Mahabharata Vol. 2 (Penguin Translated Texts) (20 page)

Vaishampayana said, ‘Having heard these words of Bhishma, the Chedi could not tolerate them and again spoke to Bhishma in anger.

‘Shishupala said, “O Bhishma! Let our enemies possess the influence that Keshava possesses.
³⁴
You always arise and praise him like a bard. O Bhishma! If your mind finds pleasure in praising others, then praise the real kings, leaving out Janardana. Praise Darada of Bahlika, supreme among kings. When he was born, he tore the earth asunder. O Bhishma! Praise this Karna. He is the wielder of a mighty bow. He equals the thousand-eyed one in strength and is the ruler of Vanga and Anga. O Bhishma! Always praise Drona and Drouni.
³⁵
The father and son are maharathas, supreme among brahmanas, and worthy of praise. O Bhishma! It is my view that if either of them is enraged, he can annihilate the earth, with all its mobile and immobile objects. O Bhishma! I do not see a lord of men who is Drona’s equal in battle, or that of Ashvatthama’s. Why don’t you wish to praise them? O Bhishma! Since your mind is always fixed on praising, why don’t you praise Shalya and the other rulers of earth? O king! But what can I do if you fail to heed the old ones. You have not heard what they, knowledgeable in dharma, said in ancient times. There are four things that must not be done—self-censure, worship of oneself, censure of others and worship of others.
³⁶
These are not done by those who follow proper conduct. O Bhishma! If in your continual delusion you praise Keshava out of devotion towards him, no one will approve. How can you establish the entire universe in this evil-minded protector of herds,
Bhoja’s
³⁷
servant? O descendant of the Bharata lineage! Or perhaps your devotion is not a natural one. Have I not mentioned the bhulinga bird earlier? O Bhishma! The bhulinga bird lives on the other side of the Himalayas. What it spoke was always devoid of meaning. ‘Do not act out of extreme courage’ was what it always said. But in folly, it always acted out of extreme courage. O Bhishma! That foolish bird used to pick out pieces of flesh that stuck between the teeth of a feeding lion. O Bhishma! There is no doubt that the bird’s life was dependent on the lion’s pleasure. You are based in what is not dharma and always speak like it. O Bhishma! There is no doubt that you live at the pleasure of these lords of the earth. There is no one like you, engaged in deeds that the worlds abhor.”’

Vaishampayana said, ‘O king! Having heard these bitter words of the king of Chedi, Bhishma uttered these words, so that the king of Chedi could hear. “I truly live at the pleasure of these lords of the earth, I who do not consider these kings as equal to even straw.” Hearing these words of Bhishma, the kings became angry. Some of them trembled, and others censured Bhishma. On hearing Bhishma’s words, some mighty archers exclaimed, “Though old, this Bhishma is insolent and sinful. He deserves no pardon. Let all the angry kings assemble together and kill the evil-minded Bhishma like an animal, or burn him in a fire made out of straw.” Hearing these words, the intelligent Bhishma, the grandfather of the Kurus, spoke thus to the lords of the earth. “O lords of the earth! I do not see an end to these words, since there will be more words. Therefore, all of you listen to me. Whether you kill me like an animal or burn me in a fire made out of straw, I place this foot of mine on all your heads. Govinda Achyuta is here. We have offered him worship. If anyone’s mind propels him towards death, let him challenge in battle Madhava Krishna, the wielder of the bow and the club, until he is brought down and his body merges with that of the god.”’

Vaishampayana said, ‘On hearing these words of Bhishma, the immensely valorous king of Chedi desired to fight with Vasudeva and spoke to Vasudeva, “O Janardana! I am challenging you to battle. Come and fight with me, until I have killed you, along with all the Pandavas. O Krishna! Together with you, the Pandavas also deserve to be killed, since they have passed over the kings and worshipped you, who is not a king. O Krishna! It is my view that I must kill them. The evil-minded ones have acted like children and have offered homage to an undeserving one who is a slave and not a king.” Having uttered these words, that tiger among kings stood up and roared in anger.

