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The Mahabharata of Krishna Dwaipayana Vyasa Bk. 3 Pt. 2 by Translated by Kisari Mohan Ganguli

T >> Translated by Kisari Mohan Ganguli >> The Mahabharata of Krishna Dwaipayana Vyasa Bk. 3 Pt. 2





SECTION CCCIII

Vaisampayana said, "And that maiden of rigid vows, O mighty monarch, by
serving with a pure heart, that Brahmana of rigid vows, succeeded in
gratifying him. And, O foremost of kings, saying, 'I will come back in
the morning,' that best of Brahmanas sometimes came in the evening or in
night. Him, however, the maiden worshipped at all hours with sumptuous
food and drink and bed. And as day after day passed away, her attentions
to him, in respect of food and seat and bed, increased instead of
undergoing any diminution. And, O king, even when the Brahmana reproved
her, finding fault with any of her arrangements, or addressed her in
harsh words, Pritha did not do anything that was disagreeable to him.
And on many occasions the Brahmana came back after the appointed hour
had long passed away. And on many occasions (such as the depth of night)
when food was hard to procure, he said, 'Give me food!' But on all those
occasions saying, 'All is ready,'--Pritha held before him the fare. And
even like a disciple, daughter, or a sister, that blameless gem of a
girl with a devoted heart, O king, gratified that foremost of Brahmanas.
And that best of Brahmanas became well-pleased with her conduct and
ministrations. And he received those attentions of hers, valuing them
rightly. And, O Bharata, her father asked her every morning and evening
saying, 'O daughter, is the Brahmana satisfied with thy ministrations?'
And that illustrious maiden used to reply, 'Exceedingly well!' And
thereupon, the high-souled Kuntibhoja experienced the greatest delight.
And when after a full year that best of ascetics was unable to find any
fault whatever in Pritha, who was engaged in ministering unto him,
well-pleased he said unto her, 'O gentle maid, I have been well-pleased
with thy attentions, O beautiful girl! Do thou, O blessed girl, ask even
for such boons as are difficult of being obtained by men in this world,
and obtaining which, thou mayst surpass in fame all the women in this
world.' At these words of his, Kunti said, 'Everything hath already been
done in my behalf since thou, O chief of those that are versed in the
_Vedas_, and my father also, have been pleased with me! As regards the
boons, I consider them as already obtained by me, O Brahmana!' The
Brahmana thereupon said, 'If, O gentle maid, thou dost not, O thou of
sweet smiles, wish to obtain boons from me, do thou then take this
_mantra_ from me for invoking the celestials! Any one amongst the
celestials whom thou mayst invoke by uttering this _mantra_, will appear
before thee and be under thy power. Willing or not, by virtue of this
_mantra_, that deity in gentle guise, and assuming the obedient attitude
of slave, will become subject to thy power!'"

Vaisampayana continued, "Thus addressed, that faultless maiden could
not, O king, from fear of a curse, refuse for the second time compliance
with the wishes of that best of the twice-born ones. Then, O king, that
Brahmana imparted unto that girl of faultless limbs those _mantras_
which are recited in the beginning of the _Atharvan Veda_. And, O king,
having imparted unto her those _mantras_, he said unto Kuntibhoja. 'I
have, O monarch, dwelt happily in thy house, always worshipped with due
regard and gratified by thy daughter. I shall now depart.' And saying
this, he vanished there and then. And beholding that Brahmana vanish
there and then, the king was struck with amazement. And the monarch then
treated his daughter Pritha with proper regard."


