The Mahabharata of Krishna Dwaipayana Vyasa, Volume 1 by or: Kisari Mohan Ganguli

o >> or: Kisari Mohan Ganguli >> The Mahabharata of Krishna Dwaipayana Vyasa, Volume 1

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"Soon after Satyavati, O chastiser of foes, summoned Vyasa, after having
secured the assent of her daughter-in-law. Vyasa came according to his
promise, and approached, as before, the second wife of his brother. And
Ambalika beholding the Rishi, became pale with fear And, O Bharata,
beholding her so afflicted and pale with fear, Vyasa addressed her and
said, 'Because thou hast been pale with fear at the sight of my grim
visage, therefore, thy child shall be pale in complexion. O thou of
handsome face, the name also thy child shall bear will be Pandu (the
pale).' 'Saying this, the illustrious and best of Rishis came out of her
chamber. And as he came out, he was met by his mother who asked him about
the would-be-child. The Rishi told her that the child would be of pale
complexion and known by the name of Pandu. Satyavati again begged of the
Rishi another child, and the Rishi told her in reply, 'So be it.'
Ambalika, then, when her time came, brought forth a son of pale
complexion. Blazing with beauty the child was endued with all auspicious
marks. Indeed, it was this child who afterwards became the father of
those mighty archers, the Pandavas.

"Some time after, when the oldest of Vichitravirya's widows again had her
monthly season, she was solicited by Satyavati to approach Vyasa once
again. Possessed of beauty like a daughter of a celestial, the princess
refused to do her mother-in-law's bidding, remembering the grim visage
and strong odour of the Rishi. She, however, sent unto him, a maid of
hers, endued with the beauty of an Apsara and decked with her own
ornaments. And when the Vyasa arrived, the maid rose up and saluted him.
And she waited upon him respectfully and took her seat near him when
asked. And, O king, the great Rishi of rigid vows, was well-pleased with
her, and when he rose to go away, he addressed her and said, 'Amiable
one, thou shalt no longer be a slave. Thy child also shall be greatly
fortunate and virtuous, and the foremost of all intelligent men on
earth!' And, O king, the son thus begotten upon her by Krishna-Dwaipayana
was afterwards known by the name of Vidura. He was thus the brother of
Dhritarashtra and the illustrious Pandu. And Vidura was free from desire
and passion and was conversant with the rules of government, and was the
god of justice born on earth under the curse of the illustrious Rishi
Mandavya. And Krishna-Dwaipayana, when he met his mother as before,
informed her as to how he had been deceived by the seniormost of the
princesses and how he had begotten a son upon a Sudra woman. And having
spoken thus unto his mother the Rishi disappeared from her sight.

"Thus were born, in the field of Vichitravirya, even of Dwaipayana those
sons of the splendour of celestial children, those propagators of the
Kuru race.'"

SECTION CVII

(Sambhava Parva continued)

"Janamejaya said, 'What did the god of justice do for which he was
cursed? And who was the Brahmana ascetic from whose curse the god had to
be born in the Sudra caste?'

"Vaisampayana said, 'There was a Brahmana known by the name of Mandavya.
He was conversant with all duties and was devoted to religion, truth and
asceticism. The great ascetic used to sit at the entrance of his
hermitage at the foot of a tree, with his arms upraised in the observance
of the vow of silence. And as he sat there for years together, one day
there came into his asylum a number of robbers laden with spoil. And, O
bull in Bharata's race, those robbers were then being pursued by a
superior body as guardians of the peace. The thieves, on entering that
asylum, hid their booty there, and in fear concealed themselves
thereabout before the guards came. But scarcely had they thus concealed
themselves when the constables in pursuit came to the spot. The latter,
observing the Rishi sitting under the tree, questioned him, O king,
saying, 'O best of Brahmanas, which way have the thieves taken? Point it
out to us so that we may follow it without loss of time.' Thus questioned
by the guardians of peace the ascetic, O king, said not a word, good or
otherwise, in reply. The officers of the king, however, on searching that
asylum soon discovered the thieves concealed thereabout together with the
plunder. Upon this, their suspicion fell upon the Muni, and accordingly
they seized him with the thieves and brought him before the king. The
king sentenced him to be executed along with his supposed associates. And
the officers, acting in ignorance, carried out the sentence by impaling
the celebrated Rishi. And having impaled him, they went to the king with
the booty they had recovered. But the virtuous Rishi, though impaled and
kept without food, remained in that state for a long time without dying.
And the Rishi by his ascetic power not only preserved his life but
summoned other Rishi to the scene. And they came there in the night in
the forms of birds, and beholding him engaged in ascetic meditation
though fixed on that stake, became plunged into grief. And telling that
best of Brahmanas who they were, they asked him saying, 'O Brahmana, we
desire to know what hath been thy sin for which thou hast thus been made
to suffer the tortures of impalement!'"

