Mahabharata Vol. 1 (Penguin Translated Texts)

by Debroy, Bibek

  ‘Arishta’s son, renowned as Hamsa and king of the gandharvas, was born to propagate the Kuru lineage. He was known as Dhritarashtra, Krishna Dvaipayana’s son. He had great energy, long arms and he was a ruler of men with wisdom in his eyes. Through his mother’s fault and the anger of a rishi, he was born blind. Know that he who was known in the world as Vidura, best among all wise men, was the greatly fortunate son of Atri himself and the best among all sons. The evil-minded and evil-spirited King Duryodhana, who brought disgrace to the lineage of the Kurus, was born on earth from Kali’s part. O ruler of the earth! He was responsible for destroying everything on earth, he created discord and was hated by everyone in the world. He fanned enmity and the great fire of destruction that ended all beings. Among men, Pulastya’s sons72 were born as his brothers. Duhshasana onwards, there were 100 in number, all performer of cruel deeds. Durmukha, Duhsaha and the others, whose names will not be mentioned. All of them assisted Duryodhana. O descendant of the Bharata lineage! They were all sons of Pulastya.

  ‘O king! Know that King Yudhishthira was a part of Dharma, Bhimasena of the god of wind and Arjuna of the king of the gods. Nakula and Sahadeva, most handsome and enchanting to all beings, were parts of the Ashvins. He who was known as Suvarcha, the mighty son of Soma, became Arjuna’s son Abhimanyu, the performer of great deeds. Know that maharatha Dhrishtadyumna was born from Agni’s part. O king! Know that the male-female Shikhandi was born from a rakshasa. O bull of the Bharata lineage! Know that Droupadi’s five sons were born from the class of the vishvadevas.73 Know that the greatly famous maharatha Karna, who parted with his natural armour, was born from the celestial sun. From the eternal god of the gods, whose name is Narayana, was born, in the world of men, the mighty Vasudeva. The immensely powerful Baladeva was a part of the naga Shesha. O king! Know that Pradyumna, of great energy, was a part of Sanatkumara. O Indra among men! In this way, the parts of many of other gods were born in Vasudeva’s lineage and increased its glory.

  ‘O king! I have already told you about the class of apsaras. As instructed by Vasava, their parts were also born on earth. O lord of men! Sixteen thousand parts of these goddesses were born in this world as the wives of Narayana. A part of Shri74 herself was born on earth out of love. She was born as a faultless daughter in the house of Drupada, from the middle of a sacrificial altar. She was neither tall nor short, and had the fragrance of a blue lotus. Her eyes were long, like lotus leaves. Her hips were well formed. Her hair was long and black. She had all the auspicious marks on her body and she had the shine of lapis lazuli.75 She charmed the minds of five men who were like Indras. The goddesses Siddhi and Dhriti became the mothers of the five and were known as Kunti and Madri. Mati76 became the daughter of Subala.

  ‘O king! Thus have I described to you the birth and incarnations of the parts of the gods, asuras, gandharvas and also rakshasas, those who were born as kings on earth, drunk with the desire to fight and the great souls who were born in the extensive lineage of the Yadus. Hearing this account of anshavatarana brings wealth, fame, progeny, long life and victory and should be heard without questioning. On hearing the anshavatarana of devas, gandharvas and rakshasas, learned men know of creation, preservation and destruction and are unmoved in adversities.’

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  Janamejaya said, ‘O Brahmana! I have heard completely from you the account of the incarnations of devas, danavas, rakshasas, gandharvas and apsaras. O Brahmana! I now wish to hear from the beginning the account of the origin of the Kuru lineage. Please narrate it in front of these Brahmana sages.’

  Vaishampayana said, ‘O best of the Bharata lineage! The founder of the Pourava dynasty was the valorous Duhshanta.77 The victorious one protected the entire earth up to its four limits and was the lord of the four quarters of the earth and also regions that are in the middle of the ocean. That chastiser of enemies was also lord of the entire country of the mlecchas,78 which was populated by the four varnas and beyond the ocean full of gems. During this king’s rule, there was no mixture of castes and no performer of evil deeds. No one needed to plough the land. No one needed to mine the earth. O tiger among men! Everyone was devoted to dharma and everyone acted in accordance with the norms of righteous conduct. O son! While he was the ruler of the land, there was no fear from thieves and no fear from famines. While he was the ruler of the land, there was no fear from disease. All the four varnas took pleasure in undertaking their own duties, without an eye to the fruits of the action. Depending upon him as a protector of the earth, they confronted no fear from anywhere. Parjanya79 showered down rain at the appropriate time and the crops were succulent. The earth abounded with great stores of riches then.

