Mahabharata Vol. 1 (Penguin Translated Texts)

by Debroy, Bibek

  ‘“Later, in a large and terrible forest, Bhima, who had fearsome strength when angered, killed a rakshasa named Hidimba. Then, in complete agreement, those powerful warriors went to the town of Ekachakra and lived there, with their mother, disguised as Brahmanas. Having won Droupadi, they lived there for one year. And having been recognized, those destroyers of foes returned to Hastinapura. King Dhritarashtra and the son19 of Shantanu then told them, ‘Sons, so that conflict doesn’t ensue between you and your brothers, we have thought and decided that Khandavaprastha will be your abode. Therefore, give up your resentment and go and live in Khandavaprastha, which has many towns and wide roads.’ On hearing these words, they and their friends went to Khandavaprastha, taking many jewels with them. And the sons of Pritha20 lived there for many years. Through the force of their weapons, they brought many kings under their vassalage. Thus they gradually increased in power, setting store to virtue and the way of truth, not roused by anger, calm and subjugating those who wished to do them harm. The immensely powerful Bhimasena subjugated the east, the brave Arjuna the north, Nakula the west and Sahadeva, the conqueror of brave enemies, the south. Having conquered everything, their kingdom extended over the whole world. With five such sun-like ones and the sun himself extended, the earth seemed to have six suns with the truthful and valorous Pandavas.

  ‘“Then, for some reason, Dharmaraja Yudhishthira sent his brother Dhananjaya21 to the forest. He lived in the forest for one year and one month. He once went to Hrishikesha22 in Dvaravati and there obtained as his wife Subhadra, with eyes like the blue lotus, sweet of speech and Vasudeva’s younger sister. As Shachi23with the great Indra and Shri24 with Krishna, Subhadra was delighted to be united with Pandu’s son, Arjuna. O supreme among kings! Kunti’s son and Vasudeva then satisfied Agni by giving him Khandava25 to burn. Aided by Keshava, this task wasn’t difficult for Bibhatsu Partha, 26 just as when Vishnu sets his mind to destroying enemies, no task is too difficult. Agni gave Partha the supreme of bows, Gandiva, an inexhaustible quiver of arrows and a chariot with a monkey on the standard. It was on that occasion that Bibhatsu freed the great demon Maya. He27 built the divine assembly hall, adorned with all kinds of jewels and precious stones. Seeing this, the evil-minded and deluded Duryodhana was driven by avarice.

  ‘“Thereupon he deceived Yudhishthira in a game of dice, played by Soubala,28 and banished him to the forest for twelve years, with an additional year to be spent in disguise, adding up to thirteen years. When in the fourteenth year they29 returned and claimed their property, they didn’t get it. O king! Then war was declared and after destroying all the Kshatriya lineages and killing King Duryodhana, the Pandavas obtained their kingdom back, mostly unpopulated. O great king! This is the ancient history of those whose deeds were everlasting, the account of the conflict, the destruction of the kingdom and the victory.”’

  56

  ‘Janamejaya said, “O supreme among Brahmanas! You have told me in brief the account known as Mahabharata, containing stories about the great Kurus. O blameless performer of austerities! But I now feel a great desire to hear this wonderful history in detail, with all descriptions. You should therefore recite it in its entirety. I am not satisfied with hearing a brief account of this great story. It cannot be for a trifling reason that the virtuous Pandavas killed those who should not be killed, and yet continue to be praised by men. Why did those tigers among men, despite being innocent and capable of wreaking vengeance on their enemies, suffer the oppressions of those evil ones quietly? O supreme among Brahmanas! Why did Vrikodara, who in his mighty arms had the strength of 10,00030 elephants, keep his anger under control, despite being oppressed? Why did not the pure Krishna Droupadi, oppressed by the evil sons of Dhritarashtra, burn them with her angry eyes, capable though she was of doing it? Why did those tigers among men, the two sons31 of Pritha and the two sons of Madri,32 though oppressed by the evil ones, follow Yudhishthira, addicted to the evil vice of gambling? Why did Yudhishthira, the best among righteous men and the son of Dharma himself, suffer extreme misfortune, though he knew the path of virtuous conduct? Why did Pandu’s son Dhananjaya, with Krishna as his charioteer, and capable of dispatching many warriors to the land of the dead with his arrows, suffer so much oppression? O blessed with the power of austerities! Tell me everything that those great warriors did in every situation.”

