to hispreceptor's house and standing before him he saluted him respectfully.And his preceptor seeing him in good condition of body asked him,'Upamanyu, my child, upon what dost thou support thyself? Thou artexceedingly plump.' And he answered, 'Sir, I support myself by begging'.And his preceptor said, 'What is obtained in alms should not be used bythee without offering it to me.' And Upamanyu, thus told, went away. Andhaving obtained alms, he offered the same to his preceptor. And hispreceptor took from him even the whole. And Upamanyu, thus treated, wentto attend the cattle. And having watched them all day, he returned in theevening to his preceptor's abode. And he stood before his preceptor andsaluted him with respect. And his preceptor perceiving that he stillcontinued to be of good condition of body said unto him, 'Upamanyu, mychild, I take from thee even the whole of what thou obtainest in alms,without leaving anything for thee. How then dost thou, at present,contrive to support thyself?' And Upamanyu said unto his preceptor, 'Sir,having made over to you all that I obtain in alms, I go a-begging asecond time for supporting myself.' And his preceptor then replied, 'Thisis not the way in which thou shouldst obey the preceptor. By this thouart diminishing the support of others that live by begging. Truly havingsupported thyself so, thou hast proved thyself covetous.' And Upamanyu,having signified his assent to all that his preceptor said, went away toattend the cattle. And having watched them all day, he returned to hispreceptor's house. And he stood before his preceptor and saluted himrespectfully. And his preceptor observing that he was still fat, saidagain unto him, 'Upamanyu, my child, I take from thee all thou obtainestin alms and thou dost not go a-begging a second time, and yet art thou inhealthy condition. How dost thou support thyself?' And Upamanyu, thusquestioned, answered, 'Sir, I now live upon the milk of these cows.' Andhis preceptor thereupon told him, 'It is not lawful for thee toappropriate the milk without having first obtained my consent.' AndUpamanyu having assented to the justice of these observations, went awayto tend the kine. And when he returned to his preceptor's abode, he stoodbefore him and saluted him as usual. And his preceptor seeing that he wasstill fat, said, 'Upamanyu, my child, thou eatest no longer of alms, nordost thou go a-begging a second time, not even drinkest of the milk; yetart thou fat. By what means dost thou contrive to live now? And Upamanyureplied, 'Sir, I now sip the froth that these calves throw out, whilesucking their mother's teats.' And the preceptor said, 'These generouscalves, I suppose, out of compassion for thee, throw out large quantitiesof froth. Wouldst thou stand in the way of their full meals by acting asthou hast done? Know that it is unlawful for thee to drink the froth.'And Upamanyu, having signified his assent to this, went as before to tendthe cows. And restrained by his preceptor, he feedeth not on alms, norhath he anything else to eat; he drinketh not of the milk, nor tasteth heof the froth!
"And Upamanyu, one day, oppressed by hunger, when in a forest, ate of theleaves of the Arka (Asclepias gigantea). And his eyes being affected bythe pungent, acrimonious, crude, and saline properties of the leaveswhich he had eaten, he became blind. And as he was crawling about, hefell into a pit. And upon his not returning that day when the sun wassinking down behind the summit of the western mountains, the preceptorobserved to his disciples that Upamanyu was not yet come. And they toldhim that he had gone out with the cattle.
"The preceptor then said, 'Upamanyu being restrained by me from the useof everything, is, of course, and therefore, doth not come home until itbe late. Let us then go in search of him.' And having said this, he wentwith his disciples into the forest and began to shout, saying, 'HoUpamanyu, where art thou?' And Upamanyu hearing his preceptor's voiceanswered in a loud tone, 'Here I am at the bottom of a well.' And hispreceptor asked him how he happened to be there. And Upamanyu replied,'Having eaten of the leaves of the Arka plant I became blind, and so haveI fallen into this well.' And his preceptor thereupon told him, 'Glorifythe twin Aswins, the joint physicians of the gods, and they will restorethee thy sight.' And Upamanyu thus directed by his preceptor began toglorify the twin Aswins, in the following words of the Rig Veda:
'Ye have existed before the creation! Ye first-born beings, ye aredisplayed in this wondrous universe of five elements! I desire to obtainyou by the help of the knowledge derived from hearing, and of meditation,for ye are Infinite! Ye are the course itself of Nature and intelligentSoul that pervades that course! Ye are birds of beauteous feathersperched on the body that is like to a tree! Ye are without the threecommon attributes of every soul! Ye are incomparable! Ye, through yourspirit in every created thing, pervade the Universe!
"Ye are golden Eagles! Ye are the essence into which all thingsdisappear! Ye are free from error and know no deterioration! Ye are ofbeauteous beaks that would not unjustly strike and are victorious inevery encounter! Ye certainly prevail over time! Having created the sun,ye weave the wondrous cloth of the year by means of the white thread ofthe day and the black thread of the night! And with the cloth so woven,ye have established two courses of action appertaining respectively tothe Devas and the Pitris. The bird of Life seized by Time whichrepresents the strength of the Infinite soul, ye set free for deliveringher unto great happiness! They that are in deep ignorance, as long asthey are under delusions of their senses, suppose you, who areindependent of the attributes of matter, to be gifted with form! Threehundred and sixty cows represented by three hundred and sixty daysproduce one calf between them which is the year. That calf is the creatorand destroyer of all. Seekers of truth following different routes, drawthe milk of true knowledge with its help. Ye Aswins, ye are the creatorsof that calf!
"The year is but the nave of a wheel to which is attached seven hundredand twenty spokes representing as many days and nights. The circumferenceof this wheel represented by twelve months is without end. This wheel isfull of delusions and knows no deterioration. It affects all creatureswhether to this or of the other worlds. Ye Aswins, this wheel of time isset in motion by you!
"The wheel of Time as represented by the year has a nave represented bythe six seasons. The number of spokes attached to that nave is twelve asrepresented by the twelve signs of the Zodiac. This wheel of Timemanifests the fruits of the acts of all things. The presiding deities ofTime abide in that wheel. Subject as I am to its distressful influence,ye Aswins, liberate me from that wheel of Time. Ye Aswins, ye are thisuniverse of five elements! Ye are the objects that are enjoyed in thisand in the other world! Make me independent of the five elements! Andthough ye are the Supreme Brahma, yet ye move over the Earth in formsenjoying the delights that the senses afford.
"In the beginning, ye created the ten points of the universe! Then haveye placed the Sun and the Sky above! The Rishis, according to the courseof the same Sun, perform their sacrifices, and the gods and men,according to what hath been appointed for them, perform their sacrificesalso enjoying the fruits of those acts!
"Mixing the three colours, ye have produced all the objects of sight! Itis from these objects that the Universe hath sprung whereon the gods andmen are engaged in their respective occupations, and, indeed, allcreatures endued with life!
"Ye Aswins, I adore you! I also adore the Sky which is your handiwork! Yeare the ordainers of the fruits of all acts from which even the gods arenot free! Ye are yourselves free from the fruits of your acts!
"Ye are the parents of all! As males and females it is ye that swallowthe food which subsequently develops into the life creating fluid andblood! The new-born infant sucks the teat of its mother. Indeed it is yethat take the shape of the infant! Ye Aswins, grant me my sight toprotect my life!"
The twin Aswins, thus invoked, appeared and said, 'We are satisfied. Hereis a cake for thee. Take and eat it.' And Upamanyu thus addressed,replied, 'Your words, O Aswins, have never proved untrue. But withoutfirst offering this cake to my preceptor I dare not take it.' And theAswins thereupon told him, 'Formerly, thy preceptor had invoked us. Wethereupon gave him a cake like this; and he took it without offering itto his master. Do thou do that which thy preceptor did.' Thus addressed,Upamanyu again said unto them, 'O Aswins, I crave your pardon. Withoutoffering it to my preceptor I dare not apply this cake.' The Aswins thensaid, 'O, we are pleased with this devotion of thine to thy preceptor.Thy master's teeth are of black iron. Thine shall be of gold. Thou shallbe restored to sight and shall have good fortune.'
"Thus spoken to by the Aswins he recovered his sight, and having gone tohis preceptor's presence he saluted him and told him all. And hispreceptor was well-pleased with him and said unto him, 'Thou shalt obtainprosperity even as the Aswins have said. All the Vedas shall shine inthee and all the Dharma-sastras.' And this was the trial of Upamanyu.
"Then Veda the other disciple of Ayoda-Dhaumya was called. His preceptoronce addressed him, saying, 'Veda, my child, tarry some time in my houseand serve thy preceptor. It shall be to thy profit.' And Veda havingsignified his assent tarried long in the family of his preceptor mindfulof serving him. Like an ox under the burthens of his master, he bore heatand cold, hunger and thirst, at all times without a murmur. And it wasnot long before his preceptor was satisfied. And as a consequence of thatsatisfaction, Veda obtained good fortune and universal knowledge. Andthis was the trial of Veda.
"And Veda, having received permission from his preceptor, and leaving thelatter's residence after the completion of his studies, entered thedomestic mode of life. And while living in his own house, he got threepupils. And he never told them to perform any work or to obey implicitlyhis own behests; for having himself experienced much woe while abiding inthe family of his preceptor, he liked not to treat them with severity.
"After a certain time, Janamejaya and Paushya, both of the order ofKshatriyas, arriving at his residence appointed the Brahman. Veda, astheir spiritual guide (Upadhyaya). And one day while about to depart uponsome business related to a sacrifice, he employed one of his disciples,Utanka, to take charge of his household. 'Utanka', said he, 'whatsoevershould have to be done in my house, let it be done by thee withoutneglect.' And having given these orders to Utanka, he went on his journey.
"So Utanka always mindful of the injunction of his preceptor took up hisabode in the latter's house. And while Utanka was residing there, thefemales of his preceptor's house having assembled addressed him and said,'O Utanka, thy mistress is in that season when connubial connection mightbe fruitful. The preceptor is absent; then stand thou in his place and dothe needful.' And Utanka, thus addressed, said unto those women, 'It isnot proper for me to do this at the bidding of women. I have not beenenjoined by my preceptor to do aught that is improper.'
"After a while, his preceptor returned from his journey. And hispreceptor having learnt all that had happened, became well-pleased and,addressing Utanka, said, 'Utanka, my child, what favour shall I bestow onthee? I have been served by thee duly; therefore hath our friendship foreach other increased. I therefore grant thee leave to depart. Go thou,and let thy wishes be accomplished!'
"Utanka, thus addressed, replied, saying, "Let me do something that youwish, for it hath been said, 'He who bestoweth instruction contrary tousage and he who receiveth it contrary to usage, one of the two dieth,and enmity springeth up between the two.--I, therefore, who have receivedthy leave to depart, am desirous of bringing thee some honorarium due toa preceptor. His master, upon hearing this, replied, 'Utanka, my child,wait a while.' Sometime after, Utanka again addressed his preceptor,saying, 'Command me to bring that for honorarium, which you desire.' Andhis preceptor then said, 'My dear Utanka, thou hast often told me of yourdesire to bring something by way of acknowledgment for the instructionthou hast received. Go then in and ask thy mistress what thou art tobring. And bring thou that which she directs.' And thus directed by hispreceptor Utanka addressed his preceptress, saying, 'Madam, I haveobtained my master's leave to go home, and I am desirous of bringingsomething agreeable to thee as honorarium for the instruction I havereceived, in order that I may not depart as his debtor. Therefore, pleasecommand me what I am to bring.' Thus addressed, his preceptress replied,'Go unto King Paushya and beg of him the pair of ear-rings worn by hisQueen, and bring them hither. The fourth day hence is a sacred day when Iwish to appear before the Brahmanas (who may dine at my house) deckedwith these ear-rings. Then accomplish this, O Utanka! If thou shouldstsucceed, good fortune shall attend thee; if not, what good canst thouexpect?'
"Utanka thus commanded, took his departure. And as he was passing alongthe road he saw a bull of extraordinary size and a man of uncommonstature mounted thereon. And that man addressed Utanka and said, 'Eatthou of the dung of this bull.' Utanka, however, was unwilling to comply.The man said again, 'O Utanka, eat of it without scrutiny. Thy master ateof it before.' And Utanka signified his assent and ate of the dung anddrank of the urine of that bull, and rose respectfully, and washing hishands and mouth went to where King Paushya was.
'On arriving at the palace, Utanka saw Paushya seated (on his throne).And approaching him Utanka saluted the monarch by pronouncing blessingsand said, 'I am come as a petitioner to thee.' And King Paushya, havingreturned Utanka's salutations, said, 'Sir, what shall I do for thee?' AndUtanka said, 'I came to beg of thee a pair of ear-rings as a present tomy preceptor. It behoveth thee to give me the ear-rings worn by theQueen.'
"King Paushya replied, 'Go, Utanka, into the female apartments where theQueen is and demand them of her.' And Utanka went into the women'sapartments. But as he could not discover the Queen, he again addressedthe king, saying, 'It is not proper that I should be treated by thee withdeceit. Thy Queen is not in the private apartments, for I could not findher.' The king thus addressed, considered for a while and replied,'Recollect, Sir, with attention whether thou art not in a state ofdefilement in consequence of contact with the impurities of a repast. MyQueen is a chaste wife and cannot be seen by any one who is impure owingto contact with the leavings of a repast. Nor doth she herself appear insight of any one who is defiled.'
"Utanka, thus informed, reflected for a while and then said, 'Yes, itmust be so. Having been in a hurry I performed my ablutions (after meal)in a standing posture.' King Paushya then said, 'Here is a transgression,purification is not properly effected by one in a standing posture, notby one while he is going along.' And Utanka having agreed to this, satdown with his face towards the east, and washed his face, hands, and feetthoroughly. And he then, without a noise, sipped thrice of water freefrom scum and froth, and not warm, and just sufficient to reach hisstomach and wiped his face twice. And he then touched with water theapertures of his organs (eyes, ears, etc.). And having done all this, heonce more entered the apartments of the women. And this time he saw theQueen. And as the Queen perceived him, she saluted him respectfully andsaid, 'Welcome, Sir, command me what I have to do.' And Utanka said untoher, 'It behoveth thee to give me those ear-rings of thine. I beg them asa present for my preceptor.' And the Queen having been highly pleasedwith Utanka's conduct and, considering that Utanka as an object ofcharity could not be passed over, took off her ear-rings and gave them tohim. And she said, 'These ear-rings are very much sought after byTakshaka, the King of the serpents. Therefore shouldst thou carry themwith the greatest care.'
"And Utanka being told this, said unto the Queen, 'Lady, be under noapprehension. Takshaka, Chief of the serpents, is not able to overtakeme.' And having said this, and taking leave of the Queen, he went backinto the presence of Paushya, and said, 'Paushya, I am gratified.' ThenPaushya said to Utanka, 'A fit object of charity can only be had at longintervals. Thou art a qualified guest, therefore do I desire to perform asraddha. Tarry thou a little. And Utanka replied, 'Yes, I will tarry, andbeg that the clean provisions that are ready may be soon brought in.' Andthe king having signified his assent, entertained Utanka duly. And Utankaseeing that the food placed before him had hair in it, and also that itwas cold, thought it unclean. And he said unto Paushya, 'Thou givest mefood that is unclean, therefore shalt thou lose thy sight.' And Paushyain answer said, 'And because dost thou impute uncleanliness to food thatis clean, therefore shalt thou be without issue.' And Utanka thereuponrejoined, 'It behoveth thee not, after having offered me unclean food, tocurse me in return. Satisfy thyself by ocular proof.'
"And Paushya seeing the food alleged to be unclean satisfied himself ofits uncleanliness. And Paushya having ascertained that the food was trulyunclean, being cold and mixed with hair, prepared as it was by a womanwith unbraided hair, began to pacify the Rishi Utanka, saying, 'Sir, thefood placed before thee is cold, and doth contain hair, having beenprepared without sufficient care. Therefore I pray thee pardon me. Let menot become blind.' And Utanka answered, 'What I say must come to pass.Having become blind, thou mayst, however, recover the sight before long.Grant that thy curse also doth not take effect on me.' And Paushya saidunto him, 'I am unable to revoke my curse. For my wrath even now hath notbeen appeased. But thou knowest not this. For a Brahmana's heart is softas new-churned butter, even though his words bear a sharp-edged razor. Itis otherwise in respect of these with the Kshatriya. His words are softas new-churned butter, but his heart is like a sharp-edged tool, suchbeing the case, I am unable, because of the hardness of my heart, toneutralise my curse. Then go thou thy own way.' To this Utanka madeanswer, "I showed thee the uncleanliness of the food offered to me, and Iwas even now pacified by thee. Besides, saidst thou at first that becauseI imputed uncleanliness to food that was clean I should be without issue.But the food truly unclean, thy curse cannot affect me. Of this I amsure.' And Utanka having said this departed with the ear-rings.
"On the road Utanka perceived coming towards him a naked idle beggarsometimes coming in view and sometimes disappearing. And Utanka put theear-rings on the ground and went for water. In the meantime the beggarcame quickly to the spot and taking up the ear-rings ran away. And Utankahaving completed his ablutions in water and purified himself and havingalso reverently bowed down to the gods and his spiritual masters pursuedthe thief with the utmost speed. And having with great difficultyovertaken him, he seized him by force. But at that instant the personseized, quitting the form of a beggar and assuming his real form, viz.,that of Takshaka, speedily entered a large hole open in the ground. Andhaving got in, Takshaka proceeded to his own abode, the region of theserpents.
"Now, Utanka, recollecting the words of the Queen, pursued the Serpent,and began to dig open the hole with a stick but was unable to make muchprogress. And Indra beholding his distress sent his thunder-bolt (Vajra)to his assistance. Then the thunder-bolt entering that stick enlargedthat hole. And Utanka began to enter the hole after the thunder-bolt. Andhaving entered it, he beheld the region of the serpents infinite inextent, filled with hundreds of palaces and elegant mansions with turretsand domes and gate-ways, abounding with wonderful places for variousgames and entertainments. And Utanka then glorified the serpents by thefollowing slokas:
"Ye Serpents, subjects of King Airavata, splendid in battle and showeringweapons in the field like lightning-charged clouds driven by the winds!Handsome and of various forms and decked with many coloured ear-rings, yechildren of Airavata, ye shine like the Sun in the firmament! On thenorthern banks of the Ganges are many habitations of serpents. There Iconstantly adore the great serpents. Who except Airavata would desire tomove in the burning rays of the Sun? When Dhritarashtra (Airavata'sbrother) goes out, twenty-eight thousand and eight serpents follow him ashis attendants. Ye who move near him and ye who stay at a distance fromhim, I adore all of you that have Airavata for your elder brother.
"I adore thee also, to obtain the ear-rings, O Takshaka, who formerlydwelt in Kurukshetra and the forest of Khandava! Takshaka and Aswasena,ye are constant companions who dwell in Kurukshetra on the banks of theIkshumati! I also adore the illustrious Srutasena, the younger brother ofTakshaka, who resided at the holy place called Mahadyumna with a view toobtaining the chiefship of the serpents.
"The Brahmana Rishi Utanka having saluted the chief serpents in thismanner, obtained not, however, the ear-rings. And he thereupon becamevery thoughtful. And when he saw that he obtained not the ear-rings eventhough he had adored the serpents, he then looked about him and beheldtwo women at a loom weaving a piece of cloth with a fine shuttle; and inthe loom were black and white threads. And he likewise saw a wheel, withtwelve spokes, turned by six boys. And he also saw a man with a handsomehorse. And he began to address them the following mantras:
"This wheel whose circumference is marked by twenty-four divisionsrepresenting as many lunar changes is furnished with three hundredspokes! It is set in continual motion by six boys (the seasons)! Thesedamsels representing universal nature are weaving without intermission acloth with threads black and white, and thereby ushering into existencethe manifold worlds and the beings that inhabit them! Thou wielder of thethunder, the protector of the universe, the slayer of Vritra and Namuchi,thou illustrious one who wearest the black cloth and displayest truth anduntruth in the universe, thou who ownest for thy carrier the horse whichwas received from the depths of the ocean, and which is but another formof Agni (the god of fire), I bow to thee, thou supreme Lord, thou Lord ofthe three worlds, O Purandara!'
"Then the man with the horse said unto Utanka, 'I am gratified by thisthy adoration. What good shall I do to thee?' And Utanka replied, 'Evenlet the serpents be brought under my control.' Then the man rejoined,'Blow into this horse.' And Utanka blew into that horse. And from thehorse thus blown into, there issued, from every aperture of his body,flames of fire with smoke by which the region of the Nagas was about tobe consumed. And Takshaka, surprised beyond measure and terrified by theheat of the fire, hastily came out of his abode taking the ear-rings withhim, and said unto Utanka, 'Pray, Sir, take back the ear-rings.' AndUtanka took them back.
"But Utanka having recovered his ear-rings thought, 'O, this is thatsacred day of my preceptress. I am at a distance. How can I, therefore,show my regard for her? And when Utanka was anxious about this, the manaddressed him and said, 'Ride this horse, Utanka, and he will in a momentcarry thee to thy master's abode.' And Utanka having signified hisassent, mounted the horse and presently reached his preceptor's house.
"And his preceptress that morning after having bathed was dressing herhair sitting, thinking of uttering a curse on Utanka if he should notreturn within time. But, in the meantime, Utanka entered his preceptor'sabode and paid his respects to his preceptress and presented her theear-rings. 'Utanka', said she, 'thou hast arrived at the proper time atthe proper place. Welcome, my child; thou art innocent and therefore I donot curse thee! Good fortune is even before thee. Let thy wishes becrowned with success!'
"Then Utanka waited on his preceptor. And his preceptor said, 'Thou artwelcome! What hath occasioned thy long absence?' And Utanka replied tohis preceptor, 'Sir, in the execution of this my business obstruction wasoffered by Takshaka, the King of serpents. Therefore I had to go to theregion of the Nagas. There I saw two damsels sitting at a loom, weaving afabric with black and white threads. Pray, what is that? There likewise Ibeheld a wheel with twelve spokes ceaselessly turned by six boys. Whattoo doth that import? Who is also the man that I saw? And what the horseof extraordinary size likewise beheld by me? And when I was on the road Ialso saw a bull with a man mounted thereon, by whom I was endearinglyaccosted thus, 'Utanka, eat of the dung of this bull, which was alsoeaten by thy master?' So I ate of the dung of that bull according to hiswords. Who also is he? Therefore, enlightened by thee, I desire to hearall about them.'
"And his preceptor thus addressed said unto him, 'The two damsels thouhast seen are Dhata and Vidhata; the black and white threads denote nightand day; the wheel of twelve spokes turned by the six boys signified theyear comprising six seasons. The man is Parjanya, the deity of rain, andthe horse is Agni, the god of fire. The bull that thou hast seen on theroad is Airavata, the king of elephants; the man mounted thereon isIndra; and the dung of the bull which was eaten by thee was Amrita. Itwas certainly for this (last) that thou hast not met with death in theregion of the Nagas; and Indra who is my friend having been mercifullyinclined showed thee favour. It is for this that thou returnest safe,with the ear-rings about thee. Then, O thou amiable one, I give theeleave to depart. Thou shall obtain good fortune.'
"And Utanka, having obtained his master's leave, moved by anger andresolved to avenge himself on Takshaka, proceeded towards Hastinapura.That excellent Brahmana soon reached Hastinapura. And Utanka then waitedupon King Janamejaya who had some time before returned victorious fromTakshashila. And Utanka saw the victorious monarch surrounded on allsides by his ministers. And he pronounced benedictions on him in a properform. And Utanka addressed the monarch at the proper moment in speech ofcorrect accent and melodious sounds, saying, 'O thou the best ofmonarchs! How is it that thou spendest thy time like a child when thereis another matter that urgently demandeth thy attention?'"
"Sauti said, 'The monarch Janamejaya, thus addressed, saluting thatexcellent Brahmana replied unto him, 'In cherishing these my subjects Ido discharge the duties of my noble tribe. Say, what is that business tobe done by me and which hath brought thee hither.'
"The foremost of Brahmanas and distinguished beyond all for good deeds,thus addressed by the excellent monarch of large heart, replied unto him,'O King! the business is thy own that demandeth thy attention; thereforedo it, please. O thou King of kings! Thy father was deprived of life byTakshaka; therefore do thou avenge thy father's death on that vileserpent. The time hath come, I think, for the act of vengeance ordainedby the Fates. Go then avenge the death of thy magnanimous father who,being bitten without cause by that vile serpent, was reduced to fiveelements even like a tree stricken by thunder. The wicked Takshaka,vilest of the serpent race, intoxicated with power committed anunnecessary act when he bit the King, that god-like father, the protectorof the race of royal saints. Wicked in his deeds, he even caused Kasyapa(the prince of physicians) to run back when he was coming for the reliefof thy father. It behoveth thee to burn the wicked wretch in the blazingfire of a snake-sacrifice. O King! Give instant orders for the sacrifice.It is thus thou canst avenge the death of thy father. And a very greatfavour shall have also been shown to me. For by that malignant wretch, Ovirtuous Prince, my business also was, on one occasion, obstructed, whileproceeding on account of my preceptor."
"Sauti continued, The monarch, having heard these words, was enraged withTakshaka. By the speech of Utanka was inflamed the prince, even as thesacrificial fire with clarified butter. Moved by grief also, in thepresence of Utanka, the prince asked his ministers the particulars of hisfather's journey to the regions of the blessed. And when he heard allabout the circumstances of his father's death from the lips of Utanka, hewas overcome with pain and sorrow.
And thus endeth the section called Paushya of the Adi Parva of theblessed Mahabharata."
SECTION IV
(Pauloma Parva)
'UGRASRAVA SAUTI, the son of Lomaharshana, versed in the Puranas, whilepresent in the forest of Naimisha, at the twelve years' sacrifice ofSaunaka, surnamed Kulapati, stood before the Rishis in attendance. Havingstudied Puranas with meticulous devotion and thus being thoroughlyacquainted with them, he addressed them with joined hands thus, 'I havegraphically described to you the history of Utanka which is one of thecauses of King Janamejaya's Snake-sacrifice. What, revered Sirs, do yewish to hear now? What shall I relate to you?' The holy men replied, 'Oson of Lomaharshana, we shall ask thee about what we are anxious to hearand thou wilt recount the tales one by one. Saunaka, our revered master,is at present attending the apartment of the holy fire. He is acquaintedwith those divine stories which relate to the gods and asuras. Headequately knoweth the histories of men, serpents, and Gandharvas.Further, O Sauti, in this sacrifice that learned Brahmana is the chief.He is able, faithful to his vows, wise, a master of the Sastras and theAranyaka, a speaker of truth, a lover of peace, a mortifier of the flesh,and an observer of the penances according to the authoritative decrees.He is respected by us all. It behoveth us therefore to wait for him. Andwhen he is seated on his highly respected seat, thou wilt answer whatthat best of Dwijas shall ask of thee.'
"Sauti said, 'Be it so. And when the high-souled master hath been seatedI shall narrate, questioned by him, sacred stories on a variety ofsubjects." After a while that excellent Brahmana (Saunaka) having dulyfinished all his duties, and having propitiated the gods with prayers andthe manes with oblations of water, came back to the place of sacrifice,where with Sauti seated before was the assembly of saints of rigid vowssitting at ease. And when Saunaka was seated in the midst of the Ritwiksand Sadhyas, who were also in their seats, he spake as followeth."

