Mahabharata Vol. 2 (Penguin Translated Texts)

by Debroy, Bibek

‘The illustrious god said, “O Pandava! I will give you the great pashupata weapon, dear to me. You will be capable of bearing, releasing and withdrawing it. The great Indra, Yama, the king of the yakshas,292 Varuna and Vayu do not know it. How can it be known to humans? O Partha! But it must not be suddenly released at any man. If it is released at someone who lacks in energy, it will destroy the entire universe. There is no one in the three worlds, mobile or immobile, who cannot be killed by it. It can be released through thought, eyes, words or the bow.”’293

  Vaishampayana said, ‘On hearing this, Partha swiftly purified and composed himself. He went to the lord of the universe, who said, “Learn.” Then he taught the best of the Pandavas the mysteries of this weapon, including its withdrawal. It was like the embodied form of death. From then on, it waited on the great-souled one,294 as it did on Tryaksha,295 the husband of Uma. Arjuna accepted it with a delighted heart. At that, the entire earth, with its mountains, forests, trees, oceans, regions of groves, villages, cities and towns, began to tremble. When the moment came, the sounds of thousands of conch shells, drums and kettledrums were heard. A great whirlwind296 occurred. The gods and the demons saw the embodied form of the blazing and terrible weapon by the side of the immensely energetic Pandava. Tryambaka297 touched the immensely energetic Phalguna and everything that was impure in his body, was immediately destroyed. Then Tryambaka gave Arjuna permission to leave and go to heaven. Lowering his head in obeisance, Partha joined his hands in salutation and looked at the god. Then, the lord of the residents of heaven, the immensely wise Girisha, Shiva the husband of Uma, gave that supreme of men the great bow known as Gandiva, the destroyer of demons and pishachas. In front of the eyes of that supreme of men,298 the great god then rose up into the sky, accompanied by Uma, leaving that supreme of mountains, with its white peaks, sides and caverns and frequented by birds and maharshis.’

  339(42)

  Vaishampayana said, ‘Like a setting sun before the eyes of the worlds, Pinaki Vrishabhadhvaja disappeared before his eyes. O descendant of the Bharata lineage! Arjuna, the slayer of enemy warriors, was extremely astounded. He said, “I have seen the great Mahadeva in person. I am blessed and greatly favoured. For I have seen Tryambaka Hara Pinaki, the granter of boons, in person and have touched him with my hands. I know that I have accomplished my objective. I have already defeated my enemies in battle. All my objectives have been attained.” Then, lighting up all the directions, the handsome lord of the waters299 arrived. His complexion was like that of lapis lazuli300 and he was surrounded by aquatic creatures, nagas, male and female rivers, daityas, sadhyas301 and gods.302 Varuna, the self-controlled lord of all aquatic creatures, arrived in that region. Followed by yakshas, the lord Kubera also arrived. His complexion was like that of gold and he arrived in a splendid chariot. The illustrious lord of riches, extraordinary in form, came to see Arjuna, illuminating the sky. In similar fashion, the illustrious Yama, the powerful destroyer of the worlds and the one who makes the worlds prosper, also came in person. He was accompanied by the ancestors, embodied and disembodied. The destroyer of all beings, whose soul cannot be fathomed, came with a staff in his hand.303 Dharmaraja, the son of Vivasvat,304 arrived in a chariot that brightened up the three worlds, with guhyakas, gandharvas and pannagas. He was like a second sun when the end of the yuga has arrived. From that resplendent and multi-hued peak of that great mountain, they saw Arjuna there, engaged in austerities. In a short while, the illustrious god Shakra arrived. He was accompanied by Indrani305 and was surrounded by masses of gods. He was seated on Airavata’s306 head. The white umbrella that was held aloft his head shone like the lord of the stars307 amidst white clouds. He was praised by gandharvas, rishis and those blessed with the power of austerities and having reached the peak of the mountain, he stood there like a rising sun.

