The Sanskrit Epics

by Delphi Classics

  “Bhishma said, ‘O mighty-armed one, it is even so, O Bharata, as thou sayest. But the Pandavas are as dear to me as ye yourselves. Therefore, O king, I should certainly seek their good as well, although I shall certainly fight for thee, having given thee a pledge (before) to that effect. I do not see the warrior on earth that is equal to me, except that tiger among men, Dhananjaya, the son of Kunti. Endued with great intelligence, he is conversant with innumerable celestial weapons. That son of Pandu, however, will never fight with me openly. With the power of my weapons, I can, in a trice, destroy this universe consisting of gods, Asuras, Rakshasas, and human beings. The sons of Pandu, however, O king, are incapable of being exterminated by me. I shall, therefore, slay every day ten thousand warriors. If, indeed, they do not slay me in battle first, I will continue to slaughter their forces thus. There is another understanding on which I may willingly become the commander of thy forces. It behoveth thee to listen to that. O lord of earth, either Karna should fight first, or I will fight first. The Suta’s son always boasts of his prowess in battle, comparing it with mine.’

  “Karna said, ‘As long as Ganga’s son liveth, O king, I shall never fight. After Bhishma is slain, I shall fight with the wielder of Gandiva.’”

  Vaisampayana continued, “After this, Dhritarashtra’s son duly made Bhishma the commander of his force, distributing large presents. And after his installation in the command, he blazed forth with beauty. And at the king’s behest, musicians cheerfully played upon drums and blew conchs by hundreds and thousands. And numerous leonine roars were sent forth and all the animals in the camp uttered their cries together. And although the sky was cloudless, a bloody shower fell and made the ground miry. And fierce whirl-winds, and earthquakes, and roars of elephants, occurring, depressed the hearts of all the warriors. Incorporeal voices and flashes of meteoric falls were heard and seen in the welkin. And jackals, howling fiercely, foreboded great calamity. And, O monarch, these and a hundred other kinds of fierce portents made their appearance when the king installed Ganga’s son in the command of his troops. And after making Bhishma — that grinder of hostile hosts — his general, and having also caused by abundant gifts of kine and gold to the Brahmanas to pronounce benedictions on him, and glorified by those benedictions, and surrounded by his troops, and with Ganga’s son in the van, and accompanied by his brothers, Duryodhana marched to Kurukshetra with his large host. And the Kuru king, going over the plain with Karna in his company, caused his camp to be measured out on a level part, O monarch, of that plain. And the camp, pitched on a delightful and fertile spot abounding with grass and fuel, shone like Hastinapura itself.”

  SECTION CLVIII

  JANAMEJAYA SAID, “WHEN Yudhishthira heard that Bhishma, the high-souled son of Ganga, the foremost of all wielders of weapons, the grandsire of the Bharatas, the head of all the kings, the rival of Vrihaspati in intellect, resembling the ocean in gravity, the mountains of Himavat in calmness, the Creator himself in nobleness, and the sun in energy, and capable of slaying hostile hosts like great Indra himself by showering his arrows, was installed, till his removal by death, in the command of the Kuru army on the eve of the great sacrifice of battle, terrific in its mien and capable of making one’s hairs stand on their ends, what did that mighty-armed son of Pandu, that foremost of wielders of weapons, say? What also did Bhima and Arjuna say? And what too did Krishna say?”

  Vaisampayana said, “When news was received of this, Yudhishthira endued with great intelligence and well-acquainted with what should be done in view of dangers and calamities summoned all his brothers and also the eternal Vasudeva (to his presence). And that foremost of speakers then said in a mild voice, ‘Make your rounds among the soldiers, and remain carefully, casing yourselves in mail. Our first encounter will be with our grandsire. Look ye for (seven) leaders for the seven Akshauhinis of my troops.’

  “Krishna said, ‘Those words of grave import, which, O bull of the Bharata race, it behoveth thee to utter on an occasion like this, have, indeed, been uttered by thee. Even this, O mighty armed one, is what I also like. Let therefore, that be done which should be done next. Let, indeed, seven leaders be selected for thy army.’”

