Mahabharata Vol. 1 (Penguin Translated Texts)

by Debroy, Bibek

  173

  ‘Arjuna said, “Why did King Kalmashapada himself call and instruct his wife to go to his preceptor, supreme among those who are learned in the Vedas? Why did the great-souled maharshi Vashishtha, who knew the path of supreme dharma, agree to go to a woman who was forbidden? Why were these acts done earlier? I wish to know. Tell me in detail.”

  ‘The gandharva said, “O Dhananjaya! O one who cannot be repulsed! Listen to my answer to your question about the unassailable Vashishtha and King Mitrasaha.120 O best of the Bharata lineage! I have already told you how the king was cursed by Shakti, Vashishtha’s great-souled son. Thus, under the influence of that curse, the king, that scorcher of enemies, came out of the city with his wife, his eyes rolling with anger. He went to a deserted forest with his wife and roamed around there. Under the influence of the curse, he roamed around in that forest, frequented by many beasts and other animals, overgrown with many plants and creepers, dense with many large trees and echoing with horrible howls. Once, obsessed with extreme hunger and exhausted, he saw in a lonely part of the forest a Brahmana and a brahmani, about to engage in an act of sexual union. Seeing him, the pair was frightened and ran away, their desire unsatisfied.

  ‘“Pursuing them, the king forcibly grabbed the Brahmana. Seeing that her husband had thus been seized, the brahmani said, ‘O king who is always rigid in his vows! Listen to what I have to say. It is known in all the worlds that you have been born in the solar dynasty. You have always been established in the path of dharma and you have always served your preceptors. O unassailable one! Though you have been deprived of your senses through a curse, do not commit an evil act. When my season had come, I was about to unite with my husband so as to obtain offspring. But I have not been successful and have great need. O best of kings! Be merciful to me and let my husband go.’ While she was crying thus, the king cruelly ate up her husband, the way a tiger devours a deer. On account of her anger, tears fell from her eyes on the ground and became a blazing fire that burnt up everything there. Grief-stricken and enraged at the death of her husband, the brahmani cursed rajarshi Kalmashapada, ‘O evil-minded one! Today, you have cruelly devoured before my own eyes my illustrious and beloved husband, even though I was not satisfied. Therefore, through my curse, you will meet with instant death when you unite with your wife when she is in season. Rishi Vashishtha, whose sons you have eaten, will unite with your wife and she will give birth to a son. O worst of kings! That son will perpetuate your lineage.’ Having thus cursed the king, that fortunate lady of the Angirasa lineage entered the flaming fire in his presence.

  ‘“O scorcher of enemies! The immensely fortunate Vashishtha knew all this through his great austerities and his powers of knowledge that come through yoga. After a long time, the rajarshi was freed from the curse and went to his wife Madayanti when she was in season, but she repulsed him. Deluded by the curse, the king had no recollection of the curse. On hearing the lady’s words, that best of kings remembered the curse and was greatly alarmed. O best of the Bharata lineage! It was for this reason that the king requested Vashishtha to accept his own wife, because he suffered from the curse.”’

  Section Twelve

  Droupadi-svayamvara Parva

  This parva has 263 shlokas and twelve chapters.

  Chapter 174: 12 shlokas

  Chapter 175: 20 shlokas

  Chapter 176: 36 shlokas

  Chapter 177: 22 shlokas

  Chapter 178: 18 shlokas

  Chapter 179: 23 shlokas

  Chapter 180: 22 shlokas

  Chapter 181: 40 shlokas

  Chapter 182: 15 shlokas

  Chapter 183: 9 shlokas

  Chapter 184: 18 shlokas

  Chapter 185: 28 shlokas

  Svayamvara is a form of marriage where the bride chooses her own groom. The parva is about Droupadi choosing her own groom.

  174

  ‘Arjuna said, “O gandharva! You know everything. Tell us who, learned in the Vedas, is fit to be appointed our priest.” The gandharva said, “There is a tirtha in this forest known as Utkochaka. Devala’s younger brother Dhoumya is engaged in practising austerities there. If you wish, you can appoint him as your priest.”’

  Vaishampayana said, ‘Then Arjuna happily gave the gandharva his agneya weapon, in accordance with the prescribed rituals. He said, “O best of the gandharvas! Keep the horses for the moment. We shall take them from you when we need them. Be blessed.” Then the gandharva and the Pandavas respectfully saluted each other and left the beautiful banks of the Bhagirathi, to go wherever they wished.

