‘“Shuddering at the god’s sudden words, he40 joined his palms and told the terrible god who has many manifestations, ‘O Bhava!41 Show me a way out today.’ Smilingly, the god with the terrible bow replied, ‘Those who act like this, do not find an escape. These others were like you and will become again. Therefore, enter the cavern and lie down there. There is no doubt that all your fates will be the same. All of you will have to be born in human wombs. Having achieved great feats of violence there and having sent a large number towards their deaths, you will again attain the world of Indra through the merit of your actions. You will achieve all that I have said and much more, with varied significance.’ The earlier Indras said, ‘We will go from the world of gods to that of men. Salvation is difficult to obtain there. Let the gods Dharma, Vayu, Maghavan42 and the Ashvins beget us on our mother.’ Having heard this, the wielder of the vajra once again spoke to the greatest of the gods,43 ‘With my semen, I will create a man who can accomplish this task. He will be my son and will be the fifth among these.’ In his good nature, the illustrious lord with the terrible bow granted them the wishes they desired. He ordained that the woman, the most beautiful in the worlds, who was none other than Shri44 herself, would be their wife in the world of men. Thereafter, accompanied by them,45 he46 went to the god Narayana, who is beyond measure. He47 approved of everything and thus it was that they were born on earth.
‘“Hari48 plucked two hairs from his body. One was white and the other was black. These two hairs entered the wombs of two women from the Yadu lineage, Rohini and Devaki. One of them49 became Baladeva and the second one that was black became Keshava. Those ones who were like Shakra and were earlier confined in the mountain cavern are none other than the valorous Pandavas, while the Pandava Savyasachi50 is a part of Shakra. O king! Thus it was that the former Indras were born as the Pandavas, and the celestial Lakshmi, earlier ordained to be their wife, was born as the divinely beautiful Droupadi. She whose radiance is like the sun and the moon and whose fragrance can be smelt from the distance of one krosha, cannot have arisen from the earth. At the end of the sacrifice, she arose through divine intervention. O ruler of men! I will happily grant you a most wonderful boon. With this divine eyesight, behold Kunti’s sons, in their earlier divine forms.”’
Vaishampayana said, ‘Then the pure Brahmana Vyasa, performer of extremely generous deeds, gave divine sight to the king through his ascetic powers. The king saw them in their earlier forms. He saw them divine and young, broad-chested and 5 cubits tall, adorned with golden garlands, crowns and jewels, with complexions as radiant as that of the fire or the sun, each resembling Shakra, dressed in divine garments that were beautiful and golden, resplendent with fragrant garlands that were the best, the equals of the three-eyed god,51 the vasus and the celestial adityas, with every quality. On seeing the earlier Indras, King Drupada was surprised and pleased. With the power of divine maya that is beyond measure, he saw that supreme of women, Shri personified. In beauty, splendour and fame, he saw her to be the right wife for those Indras on earth. On seeing this wonderful sight, he touched the feet of Satyavati’s son and said, with a tranquil mind, “O supreme rishi! For you, this is no wonder.”
‘Vyasa replied, “In a hermitage in a forest, there was once the daughter of a great-souled rishi, who was beautiful and pure, but could not get a husband. It is said that through her austerities, she pleased the god Shankara.52 Pleased with her, the god himself spoke to her, ‘Tell me what you want.’ Thus addressed, she repeatedly told the boon-granting supreme god, ‘I wish to have a husband who is accomplished in every way.’ Then the god Shankara happily granted her the boon and said, ‘O fortunate one! You will have five excellent husbands.’ The one who had pleased the god said, ‘O Shankara! I wish to have only one husband who possesses all the qualities.’ The god of gods, extremely pleased with her, again uttered these holy words. ‘You have addressed me five times, asking for a husband. O fortunate one! It shall be as you have asked. You will have good fortune and all this will happen in one of your future births.’ O Drupada! So this daughter, with the form of a goddess, was born to you. Krishna Parshati53 was preordained to be the wife of five and remain unblemished. The divine Shri was born out of the great sacrifice to be the wife of the Pandavas. After performing severe austerities, she was born as your daughter. O King Drupada! That resplendent goddess, sought after by the gods themselves, was ordained to be the wife of five through her own actions. She was created by the self-creating one54 to be the wife of these gods. On hearing this, act as you wish.”’
