Mahabharata: Volume 8 (32 page)

Vaishampayana said, ‘Having heard the words of the subjects, appropriate to the time and the place, King Yudhishthira
replied to them. “The sons of Pandu are fortunate in this world. The assembled bulls among brahmanas have praised their qualities, whether they possess them or not. It is my view that you have certainly shown us a favour. Without any selfishness, you have spoken about the qualities that we possess. However, the great king, Dhritarashtra, is our father and our supreme god. If you wish to ensure what brings me pleasure, ensure his pleasure and remain under his rule. Having caused a great destruction of the kin, I live for him alone. Constantly and attentively, my duty is to serve him. O well-wishers! If you wish to show your favours towards me, then you should behave towards Dhritarashtra as you used to do earlier. He is the lord of the universe and mine too. The entire earth belongs to him and so do all the Pandavas. In your minds, you should always remember these words I have spoken. Taking the permission of the king, go wherever you wish to.” The residents of the city and the countryside took their leave of the descendant of the Kuru lineage.
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‘Kouravya instated Bhimasena as the heir apparent. He cheerfully instructed that the intelligent Vidura should be the adviser for the six kinds of policy.
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Sanjaya, who possessed many qualities and could think about what had been done and what should be done, was put in charge of finances and wealth. The king instructed Nakula to supervise the size of the army, make sure salaries were being paid and also take care of the workers. Yudhishthira, the great king, instructed that Phalguna should act against the circles of enemies and punish those who were unruly. The scorcher of enemies instructed that Dhoumya, best among priests, should take care of all the rites laid down in the Vedas and duties connected with the brahmanas. O lord of the earth! Sahadeva was instructed
to always remain nearby, so as to protect the king. The lord of the earth joyfully appointed each one to a separate task, depending on what was suitable. The destroyer of enemy heroes, always devoted to dharma and with dharma in his soul, told Vidura, Sanjaya and the immensely intelligent Yuyutsu, “Arise! Get up and accomplish every task for the king who is my father.
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Perform all the appropriate tasks so that everyone is well. Always act for the residents of the city and the countryside. Having taken the king’s
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permission, follow dharma and perform all those tasks.”’

Vaishampayana said, ‘King Yudhishthira, greatly generous, then had the funeral rites separately performed for all the kin who had been slain in the battle.
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For the funeral rites of his sons, the immensely illustrious King Dhritarashtra gave away all the objects of desire, full of qualities, cattle, riches, many kinds of jewels and other extremely expensive objects. In a similar way, with Droupadi, Yudhishthira donated for Karna, the great-souled Drona, Dhrishtadyumna, Abhimanyu, the rakshasa who was Hidimba’s son,
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Virata and the other well-wishers who had done good deeds for him, Drupada and Droupadi’s sons. He instructed that thousands of brahmanas should separately be given grain, garments, gems and cattle. There were other kings who had no relatives and the king instructed that their funeral rites should also be performed. To perform the funeral rites of the well-wishers, Pandava had many halls, reservoirs of water and lakes constructed. He repaid his debts and ensured that the worlds would not censure
him. Having done this, the king followed dharma and protected the subjects. He honoured Dhritarashtra, Gandhari, Vidura, all the Kourava advisers and servants, as he used to do earlier. There were some women whose brave husbands and sons had been slain. Compassionately, the Kourava king honoured and protected all of them. The lord, the king, was full of compassion and non-violence and showed his favours to the distressed, the blind and the miserable with houses, garments and food. Having conquered the entire earth and having repaid his debts to his foes, the king was happy and without any rivals. Yudhishthira enjoyed himself.’

