by Bibek Debroy
The great sage, Markandeya, was engaged in austerities and studying. Jaimini, Vyasa’s 5 immensely energetic disciple, asked him. ‘O illustrious one! The great-souled Vyasa spoke about the Bharata account. 6 It is full of spotless and auspicious collections from many sacred texts. It is full of many kinds of auspicious metres and is ornamented with many kinds of auspicious words. It has assertions based on prima facie arguments 7 and is full of knowledge. Just as Vishnu is to the gods, brahmanas are to bipeds, an excellent crest-jewel is to the best among ornaments, Indra’s thunderbolt is to weapons and the mind is to the senses, in that way, the excellent Mahabharata is to all the sacred texts. Dharma, artha, kama and moksha have been separately described in it and also their mutual relationships and consequences. It is best among sacred texts of dharma and supreme among sacred texts of artha. It is foremost among the sacred texts of kama. It is excellent among the sacred texts of moksha. O immensely fortunate one! In this, the intelligent Vedavyasa has spoken about the dharma, conduct, positions and means for the four ashramas. 8 O father! 9 Vyasa, generous in his deeds, composed this extensive and large sacred text so that it is not overcome by any contradictions. The torrent of Vyasa’s words has destroyed the trees of perverse reasoning. They descended from the mountain of the Vedas and removed all dust from the earth. The melodious sounds are like large swans, the great accounts are like supreme lotuses, the stories are like large expanses of water and what Krishna 10 composed is like a large lake based on the Vedas. O illustrious one! Such is the Bharata account, with many kinds of meaning and extensive in its knowledge. Therefore, I have presented myself before you, desiring to know the truth. Why did Janardana, who possesses no qualities, 11 assume a human form? Vasudeva is the reason behind the creation, preservation and destruction of the universe. Why did Drupada’s daughter, Krishna, 12 become the single wife to the five sons of Pandu? We have a great doubt on this score. In search of atonement for the sin of killing a brahmana, why did the immensely strong Baladeva, 13 with the plough as a weapon, travel to the tirthas? 14 The sons of Pandu were the protectors of the great-souled maharatha sons of Droupadi. 15 While they were still unmarried, how were they slain, as if they did not have a protector? You should explain all of this to me in detail. You are the one who brings understanding to those who are stupid in intelligence.’
The great sage, Markandeya, was devoid of the eighteen taints. 16 Hearing his words, he started to speak.
Markandeya replied, ‘O excellent among sages! The time has arrived for us to perform our rituals. This is not applauded as a time when one should speak a lot. O Jaimini! However, I will tell you about the ones who will speak to you now and dispel your doubts. That is what those birds will do. Their names are Pingaksha, Vibodha, Supatra and Sumukha. They are Drona’s sons and the best among birds. They know the truth and think about the sacred texts. Their intelligence is unobstructed and they know the purport of the Vedas and the sacred texts. They live in a cave in the middle of the Vindhya mountains. Go there and ask them.’
Thus addressed by the intelligent Markandeya, the tiger among rishis dilated his eyes in wonder. Jaimini asked, ‘O brahmana! This is extremely wonderful that birds should speak like men and that these birds have obtained a knowledge that is extremely difficult to obtain. Having been born as inferior species, how did they obtain this knowledge? Why are these birds spoken of as Drona’s sons? Who is the person who had these four sons and is famous by the name of Drona? These great-souled ones know about dharma and possess the qualities. How did they come to acquire these?’
