Chapter 1367(39)
Vaishampayana said, ‘When the Parthas entered, the people, the residents of the city, wished to see them and assembled in many thousands. The royal road and the squares were decorated and beautiful. O king! It was like the giant ocean swelling when the moon rises. The large houses along the royal road were bejewelled. O descendant of the Bharata lineage! Full of women, they seemed to tremble at the weight. Because they were bashful, they softly praised Yudhishthira, Bhimasena, Arjuna and the two Pandavas who were Madri’s sons. “O Panchali! You are blessed and fortunate, since you serve those best among men, like Goutami tending to the maharshis.322 O beautiful one! You have followed your vows and your deeds have not been fruitless.” O great king! At that time, the women praised Krishna323 thus. O descendant of the Bharata lineage! Because of the delighted sounds of these words of praise, the city resounded. Having been thus addressed, Yudhishthira passed through the royal road and arrived at the ornamented and radiant royal palace. All the ordinary people, the residents of the city and of the countryside, came there from different sides and spoke words that were pleasant to the ear. “O Indra among kings! O destroyer of enemies! It is through good fortune that you have defeated the enemy. It is through good fortune that you have regained the kingdom, through dharma and strength. O great king! May you rule over the kingdom for one hundred autumns. O king! Protect the subjects through dharma, as Indra does over the thirty gods.” At the gates of the royal residence, he was worshipped in this auspicious way. In every direction, he received benedictions from the affectionate brahmanas. The king entered the palace, which was like the residence of the king of the gods. Hearing those victorious sounds, he descended from his chariot.
‘Entering inside, he approached the prosperous gods324 and worshipped all of them with jewels and fragrant garlands. The prosperous and immensely illustrious one again emerged. He saw the handsome brahmanas who presented themselves. He was surrounded by those brahmanas, who wished to pronounce benedictions over him. He was as resplendent as the sparkling moon, surrounded by a large number of stars. In the prescribed fashion, Kounteya honoured the brahmanas. O Indra among kings! With the preceptor Dhoumya325 and his eldest father326 at the forefront, he cheerfully worshipped them with sweets, jewels, large quantities of gold, cattle, garments and many other objects that they desired. O descendant of the Bharata lineage! Auspicious sounds arose and reached up to the sky. These auspicious sounds were pleasant to hear and generated delight among the well-wishers. O king! The brahmanas were learned in the Vedas and their chants resounded like the noise made by swans. It was as if Bharati could be heard there, with meanings, lines and syllables.327 There was the roar of drums and the beautiful sound of conch shells. O king! Those sounds were heard and proclaimed the news of victory.
‘When the brahmanas there became quiet again, the rakshasa Charvaka, disguising himself as a brahmana, spoke to the king.328 He was a friend of Duryodhana’s and was in the form of a mendicant. He was a samkhya.329 He had a tuft of hair on his head. He held triple staff in his hand.330 He was proud and without any fear. He was surrounded by all those brahmanas, who wished to pronounce their benedictions. O Indra among kings! There were thousands of others who had immersed themselves in austerities and rituals. Without taking their permission, the evil and wicked one censured the great-souled Pandavas and spoke to the king. “All these brahmanas have asked me to speak on their behalf. O wicked king! Shame on you. You have slain your kin. O Kounteya! Having caused the destruction of kin, what will you gain from the kingdom? Having slain your elders, it is better to be dead than to be alive.” On hearing the terrible words of the rakshasa, the brahmanas were distressed. Afflicted by those words, they roared. O lord of the earth! Together with King Yudhishthira, all the brahmanas were ashamed and greatly anxious and then fell silent. Yudhishthira replied, “I am bowing down before you. Show me your favours. You should not reprimand me. I have just recovered from a catastrophe.” O king! O lord of the earth! All the brahmanas shouted, “O king! These are not our words. May you be prosperous.” Those brahmanas were learned in the Vedas and had cleansed themselves through austerities. Through the sight of their wisdom, they recognized him.331 The brahmanas said, “This is Duryodhana’s friend and a rakshasa named Charvaka. In the form of a mendicant, he is trying to ensure his welfare.332 O one with dharma in your soul! We have not spoken in that way. Do not have any fear on that account. Let good fortune wait on you and your brothers.” Senseless with anger, all the brahmanas shouted.333 They were pure and by censuring the wicked rakshasa, killed him. He was burnt and brought down by the energy of the ones who knew about the brahman. It was like the shoots of a tree charred by the great Indra’s vajra. Having been honoured, the brahmanas congratulated the king and departed. With his well-wishers, the Pandava king was delighted.
