by Bibek Debroy
‘“Meanwhile, seeing this, the sage, Bhargava and the others, arrived there. They said, ‘You should not release this weapon towards your father. You should not kill a son who is famous for his deeds.’ Marutta said, ‘As a king, I must kill the wicked and protect the virtuous. O brahmanas! These are wicked serpents. What is my crime in this?’ Aviskhit said, ‘It is my duty to save those who have sought refuge with me. O brahmanas! Since my son is killing those who have sought refuge, he is committing a crime.’ The rishis responded, ‘The eyes of these nagas are rolling around in terror. Tell them that we will revive the brahmanas that the other wicked serpents have bitten. O noble kings! Enough of this conflict. Please be pacified. Both of you are firm in your pledges and both of you know about dharma.’ Vira approached her son and said, ‘It is at my words that your son got ready to kill the nagas. However, since the brahmanas who were killed have been revived, my purpose has been accomplished. Therefore, those who sought refuge with you should be allowed to escape with their lives.’ Bhamini said, ‘Earlier, the residents of Patala worshipped me. That is the reason I requested my husband to be engaged in this task. O beautiful one! Therefore, it is best for both of us that my husband and son, and your grandson and son, should refrain from this encounter.’ By withdrawing their poison and using medications from divine herbs, the serpents revived the brahmanas. Marutta, the lord of the earth, prostrated himself at his father’s feet, who affectionately embraced him and said, ‘May you destroy the honour of enemies. Rule over the earth for a long time. Find pleasure with your sons and grandsons. May you not have enemies.’ With the permission of the brahmanas and Vira, along with Bhamini, those two lords of men ascended the chariot and returned to their own city. Vira, supreme among those who upheld dharma, performed extremely great austerities. Devoted to her husband, the immensely fortunate one obtained the world her husband had gone to.
‘“Marutta ruled in accordance with dharma. The king conquered the six enemies 1029 and enjoyed objects of pleasure. The immensely fortunate Prabhavati, Vidarbha’s daughter, and Souvira’s daughter, Suvira, became his wives. Sukeshi, the daughter of Ketuvirya of Magadha, also became his wife, as did Kaikeyi, daughter of Sindhuvirya, the king of Madra. His other wives were Sairandhri from Kekaya, Vapushmati, the daughter of the king of Sindhu and Sushobhana, the daughter of the king of Chedi. O brahmana! Through them, he had eighteen sons. The eldest, Narishyanta, was the foremost son. Such was the valour of Marutta, the immensely strong and immensely great king. His wheel faced no obstructions in the seven dvipas. There was no king who was his equal, nor will there ever be. He was an infinitely energetic royal sage, full of spirit and valour. O best among brahmanas! If a person hears about the conduct of the great-souled Marutta, he obtains the best of births and is cleansed of all sins.”’
Chapter 129
‘Kroushtuki said, “O illustrious one! You have told me everything about Marutta’s conduct. I have a desire to hear about his descendants in detail. O great sage! Among those descendants, there were those who were full of valour. They deserved the kingdom and became lords of the earth. I wish to hear about them from you.”
