Mahabharata Vol. 3 (Penguin Translated Texts)

by Debroy, Bibek

  409(112)

  ‘“Rishyashringa replied, ‘A brahmachari came. He had matted hair and he was intelligent. He wasn’t too short and he wasn’t too tall. His complexion was golden. His eyes were long, like lotuses. He was radiant, like a son of the gods. His prosperous form was as radiant as the sun. His eyes were beautiful and black and white, like those of chakora birds. His matted hair was blue, clear, fragrant and extremely long, and braided with golden thread. Like lightning blazing in the sky, there were two receptacles under his throat. There were two balls under his throat.466 They had no hair on them and were extremely beautiful. His waist was thin around the navel. But his hips were expansive. Like mine, a girdle blazed from under his garment. But his was made of gold. That apart, there was an extraordinary sight—a tinkling sound emerged from his feet.467 Ornaments with a similar sound were also tied to his wrists. They were like this string of rosaries, but made a musical sound. They made a sound whenever he moved, like intoxicated swans in a pond. His garments were extraordinary to see. They were not like mine, but were beautiful. His face was also an extraordinary sight. His words brought gladness to the heart. His speech was like that of male cuckoos. When I heard it, it saddened the innermost parts of my heart. During the spring months, the forest is fragrant when fanned by the wind. O father! Like that, there was a supreme and sacred fragrance when the wind fanned him. His matted hair was tied neatly and arranged so that it divided his forehead into two equal halves. His ears seemed to be surrounded by circles.468 They were coloured and beautiful of form. He held something that looked like a beautiful circular fruit469 in his right hand. It bounced repeatedly on the ground and rose up again, in an extraordinary way. He hit it and whirled around. His body was like a tree stirred by the wind. O father! On seeing that son of the immortals, my joy became supreme and desire was born in me. He embraced my body repeatedly. He grasped me by my matted hair and lowered my mouth. He placed his mouth on my mouth and uttered a sound that brought great pleasure to me. He did not desire water for washing the feet, or the fruits that I had brought. He told me that those were the vows followed by him. He gave me other novel types of fruit. I tasted all the fruits he gave me. These are not as succulent as those. They did not have skins like these have. Nor did they have seeds like ours. The generous one gave me liquids to drink. They were extremely fine in flavour. As soon as I drank them, great pleasure engulfed me and the ground seemed to move. These are the beautiful and fragrant garlands that he tied up with silken threads. Having scattered them here, he left for his own hermitage, blazing in austerities. I have lost my senses at his departure. My body seems to be burning. I wish to go to him immediately. I wish that he should always roam around here. O father! I shall go to him this very instant. Please tell me the name of the vow observed by him. I wish to observe it, together with him. I wish to observe the severe and austere rites practised by him.’”’

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  ‘“Vibhandaka said, ‘O son! These are rakshasas. They roam around in their extraordinary forms. They are unsurpassed in beauty and are extremely terrible. They always endeavour to create obstacles in the way of austerities. O son! They assume beautiful forms. They assume different forms to tempt. Those terrible deeds are used to dislodge the sages of the forest from the happiness of their worlds. Sages who are in control of their souls never serve them, particularly if they desire the worlds of the virtuous. O one who doesn’t perform evil acts! Those ones of evil deeds find delight in obstructing ascetics and destroying their austerities. O son! Those liquids are for those who aren’t virtuous. They are wine and desired by evil ones. These garlands, coloured, bright and fragrant, are not regarded by the learned as fit for sages.’”

  ‘Lomasha said, “Having restrained his son and told him that these were rakshasas, Vibhandaka went out to search for her. After searching for three days, he failed to find her, and returned to his hermitage. When Kashyapa again went out to gather fruit, as was the practice for hermits, the courtesan again returned to tempt the sage Rishyashringa. As soon as he saw her, Rishyashringa was delighted. His mind was deluded and he told her, ‘Let us go to your hermitage before my father returns.’ O king! Then she tempted Kashyapa’s only son into the boat and unmoored it. She tempted him through various means and brought him to the king of Anga. That extremely beautiful boat was moored within sight of a hermitage. A beautiful wood was created near the bank and named Rajashrama.470 The king brought Vibhandaka’s only son and lodged him in the inner quarters. And he suddenly saw the god471 showering rain, until the world was full and flooded with water. His wishes fulfilled, Lomapada bestowed his daughter Shanta on Rishyashringa. To counter the wrath,472 he instructed cattle to be placed on the roads and the land tilled. Along the road that Vibhandaka would follow, the king placed many animals and warriors to look after the animals. ‘When maharshi Vibhandaka arrives in search of his son and asks you, you must join your hands in salutation and tell him, “O maharshi! These animals and this tilled land belong to your son. What can we do to please you? All of us are your servants and await your command.”’473 Meanwhile, after gathering roots and fruit, the sage who was exceedingly wrathful returned to his hermitage. He searched for his son and on not finding him there, became extremely angry. Rent asunder by rage, he suspected that this was the work of the king.

