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The Mahabharata of Krishna Dwaipayana Vyasa, Volume 4 by or: Kisari Mohan Ganguli

O >> or: Kisari Mohan Ganguli >> The Mahabharata of Krishna Dwaipayana Vyasa, Volume 4




"Uma said, 'O holy one, O lord of all created things, O source of all
that is past, present, and future, it is through thy grace that the words
I am uttering are taking their rise in my mind. All these Rivers (that
are of my sex), O god of gods, endued with the waters of all the Tirthas,
are approaching thy presence for enabling thee to perform thy ablutions
in them.[578] After consulting them I shall discourse on the topic named,
in due order. That person who, though competent, is still free from
egotism, is rightly called a Purusha.[579] As regards woman, O lord of
all beings, she follows persons of her sex. By consulting these foremost
of Rivers, they will be honoured by me. The sacred Saraswati is the
foremost river of all rivers. She courses towards the ocean and is truly
the first of all streams. Vipasa also here, and Vitasta, and
Chandrabhaga, and Iravati, and Satadru, and the river Devika, and
Kausiki, and Gomati.[580] and this celestial River who has in her all the
sacred Tirthas, viz., the goddess Ganga, who having her rise in Heaven
hath descended on the Earth and is regarded as the foremost of all
streams; Having said this, the spouse of that god of gods, that foremost
of all righteous persons, smilingly addressed all those Rivers of her
sex. Indeed, the spouse of the great god, devoted to the performance of
all duties, questioned those individuals of her sex about the duties of
women. Verily, those foremost of rivers having Ganga for their first are
all conversant with the duties of women.'

"Uma said, 'The illustrious god has asked a question relating to the
duties of women. I desire to answer Sankara after having consulted with
you. I do not see any branch of knowledge on Earth or Heaven that is
capable of being mastered by any unaided individual. Ye rivers that run
towards the ocean, it is for this that I seek your opinions! It was in
this way that those foremost of Rivers, all of whom were auspicious and
highly sacred, were questioned by Siva's spouse. Then the celestial River
Ganga, who worshipped the daughter of the prince of mountains in return,
was selected for answering the question. Verily, she of sweet smiles is
held as swelling with diverse kinds of understanding and well-conversant
with the duties of women. The sacred goddess, capable of dispelling all
fear of sin, possessed of humility in consequence of her intelligence,
well acquainted with all duties, and enriched with an intelligence
exceedingly comprehensive, sweetly smiling, uttered these, words, 'O
goddess, thou art always devoted to the due performance of all duties.
Thou hast favoured me highly by thus questioning me! O sinless one, thou
art honoured by the entire universe, yet thou askest me that am but a
river. That person who, though himself competent (to discourse on a
topic) yet asks another, or who pays a graceful tribute to another,
certainly deserves, I think, to be regarded as righteous-souled. Verily,
such a person deserves to be called learned and wise. That person never
falls into disgrace who asks such speakers as are endued with knowledge
and science and as are well-conversant with premises and inferences. A
proud man, even when enriched with intelligence, by speaking in the midst
of an assembly otherwise (that is, by relying upon his own powers alone
and without reference to or consultation with others), finds himself
uttering only words of weak import. Thou art possessed of spiritual
insight, Thou art the foremost of all denizens in Heaven. Thou hast taken
thy rise accompanied by diverse kinds of excellent merit. Thou, O
goddess, art fully competent to discourse on the duties of women! In this
way, the goddess Uma was worshipped by Ganga and honoured with the
ascription of many high merits. The beautiful, goddess, thus praised,
then began to discourse upon all the duties of women in full.'