  Vaisampayana continued, “Summoning then those warriors eager for battle, viz., Drupada and Virata, and that bull of Sini’s race, and Dhrishtadyumna the prince of Panchala, and king Dhrishtaketu, and prince Shikhandi of Panchala, and Sahadeva, the ruler of the Magadhas, Yudhishthira duly appointed them in the command of his seven divisions. And above them all was placed in command of all the troops that Dhrishtadyumna who had sprung from the blazing (sacrificial) fire for the destruction of Drona. And Dhananjaya, of curly hair, was made the leader of all those high-souled leaders. And handsome Janardana endued with great intelligence, he who was the younger brother of Sankarshana, was chosen as the guide of Arjuna and the driver of his steeds.

  “And beholding that a very destructive battle was about to take place, there came, O king, into the Pandava encampment, Halayudha, accompanied by Akrura, and Gada and Samva, and Uddhava, and Rukmini’s son (Pradyumna), and Ahuka’s sons, and Charudeshna, and others. And surrounded and guarded by those foremost warriors of the Vrishni race, resembling a herd of mighty tigers, like Vasava in the midst of the Maruts, the mighty-armed and handsome Rama, attired in garments of blue silk and resembling the peak of the Kailasa mountain, and endued with the sportive gait of the lion and possessed of eyes having their ends reddened with drink, came there (at such a time). And beholding him, king Yudhishthira the Just, and Kesava of great effulgence, and Pritha’s son Vrikodara of terrible deeds, and (Arjuna) the wielder of Gandiva, and all the other kings that were, rose from their seats. And they all offered worship unto Halayudha as he came to that place. And the Pandava king touched Rama’s hands with his own. And that chastiser of foes, Halayudha, in return, accosting them all with Vasudeva at their head, and saluting (respectfully) both Virata and Drupada who were senior in years, sat down on the same seat with Yudhishthira. And after all the kings had taken their seats, Rohini’s son, casting his eyes on Vasudeva, began to speak. And he said, ‘This fierce and terrible slaughter is inevitable. It is, without doubt, a decree of fate, and I think that it cannot be averted. Let me hope, however, to behold all of you, with your friends, come safely out of this strife, with sound bodies and perfectly hale. Without doubt, all the Kshatriyas of the world that are assembled together have their hour come. A fierce melee covering with a mire of flesh and blood is sure to take place. I said unto Vasudeva repeatedly in private, “O slayer of Madhu, unto those that bear equal relationship to us, observe thou an equal behaviour. As are the Pandavas to us, even so is king Duryodhana. Therefore, give him also the same aid.” Indeed, he repeatedly soliciteth it. For thy sake, however, the slayer of Madhu regarded not my words. Looking at Dhananjaya, he hath with his whole heart, been devoted to your cause. Even this is what I certainly think, viz., that the victory of the Pandavas is sure, for Vasudeva’s wish, O Bharata, is even so. As regards myself, I dare not cast my eyes on the world without Krishna (on my side). It is for this that I follow whatever Krishna seeketh to achieve. Both of these heroes, well-skilled in encounter with the mace, are my disciples. My affection, therefore, for Bhima is equal to that for king Duryodhana. For these reasons, I shall now repair to the tirtha of the Saraswati for ablutions, for I shall not be able to behold with indifference the destruction of the Kauravas.’

  “Having said this, the mighty-armed Rama, obtaining the leave of the Pandavas, and making the slayer of Madhu desist (from following him farther), set out on his journey for the sacred waters.”

