The Mahabharata of Krishna-Dwaipayana Vyasa BOOK 1 ADI PARVA SECTION CC (Vaivahika Parva continued)

  The Mahabharata of

Krishna-Dwaipayana Vyasa BOOK 1

ADI PARVA

SECTION CC

(Vaivahika Parva continued)

"Vaisampayana said, 'Drupada, on hearing this, observed, O great Rishi,

it was only when I had not heard this from thee that I had sought to act

in the way I told thee of. Now, however, that I know all, I cannot be

indifferent to what hath been ordained by the gods. Therefore do I

resolve to accomplish what thou hast said. The knot of destiny cannot be

untied. Nothing in this world is the result of our own acts. That which

had been appointed by us in view of securing one only bridegroom hath now

terminated in favour of many. As Krishna (in a former life) had

repeatedly said, 'O, give me a husband!' the great god himself even gave

her the boon she had asked. The god himself knows the right or wrong of

this. As regards myself, when Sankara hath ordained so, right or wrong,

no sin can attach to me. Let these with happy hearts take, as ordained,

the hand of Krishna with the rites.'

"Vaisampayana continued, 'Then the illustrious Vyasa, addressing

Yudhishthira the just, said, 'This day is an auspicious day, O son of

Pandu! This day the moon has entered the constellation called Pushya.

Take thou the hand of Krishna today, thyself first before thy brothers!'

When Vyasa had said so, king Yajnasena and his son made preparations for

the wedding. And the monarch kept ready various costly articles as

marriage presents. Then he brought out his daughter Krishna, decked,

after a bath, with many jewels and pearls. Then there came to witness the

wedding all the friends and relatives of the king, ministers of state,

and many Brahmanas and citizens. And they all took their seats according

to their respective ranks. Adorned with that concourse of principal men,

with its yard decked with lotuses and lilies scattered thereupon, and

beautified with lines of troops, king Drupada's palace, festooned around

with diamonds and precious stones, looked like the firmament studded with

brilliant stars. Then those princes of the Kuru line, endued with youth

and adorned with ear-rings, attired in costly robes and perfumed with

sandal-paste, bathed and performed the usual religious rites and

accompanied by their priest Dhaumya who was possessed of the splendour of

fire, entered the wedding hall one after another in due order, and with

glad hearts, like mighty bulls entering a cow-pen. Then Dhaumya,

well-conversant with the Vedas, igniting the sacred fire, poured with due

mantras libations of clarified butter into that blazing element. And

calling Yudhishthira there, Dhaumya, acquainted with mantras, united him

with Krishna. Walking round the fire the bridegroom and the bride took

each other's hand. After their union was complete, the priest Dhaumya,

taking leave of Yudhishthira, that ornament of battles, went out of the

palace. Then those mighty car-warriors,--those perpetuators of the Kuru

line,--those princes attired in gorgeous dresses, took the hand of that

best of women, day by day in succession, aided by that priest. O king,

the celestial Rishi told me of a very wonderful and extraordinary thing

in connection with these marriages, viz., that the illustrious princess

of slender waist regained her virginity every day after a previous

marriage. After the weddings were over, king Drupada gave unto those

mighty car-warriors diverse kinds of excellent wealth. And the king gave

unto them one hundred cars with golden standards, each drawn by four

steeds with golden bridles. And he gave them one hundred elephants all

possessing auspicious marks on their temples and faces and like unto a

hundred mountains with golden peaks. He also gave them a hundred female

servants all in the prime of youth and clad in costly robes and ornaments

and floral wreaths. And the illustrious monarch of the Lunar race gave

unto each of those princes of celestial beauty, making the sacred fire a

witness of his gifts, much wealth and many costly robes and ornaments of

great splendour. The sons of Pandu endued with great strength, after

their wedding were over, and after they had obtained Krishna like unto a

second Sri along with great wealth, passed their days in joy and

happiness, like so many Indras, in the capital of the king of the

Panchalas,'"

SECTION CCI

(Vaivahika Parva continued)

"Vaisampayana said, 'King Drupada, after his alliance with the Pandavas,

had all his fears dispelled. Indeed, the monarch no longer stood in fear

even of the gods. The ladies of the illustrious Drupada's household

approached Kunti and introduced themselves unto her, mentioning their

respective names, and worshipped her feet with heads touching the ground.

