Mahabharata Vol. 1 (Penguin Translated Texts)

by Debroy, Bibek

  ‘After a few years, in an assembly of kings where the maiden Krishna33 was to choose her own bridegroom, Arjuna performed a difficult task and won her hand. From that day, he was respected by everyone in the world as a great archer. He became like a sun in the battlefield, difficult to behold. He defeated all the kings and all the main tribes. Thus, the king34 could now perform the rajasuya35 sacrifice. Through the wise counsel of Krishna and the prowess of Bhima and Arjuna, Yudhishthira killed Jarasandha and the swollen-head king of Chedi36 and thus obtained the right to perform the rajasuya, rich in provisions and sacrificial offerings and full of merit. Duryodhana came to this sacrifice and saw on all sides the great wealth of the Pandavas—the offerings, precious stones, gold, jewels, cattle, horses, elephants and treasure. On seeing this, his envy made him angry. He fumed when he saw the hall of assembly, like a celestial chariot, built by Maya. Before Vasudeva, he was mocked by Bhima, who said he was of common birth, when he got confused at the architectural deceptions.

  ‘It was reported to Dhritarashtra that while he was enjoying himself with various objects and valuable things, his son had turned pale, yellow and thin. Out of affection for his son, the blind king gave him permission to play the game of dice. When Vasudeva heard this, he became very angry. Though he wasn’t pleased, he did nothing to stop the dispute and overlooked the fatal game and other unjust acts, as they increased in importance. In spite of Vidura, Bhishma, Drona and Kripa, the son of Sharadvata, he made the Kshatriyas kill each other in the great war that followed.

  ‘On hearing the news of the Pandava victory and knowing the vows taken by Duryodhana, Karna and Shakuni, Dhritarashtra thought for a while and then told Sanjaya: “O Sanjaya! Listen to all that I am about to say. You will then find that I am not worthy of contempt. You are learned in the sacred texts, intelligent, wise and respected for being wise. My inclinations were not for war, nor do I find pleasure in the destruction of my lineage. I have no special affinity towards my sons compared to the sons of Pandu. My own sons, following the wrong path, were upset with me because I was old and blind. I bore all that, because of my weak state and because of my love for my sons. I was deluded and silly and Duryodhana’s folly thrived on that. He saw the wealth and power of the sons of Pandu at the rajasuya sacrifice and was mocked at his awkwardness when he ascended the hall. He couldn’t bear this, but was incapable of defeating the Pandavas in the field of battle. Unlike a Kshatriya and incapable of energetically pursuing wealth, with the help of the king of Gandhara, he planned an unjust game of dice. O Souti! Listen to my words and learn all that happened later and all that I came to know. When you hear what I say and learn, you will know that my wise eyes have the gift of foresight.

  ‘“O Sanjaya! I had no hope of victory when I heard that, in the presence of all the kings, Krishna37 was taken, when the wonderful bow was drawn and pierced, the target fell to the ground.

  ‘“O Sanjaya! I had no hope of victory when I heard that Subhadra of the Madhu lineage was forcibly carried away by Arjuna and married in Dvaraka and when the two heroes38 of the Vrishni lineage set out for Indraprastha.

  ‘“O Sanjaya! I had no hope of victory when I heard that Arjuna had satisfied Agni by giving him the Khandava forest and when he used his divine arrows to check the downpour brought down by the king of the gods.

  ‘“O Sanjaya! I had no hope of victory when I heard that Yudhishthira had been defeated in the game of dice by Soubala39 and deprived of his kingdom, though his powerful brothers were still in attendance.

  ‘“O Sanjaya! I had no hope of victory when I heard that Droupadi, with protectors but as if no protectors existed, was dragged to court at the time of her period, with a single garment on and with tears in her throat.

  ‘“O Sanjaya! I had no hope of victory when I heard that the grieving and righteous Pandava brothers left for the forest, suffering out of love for the eldest.

  ‘“O Sanjaya! I had no hope of victory when I heard that thousands of snatakas40 and great Brahmanas who lived on alms followed Dharmaraja41 to the forest.

