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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




"Bhishma said, 'In this connection is cited this old narrative of a
conversation between Pavana and Arjuna, O Bharata! Endued with a thousand
arms and great beauty the mighty Kartavirya, in days of yore, became the
lord of all the world. He had his capital in the city of Mahishmati. Of
unbaffled prowess, that chief of the Haihaya race of Kshatriyas swayed
the whole earth with her belt of seas, together with all her islands and
all her precious mines of gold and gems. Keeping before him the duties of
the Kshatriya order, as also humility and Vedic knowledge, the king made
large gifts of wealth unto the Rishi Dattatreya. Indeed, the son of
Kritavirya thus adored the great ascetic who, becoming pleased with him,
asked him to solicit three boons. Thus requested by the Rishi in respect
of boons, the king addressed him, saying, 'Let me become endued with a
thousand arms when I am in the midst of my troops. While, however, I
remain at home let me have, as usual only two arms! Indeed, let
combatants, when engaged in battle, behold me possessed of a thousand
arms, observant also of high vows, let me succeed in subjugating the
whole earth by dint of my prowess. Having acquired the earth righteously,
let me sway her with vigilance. There is a fourth boon which, O foremost
of regenerate persons, I solicit thee to grant. O faultless one, in
consequence of the disposition to favour me, it behoveth thee to grant it
to me. Dependent that I am on thee, whenever I may happen to go wrong,
let the righteous come forth to instruct and set me right! Thus
addressed, the Brahmana replied unto the king, saying, 'So let it be!'
Even thus were those boons acquired by that king of blazing effulgence.
Riding then on his car whose splendour resembled that of fire or the Sun,
the monarch, blinded by his great prowess, said, 'Who, indeed, is there
that can be regarded as my equal in patience and energy, in fame and
heroism, in prowess and strength?' After he had uttered these words, an
invisible voice in the welkin said, 'O ignorant wretch, dost thou not
know that the Brahmana is superior to the Kshatriya? The Kshatriya,
assisted by the Brahmana rules all creatures!'

"Arjuna said, 'When gratified, I am able to create many creatures. When
angry, I am able to destroy all. In thought, word, and deed, I am the
foremost. The Brahmana is certainly not above me!' The first proposition
here is that the Brahmana is superior to the Kshatriya. The
counter-proposition is that the Kshatriya is superior. Thou hast said, O
invisible being that the two are united together (in the act upon which
the Kshatriya's superiority is sought to be based). A distinction,
however, is observable in this. It is seen that Brahmanas take refuge
with Kshatriyas. The Kshatriyas never seek the refuge of Brahmanas.
indeed, throughout the earth, the Brahmanas, accepting such refuge under
the pretence of teaching the Vedas, draw their sustenance from the
Kshatriyas. The duty of protecting all creatures is vested in Kshatriyas.
It is from the Kshatriyas that the Brahmanas derive their sustenance. How
then can the Brahmana be superior to the Kshatriyas? Well, I shall from
today, bring under my subjection, your Brahmanas who are superior to all
creatures but who have mendicancy for their occupation and who are so
self-conceited! What the virgin Gayatri has said from the welkin is not
true. Robed in skins, the Brahmanas move about in independence. I shall
bring those independent wights under my subjection. Deity or man, there
is none in the three worlds who can hurl me from the sovereignty I enjoy.
Hence, I am certainly superior to the Brahmanas. This world that is now
regarded as having Brahmanas for its foremost denizens shall soon be made
such as to have Kshatriyas for its foremost denizens. There is none that
is capable of bearing my might in battle! Hearing these words of Arjuna,
the welkin-ranging goddess became agitated. Then the god of wind,
addressing the king from the sky, said, 'Cast off this sinful attitude.
Bow unto the Brahmanas. By injuring them thou wilt bring about troubles
on thy kingdom. The Brahmanas will either slay thee, king though thou
art, or, endued with great might that they are, they will drive thee away
from thy kingdom, despoiling thee of thy energy!' The king, hearing this
speech, addressed the speaker, saying, Who, indeed, art thou?' The god of
wind answered, 'I am the god of wind and the messenger of the deities! I
say unto thee what is for thy benefit.'