"Uma said, 'I shall, according to the ordinance, discourse on the subject
of women's duties as far as they are known to me. Do ye all listen with
concentrated attention! The duties of women arise as created at the
outset by kinsmen in the rites of wedding. Indeed, a woman becomes, in
the presence of the nuptial fire, the associate of her lord in the
performance of all righteous deeds.[581] Possessed of a good disposition,
endued with sweet speech, sweet conduct, and sweet features, and always
looking at the face of her husband and deriving as much joy from it as
she does from looking at the face of her child, that chaste woman who
regulates her acts by observing the prescribed restraints, comes to be
regarded as truly righteous in her conduct. Listening (with reverence) to
the duties of wedded life (as expounded in the scriptures), and
accomplishing all those auspicious, duties, that woman who regards
righteousness as the foremost of all objects of pursuit, who observes the
same vows as those that are observed by her husband, who adorned with
chastity, looks upon her spouse as a god, who waits upon and serves him
as if he is a god, who surrenders her own will completely to that of her
lord, who is cheerful, who observes excellent vows, who is endued with
good features, and whose heart is completely devoted to her husband so
much that she never thinks even of any other man, is regarded as truly
righteous in conduct. That wife who, even when addressed harshly and
looked upon with angry eyes by her lord, presents a cheerful aspect to
him, is said to be truly devoted to her husband. She who does not cast
her eyes upon the Moon or the Sun or a tree that has a masculine name,
who is adored by her husband and who is possessed of beautiful features,
is regarded as truly righteous. That woman who treats her husband with
the affection which she shows towards her child, even when he (the
husband) happens to be poor or diseased or weak or worn out with the toil
of travelling, is regarded as truly righteous in her conduct. That woman
who is endued with self-control, who has given birth to children, who
serves her husband with devotion, and whose whole heart is devoted to
him, is regarded as truly righteous in her conduct. That woman who waits
upon and serves her lord with a cheerful heart, who is always cheerful of
heart, and who is possessed of humility, is regarded as truly righteous
in her conduct. That woman who always supports her kinsmen and relatives
by giving them food, and whose relish in gratifying her desires or for
articles of enjoyment, or for the affluence of which she is possessed, or
for the happiness with which she is surrounded, falls short of her relish
for her husband, is regarded as truly righteous in her conduct. That
woman who always takes a pleasure in rising at early down, who is devoted
to the discharge of all household duties, who always keeps her house
clean, who rubs her house daily with cowdung, who always attends to the
domestic fire (for pouring libations upon it), who never neglects to make
offerings of flowers and other articles to the deities, who with her
husband gratifies the deities and guests and all servants and dependants
of the family with that share of food which is theirs by the ordinances,
and who always takes, according to the ordinance, for herself, what food
remains in the house after the needs have been met of gods and guests and
servants, and who gratifies all people who come in contact with her
family and feed them to their fill, succeeds in acquiring great merit.
That woman who is endued with accomplishments, who gratifies the feet of
her father-in-law and mother-in-law, and who is always devoted to her
father and mother, is regarded as possessed of ascetic wealth. That woman
who supports with food Brahmanas that are weak and helpless, that are
distressed or blind or destitute, comes to be regarded as entitled to
share the merit of her husband. That woman who always observes, with a
light heart vows that are difficult of observance, whose heart is devoted
to her lord, and who always seeks good of her lord, is regarded as
entitled to share the merits of her husband. Devotion to her lord is
woman's merit; it is her penance; it is her eternal Heaven. Merit,
penances, and Heaven become hers who looks upon her husband as her all in
all, and who, endued with chastity, seeks to devote herself to her lord
in all things. The husband is the god which women have. The husband is
their friend, The husband is their high refuge. Women have no refuge that
can compare with their husbands, and no god that can compare with him.
The husband's grace and Heaven, are equal in the estimation of a woman;
or, if unequal, the inequality is very trivial. O Maheswara, I do not
desire Heaven itself if thou are not satisfied with me. If the husband
that is poor, or diseased or distressed or fallen among foes, or
afflicted by a Brahmana's curse, were to command the wife to accomplish
anything that is improper or unrighteous or that may lead to destruction
of life itself, the wife should, without any hesitation, accomplish it,
guided by the code whose propriety is sanctioned by the law of Distress.
I have thus, O god, expounded, at thy command, what the duties of women
are, Verily, that woman who conducts herself in this way becomes entitled
to a share of the merits won by her husband,'

"Narada continued, 'Thus addressed, the great god applauded the daughter
of the prince of mountains and then dismissed all persons that had
assembled there, together with all his own attendants. The diverse tribes
of ghostly beings, as also all the embodied Rivers, and the Gandharvas
and Apsaras, all bowed their heads unto Mahadeva and departed for
returning to the places whence they had come."