‘Markandeya replied, “Marutta had a son named Narishyanta. Among the eighteen sons, he was the eldest and the best. Marutta, bull among kshatriyas, enjoyed the entire earth for eighty-five thousand years. He followed his own dharma and ruled over the kingdom, performing excellent sacrifices. Instating his eldest son, Narishyanta, he left for the forest. There, the king single-mindedly tormented himself through great austerities. O brahmana! Covering heaven and earth with his fame, he ascended to heaven. His son, Narishyanta, was intelligent. He witnessed his father’s conduct and those of the other kings and thought. ‘In this lineage, my ancestors have been great-souled kings. They performed sacrifices. They were energetic and following dharma, protected the earth. They donated riches and did not retreat from the field of battle. Who is capable of following the conduct of those great-souled ones? They performed rites of dharma, offering oblations and other things. I also wish to do that. If not that, what else will I do? If a lord of the earth rules over the earth according to dharma, what is the special quality in that? If an Indra among men does not rule properly, he is a sinner and will go to hell. If a king possesses riches, he must perform great sacrifices and donate. What is wonderful about this? He is the lord for those who suffer. Nobility of birth, shame, anger towards enemies, the support of his people and the observance of his own dharma prevent him from running away from the field of battle. All this has been properly accomplished by my former ancestors and my father, Marutta. What else can be done? What can I do that my ancestors could not? They sacrificed. They were supremely generous. They did not retreat from the field of battle. They took part in great battles and their manliness is beyond dispute. I must progressively try to do things they could not do. Alternatively, those former kings incessantly performed sacrifices, but they performed those themselves. They could not make others perform sacrifices. That is what I will do.’ Thinking in this way, the lord of men performed a single sacrifice. This was graced with so much of wealth being donated that no one had undertaken anything like this before. So that they could sustain their lives, he gave brahmanas houses and an extremely large quantity of riches. After this, the king gave them a hundred times that amount for the sake of undertaking sacrifices. He gave each one of them who was resident on earth cattle, garments, ornaments, grain and houses. Later, the king started another sacrifice. However, when he started the sacrifice, he could not find any brahmana to officiate at it. Whenever the king chose a brahmana, the brahmana said, ‘I have consecrated myself for officiating at another sacrifice. Please choose someone else. O king! You gave us so much of wealth that it has still not been exhausted. How can you give us more at a sacrifice?’ Thus, the lord of the earth could not find any brahmana who would be an officiating priest. He therefore started to donate from outside the altar. 1030 But they were so satiated with riches that there was no one there to accept this. He wished to give to brahmanas, but was dispirited. He spoke these words. ‘This is wonderful. The earth is splendid. There is no brahmana who does not possess riches. But the treasury is without purpose and those who undertake sacrifices are unsuccessful. Without an officiating priest, no one will undertake a sacrifice any more. Even if we wish to donate, the brahmanas do not wish to accept.’ Devotedly, he repeatedly bowed down before some brahmanas and persuading them to act as officiating priests, started a great sacrifice. When the lord of the earth started this, it was extraordinary. As the king started this sacrifice, all the people on earth also started performing sacrifices. Every brahmana was either performing his own sacrifice, or acting as an officiating priest at someone else’s sacrifice. When King Narishyanta performed a sacrifice, everyone on earth also undertook a sacrifice with the riches he had received from the king. There were simultaneously more than eighteen crores of sacrifices in the east, seven crores in the west, fourteen crores in the south and fifteen crores in the north. O sage! As Narishyanta undertook his sacrifice, the brahmanas also undertook such sacrifices. O brahmana! In earlier times, such was King Narishyanta, Marutta’s son, possessing dharma in his soul. He was famous for his strength and manliness.”’
Chapter 130
‘Markandeya continued, “Narishyanta’s son, Dama, was one who subdued wicked enemies. His strength was like that of Shakra and he was as compassionate as a sage. The king was born as the son of Indrasena, who was descended from Babhru’s lineage. The immensely illustrious one remained in his mother’s womb for nine years. As long as Dama remained in his mother’s womb, the princess 1031 had to practise self-control. 1032 The priest knew about the three periods of time 1033 and gave Narishyanta’s son the name of Dama. The prince obtained the entire knowledge of dhanurveda from Vrishaparva, the king of the asuras. 1034 The noble daitya, Dundubhi, resided in a hermitage and from him, he learnt the truth about all kinds of weapons. He learnt all the Vedas and Vedangas from Shakti. In that way, he contro
lled himself and learnt yoga from the royal sage, Arshtishena. Sumana was the daughter of the immensely strong lord of Dasharna, Charuvarman. At the svayamvara organized by her father, she accepted the handsome and great-souled one as her husband. He was accomplished in the use of weapons and was immensely strong. This occurred while all the beings who had come there to seek her hand looked on.
