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/Z6 c ^XJ
THE
HISTORY Ojf INDIA.
VOL. I.
THE VEDIC PERIOD AND THE MAHA BHARATA.
•
HISTORY OF INDIA
SEOM THE EAELIEST AGES.
J. TALBOTS WHEELERj^
"the asooKiFHl or hmboootvs," fto., Ac
VOL. I.
THE VEDIC FEBIOD AND THE MAhX BHASATA.
LONDON:
N. TBUBNEE 4 CO., 60, PATEBNOSTEB ROW.
[Tht right o/l^iutali<ni$rutT*td.'J
Q2L . i. A^-] ,
* w. * ■ .
* >:
JOBV CBlLDi AMD BOH, PBIMTIBS.
PREFACE.
More than a century has passed away since the rise of
British ascendancy in India^ and yet a histojBL 'which shouU
combine a tolerably exhaustive review of iHi& religion and
civilization of the Hindus, together with an exposition of
the policy which has hitherto guided the British Govern-
ment in its dealings with Native powers, is still a deside-
ratum in European literature. Accordingly this task has
been attempted during a residence of some years in the
country, under circumstances peculiarly favourable to its
accomplishment; and in announcing the early publication
of the first three volumes, it seems desirable to indicate the
general character and scope of the entire work.
The materials for the History of India may be indicated
under three distinct heads, viz. —
1st. The religious books of the Hindus, and especially
the two great Epics, known as the Mahd Bhdrata and B&mu-
yana, which may be regarded as the national treasuries of all
that has been preserved of the history and institutions of
the people.
2nd. The compilations of Mussulman annalists and
biographers.
3rd. The original records which have been preserved
in the several departments of the Government of India, and
in the record rooms of the local governments, together with
vi PKEl'ACE.
the unofficial travels, narratives, and histories which have
been published since tlie period when tlie peninsula of India
was first explored by adventurers from Europe and else-
where.
Tliree volumes of the projected Histurv of India are now
in course of publication, and are intended to comprise what
may be called the Hindu period. ITie first volume, which
is now presented to the public, comprises the \'edic period,
and the traditions preserved in the Maha Bharata. The
second volume, which is already in the press, will exhibit the
traditions to be found in the Ramayana, and will be published
at an early date. Tlie third volume is in preparation, and
will include the results of the firet and second volumes, as
^11 as those ^^ich are to be drawn from the more salient
points in Sanskrit and Mussulman literature ; and will thus
form a resume of the History of India from the earliest
period to the rise of British power.
It should bo remarked that the primary object of the
author is not so much to draw up a history of the literature
or religion of the Hindus, or to exhibit the results of com-
parative philology, as to delineate the civilization and insti-
tutions of the people with especial reference to their present
condition and future prospects, and to the political relations
of the British Government with the great Indian feudatories
of the Crown. But it must bo bomo in mind that the
ancient traditions of the people of India are household words
in every quarter of the Peninsula; that they have not passed
away from the land in the same way that those of Stonehenge
and Druidism, the worship of Thor and Odin, and the wars of
the Heptarchy, have passed away from the people of Eng-
land; but that they are to the Hindu all that the Old
Testament is to the Jew, and all that the Bible, the Library,
and the Newspaper, are to the European. In a word, it
may be emphaticidly stated that a thorough acquaintance
with the ideas and aspirations of the masses is impossible
without a close familiarity with the subject-matter of the
Maha Bhdrata and Kiimdyana.
PREFACE. vii
It is intended tliat tlie History of India now announced
shonld also comprise the whole period of British administra-
tion from the middle of the last century to the present day.
But as regards this later history no definite announcement
t»n at present be made. It will be sufficient to state that,
should the writer be enabled to complete his design, the
entire work will conclude with a history of British admini-
stration in India, and a critical review of the policy by which
the British Government has been actuated since th^ first
establishment of the late East India Company as a po^cal
power.
Whilst, however, the volume now presented to the public
may be regarded as the first of a series, it may also be
treated as complete in itself, inasmuch as it comprises %'
critical digest of the Mahd Bhdrata, which is not only an
independent work, but also the most voluminous and perhaps
the most valuable Epic which has hitherto been preserved in
a written language. To have undertaken the digest of such a
work direct from the Sanskrit would probably have proved to
be the labour of a lifetime ; for a bare translation of the
whole poem would alone occupy from twelve to fifteen octavo
volumes, without any explanation or comment whatever.
Fortunately however the task of analysing and abridging
has been greatly facilitated in the present instance by the
discovery of a manuscript translation of the more important
portions of the Mahd Bhdrata, which was lodged in the
Library of the Asiatic Society of Bengal many years ago
under a wrong title, and which there is reason to believe
was drawn up by the late Professor H. H. Wilson.^ The
author must also express his obligations to a young Sans-
krit scholar, Baboo Obenash Chunder Ghose, who favoured
him with oral translations of such portions of the poem as
* Tlic manuscript was very illegibly written upon paper much embrowned by
ag:e, and seems to have b(;en at least fifty years in existence. The whole has now
been copied and indexed, and forms nine volumes folio. The original was, by some
mistake;, put away in the Calcutta library under the head of Bhagavat-Git&, and
was not disc()V(}red until four years ago, when the author accidentally sent for
the supposed IJhagavat-Gitri, and found, to his surprise and gratification, that
the manuscript contained the bulk of the Muhii Bb&rata.
viii PREFACE.
had been omitted from the manuscript in question, together
with many popular interpretations of the ancient story which
are given by the Pundits to their Native audiences.
In conclusion, the author must again be permitted to re-
mark that his primary object is not to illustrate Sanskrit
literature, or to treat of questions connected with the Sans-
krit language, but to compile a political History of India.
Accordingly all matters of more antiquarian, or philological,
or Ulerary interest have been generally excluded from his
work, partly because they do not fall within the scope of his
labours, and partly because he is conscious that he is un-
fitted for a task which must be left to Sanskrit scholars.
Indeed a History of India, which should be based upon a
knowledge of the many languages, living and dead, which
appertain to the great Indian continent, would be beyond
the powers of any single individual, and could only be ac-
complished by a body of encyclopasdists whose labours
would necessarily extend over many scores of volumes. At
the same time, however, no ordinary care has been spared to
ensure correctness in reproducing the ancient traditions in
the very condensed form in which they are now submitted
to the general reader, and to verify interpretations of diffi-
cult passages by reference to the existing current belief of
the people themselves.
CONTENTS.
VOL. I.
PART I.
INTRODUCTION
PAGE
Importance of the history of India .... 1
New phases of civilization .... ib.
Significance of the religions . . . . ib.
Indicates the past and present condition of a people confided
to Great Britain as a trust . . . . ib.
History of British administration distinct from the history of
the Hindus . . . . . . ib.
Difficulties in apprehending the history of the Hundus . 2
Personal observation of comparatively small value . . ib.
Imperfect knowledge of Oriental scholars . . ib.
Knowledge of the masses in England of recent growth . ib.
History of India to be found in the Mahu Bhdrata and
Kamayana . . . . . .3
Comprehensive character of the two poems . . ib.
Interminable length and confusion of traditions and ideas . ib.
Familiarity with the two poems indispensable to a knowledge
of the Hindus . . . . . . ib.
Vast influence exercised by the two poems upon the masses 4
Their extraordinary popularity . . . . ib.
Belief in beneficial results of reading them or hearing them
read . . . . . . . ib.
Long chronological interval between the age in which the
events took place and the age in which the Maha Bh^rata
and Kdmdyana were composed ... ib.
Events coloured by the ideas of the subsequent age . . 5
Changes in religion during the interval ... ib.
Distinction between the Vedic and the Brahmanic periods . ib.
The Vedic period coeval with the main events recorded in
the two Epics ..... ib.
The Brahmanic age coeval with the composition of the two
Epics ....... 6
b
'
X CONTE^TS.
Characteristics of the Vedic period ....
Characteristics of the Brahmanic period
Patriarchal simplicity of the Valic period wanting in the
later age of firahmanical ascendancy
Necessity for glancing at the civilization and religion of the
Vedic age, before commencing the Maha Bliarata and
EdmAyana ......
The Vedic people . . . .
The white-complexioned Aryans of the Punjab .
The black-complexioned settlers who preceded the Aryans,
and who are regarded as aborigines
Similarity between the patriarchal life indicated in the Vedic
hymns and that indicated in the Maha Bharata
Prayers for rain, abundant harvests, prolific cattle, bodily
vigour, long life, numerous progeny, etc.
Vedic deities mere personifications of the abstract powers of
nature ......
Confusion in the personifications ....
XHstinction between Indra, the sovereign god who sent the
rain, and Varuna, the god of water, or the ocean .
Conception of Agni, as the god of light as well as of fire .
Separate deification of the Sun and Moon
Distinction between Vdyn, the god of wind, and the Maruts,
or breezes ......
Leading Vedic deities .....
Indra ......
Varuna .......
Agni .......
Surya .......
Soma, or Chandra .....
vayu .......
Maruts ......
Yama, the god of death, or judge of the dead
Fanciful personifications which appear to have been regarded
as minor deities . . .
Child-like form of worship ....
No idols or temples .....
Presentation of simple articles of food to the different deities
through the medium of fire . . . . ib.
The gods invested with human wants and aspirations, and
invoked to partake offood . . . . ib.
Flesh offerings ...... ib.
Beligious rites connected with eating and drinking, and per-
formed at every meal .... ib.
Connection of cooking with sacrifice . . . .12
Greatness of the preparations varied with the importance of
the occasion . . . . , . ib.
Daily meals ...... ib.
Grand entertainments . . . . . ib.
Exidtation of the worshippers in the gratification of the gods 13
CONTENTS. xi
PAOB
The deities supposed to be attracted by the noise of the
mortar and churning sticks . . . .13
Eelations between the Vedic Aryans and their deities
resembling those between children and a father . . ib.
Necessity for a further development of the characteristics of
the leading deities . . . . . ib.
Characteristics of Indra, or the god of the firmament . 14
Attributes of a human hero superadded to those of the god
of the firmament ..... ib.
Frequently addressed in familiar terms v . . ib.
Partiality for strong drink .... ib.
Hymned as the discoverer of the soma plant . .15
Spiritualization of Indra, into a personified idea of the firma-
ment . . . . . * . . ib.
Indra, the hero of the Aryans, and foe of the aborigines . ib.
Character of the Vedic hymns addressed to Indra . . ib.
Invocations to Indra in his human capacity . . ib.
Invocations to Indra as the Supreme Being . .16
Characteristics of Agni or Fire . . . . 17
Mysterious attributes of fire . . . . . ib.
Family associations connected with fire in cold climates . ib.
Reverence excited amongst a primitive people by the presence
of fire ...... ib.
General utility of fire . . . . . ib.
Higher manifestations of fire . . . . 18
Presence of fire necessary at the marriage ceremony . . ib.
Agni, or Fire, represented in various forms . . ib.
Agni as an immortal being . . . . . ib.
Agni as a priest and divine messenger ... ib.
Agni as the devouring element . . . . ib.
Character of the Vedic hymns addressed to Agni . ib.
Invocations to Agni as a destroyer . . . .19
Invocations to Agni in his domestic capacity . . ib.
Invocations to Agni as a deity . . . . ib.
Invocations to Agni as the Supreme Being . . ib.
Language of praise to be distinguished from the expression
of thought ...... 20
Indra and Agni, the chief gods of the Rig-Veda . . ib.
Characteristics of Varuna, or Water ... ib.
Mysterious attributes of water . . . .21
Water a purifier and a household necessity . . ib.
Ideas awakened by the currents of great rivers . . ib.
Springs and rivers generally separated into individual ab-
stractions . . . . . . ib.
Conception of a god of the ocean ... ib.
Distinction between a material conception of a sea monster,
and the Aryan conception of a spiritual existence . . ib.
Varuna considered as a deity who rewards goodness and
punishes sin ...... ib.
Deep religious feeling in a hymn addressed to Varuna . ib.
b2
xii CONTENTS.
TAOM
22
ib.
Characteristics of Sdrya, or the Sun
Prominence of the Sun in all ancient religions
Personification of the Sun one of the earliest efforts of ancient
bards . . , . . . . ib.
The golden chariot and invisible steeds ... ib.
Attributes of Surya similar to those of Agni . . .23
Stirya a distinct personification from Agni . . ib.
Sdrya regarded as the mythical ancestor of the Solar race of
Ayo<lhyd ...... ib.
Stirya regarded as a divine spirit pervading all things . ib.
The Gayatri ...... ib.
The twelve Adityas . . , . . . ib.
The god Vishnu originally an Aditya ... 24
Characteristics of the minor Vedic deities . . . ib.
Soma, or Chandra, or the Moon ... ilx
Connected in the Vedas with the soma plant . . ib.
Begarded as the mythical progenitor of the Lunar race of
Bhdrata . . . . . . . ib.
The two Aswins ..... ib.
Vuyu ....... 26
The Maruts ...... ib.
Characteristics of Ushas, or the dawn . . . ib.
Contrast between the conception of Ushas and that of
Indra . . . . . . . ib.
Poetry of the conception of Ushas ... 26
Associations connected with the dawn in India . . ib.
Vedic hymns addressed to Ushas as a maiden . . ib.
Vedic idea of Ushas as a deity . . . . ib.
Minor Vedic deities the mere personifications of poetry . 27
Comparison of ancient and modem personifications . . ib.
Vedic conception of one Supreme Being . . ib.
Monotheistic verses , . . . .28
Grand monotheistic hymn translated by Professor Max Miiller ib.
Vedic conception of marriage . . . .29
Subsequent decay of the Vedic religion in the Brahmanic age 30
Changes in circumstances and geographical position . . ib.
Existence of a military class and institution of caste . ib.
Origin of the caste system in the period between the Vedic
and Brahmanic ages ..... ib.
Question of how far the establishment of the Aryans, as a
conquering power, was calculated to lead to the introduction
of caste . . . . . . .31
Importance of the question from the general tendency of
foreign conquest to create a caste feeling . . . ib.
Question of how far the elements of an opposition of classes
are to be found in the Rig-Veda . . . . ib.
Four castes existing in the Brahmanic age . . 32
Brahmans . . . . . . . ib.
Kshatriyas, or Rajas ..... ib.
Vaisyas ....... ib.
CX)NTENTS» xiii
PAOB
Sddras . . . . . . .32
Outcastes and slaves ..... ib.
Br^Lhmans, Kshatriyas, and Vaisyas distinguished from the
Siidras by the thread, and the designation of "twice bom" ib.
Hypothesis that the three twice-born castes are descendants
of the Aryans of the Eig-Yeda, and that the S6dras are a
pre-Aryan people . . . . . . ib.
Antiquity of the Pariahs, or outcastes ... ib.
Three distinct classes of worshippers indicated in the Rig-Veda 33
1st, A peaceful and religious clasis, the ancestors of Brahmans ib.
2nd, A military class, the ancestors of the Kshatriyas . 34
Marks of difference between the peacefid and the military
class . . . . . . . ib.
Increased prevalence of animal sacrifices when the Aryans
became a conquering power . . . . ib.
3rd, A mercantile class, the ancestors of the Vaisyas . 35
Origin of the difference between the Brdhmans and the
Kshatriyas . . . . . . ib.
Characteristics of the Brdhmans . . . • ib.
Characteristics of the Kshatriyas ... 36
Extent of the separation between the Brahmans and the
Kshatriyas in the Vedic age .... ib.
Else of Brahmanical ascend^cy . . . .37
Traditions and institutions in the Mah^ Bharata and Eimi-
yana, chiefly of Kshatriya origin . . . . ib.
Exaggerations and embellishments of the Kshatriya bards ib.
Later Brahmanical compilers of the Mahd Byu^ta. Their
falsifications and interpolations ... 38
Data by which the fact of an interpolation can be established ib.
Buddhistic element in the Mahd Bhdrata . . .39
Form in which the two Epics are exhibited in the present
history ...... ib.
Neither a translation nor an analysis, but a condensed para-
phrase interspersed with explanation, commentary, and
historical inferences . . . . . ib.
D^ree of credibility to be attached to the subject matter
Uius exhibited . . . . . .40
Exaggerations and embellishments to be treated with
leniency ....... ib.
Simple character of ancient Hindu historians . . 41
Ballad histories . . . . . . ib.
Excitement of the audience .... ib.
Circumstances imder wliich portions of the Epics arc chaunted
or read ...... ib.
xiv CONTENTS.
PART IL
THE MAHA BHARATA.
CHAPTER I.
FAMILY TRADITIONS OF THE HOUSE OF BH^RATA.
PAOS
Opening scene of the Mahil Bhiirata at Hastindpur, near the
modem Delhi . . . . . .42
Significance of the site as an outpost of the Aryans . ib.
Approximate description of Hastindpur . . .43
The City ...... ib.
The Palace . . . . . . ib.
The Council Hall ..... ib.
The Eaj . . . . . . . ib.
The Raj of BliArata, an Aryan empire, established by the
hero Bhdrata amidst an aboriginal population . . ib.
Doubtful extent of the Raj .... 44
Kame of Bhdrata applied in modem times to all India . ib.
Mythical character of the more ancient traditions of the royal
bouse of Bh^ta, which precede the main story of the
great war , . . . . .45
Ki^atriya myth that the Rajas of Bh^ta were descended
from the Moon . . . . . . ib.
Brahmanical myth that the Moon itself was begotten by an
ancient Rishi . . . . . . ib.
Commencement of the main story of the MahA BhArata with
Raja Dhritardshtra . . . . . ib.
Legends of the Rajas of Bh^ta from Bharata to Dhritarashtra 46
Four legends . . . . . . ib.
1st, Legend of Raja Bhirata .... ib.
Amour of Dushyanta and Sakuntald in the jungle . . 47
Bh&rata, the son of a Raja by the daughter of a Brahman ib.
Curse of Durvdsa the sage . . . . . ib.
The lost ring ...... ib.
The ring found . . . . . . ib.
Raja Dushyanta sees his son Bharata playing with lions . ib.
Dushyanta takes SakuntaU to wife, and acknowledges Bh&-
rata to be his son ..... ib.
Foundation of the great Raj of Bharata by Raja Bharata . ib.
Review of the foregoing story of the birth of Bhdrata . 48
Significance of the tradition rendered perceptible by eliminat-
ing the supernatural incident of the curse of Durvdsa . ib.
Historical form of the tradition . . . . ib.
CX)NTENTS. XV
PAGB
Gandbarva marriage, a union without marriage ceremonies . 48
lieluctance of the Kshatriya to acknowledge the daughter of a
Br^man to be his wife . . . . .49
Inferiority of the Brahman to the Kshatriya in the Vedic age ib.
2nd, Legend of Kaja S^tanu .... 50
Desire of old Raja Santanu for a young wife . . ib.
Vow of his son Santanava, who was henceforth known as
Bhishma, or " the dreadful " . . . , ib.
Death of Eaja Sdntanu . . . . .51
Review of the foregoing legend of Raja S&ntanu . . ib.
Bhishma, a leading character in the Maha Bharata . . ib.
3rd, Legend of Raja Vichitra-virya ... ib.
Loyalty of Bhishma towards his two half-brothers . . 52
Accession of Vichitra-virya .... ib.
Legend of Bhishma carrying away the three daughters of the
Raja of Benares to be wives to Vichitra-virya . . ib.
Bhishma defeats all the Rajas at Benares . . . ib.
The Rani Satyavad resolves to marry the three damsels to
her son Vichitra-virya . . . . . ib.
Ambd, the eldest, declines to be married, as she is already be-
trothed . . • . . • . 53
Miserable fate of Amb4 ..... ib.
Marriage of Vichitra-virya . . . . . ib.
Death of Vichitra-virya without issue ... ib.
Ancient custom of raising up seed to a deceased kinsman • 54
Bhishma's refusal ..... ib.
Vy^sa, the sage, requested to interfere . . . ib.
Vyasa becomes the father of Dhritar&shtra, the blind ; Pan-
du, the pale ; and Vidura, the slave-bom . . . ib.
Review of the foregoing legend of Raja Vichitra-virya . ib.
No allusion to Sati in connection with his mother or wives . ib.
Importance of marriage in HindCi households . . 55
Suspicious character of the legend, that the wives of Vichi-
tra-virya were the daughters of the Raja of Benares . ib.
Distance of Benares from HastinApur . . . ib.
Region south and west of Hastindpur, a land of fable in the
Vedic period . . . . . .56
Probability that either the Buddhists or the Brahmans inter-
polated the name . . . . . . ib.
General credibility of the tradition ... ib.
Abduction of women by the Kshatriyas, sanctioned by Brah-
manical law, as Rakshasa marriages ... ib.
Mythical character of the legend respecting Amb4 . . 57
Ancient custom of begetting sons on the widow of a deceased
kinsman ...... 58
Story that Vyasa, the sage, became the progenitor of the
Kauravas and Pandavas, proved to be a later myth . ib.
Traditionary history of Vydsa, the "arranger" . .59
Bom of a fish-girl, named Matsya, in Eastem Bengal . ib.
Identified with the Vydsa who compiled the Maha Bhirata . ib.
-II -« -T. 3EJ3J.IL1.
'-.^.LTt^ »■;?; Oi^si.-«iiii<iI
:!:■: Mili Bhinta with
Lr.iali m lfa» jungle
lUi i':-^yi:;:a stvs Li* iS-'n l.Ii^ntii playing
^'-~'-> '■'•■> Uk.s iNikuntilii to wife, 01 '
J',""!"'"'':" ■il'iiit-T.-at 1J.1J of Bhir,itft
■^■tf"";-""-- '■'■""■ tn^iitionrendnre.!
iiiK III.; siijiiTiiiilLiml iii<-i.)<,„t of
Jlist-iriciil form of llic tnulition
CX)NTENTS.
yi
t.
I'i.
rj.
.'J.
hi
Gandharva marriage, a union without marriage Cf*njmoni«r8
Reluctance of the Kshatriva to acknowlc-<l;'«-' lli*i rliij;:ht/:j of a
l^rahiuan to 1x3 his wife . . . . .4
Inferiority of the Brahman to the K?Litriya in lh<i V'^Ji^; a^*-.- il
2n(l, Legend of Kaja S^ntanu .... U^
Desire of old Ilaja Santa nu fur a youn;: wif*r . . il
Vow of his son Santauava, who wa.^ L-.-ii%fynL iiii.wju a/:
Bhishma, or " the drea<lf ul " .
Death of ]laja Santanu
Review of the foregoing legend of liaj-i Sirjtiii'j .
Bhishma, a leading character in th<,' Maha BLar^Ui
3rd, Legend of Ibja Vichitra-vjrya
Loyalty of Bhishma towanls his two lialf-br-^iLer*!
Accession of Vichitm-vin'a ....
Legend of Bhishnia carrying away tlj'r thr»?»r *lau;/fjV:rt *A li'i*:
liiija of Benares to be wives t'j Viehitra-virvii .
Bhishnia defeats all the Rajas at Benar^
The Rani Satyavati resolves to marry th*; thrs'; ^\>x:.ii.-*uit Vj
her son Vichitra-virva ....
Aml)a, the eldest, declines to l>e marrie<l, as wlie hi a!r<rt*'Jy l>,
trothed ......
^fiserable fate of Amba .....
Marriage of Vichitra-virj'a ....
J )eath of Vichitra-virya without issue
Ancient custom of raising up seed to a decr^s'>l kln^aiiMi
Bliishma's refusal .....
Vyasa, the sage, requested to interfere
Vyasa becomes the father of Dhritarushtra, the blind ; yku
du, the pale ; and Vidura, the slave-]x>m .
Review of the foregoing legend of litija Vichitrarvirya
Ko allusion to Sati in connection with his mother or wivw
Importance of marriage in Hindu houHehohb*
Suspicious character of the legend, that the wiv»« <>* ^'i•sll•
tra-virya were the daughters of the Itaja of bvnapat t,
Distance of Benares from Hastinilpur . i.
legion south and west of llastinapur, a laud «1 Iaut u. l^
Vedic period .... d
•robability that either the BuddhiHUj or tht bautuuut
polated the name ....
Bnanl credibility of the tradition
the KBhatriyw,
• I
J'.'.
.05
J'>.
Hi
Jo.
iij.
i:
1-
-I
xvi CONTEXTS.
TAQE
EfTorts of the Brahmanical compilers to represent the heroes
of the Maha Bharata as descen<lants of Brahmans . 59
Brahnianical mvih tliat Vyasa wjls the father of Dhritardshtra,
Pandu, and Vidura . . . .60
The myth proved to be an interpolation by the supernatural
character of its details . . . . - ib.
Tenacity of Hindu belief in Brahmanical fables, when repre-
sent^xl as religious mysteries, which cannot be doubted
without impiety . . . . .61
Frequent appearances of the mythical Vyasa, in an abrupt or
supernatural manner, throughout the Malia Bharata . ib.
Kshatriya tradition of the custom of raising up heirs to a
deceased Raja, compared with the story of Kuth . . 62
Significant terror of the widows . . . 63
4th, Legend of Pandu, and Dhritarishtra . . . ib.
Education of the three sons raised up to Vichitra-virya . ib.
Pandu installed Kaja of Bharata .... ib.
Pandu marries two wives, Kunti and Madri . . ib.
Eeign of Pandu . . . . . .64
Pdndu devotes himself to hunting in the Himalayas . ib.
Five sons of Pandu, kno^vn as tho Pandavas . . . ib.
Pandu cursed by a sage ..... ib.
Takes the vow of celibacy . . . . . , ib.
His death ...... ib.
Madri, younger wife of Pandu, bums herself alive with her
dead husband ...... ib.
Reign of the blind Dhritarashtra . . .65
Marries Gandhari ..... ib.
Story of Gandhdri blindfolding herself . . . ib.
Sons of Dhritarashtra and Gdndliari known as the Kauravas ib.
Kunti arrives at Hastiuapur with the five sons of Pandu ib.
The Pandavas dwelt in the palace with the Kauravas . ib.
Review of the foregoing legend of Pandu and Dhritardshtra ib.
Pandu, probably a leper . . . . . ib.
Suspicious details respecting Pandu's marriages . ■ . 66
Kunti, the daughter of the Raja of the Bhojas in the Dekhan ib.
Myth that Kunti was the daughter of Sura, the grandfather
of Krishna . . . . . . ib.
Origin of the myth ..... ib.
Aim of the Brahmanical compilers of the Mahil Bh&rata to
promulgate the worship of Krishna, and to connect the
traditions of Krishna with those of the Bhirata family . 67
Contrast between the historical traditions of Krishna and the
mythical fables respecting Vydsa . . . . ib.
Mddri, the sister of a Raja of Madra, on the southern slope
of the Himalayas . . . . . ib.
Barbarous customs of the people of Madra . . 68
Difficulty as regards the birth both of Kunti and MMrf . ib.
Mythical account of the death of Raja Pandu in the jungle 69
Absurd details beneath criticism . . . . ib.
CX)NTENTS. xvii
PAOB
Self-sacrifice of M&dri on the funeral pile of her husband
Pandu ...... 69
Original idea of Sati amongst the Scythians . . . ib.
Thracian custom of choosing the best-beloved wife , ib.
Similarity between the Sati of M&dn and the Thracian custom 70
Myth that the Pandavas were directly begotten by the gods ib.
Palpable contradictions in the mythical portions of the Mah4
Bharata ...... 71
Significance of the marriage of Dhritardshtra and Gandhdri . ib.
The Gandharians a famous people, whose name is still pre-
served in Kandahar . . . . . ib.
Monogamy of Dhritarashtra as opposed to the polygamy of
his predecessors . . . . . .72
CHAPTER IL
EARLT FEUDS AT HASTInIpUR.
Historical value of the legends referring to the early rivaby
between the Kauravas and Pdndavas . . .73
Main incidents ...... ib.
Ist, Jealousies between the Kauravas and Pdndavas . . 74
Attempt of Duryodhana to take the life of Bhima . ib.
Bhima's escape to the city of Serpents . . . ib.
Bhima's great strength ..... ib.
Review of the foregoing legend . . . . . ib.
Mythical character of the story of Bhima's escape from Dur-
yodhana . . . . . . . ib.
2nd, Education of the Kauravas and Pandavas by Drona . 75
Arrival of Drona at Hastinapur . . . . ib.
Drona educates the Princes, on condition that they afterwards
fight the Raja of Panch41a . . . • . ib.
Marriage of Drona ..... ib.
Practice in the use of the spear, club, bow, and sword . ib.
Taming horses ...... ib.
Astronomy ....... ib.
Duryodhana's jealousy of Arjuna ... ib.
Review of the foregoing account of the education of the Kau-
ravas and Pandavas . , . . . 76
Wrestling . . . . . . . ib.
Pugilism ...... ib.
Stone throwing . . . . . . ib.
Casting the noose ..... ib.
Marking cattle every three years . . . . ib.
Practical astronomy ..... ib.
Question of whether Drona was a Brahman or a Kshatriya . ib.
Marriage of Drona to a huly of the family of Bharata . ib.
Drona's son, Aswatthama, educated with the Kauravas and
Pandavas ...... 77
xviii CONTENTS.
TJLQM
Efforts of the Brahmanical compilers to represent Drona as a
Brahman, who officiated as Purohita, or family priest . 77
Distinction between the two classes of Brahmans; viz. (1.)
The Purohita, or family priest (2.) The Guru, or great ecclesi-
astical head . . . . .78
Generally correspond to the Chaplains and Bishops of Chris-
tian communities, excepting that the offices are hereditary . 79
Duties of the Purohita, as a priest of the family, an instructor
in the Sdstras, a confidential adviser, and an envoy . 80
The Guru, or great head of the sect . . . ib.
His ecclesiastical visitations . . . . . ib.
His spiritual powers ..... ib.
His temporal powers . . . . .81
Question of whether the family priest, or Purohita, existed
among the ancient Kshatriyas . . . . ib.
Question of Giuiis amongst the ancient Kshatriyas, disproved
by the mythic character of the traditions respecting them . ib.
Garbling of the Maha Bharata by the Purohitas and Gurus 82
3rd, Legend of the son of the Bhil Kaja. Illustrative of
the supremacy exercised by the Aryan tribes over their
aboriginal neighbours . . . . . ib.
Ancient and modem condition of the Bhils . . ib.
The legend . , . . . . .83
Flocking of sons of Eajas to Hastinapur to learn archery from
Drona ...... ib.
Arrival of the son of the Bhil Raja . . . . ib.
Drona refuses to teach the Bhil .... ib.
Sorrow of the Bhil . . . . . . ib.
The BhU sets up a clay image of Drona, and learns archery
by practising before the image . . . . ib.
Drona contemplates spoiling the Bhil's archery, but is re-
. strained by his submission . . . . ib.
Review of the foregoing tradition ... 84
Religious worship paid in modem times to favourite heroes . ib.
Cause of the alann of the Kshatriyas ... ib.
Barbarous character of the age . . . . ib.
Refutation of the alleged custom that the Bhils shoot the bow
with the middle fingers only . . . . ib.
4th, Public exhibition of arms at Hastinapur . . 85
Resemblance to a tournament . . . . (b.
Three varieties of public exhibition of arms, viz, —
(1.) The exhibition proper . . . . ib.
'2.) The Swayamvara .... ib.
[3.) Professional pugilism and wrestling . . ib.
The narrative ...... 86
Mahdng'a Dhritarashtra directs Drona to make preparations
for a public exhibition of arms ... ib.
Space set apart in the great plain . . . . ib.
The galleries ...... ib.
Morning of the exhibition . . . . . ib.
t
CONTENTS. xix
Galleries adorned with flags and garlands . . 86
The multitude . . . . . . ib.
The blind Mahiraja ..... ib.
The Chieftains and ladies . . . . . ib.
Drona and his son Aswatth&ma invoke the gods . . 87
The Kauravas and Pandavas enter the area . . . ib.
Salute Drona ...... ib.
Feats of arms . . . . . . ib.
Archery on foot^ horseback, elephants, and chariots . ib.
Sword-fighting . . . . . . ib.
Club-fighting ...... ib.
Combat between Duryodhana and Bhima . . . ib.
Interference of Drona ..... ib.
Handsome appearance of Arjuna . . . . ib.
Marvellous feats of Arjuna in archery, sword-playing, whirl-
ing the chakra, and throwing the noose . . .88
Sudden appearance of Kama, the son of a charioteer • ib.
Exultation of Duryodhana and mortification of Arjuna . 89
Kama challenges Arjuna to single combat • . ib.
Mutual abuse . . . . . • ib.
Drona calls upon Arjuna to fight Kama ... ib.
ELripa interposes to prevent the battle . . . ib.
Kama created a Eaja by Duryodhana ... 90
Appearance of Kama's aged father . . . . ib.
Kmia's filial reverence ..... ib.
Bhima's contemptuous language towards Kama . . ib.
Combat prevented by the approach of night . . ib.
Review of the foregoing tradition of the exhibition of arms . ib.
Question respecting the birth of Kama ... ib.
Driving chariots a royal amusement . . . .91
High rank of charioteers in ancient times . . ib.
Jl^ons why the Brahmanical compilers threw contempt upon
the charioteers . . . . . . ib.
Confidential position of the charioteer, subsequently held by
the Purohita, or family priest .... ib.
Historical significance of the change . . . . ib.
Kama's father not a charioteer but a carter . . 92
Question of Kama being created a Eaja ; mythical character
of the legend . . . . . ib.
5th, Legend of the birth of Kama ... ib.
Early life of Kunti in the house of the Raja of the Bhojas . ib.
Visit of Durvasas the sage .... 93
Kunti appointed to wait day and night upon Durvasas . ib.
Kunti's dutiful service to the Brahman ... ib.
Durvasas offers a boon to Kunti . . . . ib.
Teaches a mantra to Kunti .... ib.
Kunti repeats the mantra, and is visited by the Sun god . 94
Birth of Kama ...... ib.
The babe floated in a chest upon the river to the country of
Anga . . . . . . . ib.
XX
CONTENTS.
TAOB
Review of the foregoing myth. Its incredibility . 94
Object of the myth . . . . . .95
Association of Kama with the later Rajas of Anga . ib.
6th, War against Drupada, Raja of Pancliala . . ib.
Defeat of the Kanravas, and victory of the Pandavas . ib.
Division of the Raj of Panchula . . . .96
Significance of the legend of the division of the Raj of
Panchala . . . . . • . ib.
Geographical position of the Raj of Panchdla . . ib.
7th, Rivalry between Yudhishthira and Duryodhana, for the
post of Yuvaraja ..... 97
Yudhishthira appointed Yuvaraja, or heir-apparent . . ib.
Jealousy of Duryodhana ..... ib.
Conversation between Duryodhana and the Maharaja . ib.
Remonstrates at the Kauravas being passed over in favour of
the Pandavas . . . . . . ib.
The Maharaja offers to divide the administration between
Duryodhana and Yudhishthira . . . .98
Duryodhana stipulates for a division of the land, but is re-
fused by the Maliaraja . . . . . ib.
The Maharaja sends the Pandavas to dwell for a while in the
city of Varanavata . . . . . . ib.
CHAPTER III.
FIRST EXILE OP THE pInDAVAS.
Authentic tradition of the first exile of the Pandavas lost in a
later fiction ...... 100
Mythical character of all legends referring to localities at a
distance from Hastinapur . . . . . ib.
Ydrandvata, the modem Allahabad, 500 miles to the south-
east of Hastinapur . . . . . ib.
Legend of the first exile of the Pdndavas, some thousand
years later than the original tradition . . . ib.
Extraordinary plot of the Kauravas to bum the Pandavas
in their house at Varandvata . . . .101
Details of the magnificent reception of the Pandavas at V4-
randvata . . . . . . . ib.
Suspicions of Yudhishthira .... ib.
Digging of a subterranean passage . . . . ib.
Bhlma anticipates the plot by burning the house of Purochana 102
Kunti gives a feast to the poor . . . . ib.
House of the Pandavas catches fire ... ib.
Escape of the Pandavas and Kunti into the jungle . . ib.
Joy of the Kauravas, and sorrow of the elders at the supposed
death of the Pandavas . . . . . ib.
Story of the visit of the Pandavas to Varandvata, to bo re-
ferred to the later age of Brahmamsm . . . ib.
Burning a sleeping enemy totally opposed to Kshatriya ideas ib.
CONTENTS. xxi
PAOB
Familiar to the age when the Brahmans persecuted the
Buddhists . . . . . . 103
Subordinate details to be also ascribed to a later age . . ib.
The fiction inserted to associate the Pindavas with the city of
Varanavata . . . . . . ib.
Alleged escape of the Pindavas from the city of Varandvata ib.
into the great jungle . . . . . ib.
Pandavas to be regarded as the representatives of the Aryan
race ....... 104
Progress of the Aryan invasion from the Punjab to Allahabdd ib.
Later legends of the wars of the Aryans J^ainst the aborigines
tacked on to the story of the great war . . ib.
Ancient wars to be found amongst the earliest traditions
of every people ..... ib.
National traditions preserved when corresponding to the na-
tional religion ...... 105
Remodelled by changes in the religion . . . ib.
Converted into nursery stories when the old religion has
been driven out by a new one . . . . ib.
Striking similarity between Hindu and European traditions
of forgotten wars . . . . . . ib.
Characteristics of Hind6 fiction .... ib.
Wars of Bhima as the representative of the Aryan settlers
against the aborigines ..... ib.
Popularity of the fictions . . . . .106
Historic value of the fictions, as illustrations of the period in
which they were composed, rather than as facts belonging
to the period to which they refer ... ib.
Interest to be divided between the fictions and the audiences
to whom they are related .... ib.
Action of the narrator in heightening the interest of the
fictions ...... 107
1st Fiction. Bhima's encounter with Hidimba, the Asura . ib.
Bhima carries his mother and three brethren through the
great forest , . . . . . ib.
Description of the hideous Asura Hidimba, and his beautiful
sister Hidimbi ...... 108
Hidimbi's proposals to Bhima .... ib.
Battle between Bhima and Hidimba . . . . ib.
Horrible death of the Asura .... ib.
Hidimbi entreats Bhima to take her as his wife . . ib.
Marriage rites performed by Yudhishthira . . 109
Extraordinary honeymoon of Bhima and Hidimbi . . ib.
Review of the first fiction .... ib.
Extreme simplicity of the points of interest . . . ib.
Extraordinary mode in which Bhima destroyed the Asura ib.
Improbabilities in the story . . . . . ib.
Further proofs that the narrative is a fiction, originating in
the Buddhist period . . . . .110
2nd Fiction. Bhima's encounter with Vaka the Asura . ib.
xxii CONTENTS.
TAQM
Life of the Pandavas as mendicant Bruhmans in the city of
Ekachakra . . . . . .110
Legendary voracity of Bhima .... ih.
Vaka, the Asura, demands a human victim every day from
the city of Ekachakra . . . . . Ill
Pathetic description of the family of a Brahman, who were
required to furnish a human victim . . . ib.
Bhima*s serio-comic preparations for doing battle with the
Asura ...... iK
Disappointment and wrath of the Asura . . . ib.
The battle ...... 112
Bhima rends Vaka asunder . . . . . ib.
Submission of the subjects of the Asura . . . ib.
The Pandavas depart out of the city of Ekachakrd . . iK
Review of the second fiction. Painful realism of the narrative ib.
Masterly stroke of genius in the introduction of the Brdh-
man's infant son . . . . . 113
Hindu fondness for children . . . . . ib.
Intense delight of a Hindu audience at the irritating proceed-
ings of Bhima . . . . . . ib.
Historical significance of the story, as illustrating the exten-
sion of the Aryan supremacy over the aborigines . . ib.
Buddhistic character of the story . . . 114
Distinction between the Aryans residing in cities, and the
aboriginal people of the jungle . . . ib.
Ekachakrd, or Arrah, 200 miles to the eastward of Varan-
avata, or All&habad ..... ib.
CHAPTER IV.
HARRIAGB OF THE PANDAVAS.
Narrative reverts from fiction to authentic tradition . .115
Important story of the marriage of the five Pandavas to
Draupadi, daughter of Raja Drupada . . . ib.
Extensive modifications of the tradition in order to reconcile
the polyandry with modem ideas of morality . . ib.
Polyandry, an institution still existing in Thibet . . 116
Three different theories of the origin of the institution :
1.) Division of land amongst families . . . ib.
J2.) Absenteeism of some of the brothers on pasturing ex-
peditions ..... ib.
(3.) Scarcity of women amongst a military class of foreign
emigrants ..... ib.
The Swayamvara ; origin of the institution . . .117
Women regarded as prizes .... ib.
Decay of the two institutions of polyandry and the Swayam-
vara ....... 118
Tradition of the Swayamvara of Draupadi . . . ib.
Beauty of Diaupadi ..... ib.
CONTENTS. xxiii
^ PAOB
The Pandavas resolve to attend . . . .118
Engage Dhaumya to be their family priest, and leave Kunti
in his charge . . . . • . ib.
The city of Kdmpilya . . . . . 119
The great plain . . . . . . ib.
Pavilions for the suitors .... ib.
The golden fish . . . . . . ib.
Rule of the Swayamvara .... ib.
Morning of the Swayamvara . . . . ib.
Public rejoicings ..... ib.
Exhibitions of dancers, showmen, jugglers, musicians, actors,
athletes, wrestlers, and swordsmen ... ib.
Catalogue of the Eajas . . . . . ib.
Feasting of the Eajas . . . . . 120
Draupadi conducted into the area by her brother Dhrishta-
dyumna ...... ib.
Vedic hymns . . . . . . ib.
Dhrishta-dyumna proclaims the conditions of the Swayamvara ib.
Eecites the names and lineage of his sister's suitors . . ib.
The garland ...... ib.
Keluctance of the Eajas to commence the trial . . ib.
Failure of the suitors to bend the bow . . . 121
Kama enters the list and strings the bow . . . . ib.
Extraordinary interference of Draupadi, on account of the
low birth of Kama . . . . . ib.
Kama appeals to the Sun .... ib.
Other Eajas fail to bend the bow . . . . ib.
Sudden appearance of Arjuna, disguised as a Brihman . ib.
Eeal Brahmans dissuade Arjuna, lest the Eajas should be of-
fended . . . . • . . ib.
Arjuna mentally prays to Drona, and strikes the golden fish 122
Acclamations of the multitude, and delight of the Brah-
mans . ...... lb.
Draupadi acknowledges Arjuna as the victor . . ib.
Wrath and mortification of the Eajas at being beaten by a
Brahman . . . . . . ib.
Fierce battle between the Eajas and Pandavas . . ib.
Mediation of Krishna . . . . . ib.
Arjuna and his brethren lead away Draupadi . . ib.
The Pandavas inform their mother that they have gained an
acquisition . . . . . . 123
Kunti desires them to share it . . . . ib.
Fears the consequences of her words ... ib.
Conversation of Yudhishthira and Arjuna . . . ib.
Postponement of the marriage of Draupadi . . ib.
Draupadi distributes the provisions at supper in the place of
Kunti ...... ib.
Humiliation of Eaja Dmpada at his daughter being won by a
Brahman ...... 124
xxiv CONTENTS.
PA6I
Dhrislita-clyumna follows his sister to the house of the Fun-
davas and discovers that they are Kshatriyas . . 124
Haja Drupada sends his l\irohita as Envoy to the Pandavas,
and invites them to his palace . . . iK
Grand reception of tlie Pandavas by Raja Drupada . . 1 25
The Pandavas make known their birth and lineage . ib.
Joy of Raja Drupada . . . . . ib.
Yudhishthira, as the eldest brother, requested to settle tlie
marriage . . . . . . ib.
Vydsa appears and is received "with great reverence . 126
Declarer that Draupadi must marry the live brethren . ib.
Objections of Dhrishta-dj'urana .... ib.
Yudhishthira*s appeal to his conscience . . . ib.
Marriage of Draupadi to the five Pandavas . . ib.
Alarm of the Kauravas . . . . . ib.
Return of the Pandavas to Ilastinapur and division of the
Raj 127
Review of the foregoing tradition . . . ib.
The marriage of Draupadi referred to the earliest period in
Hindu history ..... ib.
Tradition obscured by mythical additions . . . ib.
Probable details of the real incident . . . . ib.
The Raja of Panchala gives a feast, at which he intends mar-
rying his daughter to the best archer ... ib.
Rude merriment of the occasion . . . . 1 28
Simplicity of the liaja's daughter in moving amongst her
suitors ....... ib.
Exercises the right of excluding an unwelcome suitor firom
the trial ....... ib.
Self-possessed demeanour of Draupadi an indication of poly-
andry . . . . . . . ib.
Modest appearance of damsels in later Swayamvaras . ib.
Winning of the prize by an apparent Braliman the main in-
cident in the tradition . . . . . 129
Cause of the ancient disdain in which the Rrahmans were
held by the Kshatriyas .... ib.
The priest originally a hireling engaged to act for the patriarch
or Chieftain ...... ib.
General commotion excited at the success of a mendicant
Brahman when the Kshatriyas had all failed . . ib.
The Swayamvara and polyandry compared . . .130
Plain indications of polyandry as an institution in the narra-
tive of events immediately succeeding the Swayamvara . ib.
Scene on the arrival of the Pandavas and Draupadi at the
house of Kunti ...... 131
Brahmanical perversion of the words of Kunti . . ib.
Proofs of Brahmanical interpolation . . . . ib.
Natural interpretation that Kunti directed her sons to share
Draupadi amongst them . . . . . ib.
CONTENTS. XXV
PAOB
Natural interpretation confirmed by the sequel of the tradi-
tion ....... 132
Acknowledgment of the right of the elder brother to choose
a wife for the family ..... ib.
Marriage rites deferred until Raja Drupada could be * consulted ib.
Draupadi treated during the interval as a damsel betrothed to
all five brothers ...... ib.
Divides the victuals at supper, in the place of Kunti . ib.
Arrangements for the night . . . . . ib.
Mythical stories in connection with Vydsa introduced to wipe
away the stain of polyandry fix)m the early traditions of the
Hindtis ....... 133
Myih of the woman who prayed five times to Siva for a good
husband . . . . . . . ib.
Myth that the five Pdndavas were five Indras . . 134
Objection of Dhrishta-dyumna, that the claim of Arjuna as the
winner at the Swayamvara set aside the right of Yudhish-
thira as eldest brotier . . . . . ib.
Significance of the objection .... ib.
Question of whether the Swayamvara did not belong to a
later period ...... 135
List of the Eajas who attended the Swayamvara of Draupadi ;
its mythical character ..... ib.
Mediation of Krishna ; its mythical character . . ib.
No further allusion to the exceptional character of the mar-
riage ....... 136
Significance of the alliance, as promoting the fortunes of the
Pandavas . . . . . . . ib.
Alarm of the Kauravas at the alliance . . . ib.
Primitive character of the ancient Councils of the Kshatriyas 1 37
Inferiority of the speeches to those in Homer and Thucydides ib.
Scene in the Council-hall at Hastindpur . . . ib.
Bhishma proposes a division of the Raj between the Elauravas
and the Pandavas . . . . . . ib.
Return of the Pdndavas to Hastin&pur ... ib.
CHAPTER V.
REIGN OF THE pInDAVAS IN KHiNDAVA-PRASTHA.
True nature of the division of the Raj ; not a division of ter-
ritory, but a division of the family . . . 138
Tradition of the migration of the Pdndavas to the country of
Khdndava-prastha ..... ib.
P4ndavas found the city of Indra-prastha on the Juinn& . 139
Their famous administration .... ib.
Origin of the confusion between the division of the Raj and
the migration of the Pandavas .... ib.
Omission in the tradition of all reference to the clearing of the
jungle ....... ib.
VOL. I. c
xxvi CONTENTS.
PAOB
Memory of the incident preserved in a later myth . .140
Myth of the burning of the forest of Khandava . . ib.
Arjuna and Krishna hunt in the forest . . . ib.
Mythical appearance of the god Agni (fire), who desires to de-
vour the forest . . . . . . ib.
Opposition of Indra as the ally of the Nagas, or serpents 141
Arjuna and Krishna fight against Indra, and Agni devours the
forest . . . . . . . ib.
Interpretation of the myth ; the burning of the forest opposed
by the Scythic Nagas ..... ib.
Progress of two bands of Aryans towards the south-east, one
along the valley of the Ganges, and the other along the
valley of the Jumna . . . . . ib.
Eemains of the ancient city of Indra-prastha between Delhi
and the Kutub . . . . . . ib.
Legend of the five houses of the Pandavas . . 142
Matrimonial law . . . . . . ib.
Alleged breach of the law by Arjuna ... ib.
Arjuna accepts the penalty of twelve years' exile . .143
Jesuitical remonstrances of Yudliishthira . . ib.
Arjuna goes into exile . . . . . ib.
Dubious authenticity of the matrimonial law . . ib.
Proofs that the matrimonial law is a myth . . .144
Arjuna's exile ; its mythical character . . . ib.
Pilgrimages to sacred Brahmanical places accompanied by a
crowd of Brahmans ..... ib.
Amours in the remotest quarters of India . . . ib.
L^end of Arjuna*s adventures during his exile . . 145
Amour with Ulupl . . . . . . ib.
Visit to Parasu Ruma ..... ib.
Marries the daughter of the Raja of Manipura . . ib.
Proceeds to PrabhiLsa, near Dwaraka . . . 146
Review of the legend of Arjuna's adventures . . . ib.
Conversion of Arjuna into a Brahman hero . . ib.
Amours of Arjuna introduced to represent him as the ancestor
of the Naga Rajas ..... ib.
Prominent part taken by the Scythic Ndgas in the history of
ancient India ...... ib.
Confusion between the Nagas as serpents, and the Nagas as
Scythians . . . . ... 147
Ancient conflict between the Brahmans and the Nagas merged
in the later religious wars between the Brahmans and the
Buddhists ....... ib.
The Nagas originally distinct from the Aryans, but are now
either Buddhists or a lower order of Kshatriyas . .148
Existing remains of serpent worship ... ib.
Amour of Arjuna with Ulupi popularly regarded as one with
a serpent maiden ..... ib.
Significance of the myth of Arjuna's amour with the daughter
of the Raja of Manipura .... ib.
CX)NTENTS. xxvii
PAOB
The modem Munnipurees a genuine relic of the Scythic Nfigas 149
Legend of Arjuna's marriage with Subhadra, the sister of
Krishna . . . . . . , ib.
Krishna receives Aijuna with great rejoicings at Dw&rak& 150
Great feast on the Eaivataka mountain . . . ib.
Krishna and Arjnna fall in with the assembly of ladies . ib.
Arjuna smitten with Subhadr& . . . . ib.
Krishna promises to give Subhadr& in marriage to Arjuna ib.
Krishna suggests to Arjuna that he should elope with Subhadra 151
Arjuna lifts Subhadrd into his chariot, and drives away towards
Indra-prastha . . . . , . ib.
News carried to Dwdrakd .... ib.
Wrath of Balar&ma . . . . . . ib.
Remonstrances of Krishna .... ib.
Marriage of Arjuna and Subhadra . . . .152
Arjuna returns to Indra-prastha with his wife Subhadrd . ib.
Meeting between Arjuna and Draupadi . . . ib.
Draupadi reconciled to Subhadrd ... ib.
Legend of Arjuna's marriage with Subhadra proved to be a
mere fiction ...... ib.
Myth introduced to cover the tradition of Krishna's criminal
intimacy with his sister . . . . 153
Period of Arjuna's exile a blank in the general history of the
Kauravas and Pandavas .... ib.
CHAPTER VI.
THE RAJASiJyA, OR ROYAL SACRIFICE, OF YUDHI8HTHIRA.
Flourishing condition of the Raj of the P4ndavas . .154
Brahmanical ideal of the paternal rule of Yudhishthira . ib.
Tranquillity of the Raj enabled the subjects to perform aU reli-
gious duties ...... ib.
General prosperity insured by the virtues of the Raja . ib.
Piety of the people preserved them firom all calamity . ib.
Yudhishthira respected by aU the neighbouring Rajas . ib.
Brahmanical tone of the foregoing myth . . . 155
Raja Yudhishthira resolves to celebrate a Rajastiya, or royal
sacrifice ...... ib.
Political significance of the Rajasuya, as an assertion of sove-
reignty at a national banquet, combined with a religious
significance as a sacrifice to the gods . . . ib.
Conception of sacrifice amongst the Kshatriyas . . ib.
Decline of the political element during the Brahmanical
ascendancy ...... 157
Change in the religious sentiment. Simple idea of propitiating
the gods by delicious food, modified by the complex idea
that the deity was to be propitiated by blood, and that
animals were to be slain as an atonement for sin . . ib.
Brahmanical doctrines of sacrifices, penances, and caste, over-
c2
xxviii CONTENTS,
throi^Ti l>y the Tofumiation of Buddha, 600 RC. to 800 A.a 158
Bnihmaninil n*vival 800 a.d. et seq, . . .159
Iiifliu'iice of lUidilhism throughout tho modem age of Biah-
luanical revival .... . ik
Animal Kicriticos replaced hy the Homa and P&yaita . . ih
Iteview of the subject Four diiferent conceptions of sacri-
fice, viz. —
(1.) Tlie coronation banquets of tho Kshatriyas . ih.
(2.) llie Ra(*riticial sessions of the Brahmana . . ih
(3.) Hie flower otTerings of the Buddhists . . ib.
(4.) The ofl^ering of Homa and Payasa during the Brali-
manical revival ..... flu
Absence of allusiims to animal sacrifice in tho description of
tlic Rjijasuya of Yudhishthira although it formed a part of
the ancient rite . • . . . . . 160
Division of the legend of the Bajasuya into four sections 161
(1.) l^liminary conquests . . . . . ib.
Limited area of conciuest ..... ib.
Ideii of the Rajaauya in its original application . . ib.
Idea of the IJajasiiya extendeil to universal conquest . 162
Wars of the Panda vas . . . . . ib.
Yudhishthira detcnuines on performing a Kajasuya . ib.
l^ays all the debts of his subjects . . . . ib.
(jails a Council ...... ib.
8ends for Krislina and takes his counsel . . . ib.
^lythical conquest of Jarasandha, Ittija of Magadha . ib.
Yudhishthira commands his four hretliron to collect tribute
from the four quarters of the world . . . 163
Return of the four bretliren . . . . . ib.
Krishna again advises Yudhishtliira to celebrate the Rajasuya ib.
Mythical cliaracter of tlio foregoing narrative . . . ib.
Wars of the four brethren in the four quarters of the earth all
mythical . . . . . . . ib.
Conquest of Jarasandha, Raja of Magadhii, a myth appertain-
ing to tho life of Krishna . . . . . ib.
(2.) The sacrifice and feast . . . . 164
Assembling of the Rajas to tho Rajasiiya . . .165
Rajas of the Middle and South Countries . . ib.
Magnificent pavilions appointed for the reception of tho Rf^jas ib.
Assembling of all the four castes . . . ib.
Place of sacrifice . . . . . .166
Vyasa, the chief of the sacrifice .... ib.
Sasarman, tho leader of the choir of Brdhmans . . ib.
Dhaumya and Yajna-walkya, the sacred cooks . . ib.
Choir of young Brdhmans . . . . . ib.
The great feast ...... ib.
Distribution of food and gifts . . . . ib.
Mythical respect shown to the Brdhmans . . ib.
Exaggerations in the description of the sacrifice and feast . ib.
Probable picture of the real scone . . . 167
CONTENTS. xxix
PAOB
Probable character of the sacrificial rit^s . . . 167
The place of sacrifice strewed with Kusa grass . . ib.
The sacrificial fire ..... ib.
Presentation of the Homa . . . . . ib.
Invocations to Agni ..... ib.
Nature of the sacrifices . . . . . ib.
Invocations to Indra and all the gods to descend and partake
of the offerings . . . . . . ib.
Probable character of the Eajas who were present at the Eaja-
suya . . . . . . . ib.
Topics of conversation . . . . . 168
Keasons why the authentic tradition is lost in mythical exag-
gerations ...... ib.
The Mahd Bharata composed in an age of Brahmanical
ascendancy ...... ib.
ContempcHrary splendour of the courts of the Hajas . . ib.
The early tradition remodelled to suit the tastes and ideas of a
later period ...... 169
The Brahmanical compilers tempted by self-interest to exag-
gerate the respect paid to the ancient sages . . ib.
Si^iificance of the assertion that Krishna washed the feet of
the Brdhmans . . . . . . ib.
(3.) The death of Sisupdla an authentic tradition belonging to
the Krishna group, but grafted on to the history of the
P&ndavas ...... ib.
Legend of the presentation of the Argha to the greatest Chief-
tain present at a Eajasuya .... ib.
The Argha given to Krishna ..... 170
Wrath of Sisup&la ..... ib.
General uproar . . . . . . ib.
Threat of Sisupdla that he would spoil the sacrifice . ib.
Sisupdla beheaded by the chakra of Krishna . . . ib.
Rajasuya of Yudhishthira saved by Krishna . . ib.
Point of the foregoing legend ; the presentation of the Argha
to Krishna ...... ib.
Nature of the Argha ...... 171
Discrepancy between the legend of the Argha and the mythic
account of the pavilions . . . . . ib.
Conformity of the story to the traditions referring to Krishna,
but not to the traditions referring to the descendants of
Bhdrata ...... ib.
Presentation of the Argha not to bo found in the ancient ritual
of the Eajasuya ..... ib.
The Argha attributed to the Buddhist period . . . ib.
Reason why the Yddava tradition of the death of Sisupdla is
grafted on to the Kshatriya tradition . . . ib.
The legend, a religious myth, representing the opposition of
Vishnu to Siva, and enforcing the worship of Krishna as an
incarnation of Vishnu ..... ib.
The chakra of Krishna an emblem of the wrath of Vishnu . 172
CONTENTS.
(4.) Jealous wToih of Duryodhana . . . 172
Duryodhana's surprise at Uie marvels at India-prastha . ib.
Mistakes a scxuare of cr}*stal for real water . . ibi
Mistakes a lake of clear water for one of crystal . .173
Excites the mirth of the Pimdavas . . . ih.
Strikes his head against a false door . . . . ik
The foregoing fiction }x)rrowed from the Koran of the Muasnl-
mans ...... • ik
Possibility of the legend originating from an independent souioe 1 74
CHAPTER VIL
THE QAMBLINQ MATCH AT HASTINXpUB.
Tlie avenging Nemesis . . . . .175
Duryodhana, jealous of the liajas6ya, plots to dispossess the
Pdndavas of their new Raj . . . . ib.
Proposal to invite the Pandavas to a gambling match . ib.
Gambling the special vice of the Kshatriyas . . • ib.
Hindu traditions of its disastrous results ... ib.
Specialities of Hindu dice : skill as well as chanco brought
into play ...... ib.
Ancient game of coupun with cubic dice . . .176
Modern game of pasha with oblong dice . . . ib.
Legendary account of the gambling match at Hastindpur . ib.
Unscrupulous skill of Sakuni, the maternal uncle of Duryod-
hana ....... ib.
Duryodhana prevails on the Mahdraja to invite the Pdndavas
to a gambling match . . . . . ib.
Vidura carries the invitation to Indra-prastha . . ib.
Reluctance of Yudhishthira . . . . .177
His obligation to obey the Mahdraja and accept a challenge ib.
The Pandavas proceed to Hastindpur with Kunti and Draupadi ib.
Pay visits of ceremony to Mahdraja Dhritardshtra and the Rani
Gdndhari ..... . . ib.
Jealousy of the wives of the Kauiavas at the beauty and elo-
gance of Draupadi . . . . . . ib.
The Pdndavas return to their quarters and receive the visits of
their Mends . . . . . . ib.
Morning of the gambling match . . . 1 78
The Pdndavas conducted to the pavilion . . . ib.
Sakuni challenges Yudhishthira to a game at dice . ib.
YudhiBhthira requires that Sakuni should play fair . . ib.
Taunt of Sakimi ...... ib.
Yudhishthira in his wrath accepts the challenge . . ib.
Duryodhana proposes to lay the stakes whilst Sakuni plays ib.
Yudhishthira protests, but plays . . . . ib.
Picture of the gambling scene in the pavilion . . ib.
The succession of games ..... 179
CONTENTS. xxxi
PAOB
Mythical losses of Yudbishthira . . . . 179
Loses the whole of his Raj, excepting the jagheers of the Brah-
mans . . . . . . . ib.
Stakes his brothers as slaves, and loses them . . . ib.
Stakes himself, and loses .... ib.
Stakes Draupadi ...... 180
Agitation of the elder Chieftains^ and joy of the KAuravas ib.
Yudhishthira loses . • • . . . ib.
General consternation ..... ib.
Duiyodhana sends for Draupadi to sweep the rooms . . ib.
Yidura protests, and urges that Draupadi was not lost, as Yud-
hishthira was a slave when he staked her . . . ib.
Duryodhana sends his servant to bring Draupadi to the
pavilion . . . . . . . ib.
Draupadi refuses to go . . . . . 181
Duryodhana sends his servant a second time . . . ib.
The servant refuses to go . . . . ib.
Duhs4sana goes to bring Draupadi . . . ib.
Duhsdsana drags Draupadi into the pavilion by her hair . ib.
The elder Chieftains paralyzed . . . . ib.
Draupadi vainly appeals to Ehlshma and Drona . . ib.
The P&ndavas forbidden by Yudhishthira to interfere . 182
Duhsdsana insults Draupadi before all the assembly . ib.
Draupadf s solemn appeal to the Chieftains . . . ib.
Gross outrages committed by Duhsdsana and Duryodhana ib.
Bhima's feajrful vow . . . . . . ib.
Sudden appearance of the Mahdraja in the pavilion . ib.
The Maharaja apologizes to Draupadi, and bids her return with
her husbands to Indra-prastha ... ib.
Duryodhana wrathfully remonstrates with the Maharaja . 183
Proposes the recall of the P&ndavas, and settlement of the dis-
pute by another game . . . . . ib.
Eetum of the P^davas ..... ib.
The winners to obtain the entire Raj, and the losers to go into
exile for twelve years in a jungle and one year in a city
Yudhishthira loses the game .....
Joy of Duhsasana
Wrath of Bhima
Kunti remains at Hastindpur
Departure of the Pandavas .
Draupadf s terrible vow .
Affecting character of the foregoing tradition of the gambling
match
Its truthfulness to human nature
but high-spirited race .
"Wives not unfrequently lost and
matches
as manifested by a primitive
...
won at E^hatriya gambling
ib.
ib.
ib.
ib.
184
ib.
ib.
ib.
ib.
ib.
Draupadi evidently familiar with the idea . . . ib.
Sensational character of the scene in which the blind Maharaja
suddenly appears in the pavilion . . . .185
xxxii CONTENTS.
FAOI
Unpardonable nature of the affront which had bocm put upon
the Pundavas . . . . . .186
lnipn»88ive picture of the departure of the Pandavas and Drau-
pmli on their exile . . . . . ik
CHAPTER VIII.
8EC<}ND EXILE OF THE pXnDAVAS — THE TWELVE TEAB8 IN THB
JUNGLE.
Tradition of the twelve years of jungle life, to bo distinguifihed
from the fiction of the thirteenth year of city life . .187
Theory that the twelve years of exile were originally twelve
months, and that the thirteenth year was an intereahuy
month introduced to complete the solar year . . ib.
Legend of the twelve years' exile, partly mytliic and partly
authentic . . . . . . 188
Legendary sketch of the life of the Pandavas in the jungle . ib.
Pilgrimages to holy places .... ib.
Instructions of Brahman sages . . . . ib.
Changes in jungle scenery . . . . 189
Occasional tempests . . . . . . ib.
1st, I^Iythical i)ortion of tlio legend of the twelve years* exile ib.
Description of the subject matter . . . . ib.
Introduced to confirm the myth that the Pandavas were the
sons of the ancient gods of the Hindus . . . ib.
Samples of the myths . . . . . 190
Dialogue between Yudhishtlura and his mythical father Dhar-
ma, or personified goodness .... ib.
Interview between Bhima and Ilamiman, the monkey hero,
who are both the mythical sons of Va^ni, or the wind . ib.
IIanuman*s supernatural shrinking and swelling . . ib.
Bhima proceeds to the gardens of Kuvera, the god of wealth 191
Famous myths referring to Arjuna . . . . ib.
Arjuna practises austerities on the Himalaya mountains to
induce the gods to grant him celestial weapons . . ib.
Indra refers him to Siva ..... ib.
Arjuna propitiates Siva, who engages him in single combat . ib.
lieceives a weapon from Siva .... ib.
The gods of the four quarters of the universe present him with
weapons ...... ib.
Practises the use of arms in the heaven of Indra . .192
Mythic wars of Arjuna against the Daityas of the sea . ib.
Chariot-horses of the colour of peacocks . . . ib.
Historical significance of the foregoing myths . . ib.
Favourite heroes of the Hindus associated with the old national
gods in the age of Brahmanical revival against Buddhism 193
Wars of Arjuna against the Daityas typical of the wars of the
Brahmans against the Buddhists ... ib.
2nd, Authentic portion of the legend of the twelve years' exile ib.
CONTENTS. xxxiii
TAQH
Indications that the P^davas never wandered at a great dis-
tance from their Eaj
Life of the Pandavas in the jungle
Four incidents in the jungle life of the Pandavas
Ist, The capture of Duryodhana and Kama by the Gandharvas
Tradition of the Kauravas going out into the jungle to mark
the cattle, but really to spy out the Pandavas .
Insolence of Duryodhana to the Gandharvas .
Duryodhana and Kama defeated and taken prisoners by the
Gandharvas ....
The Pandavas come to their rescue
Mortification of Duryodhana .
His resentment at the public rebuke administered by Bhishma
Similarity between the rescue of Duryodhana by the Pandavas
and the feast given by Yudhishthira, to the rescue of Lot
by Abraham, and the feast of bread and wine
2nd, The Vaishnava sacrifice performed by Duryodhana .
Jealous desire of Duryodhana to perform a Eajasuya .
Disqualified whilst the Mahdraja and Yudhishthira are alive
Prepares to perform a Vaishnava sacrifice
His brother Duhsdsana insultingly invites the Pdndavas to
the sacrifice . .
Mild answer of Yudhishthira
Wrathful reply of Bhima
Duryodhana performs the Vaishnava sacrifice
Divers opinions of his friends and enemies .
Eetums to his palace in a great procession
Congratulations of Kama
Kama's vow to slay Arjuna
Sorrow of Yudhishthira
Review of the tradition of the sacrifice of Duryodhana
Reasons why Duryodhana could not perform a Rajasuya as
Yudhishthira had done ....
Doubt? respecting the Vaishnava sacrifice
3rd, Yudhishthira's dream
Apparently a Buddhistic parable
Legend of the dream ....
The animals of the jungle implore Yudhishthira to leave
The Pdndavas move to the forest of Kdma
4th, The attempt of Jayadratha to carry ofT Draupadi
Jayadratha, Raja of Sindhu, visits Draupadi in the absence of
her husbands ....
Falls in love with Draupadi
Sends a Chieftain to inquire her name and lineage
Conversation between the Chieftain and Draupadi
Draupadi's profiered hospitalities
Jayadratha enters the hut
His wicked proposals to Draupadi
Rage of Draupadi ....
Her curses and threats
193
ib.
194
ib.
ib.
195
ib.
ib.
ib.
ib.
ib.
196
ib.
ib.
ib.
ib.
ib.
ib.
197
ib.
ib.
ib.
ib.
ib.
ib.
198
ib.
ib.
ib.
ib.
ib.
199
ib.
ib.
ib.
ib.
ib.
ib.
200
ib.
ib.
ib.
xxxiv CONTENTS.
PAOB
Jayadratha carries away Dranpadi in his chariot by main force 200
Laws of the Kshatriyas concerning the carrying away of
women ...... iix
The P&ndavas return to their hut and learn what has occurred 201
Pursuit of Jayadratha . . . . . ib.
Jayadratha abandons Draupadi and seeks to escape . . ib.
Yudhishthira's clemency ..... ib.
Wrath of Draupadi . . . . . . ib.
Return of Yudhishthira with Draupadi . . . ib.
Bhima drags Jayadratha from his chariot and makes him a
slave ....... 202
Himiiliating submission of Jayadratha . . . ib.
Draupadi orders his release .... ib.
Review of the tradition of Jayadratha carrying away Draupadi ib.
Jayadratha already married to Duhsal4, daughter of Mahdraja
Dhritarashtra . . . . . . ib.
Laws of the Kshatriyas respecting the carrying away of women ib.
CHAPTER IX.
SECOND EXILE OP THE PJLnDAVAS — THE THIRTEENTH YEAR IN
A CITY.
Preparations of the Pandavas for dwelling disguised in a
foreign city during the thirteenth year . . . 204
Difficulties in reference to the authenticity of the story . ib.
Story of the amour between a Commander and a waiting-
maid, an authentic tradition .... ib.
Wide difference between the tradition of the amour and the
traditions of the house of Bhurata . . . 205
Difference in the conception of Gandharvas . . ib.
Possible separation of the tradition of the amour from the
myth of the adventures of the Pandavas during the thirteenth
year . . . . . . . ib.
Fiction of the thirteenth year .... ib.
Stipulation as regards disguise . . . . ib.
The Pandavas determine to go to the city of Raja Virdta 206
Conceal their clothes and weapons on a tree in the place of
burning ...... ib.
Set up a dead body to guard the tree . . . ib.
Pdndavas and Draupadi assume new names, and apply for serv-
ice to Raja Virdta . . . . . . ib.
Grace and majesty of Yudhishthira . . . ib.
Yudhishthira engaged as a private companion and teacher of
dice-playing to Raja Virdta .... 207
Bhima engaged as head cook . . . . . ib.
Arjuna engaged as a eunuch to teach music and dancing . ib.
Nakula engaged as master of the horse . . . ib.
Sahadeva engaged as master of the cattle and caster of
nativities ....... ib.
CONTENTS. XXXV
PAOB
Draupadi enters the presence of the Edni . . 207
The Edni objects to Draupadi's beauty . . . 208
Draupadi's story of her five Grandharvas ... ib.
Engaged as a maid-servant by the Eanl . . . ib.
Tranquil life of the P&ndavas and Draupadi . . ib.
Mode in which the brethren shared their emoluments . ib.
Eaja Virdta holds a great festival ... ib.
Assembling of pugilists and wrestlers . . . 209
Exhibitions of pugilism and wrestling before the Eaja . ib.
Superiority of Jimuta, a foreigner . . . . ib.
Trouble of the K^a that none of his own wrestlers could over-
come Jimtita . . . . . . ib.
The Eaja sends for Bhima .... ib.
Bhima enters the presence, but declines to fight Jimiita until
he has satisfied his hunger .... ib.
Bhima devours an enormous quantity of provisions . . ib.
Great battle between Bhima and Jimuta ... ib.
Bhima whirls Jimuta round by the legs, and dashes him
against the ground ..... ib.
Death of Jimtita ...... 210
Acclamations of the multitude and great joy of the E(\ja . ib.
Bhima richly rewarded by the Eaja and his Chieftains . ib.
Great favour shown to Bhima . . . . ib.
Bhima's fights with wild beasts in the women's apartments . ib.
Satisfaction of the Eaja in the singing and d^Gicing of his
daughter ....... ib.
Arjuna rewarded by the Eiga .... ib.
Satisfaction of the Eaja with Nakula and Sahadeva . . ib.
Commanding influence possessed by Kichaka, the brother of
the Eani . . . . . . . ib.
Klchaka prevails with the E&ni to send Draupadi to his house 211
Draupadi sent by the Eani to bring a cup of wine from the
house of Kichaka ..... ib.
Draupadi prays to the Sun for succour . . . ib.
Kichaka af&onts Draupadi . . . . 212
Draupadi escapes from the house and runs to the Council-hall,
followed by Kichaka ..... ib.
Bhima commanded by Yudhishthira not to interfere . . ib.
The Eaja refuses to interfere .... ib.
Draupadi rebuked by Yudhishthira . . . . ib.
Draupadi vainly appeals to the E4ni . . . ib.
Draupadi awakens Bhima in the night, and demands revenge 213
Draupadi's bitter complaints of the insults she has received
from the Kauravas, Jayadratha, and Kichaka . . ib.
Complains of the low occupations of her husbands in the
Court of Eaja Virdta . . . . . ib.
Complains of her position as the favourite maid-servant of the
Eaja ....... ib.
Bhima rebukes her ..... 214
xxxvi CONTENTS.
PAOB
Explains how Yuilhishtliira has in every case prohibited his
interfeivnco . . . . . . 214
£n^gc8 to punish Kichaka .... . iU
Delight of Draupiuli at the prosjioct of ohtaining reTenge ilx
Kichaka's strcoud visit to the llanf . . . . ih.
Kichaka threatens to carry away Draupadi . . ih
lavish offers of Kichaka to Draupadi . . . ih.
Draupadi offers to meet him at midnight in the music and
dancing-nH)ni . . . . . .215
ImiMitience of Kichaka ..... ih.
Kichaka pnH'ee<ls to the music and dancing-room, and is
seizeil hy lUiima ..... ih.
]Jattlo between Kichaka and Ilhfnia . . . . ih.
Bhima slays Kichaka and rolls his flesh and bones into a ball ibu
Joy of Draupadi . . . . . .216
Draupadi calls in tho watchmen, and declares that Kichaka
has been slain by the Gaudharvaa . . . • ih.
Ori'at commotion in the city .... ih,
BnHhers of Kichaka carrj' away his dead body, and prepare to
burn DraujKidi alive on his funeral pile . . ih,
Scri'ams of Dniupadi for succour . . . .217
lihima hastens to tho rescue of Draupadi . . ib.
Mistaken for the Gandharva . . . . . ib.
I'light and death of the brethren of Kichaka . . ib.
Drau])adi rt^tunis to tho palace . . . . ib.
llio Chieftains in their alarm complain to the Raja . ib.
Timid directions of the liaja to the Rani for getting rid of
Draupadi ...... 218
Draupadi enters the music and dancing-room . . ib.
Manifests her anger against Arjuna for not coming to her rescue ib.
The damsels lead Draupadi into the presence of the Rdni . ib.
Tlie Rani dismisses Draupadi fix)m her service . . ib,
Draupadi*8 reply . . . . . . ib.
General fear to offend Draupadi .... ib.
Proceedings of the Kauravas during the thirteenth year . 219
Fail to discover the Pandavas .... ib.
Spies bring the news of the death of Kichaka . . ib.
Susarman, Raja of Trigarta, proposes an invasion of the Raj of
Virdta, which is approved by the Kauravas . . ib.
Plan of campaign : Susarman to invade the Raj from the
north and Duryodhana from the south . . . ib.
Invasion of Susarman in the northern quarter . . ib.
The Herdsmen carry the tidings to Raja Virata . . ib.
The Raja goes out to battle .... ib.
Single combat between Susarman and Virdta . .220
Defeat and capture of Virata .... ib.
Bhima rescues the Rcga, and takes Susarman prisoner . ib.
Invasion of Duryodhana in the southern country . ib.
No warriors left in the city excepting Uttar and Aijuna . ib.
CONTENTS. xxxvii
PAOB
Youth and ignorance of XJttar . . . . 221
The Chief of the herdsmen urges Uttar to go out against the
Kauravas . . . . . . . ih.
Uttar pleads that he has no charioteer ... ih.
Boasts before the women . . . . . ib.
Arjuna agrees to go . . . . . ib.
Mirth of the damsels at seeing Arjuna putting on armour . ib.
The damsels pray Aquna to bring home plenty of spoil . ib.
Cowardly fear of Uttar on beholding the Kauravas . . ib.
Uttar runs away, but is pursued by Arjuna . . 222
The Kauravas discover Arjuna, and discuss whether the
thirteenth year is really over .... ib.
Arjuna brings back Uttar, and makes him drive the chariot . ib.
Eecovers his own weapons and discovers himself to Uttar ib.
Arjuna defeats the Kauravas, and recovers the cattle . ib.
Arjuna and Uttar return to the city . . . 223
Arj Una's forbearance as regards fugitives and captives . ib.
Arjuna and Uttar halt without the city, but send tidings of •
the victory to the Raja . . . . . ib.
Betum of Eaja Yir&ta edPter the defeat of Susarman . ib.
The Eaja hears that Uttar has gone out to battle, but distrusts
the bravery of the music and dancing-master . . ib.
Yudhishthira praises the valour of the music and dancing-
master . . . . . . . ib.
The Eaja orders preparations for receiving his victorious son ib.
Sits down to play with Yudhishthira . . . 224
Yudhishthira ascribes the victory to the music and dancing-
master . . . . . . . ib.
Wrath of the Efga ..... ib.
Yudhishthira repeats his remarks . . . . ib.
llie Eaja dashes the dice at Yudhishthira and makes his nose
bleed . . . . . . . ib.
Uttar enters the palace and tells the true story . . ib.
Yudhishthira forgives the Eaja .... 225
Division of the spoil ..... ib.
Eaja Virata promises in Council to assist the Pandavas in
recovering their Eaj ..... ib.
Offers his daughter in marriage to Arjuna . . . ib.
Arjuna's graceful refusal ..... ib.
Marriage of Uttard, daughter of Eaja VirAta, to Abhimanyu,
son of Arjuna ...... ib.
Eeview of the foregoing legend of the thirteenth year . 226
Separation of the amour of Kichaka from the mythical refer-
ences to the Pandavas . . . . . ib.
Ist, Tradition of the amour of Kichaka ... ib.
Anterior to Brahmanism and Buddhism . . . ib.
Eeligious ideas connected with ghosts ... ib.
Pastoral character of the people . . . . ib.
Ancient civilization . . . . . 227
Palace of the Eaja . . . . . ib.
xxxviii CONTENTS.
TAOft
227
ib.
ib.
amour . . ib.
Women's apartments
Council-hall ....
Kitchen . .
Leading characters in the tradition of the
Varied dialogue ...... ib.
The plot ....... ib.
The Eani*8 jealous fears respecting the waiting-maid allayed by
her stoiy of the five Gandharvas . . . . ib.
Difficulty as regards the Gandharvas . . . 228
Belief in the amours of invisible demons with mortal women ib.
The Gandharvas, a Hill tribe, but subsequently converted into
celestial beings . . . . . . ib.
Possibility of an earlier and a later legend . . 229
Peculiar status of Kichaka as a brother of the Edni . . ib.
Character of Kichaka ..... ib.
Peculiar incidents in Kichaka's amour . . .230
Wine drank by Hindu women .... ib.
Scene between Kichaka and the waiting-maid in the Council-
hall ....... ib.
Dialogue between the waiting-maid and the Raja . . ib.
Poetic justice in the slaughter of Kichaka . . ib.
Attempt to bum the waiting-maid alive . . . ib.
Distinction between the Brahmanical idea of sati, and the
slaughter of a female favourite .... 231
Interference in a Brahmanical sati regarded with horror . iK
Obscurity of the authentic details in the later portion of the
narrative ...... ib.
Procession of damsels ..... 232
2nd, Mythical details connecting the tradition of the amour of
Kichaka with the story of the Pandavas . . . ib.
Geographical difficulties ..... ib.
City of Virata identified with the site of the modem Dholka ib.
Country of Virata identified with Dinajpur . . ib.
Dinajpur anciently a land of fable .... 233
Authenticity of the campaigns of Duryodhana and Susarman
disproved ....... ib.
Long marches of Sesostris, Semiramis, Alexander, and Timour ib.
Parthians . . . . . . . ib.
Mahrattas ...... ib.
Contrast between the foregoing expeditions and the cattle-
lifting forays of Duryodhana and Susarman . . ib.
Futile efforts of the Brahmanical compilers to associate the
Pandavas with remote quarters of India . . 234
Mythical character of the scene in which the Pandavas first
presented themselves to Raja Virata ... ib.
Yudhishthira and Bhima provoke discovery . . . ib.
Modem tone of Yudhishthira's language . . . ib.
His artificial reference to his own losses . . . ib.
Asserts himself to be a Brahman and a dice-player . ib.
Mythical disguises of Bhima and Arjuna . . . 235
CONTENTS. xxxix
^ PA OB
Bhima serving as cook ..... 235
Supernatural character of Arjuna's disguise as a eunuch . ib.
Mythical character of Draupadi's personation of a maid-servant ib.
Extraordinary arrangement of her hair in consequence of her
vow ....... ib.
Questionable beauty ...... 236
Alleged refinement of Draupadi*s manners . . ib.
Myth that the Sun god preserved her from the indignity of a
ivl V Ik. • ■ • • . • 1 0«
Mythical details respecting the Pandavas . . . 237
Declaration of Aijiina as regards fugitives and captives, in-
tended as a moral rule . . . . . ib.
Kidiculous dispute between Yudhishthira and Eaja Virata ib.
Marriage of Abhimanyu and Uttara treated as a myth . 238
After the marriage Yirdta disappears and Drupada takes the
lead . . . . . . .239
Subsequent negotiations and preparations carried on in the city
of Raja Drupada . . . . . . ib.
Eidicule thrown by the story upon the religious belief of the
aborigines as regards ghosts and demons . . . ib.
CHAPTER X.
NEGOTIATIONS FOR THE RESTORATION OP THE PANDAVAS.
Questionable character of Krishna's subsequent association
with the Pandavas \ . . . .241
History of the negotiations which preceded the great war
treated under four heads . . .. . . ib.
1st, Great Council of the Pandavas and their allies at the
marriage feast of Abhimanyu and Uttara . . . ib.
Traditional account of the Great Council . . 242
Speech of Krishna : — " The Pandavas have now fulfilled their
period of exile and desire the restoration of their rights;
but before going to war, an ambassador might be sent to the
Kauravas" ...... ib.
Speech of Balardma : — " I agree with Krishna, especially as
Yudhishthira by persisting in the game at dice is really
the author of his own misfortunes "... 243
Speech of Satyaki : — " I do not agree with Balardma, and I
propose war : The game was altogether a cheat, but still the
Pandavas have fulfilled their engagement, and no ELshatriya
should b^ for that which is his right : Moreover, the Kau-
ravas are as badly disposed towards them as ever " . ib.
Speech of Rjija Drupada : — " I agree with Satyaki : The influ-
ence of Duryodhana is paramount at Hastindpur, and the
more submissive we are, the more arrogant he will become :
Let us summon our allies, and be beforehand with the Kau-
ravas" 244
xl CONTENTS.
PAOI
>
Second speech of Krishna : — " I agree with Drupada, hut wish
to he neutral" " If war is inevitahle, let the messengers
come to me last "..... 245
Breaking up of the Council . . . . . ih.
Review of the foregoing tradition of the Great Council . ib.
Mythical character of the details which associate Krishna with
the Pandavas ...... 246
Mythical efforts of Duryodliana and Aquna to win over
Krishna to their respective sides ... ib.
Arrogance of Duryodliana in the palace of Krishna . . ib.
Humility and reverence exhibited by Arjuna . . ib.
Duryodhana remonstrates with Krishna for speaking to Arjuna
first ....... ib.
Krishna's excuses ...... 247
Offer of Krishna ..... ib.
Arjuna decides to take Krishna singly . . . ib.
Duryodhana elects to have Krishna's army . . ib.
Balarama refuses to take any part in the war . . ib.
Krishna promises to drive the chariot of Arjuna in the forth-
coming war ...... 248
Improbability of the legend, but religious significance of the
myth . . . . . . . ib.
8tory of Salya, Eaja of Madra, deserting the Pandavas, but
engaging to drive the chariot of Kama in his combat with
Arjuna ...... ib.
2nd, Embassy of the family priest of Drupada to Ilastinapur 249
Illustrative of the patriarchal period prior to the age of writing ib.
Tradition of the embassy sent to the Kauravas . . ib.
Council simimoned to receive the Brdhman . . ib.
Preliminary courtesies . . . . . ib.
The Brahman requests permission to repeat the words of the
Pandavas . . . . . . . ib.
The message sent by the Pandavas ... ib.
Demand for the restoration of the half of the Raj . .250
Reply of Bhishma ..... ib.
Kama's wrathful remonstrances with Bhishma for praising
Arjuna ...... ib.
" The Pandavas have only themselves to blame for their losses
by gambling" ...... ib.
Kama's message to the Pandavas : — " The Pdndavas were dis-
covered before the thirteenth year was over, and must go
again into exile " . . . . . . ib.
Bhishma threatens that Arjuna will conquer Kama . 251
The Maharaja tries to appease Bhishma and Kama, and de-
clares in favour of peace .... ib.
The Maharaja sends an embassy to the Pandavas . . ib.
Review of the foregoing tradition of the embassy of the farail}'-
priest of Dmpada to the Kauravas . . . ib.
3rd, Embassy of Sanjaya to the Pandavas . . 252
Traditional account of the embassy . . . . ib.
CONTENTS. xli
Diplomatic qualifications of Sanjaya . . • . 262
Message of the Maharaja to the Pandavas . . 253
Sanjaya reaches the camp of the Pandavas, and is surprised at
the greatness of their preparations for war • . ib.
The Pandavas receive the ambassador in Council . . ib.
Sanjaya delivers his message .... ib.
Eeply of Yudhishthira : — " We are anxious to avoid a war, but
the Maharaja is trying to entrap us to HastinApur with
mere offers of protection, without promising to restore our
share of the Kaj " . . . . . 254
Reply of Krishna : — " The Pandavas have been put to such
expenses in preparing for this war, that they have no alter-
native but to demand their half share of the Raj " . ib.
Yudhishthira sends public messages by Sanjaya to the elders
at Hastindpur . . . . . .255
Yudhishthira's secret message to Duryodhana : — " We will
resign our claim to the half share if you will restore us our
five villages in Khandava-prastha " . . . ib.
Sanjaya delivers his messages to the Maharaja . . 256
Anxious conversation throughout the night between the Ma-
hdraja and Vidura . . . . . ib.
The Kauravas summoned to a Council, at which Sanjaya delivers
his messages ...... ib.
Agreement impossible . . . . , ib.
4th, Mission of Krishna to the Kauravas . . ib.
Legend of the mission . ,, . . .257
Yudhishthira applies to Krishna for counsel . . ib.
Krishna offers to go as ambassador to Hastinapur . . ib.
Yudhishthira's desire for peace .... ib.
Remonstrances of Draupadi . . . . . ib.
Krishna comforts Draupadi .... ib.
Ejrishna proceeds to Hastindpur . . . . ib.
Sends on messengers to announce his arrival . . 258
Vidura counsels Duryodhana to give Krishna a grand re-
ception ...... ib.
Great preparations commenced by Duryodhana . . ib.
Vidura urges that the reception is useless unless Duryodhana
is prepared to restore the five villages to the Pandavas . ib.
Duryodhana abandons his preparations and proposes putting
Krishna into custody ..... 269
Remonstrances of the Mahdraja .... ib.
Wrath of Bhishma . . . . . ib.
Klrishna enters the city, and is received by all the Kauravas
excepting Duryodhana . . . . . ib.
Haughtiness of Duryodhana towards Krishna . . ib.
Krishna resides in the house of Vidura, where Kunti is
dwelling ...... ib.
Affecting interview with Kunti . . . . ib.
Krishna comforts Kunti with the assurance that her sons will
conquer
VOL. I. d
260
xlii CONTENTS,
Krinlma's visit to Dun'fHihana ... .260
}{cfus<'s to part;ike of the entertainment prepared hj Dui^
ytMlhaiiA ..... . ih.
I)irlaiv8 that then* Ciin he no friomlsliip between them unless
l)iir}'(Hlhana coinos to tonns with the Pdndavas . ih
IvetuniB to the house of Vidiira, and declines all other in-
vitations ..... . 261
Vidiira's ol ejections to Krishna's visit to HastiniLpur . . ih
Krishna's i*x])Ianati()ns .... . ih
Iieven«nce i)aitl to Krislma hy the i)Cople of Ilastin&pur . ih
Krishna ])nH't'«Mls to the f;n»at Council of the Kauravas . 262
His nrci>tinii by the Maharaja and JUushma . . ih
^'araila and the Kishis ap[)ear in tlie sky and are provided with
seatvS in the Council . . . . • ih
Speech of Krishna to tlio ^faharaja : — I have come to re-
ooncih^ tlie l^andavas with the Kauravas. — ^Tlie house of
Bhamta liave Ihhmi just hitlierto, but the Kauravas have
committed great wickedness. — A terrible war is inevitable
unless you prevent it.-^A reconciliation would give you
the pupjjort of the Pandavas and render you invincible. —
A war would prove most destnictive to all parties. — Let
tlie Kauravas cast aside their enmity and celebrate a great
feast in honour of their reconciliation . . . ih
Krishna addn-sscs the Mahdraja as the mouth-piece of the
Pamliwas, who pray for a restoration of their share of the
Kaj ....... 264
Speech of Krishna to the Council generally : — " A Minister
is responsible for the acts of the Maharaja, and counsellors
are bound to prevent the Maharaja from doing WTong '* . ih.
Krishna's final request to the Maharaja . . . ib.
Keply of the Mahanija that Krishna had better counsel
Duryodhana ...... 265
Advice of Krishna to Duryodhana . . . . ib.
Strong remonstrances of Lhishma ... ib.
Exasperation of Duryodhana . . . . ib.
llemonstrances of Drona .... ib.
liemonstrances of Vidura ..... 266
Powerful speech of Bhishma .... ib.
Duryodliana's indignant speech to Krislina . . .267
Krishna rebukes Duryodhana .... ih
Dulisdsana warns Dun'odhana that unless he submits to
the Pandavas, the elders will deliver him up to Yud-
hishthira ...... 268
Durj'odhana abniptly leaves the assembly . . . ib.
Krishna advises the Mahdraja to arrest Duryodliana and his
three allies . . • . . . ib.
The Mahdraja summons the Runi Gandhdri into the Council ib.
The liani sends for Duryodhana and remonstrates with him in
the presence of the Council .... ib.
CONTENTS. xliii
Duryodhana, Sakuni, DuhsAsana, and Kama leave the Council
and plot to seize Krishna .... 269
Krishna reveals himself as the Supreme Being . . ib.
ELrishna reassumes his humanity, and takes his leave . ib.
Krishna returns to the house of Vidura, and takes leave of
Kunti ...... ib.
Spirited message of Kunti to her sons . , . 270
Krishna invites Kama to join the Pandavas . . ib.
Kama refuses to desert Duiyodhana, or to take a position where
Arjuna would appear as his superior ... ib.
Parting of Krishna and Kama . . , .271
Krishna returns to the Pdndavas and desires them to prepare
for war upon the plain of Kurukshetra . . . ib.
Foregoing legend of the embassy of Krishna to be treated as a
myth . . . . . . . ib.
Evidently an episode of modem origin ... ib.
Marked difference between Krishna as a hero and as an incarn-
ation of the Supreme Being .... ib.
Suspicious character of the legend as a representation of the
actual relations between the Kauravas and Pdndavas . 272
Proceedings of the alleged embassy irreconcilable with the myth
that Kjnshna made over his army to Duryodhana . ib.
Turbulent character of the Council at Hastindpur, indicative
that the myth belongs to the Krishna group of legends ib.
CHAPTER XL
PREPARATIONS FOR THE GREAT WAR.
Four important events between the alleged embassy of Krishna
and the commencement of the great war . . 274
1st, March of the Kauravas and P4ndavas to the plain of
Kurukshetra ...... ib.
Duryodhana holds a Council at Hastindpur . . .275
Solemn covenant of the Chieftains on the side of the
Kauravas . . . . . . . ib.
Duryodhana entrenches all lus forces on the plain of
Kurukshetra . . . . . . ib.
Pots of snakes and scorpions .... ib.
Duryodhana proposes that Bhishma should be Generalissimo 276
Bhishma agrees, on conditions .... ib.
Kama absents himself so long as Bhishma is alive . . ib.
Bhishma solemnly inaugurated as Commander-in-Chief of the
Kauravas . . . . . . . ib.
P&ndavas marshal their forces, and appoint Dhrishta-dyumna
to be Greneralissimo . . . . . ib.
Pandavas march to the plain of Kumkshetra . . 277
Lake in the centre of the plain ; the Pandavas encamp on one
side of the lake, and the Kauravas on the other . ib.
d2
xliv CONTENTS.
PAGS
Appointment of signs and watchwords . . .277
Pandavas enthrone Dhrishta-dyumna ... ib.
Balardma visits the camp of the Pandavas, but refuses to engage
in the war ... . . . . ib.
Generally authentic character of the foregoing narrative of the
entrenchment of the riyal camps and the inauguration of
Generalissimos . . . . . . ib.
Dubious incidents ..... 278
2nd, Legend of the humiliation of Bukmin . . . ib.
Rukmin, Raja of Vidarbha, joins the army of the Pandavas, but
is dismissed for his extravagant pretensions . . ib.
Eukmin goes over to the Kauravas, but is dismissed by Dur-
yodhana for the same reason . . . . 279
Returns to his own country . . . . . ib.
Mythical character of the foregoing legend indicated by its
apparent want of purpose . . . . . ib.
Connection of the myth with the legendary history of Krishna ib,
3rd, Interchange of challenges between the Kauravas and
Pandavas ...... ib.
Custom of warriors to abuse each other prior to fighting . 280
Abusive character of the present challenges . . ib.
Duryodhana sends a kinsman with a challenge to the
Pdndavas ...... ib.
Language of the challenge . . . . . ib.
Extreme wrath of the Pandavas . . . . 281
Bhima*8 reference to Krishna . . . . ib.
Mythical reply sent by Krishna to the Kauravas . ib.
Arj Una's reply to the challenge . . . .. 282
Replies of Krishna and Arjuna carried to the Kauravas . ib.
Poregoing legend rendered dubious by the references to
Krishna ...... ib.
Message of Krishna palpably mythical . . . ib.
Message of Arjuna probably the only one sent to the challenge
of Duryodhana . . . . . . ib.
4th, Rules agreed to on both sides for ameliorating the horrors
of the coming war ...... 283
Circumstances wliich preceded the promulgation of the
rules . . . . . . . ib.
Rules framed by Bhishma and Drona, and agreed to by Yud-
hishthira :
(1.) No stratagem or treachery ... ib.
(2.) Perfect truce between the combats . . . ib.
(3.) Fugitives, suppliants, drummers, and chariot-drivers,
to be treated as non-combatants . . . ib.
(4.^ A superior arm to fight only its equal . . 284
(5.) Ko combat to take place during the preliminary abuse ib.
(6.) No combat to take place without warning . ib.
(7.) No third warrior to interfere between two combatants ib.
Foregoing rules apparently of modem date . . ib.
Disregarded in the war of the Maha Bharata . . ib.
CONTENTS. xlv
PAOS
Brahmanical origin of the rules .... 284
Confusion between stratagem and treachery . . . ib.
Impracticability of the constantly recurring truces . 285
Rational rule as regards non-combatants . . . ib.
Absurdity of the rule that cavalry should only fight with
cavalry, &c. . . . . . . ib.
Possible antiquity of the 6th, 6th, and 7th rules . ib.
Natural law jigainst fighting during the preliminary abuse, or
without warning, or for a third warrior to interfere between
two combatants . . . . . . ib.
Non-observance of the law by the ancient heroes . 286
CHAPTER XII.
THB EIGHTEEN DAYS OP THE GREAT WAR.
Eve of the great war of Bharata .... 287
Mean character of the war . .^ . . ib.
Form in which the history of the war has been preserved . 288
Extraordinary extent to which the original Kshatriya tradition
has been enlarged and interpolated by the Brahmanical
compilers ...... ib.
Necessity for eliminating a large portion of the matter in order
to render the narrative available for historical purposes ib.
Diffuse dialogues ...... 289
Wearisome descriptions of combats and charges all resembling
each other . . , . . . ib.
Brahmanical discourses ..... ib.
General description of the excluded matter . . . ib.
Mythical references to the vast armies engaged on either side ib.
Mythical details of the battles .... 290
Superhuman strength and skill of the warriors engaged . ib.
Employment of m^cal weapons ... ib.
Supematiiral exploits . . . . . ib.
Extraordinary omens ..... ib.
Exaggerated pomp and circumstance . . . .291
Exaggerated slaughter ..... ib.
Real character of the contest : a war to the knife between two
branches of the same family for the possession of a landed
inheritance . . . ' . . . ib.
Probable numbers engaged .... ib.
Barbarous single combats with clubs and knives . .292
Free practice of treachery, deceit, and foul play . . ib.
Irrelevant introduction of Brahmanical disquisitions . . ib.
Sanjaya's discourse on geography to the blmd Maharaja . 293
Dialogue between Krishna and Arjuna on the field of battle,
known as the Bhagavat-Gita, or " Divine Song " . ib.
Bhishma's discourse on the duties of Rajas, whilst lying mortally
wounded on a couch of arrow-heads ... ib.
xlvi CONTENTfi.
FA61
Final ooinltat lK'iwe<*n Dun'cxlhana and Bhima prefaced by a
wnnon <m Iho rlliciiry of places of pilgrima^ . , 293
Narnitivf of the ci^htt^on tlays of the war divided into four
]M'ri<Nls, correspniidin^ to tho four commands of the four
8urceA8ivo ( u'm'ralissinu»s of the Kauiuvas, viz. Bhishma^
Dnma, Kama, and Salya .... 296
Ifit, r>hishina*s command — ton days . . . . ib.
Mythical sloiy r»f Vudhishthim*8 rospeot for his elders and
pnMM»ptors, and Yuyutsu's desertion to the Pandavas . 297
^foniinj; of the first day . . . . . ib.
Yu<lhislithini pn^eetnls cm fixit to the army of the KauTavas iK
Asks th(> permission of lUiishma and l>rona to tight against
the Kauravas ...... ib.
Bhislima and Dnma excuse thcmstdvos from fighting for the
Pandavas ...... 298
Yuy\itsu, half hn>ther of Durj'oilhana, goes over to the
1 Vint lavas ...... ib.
Joy of the Pandavas . . . . . ib.
Mythical char.ictcr of the fr^re^oinj^ incidents . . ib.
Ilie story of Yudhishthim's re<[ue.stfi referable to the later Brah-
manical period ..... ib.
Impn»hahility of Bhishma and Drona's professed partiality for
th(j Panda vjis ...... ib.
Intn^luced to harmonize with the speeches they are said to have
deliveretl at Krishiui's embassy . . . 299
Dul)io\i8 authenticity of the desertion of Yuyutsu . . ib.
First day of the war ..... ib.
little between Bhishma and Bhima, and their respective
armies ...... 300
Character of the battle . . . . . ib.
Single combats ...... ib.
Disregard of the rules of fighting . . . . ib.
Combat between the youthfid Abhimanyu and the patriarch
Bhishma . . . . . . . ib.
Praises l)estoweil by Bhishma upon the prowess of Ab-
himanyu ....... 301
Combat between Uttnr and Salya . . . ib.
Combat between l^hishma and Arjuna . . . ib.
Mythical dialogue between Yudhishthira and Krishna . ib.
Yudhishthira complains of the havoc committed by Bhishma,
and proposes retiring ..... ib.
Consoled by the remonstrances of Krishna, who dwells on the
prowess of Arjuna and Dhrishta-dyumna . . 302
Narrative of the war from the second to the tenth day . ib.
Second day of the war ..... ib.
The Pandavas repulsed by Bhishma, but rallied by Arjuna . ib.
Bhishma reluctantly engages with Arjuna . . ib.
Bhima attacked by the Raja of Magadhd and his army . ib.
Slays a son of the Eaja of Magadha . . . 303
Vaults on an elephant and slays a second son . . ib.
CONTENTS. xliii
Duryodhana, Sakuni, DuhsAsana, and Kama leave the Council
and plot to seize Krishna .... 269
Krishna reveals himself as the Supreme Being . . ib.
Krishna reassumes his humanity, and takes his leave . ib.
Krishna returns to the house of Vidura, and takes leave of
Kunti ...... ib.
Spirited message of Kunti to her sons , , , 270
Krishna invites Karna to join the Pandavas . . ib.
Kama refuses to desert Duiyodhana, or to take a position where
Arjuna would appear as his superior ... ib.
Parting of Krishna and Kama . . . .271
Krishna returns to the Pdndavas and desires them to prepare
for war upon the plain of Kurukshetra . . . ib.
Foregoing legend of the embassy of Krishna to be treated as a
mjrth . . . . . . . ib.
Evidently an episode of modem origin ... ib.
Marked difference between Krishna as a hero and as an incarn-
ation of the Supreme Being .... ib.
Suspicious character of the legend as a representation of the
actual relations between the Kauravas and Pdndavas . 272
Proceedings of the alleged embassy irreconcilable with the myth
that Kjnshna made over his army to Duryodhana . ib.
Turbulent character of the Council at Hastindpur, indicative
that the myth belongs to the Krishna group of legends ib.
CHAPTER XL
PREPARATIONS FOR THE GREAT WAR.
Four important events between the alleged embassy of Krishna
and the commencement of the great war . . 274
1st, March of the Kauravas and Pandavas to the plain of
Kurukshetra ...... ib.
Duryodhana holds a Council at Hastinapur . . .275
Solemn covenant of the Chieftains on the side of the
Kauravas . . . . . . . ib.
Duryodhana entrenches all lus forces on the plain of
Kurukshetra . . . . . . ib.
Pots of snakes and scorpions .... ib.
Duryodhana proposes that Bhishma should be Generalissimo 276
Bhishma agrees, on conditions .... ib.
Kama absents himself so long as Bhishma is alive . . ib.
Bhishma solemnly inaugurated as Commander-in-Chief of the
Kauravas . . . . . . . ib.
PAndavas marshal their forces, and appoint Dhrishta-dj-umna
to be Generalissimo . . . . . ib.
Pdndavas march to the plain of Kumkshetra . . 277
Lake in the centre of the plain ; the Pandavas encamp on one
side of the lake, and the Kauravas on the other . ib.
d2
xlviii CONTENTS.
PAGS
Thirteenth day of the war and third of Drona*8 command 310
Arjuna fights Susarman a second time . . . ib.
Drona draws up the Kauiavas in the form of a spider's
web ....... ib.
Panda vas unable to oppose the spider's web . . 311
Yudhishthira commands Abhimanyu to charge the spideVs
web ....... ib.
Abhimanyu drives his chariot into the enemies' ranks, and per-
forms prodigies of valour .... ib.
Pdndavas prevented by Jayadratha from rescuing Abhimanyu 312
Abhimanyu overpowered by six warriors and slain . ib.
Extreme beauty and prowess of Abhimanyu . . . ib.
Profound grief of Yudhishthira .... ib.
General outcry against the cowardly Chieftains who slew
Abhimanyu ...... ib.
Arj Una's overpowering grief at hearing of the death of
Abhimanyu ...... ib.
Vows to slay Jayadratha before simset on the morrow . ib.
Krishna consoles Arjuna . . . . 313
Comforts Subhadra and Uttara, the mother and widow of
Abhimanyu ...... ib.
His toucliing attendance upon Arjuna throughout the night ib.
Orders his chariot at early mom to drive Arjuna against
Jayadratha . . . . . . ib.
Cowanlly attempt of Jayadratha to withdraw . . ib.
Fourteenth day of the war and fourth of Drona's com-
mand ....... 314
Fierce struggle of Aijuna, Satyaki, and Bhima to reach
Jayadratha ...... ib.
Combat between Satyaki and Bhurisrava . . . ib.
Bhurisrava conquers Satyaki and prepares to cut off his head ib.
Krishna requests Arjuna to interfere . . . . ib.
Arjuna cuts off the arms of Bhurisrava ... ib.
Bhurisrava abuses Arjuna for interfering . . . ib.
Arj Una's defence ..... ib.
All the Kauravas reproach Arjuna . . . . ib.
Arj Una's retort respecting the cowardly murder of his own
son . . . . . . .315
Satyaki beheads Bhurisrava . . . . . ib.
Desperate conflict between Arjuna and Jayadratha . ib.
Arjuna beheads Jayadratha just before sunset . . ib.
Exultation of the Pandavas and grief of the Kauravas . ib.
Battle continued throughout the night . . . ib.
Frightful confusion in the darkness ... ib.
Plain of Kurukshetra lit up by torches . . .316
Battle scenes by torchlight .... ib.
Short interval of slumber at midnight . . . ib.
Renewal of the battle by moonlight ... ib.
The battle goes against the Pandavas . . . ib.
Vow of Dhrishta-dyumna to slay Drona ... ib.
CONTENTS.
xlix
BUma fights Drona until Bunrise
Fifteenth day of the war and fifth of Drona's command .
Dhrishta-dyumna fights Drona
Drona overcome by means of a lie
Dhrishta-dyumna beheads Drona
Kejoicings of the Pandavas ....
Deep regret of the Kauiavas at the death of Drona .
Vow of Aswatth^ma to revenge the death of Drona
Review of the foregoing account of the five days of Drona's
command ......
Yudhishthira represented as a coward
Brahmanical reasons assigned for his cowardice .
Touching character of the story of Abhimanyu
Savage character of the combat between Bhurisrava and
S4tyaki ......
Review of the death of Drona ....
Mythical details recorded in the Mah^ Bharata
Extraordinary account of a lie inadvertently told by Yudhish
vUira ..•••..
Krishna suggests the lie .
Krishna suggests a pfevarication ....
Manner in which Yudhishthira is said to have told a lie
Drona dies in the character of a Brahman Yogi .
Escape of his soul through his skull .
3rd, Kama's command — two days
Three important combats ....
Election of Kama to be Generalissimo of the Kauravas .
Sixteenth day of the war, and first of Kama's command
Indecisive struggle .....
Kama engages to slay Aijuna
Seventeenth day of the war and second of Kama's command
Kama desires that Salya would drive his chariot
Duryodhana makes the request to S41ya .
S^lya'e indignation .....
He sneers at the birth of Kama as the son of a charioteer
Duryodhana assures S^ya of his respect, and ranks him with
Krishna ...••.
Salya drives Kama against Arjuna ....
Evil omens ......
Contention between Kama and S&lya respecting the prowess
of Arjuna ......
Kama retorts by a reference to the depraved customs of
Salya's subjects .....
Kama charges the Pandavas .....
Kama attacks Yudhishthira in the absence of Arjuna
Reproaches Yudhishtliira for the cowardice he had imbibed
from Brdhmans .....
Wrath of Yudhishthira at being left without protection
Anger of Yudhishthira with Arjuna for fighting Susarman
when he should have been fighting Kama .
PAOB
316
317
ib.
ib.
ib.
ib.
ib.
ib.
ib.
318
ib.
319
ib.
320
ib.
ib.
321
ib.
ib.
322
ib.
ib.
ib.
323
ib.
ib.
ib.
ib.
ib.
324
ib.
ib.
ib.
325
ib.
ib.
ib.
ib.
326
ib.
ib.
ib.
1 CONTENTS.
TAom
Aijuna taunted by Yudhishthira . . . 326
Draws his sword, and tlireatens to kill Yudhishthira . . ib.
Reconciled to Yudhishthira by Krishna . . . 327
Bhima attacked by Duhsasana . . . . ib.
Deadly conflict between Bhima and Duhsasana . . ib.
Bhima's address to the Kauravas . . . . ib.
Fulfils his vow by drinking the blood of Duhsasana . ib.
Arjuna goes forth to a final battle with Kama . , 328
The armies stop fighting, and the gods descend from heaven ib.
Arjima and Kama address their respective charioteers . ib.
The battle ...... ib.
A wheel of Kama's chariot sinks into the earth . . ib.
Arjuna stays from fighting. Krishna reminds Arjuna of the
insults to Draupadi and murder of Abliimanyu . . ib.
Arjuna slays Kama with a crescent-shaped arrow . 329
Triumph of the Pandavas and constemation of the Kauiavas ib.
Flight of the Kauravas ..... ib.
Kripa advises Duryodhana to conclude a treaty . . ib.
Refusal of Duryodhana ... . . ib.
The Kauravas resolve to renew the battle on the morrow . ib.
Review of the foregoing narrative of Kama's command . 330
4 th, Salya's command — one day . . . . ib.
Election of Salya to be Generalissimo of the Kauravas . ib.
Eighteenth and last day of the war . . . .331
Kauravas abstain from single combats . . . ib.
Salya slain by Yudhishthira . . . . . ib.
Utter defeat of the Kauravas .... ib.
Duryodhana conceals himself in the lake . . . ib.
Three survivors ...... ib.
General search for Duryodhana . . . . ib.
The three Kaurava warriors discover Duryodhana, and pray
him to renew the battle ..... 332
Duryodhana declines, and recommends conceahnent . ib.
Aswatthama vainly remonstrates . . . . ib.
Failure of the Pandavas to discover Duryodhana . ib.
Bhima's servants discover him . . . . ib.
The Pandavas proceed to the lake ... ib.
Yudhishthira calls upon Duryodhana to leave the lake . 333
Duryodhana prays for rest before renewing the combat . ib.
Yudhishthira remonstrates . . . . . ib.
Duryodhana prays the Pandavas to take the Raj, and let him
retire to the desert . . . . • ib.
Yudhishthira refuses to take the Raj except by conquest ib.
Duryodhana offera to fight the Pandavas one at a time, if they
will fight fairly ..... 334
Yudhishthira accepts the conditions . . . . ib.
Duryodhana stipulates to fight with the mace only . ib.
Yudhishthira agrees . . . • . . ib.
Duryodhana still remains in the lake . . . 335
CONTENTS. li
PAOB
Krishna advises Bhbna to provoke Doryodhana to leave the
water . . . . . . . 335
Bhfma's irritating address to Duryodhana
Duryodhana offers to fight on the morrow
Bhlma threatens to drag Duryodhana out of the lake
Duryodhana leaves the lake ....
Laughter of the followers of the Pandavas
His ghastly appearance .....
Yudhishthira offers him arms and armour
Question of who should fight Duryodhana
Krishna suggests Bhima ....
Bhima gladly assents .....
Bhima and Duryodhana reproach each other .
Balarama, brother of Krishna, appears upon the plain
Advises the combatants to fight in the middle of the plain
The battle ......
Desperate struggle .....
Krishna advises Bhima to commit foul play
Arjuna gives the hint to Bhima
Bhima nearly killed .....
Smashes the thigh of Duryodhana
Bhima kicks Duryodhana on the head . . .
Wrath of Yudhishthira ....
Yudhishthira strikes Bhima in the face .
Addresses Duryodhana ....
Balarama's indignation at Bhima's foul play
Balardma prepares to slay the Pandavas, but is prevented by
Krishna ......
Krishna defends Bhima ....
Balardma denounces Bhima ....
Krishna excuses Bhima ....
Bhima forgiven by Yudhishthira
The Pdndavas go with Krishna to see Duryodhana .
Kecriminations between Duryodhana and Krishna
Manifestations of the divine approval of Duryodhana
Krishna consoles the P&ndavas, and proclaims Yudhishthira
as Eaja ......
The P^davas proceed to the camp of the Kauravas and ob-
tain great spoil .....
Yudhishthira requests Krishna to proceed to Hastin&pur, and
excuse the proceedings of himself and brethren to the Maha-
jTttia . ...•••
Krishna reaches Hastindpur on the first quarter of the night
Interview between Krishna and the Maharaja
Affecting interview between Krishna and the Rani GrandMri
Krishna consoles Grandhdri by engaging that the Pandavas
should prove more dutiful than the Kauravas
Gr4ndh&ri's reply to Krishna ....
Krishna renews his promises ....
ib.
ib.
ib.
336
ib.
ib.
ib.
ib.
ib.
ib.
337
ib.
ib.
ib.
ib.
338
ib.
ib.
ib.
339
ib.
ib.
ib.
ib.
340
ib.
ib.
ib.
ib.
ib.
ib.
341
ib.
ib.
ib.
342
ib.
ib.
343
ib.
344
lii CONTENTS.
Returns to the quartera of the Pindavis in the camp of
KAiiravos .....
Kevit'W of ihi> forogoin^ narrative of the last day of the gi
M'tkr ■ • * • • ,
Mythical rofon»nce« to Krinhna . . • .
Extni4>nliiiary couusol uf Krishna that Bhima should strike
ft)ul hlow .....
Dfuthn of tho thn^o heroes nf the Kanravas ascribed to th
iniiunnil interfon*nco of Krishna
Krishna n'pn»ached by I>ur}'odhana ....
Orijjin of the myth ....
Krishna apiM>iirH in hia mission to Hastinapur in the character
of a c*(insi.)ler .....
CHAPTER XIII.
THR REVENGE OF ilSWATTHilllA.
Termination of the war ami trinmph of the Pandavas . 3-
lliriH.* wurrictrs alune remaining of all the forces of the Kau-
mvtts ...... . il
Vow of Aswatthama, son of Drona, to be revenged for the
<leath of liis father . . , . . ih
Night t>f tli(^ eightwnth day of the war . . , 347
l)iiryo<lhana w<»iin(l(^<l and alone upon the plain • • ih
The thn'e surviving waniors of his army visit him . ib.
Their gn-at grief . . . . , . ibt
Aswatthama oilers to slay the Pandavas that night . ih
I>ur}'(Kihana apiH)ints Aswatthama Chief in command, and
directs him to bring the head of Dhima . ■ . ib.
llie threi^ warriors leave Durj'odhana upon the plain . 348
Aswatthama 8(>es an owl kill the sleeping crows . • ib.
liesolves to fall upon the Pandavas in like manner • . ib.
Kripa remonstratt^s . , . . • ib.
Aswatthama persists in revenging the slaughter of Drona . ib.
Kripa proposes to wait till morning, and then to fight the
Pandavas fairly ...... 349
Aswatthama refuses ..... ib.
AswattMma, followed by Kripa and Kritavarman, proceeds to
the camp of the Pandavas .... ib.
Absence of the Pdndavas in the camp of the Kauravas • ib.
The single gateway ..... ib.
Aswatthdma leaves his two friends to guanl the gate whilst he
enters the camp ..... ib.
Surprises Dhrishta-dyumna and slaughters him . • ib.
Screaming of the women, and general confusion . . 350
The five sons of the Pandavas rush out and are slain by
Aswatthdma ...... ib.
Fearful slaughter amongst the followers and servants of the
Pandavas ...... ib.
CONTENTS. liii
PAGB
Aswatthdma escapes with the heads of the five sons of the
Pdndavas . . . . . . 350
The three warriors return to Duiyodhana . .351
Aswatthama passes off the heads of the sons for the heads of
the fathers ...... ib.
Exultation of Duiyodhana . . . . ib.
Duiyodhana takes the head of Bhima's son and discoveis the
imposture by crushing the skull ... ib.
Beproaches Aswatth4ma for the murder of the innocent sons 352
Death of Duryodhana ..... ib.
Flight of the three warriors . . . . . ib.
Tudhishthira falls down in a swoon ... ib.
His lamentations . . . . . . ib.
Krishna consoles him ..... ib.
Yudhishthira sends for Draupadi .... 353
Draupadi decries the idea of her husbands ruling as Eajas ib.
Consoled by Yudhishthira and Krishna . . . ib.
Prays for revenge upon Aswatthama ... ib.
Yudhishthira represents that Aswatthama is the son of a
Brahman, and that revenge must be left to Vishnu . ib.
Draupadi persists in having an amulet belonging to Aswatthdma ib.
Arjuna deprives AswatthAma of the amulet^ and gives it to
Bhima ....... 354
Bhima consoles Draupadi, and gives her the amulet . ib.
Draupadi transfers the amulet to Yudhishthira . . ib.
, Procession of the blind Maharaja, with all the women of his
household, to the plain of Kurukshetra . . . ib.
Their interview with the three surviving warriors of the
Kaurava armies . . . . . ib.
The Kauravas said to have ascended to the heaven of Indra,
because they had died fighting bravely . . . 355
Review of the foregoing story of the "Revenge of Aswat-
thama" . . . . . . ' . ib.
Appearanice of the plain of Kurukshetra on the evening of the
last day of the war . . . . . ib.
Passionate desire for revenge exhibited by the surviving
Kauravas . . . . . . . ib.
Comparison between the massacre by Aswatthama and the
most barbarous incidents in the war . . .356
Effect of the appearance of the owl devouring the birds upon
the mind of Aswatth&ma . . . . . ib.
Pleasure of gratified revenge as displayed in the dying hour of
Duryodhana ...... 357
Mythical character of the fable of Aswatthama's amulet . ib.
liv CONTENTS.
CHAPTER XIV.
THE RECONCILIATION OF THE LIY1N0 AND BURIAL OF THB DEAD.
PIGI
Attempts to reconcile the Maharaja with the Pdndavas . 359
Mythical efforts of Krishna and VyAsa . . ih.
Impossibility of a real reconciliation between parents and the
murderers of their sons . . . . ib.
Want of family sympathy on the part of the Brahmanical
compilers ...... 360
Interview between the P4ndayas and the Maharaja on the
day after the war ..... ib.
Necessity for a feigned reconciliation ... ib.
Heal feelings of the Mahkraja and E4ni . . . ib.
Narrative of the reconciliation . . . . ib.
The P4ndavas, accompanied by Krishna, go out and meet the
Mah4raja . . . . . . . ib.
Prostrate themselves at the feet of the Mah&raja . 361
The Mah&raja calls for Bhima, and receives his imago in his
stead ....... ib.
Cnishes the image to pieces in his wrath against the murderer
of his sons ...... ib.
Repents the deed, and weeps . . . . ib.
Undeceived by Sanjaya ..... ib.
Embraces the five P4ndavas in turn . . . . ib.
The reconciliation ..... ib.
Affecting scene between the Pandavas and the R4ni Glmdh&ri 362
Yudhishthira's excuses
G4ndhan*s resignation
She reproaches Bhfma for having drank the blood of Duhsasana ib.
Bhima's denial
Yudhishthira takes all the blame upon himself .
Gdndhan sends the Pandavas to their mother Kimti
Joy of Kunti ......
Her five sons lay their heads at her feet
Affecting meeting of Draupadi and Kunti
GandliaH piously consoles Draupadi
Review of the foregoing narrative
Narrative of the funeral ceremonies on the field of battle
Difficulty as regards the war lasting eighteen days
Sad procession of the women to the plain of Kurukshetra
The women sit by the dead boilies of their husbands
Lamentations of G4ndh4ri over her son Dui^'odhana
Lamentations of the widows ....
Performance of the funeral rites for the slain
Collection of materials for the burning .
Dead bodies of the Rajas recognized by their charioteers
ib.
ib.
ib.
ib.
ib.
ib.
363
ib.
ib.
ib.
ib.
ib.
364
ib.
ib.
ib.
ib.
ib.
365
Burning of the Rajas of the first rank . . . ib.
CONTENTS. Ivii
PAOB
Necessity for the Raja to coBtrol his passions for an entire
year ....... 383
Bhima oflfers to go to the city of Badravati to bring away a
horse for the Aswamedha .... ib.
Krishna's sudden appearance at the gate of the palace at
Hastindpur . , , . . . ib.
Krishna brought into the palace by Yudhishthira and his
brethren ...... ib.
Krishna jealous that Bhima should be sent to fetch the horse
instead of Arjuna ...... 384
Krishna's objections to Bhima on the score of his fondness for
eating, and his marriage to an Asura wife • . ib.
Bhima retorts that Krishna's stomach contains tlie universe . ib.
Refers to Krishna's marriage to the daughter of a Bear . ib.
Mollifies Krishna . . . . . , ib.
Bhima proceeds to Badravati to bring away the horse . ib.
Obstinate refusal of the old mother of the Raja to leave the
palace ...... 385
Old lady carried away by force . . . . ib.
Knshna returns to Dwarakd until the night of the loosening
of the horse . . . . . . ib.
Trick played by Krishna upon Bhima ... ib.
Feast spread out for Krishna's meal .... 386
Tantalizing of Bhima ..... ib.
Krishna sets out for Hastindpur . . . . ib.
Krishna's motley camp ..... ib.
Merriment of the crowd . . . . . ib.
Declaration of a gay woman, that by beholding Krishna her
sins were forgiven her . . . . . ib.
Application of a flower-girl to Krishna . . . 387
Krishna's benevolent reply . . . . . ib.
Application of a milk-woman to Krishna . . ib.
Bhima complains to Krishna of the troublesome conduct of
the women ...... ib.
Krishna appoints Bhima to be General Superintendent of the
women ...... ib.
Jesting conversation between Bhima and Krishna . . ib.
Bhima's address to the women .... ib.
Vasudeva and Balardma return to Dwdraka accompanied by
the multitude . . . . . .388
Krishna and his party approach Mathura . . . ib.
People of Mathura come out and meet Krishna with presents ib.
Both men and women remind him of his boyhood amongst
the cattle at Vrindavana .... ib.
Krishna's presents to the women . . . . ib.
Krishna encamps on the bank of the Jumna . . ib.
Krishna proceeds in advance to Hastinajmr . . . ib.
A Brdhman proclaims the merit of beholding Krishna . ib.
The Brahmans beseech Krishna to forgive ilieir sins . . 389
Krishna's jreply ..... ... . ib.
VOL, I. e
Ivi CONTENTS.
Ttm
Kcviow of the foregoing namitive . . . .372
Two events distinct fwni eaeh other . . . ik
yirst, the triumphant procession of the Panda vas . . ik
J )escription of the umbrella and chamara as emblems of sove-
reignty ...... . iK
Pictun* of an am-ient Hindu i)roee88ion . . . ik
Story of (^hurvuka a lat«r interpolation intended as a side blow
aj^ainst the sect of Charvukas ... .373
Secondly, the installation of Yudhishthira . . .374
Doubtful authenticity of the details . . . ih.
Apjmrent origin of the various ceremonies . . • ibi
CHAPTER XVI.
TUE HORSE SACRIFICE OF RAJA YUDHISHTHIRA.
Performance of an Aswamedha contemplated by Yudhishthira 877
11ie Aswamedha a more im]X)rtant rite than the R^^jasuya ih.
Idea involved in the Aswamedha .... 378
Loosening of a horse, and wars against the l^jas whose teiri-
tory he might enter . . . . . ib.
Failure of an Aswanifdlia if the horse was not recovered . ih.
Crniml sacritice and feast at the close of a successful Aswa-
medha ...... ib.
Renown of every Raja who perfonned an Aswamedlia . ib.
(Jreat attnictions of the Aswamedha . . . 379
Combination of war and gambling . . . . ib.
General excitement ..... ib.
Memory of Aswamedhas preserved in local tradition . . ib.
Sacrifice of tlie horse at the close of an Aswamedha associated
with the worship of the Sun .... 380
Greek conception of the Sun god . . . ib.
Horse sacritice of the Massjigetie . . . . ib.
Disappeanmcc of the Aswamedha in India . . ib.
Rrahmanical interpretations of the ceremonial . .381
Rrahmanical interpolations in the tradition of the Aswamedha
of Yudhishthira . . . . . * ib.
Objections against eliminating the interpolations . ib.
Tliree stages in the performance of an Aswamedha . . 382
Ist, Narrative of the capture of the horse . . ib.
Melancholy of Yudhishthira . . . . , ib.
Krishna advises him to perform sacrifices . . ib.
Vyasa counsels an Aswamedlia for the atonement of liis sins . ib.
Yudhishthira*s objections to taking a treasure belonging to the
Brahmans . . . . . .. ib.
Rule of the Aswamedha . . . . . 383
Colour of the horse . , . . . . ib.
Night of the loosening ..... ib.
Gold plate with inscription . . . • ib.
CONTENTS. Ivii
PAOB
Necessity for the Raja to coBtrol his passions for an entire
year ....... 383
Bhima offers to go to the city of Badravati to bring away a
horse for the Aswamedha .... ib.
Krishna's sudden appearance at the gate of the palace at
Hastindpur . . , . . . ib.
Krishna brought into the palace by Yudhishthira and his
brethren ...... ib.
Krishna jealous that Bhima should be sent to fetch the horse
instead of Arjuna ...... 384
Krishna's objections to Bhima on the score of his fondness for
eating, and his marriage to an Asura wife . . ib.
Bhima retorts that Krishna's stomach contains tlie universe . ib.
Kefers to Krishna's marriage to the daughter of a Bear . ib.
Mollifies Krishna . . . . . . ib.
Bhima proceeds to Badravati to bring away the horse . ib.
Obstinate refusal of the old mother of the Eaja to leave the
palace ...... 385
Old lady carried away by force . . . . ib.
Krishna returns to Dw&rak& until the night of the loosening
of the horse . . . . . . ib.
Trick played by Krishna upon Bhima . . , ib.
Feast spread out for Krishna's meal . . . .386
Tantalizing of Bhima ..... ib.
Krishna sets out for £[astindpur . . . . ib.
Krishna's motley camp ..... ib.
Merriment of the crowd . . . . . ib.
Declaration of a gay woman, that by beholding Krishna her
sins were forgiven her . . . . . ib.
Application of a flower-girl to Krishna . . . 387
Krishna's benevolent reply . . . . . ib.
Application of a milk-woman to Krishna . . ib.
Bhima complains to Krishna of the troublesome conduct of
the women ...... ib.
Krishna appoints Bhima to be General Superintendent of the
women ...... ib.
Jesting conversation between Bhima and Krishna . . ib.
Bhima's address to the women .... ib.
Vasudeva and Balardma return to Dwdrakd accompanied by
the multitude . . . . . . 388
Krishna and his party approach Mathura . . . ib.
People of Mathura come out and meet Krishna with presents ib.
Both men and women remind him of his boyhood amongst
the cattle at Vrindavana .... ib.
Krishna's presents to the women . . . . ib.
Krishna encamps on the bank of the Jumna . . ib.
Krishna proceeds in advance to Hastinapur . . . ib.
A Brdhman proclaims the merit of beholding Krishna . ib.
The Brahmans beseech Krishna to forgive tlieir bins . . 389
Krishna's jeply ......... ib.
VOL, I. e
h-iii CONTEXTS.
pifli
Krishna praised by a eulogist .... 389
Brahmans pray to him ..... ih.
I)anciiig-giris perform before Krishna . . . ibt
Kous speeches an<l wonderful |KTformances of a dancing-girl ih.
Krishna praiises the dancing-girl . . . . ih.
Krishna enters the city of Hastinapur . . . ih
Visits the Maharaja and Kani . . . . ih.
I^adies of tlie Pandavas receive the latlies of Krishna . 390
Conversation between Draupadi and the wives of Krishna on
polygamy and jMilyandiy .... ih.
Draupadi's acknowledgment of the miraculous interference of
Krishna in tlie gambling pai'iliun . . . ih.
Eeview of the foregoing narrative of the capture of the horse ih.
^Mythical character of the details . . . ih.
Later Brahmanical idea of conquest of the passions, atonement
for sin, and acquisition of ivligious merit . . ih.
Low marriage, etc., a dis<^ualiiication for an Aswamedha . 391
Fable of tlie treasure . . . . . ib.
Large interpolations referring to Krishna . . . ib.
Contradictory features in the nature of Krishna as a man of
pleasure and as an incarnation of the Supreme being . ib.
Absurd attemi)ts to harmonize the two opposite conceptions ib.
Krishna*s practical jest with Bhima in the dining hall • 392
Mixture of jesting and piety .... ib.
Bantering of the men and women at Mathura . . ib.
JS^atural incident of the old lady who refused to leave her
household goods to bathe in the Gauges . . . ib.
Narrative of tlie loosening of the horse . . . 394
Limited area of the real lulventures extended by Brahmanical
exaggeration over all the known world . . ib.
Value of the fictions connected with the horse . . ib.
Twelve legends connected with the horse . . ib.
Kight of the loosening on the full moon of the month Choitro 396
Wanderings of the horse followed by Arjuna . . ib.
Twelve adventures of the horse . . . . ib.
First adventure of the horse .... ib.
Carrie<l away by the son of tlio Baja by the counsel of one of
his thousand \vives ..... ib.
Ii(;stored through the mediation of Agni, who had married the
liiija's daughter ..... ib.
Second adventure of the horse . . *. . 397
Legend of the disobedient wife, who was transformed into a
rcjck . . . . . . . ib.
]Marri(jd to a Kislii, but refuses to fulfil her duties . ib.
Plagues her hus])and ..... 398
The hus]»and tells her not to do whatever he wishes her to do ib.
Success of the experiment . . . . . ib.
Final wick<Mlncss of the woman .... ib.
The Kishi curses her that she shall be a rock until Aijuna re-
leases her .•..». 399
CONTENTS. lix
The horse fastened to the rock
Arjuna releases both the horse and the woman .
Third adventure of the horse ....
L^;end of the Kaja and the cauldron of boiling oil
Sadnova, son of the Eaja, takes leave of his mother .
Takes leave of his sister ....
Delays a little with his wife ....
Thrown into the cauldron, but preserved by prayer
Recovery of the horse by Arjuna
Fourth adventure of the horse
Changed into a mare, and a lion, and then restored .
Fifth adventure of the horse
Enters the country of the Amazons .
Marriage customs ....
Aijuna's difficulty in fighting against women
Extreme beauty of the Amazons .
They carry away the horse to their Edni Paramita
Go out to meet Aijuna on elephants and horses .
Laugh at the chariots of Arjuna and his warriors
Proposals of the Eani rejected by Arjuna
Arjuna defeated, engages to marry the Rani .
Superabundance of men at Hastinapur .
Amazons restore the horse ....
Paramita proceeds to Hastindpur
Sixth adventure of the horse
Enter a country where men, women, and flrn'mAla grow upon
trees ......
Men with blanket ears ....
Monsters ......
Terrible aspect of the Brahman Minister of the Raja
The Brdhman advises the Raja to seize Arjuna and his people
and perform a Naramedha sacrifice
Merit of the sacrifice .....
Brahmans and Saniases who are cannibals and wine-drinkers
The sacrifice performed by Ravana .
The Raja defeated by Arjuna, and his people escape to the
islands of the sea .....
Plunder of the city of the Daityas by Arjuna
Arjuna bums all the houses and families of the Daityas
Seventh adventure of the horse .
Enters the country of Manipura
Mythical description of Raja Babhru-vahana
Simskrit spoken by the people
City and palace .....
Waggons and fire weapons ....
Exhaustless revenues ....
Wealth and virtues of the Raja
Talents and bravery of the Minister
Babhru-vahana seizes the horse
Magnificent Council hall
PAOB
399
ib.
ib.
ib.
ib.
ib.
ib.
400
ib.
ib.
ib.
ib.
ib.
401
ib.
ib.
ib.
ib.
ib.
402
ib.
ib.
ib.
ib.
ib.
403
ib.
ib.
ib.
ib.
ib.
ib.
ib.
404
ib.
ib.
ib.
ib.
ib.
405
ib.
ib.
ib.
ib.
406
ib.
ib.
e
Ix CONTENTS.
PAOI
Perfumes distributed by beautiful girls . . . 407
Horse taken into the Council hall . . . ib.
The Eaja discovers that Arjuna is his father . . . ib.
Kesolves on restoring the horse^ and offering the Eaj to Arjuna ib.
Splendid procession . . . . . . ib.
Advance of the Brahmans and maidens . « . 408
Babhru-vahana otfered his Raj to his father . . . ib.
Places his head under Arjuna's foot . . . ib.
Arjuna strikes Babhru-vahana and discovers him . , 409
Calls him the son of a herdsman and a jackal . . ib.
Babhru-valiana remonstrates and prepares for battle . . ib.
Defeat of Arjuna ..... ib.
Entertainment of the prisoners by Chitrangada . . ib.
Arjmia sees evil omens . . . . . 410
Beheaded by a crescent-shaped arrow . . . ib.
Wonderful light issuing from his body ... ib.
Rejoicings of the Raja's army . . . . ib.
Musicians and eulogists . . . . . ib.
Procession of maidens, with jewels and flowers . . ib.
liejoicings in the city ..... ib.
Horror of Chitrangadd on hearing that Babhru-vdhana had
slain his father ..... ib.
Ulupi, daughter of the serpent Raja, sends to the under-world
for a life-restoring jewel . . • . 411
Magnificent city of Serpents . . . . ib.
Beautiful wives of the Serpents .... ib.
Jewels ....... ib.
■i^Ke ....... lb.
Sesha-naga advises sending the jewel to win the favour of
Krishna ...... ib.
Refusal of the Serj)ents . . . . . ib.
Raja Babhru-valiana descends to the under-world, and defeats
the Serpents . . . . . , ih.
The Serpents tender their submission and give large presents 41 2
The life-re,storing jewel delivered up . . . . ib.
Krishna, Bhima, and Kunti arrive at Manipura riding upon
Garura ib.
Arjuna restored to life by the jewel . . . ib.
Reconciliation . . . . . . ib.
Eighth adventure of the horse in the city of Ratnapura . ib.
Ninth adventure of the horse in the Raj of Chandra-hasa . 413
Tenth adventure of the horse in the sea beyond the northern
mountain . . . . . . . ib.
Story of the old Rishi who had lived during many Brahmas
on an island in the sea .... ib.
Tlie Rishi proceeds to attend the Aswamedha . . ib.
Eleventh adventure of the horse in the city of Jayadratha 414
Story of Didisala . . . . . . ib.
The dead son of Duhsala and Jayadratha miiticulously restored
to life by Krishna . . » . . ib.
CONTENTS. Ixi
PAOB
Krishna returns to Hastinipur . . . . 415
Finds Yudhishthira sitting by the Ganges in a deer's skin, and
holding a deer's horn ..... lb.
Relates the victories of Arjuna . . . . ib.
Consoles his sister Subhadra .... ib.
Questioned by his wives . . . . . ib.
Advises Yudhishthira respecting the Aswamedha . . 416
Twelfth adventure of the horse . . . . ib.
Triumphant return of Arjuna to Hastindpur . . ib.
Marshalling of the army . . . . . ib.
Rejoicings of people ..... ib.
Grarlands thrown from the verandahs . . .417
Interview between Arjuna and his elder brother Yud-
hishthira . . . . . . . ib.
Introduction of Babhru-vdhana .... ib.
Joy of the Eajas at their reception by Yudhishthira . . ib.
Review of the twelve adventures of the horse . . ib.
Oriental idea of happiness . . . . . ib.
Moral lesson involved in the fable of the disobedient wife 418
Hindu conception of a bad wife . . . . ib.
Crowning sin of giving the remains of consecrated victuals to
the hogs . . . . . . . ib.
Custom of Hindu warriors taking leave of female relatives be-
fore going to battle . . . . . 419
A mother ...... ib.
A sister ....... ib.
Resemblance between the Hindu and Greek traditions of the
Amazons . . . . . . , ib.
Identification of their country with Malabar . . ib.
Privileges of the Nair women .... 420
Curious allusion to human sacrifices and cannibal orgies . ib.
Possible identification of the Daityas with the Buddliists . 421
Brahmanizing of the national epics illustrated by Arjuna's
mythical adventures in Munnipore . . . ib.
Modem conversion of the Munnipores from serpent-worship to
Hinduism . . . . . . . . ib.
Late origin of the conversion proved by the evidence of
language . . . . . . . ib.
Brahmanical description of Munnipore . . . 422
The Raja ...... . ib.
The Minister ...... ib.
The people . . . . . . . ib.
Palace and city ...... ib.
Reference to artillery . . . . . ib.
Poetical imagination manifested in the descriptions . ib.
Wonderful description of the Council hall . . .423
Entrance of the horse ..... ib.
Surprise of the Raja . . . . . . ib.
The grand procession of the Raja and his Ministers, accom-
panied by soldiers, Br&hmans, maidens, and dancing-girls . ib.
Ixii CONTENTS.
PAGI
Extraordinary meeting between the Eaja and Arjuna . 423
Death of Arjuna . . . . . .424
Sensational descent into the city of Serpents . . ib.
Hindu worship of the Serjjent as a guardian deity . • ib.
Exaggerated ideas of a city of cobras ... ib.
Adaptation of the mythic details to the Munniporees . 425
Locale of the adventures of the horse still pointed out by the
!Munnii)orees . . . . . . ib.
Later adventures of the horse connected with Krishna . ib.
Dubious character of the miracle of Krishna's restoring a dead
man to life ...... 426
Triumphant return of Arjuna with the sacrificial horse, an
illustration of Hindu rejoicings . . . ib.
Gracious cliaracter of Yudhishthira*s reception of the Eajas . ib.
3rd, Narrative of the sacrifice of the horse combined with the
offering of homa . . . . . . ib.
The ' offering of the homa introduced as a Brahmanical
sacrifice .....". 427
Seventeen stages in the performance of an Aswamedha . ib.
Description of tlie Aswamedha .... 428
Preparations ...... ib.
The thrones of gold and sandal-wc»od . . . ib.
Assembly of the ladies . . . . . 429
Ploughing and sowing the land . . . . ib.
Prayers of -the Bralimans and ladies ... ib.
The pavement of gold bricks . . . . ib.
The eight pillars, pits, and ladles ... ib.
The vegetables and medicinal herbs . . . . ib.
Vyasa president ...... ib.
Sixty-four pots of water brought in procession from the
Ganges ...... ib.
Distribution of dresses ..... 430
Perfonnance of the homa .... ib.
Ganges water poured over the head of the Raja and the head
of the horse ...... ib.
Speech of the horse ...... ib.
Purity of the horse ascertained by Dhaumya . . 431
Ehima slaughters the horse . . . . . ib.
Ilie horse's head mounts to the sky ... ib.
Offering of the flesh of the horse to Indra and the gods . ib.
Krishna congratulates Yudhishthira ... ib.
Distribution of the merits of the Aswamedha . . 432
General rejoicings ..... ib.
Yudhishthira's apologies to Vyasa the sage . . . ib.
Assigns estates to Vyasa, who transfers them to the Brahmans ib.
Proportions of gifts to the Brahmans . . . ib.
Yudhishthira's apologies to the Eajas ... ib.
Distribution of giftfl ...... 433
Double gifts to Krishna's family .... ib.
Bhima feasts the Br&hmans . . . . . ib.
CfONTENTS. Ixiii
Departure of the Rajas ..... 433
Review of the foregoing description of the Aswamedha
Ploughing the place of sacrifice a Scythian or Buddhist
custom . . . . . .
Scythian tradition of a golden plough
Description in the Mahawanso of the ploughing of consecrated
ground by a Buddhist sovereign
The Buddhist procession . • . .
Description of the offering of the homa .
Vegetables and medicinal herbs thrown into the homa
Distribution of the religious merit acquired by the homa
Brahmans alone engaged ....
Description of the sacrifice of the horse .
Golden bricks or plates employed in ancient times
The victims tied to pillars ....
Rite performed by Nakula and Sahadeva
Speech of the horse a Brahmanical interpolation .
Unmeaning introduction of the Brahman Dhaumya .
Conversion of the horseflesh into camphor and homa
Vedic idea of the ascent of the horse's head .
Sacrifice of the horse to Indra, instead of to the Sun, indicative
of an ancient change in the national religion
CHAPTER XVn.
FINAL TRAGEDIES.
Duration of the Raj of the Pandavas for thirty-six years
Three incidents during the period
1st. The exife and death of Mahdraja Dhritar^htra .
Peace and prosperity ....
Bitter disputes between Bhima and the Mahdraja
llie Mahlraja departs with Dandhari and Kunti to the jungle
on the Ganges
Visit of the Pandavas to the Maharaja
Death of Vidura
The sage Vyasa promises to assemble the ghosts of all who were
slain in the great war of Maha Bharata
The widows of the slain bathe and pray in the Ganges
Vydsa summons the ghosts ....
The armies reappear in all their pomp as when alive
Perfect friendship between the Kauravas and Pandavas
Joy of the living in the company of the dead
Disappearance of the dead at the dawn
The widows drown themselves in the Ganges and rejoin their
husbands
Terrible death of the Maharaja and all his household in a
jungle fire
ib.
ib.
ib.
434
ib.
ib.
435
ib.
ib.
ib.
ib.
ib.
ib.
436
ib.
ib.
ib.
437
438
ib.
ib.
439
ib.
ib.
ib.
ib.
ib.
440
ib.
ib.
ib.
ib.
441
ib.
ib.
Fearful omens at Hastin&pur . . . • ib.
Ixiv
CX>N TEXTS.
Keriew of the foT^^/ms narraiive
Oran'Ieur of th** {•:•:: 'iiv of ihc n^nrr^tion of ihe dead who had
fallen in ih»r ^rrvat war
Comfttrnl with th*r Li^t 'lay ....
Perft<-t blLvi inv-'lvei] in the •itrvcription in the MahaBhirata
Atfeoiin;: |»nx'e»rtiin;r.* of ihtr wonum .
Iiiu<iu •.•hitra«.UT *A iLr a*.t-ne
HorrilJe chamcU-r of the JTin;:le tire .
in«i. The <lt.-.'!'ini«;ti«'n '-f I^varaki
Wick»-«lnt.-Sff and I'n.'faiiiiy <.f the itt-itple uf Dwaiaka
The thn-e ;n^at hishis vL»it the vity
Trick play*-*! )»y tlie yuun^ niL-n u(»un the Kishia
Tlireats uf tht* Ki>hi.s ....
Ilieir dnparture ....
Krishna Lisut-d a ]>roclamatiun against wine
Feari*ul afjjiarilion ....
(Irr-at wind .....
Portentous increase of nits and owls
Kvil oinen-s and jren«*ral d«*|»ravity
J^rfK.'lamation of Krishna that the people should go and wor-
ship at Prdhhai^a .....
Ayijmrition of a hlark woman
Jewels an<l weayions carrietl off by evil spirits
Chakra of Krishna ascen< Is to heaven
His chariot and horses disapj>ear in the sea
I>iHJip]>eaRince of the ensigns of Balarania and Krislina
Warning; (»f the Apsanis .....