SECTION CXLVII

"The Rishis said, 'O wielder of Pinaka, O tearer of the eyes of Bhaga, O
thou that art worshipped by all the universe, we desire to hear the glory
of Vasudeva.'

"Maheswara said, 'Hari is superior to the Grandsire himself. He is the
Eternal Purusha. Otherwise called Krishna, he is endued with the
splendour of gold, and shines with effulgence like a second sun.
Possessed of ten arms, he is endued with great energy, and is the slayer
of the foes of the gods. Having a whorl on his breast, he has curly locks
of hair on his head. He is worshipped by all the deities. Brahman has
risen from his abdomen. I have sprung from his head, All the luminaries
in the firmament have sprung from his hair. From the bristles on his body
have sprung all the gods and Asuras. From his body have sprung the Rishis
as also all the eternal worlds. He is the veritable abode of the
Grandsire and the abode of all the gods besides. He is the Creator of
this whole Earth, and He is the Lord of the three worlds He is also the
Destroyer of all creatures mobile and immobile. He is verily the foremost
of all the deities. He is their master. He is the chastiser of all foes.
He is possessed of omniscience. He exists in everything. He is capable of
going everywhere. He is of universal extent (pervading as he does
everything). He is the Supreme Soul. He is the urger of all the senses.
He covers the universe. He is the Supreme Lord. There is nothing in the
three worlds that is superior to him. He is Eternal. He is the slayer of
Madhu, and is otherwise called Govinda. The giver of honours, He will
cause all the kings of Earth to be slain in battle, for achieving the
purposes of the deities, taking birth in a human form. The deities,
abandoned by Him, are unable to accomplish their purposes on earth.
Without obtaining him as their leader they cannot do anything. He is the
leader of all creatures and is adored by all the gods[582]. Within the
abdomen of this Master of the gods who is ever devoted to the
accomplishment of their purposes, of this one who is identical with
Brahma and who is always the refuge of the regenerate Rishis, resides
Brahma (the Grandsire). Indeed, the latter dwells happily in Hari's body
which is the abode. I myself, that am called Sarva, also reside happily
in that happy abode of mine. All the deities too reside in happiness in
His body. Endued with great effulgence, he has eyes that resemble the
petals of the lotus. Sri dwells within Him and He dwells always
associated with her. The bow called Saranga and the discus (called
Sudarsana) are his weapons, together with a sword. He has the enemy of
the snakes (viz., Garuda) sitting on his standard. He is distinguished by
excellent conduct, by purity (of both body and mind), by self-restraint,
by prowess, by energy, by the handsomest form, by tallness and
well-proportioned limbs, by patience, by sincerity, by affluence, by
compassion, by excellence of form, and by might. He shines, endued with
all celestial weapons of wonderful form and make. He has Yoga for his
illusion. He is possessed of a thousand eyes. He is free from every stain
or fault. He is high-minded. He is endued with heroism. He is an object
of pride with all his friends. He is dear to all his kinsmen and
relatives and they are dear to him. He is endued with forgiveness. He is
free from pride or egotism. He is devoted to the Brahmanas and is their
leader. He dispels the fears of all persons afflicted with fear. He
enhances the joys of all his friends. He is the refuge of all creatures.
He is ever engaged in protecting and cherishing the distressed. Possessed
of a thorough acquaintance with all the scriptures, and every kind of
affluence, He is worshipped by all beings. Con-versant with all duties,
He is a great benefactor of even enemies when they seek His protection.
Conversant with policy and endued with policy, He is an utterer of Brahma
and has all His senses under perfect control. For doing good to the
deities, Govinda will take birth in the race of the high-souled Manu.
Verily, endued with high intelligence, He will take birth in the
auspicious and righteous race of that Prajapati. Manu will have a son of
the name of Anga. After Anga will come Antardhaman. From Antardhaman will
spring Havirdhaman, that lord of all creatures, free from every stain.
Havirdhaman will have an illustrious son of the name of Rachinavarhi. He
will have ten sons having Prachetas for their first. Prachetas will have
a son named Daksha who will be regarded as a Prajapati. Daksha will beget
a daughter who will be named Dakshayani. From Dakshayani will spring
Aditya, and from Aditya will spring Manu. From Manu will spring a
daughter named Ila and a son to be named Sudyumna. Ila will have Vudha
for her husband, and from Vudha will spring Pururavas. From Pururavas
will spring Ayu. From Ayu will spring Nahusha, and Nahusha will beget a
son named Yayati. From Yayati will spring a mighty son of the name of
Yadu, Yadu will beget Kroshtri. Kroshtri will beget a mighty son to be
named Vrijinivat. From Vrijinivat will spring Ushadgu the unvanquished.
Ushadgu will beget a son of the name of Chitraratha. Chitraratha will
have a younger son of the name of Sura. Indeed, in the race of these
mighty men, of energy celebrated over all the world, possessed of
excellent conduct and diverse accomplishments, devoted to the performance
of sacrifices and pure in behaviour,--in the pure race honoured by the
Brahmanas, Sura will take his birth. He will be a foremost Kshatriya,
endued with great energy, and possessed of great fame. Sura, that giver