‘Having heard these words, in the presence of all the kings and the Pandavas, Krishna replied in a soft voice. “O kings! This son of a lady of the Satvata lineage
³⁸
is a great enemy of the Satvata clan. Though we have never done him harm, the cruel-minded one always seeks to injure us. O kings! Hearing that we had gone to the city of Pragjyotisha, this cruel one came and burnt down Dvaraka, though he is my father’s sister’s son. When the royal ones from Bhoja were sporting themselves on Mount Raivataka, he killed and captured all of them and took them to his own city. With certain evil in his heart, he wished to obstruct my father’s sacrifice and stole the horse of the
ashvamedha
,
³⁹
though it was surrounded by guards. The famous Babhru’s
⁴⁰
wife-to-be was travelling to the Souvira region to be married. But out of delusion and desire, he abducted her. He was cruelly disposed towards his maternal uncle, the ascetic Karusha and used his powers of maya to abduct Bhadra of Vishala.
⁴¹
For the sake of my father’s sister, I have borne a great deal of unhappiness. However, it is fortunate that this is happening before all these kings. You are
now witness to the malevolence he bears towards me. Know also the deeds that he has performed secretly. I can no longer pardon his offence today. He deserves to be killed only because of his insolence in front of this assembly of kings. Desiring a speedy death, this fool once offered himself to Rukmini.
⁴²
But the fool did not obtain her, the way a shudra cannot hear the Vedas.” Having heard these words of Vasudeva, all the assembled kings began to censure the king of Chedi.

‘Having heard these words, the powerful Shishupala burst into laughter and uttered these scornful words. “O Krishna! Are you not ashamed to recount this, especially before all these kings? Rukmini was mine first.
⁴³
O Madhusudana! No self-respecting man but you will admit before respectable ones that his wife had been someone else’s first. O Krishna! Pardon me. Whether you pardon me or whether you show me respect, whether you bear friendship or enmity towards me, what can you possibly do to me?” When he was talking in this way, the illustrious Madhusudana, the destroyer of his enemies, angrily sliced off his head with the chakra. The mighty-armed one fell down like a mountain struck by the vajra. The kings saw a terrible energy rise up from the body of the Chedi king. O great king! It was like the sun rising in the sky. O lord of men! That energy then paid homage to the lotus-eyed Krishna, worshipped by the worlds, and entered his body. On seeing the energy enter the mighty-armed one, supreme among all beings, all of the lords of the earth thought that this was extraordinary. When the Chedi was killed by Krishna, the cloudless sky poured forth rain. The earth trembled and blazing lightning struck. Some of those lords of the earth did not speak a word. At a time when these indescribable things were happening, they looked on at Janardana. Some angrily rubbed one hand with the tip of another. Others bit their lips, losing their senses in anger. But there were other kings who privately praised Varshneya. Some
were angry. Others were in the middle.
⁴⁴
The maharshis were delighted and went to Keshava and praised him. So did the great-souled brahmanas and the immensely powerful kings.

‘Pandava
⁴⁵
then instructed his brothers to perform the funeral rites for the brave lord of the earth who had been Damaghosha’s son. The brothers followed these instructions. Then Partha,
⁴⁶
with all the other lords of the earth, instated his
⁴⁷
son in the kingdom of Chedi.

‘O king! Then occurred the sacrifice of the king of the Kurus and brought prosperity to everyone and joy to the young, with an abundance of opulence—with great quantities of riches and grain, large amounts of food and eatables, auspicious in its beginnings and with the obstructions to peace removed. It was protected by Keshava. Until the great sacrifice of rajasuya was completed, the mighty-armed Janardana, the lord Shouri, the wielder of the
sharnga
,
⁴⁸
chakra and club, guarded it. On completion, after Dharmaraja Yudhishthira had bathed,
⁴⁹
all the kshatriya kings came to him and uttered these words. “O Ajamidha!
⁵⁰
O one who is knowledgeable in dharma! Your prosperity has been extended. You have obtained sovereignty. Your fame has been extended. O Indra among kings! With this deed, you have accomplished a great act for dharma. O tiger among men! We crave your leave. We have been shown homage in every way we desire. We now wish to return to our own kingdoms. Please grant us leave.” On hearing these words of the kings, Dharmaraja Yudhishthira worshipped each king as he deserved and told all his brothers, “All these kings have assembled here out of their own pleasure. These scorchers of enemies are now leaving for their own kingdoms and are seeking my permission. O fortunate ones! Conduct these kings to the
ends of our kingdom.” The Pandavas were always followers of dharma. Hearing their brother’s instructions, they followed each principal king, as each one deserved. O king! The powerful Dhrishtadyumna quickly conducted Virata, the maharatha Dhananjaya the great-souled Yajnasena,
⁵¹
the immensely strong Bhimasena, Bhishma and Dhritarashtra, the great warrior Sahadeva the brave, Drona and his son, Nakula Subala and his son and the sons of Droupadi and Subhadra
⁵²
the kings of the mountains. Other bulls among the kshatriyas conducted other kshatriyas. And worshipped properly, all the brahmanas departed.