Krishna also, attired in red silk and her wrists still encircled with the

auspicious thread, saluting her mother-in-law with reverence, stood

contentedly before her with joined palms. Pritha, out of affection,

pronounced a blessing upon her daughter-in-law endued with great beauty

and every auspicious mark and possessed of a sweet disposition and good

character, saying, 'Be thou unto thy husband as Sachi unto Indra, Swaha

unto Vibhavasu, Rohini unto Soma, Damayanti unto Nala, Bhadra unto

Vaisravana, Arundhati unto Vasishtha, Lakshmi unto Narayana! O amiable

one, be thou the mother of long-lived and heroic children, and possessed

of everything that can make thee happy! Let luck and prosperity ever wait

on thee! Wait thou ever on husbands engaged in the performance of grand

sacrifices. Be thou devoted to thy husbands. And let thy days be ever

passed in duly entertaining and reverencing guests and strangers arrived

at thy abode, and the pious and the old; children and superiors. Be thou

installed as the Queen of the kingdom and the capital of Kurujangala,

with thy husband Yudhishthira the just! O daughter, let the whole earth,

conquered by the prowess of thy husbands endued with great strength, be

given away by thee unto Brahmanas at horse-sacrifice! O accomplished one

whatever gems there are on earth possessed of superior virtues, obtain

them, O lucky one, and be thou happy for a full hundred years! And, O

daughter-in-law, as I rejoice today beholding thee attired in red silk,

so shall I rejoice again, when, O accomplished one, I behold thee become

the mother of a son!'

"Vaisampayana continued, 'After the sons of Pandu had been married, Hari

(Krishna) sent unto them (as presents) various gold ornaments set with

pearls and black gems (lapis lazuli). And Madhava (Krishna) also sent

unto them costly robes manufactured in various countries, and many

beautiful and soft blankets and hides of great value, and many costly

beds and carpets and vehicles. He also sent them vessels by hundreds, set

with gems and diamonds. And Krishna also gave them female servants by

thousands, brought from various countries, and endued with beauty, youth

and accomplishments and decked with every ornament. He also gave them

many well-trained elephants brought from the country of Madra, and many

excellent horses in costly harness, cars drawn by horses of excellent

colours and large teeth. The slayer of Madhu, of immeasurable soul, also

sent them coins of pure gold by crores upon crores in separate heaps. And

Yudhishthira the just, desirous of gratifying Govinda, accepted all those

presents with great joy.'"

SECTION CCII

(Viduragamana Parva)

"Vaisampayana said, 'The news was carried unto all the monarchs (who had

come to the Self-choice of Draupadi) by their trusted spies that the

handsome Draupadi had been united in marriage with the sons of Pandu. And

they were also informed that the illustrious hero who had bent the bow

and shot the mark was none else than Arjuna, that foremost of victorious

warriors and first of all wielders of the bow and arrows. And it became

known that the mighty warrior who had dashed Salya, the king of Madra, on

the ground, and who in wrath had terrified the assembled monarchs by

means of the tree (he had uprooted), and who had taken his stand before

all foes in perfect fearlessness, was none else than Bhima, that feller

of hostile ranks, whose touch alone was sufficient to take the lives out

of all foes. The monarchs, upon being informed that the Pandavas had

assumed the guise of peaceful Brahmanas, wondered much. They even heard

that Kunti with all her sons had been burnt to death in the conflagration

of the house of lac. They, therefore, now regarded the Pandavas in the

light of persons who had come back from the region of the dead. And

recollecting the cruel scheme contrived by Purochana, they began to say,

'O, fie on Bhishma, fie on Dhritarashtra of the Kuru race!'

"After the Self-choice was over, all the monarchs (who had come thither),

hearing that Draupadi had been united with the Pandavas, set out for

their own dominions. And Duryodhana, hearing that Draupadi had selected

the owner of white steeds (Arjuna) as her lord, became greatly depressed.

Accompanied by his brothers, Aswatthaman, his uncle (Sakuni), Karna and

Kripa the prince set out with a heavy heart for his capital. Then

Duhsasana, blushing with shame, addressed his brother softly and said,

'If Arjuna had not disguised himself as a Brahmana, he could never have

succeeded in obtaining Draupadi. It was for this disguise, O king, that

no one could recognise him as Dhananjaya. Fate, I ween, is ever supreme.

Exertion is fruitless; fie on our exertions, O brother! The Pandavas are

still alive!' Speaking unto one another thus and blaming Purochana (for

his carelessness), they then entered the city of Hastinapura, with

cheerless and sorrowful hearts. Beholding the mighty sons of Pritha,

escaped from the burning house of lac and allied with Drupada, and

thinking of Dhrishtadyumna and Sikhandin and the other sons of Drupada

all accomplished in fight, they were struck with fear and overcome with

despair.