of honours, will beget a son, the spreader of his race, of the name of
Vasudeva, otherwise called Anakadundhuvi. Vasudeva will have a son of the
name of Vasudeva. He will have four hands. He will be exceedingly
liberal, and will honour the Brahmanas greatly. Identical with Brahma, he
will like and love the Brahmanas, and the Brahmanas will like and love
him, that scion of Yadu's race will liberate many kings immured in the
prison of the ruler of the Magadhas, after vanquishing that ruler named
Jarasandha in his capital buried among mountains. Endued with great
energy, he will be rich with the jewels and gems of all the rulers of the
earth. Indeed, in energy he will be unrivalled on earth, possessed of
great prowess, he will be the king of all kings of the earth. Foremost
among all the Surasenas, the puissant one, residing at Dwaraka, will rule
and protect the whole earth after vanquishing all her lords, conversant
as he will be with the science of polity. Assembling together, do ye all
adore Him, as ye adore the Eternal Brahman, with speech, floral wreaths,
and excellent incense and perfumes. He who wishes to see me or the
Grandsire Brahma should first see the illustrious Vasudeva of great
puissance, If He is seen I am seen, as also the Grandsire Brahman, that
foremost of all the gods. In this I do not deem there is any difference.
Know this, ye Rishis of ascetic wealth! That person with whom the
lotus-eyed Vasudeva becomes gratified, all the deities with Brahma
amongst them will also become gratified with. That man who will seek the
protection of Kesava will succeed in earning great achievements and
victory and Heaven. He will be an instructor in religion and duties, and
will earn, great religious merit. All persons conversant with religion
and duties should, with great alacrity, bow down unto that Lord of all
the gods. By adoring that puissant one, one will acquire great merit.
Endued with great energy, that god, with the desire of benefiting all
creatures, created millions of Rishis for the sake of righteousness.
Those millions of Rishis, thus created by that great Ordainer are no
residing on the mountains of Gandhamadana, headed by Sanatkumara and
engaged in the observance of penances. Hence, ye foremost of regenerate
ones, that foremost of all eloquent persons, the righteous Vasudeva
should be adored by all. The illustrious Hari, the puissant Narayana, is
verily, the foremost of all beings in Heaven. Adored, he adores, and
honoured he honours; unto them that make offerings to him, he makes
offerings in return. Worshipped, he worships in return, if seen always,
he sees the seers always. If one seeks His refuge and protection, He
seeks the seeker as his refuge in return. Ye foremost of all righteous
ones, if adored and worshipped, He adores and worships in return. Even
this is the high practice of the faultless Vishnu. Even this is the vow
that is practised by all righteous people, of that first of all deities,
that puissant Lord of all creatures. He is always worshipped in the
world. Verily, that Eternal Being is worshipped by even the deities.
Those persons that are devoted to Him with the steadiness of a vow become
liberated from calamity and fear in proportion to his devotion. The
regenerate ones should always worship Him in thought, word, and deed. The
son of Devaki should be seen by them with reverence and in order to see
Him with reverence they should address themselves to the performance of
penances. Ye foremost of ascetics, even this is the path that I show unto
you. By beholding Him, ye will have behold all the foremost of deities, I
too bow my head in reverence unto that Lord of the universe, that
Grandsire of all the worlds, that mighty and vast boar. By beholding Him
one beholds the Trinity. Ourselves, i.e., all the deities, reside in Him.
He will have an elder brother who will become known over all the world as
Vala. Having a plough for his weapon, in form he will look like a white
hill. In fact, he will be endued with might capable of uplifting the
whole earth. Upon the car of that divine person a tall palmyra,
three-headed and made of gold, will form his proud standard. The head of
that mighty-armed hero, that Lord of all the worlds, will be shaded by
many high-souled snakes of vast bodies. All weapons of attack and defence
will also come to him as soon as he will think of them. He is called
Ananta (Infinite) Verily, that illustrious one is identical with the
immutable Hari. Once on a time the mighty Garuda, the son of Kasyapa, was
addressed by the deities in these words, 'Do thou, O puissant one, see if
this one has any end!' Though possessed of great energy and might,
Garuda, however, failed to find out the end of this illustrious one who
is identical with the Supreme Soul. Supporting the whole earth on his
head, he resides in the nether regions. He roves through the universe as
Sesha, filled with great joy. He is Vishnu, He is the illustrious Ananta.
He is the supporter of the earth. He that is Rama is Hrishikesa. He that
is Achyuta is Ananta, the bearer of the earth. Both of those foremost of
all creatures are celestial and endued with celestial prowess. One of
them is armed with the discus and the other with the plough. They deserve
every honour and should be seen, I have, through my kindness for you,
have thus declared to you the nature of Vasudeva. Even this, ye ascetics
possessed of wealth of penances, is Righteousness, I have declared all
this to you so that ye may, with reverence and care, worship Krishna,
that foremost one of Yadu's race."