‘“The son of the king of Madra, Mahananda, was immensely strong and valiant and was attracted to her. So was Sankrandana, the son of the king of Vidarbha and Prince Vapushman, who wielded a mighty bow and was pervasive in intelligence. They saw that she had chosen Dama, the chastiser of wicked enemies. Captivated by her limbs, they consulted with each other. ‘Let us seize this beautiful maiden by force. Abducting her, let us go to our homes. After this, the one with the beautiful hips will choose one of us at a svayamvara. Following dharma, she will become the wife of whoever she wants. If the one with intoxicating eyes does not like any of us, she will become the wife of whoever kills Dama.’ Those three princes made up their minds in this way. She was by Dama’s side and they seized the one with the beautiful limbs. Some kings who were on his side protested at this. Other kings who were neutral also spoke. O great sage! On seeing that their minds were agitated, Dama glanced at the kings who were all around and addressed them in these words. Dama said, ‘O kings! Svayamvara is said to be one of the rites of dharma. O kings! Following dharma, the lord of Dasharna organized a svayamvara. They have seized her through force. Was that dharma or adharma? 1035 If it was adharma, I should not do anything and should look for another wife. However, if it was dharma, then I have had enough of this life, which has been trampled on by the enemy.’ O great sage! At this, Charuvarman, the lord of Dasharna, silenced the entire assembly and spoke. ‘O kings! Dama has spoken about what is dharma and what is adharma. You should speak, so that my dharma, and his, does not suffer.’ Some kings spoke to the lord of the earth. ‘When there is mutual love, marriage according to gandharva rites is sanctioned for kshatriyas, but not for brahmanas, vaishyas or shudras. Your daughter has chosen Dama and the marriage has been completed. O king! Therefore, according to dharma, your daughter belongs to Dama. Anyone who acts contrary to this has been overwhelmed by confusion and desire.’ O brahmana! However, there were also great-souled kings who belonged to the other side and they addressed the lord of Dasharna in these words. ‘They are confused. Why do they say that only the gandharva form is dharma for kshatriyas? It is not that this is not praised. But for those who live by weapons, there is also the rakshasa form. O lords! There is the rakshasa form of marriage, where one carries off the maiden by force and kills anyone who stands in the way. This is the best from of marriage, the other 1036 is held to be second in importance. Mahananda and the others have followed the dharma of kshatriyas.’ At this, the kings who has spoken earlier, spoke to the king again. They spoke words that had to do with mutual affection and dharma befitting the class. ‘It is true that the rakshasa form of marriage is praised for kshatriyas. But while under her father’s supervision, this maiden chose him. Therefore, the rakshasa form of marriage is said to be one where her father and his relations are slain by force. That does not apply when her husband has accepted her hand. While all the lords of the earth looked on, she chose Dama. This is also a marriage according to the gandharva rites. How does the question of a rakshasa form come in? A maiden who has been married is no longer a maiden. O lords of the earth! A maiden is bound by that marriage. 1037 They have used force to take her away from Dama. If a powerful person does something like this, it is not regarded as virtuous.’ Hearing these words, Dama’s eyes turned red with rage.