"Then Vidura, having learnt that Draupadi had been won by the Pandavas

and that the sons of Dhritarashtra had come back (to Hastinapura) in

shame, their pride humiliated, became filled with joy. And, O king,

approaching Dhritarashtra, Kshattri said, 'The Kurus are prospering by

good luck!' Hearing those words of Vidura, the son of Vichitravirya,

wondering, said in great glee, 'What good luck, O Vidura! What good

luck!' From ignorance, the blind monarch understood that his eldest son

Duryodhana had been chosen by Drupada's daughter as her lord. And the

king immediately ordered various ornaments to be made for Draupadi. And

he commanded that both Draupadi and his son Duryodhana should be brought

with pomp to Hastinapura. It was then that Vidura told the monarch that

Draupadi had chosen the Pandavas for her lords, and that those heroes

were all alive and at peace, and that they had been received with great

respect by king Drupada. And he also informed Dhritarashtra that the

Pandavas had been united with the many relatives and friends of Drupada,

each owning large armies, and with many others who had come to that

self-choice.

"Hearing these words of Vidura, Dhritarashtra said, 'Those children are

to me as dear as they were to Pandu. Nay, more. O listen to me why my

affection for them now is even greater! The heroic sons of Pandu are well

and at ease. They have obtained many friends. Their relatives, and others

whom they have gained as allies, are all endued with great strength. Who

amongst monarchs in prosperity or adversity would not like to have

Drupada with his relatives as an ally?'

"Vaisampayana continued, 'Having heard these words of the monarch, Vidura

said, 'O king, let thy understanding remain so without change for a

hundred years!' Having said this Vidura returned to his own abode. Then,

O monarch, there came unto Dhritarashtra, Duryodhana and the son of

Radha, Karna. Addressing the monarch, they said, 'We cannot, O king,

speak of any transgression in the presence of Vidura! We have now found

thee alone, and will, therefore, say all we like! What is this that thou

hast, O monarch, desired to do? Dost thou regard the prosperity of thy

foes as if it were thy own, that thou hast been applauding the Pandavas,

O foremost of men, in the presence of Vidura? O sinless one, thou actest

not, O king, in the way thou shouldst! O father, we should now act every

day in such a way as to weaken (the strength of) the Pandavas. The time

hath come, O father, for us to take counsel together, so that the

Pandavas may not swallow us all with our children and friends and

relatives.'"

SECTION CCIII

(Viduragamana Parva continued)

"Vaisampayana said, 'Dhritarashtra replied saying, I desire to do exactly

what you would recommend. But I do not wish to inform Vidura of it even

by a change of muscle. It was, therefore, O son, that I was applauding

the Pandavas in Vidura's presence, so that he might not know even by a

sign what is in my mind. Now that Vidura hath gone away, this is the

time, O Suyodhana (Duryodhana), for telling me what thou hast hit upon,

and what, O Radheya (Karna), thou too hast hit upon.'

"Duryodhana said. 'Let us, O father, by means of trusted and skilful and

adroit Brahmanas, seek to produce dissensions between the sons of Kunti

and Madri. Or, let king Drupada and his sons, and all his ministers of

state, be plied with presents of large wealth, so that they may abandon

the cause of Yudhishthira, the son of Kunti. Or, let our spies induce the

Pandavas to settle in Drupada's dominions, by describing to them,

separately, the inconvenience of residing in Hastinapura, so that,

separated from as, they may permanently settle in Panchala. Or, let some

clever spies, full of resources, sowing the seeds of dissension among the

Pandavas, make them jealous of one another. Or, let them incite Krishna

against her husbands. She has many lords and this will not present any

difficulty. Or, let some seek to make the Pandavas themselves

dissatisfied with Krishna, in which case Krishna also will be

dissatisfied with them. Or, let, O king, some clever spies, repairing

thither, secretly compass the death of Bhimasena. Bhima is the strongest

of them all. Relying upon Bhima alone, the Pandavas used to disregard us,

of old. Bhima is fierce and brave and the (sole) refuge of the Pandavas.

If he be slain, the others will be deprived of strength and energy.

