Mahabharata Vol. 2 (Penguin Translated Texts) (43 page)

‘On seeing that all his arrows were exhausted, he began to tremble. Jishnu thought of the illustrious fire-god, who had earlier given him two inexhaustible quivers in Khandava. “What will I unleash from my bow now? My arrows have been exhausted. Who is this man who swallows up all my arrows? I will kill him with the curved end of my bow, like a terrible spear is used on elephants. Yama wields the staff and I will send him to his abode.” Kounteya, the destroyer of enemies, then grasped him with the curved end of his bow. But the mountain-dweller snatched away his divine bow. Bereft of his bow, Arjuna stood there, with a sword in his hand. Wishing to end the fight, he dashed at him with great force. With all the valour in his arms, the courageous descendant of the Kuru lineage
²⁷⁶
struck at his head with the sharp sword, one that even mountains could not resist. However, on striking his head, it shattered into pieces. Then Phalguna began to fight with
trees and rocks. But the gigantic and illustrious god who was in the form of a hunter withstood the trees and the rocks. Smoke billowed from the immensely strong Partha’s mouth. He struck that invincible one, who was in the form of a hunter, with fists that had the force of the vajra. However, the illustrious one who was in the form of a hunter struck Phalguna with terrible fists that were like Shakra’s thunder. As a result of this fight with fists between Pandava and the hunter, the terrible sound of slapping arose there. That great and hair-raising battle with the fists went on for some time, like that ancient battle between Vritra and Vasava. The powerful Jishnu grasped the kirata and pressed his chest and the kirata struck Pandava with great force. As a result of the pressure of their arms and the pressing of their chests, a fire with smoke and embers emerged from their bodies. Then Mahadeva grasped his
²⁷⁷
body firmly and attacked him with energy and force, so that he was deluded of his senses. O descendant of the Bharata lineage! Thus oppressed by the god of the gods, Phalguna’s body was bruised and became like a ball of flesh. He lost control over his body. Oppressed by the great-souled one, his breathing stopped. He fell down unconscious and Bhava was pleased.

‘The illustrious god said, “O Phalguna! I am pleased with you because of your matchless deeds. There is no kshatriya who is equal to you in valour and endurance. O unblemished one! Your energy and valour has been equal to mine today. O mighty-armed one! O bull among men! I am pleased with you. Behold me. O large-eyed one! I will give you eyes.
²⁷⁸
You have been a rishi earlier. You will triumph over all your enemies in battle, even if they happen to be dwellers of heaven.” At that, Phalguna saw that immensely radiant god, the god Mahadeva Girisha,
²⁷⁹
who wields the trident, and the goddess.
²⁸⁰
He knelt down on the ground and bowed down his head in homage. Partha, the conqueror of the cities of enemies, gratified Hara.
²⁸¹
Arjuna
said, “O Kapardin!
²⁸²
O lord of all the beings! O destroyer of Bhaga’s eyes!
²⁸³
O illustrious god! O Shankara! Pardon my transgression. O illustrious one! It was in a desire to see you that I came to this great mountain, beloved by you, lord of the gods, and the supreme abode of the ascetics. O illustrious god, worshipped by all the beings! Be pleased. O Mahadeva! Pardon my crime and my extreme bravery. Out of ignorance and insolence, I fought with you. O Shankara! I seek refuge with you. Pardon me.” Then the immensely energetic Vrishabhadhvaja
²⁸⁴
smiled, and grasping Phalguna’s beautiful hands, said, “I have pardoned you.”’

‘The illustrious god said, “You were Nara in an earlier body, the companion of Narayana. You spent many
ayuta
²⁸⁵
years in fearful austerities in Badari.
²⁸⁶
There is supreme energy in you, like that in Vishnu, supreme among men. The universe is held up through the energy of the two of you, foremost among men. O lord! At the time of Shakra’s consecration, you and Krishna oppressed the danavas and you took up the great bow that thunders like clouds. O Partha! This Gandiva is fit for your hands. O supreme among men! It was that which I snatched from you, using my powers of maya. O Partha! These two quivers will again be inexhaustible, as they used to be for you. O Partha! I am pleased with you. Truth is your valour. O bull among men! Accept a boon from me. What is it that you desire? You are the one who shows respect. There is no one on earth
who is your equal. Nor is there anyone in heaven. O conqueror of enemies! The kshatriyas find their chief in you.”

