Mahabharata Vol. 1 (Penguin Translated Texts) (54 page)

‘When those immensely radiant ones looked at Droupadi, their love for her arose and put their senses into turmoil. Panchali’s charming form was created by the creator himself. It beguiled all living beings and was supreme to all others. Kunti’s son Yudhishthira knew from their appearance what was going through their minds. O bull among men! He remembered Dvaipayana’s words. Fearing that conflict might arise between the brothers, the king said, “This fortunate Droupadi will be a wife to all of us.”’

Vaishampayana said, ‘Hearing the words of their eldest brother, all of Pandu’s sons, of infinite energy, were pleased and began to think about the purport of those words. Suspecting them to be the foremost of the Kurus, the chief of the Vrishnis
⁴³
and Rohini’s son
⁴⁴
then came to the potter’s house, where those foremost among men were living. Krishna and Rohini’s son saw Ajatashatru,
⁴⁵
with long and thick arms, seated there. In a circle around him sat the others, like blazing fires. Vasudeva went to Kunti’s son, foremost among those who follow dharma. He touched with his hands the feet of King Ajamidha
⁴⁶
Yudhishthira and said, “I am Krishna.” Rohini’s son went to Yudhishthira and did the same. Seeing them, the descendants of Kuru were greatly delighted. O chief of the Bharata lineage! The chiefs of the Yadu lineage then touched the feet of their father’s sister.
⁴⁷

‘Seeing Krishna, Ajatashatru, chief among the Kurus, asked him about his welfare and said, “O Vasudeva! When we are living here in disguise, how did you manage to track us down?” Vasudeva smiled and replied, “O king! Even when fire is covered, it comes out. Who but the Pandavas can display such valour among men? O destroyers of enemies! It was through good fortune that you escaped from that fire. It was through good fortune that Dhritarashtra’s evil son and his advisers did not succeed in their desires. Be blessed. Prosper, the way a fire hidden in a cave gradually expands and spreads. Permit us to return to camp. Otherwise, the kings may discover you.” Then, taking permission from the Pandavas, the eternally radiant one quickly went away, accompanied by Baladeva.’

Vaishampayana said, ‘When the two descendants of Kuru went towards the potter’s house, Panchala Dhrishtadyumna followed them. Having sent his attendants away, he hid himself near the potter’s house, unknown to those men.

‘In the evening, Bhima, the crusher of enemies, and Jishnu returned with the twins, after begging for alms. They happily handed over to Yudhishthira what they had got. Thereupon, the soft-spoken Kunti spoke to Drupada’s daughter. “O fortunate one! First, take a portion and offer it to the gods. Then give some alms to a Brahmana. Feed some to those who are needy and give some to men who are around. Then, divide the rest into two parts. O fortunate one! Give half to Bhima, because that dark youth with a strong body is like a mad bull and is a warrior who always eats a lot.” Hearing these excellent words, the chaste princess cheerfully did what she was asked to do, without any doubts. All of them ate the food.

‘Madri’s son, the ascetic Sahadeva, quickly spread out a bed of kusha grass on the ground. Thereafter, each of those brave warriors spread out his own deerskin and lay down to sleep on the ground. Those foremost among the Kurus lay down, with their heads facing the direction blessed by Agastya.
⁴⁸
Kunti lay herself down along their heads and Krishna lay down along their feet. Though she lay on the ground on kusha grass with Pandu’s sons, like a foot pillow, she felt no grief. Nor did she feel disrespect for those bulls among the Kurus.

‘Then those warriors began to talk to each other—wonderful stories about wars, celestial weapons, chariots, elephants, swords, clubs and battleaxes. The Panchala king’s son heard all that they told each other during their conversation. His men saw how Krishna was lying there in that humble state. Prince Dhrishtadyumna set out
⁴⁹
in great haste to tell King Drupada in detail everything that he had heard during the night. The Panchala king was sad, because he did not know where the Pandavas had gone. The great-souled one asked
Dhrishtadyumna, “Where has Krishna gone? Who has taken her away? Is it a Shudra or one of low birth? Has a Vaishya who pays taxes placed his feet on my head? Has a garland been thrown away on a cremation ground? O son! Or is it a foremost man from our own varna, or is it one from a higher varna?
⁵⁰
Or has a lower being
⁵¹
placed his foot on my head and defiled Krishna? I will be happy in my sacrifices if she has been united with Partha, that bull among men. Tell me truthfully. Which illustrious one has won my daughter today? Is there any chance that Vichitravirya’s sons,
⁵²
foremost among the Kurus, are still alive? Is it perhaps Partha who took up the bow and shot the target today?”’