The j)foi»le permitted to drink wine at the festival at
Prabhiisa ......
Insult ottered to the IJrahmans
Ociueral conviviality
The (,'hieftains drink wine in parties
Satyaki insults Kritavarinan for aiding in
Aswatthunia
Encouniged by Krishna .
Satyaki slays Kritavarman
(i<;neral tumult ....
8u<lchai nmrders
Horrible confusion and bloodshed
HlaughU'T of all the Yiidavas
Krishna goes out to Balaruma
Sen<ls his charioteer to llastinapur .
S<»nds a ( 'hicftain to Dwumka, who is slain by a fisherman
Krishna ])roce(uls to Dwuraka
ledums to Halarama and iinds him dead
Krishna slain by a hunter
Krishna's charioteer carries the tidings to the
Arjuna ]>roc(»ed8 to Dwaraka
Terrible lamentations of the widows
Arjuna din»ctH all the nwiduo of the people to leave the city
the revenge of
Pandavas
441
443
ih
ih
ih
ih
443
ih
ib.
ib.
ib.
444
ib.
ib.
ib.
ib.
ib.
445
ib.
ib.
ib.
ib.
ib.
ib.
446
ib.
ib.
ib.
ib.
ib.
447
ib.
ib.
ib.
ib.
ib.
448
ib.
ib.
ib.
449
ib.
ib.
ib.
ib.
450
CONTENTS. Ixv
PAOB
450
ib.
ib.
451
ib.
ib.
ib.
Death of Vasudeva .....
Burning of Vasudeva with four of his widows . ,
Funeral ceremonies of the slain at Prabhasa .
Residue of the people depart with Arjuna
The city of Dwaiakd overwhelmed by a cyclone
Caravan with Arjuna attacked and despoiled by robbers .
Five of Krishna's widows bum themselves .
Review of the foregoing narrative of the destruction of
x^waraKa •..•..
Story of the three Eishis purely mythical
Natural effects of the prohibition to drink wine
Nature of the inundation which overwhelmed Dw&rakd .
3rd, The exile and death of the P4ndavas
Aiguna advised by Vydsa to abandon worldly concerns . ib.
Yudhishthira gives the Eaj of Hastinlipur to Parikshit, and the
Raj of Indra-prastha to Yuyutsu . . . ib
The five Pandavas and their wife Draupadi assume the garb of
devotees ...... 454
Pie on the Himalaya mountains . . . . ib.
Review of the foregoing narrative of the close of the history ib.
Mythical details . . . . . . ib.
Conclusion of the Maha Bhdrata ... ib.
Modem Hindu belief in the virtues of the Mah& Bharata . 455
Reason for its being called the Mahd Bharata . . ib.
ib.
452
ib.
453
ib.
PAET III.
EPISODES IN THE MAHA BHARATA.
CHAPTER I.
LEGENDS OF KRISHNA.
General character of the episodes in the Mahd Bhdrata . 457
Absence of historical value .... 458
Importance of the legends referring to Krishna . . ib.
Their significance, historical and religious . • ib.
Three other important legends beside those connected with
Krishna ....•• ^*''
Historical character of Krishna as a hero . . . ib.
TheYadavas . . . . • ^ • i^-
Their encampment in the neighbourhood of Mathura . 459
Levi
CONTENTS.
PAOl
Migration of the Yadavas from Mathura to Dwarakd . 459
Improbability of intimate relations between the Yadavas of
Dwaraka and the Pandavas of Hastinapur . . ib.
Personal character of Krishna . . , . ib.
A cowherd famous for his pranks and amours . , 460
Takes a part in a popular movement against liaja Kansa and
slays the tyrant ..... ib.
Subsequent efforts to ennoble the birth of Krishna . . ib.
Religious character of Krishna .... ib.
Implied opposition of Krislma both to Siva and Indra . ib.
Connection of Krishna with Fetische worship and Buddhism ib.
Seven legends connected with the early life of Krishna . 461
Yadava tribe dwelling at Vrindavana and Gokula . . ib.
Sura and Vasudeva ..... ib.
Ugrasena, Raja of Mathura, deposed by his son Kansa . ib.
Persecution of the worshippers of Vishnu by the worsliippers
of Siva . . . . . . . ib.
^larriage of Devaki to Vasudeva . . . 462
Kansa tlircatens to slay Devaki on her wedding day . ib.
Vasudeva engages to deliver up his children by Devaki to
Raja Kansa . . . . . . ib.
Birth of Balarama, who is brought up in Gokula as the son of
Rohini . . . . . . . ib.
Conception of Krishna ..... ib.
Kansa's efforts to secure the infant . . . . ib.
Birth of Krishna ..... 463
Vasudeva carries the babe across the Jumna in a basket . ib.
Miraculous lowering of the waters ... ib.
The great snake Sesha-naga protects the infant Krishna . ib.
Krishna changed for the infant daughter of Xanda. and
Yasoda . . . . . . . ib.
Kansa seizes the supposed daughter of Devaki, who escapes to
heaven ....... ib.
Slaughter of the worshippers of Vishnu and the male children ib.
Kanda and the cowhenl pay tribute to Raja Kansa . . ib.
Demons sent by Kansa to slay Krislina . . . 464
Infancy of Krishna and Balarama . . . . ib.
Childish gambols of Krishna and Balardma . . ■ ib.
Yasoda about to whip Krishna, when she sees the three worlds
in his mouth ...... ib.
Churning day in the house of Nanda and Yasoda . . ib.
Petulance of. Krishna at not getting his breakfast . 465
Krishna's pranks with his mother's churn . . . ib.
Pulls down two trees ..... ib.
The Yadavas of Gokula migrate to Vrindavana . . ib.
Krishna steals butter ..... ib.
Kills many demons . . . . . . ib.
War between the Raja of the Rain and the Hot Season . ib.
Assembling of the clouds in battle-array . . . 466
i
CONTENTS. Ixvii
night of the Hot Season . . . . .466
Joy of the Earth ..... ib.
Festivities of the cowherds and cowherdesses . . ib.
Krishna plays the flute in the pastures ... ib.
Confusion of the damsels of Vrindavana . . . ib.
Krishna hides the clothes of the damsels who are bathing in
the Jumna . . . . . . ib.
Great feast at Vrind&vana in honour of Indra . . 467
Knshna counsels the Yddavas to transfer their worship from
Indra to the Govarddhana mountain ... ib.
The Yddavas worship the mountain . . . . ib.
Krishna appears in a second form as the genius of the
mountain . . . . . . . ib.
Offering of cakes and sweetmeats to the mountain . ib.
Sports of the cowherds . . , . . ib.
Wrath of Indra. He sends down rain to wash away the country
of Vrindavana ...... 468
Elrishna renders the mountain fiery hot, and raises it over the
people like an umbrella . . . . , ib.
Indra worships Ejrishna as the Supreme Lord . . ib.
Krishna dances with all the women of Vrindavana on the night
of the full moon ..... ib.
Disappears with his favourite Eadhika . . . ib.
Sorrow of the women ..... ib.
Finding of the mirror ..... 469
Sinful elation of Eadhika .... ib.
Krishna abandons Eadhika . . . . . ib.
The women find Eadhika, and return with her to the Jumna ib.
Krishna returns to the women . . . . ib.
Multiplies himself into as many Krishnas as there are
women . . . . . . • ib.
The circular dance ..... ib.
Sporting in the river Jumna . . . . . ib.
Eaja Kansa performs a sacrifice to the god Siva in the city of
Mathura . . . . . . . ib.
Krishna and Balarama go to the city of Mathurd . 470
Adventure with the washerman of the Eaja . • . ib.
Amusing mistakes in putting on the clean clothes . ib.
Krishna forgives the sins of the tailor . . . ib.
Pious address of Kubja to Krishna ... ib.
Krishna straightens the humpback and renders her young and
beautiful ...... ib.
Kubja ofiers herself to Krishna and is accepted . . ib.
Krishna breaks the bow of Siva . . . . 471
Krishna slays the warders of the bow . . . ib.
Eaja Kansa orders the death of Krishna and Balarama . ib.
Krishna and Balarama slaughter the fighting men of Kansa ib.
Krishna warned by Nanda .... ib.
Eestlessness of Kansa ...... 472
Ixviii CONTENTS.
PA0I
Portentous dreams of Kansa . . . . 472
Kansa orders his Ministers to prepare an arena for the exhibi-
tion of wrestlers ..... ih.
Assembly of the Raja and the people . . . ib.
Krishna and Balarama approach the arena disguised as
jugglers . . . . . . . ib.
Adventures of Balarama and Krishna with the great elephant
of Eaja Kansa ...... 473
Krishna kills the elephant and its driver . . ib.
Different ideas of the people and the gods respecting
Krishna . ... . . • i^
Kansa orders the expidsion of Krishna and Balardma . ib.
The wrestlers challenge Krishna and Balarama . . ib.
Krishna's reply ...... ib.
Krishna and Balarama slay the wrestlers . . .474
Joy of the people and the gods .... ib.
Kansa orders the slaughter of Krishna and Balar&ma, and the
arrest of Ugrasena, Vasudeva, and Devaki . . ib.
Krishna rises up and fights Kansa . . . . iK
Death of Kansa ...... ib.
Rejoicings of the gods . . . . . ib.
The Ranis perform the funeral rites for Kansa . . ib.
Krishna releases Vasudeva and Devaki, and restores Ugrasena
to the throne ...... 475
Jarasandha, Raja of Magadha, makes war against Mathudl, and
is defeated by Krislina .... ib.
Marches an army of barbarians against Mathur^ . . ib.
Krishna and the Yadavas retire to the city of Dwdrakd . ib.
Marriage of Balardma with Revati . . . . ib.
Krislma carries off Rukmini, the daughter of the Raja of
Vidarbha . . . . . . . ib.
Satrajit intrusts a precious gem to his brother Prasena, who is
slain by a lion . . . . . . ib.
Krishna suspected of stealing the gem, and recovers it from
Jambavat ....... 476
Krishna marries Jdmbavati .... ib.
Marries Satyabhamd, the daughter of Satrdjit . . ib.
Murder of Satrajit ..... ib.
Krishna revenges his death . . . . . ib.
Krishna's love of women, and Balarama's love of wine . ib.
Review of the foregoing legends respecting Krishna . . 477
Diffei*ence in the character of the separate traditions of the
early life of Krishna, and of those which are interwoven with
the story of the great war .... ib.
Question of his deification to be discussed hereafter . . ib.
CONTENTS. Ixix
CHAPTER IL
NALA AND DAM ATANT/.
PAOl
Three Hindu traditions referring to three different epochs 478
" Nala and Damayanti " to be referred to the Vedic
period ...... ib.
Proofs that the story belongs to a late stage in the Yedic
period . . ... . . ib.
Advance of the Aryans into the Dekhan . . . 479
Degeneration of the Yedic deities . . . ib.
Supernatural details ... . . . . ib.
Wide interval between the age when the events occurred and
the age when the poem was composed . • . ib.
Main incidents of the story .... ib.
Story of Nala and Damayanti .... 480
Kala, Eaja of Nishadha, or the Bhil country . ib.
Damayanti, the beautiful daughter of Bhima, Eaja of Yidarbha
or Berar, in the Dekhan .... ib.
Mutual love of Nala and Damayanti . . . . ib.
The swan with golden wings promises to induce Damayanti to
think of no one but Nala . . . . . ib.
The swan performs its mission .... 481
Melancholy of Damayanti . . . . . ib.
Eaja Bhima proclaims a Swayamvora ... ib.
A^mbling of the Eajas at Yidarbha . . . ib.
Ndrada, the sage, carries the news of the Swayamvara to
India . . . . ■ . . . . ib.
Indra, Agni, Yaruna, and Yama set off for the Swayamvara 482
The gods prevail on Nala to ask Damayanti to choose one of
them for her husband ..... ib.
Indra renders Nala invisible . . . . . ib.
Damayanti refuses to choose any one but Nala . . 483
Nala remonstrates . . . . . . ib.
Fidelity of Damayanti ..... ib.
The day of the Swayamvara . . . . . ib.
Assembly of the Eajas in the Hall of State . ib.
Damayanti enters the Hall . . . . . ib.
Each of the four gods assumes the form of Nala . . ib.
Perplexity of Damayanti ..... 484
Her prayer ...... ib.
The gods grant her prayer and reveal themselves in their true
forms ....... lb.
Damayanti discovers Nala and gives him the garland . ib.
Nala's vow to Damayanti .... ib.
Divine gifts of the gods to Nala . . . . ib.
Marriage of Nala and Damayanti . . . 485
Damayanti bears a son and a daughter . ib.
Ixx CONTENTS.
PA01
AVrath of Kali at finding that Nala was cbosen by
Damayanti ...... 485
Mirth of Indra ...... ib.
Kali's threat . . . . . . ib.
The four gods remonstrate ^nth Kali . . . ib.
Kali plots with Dwapara for the destruction of Nala . . 486
Twelve years of happiness .... ib.
!Nala prays to the gods with unwashen feet, and Kali takes
possession of him . . . . . ib.
Kali brings about a gambling match between Nala and bis
brother Pushkara ..... ib.
Kala's losses . . . , . . . ib.
Gala's friends vainly remonstrate . ... ib.
The chief men of the Raj interjx)se in vain . . . ib.
Interference of the Council . . . . ib.
Damayanti retires from the Hall . . . .487
Damayanti summons the cliarioteer Varshneya, and sends her
children to her fatlier's house at Vidarbha . . . ib.
Varshneya takes service under Rituparna . . ib.
Riija of Ayodhya . . . . . . ib.
Nala loses his liaj, but refuses to stake his wife Damayanti ib.
Dei)arture of Nala and Damayanti for the jungle . . ib
Cruel proclamation of Pushkara .... ib
Tlie birds fly away with Nala's only covering . . ib.
Mock Nala ...... 488
Nala entreats Damayanti to go to her father's house . . ib.
Damayanti refuses unless Nala will accompany her . ib.
Nala refuses to take refuge with his wife's father . . ib.
"Wanderings of Nala and Damayanti . . . ib.
Tlie two fislies . . . . . . ib.
Dire extremity ...... ib.
Nala tempted by Kali to abandon his wife in the jungle . ib.
Severs his wife's garment .... 489
His irresolution . . . . . . ib.
His flight ...... ib.
Damayanti's anguisli . . . . . ib.
The great serpent ..... ib.
The huntsman . . . . . . ib.
Damayanti joins a caravan .... 490
Pleasant encampment . . . . . ib.
Terrible night attack of wild elephants ... ib.
Alarm of the merchants . . . . • ib.
Escape of Damayanti ..... ib.
Pitiful appearance of Damayanti in the city of Chedi . ib.
Damayanti invited into the palace by the mother of the Raja ib.
Takes service under conditions . . . .491
Becomes companion to the Princess Sunandd . . ib.
Nala rescues a serpent from a circle of iiro . . . ib.
Nala's form changed by the serj>ent ... ib.
CONTENTS- Ixxi
PAOB
Kala takes service with Eitupama, Raja of Ayodhya, under
the name of Vdhuka ..... 491
Meets his old charioteer Vdrshneya .
Nala's evening song .....
Kala's explanation .....
Baja Bhima sends Brahmans in search of Damayanti
Damayanti discovered by Sudeva the Brdhman
Identified by a mole as the niece of the mother of the Raja of
Chedi .......
Damayanti returns to her father's house at Yidarbha .
Her joy at seeing her children ....
Her anxiety for Nala ....
Brahmans sent to search for ^N'ala
Damavanti's directions to the Brahmans
Groaning of iNTala on hearing the proclamation of the Brdh
mans ......
Response of Nala to the proclamation
Damayanti suspects that she has found Nala
Sudeva directed to inform Ritupama that Damayanti was
about to celebrate a second Swayamvara .
Desire of Raja Ritupama to be present at the second Swayam
vara ... • • •
Ritupama consults Nala .....
Anguish of Nala .....
Nala engages to drive fix)m Ayodhyd to Vidarbha in a single
day ......
Choice of horses ......
The chariot and horses set out for Ayodhyd .
Marvellous driving of Nala ....
Speed of the horses .....
The Raja's mantle .....
Skill of the Raja in the calculation of numbers
Kala counts the leaves and berries on a tree
The Raja teaches Nala the secrets of dice in return for the
secrets of horsemanship ....
l^ala freed from Kali .....
Approach to the city of Vidarbha
Damayanti recognizes the driving
Damayanti fails to recognize him as Vdhuka .
Sends her maid Kesini to Ydhuka
First interview between Kesini and Nala
Kesim's questions and Nala's replies
Kesini questions iNTala respecting the reply he had given to the
Brahman ......
Anguish of Nala .....
Kala repeats his reply .....
Kesini returns to Damayanti
Damayanti sends Kesini to watch Kala .
Kesini perceives the divine powers of Kala .
492
ib.
ib.
ib.
ib.
493
ib.
ib.
ib.
ib.
ib.
ib.
494
ib.
ib.
ib.
ib.
495
ib.
ib.
ib.
ib.
496
ib.
ib.
ib.
ib.
ib.
ib.
ib.
497
ib.
ib.
ib.
498
ib.
ib.
ib.
ib.
ib.
Ixxii CONTENTS.
Damayanti sendB for a portion of the meat which Nala Iiad
cooked . . . . 4SI
Damayanti sends her children to Nala . . , 0
Emotion of Nala . . . . . . &
Damayanti permitted to receive the charioteer in her own
room . . . *
Damayanti receives Nala in the garh of a widow . ^
Her question . . . . . . ^
Nala*8 reply ,,.... ^
Damayauti's appeal to the three gods, Vayu, Surya, and Som* ^
Voice of Vayu ......*
The reconciliation . . . . . . *
Rejoicings in Vidarbha ..... ''J
Nala recovers his Raj from Pushkara . . . W»
Happy reign of Nida . , , . . ^
Review of the foregoing tradition of Nala and Damayanti . ^
Conflict of ideas indicative of two different eras . . W*
Opposition of heroic and religious ideas in the character of
Nala .......*'*'
Freedom of intercourse which prevailed in the Vedic period ^
veiled by the introduction of supernatural details . 5*^
Incident of Nala makiug his way to the inner apartments diB-
guised by the incident of the spell . . . i^
The second Swayamvara opposed to Brahmanical ideas . 5(H
Conception of an avenging Nemesis . . . S^
Gambling not regarded as a vice . . • ?5i
Graphic pictures in the story .... 50^
Damayanti and her maidens . . . . . ft^*
The Swayamvara of Damayanti compared with that of Drau-
padi . . . . . . iP"
The gambling match of Nala compared with that of Yudhish-
thira . . . . . . . it^
The wife's devotion ..... 50d
Episode of the birds . . . . . . ih
Episode of the fishes ..... ih
Scene in the hut . . . . . . !!>•
Night scene of the horde of wild elephants trampling down the
caravan . . . . . . . ih
Palace life ...... ib
Exquisite description of the interview between Nala and
Damayanti ...... 50'
CHAPTER III.
LEGENDS OF DEVAYXxf.
Character of Devaydni, a contrast to that of Damayanti . 50
Devayini's father a type o^^® modem Brdhman preceptor il
The stoiy to be referred to the Btahmanic age . .50
CONTENTS. Ixxiii
PAOB
The Brdhmans a piofessional class officiating for both Aryans
and aborigines ...... 509
Sukra, priest of the Daityas . . . . 510
Yrihaspatf, priest of the Deyatds . . . . ib.
Love passages between Kanju, the pupil of Sukra, and Deva-
3rani, the daughter of Sulora .... ib.
Sukra delivers his pupil from the wrath of the Daityas . ib.
Kanju prepares to return to his father's house . . ib.
Devaydni proposes marriage . . . 511
Kanju declines . . . . . ib.
Devayani remonstrates ..... ib.
Kanju persists . . . . ib.
Devay^ curses Kanju ..... ib.
Kanju curses Devay^ . . . . ib.
Devaydni, the daughter of the priest, and Sarmishtha, the
daughter of the Kaja, take their pleasure in the jungle . 512
Quarrel of Devayani and Sarmishthd about the rank of their
respective fathers . . . . . . ib.
Devaydnl pushed into the well .... ib.
Devayani delivered from the well by Raja Yayati . . ib.
I>evaydni refuses to return, to the city of the Daityas . ib.
Anger of Sukra with the Raja's daughter . . .513
Devayani refuses to be comforted ... ib.
Sukra threatens to abandon the Raja of the Daityas . . ib.
Alarm of the Raja ..... 514
Humiliation of the Raja and all his Council before the Brah-
man . . . . . . . ib.
The Raja promises that Sarmishtha shall be servant to Deva-
ydni ....... ib.
Sarmishthi obeys ...... ib.
Devayani goes with Sarmishtha and her maidens to the well 515
Appn)ach of Raja Yaydti . . . . . ib.
Yaydti inquires how Sarmishtha has become the servant of
Devayfini ....... ib.
Devayini requests Yayati to espouse her . . 516
Yaydti excuses himself . . . • . ib.
Devay&ni urges that he espoused her when he delivered her
fiom the well . . . . . . ib.
Yayati's reply ...... ib.
Yaydti's interview with Sukra . . ib.
Marriage of Yay&ti and Devaydni ... ib.
Yayati departs with Devayani and Sarmishtha to his own city 517
Love passage between Yayati and Sarnushtha . . il).
Sanmahthd gives birth to a son . . . ib.
Wrath of Devaydni ..... ib.
Sarmisbthd's excuse . . . . .518
DiBvaydni discovers that Yayati is the fatlicr of Samiislitha's
children ....... ib.
Sarmishth&'s defence ..... ib.
Devaj&xd returns to her fathei^s house . . . ib.
VOL. I. f
Lxxiv CONTENTS.
PAOV
Review of the foregoing legends of Dcvayani . . 619
Opposition between the Devatds, or Aryans, and the Daityas,
or aborigines ...... ib.
Expression of the opposition in the Rig-Veda . . ib.
Subsequent conversion of the traditionary wars of Devatds and
Daityas into ni}i:hical wars of gods and demons . . ib.
Confusion in the application of the terms Devatas and Daityas ib.
Friendshij) between the Brahman preceptors of tribes who
were at enmity . . . . . 520
Mythical detail representing the Yadavas as descendants of
Yayati and Devaydni ..... ib.
Significant expression in the story of Samiishth4 of the
privileges claimed by certain Brahmans . . 521
CHiVPTER IV.
CHANDRAHASA AND BIKYA.
Romantic character of the story .... 522
Scene laid in the Dekhan .... ib.
Allusions to temples . . . . . ib.
Education of young ladies in reading and writing . ib.
Belief in the inlluence of the stars both upon the fortune and
the })hysiognomy ..... ib.
The story ....... 623
Birth of Chandi-Jihasa ..... ib.
Preserved alive by his nurse . . . . . ib.
Destitution of the child ..... ib.
The Rishis predict his future greatness to the Minister of the
Raja of Kutuwal ..... ib.
Jealous V of the ^Minister . . . . .624
Resolves on the death of Chandrahasa ... ib.
The assassins relent and leave the child alive in the jungle . ib.
Chandrahasa brought up by a Zemindar ... ib.
Prosperity of the Zemindar ..... 625
Conquests of Chandrahasa .... ib.
Achievements of Chandrahasa made known to the Raja and
his Minister ...... ib.
Wealth of the Zemindar excites the jealousy of the Minister . ib.
The Minister leaves his office in charge of his son and visits
the Zemindar ...... 526
Request of Bikya, the daughter of the ^linister . . ib.
The Minister arrives at the house of the Zemindar and dis-
covers Chandrahasa ..... ib.
The Minister in jealousy resolves on the destruction of Chand-
rahasa ....... 627
Letter of the Minister to his son Madan . . . ib.
Chandrahasa carries the letter . . . . ib.
Goes to sleep beside a garden . . . . ib.
CONTENTS. Ixxv
PAOI
ts of the daughter of the Minister, and daughter of the
sya, in the garden ....
'a discovers Chandrahasa ....
ration of the letter ....
idrahasa delivers the letter to the Minister's son
utations for the marriage of Chandrahasa and Bikya
marriage ......
presents ......
eedings of the Minister towards the Zemindar ,
im of the Minister to his own house
surprise *......
Minister thunderstruck at the marriage of Chandrahasa
id Bikya ......
Minister sees his own letter
of the Minister to slay Chandrahasa in the temple of
uigd ......
len abdication of the Baja in favour of Chandrahasa .
Minister's son proceeds to the temple of Durga .
death ......
idrahasa crowned Baja and married to the Baja's daughter ib.
idrahasa pays a visit to the Minister
ic end of the Minister ....
iew of the foregoing story of Chandrahasa and Bikya
eedings of Bikya in accordance with Hindu ideas
628
ib.
ib.
529
ib.
ib.
ib.
530
ib.
ib.
ib.
531
ib.
ib.
532
ib.
533
534
. ib.
ib.
itration of Hindu life in the historical period . ib.
STORY OF INDIA.
PART I.
INTRODUCTION.
history of India is of universal interest from histoet of
; which it throws upon the annals of the hu- paet i.
B ; but it is of paramount importance to the imporunoe or
f Great Britain. It illustrates many phases indi*!"* ^ ^
nation which are at present but imperfectly dlmSlttoS! ^'
ided, but which yet add largely to our know-
' man. It refers to religions which express signiflcance of
, n ^ the religloni.
ivery aspiration m human nature, from the
nimal instinct to the most elevated moral
it, and from the worship of the vilest images
aception of One Being, spiritual and supreme.
U, however, it indicates the past and present indicates the
, past and present
IS of vast and varied populations, who may SJSjte wnfldtd
ded as a sacred trust confided to the British EFsSt?"^*^
Y what may be termed an irresistible destiny,
ber words, a divinely ordered law.
history of the British administration of India wh adminiHtra-'
*f tion distinct
aently been written, but the history of the Sfth©^jfiindaJ7
1
IlimriiltH
liilirxofOHviila)
2 INTBODUCnON.
OP Ilindiis themselves is almost a blank to the 1
Indeed the subject is generally regarded a
~ ing and wearisome. The religion appeal
" cated, unmeaning, and often repulsive. '
syatoni excites no aympatliy. The whole fi
of society is opposed to European ideas. T
uf persons and places ore strange, and rei
with difHculty. The result has been, that i
ruling powers have ever exhibited a genui
to pronioto the well-being of the governed, i
iu many coses but imperfectly apprehended
-TV- and aspirations of the masses. English
'"^' have passed the greater part of their lives
would yet find it difficult to draw up an i
dialogue between two Hindils which shoul
imutc tu truth. Even Oriental scholars,
familiarized themselves with the stores of
ical learning, are but partially acquaintc<3
tlioughts and ways of the many millioni
living under British rule. Nor will this
be Hurprising when it is considered how ]
lishmen know, until late years, of the m
lower classes of their own countrymen,
bound to thom by a common language, i
literature, a common faith, and a commt
ality.'
> Tlio extent to which European rcsLdenU in India ate ignonuit
Uru of tho UiiuI&H wu thus indicntcd hy Lord Williiun Bentinck ■
and tho condilions spccJAed are at least as true in the pTOBeDt day.
of mjr uwD alwcivation during mj lusidenco in India is, that the Ei
all)' know little or nnthing of the custonu and manncn of the Hii
THE VEDIC PERIOD. 3
be history of India^ properly so called, is to bo history op
in the two voluminous Epics known as the paeti.
BhArata, or " Great War of Bhdrata," and the History of indu
yana, or "Adventures of Rdma." Theso ex- the m^jST bha-
, rata and RAm£.
linary poems comprise the whole of what re- Jou?J>rchensive
1 of the political, social, and religious history two^^^i^^ ^^
lia, and may be regarded as the reflex of the
i world. But at the same time they are of interminable
111 1 1 -I*"!* 1 l«n|rth and con-
an mtermmable length, and exhibit such a {J^;^*^"^^^*?^^
iicated intertwining of traditions and fables,
bag to widely diflFerent periods, races, and re-
», that the student is frequently lost in a literary
3. It is certain, however, that a familiarity Pamiiiantywith
- • . , . , , , the two poems
khese two poems is as indispensable to a know- ^"k^Xk^^j^oi^
of the Hindus, as a familiarity with the Old '**'^"^^"'^'^' "^
ment is indispensable to a knowledge of the
They form the great national treasuries out
ich the bards have borrowed the stories of their
Is, the eulogists and genealogists have taken
materials for their so-called histories, and the
Brdhmans have drawn the subject-matter of
religious discourses and the groundwork of
moral teaching ; whilst nearly every plot in a
i drama, or sculptured group in a Hindii pa-
ot, we cannot, associate with the natives. We cannot see them in their
nd with their £unilies. We are necessarily rery much confined to our
r the heat All onr wants and business which would create a greater in-
with the natives is done for us, and we are, in fact, strangers in the
Bit deal of information may however be gathered from native students
i¥«imient Schools, who will freely communicate their ideas and cxperi-
utf masters or professor who may have obtained their confidence. During
or four years that the present writer held the post of Professor of Moral
ty and Logic at the Madras Presidency College, he is conscious of having
mtay &ctB respecting Hind(i life which are not generally known ; as well
let for that better and brighter side of the native character which is not
appreciated, such as the warm attachment which subsists between friends
TOi^ md the chivalrous devotion of sons to the wishes of their parents.
4 INTRODUCTION.
iiisTORT OF goda^ refers to some character or scene belonging to
Part I. ouc or otlicr of tliesc famous poems. Few Hlndds
may perhaps be acquainted with the whole of these
Epics^ and none have ventured to subject them to a
vwtinfliieiic* critical analysis and in vcstiffation : yet their influence
cxfriiiMHl by thA •' <d ^ i j
the luiSSi"'*"" upon the masses of the people is beyond calculation,
and infinitely greater and more universal than the
influence of the Bible upon modern Europe. The
leading incidents and scenes are familiar to the
Hindus from their childhood. They are frequently
represented at village festivals, whilst the stories are
chaunted aloud at almost every social gathering;
and indeed form the leading topic of conversation
amongst Hindus generally, and especially amongst
ThMrpxtranr- tliosc wlio liavc passcd tlio meridian of life. In a
diriary i)oimittr- ^,qj,j^ tlicsc pocuis are to tlio Hindus all that the
Library, the Newspaper, and the Bible are to the
J^uropcan ; whilst the books themselves are regarded
with a superstitious reverence, which far exceeds
that which has ever been accorded to any other
revelation, real or supposed. To this day it is the
Beiiofinbrno- comniou bclicf that to peruse or merely to listen to
lloial reMilts (if i r ^ -^r ^ f t%i r T-fc// •«
h^rlr them ^'' ^ "® pcrusal of tho Malia Bharata or Ramayana, will
"^' ensure prosperity in this world, and eternal happi-
ness hereafter; will give wealth to those who are
poor, and children to the woman who is barren. At
the same time they are cherished by the Hindds as
national property, belonging to the national soil,
and containing the records of the deeds of their fore-
fathers in the days when the gods held frequent
Long cnroiio- .
{2f^n"th7?io communion with the children of men.
Ive^ti too^k'' Before, however, reproducing in a historical form
?r,i!* U!?!*''*.**'® the main traditions which are embodied in these
Hah4 Bh&rata
w"5e^S|^. ancient Epics, there is one point which may be
THE VEDIC PERIOD. 5
iefly indicated, especially as it will form a fre- histoey op
lent subject of future discussion. The leading SSml
ints belong to one age ; the poems belong to
Lother and a later period. In other words, the
[aha Bhdrata and Rdmdyana were not composed
their present form until a period long after that
which the heroes of the two poems lived and
led. The result has been that the events of one Bventi coloured
have been coloured by the ideas of another ; i^^ 8ub«queut
wad this chronological interval, which could scarcely
^ave been less than one or two thousand years, is
^rendered more important from the fact that the re- c*an8?« ]« »^
«•• • . •i*ii ligton during Ihe
'figion which flourished m the age m which the^*®"^-
events occurred, had more or less passed away, and
a new one been established in the succeeding age,
in which the poems were composed. The former Distinction be-
may be called the Vedic period, the latter the Brah- ^[^J^j^
manic period.
The term Vedic is here borrowed from the Rig- SltLiJurth^
Veda, which is a very ancient collection of hymns, SXd'ta'the'^
or mantras, addressed to different deities who will
be presently described. These hymns are of con-
siderable value, inasmuch as they did not originally
form part of a laboured and artificial ritual, but are
the genuine outpourings of simple minds, eagerly
praying to the gods for material and temporal bless-
ings.' Evidence will be furnished hereafter to show
• The Vedas are four in number, but the first and oldest, known as the Rig-
Veda, if the one which principallj demands attention, as the other three belong to
ft mbeeqiient and ritualistic age, and indeed are little more than recasts of the Rig-
Vedft. (See Wilson's Rig-Veda, Vol. I. Introduction ; also Goldstiicker's paper
in the ^iglish Cjdopsdia upon the Vedas.) The four Vedas are respectively
termed the Rig- Veda, the Yajur-Veda, the S&ma-Veda, and the Atharra-Veda.
; Eftch Veda is divided into two parts, viz. —
Isty The Hymns, or Mantras, which express the wants and aspirations of the
wonhippen, and thereby throw some light upon the social condition of the people.
2ndf The Brahmanas, which belong to a ritualistic age, and refer to rites and
G INTRODUCTION,
HISTORY OF that the Vedic age was tho one in which the main
INDIA.
paet I. traditions of the Mahd Bharata and Rdmdyana seem
The Brahmanic to havo taken placo ; whilst the Brahmanic age,
tK SSpoaTtion which succeeded to the Vedic period, was the one
in which the two poems were composed. The lead-
ing points of difference between the Vedic and
chamctfTutics Brahmanic periods may bo thus indicated. In the
rioct Vedic period the Brahmans were scarcely known as
a separate community; the caste system had not
been introduced, and gods were worshipped who
were subsequently superseded by deities of other
chiur»ctBri»tic8 names and other forms. In the Brahmanic period
of the Brah- ^ -^
maiiic period. ^]^q Brdhmaus had formed themselves into an ex-
clusive ecclesiastical hierarchy, endowed with vast
spiritual powers, to which even the haughtiest Rajas
were compelled to bow. The caste system had been
introduced in all its fulness, whilst the old Vedic
gods were fast passing away from the memory of
man, and giving place to the three leading Brah-
Patriarchal sim- mauical dcitics — Bralima, Vishnu, and Siva. A&rain,
plicityofthcVe- . . , . . \ • i
hlSR5lhoiIu"r' *"® ^^^^^ period is characterized by a patriarchal
iS «?enfe simplicity, whicli is wanting in the Brahmanic age,
when tho luxury and splendour of the Hindii Rajas
had reached a climax side by side with the increased
power and influence exercised by the Brahmanical
Neoewity for hierarchy. It will thus be seen that before entering
glancinp^ at the '' T-i»««n-i ■•• «
wh' -Si^of" hS"^ upon the story of the two Epics, it will be advisable
SmmS5^iS^*th^ to glance more particularly at the civilization and
andiihAmA- rcHgion of tho Vedic age, and thereby establish a
ceremonies, of un unmeaning or artificial character, although of ooune ft myitie
significance is ascribed to each. The Aitaroya Brahmanam is however of tooM
yalue, as it illustrates the Brahmanical sacrifices of animals which were practised
in that early age of Brahmanical ascendancy which partly preceded and paitly
overlapped the age of Buddhism. The Sanskrit text of the Aitareya BrahxDanan,
t/)gether with an English translation, has recently been published by Br Hang of
Bombay.
THE VEDIC PERIOD. 7
ird by which to clear the events which belong history op
t age from the Brahmanical husk which they p^^ l*
juently seem to have received from the hands
Brahmanical compilers of the Mahd Bhdrata
ULmdyana.
lie Vedic people, whose wants and aspirations The vecuc peo-
xpressed in the hymns of the Riff- Veda, are The wwte-oom-
bed as " fair-complexioned " Aryas, or Aryans, ^^^^ ^^ ^^'
[lad migrated at a remote period from some
r climate in central Asia, and subsequently
i in the Punjab, or " Land of the Five Rivers,"
> north-western quarter of India, from whence,
course of ages, they gradually pushed towards
kst and south. They seem to have been called The bi»ck cpm-
•' ^ plexioned set-
complexioned " in opposition to the darker JIS^TthS 5!!?^-
.exioned tribes who had previously settled in JJSaS^tS^*'*
<ii 11 I'll** i^rig^OB.
and who are generally regarded as aborigines,
Jluded to under a variety of names, such as
lasas, Asuras, Ddnavas, Dasyus, and Daityas.^
list the term Aryan is applied to the Vedic invaders of India, the so-called
• tan generally regarded as a Turanian race. These terms, Aryan and
, are so frequently used that some explanation of their opposition seems
. In language the difference is one not only of roots but of grammars.
liie Aryan comprises the Greek, the Roman, and the modem European,
idencies hare been to form themselves into national and political com-
to marry one wife, and to worship one supreme and spiritual deity. The
y OD the other hand, is represented by the modem Tartars, whose tend-
B apparently the reverse ; they have little national or political cohesion,
0 or more wives without much sentiment, and worship gods and heroes
BBch idea of spiritual existence beyond that implied in the notion of
id denons.
r fhe opposition is intelligible, and the application of the terms Aryan
onan ii convenient for the purpose of distinguishing one class of tend-
an another. But when the terms are broadly applied to families of man-
1 r^gaxded as characteristics by which to distinguish the members of one
■If from those of another, they are apt to mislead. Both the Aryan and
vim elemmits spring from a common human nature, and do not arise
Jbnnoe of instinct but from a difference of training, or rather a difference
al and present conditions of national existence. Men speaking Aryan
■ may abandon themselves to polygamous aspirations and to a supcrsti-
for material existences ; and in like manner the Turanian may be
C INTRODUCTION.
HISTORY OF that the Vedic age was the one in which the main
Past l traditions of the Mahd Bharata and Rdmdyana seem
The BnOnDMiic to havo taken place ; whilst the Brahmanic age,
iK SSporition which succeeded to the Vedic period, was the one
in which the two poems were composed. The lead-
ing points of difference between the Vedic and
ctaanustiTiiitics Brahmanic periods may be thus indicated. In the
ri«*- Vedic period the Brahmans were scarcely known as
a separate community; the caste system had not
been introduced, and gods were worshipped who
were subsequently superseded by deities of other
oumctoriitica namcs and other forms. In the Brahmanic period
of (he Brah- ^ ^
maiik period, ^j^q Brdhmaus had formed themselves into an ex-
clusive ecclesiastical hierarchy, endowed with vast
spiritual powers, to which even the haughtiest Rajas
were compelled to bow. The caste system had been
introduced in all its fulness, whilst the old Vedic
gods were fast passing away from the memory of
man, and giving place to the three leading Brah-
Patriarchni sim- manical dcitics — Brahma, Vishnu, and Siva. Again.
iJISEr?ger.Ltt)^e Vedic period is characterized by a patriarchal
Si^iSiJdlS^" simplicity, which is wanting in the Brahmanic age,
when the luxury and splendour of the Hindii Rajas
had reached a climax side by side with the increased
power and influence exercised by the Brahmanical
Necewityfor hierarchy. It will thus be seen that before enterinir
gfhuicing at the _ , , ,
SJi^^n orVhS"^ upon the story of the two Epics, it will be advisable
TOmmSS^'thS to glance more particularly at the civilization and
mndRhimA. rcligion of the Vedic age, and thereby establish a
ceremonies, of an unmeaning or artifieial character, although of course a myitki
significance is ascribed to each. The Aitareya Brahmanam is however of lonie
yalue, as it illustrates the Brahmanical sacrifices of animals which were piactiied
in that early age of Brahmanical ascendancy which partly preceded and partly
ovcrkpped the age of Buddhism. The Sanskrit text of the Aitareya Brahniiwian,
together with an English translation, has recently been published by Dr Haug of
Bombay.
THE VEDIC PERIOD. 7
standard by which to clear the events which belong history op
to that age from the Brahmanical husk which they p^^ l
subsequently seem to have received from the hands
of the Brahmanical compilers of the Mahd Bhdrata
and Rdmdyana.
The Vedic people, whose wants and aspirations The vedic peo-
are expressed in the hymns of the Rig- Veda, are The wMte-oom-
described as " fair-complexioned " Aryas, or Aryans, ]^/^' '^ ^'
who had migrated at a remote period from some
colder climate in central Asia, and subsequently
settled in the Punjab, or " Land of the Five Rivers,"
in the north-western quarter of India, from whence,
in the course of ages, they gradually pushed towards
the east and south. They seem to have been called The bi»ck oom-
■^ plezioned set-
" fair-complexioned " in opposition to the darker J|3Sith2 55?^.
complexioned tribes who had previously settled in JJSird^'^*^"*
India, and who are generally regarded as aborigines, * ^
and alluded to under a variety of names, such as
RakshasaSy Asuras, Ddnavas, Dasyus, and Daityas.^
* Whilst the tenn Aryan is applied to the Vedic iiiTaders of India, the so-called
aborigines are generally regarded as a Turanian race. Those terms, Aryan and
Tnranian, are so frequently used that some explanation of their opposition seems
necessary. In language the difference is one not only of roots but of grammars.
In race the Aryan comprises the Greek, the Roman, and the modem European,
whose tendencies hare been to form themselves into national and political com-
inanities, to marry one wife, and to worship one supreme and spiritual deity. The
Taranian, on the other hand, is represented by the modem Tartars, whose tend-
encies are apparently the reverse ; they have little national or political cohesion,
marry one or more wives without much sentiment, and worship gods and heroes
without much idea of spiritual existence beyond that implied in the notion of
ghosts and demons.
So far the opposition is intelligible, and the application of the terms Aryan
Bnd Turanian is convenient for the purpose of distinguishing one class of tend-
encies from another. But when the terms are broadly applied to families of man-
kind, and regarded as characteristics by which to distinguish the members of one
great family from those of another, they are apt to mislead. Both the Aryan and
the Turanian elements spring from a common human nature, and do not arise
from a difference of instinct but from a difference of training, or rather a difference
in the past and present conditions of national existence. Men speaking Aryan
languages may abandon themselves to polygamous aspirations and to a supersti-
tious reverence for material existences ; and in like manner the Turanian may be
8 INTRODUCTION.
1I18TOBT OP The simple patriarchal life of the Aryans is indi-
pabt I. Gated in the Vedic hymns precisely as it is depicted
Mmiimrity b«. in the main tradition of the Mahd Bhdrata. They
JSwiVfoiinai- were a people partly pastoral and partly agricol-
gj^h/mr^ a«d^ tural ; keeping cows for the sake of their milk,
ttMiuh* Bbk. ijuttcr, and curds, and sowing the land with grain.
They also seem to have had some acquaintance with
the manufacture of weapons and coats of mail, and
to have sometimes undertaken sea-voyages for the
2l?^ft hw°' sake of gain. These people prayed to their gods, as
JStie/bSliiy 8^^'^ ^ people might be expected to pray, for plenty
l^^mli^^' of rain, abundant harvests, and prolific cattle ; for'
geny, etc. 11*1* ii*/» 1
bodily \'igour, long life, numerous progeny, and
protection against all foes and robbers, such as the
vodio deitipt cattle-lifting: aboriff ines. Their gods appear to have
men) penonifl- 00 o rr
^SSsi^i^wm^^^^ mere abstractions; personifications of those
**"' powers of nature on whom they relied for good
harvests. They wanted seasonable rain, warmth,
and fresh breezes. Accordingly, they prayed to
the god of rain, the god of fire and light, and the
SSll?n^Sit"o*M S^^ ^^ wind. But from the very first, there appears
to have been some confusion in these personifica-
tions, which led both to a multiplicity of deities,
and the confounding together of different deities.
?wm"indlii!^e Tlius the conccption of the god of rain was Indra,
who>e?tffi? and he was identified with the firmament as well as
run, and Varu-
Site?ro?iai2' with the unseen power which smote the rain-cloud
and brought down the waters; and so important
was the acquisition of rain in due season, that Indra
is regarded as the sovereign of the gods, and sub-
sequently became a type of sovereignty. But rain
led to feel that bis highest bliss on earth is deriTed from his marriage to one wifis,
and that the most elevated form of worship is that of one God, — the onmisoient,
the unseen, and the supremo.
ocean.
THE YEDIC PERIOD. 9
rater are frequently diflTerent things, and thus hibtoby of
was another, and perchance an older, deity, pawl
d Varuna, who was particularly worshipped as
;od of the waters, and deity of the ocean.
1, the conception of the god of fire was Agni, ^^^'^^^^^
igni was not only the flame which bums upon jf ^J^
learth or altar, but also the lightning which
Tests itself in the clouds, and even the light of
un, moon, and stars. Yet both the sun and gepwaedaMcA-
I appear as separate and individual deities, the "^ ^^*^
)r under the name of Surya, and the latter
r the name of Soma or Chandra. Again, there
i to have been a striking difference as regards
, The god of wind, or air, was Vdyu ; but the gjj^^^e
ent breezes which bring on or accompany the S^SiJ^'OT*
are called Maruts, and are represented as***^***"
ittendants of Indra. Thus, whilst there is ais^^nifVecUc
. . . . delti«,
leon of separate and individual deities, the
option of one deity frequently overlapped the
options of other deities; and whilst the more
inent powers of nature, such as water, fire, and
y were separately individualized, a monotheistic
incy was always at work, ascribing the attri-
of every deity to each one in turn. Of these
», the following appear to be the most im-
nt: —
Bain.
Indra, god of the firmament. md™.
Varuna, god of the waters. varuna.
Fire.
Agni, god of fire. Agni.
Siirya, the sun. s*^*^
Soma, or Chandra, the Moon. 8oma.orChan.
10 INTRODUCTION.
HISTOBT OP J^{f»
INDIA.
Past L
Vayu, the god of wind.
1^. Maruts, the breezes who attended upon Indra.
Harats.
Tain%tiiegodof To thcse mustbo added a god of death, or judge
death, or Judge ^ ? j o
ofthedeML ^f j^q dead, who was known as Yama. . The char-
acteristics of Yama as a Vedic deity would open up
a large field of inquiry ; but the subject at present
is vague and speculative. In the Epics, Yama ap-
pears distinctly as a judge of the dead ; and men
who are about to die are frequently said to be about
to go to the mansions of Yama.
PanciM person- The forcgoinff deitios appear to have been the
iflcatious which . i . i ,r i* -r^ .1 1 »
^^i^^^ prominent gods in the Vedic Fantheon; but yet
M minor deities, ^jjgj,^ are many fanciful personifications to whom
hymns were addressed, such as Earth,* Sky, Food,
Wine, Months, Seasons, Day, Night, and Dawn.
The religious ideas connected with these personifi.-
cations are difficult of apprehension ; and it can only
be inferred that the abstractions were regarded as
spiritual existences, and worshipped accordingly.
Perchance a better acquaintance with Rig-Veda
may serve to solve the problem, for at present philo-
logists appear to be occasionally divided as regards
the true meaning of passages; and, indeed, seem
inclined to depend upon the interpretation of com-
mentators who flourished thousands of years after
the composition of the hymns, and when the na-
tional mind had been entirely recast in a Brahman-
ical mould.'
^ In a later and more mystic ago, Earth became persomfied as the cow ; but
the conception of Earth in the Rig- Veda is more simple and primitiTe.
^ The chronology of the Vcdas is still a subject of disetusion, but the data are
vague and unsatisfactory. The Rig- Veda has been referred to aboat the twelfth
or fifteenth century before Christ, and would thus synchnmize with the Hehrsv
THE VEDIC PERIOD. 11
The form of worship which prevailed amongst history of
16 Vedic Aryans, throws still further light upon paeti.
16 simplicity of ancient rites and ideas. Indeed, chiid-Hke form
leir whole religious system may be regarded as a ** ''^"^^'
hild-like make-believe. They appear to have had Nowoisortem.
o idols and no temples, but either performed their
itcrifice in the open air, or else in a sacrificial
hamber set apart in each dwelling. The so-called Proentation of
'^ , ^ simple articles
icrifice was nothing more than the preparation of^^^^^J^^^^
flch simple viands as clarified butter, curds, wine, dSXSf to."**"
Eikes, and parched grain ; and the presentation of
ich articles to the different deities through the
ledium of fire. In other words, having deified Thewcuinyest-
1 •/»! It ^ ^^^ human
ertain abstractions, they personified such abstrac- JJJSSl^^ndiS?'
;Ons as beings with human wants and aspirations ; o? r^'*'^®
nd then invoked the gods with hymns to attend
nd partake of the food which had been prepared
>r them, and made believe that the gods accepted
16 invitation. Moreover, the offerings do not ap- piesh offerings.
ear to have been always of a bloodless character,
>r Indra is described as rejoicing in roasted buffalo,
ad it is certain that a horse was occasionally sacri-
ced either to Indra or the Sun.
These religious rites were thus intimately con- i^iigfous riu*
*^ ^ •' connected with
acted with eating and drinking, and appear to have driillSiSllind
een performed at dawn, noon, and sunset. Ac- S^^'^Mif^ '
aqoert of Canaan ; but still it cannot be denied that some of the hymns may bo
hi esriier date, whilst the composition of othen may haye belonged to a much
ker age. The popular appreciation howeyer of the Vedic hymns and the Vedic
jtiet leemn to hare died away in the subsequent ages of Brahmanism and Bud-
atm, and later commentators must haye proceeded to the task of interpretation
ith thdr mimb deeply imbued with the religious ideas of the Brahmanic period.
be Bort fiuDous commentator of the lUg-Veda was S&yana Ach&rya, who flour-
led about the fourteenth century of the Christian era, or about three thousand
tn after the oompoaition of the works upon which he commentated ; an interyal
rresponding to that which separates the books of Joshua and Judges from some
onr eeri J English diyines.
12
INTRODUCTION.
HISTORY OP
INDIA.
Past L
Connection of
cooking with
ncrifiott*
Greatness of the
preparations va-
ried with the im-
portMioe of the
occasion.
Daily meals.
Orand enter-
tainments.
cordingly, it is easy to conceive that they may have
formed an accompaniment to every meal^ and may
have been regarded almost as a part of the cookeiy.
Thus the hymns may have been the expression of
the aspirations of a simple people whilst the fi)od
was being cooked ; and the so-called sacrifice may
have been nothing more than the propitiation of
the gods by the presentation of a portion of the
victuals and liquors. Indeed, the preparations for
cooking and sacrifice would be much the same. A
fire would be kindled upon the ground^ or upon a
raised altar; the food would be either baked, or
toasted, or boiled in kettles ; bundles of a common
but sacred species of grass, known as Kusa grass,
would be sprinkled cdl round the altar for the ^ake-
believe gods to sit upon, and upon which the wor-
shippers also sat themselves; ghee and soma juice*
would be presented to the fire in ladles; and the
god of fire would be invoked in a Vedic hymn, either
to accept the offering, or to carry it away in flame
to the other gods; after which the worshippers
themselves partook of the meal which had been
provided. Of course, such preparations would vary
with the importance of the occasion. At the daily
meal it may have been deemed sufficient to chaunt
a few strains, and sprinkle a little ghee on the fire
and grass ; but on a set occasion, such as a marriage,
an installation of a chieftain, or an assertion of
sovereignty, the soma juice would be elaborately
* Wilson's Kig-Veda, Vol. I. Introduetiofif p. xxiiL The Soma plant is the
acid Asdepias, or Sarcostema yiminalis, which yields to expression a copious milky
juice of a mild nature and sub- acid taste. It does not appear to hare been used in
sacrifices until it had gone through the process of fermentation, and had become a
strong spirituous bererage. lb. p. 6, noU.
THE VEDIC PERIOD. 13
prepared in large qoantities, and presented to the history op
invisible gods with curds, cakes, ghee, and milk; pa2?l
and the so-called sacrifice would be followed by a
great feast amongst the guests assembled. In the
hymns recited on such festivals, the worshippers gj>{J^ o'
would exult in the joy and satisfaction which the Itoi^^sf^
gods would feel in quaffing the soma, or in consum-
ing the choice viands which had been prepared. In
one vigorous h3ann it is said that the gods, filled
with food, are as impatient to enjoy the soma as
bridcCTooms lons^ for their brides.^ Sometimes a The deities sup-
deity IS supposed to be attracted by the grateful SS^^ftg;,*^;,.
sound of the stone and mortar by which the soma UjISciS?"™'
juice was expressed fi:om the plant; or by the
musical noise of the chuming-sticks by which the
wine was apparently stirred up and mixed with
curds ; and the eager invokers implore the god not
to turn aside to the dwelling of any other worship-
per, but to come to them only, and drink the liba.
tion which they had prepared, and reserve for them
all his favours and benefits. Indeed, the relations Relations be-
between the Vedic Aryans and their deities appear Ammnndthe^
to have been of a child-Uke and filial character ; the twSfn*Shud^
evUs which they suffered they ascribed to some ""^ * '"'"•
offence of omission or commission which had been
given to a deity; whilst the good which they received
was in like manner ascribed to his kindness and
favour. In order, however, the more fully to appro- IJS^^'<*T»
hend the general scope and character of the religious SStei2ti«Sf*"
ideas of the Vedic Aryans, it may be advisable to gj^*®***^ *****
^ Rig- Veda, Hand. I. Hymn 83, t. 2. Wilson's Translation. It may here
be noted that all references are made to Wilson's translation of the Big- Veda, un-
less otherwise stated.
14 INTRODUCTION.
HI8TORTJOP indicate, with a greater degree of detail, the leading
Past I. characteristics of those deities who are prominent
both in the Epics and the Rig- Veda.
S?SSSr?r*Sle ^^^ most prominent and popular deity in the
gd^^tbeflnna- Yq^[^ ritual appears to be Indra, the giver of rain,
and subsequently regarded as the sovereign of the
hiSSThJro 8u- S^^' This deity, more than any of the others, is
iSS^ofthJ god represented in the character of a human hero, rather
of the finua- .1 ••j11""»j • ^1 ^»
meat. than as a spiritual divmity, or, m other words, is
more distinctly and intensely personified. It is
true that he appears prominently as the god of the
firmament, the hurler of the thunderbolt, who
smote the rain- cloud and brought down the waters;
and his worshippers implore him for blessings, such
as robust health and plentiful harvests, long life and
numerous progeny, and other good things of this
world, which none but deity can bestow. But in
many of the hymns he is represented as a warrior
chief, endowed perhaps with supernatural strength
and energy, but still with more of the human than
of the miraculous type, and who especially shielded
and protected those who were his friends, and smote
Frequently ad- and destrovcd thoso who were his foes.® Moreover,
drcQMed in fluni- ,.-, , ,, ,.^.,. ,.
liar term*. jic IS frequently addressed m familiar terms, and m
tones of remonstrance, which are incompatible with
Partiality for tho idoa of au omniscient and invisible deity. He
strong drink. ^ • • .
is supposed to take especial delight in quaffing the
soma juice; and his capacity in drinking it is
celebrated with all the sympathetic praise and ex-
aggerated description with which the northern bards
loved to celebrate the Bacchanalian exploits of their
^ Comp. Rig-Veda, Mand. I. Hymns 51 and 66, for the human chanu;ter of
Indra.
THE VEDIC PERIOD. 15
heroes of the olden time. Indeed, he is hymned as history op
the discoverer of the soma plant, which was said to pabt l
have been brought from heaven, and to have pre- h ned as the
viously lain hidden in a rock like the nestling of a ^^''pJSt!''^
bird.^ In many passages however, as already 8j?w^»»»»«oii
stated, his existence seems to have been spirit- Jf^J^JS^^^
ualized until he becomes a mere personified idea of "*"*"
the god of the sky or the firmament, and the winds
are declared to be his followers, with whom h6
battles against the clouds in order to release the
rain. Even in this capacity the popular imagina-
tion still delighted in depicting him in a human
form, driving furiously in a chariot drawn by champ-
ing and foaming steeds ; as the hero and protector indr» the hero
of the fair-complexioned Aryans, who worshipped JgJ^'^***®
him with acceptable hymns and large oblations, and veSiJh^Mid!
the enemy and destroyer of the black-complexioned ***'®«^*oi"dr».
aborigines, — ^the Rikshasas, the Dasyus, the Asuras,
the Ejrishuas, and the Pisachis, — who neither sung
his praises nor offered him the delicious and inebriat-
ing soma. He was thus a national deity, shower-
ing gifts upon his worshippers, but trampling upon
those who gave him no libations, as a strong man
tramples upon a coiled-up snake. He slew his
enemies by thousands, and destroyed their cities by
hundreds ; he brought back the spoil, and recovered
the cows which they had carried away. His wor- ["d^^^^hiihu.
shippers called upon him to hasten, assail, subdue ; °^«p^*y-
to destroy his enemies with his thunderbolt; to
smite the rain-cloud Vritra and bring down the
waters.*® "Slayer of Vritra, ascend thy chariot,
• Rig-Veda, Mand. I. Hymn 130, v. 3.
" Big- Veda, Mand I. Hymn 80, v. 3.
16 INTRODUCTION.
HISTORY OP for thy horses have been yoked by prayer ; may
Past l the sound of the stone that bruises the soma attract
thy mind towards us."" "Showerer of benefitSi
destroyer of cities, propitiated by our new songSi
reward us with gratifying blessings." ** In one
hymn the worshippers are naively represented as
saying: — " Quaff the soma juices, satiate thy appe-
tite, and then fix thy mind on the wealth that is to
be given to us." *^ In another Indra is told that the
minds of his worshippers adhere to him, as affec-
tionate wives to a loving husband.^* Thus there
are verses which describe him as a mere human
chief, a strong man rejoicing in his strength, a
warrior delighting in war, as well as in eating and
drinking ; and there are others in which his deeds
and attributes are lauded with an Oriental exaggera-
tion which renders his deification complete : —
inyooitions to " He who as soon as bom is the first of the deities, who
IndraastheSu- -i,,. i.-i
preme Being, has done honour to the gods by his exploits ; he at whose
might heaven and earth are alarmed^ and who is known by
the greatness of his strength ; he,- men, is Indra.
" He who fixed firm the moving earth ; who tranquillized
the incensed mountains; who spread the spacious firma-
ment ; who consolidated the heavens ; he, men, is Indra.
"He who, having destroyed Ahi," set free the seven
rivers; who recovered the cows detained by Bala; who
generated fire in the clouds; who is invincible in battle;
he, men, is Indra.
"He under whose control are horses and cattle, and
villages, and all chariots ; who gave birth to the sun and to
»» Rig-Veda, Mand. I. Hymn 87, ▼. 3.
" Rig-Veda, Mand. I. Hymn 130, y. 10.
" Rig-Veda, Mand. I. Hymn 54, v. 9.
" Rig-Veda, Mand. I. Hymn 62, v. 11.
1'^ Ahi is another name for Vritra, or the rain-cloud. SometimeB Yiitra, or
Ahi, is represented as a heavy cloud charged with water, and sometiines as a diief
among the aboriginal tribes with whom the Aryas are at war.
THE VEDIC PERIOD. 17
the dawn ; and who is tho leader of the waters ; he^ men^ is history of
Indra. \^^^^
Pabt L
'^ He to whom heaven and earth bow down ; he at
whose might the mountains are appalled; ho who is the
drinker of the soma juice, the firm of frame, the adamant
armed, the wielder of the thunderbolt; he, men, is Indra."
'' May we envelope thee with acceptable praises, as
youthful husbands are embraced by their wives/^ "
Another famous Vedic deity, and one perhaps 9^?«^ri«t*«
•^ ' . of AgulorPire.
who is superior to Indra, although lie never acquired
the sovereignity of the jrods, is Ag ni, or Fire. Even Mrstcrioua at-
/.* 1 /. • , . 1 . trlbutea of Are.
to the eye of the man of science there is something
spiritual in the varied manifestations of fire, and
something divine in its powers of destruction and
purification. To this must be added tho fact that Family auft^cia-
in colder climates, like that from which the Vedic w|tJ» ?r« in coid
' ^ climates.
Aryans appear to have emigrated, the presence of
fire is associated with home pleasures and family ties,
and the domestic hearth becomes a vivid conception
embodying pleasant memories and warm afiections.
But to man in a primitive state of existence, the Reverence «.
... _. cited amongst
presence of fire excites feelings of reverence. Its JiJ'by thrp?^
powers raise it to tho rank of a deity whose opera- ^^ ^^ "™'
tions are felt and seen. It bums and it consumes.
It dispels the darkness, and with it drives away, not
only the imaginary horrors which the mind associates
with darkness, but also the real horrors, such as
beasts of prey. In its lower manifestations as mere General utmty
heat, it cooks the food and warms the dwelling, and
it enables the artisan to forge weapons for the war-
rior, or to fashion jewelled ornaments to enliven the
»• Rig-Vcda, Mand. II. Hymn 12, v. 1, 2, 3, 7, 13.
" Rig-Tcda, Mand. II. H)inn IG, v. 8.
TOL. I. 2
1 8 INTRODUCTION.
HISTORY OF clmmis of female beauty. In its higher manifesta-
pabt I. tions it becomes identified with the light of the sun
Hiirher mani- and moon I with thc lightning which shoots from the
««'• sky and shatters the loftiest trees and strikes down
tlie strong man ; with tlie deity who covers the field
with grain and ripens the liarvest ; with the divine
messenger who licks up the sacrifice and carries it
Pretence of lire to the ffods. Thus fii'C was rcffaxded bv the Vedic
neceMsary at the ^ , i •
Sot^T "**" Aiy ans as in every way a sacred thing ; and, as if
to associate this deity with all that is nearest and
dearest to the liuman heart, a fire was considered to
be indispensable to the due performance of the mar-
riage ceremony ; and the presence of fire as a divine
witness was deemed in some instances sufficient to
sanctify the union of an impatient and impassioned
pair.
AKTii.orFire.rc. Thus Agui, or Firo, is depicted in the Vedas in a
presented in va- ^ o / * ^ r
rioui forms, variety of forms: as a priest, a divine messenger, a
devouring element, and a deity who is the source
and difiuser of light throughout the universe. In
Aami as an im- somc livmns hc is porsonifiod as an immortal beinir
mortal being. ^ ^ •' * ^ ^ ^
enjoying perpetual youth, and travelling in a car
drawn by red horses.*® Hc is frequently invoked as
Ajji^M ajiriwt a priest, and like an officiating priest he is said to
•engor. havo brought prosperity to the worshipper. As a
divine messenger he was implored to bring the gods
to the sacrifice,*^ and the loving wives of the gods to
Aimi as the de- partako of thc soma luice.^® As a devouring element
vounngele- *,^ •', ...*
mmu Ijq ig invoked as the bright and purifying deity who
^ha«cter of the was chargod with all the invocations of the gods ;
dressed to Agni. ^hilst tlic mcrc opcratious of Agni as a consuming
»8 lUg-Veda, Mand. I. Hymn 36, v. 15 ; Mand. IV. v. 8.
»• Rig- Veda, Mand. I. Hymn 81, v. 17.
w Rig. Veda, Mand. I. IIjTnn 22, v. 9.
THE VEDIC PERIOD. 19
fire are frequently described in language eminently history op
INDIA.
poetical. "When generated from the rubbing of pabtl
sticks, the radiant Agni bursts forth from the wood invocations to
like a fleet courser." *^ " When excited by the wind, stroyer.
he rushes amongst the trees like a bull, and consumes
the forest as a Raja destroys his enemies." " His
path is blackened, and the birds are terrified at his
roaring." ^ In his more domestic capacity, Agni is J*^*f^*22,"d^
described as an ornament in the sacrificial chamber, "****° capwity.
like a woman in a dwelling.^' He is young and
golden-haired, the domestic guardian, the protector
against evil spirits, malevolent men, and noxious
animals.^ Like the divine Sun he is the supporter inrocations to
, *- ^ Agni M m deity.
of the universe, but he abides on earth like a prince
surrounded by faithful friends, and men sit down in
his presence like sons in the dwelling of a father.
"Such as thou art, Agni, men preserve thee con-
stantly kindled in their dwellings, and offer upon
thee abundant food : Do thou, in whom is all exist-
ence, be the bearer of riches." *^ But still there are Jjjy^^Jj^lJi.
passages referring to Agni, as indeed there are verses ^"°® ^*^'
referring to almost every other Vedic deity, in which
that individual god is represented as supreme and
absolute.^' Thus in two particular hymns, Agni is
n Rig-Veda, Hand. V. Hymn 29, t. 6.
» Rig-Veda, Mand. I. Hymn 58, v. 4 ; Hymn 65, v. 4; Hymn 94, v. 10
and 11.
» Rig-Veda, Mand. I. Hymn 66, y. 3.
M Rig-Veda, Mand. I. Hymn 36, y. 5, 15.
» Rig-Veda, Mand. I. Hymn 73. The whole of this hymn is singularly illiw-
tratiYe of the worship of Agni.
«• This coexistence of Monotheism and Polytheism is very clearly explained hy
Prof. Max Miiller in the following very eloquent passage :— " ^Vlien these individual
gods are invoked, they are not conceived ar limited hy the power of others, as su-
perior or inferior in rank. Each god is to the mind of the supplicant as good as
all the gods. He is felt, at the time, as a real divinity— as supreme and absolute,
in spite of the necessary limitations which, to our mind, a plurality of gods must
entail on every single god. AH the rest disappear for a moment from the vision
22 INTKODUCriON.
HISTORY OF pests aiid punishing sin ; and in so doing indicates
paml ^ to^® ^^ religious feeling not so far removed from
modern ideas as might have been expected : —
" Let mo not yet, 0 Varuna, enter into the house of clay;
have mercy, almighty, have mercy !
" If I go along trembling, like a cloud driven by the
wind ; have mercy, almighty, have mercy !
" Through want of strength, thou strong and bright god,
have I gone to the wrong shore; have mercy, almighty,
have mercy !
" Thirst came upon the worshipper, though he stood in
the midst of the waters ; have morcy, almighty, have mercy I
'' Whenever we men, 0 Vanina, commit an offence be-
fore the heavenly host, whenever we break thy law through
thoughtlessness; have mercy, almighty, have mercy/'"
ch»rikjteruti« Siirva, or the Sun, is another important Vedic
of Biirj-a, or the •' ' , ' /
*^"'»- deity; and indeed seems under different names
Prominence of to liavo alwavs held a high place amongst tho
the Bun in all an> .... in .• i . . n •.
dent reiigiouA. primitive gOQs 01 ovory nation, by virtue of its pro-
minence in tho heavens, and the extent to which its
influence is felt upon earth. Its daily course and its
annual course, its welcome rising in the morning and
its glorious setting in the evening, must all have
excited the keenest curiosity amongst a child-like
and inquisitive people ; and, at the same time, the
imagination alone was left to account for the exist-'
ence of phenomena which in a non-scientific age
pe«oiiiflc«tion are altogether beyond human ken. Thus it seems
of the Sun one ^ •'
SflbStoSfSnt extremely probable that one of the earliest efforts of
**^'* poetical genius was to personify the Sun as the deity
of light, travelling through the blue ether in a
The golden cha- golden chariot which all men might see, drawn
bie steeds.: " howcvor by stoods which were invisible to the out-
^ Max MUller, History of Sanskrit Literature, p. 540.
THE VEDIC PERIOD. 21
to fire, perhaps water has always occupied the most history op
• ji •xi !•• I* i* I • INDIA.
prominent place m the religious worship of nations paet i.
in general. It purifies, and it is an emblem ofn^
enoiM at-
tributes of
purity ; and is as necessary in every household as water.
fire. At the same time, the ever-flowing current of MdfhoSSSld
a great river awakens ideas of life and infinity ; of idea« awkkencd
- , 1 ^y ***® currenta
a past and a future ; of going on ever and ever, we of great nven*.
know not whence and we know not where, but ever
flo wmg. Springs and rivers, however, are generaUy springs ^^^^
separated into individual abstractions, which are jjgj^^j^^^
personified as divine beings ; and the highest con- ''"^^°"*
ception of one universal ffod of the waters seems to conception of a
* . . • • godof theoccaii.
have been gathered from a familiarity with the sea.
Thus amongst a maritime people, the god of the
ocean, the lord of tempests, the ruler of the rushing,
boiling waves, ever occupies an important place in
the sphere of religious thought ; and here it should
be remarked that the Vedic Aryans were evidently
acquainted with the sea, for the hymns contain allu-
sions to merchants, to sea voyages, and to ships with
a hundred oars. In a more material or credulous Distinction be-
tween a material
age this deity might be depicted as a mere monster, ^^J^^tl^^i^d
half fish and half human ; but in the higher Aryan SStt!?^ TspV
..«• . m ••ii«. ritual existence.
conception he is represented as a spiritual existence,
powerfid to destroy but mighty to save, that could
sink the strong man into the depths of the sea, or
bear him in safety to the shore. In a later stage J^^^^i^a
the conception rises higher and higher, until a deity gcJidS^JSd
is shadowed forth that rewards goodness and pun- ^"^^ ** ^
ishes sin. The following hymn to Varuna, felicit- ^J,^/^^"**
ously translated by Prof. Max MiiUer, exhibits this {Sv^^"*^
deity in the two-fold character of controlling tem-
to the penonification of day. In the Epics he is invariably regarded as water, and
it emphatically the god of the ocean.
2 i INTRODUCTION.
HISTORY OP Adityas.'* These are said to be the sons of Aditi,
INDIA.
Part I. who is apparently identified with the universe."
It is not sufficiently clear how these Adityas were
regarded by the Vedic worshippers, but at a later
period they were represented as being twelve in
number, and were apparently identified with the
twelve signs of the zodiac, or rather with the sun in
twelve different characters, each character corre-
sponding to the sign through which it passed in
The.jodTishnu succession. The most important fact connected
Aditya. ^^^jj ^jjjg circle of divinities is that the god Vishnu,
so prominent in the later mythology, appears in the
Rig- Veda merely as one of the Adityas. Also Arya-
man, Mitra, Varuna, and Savitri, are identified both
with the Sun and with certain of the Adityas.
S?thJ^hIor ^ Of the remaining Vedic deities but little remains
Vedic deities. ^^ |^^ gg^'^j^ Their individual character may be
easily inferred from their names, whilst their form of
worship appears to differ in no way fi*om that of the
Soma, or Chan- dcitics already described. Soma, or the Moon,
dra,ortheMoou. , . , . -rk ji n -§
winch appears m some Jrantheons as a female
divinity corresponding to the male personification
of the Sun, is chiefly celebrated- in the Vedas in
vSST^h tho^ connection with the soma plant ; but it appears in
T*^'!."'' u the Mahd Bhdrata, indifferently under the names of
Re$rarded as the ^^^ , •' ,
SJati^'ofti^ Chandra and Soma, as the mythical progenitor of the
bK^^ °' great Lunar race of Bhdrata. Two obscure deities,
ThctwoABwins.]^^Q^j^ as thc Aswius, are apparently a personifica-
^ Comp. Wilson, Kig-Vcda, Vol. I. Introd. p. xxxiii. Also Muir's Sanskrit
Tcxte, Part IV. p. 101.
^ The Vedic verse is as follows : — " Aditi is heaven ; Aditi ia the firmament ;
Aditi is mother, father, and son ; Aditi is all the gods ; Aditi is the five dasses of
men ; Aditi is generation and birth." Upon this verse S&yana remarks: — " Aditi
is hymned as the same with the universe." Wilson, Rig-Veda, Vol. I. p. 230, and
note.
THE YEDIC PERIOD. 25
)n of light and moisture, and as sons of the Sun history op
em sometimes to be identified and multiplied as pabtl
e sun's rays.^ They are invoked in several
rmns, but do not appear to have been invested
Lth any peculiar attributes, beyond that of being
mug and handsome, and riding on horses. The
lifications of VAyu, or the air, and of the Maruts, v*yu.
the winds, are frequently invoked, in many
stances, in conjunction with Indra and Agni.
he Maruts especially, whose power was manifest, The Maruts.
e described in such figurative language as is
uaUy appUed to the strong and impetuous winds
'' poets of all nations and ages. In this way they
3 depicted as roaring amongst the forest trees, and
3wing up the clouds for rain ; but they are also
rsonified in the imaginations of the Vedic psalm-
a as youthful warriors bearing lances on their
oolders, delighting in the soma juice like Indra,
d, like him, the bestowers of benefits upon their
shippers.
The next Vedic deity who may be taken into chwacteriatics
,,-- ,, o» Ushaa, or the
nsideration is Ushas, or the personification of the ^"^
wn. This divinity scarcely appears in the Epics, f^^*J**JJ^^„.
d can hardly have been extensively worshipped, affihLt oFiII?*
.t yet is especially deserving of notice from the
inarkable contrast which the conception presents
those of other gods, and especially to the idea
Indra. In the place of the impetuous warrior,
•ong and drunk with wine, and cleaving the clouds
th his thunderbolt, we have the vision of early
>ming, of the first pale flush of light, imaged as
pure and lovely maiden awakening a sleeping
3* In the Epics they are said to have been the physicians of the gods, and are
itantly represented as twins.
26 INTRODUCTION.
HI8TOBT OF woild as a young wife awakens her children. This
pIbt I. poetical conception seems to have had peculiar
poetrjofthe chamis for the old Vedic bards ; and, in truth, the
vnbaa. dawu of early morning in India is singularly grate-
ful to the feelings, and in the mind of the Vedic
worshipper was associated with early prayer as well
wlS^SShSith ^ ^^^^ early duties. In addition to the refreshing
ilSil^'"" ^ coolness and delightful stillness of the hour, there is
a peculiar whiteness in the atmosphere, not so ex-
pressive as moonlight, but infinitely more delicate
and more suggestive of innocence and purity. Thus
the night with all the horrors of darkness — the fear
of ghosts, demons, snakes, tigers, and midnight
robbers — is supposed to have passed away before
the rising of this white-robed maiden, the first in all
the world who is awake, and the first to appear at
the invocation of the gods. But notwithstanding
the unsubstantial character of the original personi-
fication, it nevertheless became in many hymns a
dJ^^ to'ushi viv^^ conception of a deity. As a mere femaloj
« a maiden, ^shas is likcncd to a youug bride, with perhaps
more warmth of painting than would suit modem
taste : —
'' Goddess^ manifest in person like a maiden^ thou goest
to the resplendent and beautiful sun ; and^ like a youthful
bride before her husband, thou uncoverest thy bosom with
a smile/' "
Vedic idcjas of But as a diviuity, the language respecting Ushas
"* "'is much more elevated:—
" Ushas, daughter of heaven, dawn upon us with riches;
diffuser of lights dawn upon us with abundant food; beauti-
ful goddess, dawn upon us with wealth of cattle.''*
3* Rig-Veda, Mand. I. Hymn 123, t. 1.
9« Rig. Veda, Mand. I. Hymn 48, t. 1.
THE VEDIC PERIOD. 27
" This auspicious Ushas lias harnessed her vehicles from history of
afar^ above the rising of the sun, and she comes gloriously ^^^\
upon man with a hundred chariots." "
'* First of all the world is she awake, triumphing over
transitory darkness ; the mighty, the giver of light, from on
high she beholds all things; ever youthful, ever reviving,
she comes first to the invocation.""
Such were tlie chief gods of the Aryans, and to MiuorTedicdd-
11-1 1 , . ties the mere
them may be added some others less prominent, ^^i^^^^^
such as the personifications of Food, of Day and
Night, and of the Seasons. These require no special
description, inasmuch as they are little more than
poetical personifications ; and probably at the period
of their composition they were as little connected
with religious worship as the songs of Hafiz were
connected with the sentiments of Mahomedan devo-
tion. These creations of the fancy have ever been comparison of
. , , - ancient and rao-
the favourite product of the Aryan mind, and thus SJJS^"^'^"
the Vedic " Hymn to Pitri, the Divinity of Food,"^'
is even surpassed in intensity of personification by
Bums's ballad of "John Barleycorn," and Tenny-
son's exquisite poem on the "Death of the Old
Year."^*'
Having thus sketched generally the individual vedic con«j-
character of the leading deities of the Aryans as p'®"*® ^^"«-
they appear in the Rig- Veda, it may be advisable
to glance at that conception of One Supreme Being,
as in all and above all, which finds full expression
" Big- Veda, Hand. I. Hymn 48, y. 7.
*■ Big-Veda, Hand. I. Hymn 123, t. 2.
» Big- Veda, Hand. I. Hymn 187.
^ The great master in the power of personifying abstractions, nntil they be-
cme objecte of actual interest, is John Bunyan ; an interest however which is
deriTed more from the religious experiences of the author than from a large know-
ledge of human nature.
23 INTRODUCTION.
UI8T0BT OP in the Vedic hymns. Upon this point the foUow-
pabi I. ing passages will be found very significant : —
Monotheutio '^ Who has Seen the primeval being at the time of his
being bom ; what is that endowed vrith substance which the
unsubstantial sustains ; from earth are the breath and bloody
but where is the soul ; who may repair to the sage to ask
this?''*>
''\Vliat is that One alone^ who has upheld these six
spheres in the form of an unborn ?*'**
The following hymn, translated by Professor Max
Mil Her, still further expresses the conception of mo-
notheism, and indeed seems to indicate that the
idea itself is a necessary idea forced upon the mind
by a thoughtful consideration of the phenomena of
the universe.*'
Gnndmonothew ''In the beginning there arose the Source of golden
ti«na^Sto?b7 light : He was the only bom lord of all that is. He estab-
Mouer^'^ ** lished the earth, and this sky : — ^Who is the God to whom
wo shall oflTer our sacrifice ?
'^Ho who gives life, He who gives strength; whose
blessing all the bright gods desire ; whose shadow is immor-
tality ; whoso shadow is death : — ^Who is the Qt)d to whom
we shall ofier our sacrifice ?
" Ho who through His power is the only King of the
breathing and awakening world : He who governs all, man
and boast : — Who is the God to whom we shall offer our
sacrifice ?
" He whose power these snowy mountains, whose power
*» Rig-Vcda, Mand. I. Hymn 144, v. 4.
« Rig- Veda, Mand. I. Hymn 144, v. 6.
^3 The translation which follows has been borrowed from Mr Max Miillei'i
History of Sanskrit Literature, p. 569. That eloquent scholar is perhaps mis-
taken in alluding to the idea as " an instinctive monotheism." The theory that
the Aryan nations may possess an instinct which is denied to the Turanian peoples
scorns untenable. An instinct is an element of human nature, and not a mere
characteristic of a race ; and it appears more probable that what are caUed charao-
tcristics of a race, arise from peculiarities of development and history rather ^Ky«
from any original diversity in human nature.
THE VEDIC PERIOD. 29
proclaims, vrith the distant river : He whom these history of
are as it were His two arms : — ^Who is the God to l^^^
B shall oflTer our sacrifice ?
through whom the sky is bright and the earth firm :
ugh whom the heaven was established, n&j, the
[leaven : He who measured out the light in the air :
is the God to whom we shall ofier our sacrifice ?
to whom heaven and earth, standing firm by his
z up, trembling inwardly : He over whom the rising
es forth : — Who is the God to whom we shall oflTer
fice?
lerever the mighty water-clouds went, where they
le seed and lit the fire, thence arose He who is the
of the bright gods : — Who is the God to whom we
>r our sacrifice ?
who by his might looked even over the water-
he clouds which gave strength and lit the sacrifice,
w Ood above all gods : — ^Who is the God to whom
oflTer our sacrifice ?
y He not destroy us. He, the creator of the earth ;
le righteous, who created the heaven ; He who also
!he bright and mighty waters : — ^Who is the God to
8 shall offer our sacrifice ? "
I true conception of marriage, involving the J^of^SJJS'ge.
the union of one woman to one man, also
:pression in the Vedas. Husbands and wives
\ and twos are described as presenting their
18 together ;*^ and in one hymn which dwells
le duality of the two Aswins, the pair of
are compared with pairs of almost every-
lat runs in couples, including a husband and
and two lips uttering sweet sounds.**
iTeda, Mand. I. Hymn 131, y. 3. Also Mand. Jlynin 43.
Teda, Mand. II. Hymn 39. There is however an exceptional passage
roung Rishi named EakshiTat celebrates the generosity of a Raja who
im his ten daughters in marriage. (Rig-Veda, Mand. I. Hymn 126.)
oe to polygamy as well as two hymns relating to a horse sacrifice, will
d hereafter.
30 INTRODUCTION.
HISTORY OF Such, then, were the leading characteristics of
Part I. the principal deities of the Aryans in the old Vedic
age, when the new colonists were still dwelling in
Bubsequentde- tho neiffhbourhood of the five rivers. During the
our of the Vedic ^ i . i • • i
Bn&Sc*l|e. subsequent age of Brahmanism, the spiritual con-
ceptions and aspirations passed in a great measure
away ; a new dynasty of deities arose ; and the gods
of the Vedas lost their hold upon the national sym-
pathies, and shrivelled more and more into human
Changes in dr. herocs with human instincts and passions. Mean-
cumsutnoes and .. .-» • . /•jI i 1ji«
geographical po- time tuc circumstanccs oi the people, and their
geographical position, had undergone a great and sig-
nificant change. In the Vedic age the Aryan people
were a band of agriculturists and herdsmen, and
were still dwelling in the neighbourhood of the
Punjab ; but in the Brahmanic age they had become
a conquering power, and had made their way down
the fertile valleys of the Ganges and Jumnd, and
established kingdoms which are still famous in an-
Bxirtenoeofa cicut storv. Tliis pcriod of conquest implies the
military class ^ •' * ^ ^ *■ *
Sf ^"e!*'"^^^" existence of a large military class ; and in connec*
tion with this subject it may be remarked that the
most significant change which appears to have taken
place about this time was the institution of caste.
In the Vedic age there appears to have been no
direct traces of a caste system; but in the Brah-
manic age the distribution of the people into castes
is one of the most prominent features, and this caste
system has prevailed more or less down to the pre-
Origin of the. sent day. Thus the caste system seems to have
caste syKtem in ■' *'
tw'^'th^vldic ^'risen in the period which intervened between the
andBrahmanic y^^jj^ q^^^ Bralimanic age ; in other words, between
the time when the Aryans appeared as simple
colonists in the land of the five rivers, and the time
THE YEDIC PERIOD. 31
irhen tliey had become a conquering power, and ^istoeyop
stablished Aryan empires at Delhi, Oude, Tirhiit, pakt i.
nd Bahar, under the ancient names of Bhdrata,
ILosala, Mithila, and Magadhd. The question ac-Qu<»tionorbow
ordingly remains for consideration of how far the SS^'aSVSS^"^'
ireumstances which attend the invasion of a well- IwlSfcSSS*
K>pulated country by a band of foreign emigrants, introduction of
nd the subsequent establishment of the settlers as
, dominant and imperial power, are calculated to
sad to the introduction of caste, and the perpetua-
ion of a caste system for affes afterwards. This imi»rtMi« ©r
J ^o thequntion
uestion is of more general importance than is teSS^^"S^
«nerally supposed. The tendency of all foreign ^ SLitoS'Sie
onquests is to create a caste feeling between the
onquerors and tlie conquered ; and this feeling be-
omes intensified when the difference is one not
lerely of political relations, but of colour, language,
nd religion. In the progress of another century,
>r instance, from the present date, the old caste
ntagonism amongst the Hindus may in some mea-
are have passed away ; but in its place there will
>e a caste feeling between Europeans, East Indians,
nd Natives, altogether different from that exclusive-
ess in different ranks of society which prevails
mongst European nations.
Many of the difficulties connected with this in- QuMtionofhow
•^ ^ ^ ^ fir the eiementii
dresting subject of inquiry will be cleared up, as % ^^^^^^
\x as the Hindus are concerned, by means of the ws'??Sil" ****
vidence furnished by the Mahd Bhdrata and Rdmd-
ana. But still it appears necessary for the con-
inuous identification of the Aryan people, and their
eparation from the Turanian populations by wliom
liey were apparently surrounded, and with whom
bey must to some extent have intermingled, to
32 INTBODUCriON,
"' nJoiA ^^ ^c^^^^^ which of the castes had an Aryan origin,
Part I. and how far the elements of an opposition of classes
is to bo found in the Rig- Veda.
Kiw'SrSe'*" ^^ t^i® Brahmanic age the great body of the
iirahmuiicase. people worc divided into four castes, as follows :—
Brthmanfl. 1st, Bralmians, or priests ; sometimes called pre-
ceptors.
Kj>uuriyM,or 2nd, Kshatrfyas, or soldiers; also called Rajas,
or sovereigns.
vaisj-M. 3rd, Vaisyas, or merchants and farmers,
sadrms. 4th, Siidras, a servile class wlio tilled the soil.
o«t«wtci»iid Below these was a nondescript population who
were treated as outcastes, and who appear as the
BrAhmjins. slavcs of tlic Sildras. Of the four castes, the three
KshatrlyaA. and , T. •it/»
SJdfh)mtho fi^^* mentioned are distinguished from the fourth
fimi!j.indu»e castc iu a very particular manner. The Brdhmans,
•twice born." Ksliatnyas, and Vaisyas, are eacli invested at a
certain age with the sacred thread, from which cir-
cumstance they are entitled the "twice bom," to
distinguish them from the Siidras, who are not per-
mitted to wear tlio thread. Tliis line of demarcation
between the three twice-born castes and the Siidras
is far broader according to caste ideas tlian that
between tlie Brdhnian and the Kshatriya, or the
nypoiiiesu that Kshatriya and the Vaisya. Accordingly the most
b«ni caHtoa are plausiblc coniccture appcars to be tliat the tliree twice-
d<*!tocndantM of * •' •'••'• ^
tbo RiK^PrKuI horn castes may be identified witli the descendants
d4'iS^' p.1'' of the Aryans of tlie Rig-Veda ; whilst the Siidras,
an poop e. ^^^^ ^^^^^ ^^^^ ^^^^ ^^ ^^^ populatiou, may be re-
garded as the descendants of a Turanian people, who
settled in India ages before the Arj^ans, and at some
remote period contemporary perhaps with the earliest
Antioiiity of the Egyptian dynasties. As to the outcastes, known in the
p«i^s.orout. ^^^^j^ ^^ j^^.^ ^^ ^j^^ general name of Pariahs, they
THE YEDIC PERIOD. 33
probably were the descendants of an aboriginal history of
people possessing a still more remote antiquity, who pabt i.
were originally conquered by the Siidras, and of
whom some may have escaped to the hills and be-
come the ancestors of the existing hill tribes.
Now although no caste system appears in the Rig- SUSL^ w"?-
Veda, the hymns certainly present glimpses of three StSSIn tS^"
distinct classes of woi-shippers. One class, the most ist, a peacefw
prominent of all, comprised a people who evidently SLs^the wow-
possessed strong religious instincts. They prayed in °*«»-
earnest language to primitive deities for such simple
benefits as colonists in a new country might be ex-
pected to crave ; namely, seasonable rains, abundant
harvests, prolific cattle, and plenty of children. They
were certainly a peaceful community, and appear to
have been altogether indisposed for war, for they
prayed not for victory but for protection. They do
not even seepi to have sacrificed to any god of war,
unless Indra may be regarded as such; but their
offerings were exclusively made to what might be
termed family or domestic deities, who were supposed
to supply the daily wants of a simple but contem-
plative people. Moreover, with the exception of the
soma wine, which was especially quafied by Indra,
there was nothing of an orgiastic character in their
worship. They invoked the gods, and propitiated
them with such bloodless offerings as butter, curds,
and milk. Again, whilst they implored the gods for
protection, and lauded their exploits against robbers,
cattle-lifters, and other enemies, they manifested no
warlike spirit, no direct aspiration for revenge, such
as would find expression in the prayers or hymns of
a people devoted to deeds of arms. Indeed, it might
almost be said that the flow of religious feeling which
\ou I. 3
34 INTRODUCTION.
HI8T0ET OF runs through tlie greater number of the Vedic hymns,
pIrti. is altogether at variance with that exultant delight
in blood and slaughter which is generally manifested
in tlio ballads of a warlike people. Altogether the
hymns of the Rig- Veda, as far as peaceful pursuits
are concerned, are of such a character that it is not
difficult to identify the people who gave them utter-
ance with the ancestors of the later Brdhmans.
ind, A military A sccoud class of Vcdic worshippers adopted a
olaas, the ances- ^.^ , >. ,. • • ,
j^jj^^ dilterent order of religious rites, namely, the sacrifice
of animals ; thus they immolated horses to Indra and
the Sun, and Indra is also said to have delighted in
Marks of differ- roastcd buffiilo. This difference in sacrifice involved
enco lift WWII
theEmul^i*"'* a difference of food, and in all probability a difference
^**^ of avocation. A peace-loving community might be
contented with a milk and vegetable diet ; but a
military community, to whom physical strength was
of the highest importance, would delight in flesh
meat, and such they would offer to the gods. It ifl
a significant fact that the allusions to animal sacrifice
are by no means frequent in the hymns of the Rig-
Veda, whilst they find full expression in the ritual-
istic works of a later age, in which the Brdhmans
Increased preva- are represented as the sacrificers.** From this it
Icnre of animal ^ * n t ^ -i i -tt f k
wj^flowwheii may be mterred that so long as the Vedic Aryans
S^^w^r?'*"'"'^' were dwelling in the Punjab, the priestly orders
still retained their bloodless sacrifices; but as they
advanced further and further into the interior, and
depended more and more upon their military pro-
tectors, so they found it more and more necessary
to propitiate the warriors by tlie worship of their
gods and the performance of animal sacrifices. The
*« Sec especially the Brahmanam Aitareya. Haug*8 translation.
THE VEDIC PERIOD. 35
military community thus referred to may therefore msTORY op
be identified with the ancestors of the Kshatriyas.
INDIA.
Pakt L
The third class of worshippers cannot bo traced 3rd. a
mercan-
tile claAS, the «]!•
quite so easily, but still glimpses are to be obtained ^.^®^**^«
of a mercantile and maritime community, who espe-
cially worshipped Varuna, the god of the ocean, and
who may be identified with the Vaisyas. Here it
may be remarked that no opposition seems ever to
have arisen between the Vaisyas and the other two
castes, like that which broke out between the Brdh-
mans and the Kshatriyas. Indeed the wealth of the
Vaisyas rendered them at a later period of consider-
able influence, inasmuch as they employed Brdhmans
to perform sacrifices, and took Klshatriyas into their
pay as soldiers and guards.
The early separation of the Brdhmans from the ^^Se^^bStwn
Kshatriyas, the priest fi'om the soldier, is a question l!ld tht^ShS!
of much historical importance, and will be further *"^*
discussed hereafter. For the present it may be suffi-
cient to remark that the separation does not appear to
have originated so much in those superstitious caste
ideas which prevailed at a subsequent period, as in
the diflFerence of avocations, sentiments, and aspira-
tions. What the priest was to the feudal Chieftain
of the Dark Ages, such was the Brdhman to the
Kshatriya. The Brdhman subsisted upon a diet of characipristics
milk and vegetables, and spent his time in tending
his flocks and herds, in composing hymns to the dif-
ferent deities, and in speculative inquiries as to the
origin of man and the universe, and their relationship
to the Supreme Being. As to the history of the past,
apart firom religion, he cared nothing, excepting so
far as he might succeed in converting ancient tra-
ditions into a vehicle for religious teaching. Ac-
mana.
36 INTBODUCnON.
HI8T0EY OP cordingly in a later age he readily falsified those
pabt I. traditions for the purpose of promulgating Brahman-
ical ideas and exalting the pretensions of his own
caste ; and it was doubtless by this process that the
Brdhmans ultimately succeeded in forming them-
selves into a sacerdotal community, who sought to
bring all classes and ranks, Turanians as well as
Arj^ans, under the yoke of ecclesiastical or caste su-
cjim^rijuoi premacy. The Kshatriyas, on the other hand, were
y*^ eaters of flesh meat, and delighted in war and the
chase, and especially gloried in the exploits of their
forefathers. The consequence was that they pos-
sessed a rich stock of traditions which appear to have
been handed down from generation to generation in
the form of ballads. Thus the Kshatriyas appear as
a fighting and conquering class, and originally exer-
cised such influence over the masses as to be known
as Kings or Rajas, whilst their god Indra was wor-
shipped as the emblem of sovereignty. Ultimately,
however, they appear to have degenerated into
effeminate priest-ridden sovereigns and mercenary
soldiers ; and whilst such sovereigns served the BrAh-
mans out of superstitious fear, the soldiers entered
the service of the Vaisyas for the sake of pay.
Extent of the The Qucstion of how far the two classes of Brdh-
Bepurmtion be- *-
mans and Kshatriyas were really separated fix)m
twoen the Br&h-
mans and the
S?vSJ?J^ each other in Vedic times does not appear to be in-
dicated in the Rig- Veda; but it may be inferred
from the data which will appear hereafter. Origin-
ally they probably grew up side by side, and their
cause was identical, namely, the subjugation of the
country. Indeed it is by no means improbable that
the duties of priest and warrior were originally fill-
filled by one and the same individual, the father,
THE VEDIC PERIOD. 37
the Chieftain, or the Raja. Gradually, however, histoeyop
the Chieftains or Rajas may have found it convenient vlm^
to engage priests specially for the performance ofaigeofsmh-
sacrifices and other rites and ceremonies; and at S^**^ ■**'^^'
such a stage, a stage to which the original story of
the Mahd Bhdrata appears to belong, the haughty
Kshatriyas would look down with some disdain upon
the mercenary or mendicant priest. But in due
course the priests, as already indicated, formed
themselves into a class, and exercised a vast and
mysterious influence upon the masses ; and in later
times of peace and luxury, they established a spirit-
ual and caste ascendancy, which overshadowed and
overawed the mightiest Raja of the Kshatriyas.
Indeed whilst the more ancient Kshatriyas seem to
have regarded the BrAhmans with much the same
disdain as might have been exhibited by the half-
converted warriors of the Dark Ages towards the
wandering Friars, no priest or confessor ever pos-
sessed a more powerful sway over King or Baron,
than was exercised by the later BrAhmans over the
Hindii Rajas.
The original traditions and institutions which Traditions and
^ institutions m
appear in the Mah4 Bhdrata and Rdmdyana are^£^^5^£J^
undoubtedly of Kshatriya origin, and in their S'sSoiriya^n-'
earliest form were probably little more than bal-
lads^ which were sung or chaunted by bards and
eulogists at the feasts and festivals of the Kshatriyas.
Under such circumstances the details may have been Eiawcorations
•f and cuinj'llisli-
exaggerated by the old Kshatriya bards in order to Kshatr?^^'*"
glorify the ancient Rajas, and gratify the Chieftains
present by extravagant praises of their ancestors.
Occasionally too the bards seem to have introduced
poetical embellishments, and artificial turns of a
38 INTRODUCTION.
HI8T0BT OP plot, which were more in accordance with a later
1WTITA
Past I. and luxurious stage of civilization, and also better
calculated to awaken and keep alive the interest of
Later Brmhnuin- larfi^e and niixcd audiences. But the latest com-
kmlcompilpniof , "
SSiJ^dr ftd- P"^^^ of the Mah6 Bhdrata were unquestionably
£t^dSu^ Brdhmans ; and they appear to have resolutely and
consistently falsified the Kshatriya traditions, for
the purpose of promulgating their own tenets of
religion and morality ; and especially for asserting
their own supremacy as an hereditary sacerdotal
caste, invested with supernatural powers, and
superior not only to the Rajas but to the very gods
of the Kshatriyas. Ancient Brdhman sages, under
the name of Rishis, are abruptly and absurdly
introduced in order to work miracles of the wildest
and most senseless character, and to compel the
reverence and obedience of such deities as Indra
to Brahmanical authority. Moreover acts which
arc contrary to morality and common decency, are
occasionally introduced for the depraved purpose of
representing the more famous Brdhmans as the direct
progenitors of the more famous Rajas. Again, Rajas
are described as paying a reverence to Brdhmans
amounting to worship, and as rewarding them with
extravagant profusion, probably as examples for
Dau by which latcr Rai'as to follow. Fortunately however for the
^'^tobibh^? purposes of history, these interpolations can gener-
ally be detected by the supernatural character of
the details, and may therefore be largely elimin-
ated ; excepting in those cases where the later fable
has been so intertwined with the more authentic
narrative, that it is impossible to separate the one
from the other without danger of mutilating the
original Kshatriya tradition.
THE VEDIC PERIOD. 39
Besides these exaggerations of Kshatriya bards history ok
and Brahmanical compilers, an element of Buddhism part l
is frequently perceptible in these ancient legends. Buddhistic rie-
But inasmuch as it is often diificidt to decide upon S^bl Bhil^
the exact line of separation between Brahmanism
and Buddhism, much in the same way as it is often
difficult to draw the precise line between Protestant-
ism and Roman Catholicism, it will be sufficient for
the present to indicate very briefly such traces of
Buddhism as they arise, and reserve the general
question for separate discussion hereafter.
The form in which the contents of these poems Form in which
will be hereafter exhibited in the present volumes arocawbiESd in
, 1 • A * present his-
requires perhaps some explanation. A mere trans- ^^•
1- ni 111 1 1 . , Neither a trans-
lation would be unreadable to any but the practised JJfiwfi'^bJJa
critic ; a bare analysis without sufficient detail, ^'i^'i^r™"
would be a skeleton without life and blood, and con- pSnation, com-"
' mentary, and
sequently would be comparatively useless for the ^^^'"^ ^^""
purposes of history. Accordingly a middle course
has been adopted. Large masses of supernatural
matter have been either briefly indicated, or cut
away altogether. Brahmanical discourses and reli-
gious myths have been generally eliminated, to be
[ reconsidered subsequently in connection with the
religious ideas and belief of the people. Many
episodes have been excluded, especially from the
Mahd Bhdrata where they mostly abound, but a
sufficient number have been exhibited in outline;
whilst three favourite stories, which are apparently
types of three different epochs of Hindii history,
have been preserved by themselves imder a separ-
ate head^ Finally, the residue has been recast in
English prose in such a condensed form as would
preserve the life and spirit of the ancient traditions
40 iNTRODUcnoir.
HISTORY OF without opprossiDg the reader with needless repeti-
Past l tlon and unmeaning dialogue ; and has been inter-
spersed with such explanations and commentary^
and such indications of the inferences to be de-
rived from different phases in the traditions, as
might serve to render the whole acceptable to the
general reader.*^
gPjpnMofcr^- B^t when the main stories of the " Great War of
iS!M»2ter Bhdrata," and the "Adventures of Rama" have
thua exhibited. «■ jj/rxi • x. JiJ
been reproduced trom the ancient poems, and cleared
of most of the non-essential and non-historical matter,
a question arises as to the degree of credibility to be
given to the residue. Upon this point it may be
remarked that where there is no motive for decep-
tion, and no departure from nature, a general belief
may be accorded to the incidents ; and even when
the incidents themselves are doubtful, there is no
occasion for withholding a general belief in the
pictures of life and manners which the descriptions
SS^bdii™. convey. It has already been admitted that the
SSted^uh le- ancient bards did occasionally indulge in Oriental
^' exaggeration and embellishment, which a critical
age refuses to accept as abstract truth. Deeds of
heroism and feats of skill or strength are frequently
described in the language of hyperbole ; and so too
are the goodness of men and the beauty of women,
or the wickedness and deformity of those aboriginal
tribes with whom the ancient Hindds were occasion*
ally at war. Garlands of jewels are substituted for
garlands of flowers ; thrones of gold and silver for
*^ Some idea of the enormouB bulk of the Mah& Bh&rata and R&m&yana maj
he fonned from the estimate that a literal translation of the former would occupy
about fifteen volumes octavo, whilst a similar version of the latter poem would
fill about six volumes octavo.
THE VEDIC PERIOD. 41
scats of a less rare and costly material ; gorgeous histort of
palaces for rude forts of mud or stone. Again, the pabt l
humour of incidents is often heightened by the in-
terpolation of telling words in the dialogue ; or the
interest of the plot is increased by the introduction
of new but trivial details. Such additions, however, simpio ciuupac-
^ ' ^ ^ * ter of ancient
are both allowable and natural in a primitive age, 2^***^ ^^^'^^
when the historian is little more than a narrator of
stories, and is appreciated, not for his critical powers,
or his impartiality, or his rigid adherence to abstract
truth, but for the interest he excites and the amuse-
ment he conveys. Such history should of course Baiiad histories.
be accepted, not as a sober narrative or unimpas-
sioned disquisition, to be perused in silence and
calmness in the study, but rather as a romantic
ballad to be chaunted with modulated voice before
a large and mixed audience of men and women
of all ages, with uncultured minds probably, but
with every passion of the human heart in full and
healthy play. Under such circumstances the reader Excitement of
or chaunter is rewarded, not by calm approval, but
by tears and laughter, and by the excitement which
is perceptible in lips and eyes. These conditions of
EUndii historical literature will be fully indicated in
the progress of the narrative ; but if the European
reader would really identify himself with a Hindu
audience, he must enter the covered court-yard of a
wealthy zemindar during a marriage-feast, or ap-
proach a shady tree on the evening of some village
festival. Then when the gods have been worshipped, ^JJ5J.™which"
and the dancing-girls are weary, he may watch the ^p?c8 we"*' **'''
t» w f\ "ill* 1 11 chaunted or
appearance of a 13rahman with his sacred palm-leaves, read.
and soon perceive that the ears of young and old are
all open to the ancient song.
PAET IL
TSX MAHJL BHJLBATA.
CHAPTER I.
rSJCtTTTviSS vC TEE HOCSE OF BHA&ATA.
ESTT&T :9 The Cv<r.rr.r s^«>e of tbe Mahi Bharata is laid
j^*"^ ii lie ein- cc HA^dnipor^ oq the banks of the upper
<«»mixnrinim-if ^^>^ir5t' c<" ibe nvcT OrSLXic«& and aboQt sixty miles to
tbe iK^^h-essi of ibe mod»n citr of DelhL At the
tib»«v
^•-'•' preseni day scarcidv a vestige lemains, for in the
pr(>^:7>ess of ages the river has changed its course,
and carried awav nearlv everv trace of the ancient
• • •
sire : but local tradition has preserved the name, and
sdU points to the spot which has been immortalized
in the national Epic. This geographical position
w^^^ti^ is one which well deserves attention. Hastindpur
was situated in the northern part of India, at a
distance of more than a thousand miles from the
eastern frontier on the Bengal side, but scarcely
more than three hundred miles from the western
frontier on the side of the Indus. Accordingly it
may be regarded as an outpost of that great Aryan
race, who are generally supposed to have made their
appearance in the Punjab, or land of the five rivers,
I. — ^FAMILY TRADITIONS. 43
,t some period of remote antiquity, and to have history of
fradually pushed their way towards the east along p^^L
he fertile valleys of the Jumnd and Ganges. "
The city and palace at Hastinapur are not de- ^'S^f jSSS;
icribed with any exactitude of detail ; and yet so ^^p"'-
nany ancient remains still exist in India, bearing
» general resemblance to each other, that it would
be by no means difficult to depict Hastindpur as it
probably appeared at the date when the events re-
corded in the Mahd Bhdrata actually occurred. A The city.
nondescript population, which may have comprised
Cultivators, herdsmen, mechanics, retainers, and petty
diopkeepers, seem to have dwelt in an assemblage of
bats, or houses, constructed of mats, bamboos, mud,
or bricks, which was dignified by the name of the
city. The palace was very likely built after aThoP»i«».
limilar fashion, though on a larger scale, and with
lome pretensions to strength. Probably it was a
•ude quadrangular building, having men's apart-
ments on one side, and women's apartments on the
»ther; whilst the third side was devoted to the
itchons and household servants. The fourth side, The counca
he most important of all, formed the gateway or
ntrance Hall, so common in Hindii palaces ; and
a this Hall, which was open to all comers, the Raja
at in Council with his kinsmen and subordinate
iliieftains, and administered rude patriarchal justice,
r discussed afiairs of State, such as wars, marriages,
lliances, or other business connected with the Raj.
a the neighbourhood of the city, lands were pro- The Raj.
ably cleared and cultivated, and herds of cattle The luj of BhA-
"ere pastured : all of which either bclongred to the ISipi "! eaub-
J ^ , - , 1 -S / • lished by the
laja, or to Chieftains subordinate to the Raja. aSIuiit^an^^bi)-
This simple community was known as the Raj S;^^'''^
tdiil
^ tie whole coni^^'
India is known ff
rata-rarsha, or 4
these assertions
gathered from tlii
The ancient
BhAmla might h
light upon the eai
of India. Unfor
of the Kshatriya
to the Aryan cc
country, as to a d
took place betwi
miiy, Early leg
Eajas who reigne
great war, but tl
mythical couditic
mumcij compiler
the purposes of li
lieclttred that the
from the Moon, a
qoered Indra, th
Umhinanical com
ffork of 8upema1
"nentB, hut add t
km of Uieir o
^ja only conqi
lirihinans. Tht
tiie groundwork
"";nces with Raji
as the Kauravai
"^alry with tbei
lie sons of Rajs
••etween tlie Kau
TffE KAILl umiL
great TOT from irL'elitlfE
i&me.
iitionnrjh/KtoiTofiiiermJL
tn thegredUijiBhrnM
BncemeDto/(|,ere!_-
iralrj first l)e?ii(,
) are worthy o! notiee ; iias^
> supernatural mstter, itlcii*
B m)-tii!cal k4- di'^ b
wible to am're fit (i'l' :;■:■;.[:■■
TH3 tlie teniel of \k W-
lestioa are foarionattiko
?d;-
oi" fiaJB Bhiiratfl, wlw fiw
Idhiwd, and afienrardi 60''
(rata.
o/EajaSiiitann,iriii>i»*
old age.
A On
1 iug in
TVouneel
B" ,
Oncp opon a Hd
the forest, '
ighter of Kn
omeel b} becomo
give hor bia ring ai
vimtaa'tDniedtoIi
ftp termitfi^e of h'
"isited the hermitaj
(bU were fijed ape
approach of the sag
ihs should be foiw
while he relented, 1
wmoved as soon oa
Wi found that she
|«l»ce of her husbi
•wd pool, and the 1
^ifoeiHi the waters
%, his memory h
wnWtflbehia ^
•"'•ffajtothejuii
*io irsa named B]
/Raja Yicbitra-r/i?^'**! g^^^ ^,_^^^ ^^
sons begotten to hk tj',*' *aa funnd in the b
'iindam and KaimiW
yaBJjarataniajnoiri*
EOl Mcrifia iriid « 1"I ffy ^
il to fflj tbit iKwfiiff '= * rirf
md th«t ID ordff 1" I'l""'' ' , .J
leridlp nftieJIiii^'-'"''-';.
3 of 7jifJ, tie i^F- ' ^ "|, ..
Mii Dnshyanta saw
tiWSabntalli,wh,
IJWisge. And til
"rBhiratasportiE
■•^ the lad; and
^Wd, and he kn
K^iratawashiB sr
"dBhdmta to his
<=l"efRHimdapp
Now when BMi
nor, and conquerei
^•"^ by his own ,
"11 the Lannr race,
"f the Moon. And
^ ^
48 THE HAHA BHARATA.
HISTORY OF of Hastindpur ; ' and Hastin begot Kum^ and Kum begot
Past II. Suntanu ; and Suntanu was tbe great-grandfather of the moi
who fought in the war of Bhdrata.
SJSSTn^^VtoSr ^^^ foregoing legend of the birth of Raja BM-
Biilli^'*'* rata is very prominent in Hindu story, and forms
the groundwork of Kdliddsa's charming drama of
8«nuicance of ^^ Sakuutahl, or tho Lost Rins:." Its liistorical sicr-
the tnuiitiou ' ^ , i ,
«55ubS*br5ii- ^^ificancc, however, can only be apprehended by a
Ii™iSmMnd. consideration of the suspicious incident in the legend,
of DurviuM. namely, the curse of Durvjlsas. This incident is su-
peniatural, and may be eliminated firom the legend
on two grounds ; first, it is incredible that the corse
of a Brdhman should possess the efficacy ascribed to
it in the story ; and, secondly, if the efficacy of the
Brdhman's curse could be admitted, it is incredible
that a lioly sage should have inflicted such a curse
upon a maiden for so trifling a provocation.' By
excluding the curse, the legend assumes a natural
?Mh^'tSlK ^^^ historical form. A Kshatriya, whilst himting
in the forest, falls in love with the daughter of a
Brdhman, and prevails upon her to accept him as
her husband by what is called a Gandharva mar*
Gandharvamar- riago. Tliis Gaudharva marriage is an anomaly. It
5iihout"i!li^ is simply a union prompted by mutual desire, and
monies. "
s The bare statement that the city of Hastin&piir was fomided by Hastin, the
son of Bh&rata, is not without value. According to local tradition the orig;inal
scat of the empire of Bhkrata was much farther to the north-west, namelj, at the
site now occupied by the ruins of Takh-i-Bahi, in the country of the Yosofzab to the
northward of Poshawur. (See BdleWs Jieport on the YusufiaiM^ p. 136.) It is
therefore easy to infer that tho Aryans pushed on from tho neighbourhood of
Pcshawur in a south-easterly direction through the Punjab until they reached the
banks of the Ganges, where they erected an outpost at Hastinfcpur.
3 It may be remarked that Durv&sas appears as tho most irascible sage in the
whole range of Brahmanical tradition. He cursed Indra so that he lost his strength
and sovereignty merely because he dropped a flower which had been given him Ij
the sages. The mythical character of Dur^ksas is well displayed m the fable of the
birth of Kama, which wiU bo related further on.
I. — FAMILT TRADITIOKS. 49
isummatcd without any preliminary ceremonies histoeyof
. . INDIA.
atever. It was legalized by the Brahmanical pamil
Mator, Manu, probably to cover the scandal of
i lawless amours in which the Kshatriyas in-
Iged; and is entitled Gandharva, because such
ions prevailed largely amongst the Gandharvas,
mountain tribes on the western Himdlayas. Manu
wrever declares that none but Kshatriyas may con-
.ct such marriages; and he denounces them as
38 marriages, the offspring of which will act
lelly, speak untruthfully, and abhor the Vedas.*
t to return to the story. The Kshatriya in Reluctance of
, •' •' the KMhatriya
estion prevailed upon the Brdhman's daughter to Jg^^dluRht^f
Ad to his desires by engaging to marry her, andhuwlr^*"^***
ring her his ring as a pledge of his troth. He
m abandoned the damsel, and returned to his
m city. Subsequently the damsel found that she
IS about to become a mother, and accordingly
oceeded to the house of the Kshatriya to demand
e fulfilment of his promise. Unfortunately, she
d lost the ring, and in the absence of such evi-
mce the Kshatriya conveniently forgot his engage- *
Mit to marry the daughter of a priest. Ultimately
ben the ring was found, and he either saw or heard
^the exploits of Bhdrata in taming lions, he ac-
Qowledged the young hero to be his son, and made
le mother his chief Rdnf. The question of why infcnorityofthe
le Kshatriya was reluctant to acknowledge theK^jtriyainthe
&aghter of a Br4hman to be his wife, will be solved
Srcttfter, when it will be seen that in the Vedic
^od the Brdhman held an inferior rank to the
shatriya. The reason for the interpolation of the
« Mann, c. TIT. y. 26, 32, 41.
TOL. T. 4
/ ^
50 THE KAHA BHARATA.
HISTORY OP myth respecting tlie curse of Durvdsa will then, m
Part il li^o manner, become apparent ; it was intended to
explain the reluctance of the Kshatrija, without
wounding the pride or lowering the assumption of
the later Brdhmans.*
iwisISuliu' '^^® second legend, namely, that of Raja Sin-
tunu, turns upon a more natural event. Sdntana
was third in descent from Bhdrata. The legend is
as follows: —
go^raofoid Now Raja Sdntanu^ the great-grandson of B]l&^ati^
fbrayouiiKwife. roignod in much glory in the city of Hastindpar, and he
had many sons by the goddess Gangd/ but only one liTod
to be a man^ and his name was Suntanava. And it came to
pass that when Raja Sdntanu was very old^ he desired to
marry a damsel who should be young and beautiful ; and
Siintanava found such a damsel as his father desired. Bnft
the parents of the girl would not give her to the Bqi^
saying : — '^ If our daughter bear sons to the Raja^ they will
neither of them succeed to the Raj ; for when S&ntanu diet
VoworhiMMn his son Sdntanava will become Raja/' Then SdntanaTft
wan h«ii««forth determined to sacrifice himself in order to fifratify his father:
drnwiVi/''** ^^^ ^® made a vow to the parents of the damsel^ saying :—
^ '' If you will give your daughter in marriage to my father,
I will never accept the Raj, or marry a wife, or become the
father of children by any woman ; so that, if your daughter
A Sakuntal(i*8 own birth is lost in a myth, which was probably intended t*
exalt her ori^n. Sho is represented as being not the real but the adopted dang^
ter of Kunwa the sago. Her real father is said to haye been Yiswftmitxa, a Hgt
vrho iH colobnitod in Brahmanical legend on account of his having been original)^
a Kiihatriya, who subsequently became a Br&hman as the reward (?) of his am-
teritios. Her mother was a celestial nymph named Menaka. The myth ia of no
value, and may bo dismissed as a pure fabrication.
A tradition has been preserved in Hebrew history which bears a carioiH m-
seniblunco in some points to that«f Sakuntalli and the ring, excepting that it u
free f'nim mythical matter. See the story of Judah and Tamar, Oen. zzxviiL IS
-20.
* The idea that Sfiintanu had children by the goddess Oangli, who ii soiii^
times regarded as the genius or spirit of the river Ganges, and sometimes as the
river iUelf, is one of those senseless mytbs by which the Br&hmans aonght te
glorify the ancestry of the later Rajas.
INDIA.
Part 1 1.
f
I. — ^FAMILY TRADITIONS. 51
bear a son to the Baja^ that son shall succeed him in the history op
Raj/' And the vow of Sdntanava became noised abroad,
and ever from that day he went by the name of Bhishma,
or '' the dreadful," because of his dreadful vow/ And the
parents of the damsel gave her in marriage to Raja Sun-
tann, and her name was Satyaratf ; and she bore two sons
to the Raja. After this. Raja Sdntanu was bowed down nnah of Bajah
with age, and his soul departed from his body ; and he left
his two younger sons, and their mother, Satyavati, under
the care of his eldest son, BMshma.
The foregoing legend of Raja Sdntanu calls for ^^^j^V'^^nd
but little remark. That an aged Raja should sigh ofB^^s*"^""-
after the pleasures of matrimony, and desire to
many a yoimg and blooming damsel, is an incident
by no means unfrequent ; but the idea that a son
should sacrifice his right to the succession, and
devote himself to a life of celibacy, for the sake of
gratifying a doting father, can only be ascribed to
that exaggerated idea of filial obedience which
appears to be peculiar to the ffindiis- Henceforth i^^Jh^tl??a
BhfBhina becomes the patriarch of the family, and nt^^^ ^^'
is represented as a model of faithfulness and loyalty;
and indeed stands forth as one of the leading char-
acters in the Mahd Bhdrata.
The third legend, namely, that of Raja Vichitra- ^/J^i
vfrya, involves two questions of considerable import- '^'^'
ance, namely, the real extent of the Raj of Bhdrata,
and the connection of the sage Vydsa with the royal
^ An infUnoe of tlie injury to which a son is exposed in the effort to gratify
•a ^ed Cither, u to be found in the family history of the late Ameers of Scinde.
Mecr Roortnm was the eldest son of Meer Sohrab, who was the founder of the
lUpooim dynasty in Upper Scinde, and died in his eighty-sixth year in 1830.
^oor Meer BoosAum procured a young wife for his aged father, and the young
Wift gave birth to the present Ali Moorad, who subsequently deprived Meer
^oostmn of his Baj, and effected his utter ruin. It was a curious question at the
time whether Ali Moorad did not owe a debt of gratitude to Meer Boostum for
Uiat intenrentiim without which he could scarcely hare been bom.
lid of
chitra-
52 THE MAHA BHABATA.
HISTORY OF house at HastinApur. Before, however, opening up
Part II. theso discussions, the legend may be related as
follows : —
BSShm» to- When the days of mouming for Baja S^tana were
j^gjj^jj^ fully over, the faithful Bhishma refused to become Raja,
and placed the elder of his two half-brothers upon the
throne ; but the young Eaja was haughty and arrogant, and
ho went to war against the Gandharvas, who dwelt upon the
hills, and he was slain by the Baja of the Gandharvas.
AooeMion of Then Bhishma placed the younger brother upon the throne,
and ruled the Eaj until he should be grown ; and the name
of the young Edja was.Vichitra-virya.
LegendofBhish- In process of time Bhishma and the Bdni Satyavatf
SllShtlmf^ began to think of procuring wives for Eaja Vichitra-virySj,
tofewiJS'to^ that he might perpetuate the race of the great Bh&rata.
VichitrJJtaTa. ^^^ it was told to Bhishma that the Eaja of Kdsi • had
three daughters, and that the Eaja was celebrating a
Swayamvara in order that they might choose their own
husbands. So Bhishma thought in his heart that the three
damsels might become wives to Yichitra-virya ; and he
ordered his chariot, and drove to the city of Kdsi, that he
might see them with his own eyes. And Bhishma beheld
the damsels, and saw that they were very beautiful ; but
the city was filled with Eajas from all quarters of the
world, who desired to wed them. And Bhishma did not
wait for the day of the Swayamvara, nor did he ask the
Eaja to give his daughters in marriage to Baja Yichitra-
virya ; but he seized the three damsels, and placed them in
SuhSR^Jw^ his own chariot, and challenged every Baja present to do
^*®'»*'*^ him battle. Then the Eajas attacked Bhishma in groat
wrath ; but he was strong in arm, and skilful in the use of
weapons ; and he fought and conquered them every one, bo
that there was not another Eaja left to come out against hinu
The BAni Satya- Thus did Bhishma win the daufifhters of the Baia of Eisi. and
vatl resolves to ^ ^ ° •' '
^Si8*to her* ^^^y them away in triumph to the city of Hastin&pur.
Mil vichitra- Now whcu Bhishma had brought the three damsels into
* K&sl was the ancient name of the city of BenareKi
I. — ^FAMILY TRADITIONS. 53
the city, he took them to the palace, and led thorn into tlio history op
presence of the B&nf, and told her how he had carried them Jndia.
*^ Part II.
away to be wives to Vichitra-virya. And Satyavati was
mnch pleased with the beauty of the damsels, and she be-
stQwed great praises upon Bhishma, and resolved on marry-
ing them to her son, the Raja. But when the day had come Ambi. the eid-
on which the marriage was to be performed, the eldest of be mmleS^tm
the three^ whose name was Ambd, prayed the BAnl not to betrothed.
many her to the Baja, saying : — " My father has already be-
trothed me to the Raja of Salwa, and I entreat you to send
me to Salwa, for I cannot marry a second husband/' And
the B&ni replied : — "Two wives will suffice for my son; there-
fore let Ambd go to the house of her husband/' So Bhish-
ma sent Ambd under a safe-conduct to the Baja of Salwa;
and Ambd told the Raja how she had been carried away by
Bhfshma, and had come to fulfil her betrothal. But the Miserable fkteof
Baja of Salwa replied : — " You have entered the dwelling of
a strange man, and I will not take a woman to be my wife
who has seen the face of a strange man.'' Then Ambd wept
very bitterly and said : — " O Raja, no man has wronged mo,
and Bhishma is the last man who would lay his hand upon
a woman, because of his dreadful vow : If, however, you
cannot take me to be your wife, I pray you to receive me as
year concubine, and suffer me to dwell here under your pro-
tection/' But the Raja would not listen to her words, but
ordered his servants to thrust her out of his city ; and sho
went into the jungle and perished very miserably.^
Meantime the marriacre ceremonies of Raia Yichitra-virya Marriage or
° J .^ Vichitra-virya.
were performed in the palace at Hastindpur, and the two
younger daughters of the Raja of Kdsi became his wives.
And Yiehitra-vfrya took great delight in his wives, and his
days passed away in much joy : but after a while he sickened Death of vi-
* * J *^ ' chitra-vlrya
and withered away until he died ; and he left no child behind without lasue.
liini, nor had either of his two wives any hope of becoming
* The ftory of Amb& is OTerlaid with a mass of mythical matter, which has
ben fti—'"^***^ from the tbove text as mere unmeaning fabrication. Thus sho is
mod to hare met with the mythical hero Parasu R&ma, who vainly tried to avengo
llcr eaoiep bat whoee real home was more than a thousand miles from Hastin&pur,
o« the Mahendim monBtain neir the coast of Coromandel.
^ ^
54 THE liAHA BHABATA.
HI8T0RT OP a mother. And the two widows were filled with sorrow, and
p^^u, *'^® Rinf Satyavatf wept very bitterly, for her two sons were
dead, and neither of them had left a son to perpetuate the
race of Bhdrata.
Ancient oiiitom Now the custom was that when a man died and left no
Med lolf de? son, his brother or near kinsman took his widows, and raised
up seed to the dead man. So after some days the Bdn( Sat-
yavatf said to Bhishma : — " Take the Baja's widows, I pray
you, and raise up sons that shall be to him as his own sons.''
BWHhma't re- But Bhishma replied : — " How can I do this thing ? Have I
not vowed a vow that I would never become the father of
Yyim, the nffe, children by any woman ? '' So Satyavati called upon a kins-
terfere. man of hcr own to do her bidding ; and his name was Vydsa^
Now this Yydsa was a great Br&hman sage who dwelt in the
jungle ; and his form was terrible to behold on account of
Vjin become! his many austerities. And Vyiisa proceeded to the palace
the (kthcr of ,» . > t t» i/»ii 11 • ^ n t -n^ ^ 1
i)hriurik«htn, at Uastmupur, and fulfilled the wishes of the Rani : but his
the blind ; Fui- r ^ ^ '
du.thei»io; presence filled the widows with terror. The first widow
and Vidura, the ^ t 1 la i •
■lave-born. ghut her eycs when she beheld mm, and she gave birth to a
son who was blind, and who was named Dhritar^htra ; and
the second widow was so white with fear that she g^ve birth
to a son who was pale, and who was named Pdndu. Then
Satyavati requested Vydsa to become the father of a third
son, who should be without blemish; and the first widow
would not go to him, but arrayed her maid-servant in gar-
ments of her own, and sent her to the sage in her stead;
and the servant gave birth to a third son who was named
Vidura. Thus were bom three sons to the royal house at
Hnstindpur; namely, Dhritardshtra, the blind; Pdndu, the
pale ; and Vidura, the slave-bom.
«rviow,»nhc Tho foreffoinff legend of Raja Vichitra-vfrya is
yl^'*;;;**^ »''»*«»* Olio which demands a careful consideration, Ihe
oponinjy portion of the story is simple and natural.
Tho ohl IJajii Silntanu was dead, and his youthful
\\\\\\ appoars to have lived many years after him as
N,« niiu-inii I,. \\ nuitron uiul Quocn mother; and it maybe t^-'
iiniiH\iri!!V inarktHl that noithor iu hcr case, nor in that of her
I.— FAMILY TRADITIONS. Oiy
daughters-in-law, is there any reference to the rite of history op
Satf, or that of the widow burning herself alive pIbt n.
with the body of her deceased husband. Meantime
Bhfshma, in faithful adherence to his vow, had
placed the sons of Satyavatf in succession upon the
throne of Hastindpur. The first was slain in a war
with a neighbouring tribe of Hill men ; and the
survivor, although only a boy, was acknowledged
to be Raja, whilst Bhfshma as guardian managed
the affiiirs of the Raj. At length the youn^: Raja imporuno,^ or
•^ ^ J ^ o J marrijw ill Hill-
approached the age of manhood, and it became <*" »»o»»*^i*«»»^
necessary to provide him with a wife or wives;
a question which is always considered of the highest
importance in Hindii households, where the mar-
riages of sons or daughters are arranged by parents
or guardians, without any reference to the inclina-
tions of the parties concerned, who indeed are
generally so young as to have no inclinations at all.
The tradition of the marriage of Vichitra-vfry^a suspki.m« < ha-
*-^ ^ ^ •' racter of the Ic-
to the daughters of the Raja of KAsi is, however, 5^;^
thattlif)
wiveH of Vichi-
tra-virya were
very obscure. It would seem from the story that thJiSISh't^wof
Kdsf could have been at no great distance fromnares.
E[astindpur ; for Bhfshma drove there in his chariot,
and drove back again in the same chariot with three
young damsels. But Kdsi is the ancient name of ^^^^^^.
Benares, and Benares is five hundred miles from *"^p^'
Hastindpur as the crow flies. Moreover, in the
Vedic age the Aryans could have advanced but
a comparatively small way into the north-west
quarter of India ; and there is reason to believe
that EEastindpur was an Aryan outpost in that
direction ; for it will be seen hereafter that when
a branch of the family migrated southward from
Hastindpur to the neighbourhood of Delhi, they
^ ^
56 THE MAHA BHARATA.
HiBTORT OF found ail uncleared jungle. Indeed, the whole
Past II. TCgion south and west of Hastindpur appearH, as far
B«rton iouth M t'io descendants of Bhdrata are concerned, to he a
unA^.^» iMitr land of fable, which was peopled by a wild and can-
of fSble in the , i t> /i i <■
vedio period, niuiil racc known as Asuras and Kakshasas, who wero
a pre- Aryan race, and the natural enemies of the
Aryans. Accordingly, the legend may be regarded
as an instance, of which there are many in the Mahi
Bhdrata, of the extent to which the later manipula-
tors of the traditions set geography at defiance far
the sake of associating later Hindii dynasties with
the famous heroes of the house of Bhdrata. It is,
Pniiiikbiiitv tiwt however, difficult to say whether the Brahmanical
rlthi»rth«*Uuad. , ' -^
KShmaiwiiuter. coiupilcrs invontcd the story or merely borrowed it
MiilSr' ^''^ from the Buddhists ; for though Benares is regarded
by the Brdhmans as a holy city, it is still more
famous in Buddhist tradition. Either way it is easy
to conceive that the name of Kdsi has been substi-
tuted for that of a city very much nearer to Has-
tindpur; and by adopting this simple hypothesis, not
only does the whole story become credible, but
actually throws further light upon tlie condition of
tho ancient Kshatriyas in India.
i)i>nrmioiT<iniu T\\o story that Bhfshma carried away the three
•loH. daughters of a neighbouring Raja to become wives
to his young half-brother is, however, in accordance
with the rude manners of the Kshatriyas, although
thestutoinent that ho conquered every Raja in the
eity bonlers on tho miraculous, and is indeed an
interpolation for which it is not difficult to assign a
Auiuoiumor nniHon. The Kshatriyas were foreign settlers, sur-
»Ho?!omM*i.y i^ouudeil Oil all sides by an aboriginal population ;
KXilSL^ und they had pix)bably brought with them but few
wiuuen from their native homes beyond the Indus.
I. — ^FAMILY TRADITIONS. 57
Under such circumstances the abduction of women history of
INDLL
Past IL
was to be expected, and indeed appears to have ^^^^
been very common. Even the Brabmanical law-
makers were compelled to recognize such irregular
proceedings, inserting, however, a clause that no one
but a Kshatriya should be permitted to commit such
an act, and that even a Kshatriya would not bo
justified unless he had first overcome all the friends
and kinsmen of the damsel. ^^ Accordingly, such
being the law, the Brahmanical compilers were
naturally anxious that Bhfshma should appear to
comply with it, even at the expense of a miracle.
The next point worthy of attention is the story Mj-thioi ch»-
i*A-L/ 11111 1 11 racterof the le-
of Amba, who pleaded that she could not marry J^g^J*^*^
Raja Vichitra-vfr}''a because she had already been
betrothed to the Raja of Salwa. In all probability
this incident is a later myth, and may have been
inserted at the same time that the name of Kasi was
apparently substituted for that of some city less dis-
tant from HastinApur. It is scarcely compatible
with the primitive manners of the patriarchal age,
to which the story of the great war evidently be-
longs ; and it is altogether foreign to the idea of a
M The Brmbnimmcal kw is thus stated bj Mann :— " The seizure of a maiden hj
font from her house, while she weeps and calls for assistance, after her kinsmen
■id friends hate beoi slain in battle, or wounded, and their houses broken open,
is die wMmage styled R&kshasa." Manu, III. 33. The name R&kshasa was in-
disainiiiiatdjr applied to the aboriginal races, and consequently the origin of tho
eistoin thus sanctioned by Manu is to be found in the wars between the Aryans
and aborigines. In another place it is said to be allowable only to the Kshaari-
yas. Comp. Manu, III. 24, 41. The distinction between a R&kshasa and a
Oandharra marriago will be readily perceived. In the former the woman was
away by force ; in the latter the connection was the result of mutual inclin-
llie tearcity of women at Hastin&pur, and the difficulty of forming suitable
illiancw, will be noticed hereafter, as this condition of society may have led to tho
iBsdtatioo of polyandry, and judging from one half-mythical legend seems to have
lad indiractlj to tha migration of a colony of Amasons to the Baj of Uastin&pur.
^ ^
53 THE MAHA BHARATA.
BisTOET OF Swayamvara, or privilege of free choice on the part
pabi il of a daughter of a Raja. Indeed, the father of Amb4
could scarcely liave undertaken to celebrate her
Swayamvara after he had betrothed her to another
Raja. The legend, however, is worth preserving,
as illustrating those later ideas of chastity and purity
which still prevail amongst the EUndiisJ^
Ancictit nKtom But tho most remarkable incident in connection
wthewkL^^^rf with Raja Vichitra-vlrya is the alleged intercourse
''^ between Vy^, the Brdhman sage, and the Raja's
widows* The barbarous custom of raising up sons
to a deceased kinsman certainly prevailed amongst
the ancient Aryans. It is frequently enjoined in
Brahmanical law, but is prohibited in the present
age, and is especially prohibited to the three twice-
born castes of Brahmans, Kshatriyaa, and Sudras.^
A similar custom was also recognized by the Mosaic
law, and indeed is common to many nations in which
an undue stress has been laid upon the necessity for
the birth of progeny who should perpetuate the
8t<^thM vj*. family name. But the story that VyAsa was the
SSJcIf^^X kinsman selected on the present occasion, and that
i^iu^*^ he thus became the direct ancestor of the Kauravas
ui«r BBjth. and Pihidavas who fought in the great war, is open
to the gravest suspicion ; and a brief consideration
of the traditionary life of the sage, and the quarter
of India in which he flourished, will suffice to prove
that the story is a mythical interpolation of a later
age.
*^ The country of Salwa has been idontifted with a part of Rajaslhaii, or
KAJputana, at a conBidcrablc distance to the south-west of Hastml^ur. (Se6
Wilson's note, Vishnu Parana, p. 177.) The identification of the locality of tfaft
present myth can howcTcr bo of little Taluc.
" Sec Colebrokc's Hinda law, Vol. II. p. 466, ei teq. Traces of the aodent
custom may ttill bo found amongst the lower orders of HindAs.
I. — ^FAMILY TRADinONB. 59
In the first place* it may be remarked that history op
• • INDIA.
amongst all the Brdhman sages of antiquity who are pabt il
famous for their learning, their austerities, and their rp^.^j^^^
miracles, few can be compared with the Rishi Vydsa. the'^'S^^iS^^
The real history of this Rishi is, however, lost in a
jungle of legend. He is said to have been the ille- Bom of » ash-
gitimate son of a fish-girl, named Matsya, who was g^^.*^**^
employed as a ferry-woman on one of the many
small rivers which intersect eastern Bengal, and flow
into the Brahmaputra. The native coimtry of VyAsa
would thus correspond to the modem districts of
Dinajpur and Rangpur, on the western bank of the
Brahmaputra, and situated about a thousand miles
from Hastindpur. His oriffinal name was Krishna- wcntiflcd with
* ^ ^ tho\>'&Ma. who
Dwaipdyana, but having become famous as the com- m2& fihteJiik
piler of the Mahd Bhdrata and the Vedas, he is
widely known by the name of Vydsa, or " the ar-
ranger." Other Brdhmans probably assisted in this
gigantic undertaking, and went by the name of
Vydsa, and these Vydsas are the men who have
fidsified the Ejahatriya traditions for the purpose of
promulgating the tenets and exalting the pretensions
of their tribe."
One of the principal objects of these Brahmanical Efrortaortho
•1 11 iiTT»i/i 1 Brahmanical
compilers has been to persuade the Hmdus that the *^UJ7hJ\™'
&mous heroes of the Mahd BhArata were descended SSrau L^it!?*
from the Brdhmans. It has already been seen that B^m^insf
" In the Viahnu Pur&na there is a list of twenty-eight Vy&sas, ending i^ith
(he great Muni Krishna-Dvaip&yana, who is popularly regarded as the author of the
lfah& Bb&rata, although, in fact, he is only the compiler or editor. The list, how-
•fWy like all lists of names, genealogical or otherwise, which have been preserved
ia the sacred books of the Hindis, has been so garbled by the Br&hmans as to be
^selea for the purposes of history. The mythical character of the Puranic list of
YyisBs is abundantly proved by the insertion of such names as Br&hma, Manu,
Tama, and Indra ! It should bo added that these names are not merely patrony-
ikues whidi might potnUy ha? e been applied to different sages, but eridently refer
to the goda thoBielTet.
r ^
60 THE MAHA BUARATA.
EiY OP as the Kshatrlyas boasted that they had descended
xi from the Moon, the Brdhmans added to the myth
by declaring that the Moon itself was begotten by
[j^^a Hnihman Rishi. In the present instance they
IS^^i;^''' state that Matsya, the fish-girl of eastern Bengal,
"'*^*' was identical with Satyavatf, the damsel who mar-
riod Raja Sslntanu at Hastindpur; that Satyavatf
wius the mother of Vy^ by an illicit amour prior
to her marriage ; and that Vydsa was the kinsman
who was invited to raise up sons to the deceased
Raja. The reason for this myth is obvious. Two
o( the Si^ns who wore subsequently bom, namely,
Phritanishtra and Pandu, ultimately became gr^
luijiis, and the fathers of the men who fought in
jt tho groat war. The supernatural details which the
ii.Mi im oonipilors have introduced for the purpose of ren-
Ii,*u^K doring this nij-th acceptable to the Hindus, suffi-
oiontly botray the whole design. A fish is said to
havo carrioil away in its stomach the germ of a boy
and jrirl, of whom a Raja was the father. Subse-
quontly, tho fish was caught by a fisherman, who
Knnul tlio boy and girl alive in its stomach, and
sont tho boy to tho Raja, and brought up the girl
as liis own daughter. The girl grew up and was
omplovod to forry passengers across a river. She
was vory handsomo, but had a very fishy smell;
and a tanious Rishi, named Pardsara, fell in love
\\\i\\ hor, and induced her to yield to his desires by
pi\Huisinir to ivniovo the fishy smell, and to restore
luT virj^inity. Tho intercourse took place beneath
a oKnul of thick darkness, which the pious Rishi
piMduood by a miracle in order to escape observa-
tion, and inunoiliatoly afterwards the ferry-girl gave
birth to a son, who, in a few moments^ became a
I. — ^FAMILY TRADITIONS. 61
fiill-fiTOwn man. This son was Vydsa, and he told history op
, , INDIA.
his mother that he was going off to the jungle to part ii.
spend his whole life in devotion ; but that if ever
she required his services, she had only to wish for
his presence, upon which he would instantly appear
before her. Accordingly, he went away, whilst his
mother found that her fishy smell was changed to a
delicious perfume, and that she was a virgin as before.
Subsequently, she became the wife of Raja Sdntauu
under the circumstances described ; and when Raja
Vichitra-vfrya died childless, she thought of VyAsa,
who immediately appeared and did her bidding.
This preposterous myth is not only a manifest ^S'SS^^/f^n"^"'
fialsehood, but its whole tone is so widely different bi!^^h^*repSJl
firom that of the EjBhatriya tradition, that it is diffi- mSousmyrte-
111 111 "I "^' ^**^"* <***•
cult to understand how the two could have been »!?* ^,?9"»»t«i
without ini-
possibly amalgamated. In the present place it has ^^''^^'
been shorn of many details still more extravagant
and repulsive, but it may yet serve as a fair specimen
of the Brahmanical fistbles which abound in the Mahd
Bhdrata. At the same time this fable, like every
other which has found its way into the sacred books,
is implicitly believed by the Hindiis. The ignor-
ance of the masses as regards the actual geography
of India has enabled the Brahmanical compilers to
%Dore the vast tract of land, at least a thousand
miles, which intervenes between the native country
of Vydsa and the city of HastinApur; whilst the
gross superstition of the people has induced them to
give the most entire and unquestioning credence to
any fable or miracle however monstrous, provided Frequent ap-
m m • m "I !•• peamnccs of the
only that it be represented as a rehgious mystery, JjyiJj^Sl^^yt^*
or as an article of faith which cannot be doubted mSJSS**""^
• ."1 xi_" 'Tx i.l_ v 1J throughout the
Without hemous sm. It must, however, be remarked Mfth& Bhtoua.
0 0
tv2 THE MAHA BHARITA.
:i«r:-xT C-? :h^: havirig once foisted Vyasa upon the royal houae
K'i BLuTara. the sage becomes ever afterwards an
impc'iton: persona^ in the Epic. He is introduced
Gp»:>n all occasions, and generally in a supematunl
manner, for the purpose of giving wearisome advice
of a Bnihmanical character, or relating some tedious
und iinmeaiiing legend. Practically, howeveri his
pre;M?nee is never necessary to the story, and the
Brahmanioal interpolations respecting this sage can
be generally eliminated from the Kshatriya tradition
without anv mutilation of the more authentic le-
sx-nd.'*
Bv reiectimr the mvth that Vydsa was the son
i^ :JT^^ ot the dowager Ram', and accepting the hypothesifl
cc:;v«cv^ih that souic otlicr kinsman performed the duty of raie-
B^-.^-' ' ' iiig up sons to the deceased Raja, the original Ksha'
tiiya tradition is at once perceptible, and moreoyer
displays a truthfulness to human nature which throws
a new light upon the barbarous custom with whidi
it is connected. In the beautiful story of Ruth this
barbarity does not appear, for her husband had been
•* Ono oinrarDfUnx mar M*€in to militate against the hjpotheiis which lefcn
Vyasa to easum Bin^al. namclr. that there are apparentlj two eountrin entiUei
Mat^ya, oae beis^ in the noid^bourhood of Jevpur in Rajpataam. The wori
Mat5TH, bowoTcr. $i^ine$ " fish,** and not only is eastern Bcn^ eminently a flik'
coTinn*r. but lival tradition i« very stivng in fiiTonr of its being the birth-plaoe of
Vyaj^. Those oonJxtions are not to be found in the neighbourhood of Jeypnr.
It may, however* be ivmarkcd that the difficulty of approximating to tnitiii ii
geoi^raphical identincatxon is somewhat appalling. Local tradition will aometimei
settle the question, but even that is frequently untnutworthy, lor the local tradL*
tion9 of widelv distant countries vill often refer to one and the same ercnt. Thw
it will appear hereafter that in the case of a country named Vir&ta, local tradition
is equally strong in Guzerat and Bengal; and the capital of this perplexing
ci^untry is still called Mat<ya. As for the Pundits, I hare found men who may
bo alniixitt said to have the whole of the Mah& Bh&rata and fi&m&yana by heart,
and yet with the exception of a few prominent places they are utterly ignorant of
tlie geojrraphy. I once put a few questions of the kind to a very learned Pundit
throu>;U a third party, and his reply was most significant *' I am sixty-five yean
of agi%*' he said, *' and I was never asked for such information before."
I. — FAMILY TRADITIONS. 63
dead a long time, and the poor widow was anxious history of
to find favour in the eyes of Boaz. But for a widow pabt li.
to be compelled to receive a strange man whilst her
grief is still fresh, is foreign to the womanly instinct ;
and this disinclination is exquisitely illustrated in
the case of the two widows of the deceased Raja.
The aspect of the kinsman is said to have excited sifniinrant tw
their alarm/* and thus has given rise to the curious ^^<*°^«-
tradition of the birth of the blind Dhritaraslitra, the
pale PAndu, and the slave-bom Vidura.
The fourth legend, which refers to PAndu and Ji^^j-^f^^irrnd c.r
Dhritardshtra, is chiefly of importance as bringing ^'^"^•»*'»>''»-
their respective sons upon the stage, who were known
as the Pandavas and Kauravas, and who ultimately
engaged in the famous war which forms the loading
subject in the Mahd Bhdrata. The narrative is as
follows : —
When Dhritardshtra. the blind, and Pdndu, the pale, Edumtionofthe
and Vidura, the slave-born, were yet boys, they were care- rawwi up to vi-
fully edacated by their uncle Bhishma; and they were
taught the rules of good conduct and polite manners, and
practised in the use of arms. And Bhishma ruled the Bnj PAndn instaiUHi
until they should be grown ; but when they were of suffi-
cient age, Dhritardshtra was set aside because of his blind-
ness, and Vidura because his mother was a slave. So the
Raj fell to Pandu, and ho was installed by Bhishma as Baja
of Bhdrata.
After this Raia Pdndu married two wives, and their P^ndu mnrripa
•' ^ ^ twowivcH.Kuiiti
names were Kuntf and Mddrf. Now Kunti was tne anJ Midrt.
adopted daughter of Kunti-bhoja, a Baja who dwelt in the
Vindhya mountains, but her real father was Sura, the
grandfather of Krishna, and she became the wife of Pdndu
'* In the MahSi Bh&rata the terror of the women is said to have been excited
St the gaant aspect of the sage, who was wasted away with religions austerities.