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‘Drupada said, “O maharshi! I sought to act in the way that I had said only when I had not heard these words from you. I cannot act against what has been ordained. I wish to act as you have said. The knot tied by destiny cannot be untied. There is nothing that results from our own actions. The rites set out for one husband must now become the rites for this rule.55 Since Krishna herself repeatedly asked for many husbands in ancient times, the great god accordingly granted her the boon. The god himself knows what is best. Since Shankara has ordained it to be thus, dharma or adharma, I will commit no sin. Therefore, since Krishna is ordained to them, let them take her hand as they wish, according to the prescribed rites.”’
Vaishampayana said, ‘Then the great lord56 spoke to Dharmaraja, “O son of Pandu! Today is an auspicious day. The moon has entered the constellation Pushya. Today, you accept Krishna’s hand first.” At that, King Yajnasena57 and his son made arrangements for the wedding. He made ready a lot of wealth for the marriage. After she had bathed and had been adorned with many jewels, he brought out his daughter Krishna. To witness the marriage ceremony, the king’s friends and relatives happily came there, with advisers and many Brahmanas and chief citizens. Crowded with those who had come for alms, the extensive festive grounds thick with lotuses and lilies, lined with heaps of precious stones, his palace looked like the sky, studded with brilliant stars. Then the young Kuru princes bathed. Adorned with earrings and ornaments, dressed in expensive garments and perfumed with sandalwood paste, they performed the preparatory ceremony and other auspicious rites. O lord! Accompanied by their priest Dhoumya, as radiant as the fire, they then joyfully entered, in due order and one after another, like mighty bulls entering a pen.
‘Then the priest58 who knew the Vedas built and lit the sacrificial fire and poured offerings, with mantras. He then called Yudhishthira and united him with Krishna. Then the Veda-knowing one married them, making them walk around the fire, hand in hand. Then the priest took leave of that ornament of battle59 and went out of the palace. Then those maharathas, bringers of fame to the Kuru lineage, sons of a king among men, took the hand of that supreme among women, in succession, one day after another.60 The devarshi61 told me something extremely wonderful, beyond human powers. That slender-waisted and great lady regained her virginity from one day to another.62
‘When the marriage was over, Drupada gave those maharathas a lot of gifts—100 supreme chariots adorned with gold, each yoked to four horses with golden bridles; 100 elephants with lotus marks on them, like a hundred mountains with golden peaks; and 100 young maidservants dressed in expensive garments and adorned with ornaments and garlands. Making the fire his witness, the king of the lunar dynasty,63 befitting his might, separately gave each of those64 a lot of wealth, garments and ornaments and other riches. When the marriage was over and the mighty Pandavas, the equals of Indra, had obtained their Shri, along with her great wealth, they lived in the city of the king of Panchala.’
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Vaishampayana said, ‘After his alliance with the Pandavas, Drupada’s fears were dispelled. He did not even fear the gods. All the ladies in the great-souled Drupada’s household came to Kunti. They mentioned their names and saluted her, with their foreheads touching her feet. Dressed in a silken garment and with the marriage thread still encircling her,65 Krishna also paid her respects to her mother-in-law and stood before her, her palms joined.
‘Loving
ly, Pritha bestowed her blessings on Droupadi, endowed with beauty and auspicious marks and with a pure disposition and good character. “As Indrani66 is to Harihaya,67 as Svaha68 is to Vibhavasu,69 as Rohini70 is to Soma,71 as Damayanti is to Nala, as Bhadra72 is to Vaishravana,73 as Arundhati is to Vashishtha and as Lakshmi is to Narayana, so may you be to your husbands. O fortunate one! May you be the mother of long-lived and valorous sons. May you be happy. May you be fortunate and prosperous. May you be strict in your vows and a wife to your husbands at the time of sacrifices. May you always pass your time serving your guests in the proper way—holy men, the aged, the young and your seniors. May you be anointed queen, with the righteous king,74 in the kingdom and the capital of Kurujangala. Let the entire earth be conquered by your immensely powerful husbands and presented to Brahmanas in a great horse-sacrifice. O accomplished one! O treasure of all virtues! May all the riches of the world belong to you. May you be happy for 100 autumns. O daughter-in-law! I bless you today on seeing you in silken garments. I shall bless you again when you have given birth to a son with all the qualities.”
