Read Mahabharata: Volume 7 Online
Authors: Bibek Debroy
‘D
hritarashtra asked, “O Sanjaya! My son’s head was kicked with the foot and his thighs were shattered. He was lying down on the ground. He was extremely proud. What did he say? The king was extremely wrathful and firm in his enmity towards the Pandus. In that great battle, when that great calamity overtook him, what did he say?”
‘Sanjaya replied, “O king! Listen. O lord of men! I will tell you exactly what happened and what the king spoke, when he was shattered and he was overtaken by that calamity. O king! The king’s thighs were shattered and he was covered with dust. He gathered his flowing locks and glanced in the ten directions. Having carefully collected his locks, he sighed like a serpent. He was angry. With tears flowing from his eyes, he glanced towards me. For a short while, like a crazy elephant, he struck the earth with his hands. Then he shook his locks and gnashed his teeth. He censured the eldest Pandava and sighing, spoke these words.
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‘As my protector, I had Bhishma, Shantanu’s son, Karna, supreme among the wielders of weapons, Goutama, Shakuni, Drona, supreme among the wielders of weapons, Ashvatthama, the brave Shalya and Kritavarma. However, I have been reduced to this state. Destiny is difficult to cross. I was the lord
of eleven armies.
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But I have been reduced to this state. O mighty-armed one! When the time comes, no one can cross it. Those on my side who are still alive should be informed about how I have been brought down by Bhimasena, violating rules of fairness. The Pandavas have indeed performed many cruel deeds—Bhurishrava, Karna, Bhishma and the prosperous Drona. This is yet another infamous and cruel deed that the Pandavas have perpetrated. On this account, it is my view that they will be reprimanded by virtuous ones. If victory is obtained unfairly, what pleasure can virtuous men obtain from that? Which learned one will approve this violation of rules? Having obtained victory through adharma, learned ones do not rejoice in the way that the wicked Vrikodara, Pandu’s son, is delighted. My thighs have been shattered. What can be more extraordinary than the angry Bhimasena kicking my head with his foot? O Sanjaya! If a man acts in such a way towards a powerful and prosperous person who still has relatives, will he be honoured? My mother, my father and I are not ignorant about the dharma of kshatriyas. O Sanjaya! They will be miserable. Tell them my words. I have performed sacrifices. I have sustained servants. I have ruled the earth, up to the oceans. When my enemies were alive, I placed my feet on their heads. I have given gifts, to the best of my capacity. I have done pleasant deeds towards my friends. I have countered all my enemies. Who can be more fortunate than I am? I have advanced against the kingdoms of enemies and have subjugated those kings, like slaves. I have truly acted well towards virtuous ones. Who can be more fortunate than I am? I have honoured all my relatives and have been honoured and revered by men. I have served the three objectives.
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Who can be more fortunate than I am? I have commanded the foremost among kings. I have obtained honour that is extremely difficult to get. I have gone to my place of birth. Who can be more fortunate than I am? I have studied and donated, in accordance with the prescribed rites. I have lived a long and healthy life. Based on my own dharma, I have conquered the worlds. Who can be more fortunate than I am? It is through good fortune that I
have not been defeated in the battle and made to serve my enemies. It is through good fortune that my great prosperity goes to another one only after my death. Based on their own dharma, my kshatriya relatives attained their desired objective. That same death has been obtained by me. Who can be more fortunate than I am? An ordinary person is subjugated in the course of an enmity. It is through good fortune that I have not been subjugated by the enemy in that way. It is through good fortune that I have not been vanquished after performing a despicable act—like killing one who is asleep, one who is mad, or killing someone through the use of poison. I have been slain through adharma, through the contravention of fair rules. The immensely fortunate Ashvatthama, Satvata Kritavarma and Kripa Sharadvata should be told these words of mine. “The Pandavas have engaged in many acts of adharma. You should not trust them. They violate the rules.” ’
‘ “The king, your son, for whom truth was his valour, then addressed the bards. ‘In the encounter, I have been brought down by Bhimasena through the use of adharma. I will now go to heaven, like Drona, Shalya, Karna, the immensely valorous Vrishasena, Shakuni Soubala, the immensely valorous Jalasandha, King Bhagadatta, the great archer who was Somadatta’s son,
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Saindhava Jayadratha, my brothers who were my equal, with Duhshasana as the foremost, Duhshasana’s valiant son and my son, Lakshmana. There were many thousand of others on my side. They followed me from the rear. But I am now like a traveller without any riches. On hearing about the death of her brothers and her husband, how will my sister, Duhshala,
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be? She will weep in sorrow. When they are overcome by sorrow, what will become of my father, the aged king, and Gandhari, and their daughters-in-law and granddaughters-in-law? There is no doubt that with her son and her husband slain, Lakshmana’s mother,
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fortunate and large-eyed, will swiftly die. The immensely fortunate mendicant, Charvaka, is eloquent in the use of words. If he
learns about this, he will certainly exact vengeance on my account.