SECTION CXLVIII

"Narada said, 'At the conclusion of Mahadeva's speech, loud roars were
heard in the firmament. Thunders bellowed, with flashes of lightening.
The welkin was enveloped with blue and thick clouds. The deity of the
clouds then poured pure water like to what he does in the season of
rains. A thick darkness set in. The points of the compass could no longer
be distinguished. Then on that delightful, sacred, and eternal breast of
that celestial mountain, the assembled Rishis no longer saw the multitude
of ghostly beings that associate with Mahadeva. Soon, however, the welkin
cleared. Some of the Rishis set out for the sacred waters. Others
returned whence they came. Verily, beholding that wonderful and
inconceivable sight, they became filled with amazement. The discourse too
between Sankara and Uma had been heard by them with the feelings. That
foremost of all Beings, of whom the high-souled Sankara spoke to us on
that mountain, art Thou. Verily, thou art identical with Eternal Brahma.
Some time also Mahadeva burnt Himavat with his energy. Thou too hast
shown us a similar sight of wonder. Indeed, we have been put in
remembrance of that fact by what we have witnessed today. O mighty-armed
Janardana, I have thus, O puissant one, recited to thee the glory of that
god of gods, viz., him that is called Kapardin or Girisa!'

"Bhishma continued, 'Thus addressed by those denizens of ascetic
retreats, Krishna, the delighter of Devaki paid due honours unto all
those Rishis. Filled with delight, those Rishis once more addressed
Krishna, saying, 'O slayer of Madhu, do Thou repeatedly show Thyself to
us at all times! O puissant one, Heaven itself cannot rejoice us so much
as a right of Thyself Everything that was said by the illustrious Bhava
(regarding Thyself) is true. O crusher of foes, we have told Thee all
about that mystery. Thou art Thyself conversant with the truth of every
topic. Since, however, asked by us, it pleased Thee to ask us in return,
we have, for that reason, recited everything (about the discourse of
Bhava with Uma) to Thee for only pleasing Thee. There is nothing in the
three worlds that is unknown to Thee. Thou art fully conversant with the
birth and origin of all things, indeed, with everything that operates as
a cause (for the production of other objects). In consequence of the
lightness of our character, we are unable to bear (within ourselves the
knowledge of) any mystery (without disclosing it).[583] Indeed, in Thy
presence, O puissant one, we indulge in incoherences from the lightness
of our hearts. There is no wonderful thing that is unknown to Thee!
Whatever is on earth, and whatever is in heaven, all is known to Thee! We
take our leave of Thee, O Krishna, for returning to our respective abodes
Mayst Thou increase in intelligence and prosperity! O sire, Thou wilt
soon get a son like unto Thee or even more distinguished than Thyself. He
will be endued with great energy and splendour. He will achieve great
feats, and become possessed of puissance as great as Thine!'[584]

