Mahabharata: Volume 4

by Debroy, Bibek

  814(151)

  Vaishampayana said, ‘On remembering Vasudeva’s words, Yudhishthira again asked Varshneya, “How did the wicked one speak? O Achyuta! At the present moment, what is the best course of action for us? How should we behave so that we do not stray from our own dharma? O Vasudeva! You know the intentions of Duryodhana, Karna, Shakuni Soubala and also that of my brothers and me. You have heard the words of both Vidura and Bhishma and you have heard everything that Kunti, great in her wisdom, wisely spoke. Reflect on all this again. O mighty-armed one! Reflect on all this and tell us unhesitatingly about our capacity.” On hearing these words of Dharmaraja, in conformity with dharma and artha, Krishna spoke these words, in a voice that rumbled like a cloud or a drum. “I spoke beneficial words in conformity with dharma and artha. But for the Kouravya, deceit is wisdom and he did not listen. The one with the evil mind did not listen to Bhishma or Vidura, or to what I said. He ignored everything. He does not desire dharma. He does not desire fame. The evil-minded one resorts to Karna and thinks that he has won everything. Suyodhana even gave instructions for my capture. But the evil-souled one with a wicked resolution failed to accomplish his wishes. Bhishma and Drona did not speak what they should have. O one without decay! With the exception of Vidura, all of them follow him. Shakuni Soubala, Karna and Duhshasana are stupid and told the foolish one things about you that should not be said. What is the point of repeating everything that the Kouravas said? In brief, the evil-souled one treats you in a way that you do not deserve. In all the kings who constitute your army is there as much evil and as much lack of good as there is in him? We should not completely forsake our interests and seek peace with the Kouravas. Therefore, war will follow.” O descendant of the Bharata lineage! On hearing Vasudeva’s words, all the kings were silent and looked towards the king’s face. Yudhishthira understood the intentions of the lords of the earth. With Bhima, Arjuna and the twins, he gave the instructions that the yoking should be done.

  ‘When the instructions for yoking were given, the soldiers were delighted. A joyous sound was heard in the army of the Pandavas. On seeing that those who should not be killed would be killed, Dharmaraja Yudhishthira sighed and told Bhimasena and Vijaya,19 “I went to the forest and endured hardships to avoid an extreme calamity. But in spite of our efforts, it is upon us. Despite our making efforts, it is almost as if we had made no efforts. We have been unsuccessful in our attempts and great Kali20 is upon us. How will we fight with those who should not be killed and accomplish our task? How will we kill our preceptors and elders? That cannot be victory.” On hearing the words of Dharmaraja, Savyasachi, the scorcher of enemies, repeated to him the words that Vasudeva had spoken. “Devaki’s son has conveyed the words of Kunti and Vidura. O king! You have understood them in their entirety. It is my firm view that they will not suggest anything that is adharma. O Kounteya! Therefore, we should not turn back without fighting.” Vasudeva heard Savyasachi’s words. He smiled and told Partha, “It is just as you have said.” O great king! The Pandavyas then firmly made up their minds about the war. With their soldiers, they passed the night in comfort.’

  815(152)