  ‘Vaishampayana said, “I shall recount the entire history, that which was composed by the great-souled maharshi Vyasa, whose powers are infinite and who is worshipped in all the worlds. This contains 100,000 sacred shlokas, composed by Satyavati’s son, Vyasa, of infinite powers. The learned man who recites it to others and also those who hear its recital attain the world of Brahma and become the equals of the gods. This is equal to the Vedas. It is sacred and supreme. It is the best of all that can be heard. It is a purana worshipped by the rishis. It contains all the useful instructions on artha and kama. This immensely sacred history makes the mind desire to attain salvation. The learned man who recites Krishna’s33 Veda to those who are noble, generous, truthful and faithful, will attain great fortune. Even sins like the killing of embryos in wombs are destroyed. On hearing it, the most evil is freed from the most evil of sins. This history, called jaya, should be heard by those who wish to attain victory. On hearing it, a king can bring the entire world under his subjugation and defeat all his enemies. This is the best way to obtain a son and the great path to ensure welfare. It should be heard several times by heirs apparent and their wives.

  ‘“Vyasa, of infinite intelligence, has said that it is the sacred arthashastra and the supreme dharmashastra. It has been said that it is also the great mokshashastra. It is recited in the present time and it will be recited in the future. He who hears it obtains sons, descendants and servants who perform desired acts. He who hears it is immediately freed from all sins committed in body, mind and speech. He who hears the history of Bharata, without finding fault, is freed from all fear of disease, not to speak of fear in the next world. Krishna Dvaipayana, in a desire to bring welfare to the world, composed this to bring wealth, fame, long life, pure deeds and attainment of heaven, spreading in the world the fame of the great-souled Pandavas and other Kshatriyas of immense energy. It is said that this Bharata is the treasury of jewels, like the ocean who is the lord and the great snow-clad mountain.34 The learned man who recites it to Brahmanas during sacred parvas35 is cleansed of his sins and becoming victorious over heaven36 attains union with the eternal brahman. He who causes even a single line from it to be read to Brahmanas at his shraddha makes his shraddha becomes inexhaustible and his ancestors are satisfied with the offerings that are made to them. The sins committed ignorantly by men every day are destroyed on hearing the account of the Mahabharata. It is said that the Mahabharata is the history of the births of the Bharata lineage. He who knows the etymology of this name is freed from all sin. The sage Krishna Dvaipayana arose regularly37 for three years and composed this wonderful history known as the Mahabharata. O bull among the Bharatas! Whatever is found here on dharma, artha, kama and moksha, may be found elsewhere. But whatever is not in it, cannot be found anywhere else.”’

  57

  ‘Vaishampayana said, “There was a king, a ruler of the earth, always devoted to righteous conduct. His name was Uparichara and he loved hunting. That descendant of the Puru lineage was also named Vasu and, on Indra’s instructions, conquered the beautiful and handsome kingdom of Chedi. After some time, the king gave up the use of weapons and lived in a hermitage, practising austerities. One day, the thunder-wielding god38 came to him.

