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The Mahabharata of Krishna Dwaipayana Vyasa, Volume 3 by or: Kisari Mohan Ganguli

o >> or: Kisari Mohan Ganguli >> The Mahabharata of Krishna Dwaipayana Vyasa, Volume 3






SECTION XXX

"Yudhishthira said, 'How did the son of Srinjaya become
Suvarnashthivin?[103] Why also did Parvata give Srinjaya that child? And
why did he die? When the lives of all men in those days extended for a
thousand years, why did Srinjaya's son die in infancy? Or, was he in name
only Suvarnashthivin? How also did he come to be so? I desire to know all
this.'

"Krishna said, "I will recite to thee, O king, the facts as they
happened. There are two Rishis, the foremost ones in the world, named
Narada and Parvata. Narada is the maternal uncle and Parvata is his
sister's son. With cheerful hearts, the uncle Narada and the nephew
Parvata had, in days of old, O king, left heaven for a pleasant ramble on
earth for tasting clarified butter and rice. Both of them, possessed of
great ascetic merit, wandered over the earth, subsisting on food taken by
human beings. Filled with joy and entertaining great affection for each
other, they entered into a compact that, whatever wish, good or bad,
would be entertained by one should be disclosed to the other, but on the
event of one of them acting otherwise, he should be subject to the
other's curse. Agreeing to that understanding, those two great Rishis,
adored of all the worlds, repaired to king Srinjaya, the son of Sitya and
said unto him, 'We two, for thy good, shall dwell with thee for a few
days. O lord of earth, do thou attend to all our wants duly.' The king,
saying, So be it, set himself to attend upon them hospitably. After a
while, one day, the king filled with joy, introduced to those illustrious
ascetics his daughter of the fairest complexion, saying, 'This my
daughter will wait upon you both. Bright as the filaments of the lotus,
she is beautiful and of faultless limbs, accomplished and of sweet
manners, and is called Sukumari by name.' 'Very well,' said the Rishis in
reply, upon which the king directed his daughter, telling her, 'O child,
attend upon these two Brahmanas as thou wouldst upon the gods or thy
sire.' The virtuous princess, saying, 'So be it' began to attend upon
them in obedience to her father's behest. Her dutiful services and her
unrivalled beauty very soon inspired Narada with a tender flame towards
her. That tender sentiment began to grow in the heart of the illustrious
saint like the moon gradually waxing on the accession of the lighted
fortnight. The virtuous Narada, however, overwhelmed by shame, could not
disclose that burning attachment to his sister's son, the high-souled
Parvata. By his ascetic power, as also by signs, Parvata understood all.
Inflamed with rage, the latter thereupon resolved to curse the
love-afflicted Narada. And he said, 'Having of thy own accord made a
compact with me that, whatever wish, good or bad, would be cherished by
either of us should be disclosed to the other, thou hast violated it.
These were thy own words. O Brahmana! It is for this that I shall curse
thee. Thou didst not tell me before that thy heart has been pierced by
the charms of the maiden Sukumari! It is for this that I shall curse
thee. Thou art a Brahmacharin. Thou art my preceptor. Thou art an ascetic
and a Brahmana. Yet hast thou broken the compact thou hadst made with me.
Fitted with rage I shall, for this, curse even thee. Listen to me. This
Sukumari shall, without doubt, become thy wife. From the time of thy
marriage, however, O puissant one, both she and all men shall behold thee
an ape, for thy true features having disappeared, an ape shalt thou
appear unto all.' Hearing these words of his, the uncle Narada, filled
with wrath, cursed his nephew Parvata in return, saying, 'Although thou
hast ascetic merit and Brahmacharya and truth and self-restraint, and
although thou art ever devoted to virtue, thou shalt not yet succeed in
proceeding to heaven.' Filled with rage and desire of vengeance, they
thus cursed and flamed against each other like a couple of infuriated
elephants. From that time the high-souled Parvata began to wander over
the earth, respected as he deserved, O Bharata, for his own energy.
Narada then, that foremost of Brahmanas, obtained according to due rites
the hand of Srinjaya's daughter, the faultless Sukumari. The princess,
however, beheld Narada exactly as the curse had said. Indeed, just after
the last of the wedding mantras had been recited, Sukumari beheld the
celestial Rishi to have a face like that of an ape. She, however, did not
on that account, disregard her lord. On the other hand, she dedicated her
love to him. Indeed, the princess, chaste as she was, devoted herself
entirely to her lord and did not in her heart even desire any one else
among the gods, Munis, and Yakshas for a husband. One day, as the
illustrious Parvata, in course of his wanderings, entered a solitary
forest, he beheld Narada there. Saluting him, Parvata said, 'Show thy
grace unto me by permitting me, O puissant one, to co to heaven.' Seeing
the cheerless Parvata kneeling before him with joined hands, Narada,
himself mere cheerless, said unto him, 'Thou hadst cursed me first,
saying, 'Be thou an ape!' After thou hadst said so unto me, I cursed thee
from anger, saying, 'From this day thou shalt not dwell in heaven!' It
was not well of thee, since thou art like a son unto me.' The two saints
then freed each other from their mutual curses. Beholding her husband
possessed of celestial form and blazing with beauty, Sukumari fled from
him, taking him to be somebody other than her lord. Seeing the beautiful
princess flying away from her lord, Parvata addressed her, saying, 'This
one is even thy husband. Do not entertain any scruple. This one is the
illustrious and puissant Rishi Narada, that foremost of virtuous persons.
He is thy lord, of one soul with thee. Do not have any doubt.' Assured in
diverse ways by the high Parvata and formed also of the curse on her
lord, the princess regained her equanimity. Then Parvata proceeded to
heaven and Narada to his home."

