The Bhagavata Purana 1

by Bibek Debroy

  Chapter 1(13)

  Suta said, ‘Having been on a visit to tirthas, Vidura got to know about the atman’s destination from Maitreya. 286 Having thus satisfied his wishes, he went to Hastinapura. In Kousharava’s 287 presence, Kshatta 288 asked questions. However, when devotion towards Govinda was generated in him, he ceased. With his younger brothers, Dhritarashtra, Yuyutsu, suta, 289 Sharadvata 290 and Pritha, Dharma’s son saw that his relative had arrived. O brahmana! Gandhari, Droupadi, Subhadra, Uttara, Kripi, many other women from Pandu’s lineage, and relatives, with their sons and wives, were also there. They approached him with delight, as if life had returned to their bodies. They approached him in the proper way, embracing and greeting him. They were anxious and suffering, separated from him and shed tears of affection. After he had seated himself, the king offered him the signs of respect. He ate and rested and was happily seated on his seat. In the presence of those who heard, the king started to ask him questions.

  ‘Yudhishthira asked, “Do you remember how we grew up under your shadow and how you protected us? With our mother, you saved us from dangers like poison and fire. How did you maintain yourself when you roamed around the surface of the earth? On this earth, which are the tirthas and kshetras you visited? 291 O lord! A devotee like you is himself a tirtha. With the wielder of the mace inside you, you yourself make a tirtha a true tirtha. O father! 292 What about our well-wishers, the relatives of the divinity Krishna? Did you see, or hear about, the Yadavas? Are they happily residing in their own city?”

  Suta said, ‘Thus addressed by Dharmaraja, he described everything in due order, as he had experienced it. But he left out the destruction of the Yadu lineage. 293 He was unable to tolerate anything that was disagreeable to men. That incident was miserable and impossible to behold. It presented itself. Out of pity, he did not state it. He was honoured like a god and brought happiness to everyone. He ensured the welfare of his elder brother 294 and resided there for some time. Yama was cursed that he would be a shudra for one hundred years. 295 During that time, Aryama used the appropriate rod of chastisement on those who committed crimes. 296 Yudhishthira obtained his kingdom and saw his grandson, 297 who would bear the burden of the lineage. With his brothers, who were like guardians of the world, he was delighted in his supreme prosperity. There are those who are maddened, excessively attached to homes and desires of this world. However, time is extremely difficult to cross and creeps in, unnoticed.

  ‘Discerning this, Vidura spoke to Dhritarashtra. “O king! Behold. The fear has arrived. Leave quickly. O lord! In this world, there is no counter to this. This illustrious time has come before all of us. Overcome by this, people have to immediately give up their beloved lives, not to speak of things like riches. Your father, brother, well-wishers and sons have been killed. Age has passed. You yourself have been overcome by old age and are residing in another person’s house. Alas! The desire to remain alive is extremely great in a living being like you. Like a domesticated animal, you are accepting scraps of food flung towards you by Bhima. Fire was applied to them. They were given poison. Their wife was abused. Their dominion and riches were seized. How can you subsist on what they give? Despite this, like a miserable person, you wish to remain alive. Even though you do not desire it, like an old garment, your body will decay. If a person abandons selfish motives, is detached and free from bondage and gives up this body, heading for an unknown destination, he is said to be unperturbed. The best among men is a person who learns on his own or from others, becoming indifferent and realizing the atman. With Hari in his heart, he departs from his residence. Therefore, leave for the northern direction, without letting your relatives know where you have gone. After this, time, which destroys qualities in men, will arrive.” Thus King Ajamidha’s 298 insight of wisdom was awoken by his younger brother, Vidura. Firm, he severed the bonds of affection towards his relatives. As instructed by his brother, he left. When her husband left, Subala’s virtuous daughter, 299 devoted to her husband, followed him to the Himalayas. Unlike those who strike, virtuous and spirited ones find delight in casting aside the rod of chastisement. Ajatashatru performed the morning prayers 300 and offered oblations into the kindled fire. He gave sesamum seed, land and gold to brahmanas. When he entered the house to worship the seniors, he did not see his father and Subala’s daughter.

