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

  The Mahabharata of

Krishna-Dwaipayana Vyasa BOOK 1

ADI PARVA

 SECTION LXIX

(Sambhava Parva continued)

"Janamejaya said, 'I desire to hear from thee about the birth and life of

the high-souled Bharata and of the origin of Sakuntala. And, O holy one,

I also desire to hear all about Dushmanta--that lion among men--and how

the hero obtained Sakuntala. It behoveth thee, O knower of truth and the

first of all intelligent men, to tell me everything.'

"Vaisampayana said, 'Once on a time (king Dushmanta) of mighty arms,

accompanied by a large force, went into the forest. And he took with him

hundreds of horses and elephants. And the force that accompanied the

monarch was of four kinds (foot-soldiers, car-warriors, cavalry, and

elephants)--heroes armed with swords and darts and bearing in their hands

maces and stout clubs. And surrounded by hundreds of warriors with lances

and spears in their hands, the monarch set out on his journey. And with

the leonine roars of the warriors and the notes of conchs and sound of

drums, with the rattle of the car-wheels and shrieks of huge elephants,

all mingling with the neighing of horses and the clash of weapons of the

variously armed attendants in diverse dresses, there arose a deafening

tumult while the king was on his march. And ladies gifted with great

beauty beheld from the terraces of goodly mansions that heroic monarch,

the achiever of his own fame. And the ladies saw that he was like unto

Sakra, the slayer of his enemies, capable of repulsing the elephants of

foes--And they believed that he was the wielder of the thunderbolt

himself. And they said, 'This is that tiger among men who in battle is

equal unto the Vasus in prowess, and in consequence of the might of whose

arms no foes are left.' And saying this, the ladies from affection

gratified the monarch by showering flowers on his head. And followed by

foremost of Brahmanas uttering blessings all the way, the king in great

gladness of heart went towards the forest, eager for slaying the deer.

And many Brahmanas, Kshatriyas, Vaisyas, and Sudras, followed the monarch

who was like unto the king of the celestials seated on the back of a

proud elephant. The citizens and other classes followed the monarch for

some distance. And they at last refrained from going farther at the

command of the king. And the king, then, ascending his chariot of winged

speed, filled the whole earth and even the heavens, with the rattle of

his chariot wheels. And, as he went, he saw around him a forest like unto

Nandana itself (the celestial garden). And it was full of Vilwa, Arka,

Khadira (catechu), Kapittha (wood-apple) and Dhava trees. And he saw that

the soil was uneven and scattered over with blocks of stone loosened from

the neighbouring cliffs. And he saw that it was without water and without

human beings and lay extended for many Yojanas around. And it was full of

deer, and lions, and other terrible beasts of prey.

"And king Dushmanta, that tiger among men, assisted by his followers and

the warriors in his train, agitated that forest, killing numerous

animals. And Dushmanta, piercing them with his arrows, felled numerous

tigers that were within shooting range. And the king wounded many that

were too distant, and killed many that were too near with his heavy

sword. And that foremost of all wielders of darts killed many by hurling

his darts at them. And well-conversant with the art of whirling the mace,

the king of immeasurable prowess fearlessly wandered over the forest. And

the king roamed about, killing the denizens of the wilderness sometimes

with his sword and sometimes by fast-descending blows of his mace and

heavy club.

"And when the forest was so disturbed by the king possessed of wonderful

energy and by the warriors in his train delighting in warlike sports, the

lions began to desert it in numbers. And herds of animals deprived of

their leaders, from fear and anxiety began to utter loud cries as they

fled in all directions. And fatigued with running, they began to fall

down on all sides, unable to slake their thirst, having reached

river-beds that were perfectly dry. And many so falling were eaten up by

the hungry warriors. While others were eaten up after having been duly

quartered and roasted in fires lit up by them. And many strong elephants,

maddened with the wounds they received and alarmed beyond measure, fled

with trunks raised on high. And those wild elephants, betraying the usual

symptoms of alarm by urinating and ejecting the contents of their

stomachs and vomiting blood in large quantities, trampled, as they ran,

many warriors to death. And that forest which had been full of animals,

was by the king with his bands of followers and with sharp weapons soon

made bereft of lions and tigers and other monarchs of the wilderness.'"