  ‘“O Sanjaya! I had no hope of victory when I heard that Arjuna had pacified in combat the god of the gods, Shiva, who appeared before him in the disguise of a hunter, and obtained from him the great weapon Pashupata.

  ‘“O Sanjaya! I had no hope of victory when I heard that Arjuna, bound by his promise, had gone to heaven and learnt properly from Indra the use of celestial weapons.

  ‘“O Sanjaya! I had no hope of victory when I heard that Bhima and the other sons of Kunti, accompanied by Vaishravana,42 had gone to the land that is inaccessible to humans.

  ‘“O Sanjaya! I had no hope of victory when I heard that my sons, spurred by Karna’s advice, had gone on a cattle-related expedition and been captured by the gandharvas, and then freed by Arjuna.

  ‘“O Sanjaya! I had no hope of victory when I heard that Dharma had appeared before Dharmaraja43 in the disguise of a yaksha and posed him questions that were correctly answered.

  ‘“O Sanjaya! I had no hope of victory when I heard that when the great-spirited Arjuna lived in the kingdom of Virata, my best had been destroyed by Arjuna on a single chariot.

  ‘“O Sanjaya! I had no hope of victory when I heard that the king of Matsya44 had with great honour bestowed his daughter Uttara on Arjuna and he had accepted her for his son.

  ‘“O Sanjaya! I had no hope of victory when I heard that Yudhishthira, defeated, wealth-less, exiled, separated from friends and relatives, had been able to raise seven akshouhinis.45

  ‘“O Sanjaya! I had no hope of victory when I heard Narada declare that Krishna and Arjuna were Nara and Narayana and that he had truly seen them thus in the world of Brahma.

  ‘“O Sanjaya! I had no hope of victory when I heard that Krishna of the Madhu lineage, who had covered the world with one foot,46 had been engaged on the side of the Pandavas.

  ‘“O Sanjaya! I had no hope of victory when I heard that Karna and Duryodhana had plotted to revile Keshava,47 but he had shown himself in many forms.

  ‘“O Sanjaya! I had no hope of victory when I heard that Pritha48 had been consoled by Keshava, when she had stood in front of his chariot, weeping in sorrow at his departure.

  ‘“O Sanjaya! I had no hope of victory when I heard that Vasudeva had become their advisor and Shantanu’s son Bhishma and Bharadvaja49 had pronounced blessings on them.

  ‘“O Sanjaya! I had no hope of victory when I heard that Karna had told Bhishma that he wouldn’t fight if Bhishma fought, and saying this, had gone away.

  ‘“O Sanjaya! I had no hope of victory when I heard that Vasudeva, Arjuna and the immeasurable Gandiva bow had come together, a threesome of fearful energy.

  ‘“O Sanjaya! I had no hope of victory when I heard that Arjuna, overcome by lassitude, had sunk down on his chariot, and Krishna had shown him all the worlds within his own body.

  ‘“O Sanjaya! I had no hope of victory when I heard that Bhishma, the great destroyer of enemies, was killing tens of thousands50 of charioteers every day, but had not killed a single warrior of note.

  ‘“O Sanjaya! I had no hope of victory when I heard that Arjuna, having placed Shikhandi in front of him, had vanquished the infinitely courageous Bhishma, unconquered in many battles.

  ‘“O Sanjaya! I had no hope of victory when I heard that the old warrior Bhishma, after killing the somaka51 warriors until only a few remained, was lying on a bed of arrows, wounded by an arrow with a multicoloured feathered tip.

  ‘“O Sanjaya! I had no hope of victory when I heard that Shantanu’s son Bhishma was lying there and was thirsty and Arjuna pierced the ground to slake his thirst.

  ‘“O Sanjaya! I had no hope of victory when I heard that Shukra52 and Surya53 united to bring victory to the sons of Kunti and fierce beasts of prey were always around us.