Markandeya replied, ‘Listen attentively to what happened in Nandana 17 in earlier times. Shakra, 18 the apsaras and Narada met there. In Nandana, Narada saw that Shakra, the king of the gods, was among these courtesans 19 and that his glance was riveted on their faces. As soon as Shachi’s consort saw his senior, he arose and affectionately gave him his own seat. On seeing that the slayer of Bala and Vritra 20 had stood up, the celestial maidens bowed down before the divine rishi. They stood there, bent down in humility. He was worshipped by them. He honoured Shatakratu and both of them sat down and conversed about agreeable subjects. When the conversation was over, Shakra addressed the great sage. Shakra said, “Command any of them to dance, whichever one appeals to you—Rambha, Karkasha, Urvashi, Tilottama, Ghritachi or Menaka.” Hearing Shakra’s words, Narada, best among brahmanas, thought about the apsaras who were standing there, bowed down in humility. “Among all of you, whichever one thinks herself to be superior in beauty, generosity and qualities, let her dance in front of me. A person who is devoid of qualities and beauty cannot obtain success in dancing. Dancing requires a graceful stance. Without that, dancing is a mockery.” As soon as he said this, all of them spoke simultaneously. They told the others, “I am superior in qualities, not you, or you.” The illustrious chastiser of Paka 21 noticed their agitation and said, “Let the sage be asked about who is superior in qualities.” They obeyed Shakra’s wishes and asked him. O Jaimini! Hear from me the words that Narada spoke in reply. “Durvasa, best among sages, is performing austerities on an Indra among mountains. If anyone possesses the force to agitate him, I shall consider her to be superior in qualities.” Hearing his words, all of them shook their heads. “We are incapable of doing what he has said.” However, there was an apsara named Vapu. She was proud enough to think that she was capable of agitating the sage. She replied, “I will go where the sage resides. He has controlled his body, which is like a chariot, and has reined in his senses, which are like horses. However, the weapons of love will make him lose his reins and render him a bad charioteer today. Even if Brahma, Janardana and Nilalohita come, I will pierce his inner organs with the arrows of love today.” Saying this, Vapu went to Mount Praleya. 22 Because of the power of the sage’s austerities, the predatory beasts in his hermitage were also peaceful. The supreme apsara remained a krosha 23 away from where the great sage was. She assumed the voice of a male cuckoo and started to sing sweetly. The sage heard the sound of singing and his mind was surprised. He went to the place where the maiden with the beautiful face was. On seeing her, beautiful in all her limbs, he composed his mind. Knowing that she had come there to agitate him, he was filled with rage and intolerance. The great ascetic, the maharshi, 24 addressed her in these words. “O evil-minded one! O one who travels through the sky! You have come here to cause me unhappiness. By seeking to create an obstruction in the austerities, you have earned misery for yourself. You have been tainted by my rage and will be born in the race of birds for a period of sixteen years. O one who is vile in intelligence! You will give up your own form and assume the form of a bird. O worst among apsaras! You will have four sons. However, since you will be purified by a weapon and return to heaven again, you will not obtain any delight from them. Do not reply to me about what I have said about your residence.” His rage was irresistible and his eyes were red with anger. With her bangles tinkling and trembling, the proud lady heard these words. The brahmana abandoned the earth, with the trembling waters of the Ganga, and went to the Ganga in heaven, famous for the large number of qualities it possesses.’ 25
Chapter 2
Markandeya said, ‘Arishtanemi had a son named Garuda and he was the king of the birds. Garuda had a son who was famous as Sampati. His son was the brave Suparshva, who was as valiant as Vayu. 26 Suparshva’s son was Kunti and Kunti’s son was Pralolupa. He 27 had two sons, Kanka and Kandhara. On the summit of Kailasa, Kanka saw a rakshasa, famous by the name of Vidyudrupa. His eyes were like lotus petals and he was Dhanada’s 28 follower. He was drinking and was attired in sparkling garlands and garments. With his wife, he was seated on a clear and auspicious slab of stone. As soon as he saw Kanka, the rakshasa was filled with rage. He said, “O worst among those born from an egg! Why have you come here? I am in my wife’s company. Why have you approached me? When a task has to be accomplished in private, this is not the dharma an extremely intelligent person should follow.” Kanka replied, “This Indra among mountains is co