SECTION CVIII

(Sambhava Parva continued)

"Vaisampayana said, 'Thus asked, the tiger among Munis then answered
those Rishis of ascetic wealth, 'Whom shall I blame for this? In fact,
none else (than my own self) hath offended against me!' After this, O
monarch, the officers of justice, seeing him alive, informed the king of
it. The latter hearing what they said, consulted with his advisers, and
came to the place and began to pacify the Rishi. fixed on the stake. And
the king said, 'O thou best of Rishis, I have offended against thee in
ignorance. I beseech thee to pardon me for the same. It behoveth thee not
to be angry with me.' Thus addressed by the king, the Muni was pacified.
And beholding him free from wrath, the king took him up with the stake
and endeavoured to extract it from his body. But not succeeding therein,
he cut it off at the point just outside the body. The Muni, with a
portion of the stake within his body, walked about, and in that state
practised the austerest of penances and conquered numberless regions
unattainable by others. And for the circumstances of a part of the stake
being within his body, he came to be known in the three worlds by the
name of Ani-Mandavya (Mandavya with the stake within). And one day that
Brahamana acquainted with the highest truth of religion went unto the
abode of the god of justice. And beholding the god there seated on his
throne, the Rishi reproached him and said, 'What, pray, is that sinful
act committed by me unconsciously, for which I am bearing this
punishment? O, tell me soon, and behold the power of my asceticism.'

"The god of justice, thus questioned, replied, 'O thou of ascetic wealth,
a little insect was once pierced by thee on a blade of grass. Thou
bearest now the consequence of the act. O Rishi, as a gift, however
small, multiplieth in respect of its religious merits, so a sinful act
multiplieth in respect of the woe it bringeth in its train.' On hearing
this, Ani-Mandavya asked, 'O tell me truly when this act was committed by
me. Told in reply by the god of justice that he had committed it, when a
child, the Rishi said, 'That shall not be a sin which may be done by a
child up to the twelfth year of his age from birth. The scriptures shall
not recognise it as sinful. The punishment thou hast inflicted on me for
such a venial offence hath been disproportionate in severity. The killing
of a Brahmana involves a sin that is heavier than the killing of any
other living being. Thou shall, therefore, O god of justice, have to be
born among men even in the Sudra order. And from this day I establish
this limit in respect of the consequence of acts that an act shall not be
sinful when committed by one below the age of fourteen. But when
committed by one above that age, it shall be regarded as sin.'

"Vaisampayana continued, 'Cursed for this fault by that illustrious
Rishi, the god of justice had his birth as Vidura in the Sudra order. And
Vidura was well-versed in the doctrines of morality and also politics and
worldly profit. And he was entirely free from covetousness and wrath.
Possessed of great foresight and undisturbed tranquillity of mind, Vidura
was ever devoted to the welfare of the Kurus.'"

SECTION CIX

(Sambhava Parva continued)