SECTION V
(Pauloma Parva continued)
"Saunaka said, 'Child, thy father formerly read the whole of the Puranas,O son of Lomaharshana, and the Bharata with Krishna-Dwaipayana. Hast thoualso made them thy study? In those ancient records are chronicledinteresting stories and the history of the first generations of the wisemen, all of which we heard being rehearsed by thy sire. In the firstplace, I am desirous of hearing the history of the race of Bhrigu.Recount thou that history, we shall attentively listen to thee."
"Sauti answered, 'By me hath been acquired all that was formerly studiedby the high-souled Brahmanas including Vaisampayana and repeated by them;by me hath been acquired all that had been studied by my father. Odescendant of the Bhrigu race, attend then to so much as relateth to theexalted race of Bhrigu, revered by Indra and all the gods, by the tribesof Rishis and Maruts (Winds). O great Muni, I shall first properlyrecount the story of this family, as told in the Puranas.
"The great and blessed saint Bhrigu, we are informed, was produced by theself-existing Brahma from the fire at the sacrifice of Varuna. And Bhriguhad a son, named Chyavana, whom he dearly loved. And to Chyavana was borna virtuous son called Pramati. And Pramati had a son named Ruru byGhritachi (the celestial dancer). And to Ruru also by his wifePramadvara, was born a son, whose name was Sunaka. He was, O Saunaka, thygreat ancestor exceedingly virtuous in his ways. He was devoted toasceticism, of great reputation, proficient in law, and eminent amongthose having a knowledge of the Vedas. He was virtuous, truthful, and ofwell-regulated fare.'
"Saunaka said, 'O son of Suta, I ask thee why the illustrious son ofBhrigu was named Chyavana. Do tell me all.'
"Sauti replied, 'Bhrigu had a wife named Puloma whom he dearly loved. Shebecame big with child by Bhrigu. And one day while the virtuous continentPuloma was in that condition, Bhrigu, great among those that are true totheir religion, leaving her at home went out to perform his ablutions. Itwas then that the Rakshasa called Puloma came to Bhrigu's abode. Andentering the Rishi's abode, the Rakshasa saw the wife of Bhrigu,irreproachable in everything. And seeing her he became filled with lustand lost his senses. The beautiful Puloma entertained the Rakshasa thusarrived, with roots and fruits of the forest. And the Rakshasa who burntwith desire upon seeing her, became very much delighted and resolved, Ogood sage, to carry her away who was so blameless in every respect.
'My design is accomplished,' said the Rakshasa, and so seizing thatbeautiful matron he carried her away. And, indeed, she of agreeablesmiles, had been betrothed by her father himself, to him, although theformer subsequently bestowed her, according to due rites, on Bhrigu. Othou of the Bhrigu race, this wound rankled deep in the Rakshasa's mindand he thought the present moment very opportune for carrying the ladyaway.
"And the Rakshasa saw the apartment in which the sacrificial fire waskept burning brightly. The Rakshasa then asked the flaming element 'Tellme, O Agni, whose wife this woman rightfully is. Thou art the mouth ofgods; therefore thou art bound to answer my question. This lady ofsuperior complexion had been first accepted by me as wife, but her fathersubsequently bestowed her on the false Bhrigu. Tell me truly if this fairone can be regarded as the wife of Bhrigu, for having found her alone, Ihave resolved to take her away by force from the hermitage. My heartburneth with rage when I reflect that Bhrigu hath got possession of thiswoman of slender waist, first betrothed to me.'"
"Sauti continued, 'In this manner the Rakshasa asked the flaming god offire again and again whether the lady was Bhrigu's wife. And the god wasafraid to return an answer. 'Thou, O god of fire,' said he, residestconstantly within every creature, as witness of her or his merits anddemerits. O thou respected one, then answer my question truly. Has notBhrigu appropriated her who was chosen by me as my wife? Thou shouldstdeclare truly whether, therefore, she is my wife by first choice. Afterthy answer as to whether she is the wife of Bhrigu, I will bear her awayfrom this hermitage even in sight of thee. Therefore answer thou truly.'"
"Sauti continued, 'The Seven flamed god having heard these words of theRakshasa became exceedingly distressed, being afraid of telling afalsehood and equally afraid of Bhrigu's curse. And the god at lengthmade answer in words that came out slowly. 'This Puloma was, indeed,first chosen by thee, O Rakshasa, but she was not taken by thee with holyrites and invocations. But this far-famed lady was bestowed by her fatheron Bhrigu as a gift from desire of blessing. She was not bestowed on theeO Rakshasa, this lady was duly made by the Rishi Bhrigu his wife withVedic rites in my presence. This is she--I know her. I dare not speak afalsehood. O thou best of the Rakshasas, falsehood is never respected inthis world.'"