SECTION CCCIV

Vaisampayana said, "When that foremost of Brahmanas had gone away on
some other errand, the maiden began to ponder over the virtue of those
_mantras_. And she said to herself, 'Of what nature are those _mantras_
that have been bestowed on me by that high-souled one? I shall without
delay test their power.' And as she was thinking in this way, she
suddenly perceived indications of the approach of her season. And her
season having arrived, while she was yet unmarried, she blushed in
shame. And it came to pass that as she was seated in her chamber on a
rich bed, she beheld the solar orb rising in the east. And both the mind
and the eyes of that maiden of excellent waist became rivetted fast upon
the solar orb. And she gazed and gazed on that orb without being
satiated with the beauty of the morning Sun. And she suddenly became
gifted with celestial sight. And then she beheld that god of divine form
accoutred in mail and adorned with ear-rings. And at sight of the god, O
lord of men, she became curious as to the (potency of the) _mantras_.
And thereupon that maiden resolved to invoke him. And having recourse to
_Pranayama_, she invoked the Maker of day. And thus invoked by her, O
king, the Maker of day speedily presented himself. And he was of a
yellowish hue like honey, and was possessed of mighty arms, and his neck
was marked with lines like those of a conchshell. And furnished with
armlets, and decked with a diadem, he came smiling, and illumining all
the directions. And it was by _Yoga_ power that he divided himself in
twain, one of which continued to give heat, and the other appeared
before Kunti. And he addressed Kunti in words that were exceedingly
sweet, saying, 'O gentle maiden, over-powered by the _mantras_, I come
hither obedient to thee. Subject as I am to thy power, what shall I do,
O queen? Tell me, for I shall do whatever thou mayst command.' Hearing
these words of the deity, Kunti said, 'O worshipful one, go thou back to
the place thou hast come from! I invoked thee from curiosity alone.
Pardon me, O worshipful one!' Surya then said, 'O damsel of slender
waist, I will, even as thou hast said, return to the place I have come
from! Having called a celestial, it is not, however, proper to send him
away in vain. Thy intention, O blessed one, it is to have from Surya a
son furnished with a coat of mail and ear-rings, and who in point of
prowess would be beyond compare in this world! Do thou, therefore, O
damsel of elephantine gait, surrender thy person to me! Thou shall then
have, O lady, a son after thy wish! O gentle girl, O thou of sweet
smiles, I will go back after having known thee! If thou do not gratify
me to-day by obeying my word, I shall in anger curse thee, thy father
and that Brahmana also. For thy fault, I will surely consume them all,
and I shall inflict condign punishment on that foolish father of thine
that knoweth not this transgression of thine and on that Brahmana who
hath bestowed the _mantras_ on thee without knowing thy disposition and
character! Yonder are all the celestials in heaven, with Purandara at
their head, who are looking at me with derisive smiles at my being
deceived by thee, O lady! Look at those celestials, for thou art now
possessed of celestial sight! Before this I have endued thee with
celestial vision, in consequence of which thou couldst see me!'"

Vaisampayana continued, "Thereupon the princess beheld the celestials
standing in the firmament, each in his proper sphere, even as she saw
before her that highly resplendent deity furnished with rays, viz.,
Surya himself. And beholding them all, the girl became frightened and
her face was suffused with blushes of shame. And then she addressed
Surya, saying, 'O lord of rays, go thou back to thy own region. On
account of my maidenhood, this outrage of thine is fraught with woe to
me! It is only one's father, mother, and other superiors, that are
capable of giving away their daughter's body. Virtue I shall never
sacrifice, seeing that in this world the keeping of their persons
inviolate is deemed as the highest duty of Women, and is held in high
regard! O thou possessed of wealth of splendour, it is only to test the
power of my _mantras_ that I have, from mere childishness, summoned
thee. Considering that this hath been done by a girl offender years, it
behoveth thee, O lord, to forgive her!' Then Surya said, 'It is because
I consider thee a girl that, O Kunti, I am speaking to thee so mildly.
To one that is not so I would not concede this. Do thou, O Kunti,
surrender thyself! Thou shalt surely attain happiness thereby. Since, O
timid maiden, thou hast invoked me with _mantras_, it is not proper for
me to go away without any purpose being attained, for, if I do so I
shall then, O thou of faultless limbs, be the object of laughter in the
world, and, O beauteous damsel, a bye-word with all the celestials. Do
thou, therefore, yield to me! By that thou shalt obtain a son even like
myself, and thou shalt also be much praised in all the world.'"