Vaishampayana said, ‘Having been thus addressed, Prince Dhrishtadyumna, foremost of the lunar dynasty, cheerfully told his father all that had occurred and by whom Krishna had been won.

‘Dhrishtadyumna said, “The handsome youth with the long and red eyes, dressed in black deerskin and like a god in his form, who strung that supreme bow and brought down the target on the ground, left hurriedly and without concern. He was soon surrounded by the chief among the Brahmanas, who offered him homage. He strode as if he had vanquished Diti’s sons,
⁵³
surrounded by the gods and the rishis. Like an elephant bride happily follows the male elephant, Krishna followed, holding his deerskin. Unable to bear that sight, the assembled lords of men
⁵⁴
were angered and advanced to fight him. At that, another hero arose in that assembly of kings. He uprooted a gigantic tree and drove away those masses of kings, like angry
Yama strikes down all living creatures. O lord of men! Those assembled kings could only watch. Those foremost among men took Krishna and went away, resembling the sun and the moon. They went to a potter’s house outside the city. A lady sat there, as radiant as a flame of fire. Around her sat three
⁵⁵
foremost men, each one like a fire himself. I think she was their mother. Coming to her, those two heroes paid homage at her feet and asked Krishna to pay homage too. Leaving Krishna there, those foremost among men went out to beg for alms. It was Krishna who took from them the alms and offered a share to the gods and another to a Brahmana. She then served a part to that old lady and those five heroes among men and ate herself. O king! Then they all lay down to sleep together, with Krishna like a foot pillow. Their bed was made on the bare ground with darbha
⁵⁶
grass on which deerskins were spread. They conversed on various subjects in voices that were as deep as dark clouds—wonderful tales that Vaishyas, nor Shudras, could speak of. Nor did those heroes speak of Brahmana tales. O king! There is no doubt that they are foremost among Kshatriyas. The stories that they told were about wars. Our hopes have clearly been fulfilled. We have heard that Pritha’s sons escaped from the fire. From the way in which the bow was strung and the target brought down with strength, from the way in which they conversed with each other, it is certain that they are Pritha’s sons, living in disguise.” Thereupon, King Drupada was extremely happy.

‘He sent his priest to them, directing him, “Go and tell them we know who they are. Ask them if they are by any chance the sons of the great-souled Pandu.” As instructed by the king, the priest went to them and praised them. He told them in detail and in the right order the king’s message. The priest said, “O first among those who deserve homage! The king of Panchala, the granter of wishes, wishes to know who you are. Seeing the one who has shot down the target, his joy has no bounds. Tell us the details of your family and your lineage. Place your feet on the heads of your enemies. Gladden the hearts of the king of Panchala and his men, and mine as well. King
Pandu was a dear friend of King Drupada, who regarded him as his own self. He has all along desired that his daughter should be given to that Kourava as his daughter-in-law. O heroes of unblemished limbs! This desire was always in King Drupada’s heart, that the strong and long-armed Arjuna should marry his daughter according to dharma.” After the priest had spoken these words and was quiet, the king
⁵⁷
looked at the humble messenger and instructed Bhima, who was next to him, “King Drupada’s priest is worthy of respect and let him be given more than normal homage. Get water to wash his feet, and offerings be given.” O ruler of men! Bhima did as he had been instructed and he
⁵⁸
accepted the offerings and happily seated himself.

‘Yudhishthira then spoke to the Brahmana. “The king of Panchala gave his daughter away according to his wishes and according to his own dharma. He set a price
⁵⁹
and this brave one has won her in accordance with that. Therefore, no questions can be asked about his varna, action, intention, means of living, lineage or
gotra
.
⁶⁰
All those questions have been answered by the act of stringing the bow and striking the target. In doing that, this great-souled one has won Krishna in an assembly of kings. Since that is the case, the king of the lunar dynasty has no reason to regret his decision or be unhappy. O Brahmana! King Drupada’s eternal desire will certainly come to be true for the king, because I think that this king’s daughter was unattainable otherwise. No one weak in strength or of low birth or unskilled in the use of arms could have strung that bow and shot down the target. Today, it is therefore not proper for the king of Panchala to grieve over his daughter. No man on earth can now undo the fact that he succeeded in shooting down the target.” While Yudhishthira was uttering these words, another messenger swiftly came from the king of Panchala, to announce that the feast had been prepared.’