"Vaisampayana said, 'Upon the birth of those three children, Kurujangala,
Kurukshetra, and the Kurus grew in prosperity. The earth began to yield
abundant harvest, and the crops also were of good flavour. And the clouds
began to pour rain in season and trees became full of fruits and flowers.
And the draught cattle were all happy and the birds and other animals
rejoiced exceedingly. And the flowers became fragrant and the fruits
became sweet; the cities and towns became filled with merchants,
artisans, traders and artists of every description. And the people became
brave, learned, honest and happy. And there were no robbers then, nor
anybody who was sinful. And it seemed that the golden age had come upon
every part of the kingdom. And the people devoted to virtuous acts,
sacrifices and truth, and regarding one another with love and affection
grew in prosperity. And free from pride, wrath and covetousness, they
rejoiced in perfectly innocent sports. And the capital of the Kurus, full
as the ocean, was a second Amaravati, teeming with hundreds of palaces
and mansions, and possessing gates and arches dark as the clouds. And men
in great cheerfulness sported constantly on rivers, lakes and tanks, and
in fine groves and charming woods. And the southern Kurus, in their
virtuous rivalry with their northern kinsmen, walked about in the company
of Siddhas and Charanas and Rishis. And all over that delightful country
whose prosperity was thus increased by the Kurus, there were no misers
and no widowed women. And the wells and lakes were ever full; the groves
abounded with trees, and the houses and abodes of Brahmanas were full of
wealth and the whole kingdom was full of festivities. And, O king,
virtuously ruled by Bhishma, the kingdom was adorned with hundreds of
sacrificial stakes. And the wheel of virtue having been set in motion by
Bhishma, and the country became so contented that the subjects of other
kingdoms, quitting their homes, came to dwell there and increase its
population. And the citizens and the people were filled with hope, upon
seeing the youthful acts of their illustrious princes. And, O king, in
the house of the Kuru chiefs as also of the principal citizens, 'give',
'eat' were the only words constantly heard. And Dhritarashtra and Pandu
and Vidura of great intelligence were from their birth brought up by
Bhishma, as if they were his own sons. And the children, having passed
through the usual rites of their order, devoted themselves to vows and
study. And they grew up into fine young men skilled in the Vedas and all
athletic sports. And they became well-skilled in the practice of bow, in
horsemanship, in encounters with mace, sword and shield, in the
management of elephants in battle, and in the science of morality.
Well-read in history and the Puranas and various branches of learning,
and acquainted with the truths of the Vedas and their branches they
acquired knowledge, which was versatile and deep. And Pandu, possessed of
great prowess, excelled all men in archery while Dhritarashtra excelled
all in personal strength, while in the three worlds there was no one
equal to Vidura in devotion to virtue and in the knowledge of the
dictates of morality. And beholding the restoration of the extinct line
of Santanu, the saying became current in all countries that among mothers
of heroes, the daughters of the king of Kasi were the first; that among
countries Kurujangala was the first; that among virtuous men, Vidura was
the first; that among cities Hastinapura was the first. Pandu became
king, for Dhritarashtra, owing to the blindness, and Vidura, for his
birth by a Sudra woman, did not obtain the kingdom. One day Bhishma, the
foremost of those acquainted with the duties of a statesman and dictates
of morality, properly addressing Vidura conversant with the truth of
religion and virtue, said as follows."

SECTION CX

(Sambhava Parva continued)

"Bhishma said, 'This our celebrated race, resplendent with every virtue
and accomplishment, hath all along sovereignty over all other monarchs on
earth. Its glory maintained and itself perpetuated by many virtuous and
illustrious monarchs of old, the illustrious Krishna (Dwaipayana) and
Satyavati and myself have raised you (three) up, in order that it may not
be extinct. It behoveth myself and thee also to take such steps that this
our dynasty may expand again as the sea. It hath been heard by me that
there are three maidens worthy of being allied to our race. One is the
daughter of (Surasena of) the Yadava race; the other is the daughter of
Suvala; and the third is the princess of Madra. O son, all these maidens
are of course of blue blood. Possessed of beauty and pure blood, they are
eminently fit for an alliance with our family. O thou foremost of
intelligent men, I think we should choose them for the growth of our
race. Tell me what thou thinkest.' Thus addressed, Vidura replied, 'Thou
art our father and thou art our mother, too. Thou art our respected
spiritual instructor. Therefore, do thou what may be best for us in thy
eyes.'