‘After the Pandavas had taken a wife, Hari75 sent them many golden ornaments, adorned with pearls and lapis lazuli. Madhava76 also sent them expensive garments from many regions, blankets, deer skins, jewels that were beautiful and soft, and expensive beds, seats, vehicles and vessels, adorned with diamonds and lapis lazuli. Krishna also gave them thousands of young maidservants, adorned with ornaments, beautiful, accomplished and brought from many regions, well trained, and tame elephants, many excellent and caparisoned horses and many chariots, drawn by horses with large teeth and excellent colours, bedecked with golden cloth. And Madhusudana,77 whose soul cannot be measured, also sent them in a separate heap crores of pure gold coins. In a desire to please Govinda,78 Dharmaraja Yudhishthira, who was filled with pure joy, accepted all this.’
Section Fourteen
Viduragamana Parva
This parva has 174 shlokas and seven chapters.
Chapter 192: 29 shlokas
Chapter 193: 19 shlokas
Chapter 194: 25 shlokas
Chapter 195: 19 shlokas
Chapter 196: 28 shlokas
Chapter 197: 29 shlokas
Chapter 198: 25 shlokas
Agamana means arrival or coming and this parva is about Vidura’s arrival.
192
Vaishampayana said, ‘Then trusted spies brought the news to the kings that the beautiful and fortunate Droupadi had got the Pandavas as her husbands and that the great-souled one who had strung the bow and had pierced the target was Arjuna, greatest among those who are victorious and a mighty wielder of the bow and arrows. The great-souled and strong one who had lifted up Shalya, the king of Madra, and had whirled him around and had frightened all men in the fight with a tree, himself without fear, was none other than Bhima, whose touch was terrible and who was the tormentor of armies of enemies. When they heard that Kunti’s and Pandu’s sons had assumed the disguise of peaceful Brahmanas, those rulers of men were greatly surprised, because they had earlier heard that Kunti and her sons had been burnt alive in the house of lac. Those rulers of men therefore regarded them1 as having been born again. Remembering the extremely cruel deed of Purochana, they cursed Bhishma and the Kourava Dhritarashtra. When the svayamvara was over, all the kings learnt that the Pandavas had been chosen and returned the way they had come.
‘On seeing that Arjuna, who was borne by white horses, had been chosen by Droupadi, King Duryodhana was very depressed and returned with his brothers, Ashvatthama, his maternal uncle,2 Karna and Kripa. Full of shame, Duhshasana softly spoke to him, “O king! If Dhananjaya3 had not been disguised as a Brahmana, he would never have succeeded in obtaining Droupadi. No one recognized him because of that. I think destiny is supreme and human endeavours are fruitless. O brother! Cursed be our human endeavours when the Pandavas are still alive.” Thus, talking to one another and blaming Purochana, they entered Hastinapura, miserable and downcast. They were frightened and all their resolutions disappeared when they discovered that the immensely powerful sons of Pritha4 had escaped the fire and were allied with Drupada. They thought of Dhrishtadyumna, Shikhandi and all the other sons of Drupada, all skilled in the art of war.
‘On learning that Droupadi had chosen the Pandavas and that Dhritarashtra’s sons had returned in shame, their pride broken, Vidura was very happy. O lord of the people! The kshatta went to Dhritarashtra and said in great wonder, “The Kurus5 are prospering from good fortune.” O descendant of the Bharata lineage! On hearing this from Vidura, Dhritarashtra, the son of Vichitravirya, was overjoyed and exclaimed, “What great fortune!” In his ignorance, the king of men, who only possessed the eyesight of knowledge, had thought that Droupadi had chosen his eldest son, Duryodhana. He ordered that many ornaments be made for Droupadi and sent word to his son Duryodhana that Krishna6 should be brought in. It was then that Vidura told him that the Pandavas had been chosen, that those warriors were all in good health and that they had been duly honoured by Drupada. They had many allies and relatives now, with large armies.