This parva has 155 shlokas and six chapters.

Chapter 186: 15 shlokas
Chapter 187: 32 shlokas
Chapter 188: 22 shlokas
Chapter 189: 49 shlokas
Chapter 190: 18 shlokas
Chapter 191: 19 shlokas

Vivaha
means wedding and this parva is about Droupadi’s marriage.

‘The messenger said, “Because of the wedding, King Drupada has prepared a good feast for the bridegroom’s party. Come there with Krishna after finishing the daily rituals. Do not delay. These chariots, adorned with golden lotuses and drawn by excellent horses, are worthy of being ridden by those who rule the earth. Ascending on them, all of you come swiftly to the palace of the king of Panchala.”’

Vaishampayana said, ‘When he
¹
left, all the bulls among the Kurus
²
sent the priest on ahead of them. Placing Kunti and Krishna
on one chariot, they ascended those great chariots and left. O king! O descendant of the Bharata lineage! Having heard from the priest the words of Dharmaraja, he
³
kept ready a large collection of things like fruits, sanctified garlands, shields, armour, seats, cattle, ropes, and other objects used in agriculture, to determine the nature of the Kurus.
⁴
The king also completely provided for all objects concerning other crafts and all articles used in sports—chariots, horses, armour that were shining, great swords, adorned horses and chariots, the best of bows and the choicest of arrows and spears and lances laced with gold, javelins, catapults and battleaxes, all instruments connected with war. There were beds and seats and many other objects of craftsmanship.

‘Taking the righteous Krishna with her, Kunti entered the inner quarters of Drupada. The ladies worshipped the wife of the king of the Kouravas eagerly. O king! On seeing those chief among men, with eyes like those of powerful bulls, dressed in deerskin for upper garments, with broad shoulders and long arms that were like coiled snakes, with the gait of lions, the king, the king’s advisers, the king’s sons and the king’s relatives and attendants were then extremely delighted. Without hesitation or surprise, those warriors then seated themselves on the best of seats, with separate footstools. One after another, they sat, according to age. Well-dressed male and female servants and skilled cooks brought all types of food worthy of kings, in plates made of gold and silver.

‘Having eaten, those foremost among men were pleased, and relaxed. They examined all the objects that were laid out and the warriors showed the most interest in the various implements of war. On seeing this, Drupada’s sons, the king himself
⁵
and all his chief advisers were delighted at having realized that the sons of Kunti were the sons and grandsons of kings. They paid their respects.’

Vaishampayana said, ‘Then the greatly radiant king of Panchala spoke to Prince Yudhishthira in the form that is reserved for Brahmanas and cheerfully asked Kunti’s son, “Should we know you as Kshatriyas or Brahmanas? Are you accomplished Vaishyas or are you born from the wombs of Shudras? Are you siddhas
⁶
who use their powers of maya to roam in all directions and have come here from heaven in search of Krishna?
⁷
O lord! Tell us the truth, because we are in great doubt. Will our hearts not be content when our doubts have been removed? O scorcher of enemies! Will our share of fate prove to be fortunate? From your heart, tell us the truth. Among kings, truthfulness is a better adornment than sacrifices and alms. Therefore, do not say that which is untrue. O destroyer of enemies! O you who are the equal of the gods! After hearing your reply, I will then make arrangements for the marriage according to what is proper.”
⁸
Yudhishthira replied, “O king of Panchala! Do not be disheartened. Be happy. There is no doubt that your wishes have come true. O king! We are Kshatriyas and sons of the great-souled Pandu. Know me to be the eldest of Kunti’s sons. These are Bhimasena and Arjuna. O king! Your daughter was won by these in an assemblage of kings. O king of kings! The twins are waiting there, where Krishna is. O bull among kings! Let all sorrow be dispelled from your heart. We are Kshatriyas. Like a lotus, your daughter has been transplanted from one pond to another. O great king! This is the truth that I have told you. You are like our preceptor and our main refuge.” On hearing this, King Drupada’s eyes brimmed over with joy.

‘For some time, he could not answer Yudhishthira properly. Controlling his delight with great effort, the king, the conqueror of enemies,
⁹
spoke to Yudhishthira in the appropriate form. The one
with virtue in his heart
¹⁰
asked how they
¹¹
had escaped from that city.
¹²
The Pandava
¹³
narrated it in detail, from the beginning. On hearing the narration from Kunti’s son, King Drupada censured Dhritarashtra, that ruler of men. Drupada, chief among all men who are eloquent, gave every assurance to Kunti’s son Yudhishthira and vowed that he would restore him to his kingdom. On the king’s invitation, Kunti, Krishna, Bhimasena, Arjuna and the twins took up residence in that great palace.