"Vasudeva continued, 'The illustrious Rishi Narada, who was himself an
actor in this matter, is here. O best of men, asked by thee, he will tell
thee everything that happened.'"



SECTION XXXI

Vaisampayana said, "The royal son of Pandu then addressed Narada, saying,
'O holy one, I desire to hear of the birth of the child whose excreta
were gold.' Thus addressed by king Yudhishthira the just, the sage Narada
began to narrate to him all that had occurred in connection with that
child of golden excreta.

"Narada said, 'It is even so, O thou of mighty arms, as Kesava here hath
said. Asked by thee I shall now recite the portion that remains of this
story. Myself, and my sister's son, the great ascetic Parvata, came (on
one occasion) unto Srinjaya that foremost of all victorious kings, for
dwelling with him. Honoured by him with due rites, and with every wish of
ours gratified, we took up our residence in his abode. After the season
of rains had gone, and when the time came for our own departure, Parvata
said unto me those words of grave import suitable to the hour: 'We have,
O Brahmana, dwelt in the abode of this king for some time, highly
honoured by him. Think of what return we should make.' I then, O monarch,
addressed Parvata of blessed aspect, saying, 'O nephew, this becomes
thee, and, O thou of great power, all this depends upon thyself. Through
thy boons let the king be made happy and let him obtain his wishes. Or,
if thou choosest, let him be crowned with success through the ascetic
merits of both of us.' After this, Parvata having called king Srinjaya,
that foremost of victorious persons, said unto him these words O bull of
Kuru's race, 'We have been exceedingly gratified, O king, with thy
hospitable attentions given to us with every sincerity. With our
permission, O foremost of men, think of the boon thou shouldst solicit.
Let the boon, however, be such that it may not imply enmity to the gods
or destruction to men! Accept then, O king, a boon, for thou deservest
one as we think.' Hearing these words, Srinjaya replied, 'If ye have been
gratified with me, my object then has been gained, for that of itself has
been my greatest gain and that is regarded by me as the fruition of all
my desire.' Unto Srinjaya who said so, Parvata again said, 'Solicit, O
king, the fruition of that wish which thou art cherishing in thy heart,
for a long time.' Srinjaya answered, 'I desire a son that shall be heroic
and possessed of great energy, firm in his vows and of long life, highly
blessed and possessed of splendour equal to that of the Chief himself of
the deities.' At this, Parvata said, 'This thy desire shall be fulfilled.
Thy child, however, shall not be long-lived, for thy wish for such a son
is even for prevailing over the Chief of the gods. Thy son shall be known
by the name of Suvarnashthivin. He shall be possessed of splendour like
that of the Chief of the gods but take care to protect him always from
that deity.' Hearing these words of the high-souled Parvata, Srinjaya
began to beseech that saint for ordaining otherwise, saying, 'Let my son
be long-lived, O Muni, through thy ascetic merit.' Parvata, however, said
nothing, through partiality for Indra. Beholding the king very cheerless,
I said unto him, 'Think of me, O king, (in thy distress), and I shall
promise to come when thought of by thee. Do not grieve, O lord of earth!
I will give thee back thy beloved child, even if he be dead, in his
living form.' Having said so unto that monarch, both of us left his
presence for coming to where we wished, and Srinjaya returned to his
abode as he pleased. After some time had elapsed, the royal sage Srinjaya