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The sacred Samantapanchaka is famous in the three worlds. By dying here today, I will obtain the eternal worlds.’ O venerable one! On hearing the lamentations of the king, thousands of men fled in the ten directions, their eyes full of tears. The earth, with its oceans and forests, and mobile and immobile objects, trembled violently and made a loud noise. The directions were clouded.
‘ “They
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went to Drona’s son and told him how the king had been brought down in the duel with the clubs. O descendant of the Bharata lineage! When they had reported the account to Drona’s son, all of them remained immersed in thought for a long time. Then, sorrowfully, they
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went to wherever they had come from.” ’
‘S
anjaya said, “O king! The remaining Kourava maharathas heard from the bards that Duryodhana had been brought down. They were mangled with sharp arrows, clubs, spears and javelins. Ashvatthama, Kripa and Satvata Kritavarma ascended swift steeds and quickly arrived at the field of the encounter. There, they saw Dhritarashtra’s great-souled son, who had been brought down. He was like a giant shala tree in the forest, shattered by the force of a storm. He was like a giant elephant in the forest, slain by a hunter. He was writhing and was covered by copious quantities of blood. It was as if the solar disc had been brought down. It was as if a giant tempest had arisen and had dried up the ocean. It was as if the disc of the full moon in the sky had been covered by mist. He was mighty-armed and like an elephant in valour, but was covered
in dust. He was surrounded by a large number of fierce demons and predatory beasts in every direction, as if they were servants greedy for riches, surrounding the best of kings. There was a frown on his face and his eyes were dilated in rage. That tiger among men was like a tiger that had been brought down. They saw the great archer, the king, lying down on the ground. Kripa and the other rathas were extremely stupefied. They descended from their chariots and rushed towards the king. They saw Duryodhana and sat down on the ground, around him.
‘ “O great king! Drona’s son’s eyes were full of tears and he sighed. He spoke to the best of the Bharata lineage, the lord of all the kings on earth. ‘There is no doubt that there is nothing that is permanent in the world of men. O tiger among men! You are lying down thus, covered in dust. O king! You had earlier commanded the earth. O Indra among kings! How is it that you are alone in this deserted forest now? I do not see Duhshasana, or maharatha Karna. O bull among the Bharata lineage! All your well-wishers aren’t here either. It is a great sorrow that the ways of Yama can never be known. You possessed all the worlds. Yet you are lying down, covered in dust. This scorcher of enemies was foremost among those whose heads had been consecrated.
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Behold the course of destiny. He is covered with grass and dust now. O king! Where is your sparkling umbrella and whisk now? O supreme among kings! Where has your large army gone? It is indeed impossible to fathom the course and cause and effect, since you, who were the preceptor of all the worlds, have now been reduced to this state. Everything on earth is temporary. It is seen that only prosperity and beauty are permanent.
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You used to rival Shakra and we now see you reduced to this terrible state.’ O king! On hearing his words, which were especially full of sorrow, you son spoke these words, appropriate to the occasion. He shed tears of sorrow and wiped them away from his eyes with his hands. The lord of men spoke to those brave ones, Kripa and the others. ‘It has been said that the creator has ordained such a dharma for those
who are mortal. In the course of time, death confronts all beings. In the presence of all of you, it now confronts me. I have ruled over the earth and have now been reduced to this state. It is through good fortune that I have not been defeated by the enemy in battle. It is through good fortune that I have been brought down, especially through wickedness and deception. It is through good fortune that, while engaged in fighting, I have always exhibited enterprise. After my relatives and allies have been slain in the battle, it is through good fortune that I have been brought down. It is through good fortune that I see that you have escaped from this destruction of men, and are well and hale. This is great delight for me. Because you are my well-wishers, do not torment yourself at my death. If the Vedas are proof, I have obtained eternal worlds. I know about the powers of the infinitely energetic Krishna. He has ensured that I did not deviate from following the dharma of kshatriyas. I have obtained him. Therefore, I have nothing to sorrow about. You have done what those like you should have done. You have always sought to ensure my victory. But destiny is impossible to cross.’ O Indra among kings! Having spoken these words, with tears in his eyes, the king became silent. He was severely agitated by agony.
