Mahabharata VOL 6

500 Pages·2011·23.1 MB·English

THE MAHABHARATA
OF
KRISHNA-DWAIPAYANA VYASA
Translated into English prose from the
original Sanskrit Text.
BY
PRATAP CHANDRA ROY, C. I. E.
VOL
VI
DRONA PARVA
ORIENTAL PUBLISHING CO.
SURENDRALAL PYNE LANE
11D,
CALCUTTA-12
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CONTENTS
DRONA PARVA
SECTION XVI
I
136
Dronabhisheka Parva
SECTION XVII XXXII
Jansaptakabadha Parva 3672
SECTION XXXIII LXXI
Abhimanyu-badha Parva 73132
SECTION LXXII LXXIV
Pratigya Parva 132-141
SECTION LXXV CLII
Jayadratha-badha Parva 141341
SECTION CLIII CLXXXIV
Ghatotkacha-badha Parva 341-403
SECTION CLXXXV CXCIII
Drona-badha Parva 432455
SECTION CXCVI-CCIV
Narayana-astra Proyoga Parva 455-494
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SECTION
I
( Dronabhisheka Parva )
Having bowed down to Narayana and Nara,theforemost ofmale beingt,
as also to the goddess Saraswati, must the word Jaya be uttered.
Janamejaya said, "Hearing that his sire Devavrataof unrivalled
vigour and sturdiness, and might, energy and prowess, had been slain by
O
Sikhandin, the prince of the Panchalas, what, indeed, regenerate
Rishi, did the powerful king Dhritarashtra with eyesbathed intearsdo?
illustrious one, his son (Duryodhana) wished for sovereignty after
vanquishing those mighty bowmen, viz., the sons of Pandu, through
Bhishma and Drona and other great car-warriors. Tell me, Othouthat
hast wealth of asceticism, all that he, of Kuru's race, did afterthat chief
of all bowmen had been slain."
Vaisampayana said, "Hearing that his sire had been slain, king
Dhritarashtra of Kuru's race filled with anxiety and grief, obtained no
peaceof mind. And while he,of Kuru's race,was thuscontinually brood-
ing over that sorrow, Gavalgana's son of pure soul once more came to
O
him. Then, monarch, Dhritarashtra, the son of Amvika, addressed
Sanjaya, who had that night come back from the campto the city called
after the elephant. With a heart rendered exceedingly cheerless in
consequence of his having heard of Bhishma's fall, and desirous of the
victory of his sons, he indulged in these lamentations in great distress."
"Dhritarashtra said, 'After having wept for the high-souled
O
Bhishma of terrible prowess, what, son, did the Kauravas, urged by
fate, next do ? Indeed, when that high-souled and invincible hero was
slain, what did the Kauravas do, sunk as they were in an oceanofgrief?
Indeed, that swelling and highly efficient host of the high-souled
Pandavas, would, O Sanjaya, excite the keenest fears of even the three
worlds. Tell me, therefore, O Sanjaya, what the (assembled) kings did
after Devavrata, that bull of Kuru's race, had fallen.'
"Sanjaya said, 'Listen, O king, with undivided attention, to me as
1 recite what thy sons did after Devavrata had been killed in battle.
When Bhishma, O monarch, of prowess incapable of being baffled, was
slain, thy warriors as also the Pandavas both reflected by themselves
(on the situation). Reflecting on the duties of the Kshatriya order
they were filled with wonder and joy but acting according to those
;
duties of their own order, they all bowed to that high-souled warrior.
