Mahabharata Vol. 2 (Penguin Translated Texts)

by Debroy, Bibek

  ‘Vyasa replied, “O king! The illustrious rishi Maitreya has come to see you, after having spent time with the Pandava brothers. O king! For the sake of bringing rightful peace to this lineage of yours, this great rishi will instruct your son Duryodhana. O Indra among kings! Whatever he says should be done without any hesitation. If the task is not done, he will curse your son in rage.”’

  Vaishampayana said, ‘Having said this, Vyasa went away and Maitreya appeared. The lord of men81 came and worshipped him, together with his sons, offering gifts, water to wash his feet and performing other rituals. After the bull among sages had rested, Ambika’s son, King Dhritarashtra, courteously asked him questions. “O illustrious one! Has your journey from Kurujangala82 been comfortable? Are the brave warriors, the five Pandava brothers, well? Do those bulls among men desire to spend their time in accordance with the agreement? Will the fraternal affection among the Kurus continue unabated?” Maitreya replied, “Setting out on a journey of pilgrimage, I arrived in Kurujangala. While roaming around, I saw Dharmaraja in Kamyaka forest. He had matted hair, wore deerskins and was living in a hermitage. O lord! Many sages had assembled there to see the great-souled one. O great king! It was there that I heard about the blunder committed by your son and about the evil course of action he adopted through the gambling match. I have therefore come to you out of affection for the Kouravas. O lord! I have always had affection and love towards you. O king! When you and Bhishma are still alive, it is not proper that your sons should act against each other. O king! You yourself are the central pillar,83 in both punishing and rewarding. Why did you then ignore this terrible evil that has now arisen? O descendant of the Kuru lineage!84 O king! What happened in the sabha was like the behaviour of dasyus.85 You will no longer be able to shine in an assembly of ascetics.” Then he turned to the intolerant King Duryodhana.

  ‘The illustrious rishi Maitreya spoke to him in soft tones, “O mighty-armed Duryodhana! O supreme among eloquent ones! Listen. O immensely wise one! The words I utter are for your welfare. O king! O bull among men! Do not fight with the Pandavas. Do what is good for you, for the Pandavas, for the Kurus and for the world. All those tigers among men86 are brave warriors, valorous in war. All of them have the strength of ten thousand elephants and are as firm as the vajra. All of them follow the vow of truth and all of them have pride in their manliness. They have killed rakshasas, who can assume any form at will and are the enemies of the gods. These rakshasas had chiefs like Hidimba, Baka and Kirmira. When they left this place, he87 obstructed the path of those great-souled ones. His soul was terrible and he was as immobile as a mountain peak. Bhima, supremely proud in battle and supreme in strength among strong ones, killed him like an animal, the way a tiger kills small animals. O king! Look at the royal conquest, where the mighty archer Jarasandha, with the strength of ten thousand elephants, was killed in battle by Bhima. They have Vasudeva as their relative and Parshata88 as a brother-in-law. Which man, susceptible to old age and death, would dare confront them in battle?89 O bull among the Bharata lineage! That is the reason you should strive for peace with the Pandavas. O king! Listen to my words. Otherwise, you will expose yourself to death.” O lord of the earth! Having heard these words spoken by Maitreya, Duryodhana smiled and drew patterns on the ground with his feet. With his arms, he slapped his thighs, which were like the trunks of elephants. The evil-minded one said nothing, but stood there, with his head slightly bent.

  ‘O king! On seeing Duryodhana ignore him and draw patterns on the ground, Maitreya was angered. Maitreya, supreme among sages, became overcome with anger. As if decreed by destiny, the sage got ready to curse him. Maitreya’s eyes were red with anger. He touched the air90 and cursed Dhritarashtra’s evil-minded son, “Since you ignored me and since you did not find my words attractive, you will soon reap the fruits of your insolence. In the great war that will result from the enmity created by you, the powerful Bhima will smash your thigh with the blow of a club.” When he had uttered these words, Dhritarashtra, lord of the earth, sought to pacify the sage and pleaded with him that this might not happen. Maitreya replied, “O king! O son! It is only if your son makes peace that what I have said won’t happen. But if the opposite occurs, it will happen.” O Indra among kings! Deviated from his objective, Duryodhana’s father then asked Maitreya how Kirmira had been killed by Bhima. Maitreya replied, “I will not tell you, since you are intolerant and my words find no favour with your son. After I have left, Vidura will tell you everything.” Having said this, Maitreya went away, just as he had come. Duryodhana also left the place, anxious about the killing of Kirmira.’