"Arjuna said, 'Oh, I see that thou hast today shown thy devotion and
attachment to the Brahmanas. Tell me now what kind of earthly creature is
the Brahmana! Tell me, does a superior Brahmana resemble the Wind in any
respect? Or, is he like Water, or Fire, or the Sun, or the Firmament?'"



SECTION CLIII

"The god of wind said, 'Hear, O deluded man, what the attributes are that
belong to Brahmanas all of whom are endued with high souls. The Brahmana
is superior to all those which, O king, thou hast named! In days of yore,
the earth, indulging in a spirit of rivalry with the kind of the Angas,
forsook her character as Earth. The regenerate Kasyapa caused destruction
to overtake her by actually paralysing her. The Brahmanas are always
unconquerable, O king, in heaven as also on earth. In days of yore, the
great Rishi Angiras, through his energy, drank off all the waters. The
high-souled Rishi, having drank off all the waters as if they were milk,
did not feel yet his thirst to be slaked. He, therefore, once more caused
the earth to be filled with water by raising a mighty wave. On another
occasion, when Angiras became enraged with me, I fled away, leaving the
world, and dwelt for a long time concealed in the Agnihotra of the
Brahmanas through fear of that Rishi. The illustrious Purandara, in
consequence of his having coveted the body of Ahalya, was cursed by
Gautama, yet, for the sake of Righteousness and wealth, the Rishi did not
destroy outright the chief of the deities. The Ocean, O king, that was
full in former days of crystal water, cursed by the Brahmanas, became
saline in taste.[608] Even Agni who is of the complexion of gold, and who
blazes with effulgence when destitute of smoke, and whose flames uniting
together burn upwards, when cursed by the angry Angiras, became divested
of all these attributes.[609] Behold, the sixty thousand sons of Sagara,
who came here to adore the Ocean, have all been pulverised by the
Brahmana. Kapila of golden complexion. Thou art not equal to the
Brahmanas. Do thou, O king, seek thy own good. The Kshatriya of even
great puissance bows to Brahmana children that are still in their
mothers' wombs. The large kingdom of the Dandakas was destroyed by a
Brahmana. The mighty Kshatriya Talajangala was destroyed by a single
Brahmana. viz., Aurva. Thou too hast acquired a large kingdom, great
might, religious merit, and learning, which are all difficult of
attainment, through the grace of Dattatreya. Why dost thou, O Arjuna,
worship Agni everyday who is a Brahmana? He is the bearer of sacrificial
libations from every part of the universe. Art thou ignorant of this
fact? Why, indeed, dost thou suffer thyself to be stupefied by folly when
thou art not ignorant of the fact that a superior Brahmana is the
protector of all creatures in the world and is, indeed, the creator of
the living world? The Lord of all creatures, Brahman, unmanifest, endued
with puissance, and of unfading glory, who created this boundless
universe with its mobile and immobile creatures (is a Brahman). Some
persons there are, destitute of wisdom, who say that Brahman was born of
an Egg. From the original Egg, when it burst forth, mountains and the
points of the compass and the waters and the earth and the heavens all
sprang forth into existence. This birth of the creation was not seen by
any one. How then can Brahman be said to have taken his birth from the
original Egg, when especially he is declared as Unborn? It is said that
vast uncreate Space is the original Egg. It was from this uncreate Space
(or Supreme Brahman) that the Grandsire was born. If thou askest,
'Whereon would the Grandsire, after his birth from uncreate Space, rest,
for there was then nothing else?' The answer may be given in the
following words, 'There is an existent Being of the name of
Consciousness. That mighty Being is endued with great energy. There is no
Egg. Brahman, however, is existent. He is the creator of the universe and
is its king! Thus addressed by the god of wind, king Arjuna remained
silent.'"[610]