  ‘He was anxious in his mind. Sanjaya was seated there and he asked, “O Gavalgana’s son! 301 Where is our aged father, who doesn’t possess eyesight? Where is our mother, afflicted by grief on account of her sons? Where has our uncle and well-wisher 302 gone? I am ungrateful and have killed my relatives. As one who has committed a crime, has he suspected me? With his wife, has he submerged himself in the Ganga? After our father, Pandu’s, downfall, all of us were children. We were without protection and faced hardships. These uncles and well-wishers protected us. Where have they gone from here?” Suta 303 was also afflicted by the separation, unable to see his own master. 304 He was bewildered, overcome by pity and affection. Suffering greatly, he could not reply. He wiped away the tears with his hands and found the steadiness within his own self. Remembering his master’s feet, he replied to Ajatashatru. Sanjaya said, “O delight of the lineage! O mighty-armed one! I do not know what the two fathers 305 have done. Those great-souled ones have deceived me as well.” At that time, the illustrious Narada came there with Tumburu. 306 With his younger brothers, he arose and greeted and worshipped the sage. Yudhishthira said, “O illustrious one! I do not know where my fathers have gone. My mother is afflicted by grief on account of her sons. Where has that ascetic lady gone? O illustrious one! This is very difficult to cross and you are like a helmsman. You can show us the other shore.”

  ‘The illustrious Narada, supreme among sages, started to speak. “O king! Do not grieve. The entire universe is under the lord’s control. The world and its guardians bear the lord’s burden. He is the one who engages beings and disengages them. Cows are tethered with a string around the noose and bound with ropes. They bear the lord’s burden. They are bound and addressed by different names. A person playing a game engages and disengages the pieces according to his wishes. Like that, the lord plays with humans. Whether you think objects in this world are permanent, impermanent, or both, out of affection that results from delusion, you should not grieve. O dear one! Therefore, give up this lassitude that results from ignorance about your own self. ‘Without me, how will those miserable ones subsist without a protector?’ This body is made out of five elements and is controlled by time, deeds and qualities. It is as if one is being devoured by a snake. How can a person offer protection to another? Those without hands are subsistence for those with hands. 307 Those without feet are subsistence for quadrupeds. 308 Those who are weak are subsistence for those who are strong. One living being is subsistence for another living being. O king! The illustrious one is one and himself holds everything up through his atman. He shines, inside and outside. Behold his maya, resulting in different forms. O great king! The illustrious one, the creator of all beings, has descended in the form of time, to ensure the destruction of the enemies of the gods. He has performed the task of the gods and is waiting for what remains to be done. As long as the lord is in this world, you need to wait and watch. With his brother and his wife, Gandhari, Dhritarashtra has gone to the southern slope of the Himalayas, to the hermitage of the rishis. The place is known as Saptasrota. 309 To please the seven, 310 the seven flows of the heavenly river 311 were divided into seven streams there. There, he will bathe constantly. 312 Following the ordinances, he will offer oblations into the fire. He will subsist on water and control his atman. He will free himself from all desire. He will control his posture and control his breath. He will withdraw his six senses. 313 Immersing himself in thoughts of Hari, he will cleanse taints associated with rajas and tamas. He will engage in knowledge about the atman and merge into the supreme. With his atman in the reservoir of the brahman, it is like the space inside a pot merging into broader space. He will destroy t
he results of all qualities associated with maya. He will stop everything that results from action. He will withdraw from all kinds of food. He will be as immobile as a pillar. He will abandon all action and you should not become an impediment to him. O king! On the fifth day from today, he will give up his body for the hereafter and it will be reduced to ashes. In the cottage, the body of the husband will be burnt down in a fire. 314 Standing outside, the virtuous wife will see the fire and follow her husband into the fire. O descendant of the Kuru lineage! Vidura will hear about this wonderful account. Therefore, filled with joy and sorrow, he will go and visit the tirthas.” Having said this, with Tumburu, Narada ascended to heaven. Yudhishthira’s heart accepted his words and he cast aside all sorrow.’

