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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




"Vaisampayana continued, 'Having heard these words of the monarch, Vidura
said, 'O king, let thy understanding remain so without change for a
hundred years!' Having said this Vidura returned to his own abode. Then,
O monarch, there came unto Dhritarashtra, Duryodhana and the son of
Radha, Karna. Addressing the monarch, they said, 'We cannot, O king,
speak of any transgression in the presence of Vidura! We have now found
thee alone, and will, therefore, say all we like! What is this that thou
hast, O monarch, desired to do? Dost thou regard the prosperity of thy
foes as if it were thy own, that thou hast been applauding the Pandavas,
O foremost of men, in the presence of Vidura? O sinless one, thou actest
not, O king, in the way thou shouldst! O father, we should now act every
day in such a way as to weaken (the strength of) the Pandavas. The time
hath come, O father, for us to take counsel together, so that the
Pandavas may not swallow us all with our children and friends and
relatives.'"



SECTION CCIII

(Viduragamana Parva continued)

"Vaisampayana said, 'Dhritarashtra replied saying, I desire to do exactly
what you would recommend. But I do not wish to inform Vidura of it even
by a change of muscle. It was, therefore, O son, that I was applauding
the Pandavas in Vidura's presence, so that he might not know even by a
sign what is in my mind. Now that Vidura hath gone away, this is the
time, O Suyodhana (Duryodhana), for telling me what thou hast hit upon,
and what, O Radheya (Karna), thou too hast hit upon.'

"Duryodhana said. 'Let us, O father, by means of trusted and skilful and
adroit Brahmanas, seek to produce dissensions between the sons of Kunti
and Madri. Or, let king Drupada and his sons, and all his ministers of
state, be plied with presents of large wealth, so that they may abandon
the cause of Yudhishthira, the son of Kunti. Or, let our spies induce the
Pandavas to settle in Drupada's dominions, by describing to them,
separately, the inconvenience of residing in Hastinapura, so that,
separated from as, they may permanently settle in Panchala. Or, let some
clever spies, full of resources, sowing the seeds of dissension among the
Pandavas, make them jealous of one another. Or, let them incite Krishna
against her husbands. She has many lords and this will not present any
difficulty. Or, let some seek to make the Pandavas themselves
dissatisfied with Krishna, in which case Krishna also will be
dissatisfied with them. Or, let, O king, some clever spies, repairing
thither, secretly compass the death of Bhimasena. Bhima is the strongest
of them all. Relying upon Bhima alone, the Pandavas used to disregard us,
of old. Bhima is fierce and brave and the (sole) refuge of the Pandavas.
If he be slain, the others will be deprived of strength and energy.
Deprived of Bhima who is their sole refuge, they will no longer strive to
regain their kingdom. Arjuna, O king, is invincible in battle, if Bhima
protecteth him from behind. Without Bhima, Arjuna is not equal to even a
fourth part of Radheya. Indeed, O king, the Pandavas conscious of their
own feebleness without Bhima and of our strength would not really strive
to recover the kingdom. Or, if, O monarch, coming hither, they prove
docile and obedient to us, we would then seek to repress them according
to the dictates of political science (as explained by Kanika). Or, we may
tempt them by means of handsome girls, upon which the princess of
Panchala will get annoyed with them. Or, O Radheya, let messengers be
despatched to bring them hither, so that, when arrived, we may through
trusted agents, by some of the above methods, cause them to be slain.
Strive, O father, to employ any of these (various) methods that may
appear to thee faultless. Time passeth. Before their confidence in king
Drupada--that bull amongst kings--is established we may succeed, O
monarch, to encounter them. But after their confidence hath been
established in Drupada, we are sure to fail. These, O father, are my
views for the discomfiture of the Pandavas. Judge whether they be good or
bad. What, O Karna, dost thou think?'"