‘O bull among the Bharata lineage! On the departure of all the lords among kings and the brahmanas, the powerful Vasudeva spoke to Yudhishthira. “O son of the Kuru lineage!
⁵³
I seek your leave to go to Dvaraka. Through good fortune, you have achieved rajasuya, supreme among sacrifices.” Having been thus addressed, Dharmaraja told Madhusudana, “O Govinda! It is through your favour that I have achieved this supreme sacrifice. Through your grace, all the kshatriyas have come under my sway and have attended upon me, bringing rich tributes. O brave one! Without you, we will find no pleasure. But of course you must go to the city of Dvaravati.” Having been thus addressed, the greatly famous Hari, with the righteous Yudhishthira with him, went to Pritha and affectionately said, “O father’s sister! Your sons have now obtained sovereignty and have obtained success and great riches. You should be pleased. Please grant me leave so that I can return to Dvaraka.” Keshava then bade farewell to Subhadra and Droupadi. Then, accompanied by Yudhishthira, he came out of the inner quarters. O great king! After he had bathed and prayed and the brahmanas had blessed him, Daruka yoked the beautifully constructed chariot that looked like a cloud and came. It had the great Garuda
⁵⁴
on the banner. The great-souled Pundariksha
then circumambulated it and ascending, departed for the city of Dvaravati. The fortunate Dharmaraja Yudhishthira, accompanied by his brothers, followed the immensely strong Vasudeva on foot. Then Pundariksha Hari stopped the supreme chariot for a moment and spoke to Yudhishthira, Kunti’s son. “O lord of the earth! Always remain steadfast in protecting your subjects, just as the god of rain
⁵⁵
protects all beings and a large tree protects all birds. May you be the refuge of your relatives, like the thousand-eyed one
⁵⁶
is of the immortals.” After conversing with each other, Krishna and the Pandavas took each other’s leave and went to their houses. O king! When Krishna, supreme among the Satvatas, had left for Dvaravati, only Duryodhana and Soubala
⁵⁷
Shakuni, bulls among men, remained in that celestial sabha.’

This section has 734 shlokas and twenty-three chapters.

Chapter 268(43): 36 shlokas
Chapter 269(44): 22 shlokas
Chapter 270(45): 58 shlokas
Chapter 271(46): 35 shlokas
Chapter 272(47): 31 shlokas
Chapter 273(48): 42 shlokas
Chapter 274(49): 25 shlokas
Chapter 275(50): 28 shlokas
Chapter 276(51): 26 shlokas
Chapter 277(52): 37 shlokas
Chapter 278(53): 25 shlokas
Chapter 279(54): 29 shlokas
Chapter 280(55): 17 shlokas
Chapter 281(56): 10 shlokas
Chapter 282(57): 21 shlokas
Chapter 283(58): 43 shlokas
Chapter 284(59): 12 shlokas
Chapter 285(60): 47 shlokas
Chapter 286(61): 82 shlokas
Chapter 287(62): 38 shlokas
Chapter 288(63): 36 shlokas
Chapter 289(64): 17 shlokas
Chapter 290(65): 17 shlokas

Dyuta
means playing or gambling with dice, and also the resultant prize. So this section is about the gambling with dice.