SECTION CCCV

Vaisampayana said, "Although that noble girl addressed him in various
sweet words, yet she was unable to dissuade that deity of a thousand
rays. And when she failed to dissuade the dispeller of darkness, at last
from fear of a curse, she reflected, O king, for a long time!--'How may
my innocent father, and that Brahmana also, escape the angry Surya's
curse for my sake? Although energy and asceticism are capable of
destroying sins, yet even honest persons, if they be of unripe age,
should not foolishly court them. By foolishly acting in that way I have
today been placed in a frightful situation. Indeed, I have been placed
entirely within the grasp of this deity. Ye how can I do what is sinful
by taking it on myself to surrender my person to him?'"

Vaisampayana continued, "afflicted with fear of a curse, and thinking
much within herself, an utter stupefaction of the senses came upon her.
And she was so confounded that she could not settle what to do. Afraid,
on the one hand, O king, of the reproach of friends if she obeyed the
deity, and, on the other, of his curse if she disobeyed him, the damsel
at last, O foremost of kings, said these words unto that god, in accents
tremulous with bashfulness, 'O god, as my father and mother and friends
are still living, this violation of duty on my part should not take
place. If, O god, I commit this unlawful act with thee, the reputation
of this race shall be sacrificed in this world on my account. If thou,
however, O thou foremost of those that impart heat, deem this to be a
meritorious act, I shall then fulfil thy desire even though my relatives
may not have bestowed me on thee! May I remain chaste after having
surrendered my person to thee! Surely, the virtue, the reputation, the
fame, and the life of every creature are established in thee!' Hearing
these words of hers, Surya replied, 'O thou of sweet smiles, neither thy
father, nor thy mother, nor any other superior of thine, is competent to
give thee away! May good betide thee, O beauteous damsel! Do thou listen
to my words! It is because a virgin desireth the company of every one,
that she hath received the appellation of _Kanya_, from the root _kama_
meaning to desire. Therefore, O thou of excellent hips and the fairest
complexion, a virgin is, by nature, free in this world. Thou shalt not,
O lady, by any means, be guilty of any sin by complying with my request.
And how can I, who am desirous of the welfare of all creatures, commit
an unrighteous act? That all men and women should be bound by no
restraints, is the law of nature. The opposite condition is the
perversion of the natural state. Thou shalt remain a virgin after having
gratified me. And thy son shall also be mighty-armed and illustrious.'
Thereupon Kunti said, 'If, O dispeller of darkness, I obtain a son from
thee, may he be furnished with a coat of mail and ear-rings, and may he
be mighty-armed and endued with great strength!' Hearing these words of
hers, Surya answered, 'O gentle maiden, thy son shall be mighty-armed
and decked with ear-rings and a celestial coat of mail. And both his
ear-rings and coat of mail will be made of _Amrita_, and his coat will
also be invulnerable.' Kunti then said, 'If the excellent mail and
ear-rings of the son thou wilt beget on me, be, indeed, made of
_Amrita_, then, O god, O worshipful deity, let thy purpose be fulfilled!
May he be powerful, strong, energetic, and handsome, even like thee, and
may he also be endued with virtue!' Surya then said, 'O princess, O
excellent damsel, these ear-rings had been given to me by Aditi. O timid
lady, I will bestow them, as also this excellent mail, on thy son!'
Kunti then said, 'Very well, O worshipful one! If my son, O lord of
light, become so, I will, as thou sayest, gratify thee!'"

Vaisampayana continued, "Hearing these words of hers Surya said, 'So be
it!' And that ranger of the skies, that enemy of Swarbhanu, with soul
absorbed in _Yoga_, entered into Kunti, and touched her on the navel. At
this, that damsel, on account of Surya's energy, became stupefied. And
that reverend lady then fell down on her bed, deprived of her senses.
Surya then addressed her, saying, 'I will now depart, O thou of graceful
hips! Thou shalt bring forth a son who will become the foremost of all
wielders of weapons. At the same time thou shalt remain a virgin.'"

Vaisampayana continued, "Then, O foremost of kings, as the highly
effulgent Surya was about to depart, that girl bashfully said unto him,
'So be it!' And it was thus that the daughter of king Kuntibhoja,
importuned by Surya, had after soliciting a son from him, fallen down
stupefied on that excellent bed, like a broken creeper. And it was thus
that deity of fierce rays, stupefying her, entered into her by virtue of
_Yoga_ power, and placed his own self within her womb. The deity,
however, did not sully her by deflowering her in the flesh. And after
Surya had gone away, that girl regained her consciousness."