Deprived of Bhima who is their sole refuge, they will no longer strive to

regain their kingdom. Arjuna, O king, is invincible in battle, if Bhima

protecteth him from behind. Without Bhima, Arjuna is not equal to even a

fourth part of Radheya. Indeed, O king, the Pandavas conscious of their

own feebleness without Bhima and of our strength would not really strive

to recover the kingdom. Or, if, O monarch, coming hither, they prove

docile and obedient to us, we would then seek to repress them according

to the dictates of political science (as explained by Kanika). Or, we may

tempt them by means of handsome girls, upon which the princess of

Panchala will get annoyed with them. Or, O Radheya, let messengers be

despatched to bring them hither, so that, when arrived, we may through

trusted agents, by some of the above methods, cause them to be slain.

Strive, O father, to employ any of these (various) methods that may

appear to thee faultless. Time passeth. Before their confidence in king

Drupada--that bull amongst kings--is established we may succeed, O

monarch, to encounter them. But after their confidence hath been

established in Drupada, we are sure to fail. These, O father, are my

views for the discomfiture of the Pandavas. Judge whether they be good or

bad. What, O Karna, dost thou think?'"

SECTION CCIV

(Viduragamana Parva continued)

"Vaisampayana said, 'Thus addressed by Duryodhana, Karna said, 'It doth

not seem to me, O Duryodhana, that thy reasoning is well-founded. O

perpetuator of the Kuru race, no method will succeed against the

Pandavas. O brave prince, thou hast before, by various subtle means,

striven to carry out thy wishes. But ever hast thou failed to slay thy

foes. They were then living near thee, O king! They were then unfledged

and of tender years, but thou couldst not injure them then. They are now

living at a distance, grown up, full-fledged. The sons of Kunti, O thou

of firm resolution, cannot now be injured by any subtle contrivances of

thine. This is my opinion. As they are aided by the very Fates, and as

they are desirous of regaining their ancestral kingdom, we can never

succeed in injuring them by any means in our power. It is impossible to

create disunion amongst them. They can never be disunited who have all

taken to a common wife. Nor can we succeed in estranging Krishna from the

Pandavas by any spies of ours. She chose them as her lords when they were

in adversity. Will she abandon them now that they are in prosperity?

Besides women always like to have many husbands, Krishna hath obtained

her wish. She can never be estranged from the Pandavas. The king of

Panchala is honest and virtuous; he is not avaricious. Even if we offer

him our whole kingdom he will not abandon the Pandavas. Drupada's son

also possesseth every accomplishment, and is attached to the Pandavas.

Therefore, I do not think that the Pandavas can now be injured by any

subtle means in thy power. But, O bull amongst men, this is what is good

and advisable for us now, viz., to attack and smite them till they are

exterminated. Let this course recommend itself to thee. As long as our

party is strong and that of the king of the Panchalas is weak, so long

strike them without any scruple. O son of Gandhari, as long as their

innumerable vehicles and animals, friends, and friendly tribes are not

mustered together, continue, O king, to exhibit thy prowess. As long as

the king of the Panchalas together with his sons gifted with great

prowess, setteth not his heart upon fighting with us, so long, O king,

exhibit thy prowess. And, O king, exert thy prowess before he of the

Vrishni race (Krishna) cometh with the Yadava host into the city of

Drupada, carrying everything before him, to restore the Pandavas to their

paternal kingdom. Wealth, every article of enjoyment, kingdom, there is

nothing that Krishna may not sacrifice for the sake of the Pandavas. The

illustrious Bharata had acquired the whole earth by his prowess alone.

Indra hath acquired sovereignty of the three worlds by prowess alone. O

king, prowess is always applauded by the Kshatriyas. O bull amongst

Kshatriyas, prowess is the cardinal virtue of the brave. Let us,

therefore, O monarch, with our large army consisting of four kinds of

forces, grind Drupada without loss of time, and bring hither the

Pandavas. Indeed, the Pandavas are incapable of being discomfited by any

policy of conciliation, of gift, of wealth and bribery, or of disunion.

Vanquish them, therefore, by thy prowess. And vanquishing them by thy

prowess, rule thou this wide earth. O monarch, I see not any other means

by which we may accomplish our end.'

"Vaisampayana continued, 'Hearing these words of Radheya, Dhritarashtra,

endued with great strength, applauded him highly. The monarch then

addressed him and said, 'Thou, O son of a Suta, art gifted with great

wisdom and accomplished in arms. This speech, therefore, favouring the

exhibition of prowess suiteth thee well. But let Bhishma, and Drona, and

Vidura, and you two, take counsel together and adopt that proposal which

may lead to our benefit.'

Vaisampayana continued, "'Then king Dhritarashtra called unto him, all

those celebrated ministers and took counsel with them.'"