  ‘“Deciding that he would burn up the king of Anga and all his possessions, he left for Champa.474 Exhausted and hungry, Kashyapa arrived at settlements that were prosperous with cattle. He was honoured by the herdsmen in accordance with the prescribed rites, as if he was a king, and spent the night there. Having received great homage from them, he asked them, ‘O pleasant ones! Whose servants are you?’ All of them respectfully told him, ‘All these riches belong to your son.’ He was thus worshipped in region after region and heard similar pleasant words. Thus, his anger was greatly appeased and in a happy frame of mind, he approached the city of the king of Anga. He was worshipped by that bull among men. He saw his son, like Indra in heaven. He also saw his daughter-in-law Shanta there, looking like a flash of lightning. Having seen the villages, the settlements of cattle, his son and Shanta, his extreme anger was pacified. O Indra among men! Vibhandaka showed his supreme favours to that lord of the earth. The maharshi, as resplendent as the sun and the fire, left his son there and told him, ‘Having done everything that pleases the king, you will return to the forest once a son has been born.’ Rishyashringa acted according to his words. He returned to where his father was. Shanta tended to him,475 like the devoted Rohini attends on the moon in the sky, like the fortunate Arundhati waits on Vasishtha, like Damayanti on Nala and like Shachi on the wielder of the vajra.476 O Ajamidha!477 Like Nadayani Indrasena was always obedient to Mudgala,478 thus was Shanta towards Rishyashringa in the forest. O Indra among men! Driven by love, she tended to him. That sacred hermitage is radiant here. The great lake, site of sacred deeds, is radiant here. O king! Having bathed here and purifying yourself, you will accomplish all your deeds and then go on to other tirthas.”’

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  Vaishampayana said, ‘O Janamejaya! Then the Pandava left Koushiki and one after another, went to all the other sacred places. O king! He went to the ocean, to the confluence of the Ganga. He performed his ablutions in the middle of the five hundred rivers. O descendant of the Bharata lineage! Then, together with his brothers, the brave lord of the earth travelled along the shores of the ocean towards Kalinga.

  ‘Lomasha said, “O Kounteya! This is Kalinga, where the river Vaitarani flows. Here, under the refuge of the gods, Dharma performed sacrifices. This is the northern bank, always frequented by brahmanas and inhabited by rishis. It is a sacrificial ground that has been made beautiful by a mountain. In ancient times, other rishis have also performed sacrifices here and gone to heaven along the route followed by the gods. O Indra among kings! This is the place where Rudra grasped the sacrificial animal.479 O Indra among men! Rudra grasped the animal and said, ‘This is my share.’ O bull among the Bharata
lineage! When the animal was stolen, the gods told him, ‘Do not covet the property of others. Do not destroy all dharma.’ Later, they praised Rudra with sweet words. They satisfied him with a sacrifice and showed him honour. Then, discarding the animal, he followed the path traversed by the gods. O Yudhishthira! Listen to what is said about Rudra. ‘As a result of their fear of Rudra, the gods resolved that the supreme share of everything that was not stale would always be set apart for him. A man who touches the water here, while reciting this verse, has the route of the gods as his path and sees it with his eyes.’”’

  Vaishampayana said, ‘Then all the immensely fortunate Pandavas, together with Droupadi, descended into Vaitarani and offered oblations to the ancestors. Yudhishthira said, “O Lomasha! O illustrious one! O one rich in austerities! Behold. As soon as I have bathed in this river, I have gone beyond what is human. O follower of good vows! Through your grace, I can see all the worlds. This is the sound of the great-souled hermits, as they recite their prayers.”