"Bhishma continued, 'After this, the great Rishis bowed unto that god of
gods, that scion of Yadu's race, that foremost of all Beings. They then
circumambulated Him and taking His leave, departed. As regards Narayana,
who is endued with prosperity and blazing effulgence, He returned to
Dwaraka after having duly observed that vow of His. His spouse Rukmini
conceived, and on the expiration of the tenth month a son was born of
her, possessed of heroism and honoured by all for his highly wonderful
accomplishments. He is identical with that Kama (Desire) which exists in
every creature and which pervades every existent condition. Indeed, he
moves within the hearts of both gods and Asuras. This Krishna is that
foremost of all persons. Even he, endued with the hue of the clouds is
that four-handed Vasudeva. Through affection He has attached himself to
the Pandavas, and you also, ye sons of Pandu, have attached yourselves to
Him. Achievements, Prosperity, Intelligence, and the path that leads to
heaven, are all there where this one, viz., the illustrious Vishnu of
three steps, is. He is the three and thirty gods with Indra at their
head. There is no doubt in this. He is the one Ancient God. He is the
foremost of all gods. He is the refuge of all creatures. He. is without
beginning and without destruction. He is unmanifest. He is the
high-souled slayer of Madhu. Endued with mighty energy, He has taken
birth (among men) for accomplishing the purpose of the gods. Verily, this
Madhava is the expounder of the most difficult truths relating to Profit
or Wealth, and he is also their achiever. O son of Pritha, the victory
thou hast obtained over thy enemies, thy unrivalled achievements, the
dominion thou hast acquired over the whole earth, are all due to thy side
having been taken up by Narayana. The fact of thy having got the
inconceivable Narayana for thy protector and refuge, enabled thee to
become an Adharyu (chief sacrificer) for pouring multitudes of kings as
libations on the blazing fire of battle. This Krishna was thy great
sacrificial ladle resembling the all-destroying fire that appears at the
end of the Yuga. Duryodhana, with his sons, brothers and kinsmen, was
much to be pitied inasmuch as, moved by wrath, he made war with Hari and
the wielder of Gandiva. Many sons of Diti, many foremost of Danavas, of
huge bodies and vast strength, have perished in the fire of Krishna's
discus like insects in a forest conflagration. How incapable then must
human beings be of battling against that Krishna,--human beings who, O
tiger among men, are destitute of strength and might! As regards Jaya, he
is a mighty Yogin resembling the all-destroying Yuga-fire in energy.
Capable of drawing the bow equally with both hands, he is always in the
van of fight. With his energy, O king, he has slain all the troops of
Suyodhana. Listen to me as I tell thee what Mahadeva having the bovine
bull for the device on his standard had recited unto the ascetics on the
breast of the Himavat. His utterances constitute a Purana. The
advancement of greatness, energy, strength, prowess, puissance, humility,
and lineage that are in Arjuna can come up to only a third part of the
measure in which those attributes reside in Krishna. Who is there that
can transcend Krishna in these attributes? Whether that is possible or
not, listen (and judge). There where the illustrious Krishna is, there is
unrivalled Excellence.[585] As regards ourselves, we are persons of
little understanding. Dependent upon the will of others, we are
exceedingly unfortunate. Knowingly we betook ourselves to the eternal
path of death. Thou, however, art devoted to sincerity of conduct. Having
formerly pledged thyself against taking thy kingdom, thou didst not take
it, desirous of maintaining thy pledge.[586] O king, thou makest too much
of the slaughter of thy kinsmen and friends in battle (brought about, as
thou believest, by thyself). Thou shouldst remember, however, O chastiser