‘O king! They continued to live there, treated with every respect by Yajnasena.
¹⁴
Later, the king and his sons spoke to those
¹⁵
who had been reassured. Drupada said, “Let the mighty-armed son
¹⁶
of Kuru today accept my daughter’s hand in accordance with the prescribed rites. Today, the moment is an auspicious one.” On this, the righteous-souled Yudhishthira replied, “O lord of people! Then I too, must take a wife.” Drupada said, “O lord! O warrior! Then you accept my daughter’s hand in accordance with the rites. Or give Krishna in marriage to whomsoever you wish.” Yudhishthira replied, “O king! Droupadi will be the queen to all of us. O lord of the people! This is what has already been ordered by my mother. I am yet unmarried, and so is the Pandava Bhimasena. Your jewel of a daughter has been won by Partha.
¹⁷
O king! It is our rule that every jewel we obtain must be equally shared. O best of kings! We are not willing to break that rule now. According to the prescribed norms, Krishna will be the wedded queen of all of us. According to age, let her accept our hands, one after another, before the fire.”

‘Drupada said, “O descendant of the Kuru lineage! It has been decreed that one man may have many queens. But we have never heard
that one woman can have many men. O son of Kunti! Pure as you are, and well acquainted with the path of dharma, you should not commit an act that is counter to dharma, the Vedas and usual practice. Why has your intelligence become thus?” Yudhishthira replied, “O great king! Subtle is the path of dharma; we do not know its direction. Let us therefore follow the path that was trodden by illustrious men in ancient times. My tongue never utters that which is untrue. Nor has my mind ever turned to that which is adharma. This has been commanded by our mother and my mind also approves of it. O king! This is certainly dharma. Therefore, act accordingly, without hesitation. O ruler of the earth! Do not have any doubt on this score.” Drupada said, “O son of Kunti! You yourself, my son Dhrishtadyumna and Kunti must settle among yourselves what should be done now. Tomorrow, I will do that which is proper.” O descendant of the Bharata lineage! O king! At that, those three got together and discussed the matter. At that very moment, Dvaipayana arrived there, in accordance with his wishes.’

Vaishampayana said, ‘As soon as they saw him, all the Pandavas and the greatly illustrious son of Panchala
¹⁸
stood up. All of them welcomed and paid their respects to the great-souled Krishna.
¹⁹
The great-minded one returned their greetings and asked about their welfare. He then sat down on a radiant and golden seat. Instructed by Krishna, the one with infinite energy, those greatest among men
²⁰
also sat down on expensive seats. O lord of the people! After some time, in sweet words, Parshata
²¹
asked the great-souled one about Droupadi.

‘Drupada asked, “O fortunate lord! How can one woman become the wife of many, without leading to sin? Please explain this to us in detail.” Vyasa replied, “This dharma has fallen into disuse because it runs counter to the Vedas and common practice. But on this, I wish to hear the opinions of each one of you.”

‘Drupada said, “In my view, this practice leads to a sin, because it is against the Vedas and common practice. O best of the Brahmanas! Nowhere can a wife of many be found. Nor did the illustrious ones, of ancient times, follow such a dharma. Those who have wisdom should never follow such a dharma. I can therefore never convince myself of acting in this way. To me, this dharma appears to be of doubtful morality.” Dhrishtadyumna said, “O bull among the twice-born! O Brahmana! O one rich with austerities! If he follows the path that is righteous, how can an elder brother unite with the wife of his younger brother? The ways of dharma are always subtle and, therefore, we do not know the ways in entirety. Thus, we cannot say what is in accordance with dharma and what is not. O Brahmana! We cannot therefore perform such an act with a clear mind. I cannot say that Krishna should be the wife of five.” Yudhishthira said, “My tongue never utters an untruth and my mind never turns to sin. When my mind approves, it cannot be sinful. I have heard in ancient tales that there was a lady named Jatila in the Goutama lineage. She was chief among all virtuous women and consorted with seven sages. O supreme among those who know the path of dharma! It is said that listening to the preceptor is virtue and among all preceptors, the mother is the foremost. She has commanded us that we must always share what we obtain. O best among the twice-born! Thus, do I consider this act virtuous.” Kunti said, “It is as the virtuous Yudhishthira has said. I am frightened that my words might become untrue. How can I be saved from a lie?”