Vaishampayana said, ‘Having obtained the kingdom, the immensely wise Yudhishthira was consecrated. The pure one
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joined his hands in salutation and spoke to Dasharha Pundarikaksha. “O Krishna! O tiger among the Yadu lineage! It is through your favours, your strength, your intelligence and your valour that this kingdom of my father and grandfather has again been conveyed to me. O Pundarikaksha! O scorcher of enemies! I repeatedly bow down before you. You have been spoken of as the only man. You are the lord of the Satvatas.
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I bow down before you. The supreme rishis have praised you under many names
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—(1) Vishvakarma;
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(2) Vishvatma;
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(3) Vishvasambhava;
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(4) Vishnu; (5) Jishnu; (6) Hari; (7) Krishna; (8) Vaikuntha; (9) Purushottama; (10) Aditya, since in ancient times, you were in her womb for seven nights;
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(11) Prishnigarbha, one who is spoken of as having been born in different forms in the three yugas;
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(12) Shuchishrava;
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(13) Hrishikesha;
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(14) Ghritarchi
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is a name you are addressed by; (15) Trichakshu;
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(16) Shambhu, the single one; (17) Vibhu;
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(18) Damodara; (19) Varaha;
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(20) Agni; (21) Brihadbhanu;
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(22) Vrishana;
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(23) Tarkshyalakshana;
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(24) Anikasaha;
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(25) Purusha; (26) Shipivishta;
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(27) Urukrama;
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(28) Vachishtha;
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(29) Ugra; (30) Senani; (31) Satya; (32) Vajasanirguha;
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(33) Achyuta; (34) Yavana-arinam;
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(35) Samkriti;
(36) Vikriti; (37) Vrisha; (38) Kritavartma;
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(39) Vrishagarbha; (40) Vrishakapi; (41) Sindhukshidurmi;
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(42) Trikaku;
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(43) Tridhama;
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(44) Trivid-achyuta;
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(45) Samrat;
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(46) Virat;
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(47) Svarat;
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(48) Surarat;
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(49) Dharmada; (50) Bhava; (51) Bhu;
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(52) Abhibhu;
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(53) Krishna; (54) Krishavartma;
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(55) Svishta;
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(56) Kridbhishagavarta;
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(57) Kapila; (58) Vamana; (59) Yajna; (60) Dhruva; (61) Patanga;
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(62) Jayatsena;
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(63) Shikhandi;
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(64) Nahusha; (65) Babhru;
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(66) Divaspriktva;
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(67) Punarvasu;
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(68) Subabhru;
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(69) Ruksha;
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(70) Rukma; (71) Sushena; (72) Dundubhi; (73) Gabhastinemi;
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(74) Shripadma; (75) Pushkara; (76) Pushpadharana; (77) Ribhu; (78) Vibhu; (79) Sarvasukshma;
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(80) Savitra; (81) Ambhanidhi;
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(82)
Brahma; (83) Pavitra; (84) Dhama;
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(85) Dhanva;
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(86) Hiranyagarbha; (87) Svadha; (88) Svaha; (89) Keshava; (90) Yoni;
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(91) Pralaya;
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(92) Krishna; (93) Vishvamagra, the foremost creator of everything in the universe; (94) Vishvajoni, who controls everything in the universe; (95) Sharnga-chakra-asi-pani.
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I bow down before you.” Having been thus praised in the midst of the assembly hall by the eldest Pandava, the eloquent Krishna Pundarikaksha, foremost among the Yadavas, spoke words to delight the descendant of the Bharata lineage.’