SECTION VI
(Pauloma Parva continued)
"Sauti said, 'O Brahmana, having heard these words from the god of fire,the Rakshasa assumed the form of a boar, and seizing the lady carried heraway with the speed of the wind--even of thought. Then the child ofBhrigu lying in her body enraged at such violence, dropped from hismother's womb, for which he obtained the name of Chyavana. And theRakshasa perceiving the infant drop from the mother's womb, shining likethe sun, quitted his grasp of the woman, fell down and was instantlyconverted into ashes. And the beautiful Pauloma, distracted with grief, OBrahmana of the Bhrigu race, took up her offspring Chyavana, the son ofBhrigu and walked away. And Brahma, the Grandfather of all, himself sawher, the faultless wife of his son, weeping. And the Grandfather of allcomforted her who was attached to her son. And the drops of tears whichrolled down her eyes formed a great river. And that river began to followthe foot-steps of the wife of the great ascetic Bhrigu. And theGrandfather of the worlds seeing that river follow the path of his son'swife gave it a name himself, and he called it Vadhusara. And it passethby the hermitage of Chyavana. And in this manner was born Chyavana ofgreat ascetic power, the son of Bhrigu.
"And Bhrigu saw his child Chyavana and its beautiful mother. And theRishi in a rage asked her, 'By whom wast thou made known to that Rakshasawho resolved to carry thee away? O thou of agreeable smiles, the Rakshasacould not know thee as my wile. Therefore tell me who it was that toldthe Rakshasa so, in order that I may curse him through anger.' AndPauloma replied, 'O possessor of the six attributes! I was identified tothe Rakshasa by Agni (the god of fire). And he (the Rakshasa) bore meaway, who cried like the Kurari (female osprey). And it was only by theardent splendour of this thy son that I was rescued, for the Rakshasa(seeing this infant) let me go and himself falling to the ground wasturned into ashes.'
"Sauti continued, 'Bhrigu, upon hearing this account from Pauloma, becameexceedingly enraged. And in excess of passion the Rishi cursed Agni,saying, 'Thou shalt eat of all things.'"
So ends the sixth section called "the curse on Agni" in the Adi Parva.

SECTION VII
(Pauloma Parva continued)
"Sauti said, 'the god of fire enraged at the curse of Bhrigu, thusaddressed the Rishi, 'What meaneth this rashness, O Brahmana, that thouhast displayed towards me? What transgression can be imputed to me whowas labouring to do justice and speak the truth impartially? Being askedI gave the true answer. A witness who when interrogated about a fact ofwhich he hath knowledge, representeth otherwise than it is, ruineth hisancestors and descendants both to the seventh generation. He, too, who,being fully cognisant of all the particulars of an affair, doth notdisclose what he knoweth, when asked, is undoubtedly stained with guilt.I can also curse thee, but Brahmanas are held by me in high respect.Although these are known to thee, O Brahmana, I will yet speak of them,so please attend! Having, by ascetic power, multiplied myself, I ampresent in various forms, in places of the daily homa, at sacrificesextending for years, in places where holy rites are performed (such asmarriage, etc.), and at other sacrifices. With the butter that is pouredupon my flame according to the injunctions prescribed in the Vedas, theDevas and the Pitris are appeased. The Devas are the waters; the Pitrisare also the waters. The Devas have with the Pitris an equal right to thesacrifices called Darshas and Purnamasas. The Devas therefore are thePitris and the Pitris, the Devas. They are identical beings, worshippedtogether and also separately at the changes of the moon. The Devas andthe Pitris eat what is poured upon me. I am therefore called the mouth ofthe Devas and the Pitris. At the new moon the Pitris, and at the fullmoon the Devas, are fed through my mouth, eating of the clarified butterthat is poured on me. Being, as I am, their mouth, how am I to be aneater of all things (clean and unclean)?
"Then Agni, alter reflecting for a while, withdrew himself from allplaces; from places of the daily homa of the Brahmanas, from alllong-extending sacrifices, from places of holy rites, and from otherceremonies. Without their Oms and Vashats, and deprived of their Swadhasand Swahas (sacrificial mantras during offerings), the whole body ofcreatures became much distressed at the loss of their (sacrificial) fire.The Rishis in great anxiety went to the gods and addressed them thus, 'Yeimmaculate beings! The three regions of the universe are confounded atthe cessation of their sacrifices and ceremonies in consequence of theloss of fire! Ordain what is to be done in tins matter, so that there maybe no loss of time.' Then the Rishis and the gods went together to thepresence of Brahma. And they represented to him all about the curse onAgni and the consequent interruption of all ceremonies. And they said, 'Othou greatly fortunate! Once Agni hath been cursed by Bhrigu for somereason. Indeed, being the mouth of the gods and also the first who eatethof what is offered in sacrifices, the eater also of the sacrificialbutter, how will Agni be reduced to the condition of one who eateth ofall things promiscuously?' And the creator of the universe hearing thesewords of theirs summoned Agni to his presence. And Brahma addressed Agni,the creator of all and eternal as himself, in these gentle words, 'Thouart the creator of the worlds and thou art their destroyer! Thoupreserves! the three worlds and thou art the promoter of all sacrificesand ceremonies! Therefore behave thyself so that ceremonies be notinterrupted. And, O thou eater of the sacrificial butter, why dost thouact so foolishly, being, as thou art, the Lord of all? Thou alone artalways pure in the universe and thou art its stay! Thou shall not, withall thy body, be reduced to the state of one who eateth of all thingspromiscuously. O thou of flames, the flame that is in thy viler partsshall alone eat of all things alike. The body of thine which eateth offlesh (being in the stomach of all carnivorous animals) shall also eat ofall things promiscuously. And as every thing touched by the sun's raysbecometh pure, so shall everything be pure that shall be burnt by thyflames. Thou art, O fire, the supreme energy born of thy own power. Then,O Lord, by that power of thine make the Rishi's curse come true. Continueto 'receive thy own portion and that of the gods, offered at thy mouth.'
'Sauti continued, 'Then Agni replied to the Grandfather, 'So be it.' Andhe then went away to obey the command of the supreme Lord. The gods andthe Rishis also returned in delight to the place whence they had come.And the Rishis began to perform as before their ceremonies andsacrifices. And the gods in heaven and all creatures of the worldrejoiced exceedingly. And Agni too rejoiced in that he was free from theprospect of sin.
"Thus, O possessor of the six attributes, had Agni been cursed in thedays of yore by Bhrigu. And such is the ancient history connected withthe destruction of the Rakshasa, Pauloma and the birth of Chyavana.'"
Thus endeth the seventh section of the Pauloma Parva of the Adi Parva ofthe blessed Mahabharata.

SECTION VIII
(Pauloma Parva continued)
"Sauti said, 'O Brahmana, Chyavana, the son of Bhrigu, begot a son in thewomb of his wife Sukanya. And that son was the illustrious Pramati ofresplendent energy. And Pramati begot in the womb of Ghritachi a soncalled Ruru. And Ruru begot on his wife Pramadvara a son called Sunaka.And I shall relate to you in detail, O Brahmana, the entire history ofRuru of abundant energy. O listen to it then in full!
"Formerly there was a great Rishi called Sthulakesa possessed of asceticpower and learning and kindly disposed towards all creatures. At thattime, O Brahmana sage, Viswavasu, the King of the Gandharvas, it is said,had intimacy with Menaka, the celestial dancing-girl. And the Apsara,Menaka, O thou of the Bhrigu race, when her time was come, brought forthan infant near the hermitage of Sthulakesa. And dropping the newborninfant on the banks of the river, O Brahmana, Menaka, the Apsara, beingdestitute of pity and shame, went away. And the Rishi, Sthulakesa, ofgreat ascetic power, discovered the infant lying forsaken in a lonelypart of the river-side. And he perceived that it was a female child,bright as the offspring of an Immortal and blazing, as it were, withbeauty: And the great Brahmana, Sthulakesa, the first of Munis, seeingthat female child, and filled with compassion, took it up and reared it.And the lovely child grew up in his holy habitation, the noble-minded andblessed Rishi Sthulakesa performing in due succession all the ceremoniesbeginning with that at birth as ordained by the divine law. And becauseshe surpassed all of her sex in goodness, beauty, and every quality, thegreat Rishi called her by the name of Pramadvara. And the pious Ruruhaving seen Pramadvara in the hermitage of Sthulakesa became one whoseheart was pierced by the god of love. And Ruru by means of his companionsmade his father Pramati, the son of Bhrigu, acquainted with his passion.And Pramati demanded her of the far-famed Sthulakesa for his son. And herfoster-father betrothed the virgin Pramadvara to Ruru, fixing thenuptials for the day when the star Varga-Daivata (Purva-phalguni) wouldbe ascendant.
"Then within a few days of the time fixed for the nuptials, the beautifulvirgin while at play with companions of her own sex, her time havingcome, impelled by fate, trod upon a serpent which she did not perceive asit lay in coil. And the reptile, urged to execute the will of Fate,violently darted its envenomed fangs into the body of the heedlessmaiden. And stung by that serpent, she instantly dropped senseless on theground, her colour faded and all the graces of her person went off. Andwith dishevelled hair she became a spectacle of woe to her companions andfriends. And she who was so agreeable to behold became on her death whatwas too painful to look at. And the girl of slender waist lying on theground like one asleep--being overcome with the poison of the snake-oncemore became more beautiful than in life. And her foster-father and theother holy ascetics who were there, all saw her lying motionless upon theground with the splendour of a lotus. And then there came many notedBrahmanas filled with compassion, and they sat around her. AndSwastyatreya, Mahajana, Kushika, Sankhamekhala, Uddalaka, Katha, andSweta of great renown, Bharadwaja, Kaunakutsya, Arshtishena, Gautama,Pramati, and Pramati's son Ruru, and other inhabitants of the forest,came there. And when they saw that maiden lying dead on the groundovercome with the poison of the reptile that had bitten her, they allwept filled with compassion. But Ruru, mortified beyond measure, retiredfrom the scene.'"
So ends the eighth section of the Pauloma Parva of the Adi Parva of theblessed Mahabharata.