of foes, that it is not right to violate a pledge.[587] All those who
have fallen on the field of battle have really been slain by Time.
Verily, all of us have been slain by Time. Time is, indeed, all-powerful.
Thou art fully conversant with the puissance of Time. Afflicted by Time,
it does not behove thee to grieve. Know that Krishna Himself, otherwise
called Hari, is that Time with blood-red eyes and with club in hand. For
these reasons, O son of Kunti, it does not behove thee to grieve for thy
(slain) kinsfolk. Be thou always free, O delighter of the Kurus, from
grief. Thou hast heard of the glory and greatness of Madhava as recited
by me. That is sufficient for enabling a good man to understand Him.
Having heard the words of Vyasa as also of Narada endued with great
intelligence, I have discoursed to thee on the adorableness of Krishna. I
have myself added; from my own knowledge, something to that discourse.
Verily, I have discoursed also on the surpassing puissance of Krishna as
recited by Mahadeva, unto that conclave of Rishis (on the breast of the
Himavat). The discourse too between Maheswara and the daughter of
Himavat, O Bharata, has been recited by me to thee. He who will bear in
mind that discourse when emanating from a foremost person, he who will
listen to it, and he who will recite it (for other people's hearing), is
sure to win what is highly beneficial. That man will find all his wishes
fulfilled. Departing from this world he will ascend to Heaven. There is
no doubt in this. That man who, desirous of obtaining what is beneficial
for himself, should devote himself to Janardana. O king of the Kurus, it
behoves thee also to always bear in mind those incidents of duty and
righteousness which were declared by Maheswara. if thou conduct thyself
according to those precepts, if thou bear the rod of chastisement
rightly, if thou protect thy subjects properly, thou mayst be sure of
attaining to heaven. It behoves thee, O king, to protect thy subjects
always according to the dictates of righteousness. The stout rod of
chastisement which the king bears has been said to be the embodiment of
his righteousness or merit.[588] Hearing this discourse, fraught with
righteousness, between Sankara and Uma, that I have recited in the
presence of this righteous conclave, one should worship with reverence
that god having the bovine bull for the device on his banner. One that
becomes even desirous of listening to that discourse should worship
Mahadeva with reverence. Verily, the person that wishes to obtain what is
beneficial for him, should adore Mahadeva with a pure heart. Even this is
the command of the faultless and high-souled Narada. Even he has
commanded such worship of the great god, O son of Pandu, do thou obey
that command of Narada. O puissant king, even these are the wonderful
incidents that occurred on the sacred breast of the Himavat respecting
Vasudeva and Sthanu, O son of Kunti. Those occurrences flowed from the
very nature of those high-souled deities. Vasudeva, accompanied by the
wielder of Gandiva, practised eternal penances in the retreat of Vadari
for ten thousand years.[589] Verily, Vasudeva and Dhananjaya, both of
eyes like lotus-petals, underwent severe austerities for the duration of
three whole Yugas. I have learnt this from Narada and Vyasa, O king. The
lotus-eyed and mighty-armed Vasudeva, while yet a child (in human form)
achieved the great feat of slaying Kansa for the relief of his kinsmen. I
do not venture, O son of Kunti, to enumerate the feats of this Ancient
and Eternal Being, O Yudhishthira. Without doubt, O son, high and great
benefits will be reaped by thee who ownest that foremost of all persons,
viz., Vasudeva, for thy friend. I grieve for the wicked Duryodhana in
respect of even the next world to which he has gone. It was for him that
the whole earth has been depopulated with her seeds and elephants.
Indeed, through the fault of Duryodhana, of Karna, of Sakuni, and of
Duhsasana numbering the fourth, that the Kurus have perished.

