Mahabharata Vol. 1 (Penguin Translated Texts)
Page 6
‘Then is told the wonderful Bhishma Parva, where Sanjaya recounted the creation of the region known as Jambu. Thereafter is narrated the fierce and terrible battle that raged for ten days and the depression of Yudhishthira’s army. The supremely wise Vasudeva dispelled there95 Partha’s96 lassitude born out of delusion, by invoking the teachings of salvation. Also is narrated how the great archer Partha placed Shikhandi in front of him in the war and wounded Bhishma with his sharp arrows and felled him from the chariot. This sixth great parva of the Bharata is Bhishma Parva and was composed by Vyasa, learned in the Vedas, in 117 chapters and 5884 shlokas.
‘Then follows the wonderful Drona Parva with many accounts, where Partha had to retreat before the sanshaptakas in battle and Kiriti97 vanquished King Bhagadatta, equal to Shakra in war, and his elephant Supratika. There is described the slaying, by many great warriors led by Jayadratha, of the brave Abhimanyu, still a boy and not yet a major. Angered at Abhimanyu’s death, Partha killed King Jayadratha and seven akshouhinis of soldiers in battle and killed in war the remaining sanshaptakas. In Drona Parva is recounted the deaths of brave Alambusha, Shrutayus, Jalasandha, Soumadatti,98 Virata, the great warrior Drupada and Ghatotkacha and others. When Drona was downed in battle, unforgiving, Ashvatthama unleashed the awful narayana weapon. This is the detailed seventh parva of Bharata, Drona Parva, where many rulers of the world met their death, warriors and bulls among men mentioned earlier. The sage, the son of Parashara99 and master of great knowledge, composed this in 170 chapters100 and 8909 shlokas.
‘Thereafter follows the most wonderful Karna Parva, where the appointment of the wise king of Madra101 as charioteer is described. The old story of the destruction of Tripura is recounted. Then is narrated, at the time of marching out, the strong words exchanged between Karna and Shalya and the account of the swan and the crow, with an insulting moral. There is described the anger of Yudhishthira and Kiriti towards each other and Partha’s slaying of the great warrior Karna in a duel of chariots. Those who know the Bharata call this parva the eighth parva. Karna Parva has sixty-nine chapters and 4900 shlokas.
‘The next parva is the wonderful Shalya Parva. After the deaths of the chief warriors, the king of Madra became the commander of the army. In different parts of Shalya Parva is described the deaths of the chief warriors of the Kuru army in circular chariot duels, Shalya’s death at the hands of the great-souled Dharmaraja, the furious battle of the clubs is described here and the holy pilgrimage of the Sarasvati River. This wonderful parva with diverse meanings is known by those good at numbers as one with fifty-nine chapters102 and 3220 shlokas, composed by the great sage who wished to spread the fame of the Kuru lineage.
‘I shall now describe to you the terrible Souptika Parva. Once the sons of Pritha103 had withdrawn, the warriors Kritavarma, Kripa and the son of Drona104 came to the field of battle in the evening and saw the intolerant King Duryodhana lying on the ground, his thighs broken and his body covered with blood. Firm in his anger, the great warrior, the son of Drona, vowed that he would not take off his armour without killing all the Panchalas led by Dhrishtadyumna and the Pandavas and their allies. Protected by Krishna’s strength, the five sons of Pritha and Satyaki,105 the great wielder of the bow, escaped. Everyone else died. Those bulls among men, led by the son of Drona, killed the Panchalas and their families as they slept peacefully in the night. Grief-stricken because of her sons, and mourning the deaths of her father and brother, Droupadi sat before her husbands, resolving to die of fasting. Moved by Droupadi’s words, Bhima, the performer of great deeds, was angered and ran after the son of his preceptor, the son of Bharadvaja.106 Driven by destiny and out of fear of Bhimasena, the son of Drona unleashed the celestial weapon, urging it to destroy the Pandavas. Krishna neutralized the words and said that would not be, and Phalguna107 neutralized the weapon with one of his own. Dvaipayana cursed the son of Drona, and he too cursed Dvaipayana. After the funerals of all the kings were performed with offerings of water, there follows the acknowledgement by Pritha108 of the secret story of how Karna was born from her. The raconteurs know this as the tenth parva, Souptika Parva, composed by the great soul, the sage of unlimited intelligence in eighteen chapters and 870 shlokas.