Tbfe iWbuls are rckted at great length and with much simplicity in the poem, hut
are not suited to the tastes of European readers.
&i
mtfitL^i^
4f
HSROVTor becauise ahe had chosen him mt her SwajamTanL But
Kidri v&s a lady of the Kadrm ooantiy, whom Bhishma had
btDoghs with money and jewds from her brodier Salja^ who
waa the Raja of Madra.
Thia Raja Pindn waa a mighty warrior, and he carried
on many wars, and conqoered many countries, so that in
hia time the Raj waa aa great and glorious as it was in tho
old time of Raja Bharafa " Bat Raja Pimda was moA
given to hanting, and when aome years had passed sway,
he went away with hia two wires to the Himflaya moimtsin%
and apent hia time in hunting deer. And fire sons weva
bom to Pindn, namely, three sons by Knnti, and two aoni
by Madrid and their names were Yndhishthira, Bhfiii%
Arjnna, Nakola, and Sahadera. And it ao happened thst
one day Pindn ahot hia arrows at two deer ; and the two
deer were a Brahman aage and his wife, who were accom*
panying together in that form ; and the Brdhman assumed
hia proper ahape and cursed Pindu that he should die in
of the embrace of one of his wives. Then Pfindu took the
vow of a Brahmachari, and gave all hia wealth and goods to
the Brihmans, and lived apart from hia wives ; but one day
he sought the company of his wife Mddn, and he perished
in her arms according to the curse of the sage.
When Raja Pandu had thus died, his sons built up a
funeral pile on which to bum his dead body, and his wives
disputed together as to which of them should bum berself
alive upon the pile with the dead body of the Raja. And
Kunti said : — " I must bum myself with the Raja, for I was
his first wife and his chief Ranf.^' But Mfidrf said : — '* Not
so, for I was his favourite wife, and he died out of love
for me.'' And the Brdhmans who were there listened to
all that the two women had to say, and they decided in
Utdttth.
MAdit
bormknnieir
■JiTv vith her
dcwIkaslMud.
** B«ja P&nda ii said to hare nndertakeii a great campaign, which woaU
hare extended his empire of er all Hindnstan, from the Panjab to Bengal, and from
the slopes of the Him&la]ras to the Yindhya mountains. The Daaamas, or people
of the Ten Forts, cannot be identified, though Professor H. H. Wilson thinks that
they may be found in the neighbourhood of Chattisgurh in the Central FtOTincei
(see Wilson's note, Mshnu Pur&na, p. 186). Magadh& corresponds to the modem
Bahar. Mithila is the modem Tirhtit, famous as the birth-j^ace of Sit&, the wi£i
of R&ma.
I. — FAMILY TRADinOKS. 65
bvonr of Mddri. So Mddrf laid herself upon the pile by history of
khe side of her dead husband, and perished in the fire. past^
Meantime the blind Dhritardshtra had reicrned over the r
Baj of Bharata, and he sent messengers to the Raja of ^j"^ ^^"^i^'
S4adh&ra, to ask for his daughter Grdndhdri in marriage.
And the Baja of Gdndhdra betrothed his daughter to ManiM G4nd.
Dhritardshtra ; and when the damsel heard that she was gtopyof(54nd.
betrothed to a blind husband, she tied a handkerchief Si^heldi?****"
roond her eyes, so that she might be like unto her lord.
ind Grdndhilri was conducted to the city of Hastindpur by
ler brother Sakuni, and married to Baja Dhritardshtra,
tocording to the ordinance; and thenceforward she ever
emained blindfold in the presence of her husband Dhritar-
ahtra. And (Hndhdri gave birth to a family of sons, who SonsofDhntar-
rere named Kauravas after their ancestor Kuru, to distin- G4ndh4ri.
' t m » 1 x>/ -1 knowii ma the
[Diah them firom the Pundavas or sons of Pdndu. And the K»urav»».
Idest of her sons was named Duryodhana, and the chief
mong his brethren was Duhsdsana.
Now when Mudri had burnt herself with the dead body Kunti arrives »t
m-n ' -m t -rr / t n • /» i HaHtillA|>urwith
f Baja Pandn, Kunti, the first wife, set out to return to the ^e Ave aons of
ity of Hastindpur, accompanied by the five sons of the de-
Msed Raja. And Kunti and the five Pdndavas arrived at
le palace, and told the blind Raja Dhritardshtra how his
rother Pdndu had perished in the jungle. And Raja Dhri-
jfshtra wept much at hearing of the death of his brother,
id duly performed the funeral rites of bathing and ofiering
>lAtions of water to the soul of the deceased Pundu. And
i received his sister-in-law Kunti and the five Pdndavas The p&ndayafl
ith much affection, and they took up their abode in his palace with the
ilace along with Gdndhdri and the Kauravas.
The foregoing legend demands some eonsidcra- Review of the
3n. Pdndu is said to have obtained the Raj, be- onK^nSl"
,use his elder brother was blind, and his younger
■other was the son of a slave girl, a Siidra. But
seems difficult to understand why the younger
rother should have been taken into consideration.
'he wliito complexion of Pdndu was however re- K'*'^**^^''
TOL. I. 5
• f.
66 THE UAIUL BHARilTA.
HI8T0RT OP garded as a blemish, and was probably indicative of
pabt II. leprosy. Accordingly it may be inferred that Pdnda
would have been excluded like Dhritardshtrai had it
not so happened that Vidura was begotten upon a
slave,
guii^dauid^ The marriages of PAndu are also deserving of
Findii*! nw- notice. Kuntf was his first and most celebrated wife^
!ui!ichtiit^the but her origin is involved in some obscurity. She
«h^ m the is said to have been the daughter of Kunti-bhoja, a
Chieftain in the Vindhya mountains, and to have
chosen Pdndu for her husband at her Swayamvara.
The statement as regards her birth seems not alto-
gether improbable. The Bhojas, of whom her fiither
was Chieftain, were a rude race who appear to have
preceded the Rajputs and to have occupied tiie
Vindhya mountains in the Malwa country," and it
is just possible that P&ndu obtained a wife from such
a family. But the statement that Kuntf chose P4ndu
at her Swayamvara is open to suspicion, for it seems
scarcely possible that she should of her own accord
have chosen a man for her husband who was white
complexioned, or who, in other words, presented the
appearance of a leper. But another statement is
HjththatKunu added which is still more questionable. She is said
WM the daufrh- ^
TOndfctiw*^'' to have been the daughter, not of Kunti-bhoja, but
*^'**' of a Cliieftain named Sura, who belonged to tiie YA-
dava tribe; and it is added that Sura and Kunti-
bhoja were friends, and that the latter was childless,
and therefore Sura presented him with Kuntf, whilst
still an infant, to bring up as his own daughter.
orijrfnoftho Now Sura was the grandfather of the celebrated
17 Comp. Wilson's note to Tishnu Pur£aift, pp. 186, 418. The tribe of Bhcjai
are said to be still represented by the Dhar Bajas. Belies of the tribe may ibo
be found in western Bahar.
I. — ^FAIOLT TRADITIONS. 67
Krishna, and the improbable story of his giving his histobt.of
infant daughter to the Bhoja chieftain seems to bo a pIS^l
myth, introduced for the purpose of connecting the ~
family of Elrishna with that of the heroes of the
Maha Bhdxata. The extraordinary history of Krishna Aimof theBnOi-
both as a warrior and a god will form the subject jjjjjjjjj'^^ho
of consideration hereafter ; but it may bo generally iL'^wowhSSJ^f
stated that his worship was adopted by the Brtih- ^Jw'f'theiriS
mans, and that the Brahmanical compilers of the f^^^^j^^jJJJU;* o^
Mahd Bhdrata especially inculcated the worship of ^*°''^-
Ejushna as an incarnation of Vishnu. Accordingly
throughout the Mahd Bhdrata they have endeavoured
to combine as far as possible the traditionaiy history
of Ejrishna with that of the heroes who fought in the
great war, much in the same manner as they have
broufirht in the mythical history of Vydsa. There is contrast bo-
./ .f tweon the his-
however a diflference between the two attempts which ["Jj^'^;^/ Krishna
is highly significant. The traditions of Krishna are f^t SSS*^'
to a great extent historical, and true to human na- *^^"**^ ^ "**•
tore, but those relating to Vydsa are mythical in-
ventions of a supernatural character. The result is
diat whilst it is easy to eliminate the myths referring
I to Vydsa, it is difiGlcult to separate the traditions of
f: Krishna from those of Bhdrata ; and thus, whilst it
is impossible to avoid the conviction that there is no
real connection between the two series, it is bettor,
where absolute proof is not forthcoming, to permit
the connection to stand.
The story of the marriage of Pdndu to his second Madri, the sister
,_-.■' _ _ " ,. -mci of a Raja of Ma-
wife Madrf is perhaps less open to suspicion. Madra ^tJJrfi^'^iope
is the ancient name for Bhootan, and there seems ^^i? ^""^
some reason for believing that Mddrl belonged to
one of the mountain tribes occupying the southern
slopes of the Himdlayas, but probably much further
/ •
68 THE MAHA BHARATA.
HISTORY oPi to the westward than the country of Bhootan. She was
paet II. purchased with money and jewels from her brother
Salya, who is described as the Raja of Madra ; and
the customs attributed to the people of his country
are precisely of that depraved character which pre-
vails to this day amongst the tribes of the Himalayas.
BariMraiu cus- Thev iudulgcd in promiscuous intercourse without
toms of the peo- •' " . * _ n i i
pieofMMim. regard to relationship. They would eat flesh and
drink wine until they were drunk, and then would
dance together in a medley. If victorious in a battle
they never gave quarter to the enemy ; but if they
were defeated they made over their wives and chil-
dren to the conquerors without shame or concern.'*
Difflcuii^j-re. The inferonccs to be drawn from the marriages
Kui^fKuiiu of Pdndu are somewhat vague and unsatisfactory.
The statement that he obtained one wife from the
Vindhya mountains, and another from Bhootcm, is
open to suspicion ; whilst the further statement that
Kuntf was the real daughter of Sura, and only the
adopted daughter of Kunti-bhoja, is apparently
mythical.*® The compilers of the MahA Bhdrata
have 1^ frequently tampered with the text for the
purpose of associating Krishna or his family with that
of the Pdndavas, that it is difficult to accept state-
ments which have that object in view. For the
*' See the charges brought by Kama against Salja on the seTenteenth day of
the great war.
^' The only circumstances under which female adoption is recognized by the
Hind<is is in the case of prostitutes and dancing girls, who are permitted to adopt
daughters for the purpose of bringing them up to their own profession.
The traditions respecting Krishna and his family have been so extennTdy
garbled that it is difficult to arrive at the facts. Krishna's real parents are said
to haye been Vasudcva, a chief of the Y&dayas, and Devaki, a damsel of the royal
family of the Bhojas, reigning at Mathur& ; whilst his apparent parents wen
Nanda and Yasod&, a cowherd and cowherdess dwelling at Gokula. It will be
seen hereafter that the reverse is probably the truth ; that he was really the son
of a cowherd, bnt that his biographers invented an absurd and impossible myth for
the purpose of assigning to him a nobler parentage.
I. — FAMILY TRADITIONS. G9
present, therefore, the parentage of Kuntf must be history op
INDIA.
Part II.
regarded as altogether doubtful. ^^^^^'
The history of PAndu's life in the jungle is filled
with mythical details, which are introduced for the SSShof iuj»
sole purpose of ascribing supernatural powers to a j^toi '"**'*'
Brdhman's curse. He is said to have departed with
his two wives to the southern slope of the Himalayas
for the sake of indulging his passion for hunting ;
but in all probability he retired on account of his
leprosy .*** The remaining details of his life mitrht Aiwurd di taiu
weil be passed over m silence. The wild idea of a ^^^"*°*-
sage taking the form of a deer, and the ostentatious
statement that Pdndu gave all his property to the
Brdhmans, are equally unworthy of criticism. But ^ifHacriflcM.f
the statement that Madrf perished with Pdndu upon f'>"';rai ph.- of
*^ I nor husbaiKi
the funeral pile demands some consideration. The oh^IJ;, i,i,^ ,,,
original idea of Satf was simply that of sending ^^SsT''^
a favourite wife to keep company with her husband
after death. When the ancient Scythians buried a
king, they strangled one of his concubines, and
buried her with him, together with his cup-bearer,
cook, groom, waiting-man, messenger, and favourite
horses.** Amongst the Thracians there existed a
still more sis^nificant custom. Every Thracian had Thmcian cu«-
^ " •' ^ torn of choosiiiK
several wives, and whenever a man died, a sharp ^*\?c^^^^'^''*^
** A cnrioiu Boddhist legend respecting the retirement of both a Princess and
a Bija on account of leprosy is to be found in the Mahawansi. A Princess named
Mja in the city of Kapila was seized with white leprosy, and was taken to a diu-
tant jungle, and placed in a large cave where she was supplied with fire, iiiel, and
all kinds of food. At the same time R{ima, Raja of Benares, was seized with the
HBM disorder, and abandoned his Raj, and retired to the same jungle. Subsc-
fnently he found a remedy in the root, leaves, fruit, and bark of a certain tree, and
Ua body became as pure as gold. Ultimately he fell in with Priya, cured her
kffOfy, and married her, and they resided in the city of Eoli.
<> HerodotuB, TV. 71. The same idea is brought forward in the story of the
adventnres of the Fftndavai during the thirteenth year of their exile in the city of
Virata, which will appear further on.
70 THE MAUA BHARATA.
HISTORY OF contest ensued between his wives as to which of
pabtil them he loved the best. On such an occasion a
number of men and women assembled to hear the
dispute, and finally settle the question ; and when
the best-beloved woman had been chosen, she re-
ceived the praises of all present, and was then slain
over the grave by her next of kin, and buried with
her husband, whilst all the others are said to have
been sorely grieved at not being thought worthy to
tifSSoiteiSiof ^^oU^w their husbands.** The legend of the Satl of
ThSJiS^** Mddrl is precisely of this character. Mddrf dis-
putes the honour with Kuntf , and urges the circum-
stances of her husband's death as a proof that she
was the best-beloved, after which she sacrificed her-
self upon the funeral pile.** How this extraordinary
rite became sublimed into a religious duty will be
considered hereafter.
JKdit^were ^® regards the birth of the five sons of Pdn du
tSTby^thJ^. ^^ extraordinary myth has been inserted in the
Mahd Bhdrata, which has not been incorporated in
the foregoing text, but which may be briefly in-
;** Herodotus, V. 6.
^ The extraordinary self-sacrifice of M&dri is not wi^out its parallel in
modem times. In 1862, a horrible case occurred in Rajputana. A wandering
Bhat and beggar died in a Tillage at Jodhpur. His wife, aged twentj-two, ww
not with him at the time, bnt arriyed at the village one eyening six days after-
wards, accompanied by her husband's brother. She then learned for the first
time that her husband was dead, and at once declared her intention of becoming
Sati ; but she is said to haye been dissuaded by her husband's relations, and to
haye retired for the night, haying apparently abandoned the idea. In the night
her brother>in-law heard her moving, and saw that she was collecting wood for a
funeral pile. Accordingly he assisted her, and when the pile was finished tiie
poor woman seated herself upon it, whilst her brother-in-law set it on fire. At
early dawn the people of the village saw the blaze, and came up to see what was
the matter, when they found that the woman had burnt herself to death upon the
pile.
The legend, however, respecting the Satl of M&dri is not altogether without
suspicion, inasmuch as it is the only instance recorded in connection with the
family of Bh&rata. Neither the widow of S&ntanu nor the widows of Vichitra-
virya perished upon the funeral pile.
I. — FAMILY TRADITIONS. 71
licatod here. It is said that Pdndu never had any histobt op
children, and that when he took the vows of celi- pIm n.
mcj he permitted his two wives to invite the gods ' i '
o their embraces. Accordingly Kuntf became the
Qother of Yudhishthira by Dharma, or personified
drtue ; of Bhfma, by Vdyn, the god of wind ; and
rf Arjuna, by Indra, the sovereign of the gods. In
ike manner, Mddri became the mother of Nakula
ind Sahadeva by the two Aswins. This myth fiir-
dshes a valuable illustration of the interpolating
process which has been carried on by the compilers
f the Mahd Bhdrata ; a process which has hitherto
»een unimpeached by the Hindiis, although replete
dth senseless contradictions. Thus in the more Paipawecontr*-
. 1 ,., • dictions in the
aythical portions of the Mahd Bhdrata, the sage {J^j^^fj^"^-
Tj&asL constantly appears as the grandfather and ^"^ ^*'*™**'
protector of the Pdndavas, whilst the Pdndavas oc-
asionally assume to be the sons of the gods speci-
ied. At the same time, in the more authentic por-
Lons the Pdndavas are invariably alluded to as the
ndoubted sons of Pdndu.
The marriage of Dhritardshtra and Gdndhdri is significance or
,,_ /» ti-viw* • i»- the marri«<?e of
ignincant from a totally different point of view. SJJ^SJSS^
rdndhdri came from the Gdndhdra country, and the
istory of the Gandharians is somewhat remarkable.
liey were a cognate race with the Kshatriyas, The G»ndh*ri-
a^i'i f -^T / A n>r\\ *"' * famous
ad fouffht in the army of Xerxes (B.C. 480)p«>pio.who»o
O J \ / name iM still pre-
nned with bows of cane and short spears, and 3|Sil^ ^ ^^*"
^ere associated with the Indians.** Originally they
ppear to have occupied Cabul on the upper Indus,
ut about the fifth or sixth century of the Christian
ra they migrated to the westward, where their
^ HerodotuB, VII. 64, 66.
^ •
72 THE MAHA BHARATA.
•HisTORT OP name is still preserved in the modern province of
FNT)f A
pakt II. Kandahar." Dhritardshtra, therefore, does not ap-
HonoflNnvof ' V^^ ^ havo intermarried, like his successors, with
i^SS^ tothe the women of Hindustan ; but he seems to have
i^eoeHOTt. sent for a wife from the country of his ancestors, in
the same way that Isaac and Jacob sought for wives
in the family of Nahor. The result was that he did
not indulge in polygamy ; and it will be seen here-
after that Gdndhdri held a position of equality with
her husband, which corresponded with the Aryan
idea of marriage.^ The sons of Dhritardshtra and
Gdndhdri were called Kauravas after their ancestor
Kuru, the son of Hastin ; and it is by this term
that they are generally distinguished from the
Fdndavas, or sons of PAndu.*^
^ See Professor Bawlinaon's learned and raliiable Essay on the obaeore tribet
contained within the empire of Xerxes. Rawlinson's edition of Harodoto^
Vol. IV. p. 175.
^ Dhritar&Bhtfa is said to have had another son, named Tuyatso, hy a wonua
of the Vaisya caste ; but there is every reason to believe that the eiistenee ti
Tuyutsu is purely mythical. According to the tradition all the sons of Dhiita>
rfrshtra were killed in the great war ; and the repugnance felt at the idea that ba
should die without a son seems to have led to the introduction of Ynyntsa. Tin
point will be further noticed hereafter.
^ Another Brahmanical myth of the usual type has been inserted in this ptzt
of the Eshatriya tradition, for the sake of glorifying the miraculous powers of that
imaginary and unreal personage, the sage Vy6sa. G&ndh&ii is said to have owed
the existence of her family to the interposition of this sage. Having on ona
occasion hospitably entertained Vy&sa, he offered her a boon, upon which she n*
quested that she might become the mother of a hundred sons. Accordingly alter
two years' gestation, she produced a lump of flesh, which Vy6M divided into a
hundred and one pieces, and placed in as many jaxa, and the ood» were nlti-
mately bom firom the jars !
CHAPTER II.
EARLY FEUDS AT HASTINAPUR.
Having thus disposed of the group of legends history op
which refer to the ancestors of the Kauravas and pakt ii.
P4ndavaSy it will be necessary to take into consider- Historical value
ation those which are connected witli the early reforrinTtS th«
• 1 1-111 1 t /• TNI parly rivalry bo-
nvauy which broke out between the sons of Dhri- ^vTaJId i£l-'
iardshtra and the sons of Pdndu, and which led to ^"^
the first exile of the Fdndavas. This second series
of legends, although somewhat interlarded with
mythical matter, is of considerable historical value.
It throws light upon the so-called education which
prevailed in the Vedic age. It illustrates the re-
lations which subsisted between the Aryan settlers
and the original inhabitants. It also comprises a
curious account of an exhibition of arms, which was
evidently the origin of the later tournament. Tho
main incidents of this portion of the narrative may Main incidents.
be thus indicated.
Ist, Jealousies between the Kauravas and Pdn-
davas, and attempt of Duryodhana to take the life
of Bhfma.
2nd, Education of the Kauravas and Pdndavas
by Drona.
3rd, Legend of the son of the Bhfl Raja, and
his skill in archery.
7*1 THE MAHA BHARATA.
HISTORY OF 4th, Exhibition of arms at Hastindpur.
INDIA. ^
pabt il 5th, Legend of the birth of Kama.
6th, War against Drupada, Raja of Panch^a.
7th, Rivalry between Yudhishthira and Duryod-
hana for the post of Yuvaraja.
lit, jeftiousies The narrative of the jealousies between the
Kw^jrwand Kauravas and Pdndavas, and the attempt of Dnr-
yodhana to take the life of Bhfma, may now be
related as follows : —
AttempiofDur. Afler this the Kauravas and the P^davas were hrouglit
IheureofBhima. up together in the old palace at Hastindpur^ and they sported
together^ and were taught together^ without any favour
being shown to any one more than to the others ; hut from
the days of their early youth the sons of Dhritardshtra were
ever jealous of the sons of Pdndu. Now about this timt
Duryodhana^ who was the eldest of the Elanravas, became
very jealous of the strength of Bhlma^ and he resolved to
work evil against Bhfma. And on a certain day Duiyod-
hana put poison into Bhima^s food^ and when Bhfma had
eaten he was seized with a deep sleep^ so that he seemed like
one who is dead. Then Duryodhana lifted him up^ and car-
ried him to the river Ganges^ and threw him into the stream;
and Bhima sank in the deep waters^ but he was not drowned^
for he descended into the great city of serpents which is
Biitma'rt cNCTpe underneath the earth. And the serpents recovered him from <
to the city of ^ ^ *
Serpents. the poisou, and gave him a drink which made him as strong
Bhima*8groftt as ten thousand serpents. And Bhfma took leave and re-
•tmigth. ^^^^^ ^ ^^^ ^.^y ^^ Hastindpur, and he had henceforth
great strength^ and was the mightiest of the mighty.
Review oft ho Tho forogoing legend presents a very mythical
g«ur appearance. In the first place, it may be remarked
Mythicni cha- that tho bards of the Mahd Bh&rata exhibit from the
•tory ofBiimm'8 first a palpablo leaning towards the Pdndavas, and
Duryodhana. 'veoro quito Capable of inventing a myth for the sake
of blackening the character of the opposite party.
n. — ^EABLY FEUDS. 75
Secondly, the escape of Bhfma from the bottom of history op
a river to the city of serpents is unquestionably pabtii.
mythical, and belongs to that group of legends
which confounded real serpents with a tribe of
Scythians named Nagas, and which will be more
fully discussed hereafter.
The next incident, namely, the education of the sud. Edacation
Kaurayas and Pdndavas, is more valuable, and may JJJJ^^^**^^
be related as follows : —
Some time after this a famous Bruliinaii preceptor^ named Arrival of Drona
Drona^ who had cause of quarrel with the neighbouring
Raja of Panchdla, arrived at the city of Hastindpur. And
Bhishma rejoiced to see Drona, and made him very welcome,
and requested him to instruct the Kauravas and Pandavas in
arms and sciences. And Drona said : — '^ This I will do, but Droim oducnt< s
- - i» n x* J • xi_ r the l*rincc«, on
when the young men are lully practised m the use ot arms, condition that
they most fififht for me acfamst the Kaia of Fanchala. bo fiKiittheKajaof
Bhishma agreed, and Drona took up his abode in Hastindpur ;
and Bhfshma gave Drona his half-sister in marriage. And Marriago of
Drona took great pains in teaching all the young men, but
lie especially delighted in teaching the Pandavas. To Yud- practice in tho
hishthira he imparted the use of the spear, but that young duiuww. ami*^*
Prince became more renowned for wisdom and goodness than
for deeds of arms. To Arjuna he taught the use of the bow,
and Aijnna became the most famous archer of his time. To
Bhima he taught the use of the club, for Bhfma was a young
man of great appetite and enormous strength, and could
wield the clnb right lustily. To Nakula he taught the whole Taming hones.
art of taming and managing horses, and to Sahadcva he
taught the nse of the sword and a perfect knowledge of as-
tronomy. And Drona instructed the Kauravas in like man- Astronomy.
ner, as well as his own son Aswatthdma. But of all his
]rapil8 the most beloved was Arjima, for ho was the most
perfect of all ; and thus whilst Duryodhana, the eldest of the Duryodhann's
Kauravas, was jealous of all the Pdndavas, he was the mo8t]lSJi"^°^^'
jealooB of Arjona.
0 /
76 THE MAUA BUARATA.
HISTORY OF Tho education of the Kauravas and Pdndavas is
Past il vcry briefly indicated in the foregoing legend ; but
Reyiewofthe it wiU appcaT hereafter that they followed other
SSSn^of thf^*** P^^suits of a primitive character, such as might
fCSJS.*"^ l^^-ve been expected amongst a fighting community j
in ancient times. Thus it will be seen that they I
wrartUnR. practisod wrestling, fighting with fists, throwing
S2tf4*t£r*^ stones, and casting a noose. They also went out
SS^iiR cattle every three years into the pastures to mark all the
yean. calvos which had been born during the interval, and ■
PraotiojMtron- to rc-mark all the other cattle. The astronomy that !
was taught was no doubt of a practical character;
and was either to enable the yoimg men to find their
way through a jungle in the night-time, or else to.
assist them in calculating nativities, or really to im*
part to them some primitive knowledge of the move-
ments of the heavenly bodies, and the recurrence of
months, seasons, and years.
tfcifSron* w^ An interesting circumstance is connected with
L'Stri?!!' **' * the education of the young men, namely, the
selection of a tutor or preceptor, which opens up a
curious question as to whether Drona was a Brdhman
or a Kshatriya. In the previous generation the
venerable Bhfshma had undertaken the education of
the fathers, but from causes not stated he appears to
have taken no part in the tuition of the sons. This
duty is said to have been fulfilled by an able and
veteran warrior named Drona, who was engaged for
Marr!iM?e of tho purposc, aud who was retained in the household
ofTheflimiiyof by bciug married to a damsel of the family named
KripA, who was apparently the daughter of old Raja
Sdntanu by a slave girl. He appears to have been
treated, both by his pupils and the Chieftains of the
house, as an experienced and honoured veteran.
n. — ^EABLY FEUDS. 77
ne slight difficulty occurs in the narrative, which history of
, however, capable of explanation. Drona had a pajit n.
n named Aswatthdma, whom he educated together Dmna'H son. ab-
^th the Kauravas and Pdndavas. From this state- ^^^ ^^^^ »>»«
Kmiravas aiid
ent it must be inferred that Drona married Kripa i^'^<^^'»»-
^me years before taking upon himself the office of
istructor; for, otherwise, AswatthAma would have
;en an infant in arms when the Kauravas and Pdn-
ivas were almost men.
It will subsequently be seen that Drona is occa- Efforts of the
n i J /• -1 • j^ n Brahnianical
onally represented as a family priest as well as an comptierH to ro-
stroctor in the use of arms ; that he offered up SfS^iiuTMiPu-
■ayers to the gods on public occasions ; and that he 1^11!^^°''^*°'''^
as treated by his pupils with a reverence approacli-
ig the divine homage which is due to a religious
rdhman preceptor, rather than with the ordinary
spect which would be paid by young men to an
der. This circumstance is deserving of some
^nsideration. It seems ceii;ain that Drona was a
arrior and a Kshatriya. He occupied the same
isition as regards the sons of Dhritarashtra and
Indu which Bhfshma occupied as regards their
thers^ and Bhfshma was unquestionably a Ksha-
lya. On the other hand, the Brdhmans were essen-
jly priests, and are never represented as warriors,
ccepting in some wildly supernatural legends,
hich are utterly unworthy of credence. Tlie
rahmanical compilers of the Mahd Bhdrata, how-
''er, appear to liave resolved on representing Drona
; a Brahmanical priest and preceptor, correspond-
g to the Purohita, or family priest, who occupies
\ important a position in the modern social system
r the Hindus. Accordingly, they have introduced
a absurd story respecting his birth, which consists
78 THE BIAHA BHARATA.
HISTORY OP wholly of supernatural details of the character
IN^DIA
pabt li. already indicated, and which in itself is utterly
devoid of interest, excepting on account of the
object for which it has been inserted, namely, that
of representing Drona as a Brdhman.'
DistinHion be- Hcro it may be convenient to point out the
cia^ of Brth- distinction between two classes of Brahmanical
mans; ri%.
(I.) The Puro-
priest. ^ These Brahmanical myths, when closely intertwined with the Kihali^
crait ^^ini. ^''^^^^^ '^^ introduced for the sole purpose of eoncealing the real trnth, an a
Mtio^ead. decided difficulty to the hiBtorian. He may he ahle to untwine the one from tkt
other, and even to explain the process by which he has separated the trath tnm
the fahlc, but he is more or less restrained hy the character of the sapematmal
details, which can rarely he introduced without a shock to modem delicacy. At
the same time, the reader can he scarcely expected to accept the judg:ment of a his-
torian without some proofs of its heing based upon a sufficient data ; and aeeofi^
ingly the task of separating truth from fable in the present instance most be at-
tempted.
The myth is as follows : — Drona was the son of a fiunons Brfthmaa sagi^
named Bharadw&ja ; the germ from which he sprung having escaped from At
sage whilst inflamed at the sight of a celestial nymph. Dnipada, BtjtL of Fnu
ch&la, was bom under similar circumstances of a Raja named Piishati, and
educated together with Drona by the sage Bharadw&ja. Subsequently^ aa
tioned in the text, Drona had a fisud against Drapada, because when Dnipada
succeeded his father in the Raj, he did not treat his old fellow-pupil with V^m^"—
and respect ; but rather taunted him with the inferiority of his position as a msB-
dicant Briihman when compared with that of a Kshatriya or Raja. Hence Drona
entered the service of Mah&raja Dhritar&shtra for the very purpose of obtaining
rcvengo against Dmpada.
The tmth may probably be as follows : — ^The association of Drona and Dn-
pada, both as regards the similarity of their births and their being edocated to-
gether by the same sage, very likely had a natural basis, and in aU probability that
basis was family relationship. Moreover, it is distinctly stated that in their youth
they had agreed to divide the Raj between them ; and Drona says plainly that
had Dmpada adhered to this agreement there would have been no war. Tldt
simple hypothesis at once clears away every difficulty. Dmpada and Drona weif
probably brothers. The former succeeds to the Raj of Panch&la, whilst Drona goes
into exile ; and Drona finally marries a lady of the house of Bh&rata, and under-
takes the education of the Eauravas and P&ndavas, on condition that they ulti-
mately undertake an expedition against Dmpada. It will be seen, hereafter, that
the result of the expedition was that the Raj of Panch&la was divided, the half
going to Drona whilst the romaining half was left with Dmpada.
The Brahmanical compilers also insert another myth, to the effect that Kripfc
the wife of Drona, was bom from a Br&hman named Gautama, the son of Ootami,
in the same unnatural manner as her husband had been. The object of this myth
is obvious. Having represented Drona to be a Br&hman, it was necessary thst
his wife should be bom of a Br&hman also. It may be added that Kripfc had a
brother named Kripa.
J
n. — EARLY FEUDS. 79
dignitaries, which, according to Brahmanical ideas, history of
1 * A 1 o A * * •!• 1 INDIA.
have existed from time immemorial ; inasmuch as a pakt ii.
clear perception of these two priestly orders will
enable the historian to explain with greater clear-
ness the character and scope of some of the most
important of the Brahmanical interpolations. The
great mass of Brdhmans may be regarded as mendi-
cant priests. They are feasted on occasions of
births, marriages, deaths, and other periods of
ceremony and festival; and large gifts arc distri-
buted amongst them in times of sorrow and trouble,
as well as in times of joy. Again, every Brdhman
who is acquainted with the different formulas of
worship, may become an officiating priest, and
receive pay accordingly. But there are two special
Brahmanical orders, who form an essential part of
the fiamework of Hindii society, and who for ages
have effectually garrisoned and defended the social
system against any hostile attack, whether of foreign
religions from without or of heresies from within.
These two orders are the Purohita, or family priest ;
and the Guru, or great ecclesiastical head. In rela- ^"^™]^^*^J;
tive position they correspond generally to that of BiSillJs Jfr ciIhs
Chaplains and Bishops in Christian communities ; tics, oxcvptitif^
JT JT / thai tho oillces
excepting that the offices, like those of all Hindu ^ hereditary.
institutions, are hereditary ; and that sons, real or
adopted, have been known to succeed their fathers
as Purohitas or Gurus for many generations. Occa-
sionally a Hindii family becomes divided, and the
new branch entertains a new Purohita. In like
manner also a Brdhman of great wisdom, or austeri-
ties, or endowed with a powerful eloquence, or in-
vested by the popular voice with supernatural
powers, suddenly appears before the world as a new
80 THE MAHA BHARATA.
HISTORY OP and famous Guru, surrounded by a band of disciples '
INDIA ' ti r
pakt II. or followers, and ultimately succeeds in founding a
new sect, of which he is the spiritual head.
Duties of the Tho Purohlta is essentially a family priest and a
Piirohita.Mm , , •■ ,
KiJXililn- rehgious preceptor. Amongst the poorer classes he
SSflMl'i"cfJ!Q. niay officiate for very many families, in which case
Mdaiienvo^^' ho cmploys assistants^ and gives them a stipulated
share of the gifts and other perquisites which he may
receive. But amongst the richer classes, the duties
of a Purohlta are confined to a single family, and
under such circumstances his influence becomes
paramount in the household. He performs all the
necessary religious rites and ceremonies for the
members of the family, and impaiis religious in*
struction fi^om the sacred books. At the same time,
he is the repository of all the fekmily secrets, and the
confidential and authoritative counsellor in all times
of doubt and difficulty. He is also fi'equently en-
gaged in more secular matters, such as the settlement
of disputes ; and in modem times a Hindd Zemindar
or Raja has occasionally employed his Purohita as
an ambassador or envoy.
The Guru, or Tho GuHi holds a still higher position in the
■ect- Brahmanical hierarchy. He is the head of the re-
ligious sect to which the family may belong; and
His ecciesiast- hc is firencrally enim&^ed in extensive ecclesiastical
visitations or tours, accompanied by a bancL oi dis-
ciples who occasionally act as assistant Gurus. Dur-
ing his progress he levies such contributions as he
may be able to impose upon the families belonging
to his sect; he likewise confirms the younger Hin-
diis, who have attained a suitable age, by a number
of ceremonies which need not be repeated here. Ac-
SiS!^^"** cording to the popular belief he is entitled to divine
II. — EARLT F£UDS. 81
p, for he can work miracles and forgive sins, history op
ledictions can bring down health, wealth, and paht ii.
ie ; whilst his curses can burn up armies, re-
lountains, change the courses of rivers, or hurl
LJas from their thrones. By virtue of these h« temporal
3d spiritual powers he exercises very large
al powers. He can excommunicate an offender
Ls family, as well as from his sect or caste ;
alone can restore the degraded wretch, who
ise is doomed to a life of utter solitude and
ongst the ancient Kshatriyas to whom the {^'»^*|2!"i2Sii'®'
ihdrata refers, there may possibly have been Ei^ex^JtS*"*'
1 . .1 i • 1 r^ Ti " araoiifrat the an-
tas, but there certainly were no Gurus. It is cient Kshatn-
oily impossible that Drona, whilst instructing
urayas and Pandavas in the use of arms, may
cted as a family priest.* But the ancient Question of gu-
J J^ rus amongst the
Qtatives of the modem Gurus were mythical JSJfdiiprov^Jd by
t* I TT / • • a1 the mythic I'ha-
or sages, of whom Vyasa is pre-eminently racteror the tra-
*^, •', ^ "^ ditiont respect-
)e ; and their presence is not only never ne- ^"8 ^*»«°»-
to the story, but is invariably foisted on to
latriya tradition by some supernatural details
sufficiently betray the nature and object of
bDowing texts in the Aitareya Br&hmanara indicate not only that it was
' a Raja to engage a Purohita, but that the ancient Rajas were some-
^ned to engage a Purohita.
about the office of a Purohita. The gods do not eat the food offered
irho has no Purohita. Thence the Raja, even when not intending to
rifice, should appoint a Br&hman to the office of Purohita.
Agni VaisTanara, who is the Purohita, is possessed of fire destructive
Vith them he surrounds the Raja for his defence, just as the sea sur-
eartb. The empire of such a ruler (Arya) will be safe. Neither vr\\\
n the expiration of the full life term (100 years) ; but live up to his
d enjoy the full term apportioned for his life."— Ilaug's translation,
. 628, 630.
ig is of opinion that the institution of a Purohita, as a political func-
rell as a house-priest, may be traced back to the remotest times. See
I to the Aitareya Br&hmanam, p. 67. His opinion is valuable, but his
nconcluATe.
I. 0
82 THE MAHA BHARATA.
HISTORY OP the interpolation. Moreover it must always be borne
Part II. i^ mind that the later Brahmanical compilers of the
GmrbiinK of the Mahd BhArata were undoubtedly Gurus, and that
^^tPurohitutho reciters or readers of the Mahd Bhdrata are to
this day either family priests, or Brdhmans engaged
for the purpose. Consequently every opportunity
has been afforded to the Brdhmans for carrying out
their interested purpose of exalting their own caste
in the eyes of the community at large.
ftrd. Legwd of But to proccod with the traditionary history of
the ion of the *^ • .
SSitmtwoof t^^® great war of Bhdrata. During the period that
ezere?£d b^^e Droua was instructing the Kauravas and Pdndavas
oyer their »bo- in tho usc of axms, an incident occurred which throws
rildnftl neigh- ^ '
**"'* an unexpected light upon the supremacy exercised
by the Kshatriya settlers in the Raj of Bhdrata over
the aboriginal populations in their neighbourhood.
dJS! wnditiS!*" -A^mongst all the Hill tribes which appear to repre-
oftheBhii*. g^jj^ tjjg more ancient inhabitants of India, and
which have preserved their rude habits and man-
ners to the present day, there are none more re-
markable than the Bheels or Bhlls. These people
still occupy the hill tracts of Kajputana and central
India, and in ancient times seem to have dwelt in
much the same localities ; having Rajas or CliieftaioB
of their own, but acknowledging or dreading the
supremacy of the Kshatriyas. In the Mahd Bhdrata
they appear to the south of the Jumnd, and in the
immediate neighbourhood of the Raj of Bhdrata;
whilst in the Rdmdyana they make their appearance
further to the east, near the junction of the Jumni
and Granges. To this day the Bhfls are cattle-lifters,
highway robbers, hunters like Nimrod and Esau,
capable of almost any outrage, yet imbued with a
sense of truth and honour strangely at contrast with
n. — NEARLY FEUDS. 83
their external character. At the same time, they history op
INDIA
are yielding so perceptibly to the personal influence part n".
of British administrators, and the advancing tide of
British civilization, that within a few generations
they will be probably converted into peaceful and
industrious men.
The legend of the son of the Raja of the Bhfls The legend.
may now be related as follows : —
When the Kanravas and Pdndavas were well practised Flocking of aona
^ of Ri^as to Ufc*-
in the use of arms, so that men could see tlieir strength and tinApur to leani
' ^ " arch«ry flpom
skilly the fame of Drona became noised abroad, and many i^ro"*-
sons of Rajas flocked to the city of Hastindpur to take
lessons from so great a preceptor. And it came to pass Arrival of the
that the son of the Baja of the Bhils came to Hastinapur, Raja.
and prostrated himself at the feet of Drona, and prayed
that he mieht be taught to shoot with the bow. But Drona Drona reftwes to
o o tea*'h the BhiL
refosed to teach the Bhfl, saying : — " The Bhfls are a race
of highwaymen and cattle-lifbers, and it would be a sin to
teach them the use of weapons.^' At these words, the sorrow of the
son of the Bhfl Raja returned to his own country, but he
was veiy sorrowful, for he had greatly desired that Drona
should teach him the use of the bow.
After this, the son of the Bhil Raia made a clay imac^e The Bhii sets up
, a (rlay imase of
of Drona, and he set it up, and performed worship before prona. and
^^ *■ leanis archery
it; and he practised the use of the bow m the presence of ^vI)^nctisinKlH)-
' , * ^ fore the iuia|i;c.
the clay image. And after many days the young man
acquired great skill in archery by virtue of the clay imago,
and the fame of his shooting was spread abroad on all sides,
and great complaint was made to Drona, that by his means
the Bhfl had become a mighty archer. So Drona went to
the Bhfl country, accompanied by all the young men of the
royal house of Hastindpur ; and they beheld the shooting of Drona contrm-
the Bhfl, and saw that it was very ffood. And Drona de- the Bhu's arch-
erv but i> re-
termined to spoil the archery of the Bhfl, and he called to strained by his
* •' subuiissioM.
him and commanded him to cut off the forefinger of his
right hand. And the Bhfl fell down and worshipped Drona,
84 THE MAHA BHARATA.
BISTORT OF and prepared to do as he had been commanded ; bat the
TAnU. heart of Drona was touched by the obedience of the Bhil,
and he ordered him to stay his hand and leave his forefinger
whole. But Drona still feared lest the Bhil should become
too powerful an archer ; and he bound him over by a solemn
oath never more to shoot with his forefinger^ but to draw his
arrow through his middle fingers only ; and this became the
custom amongst the Bhfls, and they shoot the bow with
their middle finger until this day.
fcJJSi* iSdi- The foregoing significant tradition bears gener-
ReiigkHwwor- allv the stauip of truth. The devotion which is
■hip paid in mo- '' *"
flSJSilitehJl^ implanted in the breasts of Indian soldiery at the
deeds of some daring hero, will frequently lead them
to pay divine honours to his image ; and it is notori-
ous that the gallant John Nicholson was worshipped
by his men as a demi-god, although with a soldier^s
simplicity he punished all who engaged in such un-
SSfSSfthS hallowed rites. The display of feeling on the part
KBhAtrijras. ^£ ^^^ Ksliatriyas at finding that the Bhfl was as
good an archer as themselves, would be shared by
any band of foreign settlers who were called upon
to maintain an ascendancy over a native population
ScSS uielSi. l>y their superior skill in warfare. The cruel in-
tention of Drona to cut off the forefinger of the
Bhfl may be accepted as an illustration of the bar-
theaiiJ^?u»- barous character of the age. The final statement,
Bhua shoot the however, that the Bhfl obeyed the command of
bow with the ^ •' •
middle fingers Drona, and that the whole tribe adopted the cus-
tom of shooting with their middle fingers only,
may be fairly questioned. It is scarcely in accx)rd-
ance with human nature that a tribe so numerous
as the Bhfls should have obeyed a law so detrimental
to their efficiency in war, and one which no enemy
could have enforced. Moreover, in the present day
U. — EARLY FEUDS. 85
the Bhfls have lost all memory of the tradition, and history op
shoot their arrows in the usual way.' pIkt li.
The legend of the public exhibition of arms at 4th, puwic ex-
Hastindpur, at which the Kuravas and Panda vas dis- •t'uMtiSlpir.'*
played their skill before all tlie Chieftains and ladies
of the royal house, is exceedingly curious and inter-
esting ; inasmuch as it was evidently an institution
of the Kshatriyas, resembling in a remarkable deorrec R«icmbiaiice to
/•I /• 1 • 1 r« • » tournament.
the tournaments of the age of chivalry. Sometimes
these public exercises took place, as on the present Jf^^JJJ'JIIJ-l*
occasion, to enable the younger Chieftains to display J;! Jj^" ^^ •"°»'
their prowess before all the people of the Raj. AtuitionproW.
others however it was undertaken at a Swayamvara, ^^.^ The sw^--
fur in certain cases the daughter of a Raja was not
called upon to indicate the husband of her choice,
but became the passive prize of that Kshatriya who
distanced all his compeers in the performance of some
difficidt exploit. Under these latter circumstances
the Swayamvara seems to have borne so strong a re-
semblance to the tournament, that it might almost
be regarded as the origin of the institution. Subse- ^'^^\t^^^^^^
quently, at a later period in the history of Hindii ^'^^^""b-
civilization, the feats of arms were no longer per-
formed by Chieftains of high rank, in the hope of
winning a Princess as a bride ; but the exhibition
degenerated into a mere prize ring, where profes-
inonal boxers and wrestlers fought each other, or
fought with bears and tigers, for the pleasure of the
> For this infoniiation I am indebted to Colonel R. J. Meade, the agent to
the GoTernor-Gencral in Central India, and to Lieutenant T. Cadell, the Bhil
agent. Lieutenant Cadell kindly attempted to verify the tradition by directing a
Domber of Bhila, who were in his camp, to practise at a butt ; but they all drew
the bow with the fore and middle fingers, the arrow being held between the two,
and declared that they did so after the manner of their ancestors. They knew no
tndition of the custom mentioned, but the Earkoons, or writers, who were pro-
■ent, had heard or read of it.
80 THE HAHA RH%R4TA-
iiiHToRY OP Raja and \ub ladies. Instances of all these different
INJ>1A.
PikT li. fonris of exhibitions of arms are to be found in the
Malid Bhdrata, and will in due coarse be broiight
under consideration.
Titn iiiuT»tivo. The narrative of the exhibition of arms at
Ilastindpur may now be related as follows : —
M»hMa i)hri- After a while the Kanravas and Pandavas became fblly
UrAiililm ill- <'
V!S!f V^**i? pnictiHed in the use of arms : and Dronatold the Mahiraja^
iiflraiubittSii'or ***^y'"K • — " Your own sons, and the sons of your brother
^'^ lYiiuhi, arc well skilled in the use of weapons, and able to
fi^lit against other men on the field of battle." Then the
Mahitruja replied : — '^ Let a place be prepared in the great
|)Iaiii without the city, that the young men may engage in
inork-fighting, and display their skill before all the Chiefr
MiHMvM NiiATi itud po()])lo of the Raj/' So Drona ordered every prepara-
iiU(ii' ^ tiou, and a large space was set apart in the great plain, and
ThoimniMUw. ftMirod round about with barriers. And on one side of tiie
grouiul galleries were built for the Mahiiraja and his Chief-
t^iiuH ; and on the other side galleries were set np in like
inannor Tor the ladies of the royal house of Hastindpnr.
M.iiuii(4ort)i«» Now wluMi every preparation had been made, the
Mahiiraja appointed a day for the exhibition of arms. And
uaUimim miLm^i whon tho niorniug of the day had begun to dawn, the
»<iiUiitU * " gallorioM on oithor side, and the trees that were round about,
won' adoriunl with itags of various colours, and long garlands
tht»iuMU(imii«- of Nwootly-Kinolling ilowors. After a while all the people of
Ua.sliiuipur, and great multitudes from aU parts of the Baj,
gathortMl togother round the barriers and between the
gallorios. to holiold the exercises of thesonsofDhritar&shtra
TUtiHiuUM^tM and (ho houm of IMndu. Presently the blind Mah&raja was
lod in anil took his seat upon his throne ; and Bhishma, who
nianagtul tht^ atVairs of the llaj, sat upon his right hand; and
on \\'\H loll Nat \'idura, who was appointed to describe to the
blind Maluiraja all that took place in the plain below. And
TUotMtu>nMUi« all tho i^hiotllninM of the royal house, and all the ladies of
* Ohi iurunhtm ii always ulludtHl to throughout the Mahli Bh&rata as the
M.ihuu^a, or '*()r«Mit Ut\)u,*' or Ita^a of Rajus.
II. — EARLT FEUDS. 87
Hastindpur^ were arrayed in many-coloured clotlis, and gar- history of
lands of flowers, and bright jewels, and took their scats in p^Bj^fj
like manner upon the galleries; and chief amongst the ladies
were Gdndhdri, the mother of the Kauravas, and Kunti, the
mother of the Pdndavas.
When all was ready Drona, the preceptor, and his son DronA and hiH
Aswatthdma, entered the area in pure white garments, and m% invoke the
offered up prayers to the praise and glory of the gods.
Then the younff Princes in like manner entered the area The KauravM
•^ ° and P&iidavaii
arrayed in garments of different colours, and lightly girded enter the area,
for exertion. Each young man carried his bow and Saiute Drona.
arrows in his hand, and respectfully saluted the feet of his
preceptor, and awaited his commands. Each one then in Feau or armR.
i.i*<ii>-i-iiii • 1 n Archery on fix »t,
turn exhibited his skill by shootmg arrows at a butt, first hopMbook. rir.
" *=• . phnnts.aiidcha.
on foot, and then mounted m succession upon a horse, an ""ts.
elephant, and a chariot. Next followed mock fights with Sword-flghting.
the sword and buckler. Then the whole body of pn])il8,
first on foot, and afterwards mounted as before on horses,
elephants, and chariots, exhibited their skill in archery,
whilst running, galloping, or driving round the area at full
speed. After this the young men fought with clubs, and ciub-flKhting.
the fighting was terrible to behold ; and then it was mani-
fest to all men that there was ill blood between the
Eaarayaa and P&ndavas. At one end of the area Duryod- Ck)mbati)etwc>cn
hana engaged with Bhima, and after exchanging some and'Bhima.
heavy blows, the mock combat became a downright battle.
The young men rushed upon each other like wild elephants,
and laid about them right manfully ; whilst the multitudo
without caught the spirit of the fray, and ran to and fro,
shouting some for Duryodhana and others for Bhima, until
the air was filled with noise and dust, and the whole plain
waa in great commotion. Drona sent his son Aswatthuma
to pat an end to the combat, but no one heeded him ; and
Drona at last went himself with all haste, and parted the {JJ^^J^'*"** °'
combatants by main force, and thus put a stop to the
turmoil.
When the uproar was somewhat over, Drona called upon ^^^^^*^
his &voarite pupil Arjuna to exhibit his accomplishments Aijuna.
88 THE MAHA BHARATA.
HISTORY OP before the assembly. The young Chieilain was as hand-
Paw n. '^^^^ ^ ^^® ^^ ^^^ bright gods ; and when he entered the
area^ clad in golden mail, and carrying in his hand a bow
inlaid with various colours, the multitude hailed him as
another Indra, and the heart of his mother Kunti was
filled with pride and exultation. Arjuna then performed
very many excellent feats of arms, which surpassed any
Marreiioiisftets which had ever before been seen. He set up an iron figure
mrohery, sword- of a boar upou a pillar of wood, and shot five arrows into
tugthechaknK its mouth at ouo beudintf of the bow. Next he tied a
and throwing .
the noon. coVs hom on a pole, and in one discharge shot twenty-one
arrows into the hollow of the hom. Then he mounted his
chariot and was driven swiftly along, whilst he shot his
arrows right and left with such rapidity and dexterity as
bewildered all the beholders. His sword-playing was
equally excellent, and he flourished the blade so fiercely
that men thought they saw the lightning on the earth and
heard the thunder in the sky. Then he took his quoit-
shaped chakra, and whirled it at different objects without
missing one. Lastly, he armed himself with the noose, and
threw it about with such skill, that horse or deer, or any
other animal at which he cast it, was invariably brought
down. At length he finished his exercises, and respectfully
saluted the feet of his preceptor, upon which Drona affec-
tionately embraced him amidst the applause of the whole
assembly.*
Sudden appMT- At this time, whilst the Pdndavas were exulting in the
the son of ft ch*- triumph of Arjuua, and Duryodhana was bursting with
jealous rage, another young warrior suddenly entered the
• The description of this exhibition of arms, as it appears in the Mah& Bhfc*
rata, is filled with Brahmanical exaggerations, which are pleasing to the present
taste of the Hindds, but which are excluded from the abore text, as they would
be tedious to the last degree to European readers. They include the use of weapons
which combine contradictory powers, such as arrows having a broad blade at the
point which will cut a man's head oflf ; or weapons of a supernatural character,
such as arrows producing fire, water, yenom, diseases, tempests, and other extra-
ordinary phenomena. It will, however, be seen hereafter that the weapons
described by the Brahmanical compilers of the R&m&yana are, if possible, still
more extravagant. The Br^imans in the present day point to the fibre-producing
arrows as proofs that the ancient Hind&s were possessed of fire-anna.
rioteer.
II. — ^EARLT FEUDS. 89
area^ striking his arms together with a great noisc^ after history of
the manner of the ancient wrestlers. This was Kama, the }i^^^^:
' Pakt II.
son of a charioteer from the country of Anga, who was very
skilful in the use of arms. Kama then said : — " 0 Arjuna,
yon have exhibited all your feats of arms ; come and look
on whilst I perform each one better than you.^^ At these Exultation or
words Duryodhana was in an ecstasy of joy^ whilst Arjuna ftild^ortiiuV
was much displeased^ and held his peace. Kama then^ to ***" ^ **"*"
the delight of the Kauravas^ and the disquietude of the
Fdndavas^ executed every feat which had been performed
by Arjuna ; and Duryodhana came forward and embraced
Elama, and praised his prowess, and called him '^ brother.''
At this honour, Kama was greatly pleased, and said before Kama chai-
them all that it was his desire to fight Arjuna. Then single combat.
Arjuna was in a great rage, and cried out : — '^ You desire Mutual abuw.
to place yourself on an equality with me, but I will so handle
you, that you shall learn what it is for men like you to come
here without being invited, and to speak before they are
spoken to.'' Kama replied : — " 0 Arjuna, waste not your
words, for when it comes to open fight between you and
me, yon shall see who will be roughly handled : and as you
taunt me with having come without invitation, let me tell
you that this plain is none of your property that I may not
enter it without your invitation : All other questions be-
tween us must be settled by the sword and bow, and I
will so handle you in the presence of your tutor here, that
all present shall be astonished.'' These words filled Drona Drona calls unon
. 1 ,1 <i 1 . 1 . ff-nri t 1. Arjuna to fiBUt
With wrath, and he cned out : — " Why do you listen to Kama.
Kama with patience 7 You have my leave : Go, and fight
him at once ! " So Arjuna and his brothers stepped into
the field to face ICama, and Duryodhana and his brothers
came forward to back Kama ; when a kinsman of the royal
house, named Kripa, who was the brother of the wife of
Drona, interposed to prevent a battle between the son of Kripaintftrponos
, * . . to prevent the
a Baja and the son of a charioteer. Kripa said to Kama : — battle.
" 0 young man, are you come hither to measure weapons
with Arjuna ? Elnow you that he is the son of Raja Pandu
and the Bdni Kunt{, and you must now declare the names
90 THE MAUA BHARATA.
HISTORY OF of jour fatlier and mother, that we may know whether yoa
TAwtii ""^ worthy of being matched with Arjuna/' At these words
Kama was abashed, and hong down his head like a droop-
ing lily; for he knew that his father was only a charioteor.
But Doryodhana, who desired to set np Kama against
Arjnna, replied thus to Kripa: — ''Greatness depends nol
Karamctytodanpon birth but apon strength^ and I hereby appoint
^^^ Kama to be Raja of the country of Anga/' So saying
Doryodhana took Kama by the hand, and led him to a
golden seat, and ordered the nmbreUa of royalty to be held
AiipMnnMor over his head. At this moment the father of E^ama ap»
A*^*^* peared, trembling with age, bat rejoicing in the honours
bestowed upon his son ; and when Kama saw him he threir
KMni»*s flibj down his bow and arrow and advanced to meet the old man,
and kissed his feet. Then the P&ndavas looked upon tbs
two with smiles of contempt, and Bhima said to Kama ^—
g^^^H^^^9on||^ <' Is it with such a father as this that you presume to match
gj^*<»'»»'^ yourself with Arjuna : You, the son of a charioteer, whit
have you to do with a bow and arrows ? You had better fiur
take a whip and drive a bullock-cart after your fistther.^
^^jnbiapR^ Kama was enraged at their taunts, but made no reply ; and
W^** ^ the darkness came on very rapidly. And Duiyodhana led
Kama away to his own palace, and the multitude dispersed
to their several homes.
iSS^^uiSii- '^^® picture presented in the foregoing tradition
Stt2>?^iS?*' ^^^^ f^r little or no remark. The description of the
mock combats, and the ill feeling displayed by
Doryodhana and Bhima, are perfectly tnie to human
nature, and there is no doubt that the story is so
QueRtion i«- far authcntic. But the abrupt appearance of Kama
biSofK*n». on this occasion, and his sudden elevation to the
dignity of Raja, are points of considerable interest|
and seem to invite a close investigation. That
Kama was of low birth may be accepted as a &jcb ;
but the implication that he was of low birth by
reason of his being the son of a charioteer seems
II. — ^EABLT FEUDS. 91
estion. The driying of chariots was a history of
uid royal amusement with the ancient pIstii.
3, as it was with the ancient Greeks. It Driving ch».
»n hereafter in the authentic tradition of amuaement.
Damayantf that the deserted Rdnf recog-
husband by his Airious driving ; whilst
:he virtues of Mahdraja Dasaratha, as
in the Rdmdyana, he is said to have been
charioteer. Again, the charioteer of the High nmk of
i. .-I J.J1* /»! charioteers in;
IS firequently represented as his confiden- t^^m times.
and chief adviser. Thus it will be seen
ya was the friend and charioteer of Mahd-
tardshtra, and that Sumantra was chief
and charioteer of Mahdraja Dasaratha.
* arrangers " of the Mahd Bhdrata were iu«Ron!iwhythe
...1 • . i*i Brahmuiical
anxious to throw contempt upon chariot- compilers threw
• II** 1 n » T7- > contempt upon
111 addition to the reflection upon Kama s '^« charioteers.
■e is a curious story in the narrative of the
of the rage of Raja Salya on being asked
EUama's chariot. The reason for this
n appears to be as follows : — The chariot- confidential no-
., *'iii /•1j»i *i* sitionoftheclia-
tly occupied the same conndentiai position noteer, 8ub«ft-
•^ * *^ queutly held l>.v
I towards a Raja as was subsequently filled ^JSii^l^riiSt' '''"
pohita, or family priest. Thus, just before
iig out of the great war, Raja Drupada
^orohita as envoy to Hastindpur; whilst
lira sent his charioteer as envoy to the
The inference, therefore, follows that Historical signi-
• 1 n ii * n flcanceofthe
oans were jealous oi the influence exer- change,
be charioteers ; and the substitution of a
or a charioteer probably marks the period
history when the military domination of
riyas was brought under the ecclesiastical
supremacy of the Brdhmans.
02 THE BIAHA BHARATA.
HISTORY OP As regards Kama, it seems not unlikely that
pIbt u. father was not a charioteer in the higher sense
KAim'a tether the word, but a mere carter or waggoner. The
GStrSSS?*^ language of Bhfma in taunting Kama seems tobe»^
out this view. " You had better," he said, "
a whip and drive a bullock-cart after your father.**
QneiiionofKM^ The suddcu clovation of Elama to the dignity
na being created , , ^ •
*c5^hiiSS'of •'^^J^ appears to be open to question. The goI<
the legend. g^^^. ^^ ^hich ho is Said to have been conducted
evidently mythical. The name of the terril
over which he is appointed to be Raja is eqi
doubtftil. Auga is a coimtry which lies far ai
to the eastward, in the neighbourhood of the modi
town of Bhagalpur ; and consequently would
separated by an interval of many hundreds of mi
fi*om the Raj of Bh^rata. But still the dignily
have been conferred, like that of a modem knig]
hood, without reference to territory. The right rf-
Duryodhana to create a Raja seems, however, very
dubious ; and the subsequent language of Bhima
to Kama appears to imply that there was no red)
recognition of the new rank which had been thi
bestowed upon him.
thSb^of '' The legend of the birth of Kama is nothing
more than a wild myth which has been concocted
for the obvious purpose of ennobling Kama by con-
necting him with the royal house at Hastindpur.
The myth is as extravagant and improbable as that
of the birth of Vydsa, and bears the same marks of
a Brahmanical origin ; but it may be related here,
as reference is frequently made to it in the more
Early life of Hiodcm portioHs of tho Mahd BhArata. The story
BhojM. * Now Kuntf, the wife of Raja Pdndu, was brought up in
n. — NEARLY FEUDS. 93
of Kunti-bhoja^ the Raja of the Bhojas^ and she history of
jht him to be her father ; but her real father was ^xn^u,
grandfather of Krishna.
t happened on a certain day that a sage named viHitofDur.
came to the house of Kunti-bhoja ; and he was tall
, and his hair was matted after the manner of a
md his limbs were of the colour of honey. And
said to Kunti-bhoja : — " O Raja, I am desirous of
with jouj but if I do so your people must conform
wishes ; and they must let me eat when I please,
when I please, and no one must contradict me/'
taja replied : — " My daughter Kuntf shall wait upon Kunti »ppoiiit-
•8, and I am sure that she will serve you to your jj»d 'jjjjjit upbu
ntent.'^ Then the Raja called to his daughter and
) Kuntf, this Brahman is about to dwell in my
1 you must serve him night and day ; for he is a
reat mortification, and has subdued all his senses
ictness of his austerities.'^ And Kunti had great
for Brdhmans, and she gladly promised to serve
the sage, according to the will of her father.
the Raja lodged the Brdhman in the sacrificial Kunti's dutiful
•• o ^ Berviee to the
where he had been used to kindle the sacred fire; Br^iiman.
( served the Brdhman day and night with all dili-
l purity. And Durvdsas was greatly pleased with
e of the damsel ; for sometimes he would go out in
ng, and not return till evening or midnight ; but
I always ready with various sorts of victuals to set
n ; and if he lost his temper or used harsh words,
QO notice, but continued to serve him as diligently
a year had passed away, Durvdsas said to Kunti : — Dwrvisas offers
^ . ^ ^ . tbooii to Kunti.
accomplished damsel, I am entirely satisfied with
ice ; so now ask a boon of me, and let it be such
ider you blessed beyond all other women.'' But
•lied : — '' O greatest of Brdhmans, if you and my
\ contented with me, it is as if you had bestowed
igs upon me.'' So the Brdhman taught her * ^j^^iuit?*'*"
nd said : — " Whenever you repeat this mantra, any
^ X
94 THE MAHA BHARATA.
HISTORY OF god jou dosire will descend from heaven^ and you will bear
PjLn u. ^ ^™ ^ ^^^' ^^^ shall be like unto his father/' So Euntf
made no answer, and learned the mantra ; for she feared leit I
she shoald offend the Brdhman, and he shonld pronounce i '
curse against herself and her father. And DurT&sas praiaad
her greatly to the Raja, and then left the house and went hh
way.
KuntfrepcAto One day after this Euntf beheld the bright Sun in Ite
iiTiSfcedl^tibe sky, and her soul was enlightened, and she saw the Sunia
^ the likeness of a warrior arrayed in gulden mail with eu^
rings in his ears. And she repeated the words of the maotm
that Durvdsas had taught her ; and the god left himself in tha
form of a Sun to illuminate the world, and descended to Urn
earth in the form of a Raja, with a crown upon his head aoA
bracelets upon his arms. But when Euntf saw him she im^
plored his forgiveness and besought him to return ; but h»
said : — '^ I cannot do this, for all the gods are laughing at mj
discomfiture.'^ And the eyes of Euntf were opened, and
she saw that Indra and the gods were laughing, and she WM
much ashamed. So the Sun stayed with her some timej
and then went his way.
Birth of KMnuL After this Euntf gave birth to a son with golden earring!
in his ears, and a golden cuirass upon his body ; and no one
Tiie babe floated know it, and she became a virjrin as before. And she took
In a chest upon ' °
SunSryofA***'' the infant and placed it in a chest, and with many tears and
prayers she floated it upon the river ; and the river carried
the chest into the waters of the Jumnd, and the Jumnd car-
ried it to the Ganges, and the Ganges to the country of Anga.
And the wife of a charioteer saw the chest and carried it to
her home ; and her husband opened it and found the babe
therein, and he and his wife brought it up as their own
child ; and this boy was Kama.
Eeview of the The foregoing myth is perhaps beneath criticism^
luincrSibiiity: but still tho protensions of Durv^as are very signi-
ficant, and the reference to the country of Anga is
worthy of consideration. The enormous distance
which the chest would have had to travel down the
II. — ^EARLT FEUDS. 95
Jumnd and Ganges to the country of Anga is alone history op
sufficient to render the myth of the birth of Kama vaxt ii.
altogether incredible, even if his divine paternity
could be explained away; but the object of theohj^tofth©
myth is not devoid of interest, and can easily bo
explained. Local tradition in the country which Association of
i»i 11 /.A 1 Kania with the
formerly went by the name of Anga, has preserved ]f J;^^^" **'
the name of Kama. A dynasty of Buddhist Rajas
appear to have reigned at Anga about the second
century of the Christian era under the name of
Karnas f and it is by no means unlikely that the
Brahmanical compilers sought to gratify the tastes
of the people of the country by establishing a myth-
ical connection between the Kama who fought
in the great war, with the Kama Rajas of Anga,
who flourished at a much later period. But the
vast geographical interval between Hastindpur and
Anga lias already excited a suspicion that the
connection is a fabrication; and this suspicion is
confirmed by the supernatural details which the
compilers have introduced to carry out their design.
The next legend, namely, that of the war against
Drupada, Raja of Panchdla, may now be related as
follows : —
Now when the Eauravas and Pdndavas had proved be- oth.Waraniinst
fore the Maharaja and all his Chieftains, that they were of Panch&ia.
capable of bearing arms, they were called upon by Drona
to fulfil the terms upon which he had educated them, namely,
to chastise Drupada. Raia of Panchdla. Accordingly, Dur- Dofoatofthe
'^ ' •* -t -T ^ Kaiiravas. and
vodhana and all his brethren marched out by themselves victory of the
* "^ ]*&ndava8.
against Eaja Drupada, but were defeated by the enemy, and
compelled to return to Hastindpur. Then Yudhishthira and
hia brethren marched out against Drupada, and they van-
* Thii tradition will be found in Dr Buchanan's account of the Bahar diKtrict,
■prcKiTcd in Martin's Eastern India, Vol. I.
^ if
96 THE MAHA BHARATA.
HISTORY OP quished him and all his forces, and brought him away pri-
p^^^^j soner. So Drona took the half of Drupada^s Raj, but left
the remainder in the possession of Drnpada. Then Baja
BiJ offtmchAi*. Drupada returned to his own country ; but he swore thaib '
the day should come when he would be revenged upoa
Drona.
siffiimoMifle of The story of this expedition against Drupada is
diririlmoutae ^ somewhat isolated in the Mahd Bhdrata. but still
appears to have an important bearing upon toe
main incident in the Epic. The defeat of the Kau-
ravas and victory of the Pdndavas may be somewhat
mythical ; and, indeed, chiefly serve to illustrate
the tendency of the original bards to celebrate the
praises of the Pdndavas at the expense of the Kau-
ravas. But the division of the Raj of Drupada
seems to imply that Drona had some claim to the
half share, and confirms the suspicion already ex-
pressed that Drona was a brother or near kinsman
of Drupada, and that the Brahmanical compilers
have suppressed the relationship in order to repre-r
sent Drona as a Brdhman.
Geomphicai Tho geographical position of the Raj of Panchdla
E3ofPMich4u. opens up a curious question of inquiry. The name
has been sometimes applied to the Punjab, and the
Raj certainly appears to have been situated in close
contiguity with that of Hastindpur. But Manu
identifies Panchdla with Kanouj, which is at least
two hundred miles from Hastindpur; whilst the
compilers of the Mahd Bhdrata indulge in far
grander ideas, and seem to indicate that the Raj of
Bhdrata extended over the northern Doab, whilst
the Raj of Panchdla occupied the more southerly
portion as far as the junction of the Ganges and
JumnA. It will be seen hereafter that the Raj of
ad ever been befurc, because the Kauniv^ns had be-on f"! nr yuvu-
jd by DrupaJa, and the Pilndavns hod gitincd tbo
r. Meantime the ilahdraja decided that Yudhi!>li'
:he eldest son of Piiiidu, had the best right to succeed
the Eaj ; and aa the custom was, Yudhishthira was Yiiiiiiii*ihir«
id as Yuvaraja, or " Little Raja." Then Yudhish- r:lj'i""riii.-ir-ai'
egan to rule the Raj for liis uncle the iljihuraja, and
>r7 of bis reign became greater than the glory of his
Pdndu ; for though he was not skilful in the use of
iko Bhinia or Arjuna, his wisdom and virtue were
I throughout the land, and his trutlii illness, and jus-
ad patience on all occasions rendered liini beloved by
pie.
w when Yudhishthira was appointed Yuvaraja, his j«iii,,„yori)up-
Duryodhana was in great affliction, and Duryodliana '
I day and niglit with liis brother Duhsusaua, and his
Salcnni, and hid friend Kama, how to bring about the
ction of the Pilndavas. One day when the Mahitraja Com-prsntmniip-
uite alone, Duryodhana went into his presence, and hni.a»uil tho
to him as follows : — " 0 my father, why have you u,.monfiiTitB.iit
BDch small regard for your own sons, and trcateil i,.i'„Kv"i^""
io nnworthily ? You were tho elder brother of Riija tiie ^iiiiinvM."
, and ought to have succeeded to tho Raj, but you
p the whole to your younger brotlior ; and now you
lasscd by your own eouh, and have inti-usted tlio
emont of all affairs to the sons of IMndu : Hie Raj
98 THE MAHA BHARATA.
HI8T0RT OF brother Fdndu was without an eqoal in all the world; and
-F^^ how with my blindness could I pretend to govern the Baj ?
His sons after him are endued with every qualification for
the management of affairs, and give every satisfaction to all
the people ; how then can I banish them from my councils T
Moreover, Yudhishthira possesses the most praiseworthy
qualities, such as you do not yourself possess ; how then
can I be at enmity with him, and exclude him firom the
government ?'* Duryodhana said : — ''I know of no such
qualifications as render Yudhishthira superior to me, but I
do know that in the field I am more than a match for half a
score of Yudhishthiras : So if you are resolved to exclude
me from all share in the management of the Baj, I will
certainly kill myself, and thus get rid of all my vexa-
TheMahirAfa tions/' Dhritardshtra replied : — "0 my son, why do you
offers to divide . -i-i.-i- ot/» ix
the adminiatra- giYc Way to such Violent impationcc r It you are bent
tiou between . . t ^^^ f - 1 ±1 m.
nur^hana upou cxercismg power 1 will divide the management^
thin. and give the half to you and other half to Yudhishthira;
so that henceforth there shall be no strife betwixt him
and you."
DoiyodhanaBti. When the Mahdraja had thus spoken, Duryodhana
▼talon of the Said: — "I accopt your proposition, 0 my father; but let
fused by the the couutrv be divided, so that the Pdndavas can take their
Mah&nja. '^
own land and rule there, whilst I and my brethren stay here
at Ilastindpur, and govern under you ; for if both we and
they dwell in the same place there may be feud between us,
and many of our friends may be slain." The Mahdraja
replied : — " The great head of our family is Bhishma, and ■•
he will never be satisfied if the Pdndavas are sent away to
a distance from this city ; neither will Drona or Vidura
rest content; how then can I tell them to go ? '' Duryod-
hana said : — ^' 0 Mahdraja, it is beneath your dig^nity to
consult others : Do you summon the Pdndavas, and command
them to go to the city of Vdrandvata, and dwell there for
some time; and they will obey your commands without
The Mah&raja delay, and after they are gone, nobody will trouble about
davaa to dwell the matter." Accordingly the Mahdraja did as Duryod-
citvofVAranA- hana Counselled. He sent for Yudhishthira and said to
vata.
n. — ^EABLT PEUDS. 99
him : — '' O my son, there is a renowned city, rich in histoby of
INDIA.
Past II.
gold and jewels, named Ydrandvata : Go thither, you ^^dia.
and yoor brethren, and dwell there for some time; and
after that I will recall you/' So Yudhishthira and his
brethren took leave of the Mah^ja, and of all their kins-
men, and departed with their mother Kunti to the city of
y^uran^Tata.
CHAPTER III.
FIRST EXILE OF THE PANDAVAS.
HISTORY OP With the journey of the Pdndavas to the city of
FuS^L Vdrandvata the narrative undergoes an entire change,
Authentic trmdi. and foF a brief period the authentic tradition is ut-
eXof the Pto- terly lost in a later fiction. Here it may be remarked
d»TM lost in » •' ...
imter fiction, ^i^g^^ qq Iqj^^ gjg f\^Q scene is laid in the city of Has-
MythlcalchA- , ^., • ^ ^ ii ^
'**^'wfcJiiSr tinapur, or its immediate neighbourhood, so long
dJ«uSS*(Sm * the story seems to approximate to historic truth;
*** ^^' but when the locality is removed to a distance of
liundreds of miles from Hastindpur, the narrative is
immediately reduced to the condition of either a
religious myth or a palpable fiction. Such is the
case as regards the alleged journey of the Pdndavas
virmniTioa. the to tlic city of VS,randvata, the modem Alldhabdd,
j*d,^mUM to the sacred city at the junction of the Ganges and
HMtiuApur. Jumnd, and one of the most famous places of pil-
grimage in Hindiistan. A geographical interval of
five hundred miles separates the city of Hastindpur
from the city of AUdhabdd ; and, in all probability,
a chronological interval of some thousand years separ-
ates the old tradition of the sons of Pdndu from the
modern fiction of their visit to the city of Vdrand-
vata. A better judgment, however, will be formed
flSf ?xiie of the after a brief narrative of the events which are said
P&ndavas. some . • t i t • ^ iii
ukSXl/thT *^ ^^y^ transpired, and which may now be related
original tradi. aS foIloWS :—
m. — ^FIEST EXILE OF THE PANDAVAS. 101
Before the Pdndavas departed out of the city of Has- history op
INDIA.
Part II.
tinjipur, their uncle Vidura took them aside^ and told them ^^^^^
that when they arrived at the city of Vdranavata they should -
- 11* Extraordiimrv
beware of fire: and he repeated averse to the brethren, pi 't of the k m-
* rnva-s to bum
and said : — " Should a man come to you, and repeat this tuc 1'hii(Uv»h m
, , *■ thmr liou^ at
verse, put your trust in him, and receive him as a man sent V4ran4vata,
by me for your deliverance/' After many days the five
Pandavas, and their mother Kunti, reached the city of
Varanavata j and very speedily their eyes were opened to a
wicked plot which had been devised by Duryodhana and
his friends. That jealous Chieftain, ever bent upon the
destruction of his kinsmen, had sent on a trusty retainer,
named Purochana, to prepare a handsome house in the city
of Yurandvata for the reception of the sons of Pdndu ; and
Purochana had been secretly commanded to fill the house
with hemp and resin, and to plaster the walls with a mortar
of grease and pitch ; so that some night, when the Pundavas
and their mother were fast asleep, the doors might be
closely fastened on the outside, and the house set on fire,
and all within it be consumed in the flames. Accordingly
Purochana welcomed the Pandavas with every sign of re- Details of the
ioidnsr: and he conducted them first to the Golleere of holy cVptioi/oirthe
men, where they paid every respect and reverence to the nui&vata.
devotees, and received their blessings and good wishes in
retam; and next he led them to the house prepared for
their reception, and presented each of them with a collation
and fruit, together with gold and jewels, silks and cloths, as
18 customary among the Rajas. Yudhishthira was amazed susnicionH of
at the splendour of the habitation, but he began to smell
the mortar^ and told his suspicions to his brother Bhima.
After this a man came from Yidura, and repeated the verse
which had been agreed upon, and said : — '' Yidura has sent
me to dig an under-ground passage from your house, to
deliver you from it should it be set on fire.'' So after much Dipringof a^ub-
discourse together, they secretly employed the man to dig sa^?!" *" ' **
a passage under-ground, by which they could escape out of
the house, should the dwelling be set on fire and the doors
be locked on the outside. When the under-ground passage
102 THE MAHA BHARATA.
HI8T0BT OF was all complete^ Bhlma resolved that he would work upon
INDIA.
Past 1L
INDIA. Parochana, who was living in a hoase close by, all the mis-
chief that Parochana was meditating against himself and
tAtei the plot i7 brethren. Now it so happened that one day Konti invited
houMoTPoro- all the poor people of the city, and gave them a feast; and
faMtto%r^ amongst her gaests was a BMl woman and her five sons,
who, according to the practice of their tribe, drank a large
quantity of strong liquor, and then lay down and slept
heavily. That same night a violent wind arose, and Bhima
stole out through the passage, and strongly barricaded the
house of Purochana, and set it on fire; and the flames
House of the spoodily destroyed the building and reached the house of
oatches ftre.' the Pdudavas ; and Bhlma then conducted his mother and
Bwsuwofthe brethren through the passage under-ground, and hurried
Kunti into the them away mto the jungle. Next mommg the people of
the city saw that both houses were destroyed by fire, and
believed that all the inmates had perished; for they dis*
covered the blackened remains of Purochana and his serv-
ants, and also those of the Bhil woman and her five sons,
whom they took to be those of Kunti and the Pdndavas.
The tidings soon reached the city of Hastindpur, and the
J^yo'^eKau. Kauravas rejoiced greatly at the supposed death of their
IS'thel^Vpo^ ®^®°"®® *^® Pdndavas; but Bhishma, Drona, and Dhrita-
do^of&e rdshtra were aflFected even unto tears.
5r*t7e°Ptodl!Si •"■' ^^^d ^^ presumptuous perhaps to state
to b^i^Sd'to Positively that there is no foundation whatever
sAt^SjIS.^' for this story in the original and authentic legend ;
yet it bears such evident traces of being entirely
composed in the later age of Brahmanical revival,
that it is impossible to escape the inference. The
hig™i2§iv toS*. w^ol® story turns upon burning the house of kins-
K»^^ ideas. ^^^} whilst thoso kiusmcu are asleep inside ; and
this idea would be altogether repugnant to the
sentiment of honour which undoubtedly prevailed
amongst the ancient BLshatriyas, who regarded an
IIL — ^PIEST EXILE OF THE PANDA VAS. 103
attack upon a sleeping enemy as a heinous crime. ^ histoey op
INDIA.
But at the same time, this idea would be perfectly pabt ii.
familiar to the Brahmanical compilers of the Mahd Fainiiiar to the
Bharata, who had only recently engaged in burning SShmSl. pSr.
down the monasteries and temples of the Buddhists «'»^<"»i»t*
with all the deadly hate of religious persecutors.
Again, the subordinate details of tlio fiction refer, subordinste de-
in every way, to a later and more luxurious ago. wcAbed to %^
The city of VArandvata is said to have been famous
for gold and jewels. The College of holy men to
which the Pdndavas were introduced on their arrival,
is either Buddhist or Brahmanical ; and so, too, is
the feast given by Kuntl to all the poor of the city ;
whilst the alleged magnificence of the house in which
the PAndavas were lodged, and the presents of gold
and jewels, silks and cloths, belong altogether to a
late period of Hindu civilization. The story of the
Bhfl woman and her five sons who were burnt
alive in the house, and originated the rumour that
the Pdndavas and their mother had perished in the
flames, is also precisely one of those artificial turns
in a narrative which betray the hand of the romancer
or novelist. Altogether, it seems most probable i^ ««"<>" in-
o / jr Bcrteu to asso-
that the whole story is a later fiction, introduced for d?vM Ilith^i'e
the sole purpose of associating the Pdndavas with the yiu^
fiimoas city of VArandvata.'
Having made their escape from the city of Vd- Aiicpxi oscapo
^ *^ •'of the TaiHlavaH
randvata, the Pdndavas are said to have disguised >^JSn4lrau^"'t"
the groat jungle.
< Compare the story of tho terrible revenge of Aswatth&ma, in the night of
the last dij of the great war ; where it will be seen that Aswatth&mo, even whilst
bent npon being reTenged on the murderer of his father, awoke his sleeping enemy
before flaying him.
' Jin extraordinary well, or under-ground passage, still exists in the Fort at
All&hab6d, and is pointed out as the Teritable passage through which the Tkn-
daTas made their way out of the burning house between thirty and forty centuries
a<vn.
• ^
104 THE MAIIA BHABATA.
HISTORY OP themselves as Brdhmans, and to have proceeded
Part II. With all hastc into the great jungle. Now if the
PindaTMtohe PAndavas may be accepted as the representatives
npKMntativn of the Aryan race, it would appear from the story
that they had advanced far away to the eastward
of the Aryan outpost at Hastindpur, and had almost
reached the centre of the land of aborigines. This
of the direction was undoubtedly the very one which was
Ax7»n invasion •' ^ •'
2l*Si^£22?**' eventually taken by the Aryan mvaders ; that is,
they pushed their way from the Punjab towards the
south-east, along the fertile valleys of the Ganges and
Jumnd, until they arrived at the junction of the two
rivers at AUdhabM. Probably, as already indicated,
this migration occupied a vast period of unrecorded
time, and the Aryans may not have reached Alld-
habdd until ages after the Kauravas and Pdndavas
had fought their famous battle for the little Raj at
Later legenda of Hastiudpur. But whou tho story of the war of the
the wars of the ^ •' , ^
thJ^ri^w! Mahd Bhdrata had been converted into a national
itS^'^fthe^t tradition, it seems not unlikely that the legends of
the later wars waged by the Aryans against the
aborigines during their progress towards the south-
east, would be tacked on to the original narrative.
This process appears to have been carried out
by the compilers of the Mahd Bhdrata; and al-
though, as will be seen hereafter, the adventures
of the Pdndavas in the jungle, and their encounters
with Asuras and Rdkshasas, are all palpable fictions,
still they are valuable as traces which have been left
in the minds of the people of the primitive wars of
the Aiyans against the aborigines.
Ancient wars to Tlic adveuturcs of a band of warlike emigrants
KtSiiition^" ^vl^^^s** seeking for new homes amongst an aboriginal
of every people, population havo been generally foimd amongst the
1
i
have corresponded to the national religion, Jjj^^^^tho
rative has assumed a historic form, as in the ujii^'^
ts of Joshua, and to some extent in the lives
on, of Gideon, and of Jephthah. But when Remodelled by
onal religion hsw undergone modifications, as ^^^n,
sase of Greece and Rome, the legends have
modelled by poets and dramatists, and con-
into reliffious myths. Still further, when converted into
,..,, ,. 1 , , nursery stories
religion has been driven out altogether, and jj;[5«j ^w bi™'
nd radically foreign religion like Christianity SSJTnr**'^*
:en its place, the traditions of forgotten wars
)en left in the hands of ballad singers and
58, and consequently have been converted
'barous nursery stories of giants and ogres.
tter fate has certainly befallen the traditions
tten wars in Europe ; and a similar fate has
the Hindu traditions of the wars between
ans and aborigines.
somewhat remarkable that the general simi- strikingjiimiiar.
^ '-^ ^ ity between
)f circumstances under which Hindii and Jj^*;^??"- ,
\n traditions of primitive wars have been ten w^"""^*^* \
^ ^
106 THE HAH A BHASATA.
HISTORY OF aborigines are described under the names of Asuras
Past II. and R4kshasas, as being giants and cannibals, and of
course hideously repulsive ; whilst the Aryan settlers,
of whom Bhf ma as the strongest man of the Pdndavas
is pre-eminently the type, are represented as over-
coming their enemy by strength of arm, and under
circumstances of rough comicality not unlike those
which sometimes appear in a Christmas pantomime.
Vtopakrity of It need scarcely be added that such stories are ex-
ceedingly popular with the Hlndiis ; and indeed the
degree to which the alternations of mirth and wonder
are excited, is scarcely conceivable excepting by
those who can sympathize in the undoubting and
childish credulity of the masses.
To reject such stories as unfitted to the dignity
of history would be to lose some valuable glimpses
Hi»*<«}f ^»«o' into the inner life of ancient nations. The narratives
the fiotions, m
thS^^^'hi'*' niay be palpable fictions, but they are true to an
TOmWwT''*" element of human nature ; that element which leads
rather than as
toule^Sdlo *^® imagination to depict circumstances, not as they
'^ ' ^ * are, but as they would be best received in the times
in which they are related. Histories of every de-
scription must be especially regarded from this point
of view. The question of how far they represent
the real facts of the period to which they refer is
doubtless of primary importance, but it is nearly as
important to consider how far they illustrate the
ideas, the feelings, and the judgments of the age in
which they were produced ; for histories in general
represent far more truthfully the spirit of the period
in which they are written than the facts of the
interest to be pcrlod to whIch they refer. Accordingly in relating
Iht 2Sdien'o2?U) *^^ stories of Bhfma's adventures with the Asuras, the
whoijrthoy are atteutiou should bo divided between the mirthful and
III. — FIRST EXILE OP THE PANDAVAS. 107
lous incidents on the one hand, and the open- history of
)d audiences on the other ; between the gro- p^^ li
and horrible scenes, and the alternate laughter
rroT of the men, women, and children who are
f on. Nor must the narrator of the story be ^SSSSofi^^
Y forgotten ; for the sympathies which exist iffiSS? ?h?*
Q the Hindu story-teller^ and the events he is
ing, and the people to whom he is tell-
; tale of wonder, would be almost incon-
e to the European who may read a history
without action and without vivacity. Thus in
tning scene of the first fiction, where the giant
is carrying his mother and three brothers
li a dreadful forest haunted with wild beasts
aras, an enthusiastic narrator will represent
by carrying two children on his back and one
Bach arm ; and will moreover imitate the roar-
lions and tigers, and indulge in hideous
68 to indicate the cannibal propensities of the
. With these preliminary observations, the
on may now be directed to the stories them-
The first fiction is as follows : — *
r when the Pdndavas escaped f5rom the burning house is»t Fiction.
city of Ydrandvata, they proceeded in all haste to- counter with
&e southern jungle, which was inhabited by wild Asura.
and also by Bdkshasas and Asuras, who were eaters
. And Kunti and all her sons, excepting Bhima, Bhimft carries
' r Q ' Ins mother and
ay weary; but Bhima was tall and strong, and he thJ^i^h^th^"
Ilia mother and elder brother on his back, and one of k'®** '^^^*"
iger brethren under each of his arms, whilst Arjuna
[ close behind. Next morning they passed along
fcem bank of the river Granges, and proceeded more
■e towards the south, until they reached a very dark
Mtdfnl forest; and all, excepting Bhima, were so
rered with sleep that they threw themselves beneath
108 THE MAHA BHARATiL.
BISTORT OF a tree^ and were soon in a profound slomber, wliilst Bluma
INDIA. gtood by to guard them. It so happened that hard by wm '
the abode of a terrible Asura and man-eater, named Hidimba,
thehi(UouaA«i^ who had yellow eyes and a horrible aspect^ but who po«-
wmdimbi'^ sessed great strength; and he had a sister, named Hidimbi,
who was very tall and handsome. Now the cannibai
Hidimba smelt human beings in the neighbourhood of hii
den^ and he sent out his sister to bring them in ; but when
she saw the long arms and mighty form of Bhlma, resplend-
ent with royal vestments and rich jewels^ she fell in loTe
Hidimbi's pro- with him. and straififhtway proposed to carry him away into
the jungle upon her back^ and to leaye the others for her bro-
ther to devour. But Bhlma refused to desert his mother and
brethren in such extremity^ and declared himself willing to
Bhima ■nd^Hi? ^S^^ ^^® Asura. Whilst he was thus speaking, the monster
dimbft. came up furious with wrath at the delay of his sister, and
engaged in battle with Bhlma. First the Asura and Bhima
fought with fists ; then they tore up trees and cudgelled
each other ; and then, when all the trees had been torn up
and broken to pieces, they attacked each other with vast
stones. The Pdndavas were awakened by the noise of the
combat, and Arjuna came up to help his brother ; but ai
Horrible death that moment Bhima seized the Asura by the waist, and
whirled him round several times, and dashed out his brains
against the ground ; and then holding his head under one
arm he so belaboured him with his fist that he broke every
boue in his body.
Then the sister of the Asura set up a cry so terrible that
the wild beasts of the jungle fled away from fear ; but after
a while, when she saw that Bhlma was leaving the place
together with his mother and brethren, she ceased her cries
Hiditnbicn- and boffau to follow them. And Bhlma desired her to
lrt?at.s Uhiina to °
take her as his rctum to the abidiug-placc of her brother; but she replied
that as she had chosen him for her husband, she would
never leave him, but henceforth be his faithful slave. She
then threw herself at the feet of Kuntl, and wept bitterly, }
and said : — " O lady, command your son to take me as his \
wife, for I have known no man ; and if he refuse to take me
dimbi.
wmtaiTi^ where the flowers were blooming and a crystal
m was flowing^ and the trees were laden with fruits of
choicest description; and there Hidimbi broaght him
f day sach prodigious quantities of excellent food that
)joiced exceedingly. And in due course a son was bom
;em as robust as his parents ; and Bhlma then returned
his wife to his mother and brethren, and presented his
ly infant to the delighted Kunti.
rhe foregoing fiction is chiefly remarkable for Review of the
3 *1j1* I* ai *i n • A J first fiction.
downright plainness of the points ot interest. Extreme aim-
) glo6my forest, the wild beasts, the cannibals, pl>^ii!toof ^ter.
strong man carrying his mother and brethren,
terrible Asura and his handsome sister, the tri-
ih of Bhfma, the outspoken desire of the hand-
e Asura to become the wife of the strong man,
marriage, the honeymoon, and the birth of a boy,
bllow one another with a simplicity which is as
rming as a story invented by a child. The death Extraordinary
«•«.« * • i*ii* *ii l^ mode in which
rhich the Asura is subiected is especially worthy Bhima destroy
lotice, for it is not only mythical in itself, but is
cient to indicate a myth. In the authentic
V.
I
i
ed the Asura. i
110 THE MAHA BHARATA.
HISTORY OF in the jungle during a lengthened honeymoon, which s
pam il included the birth of a son. There is no necessi^
Further pmta howevor for bringing forward forther proofe that ito
SSSii^iS** whole story is fictitious. The fact that shortly after-
uwBuddfiirt '^ards Bhfma marries again without any reference to
his Asura wife ; and that neither his Asura wife, nor
his son by her, ever re-appear in the authentic trar
dition, will suffice to indicate that it is a later addi-
tion to the main tradition. As regards the date of
its composition, it should probably be referred to the
Buddhist period, when caste distinctions were not
generally recognized. The story of the marriage of
Bhfma with an Asura woman may have been ficti-
tious, but still the fiction could only have found cur-
rency at a time when the union of a E^hatriya to an
Asura was not foreign to the national sentiment, and
when caste ideas, such as at present exist, did not
prevail. The second fiction may now be related as
follows : —
2nd Fiction. Now whon BUma had returned to his mother and
counter with brethren^ the sage Yydsa suddenly appeared to thenij and
advised them to dwell in the city of Ekachakri; so thef
departed out of the jungle^ and took up their abode in that
city^ and dwelt there for a long time in the house of a
Life of the Pto- Brdhman. Every day the brothers went out in the disgaiae
cant BrAhmans' of mendicant Brdhmans to collect food as alms^ and whatever
KkachakrA. was given to them they brought home at night to their
mother Kuntf, who thereupon divided the whole into two J
L^dary vo- equal portions, and gave one to the wolf-stomached Bhimai
whilst the remaining half sufficed for all the others. One
day the P^davas and their mother heard a great noise of
weeping and wailing in the house in which they were dwell-
ing, and Kuntf and her sons entered the apartments of
the Brdhman, and found their host and his wife, together
with their son and daughter, in an agony of grief. On
inquiring the cause they were told that a great Asura Baja, j
in. — ^FIRST EXILE OP THE PANDAVAS. Ill
named Yaka, lived near the city, and forced the Raja of history of
INDIA.
Pabt II.
that city to send him a great quantity of provisions every ^^^i^-
day, as well as a man to accompany the provisions ; and that -7
Vaka every day devoured the man as well as the provisions ; demandii a hu.
and that on that very day the family of the Brdhman was every day flrom
•^ "^ -^ the city of
required to supply the man. Then the Brdhman said that EkochakrA.
he would go himself ^and be devoured by the » Asura, but he
wept very bitterly at the hardness of his destiny. Then the Pathotic de-
* -- i/.i-rfc/i -I'l -I w^ription of the
wife and dauirnter of the Brahman, each m her turn, prayed famiiyofaBr&h.
, , . , . . , ' r ^ ninn, who were
that she mi^ht cfo in his room, but ho would not suflFer required to ftirn-
° ° ^ ' ^ iHh a human viu-
either, and they all three lifted up their voices and wept very ^*'"-
■ore. Now the Brdhman had an infant son who could
■carcely speak, and when the little lad saw that his parents
were very sorrowful, he broke off a pointed blade of grass,
and said with a prattling voice : — '' Weep not, my father,
weep not, my mother, for with this spike I will kill the man-
eating Asnra.'^ At this sight Kuntl bade the family dry
their tears, for that one of her sons would go to the Asura ;
bat the Brdhman said : — '' You are Brdhmans, and especially
my guests ; and if I go myself I am obeying the dictates
of the Raja, but if I send one of you, I cause the death of a
Brdhman, and of one who is my guest, and I do an act
which is abhorred by the gods/' Kuntl answered : — " The
Amra will have no power over my son Bhima, and I will
Bend him to destroy the cannibal.'^ And the Brdhman con-
sented. Then Bhima obeyed the commands of his mother
with great joy. He set out with the ordained quantity of Bhima's serio-
provmons, consisting of a waggon-load 01 kicbn, a iine tions for doing
buffalo, and a huge jar of ghee, and he went on until he i^un.
came to the banyan tree under which Yaka was accustomed
to eat his meals. And a crowd of people followed him, for
all were desirous of seeing the coming combat, but when
they beheld the banyan tree they fled away in great terror.
Bhima then proceeded to eat up all the victuals that were in
the waggon, and to re-fill it with dirt ; and he then drank
up all the ghee, and re-filled the jar with water of the vilest
description. When he had finished, Vaka came forward Disappointment
... .- , 1111. ^ • a"d wrath of the
ravenous with hunger, with two large bloodshot eyes as big Aaura.
112
THE MAHA BHARATA.
HISTOEY OF
INDIA.
Part II.
The battle.
Bhima rends
Yaka aMunder.
SubmiMiion of
the subjects of
the Asura.
The P&ndavas
depart out of the
city of Ekacha-
kriL
Eeriewofthe
second fiction.
Painftil realism
of the narrative.
as saucers^ and a jaw gaping open like a cave ; and Yaka
uncovered the waggon and found that it contained nothing
but dirt; and he raised the jar, and the villainous liquor
poured over his face and into his gaping mouth. Then his
eye fell upon Bhima who was sitting on the ground with his
back towards him^ and in his rage he struck Bhima with all
his might with both fists; but Bhima cared not for the
blow^ and arose up and laughed in his face. Then the
Asura was in violent wrath, and he tore up a large tree by
the roots, and rushed at Bhima to demolish him ; but the
mighty Pdndava in like manner tore up a huge tree and
struck about him lustily ; and each one tore up trees by the
roots, and broke them to pieces against the other, until not
a tree was left ; and then they fought with their fists until
the Asura was spent. After this Bhima seized Yaka by the
legs and rent him asunder ; and the Asura expired with a
bellowing cry which seemed as if it would bring the heavens
about their ears. All the other Asuras, the subjects of ihe
slain Chieftain, were then in a great terror, and came for-
ward with their hands clasped together as suppliants to the
conqueror of their Raja. So Bhima bound them over by
solemn oaths never more to eat the flesh of men, nor to
injure them in any way. And he dragged the slain monster
by the heels to the gate of the city, and left it there and
entered the city by another way ; and he went to the house
of his mother and brethren, and told them all that had
occurred. And when he had finished, Yudhishthira said
that they must immediately leave the city, lest the people
should discover who they were, and the news should reach
the ears of the Kauravas that they were still alive ; and
accordingly they all departed out of Ekachakrd, together
with their mother Kunti. Meantime the people of the place
found the dead body of the Asura, and shouted with joy ;
but when they learnt that the brethren had left the city
they were very sorrowful, as they were eager to show their
gratitude to their deliverer.
This extraordinary fiction is a striking reflex of
the mind of the Hindd. There is a horrible realism
gopenliteioniKt
iwi thi ii tmai a
jar, udtbenlufli
]m gapii^ vii. h
eiitii^uailiB^i
ng« he stnct EKni.
3at Bhimicufdwir
^ted in b tw. IW
111 lie lore up I iup''
IS to demoliili ki; ^
iertorenpi%6"
HcIioneWBaptw*^
AsBWtliewlS*'!
bi'nu bonsJ tl«'
,V,.„dlefti"J
I (.Id then ill**
dtteD^«^j
in the d ^,™
immediately nuoj
iwnes wiiicii evf
tion of the po*
BniiiaiaQ from il
and groaniug Ot^
wily liare been si
^Ae introduction of
fm in childiali a
(Jqniiite toucl] of
lion of that warm
•JBInthy in all tin
I" ipecial chaiai
"~'ion from prt
i ifl another {
the womei
nhave beei
[violently,
and dauj
»nsly at
»?• for excitin,
'Jiiaiien perfect
*• trick, whicli ha
"S««tly rent
*>cqnel of tl„
■ffiitcance witU ■
IWhirousasl
'Wi'lKaboriglna
' "'H more bruta
"'=• » ll.e jungl
•"ranquirficdan
•""tmubject, "
114 THE MAHA BHARATA.
HisTOEY OP cannibal habits, and keep the peace towards their
INDIA. X JT
Part il moFO civilizod noighbours. The date of the story
Buddhistic cha. may be fixed, like that of the preceding fictions, in
story. the age of Buddhism ; and the lives which the
Pdndavas are said to have led in the city of Eka-
chakrd is precisely that of Buddhist priests carrying
round the alms bowl.
Distinction be. Thorc is another point in connection with thia
wwreHidiM^" mythical narrative of the first exile of the P4n-
dties, and the •' , i • -i
pte JrthlJjiiSie. davas, which must not be passed over m silence,
namely, the distinction between the city and the
jungle. The cities of VArandvata and Ekachakrd,
the modem Alldhabdd and Arrah, were each occu-
pied by Brdhmans, who may be regarded as the later
representatives of the Ar}^an population, whilst the
jimgle was evidently in the possession of the Asuras
EkaohaicHk or Or aborigines. Then, again, whilst the Aryan out-
SfvlJSiSStlSr^ P^®* ^' AlIdhabM seems to have maintained an
orAiiAiwbAd. ascendancy over the aborigines, or at any rate waa
apparently secure fi:om their attacks ; the city of
Arrah, which was two hundred miles further to the
eastward, was compelled to pay a daily tribute of
provisions to the Raja of the Asuras.
CHAPTER IV.
MARRIAGE OF THE PANDAVAS.
After Bhfma's battle with Vaka, the narrative history op
again changes from fiction to reality ; and the reader pabt n'.
is somewhat suddenly transplanted from the region Narrative re-
of fancy in eastern India, to the north-west country tion to authentic
^ ^ , , ' , , *' tradition.
of authentic tradition, of which Hastindpur may be
regarded as the centre. The events which followed
may therefore be received as being more or less
based upon actual fact. They refer to the marriage important story
of the five Pdndavas to one wife, who was the dauerh- ofthefivePinda-
^ c> vas to Draupadi,
ter of that Eaja Drupada of Panchdla, whom they \l'^^^i^'
had themselves reduced to submission at the instance
of their tutor Drona. The whole story is so foreign
to modem ideas, and at the same time so suggestive
and significant, that it must be regarded as forming
one of the most important traditions in the Mahd
Bhdrata. The narrative, however, has undergone so Extensive modi-
I*/*.. • 1 . 1* •j'i fications of the
many modifications m order to brinjr it into con- tradition in or-
\ ^ , , , der to reconcile
formity with later ideas, that it will be necessary S-tirnSilil?
hereafter to subject aU its details to careful investi- u.r °' ^'"'^"
gation, in order that the historical significance of
the legend can be fiilly apprehended without doing
an injustice to the moral sense of the modern
Hindus.
The first anomaly which attracts the attention
116 THE MAHA BHARATA.
HISTORY OF ill connection with this marriage, is the idea of poly-
pabt II. andry as an institution ; an idea which is certainly
Ptoiwuidry. an involvcd in thc marriage of five brothers to one wife.
institulion still •■-» . ,i • .• i • •. • , n • -i- i
^ittng in Thi- Uut this practicc, repulsive as it is to all civilized
ideas, whether Hindu or European, is still the cus-
tom amongst the Buddhists of Thibet; where the
elder brother possesses the exclusive privilege of
choosing a wife, who henceforth becomes the joint
Three difltrent wifc of all the brothers of the family. The origin
theorie* of the n .1 » 3 t-.. , - -ii
OTij^f the In- ot this depraved institution has been ascribed to
ji ) Divirion of various causes. It is said to have been adopted as
land amongst n ,• i* *^i
fiuniuea. a mcans tor preventmg any unduB increase m the
members of the family ; an object of some import-
ance when the whole means of subsistence possessed
by a family is drawn fi-om a certain definite area of
(2.) Absenteeism cultivated land. Ag:ain, it may have sprung: up
of some of the 1 i 1 n 1
turin^?2cB^ amongst a pastoral people, where men are frequently
^^ away fi^om their homes for many months at a time,
either to seek new pastures for their cattle, or to
dispose of the cattle amongst the people of the plains ;
and where, consequently, these duties would be
undertaken by the brethren in turns, so that whilst
some were away with the cattle, others would re-
main at home with the joint wife of the family.
(8.) Scarcity of Amougst the ancicnt Kshatriyas, however, the prac-
women amongst . - • r ji rrii
of ^reiS elS- ^^^^ ^^y "^^^ arisen trom another cause. 1 hey
grants. were esfientially a martial and a conquering race,
amongst whom the ties of domestic life are always
less valued than amongst a more industrious and
settled population. They had migrated at some
primeval epoch from their cradle in Central Asia to
seek new homes to the eastward of the Indus ; and
under such circumstances they would naturally bring
with them as few women as possible. But whilst
IV. — MARRUGE OP THE PANDAVA8. 117
the sexual instinct will yield for a time to that more history oi
• • INDIA.
imperious instinct which drives men to seek sub- part if.
sistence in a foreign soil, it will speedily find a "
gratification even in the most revolting practices,
unless controlled by the dictates of sentiment or
reason.^
Another institution in connection with the Pdnda- The Bw^^^m-
vara: onfriii ol
vas, is the Swayamvara of Draupadf , the lady to whom ^*'® ta«titution.
they were imited. The Swayamvara has already
been noticed, but a few additional explanations ap-
pear to be necessary. Amongst a military class, S^JJ^^rf^"*
where women are pre-eminently looked upon as pas-
sive instruments of pleasure, and, consequently, as
objects of value, they will be specially regarded as
the prizes of skill or valour. In war, the wife or
daughter of a vanquished enemy became the lawful
prize of the conqueror, and was compelled to wait
upon him as her lord and master. In peace the
daughter of a Kshatriya was permitted to choose a
husband for herself amongst a crowd of candidates
for her hand; or was given as a prize to that
warrior who proved most skilful in the use of the
bow, and who, consequently, would be the most
powerful protector. The difficulty of reconciling
* The earlier Buddhist legends preserved in the Mahawansi present a curious
tutance of these illicit marriages. Four brothers retired into the jungle with their
f fe listen, in order to make way for the succession of a younger son of tlieir
father by a young and faTourite wife. They settled near the hermitage of Kapila
the sage, dwelling in huts made of branches of trees, and subsisting on the
produce of the chase. Ultimately, they appointed their eldest sister Priya to bo
Queen mother, and then each one married one of his sisters not bom of the same
mother. Id this manner they founded the city of Kapilapur. The eldest sister
Priya ultimately retired on account of leprosy and married a Kaja of Benares.
8c« oHiej p. 69, note.
This legend may be a Buddhist perrersion of the more ancient Kshatriya tra-
dition. It will be seen hereafter that the fiie P&ndayas married Draupadi at the
eity of K&mpUya. According, howeyer, to the Matsya Pur&na it was at the city
of Kapila.
118 THE MAHA BHABATA.
HiBTo&Y OP the institution of polyandry with that of the Sway-
INDIA.
Past II. amvara, will be duly indicated in the course of the
Decay of the two narrative. Both have long since passed into disuse.
pSyJIid??* Snd As the Kshatriyas established themselves in the
the Swajamvik • • •
**• land, the true instinct which leads a man to seek
for a wife, who shall be specially and entirely his
own, gradually asserted itself, or only yielded in a
later age to that mistaken idea of pleasure which
leads the mere sensualist to indulge in a change of
partners. At the same time, the feuds and blood-
shed which frequently accompanied or followed a
Swayamvara, in consequence of the jealous wrath
which such assemblies were eminently calculated
to excite, naturally led to the decline of the in-
stitution, and to the introduction of the custom of
contracting infant marriages by which such out-
rages were effectually avoided.
With these preliminary explanations, the tradi-
tion of the Swayamvara of Draupadf may now be
related as follows : —
Tradition of the Now when the Pdndavas had departed out of the city of
Praupadi. Ekachakrd, they journeyed to another city, where they found
every man discoursing upon the approaching Swayamvara of
DnSSidL *^® beautiful Princess Draupadf, the only daughter of
Drupada, the Baja of Panchdla. And all the people said
that this damsel was the loveliest in all the world, and as
radiant and graceful as if she had but just descended from
the city of the gods ; and that all the Rajas from the four
quarters of the earth would be present at the Swayamvara,
and would seek to win so beautiful a damsel for a wife.
Then the five Pdndavas were all deeply stricken by what
SSi^*a" *^®y heard of Draupadi, and they all resolved to attend her
EnpigeDha- Swayamvara; and they could not sleep all that night for
flS»^ii''priL't!^^ thinking of the damsel. And when it was early morning they
ill hif^Su!^"*^ left their mother Kunti at a house, under the charge of a
IV. — ^MARRIAGE OP THE PANDAVAS, 119
Brdhman whose name was Dhanmya^ whom they had en- histoet of
INDIA.
Part IL
gaged to be their Purohita, or family priest ; and they set ^^'^lA.
off with all speed for the city of Kdmpilya^ which was the city
of the Eaja Drapada. And when they reached that city they puy^**^**'^'**""
foand a vast number of Rajas encamped^ with a great host
of troops and elephants, and multitudes of Brahmans,
Kshatriyas, travelling merchants, showmen, and spectators.
And there was set apart without the city a large plain en- The gn»t plain.
closed by barriers, in which the Rajas were to exhibit their
skill in archery; and around the plain were many glittering Pavilions for tho
pavilions for the lodging of the more distinguished guests,
and also raised galleries from whence to behold the per-
formances. And at one end of the plain was a tall pole, and
on the top of this pole was a golden fish, and below the TheRoidcnfisii.
golden fish was a chakra ever whirling round : and the rule Rule of the
K wavam vai*Wk
of the Swayamvara was, that whoever discharged an arrow
through the chakra at the first shot, and struck the eye of
the golden fish, that man should be the husband of the
daaghter of Raja Drupada.
■ After sixteen days of sports and feasting the morning of Morning of the
the Swayamvara dawned upon the city of Kdmpilya ; and at ^*^*™^"^
the rising of the sun, gorgeous flags were waving in every public rcjoic-
quarter^ and the city was awakened by the sounding of "^'
trumpets and beating of drums. Then all the people of the
city gathered together upon the plain, and assembled round
the barriers ; and the well-armed soldiers of the Raja main-
tained the most perfect order, whilst dancers and showmen. Exhibitions of
*^ dancers, show-
iaffrfers and musicians, actors and athletes, wrestlers and men, jugglers.
J oo ^ ' ' ^ mUvSicians. act-
Bwordsmen, delighted the spectators by their various per- 5JJ^*i[!^^d
formances. Presently the Rajas and Chieftains took their swordsmen.
appointed seats in the galleries; and there the Piindavas
beheld their bitter enemies, who thought them dead, the
Raja Duryodhana, the ambitious Kama, and many Kaurava
Chieftains. There also were the two great Princes of the cntnioj^oofthe
Tddava tribe, reigning at Dwdrakd, — the amorous Krishna, ^^'"'
and his elder brother, the wine-drinking Balardma. From
the west came Jayadratha, Raja of Sindhu, and the two sons
of the Raja of Gandhdra. From the east came Vatsaraja,
r •
120 THE MAHA BHARATA.
HI8TOET OP Raja of Kosala, — Janisandha, Raja of Magadhd^ — and
Vart II. Vasudeva, Raja of Paundra. From the south came Sisupdla^
Raja of Chedi, — Virata, Raja of Virata, — and Salya, Raja of
Madra. Besides these were a host of other Rajas, too
Fewting of the numerous to mention. And provisions of every sort were
**■ served up to the guests in the galleries ; whilst cup-bearers
went round distributing and sprinkling rose water, sandal,
odoriferous woods, and other sweet perfumes.
Dnnnidi oon- After a while the moment arrived when the youncr Prin-
daoted into the .
thw ^Lriahu^ ^^^® ^*^ ^^ exhibit herself in all her loveliness to those who
^^y'utt"*' hoped to gain her for a bride ; and the beautiful damsel was
dressed in elegant array, and adorned with radiant gems,
and led into the arena, carrying in her hand the garland
which she was to throw over the neck of that fortunate hero
who might have the fortune to win her to be his wife. Then
Vedic hymn& the different quires of Brdhmans chaunted Vedic hymns to
the glory and praise of the gods, and filled the heavens
and the earth with the music of their prayers. After this,
and amidst a universal silence, the Prince Dhrishta-dyumna,
Dhriihta^m. who was the brother of Draupadi, stood by the side of his
naprochUmathe '^ ^
oondiuonsofthe resplendent sister, and proclaimed that whoever shot the
arrow through the chakra in the first attempt, and struck the
eye of the golden fish, should have the Princess for his wife.
Becitetthe The Princo then told into the ears of Draupadi the name and
luunes and line- . .
ageoThis sister's lineage of every one of her suitors ; and he also told her in
The garland, the hearing of all, that she must place the garland round the
neck of that man who struck the fish, and accept him for her
husband from that day. Dhrishta-dyumna then turned to
the Rajas and Chieftains, and said : — '' Here stands this lady,
my sister ; whoever feels confident in his skill and sti*ength
that he can hit the mark in a single trial, let him arise and
fulfil the conditions of the Swayamvara.''
Reluctance of At these words the Rajas arose from their seats and ap-
ocmamence the proached tho pole on which the golden fish was fixed ; and
the chakra below it was ever turning round ; and they viewed
the strong and heavy bow from which the arrow was to be
discharged. Now every man was jealous of the other, and
yet for a long while no Chieft^ain would take up the bow,
trial.
IV. — MARRIAGE OF THE PANDAVAS. 121
lest he shonld fail to bend it, and thus excite the laughter of history op
INDIA.
Paht II.
the multitude. Presently a Eaja stepped before his fellows ^^'i^^-^-
and tried to bend the bow, but could not ; and another and
vet another essayed in like manner to string the bow, but all xuiton to bend
were alike unable so to do because of its great size and
strength. Then many of the Bajas made the attempt, and
they strained themselves to the very uttermost, casting aside
their robes and collars, and putting forth their whole
strength, but not one amongst them could bend the bow.
Then the ambitious Kama entered the lists, and, to the sur- Kamacntem
prise and discomfiture of all who were there, he bent the stringj* the bow.
bow and fitted the shaft to the string ; but whilst all were
alarmed, the proud Draupadi was resolved that no son of a
charioteer should become her lord ; and she cried out with
a loud voice : — '' I wed not with the base-bom ! '' And Extraordinaiy
Kama was abashed, for he knew the lowness of his birth ; but Draupadi. on ac-
, „ , ,. ..1 T 1 '^A 1 n T J - ctmnt of the loMT
whilst burstmg with rage and bitterness he walked out of birth of Kama.
the area with a smile; and looking towards the Sun, ho
said : — '' O Sun, bear witness that I throw away the arrow, Kama appeals
not because I cannot shoot through the chakra, and strike
the eye of the golden fish, but because Drauptidi would not
accept me for her husband even if I performed the feat.'^
Then Sisupdla, the Raja of Chedi, and Jardsandha, the other Rajas fail
famous Kaja of Magadhd, tried one after the other to beud
the bow, but they both failed ; and all the other Chieftains,
seeing that the feat was beyond the strength of such mighty
Bajas, dared not make the venture lest they too should pro-
voke the laughter and derision of the multitude.
All this time the Pdndavas had been standing amongst sudden appear-
ihe crowd disguised as Brdhmans, but suddenly Arjuna SuSliilwd m"!**
advanced and lifted the bow; and a cry of astonishment ^'^""*"-
ran through the assembly at seeing a Brdhman attempt to
compete at a Swayamvara. Some there were who jeered at
Arjuna, and said : — *' Shall a Brdhman do this great thing
which all the mighty Rajas have failed to do ? ^' Others
cried : — " Unless the Brdhman knew his own strength and „ , „^^
Real Brahmans
skill he would not make the essay .^' And all the real dissuadeAi^juna,
^ •' lest thp Rajaa
Brdhmans that were present were fearful lest the attempt J^^^J*^^ *^ **^'
r /
122 THE MAHA BHABATA.
HISTORY OP should offend the Rajas, so that the Rajas should give them
PABT^n. ^^ gifts, and they entreated Arjuna to withdraw; but
\ Arjuna was heedless alike of words of blame and words of
encouragement, and he offered up a mental prayer to his
Aijunamenuiiy tutor Drona, and then bent the bow and drew the cord, and
an3?8trike8 the fitting the arrow to the string, he discharged it through the
centre of the chakra, and struck the eye of the golden fish.
Acclamations of Then a roar of acclamations arose from that vast assembly
and delight of like the crash and roll of distant thunder, and the Brdhmans
the Br&hmans.
waved their scarfs in the greatness of their delight, and the
drums and trumpets filled the air with joyous music. And
DrauMdi ac- the beautiful Draupadl was filled with joy and wonder at
junaaatSvio- the youth and grace of the hero who had struck the golden
fish ; and she came forward as she had been commanded by
her brother, and threw the garland round the neck of
Arjuna, and permitted him to lead her away according to
the rule of the Swayamvara.
Wrath and mor- But meanwhile the Raias were lashincf themselves into
tincation of the . _ _ . _ ,, r^ , -, -r* . . ,
Bajas at being fury, and they cned out: — "Could not a Raja win the
Brihman. damsol, and are we to be humbled by a Brdhmanf Is
Raja Drupada to invite us to the Swayamvara, and then to
give his daughter to a Brdhman ? A Rajahs daughter musi
ever choose a Kshatriya for her husband, and shall a
Brdhman trespass upon our right ? The Brdhman's life is
sacred, but down with the guilty race of Drupada ! '*
With these cries they gathered round Raja Drupada with
angry countenances and naked swords, and threatened to
bum the Princess upon a pile unless she choose a Kshatriya
Pierce hat tie be- for her husband. But the Pdndavas rushed to the rescue
and p&ndavas. of Drupada, and performed prodigies of valour against the
Rajas, and a crowd of Brdhmans pressed round to support
Mediation of them. At this momont Krishna, Prince of Dwdrakd. saw
Kriithna. ' '
through the disguise of the five brothers, and in gentle
words he allayed the wrath of the angry Rajas, and gave his
judgment that Draupadl had been fairly won; and the
Rajas returned from the field in sullen anger, and the P4n-
broth*n'i«id** ^^^^^ Were permitted to depart with the beautiful Draupadf
away Draupadi. who had bocome the prize of Arjuna.
IV. — ^MARHIAOE OP THE PANDAVAS. 123
At evening time the P&ndavas arrived at the house history op
where they had left their mother Kunti, and they said to p^Rx n.
her : — *' O mother, we have made a fine acquisition this — "- — :
* The PftndAvas
day." Then Eunt( thought in her heart that her sons had inform their
•^ ° mother that
broucrht home much victual, and she said : — ^' Go and share they have pUned
° ' an acquisition.
it, von five brothers, amoncfst yourselves, and eat it." To Kunti desinw
." ... . them to share it.
this Yndhishthira replied : — '' O mother, what is this you
have said ? Arjuna has this day gained a damsel at her
Swayamvara." Then Arjuna took Draupadl by the hand,
and led her forward, and laid her at the feet of his mother.
And Kontf said : — '' I have committed a grievous fault in Fears the oonse-
£ r\ X5i.i.i. jT-'x J quenoes of her
saymg, ' tro you five brothers and share it among you, and words.
eat it. ' ^' She then turned to Yndhishthira and said : —
'' 0 my son, the words have escaped my lips ; and now you
mast some way contrive that they may be verified, and at
the same time that you yourselves may not be involved in
crime." Yndhishthira remained in deep reflection for two
minutes, and then said to Ariuna : — " 0 brother, you have Conversation of
' ^ ^ •* ' *' ludhishthira
obtained this maiden : Come now and let us marry her to »"<* Arjuua.
you according to the law." Arjuna answered : — *^ 0
Yndhishthira, we are all your servants, and this damsel is
worthy of being espoused by you." Yndhishthira replied : —
"We must act in conformity with the will of the Almighty; Postponement
and Saja Drupada has properly the disposal of his own ofDrau^Jadi!"*^
daughter, and she shall bo the wife of him upon whom her
fiither shall please to bestow her. " At these words of their
eldest brother, each one of the five brethren felt an equal
desire to marry the damsel.
Now when the brethren had prepared the victuals for Draupadi distn-
the eveninir meal, Kunti would not divide them amongst her visions at supper
1111 1 11 1 . -I 1 in the place of
sons as she had been accustomed to do, but desired her new KuntL.
danghter-in-law to undertake the duty, saying : — '^ O damsel,
first set aside a portion for the poor, and then divide the
remainder into two, and give one half to Bhima, for ho has a
great appetite, and the other half divide equally among tlio
four remaining brethren." Draupadi then distributed the
victuals as she was directed, reserving a sufiiciency for her-
self and Konti ; but she could not forbear a smile as she
124 THE MAHA BHABATA.
HiSTO&Y OP gave so large a share to Bhfma. When they had finished
INDIA.
Past II.
their meal^ it was full night and they all prepared for rest;
and Draupadi slept on a couch by the side of Kuntl^ and the
five brothers lay at the feet of their mother, and after a long
discourse upon what had befallen them at the Swayamvara,
they slumbered until the dawn of morning.
HmniHi^toi of All this time Raja Drupada had been much troubled in
hu (Uughtwbe- heart that his daughter should have been won by a Brdhman,
ing won by a , ,
BzAhman. whom no One knew ; and his son Dhrishta-dyumna had been
equally anxious to learn what manner of men they were who
had led away his sister from her Swayamvara. And Dhrish-
^^iSu^fESi™' ^-^y^^^fl' ^^^ kept his eyes upon the Pdndavas from the
SSuMofthePiii. moment that Draupadi had thrown the garland round the
oweSi^^hey ^^^^ ^^ Aijuna ; and he had followed them all the way to
are Kflhatriyas. ^jj^^jp ^^^^^ home, and Seen his sister distribute the victuals at
the evening meal, and heard the brothers discoursing about
themselves and the Swayamvara. And Dhrishta-dyumna
learnt, to his great surprise and joy, that the five brethren
were not Brdhmans but Kshatriyas, and he also thought in
his heart that they belonged to the royal house of Hastini-
pur, and he hastened back to the city of Kdmpilya to
acquaint his father with the glad tidings. And Raja Dru-
pada rejoiced greatly, and early next morning he sent his
BiJ» Digi^a family priest as envoy to the brethren to inquire who they
{h^PtodavM ^ ^6r®> ^^^ ^te priest went his way and put the question to
them to*S the brethren. And Yudhishthira replied : — " Present our
^^^ prayers to the Raja, and say that he may set his mind at
rest, for that his daughter has allied with a family that will
neither straiten him nor disgrace him, and bid him remember
that no one but a man of noble birth could have shot the
eye of the golden fish at the Swayamvara.*' Whilst Yu-
dhishthira was yet speaking a second envoy arrived from
Raja Drupada, saying : — '^ Perchance you have now become
kinsmen of the Raja Drupada, and therefore he bids you
honour his palace with your presence that he may entertain
you as his guests.'' After him came a number of people
with splendid chariots and horses, and besought the brethren
to ascend the chariots and return with them to the city of
IV. — ^MARRIAGE OF THE PANDAVA8. 125
Kampilya ; and Yudhishtliira and his brethren proceeded in history op
INDIA.
Pajit II.
one chariot, whilst Kunt{ took charge of Draupadi and went ^^^^^
with her in a chariot by themselves.
Meantime all the people of the city came out to meet the SfTho^fiSSiJSS
men who had carried away the daughter of their Raja at her Si. ^* ^^™i*-
Swayamvara. Raja Drupada came out in like manner with
all his ministers and Chieftains, and when they saw the
chariots of the Pdndavas approaching, they alighted as a
mark of respect, and Yudhishthira and his brethren did the
same, and they severally saluted each other, whilst Kunti
and Draupadi joined the ladies of the palace. Baja Drupada
was soon satisfied in mind by the manners and bearing of
the five brethren that they were true Kshatriyas, and ho
ordered his servants to conduct them to the bath and to give
them royal robes. After this a grand feast was prepared in
the banqueting-room, and served up on dishes of gold ; and
there Bhima distinguished himself greatly by eating as much
aa all the rest of his brethren put together.
^Vhen the feast was over. Raja Drupada bestowed The p&ndavM
•: * -cr 11 • 1 make known
many gifta upon the brethren ; and he said to i udhish- their birth and
tiira : — " I know full well that you are illustrious Rajas, but
tell me, I pray you, what are your names and lineage.'^
Yudhishthira replied : — " We are poor people, and if you
deem us unworthy to ally with you, we entreat you to do as
it pleases you, for we seek not to constrain you.'^ Drupada
then said : — ^^ I adjure you by the Almighty God to toll mo
who you are ! " So Yudhishthira told him, saying : — " We
tte the sons of the Raja Pdndu : I am Yudhishthira, and he
^ ^h> won your daughter is Arjuna; and the others are
' Bhima, Nakula, and Sahadeva, and the lady who brought
, Jonr daughter here to-day is our mother Kuntf. Then Raja joy of Raja Dm-
i^rnpada knew them all, and was filled with joy ; and they'^
told him all that had happened to them from the day of their
^ g ^^cspe from the city of Vdrandvata ; and the Raja ordered
^J konaes to be prepared for their reception, and entertained
I Hiem many days. Yudhishthira,
After this Raja Drupada said to Yudhishthira : — '^ Is JJother.roqueat-
: ^ your command^ as the elder brother, that I give my marriage.
126 THE MAHA BHARATA.
uiSTO&T OF daughter in marriage to Arjuna ? " And Yndhishthira
Part il replied : — '^ We must ask counsel of the sage Vydsa in this
matter." Now on that day the sage Vydsa had come to
Yyim 9ppmn the city^ and he was received by Baja Drupada with all
with groAirarer- honour and reverence^ and seated upon a golden throne;
and all the princes and chieftains stood before him with
clasped hands. Then the sage Yydsa bade each one to take
his seatj and they began to take counsel together respects
ing the marriage of Draupadl. And Baja Drupada said ^—
^' Arjuna has won my daughter at her Swayamvara^ and it is
for the elder brother Yndhishthira to say what shall be
done." Vydsa replied: — "The destiny of Draupadf has
D^|m that already been declared by the gods ; Let her become the
mam the five wife of all the brethren." Dhrishta-dyumna then said :—
orethren. *'
Objections of " It is uot for me to speak in the presence of a crreat saffe.
Dhrinhta-dyum- ,. .^ -i-i ii.i «
xuL but it seems to me that accordmg to the rule of the Sway-
amvara^ my sister Draupadl is already the wife of Arjuna^
and it is not permitted for the elder brother to interfere in
Tudhishthira'8 her marriacTe." Yndhishthira replied : — " Your words may
ai>peftl to his ° ... .
ooiuicience. be true^ but what Yydsa has said is just^ and my conscience
condemns it not ; and moreover we hold our mother^s word
to be right and true^ that we should all share the prize that
Arjuna had won." The sage Vydsa then explained to
Kaja Drupada^ that it was ordained by a diyine mystery that
Harrisffeof his daughter Draupadi should be married to the five
five p&iidavas. brethren^ and the Baja gave his consent. And Draupadf
was arrayed in fine garments^ and adorned with five jewels,
and married first to the elder brother Yudhishthira^ and
then to the others according to their respective ages ; and
the Baja gave large gifts to his sons-in-law^ and also to the
Brdhmans; and Kunti blessed her daughter-in-law^ and
prayed that she might become the mother of many sons.
Then the Pdndavas were no longer afraid lest they should
be discovered by the Kauravas, and they dwelt for many
days in much joy and tranquillity in the city of Kdmpilya.
Meantime the Kauravas heard that the Pdndavas were
alive and had married the daughter of Baja Drupada, and
K^rovw.**'® they began to be afraid. And a Council was held in the Hall of
IV. — ^HARRUOE OF THE PANDAVAS. 127
3 palace, and all the elders spoke in favoor of peace, whilst history of
3 young men were clamorous for war. Then Bhishma l^^^^'
I'ABT IL
Ifed that the Baj should be divided between the Kauravas
1 the Piindayas, and his counsel prevailed. And Yidura
nt forth to the city of Kdmpilya and brought back the Return of the
idavas to the city of Hastindpur ; and all the people of {uStuSlJu^.nd
Raj rejoiced greatly at the return of the sons of Raja iu3T° ^' *****
idu.
The foregoing legend of the Swayamvara of Review of the
aupadi is perhaps one of the most valuable, as it ^i""-
rtainly is one of the most remarkable, which have
en preserved in the Mahd Bhdrata. The event to The mairiam* of
iich it refers belongs to the very earliest period of JJif l,?rUKn'ir'''"
Indd history ; and illustrates to a very suggestive ""'*^" ^^^^nr-
gree the rude civilization which prevailed amongst
B earliest Aryan settlers in India. In the narrative Tradition ob-
Hcurwl hviiivlh-
Jeady before the reader, a considerable amount of »^* additions.
ythical rubbish, respecting which there could not
iBubly be two opinions, has already been eliminat-
; and now it remains to clear away with a more
licate hand those further details which still en-
mber the authentic tradition, but which could not
fe been excluded from the text without impairing
) significance of the legend as it appears in the
h& Bhdrata.
The event which forms the germ of the later Probable details
5i , of the real inci-
rative was probably of the following character. ^<^"*-
ichdla was a little Raj at no great distance from
Raj of Bh^u^ta. The Raja of Panclidla had aTheRajaofPan-
Tiageable daughter whom he determined to give v^J'J?^^,^'''*''^
lie best archer who might compete for her hand. t^r^to^thlTuit
ordingly he gave a feast to a number of young ^ "^'^*
I from the neighbouiing families, in some pleasant
; which was adorned for the occasion with gay
r r
128 THE MAHA BHARATA.
HISTORY OP flaffs and flowers* When the feast was over the
TNDf A
pjlbtii. priests chaunted their mystic hymns to the gods;
after which the damsel was duly presented to the
assembly by her brother, and the young men were
invited to try their skill with the bow. Here there
Rude merri. was a significant pause. No one liked to shoot first
<»«^- lest he should be laughed at by the others ; for every
man who missed the mark lost all chance of the
damsel, and would thus become the natural butt of
Bimi>iicityofthe a rudo and boisterous crowd. At length the young
in mJUnc ^ men took heart and be&ran to shoot ; and meantime
•^**»*- the damsel moved amongst them m a very simple
fashion, carrying in her hand the garland of flowers
which she was to throw round the neck of the suc-
cessful bowman. Probably she knew most of the
young men, and took not unnaturally an interest in
EzerdMs the ^ tlicir performances. Nor was she altogether a pas-
lSmMu?torft!im s^^® spectator ; for whilst womanly pride would lead
the truL jj^j. ^^ accept the victor as her future husband, she
evidently possessed the right of rejecting an objec-
tionable suitor, a right which she exercised in the case
of Kama.
Beir.poBsesMd Here it may be remarked that the cool and self-
demeanour or jj /•■rx T 1- •
diSSKSfofSol?! Possessed demeanour of Draupadf on this occasion
•ndry. jg precisely what might have been expected in a
state of society where polyandry was a recognized
institution, and where the woman was to a great
WW dfflS extent the master. In Swayamvaras of a later date
yimJaSs.^^*" the couduct of the damsel seems to have been more
in accordance with the idea of one wife being mar-
ried to one husband ; and pictures are presented of a
timid maiden moving modestly round a circle of
young men, accompanied by a nurse or a father, to
assist her in the delicate task of choosing a husband.
IV. — ICARBIAOB OP THE PAKDAVAS. 129
The main incident in the story, and the one history of
ich may have served to perpetuate the memory part ii.
the Swayamvara, was not so much the fact that winning of the
[una won the hand of Draupadf by hitting the pS^nt'ViSh***'
rk, as the fact that the people all supposed him to i^^J^*^ *" *^*
the son of a Brdliman. The disdain with which
I ancient Kshatriyas regarded the mendicant
Uunans^ presents so extraordinary a contrast to
I superstitious respect with which the modern
Uiman caste is universally regarded, as to neces-
ite an inquiry into its cause. Originally the father cause or the an-
El fiunily, or the (Jhiettam of a tribe, appear to have Jj^fj^^^^^h^d'
ed as priest at the family or tribal sacrifices ; yL**"® ^*^''*"
t as Noah, Abraham, and Melchizedek offered up
lifices to Jehovah with their own hands. Under Tiie prie«t oh.
, . , 1 • i n M. 1 ginally a hireling
ui Circumstances, when priests were first engaged j^jfju^ *^J^J
act for the father or the Chieftain, it would be in or^chiXn*^ '
) capacity of hired servants; and a lengthened
riod would elapse before the mercenary priests
lid obtain such a superstitious hold upon the
)ple, as to be considered of a higher grade than
sir royal masters. At the same time, it would scorn
it the Brdhmans had already formed themselves
D a separate community, who never practised the
3 of arms, and whose lives were already considered
sacred by the Kshatriyas.
The surprise of the multitude at seeing a Brah- General oommo-
*^ '^ tion excited at
in attempt to compete at a Swayamvara, the fears ^^^'JU^,^ **' *
the obsequious Brdhmans lest the Kshatriyas th^ Kshatriyw
/*. 1 1 • /» ^ - . had all failed.
)uld be offended at the presumption ot one ot their
ler, the exultant delight of the Brdhmans when
juna struck the golden fish, and the violent wrath
the Kshatriyas at seeing themselves distanced by
nendicant priest who lived upon their bounty, are
TOL. I. 9
130 THE MAHA BHARATA.
HISTORY OP incidents in the authentic tradition which can now
Past II. be realized with ease. But the Kshatriyas had an-
other cause for exasperation. They suspected that
Raja Drupada had invited them for the express pur-
pose of humiliating them in the eyes of the people;
and in this exasperated mood they threatened to slay
the whole house of Drupada and to bum his daughter ;
alive upon the funeral pile. The mythical inter-
position of Krishna upon this occasion will be con* '
sidered hereafter. For the present it will be sufficient
to note the circumstances that followed, and inquire ;
how far they bear out the view that polyandry was \
a recognized institution, and that the marriage of j
Draupadf was not such an exceptional case as the
Brahmanical compilers have induced the Hindiis to
believe.
The swiyamvm- Accordinff to the law of the later Swayamvora,
m and poiyaii> *-' »/ f
diy oompMwd. the man who gained the day became the husband of
the damsel. According to the institution of poly-
andry, the eldest brother married the damsel, who
thereupon became the joint wife of all the brethren.
Plain indica- It will uow bc observcd that the remaining portioa
tS,\^ ^t^^^' ^^ *^® narrative of the marriage of Draupadf if
SJSti* taimedi. unintelligible, unless the theory be accepted that
ihe^i^:^^^ polyandry was a recognized institution, and that all
representations to the contrary are to be regarded as
mythical interpolations of a later date. In the
story of the Swayamvara only glimpses are to be
obtained of the authentic tradition; but in ihe
narrative of events between the Swayamvara and
the marriage, scenes are described so natural in their
character, and so precisely in accord with the insti-
tution of polyandry, that it is impossible to doubk
the existence of the institution.
lY. — MARBUOE OF THE PANDAVAS. 131
According to the tradition as it appears in the history op
INDIA.
[aha Bhdrata, the PAndavas conducted Draupadf to pIbt h.
le house of their mother Kuntf, and told Kunti 8<Tiie on the ar-
lat they had grained an acquisition ; upon which davas and Drau.
^untl desired the brethren to share the acquisition of ^""li.
oionsrst themselves. Here an undue stress has been Brahmanicai
^ pt^nt^rsioii of the
lid upon the words of Kuntf by the Brahmanicai ^""*'*"f^""'»-
>mpilers. Kimtf is said to have been under the
opression that her sons had brought home a large
»ck of provisions, and therefore commanded them proofs of Brah-
) share the food equally amongst them, it is also illation.
ided that when she discovered that they had
rought home a*damsel, she repented of her words,
I being opposed to religion and morality ; but that
le could not recall her commands, because having
ace issued them her sons were bound to obey.
'his is palpably a Brahmanicai interpolation. The
rethren were not accustomed to divide provisions,
vr that duty was always performed by their motlier.
[oreover, they did not share the provisions, for one
sJf went to Bhima, and the remaining half sufficed
iV all the others. Again, Kuntf could scarcely have
x>ken to her sons without seeing Draupadf also ;
ad, again, it is mere Brahmanicai Jesuitry to infer
cm the law that the commands of a mother are al-
ays to be obeyed, the childish fallacy that a mother
mnot recall or modify her commands. It is, there- Natural inter-
•' nr«tation tliat
ure, safer to adopt the more natural interpretation, heTiIj\iitTsh^
unely, that the Pdndavas took Draupadf home to S^,n^tueni.
leir mother, and told her that Arjuna had won the
imsel at her Sway am vara; and that Kuntf had
len desired her sons to share the damsel amongst
lem as their joint wife, according to the institution
r polyandry.
^ •
132 THE Mi^A BHARATA.
HISTORY OP The sequel of this tradition entirely bears out
TTtfTII A
pabt li. this interpretation. It can be reconciled with the
theory that the marriage of one wife to many bro-
Natunl inter-
>reUtion oon-
SmSd^ Ae' thers was an existing institution, but not with the
tnuution. view which the Brahmanical compilers have endea-
voured to convey, namely, that such a marriage was
so exceptional as to be a shock to the social senti-
Aoknowiedg. monts of the period. Arjuna took Draupadi by the
pftiweiderbro-hand and laid her at the feet of Kuntf : and then
ther to choose % ^ ^ '
J^*"*^® plainly indicated the right of the eldest brother to
choose a wife for the famQy by declaring that
Draupadf was worthy of being espoused by Yud-
hishthira. It is also stated that every one of the
brothers felt an equal desire to marry Draupadf;
MwrbM rites but remembering that her father Drupada had some
Enja DrulSSda voico iu the matter, they considered it advisable to
oouldbeoon- .
suited. delay the actual marriage until the Raja could be
Dmiiiwdi treat- consultod. Accordiugly, Draupadf seems to have
interval as a bceu treated during: the interval as a damsel who
dunsel betroth- ^
bJouiSi?''® was virtually betrothed to all the brothers, though
Divides the vie- not actually married. Thus when the victuals were
tuala at supper, i/*i • i-rr/'ii
Kuua'*^'^ of prepared for the evening meal, Kunti resigned her
duty of dividing the food to her new daughter-in-
law, according to the accustomed form ; and Drau-
padf seems to have undertaken the duty with all the
self-confidence of a lady who was henceforth to
occupy the most important place in the household.
She distributed the victuals to her husbands ex-
pectant, and smiled as she gave so large a proportion
Ammgcraents to the voracious Bhfma. When the evening meal
was over, Draupadf retired with her mother-in-law,
and slept by her side all night ; a natural arrange-
ment which precisely coincided with the extraor-
dinaiy relations in which she stood towards the
IV. — ^MABRIAQE OF THE PANDAVAS. 133
family. The careful delicacy of Hindu bards as history of
regards betrothed maidens is also exhibited in de- pabth.
scribing the next day, Yudhishthira and liis bre-
thren proceeded to the city of KAmpilya in one
chariot, whilst Kuntl and Draupadf were conveyed
in a chariot by themselves. The remainder of the
story calls for no remark. The rights of Yudliishthira
as the eldest brother were fully recognized by Raja
Drupada ; and with the exception of a few mythical
objections, none of which were raised by Draupadf,
the narrative of the marriage of one damsel to five
brethren reaches a natural conclusion.
The Brahmanical myths which have been intro- Mythical «torit-
duced in the Mahd Bhdrata for the purpose of ex- ^^^V ^-^Jr* ^"■'
plaining away the polyandry may now bo very *J^*^,^I|?,riJj'"
briefly indicated. When the Pdndavas were on the tISdiiimiJ^?fhc
point of setting out for the Swayamvara, the mythi- Mythofth«wo
___- ^ 1 1 11 1111 man who praycc
cal Vyasa suddenly appeared to them, and told them gj^^^^l^^*^ J^
a ridiculous story of a woman who prayed to the *»"«^*"^-
great god Siva five times for a good husband ; upon
which the god said that as she had prayed five times,
he would give her five husbands in a future birth.
Vy^aa added that this woman had been bom
again as Draupadf, and that the five brethren wore
destined to marry her. Again, when Raja Drupada
was conversing with Yudhishthira about the mar-
riage, Vydsa makes his appearance in a very abrupt
manner ; and the mythical reception accorded to the
sage, the enthronement upon a golden seat with all
the Chieftains standing round him with clasped hands
in token of reverence, furnishes a significant contrast
to the mortification which Raja Drupada had ex-
pressed in a previous portion of the more authentic
tradition at seeing his daughter Draupadf led away
r ^
134 THE MAHA BHARATA.
HISTORY OP by a Brdhman. On this occasion Vydsa again re-
pabt II. peated the divine story, and also related another
Myth that the myth to the effect that tlie five Pdndavas were in
were Ave indnB. reality fivo Indras, or five incarnations of Indra, and
consequently the same as one man. Raja Drupada
and the PAndavas are of course represented as being
perfectly satisfied with these absurd explanations.*
objectionof Ohc objoction, howovcr, was raised against the
cStoSfSjuna proposed marriage, which is more worthy of notice.
the fiTiiiJil^ " Dhrishta-dyumna is said to have urged that Aijuna
thj^htofYud- had fairly won Draupadf at her Swayamvara, and
eldest brother, j-y^q^ therefore Yudhishthira had no right to interfere
in the matter. This objection was answered by
Yudhishthira himself, as it directly affected his rights
as the eldest brother. Yudhishthira appealed to his
mythical birth as being an incarnation of Dharma,
or virtue;* and declared that if the proposed marriage
had been repugnant to religion it would have been
sigiiiflcaiKie of equally repugnant to his own conscience. This
strained defence made by Yudhishthira, although
palpably mythical, seems to indicate that there was
some force in the objection, and that there was some
> The myths indicated in the text occupy a Ycry considerable space in thd
Mah& Bh&rata, but they are so wild and nnmeaning, so palpably the depraTed
products of diseased imagination, that it would be worse than useless to reproduce
thorn at length. Draupadi is said to have been an incarnation of the goddess
Lakshmi, the wife of Vishnu ; and she and her brother Dhrishta«dynmna were
not bom in the natural way, but were produced from a sacrificial fire kindled for
the purpose by a holy Rishi. As for the myth of the five Pfrndaras being fire
Indras, it is simply trash. It is based upon the legend already referred to in the
foot-note at page 70, which gives a divine origin to the P&ndayas, and especiaUy
states that Indra was the father of Aijuna. By some untranslatable process a
portion of Indra's energy becomes transfused into the fathers of the other toat
r&ndavas, and thus all the five P&ndavas are declared to be his incarnations. The
myth, however, is not only absurd in itself, but fails of its intended object ; for
whether the P&ndavas were the sons of Indra, or the sons of dififerent gods, the
fact still remains that three of the brothers were bom of one mother, and two of
them of another mother, and that all of them were married to one wife.
* Sec anUy p. 126.
IV.— MARRIAGE OP THE PANDAVAS. 135
^position between the institution of polyandry and history op
at of the Swayamvara. The question is certainly pIbt n.
le of diflficulty, for it is by no means impossible question of w1k«-
at the institution of the Swayamvara was of a more wnvara^iidnfrt
^dem origin than the institution of polyandry, and ^^^
at the narrative of the Swayamvara might have
ten introduced at a later period to cover the
lyandry. The question, however, is not an im-
Ttant one, and may be left in the uncertainty from
!iich it cannot be cleared.
Two remaining points in the tradition, as it ap- LUitoftheRi^M
ars in the Mahd Bhdrata, are also deserving of ^^^j^^JJ^^^"^
tice. A catalogue of all the Rajas present at the SUti"!^ ""^
rayamvara has been preserved, but it is so palpably
B product of a later age that it is useless for pur-
068 of criticism. Sovereigns from the remotest
alters of India are said to have attended this little
^mastic festival ; until it would seem as if the names
tiie ancestral heroes of every Raja throughout the
dian continent, real and mythical, had been in-
rted in the list of suitors by the Brdhmanical com-
lera. The task of interpolation was indeed easy,
lilst every reigning Chieftain would be highly
atified at finding that his ancestor was associated
^th the heroes of the Mahd Bhdrata, and had been
sandidate for the hand of the heroine of the national
[>ic.