Vaishampayana said, ‘Duryodhana, bull among the Bharata lineage, lived in that sabha and with Shakuni, he slowly inspected
that entire sabha. There, the descendant
¹
of the Kuru lineage saw many divine designs that he had never seen before in the city of Nagasahrya.
²
One day, Dhritarashtra’s son,
³
the lord of the earth, arrived at a place in the middle of the sabha that was paved with crystal. The king thought it to be water and, in alarm, raised up his clothes. His mind deluded, he wandered around the sabha, shame-faced and miserable. After some time, he mistook a lake with crystal water, adorned with crystal lotuses, for land and fell into the water with his clothes on. On seeing him fall into the water, the servants laughed out in delight and on the instructions of the king,
⁴
gave him fresh clothes. On seeing him in that fashion, the immensely strong Bhimasena, and Arjuna and the twins, all burst out in laughter. Since he was incapable of bearing insults, he could not tolerate this. To save his face, he did not even look at them. He again drew up his clothes to ascend firm land and all the people again laughed out aloud.
⁵
He mistook a closed door to be open and hurt his forehead against it. On another occasion, taking an open one to be closed, he stepped away from the doorway. O lord of the earth! He thus committed various errors there. Having taken Pandavya’s
⁶
leave, King Duryodhana set out for Gajasahrya.
⁷
On having witnessed the extraordinary opulence at the great rajasuya sacrifice, his mind was unhappy. As he travelled, he was inflamed at the prosperity of the Pandavas and evil thoughts were seeded in King Duryodhana’s mind.

‘O extender of the Kuru lineage! On seeing the happiness of the Parthas, the submission of the kings, the love the worlds had for them, from children onwards, and the supreme splendour of the great-souled
Pandavas, Dhritarashtra’s son Duryodhana turned pale. As he travelled, he thought intently about the sabha and the unrivalled prosperity of the intelligent Dharmaraja. Dhritarashtra’s son Duryodhana was so inattentive, that he did not respond when Subala’s son repeatedly spoke to him. On seeing him so distracted, Shakuni responded, “O Duryodhana! Why are you travelling with all these sighs?”

‘Duryodhana replied, “O maternal uncle!
⁸
I saw the entire earth brought under Yudhishthira’s suzerainty, conquered with the power and weapons of the great-souled one with white horses.
⁹
I witnessed the sacrifice of Partha,
¹⁰
like that of the immensely radiant Shakra among the gods. I am full of envy and am burning day and night. I am drying up like a shallow pond in the hot season.
¹¹
Witness—when Shishupala was felled by the foremost of the Satvatas,
¹²
there wasn’t a single man who stood by his side. The kings were burnt with the flames of the Pandavas and pardoned the crime. Who can pardon that crime? Vasudeva’s great deed was improper and succeeded only because of the power of the great-souled Pandavas. Various kings brought many jewels to King Kounteya
¹³
and worshipped him, like vaishyas who pay taxes. On seeing the blazing prosperity of the Pandavas, I am afflicted with jealousy and am burning, though I am not made that way. I will throw myself into the fire, or consume poison, or immerse myself in water. I cannot bear to be alive. What true man in the worlds has the fortitude to see his rivals prosper, while his own self is in decline? If today I bore the prosperity that has befallen them, I would not be a woman, or one who is not a woman, or a man, or one who is not a man. On witnessing their lordship over the earth, the likes of their riches and the likes of their sacrifice, how can a man like me not be feverish? Alone, I am not capable of acquiring such
royal prosperity, nor do I see any help. Therefore, I am thinking of death. On seeing the pure prosperity of Kunti’s son, I consider destiny to be supreme and endeavour to be meaningless. O Soubala! In the past, I have made attempts to kill him.
¹⁴
But he overcame all of them and prospered like a lotus in the water. Therefore, I consider destiny to be supreme and endeavour to be meaningless. The Dhritarashtras
¹⁵
are declining and the Parthas are always prospering. When I see their prosperity and that beautiful sabha and the derisive laughter of the guards, I burn as if with fire. O maternal uncle! Please allow me now to suffer in misery and tell Dhritarashtra about the envy that has pervaded me.’