  SECTION CLIX

  VAISAMPAYANA SAID, “ABOUT this time, there came into the Pandava camp Bhishmaka’s son, foremost among all persons of truthful resolution, and known widely by the name of Rukmi. The high-souled Bhishmaka, who was otherwise called king Hiranyaroman, was the friend of Indra. And he was most illustrious among the descendants of Bhoja and was the ruler of the whole southern country
. And Rukmi was a disciple of that lion among the Kimpurushas who was known by the name of Drona, having his abode on the mountains of Gandhamadana. And he had learnt from his preceptor the whole science of weapons with its four divisions. And that mighty-armed warrior had obtained also the bow named Vijaya of celestial workmanship, belonging to the great Indra, and which was equal to Gandiva in energy and to also Sarnga (held by Krishna). There were three celestial bows owned by the denizens of heaven, viz., Gandiva owned by Varuna, the bow called Vijaya owned by Indra, and that other celestial bow of great energy said to have been owned by Vishnu. This last (Sarnga), capable of striking fear into the hearts of hostile warriors, was held by Krishna. The bow called Gandiva was obtained by Indra’s son (Arjuna) from Agni on the occasion of the burning of Khandava, while the bow called Vijaya was obtained from Drona by Rukmi of great energy. Baffling the nooses of Mura and slaying by his might that Asura, and vanquishing Naraka, the son of the Earth, Hrishikesa, while recovering the begemmed ear-rings (of Aditi), with sixteen thousand girls and various kinds of jewels and gems, obtained that excellent bow called Sarnga. And Rukmi having obtained the bow called Vijaya whose twang resembled the roar of the clouds came to the Pandavas, as if inspiring the whole universe with dread. Formerly, proud of the might of his own arms, the heroic Rukmi could not tolerate the ravishment of his sister Rukmini by wise Vasudeva. He had set out in pursuit, having sworn that he would not return without having slain Janardana. And accompanied by a large army consisting of four kinds of forces that occupied (as it marched) a very large portion of the earth, accoutred in handsome coats of mail and armed with diverse weapons and resembling the swollen current of the Ganga, that foremost of all wielders of weapons set out in pursuit of Vasudeva of Vrishni’s race. And having come up to him of Vrishni’s race who was lord and master of everything obtainable by ascetic austerities, Rukmi, O king, was vanquished and covered with shame. And for this he returned not to (his city) Kundina. And on the spot where that slayer of hostile heroes was vanquished by Krishna, he built an excellent city named Bhojakata. And, O king, that city filled with large forces and teeming with elephants and steeds, is widely known on the earth by that name. Endued with great energy, that hero, cased in mail and armed with bows, fences, swords and quivers, quickly entered the Pandava camp, surrounded by an Akshauhini of troops. And Rukmi entered that vast army, under a standard effulgent as the sun, and made himself known to the Pandavas, from desire of doing what was agreeable to Vasudeva. King Yudhishthira, advancing a few steps, offered him worship. And duly worshipped and eulogised by the Pandavas, Rukmi saluted them in return and rested for a while with his troops. And addressing Dhananjaya, the son of Kunti in the midst of the heroes there assembled, he said, ‘If, O son of Pandu, thou art afraid, I am here to render thee assistance in the battle. The assistance I will give thee will be unbearable by thy foes. There is no man in this world who is equal to me in prowess. I will slay those foes of thine whom thou, O son of Pandu, wilt assign to me. I will slay one of those heroes, viz., Drona and Kripa, and Bhishma, and Karna. Or, let all these kings of the earth stand aside. Slaying in battle thy foes myself, I will give thee Earth.’ And he said this in the presence of king Yudhishthira the Just and of Kesava and in the hearing of the (assembled) monarchs and all others (in the camp). Then casting his eyes on Vasudeva and Pandu’s son king Yudhishthira the Just, Dhananjaya the intelligent son of Kunti smilingly but in a friendly voice said these words, ‘Born in the race of Kuru, being especially the son of Pandu, naming Drona as my preceptor, having Vasudeva for my ally, and bearing, besides the bow called Gandiva, how can I say that I am afraid? O hero, when on the occasion of the tale of cattle, I fought with the mighty Gandharvas, who was there to assist me? In that terrific encounter also with the Gods and Danavas banded together in great numbers at Khandava, who was my ally when I fought? When, again, I fought with the Nivatakavachas and with those other Danavas called Kalakeyas, who was my ally? When, again, at Virata’s city I fought with the numberless Kurus, who was my ally in that battle? Having paid my respects, for battle’s sake, to Rudra, Sakra, Vaisravana, Yama, Varuna, Pavaka, Kripa, Drona, and Madhava, and wielding that tough celestial bow of great energy called Gandiva, and accoutred with inexhaustible arrows and armed with celestial weapons, how can a person like me, O tiger among men, say, even unto Indra armed with the thunderbolt, such words as I am afraid! — words that rob one of all his fame? O thou of mighty arms, I am not afraid, nor have I any need of thy assistance. Go therefore, or stay, as it pleaseth or suiteth thee.’ Hearing these words of Arjuna, Rukmi taking away with him his army vast as the sea, repaired then, O bull of Bharata’s race, to Duryodhana. And king Rukmi, repairing thither, said the same words unto Duryodhana. But that king proud of his bravery, rejected him in the same way.

  “Thus, O king, two persons withdrew from the battle, viz., Rohini’s son (Rama) of Vrishni’s race and king Rukmi. And after Rama had set out on his pilgrimage to the tirthas, and Bhishmaka’s son Rukmi had departed thus, the sons of Pandu once more sat down for consulting with one another. And that conclave presided over by king Yudhishthira the Just, abounding with numerous monarchs, blazed forth like the firmament bespangled with lesser luminaries with the moon in their midst.”