‘After that is told the pitiful Stri Parva. There is recounted the pitiful lamentations of the wives of the heroes and Gandhari and Dhritarashtra’s wrath and fainting. They saw the Kshatriya warriors lying on the field of battle, unable to escape destiny—dead sons, brothers and fathers. There the extremely wise king, chief among those who show righteous conduct, burnt the dead bodies of the kings according to prescribed rites. This is known as the great and pitiful eleventh parva. There are twenty-seven chapters in it and seventy-five shlokas are counted. The great-souled author composed the story of Bharata so as to move the hearts and bring tears to the eyes of good people.
‘After that follows the twelfth Shanti Parva, which increases the understanding. There is related Dharmaraja Yudhishthira’s despondency at having killed his fathers, brothers, sons, maternal uncles and relations by marriage. On the bed of arrows109 is related duties and laws that kings who desire to have knowledge should study. Also recounted are norms during emergencies and rules of time and cause. The wonderful path to salvation is described in great detail and a person who understands these attains supreme knowledge. This is known as the twelfth parva, loved by the wise and this parva has 339 chapters110 and 14,525 shlokas, filled with the fruit of meditation.
‘Then follows the excellent Anushasana Parva. There, Yudhishthira, king of the Kurus, was composed after learning about righteous conduct from Bhishma, son of Bhagirathi. It describes the rules of dharma and artha in great detail, the different rules of donation and their fruits, the different merits of charity depending on persons to whom charity is given, the rules of living, the rites of individual conduct and the unmatched supremacy of truth. All these diverse and supreme accounts are recounted in Anushasana Parva and it also describes Bhishma’s ascent to heaven. This is the thirteenth parva, describing the certainty of righteous conduct. It has 146 chapters111 and 6700 shlokas.
‘After that is the fourteenth, Ashvamedhika Parva. There is related the excellent story of Samvarta and Marutta, the discovery of the golden treasures,112 then the birth of Parikshit, who was burnt almost dead by the weapon and revived by Krishna again, the Pandava’s113 journey with the sacrificial horse that had been set loose, his combats with angry princes, Dhananjaya’s encounter with Chitrangada’s son,114 his great danger in the battle with Babhruvahana and the story of the mongoose in the great horse-sacrifice. This extremely wonderful parva is known as Ashvamedhika Parva and he who knew the truth composed it in 133 chapters115 and 3320 shlokas.
‘Then follows the fifteenth Ashramavasika Parva. In this, abdicating the kingdom, King Dhritarashtra, accompanied by Gandhari and Vidura, retire to the forest. On seeing this, the virtuous Pritha,116 who always served her superiors, left the kingdom of her sons and followed the old couple. As a result of the blessings of the sage Krishna,117 the king saw an incomparable sight. He saw his dead sons, grandsons and other kings, who had gone to the other world, return. On seeing this, the old king discarded his sorrow and obtained with his wife the greatest fruits of his righteous deeds. Having resorted to righteous conduct all his life, Vidura also attained the supreme state. So did the learned and wise adviser Sanjaya, son of Gavalgana. Dharmaraja Yudhishthira met Narada and learnt from Narada about the destruction of the Vrishni lineage. This is the wonderful Ashramavasika Parva. He who knew the truth composed it in forty-two chapters118 and 1506 shlokas.
‘Then is told the terrible Mousala Parva.119 This tells the story of how those tigers among men,120 scars of weapons on their bodies, on account of the Brahmana’s staff, were drunk and deprived of their senses. On the shores of the salty ocean, with eraka grass121 that became like thunder in their hands, they killed one another, driven by destiny. There is told that Rama122 and Keshava,123 after destroying their race, themsel
ves succumbed to the great all-consuming time. Then is described how Arjuna, bull among men, journeyed to Dvaravati, and seeing it bereft of the Vrishnis, succumbs to great sorrow and affliction. Having performed the funeral rites for his brave maternal uncle Vasudeva,124 he saw the warriors of the Yadu race lying dead where they had been drinking. He then performed the funeral ceremonies over the bodies of the great Vasudeva125 and Rama126 and the chief among those of the Vrishni lineage. Then is described the journey from Dvaravati with the aged and the children and the sufferings, with the defeat of the gandiva bow. He witnessed the inefficacy of his celestial weapons and the failure to prevent the destruction of the Yadava women. He was despondent on seeing this, and on Vyasa’s advice, went to Dharmaraja and asked for permission to become an ascetic. All this is described in the sixteenth Mousala Parva in eight chapters and 300 shlokas.