  ‘Yama, supremely knowledgeable in dharma, was established in the southern direction. That intelligent one then spoke these pure words, in a voice like the roar of clouds. “O Arjuna! Behold. All the protectors of the worlds have assembled here. We will give you sight, because you deserve to see us. In the past, you were an immensely strong rishi named Nara. O son! Instructed by Brahma, you have been born on earth. You have been born from Vasava, who is immensely valorous and powerful. O descendant of the Kuru lineage!308 You will pacify kshatriyas who are like fire to the touch and are protected by Bharadvaja,309 immensely valorous danavas who have been born as men and the nivatakavachas.310 The greatly valorous Karna is a part of my father, the sun-god, who heats all the worlds.311 O Dhananjaya! He will be slain by you. You will kill in battle those parts of the gods, danavas and rakshasas that have been born on earth. O Kounteya! O dragger of enemies! They will then obtain their ends, as determined by the fruits of their own deeds. O Phalguna! Your fame will remain eternal in the world. You have pleased Mahadeva himself in a great battle. Along with Vishnu,312 you will lighten the burden of the earth. O mighty-armed one! Accept the staff,313 my weapon that cannot be repulsed. With this weapon, you will accomplish great deeds.” Partha, the descendant of the Kuru lineage,314 accepted it in accordance with the prescribed rites, with the mantras for holding, releasing and withdrawing.

  ‘Varuna, the lord of aquatic creatures, was established in a western direction. His complexion was as dark as that of a cloud. The lord then uttered these words, “O Partha! You are foremost among the kshatriyas and you are established in the dharma of kshatriyas. Behold me with your large and copper-red eyes. I am Varuna, lord of the waters. When discharged by me, Varuna’s noose315 cannot be resisted. O Kounteya! I am giving it to you. Accept it, together with the mysteries and means of withdrawal. O brave one! At the time of the tarakamaya battle,316 I used it to restrain thousands of great-souled daityas. O great-souled one! Accept it as a sign of my favour. Even Death will not be able to escape, if you assault him with this. When you are armed with this weapon and roam in the field of battle, there is no doubt that the earth will be bereft of all kshatriyas.” After Varuna and Yama had given their divine weapons, the lord of riches, who lives on the peak of Kailasa, spoke.

  ‘He said, “O mighty-armed one! O Savyasachi! Earlier, you were an eternal god. In an earlier era, your endeavours were always at our side. Accept this favourite weapon of mine, known as antardhana.317 It is energetic, vigorous and resplendent. O destroyer of enemies! It can put the enemy to sleep.”318 Then the mighty-armed Arjuna, descendant of the Kuru lineage,319 accepted Kubera’s divine weapon in accordance with the rites.

  ‘The king of the gods now spoke to Partha, the performer of unsullied deeds. He pacified him in gentle words, in a voice that was like a cloud or a kettledrum, “O mighty-armed one! O one with Kunti as your mother! You are the ancient Ishana.320 You have already obtained supreme salvation earlier and have personally gone the way of the gods. O conqueror of enemies! You must now accomplish a great task for the sake of the gods. You will now ascend to heaven. O immensely radiant one! Prepare yourself. My chariot will descend to earth for you, driven by Matali.321 O Kourava! I will give you divine weapons there.” Having seen the lords of the worlds assembled on the peak of that mountain, intelligent Dhananjaya, Kunti’s son, was astounded. Then the immensely energetic Arjuna paid homage to the assembled lords of the worlds in accordance with the rites, with words, water and fruit. The gods honoured Dhananjaya in return. All of them then returned as they had come, capable of going wherever they wished, with the speed of thought. Having obtained the weapons, Arjuna, bull among men, was delighted. He considered that his wishes had been satisfied and that his desires had been completely satisfied.’

  Section Thirty-Two

  Indralokabhigamana Parva

  This section has 1175 shlokas and thirty-seven chapters.

  Chapter 340(43): 38 shlokas

  Chapter 341(44): 32 shlokas

  Chapter 342(45): 38 shlokas

  Chapter 343(46): 41 shlokas

  Chapter 344(47): 12 shlokas

  Chapter 345(48): 41 shlokas

 
Chapter 346(49): 43 shlokas

  Chapter 347(50): 31 shlokas

  Chapter 348(51): 29 shlokas

  Chapter 349(52): 24 shlokas

  Chapter 350(53): 21 shlokas

  Chapter 351(54): 38 shlokas

  Chapter 352(55): 13 shlokas

  Chapter 353(56): 18 shlokas

  Chapter 354(57): 23 shlokas

  Chapter 355(58): 34 shlokas

  Chapter 356(59): 25 shlokas

  Chapter 357(60): 38 shlokas

  Chapter 358(61): 125 shlokas

  Chapter 359(62): 43 shlokas

  Chapter 360(63): 24 shlokas

  Chapter 361(64): 19 shlokas

  Chapter 362(65): 37 shlokas

  Chapter 363(66): 26 shlokas

  Chapter 364(67): 22 shlokas

  Chapter 365(68): 24 shlokas

  Chapter 366(69): 34 shlokas

  Chapter 367(70): 39 shlokas

  Chapter 368(71): 34 shlokas

  Chapter 369(72): 30 shlokas

  Chapter 370(73): 28 shlokas

  Chapter 371(74): 24 shlokas

  Chapter 372(75): 27 shlokas

  Chapter 373(76): 19 shlokas

  Chapter 374(77): 29 shlokas

  Chapter 375(78): 23 shlokas

  Chapter 376(79): 29 shlokas

  Indraloka means Indra’s world and abhigamana means to go or visit. So this section is about the visit to Indra’s world, meaning Arjuna’s visit to Indra’s world.