  Section Thirty

  Kirmira-vadha Parva

  This section has 75 shlokas and only one chapter.

  Kirmira was a rakshasa mentioned in the last section and as already explained the word vadha means killing. So this section is about the killing of Kirmira.

  309(12)

  ‘Dhritarashtra asked, “O Kshatta! I wish to hear about the killing of Kirmira. Tell me about the encounter between the rakshasa and Bhimasena.”

  ‘Vidura replied, “Hear about this superhuman deed of Bhima’s. Earlier, I have repeatedly heard about this in my conversation with them.1 O Indra among kings! Having been vanquished in the game with dice, the Pandavas left this place. Having travelled for three days and three nights, they arrived at the forest known as Kamyaka. O king! In the dead of the night, when the midnight hour had passed, man-eating rakshasas, whose deeds are terrible, begin to roam around. Therefore, out of fear for the maneaters, we had heard that ascetics, cowherds and others who go to the forest, always maintain a distance from the forest at that time.

  ‘“O descendant of the Bharata lineage! It was at that time that they entered and saw a rakshasa obstructing their path. His eyes blazed and he was terrible. He held a blazing brand. With outstretched arms and a fearful face, he stood and obstructed the path along which the extenders of the Kuru lineage were travelling. Eight of his teeth jutted out. His eyes were copper-red. The hair on his head blazed and stood up erect. He looked like a monsoon cloud, tinged with the rays of the sun and lightning and adorned with a flock of cranes.2 He let out a mighty roar and created the maya used by rakshasas. When he let loose his giant roar, it was like the roar of clouds filled with rain. Frightened by this roar, the birds fled in all directions. They cried out in fear and so did the animals that lived on the ground and in the water. As a result of deer, elephants, buffaloes and bears fleeing in all directions, it seemed as if the entire forest was running away from the roar. As a result of the wind generated by his thighs, many creepers laden with copper-red blossoms seemed to embrace the tall trees. At that time, a terrible wind began to blow and because of the dust, the sky lost the bear.3 Like a great enemy that causes infinite grief to the five senses, he was still unknown to the five sons of Pandu. From a distance he saw the Pandavas, attired in black deerskins. Like the Mount Mainaka, he obstructed their entry into the forest.

  ‘“On approaching near, the lotus-eyed Krishna4 was terrified and closed her eyes in fear at the sight of something never seen before. She was the one whose hair had been dishevelled by Duhshasana’s hand. She now stood there, like a river that had overrun its banks between five mountains. On seeing her lose her senses, the five Pandavas grasped her, like the five senses are attached to objects of pleasure. In the sight of the five sons of Pandu, the valorous Dhoumya accurately used many types of mantras to destroy the maya, terrible of form, created by the rakshasa. On seeing his maya destroyed, the immensely strong one widened his eyes in anger. The cruel one, who could assume any form at will, appeared like Yama himself.