SECTION CLIV

"The god of wind said, 'Once on a time, O king, a ruler of the name of
Anga desired to give away the whole earth as sacrificial present unto the
Brahmanas. At this, the earth became filled with anxiety. 'I am the
daughter of Brahman. I hold all creatures. Having obtained me, alas, why
does this foremost of kings wish to give me away unto the Brahmanas?
Abandoning my character as the soil, I shall now repair to the presence
of my sire. Let this king with all his kingdom meet with destruction?
Arrived at this conclusion, she departed for the region of Brahman The
Rishi Kasyapa, beholding goddess Earth on the point of departing, himself
immediately entered the visible embodiment of the goddess, casting off
his own body, by the aid of Yoga. The earth thus penetrated by the spirit
of Kasyapa, grew in prosperity and became full of all kinds of vegetable
produce. Indeed, O king for the time that Kasyapa pervaded the earth,
Righteousness became foremost everywhere and all fears ceased. In this
way, O king, the earth remained penetrated by the spirit of Kasyapa for
thirty thousand celestial years, fully alive to all those functions which
it used to discharge while it was penetrated by the spirit of Brahman's
daughter. Upon the expiry of this period, the goddess returned from the
region of Brahman and arrived here bowed unto Kasyapa and from that time
became the daughter of that Rishi, Kasyapa is a Brahmana. Even this was
the feat, O king, that a Brahmana did. Tell me the name of the Kshatriya
who can be held to be superior to Kasyapa! Hearing these words, king
Arjuna remained silent. Unto him the god of wind once more said, 'Hear
now, O king, the story of Utathya who was born in the race of Angiras.
The daughter of Soma, named Bhadra, came to be regarded as unrivalled in
beauty. Her sire Soma regarded Utathya to be the fittest of husbands for
her. The famous and highly blessed maiden of faultless limbs, observing
diverse vows, underwent the severest austerities from the desire of
obtaining Utathya for her lord. After a while, Soma's father Atri,
inviting Utathya to his house, bestowed upon him the famous maiden.
Utathya, who used to give away sacrificial presents in copious measure,
duly received the girl for his wife. It so happened, however, that the
handsome Varuna had, from a long time before, coveted the girl. Coming to
the woods where Utathya dwelt, Varuna stole away the girl when she had
plunged into the Yamuna for a bath. Abducting her thus, the Lord of the
waters took her to his own abode. That mansion was of a wonderful aspect.
It was adorned with six hundred thousand lakes. There is no mansion that
can be regarded more beautiful than that palace of Varuna. It was adorned
with many palaces and by the presence of diverse tribes of Apsaras and of
diverse excellent articles of enjoyment. There, within that palace, the
Lord of waters; O king, sported with the damsel. A little while after,
the fact of the ravishment of his wife was reported to Utathya. Indeed,
having heard all the facts from Narada, Utathya addressed' the celestial
Rishi, saying, 'Go, O Narada, unto Varuna and speak with due severity
unto him. Ask him as to why he has abducted my wife, and, indeed, tell
him in my name that he should yield her up. Thou mayst say to him
further, 'Thou are a protector of the worlds, O Varuna, and not a
destroyer! Why then hast thou abducted Utathya's wife bestowed upon him
by Soma?' Thus requested by Utathya, the celestial Rishi Narada repaired
to where Varuna was and addressing him, said, 'Do thou set free the wife
of Utathya. Indeed, why hast thou abducted her?' Hearing these words of
Narada, Varuna replied unto him, saying, 'This timid girl is exceedingly
dear to me. I dare not let her go!' Receiving this reply, Narada repaired
to Utathya and cheerlessly said, 'O great ascetic, Varuna has driven me
out from his house, seizing me by the throat. He is unwilling to restore
to thee thy spouse. Do thou act as thou pleasest.' Hearing these words of
Narada, Angiras became inflamed with wrath. Endued with wealth of
penances, he solidified the waters and drank them off, aided by his
energy. When all the waters were thus drunk off, the Lord of that element
became very cheerless with all his friends and kinsfolk. For all that, he
did not still give up Utathya's wife. Then Utathya, that foremost of
regenerate persons, filled with wrath, commanded Earth, saying, 'O
amiable one, do thou show land where there are at present the six hundred
thousand lakes.' At these words of the Rishi, the Ocean receded from the
spot indicated, and land appeared which was exceedingly sterile. Unto the
rivers that flowed through that region, Utathya said, 'O Saraswati, do
thou become invisible here. Indeed, O timid lady, leaving this region, go
thou to the desert! O auspicious goddess, let this region, destitute of
thee, cease to become sacred.' When that region (in which the lord of
waters dwelt) became dry, he repaired to Angiras, taking with him
Utathya's spouse, and made her over to him. Getting back his wife,
Utathya became cheerful. Then, O chief of the Haihaya race, that great
Brahmana rescued both the universe and the Lord of waters from the
situation of distress into which he had brought them. Conversant with
every duty, the Rishi Utathya of great energy, after getting back his
spouse, O king, said so unto Varuna, 'I have recovered my wife, O Lord of
waters, with the aid of my penances and after inflicting such distress on
thee as made thee cry aloud in anguish! Having said this, he went home,
with that wife of his. Even such, O king, was Utathya, that foremost of
Brahmanas. Shall I go on? Or, will you yet persist in thy opinion? What,
is there a Kshatriya that is superior to Utathya?'



