‘“In dvapara yuga, dharma decayed by half. Vishnu assumes a yellow complexion and there are four Vedas. Some people know four Vedas. Others know three, or two, or one. Still others know no hymns. The sacred texts have thus been divided into many parts and there are many rituals. Beings are engaged in austerities and donations because of their passions.699 Because the single Veda is no longer known, the Vedas have been divided into many parts. There has been a deviation from the truth and there are only a few who are established in the truth. When one deviates from the truth, one becomes a prey to many diseases. One resorts to desire and there are many natural disasters. Being afflicted by these, some men resort to terrible austerities. Others, motivated by a desire to attain heaven, resort to deeds. Thus, having attained dvapara, beings decay because they are no longer devoted to dharma.
‘“O Kounteya! Only one quarter of dharma remains in kali yuga. When this yuga arrives, Keshava’s complexion becomes black. The rituals of the Vedas, dharma, sacrifices and deeds fall into disuse. There is excessive rain, disease, sin and vices like anger. There are many natural calamities. There are ailments and sicknesses. As the yugas proceed, dharma repeatedly decays. As dharma decays, beings repeatedly deteriorate. As beings deteriorate, the forces that sustain the world also go into a decline. As the yugas decay, even tasks performed in the name of dharma lead to perverse outcomes. This is the name of kali yuga, which will soon manifest itself. Even those who live for a long time must conform to the changes in the yugas. O destroyer of enemies! You were curious to know everything about me. Why should a learned man wish to know about things that are useless? O mighty-armed one! I have told you everything that you had asked me, including about the number of yugas. May you be blessed. Leave now.”’
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‘Bhima said, “I will never go without seeing your earlier form. If you are pleased with me, show me your own form.”’
Vaishampayana said, ‘At these words of Bhima, the ape smiled and showed him the form that he had adopted when he leapt over the ocean. In order to please his brother, he adopted that gigantic shape. His body grew in length and breadth. The immensely radiant monkey stood as large as a mountain, covering the plantain grove. Having attained that gigantic shape that was like a second mountain, with copper-coloured eyes, sharp teeth and eyes marked by frowns, the monkey lashed his long tail and enveloped the directions. Bhima, the descendant of the Kourava lineage, saw his brother’s gigantic shape and was astounded. He was repeatedly delighted. On seeing his blazing energy, like the sun, or a golden mountain, or the sky on fire, Bhima closed his eyes.
‘Hanuman then smiled and spoke to Bhimasena. “O unblemished one! You are capable of seeing my body up to this point. I can go on extending my body, as much as I desire. O Bhima! Amidst enemies, my body becomes gigantic through its own energy.” On seeing Hanuman’s immensely terrible body, the equal of Mounts Vindhya and Mandara, Pavana’s son was bewildered.700 Though he was delighted, his soul trembled. Bhima joined his hands in salutation and spoke to Hanuman, who was still established in that form. “O lord! O immensely valorous one! I have seen your extensive body. Now decrease it through your own powers. I am unable to look at you. You are like the rising sun. You are immeasurable. You are as inaccessible as Mount Mainaka. O brave one! It is a source of great wonder to me today that, though Rama had you at his side, he had to fight with Ravana himself. With the strength of your arms alone, you were capable of destroying Lanka with its armies and vehicles. O Marut’s son!701 There is nothing that is impossible for you. Ravana, with all his armies, was no match for you in battle.”
