SECTION XVII
(Rajasuyarambha Parva Continued)
"Vasudeva said,--'Arjuna hath indicated what
the inclination should be of one that is born in the Bharata race, especially
of one who is the son of Kunti. We know not when death will overtake us, in the
night or in the day. Nor have we ever heard that immortality hath been achieved
by desisting from fight. This, therefore, is the duty of men, viz., to attack
all enemies in accordance with the principles laid down in the ordinance. This
always gives satisfaction to the heart. Aided by good policy, if not frustrated
by Destiny, an undertaking becomes crowned with success. If both parties aided
by such means encounter each other, one must obtain ascendency over the other,
for both cannot win or lose. A battle however, if directed by bad policy which
again is destitute of the well-known arts, ends in defeat or destruction. If,
again, both parties are equally circumstanced, the result becomes doubtful.
Both, however, cannot win. When such is the case, why should we not, aided by
good policy, directly approach the foe; and destroy him, like the current of
the river uprooting a tree? If, disguising our own faults, we attack the enemy
taking advantage of his loopholes, why should we not succeed? Indeed, the
policy of intelligent men, is that one should not fight openly with foes that
are exceedingly powerful and are at the head of their well-arrayed forces. This
too is my opinion. If, however, we accomplish our purpose secretly entering the
abode of our foe and attacking his person, we shall never earn obloquy. That
bull among men--Jarasandha--alone enjoyeth unfaded glory, like unto him who is
the self in the heart of every created being. But I see his destruction before
me. Desirous of protecting our relatives we will either slay him in battle or
shall ascend to heaven being ourselves slain in the end by him.'
Yudhishthira said--"O Krishna, who is this
Jarasandha? What is his energy and what is his prowess, that having touched
thee he hath not been burnt like an insect at the touch of fire?"
Krishna said,--'Hear, O monarch, who Jarasandha
is; what his energy; and what is his prowess; and why also he hath been spared
by us, Even though he hath repeatedly offended us. There was a mighty king of
the name of Vrihadratha, the lord of the Magadhas. Proud in battle, he had
three Akshauhinis of troops. Handsome and endued with energy, possessed of
affluence and prowess beyond measure, and always bearing on his person marks
indicating installation at sacrifices. He was like a second Indra. In glory he
was like unto Suryya, in forgiveness like unto the Earth, in wrath like unto
the destroyer Yama and in wealth like unto Vaisravana. And O thou foremost of
the Bharata race, the whole earth was covered by his qualities that descended
upon him from a long line of ancestors, like the rays emerging from the sun.
And, O bull of the Bharata race, endued with great energy that monarch married
two twin daughters of the king of Kasi, both endued with the wealth of beauty.
And that bull among men made an engagement in secret with his wives that he
would love them equally and would never show a preference for either. And the
lord of the earth in the company of his two dearly loved wives, both of whom
suited him well, passed his days in joy like a mighty elephant in the company
of two cow-elephants, or like the ocean in his personified form between Ganga
and Yamuna (also in their personified forms). The monarch's youth however, passed
away in the enjoyment of his possessions, without any son being born unto him
to perpetuate his line. The best of monarch failed to obtain a son to
perpetuate his race, even by means of various auspicious rites, and homas, and
sacrifices performed with the desire for having an offspring. One day the king
heard that the high-souled Chanda-kausika, the son of Kakshivat of the
illustrious Gautama race, having desisted from ascetic penances had come in
course of his wanderings to his capital and had taken his seat under the shade
of a mango tree. The king went unto that Muni accompanied by his two wives, and
worshipping him with jewels and valuable presents gratified him highly. That
best of Rishis truthful in speech and firmly attached to truth, then told the
king,--O king of kings, I have been pleased with thee. O thou of excellent
vows, solicit thou a boon. King Vrihadratha then, with his wives, bending low
unto that Rishi, spoke these words choked with tears in consequence of his
despair of obtaining a child.--'O holy one forsaking my kingdom I am about to
go into the woods to practise ascetic penances. I am very unfortunate for I
have no son. What shall I do, therefore, with my kingdom or with a boon?'
Krishna continued,--"Hearing these words (of
the king), the Muni controlling his outer senses entered into meditation,
sitting in the shade of that very mango tree where he was. And there fell upon
the lap of the seated Muni a mango that was juicy and untouched by the beak of
a parrot or any other bird. That best of Munis, taking up the fruit and
mentally pronouncing certain mantras over it, gave it unto the king as the
means of his obtaining an incomparable offspring. And the great Muni, possessed
also of extraordinary wisdom, addressing the monarch, said,--"Return, O
king, thy wish is fulfilled. Desist, O king, from going (into the
woods)".--Hearing these words of the Muni and worshipping his feet, the
monarch possessed of great wisdom, returned to his own abode. And recollecting
his former promise (unto them) the king gave, O bull of the Bharata race, unto
his two wives that one fruit. His beautiful queens, dividing that single fruit
into two parts, ate it up. In consequence of the certainty of the realisation
of the Muni's words and his truthfulness, both of them conceived, as an effect
of their having eaten that fruit. And the king beholding them in that state
became filled with great joy. Then, O wise monarch, sometime after, when the
time came, each of the queens brought forth a fragmentary body. And each
fragment had one eye, one arm, one leg, half a stomach, half a face, and half
an anus. Beholding the fragmentary bodies, both the mothers trembled much. The
helpless sisters then anxiously consulted each other, and sorrowfully abandoned
those fragments endued with life. The two midwives (that waited upon the
queens) then carefully wrapping up the still-born (?) fragments went out of the
inner apartments (of the palace) by the back door and throwing away the bodies,
returned in haste. A little while after, O tiger among men, a Rakshasa woman of
the name of Jara living upon flesh and blood, took up the fragments that lay on
a crossing. And impelled by force of fate, the female cannibal united the
fragments for facility of carrying them away. And, O bull among men, as soon as
the fragments were united they formed a sturdy child of one body (endued with
life). Then, O king, the female cannibal, with eyes expanded in wonder, found
herself unable to carry away that child having a body as hard and strong as the
thunder-bolt. That infant then closing his fists red as copper and inserting
them into its mouth, began to roar terribly as rain-charged clouds. Alarmed at
the sound, the inmates of the palace, O tiger among men, suddenly came out with
the king, O slayer of all foes. The helpless and disappointed and sad queens
also, with breasts full of milk, also came out suddenly to recover their child.
The female cannibal beholding the queens in that condition and the king too so
desirous of an offspring, and the child was possessed of such strength thought
within herself--I live within dominions of the king who is so desirous of an
offspring. It behoveth not me, therefore, to kill the infant child of such an
illustrious and virtuous monarch. The Rakshasa woman then, holding the child in
her arms like the clouds enveloping the sun, and assuming a human form, told
the king these words,--O Vrihadratha, this is thy child. Given to thee by me,
O, take it. It hath been born of both thy wives by virtue of the command of the
great Brahmana. Cast away by the midwives, it hath been protected by me!
"Krishna continued,--O thou foremost of the
Bharata race, the handsome daughters of the king of Kasi, having obtained the
child, soon drenched it with their lacteal streams. The king ascertaining
everything, was filled with joy, and addressing that female cannibal disguised
as a human being possessing the complexion of gold, asked,--O thou of the
complexion of the filament of the lotus, who art thou that givest me this child?
O auspicious one, thou seemest to me as a goddess roaming at thy
pleasure!"
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