SECTION IX
(Pauloma Parva continued)
"Sauti said, 'While those illustrious Brahmanas were sitting around thedead body of Pramadvara, Ruru, sorely afflicted, retired into a deep woodand wept aloud. And overwhelmed with grief he indulged in much piteouslamentation. And, remembering his beloved Pramadvara, he gave vent to hissorrow in the following words, 'Alas! The delicate fair one thatincreaseth my affliction lieth upon the bare ground. What can be moredeplorable to us, her friends? If I have been charitable, if I haveperformed acts of penance, if I have ever revered my superiors, let themerit of these arts restore to life my beloved one! If from my birth Ihave been controlling my passions, adhered to my vows, let the fairPramadvara rise from the ground.
"And while Ruru was indulging in these lamentations for the loss of hisbride, a messenger from heaven came to him in the forest and addressedhim thus, 'The words thou utterest, O Ruru, in thy affliction arecertainly ineffectual. For, O pious man, one belonging to this worldwhose days have run out can never come back to life. This poor child of aGandharva and Apsara has had her days run out! Therefore, O child, thoushouldst not consign thy heart to sorrow. The great gods, however, haveprovided beforehand a means of her restoration to life. And if thoucompliest with it, thou mayest receive back thy Pramadvara.'
"And Ruru replied, O messenger of heaven! What is that which the godshave ordained. Tell me in full so that (on hearing) I may comply with it.It behoveth thee to deliver me from grief!' And the celestial messengersaid unto Ruru, 'Resign half of thy own life to thy bride, and then, ORuru of the race of Bhrigu, thy Pramadvara shall rise from the ground.''O best of celestial messengers, I most willingly offer a moiety of myown life in favour of my bride. Then let my beloved one rise up once morein her dress and lovable form.'
"Sauti said, 'Then the king of Gandharvas (the father of Pramadvara) andthe celestial messenger, both of excellent qualities, went to the godDharma (the Judge of the dead) and addressed him, saying, 'If it be thywill, O Dharmaraja, let the amiable Pramadvara, the betrothed wife ofRuru, now lying dead, rise up with a moiety of Ruru's life.' AndDharmaraja answered, 'O messenger of the gods, if it be thy wish, letPramadvara, the betrothed wife of Ruru, rise up endued with a moiety ofRuru's life.'
"Sauti continued, 'And when Dharmaraja had said so, that maiden ofsuperior complexion, Pramadvara, endued with a moiety of Ruru's life,rose as from her slumber. This bestowal by Ruru of a moiety of his ownspan of life to resuscitate his bride afterwards led, as it would beseen, to a curtailment of Ruru's life.
"And on an auspicious day their fathers gladly married them with duerites. And the couple passed their days, devoted to each other. And Ruruhaving obtained such a wife, as is hard to be found, beautiful and brightas the filaments of the lotus, made a vow for the destruction of theserpent-race. And whenever he saw a serpent he became filled with greatwrath and always killed it with a weapon.
"One day, O Brahmana, Ruru entered an extensive forest. And there he sawan old serpent of the Dundubha species lying stretched on the ground. AndRuru thereupon lifted up in anger his staff, even like to the staff ofDeath, for the purpose of killing it. Then the Dundubha, addressing Ruru,said, 'I have done thee no harm, O Brahmana! Then wherefore wilt thouslay me in anger?'"
So ends the ninth section of the Pauloma Parva of the Adi Parva of theblessed Mahabharata.

SECTION X
(Pauloma Parva continued)
Sauti said, 'And Ruru, on hearing those words, replied, 'My wife, dear tome as life, was bit by a snake; upon which, I took, O snake, a dreadfulvow, viz., that I would kill every snake that I might come across.Therefore shall I smite thee and thou shalt be deprived of life.'
"And the Dundubha replied, 'O Brahmana, the snakes that bite man arequite different in type. It behoveth thee not to slay Dundubhas who areserpents only in name. Subject like other serpents to the same calamitiesbut not sharing their good fortune, in woe the same but in joy different,the Dundubhas should not be slain by thee under any misconception.'
"Sauti continued, 'And the Rishi Ruru hearing these words of the serpent,and seeing that it was bewildered with fear, albeit a snake of theDundubha species, killed it not. And Ruru, the possessor of the sixattributes, comforting the snake addressed it, saying, 'Tell me fully, Osnake, who art thou thus metamorphosed?' And the Dundubha replied, 'ORuru! I was formerly a Rishi by name Sahasrapat. And it is by the curseof a Brahmana that I have been transformed into a snake. And Ruru asked,'O thou best of snakes, for what wast thou cursed by a Brahmana in wrath?And how long also will thy form continue so?'"
And so ends the tenth section of the Pauloma Parva of the Adi Parva.

SECTION XI
(Pauloma Parva continued)
"Sauti continued 'The Dundubha then said, 'In former times, I had afriend Khagama by name. He was impetuous in his speech and possessed ofspiritual power by virtue of his austerities. And one day when he wasengaged in the Agni-hotra (Fire-sacrifice), I made a mock snake of bladesof grass, and in a frolic attempted to frighten him with it. And anon hefell into a swoon. On recovering his senses, that truth-telling andvow-observing ascetic, burning with wrath, exclaimed, 'Since thou hastmade a powerless mock snake to frighten me, thou shalt be turned eveninto a venomless serpent thyself by my curse.' O ascetic, I well knew thepower of his penances; therefore with an agitated heart, I addressed himthus, bending low with joined hands, 'Friend, I did this by way of ajoke, to excite thy laughter. It behoveth thee to forgive me and revokethy curse.' And seeing me sorely troubled, the ascetic was moved, and hereplied, breathing hot and hard. 'What I have said must come to pass.Listen to what I say and lay it to thy heart. O pious one! when Ruru thepure son of Pramati, will appear, thou shall be delivered from the cursethe moment thou seest him. Thou art the very Ruru and the son of Pramati.On regaining my native form, I will tell thee something for thy good.
"And that illustrious man and the best of Brahmanas then left hissnake-body, and attained his own form and original brightness. He thenaddressed the following words to Ruru of incomparable power, 'O thoufirst of created beings, verily the highest virtue of man is sparing thelife of others. Therefore a Brahmana should never take the life of anycreature. A Brahmana should ever be mild. This is the most sacredinjunction of the Vedas. A Brahmana should be versed in the Vedas andVedangas, and should inspire all creatures with belief in God. He shouldbe benevolent to all creatures, truthful, and forgiving, even as it ishis paramount duty to retain the Vedas in his memory. The duties of theKshatriya are not thine. To be stern, to wield the sceptre and to rulethe subjects properly are the duties of the Kshatriya. Listen, O Ruru, tothe account of the destruction of snakes at the sacrifice of Janamejayain days of yore, and the deliverance of the terrified reptiles by thatbest of Dwijas, Astika, profound in Vedic lore and might in spiritualenergy.'"
And so ends the eleventh section of the Pauloma Parva of the Adi Parva.

SECTION XII
(Pauloma Parva continued)
"Sauti continued, 'Ruru then asked, 'O best of Dwijas, why was kingJanamejaya bent upon destroying the serpents?--And why and how were theysaved by the wise Astika? I am anxious to hear all this in detail.'
"The Rishi replied, 'O Ruru, the important history of Astika you willlearn from the lips of Brahmanas.' Saying this, he vanished.
"Sauti continued, 'Ruru ran about in search of the missing Rishi, andhaving failed to find him in all the woods, fell down on the ground,fatigued. And revolving in his mind the words of the Rishi, he wasgreatly confounded and seemed to be deprived of his senses. Regainingconsciousness, he came home and asked his father to relate the history inquestion. Thus asked, his father related all about the story.'"
So ends the twelfth section in the Pauloma Parva of the Adi Parva.

SECTION XIII
(Astika Parva)
"Saunaka said, 'For what reason did that tiger among kings, the royalJanamejaya, determine to take the lives of the snakes by means of asacrifice? O Sauti, tell us in full the true story. Tell us also whyAstika, that best of regenerate ones, that foremost of ascetics, rescuedthe snakes from the blazing fire. Whose son was that monarch whocelebrated the snake-sacrifice? And whose son also was that best ofregenerate ones?'
"Sauti said, 'O best of speakers, this story of Astika is long. I willduly relate it in full, O listen!'
"Saunaka said, 'I am desirous of hearing at length the charming story ofthat Rishi, that illustrious Brahmana named Astika.'
"Sauti said, 'This history (first) recited by Krishna-Dwaipayana, iscalled a Purana by the Brahmanas. It was formerly narrated by my wisefather, Lomaharshana, the disciple of Vyasa, before the dwellers of theNaimisha forest, at their request. I was present at the recital, and, OSaunaka, since thou askest me, I shall narrate the history of Astikaexactly as I heard it. O listen, as I recite in full that sin-destroyingstory.
"The father of Astika was powerful like Prajapati. He was aBrahma-charin, always engaged in austere devotions. He ate sparingly, wasa great ascetic, and had his lust under complete control. And he wasknown by the name of Jaratkaru. That foremost one among the Yayavaras,virtuous and of rigid vows, highly blessed and endued with great asceticpower, once undertook a journey over the world. He visited diverseplaces, bathed in diverse sacred waters, and rested where night overtookhim. Endued with great energy, he practised religious austerities, hardto be practised by men of unrestrained souls. The sage lived upon aironly, and renounced sleep for ever. Thus going about like a blazing fire,one day he happened to see his ancestors, hanging heads down in a greathole, their feet pointing upwards. On seeing them, Jaratkaru addressedthem, saying:
'Who are you thus hanging heads down in this hole by a rope of viranafibres that is again secretly eaten into on all sides by a rat livinghere?'
"The ancestors said, 'We are Rishis of rigid vows, called Yayavaras. Weare sinking low into the earth for want of offspring. We have a son namedJaratkaru. Woe to us! That wretch hath entered upon a life of austeritiesonly! The fool doth not think of raising offspring by marriage! It is forthat reason, viz., the fear of extinction of our race, that we aresuspended in this hole. Possessed of means, we fare like unfortunatesthat have none! O excellent one, who art thou that thus sorrowest as afriend on our account? We desire to learn, O Brahmana, who thou art thatstandest by us, and why, O best of men, thou sorrowest for us that are sounfortunate.'
"Jaratkaru said, 'Ye are even my sires and grandsires I am thatJaratkaru! O, tell me, how I may serve you.'
"The fathers then answered, 'Try thy best, O child, to beget a son toextend our line. Thou wilt then, O excellent one, have done a meritoriousart for both thyself and us. Not by the fruits of virtue, not by asceticpenances well hoarded up, acquireth the merit which one doth by becominga father. Therefore, O child, by our command, set thy heart upon marriageand offspring. Even this is our highest good.'
"Jaratkaru replied, 'I shall not marry for my sake, nor shall I earnwealth for enjoyment, but I shall do so for your welfare only. Accordingto this understanding, I shall, agreeably to the Sastric ordinance, takea wife for attaining the end. I shall not act otherwise. If a bride maybe had of the same name with me, whose friends would, besides, willinglygive her to me as a gift in charity, I shall wed her duly. But who willgive his daughter to a poor man like me for wife. I shall, however,accept any daughter given to me as alms. I shall endeavour, ye sires,even thus to wed a girl! Having given my word, I will not act otherwise.Upon her I will raise offspring for your redemption, so that, ye fathers,ye may attain to eternal regions (of bliss) and may rejoice as ye like.'"
So ends the thirteenth section in the Astika Parva of the Adi Parva.

SECTION XIV
(Astika Parva continued)
"Sauti said, 'That Brahmana of rigid vows then wandered over the earthfor a wife but a wife found he not. One day he went into the forest, andrecollecting the words of his ancestors, he thrice prayed in a faintvoice for a bride. Thereupon Vasuki rose and offered his sister for theRishi's acceptance. But the Brahmana hesitated to accept her, thinkingher not to be of the same name with himself. The high-souled Jaratkaruthought within himself, 'I will take none for wife who is not of the samename with myself.' Then that Rishi of great wisdom and austere penancesasked him, saying, 'Tell me truly what is the name of this thy sister, Osnake.'
"Vasuki replied, 'O Jaratkaru, this my younger sister is calledJaratkaru. Given away by me, accept this slender-waisted damsel for thyspouse. O best of Brahmanas, for thee I reserved her. Therefore, takeher.' Saying this, he offered his beautiful sister to Jaratkaru who thenespoused her with ordained rites.'"
So ends the thirteenth section in the Astika Parva of the Adi Parva.

SECTION XV
(Astika Parva continued)
"Sauti said, 'O foremost of persons acquainted with Brahma, the mother ofthe snakes had cursed them of old, saying, 'He that hath the Wind for hischarioteer (viz., Agni) shall burn you all in Janamejaya's sacrifice!' Itwas to neutralise that curse that the chief of the snakes married hissister to that high-souled Rishi of excellent vows. The Rishi wedded heraccording to the rites ordained (in the scriptures), and from them wasborn a high-souled son called Astika. An illustrious ascetic; versed inthe Vedas and their branches, he regarded all with an even eye, andremoved the fears of both his parents.
"Then, after a long space of time, a king descending from the Pandavaline celebrated a great sacrifice known as the Snake-sacrifice, Afterthat sacrifice had commenced for the destruction of the snakes, Astikadelivered the Nagas, viz., his brothers and maternal uncles and othersnakes (from a fiery death). And he delivered his fathers also bybegetting offspring. And by his austerities, O Brahmana, and various vowsand study of the Vedas, he freed himself from all his debts. Bysacrifices, at which various kinds of offerings were made, he propitiatedthe gods. By practising the Brahmacharya mode of life he conciliated theRishis; and by begetting offspring he gratified his ancestors.
"Thus Jaratkaru of rigid vows discharged the heavy debt he owed to hissires who being thus relieved from bondage ascended to heaven. Thushaving acquired great religious merit, Jaratkaru, after a long course ofyears, went to heaven, leaving Astika behind. There is the story ofAstika that I have related duly Now, tell me, O tiger of Bhrigu's race,what else I shall narrate."
So ends the fifteenth section in the Astika Parva of the Adi Parva.