‘Vasudeva said, “O father!334 In this world, brahmanas have always been revered by me. They are like gods roaming around on earth. They have poison in their speech, but are also easy to please. O father! In ancient times, in krita yuga, there was a rakshasa named Charvaka. O mighty-armed one! For many years, he tormented himself through austerities in Badari.335 O descendant of the Bharata lineage! Brahma repeatedly offered him boons and he opted for the boon that he should have nothing to fear from all beings. The lord of the universe granted him the supreme boon of fearlessness from all beings, as long as he did not disrespect brahmanas. Having obtained the boon, the rakshasa, immensely strong, terrible in his deeds and infinitely valorous, began to oppress the gods. The gods united and told Brahma, ‘His strength is unnatural. Ensure the rakshasa’s death.’ O descendant of the Bharata lineage! He told the gods, ‘I have already thought of a means, so that he confronts his death soon. O king!336 He will be a friend to a king named Duryodhana. Because he will be bound down by affection towards him,337 he will insult brahmanas. The brahmanas will be incensed at the injury he causes brahmanas. Through the strength of their speech, they will destroy the wicked one and he will perish.’ The rakshasa has been killed by the curse of brahmanas and is lying down. O best among kings! O bull among the Bharata lineage! Do not sorrow over Charvaka. O king! Know that all of them have been slain because of the dharma of kshatriyas. Those bulls among kshatriyas were brave and great-souled and have gone to heaven. O one without decay! You must now do what is good. You should not show weakness. Kill the enemy. Protect the subjects. Sustain the brahmanas.”’
Chapter 1368(40)
Vaishampayana said, ‘The king who was Kunti’s son was freed from his fever. Cheerfully, he sat down on a supreme and golden seat, facing the east. Satyaki and Vasudeva, the scorchers of enemies, were seated on a seat facing him and it was strewn with expensive coverings. With the king between them, the great-souled Bhima and Arjuna were seated on soft seats decorated with gems. Pritha, with Nakula and Sahadeva, was seated on a sparkling seat that was made out of ivory and decorated with gold. Sudharma,338 Vidura, Dhoumya and Kourava Dhritarashtra were seated on separate seats and seemed to blaze. Yuyutsu, Sanjaya and the illustrious Gandhari sat down where King Dhritarashtra was seated.
‘Seated there, with dharma in his soul, the king339 cheerfully touched the white flowers, the svastika signs, the unhusked grain, the ground, gold, silver and jewels. With the priest at the forefront,340 all the ordinary people came to see Dharmaraja. They brought many auspicious objects with them—earth, gold, many kinds of gems and all the other vessels and equipment required for the consecration. There were full pots that were made out of clay, gold, copper and silver. They were filled with water, parched grain, sacrificial grass and milk. There was kindling of shami, palasha and pumnaga.341 There was honey and clarified butter. There were ladles made out of udumbara342 and gold-embellished conch shells. With Dasharha’s343 permission, the priest Dhoumya marked out an auspicious altar that sloped towards the north and the east. The great-souled one and Krishna, Drupada’s daughter, were made to sit on a soft sarvatobhadra344 seat with sturdy legs, covered with the
skins of tigers. It was as radiant as the fire. The intelligent one345 poured oblations into the fire. Pronouncing mantras, he sprinkled water on Yudhishthira, Kunti’s son, instating him as the lord of the earth. So did rajarshi Dhritarashtra and all the ordinary people. Cymbals, small drums and kettledrums were sounded. Following dharma, Dharmaraja received all this. He then honoured the brahmanas, who pronounced benedictions on him, in the proper way and gave away large quantities of donations and one thousand golden coins. These brahmanas were accomplished in studying the Vedas and of good conduct. They were delighted and wished the king well. Making sounds like those of swans, they praised Yudhishthira. “O Yudhishthira! O mighty-armed one! O Pandava! It is through good fortune that you have been victorious. O immensely radiant one! It is good fortune that you have obtained this through your own dharma and valour. O king! It is through good fortune that the wielder of Gandiva, Pandava Bhimasena, you and the Pandavas who are Madri’s sons are well. You have slain the enemy and have escaped from a battle that has been destructive of heroes. O Pandava! Swiftly do the tasks that must be undertaken next.” Dharmaraja Yudhishthira was thus honoured by those virtuous ones. O descendant of the Bharata lineage! With his well-wishers, he received that large kingdom.’