‘Vyasa replied, “O fortunate one! You will be saved from a lie. This is eternal dharma. O king of Panchala! I will not reveal this matter before everyone. You will alone hear how this practice was established and why this should be regarded as old and eternal. There is no doubt that what Kounteya
²²
has said is in accordance with dharma.”’

Vaishampayana said, ‘Then, the illustrious lord Dvaipyana Vyasa arose and, taking hold of the king’s
²³
hand, went into the king’s palace. The Pandavas, Kunti and Parshata Dhrishtadyumna waited despondently for those two to return. Thereupon, Dvaipayana explained to the great-souled king how it came to be that these men’s marriage with a single wife was in conformity with dharma.’

‘Vyasa said, “O king! In ancient times, the gods performed a great sacrifice in Naimisha forest. There, Vivasvata’s son
²⁴
was the priest who killed the animals. O king! Since he was consecrated in that role, Yama did not kill any creatures.
²⁵
Since death and time were suspended among creatures, the number of beings increased greatly. Then Shakra,
²⁶
Varuna, Kubera, the sadhyas, Rudra, the vasus, the Ashvins—these and other gods gathered together and went to Prajapati, the creator of the world. Alarmed at the increase in the number of humans, they assembled and addressed the preceptor of the worlds. ‘We are trembling with fear. We wish to be happy again. We have come to seek protection with you.’ Brahma replied, ‘Why are you frightened of humans, when all of you are immortal? There should not be any fear in you from mortals.’ The gods said, ‘Since the mortals have become immortals, there is no difference any more. Upset at this equality, we have come to you to seek a distinction.’ Brahma replied, ‘Vivasvata’s son is now engaged in the great sacrifice. It is for this reason that humans are not dying. When he has single-mindedly finished his sacrificial acts, death will again return among them. When that time comes, Vivasvata’s son will be strengthened through your energies. When the time of death comes at the end, humans will have
no energy left in them.’ Hearing these words of the first-born god,
²⁷
they
²⁸
went where the gods were sacrificing. When those immensely strong ones assembled there, they saw a lotus
²⁹
in the Bhagirathi.
³⁰

‘“On seeing that lotus, they were surprised. Indra, chief among the warriors among them, went where the Ganga always issues and saw a lady as radiant as the fire. The lady had come there to fetch water and was immersed in the goddess Ganga. But she was weeping and teardrops fell from her eyes into the water and became golden lotuses. On seeing this wonderful sight, the wielder of the vajra
³¹
went up to the lady and asked, ‘Who are you and why are you crying? I want to know the truth. If you wish, please tell me.’ The woman replied, ‘O Shakra!
³²
I am unfortunate and you may know who I am and why I am weeping. O king! I will lead the way. Come with me and you will yourself see why I am crying.’ He
³³
followed her and soon saw a handsome young man. He was surrounded by young women, was seated on a throne and was playing dice on the peak of the king of mountains.
³⁴

‘“The king
³⁵
of the gods spoke to him, ‘Know that this universe and this world are under my sway. Know me to be the lord of everything.’ But the person took no notice of what he had said and continued to be immersed in the dice. Indra became angry and repeated what he had said. On seeing that Shakra was angry, that god cast a glance at him and smiled. At that glance, the king of the gods was paralysed and stood motionless at the spot, like a pillar. When the game of dice was over, he
³⁶
spoke to the weeping goddess, ‘Bring him here. I
will make sure that pride never enters his heart again.’ As soon as the woman had touched him, Shakra’s limbs were paralysed and he fell down on the ground. Then the god with the fierce energy told him, ‘O Shakra! Never act like this again. Remove this great king of the mountains, because your strength and energy are beyond measurement. Enter the centre of the hole and wait with the others, who are like you and the sun in splendour.’ He
³⁷
rolled away the peak of the great mountain and saw four others who were like him in radiance. On seeing them, he was extremely saddened and said, ‘Shall I also become like them?’ Then, the god Girisha
³⁸
looked at the wielder of the vajra with eyes dilated with anger and said, ‘O Shatakratu!
³⁹
Enter this cavern, because in your folly, you have insulted me in front of my eyes.’ Thus addressed by the lord, the king of the gods shuddered and shook, because of the curse. His limbs went limp, like the leaf of a fig tree stirred by the wind on the peak of the king of the mountains.