  Vaishampayana said, ‘O descendant of the Bharata lineage! When night had passed, King Duryodhana deployed his eleven akshouhinis. The lord of the earth divided all his men, elephants, chariots and horses into different battalions, depending on whether they were superior, average or inferior. There were axles,21 quivers, fenders,22 javelins, holders for arrows,23 spears, cases for arrows,24 assault poles,25 standards, flags, javelins, many kinds of ropes, nooses, carpets, kachagrahavikshepas,26 oil, molasses, sands, pots filled with poisonous snakes, resin, dirt, wooden spikes with bells, coverlets of tiger skins, coverlets of leopard skins, syringes,27 horns, missiles,28 different kinds of weapons, axes, spades, sesame oil, linseed oil and butter. With all these, the colourful form of the army blazed like fire. There were warriors clad in armour, firm in their knowledge of weapons. There were those who were born in noble lineages and knew about horses. They were engaged as charioteers. The chariots were stocked with herbs and minerals and were decorated with flags and banners. Each chariot was yoked to four horses and each was stocked with weapons and hundreds of bows. The horses were happy. One charioteer was in charge of the two horses in front, and another for the two horses at the side. They were foremost among charioteers and each charioteer knew about horses. Each was protected by a city and was incapable of being attacked by the enemy. There were thousands of chariots with seats and golden garlands. Like the chariots, the elephants were decorated and stocked with minerals. There were seven men on each elephant, making it look like a mountain full of jewels. O king! There were two who held goads.29 There were two who were excellent archers. There were two who were supreme in fighting with swords. One held a spear and the flag. O king! Kouravya’s entire army was full of thousands of crazy elephants and all of them were stocked with weapons and stores of treasure. There were tens of thousands of horses clad in colourful armour. They bore ornaments and flags. They were trained well and controlled well. Each was harnessed in gold. There were hundreds and thousands of them, all controlled by the riders. There were the foot soldiers, with many different kinds of forms and nature. They had different kinds of armour and weapons. Those men were adorned with golden garlands.

  ‘There were ten elephants for every chariot. There were ten horses for every elephant. There were ten foot soldiers for every horse, guarding its legs in every direction. For every chariot, fifty elephants were kept in reserve. For every elephant, there were one hundred horses. For every horse, there were seven men. A sena30 consisted of five hundred elephants and the same number of chariots. Ten senas constituted a pritana and ten pritanas constituted a vahini. However, vahini, pritana, sena, dhvajini, sadini, chamu, akshouhini and varuthini are also used to mean the same thing. In this way, the battle formations of the intelligent Kourava numbered eleven akshouhinis, while the army of the Pandavas had seven akshouhinis. For men, five times fifty is said to constitute a patti. Three pattis constitute a senamukha, which is also known as a gulma. Ten gulmas make up a gana and there were tens of thousands of ganas in Duryodhana’s army. These were armed ones who were eager to fight. The mighty-armed King Duryodhana examined many intelligent warriors and appointed those men as his senapatis.31 In proper form and with honours, the best of men who were in charge of his separate akshouhinis were brought before him. These kings were consecrated—Kripa, Drona, Shalya, maharatha Saindhava,32 Sudakshina from Kamboja, Kritavarma, Drona’s son, Karna, Bhurishrava, Shakuni Soubala and maharatha Bahlika. O descendant of the Bharata lineage! From one day to another, and at different times of the day, he himself met them and gave them different kinds of instructions. All of them were instructed in this way. They, and the soldiers who followed them, were happy and wished to please the king and do what the king desired.’

  Section Fifty-Seven

  Bhishma-Abhishechana Parva

  This section has 122 shlokas and four chapters.

  Chapter 816(153): 35 shlokas

  Chapter 817(154): 34 shlokas

  Chapter 818(155): 38 shlokas

  Chapter 819(156): 15 shlokas

  Abhishechana means the act of consecration, typically with sprinkling of water. This section is so named because it is about Bhishma being consecrated as the commander-in-chief on the Kourava side.

  816(153)