SECTION CCIV

(Viduragamana Parva continued)

"Vaisampayana said, 'Thus addressed by Duryodhana, Karna said, 'It doth
not seem to me, O Duryodhana, that thy reasoning is well-founded. O
perpetuator of the Kuru race, no method will succeed against the
Pandavas. O brave prince, thou hast before, by various subtle means,
striven to carry out thy wishes. But ever hast thou failed to slay thy
foes. They were then living near thee, O king! They were then unfledged
and of tender years, but thou couldst not injure them then. They are now
living at a distance, grown up, full-fledged. The sons of Kunti, O thou
of firm resolution, cannot now be injured by any subtle contrivances of
thine. This is my opinion. As they are aided by the very Fates, and as
they are desirous of regaining their ancestral kingdom, we can never
succeed in injuring them by any means in our power. It is impossible to
create disunion amongst them. They can never be disunited who have all
taken to a common wife. Nor can we succeed in estranging Krishna from the
Pandavas by any spies of ours. She chose them as her lords when they were
in adversity. Will she abandon them now that they are in prosperity?
Besides women always like to have many husbands, Krishna hath obtained
her wish. She can never be estranged from the Pandavas. The king of
Panchala is honest and virtuous; he is not avaricious. Even if we offer
him our whole kingdom he will not abandon the Pandavas. Drupada's son
also possesseth every accomplishment, and is attached to the Pandavas.
Therefore, I do not think that the Pandavas can now be injured by any
subtle means in thy power. But, O bull amongst men, this is what is good
and advisable for us now, viz., to attack and smite them till they are
exterminated. Let this course recommend itself to thee. As long as our
party is strong and that of the king of the Panchalas is weak, so long
strike them without any scruple. O son of Gandhari, as long as their
innumerable vehicles and animals, friends, and friendly tribes are not
mustered together, continue, O king, to exhibit thy prowess. As long as
the king of the Panchalas together with his sons gifted with great
prowess, setteth not his heart upon fighting with us, so long, O king,
exhibit thy prowess. And, O king, exert thy prowess before he of the
Vrishni race (Krishna) cometh with the Yadava host into the city of
Drupada, carrying everything before him, to restore the Pandavas to their
paternal kingdom. Wealth, every article of enjoyment, kingdom, there is
nothing that Krishna may not sacrifice for the sake of the Pandavas. The
illustrious Bharata had acquired the whole earth by his prowess alone.
Indra hath acquired sovereignty of the three worlds by prowess alone. O
king, prowess is always applauded by the Kshatriyas. O bull amongst
Kshatriyas, prowess is the cardinal virtue of the brave. Let us,
therefore, O monarch, with our large army consisting of four kinds of
forces, grind Drupada without loss of time, and bring hither the
Pandavas. Indeed, the Pandavas are incapable of being discomfited by any
policy of conciliation, of gift, of wealth and bribery, or of disunion.
Vanquish them, therefore, by thy prowess. And vanquishing them by thy
prowess, rule thou this wide earth. O monarch, I see not any other means
by which we may accomplish our end.'

"Vaisampayana continued, 'Hearing these words of Radheya, Dhritarashtra,
endued with great strength, applauded him highly. The monarch then
addressed him and said, 'Thou, O son of a Suta, art gifted with great
wisdom and accomplished in arms. This speech, therefore, favouring the
exhibition of prowess suiteth thee well. But let Bhishma, and Drona, and
Vidura, and you two, take counsel together and adopt that proposal which
may lead to our benefit.'

Vaisampayana continued, "'Then king Dhritarashtra called unto him, all
those celebrated ministers and took counsel with them.'"



SECTION CCV

(Viduragamana Parva continued)