  ‘“O Sanjaya! I had no hope of victory when I heard that Drona displayed the paths of many weapons in the course of battle, but failed to kill a single one of the chief Pandavas.


  ‘“O Sanjaya! I had no hope of victory when I heard that the great warriors,54 the sanshaptakas,55 who had been placed so as to kill Arjuna, were all killed by him.

  ‘“O Sanjaya! I had no hope of victory when I heard that Subhadra’s brave son56 had single-handedly penetrated our secret battle formation, impenetrable to others and guarded by the well-armed son of Bharadvaja57 himself.

  ‘“O Sanjaya! I had no hope of victory when I heard that all our great warriors, unable to defeat Arjuna, combined to surround and kill the boy Abhimanyu and then rejoiced.

  ‘“O Sanjaya! I had no hope of victory when I heard that the mindless warriors of Dhritarashtra cheered with delight at killing Abhimanyu and the furious Arjuna took his vow about the king of Sindhu.58

  ‘“O Sanjaya! I had no hope of victory when I heard that Arjuna had taken a vow to kill the king of Sindhu and kept his vow in the midst of all his enemies.

  ‘“O Sanjaya! I had no hope of victory when I heard that on finding the horses of Dhananjaya59 exhausted, Vasudeva unyoked them in the field of battle, gave them water to drink and then re-yoking them, drove on.

  ‘“O Sanjaya! I had no hope of victory when I heard that Arjuna, on his chariot, fended off all warriors with his Gandiva bow, when the horses that drew his chariot were indisposed.

  ‘“O Sanjaya! I had no hope of victory when I heard that Yuyudhana60 of the Vrishni race threw Drona’s army into disorder with the strength of his unassailable elephant and returned to where Krishna and Partha61 were.

  ‘“O Sanjaya! I had no hope of victory when I heard that Karna, with Bhima in his power, spared his life with some abusive words and dragged the warrior with the tip of his bow.

  ‘“O Sanjaya! I had no hope of victory when I heard that Drona, Kritavarma, Kripacharya, Karna, Drona’s son62 and the brave king of Madra63 allowed the king of Sindhu64 to be killed in their presence.

  ‘“O Sanjaya! I had no hope of victory when I heard that the celestial spear, given by the king of the gods,65 was diverted by Madhava,66 to the demon Ghatotkacha, of terrible form.

  ‘“O Sanjaya! I had no hope of victory when I heard that in the fight between Karna and Ghatotkacha, the spear that would have killed Savyasachi67 in battle, was unleashed by the son of the charioteer.68

  ‘“O Sanjaya! I had no hope of victory when I heard that Dhrishtadyumna, violating all norms of what was right, killed Drona, while he was alone on his chariot, insensate and bent on dying.

  ‘“O Sanjaya! I had no hope of victory when I heard that Nakula, the son of Madri, engaged the son of Drona69 in a chariot duel before all the people and proved himself to be equal in war.

  ‘“O Sanjaya! I had no hope of victory when I heard that after Drona’s death, Drona’s son misused the celestial weapon narayana, but failed to kill the Pandavas.

  ‘“O Sanjaya! I had no hope of victory when I heard that the exceedingly brave Karna, unconquerable in war, was killed by Arjuna in a fraternal war that was beyond comprehension even to the gods.

  ‘“O Sanjaya! I had no hope of victory when I heard that the son of Drona,70 the brave warrior Duhshasana and the fearsome Kritavarma failed to defeat Dharmaraja Yudhishthira.

  ‘“O Sanjaya! O Bard! I had no hope of victory when I heard that Yudhishthira killed the king of Madra,71 who always taunted Krishna in battle.

  ‘“O Sanjaya! I had no hope of victory when I heard that evil Soubala,72 the cause of the game of dice and the quarrel, though armed by magic, was killed in battle by the Pandava Sahadeva.

  ‘“O Sanjaya! I had no hope of victory when I heard that Duryodhana, weakened in strength, without a chariot, fatigued, and with his pride broken, went to a pond and lay down in its waters.

