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mahabharata_great_india_epic

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Vyasa now thought prayerfully of Ganesha and Ganesha, remover of obstacles, always ready to ful l the desires of his devotees, came immediately to the place where Vyasa sat.
When he had been worshipped, welcomed and was seated, Vyasa said to him, O Guru of the Ganas!
I beg you, be the scribe for the Bharata, which I have conceived in my imagination, and which I shall narrate to you.
Ganesha answered, I will be your scribe if my nib does not stop writing for even a moment.
Vyasa said to that Deity, Wherever there is anything that you do not properly understand, you must stop writing.
Ganesha signi ed his assent by saying AUM!
and was ready to begin.
Vyasa began his narration and to divert Ganesha, and to gain time, he wove the warp and weft of his legend exceedingly close, with many a diversion.
By this ruse, he dictated his work and never allowed Ganesha s nib, which was a tusk he took from his own face, to be still for a moment, for he was always ahead of his scribe.
I am, continued Sauti, acquainted with eight thousand and eight hundred verses, and so is Suka, and perhaps Sanjaya.
From the mysteriousness of their meaning, O Munis, no one is able, to this day, to penetrate those closeknit and dif cult slokas.
Even the omniscient Ganesha took a moment to consider Vyasa, however, continued to compose more verses, abundantly.
As an instrument for applying kohl does, this awesome work has opened the eyes of the inquisitive world, blinded by the darkness of ignorance.
As the Sun dispels the darkness, so does the Bharata by its treatises on dharma, artha, kama, and nal moksha dispel the ignorance of men.
As the full Moon unfurls the buds of the water lily with his soft light, so this Purana reveals the light of the Sruti, and makes the human intellect bloom.
The torch of this Itihasa destroys the darkness of ignorance, and then the entire mansion of Prakriti becomes illumined.
This work is a tree.
The chapter of contents is its seed the divisions called Pauloma and Astika are its root the portion called Sambhava is its trunk the books called Sabha and Aranya are roosting perches the Parva called Arani, the knots on the bole the Virata and Udyoga Parvas, the pith the book named Bhishma, the main branch the book called Drona, the leaves the Karna Parva, the fair owers the book named Saya, their sweet fragrance the books entitled Stri and Asthika, the refreshing shade the book called Shanti, the mighty fruit the book called Aswamedha, the immortal sap the Asramavasika, the place where the tree grows and the book called Mausala is an epitome of the Vedas and held in great reverence by virtuous Brahmanas.
The tree of the Bharata, as inexhaustible to mankind as the clouds, shall be a source of livelihood to all poets of distinction.
Sauti continued, I will now tell you of the immortal ower and fruit of this tree, whose scent is pure and avour delicious, and which not the Devas can destroy.
Once, when implored by Bhishma, the wise son of Ganga, and by his own mother Satyavati, the spiritual and virtuous Krishna Dwaipayana fathered three sons, who were like three res, upon the two wives of Vichitravirya and having sired Dhritarashtra, Pandu and Vidura, he returned to his asrama to continue his tapasya.
Not until after these three were born, grown and, even, departed on their nal journey, did the great Vyasa make the Bharata known in this world of men.
When Janamejaya and thousands of Brahmanas begged him, he commanded his disciple Vaisampayana, who sat next to him and Vaisampayana, sitting with the sadasyas, the guests, recited the Bharata, during the intervals in the rituals of the snake sacri ce, for the others repeatedly urged him to do so.
Vyasa has described exhaustively the greatness of the house of Kuru, the virtuousness of Gandhari, the wisdom of Vidura, and the constancy of Kunti.
The noble Rishi has dwelt upon the divinity of Krishna, the dharma of the sons of Pandu, and the evil ways of the sons and confederates of Dhritarashtra.
Originally, Vyasa composed the Bharata in twentyfour thousand verses, without the digressions and upakathas the learned recognise only these as the Bharata.
Later, he composed an outline in one hundred and fty verses, comprising the introduction and the chapter of contents.
This he rst taught to his son Suka and after, he gave it to some of his other sishyas, who possessed the same gifts as his son.
After this, he composed another six hundred thousand verses.
Of these, thirty lakhs are known in the world of the Devas fteen hundred thousand in the world of the Pitrs fourteen lakhs among the Gandharvas, and one hundred thousand in the world of men.