‘Shakuni said, “O Duryodhana! You should not feel any jealousy towards Yudhishthira, because the Pandavas have always benefited from their good fortune. In the past, you have tried to kill them with many means. But those tigers among men escaped because of their good fortune. They obtained Droupadi as a wife and Drupada and his two sons as allies, and the valorous Vasudeva as an ally in winning the earth. O lord of the earth! They obtained an undiminished share of paternal wealth and extended it through their own energy. What is there to lament in this? Having satisfied the fire, Dhananjaya obtained the great bow Gandiva, two inexhaustible quivers and other celestial weapons. He subdued the lords of the earth with that foremost among bows and the valour of his own arms. What is there to lament in this? He freed the danava Maya from being burnt by the fire. Savyasachi, the scorcher of enemies, then made him build that sabha. On Maya’s command, the terrible rakshasas named Kinkaras guard that sabha. What is there to lament in this? O king! O descendant of the Bharata lineage! You have said that you have no allies. That is
not true, because your maharatha brothers are always there to help you. The mighty archer Drona with his intelligent son,
¹⁶
Radheya the son of a suta,
¹⁷
the maharatha Goutama,
¹⁸
I and my brothers, and the valorous Soumadatti
¹⁹
are with you. With these as allies, conquer the entire world.”

‘Duryodhana replied, “O king! If you permit, I will defeat them
²⁰
with you and the other maharathas. When I have conquered them, the entire earth will be mine, and all the lords of the earth and the sabha with its great riches.”

‘Shakuni said, “With the use of force, the masses of gods cannot defeat in battle Dhananjaya, Vasudeva, Bhimasena, Yudhishthira, Nakula, Sahadeva and Drupada and his son. They are maharathas, great archers, skilled in use of weapons and invincible in battle. O king! But I know the means through which Yudhishthira himself can be conquered. Listen and act accordingly.”

‘Duryodhana replied, “O maternal uncle! If there is a way to defeat them without any danger to our well-wishers and other great-souled ones, please tell me.”

‘Shakuni said, “Kunti’s son loves to gamble with dice, but does not know how to play. If challenged to play, that Indra among kings will not be able to refuse. I am skilled in gambling with dice, there is no one on earth, or in the three worlds, who is my equal. Challenge Kunti’s son to a game of dice. O king! O bull among men! With my skill in dice,
²¹
there is no doubt that I will win for you the kingdom and the blazing prosperity. O Duryodhana! Tell the king
²²
all this. And if your father permits, there is no doubt that I will vanquish him.”
²³

‘Duryodhana replied, “O Soubala! You yourself say all this to Dhritarashtra, foremost among the Kurus, in the proper way. I will not be able to do it.”’

Vaishampayana said, ‘O king! Having experienced the great rajasuya sacrifice of King Yudhishthira, wishing to do well to Duryodhana and having already heard Duryodhana’s words about what he desired, Soubala Shakuni went to Dhritarashtra with Gandhari’s son.
²⁴
The lord of the earth was wise, though he was without sight, and was seated. Approaching the immensely intelligent one, Shakuni uttered these words. “O great king! O bull among the Bharata lineage! Duryodhana is pale, yellow and thin. Notice that he is miserable and is always worrying. Why do you not examine and determine the exact reasons why your eldest son is so miserable with a grief that can only result from an enemy?” Dhritarashtra asked, “O Duryodhana! O son! What is the reason for your great grief? O son
²⁵
of the Kuru lineage! If it is something that I can hear, please tell me. This Shakuni tells me that you are pale, yellow and thin and that you are worrying. I do not see any reason for your grief. O son! All my great riches are given to you. Your brothers and well-wishers never act so as to cause you displeasure. You wear the best of garments. You eat food laced with meat. You ride thoroughbred horses. Why are you then yellow and thin? Expensive beds, beautiful women, houses with all the qualities and pleasure grounds are there for your happiness. As with the gods, there is no doubt that all these await your command. O invincible one! O son! Why do you then grieve like a miserable one?”