"Vaisampayana said, 'Asked by Dhritarashtra to give his opinion, Bhishma
replied, 'O Dhritarashtra, a quarrel with the Pandavas is what I can
never approve of. As thou art to me, so was Pandu without doubt. And the
sons of Gandhari are to me, as those of Kunti. I should protect them as
well as I should thy sons, O Dhritarashtra! And, O king, the Pandavas are
as much near to me as they are to prince Duryodhana or to all the other
Kurus. Under these circumstances a quarrel with them is what I never
like. Concluding a treaty with those heroes, let half the land be given
unto them. This is without doubt, the paternal kingdom of those foremost
ones of the Kuru race. And, O Duryodhana, like thee who lookest upon this
kingdom as thy paternal property, the Pandavas also look upon it as their
paternal possession. If the renowned sons of Pandu obtain not the
kingdom, how can it be thine, or that of any other descendant of the
Bharata race? If thou regardest thyself as one that hath lawfully come
into the possession of the kingdom, I think they also may be regarded to
have lawfully come into the possession of this kingdom before thee. Give
them half the kingdom quietly. This, O tiger among men, is beneficial to
all. If thou actest otherwise, evil will befall us all. Thou too shall be
covered with dishonour. O Duryodhana, strive to maintain thy good name. A
good name is, indeed, the source of one's strength. It hath been said
that one liveth in vain whose reputation hath gone. A man, O Kaurava,
doth not die so long as his fame lasteth. One liveth as long as one's
fame endureth, and dieth when one's fame is gone. Follow thou, O son of
Gandhari, the practice that is worthy of the Kuru race. O thou of mighty
arms, imitate thy own ancestors. We are fortunate that the Pandavas have
not perished. We are fortunate that Kunti liveth. We are fortunate that
the wretch Purochana without being able to accomplish his purpose hath
himself perished. From that time when I heard that the sons of
Kuntibhoja's daughter had been burnt to death, I was, O son of Gandhari,
ill able to meet any living creature. O tiger among men, hearing of the
fate that overtook Kunti, the world doth not regard Purochana so guilty
as it regardeth thee. O king, the escape, therefore, of the sons of Pandu
with life from that conflagration and their re-appearance, do away with
thy evil repute. Know, O thou of Kuru's race, that as long as those
heroes live, the wielder of the thunder himself cannot deprive them of
their ancestral share in the kingdom. The Pandavas are virtuous and
united. They are being wrongly kept out of their equal share in the
kingdom. If thou shouldst act rightly, if thou shouldst do what is
agreeable to me, if thou shouldst seek the welfare of all, then give half
the kingdom unto them.'"



SECTION CCVI

(Viduragamana Parva continued)

"Vaisampayana said, 'After Bhishma had concluded, Drona spoke, saying, 'O
king Dhritarashtra, it hath been heard by us that friends summoned for
consultation should always speak what is right, true, and conductive to
fame. O sire, I am of the same mind in this matter with the illustrious
Bhishma. Let a share of the kingdom be given unto the Pandavas. This is
eternal virtue. Send, O Bharata, unto Drupada without loss of time some
messenger of agreeable speech, carrying with him a large treasure for the
Pandavas. And let the man go unto Drupada carrying costly presents for
both the bridegrooms and the bride, and let him speak unto that monarch
of thy increase of power and dignity arising from this new alliance with
him. And, O monarch, let the man know also that both thyself and
Duryodhana have become exceedingly glad in consequence of what hath
happened. Let him say this repeatedly unto Drupada and Dhrishtadyumna.
And let him speak also about the alliance as having been exceedingly
proper, and agreeable unto thee, and of thyself being worthy of it. And
let the man repeatedly propitiate the sons of Kunti and those of Madri
(in proper words). And at thy command, O king, let plenty of ornaments of
pure gold be given unto Draupadi. And let, O bull of Bharata's race,
proper presents be given unto all the sons of Drupada. Let the messenger
then propose the return of the Pandavas to Hastinapura. After the heroes
will have been permitted (by Drupada), to come hither, let Duhsasana and
Vikarna go out with a handsome train to receive them. And when they will
have arrived at Hastinapura, let those foremost of men be received with
affection by thee. And let them then be installed on their paternal
throne, agreeably to the wishes of the people of the realm. This, O
monarch of Bharata's race, is what I think should be thy behaviour
towards the Pandavas who are to thee even as thy own sons.'