‘ “Drona’s son blazed up in anger, like the fire at the time of the destruction of the universe. Overcome by rage, he pressed one hand with the other hand. His voice choking with tears, he spoke these words to the king. ‘My father was slain by those inferior ones, through an extremely cruel deed. O king! But that did not torment me as much as I am suffering now. O lord! Listen to these words. I am swearing this truthfully, on the sacrifices I have performed, the donations, the dharma and the good deeds. While Vasudeva looks on, I will use every means possible to convey all the Panchalas to the abode of the lord of the dead today. O great king! You should grant me the permission.’ Having heard the words of Drona’s son, which brought pleasure to his mind, Kourava spoke these words to Kripa. ‘O preceptor! Quickly bring a pot full of water.’ On hearing the king’s words, the supreme among brahmanas followed his instructions. He brought a pot full of water and approached the king. O great
king! O lord of the earth! Your son spoke these words. ‘O foremost among brahmanas! On my instructions, let Drona’s fortunate son be consecrated as the commander, if you wish to do that which brings me pleasure. On the instructions of a king, even a brahmana can fight, especially one who follows the dharma of kshatriyas. That is what those who are learned about dharma say.’ On hearing the king’s words and following the king’s instructions, Kripa Sharadvata consecrated Drona’s son as the commander. O great king! Having been thus consecrated, he embraced the best of kings. Roaring like a lion and making the directions resound, he departed. O Indra among kings! Duryodhana was covered with blood. He passed the night, which was dreadful to all beings. O king! Those warriors quickly left. Their minds were overcome with grief and they were immersed in their thoughts.” ’
This ends Shalya Parva.
1
Brahmana is a text and also the word used for the highest caste.
2
A class of religious and philosophical texts that are composed in the forest, or are meant to be studied when one retires to the forest.
3
The six Vedangas are
shiksha
(articulation and pronunciation),
chhanda
(prosody),
vyakarana
(grammar),
nirukta
(etymology),
jyotisha
(astronomy) and
kalpa
(rituals).
4
Religion, duty.
5
Wealth. But in general, any object of the senses.
6
Desire.
7
Release from the cycle of rebirth.
8
Anukramanika is sometimes called Anukramani.
9
Krishna or Krishnaa is another name for Droupadi.
1
Samshaptakas are warriors who have taken an oath and these warriors (primarily the Trigartas) take an oath to die or kill Arjuna.
2
Ashvatthama’s mother was Sharadvati or Kripi, the daughter of Sharadvata.
3
Karna.
4
This is a reference to Karna, Duryodhana, Duhshasana and Shakuni.
5
Krishnaa, Droupadi.
6
Karna.
7
Another name for Hastinapura.
8
Another name for Kurukshetra.
9
Dhritarashtra was the son of Ambika.
10
Bhishma.
11
Sanjaya was Gavalgana’s son.
12
Another name for Hastinapura,
naga
and
hasti
both mean elephant.
13
They were out fighting, but the sense is more of them having been killed.
14
Ganga’s son, Bhishma.
15
Rama means Parashurama. These incidents have been described in Section 54 (Volume 4).
16
Sanjaya was the son of a suta (charioteer).
17
Bhishma, who was one of the eight Vasus born on earth. There are eight Vasus. According to the Mahabharata, they are descended from Brahma. The names of the eight Vasus vary from one text to another. According to the Mahabharata, the names are Anala (alternatively Agni), Dhara (Prithvi elsewhere), Anila (alternatively Vayu), Aha (Antariksha elsewhere), Pratyusha (Aditya elsewhere), Prabhasa (Dyaus elsewhere), Soma (alternatively Chandrama) and Dhruva. Bhishma had taken a vow to kill ten thousand warriors every day.
18
Bhargava is Parashurama, also referred to as Rama. In Section 60 (Volume 5), there is a reference to Bhishma having been taught by Parashurama and having received weapons from him. Dhanurveda is the art of fighting.
19
Since the text says
shaastra
(sacred texts), there may be a typo.
Shastra
(weapons) fits better.
20
Drona’s son was Ashvatthama. The use of the divine narayana weapon has been described in Section 72 (Volume 6).