‘Then follows the seventeenth Mahaprasthanika Parva. There, the Pandavas, bulls among men, accompanied by the divine Droupadi, gave up their kingdom and left for their great journey. He who knew the truth composed it in three chapters and 120 shlokas.
‘That which comes next is called Svargarohana Parva, full of celestial matters. Replete with the fruits of meditation, it has five chapters and 200 shlokas.
‘These are the contents of the eighteen parvas. The appendices are known as Hari Vamsha127 and Bhavishya.128 Thus the entire contents of Bharata are described in the chapter known as Parva Sangraha. Eighteen akshouhinis of soldiers came together to fight and the battle raged for eighteen days.
‘A twice-born who is learned in the Vedas, the angas129 and the Upanishads, but does not know this account, cannot be said to have any learning at all. Having heard this account, so worthy of being heard, no other account will seem pleasing, like the harsh cawing of crows sounds to one who has heard the cuckoo sing. Like the three worlds have evolved from the five elements,130 the inspirations of all poets flow from this supreme history. O Brahmanas! Just as the four kinds of beings131 are derived from the sky, all the Puranas132 draw upon this account. Like the senses are dependent on all the varied workings of the mind, all action and all qualities are dependent on this account. There is no tale on earth that is not based on this account, just as it is impossible for the body to be alive without food. Like servants who wish to advance always live off high-born masters, all great poets make a living off this account. The Bharata flowed from the lips of Dvaipayana133 and is immeasurable, sacred, purifying, salvation and the dispeller of sin. He who hears it as it is being recited has no need to bathe in the waters of Pushkara.134 Just as the wide ocean can easily be crossed by men who possess boats, this section known as Parvasamgraha, helps understand the supreme and great account that is full of deep meaning.’
Section Three
Poushya Parva
This parva has 195 shlokas and one chapter. It is the story of Poushya. After the first two sections, which are really summaries and no more, Section 3 is where the main story of the Mahabharata should begin. But not only is this section mostly in prose, unlike the rest of the Mahabharata, it has little to do with the main story, since it has all kinds of incidents that don’t quite belong. All this section does is set up the snake-sacrifice.
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Suta said, ‘Janamejaya, the son of Parikshit, attended a long sacrifice in Kurukshetra with his brothers. His three brothers were Shrutasena, Ugrasena and Bhimasena. As they sat at the sacrifice, a dog1 came there. Being beaten by Janamejaya’s brothers, the weeping dog went to his mother. On seeing him cry, the mother asked, “Why are you yelping? Who has beaten you?” On hearing this, he told his mother, “I have been beaten by Janamejaya’s brothers.” Then the mother said, “You must have committed some wrong that you were beaten.” He replied, “I did not commit any wrong. I did not lick the sacrificial ghee. I did not even look at it.” On hearing this, his mother Sarama felt sorry for the misery of her son and went to the place where Janamejaya and his brothers were attending the long sacrifice.
‘She angrily addressed Janamejaya. “My son committed no wrong. He did not lick your sacrificial ghee. He did not even look at it. Why did you then beat him? Since you beat my son who committed no wrong, evil will befall you when you least expect it.” On hearing these words of Sarama, dog of the gods, Janamejaya was saddened and miserable.
‘Once the sacrifice was over, he returned to Hastinapura and took great effort to find a priest who could counteract the effect of the curse and pacify the effects of his sin. One day, Janamejaya, the son of Parikshit, went out on a hunt and saw a hermitage in a lonely part of his kingdom. A rishi named Shrutashrava lived there and he had a beloved son named Somashrava. Desiring to make the son his priest, Janamejaya, the son of Parikshit, saluted the rishi and said, “O Bhagavan!2 Please allow your son to be my priest.” Thus addressed by Janamejaya, the sage replied, “O Janamejaya! My son is a great ascetic and is endowed with learning. But he was born to me in the womb of a snake that had swallowed my semen. He can absolve you from all sins except those committed against Mahadeva. However, he has a secret vow. If a Brahmana asks for anything from him, he always gives it away. If you can accept that, take him with you.” Thus addressed, Janamejaya replied, “O Bhagavan! It shall be as you say.” He then accepted him3 as his priest and returned.