‘Having been thus addressed by Bhima, Hanuman, bull among monkeys, replied in a soft and deep voice. “O mighty-armed one! O descendant of the Bharata lineage! It is as you say. O Bhimasena! That evil rakshasa was no match for me. But if I had killed that Ravana, the thorn of the worlds, Raghava’s glory would have been diminished.702 That is the reason I ignored him. By killing the rakshasa king, together with his armies, and taking Sita back to his own city, that brave one established his fame in this world. O immensely wise brother! You are devoted to ensuring my welfare. Protected by Vayu, depart now, along a path that is safe and secure. O best among the Kuru lineage! This path will lead you to Sougandhika forest703 and the grove of the lord of riches,704 guarded by yakshas and rakshasas. Do not perform the rash act of plucking any flowers there yourself. A man must specially honour the gods there. O bull among the Bharata lineage! O descendant of the Bharata lineage! When satisfied with sacrifices, oblations, reverence and mantras, the gods exhibit favours towards the faithful. O son!705 Therefore, do not act out of bravery. Observe your own dharma. Abiding by your own dharma, know and follow the supreme dharma. Without knowing dharma and without serving the aged, even the likes of Brihaspati are incapable of comprehending dharma and artha. One should carefully discriminate among situations where that which is not dharma goes by the name of dharma, and that which is dharma goes by the name of that which is not dharma. Those who are deluded in intelligence cannot distinguish. Dharma results from conduct. The Vedas are established on dharma. Sacrifices originate from the Vedas. The gods are established in sacrifices. The gods are sustained through sacrifices and rituals prescribed in the Vedas. Even men sustain themselves through the ordinances decreed by Brihaspati and Ushanas706—buying and selling, mining, trading, agriculture and animal husbandry. Everything is sustained through such vocations and dharma. For the three varnas,707 three pursuits have been indicated in the sacred texts—study of the three Vedas, following a vocation and governing. When these are properly followed, the world’s welfare is ensured. But if there is no pursuit of dharma and these three routes to dharma are not followed, this earth is not controlled and there is no governance. If beings do not follow dharma and their vocations, they will perish. By regularly following the three pursuits, beings prosper. There is one characteristic that marks the eternal dharma of the three varnas—sacrificing, studying and giving. These are three pursuits that are common to everyone. Performing sacrifices, studying and accepting708 constitute the dharma of brahmanas. Protection is that of kshatriyas and providing sustenance is the dharma of vaishyas. Servitude to the other three varnas is known to be the dharma of shudras, as it is of those who are in their preceptor’s house709 and cannot therefore beg for alms or perform oblations and vows. O Kounteya! Your dharma is that of a kshatriya. Your dharma is protection. Be humble. Control your senses and follow your own dharma. He who has consulted elders, the honest, the intelligent and the learned, and then resorts to punishment by the staff, governs well. But a decadent one suffers. When a king punishes and rewards according to what is needed, it is then that the contours of the world are properly laid out. Therefore, spies must constantly be used to ascertain the state of the nation, the fortifications, the forces of friends and enemies, and their conditions of prosperity and adversity. Kings possess four means that lead to success—wise counsel, valour, punishment and reward and sagacity. Whether applied together or in isolation, sama, dana, danda and bheda can lead to success.710 O bull among the Bharata lineage! Spies and counsel are the source of policies. Good counsel leads to success and one should consult with those who are skilled. In secret matters, one should not consult with a woman, with a fool, with a child, with one who is greedy, with one who is mean and with one who is touched by insanity. One should only consult with wise ones and get tasks undertaken by those who are capable. Policies must be devised by those who are gentle. Fools must always be avoided. Those who follow dharma must be engaged in matters related to dharma, learned ones in matters connected to artha, eunuchs in matters connected to women and cruel ones for the performance of cruel deeds. The nature of action, what should be done and what should not be done and the reasons behind any particular task, should be decided on the basis of the relative strengths and weaknesses of one’s enemy, as well as one’s own. Using one’s intelligence, favours should be shown to righteous ones who have sought refuge. However, evil and unsk
illed ones must be repressed. When a king follows reward and chastisement properly, the boundaries of the world are laid out properly. O Partha! This is the difficult and terrible dharma that I have delineated for you. Follow this humbly, in accordance with what has been prescribed as your own dharma. The brahmanas go to heaven through the dharma of austerities, control of the self and oblations. The vaishyas obtain the desired objective through donations, serving guests and rituals. Like that, the kshatriyas attain heaven on earth through protection and punishments. Without being addicted to desire and hatred, without avarice and controlling their anger, and chastising appropriately, they reach the worlds attained by the virtuous.”’
