A \ B \ C \ D \ E \ F \ G \ H \ I \ J \ K \ L \ M \ N \ O \ P \ R \ S \ T \ U \ V \ W \Z

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




Agni said, "If this Vrihaspati officiate as thy priest, then shalt thou
by the blessings of Devaraja (Indra) attain the highest region in the
celestial mansion and attaining fame shalt thou certainly conquer the
heavenly region. And, O lord of men, if Vrihaspati act as thy priest,
thou shalt be able to conquer all the regions inhabited by men, and the
heavenly regions, and all the highest regions created by Prajapati and
even the entire kingdom of the gods."

Samvarta said, "Thou must never come again thus to present Vrihaspati to
Marutta: for know, O Pavaka, (Agni) if thou dost, I losing my temper,
will burn thee with my fierce evil eyes."

Vyasa said, "Then Agni apprehending destruction by fire, and trembling
like the leaves of the Aswattha tree (Ficus religiosa), returned to the
gods, and the high-souled Sakra seeing that carrier of oblations (Agni)
in the company of Vrihaspati said as follows:

Indra said, "O Jataveda (Agni), didst thou go to present Vrihaspati to
Marutta according to my direction? What did that sacrificing king say
unto thee and did he accept my message?"

Agni said, "Thy message was not acceptable by Marutta and when urged by
me, he clasping the hands of Vrihaspati, repeatedly said, that Samvarta
would act as his priest. And he also observed that he did not desire to
attain the worldly and the heavenly regions and all the highest regions
of Prajapati, and that if he were so minded, he would accept the terms of
Indra."

Indra said, "Do thou go back to that king and meeting him, tell him these
words of mine, full of significance, and if he obey them not, I shall
strike him with my thunderbolt."

Agni said, "Let this king of the Gandharvas repair thither as thy
messenger, O Vasava, for, I am afraid to go thither myself. Know, O
Sakra, that highly incensed Samvarta, used to ascetic practices, told me
these words in a rage. 'I shall burn thee with my fierce evil eyes if
thou on any account come again here to present Vrihaspati to king
Marutta.'"

Sakra said, "O Jataveda, it is thou who dost burn all other things and
there is none else who can reduce thee to ashes. All the world is afraid
to come in contact with thee. O carrier of oblations, these words of
thine are worthy of no credence."

Agni said, "Thou, O Sakra, hast encompassed the dominion of the heaven
and the earth and the firmament by the might of thy own arms, but even
thus how could Vritra (of old) wrest from thee the sovereignty of the
celestial regions?"

Indra said, "I can reduce my foes to submission and can even reduce the
size of a mountain to an atom, if I will it. But, O Vahnni, as I do not
accept the libation of Soma if offered by a foe, and as I do not strike
the weak with my thunderbolt, Vritra seemed to triumph over me for a
time. But who among mortals can live in peace by creating feud with me. I
have banished the Kalakeyas to the earth, and removed the Danavas from
heaven, and have terminated the existence of Prahlada in heaven. Can
there be any man who can live in peace by provoking my enmity?"

Agni said, "Dost thou, O Mahendra, remember that in olden times when the
sage Chyavana officiated at the sacrifice of Saryati with the twin gods
Aswins and himself appropriated the Soma offering alone, thou wert filled
with wrath, and when bent upon preventing Saryati's sacrifice, thou didst
violently strike Chyavana with thy thunderbolt? But that Brahmana, O
Purandara, giving way to passion, was able by the power of his devotions
to seize and hold fast by hand with thy thunder-bolt in it. And in a
rage, he again created a terrible looking enemy of thine, the Asura named
Mada assuming all shapes, on beholding whom thou didst shut thine eyes
with fear, whose one huge jaw was placed on earth, and the other extended
to the celestial regions, and who looked terrible with his thousand sharp
teeth extending over a hundred Yojanas, and had four prominent ones
thick-set, and shining like a pillar of silver, and extending over two
hundred Yojanas. And when grinding his teeth he pursued thee with his
terrible and uplifted pike with the object of killing thee. Thou on
beholding that terrible monster, presented a (pitiful) spectacle to all
the by-standers. Then, O slayer of Danavas, overcome with fear of the
monster, with thy hands clasped in supplication, thou didst seek the
protection of the great sage. The might of Brahmanas, O Sakra, is greater
than that of the Kshatriyas. None are more powerful than Brahmanas and
knowing duly, as I do, the power of Brahmanas, I do not, O Sakra, desire
to come in conflict with Samvarta."