  340(43)

  Vaishampayana said, ‘O Indra among kings! After the lords of the worlds had left, Partha, the destroyer of enemies, thought about the chariot of the king of the gods. As the intelligent Gudakesha was thinking, the immensely resplendent chariot, driven by Matali, arrived. It removed the darkness from the sky and split the clouds. It filled the directions with a roar like that of giant clouds. It was stocked with swords, terrible spears, fearful-looking clubs, lances with divine power, giant flashes of lightning, vajras, hudagudas with wheels,1 implements that created gusts of wind and sounded like peacocks and large clouds, and fearful nagas that were giant in form and tall as white clouds and hard as rocks. The divine chariot, beautiful to the eye and full of maya, was drawn by ten thousand tawny horses that had the speed of the wind. He2 saw there the immensely radiant and extremely blue flag known as Vaijayanta, as dark as a blue lotus3 and with a staff that was ornamented with gold. He saw the charioteer seated on the chariot, adorned in molten gold. On seeing him, the mighty-armed Partha took him to be a god.

  ‘While Phalguna was thus debating, Matali approached and bowing low, addressed Arjuna in these words, “O Shakra’s son!4 The illustrious Shakra desires to see you. Swiftly ascend this chariot that has been sent by Indra. Your father Shatakratu, foremost among the gods, has told me, ‘The thirty gods must see Kunti’s son here in their abode.’ Surrounded by the gods and masses of rishis and gandharvas and apsaras, Shakra himself is anxiously waiting to see you. On the instructions of the chastiser of Paka, ascend with me from this world to the world of the gods. Once you have obtained the weapons, you will return.” Arjuna replied, “O Matali! Let us go swiftly. Ascend this supreme chariot that is difficult to obtain, even through a hundred rajasuya and ashvamedha sacrifices. Even immensely fortunate kings, who have performed sacrifices and given a lot of dakshina, or daivatas5 or danavas, cannot ascend this supreme chariot. He who has not performed austerities cannot see this great and divine chariot, or touch it. How can one ride it? O virtuous one! Once you have established yourself in the chariot and the horses have been steadied, I will ascend it thereafter, like a performer of good deeds along the righteous path.” Having heard these words, Matali, Shakra’s charioteer, swiftly ascended the chariot and controlled the horses with the reins. After that, Arjuna purified himself by bathing in the Ganga. Then Kounteya, descendant of the Kuru lineage,6 happily recited his prayers, in accordance with the rites. In accordance with the rites, he offered oblations to the ancestors. Then he bid farewell to Mandara, king of the mountains. “O mountain! You are always the refuge of righteous ones, those whose conduct follows dharma, the sages whose deeds are holy and those who desire to traverse the road to heaven. O mountain! Through your favours, Brahmanas, Kshatriyas and Vaishyas attain heaven and devoid of afflictions, roam with the gods. O king of the mountains! O great mountain! You are the refuge of sages and have places of pilgrimage. I have lived happily on you. But I must now leave, bidding you farewell. My eyes have seen many of your peaks, groves, rivers, springs and sacred places of pilgrimage.” With these words, Arjuna, the destroyer of enemy warriors, bid farewell to the mountain. He then ascended the divine chariot, blazing like the sun. It resembled the sun in its form. It was divine and the performer of extraordinary deeds. In a delighted frame of mind, the intelligent descendant of the Kuru lineage7 ascended upwards.

  ‘His path became invisible to mortal ones who roam on earth. He saw thousands of chariots that were extraordinary in form.8 There was no sun there, nor the moon, nor light, nor the fire. Everything shone there with the radiance of purity. Those are the brilliant regions that are seen in the forms of stars.9 Though they are very large, because of the distance, they appear like lamps. Pandava saw them, full of radiance and beauty, resplendent in their own fires and established in their own abodes. There were rajarshis, siddhas, warriors slain on the field of battle, those who had obtained heaven through their austerities and had gathered in groups of hundreds, thousands of gandharvas with an energy like that of the radiant sun, guhyakas, rishis and masses of apsaras. On beholding those regions, with their own luminosity, Phalguna was astounded.