447(150)
Vaishampayana said, ‘Then the monkey contracted his huge body, which he had extended through his own wishes. He once again embraced Bhimasena with his arms. O descendant of the Bharata lineage! Having been thus embraced by his brother, Bhima’s exhaustion was destroyed and everything was at ease. With tears in his eyes, the ape once again told Bhima, in a voice that was choked and affectionate. “O brave one! Return to your own abode. But remember me in your thoughts. O best of the Kurus! Do not tell anyone that I am here. O immensely powerful one! When they have obtained leave from the abode of the lord of the riches, the wives of the gods and the gandharvas come to this region and to this time. My eyes have been satisfied and I have remembered Raghava. O Bhima! Through you, I have touched another human body. O brave one! O Kounteya! Now let your sight of me be successful too. O descendant of the Bharata lineage! Because of our brotherhood, ask for a boon. If you wish that I should go to Hastinapura and kill the low sons of Dhritarashtra, I will do that. Or I will grind that city down with rocks. O immensely strong one! I will perform whatever deed you desire.” On hearing these words of the great-souled one, Bhima was delighted and replied to Hanuman with happiness in his heart, “O bull among apes! You have already done everything for me. O mighty-armed one! May you be fortunate. Forgive me. I desire your favours. With a protector as valorous as you, all of us Pandavas have found a protector. With your energy, all of us will triumph over our enemies.” Having heard these words, Hanuman told Bhimasena, “From brotherhood and out of my well wishes towards you, I will do that which will bring you pleasure. O brave one! O mighty-armed one! When you rush into the enemy’s battle formations, armed with arrows and spears, and utter a roar like that of a lion, I will add my own roars to that of yours. Seated on Vijaya’s flagstaff,711 I will let loose terrible roars that will rob the enemies of their lives.” Having said this, he disappeared.
‘When that supreme of apes had left, Bhima, foremost among strong ones, travelled along that road to the extensive Gandhamadana. He thought about his712 resplendent body, unmatched on earth. He thought about Dasharathi’s greatness and power. Travelling eagerly towards Sougandhika forest, he made lovely forests and groves tremble. He saw forests with blossoms and many colourful flowers and lotuses. O descendant of the Bharata lineage! He saw mad elephants that were streaked with mud, like masses of monsoon clouds. Proceeding fast, the handsome one saw bucks with does in the forest. They had grass in their mouths and their darting eyes looked at him. With great valour, Bhimasena entered the mountain that was infested with buffaloes, boars and tigers, as if forest trees that were in blossom, stirred by the breeze and with branches lowered by the burden of delicate and copper-red shoots, had invited him in. He passed ponds teeming with lotuses, with beautiful tirthas and groves, swarming with intoxicated bees. The lotuses seemed to join their hands in salutation. But Bhima’s mind was set on the peak of the mountain, full of flowers. With Droupadi’s words providing sustenance, he travelled faster. When the day had turned,713 in the forest that was infested with deer, he saw a wide river. It was full of unblemished and golden lotuses. It was aswarm with intoxicated karandavas714 and adorned with chakravakas.715 It was as if a garland of spotless lotuses had been designed for the mountain. Near that river, the greatly powerful one saw the large Sougandhika forest. It was as radiant as the rising sun and brought him joy. On seeing this, Pandu’s son thought that his desires had been satisfied. His mind went out to his beloved, who was suffering as a result of dwelling in the forest.’
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Vaishampayana said, ‘On the peak of Kailasa and in that beautiful grove, he saw that beautiful pond, guarded by rakshasas. Its source was the mountainous waterfalls that were near Kubera’s abode. It was extremely beautiful, with a lot of shade and full of many trees and creepers. It was covered with yellow lotuses and divine golden lotuses. It made the world pure. It was auspicious and extraordinary to behold. Pandava, Kunti’s son, saw the clear, cool, light and pure water there, like amrita. He drank a lot of that auspicious water. The beautiful pond was covered with sougandhika lotuses. There were golden lotuses, with supreme fragrance. The stalks were made out of lapis lazuli.716 They were beautiful and had many colours. Disturbed by the swans and the karandakas,717 they scattered white pollen. This was the pleasure ground of the great-souled Kubera, king of the yakshas. It was shown great homage by the gandharvas, the apsaras and the gods. It was frequented by the rishis, yakshas, kimpurushas, rakshasas and kinnaras and was protected well by Vaishravana.718
‘On seeing that celestial pond, the immensely strong Kounteya Bhimasena was filled with great delight. On the instructions of their king,719 hundreds and thousands of rakshasas, named krodhavashas, stood guard, armed with many different kinds of weapons. They saw Kounteya, the destroyer of enemies. Bhima, terrible in valour, was clad in deerskin and golden armour for his upper arms. He was armed and his sword was girded. When they saw him fearlessly advance to gather the lotuses, they shouted at one another, “Why has this maharatha, tiger among men, come here? He is clad in deerskin and bears arms. Inquire.” Then all of them approached the mighty-armed Vrikodara and asked the resplendent one, “Who are you? Tell us. You wear the garments of a hermit and we see that you are attired in bark. O immensely intelligent one. Tell us why you have come.”’