SECTION XVI
(Astika Parva continued)
"Saunaka said, 'O Sauti, relate once more in detail this history of thelearned and virtuous Astika. Our curiosity for hearing it is great. Oamiable one, thou speakest sweetly, with proper accent and emphasis; andwe are well-pleased with thy speech. Thou speakest even as thy father.Thy sire was ever ready to please us. Tell us now the story as thy fatherhad related it.'
"Sauti said, 'O thou that art blest with longevity, I shall narrate thehistory of Astika as I heard it from my father. O Brahmana, in the goldenage, Prajapati had two daughters. O sinless one, the sisters were endowedwith wonderful beauty. Named Kadru and Vinata, they became the wives ofKasyapa. Kasyapa derived great pleasure from his two wedded wives andbeing gratified he, resembling Prajapati himself, offered to give each ofthem a boon. Hearing that their lord was willing to confer on them theirchoice blessings, those excellent ladies felt transports of joy. Kadruwished to have for sons a thousand snakes all of equal splendour. AndVinata wished to bring forth two sons surpassing the thousand offspringsof Kadru in strength, energy, size of body, and prowess. Unto Kadru herlord gave that boon about a multitude of offspring. And unto Vinata also,Kasyapa said, 'Be it so!' Then Vinata, having; obtained her prayer,rejoiced greatly. Obtaining two sons of superior prowess, she regardedher boon fulfilled. Kadru also obtained her thousand sons of equalsplendour. 'Bear the embryos carefully,' said Kasyapa, and then he wentinto the forest, leaving his two wives pleased with his blessings.'
"Sauti continued, 'O best of regenerate ones, after a long time, Kadrubrought forth a thousand eggs, and Vinata two. Their maid-servantsdeposited the eggs separately in warm vessels. Five hundred years passedaway, and the thousand eggs produced by Kadru burst and out came theprogeny. But the twins of Vinata did not appear. Vinata was jealous, andtherefore she broke one of the eggs and found in it an embryo with theupper part developed but the lower one undeveloped. At this, the child inthe egg became angry and cursed his mother, saying. 'Since thou hastprematurely broken this egg, thou shall serve as a slave. Shouldst thouwait five hundred years and not destroy, or render the other egghalf-developed, by breaking it through impatience, then the illustriouschild within it will deliver thee from slavery! And if thou wouldst havethe child strong, thou must take tender care of the egg for all thistime!' Thus cursing his mother, the child rose to the sky. O Brahmana,even he is the charioteer of Surya, always seen in the hour of morning!
"Then at the expiration of the five hundred years, bursting open theother egg, out came Garuda, the serpent-eater. O tiger of Bhrigu's race,immediately on seeing the light, that son of Vinata left his mother. Andthe lord of birds, feeling hungry, took wing in quest of the foodassigned to him by the Great Ordainer of all.".
So ends the sixteenth section in the Astika Parva of the Adi Parva.

SECTION XVII
(Astika Parva continued)
"Sauti said, 'O ascetic, about this time the two sisters saw approachingnear, that steed of complacent appearance named Uchchaihsravas who wasworshipped by the gods, that gem of steeds, who arose at the churning ofthe Ocean for nectar. Divine, graceful, perpetually young, creation'smaster-piece, and of irresistible vigour, it was blest with everyauspicious mark.'
"Saunaka asked, 'Why did the gods churn the Ocean for nectar, and underwhat circumstances and when as you say, did that best of steeds sopowerful and resplendent spring?'
"Sauti said, 'There is a mountain named Meru, of blazing appearance, andlooking like a heap of effulgence. The rays of the Sun falling on itspeaks of golden lustre are dispersed by them. Decked with gold andexceedingly beautiful, that mountain is the haunt of the gods and theGandharvas. It is immeasurable and unapproachable by men of manifoldsins. Dreadful beasts of prey wander over its breasts, and it isilluminated by many divine life-giving herbs. It stands kissing theheavens by its height and is the first of mountains. Ordinary peoplecannot even think of ascending it. It is graced with trees and streams,and resounds with the charming melody of winged choirs. Once thecelestials sat on its begemmed peak--in conclave. They who had practisedpenances and observed excellent vows for amrita now seemed to be eagerseekers alter amrita (celestial ambrosia). Seeing the celestial assemblyin anxious mood Nara-yana said to Brahman, 'Do thou churn the Ocean withthe gods and the Asuras. By doing so, amrita will be obtained as also alldrugs and gems. O ye gods, chum the Ocean, ye will discover amrita.'"
So ends the seventeenth section in the Astika Parva of the Adi Parva.

SECTION XVIII
(Astika Parva continued)
"Sauti said, 'There is a mountain called Mandara adorned with cloud-likepeaks. It is the best of mountains, and is covered all over withintertwining herbs. There countless birds pour forth their melodies, andbeasts of prey roam about. The gods, the Apsaras and the Kinnaras visitthe place. Upwards it rises eleven thousand yojanas, and descendsdownwards as much. The gods wanted to tear it up and use it as a churningrod but failing to do so same to Vishnu and Brahman who were sittingtogether, and said unto them, 'Devise some efficient scheme, consider, yegods, how Mandara may be dislodged for our good.'
"Sauti continued, 'O son of Bhrigu! Vishnu with Brahman assented to it.And the lotus-eyed one (Vishnu) laid the hard task on the mighty Ananta,the prince of snakes. The powerful Ananta, directed thereto both byBrahman and Narayana, O Brahmana, tore up the mountain with the woodsthereon and with the denizens of those woods. And the gods came to theshore of the Ocean with Ananta and addressed the Ocean, saying, 'O Ocean;we have come to churn thy waters for obtaining nectar.' And the Oceanreplied, 'Be it so, as I shall not go without a share of it. I am able tobear the prodigious agitation of my waters set up by the mountain.' Thegods then went to the king of tortoises and said to him, 'OTortoise-king, thou wilt have to hold the mountain on thy back!' TheTortoise-king agreed, and Indra contrived to place the mountain on theformer's back.
"And the gods and the Asuras made of Mandara a churning staff and Vasukithe cord, and set about churning the deep for amrita. The Asuras heldVasuki by the hood and the gods held him by the tail. And Ananta, who wason the side of the gods, at intervals raised the snake's hood andsuddenly lowered it. And in consequence of the stretch Vasuki received atthe hands of the gods and the Asuras, black vapours with flames issuedfrom his mouth. These, turned into clouds charged with lightning, pouredshowers that refreshed the tired gods. And flowers that also fell on allsides of the celestials from the trees on the whirling Mandara, refreshedthem.
"Then, O Brahmana, out of the deep came a tremendous roar like unto theroar of the clouds at the Universal Dissolution. Diverse aquatic animalsbeing crushed by the great mountain gave up the ghost in the salt waters.And many denizens of the lower regions and the world of Varuna werekilled. Large trees with birds on the whirling Mandara were torn up bythe roots and fell into the water. The mutual friction of those treesalso produced fires that blazed up frequently. The mountain thus lookedlike a mass of dark clouds charged with lightning. O Brahmana, the firespread, and consumed the lions, elephants and other creatures that wereon the mountain. Then Indra extinguished that fire by pouring down heavyshowers.
"After the churning, O Brahmana, had gone on for some time, gummyexudations of various trees and herbs vested with the properties ofamrita mingled with the waters of the Ocean. And the celestials attainedto immortality by drinking of the water mixed with those gums and withthe liquid extract of gold. By degrees, the milky water of the agitateddeep turned into clarified butter by virtue of those gums and juices. Butnectar did not appear even then. The gods came before the boon-grantingBrahman seated on his seat and said, 'Sire, we are spent up, we have nostrength left to churn further. Nectar hath not yet arisen so that now wehave no resource save Narayana.'
"On hearing them, Brahman said to Narayana, 'O Lord, condescend to grantthe gods strength to churn the deep afresh.'
"Then Narayana agreeing to grant their various prayers, said, 'Ye wiseones, I grant you sufficient strength. Go, put the mountain in positionagain and churn the water.'
'Re-established thus in strength, the gods recommenced churning. After awhile, the mild Moon of a thousand rays emerged from the Ocean.Thereafter sprung forth Lakshmi dressed in white, then Soma, then theWhite Steed, and then the celestial gem Kaustubha which graces the breastof Narayana. Then Lakshmi, Soma and the Steed, fleet as the mind, allcame before the gods on high. Then arose the divine Dhanwantari himselfwith the white vessel of nectar in his hand. And seeing him, the Asurasset up a loud cry, saying, 'It be ours.'
"And at length rose the great elephant, Airavata, of huge body and withtwo pair of white tusks. And him took Indra the wielder of thethunderbolt. But with the churning still going on, the poison Kalakutaappeared at last. Engulfing the Earth it suddenly blazed up like a fireattended with fumes. And by the scent of the fearful Kalakuta, the threeworlds were stupefied. And then Siva, being solicited by Brahman,swallowed that poison for the safety of the creation. The divineMaheswara held it in his throat, and it is said that from that time he iscalled Nilakantha (blue-throated). Seeing all these wondrous things, theAsuras were filled with despair, and got themselves prepared for enteringinto hostilities with the gods for the possession of Lakshmi and Amrita.Thereupon Narayana called his bewitching Maya (illusive power) to hisaid, and assuming the form of an enticing female, coquetted with theDanavas. The Danavas and the Daityas charmed with her exquisite beautyand grace lost their reason and unanimously placed the Amrita in thehands of that fair damsel.'"
So ends the eighteenth section in the Astika Parva of the Adi Parva.
SECTION XIX
(Astika Parva continued)
"Sauti said, 'Then the Daityas and the Danauas equipped with first-classarmours and various weapons attacked the gods. In the meantime thevaliant Lord Vishnu in the form of an enchantress accompanied by Naradeceived the mighty Danavas and took away the Amrita from their hands.
"And all the gods at that time of great fright drank the Amrita withdelight, receiving it from Vishnu. And while the gods were partaking ofit, after which they had so much hankered, a Danava named Rahu was alsodrinking it among them in the guise of a god. And when the Amrita hadreached Rahu's throat only, Surya and Soma (recognised him and) intimatedthe fact to the gods. And Narayana instantly cut off with his discus thewell-adorned head of the Danava who was drinking the Amrita withoutpermission. And the huge head of the Danava, cut off by the discus andresembling a mountain peak, then rose up to the sky and began to utterdreadful cries. And the Danava's headless trunk, falling upon the groundand rolling thereon, made the Earth tremble with her mountains, forestsand islands. And from that time there is a long-standing quarrel betweenRahu's head and Surya and Soma. And to this day it swalloweth Surya andSoma (during solar and lunar eclipses).
"Then Narayana quitting his enchanting female form and hurling manyterrible weapons at the Danavas, made them tremble. And thus on theshores of the salt-water sea, commenced the dreadful battle of the godsand the Asuras. And sharp-pointed javelins and lances and various weaponsby thousands began to be discharged on all sides. And mangled with thediscus and wounded with swords, darts and maces, the Asuras in largenumbers vomited blood and lay prostrate on the earth. Cut off from thetrunks with sharp double-edged swords, heads adorned with bright gold,fell continually on the field of battle. Their bodies drenched in gore,the great Asuras lay dead everywhere. It seemed as if red-dyed mountainpeaks lay scattered all around. And when the Sun rose in his splendour,thousands of warriors struck one another with weapons. And cries ofdistress were heard everywhere. The warriors fighting at a distance fromone another brought one another down by sharp iron missiles, and thosefighting at close quarters slew one another with blows of their fists.And the air was filled with shrieks of distress. Everywhere were heardthe alarming sounds,--'cut', 'pierce', 'at them', 'hurl down', 'advance'.
'And when the battle was raging fiercely, Nara and Narayana entered thefield. And Narayana seeing the celestial bow in the hand of Nara, calledto mind his own weapon, the Danava-destroying discus. And lo! the discus,Sudarsana, destroyer of enemies, like to Agni in effulgence and dreadfulin battle, came from the sky as soon as thought of. And when it came,Narayana of fierce energy, possessing arms like the trunk of an elephant,hurled with great force that weapon of extraordinary lustre, effulgent asblazing fire, dreadful and capable of destroying hostile towns. And thatdiscus blazing like the fire that consumeth all things at the end ofYuga, hurled with force from the hands of Narayana, and fallingconstantly everywhere, destroyed the Daityas and the Danavas bythousands. Sometimes it blazed like fire and consumed them all; sometimesit struck them down as it coursed through the sky; and sometimes, fallingon the earth, it drank their life-blood like a goblin.
"On the other hand, the Danavas, white as the clouds from which the rainhath dropped, possessing great strength and bold hearts, ascended thesky, and by hurling down thousands of mountains, continually harassed thegods. And those dreadful mountains, like masses of clouds, with theirtrees and flat tops, falling from the sky, collided with one another andproduced a tremendous roar. And when thousands of warriors shoutedwithout intermission in the field of battle and mountains with the woodsthereon began to fall around, the earth with her forests trembled. Thenthe divine Nara appeared at the scene of the dreadful conflict betweenthe Asuras and the Ganas (the followers of Rudra), and reducing to dustthose rocks by means of his gold-headed arrows, he covered the heavenswith dust. Thus discomfited by the gods, and seeing the furious discusscouring the fields of heaven like a blazing flame, the mighty Danavasentered the bowels of the earth, while others plunged into the sea ofsalt-waters.
"And having gained the victory, the gods offered due respect to Mandaraand placed him again on his own base. And the nectar-bearing gods madethe heavens resound with their shouts, and went to their own abodes. Andthe gods, on returning to the heavens, rejoiced greatly, and Indra andthe other deities made over to Narayana the vessel of Amrita for carefulkeeping.'"
And so ends the nineteenth section in the Astika Parva of the Adi Parva.

SECTION XX
(Astika Parva continued)
"Sauti said, 'Thus have I recited to you the whole story of how Amritawas churned out of the Ocean, and the occasion on which the horseUchchaihsravas of great beauty and incomparable prowess was obtained. Itwas this horse about which Kadru asked Vinata, saying, 'Tell me, amiablesister, without taking much time, of what colour Uchchaishravas is.' AndVinata answered, 'That prince of steeds is certainly white. What dostthou think, sister? Say thou what is its colour. Let us lay a wager uponit.' Kadru replied, then, 'O thou of sweet smiles. I think that horse isblack in its tail. Beauteous one, bet with me that she who loseth willbecome the other's slave.'
'Sauti continued, 'Thus wagering with each other about menial service asa slave, the sisters went home, and resolved to satisfy themselves byexamining the horse next day. And Kadru, bent upon practising adeception, ordered her thousand sons to transform themselves into blackhair and speedily cover the horse's tail in order that she might notbecome a slave. But her sons, the snakes, refusing to do her bidding, shecursed them, saying, 'During the snake-sacrifice of the wise kingJanamejaya of the Pandava race, Agni shall consume you all.' And theGrandsire (Brahman) himself heard this exceedingly cruel curse pronouncedby Kadru, impelled by the fates. And seeing that the snakes hadmultiplied exceedingly, the Grandsire, moved by kind consideration forhis creatures, sanctioned with all the gods this curse of Kadru. Indeed,as the snakes were of virulent poison, great prowess and excess ofstrength, and ever bent on biting other creatures, their mother's conducttowards them--those persecutors of all creatures,--was very proper forthe good of all creatures. Fate always inflicts punishment of death onthose who seek the death of other creatures. The gods, having exchangedsuch sentiments with one another, supported Kadru's action (and wentaway). And Brahman, calling Kasyapa to him, spake unto him these words,'O thou pure one who overcomest all enemies, these snakes begotten byyou, who are of virulent poison and huge bodies, and ever intent onbiting other creatures, have been cursed by their mother. O son, do notgrieve for it in the least. The destruction of the snakes in thesacrifice hath, indeed, been ordained long ago' Saying this, the divineCreator of the Universe comforted Kasyapa and imparted to thatillustrious one the knowledge of neutralising poison."
And so ends the twentieth section in the Astika Parva of the Adi Parva.