‘Arjuna replied, “O illustrious god! O Vrishadhvaja!
²⁸⁷
O lord! If you wish to grant me that which I desire, I wish for the terrible and divine weapon known as
pashupata
.
²⁸⁸
It is known as
brahmashira
. It is fearful and is terrible in prowess. When the terrible end of a yuga approaches, it destroys the entire world. Through this weapon, I can burn down in battle danavas, rakshasas, spirits,
²⁸⁹
pishachas, gandharvas and pannagas.
²⁹⁰
When unleashed with mantras, it releases thousands of spears, fearful clubs and arrows that have virulent poison in them. With it, I will fight in battle Bhishma, Drona, Kripa and the son of the suta,
²⁹¹
who always speaks very harshly. O illustrious god! O destroyer of Bhaga’s eyes! This is my first wish. Through your grace, let me be empowered in my pursuit.”

‘The illustrious god said, “O Pandava! I will give you the great pashupata weapon, dear to me. You will be capable of bearing, releasing and withdrawing it. The great Indra, Yama, the king of the yakshas,
²⁹²
Varuna and Vayu do not know it. How can it be known to humans? O Partha! But it must not be suddenly released at any man. If it is released at someone who lacks in energy, it will destroy the entire universe. There is no one in the three worlds, mobile or immobile, who cannot be killed by it. It can be released through thought, eyes, words or the bow.”’
²⁹³

Vaishampayana said, ‘On hearing this, Partha swiftly purified and composed himself. He went to the lord of the universe, who said, “Learn.” Then he taught the best of the Pandavas the mysteries
of this weapon, including its withdrawal. It was like the embodied form of death. From then on, it waited on the great-souled one,
²⁹⁴
as it did on Tryaksha,
²⁹⁵
the husband of Uma. Arjuna accepted it with a delighted heart. At that, the entire earth, with its mountains, forests, trees, oceans, regions of groves, villages, cities and towns, began to tremble. When the moment came, the sounds of thousands of conch shells, drums and kettledrums were heard. A great whirlwind
²⁹⁶
occurred. The gods and the demons saw the embodied form of the blazing and terrible weapon by the side of the immensely energetic Pandava. Tryambaka
²⁹⁷
touched the immensely energetic Phalguna and everything that was impure in his body, was immediately destroyed. Then Tryambaka gave Arjuna permission to leave and go to heaven. Lowering his head in obeisance, Partha joined his hands in salutation and looked at the god. Then, the lord of the residents of heaven, the immensely wise Girisha, Shiva the husband of Uma, gave that supreme of men the great bow known as Gandiva, the destroyer of demons and pishachas. In front of the eyes of that supreme of men,
²⁹⁸
the great god then rose up into the sky, accompanied by Uma, leaving that supreme of mountains, with its white peaks, sides and caverns and frequented by birds and maharshis.’

Vaishampayana said, ‘Like a setting sun before the eyes of the worlds, Pinaki Vrishabhadhvaja disappeared before his eyes. O descendant of the Bharata lineage! Arjuna, the slayer of enemy warriors, was extremely astounded. He said, “I have seen the great Mahadeva in person. I am blessed and greatly favoured. For I have
seen Tryambaka Hara Pinaki, the granter of boons, in person and have touched him with my hands. I know that I have accomplished my objective. I have already defeated my enemies in battle. All my objectives have been attained.” Then, lighting up all the directions, the handsome lord of the waters
²⁹⁹
arrived. His complexion was like that of lapis lazuli
³⁰⁰
and he was surrounded by aquatic creatures, nagas, male and female rivers, daityas, sadhyas
³⁰¹
and gods.
³⁰²
Varuna, the self-controlled lord of all aquatic creatures, arrived in that region. Followed by yakshas, the lord Kubera also arrived. His complexion was like that of gold and he arrived in a splendid chariot. The illustrious lord of riches, extraordinary in form, came to see Arjuna, illuminating the sky. In similar fashion, the illustrious Yama, the powerful destroyer of the worlds and the one who makes the worlds prosper, also came in person. He was accompanied by the ancestors, embodied and disembodied. The destroyer of all beings, whose soul cannot be fathomed, came with a staff in his hand.
³⁰³
Dharmaraja, the son of Vivasvat,
³⁰⁴
arrived in a chariot that brightened up the three worlds, with guhyakas, gandharvas and pannagas. He was like a second sun when the end of the yuga has arrived. From that resplendent and multi-hued peak of that great mountain, they saw Arjuna there, engaged in austerities. In a short while, the illustrious god Shakra arrived. He was accompanied by Indrani
³⁰⁵
and was surrounded by masses of gods. He was seated on Airavata’s
³⁰⁶
head. The white umbrella that was held aloft his head shone like the lord of the stars
³⁰⁷
amidst white clouds. He was praised by gandharvas, rishis and those blessed with the power of austerities and having reached the peak of the mountain, he stood there like a rising sun.