had born unto him a son of great prowess and blazing forth with energy.
The child grew up like a large lotus in a lake, and became
Suvarnashthivin in reality as in name. This extraordinary fact, O best of
the Kurus, soon became widely known over the world. The Chief of the gods
also came to know it as the result of Parvata's boon. Fearing humiliation
(at the hands of the child when he would grow up), the slayer of Vala and
Vritra began to watch for the laches of the prince. He commanded his
celestial weapon Thunder, standing before him in embodied shape, saying,
'Go, O puissant one, and assuming the form of a tiger slay this prince.
When grown up, this child of Srinjaya may, by his achievements, humiliate
me, O Thunder, as Parvata said.' Thus addressed by Sakra, the celestial
weapon Thunder, that subjugator of hostile towns, began from that day to
continually watch for the laches of the prince. Srinjaya, meanwhile,
having obtained that child whose splendour resembled that of Indra
himself, became filled with joy. The king, accompanied by his wives, and
the other ladies of his household, took up his residence in the midst of
a forest. One day, on the shores of the Bhagirathi, the boy, accompanied
by his nurse, ran hither and thither in play. Though only five years of
age, his prowess, even then, resembled that of a mighty elephant. While
thus employed, the child met a powerful tiger that came upon him
suddenly. The infant prince trembled violently as he was being crushed by
the tiger and soon fell down lifeless on the earth. At this sight the
nurse uttered loud cries of grief. Having slain the prince, the tiger,
through Indra's powers of delusion, vanished there and then. Hearing the
voice of the crying nurse, the king, in great anxiety, ran to the spot.
He beheld his son there, his blood quaffed off, and lying lifeless on the
ground like the moon dropped from the firmament. Taking up on his lap the
boy covered with blood, the king, with heart stricken by grief, began to
lament piteously. The royal ladies then, afflicted with grief and crying,
quickly ran to the spot where king Srinjaya was. In that situation the
king thought of me with concentrated attention. Knowing that the king was
thinking of me I appeared before him. Stricken with grief as the king
was, I recited to him all those stories, O monarch, that hero of Yadu's
race has already recited to thee. I brought Srinjaya's child back to
life, with Indra's permission. That which is ordained must occur. It is
impossible that it should be otherwise. After this, prince
Suvarnashthivin of great fame and energy began to delight the hearts of
his parents. Of great prowess, he ascended the throne of his father after
the latter had repaired to heaven, and ruled for a period of one thousand
and one hundred years. He worshipped the gods in many great sacrifices
characterised by profuse presents. Possessed of great splendour, he
gratified the gods and the Pitris. Having procreated many sons, all of
whom by their issues multiplied the race, he went the way of all nature,
O king, after many years. Do thou, O foremost of kings dispel this grief
born in thy heart, even as Kesava has counselled thee, as also Vyasa of
austere penances. Rise up, O king, and bear the burthen of this thy
ancestral kingdom, and perform high and great sacrifices so that thou
mayst obtain (hereafter) whatever regions may be desired by thee!'"



SECTION XXXII

Vaisampayana said, "Unto king Yudhishthira who still remained speechless
and plunged in grief, the island-born Vyasa, that great ascetic,
conversant with truths of religion, spoke again."