The interference of Elrishna seems to bo another Mediation of
KriMhiia: itH
fthj which is connected with the later worship of SJlin*' ''^'*"
it hero. One object of the Brahmanical com-
ers was to promulgate the worship of Krishna as
incarnation of Vishnu. Accordingly the rude
i amorous warrior of the Yddava tribe is fre-
Bntly introduced in the Mahd Bhdrata as a
^ ^
136 THE MAHA BHARATA.
HISTORY OF mediator in times of feud^ and a consoler in times
^^i of affliction. Of course it is not altogether impos-
sible for Krishna to have been present at the Sway-
amvara, or for him to have interposed to allay the
wrath of the disappointed Kshatriyas ; but the dis-
tance from Dwdrakd to the scene of the tradition,
and the rude character of Krishna as displayed in
the earlier traditions, militate very strongly against
the truth of the legend.
No farther aiiu. Tho naxrativc of the Swayamvara of Draupadi
StS'Sf toT ^^v^^S been brought to a legitimate conclusion by
"•"*"«®- her marriage, no further allusion is made to the
signiflouioe of exccptioHal nature of the union. Henceforth the
IKSSrSA'^^ significance of the alliance wholly turns upon the
PAiMtavafc happy effects which it produced upon the fortunes
of the Pdndavas. Indeed, there are indications in
the Mahd Bhdrata that the marriage was a planned
thing. Raja Drupada must have been equally as
desirous of the assistance of the Pdndavas in re-
venging himself upon Drona, as the Pdndavas had
been desirous of an alliance with Drupada to enable
them to recover possession of the Raj. It is accord-
ingly said that Drupada purposely selected the huge
bow with which the feat of shooting the golden fish
was performed, in the hope that he might thus gain
Arjuna for a son-in-law, inasmuch as no one but
Arjuna would be strong enough to string the bow.
But the question is scarcely worth the trouble of
AiMTOofthe weighing probabilities. It will be sufficient to say
•uunoe. that the Kauravas were much alarmed at the
alliance ; and that the Mahdraja summoned a Council
to consider what steps should be taken to meet the
crisis which had occurred.
The ancient Councils of the Kshatriyas present a
strange interest, inasmuch as they formed the germ
IV. — ^MARRUQE OF THE PANDAVAS. 137
from which the European Parliaments of the Middle history oi
INDIA.
Ages undoubtedly sprang, and they still linger in pj^m ii.
Hindu capitals under the name of Durbars. Un- primitive cha-
fortunately, the speeches which have been preserved dUiltcSuncuJS
in the Mahd 6h^u*ata are rarely characterized by the inferiority of
fire and dignity which is breathed from the lips of th^^ri^me
Homeric heroes ; and are wholly wanting in that
vigorous thought which finds expression in the
orations which appear in Thucydides. Indeed,
ihey have passed through a very different crucible,
and are little better than childish conversations,
not unfrequently lengthened out with Brahmanical
details. But still the scene which transpired in the
rude entrance Hall of the palace at Hastindpur is i^nc in the
very suggestive. All the Chieftains of the royal Haatmipur.
house are said to have assembled on the occasion
adorned with garlands. There were the grave
elders desirous of peace, and the turbulent youths
who were clamorous for war ; whilst the weak and
indulgent Mahdraja sat in their midst, his viewless
orbs hopelessly turned upon the assembly. Bhfshma, Bhishma pro-
1 ,,--- _ ."^ poses a diviMioii
the patriarch of the house, at length proposed that j^^j ^i ^^
the Pdndavas should be invited to return to Has- pSSdavM/*"*
tindpur, and that the Raj should then be divided
between the sons of Dhritardshtra and the sons of
Pdndu. This counsel is said to have prevailed.
Yidura was sent to bring the Pdndavas and their
wife to Hastindpur ; and Raja Drupada, in behalf of
his sons-in-law, was induced to agree to the terms
of reconciliation. Accordingly, the Pdndavas set lU'tum of the
f __ ,- •-111* 1 Pandavas to
out for Uastinapur accompanied by their mother Hastindpur.
and joint wife ; and all the people of the Raj
rejoiced greatly at the return of the sons of Raja
Pdndu, and went out in great multitudes to wel-
come them back to the house of their fathers.
CHAPTER V.
BEIGN OF THE PAXDATAS IH KHANDAVA-PRASTHA.
mnoRT OF The division of the Baj of Bharata indicates an
Past tl important event in the history of the Aryan invasion
of of India. It was not so mnch a division of territoryi
JhiS'iifiTni ^ * division of the family, and perchance to some
extent a division of the people ; one branch remain-
ing at Hastindpur, whilst the other went out to
wrest a new coontiy firom the aborigines, and clear
and cultivate the lands. It has ahready been seen
that the Raj of Hastinapur was in reality nothing
more than a certain area of cultivated lands and
pastures, which furnished subsistence for a band
of Aryan settlers under the rule of the Mahdraja.
It will now be seen that the so-called division was a
migration ; that the Pdndavas, accompanied perhaps
by servants or retainers, departed out of the country
on the banks of the Ganges, and proceeded to a
country on the banks of the Jumnd, where they
cleared the jungle, and established a Saj of their
own. Before proceeding further, however, it will
be necessary to reproduce the legend of the migra-
tion.
Tradition of the Afler many days Mahdraja Dhritar&slita sent for Ynd-
nlndbvaii ^ the hishthira and his brethren^ and said to them in the presence
KhiJiStvL-pru- of BMshma: — ''It is most proper for yon to go to the
country of Khdndava-prastha^ and I will make over to yon
the half of the Baj/' And Bhishma said :—'' The Mah&raja
V. — ^REIGN OF THE PANDAVAS, 139
lias spoken well; so go now and dwell in the country of bistort op
INDIA.
Pakt II.
Xhundava-prastha^ and take charge of your share of the ^^'^'^
Raj." So the Pdndavas took their leave of the Mahdraja,
and of Bhishma^ and of Drona^ and of all their kinsmen^ and
proceeded toward the south until they came to the country
of Khdndava-prastha on the banks of the river Jumna ; and i^&naavM Amnd
there they built a fort^ and collected such a number of pnuth* on tho
inhabitants that the city resembled the city of Indra^ and the
city was named Indra-prastha. And the Raj of Yudhish-
thiraand his brethren became famous throucfhout the world. Their fkmoiu
adminutratioii.
for they punished all evil-doers^ and subdued all the robbers
round about them, and any one who suffered wrong wont to
them for succour^ like children going to a father.
The first difficulty that occurs in the foreffoinj?oriirinoftho
tradition is the contusion which exists between the i;*Y"A*i':^i^V
division of the Raj and the migration of the Pdnda- tim o^f^hilm-
gm f> V f* fj
vas. This confusion probably originated in the ap-
plication of the name of Bharata, not to any par-
ticular Aryan settlement, but to the aggregate of
settlements, and probably to an indefinite tract of
unknown and unsubdued country beyond ; and thus
it was that the term BhArata-varsha became gradu-
ally applied to the whole of India. Under such cir-
cumstances the Mahdraja might have made over to
Pandavas the forest of Khdndava, as a portion
of the assumed empire of Bhdrata; but after the
Pdndavas had once cleared the land, and established
themselves in the country, the new Raj would be
emphatically their own.
A second difficulty in the tradition arises from JJJJ}?^?^^J}\{}^®
an omission which is not without significance. The d^HiTofthi*®
Pdndavas had evidently migrated into a new "*^^
country, and yet nothing whatever is said about
the clearing of the jungle. Now it is difficult to
conceive that such an important event should have
140 THE MAHA BHARATA.
HISTORY OP found no place In the original tradition ; and yet if
T^^ it had been preserved in its integrity by the later
compilers, it would have undoubtedly militated
against two deeply-rooted ideas, namely, that the
Raj of Bhdrata extended over the whole of India,
and that the Kshatriyas were warriors who never
Memory of the stoopod to tho cultivatioH of the soil. In a later por-
incident pre- .• /•jIj i jiii
eerved in » later tion oi tho story, howevor, a myth has been pre-
served, which is entitled, " The Burning of the
Forest of KhAndava;" and notwithstanding the
wild and absurd details of the story, it sufficiently
indicates the true character of the Aryan invasion,
and the occupations of the early Kshatriya settlers^*
The essential portions of the myth may now be re-
lated as follows : —
Myth of the ^^^ i^ came to pass that Elrishua paid a visit to the
fore!i?of KwS- Pindavas at Indra-prastha, and Aijuna invited him to go out
J^JJjj^j^j^^ hunting in the great forest of Kh&ndava. So everything
Setoreit""*'" was made ready, and Arjuna went out with Krishna to hunt
in the great forest ; and when they came to a pleasant spot
they sat down and drank wine, whilst the musicians played
before them, and the singers and story-tellers amused them
Mythical ap- with songs and stories. At length on a certain day a
gSSpS^flJi)! Brdhman came to Krishna and Arjuna; and he was veiy
deroor the fo- large and fat, and his colour was yellow, and his form was
frightful to behold ; but when EIrishna and Arjuna saw the
Brdhman they received him with great respect, and seated
him beside themselves. The Brdhman then said : — " I am
Agni (fire), and a great Rishi has offered sacrifice and poured
oil upon the altar for the space of twelve years, so that my
strength is gone and my colour has become yellow firom
drinking up the oil: I therefore desired to consume the
great forest of Khdndava, so that my strength and colour
> The myth of ** The Burning of the Forest of Kh&ndava " is not related in
the Mah& Bh&rata, until after the mythical exile of Arjuna, which will appear
hereafter.
V, — ^REION OF THE PANDAYAS. 141
might retam again to me ; bat whenever I began to devour bistort oi
INDIA.
Pari II.'
the forest, Indra poured down abundance of rain and ^^^^^
quenched the fire, for he is desirous of preserving the great
serpents who are dwelling in that jungle: I therefore iiiur»Mth«aii,
beseech you, 0 Krishna and Arjuna, to protect me against serpeuu.
Indra/^ At these words Arjuna agreed to make war against
Indra, if Agni would provide him with celestial weapons ;
and Agni then gave Arjuna the bow which is called Gdndiva,
together with two quivers, and a chariot having the monkey
god for its standard. Then Arjuna and Krishna fought Arjurw and
Indra, and Agni devoured the forest of Khdndava ; and all af^iiiNUn%ra»
the serpents were devoured likewise, excepting their Saja vuuntheforMt
Takshaka, who escaped from the burning.
The meaning of this myth, as far as it bears Jy{J|T'^**J^!7hi
upon the clearing of the forest, will now be obvious. fJII^'J" n^'ii
A Scythic tribe of NAgas were located in the jungle KJ. ^^^^
of EJidndava, and naturally objected to the confla-
gration, which was, however, ultimately carried out.
The actual burning of the forest, and war against
the Scythic Ndgas, seem to have been famous in
E^shatriya tradition ; and hence the gods and Brdh-
mans, and especially Krishna, were associated with
it. There is also a religious meaning in the myth
which will be discussed hereafter.
The mifiration of a branch of Kshatriya settlers Profareasoftwc
*^ "^ bandd of Aryan
from the banks of the Ganges to the banks of the JSufh?«^t!*'ono
Jumnd is also interesting from another point of 0% GanR^!"^^
view. It seems to indicate that whilst one band of Ho"/ tjie vaiie:
Aryan colonists moved towards the south-east along
the valley of the Ganges, another band moved in
the same direction along the valley of the Jumnd.
Again, the site of Indra-prastha is far more distinctly Jf^^'JJjJ'vf *^/
indicated than the site of Hastindpur. The pilgrim {J^^enT^lhi
who wends his way from the modem city of Delhi «^»dtheKutub
to pay a visit to the strange relics of the ancient
142 THE HAHA BHARATA.
BISTORT ov world which surround the mysterious Kiitub, will
pamt il find on either side of his road a number of desolate
heaps^ the debris of thousands of years, the remains
of successive capitals which date back to the very
dawn of history ; and local tradition still points to
these sepulchres of departed ages as the sole remains
of the Raj of the sons of Pdndu, and their once fa-
mous city of Indra-prastha.*
The next point in the tradition which calls for
observation, is the strange domestic life which ac-
companied the institution of polyandry. The tra-
dition needs no introduction, but may be briefly re-
lated here : —
Legend of the Now as the five Pdndavas were husbands of one wife;
PtodftVM. each of the brethren had a house and garden of his own^ and
Draupadl dwelt with each of them in turn for two days at a
Mutrimoniii time ; and it was a law amongst them^ that if a brother
entered the house of another brother^ whilst Dranpadi was
dwelling there^ he should depart out of the city and go into
exile for twelve years. Now it so happened that all the
weapons belonging to the brethren were kept in the house
of Yudhishthira ; and it came to pass that one night whilst
Draupadf was dwelling with Yudhishthira^ a Brdhman came
with a loud outcry to the gate of Arjuna, and prayed for
vengeance against a band of robbers who had carried away
Alleged braush his COWS. And the Brdhman was very clamorous^ and Arjuna
AijuiuL himself was very desirous to pursue the robbers. So Arjuna
entered the house of Yudhishthira, and girded on his own
coat of mail, and tied on his sword and buckler, and took his
bow and arrows in his hand ; and he overtook the robbers
and slew some of them, and the remainder fled and left the
* The whole of this neighbourhood is rich in historic association ; and the
journey from Delhi to the E6tub, and from the E6tiib to Toglukabad, is perhaps
one of the most interesting in India. At Toglnkabad is the first great outpost of
the Mussulman Afghans. The Etitub is a pillar of Islam victory erected amidst
the remains of what was once a famous Buddhist city. Modern^Delhi, again,
the great metropolis of the Mogul emperors.
V. — ^BEXGN OP THE PANDAVAS. 143
cattlo behind them. And Aijuna brought away tho cattlo history oi
INDIA.
Pabt II.
and delivered them up to the BhQiman ; and in the morning ^ndia.
he went to Yudhiahthira and told him all that ho had dono : — 7
and he requested permission to take his leave and go into twc/'Te'yeirt^L
exile for twelve years according to the rule. And Yudhish- *'®-
thira was much troubled^ and said : — ^^ You have dono no Josuiticai re-
harm, Arjuna, for I am your elder brother, and tho same to YudhbhthinL
you as a father : If indeed I had entered your house when
Draupadi was there, then I should have been bound to go
out of the city for twelve years ; but when you entered my
house, it was to you as the dwelling of your father ; and I
pray you therefore to think no more of the matter." But
Aijuna replied : — " When we pledged ourselves by oath to
this rule, nothing was said about the house of the elder
brother being as the house of a father, and I am bound to
depart out of the city/' And Arjuna took his leave of his Ariunsgoesint
mother and brethren, and of his wife Draupadi, and set his
iace towards the jungle.
The question of how far the matrimonial law nubioiwauthon
, . - , . , . ticity of tho ma
above indicated is historically true, can scarcely be ^"™<^"*»* ^^•
discojssed with minuteness by the modem historian.
There is, however, suflScient evidence to excite the
suspiciou that it is purely mythical, and that it has
been introduced for the sole purpose of toning down
the more offensive features of the marriage. It is
said to have originated with a famous Brdhman
sage named Ndrada, who abruptly introduced him-
self to the five brethren for the purpose of laying
down the rule,' The point, however, which is really
deserving of notice, is the obligation which each of
the brothers imposed upon himself, of going into
* The ttorj of the interrention of N&rada is amusing enough, but scarcely
fitted for Enropetn eyes. Ho is said to hare been received with every mark of
booonr tod rererence, by Draupadi as well as by her husbands ; but the sage had
the delicacy to signal to Draupadi to leave tho room, whilst he discussed with her
hnsbeadt the propriety of their accepting the arrangement which he proposed.
144' THE BiAHA BHARATA.
HISTORY OP exile for twelve years in the event of any breach of
TNDTA
p^T iL the rule. Abundant evidence can be furnished that
prooft that the: the oxilo is a myth. It is improbable that all the
Is a myth. woapons should have been kept in the house of
Yudhishthira whilst the matrimonial law was in
force. It is improbable that Arjuna should have
gone out single-handed against a band of robbers.
The sophistry which Yudhishthira employs to per-
suade his brother to ignore the law is foreign to the
character of the speaker, and is probably the inter-
polation of some Jesuitical Brdhman. The period of
twelve years is an obvious exaggeration. Moreover,
it will presently be seen that the whole narrative of
Arj Una's exile is crowded with details which are
either supernatural, or Brahmanical^ or an outrage
upon geographical knowledge. The reason for the
myth is, however, sufficiently obvious. Since NsU
rada the sage is said to have laid down the rule, it
became necessary to show that the ride was faith-
fully observed, and this observance could only be
indicated by an alleged breach of the rule.
, Aijuna'i exile; The uarrativo of the adventures of Arjuna during
' its mythical char ^. , /• •! • -j o xi i ^
racter. his twclvo ycars of exile^ is evidently the work of
piigrimaffesto OHO of the later Brahmanical "arrangers." It con-
SSS^i^y ®^*^*^ ^^ pilgrimages to the most holy Brahmanical
acrowdofBiAh- localities, accompauicd by a crowd of Brahmanical
sages, who are palpably supernumeraries. It also
Amours in the includcs throc different amours in the three most re-
remotest quar-
ters of India, mote quarters of India, namely, Hurdwar, in the
extreme north ; Munnipiir, in the extreme east be-
yond the Bengal frontier; and DwdrakA, in the
extreme west, at the furthest end of the peninsula of
Guzerat. Moreover, whilst the Brahmanical com-
pilers have industriously filled up the time as regards
V. — ^BEION OF THE PANDAYAS. 145
Aijuna, they have neglected to record a single fact history op
as regards his wife and four brethren ; and the state vIrt ii.
of affairs at the end of the twelve long years is pre-
cisely the same as at the commencement of the exile-
This mythical character will be rendered still more
evident by a brief relation of the adventures which
are said to have befallen Arjuna during his absence
firom Indra-prastha. For the convenience of com-
ment the narrative of the exile may be divided into
two portions; the first comprising the adventures
prior to Arjuna's visit to Krishna, and the second
embracing the legend of Arjuna's marriage to Krish-
na^s sister. The first portion of the legend is as
follows : —
Now many Brdhmans went with Arjuna, and ho made Lcurond of Arju
•1 • n T 1 1 1 T 1 XT T "*'* ailventurwi
pugnmages to all the holy places^ and he went to Hiirdwar during hu* exiic
on the river Ganges, and bathed there ; and a damsel named Amour with
Uliipij the daughter of Vdsuki, the liaja of the Nugas, was "'**'
likewise bathing there, and she saw Arjuna and besought
him to espouse her, and he abode with her many day«.
After this Arjuna went into the countries of the south, and
proceeded to the Mahendra mountain, and received many
praises from Parasu Rama, who dwelt there ; and Parasu visit to Parwu
Bama gave Arjuna many powerful weapons, and taught him
many wondrous things in the use of arms.*
And Arjuna passed through many cities and peoples,
nntil he came to the city of Manipura, and there the daugh- Marrira tho
. _ rti • / T-i 1 (laujfhter of the
ter of the Kaja, whose name was Ohitnmgada, chanced to itajaof Maui-
8ee him, and desired him for her husband. So she con-
trived that he should see her, for she was exceedingly
beautiful ; and when Arjuna saw Chitrangada ho loved her
likewise, and made himself known to tho Raja of Manipura,
* Mahendra is the chain of hills that extends along: the eastern or Coroniiindol
coast of India from Orissa and tho Northern Circnrs to Gondwana ; part of this
diain near Ganjam is still called Hahindra Malei, or the hills of Mahindra. (Sec
Villon's note to Vishnu Pur&na, p. 174.) Parasu Rfima was peculiarly a hero of
the Br&hmans, and the myths respecting him will he found in another place.
TOL. I. 10
146 THE MAHA BHARATA.
HISTORY OF and demanded his daughter in marriage. The Baja replied :
J^^^ — " Chitrdngada is my only child, and the great god Siva has
^ ordained that neither I, nor the Bajas of Manipura who were
before me, nor those who will come after me, shall have
more than one child, be it a lad or a damsel : K therefore I
give yon my daughter in marriage, you must give to me any
son that she may bear to you, that he may succeed in the
Raj/' So Arjuna pledged his word to the Baja and married
Chitrdngada, and she gave birth to a son who was named
Babhru-vdhana ; and Arjuna dwelt at Manipura for three
years.
Prooeeds to After this Aijuna took leave of his wife and son and de-
STinjQL '^^"^ parted out of Manipura, and travelled through many regions
until he came to the holy place named Prabhdsa, which is
nigh unto Dwdrakd, where he met Krishna, and the .other
Chieftains of the Yddava tribe, who were reigning there.
Rerfewofthe Tho foregoing legend of the exile of Arjuna
3?id?entures. comprises a few significant incidents, which demand
oonveraion of special consideiation. The intimation that he was
Brihmaa hero, accompanicd by many Brdhmans, and that he made
pilgrimages to all the holy places, is apparently a
general statement, having for its object the con-
version of Arjuna into a Brdhman hero, pioualy
attentive to all Brahmanical observances and ordin-
Amoun of Ar- ances. But the stories of his amours were introduced
Jaii» introduced j • /*» i i -ii i •
M tS'S^to? for a diflferent purpose, though still having the same
of^N*ga: ultimate object in view. They have been appar-
ently incorporated with the Mahd Bhdrata, for the
purpose of representing Arjima as the ancestor of
certain Rajas of a powerful Scythian race, known as
the Ndgas, whose history is deeply interwoven with
prominent^part that of the Hiudiis. Thcso Scythic Ndgas worship-
SrhiitoJyof *" ped the serpent as a national deity, and adopted it
audcut ludia. ^^ ^ national emblem, and j&x)m these circumstances
they appear to have derived the name of Ndgas, or
V. — ^BEIOK OP THE PANDAVAS. 147
serpents. The seats of these NAgas were not eon- history op
fined to India, for they have left traces of their be- pakt n.
lief in almost every religious system, as well as in
almost every country in the ancient world. They
appear to have entered India at some remote period,
and to liave pushed their way towards the cast and
south ; but whether they preceded the Aryans, or
whether they followed the Aryans, is a point which
has not yet been decided. In process of time these confusion yh^
Nagas became identified with serpents, and the re- th(?N^'"i'i»*''**
suit has been a strange confusion in the ancient *^'^'^'*"'"'*-
myths between serpents and human beings ; be-
tween the deity and emblem of the Ndgas and the
Nagas themselves.*
The great historic fact in connection with tlic Ancient conflict
ICJ. U'T^i-J • Air J* TT' J ' between the
^agas, which stands prommently torward in limdu Brthinwwand
myths, is the fierce persecution which they suffered UJu^'iliiilJi.VuS
at the hands of the BrAhmans. The destruction of uiel/rthnmiH
serpents at the burning of the forest of Khdndava, diiists.
the terrible sacrifice of serpents which forms one of
the opening scenes in the Mahd Bhdrata, and the
supernatural exploits of the youthful Krishna against
the serpents sent to destroy him, are all expressions
of Brahmanical hatred towards the Ndgas. Ulti-
mately this antagonism merged into that deadly con-
» Sec Konae interesting notices 'of the N&gas in Elliot's Supplementary Glosts-
«ry, art. Ooirtuya. Sir II. M. Elliot observer that the Nfigas cvtondcil their
namrpotions to the Magadh& empire of Bahar, the throne of which was held by
the ifi^ or serpent dynasty for ten ^ncrations. A branch of them, the Nugbun-
•ee cfaicfUuns of Ram;^rh Sirgooja, have the lunettes of their 8eq)ent iince-tor
ett|(Tav«d on their signets in proof of their lineage ; while the capital and district
of Nacrporc are called after their name.
It may be added that the whole of the Scythian race arc m}'thically dcsctmdi d
from a being half woman and half serpent, who bore three sons to Heriieles
(HtTod. IV. 9, 10). It was no doubt from this creation that Milton borrowed liis
conception of sin. The serpents that are Faid to have invjidcd the kins:dom ol
Lydianji ju^t before the downfall of Cnx'sua, were probably nothing more than
Sovthian X{igas (Herod, i.}.
148 THE MAHA BHARATA.
HISTORY OP flict between the Brdhman and the Buddhist, which
pabt u. after a lengthened period of religious warfare term-
The NA«8 on- iuatod in the triumph of the Brdhman. From these
^tLjAijMii. data it would appear that the Ndgas were originally
o??i?wCT oiS^r a race distinct from the Aryans, and wholly without
*^ the pale of Brahmanism ; that those who became
Buddhists were either crushed or driven out of India
during the age of Brahmanical revival ; and that the
remainder have become converts to Brahmanism, and
appear to be regarded as an inferior order of Ksha-
ExUrtinKre- triyas.® But there is a vitality in certain religious
miUnB or serpent •« -i*i , iii • l i j
wowhip. ideas which seems to render them immortal ; and
whilst the Ndgas as a people have almost disappeared
from the Indian continent, the worship of serpents,
or a reverential fear of serpents as divine beings, is
still to be found deeply rooted in the mind of the
HIndii. The general question perhaps properly be-
longs to the histoiy of the Hindu religion ; but it
should be distinctly borne in mind whilst consider-
ing every legend which seems to point to the Ndgas.'
Amourof Aijuna Thc leffcnd of Ari Una's amour with Uliipl calls for
with Uliipl po- . f ^ . J- i i_
SdSJ^iwSSh'a ^^ particular remark, excepting that according to the
serpent maiden. pQp^lar belief sho was a real serpent, and not a Ndga
woman ; and that she carried Arjuna away to the sub-
terranean city of Bhogavatf , the mythical capital of
signwcanoe of the scrpcut cmpirc. But Arjuna's amour with the
Aijuna'8 amow daughter of the Raja of Manipura is of a more signifi-
Jj^jjj^ljfu^j* cant character. Manipura, the modern Munnipur, is
* This is the opinion of Sir H. M. Elliot, and is confirmed by the present
status of the N&ga tribe in the neighbourhood of the Munnipur vallej, who,
whenever they profess Hinduism, at once receive the thread of the Kshapfcriya. —
M*Culloch'8 Account of Munnipore, p. 18.
■^ Snake worship especially prevails in the northern and eastern districts of
Bengal, and in the Madras Presidency, but is generally associated with the worship
of Siva and Krishna.
V. — ^EEIGN OF THE PANDAVAS. 1 19
a secluded valley lying between Eastern Bengal and history of
Burmah; and the people appear to be a genuine plRxii.
relic of the ancient Nagas. They are a barbarous Th«» motiem
race, who have as yet learnt very little Brahiuanisni i ill"lum""n?ic
of the Soytliic
from their Hindii neighbours. They have no early ^"«*«-
marriages, and no ideas of Satf , and their widows re-
marry. The Raja's deity and ancestor is a serpent,
and a cavity is shown in which the ancestral deity
resides, and the throne of the Raja is fixed over
the cavity. Whilst, however, the traditions and in-
stitutions of Munnipur are so widely different from
those of Hinduism, the myth of Arjuna's marriage
with the daughter of tlie Raja is widely known
amongst the Munnipurees, and implicitly believed.**
The concluding portion of the narrative of lee^n'iofAr.
*^ * ^ ju Mil's DinrriaL'-i;
Arjuna s adventures now remains for consider- Jii|,Vii!!uTo^*'^
ation ; and here the myth takes a pleasing form, for ^*^'^^"'^-
it becomes a story of mutual affection, and betrays a
sentiment and feeling far in advance of the grosser
details which appertain to Arjuna's temporary union
with the NAga women. The scene of this charming
romance is laid at DwArakd, the chief city of the
Yddavas, situated at the western extremity of the
peninsula of Guzerat. According to the Mahd
Bhdrata, Arjuna had gone on a pilgrimage to Prab-
■ For the information respecting the Munnipurees I am indcbUnl to the vahi-
able repcirt on Munnipur drawn up by the Political A^cnt, Colonel AV. M'CulIocli,
wfco his resided many years at Munnipur. My acknowled^euts are also duo (•>
CcAoufil M'Collochforhavintr furnished me direct ^ith some valuable local iiifunn-
ati<Hi fts reganl) the popularity of the myth of Arjuna's inarringe amongst tlic
inhabitants of the country. This myth is a very ancient one, for it finds a place
in the Vudinu Pur(ina, which cannot be of later origin than the tenth century ;
ud it a somewhat remarkable that no traces of I3r{ilinianism can be found in
Knnnipor of an earlier date than the beginning of the last century. The mytli,
iMverer, will reappear for consideration in the sequel of the tradition of the great
WIT.
150 THE MAHA BHARATA.
HISTORY OP lidsa, a famous locality in the neighbourhood of
pIbt li. DwArakd, when he met with the adventures which
are described in the following legend : —
Krtshnare- Now whdn Krishna heard of the approach of his kins-
withgre»tre- man Ariuna, he went out to meet him, and conducted mm
'•^^ with great respect to his own house, and gave orders that
the city of Dwdrakd should be dressed out with flowers and
banners and every sign of rejoicing ; and he entertained
Arjuna many days, and took him out every day to hunt or
Great feant on to ride. And it Came to pass that after a while Krishna
the Buivataka ^ ^ .
mountain. held a great assembly on a beautiful mountain named
Baivataka, which is nigh unto the city of Dwdrakd ; and he
gave a great feast there to all the Chieftains and their ladies,
but the Itfdies were entertained in a separate pavilion by
themselves. On the first day of the feast, Krishna took
Kriahnaand Arjuna by the hand and led him over the mountain, and as
Aijiuia ftUl in n • . n n 1 II
with the as- they Were walkmg together they came near to the assembly
of ladies ; and when the ladies saw Krishna they came up
and spoke to him, and amongst them was Subhadrd, who
Aijuna smitten was Krishna's sister. And Arjuna saw Subhadrd, and he
with Subhadrd. i-i -xii i-vj. i t i
was stncken with her groat beauty and exceedmg elegance,
and he interchanged glances with her. And Krishna saw
that he was stricken, and said : — '* How can you, who
wander in the habit of a pilgrim, cast your eyes upon the
ladies, and so lose your heart ? '^ Arjuna replied : — *' When
a beautiful figure strikes the eye it will captivate the heart,
and so it was unwittingly with me : '' and with these words
Krishna pro- he tumcd away. Then Krishna took him by the hand, and
Snbhadii in Said : — " This is my sister : If you wish to have her for your
juna. wife I will ask my father to give her to you.** Arjuna
replied : — '* What happiness can equal that of the man who
has your sister for his wife ? *' Then Krishna said : — " My
elder brother Balardma is desirous of giving this sister of
mine to Duryodhana, but I will give her to you.'*
And the feast on the mountain lasted two days, and on
the morning of the third day the Chieftains and the ladies
prepared to return to Dwdrakd. And Krishna took Arjuna
V. — BEION OF THE PANDAVAS. 151
aside^ aud gave him his own chariot^ and four horses as history of
swift as the wind, and said to him : — " I present you with J^^^
this sister of mine for your wife, with the entire consent of
my father Yasudeva : Ascend the chariot and overtake my pMtH to Ii^'na
sister who is already on the road to Dwdrakd, and mount her eiope with su-
upon the chariot likewise, and drive away with all speed to
your own country, that you may be at Indra-prastha before
the news reaches the ears of my brother Balardma/' So
Aijona followed the counsel of Krishna, and he ascended
the chariot, and proceeded along the road to Dwdrakd until
he overtook Subhadrd, who was riding in a chariot together
with some other ladies ; and he drove slowly along by the
side on which Subhadrd was until he came close to her, and Arjima lifts sii.
then leaping down he took hold of her hand, and lifted her chariot, and
-.,■,.. <|. •% t n* • t ^t -I *in*'<*** away to
out of her chariot mto his own, and drove off with all speed wanis indra-
t 1 -I T -I 1 prastha.
along the road to Indra-prastha.
Then the people who saw what Arjuna had done, set up News carried i<
a loud cry ; and some of them hastened to Dwdrakd, and
entered the place of Council where Krishna and Balardma,
and their father Vasudeva, and the other Chieftains were
sitting together, and told how Arjuna had carried away the
daughter of Vasudeva. And Balardma was exceedingly wratu of Baia-
wroth, and he ordered his servants to mount their horses,
and set out to pursue Arjuna ; but seeing that Krishna
showed no' concern, he said to him : — " As you are not
affected at hearing that Arjuna has carried away Subhadrd,
it must have been done with your consent : But it was not
lawful for you to give away our sister without speaking a
word to me ; and Arjuna carries his death with him, for I
will surely follow him, and slay him, and all his kindred/'
Krishna replied: — '^ Why, my brother, make all this stir? Rtmonstranoos
Arjuna is a kinsman of ours, and his family is of the noblest, ^*
and endowed with every estimable quality : What disgrace
then can it be to us that Arjuna should hare our sister for
his wife f Whereas, if you go and bring her back, who else
will espouse her after she has been in the house of another
man ? So in this case, therefore, it is well to show no
concern, and to send messengers to Arjuna and bid him
^ /
152 THE MAHA BHARATA.
HISTORY ov rotum to this city, that he may be married to our sister
Pam^ according to the ordinance/' And Balarima said: —
r-— T— " Since you are so well satisfied with this matter, you may
Marriaf^ of Ar- •' ^ ^ ,/
IhSriL^ ^"' ^^ ^^ ^* pleases you." So Krishna sent messengers to bnng
back Arjuna, and Arjuna returned to Dwdraka ; and Krishna
held a great marriage feast, and gave his sister to Arjuna
according to the established rites, and Arjuna abodo at
Dwarakd many months.
Ariun» returns After this, when the twelve years of exile were accom-
with his wife plished, Aijuna took leave of his new kinsmen, and departed
with his wife Subhadrd for the city of Indra-prastha. And
Raja Yudhishthira rejoiced to see him, and each of his
brethren in turn gave him a feast which lasted many days.
tw^n^ijuM -^^ Arjuna went to the apartment of iJraupadi; but she
and Draupaai. ^^^ jealous, and looked coldly upon him, and said : —
'^ What have you to do with me ? Where is the daughter
of Vasudova ? " But Arjuna replied with soothing words,
and ho caressed her, and after a while she became reconciled
to him as before. Then Arjuna went out and brought
Subhadrd to his mother Kunti, and Subhadrd fell at the
feet of her mother-in-law : and Kuntl lifted her up, and
kissed her very afiectionately, and gave her many blessings.
Subhadrd then approached Draupadi, and bowed herself,
Sied"?©^ s'Sha^ ^^^ Said : — " I am thy servant ! " And Draupadi bowed
^^ in like manner, and embraced her, and said : — " May your
husband be without enemies ! " Then Subhadrd was filled
with joy, and said : — " May it be so ! " And henceforth
there was amity between Draupadi and Subhadrd ; and
Draupadi gave birth to five sons, one to each of her hus-
bands ; but Subhadrd had one son only, whose name was
Abhimanyu.
j^Swarnlio ^^^ foregoing legend is undoubtedly a pleasing
?ro5Jd"tobi*I? story, and real genius is displayed in describing the
mere c ion. j^Q^^ing of Arjuna and Draupadf, and that of Su-
bhadrd and Drauj^adf, under such peculiar circum-
stances as those involved in the institution of poly-
andry. But the vast distance from DwArakd to
Indra-prastha excites the suspicion that the romance
V. — BEIQN OF THE PANDAVAS, 153
is a pure fiction, belonging to the series of myths history of
which have been interwoven with the main tradi- p^^t li.
tion for the sake of associating Krishna with the
PAndavas. This suspicion is confirmed by a tradi-
tion, too deeply rooted for Brahmanical interpola-
tions to explain away, which not only renders the
alliance incredible, but fully indicates the reason for
its introduction in the Mahd Bhdrata. The identi- Myth intro-
duced to cover
fieation of Krishna with Jaganndth, which will be Kri8h!!i*icri.uf.
discussed in another place, lays bare the truth. In wttu hKter.
the festivals of that god the three images of Krishna,
his brother Balardma, and his sister Subhadrd, are
brought prominently forward ; and the populace do
not fail to heap reproaches upon Krishna, and upon
his sister likewise, for having indulged in a criminal
intimacy. It is, therefore, impossible to avoid the
conclusion that the story of Arjuna's marriage is a
myth, intended to cover the older tradition, wliicli
casts so foul a blot upon the memory of the favourite
hero.*
The general history of the Kauravas and Pan- pc nod of Arju-
^^ rift's exile &
davas during the alleged period of Arjuna's exile is ^.^J'^i"h-Jiory
altogether a blank ; a significant silence which alone ^d pSJSJ/"
is sufficient to indicate that the interval of twelve
years is purely mythical, and that there are few or
no breaks between the foundation of Indra-prastha,
the burning of the forest of Khdndava, and the
event which will form the subject of the next
chapter.
* In the older tradition, Subhadrk is said to have lived in criminal intimacy
with both her brothers. This tradition is universally known and believed by tlic
pi-ople in spite of the story of the marriage of Subhadr& ; and the Mussul-
mans frequently taunt the UindQs with the fact. The Pundits reconcile the stories
by a fiction of there having been two Subhadr&. As to Krishna's proceediugH,
they arc explained away as m&y^ or delusion. Mdya is a most important idea
in the Ilindij system of theology, and will be discussed in n future volume under
the bead of religion.
CHAPTER VI.
THE RAJASUYA, OR ROYAL SACRIFICE, OP YUDHISHTHIRA.
When the Pdndavas had established themselves
INDIA, j^ ^jj^ ^-^y q£ Indra-prastha, their Raj flourished ex-
HISTORT OP
INDIA.
Past II.
piquruihingoon" cccdingly ; and the following poetical picture of a
2fth?ptodav^ prosperous Raj, which has been taken from the Mah4
Bhdrata, may be accepted as an ideal description be-
longing to an age when the Brdhmans exercised a
real supremacy, not only over the people but over
the Rajas themselves : —
Bnihn^icai Now Raja Yudbishthira ruled his Raj with great justice^
YudhLhtfr^' protecting his subjects as ho would his own sons, and sub-
duing all his enemies round about, so that every man was
Tranquillity of without fear of War or disturbance, and gave his whole mind
the Bubjcct* to to the performance of every reliedous duty. And the Raia
perform all re- .^ o j ^ ^ o
lijrious duties, had plenty of rain at the proper season, and all his subjects
General prosper^ , , .
ity insured bv became rich ; and the virtues of the Raia were to be seen in
the virtues of , ' •*. ,
the Baja. the great increase of trade and merchandise, in the abundant
Piety of the peo- harvests, and the prolific cattle. Every subject of the Raja
fhem'ft^m au was pious j there were no liars, no thieves, and no swindlers 5
^*' and there were no droughts, no floods, no locusts, no con-
flagrations, no foreign invaders, and no parrots to eat the
Yudhiahthira grain. The neighbouring Rajas, despairing of conquering
the neighbour- Raja Yudhishthira, were very desirous of securing his friend-
ship. Meanwhile Raja Yudhishthira, though he would never
acquire wealth by unfair means, yet prospered so exceed-
ingly, that had he lavished his riches for a thousand years no
diminution would ever have been perceived.
VI. — ^TIIE BAJASUYA OF YUDIIISIITIlIIiA. 155
The Brahmanical tone of this mythical descrip- history op
tlon of a Raj is strikingly illustrative of the change pl„ ii.
between the period of Ejshatriya conquest and tliut ^rah^anicai
of Brahmanical ascendancy. The stress laid upon jSig'myth!"""
the importance of peace to enable the people to per-
form their duties is peculiarly Brahmanical. The
Kshatriyas were a military class who delighted in
war ; and the blessings of peace as enabling the peo-
ple to perform their religious duties is scarcely likely
to have found a place in their own traditions. On
the other hand, the performance of a ceaseless round
of religious duties, and the special observance of par-
ticular days, form the constant burden of Bralnnan-
ical teaching; and the whole spirit of the mytli, the
eulogies which are freely bestowed upon the piety of
the Raja and his subjects, and the temporal prosperity
which rewarded such piety, is precisely what iniglit
have been expected from a priest caste labouring to
enforce the duties of religion amongst an agricultural
population.
Wlien Raia Yudhishthira had thus trium])hcd itijji Ymihish.
over all his enemies, he resolved on performing tlio [ituy!?or wy^^^
great royal sacrifice known as the Rajasiiya, at which '*^""''*^-
he should be inaugurated as an independent and
Boverciorn Kaia. This famous sacrifice appears to p^iitu-ai Hiirni-
have existed as an institution amongst the ancient J^sjlntm o^ ""
Kshatriyas at a remote period antecedent to the rise '!'m\\^uS'um^ '^
of the Brdhmans as a sacred and exclusive caste ; and with' a n-mim^
undoubtedly during the ascendancy of the Ksluitriyas ^'£."*^ ^ ^^'*^
it bad a political as well as a religious significance,
being an assertion of sovereignty and supremacy as
well as a sacrifice to the gods. In its original form SlTrinw """ ^'
it seems to have been a great national feast; theKsffiW-"^
prototype of the banquets which were held in olden
156 THE MAHA BHARATA.
HISTORY OP time in Westminster Hall at the coronation of the
paet il ancient kings of England ; and which were attended
by the feudal Barons of the realm who had already
paid their homage and sworn fealty to the new
sovereign. Still, like most ancient institutions, the
banquet was invested with a religious meaning, and
was regarded both as a coronation feast and as a
sacrifice to the gods. Indeed, it seems to have been
a ceremonial at once devotional and festive ; in which
animals were sacrificed and roasted, and duly offered
with hymns and invocations to the deities of the
Vedas, as well as served up at the national banquet to
the kinsmen, neighbours, and tributary Chieftains.^
^ Tho mode by which the Br&hmans arrogated to themselyes the sole right of
officiating at the great sacrifices, and even of partaking of the meat, is cmioiiBlj
indicated by the following myths, which have been presenred in the Aitareya Brah-
manam (Book vii. c. 4, Hang's translation). It should be premised that sacrifiee
is personified ; so, too, is divine knowledge as the Brahma, and sorereignty as the
Kshattra. The following texts are extracted yerbatim : —
" After Praj&pati had created tho sacrifice, the Brahma (divine knowledge)
and the Kshattra (sovereignty ),were produced. After both two kinds of creatures
sprang up, such ones as eat the sacrificial food, and such ones as do not eat it
AU caters of the sacrificial food followed the Brahma, the non-eaters followed thfi
Kshattra. Therefore, the Br&hmans only are eaters of the sacrificial food, whUrt
the Ksliattriyas, Vais*yas, and Shildras do not eat it.
*' The sacrifice went away from both of them. The Brahma and Kshattra
followed it. The Brahma followed with all its implements, and the Kshattra
followed (also) with its implements. The implements of the Brahma are those
required for performing a sacrifice. The implements of the Kshattra are a horse,
carriage, an armour, and a bow with arrow. The Kshattra, not reaching the
sacrifice, returned ; for, frightened by the weapons of the Kshattra, the sacrifice
ran aside. The Brahma then followed the sacrifice, and reached it. Hemming
thus the sacrifice in its further course the Brahma stood still ; the sacrifice, reached
and hemmed in its course, stood still also, and recognizing in the hand of the
Brahma its own implements, returned to the Brahma. The sacrifice having thus
remained only in the Brahma, it is therefore ouly placed among the Br&hmans
(i. e. they alone are allowed to perform it).
*^ The Kshattra then ran after this Brahma, and said to it, ' Allow me to take
possession of this sacrifice (which is placed in thee).' The Brahma said, * Well,
let it be so ; lay down thy own weapons, assume, by means of the implements of
the Brahma (the sacrificial implements) which constitute the Brahma, the form
of the Brahma, and return to it ! * The Kshattra obeyed, laid down its own
weapons, assumed, by means of the implements of tho Brahma which oonstitnte
tho Brahma, its form, and returned to it Therefore, even a Kshattriya, when
VI. — ^THE RAJAStJTA OP YUDHISHTHIRA. 157
During the subsequent period when the ascend, history op
ancy of the Brdhmans began to assert itself side by pIrt n.
side with the sovereignty of the Kshatriyas, the ;^^;;j~7^^
eeremonial of these sacrifices underwent a significant Krfn^liie™*"*
change. The simple oflferings to the gods were no Mccuduncy.
longer made by the patriarch of the family, or Chief-
tain of the tribe, but by an exclusive sacerdotal class,
claiming a divine origin, and invested with supor-
oatural powers. The result was that the political change in the
-■^ , , ^ religious senti-
purport of the festival appears m a great measure to SeSofpropSiSt-
have passed away, whilst even the religious ideas, difiikfuffbSdl^
,.,^ T . •.! ••i-j-ij« modined by the
which found expression in the origmal institution, Jjjj^p/,*;^. {{J;j
lost all their natural and joyous character. The child- St?at2d*by"^
like idea of propitiating the gods with choice viands aih^au were^t?
became more or less modified by the more gloomy, atonement for
but, at the same time, more complex conception, that
M Ujt down his weapons and assumes the fonn of the Brahma by means of the
lacrificial implements, returns to the sacrifice (he is allowed a share in it).'
" As regards the portion of sacrificial food which is to be eaten by the sacrificer,
tbcy ask, whether the Kshattriya should eat, or whether he should not cat it ? They
laj, if he eat, then he commits a great sin, as having eaten sacrificial food although
be ii an ahuiAd (one not permitted to eat). If he do not cat, then lie cut^ him-
lelf off from the sacrifice (with which he was connected). For the portion to be
eaten by the sacrificer, is the sacrifice. This is to be made over to the Brahma
priest. For the Brahma priest of the Kshattriya is in the place of (his) Purohita.
Ihe Porohita is the one-luilf of the Eshatriya ; only through the intervention of
mother (the Brahma priest), the portion appears to be eaten by him, thougli he
dbes not eat it with his own mouth. ' For the sacrifice is there where the Bnilima
(priest) is. The entire sacrifice is placed in the Brahma, and the sacrificer is in
the tacrifice. They throw the sacrifice (in the shape of the portion which is to
be eaten by the sacrificer) into the sacrifice (which has the form of the Brahmu)
just as they throw water into water, fire into fire, without making it ovcirflow,
nor eansing any injury to the sacrificer. Therefore is this portion to be eaten by
9ie sacrificer (if he be a Kshattriya) to be given up to the Brahma.
■* Some sacrificial priests, however, sacrifice this portion to the fire, sayinp:, * I
place thee in Praj&pat*s world, which is called vibhan (shining everywhere), be
ioined to the sacrificer, Svaha ! ' But thus the sacrificial priest ought not to pro-
wed. For the portion to be eaten by the sacrificer is the sacrificer hims(;lf. Wliat
priest, therefore, asserts this, bums the sacrificer in the fire. (If any one should
ybaore a priest doing so) he ought to tell him, * Thou hast singed the sacrificer
in the fire. Agni will bum his breaths, and he '^^'ill consequently die. Thus it
ilwiys happens. Therefore, he should not think of doing so."
153 THE MAHA BHARATA.
HISTORY OP blood must be shed to propitiate an offended deity,
paeth. and to atone for any neglect in the fulfilment of
superstitious duties, or for any breach of Brahman-
ical law. Accordingly, whilst the primitive ritual
was still maintained, whilst the flesh meat, the simple
cakes, the parched grain, the clarified butter, the
milk, the curds, and the soma wine, were still offered
to the genial gods of the Vedas, the animals were
slaughtered at the stake in the hope of appeasing the
wrath of some revengeful and exacting deity, or as a
vicarious atonement for national transgression or in-
dividual sin.
Brabmuiioai But agaiust thcso suporstitious conceptions of a
«MjrifloM.pen- divine ruler deliffhtinff in blood there arose that
aaoe^and caste, ^ o o
SfrefSStSn Diigl^ty movement known as Buddhism. In the
Slato 8Wi2? same reforming spirit, and about the same age of the
world's history, in which Isaiah denounced the rites
and observances of the Mosaic law, the mysterious
Buddha arose to anathematize the animal sacrifices
of the Brdhmans.* For a period of twelve centuries,
namely, from the sixth century before the Christian
era until the eighth century after it, Buddhism
triumphed throughout Hindiistan; trampling upon
the whole ceremonial of Brahmanism, with all its
sacrifices, penances, and castes ; and setting forth
2 Isaiah's denunciations of the Mosaic ritual are yery strong. " Hear the
word of the Lord, ye rulers of Sodom ! Give ear unto the law of omr God, ye
people of Gomorrah ! To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices unto
mo ? saith the Lord. I am full of the humt-offerings of rams, and the fiit of ted
heosts, and I delight not in the hlood of hullocks, or of lamhs, or of he-goata.
When you come to appear before me, who hath required this at your hand, to
tread my courts ? Bring no more vain oblations ! Incense is an abomination
unto me ; the new moouB and sabbaths, the calling of assemblies, I cannot awaj
with ; it is iniquity, even the solemn meeting. Your new moons and your
appointed feasts my soul hateth ; they are a trouble unto me ; I am weary to
bear them" (Isaiah i. 10—14). The story of Cain and Abel points to an opposite
direction. The fruits of the earth were not accepted, but only the firstlings of the
flock (Gen. iv. 2—4).
VI. — ^THE RAJAStJYA OF YUDftlSnTUIRA. 159
the paramount necessity for purity of mind and history op
iKxly, and a more elevated moral rule. Sacrifices p^^kt n*.
of all kinds were especially excluded from the
Buddhist ritual ; and no corresponding rite was per-
mitted beyond the offering of flowers to the Buddhas
who had attained the perfection of being. At the ex- ^l^}^"!"^* "^
piration of that period, namely, about ten centuries *^* '**^*
ago, there arose that great Brahmanical reaction or
re^'ival, which has continued with but slight dis-
turbance from either Islam or Christianity down to
the present day. But the reforming spirit of {Jj^i^^jij^^/
Buddhism has never been wholly eradicated, and uHSI-n/npllr
.«<■« lA 1j* • ^1 ,• 1 Brail iiiauK'al
mdeed has left a lasting mipress upon the national revival.
ritual. The ereat sacrifices of antiquity have never Animai san^-
been revived; and the sacrifice of goats has been 5;jjJ^ii;^.J;^*
restricted to the exceptional worship of Durga, and
chiefly confined to the province of Bengal. The
Homa, or clarified butter, which is presented to
the fire in sacrificial ladles, and thePdyasa or sacred
food of rice and milk, which is cooked in the sacri-
ficial kettles, form in the present day the main staple
of the so-called offerings or sacrifices to the gods of
India.
From the forefiroing observations it will have been i^oview of tiic
o ^ Huhjoct. Four
seen that, since the first institution of the Rajasiiya, ^i{Il'io,w S'Si-
the national conception of sacrifice has undergone |^,"fThe (^rona-
four modifications, corresponding to the four great Ih "&trii4i*/
periods of Hindii history, namely, the Kshatriya, tlio dauossr^!i*IIf
Brahmanical, the Buddhistic, and the Brahmanical j^^J The nX"r
revival. The great sacrifices or banquets of tlie ffidiSu.' ^^'^
Kshatriyas were modified by the Brdhmans into Lf I^!,Ma'a!la"'^
sacnncial sessions oi a purely relierious cliaractcr ; th^. umhinan-
ir J ^ ? ieal revival.
but were subsequently swept away by the reform-
ation of Buddha, which only permitted of the
160 THE MAHA BHABATA.
HISTORY OF oflFering of flowers. So complete and effectual was
paetii. this reformation, that animal sacrifices found no
place in the Brahmanical revival ; and the offerings
to the gods henceforth mainly consisted of Homa and
Pdyasa, the clarified butter and the sacred food.'
These data should be borne in mind whilst consider-
ing the description of the Eajasiiya of Yudhishthira ;
inasmuch as the Mahd Bhdrata appears to have as-
sumed its present shape during the later period of
Brahmanical revival ; and consequently the descrip-
tion of the Rajasiiya in the form in which it has been
handed down by the Brahmanical compilers, bears
traces of nearly all the ideas which prevailed through-
out the widely different periods mapped out iu the
Absence of ^hi- foregoing paragraphs. One exception, however/
dSS?}!tiono*i^ must be noticed, namely, that the fact of animid
ylJdhSlhthSir' sacrifices in the Rajasiiya of Yudhishthira has beea
the^ent^Irit? ^PP^^'^^tly supprcsscdiu tlic Mahd Bhdi'ata, although
it undoubtedly found a place in the early Brahmaiiio
ritual.* The result has been that the sacrifice is not
represented as an atonement for sin. Even this
exception, however, finds full expression in the
Aswamddha, or horse sacrifice performed by Yud-
hishtliira at the conclusion of the great war ; as well
3 WliiLst ghcc or clarified butter formed the staple of the Homa, ond nee fsl
milk were the staple of the Pfiyasa, other materials of smaller importanoe w««
and arc mingled with both, chiefly consisting of things produced from the cam,
Tliis part of the subject will be considered in connection with the worship of thi
cOW.
^ That an animal was tied to a stake and sacrificed as a bumt-offering it
the RjijasOya, is plainly set forth in the Aitareya Br&hmonam, which appireatlf
contains the oldest form of purely Brahmanical ritual extant Dr Hang batpo^
lished the original text of this valuable Brdhmana, with an Engliih
attached ; and it may be added that his work is of the highest authority, ii
much as he practised all the ancient forms of sacrifice under the directioii of <■■
of the few Br&hmaus who have preserved the sacrificial mysteriet af tbej d^
scendod from the remotest times. See Dr Haug's preface to the Aitareya Bitt-
manam.
[. — THE BAJAStJTA OP YUDHISHTHIRA. 161
xVswam^dka performed by Rdma after his history of
Gavaiia ; all of which will fully appear in pilS^n.
)er place hereafter.
egend of the Raiasiiya of YudhishthiraDivifiionofthe
ivided into four sections, namely : to5i?I^io2i!*
'he preliminary Conquests.
The Sacrifice and Banquet.
The Death of Sisupdla.
?he Jealousy of Duryodhana.
dnir into consideration the preliminary a.) Preiimimuy
^^ *■ *f conquests.
of the Pandavas, it will be necessary to
[nd what appear to be the bare facts. The
was a triumphant ceremony. The Pdnda-
3ne out of HastinApur with their mother,
t wife, and their priest, and had set-
\ew country. They had built the fort at
(tha, cleared the jungle of Khdndava, and
i the Scythian tribe known as the Ndgas.
aving founded a new Raj, and having suf-
itablished a supremacy over every border-
Tj and having thus proved to the satisfac-
fiir new subjects that they could protect
. liarvests, they invited all their kinsmen
bours to a Rajasiiya, and in the presence
people solemnly inaugurated their elder
idlushthira as Raja of Khdndava-prastha.
ery restricted area of conquest indicated Limited area of
going incidents would be amply sufficient
t ihe performance of a Rajasiiya. The
certainly involved the idea of conquest idea or the Ha-
f enemy; but this idea would be suf- ^^^ appi^-
Mdised if a Raja had established himself
ml jgained by his exploits the respect of
in the immediate neighbourhood.
11
X /
162 THE MAUA BUARATA.
HI8T0EY OP In a later age, however, when the memory of the
Past il actual facts had nearly passed away, and the dim
Idea of the Rv traditiOHs woro remodelled by later bards of bound-
ISI^muoon. less imaginations but limited geographical know-
ledge, the idea of conquest extended indefinitely
over the whole earth, and necessarily led to the in-
troduction of a considerable amount of mythical
matter in order to realize the marvellous idea of
universal empire. How this was eflfected may be
gathered from the following myth : —
Waw of the Now when Arjuna had returned to his brethren at Indra-
prastha^ the Pdndavas went out to war and conquered many
determinMi^^ Rajas, and Raja Yudhishthira determined to perform the
IgpM^g a great sacrifice which is called the Bajasiiya. Having brought
all his passions under the most perfect control^ Raja Yudhish-
delGteof h^ b- ^^^^^ Ordered every debt which any of his subjects owed to
jecu. ^0 pa{^ Q^^ Qf lY^Q public treasury; but there were few
debtors in that Raj, for all the people were ever engaged in
virtuous and pious acts, and they rejoiced when they heard
that the Raja was about to perform a Rajastiya. Theu the
CaiUaCoundi. Raja called together a Council of his brethren; and the
Brdhmans, and his preceptor Dhaumya, and the sage Yy&sa
were also present ; and he told the Council what he intended
to do, and they all consented and rejoiced exceedingly.
But still Raja Yudhishthira was distrustful of himself, and he
Benda tor Kri§h- would not Commence the sacrifice without takin&r the counsel
iiA and takes hia xt^««
oounaei. of Krishna ; and he sent messengers to Dwaraka to mvite
Krishna to come to Indra-prastha. And Krishna came to
Indra-prastha, and said : — " There remains one Raja to be
conquered before you can perform the Rajastiya sacrifice^ and
Mythical roil- that is Jardsandha the Raja of Mairadhd/' And Krishna
quest of JarA- •* ^
g^i^^kR^aof and Arjuna and Bhlma disguised themselves as Br&hmans,
and journeyed to the city of Magadhd, and Bhfma challenged
Jardsandha to single combat ; and Jardsandha came out and
fought against Bhlma, and after much fighting he was
defeated and slain. Then the three returned to Indra-
prastha, and Krishna advised Yudhishthira how the Baja«
VI. — ^THE RAJAS<JYA OP YUDHISHTHIRA. 163
siiya should be performed. And Yudhishthira commanded uistoby of
his four brethren to go and collect tribute for the perform- y^^^n
ance of the sacrifice from all the Rajas in the world, as was
^ . . ^ _ •* ^ . ' , Yudhishthira
necessary m a Eajasuya ; and ho sent Arjuna to the nortli, rouniiniKU his
Bhima to the east, Sahadeva to the south, and Nakula to coHwt trij>uto
' ' from tho four
the west, and they went abroad for a whole year.* worhr""'*^^
When the year was fully over the four brethren returned Rntuni of tho
to Indra-prastha, and all the friends of Yudhishthira coun-
selled him not to lose tho opportunity of performing the
Rajasdya. Krishna, who had returned to Dwurakd, camo
again to Indra-prastha with immense wealth and a large
army; for as the walls protect the house so Krishna pro-
tected the Pdndavas; and every man rejoiced to behold
Krishna, as men rejoice to behold the rising sun. Then
Baja Yudhishthira again spoke to Krishna about the Baja-
sdya : and Krishna said : — " You are now a erreat Raia, and Krishna nfmin
it is proper for you to perform the Rajasuya, and I shall }j;/;''^*""{ *^^",!^"
rejoice to-«wsist you, and will do whatever you command.^^ jaso^a.
Yudhishthira replied : — '^ Your presence alone is a sufficient
guarantee for the success of my Rajasuya.^^
The whole of the foreffoinff narrative is evidently Mythical cha-
i^i*iTfci •i-i 1 racterofthe
a myth of tlie Urahmanical compilers who sought to [oirgoinK iiarra-
promulgate the worship of Krishna. The mythical JJ^JJ]; °f^f V^ ^^^
wanderings of the four brothers to the four quarters u^i&Si "*'
of the earth, where they waged supernatural wars, °'^*^^^-
and whence they brought away supernatural quan-
tities of gifts and tribute, are wholly unworthy of
notice.* The mythical conquest of Jardsandha, conquostofja-
^ "' ■■' nLsuiidha, Raja
Saja of Magadhd, calls, however, for some remark. S[j^VnMM"Tt:5n.
In the traditional life of Krishna, that hero is repre. ^ll^Iil^ '''' "'
sented as a cowherd of the Yddava tribe, who re-
belled against the Raja of Mathura, and put him
* The Brahmanical compilers socm to havo considered that Yudliishthira
voold be rather dull during the absence of his brothers. Accordinj^ly, tho iiiytli-
icil Yybaa. was introduced, who spent the entire year in imparting lessons of
morality to Yudhishthira.
* The details may perhaps bo found useful hereafter, as exhibiting the extent
of g^engraphical knowledge pofiscssed by the UindCis in comparatively modoni tinus.
164 THE MAHA BHARATA.
HISTORY OP to death. Subsequently, however, Elrishna was de-
pabtil feated by Jardsandha and compelled to migrate
with all his tribe from the city of Mathura to that of
Dwdrakd. Accordingly, in associating the tradition
of Krishna with that of the PandaVas, the Brahman-
ical compilers ignore the vast geographical interval
between Magadhd, the modern province of Bahar,
and the city of Hastinapur, and represent Krishna
as directing the attention of Yudhishthira to Jar&-
sandha, as a Raja who must be conquered before the
Rajasiiya could be performed. The story of the
conquest of Jarasandha by Krishna, Arjuna, and
Bhfma, is related at great length in the Mahd Bhi-
rata, but the details are of a purely fabulous cha-
racter.'
imd^r^^^*^ The second section of the legend, comprising a
description of the sacrifice and feast, is far more sig-
nificant than the story of the preliminary conquests,
although characterized by the same extravagant ex-
aggerations. The legend, as it appears in the Mah^
Bhdrata, may be related as follows : —
^ The barest outline of the myth will be sufficient to satisfy the most cre-
dulous reader. Bhima, Krishna, and Arjuna go out single-handed to fight Jar&«
sandha. On reaching the city of Magadh&, Krishna taunts Jarftsandha with
having shut up twenty thousand Rajas for the purpose of sacrificing them to the
god Siva ; a taunt which seems to indicate the opposition of the worshippers of
Vishnu to the worshippers of Siva ; Krishna being an incamation of l^shnu.
Bhima then challenges Jar&sandha to battle, and they fight together for fourteen
days without stopping ; and, moreover, without any interference, although all the
people of Jar&sandha, and all his army, were looking on. The batUe terminates
in a supernatural climax. It seems that Jar&sandha, by the favour of a Bishi,
had been bom in two halves from the two wives of a Raja ; and these two halves
were supematurally united after birth. On the fourteenth day of the battle
Bhima carried out the trick which he had practised against the Asuras, of whirl-
ing Jar&sandha round by the heels, and dashing out his brains against the ground,
and then rending him into his original halves ! Such is a very curtailed sped-
men of tlic lengthened myths which are to be found in the Mah& Bh&rata, and
which ore almost as useless for the purpofes of history as the dreams of a mad«
man.
>^. — ^THE RAJAStJYA OP YUDHI8HTHIRA. 165
ow when all things had been made ready for the history of
iya, all the Rajas came to the place of sacrifice, bring- faLt^
uch wealth with them ; and those who were friends to
Yudhishthira brought great presents, and those who uje Eajasto the
)een conquered brought much tribute. And all the
ten of the Pdndavas came in like manner to the Baja-
Durjodhana and all the Kauravas were there, together
^e Mahdraja, and Bhlshma, and Drona, and Drupada,
.ther of Draupadi, and Sisupdla, the Raja of Chedl, and
na^ and his brother Balardma, and his father Yasudeva.
ill the Rajas of the Middle Country, and all the Rajas BajMorthe
\ South Country, came in like manner to the Rajasiiya ; South coun-
Itogether there were so many Rajas that their names
it be recounted.
ud every Raja had a lodging or pavilion of his own, in Magnificent pa-
. : " ° . viliona appoint-
L provisions of every variety were served up m great ed for the re-
lance. And these pavilions were all very lofty, and B«ja«.
lore white colour inlaid with gold; and round about
pavilion were very many beautiful trees, and round
the trees was a lofty wall covered with garlands of
TB. And the windows in those pavilions were made of
Q network, and the doors to the rooms were made of
gold, and the walls of the rooms were made of gold and
. And all the rooms were laid with rich carpets, and
ated with furniture fitted for a Raja, and perfumed with
1 wood and incense. And the stairs leading to the
* rooms were so made, that no man found it difficult to
» or down. And the moment a man entered one of
rooms he was sure to be refreshed were he ever so
^ And the Rajas beheld the sacrifice while they were
1 in those rooms.
id Raja Yudhishthira commanded that all the Brdh- ANsombiin^ of
and Kshatriyas, and all the respectable Vaisyas and oisti4".
\s, should be invited to attend the Rajasuya. And all
tajas came and took up their abode in the pavilions ;
U the Brdhmans who were to assist at the sacrifice came
e manner, and were entertained as splendidly as the
. And all the four castes came as they had been in-
And the whole city of Indra-prastha resounded
166 THE MAHA BHARATA.
HISTORY OP with the chaunting of Vedic hymns, and " Take and eat
INDIA. were the only words that could be heard.
Past IL •'
99
Meanwhile the place of sacrifice was made ready, and it
F^of ncri- ^^ surrounded on all sides by the pavilions of the Bajas
and the Brdhmans, and by very many storehouses and
treasuries ; and it surpassed in richness and beauty every
place of sacrifice which had ever been seen before. And
VtAm. the chief tho sage Vydsa was chief of the sacrifice, and appointed
everything that was to be done ; and he brought some very
BMarman, the learned sages to attend the great ceremony. And Sasarman
choir of BrAh- was appointed to be Udgdtri, or chief chaunter of the Vedic
DhMUDjftand hymns. And Dhaumya and Yajna-walkya were the Hotris^
SeMoedo^ who cooked the sacrifice, and ofiered it to the gods ; and
Choir of yoimg their SOUS and pupils were the Brithis, or assistant Hotris,
who chaunted the mantras whilst the sacrifice was being
presented to the fire. Then Raja Yudhishthira, bowing
down to his uncle Dhritardshtra, asked the permission of
Bhlshma, Drona, Duryodhana, and the rest, that he might
begin the ceremony, saying : — " You have full control over
my property and Raj, so do what is best for me : All of you
must assist me in this undertaking, and each one must
The great feut acccpt a separate charge.^' Then Bhlshma and Drona
directed the feast, and gave their counsel as to what was to
bo done, and what was to be omitted. Duryodhana was
made the general superintendent in giving and receiving
Dfatribution of presents. Duhsdsana superintended the distribution of the
food ; and Sahadeva took charge of all the choicer provi-
sions ; and two of the most faithful servants of Arjuna dis-
tributed the rice, the butter, the sugar, the milk, and the
sandal wood. Aswatthdma, the son of Drona, and Sanjayaj
the minister and charioteer of Dritardshtra, waited upon
Kythioairospoct the Brdhmaus : Kripa crave the infts to the Brdhmans : and
shown to the . .
Br&hmanji. Krishna was appointed to wash the feet of the Brdhmans ;
and the gifts that were given to the Brdhmans were beyond
all computation.
B»«^f«2jjon8 The extravagant exaggerations which appear in
flwwdfcSu^'tte foregoing narrative are somewhat distracting,
but yet it may be possible to draw an approximate
VL — THE RAJASiJYA OF TUDmSHTHIRA. 167
picture of the events which actually transpired. The history oi
scene which probably presented itself to the eye at part ii.
the Rajasiiya, was a barbarous sacrifice followed by Proimwe pip-
a rude feast in the open air. The ceremonies per- ^JliJ!' ****''''"*
formed at the sacrifice are not clearly related in the ™f3<*r «f_,V»<> «
J crificial rites.
Mahd Bhdrata, but were probably in accordance
with those which find expression in the Rig- Veda.
A number of priests, either Brdhmans, or the pre- The place of »■
±^ * orifice strewed
decessors of Brahmans, marked out the spot for ^^'^'^"*»k~"
sacrifice, and strewed the place with the sacred kusa
grass, and kindled the sacrificial fire, singing the old JJ^ »criftci»»
incantations which had been handed down to them
by their fathers from times primeval. They next thTao^"" "^
presented the Homa in sacrificial ladles, and poured
it upon the flame with much chaunting of Vedic
hymns, and performance of mystic rites ; and doubt-
less they invoked Agni, the deity of fire, to lick up invocations to
their simple oblations, and carry them in the ascend-
ing flame to the bright gods on high. Then animals Nature of tuo
may have been sacrificed, and their flesh cooked
upon the fire, whilst vast quantities of other food
were prepared, partly as offerings to the gods, and
partly as provisions for the assembly. But before invocations to
^ "^ r , Indranndall
the worshippers sat down to the feast, the deities of JJ^iS^anX^?-
tho Vedas, with Indra at their head, would be in-
voked in passionate strains to descend from their
resplendent abodes, and to come and sit down upon
the sacred grass, and partake of the choice viands
which had been prepared for their acceptance ; and
especially to drink up the milk, the curds, the ghee,
the sugar, and the grateful and exhilarating juice of
the soma.
par-
take of the oITer
ings.
Prohablo cha-
The so-called Rajas who really attended the rector of the
Rajasiiya were in all probability a rude company of r^^^'^v j^ tuo
168 THE MAHA BHAIUTA.
HisTOBT OF half-naked warriors, who feasted boisterously beneath
Past 11. the shadc of trees. Their conversation was very
Topioiofcon- likely confined to their domestic relations, such as
▼emtkm. j-j^^ g^^^^ ^£ ^|j^j[p health, the condition of their
families, the exploits of their sons, and the marriages
of their daughters; or to their domestic circum-
stances, such as herds of cattle, harvests of grain,
and feats of arms against robbers and wild beasts.
Their highest ideas were probably simple concep-
tions of the gods who sent light, heat, and rain ;
who gave long life, abundance of children, prolific
cattle, and brimming harvests, and who occasionally
manifested their wrath in lightning and thunder, in
devastating tempests and destroying floods. Such,
in all probability, was the general character of the
festive multitude who sat down upon the grass at
the great feast to eat and drink vigorously to the
honour and glory of the new Raja.
BoMoniwhythe But tho simplc details of such a primitive firather-
autheiitic tr»- , . *■ r o
SlJthkSi^Si^ ^Sj grateful as they would have proved to a student
gentions. ^f humau uaturo, could scarcely have satisfied the
aspirations of the later Brahmanical bards, or the
pre-conceived ideas of the audiences before whom
TheM»h4BhA- they rccitod the ancient story. The asre when the
nte composed ** y cj
BrlSiSSu^ Mahd Bhdrata assumed its present form was a period
'**'*^"'^- of Brahmanical ascendancy. The divinity of the
Brdhman caste was powerfully enforced and im-
plicitly believed ; and those ancient sages who had
rendered themselves famous by their wisdom and
contOTiponMry fablcd austcrities, were reverenced as fi^ods. At the
■plendour of the , ' " ^
wurtjiofthe game time the Courts of the Hindii Rajas who ac-
knowledged the spiritual supremacy of the Brah-
manical hierarchy, were a blaze of Oriental splendour
and luxury. The Rajas themselves never appeared
before their subjects, unless arrayed in royal vest-
VI. — THE BAJAJSthrA OP YUDmSHTHIRA, 169
>f cloth of gold and colours, adorned with a history op
3n of jewels, and surrounded on all sides by p^rt n.
itering insignia of Hindi! royalty. In other
an age of ecclesiastical power and regal magni-
had succeeded to the simple patriarchal rule
prevailed in the Vedic period. Under such The ewiy tr».
stances as these, the bards and eulogists, who SStSwdld^**
3d the ancient story before the later Rajas, o'»J**«'^p«riod.
icarcely have related the primitive details of
Ime in which Princesses milked the cows, and
1 tilled the land. On the other hand, every
ration and embellishment which was intro-
V'ould add to the attraction of the legend, for
)uld redound to the greatness and grandeur of
idii heroes of olden time, the fathers of the
en who were drinking in the story. The j^o^rahman-
;ions which led the Brahmanical compilers to iS™S^to^eS^I
eir ancient sac^es m the eyes oi a later genera- spectpaidtotho
i/»iii •! »nci*ait sages.
even stronger ; for the fabled respect paid
sages by the ancient Rajas furnished bright
es for later Rajas to follow ; and certainly the
n that Krishna washed the feet of the Brdh- Bignifi«uioc of
the aHsertion
the highest glorification which could be con- JJlihSuhe'foct
I .1 TT* 1 / oftheBr&h-
by the Uindus. mans.
5 death of Sisupdla, which forms a third section (s.) The death of
_-_JL,- __ p, Sisup&la an au-
Biirend of the Raiasuva, beionffs to one oi that thentic tradi-
O J ^ 7 O ^ tlOn iK'lODf^llg
f traditions respecting Krishna which are so ^^up.^ulgmft-
tly found interlaced with the history of the too" f theWn-
davtu.
as. The tradition is apparently authentic in
md only demands consideration because it
to have been grafted on another authentic
n with which it has no real connection. The Legend of the
presentation of
ofi frklln-OTfl • theArghatothe
aif lOnOWH . peateHt Cbief-
the custom was at the beginning of a Rajasuya to » i?af^lL *
170 THE MAHA BHARATA.
HISTORY OP declare who was the greatest and strongest of all the B
iNDi^ there assembled, in order that the Argha might be give
him ; and Bhishma, as ruler of the feast, declared that
to^KriSiif ^^ honour was due to Krishna, who was the greatest
Wrath of sisu- strongest of them all. But Sisupdla, the Baja of Ghedi,
exceedingly wroth with Krishna, for when he was betroi
to the beautiful Bukmini, Krishna had carried her away
General uproar, made her his own wife. So Sisupdla arose and threw
whole assembly into an uproar, and he said with a ]
voice : — '' If the honour be due to age, it should have 1
given to Yasudeva ; if it be due to him who has the grea
Raj, it should have been 'given to Baja Drupada ; if i1
due to the youth of loftiest mind, it should have been g
to Baja Duryodhana ; if it be due to the greatest precej
it should have been given to Drona ; and if it be duo to
greatest saint, it should have been given to Vydsa :
shame be upon this assembly, who hath given that hoi
to a cowherd, who was the murderer of his own Ba
Threid^ofSisa- Having thus spoken, Sisupdla and his friends who ^
would spou the with him made a cn:eat tumult. Yudhishthira and Bhisl
sacrifloe. °
then reasoned with Sisupdla, but he would not heed i
words, and drew his sword, and threatened to slay all
guests and spoil the sacrifice. Yudhishthira and his breil
then rose to fight against Sisupdla, but BMshma with!
them ; and Sisupdla in his rage abused Bhlshma and Krifl
in such opprobrious terms that the whole assembly n
alarmed. At last Krishna said : — " I have hitherto restrai
my hand, because this man is my own kinsman^ but I
SirapAiabe- bear with his words no longer/' And thus speaking
^akraof whirled his chakra furiously at Sisupdla, and severed
head from his body ; and Sisupdla fell dead upon the groi
and his sons carried away his body and burnt it upon
Rajaiitwaof funeral pile. Thus Krishna saved the Bajastiya of Yudh
mved by thira by the slaughter of Sisupdla ; for had Baja Yudh
thira been set at defiance by a Baja who had not been i
quercd, the Bajasdya would have been imperfect and d
Pointofthefore- ., "^ ^
ffoing legend ; a Vaii .
|[^«^*» to* The foregoing story turns upon the presental
-* vttrmuue wuu lue uiyuiic accounc inii<TM»nry br-
^x«n which the Iiajas are said to ^dThSmjMiio
'sncrifice ; hat this contradiction can- H^i^^""
ivove anything, as it ia derived from
<r. A stronger suspicion arises from {h"J^"^?f,p
Htory is perfectly in accordance with ^"g toTrtahiili;
accoimts of the assemblies of the tndit°ki>u°»AT-
Mi no parallel in the traditionary ac- SSSS." "*
aucils of the Kshatriyas of tho royal
.ui, which indeed Bxe generally cha-
,nce of order and law. Then Jh^^l^i'mft'
eostom, Eis that of presenting ibd^'cniri-
distingnished Chieftain at such )"«"«•
irs in the ancient ritual of the
in the Aitareya Brahmanam.
Rajasdya was a ceremony ex-
)rity of the Raja who performed
ihe custom of offering the Argha S,t„*;5 w'to
or act of worship belonged to ^^S!*^
and WM essentially a form of
to that of sacrifice. That^a^.rrlSi'-'"
r__i: 1 .C il.. V^J Honoftliodi*lh
^ •
172 THE MAHA BHARATA.
HISTORY OP Mahd Bhdrata, is leavened with references to the di-
pam il vine nature of Krishna, as an incarnation of Vishnu ;
whilst Sisupdla is said to have been bom with three
eyes, a fable which at once converts him into a
representative or incarnation of Siva. For a long
period the opposition of the worship of Vishnu to the
worship of Siva desolated India with persecutions
and civil wars; and the ancient legend has been
converted into a myth to indicate both the opposition
of the two deities, and the superior might of Vishnu.
The Argha was a token of worship. By denouncing
the presentation of the Argha to Krishna, Sisup^la
The ohakra of virtuallv denouncod the worship of Vishnu ; and his
KrUhnft mi em- , , ,
SSSh^if^ extraordinary death is thus treated as a manifestation.
Vishnu, q£ ^Yxe divine wrath of Krishna, as an incarnation of
Vishnu, of whom the chakra is a distinguished
symbol.®
(4.) jeiaoiiB The lealous wrath of Duryodhana forms the con-
wrath of dut- •' ' m
yodh»n». elusion of the story of the Rajasiiya ; but whilst the
envy of the Kaurava Chieftain at beholding the suc-
cess of his rival kinsmen is perfectly intelligible, his
anger is said to have been excited by circumstances
which can only be regarded as fictions of a later age.
This conclusion will at once be obvious from the
story, which is as follows: —
Duiyodhana's When the Sacrifice had been fuUy accomplished^ Duryod-
SSJS ftt In-* hana entered the place where it had been performed^ and
dn-pnstha. ^^^ ^^^ many beautiful things that he had never beheld in
Mistakes a his own Baj at Hastindpur. Amongst other wonders was a
Suara of ciys- .
I for real "^ '
^"^^^^ 8 The chakra, or sharp-edged qaoit, was the peculiar weapon of Vishnu, and
is invariably placed in one of his four hands. At a snbseqnent period the ohakn
was converted into the prayer-wheel of the Buddhists. The subject however be-
longs more directly to the history of the religion of the Hind(is, under which head
it will be considered in a future volume.
black crystal and boldly walked into it^ and would have for one or
L drowned had he not been dragged out by the servants
aja Yudhishthira. Then the servants brousfht him new Excites the
les, and he walked very wanly ; and the four brethren P&iidavas.
adhishthira saw him^ and began to laugh at his walking.
frodhana was then very wroth, but he would not look at
1, and he said nothing to them^ and he sought to come
f from that place ; and it so happened that he tried to strikes his head
nt at a false door, and struck his head very violently in door.
ig to pass qnickly through it. After this he found his
oat of the palace and returned to the city of Has-
par, and told his father, the Mahdraja, all that ,had
ored.
It is somewhat singular that the foregoing story The roregroing
lOt only a fiction of a later age, but seems to have SyXe mIJ^Su "
a borrowed from the Mussulmans. A legend is """'•
served in the Koran that when the Queen of
iba paid a visit to Solomon, she was conducted
the Hebrew King into a room floored with glass,
m which she thought that the glass was water
[ lifited up her robe.® That the early colonists at
ra-prastha shoidd have arrived at such a high
r ^
174 THE MAUA BHARATA.
HisTo&T OF peaxs wholly incredible ; but that the unscrupulous
paet il compilers should have borrowed the idea from the
Possibility of ©arly Mussulmans is by no means unlikely ; although
)dii^1n^"ft^m' it is possible that the fable might naturally arise in
iourco. the mind of any imaginative people on first behold-
ing a commodity like glcuBS, which bears so strong a
resemblance to solid water.
CHAPTER Vn.
THE GAMBLma HATCH AT HASTINAPUR.
The celebration of the Rajasiiya had raised the history op
brtunes of the Pdndavas to the height of human praT^n.
pwwperity ; and at this point the universal concep- ^^ ^^^. —
lion of an avenging Nemesis, that humbles the proud ^®°'**^-
tod casts down the mighty, finds fiill expression in
the ffindu Epic. The grandeur of the Rajasiiya, Duryodhana,
tod the sovereignty which it involved, excited the paifioyL, piotii
jealousy of Duryodhana, and revived the old feud thS? u'^ew Eaj.
fcetween the E^uravas and Pdndavas. Duryodhana
lotted with his brother Duhsdsana and his uncle
Sftoni, how they might dispossess the Pdndavas of
ttdr newly acquired territory ; and at length they p."»j^j^ *":
^nnined to invite their kinsmen to a gambling S^^tSh™**"
iiiatch, and seek by underhand means to deprive
Iiidhishthira of his Raj.
The specialities of Hindii {gambling are worthy ownimng the
^ * o o ^ spocial vice of
««ome attention. The passion for play, which has t»io J^^^a^riyM.
•W been the vice of warriors in times of peace, be-
comes a madness amidst the lassitude of a tropical
^ime ; and more than one Hindu legend has been Hindii tnuu-
|*B8erved of Rajas playing together for days, until »»*«>U8 result.
tte wretched loser has been deprived of everything
lie possessed and reduced to the condition of an exile ili^diclf
t t-fc %• ^ TT- J / t skill as well aa
w a slave. But gambhng amongst the Hindus does g^^^"«^*
176 THE BiAHA BHABATA.
HISTORY OP not appear to have been altogether dependent upon
paetil chance. The ancient Hindu dice, known by the
Ancient game of ^ame of coupuu, apo almost precisely gimilar to the
SSbfo"^*^ modem dice, being cubic balls thrown out of a box ;
but the practice of loading is plainly alluded to, and
some skill seems to have been occasionally exercised
Modern nme of in tho rattling of tho dice box. In the more modem
GSk dioo. game, known by the name of pasha, the dice are not
cubic, but oblong; and they are thrown from the
hand, either direct upon the ground, or against a
post or board, which will break the fall, and render
the result more a matter of chance. It would, how-
ever, appear from the Mahd Bhdrata that Yudhish-
thira was invited to a game at coupun.
The legend of the great gambling match at
Hastindpur may now be related as follows : —
i-^B^dMw 10- And it came to pass that Duryodhana was very jealous
5rS»J££IIur* ^^ *'^® Rajasdya that his consin Yudhishthira had performed;
and he desired in his heart to destroy the Pdndavas and
UnKrapuions crain possession of their Bai. Now Sakuni was the brother
skill of SakunL o jt o
the maternal of Gdndhdri. who was the mother of the Kiiuravas : and he
uncle of Dur- , ,
yodhana. was very skilful in throwing dice, and in playing with dice
that were loaded; insomuch that whenever he played he
always won the game. So Duryodhana plotted with his
imclc, that Yudhishthira should be invited to a match at
gambling, and that Sakuni should challenge him to a game^
and win all his wealth and lands.
Duryodhana After this the wicked Duryodhana proposed to his father,
firevaUt on the . i .
•^t?th*^Ptod^' ^^ Maharaja, that they should have a great gambling match
u*" matSr^**" at Hastindpur, and that Yudhishthira and his brethren
should be invited to the festival. And the Mahdraja was
glad in his heart that his sons should be friendly with the
sons of his deceased brother Pdndu ; and he sent his younger
thehivi^??to '^^^^'^^^^ Vidura, to the city of Indra-prastha to invite the
indr^-prastha. Pandavas to the game. And Vidura went his way to the
city of the Pdndavas^ and was received by them with every
VII. — ^THE GAMBUKO MATCTF. 179
The stakes may have been pieces of gold or silver, or historit of
cattle, or lands ; although, according to the legend- pIbt ii.
ary account which follows, they included articles of
a far more extravagant and ^imaginative character.
With these passing remarks, the tradition of tliis
memorable game may be resumed as follows : —
So Yudhislitliira and Sakuni sat down to play^ and what- tho kiu'o< wion
ever Yudliishthira laid as stakes^ Duryodhaua laid some-
thing of equal value ; but Yudliishthira lost every game.
He first lost a very beautiful pearl ; next a thousand bugs, J}\^Ij'ijjJ«|[Jl^ra
each containing a thousand pieces of gold ; next a piece of
gold so pure that it was as soft as wax ; next a chariot set
with jewels, and hung all round with golden bells ; next a
thoosand war elephants with golden howdahs set with
diamonds ; next a lakh of slaves all dressed in good g2ir-
ments ; next a lakh of beautiful slave girls, adorned from
head to foot with golden ornaments ; next all the remainder
of his iFOods : next all his cattle ; and then the whole of i^" U»n «^»oic
o ' ' of Ills Rai, t'X-
his Raj, excepting only the lands which had been granted STw'nf the^"*"
to the Brdhmans.* Bnihmana. '
Now when Yudhishthira had lost his Raj, the Chieftains
present in the pavilion were of opinion that he should cease
to play, bat he would not listen to their words, but per-
sisted in the game. And he staked all the jewels belonging
to his brothers, and he lost them : and he staked his two stakes his
' ' brotlu'rs as
younger brothers, one after the other, and he lost them ; ^Ij.^^"- ^"*^^*>'*<^*
and he then staked Arjuna, and Bhima, and finally himself,
and he lost every game. Then Sakuni said to him : — wio'iol^l"**^'*
" You have done a bad act, Yudhishthira, in gaming away
' A lakh is a hundred thousand, and a crore is a hundred lakhs, or ten mil-
lions The Hindti term might therefore have been converted into English nunier-
■b^ onlT that it docs not seem certain that the bards meant precisely a hundred
tkowand BUres, but only a rery large number.
The exceptional clause in favour of the Br&hmans is very sipiiifioiint. "NMion
(he little settlement at Indra-prastha had been swelled by the imaf^ination of the
later bards into an extensive Raj, the thought may have entiTcd the minds of the
Brahmanieal compilers that in losing the Raj, the Brahmuns might have lost those
free UmLs known as Inams or jaghcers, which are frequently grantid Ijy pious
Bajai for the subsistence of Brfehmans. Ueucc the insertion of the clause.
180 THE MAHA BHARATA.
HISTORY OP yourself, and becoming a slave : But now stake your wife
fJbt^i Draupadf, and if you win the game you will again be free/'
• And YudhishtLira answered and said : — " I will stake
padL Draupadi! '' And all assembled were crreatly troubled
A^tiition of tbe * . . , . .
elder Chiefuiiia» and thought ovil of Tudhishthira ; and his uncle Vidurs
KaunTM. put his hand to his head and fainted away, whilst Bhishma
and Drona turned deadly pale, and many of the company
were very sorrowful ; but Duryodhana and his brother
Duhsdsana, and some others of the Kauravas, were glad in
their hearts, and plainly manifested their joy. Then
Jj^**^*Wr» Sakuni threw the dice, and won Draupadi for Duryodhana.
Genenioon. Then all in that assembly were in great consternation,
and the Chieftains gazed upon one another without speak-
Duijrodhana ing a word. And Duryodhana said to his uncle Vidura :^
padi to sweep " Go now and bring Draupadi hither, and bid her sweep
Vidura protests. ^^^ rooms/' But Vidura cried out against him with a loud
SiupZS'iM' voice, and said : — '^ What wickedness is this f Will you
hMithimtru »' Order a woman who is of noble birth, and the wife of your
staked hw. ^ own kinsman, to become a household slave ? How can you
vex your brethren thus ? But Draupadi has not become
your slave ; for Yudhishthira lost himself before he staked
his wife, and having first become a slave, he could no
longer have power to stake Draupadi/' Vidura then
turned to the assembly and said : — ^^ Take no heed to the
words of Duryodhana, for he has lost his senses this day."
Duryodhana then said: — ^*A curse be upon this Vidura,
who will do nothing that I desire him/'
Durfodhana After this Duryodhana called one of his servants, and
sends his aer- j . n , . , ,
g«* tobrinK desired him to go to the lodgings of the Pdndavas, and bring
pavilion. Draupadi into the pavilion. And the man departed out,
and went to the lodgings of the Pdndavas, and entered the
presence of Draupadi, and said to her : — ^'Raja Yudhishthira
has played you away, and you have become the slave of
Raja Duryodhana : So come now and do your duty like his
other slave girls.'* And Draupadi was astonished at these
words, and exceedingly wroth, and she replied : — " Whose
slave was I that I could be gambled away ? And who is
such a senseless fool as to gamble away his own wife?"
VII. — ^THE GAMBLING MATCH. 181
The servant said : — '' Raja Yudliishthira has lost himself, history op
and his four brothers, and you also, to Raja Dmyodhana, 'p^^^i
and you cannot make any objection : Arise, therefore, and
TO to the house of the Baia ! '' Then Draupadi cried out : Draupadi re-
, , f uaes to go.
— " Gro you now and inquire whether Eaja Yudhishthira
lost me first or himself first ; for if he played away himself
first, he could not stake me." So the man returned to tho
assembly, and put the question to Yudhishthira ; but Yud-
hishthira hung down his head with shame, and answered
not a word.
Then Duryodhana was filled with wrath, and he cried out Duryodhana
^^___ MTKu his 8tr"
to his servant : — '' What waste of words is this ? Go you vaiit a second
timo.
and bring Draupadi hither, that if she has aught to say, she
may say it in the presence of us all.'' And the man essayed
to go, but he beheld the wrathful countenance of Bhlma,
and he was sore afraid, and he refused to ero, and remained The servant
' o ' refuses to ffn.
where he was. Then Duryodhana sent his brother Duhsa- Duhsisana t^n^
to bring Drau-
nana ; and Duhsdsana went his way to the lodgings of Drau- padi.
padi and said : — " Baja Yudhishthira has lost you in play
to Baja Duryodhana, and he has sent for you : So arise now,
and wait upon him according to his commands ; and if you
have anything to say, you can say it in the presence of the
assembly." Draupadi replied : — " The death of the Kau-
ravas is not far distant, since they can do such deeds as
these/' And she rose up in great trepidation and set out,
but when she came near to the palace of the Mahdraja, she
turned aside from the .pavilion where the Chieftains were
assembled, and ran away with all speed towards the apart-
ments of the women. And Duhsdsana hastened after her, DuiisA^ana
and seized her by her hair, which was very dark and lone:, int<» tiio imviUon
•^ ' ^ °^ by her liair.
and dragged her by main force into the pavilion before all
the Chieftains. And she cried out : — '* Take your hands
fix)m off me ! " But Duhsdsana heeded not her words, and
said : — " You are now a slave girl, and slave girls cannot
complain of being touched by the hands of men."
WTien the Chieftains thus beheld Draupadi, they hung cufeftains para-
down their heads from shame ; and Draupadi called upon £raui)a<h vainiy
the elders amonfirst them, such as Bliishma and Drona, to iliirsfinm and
• ° Drona.
^ r
182 THE MAHA BHARATA.
HISTOBT OP acquaint her whether or no Raja Yudhishthira had gamed
INDIA. away himself before he had staked her ; but they likewise
held down their heads and answered not a word. Then she
Cast her eye upon the Pdndavas^ and her glance was like the
stabbing of a thousand daggers^ but they moved not hand
or foot to help her; for when Bhlma would have stepped
forward to deliver her firom the hands of Duhsdsana, Yud-
ThoP&ndavas hishthira commanded him to forbear, and both he and
Tudhishthir* to the youugor Pdudavas were obliged to obey the commands
of their elder brother. And when Duhsdsana saw that
Draupadl looked towards the Pdudavas^ he took her by the
JjJ^^^JJJJIJJJj hand^ and drew her another way, saying : — '' Why, 0 slave,
iLWfmMj. ^^® y^^ turning your eyes about you ? " And when E[ania
and Sakuni heard Duhsdsana calling her a slave, they cried
out : — " Well said I well said I ''
25^J*^J,^ Then Draupadl wept very bitterly, and appealed to all
to^ cmef- the assembly, saying : — " All of you have wives and children
of your own, and will you permit me to be treated thus f I
ask you one question, and I pray you to answer it." Duh-
Groas outrages sdsana then broke in and spoke foul language to her, and
coRimittoci by o cj
Duhajiiaiia usod her rudclv, so that her veil came off in his hands.
and Duryod- *'
J**"** And Bhima could restrain his wrath no longer, and spoke
vehemently to Yudhishthira; and Arjuna reproved him for
his anger against his elder brother, but Bhfma answered : —
" I will thrust my hands into the fire before these wretches
shall treat my wife in this manner before my eyes." Then
Duryodhana said to Draupadl :- — ^^ Come now, I pray you,
Bhima'8 fcarftu and sit upou my thigh ! " And Bhlma gnashed his teeth,
and cried out with a loud voice : — '' Hear my vow this day !
If for this deed I do not break the thigh of Duryodhana,
and drink the blood of Duhsdsana, I am not the son of
Kuntl ! ''
Sudden appear- Meanwhile the Chieftain Vidura had left the assembly,
MahAraja in the and told the blind Mahdraja Dhritardshtra all that had taken
S,e Ta^^^ place that day ; and the Mahdraja ordered his servants to lead
S^uSJS! and ^^^ iiito the pavilion where all the Chieftains were gathered
with her huS-"* together. And all present were silent when they saw the
pitMiha. Mahdraja, and the Mahdraja said to Draupadl :-^'' O daughter.
vow.
VU. — ^THE QAMBUNQ MATCH. 183
mv sons have done evil to you this day : But go now, you history of
INDIA.
Past II.
and your husbands, to your own Raj, and remember not - > • ■
what has occurred, and let the memory of this day be blot tod
out for ever/' So the Pundavas made haste with their wife
Draupadi^ and departed out of the city of Hastiuapur.
Then Duryodhana was exceedingly wroth, and he said to i)ur>'«>«iiiana
his father: — '' 0 Mahdraia, is it not a sayiiiff that when i"®™** "'*'"*!*"**
your enemy hath fallen down, he should bo anniliilatod
without a war ? And now that we had thrown the Piindavas
to the earth, and had taken possession of all their wealth,
you have restored them all their strength, and permitted
them to depart with anger in their hearts ; and now they
¥rill prepare to make war that they may revenge themselves
upon us for all that has been done, and they will return
within a short while and slay us all : Give us leave then, I Proposes thr n-
cjill of tlio Paii-
pray you, to play another crame with these Pandavas, and lot davas «n<i wt-
^. ^ f , ^ ^ . ° . t lenient (.f thy
the side which loses ffo into exile for twelve years : for thus »»ixp"t<j >»y
° *> * another gnmo.
and thus only can a war be prevented between ourselves
and the Pandavas/' And the Mahdraja granted the request
of his son, and messengers were sent to bring back the
Vrethren ; and the Pundavas obeyed the commands of thoir R/tuniofthe
uncle, and retumc^d to his presence ; and it was agreed upon
that Yadhishthira should play one game more with Sakuni, The winnem to
and that if Yudhishthira won, the Elauravas were to go into tire Uai. and tho
•1 IT 'it o 1 • 1 -Tk/ 1 • losera to po into
enie, and that if Sakuni won, the Pundavas were to ffo into exile for tweivo
- ° yearainajunicio
exile; and the exile was to be for twelve years, and one year and one year In
a city»
iwre; and during that thirteenth year those who were in
*de were to dwell in any city they pleased, but to keep
Otsnuelves so concealed that the others should never discover
^^^ ; and if the others did discover them before the thir-
teenth year was over, then those who were in exile were to
continue so for another thirteen years. So they sat down
^n to play, and Sakuni had a set of cheating dice us Yurihisiithira
l^ore, and with them he won the game. ^*^^ w, gai i .
When Duhs&sana saw that Sakuni had won the erame, Joyof i)uh»^
L 1 • . nana,
ne danced about for joy; and he cried out : — " Now is estab-
lished the Raj of Duryodhana." But Bhima said :— " Be not Wmth ef B:.i
elated with joy, but remember my words : The day will come
ma.
184
THE MAHA BHARATA.
HISTORY OP
INDIA.
Part II.
Kunti remains
at Uastiii&pur.
Departnreof
the PiDdavas.
Draupadi's ter-
rible vow.
when I will drink your blood, or I am not the son of
Kunti." And the Pdndavas, seeing that they had lost, threw
off their garments and put on deer-skins, and prepared to
depart into the forest with their wife and mother, and their
priest Dhaumya ; but Vidura said to Yudhishthira : — '^ Your
mother is old and imfitted to travel, so leave her under my
care ; '' and the Pdndavas did so. And the brethren went
out from the assembly hanging down their heads with
shame, and covering their faces with their garments; but
Bhima threw out his long arms and looked at the Elauravaa
furiously, and Draupadi spread her long black hair over
her face and wept bitterly. And Draupadi vowed a vow,
saying : — " My hair shall remain dishevelled from this day,
until Bhima shall have slain Duhs&sana and drank his blood;
and then he shall tie up my hair again whilst his hands are
dripping with the blood of Duhs&sana."
AfflBoting char-
acter of tho fore-
going tradition
of the gambling
match.
Its truthfulness
to human
nature as mani-
fested by a
Erimitive but
igh-spirited
race.
Wives not un-
Anequeutly lotit
and won at
Kjihatriya
gambling
matches.
Draup&di cvi-
dently familiar
with the idt^
The foregoing tradition of the gambling match
at Hastindpur is not perhaps so horrible as the fic-
tions of Bhfma^s encounters with the Asuras, but it
appeals far more strongly to the feelings ; and but
for the depraved element involved in the idea of
polyandry, would form one of the most attractive
legends in the Mahd Bhdrata. Throughout the nar-
rative there is a truthfulness to human nature, and a
truthfulness to that particular phase of human na-
ture, which is prominently manifested by a high-
minded race in its primitive stage of civilization-
The real interest of the story begins from the mo-
ment that Draupadf was lost. As regards the truth
of this incident there can be little doubt. Amongst
the ancient Kshatriyas, where women were chiefly
prized on sensual grounds, such stakes were evidently
recognized. Draupadf herself, although shocked at
the result, was by no means unfamiliar with the
VII. — ^THE GAMBLING MATCH. 185
idea.' She protested, not on any ground of sentiment history op
or matrimonial obligation, but solely on a technical y^^^ti
point of law y and even after she had been dragged
by the hair into the pavilion, and when she appealed
to the Chieftains, in consideration of their own wives
and children, to protect her from outrage, she still
only asked for an answer to her question: — *^Had
Yudhishthira become a slave before he staked his
wife upon the last game ? " As to the treatment
which she subsequently received, it was simply an
assertion of the right of ownership which Duryod-
hana claimed over the wife of his kinsmen.^
The most sensational scene in the narrative is sensational
the sudden appearance of the blind Mahdraja, at the J5^"Si{!dMahu.
critical moment when Draupadl had received the Jjlj^iit^'^o
worst aflfront, and Bhfma had uttered his terrible ^'^'''"'
vow of revenge. It is easy to conceive that, but for
this event, swords would have been drawn, and the
gambling pavilion would have been a scene of blood-
' European tnditionB of gambling are by no means freo from scandals of a
nular character, although they were invariably regarded as secret. Tlicre is a
konible story of a gambler playing away his wife in Mr Ainsworth's romance of
"Old St Panl'a," which is apparently based upon some tradition of the seventeenth
ceatory. In the eighteenth century the ladies became gamblers, and not unfre-
qocntly paid their debts at the sacrifice of their honour. See Massey's Uiatory
^EmfUnd, Vol. II.
' An extraordinary interpolation in this portion of the narrative is worthy of
lotiee, inasmuch as it affords a striking illustration of the reckless spirit in which
the Brahmanical " arrangers " grafted their absurd inventions upon the authentic
ifgud. Dnhs&sana is said to hare tried to strip Draupadi in the presence of the
MKBbly, bat she prayed to Krishna, and the god miraculously interposed in her
Whal( by lo multiplying the number of her under garments, that as fast as Duh-
ikflua remored one, another appeared in its room. At a subsequent period in tlie
poem, when Krishna was acting as a mortal hero, and a friend to the r(indava.s,
Draapadl took occasion to thank him for the services he had rendered her in
dothing her at tnch a perilous time. The incident is rendered more curious by
the eirennutance that the early fame of Krishna rested upon an exploit of the very
opposite character, namely, his having carried away the clothes of the daughters
ef the cowherds while they were bathing.
* ^
186 THE MAHA BHARATA.
HISTORY OP shed. But in a moment all was hushed. Tlie au-
pabt II. thority of the Mahdraja was paramount, and no one
attempted to interpose when the Pdndavas left the
place at his command. But when they had fairly
departed for their own city, Duryodhana remon-
strated with his father warmly and effectually ; and
the arguments which he urged are precisely those
which would be urged in the present day by a RAj-
unpMdonabie put Chieftain. The Pdndavas had received such an
nature of the *
hlTbi^llSSt afii-ont that it was impossible they should either for-
uponthe da* ^^^ ^^ forgct. They would be dishonoured for ever
if they did not wipe out the insult with blood ; and
their revenge might prove fatal to the whole house
of Bhdrata. There was no other way by which a
deadly feud could be prevented than by one party
or the other going into exile, whilst the other re-
mained in possession of the entire Raj.
impreMive pjjo- Tlic concludiug scouo alway s forms an impressive
KJdlT^ w!d picture in the mind of the Hindii. All is lost, and
S!S??Se!*" the Pdndavas are doomed to years of exile. Duh-
sdsana is dancing with joy at the thought that the
final game was won, whilst Bhfma is vowing to
drink his blood. Yudhishtiiira and his four younger
brothers are leaving the assembly, covering their
faces with shame, whilst Bhfma is throwing out his
long arms as expressive of his rage. But the terrible
figure of Draupadf, as she dishevels her long black
hair, is the very impersonation of revenge; and a
Hindii audience never fails to shudder at her fearful
vow, that the straggling tresses shall never again be
tied up until the day when Bhfma shall have ful-
filled his vow, and shall then bind them up whilst
his fingers are still dripping with the blood of
Duhsdsana.
CHAPTER VIII.
SECOND EXILE OF THE PANDAVAS — THE TWELVE YEARS
IN THE JUNGLE.
The tradition of the second exile of the Pdn- history op
davas is naturally separated into two portions, part ii.
namely : Tradition of tlio
1st, The wanderings in the jungle during twelve jui^e^StoV
VPniNL from the Action
J ^^^ ^' of the thirteenth
2nd, The concealment in a city during thethir-^**'"'*^*'^'''"
tecnth year.
These two nan'atives are widely distinct in their
origin and character. The story of the twelve
years' wanderings in the jungle comprises some in-
cidents which are based upon authentic tradition ;
but the legend of the concealment in a city during
the thirteenth vear, so far as the Pdndavas are con-
cemed, is a palpable fiction. These points will bo
fully proved and elucidated hereafter ; but for the
present it will bo convenient to bear in mind tlic
broad distinction.
Besides this distinction, it should also be noticed Theory that tho
mm ••I.... i* t twelve yenre of
that there are certam indications m the story of the exiie were on-
*/ ginally twelve
twelve years' wanderings which lead directly to the ?hat\*he ?h^-
infercnce that the period of exile was not twelve i^hVe^ia^"
,1 1 »rii • • T n • ^ ™0"^^ intm-
years but twelve months. The incidents of jungle pUJ^'^he^illi
life which can be referred to the authentic tradition ^**'*
arc but few in number, and might easily have
/ /
188 THE MAHA BHARATA.
HISTORY OP occurred within the space of a single year. On the
pabt II. other hand, the story is very largely interpolated
with mythical details and legends, which are so
wildly supernatural in their character, that they
may be safely treated as later interpolations.
Accordingly, it follows that either the term of
twelve years has been adopted for the purpose of
affording sufficient time for tlie transactions to have
taken place which are recorded in the myths ; or
that the myths have been introduced for the purpose
of filling up the more lengthened period of exile.
The hypothesis that the narrative of the thirteenth
year is a later fiction confirms this view. The exile
for twelve lunar months would not be equal to a
solar year ; and, therefore, it seems likely that this
fiction of a thirteenth year originated in the idea
that thirteen lunar months were necessary to the.
completion of a solar year.
t5S?e^^'M- ^^^ details of the legend of the twelve years'
IliyiSS^lJd exile are thus divisible into two classes, viz. —
Sr""*'"- let, The Mythic.
2nd, The Authentic.
But before attempting to carry out this divisioiii
it may be as well to glance at the general character
of the legend; and this may, perhaps, be best
gathered from the following narrative : —
ISuih^fithe ^^ ^^ came to pass that the Pdndavas, with their wife
divM iu the*^' Draupadi, and their priest Dhaumya, wandered in ths
jungle. jungle for twelve years, and they fed on such game as ^
PiUrimages to brethren shot on their way. And they made many pO*
grimages to holy places, and fasted, and bathed, and
performed religious worship ; and they met with many hdj
BrilhSiS*!^. Brdhmans and sages who instructed them in pious a(^
and beguiled them with stories of ancient times, and
I
Vin. SECOND EXILE OF THE PANDAVAS. 189
promised tliem that the day should come when they should history of
be restored to the Raj. Sometimes they came to verdant i^^^f;
places covered with flowers, where the trees were loaded
with fruits, and many curious animals presented them- jungle scenery.
selves ; but at other times violent winds arose and black- pesta. "" ™
encd the sky with dust, and laid prostrate the largest trees,
and then the rain would fall heavily, and the torrents would
pour down from the mountains like rivers, and the roads
would become so wretched that all the P^ndavas, excepting
Bhima, would be unable to move, and the weary Draupadi
would faint away ; but then the giant Bhlma would carry
his fatigued brethren and his afflicted wife upon his back
and shoulders, and under his arms, and walk on as before.
the
)
ex-
The general character of the mythical portions ^**;tJJy^]',*^^
of the legend of the exile is indicated in the fore- feey^^
going paragraph ; but in the present instance some
more particular description is necessaiy, as the
myths occupy a very large space in the Mah^
Bhdrata, and are not wholly devoid of historical
significance. It has already been seen that in addi- Jh^^Jfj^f °'
tion to the Brahmanical bearing of the MahA™*^^*"*
Bhdrata, there is an underlying effort throughout
the poem to ascribe a divine origin to the PAndavas,
and to associate them with the gods of the Hindus.
In the story of their birth it is plainly assorted that
Pdndu was not their real father, but that they were
directly begotten by the gods ; that Yudhishthira
was the son of Dhamia, that Bhfnia was the son of
Vayu, and that Arjuna was the son of Indra, whilst
Nakula and Sahadeva were the sons of the two
Aswius. Accordingly, in the legend of their twelve ^'^j^jTrm uu» *°
years' wanderings, a number of additional myths "SSavaf wen
1 1 • ill n ii* ii'i* 1 thn ftoiiHofth<
have been inserted to confirm this relationshii) and ancient goiU o
, , the Hindus.
association. These myths furnish a striking illus-
tration of the wide difference between the mental
190 THE MAHA BHAHATA*
HISTORY OF culture of the European and that of the Hindds.
pabt 11. To the former they must appear childish and un-
meaning, but to the latter they are highly attract-
ive, for they serve to amuse the dreamy and in-
dolent intellect of the Hindu, whilst gratifying his
religious instinct with the idea that lie is storing up
in his memory a rich stock of pious legends and
divine mysteries.
&un|p^esof the j^ few samplos of these extraordinary myths may
pmioguebe- now bo exhibited in a bare outline. On one occa-
tween Tudhish-
mithiS?father siou Yudhishthint was accosted by a divine being,
■ouified gSSf®^ who subsequently turned out to be his mythical
father Dharma, or personified goodness. Dharma
asked him a number of sphinx-like questions re-
specting human life and Brdhmanism, all of which
were answered by Yudhishthira in a spirit of Brah-
intenriewbe- mauical wisdom. Bhfma in his turn met with
tween Bhiinft
fhf JSX^' Hanuman, the monkey hero of the RAmdyana, who
M^K. was mythically his oVn brother, as both we^ Ae
or the wind. SOUS of Vdyu, or the wind. Bhfma, by virtue of hia
parentage, was proceeding along as swiftly as the
wind; so that the earth trembled at his velocity,
the largest trees were shaken to the ground, and
one touch of his toe killed every lion, tiger, or wild
Hanuman*8 elcphaut that sou&cht to obstruct his passage. The
supernatural ^ " ■■ i
lieui^ *"^ attention of Hanuman was attracted by these mar-
vels, and he obtained an interview with his mythical
brother, by shrinking himself to the size of the
smallest ape, whilst swelling out his tail to such ao
enormous bulk that it effectually stopped the pro-
gress of Bhfma. Hanuman then related to Bhfma
the whole story of the RdmAyana, and swelled out
his body until it was as lofty as the Vindhya moun^
tain, and shone with a yellow radiance like that of
Yin. SBOOND EXILE OF THE PANDAVAS. 191
molten gold. By Hanuman's aid Bhfma made his histobt of
, . . INDIA-
way to the gardens of Kuvera ^on the Himalaya pin il
mountain, and there he found flowers which had a Bhima proceed*
thousand petals, and which had been eagerly de- ^of'w'Suth!'
sired by Draupadf because their smell was so de-
licious that it would make old people young again,
and convert sorrow into joy.
But of all the myths which have been introduced Sj^Jln "JT^
for the sake of associating the Pdndavas with the ^""'"^
gods, none are so famous as those which refer to Ar-
jona, the fabled son of Indra, who was himself the
sovereifirn of the Yedic deities. Ariuna proceeded AijunapnctiMi
▼▼• /I -"111* /.I. ^""'fritiw* on
to the Himalaya mountams, by the advice of his iJountiht]^
mythical grandfather Vydsa, for the sake of per- {Sl;;^,? ^r^
forming such penances as should propitiate the gods, p^^ '^**'
and induce them to grant him celestial weapons
which would ensure him the victory over Duryod-
hana and the Kauravas. On reaching the Mandara
mountain he heard a voice in the sky calling upon
him to stop ; and Indra appeared in all his glory, indn n^rvn
and promised to give nun the divme weapons pro-
vided he succeeded in propitiating the god Siva.
Aijuna then entered upon a course of austerities so Arjuna propui-
•^ * atcs biva, who
severe that Siva was perfectly gratified, but proved SJSS^mSa."
the valour of his worshipper by taking upon himself
the form of a mountaineer and engaging Arjuna in
single combat. Arjuna, unable to make any im-
pression upon his enemy, at length discovered the
deity, and prostrated himself at the feet of Siva;
upon which Siva gave him one of his most powerful ^^^ l^^
weapons. Subsequently the gods of the four quar- The kwIs of th«
* X ./ o X f^juf quartoni of
ters of the universe — ^Indra, Yama, Varuna, and {,^^;;i7,^
Kuvera — ^presented themselves to Arjuna, and re-"* '^^'^"'**^"**
spectively furnished him with their own peculiar
192 THE MAHA BHARATA.
HI8T0EY OF wGapoiis. Arjuna was then carried away in Indra's
f will A A •' */
Past II. charfot to the city of Amardvatf, which is the
pnctiies the hcavcn of Indra. There he spent many years in
thSbLl!JS*J? practising the use of arms ; and at length was sent
by Indra to make war against the Daityas of the
sea.
Mythic wan of The mvthic account of Arjuna's wars a^^inst the
thSSi^^**'"' Daityas of the sea, is also worthy of notice if only as
a creation of the imagination. On approaching the
coast in a chariot which flew through the air, Arjona
beheld the sea rising in vast heaps, and saw ships
laden with rubies, and fishes and tortoises as large as
mountains. He blew his war shell and the Daityas
trembled with fear, but in return they sounded their
drums and trumpets so loudly that the monsters of
the deep leaped above the waves. Thousands of
Daityas rushed upon him, but he uttered powerful
mantras as he discharged his arrows, and kept them
all at bay. They rained fire, water, and mountains
upon him, but he triumphed in the end and slew them
all. Then the women came out screaming like
cranes, but Arjuna passed them by and entered the
city, where he saw chariots with ten thousand horses
chariot-howei of thc colour of Doacocks. Meantime the women
of tho oolour of *•
peacock*. wcro terrified at the rolling of his chariot, and fled to
their houses, whilst the noise of their ornaments re-
sembled the falling of stones upon a mountain. After
this victory Arjuna returned to Indra, and was re-
warded with great praises ; and the sovereign of the
gods presented him with a chain of gold and a diadem,
and with a war shell which sounded like thunder.
?caSS?^\hr^' These extravagant myths, unmeaning as they
SJJtS^"*^ appear in themselves, are not without historical sig-
nificance, when considered in connection with the
Vin. — SECOND EXILE OF THE PAKDA^^AS. 193
a£:e in which the Maha Bhdrata assumed its present history op
^^ • . INDIA
form. It was an age of Brahnianical revival ; an age pIbt li.
when the Brahmans appealed to the old national y„,.,,„ri»e
ficods of the Hindus against the practical atheism of inmm "aisl^i-
P _ ,- _,. ntoii u'itli the
the Buddhists ; an agre when the national traditions oid imtinnai
' o ^imIh III the aire
were remodelled, and ancient forms of worship were ^^"^["^S
restored, for the purpose of enlisting the sympathies
of the masses against the Buddhistic hierarchy, and
re-establishing the caste supremacy of the Brahmans.
Under such circumstances the object of the Brah-
manical compilers in inventing these absurd myths
is sufficiently obvious ; they desired to associate the
ancient gods of India with the favourite heroes of
the Hindus. The mythical wars of Ariuna a^^ainst warsofArjuna
IT- 111 1 •1 i«niinst tlio
the Daityas would also appear to be not without J^f**fi^"iJ;:i'l,7^
Hignificance, if the Daityas may be identified with a^'inJTtho*"'
the Buddhists ; and this identification is not wholly
without foundation. The Daityas possessed horses
of the colour of peacocks, and peacocks are especially
the sacred emblem of the Buddhists. Moreover the
statement that the Daityas inhabited the islands of
the sea is in perfect accordance with this view ; as
the Buddhists certainly took refuge in Burmah and
Ceylon when driven out by the Brdhmans from the
great Indian peninsula.
Having thus disposed of these somewhat dis- 2mi. Authon-
*-' ^ ^ *■ tir purtioii of
tracting myths, it is refreshing to return to the more thl^'l^eivlJ^w
authentic and natural traditions of the exile of tlic i*diljiion« that
Pandavas. From the simple incidents which follow, novcTiJUidonKi
• 11 i 1 J 1 -rfc / 1 at a fcrcat dis-
it Avouid seem that the randavas never strayed to \«^'.^^' ^'^""^ ^''^^*'
a great distance from their Raj ; and that they only
moved about in search of game, residing in some
temi)orary hut or booth which they probably con-
structed for themselves. They were accompanied ]|»^»lY"^''«
VOL. f. 13
194 THE MAHA BHARATA.
HISTORY OP by their wife Draupadf, and are said to have also
INDIA
pabt II. taken tlieir priest Dhaumya with them ; but the
references to the latter personage are by no means
satisfactory, nor is his presence in any way necessary
to the story. Kuntf , as already stated, was left be-
hind at Hastindpur. The five sons of Draupadf ap-
I)ear to have been sent to the house of her fiither
Drupada ; whilst Subhadrd, if she really were mar-
ried to Arjuna, would seem to have returned to her
father's house at Dwdrakd, accompanied by her son
Abhimanyu.
Four Incidents Tho iiicideuts in the jungle life of the PAn-
Jf theiSJSavis! davas, which are either authentic in themselves, or
apparently have reference to actual events, are four
in number, namely :—
1st, The capture of Duryodhana and Kama by
the Gandharva tribe, and their subsequent release
by the Pdndavas.
2nd, The Vaishnava sacrifice performed by Dur-
yodhana.
3rd, Yudhishthira's dream.
4th, The attempt of Jayadratha to carry off
Draupadf.
JfS)S?<5dPwr ^^^ ^^ ^^ these traditions, namely, the capture
fh^oS^hwi^ of Duryodhana and Kama by the Gandharva tribe,
^** and their subsequent release by the Pandavas, may
be related as follows : —
Tradition of the And it Came to pass that whilst the P&ndavas were
out"into*the^ * sojouming in the jungle. Raja Duryodhana desired to spy
the cattle, but out their misery, and flaunt his own magniflcence before
really to 8py out ., ^.^ i •! ii j i» *••
thePtodavas. them. JNow every three years it was the custom for the
Kauravas to go out into the pastures and mark all the calves,
and to renew the marks upon the cows; and as it was
known full well that the Mahdraja would forbid them from
Vin. — SECOND EXILE OP THE PANDAVAS. 195
going near the PdndavaSj Durjodhana asked for leave to go history of
IXDU.
Part II.
out and mark the cattle. And the Mohdraja gave his con- ^'^i^-
sent^ and Duryodhana^ and Kama^ and many of the Kauravas
departed ont of the city^ and after hunting in the jungle
many days^ they came near to the spot where the Pundavas
were encamped. Now on a certain day Dnryodhana sent inMoienro of
on his people to pitch his tent by the side of a groat lake, t»n? '(juidhar.
and it so happened that a band of the Gandharva tribe had
already pitched their tents on the same spot ; and the serv-
ants of Duiyodhana came back and told their master. Then Durjodhanaand
DuTTodhana sent an insolent message to the Gandliar\^as, and takou nn-
aad ordered them to take up their tents and depart with all Oaiidharvaa.
speed. And the Gandharvas went out and fought against
Dnryodhana^ and defeated him, and took him prisoner,
together with Kama and many of the Kauravas. And some The rHiKUvas
of those who fled went and told the Pdndavas that their ni»cue.
kinsmen had been taken prisoners by the Gandharvas ; and
fte Pandavas went out and fought the Gandharvas and
utterly routed them, and compelled them to restore the
pnaoners they had taken. And Yudhishthira gave a feast Mortincation oi
*o the Kauravas, and called Duryodhana his brother ; and "'^^
Dnryodhana affected to be much pleased, but his pride was
kwnbled, and he was very wroth, and he would have killed
™8elf, but for the hope that the day would come when he
»oal(l be fully avenged. Duryodhana then returned to the
^tyof Hastindpur, and on a certain day there was a Council
held in the palace of the Mahdraja, and Bhishma arose and
P'^iwd the valour of the Pundavas and advised Duryodhana ^^\ respntment
. ^ •'at the public re-
"^ make peace with them; but Duryodhana rose up and J^^jJ^^^"*^*{J"g"jj
■^ed contemptuously, and left the assembly without speak- ™*-
^g one word, and Bhlshma returned in great indignation to
his own house.
The foregoing simple tradition calls for little t^nihlr^e
ly*-^ It ••i»/v»i • 1 •• • of Duryo<lliaiia
'^ark, but it is dimcult to avoid noticing its curious v^ wldTh.!?*"
'Ambiance to a corresponding incident in the YSdhShthilSl
Patriarchal period of Hebrew liistory. It will be Lot by Aif™-* °
, j_ - 111 • t ham, and tlio
'Cmeniberea that when Lot had been carried away a^Viner'~*
r r
196 THE MAHA BHARATA.
HiBTORT OP prisoner by the Assyrians, he was rescued by
Paw il Abraham and his armed servants, and the victory
was celebrated by a feast of bread and wine- Tliis
similarity, however, by no means implies that the
two narratives refer to the same event, but simply
that such little victories followed by a feast were a
characteristic of the patriarchal period.
2nd, The vaish- The sccond incident of the exile, namely, the
^jjr^rf^ Vaishnava sacrifice performed by Duryodhana, may
now be related as follows : —
Jeaiooii desire of After theso things^ Raja Duryodhana resolved to cele-
peribnnaB«ja- brate a Rajasdya^ that should surpass the Rajasdya of his
cousin Yudhishthira; and he called to his priest and said : —
"Let all things be got ready for a Rajasdya sacrifice."
DiMQaiifled Then the priest answered : — " 0 Duryodhana, you cannot
hMaandTud- perform a Rajasdya whilst the Mahdraja is still alive^ and
alive. whilst your enemy Yudhishthira is also alive ; but you may
perform a Vaishnava sacrifice, and all the Rajas who are
your vassals may attend it ; and this sacrifice is as great aa
Prepares to a Rajasuya/' And Duryodhana said : — " Be it so 1 '' So
perform aVaiah- n .i • t t /» xr • i. •/? j
Dava sacrifice, all things were made ready for a Vaishnava sacrifice; and
messengers were sent to summon all the Chieftains belong-
ing to the Raj that they should attend the sacrifice.
His brother Now whilst the messengers were going their rounds^ it
sSfiniSyinvites Came into the heart of Duhadsana, the brother of Duryod-
thesaorifloef hana^ to send a messenger to Yudhishthira^ to invite the
Pandavas to be present likewise ; and the man went his
way and delivered the message to his brethren. Then
Mild answer of Yudhishthira. ever mild and dignified, thus made reply : —
Yudhishthira. . . .
'^ Such a sacrifice as Raja Duryodhana is about to perform
must redound to the exaltation of the whole house of Bh£-
rata ; but I and my brethren cannot attend until the years
Wrathftd reply of our exile be accomplished.^' But Bhima was veiy wroth,
and he cried out to the messenger: — "Gro and tell Raja
Duryodhana, that when the thirteen years are over. Raja
Yudhishthira will kindle such a sacrifice with his weapons
Vm. — SECOND EXILE OP THE PANDAVAS. 197
as will bum up all tlie sons of Dhritardshtra/' * These histobt oi
messages were duly delivered to Raja Duryodhana, but he ^^^
answered not a word.
After this Baja Duryodhana performed the Yaishnava lyuryodhana
sacrifice without the city^ and distributed much provisions^ \li8hiubva sar
and many dresses, and rich gifts; and all those who were
his friends said that no one had ever before performed so Diven opinioM
great a sacrifice, whilst those who were his enemies said and enemies.
that the sacrifice was not worth one-sixteenth of the
Bajasiiya of Yudhishthira. And Duryodhana returned to Returns to his
his own house in great state, while the eulogists and procession.
story-tellers went before him and opened their mouths in
his praise, and celebrated the deeds of his fathers ; and all
the people came out in great multitudes, and scattered
flowers and parched grain along the road before him. And Conratuiationi:
Kama said to Duryodhana : — " By the auspicious force of
your great destiny you have brought this sacrifice to an
end; and when by your fortunate power you shall have
dain the Pdndavas, and shall perform the Bajasiiya, I too
will be present and pay you homage/' Duryodhana an-
swered : — ''When I have slain the Pdndavas, I will certainly
perform the Bajasdya, and you shall be there to do mo
reverence." Then Kama vowed a vow, savins: : — '' I will Kama's vow to
' •' P slayArjuna.
neither wash my feet, nor eat venison, and I will say nay to
every one who asks me for a favour, until I have slain
Arjona/' And the spies of the Pdndavas carried intelli-
gence of all that occurred to Baja Yudhishthira ; and when
Yudhishthira heard that Kama had bound himself by a sorrow of Yud
vow to slay Arjuna, he was very sorrowful, for ho knew that
the day would come when there would bo a great battle
between Arjuna and Kama.
The foreffoinff tradition of the Vaishnava saeri- Review of tho
° ° tniditiouofthe
fice that was performed by Duryodhana throws a JjSJJfiaiiSlia.
^ William the Norman is said to have uttered a similar rough threat to that
of Bhimo. William was very corpulent and confined to his chamber. The French
Kinj^ remarked that his English brother was a long time lying in. William re-
totted that there should bo no lack of tapers at his churching, and ho kept his
word by raTaging Fiance with fire and sword.
198 THE MAHA BHABATA.
HISTORY OF clearer liffht upon the institution known as tlio
INDIA
Part II. Rajasuya, inasmuch as it confirms the view that a
Rajasiiya was emphatically an assertion of sove-
BeMonswhy Fcignty. Duryodhaua could not assert his sove-
«j^ n^pj^ reignty because his father was still living, and be-
jsYu^thirt cause his enemy and rival, Yudhishthira, was alive
also. Yudhishthira, on the other hand, had been in
a condition to perform a Rajasiiya, because he had
established an independent Raj at Indra-prastha,
and had succeeded in conquering all who had op-
posed him. It is, however, diflScult to say in what
respect the Vaishnava sacrifice differed firom the
Doubta ««^ Rajasiiya. The worship of Vishnu appears indeed
▼» sacrifioo. to have been of a comparatively modem origin, and
to have belonged to a period posterior to the age of
animal sacrifices. Under such circumstances, whilst
the fact may be admitted that Duryodhana per-
formed a sacrifice, the statement that it was a Vaish-
nava sacrifice may be regarded as a later interpola-
tion.
«rd.Tudhi8h- The third incident of the exile, namely, Yud-
thira*8 dream. . . . , . .
hishthira's dream, is mythical in its present form,
but still is evidently founded on authentic fact. The
Pdndavas prepared to move to another forest, ap-
parently because the game had become scarce in the
neighbourhood of their encampment ; and this simple
Apparently a incidcut has bcon converted into a sipn^ificant parable
Buddhistic par- ^ y ^ ^ ^
'^^' which bears traces of a Buddhistic origin. The
parable is as follows : —
Legend of the Now it SO happened that Yudhishthira dreamed a dream^
and in his dream the wild animals of the forest came to him
The wdmais of weeping and trembling with fear, and they said to him :—
the
inejuMieim- x « w ^ ^
fhira to icavS!*' " ^® ^® *^® ^®^ ^®^ auimals that have escaped your hands,
and we therefore pray you to remove to another place that we
Vni. — ^SECOND EXILE OF THE PANDAVAS. 199
ourselves may be relieved from the terror of our lives, and histobt op
may multiply again as before/' And Yudhishthira was moved p^^^n.
with sorrow, and when he awoke he told his dream to his
brethren how that the animals had implored his mercy. So move to the
.«■.. •/•TV T/ "1 forest of KAuuv.
the Pdndavas went away with their wife Draupadi and pnest
Dhaumya, and dwelt in the forest of Kdma, and took up
their abode in a hut, which was given to them by a holy
Rishi who dwelt in that quarter.
The fourth iiicideut in the twelve years' exile, 4th. The attempt
"^ - of Jayadrmthft to
namely, Jayadratha's attempt to carry off Draupadf, J^<>"f^'*"-
throws a strange light upon the old jungle life,
which many Kshatriya heroes appear to have occa-
sionally led in days of yore. The tradition may be
related as follows : —
And it came to pass that one day the Pdndavas went out i"Jf«dr»tha»
to htmt in the forest, and they left their wife Draupadi, with J'^^f ^JJ^JjJJJf^f
her own consent, in charge of the priest Dhaumya. And it her huabancu.
happened that Jayadratha, the Baja of Sindhu, was going on
that day with a great train to Chedipur to celebrate his mar-
riage with the daughter of the Raja of that city; and he passed Y%\\e, in love
by the hut, and saw Draupadi standing against a tree, and he ^**'** ^^"p^*-
was stricken with her beauty; and he said in his heart : — " If
this beautiful damsel be not already married I will go no fur-
ther, but will espouse her.^' And he sent a Chieftain who was gcnds a chief-
with him to go and inquire her name and lineage ; and the h^nune uid°
Chieftain alighted from his chariot and went to Draupadi, and ****"
inquired who she was, and told her his own name, and the convenation
name of Jayadratha, and also the names of the other Chieftains chieftahi and
who were with them. Now when Draupadi saw that a strange
man was coming towards her, she left the tree, and drew her
veil around her ; but when the Chieftain had finished speak-
ing, she came forward and said : — *' As there is neither man
nor woman near, I must myself answer your questions : But
I know who you are ; your father is Eaja of Saurashtra, and
Jayadratha is my kinsman, for he has married DuhsaJd, who
is the daughter of Mahdraja Dhritardshtra : I am Draupadi, Dnapadi'Kprof-
the daughter of Baja Drupada, and the wife of the five ti<».
200 THE MAHA BHARATA.
HISTORY OF Bajas of Indra-prastha : My husbands have gone out to hant
Pabt II. ^ ^^® forest, but they will soon return : Alight, therefore,
■— - — all of you, for Raja Yudhishthira will be gladdened at your
tow the hut. coining, and will prepare a feast for you/^ So the man
went and told Raja Jayadratha all that she had said ; and
Jayadratha got down from his chariot, he and six Chiefbaina
who were with him, and entered the house like a jackal
entering a pagoda. And Jayadratha asked Draupadl if all
was well with her and her husbands ; and she replied that
all was well. |And Draupadl desired that he would take
a seat, and she offered to bring water to wash his feet, say-
ing:— "The Pdndavas will soon return with plenty of venison^
and Raja Yudhishthira will rejoice to make you welcome."
Hfa wicked pro- Then Raja Jayadratha said to her : — " Put yourself to no
pwiL trouble on my account, but get you into my chariot, that we
may be happy together : The Pdndavas have lost their Raj,
and have become vagabonds in the jungle ; so do not waste
your attentions upon such husbands as these, but leave them
to themselves and come with me, and I will make you my
Bamof Dnui- Rdnf.^^ Then Draupadl knit her brow and arose in anger,
and said : — " Get you gone to your own land, for my hug-
bands are Rajas of great renown, as deadly as serpents, and
as powerful as Indra. Would you attack a wild elephant
with a staff, or arouse a sleeping lion with a switch ? Would
you kick a tiger with your foot, or stroke a venomous ser-
pent with your toes ? Yet such will my husbands be unto
you, unless you depart with all speed to your own home/'
Her ctines and Then Raja Jayadratha tried to soothe her, but she heeded not
his words, but poured forth curses upon him, and threatened
him with the arrow of Arjuna, and the mace of Bhlma, and
the wrath of all her husbands. And the Raja put forth hia
hand, and took hold of her garment ; and she struck hiia
Jayadratha car- with her fist and kuockcd him down. Then the Raja arose
iMidi ill hu and seized her with all his strength, and placed her in his
force. chariot, while she shrieked and cried out to the priest
Dhaumya for help and succour. And Dhaumya came
Kahatriyas^con. out and Said : — " 0 Jayadratha, you are breaking the good
^g away 0?^' old laws of the Kshatriyas, for by those laws you cannot take
womeu.
VUI. — SECOND EXILE OF THE PANDAVAS. 201
away this woman nntil yon have vanquished all her hus- history oi?
INDIA.
Past IL
bands/' But the Eaja heeded not his words, but placed i^dia.
Dranpadi in his own chariot, and drove away, and the old
priest followed after him weeping and lamenting.
All this while the Pdndavas had been hunting in the
forest, but Yudhishthira had seen many evil omens, and
before the day was half spent, he persuaded his brethren to
return. Now as they approached the hut they did not see ThePAndavM
Draupadf, but they beheld her little maid lying upon the hut and lewtl'^
ground and weeping violently ; and the maid told them how curred.
Baja Jayadratha had carried away Draupadi, like a dog who
has seized the sacrificial meat, and she pointed out the way
he had gone, and the marks of his chariot- wheels. Then the Pursuit of Jay».
Pdndavas set off in hot haste, and soon approached their
enemy, and so discharged their arrows that many of the
Chieftains were killed. And the heart of Jayadratha was jayadntha
filled with dismay, and he set down Draupadi from his padt and seeka *
chariot, and drove with all speed to a thicket which was
hard by. Then Bhlma said to Yudhishthira : — '' Go home
now with Draupadi, and with our brothers, Nakula and
Sahadeva : As for me, though Jayadratha fled to the caves
beneath the earth, and had ludra himself for his charioteer,
he should not escape my hands.'' Yudhishthira replied : —
" 0 my brother, Jayadratha has been very wicked, but he Yudhishthira'a
has married the sister of Duryodhana, and we may not kill ®"®'**^*
our kinsman.'' But Draupadi was mad with anger at these Wrath of Drau-
words, and cried in a loud voice to Bhlma and Arjuna : —
'* If you have any regard for me you will slay this Jayadra-
tha : He is the worst of Bajas and the vilest of men : The
most exalted of all the ancient sages has said that the man
who carries off the wife of another in times of peace, must
be pursued and put to death, even though he desist from his
wicked purpose." Draupadi then returned to the hut. Return of Tud.
accompanied by Yudhishthira and Nakula and Sahadeva. DraupadL
When Bhima and Arjuna heard the words of Draupadi,
their wrath was kindled greatly against Jayadratha, and
they pursued him hotly, and taunted him with his prowess
in mnning away with their wife, and called upon him, to turn
202 THE MAHA BHARATA.
msTORT OF and fight them ; but lie was sore a&aid^ and would not turn
' v^^^ '®^* *^®y should slay him. Then Bhima ran swiftly after
him, and caught him by the hair of his head, and dragged
jaj^rmtha him from his chariot to the ground, and kicked and beat
and makes him him until his reason had almost left him, but Arjuna bade
a slave. "^
his brother to remember the words of Yudhishthira and to
spare the life of his kinsman. So Bhlma cut off all the hair
of Jayadratha's head excepting five locks, and agreed to spare
his life on the condition that he went into the assembly of
the Pdndavas, and acknowledged himself to be their slave.
Hum^ng So Jayadratha yielded, and Bhlma led him to the hut^ and
Jajadntha. brought him into the presence of Yudhishthira, and his mind
was well nigh gone. And when Yudhishthira saw his con-
dition he ordered Bhlma to release him ; but Bhlma refused
unless commanded by Draupadl, because Jayadratha had
. Draapadi orders become the slavo of the Pdndavas. Draupadl then came up,
and said : — " As Jayadratha is become a slave by token of
his five locks, I pray you to release him." So Bhuna
released him, and he threw himself at the feet of Yudhish-
thira; and Yudhishthira bade him depart; and he hung
down his head with shame and said not a word, but went his
way much abashed to his own country.
Review of the The foreffoinff tradition of the attempt of Jaya-
traditionof i,,, tn i/i ^.'^
j^dratha car- dratha to cany away Draupadl bears every impress
iJraupadi. ^f being authentic, but yet presents a few diflS-
culties which seem to demand notice. The curious
coincidence that Jayadratha should have made the
attempt whilst on his way to marry another lady is
perhaps sufficiently explained in the narrative, but
it does seem remarkable that he should have been
Jigjgin^ia- already married to DuhsaU; and it will appear
gUj^^^ hereafter that DuhsaU was still living. But perhaps
urAshSi ^^^' the most important point of the tradition is the de-
Laws of the finition of the law of the Kshatriyas in such cases,
■pecSng'the'^ to which both Draupadf and the priest Dhaumya
carrying away mt r j
of women. soom to havo appealed. According to Draupadl, the
VIU. — SECOND EXILE OP THE PANDAVAS. 203
man who carried off the wife of another in time of history of
peace was to be pursued to the death. According pam u.
to Dhaumya, no man could rightfully carry away
the wife of another unless he had first vanquished
her husband or husbands. This subject however
has already been discussed in a previous chapter,
and it is only necessary to draw attention to the
poiuts raised.
CHAPTER IX.
SEXJOND EXILE OP THE PANDAVAS — ^THE THIRTEENTH
YEAR m A CITY.
HiBTOEY OF SHORTLY after the attempt of Jayadratha to cany ,
pabt li. away Draupadi, the period of twelve years' exile itt
Preparations of tho juDgle is Said to havo drawn towards a close.
^"iidlu^*"*' Accordingly the Pandavas sent their priest, Dhaunir^j
&SS tlS^"" ya, to reside in the city of their father-in-law, Rajft|
^^' Drupada ; whilst they and their joint wife Draupadii
prepared to dwell in some foreign city, so perfect^'
disguised that the Kauravas should be unable tQ|
DifflcuitiMin discover their place of concealment. The romantiB
reference to the *^
thi^'stoii?!'^''' character of the last stipulation, and the difficulty of
reconciling a residence in a foreign city with the
ancient condition of the Kshatriyas as Aryan set-^i
tiers from a distant country, are sufficient to excite^
suspicions of the story, or at any rate of such poi4
tions of the story as refer to the Pdndavas. Morei
over the disguises assumed by the Pdndavas andt
their joint wife appear to be highly improbablei
whilst that of Arjuna is simply impossible. Theiii
again, the descriptions of battles are wild myths, im
which armies are defeated by single-handed heroeBir
whilst one army falls down insensible at the mertt
am^rVtvfeen souud of a war shclL At the same time, the mainr
a Commander , . - i • i /• i ■
maid. In au?" mcidcnt, which refers to an amour between a
thentic tradi- eighty wanioT and the waiting-maid of a lUnf,
IX. — THIRTEENTH YEAR OP EXILE. 205
appears to be a relic of an ancient and authentic tra- histobt of
dition, altogether differing both in civilization and pam ii.
religion from the traditionary history of the house of wide difference
Bhdrata. It belongs to a period long anterior to to^itton^oMha
.J - n Tk 1 • 1 1 1 J • amour, and the
the rise of Brahmamcal ascendancy, but comprises h!^o?Bhi?®
graphic pictures of the palace life of Hindii Rajas, ^^^
in an age when young Princes were brouglit up with
the women, and when eunuchs taught music and
dancing to the young damsels in the zenana. Again,
the story of the amour turns upon a dread of ghosts,
which finds no expression in the traditions of the
house of Bhdrata ; and it is especially remarkable DiffprMwein the
' ^ y conception of
that the Gandharvas, who are generally represented Q'»<"»*'^"-
as a Hill tribe with whom the Kshatriyas at Has-
tindpur were frequently at war, are introduced in
the story as invisible demons, prone to love af-
fairs with mortal women, and capable of wreaking
their supernatural wrath upon mortal rivals. Ac- SST^r ^thTtST
cordingly an attempt v^rill be made hereafter to SJow.^'fr^^tbe
J -I .1 a'jT'j* !•! /• myth of the ad»
separate the more authentic tradition, which refers ventures of the
P&ndavaB dur-
to the amour, from the more improbable details {J^J^^*^;
which refer to the Pdndavas. But in the first in-
stance it seems necessary to reproduce the entire
legend of the thirteenth year, as it appears in the
Mahd Bh^iuta, and which may now be related with- .
out any further introduction, as follows : —
Now according to the rule of their exile it had been Fiction of the
agreed that when the Pdndavas had accomplished twelve ° ^*^'
years of wanderings in the jungle, they should take up their
abode in any city they might choose, and remain there for
a single year; and if during that year the Kauravas failed J^PJjSjfte? "
to discover them, they were to be restored to their Raj, but 8^-
if the Kauravas discovered their disguise, they were to go
for another twelve years into the jungle, and a thirteenth
year in disguise, as before. Accordingly the Pdndavas took
• /
208 THE BCAHA BHARATA.
BISTORT OP counsel together^ and especially with Arjuna, for lie had
INDIA.
Past II.
INDIA. visited many cities when he had gone into exile on account
of Draupadl ; and they resolved to go to the city of Baja
The FindAVM Virdta, and to enter into the service of that Baja. And as
determine to go ' «'
BejliYhSte^ they Came near the city, they proceeded to the spot where
OoDoeai their the people of that place were accustomed to bum their
noiMouatrcein dead; and there they laid aside their weapons and their
burning. garments, and disguised themselves; and they hid their
weapons and their old garments in the branches of a tree.
Bet npa dnd and they took a dead body which they found in that place,
the tree. and hung it on the trunk of the tree, and cried out with a
loud voice : — " This is the dead body of our mother, and it is
to remain here for a whole year, after which we will take it
down and bum it/' So it was rumoured abroad throughout
that coimtry that a party of travellers had hung the dead
body of their mother on the trunk of that tree, and would
not return until a year had expired; and no man would go
near the tree lest he should in any way offend the ghost of
the dead mother of the strange men.
PindavM and After this the Pdndavas and Draupadf took other names,^
Draupodi as- , .
■uraenew so that neither Baja Virdta, nor the people of the city.
n*ina>, and 1^ ** * * "^
gy tof vwS. ^^^^ discover who they were ; and they then went toge-
ther to the gate of the palace, where the Baja and his Chief-
Graoeand tains Were sittins: in Council. And Yudhishthira was the
maieRtvofTud- *^ , t -i i i i
hiahthira. first to enter the assembly, and when those who were pre-
sent saw him, they were amazed at his grace and majesty ;
and the Baja seeing that he was a stranger, asked him the
reason of his coming. Yudhishthira answered : — " I am a
man who has met with nothing but danger and calamity,
and having heard many praises of your benevolent qualities,
I have come to put myself under your protection that I may
be relieved of my distress.'' The Baja then asked his con-
' Throughout thifl portion of the narratiTe in the Mah& Bh6rata the new namei
are employed so long as the P&ndayas continued in their disguise. But as these
new names would only confuse the European reader, they are omitted from the
text, and the old names preserred throughout the story. The order in which each
of the P&ndavas presented himself to the assembly has been slightly modified, as it
is more couTenient to represent them aa entering the HaU in the order of their re-
spective ages.
IX. — THIETEENTH YEAR OF EXILE. 207
dition and descent : and lie replied : — '^ I am a Brdliman^ and uistobt of
• • i^., . , , INDIA
for some time I was a retainer of Raja Yudliislitliira^ and his p^bt ii.
private companion, and I taught him the whole art of Yudhinbthira
throwing dice." The Raja then said : — " You have come at a pn^aufcom*
fevourable moment, for I am in want of an instructor in the tl^^hcV'oMice-
mystery of play, that I may defeat the tricks of artful gam- ^'^^['i*^ *^ ^J*
biers ; and I will show you the same favour and patronage
as were shown to you by Raja Yudhishthira.'' \VTien the
Raja had engaged him, the giant Bhima entered the assem-
bly, clothed in black garments like a cook, and having an
iron ladle in one hand, and a rusty scimctar in the other ;
and all present were struck with his strange appearance, and
cried out : — "What wonderful giant is this ?" Then the Raja
asked him who he was, and Bhima replied : — " I was cook to
Raja Yudhishthira, and I understand the whole art of cook-
eiy, and I know the whole science of war, and my strength
u such that it would be difficult for you to find a man who
coald cope with me." Then the Raja said : — " You have in Bhima eiipijwd
1/.1T *** "'-■*^ cook.
your countenance all the marks of command and sovereignty,
but as it is your own proposal, I make you the head of the
cooks in my palace, so that the fear of your sti'cngth may
keep all other cooks from wasting or thio\'ing the victuals/'
Arjana then came forward dressed as a eunuch, with ear- Aijuna enngcHi
.... T , -, T-. aHtt eunuch to
nni?s m his ears, and a woman s necklace round ins neck, teach miuic ana
, , dancing.
and a woman's bracelets upon his wrists ; and he also wore
a woman's vest to hide the scars which had been made upon
bia shoulder by his bow-string. And he said that he could
sing, and also play upon musical instruments, and that he
likewise understood dancing, and that he was well qualified
to teach all those arts to ladies ; so the Raja engaged him
to perfect his daughter in the practice of music and dancing.