  ‘O descendant of the Bharata lineage! The Pandavas went to Utkochaka tirtha and Dhoumya’s hermitage. They instated Dhoumya as their priest. Dhoumya, foremost among those who know all the Vedas, received them with water to wash their feet and with offerings of fruits and roots from the forest. He agreed to be their priest. Having obtained the Brahmana at their forefront, the Pandavas were hopeful of obtaining riches and the kingdom and of winning Panchali in the svayamvara. With their mother constituting the sixth person of the group, those bulls of the Bharata lineage considered themselves well protected, now that they had a preceptor. For the noble preceptor knew the subtle nuances of the Vedas well. He made the virtuous sons of Pritha his disciples in learning all the knowledge. Seeing that those warriors were already endowed with intelligence, valour, strength and perseverance equal to that of the gods, he decided that they were already restored to their kingdom through their own virtues. He blessed them. Those kings among men decided to go with him to the svayamvara in Panchala.’

  175

  Vaishampayana said, ‘Then those tigers among men, the five Pandava brothers, set out to see Droupadi and the great and divine festival. Those tigers among men, the scorchers of enemies, and their mother saw many Brahmanas who were headed in the same direction. O king! Those Brahmanas asked the Pandavas, who were travelling as brahmacharis, “Where are you going? Where have you come from?” Yudhishthira said, “O revered ones who have seen the gods! Know that we are brothers who have come from Ekachakra and are travelling with our mother.”

  ‘The Brahmanas said, “Then you should now go to the house of Drupada of Panchala. A large svayamvara ceremony will be held there, with a lot of riches. We are going there ourselves. Let us go together. A great ceremony, with wonderful events, will take place there. The great-souled Yajnasena Drupada obtained a daughter from the middle of the sacrificial altar and her eyes are like lotus petals, with unblemished features and beauty, youth and intelligence. She is the sister of the powerful Dhrishtadyumna, Drona’s enemy. He arose from the blazing fire, as resplendent as the fire, with mighty arms, natural armour, sword and bow and arrows. His sister is the slender-waisted Droupadi whose form is flawless. Her body emits the fragrance of a blue lotus from a distance of one krosha. Yajnasena’s daughter will choose a husband at the svayamvara. We are going there to see her and witness the divine and great festival. Kings and princes from different regions will be present there—performers of sacrifices at which large quantities of alms are offered, those devoted to studying, pure, great-souled, those devoted to their vows, young, handsome, maharathas and those skilled in the use of weapons. Desiring victory,1 those kings of men will give away a lot of riches, cows, foodgrains and other objects of pleasure. Accepting whatever they offer and witnessing the svayamvara and all the festivities, we will then go wherever we wish. Actors, bards, dancers, raconteurs, panegyrists and powerful wrestlers will assemble from many countries. O great-souled ones! After witnessing those wonderful sights and accepting what is offered, you can also return with us. You are handsome. You look like gods. On seeing you, Krishna2 may decide that one of you is the best and choose you. This brother of yours is handsome of appearance and has powerful arms. He may win those wrestling bouts and obtain great riches.”

  ‘Yudhishthira said, “We will go with you to witness that supreme, great and divine festival, the lady’s svayamvara.”’

  176

 
Vaishampayana said, ‘O Janamejaya! Having been thus addressed, the Pandavas headed for the southern part of Panchala, ruled by King Drupada. On their way, the brave Pandavas met the great-souled, pure-souled, unblemished and illustrious sage Dvaipayana and paid their respects to him, in accordance with the prescribed rites. He too showed them his respect and after their conversation was over, on his instructions, they proceeded to Drupada’s palace. Those maharathas proceeded slowly, stopping when they saw beautiful forests and lakes. At last, Kuru’s descendants, devoted to learning, pure, amiable and sweet of speech, arrived in Panchala. After seeing the city and the royal residence, the Pandavas lodged in a potter’s house. Adopting the lifestyle of Brahmanas, they begged for their food. No one recognized those warriors when they stayed there.