SECTION V

"Indra said, "Even so it is; the might of Brahmanas is great and there
are none more powerful than Brahmanas, but I can never bear with
equanimity the insolent pride of Avikshita's son, and so shall I smite
him with my thunderbolt. Therefore, O Dhritarashtra, do thou according to
my direction repair to king Marutta attended by Samvarta, and deliver
this message to him--'Do thou, O prince, accept Vrihaspati as thy
spiritual preceptor, as otherwise, I shall strike thee with my terrific
thunderbolt.'"

Vyasa said, "Then Dhritarashtra betook himself to that monarch's court
and delivered this message to him from Vasava."

Dhritarashtra said, "O lord of men, know that I am Dhritarashtra the
Gandharva, come here with the object [of] delivering to thee the message
of Indra. Do thou, O lion among kings, listen to the words which the
high-souled lord of all the worlds meant for thee,--That one of
incomprehensible achievements (Indra) only said this much, 'Do thou
accept Vrihaspati as thy officiating priest for the sacrifice, or if thou
do not comply with my request, I shall strike thee with my terrific
thunderbolt.'"

Marutta said, "Thou, O Purandara, the Viswadevas, the Vasus and the
Aswins ye all know, that in this world there is no escape from the
consequences of playing false to a friend; it is a great sin like unto
that of murdering a Brahman. Let Vrihaspati (therefore) officiate as
priest to that Mahendra the supreme Deva (god), the highest one wielding
the thunderbolt, and O prince, Samvarta will act as my priest, as neither
his (Indra's) words, nor thine commend themselves to me."

The Gandharva said, "Do thou, O lion among princes, listen to the
terrible war-cry of Vasava roaring, in the heavens. Assuredly, and openly
will Mahendra hurl his thunderbolt at thee. Do thou therefore be-think
thyself of thy good, for this is the time to do it."

Vyasa said, "Thus accosted by Dhritarashtra, and hearing the roar of
howling Vasava, the king communicated this intelligence to Samvarta
steadfast in devotion and the highest of all virtuous men."

Marutta said, "Verily this rain-cloud floating in the air indicates that
Indra must be near at present, therefore, O prince of Brahmanas, I seek
shelter from thee. Do thou, O best of Brahmanas, remove this fear of
Indra from my mind. The Wielder of the thunderbolt is coming encompassing
the ten directions of space with his terrible and superhuman refulgence
and my assistants at this sacrificial assembly have been overcome with
fright.

Samvarta said, "O lion among kings, thy fear of Sakra will soon be
dispelled, and I shall soon remove this terrible pain by means of my
magic lore (incantation); be calm and have no fear of being overpowered
by India. Thou hast nothing to fear from the god of a hundred sacrifices.
I shall use my staying charms, O king, and the weapons of all the gods
will avail them not. Let the lightening flash in all the directions of
space, and the winds entering into the clouds pour down the showers amid
the forests and the waters deluge the heavens and the flashes of
lightning that are seen will avail not. Thou hast nothing to fear, let
Vasava pour down the rains and plast his terrific thunderbolt where he
will, floating among the watery masses (clouds) for thy destruction, for
the god Vahnni (Agni) will protect thee in every way, and make thee
attain all the objects of thy desire."

Marutta said, "This appalling crash of the thunderbolt together with the
howling of the winds, seem terrible to my ears and my heart is afflicted
again and again, O Brahmana, and my peace of mind is gone at present."

Samvarta said, "O king, the feat in thy mind from this terrible
thunderbolt will leave thee presently. I shall dispel the thunder by the
aid of the winds, and setting aside all fear from thy mind, do thou
accept a boon from me according to thy heart's desire, and I shall
accomplish it for thee."

Marutta said, "I desire, O Brahmana, that Indra all on a sudden should
come in person at this sacrifice, and accept the oblation offered to him,
and that all the other gods also come and take their own shares of the
offerings and accept the libations of Soma offered to them."