  ‘He was young and his great prowess was extraordinary. His body was capable of withstanding the vajra. He could have raised up and carried in his arms Mandara,80 with all its woods and forests. He was skilled in fighting with the bow and arrow, the club and all weapons, on the back of an elephant and on the back of a horse. He was like Vishnu in his strength and like the sun in his radiance. He was like the ocean in his equanimity and like the earth in his tolerance. The great king was loved by all his subjects, in cities and in the country. Everyone abided by dharma.’

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  Vaishampayana said, ‘Once upon a time, the mighty-armed king went to the dense forest, with hundreds of horses and elephants and accompanied by many men and mounts. As he progressed, he was surrounded by hundreds of warriors armed with swords, spears, clubs, maces, javelins and lances in their hands. As the king marched on, the warriors roared like lions. Conches and drums sounded. The wheels of the chariots thundered. The huge elephants trumpeted. The horses neighed. And there was the sound of arms, all resulting in a deafening roar. Beautiful women came out on the balconies of terraced palaces to gaze upon the royal and famous warrior. The women knew their king to be the equal of Shakra81 in destroying his enemies. In fending off enemy elephants, it was as if the women gazed upon the wielder of the vajra himself. They saw a tiger among men, extremely powerful in battle. The strength of his arms allowed no enemy to be alive. Having uttered these words of praise, the women, out of love for the king, showered down flowers on his head. Wherever he went, the best of Brahmanas paid homage to him along the way.

  ‘Extremely pleased, he went to the forest for a hunt. For a long distance, the citizens and residents of the country followed the king. They were restrained from going further only on the king’s instructions. The lord of the earth’s chariot filled the earth, even heaven, with its roar. It was like Suparna.82 After progressing, the wise one saw a beautiful forest like Nandana.83 It was full of bilva, arka, khadira, kapittha and dhava trees. It was uneven and full of mountains and valleys and was strewn with boulders. There was no water and no human habitations. It stretched on for many yojanas. This terrible forest abounded with herds of deer and other forest animals. With the help of his servants, force and mounts, Duhshanta, tiger among men, killed deer of many kinds. Many families of tigers were killed as they came within the reach of his arrows. Many were pierced with Duhshanta’s arrows. That bull among men killed those that were near with his sword. Supreme among those who wield spears, he killed many in that way. His valour was boundless and he was skilled in the circular motions of the club. He roamed around the forest, killing wild animals with his spear, sword, mace, club and javelin. The great forest was perturbed by the extraordinarily powerful king and his soldiers, who loved the fight, and the larger animals fled. Having lost their leaders, their herds dispersed, the deer screamed out in fright and fled in all directions. The river beds were dry. Emaciated in their thirst for water and their hearts tired with exhaustion, they dropped down unconscious, hungry, thirsty and tired.

  ‘Some of them were eaten raw by those hungry tigers among men. Others built a fire and, having ignited it, cut up the pieces of meat and ate them in the proper way. Many mighty elephants were wounded by weapons and went mad. Raising their trunks, they stamped violently, flowing blood and emitting urine and dung
in fear. These wild elephants trampled to death many men. With the cloud of strength and the rain of arrows, the king eliminated the once teeming forest of its large animals, as if a buffalo had run amuck.’

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  Vaishampayana said, ‘Having killed thousands of animals, the king and his many mounts entered another forest to hunt deer. Though supremely strong, he was hungry and thirsty. Travelling alone, he penetrated the deep forest until he came to a vast wilderness. Passing beyond this, he came to a wood that was full of holy pilgrimages, beautiful to the eyes and a joy to the heart. Beyond this, he came to another great wood where a cool breeze blew. The trees were full of flowers and soft grass extended on all sides. The great wood echoed with the sweet songs of birds. There were trees all around, with branches that offered pleasant shade. Bees84 swarmed over the creepers and there was a supreme beauty there. There was no tree without flowers and fruit and none with thorns. Nor did that wood have one85 not made dark with swarming bees. Resounding with the sweet songs of birds, adorned with beautiful flowers that blossomed in all seasons, with the pleasant shade of blossoming trees everywhere, and with pleasant expanses of grass, that supreme wood was beautiful. And the great archer86 entered it. Bedecked with flowers, the trees were shaken by the breeze and repeatedly showered wonderful flowers. They rose up into the sky, full of the sweet songs of birds. The trees there were attired in many-coloured garments of wonderful flowers. They were heavy with the weight of new shoots and flowers and full of the sweet songs of birds and bees.