SECTION XXI
(Astika Parva continued)
"Sauti said. 'Then when the night had passed away and the sun had risenin the morning, O thou whose wealth is asceticism, the two sisters Kadruand Vinata, having laid a wager about slavery, went with haste andimpatience to view the steed Uchchaishravas from a near point. On theirway they saw the Ocean, that receptacle of waters, vast and deep, rollingand tremendously roaring, full of fishes large enough to swallow thewhale, and abounding with huge makaras and creatures of various forms bythousands, and rendered inaccessible by the presence of other terrible,monster-shaped, dark, and fierce aquatic animals, abounding withtortoises and crocodiles, the mine of all kinds of gems, the home ofVaruna (the water-God), the excellent and beautiful residence of theNagas, the lord of all rivers, the abode of the subterranean fire, thefriend (or asylum) of the Asuras, the terror of all creatures, the grandreservoir of water, and ever immutable. It is holy, beneficial to thegods, and is the great source of nectar; without limits, inconceivable,sacred, and highly wonderful. It is dark, terrible with the sound ofaquatic creatures, tremendously roaring, and full of deep whirl-pools. Itis an object of terror to all creatures. Moved by the winds blowing fromits shores and heaving high, agitated and disturbed, it seems to danceeverywhere with uplifted hands represented by its surges. Full ofswelling billows caused by the waxing and waning of the moon the parentof Vasudeva's great conch called Panchajanya, the great mine of gems, itswaters were formerly disturbed in consequence of the agitation causedwithin them by the Lord Govinda of immeasurable prowess when he hadassumed the form of a wild boar for raising the (submerged) Earth. Itsbottom, lower than the nether regions, the vow observing regenerate RishiAtri could not fathom after (toiling for) a hundred years. It becomes thebed of the lotus-naveled Vishnu when at the termination of every Yugathat deity of immeasurable power enjoys yoga-nidra, the deep sleep underthe spell of spiritual meditation. It is the refuge of Mainaka fearful offalling thunder, and the retreat of the Asuras overcome in fierceencounters. It offers water as sacrificial butter to the blazing fireissuing from the mouth of Varava (the Ocean-mare). It is fathomless andwithout limits, vast and immeasurable, and the lord of rivers.
"And they saw that unto it rushed mighty rivers by thousands with proudgait, like amorous competitors, each eager for meeting it, forestallingthe others. And they saw that it was always full, and always dancing inits waves. And they saw that it was deep and abounding with fierce whalesand makaras. And it resounded constantly with the terrible sounds ofaquatic creatures. And they saw that it was vast, and wide as the expanseof space, unfathomable, and limitless, and the grand reservoir of water.'"
And so ends the twenty-first section in the Astika Parva of the Adi Parva.

SECTION XXII
(Astika Parva continued)
"Sauti said, 'The Nagas after consultation arrived at the conclusion thatthey should do their mother's bidding, for if she failed in obtaining herdesire she might withdraw her affection and burn them all. If, on theother hand, she were graciously inclined, she might free them from hercurse. They said, 'We will certainly render the horse's tail black.' Andit is said that they then went and became hairs in the horse's tail.
"Now the two co-wives had laid the wager. And having laid the wager, Obest of Brahmanas, the two sisters Kadru and Vinata, the daughters ofDaksha, proceeded in great delight along the sky to see the other side ofthe Ocean. And on their way they saw the Ocean, that receptacle ofwaters, incapable of being easily disturbed, mightily agitated all of asudden by the wind, and roaring tremendously; abounding with fishescapable of swallowing the whale and full of makaras; containing alsocreatures of diverse forms counted by thousands; frightful from thepresence of horrible monsters, inaccessible, deep, and terrible, the mineof all kinds of gems, the home of Varuna (the water-god), the wonderfulhabitations of the Nagas, the lord of rivers, the abode of thesubterranean fire; the residence of the Asuras and of many dreadfulcreatures; the reservoir of water, not subject to decay, aromatic, andwonderful, the great source of the amrita of the celestials; immeasurableand inconceivable, containing waters that are holy, filled to the brim bymany thousands of great rivers, dancing as it were in waves. Such was theOcean, full of rolling waves, vast as the expanse of the sky, deep, ofbody lighted with the flames of subterranean fire, and roaring, which thesisters quickly passed over.'"
And so ends the twenty-second section in the Astika Parva of the AdiParva.

SECTION XXIII
(Astika Parva continued)
"Sauti said, 'Having crossed the Ocean, Kadru of swift speed, accompaniedby Vinata, soon alighted near the horse. They then both beheld thatforemost of steeds of great speed, with body white as the rays of themoon but having black hairs (in the tail). And observing many black hairsin the tail, Kadru put Vinata, who was deeply dejected, into slavery. Andthus Vinata having lost the wager, entered into a state of slavery andbecame exceedingly sorry.
"In the meantime, when his time came, burst forth from the egg without(the help of his) mother, Garuda of great splendour, enkindling all thepoints of the universe, that mighty being endued with strength, that birdcapable of assuming at will any form, of going at will everywhere, and ofcalling to his aid at will any measure of energy. Effulgent like a heapof fire, he shone terribly. Of lustre equal to that of the fire at theend of the Yuga, his eyes were bright like the lightning-flash. And soonafter birth, that bird grew in size and increasing his body ascended theskies. Fierce and vehemently roaring, he looked as terrible as secondOcean-fire. And all the deities seeing him, sought the protection ofVibhavasu (Agni). And they bowed down to that deity of manifold formsseated on his seat and spake unto him these words, 'O Agni, extend notthy body! Wilt thou consume us? Lo, this huge heap of thy flames isspreading wide!' And Agni replied, 'O, ye persecutors of the Asuras, itis not as ye imagine. This is Garuda of great strength and equal to me insplendour, endued with great energy, and born to promote the joy ofVinata. Even the sight of this heap of effulgence hath caused thisdelusion in you. He is the mighty son of Kasyapa, the destroyer of theNagas, engaged in the well-being of the gods, and the foe of the Daityasand the Rakshasas. Be not afraid of it in the least. Come with me andsee.' Thus addressed, the gods from a distance.
"The gods said, 'Thou art a Rishi (i.e., one cognisant of all mantras),share of the largest portion in sacrifices, ever resplendent, thecontroller along with the Rishi wended their way towards Garuda andadored him of birds, the presiding spirit of the animate and theinanimate universe. Thou art the destroyer of all, the creator of all;thou art the very Hiranyagarbha; thou art the progenitor of creation inthe form of Daksha and the other Prajapatis; thou art Indra (the king ofthe gods), thou art Hayagriva the steed necked incarnation of Vishnu;thou art the arrow (Vishnu himself, as he became such in the hands ofMahadeva at the burning of Tripura); thou art the lord of the universe;thou art the mouth of Vishnu; thou art the four-faced Padmaja; thou artthe Brahmana (i.e., wise), thou art Agni, Pavana, etc. (i.e., thepresiding deity of every object in the universe). Thou art knowledge,thou art the illusion to which we are all subject; thou art theall-pervading spirit; thou art the lord of the gods; thou art the greatTruth; thou art fearless; thou art ever unchanged; thou art Brahmawithout attributes; thou art the energy of the Sun; thou art theintellectual functions; thou art our great protector; thou art the oceanof holiness; thou art purity; thou art bereft of the attributes ofdarkness; thou art the possessor of the six high attributes; thou art hewho cannot be withstood in contest. From thee have emanated all things;thou art of excellent deeds; thou art all that hath not been and all thathath been. Thou art pure knowledge; thou displayest to us, as Surya doesby his rays, this animate and inanimate universe; thou darkenest thesplendour of Surya at every moment, and thou art the destroyer of all;thou art all that is perishable and all that is imperishable. O thouresplendent as Agni, thou burnest all even as Surya in his anger burnethall creatures. O terrible one, thou resistest even as the fire thatdestroys everything at the time of the Universal Dissolution. O mightyGaruda who movest in the skies, we seek thy protection. O lord of birdsthy energy is extraordinary, thy splendour is that of fire, thybrightness is like that of the lightning that no darkness can approach.Thou reachest the very clouds, and art both the cause and the effect; thedispenser of boons and invincible in prowess. O Lord, this whole universeis rendered hot by thy splendour, bright as the lustre of heated gold.Protect these high-souled gods, who overcome by thee and terrifiedwithal, are flying along the heavens in different directions on theircelestial cars. O thou best of birds, thou Lord of all, thou art the sonof the merciful and high-souled Rishi Kasyapa; therefore, be not wrothbut have mercy on the universe. Thou art Supreme. O pacify thy anger andpreserve us. At thy voice, loud as the roar of the thunder, the tenpoints, the skies, the heavens, the Earth and our hearts, O bird, thouart continuously shaking. O, diminish this thy body resembling Agni. Atthe sight of the splendour resembling that of Yama when in wrath, ourhearts lose all equanimity and quake. O thou lord of birds, be propitiousto us who solicit thy mercy! O illustrious one, bestow on us good fortuneand joy.'
And that bird of fair feathers, thus adored by the deities and diversesections of Rishis, reduced his own energy and splendour.'"
And thus ends the twenty-third section in the Astika Parva of the AdiParva.

SECTION XXIV
(Astika Parva continued)
"Sauti said, 'Then hearing of and beholding his own body, that bird ofbeautiful feathers diminished its size.'
"And Garuda said, 'Let no creature be afraid; as ye are in a fright atthe sight of my terrible form, I shall diminish my energy.'
"Sauti continued, 'Then that bird capable of going everywhere at will,that ranger of the skies capable of calling to his aid any measure ofenergy, bearing Aruna on his back, wended from his father's home andarrived at his mother's side on the other shore of the great ocean. Andhe placed Aruna of great splendour in the eastern regions, just at a timewhen Surya had resolved to burn the worlds with his fierce rays.'
"Saunaka said, 'When did the revered Surya resolve at the time to burnthe worlds? What wrong was done to him by the gods that provoked hisire?'
"Sauti said, 'O sinless one, when Rahu was drinking nectar among the godsat the time of the churning of the ocean he was pointed out to the godsby Surya and Soma, and from that time he conceived an enmity towardsthose deities. And upon this Rahu sought to devour his afflictor (Surya),became wroth, and thought, 'Oh, this enmity of Rahu towards me hathsprung from my desire of benefiting the gods. And this dire consequence Ialone have to sustain. Indeed, at this pass help I obtain not. And beforethe very eyes of the denizens of heaven I am going to be devoured andthey brook it quietly. Therefore, for the destruction of the worlds mustI strive.' And with this resolution he went to the mountains of the west.
"And from that place he began to radiate his heat around for thedestruction of the world. And then the great Rishis, approaching thegods, spake unto them, 'Lo, in the middle of the night springeth a greatheat striking terror into every heart, and destructive of the threeworlds.' Then the gods, accompanied by the Rishis, wended to theGrandsire, and said unto him, 'O what is this great heat today thatcauseth such panic? Surya hath not yet risen, still the destruction (ofthe world) is obvious. O Lord, what will happen when he doth rise?" TheGrandsire replied, 'Indeed, Surya is prepared to rise today for thedestruction of the world. As soon as he will appear he will burneverything into a heap of ashes. By me, however, hath the remedy beenprovided beforehand. The intelligent son of Kasyapa is known to all bythe name of Aruna. He is huge of body and of great splendour; he shallstay in front of Surya, doing the duty of his charioteer and taking awayall the energy of the former. And this will ensure the welfare of theworlds, of the Rishis, and of the dwellers in heaven.'
"Sauti continued, 'Aruna, at the behest of the Grandsire, did all that hewas ordered to do. And Surya rose veiled by Aruna's person. I have toldthee now why Surya was in wrath, and how Aruna, the brother of Garuda,was appointed as his charioteer. Hear next of that other question askedby thee a little while ago.'"
And so ends the twenty-fourth section in the Astika Parva of the AdiParva.

SECTION XXV
(Astika Parva continued)
"Sauti said, 'Then that bird of great strength and energy and capable ofgoing at will to every place repaired to his mother's side on the othershore of the great ocean. Thither lived Vinata in affliction, defeated inwager and put into a state of slavery. Once Kadru calling Vinata who hadprostrated herself before the former, addressed her these words in thepresence of her son, 'O gentle Vinata, there is in the midst of theocean, in a remote quarter, a delightful and fair region inhabited by theNagas. Bear me thither!' At this that mother of the bird of fair feathersbore (on her shoulders) the mother of the snakes. And Garuda also,directed by his mother's words, carried (on his back) the snakes. Andthat ranger of the skies born of Vinata began to ascend towards the Sun.And thereupon the snakes, scorched by the rays of the Sun, swooned away.And Kadru seeing her sons in that state prayed to Indra, saying, 'I bowto thee, thou Lord of all the gods! I bow to thee, thou slayer of Vritra!I bow to thee, thou slayer of Namuchi! O thou of a thousand eyes, consortof Sachi! By thy showers, be thou the protector of the snakes scorched bythe Sun. O thou best of the deities, thou art our great protector. OPurandara, thou art able to grant rain in torrents. Thou art Vayu (theair), the clouds, fire, and the lightning of the skies. Thou art thepropeller of the clouds, and hast been called the great cloud (i.e., thatwhich will darken the universe at the end of Yuga). Thou art the fierceand incomparable thunder, and the roaring clouds. Thou art the Creator ofthe worlds and their Destroyer. Thou art unconquered. Thou art the lightof all creatures, Aditya, Vibhavasu, and the wonderful elements. Thou artthe ruler of all the gods. Thou art Vishnu. Thou hast a thousand eyes.Thou art a god, and the final resource. Thou art, O deity, all amrita,and the most adored Soma. Thou art the moment, the lunar day, the bala(minute), thou art the kshana (4 minutes). Thou art the lightedfortnight, and also the dark fortnight. Thou art kala, thou kashtha, andthou Truti.[1] Thou art the year, the seasons, the months, the nights,and the days. Thou art the fair Earth with her mountains and forests.Thou art also the firmament, resplendent with the Sun. Thou art the greatOcean with heaving billows and abounding with whales, swallowers ofwhales, and makaras, and various fishes. Thou art of great renown, alwaysadored by the wise and by the great Rishis with minds rapt incontemplation. Thou drinkest, for the good of all creatures, the Somajuice in sacrifices and the clarified butter offered with sacredinvocation. Thou art always worshipped at sacrifices by Brahmanas movedby desire of fruit. O thou of incomparable mass of strength, thou artsung in the Vedas and Vedangas. It is for that reason that learnedBrahmanas bent upon performing sacrifices, study the Vedas with everycare.'"
And so ends the twenty-fifth section in the Astika Parva of the Adi Parva.