SECTION CCCVI

Vaisampayana said, "It was, O lord of earth, on the first day of the
lighted fortnight during the tenth month of the year that Pritha
conceived a son like the lord himself of the stars in the firmament. And
that damsel of excellent hips from fear of her friends, concealed her
conception, so that no one knew her condition. And as the damsel lived
entirely in the apartments assigned to the maidens and carefully
concealed her condition, no one except her nurse knew the truth. And in
due time that beauteous maiden, by the grace of deity, brought forth a
son resembling a very god. And even like his father, the child was
equipped in a coat of mail, and decked with brilliant ear-rings. And he
was possessed of leonine eyes and shoulders like those of a bull. And no
sooner was the beauteous girl delivered of a child, then she consulted
with her nurse and placed the infant in a commodious and smooth box made
of wicker work and spread over with soft sheets and furnished with a
costly pillow. And its surface was laid over with wax, and it was
encased in a rich cover. And with tears in her eyes, she carried the
infant to the river Aswa, and consigned the basket to its waters. And
although she knew it to be improper for an unmarried girl to bear
offspring, yet from parental affection, O foremost of kings, she wept
piteously. Do thou listen to the words Kunti weepingly uttered, while
consigning the box to the waters of the river Aswa, 'O child, may good
betide thee at the hands of all that inhabit the land, the water, the
sky, and the celestial regions. May all thy paths be auspicious! May no
one obstruct thy way! And, O son, may all that come across thee have
their hearts divested of hostility towards thee: And may that lord of
waters, Varuna, protect thee in water! And may the deity that rangeth
the skies completely protect thee in the sky. And may, O son, that best
of those that impart heat, viz., Surya, thy father, and from whom I have
obtained thee as ordained by Destiny, protect thee everywhere! And may
the _Adityas_ and the _Vasus_, the _Rudras_ and the _Sadhyas_, the
_Viswadevas_ and the _Maruts_, and the cardinal points with the great
Indra and the regents presiding over them, and, indeed, all the
celestials, protect thee in every place! Even in foreign lands I shall
be able to recognise thee by this mail of thine! Surely, thy sire, O
son, the divine Surya possessed of the wealth of splendour, is blessed,
for he will with his celestial sight behold thee going down the current!
Blessed also is that lady who will, O thou that are begotten by a god,
take thee for her son, and who will give thee suck when thou art
thirsty! And what a lucky dream hath been dreamt by her that will adopt
thee for her son, thee that is endued with solar splendour, and
furnished with celestial mail, and adorned with celestial ear-rings,
thee that hast expansive eyes resembling lotuses, a complexion bright as
burnished copper or lotus leaves, a fair forehead, and hair ending in
beautiful curls! O son, she that will behold thee crawl on the ground,
begrimed with dust, and sweetly uttering inarticulate words, is surely
blessed! And she also, O son, that will behold thee arrive at thy
youthful prime like maned lion born in Himalayan forests, is surely
blessed!'"

"O king, having thus bewailed long and piteously, Pritha laid the basket
on the waters of the river Aswa. And the lotus-eyed damsel, afflicted
with grief on account of her son and weeping bitterly, with her nurse
cast the basket at dead of night, and though desirous of beholding her
son often and again, returned, O monarch, to the palace, fearing lest
her father should come to know of what had happened. Meanwhile, the
basket floated from the river Aswa to the river Charmanwati, and from
the Charmanwati it passed to the Yamuna, and so on to the Ganga. And
carried by the waves of the Ganga, the child contained in the basket
came to the city of Champa ruled by a person of the _Suta_ tribe.
Indeed, the excellent coat of mail and those ear-rings made of _Amrita_
that were born with his body, as also the ordinance of Destiny, kept the
child alive."