  ‘“O Sanjaya! I had no hope of victory when I heard that the Pandavas, accompanied by Vasudeva, stood at that pond of the Ganga and addressed my quarrelsome son with contempt.

  ‘“O Sanjaya! I had no hope of victory when I heard that, in the battle of the clubs, despite displaying various marvellous circuits,73 he was unjustly killed through the advice of Vasudeva.

  ‘“O Sanjaya! I had no hope of victory when I heard that the son of Drona74 and others committed a horrible and infamous act by killing the Panchalas75 and the sons of Droupadi while they slept.

  ‘“O Sanjaya! I had no hope of victory when I heard that, pursued by Bhimasena and angered, Ashvatthama discharged the greatest of weapons named aishika, which killed the unborn in the womb.

  ‘“O Sanjaya! I had no hope of victory when I heard that the weapon brahmashira, was discharged by Ashvatthama and repelled with another weapon by Arjuna, which he then pacified, but Ashvatthama had to surrender the jewel on his head.

  ‘“O Sanjaya! I had no hope of victory when I heard that the son of Drona76 killed the unborn in the womb of the daughter of Virata77 through a great weapon, and that the son of Drona was cursed jointly by Dvaipayana and Keshava.

  ‘“Alas! Woe to Gandhari who has lost her sons, grandsons, friends, fathers, brothers and relatives. The Pandavas have accomplished a difficult feat. They have again gained a kingdom without a rival.

  ‘“Alas! I have heard that only ten people have survived this difficult war, three on our side and seven on the side of the Pandavas. In that fearful war of Kshatriyas, eighteen armies78 have been slain. I see extended and extreme darkness all around me. Delusion overcomes me. O Suta! Consciousness is leaving me, my mind is delirious.”’

  Souti said, ‘Having uttered these words in greatest sorrow and lamented his fate, Dhritarashtra became unconscious. On recovering, he addressed Sanjaya in these words.

  ‘Dhritarashtra said, “O Sanjaya! Since this has happened, I wish to give up my life immediately. I see not consolation nor profit in being alive any longer.”’

  Souti said, ‘Then the wise son of Gavalgana79 addressed these words full of meaning to that wretched and lamenting king of the earth.

  ‘Sanjaya said, “From wise Narada and Dvaipayana you have heard of many kings, those who had great enterprise and great strength. They were born in great royal dynasties and possessed great virtues. They knew the use of celestial weapons and were equal to Shakra80 in energy. Having conquered the earth with righteous conduct and performed sacrifices with appropriate offerings, they obtained fame in this world and then succumbed to the forces of time. Such men were the great warrior Vainya, the brave Srinjaya who won through blessings, Suhotra, Rantideva, Kakshivanta, Oushija, Balhika, Damana, Shaivya, Sharyati, Ajita, Jita, Vishvamitra, the slayer of enemies and Ambarisha, of great strength, Marutta, Manu, Ikshvaku, Gaya, Bharata, Rama, the son of Dasharatha, Shashabindu, Bhagiratha and Yayati of good deeds, to whom the gods themselves sacrificed and who has left the habitable and inhabitable regions of the earth adorned with sacrificial sheds and stakes. In ancient times, when Shaivya was afflicted with the loss of his son, these were the twenty-four kings whose acts were cited by the royal sage Narada. But there were other kings who came and went before, with more power, great warriors, great souls and blessed with all the good qualities. They were Puru, Kuru, Yadu, Shura, Vishvagashva of great endurance, Anena, Yuvanashva, Kakutstha, the brave Raghu, the invincible Vitihotra, Bhava, Shveta, Brihadguru, Ushinara, Shataratha, Kanka, Duliduha, Druma, Dambhodbhava, Para, Vena, Sagara, Sankriti, Nimi, Ajeya, Parashu, Pundra, Shambhu, the pure Devavridha, Devahavya, Supratima, Supratika, Brihadratha, Mahotsaha, Vinitatma, Nala of the nishadas,81 Satyavrata, Shantabhaya, Sumitra, the lord Subala, Janujangha, Anaranya, Arka, Priyabhritya, Shubhavrata, Balabandu, Niramarda, Ketushringa, Brihadbala, Dhrishtaketu, Brihatketu, Diptaketu, Niramaya, Avikshita, Prabala, Dhurta, Kritabandhu, Dridheshudhi, Mahapurana, Sambhavya, Pratyanga, Parahan and Shruti. These kings and hundreds of others, as many as lotuses, have been heard of. Giving up immense wealth and pleasure, these great, powerful and wise kings attained death, as did your sons. Even those, performers of celestial deeds, great souls who had valour, generosity, truth, purity, pity, magnanimity, faith and simplicity and whose abundance of good qua
lities and riches have been described for the world in the Puranas by superior poets of great learning, they too went to their death. Your sons were wicked, envious, greedy, driven by passion and evil. Do not mourn for them. O Dhritarashtra! You are knowledgeable in the shastras and characterized by intelligence and wisdom. Those whose understanding follows the norms of the shastras do not succumb to delusion. O king of men! You know the good fortune and misfortune of fate. You know the extreme sentiments you succumbed to in protecting your sons. You should not sorrow for that which was bound to happen. Those who are wise do not feel sorry over fate. Even with the greatest wisdom, that which is ordained will happen. No one can transgress the path that has been laid down. Time brings existence and non-existence, pleasure and pain. Time creates all elements and time destroys all beings. Time burns all subjects and it is time that extinguishes the fire. Time alone is awake when everything is asleep. Time cannot be conquered. Time walks in all elements, pervasive and impartial. Knowing that everything, past, present and future, is created by time, it is not appropriate that you should be consumed by grief.”’