  SECTION CLX

  JANAMEJAYA SAID, “AFTER the soldiers had been arrayed thus in order of battle (on the field of Kurukshetra), what, O bull among Brahmanas, did the Kauravas then do, urged as they were by destiny itself?”

  Vaisampayana said, “After the soldiers, O bull of the Bharata race, had been arrayed thus in order of battle, Dhritarashtra, O, king, said these words to Sanjaya.

  “Dhritarashtra said, ‘Come, O Sanjaya, tell me with the fullest details all that hath happened in the encampment of the Kuru and the Pandava troops. I regard destiny to be superior, and exertion useless, for although I understand the evil consequences of war that will lead only to ruin, still I am unable to restrain my son who rejoices in gambling and considers deceit to be wisdom. Understanding everything, I am not yet able to secure my own welfare. O Suta, my understanding is capable of seeing the defects (of measures), but when I approach Duryodhana, that understanding of mine turneth away (from that right path). When such is the case, O Sanjaya, that will be which must be. Indeed, the sacrifice of one’s corporeal body in battle is the laudable duty of every Kshatriya.’

  “Sanjaya said, ‘This question, O great king, that thou hast put, is indeed worthy of thee. It behoveth thee not, however, to impute entire fault to Duryodhana only. Listen to me, O king, as I speak of this exhaustively. That man who cometh by evil in consequence of his own misconduct, should never impute the fault to either time or the gods. O great king, he amongst men who perpetrateth every wicked act, deserveth to be slain in consequence of his perpetrating those acts. Afflicted with injuries in consequence of the match at dice, the sons of Pandu, however, with all their counsellors quietly bore all those injuries, looking up, O best of men, to thy face alone. Hear from me fully, O king, of the slaughter that is about to take place in battle, of steeds and elephants and kings endued with immeasurable energy. Hearing patiently, O thou that art endued with great wisdom, of the destruction of the world in the fierce battle that has been brought about, come to this conclusion and no other, viz., that man is never the agent of his acts right or wrong. Indeed, like a wooden machine, man is not an agent (in all he does). In this respect, three opinions are entertained; some say that everything is ordained by God; some say that our acts are the result of free-will; and others say that our acts are the result of those of our past lives. Listen then, therefore, with patience, to the evil that hath come upon us.’”

  SECTION CLXI

  (Uluka Dutagamana Parva)