‘Janamejaya then told his brothers, “I have accepted this person as my teacher. Without questioning, you must always do what he asks you.” The brothers did what they were asked. Giving these instructions to his brothers, he marched against the kingdom of Takshashila and brought it under his control.
‘At that time, there was a rishi named Ayoda-Dhoumya. He had three disciples named Upamanyu, Aruni and Veda. One day, the sage asked the disciple Aruni, from the land of Panchala, to go and stop a breach in the dike. On his preceptor’s instruction, Aruni of Panchala went there, but could not stop the breach. He was sorry at this, but then found a way and said, “This is what I will do.” He entered the breach and lay himself down there and the flow of water stopped. After some time, the preceptor Ayoda-Dhoumya asked his other disciples where Aruni of Panchala was. They replied, “O Bhagavan! He has been sent by you to stop the breach in the dike.” Thus told, he said to his disciples, “Let us all go to where he is.” Having gone there, he cried out in these words, “O Aruni of Panchala! Where are you? Come here, my son.” Hearing his preceptor’s voice, Aruni rose from the breach in the dike, stood before his preceptor and said, “I was in the breach in the dike to stop the flow of water that could not be stopped in any other way. It is only when I heard your revered words that I suddenly came to you and allowed the breach again. O Bhagavan! I salute you. Please tell me what your instructions are now.” Thus addressed, the preceptor replied, “Since you have opened the flow of waters by standing up from the breach in the dike, you will henceforth be known as Uddalaka.” The preceptor also blessed him. “Since you have obeyed my instructions, you will obtain good fortune. All the Vedas will shine in you and also all the dharmashastras.” Hearing these words of his preceptor, Aruni went to the land where he wished to go.
‘Ayoda-Dhoumya had another disciple named Upamanyu. To him the preceptor said, “Go my son and look after my cows.” As instructed by his preceptor, he went and looked after the cows. After looking after the cows during the day, he returned to his preceptor’s house in the evening, stood before him and respectfully saluted him. On seeing him in the best of health, his preceptor asked, “Upamanyu, my son! How do you support yourself? You are very fat.” He replied to his preceptor, “I support myself by begging.” The preceptor replied, “You should not use alms you receive from begging without first offering them to me.” As instructed, he looked after the cows again. After looking after them, he returned before his preceptor and saluted him again. The preceptor, on seeing him as fat as before, said, “Upamanyu, my child! I take all your alms away from you. How do you support yourself now?” Being thus asked, he told his preceptor, “O Bhagavan! After giving you all my alms, I go out and beg again to su
pport myself.” The preceptor replied, “That is not the way to obey your preceptor. When you behave thus, you deprive others of their sustenance. You have shown that you are covetous.” Having agreed to his preceptor’s words, he went away to look after the cows. Having done that, he returned to his preceptor’s house, stood before him and respectfully saluted him. On seeing that he was still fat, the preceptor said again, “I take all your alms and you do not go out to beg for a second time. How do you support yourself now?” He replied to his preceptor, “I live on the milk of these cows.” The preceptor replied, “It is not right for you to drink the milk without first asking for my permission.” He agreed to his preceptor’s words and went to look after the cows. Having done that, he returned to his preceptor’s house, stood before him and respectfully saluted him. On seeing that he was still fat, the preceptor said, “You do not support yourself through alms. You do not go begging for a second time. You do not drink milk. But you are still fat. How do you support yourself now?” Thus questioned, he replied to his preceptor, “I drink the froth the calves throw out when they drink at their mother’s udders.” The preceptor replied, “The good calves throw out generous quantities of froth out of kindness towards you. But if you act like this, you deprive the calves of their sustenance. It is not proper for you to drink the froth.” Upamanyu agreed to his preceptor’s words and went to look after the cattle, without food.