SECTION XXVI
(Astika Parva continued)
"Sauti said, 'And then Indra, the king of gods, having the best of horsesfor his bearer, thus adored by Kadru, covered the entire firmament withmasses of blue clouds. And he commanded the clouds, saying, Pour ye, yourvivifying and blessed drops!' And those clouds, luminous with lightning,and incessantly roaring against each other in the welkin, poured abundantwater. And the sky, in consequence of those wonderful andterribly-roaring clouds that were incessantly begetting vast quantitiesof water, looked as if the end of Yuga had come. And in consequence ofthe myriads of waves caused in the falling torrents, the deep roar of theclouds, the flashes of lightning, the violence of the wind, and thegeneral agitation, the sky looked as if dancing in madness. The skybecame overcast, and the rays of the Sun and the Moon totally disappearedin consequence of that incessant downpour.
"And upon Indra's causing that downpour, the Nagas became exceedinglydelighted. And the Earth was filled with water all around. And the cool,clear water reached even the nether regions. And there were countlesswaves of water all over the Earth. And the snakes with their motherreached (in safety) the island called Ramaniyaka."
And so ends the twenty-sixth section in the Astika Parva of the Adi Parva.

SECTION XXVII
(Astika Parva continued)
"Sauti said, 'And then the Nagas drenched by that shower, becameexceedingly glad. And borne by that bird of fair feathers, they soonarrived at the island. That island had been fixed by the Creator of theUniverse as the abode of the makaras. There they saw the terrible LavanaSamudra (ocean of salt). On arriving there with Garuda, they saw there abeautiful forest washed by the waters of the sea and resounding with themusic of winged choirs. And there were clusters of trees all around ladenwith various fruits and flowers. And there were also fair mansions allaround; and many tanks full of lotuses. And it was also adorned with manylakes of pure water. And it was refreshed with pure incense-breathingbreezes. And it was adorned with many a tree that grew only on the hillsof Malaya, and seemed by their tallness to reach the very heavens. Andthere were also various other trees whose flowers were scattered allaround by the breeze. And that forest was charming and dear to theGandharvas and always gave them pleasure. And it was full of beesmaddened with the honey they sucked. And the sight of all this wasexceedingly delightful. And in consequence of many things there, capableof charming everybody, that forest was fair, delightful, and holy. And,echoing with the notes of various birds, it delighted greatly the sons ofKadru.
"And the snakes, after arriving at that forest, began to enjoythemselves. And they commanded the lord of birds, viz., Garuda, of greatenergy, saying, 'Convey us to some other fair island with pure water.Thou ranger of the skies, thou must have seen many fair regions whilecoursing (through the air).' Garuda, alter reflecting for a few moments,asked his mother Vinata, saying, 'Why, mother, have I to do the biddingof the snakes?' Vinata thus questioned by him spake unto that ranger ofthe skies, her son, invested with every virtue, of great energy, andgreat strength, as follows: "Vinata said, 'O thou best of birds, I havebecome, from misfortune, the slave of my co-wife. The snakes, by an actof deception, caused me to lose my bet and have made me so.' When hismother had told him the reason, that ranger of the skies, dejected withgrief, addressed the snakes, saying, 'Tell me, ye snakes, by bringingwhat thing, gaining a knowledge of what thing, or doing what act ofprowess, we may be freed from this state of bondage to you.'" Sauticontinued, 'The snakes, hearing him, said, 'Bring thou amrita by force.Then O bird, shall you be freed from bondage.'" And so ends thetwenty-seventh section in the Astika Parva of the Adi Parva.

SECTION XXVIII
(Astika Parva continued)
"Sauti said, 'Garuda, thus addressed by the snakes, then said unto hismother, 'I shall go to bring amrita, I desire to eat something in theway. Direct me to it.' Vinata replied, 'In a remote region in the midstof the ocean, the Nishadas have their fair home. Having eaten thethousands of Nishadas that live there, bring thou amrita. But let not thyheart be ever set on taking the life of a Brahmana. Of all creatures aBrahmana must not be slain. He is, indeed, like fire. A Brahmana, whenangry, becomes like fire or the Sun, like poison or an edged weapon. ABrahmana, it has been said, is the master of all creatures. For these andother reasons, a Brahmana is the adored of the virtuous. O child, he isnever to be slain by thee even in anger. Hostility with Brahmanas,therefore, would not be proper under any circumstances. O sinless one,neither Agni nor Surya truly can consume so much as does a Brahmana ofrigid vows, when angry. By these various indications must thou know agood Brahmana. Indeed, a brahmana is the first-born of all creatures, theforemost of the four orders, the father and the master of all.'" Garudathen asked, 'O mother, of what form is a Brahmana, of what behaviour, andof what prowess? Doth he shine like fire, or is he of tranquil mien? And,O mother, it behoveth thee to tell my inquiring self, those auspicioussigns by which I may recognise a Brahmana.'" Vinata replied, saying, 'Ochild, him shouldst thou know as the best amongst Brahmanas who havingentered thy throat would torture thee as a fish-hook or burn thee asblazing charcoal. A Brahmana must never be slain by thee even in anger.'And Vinata out of affection for her son, again told him these words, 'Himshouldst thou know as a good Brahmana who would not be digested in thystomach.' Although she knew the incomparable strength of her son, yet sheblessed him heartily, for, deceived by the snakes, she was very muchafflicted by woe. And she said. 'Let Marut (the god of the winds) protectthy wings, and Surya and Soma thy vertebral regions; let Agni protect thyhead, and the Vasus thy whole body. I also, O child (engaged inbeneficial ceremonies), shall sit here for your welfare. Go then, Ochild, in safety to accomplish thy purpose.'
"Sauti continued, 'Then Garuda, having heard the words of his mother,stretched his wings and ascended the skies. And endued with greatstrength, he soon fell upon the Nishadas, hungry and like another Yama.And bent upon slaying the Nishadas, he raised a great quantity of dustthat overspread the firmament, and sucking up water from amid the ocean,shook the trees growing on the adjacent mountains. And then that lord ofbirds obstructed the principal thoroughfares of the town of the Nishadasby his mouth, increasing its orifice at will. And the Nishadas began tofly in great haste in the direction of the open mouth of the greatserpent-eater. And as birds in great affliction ascend by thousand intothe skies when the trees in a forest are shaken by the winds, so thoseNishadas blinded by the dust raised by the storm entered thewide-extending cleft of Garuda's mouth open to receive them. And then thehungry lord of all rangers of the skies, that oppressor of enemies,endued with great strength, and moving with greatest celerity to achievehis end, closed his mouth, killing innumerable Nishadas following theoccupation of fishermen.'"
So ends the twenty-eighth section in the Astika Parva of Adi Parva.

SECTION XXIX
(Astika Parva continued)
"Sauti continued, 'A certain Brahmana with his wife had entered thethroat of that ranger of the skies. The former began to burn the bird'sthroat like a piece of flaming charcoal. Him Garuda addressed, saying, 'Obest of Brahmanas, come out soon from my mouth which I open for thee. ABrahmana must never be slain by me, although he may be always engaged insinful practices.' Unto Garuda who had thus addressed him that Brahmanasaid, 'O, let this woman of the Nishada caste, who is my wife, also comeout with me.' And Garuda said, 'Taking the woman also of the Nishadacaste with thee, come out soon. Save thyself without delay since thouhast not yet been digested by the heat of my stomach.'
"Sauti continued, 'And then that Brahmana, accompanied by his wife of theNishada caste, came out, and praising Garuda wended whatever way heliked. And when that Brahmana had come out with his wife, that lord ofbirds, fleet as the mind, stretching his wings ascended the skies. Hethen saw his father, and, hailed by him, Garuda, of incomparable prowessmade proper answers. And the great Rishi (Kasyapa) then asked him, 'Ochild, is it well with thee? Dost thou get sufficient food every day? Isthere food in plenty for thee in the world of men?'
"Garuda replied, 'My mother is ever well. And so is my brother, and so amI. But, father, I do not always obtain plenty of food, for which my peaceis incomplete. I am sent by the snakes to fetch the excellent amrita.Indeed, I shall fetch it today for emancipating my mother from herbondage. My mother command me, saying, 'Eat thou the Nishadas.' I haveeaten them by thousands, but my hunger is not appeased. Therefore, Oworshipful one, point out to me some other food, by eating which, Omaster, I may be strong enough to bring away amrita by force. Thoushouldst indicate some food wherewith I may appease my hunger and thirst.'
"Kasyapa replied, 'This lake thou seest is sacred. It hath been heard, ofeven in the heavens. There is an elephant, with face downwards, whocontinually draggeth a tortoise, his elder brother. I shall speak to youin detail of their hostility in former life. Just listen as I tell youwhy they are here.
"There was of old a great Rishi of the name of Vibhavasu. He wasexceedingly wrathful. He had a younger brother of the name of Supritika.The latter was averse to keeping his wealth jointly with his brother's.And Supritika would always speak of partition. After some time hisbrother Vibhavasu told Supritika, 'It is from great foolishness thatpersons blinded by love of wealth always desire to make a partition oftheir patrimony. After effecting a partition they fight with each other,deluded by wealth. Then again, enemies in the guise of friends causeestrangements between ignorant and selfish men alter they becomeseparated in wealth, and pointing out faults confirm their quarrels, sothat the latter soon fall one by one. Absolute ruin very soon overtakesthe separated. For these reasons the wise never speak approvingly ofpartition amongst brothers who, when divided, do not regard the mostauthoritative Sastras and live always in fear of each other. But as thou,Supritika, without regarding my advice impelled by desire of separation,always wishest to make an arrangement about your property, thou shallbecome an elephant.' Supritika, thus cursed, then spake unto Vibhavasu,'Thou also shall become a tortoise moving in the midst of the waters.'
"And thus on account of wealth those two fools, Supritika and Vibhavasu,from each other's curse, have become an elephant and a tortoiserespectively. Owing to their wrath, they have both become inferioranimals. And they are engaged in hostilities with each other, proud oftheir excessive strength and the weight of their bodies. And in this lakethose two beings of huge bodies are engaged in acts according to theirformer hostility. Look here, one amongst them, the handsome elephant ofhuge body, is even now approaching. Hearing his roar, the tortoise alsoof huge body, living within the waters, cometh out, agitating the lakeviolently. And seeing him the elephant, curling his trunk, rusheth intothe water. And endued with great energy, with motion of his tusks andfore-part of his trunk and tail and feet, he agitates the water of thelake abounding with fishes. And the tortoise also of great strength, withupraised head, cometh forward for an encounter. And the elephant is sixyojanas in height and twice that measure in circumference. And the heightof the tortoise also is three yojanas and his circumference ten. Eat thouup both of them that are madly engaged in the encounter and bent uponslaying each other, and then accomplish the task that thou desirest.Eating that fierce elephant which looketh like a huge mountain andresembleth a mass of dark clouds, bring thou amrita.'
"Sauti continued, 'Having said so unto Garuda, he (Kasyapa) blessed him,saying, 'Blest be thou when thou art in combat with the gods. Let waterpitchers filled to the brim, Brahmanas, kine, and other auspiciousobjects, bless thee, thou oviparous one. And, O thou of great strength,when thou art engaged with the gods in combat, let the Riks, the Yajus,the Samas, the sacred sacrificial butter, all the mysteries (Upanishads),constitute thy strength.'
"Garuda, thus addressed by his father, wended to the side of that lake.He saw that expanse of clear water with birds of various kinds allaround. And remembering the words of his father, that ranger of the skiespossessed of great swiftness of motion, seized the elephant and thetortoise, one in each claw. And that bird then soared high into the air.And he came upon a sacred place called Alamva and saw many divine trees.And struck by the wind raised by his wings, those trees began to shakewith fear. And those divine trees having golden boughs feared that theywould break. And the ranger of the skies seeing that those trees capableof granting every wish were quaking with fear, went to other trees ofincomparable appearance. And those gigantic trees were adorned withfruits of gold and silver and branches of precious gems. And they werewashed with the water of the sea. And there was a large banian amongthem, which had grown into gigantic proportions, that spoke unto thatlord of bird coursing towards it with the fleetness of the mind, 'Sitthou on this large branch of mine extending a hundred yojanas and eat theelephant and the tortoise.' When that best of birds, of great swiftnessand of body resembling a mountain, quickly alighted upon a bough of thatbanian tree, the resort of thousands of winged creatures-that bough alsofull of leaves shook and broke down.'"
So ends the twenty-ninth section in the Astika Parva of the Adi Parva.