  Vaishampayana said, ‘Dhritarashtra’s son joined his hands in salutation and spoke these words to Shantanu’s son, Bhishma, accompanied by all the lords of the earth. “When there is a war, without a general, even a large army is destroyed like a nest of ants. The views of two leaders are rarely identical and they seek to rival each other in valour and fame. O immensely wise one! It is said that all the brahmanas once assembled together. They raised kusha grass as flags and attacked the infinitely energetic Haihayas. O grandfather! They were followed by the vaishyas and the shudras. The three varnas were on one side. On the other side, there
were the bulls among the kshatriyas. In that war, the three varnas were repulsed again and again. Though the kshatriyas were alone, they triumphed over that giant army. O grandfather! The supreme among brahmanas asked the kshatriyas about this and the ones who knew about dharma told them about the precise reason. ‘In war, we listen to a single one who is immensely intelligent. All of you separately follow your own inclinations.’ Then the brahmanas made a single brahmana their general. He was brave and skilled in policy and they defeated the kshatriyas. Those who choose a single skilled and brave one, untainted and devoted to their welfare, as their general are victorious over the enemies in battle. You are the equal of Ushanas.1 You have always been my well-wisher. You cannot be led astray. You are established in dharma. Become our general. You are like a sun to those who shine. You are like a moon to the herbs. You are like Kubera to the yakshas. You are like Vasava to the Maruts. You are like Meru to the mountains. You are like Suparna2 to the birds. You are like Kumara3 to the demons.4 You are like the bearer of oblations5 to the Vasus. When we are protected by you, like the residents of heaven are by Shakra, we will certainly be invincible, even to the thirty gods. You march in front of us, like the son of the fire6 leads the gods. We will follow you, like cows follow a bull.”

  ‘Bhishma replied, “O mighty-armed one! O descendant of the Bharata lineage! It is exactly as you say. However, you and the Pandavas are equal before me. O lord of men! I must speak about their welfare also. However, because I have pledged to do so, I must fight in your cause. I do not see any other warrior on earth who is my equal, with the exception of that tiger among men, Kunti’s son, Dhananjaya. He is mighty-armed. He knows all the divine weapons. However, Pandava will never fight me openly in the war. In an instant, through the strength of my weapons, I can make this entire universe destitute of men, gods, asuras and rakshasas. O lord of men! But Pandu’s sons cannot be slain by me. Therefore, I will always slay ten thousand warriors every day. O descendant of the Kuru lineage! Unless they kill me first in an encounter, in this way, I will bring about their downfall. O king! There is one condition under which I will willingly become your general, not otherwise. You should hear about this. O lord of the earth! Let Karna or me fight first. This son of a suta always seeks to rival me in battle.”

  ‘Karna said, “O king! As long as Gangeya7 is alive, I will never fight. I will fight with the one who wields the Gandiva only after Bhishma has been killed.”’

  Vaishampayana said, ‘In the prescribed way, Dhritarashtra’s son then consecrated Bhishma, the giver of large quantities of dakshina, as the general and he blazed forth. On the king’s instructions, drums and conch shells were sounded in hundreds and thousands. Eager men played musical instruments. There were many types of roars like lions and the noise of mounts. A shower of blood and mud descended from the sky. There were storms and the earth trembled. There was the sound of elephants trumpeting. All this made the minds of all the warriors downcast. There were invisible voices. Meteors streaked through the sky. Jackals uttered fearful howls. The directions seemed to blaze. O king! When the king consecrated Gangeya as the general, there were terrible portents in hundreds. After consecrating Bhishma, the destroyer of enemy forces, as the general, he8 made the foremost of brahmanas recite and gave them a lot of cattle and gold. Strengthened by their benedictions and surrounded by his soldiers, he placed the son of the water in the forefront and marched out with his brothers. With a large army, he went to Kurukshetra. With Karna, Kourava surveyed Kurushetra. O lord of men! He then set up camp in a level spot. This region was pleasant and without salinity. There was plenty of fodder and kindling. The camp was as radiant as Hastinapura itself.’

  817(154)

  Janamejaya said, ‘Bhishma, great in soul and son of the water, was supreme among those who wielded weapons. He was the grandfather of the Bharatas and was like a standard for the entire earth. He was Brihaspati’s equal in intelligence. He was the earth’s equal in forgiveness. He was the ocean’s equal in gravity. He was the equal of the Himalayas in steadfastness. He was like a Prajapati in generosity. He was like the sun in energy. In destroying enemies with a shower of arrows, he was like the great Indra. He was consecrated in that terrible sacrifice of war, which made the body hair stand up, for many nights. On hearing this, what did mighty-armed King Yudhishthira, supreme among all wielders of weapons, say? What did Bhimasena, Arjuna and Krishna say?’