  ‘On seeing that expanse, adorned with many flowers and surrounded by pleasant creepers that seemed to form canopies, the greatly energetic one was delighted. With branches laden with flowers intertwined with one another, the wood then seemed to shine like Indra’s pennant. A pleasant, cool and fragrant breeze, carrying the pollen of flowers, wafted around the wood and sported with the trees. Such were the qualities of the wood the king gazed upon. It was located in the delta of a river and had the beauty of flagpoles. In that forest, the abode of extremely happy birds, the king saw a charming hermitage. It was full of many trees and blazing fires.87 Many yatis,88 valakhilyas and other groups of sages were there. Many places for sacrificial fires were around and the flowers formed carpets on the ground. O king! The sacred river Malini, which gladdens the heart, flowed by and created beautiful and large pools89 of water. It was full of many waterfowl and made the hermitage even more beautiful. The king was delighted to see predatory beasts and deer peacefully together.

  ‘The king, whose chariot no one could obstruct, entered that enchanting hermitage, which was like the world of the gods and beautiful everywhere. He saw the river with sacred waters embracing the hermitage, as if the mother of all beings was established there. Chakravaka90 birds swarmed along its banks. The water carried flowers and foam. Groups of kinnaras and monkeys and bears lived there. The sound of holy chants and studying resounded along the sand banks. Rutting elephants, tigers and gigantic snakes frequented the place. Having seen the sacred hermitage ornamented by the river Malini with beautiful banks and islands, the king then desired to enter it. It was like the abode of Nara and Narayana, beloved by the waters of the Ganga and echoing with the sound of madly dancing peacocks.

  ‘The bull among men entered the great wood, which resembled Chitraratha’s91 garden. He wished to see the radiant maharshi Kanva, descendant of Kashyapa, blessed with all the qualities and the power of austerities. He stopped his retinue of chariots, cavalry and infantry at the entry to the wood and told his soldiers, “I will go to see the descendant of Kashyapa, blessed with the power of austerities and free of passion. Remain here until I return.” As soon as he entered the wood, which was like Nandana, the lord of men derived great pleasure and forgot his hunger and thirst. The ruler of men put aside his signs of kingship. He entered the supreme hermitage with only his priest and his adviser. He wished to see the sage whose store of ascetic powers was everlasting. He saw that the hermitage was like Brahma’s world, with buzzing bees and singing birds.

  ‘In one place, that tiger among men heard chanting of the Rig Veda, recited in proper word and metre by the best of Brahmanas, as they went about their work. Another place was adorned by those who were learned in various branches of sacrificial rituals.92 That hermitage was adorned by ascetics who were controlled and rigid in their vows. In another place, those who were learned in the Atharva Veda, respected by the assembled, recited the samhitas in the proper tone and metre. In other places, Brahmanas learned in the science of tones recited other mantras, so that all these holy sounds made the hermitage seem like the illustrious world of Brahma. There were those who were skilled in the art of sacrifices and rules of recital. Others were learned in the Vedas and knew the principles of logic, self-realization and salvation. There were those who knew the meaning of words and were accomplished in combining them. Others were skilled in special rituals and the rites for salvation. Some were skilled in arguments, refuting redundant arguments and knew the secrets of words, philosophy and time. The sound of chanting and hymns was everywhere. The destroyer of enemy armies saw around him many learned Brahmanas of rigid vows, all engaged in meditation and offerings.

  ‘The lord of the earth was astonished to see the beautiful and coloured seats that had been carefully laid out. On observing the rituals with which the Brahmanas worshipped the gods, that supreme among kings thought that he was in the world of Brahma. The more the king saw of the beautiful, holy and solitary hermitage of Kashyapa’s descendant,93 protected by his austerities and qualities, the more he wished to see. Kashyapa’s descendant’s hermitage was full of great rishis, powerful in their austerities and rigid in their vows. Thus, the slayer of enemies entered there, with his adviser and his priest.’

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  Vaishampayana said, ‘Thereupon, the mighty-armed one left his advisers behind and went on inside the hermitage alone. But he did not find the rishi of rigid vows.94 On seeing that the rishi was not there and the hermitage was deserted, he called out in a loud voice that echoed in the wood, “Who is here?” On hearing his words, a maiden emerged from the hermitage. She was dressed in the attire of an ascetic and was as beautiful as Shri.95 As soon as the black-eyed maiden saw King Duhshanta, she welcomed him and paid him homage. She offered him a seat, gave him water to wash his feet and the gift due to a guest. O king! She then asked that lord of men about his welfare. Having honoured him in the appropriate way and asked about his welfare, the maiden then smilingly asked the king what she could do. Having been thus honoured in the appropriate way, the king spoke to the maiden who was unblemished in form and sweet in speech. “I have come to pay my respects to the illustrious rishi Kanva. O beautiful and fortunate one! Where has the revered one gone?” Shakuntala replied, “My revered father has gone out of the hermitage to collect fruit. Please wait for a while. You will see him when he returns.”’