Samvarta said, "I have by the power of my incantations attracted Indra in
person to this sacrifice. Behold, O monarch, Indra coming with his
horses, and worshipped by the other gods hastening to this sacrifice."

Then the lord of the Devas attended by the other gods and riding in his
chariot drawn by the most excellent steeds, approached the sacrificial
altar of that son of Avikshit and drank the Soma libations of that
unrivalled monarch. And king Marutta with his priest rose to receive
Indra coming with the host of gods and well-pleased in mind, he welcomed
the lord of the Devas with due and foremost honours according to the
Sastras.

Samvarta said, "Welcome to thee, O Indra, by thy presence here, O learned
one, this sacrifice has been made grand. O slayer or Vala and Vritra. do
thou again quaff this Soma juiced produced by me today.'

Marutta said, "Do thou look with kindness upon me, I bow unto thee, O
Indra, by thy presence, my sacrifice has been perfected, and my life too
blessed with good results. O Surendra, this excellent Brahmana, the
younger brother of Vrihaspati is engaged in performing my sacrifices."

Indra said. "I know thy priest, this highly energetic ascetic, the
younger brother of Vrihaspati, at whose invitation I have come to this
sacrifice. I am, O monarch, well-pleased with thee and my resentment
against thee hath been destroyed."

Samvarta said, "If, O prince of the Devas, thou art pleased with us, do
thou thyself give all the directions for this sacrifice, and O Surendra,
thyself ordain the sacrificial portions (for the gods), so that, O god,
all the world may know that it hath been done by thee."

Vyasa said, "Thus accosted by the son of Angira, Sakra himself gave
directions to all the gods to erect the hall of assembly, and a thousand
well-furnished excellent rooms looking grand as in a picture, and
speedily to complete the staircase massive and durable, for the ascent of
the Gandharvas and Apsaras and to furnish that portion of the sacrificial
ground reserved for the dance of the Apsaras, like unto the palace of
Indra in the heaven. O king, thus directed, the renowned dwellers of
heaven speedily fulfilled the directions of Sakra. And then, O king,
Indra well-pleased and adored, thus said to king Marutta,--O prince, by
associating with thee at this sacrifice, thine ancestors who have gone
before thee, as well as the other gods have been highly gratified and
have accepted the oblations offered by thee. And now, O king, let the
foremost of regenerate beings offer on the sacrificial altar a red bull
appertaining to the Fire-god and a sacred and duly consecrated blue bull
with a variegated skin, appertaining to the Viswedevas. Then, O king, the
sacrificial ceremony grew in splendour, wherein the gods themselves
collected the food, and Sakra, the lord of the gods, possessed of horses,
and worshipped by the Brahmanas, became an assistant at the sacrifice.
And then the high-souled Samvarta ascending the altar, and looking
radiant as the second embodiment of the blazing fire, loudly addressing
the gods with complaisance, offered oblations of clarified butter to the
fire with incantation of the sacred hymns. And then the slayer of Vala
first drank the Soma juice, and then the assembly of other gods drank
Soma. And then in happiness and with the king's permission they returned
home and well-pleased and delighted. Then that monarch, the slayer of his
enemies, with a delighted heart, placed heaps of gold on diverse spots,
and distributing the immense wealth to the Brahmanas, he looked glorious
like Kuvera, the god of wealth. And with a buoyant heart, the king filled
his treasury with different kinds of wealth, and with the permission of
his spiritual preceptor, he returned (to his kingdom) and continued to
rule the entire realm extending to the borders of the sea. So virtuous in
this world was that king, at whose sacrifice such an enormous quantity of
gold vas collected, and now, O prince, thou must collect that gold and
worshipping the gods with due rites, do thou perform this sacrifice."

Vaisampayana continued, "Then the Pandava prince Yudhishthira was
delighted on hearing this speech of the son of Satyavati (Vyasa), and
desirous of performing his sacrifice with those riches, he held repeated
consultations with his ministers."



SECTION XI

Vaisampayana said, "When Vyasa of wonderful achievements had concluded
his speech to the king, the highly-puissant son of Vasudeva (Krishna)
also addressed him. Knowing the king, the son of Pritha, afflicted in
mind, and bereft of his relatives and kinsmen slain in battle, and
appearing crest-fallen like the sun darkened eclipse, or fire smothered
by smoke, that prop of the Vrishni race (Krishna), comforting the son of
Dharma, essayed to address him thus."