Vaishampayana said, ‘The king dismissed all the subjects and instructed them to return to their own homes. King Yudhishthira then spoke to Bhima, terrible in his valour, the intelligent Arjuna and the twins and pacified them. “In the great battle, your bodies have been mangled by the enemy with many kinds of weapons. You are exhausted and extremely tormented by sorrow and intolerance. O best of men! You have suffered hardships in the forest because of me. You have endured that, like inferior men. Now enjoy this victory in happiness, as you wish. After having rested and recovered your sense, meet me again in the morning.” Duryodhana’s house was as beautiful as a palace. It was strewn with many gems and full of male and female servants. With Dhritarashtra’s permission, it had been given to Vrikodara by his brother.
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The mighty-armed one received it and entered, like Maghavan. Just like Duryodhana’s house, Duhshasana’s house was also adorned with the garlands of
many palaces and was decorated with golden gates. It was stocked with male and female servants and had a lot of riches and grain. On the instructions of the king, the mighty-armed Arjuna received this. Durmarshana’s supreme abode was even better than Duhshasana’s house. It was like Kubera’s residence and was decorated with jewels and gold. Nakula had suffered in the great forest and deserved this. O great king! Dharmaraja Yudhishthira happily gave him this. Durmukha’s foremost residence was prosperous and decorated with gold. It had many beds and was full of women who had eyes that were like the petals of lotuses. Sahadeva always did what brought him pleasure and he
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gave it to him. Having obtained it, he
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delighted himself, like the lord of riches
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on Kailasa. Yuyutsu, Vidura, the immensely radiant Sanjaya, Sudharma and Dhoumya
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went to their own houses. With Satyaki, Shouri,
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tiger among men, went to Arjuna’s residence and entered it, like a tiger entering a cave in the mountains. Those places were stocked with food and drink. They spent the night happily there. Having cheerfully awoken in the morning, they presented themselves before King Yudhishthira.’

Janamejaya asked, ‘O brahmana! After having obtained the kingdom, what did the immensely energetic Dharmaraja Yudhishthira do next? You should tell me that. O rishi! What did the illustrious Hrishikesha, the supreme preceptor of the three worlds, do? You should tell me that in detail.’

Vaishampayana replied, ‘O Indra among kings! Listen. O unblemished one! I will recount that in detail, about what the Pandavas did, with Vasudeva at the forefront. Having obtained the kingdom, the immensely energetic Dharmaraja Yudhishthira instructed the four varnas to be engaged in their own dharma. He announced that one thousand great-souled snataka
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brahmanas would be given one thousand golden coins each. He arranged sustenance for the servants and the guests who sought refuge and gratified their desires, even the distressed ones who were prone to debating.
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He gave tens of thousands of cows to the priest, Dhoumya, and also riches, gold, silver and many kinds of garments. O great king! He behaved towards Kripa as one would towards a preceptor. With dharma in his soul, he was careful in his vows and honoured Vidura. The supreme among generous ones gave food, drink, many kinds of garments, beds and seats and satisfied all those who resorted to him. O supreme among kings! Having obtained peace, the immensely illustrious king honoured Yuyutsu, Dhritarashtra’s son. King Yudhishthira offered the kingdom to Dhritarashtra, Gandhari and Vidura and informed them that the kingdom was safe. O Janamejaya! He satisfied everyone in the city in this way.

‘With hands joined in salutation, he then went to the great-souled Vasudeva. He saw Krishna seated on an expensive couch, decorated with jewels and gold. He looked like a blue rain cloud atop Mount Meru. Decorated with divine ornaments, his form blazed. He was attired in yellow silk garments and was like a jewel set in golden jewellery. The
koustubha
jewel was on his chest, radiant amidst other gems. He looked like Mount Udaya,
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with the sun blazing its crown. There was no one like him in the three worlds. He approached the great-souled Vishnu, an idol in human form.
Smiling first, he addressed him in gentle words. “O supreme among intelligent ones! Have you spent the night in comfort? O Achyuta! I hope all your senses are at ease. O supreme among intelligent ones! We sought refuge with you and the goddess of your intelligence. That is how we obtained our kingdom back and the earth is under our subjugation. O illustrious one! Through your valour, you covered the three worlds in three steps
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and you have shown us your favours. Hence, we obtained victory and the best of fame. Nor have we deviated from dharma.” Dharmaraja Yudhishthira spoke to him in this way. However, the illustrious one was meditating. He remained silent and did not say anything in reply.’