After this Nakula and Sahadeva entered the assembly, and Nakuianngairpd
the Saja engaged Xakula to be master of his horse, and hin^
Sahadeva to be master of his cattle ; and as Sahadeva had saiimicva on-
learnt the whole science of astronomy from his tutor Drona, of thocntti«-
- ... „ tkwl easier of
be was also engaged to cast nativities and tell fortunes. nativitu-s.
Meanwhile the Riini had seen Draupadi from the terrace Draupadi cuun
of her apartments, and had sent for her ; and Draupadi lilc ISm.'"^ "
208 THE MAHA BHARATl*
.HI8T0BT OF presented herself to the Baja's wife^ dresded in mean attire^
P^^^ with her hair untied according to her vow, but twisted into
FABT 11. *-*
one string, like the tail of a serpent ; and the women of
the Raja were much pleased with her appearance, and thej
gathered around her, and the Binl asked her who she was.
Draupadl answered : — '^ I am a maid-senrant, and ready to
serve any one who will employ me ; and I have been servaoft
to the wife of Krishna, and afterwards was servant to Draa*
padl, the wife of the Pdndavas, who was very fond of me^
The Rtai ob- and used to call me her dearest friend/' The B&ni said :—
Jcoii to Dntu-
iMdi'i beauty. *' You do not look like a servant, but rather like the wife
of a Saja ; and you are far too beautiful for me, for if I
were to take you into my service, and the Baja should see
you, he will never look on me any more ; so I will have
Draupadi'fl nothing to do with you." Draupadf replied : — *' Have no
^SSiSirviIi.*^* fear of me on account of the Raja, for five (Jandharvas keep
constant watch over me ; and if any one looks at me with
an eye of desire, those (randharvas will speedily put him
to death : I can do every kind of service, but I will not
wash the feet of any one, nor will I eat the victuals which
Enff^edMft any one may leave after a meal/' So the Rdni said:—
the Etoi. '* Since this is the case, I will take you into my service/'
And she engaged her.
Tr«nquiiiifeof And the fivo brethren and their wife Draupadi dwelt
the P&ndjivu \
and Draupadi. many days in great comfort and tranquillity of mind in the
palace of Raja Yirdta, and they found much favour in the
eyes of the Raja and the R^. And many Chieftains came
to Yudhishthira, and engaged him to play, and he played
with them, and won much money ; and he carried all that
he had won and laid it before Raja Yirdta, but the Raja
Mode in which ^avo it to him back again. And Yudhishthira divided the
the brethren ° , , , * /» t * m» n
shared their monev luto SIX portion s, ono portion for himself, and one
emoluments. , ,
for each of his brothers, and he himself kept Draupadi'fl
portion. And all the presents that any one of the other
brethren received, he carried to his elder brother Yudhish-
thira, and Yudhishthira divided it in like manner.
MaVirAu Now wheu three months had passed away. Raja Yir&ta
festitaL held a great festival ; and all the fighting men and wrestlers.
IX. — ^THIRTEENTH YEAR OP EXILE. 209
and other athletes^ came m great numbers from all the histobtop
INDIA.
Past IL
countries round about to exhibit their strength and skill ^^^^^
before the Raja. And when the day of the festival had
come, a miffhty multitude were assembled from all the cities, pugiusts and
wresttors*
and the Baja was there and all his Chieftains; and when- Exhibitions of
ever one man overcame another^ the multitude shouted w^tilngbefora
aloud, and the Baja gave great gifts to the victor. Now gyt^^jy ^f
one among the wrestlers, named Jimdta, had come from a j^reSmer*
far country, and he put all the rest to shame ; for every
man who stood up against him was conquered, so that, after
a while, no man durst encounter him. Then the Raia and Trouble of the
' '^ Raia that none
his Chieftains were sorely troubled that they had no wrestler <>' hi« own
•^ ^ •' ^ wrestlers oould
in the Baj who could overthrow Jimdta ; and the Baja called j^JJJJ^®
out in the assembly to know if there was any man who
would fight Jimtita, but no man gave reply. Now after a The Baja aenda
while the Baja said : — "I have a warrior in my kitchen, whom
I took into my service to be the head of all my cooks ; and
he boasted very much of his great strength and exceeding
valour : Perchance he may be able to fight against this
foreign wrestler.^' So the Baja sent for Bhima. And Bhim* enters
Bhima came out of the kitchen, and* entered the presence butdeciinento
. ' * fight Jimiktaun-
of the Baja, and said: — ^^lam famished with hunerer, and ?*j>?h" •»***-
'' o ' fled hig hunger.
until I have eaten I cannot wrestle with this man Jimdta.^'
So the Baja ordered that he should have as much victuals
as he could eat, and the servants brought him heaps of pro- Bhima deronn
^ * * an enormous
visions, such as would have sufficed for a great company; vjantityofpro-
but Bhima fell to and devoured them, to the amazement of
all who saw him. And when Bhima had finished eating,
he went before the Baja, and the Baja bade him be of good
courage. And Bhima went out and challenged Jimdta to
battle ; and Jimdta came out in like manner, and accepted
the challenge. Then Bhima and Jimdta fought and strug- ^"J^^^JSnia
gled together like wild elephants, and they struck one ***** Jimata.
another with their clenched fists ; and all the other wrest-
lers looked on and marvelled at their fighting. Now when
they had fought for a long while, and Jimdta was half spent,
Bhima rushed upon him, and seized him by the two legs, Bhima whirls
and raised him from the ground ; and he whirled him by the legs, and
, _ , _ dashes hrn\
several times round his own head, whilst Jimdta filled the asaii»t the
, , ground.
VOL. I. 14
210 THE MAHA BHABATA.
HI8T0BT OF air with his roaring. At last Bhfma dashed him against
INDIA.
Past XL
^^"^^^ the ground with all his mighty and Jimdta at that instant
gave up the ghost and became a dead man.
Deftth of
'imt^ta. And when the multitude saw that Jimdta had been slam
the multitude by Bhlma^ they set up a loud shout and filled the air witb
the SiSiL their acclamations. And the Baja leaped from his seat in
great joy that the foreign wrestler had been overcome bf
Bhimft richly One of his own Servants. And he bestowed very many gifts
£gaaudh^ and commendations upon Bhima. And all the Chiefbdns
in Uke manner gave many presents to Bhfma^ each one
according to his rank. And when it was nighty Bh&nft
carried all the gifts he had received to his elder brother
Yudhishthira^ that they might be divided according to
custom.
Great fkvour After this Baja Yirdta took a great liking to Bhima, and
ma. ' showed him much favour ; and sometimes he took Bhfma
Bhima's fights into the apartments of his women, and made him fight wiih
in the women's lions^ and tigors, and bears^ and Bhima always killed emrf
beast with one blow of his fist ; and the Baja and the ladiei
wondered at his prowess, and gave many gifts to Bhliii%
and very large quantities of victuals, which he devoured ••
Satufkction of fast as they were brou&rht to him. In like manner the Raja
the Raja in the "^ °. . . '
singing and very often called for Ariuna, and for the Princess his daash*
dancing of his -^ -i z-i
daughter. ter, and the other young damsels of the Court, who wore
taught by the new master ; and the damsels danced and
ecPby thrSSS' ^^^S before the Baja^ and gave him such delight that ke
gave many presents to Arjuna. At the same time the Bqa
^e^Sjja^Sith' ^^^ much pleased with Nakula^ for whenever he went to
^Jjjjjjyj^* the stables he found his horses in excellent order, and he
gave rich rewards to Nakula. Sahadeva also received much
praise and many gifts from the Raja ; for he foretold veij
correctly everything before it happened, whilst the cattle
under his care multiplied abundantly, and the cows yielded
three or four times as much milk as they had ever done
before.
Commanding Now there dwelt in the city of Virdta a warrior of ereat
influonco po«- . i . t i -• tt-^ ii -ii ii#
sgtood bv iQ. might and valour, named Klchaka, and he was brother oi
gn^hcrof the the Bdnf, and commanded all the forces of the Raja; and
IX. — ^THIBTEENTH YEAE OP EXILE. 211
[1 the afiairs of the Baj were in his hands^ and ho did as he bistort of
leased^ and the Raja feared him, according to the ancient p^^if.
lying, that the brother of the Rdni is always to bo feared
y the Raja. And it came to pass one day that Kichaka
roceeded to the palace, and entered the apartments of the
romen to pay a visit to his sister, when his eye fell upon
>raapadi, and he was stricken with her beauty; and he
aid within his heart, I have seen many lovely women, and
have many belonging to me, but never did I behold one so
»eaatiful before ; and he asked his sister who she was, and
he Rani told him. And Kichaka then said to his sister ; — Kichaka pre-
, vails with the
^She is worthy to be the mistress, and to have you for a J^'" '" »<^p^, ,
•^ ^ ' "^ Draupadl to hia
raiting-maid : Contrive now, I pray you, that she may ^^ouae.
ome to my house.*' The Rdni rephed : — " This woman
ays she has five Gkindharvas who ever keep watch over
ler; and if any man speak to her the Gandharvas will
ill him : Moreover, her conduct and behaviour are
aost excellent : Therefore I pray you to say nothing to
lor." But Kichaka would not be refused, and after a while
te prevailed with his sister, and she promised to send Drau-
ladf to his house. So Kichaka left his sister and wont to
)raapadi, and began to praise her, and said : — '^ Never
lefore have I beheld so beautiful a woman as you are;
nd henceforth I will be your slave.*' But Draupadi re-
»lied : — " Do not speak such words to me, for there are five
ions who keep guard over me, and if you value your life
oa will not come near me.'* And Kichaka laughed, aud
rent his way to his own house.
A short while after Kichaka had gone out of the palace, nroupatii sent
he Bdni said to Draupadi : — " I am very thirsty : Take this brini^acup of
op to my brother's house and bring it me back filled with house of ki-
rine." Draupadi answered : — "I cannot go to his house,
8 I observe that he is a man wanting in modesty : So I
ray you to send another messenger." But the Riiiii would
ot, but put the cup upon a golden salver, and placed tlio
alver upon the head of Draupadi, and bade her carry ifc to
Lichaka : and Draupadi went away weeping, but she looked
,.,. ^ T iii'i 1 Draui^adi prays
fc the world-cnlightening Sun, and prayed to the bright god to the sun for
succour.
212
THE MAHA BHARATA.
HISTORY OF
INDU.
Pabt II.
Kiohaka af-
fronts Drau-
I»di
Dranpadi
eacapea from the
houae and runs
to the Council
ball, followed by
Kichioia.
Bhlina com-
manded by Tud-
hishthira not to
interfere.
The Baja re-
fuses to inter-
fere.
Draupadi re-
buked by Yud-
hishthira.
Draupadi vainly
appeals to the
R&ni.
for succour. And Draupadi carried the cup to the house of
Kichaka^ and when she had entered in, Kichaka ran to meet
her, and said : — ^' You are very welcome, for I, who have
the whole Raj at my command, am now your slave, and I
will give you all I possess ; and all my women shall be your
servants, if you will only become my wife/' Draupadi
answered : — ^* Your sister sent me to you with this cup :
She is very thirsty, and is waiting for me : Do not detain
me or use mo ill, or evil may befall you/' Kichaka then
took Draupadi by the right hand, but she drew her hand
back again. Kichaka then seized her cloth, but Draupadi
struck him in the face, and ran out of the house. Then
Draupadi went with all speed to the Court hall of the
palace, where Raja Virdta and his Chieftains were sitting
in Council ; and she was weeping very bitterly, and Yad-
hishthira and Bhima were present and saw that she was
weeping, but they took no notice of her. Now before
Draupadi could speak a word to the Baja, Kichaka ran
after her, and followed her into the presence of the Council;
and he seized her by the hair before them all, and smote her
with his foot. Bhima looked on, and bit his lip with his
teeth till the blood rushed from it ; but he could not interfere
because his elder brother Yudhishthira had so commanded
him. And Draupadi was exceedingly wroth with her hus-
bands, and also with Eaja Virdta; and she cried out : — ^''It
is very imbecoming of the Baja, that he should permit a
poor woman who has entered his service to be kicked before
his face.'' Tlio Baja answered : — " I do not know what htti
passed between you and Kichaka before you entered my
presence : How then can I interfere ? " Draupadi then told
to the Baja all that had taken place, and all who heard her
thought that Kichaka had behaved wickedly towards her;
bat Yudhishthira, being fearful lest they should be difl-
covored, rebuked her, saying : — " Why do you make your
lamentations before persons who have nothing to do wifli
you ? You ought to go into the presence of the Bdni." So
Draupadi went weeping to the Bdni, and told her what
Kichaka had done, and the Bdni said that she would speak
IX. — ^THIRTEENTH YEAR OP EXILE. 213
to her brother. Bnt Draupadi answered : — '' As yon cannot history of
INDIA.
Past H.
smite him, why trouble yourself to speak ? I have a guardian ^^^'^
near^ and the hour is not far distant when he will aveuge
my wrongs.^*
Now when the night had fully come, and every one in ^^*gg^ »^-
the palace was asleep, Draupadi went out and found Bhima, 2jm"**S» * *"*
who was in a deep slumber. So she awoke him, saying : — ^"ig©.
'' What is this sleep of oblivion in which you are indulging ?
Am I not your wife, upon whom Kichaka has looked with a
wanton eye, and do you not care for the affront ? Where
is your sense of honour now, and what will the world say if
you do not revenge my wrongs ? '^ Then Bhima rose up in
a rage, and said : — '^ Why is your countenance changed, and
what has Kichaka done unto you ? '* Draupadi answered : — Dmupudi's wt-
-I •! "I • Ml 1 1 1 *^' complainls
*' What would you have me say whilst my heart is still bleed- of the insuitH
•^ . she haa received
iner from the insults I have received ? Three times have I fr"™ ^h® Kau-
fallen into the hands of shameless men, and notwithstanding ^j}jJ,J***
all the hardships I have endured for the sake of my hus-
bands, not one of them will protect me : First you gave mo
up to the Kauravas, who treated me as though I had been
a slave girl : Then Jayadratha carried me away into tho
jungle : And now Kichaka has stretched out the hand of
rudeness against me, and has seized me by the hair and
smitten me with his foot in the presence of yourself and
Yudhishthira^ aud before the Raja and all his Council : Yet
who are my husbands that they feel no concern for this that
I have suffered ? But unless you punish this Kichaka I will
take poison : Yudhishthira, who was once a great Baja, has Compiftina of
become a mere servant, and teaches people how to shamble : pations of her
^ *^ ^ husbands in the
As for you, Bhima, who once had a thousand slave girls at Court of BjO*
^_ Virata.
your command, each as beautiful as the Biinl, I have been
obliged to see you fighting lions, tigers, bears, and elephants
for her amusement, until I have been so humbled that I
could have died with spite : Then Arjuna has put on the
appearance of a female, and wears a woman^s necklace and
bracelets, and makes sport for the Raja's women; whilst ^^^^^^^^
Nakula has settled down in the stable, and Sahadeva is JjJJ^JJJJJ^"
keeping cattle and teUing fortunes : Meantime under your Jhe BlJJi]^* ^^
/ •
INDIA.
Past II.
214 THE MAHA BHARATA.
HISTOBT OP auspices I have become the favourite female servant of Raja
Virata, who refuses to take his powdered sandal wood from
anybody else : And now what further vexations must I en-
dure on your account ? "
BWina rebukes When Draupadi had finished speaking, Bhlma turned to
her and said : — ^^ When noble women are compelled by their
evil fortune to take refuge in foreign countries, they are ever
exposed to like evils : Was not Sltd carried away by Rdvana,
when she was wandering in the jungle with Baja Bdmaf
Explains how When the Kauravas affronted you at the gambling matchj I
hM in evei^ was desirous of putting them to death by my own hand, bat
his interfcr- I was withhold by my elder brother Yudhishthira : So again
when I had resolved to slay Jayadratha, Yudhishthira would
not give his consent, but permitted him to go away alive:
Then, too, when Kichaka insulted you in the presence of the
Baja, I would have punished him upon the spot, but Yud-
hishthira forbade me : Why, then, do you thus torment mef
puj^Kichaka. •'■ Di^st bo obedient to my elder brother : But in the matter
of this Kichaka I will get you redress : Do you to-morroir
morning affect to agree to all that he desires, and appoint to
meet him at midnight in Arjuna^s music and dancing-room;
and while he is waiting there for you I will teach him a les-
son that will most certainly satisfy you/*
wSfatthe^J^ When Bhfma had thus promised to chastise Kichaka,
revenge!***""*^ Draupadl was filled with joy, and agreed to act according
to his words ; and when the night was over she returned to
the apartments of the women, and did her duty as she was
KichiJui's accustomed. Now it so happened that after a while Kichaka
second visit to ... .
the Rtoi. paid another visit to his sister, the Bdnf ; and he began, as
his custom was, to set himself off in the presence of Draa-
Kichaka threat- pad! : and he said to Draupadi : — " Eaia Virdta cannot inter-
ens to carry ^ ' ^ '^ ''
awv Draupadi fere with me, for all his affairs are in my hands : If therefore
you refuse any longer to become my wife, I shall carry you
away by my own power, and the Baja will say no more to me
to-day than he did yesterday : But if you will accept me as
a husband, and enter my house, I will do you no harm ; and
^chJka to" °' "'■ ^^^ ^^® y^^ ^ hundred pieces of gold every day, and a
Dmupadi. hundred slaves and slave girls to wait upon you, and a cha-
IX. — ^THIBTEENTH YEAR OF EXILE. 215
riot drawn by mules to be always at your command.^' And history of
INDIA.
Pabt II.
Draupadf answered : — ^' How can I refuse such generosity ? india.
But I yield on one condition only : I know that you admit
many friends into the apartments of your women, and if mv ^ meet him at
^ 1- ij 1. 1 X i.T- • 1. • T .1 -^ midnight in the
consent should be known unto them, it may bring both you music anddano-
and me to infamy : Moreover, I have five Gandharvas who
watch over me ; and should they discover this matter they
will slay you.^' So it was agreed between them that at mid-
night Draupadl should grant a meeting to Kichaka in the
music and dancing-room.
Eichaka then left the palace and went to his own house, impatience of
. Kichaka,
and his heart was filled with delight ; but he was so impa-
tient to meet Draupadf, that the remaining half of the day
appeared to him like half a month, and every moment
seemed as long as a year. And when it was night he
arrayed himself in new garments, and perfumed himself with
the choicest odours, and he was more handsome and re-
splendent than he had ever been before, in the same way
that a lamp becomes most brilliant just before it goes out.
Meanwhile Draupadi had gone to Bhlma, and told him all
that she had done, and Bhima said that he would slay
Kichaka in such a fashion that no man should discover
who had done it. So when the hour of midnight arrived, Kichaka pro-
. ° . ceedstotne
Kichaka went with all ioy and expectation to the music and music and dano-
^ , , - in^-room.and i8
dancing-room, and seeing in the darkness that somebody g*^ *>y
was in the comer, he thought that it was Draupadi, and put
out his hand to take hold of her ; but at that moment Bhima
arose from the comer in great wrath, and seized him by the
hair of his head, and would have dragged him to the ground,
but his locks were well oiled, and they slipped through the
fingers of Bhima. Now Kichaka was a warrior of great ^"^i'^*^!^'*
valour and exceeding strength, and he so fell upon Bhima BWrna.
that they struggled mightily together, and they fought with
their clenched fists, and tore each other with their nails, and
strove to throw each other to the ground. And Bhima was Bhima slays
broufirht to the earth, but he put forth all his strenc^h, and rolls his flesh
, , , \ , wid bones into
seizing hold of Kichaka he whirled him swiftly roimd his »baii.
head and dashed him against the ground ; and he put his
• •
216 THE MAHA BHARATA.
HISTORY OF knee upon tlie breast of Kfchaka, and kneaded him as a
Pam^il taker kneads bread ; and he kicked him and pommelled him
until the soul of Kichaka departed out of his body, and he
broke every one of his bones into the smallest pieces, and
formed his body into a large ball of flesh. Bhfma then
lighted a lamp, and brought in Draupadi, and showed her
all that he had done, saying : — '' This will I do unto any
Joy of Dnw- man that offends you/' And Draupadi rejoiced greatly, for
she saw that she had been fully avenged.
Then Bhima departed out of the palace and went to the
cook-room and fell asleep ; but Draupadi went and called
£th2*?wt^-* the watchmen of the palace, saying : — " Klchaka forced me
SSwthat^^ to grant him a meeting in the music and dancing-room,
Sen^n 1^ notwithstanding all my warnings that the Gkmdharvas wodd
ttiAGftQdharvas. gjg^y j^j^ , ^^^^ j^ ^^^ bohold when he came to me, the
Gandharvas, who are my defenders, fell upon him and slew
him, and his dead body is lying there.'' So the watchmeii
lighted a lamp and went in, and they beheld the dead body
of E^lchaka like a ball of flesh, and they said one to the
other : — ^^ Surely no man hath done this ; it must be the
Omt commo- Grandharvas." And as soon as it was mominff there was a
Won In the city. i i i , .
groat uproar amongst the people, and the whole city was m
commotion, for it was said that the mighty Klchaka, who
commanded all the soldiers of the Itaja, had been put to
death by the Gandharvas, out of his love for a woman. And
Brothcps of the brothers of Eichaka hastened to the spot, and saw the ^
JkionaKa carry r ^
body Mdwe- ^®*^ body, and desired to take it away to the place of
SSiMMd"2ivo t>uming ; and when they saw all the women of the palace
on hia funeral gathered together, their eyes fell upon Draupadi, and they
said one to the other : — " This is the woman on whose ac-
count our brother has been murdered : We cannot kill her,
because it is not proper to kill a woman : Let us then bum
her with the dead body of Klchaka, and since he died out of
love for her let him espouse her in the world of ghosts.''
They then went into the presence of the Baja, saying?—
" We wish to bum the waiting-maid, who caused the death
of Klchaka, along with the corpse of our brother." And
the Eaja was in awe of his wife's brethren, and he dared not
IX. — ^THIRTEENTH YEAR OP EXILE. 217
>rbid them ; for it is an old proverb that the brother-in-law history op
J master of the house. So they seized Draupadi by force, i^'dia.
nd bound her with cords and threw her upon the bier of '- —
Cichaka, and went out of the city to bum her alive together
rith the dead body ; and Draupadi, seeing that her life was scrpamn of
a mortal peril, shrieked and screamed in piteous tones, and suoroiuv °^
he air was filled with her cries.
All this while Bhima was lying asleep in the cook- Bhima hwtenn'
oom^ when he was awakened by the cry of Draupadi ; and i>raui>adi.
le arose up and hastened out of the palace to follow her to
he burning ground ; and he went to the city wall and throw
limself from the ramparts, for he would not go through the
ity gate lest he should be known. Tlien Bhima drew his
lair over his face, so that no man could discover him, and
ore up a large tree by the roots, and carried it on his
houlders as a club, and went with all speed to the place of
inmini?. And as he came near, Draupadi saw him and MiHtaken for
° / the Gandharva.
:new who he was ; and when the brethren of Kichaka be-
leld Bhima approaching them, they were seized with trem-
bling, and said : — '' This is the Gandharva ! Let us fly and
Bftve this woman, who is the cause of all our sorrows/'
rhufl saying they left Draupadi and the dead body of JJ>>J»fc »»«!
^chaka, and fled towards the city, and Bhima pursued j^7gi!"jf " ®^
hem hotly with his club, and slew them all. And Bhima
etamed to Draupadi, and released her; and they wont
lack to the city by different ways, so that no one might
mow that the Baja's cook was the terrible Gandharva.
Now when Draupadi had reached the palace, the city Draupadi rc-
ras in a greater uproar than before ; and when the Chief- paiaro.^
ains and Ministers saw her they were in much alarm ; and
hey went to the Baja, and said : — '' This woman is very The chicftaina
'.•^ '' in their alami
leaatiful, and her manner and discourse are such that all complain to the
rho see her are stricken with her; and yet if a man at-
empts only to speak to her he is slain by the Gandharvas ;
nd now if she remain any longer in the city wo know not
lOW many more young men may perish in like manner.^^
Lnd the Baja answered not a word, for he was in a greater
larm than any of the others; but after a long while ho
218 THE MAHA BIIARATA.
HI8T0BT OP said : — " I will think more of this matter ; but go now, I
INDIA.
Past II.
INDIA. pj,^y y^^^ ^^^ bum the dead bodies of Kichaka and Mb
brethren.''
Tfanid^w- All this while the Raja was so firightened at the Gand-
Matothe harvas, and so fearful lest he should offend them, that he
Kani Tor getting ''
ridofDnupMiL ^ould consult with none of his Council respecting them.
But he called for his Bdnl^ and said to her : — " This maid
servant of yours is an evil witch, who must be sent out of
the city to some other quarter^ so that this country may be
purged from her craft : But do you break the matter to her
BO that she may not know that I have said it, lest the Gand-
harvas should wreak their vengeance upon me.''
Draupadi enters Now by this time Draupadi had entered the palace, and
dancing-room, proceeded to the music and dancing-room, where Arjuna
was busy instructing the damsels ; and the damsels came up
and offered her many congratulations, seeing that she had
escaped from the hands of EKchaka and his brethren. And
Arjuna feigned not to know what had happened, and he said
to her : — ^' Tell me, I pray you, how it was that KfchftVa.
Manifcuts her and his brethren have been slain." But Draupadi was veiy
Arjuiia for not wroth with Ariuna, for ho had heard her cries and had not
cnming to her " . t . i . „ T»n i
reacue. como to succour her, and she said to mm : — " What have
you to do with men and women ? Your duty is to teach
the damsels to sing and dance ; and men and women can
have no interest for you." And Draupadi turned her back
upon Arjuna, and took no further heed of his words.
The damsels After this tho damsols took Draupadi by the hand, and
lead Draupadi , , , . , - , — .^ / a -i -i
into the pro- led her away mto the presence of the Kanl. And when the
smceofthe tz i .t <■ -n • -rr*
BAni. Rani saw Draupadi, she said to her : — ^' Raja Virata is m
mixws Draupadi great alarm at you and your Grandharvas, and has ceased to
vice call me to his presence : This day all my brethren have
been slain because of you, and to-morrow I may lose my
husband likewise : So I will not keep you any longer in
my service, and you must go now to some other city."
^upadi'a And Draupadi answered : — '' Your words are true, but when
thirteen days are over, the year of my service will have
expired, and then my Gandharvas will bestow blessincn
General fear to ^' ,,-, , ., ,..*,?
offend Drau- upon you, and lead me away to another place.' And the
IX. — ^THIRTEENTH YEAR OP EXILE. 219
Rani made no reply, but told the Raja all that Draupadi had history of
said ; for since the slaughter of KCchaka and his brethren, p^Lt^ii
no one durst say a word that could offend Draupadi.
Now all this while the Elanravas had been dwelling in Procpodingn of
. /.T-r-y TiiiT A'l n 1 ^^® Kaurav»8
the City of Hastinapur, and they had sent spies to all the <itinng the thir-
qoorters of the earth to discover the city where the Pdndavas Fail to diHcovcr
irere residing, and none had brought back any tidings of the
brethren. But it so happened that certain of the spies had Spies bring tho
'^ * ^ ^ '^ newN of tho
)roceeded to the city of Raja Virdta, and they brought the j^jjjjjj,
lews that Kichaka had been slain on account of a woman.
U this time the Raja of Trigarta, whose name was Susur-
oan, was staying at Hastindpur ; and whilst the Kauravas
rere consultin&r as to what should be done, Susarman arose Su^arman.Rnja
° . ' ^ of TriKarta,
nd said : — '' The spies from the city of Virata have told us r»ropo>c« an in-
* •' ^ vaHion of tho
hat our enemy Kichaka is dead : Let us now join our ^Ip^fiy^^'***
jrces and attack the Raja of Virdta, for his army is power- ^umvl!i^^°
MS by reason of the death of their Commander/' And
[ama said : — '^ The counsel of Susarman is wise : We can-
ot be ever thinking about the Pdndavas, so let us go forth
nd make war against the Raja of Virdta.^' And Duryodhana
nd all the Council agreed to the war.
After this the Kauravas assembled all their forces, and ^^?" of cam-
insarman brought up all his army : and it was agreed th*"R^j*fiim°
•etween them that Susarman should march out first and V)ur>ShLna*^
ivade the country of Virdta on the northern side, and that ^"^"^ '^^ '*""'^''
>aryodhana should then enter the country on the southern
ide and near unto the city of Virdta. And Susarman did Jj,^a,*J",J*tho'
i8 was determined upon, and he set out on the seventh day JJU^rt^r!^
»f the full moon, and invaded the northern quarter of tho
tq of Virdta with all his army, and carried away much
attle ; and it so happened that the dfty he carried away tho
attle was the last day of the thirteenth year of the exile of
he Pundavafl. Now when the herdsmen saw their cattle in ^J^Jiho^nSr"
he hands of the enemy, they went with all speed to tho city, virtt^^^^**
nd laid their complaints before Raja Virdta, and the Raja
ent messengers to all quarters with a hue and cry to the
yots to make their escape with their flocks and herds ; aud
he Raja mounted his chariot, and set out with a large army Jut^^to&tir*
220 THE MAHA BHARATA.
HISTOBT OF ^ drive out the invaders^ and all the Pdndavas save Arjnna
riNDiA. went with him. And when the day was far spent^ the army
'■ — of Virdta came up with the army of Susarman^ and they
fought fiercely one with the other, and many warriors were
Single combat slain on either side. Then Baja Sosarman sent a challenge
manandVirita. to Baja Virdta, and the two Bajas fell to in single combat,
until the sun had long set, and the darkness prevented their
seeing each other, and the fighting came to a stand. Then
the ground was sprinkled with water and the dust was well
laid, and presently the moon arose and the battle-field was
as light as day ; and the combat was renewed between the
Defeat and cap- two Rajas. And Susarmau prevailed against Yirdta, and
bound him hand and foot with a rope, and cast him upon his
own chariot, and drove away with his own people.
When Yudhishthira saw that Baja Yirdta was carried
away captive by Susarman, he said to his brother Bhfma ^—
^' For one entire year have we eaten the Baja's rice, and shall
we not deliver him out of the hands of his enemy ? " So
Yudhishthira stayed to command the army ; and when the
Bhima rescue! morninff bepfan to dawn, Bhima went out with his two
the Raja, aiid tt^tTi n m -i n i «•• •#
takes Susarman brothers Nakula and oahadeva, and set on m pursuit of
pnaouer. , * .
Susarman ; and they overtook him, and slew his charioteeTi
and delivered Baja Yirdta out of his hands; and Bhima
seized Susarman by the hair, and put chains upon his hands
and a collar upon his neck, and carried him away prisoner.
And all the cattle that had been carried away by SuRarman
were recovered, and there was also abundance of spoil ; and
Baja Yirdta was loud in the praises of Yudhishthira and his
brethren. And Bhima led Susarman into the presence of
the Baja ; and when Susarman had tendered his submission,
the Baja permitted him to depart to his own country.
Invasion of Now whilc Baia Yirdta and all his Chieftains had crone
Duryodhaua in • «
the southern away to the northern country to fight against Susarman,
Duryodhana and the Kauravas came with a great army and
invaded the southern country, and they carried away much
cattle. And the Chief of the herdsmen hastened to the city
No j^»rriow left to carry the tidings to the Baja ; but there were no warriors
a25*!£5imii" ^^ *^® ^^^y ^^® *^® Baja's young son Uttar, and Arjnna, who
IZ. — THIBTEENTH TEAB OF EXILE. 221
was tho music and dancing-master. And Uttar was but a history of
boy, and he had been bred up in the apartments of tho p^^^f/
women, and knew nothing of war ; and when the Chief of -;
the herdsmen told him that the E^auravas had carried away noranco or
•^ uttar.
the cattle, he was in sore dismay. And the Chief of the
herdsmen said to Uttar: — "The Raja has left tho Kaj in The chief of tho
your charge, and has often boasted of your prowess ; so now uttar to ko out
you must go out and make war against the Kauravas, and Kauravaa.
bring back all the stolen cattle.^' And Uttar replied : — " I uttar pie^ia
would go and fight these Elauravas with all readiness, but I chariotoer. "^
have no man to drive my chariot ; and how can I go out to
battle without a charioteer ? " So saying Uttar rose up,
and entered the palace, and boasted before the women, say- Boasts bcforo
ing : — " If I had but a charioteer I would go forth and con-
quer the Kauravas.'' And Draupadi heard his words, and
said : — " O Uttar, the music and dancing-master has often
driven the chariot of Arjuna to battle ; and he will now
peradventure drive your chariot against the Kauravas/' So Arjunn agrees
Uttar called his sister, whose name was Uttard, and desired *°*
her to ask her teacher to become his charioteer ; and she
did so, and Arjuna consented to ffo. Then Arjuna called Mirth of tho
for a coat of mail, and arrayed himself in armour : and when ]}}k Aijuna put-
'^ , ting on armour.
the damsels saw what he was doing, they began to laugh,
saying : — '' What has a music and dancing-master to do with
die weapons of men ? '' Meanwhile Uttar commanded his
servants to put the weapons into his chariot ; and he as-
cended the chariot, and desired Arjuna to mount likewise,
and to drive away with all speed. And when the damsels The damsels
saw Arjuna driving away, they cried out : — '' We commit Krini? homJ*
Cttar into your charge : Take heed that he returns in
triumph, and brings us plenty of silks and cloths as spoil/'
Arjuna replied: — "After a victory all things may bo ob-
tained." So saying he drove away towards tho south to do
battle against the Kauravas.
Now when Arjuna had driven Uttar within sight of tho cowaniiy fc-arof
army of the Kauravas, the heart of Uttar failed him, and his hohUnj? the
hair stood on end with terror. And Arjuna said : — ^' IIow can
I face such mighty warriors as these ? '' And when Uttar heard
22^ THE MAHA BHARATA.
HISTORY OP these words, he . fell down in the chariot in a swoon. Then
INDIA.
Part II.
INDIA. Arjuna tried to comfort him, but when he opened his eyes,
he implored Arjana to turn the chariot and drive back to
the city. But Arjuna said : — ^' Let not your enemies see
your alarm or they will rejoice greatly : Yon should not
have commanded me to drive you here ; but now that I .
am come, I cannot turn back : When you were coming out
you boasted of your prowess before the women; andwiE
you now excite their laughter by running away ? " Uttir
replied i-^" I can endure the laughter of the women, but I
rttarrunsa™ cannot face this field of battle.'' So saying Uttar leaped
but Is pursued ^ •/ o r
by Arjun*. from the chariot and ran away towards the city ; and Aijosi
TheKAuravftfl leaped down likewise, and ran after him. And the Kan*
whether tho ravas lookcd on, and saw that it was Arjuna running after
u^fov^^ the son of Baja Virdta; and they said:— ''The thirteenft
year is not yet over, and if this be Arjuna then the P^d-
avas must go again into exile." And there arose a great
discussion about the thirteenth year ; but Bhishma said :—
" Tho thirteenth year has already passed away."
Aijuna brings Meanwhile Arjuna had caught Uttar by the hair, and
makes hiiD drive drawu him back to the chariot, and placed him on the driv-
ing seat; and ho bade Uttar drive to the burning ground
whore the weapons of the Pandavas were hung upon a tree*.
And when they came to the tree Arjuna took his own wea-
h'imillifto^" pons, and told Uttar the names of himself and all his brethren j
***"* and when Uttar knew that Arjuna was with him, he said :—
'' I am no longer afraid of the army of the Kauravas." And
Uttar drove tho chariot back to the field, and Arjuna sounded
his shell and twanged his bow, and challenged the EAuravaa
Arjuna defeats one bv ouo to sinofle combat : and he foutrht and conquered
tbeKauravas, J G ' o ^
and recovers evory OHO, and defeated the whole army of the Kanravaa;,
whilst the cattle returned to the city of their own accord*
Then Arjuna blew his shell of triumph, and all the army of
the Kauravas, excepting Bhishma only, fell down insensible
like men that were asleep ; but Arjuna would not slay them,
but only commanded Uttar to carry away their fine gar-
ments. And when the Kauravas awoke and saw what had
Recovers his
own weapons
IX. — THIRTEENTH YEAB OF EXILE. 223
been done, they returned in great sliame and sorrow to the histoet of
INDIA.
Pabt II.
cityofHastindpur. '^'^^^•
Now after this great victory, Arjuna and Uttar returned
,. ii T n 1 t f Arjuna and
to the city, and as they went they saw many of the soldiers i- ttar return to
of the Eauravas flying from the field ; but Arjuna said to Aijuna'H for-
tiiem : — " Fear not, for I will not slay a man unless he bo in garda"f?]wiuJw
the field of battle, and fugitives and captives are as women ^ ^^
in my eyes J' And Arjuna and Uttar halted without the Anuna and
•. J A • 1 -J -J r- J ^ !_• J- . Vttar halt with-
city: and Ariuna laid aside his arms, and put on his dissruise out tho city, but
Y •*_ ' ' ° send lidinga of
as before ; and messengers were sent on to the city to make [Jo ^tory to
known the victory, and the recovery of all the cattle.
Now soon after Arjuna and Uttar had gone out against Return of Raja
the Eauravas, Raja Yirdta was returning towards tho city dnfi-ut or 8umu>
in triumph, having routed Baja Susarman and all his army.
And tho whole city went out to meet Raja Virdta, and to
welcome him back with great joy; but Uttar was not
amongst them. So the Raja inquired for his son, and learned Tho Raja hears
that he had eono towards the south to fio^ht the Kauravas. (cone out to
and that the music and dancing^-master had cfone with him tru^^ts tho
. bravery of the
to drive his chariot : and the Raja said : — ''As I myself have n»ii«it;anddanc-
, *' '' mg- master.
defeated Susarman and all his army, the men whom Uttar
has gone out to fight must be but weak and few ; but I do
not like that the music and dancing-master should havo gouo
AS charioteer, as he may have been terrified at the battle,
and have taken flight." Yudhishthira replied : — '' No defeat Yudhishtwra
° "I 1 . . 1 praisca llio
can befall that person who has had this music and danciner- vaionrof the
* ^ ^ o ni Utile aiuldanc-
master for his charioteer.'' At this moment the messengers "*« inaaur.
of Uttar arrived at the city, and told the Raja how the Kau-
ravas had been defeate.d and the cattle recovered from their
hands; and Yudhishthira said that the victory was most
excellent, but was to have been expected from the valour of
the charioteer. But the Raja feigned not to hear the words
of Yudhishthira, and cried out : — '' Since I have defeated The Raja orders
' prt'|:>arat 10118 for
Sasarman, and my son has defeated Duryodhana, let the J^'JJ'^rlous^jwn
drums be beaten at all the gates, and musical iustrumeuts
be played in all tho streets, and tho city be dressed out in
flowers and flags ; and let all the most beautiful damsels put
^ ^
INDIA.
Pabt II.
224 THE MAHA BHARATA.
HI8TOBT OF on clean garments^ and array themselves in all their jewels,
and go forth and sing the songs of triumph; and let all the
tribes go forth with them and welcome the return of the
victorious hero Uttar/' Then Baja Virdta ordered the dice
to be brought, and called upon Yudhishthira to play a
game ; but Yudhishthira objected, and said : — '' It is laid
down in the Sastras that no man should play with another
who is elated with joy ; and this day you are elated with
Siudofmto joy/' But Virdta 'persisted, and Yudhishthira at last sat
Yudhiihthira. down to play; and in the middle of the game the Baja
said : — '' Take notice how my son has fought and defeated
Yudhiihthira the Kauravas ! *' Yudhishthira replied : — " It is not sur-
toiy to tho prisiner that your son conquered the Klauravas, when he has
muvic aiid dano- * o •/ x
iiig-maiter. had the music and dancing-master for his charioteer."
Wrath of tho Then Raja Virdta flew into a rage, and said : — '' Let me
forbear as long as I will, you are determined still to chaunt
the praises of this music and dancing-master : What is a
eunuch that his feats should be so applauded ? When my
son has gained the victory, no man of sense would have
brought forward the name of another : So if you wish any
longer to retain my friendship, lot me hear no more of this
Yudhishthira music and danciug-master/' Yudhishthira answered:—
marks. ^ '* In a field where such warriors as BMshma, and Drona, and
Kama, and Duryodhana are in action, your son is by no
means capable of sustaining a battle/' Then Raja Virdta
was exceedingly wroth, and he cried out : — " Is there no
one here to give this foolish fellow his answer, and to stop
SSTdto^ at****** his mouth ? '' And the Raja dashed the dice which he held
2ila SikS'ws ^^ ^^^ ^^^^^ so violently at the face of Yudhishthira that the
nose bleed. blood fell from his nose, but Draupadf, who was standing by,
caught the blood in her veil. At this same instant the
Raja's servants came in and said that Uttar and his
charioteer had returned to the palace, and were standing at
the gate waiting to salute the Raja ; and the Raja desired
that they might be called in, but Yudhishthira cried out : —
^' Keep back tho music and dancing-master, for if he should
uttar enters the SCO my face besmeared with blood, ho will slay the man who
the tniestoiy. caused it, and all his people/' So Uttar was brought in
IX. — THIRTEENTH YEAR OF EXILE. 225
whilst Arjuna stayed without ; and he told his father truly history op
all that had taken place, and discovered to him the true p^^^ jj
names and condition of the Pdndavas. When the Raja
heard this he was in great alarm, and he begged pardon of
Yudhishthira and entreated that he might be forgiven. And Yudhishthim
, , forjrivea the
Yudhishthira answered : — " I have banished wrath and B*j».
passion altogether from my mind, but had this blood of
mine fallen to the ground, it would have been a great
misfortune for you, and all your house, and therefore it was
fortunate that Draupadl caught it in her veil.'' Then
Yudhishthira cleansed his face and the blood ceased to
flow ; and Arjuna was brought in and paid his respects to
the Raja ; and Uttar praised him to the Raja, and acknow-
ledged his own cowardice; and all the garments of the
Kauravas, which had been taken from the Chieftains while Wvision of the
spoil.
they lay senseless upon the field of battle, were sent to the
inner apartments of the palace, and divided amongst the
damsels and children.
After this Raja Virdta held a Council of all his Chief- R«j» virftta pro-
•* ^ ^ mises in Council
tains: and all, the Pdndavas were there, clothed in their *«■««"* *!»«
' ^ ' P&ndavas in re-
royal robes, and they related all their adventures to the g^,^""*^ ^**^*'"
Raja and the Council. And the Raja paid them every mark
of respect, and he pledged his word that he would assist them
in recovering their Raj. And the Raja offered his daughter Offers hi«
Uttard in marriage to Arjuna; but Arjuna answered: — nuuriaReto
" For a whole year I have been teaching this damsel, and Arjuna'a mce-
I have been to her as a father, and she has been to me as a '^
daughter : It is not therefore meet that I should take her
as a wife ; but if it please you and my elder brother Yud-
hishthira, let her be married to my son Abhimanyu." So
Raja Virdta agreed, and he gave his daughter Uttard in ^t"SSjf5^,Jgh.
marriage to the son of Arjuna ; and a great marriage-feast ^^51. to^Ab-
.was held; and Krishna came with his brother Balardma, ^^f^» *°'* °'
and with Subhadrd, the wife of Arjuna, and her son Abhi-
manyu who was to be married to Uttard ; and Eaja Drupada
came also, with his son Dhrishta-dyumna ; as well as all the
Chieftains and allies of Raja Virdta. And the marriage of
Abhimanyu, the son of Arjuna, to Uttard, the daughter of
VOL. I. 15
226 THE MAHA BHARATA.
HISTORY OP Raja Virdta, was duly celebrated with every magnificence
Beriew of the Tho forogoing narrativG of the thirteenth year
S'tS^Sfir- of the exile of the PAndavas is no doubt a fiction so
far as it refers to the Pdndavas ; and sufficient stress
has been laid upon this point at the opening of the
the^u?o*? present chapter. But whilst the details by which
S^^hSf the Pandavas are associated with Raja Virdta and
refercnoM to the i»/» •! n i i i»/»"iAi • ••
PAodaras. iiis lauiily are lorceu and artiiicial, the main inci-
dents of the amour of Kfchaka with the waiting-
maid of the Rdnf are of a natural and life-like char-
acter, and bear the impress of being the remains of
some independent tradition which has been bor-
rowed from a foreign country. Accordingly, the
attempt may now be made to divide the whole nar-
rative into two distinct parts, eacli of which may be
considered separately in the following order : —
1st, The authentic tradition of the amour of
Kfchaka.
2nd, The mythical details by which the tradi-
tion of the amour has been joined on to that of the
Pdndavas.
i8t, Tnwiition of Tlic tradition of the amour of Kfchaka appears
the amour of * *
Kichaka. to bcloug to what may be called the Dark Ages of
Anterior to Hiudu historv. It contains no references whatever
Brahmani-sm ^ •^
and Buddhbm. either to the gods of the Aryans, or to the ascend-
ancy of the Brdhmans, or to the institution of
BAiigiouB ideM caste, or to the doctrines of Buddha. The Icadins^
connected with . . , , ,
ghosta. religious idea appears to have been a belief in the
substantial existence of ghosts as demons capable of
wreaking their wrath upon all offenders ; a charac-
teristic which is generally supposed to indicate an
^toT^charac aboriginal people of Turanian origin. At the same
time, the wealth of the country appears to have con-
IX. — THIETEENTH YEAR OP EXILE. 227
Bistcd of cattle and horses; a circumstance which histoetof
would indicate a pastoral people. The scene, how- vlxr il
ever, is chiefly laid in the palace of the Raja ; and Ancient civiii»-
here are to be found evidences of refinement and gj^ of the
civilization. There are the women's apartments women's apart-
ments
where the RAni is attended by her maid, and where
the Princess Uttard, and the other young damsels
of the palace, are instructed in music and dancing
by a eunuch, who wears a woman's dress and jewels.
There is the Council-hall, where the Raja spends a coundi-haii.
large portion of his time in the company of his
Chieftains ; and there is the kitchen, where the Kitchen.
sleepy and voracious warrior is supposed to bo lord-
ing it over the under cooks, and preventing any
theft or waste of victuals.
The characters that appear in this tradition are i^ingchanu:.
all simple and life-like. They comprise a timid <*»"ono'ti»e
* •/I amour.
Raja and a good-natured Rdni ; a mighty warrior
and a captivating waiting-maid; a boyish Prince
and his girlish sister. The dialogue varies from vaned diar
the grave discourse in the Council-hall to the
passionat'O conversation in the women's apartments,
and the merry chatter of light-hearted damsels in
the music and dancing-room. The plot is perfectly T^e p^o*-
intelligible. A beautiful woman of noble birth
enters the service of a Ranf as a waiting-maid ; on
which the Rani's brother falls in love with her.
But this natural incident, simple as it is in itself, is
surrounded by a number of details so strange and
significant as to demand a careful consideration.
When the Rdnf first enffaered the waitinff-maid, The mnv» joa-
° *^ 1 lousfeaTH re-
she was fearful lest the charms of the new attendant jj^^*;"^^*;?^
should attract the admiration of the Raja. But the JlLn^^of^iho^nve
... .« i*iiiii jjii Gandharvas.
waiting-maid explained tliat she was guarded by
r ^
228 THE MAIIA BHARATA.
HI8TOEY OP five invisible Gandharvas, who would wreak their
v^^ii wrath upon any man who should venture to ap-
proach her with improper proposals. Accordingly,
the Rdnl appears to have been satisfied with this
explanation, and took the captivating woman into
her service as waiting-maid.
iMfflcuity as re- This refercnco to the Gandharvas is a real difB-
K™»- culty. It is impossible to say whether in the original
tradition the Ranf believed the Gandharvas to be
invisible spirits or mortal men. There is indeed
Belief in the mucli to bc Said ou both sides. The belief that
amours of invu-
wiui^Si! demons, or evil spirits, were prone to amours with the
daughters of men is even more widely spread than
the belief in the loves of the gods ; and to this day is
deeply implanted in the minds of Hindus and other
Orientals. The mishaps of an unfortunate bride-
groom are invariably ascribed to the machinations
of evil spirits ; whilst the mishap of a maiden, which
might otherwise have excited doubts of her chastity,
has been occasionally attributed to the irregular de-
sires of a being from another world. In the present
tradition, the waiting-maid is represented as being
the subject of jealousy rather than of love ; and in
this respect her case corresponds to that of Sarah, in
the Book of Tobit, whom young Tobias was afraid
to marry, lest he should be strangled by her demon
lover. But the story of the invisible Gandharvas
is also capable of a rational interpretation. Tlie
TheGwidhwj^ Gaudharvas, or Hill people, are traditionally re-
S?5i)n"e?t?dTnto ga^dcd as a very handsome race, and the women
celestial beings. ^gpg^jig^Hy ^ycrc much admired by the people of the
plains; and it was only at a later period, when the
Aryan traditions began to assume a mythical form,
that the Gandharvas were converted into divine be-
IX. —THIRTEENTH YEAR OF EXILE. 229
ings attendant upon the gods, the men as celestial history op
musicians, and the women as celestial dancers. Ac- pabt n.
cordingly, in the original tradition, the waiting-maid Posdbiutyofui
may have simply explained that she was a Gand- 1»^ usgfoid.
harva woman, and had five Gandharva husbands, or
lovers, who would slay any one who afironted her ;
whilst the turn in the story, which invests the
Grandharvas with a supernatural character, may only
belong to the modem form of the legend.
The character of Kfchaka is well deservinff of Peculiar statiw
^ of Kicliaka m a
consideration. He appears to have been a type of a ^^J®' °' ^^^
peculiar class, who held a certain position in the
courts of Hindu Rajas. It has already been seen
that Sakuni, the brother of the Rdnf GdndhAri,
dwelt at Hastindpur; and Kfchaka, the brother of
the Rdnf of Virdta, appears to have dwelt in like
manner in the city of his sister's husband. That a
bride should be accompanied by her brother when
about to be married to a distant Chieftain, seems to
be a very natural arrangement ; but it is diflficult to
perceive on what grounds the brother should take
up his permanent residence in the city of his sister's
husband. Sakuni however held no prominent posi-
tion at Hastindpur ; but seems to have been a mere
gambler, who assisted in the intrigues of his nephews
against their rivals. Kfchaka on the other hand ap-
pears to have been a man of a different stamp. He
evidently possessed a strong will, and maintained a gj^jf^**'
powerful influence over his weak-minded brother-in-
law. He was a man of pleasure and maintained a
number of women ; but he is said to have been in the
habit of taking his friends into his zenana; from which
circumstance it might be inferred that he treated his
women rather as mistresses than as wives.
r /
230 THE MAHA BHARATA.
HISTORY OP Tlio progress of Kfchaka's amour is strange and
Part il primitive throughout, and may be referred to a period
p^,,^ i„ci. oi remote antiquity. Kfchaka not only falls in love
k«'»Miour. **■ with his sister's maid, but coolly asks his sister to
send the maid to his house ; and the Rdnf yields to
his entreaties and despatches her maid-servant osten-
wine dnuik i^ siblv for a cup of wino, a circumstance which seems
Hindti women. •' ,
to indicate that wine was occasionally drank by
SSito^" Hindu ladies in the olden time. The scuffle that
iJSdtathe" ensued between Kf chaka and his fair enslaver is per-
fectly intelligible ; but not so the fact that when the
insulted woman ran into the Council-hall for protec-
tion, she was followed by her admirer and kicked in
the presence of the Raja. Another singular feature
tJISTthe^Vit- ill the tradition is the dialogue between the servant
thfi'SiaA.^ girl and the Raja, in which the former declares that
it is very unbecoming in the Raja to allow her to be
kicked in his presence, whilst the latter excuses him-
self from interfering, on the ground that he did not
know what had passed between the pair before they
entered the Hall.
S?S»iJht^Sf The plot between the cook and the waiting-maid
for punishing Kfchaka is in accordance with poetic
justice ; and more than one European tradition has
been preserved in which a gallant had expected to
meet a wife, and has suddenly found himself in the
presence of an enraged husband. The horrible treat-
ment of the remains of Klchaka after death is an
Oriental idea of perfect revenge ; whilst the grim
joy of the waiting-woman at the sight is apparently
an exaggeration, intended to indicate the righteous
anger of a model wife at having her chastity as-
Attcmpttobum Sailed.
mSdSlim' The climax of the narrative is reached when the
IX. — ^THIRTEENTH YEAR OP EXILE. 231
bretliren of Kfchaka seized the waiting-maid, and history of
prepared to bum her upon the funeral pile with the pabt il
body of the dead man. This barbarous proceeding Distinction iio-
, , . -Ill i-i-i tweenthoBrah-
had no connection with the later Brahmanical idea SJJ^'J^d'tS *"'
of self-sacrifice on the part of a widow in the ex- t^^%ov^.
pectation of rejoining her deceased lord. It origin-
ated rather in the desire of the nearest relatives of
the dead man that he should enjoy in death the
society of the woman whom he had most loved in
life. In such cases the willingness or otherwise of
the unfortunate victims would be wholly ignored ;
and their murder would be a scene too painful to
contemplate. Indeed, it is almost possible to sym-
pathize in the momentary delirium which impels
a poor widow to throw herself upon the pile in the
full expectation of enjoying everlasting bliss with
her beloved husband in the realms of paradise. But
the idea of putting an unhappy female to death,
merely because she has unwittingly raised the de-
sires of a voluptuary, is one upon which the mind
can scarcely care to dwell. The distinction seems
to be fully apprehended by a Hindu audience. Any iB?^®^*fJ[?
interference in a Brahmanical satl would be re-^^thhS^?^
garded with a peculiar horror, which still finds ex-
pression in more remote districts; whilst in the
present instance the sympathies are all enlisted in
favour of the giant cook, who personates a Gand-
harva, and delivers Draupadl from the burning
pile.
In the later portions of the narrative the authcn- obscurity of the
tic details cannot be so plainly distinguished from ^,^J> o^f®hi^
those which are mythical. The invasions of Susar- ^^a^^^^e-
man and Duryodhana are almost entirely mythical ;
but the departure of Arjuna and Uttar in a war
232
THE MAIIA BHARATA.
HISTORY OP
INDU.
Past II.
Prooemion of
damaeb.
2nd, Mythical
details connect-
ing the tradition
of the amour of
Kichakawith
the story of the
Ptodavae.
Geographical
difficulties.
Cityof\lr&ta
identified with
the Rite of the)
modem Dholka.
Country of Vi-
r&ta id<Mit1fii'd
with niiudpur.
chariot, amidst the giggling of tho damsels at seeing
the eunuch in armour, and the girlish clamours for
silks and cloths, forms a striking scene whicli may
have been borrowed from some other tradition. In
like manner the procession of damsels sent out by
Raja VirAta to welcome the youthful conqueror is
perfectly in accordance with the receptions given in
ancient times to successful warriors, and calls to mind
the procession of maidens who went out with timbrels
and dances to welcome back the youthful David
after the slaughter of Goliath of Grath, and who sang
aloud: — '^Saul lias slain his thousands, and David
his tens of thousands."
In turning to the mythical details which connect
the tradition of the amour of Kfchaka with the
history of the Pandavas, it will be necessary, in the
first instance, to inquire into the geographical posi-
tion of the Raj of Virdta. Here, at the very outset,
a difficulty presents itself of no ordinary magnitude.
The local traditions of two widely distant countries
present almost equal claims to the country of Virdta,
namely, the peninsula of Guzerat on the western
side of India, and the valley of the Brahmaputra on
its eastern quarter. In the Mahd Bhdrata, the Raj
of Virdta is called Matsya, or the country of the
fish, and the city is indifferently termed Matsya or
Virdta. The local traditions of Guzerat declare that
tho site of Matsya-nuggur or Virdta-pur is occupied
by the modern town of Dholka, which is situated
on the southern coast of the neck of the peninsula.'
The local traditions of eastern Bengal are more ex-
plicit. The district of Dinajpur is still called Mat-
sya ; and the remains of ancient forts, said to be
Forbes* Ras Mala, or Hind(i Annals of Guzerat, vol. i. p. 103.
IX. — THIRTEENTH YEAR OF EXILE. 233
those of Virdta and Kfchaka, are pointed out to this history op
day as proofs of the truth of the tradition.' The part li.
whole of this region, however, would appear to have Dinaipur an.
been the land of fable. Here it was that Bhfmaf»bie.
fought against the Asuras ; and it was in this same
country that the sage Vydsa was supematurally
bom of Matsya, the fish-girl.* Whether, however, AuthenHdty of
the Raj of Virdtia is to be placed in the peninsula dui^GIm ^
•' ^ ^ * *^ ^ and Susamian
of Guzerat or in the region of eastern Bengal, it is <"»p«>^«*.
in either case far too distant from the neighbour-
hood of Hastindpur to admit of such campaigns as
those of Duryodhana and Susarman- That great ij)n^MohM
and conquering armies, like those of Sesostris and Sl^wd fe"
Semiramis, of Alexander and Timour, have occa- "**""'
siohally traversed vast distances, cannot be doubted,
but their movements resembled the migrations of
nations, and haveJeft their impress upon the history
of the world. Then, again, at a later period, the Parthiana.
Parthian horsemen have made their way from the
valley of the Indus to the city of Jerusalem ; whilst
almost within our own time the Mahratta cavalry Mahratta*.
have scoured the great Indian peninsula from sea
to sea. But both the Parthian and Mahratta armies
were composed of organized and well -trained warriors,
and invaded rich and luxurious regions, from which
they raised vast contributions of gold, jewels, and
beautiful women. The campaifiiis, however, of contrast be.
1 1 t ween the foro-
Duryodhana and Susarman were the mere maraud- ^jjf 3^*^;
ing forays of two bands of cattle-lifters; and the Slil^s' o?Di?r-
yodnanaaud Su-
yodl
Barman.
* Buchanan's Report on the district of Dinajpur, preserved in Martin's East-
en India, toI. ii. p. 609 et seq.
^ In the original myth Raja Vir&ta is said to have been the brother of Matsja,
and was preserved like her in the belly of a fish. These myths may be altogether
rejected, as the depraved creations of monks, either Br&hmans or Buddhists, whoso
imaginations were ever taming upon women and the mysteries of reproduction.
242 THE M-UIA BHARITA.
HISTORY or chariot, amidst the •rissling of the damsels at
pr»T'n. the eunuch in armour, and the girlish clamai
silks and cloths. Ibrms a striking sceuc whic
have been borrowed from some other traditio
rwMMr,nor like manner the procession of damsels sent i
Haja \'irata to welcome the youthful conqu
perfectly in accordance with the receptions gi
ancient tinic»i to successful warriors, and calls t
the prf*ccsaion of maidens who went out with ti
and dances to welcome back the youthful
after the slaughter of Goliath of Gatli, and wh
aloud; — " 8aul has slain his thousands, and
his tens of thousands."
dHuis^nJlilrt. In turning to the mythical details which o
S'thTiiSSJo'f' the tradition of the amour of Klchaka wi
ih- >inr)r r^ ihc history of tlic Piindavos, it will be necessary,
first instance, to inquire into the geog^aphici
tion of the Raj of Virata. Here, at the very i
a difficulty presents itself of no ordinary magr
•■fjmpiii'^ The local traditions of two widely distant coi
present almost equal claims to the country of 1
namely, the peninsula of Guzerat on the w
side of India, and the valley of the Brahmapa
its eastern quarter. In the Mah& Bbdrata^ tfa
of VinUa Is called Matsya, or the country^
fish, and tlic city Ls indifferently termed Mat^
oiiynf "*!• YinUa. Tlie local traditions of Guzerat decian
m-uni'i>hJiL ^^^ site of Mataya-nuggur or Virfita-pur is o
by the modem town of Dholkii. which i
on the southern coast of tUs neck of the f
The local trnditioos {
ComitrvofVl- pHcit. TljC (
rdm i.lHiMrn-,| ^ , ,
with ihii^iimr. gya ; and the J
* •
234 THE MAUA BHARATA.
HISTORY OF readers of tlio Mahd Bhdrata are called upon to
Paw il bolievo that these petty Chieftains marched a dis-
tance of at least five or six hundred miles for the
purpose of carrying away a few sheep and cows;
and that, too, at a time, when the Aryan E^hatri-
yas appear to have had some diffi culty in maintain-
ing their outposts in the neighbourhood of Delhi.
putiie eflbrta of Accordiuffly, the ffeoffraphical notices must be re-
the Bnhmani- o J ? O O r
2j^j^*t*^ *^ garded as another instance of the eflfbrts of the
^^qullrt^ra Brahmanical compilers to associate the traditions of
the Pdndavas with the more remote populations of
India, which can be referred in almost every instance
to a mythical origin. In a word, it seems to be fiiUy
proved that every authentic tradition connected with
the Raj of Bhdrata refers either to the immediate
neighbourhood of Hastindpur and Indra-prastha, or
else must be thrown back upon some locality further
to the west or north, in the direction of Cabul or
Cashmere.
Mythical cha- Tlic sccno in wliicli the PAndavas first present
tho'plSdavM^ themselves to Raja Virdta is as mythical as the
SSra?I?vS.'to^ geography of the Raj. Their ostensible object was
B4ija\ir&ta. ^^ conccal tlicir real names, and yet they appear to
Yudhishthira^ havc provokcd discovcry, for Yudhishthira declare^
JokedLISverJ? ti^at he had been a retainer of Raja Yudhishthira,
whilst Bhfma asserts that he had been cook to Raja
Modem tone of Yudliislithira. Affain, the lanffuasre of Yudhish-
Yudhinhthira'a , . . , t i i !•
laiigiuga thira IS the polished flattery of a suppliant m the
court of a modern Raja ; and is wholly wanting in
that rude eloquence in which an ancient warrior
Hill artinciai re- might be cxpocted to ask for protection. The bitter
own losses. irony of Yudhishthira's explanation that he had been
a teacher of dice, is wholly untrue to nature, and
probably originated in sheer paucity of invention.
IX. — ^THIBTEENTH YEAE OP EXILE. 235
His losses at the gambling match may have indeed history op
suggested the idea to the Brahmanical compiler, but pabt il
it is altogether incredible that he should have deli-
berately revived the agony of that hour, without
any cause or reason whatever. His assertion that ^^Ji^'^s w?»«if
^ to be a Br&huiau
he was a Brdhman is equally unintelligible, and JS^ * di<«-pi»y-
probably originated in an abortive effort of the com-
pilers to impart a Brahmanical tone to the legend ;
for the profession of gambling is scarcely compatible
with that ideal of the Brahmanical caste which seems
to have been generally present to the imaginations
of the " arrangers."
The disfi:uises of Bhlma and Ariuna ai'e also M^rthicai dia.
o o ^ guises of Bbiina
somewhat remarkable. The traditional appetite of*"^^*^^""
Bhfma seems to have suggested the idea of his serv- Bhima serving
cUf COOK*
ing as a cook ; although there are traces of a period
when a knowledge of cookery was regarded as a
royal accomplishment.^ But Arjuna's disguise is
palpably mythical. By a miracle he became a supernatural
**•''' "^ , . character of Ar-
eunuch for a year ; and, indeed, without some such '^^^l^^"^
miracle, the Brahmanical compilers could scarcely
have ventured to introduce him into a zenana.
Considering that the Pdndavas were rude warriors
living in the practice of polyandry, the idea itself is
a glaiing anachronism ; although in accordance with
the manners which appear to have prevailed in the
Courts of the later and more eflfeminate Rajas.
The engagement of Draupadi is equally suggest- ^^^r^DlSi-
ive of a myth. She declared that she had been the li^^of^Sr
waiting-maid of Krishna's wife, and the waiting-
maid and dearest friend of Draupadi. The arrange- Extraordinary
, arrangement of
ment of her hair appears to have occasioned some s^ucSJc'Sf^er
vow.
* See hereafter the tradition of Nala and Damayanti, where Damayanti dis-
coTen hAT huiiband through hii disguise by the flavour of his oookcry.
r •
236 THE MAUA BHARATA.
HISTORY OP difficulty to the compiler, as she had vowed that it
INDIA
paet il should never bo tied up again until Bhfma's fingers
were dripping with the blood of Duhsdsana. After
remaining dishevelled during an exile of twelve
years in the jungle, it is now said to have been
twisted into one string like a serpent ; although it
is difficult to perceive in what respect this twisting
QuestiouAbie differed from tying. Again, the alleged beauty of
Draupadf seems to be questionable. Supposing
that she was only sixteen at the time of her mar-
riage, the twelve years of Arjuna's exile, and the
twelve years of exile in the jungle, added to the
intervening period when Arjuna and his brethren
were engaged in conquering the surroimding Rajas,
would make her a woman of forty or forty-five years
of age ; a stage in life at which OrientsJ women
generally have lost every vestige of beauty. The
twelve years of Arjuna's exile, and eleven of the
years of the exile of the PAndavas in the jungle,
may perhaps be treated as mythical ; but still it is
difficult to believe that the wife of five husbands,
who was also the mother of five sons, should have
been endowed with such irresistible charms as those
which are ascribed to the maid-servant who appears
in the independent tradition of Kfchaka's amour.
Aiiejfed refine- Moreovcr, the mauucrs of Draupadf appear to have
pjdTs mail- been considerably refined by her long exile. Whilst
in the jungle she had hospitably offered to wash the
feet of Jayadratha ; but when engaged as a waiting-
maid in the palace, she expressly stipulated that she
should not be called upon to wash the feet of any
Biyth that the ouc. It wiU also bo remembered that the waiting-
tSTSiVr ut^S ^^^^ suffered the indignity of a kick; but the
•kick- Brahmanical compilers appear to have considered
IX. — ^THIRTEENTH YEAR OF EXILE. 237
that such an affiront would he derogatory to the histoet op
memory of Draupadf . Accordingly it is said that pabt il
the Sun god, to whom she had prayed for succour,
sent down two invisible spirits who preserved her
from the intended insult.*
As regards the association of the PAndavas with Mytwcai details
o retipecting the
the story of the amour, there are many particulars ^^^^^avaa.
introduced which serve to prove the mythical cha-
racter of the connection. The statement that the
teacher of dice and the head cook were sitting in
Council with the Raja and his Chieftains, may be
honourable to the PAndavas, but is incompatible with
their position in the Raja's household. The remon-
strances of Draupadf on account of the low pursuits
of herself and husbands appear to be of a mythical
character ; and so is the reply of Bhfma in which he
refers to the story of Rdma and Sfta. The battle
scenes are all mythical, especially Arjuna's successive
combats with the different Kaurava Chieftains; but ^}^^Vl?^
* Aijuna at re-
the declaration of Arjuna as he drove away from his SSoSSiSltn-
©ncounter, that he would not slay a man excepting on mona nSe^
the field of battle, and that fugitives and captives
were as women in his eyes, is evidently intended to
convey a moral rule which was calculated to migitate
the horrors of ancient warfare. The statement that
Tudhishthira, the dice-player, was left in command
of the army, whilst his brothers set off in pursuit of
Sosarman, is simply absurd. The crowning piece oi^^"^^^^
childishness is the ridiculous quarrel between Yud- ild ^?a vSta.
hishthira and the Raja, as to whether Uttar or
Arjxma had defeated the Kauravas ; and it is diffi-
* This incident is omitted in the traditionary account already given in the text,
as it would only have distracted the attention of the reader ; and indeed it is so
dmnsilj introduced as to be really devoid of effect, for notwithstanding the divine
interposition in her fayour, Draupadi continued to complain of the kick.
238 THE MAHA BHARATA.
HI8T0ET OP cult to chooso bctweeii the foolish conceit of the Raja
Past II. and the senseless obstinacy of Yudhishthira. The
idea that the honour of Yudhishthira was saved be-
cause the blood from his nose did not fall upon the
ground may have had some foundation in local senti-
ment ; although the sentiment is in itself unmean-
ing, and no traces of it can be found in any other
tradition.
MMTiigeofAb. The marriage of the son of Arjuna with the
vSSSitrv^ed daughter of Raja Virdta is the salient point in the
story of the thirteenth year, for it is the principal con-
necting link between Virdta and the Pdndavas. The
whole of the legend, however, evidently belongs to
the Krishna group, and is altogether independent of
the history of the PAndavas. The voluptuous love
of women and wine, which finds full expression in
the story of Kichaka, especially connects that story
with the worship of Krishna, whilst it is altogether
foreign to the sentiments which appear in the tra-
ditionary history of the IMndavas. Again, by ac-
cepting the tradition that the Raj of Virdta is to be
fixed in Guzcrat, and not in eastern Bengal, all geo-
graphical diflSculties in the way of associating the
tradition with the history of Krishna are at once re-
moved, for Guzerat is the especial scene of the later
adventures of Krishna. But the geographical diffi-
culties in the way of associating the tradition with
the history of the Pandavas would be as insurmount-
able as ever ; for Virdta would still be at least six
hundred miles from Hastindpur ; and it is incredible
that negotiations for peace, and preparations for
war, should be conducted at so vast an interval.
Then even the fact of the marriage of the son of
IX. — THIRTEENTH YEAR OF EXILE. 239
Arjuna with the daughter of Virdta has a mythical histobt op
aspect ; for the story that Arjuna was married to p^rt h.
Subhadrd, the sister of Krishna, who gave birth to
Abhimanyu, has already been proved to be a myth ;
though still a myth which is peculiarly connected
with the history of Krishna. Finally, from the Am^r themaj-^
moment of the marriage. Raja Virdta fades away and iS?S3a*tiea
Raja Drupada becomes the important personage. It * "^ ^
is Raja Drupada who subsequently sent his family
priest as envoy to HastinApui* ; and it was his son
Dhrishta-dyumna who was elected to be Com-
mander-in-Chief of the allied armies of the PAndavas.
Moreover it is probable that the city of Drupada was
in the immediate neighbourhood of Hastindpur;
whilst it is certain that the city of Virata was at least
six hundred miles off. Accordingly it may be in-
ferred that the negotiations and preparations were subsequent ne-
carried on from the city of Drupada ; and that the Simeon in the
whole story of the amour of Kfchaka, ending with dJu^[^*
the marriage of Abhimanyu with UttarA, is a myth
connected with the history of Krishna, which has
been forcibly grafted on to the history of the
Pandavas.
There is one other feature in the story which byl'helto^J^
seems worthy of notice, and that is the ridicule bSuef^ofihf^ab'
which it appears to throw upon the popular belief in 5arUsicho8tBaiid
* *^ * * ^ demons.
ghosts and demons, and which finds full expression
in the universal alarm which prevailed after the death
of Klchaka. This fear of ghosts is general amongst
the Hindus, as indeed it is amongst most nations ;
but the manifestation of that fear in the form of pro-
pitiating the demons by offerings, is a peculiar cha-
racteristic of some of the aboriginal races. Accord-
^ •
240 THE BfAHA BHARATA.
HI8TOBT OP ingly it may be inferred that the story belongs to
Part il that phaso in Brdhmanical teaching, which sought to
establish a higher form of worship by ridiculing the
more gloomy faith which prevailed amongst the
aborigines.
CHAPTER X.
SQOTIATIONS FOB THE RESTORATION OF THE PANDAVAS.
In the negotiations which were carried on after history op
le alleged marriage of Abhimanyu and Uttard, pabtil
[rishna still plays a prominent part, although in no questionable
1 1 • i ii character of
ise does his presence seem necessary to the progress Krinhna's sub-
* , *' 11 sequent aasocia-
F the story ; and this question, as to the real or ^[^y^.***®
lythical association of Krishna and the Pdndavas,
lould be especially borne in mind whilst dealing
ith the remaining portion of the Mahd Bhdrata.
'he history of the negotiations which preceded the Hutoryof the
•^ *^ ^ * n^tiations
reat war may be best considered under four heads, Th^'^t^w^
^11 trealed under
3 lOllOWS : four head*.
1st, The great Council of the Pdndavas and their
[lies at the marriage feast of Abhimanyu and
rttard.
2nd, The embassy of the Brdhman priest of Raja
^pada to the city of Hastindpur.
3rd, The embassy of Sanjaya, the charioteer of
16 Mahdraja, to the city of Virdta.
4th, The final mission of Krishna to the Kau-
ivas.
The history of the negotiations commences with Jff'oPt'J^iJ^^
16 first great Council of the PAndavas, on the day Siiefku^omar.
fter the marriage of Abhimanyu and Uttard. There hSSny^and
... . UttarA.
PC said to have been minor Councils in the city of
irdta, in which the Pdndavas had publicly dis-
VOL. I. 16
• •
242 THE MAHA BHARATA.
HISTORY OP closed who tliey were, and in which the marriage
pIbt II. itself had been discussed ; but on the present occa-
sion all the allies of the Pdndavas, including their
father-in-law Raja Drupada, and Krishna and Ba-
lardma, the alleged brothers-in-law of Arjuna, aro
said to have been present. The traditionary account
of this Council may now be related as follows : —
Traditional ac. Now on the momiiiff after the marriage of the son of
count of the o °
Great Council. Aijuna with tho daughter of Raja Virdta, the Pdndavas and
all their kinsmen who had assembled in that city to cele-
brate the marriage, bedecked themselves with garlands and
gathered together in the Court-hall. And Rajas Virdta and
Drupada took their seats ; and then followed Krishna and
some reverend and ancient men ; and then Sdtyaki, the
kinsman of Krishna, and Balardma and Yudhishthira ; and
then the sons of Drupada, and the brothers of Yudhishthira,
and the sons of Virdta, and many others whose names need
not be declared.
Speech of Krish- And when all the Chieftains were seated, Krishna ad-
ni^ m «• The PAn-
danw have now dressed the Council as follows : — '^ All of you know how
fUlfllled their -^ . in
period 0/ «»[}« Rai'a Yudhishthira lost his R^i, and was sent into the wil-
and desire the '^ .
thSrrilchu^but ^^^^^^ss by tho cvil machinations of Sakuni, who challenged
ww.lLfSmSiM. ^^^ ^o the game of dice : You know too how Yudhishthira
Snt totSe Kmi- ^^^ his brethren braved the dangers of their exile, and
passed twelve years openly in the wilderness, and one year
secretly in this city without being discovered; and espe-
cially how they suffered during the last year, when for the
sake of concealment they became servants to Raja Virdta :
Now it is for you to consider what the Pdndavas should do :
Yudhishthira would not commit an unfair action, even
though ho might thereby gain the sovereignty of Indra;
and he would be satisfied with a small village provided only
that he had gained it by fair means : Tho sons of Dhrita-
rdshtra cannot subdue the Pdndavas, but they are still trying
by unfair means to exclude their kinsmen from tho Raj of
their father Pundu; yet tho Pdndavas bear no malice to-
wards them, and rather than go to war would give up their
ravatt."
X. — NEGOTUTIONS. 243
claim to the paternal share of the Eaj of Bhdrata^ provided history op
only that they regained those districts, in Khdndava-prastha, i^^^i
which they conquered with their own hands : I pray you to
consider well the insatiable ambition of the Kauravas, and
the truthfubiess of Yudhishthira, and the relationship that
exists between them, and then say what is to be done : Two
courses appear to be left open ; either the Pdndavas should
go and slay Dhritardshtra and his sons, or you should go
and counsel Dhritardshtra to restore to the Pdndavas their
rightful share of the Raj : If the Pdndavas go to war, it is
certain that they will come out victorious ; and it therefore
seems to me that we should act wisely if we sent an ambas-
sador 4k) counsel the Kauravas to restore half the Raj to the
sons of Pdndu."
Now when Krishna had spoken, his brother, Balardma,
arose and seconded his proposition. And Balardma said : — Speech of Baia-
. -i-iTT-i Ml 11 -r»y T rama:—"! agree
'^ It IS true that the KAuravas have ill-treated the Pdndavas, with Kmhna,
' especially as
but it would not be wise to drive them to extremity, but Yudhishthira
•^ ' by persisting in
rather to gain our object by peaceable means : Yudhishthira fg J^iTthe^aS!
may also be said to have brought his misfortunes upon him- mSfortuneB!" "^
self: He knew that he was not expert at dice, and he ought
to have listened to the counsel of his elders, who tried to
dissuade him from continuing in the play : But he turned a
deaf ear to all their words and persisted in the game :
There were hundreds of players in the court of Duryodhana
who were inferior to him in skill, and he could have selected
one of these and defeated him with ease ; but as ill fortune
would have it he chose to play with Sakuni, who was the
most expert of all the players, and he would not leave off speech of S4ty-
until he had lost all : Now let an eloquent man bo sent to agree with Baia-
Maharaja Dhntardshtra to propose a treaty, and I doubt not pose war: The
•' ■*•■*• • /» 1 game was alto-
that a treaty will be accepted, and this will be far better pether acheat,
than going to war/' S^thSJ"
Then Sdtyaki, who was the kinsman of Krishna, arose |"^"Kihktri-
and said : — ^^ I am not surprised at your speech, 0 Balardma, -Jo/that thich
but still those who listened to your words cannot but bo MojI^^SlVhe
angry : How can you pronounce the victory of Duryodhana b^'iJ^drs^i^^Kr*
to be a just one, when he set an expert dice-player to ^^ver?' ^^
244 THE MAHA BUARATA.
HISTORY OF challengo Yudhishthira^ who is a mere novice at the game ?
Part II. -^^^ Yudhishthira been playing with his brethren in his own
house^and hadDuryodhana and his party come there bychance
and defeated him, then the victory and defeat wonld have
been fair : But Yudhishthira was invited to the house of Dor-
yodhana^ and there defeated with loaded dice : At this mo-
ment however Yudhishthira has fulfilled all the obligations
of his defeat ; why then should he go and beg of Duiyodhana
and his wicked Ministers P From the day his thirteenth year
of exile was fulfilled^ he became entitled to his ancestral
rights ; why then should he ask for his share of the Baj
when it is his by right f Even if he were to covet the
property of other people, he is bound as a Kshatriyato take
it by force of arms, and never to beg for it : Moreover, how
can you attribute goodwill to the Elauravas, when, notwith-
standing the Pdndavas have ftilfilled their engagement,
they still persist in saying that the sons of P^da were
discovered within the thirteenth year ; and when, notwith-
standing the advice of Bhishma and Drona, they still con-
tinue to keep Yudhishthira out of his share of the Raj?
Boar you all in mind that it is no sin to slay our enemies,
but that it is a great disgrace and infamy to beg from them :
Consider then, I pray you, what means should be adopted
to restore Yudhishthira to his share of the Raj : My counsel
is to let the Kauravas come forward and give peaceful
possession to Yudhishthira ; and if they do not so, then let
us go to war/^
Speech of Raja ^j^ Drupada then said: — "What has been said by
S^^wUhskL Sdtyaki is true : Duryodhana will never restore the share of
Swnce of Dur- tho Raj of his own accord : The doting Mahdraja has become
mount It yS^ a mere tool in the hands of Duryodhana; and Bhishma and
more submissive Drona must second the Mahdraja because they are poor;
arrogant he wiU whilst Kama is a creature of Duryodhana, and Sakuni is an
become : Lot us . . . .
summon oiu- ignorant intriguer : It is therefore my opinion that the
^orehwid with proposal of Balardma will do no good, for Duryodhana will
never be pacified by mild means ; the more submissive we
are the more arrogant he will prove, and will mistake mild-
ness for want of courage : Let us therefore collect armies
X.— NBGOTUTIONS. 245
and send messengers to our friends with all speed ; for history of
Duryodhana will likewise send messengers in diflFerent pj^^T li
directions ; and according to the general custom, the Bajas
will side with that party whose messenger arrives first : Wo
have many things to do^ and many difficulties to encounter^
so let our messengers act with promptitude, forethought,
and wisdom/'
Krishna then spoke a second time, as follows : — '' The Second speech
counsel of Baja Drupada is reasonable, and if the Pdndavas «<nw with bm-
" , /. ., -1 P«d».hutwwh
are wise they will follow it : But as regards ray family and to be neutral.-
myself, we are equally related to the Kauravas and Pdndavas;
and they have ever treated us with civility and respect : We
have come here to a marriage feast, and now that the feast
is over, we shall be glad to return to our own homes/'
Krishna then turned to Baja Drupada, and said : — " You ewui!bie.\euhe
are superior to all of us in age and wisdom ; so that what- TOmTtome
ever you say regarding the welfare of the Pdndavas will be ****"
acceptable to all : If Duryodhana will consent to a just
treaty, very many lives will be saved : If he will not so
consent, then send out your messengers, but let your
messengers come to us last of all/'
After this the Council broke up, and Krishna and his Brewing "p of
, , . . , , the Council
brother Balarama returned to their city of Dwaraka, whilst
Raja Drupada despatched his own priest to Hastindpur as
envoy to the Kauravas.
The proceedings of the foreffoins: Council call Reviewer the
for little or no remark. It was determined to oJ^ucif*^*^'
send the family priest of Raja Drupada to endea-
vour if possible to conclude a treaty; and mean-
time the Pdndavas summoned all their allies far
and near, and made every preparation for carrying
on a war. The speech of Krishna, however, de-
mands some explanation. It was natural and ap-
propriate to the occasion ; and so far seems to mili-
tate against the hypothesis that his traditionary
history is altogether independent of that of the
• •
246 THE MAILV BHARATA.
HISTORY OP ffreat war. But whilst it is admitted that on a very
1^ III A
Part II. fcw occasions the introduction of Krishna may be
Mythical cha- regarded as natural and happy, yet the great mass
uiu which L-*^ of the details which associate him with the PAnda-
■ooiate Krishna /. i • • /• i • i
with tho Ptoda- yas Dcars ovcry trace of being a series ot mythical
interpolations of the Brahmanical compilers who
sought to deify the hero. The following account
of the attempts of Duryodhana and Arjuna to win
him over to their respective sides, appears to be of
this mythical character, as pertaining to the wor-
ship of Krishna as a deity : —
S^i;!^.;?* Now Krishna had declared in the Council that the Kaa-
SSnover^KriSi- ravas and Pdndavas were equally his kinsmen, but still his
iipective^Buiw! ^^^ was groatly desired by both parties. So before the
family priest of Diiipada had reached the city of Hastini-
pur, Duryodhana set out with all speed to the city of Dwd-
rakd, to gain the ear of Krishna and win him over to his
cause ; and when the Pdndavas heard of his journey they
Arroganoeof despatched Ariuna on a like errand. Now it so happened
Duryodhana in ^ "^ ^ ^ *^*^
^jygjjj^of that Duryodhana and Arjuna arrived at Dwdrakd on the
same day, but Duryodhana presented himself at the palace
gate before the other, and was told by the door-keeper that
Krishna was asleep ; and Duryodhana, in his haughtiness and
pride at being the lord of Indra-prastha, as well as tliat of
Hastindpur, entered the chamber of Krishna, and sat down
at the head of the bed. Presently Arjuna arrived at the
Humility and palace, but he regarded Krishna with all respect and rever-
hibited by Ar- oncc, and Seated himself at Krishna^s feet, with his hands
clasped in a posture of submission. Now when Krishna
awoke from his slumber, his eye fell upon Arjuna, and he
saluted him, and asked him if all was well, and inquired
the purpose of his coming. But before Arjuna could vouch-
safe a reply, Duryodhana, without waiting to be spoken to,
ihiiyoihaTia said : — " I and my brethren are preparine: to make war,
with Kri-hua and dcsiro your assistance with a larsfe body of soldiers ;
for HpeakniK to •' ^ o .^ 7
Arjuuaflrjit. and since I and Arjuna bear the same relationship to you,
X.— NEGK>TIATIONS. 247
it is but fair for you to regard us both in the same light, history op
INDIA-
Pabt il
and not give him the preference over me : Moreover, I have ^^^^-^
come to you first, and you need not be told that it is the
rule with men of exalted rank to notice that man first who
first waits upon them/' Krishna replied : — " You are quite Krishna's ex-
CUSGH
right in saying that you came here first, but if on my awak-
ing my eye fell upon Arjuna, and I spoke to him, do not
let this cause you any uneasiness, for you are both to me as
my two eyes : Besides, Arjuna is young, and you are more
advanced in years, and it is generally right to bring the
younger men forward by a Uttle encouragement/' So Dur-
yodhana was appeased, and recovered his good humour;
and Krishna then continued to speak to both Duryodhana
and Arjuna as follows : — " I will put myself alone into one Offeror Krishna.
scale, and all the warriors of my army into the other scale,
and you are welcome to take your choice between the iwo :
But if you take me, remember that I shall not fight, though
I will give counsel/' Then Arjuna held out his hands and Arjuna deddos
said : — " I at once decide upon taking your single self, for singly.
whether you go with arms or without, and whether you fight
or do not fight, your presence will so fortify our hearts, that it
will be worth a hundred thousand armies/' But Duryodhana Duryodhana
elected to have Krishna's army in preference to Krishna's Krishna's army.
self, and thought within himself, what comparison is there
between a single man and thousands of heroes. And Krish-
na saw what was in the mind of Duryodhana, and said : —
*' I make over to you all my army." So Duryodhana went
to the palace of Balar^ma and told him all that had taken
place, saying: — ''I came hither to forestall the aid of Krishna,
and he has given mo every satisfaction, and has appointed
you, with all his forces, to abet my cause." Balardma re-
plied : — " While we were at the city of Matsya, I made Baiarima re-
... . -xr • "I • i_ 1- i/» J J.1 J. ftwes to take any
many representations to Krishna m your benalt, and that part in the war.
of the Kauravas, but he would not listen to my words, and
gave me no reply : Wherefore, I have no heart for this war,
and shall take no part in it : You yourself know that
you have wronged the Pdndavas, and that it is the duty of
men to do justice and right ; and if you strive to fulfil
248
THE MAHA BHABATA.
UI8T0BT OP
INDIA.
Part II.
KrUhna nro-
miaes to arivo
tho chariot of
Aijuna in the
forthooming
Improbability
of the lofreiid,
but religtous
i^iflcaiice of
tfiemjth.
Story of SAIya,
Bi^a of Madra,
deserting tlie
P&ndavas, but
engaging to
drive the cha-
riot of Kama in
his combat with
Arjuna.
your duty, you will obtain a woU-eamed reputation/'. Witl
these words Balaniina embraced Duryodhana, and Duryod-
hana took his leave, and returned with Krishna's army to
his own city. Meantime Krishna expressed his great sur-
prise that Arjuna should have chosen him after he had
pledged himself not to fight; but Arjuna answered :-•-
" Although you will not join us in the battle, yet if yoa
will but drive my chariot I am assured of victory." So
Krishna gave his promise that he would drive the chariot
of Arjuna, and Arjuna returned to his brethren in great
joy-
The improbability of the foregoing story is ap-
parent. Hastindpur is seven hundred miles fix)m
Dwarakd as the crow flies ; and the whole narrative
is altogether incompatible with the narrative of
Krishna's final mission to the Kauravas, which will
appear hereafter. But the religious significance of
the myth is obvious. It teaches that the presence of
Krishna as an incarnation of Vishnu is of greater
service to his worshippers than a thousand armies of
mortal men ; and the faith and reverence of Arjuna
are favourably contrasted with the utter want of
cither faith or reverence which was exliibited by
Duryodhana.
Whilst Duryodhana was returning to Hastindpur
another incident is said to have taken place, which
may be very briefly indicated. Sdlya, Raja of
Madra, and brother of the second wife of Pdndu, had
set out to join the Pdndavas ; but he was met by
Duryodhana, and induced by an artifice to side with
the Kauravas. The story is obscure and of small
importance, excepting that when Sdlya subsequently
excused himself to the Pdndavas for ha^ang changed
sides, he pledged himself to drive the chariot of
Kama, and secretly do his best to ensure the defeat
X. — ^NEOOTUTIONS. 249
^ Kama, in the combat which appeared to be in- history op
citable between that warrior and Arjuna. part li.
The history of the second event in the negotia- 2nd. Embassyof
ons of this period, namely, the embassy of the of ES^JlSTtT'
.mily priest of Drupada to the Klauravas of Has-
ndpur, possesses considerable historical value, inas-
luch as it furnishes some significant illustrations of iiiostrative of
_ n t -ii ^^^ patriarchal
le rude outspoken oratory of the patriarchal age, ^^^^ '^^ w^
hen the art of writing was apparently unknown, ^*
ad letters were sent by word of mouth. The story
r the embassy may be related as follows : —
Now after Daiyodhana had returned to Hastindpar^ the Tradition of the
rdhman Envoy from Raja Drupada reached the city, and the Kauravas.
lahdraja Dhritardshtra called together his Council, and duly Council sum-
•1 " •' monod to receive
.quired of the Brahman respecting the health of the Pdnda- **»• Brdhman.
18 and Baja Yirdta, and gave suitable replies to the same courS^l^
.qniries which were made by the Envoy. The Brdhman then The Br&hman
"■ ITT t 1 r>n * tH • ^ •! i^Quests permis-
>oke to the ELauravas, and other Chieftams that were m the sjon to rep^t
' ^ the words of the
ouncil, as follows : — " An Envoy is the tongue of the party P^ndavas,
Y whom he is sent ; and if he fails in the discharge of his
list, and does not faithfully repeat his master's words, he
guilty of an act of treachery : Have I therefore your per-
ission to repeat the message sent by the Pdndavas 7 '^
he whole Council exclaimed : — '' Speak plainly the words
* the Pdndavas without extenuation and without ag-
ravation/' Then the Brdhman spoke as follows : — " The The mesnage
dndavas send their salutations and speak thus : ' Baja davas.
•hritardshtra and Baja Pdndu were brothers, as all men
now ; why then should the sons of Dhritardshtra inherit tho
hole Baj, whilst the sons of Pdndu are shut out ? You,
uryodhana, from the time of your childhood up to this day,
ive taken every opportunity to injure us : You caused false
lee to be made, and then invited us to a gambling match,
. which we played with you in all simplicity ; and you then
f foul play dispossessed us of all we had, and compelled us
> wander about like vagabonds for twelve years, and then
INDIA.
Part II.
250 THE MARA BHARATA.
HT8TOEY OP to keep ourselves in perfect concealment for one year longer:
All those conditions are now fulfilled^ and if you will restore
us to our rightful share of the Baj, we are ready to forget all
SStoniUon'o?* tho Sufferings and wrongs we have endured; but if you re-
t^hifofthe ject our rightful claims, the blood of all the slain wiU be
upon your head ; and rest assured that Arjuna alone will de-
vour your armies as a fowl devours the grain/ ''
Reply of Bhtah- Bhfshma then took up the discourse, and thus spoke to
"*■ the Brdhman : — *^ All that you have said appears to be jnat
and reasonable, but in boasting of the valour of Arjuna yoa
have said too much : Arjuna may, and perchance does, de-
servo all tho praises you have bestowed upon him, but I
warn you not to repeat them in our presence/'
Kama's wnth- Kama then spoke out in great wrath, and said : — *' This
litranon with Envoy has right on his side when ho magnifies the preten-
prabingAijuna. sions of thoso who scut him ; but what has come to you, 0
Bhfshma, that you should bestow such praises upon Arjuna,
and make common cause with him ? As for the Pdndavas
they can only sue for peace ; for after wandering twelve yean
in the jungle without power and without followers, what else
can they do ? And if they have endured hardships and vex-
"ThePAndavas atious, cau thov reproach us for what they lost by sfamb-
havA only them- ' J i J J Q
r*^ui V* r'""* ^^^S> when they brought all their sufferings upon themselves r
by gambling.- ^^d now that they pretend by moans of the power of Raja
Drupada and Raja Virata to take from us the half of the Raj,
let them know that Raja Duryodhana will make a free gift of
all his Raj, even to his enemy, provided that enemy has a
right to it ; but that he will not yield up a foot of land to
those who have no claim to it, how much soever he may be
threatened : And now what imbecility have the Pdndavas
discovered in our management of affairs that they should fly
so high in their pretensions ? '*
Kwna'smewage Kama then turned round to tho Envoy, and said : — '* Go
to tho P&n davfu : •' '
—"Tho P*nda- you and Say to the Pdndavas : — ^ Whereas you were seen and
thrthlrtoenth recoguizcd in the thirteenth year, and thereby broke the
JndTimi" ^^'^' conditions agreed upon between us, go now and again
again into exile." ^y^ndor in the juuglo for twelve years more, and conceal
yourselves for the thirteenth year, and then come hither and
X. — ^NEGOTIATIONS. 25 1
appear before Baja Daryodhana^ and humbly and sabmis- history op
INDIA.
Pabt il
sively entreat him to give you the half of the Raj, and there i^^^^.
will then be no unwillingness or delay upon his side in acced-
ing to your prayer ; You come forward now in the name of
uprightness ; why then do you strive to excite a war by your
own bad faith and breach of engagement, and talk as if we
were the promise-breakers and unjust party ? If you go to
war with us you will surely have cause to repent/ '^
Bhfshma then replied to the words of Kama, as fol- Bhishm»thre«t-
lows : — " On that day when you and the other warriors win conquer^"*
had driven off the cattle of Baja Virdta, and Arjuna came
and defeated you, why did you not then give utterance to
all these boastings ? Let me, however, whisper in your ear
that Arjuna is the same now as then, and if the quarrel
breaks out again, Arjuna will trample down all your glory
into the dust, and turn day into night in your eyes."
Here the blind Maharaja excused Kama to Bhfshma, The Mah&raj»
and said to Bhfshma : — " Kama is as a son to you, and is BWshma and*"
very young, and does not understand all the niceties of ex- ciarea in favour
• of Deaco.
pression ; so be not offended with him/' And the Mahd-
raja turned to Kama, and said : — ^^ Bhisma is a most humane
and friendly man, and all that he says is intended for our
good and advantage : Why, then, do you revile Arjuna and
the other Pdndavas, and fall foul of Bhfshma at every turn?
As regards the propositions of peace which the Pdndavas
have offered, Bhfshma looks upon them with a favourable
eye^ and I also am no less satisfied with them/'
Then the Mahdraja, by and with the consent of his ^^idJw^tm-*
Council, sent Sanjaya, who was both his Minister and t5S3ia^**^
Charioteer, on an embassy to the Pdndavas, accompanied by
the family priest of Baja Drupada.
The forcfifoinff tradition of the embassy of the Review of the
«^ #1 . • /» • 1 foregoing tra-
Brahman priest to Hastindpur seems to furnish some bM«y oftho^"
insight into the primitive forms of diplomacy which SJSplcGTtolhJ
were observed in patriarchal times. Although the "™'^"'
question to be decided was one of peace or war, the
preliminary courtesies were duly observed of inter-
252 THE MAHA BHARATA.
HI8T0BT OF changing inquiries respecting the health and wcll-
pabt il being of the respective parties. The Envoy then
requested permission to repeat the message as he had
received it from those who had sent him ; and this
may have been a wise precaution, as it tended to
avert from himself the wrath which might have
fallen upon him as the utterer of hostile and oppro-
brious language. The quarrel between the patri-
archal Bhfshma and the upstart Kama is not very
intelligible; but it subsequently found full expression
at the election of a Commander-in-Chief at the
breaking out of the great war. The reference to
the thirteenth year seems to indicate that the Kau-
ravas were of opinion that the Pdndavas had not
fulfilled the engagement into which they had entered
at the gambling match. The point, however, was
never settled, and therefore calls for no further
remark.
*jd, Embjwjg^of The third stage in the history of the negotiations
Piiidftvw. j^Q^ remains for consideration, namely, the embassy
of Sanjaya, the Minister and Charioteer of the
Mahdraja, to the Pdndavas. The proceedings of
this embassy are highly significant. Sanjaya is
evidently the type of an ancient diplomatist. His
object was to induce the Pdndavas to return to Has-
tindpur, without giving them any distinct pledge
that their Raj would be restored to them. The
history of his mission may be related as follows : —
Traditional ac- Now Sanjava was the Charioteer and Minister of Mahi-
couTitofthe .
ombMqy. paja Dhritardshtra, and he was almost without an equal in
ouaiiflcatious of understanding, and in knowledge, and in diplomacy, and he
had everywhere very many friends and acquaintances. And
. the Mahdraja said to Sanjaya : — " I hear that the Pdndavas
are in the Raj of Virdta : So go to them, and first salute
X.— NEGOTIATIONS. 253
m all from us, and greet each one of them as my most history op
INDIA-
Pabt II.
loved son, and then deliver to them all our message as ^ndia.
Mcssaffe of tho
lows : — " Dhritardshtra and the elders of the Kauravas
9ak thus : — ' You five brothers are of such good account MaiSSja to* the
• your commendable qualities and amiable manners, that ^*"'
Bry friend and every enemy is alike loud in exalting you ;
i you have now tasted both the pains and the pleasures
the world, and experienced the realities of evil, as well
those of good : It is our wish that all quarrels and discus-
ns between kinsmen should cease, and that perfect peace
>ald be established between the Elauravas and you ; and
wever harsh Duryodhana, and Elama, and the yoimger
koravas may appear to you, and however much they may
iplay the pride and strength of youth, and seem to prefer
> chances of war, yet if you will come before me I will
tie peace between you : Except the vicious Duryodhana,
1 the narrow-minded Kama, no one on our side is at
irt against the Pdndavas/ ''
So Saniaya and the Brdhman, who was family priest of Smnjaya reaches
'* '' '^ ^ the camp of the
ja Drupada, proceeded together to the city where the S^^*^*^"^
ndavas were dwelling; and when they arrived there they thegreatnetw of
ind armies encamped upon the plains, and in the jungle, ^^ for war.
1 on the mountains, and on the banks of rivers, as numer-
i as the waves of the sea. And Sanjaya was stricken
h. wonder at beholding all this military pomp arrayed on
) side of the Pdndavas : and he went on to the Council The Ptadavas
receive the am-
186 of Raja Yudhishthira, and paid his respects in due^Msadoriu
m. And Baja Yudhishthira and all the assembly rejoiced
the arrival of Sanjaya, and returned him all suitable com-
ments, and inquired after their friends and kinsmen ; to
ich Sanjaya gave appropriate replies. Raja Yudhishthira
m said to Sanjaya : — " Krishna, and Raja Virdta, and
ja Drupada, and other Rajas are here present, so do you
w declare your message.'' Sanjaya then delivered tho sanjaya delivers
ssage which had been intrusted to him by the Mahdraja*
1 he also said : — " Among all people there is entire confi-
ice in both the Kauravas and the Pdndavas, and it is a
\me to both that there should bo any dissensions between
254 THE MAHA BHABATA.
HISTOEY OP them, when all the world would rejoice to see them muta-
I^^^tl ally serviceable to each other : Now that all the principal
Bajas are gathered together, they should so act as to put an
end to discord/'
Rej>iy of Yud- Raja Yudhishthira then replied to the Envoy as follows :—
•• Wo aro »nxi- ^( Whosoever is wise will never ffive his consent to a war on
oui to avoid a o
MaiiArayis^try- ^^7 ^ri^^^^l grounds, nor suffer sq many souls to be akin,
to^HastSiApur" ^^^ *^® wholc Raj thrown into confusion, without absolute
ofproSSSon^*^" necessity, especially when both parties are firiends and kins-
ing to wSS?^ inen : But when peace cannot be attained, and war serans
kIJj."^*^*^'***** inevitable, it would be useless in us to humiliate ourselves
to the dust for the sake of concord : We are disinclined to
war, but it is out of sympathy for our own people ; and be-
cause the Raj would be of little profit or comfort to us after
the slaughter of our friends and kinsmen : He, however,
who is intent upon a war of malice is always in a fever, and
the fever bums stronger and stronger in his heart day by
day, until he can feel no pleasure in the ordinary gratifica-
tions of the world : Now we know not what offence we have
given to Kama, that he should ever be on the alert for our
death and perdition, and ever be speaking evil of us to Dur-
yodhana, and kindling a fire in his own mind against ns :
As for Dhritanishtra, we acknowledge him to be our Mahii-
raja, and we know that ho is kind and benevolent, and averse
to doing evil and working mischief: But for the sake of
humouring his son Duryodhana, and keeping on good terms
with him, the Mahdraja stoops to act deceitfully towards us,
and would entrap us into his presence by mere offers of pro-
tection : Then, again, Vidura is the general well-wisher, and
earnest for our good; but however much advice he may
give, it is all thrown away, both upon Duryodhana and his
doting father Dhritardshtra, though he speak the truth over
Reply of Krish- SO clcarlv/'
nn; ''The .
pfcndavashaTe Krishna then spoke thus to Saniaya: — "I am equallv
been put to such , *^ •'
expenses in pre- desirous for the welfare of both the Kauravas and Pdndavas ;
paring for this . '
h*'' * ii?®y ^^^ what can I do when the Maharaja prefers the immediate
mMid"hdr*haif gratification of his son to all other considerations ? Tud-
sjmreoftho hishthira and his brethren have always expressed a desire
X. — NEGOTIATIONS. 255
r a treaty of peace, but no such oflFer ever came from Dhri- histoey op,
.rdshtra or the Kauravas : so this war which is inevitable i^^^^
' Paet il
brought about by the Kauravas and not by the Pdndavas :
nd whereas the Pdndavas have very large armies collected
. their behalf, and have no means of providing for them
>w that they are assembled, except by asking for half the
aj from the Kauravas, it is necessary that they should get
>ssession of the country by peace or by war, according to
le proverb that the hungry man will throw himself at the
3n : And although the Kauravas have been guilty of the
orst treachery against the Pdndavas, and have offered the
est abominable insults to Draupadi, nevertheless if they
*e now ashamed of what they have done, and are willing
» make amends for the past, as yet it is not too late ; and
beit the Pdndavas are much estranged from them and wish
> be revenged, yet they will not go from what I say : Go
3W and tell this to the Elauravas, and bid them prepare for
lat course which they prefer ; for war if they are inclined
> war, and for peace if they are inclined to peace/'
Then the Envoy Sanjaya took his leave of Krishna, and Tudhishihim
d went to Yudhishthira ; and Yudhishthira said to him : — messa^^ by
Carry to the Kauravas all the message you have received eiders at hm-
om Krishna without any alteration; and salute my old
itors, Drona and Aswatthdma, and remind them of old
mes ; and go to the houses of Bhishma, Yidura, and the
[ahdraja, and pay them similar compliments ; and go also
> each one of my kinsmen and friends, and to each of the
^jas who have C9me to their assistance, and lifting the
and of obeisance to your head, kiss the feet of each one of
lem."
Yudhishthira then mve many rich and rare rifts to YudhisUthira's
It/*!* ^n•^/•^ i ^^ • i -% secret message
aniaya, both for himself and for the most worthy of his old to Duryodhaua:
J ^ ^ J — "Wewillre-
iends : and when the Envoy was about to return, Yudhish- ?*^^li^,«j^™
' ^ ^ •' ^ ' to the half share
lira took him aside, and whispered to him as follows : — *tyo" ^»" ™;
' ^ store us our five
These are my last words, which you must tell Duryodhana, KhJS^l^
) induce him to cast aside his evil opinions and to lean p™^**!*-"
xwards justice : We will give up to him the whole of the
iaj, provided we may retain the five districts, which are our
^ r
256 THE MAHA BHARATA.
iiiSTORT OP own settlements : ' And we five brothers, for the sake of
INDIA.
Past II.
INDIA. peace, will be content with this small portion, and will be
on good terms with Duryodhana : The desire of my heart ig
that there should be no war, and that I and my brethrea
should live once more in peace and happiness together, and
bo reconciled to all our kinsmen ; and that our relatives who
have come here to assist us may go back uninjured : But I
am prepared for both war and peace, and I can be either
hostile or friendly, according as events may transpire."
SAnjayadoHvpn Sanjaya having been thus instructed by Yudhishthira
thuMah&nija. returned to the city of Hastindpur, and arrived at the palace
of the Maharaja and made known his coming. And the
Mahdraja sent for him to a private apartment, and heard all
that the Pdndavas had said, and then dismissed him and
AnxioitB conver* scnt his door-keeper to call Yidura ; and that whole night
out the nighrbc- tho Mahdraja and Yidura passed in deep discourse by them-
hArS&uid vi- selves upou the tidings brought by Sanjaya. And when it
Tho Kauravaa ^as moming the Mahdraja summoned all his sons and kins-
S>unc?"at ^^ * i^ieii to Council, and despatched a messenger to bring San-
ddlvoTH hism^ jn-ja, wlio thereupon entered the Council-hall and spoke as
"*^ follows : — '^ Eaja Yudhishthira sends respectful greeting to
all the elders, and a friendly embrace to all the young men,
and his blessing to tho striplings and children.'' Sanjaya
then delivered the message of Krishna, and the private
message from Yudhishthira; and a great discussion arose
in which the elders counselled peace and the younger men
Ajowment im- clamoured for war : and seeing that it was impossible that
they could come to an agreement, no reply whatever was
despatched to tho Pdndavas.
4th. Mission of The fourth and final stage in the history of the
Kriithtui to tho ,• ,• • r • i j • i
Kauravaa. nogotiations now romams tor considoration, namely,
the mission of Krishna to Hastindpm*. The whole
of this portion of the narrative appears to be myth-
' The names of tho districts are given in the original, but it is difficult to aaj
how far they are mythical. Probably they referred to five ftirms or gardens in the
country of Khfaidava-prastha, but tho name of one of these districts is V&ran&-
vata, which is the modem Alldhabfid ; and the mythical character of the references
to this city has already been shown in the story of the alleged plot of the Kauravu
to bum the house in which the Pdndavas were residing.
X. — ^NEGOTIATIONS. 257
but yet it possesses much historical value, inas- history op
as it illustrates to a remarkable degree the p^jitii.
in which the Mahd Bhdrata was composed, and
nception which the Brahmanical compilers had
d of Krishna, as a mediator as well as of an
lation of the Supreme Being. The legend may
ated as follows : —
w when many days had passed away^ and the Pdn- Legend of the
received no reply to the messages they had sent by
a, Yudhishthira went to Krishna, and said : — *' What Yudhiahthira
' '' applies to
to do ? I have sohcited the Kauravas for peace, and ^«* «>'
have been content if they had spared us our five
B ; but they have sent us no reply to our messages ;
w I am in great want, and cannot relieve the distress
mother and brethren/' And Krishna said that he Krishnaoffento
go himself on an embassy to the Mahdraja, and dor to Ha8tin&-
shthira entreated him to bring about a peace ; but yudiiishthira's
idf came in and threw herself at the feet of Krishna RemonrtrM^
id: — ''Yudhishthira has sent too many supplications ofDraupadi.
Kauravas, and has asked for only five villages, as
i the right were on their side : But if you are to
te between them, I pray you to remember that an
tor must not speak of inferiority ; and if the Kaura-
11 make war upon the Pdndavas, my five husbands,
f father and brethren, and many others, will enter the
^nst them: Remember how the Kauravas treated
n the very first ; how they seized me by the hair and
d me to the ground, in the midst of the assembly/'
ing, Draupadi burst into tears, and Krishna's heart foJifp^^Sii,
within him, and he kindly said to her : — " Why do
ep ? The time has nearly come when the Kauravas
> slain, both small and great, and when their wives
ep as you are doing now."
Br this Krishna selected a prosperous moment in the KrUhnapro-
Kartika for setting out on his mission to Hastindpur ; Apur.
ving bathed and worshipped the sun and fire, he went
jr. And Yudhishthira and his brethren,, and Bajas
. !• 17
258
THE MAHA BHARATA.
HI8T0EY OP
INDIA.
Past IL
Sends on mes-
■enffon to an-
nounce his u^
rivmL
Yidura oounsels
Buryodhana to
idve Krishna a
grand reception.
Great prepara-
tions com-
menced by
DuiyodhMUk
Vidura urges
that the recep-
tion is iiscles^
unloM Duryod-
hatia is pre-
pared to restore
the Ave villages
totheP&ndavas.
Viriita and Drupada, and many others, accompsmied Krishna
some distance on liis way ; and when they took leaVe of him,
Yudhishthira and his brethren especially entreated that he
would comfort their mother, Kunti, who was still residing in
the house of Vidura. Krishna then proceeded onhis jomnej,
until ho came to a spot nigh unto the city of Hastindpor;
and he halted there, and sent on messengers to announce Iiis
arrival to the Kauravas, and to say that he would be with
them on the morrow. When Vidura heard the words of
the messengers, he took them with him into the presence of
Duryodhana, and said: — "In all the streets and market-
places there is a great stir amongst high and low ; all saying
that Krishna is come hither on an embassy from the Pin*
davas : You ought therefore to assemble all your brethren
and Chieftains, and go forth to meet him, so that yon may
conciliate him by your respect, and have the applause of all
the people.'^ Then Duryodhana called together all his
Chieftains and Ministers, and caused handsome carpets to
be spread for Krishna to walk upon, and ordered all the
handsomest of his servants to put on festival garments and
to wait upon Krishna with sandal wood and perfumes ; and
he sent word to his father, the Mahdraja, that Krishna was
coming ; and Dhritardshtra ordered that every mark of hon-
our should be observed in the reception of such an illus-
trious guest. Then Duryodhana prepared to go out with all
his brethren and children to meet Krishna on foot; and
orders were proclaimed throughout the city that all the
women of the inner apartments, who desired to see Krishna,
should be permitted to behold him from the walls and tops
of houses; and all the shopkeepers decorated their shops
and put on festival garments ; and the palace of Duhsdsana,
which was the best in Hastindpur, was set apart for the
lodging of Krishna.
Then Vidura praised Duryodhana for the preparations
which he had made to do honour to Krishna. And Vidnra
said: — "This magnificent reception however is of small
moment unless you are prepared to restore the five villages
to the Pandavas.'^ And Duryodhana replied : — " I will not
X.— NEGOTIATIONS. 259
:ive to the Pdndavas as much land as could be carried on history of
INDIA.
Pabt II.
he head of a pin, unless I am compelled by war; and if i^^i^
kjishna is only come to further the claim of the Pdndavas,
1 1 i-t a* 1 i* 11 . Duryodhana
re need not throw away our enects for nauc^ht, but receive abandons hia
1 i» o " preparations
jm as an ordinaiy ambassador ; for otherwise he will say *"i'''^^^rSi
hat the Kauravas are terrified and trying to propitiate me : n» into custody.
ioreover, if the Pdndavas are thus dependent upon Krishna,
3t US keep him here in close custody ; and by so doing clip
lie wings of our enemies/' But the Mahdraja cried out : — ^SeTtt^*^
' Beware how you give way to such evil thoughts, for it ^^'^
ronid be a lasting disgrace to any Baja to put an ambassador
lie custody, and especially an ambassador so illustrious as
kjishna/' And Bhlshma turned to the Mahdraja, and ]^^ °'^*^**-
ud :-r-'^ This son of yours appears to think of nothing but
rar and mischief; and I fear that his ruin is not far off, and
bat his disgrace will fall upon all of us.'* So saying
(hfahma rose up and went to his own house ; and Yidura
ras much disturbed, and he rose up in like manner and
^ent out with Bhishma.
When it was morning Krishna bathed himself, and per- Krishna witcrs
3rmed his relicrious duty, and then set out for the city of roceived'byaii
^ "^ . , "^ the Kauravaa
Eastindpur. And when he came nigh to the city, all the excepting
[auravas, small and great, save Duryodhana only, went
Mrth on foot to meet him ; and all the men and women,
oung and old, came out of their apartments to see Krishna
nd pay him reverence. And Krishna spoke to every one
dth civility, and when he came to the palace of the Mahd-
ija he sat down for a while ; and presently Duryodhana HauffhtinosR of
ame up, and barely noticed Krishna, and Krishna knew ^^ Krishua.
rhat was passing in the mind of Duryodhana from the
anghtiness of his manner, and because of his not having
een present with the others to meet him without the city.
\o after a while Krishna left the palace of the Mahdraia and Krishna rrsides
n -rr* t -t xr* t ''in the houMo of
^ent to the house of v idura ; and Vidura made many parti- vidurt, where
' "^ ^ Kunti 18 dwcU-
ular inquiries of him respecting the Pdndavas ; and when "«•
[rishna had answered every question, ho went into the
iner apartments, and saw his fathcr^s sister Kunti, and view w'ifh"^"
>ok her in his arms, whilst she burst into tears, for her ^"""'
^ /
260 THE MAHA BHARATA.
HI8T0RT OP heart was yoaming towards her sons the P&ndavas. And
Pamt II. Kunti said : — " It is now fourteen years since my sons left
me bathed in tears, and I have heard of all the distressei
they have gone through : Tell me now if all is well with
them, and what has become of Draupadi; and how she has
borne up under poverty and exile : And who shall tell of mj
own wretchedness, for from the time of my birth until this
hour I have not passed a single day in comfort ; and when
I had hoped to get some solace from my sons, they have
been driven away from jungle to jungle, and from village to
village, whilst I have been left alone amongst this tribe of
Kauravas, without any respite from their wickedness and
Krishna com- obstinacv /' Then Krishna comforted Eunti, and he secretlT
forts Kuntl with . , ■; -r^ - i i • -fxn
theanunuice gaid to hor : — "Be of ffood cheer I Wherever your sons
that her ■oru ° . , "^
will conquer, have bcon they have overthrown their enemies, and gained
many friends ; and the day of their prosperity is very near,
when they shall overthrow the Kauravas, and recover pos-
session of their own Raj/'
Krishna's visit When Krishna had comforted Kunti, he went to tho
to Duryodhana.
palace of Duryodhana, and it was very splendid, and con-
tained everything that was conducive to luxury and pleasure.
And Duryodhana was seated upon his throne in all the
pride and wealth of a great Baja, and took but small notice
Rflftwes to par- of Krishna. But a ff olden seat had been prepared for
take of the on- . ° i i *
t«rt«^jj»«"' Krishna, and Duryodhana presently ordered a quantiiy of
liuryodhana. fruits and perfumes and much betel to be brought in;
after which there was a great entertainment of victuals and
liquors, but Krishna would not taste a single morsel. And
Duryodhana asked him why he had no relish for such things,
and Krishna answered : — '' If a man enters the house of
another, and partakes of his meal, there is either friendly
discourse between the host and his guest, or else a needy
guest is under the influence of his host : But there are no
such relations between you and me ; for I am on no terms
Declares that of friendship with you, nor am I a needy guest who wants a
there can be no i «« -r^ •%^ 'i rr -x-r i • a
friendship be- moal. DurvocUiana said : — " You may not be m want of a
twera them un- /»»t ,
i«»i>»Wj*»*»n* feast, but why have you no friendship for me ? " Krishna
with the PAniiar replied : — " There can be no friendship between us unless
X. — ^NEQOTUTIONS. 261
)u come to terms with the Pdndavas : Besides^ an ambas- history op
bdor may not take a meal in the house of him to whom he p^^
sent^ unless he has completed his business to his own
ktisfaction : Moreover^ it seems to me that you must have
»me bad motive in insisting upon my taking food here ; so
am resolved to eat nothing in your house^ but to go to the
>a8e of Yidura^ and there take what I think best/' So Retnnis to the
kying^ Krishna arose and went to the house of Yidura^ and declines au
llowed by Bhlshma^ Drona^ Kripa^ and many others^ who tions.
iverally requested him to come to their houses^ saying : —
Since you have left the house of Duryodhana^ you can
lye no objection to come to us/' But Krishna excused
mselfj saying : — '* If I visit any one of you, another may
) offended, and I am satisfied with all of you ; so it will bo
)tter that I go at once to the house of Yidura/' And
rishna did as he had said, and Yidura entertained him
ith all due respect and honour.
And Yidura said to Krishna : — '^ You should not have vidura's obj>o-
oubled to come to EEastindpur : Duryodhana is ever proud na's visit to Um-
id obstinate, but now his arrogance will be at the highest ^'
tch at the thought that Krishna has come to wait upon
m ; and he is a man of that haughtiness that he cannot
inceive that any one should pretend to advise him, but
insiders that all he says should pass for law which no man
Lonld dispute." Krishna replied : — " What you say is Krishim's ex-
ny true, but I desired to see with my own eyes, and I ^ ***"*'
iped that the tie of relationship would have enabled me to
reserve the Kauravas from destruction : I am convinced
>w that their downfall is at hand, yet I will once more give
J advice in the presence of them all in Council, and then
ihey will listen to me it will be well, but if they are deaf
i my words, they must take their own course."
The next morning when Krishna had bathed, and wor- Bcvemioe paid
lipped the sun, all the Brdhmans and eulogists that were the people or
. the city of Hastindpur came to his door with blessings
id praises, and he rewarded them all with handsome gifts.
resently all the Chieftains in the city came to wait upon
m, and last of all came Duryodhana^ Kama, and Sakuni.
r •
262 THE >IAHA BUARATA.
HISTORY OF Krishna then called for his own chariot, and proceeded to
Pam-^il *^^ Council hall of the Mahdraja ; and Duryodhana, and
Sakuni, and all the other Chieftains, proceeded in like
coeds to tho manner to the hall. And the Mahdraja and Bhishma had
frreat Ck>uiicil of * . . t i 11 -i . it -1 1
the KAuravsM. already taken their seats in the hall, but they advanced a
considerable distance to give Krishna a meeting. And
nisreopptionby Krishna, and Dhritarushtra, and Bhishma, and Dnryodhana
andBtuxhiua. seated themselves upon carpets of gold, which had been
specially prepared for them in the centre of the hall; and
all the other Chieftains took their seats upon the ground
around them according to their respective ranks and
stations.
NtoMiaandtho Mcanwliilc, Nurada the sacre, and many other Brdhman
**iSvhW"^-th** sages, made their appearance m the sky ; and Krishna said
^uncS.'***' to Bhishma : — '' Behold the Rishis are appearing in the
sky, and have come to attend this Council." And Bhishma
arose with all respect, and invited the Rishis to enter ; and
when Narada and tho rest entered the Council, all who were
present arose and paid them reverence, and gave them seata
which were suited to their dignity.*
Spet-chofKrwh- Then Krishna aroso on his feet, and addressed Mahdraja
na to the Ma- ' ^
hAr»ja:-"i DhritoTushtra before the whole Council, as follows: — "I
have come to re- ^ '
di?M wVth til"' ^^^^^ come hither, 0 Mahdraja, for the purpose of bringing
Kauravas. about a reconciliation between the Pdndavas and the
Kauravas, and thus saving the lives of very many heroes
^2?^?^*®^^ who are sure to be slain if a war break out : The family of
BhiLrata have '^
hithcrto^ut Bliurata has ever been famous for mercy, sincerity, forgive-
hav^wlimnutted ^^^®> ^^^ truth ; and it would be an evil thing should they
jr»t wicked- commit an act of injustice whilst you are Mahdraja : But
your sons, since you have been their head and ruler, have
been guilty of wicked deeds before your very face : they
are covetous, unruly, and vicious, and break every law of
morality and religion; and now they are about to commit a
-A t<MTibic wur ffrcat Crime against their nearest kinsmen: You are, I
i8 iiu*vitable un- "
less you prevent
it.
- Tlicsc mythical sages suLsoqucntly iuterrupt the proceedings by relating in-
terniiual)le myths teudin;^ to prove that Duryodliaua ought to yield what id de-
manded of him, because Krishna and Arjuna were in reality N&ra and N&r&yany
or, ill other words, were incarnations of Vislinu.
X. — NEGOTUTIONS. 263
believe, aware that a terrible war is about to break out in history op
INDIA.
Past II.
your family ; and should you give your sanction to that war ^^^^^
it will destroy the whole earth ; whereas you can prevent it —
if you please, and I think it will not be difficult to settle all
matters of dispute between the parties : Let your sons act in
accordance with the advice of your own Council, aud you
will find it will be productive of good to both parties : Cast ''Arecondiia-
gt • » . tion would givo
aside all thought of gaining anything by war and enmity, you the support
and exert yourself to conclude a treaty of reconciliation and and render you
•' •' invincible.
peace ; for you could never conquer the Pdndavas were you
a hundred times more powerful than you are : 0 Mahdraja,
you have the Kauravas for your supporters, and if you
pleased you might bring over the Pdndavas also ; and once
protected by the Pdndavas, not even Indra and all his host
of gods could prove a match for you ; and the Rajas who
are now your equals, and those who are now your superiors,
would be anxious to cultivate your friendship, and you would
rule the whole earth, in company with your sons and grand-
sons and all your kinsmen ; and all the conquests of the
Pdndavas would be yours : 0 Mahdraja, war is all destroyinc: ! "A war would
•' . . •' o prove most de-
Consider whether the loss of either will be the more hurtful structivetoau
parties.
to you, and whether the defeat of either your sons or your
nephews will give you any pleasure, since both are alike in
your eyes: All the Pdndavas are great heroes, and well
armed ; and all, with the exception of thevirtuous Yudhish-
thira, are eager for war ; they are your kinsmen, and it is
yonr duty to protect them from every evil ; then do not
permit this family war, in which the Pdndavas and the
Kauravas will mutually kill each other, and in which nearly
all the Bajas of the earth will be fighting on one side or the
other, and the number of the slain will be fearful to
behold : O Mahdraja, it is your duty to preserve your sub-
jects ; then do not hasten their death by giving your coun-
tenance to this war, but save aUke the Kauravas and the
Pdndavas from this imminent peril : Let the Rajas here " Let the k»u-
• 1 -n/ T J ravaa cast aside
assembled cast aside their enmitv to the Pdndavas, and eat their enmity
'' and celebrate a
and drink together, and depart as friends ; and do you now gJ^Q'^/;^/'^*^,^
show the same kindQess to the Pdndavas as you did in reconciliation."
264
THE MAHA BUARATA.
BISTORT OF
IXDIA.
Fabt II.
Krishna »d-
dreMetthe
Mahiraja an the
mouth-piece of
the F^idavas*
who pray for a
rastoration of
their share of
theBi^.
Rpeechof
Krishna to the
Council fcon(>r-
ally:— "AMin-
iMter is reMponsi-
ble fbr the acts
oftheMah&n^a^
and counsellors
are bound to
prevent the Ma-
n&rsja flrom
doing wrong.**
Krishna's final
rpqupHt to the
Mah&rsja.
former times : The Pdndavas lost their father in their in-
fancy^ and you brought them up as your own sons ; then do
you cherish them now, and not make a sacrifice of virtue by
rejecting this counsel.
" What I have hitherto said to you has been of my own
accord, but as the mouth-piece of the Pdndavas I now speak
to you thus : — ^ We, the Pdndavas, greet you, and look
upon you as our father, and now in like manner do you
regard us as your sons : In obedience to your command we
have passed twelve miserable years in the wilderness and
one year in disguise ; and all the Brdhmans in your Cooit
know that we have faithfully passed through the ordeal, and
stand now freed from all our promises : 0 Mahdraja, do yoa
now so act that we may regain the share of the Baj to which
we are entitled : It is for you to decide whether it is us, or
the Kauravas, who are in the wrong/ ''
Krishna then turned to the whole Council, and said:—
" To the Rnjas and Chicflains here assembled, I am directed
by the Pitndavas to speak as follows : — ' It is an evil thing
that an act of injustice should be committed by a Mah&rajay
who is assisted by such virtuous Counsellors and Ministers:
A Minister is responsible for the acts of the Mahdraja ; and
it is the duty of all good and wise Counsellors to prevent
the Mahdraja from performing any vicious deed : Never fear
speaking the truth even if unpalatable, and never fear
oHending the Mahuraja by telling him that he is in the
wi'ong : Do you now advise him what course he should
pursue on the present occasion/ "
Krishna then turned to the Mahdraja, and said : — " 0
Mididrnja, I as an Ambassador can say no more : I have
done my duty by asking you for the share of the Baj to
which the Pundavas are entitled, and by counselling you to
conclude a treaty : Let your Counsellors advise you upon
the matter, and if you consider my advice to be just and
virtuous, do you act accordingly, and save all these Bajas
and Chieftains here assembled from the grasp of death : 0
Chief of the race of Bhdrata, be pacified and do not give
way to wrath ! Give the Pdndavas their ancestral share of
X. — ^NEGOTUnONS. 265
he Raj, and rule the remainder in peace and tranquillity histoey of
viih. your sons and grandsons : As for the Pdndavas they p^^u.
xe equally prepared, whether it be for peace or whether it
)e for war."
When Krishna had finished, the Mahdraja replied to 5J5jj[r?L*Jjf *
lim, as follows : — " All that you have said is true and pleas- £tlj^^SJei
tnt to hear; but I am not free, and consequently I cannot i>«»yodhMi».
)erform what I wish : Seek therefore to counsel Duryod-
lana rather than me; for he is violent and. disobedient,
Old refuses to listen to the advice of his mother G&ndhdrf,
ir to the pious Yidura, or to the wise Bhlshma ; and if you
»n move my wicked son, you will be acting like a friend,
md I shall be greatly obliged to you/'
Then Krishna turned to Duryodhana, and gave the same AdvioRof KHsh-
M)ansel to him as he had given to the Mahdraja. But Dur- luma.
rodhana was obstinate and said nothing, and Bhlshma spoke
o him thus : — " 0 Duryodhana, do you follow the advice of
bishna; it will be good for you both in this world and in
he next, and if you act otherwise there will be no peace,
>nt all-destroying war : You are wicked, vicious, cowardly, SrjJ^ **'
Old the pest of the family of Kauravas : You glory in violat-
ng the commands of your father, and in despising the
hansels of Krishna and Yidura : It is on account of your
yrannical conduct that your father suffers so much misery,
md is about to lose his Baj : Your pride will cost the lives
>f all your friends, brethren, and kinsmen : But be advised,
ny child^ and do not make your parents wretched for
jver/'
When Duryodhana heard these words of Bhlshma, he Exasperation of
vas exceedingly wroth, and began to breathe very hard ; "'^ ***
md Drona went up to him, and said : — '' All that Krishna Eemoiiatrancw
, , of Drona.
md Bhlshma have said to you is for your own good, and I
>ray you to follow their counsel, for they are wise, intelli-
gent, experienced, and virtuous : Indeed all who dissuade
ron from this war are your true friends, and those who
x>an8el you to it are your worst enemies, who will most
iSBuredly forsake you in the hour of peril, and leave you
\o bear the whole brunt of the contest : But I perceive that
2G6 T1I£ MAUA BHARATA.
HISTORY OF my words are very unpalatable^ and that you are not in a
PijKT iL condition to receive good counsel : You are puffed up with
hopes of victory, and your mind is filled with visions of
future conquests; but you ought to know the difficulties
and dangers of the war, and to weigh both sides well^ and
then to decide upon the course you should pursue/*
Scmoratnuioes When Drona had finished his speech, Yidura arose and
said : — " What has been advised is the best for the people
of this Eaj : For you, Duryodhana, I care not ; excepting
that if you are defeated, the Maharaja and the Boni will
become beggars in the house of the Pdndavas."
Powerftii upoech Thon Bhishma affain spoke, and said : — '* Arjona and
of Bhlithiua. ft r ^ j
Krishna have not armed themselves as yet : The bow Gdn-
diva' has not as yet been strung for the affray : The homa.,
which Dhaumya the priest will offer on the eve of battle,
has not as yet been given to the fire : The mighty Yudhiah-
thira, over diffident, has not as yet looked upon your army
with an angry eye : Arjuna and Bhima have not as yet ap-
peared at the head of their respective squadrons ; nor has
the giant JBhima begun as yet to whirl his mace on high,
scattering the heads of his foes on every side : The swift
Nakula and Sahadeva, the experienced Dhrishta-dyumna,
Virata, and Drupada, and all the other allies of the Pdnda-
vas, have not as yet girded on their armour for the battle :
The blood of thousands has not as yet been shed upon the
plain, nor is the earth covered with the heads of the shun :
Your well-dressed army has not as yet been exposed to the
thrusts and shafts of the enemy : There is yet time to pre-
vent these horrible calamities before it is too late : Go, then,
and bow down at the feet of Yudhishthira, the chief amongst
the B^jas, and let him behold you with a friendly counten-
ance, and throw his right arm upon your neck as a mark of
reconciliation, and strike you on the back as a reclaimed
brother : Let the lofty-shouldered, long-armed Bhima greet
' G Indira was the mj-thical bow which belonged to the god Vanma, and which
Agni gaye to Arjuna before the burning of the jungle of Kh&ndaTa, to enable him
to dght against Indra. This speech attributed to Bhishma is mythical throughout,
but, as already indicated, the whole narrative of the mission of Krishna is ovidentlj
the product of the Brahmanical compilers.
INDIA.
Part IL
X. — NEGOTIATIONS. 267
yon in peace; and let Arjana^ Nakula^ and Sahadeva see history OF
yon as their friend : Let this host of Rajas and Chieftains
Bfcssembled here shed tears of joy at your reconciliation ;
proclaim the glad tidings throughout the city ; and aban-
doning your evil thoughts for ever, rule the whole earth in
conjunction with the Pdndavas.''
At these words, Duryodhana arose in a fury, and he DiiryodhMm's
turned to Krishna, and said : — " 1 cannot tell why you give speech loKriah-
the Pdndavas so much preference over me : We and they
are just as nearly related to you, nor have I behaved to you
otherwise than as a kinsman, nor omitted any form of re-
spect towards you ; and I cannot divine why you treat me
thus : The Pdndavas came of their own accord and engaged
with Sakuni in a game at dice : They lost their Raj through
their own folly, and now we are blamed for it : They lost
all their wealth in that game, and still we are charged with
having robbed them of everything : With what face do
these Pdndavas now come and act thus inimically towards
OS ? What have we done that they should treat us thus ?
We are not to be frightened by speeches or counsel, and I
will not be forced to bow down even to Indra : I see no
Elahatriya now who can conquer us : As to your commenda*
tions of the Pdndavas, and desire that I should regard them
as objects of alarm, I must say that an army which has in it
such men as Bhishma, and Drona, and Kripa, and Kama,
and Aswatthdma, cannot be overpowered by all the heroes
in the earth, and devotees in the heavens : What then are
the beggarly Pdndavas that you should think to frighten
me with them ? Never will I stoop and humble myself to
the Pdndavas, say what you will."
Krishna then smiled, and said to Duryodhana : — " Not- Krishna ro-
bukej Duryod-
withstanding all my earnest endeavours to prevent this haua.
breach between you and the Pdndavas, you are resolved
not to throw aside your obstinacy; and Duhsdsana and
Kama continue to back you up, though I know not what
enmity they can have against you : Your desire to die on
the field of battle will soon be gratified : You will prove a
stain to the race of Bhdrata : Are you not ashamed to say
268 THE MAHA BHABATA.
HISTORY OF that you have done nothing to the Pdndavas^ so as to merit
^^^n. <itis treatment from them ? Remember eveiy evil act yoa
"" have done against them from their infancy ; and then say
you have done nothing to offend them/'
Dnivtaum When Krishna had finished. Duhsdsana said to his brothor
warns Duryod-
iSI^e^bmits Duryodhaua : — '' 0 Raja, if you do not of your own will
the^^^ui** ^^°^® ^ terms with the Pdndavas^ the elders will bind you
WTiShiiiSwnk. ^^^^ ^^^ ^^^^f ^^^ deliver you into the hands of Yudhish-
thira : It is plain that your father the Mahdraja^ and Bhfsh-
ma^ and Drona^ are heartily resolved to make you^ and I,
and Kama^ submit ourselves to the Pdndavas/'
Dnmdhanaab- At these words of his brother, Duryodhana was more
■Memb^^^ ^ incensed than ever, and he rose up in the midst of the
KrUhi» adviiies assembly and went to his own house. Krishna then said
the Mahintja to, !:_,, -- > i .
arrert Duryod- to the Maharaja : — " Your n^ht course now would be to
nana and his
three aiUes. confine these four turbulent men — Duryodhana, Dnhsdsana^
Kama, and Sakuni — and so make friendship with the Pdn-
davas, who will dedicate themselves heart and soul to yonr
service, and enable you to reign in full comfort ; and this
will be for the advantage of all, both now and hereafter/'
TheMah&raja -^^ this whilo the Mahdraja was sorely troubled at the
RSIfoAndAri behaviour of Duryodhana, and he bade his brother Vidura
intotheCounciL ^^ ^^^ ^^^ jj^, Gdndhdri, and inform her of all that had
passed, and to request her to try and soften the obstinacy
of Duryodhana. So Vidura went and brought Gdndhdri
into the Council, and the Mahdraja said to her: — ^"Not-
withstanding that those people have only spoken to Dur-
yodhana out of kindness and good will, he has left the Coun-
cil in a rage/' Ghlndhdri replied : — " Do you, who are his
superiors and elders, send for Duryodhana, and again coun-
sel him : I myself have already spoken much to him ; bat
when he will not pay attention to your words, how can you
The RAni sends oxpect he will listen to me ? ^' She then said to Vidura :—
wid remon- "^ " Go and fetch Duryodhana that I may admonish him in the
intheprCTenc© presence of the Maharaja/' So Vidura went out and pre-
sently returned with Duryodhana; and Gdndhdri said to her
son : — " You know that there is not a person in the world
that I hold dearer than yourself; and you know, too, that it
X. — ^NEGOTIATIONS* 269
is a grievons crime not to listen to your father and mother : history of
INDIA.
Past II.
And now I, and your father^ and all these your kinsmen ^^^^^
and elders, are of ^one opinion, that you should cast aside
your obstinacy, and rest satisfied with peace, and not attri-
bute our counsel to anything but our best wishes for your
welfare and prosperity." When Durgodhana heard these Dnryodhana,
words, he rose up and went out of the Council, saying iana!andKani»
nothing. And Sakuni, and Duhsdsana, and Kama went ou and plot t?*
out after him, and they held a consultation together, and
they agreed that as all the elders had gone over to the side
of the Pdndavas at the instigation of Krishna, and as Krishna
had suggested that they should be bound and delivered up
to the Pdndavas, so it would be proper to seize him and
confine him ; on which the Pdndavas would be as powerless
as serpents whose teeth had been drawn out by the charmer.
Their discourse, however, was discovered to Krishna; and
when Mahdraja Dhritardshtra heard of the plot, he said to
Vidura : — '* Go immediately and bring Duryodhana hither,
lest he work mischief.'' And Duryodhana was brought
into the presence of the Mahdraja, and Krishna said to him : Krishns reveniA
— ''O Duryodhana, perchance it was because you thought Supreme Being.
I was alone in this city, that you thought to bind me; but
behold all the gods and divine beings and the universe it-
self are present here in me.'' And at that moment all the
gods issued from his body ; and flames of fire fell from his
eyes, nose, and ears ; and the rays of the sun shone forth
in all their radiance from the pores of his skin. And all the
Bajas closed their eyes from the brightness of his presence.
And there was a great earthquake, and all who were there
trembled with great fear.
After this Krishna threw aside his divinity, and became Krishna re-
a mortal as before. And Krishna took his leave of the SMmitv?Mid ^'
Mahdraja, who made many excuses, and said that the plot ** ****"
was none of his devising ; and Krishna answered : — " I for-
give you, but when a ^on is bad, the people will curse the
&ther also."
Krishna then returned to the house of Vidura to take tothe^ouseof'
leave of his father's sister Kuntf : and he said to her: — '^I takoiea^of
Kuuti. •
270
THE MAHA BHARATA.
HISTORY OF
INDIA.
Fart II.
Spirited me»-
Miire of Kunti
toherioiii.
Krishna invites
Kama to join
the F&ndavas.
Kamarefiues
to desert Dur-
vodhana,orto .
take a position
where Aijuna
would appear as
his suporior.
have admonished Duryodhana in various ways in the hope
of dissuading him from a war^ but all my labour has proved
in vain : So I shall now return to the Pdndavas^ and will
carry any message you may choose to send/' Then the
spirit of Kunti was aroused within her^ and she spoke as
follows : — " First prqpent my blessings to Raja Yudhishthiray
and tell him what you have seen of me^ and embrace each
of my other sons for me, and then deliver to them all my
message thus : — ' As opportunity is to be seized upon as a
prey, so you must not be slack now in fighting for the in-
heritance of your father : Take no heed of the rank of your
enemy, nor of the number of his forces, but at once seize
your Raj : Remember that you are Kshatriyas ; that yon
were not bom to cultivate the soil, nor to engage in trade,
nor to beg for bread, but to handle the sword and bow, to
slay or to be slain ; and that it is a thousand times better to
be slain with honour than to live in disgrace : The time has
come when you must show yourselves to be the sons of
Pandu, and prove to the world that Kunti is the mother of
a noble race, and get me a good name amongst mankind :
But I am nothing, and your misfortunes are nothing, when
compared with the insults which were shown to your wife
Draupadf when she was dragged into the assembly by her
hair : If you do not revenge yourselves upon the Kauravas
for the affronts they offered to your wife, it is useless for
you to live : You ought to have avenged the wrong on the
day it occurred, or to have died upon the spot ; but since
you did not do it then, there is the more cause why you
should do it now/ '^
Krishna promised Kunti that he would deliver her mes-
sage to her sons, and then took his leave, and mounted his
chariot and went out of the city. And as he was going he
saw Kama, and he invited Kama to take a seat in his
chariot, and ho said to him : — " If you will accompany me
and join the Pdndavas, they will all respect you as their
elder brother, and exalt you to the sovereignty/' Kama
replied : — " For sixteen years Duryodliana has entrusted me
with the conduct of his Raj, and while he has ruled in his
X. — ^NEGOTIATIONS. 271
own name^ I have been the real Raja : Shall I then forsake history of
INDIA.
Pakt II.
the Kauravas^ who have heaped upon me such favours, and ^^^^^
desert Duryodhana in the hour of his utmost need ? More-
over, on your side there is Arjuna, and his fame is equally
great on the side of the Pdndavas, as mine is on the side of
the Kauravas ; but if I accompany you, men will never be
persuaded but that I am inferior to Arjuna : As for myself,
I know the valour of Arjuna, and in many combats we have
learnt each other^s measure ; yet now destiny must decide
between us : This war is like a sacrifice, and when the fire
is kindled our lives will be offered up : I have seen bad
omens, and I know I shall be slain ; but I have eaten the
bread and salt of the Kauravas, and I am resolved to fight
on their side."
After this discourse Kama and Krishna both wept verv Parting of
^ *' Krishna ftnd
much, and embraced each other, and Kama then took leave KArna.^
and returned to Hastindpur. And Krishna went his way to KriHhnaretinms
*^ , , •' to the FtodavM
the camp of the Pdndavas, and he told to Yudhishthira and *"<* desires
* ' them to prepare
his brethren everything that had occurred from the day on [Je piSn of"
which he had left them until that of his return ; and he Kurukshetra.
assured them that the Kauravas were preparing to march
their forces to the plain of Kurukshetra, where the battle
was to be fought, and that they must now in like manner
prepare for war, and assemble their forces on the same plain.
The myiliical character of the foregoing legend ^^)^J^.
of the embassy of Krishna may now be readily in- to blf SSSdST
ferred from a consideration of the narrative. The g^d^ntiy an
story bears every appearance of being an episode, dS^riSL?^
for it is altogether devoid of results, and might be
omitted without creating any break in the main tra-
dition. Its modem origin seems to be indicated by
its references to Krishna as an incarnation of the
Supreme Being ; though upon this point it may be
remarked that the original form of the episode seems JJi^^'g^tw^T
to have been considerably modified by later inter- hero JSidS in
Krishna as a
hero and as ai
polations. In the first instance, the Brahmanical g^e^supreme
272 THE MAHA BHARATA.
HISTORY OF compilers appear to have represented Krishna merely
Fast II. as a horo endeavouring to mediate between the
Kauravas and Pdndavas ; whilst the abrupt mani-
festation of Krishna as the Supreme Being, having
innumerable armies at his command, seems to have
been the work of a later and more daring inte^
polator ; and indeed is so clumsily introduced, and
so suddenly brought to a close, that it is difficult to
realize the awful spectacle, and still more difficult to
estimate the effect which it ought to have had upon the
Buipicioiu oha. beholders. Again, if the supernatural matter be
gendMawpre- eliminated from the episode, the narrative of the
■entation of the •
SStSl^the**"* embassy can only be regarded as a misrepresentation
PtodSJII.'"* of the actual relations subsisting between the Kau-
ravas and the Pdndavas; for it is imbued with a
spirit of such strong partisanship towards the Pdn-
davas, and such bitter hatred towards Duryodhana
and his party, as to bo almost incredible. If the
Mahdraja and the elders of the house of Bhdrata
were so warmly opposed to the pretensions of the
Kauravas, and so decidedly in favour of the claims
of the PAndavas, as the reports of the speeches woiJd
seem to imply, it is almost impossible to believe that
they should have been induced to join in the war
proceedinm of which foUowcd. It might also be noticed that the
SlLy iS^n™' proceedings of the embassy can in no way be recon-
cilable wuh the .,,.,, . , , T^T- • 1 1
SSIhiimade ^^1®^ With tlio prcvious myth that Krishna made
SS^S!uSSf *° over his army to Duryodhana; but a conflict be-
tween two myths only proves that one must be false,
Turbuieiit ch». wliilst both may be false. Further, it is somewhat
councu at Has. siuffular that the proceedings of the Council at Has-
m^h bScSSi to tindpur, at which Krishna is said to have been pre-
KTOupof ifl^dfl. sent, are decidedly of a tiu*bulcnt character ; and as
such, they not only form a striking contrast to the
X. — ^NEGOTIATIONS. 273
sober character of the more authentic Councils held history of
by the Kauravas or the Pdndavas, but bear a close pabt il
resemblance to the turbulent Councils of the Yddava
tribe, of whom Ejrishna was peculiaily the hero.