Vasudeva said, "All crookedness of heart leads to destruction
(perdition?) and all rectitude leads to Brahman (spiritual excellence).
If this and this only is the aim and object of all true wisdom, then what
can mental distraction do (to one who understands this)? Thy Karma has
not yet been annihilated, nor have thy enemies been subjugated, for thou
dost not yet know the enemies that are still lurking within thine own
flesh. I shall (therefore) relate to thee truly as I have heard it, the
story of the war of Indra with Vritra as it took place. In ancient times
the Prithivi (earth), O king, was encompassed by Vritra, and by this
abstraction of earthly matter, the seat of all odour, there arose bad
odours on all sides, and the Performer of a hundred sacrifices (Indra),
being much enraged by this act, hurled his thunderbolt at Vritra. And
being deeply wounded by the thunderbolt of mighty Indra, Vritra entered
into the (waters), and by doing so he destroyed their property. The
waters being seized by Vritra, their liquid property left them. At this
Indra became highly enraged and again smote him with his thunderbolt. And
he (Vritra) smitten by the thunderbolt by the most powerful Indra betook
himself to the Jyoti (luminous matter) and abstracted its inherent
property. The luminous matter being overwhelmed by Vritra and its
property, colour and form being thereby lost, the wrathful Indra again
hurled his thunderbolt at him. And thus wounded again by Indra of
immeasurable power, Vritra entered all on a sudden into the Vayu (gaseous
matter). and thereafter made away with its inherent property. And this
matter being overpowered by Vritra and its property, viz., touch being
lost, Indra became again filled with wrath and flung his thunderbolt at
him. And wounded therein by the mighty (Indra), he overwhelmed the Akasa
(ether), and took away its inherent property, and the Akasa being
overwhelmed by Vritra, and its property, sound being destroyed, the god
of a hundred sacrifices highly incensed, again smote him with his
thunderbolt. And thus smitten by the mighty Indra, he suddenly entered
into his (Sakra's) body, and took away its essential attributes. And
overtaken by Vritra, he was filled with great illusion. And, O venerable
sir, the mightiest of Bharata's race, we have heard that Vasistha
comforted Indra (when he was thus afflicted) and that the god of a
hundred sacrifices slew Vritra in his body by means of his invisible
thunderbolt, and know, O prince, that this religious mystery was recited
by Sakra to the great sages, and they in turn told it to me."



SECTION XII

"Vasudeva said, "There are two kinds of ailments, physical and mental.
They are produced by the mutual action of the body and mind on each
other, and they never arise without the interaction of the two. The
ailment that is produced in the body, is called the physical ailment, and
that which has its seat in the mind, is known as the mental ailment. The
cold, the warm (phlegm and bile) as well as the windy humours, O king,
are the essential transformations generated in the physical body, and
when these humours are evenly distributed, and are present in due
proportions, they are said to be symptomatic of good health. The warm
humour is acted upon (allayed) by the cold, and the cold by the warm. And
Sattwa, Rajas and Tamas are the attributes of the soul, and it is said by
the learned that their presence in due proportions indicates health (of
the mind). But if any of the three preponderates, some remedy is enjoined
(to restore the equilibrium). Happiness is overcome by sorrow, and sorrow
by pleasure. Some people while afflicted by sorrow, desire to recall
(past) happiness, while others, while in the enjoyment of happiness,
desire to recall past sorrow. But thou, O son of Kunti, dost neither
desire to recall thy sorrows nor thy happiness; what else dost thou
desire to recall barring this delusion of sorrow? Or, perchance, O son,
of Pritha, it is thy innate nature, by which thou art at present
overpowered. Thou dost not desire to recall to thy mind the painful sight
of Krishna standing in the hall of assembly with only one piece of cloth
to cover her body, and while she was in her menses and in the presence of
all the Pandavas. And it is not meet that thou shouldst brood over thy
departure from the city, and thy exile with the hide of the antelope for
thy robe, and thy wanderings in the great forest, nor shouldst thou
recall to thy mind the affliction from Jatasura, the fight with
Chitrasena, and thy troubles from the Saindhavas. Nor it is proper, O son
of Pritha, and conqueror of thy foes, that thou shouldst recall the
incident of Kichaka's kicking Draupadi, during the period of thy exile
passed in absolute concealment, nor the incidents of the fight which took
place between thyself and Drona and Bhishma. The time has now arrived,
when thou must fight the battle which each must fight single-handed with
his mind. Therefore, O chief of Bharata's race, thou must now prepare to
carry the struggle against thy mind, and by dint of abstraction and the
merit of thine own Karma, thou must reach the other side of (overcome)
the mysterious and unintelligible (mind). In this war there will be no
need for any missiles, nor for friends, nor attendants. The battle which
is to be fought alone and single-handed has now arrived for thee. And if
vanquished in this struggle, thou shalt find thyself in the most wretched
plight, and O son of Kunti, knowing this, and acting accordingly, shalt
thou attain success. And knowing this wisdom and the destiny of all
creatures, and following the conduct of thy ancestors, do thou duly
administer thy kingdom."