"Vaisampayana continued, 'After Drona had ceased, Karna spake again,
'Both Bhishma and Drona have been pampered with wealth that is thine and
favours conferred by thee! They are also always regarded by thee as thy
trusted friends! What can therefore be more amusing than that they both
should give thee advice which is not for thy good? How can the wise
approve that advice which is pronounced good by a person speaking with
wicked intent but taking care to conceal the wickedness of his heart?
Indeed, in a season of distress, friends can neither benefit nor injure.
Every one's happiness or the reverse dependeth on destiny. He that is
wise and he that is foolish, he that is young (in years) and he that is
old, he that hath allies and he that hath none, all become, it is seen
everywhere, happy or unhappy at times. It hath been heard by us that
there was, of old, a king by name Amvuvicha. Having his capital at
Rajagriha, he was the king of all the Magadha chiefs. He never attended
to his affairs. All his exertion consisted in inhaling the air. All his
affairs were in the hands of his minister. And his minister, named
Mahakarni, became the supreme authority in the state. Regarding himself
all powerful, he began to disregard the king. And the wretch himself
appropriated everything belonging unto the king, his queens and treasures
and sovereignty. But the possession of all these, instead of satisfying
his avarice, only served to inflame him the more. Having appropriated
everything belonging to the king, he even coveted the throne. But it hath
been heard by us that with all his best endeavours he succeeded not in
acquiring the kingdom of the monarch, his master, even though the latter
was inattentive to business and content with only breathing the air. What
else can be said, O king, than that monarch's sovereignty was dependent
on destiny? If, therefore, O king, this kingdom be established in thee by
destiny, it will certainly continue in thee, even if the whole world were
to become thy enemy! If, however, destiny hath ordained otherwise,
howsoever mayest thou strive, it will not last in thee! O learned one,
remembering all this, judge of the honesty or otherwise of thy advisers.
Ascertain also who amongst them are wicked and who have spoken wisely and
well.'

"Vaisampayana continued, 'Hearing these words of Karna, Drona replied,
'As thou art wicked it is evident thou sayest so in consequence of the
wickedness of thy intent. It is for injuring the Pandavas that thou
findest fault with us. But know, O Karna, what I have said is for the
good of all and the prosperity of the Kuru race. If thou regardest all
this as productive of evil, declare thyself what is for our good. If the
good advice I have given be not followed, I think the Kurus will be
exterminated in no time.'"



SECTION CCVII

(Viduragamana Parva continued)

"Vaisampayana said, 'After Drona had ceased, Vidura spoke, saying, 'O
monarch, thy friends without doubt, are saying unto thee what is for thy
good. But as thou art unwilling to listen to what they say, their words
scarcely find a place in thy ears. What that foremost one of Kuru's race,
viz., Bhishma, the son of Santanu, hath said, is excellent and is for thy
good. But thou dost not listen to it. The preceptor Drona also hath said
much that is for thy good which however Karna, the son of Radha, doth not
regard to be such. But, O king, reflecting hard I do not find any one who
is better a friend to thee than either of these two lions among men
(viz., Bhishma and Drona), or any one who excels either of them in
wisdom. These two, old in years, in wisdom, and in learning, always
regard thee, O king, and the sons of Pandu with equal eyes. Without
doubt, O king of Bharata's race, they are both, in virtue and
truthfulness, not inferior to Rama, the son of Dasaratha, and Gaya. Never
before did they give thee any evil advice. Thou also, O monarch, hast
never done them any injury. Why should, therefore, these tigers among
men, who are ever truthful, give thee wicked advice, especially when thou
hast never injured them? Endued with wisdom these foremost of men, O
king, will never give thee counsels that are crooked. O scion of Kuru's
rate, this is my firm conviction that these two, acquainted with all
rules of morality, will never, tempted by wealth, utter anything
betraying a spirit of partisanship. What they have said, O Bharata, I
regard highly beneficial to thee. Without doubt, O monarch, the Pandavas
are thy sons as much as Duryodhana and others are. Those ministers,
therefore, that give thee any counsel fraught with evil unto the
Pandavas, do not really look to thy interests. If there is any partiality
in thy heart, O king, for thy own children, they who by their counsel
seek to bring it out, certainly do thee no good. Therefore, O king, these
illustrious persons endued with great splendour, have not I think, said
anything that leadeth to evil. Thou, however, dost not understand it.
What these bulls among men have said regarding the invincibility of the
Pandavas is perfectly true. Think not otherwise of it, O tiger among men.
Blest be thou! Can the handsome Dhananjaya, the son of Pandu, using the
right and the left hand with equal activity, be vanquished in battle even
by Maghavat himself? Can the great Bhimasena of strong arms possessing
the might of ten thousand elephants, be vanquished in battle by the
immortals themselves? Who also that desireth to live can overcome in
battle the twins (Nagula and Sahadeva) like unto the sons of Yama
himself, and well-skilled in fight? How too can the eldest one of the
Pandavas in whom patience, mercy, forgiveness, truth, and prowess always
live together, be vanquished? They who have Rama (Valadeva) as their
ally, and Janardana (Krishna) as their counsellor, and Satyaki as their
partisan, have already defeated everybody in war. They who have Drupada
for their father-in-law, and Drupada's sons--the heroic brothers, viz.,
Dhristadyumna and others of Prishata's race for their brothers-in-law,
are certainly invincible. Remembering this, O monarch, and knowing that
their claim to the kingdom is even prior to thine, behave virtuously
towards them. The stain of calumny is on thee, O monarch, in consequence
of that act of Purochana. Wash thyself of it now, by a kindly behaviour
towards the Pandavas. This kindly behaviour of thine, O monarch, towards
the Pandavas will be an act of great benefit to us, protecting the lives
of us all that belong to Kuru's race, and leading to the growth of the
whole Kshatriya order! We had formerly warred with king Drupada; if we
can now secure him as an ally, it will strengthen our party. The
Dasarhas, O king, are numerous and strong. Know where Krishna is, all of
them must be, and where Krishna is, there victory also must be! O king,
who, unless cursed by the gods, would seek, to effect that by means of
war which can be effected by conciliation? Hearing that the sons of
Pritha are alive, the citizens and other subjects of the realm have
become exceedingly glad and eager for beholding them. O monarch, act in a
way that is agreeable to them. Duryodhana and Karna and Sakuni, the son
of Suvala, are sinful, foolish and young; listen not to them. Possessed
of every virtue thou art I long ago told thee, O monarch that for
Duryodhana's fault, the subjects of this kingdom would be exterminated.'"



