Mahabharata Vol. 3 (Penguin Translated Texts)

by Debroy, Bibek

  ‘Having done this, Kunti wept and spoke these words. Listen to them. “O son! May you be safe from all the beings in the sky, the earth and heaven and from those that roam the water. May your paths be auspicious and may you be free from obstructions. O son! May those who meet you have no enmity in their minds. May King Varuna, lord of the waters, protect you in the water. May the wind-god, who travels everywhere, protect you in the sky. May your father, foremost among those who provide heat, protect you everywhere. O son! Driven by destiny, he is the one who has given you to me. The Adityas, Vasus, Rudras, Sadhyas, Vishvadevas, the Maruts, together with Indra, the directions and the lords of the directions and all the gods must protect you, in terrain that is smooth and rough. Even if you are in a different region, I will get to know you through your armour. O son! Your father, the god Bhanu Vibhavasu is fortunate. Through his divine eyesight, he will see you flowing down the river. Blessed is the woman who will adopt you as her son. You are the son of a god and when you are thirsty, you will drink milk at her breast. What kind of a dream must the woman, who will adopt you, have had? You are like Aditya in your radiance. You are clad in divine armour. You are adorned in divine earrings. Your eyes are long and wide, like a lotus. Your palms are coppery red, like a lotus. You have a beautiful forehead and beautiful hair. O son! Fortunate are the ones who will see you crawling around on the ground, uttering inarticulate words and covered in dust. O son! Fortunate are those who will see you become a youth, like a lion with a mane, in the forests of the Himalayas.” O king! Thus did Pritha piteously lament, in many ways, as she consigned the basket to the waters of the river Ashva, in the company of her nurse and at night. Overcome with grief for her son, the lotus-eyed one wept. Pritha yearned to see her son. She cast away the basket and returned again to the palace, overcome with grief, but frightened that her father might get to know.

  ‘The basket flowed from the river Ashva to the river Charmanvati, from Charmanvati to Yamuna and from there, it went to Ganga. The waves of the Ganga bore the son and the basket to the city of Champa, the habitation of charioteers. With divine armour and earrings that were created from amrita, the son was protected by the gods, because of what had been ordained by destiny.’

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  Vaishampayana said, ‘Dhritarashtra had a friend and he was a suta named Adhiratha. At that time, he went to the Jahnavi,31 together with his wife. O king! His wife was unrivalled on earth in her beauty. The immensely fortunate one was named Radha and she had no son, though she had undertaken special efforts to obtain offspring. She saw the basket floating along, as it willed. It was protected well and was beautiful with ribbons and a handle. The waves of the Jahnavi carried it near her. Driven by curiosity, the beautiful one grasped it. Then she told suta Adhiratha about this. He took the basket out of the water and used instruments to pry it open. Then he saw the boy there. With golden armour, he was as radiant as the morning sun. He had a beautiful face, adorned with radiant earrings. The suta, together with his wife, gazed, their eyes wide with wonder. He then took the boy onto his lap and spoke these words to his wife. “O timid one! O beautiful one! Since I have been born, I have not witnessed such a wonder. I think that a son of the gods has come to us. Since I have no offspring, I am certain that the gods have given me a son.” O lord of the earth! Speaking thus, he handed over the son to Radha. Radha then accepted that divine-looking son in accordance with the prescribed rites. This son of a god was beautiful and as splendid as the cup of a lotus.

  ‘She reared him appropriately and he grew up. He was brave. Since that time, she also gave birth to other sons. The boy was clad in expensive armour and wore golden earrings. On seeing this, the brahmanas gave him the name of Vasushena.32 Thus the infinitely valorous one came to be the son of a suta and was known by the name of Vasushena. The lord was also known as Vrisha. The suta’s eldest son grew up to be powerful in his limbs. Through a spy, Pritha got to know that he was clad in celestial armour. In due course, when suta Adhiratha saw that his son had grown up, he sent him to the city of Varanasahrya.33 There, he went to Drona to learn about weapons. The brave one became Duryodhana’s friend. Having obtained the four kinds of weapons from Drona, Kripa and Rama, he became famous in the world as a great archer.34 Having allied himself with Dhritarashtra’s son, he was engaged in enmity towards the Parthas. He always desired to fight with the great-souled Phalguna.35 O lord of the earth! Ever since they first saw each other, he competed with Arjuna and Arjuna competed with Karna. On seeing that he possessed earrings and was clad in armour, Yudhishthira thought that he was invincible in battle and was miserable. O Indra among kings! At noon, Karna used to worship the radiant sun, standing in the water and with his hands joined in salutation. Brahmanas who desired riches approached him then. At that time, there was nothing that he would refuse to brahmanas. Indra assumed the form of a brahmana and approached, saying, “Give me.” “You are welcome,” replied Radheya.’