‘Yudhishthira said, “O infinitely valorous one! It is wonderful that you should be meditating thus. O refuge of the worlds! I hope the three worlds will be safe. O Purushottama! You have resorted to the fourth stage of meditation.
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O god! You have withdrawn and my mind is surprised. You have stilled the five winds that perform action in the body.
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You have established all the senses in your mind. You have restrained your senses and your mind in your intelligence.
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O god! All those groups have been immersed in your soul.
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Your body hair is still and so are your intelligence and your mind. O Madhava! You don’t seem to be here and are like a pillar, a wall or a rock. O Achyuta! You are as still as the blazing flame
of a lamp where there is no wind. O illustrious one! O god! Firm in your resolution, you are as immobile as that. O god! If I deserve to hear it and if it is not a secret, show me your favours and dispel my doubts. You are the creator and the transformer.
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You are the one who decays and you are the own who does not decay. You are without a beginning and without an end. O Purushottoma! You are the one who is here now. I am bowing down my head before you. With devotion, I am seeking refuge with you. O supreme among upholders of dharma! Tell me the truth about this meditation.”’

Vaishampayana said, ‘The illustrious one, Vasava’s younger brother, then brought his mind, his intelligence and his senses to their usual state. Smiling first, he said, “Bhishma is lying down on a bed of arrows, like a fire that has been pacified. The tiger among men was thinking of me and my mind was concentrated on him. The sound of his bowstring against his palm was like thunder with lightning. Even the king of the gods could not tolerate that. My mind had gone out to him. In earlier times, when he swiftly attacked the assembled circle of kings and abducted the three maidens,
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my mind had gone out to him. When he fought for twenty-three nights with Bhargava Rama
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without being overpowered, my mind had gone out to him. In the proper way, Ganga had carried the king in her womb. O father!
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He was Vasishtha’s student. O king! My mind had gone out to him. The extremely energetic and intelligent one wielded divine weapons and knew the four Vedas and the Vedangas. My mind had gone out to him. O Pandava! He was the beloved disciple of Rama,
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Jamadagni’s son. He was the store of all kinds of knowledge. My mind had gone out to him. He united his senses, controlled his mind and his intelligence and sought refuge with me. My mind had gone out to him. O bull among men! He knew the past, the present and the future and upheld the best forms of dharma. My mind had gone out to him. O Partha! When that tiger
among men has ascended to heaven because of his own deeds, the earth will be like a night when there is no moon. O Yudhishthira! Gangeya Bhishma is terrible in his valour. Go to him and carefully ask him about what is in your mind. O lord of the earth! Ask him about the four Vedas, the four rites of sacrifice,
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the four stages of life and the dharma of the four varnas. Bhishma, has borne the great burden of the Kouravas, and with him, all that knowledge is about to set. That is the reason I am asking you to approach him.” When he heard Vasudeva’s excellent words, which were full of purport, the one who knew about dharma
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addressed Janardana in a voice that was choking with tears. “O Madhava! O one who shows honours! There is not the slightest bit of doubt in my mind about the truth of what you have said about Bhishma’s powers. I have heard the great-souled brahmanas talk about the immensely fortunate and great-souled Bhishma’s powers. O destroyer of enemies! You are the lord of the worlds and there cannot be any doubt about what you have said. O Madhava! If your mind is so inclined towards showing me your favours, then, with you at the forefront, let us go and see Bhishma. When the illustrious sun god has turned around,
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he will leave for those worlds. O mighty-armed one! Therefore, Kourava should also see you. You are the origin of the gods. You are the one who is destroyed and you are also the one who is not destroyed. You are the storehouse of the brahman. Therfore, seeing you is a true gain.” On hearing Dharmaraja’s words, Madhusudana instructed Satyaki, who was next to him, that his chariot should be yoked.

‘Satyaki departed from Krishna’s presence and went and told Daruka that Krishna’s chariot should be yoked. The different parts of that supreme chariot were decorated with gold. Its parts were adorned with sapphires and crystals. The wheels were encrusted with gold. It was swift and possessed the complexion of the sun’s rays. It was decorated with many kinds of gems and jewels. It blazed like the rising sun. The wonderful standard had Tarkshya
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atop it.
It was as swift as thought and its different parts were embellished with gold. Sugriva, Sainya and the best of horses were yoked to it. On hearing Satyaki’s instructions, Daruka quickly yoked it properly. O lion among kings! Hands joined in salutation, he then went and informed that it had been readied.’