SECTION CCCVII

Vaisampayana said, "And it came to pass that at this time a _Suta_ named
Adhiratha, who was a friend of Dhritarashtra, came to the river Ganga,
accompanied by his wife. And, O king, his wife named Radha was
unparalleled on earth for beauty. And although that highly blessed dame
had made great endeavours to obtain a son, yet she had failed, O
represser of foes, to obtain one. And on coming to the river Ganga, she
beheld a box drifting along the current. And containing articles capable
of protecting from dangers and decked with unguents, that box was
brought before her by the waves of the Janhavi. And attracted by
curiosity, the lady caused it to be seized. And she then related all
unto Adhiratha of the charioteer caste. And hearing this Adhiratha took
away the box from the water-side, and opened it by means of instruments.
And then he beheld a boy resembling the morning Sun. And the infant was
furnished with golden mail, and looked exceedingly beautiful with a face
decked in ear-rings. And thereupon the charioteer, together with his
wife, was struck with such astonishment that their eyes expanded in
wonder. And taking the infant on his lap, Adhiratha said unto his wife,
'Ever since I was born, O timid lady, I had never seen such a wonder.
This child that hath come to us must be of celestial birth. Surely,
sonless as I am, it is the gods that have sent him unto me!' Saying
this, O lord of earth, he gave the infant to Radha. And thereat, Radha
adopted, according to the ordinance, that child of celestial form and
divine origin, and possessed of the splendour of the filaments of the
lotus and furnished with excellent grace. And duly reared by her, that
child endued with great prowess began to grow up. And after Karna's
adoption, Adhiratha had other sons begotten by himself. And seeing the
child furnished with bright mail and golden ear-rings, the twice-born
ones named him Vasusena. And thus did that child endued with great
splendour and immeasurable prowess became the son of the charioteer, and
came to be known as Vasusena and Vrisha. And Pritha learnt through spies
that her own son clad in celestial mail was growing up amongst the Angas
as the eldest son of a charioteer (Adhiratha). And seeing that in
process of time his son had grown up, Adhiratha sent him to the city
named after the elephant. And there Karna put up with Drona, for the
purpose of learning arms. And that powerful youth contracted a
friendship with Duryodhana. And having acquired all the four kinds of
weapons from Drona, Kripa, and Rama, he became famous in the world as a
mighty bowman. And after having contracted a friendship with
Dhritarashtra's son, he became intent on injuring the sons of Pritha.
And he was always desirous of fighting with the high-souled Phalguna.
And, O king, ever since they first saw each other, Karna always used to
challenge Arjuna, and Arjuna, on his part, used to challenge him. This,
O foremost of kings, was without doubt, the secret known to the Sun,
viz., begot by himself on Kunti, Karna was being reared in the race of
the _Sutas_. And beholding him decked with his ear-rings and mail,
Yudhishthira thought him to be unslayable in fight, and was exceedingly
pained at it. And when, O foremost of monarchs, Karna after rising from
the water, used at mid-day to worship the effulgent Surya with joined
hands, the Brahmanas used to solicit him for wealth. And at that time
there was nothing that he would not give away to the twice-born ones.
And Indra, assuming the guise of a Brahmana, appeared before him (at
such a time) and said, 'Give me!' And thereupon Radha's son replied unto
him, 'Thou art welcome!'"


SECTION CCCVIII

Vaisampayana said, "And when the king of the celestials presented
himself in the guise of a Brahmana, beholding him, Karna said,
'Welcome!' And not knowing his intention, Adhiratha's son addressed the
Brahmana, saying, 'Of a necklace of gold, and beauteous damsels, and
villages with plenty of kine, which shall I give thee?' Thereupon the
Brahmana replied, 'I ask thee not to give me either a necklace of gold,
or fair damsels, or any other agreeable object. To those do thou give
them that ask for them. If, O sinless one, thou art sincere in thy vow,
then wilt thou, cutting off (from thy person) this coat of mail born
with thy body, and these ear-rings also, bestow them on me! I desire, O
chastiser of foes, that thou mayst speedily give me these; for, this one
gain of mine will be considered as superior to every other gain!'
Hearing these words, Karna said, 'O Brahmana, I will give thee homestead
land, and fair damsels, and kine, and fields; but my mail and ear-rings
I am unable to give thee!'"