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  Vaishampayana said, ‘On seeing the king of the gods disguised as a brahmana, Vrisha welcomed him, though he did not know what his intentions were. Adhiratha’s son asked the brahmana, “Beautiful maidens with golden throats or villages full of many enclosures of cattle—what will I give you?” The brahmana replied, “I do not wish for beautiful women with golden throats, or any other objects that heighten pleasure. Give these to those who desire them. O unblemished one! I desire your natural armour and earrings. If you are true to your vows, slice these off and give them to me. O scorcher of enemies! I desire that you give these to me swiftly. I think that this gain is superior to all the other gains.” Karna said, “O brahmana! I will give you habitable land, women, cows and rice for many years, but not my armour, together with the earrings.” O best of the Bharata lineage! Thus did Karna entreat the brahmana, with many different kinds of words. But he did not desire any other boon. When that supreme among brahmanas wished for no other boon, Radheya laughed and spoke to him again. “O brahmana! My natural armour and earrings have been created from amrita. Because of them, I cannot be slain in all the worlds. I will not part with them. O bull among brahmanas! Take this extensive kingdom on earth, peaceful and without any thorns. Accept them in a happy frame of mind. O supreme among brahmanas! Without my earrings and natural armour, I will become vulnerable before my enemies.” When the illustrious chastiser of Paka did not ask for any other boon, Karna laughed and again addressed these words to him. “O lord! O lord of the gods! I know who you are. O Shakra! It is not proper for me to give you a boon that will be in vain. You are the lord of the gods himself and it is you who should give me a boon, since you are the lord of all other beings and the creator of all beings. O god! If I give you my earrings and armour, I will be liable to be killed. O Shakra! You will become an object of ridicule. O Shakra! Therefore, take my earrings and supreme armour, if you so wish. But take them in exchange. Otherwise, I will not give them.” Shakra replied, “Ravi36 had earlier got to know about my intended arrival. There is no doubt that he has told you everything. O son! O Karna! Therefore, ask for what you want. With the exception of my vajra, you can ask for whatever else you wish.” At that, Karna happily approached Vasava.

  ‘Content in his mind, he asked for the invincible shakti. Karna said, “O Vasava! In exchange for my armour and earrings, give me the invincible shakti that kills large numbers of enemies on the field of battle.” O protector of the earth! For an instant, Vasava thought about this in his mind. With the spear in mind, he then spoke these words to Karna. “Give me the earrings and the armour from your body. O Karna! Take the shakti from me, but on one condition. When I am fighting with the daityas, this invincible shakti is released from my hand and having killed hundreds of enemies, returns again to my hand. O son of a suta! But in your hands, it will kill one powerful enemy who roars and blazes. Then, it will return to my hand.” Karna replied, “I wish to kill only one enemy37 in a great battle. He roars and blazes and is the source of fear for me.” Indra said, “You kill one roaring and
powerful enemy in battle. But the one you seek to kill is protected by a great-souled one who is known as the unvanquished boar,38 Hari and the inconceivable Narayana by those who are learned in the Vedas.” Karna replied, “O illustrious one! Nevertheless, give me the invincible shakti, capable of slaying one brave person, so that I can kill the powerful one. I will slice off the earrings and armour and give them to you. But after this, let my wounded limbs not look loathsome.” Indra said, “O Karna! You will never look loathsome. You do not utter a falsehood and your body will not be scarred. O supreme among eloquent ones! O Karna! You will again possess the complexion and energy of your father. Your complexion will again become like his. But if you unleash this invincible weapon in a fit of fury, when you possess other weapons, there is no doubt that it will descend on you.” Karna replied, “O Shakra! As you have told me, I will release Vasava’s weapon only when I confront supreme danger. I promise you this truthfully.” O lord of the earth! He then accepted the flaming shakti.