  ‘In a friendly tone, he asked Matali and Matali replied, “O Partha! These are the performers of good deeds. They are established in their own abodes. O lord! From the earth, you have seen them in the form of stars.” Then he saw, standing at the gate, the white elephant that is always victorious. This was the four-tusked Airavata, like Mount Kailasa. Travelling along the road traversed by the siddhas, the supreme one of the Kuru and Pandava lineages, shone, like the supreme king Mandhata in earlier times.10 The lotus-eyed one passed through worlds earmarked for kings and then set his eyes on Amaravati, Shakra’s city.’

  341(44)

  Vaishampayana said, ‘He saw the beautiful city, frequented by siddhas and charanas. It was full of sacred trees that flower in every season. A fragrant breeze, mixed with the perfumes of sacred trees, intermingled with the sacred-scented breeze and fanned him. He saw the divine grove of Nandana,11 frequented by masses of apsaras, and the celestial blossoming trees there welcomed him. This world of sacred deeds cannot be seen by those who have not burnt themselves with austerities, or those who do not maintain fires,12 or those who have refrained from battle, or those who do not perform sacrifices and follow falsehood, or those who have abandoned the sacred learning of the Vedas, or those who have not bathed in the sacred waters of tirthas, or those who have been outside13 donating gifts at sacrifices. The evil-minded ones who disrupt sacrifices, are mean, are addicted to drinking, violate their preceptor’s bed,14 or eat meat, can never see it. Having seen the divine grove, resounding with celestial songs, the mighty-armed one entered Shakra’s beloved city. He saw thousands of divine vimanas that were capable of going anywhere at will. They were stationed and he saw tens of thousands15 of them moving around. Pandava was praised by gandharvas and apsaras and he was fanned by sacred winds, redolent with the scent of flowers. The gods, gandharvas, siddhas and supreme rishis happily welcomed Partha, whose deeds were untiring. He was blessed and praised, accompanied by the sound of divine instruments. The mighty-armed one advanced along the starry path famous as suravithi,16 accompanied by the sound of conch-shells and drums. On Indra’s command, Partha travelled along it and was praised in every direction. The Sadhya, Vishvas,17 Maruts, Ashvins, Adityas, Vasus, Rudras, unblemished brahmarshis, many rajarshis, the kings led by Dilipa,18 Tumburu,19 Narada and the gandharvas Haha and Huhu20 were there. The descendant of the Kuru lineage21 showed homage to all of them in the
appropriate manner.

  ‘Then the mighty-armed Partha descended from the supreme chariot and saw in person his father Shatakratu, the god Indra, the destroyer of enemies and the chastiser of Paka, the king of the gods. A beautiful white umbrella with a golden staff was held above his head. A divinely-scented fan was whisked. He was praised by Vishvavasu and the other gandharvas and foremost brahmanas chanted from the Rig, Yajur and Sama Vedas. Approaching near, the mighty Kounteya lowered his head and Shakra also embraced him with his round arms. He grasped him by the hand and made him sit on Shakra’s sacred throne, worshipped by the gods and the devarshis. When he was bowed in obeisance, Indra of the gods, the slayer of enemy warriors, smelt his forehead and made him sit on his lap. At the command of the god with the thousand eyes,22 Partha, whose soul was immeasurable, sat on Shakra’s throne and appeared like a second Vasava.23 Vritra’s enemy24 affectionately touched Arjuna’s handsome face with his sacred and fragrant hands and pacified him. He gently caressed his long arms, hardened by the string of the bow and as handsome as golden columns. The destroyer of Bala25 repeatedly caressed his arms with hands that were marked from holding the vajra. The one with a thousand eyes kept looking at Gudakesha with a smile. The eyes of Vritra’s destroyer dilated with delight and were not satisfied. Seated on the same seat, they made the assembly hall shine, like the sun and the moon rising in the sky on chaturdashi.26

  ‘Headed by Tumburu, gandharvas, skilled in songs and chants, sang and chanted there and engaged in supreme dancing. Ghritachi, Menaka, Rambha, Purvachitti, Svayamprabha, Urvashi, Mishrakeshi, Dundu, Gouri, Varuthini, Gopali, Sahajanya, Kumbhayoni, Prajagara, Chitrasena, Chitralekha, Saha, Madhurasvara—these and other beautiful lotus-eyed ones danced there. They were engaged in captivating the minds of the siddhas. The sides of their hips were wide and their breasts bounced. They stole the mind and the intelligence with their side-long glances, gestures27 and sweetness.’