Vaisampayana continued, "Although thus urged with various words by
Karna, still, O chief of the Bharata race, that Brahmana did not ask for
any other boon. And although Karna sought to pacify him to the best of
his power, and worshipped him duly, yet that best of Brahmanas did not
ask for any other boon. And when that foremost of Brahmanas did not ask
for any other boon, Radha's son again spake unto him with a smile, 'My
mail, O regenerate one, hath been born with my body, and this pair of
ear-rings hath arisen from _Amrita_. It is for these that I am
unslayable in the worlds. Therefore, I cannot part with them. Do thou, O
bull among Brahmanas, accept from me the entire kingdom of the earth,
rid of enemies and full of prosperity! O foremost of regenerate ones, if
I am deprived of my ear-rings, and the mail born with my body, I shall
be liable to be vanquished by the foes!'"

Vaisampayana continued, "When the illustrious slayer of Paka refused to
ask for any other boon, Karna with a smile again addressed him, saying,
'O god of gods, even before this, I had recognised thee, O Lord! O
Sakra, it is not proper for me to confer on thee any unprofitable boon,
for thou art the very lord of the celestials! On the contrary, being as
thou art the Creator and lord of all beings, it is thou that shouldst
confer boons on me! If, O god, I give thee this coat of mail and
ear-rings, then I am sure to meet with destruction, and thou shalt also
undergo ridicule! Therefore, O Sakra, take my earrings and excellent
mail in exchange for something conferred by thee on me! Otherwise, I
will not bestow them on thee!' Thereupon Sakra replied, 'Even before I
had come to thee, Surya had known of my purpose and without doubt, it is
he that hath unfolded everything unto thee! O Karna, be it as thou
wishest! O son, except the thunder-bolt alone, tell me what it is that
thou desirest to have!'"

Vaisampayana continued, "Hearing these words of Indra, Karna was filled
with delight and seeing that his purpose was about to be accomplished he
approached Vasava, and intent upon obtaining a dart incapable of being
baffled, he addressed Indra, saying, 'Do thou, O Vasava, in exchange for
my coat of mail and ear-rings, give me a dart incapable of being
baffled, and competent to destroy hosts of enemies when arrayed in order
of battle!' Thereupon, O ruler of earth, fixing his mind for a moment on
the dart (for bringing it there), Vasava thus spake unto Karna, 'Do thou
give me thy ear-rings, and the coat of mail born with thy body, and in
return take this dart on these terms! When I encounter the _Daitya_ in
battle, this dart that is incapable of being baffled, hurled by my hand,
destroyeth enemies by hundreds, and cometh back to my hand after
achieving its purpose. In thy hand, however, this dart, O son of _Suta_,
will slay only one powerful enemy of thine. And having achieved that
feat, it will, roaring and blazing, return to me!' Thereat Karna said,
'I desire to slay in fierce fight even one enemy of mine, who roareth
fiercely and is hot as fire, and of whom I am in fear!' At this, Indra
said, 'Thou shall slay such a roaring and powerful foe in battle. But
that one whom thou seekest to slay, is protected by an illustrious
personage. Even He whom persons versed in the Vedas call '_the
invincible Boar_,' and '_the incomprehensible Narayana_,' even that
Krishna himself, is protecting him!' Thereupon Karna replied, 'Even if
this be so, do thou, O illustrious one give me the weapon that will
destroy only one powerful foe! I shall, on my part, bestow on thee my
mail and ear-rings, cutting them off my person. Do thou, however, grant
that my body, thus wounded, may not be unsightly!' Hearing this, Indra
said, 'As thou, O Karna, art bent upon observing the truth, thy person
shall not be unsightly, or shall any scar remain on it. And, O thou best
of those that are graced with speech, O Karna, thou shall be possessed
of complexion and energy of thy father himself. And if, maddened by
wrath, thou hurlest this dart, while there are still other weapons with
thee, and when thy life also is not in imminent peril, it will fall even
on thyself.' Karna answered, 'As thou directest me, O Sakra, I shall
hurl this _Vasavi_ dart only when I am in imminent peril! Truly I tell
thee this!'"