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‘Bhima replied, “I am Pandava Bhimasena. I am next in birth to Dharma’s son.720 O rakshasas! I have come with my brothers to the extensive Badari. There, Panchali saw the supreme sougandhika. The wind carried it from here and she immediately wanted many more. O those who roam in the night! Know that I have come here to gather flowers, to do that which brings pleasure to the one with the unblemished limbs, my wife in accordance with dharma.”
‘The rakshasas said, “O bull among men! This is Kubera’s beloved pleasure garden. One who is subject to the laws of mortal earth cannot sport here. O Vrikodara! Devarshis, yakshas and gods have to seek the permission of the lord of the yakshas before they can drink or amuse themselves here. O Pandava! So do the gandharvas and the apsaras before sporting here. If an evil-minded one sports here against these rules, insulting the lord of riches, there is no doubt that he will meet with destruction. Ignoring him, you wish to take these lotuses away by force. Why do you then describe yourself as Dharmaraja’s brother?”
‘Bhima replied, “O rakshasas! I do not see the lord of riches anywhere near. Even if I were to see the great king, I would not trouble him by asking. It is the eternal dharma that kings should not beg. I do not wish to deviate from the dharma of kshatriyas by even a trifle. This beautiful lotus pond has been created from mountainous water springs. It is not part of the abode of the great-souled Kubera. It belongs equally to all beings, just as it does to Vaishravana. Since this is the state of affairs, who should ask whom for permission?”’
Vaishampayana said, ‘Having said this to all the rakshasas, the powerful Bhimasena plunged in. All the rakshasas tried to restrain him, asking him to desist. They angrily abused him from all directions. But not paying any attention to the rakshasas, the one who was terrible in valour plunged in. All of them tried to restrain the immensely energetic one. “Grasp him.” “Bind him.” “Slash him.” “We will cook and feed on Bhimasena.” Angrily uttering such words, they raised their arms and distending thei
r eyes, swiftly rushed at him. He grasped his giant club, inlaid with gold, and like Yama’s staff. He grasped it and swiftly hurled himself at them, shouting, “Stay there! Stay there!” The extremely terrible krodhavashas suddenly rushed at him with great force. They had spears, battleaxes and other weapons. Desiring to kill him, they encircled Bhima in terrible fashion. But the powerful one was born in Kunti’s womb from the wind. He was swift and brave and the destroyer of his enemies. He was always devoted to truth and dharma. In valour, he was incapable of being vanquished by any foe. The great-souled one used many techniques. He destroyed the weapons of his enemies. On the banks of that pond, the brave one slew hundreds of them, including those who were the foremost. On seeing his valour and strength, the strength of his knowledge and the strength of his arms and unable to withstand him, despite their numbers, they suddenly fled in all directions, the foremost ones having been slain. They were destroyed and crushed, and bereft of their senses, took to the sky. Crushed by Bhima, the krodhavashas were shattered and ran away, towards the peak of Kailasa.
‘Having thus vanquished hordes of daityas and danavas in battle, like Shakra, the one who was victorious over his enemies again plunged into the pond and collected lotuses, in accordance with his desires. Having drunk the water, which was like amrita, his valour and energy were completely restored. He plucked and gathered sougandhika lotuses, with a supreme fragrance. The krodhavashas had been overcome with Bhima’s strength. They went to the lord of riches and extremely frightened, told him about Bhima’s valour and strength in battle. Having heard their words, the god laughed and told the rakshasas, “Let Bhima take as many lotuses as he wishes for Krishna. I know the reason.” Having taken their leave of the lord of riches and having controlled their anger, they returned to the foremost among the Kurus. They saw Bhima alone in that pond full of lotuses, sporting happily.’
Mahabharata Vol. 3 (Penguin Translated Texts) Page 21