‘Dhritarashtra said, “Pandu’s sons are dearer to me than they were to Pandu. O Vidura! My joy is greater, now that I know that those brave Pandavas are in good health, with friends. O kshatta! Which king, deprived of fortune on earth and in search of power, would not desire to have an alliance with Drupada and his relatives?”’
Vaishampayana said, ‘When the king uttered such words, Vidura replied, “O king! May this intelligence of yours last for a hundred years.” O ruler of the people! Then Duryodhana and Radha’s son7 came to Dhritarashtra and told him, “We cannot speak in Vidura’s presence. We wish to speak to you in private. What do you want to do now? O father! Do you take the prosperity of your rivals to be that of your own? O supreme among men! You applauded them before the kshatta. O one who is unblemished! You act one way when another needs to be done. O father! We must always act in a way so as to weaken their strength. The time has come for us to counsel one another, so that they8 do not swallow us up, with our sons, armies and relatives.”’
193
‘Dhritarashtra said, “I myself have the worries that you do. But I do not wish to reveal my attitude to Vidura. Therefore, I particularly praised their qualities, so that Vidura does not know my true wishes, even through a gesture. This is the time. O Suyodhana!9 Tell me what you think. O Radheya!10 You also tell me what you think.”
‘Duryodhana said, “Let us now use skilled and able Brahmanas who have our trust to create conflict among the Pandavas, between the sons of Kunti and the sons of Madri. Or let us tempt King Drupada, his sons and all his advisers with large presents of wealth so that they abandon Kunti’s son, King Yudhishthira. Or let them11 individually be told how difficult it is to live here,12 so that the Pandavas decide to live there,13 away from us. Or let artful and skilled men create dissension among the sons of Pritha.14 Or let them15 incite Krishna16 against them. That should be easy, because they are many.17 Let the Pandavas be dissatisfied with her, and she with them. O king! Let artful and skilled men secretly bring about Bhimasena’s death. He is the strongest among them. O king! When he is dead, they will lose their enterprise and their energy. Without him, they will no longer wish for the kingdom, because he is their only support. Arjuna is invincible in battle as long as he is supported from the back by Vrikodara.18 Without him, Phalguna19 is not even worth a fourth of Radheya20 in battle. With Bhimasena dead, they will know their great weakness and knowing our great strength, the feeble ones will perish. O king! If the sons of Pritha come here and submit themselves to our desires, we can confidently destroy them. Or, one after another, we can seduce them with pretty women so that Krishna21 is disenchanted with Kunti’s sons. Or we can send Radheya to bring them here and on the way here, get them killed through an attack by dacoits whom we trust. Employ, without delay, whichever of these strategies seems to you to be faultless. Time passes. As long as their confidence in King Drupada, who is like a bull, is n
ot established, until then, we can succeed. But not afterwards. O father! These are my views. We should suppress them. O Radheya! What do you think? Are these views good or bad?”’
194
‘Karna said, “O Duryodhana! In my view, your opinions are not distinguished by wisdom. O extender of the Kuru lineage! The Pandavas cannot be overcome through trickery. O brave warrior! In the past, you have used subtle tricks to suppress them, but you did not succeed. O king! Then they lived near you and were children who had not developed friends and allies. But you could not hold them down. They now live far away and have grown up. They have developed friends and allies. It is my firm conviction that Kunti’s sons cannot be injured through trickery. Nor can they be subjugated through vices, because they are protected by fate. They desire to have the kingdom of their fathers and grandfathers back. We can’t injure them through such means. It is impossible to create dissension among them. It is impossible to create dissension among those who have taken a common wife. Nor will we succeed in alienating Krishna22 from them. She chose them in a time of adversity and they are now prosperous. Women have a quality that they desire many husbands. Krishna has got this and can’t be alienated. The king of Panchala23 is virtuous and does not crave for riches. Even if we give him our entire kingdom, it is certain that he will not desert the sons of Kunti. His son24 also has all the good qualities and is attached to the Pandavas. Therefore, I do not think that any subtle strategy that you think of will ever be able to injure them.
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