  “SANJAYA SAID, ‘AFTER the high-souled Pandavas, O king, had encamped by the side of the Hiranwati, the Kauravas also fixed their camps. And king Duryodhana having strongly posted his troops and paid homage to all the kings (on his side) and planted outposts and bodies of soldiers for t
he protection of warriors, summoned those rulers of men, viz., Karna and Dussasana and Sakuni, the son of Suvala, and began, O Bharata, to consult with them. And king Duryodhana, O Bharata, having (first) consulted with Karna, and (next), O monarch, with Karna and his (own) brother Dussasana, and Suvala’s son all together, then summoned, O bull among men, Uluka and bringing him into his presence in private, told him, O king, these words, “O Uluka, O son of an adept at dice, repair thou unto the Pandavas and the Somakas. And repairing thither, repeat these my words (unto Yudhishthira) in the hearing of Vasudeva. That terrible battle between the Kurus and the Pandavas which had been expected from a long time back has at last come. Those boastful words which Sanjaya brought to me, in the midst of the Kurus and which thou hadst, with Vasudeva and thy younger brothers, uttered in deep roar, — the time, O son of Kunti, hath at last come for making them good. Do ye achieve, therefore, all which ye have pledged yourselves to achieve. Unto the eldest son of Kunti thou must say, as my words, the following, ‘Virtuous as thou art, how canst then, with all thy brothers, with the Somakas, and the Kekayas, set thy heart upon unrighteousness? How canst thou wish the destruction of the universe, when, as I think thou shouldst be the dispeller of the fears of all creatures. O bull of Bharata’s race, this sloka sung of old by Prahlada when his kingdom had been wrested from him by the gods, hath been heard by us, — Ye gods, that person whose standard of righteousness is always up, but whose sins are always concealed is said to adopt the behaviour of the cat (in the story).’ I will here repeat to thee, O king, this excellent story recited by Narada to my father. A wicked cat, O king, once on a time took up his abode on the banks of the Ganges, abandoning all work and with his hands upraised (after the manner of a devotee). Pretending to have purified his heart, he said unto all creatures these words, for inspiring confidence in them, viz., — I am now practising virtue. After a long time, all oviparous creatures reposed trust in him, and coming unto him all together, O monarch, they all applauded that cat. And worshipped by all feathery creatures, that devourer of feathery creatures, regarded his purpose already accomplished, as also the purpose of his austerities. And after some more time, the mice went to that place. And these also all beheld him to be a virtuous person engaged in the observance of vows, and proudly exerting himself in a grand act. And having arrived at that settled conviction, they entertained the following wish, O king,— ‘Many foes we have. Let this one, therefore, become our maternal uncle, and let him always protect all the old and young ones of our race.’ And going at last to the cat, all of them said, ‘Through thy grace we desire to roam in happiness. Thou art our gracious shelter, thou art our great friend. For this, all of us place ourselves under thy protection. Thou art always devoted to virtue, thou art always engaged in the acquisition of virtue. O thou of great wisdom, protect us, therefore, like the wielder of the thunderbolt protecting the celestials.’ Thus addressed, O king, by all the mice, the cat answered them, saying, ‘I do not see the consistency of these two, viz., my ascetic pursuits and this protection (that I am called upon to grant). I cannot avoid, however, doing good to you agreeably to your request. You all, at the same time, should always obey my words. Staying as I am in the observance of a severe vow, I am weakened by my ascetic practices. I do not, therefore, see the means of my moving from place to place. Ye all should, therefore, bear me hence every day to the river-side.’ Saying, ‘So be it,’ the mice then, O bull of Bharata’s race, made over all their old and young ones to that cat. Then that sinful creature of wicked soul, feeding on mice, gradually became fat and of good complexion and strong in his limbs. And thus while the mice began to be reduced in number, the cat began to grow in vigour and strength. Then all the mice, coming together, said unto one another, ‘Our uncle is daily growing stout, while we are being daily reduced (in number)!’ Then a certain mouse endued with wisdom, named Dindika, said, O king these words unto the large swarm of mice gathered there, ‘Go all of ye to the river-side together. I will follow ye, accompanying our uncle.’ ‘Excellent, Excellent,’ they said, and applauded that one of their number. And they all did just as those words of grave import spoken by Dindika seemed to indicate. The cat, however, not knowing all this, ate up Dindika that day. All the mice then, without losing much time, began to take counsel of one another. Then a very old mouse, named Kilika, said these just words, O king, in the presence of all his kinsfolk, ‘Our uncle is not really desirous of earning virtue. He hath, like a hypocrite, become our friend when in reality he is our enemy. Indeed, the excreta of a creature that liveth only upon fruits and roots never containeth hair of fur. Then again, while his limbs are growing, our number is decaying. Besides, Dindika cannot be seen for these eight days.’ Hearing these words, the mice ran away in all directions. And that cat also of wicked soul returned to whence he came. O thou of wicked soul, thou too art a practiser of such feline behaviour. Thou behavest towards thy kinsmen after the manner of the cat (in the story) towards the mice. Thy speech is of one kind, and thy conduct is of another. Thy (devotion to) scripture and thy peacefulness of behaviour are only for display before men. Giving up this hypocrisy, O king, adopt the practices of a Kshatriya and do all that one should do as such. Art thou not virtuous, O bull among men? Acquiring the earth by means of the prowess of thy arms, make gifts, O best of the Bharatas, unto the Brahmanas and to the means of thy deceased ancestors as one should. Seeking the good of that mother of thine who hath been afflicted with distress for a series of years, dry up her tears, and confer honours on her by vanquishing (thy foes) in battle. Thou hadst with great abjectness, solicited only five villages. Even that was rejected by us, for how could we bring about a battle, how could we succeed in angering the Pandavas, was all that we sought. Remembering that it was for thee that the wicked Vidura was driven (by us) and that we had tried to burn you all in the house of lac, be a man now; at the time of Krishna’s setting out (from Upaplavya) for the Kuru court, thou hadst through him communicated this message (to us), viz., — Hear, O king, I am prepared for either war or peace! Know, O monarch, that the hour hath come for battle. O Yudhishthira, I have made all these preparations in view of that. What doth a Kshatriya regard as a more estimable accession (of good fortune) than battle? Born thou hast been in the Kshatriya order. Known also thou art in the world. Having obtained weapons again from Drona and Kripa, why, O bull of the Bharata race, dost thou rely on Vasudeva who belongeth to the same order of life as thyself and who is, not superior to thee in might.’