  ‘“Believing that he was trying to become the king of the gods through the practice of austerities, he tried to wean the king away from his austerities. Indra said, ‘O ruler of the world! You should ensure that the path of righteous conduct is not confused. Protect the path of righteous conduct, because that holds up the world. Protect meticulously and rigidly the practice of virtue in the world. If you protect virtue, you will see many other ete
rnal and sacred worlds.39 Though I am in heaven and you are on earth, you have become a dear friend to me. O ruler of men! Live in that place that is the udder of the earth, stable with animals, flowers, wealth and foodgrains. It has a pleasant climate meant for enjoyment and has all the qualities of the earth and is well protected like heaven. O king of Chedi! Beyond compare on earth, this land is full of wealth, precious stones, other objects and minerals. The citizens in the cities in this land are contented, pious and follow righteous ways. They never indulge in falsehood, not even in jest. The sons there never divide their wealth with their fathers and are engaged in the welfare of their superiors. Thin cows are never yoked to ploughs or carts for carrying goods. O king who gives reason for pride! In Chedi, all the castes are always engaged in their respective duties. Nothing that exists in the three worlds is unknown to you. I shall give you a great and excellent flying chariot,40 made of crystal and possessed by the gods alone, that is capable of carrying you through the sky. Among all the mortals on earth, you alone, though you possess a physical body, will ride in that best of flying chariots, as if in the form of a god. I shall also give you this garland known as vaijayanti,41 made of lotuses that never fade. If you wear this, you will never be hurt by weapons in battle. O ruler of men! This unparalleled, supreme and great garland, known as Indra’s, will be your distinctive mark.’ The slayer of Vritra also gave a staff made of bamboo to protect the good and the peaceful. After one year was over, the lord of the earth42 planted this in the earth for the sake of worshipping Shakra. O ruler of the earth! From that day till now, all kings, following the example that was started, plant a bamboo pole in the ground. After that, the kings make it stand upright and decorate it with garlands, perfumes, ornaments and baskets. The worshipping is done in accordance with the rites, with garlands and ornaments, and the god who brings fortune is worshipped in his smiling form, a form he himself adopted out of his love for the great-souled Vasu. On seeing this welfare-granting and god-directed worship done, the great Indra was pleased with Vasu, chief among kings, and said, ‘The men and kings who worship me and observe my festival like the king of Chedi will gain prosperity and victory, with their kingdoms. Their cities will also expand and will always be full of joy.’ O lord of men! Thus did the great-souled and great Maghavan43 Indra bless the great king Vasu, out of his love for him. Men who observe this festival of Shakra’s, with gifts of land and jewels, become pure and are blessed with boons, like Vasu, lord of Chedi and the performer of great sacrifices, was blessed by Maghavan. Ruling Chedi in a righteous way, Vasu, the lord of Chedi, was loved by Indra, and continued with Indra’s festival and protected the earth.

  ‘“He had five sons, who had great valour and infinite might. He44 was a universal emperor and instated his sons in many kingdoms. His famous maharatha45 son Brihadratha was instated in the kingdom of Magadha. Others46 were Pratyagraha and Kushamba, also known as Manivahana and Macchilla, and Yadu, powerful kings invincible in battle. O king! These were the sons of that rajarshi with unbounded powers. They established kingdoms and cities named after them. Thus, the five kings, sons of Vasu, established separate dynasties that were eternal. When he seated himself or travelled through the sky in the crystal chariot obtained through Indra’s grace, the apsaras and the gandharvas worshipped the great king. And he became famous as Uparichara.47

  ‘“The river that flowed near his city, Shuktimati, was once attacked by the mountain Kolahola, maddened by lust.48 The mountain Kolahola was kicked by Vasu with his foot and the river flowed out freely through the gully caused by the kick. From the embrace of the mountain, the river gave birth to twins and, grateful, the river gave them to the king. Vasu, supreme among rajarshis and the provider of prosperity and vanquisher of enemies, made the son the general of his army.

  ‘“The daughter of the river was named Girika and the king49 made her his wife. Once, the time for intercourse arrived and Vasu’s wife, Girika, having purified herself by bathing at the fertile time, informed her husband about her state. But on that very day, his ancestors came to him and asked the best of kings and wisest of men to kill some deer. Thinking that the command of his ancestors should be followed, he went out to hunt, thinking of Girika, who was exceedingly beautiful and like Shri50 herself. He was so excited that the semen was discharged in the beautiful forest and wishing to save it, the king of the earth collected it in the leaf of a tree. The lord thought that his semen should not be wasted in vain and that his wife’s fertile period should not pass barren. Then the king thought about this many times and the best of kings firmly decided that his semen would be productive, since the semen was issued when his queen’s time was right. Learned in the subtleties of dharma and artha, the king consecrated the semen, which was productive for producing progeny, and addressed a hawk that was seated nearby. ‘O amiable one! Please take this seed to my wife Girika. She is in her season now.’ The swift hawk took it from him and flew speedily through the sky.