  ‘“Then the greatly wise King Yudhishthira spoke to him, ‘Who are you and whom do you belong to? Tell us what we can do for you.’ The rakshasa replied to Dharmaraja Yudhishthira, ‘I am Baka’s brother and I am known by the name of Kirmira. Without any worries, I live in this deserted Kamyaka forest. I always defeat men in battle and then eat them up. Who are you who have a
ppeared before me as food? Without any worries, I will defeat all of you in battle and then eat you up.’ O descendant of the Bharata lineage! On hearing the words of the evil-hearted one, Yudhishthira told him everything about his name and lineage. ‘You may have heard about me. I am Pandu’s son, Dharmaraja. I am with all my brothers, Bhimasena, Arjuna and the others. I have been robbed of my kingdom and now wish to live in this forest. It is for this reason that I have come to this terrible forest that is your territory.’ Kirmira said, ‘This is my good fortune. Today, after a long time, the gods have granted me the wish that I have had. With my weapons always raised, I have roamed the earth with the intention of killing Bhimasena. But I could not find him. Through good fortune, I have come upon my brother’s killer, fulfilling a long-cherished desire. O king! It was he who, in the disguise of a brahmana, killed my beloved brother Baka in Vetrakriyagriha.5 Bhima has no strength in his chest. Therefore, he resorted to the strength of skills. My friend Hidimba used to live in the forest. He was earlier killed by this evil-hearted one and he then abducted his6 sister. That fool has now come to me in this deep forest in the middle of the night, at a time when we roam around. Today, I will wreak the vengeance that I have sought for a long time. I will make large offerings of blood to Baka. Today, I will free myself of the debts I owe to my brother and to my friend. I will obtain supreme peace by removing this thorn of the rakshasas. O Yudhishthira! If Bhimasena was earlier freed from Baka, I will today devour him before your eyes. His life is long. But today, I will kill Vrikodara. I will eat him up and digest him, the way Agastya did the great asura.’7 Having been thus addressed, Yudhishthira, devoted to the truth and with dharma in his soul, angrily censured the rakshasa, saying that this could not happen.

  ‘“Thereupon, the mighty-armed Bhima swiftly uprooted a tree. It was ten vyamas8 long. He then stripped it of its leaves. In an instant, the victorious Arjuna strung the Gandiva, with a force like that of the vajra. O descendant of the Bharata lineage! Restraining Jishnu, Bhima rushed at the terrible-looking rakshasa, uttering the words, ‘Stay! Stay!’ Having uttered these words, the angry Pandava9 tightened the cloth around his waist. The strong one rubbed one hand against the other and bit his lips. With the tree as a weapon, Bhima dashed forward with great force. Like Maghavan10 hurling his thunder, he brought it down, like Yama’s staff, on his11 head. But in that battle, the rakshasa could be seen, completely unmoved. Like flaming thunder, he hurled his blazing brand. But Bhima, supreme among warriors, kicked the brand back at the rakshasa with his left foot. Kirmira then suddenly uprooted a tree and rushed at the Pandava in battle, like Dandapani.12 A battle began with trees, such that all the trees were destroyed. This was like the ancient battle between the brothers Vali and Sugriva, in their desire for the fortune.13 Like lotuses hurled at rutting elephants, the ends of the fallen trees splintered into many fragments. In that great forest, many trees were crushed like reeds and lay scattered like rags. O lord of the earth! That fight with the trees between the chief of the rakshasas and the supreme among men lasted but an instant. Then, as Bhima stood ready to fight, the angry rakshasa hurled a rock and Bhimasena staggered. When he was numbed by the force of the rock, the rakshasa rushed at him, like Svarbhanu14 dashing at the sun and dispersing the rays with his arms. They then grappled with each other and dragged each other in different ways. They seemed to be like two fighting bulls. The fight between them was great, violent and terrible, like that between two proud tigers armed with fangs and claws.

  ‘“Vrikodara was proud of the strength of his arms. He saw Krishna’s eyes look towards him and remembered Duryodhana’s oppression. His vigour increased. Intolerantly, he grabbed him in his arms, like an elephant whose rutting glands having burst, falls upon another elephant. In turn, the mighty rakshasa also grasped him. But Bhimasena, supremely strong among the strong ones, violently threw him down. As those two mighty warriors tried to crush each other with their arms in that battle, a terrible sound was heard, like that made by shattering bamboo. Then Vrikodara forcibly threw him down. Grabbing him by the waist, he shook him, like a violent wind shakes a tree. Having been thus seized by the mighty Bhima in battle, he weakened. But though he trembled and panted, he still dragged the Pandava. Noticing that he was exhausted, Vrikodara entwined him in his arms, like an animal is tied with ropes. Uttering a loud roar, like that of a broken war drum, the strong one whirled him around repeatedly, until his body was swollen and unconscious. Knowing that the rakshasa was exhausted, Pandu’s son swiftly grasped him in his arms and then killed him like an animal. Vrikodara placed his knee on the evil rakshasa’s hips and placing his hands on his throat, began to press down. Then, when his entire body was numb and his wide-open eyes were glazed, he hurled him on the ground and said, ‘O evil one! You will no longer have to shed tears over Hidimba and Baka. You too have proceeded to Yama’s abode.’ Having said this, that supreme warrior among men looked at the rakshasa, his eyes wide with rage. He discarded the swollen body that no longer had life and was empty of mind with its garments and ornaments strewn about.