  Chapter 1(14)

  Suta said, ‘Jishnu went to Dvaraka, wishing to see his friend and relatives and to know what Punyashloka 315 Krishna would do. Several months passed, but Arjuna did not return. The extender of the Kuru lineage 316 witnessed portents that were terrible in form. The progress of time became terrible and the natural advent of the seasons turned contrary. Men became wicked in conduct and were full of anger, greed and falsehood. Even among well-wishers, transactions were generally characterized by deceit, mixed with fraud. There was dissension between fathers, mothers, well-wishers, brothers, and husband and wife. In the course of time, people became naturally prone to avarice and other kinds of adharma. On witnessing these inauspicious portents, the king spoke to his younger brother. 317

  ‘Yudhishthira said, “Jishnu was sent to Dvaraka because he wished to see his relatives and to find out what Punyashloka Krishna would do. O Bhimasena! Seven months have passed, but your younger brother has not returned. I do not know the true reason for this. Has the time the devarshi 318 told us about arrived, when the illustrious one desires to cast aside his body, which he had himself assumed in his pastimes? Our prosperity, kingdom, wives, lineage, subjects, victory over the enemy and the worlds are because of his favours. O tiger among men! Behold the terrible omens in heaven, the earth and our bodies. They are confounding our intelligence and telling us that fear is not very far away. My thigh, eye and arm are repeatedly quivering. 319 My heart is trembling. These signify something disagreeable. This female jackal is howling in the direction of the sun and its mouth is vomiting fire. O dear one! Without any fear, this dog is barking at me. O tiger among men! Auspicious animals are passing me on the left, while the others are passing me on the right. On seeing me, my mounts seem to be weeping. This pigeon is a messenger of death. This owl is making my mind tremble. The owl’s rival 320 is shrieking, as if it wishes to render everything empty. The directions are covered in smoke. The earth, with its mountains, is quaking. O son! 321 There is a great storm, with the sound of thunder. A wind harsh to the touch is blowing. Dust is creating darkness. In every direction, the clouds are showering down blood, creating terror. Behold. The sun has lost its splendour. In the sky, the planets are fighting amongst themselves. The area between heaven and earth seems to be full of large numbers of blazing demons. The calves are not sucking at the udders. The mothers are not yielding milk. With their faces full of tears, the cows are weeping. The bulls are no longer happy in the pastures. The images of the gods seem to be weeping, perspiring and moving. The countryside, villages, cities, gardens, mines and hermitages have lost their prosperity and are cheerless. What futility is it displaying to us? Indeed, because of these great portents, I think that the earth will be robbed of its good fortune and prosperity. It will lose this unique being and the illustrious one’s feet.”’

  Suta said, ‘O brahmana! Witnessing these ominous signs, this is what the king thought in his mind. At that time, the one with the ape on his banner 322 returned from the city of the Yadus. He fell down at his feet and this kind of affliction had never occurred earlier. His face was downcast and tears descended from his lotus eyes. On seeing that his younger brother was like a shadow, the king was anxious in his heart. He remembered what Narada had said. In the midst of the well-wishers, he asked him.