"Vyasa said, 'O thou of eyes like lotus petals, the protection of
subjects is the duty of kings. Those men that are always observant of
duty regard duty to be all powerful. Do thou, therefore, O king, walk in
the steps of thy ancestors. With. Brahmanas, penances are a duty. This is
the eternal ordinance of the Vedas. Penances, therefore, O bull of
Bharata's race, constitute the eternal duty of Brahmanas. A Kshatriya is
the protector of all persons in respect of their duties.[104] That man
who, addicted to earthly possessions, transgresses wholesome restraints,
that offender against social harmony, should be chastised with a strong
hand. That insensate person who seeks to transgress authority, be he an
attendant, a son, or even a saint, indeed,--all men of such sinful
nature, should by every means be chastised or even killed. That king who
conducts himself otherwise incurs sin. He who does not protect morality
when it is being disregarded is himself a trespasser against morality.
The Kauravas were trespassers against morality. They have, with their
followers, been slain by thee. Thou hast been observant of the duties of
thy own order. Why then, O son of Pandu, dost thou indulge in such grief?
The king should slay those that deserve death, make gifts to persons
deserving of charity, and protect his subjects according to the
ordinance.'

"Yudhishthira said, 'I do not doubt the words that fall from thy lips, O
thou of great ascetic merit! Everything appertaining to morality and duty
is well known to thee, O foremost of all persons conversant with morality
and duty! I have, however, for the sake of kingdom, caused many persons
to be slain! Those deeds, O Brahmana, are burning and consuming me!'

"Vyasa said, 'O Bharata, is the Supreme Being the doer, or is man the
doer? Is everything the result of Chance in the world, or are the fruits
that we enjoy or suffer, the results of (previous) action? If man, O
Bharata, does all acts, good or bad, being urged thereto by the Supreme
Being, then the fruits of those acts should attach to the Supreme being
himself. If a person cuts down, with an axe, a tree in forest, it is the
person that incurs the sin and not the axe by any means. Or, if it be
said that, the axe being only the material cause, the consequence of the
act (of cutting) should attach to the animate agent (and not to the
inanimate tool), then the sin may be said to belong to the person that
has made the axe. This, however, can scarcely be true. If this be not
reasonable, O son of Kunti, that one man should incur the consequence of
an act done by another, then, guided by this, thou shouldst throw all
responsibility upon the Supreme Being.[105] If, again, man be himself the
agent of all his acts virtuous and sinful, then Supreme Director there is
none, and, therefore, whatever thou hast done cannot bring evil
consequences on thee.[106] No one, O king, can ever turn away from that
which is destined. If, again, Destiny be the result of the acts of former
lives, then no sin can attach to one in this life even as the sin of
cutting down a tree cannot touch the maker of the axe.[107] If thou
thinkest it is chance only that acts in the world, then such an act of
destruction could never happen nor will ever happen.[108] If it is
necessary to ascertain what is good and what is evil in the world, attend
to the scriptures. In those scriptures it has been laid down that kings
should stand with the rod of chastisement uplifted in their hands. I
think, O Bharata, that acts, good and bad, are continually revolving here
as a wheel, and men obtain the fruits of those acts, good or bad, that
they do. One sinful act proceeds from another. Therefore, O tiger among
kings, avoid all evil acts and do not thus set thy heart upon grief. Thou
shouldst adhere, O Bharata, to the duties, even if reproachable, of thy
own order. This self-destruction, O king, does not look well in thee.
Expiations, O king, have been ordained for (evil) acts. He that is alive
can perform them, but he that dies fails in their performance. Therefore,
O king without laying down thy life, perform those expiatory acts. If
thou dost not perform them thou mayst have to repent in the next world.'



SECTION XXXIII

"Yudhishthira said, 'Sons and grandsons and brothers and sires and
fathers-in-law and preceptors and maternal uncles and grandsires, many
high-souled Kshatriyas, many relatives (by marriage), friends,
companions, sister's sons, and kinsmen, O grandsire, and many foremost of
men coming from diverse countries, have fallen. All these, O grandsire,
have been caused to be slain by myself alone, from desire of kingdom.
Having caused so many heroic kings who were always devoted to
righteousness and all of whom had quaffed Soma in sacrifices, what end
shall I attain, O great ascetic! Thinking that this earth has been bereft
of many lions among kings, all of whom were in the enjoyment of great
prosperity, I burn continually to this day. Having witnessed this
slaughter of kinsmen and millions of other men, I burn with grief, O
grandsire! Oh, what will be the plight of those foremost of ladies who
have been deprived of sons, of husbands, and of brothers. Reproaching the
Pandavas and the Vrishnis as cruel murderers, those ladies, with
emaciated features and plunged in grief, will throw themselves on the
earth! Not beholding their sires and brothers and husbands and sons,
those ladies, through affliction, casting off their life-breath, will go
to the abode of Yama, O foremost of Brahmanas! I have no doubt of this.
The course of morality is very subtle. It is plain that we shall be
stained with the guilt of slaughtering women for this. Having slain our
kinsmen and friends and thereby committed an inexpiable sin, we shall
have to fall into hell with heads downwards. O best of men, we shall,
therefore, waste our limbs with the austerest of penances. Tell me, O
grandsire, to what mode of life I should betake myself then.'"