Accordingly, whilst treating the narrative of the
embassy of Elrishna as a later interpolation, it is
impossible to avoid the conclusion that it belongs to
the Krishna group of legends, and that it has been
grafted on to the Mahd Bhdrata for the double
purpose of deifying the hero, whilst associating him
with the leading events in the great war.
VOL. I. 18
CHAPTER XI.
PREPARATIONS FOR THE GREAT WAR.
HI8TORY OP The events which intervened between the alleged
pabt li. return of Ejrishna from his mythical embassy, and
Four important the actual Commencement of the war, are curious
SL^^JS^sSia *^^ significant, and appear to have occurred in the
SeliEr^r following order :—
thegr^at war. j^^^ ^j^^^^j^ ^f ^^^ Kauravas and Pdndavas to the
plain of Kurukshetra, and inauguration of a General-
issimo on cither side.
2nd, Humiliation of Rukmin, Raja of Vidarbha.
3rd, Interchange of challenges between the B^au-
ravas and Pdndavas.
4th, Rules agreed to on both sides for ameliorat-
ing the horrors of the coming war.
i8t March of the ^^^^ ^^^^ actiou of the rival parties which fol-
SSISvM to the lowed the return of Krishna to the camp of the
JhetHL Pdndavas, appears to have been the march of both
armies to the famous plain of Kurukshetra. This
plain seems to have been selected as the area of the
coming war, and was probably situated in the
immediate neighbourhood of Hastindpur.^ In the
centre of the plain was a lake, and the Kauravas
* The plain of Kurukshetra is generally idciitifiod witli the field of l^aniput,
which lies to the north-west of the modem city of Delhi. This plain is famous in
mcKlem history an being the site of two of the great^Jst and most dccisiTe battles
tliat have been fought in modem times. It was here that Baber, in a.d. 1525,
overthrew the Afghan rulers at Delhi and established the dynasty of the Moguls;
XI. — ^PREPABATIONS FOR THE GREAT WAR. 275
appear to have entrenched a camp on the eastern histoey of
side of the lake, whilst the Pdndavas entrenched a pabt u.
similar camp on the western side. Accordingly,
during the war which ensued, the warriors on either
side marched out at sunrise into the open plain, and
there engaged either in single combats or in general
charges; but at sunset they returned to their re-
spective camps, and passed the night in perfect se-
curity. The detailed description of these entrenched
encampments, and the inauguration of a Generalis-
simo on either side, may now be related as follows : —
Now when Erishna had departed out of Hastindpur^ Danrodhaua
Dnryodhana held a Council^ and said : — " The Pdndavas have at uastinipur.
several times sent us envoys with proposals for peace^ to
which we have not agreed ; and when Krishna came we sent
him back in despair of persuading us, and he has stirred up
the Pdndavas to commence a war : Now a time of war is not
a time for cljlscussion^ and there is nothing for us to do now
but to fight valiantly^ resolving to slay or to be slain^ and at
least die on the field of honour^ and gain for ourselves great
names : Be all of you of one mind^ and bind yourselves with
us, that so long as oar souls continue in our bodies, we are
sworn not to fly." Then all present at that Council made a Solemn oore-
solemn covenant together according to the word of Duryod- J?^®JS^^
hana. And Dnryodhana summoned all his people, small Kwiravas.
and great, on the plain of Kurukshetra, and he encouraged
them all separately with commendations and presents, ac-
cordinfiT to their several conditions : and he ordered the ranks Duryodhana ra-
® . J J trenches all his
and arranged the standards and ensi&rns, and he commanded foroes on the
./11/.1. plain of Kunik-
that a deep trench should be dug in the flank of his army, ahetm.
and he fortified the trench with towers, and on the top of the pou of makes
towers he placed pots full of snakes and scorpions, and pans
of burning sand and boiling oil.
and it was here, in 1761, that Ahmed Shah Ahdalli, the SoYcrcign of Cabul, in-
flicted such a cmahing blow upon the Mahrattas as indirectly cleared the way for
the establishment of British supremacy.
f /
276 THE MAHA BUARATA.
HISTORY OF Duryodhana then held a great Council on the plain of
PaLt^i Kurukshetra of all the Sajas that had come to aid him, and
all the Chieftains that were in his army : and standinir up
propoaen that in the midst, he proposed that BhCshma should be made
beOeiMiraiis- Gcncralissimo of all the allied armies on the side of the
Kauravus^ as one who had not his match in all the world.
Bhi»hm»mrroe8. Upon this Bhishma said : — " My relationship to the Pdndavas
on con tons. .^ precisely the same as my relationship to the Kauravas;
nevertheless, as I now find myself amongst your forces, I
will engage not to relax my exertions in your behalf : With
Arjuna I do not desire to fight, but I will engage readily
with all others who may come out against me : Inasmuch,
however, as Kama pretends to be on an equality with me,
I most assuredly will not fight unless he abstains firom the
battle/'
Karnaabsmu At theso words Kama said: — ^^I have already declared
M Bbbhma is that SO loug as Bhishma is alive and takes the field, I will
neither put on armour nor engage in combat; bat if any
accident befall him I will then stand forward as the equal of
Arjuna, and engage in battle with him, that it may be seen
to whom will bo given the victory and triumph/'
BhiHhmaso- After this, Duryodhana said to Bhishma: — "Will you
ISwTMOoin?"' honour us by ascending the throne, that we may all stand
Su'wKauravas' ^^^^ o^^ hands reverently joined before you, and that all may
know that you are the Generalissimo ? '' Then all the other
Eajas united in soliciting Bhishma, and he rose up and
bathed, and clothed himself with royal robes, and perfumed
himself, and was brought into the assembly with a royal
umbrella over his head; and all the Rajas and Chieflains
placed him upon the throne of royalty, and they all stood
before him with their hands joined, and the drums of royalty
were beaten in the name of Bhishma.
FAndavM mar- Meanwhile Yudhishthira and his brethren marshalled all
foiSL! Mid np- fclio forces of themselves and their allies, and they took
Svumnato^be* counscl together as to who should be elected to command
the whole j and after much discourse they chose Dhrishta-
dyumna, the son of Raja Urupada, and brother of their wife
Draupadi. So all the armies of the Pdndavas were put under
XI. — PRETARATIONS FOR THE GREAT WAR. 277
the command of Dhnslita-dyumna, and it was everywhere history op
INDIA.
'Pabt II.
proclaimed that all were to be obedient to him, and that no
one was to transgress his orders. Then all the warriors on
the side of the Pdndavas fell into their ranks, and the drums PAndavasmarch
were beaten, and they marched to the plain of Kurukshetra, Kurukahetm.
and saw that the army of the Kauravas was encamped on
the eastern side of the lake, which was in the centre of the
plain. Then the army of the Pdndavas halted on the west- Lake in the
*^ , •' centre of the
em side of the lake, so that the lake lay between them and S^""5 theP&n-
' J davas encanip
the Kauravas ; and Arjuna and Krishna blew their white the^Ske* and'
shells with all their might. And the Pdndavas had the river {JJeShS^'^^'*
Saraswati on one side of them, and on the other side they
dug a deep trench for security ; and they appointed signs or Appointment of
watchwords, so that at night time each party might pass in words.
safety to his own quarters, and the guards be ever on the
alert.
After this the Pdndavas heard that the Kauravas had Pdndavas en-
throne Dhriiih*
enthroned Bhlshma as Generalissimo of all their armies, ta-dyumn».
and they determined to perform the same ceremony
with Dhrishta-dyumna. Accordingly they placed Dhrishta-
dynmna on a throne before all the assembly, and gave
him all the ensigns of royalty, and stood before him with
joined hands in the posture of servants. At this moment Baiar&ma visits
Balardma, the brother of Krishna, . together with others of pdndavas. but
refuses to engac^
the Yddavas, arrived at the camp of the Pdndavas, and ^ ti»e war.
entered their assembly ; and all present arose and saluted
ihem. And Balardma said : — '^ These two armies, which
are directly opposed to each other, present only bad omens,
and I cannot endure to behold this contention : Duryodhana
and Bhima are both my pupils, for I taught to each of them
the use of the mace ; and I will therefore go and worship
at the tombs of my fathers at Prabhdsa.'' So Balardma
took leave of Krishna and the Pdndavas, and went his way
to the place called Prabhdsa,* which is nigh unto the city of gSiuS"f,iJic.
ITWara&U. going narrative
The foregoing simple details of the entrench- meiuofthl^riS^"
camps and the
inauguration of
' Prabh&sa is a place of pilgrimage in the immediate neighbourhood of GcueraliiMiimoa.
Dw&rak&.
Dubious ind-
detita.
278 THE MAHA BHARATA.
HisTOEY OP ments of the rival camps on the plain of Kunik-
pabt II. slietra, and the ceremonies which accompanied tlio
inauguration of a Generalissimo on either side, are
generally natural and interesting. It may be that
the pots of snakes and scorpions, and pans of burn-
ing sand and boiling oil, which were employed by
Duryodhana as a means of defence, are mere myth-
ical embellishments of the later bards ; and so too
may be the description of the regal ceremonies
which were performed on the appointment of a
Generalissimo. But these incidents in no way mar
the interest of the narrative, nor do they seriously
detract from the authenticity of the tradition ; and,
indeed, may be regarded as exaggerations of what
actually occurred, rather than as myths originating
solely in the imaginations of the Brahmanical com-
pilers.
fnd. Leiswid of Tho storv of tlic humiliation of Rukmin belongs
the humiliation ,,./*. i i ^ m •
of Rukmin. ^o a somcwhat different category ; but before offering
any remarks it will be necessary to glance at the
outline of the legend, which may be related as
follows : —
Rukmin Baja After this, Rukmin, Raja of Vidarbka, came up with an
joini*the wmy army to aid the Pdiidavas, and he was received with much
but'te dtemiSS respect hj Yudhishthira and his brethren, and a great feast
inrntprete™^*" was given to him. And when Rukmin had feasted, he
went into the assembly and spoke with a loud voice to
Arjuna, saying : — " Now that I am come hither from so great
a distance, you need be under no apprehensions : I am not
as other men, for even Indra dreads my power, and as for
Drona, or Bhishma, or Kama,. I pledge myself to conquer
all of them ; but you on your part must pledge yourselves
to me, that when you shall enter into possession of the Raj
of the Kauravas, you will allot me a portion of the country/'
When Arjuna saw that Rukmin gave himself such consc*
XI. — PREPARATIONS FOR THE GREAT WAR. 279
quence, he was very wroth, and said : — ^^ What idle preten- history op
sions are these ? For your coming hither we are much p^^^ u
obliged, but your extravagant boasting is more than we can
bear : so you may stay or so, just as you please/' Then Rukmin goes
•^ ^.^ow »/ X ^ over to the Kau-
Rukmin was very angry, and he set off with drums beating rayaa,butiBdijs-
to visit Duryodhana : and Duryodhana received him with yodhana for the
y ' ff ^ ^ ^ same reaaon.
great respect, and manifested as much joy as Yudhishthira
had done. But after awhile Bukmin became boastful and
arrogant as before, and Duryodhana said to him :— *
"Although you have come to my aid, yet I cannot be
friends with a man like you ; and I therefore beseech you to
take your army to some other place." So Rukmin arose in Betums to hia
, own country.
great wrath, and returned back to his own country.
The foregoing legend is suspicious, from its ap- Sj^^^^t'to"
parent want of purpose. That a pretentious Chief- [S^^^iu
tain should have offended both parties by his arro- oFpur^
gance and boasting is intelligible and true to human
nature ; but the question arises of why such a simple
occurrence should have found its way into the na-
tional Epic. The episode, however, is apparently a SrS^'^^tti
later myth belonging to the Krishna group. In the wJuSy S?*^
traditionary history of Krishna, Rukmin takes a
prominent part, by refusing to give his beautiful
sister Rukminl in marriage to Krishna, who accord-
ingly carried her away on the eve of her marriage
to Sisup^a.* The object of the episode thus ap-
pears to have been to represent Rukmin in an unfa-
vourable light, because he had contemptuously re-
fused to give his sister in marriage to the divine
hero.
The next event which intervened between the 3rd. inter-
I't 1 I* TT • y 1 chanpfe of chiu-
mythical embassy of Krishna and the actual com- Jhe'^lJJi^S"
mencement of the war, was the interchange of"^^^^"'
3 The legend of the slaughter of Supb&la by Krishna at the Eajas&ya of
Yudhishthira has already been narrated at page 169.
280 THE MAHA BHARATA.
HISTORY OP challenges between the Kauravas and the PAndavas.
lltfDIA
Past II. It should here be remarked that it was the custom
Custom of wmr- amongst tho ancient warriors to abuse each other in
rion to abuse < • i • i • • t ,
wwh other prior exaggerating language prior to engaging m combat ;
probably with the view of exciting their enmity
against each other to the highest possible pitch
^bujrro cha«c- before coming to close quarters. It will now be
chauenges. ^^^^ ^y^^^ ^^iq challenges between the rival armies
partook very much of this exasperating character.
Instead of a formal declaration of a war, accom-
panied perhaps by a solemn appeal to the Grod of
battles, as is customary with more civilized nations,
the messages which were interchanged by these rude
warriors were couched in the barbarous but out-
spoken language of anger and hatred ; and as such,
are strikingly illustrative of that uncultivated stage
of moral development when men delight in provok-
ing the wrath of their enemies, and regard revenge
as a duty and moderation as a crime. The legend
of this interchange of challenges may be thus nar-
rated : —
Duryodhana Now when the armies on both sides were prepared for
with a challenge battle, Duryodhana called one of nis kinsmen to carry a
challenge to the Pandavas according to the custom. So
Lanruif^eofthe the kinsman went to the Pdndavas, and said: — ''Yon have
challenge.
sworn, O Pundavas, that when your exile was expired you
would come out to war against us ; and the time has now
arrived when you should fulfil your oath : You have been
deprived of your Baj, and your wife Draupadi has been
grievously insulted, and you yourselves have been driven
into exile : Why then do you sit unconcerned, when you
ought to rush into war with your hearts on fire ? Where is
the sleepy Bhfma that threatened to drink the blood of
Duhsdsana P Lo Duhsdsana is here, but where is Bhima P
Where too is the presumptuous Arjuna, who thought to
XI. — ^PREPARATIONS FOR THE GREAT WAR. 281
drive his fist at Drona, and who shocked us by expecting histohy op
that the pupil would get the better of his preceptor ? Per- ^^li,
chance when Mount Sumara is levelled with the dust^ and
the earth rises above it^ and men catch the wind with their
fingers^ Arjuna may take Drona prisoner^ but not before
then : But we are assured that whoever comes out to battle
against Bhlshma or Drona^ be he man or ^elephant^ will
never escape with his life ; and though you are our brethren
and kinsmen^ and have lived amongst us^ yet you know
nothing of our prowess ; like the frog who dwells in a river
and knows nothing of the caves beneath it : And although
Arjuna prides himself on the protection of Krishna^ and
relies on his bow as long as a palmira tree^ yet to obtain a
Baj, men should have good fortune as well as strength^ and
of what use was the bow of Arjuna and the mace of Bhima
on the day of the gambling match when you staked your-
selves to become our slaves ? K S[rishna were a thousand
times as strong as he is^ and Arjuna ten thousand times^
they could not cope with us, nor match themselves with us
on the field of battle/'
At this message from the Kauravas, the Pdndavas were Extreme wrmth
so violently incensed that nothing could exceed their wrath.
Bhlma looked towards Krishna, and said to his brethren : — Bhima's refer.
"Where Krishna is present, it is not becoming of me to
appear presumptuous, but I know full well what answer I
would crive to this contemptible fellow.'' Krishna then said MytWcai reply
° * sent by Knuhna
to the messenger : — ^' You, who all boast so proudly, and pre- totheXaura
Bume to despatch such a message to a camp where I am pre-
sent, will soon behold what will befall your own lives, and the
lives of all your armies, from the' power and majesty of
Tudhishthira, and the strength and skill of Arjuna, whom
you regard so lightly : Just as fire bums up dry grass will
I consume your armies, and when I am mounted on the
driving-seat of Arjuna's chariot, Duryodhana may mount up
to the highest heaven or go down to the lowest hell, but he
shall ever see my face urging Arjuna's chariot full against
him : And as for the sneering message Duryodhana has
sent to Bhima, because he vowed to drink the blood of
yas.
r *
282 THE MAHA BHARATA.
HiS'TOBY OF Dulisdsaiia, I regard his vow as already ftdfilled, for certain
INDIA, j^ |g ^^^ 2^g ^y perform all that he has said : On the montm
Past ML ^
Yudliishthira^ and Arjuna^ and Bhimay will display their
prowess in the presence of all; they are not, as yon are,
prone to arrogant boastings ; but they will prove by their
deeds on the field of battle what they can do/'
Aijana's reply When Krishna had finished, Arjuna spoke thns to the
tothechaiienge. messenger : — "Whatever may be said, or whatever maybe
done, there should be no boasting of valour : Bat say these
words to Duryodhana : — ' If you be a man speak for your-
self, and do not brag of the valour of Bhishma or of Drona^
for such conduct is only befitting in women : Had you been
a man you would have spoken of yourself, and if you only
send Drona and Bhishma to the field, you had better put a
veil upon your head and remain with the women : Bhishma
is our father, and he is lord of us as well as of you; and
Drona is our tutor; therefore I shall not draw the sword
against the face of either, unless either attack me ; but let
Duryodhana come himself to the field, and tiy my prowess:
As for Duhsasana being in the army of the Kauravas^ I am
glad of it, for he is a disgrace wherever he is ; and whatever
may be the army in which he takes his stand, that army will
never behold the face of victory : Go now and tell Duryod-
hana all that you have hoard/'
KrCh* o' , . So the messenger went his way, and told to Doiyodhana
juna carriofi to and tho Kauravas all that had been said : and Kama cried
ibe Kfturavas. ^
out : — " I have no patience with this peddling talk 1 We
must now think of war, and messengers must be sent to all
our armies that all may be ready when the drums beat on
the morrow/' And Duryodhana did as Kama had said.
kSSS^nmdercd The force of the foregoing legend is somewhat
n"f.wSLai*** weakened by the references to Krishna, and the in-
troduction of Krishna's speech, which are evidently
KriSJS^li foreign to the main story. Indeed, the speech of
Me^ Ittr ^^^^^^ ^^ so palpably mythical and superfluous as
ihSSniJ'one Jjnt *^ rcndor comment almost unnecessary. In tlie
Sf ih^SdhiT original tradition the message of Arjuna no doubt
XI. — ^PREPARATIONS FOR THE GREAT WAR. 283
^rmed the sole and appropriate answer to the in- history of
alting challenge of Dnryodhana ; for it is difficult pIS'n.
0 believe that the weak and bombastic language of
kxishna could possibly have found a place in the
Lshatriya story before it fell into the hands of the
irahmanical compilers.
The next event which preceded the breaking out ith. Euies
f hostilities was the alleged agreement of both ^^jj,^^^""
[auravas and Pdndavas to certain rules^ which thlSSSS^^.
ended greatly to ameliorate the savage character of
neient war. The legend of this significant agree-
aent may be thus related : —
Now at tlie same time that the messenger left the as- Circumstances
embly of the Pdndavas^ ^j& Yudhishthira said : — '^ War is Siepromuiga-
Z T . • 1 . tlon of the rules.
LOW close upon us^ and we must appomt our warriors to
heir several posts.^' And it was agreed that Dhrishta-
[yumna should fight Drona^ and Yudhishthira fight Salya,
ad Nakula fight Aswatthdma^ and Bhfma fight Duryod-
lana^ and Aijuna fight Kama^ and others of the Pdndavas
ight others of the Kauravas.
And when it was evening and all was ready for the Rules framed
lattle, Bhishma and Drona sent certain messengers to Yad- i^ns^^a^d ^
dshthira^ saying : — ^' Now that a war is fully determined ?uidW8hth{ir».
ipon between us, it is necessary to settle that it should be
oaintained on right principles ; let it^ therefore^ be agreed
between us as follows : —
" 1. We will make war on each other without stratagem, (i.) no atrata-
3 • . ■■ , J i_ gem or treach*
nd without treachery : ^.
*' 2. When we are fiffhtinff one with the other we will (2.) Perfect
oo ,,. tniccbetwcen
n each side stand to our arms to slay or to be slain, to the combats.
ake oaptive or to become captive ; but when we leave off
ighting, our people and your people are free to mess to-
;eiher, and may come or go to each other^s quarters, and
lold conference together : ^3 ^ py^tives.
" 8. We will not slay the man who runs away, nor ho SJSmmera! and
rlio throws down his arms, nor he who beats a drum, nor tobef,^^ m
le who drives a chariot : ^i,T^
r *
284 THE MAHA BHARATA.
HISTORY OP ^' 4. Horsemen shall only fight with horsemen^ riders on
Pabt^u. elephants with riders on elephants, warriors in chariots with
• warriors in chariots, and footmen with footmen :
anntoflght ^'5. When the warriors are fi&rhtin&r with words only,
only its equaL o o /#
(5.) No combat and are abusing one another, no one amongst them shall
during tLe pre- take up arms against the other:
(ft.) No combat " ^' ^^ ^*^ ^2!^ take up arms against another without
withJut^iJSi. giving him warning :
!l!^\r .u.-^ " 7. When two combatants are eniraired with each other,
(7.) No third o-^o »
warrior to inter- no third man shall interfere/'
f^Bre between
twooombatauts. K.vlA. when the messengers delivered these words to the
Pdndavas, Raja Yudhishthira and Krishna rejoiced greatly;
and Yudhishthira said : — ^^ Bhlshma is our lord, and Drona
is the preceptor of us all ; therefore their words are a law
to us which we will all obey/'
Foregoinff rules The foregoing rules are curious and suggestivei
modem date, fcut they evidently belong to a later age of civiliza-
Diiregarded in tion than the war of the Mahd Bhdrata. It will be
the war of the i /^ 1 1 ■■ • ,•
HahABb&rata. geon, hereafter, that they were almost entirely dis-
regarded in the deadly contest which ensued be-
tween the Kauravas and the Pdndavas ; and, indeed,
they are out of keeping both with the barbarous
character of the times, and the ferocious enmity
Brahmanicai wliich prevailed between the rival kinsmen. The
roiea. probability is that they were inserted by the Brah-
manicai compilers as authoritative rules, promul-
gated under the special sanction of the heroes of
the Mahd Bharata, and consequently obligatory
upon all warriors in after ages. Indeed, it may be
inferred, from the tone of the rules, that they did
not originate with fighting men ; but rather with a
priest caste who were but imperfectly acquainted
with the theory of war, and who had no practical
coiiftwionbe- acquaintance with the spirit in which it must be
IndTfSShS??™ carried on. In the first rule stratagem is for-
XI. — PREPARATIONS FOR THE GREAT WAR. 285
^dden, and is apparently confounded with treach- history of
INDIA.
Part II.
jry ; whereas ambushes, surprises, and deceptive ^^^^•
ippearances were the life and soul of ancient
warfare. Then again, the perfect peace which ac- impi^cticabu-
lordinff to the second rule was to prevail between subtly ASSS."
, , a ring truoea.
he twopirbles in the intervals of fighting, could
icarcely have been observed in that mortal struggle
vhich was avowedly a war to the knife, in which
leither party could gain the victory without the
laughter of all its antagonists. The third rule was Rational nue as
tpparently more reasonable. It virtually ordered «>mbataut8.
hat all fugitives, and all who threw down their
irms,' as well as all drummers and chariot-drivers,
ihould be treated as non-combatants. The fourth Absurdity of the
rule that cavalry
•ule, which declared that horsemen should only fight J^ht^Jithotvai.
i9ith horsemen, elephant riders with elephant riders, ^' ^'
chariots with chariots, and footmen with footmen,
8 evidently the conception of a philanthropic mind
wholly ignorant of the practice of war. Ancient
irmies consisted mainly of infantry, and in all pro-
mbility this was the case in the armies that fought
n the war of the Mahd Bhdrata ; whilst horses, ele-
)bants, and chariots were employed, not so much to
let against forces of a similar character, as to charge
;he masses of foot soldiers, and disperse that all-im-
x>rtant arm. The fifth, sixth, and seventh rules possible anti-
, , , quity of the 5th,
nay have belonged to more ancient times, and in- fj^^ '^^^
le^ are singularly illustrative of the primitive
dmplicity of primeval wars. The fifth rule provided ^*^^fl^*^i„
;hat so long as two warriors, or companies of war- u^SJ^^ab^,
iors, were abusing each other, or confining them- in^o^lSil'^'
1 1 ..-■ /» 1 third warrior to
lelves to a mere battle oi words, no man amons^st interfere ue-
^ o tween two com-
;hem should take up arms against another whatever ^^°^-
night be the provocation he had received. The
0 ^
286 THE HAUA BHARATA.
HISTORY OF sixth rulo provided that no man should take up armi
Fua^. against another without giving him previous wam-
ing. The seventh rule provided that when two
warriors were lighting together^ a third wanior
Non-obMrraaoe should uot interfere. But even these three latter
of the law nj
h!SJSf**"* rules, which were fully recognized as a standard of
morality by the compilers of both the Mahd fihirati
and Rdmdyana, were by no means rigidly obserredi
either by the warriors who fought in the war of
Bhdrata, or by the great hero of the Rdmdyana.
CHAPTER Xn.
THE EIGHTEEN DAYS OP THE GREAT WAR.
The great war of Bhdrata was now on the eve histoey of
of breaking out. Every preliminary had been ar. p^^^ -
ranged for the commencement of hostilities, and the Eve of the great
rival parties were apparently thirsting for the battle. ^*^ ^' i**»^^«**-
Nothing, save perhaps religious animosity, appears
to have been wanting to render the war a ferocious
and deadly struggle. They were near kinsmen
fighting for an inheritance. The jealousy and hatred
of years was rankling in their hearts. The Kauravas
were in possession of the Raj, and had succeeded for
a long period in excluding their kinsmen from any
share in the possession. The Pdndavas, with the
exception of their timid elder brother, were like
starving men fighting for the means of subsistence ;
and to some extent they may have been actuated by
a desire to revenge the aflfront inflicted upon Drau-
padf. At the same time it must be remarked, that
throughout the narrative there is not a single refer-
ence to nationality or patriotism, religion or senti-
ment. The war was neither a contest against a Mean character
^ ^ of the war.
foreign invader, nor an internal struggle against a
tyrant, nor a loyal rising in favoTu* of a deposed
ruler, nor a crusade in behalf of religion, nor even
an aggression for the sake of conquest. It was a
288 THE MAHA BHARATA.
UI8TOEY OP mere war to the knife between near kinsmen for the
Part II. sako of land ; and it was but little redeemed by
those ideas of right and justice which occasionally
elevate warriors into heroes, and convert the bloody
conflict of armies into a final and solemn appeal to
the God of battles-
porm in which Tlic form, liowcver, in which the history of thi«
thehiHtoryof ' \ , t t
SJn'TJ^" ed. ^^^ *^^^ oeen preserved is most extraordinary. In
StlIIt*ti^w"2:h *'^^ original Kshatriya tradition the story was pro-
iwiSJ^li'tni. bably told in a series of war-ballads, narrating at
enuiS^and" somo loiigtli tlio combats between the more cele-
iiiterpoUt^l by , , . ^ •, • «
teSoom^ueS^ bratcd warriors, and the many turns m the prograa
of the struggle. But in the more modern Brahmanical
version of the Mahd Bhdrata these simple incidents
have been spun out to a tedious and bewildering
length. Puerile dialogues have been introduced at
every fluctuation of the fortunes of the war, appar-
ently not so much to add to the stock of facts as to
impress the leading events more deeply upon the
memories of an uncultured audience. Then, again,
this portion of the narrative has been interpolated
in all directions with miraculous feats of arms, and
other supernatural details, as well as with prolix dis-
courses upon moral and religious subjects, which are
utterly at variance with the spirit of the ancient
Neceatityfor traditioii. Tlic rcsult has been that whilst the child-
en minaung a
t?J?3nr\n°' 1^^^ conversations and weird-like scenes and inci-
the^a^ive" dcnts liavo ovcn to the present day a strange
toricai purposes, fascination for the dreamy and credulous intellect of
the Hindii, the wearisome string of senseless talk,
extravagant fables, and irrelevant disquisitions, is so
foreign to European tastes and ideas, and so want-
ing in historical significance, as to be positively
nauseous to enlightened readers. Accordingly, in
Xn. — THE GBEAT WAB. 289
dealing with this portion of the Mahd Bhdrata, it histget op
has been deemed expedient to eliminate a consider- pam n.
able mass of details from the story of the war. The Dimiaedia-
dialogues have been cut away, excepting where they ^^^^^'
really possessed a dramatic value and illustrated the
individual character of the speakers. The descrip- Wdurisome ue-
tions of combats and charges, which in many cases ^^^^
are mere repetitions, have been omitted to a very 5thT.^^"* ^^
considerable extent; and only those incidents and
scenes have been selected which seemed .likely to
convey an approximate idea of the real nature and
extent of the contest. In a like manner the didactic Brahmwiicia
oucounes.
discourses, which are evidently the product of a
Brahmanical age, have been excluded from the text
and reserved for fiiture discussion.
Before, however, proceeding with the task of General descnp-
. \ / ^ . ^ tionoftheox-
selection, it may be convenient to specify more ^^^^^^ "^*«''-
particularly the character and scope of the matter
which has been laid aside ; especially as such a
description will serve to indicate more clearly the
heterogeneous elements which compose the national
Epic. In the first place, it may be remarked that the
war is said to have lasted eighteen days ; and though
it was probably included within a much more re-
stricted period, yet still for the present the term of
eierhteen days may be accepted. The armies, how- Mythical refer-
G •/ J r I ences to the vast
ever, which were engaged on either side, are said to ^uhe?S^
have included such vast numbers of forces that the
account may be safely rejected as altogether incre-
dible. Princes from the remotest quarters of India,
the mythical ancestors of the Rajas who reigned during
the period when the modem version of the Mahd Bhd-
rata appears to have been composed, are said to have
ranged themselves either on the side of the Kaura-
TOL. L 19
290 THE MAHA BHARATA.
HISTORY OP vas, or on that of the Pdndavas, accompanied by
Part II. Blighty hosts to which even the fabled armies of
Scmiramis and Xerxes sink into insignificance. In-
deed the number of forces said to have been engaged
on this memorable occasion far exceed all ordinary
calculation, consisting of millions, billions, trillions,
and even more extravagant enumerations ; so that if
all the present inhabitants of the earth were assumed
to be fit to carry arms, and were multiplied a thou-
sand times over, they would still fall veiy far short
of the number of men who are said to have fought
to the death on the plain of Kurukshetra. Even
the elephants and chariots are counted by lakhs and
crores, or, in other words, by hundreds of thousands
and tens of millions.
Mythical details Thc dctuils of this primitive war have been in
like manner exaggerated beyond all credibility.
Superhuman Thc leading warriors, whilst fighting with all tiie
j^™o^j^JJ^^- bloodthirsty desperation of savages, and burning
with all the frenzied wrath of demons, are endowed
with superhuman strength and skill which raise them
Employment of to the raiik of dcmigods. Magical weapons are
vona, employed which are said to have been received firom
the gods, but which could only have existed in the
wild imaginations of Brahmanical bards who were
Supernatural totally ignoraut of the practice of war. Chariots
^^ °* ' are said to have been broken in pieces, or burnt to
ashes, by the discharge of a single arrow. Elephants
are felled to the earth and slaughtered by single-
handed warriors. Armies are subdued and slain by
the arrows of individual heroes. The picture thus
presented of the field of battle resembles a troubled
Extraordinary and Unearthly dream. On the eve of the war
fearful omens appear in the heavens and upon the
omens.
XII.— THE GREAT WAR. 291
earth, portending the most terrible calamities. Show- history of
ers of blood fall from the sky ; the roll of thunder is pabt il
heard when not a cloud is to be seen; the moon
burns like fire ; asses are bom from cows, cows from
mares, and jackals from dogs. The battle com- Exaggerated
•^111x1 J • i p pomp and cir-
mences with all the pomp and circumstance of an cumatance.
ideal war, mingled with its worst realities. Drums
are beaten, trumpets and war-shells are sounded,
and gorgeous banners are waving in the air. Gigan-
tic Rajas, magnificently arrayed in golden mail, and
armed with every weapon, are standing up in their
chariots, radiant with the strings of jewels which
sparkle upon their necks and arms. Armies are
drawn up in fantastic shapes, such as a spider's web,
a half-moon, or a bird with outstretched wings.
Elephants, cavalry, and endless hosts of infantry, Ex»««>rated
are swayed to and fro like the rushing waves of a
boundless sea at the new and full moon. The air is
thick 'with darts and arrows, or illuminated with the
flashing of swords and spears. But meantime the
sky is rent with the shrieks and screams of the
wounded and dying ; and the plain is overflowing
with the rivers of blood which have issued from the
myriads of human beings who are said to have been
slaughtered in that universal struggle.
If, however, in the place of innumerable armies Real character
' ' *■ ..,. of the contest :
and superhuman battles, the attention is directed to Jnlf? tetSSm
the real nature of the contest, namely, a war to the tSe^^ fcSi?/
knife between two branches of the same family for fion of a landed
•^ inheritance.
possession of a landed inheritance, it is possible to
arrive at a much clearer perception of the number
of forces which were actually engaged, and the real
character and scope of the memorable contest. ItJ^^^,^'
will be seen that the issue of the great war did not
0 ^
292 THE MAHA BHA&ATA.
HISTORY OP depend upon the engagements of armies, but upon
Part II. tlio coHibats of individual warriors ; and indeed so
much stress is laid upon these single combats thai
the innumerable hosts, which are said to have been
led upon the field, dwindle down into mere com-
panies of friends and retainers. Again, it will be
seen that whilst the Brahmanical compilers love to
dwell upon combats with magical darts and arrows,
which could only have been carried on when the
enemy was at a certain distance ; yet the decisive
combats w^cre those in which the rude warriors on
Sir^«,mbats ^^*'^^r side came to close quarters. Then they fought
iSivwI"^"^*^ each other with clubs, knives, and clenched fists;
and cut, and hacked, and hewed, and wrestled, and
kicked, until the conqueror threw down his adver-
sary, and severed his head irom his body, and ca^
ried away the bleeding trophy in savage triumph.
SSS;£^!dt°' Meantime it seems evident, notwithstanding the
ceit^ MiJ foul p^i^g ^hich had been laid down on the eve of the
war, and notwithstanding the efforts of the Brah-
manical compilers to conceal or explain away the
facts, that treachery, deceit, and foul play were
freely practised, even by such a warrior as Arjuna;
and it is curious to observe that efforts are made in
his case to sanctify the deed, by representing the
divine hero, Krishna, as inciting him to the act, and
then extenuating the crime.
irreieii»ntin. But tlicrc romaius ouo othor anomalous charac-
troduction of
dwJSitii'^ teristic of the history of the great war, as it is re-
corded in the Mahd Bharata, which cannot be passed
over in silence; and that is the extraordinary ab-
ruptness and infelicity with which Brahmanical
discourses, such as essays on law, on morals, ser-
mons on divine things, and even instruction in the
XIL — ^THB GREAT WAR. 293
JO called sciences, axe recklessly grafted upon the history of
nain narrative. Sanjaya, the charioteer, who is pabtii.
Bmployed to inform the blind Mahdraja of every sanjaya's din-
3vent that transpired during the progress of the war, g[*f^^^
3nl^rtains his Royal Master with a preliminary dis-
sertation upon the geography of the earth in general,
ind of the continent of India in particular. Krishna iMaiogue bo-
1 k • it • /»!/• 1 /•! tween Krishna
md Arjuna, on the mpmmg ot the first day of the th^fl^n*i22.
Bvar, when both armies are drawn out in battle-array, tlfeBiSSfvIl
md. hostilities are about to begin, enter into a long song."*^
md philosophical dialogue respecting the various
forms of devotion which lead to the emancipation of
he soul ; and it cannot be denied that however
incongruous and irrelevant such a dialogue must
ippear on the eve of battle, the discourse of Krishna,
pehilst acting as the charioteer of Arjuna, contains
ihe essence of the most spiritual phases of Brahman-
Lcal teaching, and is expressed in language of such
lepth and sublimity that it has become deservedly
cnown as the Bhagavat-Gftd, or *' Divine Song.''
The venerable patriarch Bhfshma, after receivinc: a Bhishma's di».
* 7 o course on the
nortal woimd, is not permitted to die ; but lies, like Jhult vji^^""'
m ascetic, upon a couch formed of the upturned STStuiw'uchS
points of arrows, in order that many weeks after the
WBX he may deliver to Yudhishthira a lengthy ad-
Iress upon the duties of Rajas and the final eman-
upation of the soul. Still more incongruous is a J|5 JJ^^^^^J?.
lermon on the efficacy of places of pilgrimage, which SwSfa prefaced
B introduced lust before the final combat with clubs t^eem^yof
•^ places of pil-
between Duryodhana and Bhfma. Indeed no effort «^^*«^
las been spared by the Bralimanical compilers to
jonvert- the history of the great war into a vehicle
or Brahmanical teaching; and indeed so skilfully
ure many of these interpolations interwoven with
^ •
294 THE MAHA BHARATA.
HisTOEY OF the story that it is frequently impossible to narra
PABTii. the one without referring to the other, howev
irrelevant the matter may be to the main subject
hand/
^ Some idea may be formed of the original by the following translation oT
first chapter of the Bhagavad-Glt^ which comprises the appearance of the fid^
battle on the morning of the first day. It will be seen that the blind Mahfci
Dhritar&shtra is being informed by his charioteer Sanjaya of what had tal
place. The translation is by Mr J. C. Thomson, and has been extracted firom
Taluable edition of the Bhagarad-Git^.
" Dhritar(ishtra spoke.
Wliat did my followers and those of P&nda do, when assembled for thepnrpox
fighting on the sacred plain, the plain of Kuru, Sanjaya ?
" Sanjaya spoke.
Wlien King Dnryodhana beheld the army of the P&ndavas drawn up in oider,
then approached his preceptor and spoke these words : * Behold, 0 preceptor! 1
huge ormy of the sons of Pindu, drawn up by thy clever pupil, the son of Dnipi
In it arc warriors with huge bows, equal to Bhima and Arjnna in battle (namd
Yuyudli&na and Vir&ta, and Drupada on his great car ; Dhrishtaketu, Chekiti
and the valiant King of Kkshi ; Punijit and Kuntibhoja and Shaivya, chief of n
and Yudh(iman\ii the strong, and Uttomaujas the brave, the son of Subhadrft, i
all the sons of Draupadi, too, in their huge chariots. But remark those, who
tlie most distinguished amongst us, the leaders of my army, 0 best of Bi^hma
I will name them to thoe, tlmt thou mavst know them.
" * There are thyself, and Rliishma, and Kama, and Kripa, victorious in bal
Aswatthama, and Vikama, and Saumadatti too, and many other herooo, who
thoir lives fur my sake armed with divers weapons, all experienced in war. 1
army of mine, which Ls commanded by Bhishma, is not sufficient ; but that m
of theirs, commanded by Bhima, is sutficient. And do you, even all of you, dn
up in all the ranks of the army, according to your grades, attend even to Bhishi
" Then, in order to encourage him, the ardent old ancestor of the Kurus bleu
trumpet, sounding loud as the roar of a lion. Then, on a sudden, tnun|
kettle-drums, cymbals, drums, and horns were sounded. That noise grew U
uproar. And standing on a huge car drawn by white horses, the slayer of Ma
and the son of Pundu blew their celestial trumpets. Krishna (blew his horn cal
Panchajanya ; the Despiser of wealth blew * the Gift of the Gods ; ' he of dn
ful deeds and wolfish entrails blew a great trumpet called Paundra ; King 1
hishthiro, the son of Kunti, blew * the Eternal Victory ; * Nakula and Sidiac
blew *the Sweet-toned* and the * Blooming-with-jewels.* The 'King of Efl
renowned for the excellence of his bow, and Shikandin in his huge chai
Dhrishta-dj-umna, and Virata and Sdtyaki, unconquerod by his foes ; and Dru|
and the sons of Draupadi, altogether, 0 king of earth ! and the strong-armed
of Subhadr&, each severally blew their trumpets. That no^ lacerated the he
of the sons of Dhritar&shtra, an uproar resounding both through heaven and et
Now when Arjuna beheld the Dh&rtardshtras drawn up, and that the flyin
arrows had commenced, he raised his bow, and then addressed these words, 0 1
of earth ! to Krishna.
" * Draw up my chariot, 0 Eternal One ! between the two annies, that I ;
examine these men drawn up and anxious for battle, (and see) with whom 1 1
XU. — THE GREAT WAIL 295
With these preliminary observations it may now histoey of
be possible to select those descriptions which may p^x il
to figbt in the strife of war. I perceive that those who arc assembled here are
about to fight, from a wish by so doing to do a favour to the evil-minded son of
Dhritarftsbtra.'
" Sanjaya spoke.
Krishna being thus addressed by Arjuna, 0 Bh&rata ! drew up that best of
chariots between the two armies; and before Bhlshma and Drona and all the
kings of the earth, he said : —
" ' Behold, 0 King ! these Kurus here assembled.* Standing there, the King
beheld fathers and grandfathers, preceptors and maternal uncles, brothers, sons,
grrandsons, and friends, fathers-in-law and acquaintances, in both of the armies.
Gazing on all these relations drawn up (in battle-array), the son of Kunti, moved
by extreme compassion, spoke with sadness, as follows : —
« Aijuna spoke.
*' ' Now that I have beheld here this kindred standing near together for the pur-
pose of fighting, my^limbs give way, and my face is dried up (of the blood in my
Teios) and tremour is produced throughout my body, and my hair stands on end.
My bow, G&ndiva, slips from my hand, and my skin, too, bums (vrith fever). Nor
am I able to remain upright, and my mind is, as it were, whirling round. And I
perceive adverse omens, 0 hairy one ! Nor do I foresee anything better, even
when I shall have slain these relations in battle. I seek not victory, Krishna, nor
a kingdom, nor pleasures. What should we do with a kingdom, Govinda ? What
with enjoyments, or with life itself, (if we slew these relatives) ? Those very men
— on whose account we might desire a kingdom, enjoyments, or pleasures — are
assembled for battle, having given up their lives and riches. Teachers, fathers,
and even sons, and g^randfathers, uncles, fiithers-in-law, grandsons, brothers-in-
law, with connections also — these I would not wish to slay, though I were slain
myself, 0 killer of Madhn ! — ^not even for the sake of the sovereignty of the triple
world, how much less for that of this earth ! When we bad killed the Dh&rtar&sh-
traa, what pleasure sl\puld we have, 0 thou who art prayed to by mortals ? We
should incur a crime were we to put to death these villains. Therefore we are
not right to kill the Dh&rtar&sbtras, our own relations, for how could we be happy,
after killing«our own kindred, 0 slayer of Madhu ?
« < Even if they whose reason is obscured by oovetousness, do not perceive the
crime committed in destroying their own tribe, nor a sin in the oppression of their
friends, should we not know how to recoil from such a sin— we, who do look upon
the slaughter of one's tribe as a crime, 0 thou who art supplicated by mortals ? In
the destruction of a tribe, the eternal institutions (laws) of the tribe are destroyed.
These laws beh^^ destroyed, lawlessness prevails throughout the whole tribe.
From the existence of lawlessness the women of the tribe become corrupted,
Krishna ; and when the women are corrupted, 0 son of Yrishni ! confusion of
caste takes place. Confusion of caste is (a gate) to hell both for the destroyers
of .the tribe and for the tribe itself. For their fathers are deprived of the
rites of fimeral-cakes and libations of water, and thus fall (from heaven).
By the crimes of the destroyers of a tribe, and by those who cause confusion
of caste, the eternal institutions of caste and tribe are subversed. We have
learnt (from sacred writ) that a sojourn in hell necessarily awaits the men who
subvert the institutionB of their tribe, 0 Krishna ! Alas ! we have determined
to commit a great crime^ since, from the desire of sovereignty and pleasures, we
296 THE MAHA BHABATA.
HISTORY OP servo to throw some light upon this ancient and
Past II. mcmorablo war. The hostilities are said to have
Nwrfttireofthe extended over eighteen days ; and the nariatiTe
i^toJr*''"*^ ^^y ^^ subdivided into four periods of irregular
Jl^AtagT^the duration, according to tlie days during which tlie
four oommandfl n */^ i*" n §1 tir i n
of the four .uc- tour succossivo (reneralissimos of the Kauravasbdd
oeasiTo G<!neral-
KJ5m.^ the command. Upon this point it may be remarked
BSJjlirfc«iiL that the Pdndavas retained their Greneralissimo,
Dlirishta-dyumna, from the beginning until the end
of the contest ; but that four successive Generaliasi-
mos of the Kauravas fell upon the field of battlei
Bhfshma, who was appointed at the commencement
of the struggle, was slain on the tenth day of his
command. Drona, the old preceptor of the Kau-
ravas and Pdndavas, succeeded Bhfshma, but wa«
slain on the fifth day of his command, or fifteenth
of the war. Karna was next appointed Greneralissi-
mo, but he was slain on the second day of his com-
mand, or seventeenth of the war. Finally, on the
eighteenth and last day of the war, Sdlya was ap-
pointed to the command, and slain before nightfall.
Accordingly, the eighteen days of the war may be
divided into four terms, as follows :-—
(1) Bhfshma's command . •
(2) Drona's command . .
(3) Kama's command . .
(4) Salya's command . .
Total, 18 days,
ist. Bhi8hm»*9 The narrative of the war of Bhdrata during the
command— tea _____^___
are prepared to slay our own kin. Bettor were it for me, if the Dh&rtarftshtraii
being armed, would slay me, harmless and unresisting in the fight.'
" Sanjaya spoke.
llaWng thus spoken in the midst of the battle, Arjuna, whose heart was troubled
with grief, let fall his bow and arrow, and sat down on the bench of the chariot"
10
days.
5
»
2
»
1
■
days.
Xn. — THE GEEAT WAE. 297
m days of Bhfehma's command is little more than history of
description of battles, in which neither the Kau- p^bt n.
ivas nor the Pdndavas gained any decided advan-
ige. It commences with an incident which is H^hiod stoir
ingularly illustrative of the feelings of respect and »^« w«pect for
eneration towards Brahmanical preceptors which |;^pj2!j»j^»*
revailed in later times. In its present place, this SuidTviL*'^
icident must be regarded as a mythical interpola-
Lon, but it is none the less worthy of consideration.
t is also associated with another event of dubious
uthenticity ; but before oflFering any comments, it
lay be as well to relate the story as it appears in
he Mahd Bhdrata : —
Now^ when the night had passed away^ and the morning Horning of the
f the first day of the great war dawned upon the plain of *
Ilurokshetra^ both armies marched out and faced each
ther, and the air was fiUed with the beating of drums and
lie sounding of shells. And Yudhishthira suddenly de- Yudhishthim
jj/L- *i_'i_'j. J jji jx"L proceeds on (bot
cended from his cnanot^ and proceeded towards the army to the army of
f the Kauravas ; and Arjuna and his brethren^ and Exislma
nd the other Bajas^ dismounted in like manner and walked
fter him to see what he purposed doing ; and they earnestly
sked him the reason of his goings but he answered not a
rord. At this moment a great uproar arose amongst the
laoravas^ and they said one to the other: — ''Terror has
;ot the better of Yudhishthira^ and he has come to demand
»eace of Bhishma ; and certain it is that he is not a true
^shatriya.^^ And they danced for joy^ and then held their
»eace that they might hear what Yudhishthira had to say.
Lnd Yudhishthira went first to Bhishma and paid him re- AsiutheWmia.
J xji_' •• j./!T_j. ' J. ix. slonofBhiahmm
erence^ and requested his permission to ngnt against the and Drona to
Caoravas^ and Bhishma granted him leave ; and he then ^urava^
rent to his preceptor Drona, and paid him reverence also,
,nd in like manner asked his permission, and Drona granted
lis request ; and Bhishma and Drona both said to Yudhish-
hira : — " We fight on the side of the Kauravas because for
the
298 THE MAHA BDARATA.
HISTORY OP many years we have eaten their bread and salt^ or otiienrise
p^^'^iL ^° would have fought for you/' Then Yudhishthira re-
turned to the army of the Pundavas, and when he was mid-
Droiia excuM way between them and the Kauravas^ he turned round and
fighting for tiie said with a loud voice to the army of the Kaaravaa : — "0
my friends, whoever wishes well to our cause, let him come
Yojatra. half ovcr and join us." At these words Yuyutso, who was •
ySdSuuL gJw*^ half brother of Duryodhana, deserted his own party and
SSdavM? presented himself to Yudhishthira, and said : — '* If you will
take mo by the hand, and promote me, I will engage myself
in your service." Yudhishthira answered : — " Come then,
I pray you, and I will regard you as one of my own breth- .
ren.^' Then Yuyutsu came out with all his followers from
amongst the Kauravas, and he ordered his drums to beat,
and cried out : — " I am going over to the army of the Pdn-
davas ; so let him who desires to hinder me come forth and
fight me." But no man came out to oppose hiocL So
Yuyutsu wont over and presented himself in due form to
j<?yofthePAn. Yudhishthira; and the Pundavas and all their army were
''*** much rejoiced, and beat their drums in joy ; and Yudhish-
thira took off the coat of mail from his own body, and had
it put upon Yuyutsu, and ho called for another cuirass for
himself.
Mytw»i cha- The apparently mythical cliaracter of the fore-
j>rBgoing ind- going incidcuts may now be briefly indicated. The
Yudhbhthlm's strange story of the visit paid by Yudhishthira to
•Hek^h'i^ut'cr Bhfshma and Drona on tlie very morning of the
period. battle, and his Pharisaical request that they would
permit him to fight the Kauravas, evidently has its
origin in the abject submission to elders and pre-
ceptors w^liich is so rigidly enforced by Bralimanical
JPES^hSSiwd ^^^^* '^'^^ proceedings of Bhfshma and Drona are
felSJii y?uiiity equally forced and artificial. Their open declara-
v^. tion that they would have fought on the side of the
Pdndavas had they not eaten the bread and salt of
the Mahdraja, is not only improbable, but inconsist-
Xn. — ^THE GREAT WAR. 299
ent with the post held by Bhfshma as Generalissimo histoet op
of the allied armies of the Kauravas, and the esteem pabt ii.
and respect in which both were held by the sons of
Dhritar^shtra. At the same time such a declaration introduced to
harmonize with
18 perfectly in accordance with the mythical speeches th?/S5fild to
said to have been delivered by those warriors at the ^'Kithul'7^
Council held at Hastindpur to receive Krishna as an
ambassador from the Pdndavas. Accordingly it
seems highly probable that the incident Ims been
introduced to harmonize the violent partisanship
which they exhibited at the Council in favour of
the Pdndavas, with the fact that they were prepared
to fight to the death in behalf of the Kauravas.
The desertion of Yuyutsu from the Kauravas to the Dubious aa-
"i-fc/i • till* Xi 1 •! thenticityofthe
Pandavas is somewhat dubious. It may be either ^"^^ ®^
an actual fact, or a mythical interpolation. He is
said to have been a son of the Mahdraja, but only a
half-brother to the Kauravas ; and it is easy to con-
ceive of a jealousy between the half-brothers which
may have led to the desertion of Yuyutsu on such
an occasion. At the same time, the existence of
Yuyutsu is doubtful. The blind Mahdraja is not
likely to have had a son by any woman save his
wife Gdndhdri. Moreover, as all the Kauravas are
said to have been ultimately slain upon the field of
battle, the Mahdraja would have been doomed to
the fate, so terrible in the eyes of a Hindii, of dying
without leaving a son behind him. The introduc-
tion of Yuyutsu as a son by another mother, and
the preservation of his life by a timely desertion,
saved the Mahdraja from so dire a calamity.
The story of tKe commencement of the battle, Piwt day of the
and the combats which ensued on the first day of
the war, may now be related as follows : —
war.
r f
300 THE MAHA BHARATA.
*
HISTORY OF Now aftor Yudhishtliira had returned to the army of the
VhxtVi, Pindavas, Bhishma advanced with the troops of the £[aiuft-
vas, and Bhima marched out from amongst the Pdndavaa to
Battle iH^ween confront him. And Bhishma blew his war-shell whidi
Bhishma and
Bhima, and souudcd like tho roar of a lion. And Krishna and Ariimi
their raspectlTe •*
•™^«- sounded their shells in reply, standing in a huge chariot
drawn by white horses ; for Krishna drove the chariot of
Arjuna on all the days of the war. At that moment there
was a mighty uproar throughout the plain; and the airwu
filled with tho beating of drums and the sounding of war-
shells j and the men shouted, and the elephants roared, and
the horses neighed, so that the earth and air resounded with
a clangour which seemed to reach the sky. Then Bhimt
cried out with a voice of thunder, louder than all the other
noises ; and the Kauravas were deafened at his cries, and
were as fearful as children who had seen a demon ; andthej
Character of the hurled a shower of darts at him. Then Duryodhani
advanced with ten of his brethren, and they shot their
arrows at Bhima and his soldiers, and thus the battle com-
menced ; and the shouting of the combatants, and the
gleaming of the cuirasses, and the flashing of the swords and
spears, were like a storm of thunder and lightning. And
the other Pdndavas came out to help Bhima, and there was
as good a battle among them as has ever been seen or
heard, whilst the dust dimmed the light of the sun, and the
sword-strokes fell like heavy rain upon a mountain. And
Bhigie combats. Yudliishthira fought Sdlya, and Dhrishta-dyumna fought
Drona, and Drupada fought J ayadratha, and there were very
many other single combats between .renowned warriors
whose names need not be declared. And they fought fairly
for about an hour or two, each man against his own foe, and
those who were mounted fought against those who were
mounted, and those who were on foot against those who
Dinregardofthe were on foot ; but then, like drunken Asuras, they forgot
o fig ting. ^ ^^ \s,yr^ of fair fighting, and fell to in great confusion.
Combat between And Abhimanjru, son of Arjuna, seeing that the battle was
Abhimanyu and going against the Pdndavas, went out against Bhishma, and
Bhishma. fought with great valour ; and he cut down the ensign on
Xn. — ^THE GREAT WAR. 301
Bhishma^s chariot^ and passed on and killed some and history op
wounded many ; and as he was returning, many darts were p^^^Jj
thrown at him, but he regarded them as so many drops of
water ; and Bhlshma bestowed great praise upon Abhimanyu, stowcsd by
and said that of all the heroes he had ever known, he had ^>i« prowew of
AbhimanyiL
never before seen a youth, whose age was only sixteen
years, perform such prodigies of valour. And Uttar, son of Combatbetwem
Baja Virdta, was mounted on an elephant, and fought **
against Sdlya ; and his elephant overturned Sdlya^s chariot
with his trunk, and Sdlya fell to the ground; but Sdlya rose
up and discharged an arrow at Uttar, who thereupon fell
senseless from the elephant, and was carried off by his
father's people ; and Sdlya slew the elephant, and it fell to
the ground like a tower. Then Bhishma charged the Coinb«tbetw<>en
soldiers of the Pdndavas and made great havoc, but Arjuna Aijuna.
went out against him ; and Bhishma attacked Arjuna iirst,
and the two fought together for a long while, until the sun
set and the drums beat to quarters, and the first day of the
great war of Bhdrata was fully over.
The foregoing account of the first day of the Mythical di».
war of Bhdrata is followed in the Mahd Bhdrata by Sd^^rilSlSr
a dialogue between Yudhishthira and Krishna,
which is both puerile and mythical. The language
is poor and the matter contemptible, whilst it seems
to have been inserted for the sole purpose of as-
sociating Krishna with the war. As, however, it
may serve as a fair specimen of the many dialogues
which are introduced into the story, it may be re-
produced here, as follows : —
Now when it was nisfht, Yudhishthira went to the Yudhishthi™
complains of th6
lodgings of Krishna, together with his brethren, and J^j^j^^mmi^
Dhrishta-dyumna, and other warriors ; and he said to him :— J^'^^p^**
" You have seen, 0 Krishna, how Bhfshma has fought this
day, and how in his old age he so handled our army, that
had not Arjuna stood out against him we should have been
wholly discomfited : These people of mine compared with
302
THE MAHA BHARATA.
HISTORY OP
INDIA.
. Past II.
Consoled by the
rcmoiuitnuiopif
of KrinhiiA. who
dwells on the
nroweiM of Ar-
juna and
Dhrbhta-
djrumna.j
NuratWe of the
war fh>m the
■ccond to the
tenth day.
Second day of
the war.
The P&ndavas
r«*pu1iM>d by
BhiHhma, but
ralliod by
Aijuna.
Bhifthma reluc-
tantly eufoigta
with Aijuna. .
Bhiraa attacked
bv the Baja of
Maffadh& and
hiaarmy.
Blifshma arc liko moths around a lighted lamp; and I
believe it would bo bettor for me to dismiss them all, and
retire to the jungle, or step aside and slay myself/' Krishia
answered : — " O Raja, why do you despair so soon^ wha
you have so many valiant brethren, and sach fiimou
warriors on your side ? ^Vhat if Bhfshma did make havoc
in your army, such is the nature of war, and a tiger does not
fall back at the first rebuff: Moreover, towards evening time
Arjuna made equal havoc amongst the Kauravas : Besidei,
no army ought to despair which has Dhrishta-dymnna in
command.^' And Dhrishta-dynmna was much pleased it
the words of Krishna, and the spirit of Yudhishthira w»b
revived ; so they all took leave of Krishna and returned to
their own quarters.
The narrative of the war from the second to the
tenth day contains some curious incidents, but de-
mands no preliminary explanation. The story may
bo accordingly related as follows : —
Now on the morning of the second day, the two armiea
appeared again upon the plain in battle array ; and Duryod-
hana commended the care which the Kauravas had taken
of Bhishma on the preceding day, and desired that they
would now be equally mindful. Then Bhishma and the
Kauravas rushed upon their enemy, and at the first onset
they drove the Pundavas back; and Arjuna seeing this,
requested Krishna, who was his charioteer, to drive him
against Bhishma. And Duryodhana reproached Bhishma^
in that he had quarrelled with Kama, who was the only
warrior in the world who was fitted to oppose Arjuna. And
Bhishma replied : — " Shame be upon me for being a Ksha-
triya, for however reluctant I may be, I am compelled by
honour to fight my beloved Arjuna.^' And he immediately
set out to do battle with Arjuna, and the two heroes fought
and wounded each other. Meanwhile Dhrishta-dynmna was
engaged in a hard contest with Drona. At this moment
Bhima came up and was stopped by the Baja of Magadhd,
and hemmed in by the people of the Baja; and Bhima took
XII. — THE GREAT WAR. 303
Ids mace and struck about him in all directions^ and at history of
every stroke he killed several elephants, and such a battle p^^ti
took place between them as was fought in olden time —
between Indra and the Asnras. And the son of the Baja of siaji^ a eon of
* the Bftia of
Magadhd came up and killed Bhfma's charioteer and his M«g«il,4.
four horses, and Bhlma slew him with one blow of his mace.
Then the Baja of Magadhd, to revenge the death of his son,
drove his elephant at Bhlma, who was now without horses
or driver; and Bhima leaped down from his chariot, and Vauiteonwieie-
rushed forward with his sword, when another son of the » second son.
Baja of Magadhd interposed with his elephant ; and Bhlma
put his hands upon the tusks of the elephant and vaulted
upon his back, and cut off the head of the young man and
threw it at the feet of his father. And the Baja of Magadhd siavs the iuij»
almost died with grief at the death of both his sons, and lUasingie^iow.
had a fierce battle with Bhlma ; but at length Bhlma lifted
up his great mace and slew both the Baja and his elephant at
a single blow. Then the Baja^s troops fell upon Bhlma, but
lie blew the shell of victory, and his own army heard it and
came to his rescue ; and the Kauravas were greatly troubled
when they heard that the Baja of Magadhd and his two sons
were amongst the slain.
After this there was a great battle between Abhimanyu, Abhimanyu
son of Arjuna, and Lakshmana, a son of Dnryodhana. The Duryodhana.
two youths fought bravely together, and Abhimanyu gained
the victory and slew the son of Duryodhana. And when Attacked by
Dnryodhana saw that his son was dead, he flew with many andrehcuedW
of his Bajas to attack Abhimanyu, and the Pdndavas cried
out : — '' They are murdering Abhimanyu by force of num-
bers.^' And Arjuna heard these words, and pounced like a Flight of all the
falcon upon Duryodhana and all his forces: and all the sound of Ajju-
Bajas fled at the very sound of his chariot, and left their
arms, and their horses, and their elephants, and everything
else behind them, for there was no one amongst them who
would face Arjuna. And Duryodhana called upon them by
name to rally round him, but no one heeded his words, and
Duryodhana finding himself alone was compelled to fly in
like manner. So Arjuna gained the victory, and he and
304 THE IIAHA BHARATA.
HISTOBT OF Krishna blew their shells in triumph. Meantime the win
Pabt^ Bhishma perceived the disastrous condition of his armfiand
T^ZTT was much astonished, and he said to Drona : — '^ See. woitiw
AlMrm of Bhish- ^ ' * *
crwiturt iT aT^ preceptor, how Arjuna is committing fearful havoc : He ii
juna. dreadful as Yama, and I see no chance of defeating him tUi
day ; and our own army is so shattered that we cannot leid
them against the Pdndavas, who the more they fight seem to
grow the stronger : The gods are against us ; our warrion
are weary and panic-stricken ; and it would be unwise to
expose them this day to another conflict : So pass the order
for leaving the field, and direct that all may be ready in the
morning for to-morrow's battle.'' Then Drona gave tlie
order, and the Kauravas returned to their camp with sad
Buooewes of the hearts. But on that day the Pdndavas had done michtT
things, and they and their troops returned to their quartan
in great joy and glory; and so that night passed away.
Third day of the On the moming of the third day the Pdndavas drew up
Trraiendoiu thcir army in the form of a half-moon, and made such »
pitXvmM in\ho charge that they fell at once on the front and two flanks of
moon. the Kauravas. And they dashed on pell-mell and broke the
enemy's line and threw it into disorder, and then re-formed
themselves and charged again; and in the confusion
charioteers and horsemen charged the footmen contrary to
rule, and slew them wdth darts on which they had inscribed
their own names ; but order was soon restored by Bhishma
and Arjuna, and they then fought their equals only, as had
Terrible simogh- been agreed upon at the beginning of the war. The slaughter
on this day was terrible, and the plain was strewed with
heaps of dead, and weapons of every description, and bodies
without- heads, and horses without riders; and the dust was
Cripnoftho laid with rivers of blood; and the wounded writhed about in
wounded. ' ^ ^
all directions and filled the air with their piercing shrieks
and melancholy cries ; and still as they fell and rose they
struggled in combat with each other ; and fronci the excess
of bloodshed and carnage that day the battle was called
Si!hoS*h<SlS Maliaradra. Even the bodies of those who were dead rose
other?*** ^^^ up without their heads and fought each other ; and when the
people saw this they saw it was an omen that the whole of
XII. — THE GREAT WAR. 305
the living would be slain. Then the great Chieftains of the histoey op
Kauravas fell upon the Pdndavas, and the battle raged i^^^ix
furiously, and was fearful to behold; for when the swords of
the warriors were blunted and their arrows spent, they tore
up trees by the roots and slew each other with them, or flew The warriors
at each other with their clenched fists, and kicked, and fist*, ft^t. teeth.
and naila.
wrestled, and tore each other with their teeth and nails.
And the Pdndavas drove back the Kauravas, and the Repulse of the
Kauravas in their flight resembled the rushing of the waters
at the new and full moon.
Duryodhana now saw that his forces were being routed,
and he went to Bhishma and complained of his indifierence Duryodhana
oomplainsof rhe
to the slaughter of the Kauravas, and begged that he would indifference of
exert himself to the utmost to defeat the Pandavas. At
these words the eyes of Bhishma became red with wrath, but Bhishmarenews
he sounded the shells and trumpets, and the Kauravas the Kauravas
arc driven liack
responded to the call ; and the battle raged again more i>y Arjuna.
furiously than before, and Bhishma drove the army of the
Pdndavas before him, and killed very many. But Arjuna
requested Kiishna to drive him against Bhishma, and the
Pdndavas turned back and fought desperately ; and after a
long time the E^auravas were defeated, and retired to their
5wn quarters ; and the Pandavas blew the shell of victory
md returned in triumph to their camp, and bestowed great
^raises upon Arjuna, and thus ended the third day of the
cattle.
And now the war raged every day from the fourth to the The war rages
linth day, and sometimes the Chieftains fought single to the ninth day.
^mbats, and sometimes the armies fought together pell-
nell ; but though very many were killed on either side, yet
ihe issue was as far ofi* as ever, and the Pandavas were still
inconquered, whilst the Kauravas were much disheartened Kauravas dig-
-I . .1-1 r^ ^ • n T • ii 1 -I heartened at not
kt their ill success. On the evening of the ninth day, when wnquenng the
xanuavaSa
he Kauravas had returned to their quarters, Duryodhana,
Sakuni, Duhsdsana, and Kama held a consultation together
ibout their disasters : and Duryodhana said : — " 0 warriors, Duryodhana
. i-r-v 1 «>™pl*i»8tohi»
why is it that whilst we have Bhishma, and Drona, and chieftains of his
•^ •11 want of success
Kripa, and Sdlya on our side, we are still unable to conquer
VOL. I. 20 .
306 THE MAHA BHARATA.
HISTORY OF tlio Pandavas ? Why should I be defeated every day, and
INDIA. ^y army decrease in numbers, whilst the Pdndayas are still
alive ? Let me know, I pray you, how we can succeed in
to^JJ*th?fSIi. destroying our enemies ? '' Kama replied : — " O Baja» ctsi
ma will retire asido your griof I Arrange that Bhishma withdraws from
mAiuL ^ * the fight, so that I may put on my armour and do battle
upon the plain, and I swear to you that I will dear tlift
earth of the Pdndavas/^
Doryodiuma So Dury odhana went to the tent of Bhishma and said ^'
Bhishma that (< If you will defeat the Pandavas according to y our promiae,
he should retire. '' , .
it will be well ; but if you are desirous of showing mercy to
the Pandavas, then do you lay aside your arms and permit
Kama to destroy my enemies."
Bhishma's When Bhlshma heard this reproachful language from
Duryodhana he was touched to the heart, and uttered not a
word j but presently he exclaimed, with a voice of thunder:—
BhiMhmaen- ^^ 0 Raja, I am doing my utmost, and disregarding my own
thePfciidavaBon life, in order to serve you : Why then do you still reproach
the tenth day or ' . . . -iii^^i i vn
periah upon the me With cruel words I Un the morrow however you shall
either behold me dead upon the field, or you shall be
entirely freed from your enemies." So saying he dismissed
Duryodhana and retired to his own couch.
Tenth day of the Next moming, being the tenth day of the war, Duryod-
hana told all his Chieftains that Bhishma had resolved to
slay the Pandavas or to fall by their hands. Then the
armies were marshalled upon the plain, and Bhishma pro-
ceeded to the front of his army ; and challenged Arjuna to
Terrible conflict battle ; and there was a terrible conflict between Bhishma
ma and Arjuna. and Arjuna which lasted many hours, and all the warriors on
either side ceased their combats in order that they might
Bhishma mor- look on. At last after much fighting Bhishma received a
tally woun . jjjqj.|.q^| ^Qund ; and he fell from his chariot upon the ground,
and Arjuna went up to him and brought him water, and all
the warriors on either side paid homage to the dying
patriarch. But Bhishma did not give up the ghost, but lay
on the ground many days, and a guard was set upon him by
Eaja Duryodhana until he died.
Review of the
SS*^.*^*"^ The foregoing selections from the narrative of
Xn. — THE GREAT WAR. 307
the first ten days of the war are sufficient to illus- histoet op
trate the desultory character of the fighting ; and vast il
here it should be remarked that however popular
some of the scenes appear to be, such as the mythi-
cal contest between Bhfma and the Raja of Magadhd
and his sons, the onslaught of Arjuna, and the great
charge of the army of the Pdndavas in the form of
a half-moon, still the interest centres in the single interest oentros
combat between Bhfshma and Arjuna, in which the gSLb'^iSd*"
una.
former was slain. The legend of this combat un- ^'
doubtedly referred to a real event ; but in the Mahd
Bhdrata, the narrative is so overloaded with super-
natural details, introduced for the purpose of ex-
plaining away the imseemly character of the contest
between the old patriarch and his youthful kinsman,
that it will be sufficient to accept the bare fact that
the two warriors engaged in several single combats,
and that ultimately Bhlshma was slain. One point, sinpiiw effort
,,, .to Brahmanise
however, in these mythical additions appears to be g*^£^^ °'
worthy of notice, namely, the palpable effort to
Brahmanize the character of Bhlshma. In what
appears to be the original tradition Bhfshma is re-
presented as a loyal and venerated patriarch, who
had withdrawn his claim to the Raj in order to
gratify his father, and had subsequently educated
the fathers of the Kauravas and Pdndavas for the
throne, and trained them in. the use of arms. The
Brahmanical compilers, however, seem to have been
desirous of reproducing so celebrated a hero in a
character more adapted to their own religious ideas ;
and consequently, by the bold introduction of fa-
bulous matter, they have actually succeeded, from a
Hindu point of view, in transforming the rude and
honest veteran into a pious ascetic and moral
308 THE MAHA BHARATA.
BISTORT OP teacher. ]3hfshma is said to have been so thickly
pabt II. pierced in every part of his body by the arrows of
TTTm Ariuna, that when he fell mortally wounded from
Mythical story J ' •'
b^ftS'^maiS* his chariot, he rested as it were upon the points of
TOuch ^mtd of the arrows. A pillow for his head was formed by
then delivered fj^r^g morc arrows. lu this conclition ne lay m a
■ome moral ana »
wUjrt^dia. g^g^^^ ^f consciousness for many weeks, having re-
ceived from his father the miraculous power of fix-
ing the hour when he should die. In the first in-
stance he called for Duryodhana, and in a lengthy
address advised him before it was too late to restore
half of the Raj to the Pdndavas ; and subsequently
tried to persuade Kama to desert Duryodhana and
espouse the cause of the Pdndavas. Having failed
in both cases, he continued to lie on his arrowy
couch, until long after the war was over, when just
before giving up the ghost he took the opportunity
of delivering to Yudhishthira a prolix discourse on
the duties of kings.* Such startling incongruities
as these are only valuable as illustrating the character
of the interpolations, which the Brahmanical compil-
ers have introduced into the national Epic ; but the
Brahmanical teaching involved in the discourses will
be brought under discussion in dealing with the re-
ligious ideas which prevailed at a later age.
2nd,Drona*H Thc sccoud pcriod iu tlic proOTcss of the war
command— five , , ^ . .
*^"- comprises the history of the five days during which
2 Another preposterous myth connected with the death of Bhishma may be re-
corded in a note. lie is said to have received the mortal wound not from Arjnna,
but from a warrior named Sikhandin, who was a younger son of Raja Dmpadi.
In a previous birth Sikhandin is said to have been a female named Ambu, and was
indeed the elder dauf^hter of the Raja of Kfisi whom Bhishma had carried away to
be the wife of his half-brother Vichitra-virya. She hud perished in the jungle,
but before lier death she had been assured by Tarasu Ruma, tliat she should become
a man in a future birth, and cause the death of Bliishma, who had been the author
of all her misfortunes. See page 53.
XII. — ^THE GREAT WAK. 309
the command was held by the preceptor Drona, who histoey op
succeeded Bhlshma as Generalissimo of the Kaura- pI^t^
vas. At this stage of the contest the single combats prominence of
became more prominent ; and it is evident that in '*"''^'® «>™*»t»-
the original tradition it was in a great measure these
combats that decided the fortunes of the war. The Threeimportant
, , incidents in the
narrative of Drona's command is characterized by SJ/rromiiSd;
three important incidents : —
1st, The attempts of Drona and the Kauravas to
take Yudhishthira prisoner.
2nd, The death of Abhimanyu, son of Arjuna,
and the tragical circumstances which followed it.
3rd, The death of Drona, who was slain in a
single combat with Dhrishta-dyumna, the General-
issimo of the Pdndavas.
Tliese incidents will call for remark hereafter,
but they may first be related as follows : —
Now it was on the tenth day of his command that Election of
Bhlshma was mortally wounded ; and Duryodhana, and his
brethren, and all his allies retomod to the camp very
moamful ; and they elected Drona to take the command
in the room of Bhishma.
And on the morrow, which was the first day of Drona' s Eleventh da^ of
-r\ •! ***® **' *°^
command, and the eleventh of the war, Drona promised first of Drona's
' ... command.
Duryodhana that he would take Yudhishthira prisoner; Efforts of Drona
bat he could not do as lie had desired, for Krishna and ffiSS?^."'
Arjuna were ever on the alert to protect Yudhishthira. Kii^hJSflid'
And when it was evening, Drona said to Duryodhana : — " I ^"***-
cannot deliver Yudhishthira into your hands whilst Krishna
and Arjuna are his keepers ; but if you can draw away
Arjuna from the field, I can take Yudhishthira alive."
Then Susarman, Baja of Trigarta, said to Duryodhana : — Suaannan and
" I and my four brethren will send a challenge to Arjuna on thren send a
the morrow to fight us at some place far away from Yud- Arjuna.
hishthira ; and it is certain that he will accept the challenge
310 THE MAHA BHARATA.
HISTORY OP without Caring for our superior numbers/' And Duryod-
INDIA. hana approved of the plot, and Susarman and his brethren
took an oath that while life remained they would not turn
their backs against Arjuna; and they kindled a fire and
adjured it to bear witness to their sincerity. So Susar-
man despatched a challenge to Arjuna to come out to battle
on the twelfth day of the war; and Arjuna acquainted
Yudhishthira with the challenge which he had received.
And Yudhishthira said : — " This is a plot to separate yon
from me, that Drona may take me prisoner according to hia
Aijuna accepts promise." But Ariuna replied: — "I am bound not to
the duOlenge, ^ .
contrary to tho refuso any challenge, nor to dispute about the place pro-
biahthira. posed, nor to chaffer about superior numbers.'' So Arjuna
returned answer that he accepted the challenge.
Twelfth day of When the morning of the second day of Drona's corn-
second of Dro- mand and twelfth day of tho war had fully come, both
na's command. i • i m -i a • i •
armies were put in battle-array; and Arjuna, having
obtained the permission of Yudhishthira, wont to the place
appointed by Susarman, and found the brethren there, and
Aijnnft defeats sounded his shell. And tho battle lasted some time, but
hu brethren. Arjuna obtained the victory over all his enemies, and put
them to flight, and tlicn taunted Susarman and his brethren
with tho oath they had taken not to turn their backs upon
him. Meanwhile, Drona advanced to take Yudhishthira
prisoner, and Yudhishthira retreated in great alarm ; and
Yudhiahthira being much pressed, he mounted a fleet horse and galloped
escapes ^ing out of sight j for it is no sliamo for a Kshatriya to fly away
by Drona. from a Bnihman. And Duryodhana and Kama reproached
Drona, for having permitted Yudhishthira to escape out of
his hands.
Thirteenth dy On the third day of Drona's command, and thirteenth
third of Drona'8 dav of tho war, Susarman and his four brethren sent a
command.
second challenge to Arjuna to fight in the southern quarter
Arjuna fights of the plain, and Arjuna again accepted the challenge,
second time. Meantime Drona, who was very skilful in the art of war,
Drona draws up drow up his army in tho form of a spider^ s web j so that if
tho form of a a Paudava made a charge, and got within the enemy's lines,
he would be thereupon surrounded by warriors and unable
XII. — ^THE GREAT WAR. 311
to make his escape. And when the Pdndavas saw their history op
enemies arranged in this manner, they were astonished, and i^^^j
said : — " As Arjuna has gone out to fight Susarman and his
brethren, we are unable to draw up an army in the same able to oppose
array as the Kauravas.^' So the Pdndavas marshalled ** *^^
themselves in the best form that they were able, and placed
Bhima in their van, and their other Captains here and there.
Then Yudhishthira said to his principal warriors :— " The
Elanravas have placed themselves in an array which no one
understands save Arjuna and Krishna ; so until they return
it will be necessary that some who are here should fight
against them, lest it should be said that without Arjuna and
Krishna we are no match for the Kauravas.^' And there
was present the young and heroic Abhimanyu, who was only
sixteen years of age ; and he was the son of Arjuna, and
had been married to Uttard, the daughter of Raja Yirdta.
And Yudhishthira said to Abhimanyu : — " A son is the Yudhishthira
essence of his father, and a lion^s cub has the valour and himanyu to
fierceness of the lion ; so do you charge the Kauravas and apider's wob.
break this spider's web of theirs.'* Then Abhimanyu
kissed the feet of Yudhishthira, and said : — " You desire
me to pass through this impenetrable spider's web, but I
cannot consent to take the lead in any dangerous under-
taking." Then Yudhishthira said : — '' I only ask you to
enter the spider's web, and make a passage for us : We will
follow immediately upon your heels : If you can once make
an opening it ¥rill never close ; and Bhima and others of our
army will take care to profit by your skill." Abhimanyu
replied : — " O reverend Sire, I shall enter the impenetrable
spider's web, as an insect falls upon a fire : But unless I kill
one of my enemies, I am not the son of Subhadrd ; and if,
seated upon my chariot, I do not kill all the Kshatriyas who
are here, I will never acknowledge myself to be the son of
jnna." Abhimanyu then ordered his charioteer to drive Abhimanyu
on. and he entered the ranks of the enemy, and challenged riot into the
T1T7- ii«'i"i' enemies* ranks,
any warrior to battle : and the Kauravas caucrht him m tneir and performs
. . n ^ 1% n prodigies of
midst like a whirlwind ; and Abhimanyu fought manfully, valour.
and he cut down all who came before him ; but he was as a
312 THE MAHA BHARATA.
HISTORY OF single man against all the Kaaravas. Meanwhile the Pan-
INDIA. davas saw that the boy was being hemmed in, and they
pursued him closely to deliver him ; but the wicked Jayi-
vented by Jay*- dratha saw what they were striving to do, and the fire of
cuing AbUi- enmity was in his heart, for the humiliation he had received
after carrying away Draupadi. And Jayadratha threv
himself into the way of the Piindavas, so that they could not
Abhimanyu pass him and rescue Abhimanyu. At this time Duhsdsana^
ftU TOTiont and and his son, and four other warriors surrounded the yonng
Abhimanyu, and thought to slay him ; but he still withstood
them all. At last his foot slipped, and just as he was re-
covering himself, the sou of Duhsdsana struck him on the
head with his mace and dashed out his brains ; and he died
that same moment as pure as if he had never been born.
Extreme beautv And lie was vorv vouno: and very handsome, and he lofk the
Abhimanyu. world with such a display of valour as no man has ever
seen ; and such sweetness and beauty appeared upon his
dead body, that all who saw him were astonished at his
cojnoliness, and they lamented him very sore. And when
Profbundimof Yudliishtliira heard that Abhimanyu was dead, he rushed
to the spot and found him lying on the earth covered with
wounds as befits a hero; and he could not endure the sight,
but threw himself upon the ground, weeping and wailing,
and casting dust upon his head ; for he knew that it was by
his command that Abhimanyu had gone upon this service.
G«nerni outciy And all his friends and all the enemies of the Kauravas
cowardly Chief- aliko Condemned the manner of the death of Abhimanyu,
Abhimauyu. for tlicy said it was a cowardly thing for six experienced
Chieftains to fall upon such a stripling.
Arjuna*8 over- Now as Arjuna was returning from fighting Susarman,
deaSiof Ab-^*'^^^ saw many evil omens, and he showed them to Krishna;
himaiiyu. ^nd when they returned to their quarters, Yudhishthira told
him all that had happened to his son Abhimanyu ; how that
Abhimanyu had been beset by six heroes, and had fallen
with the utmost glory, and how Jayadratha had blocked up
the way and prevented the Piindavas from coming to the
jjSSirathrbo- ^'^scue ; but he did not say that he had commanded Abhi-
th™mo?l!Sw!*" manyu to charge the Kauravas. When Arjuna heard that his
XU. — THE GREAT WAR. 313
on was slain, his grief was beyond all bounds, and lio fell history op
INDU.
Part II.
[own like one dead ; and when he recovered himself he swore ^^ ^*
hat he would take the life of Jayadratha before the setting
►f the morrow's sun, or else enter the funeral pile ; but ho
ras a changed man under the burden of his grief, and the
lerspiration ran down his face heavily. Then Krishna KrUhtia con-
oid : — " Your son has perished so gloriously that his fame
vill endure for ever, and it might be said that he is still
Jive : Children, like worldly goods, are given to us by God,
Lnd he can resume them at his own pleasure." In this
oanner Krishna in some degree consoled Arjuna ; and he
hen went off to comfort Subhadrd, the mother of the Comforts su-
roung man ; and he said to her : — " How happy is the uttart, the
nother whose son has met with so glorious a destiny ! '* widow of
. Abbimanyu.
Phen he spoke in like manner to the young widow Uttara,
vho was about to become a mother ; and after a while he
idministered some consolation to them, for they had given
hemselves up to despair. He then dismissed all the Rajas
vho had come to console Arjuna, saying : — ^^ It is now
light, and the morrow is a great day for us, and you should
lot lose a moment of sleep that you can possibly secure."
3o the Kajas went to their several quarters, and Krishna iiis touching
vas left alone with Arjuna ; and he took him by the hand, •uwn Arjuna
tnd led him in, and seated him, and he laid many topics of night.
consolation before him ; for ho would not leave him alone
eat ho should rush out in despair and fall madly upon the
jnemy in the night time; but he ordered all the people
kbout him to continue armed and on the watch throughout
he whole night. And when it was midnight Krishna called Ord^^n hischa-
o his charioteer, and acquainted him with tho vow that momtodnyo
\jrjana had made to slay Jayadratha, and ho ordered him Jayadratha.
o make ready his chariot at early mom that he might drive
Lijona to the battle.
Meanwhile a spy, that was in the camp of the Pilndavas, Cowardiv at-
11 Till- /»! A- t4'nii)t or Java-
lad gone to Jayadratha and told him of the vow that Arjuna dratiia to with-
lad made. And Jaya^lratha was sore afraid, and at night
ime he went to Baja Duryodhana, and besought him for
eave to depart ; and Duryodhana took him to Drona, and
314 THE MAUA BUARATA«
HISTORY OF told all his story. Bat Drona made light of the matter, and
INDIA. g^- J . — i( 'n^gj.Q Q^Q many great warriors here who C5an pro-
tect Jayadratha ; and on the morrow I will so arrange the
army that Arjuna cannot come near him, and I will station
him in the rear of the army/^ So Jayadratha was satisfied
and returned to his own quarters.
Fourteonth day Now when the mominsT had dawned of the foarth day of
of the war and *-' /
fourth of Drona's command, and fourteenth day of the war, Arjuna
Drona 8 com- ' •' ^ 'J
mand. wont out to fight Jayadratha, and Sdtyaki and Bhfma went
of Arjuna, With him ; but Duryodhaua kept them at bay; and these
Bhinia to reach four Cliicftains wero like four Mwihlers, and Jayadratha was
Jayadratha. o ^ ./
their stake. And Kama came up and fought Bhfma, and a
Combia be- warrior, whose name was Bhurisrava, fought against SatyakL
and Bhuns- ^nd tho battle between Bhurisrava and Sdtyaki was very
hot, and when their weapons were all exhausted they came
BhurUtrava to closo quarters after the manner of wrestlers. And Bhn-
conquen* SAtya- ,
ki and prepares risrava caufflit Sutvaki by the hair of his head, and kicked
tocutotfhis , ^ ^ ^ .
head. him on his breast, and dragged him along the ground, and
made ready to cut off his head. Now Sdtyaki was the kins-
man of Krishna, and Krishna seeing that his kinsman was
Krishna ro- about to bo slain, turned to Ariuna and said : — '' We must
quests Arjuna •*
to inUTfore. hasten and rcloaso Siityaki.^' So Arjuna threw a weapon
the"arnis"of ^ wliich cut off the arms of Bhurisrava, and saved the life of
unsraxa. gjjtyaki. Thcu Bliurisrava opened his mouth in abuse of
IthuriRrava y ^ ■>■
abuses Arjuna Krishna and Ariuna, and said : — " The Pdndavas once were
for interfoniig. . .
famous for fair fighting, but it is foul play that whilst I am
engaged with my own antagonist, you should come up and
wound mo unawares : Will Yudhishthira praise you for
such conduct, or is it Yudhishthira, or Indra, or BdLhma
Arjuna's de- who has givcn you such lessons in war ? '^ Arjuna answer-
ed : — " War is altogether treachery and deceit, and the
whole business of it is to get the better of one's enemy:
Now Siityaki is one of our side, and you had seized him by
the hair, and were dragging him along the ground, and the
injury was as if it was done to myself; and when you wero
going to cut off his head, where would have been any friend-
ship in the world if I had not rescued him from your hands ? "
vairep^ii*". But all the Kauravas bitterly reproached Arjuna for throw-
Aijuiift.
Xn.— THE GREAT WAR. 315
Qg a weapon at a man with whom he was not in conflict ; history op
INDU.
Pabt II.
fctid Arjuna bade them look to themselves, who had sent six ^^^^•
>f their greatest warriors to murder his son Abhimanyu,
rho was a mere stripling and had done no harm. Mean- respecting the
oowftixllv
vliilo. Bhurisrava in consequence of his wound had let his murder of hii
. owu son.
weapons fall to the ground, and prepared himself for death ;
aid Arjuna said to him : — '^ Since it is I who have caused
rour death, I now send you to the assembly of Indra ; so go
thither until you are purified from all your sins.^^ At this s&tyaki beheads
ime Sdtyaki, who had been delivered from the hands of
Bhurisrava, approached him in great anger; and notwith-
standing all that Krishna and Arjuna could say to prevent
kia falling upon a dying man, he buffeted and kicked Bhuris-
rava, and then he cut off his head.
When Sdtyaki had thus slain his enemy, Arjuna went D<»speratc con-
tlict betwcpii
with him and Bhima to fight against Jayadratha; and the Arjuna and
3ay was far spent, and Duryodhana sent many wamors to
Bght against them, so that the sun might set without the
Fulfilment of the vow, and Arjuna be compelled to enter the
fire. And Arjuna fought desperately and defeated many
Chieflains of high renown ; and at last he found Jayadratha,
and enfiraffed with him in battle. And Jayadratha strucf- Arjuna beh<»d.i
gled with all his might, for the sun was going down in the berore sunset.
west ; and he and Arjuna came to kicks and buffets, and
Arjuna at last threw him upon the ground, and cut off his
head only a moment before the setting of the sun.
Then Bhfma, when he saw the head of Jayadratha, set Exultation of
^^ the l^iidavaH
up a loud shout of triumph ; and the hearts of the Kauravas and frriefoftho
, . . 1 Kauravas.
were filled with sorrow, whilst the Pdndavas rejoiced with
exceeding joy. And the sun set in the heavens, but the
warriors would not stay the battle in the evening as they Battle con-
had done on all the previous days of the war, but they out the night.
fought on and cared not for food or sleep ; and there was
much slaughter, for every man was in great wrath. And
when the darkness came on they fought at hazard, not
knowing friend from foe. And the night became terrible FnghtM con-
beyond all telling ; fathers slew their sons and sons their darkness.
lathers, and they cut and hewed like men that were mad.
316 THE MAHA BHARATA.
HISTORY OP Then Yudhislithira, seeing that the darkness was filling the
Part h. plain witli unutterable horror, ordered many lighti^d torchei
Plain of Kii- ^^ ^^ brought ; and every man took a torch and fongU
by^torohcs!^* "^ ^^^^'^ ^^ "^ ^*^^ hand, and ton torches were fastened to every
BBttiPMvncHby chariot. And the whole plain of Kurukshetra was as liirlit
torchlight. ^ . . ® .
as day ; and the golden cuirasses of the Rajas wore as radi«
ant as the sun; and the jewels on their arms and hands
sparkled in the glare, and the swords and spears flashed
like lightning. And they threw large stones at each other,
and hurled chariot- wheels ; and when a man threw his
enemy down he cut off his head, and carried it in his hand;
and their mouths wore stained with blood as they thirsted
for the blood of each other, and the plain was filled with
dead coii)ses. And the son of Bhima, by his Asura wife, wm
amongst the slain.
Short itiu^r\ai And wlicu it was about midnight, and sleep was over-
inidiiiKht. powering the eyes of all those who remained alive, Arjuna
cried out with a loud voice that the battle should cease for
a while, and that all men should rest and sleep. Then all
the warriors on either side rejoiced at the words of Arjuna;
and the rider of the elephant laid his head upon his ele-
phant, and the horseman laid his head upon his horse, and
for a brief space tlioy were in a deep slumber; but presently
Renewal of the thc moon arosc, and both armies were awakened and again
liffht. begirt tlioniselvcs for shedding each other's blood. Then
Uiiryodliaiia reproached Drona, inasmuch as he had not
murdered the Pandavas whilst they were sleeping; but
Drona objected to the wicked perfidy, and said that Arjnna
The iMittio goes could never be taken thus. And the battle raged furi-
Piiiidavas.' ously, aiid Yudhishthira was sorely wounded, and the Rajas
Virata and Drupada were both defeated by Drona, and
Drona cut oif their heads upon the plain. Now the Pdn-
davas were nearly vanquished, for thousands of their war-
Vowof Dhrishta- riors worc slain ; but Dhrishta-dyumna, the Generalissimo
dyuiiiiia to slay ^ iii»i'/»v
i^roiia. of the Pandavas, vowed to avenge the death of his father
]>upada, and took an oath that he would not drink water
Bhima n«hts "^^il ho sliould liavo slain Drona. Then Bhima said to
•miriij""''' Dhrishta-dyunma : — " You are too young a warrior to cope
XII. — THE GREAT WAK. 317
itli sucli an experienced soldier as Drona, so let me engage history op
im first so as to tire him, and then do you come up and p^^ ^
nish him/^ And Bhima fought with Drona until the
-i-wT • 1 -I /» T • Flftwnth day
Sing of the sun, and then Dhnshta-dyumna fought against of the war and
bx)na until it was mid-day, but neither could prevail against command.
Lm ; but at this moment it was falsely told Drona that his na flKiits Drona*
_ _ I'TT !• Dronaovercome
m Aswatthama was dead : and Drona laid down his arms, by means of a
lie.
id Dhrishta-dyumna rushed upon him and severed his
Bad from his body. And Dhrishta-dyumna then took up Dhrishta-dyum-
le head of Drona, and threw it towards Duryodhana and Drona.
le other Kauravas, saying : — '^ Take the head of him in
'horn you prided yourselves, and I will cut ofi* all your
eads in like manner/^
Then all the Pdndavas rejoiced exceedingly, and Bhima Rejoicings of
the P&nuavas.
an to Dhrishta-dyumna and embraced him, and kissed his
and and face, and said: — "To-morrow, when Kama also
as lost his head, I will kiss and embrace you again /^ But
11 the Kauravas were very sorrowful when they beheld the Deep rojmjt of
ead of Drona, and they were all disheartened, and like a the death of
ock without a shepherd ; and they wore in great despair,
nd said : — '^ The Pdndavas have extinguished the light of
8 all/' Then they all burst into tears and forsook the field
f battle. At this time, Aswatthdma, not knowing that his
ither Drona had been slain, went to Raja Duryodhana, and
sked him why he desisted from fierhtinff : and when As- Vow of Aswat.
^ oof th&matore-
^tthdma heard all that had happened, he said : — " If I do venge the death
*■ * of Drona.
ot revenge the death of my father, and slay Dhrishta-dy-
mna, and all his kinsfolk, I am not the son of Drona : So
>ng as I have breath will I make war against the Pdn-
avas/^
The foreffoinff narrative of the five days of Review of the
^ *-j •/ ^ fon^goingac-
)rona'8 command comprises some of the most sig- di""of DronJvT
lifieant incidents in the history of the great war. ^'""'*"'*-
VTiilst it has been found impossible on all occasions
0 separate the mythical from the real, still the
;raphic pictures of barbarous warfare, and the
errible illustrations of the savage passion for re-
318 THE MAHA BHARATA.
HISTORY OF venge, which are frequently presented to the ima^-
paut II. tion, throw a strong light upon the real character of
this memorable conflict.
Yudhishthira The first point which demands consideration ii
coward. the representation of Yudhishthira, not merely as a
man of peace, but as an arrant coward. In the
negotiations which preceded the war, he had offered
to sacrifice so large a proportion of his own righto
and those of his brothers as to excite the anger of
Draupadl and the disapproval of Krishna* But in
the foregoing narrative he exhibits a pusillanimity
which is scarcely intelligible. When attacked by
Drona he mounted a horse and galloped away ; and
such cowardice is excused on the ground that it was
no shame for a Kshatriya to run away from a
Brahmanicai Bnlhiuan. This assumptiou in favour of the Brah-
nations aMHignod , ,. « . , . .
f.r hia coward- maiis IS sturtling trom its very audacity, and may
be ascribed to the same Brahmanical compilers
who would convert Drona into a Brahmanical Guru
or Acliarya. Again, when Drona had drawn up his
army in dangerous array, Yudhishthira refrained
from charging the enemy himself, and commanded
his young nephew, the boy bridegroom of sixteen
years of age, to make the desperate attempt ; but he
appears to have been so ashamed of his conduct on
this occasion that when he was called upon to tell
tlie sad story to Arjuna, he carefully suppressed the
fact that he had himself ordered Abhimanyu to
charge the ^^ spider's web." How far this singular
timidity formed a part of the real character of Yud-
hishthira, or how far it is the result of the effort of
the Brahmanical compilers to represent him in the
character of Dharma, must of course be open to
question. Possibly Yudhishthira, who is elsewhere
Xn. — ^THE GREAT WAR, 319
treated as a model of goodness and wisdom, is in- histoey op
tended as an apology for the imwarlike conduct of p^m h.
the Brdhmans themselves, or for the cowardice of
some priest-ridden Raja, who had been brought
under the thraldom of the Brdhmans.
The story of the death of Abhimanyu, and the Touching ch».
.•' , J ' racterofthe
tragical incidents which followed, forms, perhaps, JJ^J^'^*^****
one of the most touching events in the history of the
war. How far the details are mythical will be a
matter of opinion ; but the main story is pain-
fully pathetic. The boy bridegroom had been
cowardly overpowered and slaughtered after per-
forming prodigies of valour; and the beauty and
sweetness of his countenance in death excited the
pity of all who beheld him. But the wrath of the
spectators was excited not so much by the dastardly
conduct of the six warriors who had surrounded
the stripling, as by the malicious proceeding of
Jayadratha, the ill-conditioned Raja who had endea-
voured to carry off Draupadf in the jungle, and who
on the present occasion obstructed the Pdndavas in
their eflforts to rush to the rescue. Under such cir-
cumstances the vow of the bereaved father to take
the life of Jayadratha becomes intelligible, and the
details connected with the performance of the vow
are such as might have been expected in an ancient
tradition which has been more or less embellished by
the bards. But there are one or two collateral scenes
which are very susrgrestive. The combat between savage ch».
J OO nutter of the
Bhurisrava and Sdtyaki is fearfiilly savage. After a Bh^risr^ilTd
desperate struggle without weapons, Bhurisrava '** ^*
throws his enemy upon the ground, and drags him
along by the hair, and then prepares to cut off his
head. Arjuna interferes, contrary to the laws of
320 THE MAHA UHARATA.
HI8T0EY OP war, and saves SAtj^aki by mutilating Bhurisravo.
pIrt li. Lastly, Siityaki falls upon his wounded enemy, kicla
and buffets him, and then cuts off his head. Such
atrocious proceedings seem to have excited both
armies to madness ; and led to that desperate battle
by torch-light which furnishes, perhaps, the most
picturesque description of hand-to-hand carnage
which can be found in the history of war.
?^vicw of tho The death of Drona, the venerable preceptor of
death of Dnwiu. ' l Jr
the Kauravas and Pandavas, was evidently regarded
as a turning-point in the great struggle. He had
nearly vanquished the Pandavas by the slaughter of
their chief allies ; but he in his turn was slain by
the son of one of his victims. Ho had defeated
and put to death his ancient enemy Drupada, the
liaja with whom he had been at feud when he first
entered the service of MaliAraja Dhritardshtra ; and
it is a curious circumstance that the Pandavas had
originally aided their preceptor in revenging himsdf
upon Drupada, and had subsequently taken the
daughter of Drupada to wife. Dhrishta-d}nimna,
the son of Drupada, swore to revenge the death of
his father, and did eventually succeed in beheading
Drona, as Drona had beheaded Drupada. But in
Mvthicai do- the Mahu Bharata the story of the combat between
in'th^Faur Dhrislita - dyunma and Drona is complicated by
mythical details, which have apparently a two-fold
object in view ; namely, first to represent Drona as
a Brahman, and a faithful worshipper of Vishnu;
and, secondly, to cover or conceal a treacherous lie
which seems to have been told by Yudhishthira.
Kitraordinary ^^lic outHuc of tlicsc mytlucal additions may be in-
fu'couiit of a lie ^ •' •'
tow b^Yud-^ dicated in a few words, and may perhaps serve as a
"^ sample of much of the religious matter which has
XII. — THE GREAT WAE. 321
3ecn grafted upon the original tradition. The histoey of
>attle between Dhrishta-dyumna and Drona was pabtil
ought with magical weapons, and gods and Rishis '
were amongst the spectators. Many armies came to
;he aid of Dhrishta-dyumna, but the martial skill of
Drona, and his long and faithful worship of Vishnu,
mabled him to resist every enemy. At length K>wma8UR-
^ishna, somewhat inconsistently with his divine
character, told Yudhishthira that if he would assure
Drona that his son Aswatthdma was dead, the old
jrarrior would immediately lay down his arms and
>ecome an easy prey. Yudhishthira, however,
itterly refused to tell a lie, even to secure the death
)f so powerful an enemy. Krishna then endea- ^^^^.
roured to overcome the difficulty by directing the ~*"*°^
Pdndavas to slay an elephant which was named
iswatthdma; as by so doing the statement that
^watthdma was dead would cease to be a lie.
Bhfma accordingly killed the elephant, and then
old Drona that Aswatthdma was dead. But Drona
was convinced that Bhfma was telling a falsehood ;
md in his anger he slew ten thousand cavalry and
jwenty thousand infantry, and would have destroyed
ill the armies of the Pandavas, had he not been
restrained by the gods and Eishis who reminded him
ihat he was a Brdhman. Drona, however, was still
listurbed by the idea that Aswatthdma might be
lead, and accordingly asked Yudhishthira, who had
lever been known to tell a falsehood. Yudhish- Manner in
. _,_, which Yudhish*
;hira accordmgly intended to say: — " Aswatthdma gjjj*^^^*j^
a dead ; not indeed the man but the elephant." No
K>oner, however, had he uttered the first part of the
sentence than Krishna and Arjuna soimded their
^ar-shells with all their might, and Drona only
VOL. I. 21
322 THE MAHA BHARATA.
HISTORY OF heard tho words: — "AswatthAma is dead!" At
PijiTii. the same time Drona was assailed by evil omms.
His left eye began to quiver, his left hand began to
shake, his heart grew weak, and tears flowed fiom
the eyes of his horse. He still, however, eontinued
fighting until Bliima again assured him that As-
i>ron»di«iin watthilma was dead. Believing now that his son
the charactor of ...
y«?**"^ was really slain, he stripped himself of his arms,
and sat upon the end of his chariot cross-legged
Escape of his like a Yogi. He then drew up all the breath of his
BkliiL body into a spot in the neighbourhood of his heart,
and drove it into his head, upon which the top of
his skull was burst open, and his soul escaped through
tho orifice like a ray of the sun. Dhrishta-dyomna
then rushed upon tho expiring body and cut off the
head. The terrible story of the revenge of Aswat-
tliAma for tho slaughter of his father will appear
hereafter.
srd, Kama's By thc death of Drona the Kauravas were once
command— two , ' i n ji • r^ ^• • itt
d«y». more deprived or their Ueneralissimo, and Kama
was elected to succeed to the command. ELama
only held this post for two days, namely, the six-
teenth and seventeenth of the war ; but within this
brief period are crowded some of the most decisive
events in the great struggle. Tho most important
combats which took place during Kama's command
were as follows : —
Thrjoimporiant jst, Tho battlo betwccn Kama and Yudhish-
thira.
2nd, The battle between Bhfma and DuhsA-
sana.
3rd, The crowning battle between Kama and
Arjuna.
The story of these incidents is as follows : —
Xn. — ^THE GREAT WAU. 323
Now Drona had been slain in the fifth day of his com- histoet of
INDIA.
Part II.
mand^ and on the fifteenth day of the war ; and when it was ^ndia.
Election of
evening the Kaoravas assembled together and elected
Kama to be their Generalissimo in the room of Drona. Kjmia°to°bo
T^T j^ • ±^ TT J T 1 ^7^ • Generalissimo
^ext mormng the Kauravas^ commanded by Karna^ agam ofUieKauravas.
went out to battle on the plain of Knrukshetra; and there orVh^^warlSId
was a great slaughter, and the rivers flowed with blood, and ^^JJS^"* *
the whole plain was covered with corpses ; and when it was indecisive
struggle.
evening the battle was^ stayed, and the Pdndavas and
E^auravas returned to their respective camps. Now after
nightfall Duryodhana summoned Kama, and Duhsdsana, and
Sakuni, and many others to Council, and said : — '' This is
the sixteenth day of our war with the Pdndavas, and some
of our greatest Captains, such as Bhfshma and Drona, have
been slain to our great reproach/' Kama then smote his
hands together, and said : — ** It has so happened that the
Pdndavas have escaped with their lives from my attack this
day, but you shall see how I will deal with them to-morrow,
as well as with their army ; for I have determined with my- Kama engages
self either to slay Arjuna and his brethren to-morrow, or to
lay my head level with the ground." At these words
Duryodhana and the other Kauravas returned with great
elation of mind to their several quarters.
On the mominff of the seventeenth day, both armies Seventeenth day
«AiT -I n 1 ,t 1 1 11 1 of the war and
bathed and perfumed themselves, and arrayed themselves »«^nd of
, _ _ Kama's oom-
in all their splendour; and they all said to each other: — mand. . .
" This will be the great day of the war, and whoever comes
oat safely from this day's battle will be like one who is
born again.'' And when both armies had been drawn up in
opposite ranks, Kama ascended his chariot, and drove to
the chariot of Duryodhana, and said : — " This is the day on
which I will slay Arjuna, and now if I do not kill him you
shall never see me again : But Arjuna has Krishna for his Sljgi^*"'*
charioteer; and if Sdlya, the Raja of Madra, will drive my would dnvchii
chariot, I shall be certain to get the better of Arjuna, for if
any one in all this army can match Krishna in driving, it is
Sdlya." So Baja Duryodhana went with some of his
brethren to the quarters of Sdlya, and Sdlya was not yet
• •
324 THE MAHA BHABATA.
BISTORT OF mounted for the battle ; and he received Dnryodhana widi
Pabt'il ©v^ry mark of respect, and seated him on the same coudi
with himself/' Dnryodhana then said to Sdlya : — '' There
maket the re- IS not in my army this day a smgle person who is equal to
you, and just as the Pdndavas pride themselves upon haying
Krishna, so do I pride myself upon having you : Now I have
a particular request to make to you : To-day Kama is to
combat with Arjuna, whose charioteer is Krishna, and we
have no one among us who can drive like Krishna except*
ing yourself : My request is therefore that you will mount
Kama's chariot this day, and drive it for him ; and then
Kama will certainly be the conqueror of Arjuna/'
SAiy»*8 indigna- When Sulya heard this speech he threw himself into i
'^"* great rage, and rising up from his seat, he strack his hands
together, and said : — " 0 Duryodhana, I have committed
one great fault, that when I was going to join the Pdndavu
I suflTered myself to be persuaded to join your army; and
n*»Bnec»rsatthe now I am punished by being asked to be a charioteer to
M the son of a Kama, who is himself the son of a charioteer : I have a
hundred persons in my service who are quite equal to his
father, and shall I make myself a servant to him J" So
saying, Sdlya went out in a rage, but Duryodhana and his
Duryodhana brethren followed him, and said : — " We all of us respect
his rt'Bpect, and you as our Chief, and we know that there is no one equal to
ranks him with ... tt- • -i i t^t t t • •
Krishna. you lu either army save Krishna alone : We did not mvite
you to bo charioteer to Kama out of disrespect, but because
such a condescension on your part would ensure us the
victory ; and surely it would be no more derogatory for yon
to drive the chariot of Kama than it is for Krishna to
drive the chariot of Arjuna/' Sdlya replied : — *' Since you
rank me with Krishna I am satisfied ; and I will drive
Kama's chariot provided he obeys my orders and does as I
shall direct him/' And Duryodhana agreed to the condi-
tion, and he and all his brethren paid many compliments to
Salya. So Sdlya rose up and went towards Kama's chariot,
and he said to Kama: — ^'At the request of Duryodhana I
have consented to drive your chariot on the condition that
you will not swerve from my advice." Kama answered :—
Xn. — ^THE GREAT WAR. 325
^'As Siva was cliarioteer to Brdhma, and Krishna is histoey op
INDIA.
Past IL
charioteer to Arjuna, so have you now conferred a similar 'ndia.
favour upon me"
Kama then ascended the body of the chariot^ and g4iya drives
mounded his shell and beat his drum ; and he said to Sdlya : — Aijima/***^
' Drive speedily, I pray you, to the chariot of Arjuna, for I
liave nothing to do with Yudhishthira, or Bhima, or the
>ther Pdndavas, but with Arjuna only/' And Sdlya drove
)ff the chariot ; and when they had gone a little way the
x>ur horses suddenly halted of their own accord, and a bone Evu omeni.
*ell upon Kama from the air, and it could not be seen from
whence it came. And Kama said : — " 0 Sdlya, these are bad
>mens, and I much doubt if I shall return in safety from this
cattle ; but I have no intention of returning, so drive me
igainst Arjuna and Krishna, and God's will be done/' Then
Slama went to the field of battle, and there arose a conten- Coutention be-
ion between Kama and Sdlya, for Sdlya would vaunt the »i€i s&iya ru-
prowess of Arjuna, and declare that Kama would be alarmed prowcw of
it the twanging of his bow. And IQima replied in a rage : — Kama wtoru
' I have heard a description of the people of your country to ihrde^raved
)f Madra, and you measure me by what you are yourself: sluya^subjeou.
[n your country, wives and mothers, sisters and daughters,
brothers and uncles, all commune together without modesty
)r shame, and eat flesh and drink wine until they are drunk,
md then all dance together in a medley ; and if their enemy
}ray for quarter they continue fighting until they have killed
lim ; and if the enemy prove victorious, they sacrifice their
^ives and children to him without shame or concern : But I
lave taken you with me to assist me in this conflict, not to
iry and terrify me with Arjuna, and be a cause of mischief
o me : If your heart be right towards me, conduct mo at
mce to Arjuna, and you shall then see how I will deal with
dm ; but if you mean to deceive me, descend from the cha-
iot before the battle begins, that I may get another driver
n time, and do what I have to do ; for if during the combat
! see any sign of treachery in you, I will certainly slay you."
Kud Sdlya, hearing these words, began to drive Kama to-
v^ards the ranks of the Pdndavas.
Now when Kama charged the Pdndavas, Arjuna had JhYpJudaJS'
326 TTTE MAHA BHARATA.
HISTORT OF again gono away to fight against Susarman and his brethren;
INDIA. Q^jj^j Kama bore down upon tho Pdndavas^ and pressed on to
tho spot whcro Yudhishthira was^ and commenced a batde
TRl!Jffi.Mhr™in with him. And at first Yudhishthira wounded Kama in the
the B^nce of ^^^^j^g^^ ^^^^ Kama pressed him hard ; and the people of Yud-
hishthira placed him on a fleet horse to favour his esci4)e;
but Kama pursued him^ and pulled him off the horse bytbe
Repw^chos neck, and said : — '^ Had you been a true Kshatriya and son
for the c<»ward- of a Kaia, vou would novor have turned your back upon tba
Ice he hail im- , « , i -• i *. •
bibod ftnom field of battle ; but as you have spent so much of your time
amongst Brdhmans^ and have borrowed their disposition
and manners^ you cannot stand in the field against men of
courage : Take therefore to your heels, for why should I sky
you ? Though had you been Arjuna I would have put yon
to death without hesitation/' So Kama turned about, and
left Yudhishthira upon the ground ; and Yudhishthira waa
Wrath of Yud- presently removed by his own people, but ho bitterly »•
bfhig left with- proachod Bhima and Dhrishta-dyumna for haviner suffered
out pratectioiu . ,
him to bo so greatly dishonoured in the absence of Arjuna.
Then Bhhua fell upon Kama, and a great battle ensued, and
Kama once again bore down like a lion upon the ranks of
the Pundavas. Meantime Arjuna had conquered Susarman
and his bretlii*en ; and hearing that Kama was making great
havoc ho became alarmed for his elder brother Yudhishthira,
and desired Krishna to drive him back to the side of Yud-
hishthira. And Krishna did so, and Yudhishthira was re-
joiced to see them, for ho thought that Arjuna had left
AmcprofYud. liini to fiffht Kama. When however Yudhishthira heard
liishthira with , . . , , /* i oi
Arjuna for iiKht- that Ariuna had merely cfone away to fight Susarman, he
h»vo*b«^n*!rii?- ^'^^ "^ ^ great rage ; and he taimted Arjuna with having fled
iitg Kama. from Kama, and bade him give up his weapons to Krishna,
b^YudhUh- and take himself the place of charioteer, so that Krishna
might go out and fight against Kama. Then Arjuna waa
Draws his fuHous at tho roproachcs of Yudhishthira, and drew hia
swortl. and _ itt t'iiit*
Uinaiiiis to kill sword, aud would have killed him on the spot, had not
Krishna interposed and prevented him, Arjuna then cried
out : — " I have vowed to kill any man who should tell me to
lay aside my arms, and therefore I must kill the Baja what-
Xn. — THE GREAT WAR. 327
ever guilt I may incur/' But Krishna said : — " Away with history of
INDIiu'
Pabi il
you and your speech for threatening to kill your Eaja ! india.
Have you never read the Vedas, or heard that any one who
attempts the life of his father, or elder brother, or Raja, will
never see Swarga, for that God's anger will be kindled
against him, and a perpetual curse fall upon him ? " Then
Arjuna was much abashed, and said : — '' How am I to escape
from my guilt ; I am compelled to break my resolution to
kill any one who desired me to lay down my arms, and I
have threatened the life of my Raja and elder brother/'
Krishna answered : — '* The satisfaction of Raja Yudhishthira
will absolve you of both, and that satisfaction depends upon
your slaying Kama." Krishna then went to Yudhishthira Reoondied to
and interceded for Arjuna, and cast Arjuna at his feet, and by Kmhna.
the two brothers were again reconciled.
All this while Bhima had enra&red in a deadly conflict Bhimaattackod
° ® "^ by DuhiilMaua.
with Kama and Duryodhana ; when Duryodhana's brother
Dnhsdsana came up- to their aid, and shooting an arrow from
one side, he slew Bhima's charioteer. Now Duhsdsana was
that wicked Kaurava who had dragged Draupadi into the
gambling pavilion, and treated her like a slave girl ; and
Bhima had sworn a great oath that the day should come
when he would drink the blood of Duhsdsana. And when Deadly conflict
Bhfma saw Duhsdsana he was filled with wrath; and he andDuhK^wina.
aimed such a stroke at Duhsdsana with his mace, that he
drove him, chariot and all, to the distance of a bow-shot ;
and Duhsdsana fell with such force to the ground that he
broke all his bones, whilst his chariot was dashed to pieces.
Duhsdsana trembled for a moment, and began to give up
the ghost, when Bhima running up to him lifted him from
the ground and whirled him round his head, and shouted
with a loud voice : — '^ 0 Kauravas I Behold Duhsdsana has Bhima's addrm
come to the aid of Kama, and see how I have smitten him .. **^^ ® urava^
Whoever of you has sufficient strength and courage, let him
come and release Duhsdsana from my hands ! " No one
however dared to approach, and Bhima continued thus : —
" This day I fulfil my vow aeainst the man who insulted Fulfils Wb tow
J '^ o l,y drinking the
Draupadi ! " Then setting his foot on the breast of Duh- blood of nuh-
• ^
328 THE BfAHA BHARATA.
HISTORY OF sdsana, he drew his sword^ and cut off the head of Ids
p^^^ enemy ; and holding his two hands to catch the blood, lie
drank it off, crying out : — " Ho ! ho 1 Never did I taste
anything in this world so sweet as this blood/^ At tbii
sight the Kauravas began to weep very bitterly, whilst the
Pundavas rejoiced; and the Kaoravas threw away tlieir
arms and fled, saying : — " This is not a man, for if he were
he would not drink human blood ! ''
Aijnnagoeat Meantime Arjuna had gone forth in his chariot, witb
faAtue^^h'^ Krishna for his charioteer, to fight against Kama ; and this
battle was the most famous in all the war. And wlien
Aijuna and Kama beheld each other they sounded their
war-shells, and prepared for a terrible combat; for ead
one was determined either to conquer his enemy, or to give
Jrhtf^wJcUh'' ^P *^® gtost upou the plain. And all the warriors in bofli
S^ hMu^eiL *^^^^Gs gave over fighting and stood round to see the grest
battle; and all the gods came down from heaven to behold
the contest between Arjuna and Kama; and Kama said to
Aijunmand Siilva : — "This day now be so careful of myself and my
th4iirreBpective chariot, that tho wholo world may resound with your
charioteers. ' ^ •' ^ "L.
commendations/' Arjuna also said to Krishna : — ^* Yoa
know full well the valour and prowess of Kama ; I therefore
beseech you so to manage my chariot that Kama may find
The battle.' no occasion of advantage over me/' Then the battle
commenced, each one shooting arrows at the other from his
own chariot, whilst all tho armies of the Pdndavas and
Kauravas looked on ; and for a long time no man could say
who would gain the day. At length Arjuna was so wounded
and stunned by the arrows of Kama that he would have
A wheel of becu defeated, but at that moment one of the wheels of
8iniw*iiito tho° Kama's chariot sunk deeply into the earth, and it would
not stir, notwithstanding all that Sdlya could do to urge the
horses to the utmost. And Kama leaped from his chariot to
relievo the wheel, and cried out to Arjuna : — " Hold your
ft5ll"fl)chti'ng. hand for one moment, to give me the chance of recovering
ttCuU Aij^jia of ^y wheel j for it is no mark of manhood to strike at me
Dm^ildi^liHi whilst I am in this extremity.'' And Arjuna stayed his
Abhiinanyu. hand, but Krishna cried out : — '' 0 Kama, what you say is
Xn. — ^THE GREAT WAR. 329
true enough^ but where was the manhood when Dranpadi history op
was insulted in the midst of the assembly, and when you and p^^ ^^
five or six more surrounded the stripling Abhimanyu, and
put him to death without pity ? '' When Arjuna heard this Aijuna dm
allusion to the slaughter of his son, the fire of wrath burst cresoent-Bhaped
from his eyes and nostrils, and he drew forth an arrow with
a broad sharp blade at the end shaped like a crescent ; and
he discharged it with all his strength whilst Kama was
endeavouring to release his chariot- wheel, and it struck the
neck of Kama and severed his head from his body.
Then the Pdndavasbeat their drums, and sounded the Triumph or the
trumpets of triumph, but the Kauravas were filled with consternation of
,.^T, . <»T ' t 1 1 1-1 *^ Kauravafc
great gnef and consternation ; for they said that they had
no other hero now that Bhishma, and Drona, and Kama
were numbered with the slain. And they fled in all direc- Wight of the
tions like scattered sheep, and Duryodhana tried to rally ^^^
them against Arjuna, but in vain. And Kripa said to EnpaadvisM
Duryodhana : — " Those heroes upon whom you depended for conclude a
success are now no more : I therefore advise you to enter
into a treaty with the Pdndavas : From what I know of the
character of Yudhishthira I do not consider that it is too
late to propose peace : K you make your intentions known
to him, he will still be glad to share the Baj with you ;
whereas it would be folly for you to continue this destruc-
tive war,*' Duryodhana replied : — '' I am perfectly aware Reftwai of
of your friendship for me, and of the services rendered by
you in this very war : I know that what you say does not
proceed from any selfish motive, but from a pure regard
for my own welfare ; but I cannot act according to your
counsel, as a man who is destined to die will not follow
the advice of a physician : After all the wrongs I have
inflicted upon the Pdndavas, with what face can I now ask
for a treaty ? I am therefore resolved to carry on this war,
be the consequences what they may.'' And the whole army
of the Kauravas was filled with new life by this speech of
Duryodhana; and their despair left them, and they re- .p^^ j^^^^^^
solved that on the morrow they would renew the attack upon the^bautooJuiie
the Pdndavas. "^"^^-
330 THE MAHA BHARATA.
HISTORY OP Tho foregoing narrative of the war during the
paat li. two days in which the command was held by Kama
Review of the scarccly calls for much consideration. On the first
litiveoficania'i day tho two armics confined themselves to ^neral
charges, but the second day is filled with single
combats which seem to have decided the fortunes of
the war. The battles between Kama and Yudhish-
tliira, Bhfma and Duhsdsana, Arjuna and Kama, are
all curious and interesting, but seem to require no
explanation.'
4th. siiya'i The narrativc of the eighteenth day of the war,
command— oue i*!! i*n/i« i* <*i
(Uy. and smgle day of oalya s command, is as fol-
lows : —
EicctionofS4iya Now on tho cveniiiff of the seventeenth day of the
to bo General- . ° . ^
iwimooftho war, being the day in which Kama was slain by ArjnnS)
tlie Kauravas appointed Sdlya to be their Generalissimo in
the room of Kama. And Duryodhana said to Sdlya^-
'^ The time has come when friends and enemies are to be
tested : I considered you as my friend ; do you therefore
prove yourself to be such by accepting the post of General-
issimo/^ And Sdlya replied: — "I am ready to do as yon
3 The dcHcription of tho battle between Arjuna and Kama is OTcrlaid in tbi
original by many supernatural details, and it may be conTenicnt to record in t
note the seven mythical circumstances to which the death of Kama ia ascribed bj
N&rada the sage.
1st, lie is said to have surreptitiously induced Parasu H&ma, the Brahmanical
hero, to teach liim tlie Brahmanical mode of archery, which ought only to be im-
parted to a Briihman, after which Parasu ECima prayed that the archery nugbt
fail him in battle.
2nd, He was cursed by a Br^iliman for hanng killed the man's calf while aim*
ing at a deer, that tho earth should arrest his chariot-wheel in battle.
3rd, lie had given to Indra the golden cuirass and earrings with which he had
been bom. This m)'th is connected with the fable that he was begotten upon
Kunti by the Sun god.
4th, lie had presumed to be the rival of Bhishma.
6th, He had disobeyed his assumed mother Kunti by fighting Aijnna.
6th, His enemy Arjuna was steadily assisted by Krishna throughout the battle.
7th, When Kama shot a snake at Arjuna instea'l of an arrow, Arjuna wai
saved from certain death by Krishna, who miraculously lowered the chuiot, and
thus prevented the snake from doing more than cut off Arjuna's tiara.
XII. — ^THE GREAT WAR. 331
)rder : My Baj, my wealth, and my life, are all at year history of
lervice : I accept the post you oflTer me, and I promise that p^^ jj
he sun when it sets on the morrow shall either see you
rithout an enemy upon this earth, or else see me slain upon
»he plain of Kurukshetra/' And Duryodhana and the re-
naining Kauravas rejoiced as they heard the words of Sdlya,
knd they set up a loud shout which reached the camp of the
Pdndavas ; and Yudhishthira, hearing that the Kauravas had
appointed Sdlya to be their Generalissimo, issued the neces-
lary orders for renewing the battle on the morrow, which
ironld be the eighteenth day of the war. Then both armies
retired to rest, and slumbered until the dawn of morning.
Now the eighteenth day was the last of the great war^ Eighteenth ud
EUid the IQiuravas, seeing that their numbers were few, made
war.
a new rule, that no man should enirafire in sinc^le combat with KAunvaaab-
' O © & Btein from single
■ny of the Pdndavas, but that all should fight together in sup- combats.
port of the common cause. Then the battle commenced, and
both sides fought desperately ; and Yudhishthira engaged ^^^WPj^
with Sdlya, and slew him after much fighting. And the utter defeat of
TT" 1 11 •! i-r\ii ^^ KauraTaa,
Kauravas were beaten on all sides, and Duryodhana, seemg
that all was lost, fled secretly from the battle like one dis-
tracted, but he still carried his mace in his hand.
Now there was a lake in the plain of Kurukshetra, and Duryodhana
Duryodhana possessed a charm by which he could remain un- £"he iake.°^
der water for as long as he pleased, so he plunged into the
lake, and no man knew where he was concealed. Meantime all
the warriors on the side of the Kauravas were slain, excepting Three survivon
three only, namely, Kripa, Aswatthdma, and Kritavarman .
bat these three continued fighting with the Pdndavas, until
they saw that Duryodhana was no longer present in the
field. Then they said one to another : — '' We are fighting
the battle of Duryodhana, but lo, he himself is not to be
found : Wherefore then should we expose ourselves to the
last extremity for nothing ? Let us go and look for Duryod-
hana ! '* So the three warriors left the field of battle and General search
searohed for Duryodhana all over the fatal plain of Kuruk- ^^ ^^ "***
shetra ; and the Pdndavas in like manner searched for Dur-
yodhana, but they could find no trace of him, and accord-
332
THE MAHA BHARATA.
HI8T0BT OP ingly returned to their own quarters. Meanwhile the three
^^^ Kaurava warriors were told that Duryodhana had concealed
- — : — z — him self beneath the waters of the lake, and they went to the
The three Kaa- r\ *
nva warriore gj^e of the lake, and cried out : — " O Raja, arise out of die
^^**him to**re- ^^^^^> *^^^ ^® ^^7 still do battle in your service, and under
Dur^odhwia
deohnes, and
reoom mends
oonoealmeut.
AAvatthima
TiUnly rvmon
Failure of the
Ptodavas to dis-
cover Duryod-
new the battle, your auspices make another struggle for victory.'* Duryod-
hana replied with a loud voice : — '' I see you all three from
where I am, and I thank God that he has preserved your li?efl ;
but his favour is now with thePdndavas, and it is not advisaUe
for us to continue the contest against them : Do you there-
fore remain in quiet, until I shall see what turn may be takoi
by the hidden events of futurity/' Aswatth&ma replied :—
'' Be not too much troubled by the slaughter of your armies,
for while we three are in your service, we are still able to
slay a thousand such as the Pdndavas ; and if you will onlj
come out of this lake we will avenge you completely upon
your enemies/'
Meantime Yudhishthira had sent many men in all direc-
tions to procure tidings of Duryodhana, but they had all re-
turned without finding him. And Yudhishthira and his
brethren were very uneasy, and they said one to the other:
— ^' All the anxieties and fatigues we have endured during
this war are of no avail so long as Duryodhana is missing;
for whilst ho lives he may yet find means to raise another
army, and renew the war against us." Now it so happened
that at this time some of the servants of Bhima, who had
gone out to hunt game for their master's supper, had come
to the lake to drink water ; and they overheard this dis-
course between Aswatthdma and Duryodhana, and discovered
that Duryodhana was concealed in the lake ; and accord-
ingly they hastened away to carry the news to the Pdnda-
vas that they might obtain a reward for their discovery.
When the Pdndavas heard that Duryodhana had been found,
they were overjoyed, and bestowed great rewards upon the
servants of Bhima, and all set off at once for the lake. And
when Aswatthdma and Kripa and Kritavarman saw them
coming, they said to one another : — " If Duryodhana would
join us wo would certainly fight them, but as we have no
Bhlina*«serv-
antH discover
him
The P&iidavas
Eroceed to the
tke.
Xn. — ^THE GREAT WAR. 333
leader it is useless to expose our lives." So the tliree histobt op
INDIA.
Past IL
warriors hid themselves in a great tree, whence they could ^^^^
Tudhiahthira
see all that took place ; and the Pdndavas came up to the
side of the lake, and Yudhishthira called out with a loud ouS'uponDur-
voice : — '' 0 Duryodhana, you have caused the death of so the lak!^ **^*
many thousands of people, that it is now shameful in you to
hide yourself at the bottom of this lake : You fought man-
fully enough at first ; so come out now and let us see
whether God will give the victory to you or to us : A man
of your rank ought not to turn his face from a challenge :
Why do you, being a Kshatriya, care so much for your own life
after the sacrifice of the lives of your friends and relatives ?*'
Duryodhana replied : — '' I did not enter this lake from fear; Duryodhan*
but as all my people have been killed, and my arms and char- ^'re rono^iirig
.. 1-11-1 •• 1 -1*1 •!• t the combat.
lots are all broken in pieces, and my charioteer is slam, and
I myself am extremely weary and worn out, I am come hither
to rest and refresh myself a little, and when I am somewhat
recovered, I will come out and renew the contest with you.''
Yudhishthira replied : — " Our ease and comfort for to-day Tudhishthir*
, remonstrates.
is to fight with you : Come out therefore and fight us, and
if you conquer, go and take your ease upon the throne :
The refreshment you would now take at the bottom of the
lake is too mean for you.'' Duryodhana answered : — ^^ My Duryodhana
Baj consisted of my brethren, and friends, and kinsmen : davss to take tiie
•1 "^ . . Ri^.and let him
and now that they are gone, what sort of Eajaship can I retire to the
exercise ? Take you the Eaj, and I wish you joy of it, for
your brethren are all still living, and most of your friends
and your troops still remain to serve you : Even now, if I
wished, I could conquer all five of you and all your allies ;
bat seeing that Bhishma, and Drona, and Kama are no more,
I do not want to fight : So leave me to my fate, for I shall
assume the garb of skins, and retire in prayer to the desert ;
and do you take upon yourself the government of the Baj,
and leave me to myself." Yudhishthira said : — '^ Think not Yudhishthim
•f ... refiLsej* to take
of exciting any pity by speaking to mo in this manner : the Raj exct^pt
Your language now is not consistent with your former re-
solution not to give us an inch of land except by war : You
may now be disposed to give me my share in the Baj, but I
myself am not disposed to accept anything from you, even
^ ^
334 THE llAHA BHABATA.
HISTORY OF if you offor mo the whole earth : I must establish my rigliti
P^^^ by conquering you : You cannot save your life by these
tempting offers to me : If you and I remain alive^ people
will be doubtful of the result of this war/'
Duryodhana On hearing thcso words^ Duryodhana smote his handi
the p&iicUtvas together under the wator^ and was almost provoked to come
one at a time. If ,i-i i -, -tt* m* t • ' ■*
thoT wui fight out from the lake ; but he restramed himself^ and again cned
out with a loud voice : — " You know fiill well that I have
neither friend nor brother remaining, nor even a chariot to
mount upon for the purpose of battle ; nor have I armouri
nor bow and arrows, nor sword, nor spear wherewith to en-
ter into combat with you ; nor have I anything now remain-
ing save my mace : So if you all attack me at once, you will
kill me in a moment : But if you will bind yourselves to fight
me only one by one, I will accept the challenge and come
out and kill you all ; and you must engage to fight me fairly,
and not make use of any stratagem or foul play against me :
If then you will agree to these terms, and promise not to
swerve from them, I will fight you ; and as the son over-
powers the stars, and eclipses their light with his light, so
shall my light outshine you all/'
Tudhishthira Yudhishthira replied: — ^^Now you have spoken in a
accepts the con- i.v /• ii* j j« •. -i
ditionfl. manner worthy of yourself and your own dignity, and we
will engage ourselves by oath not to go from the promises
we will make you : If you will fight us alone, as you now
say, and shall conquer us, your name and honour will redound
to the world^s end, and every one who shall survive you and
us will make a proverb of your prowess, and say : — ' Baja
Duryodhana slow all the five brethren, and so secured to
himself the empire of the world/ '*
Duryodhana Durvodhaua thou Said: — "I am on foot, and have no
stipulates to *^ '
light with the weapon here save my mace : Whoever fights with me must
therefore only use that weapon, and must fight on foot like
myself; and then, even if Indra were to combat me with the
mace, I am certain to come ofi* conqueror/^
Tudhishthira Yudhishthira answered : — " Whatever mode you propose
we will agree to, so come out now, and take your choice as
to which of us you will fight with/^
XII. — ^THE GREAT WAR. 335
Now though Baja Yadhishthira repeated these assurances histobt of
a hundred times, Duryodhana continued to repeat the con- India.
ditions which he demanded, without making any advance '.
towards coming out of the lake. So Yudhishthira said to Sliri^iSna in
BLrishna : — ^' You see that this man merely holds us at bay *® ^
with fair speeches/' And Krishna answered : — " K you Krishna advises
would have Duryodhana come out of the lake in good earn- voke i)ur]^
est, you should desire Bhima to speak to him ; for he will the water,
never bear with BMma's provoking words, but will speedily
come out of the water/' Then Yudhishthira commanded
Bhima to call upon Duryodhana to come out ; and Bhlma
cried out with a loud voice : — " 0 Duryodhana, how long do Bhima's irrftat-
you mean to shelter yourself by falsehood ? We have con- Duryodhana.
Bented to every condition proposed by you; why then do
you delay making your appearance ? If you hope to deceive
us by these speeches, and to escape from us with your life
by such artifices, it will be of no avail ; for if you are de-
termined not to come out, I will myself enter the water and
haul you out by main force.''
Duryodhana answered : — '' What you are now doing is Duryodhana
altogether improper for a Kshatriya : You say that it is fair the morrow.
and right for a Kshatriya to accept every challenge that
is offered him : Now I do not say that I will not fight you,
but I say that it is now mid-day, and I wish to rest a little,
and on the morrow I will fight you in any way you may
desire."
Bhuna then said : — '' O Duryodhana, you speak of the Bhimathreatcns
rules which Kshatriyas should follow, but what rules did {S^rSit^fiSe"
you observe when you ordered poison to be given to mo, ^
and when you plotted to bum us alive in the city of Vdra-
ndvata, and when by foul play at the gambling match you
stripped us of our all, and compelled us to go into exile, and
caused Draupadf to be dragged into the assembly by the
hair of her head ? But it is something that even in your
dying hour you can call to mind the true principles of a
Kshatriya : A hundred curses be upon that life to which you
have sacrificed all your brethren and their families, and the
venerable Bhishma, and your tutor Drona, and your best
^ /
336 THE MAHA BHARATA.
niSTORT OP friend and companion Kama; and yet, wonderful deprayity,
pabt^u y^^ ^^^^^ ^^^^^ ^^ '^^® ' ^^^ ^ promise you that unless you
" leave the lake without delay I shall enter the water and
bring you out with my own hand/'
DiiryodhMi* When Duryodhana heard these provoking words of
Bhfma, he could no longer endure them, but lifted his head
from the water; and ho sighed so loudly that the soimd
was heard a mile off. Then taking his mace in his hand he
LMghterofthe walked out of the water towards the Pdndavas. Andalltlie
followenoftbe n t -r^^ i
FindAVM. followers of the Pundavas laughed at hun, crying out :—
'' Look at the Saja who possessed such mighty armies!
See how he moves ! '' And Duryodhana was in vehement
wrath at their laughter, and cried out : — '' What do you
sneer at ? I will now slay you all, and turn your laughter
to tears/' Then he advanced with his mace, and he ap-
HisghMtiyap- peared so grim and ghastly that men took him to be
Tudhishthin Yama. When he came nigh. Raja Yudhishthira said to
jSi*rmour™* him : — " I will provide you with all weapons, and whatever
else you may require/^ And every kind of weapon and
armour was immediately made ready and placed before
Duryodhana. Then Duryodhana took up a golden cuirass
ouCTtionofwho and put it on, and said: — "One man should oppose one
DuryodiMuia. man, but como on as it 18 your own wish, and I will fight
you all together.^' Yudhishthira answered : — '^ If one man
should oppose one man, how was it that so many of yon
surrounded the stripling Abhimanyii, and killed him amongst
you ? " Duryodhana made no reply, and Yudhishthira
said to Krishna : — " If you speak the word I will go and
Kriahnasug- fic^ht him mvself.^' Krishna answered : — " You are no
match for Duryodhana with the mace; so do not expose
yourself to be killed for nothing : It is a common proverb
that we must use a stone to break a stone : So do you com-
mand Bhiraa to go and fight Duryodhana, for he is his
Bhitn% ffiadiy cqual.^' Bhima came forward at these words, and said : —
^' Only send me, and under your auspices I shall certainly
slay Duryodhana ; and if he had his whole army with him I
would kill them all : So let me go and take my revenge on
liim.'' Then Krishna and all the others applauded Bhuna;
Xn. — ^THE GREAT WAR. 337 *
and Bhfma went and kissed the feet of Eaja Yudhishthira histobt of
INDU.
Past II.
and of Krishna^ and received their blessings^ and the bless- ^ndu.
ings of all his brethren.
Bhfma then took his mace in his hand^ and went forward Bhimaand
in a pompons style until he came up to Duryodhana ; and he piJaSSoISr "
said : — '^ O Duryodhana, this is the day for me to punish all °
your evil actions; how you played foul with us at gambling,
and sent us to the jungle, and insulted Draupadi, and de-
frauded us of our Eaj/* Duryodhana replied : — ^^ 0 Bhuna,
the field is the scene for action and not for words : K you
have any manhood shut your mouth and ply your arms :
Come on and let us try our skill, and see to whom God will
give the victory/'
Now it so happened that at this moment, just as they were B&iar&ma.
on the pomt of fijrhtmir, Balarama, the elder brother of Krishna. »p-
* . *^ ^ . pears upon the
Krishna, arrived at that place, having completed his pil- v^am,
grimage to the sepulchres of his fathers at Prabhdsa. So
all present rose up and paid reverence to Balarama ; and
Yudhishthira told him that he was come just in time, for
that these two, Duryodhana and Bhima, who had both been
his pupils in the use of the mace, were on the point of going
to fight ; and Yudhishthira and his brethren besought
Balar&ma to stay and behold the combat. And when Dur-
yodhana and Bhima saw Balardma, they both came and fell at
his feet, and besought his leave to engage ; and when they
had obtained his permission, they chose their ground and
prepared for battle. Then Balardma called them both to Advi»e»the
*■ *^ oomiKitants to
him, and said : — '' I perceive that one of you two must be Siddie onhe
slain, and the proper place to die is in the middle of the p^*^
plain of Kurukshetra." Accordingly all present proceeded
to the middle of Kurukshetra, and Yudhishthira commanded
that all the drums and trumpets that were in the camp
should be sounded ; and Duryodhana and Bhima stood with
their battle-axes ready to engage. At length they com- The battle.
menced with a mock skirmish, hurling their maces in the
air, or whirling them round their heads and shouting. Then
they ran at each other, and struck each other so violently Desponite
. . , , struggle.
with their maces that the earth trembled ; and now the
VOL. I. 22
338 THE MAHA BHARATA.
HISTORY OP battle began, eacli striking at the otlier with his mace, or
PABT^n. leaping in the air, or stooping to the earth to avoid a blow,
whilst all the people were standing round and looking on.
And many a time the one or the other was beaten violentiy
to the ground, whilst the noise of the blows reached to the
sky, and the blood streamed from their bodies from the
Krishna adviaes waist upwards. And Krishna said to Yndhishthira and
mit fbui play. Aijuna : — " Bhima is superior to Duryodhana in strengtih
of limb, but Duryodhana is his superior in agility and know-
ledge of the mace, and will certainly gain the victory, unless
Bhima changes his mode of fighting.'' Then Krishna hinted
that Bhfma should fulfil the vow, which he had made when
Draupadf was insulted, that he would smash the thigh d
Duryodhana ; for otherwise not only would Bhima be beaten
by Duryodhana, but each one of the remaining fonr
brethren would be in like manner beaten after him.
Krishna also said : — ^' If, when Duryodhana came out of the
water. Raja Yndhishthira had not agreed to the conditions
which he proposed, then you, O Pdndavas, might have snr-
rounded him and put him to death in the same manner that
the Kauravas surrounded Abhimanyu and slew him ; bnt
now there will be no end to the feud, for during all the
thirteen years that you were in exile, Duryodhana has been
ever practising himself in the use of the mace, saying to
himself: — ' If the Pdndavas should overpower my armies,
and kill every man of them, I will still fight them one after
the other with this mace, and be the death of them all : '
In this manner ho has rendered himself superior to Bhima;
and there is no other remedy but this little foul play of
striking his thigh, which you must hint to Bhima to put
Wut toShim*^* into practice.'^ So Arjuna cast a significant look towu^
Bhima, and struck himself upon the right thigh with his
hand, and Bhfma immediately comprehended his meaning,
and began to shift and feint with his blows ; but Duiyod-
hana, by his prodigious alertness, avoided every stroke.
At length they came to closer quarters and struck heavily
kiiiedf"*^ at each other: and Duryodhana ffave Bhima so violent a
thiKhofDur- blow upon the head that all present thought he was killed;
Xn. — THE GREAT WAR. 339
when Bhfma suddenly jumped up and laid about him in all histobt of
directions^ until at last, when Duryodhana was leaping about p^^ ii.
to aim another blow, Bhfma struck him so violently upon the
right thigh, that it smashed the bone, and Duryodhana
fell heavily to the ground, and the earth shook like a cup of
quicksilver.
When Bhima saw that Duryodhana had fallen, he began Bhima kicks
to strut and wheel round him like a war elephant, and com- thebead.
ing up to him he kicked him on the forehead with his two
feet, saying : — ^' You have now received the retribution of
all the abominable acts you have committed against us, and
all your offences against Draupadi.'^ And again Bhlma
kicked him on the head twice or thrice. Then Raja Yud- wrathofYud-
hishthira was exceedingly wroth at the conduct of Bhima,
and struck him a severe blow in the face with his fist, say- Yudhi8hthira
, •' strikes Bhimft in
ing : — '^ A curse be upon you ! What villany is this, to the face.
expose us all to be evil spoken of by all the world, who will
condemn us for ever for this baseness ? ^' Yudhishthira
then ordered Arjuna to take Bhlma by the arm and thrust
him away ; and Yudhishthira came forward weeping very
bitterly and took the hand of Duryodhana, and said : — Addresses
"This evil you have brought upon yourself: We have all
acknowledged you to be our lord, and would have served
you with our lives and our hearts, but you bore malice
i^ainst us, and drove us from our house and home into utter
ruin : Even then we would have been content with five
villages, but you revised us, and desired our deaths, and
forced us to go to war with you : But still you are our lord,
and we acknowledge you to be our sovereign; and the
curse of God will therefore rest upon this act of Bhima ; and
if you command me, I will even order him to be put to
death for it: Be not however concerned at your present
condition, for it is your certain passport to eternal para-
dise ; but as for our lot, it is hard indeed, for all those whom
you leave behind you, all your wives and children, will curse
and condemn us for your fate.''
With these words Eaja Yudhishthira again wept pro- BaiarAma's iu-
fosely^ but by this time Balardma had risen up and ap- BhTma's fool
play.
f •
340 THE MAHA BHARATA.
HISTORY OF proached Daryodhana ; and when Balar&ma saw tliat his
Pabt'h ^igli was broken, he cried out to the Pdndavas : — '' In fight-
ing with the mace, it is contrary to all role to strike below
the waist ; and since in an open contest for the Baj^ yon are
guilty of foul play, and transgress the laws of the combat, I
Baiar&nia pre- wiU slay you all/' And Balar&ma took the plonghshare and
fSt^vi^ ifut is the pestle, which he always carried with him as his weapons,
Srilhrub. ^ and prepared to attack the Pdndavas, and they all fled from
before him ; and he pursued them in great wrath, when
Krishna defend* Krishna caught him in his arms, and said : — ^''O brother,
these Pdndavas are our kinsmen and are worthy men ; and
in the present case Bhima has not transgressed the role of
fighting, because Duryodhana had long ago incorred the
blame by foul play with the dice, when Bhima swore in the
presence both of Duryodhana and Yudhishthira, that he
would break the thigh of Duryodhana, and he has now only
fulfilled his vow : Moreover, the Kauravas are all slain and
gone, and if you now slaughter the Pdndavas to whom will
BaUrimftde- yoa givo the Raj ?'* Balardma answered : — " You say that
nounees Bhixnm. ^j^^g^ j^q^ ar© in the right ; but how could I look on and
see Bhima set his foot upon the head of Duryodhana?"
KHHhna excuses And Krishna tried his best to explain away the evil act ; and
he refused to release Balardma until he had sworn to work
no further ill against the Pdndavas ; and Balardma made the
promise and was released, and he immediately mounted his
chariot, and went his way to Dwdrakd.