Then those tigers among men contrived for Bhishma of immeasurable
prowess a bed with a pillow made of straight shafts. And having made
arrangements for Bhishma's protection, they addressed one another
(in pleasant converse). Then bidding Ganga's son their farewell and
walking round him, and looking at one another with eyes red in anger,
those Kshatriyas, urged by fate, once more went out against one another
for battle. Then by the blare of trumpets and the beat of drums, the
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MAHABHAEATA
2
divisions of thy army as also those of the foe, marched out. After the
fall of Ganga's son, O king, when the best part of the day had passed
away, yielding to the influence of wrath, with hearts afflicted by fate,
and disregarding the words, worthy of acceptance, of the high-souled
Bhishma, those foremost ones of Bharata's race went out with great
speed, armed with weapons. In consequence of thy folly and of thy
son's ani of the slaughter of Santanu's son, the Kauravas with all the
kings seemed to be summoned by Death himself. The Kurus, deprived
of Devavrata, were filled with great anxiety, and resembled a herd of
goats and sheep without a herdsman, in a forest abounding with beasts
of prey. Indeed, after the fall of that foremost one of Bharata's race,
the Kuru host looked like the firmament divested of stars, or like the
sky without the atmosphere, or like the earth with blasted crops, or like
an oration disfigured by bad grammar,1 or like the Asura host of old
after Vali had bean smitten down, or like a beautiful damsel deprived
of husband,8 or like a river whose waters have been dried up, or like a
roe deprived of h2r mate and encompassed in the woods by wolves or
;
like a spacious mountain cave with its lion killed by a Sarabha.* Indeed,
O
chief of the Bharatas, the Bharata host, on the fall of Ganga's son,
became like a frail boat on the bosom of the ocean, tossed by a tempest
blowing from every side. Exceedingly afflicted by the mighty and
heroic Pandavas of sure aim, the Kaurava host, with its steeds, car-
warriors and elephants much troubled, became exceedingly distressed,
helples?, and panic-stricken. And the frightened kings and the common
soldiers, no longer relying upon one another, of that army, deprived of
Devavrata, seemed to sink into the nethermost region of the world.
Then the Kauravas remembered Kama, who. indeed, was equal to
Devavrata himself. All hearts turned to that foremost of all wielders
of arms, that one resembling a guest resplendent (with learning and
ascetic austerities). And all hearts turned to him, as the heart of a man
in distress turneth to a friend capable of relieving that distress. And,
O Bharata, the kings then cried out saying, Kama ! Kama I The son
of Radha, our friend, that son of a Suta, that one who is ever prepared
to lay down his life in battle ! Endued with great fame, Kama, with his
followers and friends, did not fight for these ten days O, summon him
soon !' The mighty-armed hero, in the presence of all the Kshatriyas,
during the mention of valiant and mighty car-warriors, was by Bhishma
classed as an Ardha-ratha, although that bull among men is equal to two
Maharathas ! Even thus was he classed during the counting of Eathas
and Atirathas, he that is the foremost (of all Eathas and Atirathai), he
that is respected by all heroes, he that would venture to fight even
1 Literally, like an oration teeming with unrefined expressions. T.
2 i. e., deprived of robes and ornamentsbecause ofher widowhood.-T.
3 A Sarabha is a fabulous animal of eight legs supposed to ba
stronger than the lion. T.
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DRONA PARVA 3
with Yama, Kuvera, Varuna, and Indra. Through anger causedbythis,
O
king, he had said unto Ganga's son these words : 'As long as thou
O
livest, thou of Kuru's race, I will never fight ! If thou, however,
O
succeedest in slaying the sons of Pandu in great battb, I shall,
Kaurava, with Duryodhana's permission, retire into the woods. If, on
O
the other hand, thou, Bhishma, slain by the Pandavas, attainest to
heaven, I shall then, on a single car, slay all of them, whom thou regar-
dest as great car-warriors.1 Having said this, mighty armed Kama of
great fame, with thy son's approval, did not fight for the first ten days.
Bhishma, of great prowess in battle and of immeasurable might, slew,
O Bharata, a very large number of warriors belonging to Yudhishthira's
army. When, however, that hero of sure aim and great energy was
slain, thy sons thought of Kama, like persons desirous of crossing a river
thinking of a boat. Thy warriors and thy sons, together with all the
kings, cried out, saying, Kama ! And they all said, 'Even this is the
time for the display of his prowess ' Our hearts are turned to that
Kama who derived his knowledge of weapons from Jamadagni's son, and
O
whose prowess is incapable of being resisted ! He, indeed, king, is
competent to save us from great dangers, like Govinda always saving
the celestials from great dangers.'