  Souti said, ‘Krishna Dvaipayana has composed a holy Upanishad. The study of Bharata is such a holy act that even if one reads only one line of a shloka, all the reader’s sins are destroyed. Here are lauded the performers of pure deeds, the gods, the devarshis, the immaculate brahmarshis, the yakshas and the great nagas. The eternal Lord Vasudeva has been lauded here. It is he who is truth, immortality, purity and holy. In it is described the eternal supreme brahman, who is the constant everlasting light and whose divine action is described by the learned. He is the source of the existing and the non-existing, the principle of extension and withdrawal. In it has been described the supreme spirit who assumes the attributes of the five elements82 and three qualities83 and to whom words like un-manifest cannot be applied. And also those who are free, through the powers of meditation and yoga, perceive established in themselves like reflections in a mirror. He who is always faithful and always follows the path of righteousness, such a man is freed from all sin on reading this chapter. The believer who always hears this introductory chapter of Bharata from the beginning never suffers from difficulties. He who repeatedly utters any part of the introductory chapter in the morning or evening is freed from all sins accumulated during the day or night. In the body of Bharata, this chapter is like truth and ambrosia—like butter among curds and Brahmanas among bipeds, like the ocean is the best of the lakes and the cow is the best of the quadrupeds. Just as these are the best, so it is said is Bharata. He who makes a Brahmana listen to one verse of a shloka at a funeral ceremony, his offerings of food and drink to his ancestors become inexhaustible. The Vedas should be supported with itihasa84 and the Puranas. But the Vedas are afraid of those with little learning,85 lest that knowledge be hurt. However, if a learned man recites this Veda of Krishna’s,86 he will gain. Without a doubt, the sin of killing an embryo is also destroyed. I think that a pure man who has read this chapter reverently at every change of the moon has read the entire Bharata. The man who reverently listens every day to these sacred verses, it is said he attains a long life, fame and goes to heaven. In ancient times, the gods and the sages came together and on one side of a scale, they placed the four Vedas, with Bharata on the other side. In greatness and in weight, Bharata was heavier. Because of its superiority in substance and content, it came to be known as Mahabharata and he who knows this true meaning is freed from all sins. Asceticism is not a sin, studying is not a sin, the natural rules of the Vedas are not sins and exertion to acquire wealth is not a sin. These become sins when they are abused.’