‘Duryodhana replied, “Like any miserable man, I do eat and dress. But I tolerate the passing of time, because I bear a terrible envy. He is truly a man who vanquishes his enemies and liberates his own subjects from the oppression of that enemy. O descendant of the Bharata lineage! Satisfaction and pride destroy prosperity, so do compassion and fear. Immersed in these, no one achieves greatness. Having witnessed Kounteya Yudhishthira’s blazing prosperity, I no longer find pleasure and that is what turns me pale. It is true that the prosperity of Kunti’s son is invisible to me now. But I see the prosperity of my enemies and my own destitution as if before me now. It is for this reason that I have become pale, miserable, yellow and thin. Yudhishthira supports eighty-eight thousand snataka householders and each of them has thirty servant maidens. Besides this, ten thousand others always eat the best of food in Yudhishthira’s house, served on golden plates. The king of Kamboja sends him black, dark and red skins of the
kadali
²⁶
deer, expensive blankets, chariots, women and cattle and horses in hundreds and thousands. A hundred she-camels roam there three hundred times. O lord of the earth! The kings brought diverse riches in great numbers to that foremost of sacrifices undertaken by Kunti’s son. I have never seen nor heard of such an inflow of wealth as I saw at the sacrifice of the intelligent son of Pandu. O king! O lord! I cannot be at peace and continuously worry because I have seen that limitless flood of riches of my enemy.
Vatadhana
²⁷
brahmanas, possessing the wealth of cattle, stood at the gate in groups of one hundred. They brought three
kharva
s
²⁸
of riches as tribute, but were turned back. When they brought beautiful golden
kamandalu
s
²⁹
and filled these with tribute, it was then that they were allowed entry. In Varuna’s brass pots, the ocean brought him ambrosia
³⁰
that was better than the one brought for Shakra by the wives of the immortals. There were one thousand of them,
³¹
adorned with many jewels and golden. O bull among the Bharata lineage! On seeing all this, I felt as if afflicted with fever. They obtained these by going to the oceans of the east and the south.
³²
They had also gone to the west. But no one can go to the north, except the birds. Listen to me as I describe an extraordinary incident there. Whenever one hundred thousand brahmanas had been fed, it was arranged there that a signal would always be given through the blowing of conch shells. O descendant of the Bharata lineage! I continuously heard the repeated blowing of conch shells.
³³
On hearing these great sounds, my hair stood up on end. O lord of men! Many kings crowded the place as spectators. O great king! Those kings brought all kinds of riches with them, when they came to the sacrifice of the intelligent son of Pandu. Like vaishyas, the lords of the earth became servers to the brahmanas. O king! The king of the gods, Yama, Varuna, or the lord of the guhyakas
³⁴
does not possess riches equal to Yudhishthira’s wealth. Ever since I have witnessed the overwhelming prosperity of Pandu’s son, my heart has been burning and I can find no peace.”

‘Shakuni said, “O you whose valour is in truth! Listen to the means whereby you can obtain the unmatched prosperity that you have seen with the Pandava. O descendant of the Bharata lineage! I am skilled in playing with dice, supreme on earth. I know their heart.
³⁵
I know how to stake. I know the special art. Though Kounteya
³⁶
loves dice, he has no knowledge. If challenged, he will certainly come. I will challenge him.”’

Vaishampayana said, ‘Having been thus addressed by Shakuni, King Duryodhana then instantly addressed these words to Dhritarasthra,
“O king! This one
³⁷
is skilled in dice. Through dice, he will win the wealth of Pandu’s son. Please grant him permission.” Dhritarashtra replied, “I always follow the counsel of my immensely wise adviser, Kshatta.
³⁸
I will consult with him and then decide on the course of action. He places dharma in the forefront, has foresight and has our supreme welfare in mind. He will look at both sides
³⁹
and tell us certainly what should be done.” Duryodhana said, “If you ask Kshatta, he will restrain you. O Indra among kings! And if you are restrained, I will certainly kill myself. O king! When I am dead, may you find happiness with Vidura. Enjoy the whole earth. What do you have to do with me?” Dhritarashtra heard those painful words, though they were affectionately uttered. Submitting to Duryodhana’s desire, he instructed his servants. “Let artisans immediately build for me a beautiful and large sabha, with a thousand pillars and a hundred doors, which is fit to be seen. When it is scattered with gems and dice everywhere, quietly come and report to me that it has been built well and that it is fit to be entered.” O great king! In an attempt to pacify Duryodhana, Dhritarasthra, lord of the earth, summoned Vidura, because he never took a decision without asking Vidura. Knowing the evils of gambling, he was still attracted towards it because of affection towards his son.