SECTION CLV

"Bhishma said, "Thus addressed, king Arjuna remained silent. The god of
wind once more spoke to him, 'Listen now, O king, to the story of the
greatness of the Brahmana Agastya. Once on a time, the gods were
subjugated by the Asuras upon which they became very cheerless. The
sacrifices of the deities were all seized, and the Swadha of the Pitris
was also misappropriated. Indeed, O Chief of the Haihayas, all the
religious acts and observances of human beings also were suspended by the
Danavas. Divested of their prosperity, the deities wandered over the
earth as we have heard. One day, in course of their wandering they met
Agastya of high vows, that Brahmana, O king, who was endued with great
energy and splendour which was as blazing as that of the sun. Saluting
him duly, the deities made the usual enquiries of politeness. They then,
O King, said these words unto that high-souled one, 'We have been
defeated by the Danavas in battle and have, therefore, fallen off from
affluence and prosperity. Do thou, therefore, O foremost of ascetics,
rescue us from this situation of great fear.' Thus informed of the plight
to which the deities had been reduced, Agastya became highly incensed
(with the Danavas). Possessed of great energy, he at once blazed forth
like the all-consuming fire at the time of the universal dissolution.
With the blazing rays that then emanated from the Rishi, the Danavas
began to be burnt. Indeed, O king, thousands of them began to drop down
from the sky. Burning with the energy of Agastya, the Danavas, abandoning
both heaven and earth, fled towards the southern direction. At that time
the Danava king Vali was performing a Horse-sacrifice in the nether
regions. Those great Asuras who were with him in those regions or who
were dwelling in the bowels of the earth, were not burnt. The deities,
upon the destruction of their foes, then regained their own regions,
their fears entirely dispelled. Encouraged by what he accomplished for
them, they then solicited the Rishi to destroy those Asuras who had taken
refuge within the bowels of the earth or in the nether regions. Thus
solicited by the gods, Agastya replied unto them, saying, 'Yes, I am
fully competent to consume those Asuras that are dwelling underneath the
earth; but if I achieve such a feat, my penances will suffer a
diminution. Hence, I shall not exert my power.' Even thus, O king, were
the Danavas consumed by the illustrious Rishi with his own energy. Even
thus did Agastya of cleansed soul, O monarch, accomplish that feat with
the aid of his penances. O sinless one, even so was Agastya as described
by me! Shall I continue? Or, will you say anything in reply? Is there any
Kshatriya who is greater than Agastya?'