Copyright (c) 2007. bestextbooks.com. All rights reserved.

Compiled by Gwendolen H. Swinburne - "A Source Book Of Australian History"

Various - "Scientific American Supplement, No. 441, June 14, 1884."

Desiderius Erasmus - "The Pilgrimage of Pure Devotion"

Mrs. S. C. Hall - "Turns of Fortune"

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Stephen King fan publishes Shining's Jack Torrance's novel
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A Stephen King fan has published an 80-page version of the book which novelist Jack Torrance obsessively writes during King's The Shining, where his descent into madness is revealed when his wife discovers that his work consists of just one phrase, endlessly repeated.

Torrance, played by Jack Nicholson in terrifying form in Stanley Kubrick's 1980 film, is a frustrated writer who goes with his wife and son to spend the winter in the isolated Overlook Hotel in an attempt to get the novel he has always wanted to write started. But the hotel's grisly past and unquiet ghosts have their way with him, and his wife Wendy eventually finds that the manuscript he has been working on actually only contains the phrase "All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy", typed over and over again.

Now New York artist Phil Buehler, who describes himself as "a big fan of Stanley Kubrick and Stephen King", has self-published a book credited to Torrance, repeating the phrase throughout but formatting each page differently, using the words to create different shapes from zigzags to spirals.

"The idea has probably been marinating for years, because I loved the movie and the Stephen King book," said Buehler. "I'd just finished my own obsessive art project [and] it was an idea I had over the Christmas holidays."

He said he decided to stick to type and formatting that could have been created on a typewriter, with the first ten pages duplicating shots of Torrance's work from the film. "I thought 'if he continues to get crazier, what would those pages look like?'" he said. "I hit writer's block about 60 pages in, and I had to get to 80 - that went on for about a week." His fiancée, who had neither read the book nor seen the film, became a little concerned about his actions. "I finally showed her the movie, and she realised I wasn't really losing it," said Buehler.

He's included a spoof review from the blog OverThinkingIt.com on the book's back jacket, which compares it to "the best of Beckett" in its "lack of forward momentum", and considers the struggles of the author, "heroically pitting himself against the Sisyphusean sentence". "It's that metatextual struggle of Man vs. Typewriter that gives this book its spellbinding power," the review says. "Some will dismiss it as simplistic; that's like dismissing a Pollack canvas as mere splatters of paint."

So far, Buehler says that around 1,000 people have viewed the book, for sale on Blurb.com for $8.95 in paperback, or $22.95 in hardback, and he's sold "a few" copies, with sales now starting to pick up steam. "A few people have asked me to sign it - they're looking it as a piece of art rather than a funny thing to give to a Kubrick fan," he said. "If you're not a Kubrick or King fan, you might not even get it."

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