SECTION XXX
(Astika Parva continued)
"Sauti said, 'At the very touch by Garuda of great might with his feet,the branch of the tree broke as it was caught by Garuda. Casting his eyesaround in wonder he saw Valakhilya Rishis hanging therefrom with headsdownwards and engaged in ascetic penances. Reflecting that if that boughfell down, the Rishis would be slain, the mighty one held the elephantand the tortoise still more firmly with his claws. And from fear ofslaying the Rishis and desire of saving them, held that bough in hisbeaks, and rose on his wings. The great Rishis were struck with wonder atthe sight of that act of his which was beyond even the power of the gods,and gave that mighty bird a name. And they said, 'As this ranger of theskies rises on its wings bearing a heavy burden, let this foremost ofbirds having snakes for his food be called Garuda (bearer of heavyweight).'
"And shaking the mountains by his wings, Garuda leisurely coursed throughthe skies. And as he soared with the elephant and the tortoise (in hisclaws), he beheld various regions underneath. Desiring as he did to savethe Valakhilyas, he saw not a spot whereon to sit. At last he went tothat foremost of mountains called Gandhamadana. There he saw his fatherKasyapa engaged in ascetic devotions. Kasyapa also saw his son, thatranger of the skies, of divine form, possessed of great splendour, andenergy and strength, and endued with the speed of the wind or the mind,huge as a mountain peak, a ready smiter like the curse of a Brahmana,inconceivable, indescribable, frightful to all creatures, possessed ofgreat prowess, terrible, of the splendour of Agni himself, and incapableof being overcome by the deities, Danavas, and invincible Rakshasas,capable of splitting mountain summits and sucking the ocean itself anddestroying the three worlds, fierce, and looking like Yama himself. Theillustrious Kasyapa, seeing him approach and knowing also his motive,spoke unto him these words:
"Kasyapa said, 'O child, do not commit a rash act, for then thou wouldsthave to suffer pain. The Valakhilyas, supporting themselves by drinkingthe rays of the sun, might, if angry, blast thee.'
"Sauti continued, 'Kasyapa then propitiated, for the sake of his son, theValakhilyas of exceeding good fortune and whose sins had been destroyedby ascetic penances.' And Kasyapa said, 'Ye whose wealth is asceticism,the essay of Garuda is for the good of all creatures. The task is greatthat he is striving to accomplish. It behoveth you to accord him yourpermission.'
"Sauti continued, 'Those ascetics thus addressed by the illustriousKasyapa, abandoned that bough and went to the sacred mountain of Himavatfor purposes of ascetic penances. After those Rishis had gone away, theson of Vinata, with voice obstructed by the bough in his beaks, asked hisfather Kasyapa saying, 'O illustrious one, where shall I throw this armof the tree? O illustrious one, indicate to me some region without humanbeings.' Then Kasyapa spoke of a mountain without human beings with cavesand dales always covered with snow and incapable of approach by ordinarycreatures even in thought. And the great bird bearing that branch, thatelephant, and that tortoise, proceeded with great speed towards thatmountain. The great arm of the tree with which that bird of huge bodyflew away could not be girt round with a cord made of a hundred (cow)hides. Garuda, the lord of birds, then flew away for hundreds of thousandof yojanas within--the shortest time. And going according to thedirections of his father to that mountain almost in a moment, that rangerof the skies let fall the gigantic bough. And it fell with a great noise.And that Prince of mountains shook, struck with the storm raised byGaruda's wings. And the trees thereon dropped showers of flowers. And thepeaks decked with gems and gold adorning that great mountain itself, wereloosened and tell down on all sides. And the falling bough struck downnumerous trees which, with golden flowers amid dark foliage, shone therelike clouds charged with lightning. And those trees, bright as gold,falling down upon the ground and, dyed with mountain metals, shone as ifthey were bathed in the rays of the sun.
"Then that best of birds, Garuda, perching on the summit of thatmountain, ate both the elephant and the tortoise, rose on his wings withgreat speed from the top of the mountain.
"And various omens began to appear among the gods foreboding fear.Indra's favourite thunderbolt blazed up in a fright. Meteors with flamesand smoke, loosened from the welkin, shot down during the day. And theweapons of the Vasus, the Rudras, the Adityas, the Sabhyas, the Maruts,and other gods, began to spend their force against one another. Such athing had never happened even during the war between the gods and theAsuras. And the winds blew accompanied with thunder, and meteors fell bythousands. And the sky, though cloudless, roared tremendously. And evenhe who was the god of gods shed showers of blood. And the flowerygarlands on the necks of the gods faded and their prowess suffereddiminution. And terrible masses of clouds dropped thick showers of blood.And the dust raised by the winds darkened the splendour of the verycoronets of the gods. And He of a thousand sacrifices (Indra), with theother gods, perplexed with fear at the sight of those dark forebodingsspoke unto Vrihaspati thus, 'Why, O worshipful one, have these naturaldisturbances suddenly arisen? No foe do I behold who would oppress us inwar.' Vrihaspati answered, 'O chief of the gods, O thou of a thousandsacrifices, it is from thy fault and carelessness, and owing also to theascetic penance of the high-souled great Rishis, the Valakhilyas, thatthe son of Kasyapa and Vinata, a ranger of the skies endued with greatstrength and possessing the capacity of assuming at will any form, isapproaching to take away the Soma. And that bird, foremost among allendued with great strength, is able to rob you of the Soma. Everything ispossible with him; the unachievable he can achieve.'
"Sauti continued, 'Indra, having heard these words, then spoke unto thosethat guarded the amrita, saying, 'A bird endued with great strength andenergy has set his heart on taking away the amrita. I warn you beforehandso that he may not succeed in taking it away by force. Vrihaspati hastold me that his strength is immeasurable.' And the gods hearing of itwere amazed and took precautions. And they stood surrounding the amritaand Indra also of great prowess, the wielder of the thunder, stood withthem. And the gods wore curious breastplates of gold, of great value, andset with gems, and bright leathern armour of great toughness. And themighty deities wielded various sharp-edged weapons of terrible shapes,countless in number, emitting, even all of them, sparks of fire withsmoke. And they were also armed with many a discus and iron macefurnished with spikes, and trident, battle-axe, and various kinds ofsharp-pointed missiles and polished swords and maces of terrible form,all befitting their respective bodies. And decked with celestialornaments and resplendent with those bright arms, the gods waited there,their fears allayed. And the gods, of incomparable strength, energy, andsplendour, resolved to protect the amrita. Capable of splitting the townsof the Asuras, all displayed themselves in forms resplendent as the fire.And in consequence of the gods standing there, that (would be)battle-field, owing to hundreds of thousands of maces furnished with ironspikes, shone like another firmament illumined by the rays of the Sun.'"
So ends the thirtieth section in the Astika Parva of the Adi Parva.

SECTION XXXI
(Astika Parva continued)
"Saunaka said, 'O son of Suta, what was Indra's fault, what his act ofcarelessness? How was Garuda born in consequence of the ascetic penancesof the Valakhilyas? Why also Kasyapa--a Brahman--had the king of birdsfor a son? Why, too, was he invincible of all creatures and unslayable ofall? Why also was that ranger of the skies capable of going into everyplace at will and of mustering at will any measure of energy? If theseare described in the Purana, I should like to hear them.'
"Sauti said, 'What thou askest me is, indeed, the subject of the Purana.O twice-born one, listen as I briefly recite it all.
"Once upon a time, when the lord of creation, Kasyapa, was engaged in asacrifice from desire of offspring, the Rishis, the gods, and theGandharvas, all gave him help. And Indra was appointed by Kasyapa tobring the sacrificial fuel; and with him those ascetics the Valakhilyas,and all the other deities. And the lord Indra, taking up according to hisown strength, a weight that was mountain-like, brought it without anyfatigue. And he saw on the way some Rishis, of bodies of the measure ofthe thumb, all together carrying one single stalk of a Palasa (Buteafrondosa) leaf. And those Rishis were, from want of food, very lean andalmost merged in their own bodies. And they were so weak that they weremuch afflicted when sunk in the water that collected in an indentation onthe road produced by the hoof of a cow. And Purandara, proud of hisstrength, beheld them with surprise, and laughing at them in derisionsoon left them behind insulting them, besides, by passing over theirheads. And those Rishis being thus insulted were filled with rage andsorrow. And they made preparations for a great sacrifice at which Indrawas terrified. Hear, O Saunaka, of the wish for accomplishment of whichthose vow-observing wise, and excellent ascetics poured clarified butterof the sacrificial fire with loudly uttered mantras, 'There shall beanother Indra of all gods, capable of going everywhere at will, and ofmustering at will any measure of energy, and striking tear into the(present) king of the gods. By the fruit of our ascetic penance, let onearise, fleet as the mind, and fierce withal.' And the lord of thecelestials of a hundred sacrifices, having come to know of this, becamevery much alarmed and sought the protection of the vow-observing Kasyapa.And the Prajapati Kasyapa, hearing everything from Indra, went to theValakhilyas and asked them if their sacrifice had been successful. Andthose truth-speaking Rishis replied to him, saying, 'Let it be as thousayest!' And the Prajapati Kasyapa pacifying them, spake unto them asfollows, 'By the word of Brahman, this one (Indra) hath been made theLord of the three worlds. Ye ascetics, ye also are striving to createanother Indra! Ye excellent ones, it behoveth you not to falsify the wordof Brahman. Let not also this purpose, for (accomplishing) which ye arestriving, be rendered futile. Let there spring an Indra (Lord) of wingedcreatures, endued with excess of strength! Be gracious unto Indra who isa suppliant before you.' And the Valakhilyas, thus addressed by Kasyapa,after offering reverence to that first of the Munis, viz., the PrajapatiKasyapa, spake unto him:
"The Valakhilyas said, 'O Prajapati, this sacrifice of us all is for anIndra! Indeed this hath also been meant for a son being born unto thee!Let this task be now left to thee. And in this matter do whatsoever thouseest to be good and proper.'
"Sauti continued, 'Meanwhile, moved by the desire of offspring, the gooddaughter of Daksha, the vow-observing, amiable, and fortunate Vinata, herascetic penances over, having purified herself with a bath in that seasonwhen connubial companionship might prove fruitful, approached her lord.And Kasyapa spake unto her, 'Respected one, the sacrifice commenced by mehath borne fruit. What hath been desired by thee shall come to pass. Twoheroic sons, shall be born unto thee, who shall be the lords of the threeworlds. By the penances of the Valakhilyas and by virtue of the desirewith which I commenced my sacrifice, those sons shall be of exceedinglygood fortune and worshipped in the three worlds!' And the illustriousKasyapa spake unto her again, 'Bear thou these auspicious seeds withgreat care. These two will be the lords of all winged creatures. Theseheroic rangers of the skies will be respected in all the worlds, andcapable of assuming any form at will.
"And the Prajapati, gratified with all that took place, then addressedIndra of a hundred sacrifices, saying, 'Thou shalt have two brothers ofgreat energy and prowess, who shall be to thee even as the helpmates.From them no injury shall result unto thee. Let thy sorrow cease; thoushalt continue as the lord of all. Let not, however, the utterers of thename of Brahma be ever again slighted by thee. Nor let the very wrathfulones, whose words are even the thunderbolt, be ever again insulted bythee. Indra, thus addressed, went to heaven, his fears dispelled. AndVinata also, her purpose fulfilled, was exceedingly glad. And she gavebirth to two sons, Aruna and Garuda. And Aruna, of undeveloped body,became the fore-runner of the Sun. And Garuda was vested with thelordship over the birds. O thou of Bhrigu's race, hearken now to themighty achievement of Garuda.'"
"So ends the thirty-first section in the Astika Parva of the Adi Parva.

SECTION XXXII
(Astika Parva continued)
"Sauti said, 'O foremost of Brahmanas, the gods having prepared forbattle in that way, Garuda, the king of birds, soon came upon those wiseones. And the gods beholding him of excessive strength began to quakewith fear, and strike one another with all their weapons. And amongstthose that guarded the Soma was Brahmana (the celestial architect), ofmeasureless might, effulgent as the electric fire and of great energy.And after a terrific encounter lasting only a moment, managed by the lordof birds with his talons, beak, and wings, he lay as dead on the fields.And the ranger of the skies making the worlds dark with the dust raisedby the hurricane of his wings, overwhelmed the celestials with it. Andthe latter, overwhelmed with that dust, swooned away. And the immortalswho guarded the amrita, blinded by that dust, could no longer see Garuda.Even thus did Garuda agitate the region of the heavens. And even thus hemangled the gods with the wounds inflicted by his wings and beak.
"Then the god of a thousand eyes commanded Vayu (the god of wind),saying, 'Dispel thou this shower of dust soon. O Maruta, this is indeed,thy task. Then the mighty Vayu soon drove away that dust. And when thedarkness had disappeared, the celestials attacked Garuda. And as he ofgreat might was attacked by the gods, he began to roar aloud, like thegreat cloud that appeareth in the sky at the end of the Yuga, frighteningevery creature. And that king of birds, of great energy, that slayer ofhostile heroes, then rose on his wings. All the wise ones (thecelestials) with Indra amongst them armed with double-edged broad swords,iron maces furnished with sharp spikes, pointed lances, maces, brightarrows, and many a discus of the form of the sun, saw him over head. Andthe king of birds, attacked them on all sides with showers of variousweapons and fought exceedingly hard without wavering for a moment. Andthe son of Vinata, of great prowess blazing in the sky, attacked the godson all sides with his wings and breast. And blood began to flow copiouslyfrom the bodies of the gods mangled by the talons and the beak of Garuda.Overcome by the lord of birds, the Sadhyas with the Gandharvas fledeastwards, the Vasus with the Rudras towards the south, the Adityastowards the west, and the twin Aswins towards the north. Gifted withgreat energy, they retreated fighting, looking back every moment on theirenemy.
"And Garuda had encounters with the Yakshas, Aswakranda of great courage,Rainuka, the bold Krathanaka, Tapana, Uluka, Swasanaka, Nimesha, Praruja,and Pulina. And the son of Vinata mangled them with his wings, talons,and beak, like Siva himself, that chastiser of enemies, and the holder ofPinaka in rage at the end of the Yuga. And those Yakshas of great mightand courage, mangled all over by that ranger of the skies, looked likemasses of black clouds dropping thick showers of blood.
"And Garuda, depriving them of life, and then went to where the amritawas. And he saw that it was surrounded on all sides by fire. And theterrible flames of that fire covered the entire sky. And moved by violentwinds, they seemed bent on burning the Sun himself. The illustriousGaruda then assumed ninety times ninety mouths and quickly drinking thewaters of many rivers with those mouths and returning with great speed,that chastiser of enemies, having wings for his vehicle extinguished thatfire with that water. And extinguishing that fire, he assumed a verysmall form, desirous of entering into (the place where the Soma was).'"
So ends the thirty-second section in the Astika Parva of the Adi Parva.