mmon and belongs to me as much as it belongs to you, and to other creatures too. What ownership can you claim over it?” While Kanka was speaking in this way, the rakshasa severed him with a sword. He looked terrible, blood issuing from the wounds, writhing and unconscious. Hearing that Kanka had been killed, Kandhara became senseless with rage. The king of the birds made up his mind to quickly kill Vidyudrupa. He went to the summit of the mountain, where the slain Kanka was. There, the roamer of the skies performed the funeral rites for his elder brother. His eyes dilated in rage and intolerance and he sighed like an Indra among serpents. He went to the place where the rakshasa, his brother’s killer, was. Because of the wind raised by his wings, the large and excellent mountains started to tremble. His eyes were blood-red and his force flung aside the nets of clouds. The mountains suffered from the beating of his wings. He was one who could make the enemy lie down in an instant. He saw the roamer in the night, 29 with his mind attached to the idea of drinking. His face and eyes were coppery red and he was lying down on a golden couch. His head was adorned with garlands and he was smeared with reddish-brown sandalwood paste. Inside his mouth, his teeth looked terrible, like the inside of a ketaki flower. 30 He saw his large-eyed wife, named Madanika, seated on his left thigh, with a voice that was as melodious as that of a male cuckoo. Overwhelmed with anger, Kandhara spoke to the one who was in that cave. “O extremely evil-minded one! Come and fight with me. You killed my elder brother when he trusted you. Killed by me today, you will go to the hells that are meant for people who violate trust and those who are the killers of women and children.” The Indra among the birds spoke to the rakshasa in this way, in his wife’s presence. Filled with rage, he replied to the bird. “I have displayed my manliness by killing your brother. O traveller in the sky! Using this sword, I will kill you today. O worst among birds! Remain here for a while. You will not be able to leave with your life.” Saying this, he seized his sparkling sword, which was like a mass of collyrium. There was an unmatched battle between the king of the birds and the servant of the lord of the yakshas, 31 like that between Garuda and Shakra. 32 Angry, the rakshasa powerfully hurled his sword, which possessed the complexion of burnt coal, towards the Indra among the birds and struck him. The Indra among the birds leapt up a little from the ground and seized the sword in his beak, the way Garuda seizes a serpent. The one born from an egg shook it between his beak and talons and broke it. When the sword was broken, a hand-to-hand combat commenced. The king of the birds attacked the rakshasa on his chest and swiftly severed his hands, feet and head. When he was slain, his wife sought refuge with the bird. Scared a bit, she said, “I will be your wife.” Taking her with him, the best among the birds again returned to his own house. With Vidyudrupa having been killed, there was atonement for his brother’s death. Menaka’s daughter 33 possessed beautiful eyebrows and could assume any form at will. Having gone to Kandhara’s residence, she assumed the form of a bird. There, she gave birth to a daughter named Tarkshi. The excellent apsara named Vapu had been touched by the fire of the sage’s curse. Hence, the bird gave her the name of Tarkshi. 34
‘Mandapala had four extremely intelligent sons. They were excellent brahmanas. Jaritari was the eldest and Drona was the youngest. The youngest had dharma in his soul and was accomplished in the Vedas and the Vedangas. 35 With Kandhara’s permission, he married the beautiful Tarkshi. After some time, Tarkshi conceived. When the conception was seven fortnights old, she went to Kurukshetra. The extremely terrible battle between the Kurus and the Pandavas was going on then. With destiny determining her movements, she entered amidst the chariots. She witnessed the battle between all the kings on earth there. There were terrible showers of arrows, spears and swords, like that in the battle between the gods and the asuras. She saw the battle between Bhagadatta and Kiriti there. 36 The sky was covered with an incessant shower of arrows, as if by locusts. From Partha’s 37 bow, a broad-headed arrow was released with great force, as dark as a serpent, and it pierced the skin of her stomach. When her side was pierced, four eggs with the complexion of the moon fell down on the ground. However, since their lifespans had not yet been exhausted, it was as if they had fallen down on a mass of cotton. There was a giant bell around the neck of Supratika, the excellent elephant. 38 At the same time, an arrow severed its bonds and it fell down. Severed, it fell down on the ground and evenly covered the eggs of the bird, which were lying down on the flesh. 39 After King Bhagadatta, lord of men, was killed, the battle between the Kuru and Pandava soldiers went on for many days. When the war was over, Dharma’s son 40 went to Bhishma, Shantanu’s son, to hear the great-souled one speak extensively on dharma. 