‘“He strung his bow and spoke these words. ‘While I look on, my wife is being abducted through force. What is the point of my lineage and my arms? I have been born as a eunuch. Shame on my weapons. Shame on my valour. Shame on my arrows. Shame on my bow. Shame on my birth in the lineage of the great-souled Marutta. If these foolish ones survive and leave after abducting my wife with force, shame on me. My birth as a man has been futile.’ Having said this, Dama, the chastiser of all the great enemies, spoke to the powerful kings, with Mahananda as the foremost. ‘This beautiful maiden has intoxicating eyes and is enchanting in her limbs. She has been born in a noble lineage. She is right here. What is the point of life if she does not become my wife? O lords of the earth! Thinking this, get ready to fight. After defeating me, proudly make her your wife.’ Having said this, he showered down arrows and shrouded the kings, like darkness covering the trees. The brave lords of the earth also unleashed arrows, javelins, spears and clubs. However, as if he was toying with them, Dama severed all these. They used their arrows to counter his arrows. O sage! Narishyanta’s son severed the arrows shot by the kings. The battle continued between Dama and the princes. Mahananda entered the fight against Dama, holding a sword in his hand. Dama saw him advance in the great battle, holding a sword in his hand. He released a shower of arrows, like Purandara showering down rain. However, Mahananda instantly severed that net of arrows and weapons with his sword and sidestepped the others. Filled with rage, the immensely valorous Mahananda mounted Dama’s chariot and fought with him. Mahananda fought with dexterity, in many kinds of ways. However, Dama shot an arrow that was as radiant as the fire of destruction at his heart. Though his heart was pierced, Mahananda plucked it out from his chest and hurled a dazzling sword towards Dama. As it descended, blazing like a meteor, Dama hurled a javelin and severed it. He then severed Mahananda’s head with a vetasapatra. When Mahananda was killed, most of the kings turned away from the battle. Vapushman, the lord of Kundina, was still there. Filled with strength, pride and insolence, he fought against Dama. He was the son of the lord of the southern regions 1038 and was accustomed to fighting. He battled fiercely. In that battle, exhibiting his dexterity, he 1039 severed his charioteer’s head and his standard. With his sword severed, he seized a club studded with many spikes. However, while he still held it in his hand, he 1040 swiftly severed it. Before Vapushman could pick up any other supreme weapon, Dama pierced him with an arrow and brought him down on the ground. He fell down on the ground. His limbs trembled and quivered. The prince was no longer interested in fighting. On seeing that the encounter was over, with a cheerful mind, Dama took Sumana with him and left. Happily, the lord of Dasharna followed the rites and performed Dama and Sumana’s marriage. Having obtained a wife, Dama lived for a short duration of time in the city of the lord of Dasharna. With his wife, he then left for his own abode. Before letting him go, the lord of Dasharna bestowed on him elephants, horses, chariots, donkeys, camels, many female and male servants, garments, ornaments, the best of bows, cushions and seats and many other vessels that were full.”’
Chapter 131
‘Markandeya said, “O extremely great sage! He obtained Sumana as his wife. The son of a king prostrated himself at the feet of his father and his mother. O brahmana! Sumana, the one with the excellent eyebrows, also prostrated herself before her father-in-law and mother-in-law and they pronounced their benedictions on her. There were great festivities in Narishyanta’s city, when they returned after the marriage from the city of the lord of Dasharna. Hearing about the alliance with the lord of Dasharna and his son’s victory over the kings, King Narishyanta was delighted. Dama, the son of the great king, amused himself with Sumana, in the best of gardens, forest regions, palaces and the slopes of mountains. After amusing herself with Dama for a long period of time, Sumana, the daughter of the lord of Dasharna, conceived. King Narishyanta, the lord of the earth, had enjoyed objects of pleasure for a long time. Having turned old, he instated Dama in the kingdom. With his ascetic wife, Indrasena, he left for the forest and followed the norms of vanaprastha there.
‘“Vapushman was evil in conduct and was the son of Sankrandana of dakshinatya. 1041 With a few followers, he went on a hunt. He saw Narishyanta in the form on an ascetic, his body covered in filth. He also saw his wife Indrasena, extremely weak because of austerities. He asked, ‘Who ar
e you? Are you a brahmana, a kshatriya, a vaishya, or a forest-dweller in this stage of vanaprastha? Tell me.’ The king was observing a vow of silence and did not reply to him. But Indrasena told him everything accurately. He thus got to know that this was Narishyanta, his father’s enemy. He exclaimed, ‘I have got you,’ and seized him by his matted hair. Her voice choking with tears, Indrasena shrieked, ‘Alas!’ He angrily unsheathed his sword and spoke these words. ‘He is the father of Dama, who defeated me in battle and carried Sumana away. I will kill him. Let Dama save him. He is the evil-minded one who repulsed all the sons of kings who had assembled for the sake of the maiden. I will slay his father. That evil-souled one prided himself on his youth, weapons and beauty. Dama is my enemy. While I kill his senior, let him restrain me.’ Saying this, King Vapushman, the evildoer, sliced off his head, while Indrasena wept. The sages and others who dwelt in the forest reprimanded him. Having killed and left him there, he left the forest and returned to his own city.