  ‘Yudhishthira asked, “In the city of the Anartas, are our relatives, Madhus, Bhojas, Dasharhas, Arhas, Satvatas, Andhakas and Vrishnis, residing happily? Is my revered maternal grandfather, Shura, 323 well? Is my maternal uncle, Anakadundubhi, 324 well, along with his younger brothers? His seven wives, our aunts, are sisters. With Devaki as the foremost, are they hale? Are their sons and daughters-in-law well? Are King Ahuka, 325 whose son was wicked, and his younger brother alive? What about Hridika and his son, Akrura, Jayanta, Gada and Sarana? 326 Are Shatrujit and the others well? Are Rama and the illustrious lord of the Satvatas well? Is Pradyumna, a maharatha among the Vrishnis, happy? Is the deep and dexterous Aniruddha, the illustrious one’s descendant, growing up? Are Sushena, Charudeshna, Samba, Jambavati’s son, and the other bulls among the foremost of Krishna’s sons well, along with their sons? What about Shouri’s followers, Shrutadeva, Uddhava, Sunanda, Nanda and the others and other foremost bulls among the Satvatas? Are all those who seek refuge in the arms of Rama and Krishna well? Bound to us in affection, do they remember our welfare? The illustrious Govinda is devoted to brahmanas and his devotees. Surrounded by his well-wishers, is he happy in the city, in Sudharma? 327 For the welfare of the people and the benefit of the earth, the original being has resided in the ocean that is the lineage of the Yadus, along with Ananta’s friend. 328 He has dwelt in his own city, worshipped by the Yadus, who have been protected by the rod of chastisement exerted by his arms. Like great beings, they have sported in great delight. There were sixteen thousand women, Satya 329 and the others. Their foremost task was to serve at his feet. In a battle, he defeated the residents of heaven and seized that which the wives of the wielder of the vajra enjoyed. 330 The foremost among the Yadus sustained their lives on the basis of the rod of chastisement his arms exercised. They could stride in the assembly hall known as Sudharma, deserved by the best among the gods, which had been seized through force. O son! 331 Tell me if you are well. To me, your radiance seems to have lost its energy. O son! Because you resided there for a long time, were you dishonored and ignored? Were you struck by inauspicious sentiments and words? After having taken a pledge, were you unable to give a suppliant what he wished for? Were you unable to give protection to a brahmana, a child, a cow, an aged person, a diseased person, a woman or some other living being who sought refuge? Did you have intercourse with someone you shouldn’t have had intercourse with? Have you shown disrespect to a woman? Along the road, were you defeated by someone who was an equal or an inferior? Have you eaten while ignoring the aged and children who deserved to be fed? Have you committed a reprehensible and unpardonable deed? He was the beloved person in your heart. Do you think that you are without a protector and everything is empty because you are separated from him? There can be no other reason for this dejection.”’

  Chapter 1(15)

  Suta said, ‘In this way, the king who was his brother speculated, based on many kinds of doubts and spoke to the Krishna 332 who was Krishna’s friend and was afflicted by grief at being separated from Krishna. His face was dry with grief. Like a plucked lotus, he had lost his radiance. Remembering the lord, he was incapable of saying anything in reply. He controlled his sorrow with great difficulty. He wiped his eyes with his hands. Since the object of his affection was absent, he became increasingly anxious and miserable. He remembered the friend, companion, well-wisher and charioteer. In a voice that choked with tears, he spoke to his elder brother, the king.