"Vaisampayana continued, 'Soon after Bhishma heard from the Brahmanas
that Gandhari, the amiable daughter of Suvala, having worshipped Hara
(Siva) had obtained from the deity the boon that she should have a
century of sons. Bhishma, the grandfather of the Kurus, having heard
this, sent messengers unto the king of Gandhara. King Suvala at first
hesitated on account of the blindness of the bridegroom, but taking into
consideration the blood of the Kurus, their fame and behaviour, he gave
his virtuous daughter unto Dhritarashtra and the chaste Gandhari hearing
that Dhritarashtra was blind and that her parents had consented to marry
her to him, from love and respect for her future husband, blindfolded her
own eyes. Sakuni, the son of Suvala, bringing unto the Kurus his sister
endued with youth and beauty, formally gave her away unto Dhritarashtra.
And Gandhari was received with great respect and the nuptials were
celebrated with great pomp under Bhishma's directions. And the heroic
Sakuni, after having bestowed his sister along with many valuable robes,
and having received Bhishma's adorations, returned to his own city. And,
O thou of Bharata's race, the beautiful Gandhari gratified all the Kurus
by her behaviour and respectful attentions. And Gandhari, ever devoted to
her husband, gratified her superiors by her good conduct; and as she was
chaste, she never referred even by words to men other than her husband or
such superiors.'"

SECTION CXI

(Sambhava Parva continued)

"Vaisampayana continued, 'There was amongst the Yadavas a chief named
Sura. He was the father of Vasudeva. And he had a daughter called Pritha,
who was unrivalled for beauty on earth. And, O thou of Bharata's race,
Sura, always truthful in speech, gave from friendship this his firstborn
daughter unto his childless cousin and friend, the illustrious
Kuntibhoja--the son of his paternal aunt--pursuant to a former promise.
And Pritha in the house of her adoptive father was engaged in looking
after the duties of hospitality to Brahmanas and other guests. Once she
gratified by her attentions the terrible Brahmana of rigid vows, who was
known by the name of Durvasa and was well-acquainted with the hidden
truths of morality. Gratified with her respectful attentions, the sage,
anticipating by his spiritual power the future (season of) distress
(consequent upon the curse to be pronounced upon Pandu for his
unrighteous act of slaying a deer while serving its mate) imparted to her
a formula of invocation for summoning any of the celestials she liked to
give her children. And the Rishi said, 'Those celestials that thou shall
summon by this Mantra shall certainly approach thee and give thee
children.' 'Thus addressed by the Brahmana, the amiable Kunti (Pritha)
became curious, and in her maidenhood summoned the god Arka (Sun). And as
soon as he pronounced the Mantra, she beheld that effulgent deity--that
beholder of everything in the world--approaching her. And beholding that
extraordinary sight, the maiden of faultless features was overcome with
surprise. But the god Vivaswat (Sun) approaching her, said, 'Here I am, O
black-eyed girl! Tell me what I am to do for thee.'

"Hearing this, Kunti said, 'O slayer of foes, a certain Brahamana gave me
this formula of invocation as a boon, and, O lord, I have summoned thee
only to test its efficacy. For this offence I bow to thee. A woman,
whatever be her offence, always deserveth pardon.' Surya (Sun) replied,
'I know that Durvasa hath granted this boon. But cast off thy fears,
timid maiden, and grant me thy embraces. Amiable one, my approach cannot
be futile; it must bear fruit. Thou hast summoned me, and if it be for
nothing, it shall certainly be regarded as thy transgression.'

"Vaisampayana continued, 'Vivaswat thus spoke unto her many things with a
view to allay her fears, but, O Bharata, the amiable maiden, from modesty
and fear of her relatives, consented not to grant his request. And, O
bull of Bharata's race, Arka addressed her again and said, 'O princess,
for my sake, it shall not be sinful for thee to grant my wish.' Thus
speaking unto the daughter of Kuntibhoja, the illustrious Tapana--the
illuminator of the universe--gratified his wish. And of this connection
there was immediately born a son known all over the world as Karna
accountred with natural armour and with face brightened by ear-rings. And
the heroic Karna was the first of all wielders of weapons, blessed with
good fortune, and endued with the beauty of a celestial child. And after
the birth of this child, the illustrious Tapana granted unto Pritha her
maidenhood and ascended to heaven. And the princess of the Vrishni race
beholding with sorrow that son born of her, reflected intently upon what
was then the best for her to do. And from fear of her relatives she
resolved to conceal that evidence of her folly. And she cast her
offspring endued with great physical strength into the water. Then the
well-known husband of Radha, of the Suta caste, took up the child thus
cast into the water, and he and his wife brought him up as their own son.
And Radha and her husband bestowed on him the name of Vasusena (born with
wealth) because he was born with a natural armour and ear-rings. And
endued as he was born with great strength, as he grew up, he became
skilled in all weapons. Possessed of great energy, he used to adore the
sun until his back was heated by his rays (i.e., from dawn to midday),
and during the hours of worship, there was nothing on earth that the
heroic and intelligent Vasusena would not give unto the Brahmanas. And
Indra desirous of benefiting his own son Phalguni (Arjuna), assuming the
form of a Brahmana, approached Vasusena on one occasion and begged of him
his natural armour. Thus asked Karna took off his natural armour, and
joining his hands in reverence gave it unto Indra in the guise of a
Brahmana. And the chief of the celestials accepted the gift and was
exceedingly gratified with Karna's liberality. He therefore, gave unto
him a fine dart, saying, 'That one (and one only) among the celestials,
the Asuras, men, the Gandharvas, the Nagas, and the Rakshasas, whom thou
desirest to conquer, shall be certainly slain with this dart.'