SECTION CCVIII

(Viduragamana Parva continued)

"Vaisampayana said, 'Hearing these various speeches, Dhritarashtra said,
The learned Bhishma, the son of Santanu, and the illustrious Rishi Drona,
and thyself also (O Vidura), have said the truth and what also is most
beneficial to me. Indeed, as those mighty car-warriors, the heroic sons
of Kunti. are the children of Pandu, so are they, without doubt, my
children according to the ordinance. And as my sons are entitled to this
kingdom, so are the sons of Pandu certainly entitled to it. Therefore,
hasten to bring hither the Pandavas along with their mother, treating
them with affectionate consideration. O thou of Bharata's race, bring
also Krishna of celestial beauty along with them. From sheer good fortune
the sons of Pritha are alive; and from good fortune alone those mighty
car-warriors have obtained the daughter of Drupada. It is from good
fortune alone that our strength hath increased, and it is from good
fortune alone that Purochana hath perished. O thou of great splendour, it
is from good fortune that my great grief hath been killed!'

"Vaisampayana continued, 'Then Vidura, at the command of Dhritarashtra,
repaired, O Bharata, unto Yajnasena and the Pandavas. And he repaired
thither carrying with him numerous jewels and various kinds of wealth for
Draupadi and the Pandavas and Yajnasena also. Arrived at Drupada's abode,
Vidura conversant with every rule of morality and deep in every science,
properly accosted the monarch and waited upon him. Drupada received
Vidura in proper form and they both enquired after each other's welfare.
Vidura then saw there the Pandavas and Vasudeva. As soon as he saw them
he embraced them from affection and enquired after their well being. The
Pandavas also along with Vasudeva, in due order, worshipped Vidura of
immeasurable intelligence. But Vidura, O king, in the name of
Dhritarashtra repeatedly enquired with great affection after their
welfare. He then gave, O monarch, unto the Pandavas and Kunti and
Draupadi, and unto Drupada and Drupada's sons, the gems and various kinds
of wealth that the Kauravas had sent through him. Possessed of
immeasurable intelligence, the modest Vidura then, in the presence of the
Pandavas and Keshava, addressed the well-behaved Drupada thus:

"With thy ministers and sons, O monarch, listen to what I say. King
Dhritarashtra, with ministers, sons, and friends, hath with a joyous
heart, O king, repeatedly enquired after thy welfare. And, O monarch, he
hath been highly pleased with this alliance with thee. So also, O king,
Bhishma of great wisdom, the son of Santanu, with all the Kurus, enquired
after thy welfare in every respect. Drona also of great wisdom the son of
Bharadwaja and thy dear friend, embracing thee mentally, enquired of thy
happiness. And, O king of Panchalas, Dhritarashtra and all the Kurus, in
consequence of this alliance with thee regard themselves supremely blest.
O Yajnasena, the establishment of this alliance with thee hath made them
happier than if they had acquired a new kingdom. Knowing all this, O
monarch, permit the Pandavas to re-visit their ancestral kingdom. The
Kurus are exceedingly eager to behold the sons of Pandu. These bulls
among men have been long absent (from their kingdom). They as well as
Pritha must be very eager to behold their city. And all the Kuru ladies
and the citizens and our subjects are eagerly waiting to behold Krishna
the Panchala Princess. This, therefore, is my opinion, O monarch, that
thou shouldst, without delay, permit the Pandavas to go thither with
their wife. And after the illustrious Pandavas, O king, will have
received thy permission to go thither, I shall send information unto
Dhritarashtra by quick messengers. Then, O king, will the Pandavas set
out with Kunti and Krishna.'"



SECTION CCIX

(Viduragamana Parva continued)

"Vaisampayana said, 'Hearing these words of Vidura, Drupada said, 'It is
even so as thou, O Vidura of great wisdom, hast said. Venerable one, I
too have been exceedingly happy in consequence of this alliance. It is
highly proper that these illustrious princes should return to their
ancestral kingdom. But it is not proper for me to say this myself. If the
brave son of Kunti viz., Yudhishthira, if Bhima and Arjuna, if these
bulls among men, viz., the twins, themselves desire to go and if Rama
(Valadeva) and Krishna, both acquainted with every rule of morality, be
of the same mind, then let the Pandavas go thither. For these tigers
among men (Rama and Krishna) are ever engaged in doing what is agreeable
and beneficial to the sons of Pandu.'

"Hearing this, Yudhishthira said, 'We are now, O monarch, with all our
younger brothers, dependent on thee. We shall cheerfully do what thou art
pleased to command.'

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Theatre review: Three Women, Jermyn Street, London
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We do not know the women's names, but their voices are quite distinct. All are pregnant. But while the first woman awaits the birth of her baby with a moon-like serenity, the other two are not so lucky. One, whose previous pregnancies have failed to go to term, is experiencing a heartbreaking late miscarriage; the other is a young student whose accidental pregnancy will end in her child being put up for adoption.

Sylvia Plath's only play was never intended for the stage, being broadcast instead on BBC radio in August 1962. Less than six months later, Plath killed herself, but not before the burst of astonishing creative energy that produced her extraordinary, terrifying Ariel poems.

Anyone who knows Plath's poetry will see the connection between Three Women and Plath's subsequent poems, particularly in the way she talks about the agony of childbirth, the rush of love for this tiny alien being, and both the wonder and wounded rawness of motherhood. It is a beautiful piece, full of startling imagery that draws you in through the sheer intensity of its femaleness, and because it so precisely articulates the emotions that are often thought but seldom voiced by women - certainly not in the early 1960s - about men, motherhood and our relationship to our bodies.

It's been 20 years since there has been an attempt at a professional stage version and - in a theatre world that happily accepts the poetic offerings of Sarah Kane and Debbie Tucker Green, or the staged possibilities of The Waves, one of Plath's own inspirations for the piece, I see no reason why it shouldn't be brought to life. Sadly, it doesn't breathe here, in a production by Robert Shaw that is clearly a labour of love, but which never finds a way to give the internal a physical reality. Plath's poetry, like most babies, is more robust than it appears - and won't break if treated with a little less reverence and considerably more grit.

Instead, what we are offered is tinkling piano music, mournful mood lighting, an innocuous pale setting, as well as three perfectly good but indisputably ladylike performances that capture none of the wounded redness of Plath's poetry, and do her the disservice of making her sound bleached and somewhat prissy. It's a pity. What might have been a wonder ends up a mere curiosity.

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