  ‘Arjuna said, “O great king! I have been deceived by Hari, who appeared in the form of a friend. He is the one who has deprived me of my great energy, which astounded even the gods. Separation from him, even for an instant, makes all the worlds unpleasant to see. It is just as a person without the breath of life, who is spoken of as dead. At the forefront of the svayamvara, there were kings who had arrived in Drupada’s house, impossible to crush because of their desire. It is by resorting to him that I robbed them of their energy and was able t
o strike the fish, stringing my bow and winning Krishna. 333 It was because of his presence that I was able to quickly defeat Indra and large numbers of immortals and bestow Khandava on Agni. 334 I obtained the assembly hall fashioned by Maya, 335 extraordinary in artisanship because of his maya. That is where kings assembled from all the directions and offered tributes to you. O noble one! It is through his energy that your younger brother 336 possessed the spirit and valour of ten thousand elephants. For the sake of a great sacrifice, there was one 337 who placed his feet on the heads of kings. He abducted these kings for a sacrifice to the lord of the pramathas. 338 He killed him and released them 339 and they offered tributes to you. On the occasion of the great sacrifice for the consecration, your wife’s hair was braided. That beautiful braid of hair was praiseworthy and was touched and dragged by the deceitful ones in the assembly hall. With tears flowing from her face, she fell down at his 340 feet. It was he who killed them and their women had loosened hair. 341 He protected us from an extremely dangerous calamity in the forest. Plotted by the enemy, Durvasa, who should eat first, arrived with ten thousand disciples. 342 He ate the leftover vegetables and the three worlds were satisfied. While their bodies were submerged in the water, they thought that they were also satisfied. It is through his energy that I could surprise the illustrious wielder of the trident 343 and the daughter of the mountain 344 in an encounter and he gave me his own weapon. 345 I reached the great Indra’s residence in my physical body. I obtained half of his throne and weapons from others. O Ajamidha! While I resided there, the gods used the power of my arms, marked with imprints left by Gandiva, to slay the enemies of the gods. He is the one who made it possible for Indra to find support in me. Today, I am deprived of that supreme Purusha. The army of the Kurus was like an impassable and spirited ocean. It was because of his friendship that I was able to cross it, alone on a chariot. I seized a lot of riches that belonged to the enemy. I robbed them of their energy and seized the bejewelled diadems from their heads. That large array had Bhishma, Karna, the preceptor 346 and Shalya. There were other noble kings in a circle of chariots. O lord! He proceeded ahead of me and through his glance, robbed the leaders among the charioteers of their minds, lifespans and energy. The weapons of the asuras could not touch Nrihari’s servant. 347 In that way, great weapons that were invincible in form were unleashed on me by the preceptor, Bhishma, Karna, Drona’s son, Trigarta, 348 Shalya, Saindhava, 349 Bahlika and others. But they could not harm me. He is the lord who delivered me. It is through evil intelligence that I engaged him as a charioteer. Those who are fortunate worship his lotus feet so that they are not born again. When my mounts were exhausted, I descended from the chariot on to the ground. 350 My mind was distracted and it is through his favours that the enemy could not strike me. O lord of men! His words were generous, adorned with a sweet smile. In sport, he addressed me as, ‘O Partha! O Arjuna! O friend! O descendant of the Kuru lineage!’ That conversation touched my heart. On remembering Madhava’s words, my heart is overwhelmed. We slept, sat, walked, conversed, ate and did other things together. Truly, evil in intelligence, I misbehaved with him. But like a friend unto a friend and a father unto a son, in his great glory and affection, he pardoned all this. O Indra among men! I am now separated from Purushottama. He was my beloved friend and well-wisher and my heart is empty. I was protecting the bodies of Urukrama’s wives. However, like a woman, I was defeated by wicked cowherds. 351 I have the same bow and arrows, the same chariot and horses. I am the same charioteer to whom the kings bowed down. But in an instant, without him, all that became useless, like oblations rendered into ashes, the act of a juggler, or sowing seeds on barren land. O king! You asked about our well-wishers in the city of well-wishers. Because of the curse of brahmanas, they slew each other with their fists. Having drunk varuni liquor, their minds were maddened and intoxicated and they did not recognize each other. Only four or five are left. It is almost as if this was a deed done by the illustrious lord. Sometimes, creatures kill each other and sometimes, they protect each other. O king! In the water, large aquatic creatures swallow smaller ones. The large and the strong eat the weak and the feeble. Thus, the lord made strong Yadavas kill others and made the Yadavas kill each other. In the past too, he reduced the burden of the earth in this way. I remember the words spoken to me by Govinda, full of meaning that was appropriate to the time and the place. As I remember them, my torment is extinguished and my mind is enchanted.”’