Vaisampayana continued, "Hearing these words of Yudhishthira, the
Island-born Rishi, having reflected keenly for some time, addressed the
son of Pandu as follows:

"Vyasa said, 'Remembering the duties of a Kshatriya, O king, do not give
way to grief. All those Kshatriyas, O bull among Kshatriyas, have fallen
in the observance of their proper duties. In the pursuit of great
prosperity and of great fame on earth, those foremost of men, all of whom
were liable to death,[109] have perished through the influence of Time.
Thou hast not been their slayer, nor this Bhima, nor Arjuna, nor the
twins. It is Time that took away their life-breaths according to the
great law of change. Time hath neither mother, nor father, nor anybody
for whom he is disposed to show any favour. He is the witness of the acts
of all creatures. By him have they been taken away. This battle, O bull
of Bharata's race, was only an occasion ordained by him. He causes
creatures to be slain through the instrumentality of creatures. This is
the manner in which it puts forth its irresistible power. Know that Time
(in his dealings with creatures) is dependent upon the bond of action and
is the witness of all actions good and bad. It is Time that brings about
the fruits, fraught with bliss or woe, of our actions. Think, O
mighty-armed one, of the acts of those Kshatriyas that have fallen. Those
acts were the causes of their destruction and it is in consequence of
them that they have perished. Think also of thy own acts consisting of
observances of vows with restrained soul. And think also how thou hast
been forced by the Supreme Ordainer to do such an act (as the slaughter
of so many human beings). As a weapon made by a smith or carpenter is
under the control of the person that is handling it, and moves as he
moves it, similarly this universe, controlled by actions done in Time,
moves as those actions move it. Seeing that the births and deaths of
creatures take place without any (assignable) cause and in perfect
wantonness, grief and joy are perfectly needless. Although this
entanglement of thy heart is a mere delusion, still, if it pleaseth thee,
O king, perform expiatory rites (for washing thyself free of thy
so-called sin). It is heard, O Partha, that the gods and the Asuras
fought against each other. The Asuras were the elder, and the gods the
younger brothers. Covetous of prosperity, fierce was the battle fought
between them. The fight lasted for two and thirty thousand years. Making
the earth one vast expanse of blood, the gods slew the Daityas and gained
possession of heaven. Having obtained possession of the earth, a (large)
number of Brahmanas, conversant with the Vedas, armed themselves,
stupefied with pride, with the Danavas for giving them help in the fight.
They were known by the name of Salavrika and numbered eight and eighty
thousand. All of them, however, were slain by the gods. Those
wicked-souled persons who desire the extinction of virtue and who set
sinfulness agoing deserve to be slain even as the furious Daityas were
slain by the gods. If by slaying a single individual a family may be
saved, or, if by slaying a single family the whole kingdom may be saved,
such an act of slaughter will not be a transgression. Sin, O king,
sometimes assumes the form of virtue, and virtue sometimes assumes the
form of sin. They, however, that are learned, know which is which.
Therefore, console thyself, O son of Pandu, for thou art well versed in
the scriptures. Thou hast, O Bharata, only followed the path formerly
trodden by the very gods. Men like yourselves never go to hell, O bull of
Pandu's race! Comfort these thy brothers and all thy friends, O scorcher
of foes! He who deliberately engages himself in sinful acts, and
committing sinful acts feels no shame but continues the same as before,
is called (in the scripture) a great sinner. There is no expiation for
him and his sins know no diminution. Thou art born in noble race. Forced
by the faults of others, thou hast most unwillingly done this, and having
done this thou repentest of it. The Horse-sacrifice, that grand rite, has
been indicated as an expiation for thee. Make preparations for that
sacrifice, O monarch, and thou shalt be freed from thy sins. The divine
chastiser of Paka, having vanquished his foes with the assistance of the
Maruts, gradually performed a hundred sacrifices and became
Satakratu.[110] Freed from sin, possessed of heaven, and having obtained
many regions of bliss and great happiness and prosperity, Sakra,
surrounded by the Maruts, is shining in beauty, and illuminating all the
quarters with his splendour. The lord of Sachi is adored in the heavens
by the Apsaras. The Rishis and the other gods all worship him with
reverence. Thou hast got the earth through thy prowess. All the kings
have been vanquished by thee, O sinless one, through thy prowess.
Proceeding with thy friends to their kingdom, O king, install their
brothers, sons, or grandsons on their thrones. Behaving with kindness
towards even the children in the womb, make thy subjects glad and happy,
and rule the earth. Install on their thrones the daughters of those that
have no sons. Women are fond of pleasure and power. Through this means
they will castoff their sorrows and become happy. Having comforted the
whole empire in this way, O Bharata, adore the gods in a Horse-sacrifice
as the virtuous Indra did in days of old. It is not proper for us to
grieve for those high-souled Kshatriyas, O bull of thy order (that have
fallen in battle). Stupefied by the power of the destroyer, they have
perished in the observance of the duties of their own order. Thou hast
discharged the duties of a Kshatriya and obtained the earth without a
thorn in it. Observe thy own duties, O son of Kunti, for then, O Bharata,
thou shalt be able to obtain happiness in the other world.'"