"Bhishma continued, 'Thus addressed, king Arjuna remained silent. The god
of wind once more said, 'Hear, O king, one of the great feats of the
illustrious Vasishtha. Once on a time the deities were engaged in
performing a sacrifice on the shores of the lake Vaikhanasa. Knowing of
his puissance, the sacrificing gods thought of Vasishtha and made him
their priest in imagination. Meanwhile, seeing the gods reduced and
emaciated in consequence of the Diksha they were undergoing, a race of
Danavas, of the name of Khalins, of statures as gigantic as mountains,
desired to slay them. Those amongst the Danavas that were either disabled
or slain in the fight were plunged into the waters of the Manasa lake and
in consequence of the boon of the Grandsire they instantly came back to
vigour and life. Taking up huge and terrible mountain summits and maces
and trees, they agitated the waters of the lake, causing them to swell up
to the height of a hundred yojanas. They then ran against the deities
numbering ten thousand. Afflicted by the Danavas, the gods then sought
the protection of their chief, Vasava-Sakra, however, was soon afflicted
by them. In his distress he sought the protection of Vasishtha. At this,
the holy Rishi Vasishtha assured the deities, dispelling their fears.
Understanding that the gods had become exceedingly cheerless, the ascetic
did this through compassion. He put forth his energy and burnt, without
any exertion, those Danavas called Khalins. Possessed of wealth of
penances, the Rishi brought the River Ganga, who had gone to Kailasa, to
that spot. Indeed, Ganga appeared, piercing through the waters of the
lake. The lake was penetrated by that river. And as that celestial
stream, piercing through the waters of the lake, appeared, it flowed on,
under the name of Sarayu. The place whereon those Danavas fell came to be
called after them. Even thus were the denizens of Heaven, with Indra at
their head, rescued from great distress by Vasishtha, It was thus that
those Danavas, who had received boons from Brahman, were slain by that
high-souled Rishi. O sinless one, I have narrated to thee the feat which
Vasishtha accomplished. Shall I go on? Or, will you say anything! Was
there a Kshatriya who could be said to surpass the Brahmana Vasishtha?'



SECTION CLVI

"Bhishma said, 'Thus addressed, Arjuna remained silent. The god of wind
once more addressed him, saying, 'Hear me, O foremost one of the
Haihayas, as I narrate to thee the achievement of the high-souled Atri.
Once on a time as the gods and Danavas were fighting each other in the
dark, Rahu pierced both Surya and Soma with his arrows. The gods,
overwhelmed by darkness, began to fall before the mighty Danavas, O
foremost of kings! Repeatedly struck by the Asuras, the denizens of
heaven began to lose their strength. They then beheld the learned
Brahmana Atri, endued with wealth of penances, engaged in the observance
of austerities. Addressing that Rishi who had conquered all his senses
and in whom wrath had been extinguished, they said 'Behold, O Rishi,
these two, viz., Soma and Surya, who have both been pierced by the Asuras
with their arrows! In consequence of this, darkness has overtaken us, and
we are being struck down by the foe. We do not see the end of our
troubles! Do thou, O lord of great puissance, rescue us from this great
fear.'

"The Rishi said, 'How, indeed, shall I protect you? They answered,
saying, 'Do thou thyself become Chandramas. Do thou also become the sun,
and do thou begin to slay these robbers!' Thus solicited by them, Atri
assumed the form of the darkness-destroying Soma. Indeed, in consequence
of his agreeable disposition, he began to look as handsome and delightful
as Soma himself. Beholding that the real Soma and the real Surya had
become darkened by the shafts of the foe, Atri, assuming the forms of
those luminaries, began to shine forth in splendour over the field of
battle, aided by the puissance of his penances. Verily Atri made the
universe blaze forth in light, dispelling all its darkness. By putting
forth his puissance, he also subjugated the vast multitudes of those
enemies of the deities. Beholding those great Asuras burnt by Atri, the
gods also, protected by Atri's energy, began to despatch them quickly.
Putting forth his prowess and mastering all his energy, it was even in
this way that Atri illumined the god of day, rescued the deities, and
slew the Asuras! Even this was the feat that regenerate one, aided by his
sacred fire,--that silent reciter of Mantras, that one clad in
deer-skins,--accomplished! Behold, O royal sage, that act achieved by
that Rishi who subsisted upon fruits only! I have thus narrated to thee,
in detail, the feat of the high-souled Atri. Shall I go on! Or, will you
say anything? Is there a Kshatriya that is superior to this regenerate
Rishi?'