  ‘Lomasha replied, “O Yudhishthira! O lord of the earth! Keep quiet. The sound that you hear is at a distance of three hundred thousand yojanas. O king! The beautiful forest that manifests itself here belongs to the one who created himself.480 O Kounteya! The powerful Vishvakarma performed a sacrifice here. At that sacrifice, the one who created himself gave the earth, with all its mountains, forests and regions, as a stipend to the great-souled Kashyapa. O Kounteya! As soon as she had been given away, the earth became dejected. In anger, she spoke to the illustrious lord of the worlds. ‘O illustrious one! You should not have given me away to a mere mortal. Your giving me away will be unsuccessful. I will go to rasatala.’481 O lord of the earth! On seeing that the earth was dejected, the illustrious rishi Kashyapa pacified her. O Pandava! She was satisfied by his austerities and once again emerged from the water, establishing herself as an altar. O king! You can see it there, with all the signs of an altar. O great king! Ascend it, and you will be extremely valorous. As you ascend it today, I will myself pronounce the benediction. O Ajamidha! As soon as it is touched by a mortal, this altar immerses itself in the ocean again. ‘Agni, Mitra, the womb, the water, the goddess, Vishnu’s seed, the navel of amrita.’482 O Pandava! Having recited these truthful words, swiftly climb up onto the altar.”’

  Vaishampayana said, ‘When the benediction had been pronounced on him, the great-souled Yudhishthira went into the ocean. When he had done all that he had been asked, he went to Mahendra and spent the night there.’

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  Vaishampayana said, ‘After the lord of the earth had spent a night there, he, together with his brothers, showed the best of homage to the ascetics. Lomasha told him the names of all the ascetics who were there—the Bhrigus, the Angirases, the Vasishthas and the Kashyapas. On meeting them, the rajarshi483 greeted them, with his hands joined in salutation. He then asked Akritavarna, the valorous follower of Rama,484 “When will the illustrious Bhargava Rama show himself to the ascetics? On that occasion, I also wish to see Bhargava.” Akritavarna replied, “Rama knows everything in his soul and your arrival is already known to him. The ascetics see Rama on the fourteenth and the eighth lunar day. When this night is over, it will be the fourteenth lunar day.” Yudhishthira said, “You are a follower of the immensely strong and valorous son of Jamadagni. Earlier, you have yourself witnessed all his deeds. Therefore, tell us today how Rama vanquished all the kshatriyas in battle. Tell us everything about how he did it and the reasons.”

  ‘Akritavarna said, “There was an immensely strong and great king in Kanyakubja. He was famous in the world as Gadhi. He went to dwell in the forest. While he lived in the forest, a daughter was born to him and she was like an apsara. O descendant of the Bharata lineage! Bhargava Richika wished to marry her. Then the king told the brahmana of the rigid vows, ‘There is a custom in our lineage, one that has been established since ancient times. O supreme among brahmanas! Know that a thousand swift and white horses must be given as a bride price and that they must each possess one black ear. O illustrious one! O Bhargava! But you cannot be asked to give this. My daughter should be given to a great-souled one like you.’ Richika replied, ‘I will give you one thousand swift and white horses, each with one black ear. Let your daughter become my wife.’ O king! Having promised this, he485 told Varuna, ‘As a bride price, give me one thousand swift and white horses, each with one black ear.’ Varuna then gave him one thousand horses. The place from where the horses arose is famous as the tirtha of horses. In Kanyakubja, on the banks of the Ganga, Gadhi then bestowed his daughter Satyavati on him and all the gods were present there. Having obtained one thousand horses, having seen the inhabitants of heaven and having obtained a wife according to dharma, Richika, supreme among brahmanas, pleasured with the slender-waisted maiden as he desired.