  ‘“When the one with the form of a cloud was slain, those sons of the Indra among men15 placed Krishna at the forefront. They praised Bhima for his many qualities and in a happy frame of mind, set out for the forest of Dvaita.16 O lord of men! O Kourava! Thus it was that, on Dharmaraja’s instructions, Kirmira was killed in battle by Bhimasena. Having freed the forest of its thorn, the undefeated king,17 knowledgeable in dharma, lived there with Droupadi and made it his home. Consoling Droupadi, all those bulls of the Bharata lineage affectionately praised Vrikodara, with happiness in their minds. After the rakshasa had been destroyed through the strength of Bhima’s arms, those warriors entered the peaceful forest that had been freed of its thorn. Passing along that road, I myself saw the evil-hearted and fearful body strewn in that great forest, killed through Bhima’s strength. O descendant of the Bharata lineage! From the brahmanas who had assembled there, I heard the account of Bhima’s exploit.”’

  Vaishampayana said, ‘Having heard this account about the killing of that supreme rakshasa, Kirmira, in battle, the king18 seemed thoughtful and sighed, as if in sorrow.’

  Section Thirty-One

  Kairata Parva

  This section has 1150 shlokas and thirty chapters.

  Chapter 310(13): 120 shlokas

  Chapter 311(14): 17 shlokas

  Chapter 312(15): 22 shlokas

  Chapter 313(16): 23 shlokas

  Chapter 314(17): 33 shlokas

  Chapter 315(18): 24 shlokas

  Chapter 316(19): 33 shlokas

  Chapter 317(20): 27 shlokas

  Chapter 318(21): 38 shlokas

  Chapter 319(22): 30 shlokas

  Chapter 320(23): 51 shlokas

  Chapter 321(24): 16 shlokas

  Chapter 322(25): 26 shlokas

  Chapter 323(26): 18 shlokas

  Chapter 324(27): 25 shlokas

  Chapter 325(28): 37 shlokas

  Chapter 326(29): 35 shlokas

  Chapter 327(30): 50 shlokas

  Chapter 328(31): 42 shlokas

  Chapter 329(32): 40 shlokas

  Chapter 330(33): 58 shlokas

  Chapter 331(34): 85 shlokas

  Chapter 332(35): 21 shlokas

  Chapter 333(36): 34 shlokas

  Chapter 334(37): 41 shlokas

  Chapter 335(38): 45 shlokas

  Chapter 336(39): 30 shlokas

  Chapter 337(40): 61 shlokas

  Chapter 338(41): 26 shlokas

  Chapter 339(42): 42 shlokas

  Kiratas, as mentioned earlier, are mountain-dwellers who make a living through hunting. This section is so named because Shiva assumed the form of a kirata and fought with Arjuna.

  310(13)

  Vaishampayana said, ‘On hearing that the Pandavas were tormented by misery, the Bhojas, the Vrishnis and the Andhakas assembled together and went to them in the great forest. The heirs of Panchala,1 Dhrishtaketu the king of Chedi and the extremely valorous Kekaya brothers,
famous in the world, went to meet the Parthas in the forest, full of anger and intolerance. They censured the sons of Dhritarashtra and asked, “What will we do?” All those bulls among the kshatriyas placed Vasudeva at their forefront. They surrounded Dharmaraja Yudhishthira and seated themselves around him. Vasudeva said, “The earth will drink the blood of Duryodhana, Karna, the evil-souled Shakuni and Duhshasana as the fourth. After that, all of us will instate Dharmaraja Yudhishthira. Those deceitful ones deserve to be slain. This is eternal dharma.” Out of his preference for the Parthas, Janardana was angered. Since it seemed as though he would burn down all beings, Arjuna pacified him. On witnessing Keshava’s2 rage, Phalguna3 recited the deeds the great-souled one had performed in his earlier bodies.4