41 O best among brahmanas! A self-controlled one named Shamika arrived at the spot where the eggs were, under the bell. He heard the sound of chirping. Though they possessed supreme knowledge, since they were still infants, their voices were indistinct. With his disciples, the surprised rishi picked up the bell and saw the infants, without the support of a father or mother. On seeing them there, on the ground, Shamika, the illustrious sage, was filled with wonder. He told the brahmanas who were following him, “Shukra Ushanas saw that afflicted by the gods, the daitya soldiers were intent on running away. 42 The foremost among brahmanas addressed them in the right words. ‘Do not run away. Return. O distressed ones! Why are you fleeing? Abandoning your fame and valour, where are you going? You will not die. Whether one perishes or whether one lives, the creator has already ordained how long one will live for, and that does not depend on what one’s mind wants. One person dies in his own home. Another person dies while he is running away. There are those who encounter their deaths when they are eating food or drinking water. Others are without disease, but die when they are indulging in passion, desire and lust. With their limbs not mangled by weapons, they come under the subjugation of the king of the dead. 43 There are others who are devoted to austerities, but are conveyed to the king of the dead by his followers. Others are devoted to the practice of yoga, but they too have not attained immortality. Earlier, the wielder of the vajra 44 hurled his vajra towards Shambara. Though he was struck in the heart with this, the asura did not die. However, when the right time came, that very Indra struck the danavas with that very vajra and the daityas instantly headed towards their destruction. 45 Knowing this, you should not be terrified.’ At this, the daityas gave up their fear of death and returned. These best among birds have also made Shukra’s words come true. Despite having faced that superhuman battle, they did not die. O brahmanas! Who made the eggs fall? Who made the bell fall at the same time? Who caused this ground to be strewn with flesh, fat and blood? O brahmanas! Whoever they are, they aren’t ordinary birds. When destiny favours people, it shows them extremely good fortune.” Having said this, he glanced at them again and said, “When you return to the hermitage, take these young birds with you. Keep these birds, born from eggs, in a place where there is no fear from cats, rats, hawks or mongooses. O brahmanas! There is no point in taking excessive care. Depending on their own deeds, all beings are killed or saved. It is the same with these young birds. Nevertheless, in every kind of task, men must try. If a person exhibits manliness, we, the virtuous, praise him.” Urged in this way by the excellent sage, those sons of sages picked up those birds. The ascetic himself also returned to the beautiful hermitage, with clusters of bees on the branches of the trees. As he wished, he collected wild roots, flowers, fruits and kusha grass. The excellent brahmana performed many virtuous rites sanctioned by the sacred texts in honour of the one who has the chakra as a weapon, 46 Rudra, 47 the creator, Indra of the gods, Vaivasvata, 48 Agni, 49 the lord of the waters, 50 the lord of speech, the protector of riches, 51 the god of the wind, Dhatri, 52 Vidhatri and the Vishvadevas.’
Chapter 3
Markandeya said, ‘O Indra among brahmanas! From one day to another day, the excellent sage gave them food and water and protected and nurtured them. Within a single month, while the young sages looked on with tremulous eyes full of curiosity, they rose up into the path of t
he sun’s chariot. From there, the earth had the size of the wheel of a chariot and they saw it, with its cities, waterbodies and excellent rivers. After this, they returned to the hermitage. Those great-souled ones, not born from wombs, were exhausted in their minds and bodies. Because of their energy, their knowledge was manifested there. Out of compassion towards the disciples, the rishi 53 was speaking to them about the determination of dharma. All of them 54 circumambulated him and bowed down at his feet. They said, “O sage! We were saved by you from a terrible death. You have given us a home, food and water. You are our father and preceptor. Our mother died while we were still in the womb. Nor have we been protected by a father. You are the one who gave us life when we were infants and the one who protected us. O one whose energy does not decay! Like worms, we were drying up on the ground. You raised the elephant’s bell and removed our miseries. ‘How will these weak ones be reared? When will I see that they are well? When will I see them fly from the ground to a tree and from one tree to another? When will they flutter their wings and roam around near me? When will the dust they raise cover up my natural complexion?’ O father! As you protected us, you thought in this way. Having grown up, we have come before you now. Having become wise, what shall we do?” These words were polished and clearly articulated.