Chapter 1369(41)
Vaishampayana said, ‘Having heard the words of the subjects, appropriate to the time and the place, King Yudhishthira replied to them. “The sons of Pandu are fortunate in this world. The assembled bulls among brahmanas have praised their qualities, whether they possess them or not. It is my view that you have certainly shown us a favour. Without any selfishness, you have spoken about the qualities that we possess. However, the great king, Dhritarashtra, is our father and our supreme god. If you wish to ensure what brings me pleasure, ensure his pleasure and remain under his rule. Having caused a great destruction of the kin, I live for him alone. Constantly and attentively, my duty is to serve him. O well-wishers! If you wish to show your favours towards me, then you should behave towards Dhritarashtra as you used to do earlier. He is the lord of the universe and mine too. The entire earth belongs to him and so do all the Pandavas. In your minds, you should always remember these words I have spoken. Taking the permission of the king, go wherever you wish to.” The residents of the city and the countryside took their leave of the descendant of the Kuru lineage.346
‘Kouravya instated Bhimasena as the heir apparent. He cheerfully instructed that the intelligent Vidura should be the adviser for the six kinds of policy.347 Sanjaya, who possessed many qualities and could think about what had been done and what should be done, was put in charge of finances and wealth. The king instructed Nakula to supervise the size of the army, make sure salaries were being paid and also take care of the workers. Yudhishthira, the great king, instructed that Phalguna should act against the circles of enemies and punish those who were unruly. The scorcher of enemies instructed that Dhoumya, best among priests, should take care of all the rites laid down in the Vedas and duties connected with the brahmanas. O lord of the earth! Sahadeva was instructed to always remain nearby, so as to protect the king. The lord of the earth joyfully appointed each one to a separate task, depending on what was suitable. The destroyer of enemy heroes, always devoted to dharma and with dharma in his soul, told Vidura, Sanjaya and the immensely intelligent Yuyutsu, “Arise! Get up and accomplish every task for the king who is my father.348 Perform all the appropriate tasks so that everyone is well. Always act for the residents of the city and the countryside. Having taken the king’s349 permission, follow dharma and perform all those tasks.”’
Chapter 1370(42)
Vaishampayana said, ‘King Yudhishthira, greatly generous, then had the funeral rites separately performed for all the kin who had been slain in the battle.350 For the funeral rites of his sons, the immensely illustrious King Dhritarashtra gave away all the objects of desire, full of qualities, cattle, riches, many kinds of jewels and other extremely expensive objects. In a similar way, with Droupadi, Yudhishthira donated for Karna, the great-souled Drona, Dhrishtadyumna, Abhimanyu, the rakshasa who was Hidimba’s son,351 Virata and the other well-wishers who had done good deeds for him, Drupada and Droupadi’s sons. He instructed that thousands of brahmanas should separately be given grain, garments, gems and cattle. There were other kings who had no relatives and the king instructed that their funeral rites should also be performed. To perform the funeral rites of the well-wishers, Pandava had many halls, reservoirs of water and lakes constructed. He repaid his debts and ensured that the worlds would not censure him. Having done this, the king followed dharma and protected the subjects. He honoured Dhritarashtra, Gandhari, Vidura, all the Kourava advisers and servants, as he used to do earlier. There were some women whose brave husbands and sons had been slain. Compassionately, the Kourava king honoured and protected all of them. The lord, the king, was full of compassion and non-violence and showed his favours to the distressed, the blind and the miserable with houses, garments and food. Having conquered the entire earth and having repaid his debts to his foes, the king was happy and without any rivals. Yudhishthira enjoyed himself.’