  Vaishampayana replied, ‘Yudhishthira was immensely intelligent and was skilled about dharma and artha to be followed in times of calamities. He summoned all his brothers and Satvata Vasudeva. The foremost among speakers spoke these comforting words. “Survey the army. Be attentive and armoured. Our first battle will be with the grandfather. Therefore, look for seven leaders for the army.”9

  ‘Vasudeva said, “O bull among the Bharata lineage! Now that the time has come, you have spoken what should be said. The words that you have spoken are appropriate. O mighty-armed one! What you have proposed as the next step appeals to me. Let us choose seven leaders for your army and consecrate them.”’

  Vaishampayana said, ‘Then Yudhishthira summoned Drupada, Virata, the bull among the Shinis,10 Dhrishtadyumna of Panchala, King Dhrishtaketu, Shikhandi of Panchala and Sahadeva of Magadha. These seven brave and great archers were delighted at the prospect of war. In the appropriate fashion, he consecrated them as the leaders of his army and Dhrishtadyumna as the overall general. He11 arose from the fire for Drona’s destruction. When all those great-souled ones were assembled together, Gudakesha Dhananjaya was made the lord of the generals. Sankarshana’s12 younger brother, the handsome and immensely intelligent Janardana, was made Arjuna’s guide and the controller of his horses.

  ‘On seeing that a great battle was imminent, the wielder of the plough13 entered King Pandava’s residence, in the company of Akrura and the others, Gada, Samba, Ulmuka and so on, with Rukmini’s son14 and Akrura’s son led by Charudeshna. The mighty-armed one was protected by the foremost among the Vrishnis, who arrived like tigers intoxicated with their strength, like the Maruts protect Vasava. He was dressed in a blue silk garment and he was like the summit of Mount Kailasa. The illustrious one’s gait was like that of a lion. His eyes were red with intoxication. On seeing him, Dharmaraja and the immensely radiant Keshava arose and so did Partha Vrikodara, the performer of terrible deeds, the wielder of the Gandiva, and all the other kings who were present there. All of them approached and worshipped the one who had the plough as a weapon. With Vasudeva leading the way, King Pandava grasped him by the hand and all of them welcomed him. The one with the plough as a weapon saluted Virata, Drupada and the elders. The destroyer of enemies then sat down with Yudhishthira.

  ‘Rohini’s son15 glanced at Vasudeva. When all the kings were seated around him, he said, “There will be an extremely fearful and terrible slaughter of men. I think that this is certainly because of destiny and is incapable of being averted. When you emerge from the battle with your well-wishers, I hope that I will see you again, without disease and without injuries on your bodies. There is no doubt that all the assembled kshatriya kings have been cooked by fate. There will be a great slaughter, with flesh, blood and mud. I repeatedly spoke to Vasudeva in private. ‘O Madhusudana! Behave impartially towards your relatives. The Pandavas and King Duryodhana are the same to us. Therefore, if he wishes, you should help him again and again.’ But because of you, Madhusudana did not act in accordance with my words. He has looked towards Dhananjaya and been devoted to you in every sentiment. O descendant of the Bharata lineage! It is my view that the victory of the Pandavas is certain, because that is what Vasudeva has decided. Without Krishna, I have no interest in looking at this world. Therefore, I have followed whatever Keshava desires. But both these brave ones, Bhima and King Duryodhana, skilled in fighting with clubs, are my students and are equal in my affection. Therefore, I will visit the sacred tirthas along the Sarasvati. I cannot remain indifferent to the destruction of the Kouravas.” Having spoken this, the mighty-armed
one took his leave of the Pandavas. Rama left to visit the tirthas, asking Madhusudana to return.’