  ‘“When the bird was thus swiftly flying through the sky, another hawk saw him and thought that the hawk was carrying some meat and flew at him. The two birds fought with their beaks in the sky. When they were thus fighting, the semen fell into the waters of the river Yamuna. An apsara known by the name of Adrika lived in the water of the Yamuna as a fish, because she had been cursed by Brahma. In the form of a fish, Adrika speedily came to where Vasu’s semen fell from the hawk’s claw and swallowed it up immediately. O best of the Bharata lineage! Some time after this, the fish was caught by fishermen and she was in her tenth month.51 From the stomach of the fish there emerged twins in human form, a boy and a girl. They52 marvelled at this and went and told the king, ‘O king! These two have been born in human form inside a fish.’ Then King Uparichara accepted the male child and he later became the righteous and truthful king named Matsya. As soon as the children were born, the apsara was also immediately freed from her curse. The beautiful one had earlier been told by the illustrious god53 that she would be freed from her non-human form when she gave birth to two human children. Following these words, after giving birth to two children and after being killed by the fishermen, she left the form of a fish and assumed her own divine form. The beautiful apsara then went up to the sky, following the path of the siddhas,54 rishis and charanas.55 The girl, the daughter of the fish, smelt of fish. She was given by the king to the fishermen, saying that she would be their daughter.

  ‘“This girl was called Satyavati. She was possessed of great beauty and had every quality and character. But because she lived among fishermen, that sweet-smiling girl carried the smell of fish for a long time. Wishing to serve her father, she plied a boat on the water. One day, when going on a pilgrimage, Parashara saw her. She was extremely beautiful and an object of desire even to siddhas. As soon as the wise one saw the beautiful one, the best of the sages wanted to make love to Vasu’s daughter. She told him, ‘O holy hermit! The rishis are standing on both banks of the river. How can we have intercourse when they are looking at us?’ Thus addressed by her, the great lord56 created a fog so that the entire place seemed to be covered in darkness. On witnessing this sudden creation of fog by the great rishi, the girl was surprised and overcome with modesty. Satyavati spiritedly said, ‘O great lord! Know me to be a virgin and under my father’s protection. O unblemished one! My virginity will be sullied if I unite with you. O best of the Brahmanas! If my virginity is lost, how will I be able to return home? O wise one! I will not be able to stay at home. O great lord! Bear this in mind and then do what is proper.’ The best of the rishis was very pleased at her words and replied, ‘Even after you do that which pleases me, you will remain a virgin. O beautiful, but timid one! Ask me for any boon that you desire. O one with beautiful smiles! My boon has never proven to be fruitless.’ Having been thus addressed, she asked for the boon that her body might always have sweet scents. The great lord granted her what her heart desired. Then, having obtained the boon, she was extremely happy. The one adorned with all the charms of a woman had inter
course with that rishi of wonderful deeds. Thereafter, she became known on earth as Gandhavati.57 Men on earth could smell her fragrance from the distance of one yojana and after that, she was also known as Yojanagandha.

  ‘“The great lord Parashara went on to his own home. And Satyavati was extremely happy to have obtained this matchless boon. On that very day, she conceived as a result of the intercourse with Parashara and gave birth to Parashara’s immensely powerful son on an island in the Yamuna. With his mother’s permission, he decided to adopt a life of asceticism and went away, saying that he would instantly appear before her whenever she remembered him for any specific act. Thus was Dvaipayana born in Satyavati’s womb through Parashara. Because he was born on an island, he came to be known as Dvaipayana. Knowing that dharma loses one leg at the end of every yuga58 and that human life expectancy on earth and strength follow the pattern of the yugas, and moved by his desire to please Brahma and the Brahmanas, the learned one divided the Vedas. Thus, he came to be known as Vyasa.59 The greatest lord and granter of boons then taught the Vedas and the fifth Veda Mahabharata to Sumantu, Jaimini, Paila, his own son Shuka and his disciple Vaishampayana. Separately through them the Bharata Samhita became manifest. Then, Bhishma, of great valour and great fame, successor to Shantanu, was born in Ganga’s womb through the semen of the Vasus.