Vaisampayana continued, "Unto Sanjaya who was thus repeatedly
applauding Kama, Dhritarashtra sighing like a snake, said those words."
"Dhritarashtra said, '[I understand] that the hearts of all of you
are turned towards Vikartana's son Kama, and that all of you, saw that
son of Radha, that hero of the Suta caste, ever prepared to lay down his
life in battle. I hope that hero of prowess incapable of being baffled,
did not falsify the expectations of Duryodhana and his brothers, all of
whom were then afflicted with grief and fear, and desirous of being
relieved from their danger. When Bhishma, that refuge of the Kaura-
vas, was slain, could Kama, that foremost of bowmen, succeed in filling
up the gap caused ? Filling up that gap, could Kama fill the foe with
fear ? Could he also crown with fruit the hopes, entertained by my
"
sons, of victory ?'
SECTION
II
"Sanjaya said, 'Then Adhiratha's son of the Suta caste, knowing
that Bhishma had been slain, became desirous of rescuing, like a brother,
thy son's army form the distress into which it hadfallen, andwhich then
O
resembled a boat sunk in the fathomless ocean. [Indeed], king,having
heard that that mighty car-warrior and foremost of men, that hero of
unfading glory, viz., Santanu's son, had been thrown down(from his car),
that grinder of foes, that foremost of all wielders of bows, viz., Kama,
soon came (to the field of battle). When that best of car-warriors, viz.,
Bhishma, was slain by the foe, Kama speedily came there, desirous of
rescuing the Kuru host which resembled a boat sunk in the ocean, like a
sire desirous of rescuing his children.'
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'And Kama (addressing the soldiers) said, 'That Bhishma who
possessed firmness, intelligence, prowess, vigour, truth, self-restraint,
and all the virtues of a hero, as also celestial weapons, and humility, and
modesty, agreeable speech, and freedom from malice, that ever-grateful
Bhishma, that slayer of the foes of Brahmanas, in whom were these
attributes as permanently as Lakshmi in the moon, alas, when that
Bhishma,that slayer of hostileheroes,hath received his quietus,I regard
all otherheroesas alreadyslain. Inconsequence of the eternal connection
(of all things) with work, nothing exists in this world that is imperish-
able. When Bhishma of high vows hath been slain, who is there that
would take upon himself to say with certitude that tomorrow's sun will
rise ? When he that was endued with prowess equal to that of the
Vasus, he that was born of the energy of the Vasus, when he, that
ruler of the earth, hath once more been united with the Vasus, grieve
ye, therefore, for your possessions and children for this earth and the
Kurus, and this host."'
"Sanjaya continued, 'Upon the fall of that boon-giving hero of
great might, that lord of the world, viz., Santanu's son of great energy,
and upon the (consequent) defeat of the Bharatas, Kama, with cheerless
heart and eyes filled with tears, began to console (the Dhartarashtras).
O
Hearingthese wordsof Radha's son,thy sons, monarch, and thy troops,
began to wail aloud and shed copious tears of grief corresponding with
the loudness of those wails.3 When, however, the dreadful battle once
more took place and the Kaurava divisions, urged on by the Kings,
once more set up loud shouts, that bull among mighty car-warriors, viz.,
Kama, then addressed the great car-warriors (of the Kaurava army)
and said words which caused them great delight : 'In this transient
world everything is continually flitting (towards the jaws of Death).
Thinking of this, I regard everything as ephemeral. When, however,
all of you were here, how could Bhishma, that bull among the Kurus,
immovable as a hill, be thrown down from his car ? When that mighty
car-warrior, viz., the son of Santanu, hath been overthrown, who even
now lieth on theground like the Sun himself dropped (from the firma-
ment), the Kuru kings are scarcely competent to bear Dhananjaya, like
trees incapable of bearing the mountain-wind. I shall, however, now
protect, asthat high-souled one did, this helpless Kuru host of cheerless
mien, whose foremost warriors have already been slain by the foe. Let
this burden now devolve on me. I see that this universe is transient,
since that foremost of heroes hath been slain in battle. Why shall I
then cherishany fear of battle ? Coursing, therefore, on the field I shall
1 The sense seems to be, that when such an one hath been slain,
what is there on earth that is not subject to destruction ? Ye, should,
therefore, grieve for your wealth, children &c. as things already gone. T.