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Poster poems: Ballads
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Fidel and Che: a revolutionary friendship

After last week's fairly open theme, I thought I'd go with something a bit more structured this time. As I type this, I'm listening to Steeleye Span and thinking about the great ballad traditions of Britain and Ireland. What is a ballad? I suppose the most inclusive definition would be that it's a singable narrative poem: that covers a multitude but will do for the moment.

Ballads in English stretch back to the middle ages, with fine examples to be found among the Scottish border ballads and the English Robin Hood poems. These early ballads are among the best-known poems and stories in the language, and form part of the common heritage of English speakers everywhere. They gave rise to a tradition of ballad-making that endures down to the present day.

In fact, most poets since have tried their hand at the ballad at one time or another, and the result has been to deny any definition more specific than the one I ventured in my first paragraph. If you look around the internet, you'll come up with a wide selection of poems that are called ballads but have little in common formally. Stanza length varies from two to 10 or more lines, and all sorts of metrical and rhyming patterns are used. A good number will be singable in only the loosest possible sense, and at times the narrative tends to get lost in a mesh of more-or-less successful verbal embroidery.

So, what should a ballad be? Well, "proper" ballad stanzas are quatrains in which the first and third lines have four stresses and the second and third have three. The lines will rhyme A-B-C-B or A-B-A-B. It's as simple, and as difficult, as that. Here's an example, from Robert Burns's extremely singable Comin Thro' the Rye:

Gin a body meet a body
          Comin thro' the rye,
Gin a body kiss a body –
          Need a body cry.

Burns wrote a good number of ballads, and his lead was followed by many 19th-century poets. Two examples that I particularly like are Robert Browning's Confessions and Christina Rossetti's Up-Hill, but you can find ballads by just about any Romantic or Victorian poet if you look for them.

There is a long, strong tradition of ballads and ballad singers in Ireland, too. It is hardly surprising, then, that the great appropriator of tradition, WB Yeats, tried his hand at the form. At least four of his poems have the word "ballad" in the title; the pick of the bunch, for my money, is The Ballad of Father Gilligan, which may have benefited from having been written with a specific tune in mind.

Ballads continued to be written in the 20th century; perhaps the most unexpected exponents were Ezra Pound, with his Ballad of the Goodly Fere, and WH Auden. In fact, the ballad The Quarry is probably my favourite Auden poem.

And so, this week I invite a chorus of balladeering. You may choose to go the whole hog and write in ballad stanzas or you might prefer to take a more liberal view of the formal requirements. Either way, sing up and – as they say at all the best Irish sessions when calling for a bit of hush for the singer – one voice please.

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