S*TiidhiS-^*" When Balanima had departed from the plain of Knruk-
thira. shetra, Bhfma came forward and threw himself at the feet
of Raja Yudhishthira, and implored pardon for the evil he
had committed against Duryodhana ; and Krishna and Ar-
juna, and all the rest who were present, came up and so-
licited the Raja for his forgiveness, which at last they
The PAndavas obtained. Thou they all went in a body to the spot where
toiweDuryod-"* Duryodhana was lying, and they sat down around him.
fin no ^^^
Eecriminations Duryodhana then charged Krishna with having been the
vodhaSi and cause of the death of Drona, and the death of Kama, and
** "*" with having given tlio signal to Bhima to strike him on the
thigh contrary to the rules of fair fighting ; and Krishna
Xn. — THE GREAT WAR. 341
retorted by recapitnlating all the wrongs committed by history op
Daryodhana against his kinsmen, and especially with the p^^u
affront offiered to Draupadi^ and the cruel murder of the ^
stripling Abhimanyu. Duryodhana replied : — " I governed
my Baj with so much justice that the wolf and the lamb
drank water from the same pond^ and none ever demanded
a thing from me that I did not bestow upon him : No one
before me had conducted a government so well as myself,
nor will any one who may follow me be able to equal it ;
and I now beseech the Almighty that he will give me in
eternity that lot which shall be the just retribution of my con-
duct/* Whilst Duryodhana was thus speaking, flowers fell ^^*^J^®""
from heaven upon his head, and celestial music was heard in d^'J^JSJiJI^
the sky; and when the Pdndavas perceived these things, their
faces all turned pale, and they were seized with trembling.
Then Krishna, seeing that the Pdndavas were all down- Krishna con-
hearted, said to them : — '' You are now become Eaias, and vas. and ppo-
. . . J ^ claims Yud-
have obtained the Baj at the point of your own swords, imhtiiiraas
what is it therefore that you fear ? Take the government ^ ^
into your own hands, and administer justice to the rjotsf^^^ ^^^^
and to all those who are oppressed, and for all your good
efforts God will reward you in the other world.^' Krishna
then sonnded his shell with all his might, and proclaimed the
reign of Eaja Yudhishthira ; and he made known that all
who had risked their lives in support of the Saja should be
exalted with due honours and rewards. And all the people
who were present rejoiced greatly, and filled the air with
their acclamations, crying out : — " Long live Raja Yudhish-
thira!''
After this the Pdndavas and their friends mounted their TheP&ndavas
chariots and proceeded towards the camp of the Kauravas, camp of the
Kauravas and
leaving a few persons behind to look after Duryodhana. obtain great
And when they arrived at the camp of their enemies, they
found no one there save a few old people ; and they entered
the quarters of Duryodhana, and saw so many jewels, and requests Krilh-
80 much gold and spoil of all kinds, that their eyes were uLtinkuur, and
t -11 •.1 .1 • 1 i excuse the pro-
daZZied with the sight. ceedlnfro of him-
>••> 'm-m self and
Then Yudhishthira said to Krishna: — "1 would have brethren to the
Mah&n^a.
342 THE MAHA BHARATA.
HI8T0BT OF wishod to have paid a visit to Mahdraja Dhritardshtra and
-P^'^ the Rdnl Gdndhdri, and to have excused ourselves as rnndi
IrABT 11.
as possible to Grdndhdri, who is a womau of the strictest
virtue^ and of a sound religious character^ and who has
always shown me great kindness : But now night has come
on and I cannot wait upon her, and I am afraid that when
she shall hear the news that all her sons are slain^ she may
utter a curse against us so that wo all perish : I therefore
pray you to go to Hastindpur alone to-night^ and soothe h»
all you can^ and do not let her unawares pronounce a cmve
upon us." Krishna replied :— '' What you have said is
gjJJj^'JJJ^*^^ perfectly proper." And he immediately set off for Hastini-
of tiw^nigK?'^^ P^^* ^^^ arrived there before one quarter of the night was
spent ; and he waited upon Dhritardshtra^ whom he found
seated in his palace^ and went and took his hand and kissed
t"**^Kri^ it. And the blind Mahdraja immediately guessed who he
rSa.**** ^**^ "waa, and said : — " It is Krishna ! " And Krishna answer-
ed:— "Yes." Then Dhritardshtra began loudly to weep
and to wail, saying : — " 0 Krishna, do you approve of the
slaughter of my sons ? " Krishna answered : — " Your heait
is your eye, and nothing can be concealed from you, and you
must bo aware that what has occurred to your children is
from the great god Siva, and not from me nor from the
Pdndavas." Dhritardshtra said: — ^'1 cannot but acknow-
ledge this, and at present patience is my only remedy : But
I am in great pain for Duryodhana's death, on account of
his mother Gdndhdrf ; because women are naturally not so
patient as men are : She must have heard of the slaughter
of her sons, and she will be very miserable : So do you now
go and visit her, and comfort her as well as you are able ;
perchance she is already dead with anguish."
Affecting inter- Now whilst Krishna was preparing to go to the Bdnf,
KrShna andtho Gdndhdrf hersolf entered the door, and all in tears said to
him : — " 0 Krishna, had you no compassion for me, and did
you doem it right that all my sons should be slaughtered ?"
And with these words she fell down in a swoon. And
Krishna's heart burnt within him, and he burst into tears,
fearing that Gdndhdrf was really dead, and he C€klled for
Xn. — ^THE GREAT WAR. 343
some sweet odours and sprinkled them upon her face. And histobt of
INDIA.
Pabt II.
Dhritardshtra also [came and laid Grdndhdri's head upon his i^^^A.
knees^ and after a considerable time she began to revive.
xT'-i Ai •111 ##-rr 1 Krishna oon-
JLrisnna then said to her : — " You are not as other women soies G&ndhiM
are, so as to lose all power of patience and resicrnation : or that the Wnd*-
* * o ' vas should prove
not to know that there is no remedy against the will of JJS^the'Kiilui».
Providence : Were you not always aware from the conduct ^*'-
of your two sons^ Duryodhana and Duhsdsana^ that such a
day as this must certainly await them ? Will you not allow
of yourself that in all this business no one is to blame but
your sons? You yourself know what counsel I gave to
Duryodhana^ when I came here as ambassador from the
Pdndavas : Now consider that these Pdndavas are also your
sons^ and have done nothing but in self-defence ; and that
what has befallen your own sons is only what your sons
were desirous of inflicting upon the Pdndavas : You are a
woman of great understanding ; say now whether what has
befallen your sons can be attributed as a crime to any one
but Duryodhana : Do not therefore make a useless clamour,
but submit with patience, and eternal paradise will here-
after be your portion from God : You are a woman of that
profound sanctity, that if you were only once to utter a curse
against the whole world, God would for your sake involve
it in destruction ; but if, seeing that your sons are already
slain, you should now curse the Pdndavas, who will fulfil
every filial duty to you and your husband a thousand times
better than was done by your own sons, what advantage
could possibly accrue to you ? ''
Grdndhdri listened attentively to all these arguments, and GAndhirf'srepiy
said to Krishna : — " I pray God to bless you for having
awakened me from the state of grief in which I was plunged
by the loss of my children, so that I was very nearly utter-
ing a curse against the Pdndavas : But I am now aware that
what you have said is just and right, and that I have no
remedy but resignation : But now you must take care of
this aged, blind, grief- stricken, broken-hearted husband of
mine ; and do not let too much evil overwhelm him, nor his
enemies work their will upon him.''
344 THE MAHA BHARATA.
HISTORY OP Krishna answered her : — " Fear not, for Raja Yudhiaih-
i^^^ thira will perform every filial duty to your husband Dhrita-
rdshtra a thousand times better than was ever done by
hitprra^Mu^ Duryodhana ; and the Mahdraja will be a thousand times
better treated by the Pdndavas than ever he was by his own
sons ; and if Duryodhana and Duhsdsana were your sons,
Yudhishthira and Arjuna will be your slaves/' Ajid Gdnd-
Betums to the huH was consoled by these words of Krishna : and Krishna
Qwurten of the *^ ,
PAnd»TM In the then returned to the Pdndavas, who had taken up their
oampofthe ^ ^ *-
i^»»n,ywi, quarters for the night in the camp of the Kauravas ; and
he entered the presence of Yudhishthira and related to him
all that had occurred during his visit at Hastinapar.
Eeriewofthe The forcffoinff narrative of the events of the last
foregoing narra- •
Sj^thl^^t ^^y ^^ *^^® great war is deeply interesting, but calls
Mythioia refer- ^^^ Httle comment. The mythical references to
enoet to Krixh- Krislina are howevor singularfy suggcstive ; both as
regards his strange counsel during the battle between
Bhfma and Duryodhana, and his mythical mission
Bxtnuxrdinary to Hastiudpur at tlic conclusiou of the war. Upon
KlShna**thifct the formor point it may be remarked that Duryod-
Bhimft should iii»i t*i i t •
biow**'°"* hana had hitherto displayed a pecuhar enmity to-
wards Krishna ; or, to use a later and more mythi-
cal form of expression, he had ever opposed the
worship of Krishna, and disbelieved in his divine
Deaths of the naturc. For some strange reason, which can scarce-
•wSS'tothe ^y ^^ fathomed, the deaths of the three leading
imm«»i^^inter. hcrocs of tlio Kauravas are ascribed to Krishna's
***' interference, although each case involved a moral
delinquency. He caused the death of Drona by
suggesting the lie which was told as regards Aswat-
thdma. He caused the death of Kama by counsel-
ling Arjuna to shoot an arrow when Kama was
trying to raise his chariot-wheel from the earth.
Finall)^, he suggested the foul blow with the mace
beneath the waist by which Duryodhana was mor-
Xn. — ^THE GREAT WAR. 345
tally wounded by Bhfma. Accordingly the divine histoet op
hero is bitterly reproached by Duryodhana for these pabt ii.
offences ; and the difficulty is to understand why the Kriahn* w-
Brahmanical compilers should have attributed such &u^odhaiuu
imdoubted deviations from morality to their own
particular deity. Possibly they desired to transfer ongta of the
the guilt from responsible heroes to an irresponsible
Supreme Being. The narrative of Yudhishthira's
lie, of Arjuna^s unfair shot, and of Bhfma's foul blow,
may have been related in the original tradition,
without any reference to Krishna, and without any
attempt at palliation, simply because at that early
period they were not opposed to the moral sense of
the community. In the Brahmanical age however
such deeds were by no means creditable to the na-
tional heroes ; although when changed to religious
mysteries, and ascribed to an incarnation of the
Supreme Being, they might be treated as acts which
mere humanity could not venture to praise or con-
demn.
The mission of Krishna to console the blind Ma- KriahMappews
in his mission to
hdraja Dhritardshtra, and the Rdnf Gdndhdrf, for St'ciSSSiV
the slaughter of their sons, and, above all, to recon- ^ ^^^ ^'
cile the bereaved pair to the murderers of their sons,
is a circumstance which is far more in accordance
with the religious character of Krishna, who is not
unfrequently represented as a consoler in times of
sorrow and suffering. Indeed, the tone of thought
which prevails throughout this portion of the poem
sufficiently indicates its later origin ; and it may be
safely passed over as a pure invention and interpo-
lation of the Brahmanical compilers.
CHAPTER Xm.
THE REVENOE OF ASWATTHAMA.
HISTORY OP The great war of Bhdrata was now over. The
Rm^n. cause of the Pdndavas had triumphed. Duryodhana
Termination of ^^ ^Y^S mortally woundod upon the plain of Ku-
trium*Jh*oMhe pukshetra, and of all his numerous followers only
Three Xriow throo remained alive. But these three were still
alone remaiuing , j. i j. 1 • x mv >
of all thei^xxjs prepared to renew the struggle ; a circumstance that
tends to confirm the view that the war turned upon
single combats, and that the forces engaged might
have been counted by tens or hundreds rather than
by millions or billions. Amongst these three men
was one named Aswatthdma. He was the son of the
old preceptor Drona, and had fought, like his father,
on the side of the Kauravas, but had hitherto made
vovr of Aswat- HO figuTo iu the history . When however Drona was
thAnia, 8on of , i /»
w^on^f^the^^^^^ by Dhrishta-dyumna on the fifteenth day of
farherf'*"^ the war, Aswatthdma had sworn to be revenged on
his father's murderer ; and on the night of the last
day of the war circumstances occurred which en-
abled him to fulfil his vow. Yudhishthira and his
brethren were sleeping in the camp of the Kauravas,
on the opposite side of the lake ; but all their sur-
viving followers and servants, together with their
wife Draupadf and their five sons, were sleeping in
Xm. — ^THE REVi3l6E OF ASWATTHAMA. 347
their own entrenched camp in apparently the most history of
perfect security, having, as they supposed, not a single pIm il
enemy remaining alive who was capable of working
them any harm. The story of the revenge of As-
watthama is as follows : —
Now it was on the evening of the eighteenth and last NWit of the
day of the great war that the Pdndavas had left Duryodhana TrtiinnS^
on the plain of Knrokshetra^ and that Eoishna had visited
Dhritardshtra and G&adhiA at ELastindpnr. And when Dor- nmrodhuft
yodhana was left by the Pdndavas^ he sat up in spite of his &ionc upon the
wound^ and cleansed his face from blood and dust, and
bound up his hair. Meantime Aswatthdma, Ejripa, and The thne
Kritavarman perceived that the Pdndavas had departed; Hon oMusaimy
and they came out of their place of concealment, and pre-
sented themselves to Duryodhana; and when the people
whom Yudhishthira had stationed to take care of the Baja,
saw those warriors approaching, they ran away. And when Their gnat
the three warriors came near to Duryodhana, and beheld his
wretched condition, they rolled themselves in the dust and
wept aloud. And Aswatthdma said to Doryodhana : — '' You A«w»tthtei»
. ofTere to shbT the
know how Dhrishta-dyunma slew my father Drona, and how ^'J*'^ *™
with like treachery Bhlma has worked this evil upon you :
If now you will lay your commands upon me, I will this
veiy night go and slay every one of the Pdndavas.'' Dur- Durjrodhana
yodhana then bade Kripa briuff Aswatthdma before him: watthAm* chief
» . »" eommand.
and Kripa took Aswatthdma's hand, and did as he was com- f^li^'*^ °^
* ' to brinff the
manded. Duryodhana then said: — "I now appoint you, ^«^<>^^**^™*'
Aswatthdma, to be Chief in my room/' And Raja Dur-
yodhana turned to the other two, Kripa and Kritavarman,
and said : — *^ Henceforth do you look upon Aswatthdma as
you have hitherto looked upon me/' And Aswatthdma
kissed the ground, and uttered a prayer for the Eaja ; and
the Raja said : — " The time of my death has now arrived,
and it is my wish that you go this very night and slay all
the Pdndavas and their army, and bring me the head of
Bhima, that on beholding it I may go out of this world with-
348
THE BiAHA BHARATA.
HISTORY OP
INDIA.
Pabt II.
The three war-
rion leave Dur-
yodhumupon
the pLain.
AnwatthAma
■«ee an owl kill
the Bleeping
crowi*
Beiolrei to fall
upon the Pin-
davasinjike
mannw.
Kripa remon*
■tratet.
A^watthima
persists iu re-
venging the
■laughter of
Drona.
out regret/' So saying, the strength of Duryodhana again
failed him, and he fainted away from weakness and pain.
After Duryodhana had thus appointed Aswatth&ma, sou
of Drona, to be Chief and Commander in his own stead, die
three warriors took leave of the dying Baja and went thdr
way. And they sat down under a tree to consult what tihej
should do ; and Aswatthdma said : — " I have already re-
ceived the orders of the Baja to slay all the Pdndavas thb
very night, and I must now do something or forfeit my
head." And Aswatthdma saw that a large number of crows
were roosting in the tree ; and presently an owl came, and
killed the crows one by one, without alarming the others.
And Aswatthdma said to his two companions : — ^' This owl
instructs me how to act towards my enemies if they be too
numerous : It is to kill them by night one after the other,
without making any noise that will disturb the rest : Giye
me your advice I Shall I go and fall upon our enemies, par-
ticularly upon Dhrishta-dyumna, who slew my father DronaT"
Kripa replied : — " You are well aware that Duryodhana will
now certainly die, and we have already done very much in
his service : My opinion is that we should betake onrselvea
to Mahdraja Dhritardshtra and the Rdni Gdndhdrf^ and men*
tion this scheme to them ; and then if they order us to set
about it we should do so, but that otherwise we should not
move in the matter." And both Kripa and Kritavarman
strongly urged Aswatthdma, but he would not listen to
them, saying : — " These people have slain my father, and I
am confident that they will all be sleeping after their vic-
tory j and if I do not watch this opportunity for revenge, I
am very sure I shallj never meet with another; and the
grief that now overburthens my heart will never be assuaged
as long as I live : If I conquer in this effort it is well;
otherwise if I am killed I do not care : So do not interrupt
me, but leave me to my purpose : In the beginning of the
war I ought not to have taken up arms at all, because I am
a Brdhman ; and I should have occupied myself in study and
prayer: But now that I have launched my life upon the
torrent of war, I must fight to some purpose : The least that
XUI. — ^THE REVENGE OF A8WATTHAMA. 349
I can do is to revenge my father's blood upon his enemies, history op
INDIA.
Pakt II.
and if I do not accomplish this, what can I say for myself ? '' india.
Kripaproi
Kripa replied : — " Since yon are so sore upon your father^s
death, I pray yon to remember that it is wroncr to fall upon *<> ^«"t tST^^
/. oi ..n . , morning, and
our toes unawares : otay now till mormng, and we will all then to fight tho
three go and fight the Pdndavas fairly, and see to whom the
great god Siva will give the victory : Let us sleep now, and
to-morrow set our faces to the battle/^ Aswatthdma said :
— '' Bage will not let me sleep, but you may go to sleep and
welcome/' Kripa answered : — " I only advise you that it is
a most enormous crime to slay people in their sleep ; for the
rest, do as yon please." Aswatthdma said : — '^ What you ^JS**^™* ^
have counselled is very true, but however much I strive with
myself, I cannot let the slaughter of my father go un-
punished ; and if I can but accomplish the death of Dhrishta-
dynmna, let what may come to pass, be it going to heaven
or going to hell."
When Aswatthdma had done speakincr, he rose up and Aswatthtoia,
, , , followed by
Jiamessed his horses to his chariot, and he put on his armour ?"p» ^^ kh-
' ^ * tavarman, pro-
and drove off: and when Kripa and Kri tavarman saw that ceedsto the
' -^ camp of the
advice had no eflTect upon him, they both followed after him. P^n^^^w-
And Aswatthdma went straight to the camp of the Pdndavas.
Now Saja Yudhishthira and his four brethren were at that Absence of the
time in the camp of the Kauravas, where they had found camp of the
, , Kauravaa.
much spoil, and had taken up their quarters for the night ;
but their five sons by Draupadi, and all the other Chieftains
of the army, were in their own camp, sleeping soundly in
their several quarters in perfect security, and Draupadi also
was sleeping in the camp. Now the camp of the Pdndavas The single gate-
was surrounded by a deep trench, so contrived as to have
only one gate or entrance ; and there was no way of entry
on any other side. And when Aswatthdma came to the ABwatth4ma
ICAVGfl flis two
flrate he saw that his two friends were following behind ; and wends to guard
o i_'i i_ tho gate whilbt
he requested them to stay and guard the entrance, whilst he he enters the
went in and worked his reveuge. He then passed through
the gate without seeing any one ; and went straightway to
the quarters of Dhrishta-dyumna ; and he saw Dhrishta- f,33JSI.dy„^.
dyumna sleeping in splendour with all his women sitting J^jjf^]*"*^**'
r ^
350 THE MAHA BHARATA.
HiSTORT OP about him. And the women were tlmnderstricken at the
INDIA.
Part II.
INDIA. approach of Aswatthama, and he went and kicked Dhrishta-
dyumna on the head^ and awoke him firom his sleep. Then
Dhrishta-dyumna beheld Aswatth&ma standing before him
with a drawn sword, and he cried out : — '' What cowardioe
is this to fall unawares upon a naked man ! " And Aswat-
thama struck him on the head with the back of the sword
Screaming of the and broke his skull. Then the women began to scream and
women, and ^ -t -t
general coufu- Aswatthama rushed out. and no one knew who he was : but
uun.
the people of Dhrishta-dyumna, who had come out with
drawn swords on hearing the alarm, seeing a man rash oat
from the quarters of their Chief with a naked sword, ran
hastily afber him. And Aswatthdma killed a great number
of them, and in their confusion many of them killed each
other.
The five ions of Now it SO happened that Draupadl had come into the
nish put and are camp that veiT uiffht With her five sons whom she had borne
■lain by Aswat- ^ J Q
**>*»»»• to the Pdndavas. And the young men were roused by the
noise and alarm, and hearing that some one had killed
Dhrishta-dyumna, who was the brother of their mother, they
armed themselves and ran out to revenge him. And Aswat*
thdma fell upon the five sons of the Pdndavas one after the
other, and cut them down and slew them one after the other.
Pearfui siaugh- And all the camp was in horrible confusion, and the people,
ter amongst the ^ ^ ' r r '
Mrvant8*o?ihe ^^ ^^^^^ rushcd out from their several quarters, fell upon each
Ptodavas. other in their alarm, and fathers slew their sons and sons their
fathers, and no man knew what was done either by himself
or by the others. And every one who tried to escape by the
gate of the camp was cut down and slain by Kripa and Krita-
varman, whom Aswatthdma had posted there. And Aswat-
thdma found a great pile of firewood in the camp, and he set
it on fire, and by the light of the flame he discovered and
slew very many. And the horrors of that night surpassed
all that had occurred during the eighteen days of the war,
for Krishna and the Pdndavas were sleeping far away in the
quarters of Duryodhana, but all their followers and servants
eacapwi with innumerable had been left behind in the camp of the Pdnda-
Ave 8onH of the vas. And Aswatthdma cut off the heads of the five sons of
Ptodavas.
Xm. — THE REVENGE OF ASWATTHAMA. 351
Dranpadf^ and carried them in his liands ; and he made his history op
INDIA.
Past IL
escape throngh the gate of the camp, and joined Kripa and i^^^^-
£ritavarman, and he boasted that he had avenged his father^s
blood, and proposed that they should return to Duryodhana,
and acquaint him with their victoiy.
After this the three warriors proceeded to the spot where The three wmr-
they had left Duryodhana ; and on their way they saw the DuryodiSna.
wolves and the jackals devouring the^ bodies of those who
had been slain in the great war, as they lay on the plain of
Kurukshetra. When they approached the Baja, they found
him fallen in the midst of blood and dust, but with a portion
of his senses still remaining, and they sat down near him
and began to weep. Then Duryodhana looked up and knew
who they were, and he made signs with his hand to ask them
whence they came. Aswatthdma said : — '^ A curse be on us AawatthAma
, , , . . passes off the
for beine alive while you are in this state : Nevertheless, I neadsof the
" •' ^ ^ ^ ^ ' sons for the
have brought you something which even yet will give you ^«^ o' t^®
joy.'' Hearing this, Duryodhana, notwithstanding his weak-
ness, raised himself up and asked what he had got. As-
watthdma answered : — " I have this night killed all the five
P&ndavas with their whole army, and here are their five
heads.'' When Duryodhana heard these words he leaped Exultation of
up a fnll cubit from his place, and said : — '' Do you really
Bpeak truth ? " Then Aswatthdma produced the heads, and
Duryodhana desired that they should be shown to him one
by one, which was done; and as the day had not fully
dawned, and as the heads of the five sons of the Pdndavas
were perfect semblances of their respective fathers, Duryod-
hana thought as he beheld them in the hands of Aswatthdma
that they were the real heads of the Pdndavas. And Dur- Duryodhana
•^ .11 takes the head
yodhana said: — '*0 Aswatthdma. you have entirely taken of Bhima'a son
•^ ' y ^ ^ and discovers
away my grief, and now give me Bhfma's head into my own b^^cruSSnlcThe
hand." And Aswatthdma gave him the head of Bhfma's "^•
son ; and Duryodhana took it and squeezed it with all his
might, until the skull burst in. Duryodhana then said : —
''Alas, Aswatthdma, this can never be the head of Bhima,
which must be vastly too strong and hard to be broken
between my hands." And Duryodhana then asked for the
352
THE MAHA BHARATA.
HISTORY OP
INDIA.
Past IL
Reproaches
AswmtthiLnia for
the murder of
the innocent
■oua.
Death of Dur-
yodhana.
Flight of the
three warriors.
Tudhlshthira
fklla down in a
swoon.
Hiff laments-
tionit.
Krishna con-
solos him.
other heads^ and examined them^ and he perceived that tihef
were the heads of the sons of Dranpadi^ and not those of
her husbands ; and he instantly fell into the most profound
griof, and exclaimed : — ^' 0 Aswatthdma^ you ha\re done a
horrid deed in slaying these harmless youths^ and thus cut-
ting short my whole race : Had these young men lived they
would have preserved our name alive : My enmity wa8
against the Pdndavas^ and not against these innocents.^'
Saying this Duryodhana leaned his head upon the knees of
Kritavarman and immediately expired. And the three
warriors looked on and wept ; and then reflecting that the
Pdndavas would soon discover the mischief of the nighty and
hasten to pursue them, they said to each other: — '^Baja
Duryodhana is now dead, and the Pdndavas will presently
come and take away his body, and this is no place for us."
So each one mounted his chariot and fled.
Now when Aswatthdma had taken his revenge in the camp
of the Pdndavas, one quarter of the night still remained;
and the charioteer of Dhrishta-dyumna mounted his master's
chariot and set off for the camp of the Kauravas ; and at day-
break he arrived at the quarters of Yudhishthira and his
brethren, and informed them of all that had occurred. Then
Eaja Yudhishthira fell down in a swoon, and all his bre-
thren thought him dead, and began most bitterly to bewail
him ; but Krishna consoled them, and said that Yudhish-
thira was certainly alive, and ordered some perfumed water
to bo brought, and sprinkled it plentifully on his face. After
some time Yudhishthira came to himself, and turning his
face towards Krishna, he said: — "What grief upon grief is
this that comes on us every moment ? This nnfortunate
Draupadi, who for thirteen years has endured for our sakes
so many miseries and afflictions in the jungle, has no sooner
come into the camp, and seen her sons and kinsmen, than
the worst of all calamities has befallen her in the loss of her
brother Dhrishta-dyumna and all her five sons : I much
fear that this misfortune will cause her death.^' Krishna
answered : — " The decree of the great god Siva is without
remedy, and there is now no resource but resignation ; and
XIII.— THE REVENGE OP ASWATTHAMA. 353
it is your duty to return him thanks for your own pre- history op
INDIA.
Part II.
servation^ and to live in hopes that he will bestow upon ^^dia.
you other children/' Raja Yudhishthira then sent his
brother Nakula to bring Draupadi that he might comfort sends fof^Dnm-
her. And when Draupadi came she was weeping very bit-
terly ; and she said to her husbands : — '^ You have been wan- Draupadi dc«-
dering thirteen years in the desert and jungle in the hope her husbandn
at the end to enjoy the happiness of having your child-
ren about you ; and now that you have seen Abhimanyu,
and all my five sons^ slain by your enemies^ have you
still the inclination to be Bajas^ and to rule the world and
flaunt upon thrones ? '' Yudhishthira and Eurishna both Consoled by
^ . Yudhishthin
replied to her, saying : — ^^ You are the daughter of a great ^^ Krishna.
and wise Baja, and there are now no such women in the
whole world as Kunti and Gdndhdri : You should first re-
flect upon the number of sons and brothers and other kins-
men they have lost in this great war, and not act like other
women who have no reflection, and whose example leads
vou to make .this outcry/' Then Draupadi was somewhat P»y8 for re-
consoled, and she replied : — ^'I feel myself tranquillized by AawatthAma.
your words, but can you with all your valour and prowess
hold it allowable that the son of a Brdhman, like this As-
watth&ma, should slaughter my brother and sons with im-
punity ? *' She then turned to Bhima, and said : — '^ Can
you, stout as you are, permit Aswatthdma to do all this mis-
chief without sufiering for it ? If you do not bring me his head
let me never see your face again/' Yudhishthira answered J^f^JfJJJSat
her: — ^''Aswatthdma is a Brdhman and the son of our tutor i^the^^n^r a
Drona : K he has committed any crimes, Vishnu, who is S^t^^,;^'**
superior to all gods, will certainly avenge it on him ; and y^^^ ^''^ ^
what good will it do you to have him slain ? Will it bring
your sons and brother to life again ? Leave him to God, for
Vishnu will certainly revenge on him the wrong he has done
to you and us/' Draupadi said :— '' I will not then insist J^^^f^*^*^^!'-
upon his death, but I have heard that he has upon his head f^„^"^jj Ju-
a precious jewel that will illuminate the darkest night and watthfin*.
protect its possessor against every enemy ; and that jewel
YOL. I. 23
354 THB MAHA BHABATA.
HISTORY OP you must take from liim and give it me, and the loss of it
tJ^ «'^T will be worse to him than the loss of his life/'
Past ii.
At these words of Draupadf, Bhima mounted his chariot
and sot ofif in pursuit of Aswatthdma, and Arjuna and Krishna
Aijuiia deprives followed after. And Arjuna and Krishna overtook Aswat-
the MBuiet, Mid thuma on the banks of the Ganees, and compelled him to
gives it to Bhl- . .
n»»- give up the jewel. And the jewel was given to Bhima.
And Bhima went to Draupadi, and found her in tears, and
Bhima consoles ho Said to her : — " 0 Draupadi, do you not remember that
gives her'tiie day whcu the Kauravas insulted you and drove us all out of
amulet. ^ "^
the city of Hastiu&pur, and when I came to you and bade you
not to grieve, for that the day should come when their own
wives should dishevel their hair in sorrow for their husbands T
Then you said that you would not care if all your sons wero
slain, and all your husbands save one, so long as that one
could revenge your affliction upon the Ejiuravas : Now all
we five brethren are alive, and all the Kauravas are slain, and
their wives are dishevelling their hair for them, according
to your wish : What better then could have happened
than for your sons to be slain in battle and so go to para-
dise ? And here too is Aswatthdma's jewel for you, which
you demanded \ so take it, and give thanks to God.'^ Then
Draupadi trans- Di'Rupadi was entirely consoled by these words, and she
to Yudhish- took tlio jcwol aiid gavc it to Yudhishthira, saying : — " Tud-
hishthira is now the Maharaja, and it becomes him to wear
this jewel upon his head.^' So Yudhishthira wore the jewel on
his head, and it appeared as resplendent as the sun, and all
the people cried out : — " Long live Maharaja Yudhishthira! "
Procession of Meanwhile Maharaja Dhritarashtra, together with his
raja, with all the wife Gundhdri, and his brothcr^s widow Kunti, and all the
houHehoid, to womcu of the family, set out to behold the field of Kuruk-
the plain of , -iti /.ii i
Kurukhhetra, shctra where the gi*eat war had been fought between the
Kauravas and the Pandavas. And as they journeyed they
Their interview met with the threo warriors, Aswatthiima, Kripa, and Krita-
with the three i-it t-i i -i ^ •■!•/••
surviving warri- vanuan, wlio had worked such terrible mischief m the camp
era of the Kau-
rava armies, . of tho Pundavas. And the three men said to Dhritardshtra :
— ^^ Your sons engaged in a desperate war, and are now gone
to the mansions of Indra ; and our whole army is destroyed,
Xn. — THE REVENGE OF ASWATTHAMA. 355
and we are the only three survivors." Kripa then said to history op
INDIA.
Pabt il
Grdndhdri: — "O B&niy your sons have fought so bravely, india.
that they are now enjoying happiness and glory in the nmn-
sions of Indra : Lament not therefore for them ! Nor have said to have
the Pdndavas obtained an easy victory, for we three entered heaven of indra,
, _ , _ because thev
their camp in the night time, and slew their sons and many had died flght-
of their heroes : Take comfort therefore and permit us to
depart, for we are flying for our lives from the Pdndavas.^'
So saying the three took their leave and proceeded towards
the river Ganges ; and on their way they parted from each
other and followed three different directions ; and then it
was that Arjuna came up with Aswatthdma, and took from
him the jewel.
The terrible picture which the foregoing narra- Review or the-
A- M i il • • i- .1 foregoing story
tive calls up to the imagination comprises, perhaps, ^^2*®^^"*®
ma."
some of the most graphic scenes in the history of
the war. After many days of battle and slaughter, Appearance or
ji 1 • /• -rr 1 1 . M ? 1 the plain of
the plain ot Kurukshetra was as silent as death. Kurukshetm on
*^ ^ the evening of
The sounding of war-shells, the beating of drums, the !J2.*^ ^'
the shouts of combatants, and the shrieks of the
wounded, had passed away. The plain was covered
with the corpses of the fallen ; and amongst them
the dying Chieftain of the Kauravas was lying upon
the bare earth in mortal agony of mind and body,
but thirsting like a wounded tiger for the blood of
his enemies. Meantime, the triumphant Pdndavas
and their party were reposing in two camps on either
side of the lake ; the five brethren in the deserted
camp of their defeated enemy, and their family and
followers in their own camp. Of all the forces of Paaaionatc d©-
.-IT -A ^*™ ^^^ revenge
the Kauravas none remained alive excepting As- gjjjjf^^u.
watthdma and his two associates ; and at evening ^"^^
time these three warriors paid a visit to the prostrate
Duryodhana. The talk then was only of revenge.
The dying Raja passionately called upon Aswat-
356
THE MAHA BHARATA.
HISTORY OF
INDIA.
Pabt II.
Comparlion
between the
nuMncre by
Aiwmtth4ma
Mid the moat
barbuoua inci-
dents in the
fiflfect of the
mppeanuice of
the owl devour
inff the birds
upon the mind
of AvwAtth&ma.
thdma to go and slay all the Pdndavas, and, above
all, to bring him the head of Bhfma, that he might
die without sorrow ; and Aswatthdma was equally
prepared on his part to revenge the defeat of his
Kaja and the death of his father.
The subsequent vengeance of Aswatthdma forms,
perhaps, one of the most barbarous incidents of the war.
One horrible night has indeed been described, during
which armies mangled and slaughtered each other be-
neath the glare of torchlight, and carried about with
ghastly exultation the bleeding heads of friends and
kinsmen. Again, the scene in which Bhfma drinks
the blood of his murdered enemy is revolting to the
last degree. But in both cases the passions of the
combatants were stirred up to the highest pitch by
the fury of the hand-to-hand struggle. The mas-
sacre, however, in the camp of the Pandavas was
widely different. It was revenge inflicted upon
sleeping and unarmed men, and upon sons instead
of fathers ; and, perchance, a more hateful form of
vengeance has scarcely ever been perpetrated.^
At sunset on the evening of the last day of the
great war, Aswatthdma and his two associates were
sitting beneath a tree. Aswatthdma was burning
for wholesale vengeance, whilst smarting under a
sense of weakness and helplessness. To a rude
warrior, who implicitly believed in omens as lessons
or warnings, the incident of an owl pouncing upon
the birds, one at a time, as they were sleeping upon
a tree, could not fail to produce a marvellous effect.
^^Thus," he cried, **will I slay the Pandavas!"
He accordingly entered the Pdndava camp, leaving
* A scene somewhat similar is to be found in Homer (Uiad, Book z.), when
Diomud and Ulysses surprise the Thracian camp.
Xm. — ^THE BE7ENQE OF ASWATTH.(mA. 357
his two companions to guard the only means of msroETOF
entrance or exit. Then followed the attack upon pamd.
the sleeping Dhrishta-dyunma, the slaughter of the
naked man, the midnight panic, the horrible confu-
sion of friends and foes, the escape of the murderer
with the five heads of the sons of the Panda vas,
and the dreary walk over the plain at early morn-
ing, when the first light of dawn just disclosed the
wolves and jackals who were still feasting upon the
bodies of the slain.
But another scene was yet to follow, which no P!«f«» ^ p*
one coidd have portrayed or imagined sa^dng anJJ^**j^^
Oriental bard who could fully sympathize in the joy ^^^ ^^'"y*"'"^
of gratified revenge. In the dim light of early
morning the three warriors once more stood by the
side of the dying Baja. For a brief interval Dur-
yodhana was deceived. For a brief interval he was
led to believe that the heads of his hated kinsmen
were before him; and forgetting his wounds and
losses, he rejoiced in the completeness of his re-
venge. He took the supposed skull of his murderer,
and crushed it between his hands; and then the
truth suddenly flashed upon him. The Hght of the
rising sun fell upon the countenances of the dead,
and he saw that the heads were those of the sons
and not of the fathers. Thus his joy was turned
to the deepest grief, and he leaned upon the knees
of Kritavarman, and expired in an agony of
sorrow.
The concluding portion of the narrative of As- JgJJJJJhe'iSrh
watthdma's revenge has been so hopelessly falsified SL^S!''**^*''
by the Brahmanical compilers that it is wanting not
only in poetical justice but in human interest.
The story of Aswatthdma's jewel or amulet appears
• •
358 THE MAHA BHARATA.
BISTORT OP to be a myth. Probably in the original tradition
partu. Bhfma pursued Aswatthdma to the death, and
brought his head to Draupadl. As, however,
Aswatthdma is said to have been a Brdhman, the
fable of the jewel has apparently taken the place of
the story of the murder; as the slaughter of a
Brdhman would be especially offensive to the Brah-
manical compilers.
CHAPTER XIV.
THE RECONCILIATION OP THE LIVING AND BURIAL
OF THE DEAD.
A NEW scene now opens in the story of the history op
Maha Bharata, namely, the reconciliation between pakth.
the blind Maharaja and the men who had mm^dered Attempts to
1 • rni • •i»j* • "Jii ^ reconcile the
his sons. 1 his reconciliation is said to have been M&h&raja with
the P&ndavas.
previously effected by Krishna during his night visit Mythical effort.
TT i»/ "I T 1 • ^^ 11- .of Krishna and
to Hastmapur ; but, as already indicated, this portion vy^aa.
of the narrative appears to be an interpolation of
modem date. Like most of the mythical accounts
of Krishna it contains some beautiful expressions of
sympathy ; but at the same time it is evident that
such a mission would be ill-timed and useless. It is
also worthy of remark that a similar visit is ascribed
to the officious Vydsa, and is of course equally
mythical in its origin and character. Indeed, the
language of both Krishna and Vydsa is strained and
artificial. It is impossible to conceive that parents, J'JJS^^^i^iJf
whose sons were still lying dead upon the field of pa^,5te ISTthe
battle, could be consoled by the assurance that those their lom,
sons had perished in consequence of their injustice ;
or by the still more extravagant assurance that the
murderers would take the places of those sons, and
would prove themselves to be even more loyal and
• /
360 THE MAHA BHARATA.
HI8T0EY OP obedient. Such an idea may be justly regarded as
prEx'u. the ignorant conception of some Brahmanical com.
wwitofftuniiv piler, who had led a life of celibacy, and who waa
SS^f the" * ® utterly unable to realize that enduring affection and
oompuen. unrcasoning devotion which the true mother feeb
Interview be- for the wopst of her sons. But the story of the in-
iuhAr5"mViuhe te^^icw botween the Mahdraja and the Pdndavas on
djy after the ^^e day after the battle seems to fall under a different
Necewityfora catcfforv. The Pdudavas were victors who had
returned reoon- o ^
cih»x^TL established their claim to the Raj against the sons of
the Mahdraja by force of arms, but who were yet
desirous of appearing to be on good terms with the
Maharaja whose sovereignty they would be expected
to acknowledge. The Mahdraja, on the other hand,
although nominally the Sovereign, was virtually the
representative of the defeated party, and his very life
was at the mercy of the conquerors. Thus whilst a
real reconciliation was perhaps impossible, a feigned
reconciliation was absolutely indispensable to both
parties. Accordingly, it will bo seen that the Pdn-
davas prostrated themselves in turns at the feet of
the Mahdraja and the Rdnf, and that some sort of
explanation or apology was offered and accepted ;
2^mS&S§1°' ^^^ *^® ^^^^ feelings of the bereaved parents will be
andKtoi. readily perceived from an attempt of the Mahdraja
to crush Bhfma in his embrace, and from the sudden
shriek of the Rdnl that the smell of her son was upon
them.
i^^?oii^® The narrative of this reconciliation, real or
feigned, is as follows: —
The P4ndavag^ Meantime Yudhishthira had heard that Mahdraia Dhri-
ac«^nipanied by "^
wla^raoet th ^"' tarashtm had left the city of Hastindpur for the field of bat-
MahAraja. tie ; and he went forward to meet him, accompanied by his
brethren and by Krishna, and by Draupadi, and by all the
XIV. — ^THB RECONCILIATION. 361
women of Dhrishta-dyxunna. And after a while^ Yudhisli- history of
thira saw the Mah&raja approaching ; and all the women of yl^u.
the Kanrayas accompanied the Mahdraja^ and rent the air
with their lamentations; and Yndhishthira passed by the
women^ and went on to the Mahdraja^ and fell at his feet. Prottrmtothem.
Then the other Pdndayas^ each one declaring his name to f^I?rthe
the blind Mahdraja^ fell at his feet in like manner. And
Dhritardshtra embraced Yndhishthira. and said : — '^ Where The HahAnU
call« for BhUDAt
is Bhfma ? '' Now as it was well known that Bhima had «nd repdres hu
imaKe in his
slain Doryodhana^ as well as a great number of the sons of "^^^
Dhritardshtra^ Ejishna had been fearful of introducing him^
lest the aged Mahdraja should yent his wrath upon him.
And it so happened that in former days Duryodhana had
ordered to be made an image of Bhima^ upon which image
he was accustomed to tiy his strength ; and when the Ma-
hdraja called for Bhima^ Krishna gave him this image^ and
said : — '^ Here is Bhima.^' Then the Mahdraja opened his cnuhen the
arms^ and under pretence of embracing Bhlma^ he crushed inb^wra&^''^
the image to pieces ; and he then fell down exhausted and oSirderer of hii
fainting^ with blood issuing from his mouth. After a long Repenu the
time he came to himself and began to weep ; and when those ^^^•^^^^
around him asked why he wept^ he replied : — " Bhfma was
as one of my own sons^ and his death has not brought any
of my other sons to life^ and I have slain him to no purpose.^'
Then Sanjaya^ his charioteer^ who stood by, told him what Undecetred by
Krishna had done^ and how it was not Bhima that he had * ^^^
crushed^ but the iron image which Duryodhana had made.
And Dhritardshtra turned to Krishna^ and said : — " 0 Krish-
na^ you haye done excellently well.'' He then called for the Embrmoes the
fiye brethren one by one^ and again embraced them ; and turn.
when Bhima presented himself, the Mahdraja laughed^ and
said : — " What if I should now give you another squeeze ? ''
Bhima replied : — '' I am your slave^ and if you order me I
will be my own executioner.'' Dhritardshtra said : — " You The reoonciii*.
are now all my sons^ and the only remaining children of my
brother Pdndu : All that has happened to my sons was of
their own seeking^ and arose from their envy against you."
And Dhritardshtra began to weep again^ and Yudhish-
r f
362 THE MAHA BHABATA.
HISTORY OF thii*a and Krishna and all the others began to weep with
INDIA. 1 .
Pabt II. *^i™-
After this Yudhishthira and his brothers, together with
between the Krishna, took leave of the Mahdraja and proceeded to wait
ge Btoi GAnd- upon Gdndhdri. Yudhishthira advanced and kissed her feeli
and she took him in her arms, and they both wept aloud.
Grdndhdri then said : — '' The smell of Duiyodhana is ujxm
you all;'' and screaming oat she fell down in a swoon.
Yudhiihthint's When she recovered Yudhishthira said to her : — '' O mother,
excuMt. ^ ^ '
it must be clear to you that we had no alternative in the
affair of Duiyodhana ; for what could we do when he would
not allow us bread to eat as the condition of onr service?"
?^I»tto^ * ro- Gdndhdri replied : — " Say nothing, 0 Baja, about it, for I
know that you speak only what is true and right, and thil
all which has befallen my sons was bat the frait of Uieir
refusal to take the advice of myself and my husband; and
now that they are gone, may God preserve you to me in tha
room of Duryodhana.'' Arjuna then came and kissed bar
Shereimnchei feet, as did Bh(ma also: and Gdndhdn said to Bhima^-
Bhima for hav- '
biSJdSViIhsA- '' ^^^ drank the blood of my son Duhsdsana/' Bhfna
"•"^^ replied : — " No, I did not drink it : I took some of it in my
Bhima's denial . .
hands and rubbed it about my face, but I did not drink it;
and I only said that I drank it for the sake of frightening
tekSaiu?!™ the others." At this moment Eaja Yudhishthira stepped
Wame upon him- forward, and laid his head at the feet of Gdndhdrf, and said .—
'^ 0 mother, it was I who killed your sons, and do you lay
all the blame upon me, and say nothing to the others."
Giindhdn then asked for Draupadi, and said to her : — ^^ Yott
and I are in the same affliction, for your sons also are slain;
but what can I do ? There is no remedy against the behesta
Sf"pAnda'^"to ^^ ^^® great god Siva.'' She then said to Yudhishthira and
K^t™^^*^^ his brethren : — *^It is now nearly fourteen years since yoor
mother Kunti had the pleasure of seeing you : Go now and
see her ! '' And the five Pandavas went accordingly; and
Joy of Kunti. when Kunti heard that her sons were coming she fiunted
for joy j and when Yudhishthira and his brethren came i?»
and found her in that condition, Yudhishthira took hold of
his mother's hand, and after a time she came to herseU*
XIV. — THE RECONCIMATION. 3G3
And the sons of Kunti came and laid their heads at her feet history of
one by one, and she embraced and kissed each of them in p^^ jj
turn, and wept at seeing the wounds they had received in
the great war. Then Draupadi approached her, and Kunti, lay their heada
knowing that her children had been so lately slain, wept for Affecting meet-
her ; and Draupadi laid her head at Kuntl's feet and fainted ^ ku^!***^
away, and when she recovered, both the ladies wept so
abundantly that all the bystanders were moved to tears.
Meantime Gdndhilri came forward with all the widows of
her sons who had been slain, and she said to Draupadi : — G&ndMri pious-
*' Weep not, my daughter, for your sorrows are not greater &Su^^
than mine : We cannot tell what is decreed by fate : Thank
God that the war is over, and weep not for the dead : Let
us now perform the necessary rites for the souls of the de-
parted.''
The foregoing narrative requires no comment. Review of^
A general truthfulness to human nature is perceptible ^i^e-
throughout. The story of the image said to have
been made of Bhfma may appear somewhat apocry-
phal, but yet is not altogether beyond the bounds of
probability.^
The next scene, which comprises the lamenta- Nan*tiveofthe
' *■ funeraloere-
tions of the women on the field of battle, and the Aew'SbSttiS
subsequent burning of the dead, is very affecting.
One point however is open to question. If the war Difficulty « w-
really lasted eighteen days, and the general burning of ^^k eighteen
the bodies did not take place imtil the day after the
conclusion of the war, the corpses of those who were
slain in the earlier battles must have lain in a state
of perfect putrefaction. The question, however, is
1 Daryodhana is said to have made an iron image of Bhima to try his strength
upon it ; or he may have made an ordinary figure-head to knock about as a moni-
feitation of his hatred towards the original. In Mr Dickens' novel of " The Old
Cariosity Shop," Qoilp, the evil character of the story, purchases an old wooden
figure of an Admiral, to represent Kit, whom he hates ; and he strikes and muti-
lates the image accordingly. The incident is true to human nature, and merely
exhibit! the natural force of the imagination. A mob will in like manner bum
the eifigy of the object of their detestation.
3G4 THE MAHA BHARATA.
HisToay OP not an important one, and may be left unsolved.
^^L The narrative is as follows :—
Sad prooessiou After this all the women dishevelled their hair, and
to the ph^^of offered up loud lamentations^ and proceeded to the fatal plain
**'*' of Kurukshetra ; and there they beheld the dead bodies of
their husbands and fathers^ sons and brothers, who had
The women sit been slain in the war. And each of the women went and
^^^nLr sat down by the remains of Mm whom she had most lored,
and whose death had caused her the greatest affliction.
And GdndhdH and Kuntf, accompanied by Yudhishthira and
Krishna, went to the dead body of Duryodhana; and when
ifmept^Mof Gdndhdrl saw that it was her own son, she fell down in a
G4ndh4ii over
^aonDuiyod- swoon j and after a long interval she revived, and said:—
" The wise and the learned always used to sit round this
son of mine, and nearly all the Eajas of the earth took their
stations near him, and prided themselves on it as a promo-
tion, but this night the jackals alone have been his conr-
LamCTiutions of tiers." The widow of Duryodhana Ukowise came with her
tiie widows. ^
hair dishevelled, and placed her husband's head upon her
lap, and seated herself there ; and Gdndhdrf said : — '* This
woman, whom neither sun nor moon wore once worthy to
look upon, sec how she now sits here bare-headed I '' There
too was the widow of the son of Duryodhana, and the widow
of Kama, and the widow of Abhimanyu, and many others ;
and Gdndhdri and all those widows bemoaned their several
relations with so many tears, that none of those who were
present could refrain from joining them in weeping.
Performance of After this, Mahdraia Dhritardshtra said to Yudhish-
the Aincral rites iit
for the siaiiL thira : — " My son, be pleased now to order that all the dead
bodies should be burned/' And Dhritardshtra and Yudhish-
thira jointly requested Vidura to superintend the perform-
ance of the ceremony. And Vidura, who was the uncle of
the Kauravas and Pdndavas, and Sanjaya, the charioteer of
the Maharaja, and Yuyutsu, the only surviving son of the
Mahdraja, and Dhaumya, the family priest of the Pdndavas,
all went out together to the field of battle. And they
Collection of collected a larffe quantity of sandal and other odoriferous
raatenalM for • o i*/
the burning. woods, and swcct oils, to form a pile on which to bum the
XIV. — THE RECONCILIATION. 365
bodies of the principal warriors, such as Dmyodliana, Kama^ history of
Abhimanyn^ Drona, and others ; and they also collected many p^^^'fj
thousand mule-loads of faggots and oil to bum the bodies of
those of inferior note. And they ordered all the surviving Dead bodies of
charioteers of those Eajas who had been slain, to go through niMd^*thSr^
the plain and point out the corpses of their respective masters,
so that such Rajas might be burned separately according to
their rank. And they took with them a thousand cart-loads
of cloths, some fine and others coarse, to wrap up the dead
bodies before burning. Then Vidura, and those appointed
with him, went over the plain of Kurukshetra ; and they
first took up with all reverence and ceremony the corpse of
Duryodhana and burned it. Next the Rajas of the first Burninc of the
rank were wrapped in fine linen and burned with perfumes ; mik.
and amongst these were the other sons of Dhritardshtra,
and the sons of Draupadi, and Abhimanyu, and Drona, and
Kama, and the greater Rajas, such as Raja Drupada and his
son Dhrishta-dyumna, and Raja Yirdta, and Raja Jayadratha,
and Raja Sdlya, and many others. When this burning had
been accomplished they kindled a mighty fire and burned Burning? of the
all the remaining bodies therein. After this, Yudhishthira bodi^^°^
and his brethren, accompanied by Krishna, went to bathe in oim^f iSd''*
the Granges according to the rule ; and taking up a handful SSer^* ^
of water for each kinsman that had been slain in the battle,
they sprinkled it in the name of the deceased ; and Yudhish-
thira, at the request of his mother Kunti, sprinkled some
water in the name of Kama. And Raja Yudhishthira and Sorrow of Tud-
his brother Ariuna imeved very much for the death of Aijuna for the
__ JO J death of Kanuu
Kama ; and the Raja ordered great charities to be distributed
in the name of Kama, and he took under his own protection
all Kama's women and young children, and provided for all
his remaining dependents. And he called for one of Kama's
sons, who was sixteen years of age, and wept in his presence
very much for the death of Kama : and he gave him a large Kindness of
, _ T'T i« Yudhishthira,
separate establishment and estate, and paid more attention to aii the
^ , . . ^ r widows, chil-
to him than he did to his own sons : and he placed him dren, and de-
* pendents of
under Arjuna to teach him archery and all other military Kama.
exercises. And he showed also great tenderness and aficc-
366 THE MAHA BHARATA.
HISTORY OF tion to the rest of Kama's children^ and entertained Us
^^^, widows^ with all the kindness of a near kinsman. But when
the principal wife of Kama, and mother of most of his child-
chiefwife of ren, heard of the death of her husband^ she heaved a deep
sigh and expired ; and the rest of Kama's widows were bet-
ter provided for by Yudhishthira than even his own womenj
and they had regular appointments for their maintenance.
EeHewofthe THo picture fumishod by the foreffoinff narrative
foregoing narra- •■" , ,•' c» o
SS'dr'thS's^™" ^^ *^^® burning of the slain apparently refers to a
Refers to an vcrv ancicnt pcriod of Hindu history. The promi-
ante-Brahmanic •' *^^ ..
^^"'^"^ nent features are indicated with a realism which
seems to have appertained to the original tradition ;
— ^the poor widows, with their long black hair dis-
hevelled over their faces, sitting in an agony of grief
by the corpses of those they loved ; the charioteers
searching over the plain for the remains of their
masters; the dead bodies wrapped in cloths and
burning with oils and perfumes upon the funeral
bSa^^^utk- piles.* But there is no reference to the hateful Satf,
toiy allusion to
the Brfchmaus.
^ A more detailed account of the funeral ceremonies of the ancient Hindftf
will be found in the K&mdyana, and will consequently appear in the second
volume of the present work. The whole ceremony bears a remarkable resem-
blance} to the burning of Hector^ which has thus been felicitously translated by
the Earl of Derby (Iliad, Book xxiv.) : —
" At length the aged Priam gave command :
* Haste now, ye Trojans, to the city bring
Good store of fuel.' • • • •
He said : — and they the oxen and the mules
Yoked to the wains, and from the city thronged :
Nine days they laboured, and brought back to Troy
Good store of wood ; but when the tenth day's light
Upon the earth appeared, weeping, they bore^
Bravo Hector out ; and on the funeral pile
Lapng the glorious dead, applied the torch.
While yet the rosy-fingered morn was young
Hound noble Hector's pyre the people pressed :
Wlien all were gathered round, and closely thronged,
First on the burning mass, as far as spread
The range of fire, they poured the ruddy wine,
And quenched the flames : his brethren then and friends
Weeping, the hot tears flowing down their cheeks,
XIV. — THE REOONCIUATION. 367
10 burning of the widows with their deceased hus- history of
)ands ; and it is somewhat remarkable that the past il
3rdhmans do not appear to have oflSciated upon the
)Ccasion. The only point however which requires Account of ^
explanation, is the extraordinary liberality and kind- pS^Ty Yud-
less displayed by Yudhishthira towards the family nJIUuS tony
)f Kama. It should however be remembered that "EIi??«*.*o » .
iccording to the myth already indicated, Karna was
ihe son of Kuntf before her marriage to Pandii;
md consequently these details may have been in-
jerted to prove that Yudhishthira was not wanting
in duty to the family of his deceased elder brother.
Collected from the pflc the whitened bones;
These in a golden casket thej enclosed.
And o'er it spread soft shawls of pmplc dye ;
Then in a grave they laid it, and in haste
With stone in ponderous mawsffli coTercd o*er ;
And raised a mound."
In the historic period a considerable refinement was introduced by the Greeks,
aasmuch as the bodies of the slain were not burned but buried. Thus the
(Athenians who fell at Marathon were interred on the field of battle ; whiM the
bodies of those who fell in the first year of the Peloponnesian war were pre-
lerred, and ultimately arranged in coffins of cypress wood, according to tribes,
ind publicly buried with every honour in the fairest suburb of the city. —
rhueydides. Book ii. c. 34, et teq.
CHAPTER XV.
THE INSTALLATION OF RAJA YUDHISHTUIBA.
HISTORY OF After the burning of the slain, Yudliishthira and
Part h. his brethren proceeded in triumph from the plain of
Namtiveofthe Kurukshotra to the city of Hastindpur, and there
TudhiBhthira as Yudhishthira was inaugurated as Kaia m the room
Bi^a under the ^ ^ *'
SSSl^ofMSiA- ^^ Duryodhana, under the nommal sovereignty of
2ja^hritar. ^^iq Mahdixija. Tho details of this procession, and
the subsequent ceremonies of installation demand no
preliminary explanation, and may be simply nar-
rated as follows : —
Dirinciinationof Now when Raia Yudhishthira beheld the dead bodies of
YudhUhtliira to *' . .
1)6 appointed liis kinsmon, who had been slain on the plain of Kurak-
ilaja. ,
shctra^ his heart failed him^ and he said that he would not
accept the Baj, but would retire into tho jungle, and spend
the remainder of his days in religious devotion ; but those
around him oflFered many topics of consolation to him, and
after a while his grief left him, and he prepared himself to un-
dertake the duties of Baja under his uncle, Mahdraja Dhritar-
Triumphant dshtra. So when all things had been made ready for his
the plain of progrcss from the field of Kurukshetra to the city of Hastind-
pur, he ascended a chariot which was drawn by sixteen white
mules. And Bhima took the reins and seated himself as his
charioteer, and bards and eulogists surrounded his chariot
on all sides and recited his praises ; and Arjuna held the
royal umbrella over his head, and his two younger brothers,
Nakula and Sahadeva, walked one on each side of his
XV. — ^THB INSTALLATION. 369
cliariot^ and fanned him with ch^maras of fine hair. And history of
INDIA.
Pakt ii.
Yuyutsu, the only surviving son of Dhritardshtra, followed i^'^ia.
in another white chariot ; and Ejrishna and Sdtyaki accom-
panied the procession in like manner in a chariot of gold.
And the blind Mahdraja and the Bani Grdndhdri went before
Yudhishthira in a vehicle carried by men ; and Kunti, Drau-
padi^ and all the other ladies betook themselves to difierent
vehicles^ and followed the procession under the protection
of Vidura.
In this grand array Baja Yudhishthira entered the city Gnmd entry
of Hastindpur ; and he was accompanied by all his friends Hatftmipur.
and kinsmen^ whilst the bards and eulogists marched before
him and sounded his praises. Meantime the people of the
ciiy decorated the road with flags and garlands^ and came
out in their best attire to receive the new Raja ; and thou-
sands of people thronged the entrance of the palace to wel- Tudhuhthim
come the approach of Yudhishthira^ whilst all the ladies of paiac^
the palace in like maimer welcomed Draupadi. And Yud-
hishthira acknowledged the acclamations of the multitude,
and received the blessings of the Brdhmans ; and he then
descended from his chariot, and went into the inner apart-
ments, and worshipped the family gods with offerings of worships the
sandal, garlands, and jewels. Having thus performed his ^b***
thanksgivings to the household deities he returned to the
palace gate, and with the assistance of Dhaumya and the
Mahdraja, he distributed suitable presents of jewels, cows, DMribatef
and cloths amongst the Brdhmans. Now a Bdkshasa, named Siiiimaus.
Chdrvdka, had disguised himself as a mendicant Brdhman,
and mingled with the crowd; and having been a warm
friend of Duryodhana he was desirous of reviling the Pdn-
davas. And when the acclamations of the multitude had iipvii«i by
Chiirv&ka, a
ceased, Chdrvdka arose and said : — " O Yudhishthira, listen RAkHhwa dis-
' ruiHed an a
to me ! These Brdhmans have made me their spokesman to Br&hman.
reproach you for your ignominious deeds in killing your
nearest and dearest kinsmen : I cannot discover what ad-
vantage you have derived from committing such crimes;
your life must be now a burden to you, and the sooner you BrShmarni,%ho
die the better will it be for all.^^ At this speech all the as- aileidanoc^to
VOL. I. 24
• •
370 THE MAHA BHARATA.
HISTORY OP semblod Brdhmans wero enraged, but they hung down their
pir^^u ^G^^s witli shame and said nothing. And Raja Yudhish-
thira was very much dejected at what Chdrydka had said^
and in very mild terms he asked the Bhihmans for forgive-
ness, and requested them not to put him to shame^ and even
oflFered to put an end to his own life if they desired it. The
Brahmans replied : — " O Baja, we have said nothing against
you, but wish you all joy and happiness : This person is not
a Bnihman ; he is a wicked friend of Duryodhana in dis-
guise : His name is Chdrvdka, and he is a Bilkshasa by
birth : Listen not to him, for he has spoken falsehoods ! ^
Ch&nrika burnt So saviuff, the BrAhmaus looked upon Chdrvdka with anGnry
to death by the i , /. „ i i tt i ,
w»giygj»of eyes, and he fell upon the ground hko a tree struck by
lightning, and was burnt to ashes upon the spot.
Ontinoation of Now when Yudhishthira saw that the Brdhmans were
attheacqui- truly desirous that he should rule the Raj, he was much
Moenoeorthe " .ii, i ii-i t r »
Brihmantinhii pleascd : and he cast aside all melancholy, and seated him-
inauguratioa. * "
Bnthmnod Self upon the goldcu throne with a cheerful heart, and with
Presenoo of his ^^^ ^*^® turned towards the east. And in front of him sat
f!rtM^"at*hiB Krishna and Satyaki upon seats of gold ; whilst upon either
*'******'*'^"' side of him sat Bhlma and Arjuna upon golden carpets. At
a little distance off sat his mother Kunti upon a throne of
ivory, with Nakula and Sahadeva on each side of her. And
Maharaja Dhritardshtra and his younger brother Vidura,
and the priest Dhaumya, took their seats upon carpets as
bnglit as flame; and near the Mahdraja sat his Bdni
Ceremony of Gundhdri, and his only surviving son Yuyutsu. And when
performed by thoy wcre all Seated, Yudhishthira was solemnly inausrurated
nhoumya the _. . .
BrAhman. Raja by Dliaumya the Brdhman, who was the family priest
Symbolical of the Pdndavas. And rice, which had been burnt by the
sun, and white flowers, and pieces of earth, and gold, silver,
and precious stones, wero all brought before the new Raja,
and he touched them according to the custom. And fire,
and milk, ,and honey, and ghee, and the sacred shell, and
leaves and twigs of sacred trees, were all brought in Uke
manner, and duly placed before Raja Yudhishthira. And
Potfl of water golden pots, and silver pots, and copper pots, and earthen
from the Haired v, '■ l sr mt ^
rivera. pots, and pots made of precious stones, were all filled with
XV. — THE INSTALLATION. 371
water from all the sacred places^ and arranged for the cere- history of
mony. And Dhanmya^ the family priest of the Pdndavas, piLx^ii.
solemnly performed all the rites of inauguration under the
direction of Krishna. And Dhaumya prepared a high place High place pre-
en which to oflfer sacrifice^ and he kindled the fire for the nee-
offerings. And a tiger's skin was opened out before the Tudhi«hthir»
, , , and Draupadi
sacrificial fire, and Yndhishthira and his wife DraupadI took ^?^ "p^i the
. ^ tiger's 8km.
their seats thereon ; and Dhaumya prepared the homa for offering of the
the propitiation of the gods, and poured it upon the sacred
fire. After this the five purifying articles which are pro- The five purify-
-,, ing articles
dnced from the sacred cow, namely, the milk, the curds, the poured
' 'i ' ' ' upon Tudhish*
ghee, the urine, and the ordure, were brought up by JJj|^*"*^^™*"
Krishna, and the Mahilraja, and by the four brethren of
Yudhishthira, and poured by them over the heads of
Yndhishthira and Dranpadi : and then, in like manner, they Pott of sacred
all brought up the pots of sacred waters, and poured the ov^r lu^hish-
waters over the heads of the new Baja and his wife. And podi.
when this was done the music began to sound, and fill the Music sounded,
air with harmonious strains, and the bards and eulogists Bards and
, eulogists chaunt
raised their voices and chaunted aloud the praises of Raja ^^^^^-^^
Yndhishthira and the gloiy of his mighty forefathers.
Now all this while Raja Yudhishthira was in no way Perfect equani-
moved by all the honours thus bestowed upon him. Neither hishthira.
did he exult in his inauguration, nor was he elevated by the
praises of the bardb and eulogists. He underwent all the His patience
ceremonies with calmness and patience, and manifested monies.
neither signs of sorrow nor signs of ioy. And when the Distributes ,
° ^ J J large gifts to the
rites had all been performed, he rose up and distributed Brahmans.
without stint, and in the greatest profusion, the richest and
most valuable presents to all the Brdhmans who had as-
sembled at his inauguration.
In this manner Yudhishthira was installed Raja in his Yudhishthiro's
•^ address to the
ancestral Raj of Bhdrata ; and when the installation was Brihmans.
over, and the gifts had been distributed, he addressed the
Br&hmans in the following lancniage : — '' The sons of Entreau the
-n/ 1 1 1 1 -IT- Brihmansto
Fandu, whether they possess any good qualities or not, must "^^*J^ ^^. "*>•
still consider themselves very fortunate, O Brdhmans, at DhritaSsfitra.
being so much praised by you ; and it is proper that you
• •
372 THE MAHA BHABATA.
HISTORY OF should grant to myself and mj brethren any favonr which
Past u. ^® ^^7 ^^^ ^^ 7^^ * Maharaja Dhritardshtra is our father,
' and we adore him as we do our most superior gods : If,
therefore, you wish to serve me or my brethren, you cannot
do that better than by placing yourselves under the rule of
the Mahdraja, and endeavouring to promote his welfare : I
myself live only for that purpose, now that I have slain all my
kinsmen ; and if you have any regard for me or my party,
you will show the same respect to the Mah&raja as you did
whilst the Kauravas were alive : He is our superior lord,
and the ruler of the P&ndavas and their Raj : Forget not
my special request that you should serve him/' So saying
Yudhishthira dismissed the Brdhmans.
R«ri«wofth« The foregoing narrative refers to two distinct
^^^ descriptions, which may perhaps be best considered
SS flX**a^ separately ; namely, first the procession from the
***^- field of battle to the royal palace at Hastindpur;
and, secondly, the inauguration of Yudhishthira as
Yuvaraja, or as a Raja ruling the people in the name
of the Mahdraja.
Pint, the tri. The description of the return of Yudhishthira to
umphant pro- ^
SSJui^/*^® the palace will bo readily realized by all who are
^^breua' familiar with the Courts of Hindii Rajas. The
Mtn*b&Sf especial emblems of Hindd sovereignty are the
■oyere ty. umj^rgUa and the chdmara. The umbrella may be
called a canopy ; but it in no way resembles the
canopy which is raised over the throne in European
Courts ; but may be described as a large umbrella,
richly decorated with gold and jewels, and often ex-
ceedingly beautiful in design and workmanship.
The chdmara is the tail of a Thibet ox, which is
fixed into a handle, and employed to drive away
SdSIt'''*" flies. The picture is now complete. The Raja sitting
wndiiprooes. £j^ ^^^^^ -j^ ^ chariot or car drawn by sixteen white
horses. The royal umbrella held over his head,
XV. — THE INSTALLATION. 373
glittering and sparkling in the bright light of an histort of
Indian sun. A chdmara of white hairs waving on pam n.
either side to keep off the flies, and at the same time
adding pomp and significance to the scene. The
bards and eulogists accompanying the chariot,
chaimting in barbarous strains the praises of the
new Sovereign, as the Raja of Rajas, the descendant
of the gods, the wise, the mighty, and the victorious.
Other Chieftains follow in chariots, or in nondescript
seats borne on the shoulders of men. Glittering
flags of every variety are adding to the gaiety of
the scene; and garlands of flowers are hanging
from every house and tree, as special signs of
popular rejoicing.^
The protest of Chdrvdka after Yudhishthira's sjgr of a^j^
arrival at the palace is somewhat curious. He istS^^^Sie
said to have been a Rdkshasa in disguise, and a ^eLctof chir.
warm friend of Duryodhana, but he also stands as
the representative of a later heterodox sect, known
as the Chdrvdkas. It seems, therefore, not impro-
bable that the reference to Chdrvdka is an interpola-
tion of the Brahmanical compilers, introduced for
the controversial purpose of exhibiting the heretic
as the ally of Duryodhana and enemy of Yadhish-
thira, who was justly destroyed by the angry glance
of the Brdhmans.
^ Such scenes as those described aboTe are frequent at HindCi Courts, or at
andiences granted to Rajas by the Viceroy of India. The Raja and his attendant
Chieftains are arrayed in cloUi of gold, and radiant with jewels. The old Hind 6
ear, or rath, may be replaced by an elephant or a European barouche ; but the
fhLmanM^ the culogists, and the banners are all there. Other insignia seem to
haTe been added in modem times, such as Chobdars or silver sticks, and above all
a large hookah. The hookah indeed is regarded as a special emblem of dignity,
and is kept alight, and occasionally smoked during the progress ; the hookah-
bearer carrying the bowl on the seat by the side of the coachman, whilst the Raja
sits in the carriage and smokes through a long and richly ornamented tube.
f •
374 THE MAHA BHABATA*
msTOBT OP The description of the inauguration of Yudhish-
paut il thira is very suggestive. Most of the ceremonies are
fifg^^xs^ the ^^"^ performed at the installation of modem Rajas ;
Y^dhuhthirL' and indeed the Mahd Bhdrata is generally regard^ as
§in^wfer*of the ^^ authority upon the subject. It is, however, diffi-
^^•^•"■- cult to say whether the ceremonies were actually per-
formed in the case of Yudhishthira, or whether they
are not to bo treated as later interpolations, intro-
duced for the purpose of bringing the old tradition
into conformity with modem Brahmanical rites.
^^g^ejj^^jjin The enthroning of Yudhishthira with his few^e to-
oercmoniea. -^vards the cast, or sunrise, may probably be a relic
of the old worship of the Sun. The introduction of
Krishna appears mythical for reasons already stated.
The touching of rice, flowers, earth, gold, silver, and
jewels seems to be an assertion of sovereignty. The
offering of milk, honey, and ghee is Vedic. The
sacred shell is an emblem of the god Vishnu. The
leaves and twigs of trees, and the pots of water firom
sacred rivers, appear to belong to some old fetische
rites which have been adopted by the Brdhmans.
The tiger's skin is a reference to the god Siva, who
is generally represented as sitting or lying upon the
skin in question. The offering of the homa, and the
pouring of the five purifying articles produced from
the cow upon the heads of the Raja and Rdnf, are
Brahmanical rites, but of very ancient origin, being
connected with the primitive worship of the cow as
the giver of milk, butter, and curds. The descrip-
tion of the patience of Yudhishthira, his perfect tran-
quillity, and his profound respect for the Brdhmans,
may perhaps be treated as interpolations of the
Brahmanical compilers. The significance, however,
of these several rites can only be fully explained by
XV. — ^THE INSTALLiTION. 375
reference to the different reKo^ions, and will accord- history of
rVDUL
ingly be discussed hereafter.* tIxx il
^ The following description of the ceremonies to be performed at the inangon-
tion of Rajas is taken from the Agni Por&na.
" A Baja should appoint a famflj priest and astrologer, wise oonnsellors, and
a R&ni possessed of due accomplishments ; at the period appointed bj the astroU
oger or upon the death of his predecessor, he should make preparations for his
coronation. The person to be crowned should be bathed with Tila (se<imum
orientale) and white mustard (that is, with water in which these hiTe been
steeped), and the astrologer and Purohita should procl lim his title when he should
be seated on an auspicious throne ; he should then hold out hopes of prosperity to
his subjects, and set prisoners at liberty. Prerious to the coronation the family
priest should perform the Ain-drisantS, a sacrifice made in honour of Indra to
secure prosperity. The Baja should fiist the day before the coronation, and on
the next offer oblations upon the fire'which is upon the altar, attended with the
recitation of mantras sacred to Vishnu, Indra, Surya, ViswadeTa, and Chandra-
This ceremony tends to prolong the life, and is productire of religious merit and
prosperity. The golden water-pot called Apar&gita, or tending to render one in-
risible, which is placed on the right side of the sacrificial fire, and receires the
remains of the oblations of ghee, should be worshipped with flowers and sandal-
paste. Good fortune attends the Raja if the flame turn round to the ri^ht if it
appear like pure gold when heated, occasion a sound Eke that of a number of
cars, or of the clouds ; when there issues no smoke, but a fra^nt rapour, and
when it is of the form of a swastika (particular kind of temple, etc.) ; if the flame
be dear and raging, without emitting any sparks ; and if no cats, deer, or birds,
pass between the fire and the performer of the ceremony.
" The Raja should cleanse his head with earth brought from mountain-tops ;
his two ears with earth from the tops of white ant-hillocks, and his face with that
of a Vishnu Maridapa, or a house in which that deity is worshipped. He i^houlj
cleanse his neck with earth from Indra's temple ; his bosom with that from the
eonrt-yard of the palace ; his right hand witii that raised by the tusks of ele-
phants ; his left hand with that raised by the horns of bulls ; his back with the
earth of a tank ; his belly with that of a place where two rivers meet ; his two
sides with that of the two opposite sides of a river ; his buttocks with that of the
door of a brothel ; his thighs with the earth of the spot on which the sacri-
fice has been performed; his knees with that of a cow-house ; his legs with that
of a stable ; and his feet with that horn the wheels of a car.
** The Raja being then seated on a splendid throne, his head should be washed
with Pancha Garya (milk, curds, ghee, and the urine and dung of a cow). The
four ministers of the Raja belonging to the four classes shall afterwards bathe the
Baja, riz. the Br&hman with ghee filled in a golden pot standing on the east
side ; the Kshatriya with milk filled in a silver pot, standing on the south side ;
the Vaisya with curds filled in a copper pot, standing on the west side ; and the
Sudra with water filled in an earthen pot, standing on the north side. An emi-
nent Br&hman should then bathe the Raja and R&ni with honey ; a Br&hman,
who sings the Sama Veda, should bathe them with water and some kusa grass ;
and the family priest, having entrusted the preservation of the sacrificial fire to the
care of a Sadasya (a bystander, who has to notice and correct mistake!;), and re-
pairing to the golden pot in which the remains of the oblations of ghee have been
received, should bathe the Baja, repeating the incantations which secure the good
376 THE HAHA BHARATA.
HISTORT OF fortane of Rajas. The priest should then return to the altar, and a Br&hman,
INDIA. who sings the Tajor Veda, should bathe the Baja with water in a golden pot»
Paet IL having a hundred holes, mixed with Sunranshadi and Mahanahadi (certain dams
of drugs), ghee, sandal-paste, flowers, the common dtron, gems, and kusa gnw.
The water is to be purified bj mixing it with the aboTe articles one hj one, at-
tended with the recitation of their respectiTe mantras firom the Tajnr Veda. A
Br&hman, who sings the Atharra Yeda, should afterwardi mark the head and
throat of the Baja Mrith the yellow pigment, called Gorachana.
^ After this a great number of Br6hmans having assembled together should
place a pot filled with Sarranshadi (a class of drugs), and water brought from all
the Tirtahs (places of pilgrimage), before the Baja, whilst he shall be fanned widi
the tails of the Bosgrunnies, and music and singing be carried on. The Baja shaU
behold the pot, a looking-glass, some ghee, and some other fortunate omens. Be
should then worship Vishnu, Brahma, Indra, and other gods ; also the planeti and
elephants. The Purohita being seated on a bed ooTered with a tiger's hide, the Raja
should present him Mrith a dish of curds and honey, and have his turban bound. The
turban of the Baja, seated on a bed covered with the hides of a bull, cat, elephant,
lion, and tiger, should then be bound. The door-keeper is to point out to him his
ministers, etc. The Raja should offer cars, goats, sheep, houses, and other gifts
to bis Purohita and the astrologer, and give away various other things to other
Br&hmans. Having gone round the sacrificial fire, made obeisance to his spiritual
tutor, and touched the back of a bull, he is] to present his Guru with cows and
clothes. Let him then proceed along the main street on a horse or an elephant^
attended by his forces, and having circumambulated the city re-enter ita Uodli.
He is to entertain all the persons present, and then dismiss theuL" — Wilson's
HSS. tin ths Library of the Anatic Society of BmgaL
CHAPTER XVI.
TH£ HOBSE SACRIFICE OF BAJA TUDHISHTHIRA.
When Tudhishthira was established in the Raj of history of
Bh^rata, he attempted the celebration of a great pastil
sacrifice known as the Aswamedha^ or sacrifice of a Perfonnanoe or
horse. This extraordinary rite bore some resem- ^^^
blance to the Rajasiiya sacrifice, which he had al- '^'*'
ready performed when he and his brethren had
cleared the jungle of Khdndava-prastha and foimded
the Raj of Indra-prastha. But whilst the Aswamed- J*®^^^*^^;
ha seems to have been an assertion of sovereignty JSe b^iS^
over conquered Rajas, it was invested with an im-
portance and significance which were wanting in the
Rajasiiya. Indeed the performance of an Aswamed-
ha was a task of peculiar difficulty, whilst it was
the greatest rite that a Raja could perform. By the
Rajasiiya a Chieftain seems to have asserted his
sovereignty over a new and independent Raj . But
by the Aswamedha he was popularly supposed by
an ignorant and childlike people to have asserted his
sovereignty over the whole earth ; and by the suc-
cessful performance of a hundred Aswamedhas, it was
implicitly believed that a mortal Raja would over-
throw the celestial Raj of Indra, and become at once
the ruler of the universe and the sovereign of the
gods.
r ^
378 THE MAHA BHARATA.
HI8T0SY OP The idea involved in this imposing ceremonial
^J2^^ . was at once primitive and warlike. An ambitions Raja
Idea involved in ^^^ dcsircd to establish his supremacy over friends
theABwamedhA. ^^^ encmics without the formality of declaring war,
and without perhaps the danger of encountering a
formidable confederacy, would perform an Aswamed-
Loowmincofa ha iu the foUowinff fashion. He would procure a
hone, and wan ^ o ^ *^ ^
SS^wh^ horse of a particular colour, and let it run loose in
^^oiter. public with certain ceremonies ; and from that day,
and for an entire year, the horse would be permitted
to wander into whatever territory it pleased, followed
by the Raja and his whole army. The wanderings
of the horse were thus lefb entirely to chance, whilst
its entrance into a foreign Raj was virtually a chal-
lenge to the Raja of that country ; for every Raja was
bound either to carry away the horse and oflfer battle,
or else to tender his submission by rostormg the horse
FifluTOof an and joining his army to that of the invaders. More-
AHwamedhaif •/• t -r^ • ^ i-ia ii i
JJjjJjjjj™ over, if the Kaja who attempted the Aswamedha and
followed the horse, failed in any one case to secure the
restoration of the animal by the force or terror of his
arms, the Aswamedha was brought to an untimely
close, and the Raja who had attempted it was dis-
graced in the eyes of his subjects and neighbours.
Grand ■aerifice If, ou thc contrarv, hc succecded in reducing to sub-
and feaHt at the \ . -n • i • i .1 i 1
fS^hCL^^in^ mission every Kaja who earned away the horse, and
"*®^"^ thus at the end of the year brought the horse tri-
umphantly home to his [own city, the animal would
be sacrificed to the gods in the presence of the whole
assembly of conquered Rajas ; and the Aswamedha
would be brought to a close by a grand feast, at which
the roasted flesh of the horse would be regarded as
RcnowTi of the imperial dish. Henceforth the performer of the
evrry Raja who * ^ ^ ^
SSlJXSrtir Aswamedha would bo held in the highest honour.
XVI. — THE HOBSE SACRIFICE. 379
The fame of his power and majesty would be spread history op
abroad by bards and eulogists throughout all lands, pILt^il
and be handed down in song and ballad to all future
generations ; whilst every descendant for countless
ages would preserve the memory and exult in the
glory of his mighty ancestor.
It is easy to conceive that under such circum- Great attnu).
stances the performance of an Aswamedha would be ^w»medh».
particularly fascinating to a warlike race like the
ancient Ejshatriyas. It would combine all the ex- combination or
. war and gam-
citement of war with that of high play. If the^^"«-
horse entered the territory of too powerfiil a Raja,
before the army which followed had been reinforced
by the retainers of weaker Rajas who had been con-
quered, the Aswamedha might be brought to a dis-
astrous termination. If, on the contrary, the horse
confined himself to the territories of weaker Rajas,
or deferred entering the territory of a stronger Raja
until his followers had swelled into an overwhelm-
ing force, the Aswamedha might be brought to a
triumphant conclusion. Probably in times still
more remote the loosening of the horse may have
been a mere festival held for the purpose of deciding
the supremacy between the military settlers in a par-
ticular neighbourhood, and lasting perhaps only a
few days or a lunar month, instead of an entire year.
But whether on a large or a small scale, the greatest General excite- .
ment.
interest would be excited, and a general agitation
would prevail. Every Chieftain in the neighbour-
hood would speculate as to whether the horse would
enter his Raj, and whether in such a contingency he
should hazard a battle or tender his submission.
Every spot where the horse was caught, or where Memorv of as.
a battle ensued, would be eagerly remembered and JJ^^j^U/*^
380 THE BiAHA BHARATA.
HI8T0BT OP pointed out to the inquisitive inquirer, and doubtless
vabx n. would be long preserved in local tradition,
saorifloe of the Tlio Aswamodha thus originally combined the
jJjjj^hJ'aS^ idea of conquest and sovereignty with that of a na-
SSSiJrf ^ tional banquet at which the roasted horse might
*'"• have been regarded as a national or imperial dish.
But, at the same time, the sacrifice was undoubtedly
invested with a religious significance, which is want-
ing in the Rajasiiya. It was connected with the
worship of the Sun, which, like the worship of the
serpent, appears to have been one of the most
Grade oonoep- aucicnt of all rcUi^ions. The idea that the Sun i?od
^" *"^"" was carried through the firmament, from his risbg
to his setting, in a golden chariot drawn by fleet
and invisible steeds, was a favourite conception of
Hone Mcrifloe the Grock bards. Again, Herodotus states explicit-
sotB. ly^ that the Massaget8B of High Asia sacrificed
horses to the Sun, under the idea that the swiftest
of animals should be offered to the swiftest of
deities.* In the two Aswamedha hymns in the Rig-
Veda, the horse is regarded as the type of the Sun,
Di»ppe«rMioe^ and also of Affni, or the deity of fire.* At a later,
oftheAswamed- . • ,,
ha in India. ^ju^ gtiU ancicut poriod, the Aswamedha appears to
^ Herodotus, Book i. c. 216.
' See Rig- Veda, Suktas clxii. and clxiii., Wilson's trarulatioHf vol. ii. pp.
112 — 125. It must be confessed that the two hymns in question are exceedingly
obscure. They are undoubtedly ancient, but still they appear to hare been com-
posed in an age of mysticism, long after the primitive age of horse sacrifice, and
possibly during some temporary revival of the ancient rite. .They are replete
with mysticism, and are wholly wanting in that exultation in victory, and joyous
anticipation of a feast, which are likely to have found expression in a more primi-
tive and barbarous period, of which relics are to be found in the legendary nam-
tive preserved in the Mah& Bh&rata. Indeed, in the opening verse of the first of
the Aswamedha hymns, the worshipper positively deprecates the wrath of certain
Vcdic deities for thus paying reverence to the horse : — " Let neither Mitra nor
Varuna, Aryaman, Ayu (i. e. Vayu), Indra, Ribhuk^hin (? Praj&pati), nor the
Maruts censure us, when wo proclaim in the sacrifice the virtues of the swift how
sprung from the gods." — Wilson's translation.
XVI. — THE HOBSE SACRIFI&E. 381
have fallen into disuse ; and durins: the successive history or
ages of Buddhism and Brahmanical revival, it must ?▲» u.
have been virtually abolished as altogether opposed
to the enlightened ideas of more civilized times.
But still the institution lived in oral tradition, and
was so deeply rooted in the memories and minds of
the Hindiis, that it even yet finds expression in the
Mahd Bhdrata and Rdmdyana, and is fi:^uently re-
ferred to in the other sacred books of the Hindus.
An interpretation, however, has been generally BnJuMiiiMi
placed upon the ceremonial, which was wholly un- j[***« ceremoni-
known in primitive times, and which will form the
subject of future discussion. In the Mahd Bhdrata
the Aswamedha is said to have been performed as an
atonement for sin ; in the Rdmdyana it is said to
have been performed for the purpose of obtaining a
son ; whilst in both poems, and in the Purdnas
generally, the sacrifice is said to have been firequent-
ly eflfected by ancient Brdhman sages for the ac-
quisition of religious merit, and for the attainment
of a supernatural power which should render them
superior even to the gods.^
The description of the Aswamedha of Raia Yud- Bnumumicti
mm, interpolatloiw in
hishthira, as it appears in the Mahd Bhdrata, con- \^l i3^°^£[
tains distinct references to the old primitive custom thS***^^'
of loosening the horse, and fighting every Raja who
opposed its progress, which has already been de-
scribed. At the same time it is loaded with Brah-
manical details and mythical references which are
entirely at variance with this original idea. These objections
•^ " mrainst elimin-
• In the Yajur-Veda, which \b much later than the Rig- Veda, the sacrifice was
perfonned without any slaughter, the animals heiug tied to the posts whilst the
ioTocations were heing chaunted, and then let loose without injury. — Colehrooke
M the Fedas. A legend is preserved in the Mah&, Bhlirata of a similar bloodless
Aswamedha haTing been performed by the sage Vrihaspati.
i^ing the inter-
polatious.
r r
382 THE MAHA BHABATA.
HISTORY OP interpolations however are too closely interwoven
T'NTJf A
Part il with what appears to be the original and authentic
tradition, to be altogether eliminated ; and more-
over are more suggestive and amusing than the
ordinary run of Brahmanical additions. According-
ly the legend will be exhibited as it stands in the
Mahd Bhdrata, although in a greatly abridged form ;
J^«^wjf^ the whole being divided into three distinct narra-
mSSL"^"^ tives, corresponding to the three stages in the per-
formance of an Aswamedha, viz. —
1st, The capture of the horse.
2nd, The loosening of the horse.
3rd, The sacrifice of the horse.
The narrative of the capture, or, in other words,
JjJ;^Jj™^*;«o' the stealing of the horse, may now be related bs
thehowe. follows:—
MehMichoW of Now after Yudliislithira had been established in the Raj,
he again began to grieve very bitterly over the men who had
been slain on his account in the great war ; and the Mah&-
Kriahiia advises raja and Krishna tried to arouse him from his sorrow, and
him to perform ** ^ '
■■<"^^*»*- Krishna counselled him to perform sacrifices, and to enter-
tain many guests, by which means he might cast aside his
VyAsa counsel! melancholy. After this Krishna returned to Dwdrakd, when
ail Aswamedba •' • • t -i • ■■
ft"f t|»e •Jo"e- the sage Vyiisa appeared to Yudhishthira, and advised him
to perform an Aswamedha as an atonement for all his sins ;
and Yydsa told him of a place where he might procure
abundant treasure for the ceremony ; for that in former times
when a Raja of Ayodhyd had performed the same sacrifice,
he had given so much treasure to the Brdhmans that they
could not carry it all away, and accordingly stored a large
quantity in a certain spot in the side of the Himalaya moun-
Yudhishthira's tain, where it still remained. But Raja Yudhishthira refused
takiiiK a trea- for many days to send for the treasure, because it belonsfed
■ure belonging j ^ ' o
totheBrAh- to the Brdhmans ; until at length the sage Vydsa explained
to him that fire, water, earth, and riches belonged to no one,
and might be kept by any one who found them. So after
XVI. — THE HOBSE SACRIFICE. 383
much discourse Raja Yudlishtliira determined to perform history op
INDIA.
Pajblt 1L
the Aswamedha sacrifice, and to send for the treasure of the ^^^^
Brdhmans which had been stored in the Himdlaya mountain.
Now it was the rule at Aswamedhas that the horse which Rule of the As-
wamedha.
was to be sacrificed should be of a pure white colour like colour of the
the moon, with a yellow tail and a black right ear ; or the °"®*
horse might be all of a black colour. The horse was to be Night of the
let loose on the fourteenth day after the entrance of the sun
into Aries, being the night of the full moon in the month of
Choitro : and it was to run loose for a whole year, with a f^liPj?** ^^^
' , *> ^ inscriptioii.
gold plate on its forehead ; and on the gold plate was to be
inscribed the name of the Raja to whom it belonged, and a
proclamation that an army was following the horse, and that
all who stopped the horse, or who led him away, would be
compelled to accompany the army until the end of the year,
and then would be called upon to attend the Aswamedha
sacrifice. And Vydsa, the sage, also told Yudhishthira that
the sacrifice was a very difficult one, inasmuch as no Raja
could perform it who had not obtained a perfect control over
all his passions. Moreover, Vydsa commanded the Raia Necessity for
^ . . . . •'the R^a to con-
that he must not sleep a single night out of his city through- troi his paasiom
out the entire year; and that he must always sleep on the ye»r-
ground, with his wife by his side, and a naked sword be-
tween them ; and that he must never once put his hand upon
her, or the whole merit of the sacrifice would be turned to
guilt. Vydsa also informed the Raja that a horse bearing
all the requisite marks would be found at a very distant city
named Badravati.
When Vydsa had thus spoken, Bhima ofiered to go to SJ^JJ^he dt" ^
the city of Badravati and bring away the horse ; and Yud- ^^aJJ^l^
hishthira gave him permission, but wished that Krishna had aSJ^t^Si^
been present to counsel him in the matter. Whilst they Krishna's sud-
* TT- • 1- appearance
were speaking together word was brought that Krishna was f^e^^k^oe at
standing at the gate of the palace ; saying, that he would HastinApur..
not enter a house at the request of a doorkeeper, but only
at the invitation of the owner. So Yudhishthira and his SS??h"e'j3S''*
brethren went out and saluted Krishna, and brought him ^/hSbreth-*^
into the palace, and told him of the Aswamedha sacrifice ""'
384 THE MAHA BHARATA.
HISTORY OP that they were about to perform. Now when Krishna heard
INDIA. ^jjQ^^ Bhima had been chosen to so to Badrayati. rather than
Part IL o ^
- Arjuna, he was somewhat jealous^ for Arjnna was his friend
tiMt Bhima ^"* and near kinsman. And Krishna said : — " Why send Bhima
to fetch the to bring away the horse ? Surely such a mission is too great
Aijun*. for him : I am aware that he understands everything con-
Kriihxut'i Ob- nected with eating ; but a man C€tn have but a foolish head
m* on the who is always thinking of his stomach : I know also that he
fbndnew for has married a woman of the Asuras. and she will certainly
Mtlng, ftnd his . . . . ^
mriU4^ M deprive him of any sense he may have remaining : Moreover^
it is the rule that if a man marries a woman of inferior rank,
or gives himself up to the love of women, or lives in the
house of his father-in-law, he may not take any part in the
performance of an Aswamedha : Arjuna, on the other hand,
Bbima retorts is fitted in every Way for high deeds.'^ Bhima replied : —
■tomsfih eon- '' You Say, 0 Krishna, that he who has a large stomach, and
▼erso. is ever intent upon eating, is without understanding; but
who can have a wider stomach than yours in which the whole
creation finds a place ? You also say that a great eater has
no brains; who eats more than you, who devour all the
BefiBrs to Krinh- rivors, all the demous, and all mankind ? Then yon object
tia'!» marring iti .it ^ ± n a !••• t \ m^
to the daugiiter that i have the daughter of an Asura living in my house, but
you have married the daughter of Jdmbavat who is a Bear;
and is the daughter of a Bear to be preferred to the daughter
of an Asura ? As to my giving myself up to the love of
women, is it not known unto all men that you are in no wise
MoiHncB better than me ? But let this pass : We are all anxious for
"^ your aid in the performance of this Aswamedha ; and all my
own hopes rest upon you alone.'^
At these words Krishna was mollified, and he gave his
Bhima proceeds consent that Bhima should ffo to Badravati. And Bhfma
to Badravati to ° -,-,«-i,-r».i.
bring awsy the sot out With two other wamors, and defeated the Eaja of
Badravati and brought away the horse. And the Baja
resolved to accompany Bhima to Hastindpur, and attend the
Aswamedha of Yudhishthira, and to carry with him all his
family and treasures. Now this Raja had a mother who was
very old, and she was called his great mother, because she
had been his father's head wife ; and he was very anxious
XVI. — ^THE HORSE SACRIFICJE. 385
to take her with him. And the Baja said to her^ that as she history oi
INDIA.
Past II.
was now approaching the end of her days, it would be most ^^^^
proper for her to proceed to the river Ganeres and bathe
1^ _ 1 in 1 1 1 T». 1 . 1 -, Obstinate re-
there, and to behold the many holy Rishis and devotees ^^^^^ «f t^e^ oi<
, •' •' mother of the
who had taken up their abode there. But his old mother S^i*?? *«*^'«
. . the Palace.
replied : — " What is this Ganges water that you are talking
about ? Hiive I not a hundred better springs here P I will
never quit this house ; for if I stir, all the goods and chattels
here will be eaten up : My maids and servants will be every
day plundering milk, and grain, and butter, and causing me
grievous damage ; so that when I return I shall find half my
property wasted and stolen/' And the Eaja's mother was
very obstinate, and notwithstanding all that could be said,
nothing would persuade her to leave the city of Badravati
and proceed to Hastindpur. So the ]VIinister advised the old udy carHec
Baja to carry her by force, and accordingly a litter was pre- ^^^ ^ ^"*'
pared, and the old Rdnl was placed upon it, and she was
carried away, crying very loudly, along with the whole camp
to the city of Hastindpur. And when they came nigh unto
the city, Bhlma went forward to inform his brother Yudhish-
thira, who thereupon came out to meet the Eaja of Badra-
vati, accompanied by Krishna and all his Chieftains ; and
Yudhishthira then conducted the Raja and all his party with
great ceremony into Hastindpur.
Now according to the rule of the Aswamedha the horse Krinhna retunu
could not be loosened until the night of the full moon in the until the night
month of Choitro.* And Krishna returned to his own city, of thohorSe?"*
and dwelt there; for there remained many months before
the horse could be loosened and the preliminary rites be
commenced. And when it only wanted one month to the Trick pi^ed by
ceremony. Raja Yudhishthira sent Bhima to Dwiirakd to Bhimal***'^"
invite Krishna to attend the sacrifice. And Bhima set off
for Dwdrakd with all speed, and after some days he reached
the city in the evening, and proceeded to the palace of
* The month Choitro generally corresponds to the latter half of the month of
March and the first half of the month of April. The full irnxm in the month of
Choitro would thoB often correspond to the full moon at Easter ; and this coin-
cidence has giTen rise to wild conjectures.
YOL. I. 25
386 THE MAHA BHABATA.
HI8T0EY OP Krislina. And he was exceedingly hungry, and seeing that
INDIA. there was no doorkeeper at the gate, he passed on until he
came to the door of the hall where Krishna was aboat to sit
Feast spread out down to dinner. Now Krishna was aware that Bhfma had
tor Krishna's
meal. arrived, but feigned not to see him ; and he sent a maid to
fasten the door of the hall, and feigned npt to see 'Bhima,
who could only peep in and see and smell the exquisite feast
that was laid out for Krishna's dinner. And Bhima was
ravenous from his long journey, and he beheld the table
most plentifully served with sixty-four choice dishes of
meat, and an immense tray of rice, together with various
Tantalizing of Vegetables; and Krishna, still feigning not to see him,
began to name aloud every dish, and to smack his lips at its
savour, until Bhima was well nigh frantic and near to faint.
And when this jest had lasted a long time, Krishna admitted
Bhima, and when Bhima had eaten and drank until he was
Krishna sets out full, he told his eiTand to Krishna. So Krishna immediately
* ordered all his sons to make ready for their departure to
Hastinupur, and prepared to set out with Bukmini and
Satyabhdma and his other favourite wives, and all his
family ; leaving his father Vasudova and his brother Bala-
rdma in charge of Dwiirakd.
Krishna's Now when Krishna set out from Dwdrakd, his camp was
motley camp. jr» •/••j. i i^xi i jx*
composed ot an mlinito number oi tradespeople and artisans
of all descriptions, and women of the lowest character.
There wore gay women, flower- women, oil-women, and
milk-women; also jugglers, serpent-charmers, monkey
leaders, and all kinds of pedlars and showmen. There
wore also some Chieftains of high rank, for Vasudeva and
Balardma accompanied Krishna during the first three
Merriment of stages. And as they marched along there was very much
laughter %nd merriment amongst the crowd, especially on
Declaration of a accouut of the womcn. And a certain woman of infamous
that i)y behold- character was travelling on a bullock, and she was over-
InK Krishna her
sins were for- turned by a camel ; and the people laughed when they saw
the woman falling upon the ground, for her character was
known to all. But the woman arose and said : — " There is
no occasion for laughing, for every day I behold the divine
XVI. — THE HOBSE SACRIFICE. 1387
Krishna, and thereforo all my sins aro forgiven nac/' And history op
INDIA.
Pabt II.
Krishna heard her words, but he only smiled. After this a i^'^'^-
flower-girl came up to Krishna, and said : — " I have these
flowers for sale, and it is already mid-day ; I pray you there- flow.r-Kiri to
fore to order the camp to be pitched, that I may be able to
sell my flowers before they are all withered and spoiled.^'
Krishna replied : — " I will give orders that you be paid for Krishna's iieno-
every flower you have;'' and the flower-girl heard his
words and rejoiced exceedingly. Then another woman who
sold milk came to Krishna, and said : — '' All my milk is Application of a
' •' milk-wom aii to
being spoilt by the journey, and the people here take no Krishna.
heed of the poor and needy.''
When Bhlma, who had been listening to these com- Bhima com-
plaints, heard the grumbling of the milk-woman, he could na" nhe
contain himself no longer ; and he said to Krishna : — " All conduct of the
the gay women and flower-girls, and milk-women in the
camp come to you as if there were nobody else to take care
of them, as there surely ouffht to be." Krishna replied : — Krishna ap-
' . points Bliuua to
" Your pity for those poor women is so praiseworthy that I ^ ^"^^^'2^, ?""#
herewith constitute you their Superintendent-Genend." *^® women.
Bhfma said : — '' I have in my house the daughter of an jesting mnvor-
Asura as my wife, and should she see me in the company of Bhima and
these women, she would bo very jealous, and would devour
them up. I pray you, therefore, to appoint some Superin-
tendent who has a great number of women in his family.'^
But Krishna, who had many thousands of wives, excused
himself, saying: — "I have Jdmbavati in my family, who
is the daughter of a Bear, and should she see such a number
of handsome baggages about me, she would kill them all in
like manner : But you Pdndavas are five brothers with only
one wife among you, and when she is with one of your
brothers, these women will keep you from solitude." And
all the people laughed at the words of Krishna. And Krish-
na sent the women to Bhima accordingly, and they all sat
round Bhima and bcMn to jest and laugh. And Bhima said BWma'a address
. to the women.
to them : — " Why do you come here to die ; no one but
Krishna can bear the trouble of so many women : All of you
know that I have a wife who is the daughter of an Asura ;
388
THE MAHA BHARATA.
niSTOEY OP
INDU.
Part II.
Tasudeva and
Balarinia return
to Dw&rak&
aRcuin|)aiiic<l by
the multitude.
Krishna and his
party approach
Mathur*.
People of Ma-
thuHi conic out
and meet Krish-
iia with pre-
WMltfl.
Both men and
women remind
him of his boy-
hood amongst
the cattle at
Vrindivana^
Krishim's pre-
sentM to the
women.
Krishna en-
ciunps on the
buiK of tho
Jumni^
Krishna pro-
ceed:) in
advance to Has-
tin&pur.
A Br&hraan pro-
claims tlie merit
or bi'huldiug
Krishna.
and she is very jealous, and should she ever see you in my
company she will devour you all up/' At these words of
Bhima the women returned and informed Krishna, who
laughed at their fears and then dismissed them.
Now after three stages Vasudeva and Balardma, the
father and brother of Krishna, returned to Dwdrakd accom-
panied by all the multitude ; and Krishna, and his wives and
children, proceeded with Bhima towards the city of Hastina-
pur. On their way Krishna and his party approached the
city of Mathurd ; and when the people of Mathurd heard that
Krishna was coming, they went out to meet him with pre-
sents of curds, milk, and flowers. And one who remembered
him when he was a boy tending his cattle at Vrinddvana,
asked him where he had obtained such vast pomp and mag-
nificence ; and another answered him, saying : — " Krishna
was once a keeper of cattle, and knew nothing of wealth be-
yond milk and butter; but now he is the mighty Saja of
Dwarakd, and the sovereigns of the earth bow down before
him.*' And some of the women also, who had known him
in his childhood, asked him if he could remember the time
when he had stolen their butter, and had been tied up for it
by his mother Yasoda. But Krishna only laughed at these
questions, and gave the women presents of fine cloths, and
jewels, and money ; so that they all went away in great joy.
After this Krishna ordered the tents to be pitched on
the bank of the river Jumnd ; and he sent for his sons and
bade them to be mindful of their behaviour at the sacrifice,
which was about to bo celebrated ; and he desired his wives
to be sure to pay proper respect to Kunti and Draupadf;
and he specially commanded his eldest son Pradyumna to
conduct himself with all humility at the ceremony, and to
keep himself free from all high thoughts and pride, and to
tell his mother, Rukmini, to wait with a great number of
slave women upon Draupadi during the sacrifice. Elrishna
then went forward to the city of Hastindpur, leaving his
camp to bo brought up by Bhima. And as he journeyed, a
Brdhman said to the people : — " Ye think much of the merit
of tho sacrifice that is about to be performed ; but the real
XVI. — THE HOBSE SACUIFICE. 389
merit is to be derived from beholding Krishna/' And hist oey op
when he came nigh to the city, multitudes of Brdhmans, p^^'n
with clasped hands, besought him to forgive their sins ; but
he said: — ''K your hearts be true and single before God^ beMechKriihn»
there is hope of forgiveness from him/' So he went on to smB.^*^^*
the city while the women collected on the tops of the houses Krishna's reply.
to behold him. As he advanced further, a eulogist said to Krishna pnOsed
him : — " What auspicious day is this in which men behold
your face to the cleansing of all their sins : '' And the
eulogist also said to those around : — '^ This is Krishna, who
has assumed so many transformations to visit the world/'
And Krishna took a necklace of pearls and jewels from off
his own neck and gave it to the eulogist. After this Br&hmans pny
Krishna was met by a large number of Brdhmans, who
prayed to him; and then by a company of dancing girls, Dancing giria
who sang and played before him. And Krishna stopped for Kshna.
a time to look at the dancing girls. And one of the girls
said to those around : — '' My heart is so intent with viewing pious spoechen
Krishna, that I lose my recollection ; and I fear that I shall perfonpanctiH of
spoil my dance, and that Krishna will think meanly of me."
She then turned to Krishna, and said : — '' You have one
chakra which you whirl where you list, but I have four
chakras which I can whirl." So saying she took one on
each hand, and one on each foot, and whirled all four about
to the admiration of Krishna and of all who beheld her.
She then said : — '* You play with the world as with a ball ;
and I can play with seven balls." So she took and tossed
seven balls into the air/and causrht each one in turn. And Krishna praises
' • ^ ^ the danciuK
Krishna bestowed great praises upon the girl, and told her Kiri.
to come to his quarters, and he would give her whatever she
asked of him.
After this Krishna approached the citVi and was met by Krishna enters
^^ J • i_ the city of Uas-
Arjona and all his kinsmen, and lastly at some distance by tinApur.
Baja Yudhishthira, and all the great men of Hastindpur, and
they conducted him to the house which had been prepared
for him. And Krishna paid a visit to Maharaja Dhritar- J^JUJ^^®^^
dahtra and the Rdnl Gdnddri, and the Rdni Kuntf, and they Kai.i.
received him with every honour. And Arjuna was despatch-
390 THE liAHA BUARATA.
HISTORY OF ed with many of tlio ladies of the Pundavas to meet the
p^ T^ ladies of Krishna's camp ; and when all the ladies had nearly
reached the city, Yudhishthira and Krishna went out also to
FoiidavM ro- meet them ; and in this manner the ladies of Ejiishna were
of Krishna. Conducted into the city and introduced to Kuntl^ Gdndh^
ConvenaUon and Draupadi. And Satyabhtima said to Draupadi : — " We,
pad! Mid the who are so many thousands in number, have all but one and
ontioiyKamyaad the samo husband in Krishna, and we are all happy with
him ; how comes it then that you have five husbands, and
are not ashamed before men ?'' Draupadi answered : — " You
are every one jealous of each other, and are always talking
of your suspicions one of another : But I never speak one
word which all my five husbands may not hear alike, or
which would give to either the smallest offence : And as to
what you ask of my having no shame before men, I had
Dnnpadi*! great shame when Duhsusana insulted me in the presence of
meiii'of the' all the Kauravas; but Krishna miraculously protected me
mlnculoiu in- ii>i** i t* ^ -y-vi/ ^« i
terferaice of by his divine power ; and as last as Uuhsasana stripped me
Runbiiiiff of one of my cloths, Krishna supplied another in its
pavilion. " * *
room.
Boviewoftho The foreffoing: narrative of the capture of the
tuTOoftho ^""^ ^^^^se contains only a single relic of the original
^^^' tradition; namely, the incident that the horse in-
tended for the Aswamedha was literally stolen by
Mythical char. Blifnia. Evcrv othcr detail appears to be mythical ;
AtiU-'rofthc •' . -^ ^ . •'. '
detoua. Qj.^ in other words, is a modern interpolation en-
forcing the observances of the Brdhmans, or the
lAterBrth. worship of Krishna. The conquest of the Rajas
conquest of has bccn spiritualized into a conquest of the pas-
the passions, i »- r
biTaKqSLi- sions; and the conjugal rights of the younger Pdn-
^on 0 re iKious j^^yj^g g^p^ apparently set aside, in order that Yud-
liislithira may sleep every night for an entire year
by the side of his wife with a naked sword between
them. Moreover, the main idea of the Aswamed-
ha, that it was undertaken to settle questions of
sui)remacy, has been virtually set aside in favour
XVI. — THE HOfiSE SACRIFICE. 391
of the later Brahmanical notion that it was a sacri- history op
fice for the atonement of sin and the acquisition of pILt'ii.
religious merit. Again, the disqualifications men- low marriMe.
tioned by Krishna, as unfitting a man to assist at an option for an
Aswamedha ; namely, marriage with an Asura wife,
or with a wife of lower rank than himself, or resid-
ing in the house of a father-in-law ; — are all breaches
of Brahmanical law, which could scarcely have had
any connection with the ancient celebration of an
Aswamedha. Lastly, a palpable fable has been intro- Pabiooftho
duced of a treasure hidden in the Himalayas, which "^
Yudhishthira declined to accept because it had be-
longed to the Brdhmans ; all of which may be re-
garded as a later interpolation, intended to indicate
by a negative process the respect to be paid by
Hindii Rajas to the Brahmanical hierarchy.
Besides, however, these purely Brahmanical de- Large interpr.ia-
••• •111 1 jIjjI • /»! tlous refoiriiig
tails, it will have been seen that the narrative of the ^ ^shna.
capture of the horse is largely interpolated with in-
cidents referring to Krishna, which are very curious
and suggestive, and serve to illustrate that epicurean
phase in the religion of the Hindus which will be dis-
cussed hereafter. Krishna appears not only as a lover contradictory
^ ^ ^ ^ •' ^ ftftturea in the
of women, but as prone to mirth and jesting; and ^*^'g*J5,j;'„ ^
no doubt these were the characteristics of the mortal S!d ^^aS^hJSJ?
hero. But in elevating Krishna to the Godhead, premeboiug.
and representing him as the incarnation of the Su-
preme Being, it seems to have been deemed neces-
sary to invest him with divine attributes, such as
the forgiveness of sins, and even to identify liim
with the universe in accordance with a pantheistic
idea that the universe existed in him. The attempt ^^."JJ^o^^p**
to harmonize these two opposite conceptions of ^SSiS"**^**
Krishna as a man and Krishna as a god, has re-
r ^
392 THE MAUA BHARATA.
HISTORY OP suited in a strange medley of absurdities ; and these
Past il aro especially manifest in the scenes between Krish-
'' na and Bhfma. Krishna reproaches Bhima for his
large stomach, his Asura wife, and his love of
women. Bhima retorts by an extravagant allusion
to Krishna as the Supreme Being in whom the
whole creation exists, not as an idea in the divine
intellect, but in his stomach as an actual and ma-
terial fact.* Bhfma also refers to the traditionary
history of Krishna, in which it is recorded that the
hero married the daughter of a Bear, and indulged
Kriahnm's prao- iu a multiplicity of amours. The scene in the
SSSghlu!** dining hall, in which Krishna is descanting upon
the excellence of the dishes whilst Bhfma is kept
outside frantic with hunger, is still more whimsical,
and precisely in accordance with Hindii tastes. It
is utterly devoid of religious meaning, but yet it is
a part of the conception of Krishna: and pious
worshippers will laugh all the more because the jest
was perpetrated by Krishna, just as courtiers will
laugh at the sorriest jest uttered by their sovereign.
Mixture of ieat- But the sccncs in Krishna's motley camp exhibit in-
Ing Mid piety. . . i • r ij xl j. • /•
congruities which would surpass the mysteries of
the middle ages, or the practices at the Dionysian
festivals. A courtesan excites merriment by falling
^ It would be difficult to find a more curious illustration of the wide difference
between the idealism of the learned class of Hind (is and the intense realism which
is alone apprehended by the masses, than is here inyoWcd in the remark of Bhimt
as regards the universe. Many Pundits are perfectly capable of conceiving tho
creation as existing as a Divine idea in the mind of tho Creator ; and do indeed
teach that all external nature, and the exploits of Krishna himself as a human
being, are all Maya, or a delusion of the intellect. But the masses are totally
incapable of apprehending such metaphysical conceptions. To them the moun-
tains, rivers, and seas are absolute material facts, and nothing short of represent-
ing the universe as so much matter existing in the stomach of Krishna as the
Creator of the universe, will render the cosmogony intelligible to the popular
mind. As to Krishna's human character, that is to be dismissed as someUiing
incomprehensible, which the learned only can understand.
XVI. — ^THE HOBdE aACRIFICE. 393
from her camel, and then proves her religious faith by history op
declaring that her sins are forgiven her because she pIm u.
has beheld Krishna.* The benevolence of the deity
is shown by his dubious liberality to a flower-girl ;
whilst his humanity is displayed in a still more
dubious exchange of jests with Bhfma respecting
the jealousy of their wives at the presence of the
courtesans. The bantering remarks of the men and Bantenngof the
^ meii aim wo-
women of Mathur^, and those of the Brdhmans and JJ^JJ^^ *^*-
dancing girls who welcomed the approach of Krish-
na to Hastindpur, are all of the same grotesque cha-
racter ; and instead of elevating a man into a deity,
only tend to degrade the deity into a very ordinary
mortal.
There is one other incident in the narrative of Natunu ind-
.« . /•ill 1*1* • dent of the old
the capture of the horse which is very curious ; lady who refused
* •' ' to leave her
namely, the story of the old mother of the Raja of ^^"^^^*\J*^
Badravati, who refused to leave her milk' and butter ^*"**^
to the mercy of the servants, or to believe in the
efficacy of Ganges water ; and who accordingly by
the advice of the Minister was carried away by
force. The language of the old lady is startling
from its truthfulness to human nature. She is a
perfect type of a large class. The power of the
Ganges water to wash away her sins was a new-
fangled doctrine which she utterly refused to be-
lieve. The springs in her own neighbourhood she
declared were quite as good as the Ganges ; in the
same spirit that Naaman the Syrian declared that
the rivers of Damascus were better than all the
* This ohseiration of the courtesan is a striking instance of that doctrine of
the power of faith in B&ma and Krishna as incarnations of deity, which is insisted
upon by the worshippers of Vishnu ; as opposed to the doctrine of the power of
good works, such as austerities and sacrifices, which is insisted upon by the wor-
shippers of SlTt.
^ ^
394 THE MAHA BHARATA.
HISTORY OP rivers of Israel. In a word, she seems to have cared
Part u. moro for her household goods than for the forgive-
ness of her sins ; like Martha, she was cumbered
with too much serving.
NamuiYeof the The narrative of the second event in the perform-
looieuuig of the ^
horue. ance of the Aswamedha, namely, the loosening of
the horse, is quite as barren of real incidents as the
narrative of the capture. The horse was loosened,
and it was followed by Arjuna accompanied by a
body of retainers ; but there the authentic tradition
Limited area of cnds. The real adventures of the horse during the
b*TrAhm2?i?»i subsequent wanderings, were probably restricted to
oJJ^uhS" the immediate neighbourhood of Hastindpur; but
in tlie Mahd Bhdrata the travels of the horse are ex-
tended not only to tlie most remote quarters of India,
but beyond the Bengal frontier to the city of Mun-
nipore, and beyond the Himdlaya mountains as far
y^uoofthe as the northern ocean. The whole of these ad-
nctions oon-
h^ ^*** ***® ventures may be treated as palpable fictions of a
comparatively recent origin ; but still they are well
wortliy of preservation, as they furnish striking
illustrations of the current ideas which prevail
amongst a people who are ignorant, credulous, and
superstitious, but who are by no means wanting in
the imaginative faculty.
Twelve legmidB Tlio so-callcd advcnturcs of the horse are twelve
connected with
the hone. Jn number, but literally they are twelve legends, or
series of legends, connected with the countries into
which the horse is said to have wandered. The
identification of the countries in question is in many
cases impossible, and if possible would be of little
value, as will bo clearly indicated hereafter. The
heads of these twelve legends are as follows : —
XVI. — ^THE H0B8E SiLCRIFICC 395
1st, The Prince with a thousand wives, whose history of
sister was married to Agni, the god of fire. p^^il
2nd, The disobedient wife who was transformed
by her husband into a rock on accoimt of her contu-
macy.
3rd, The Prince who was thrown bv his father
into a cauldron of hot oil, but preserved by prayer.
4th, The transformation of the horse into a mare
and a lion.
5th, Adventures of Arjuna in a country of
Amazons.
6th, Adventures in a country where men, women,
and animals grew upon trees ; where the people had
blanket ears ; and where human sacrifices were of-
fered.
7th, Aijuna slain and beheaded by his own son
in the city of Munnipore, but restored to life by the
application of a jewel brought from the city of ser-
pents in the under world.
8th, The Raja who offered to cut himself in half
in order to deliver the son of a Brdhman who liad
been seized by a lion.
9th, The fortunate life of Raja Chandrahasna.
10th, The Rishi who had dwelt for many Brah-
mas in an island of the Ocean beyond the Himalayas.
1 1th, The son of Jayadratha and Duhsald mira-
culously restored to life by Krishna.
12th, Triumphant return of Arjuna with the
horse and the conquered Rajas to tlie city of Ilasti-
ndpur.
The narrative of the loosening of the horse, and
of the twelve adventures which followed, may now
be related as follows : —
396 THE MAHA BHARATA.
HISTORY OP Now when the night of the full moon in the month of
Past II. Choitro had arrived, the horse chosen for the Aswamedha
was solemnly loosened in the presence of all the people.
looKmingoiithe And the horse went where it listed, and this it was to do
full moon of the ^ '
month Choitro. for a wholc year; and Arjuna followed the horse with an
the horael^i^ army ; and a golden plate was fixed on the forehead of the
juiuL horse, on which was inscribed the name of Baja Yadhish-
thira, and a proclamation that Arjuna was following the horse
with an army, and that he would clear a passage for it, and
compel any Raja, who opposed its progress or carried it away,
to restore the horse, and to join his train, and attend the
Twelve idven- Aswamedha at the end of the year. And the horse went
hoMc. forward to many cities and countries, and had twelve ad-
ventures; and during those twelve adventures Arjuna did
battle with many Rajas; and all those whom he fought
against during these twelve adventures he conquered, and
compelled them to give up their treasures for the perform-
ance of the Aswamedha, and to join his army for the pro-
tection of the horse ; and many Rajas, hearing of the great
victories that Arjuna had achieved, gave in their submission
without a battle, and accompanied his train along with the
conquered Rajas.
Pirst •dventure Now when the horse was loosened he went away towards
the south ; and his first adventure was in a certain Raj which
Carried away by was situated in tho country of Malwa. And the son of the
Raja bv the Raja had a thousand wives, all of whom were exceedingly
couiuei of one , , .
of hifl thousand beautiful, and exactly sixteen years of age ; and the Prince
took his pleasure with his wives in a charming garden in the
neighbourhood of the city. And it so happened that one of
his youthful wives saw the horse, and persuaded the Prince
to carry it away into the city. And Arjuna demanded the
release of the horse ; and the Prince went out and fought
against him, and was defeated. And his father the Raja
Rcitored Went out also, and was defeated in like manner. But the
mediation of daughter of the Raja was married to Agni, the god of fire;
married the and Agui wcnt out and fought against Arjuna with fire,
* whilst Arjuna shot arrows in return which produced water.
And after a while Agni desisted from the battle, and coun-
XVI. — THE HOBSE SACBIFICE. 397
selled the Baja to restore the horse, and the Raja did so, history oi
INDU.
Past 1L
and accompanied Arjuna ^^-ith all his army. " isdia.
After this the horse had a second advent are, for he
rubbed himself against a rock that was enchanted, and there- tur«> of the
upon stuck to the rock and could not be loosened. And u^n6 of the
this rock was a woman, who had been the wife of a Rishi ; «ife, who*wM
and she had been transformed because of her wickedness, into » rock.
Now when this woman was a girl, living in her father s
house, her parents told her that when they gave her in
marriage to a husband, she must obey him in everything ;
but she replied that she would not. And they heeded not
her words, seeing that she was only a child ; and after a
while they gave her in marriage to a pious Rishi. Accord- Married to »
inslj the Rishi took her to his own home, and as she was ftun to nuiu
very young he performed all the household work himself;
but when she was fully grown, he desired her to perform
her proper duties, and especially to worship the fire, so that
she might have fine children. But the woman refused to do
aught ; and she said that she wanted no children, and there-
fore would not worship the fire. Now one day the Rishi
' The first adventure of the horse is utterly unmcaniDg, but the mythic nar-
ratiTe of the marriage of the Raja's daughter to the god Agni, the deity of fire,
is strikingly iUustratiye of the later current of Hind(i imagination, and may be
told here in a few words. The daughter of the Raja desired to marry Agni
because fire rendered all things pure ; and if a woman burned herself upon the
funeral pile after the death of her husband, she became perfectly pure. More-
orer, Agni was the mouth of all the gods ; and as all sacrifices to the gods must
pass through fire, or Agni, so she, by having Agni for her husband, would ascend
to the gods. And all the women laughed at her choice, but she went out into the
jungle, and kindled a great fire, and propitiated Agni; and the god ap|>cared before
her in the guise of a Urkhman and promised to become her husband. So the
disguised BKihman went to her father the Raja, and made himself known, and
demanded the Raja's daughter in marriage. But the Counsellors of the Raja
laughed at the Br{ihman as an impostor, upon which a fiame issued from his mouth
and burnt up the Minister's hair and beard. Then the Raja arose and paid rever-
ence to Agni, and the flames ceased. Meantime, the news of the arrival of the
Br&hman and his extraordinary errand reached the women's apartments, and the
nutw of the Raja's daup^hter came out to see the Briihmun, and she took him into
her own room and asked him if he were truly Agni. The Brkhman in re[)ly gave
a puff which set the house on fire, and began to bum the clothes of the nurse. So
the nurse threw off all her clothes, and then rushed into the Council Hall crying
and sobbing. At this sight the Raja again did reverence to the Br^iliman, and
the flame ccaacd, and Agni was duly married to the daughter of the Raja
^ X
898 THE MAHA BHARATA.
HISTORY OF dosircd his wife to bring him an earthen pitcher of water ;
^^*^j and she threw down the pitcher, and broke it into pieces.
And when it was nicrht she rose from his side : and when he
Plmnim hor ^
huiband. bade her return, she went out of the house. Thus she
plagued lier husband, until he grew lean and weak, and was
like to die. At length a wise Rishi c^me to his house, and
said to him : — " When you want your wife to do a things
tell her not to do it ; and then she will do all that you desire/'
With these words the wise Rishi went his way, but said that
The husband on the morrow he would return to the house. And when
t**ll8 h«r not to
do whatever he ho had departed, the husband said to his wife : — " Our fmesA
wUhos her to *^ ' o
do* will return on the morrow, but do not make any preparations
for him/' And the wife replied : — " What is this you say f
I would have you to know that our guest is so great a Rishi
that he should be treated with all respect ; and I shall not
do as you desire, but will treat him very handsomely." And
BiiccraKoftho the husband thought within his heart that he had learned
the way to rule his wife ; so he said to her : — '' To-morrow
is the day on which it has hitherto been my custom to feast
the Briihmans, and offer cakes to the souls of my ancestors :
But I have resolved not to do this ; and if I -do give a feast
it shall consist of victuals of the worst kind, and I will
only invito the most ill-favoured, ignorant, and worthless
Bntlimans to the banquet/' Then the wife replied : — This is
a very pretty story that you are telling me : To-morrow I
shall provide a feast that will rejoice the souls of your fathers
for a whole year ; and I shall invite only the most good-
looking, learned, and respectable Bmhmans." And the
husband said : — " If you do this, I will put on my meanest
and dirtiest garments, and will not be present at the feast."
And the wife replied : — " You will not do as you say ; for I
shall provide you with the best and cleanest raiment, and
will myself conduct you to the banquet." So on tho morrow
the wife did all that she had promised, and her husband was
filled with joy ; but when the feast was over, he forgot the
counsel of the wise Rishi, and commanded his wife to throw
the remains of the victuals into the river Ganges according
iMMoTUia * to the custom. But the woman in her pride and obstinacy,
XVL — THE HOBSE SACEIFICE. 399
carried out the victuals in his veiy sight, and threw them history op
INDIA.
Part II.
into a place where the hogs came and devoured them. Then ^^'^^^a-
the husband was exceedingly wroth, and in his rage he •
cursed his wife that she should become a rock ; and he curses her that
-^y 1 11 A" A I 1 -1 T% • TT 1 she shall boa
said: — "You shall continue to be a rock until Kaia Yud- rock imtn Ar-
juna ruleaitcti
hishthira celebrates an Aswamedha ; and the sacrificial horse '^^^'
shall come to this place and run against you, and shall bo
fastened to you : But then when Arjuna strokes you and
liberates the horse, you shall once more become a woman/'
Now when the horse had done as the Eishi had prophe- T^o honio
, fastened to the
siod. Arjuna was greatly surprised : but the Brahmans who ^y-
lived in that place came up and told him of all that had be- Jj^Ii^ie wo^i
fallen the woman and her husband. So he stroked the rock
and set the horse free ; and at that same moment the woman
was restored to her true shape, and returned to the house of
her husband, and obeyed all his commands ever afterwards.
The third adventure of the horse was in the city of Chita- Third adventure
•^ of the honto.
pur, where all the people worshipped one God, and no man
had more than one wife. And the horse entered the city,
and was followed by Arjuna and all his army. And the Raja I{J|;J;"„n5'tho*'
collected his army and prepared to march out against Arjuna, gJuhw Sa'
and he ordered that a large cauldron of boiling oil should be
made ready, and that whoever should fail to march out with
him should bo thrown into the cauldron. And the youngest
son of the Baja was named Sadnova ; and when the Raja was
about to go forth, Sadnova went to the inner apartments to Sadnova, wn of
take leave of his mother, and he kissed the ground before icav^'ofhia
her, and said that he was going out to fight Arjuna. And
his mother answered him : — " If you are killed in battle it
will be well, but if you run away I shall be derided by all
people.'* So Sadnova took his leave, and as he went out he Takes leave of
met his sister, and his sister put a garland of flowers round
his neck, and bade him be valiant and provo himself a man,
for that her husband would upbraid her if her brother be-
haved like a coward. And when Sadnova left his sister, his Dcinyd a iittio
young wife came up to him and said: — "I fear that you will ^^'^^^*'^^«-
be slain this day, and then you will marry another wife in
Swarga ; but if it bo so I will bum myself with your dead
400
THE MAHA BHARATA.
HISTORY OF
INDIA.
Part II.
Thrown into
the cauldron,
but preaerved
by prayer.
BfBCOTery of
the horse by
Aijuna.
Fourth adven-
ture of the
home.
Changed hitoa
mare, and a
lion, and tlien
restored.
Fifth adventure
of the horse.
Enters the
country of the
Amazons.
body, and so be united with you for ever/ ' And Sadnova
bade her fear not ; but she replied : — "I know that you are
endowed with courage, and that you will not return from the
battle unless you come as conqueror/' And she desired that
ho would embrace her before he went, and he did so. Mean-
while the Raja had gone forth, and when he heard that his
son had delayed to join him, he was in great wrath. And he
consulted the Brihmans as to what he should do ; and they
said : — " Unless you keep your word your soul will go to
Naraka.'* So the Rdja ordered his son to be thrown into
the cauldron, and Sadnova employed all his thoughts in pray-
ing to God, and when he was cast into the cauldron, the
boiling oil ceased to bubble up, and became immediately
cold. And all the people, who had blamed the Brdhmans
for their counsel to the Kaja, set up a loud shout of joy. And
Sadnova arose out of the cauldron, and went out with the
army to fight against Arjuna; but the victory was gained by
Arjuna, and Sadnova and all his brethren were slain; and
the Raja restored the horse and accompanied the army of
Arjuna.
After this the horse had a fourth adventure, for on his
way he entered a pond and was changed into a mare, and then
entering another pond he was changed into a lion ; upon
which Arjuna prayed to God, and the horse resumed its for-
mer shape.®
And it came to pass that after many days the horse had
a fifth adventure, for he entered a country which was in-
habited only by women, and their H&ni was named Paramita.
And the way in which these women became mothers was this.
When men from other regions visited that country for traffic
or from curiosity, the women lived with them as their wives ;
and if a daughter was bom it was permitted to live, but a
® The story of the fourth adventure is purely mythical. The transformation
of the horse into a mare is said to have been in consequence of a curse of the god-
dess Pfirvatl, who was assailed by a Daitya whilst bathing in tbat pond, and ac-
cordingly ordered that all males entering that water for the future should be
turned into females. The second transformation was caused by a Br&hman, who
was seized by a crocodile while bathing in the pond, and accordingly prayed that
any creature entering that water for the future sbould be turned into a lion.
XVI. — ^THB HORSE SACRIFICE. 401
son was killed the moment it was bom. And if a man stayed history of
for more than a month in that country he was put to death ; p^^ j^
and such of his women as were with child remained alive, but
Marriage cus-
such as were not with child burned themselves with his dead tom«-
body ; for which reason every man who could escape ran away
after twenty or twenty-five days. When Arjuna arrived in this ci3tTiii*fiSS"n
country, he said to the warriors about him : — " This is a mar- •«»""* women.
vellous country that the horse has led us to : If we conquer
these women we shall obtain no credit thereby ; but if we are
conquered our disgrace will be greater than can be conceived :
Moreover, these women are of great strength, and whoever
lives with them for a month is a dead man : They will now
seize our horse^ and we shall find it hard to stand against
them.''
Whilst Arjuna and his warriors were enffaffed in this dis- Extreme beauty
course, the women made their appearance ; and they wore all
in the very prime of beauty. And they wore necklaces of
the best-shaped pearls, and were attired in splendid drosses ;
and they were mounted upon horses, with quivers tied to
their waists, and bows in their hands ; and they were all per-
fect in the arts of love, and in the various ways of fascinating
men. As soon as the horse caught their eyes, one of them Tbcycarryaway
ran and seized hold of it, and led it to the Wvii, and told her their R&nt Pa-
who followed it and what was its destination ; and the Rdni
ordered it to her stable to servo as a war horse. Then the
Rdni mounted an elephant, and all her female forces mounted Go out to meet
'^ , Arjuna on
their horses, and they all went out to meet Arjuna ; and they elephants and
were all of perfect beauty, and between fourteen and sixteen
years of age, and the Rdnf Paramita was the very perfection
of loveliness. And when these beautiful damsels saw that
Arjuna and most of his warriors were mounted on chariots,
they all laughed, and said : — " Are these men who are riding Lauj^h at the
m their chariots come to vanquish us who arc mounted on Arjuna and hia
w ^Triors
horses ? '* The Rdni then advanced upon her elephant, and
addressed herself to Arjuna, and said : — '^ You, 0 Arjuna,
have triumphed over many men of note ; see now if you be
man enough to resist my attack/' She then shot a single
arrow with such exceeding grace that Arjuna and most of his
VOL. I 2G
X ^
4U2 THE HAH A BHARATA.
HI8T0BT OP warriors were abashed. And the BAdI said to him : — '' I my-
Paxt u. self will take you prisoner, and make you my slave ; and
PropoMigofthe 7^^ must give up this unprofitable Aswamedha sacrifice, and
J^^jjwS.*^ come and drink wine with me, and pass your time in great
pleasure/' Arjuna replied : — " I have heard that whosoever
falls into your embraces certainly dies ; and if I loiter here
with you, who will take care of the horse ? " Paramita said :
— " Either way your death is nigh, for if you fight me you
will fall by my arrows, and if you yield to me you will fall by
the light of my eyes : But since you seem to have no desire
for my love, I will slay you with an iron arrow." Then
ATjunadefeated, Paramita discharged some more arrows, and Arjuna found it
rytheBAiii. impossible to withstand her; so he advanced and said: —
" I am enamoured with your beauty and grace, and your skill
and bravery ; and I desire to lay aside all hostility against
you, and to ofier you my hand : But you are a woman of
understanding, and you know that I am now engaged in an
Aswamedha sacrifice, and that I cannot associate with a
woman until the sacrifice is completed; but I promise that
when I arrive at Hastindpur I will espouse you in the midst
Superabund. of my brethren and kinsmen, and will find suitable husbands
Hastinipur. for all tho womou who may come with you, for there we have
men in plenty/' When the Rdni heard these words, she was
extremely pleased, and said to Arjuna : — " It was my inten-
tion to make war against you, and to slay both you and all
your people ; but I will now make peace with you on condi-
tion that you accept me in marriage ; and I will go to Has-
tindpur, and remain with Raja Yudhishthira until you
Amawms restore retum/' So she sent for the horse, and restored it to
Arjuna, and placed one of her own kinswomen in her room to
govern the country ; and then in great pomp and splendour,
and accompanied with vast numbers of women, and goods
and baggage beyond calculation, and all the finest jewels and
Panunitapre- curiosities that eye ever saw, she set out for the city of Has-
tiii&pur. ■ tindpur, whilst Arjuna again let the horse loose, and went
after him.
Sixth adventure After this tho horse encountered a sixth adventure in a
country where the trees were very large and wonderful to
XVI. — THE HOBSE SACRIFICE. 403
behold ; for^instead of fruit they bore men and women upon history op
INDIA.
Pabt il
their branches^ as well as elephants, horses, kine, goats, i^dia.
sheep, asses, and yarious other animals. But all these hu-
, . . , Enters a ooun -
man and animal fruits were very short-lived : for when it try where men,
" ^ womou, and
was noon they were young and vigorous, but as the day a»"m^» k^^
drew towards a close they grew older and older, until at the
setting of the sun they all died. Every day these fruits
were produced, and grew to maturity at noon, and died at
sunset. And the men of this country had ears like blankets. Men with
and with one of these ears they covered their heads and * **^
with the other they covered their bodies. And all the men
and animals in this country had bodies that were crooked
and distorted. Some of the men had the faces of horses, Monsten.
and others the faces of asses, iemd some had but one eye, or
one leg, or one arm, whilst others had three eyes, or three
legs, or three arms. And the Raja of this country had a Terrible upeot
Brdhman for his Minister. And this Brdhman wore a string: Minuter of the
Raja*
of human heads over his shoulder instead of the sacred
thread, and he carried human skulls in his hand; and he
had the skull of an elephant hollowed out for a drinking
cup ; and for ear-rings he wore a dead elephant in one ear
and a dead camel in the other; and for a walking-staff he
had the bones of a dead cow. Now when this Brdhman saw The Br&hman
the sacrificial horse, he went to the Raia and said to him : — Bj^a to sdje
T,. Arjunaandhis
'* An enemy of yours has entered this country, whose name people, and
•^ \ ^ "^ ' perronn a Nara-
is Arjuna, and it was his brother Bhima that slew your medha sacriflco.
father, the Asura : Now therefore do you seize Arjuna, and
all the people that are with him, and perform a Naramfedha
sacrifice, so that all of them may bo burnt in the sacrificial
fire : For this sacrifice has great merit, just as he who drinks Merit of the
wine and blood acquires great merit. And for this sacri- ^'j^n^aJjg ^nd
fice of yours I will collect a number of Brdhmans who aSllSnibais
are drinkers of blood and wine, and who eat human flesh; widwme-drink-
as well as a number of Saniases who have performed
penances for many years in the pagodas and sacred places,
and who celebrate their rites by eating the flesh of maid-
ens : And this was the sacrifice which was performed by i)orf.,rmed by
Rdvana^ and by celebrating it you will become a second
404
THE MAHA BIIARATA.
HISTORY OP
INDIA.
Part II.
The Ri(Jft de-
feated by Ar-
Juim, and his
people eaoape to
the iilandfl of
the
Flnuder of the
city of the
Daityaa by
Axjuna.
ATJnna bums
all the houaee
and fkmiliea of
the Daityas.
Seventh adven-
lure of the
hone.
Enten the*
ountry of
Blanipum.
Mythical de-
scription of
Baia Babhru-
vAnana.
Rtlvana, and we will all pray for you." And the Raja re-
plied : — " Your counsel is good ! '^ So the Raja went out,
with all the men and women of the country, to fight against
Arjuna ; and they employed many enchantments and magi-
cal arts. But after much fighting the Raja was slain by
Arjuna, and all his forces fled in great confusion, and betook
themselves to various quarters of the world and to the is-
lands of the sea ; and so that country was cleared of all these
wicked Daityas. And Arjuna entered their abodes and
found much gold and jewels beyond all calculation. So
Arjuna distributed some among his soldiers, and some
among the Rajas who accompanied him ; and he loaded
very much treasure upon camels and elephants, and sent
them away to Raja Yudhishthii'a, and his other brethren,
and his friends who wore in Hastinapur. Arjuna then
commanded that all the houses and families of the Daityas
should be burnt ; after which the horse was again loosened
to wander where it would.
So the horse went on for many days, until he entered
the country of Manipura, and there he met with his seventh
adventure. And the Raj of Manipura contained many well-
peopled cities, and the Raja at that time was Babhru-vdhana,
the same whom Chitrdngada, the daughter of the previous
Raja, had borne to Arjuna during his twelve years^ exile.
This Raja Babhru-vuhana was without an equal in prowess
and manhood. And in his Raj of Manipura there was not
such a being as a liar, and the women were always obedient
to their husbands; and there were also many wise and
devout Risliis in the Raj, who studied the Vedas. And the
whole country enjoyed tranquillity under the reign of Raja
Babhru-vdhana ; and no one was ever anxious about worldly
concerns, but all their thoughts were fixed on the world to
come, and employed in the worship of God ; and no one in
that country was ever taken up and imprisoned ; and if a
poor man entered that territory, the Chandels made him a
ryot that he might no longer feel any regret at leaving his
own country.^ The troops of that country were all of
^ Chandcl is the name of a numerous tribe of Rajpoots, originally from
XVI. — THE HORSE SACRIFICE. 405
determined bravery and great strength, and never turned history op
INDIA.
Pabt II.
their backs in the day of battle, however numerous might i^^ia.
be the enemy opposed to them. And all the people in that
country spoke the Sanskrit language, and they were always b^TilL^lLSpie.^*
happy and in good humour, and all passed their time in
mirth and joy.
Now the walls of the palace of Babhru-vdhana were made city aud palace
of gold, and round the whole city were walls of silver ; and
warriors of renown kept constantly watch and ward. On wa^cgonM and
the outside of the city were a number of waggons bound ^**»^"*^
together with chains, and in them were placed fireworks
and fire weapons, and men were always stationed there to
keep ffuard. And many thousands of chariots and elephants KxhauBticM
and horses were employed in bringing the revenues of the
Baj, in gold and silver, to a thousand treasuries ; and the
people who were employed to receive the money sat day and
night; but so great was the treasure that the people who
brought it had to wait ten or twelve years before their turn
came to account for the money they had received, and to
obtain their acquittal and return home. So perfect was the
comfort enjoyed in that Raj, that strangers who arrived
there were led to conceive that God had placed a second
paradise in this world.
And one of the Rajas that was following the horse said to wealth and
Arjuna : — " There is no other country like this in the whole eojJJ!^^ ^ ^ ^
world: I have been accustomed to send every year to
Raja Babhru-vdhana, one thousand cart-loads of gold and
silver, merely for leave to remain quietly in my own Raj ;
and if I failed to send it, an army came from him and laid
waste the whole of my country : For the Raja is exceedingly
brave, and also very learned and sage ; so that he exceeds
all the Brdhmansand Rishis in the world in wisdom, as well
Maboba in Bundelkimd, but now scattered over the North-Western Provinces.
They claim to belong to the Lunar race, who are said to have descended from
Cbrandra or the Moon ; and they gave their name to the district of Chandcri or
Chandeli. In the Lower Doab they are divided into four tribes, bearing the
sereral Hind6 designations of a Ruler or King, as Raja, Rao, R&na, and R&wat.
The Brahmanical compilers of the Mah& Bh&rata appear to have lived in the
North-West Provinces, and assumed that Chandels formed nart of the Munninore
popnlatioii as landholders or zemindars.
406 THE MAHA BHABATA.
HISTORY OF as all the Rajas in the world in prowess : And if any one
INDIA. j^j^g 3^ favour of him, he bestows on him so much wealth
Past II.
that he never need ask any one else for more : The Baja is
also of that continence and moral conduct that he never
looks on a strange woman with an eye of desire^ nor forgets
lUentsind ^^^ ^ single moment his worship and duty to God: This
bnwMg^of the jj^jg^ j^j^ ^ Minister so able that no other Raja possesses his
like ; and this Minister manages the affairs of the Raj wit^
such skill that the whole country is thoroughly well-peopled*
and not a single measure of land is unoccupied or waste;
and the Minister is likewise so brave that upon occasion he
would hold combat with the great god Siva himself ; and he
never gives a word of bad counsel to the Raja/'
Bdbhra-Y*huia Meanwhile the horse went forward until at night time
■dies the hone, jj^ came near the city of Manipura; and it so happened that
Raja Babhru-vdhana had gone to the chase, but some of his
people saw the horse and informed him of it ; and he imme-
diately ordered the horse to be carried into the city, and
when it was night he commanded that it should be brought
Hagnifloent into his Council hall. Now the whole ground where the
Raja held his Council was covered with gold ; and at the
entrance to the Council chamber were a hundred thousand
pillars of gold, each forty or fifty cubits high ; and the top
of each pillar was made of fine gold and inlaid with jewels ;
and on the summits of the pillars, and on the walls, were
many thousand artificial birds made so exact that all who
saw them thought them to be alive ; and there were pre-
cious stones that shone like lamps, so that there was no need
of any other light in the assembly; and there also were
placed the figures of fishes inlaid with rubies and cornelians,
which appeared to be alive and in motion. All round the
Council hall were sticks of sandal wound round with fine
cloth, which had been steeped in sweet-scented oils ; and
these were burnt to give light to the place instead of lamps,
so that the whole company were perfumed with the odour.
And before each one of the principal persons in the assem-
bly was placed a vessel ornamented with jewels containing
various perfumes ; and on every side and comer of the hall
XVI. — ^THE H0B8E SACBIFICE. 407
were beantifbl damsels^ who sprinkled rose water and other history of
INDIA.
Past II.
odoriferous liquors. And when the horse was brought into iNi>iA.
the assembly^ all present were astonished at its beauty and
excellence ; and they- saw round its neck a necklace of ex- SibutSfby ^'
cellent jewels^ and a golden plate hanging upon its forehead. H*)!|^7»ktn*in.
Then Raja Babhru-vihana bade his Minister read the writing ^^e Councu
on the plate ; and the Minister rose up and read aloud that
Baja Yudhishthira had let loose the horse and appointed
Arjuna to be its guardian. And when the Raja heard this, ^®2*^J^"
he said : — "Arjuna is my father 1 Say what course shall 1 1^^****^
pursue f " The Minister replied : — " O Raja^ since Arjuna
is your father it is extremely unfortrmate that you should
have seized upon this horse ; for it would have been most
proper for you to have followed this horse for one year by
the side of your fether.''
Then the Raja^ by the counsel of his Minister, determined J^jY«* ^JJ^
to restore the horse, and to ofiFer the whole of his posses- }jJj^'o rJ ^^ ^'
sions as a free gift to his father Arjuna. And he ordered ^"»»-
all the troops to be in readiness in all their parade dresses,
and he took with him all the Rishis and learned Brdhmans,
and gave orders that all the men and women of this city should
come forth. And all the most beautiful virgins of the best
education and most skilled in music were called together ;
and some were mounted on elephants richly caparisoned, splendid
* ^ . proceaaiou.
and some on the most splendid chariots, and some on litters
of the richest make^ whilst others walked on foot ; and all
were ornamented with necklaces of pearls and other jewels,
and carried garlands of the sweetest flowers in their hands,
which they were to throw round the neck of Arjuna. And
there were other girls from ten to fourteen years of age,
who were appointed to carry boxes of precious perfumes,
and to pour them upon the head of Arjuna, and upon the
heads of all the Rajas and Rishis, and sons of Rajas, and
Chieftains, and Br£hmans that had followed the horse.