% There is a slight difference of reading in this sloka as it oceurs in
the Bombay text. The sense seems to be, that since everything is destin-
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DBONA PABVA 5
despatch those bulls of Kuru's race,(viz., the Pandavas) to Yama's abode
by means of my straight shafts. Regarding fame as the highest object in
the world, I shall slay them in battle, or, slain by the foe, shall sleep on
the field. Yudhishthira is possessed of firmness, intelligence, virtue,
and might. Vrikodara is equal to a hundred elephants in prowess,
Arjuna is young and is the son of the chief of the celestials. The
Pandava host, therefore, is not capable of being easily defeated by the
very celestials. That force in which are the twins, each resembling
Yama himself, that force in which are Satyaki and the son of Devaki,
that force is like the jaws of Death. No coward, approaching it, can
come back with life. The wise oppose swelling ascetic power with
ascetic austerities, so should force be opposed by force. Verily, my
mind is firmly fixed upon opposing the foe and protecting myownparty.
charioteer, I shall today certainly resist the might of the enemy, and
vanquish him by repairing only to the field of battle. I will not tolerate
this intestine feud. When the troops are broken, he that cometh (for
aiding) in the endeavour to rally is a friend. I shall either achieve this
righteous feat worthy of an honest man, or casting off my life shall
follow Bhishma. I shall either slay all my foes united together, or slain
O
by them proceed to the regions reserved for heroes. charioteer, I
know that even this is what I should do, when women and children cry
for help, or when Duryodhana's prowess sustains a check. Therefore,
1 shall today conquer the foe. Reckless of my very life in this terrible
battle, I shall protect the Kurus and slay the sons of Pandu. Slaying in
battle all my foes banded together, I shall bestow (undisputed) sover-
eignty on Dhritarashtra's son. Let my armour, beautiful, made of gold,
bright, and radiant with jewels and gems, be donned ; and my head-gear,
of effulgence equal to that of the sun ; and my bows and arrows that
resemble fire, poison, or snakes. Let also sixteen quivers be tied (to my
car) at the proper places, and let a number of excellent bows be pro-
cured. Let also shafts, and darts, and heavy maces, and my conch,
variegated with gold, be got ready. Bring also my variegated, beautiful,
and excellent standard, made of gold, possessed of the effulgence of the
lotus, and bearing the device of the elephant's girth, cleaning it with a
delicate cloth, and decking it with excellent garlands and a network of
wires.1 O charioteer's son, bring me also, with speed, some fleet steeds
of the hue of tawny clouds, not lean, and bathed in water sanctified
with mantras, and furnished with trappings of bright gold. Bring me
also, with speed, an excellent car decked with garlands of gold, adorned
gems, bright as the sun or the moon, furnished with every necessary, as
also with weapons, and unto which are yoked excellent animals. Bring
me also a number of excellent bows of great toughness, and a number
of excellent bow-strings capable of smiting (the foe), and some quivers,
large and full of shafts and some coats of mail for my body. Bring
1 The last line is read incorrectly, I think, in the Bombay text. T.
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6 MAHABHAEAfA
me also, with speed, O hero, every (auspicious) article needed for occa-
sions of setting out (for battle), such as vessels of brass and gold, full of
curds. Let garlands of flowers be brought, and let them be put on the
(proper) limbs of my body. Let drums also be beaten for victory ! Go,
O charioteer, quickly to the spot where the diadem-decked (Arjuna),
and Vrikodara, and Dharma's son (Yudhishthira), and the twins, are.
Encountering them in battle, either I shall slay them, or, being slain by
them, my foes, I shall follow Bhishma. Arjuna, and Vasudeva, and
Satyaki, and the Srinjayas, that force, I think, is incapable of being
conquered by the kings. If all-destroying Death himself with unremit-
ting vigilance, were to protect Kiritin, still shall I slay him, encounter-
ing him in battle, or repair myself to Yama's abode by Bhishma's track.