SECTION XIII

"Vasudeva said, "O scion of Bharata's race, salvation is not attained by
foregoing the external things (like kingdom, etc), it is only attained by
giving up things which pander to the flesh (body). The virtue and
happiness which are attainable by the person who has renounced only the
external objects, but who is at the same time engrossed by passions and
weakness of the flesh, let these be the portion of our enemies. The word
with two letters is Mrit-yu (death of the soul or perdition), and the
word with three letters is Sas-wa-ta (Brahman) or the eternal spirit. The
consciousness that this or that thing is mine, or the state of being
addicted to worldly objects is Mrityu and the absence of that feeling is
Saswatam. And these two, Brahman and Mrityu, O king, have their seats in
the souls of all creatures, and remaining unseen, they, without doubt,
wage war with each other. And if, O Bharata, it be true that no creature
is ever destroyed, then one doth not make oneself guilty of the death of
a creature by piercing (destroying) its body. What matters the world to a
man, if having acquired the sovereignty of the whole earth with its
mobile and immobile creation, he does not become attached to it, or
engrossed in its enjoyment. But the man who having renounced the world,
has taken to the life of the recluse in the forest, living on wild roots
and edibles, if such a man, O son of Pritha, has a craving for the good
things of the world, and is addicted to them, he may be said to bear
Mrityu (death) in his mouth. Do thou, O Bharata, watch and observe the
character of thy external and internal enemies, (by means of thy
spiritual vision), And the man who is able to perceive the nature of the
eternal reality is able to overreach the influence of the great fear
(perdition). Men do not look with approbation upon the conduct of those
who are engrossed in worldly desires and there is no act without having a
desire (at its root) and all (Kama) desires are, as it were, the limbs
(offshoots) of the mind. Therefore, wise men knowing this subjugate their
desires. The Yogi who holds communion with the Supreme Spirit, knows Yoga
to be the perfect way (to salvation) by reason of the practices of his
many former births. And remembering that, what the soul desires, is not
conducive to piety and virtue, but that the suppression of the desires is
at the root of all true virtue, such men do not engage in the practice of
charity, Vedic learning, asceticism and Vedic rites whose object is
attainment of worldly prosperity, ceremonies, sacrifices, religious rules
and meditation, with the motive of securing any advantage thereby. By way
of illustration of this truth, the sages versed in ancient lore, recite
these Gathas called by the name of Kamagita, do thou O Yudhishthira,
listen to the recital of them in detail. (Kama says) No creature is able
to destroy me without resorting to the proper methods (viz., subjugating
of all desires and practice of Yoga etc.) If a man knowing my power,
strive to destroy me by muttering prayers etc., I prevail over him by
deluding him with the belief that I am the subjective ego within him. If
he wish to destroy me by means of sacrifices with many presents, I
deceive him by appearing in his mind as a most virtuous creature amongst
the mobile creation, and if he wish to annihilate me by mastering the
Vedas and Vedangas, I over reach him by seeming to his mind to be the
soul of virtue amongst the immobile creation. And if the man whose
strength lies in truth, desire to overcome me by patience, I appear to
him as his mind, and thus he does not perceive my existence, and if the
man of austere religious practices, desire to destroy me by means of
asceticism, I appear in the guise of asceticism in his mind, and thus he
is prevented from knowing me, and the man of learning, who with the
object of attaining salvation desires to destroy me, I frolic and laugh
in the face of such a man intent on salvation. I am the everlasting one
without a compeer, whom no creature can kill or destroy. For this reason
thou too, O prince, divert thy desires (Kama) to Virtue, so that, by this
means, thou mayst attain what is well for thee. Do thou therefore make
preparations for the due performance of the horse sacrifice with
presents, and various other sacrifices of great splendour, and
accompanied with presents. Let not therefore grief overpower thee again,
on beholding thy friends lying slain on the battlefield. Thou canst not
see the men slain in this battle alive again. Therefore shouldst thou
perform magnificent sacrifices with presents, so that thou mayst attain
fame in this world, and reach the perfect way (hereafter)."