  ‘He grasped his sharp sword and began to cut up his entire body. On seeing Karna cut up his own body, the gods, humans, danavas and masses of siddhas began to roar, because despite the pain, there were no distortions on his face. Celestial drums were sounded and divine flowers were showered down from above, at the sight of Karna, the brave man, smiling repeatedly as he cut up his own body with the sword. Having sliced off the divine armour from his body, while it was still wet, he gave it to Vasava. Then he sliced off and gave the earrings. Because of this deed, Karna came to be known as Vaikartana.39 Shakra smiled at his deception, thinking that he had accomplished the objective of the Pandavas, and subsequently, soared up to heaven. However, he ensured Karna obtained fame in the world. Having heard that Karna had been deceived, all the sons of Dhritarashtra were miserable and their insolence was shattered. But on learning about the state that the son of the suta had been reduced to, the Parthas were happy in the forest.’

  Janamejaya asked, ‘Where did the brave Pandavas reside? How did they learn about these glad tidings? What did they do when the twelve years had passed? O illustrious one! Tell me everything about all this.’

  Vaishampayana said, ‘Having defeated Saindhava40 and got Krishna back and having heard the ancient and detailed accounts about gods and rishis from Markandeya, they left Kamyaka hermitage with the brahmanas. With all their chariots, servants, cooks and supervisors of the kitchen, the brave ones among men went to the sacred Dvaitavana, after having completed their entire dreadful stay in the forest.’

  Section Forty-Four

  Araneya Parva

  This parva has 191 shlokas and five chapters.

  Chapter 592(295): 17 shlokas

  Chapter 593(296): 43 shlokas

  Chapter 594(297): 74 shlokas

  Chapter 595(298): 28 shlokas

  Chapter 596(299): 29 shlokas

  Arani means wood used for kindling and this parva is named after that. Requested by a brahmana whose kindling has been lost, the Pandavas pursue a deer. Failing to answer a yaksha’s questions, Nakula, Sahadeva, Arjuna and Bhima are killed, but are restored to life when Yudhishthira answers the yaksha’s questions correctly.

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  Janamejaya asked, ‘They experienced great sorrow when their wife was abducted. What did the Pandavas do when they obtained Krishna back?’

  Vaishampayana said, ‘They suffered supreme distress when Krishna was abducted. Together with his brothers, the undecaying king1 left Kamyaka. Yudhishthira again went to beautiful Dvaitavana. They went towards Markandeya’s beautiful hermitage, where there were succulent roots and fruit. O descendant of the Bharata lineage! All the Pandavas began to reside there with Krishna, controlled in their vows and living frugally on a diet of fruit. While Kunti’s sons, King Yudhishthira, Bhimasena, Arjuna and the two Pandavas who were Madri’s sons lived in Dvaitavana, those scorchers of enemies, with dharma in their souls, devoted to brahmanas and rigid in their vows, experienced a great calamity that eventually ended in happiness. While Ajatashatru2 was seated with his brothers in the forest, a brahmana swiftly approached and sorrowfully spoke these words to him. “I left my kindling and the churning rod3 against a tree. But they stuck to the antlers of a deer that rubbed itself against it. O king! The great deer rushed away at great speed from the hermitage, using giant leaps. O king! Swiftly follow the footprints of that great deer. O Pandavas! Bring those back to me, so that my agnihotra is not spoilt.” On hearing the words of the brahmana, Yudhishthira felt sorry. Kounteya grasped his bow and left with his brothers. For the sake of the brahmana, all those archers and bulls among men prepared themselves and swiftly dashed after the deer. The Pandavas saw the deer at a short distance and hurled barbed arrows, hollow arrows and iron arrows at it. But the maharathas could not pierce it. While they were trying in this way, the great deer disappeared. On seeing the deer disappear, those intelligent ones were exhausted and sorry. In that dense forest, they sought shelter under the cool shade of a banyan tree. Their limbs were sore with hunger and thirst and they seated themselves. O descendant of the Kuru lineage! When they were seated, Nakula spoke to his eldest brother, with a heavy heart and lack of patience. “Dharma has never been given up in our lineage. Nor have objectives been lost through laziness. We are superior to all beings. O king! Why has this disaster befallen us again?”’