"Thus addressed, Arjuna remained silent. The god of wind once more spake
unto him, 'Hear, O king, the feat achieved by the high-souled Chyavana
(in days of old). Having passed his promise to the twin Aswins, Chyavana
addressed the chastiser of Paka, saying, 'Do thou make the Aswins
drinkers of Soma with all other deities!'

"Indra said, 'The Aswins have been cast away by us. How then, can they be
admitted into the sacrificial circle for drinking Soma with the others?
They are not numbered with the deities. Do not, therefore, tell us so! O
thou of great vows, we do not wish to drink Soma in the company of the As
wins. Whatever other behest thou mayst be pleased to utter, O learned
Brahmana, we are ready to accomplish.'

"Chyavana said, 'The twin Aswins shall drink Soma with all of you! Both
of them are gods, O chief of the deities, for they are the sons of Surya.
Let the gods do what I have said. By acting according to those words, the
gods will reap great advantage. By acting otherwise, evil will overtake
them.'

"Indra said, 'I shall not, O foremost of regenerate persons, drink Soma
with the Aswins! Let others drink with them as they please! As regards
myself, I dare not do it.'

"Chyavana said, 'If, O slayer of Vala, thou wilt not obey my words, thou
shalt, this very day, drink Soma with them in sacrifice, compelled by me!

"The god of wind said, 'Then Chyavana, taking the Aswins with him,
commenced a great religious rite for their benefit. The gods all became
stupefied by Chyavana with his Mantras. Beholding that feat commenced by
Chyavana, Indra became incensed with wrath. Taking up a huge mountain he
ran against that Rishi. The chief of the deities was also armed with the
thunderbolt. Then the illustrious Chyavana, endued with penances, cast an
angry glance upon Indra as he advanced. Throwing a little water at him,
he paralysed the chief of the deities with his thunderbolt and mountain.
As the result of the religious rite he had commenced, he created a
terrible Asura hostile to Indra. Made of the libations he had poured on
the sacred fire, that Asura was called Mada, of mouth gaping wide. Even
such was the Asura that the great ascetic created with the aid of
Mantras. There were a thousand teeth in his mouth, extending for a
hundred yojanas. Of terrible mien, his fangs were two hundred yojanas in
length. One of his cheeks rested on the earth and the other touched the
heavens. Indeed, all the gods with Vasava seemed to stand at the root of
that great Asura's tongue, even as fishes when they enter into the wide
open mouth of a leviathan. While standing within the mouth of Mada, the
gods held a quick consultation and then addressing Indra, said, 'Do thou
soon bend thy head in reverence unto this regenerate personage! Freed
from every scruple, we shall drink Soma with the Aswins in our company!
Then Sakra, bowing down his head unto Chyavana, obeyed his behest. Even
thus did Chyavana make the Aswins drinkers of Soma with the other gods.
Calling back Mada, the Rishi then assigned him the acts he was to do.
That Mada was commanded to take up his residence in dice, in hunting, in
drinking, and in women. Hence, O king, those men that betake themselves
to these, meet with destruction, without doubt. Hence, one should always
cast off these faults to a great distance. Thus, O king, I have narrated
to thee the feat achieved by Chyavana. Shall I go on? Or, will you say
anything in reply? Is there a Kshatriya that is higher than the Brahmana
Chyavana?'"

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