‘Yama, supremely knowledgeable in dharma, was established in the southern direction. That intelligent one then spoke these pure words, in a voice like the roar of clouds. “O Arjuna! Behold. All the protectors of the worlds have assembled here. We will give you sight, because you deserve to see us. In the past, you were an immensely strong rishi named Nara. O son! Instructed by Brahma, you have been born on earth. You have been born from Vasava, who is immensely valorous and powerful. O descendant of the Kuru lineage!
³⁰⁸
You will pacify kshatriya
s
who are like fire to the touch and are protected by Bharadvaja,
³⁰⁹
immensely valorous danavas who have been born as men and the
nivatakavacha
s.
³¹⁰
The greatly valorous Karna is a part of my father, the sun-god, who heats all the worlds.
³¹¹
O Dhananjaya! He will be slain by you. You will kill in battle those parts of the gods, danavas and rakshasas that have been born on earth. O Kounteya! O dragger of enemies! They will then obtain their ends, as determined by the fruits of their own deeds. O Phalguna! Your fame will remain eternal in the world. You have pleased Mahadeva himself in a great battle. Along with Vishnu,
³¹²
you will lighten the burden of the earth. O mighty-armed one! Accept the staff,
³¹³
my weapon that cannot be repulsed. With this weapon, you will accomplish great deeds.” Partha, the descendant of the Kuru lineage,
³¹⁴
accepted it in accordance with the prescribed rites, with the mantras for holding, releasing and withdrawing.

‘Varuna, the lord of aquatic creatures, was established in a western direction. His complexion was as dark as that of a cloud. The lord then uttered these words, “O Partha! You are foremost among the kshatriyas and you are established in the dharma of kshatriyas. Behold me with your large and copper-red eyes. I am Varuna, lord of the
waters. When discharged by me, Varuna’s noose
³¹⁵
cannot be resisted. O Kounteya! I am giving it to you. Accept it, together with the mysteries and means of withdrawal. O brave one! At the time of the tarakamaya battle,
³¹⁶
I used it to restrain thousands of great-souled daityas. O great-souled one! Accept it as a sign of my favour. Even Death will not be able to escape, if you assault him with this. When you are armed with this weapon and roam in the field of battle, there is no doubt that the earth will be bereft of all kshatriyas.” After Varuna and Yama had given their divine weapons, the lord of riches, who lives on the peak of Kailasa, spoke.

‘He said, “O mighty-armed one! O Savyasachi! Earlier, you were an eternal god. In an earlier era, your endeavours were always at our side. Accept this favourite weapon of mine, known as
antardhana
.
³¹⁷
It is energetic, vigorous and resplendent. O destroyer of enemies! It can put the enemy to sleep.”
³¹⁸
Then the mighty-armed Arjuna, descendant of the Kuru lineage,
³¹⁹
accepted Kubera’s divine weapon in accordance with the rites.

‘The king of the gods now spoke to Partha, the performer of unsullied deeds. He pacified him in gentle words, in a voice that was like a cloud or a kettledrum, “O mighty-armed one! O one with Kunti as your mother! You are the ancient Ishana.
³²⁰
You have already obtained supreme salvation earlier and have personally gone the way of the gods. O conqueror of enemies! You must now accomplish a great task for the sake of the gods. You will now ascend to heaven. O immensely radiant one! Prepare yourself. My chariot will descend to earth for you, driven by Matali.
³²¹
O Kourava! I will give you
divine weapons there.” Having seen the lords of the worlds assembled on the peak of that mountain, intelligent Dhananjaya, Kunti’s son, was astounded. Then the immensely energetic Arjuna paid homage to the assembled lords of the worlds in accordance with the rites, with words, water and fruit. The gods honoured Dhananjaya in return. All of them then returned as they had come, capable of going wherever they wished, with the speed of thought. Having obtained the weapons, Arjuna, bull among men, was delighted. He considered that his wishes had been satisfied and that his desires had been completely satisfied.’