Verily, I say, that I will repair into the midst of those heroes. Those
(kings) that are my allies are not provokers of intestine feuds, or of
weak attachment to me, or of unrighteous souls.'
"Sanjaya continued, 'Riding on an excellent and costlycar ofgreat
strength, with an excellent pole, decked with gold, auspicious, furnished
with a standard, and unto which were yoked excellent steeds that were
Kama
fleet as the wind, proceeded (to battle) for victory. Worshipped
by the foremost of Kuru car-warriors like Indra by the celestials, that
high-souled and fierce bowman, endued with immeasurable energy like
the Sun himself, upon his car decked with gold and jewels and gems,
furnished with an excellent standard, unto which were yoked excellent
steeds, and whose rattle resembled the roll of the clouds, proceeded,
accompanied by a large force, to that field of battle where that bull of
Bharata's race (Bhishma) had paid his debt to nature. Of beautiful
person, and endued with the splendour of fire, that great bowman and
mighty car-warrior, viz., the son of Adhiratha, then mountedonhis own
beautiful car possessed of the effulgence of fire, and shone like the lord
"
of the celestials himself riding on his celestial car.'
SECTION
III
"Sanjayasaid, 'Beholdingthe grandsire,viz.,thevenerable Bhishma,
that destroyer of all the Kshatriyas, that hero of righteous soul and im-
measurable energy, that great bowman thrown down (from his car) by
Savyasachin with his celestial weapons, lying on a bed of arrows, and
looking like the vast ocean dried up by mighty winds, the hope of thy
sons for victory had disappeared along with their coats of mail and
peace of mind. Beholding him who was always an island unto persons
sinking in the fathomlessocean in their endeavours to cross it, beholding
that hero covered with arrows that had coursed in a stream as continu-
ous as that of Yamuna, that hero who lookedlike Mainaka ofunbearable
energy thrown down on the earth by the great Indra, that warrior lying
prostrate on the earth like the Sun dropped down from the firmament,
that onewho looked likethe inconceivable Indra himselfafterhisdefeat
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DBONA PARVA 7
of old by Vritra, that depriver of all warriors of their senses, that fore-
most of all combatants, that signal of all bowmen, beholding that hero
and bull among men, viz., thy sire Bhishma of high vows, that grandsire
of the Bharatas thrown down in battle and lying covered with Arjuna's
shafts, on a hero's bed, Adhiratha's son (Kama) alighted from his car,
in great affliction, filled with grief, and almost senseless. Afflicted (with
sorrow),andwith eyes troubledwith tears,heproceededon foot. Saluting
him with joined palms, and addressing him reverentially, he said, 'I am
Kama ! Blessed be thou ! Speak to me, O Bharata, insacred andauspici-
ous words, and look at me, opening thy eye?. No man certainly enjoyeth
in this world the fruits of his pious deeds, since thou, reverend in years
O
and devoted to virtue, liest slain on the ground. thou that art the
foremost one amongst the Kurus, I do not see that there is any one else
among them, who is competent (like thee) in filling the treasury, in
counsels, in the matter of disposing the troops in battle array, and inthe
use of weapons. Alas, he that was endued with a righteous understand-
ing, he that always protected the Kurus from every danger, alas, he,
having slain numberless warriors, proceedeth to the region of the Pitris.
From this day, Ochief ofthe Bharatas, the Pandavas, excitedwith wrath,
will slaughter the Kurus like tigers slaying deer. Today the Kauravas,
acquainted with the force of Gandiua's twang, will regard Savyasachin,
like the Asuras regarding the wielder of the thunder-bolt, with terror.
Today the noise, resemblingthat of heaven's thunder, of the arrows shot
from Gandiva, will inspire the Kurus and other kings with great terror.