"The son of Surya was before this known by the name of Vasusena. But
since he cut off his natural armour, he came to be called Karna (the
cutter or peeler of his own cover).'"

SECTION CXII

(Sambhava Parva continued)

"Vaisampayana said. 'The large-eyed daughter of Kuntibhoja, Pritha by
name, was endued with beauty and every accomplishment. Of rigid vows, she
was devoted to virtue and possessed of every good quality. But though
endued with beauty and youth and every womanly attribute, yet it so
happened that no king asked-for her hand. Her father Kuntibhoja seeing
this, invited, O best of monarchs, the princes and kings of other
countries and desired his daughter to select her husband from among her
guests. The intelligent Kunti, entering the amphitheatre, beheld
Pandu--the foremost of the Bharatas--that tiger among kings--in that
concourse of crowned heads. Proud as the lion, broad-chested, bull-eyed,
endued with great strength, and outshining all other monarchs in
splendour, he looked like another Indra in that royal assemblage. The
amiable daughter of Kuntibhoja, of faultless features, beholding
Pandu--that best of men--in that assembly, became very much agitated. And
advancing with modesty, all the while quivering with emotion, she placed
the nuptial garland about Pandu's neck. The other monarchs, seeing Kunti
choose Pandu for her lord, returned to their respective kingdoms on
elephants, horses and cars, as they had come. Then, O king, the bride's
father caused the nuptial rites to be performed duly. The Kuru prince
blessed with great good fortune and the daughter of Kuntibhoja formed a
couple like Maghavat and Paulomi (the king and queen of the celestials).
And, O best of Kuru monarchs, king Kuntibhoja, after the nuptials were
over, presented his son-in-law with much wealth and sent him back to his
capital. Then the Kuru prince Pandu, accompanied by a large force bearing
various kinds of banners and pennons, and eulogised by Brahmanas and
great Rishis pronouncing benedictions, reached his capital. And after
arriving at his own palace, he established his queen therein.'"

SECTION CXIII

(Sambhava Parva continued)

"Vaisampayana continued, 'Some time after, Bhishma the intelligent son of
Santanu set his heart upon getting Pandu married to a second wife.
Accompanied by an army composed of four kinds of force, and also by aged
councillors and Brahmanas and great Rishis, he went to the capital of the
king of Madra. And that bull of the Valhikas--the king of Madra--hearing
that Bhishma had arrived, went out to receive him. And having received
him with respect, he got him to enter his palace. Arriving there, the
king of Madra offered unto Bhishma a white carpet for a seat; water to
wash his feet with, and usual oblation of various ingredients indicative
of respect. And when he was seated at ease, the king asked him about the
reason of his visit. Then Bhishma--the supporter of the dignity of the
Kurus--addressed the king of Madra and said, 'O oppressor of all foes,
know that I have come for the hand of a maiden. It hath been heard by us
that thou hast a sister named Madri celebrated for her beauty and endued
with every virtue; I would chose her for Pandu. Thou art, O king, in
every respect worthy of an alliance with us, and we also are worthy of
thee. Reflecting upon all this, O king of Madra, accept us duly.' The
ruler of Madra, thus addressed by Bhishma, replied, 'To my mind, there is
none else than one of thy family with whom I can enter into an alliance.
But there is a custom in our family observed by our ancestors, which, be
it good or bad, I am incapable of transgressing. It is well-known, and
therefore is known to thee as well, I doubt not. Therefore, it is not
proper for thee to say to me,--Bestow thy sister. The custom to which I
allude is our family custom. With us that is a virtue and worthy of
observance. It is for this only, O slayer of foes, I cannot give thee any
assurance in the matter of thy request.' On hearing this, Bhishma
answered the king of Madra, saying, 'O king, this, no doubt,' is a
virtue. The self-create himself hath said it. Thy ancestors were
observant of custom. There is no fault to find with it. It is also
well-known, O Salya, that this custom in respect of family dignity hath
the approval of the wise and the good.' Saying this Bhishma of great
energy, gave unto Salya much gold both coined and uncoined, and precious
stones of various colours by thousands, and elephants and horses and
cars, and much cloth and many ornaments, and gems and pearls and corals.
And Salya accepting with a cheerful heart those precious gifts then gave
away his sister decked in ornaments unto that bull of the Kuru race. Then
the wise Bhishma, the son of the oceangoing Ganga, rejoiced at the issue
of his mission, took Madri with him, and returned to the Kuru capital
named after the elephant.