  ‘Yajnasena always desired to give Krishna to Kiriti,3 Pandu’s son, but he never revealed this to anyone. O Janamejaya! O descendant of the Bharata lineage! Thinking of Kunti’s son, the Panchala got a very hard bow constructed, one that no one else would be able to bend. He had an artificial machine4 set up above and onto this machine he fixed a golden target. Drupada said, “He who can string this bow and, after stringing, shoot the target above with these arrows, will obtain my daughter.” With these words, King Drupada announced the svayamvara everywhere. O descendant of the Bharata lineage! Hearing this, all the kings assembled. Many great-souled rishis also came there, wishing to witness the svayamvara. O king! The Kouravas, led by Duryodhana, also came there, accompanied by Karna. Many illustrious Brahmanas also came from many countries. The great-souled Drupada duly worshipped the kings. All the citizens and all the kings took their seats, resulting in a roar like that of the ocean full of porpoises.

  ‘The platform was constructed on the north-east of the city, on a flat and auspicious piece of ground. The beautiful meeting place was surrounded by houses on all sides. It was enclosed by a wall and a moat on all sides, decorated with gates and covered everywhere with a colourful canopy. It echoed to the sound of many musical instruments, was scented with agaru,5 adorned with garlands and sprinkled with sandalwood water. Large and white palaces that were well built surrounded it on all sides, like the peaks of Kailash when they touch the sky. The windows were covered with golden trellises and the walls sparkled with mosaic work of precious stones. The stairs were easy to climb. The seats were covered with expensive cloth that was not like those that came from villages. They were white like swans and scented with agaru, so that the fragrance could be smelt one yojana away. Each palace had 100 doors and had beautiful seats and couches. The expensive beds had many metals on them, like the peaks of the Himalayas. All the kings were seated on the many storeys of these palaces, each one decorated with many ornaments and boastful of his success. Those tigers among kings were scented with the paste of black agaru and were greatly fortunate, devoted to the Brahmanas, protectors of their realms and loved by all the worlds because of their good deeds. When they were seated on their royal seats, the inhabitants of the city and of the country who had come to see Krishna also took their seats. The Pandavas took their seats with the Brahmanas and witnessed the unrivalled splendour of the king of Panchala. O king! For many days, the numbers who had assembled increased. Many jewels were distributed and many dancers and actors provided entertainment.

  ‘O bull of the Bharata lineage! On the sixteenth day, when there was a crowd, Droupadi bathed, wore the best of clothing and adorned herself with many ornaments. She descended into the arena, carrying in her hand a beautifully adorned golden prize for the winner. After pouring offerings of ghee into the sacrificial fire according to prescribed rites, the priest of the Somakas,6 a pure Brahmana, learned in the mantras, uttered salutations of peace to the fire and to Brahmanas and stopped the playing of all musical instruments.

  ‘O ruler of the earth! When everything was quiet, Dhrishtadyumna went to the centre of the arena and spoke, in a thundering voice, words that were deep with meaning and sweet. “O assembled kings! Hear that this is the bow, that is the target and these are the arrows. With these five arrows, shoot the target through the hole in the centre of the machine. I truly say that the handsome and strong one, born in a noble family, who accomplishes this great feat today, will obtain as his wife my sister Krishna.” Having thus addressed the assembled kings, Drupada’s son spoke to Droupadi, recounting to her the lineages and deeds of the assembled kings.’

  177

  ‘Dhrishtadyumna said, “Duryodhana, Durvisaha, Durmukha, Dushpradharshana, Vivimshati, Vikarna, Saha, Duhshasana, Sama, Yuyutsu, Vatavega, Bhimavegadhara, Ugrayudha, Balaki, Kanakayu, Virochana, Sukundula, Chitrasena, Suvarcha, Kanakadhvaja, Nandaka, Bahushali, Kunduja and Vikata—these and others are the immensely powerful sons of Dhritarashtra. These warriors have come with Karna for your hand.