  ‘“O king! When the marriage was over, the supreme of the Bhrigus came to see his son, together with his wife. Having seen them, he was delighted. When the elder was seated, worshipped by the masses of gods, husband and wife joined their hands in salutation and worshipped him. Then the illustrious Bhrigu was delighted and told his daughter-in-law, ‘O fortunate one! Ask for a boon. I will grant what you wish for.’ She pleased the elder for the sake of a son, for herself and for her mother. And he showed her his favours. Bhrigu said, ‘At the time of your seasons, you and your mother must bathe and observe the ritual for having a son. Then you must embrace separate trees—she an asvattha and you an udumbura.’486 O king! But when they embraced the trees, they got them mixed up.487 When Bhrigu returned one day, he realized the mix-up. The immensely energetic Bhrigu then told his daughter-in-law Satyavati, ‘Your son will be a brahmana who will live the life of a kshatriya and your mother’s great son will be a kshatriya who will live the life of a brahmana. His valour will be great and he will tread the path of the righteous.’ But she sought her father-in-law’s favours again and again. ‘Let my son not be like this. I desire that my grandson should be like this.’ O Pandava! He brought her satisfaction and said that it would be that way. When the time came, her son Jamadagni was born. He was energetic and radiant and was loved by the Bhargavas. O Pandava! The energetic one grew and surpassed many rishis in his knowledge of the Vedas. O bull among the Bharata lineage! He was as brilliant as the sun and the knowledge of weapons was revealed to him, together with that of the four types of weapons.”’488

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  ‘Akritavarna said, “The immensely austere Jamadagni devoted himself to the study of the Vedas. Through his austerities, he brought the gods under his control. O king! He went to King Prasenjit and asked for Renuka, and the king gave her to him. When he obtained Renuka as his wife, the descendant of the Bhargava lineage returned to his hermitage and with her aid, engaged in austerities again. Four sons were born from her and Rama was the fifth. But though he was the youngest, Rama was superior to the others.

  ‘“Once, when her sons had gone to gather fruit, Renuka, rigid in her vows, went to have a bath. She saw the king of Marttikavata there, Chitraratha by name. On seeing the prosperous king, garlanded with lotuses, sporting in the water with his wives, Renuka was filled with desire. Because of this unchaste behaviour, she lost her senses and moistened herself. Frightened, she returned to the hermitage. But her husband got to know. He saw that she had been dislodged from her constancy and that she had lost the beauty of purity. The immensely energetic and valorous one reproached her with words of ‘Shame!’ Then Jamadagni’s eldest son, with the name of Rumanvat, arrived—and then Sushena, Vasu and Vishvavasu, one by one. One after another, the illustrious one asked them to kill their mother. But because they were deluded and had lost their senses, they said nothing in reply. He then cursed them in great anger. As a result of the curse, they swiftly lost their minds and began to follow the conduct of animals or birds, or that of inanimate objects.

  ‘“Rama, the destroyer of enemy warriors, entered the hermitage last. The great ascetic Jamadagni told him in great anger, ‘O son! Kill your evil mothe
r, without any compassion.’ At that, Rama grasped his axe and sliced off his mother’s head. O great king! The anger of the great-souled Jamadagni was suddenly appeased. He said in a pleasant voice, ‘O son! At my words, you have performed a difficult feat. O one learned in dharma! Ask for anything you desire, as many wishes as may be there in your heart.’ Thereupon, he asked that his mother might live again, that he should not retain any memory of the slaying, that he should not be touched by the sin, that his brothers might return to their natural state, that he might be unrivalled in battle and that he should have a long life. O descendant of the Bharata lineage! The great ascetic Jamadagni granted him everything that he wished for.

  ‘“O lord! One day, when the sons had gone out as before, the brave Kartavirya, the king of the region along the shore, arrived. When he came to the hermitage, he was shown homage by the rishi’s wife. But insolent from the madness of battle, he did not accept this homage. He destroyed the hermitage. Through force, he carried off the sacrificial cow’s calf, though it kept crying. He tore down all the large trees. When Rama returned, his father himself told him what had happened. On seeing the cow weeping, Rama was overcome with great anger. In great wrath, he rushed towards Kartavirya. Bhargava, the destroyer of enemy warriors, bravely engaged him in battle. O king! He grasped his beautiful bow and with his sharp arrows, sliced off his one thousand arms,489 each of which was like a club. Arjuna’s heirs490 became very angry at Rama. When Rama was not in the hermitage, they rushed at Jamadagni. They killed the immensely valorous ascetic, who refused to fight and unprotected, kept calling out for Rama. O Yudhishthira! Having pierced Jamadagni with their arrows, Kartavirya’s sons, the destroyers of enemies, departed. When they had gone away and Jamadagni had died, the descendant of the Bhargava lineage returned to the hermitage with firewood. The brave one saw that his father had been overcome by death. He was miserable and lamented the one who had not deserved to meet this fate.”’