Narada recited these to the Devas Devala to the Pitrs and Suka to the Gandharvas, Yakshas and Rakshasas.
In this world, they were recited by Vaisampayana, one of Vyasa s disciples, a man of dharma and foremost among the knowers of the Veda.
Know that I, Sauti Ugrasrava, have also repeated one hundred thousand verses.
Yudhishtira is a vast tree, formed of adhyatma and dharma Arjuna is its trunk Bhimasena, its branches the two sons of Madri are its fruit and owers and its roots are Krishna, Brahma, and the Brahmanas.
After he had subdued many kingdoms by his wisdom and prowess, Pandu went to stay with some Munis in a forest.
He came to hunt, but brought misfortune upon himself when he killed a stag in the act of mating with its hind.
This became a warning that guided the conduct of the princes of his house, his sons, throughout their lives.
To ful l the laws of grihasta, Kunti and Madri invoked the Devas Dharma, Vayu, Indra and the divinities the twin Aswins, and these gods sired sons upon them.
Their sons grew up in the care of their two mothers, in the society of hermits, in the midst of tapovanas and holy asramas of Rishis.
Then the Rishis brought the sons of Pandu to Hastinapura, into the presence of Dhritarashtra and his sons they came wearing the habits of brahmacharis, following their masters as students, with their hair tied in topknots on their heads.
These sishyas of ours, said the Rishis, are as your sons, your brothers, and your friends they are Pandavas.
Saying this, the Munis vanished.
When the Kauravas heard they were the sons of Pandu, the noble ones among them shouted for great joy.
Others, however, said they were not the sons of Pandu others said they were while a few asked how they could be his sons, when he had been dead for so long.
Yet voices on all sides cried, They are welcome!
Through divine Providence we see the family of Pandu again!
Let their welcome be proclaimed!
When the people fell silent, a great applause of invisible spirits rang everywhere, so every direction of the sky echoed.
Showers of divinely fragrant owers fell upon the Earth, and the deep sound of conches and batteries of kettledrums was heard when the young princes arrived.
The joy of all the citizens reverberated from Bhumi, the Earth, and reached back up into Swarga, the Heavens.
The Pandavas had already imbibed the Vedas and the other Shastras, and they began living in Hastinapura, respected by all and fearing none.
Men of in uence in the city were pleased by the purity of Yudhishtira, the strength of Bhima, the valour of Arjuna, the submissiveness of Kunti to her elders, and the humility of the twins, Nakula and Sahadeva and the people rejoiced in their noble traits.
Later, Arjuna won the virgin Krishnaa at her swayamvara, in a great gathering of kings, by performing an incredibly dif cult feat of archery.
Then on, he was revered in this world as the greatest bowman and upon elds of battle, too, like the Sun, his enemies could hardly face him so brilliant was he, so superior.
And having vanquished all the neighbouring Kshatriyas and every considerable tribe, he enabled the Raja Yudhishtira, his eldest brother, to perform the greatest martial sacri ce, the Rajasuya yagna.
With the knowing and shrewd counsel of Krishna and by the valour of Bhimasena and Arjuna, Yudhishtira slew Jarasandha, the hitherto invincible king of Magadha, and the proud Chaidya Sishupala.
Then, he had indeed gained the right to perform the grand and superabundant Rajasuya yagna, which bestows transcendent punya, spiritual merit.
Duryodhana came to this sacri ce.
He saw the vast wealth of the Pandavas, in evidence everywhere, the bounty of the offerings, the precious stones, gold and ornaments.
He saw their wealth in the form of cows, elephants and horses the rare silks, brocades, garments and mantles the precious shawls and furs and carpets, made of the skin of the Ranku deer.
Envy and grief welled up inside him.
And when he saw the great and exquisite sabha of Mayaa Danava, the Asura architect, as wonderful as any unearthly court, he burned with rage and jealousy.
When he was deceived by some cunning architectural illusions that Mayaa had created in his sabha, Bhimasena mocked him heartily in the presence of Krishnaa Draupadi he laughed at his cousin as he might at a servant.
News came to Dhritarashtra, that, though his son Duryodhana was surrounded by every luxury and indulging in every pleasure, and lived amidst untold riches, he was pale and wasting away, as if from some secret sickness.
In a while, out of his excessive fondness for his eldest son, Dhritarashtra gave his consent to their playing a game of dice against the sons of Pandu.
When Vasudeva Krishna heard about this, he was furious.