  ‘“Hundreds are the famous and great-souled kings, bulls among the Kshatriyas—Shakuni, Bala, Vrishaka and Brihadbala, all these sons of the king of Gandhara have come. Adorned with every ornament, the great-souled warriors Ashvatthama and Bhoja, skilled in the use of all weapons, have come. The kings Brihanta, Manimana and the valiant Dandadhara, Sahadeva, Jayatsena, Meghasandhi of Magadha, Virata and his two sons Sankha and Uttara, Vardhakshemi, Susharma, King Senabindu, Abhibhu with his sons Sudamna and Suvarchasa, Sumitra, Sukumara, Vrika, Satyadhriti, Suryadhvaja, Rochamana, Nila, Chitrayudha, Amshumana, Chekitana, the immensely powerful Shrenimana, Chandrasena, the powerful son of Samudrasena, Jalasamdha, the father and son Vidanda and Danda, Poundraka, Vasudeva, the valorous Bhagadatta, Kalinga, Tamralipta, the king of Pattana, the maharatha Shalya, king of Madra with his sons, the brave Rukmagandha and Rukmaratha, the Kourava Somadatta and his three maharatha sons Bhuri, Bhurishrava and Shala, Sudakshina, Kamboja, the Kourava Dridhadhanva, Brihadbala, Sushena, Ushinara’s son Shibi, Samkarshana, Vasudeva, Rukmini’s brave son Samba, Charudeshna, Sarana, Gada, Akrura, Satyaki, the immensely powerful Uddhava, Hridika’s son Kritavarma, Prithu, Viprithu, Viduratha, Kanka, Samika, Saramejaya, the brave Vatapati, Jhilli, Pindaraka, the brave Ushinara, all famous as descended from the Vrishni lineage; Bhagiratha, Brihatkshetra, Jayadratha, the king of Sindhu, Brihadratha, Bahlika, the maharatha Shrutayu, Uluka, King Kaitava, Chitrangada, Subhangada, the patient king of Vatsa, the king of Kosala.

  ‘“O fortunate one! These and many other kings of many regions, famous on earth, have come here for you. These brave ones will try to shoot the excellent target for your hand. O beautiful one! You will choose as a husband the one who hits it.”’

  178

  Vaishampayana said, ‘Those youthful kings were adorned with earrings. Each regarded himself as the most skilled in the use of weapons. All of them stood up and brandished their weapons. They boasted at one another, insolent with beauty, valour, lineage, virtue, riches and youth. They were like kings of elephants from the Himalayas, drunk in the season of rut. They stared at each other in insolence. Mentally struck with desire, they suddenly stood up from their royal seats and exclaimed, “Krishna will be mine.” Assembled in that arena and eager to win Drupada’s daughter, they looked like gods who stood around Uma, the daughter of the king of the mountains. Their bodies were pierced with the arrows of the god of love.7 They completely lost their hearts to Krishna.8 They descended into the arena, feeling hatred for their own relatives for Droupadi’s sake.

  ‘The gods came in their heavenly chariots—the rudras, the adityas, the vasus, the twin Ashvins, all the sadhyas and all the maruts, with Yama and the god of wealth9 at the forefront. There also came the daityas, the suparnas,10 the great uragas,11 the devarshis, the guhyakas,12 the charanas,13 Vishvavasu, Narada, Parvata, the chief gandharvas with the apsaras, Halayudha,14 Janardana15 and the chiefs among the Vrishnis and the Andhakas. The chiefs among the Yadus, always devoted to Krishna, were also there, witnessing it. On seeing the five Pandavas, like elephants in rut that had come to a lake full of lotuses, like a fire covered with ashes, the chief of the Yadus16 began to wonder. He told Rama,17 “That is Yudhishthira. That is Bhima and that is
Jishnu18 and those are the valorous twins.” Glancing at them leisurely, Rama cast a pleased glance at Janardana.

  ‘Biting their lower lips in anger, those other warriors, the sons and grandsons of kings, had set their eyes, hearts and natures on Krishna. Biting their lips and with faces that were like copper in colour, they only looked at her.19 On seeing Droupadi, Pritha’s mighty-armed sons and the brave and great-natured twins were struck with the arrows of the god of love.20 The place was full of gods, rishis, gandharvas, suparnas, nagas, asuras and siddhas, pervaded with divine fragrances and covered with divine garlands. A great roar arose from the drums,21 and the sounds of the flute, the veena and cymbals echoed. The celestial routes were crowded with the heavenly chariots of the gods.

  ‘Then, one after another, those kings exhibited their valour for Krishna. But the bow was so strong that with all their strength, they could not string it. The firm wood of the bow recoiled and flung those brave rulers of men on the ground. They failed in their desire and could be seen on the ground, miserable and broken in spirit. That firm bow caused them pain and shattered their bracelets and earrings. Having lost hopes of obtaining Krishna, that assembly of kings was crestfallen. In that assembly, those kings who boasted of noble birth then became objects of derision. Kunti’s brave son Jishnu then arose, wishing to string the bow and place an arrow on it.’