O
Today, hero, like a raging conflagration of fierce flames consuming a
forest, the shafts of Kiritin will consume the Dhartarashtras. In those
parts of the forest through which fire and wind march together, "they
burn all plants and creepers and trees. Without doubt, Partha is even
O
like a surging fire, and, without doubt, tiger among men, Krishna is
like the wind. Hearing the blare of Panchajanya and the twang of
Gandiva, all the Kaurava troops, O Bharata, will be filled with fear. O
hero, without thee, the kings will never be able to bear the rattle of
the ape-bannered car belonging to that grinder of foes, when he will
Who
advance (upon them). amongst the kings, save thyself, is compe-
tent to battle with that Arjuna whose feats, as described by the wise,
are all superhuman 1 Superhuman was the battle that he fought with
the high-souled (Mahadeva) of three eyes. From him he obtained a
boon that is unattainable by parsons of unsanctified souls. Delighted
in battle, that son of Pandu is protected by Madhava. Who is there
that is compecent to vanquish him who could not be vanquished by
thee before, although thou, endued with great energy, hadst vanquished
Rama himself in battle, that fierce destroyer of the Kshatriya race,
worshipped, besides, by the gods and the Danavas ? Incapable of putting
up with that son of Pandu, that foremost of heroes in battle, even I,
with thy permission, am competent to slay, with the force of my wea-
pons, that brave and fierce warrior who resembleth a snake of virulent
poison and who slayeth his foes with his glances alone f "
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SECTION VI
"Sanjaya said, 'Unto him who was talking thus, the aged Kuru
grandsire with a cheerful heart, said these words adapted to both time
and place : 'Like the ocean unto rivers, like the Sun unto all luminous
bodies, like the righteous unto Truth, like a fertile soil unto seeds, like
the clouds unto all creatures, be thou the refuge of thy relatives and
friends ! Like the celestials upon him of a thousand eyes, let thy kins-
men depend on thee. Be thou the humiliator of thy foes, and the
enhancer of the joys of thy friends. Be thou unto the Kauravas as
Vishnu unto the dwellers of heaven. Desirous of doing what was agree-
able to Dhritarashtra's son, thou didst with the might and prowess of
own arms, O Kama, vanquish the Kamvojas having proceeded to
Rajpura. Many kings, amongst whom Nagnajit was the foremost, while
staying in Girivraja, as also the Amvashthas, the Videhas and the
Gandharvas, were all vanquished by thee. The Kiratas, fierce in battle,
dwelling in the fastness of Himavat, were formerly, O Kama, made by
thee to own Duryodhana's sway. And so also, the Utpalas, theMekalas,
the Paundras, the Kalingas, the Andhras, the Nishadas, the Trigartas,
and the Valhikas, were all vanquished by thee, O Kama, in battle. In
O
many other countries, Kama, impelled by the desire of doing good to
O
Duryodhana,thou didst, hero, vanquish many races and kings ofgreat
O
energy. Like Duryodhana, child, with his kinsmen, and relatives,and
friends, be thou also the refuge of all the Kauravas. In auspicious words
I command thee, go and fight with the enemy. Lead the Kurus in battle,
and give victory unto Duryodhana. Thou art to us our grandson even
as Duryodhana is. According to the ordinance, all of us also are as
much thine as Duryodhana's !l The wise, O foremost of men, say that
the companionship of the righteous with the righteous is a superior
relationship to that born of the same womb. Without falsifying, there-
fore, thy relationship with Kurus, protect thou the Kaurava host like
Duryodhana, regarding it as thy own.'
"
'Hearing these words of his, Vikartana's sonKama, reverentially
saluting Bhishma's feet, (bade him farewell) and came to that spot
where all the Kaurava bowmen were. Viewing that wide and unparal-
leled encampment of the vast host, he began to cherish (by words of
encouragement) those well-armed and broad-chested warriors. And
all the Kauravas headed by Duryodhana were filled with joy. And
beholding the mighty-armed and high-souled Kama come to the field
and station himself at the head of the whole army, for battle, the
Kauravas received him with loud shouts and slapping of arm-pits and
"
leonine roars and twang of bows and diverse other kinds of noise.'
1 The second line of 12 is read incorrectlyin the Bengal text. Instead
ef tathapi the true reading (as in the Bombay edition) is tavapi. T.
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