  ‘He is the one whose deeds are true, the man who cannot be measured, but whose energy is truly infinite. He is the lord of the Prajapatis and the intelligent Vishnu, lord of the worlds. Arjuna said, “O Krishna! In ancient times, you roamed in Mount Gandhamadana for ten thousand years, as a sage who had no abode.5 O Krishna! In ancient times, you lived in the region of Pushkara for eleven thousand years, surviving on water alone. O Madhusudana! With your arms raised, standing on one leg and surviving only on air you spent one hundred years in the vast region of Badari.6 O Krishna! You took off your upper garments and you were so thin that you seemed to be held by your veins. You lived on the banks of the Sarasvati for the sacrifice that went on for twelve years. O Krishna! O immensely energetic one! You went to the sacred pilgrimage of Prabhasa, known to all pure ones, and stood there on one leg for one thousand divine years, practising austerities and observing rites. O Keshava! You are the supreme soul of all beings, their beginning and their end. O Krishna! You are the store of all austerities and sacrifices and you are the eternal one. O Krishna! You killed Naraka, famous as Bhoumya, the one with the earrings.7 You performed the first horse sacrifice. O bull among all the worlds! Having accomplished this deed, you became victorious over all the worlds. When all the daityas and danavas assembled together, you killed them in battle. O mighty-armed Keshava! You then gave lordship over everything to Shachi’s husband.8 You then manifested yourself in the world of men. O scorcher of enemies! You were Narayana and then you became Hari.9 You then became Brahma, Soma,10 Surya, Dharma, Dhata,11 Yama, Anala,12 Vayu,13 Vaishravana,14 Rudra, Kala,15 the sky, the earth and the directions. You are without birth. You are the preceptor of everything that moves and is still. You are the creator. You are the supreme being. O Krishna! You are the original god. In the forest of Chitraratha, you performed the turayana sacrifice16 and other sacrifices, donating large amounts of alms. You have great energy. O Janardana! At each sacrifice, you apportioned out one hundred times, according to the share, a hundred thousand gold pieces. O beloved of the Yadavas!17 You have been Aditi’s son. O illustrious one! You are now famous as Vishnu, Indra’s younger brother.18 O scorcher of enemies! O Krishna! While you were only a child, you used your energy to cover heaven, sky and earth in three steps.19 You have attained heaven. You ride the sky seated in the sun’s chariot. You are the soul of all beings. Through your radiance, you are brighter than the sun. The Mouravas and the Pashas have been destroyed.20 Nisunda and Naraka have been killed and the road to the city of Pragjyotisha has become safe again. Ahuti was killed at Jaruthi. Kratha, Shishupala and his followers, Bhimasena,21 Shaibya and Shatadhanva have been conquered. Your chariot is as resplendent as the sun and roars like the cloud. Riding on that, you defeated Rukmi in battle and obtained your queen from the Bhojas.22 In your anger, you killed Indradyumna and the yavana Kasheruman. You have killed Shalva, the lord of Soubha, and you brought down Soubha itself. On the banks of the Iravati, you killed Bhoja, who was the equal of Kartavirya in battle. You also killed Gopati and Talaketu. O Janardana! You journeyed to the ocean and made Dvaraka, sacred, prosperous and loved by the rishis, your own.23 O Madhusudana! O Dasharha!24 You show no anger, no jealousy and no falsehood. No cruelty or crookedness is established in you. O Achyuta!25 You are seated in the centre of the mind, radiant in your own energy. The rishis come to you there and ask for freedom from fear.26 O Madhusudana! You gather up all beings at the end of a yuga.27 O scorcher of enemies! You withdraw the entire universe into yourself and remain alone. No other one in the past has performed such deeds, nor will they in the future. O immensely radiant god! Such are the deeds you performed even when a child. O Pundarikaksha! Such are the deeds you performed with Baladeva’s help. You lived in the abode of Vairaja28 with Brahma himself.” Having thus spoken, the great-souled Pandava, who was like Krishna’s soul himself, fell silent.