Yet, he did nothing to prevent the game of dice, and the terrible consequences that accrued from it for the Pandavas.
Despite Vidura, Bhishma, Drona, and Kripa, the son of Saradwan, Krishna stoked the re that caused the awesome war that ensued, and consumed the very race of Kshatriyas.
When Dhritarashtra heard the dreadful news that the Pandavas had won the war, he remembered the resolves of Duryodhana, Karna and Shakuni.
He pondered in silence for a while, then, spoke to Sanjaya, his sarathy and counsellor.
Listen carefully, Sanjaya, to everything I am about to say, and let it be beneath you to treat me contemptuously.
You know the Shastras well you are intelligent and wise.
I was never in favour of ghting the war, and I took no delight in the destruction of my race.
I made no distinction between my own children and the children of Pandu.
My sons were wilful and despised me because of my age and in rmity.
Being blind and powerless, and because I loved my sons as every father does, I suffered it all.
I was foolish, and my thoughtless Duryodhana s folly grew day by day.
In Indraprastha, he saw the wealth and incomparable power of the mighty sons of Pandu.
They mocked him for his clumsiness in the Mayaa sabha.
He could not bear it, and yet neither could he face the Pandavas in battle.
Though he was a Kshatriya, he dared not attempt to nd fortune by ghting an honourable war.
Instead, he sought the help of the king of Gandhara and contrived a game of dice.
It was not a fair game, for the dice Shakuni used were loaded.
Hear, Sanjaya, all that happened thereafter and came to my knowledge.
And when you have heard what I say, remember everything as it transpired, and you will know that I had prophetic foresight of what would happen nally.
When I heard that Arjuna bent the bow, pierced the dif cult target, brought it down, and took the young woman Krishnaa triumphantly, under the eyes of the assembled Kshatriyas, already, O Sanjaya, I knew we could never hope to prevail.
Then I heard Arjuna had married Subhadra of the race of Madhu, in gandharva vivaha, by the rite of abduction, in the city of Dwaraka.
I heard that her brothers, Krishna and Balarama, the two heroes of the race of Vrishni, went to Indraprastha, without any resentment and as friends of the Pandavas, and then, O Sanjaya, I had no hope that we could prevail.
I heard that Arjuna, with uncanny archery, held up the storm sent down by his father Indra, king of the Devas.
I heard that Arjuna had pleased Agni by giving him the forest of Khandhava to consume, and then, O Sanjaya, I lost hope of success.
When I heard that the ve Pandavas with their mother Kunti had escaped from the house of lac, and that Vidura had helped them effect their escape, then, O Sanjaya, I had no hope of success.
When I heard that, after having pierced the mark in the arena, Arjuna had won Draupadi, and that the brave Panchalas had joined the Pandavas, then, O Sanjaya, I knew we would never have victory.
When I heard that Jarasandha, crown jewel of the royal line of Magadha, and sunlike among all Kshatriyas, had been slain by Bhima with his bare hands, then, O Sanjaya, I knew we had no hope of prevailing.
When I heard that the sons of Pandu had vanquished the kings of all the kingdoms throughout the land and performed the imperial Rajasuya yagna, then, O Sanjaya, I knew our cause was lost.
When I heard that Draupadi, her voice choking with tears, full of agony, and in her period, wearing a single cloth, had been dragged into our court, and though she had protectors, had been treated as if she had none, then, O Sanjaya, I had no hope of success.
When I heard that my evil wretch Dushasana was trying to strip her of that single garment, but could only pull reams of manyhued cloth from her body into a heap, but not arrive at its end, then, O Sanjaya, I had no hope of success.
When I heard that, beaten by Shakuni at the game of dice and deprived of his kingdom, Yudhishtira still had his invincible brothers with him, then, O Sanjaya, I had no hope of ever prevailing.
When I heard that the righteous Pandavas wept in shame and torment, when they followed their elder brother into the wilderness and occupied themselves variously to lessen his discomfort, then, O Sanjaya, I had no hope of success.
When I heard that Snatakas and other noble Brahmanas, who live by alms, had followed Yudhishtira into the wilderness, then, O Sanjaya, I had no hope of succeeding.
When I heard that Arjuna had pleased the God of gods, Tryambaka, the threeeyed, who came disguised as a hunter, and that he received the Pasupatastra from Siva, then, O Sanjaya, I had no hope of success.