  Vaishampayana said, ‘The king did not see the rishi there. But having been thus addressed by the maiden, he saw that she was dazzling, with a charming smile and beautiful hips. She was dazzling in her beauty, austerities and humility and endowed with beauty and youth. The ruler of the earth told her, “O one with the beautiful hips! Who are you? Who do you belong to? Why have you come to this forest? O beautiful one! You are blessed with beauty and qualities. From where have you come? O beautiful one! You have robbed me of my heart from the first glance. O beautiful one! I wish to learn all about you. Please tell me.” Having been thus addressed by the king in the hermitage, the maiden smiled and told him in sweet words, “O Duhshanta! I am regarded as the daughter of the illustrious, righteous, great-souled ascetic Kanva, wise in the path of dharma.” Duhshanta said, “That illustrious and extremely fortunate one is worshipped by all the worlds and is known to have never spilled his seed. The god of dharma may stray from the right path, but not this ascetic of rigid vows. O beautiful and charming one! How can you be his daughter? Dispel this great doubt from my mind.”

  ‘Shakuntala said, “O king! Then
listen to how I have learnt what occurred in earlier times and how I came to be the sage’s daughter. Once upon a time, a rishi came here and asked questions about my birth. O king! Hear what the illustrious one96 told him about me. Kanva said, ‘In ancient times, Vishvamitra alarmed and oppressed Shakra,97 the king of the gods, with his great austerities. He feared that with the blazing energy of his austerities, he would dislodge him from his seat. Purandara98 therefore told Menaka, “O, Menaka!

  You are the best of the celestial apsaras in your qualities. O amiable one! Please listen to what I have to say and do that which will bring about my welfare. The great ascetic Vishvamitra possesses the sun’s radiance. He has been engaged in such austerities that my mind is trembling. O Menaka! O you with the slender waist! Vishamitra is your burden now. His soul is fixed on meditation and he is engaged in the performance of awesome austerities. He is unassailable and may dislodge me from my seat. Go to him and seduce him. Bring obstructions to his austerities. Do that which is good for me. O one with the beautiful hips! Turn him away from his austerities with your beauty, youth, sweetness, efforts, smiles and words.”

  ‘“Menaka said, “O, illustrious one! That illustrious one has great energy and the power of great austerities. You yourself know that he is prone to anger. The energy, asceticism and wrath of that great-souled one have made even you afraid of him. Why should I not be scared? He made even the illustrious Vashishtha suffer grief through the premature death of his sons. He was born a Kshatriya, but became a Brahmana through his powers. For the sake of performing ablutions, he created a river with such a lot of water that it is difficult to cross. That sacred river is still known in the worlds by the name of Koushiki.99 In ancient times, the great-souled one’s wife was maintained there by the righteous rajarshi Matanga, who had become a hunter. O lord! After the famine was over, the powerful sage returned to his hermitage and gave the river the name of Para. O king of the gods! Extremely pleased with Matanga, he himself was the officiating priest at his sacrifice and out of fear, you yourself went there to drink the soma. In his anger, he who was descended from the stars100 created a wealth of other stars, beginning with Shravana101 and beyond the existing stars. I am afraid to go to a person whose deeds are like this. O lord! Tell me how I can escape being burnt from his anger. He can burn down the worlds with his energy. He can make the earth quake with a kick. He can uproot the great Meru and whirl it around. How can a woman like me touch someone with such austerities, such energy that is like a blazing fire and who is in complete control of his senses? His mouth is radiant as the blazing fire. The pupils of his eyes are like the sun and the moon. His tongue is like Yama. O best of the gods! How can someone like me touch him? Yama, Soma, the maharshis, the saddhyas, the vishvadevas and the valakhilyas are all alarmed of him. Why should someone like me not be afraid? O lord of the gods! Nevertheless, commanded by you, I must go to that sage. O king of the gods! Find a means so that I can accomplish your wishes under your protection. O god! When I sport before him, let Marut102 strip me of my garments. On your instructions, let Manmatha103 be there to help me in my work. Let the breeze carry soft fragrances from the wood when I tempt the rishi.”’ Having said this and once her wishes had been catered to, she went to Koushika’s hermitage.”’