SECTION XIV

"Vaisampayana said, "With such speeches as these, was the royal saint
Yudhishthira, bereft of his friends, consoled by those sages of great
ascetic merits. And O monarch, that lord of men exhorted by the
worshipful Viswarasraba himself, and by Dwaipayana (Vyasa), Krishna
Devasthana, Narada, Bhima, Nakula, Krishna (Draupadi), Sahadeva, and the
sharpwitted Vijaya, as well as by other great men, and Brahmanas versed
in the Sastras, became relieved of all mental affliction and sorrow
arising from the death of his dear relations. And that monarch
Yudhishthira after performing the obsequial ceremonies of his departed
friends, and honouring the Brahmanas and Devas (gods), brought the
kingdom of the earth with its girdle of oceans, under his sway. And that
prince of Kuru's race having regained his kingdom, with a tranquil mind,
thus addressed Vyasa, Narada and the other sages who were present. I have
been comforted by the words of so great, ancient and aged saints as
yourselves, and I have now no cause left for the least affliction. And
likewise, I have attained great wealth, with which I may worship the
gods. Therefore, with your assistance, I shall now perform the sacrifice,
O the best of regenerate beings. We have heard that those (Himalayan)
regions are full of wonders. Therefore, O Brahmana, saint and grandsire
do thou so ordain that under thy protection we may safety reach the
Himalaya mountains, the performance of my sacrifice being entirely within
thy control, and then the adorable celestial saint Narada and Devasthana
have also addressed exquisite and well-meaning words for our well being.
No unlucky man in times of great tribulation and distress, has ever the
good fortune to secure the services of such preceptors and friends
approved by all virtuous men. Thus addressed by the king, those great
saints, bidding the king and Krishna and Arjuna to repair to the
Himalayan regions, then and there vanished in the presence of the
assembled multitude, and the king, the lordly son of Dharma, then seated
himself there for a while. And the Pandavas then in consequence of the
death of Bhishma, were engaged in performing his funeral ceremonies. And
their time, while thus engaged, seemed too long in passing and performing
the last rites to the mortal remains of Bhishma, Karna and other foremost
Kauravas, they gave away large presents to Brahmanas. And then the
foremost descendant of Kuru again performed with Dhritarashtra the
funeral rites (of the heroes slain in battle), and having given away
immense wealth to the Brahmanas, the Pandava chief with Dhritarashtra in
advance, made this entry into the city of Hastina Nagar, and consoling
his lordly uncle, possessed of eyes of wisdom, that virtuous prince
continued to administer the earth with his brothers.

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

Horatio Alger - "Andy Grant's Pluck"

Various - "Punch, Or The London Charivari, VOL. 103, November 26, 1892"

William Charles Wentworth - "Statistical, Historical and Political Description of the Colony of New South Wales and its Dependent Settlements in Van Diemen's Land"

Mrs. Georgie Sheldon - "True Love's Reward"

The green room: Carol Ann Duffy, poet
Articles published by guardian.co.uk Books

Audio slideshow: Robert Shaw discusses his production of Sylvia Plath's only play
What is your biggest guilty green secret?

Stephen King fan publishes Shining's Jack Torrance's novel
Three Women was first heard as a radio drama and then published as a poem. Robert Shaw explains his desire to stage the piece as it was intended