Chapter 1371(43)
Vaishampayana said, ‘Having obtained the kingdom, the immensely wise Yudhishthira was consecrated. The pure one352 joined his hands in salutation and spoke to Dasharha Pundarikaksha. “O Krishna! O tiger among the Yadu lineage! It is through your favours, your strength, your intelligence and your valour that this kingdom of my father and grandfather has again been conveyed to me. O Pundarikaksha! O scorcher of enemies! I repeatedly bow down before you. You have been spoken of as the only man. You are the lord of the Satvatas.353 I bow down before you. The supreme rishis have praised you under many names354—(1) Vishvakarma;355 (2) Vishvatma;356 (3) Vishvasambhava;357 (4) Vishnu; (5) Jishnu; (6) Hari; (7) Krishna; (8) Vaikuntha; (9) Purushottama; (10) Aditya, since in ancient times, you were in her womb for seven nights;358 (11) Prishnigarbha, one who is spoken of as having been born in different forms in the three yugas;359 (12) Shuchishrava;360 (13) Hrishikesha;361 (14) Ghritarchi362 is a name you are addressed by; (15) Trichakshu;363 (16) Shambhu, the single one; (17) Vibhu;364 (18) Damodara; (19) Varaha;365 (20) Agni; (21) Brihadbhanu;366 (22) Vrishana;367 (23) Tarkshyalakshana;368 (24) Anikasaha;369 (25) Purusha; (26) Shipivishta;370 (27) Urukrama;371 (28) Vachishtha;372
(29) Ugra; (30) Senani; (31) Satya; (32) Vajasanirguha;373 (33) Achyuta; (34) Yavana-arinam;374 (35) Samkriti; (36) Vikriti; (37) Vrisha; (38) Kritavartma;375 (39) Vrishagarbha; (40) Vrishakapi; (41) Sindhukshidurmi;376 (42) Trikaku;377 (43) Tridhama;378 (44) Trivid-achyuta;379 (45) Samrat;380 (46) Virat;381 (47) Svarat;382 (48) Surarat;383 (49) Dharmada; (50) Bhava; (51) Bhu;384 (52) Abhibhu;385 (53) Krishna; (54) Krishavartma;386 (55) Svishta;387 (56) Kridbhishagavarta;388 (57) Kapila; (58) Vamana; (59) Yajna; (60) Dhruva; (61) Patanga;389 (62) Jayatsena;390 (63) Shikhandi;391 (64) Nahusha; (65) Babhru;392 (66) Divaspriktva;393 (67) Punarvasu;394 (68) Subabhru;395 (69) Ruksha;396 (70) Rukma; (71) Sushena; (72) Dundubhi; (73) Gabhastinemi;397 (74) Shripadma; (75) Pushkara; (76) Pushpadharana; (77) Ribhu; (78) Vibhu; (79) Sarvasukshma;398 (80) Savitra; (81) Ambhanidhi;399 (82) Brahma; (83) Pavitra; (84) Dhama;400 (85) Dhanva;401 (86) Hiranyagarbha; (87) Svadha; (88) Svaha; (89) Keshava; (90) Yoni;402 (91) Pralaya;403 (92) Krishna; (93) Vishvamagra, the foremost creator of everything in the universe; (94) Vishvajoni, who controls everything in the universe; (95) Sharnga-chakra-asi-pani.404 I bow down before you.” Having been thus praised in the midst of the assembly hall by the eldest Pandava, the eloquent Krishna Pundarikaksha, foremost among the Yadavas, spoke words to delight the descendant of the Bharata lineage.’
Chapter 1372(44)
Vaishampayana said, ‘The king dismissed all the subjects and instructed them to return to their own homes. King Yudhishthira then spoke to Bhima, terrible in his valour, the intelligent Arjuna and the twins and pacified them. “In the great battle, your bodies have been mangled by the enemy with many kinds of weapons. You are exhausted and extremely tormented by sorrow and i
ntolerance. O best of men! You have suffered hardships in the forest because of me. You have endured that, like inferior men. Now enjoy this victory in happiness, as you wish. After having rested and recovered your sense, meet me again in the morning.” Duryodhana’s house was as beautiful as a palace. It was strewn with many gems and full of male and female servants. With Dhritarashtra’s permission, it had been given to Vrikodara by his brother.405 The mighty-armed one received it and entered, like Maghavan. Just like Duryodhana’s house, Duhshasana’s house was also adorned with the garlands of many palaces and was decorated with golden gates. It was stocked with male and female servants and had a lot of riches and grain. On the instructions of the king, the mighty-armed Arjuna received this. Durmarshana’s supreme abode was even better than Duhshasana’s house. It was like Kubera’s residence and was decorated with jewels and gold. Nakula had suffered in the great forest and deserved this. O great king! Dharmaraja Yudhishthira happily gave him this. Durmukha’s foremost residence was prosperous and decorated with gold. It had many beds and was full of women who had eyes that were like the petals of lotuses. Sahadeva always did what brought him pleasure and he406 gave it to him. Having obtained it, he407 delighted himself, like the lord of riches408 on Kailasa. Yuyutsu, Vidura, the immensely radiant Sanjaya, Sudharma and Dhoumya409went to their own houses. With Satyaki, Shouri,410 tiger among men, went to Arjuna’s residence and entered it, like a tiger entering a cave in the mountains. Those places were stocked with food and drink. They spent the night happily there. Having cheerfully awoken in the morning, they presented themselves before King Yudhishthira.’
Mahabharata: Volume 8 Page 26