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  ‘Yudhishthira said, “There are no limits to misfortune. Nor effects or causes. Dharma distributes it, depending on merits and demerits.”

  ‘Bhima said, “The attendant dragged Krishna into the assembly hall like a servant. There is no doubt that we are confronted with this calamity because I did not kill him then.”

  ‘Arjuna said, “I tolerated the extremely harsh words spoken by the suta’s son, which penetrated the bones. There is no doubt that we are confronted with this calamity because of that.”

  ‘Sahadeva said, “O descendant of the Bharata lineage! There is no doubt that we are confronted with this calamity because I did not kill Shakuni when he defeated you at the game of dice.”’

  Vaishampayana said, ‘Then King Yudhishthira spoke these words to Nakula. “O Madri’s son! Climb a tree and look in the ten directions. Look for water that is nearby, or trees that grow near water. O son!4 Your brothers are exhausted and thirsty.” Following these words, Nakula swiftly climbed a tree. After looking in all the directions, he told his eldest brother, “O king! I can see many trees that grow near water. I can hear the cries of cranes. There is no doubt that there is water somewhere here.” Kunti’s son Yudhishthira, steadfast in his truth, then told him, “O peaceful one! Swiftly go and fetch some water.” On his eldest brother’s instructions, Nakula agreed and quickly rushed towards the place where the water was. He saw the crystal clear water, surrounded by cranes. Just as he was about to drink it, a voice was heard from heaven. “O son!5 Do not be foolish enough to do this. I have obtained possession of this earlier. O Madri’s son! Answer my question. You can then drink it and take it.” But Nakula was very thirsty and ignored these words. He drank the cool water. Having drunk it, he collapsed and fell down. When Nakula did not return for a long time, Kunti’s son Yudhishthira told his brave brother Sahadeva, the scorcher of enemies. “O Sahadeva! Your brother has been gone for a long time. He is your immediate elder. Go and fetch your brother. Bring water too.” On hearing these words, Sahadeva proceeded in that direction. He saw his brother Nakula, lying down dead on the ground. He was sorely tormented at the sight of his brother. But he was oppressed by thirst. He rushed towards the water and the voice spoke these words. “O son!6 Do not be foolish enough to do this. I have obtained possession of this earlier. Answer my question. You can then drink it and take it, as you wish.” But Sahadeva was very thirsty and ignored these words. He drank the cool water. Having drunk it, he collapsed and fell down.

  ‘Then Kunti’s son Yudhishthira spoke to Vijaya.7 “O Bibhatsu! O destroyer of enemies! Your brothers have been gone for a long time. O fortunate one! Go and bring them and t
he water.” At these words, Gudakesha grasped his bow and arrows. The intelligent one grasped his unsheathed sword and proceeded towards the lake. Shvetavahana saw his brothers, the tigers among men who had gone to fetch water, lying down dead on the ground. On seeing them, as if asleep, Kounteya, lion among men, was extremely distressed. He raised his bow and looked around in the forest. Savyasachi could not see any beings in that great forest. He was exhausted and rushed towards the water. As he rushed towards it, the voice was heard from the sky. “Why are you approaching? You will not be able to drink the water by force. O Kounteya! O descendant of the Bharata lineage! If you are able to answer my questions, you will be able to drink the water and take it.” Having been thus restrained, Partha said, “Show yourself and then restrain me. You will not be able to speak again in this fashion when my arrows pierce you.” Saying this, Partha invoked his arrows with mantras. He displayed his skill at shooting arrows targeted at sound, enveloping the directions. O bull among the Bharata lineage! He unleashed many showers of barbed arrows, hollow arrows and iron arrows towards the sky.