"Then selecting on auspicious day and moment as indicated by the wise for
the ceremony, King Pandu was duly united with Madri. And after the
nuptials were over, the Kuru king established his beautiful bride in
handsome apartments. And, O king of kings, that best of monarchs then
gave himself up to enjoyment in the company of his two wives as best he
liked and to the limit of his desires. And after thirty days had elapsed,
the Kuru king, O monarch, started from his capital for the conquest of
the world. And after reverentially saluting and bowing to Bhishma and the
other elders of the Kuru race, and with adieus to Dhritarashtra and
others of the family, and obtaining their leave, he set out on his grand
campaign, accompanied by a large force of elephants, horses, and cars,
and well-pleased with the blessings uttered by all around and the
auspicious rites performed by the citizens for his success. And Pandu,
accompanied by such a strong force marched against various foes. And that
tiger among men--that spreader of the fame of the Kurus--first subjugated
the robber tribes of asarna. He next turned his army composed of
innumerable elephants, cavalry, infantry, and charioteers, with standards
of various colours against Dhirga--the ruler of the kingdom of Maghadha
who was proud of his strength, and offended against numerous monarchs.
And attacking him in his capital, Pandu slew him there, and took
everything in his treasury and also vehicles and draught animals without
number. He then marched into Mithila and subjugated the Videhas. And
then, O bull among men, Pandu led his army against Kasi, Sumbha, and
Pundra, and by the strength and prowess of his arms spread the fame of
the Kurus. And Pandu, that oppressor of foes, like unto a mighty fire
whose far-reaching flames were represented by his arrows and splendour by
his weapons, began to consume all kings that came in contact with him.
These with their forces, vanquished by Pandu at the head of his army,
were made the vassals of the Kurus. And all kings of the world, thus
vanquished by him, regarded him as the one single hero on earth even as
the celestials regard Indra in heaven. And the kings of earth with joined
palms bowed to him and waited on him with presents of various kinds of
gems and wealth, precious stones and pearls and corals, and much gold and
silver, and first-class kine and handsome horses and fine cars and
elephants, and asses and camels and buffaloes, and goats and sheep, and
blankets and beautiful hides, and cloths woven out of furs. And the king
of Hastinapura accepting those offerings retraced his steps towards his
capital, to the great delight of his subjects. And the citizens and
others filled with joy, and kings and ministers, all began to say, 'O,
the fame of the achievements of Santanu, that tiger among kings, and of
the wise Bharata, which were about to die, hath been revived by Pandu.
They who robbed before the Kurus of both territory and wealth have been
subjugated by Pandu--the tiger of Hastinapura--and made to pay tribute.'
And all the citizens with Bhishma at their head went out to receive the
victorious king. They had not proceeded far when they saw the attendants
of the king laden with much wealth, and the train of various conveyances
laden with all kinds of wealth, and of elephants, horses, cars, kine,
camels and other animals, was so long that they saw not its end. Then
Pandu, beholding Bhishma, who was a father to him, worshipped his feet
and saluted the citizens and others as each deserved. And Bhishma, too,
embracing Pandu as his son who had returned victorious after grinding
many hostile kingdoms, wept tears of joy. And Pandu, instilling joy into
the hearts of his people with a flourish of trumpets and conchs and
kettle-drums, entered his capital.'"