Then Raja Babhru-vdhana set out to meet his father Arjuna,
with ail his Chieftains and Ministers ; and all the soldiers,
horse and foot, and all the fire-workers, accompanied him ;
and all the tradesmen and artisans in the city carried with
408 THE MAHA BHARATA.
HiSTOEY OF them their choicest goods and went likewise ; and all the
p^^^fj singiog-girls and dancing-girls bedecked themselves and
joined the cavalcade. In this order Raja Babhru-vahana
advanced on an elephant, for elephants were very excellent
in that country ; and when he saw Arjona he immediately
ahghted, and making the most profound obeisances, he
slowly approached his father ; and when he was come nigh
ho let loose the hair of his head, and he stooped forward and
Advmnoe of the wiped the shoes of Arjuna with his hair. And the Brdhmans
BrihnuuivSand . .
TooMi^eoM. and beautiful maidens also advanced and poured on Arjuna's
head all the jewels they had brought with them, so that the
whole ground shone round about him like the heavens
covered with stars. They also put chaplets of pearls and
jewels, and wreaths of sweet-smelling flowers round the.
neck of Arjuna, and round the necks of the other Kajas and
Chieftains who were with him, and poured vases of jewels
and flowers over their heads.
Babhru-yihaiiA Then Raja Babhru-vdhana advanced a second time be-
tohitiktber. foro Arjuna, and made a profound obeisance, and said: —
" You are my master and the author of my being ; and
though you be my father and I your son, I am now your
slave : I now make to you a free gift of this Raj, and my
armies, and my revenues, and my treasures, and all that I
possess ; and I am come to draw my sword in your service,
in the hope that you will mercifully look on me with favour,
and that as your other sons are severally employed under
Places his head you, SO you would also employ me.'' Saying this, Babhru-
foot, vuhaua again made a low obeisance; and then advancing,
he laid his head under Arjuna's foot, and said ; — " I hope
you will raise my head from the dust with your own gracious
hand, that I may lift up my head with honour among all the
people of the world.'' And all the Rajas and Chieftains who
had accompanied Arjuna presented themselves before him,
and said : — " This is your own son ; why do you not with
your own hand raise up his head from the dust ? No sove-
reign on earth ever had such a son ; why do you not look
upon him with an eye of favour and affection ? "
But the Almighty had now brought an evil destiny upon
XVI.— THE HORSE SACRIFICE. 409
Arjuna^ and it was predestined that he should be slain, histoby of
And it came to pass that he was exceedingly wroth with the p^^^fi
words of his great men ; and he smote the head of Babhru-
vdhana so sharply with his foot^ that his face was bruised H^hru.viiiana
against the ground. Then Babhru-v&hana lifted up his oovenhim.
head from the earth, and said : — " 0 my father, what fault
have I committed that you thus strike me ? '^ Arjuna re-
plied : — " I struck you because you are not my son : If I
had been your father you would never have been afraid ;
and I am assured that your mother, Chitrdngadd, must have Caiishimthe
borne you to some herdsman : You ought not to have seized man and a
my horse, but having taken him, you ought not to have re-
stored him without a battle : Had you possessed true valour
you would have maintained a combat, as did my son Abhi-
manyu against many heroes in the great war : He was my
son, and he was a lion ; but you are a jackal, and have come
and humbled yourself in the dust before one of your men
have been killed, and before you have received a scratch :
Your mother has danced and made a slip ; and it becomes
you to lay aside your bow and arrow, and to hang a tom-tom
round your neck, and make a figure among dancing-girls ;
for no sign of the true Kshatriya appears in your counten-
ance/'
When Babhru- vdhana heard these words of Arjuna, he Babhru-vihana
smiled and said : — '' 0 Arjuna, I have hitherto had great wd preparos
forbearance, but I now renounce you : In the fulfilment of
filial duty I have presented myself before you, and this you
attribute to my fear of you and your arrows ; and you have
vilified my mother, and called me the son of a herdsman ;
and your judgment has failed you, inasmuch as you have
not known a Kshatriya from a herdsman.^' Having spoken
these words, Babhru-vdhana ordered all the virgins and
other women who had come with him to return to the city,
and he commanded that the horse should be led away, and
the drums and trumpets sounded for battle. And then Defeat of
there was a desperate battle, and nearly all the Chieftains ^*'J""*-
who had accompanied Arjuna were killed or taken prisoner.
And Chitrdnradd, the mother of Babhru-vdhana, heard that of the priw.iiers
^ by Chitr&ugatUL
f /
410 THE MAHA BHAEATA. ^
^^^Sdia.^^ many great Chieftaiiis had been brought prisoners into the
P^^ ^^- city, and that amongst them was Pradynmna, son of
Krishna ; and she sent surgeons to dress their wounds, and
placed them in handsome apartments, and entertained them
Aijuna Mes evU with provisions and sweetmeats. Meanwhile, Ariuna flaw
many evil omens, for a kite alighted on his head and began
to scream ; and he also saw that his own shadow was ¥rith-
out a head. And he challenged Babhru-y£hana to single
combat, and they abused one another, and fought for a long
Beheaded by a time aiminst osch Other: until at last Babhru-yihana dis-
cresccnt-Hhaped ° '
»»T«>^- charged a crescent-shaped arrow at Aijuna, which severed
jMuhwfrim *^* ^^ ^®^ ^^^°^ ^^ body. And a light issued from the body
hb body. Qf Arjuua, which resembled the sun in its brightness, and
was soon by all the people of Hastin^pur. And Yndhish-
thira and Bhima were in great alarm at the light; but
Krishna told them that he knew what it was, and that all
would go right in the end.
Bejoicinn of Now whcu Baja Babhru-v&hana had obtained this mighty
Victory, groat rejoicings were made in his army. The
MuKioians and musiciaus sounded the songs of triumph, and the eulogists
praised the Raja and his warriors in loud harangues ; and so
much spoil was gathered together that the soldiers were
Pn»cP!wioii of troubled how to carry it away. And when the news reached'
jewou and tho city of Mauipura, all the beautiful virgins went forth
with strings of jewels and flowers to meet the conquerors,
Rejoicings in and cast their wreaths upon the Raja; and all the houses
wore hung with difierent coloured flags, and all the Chief-
tains came to congratulate the Raja ; and all the wives of
the Chieftains went to the palace to compliment Chitrdngadd
upon the victory which her son had gained over such a
Horror of Chit- matchlcss horo as Aijuna. But when Chitrdngadd heard
h««riiur tiiat that her son had slain his father Aijuna, she fell into a
hnd slain his swoou ; and Ulilpf, the other wife whom Arjuna had espoused
during his twelve years, exile, and who had entered the ser-
vice of Chitrdngadd, fell down in a swoon likewise. And
when they were somewhat recovered, Chitrdngadd reproached
her son very bitterly with the crime he had committed ; and
father.
XVI. — THE HORSE SACRIFICE. 411
prayed tliat a faneral pile might be prepared^ and tliat she histobt of
might be burned thereon. ^p^^^ jj
Now it so happened that Ulilpl, who was the daughter — —
of Vdsuki, the Serpent Baja, remembered that the serpents ^f^^^^^}
possessed a jewel which would restore Arjuna to life ; and fJr aSf^'rStor?
she sent one of her kinsmen^ who was residing at Manipura^ iug jewel.
to request her father Vdsuki to deliver up the jewel. So the
kinsman set off for the lower world, and arrived at the abode
of Vdsuki, and there he saw serpents all of gold, who were
in the service of Vdsuki. And the city of Vdsuki was MMfniflcentcity
splendid beyond description, and contained ten thousand ^ ''^^
crores^ of serpent inhabitants ; and the wives of all those Beautiful wives
p xi.i.AJxi.-i. of the Serpents.
serpents were oi consummate beauty. And the city con- jewels,
tained more jewels than any person in the world has ever
seen ; and there was a lake there which contained the water Lake.
of life, and in which all the serpents used to bathe. And
the kinsman of Uldpl entered the presence of Raja Vdsuki,
and proffered his request for the jewel. And at that time gcsha-ni^ca
the great Serpent Sesha-ndga, he who has a thousand heads, the jowcUo win
was on a visit to Vdsuki ; and Sesha-ndga summoned all Kjishnfu^ ^
the serpents, and told them that he was desirous of sending
the jewel to restore Arjuna to life, saying : — " If I send this
jewel, and it restores Arjuna to life, my name will be exalted
throughout the world; and I shall undoubtedly win the
fjEkvour of Krishna, who is the great friend of Arjuna ; and
Ejishna is now sovereign of nearly all the earth, and every
living Raja pays homage to his superiority.'* The serpents Refusal of the
then consulted together, but they were fearful that if the '*^^*^*'" **'
jewel were sent it would never be restored, so they refused
to send it; and Sesha-ndga desired the kinsman of Ulilpi
to return to her, and acquaint her with what the serpents
had said.
So the kinsman returned to Manipura, and acquainted ^^-^^ Babiim-
XJldpf and BajaBabhru-vdhana with all that had occurred; and {i^Z. mS"*^"
the Baja determined to lead his army into the nether world (MoaiH^iio
Serpents.
'^ A crore if ten millions ; consequently ten thousand crorcs arc equal to a
hmidrBd thffnw"d millions.
412
THE MAHA BHARATA.
HISTOEY OP
INDIA.
Pabt II.
The Serpents
tender their
submission and
fcive large pre-
sents.
The life-restor-
\nm jewel
delivered up.
Krishna, Bhi-
ma, and Kunti
arrive at Mimi-
pura riding
upon Garura.
Ariuna restored
to life by the
jewel.
Bcconciliation.
Eighth adven'
ture of the
horne in the
city of Eiitua-
pura.
and make war against the serpents, and destroy their city.
And Babhru-vdhana did so, and descended to the lower
regions, and fought many desperate battles against the ser-
pents ; and he shot arrows which produced peacocks in vast
numbers; and the peacocks devoured the serpents nntQ
they were compelled to yield. So Sesha-ndga called a
council of all the chiefs of the serpents, and it was agreed that
they should give up the jewel ; and moreover that they should
bring all their other jewels and rarities, and present them
to Babhru-vdhana that they might conciliate him thereby.
Then Sesha-ndga and all the chiefs of the serpents waited
upon Babhru-vdhana, and they gave up the jewel which was
to restore Arjuna to life, and tendered their submission, and
presented Babhru-vdhana with all their treasures. And
Babhru-vdhana returned with the jewel in great honour and
glory to the city of Manipura.
Meanwhile Krishna, and Bhima, and Kuntl had mounted
the back of the bird Garura, and ridden from the city of
Hastindpur to the city of Manipura; and Sesha-ndga came
likewise from the nether world to behold Krishna and
worship him. And Krishna prayed to God, and desired
Sesha-ndga to apply the jewel to the body of Arjuna; and
the head was once again joined to the body, and Arjuoa
returned to life, and was healed of all his wounds. And
Arjuna became reconciled to his son; and Baja Babhru-
vdhana prepared to accompany him ; whilst Chitrangada and
Uliipi set out for Hastindpur to bo present at the As-
wamedha.
After this, the horse entered the Raj of Batnapura, and
met with his eighth adventure ; for the Raja seized him, and
carried him away, but he was recovered by Arjuna.** Then
'^ The eighth adventure of the horse is a long tissue of religious fiibles, of
which one may serve as a specimen. When the horse was carried awaj, Krishna
and Arjuna entered the city of Ratnapura disguised as Br&hmans. When it
was night they found all the people asleep except a few young men who were
sporting with their wives ; and they listened at one of the doors, and heard a
young man say to his wife :— " The more I gaze upon you the more I lo?c too,
jiLst as people love Krishna the more they beliold him.** And they listenei at
other doors, aud heard nothing but praises of Krishna. And when it was mom-
XVI. — ^THE HOBSE SACRIFICE. 413
tlie horse encountered a nintli adventure in the country of histoey op
INDIA.
Part II.
Chandra-hasa^ where he was seized by the Baja, but re-
covered in like manner." The horse then went towards the
northern mountain, and all the Bajas on the way tendered tu'reir thrhoree
their submission, and gave up all their treasures, and joiued chLuirah^asa.
Arjuna with all their army. And the horse passed the Tenth adven-
northem mountain, and reached the sea, and entered it ; and horeo in the sea
Arjuna and Ejrishna were preparing to plunge into the sea northern
, X X o 1. o mountain.
likewise, and follow it, when they saw an island, and an old
Rishi sitting there. And the old Rishi had sat in one place story or the old
BO manv years that a tree had grown up between his legs, livini during
" . . muny Urahiuas
and birds had built their nests upon the tree, and serpents on an island lu
, ^ the sea.
had made their holes all round him. And the Rishi said
that he had remained there during twenty Brdhmas, and had
frequently seen the world come to a close and begin again."
And the Rishi saw Arjuna and Krishna, and bade them
complete the Aswamedha, and at his words the horse came
out of the sea. And the Rishi prayed to Krishna that he The Rishi pro.
cGcds to attend
might be present at the Aswamedba; and Arjuna and Krishna the Ajiwamedha.
carried him away with them.
ing they entered the Council Hall, and the Raja, supposing that they were Brfih-
BUUiB, treated them with erery respect. Krishna then complained that a lion had
carried away his son, hut had promised to release him on receiving the half of the
body of the son of the Baja of Ratnapura, 8a)'ing that a Ksliatriya could not
refiue ercn to sacrifice his own life if requested by a Br&hman. In reply, the Raja
agreed to sacrifice himself in the place of his son ; and directed his wife and son
to saw him in two. Just, however, as the saw was adjusted, a tear fell from the
left eye, and Krishna declined to accept an offering which appeared to be involun-
tary. The Raja, however, explained that the tear fell because the Rr&hman did not
deem his left side worthy of acceptance, but only his right side. Krishna was so
pleased at this explanation that he made himself known, and stopped all further
proceedings ; and the horse was liberated, and the Raja's son followed Arjuna
with a large army.
" The traditionary life of Chandra-hasa is very curious, and will be found
related in Part III., containing episodes from the Mah& Bhurata. It is a story in
which the good fortune of Chandra-hasa is contrasted with the evil forttme of a
certain Minister who was ever plotting to destroy him.
" A Brahma is a period of vast duration, and may be described as an abortive
effort to calculate eternity. A day of Brahma comprises the period of a univers<',
during which the world is created by a IJrahma, preserved by Vishnu, and de-
■troyed by Siva; after which the same process is continued ad infinitum. A
■ingle day of Brahma is equivalent to rather more thau four thousand millions of
mortal yean.
414
THE MAHA BHARATA.
HI8T0BY OF
INDIA.
Part II.
Eleventh adven-
ture of the
horse in the
city of Jayad-
rath*.
Story of Duh-
8al&.
Afler this^ the horse passed along the moontain Snmara,
and proceeded in a northerly direction until he arrived at the
city of Jajadratha^ whore he encountered his eleventh ad-
venture. Now the Raja of this city was the son of thai
Jayadratha^ who had carried away Draupadl in the jui^lay
and had afterwards been slain by Arjuna in the great war.
And the mother of the Baja was named Duhsal&^ and she was
the sister of Duryodhana^ and the daughter of Mah&raja
Dhritardshtra. And when the Raja heard that the horse had
Entered his city, and that it was accompanied by the man
who had slain his father^ he fell down from his throne with a
deep sigh, and gave up the ghost. And when his mother
Duhsald saw that her son was dead, she uncovered her head,
and ran out of the palace until she came to Arjuna ; and she
said to him : — " 0 Arjuna, you slew my husband, and now my
son has expired at the mention of your name : I am yonr sister,
and have no one to look to but you ; I therefore pray you
to take me under your protection/' And Arjuna dismounted
from his chariot, and acknowledged her to be his kinswoman;
and he wept very much, and said to her : — *' You are dearer
to me than all my sisters : I had no quarrel with your hus-
band Jayadratha, but he carried away our wife in the jungle;
and after that wo had forgiven him that offence, he caused
the death of my beloved son Abhimanyu in the great war, so
that I was compelled to combat him : And now that I have
had only the kindest intentions toward your son, I cannot
conceive what should have caused his death." DuhsaM re-
plied : — '^ I do not ask you for the blood of my husband, nor
for the blood of my son : but now that you are in tie course
of performing the Aswamedha sacrifice for the security of
your Raj, and for the religious merits attached to the sacri-
fice, I beg that you will not leave me here oppressed with
misery." And Arjuna compassionated her, and said :— " 0
my sister, whatsoever I can possibly do for you, I will." And
went to the dead body of the son of Jayadratha; and
The d(»d son of Krishna and Ariuna, and the daughter of Dhritardshtra then
Jayadratha
minu'ulouslv
JSrSuml'^® Krishna laid hold of the dead man's hand, and said:—
'* Arise ! " And by the will of the Almighty the dead man
XVI. — THE HOBSE SACBIFICE. 415
immediately arose ; and when lie beheld those around him, history oi
his mother said to him : — " O my son, this new life has been ^^^^^
'' Part IL
given to you by reason of Krishna; pay respectful obeisance
to him." So her son threw himself at the feet of Krishna ;
and in one moment that city was turned from mourning into
great joy, and the drums of rejoicing were beaten aloud, and
all the inhabitants were glad and made merry from house to
house at all the doors ; and the Raja and his mother Duh-
saM accompanied Arjuna in great happiness to the city of
Hastindpur.^* ^
Seeing now that all danger as regards the horse was en- Krishna return
tirely over, Krishna returned with all speed to the city of ** **"'^*
Ebstindpur to acquaint Baja Tudhishthira with all that had
taken place ; whilst Arjuna, and all the Bajas and Chieftains
in his train, followed Krishna very slowly with all pomp and
magnificence, carrying with them all the treasures which had
been collected during the loosening of the horse. And Findu Tudhfsh
when Krishna arrived at Hastindpur he found Baja Yudhish- thoOany^i^n^i
thira sitting on the bank of the Granges, dressed in the skin holding a dcor'i
of a deer and holding a deer's horn in his hand ; and all his
Chieftains, and Draupadi and Kunti and all the ladies, were
seated ¥rith him. Krishna then made obeisance to Kaja Yud-
hishthira, and to all the others ; and he said to Yudhishtliira:
— ^" O Eaja, by your favour Arjuna has conquered all the
Rajas in his way, and is approaching with a mighty com-
pany, and with more treasure than can possibly bo expended
in this Aswamedha sacrifice.^' And Krishna related at luiatea tiio
length to the whole assembly the adventures of the horse, Arjuni^ **'
and the victories which had been achieved by Arjuna.
After this, Subhadrd, the sister of Krishna, came out to
meet her brother, and he had been absent from her so long C(>nsoi(>s his
that when she saw him she burst into tears ; and Krishna em-
braced her and comforted her. Krishna then took leave of the
assembly, and taking Bhima by the hand he proceeded to his
own dwelling. And Krishna's wives were greatly rejoiced at
his arrival, and Satyabhdma said to him : — " Have you taken ^^V^ll^ ^'^
** The twelfth adyenture of the hono is nothing more than the triumphant
ratazn of Arjuui to Haitinftpnr.
416
THE MAHA BHARATA.
HISTORY OF
INDIA.
Part II.
AdHsM Tud-
hiahthira re-
ipectlng the
▲■wamedha.
Twelfth adven*
ture of the
hone.
Triumphant
return of
Aijuna to Has-
tiiiipur.
Marshalling of
the army.
Rejoicings of
people.
no now spouse during this expedition ? Arjuna has sent
hither the Runi Paramita, and perchance you have acquired
a fresh wife likewise.'' And Krishna smiled and said to
Bhima : — " Do you hear what these ladies insinuate of me?"
And Krishna and Bhlma then sat down for a short while, and
partook of some food. And Yudhishthira sent a message
beseeching Krishna to come to him and counsel him respect-
ing the coming Aswamedha and the reception to be given to
Arjuna. And Krishna went to the Baja, and after some dis-
course ilTwas agreed that Yudhishthira should remain in the
city and occupy himself with the affairs of the Aswamedha;
and that Elrishna, accompanied by Mahdraja Dhritardshtra,
and Yidura, and Bhima, and all the Chieftains, and all the
ladies who had assembled at Hastiudpur, should go forth to
meet Arjuna and all his train.
Then Raja Yudhishthira ordered the city to be decorated
for rejoicings, and suitable lodgings to be prepared for all
the Rajas who accompanied Arjuna; whilst Krishna and all
the others went out of the city upon thrones and litters, and
accompanied by an innumerable crowd of men and women.
And when the people of Hastindpur, who had gone out of
the city to welcome Arjuna, beheld him approaching with
his mighty train, they welcomed him in a transport of
joy, and Arjuna saluted all his kinsmen and brethren with
great respect and affection. And Arjuna introduced his
own son Babhru-vdhana; and all the Rajas and Chieftains
who were with him, one by one, to Mahdraja Dhritardshtra ;
and they all saluted the Mahdraja, and Vidura, and Bhima,
and all the other Chieftains who had come out fipom Hasti-
ndpur to meet them. And Krishna said to Arjuna : — '' Now
that you are about to enter the city, you should form your
troops in the most splendid array, that the people may all
see what a fine army and train you have under your com-
mand.'' So Arjuna arrayed all his forces in the best order,
each rank by itself, so that every man might keep his pro-
per place ; and no one in tKat quarter had ever before seen
80 fine an army in such an imposing array. And all the
men and women of Hastindpur had come out of the city in
XVI. — ^THE HOBSE SACRIFICE. 417
their gayest attire ; and all the artists and tradesmen carried history op
specimens of their best productions and commodities with ^^^li
them. And in this manner Arjuna entered the city in all
pomp and gi'andeur; and all the Rajas who were with him
also put their forces in the best order, and all the troops
were covered with gold and jewels ; but Babhru-vahana, son
of Arjuna, outshone all the others. And as they entered Garlands
. inn 11 thrown ftrora
the city, chams and wreaths of flowers were let down upon the verandahs.
their heads from the verandas, and large presents of money
were scattered in handfulls, so that the poor and needy in
the city became all rich from the quantity they picked up.
In this splendid procession Arjuna moved on until he intoniow b<».
twciMi Arjuna
entered the presence of Raja Yudhishthira, and then ho ami uu elder
^ . , brother Yud-
went and laid his head at the Rajahs feet. And Yudhishthira hishthira.
wept for fulness of joy, and lifting up Arjuna's head he placed
his face to that of his brother, and took him for a long time
in his arms, and kissed his head and face. Arjuna then introduction or
conducted his son Babhru-vdhana by the hand, and intro-
duced him to Yudhishthira, and said : — '' 0 Raja, this is my
son : Give him, I pray you, a reception so gracious as to
encourage and comfort him.^' The Raja then embraced
Babhru-vdhana and kissed his face; and Babhru-vdhana,
knowing that he had fought against his own father, was
abashed in the presence of the Raja and his other kinsmen ;
but Yudhishthira received him so kindly, that all his shame
passed away. After this Arjuna introduced all the other Joy of the ,
*^ •' •^ , BajaH at their
Rajas who had come with him, one by one ; and Raja Yud- y^dSbhthf
hishthira gave them all so distinguished a reception, that
they repented not having come from the beginning to pay
their respects to the Raja, and spend their entire lives in his
service.
The foreffoinc: narrative of the loosening of the Review of th©
^. '=' . *^ twelve adven-
horse, and its subsequent adventures m strange {^"j^^'^^o
countries, does not appear to call for much remark.
The story of the youns: Prince who had a thousand oriental idea of
girl wives, all exactly sixteen years of age, and all
nporting together with their husband in a beautiful
VOL. I. 27
418 THE MAHA BHARATA.
HisTOEY OP garden, is a curious exaggeration of the Oriental
pakt li. idea of happiness, in wliich women are regarded as
objects of desire rather than as objects of affection.
JJ^Swi^Hhe '^'^® story of the woman wlio was transformed into
5S!dtent*wifo!*" ^ rock for disobedience to her husband is of course
intended as a lesson and a warning ; and certainly
the enormities committed by the refractory lady
were the acme of wickedness, according to the ideas
Hindd coTi(H*p- of the Brahmanical period. She had declared that
tion of A bad
^^^ she would never obey her husband ; she had refused
to perform the household duties ; she had expressed
a desire to be without children ; she had broken a
pitclier of water that her husband had called for;
and above all, she had left him in the night time
and gone out of the house. These crimes were bad
enough, and indeed reduced her husband to a skele-
ton, but that there was yet one further sin which
she committed which was unpardonable. A wise
old Ilishi had counselled her husband to command
her not to do whatever he desired to have done;
and for a brief interval her contumacious proceed-
ings appeared like a brilliant fulfilment of duty.
She feasted the Brdlimans; she prepared the neces-
sary cakes and viands for the souls of her husband's
ancestors ; and she provided new and clean clothes
for her husband to wear at the entertainment. But
in one unliapi)y moment her husband forgot his cue.
Crowning 8in of In the lov of liis licart he desired her to throw the
giving the ro- '' "^ i • i • i n
SJtI3''vicuSjJ' remains of the consecrated victuals into the Oranges,
to the hogs, according to the law ; upon w^hich she threw them,
out of sheer contradiction, into a place where they
were devoured by hogs. Her husband being a
Brdhman, could not endure so grievous an offence;
and accordingly cursed her into becoming a rock
XVI. ^THE HORSE SACRIFICE. 419
until Anuna should come and restore licr to her history op
/ ,. INDIA.
proper form/* part il
The story of the young Prince who was thrown custom of
into a cauldron of hot oil without bein": mi urea, is taking leave of
^ »' ' fomalo relatives
of course interesting to the Hindii from the miracle {J^uh^"^'"*^
which it involves, but is chiefly valuable on account
of the light which it throws upon the later Hindu
custom of a warrior taking leave of his female rela-
tives before going out to battle. The hero of the a mother.
legend first takes leave of his mother, who entreats
him to perish on the field rather than run away, lest
she should be held in derision by the people. Ho a sister,
next bids adieu to his sister, who throws a garland
round his neck, and then makes the same request,
on the ground that otherwise she would be upbraided
by her husband. Lastly, he takes a farewell of his
young wife, who expresses her conviction that he
will be slain, but avows her determination of burn-
ing herself with his dead body, and thus rejoining
him in the heaven of Indra.
The story of Ariuna's adventures in the country Resemblance
•^ between the
of women bears a close resemblance to the Greek JJ»"d"f»>d.
traditions of the Amazons, who are generally referred Amwonl^*
to the neighbourhood of the Caucasus. The Amazons
were supposed by the Greeks to have formed a mili-
tary community, amongst whom the marriage tie was
but lightly regarded, although no virgin was allowed
to wed until she had slain her enemy. ^° The Hindu identification
. ^ . .i . of thi'ir country
tradition seems to have sprung trom similar circum- ^^^^ Maiabar.
** The prophecy inrolved in this curse is strictly in accordance with IliiidO
ideas. Thus Gotama cursed his wife into being a stone until Rama sliould come
and release her. See Part IV., containing the Kfiraayana, wliich will be comprised
in Volume II. of the present history.
>• Herodotus, Book I. c. 203 ; IV. 110-117. The ancient 'and modern tradi-
tions of the Amazons in the neighbourhood of the Caucasus have been collected
bj Klaproth. Sec IVaveh in the Caucasus and Gcorgiaj chap. xxx.
/ /
420 THE MAHA BHARATA.
HISTORY OF stances, which still prevail in the country of Malabar
INDIA. 'A J
pakt il along the southern quarter of the western coast of the
Privuegwofthe Indian peninsula. The Nairs of Malabar are amili-
N»ir women. * . • .
tary class, and amongst them the marriage tie is
merely nominal. Indeed, the women may bo said to
be masters, for they claim and exercise the right of
receiving as many lovers as they please, provided they
belong to the BrAhman or Nair caste.*'
curioiwaiiarion Tlio storv of the countrv of the Daityas, where
tohuraftn saisri- •' ^ •' ,
SSiw^"^' Dien, women, and animals grew upon trees, is a ioxor
1^ Tho peculiar customs prevailing amongst the women of Malabar have at-
tracted the attention of trayellers from the very earliest period. The travels of
Van Linschotcn in tho sixteenth century, of Fryer in the seventeenth century,
and of Buchanan at the commencement of the present century, contain somo
curious details, which are generally confirmed by the present residents on the
western coast. (See especially Dr Day's Land of the Permattisy 1863.) It ap-
pears that there are two principal castes in Malabar, namely, the Br^imans, or
priests, and the Nairs, or military class. The Nairs are nominally married to
girls of their own class, when the latter arc ten or under ten years of age, bat
they never have any intercourse with their wives, who continue to live with their
mothers or brothers ; and when the mother dies, tho eldest sister becomes ihe
head of the household. Meantime, the Nair women receive as many lovers as they
please, provided they belong to the Br&hman or Nair caste ; and the young men
vie with each other in rendering themselves agreeable to the women. When a
lover receives admission into a house, he commonly gives his mistress "some orna-
ments and a piece of cloth ; but, according to Buchanan, these presents are never
of such value as to give room for supposing tliat the women bestow their favours
from mercenary motives. WHicn the lady returns the cloth, it is a sign that the
gentleman must cease his visits ; but it must not be concluded that she has only
one lover at a time, for more than one are frequently admitted to a share in her
favours.
The result of this strange absence of matrimonial restraint is that no man
knows his own children, and the succession accordingly goes from the father to
the sister's son ; and this rule still prevails in the succession to the Raj, both in
Travaneore and Cochin, as well as to all property generally. It has been in-
ferred that the custom originated in an ancient privilege exercised by the Br&h-
mans of visiting the females ; that when this sacred body had established their
hierarchy in the country, they probably wanted soldiers and mistresses, and there-
fore instituted tho Nair caste, the males acting in the first capacity, and the
females in the second. It seems, however, more reasonable to suppose that it was
an original institution ; ard that when the Br^hmims had settled in the country
they secured for themselves a sliare, or more than a share, of the favours granted
by the Nair women. Buchanan says that the Nair women are proud of reckon-
ing among their favoured lovers many Brkhmans, Kajas, or other persona of high
birth.
XVI. — ^THE HORSE SACRIFICE. 421
clful and contradictory fable, which is only of im- history op
. • • INDIA*
portance from its allusions to human sacrifices, and pj^x il
especially from its allusions to the cannibal orgies of
certain Saniases. This branch of the subject will be
fui'ther noticed in treating of the religion of the Hin-
dus. It is, however, worthy of remark that the Possible wenti-
Daityas are said to have fled to the islands of the ^^SdhUU.
sea ; a circumstance which seems to identify them in
the present case with the Buddhists ; to whom the
Brahmanical compilers would have been led by the
virulence of religious hate to attribute any vile
custom.
The legend of Arjuna^s adventures in Munnipore B«*m«2*J|jjPf ^
is perhaps the most interesting of any, from the light by^ArjUSJ-r*"^
which it throws upon the Brahmanizing of the na- SJfventuret in
tional epic by the later compilers, to which allusion
has so frequently been made. Munnipore is a bar-
barous country between Bengal and Burmah. The Modern oonver.
•^ , O ^ ^ sionofthe
people are at present in a transition state. They are JSS'^JSSSl
Ndgas, or worshippers of serpents, under process of dSS!** "'
conversion to Hinduism ; a process which is going on
to a very large extent amongst the aboriginal races
generally throughout India. No traces, however, of
this process can be discovered before the beginning of
the last century, when it appears to have been com-
menced by a Mahunt of Sylhet. Indeed, many of the
present generation of Munniporees can remember
when it was usual in most families for half the mem-
bers to profess Hinduism, and be called " clean ; "
whilst the other half followed their old NAga customs,
and were called "unclean." That Hindiiism is of Late origin of
...,,• ., 1 1 ^ • the conversion
late origin m Munnipore is also proved by the evi- S^dSS^of^iSn.
dence of language. The connection between Brdh- ^^*'*^
manism and the Sanskrit language appears to have
422
THE MAHA BHABATA.
HISTORT OF
INDIA.
Pabt II.
Brahimuiical
doHcriptioii of
Muuniporc.
The Raja.
Tho Miuistor.
The people.
Palace and city.
Referftnco to
srtiUery.
Poetical imagin-
ation mani-
fested in tlio
doscriptiouii.
been always very intimate ; and the languages of the
Brdhmanizcd populations of India seem to have been
more or less derived from the Sanskrit, or, at any
rate, to have borrowed Sanskrit words and forms.
But neither tlie language of Munnipore, nor that of
the races eastward of the Munnipore valley, appear
to have any connection whatever, with that of
Sanskrit.
Tlio descriptions, however, of the Raj and Raja
of Munnipore, as it appears in the Malui Bharata, are
exaggerations of tho Bnlhmanical idea of perfection.
The Raja was unequalled for valour, very wise, and
a model of chastity. The Minister adoninistered af-
fairs so skilfully that the country was well j^eopled,
and not a measure of land was uncultivated. More-
over, he was very brave, and never gave bad counsel
to the Raja. The people of the Raj always told tlie
truth ; the women obeyed their husbands ; the Br^h-
mans were wise and devout, and studied the Vedas ;
the soldiers were strong and brave ; and the San-
skrit language was spoken throughout the Raj. The
golden walls of the palace, the silver walls of the city,
and the cxhaustless treasures of the Raja, are mere
creations of the imagination ; but the reference to
fire-works, and especially to fii'e weapons placed in
waggons, which were bound together by chains,
seems to indicate the use of artillery, and this re-
ference is of some importance, as the original myth
appears to have originated at a period not later than
the eleventh century."^®
The scenes wliich are described in connection
with the carrying away of the horse, the meetino-
^' See foot-note further on.
XVI. — TUB HORSE SACRIFICE. 423
between the Raja and his father Anuria, and the history op
descent to the city of Serpents, indicate a poetical pabt li.
imagination of a high order. The picture of the wonderfui dc-
^ .----, -, 1 n • ,' ^ w-nption of the
(Jouncil nail is a marvellous work oi painting; ana councuh»u.
it is presented, not in the glare of sunlight, but in
the darkness of the night illuminated by a countless
number of sandal-wood torches. The pillars, the
walls, and the pavement are of pure gold, radiant
with figures of birds and fishes composed of many-
coloured gems. The Raja is seated on his throne,
surrounded by his Chieftains, and before each one
is placed a jewelled vase of perfumes. Presently Entrance of tuo
the mysterious horse is led into the hall before the
whole assembly, with a golden plate upon his fore-
head, and a string of pearls hanging round his mane.
The Minister reads the inscription on the golden
plate, challenging the Raja to battle. The Raja surprise of the
suddenly discovers that his own father is the guard-
ian of the horse ; and that ho must not only restore
the horse, but tender the most abject submission to
his newly-found father.
The scene now changes. A procession is formed The grand pro- ;
, , , *' cession of the
in accordance with Hindii ideas of pomp and gran- ^j^gtew!^
dcur. There is the Raja surrounded by his Minis- l^fS^B?ih^^
1 r^^ • n, • 11 1 • ji* maii8, maidens,
ters and Uhieitams, all arrayed in gorgeous attire, and dancing-
There are the soldiers in their parade dresses ; the
Brdhmans, holy, devout, and learned ; the beautiful
and accomplished maidens, some in splendid chariots,
some mounted on richly-caparisoned elephants,
whilst others are walking on foot or proceeding in
gay palanquins. There too are the girls with their
boxes of perfumes ; the tradesmen and artisans with
samples of their wares ; and the frail but attractive J^J^t?^"'^;*'^
bands of singing and dancing women. Then follows LTaij!!!^^*'
424 THE MAUA BUAHATA.
HI8T0EY OP the meetinff between the son and the father. The
INDIA
paet li. Raja manifests his filial respect by wiping the shoes
of Arjuna with his long hair; upon which Arjuna
strikes him to the earth, and accuses him of being
Death of a CO Ward and the son of a herdsman. Next follows
Aijuiia.
the mythical battle in which Arjuna is slain ; and
the palace rings with the screams of his wife Chit-
rdngadd, who calls for a funeral pile that she may
be burned with the body of her slaughtered hus-
SSStiSto band. Lastly, the descent into the subterranean
thedtjofser- regious, and conquest of the city of Serpents, create
a sensational thrill in a Hindii audience, which few
who have not resided in India will be able to ap-
HirnM worship proheud. Agos of Brahmauism liave failed to crush
dif^^*^ out the old primitive worship of the serpent, as the
mysterious deity of the regions below. To many
he is the guardian deity of the household, to be
propitiated with mantras and oflFerings of food ; and,
according to the popular belief, it is the great Raja
of Serpents, the mighty Sesha-ndga, who supports the
Examerated uiiivcrse upou his head. But still the Hindu imagin-
of oobnw. ation calls up exaggerated visions of the terrible ser-
pent-gods, whose irresistible coils and venomed fangs
are deadly to all save the all-powerful charmer ; whose
gleaming coats are radiant with a thousand dyes, and
whose wrathful hoods are sparkling with countless
gems ; whose city in the under world is as brilliant
as a mine of jewels, and who dwell there in endless
numbers, with wives of unearthly beauty, and child-
ren as fascinating and as terrible as themselves.
The religious ideas connected with the old worship
of serpents may be reserved for discussion hereafter ;
but still it may be remarked how admirably the
present myth is adapted to wean a barbarous people
XVI. — THE HOBSE SACRIFICE. 425
from so low a form of worship, and to lead them to history oi
adopt the gods of the Brdhmans. Not a single idea pIm ii.
is expressed which could wound the prejudice of the Adaptation or
serpent worshipper. The power of the Serpents is ^^^^^ t« ^^e
duly acknowledged, and their city is described with
a marvellous power of fancy. But the Serpent Raja
himself acknowledges the superiority of Krishna ;
and the city of the Serpents is conquered by the son
of Aijuna. The result has been that notwithstand-
ing the late advent of Brdhmanism, the myth of the
sacrificial horse has taken a powerful hold upon the
minds of the rude and half-savage Munniporees.
The spot where the horse is said to have entered i^i«o'the
* adventures of
the Munnipore* valley is still pointed out, and goes ISirJj^i?t by
by the'^name of Sagon-mang, or ^Miorse-lost;" the ^ "^po'®**
spot where he was caught is still called Sagon-pul,
or "horse-stopped;" and the part of the palace
enclosure into which he is said to have been led is
still called Sagon-keephum, or "horse-tying place."
The cavity down which the descent was made in
search of the jewel is still to be seen ; and there in
that cavity is said to reside the Serpent ancestor of
the Rajas of Munnipore, and over it is still placed
the throne of the reigning Raja.^®
The later adventures of the horse are of very Later adveu-
•^ turfis of the
minor importance. They are mere extravagances {^'j\^«~j^'^^^
>• For many particulars in the foregoing observations, I am indebted to Colonel
MacCiilloch, the present Political Agent at Munnipore. It is somewhat curio^is
that the mythical account of Arjuna's adventures in Munnipore should have been
composed many centuries before the actual introduction of Brahmanism into tlie
country. Yet such would appear to be the case, for the myth is referred to in tlio
Vishnu Pur^tna, which seems to have been composed in the eleventh century ;
whilst the evidence of Colonel MacCuUoch is indisputable as regards the absence
of all traces of Brahmanism prior to the eighteenth century. (Sec Wilson's
Introduction to the Vishnu "Pur&na.) From the allusion to the Chandels it
would seem that the myth was composed in the North- Western Provinces, whore
the Chandds are to be found. Sec antej p. 404, note, ^
426 TUB MAHA BHABATA.
HISTORY OP referrinj? to Krishna, from which nothing tangible
INDIA. •
pAt il can bo inferred. The eleventh adventure contains
Dubious char- *^^® story of thc SOU of Jajadxatha being restored
SSScfiSf"* to life by Krishna; but the alleged miracle is in
Krishna's re- ^. -, i i • mi
storing a dead ovcry way exceedingly dubious. Ine young man
dies suddenly on hearing that Arjuna has entered
the Raj ; upon which Krishna takes him by the
hand, and restores him to life. Here, if the myth
were a true story, it is impossible to avoid the con-
viction that the young man did not die from so
trifling a cause, but merely fell into a swoon, from
which he was recovered by Krishna.
Triumphant The advcuturcs of the horse being brought to a
ii2rifl5iS*h!)Mo® close, Krishna returned to Hastindpur, and was sub-
SfHindTw?" sequently followed by Arjuna. The triumphant
""^ '*^* entry of Arjuna is described in the usual fashion.
All the people of the city dressed out their houses,
and put on their best attire, to welcome back the
victorious prince. The armies of Arjuna, and those
of the Rajas accompanying him, marched in grand
array amidst the acclamations of the multitude-
Garlands wore thrown down from the verandahs, and
money was scattered in all directions. Finally
Gracious Yudliislitliira gave a magnificent reception to all the
i^eptuJlf of™i!e Kajas assembled, and received each one so graciously
^*^ that they are said to have all repented that they had
not submitted at a much earlier period, and spent
their entire lives in the service of so great a Raja.
3rd Narmtivo Tlic narrative of the third and concludinff event
of the sacrifice ^ ^
SSmbiil'ed^ith ^^ *1^® performance of the Aswamedha resembles in
hiniSl'*'""^ "^^ some respects the description of the Rajasiiya, inas-
much as it involves two distinct classes of ceremonies,
namely :
First. The rites connected with the sacrifice of
XVI. — THE HORSE SACRIFICE. 427
tlie horse, which may be regarded as forming a part history oi
of the original Kshatriya tradition. pIbt ii.
Secondly. The rites connected with the oflFering of '^'
the homa, which may be regarded as the details of a
Brahmanical sacrifice, introduced by the Brahmanical
compilers, for the purpose of imparting a Brah-
manical tone to tlie performance of the Aswamedha.
It will be seen hereafter tliat an attempt has been The offering of
^ ^ the noma Intro
made to represent these two distinct classes of rites iSi.^ntcai
as forming a part of the ancient ceremony. The "^^^^ ^'
horse is apparently sacrificed in a paved area sur-
rounded by pillars, whilst the homa is prepared and
oflfered in eight sacrificial pits ; but still the descrip-
tions of the two rites are so carefully blended to-
gether in the Mahd Bhdrata that it is difficult to
separate them. When, however, consideration is
given to the radical diflference between tlie sacrifice
of the horse and the ofiering of homa, and especially
to the fierce opposition which prevailed between
those who persisted in sacrificing animals and those
who denounced the bloody offerings, it is impossible
to arrive at any other conclusion, than that the
account in the Mahd Bhdrata is a compromise at-
tempted by the later Brahmanical compilers to
combine the simple offering of the homa with that
sacrifice which formed the essential ceremony in the
performance of an Aswamedha.
Having thus indicated the difference between seventeen
what appears to be two distinct narratives, it may peSoriHinc^of
* * ^ ' "^ an Aiiwamcahfl
now be as well to describe the Aswamedha as nearly
as possible in the order in which the incidents ap-
pear in the Mahd Bhdrata. The stages in the cere-
mony appear to have been seventeen in number, and
are as follows : —
f f
428 THE MAHA BHARATA.
HISTORY OP 1st, The bathing of Raja Yudhishthira, and of
pabt II. Draupadf as his RAnf .
2nd, The ploughing by Yudhishthira of the space
set apart for the sacrifice with a golden plough.
3rd, The sowing of the space with different kinds
of grain by Draupadf.
4th, The paving of the space with golden bricks.
5th, Tlie eight pillars set up round the pave-
ment.
6th, The eight pits prepared for the homa, with
eight corresponding ladles.
7th, The collection of vegetables and medicinal
herbs for the homa.
8th, The procession to bring water from the
Ganges.
9th, The performance of the homa.
10th, The purification of the Raja and the horse
with the Ganges water.
11th, The speaking of the horse.
12th, Tlie sacrifice of the horse.
13th, The offering of the horse to the gods.
14th, The distribution of the merits of the As-
wamedha.
loth. The disposal of the remains of the homa.
1 6th, The distribution of presents.
17th, The feast.
Description of Thc uara tivo of these several rites, as it appears in
e warn a. ^^^ jyj^hd Bhdrata, may now be related as follows : —
PrejMurations. Now all this while, the preparations were in progress for
the performance of the Aswamedha sacrifice. A golden throne
was set up on a high place for Mahdraja Dhritordshtra, and
beneath that was another throne for Eaj a Yudhishthira; and
The throTiM of tlirones of gold and sandal- wood werearranged for all the
wood. other Rajas and Chieftains according to their several
XVI. — THE HORSE SACEIHCE. 429
qualities and dignities ; and the Mahdraja and all the Bajas histobt of
and Chieflains took their seats upon the thrones. And all p^^ jf,
the wives and other ladies of the Baias came to the assembly, " ~ — : —
•' , , 'l' Assemlily of
and were arranged and seated on their own side, each one in ^^^ i*dies.
the place appointed for her. And when all assembled were
closely seated, Baja Yudhishthira and Draupadi bathed
themselves; and the space of ground required for the Ploughing and
sacrifice was duly measured out, and a golden plough was
brought, and two bullocks were harnessed to the plough.
Then Raja Yudhishthira rose up, and with his own hand
drove the bullocks and ploughed that space ; and Draupadi
followed the Raja, and carried a parcel of all the different
grains which were grown in the Raj of Bhdrata, and sprinkled
the grain as fast as the Raja ploughed. And the Bi*dhmans pravenoftho
sat along with the ladies, and whilst the Raja ploughed, laSe^*"* *°
both the Brdhmans and the ladies offered up prayers in his
behalf with a loud voice. The space of cround was then The pavement
, of gold briuka.
covered with four hundred golden bricks; and the sago
Vydsa, accompanied by Yasishtha, and Ndrada, and other
Rishis, seated themselves on the golden pavement. The The eifrht
Raja then commanded that eight pillars should be sot up aiid^iod/cii.'''
round that golden pavement ; and a roof covered with gold
was placed over the pavement, and a banner was fixed on
the top of each pillar. Then eight large pits were dug in
order that the homa of milk, curds, and clarified butter
might be prepared therein ; and eight large sacrificial ladles
were furnished for casting the homa on the sacrificial fire ;
and a large cloth of skins was sewed together, in which was
placed a portion of every vegetable which is food for man,
and a portion of every medicinal herb which were produced The vegetables
in that Raj, and the whole was put into the homa. And herv/J!
Vydsa was appointed to be President 'of all the Bruhmans, Vy&sa preai-
who were to obey his orders as to the performance of the
homa. And all the most famous Rishis were present at that
sacrifice, and they selected the most distinguished persons to
sit by the side of the place where the homa was performed.
And Raja Yudhishthira sat with a deer's horn in his hand ; ^J'^l^t!?^"' ^'^*'
and Vydsa desired him to command that sixty-four of the cJ^Nion^n^m^he
Gaiigvti.
* ^
430 THE M.VHA BHARATA.
HISTORY OP principal Rajas and Rishis in the assembly should go with
Pakt'il *^®^^ wives to the bank of the Ganges j and that both they
' and their wives should each fill a pitcher with the Ganges
water, and bring it to the place of the sacrifice. And Krishna
and Arjuna and Bliima, with a great party of Rajas and
Rishis, each one accompanied by his wife, proceeded to the
bank of the Ganges, all with pitchers on their heads ; and
along with them wont a company of musicians with drame^
and trumpets, and other musical instruments, and many
dancing-girls likewise danced before them. And when
those who had gone to the bank of the Ganges for water had
filled all their pitchers, they took the pitchers on their
heads, and returned to the place of the sacrifice, preceded
by the musicians, and the singers, and the dancing-girls.
dreMal***^" ^' Then Raja Yudhishthira commanded that splendid
dresses should be brought for all those who had carried the
water, and he caused both the Rajas and their wives to be
dressed therewith, and he put a chain of choice jewels on
each of their nocks, and put betel nut into each of their
SehoBMk*^ **' mouths. And he ordered fires to be lighted in the pits that
were dug for the homa, and the various ingredients for the
homa to be presented to the fire. Then the Raja's brethren,
and kinsmen, and servants brought several loads of gold
and jewels and clothes, together with many elephants,
horses, and cows, and gave to each Bi'dhman in such quan-
tities that all were fully satisfied and contented.
£!lIl5?^!)!®rK After this, a throne made of sandal-wood, covered "with
pouroa over tno '
feS^^d^tho ff^^^^> ^"'^^'^ brought for Raja Yudhishthira. And the Raja
horse.*^'*^^ sat tlicreon, and those around him took off* his clothes; and
all those persons who had brought water from the Ganges,
took up their pitchers and poured the water over the Raja's
head. The horse was then brought, and the remainder of the
water with which the Raja had been bathed was poured upon
the horse's head. Then Ndkula opened the mouth of the
spooch of the horse, and held up his head, and said : — '^ The horse is speak-
ing ! " And those around cried out : — " What does the horse
say ?" Niikula replied : — " The horse says : — ^ In other Yagas
wherein a horse is sacrificed, he goes to Swarga, which is the
XVI. — THE HOESE SACRIFICE. 431
heaven of Indra ; but I Bhall go far above Swarga, because history of
INDIA.
Part II.
in the present Yaga very many great and distiDguished per- i^^i^-
sons, such as Krishna, are here assembled together; and
Krishna has not been present at other sacrifices, for which
reason I shall go far beyond all other sacrificial horses/ '^
Then the horse was washed, and the scimitar was brought. Purity of tho
and Dhaumya put the scimitar into the hands of Bhfma and tntiuti by
Dhaumya.
bade him slay the horse. And Bhima lifted up the scimitar
to give the horse a blow, when Dhaumya said : — " 0 Bhima,
have patience a minute while I try the horse/' So Dhaumya
took hold of the horse's ear and squeezed it, when suddenly
milk ran out to the astonishment of all present. Dhaumya
then said to Bhima : — " I see that this horse is pure, and
I am certain that this sacrifice is acceptable and will be ac-
cepted : Now strike ! " So Bhima struck a blow, and cut t^^ "Je u?^!
off the head of the horse; and no sooner was the head
severed from the body, than it mounted towards the sky and The horse's
soared out of sight, and the body fell down upon the spot, the sky.
Then Krishna, and the other Rajas, and the Eishis, came up
and opened the horse's belly ; and when they had divided it
a light came out of the belly, and no ordure was found there-
in/' And Krishna said : — "O Raja Yudhishthira, I have never
beheld so clean and pure a horse ; and I am now assured that
this sacrifice of yours has reached the heaven of Vishnu.^'
After Bhima had opened the belly of the horse, the flesh SM.'Ahe"**'
began to smell of camphor ; and Dhaumya took out the and L^e^^fMii?
camphor-like flesh with the sacrificial ladles, and cast it upon
the fire and made homa of it, and said : — ^^ Indra, take this
flosh which has become camphor ! " At that moment, Indra,
with a crowd of gods, entered the assembly. All present thou
paid their respects to Indra, who came up to Vyasa, and took
the remainder of the flesh that was become camphor, and
gave a portion of it to each of the gods ; and the smoke
that arose from that fire was all perfumed.
Then Krishna arose and came forward, and embraced ^^It^XtHJ^^'
Eaja Yudhishthira, and gave him joy of his sacrifice, and '^'"^^"'''i^Wrn.
said : — '^ Be the sacrifice prosperous ; for no one has ever
performed the like, and the fame of it will last as long as the
432 THE MAHA BHARITA.
HI8T0EY OF world endures/' Baja Yudhishtliira replied : — '' All tHat
Paot^ii ^^^ como to me has been entirely by your favour." Then
Krishna, with all the Rajas and principal Rishis, poured pitch-
ers of water over Yudhishthira and Draupadi, and bathed
them. Then all that remained of the medicinal herbs that
had been brought to make the homa, was reduced to powder,
and a ball of it was given to each of the persons present to
Dtstribution of eat j and by so doing Raja Yudhishthira gave to each one a
theAswamedha. share of the merit of that Aswamedha Yaga ; and last of all
General re- Raja Yudhishthira partook of it himself. Then all the musi-
cal instruments struck up a symphony of rejoicing for the
close of the Yaga ; and Kunti with all her maidens and de-
pendents manifested every sign of joy, and bestowed great
quantities of eflFects and goods in gratitude to the gods who
had enabled her son to perform so great a Yaga and had
accepted the sacrifice. And all the materials for the homa
were collected into one place, and the Brdhmans uttered
blessings over them, and threw them all at once into the fire.
Tudhi8hthiiii*8 After this. Raja Yudhishthira arose and approached
v5i«the8ago. Vydsa, and said: — "This Yaga, by your exertions and
favour, is now brought to a close ; how can I make suffi-
cient apologies to you for your trouble ? '' Vydsa replied :
— " 0 Raja, you are my son, and it is my duty to sympathize
with you in your concerns ; therefore you have no need for
Annit^n estates making any apologies to me.^' The Raja then assigned over
transfers them to Vydsa Certain estates well inhabited and cultivated, with
mans. abundanco of goods and chattels ; and Vydsa transferred the
Proportions of wliolc of them as free crifts to the Brdhmans. Raja Yud-
Kiftstothe ° •*
BhUunaiis. hishthira then gave to each of the Brdhmans who had per-
formed the homa, and to each of those who had assisted
in the Yaga, a chariot, an elephant, ten horses of the first
quality, four maunds of gold, a hundred milch cows with
gilded horns, two seers and a half of pearls, and four intel-
ligent slaves, who had learned the Vedas and all other
sciences ; and to all the other Brdhmans, who had been pre-
sent but had not taken a part in the [ceremony. Raja Yud-
Yudhishthira's hishthira ffavc half as much. And when the Raia had
apologies to the «.,!..
K*jM« nmshed bestowing his largesses upon the Brdhmans, he
XVI. — ^THE HORSE 8AGRU1CE. 433
turned to the Hajas^ and made apologies to each ; and he gave histobt of
INDIA.
Past U.
to each of the great Bajas a thousand horses of the first ^^^^^
quality^ and a hundred war elephants^ and one crore of gold
J. "i/»i"iTfc*j • 1 I.-L • Distribution cf
coin ; and to each of the Kaja s wives he gave everything giitg.
that was necessary for a bride on her wedding night, includ-
ing gold and precious jewels and splendid clothes. Yud-
hishthira then gave to each of the sons, and kinsmen, and Double gifts to
friends of Krishna, twice as much as he had given to the family.
Bajas ; and he went respectfully to Krishna, and said : — " I
have nothing worthy of your acceptance; but since the Yaga
has been completed under your favour, I make a free oflFer-
ing of all its acquired merits to you/'
Raja Yudhishthira then said to his brother Bhfma: — 5?*™* f^"**
*' the Br&hmans.
'' Take all the Br&hmans and feast them I '' So Bhima
feasted all the Brdhmans with the best of victuals and drink
in golden trays and vessels ; and after the feast he gave the
whole of the golden vessels to those Brdhmans. The assem- Departure of
bly then broke up, and all the Bajas returned to their own
quarters ; and the next day Krishna took leave, and set off
for Dwdrakd ; and all the other Bajas took leave in like man-
ner and set off for their respective countries.
The foregoing description of the Aswamedha of Review ome
Raja Yudhishthira requires but little further com- JSJK^S^IJ^***
ment. The rite of bathing calls for no remark, as it
was and is performed at every important ceremony-
practised by the Hindiis, and indeed is especially
enjoined as a purifying rite by the Brahmanical law.
The rite, in which the Raja ploughed the land set ploughing the
apart for the sacrifice, and the Rdnf sowed specimens S<^8c^riii
of all the grains that grew in the Raj, was no doubt an o'wtom.
ancient ceremony expressive of sovereignty, and ap-
pears to have been of Scythian or Buddhist origin.
According to a Scythian tradition preserved by He- scythiwi tnidi.
rodotus, a golden plough fell from heaven at a remote p»ou«h.
period, and was for ever afterwards preserved by the
VOL. I. 28
434
THE MAHA BHARATA.
History of
INDIA.
Past II.
Description in
the Mahawftnso
of the plough-
ing of oonse-
crmted gn^und
by a Buddhist
■orereign.
The Buddhist
prooetsiou.
Description of
the ofrering of
the homa.
Royal Tribo as one of the emblems of royalty." It
is also still more remarkable that a golden plough
was used by Buddhist sovereigns at the consecration
of a monastery'or temple ; and a graphic description
lias been preserved in the Mahawanso of the per-
formance of this ceremony by a monarch who
reigned in the third century before the Christian era.
The ground was first sprinkled with red sandal-wood,
after which two elephants were harnessed to the gold-
en plough, and the Buddhist Raja ploughed along
the boundary line, accompanied by the priests and
guarded by officials carrying staves of gold and sil-
ver. A large company of troops marched in proces-
sion, together with beautiful females carrying um-
brellas and other decorations, and musicians playing
every description of instrument; whilst gorgeous
flags tingling with bells were carried in the air, as
well as painted vases, glass mirrors, and garlands and
baskets of flowers. In this way the Buddhist Raja
ploughed the land, passing through many triumph-
ant arches made of plantain trees, whilst a vast mul-
titude waved their handkerchiefs in the air and rent
the skies with their enthusiastic acclamations.^
To return, however, to the Aswamedha of Raja
Yudhishthira. The attempt may now bo made
to separate those details which appear to belong to
the Brahmanical offerings of the homa, from those
which seem to refer to the sacrifice of the horse.
The homa, consisting chiefly of ghee, was prepared
in eight sacrificial pits, and was presented to the gods
20 Herodotus, Book IV. c. 6. It should bo remarked that the plough was
accompanied by a yoke, or battle-axe, and a drinking-cup.
21 Mahawanso, Tumour's tranilationy pages 98, 99. The Chinese traveller,
Fa Hian, seems to have witnessed a similar ceremony which, like the above, was
performed in the island of Ceylon. Travels of Fa Hian, chap, xxiix.
XVI. — ^THE nOBSE SACRIFICE. 435
in sacrificial ladles through the medium of fire ; and history op
on the present occasion samples of every vegetable, pIbt il
and every medicinal herb growing in the Raj, are V(y^ubie« and"
said to have been likewise thrown into the noma, thrown into tiio
• homa.
When the presentation of homa was over, the re-
maining portion of the medicinal herbs was reduced
to powder and formed into balls ; and a ball was
given to each person present. By this rite the Raja Distribution of
was supposed to give to one and all a share of the re- b/fhe^SSmST*
ligious merits which had been acquired by the per-
formance of the sacrifice, and which was supposed to
wipe off from the account of good and evil deeds, an
indefinite number of the evil actions which had been
previously committed by the individuals concerned.
It should also be remarked that the offering^ of the Br&hmans aiono
a engaged.
homa was exclusively performed by Brdhmans, un-
der the superintendence of the mythical Vydsa, and
in the presence of all the Rishis who are famous in
Brahmanical tradition.
It will now be seen that the sacrifice of the horse Description of
was carried out in a very different fashion ; and that ^^e hon»e.
the rite was performed not by Brdhmans, but by two
of the Pdndavas. The place of sacrifice is said to Qowon bricks
, or plateo em-
have been paved with bricks of gold ; and this costly P/e^ttilSc*''"
times.
arrangement was no doubt often carried out when
the Aswamedha was performed by a rich and con-
quering Raja. Solomon overlaid not only the altars
but the very temple itself with plates of gold ; and
amongst the treasures of Croesus were a number of
golden bricks which may possibly have been cast for
a similar purpose.^ Round the place of sacrifice The victims tied
eight pillars were set up, to which the horse, and
perhaps other animals, were tied. Tlie rite was per- ^^^g^^fj^^^
Sf^iaduva.
** Herodotus, Book I. c. 50.
436
THE MAHA BHARATA.
HISTORY. OP
INDIA.
Part II.
Speedi of the
boneft Brah-
niutical inter-
polation.
Unmeuiing in-
troduotionof
theBrAhman
DbAumjra*
OonTenion of
the lioneflesth
into cftinplior
andhonuL
Yedio idea of
the ascent of
the hone's
head.
formed by Ndkula and Bhima, although various at-
tempts are made^ chiefly involving the introduction
of some supernatural detail, to impart a Brahman-
ical tone even to this portion of the narrative. Thus
when Ndkula declared that the horse was speaking,
he was probably acting in accordance with a crude
notion that a victim before sacrifice was capable of
prophesying. But the language put into the mouth
of the animal is eminently Brahmanical ; for the
horse is said to have exulted in the idea tliat instead
of going like other sacrificial horses to the heaven of
Indra, he was going beyond it, that is, to the heaven
of Vishnu, because of the presence of Krishna. Again
Dhaumya, the family priest, is introduced, to give
the scimitar to Bhfma, and to perform the senseless
miracle of squeezing milk out of the horse's ear.
The whole concludes with a miracle, in which the
flesh of the horse approximates to camphor, and is
finally converted by Dhaumya into homa. Here
the Brahmanical rite distinctly overlays the original
rite; for it is certain that in the ancient perform-
ance of an Aswamedha, the flesh of the horse was
cooked upon the fire, and was both presented to
the gods and eaten by the assembled guests.** Tlie
statement that the head of the horse ascended to
heaven is also a miracle, but originates in a Vedic
idea rather than in the prolific imaginations of the
Brahmanical compilers."
^ The first Aswamedha hymn in the Rig-Ycda describes the boiling and
roasting of different portions of the fleshy the presentation of a part to the gods,
and the eating of a part by the persons present. See Wilson's Trafulation^ Vol.
II. p. 121, note.
^* See the second Aswamedha hymn in the Rig- Veda, Wilson's Tratuiatum^
Vol. II. p. 123, in which the worshipper is supposed to be reciting the following
Verse : — " I recognize in my mind thy form afar off, going from the earth bt'luw,
XVI. — ^THE HOBSE SACfRIFICE. 437
One other incident seems to require some ex- histoey of
planation. It has already been stated that the horse pabt li,
was originally sacrificed to the Sun ; and yet in both sacnflceofthe
the Mahd Bhdrata and the Rdmdyana the horse is instead of to the
•^ ^ Sun, indicative
said to have been offered to Indra. This change of ^Ji^^lK*
deity seems to involve a new stage in the develop- ^m!^ ^^'
ment of the Hindd religion. The worship of the Sun
as a material existence had been superseded by the
worship of a more human deity and protector in the
person of Indra ; just in the same way that the wor-
ship of the human hero Indra was subsequently
superseded by the worship of the great Spirit Vishnu.
The circumstances which led to this change in the
national religion may be easily conjectured. The
Sun is the deity of temperate climates, for it is he
who ripens the harvests ; but in a tropical climate
like India the favourite deity is the one who sends
ihe rain ; and the Vedic deity who sends the rain is
Indra, the god of the firmament. The subject is a
curious one, and will be discussed in a future volume
under the head of religion.
by waj of Heayen, to the Sun : I behold thy head soaring aloft, and mounting
quickly by unobstructed paths, unsullied by dust."
CHAPTER XVII.
FINAL TRAGEDIES.
HISTORY OP The story of the Mahd Bhdrata virtually ends
INDIA.
paet il with the Aswamedha of Raja Yudhishthira. The
Btintkm of the gToat war was over ; the Pdndavas had slain all their
dMTMibr thirty- enomies ; and Yudhishthira had not only been inau.
gurated in the Raj, but had celebrated the great
horse sacrifice which established his sovereignty. A
period of thii-ty-six years is said to have followed, at
the expiration of which the Raj of the Pdndavas was
Three inddenta brought to a close. This pcriod was marked by
period. three incidents ; the first of which occurred within a
few years of Yudhishthira's inauguration, whilst the
other two are connected with the termination of his
reign. These three incidents are as follows : —
1st, The exile and death of Mahdraja Dhrita-
r^htra.
2nd, The destruction of Dwdrakd and death of
Elrishna.
3rd, The exile and death of the Pdndavas.
lit. The exile The narrative of the exile and death of the blind
fauihtoL^'^' ^^^ Mahdraja requires no preliminary explanation.
It involves, however, a wonderful miracle performed
by the sage Vydsa, which stands out as one of the
finest products of Hindil imagination which can be
XVn. — ^FINAL TRAGEDIES. 439
found in the Mahd Bhdrata. The narrative may be history op
_ _ ,, . '' INDIA.
left to tell it« own story : — part ii.
Now after Raja Yudhishthira had performed tlie great Peace and pro6-
Aswamedha Yaga, the Pdndavas lived for many years in
peace and prosperity under Mahdraja Dhritardshtra in the
city of Hastindpur. But though the Pdndavas had succeeded
the Kauravas in the rule of the Raj, and were zealous in the
performance of every filial duty towards their uncle the
Mahdraja, yet Dhritardshtra could never forget the death of
his own sons, and could never forgive Bhima for having
slain Duryodhana. And there sprung up many bitter dis- Bitter dispute
putes between Bhfma and the Mahdraja, and Bhima treated aiid^t?e^Maiilh^
his blind uncle with insult, and refused to obey his com-
mands ; and Dhritardshtra determined to live at a distance
from the brethren. And Dhritardshtra departed out of The Hahin^a
-_., T i»«i»i 111 departs Mrith
Hastinapur. and went away to live in the lunfflo on the bank G&ndhAri and
of the Ganges ; and he took with him his wife Grdndhdn, and |""Kie on the
Kunti, who was his brother's widow, and Vidura, and all
the older members of the family ; and they abode there on
the bank of the G^ges.
And it came to pass that after some years, the Pdndavas visit of the
were desirous of paying their respects to Mahdraja Dhrita- Mah&raja.
rdshtra and the Rdnl Gdndhdri, and to see again all their
aged kinsfolk who had sought an abiding place in the
jungle. And the five brethren went forth vrith their wife
Draupadi, and paid a visit to the Mahdraja, and all were
rejoiced to se6 them ; but when they asked for Vidura, they Death of vidu-
were told that he had gone to the bank of the Ganges to '**
die by fasting ; and they hastened to the place where Vidura
was, and when they came up to him he was speechless, and
gave up the ghost.
After this, whilst all were talking together of the hus- The m«e vy***
' o o promufes to as-
bands, and the sons, and the kinsfolk whom they had ^^}^ the
, ' "^ ghosts of all
lost in the great war of Mahd Bhdrata, the sage Vydsa ap- JJj^thr^'reifwar
peared amongst them, and said : — " I will this day heal jJt?**^ ^**^
all your griefs : Go you all to the river Ganges, and bathe
therein, and there each one of you shall behold the kinsmen
for whom you have been sorrowing/' So they all went
440
THE BfAHA BHARATA.
HISTORY OF
INDIA.
Past II.
The widowii of
iha Hlain bathe
and pnj in the
GaagM.
Yyiaa fuminona
tbegfaoata.
The anniea re-
appear in all
their pomp at
when alive.
PerflBct (Hend-
■hlp between
the Kauravas
andPindavaa.
Joj of the liv-
ing in the com-
panv of the
down to the river^ and chose a bathing-place for themselves
and families ; and Vydsa said to them : — '' You shall see
this night all those whom yon desire.^' And the day passed
away so slowly that it seemed like a whole year to them^
but at last the sun went down^ and they all bathed in the
river by command of Vydsa, and said their prayers, and
went and stood near him ; and Baja Tudhishthira and his
brethren were on the side of Yydsa, and Mahdraja Dhrita-
rdshtra stood before them, and everybody else stood wher-
ever places could be found. Yydsa then went into the
water, and prayed and bathed; and he then came out and
stood by Dhritardshtra and Yudhishthira, and called out the
names of each of the persons who had been slain, one by
one. At that moment the river began to foam and boil,
and a great noise was heard rising out of the waters, as
though all the slain men were once again alive, and as
though they and their elephants and their horses were
bursting into loud cries, and all the drums and trumpets and
other instruments of music of both armies were striking up
together. The whole assembly were astonished at this
mighty tempest, and some were smitten with a terrible fear,
when suddenly they saw Bhfshma and Drona in full armour
seated in their chariots, and ascending out of the waters,
with all their armies arrayed as they were on the first day
of the Mahd Bhdrata. Next came forth Abhimanyu, the
heroic son of Arjuna, and the five sons of Draupadi, and the
son of Bhfma with his army of Asuras. After them came
Kama, and Daryodhana, and Sakuni, and Diihsdsana, and
the other sons of Dhritardshtra, all in full parade seated
upon their chariots, together with many other warriors and
Bajas who had been slain. All appeared in great glory and
splendour, and more beautiful than when they were alive ;
and all came with their own horses and chariots and banners
and arms. And every one was in perfect friendship with each
other, for enmity had departed from amongst them; and each
one was preceded by his bards and eulogists who sang his
praises ; and very many singing men and dancing girls ap-
peared with them, singing and dancing. Now when these
XVn. — FINAL TRAGEDIES. 441
warriors had come out of the river, their widows and histoey op
orphans and kinsfolk were overjoyed, and not a trace of p^^ ^
grief remained amongst them ; and widows went to their
husbands, and daughters to their fathers, and mothers to
their sons, and sisters to their brothers, and all the fifteen
years of sorrow which had passed since the war of the
Mahd Bhdrata were forgotten in the ecstasy of seeing each
other again. Thus the nig^ht passed away in the fulness of Diaappewanoe
joy ; but when the morning had dawned, all the dead the dawn.
mounted their chariots and horses, and disappeared; and
those who had gathered together to behold them prepared
to depart. And Vydsa the sage said that the widows who The widows
wished to rejoin their dead husbands mififht do so : and selves in the'
an the widows went and bathed in the G^Lges, and came gKeSt^
oat of the water again, and kissed, one by one, the feet of
Dhritardshtra and Gdndhdri ; and then went and drowned
themselves in the river; and through the prayers of Vydsa
they all went to the places they wished, and obtained their
several desires.
After this, Baja Yudhishthira and his brethren, and
their wife Draupadi, took their leave of Mahdraja Dhrita-
rdshtra and the Bdni Ghindhdri, and returned to the city of
Hastindpur. And after many days Ndrada the sage came to
the palace of Yudhishthira, and said: — "The jungle has Tembied««th
been set on fire, and the flames have been nourished by a and lOi his
strong wind ; and the Mahdraja and the Rdn(, and all their jungle fire.
kinsfolk and friends, have perished in the burning, and
your mother Kunti has perished also.'' And the Pdndavas
were smitten with horror and sorrow, and darkness fell
upon them. But when some days had passed away, they
were thrown into a deeper consternation ; for very fearful Fearftii omens
'^ , ■' , at Uastinipur.
omens appeared on all sides, and they felt that something
very terrible was about to happen, and they knew not when
or how it would happen.
The foregoing narrative calls for but little com- Review of the
ment. The exile of the Mahdraja serves to prove »"ve,
the hollow character of his reconciliation with the
442 THE MAHA BHAIUTA.
HISTORY OF Pdndavas, to which attention has already been
pabt il drawn. But the glorious scene in which the dead
onrndmirofthe who had fallen in the great war arose out of the
picture of the • />t j • n xl« J •
hmurection of rivcr Gaiiges, arrayed in all the pomp and magni-
SSit^wl*^'^ ficence of battle, forms one of the grandest pictures
ever presented to the human eye. The conception
oomptred with of the rosurrection of the dead on the last day is
perhaps more terribly suggestive, but the bursting
open of the sepulchres by the shrouded inmates, and
the horrible contrast between the saved and the
damned, fills the imagination with pain and gloom.
Perfect biiM in. The idea in the Mahd Bhdrata, however, is one of
▼olved in the ^ . „^ t i
thfilGSrBhA- perfect joy. Trumpets are soundmg, banners are
"•^ waving, and the air is filled with the noise of horses
and elephants and chariots, as the vast armies of
warriors appear in glory and brightness out of the
dark river, arrayed in all the imposing parapher-
nalia of war. All enmity, however, has departed
from amongst them ; and all are in perfect friend-
ship with each other ; whilst bards and eulo ists are
singing before them, and companies of teautiful
AffBctingjiroj^^ girls are dancing in the midnight air. Moreover,
women. ^]^q coutrast betwocn the women and the warriors
is one which brings all the purest afiections into
play. Wives and mothers, sisters and daughters,
are once again in the company of those whom they
most loved, and in the enjoyment of the highest
felicity after long years of bereavement and sorrow.
Hinda charao. The glorious and affecting]scene is at length brought
to a conclusion by an incident somewhat tragic in
itself, but still in accordance with Hindd ideas of
happiness. At the dawn of the morning, the vision
disappears, and the poor widows are again over-
whelmed with grief; but by the permission of the
XVII. — FINAL TRAGEDIES. 443
sage, they take a touching farewell of their friends history of
and relatives, and then drown themselves in the pabtil
sacred river, and thus once again join their husbands
in another world.
The remaining portion of the narrative is more Hoinbie ch»r.
melancholy. The awful death of the Maharaja and i*»nKi« fl«-
all his household in a jungle fire, is an event which
to this day excites a sympathizing horror, for it is
sadden, terrible, and overwhelming. In the case of
the Pdndavas, however, their consternation was in-
creased by portentous omens ; and thus they were
not only oppressed by their present grief, but by
the constant apprehension that something still more
fearful was about to happen.
The alarmin£f event which they were thus hourly 2nd. Thede.
^ ^ »' J Btruction of
anticipating at length came to pass. Tidings were ^^^"^^^
suddenly brought to them of a frightful series of
disasters which had taken place at DwdrakA, the
city of Krishna and the Yddavas ; but hero, to avoid
anticipating, it will be better to leave the narrative
to tell its own story : —
Now all this while the great city of Dwdrakd, wliich was wickcdnenaand
situated upon the sea, had been filled with mirth and feast- people of Dw&-
ing; and all the people drank wine in abundance, and the
young men, who were the sons and grandsons of Krishna,
scoffed at the Brdhmans, and at sacred things. And three ^^gVi^wJifthe
great Rishis of the highest class, whose names were Viswd- ^^^^*
mitra, Durvdsas, and Ndrada, were sojourning in the city of
the Yddavas ; and the youths of the place assembled to-
gether, and saw the three sages engaged in their devotions,
and amonsrst them was Sdmba, the son of Krishna. And Tnck pUyed by
o . the young men
the young men for sport dressed up Sdmba to represent a upouthe Bishia
woman with child, and they led him in this disguise into
the presence of the three Brdhmans, and requested to know
whether she would give birth to a son or to a daughter.
444 THE MAHA BHARATA.
HigTOBT OP The Rishis replied : — '' We well know whom you have
INDIA.
Past II.
brought before us ; this is not a woman but a son of Kriah-
na, and verily he shall bring forth an iron club which shall
Bivhis. destroy the whole race of Yadu : And since you have pre-
ferred an evil life to a virtuous one^ and have sought to
scoff at and ridicule such poor men as we are^ you and all
your people shall perish by that club^ except Balar&ma^ and
Thdr dflpaii- he too shall leave the world shortly afterwards/' So say-
"^ ing, the three Rishis drew over their shoulders the deer-
skins on which they had been seated^ and went out of Dw&-
rakd^ and made their way to the city of Hastindpur. And
when the young men heard the words of the three Rishis,
they repented of what they had done ; and the news spread
abroad amongst the people of the city, and they were sore
afraid; and some carried the account to Krishna^ and he
said: — ''K it is the will of God it will surely come to
pass/'
Krishna iMiiei After this, Krishna issued a proclamation throughout
•Uiiwi Sdboe^ Dwdrakd, that whoever drank wine henceforth should be
put to death with all his family. Then the people of the
city abstained from the use of wine, and no man ventured
Pearftii appari- eveu to uttcr its name. But at this time a fearful appari-
tion showed itself at the doors of all the houses, and men
said that it was death in a human shape; and its colour
was black and yellow, and its head was shorn, and all its
Bmbs were distorted ; and all who saw the apparition were
filled with fear and trembling, and if a man discharged an
arrow at it, the figure disappeared, and no one knew whither
Great wind. ft had gone. Meantime, a great wind arose, and uprooted
many trees, and carried away many men and beasts, and
blew about the doors of the houses until they were nearly
Portentoua in- all broken. And the rats increased in so prodifirioua a
creaae of rats '^ ^o
and owls. manner that thousands and thousands swarmed in every
house, and carried off and spoilt everything that was put
away ; and they ran about the bazaars, and they gnawed
away the hair and beards of the men who were asleep. And
owls flocked to the houses of the people in great numbers,
and screeched throughout the night ; and the nightingales
XVU. — ^FINAL TEAGEDIES. 4:t5
and minas were scared by the noise of the rats, and the history op
INDIA.
Part II.
hooting of the owls, and continued their wailings both by i^dia.
night and day. And monstrous births filled the land, for zrr, :
*^ '' ' Evil omens and
the COWS bronght forth asses, and the swine produced lions' ^t^ ^^
cmbs, and the dogs produced kittens, and the weasels
bronght forth young mice. And vice and evil pervaded
the whole race of Yadu ; and the poor men and the devotees
were openly reviled ; and preceptors and learned men were
treated with disrespect ; and the women overruled the men,
and fire refused to give light, and the flames of fire became
black and blue. And the sun was surrounded at its rising
and its setting by thousands of spectres of men without
heads, who engaged in battle with swords and spears in
their hands. And the Yogis and other devotees found that
if they rose from the skins upon which they sat, those skins
were changed into vermin. And the moon was eclipsed on
its twelfth day, and the sun was eclipsed on the twenty-
seventh day of the moon.
Meantime Krishna issued a proclamation that on the Proclamation of
morrow all the people of the city should go to the sea- shore the people
at Prabhdsa, and pay their devotions to the deity of Dwd- worship at
^ *^ , . . "^ Prabhtea.
rakd. At that same time a dreadful apparition came to the Apparition of %
city of a black woman, clothed in black garments, and hav-
ing yellow teeth; and this woman went from house to
house, grinning at all who were therein, and filling them
with terror and dismay ; and if any one attempted to seize
her, she vanished from that place and showed herself at
another, and thus she continued until she had gone over
the whole city. And that same night evil spirits came and jewels and wea-
carried off the jewels of the women, and the weapons of the by evu ■pirits.
men, and no one had the power to recover either the one or
the other. The chakra of Krishna was also suddenly taken chakra of
, - , Krishna ascends
up to heaven, and all the people saw it, and were nlled with to heaven.
grief, and raised a groat uproar. At the same time, the nis chariot and
charioteer of Krishna harnessed his master's chariot ; and in tJ^seS^'***'
upon this the horses bounded up into the air, and bore
away the chariot over the sea, and disappeared for ever. JJf'J^fP^SS
Also the figure of a palmyra, which was on the standard of KiShwu"***^
446
THE MAHA BHAaATA.
HISTORY OF
INDIA.
Part IL
WMmlngofthe
ApSftTM.
The people per-
mitted to drink
wine at the fes-
tival at Prab-
Inmilt offered
to the Brih-
mans.
General oon<
▼iviality.
The Chieftains
drinlc wiue in
parties.
S&tyaki insults
Kritavamian
for aiding in the
rrvenfce of As-
watthAma.
Balardma, and the figure of the bird Garara^ which was on
the standard of Krishna^ both separated themselves from
their respective standards and rose into the air until they
vanished from the sight. Also Apsaras appeared in the
sky, and cried out to the people : — " Arise and be gone ! *'
And this cry was heard in every house throughout the city
of Dwdrakd.
And when the morning arrived, the people obeyed the
proclamation of E^rishna, and Krishna gave them permis-
sion to drink wine on that day only ; and they set out with
their wives and families to the place of pilgrimage on the
sea-shore, and they carried with them wine and provisions
of every description ; and some took up their stations in
tents, and others beneath trees. And when all the people
were settled in their respective places, Krishna commanded
that every variety of victuals and drink should be set apart
and given to the Brdhmans ; and when the Br&hmans were
about to eat, a certain man of the Tddava tribe came up
with a large jar of wine in his hand, from which he had
been drinking until he was intoxicated ; and he spilt a little
of the wine upon the victuals set apart for the Brdhmans;
so the Bnihmans would not eat thereof, and Krishna ordered
that the victuals should be given to the monkeys.
Meantime the feast proceeded without interruption. And
the jugglers, and the musicians, the dancers, and the players
of all kinds exhibited their performances before the people ;
whilst the people all drank wine very largely. And all the
Chieftains of the tribe of Yadu were present at that feast.
There wore Raja Ugrasena, and Balardma, and Sdtyaki, and
Kritarvarman, and the two sons^of Krishna, and many others
of renown. Now Balaruma, the elder brother of Krishna^
was a groat drinker of wine, and he ordered vessels of wine
to be brought into the assembly and placed before each
Chieftain ; and the assembly seated themselves in parties, so
that those who were most intimate drank wine together.
Thus Balardma and Kritavarman drank by themselves, and
the sons of Krishna drank with Sdtyaki.
Now Kritavarman, who drank with Balardma, was one
XVII. — ^BINAL TRAGEDIES. 447
of the three who had slaughtered the sleeping men in the history of
camp of the Pdndavas ; and Sdtyaki^ who was sitting near y^j^^ il
him^ having got exceedingly drunk, suddenly cast his eye
upon him, and said : — '^ Behold, my friends, this Kshatriya
here, who boasts so much of his prowess ! He went one
night with Aswatthdma, and attacked a number of boys, and
killed them in the night time ; and these are the men who
boast of their bravery/' Pradyumna, the son of Krishna,
then cried out : — " Well said, Sdtyaki ! '' And Krishna also Encouraged by
was no friend to Kritavarman, for in the feud about the
jewel, B[ritavarman had murdered Satyajit, who was the
father of Krishna's wife Satyabhdma ; and Krishna said to
Sdtyaki : — '' Tell the story of how Kritavarman murdered
Satyajit, and robbed him of his jewel ! '' ^ Sdtyaki then
repeated the story of the jewel, and said : — '^ This Kritavar-
man is moreover the same man who went out with Aswat-
thdma, and unjustly slew Dhrishta-dyumna, and many thou-
sands of innocent people : But his days are numbered/' So
saying, Sdtyaki drew his sword and ran at Kritavarman
before all the assembly : and whilst Kritavarman was risine: S4tyaki sUys •
^ , Kritavarman.
up to defend himself, Sdtyaki struck him on the neck with his
sword with all his might, so that his head was severed from
his body and fell upon the ground. Then many kinsmen of ^^^^^ tumult.
Kritavarman rushed upon Sdtyaki, and many of Sdtyaki's
friends ran up to oppose them, and there was a great uproar
and bloodshed. Krishna endeavoured to quell the tumult. Sudden mur-
. den.
but no one heeded him ; and the friends of Kritavarman cut
down Sdtyaki and slew him, and also cut down Pradyumna,
the son of Krishna, and slew him before his father's face.
Krishna then revenged himself by killing all the murderers Hornbieoonfu-
of his son ; but the whole assembly was then frantic with sbed.
blood and wine, and each man fell madly upon his neighbour;
for in their bewilderment they know not what they did,
except that they struck each other and died ; and fathers
slew their sons, and sons their fathers, and brethren and
kinsmen murdered each other. In this manner all the siaiwhter of au
the x&davas.
' The feud about the jewel will be found related in the legends of Krishna in
Part III.
448 THE MAHA BHARATA.
HISTORY OF Yddavas were slaaghterod by the curse of the three Bishis,
INDIA. Q^^ oil ^YiQ sons and grandsons of Krishna were amongst the
slain.
KrUhiMcoes While Krishna was horror-stricken at this sudden ca-
lamity^ his charioteer came to him^ and said that Balarttma
had gone out of the assembly just after the beginning of
the tumult. So Krishna mounted his chariot^ accompanied
by another Chieftain^ and set forward in search of his elder
brother; and when they had gone a little distance, they
beheld Balardma seated under the shade of a banyan tree,
and his eyes were closed, and he was absorbed in a deep
Sends hia meditation. Krishna then said to his charioteer: — ^'You
HMiiiiiirar. have soou what has befallen this people : Go now with all
speed to the city of Hastin&pur, and inform Raja Yudhish-
thira of all that has occurred, and desire him to send Arjuna
to Dwdrakd with all speed.'' And the charioteer mounted
the chariot by himself, and drove off in hot haste to the
fiendiaChief- city of Hastindpur. Krishna then said to the Chieftain who
Uin to DwA- -^ ^
j»kA,who is slain was with him: — "You also have seen what calamity has
befallen us : So go you back to the city of Dwdrakd, and
look to the safety of the women and houses, lest thieves and
Daityas should plunder the city and outrage the women:
Have a care also for my father Vasudeva, who has been left
behind in the city ; and tell him that in the seventh day from
this, which will be the full moon of the month Kartika, the
sea will arise and swallow up Dwdrakd.'' And the Chief-
tain returned in all haste towards Dwdrakd, but on his way a
drunken fisherman fell upon him and slew him ; and some
one who was looking on carried the news to Krishna. Then
M^to K^ Krishna said to his brother Balardma : — '' I am afraid lest
'•'^ mischief be committed in the city : Stay you here whilst I
haste thither, and return again." So Krishna went to
Dwdrakd, and told his father Vasudeva of the slaughter of
all their kinsmen and friends ; and Vasudeva was exceed-
ingly moved and began to weep very bitterly. And Krishna
said to his father : — " This is no time for grief; I have de-
spatched my charioteer to bring Arjuna hither ; so do you
bestir yourself that no evil may befall the women before he
XVU. — ^FINAL TRAGEDIES. 449
arrives : And now we must take leave of each other, as I history op
INDIA.
Pabt XL
must return to Balardma, who is waiting for me : Heretofore ^^^^
I saw all the Kauravas perish, and now I have seen all the
Yddavas perish also ; and I will return no more to this city,
but I and Balariima will retire into the jungle, and pass the
remainder of our lives in devotion/' With these words
£rishna embraced his father's feet, and all the women and
slave girls set up a terrible cry of lamentation. Krishna Returns to
then returned to his brother Balarlima, but found that he tinds him dead.
had given up the ghost whilst seated against the tree ; and
Krishna was exceedingly troubled, and went into a thicket ^"^^"* J^****
which was hard by, and rested his head upon his knees in
deep contemplation, when a hunter, who was passing by,
saw him, and thought he was a wild animal, and discharged
his arrow and slew him upon the spot. Thus died the
mighty Krishna.
Meantime, the charioteer proceeded to Hastindpur, and Krishna's
told to Baja Yudhishthira and his brethren how the Ydda- ri^Jlhe tfdings
vas had all slaughtered each other. The Baja swooned away vas.
at the news, and when he had recovered, Arjuna obtained
his permission to depart that moment for the city of Dwdrakd.
So Arjuna set off with all haste, and found the city like a Arjuna proceeds
widow mourning for her husband ; and when the wives of
Krishna set their eyes upon him they filled the air with their Terrible lament-
cries ; and the whole city echoed back their lamentations, widows.
for all the women there had lost husbands or sons, fathers or
brothers, in the great quarrel. At this sight Arjuna was so
distracted that for a long time all his strength seemed to
have forsaken him, but after a while he asked for Vasudeva,
and then went to see him. And Vasudeva wept very much,
and Arjuna out of sympathy wept with him ; and all the
women of the city came thither, with their hair dishevelled
and their eyes filled with tears ; and when they saw Arjuna
they made altogether such a melancholy noise as was never
heard before. And after much weeping, Vasudeva told to
Arjuna the cause of all the dreadful slaughter which had taken
place, and prayed him to do what seemed to him beat with
the women and treasures.
VOL. I. 29
450
THE MAHA BHARATA.
HI8TORT OF
INDIA.
Past II.
Aijium directs
all (he reHidue
of (he people (o
leare (he city.
Death of Vmmi-
deva.
Bumingof
VModera with
four of hii
widows.
Punenlcere-
moniee of the
•lain at Pnb-
Arjuna then proceeded with the charioteer of Krishna to
the Council hall^ and summoned all the Brdhmans who had
survived the great disaster ; and when they beheld him they
all burst into a fit of weeping ; but Aijuna bade them not to
waste the time in useless sorrow^ but to prepare for depart-
ing from the doomed city^ for that after seven days Dwdraki
would be overwhelmed by the sea.
And Aijuna passed that night in the palace of Krishna,
and when it was morning he bathed himself^ and prepared
to pay a visit to Yasudeva ; when at that moment he heard
a cry of lamentation^ more terrible than ever, issue from the
house of Yasudeva ; and thousands of women ran about with
their hair dishevelled, and their bosoms bare, and their gar-
ments rent ; and they were beating their breasts and filling
the air with their screams ; and it was told to Arjuna that
Yasudeva had given up the ghost. So Arjuna arose up in
deep sorrow, and ordered the dead body to be carried to the
spot where Krishna had performed an Aswamedha Yaga;
for Yasudeva during his life-time had given orders that hia
dead body should be burned there. And the same Br£h-
mans who had performed the Yaga now collected wood and
perfumes; and Arjuna himself cast the body upon the
pile, and the Brdhmans lighted the pile : and four of Yasu-
deva's widows burned themselves upon the pile along with
the body of their dead husband.
When Arjuna had thus performed the funeral ceremonies
for Yasudeva, he went to the spot where all the Yddavas had
slain each other ; and when he saw the dead men lying about
the field he was horror-stricken beyond description. And he
commanded a very great quantity of fuel and inflammable
materials to be brought and kindled ; and he ordered that
all the bodies of such as could bo recognized should be
thrown thereon and burnt ; and he sent all the people to
make strict search for the bodies of Krishna and Balardma,
and having found them, he caused them to be burned with
much precious odours. Arjuna then performed the funeral
ritos for all those who were dead, and sprinkled water for
their souls.
•"»_
XVn. — FINAL TRAGEDIES, 451
Having thus completed the obsequies^ Arjona ordered that histobt of
INDIA.
Pabt IL'
all people shoald quit the city of Dwdrakd on, the sixth day, ^ndia.
and prepare to journey to the city of Indra-prastha. So on
that day all the men and women of the city, and all the male people depart
and female slaves, and all the people of the bazaars, and all
E^rishna's sixteen thousand wives, each with her own wait-
ing maid, and all the kinsmen, and dependents, and slave
girls of the royal house, departed out of Dwdrakd, and were
conducted by Arjima along the road towards Indra-prastha ;
but scarcely had Arjuna and all this mighty multitude left Tbccitvof
the city, when the sea rose in a great heap in the sight of wiTeimed b^ a
all the people, and overwhelmed Dwdrakd and all that re- ^^^ **"^'
mained in it. And when the multitude beheld the rushing
of the waters, they hastened on in great alarm lest the sea
should overtake them, and overwhelm them in like manner.
Now all the tribes that lived round about were robbers and Caravan with
, TiiTTi Arjuna attacked
Daityas of the worst character : and when they heard that a and despoiled by
, -I robbers.
mighty caravan of very many women, and but few men, was
passing through their neighbourhood with vast treasures of
gold and jewels, they surrounded the caravan in great num-
bers, and rushed in upon the multitude in all directions, and
carried off many women and much spoil. And Arjuna found
that all his strength had departed from him, and that he
could not bend his bow nor draw his sword ; and he prayed
to God and regained a portion of his strength, and slew
many of the robbers, but he could only save a few of the
women and a small portion of the treasure.
Arjuna then proceeded with the remnant of the people piveofKnsh-
and goods, and conducted them in safety to the plain of buTO^he^m"
Kurukshetra, where five of Krishna's widows burnt them- ^^^°^
selves on the funeral pile, whilst the remaining widows put
on the dress of devotees and retired to the jungle. Arjuna
then proceeded to Indra-prastlia, and settled the remnant of
the people there.
The foregoing narrative of the destruction of Review of the
Dwdrakd is evidently a mythical account of one of ™tiveof the
J J dostnu^tion of
those great convulsions of nature which occur at ^^*"^*-
^ •
452 THE MAHA BHARATA.
HISTORY OP wide intervals in tropical climes. It seems to have
pabt II. been preceded by a feast, at which a quarrel arose
which led to a dreadful scene of bloodshed ; and
although many of the details are mythical, yet as
they seem to refer to some actual event, a brief re-
view of the salient points may not be without value.
story of the The story of the three Rishis, and the prank
pureiymythicai. playcd upon them by the young men of Dwdrakd,
is evidently fabulous ; and it is not difficult to ap-
prehend the reason for its insertion. The catas-
trophe at Prabhdsa, and the destruction of the city
of Dwdrakd, were disasters of so marked a character
as to give rise to the idea that they were inflicted
by an offended deity ; and hence the interpolation
of a myth which referred them to the curse of three
Naianaeifecto Brdhmau Rishis.* The prohibition to drink wine,
of the prohibi- * ^ ^ '
however, appears to have had some foundation in
truth. Horrible spectres appeared in the streets
and houses, such as are said to appear to drunkards
when thrown into a state of delirium tremens by
being suddenly deprived of strong drink. The
quarrel at the festival at Prabhdsa also arose in the
most natural manner, and illustrates in a remarkable
degree the turbulence of the assemblies of Yddavas.
But the great event was tlie destruction of Dwdrakd ;
and nearly all the subsidiary details in which Ar-
juna is alluded to, may be regarded as mythical in-
tion to drink
wine.
2 According to the story already narrated the Rishis pronounced a corse that
Skmba should bring forth an iron club which should destroy the whole race of
Yadu. Subsequently S&mba is said to have Toidcd an iron bar, which Krishna
ordered to be pulverized to atoms in order to prevent the fulfilment of the curse.
The atoms, however, were scattered on the sands of the sea-shore, and from them
a number of iron reeds grew up as sharp as swords. Accordingly, when the
Chieftains quarrelled at the fea^jt, they are said to have killed each other with
these iron reeds ; and in tliis manner the curse of the Rishis is said to ha?e been
fulfilled.
XVII. — FINAL TRAGEDIES. 453
torpolations of the Brahmanical compilers intended history of
TTVT4TA
to connect Aijuna with this extraordinary catastro- pabt ii.
phe. The statement that the sea rose to a great Nature of the
height, and overwhelmed the whole city, is not with- JjJi.^JJj^J*^'^
out a parallel in modem times ; and indeed the ®^*^*-
terrible disasters which accompanied the cyclones of
1864 at Calcutta and Masulipatam will never be for-
gotten by the present generation in India.^
The narrative of the exile and death of the Pdn- srd. The eiiie
• •II 1*1 11 and death of the
davas is evidently mythical, but calls for no remark, i**"^*^**-
and may be permitted to tell its own story : —
After this Ariuna returned towards Hastindpur, and on Arjima advised
•* , ^ . bv Vyisa to
his way he met with Vydsa the sage ; and Vydsa told him abandon
that his prosperity was now at an end, and that his strength cem«-
had gone from him, and he would no more be able to string
his bow ; and that his worldly reign was over, and he must
now think only of the salvation of his soul. When Arjuna
reached Hastindpur ho told Baja Yudhishthira and his
brethren all that had occurred, and of the advice which
had been given to him by Vydsa; and they were much
grieved at the tidings brought by Arjuna, and determined
one and all to follow the counsel which had been given by
the sage.
Now after the death of Abhimanyu, son of Arjuna, his Yudhishthira
widow Uttard ffavo birth to a son named Pariksliit : and Hastin&pur to
.,, . .. Pankshit.and
Baja Yudhishthira, being resolved on retiring from the the luj of in-
world, gave the Raj of Hastindpur to Parfkshit, the son of Yuyutsu.
Abhimanyu, and the Raj of Indra-prastha to Yuyutsu, the
only surviving son of Mahdraja Dritardshtra ; and Yudhish-
thira particularly enjoined them to live in friendship and
' By ihoae who wcro residing in Calcutta, near the banks of the river, in 1864,
the memory of the great cyclone of the dth October will ever be remembered. A
night of wind and rain was followed by a tempest which increased in fury until it
blew a tremendous hurricane, which substantial buildings alone could withstand.
In the midst of this tumult of the elements, the river suddenly arose and over-
flowed its honks to an extent which proved that had Calcutt4i been situated, lik(>
Dw6rak&, near the sea-coast, the whole city must have been overwhelmed.
454
THE MAHA BHABATA.
HISTORY OF
INDIA.
Pabt II.
The fire Pin-
davM and their
wife DrmupAdi
MBumethe
garb of devotees.
Die on the
UimilaTa
mountauia.
perfect amity with each other. Yudhishthira then took off
his earrings and necklace^ and all the jewels from his fingers
and arms^ and all his royal raiment; and he and his
brethren, and their wife Draupadl, clothed themselves after
the manner of devotees, in vestments made of the bark of
trees. And the five brethren threw the fire of their do-
mestic sacrifices and cookery into the Ganges, and went
forth from the city following each other. First walked
Yudhishthira, then Bhima, then Arjuna, then Naknla, then
Sahadeva, then Draapadi, and then a dog. And they went
through the country of Banga towards the rising of the son ;
and after passing through many lands they reached the
Himdlaya mountain, and there they died one after the other,
and were transported to the heaven of Indra.
Mythical
details.
Review of the THo foregoing narrative of the closing scenes in
SJJ^f "the"dS; the history of the Pdndavas is overlaid in the Mah4
Bhdrata with many puerile details of a Brahmanical
character from which nothing of value can be in-
ferred. They involve some exaggerated moral pre-
cepts and a fanciful description of a hell ; and as
these can only servo to illustrate the later religious
conceptions of the Hindus they may be reserved for
future discussion.
Here, then, ends the great national poem of the
MahA Bhdrata, the treasury of Hindu history and
fable, invested by modem interpreters with a deep
religious meaning, and converted, as it were, into a
testament for enforcing the worship of Krishna as
the incarnation of Vishnu. But the light in which
this matchless Epic is regarded by the modem
Hindus may perhaps be best illustrated by the fol-
lowing paragraph which concludes the poem ; and
which, however absurd it may be to the European,
is unquestionably the living faith of the millions
Conclusion of
the Mah4
BhArata.
XVIL — ^FINAL TBAGEDIE8. 455
who dwell in the Indian peninsula under British histoby of
I INDIA.
rule : — pam n.
The reading of tUs Mahd BMrata destroys all sin^ and Modern Hinda
J •. I iiJiT •A»i» belief in the
produces virtue ; so macn so^ that the pronunciation oi a virtuen of the
single sloka is sufficient to wipe away all guilt. This Mahd
Bhdrata contains the history of the gods of the Bishis in
heaven and those on earthy of the Gandharvas and the Bdk-
shasas. It also contains the life and actions of the one God
holy, immutable, and true, who is Krishna; who is the
creator and the ruler of this universe ; who is seeking the
welfare of his creation by means of his incomparable and
indestructible power; whose actions are celebrated by all
the sages; who has bound human beings in a chain, of
which one end is life and the other death ; on whom the
Bishis meditate, and a knowledge of whom imparts unal-
loyed happiness to their hearts ; and for whose gratification
and favour all the daily devotions are performed by all
worshippers. If a man reads the Mahd Bhdrata, and has
faith in its doctrines, he becomes free from all sin, and
ascends to heaven after his death. If a man reads even
the summary in the opening chapter of the Mahd Bhdrata
every morning and evening, he is absolved from all the sins
that he commits during the day. As butter is to all other
food; as Brdhmans are to all other men; as the Arunika
chapter, which points out the way of salvation, is to all the
four Vedas ; as amrita is to all other medicines ; as the
ocean is to a pool of water ; and as the cow is to all other
quadrupeds; — so is the Mahd Bhdrata to all other histories.
He who on days of festival merely reads a small portion of
the Mahd Bhdrata, obtains the same advantages as is de-
rived from reading the whole. He who attentively listens
to the slokas of the Mahd Bhdrata, and has faith in them,
enjoys a long life and solid reputation in this world, and an
eternal abode in the heavens in the next.
It is called Mahd Bhdrata, because once upon a time the ^^J^'^J^^^hg
gods placed the Mahd Bhdrata on one scale, and the Vedas ^^^^ Bh^ta.
on the other; and because the Mahd Bhdrata weighed
456 Tll£ MAHA BHAKATA.
H18T0BY OF heavier^ it was called by that name, which signifies the
PAOT^n. greatest in weight.*
* This mythical estimate of the comparative value of the Mah& Bh&rota and
the Vcdas is of some importance ; inasmuch as it indicates an att43mpt to exhibit
the Brahmanical doctrines involved in the Mah& Bh&rata as overriding the earlier
religious belief which appears in the Yedas.
END OF THE KAUA BHARATA.
PART III.
EPISODES IN THE MAHA BHARATA.
CHAPTER I.
LEQENDS OF KRISHNA.
The episodes in the Mahd Bhdrata are very history op
lIVTITA
numerous^ and, indeed, form the bulk of the poem, pakt iii.
but very few appear to possess any real historical oeneraichanc.
value. They chiefly consist of mythical fables in- |f^fi^{;^
tended to exalt the pretensions of the Brdhmans, or
to enforce the rules of Brdhmanism, or caste. Ac-
cordingly they generally refer to miracles performed
by certain Brahmanical sages ; to the rigour of their
austerities ; to their occasional adventures with ce-
lestial nymphs or other women, which led to the
birth of heroes or heroines who were famous in tradi-
tion ; to the mastery of the passions, which enabled
certain ascetics to resist the most powei'ful female
allurements ; or, at the best, they are extravagant
stories of the devotion of a wife or the obedience of
jBL son or a pupil. Accordingly, by far the greater por-
458 THE MAHA BHARATA.
HI8TOBT OF tloD are utterly devoid of historical significance, and
pabt ul may be passed over as unmeaning myths, belonging
Abwnoeor to an age long posterior to the Vedic period, and
^ tacked on to the main tradition of the Mahd Bhd-
rata for the purpose of imbuing the masses with
SfSSSSf**' Brahmanical ideas. There is, however, one group
eS^S,^ of legends, namely, those which refer to the life of
Krishna, which cannot be passed over in silence.
Many, as will already have been seen, are inter-
woven with the story of the great war ; but in ad-
dition to those already indicated, there are a series
relating to the birth and adventures of Elrishna be-
fore his pretended connection with the Pdndavas,
^^ bStoricai wl^ict ^r® of twofold significancc ; first, as authentic
andreiigiouB. traditions of the tribe of cowherds, known as Ydda-
vas, who succeeded in establishing a Raj in the
peninsula of Guzerat; and, secondly, as religious
myths intended to represent Ejrishna, the hero of
the Yddavas, as an incarnation of the Supreme
iS'*?tollr Being known as Vishnu. In addition to these
lKSl5)S?i?ted Krishna legends there are three stories which are
valuable both on account oi their mtrmsic merits,
and as belonging to three different epochs in Hindii
history. The latter, however, will be treated here-
after. For the present the attention may be con-
fined to the life of Krishna.
Historical The historical character of Elrishna as a hero
^hna aa a may bo briefly indicated. He appears to have be-
longed to a tribe well known in Hindd history as
The YAdavaa. that of tho Yddavas, or descendants of Yadu. These
Yddavas were a nomade race, who grazed cattle
and made butter, and occasionally migrated to dif-
ferent places accompanied by their cows and wag-
gons. The time and circumstances under which
I. — LBQJBMDB OF KRISHNA. 459
they first entered Hindiistan are alike unknown, history op
At the birth of ICrishna they appear to have settled pam hi.
in the neighbourhood of the city of Mathurd, the Th«ir encamp-
modem Muttra, on the banks of the river Jum- ™e?f^hbSurhood
nAy and about a hundred and twenty miles to the
south of the site of the ancient city of Hastindpur,
Had such been their geographical position in the
time of the great war of Bh&rata there would have
been less reason to doubt the connection of Krishna
with the Pdndavas; although as cowherds they
were regarded with great contempt by the Ksha-
triyas, and were supposed to belong to the inferior
caste of Vaisyas. But at the time when Krishna is Migration of the
said to have first come into contact with the Pdn- S^^Sil^
davas, he and his tribe had already migrated to
Dw&rak&j on the western coast of the peninsula of
Guzerat, which is at least seven hundred miles from
Hastindpur as the crow flies. Accordingly, it seems improbability of
impossible that such relations as those said to have {{^^"^^^^f
subsisted between Krishna and the Pdndavas could Jh^A^dlSiof
really nave existed ; and this suspicion is confirmed
by the mythical character of every event which
apparently connects the Yddava Chieftains of Dwd-
rakd with the royal house at Hastindpur.^
The personal character of Krishna will be found ^\^of Kn^h-
clearly indicated in the legends. He was originally
' The Rajas of Vijaya-nagur, who in the fifteenth centory'of the Christian era
nAintained a sapremacy OTer the whole of the country south of the Krishna river,
and thus poeseflsed the last great HindQ empire which was established in India,
claimed to be descendants of the T&dava tribe ; and it is a curious fact that it was
from one of the decayed Chieftains of this fallen dynasty that the East India Com-
pany obtained in the first half of the seventeenth century the grant of land on the
ooast of Coromandel, on which stands the modem city of Madras. The original
grant engraved on a gold plate appears to have been preserved for more than a
century ; bat was finally lost in 1746, when Madras was captured by the French
nuder Labonrdonnaia.
na.
• ^
460 THE liAUA BHARATA.
HISTORY OF a mere cowherd, stealing butter and performing
pSt UL other similar pranks when a boy, and rendering
A cowherd himsolf famous for his amours when he attained the
pnuksai^ voars of mauhood. About this time Krishna and
mmonn.
his companions left their encampment at a rural
village named Vrinddvana, and paid a visit to the
city of Mathurd, where they appear to have con-
ducted themselves like boors and cowherds as they
were. The time however appears to have been a
Taken a pui; in critical ouc. Kausa, the Raia of Mathurd. was a
a popular move- i
S^^^'Lid ^isurper, and seems to have been unpopular with his
■tay»thetyrant.g^|jjg^ljg. ^^^ ^ tumult arosc duriug a festival in
subeequent which hc was slaiu by Krishna. Henceforth Krishna
efforts to enno- • jj i_ j/5Pj Jx
bie the birth of IS represented as a hero, and efforts were made to
Krlahiia. ^ . . ' . .
ennoble his birth by representing him to have been
in reality the son of a chieftain of the tribe. How
far these eflforts were mythical may be gathered from
the legends themselves.
Religious The religious character of Krishna will be dis-
Kritthna. cusscd hereafter. It will be sufficient to remark
tio?"l^KmhIil *^^^ ^® appears to have been opposed alike to the
MdiSaS!"* worship of Siva and the worship of Indra. The first
opposition appears natural enough, for as Krishna
was represented as an incarnation of Vishnu, he was
of course opposed to the god Siva ; the worshippers
of Vishnu and those of Siva being in strong anta*
gonism for many centuries. But the opposition to
Indra is remarkable, because Krishna induced the
Yddavas to worship the mountain Govarddhana in
the place of Indra ; an incident which would imply
a conflict between a low Fetische worship and the
Connection of woFsliip of the Vcdic dcitics. It will however be seen
Petiacho wor. hereafter that Krishna was associated not only with
ship and Bud- ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ •'
*"*^- Fetichism, but also with Buddhism ; a circumstance
I. — ^LEGENDS OF KRISHNA. 461
which would account for his opposition both to the histoey op
INDIA.
worship of the Vedic deities, and to that of the Linga pAt hi.
which is emblematical of the god Siva. *
The principal Wends connected with the early seven legends
■^ * o J connected with
life of Krishna appear to be seven in number, viz. — KHshillJ "'* °'
1st, Birth of Krishna.
2nd, Infancy and boyhood of Krishna.
3rd, Krishna's opposition to the worship of
Indra.
4th, Love adventures of Krishna.
6th, Krishna's adventures in Mathurd.
6th, Krishna's contest with Raja Kansa.
7th, Krishna's life at Dwdrakd in Guzerat.
These legends of Krishna may be related in their
order as follows : *
1. Birth of Krishna.
In days of old the children of Tadu dwelt on both sides m*7* **1^
•' ^ ^ dwelling at
of the river Jumnd^ that is, in the village of Vrinddvana on oJlj^uta!^*^ *"^
the western bank of the river, and in the country of Gokula
on the opposite shore. And the Chiefs of that tribe were snra and Vasu-
, deva.
Snra and his son Yasudeva.
In those days Raja Kansa ruled the Bhojas who dwelt in ^/S^tlj**^*
the city of Mathord which is nigh unto Vrinddvana.* And *^^^"^,^ *^
Baja Kansa was a wicked Raja. He had deposed his father persecution of
TT 1 » T*-i»j_j/»T7' !• T ^^^ worshippers
Uffrasena and reigned in his stead; for Kansa worshipped ofvishnubythe
worshippers of
uppers
Siva.
' The historical and religious aspect of this question will be discussed in a fu-
ture Tohiine. It will be sufficient to remark in the present place that the religious
wan between the Buddhists and the Linga worshippers of the Dckhan is one of
the meet important eTents in Hindfi history.
' The legends in connection with the life of Krishna are to be found in the
Khila-HariTansa-Parra, which is comparatively a modem supplement to the Mah&
Bh&rata. They are also to be found in the Bh&gavat-pur&na, and its llindCt
paraphrase, the Prem S&gur. The narrative in the text bas been drawn up from
Kr Eastwiek's translation of the Prem S&gur, compared with the abridgment in
the fifth book of the Vishnu-pur&na, p. 491, Wilson's translation.
* The Bhojas are said to have been a branch of the Y&davas, but the rclation-
■hip is very obscure.
462 THE liAHA BHARATA.
HI8T0KY OF Siva^ and Ugrasena worshipped Vishnn ; and Ugrasena
Pijw^L ^o^l<i ^o* pray to the god Siva when his son Kansa
requested him.
Manure of Now Devaka, who was the brother of Ugrasena, had a
YMudera. daughter named Devaki. And Devaka said to his nephew
Kansa : — '' 0 Raja, unto whom shall I give my daughter
Devaki in marriage ? '* And Kansa replied : — '' Give her in
marriage to Yasudeva, the son of Sura, Chief of the Y&da-
vas/^ So the marriage was agreed upon, and when the day
had arrived for the nuptial ceremony. Sura, and his son
Yasudeva, and all their kinsmen and friends, proceeded
from the village of Yrinddvana to the city of Mathurd, and
the marriage rites of Yasudeva and Devaki were performed
according to the ordinance.
KMuathTtAtena When the marriage ceremony was over, the bridegroom
on her wedding and the bride ascended a chariot, and Raja Kansa drove the
chariot with his own hand in the marriage procession. At
that moment there came a voice from heaven, saying : — " 0
Kansa, the son of Devaki will be your destroyer.*' Then
Kansa was in a great fear> and seized Devaki by her hail*
and dragged her from the chariot, and drew his sword to
v«»adejr»cn- slay her. And Yasudeva trembled greatly, and besought
gp i^^i^^** Kansa to spare his hand ; and he said to Kansa : — '' No son
^ja Kansa. q{ mine shall ever do you hurt, for I will deliver into your
hands every infant that is bom of Devakf." So Kansa
listened to the words of Yasudeva and spared the life of
Devaki.
Birth of Bala- After many days Devaki conceived and bore a son who
rama, who is f y
grourht up in was named Balardma, but the babe was carried away to the
•on of Bohini. country of Gokula, which is on the other side of the river
Jumnd, and brought up as the child of Rohinl, who was an-
cpTK^ption of other wife of Yasudeva. And Devaki conceived agrain, and
Krishna. . o »
Kansa's eiTorts Kansa heard of it ; and he bound Yasudeva and Devaki with
inflmt. gyves and manacles, and he fastened the doors of their
dwelling with locks and bars ; and he ordered his mightiest
warriors to keep constant guard round about the place, with
elephants, lions, and dogs. And on a certain night the child
I. — ^LEQENDB OF KRISHNA. 463
Krishna was bom^ and all the marks of Yishnu were seen history of
INDIA.
Past UL
upon him ; and immediately after his birth the gyves and india.
manacles fell from the hands of Yasudeya and Devaki^ and
the doors opened of their own accord^ and the guards wore na.
all thrown into a deep slumber. So Vasudeva placed the Vasudeva car.
babe in a basket which was used for winnowins: com, and <^>'oa8 the
, Jumn& In a
set it upon his head^ and went to cross the river Jumnd to iwfket.
carry the babe to the country of Gokula. Now when Vasu- lowering of the
deva entered the river, the waters of the Jumnd were very "*
deep, and rose up to his nostrils so that he was sore afraid ;
and the child E[rishna stretched forth his foot and the waters
were stayed, and became shallow and fordable. At the same The great make
time the rain began to fall ; but the many-headed serpent, tect^^th^fJST
Sesha-naga, followed Vasudeva, and spread out his hoods so "^
as to cover the divine babe. So Vasudeva crossed the river
with the child, and carried it to the house of Nanda, who
was a cowherd ; and behold on that night Yasodd, who was
the wife of Nanda, had given birth to a daughter. And Krishna
Vasudeva changed the infants, and Yasodd and Nanda know ii'i^^t daughter
, of Nanda and
it not; and EIrishna was brought up in the house of Nanda, Yasodi.
as his own son ; whilst Vasudeva returned across the river,
and gave the infant daughter of Yasodd to his wife Devaki.
At that moment the doors became locked as before, and
Vasudeva and Devakf put on the gyves and manacles ; and
the infant cried aloud and awoke all the guards. And Kansa Kansa seizes the
heard that the child was bom, and he rushed on the spot daughter of
and seized the babe to slay it ; but the infant escaped from esi^pes to °
his hands, and ascended to heaven, crying : — ^' 0 Kansa, thy ^^^"*
foe has already been bom, and now thou canst not escape
dive." Then Kansa was filled with wrath, and ordered that
all the worshippers of Vishnu, young and old, should be slaughter of the
«. 11 1-11* * t 1 ii* worshippers of
slam ; and he commanded his warriors to make search for vishnu and the
all young children throughout that country, and to slay every
male child that possessed strentrth and vio^our. And Nanda Nanda and the
*^ cowherd pay
and the cowherds at Ookula heard that Kansa was slaying tribut4j to Raja
Kansai
the infants, and they were in great fear; and they loaded
their carts with milk, butter, and curds, and they took with
464 THE liAHA BHAR4TA.
HI8T0BY OF them silver money^ and carried them all to Mathurd as tri-
INDIA.
Part 111.
^^^- bute to Baja Kansa.«
After this Kansa sent many wicked demons in yarionB
DemoiM sent by . .
KuiMtosiay forms to slav the infant Krishna. The first assumed the
KrishiM* ^
shape of a beautiful woman with a poisoned nipple; and
when she offered her breast to Ejnshna he seized it and
sucked away her life. Next a demon got into a cart whilst
Krishna was sleeping beneath it; but the infant kicked
against the cart^ and broke it into a thousand pieces^ and
thus slew the demon. A third came in the form of a whirU
wind^ but Krishna dashed him against a stone and he fell
down dead.
2. Infancy and boyhood of Krishna.
infiuicy of When Krishna and his elder brother Balar&ma began to
Baiwima. grow, they rejoiced the hearts of their mothers^ Yasodd and
Eohini. And they were dressed in frocks of blue and yellow,
and their hair was trimmed like the wings of a crow ; * and
wooden ornaments were hung from their necks, and the^
So£c?KShna ^^ playthings in their hands. After a while they began to
aud£»Urima. crawl about the courtyard upon their knees, and to stumble
and fall, and prattle lispingly. And their mothers Yasod£
and Rohini followed close behind them lest they should bo
frightened and fall down; and sometimes when they fell
they took hold of the tails of the calves and heifers and
pulled themselves up again.
Taaod* about to One day Yasodd was very angry with Krishna, because
when she sees he would eat dirt, and she took a stick to beat him ; but
ill hi* mouth, when she came to him he opened his mouth, and she looked
in and saw the three worlds ; and she marvelled greatly for
a while, and then remembered it no more.
Churnfaig day One momin^ after this, Yasodd and all the cowherdesses
in the house of
Nanda and ■
Tasod4>
B The account of Raja Kansa is supposed by many to have been borrowed fron
the Gospel account of King Herod. Whether this be the case or not, it is certaii
that most of the details are mythical, and inserted for the purpose of ennobling the
birth of Krishna.
* This simile implies that the top of the head was shaved, whilst the black
hair was left on each side of the head. Many Hind(i children are shaved in tfaii
manner, though some have the whole head shaved, sides and all
I. — ^LEGENDS OF KRISHNA. 465
arose very early to chum ; and they swept and cleansed the histoet of
house^ and plastered it with fresh cow-dung, and each took p^^j m^
her own chum and sat down to make butter. Meantime
the noise awakened Krishna, and he began crying for his food,
but no one heeded him. Then the lad was filled with wrath, Petnianc© of
' KriMiina at not
and took the staff out of his mother's chum, and began to g^'^^
kick and cry ; and Yasodd took him on her lap, and coaxed
him, and gave him some milk and bread and butter. Whilst
Ejishna ,was eating, a cowherdess ran in and cried out
that the milk was boiling over; and Yasodd set the lad
down upon the ground, and ran off to save the milk. Mean- KriHhna'a
^ ° praiikH with his
while Krishna broke the vessels of curds and butter-milk, mother's chuni.
and began to eat the butter, and give it to the other boys
who were there. When Yasodd returned she was very JJ|J^,^**^" ^^^
wroth, and tied Elrishna to the chum, but he ran away with
it until it was caught between two trees ; and he tore down
the two trees, and when the people came up to see what ho
had done, they found him laughing between the trees and
sitting upon the chum.
After this the Yddavas moved away from Gokula, and coknia mimte
set off with their waggons and cattle for the village of ^ VnndAvaiia.
Yrinddvana ; and here Krishna and Balardma lived like two
cow-boys along with the cows and cowherds. And when
Krishna was a lad he began to play his pranks ; and he went
out and stole the butter and curds which the cowherdesses Krishna steals
butter.
had made; and when they told his mother, he said that
they did not tell the truth ; and the women gazed upon his
fJEMje and smiled, and went their way. And demons came to dJmoi™?"^
slay Ejrishna, and one came in the shape of a cow, and
another in the shape of a crane, and another as a groat ser-
pent; but he fought and killed them all.^
And it came to pass that the Eaja of the Rain saw that the J^J^i^a'^^tho
Hot Season was parching up the country of Vrindavana ; JiJt'sJ.^lJ''^
and he took compassion upon the beasts and birds and liv-
ing creatures, and assembled all his warlike clouds from
7 Krishna's triamph orer the great serpent Kfiliya was at one time Bupposod
to be borrowed from the triumph of Christ over Satan. There appears however
to be no allusion whatever to the bruising of the Serpent's head in the sense in
which it is onderstood by Christian commentators.
VOL. I. 30
466
THE MAUA BHARATA.
HI8T0BY OP
INDIA.
PabtIIL
AMembling of
the oloudii in
batlle-ftm/.
Flight of the
Hot SeMon.
Joy of the
Ewth.
FestiTitiM of
theoowherds
Mid cowherd*
Krishna plays
the flute in the
puturcs.
Confyuionofihe
damsels of
YrindAvaua.
Krishna hides
the clothes of
the damsels
who are bathing
iu the Jumni.
every quarter^ and went forth to battle against the Hot
Season. Then the clouds thundered like kettledrums^ and
flew through the air like mighty heroes ; whilst the light-
ning flashed like the glittering of swords and spears ; and
the long rows of cranes fluttered their white wings like the
waving of many banners^ and the frogs and peacocks raised
their voices like bards chaunting the praises of great Rajas ;
and the heavy drops of rain fell like a shower of arrows.
Now when the Hot Season saw his enemy advancing in such
gallant array^ he fled with all haste from the thirsty plains.
And the Rain refreshed the Earthy as a husband refreshes
his spouse after a separation of many days ; and the Earth
opened her bosom to her lord, and brought forth fruits and
flowers to pay obeisance to their father. And the country
of Yrind&vana appeared like a beautiful woman adorned
with all her jewels ; and the lakes and rivers were filled with
water ; and the trees waved their branches to and fro, whilst
the cuckoos, and the pigeons, and the parrots poured forth
their joyous strains. And all the cowherds and cowherdesses
of Vrinddvana gave themselves up to mirth and play ; and
they put on red and yellow garments, and began to swing in
swings, and to sing with loud voices their hymns of welcome
to the Rains.
At this time Krishna and his companions went out to the
pastures with the cows, and sported about in the jungle.
And Krishna played upon his flute, and all the young dam-
sels of Vrinddvana heard him, and said one to the other : —
" Krishna is now playing and dancing amongst the cows,
but at evening time he will return hither and we shall be-
hold him.^' And one day the damsels went down to the
river Jumnd to bathe ; and Krishna saw them, and carried
away their clothes, and climbed up a tree ; and he made each
damsel come out of the water and receive her clothes at his
hands. And Krishna said : — '^ Take not amiss the lessoi^ I
have given you ; for the god Varuna dwells in the water, and
no one should bathe in it without clothes.^^^
" This implied lesson seems to be an after-thought of the author, to impart a
religious significance to the dubious prauk played by the incarnation of Vislma.
I. — hEGESDQ OF K&ISHNA. 467
HISTOEY OP
3. Kris/mas opposition to the worship of Indra. india.
Now the custom was for the people of Vrindavana to hold Great feast at
a great feast on the fourteenth day of the dark half of the honour™!;!?
month BIdrtika j and on that day they bathed, and washed ****•
their clothes^ and filled a square place with saffron and san-
dal wood, and offered sweetmeats to Indra, together with
cakes, fried in butter and oil, and incense and lamps. When Krishna coim-
Knshna saw what was gomg on, he said to his lather : — vas to transfer
"Why worship Indra as the Supreme God? He cannot fhnniTidm to
grant prosperity, for that is acquired by our religious merits, dunna moun-
and when he is defeated by the Asuras, he flies away and
hides himself : 0 father, we are Vaisyas, and our cattle live
upon thejpastures : Let us, therefore, cease to worship In-
dra, and pay our devotions to the mountain Govarddhana/'
So Nanda and the cowherds obeyed the words of Krishna, The TAdavas
worship the
and they placed the sweetmeats, and the fried cakes, and mountain.
other things they had prepared, in large baskets, and brazen
dishes and pots, and carried them in carts to the mountain
Govarddhana, whilst a band of musicians accompanied them
and played all the way. When they reached the place, they
swept and cleaned the ground all round the mountain, and
sprinkled water, and arranged the cakes and sweetmeats in
order, and spread garlands upon the mountain. Then Nanda
and all the cowherds summoned the family priest and prayed
to the mountain. Then Krishna assumed a second form as Knshnaappears
the genius of the mountain, and manifested himself to all the la the goniuN of
1 iTT-'i •i.'^j^/* 1-11 -I ^b® mountain.
people ; and Krishna m his first lorm as a cowherd bowed
reverentially to the mountain, and all the cowherds and cow-
herdessoB did the same, saying: — ^^When did Indra ever
manifest himself as Govarddhana has done ? ^^ And the cow- OfTenngof cakes
and Hwci'tmeats
herds and cowherdessespresented the cakes and sweetmeats {^.j^****- mown-
to the mountain ; and Krishna in the form of the genius of
the mountain stretched forth his arms and began to eat the
food. Then Krishna in his own form, and all the people
who were there, walked in adoration round the mountain,
and returned merrily to Vrinddvana. And all the cowherds Siwrts of the
cowherds.
and cowherdesses rejoiced greatly, and they painted marks on
^ /
468 THE MAHA BHABATA.
HISTORY OF all the cows and calves^ and fastened small bells and tinkling
pIrt iiL ornaments round their necks, and engaged in every kind of
• sport and pastime.
Wrath of When, however, Indra saw that the Yddavas had forsaken
dow'n'nSn to"^ his Worship and made their offerings to the mountain, he was
cmmtrTo? '**^ ^^^J wroth, and commanded the Raja of the clouds to go
wash away the mountain and all the country of Vrinddvana.
So the Raja of the clouds obeyed the commands of Indra,
and all the people of Yrinddvana came to Krishna trembling
with fear ; but Krishna cried out : — '^ Fear not ! The moun-
KrtehnawndCTs tain himself shall protect you/' Then Krishna by his divine
fiery hot, and powcr made the mountain fiery hot : and he raised it up with
nlMsitovor ,,.,« ni*iA»i-i i • thi
the people like the little finGfer of his left hand, so that it covered all the
AH umbrella.
people like an umbrella. And it was told to Indra that all
the rains poured down by the Raja of the clouds fell upon the
mountain with a hiss ; and he went himself and rained with-
out ceasing for seven days and nights, but not a drop fell
upon the people of Vrinddvana. So Indra returned to his
abode in Swarga, and Krishna set down the mountain in its
proper place as it had been before ; after which Indra and
iiidra worships all the fiTods Came to Krishna and did homa&ro before him as
KriMhna as the ° -• >• t t /» n
Supremo Lord, tho God of gods and Lord of all.
4. Love Adventures of Krishna.
Krishna dances After this, on the niffht of the full moon in tho month
with all tho . i . i -i i i
women of Kdrtika, Krishna went out mto the luncfle and played upon
Vrind&vana on ' «xt-.t/ rjr
tho night of the the fluto ; and all the women of Vnndavana heard the sweet
notes of the flute, and were filled with love for Krishna, and
followed him into the jungle. And Krishna led the women
to the bank of the Jumnd, and they all danced and sang
round him in a ring, until ho appeared like the moon sur-
DLsappcars with rouudcd by a circle of stars. Presently Krishna disappeared
his favourite /.ii-i-i •/•i-^ i
RhadhiiuL from amongst them, for he had a beautiful mistress named
Radhika ; and he went away to wander with his favourite
damsel beneath tho light of the full moon. And all the
Sorrow of the other women sorrowed greatly, and sought for Krishna in
all directions, but they found him not. And presently they
women.
I. — ^LEGENDS OF KRISHNA. 469
saw a mirror upon a bed of leaves^ and one said to the history of
otlier : — '' When Krishna sat down to wreathe the long back p/^^ uJ
hair of Radhika^ she could not see his face ; and she hold
up the mirror and saw his divine countenance whilst he be- Finding of the
held the face of his beloved/' Meantime Krishna was walk- sinfui elation of
ing with Badhika^ but her soul was elated with pride, and ^^*^^^^^^
she thought herself better than Krishna, and she said to
him : — " O my beloved, I am weary, and I pray you to carry
me upon your shoulders/' And Krishna sat down and
smiled, and beckoned her to mount : but when she stretched Krishna ahan-
doiM Radhiko.
forth her hand, he vanished from her sight, and she re-
mained alone with outstretched hand. And Badhika wept tiio women And
very bitterly, and the other women saw her, and approached ntuni with her
her, and led her back to the bank of the Jumnd.
Whilst the women were sitting by the river, mourning Krishna retumi
the absence of their beloved Klrishna, he suddenly appeared
amongst them, and their sorrow was turned into great joy.
And Krishna multiplied himself into many forms, so that Multiplies him-
each cowherdess thought that she had Krishna to herself; JJi^'tJo^ari"**
and the women ioined hands two and two, and between each ^omen.
y __ . The circular
two was a Krishna ; and the Krishnas and the damsels ^a»»cc
danced together in the circular dance, until their necklaces
of jewels were snapped asunder, and their wreaths of flowers
had fallen to the ground, and the drops of perspiration
glistened on their brows like rows of pearls, and their raven
tresses hung down upon their fair faces like young snakes
clinging for nectar to the full moon. And the Krishnas and Siwrting in the
the cowherdesses gratified every desire of their hearts ; and
they all went down into the river Jumna, and sported and
gambolled in the waters ; and the moon, surrounded by the
stars, was fascinated with the sight, and sent down nectar
with its beams.
5. Krishnah Adventures in Mathurd.
Now it so happened that Raja Kansa performed a great Raja Kan» per-
foniiN a 8at*rifl(*o
sacrifice to the god Siva in the city of Mathura, and many to tho K»d siva
, . 1 •! 'J ii • in the city of
fighting men and wrestlers went to the city to exhibit their Mathurii.
skill before the Raja. And Krishna and his brother
470 THE MAUA BHABATA.
HISTORY OF Balardma went to Mathurd with tlie other cowherds ; and all
pSct III. ^® women of Vrinddvana sorrowed at the departure of
Krishna. Now when they entered the city their clothes
BiOMiiiiukgoto were very old and dirty^ and they saw the washerman of
Hatburi. the Baja laden with bundles of washed clothes ; and they
tiuTrahn^u prayed the washerman to lend them new clothes^ but the
of the £^a. ^^^ would not. Then Krishna and the other cowherds fell
upon the washerman and belaboured him^ and Krishna
struck him so that his head flew off like an ear of com.
AniuingraiB. So Krishna and his companions seized the ffarments that
tokw in putting i i I ■• -i i i
onthe clean the Washerman had washed^ and began to put them on ;
but they wore rude cowherds, and understood not the
raiment, and some thrust their arms into the drawers whilst
others drew the jackets on to their legs. And Krishna
laughed as he beheld his companions, but presently a tailor
came up, and Krishna requested him to dress the cowherds;
and the tailor obeyed the request, and set to work with all
Krtihnft ftn^ Speed and fitted the clothes upon the cowherds, and Krishna
the tailor. rewarded mm by forgiving mm all his sms.*
ptonsaddrMwof After this a woman who was humpbacked appeared be«
na. fore Krishna, and her name was Kubja. And she said: — ^'I
am the handmaid of Raja Kansa, and my duty is to anoint
him with saffron and sandal ; and I pray you to permit nie
to do the same for you.'* So Krishna gave her leave, and
KrLvhna she did SO. Thou Krishna took compassion upon the hump-
humpback and backed woman, and he placed his feet upon her feet, and his
rendera her iii- "i«-ii
young and two fingers beneath her chm, and raised her up, so that she
became quite straight, and by the touch of Krishna she was
Knbjaofiters rendered young and beautiful. And Kubja seeing that she
KjThhnaandis was now vcry bcautiful, prayed Krishna to come to her
house j and Krishna took her by the hand and said : — " I
will come and moot you when I have slain Raja Kansa.'^
So Kubja went to her own house, and filled a square place
with saffron and sandal, and rejoiced greatly in the hope of
receiving Krishna.^®
' The grounds upon which Krishna seems to hare forgiven the sins of the
tailor seem to form a travestic of Christianity.
*^ The simihirity between this story and two events recorded in the Gospel nar-
accepted.
I. — ^LEGENDS OP KRISHNA. 471
Meanwhile Krishna and his companions approached the history of
gate which was called the gate of the bow ; and here was p^^ jjj^
placed the ffreat bow of Siva, which was as long as three
1 t 1 1 iiTf". AT Krishna breaks
palm trees, and so heavy that no man could hit it. And tuebowof siva.
the warders of the gate, seeing the cowherds approaching,
cried oat to them to keep their distance, for that this was a
royal gate, and no man could go through it excepting the Raja.
But Krishna and those who were with him pretended not to
hear the warders, and went straight to the place where the
bow of Siva was lying. And Krishna took up the bow and
broke it as an elephant breaks a sugar cane ; and the air
was hlled with the mighty sound of the breaking of the bow.
Then the warders rushed upon the cowherds, but Krishna ^rigi^ni^ gi^^y^
withstood them with great power and slew them all. And {hebolll*™^^
the people who looked on said one to the other : — " Surely
these two men wUl slay Raja Kansa.^' Meantime the Raja Raja Kansa
himself heard the mighty sound, and demanded of his serv- o?KriHhnaaiIa
ants the reason thereof; and they uncovered their heads *"
and said : — ^' Two men of the Yddava tribe, named Krishna
and Balardma, have entered the city of Mathura and made a
great uproar, for they have broken the mighty bow of Siva,
and slain all the warders.^' At these words Kansa sum-
moned many fighting men, and ordered them to go and
put the two cowherds to death ; but Krishna and Balardma Krishna and
fell upon the fighting men and slew them as they had Hiau^htcr the
already slain the warders. Then the two brothers returned Kansa.
to the place where the Yddavas had pitched their tents, and
Sjrishna showed to his father Nanda the clothes that he had
taken from the washerman of Raja Kansa. And Nanda Krishna wnmed
said: — "0 Krishna, will you never cease your pranks ? ^^ ^^""^^^
rative, is too striking to be passed over without notice. The healing of the woman
who had been bowed down for eighteen years, and who was made straight by
Christ on the Sabbath day, and the incident of the woman who broke an alabaster
box of spikenard, and poured it upon his head, seem to have been thrown together
in the legend of Kubja. (Comp. Luke xiii. 2 ; and Mark xiv. 3.) The compilers
of the life of Krishna appear however to have been compelled to garble the inci-
dents in order to bring them into conformity with the amorous character of the
Yiidava hero. It is subsequently related with some grossness of detail, which has
been omitted from the present text, that Krishna ultimately visited Kubja and gra-
tified all her desires.
^ r
472 THE MAHA BHARATA.
HISTORY OF Remember tliat this is not tlie forest of Gokula^ or tlie
piiw ni. village of Vrinddvana, but the city of KajaKansa; therefore
keep my counsel in mindj and work not any mischief here/'
6. Krishna^ 8 contest with Kansa^ Raja of Mathurd.
Bntiemietf of Now on that night Baja Kansa was filled with anguish,
and he had no rest whether he rose up or whether he sat
down, but he told no man of his deep anxiety. After a
while he lay down upon his bed, but for the space of three
Portentoui watches he could not sleep. Then he fell into a short
Kann. slumber, and he saw in a dream the phantom of his own
body moving about without a head ; and the phantom ap-
peared to be bathing naked in the sand ; and it swallowed
poison and rode along upon an ass ; and it dwelt with goblins
in a cemetery, wearing a garland of blood-red flowers ; and
flaming trees were all around it with young children sitting
Kum orden tliereon. And Kansa rose up from his bed in great terror,
prepare an and Sent for all his ministers and said : — ^^ Let the great
ezhibfUonof arena be swept and sprinkled with water, and summon
thither all the Chieftains and people of the Yddavas, and all
the Rajas who have come from afar, and after a while I
myself will go into the arena/' Then the ministers caused
the arena to be swept and sprinkled, and they threw a
canopy over it, and spread it with silken cloths, and they
hung it with flags and garlands and strings of flowers, and
ordered the musicians to play aloud and summon all men
AaMuibiyofthe ^^^ the arena. And a vast multitude came and took the
poopiS* ^ seats which were allotted them ; and Raja Kansa came filled
with pride, and sat himself upon a raised throne ; and the
gods seated in their cars began to look down from the sky.
Krjshnftand And at the dawning of the morning, Nanda and all the
appmach the chief cowherds entered the assembly, and Krishna and Bala-
aajuafiew. rama and the other young cowherds followed them dis-
guised as jugglers. When Krishna and Balardma arrived
at the gate of the arena, they saw the furious elephant that
belonged to Raja Kansa j and that elephant had the strength
of ten thousand elephants, and stood at the gate swaying his
1. — ^LEGENDS OF KRISHNA. 473
body to and fro. Then Balardma called out to the keeper history op
of the elephant : — " Take the elephant away and give us a p^^, \^£
passage to the Raja^ or I will dash him down and destroy
both him and you/^ At these words the keeper was in a Baiarima and
rage^ and urged on his elephant^against the cowherds ; but tj»e mx
Balardma swung round his fist and buffetted the elephant so ^» Kansa.
that it drew up its trunk and fell backwards with a loud roar.
And all the warriors of Raja Kansa were looking on^ and the
driver knew that he should be slain unless he conquered the
striplings ; and he plunged his goad into the elephant, and
drove him against Balardma and his brother Krishna. Then
that elephant in its might and fury seized Krishna with its
trunk, and threw him upon the ground, and would have
gored him, but Krishna remained in safety between its
tusks. Then Balardma seized the elephant by the trunk
and Krishna caught it by the tail ; and they sported with
the elephant, like children sporting with a calf. Then Krishna kiUi
E[rishna pulled the tail of the elephant, and swung him and lu driver.
round kad dashed him down, and bu£fetted him to death
with his fists ; and he tore away its tusks with his two hands
so that the blood flowed forth like a river. And the driver
shouted aloud in defiance, but Krishna slew him and cast
him under the feet of the elephant ; and Krishna and Bala-
rdma carried a tusk in each hand, and entered the arena in
great joy.
Now when Krishna entered the assembly, the cowherds Different idc-aa
thought he was their companion, and the wrestlers thought and the gods
he was a wrestler ; but the damsels of the city thought that Krisinia.
he was a miracle of comeliness, and the Bajas thought that he
was a Baja, whilst the gods on high knew him to be their
Supreme Lord. And Kansa cried out with a loud voice : — Kansa orders
^ the oxpuiMion of
" O wrestlers, down with these two men and slay them, ^^Jj^*"*^
or else force them away from my presence. ^^ Then the Tiie wrestlers
wrestlers advanced and said to the two brothers : — " Our Kri>hna and
Raja is sad to-day, and desires to amuse himself with our
wrestling : Be pleased, therefore, to wrestle with us and
gratify the Raja.'* Krishna replied :— " We are but ignorant Krishna*
children ; how then shall we encounter you ? Nevertheless,
474 THE MAHA BHARATA.
HiBiORT OP as it is the will of the Baja, we will do as you say ; but do
p^^ m ^^^ exert your force and dash ns down, for we seek only to
gratify the Raja/' Then two mighty wrestlers came out and
BahtfAmasiaj confronted Krishna and Balardma; and they began to
wrestle, head with head, arm with arm, eye with eye, leg
with leg, pouncing, grappling, snatching, and tugging. And
the people cried out : — ^' Shame upon the wrestlers for fight-
ing such children/' And whilst they were thus speaking
Krishna and Balardma hurled the two wrestlers backward
and slew them upon the spot ; and all the other wrestlers
came up and were slain in like manner by Krishna and
Balardma.
Joy of the ^ Then all the people were filled with ioy, and the musici-
BocU. ans played aloud, and the gods showered down Rowers from
heaven ; but Kansa cried out in a rage : — " Why is the
music sounded, and why are the people rejoicing at the vic-
Kumorden tory of Krishna ? Seize the two young striplings, and bind
Krishnajuid'^ them, and take them out of the assembly ; and go and bring
the arrest of hither my father U&rrasena, and the treacherous Yasudeva
Ugruena, Ymu- *^ / .
deva,and and his wife Devaki : We will slay them first and then put
KrishiiAriiKM to death the two brethren.'' At these words Krishna rose
luiisa. up clothed in mail, and a helmet was upon his head, and he
held a shield in one hand and a double-edged sword in the
otlier. And Raja Kansa stood up in great alarm, and began
KaumL^ to tremble violently. And Krishna and Kansa fought des-
perately, and at last Krishna seized the Raja by the hair,
and dashed him down and leaped upon him so that his life
departed from his body. And the people cried out: —
Sw goia^ ®^ '^ Krishna has slain Kansa I " And gods, and men, and sages
were filled with joy. And the gods rained down flowers and
sounded the great kettledrum; and the hearts of all the
men and women of Mathurd expanded on beholding the
countenance of Krishna, as the lotus expands on beholding
Sm?he** ^^" *^® ^^^^ moon. And Krishna dragged the corpse of Raja
to^^SliML^ Kansa to the river Jumnd, and the Rdnis of Kansa arose and
took courage, and went to the banks of the Jumnd and per-
formed the obsequies of their lord.
After this Krishna released Vasudeva and Devaki from
I. — ^LEGENDS OP KBISHNA. 475
their bonds^ and placed the old Eaja Ugrasena upon the histoeyop
INDIA.
pabt hi.
throne of Mathnrd ; and all the cowherds returned to Vrin- i^'i^^^-
ddvana^ but Krishna and Baladuna remained in the city of
Mathurd. And Krishna went to the house of Kubja^ and leases vasudeva
^•/* -1 11 t_ J • andDevakl.and
snr&tmea all her desires. restores Vgnr
Now the two Bdnis of Raja Kansa were the daughters of throne.
Jardsandha^ Baja of Magadhd ; for when Kansa was very Sjt*^f*^Ma5nid-
young he marched an army against Jarasandha and defeated S^ii"f ^^ ^*^
him, and Jardsandha gave him his two daughters in marriage, is defeated*by
And when Kansa was dead the two Ranis returned to the
house of their father, and told him how Krishna and Balii-
rdniA had put their husband to death ; and Jardsandha was
filled with wrath and prepared to do battle against the
Yddavas. And Jardsandha made war against Ugrasena,
and Krishna defeated him seventeen times. Then Yama Marches an
assembled an army of barbarians to aid Jardsandha, and barianK against
they had thick necks and arms, large teeth, brown hair, and
red eyes. And Jardsandha marched with an army of thirty
millions of these unclean barbarians against Mathurd; and Krishna and the
Ugrasena, and Krishna, and all the inhabitants of Mathurd to th J aty of*
and Yrinddvana, migrated to the city of Dwdrakd, which is
in the country of Guzerat nigh unto the western sea.
7. Krishna^s life at Dwdrakd.
After this Balardma took to wife Revati, who was the f/*"2?*® **^.i
' Balar&ma with
daughter of Raja Raivata ; and Krishna married Rukmini, ^^ati.
the daughter of Bhishmaka, Raja of Vidarbha. Now Krishna camea
T*i.x T IT o* /IT 1 'TT^" Rukmini,
Kukmini was betrothed to oisupala, but on the nuptial day th.* daughter of
, ^ , ^ ^ th.' Raja of
she went with all her companions and maidens to worship in vidarblia.
the temple of the goddess Durgd, when Krishna saw her and
took her by the hand and carried her away in his chariot.
And Rukmin, who was the brother of the damsel, and Sisu-
pdla, to whom she was betrothed, followed after Krishna, but
he defeated them both, and brought away Rukmini to the
city of Dwdrakd, and married her according to the ordinance, gatrtjit in-
And Rukmini bore a son to Krishna, and his name was iSU ufwT^"^
Pradyumna. feUho ,
And there was a certain Chieftain of the Yddavas named ho*!**" *'^ *
476
THE MAHA BHARATA.
HISTORY OF
INDIA.
PaktIIL
KriahiiA
■oupectedof
■UBuingthe
f(«m. uid re-
ooTenit fh>in
JAmbavai.
Krishna marries
Jiinbavati.
Mirries
Batyabh&mi,
the daughter of
BatrAJLt.
Murder of
fiatri^it.
Krishna re-
veniroB hia
death.
Krishna's love
of women, and
Balarftma's love
of wiott.
Satrdjit^ and he had a very precious gem ; and one day he
pat the gem npon his neck and went into the assembly of
the Yddavas. And the minds of all men were captivated by
the sight of the gem^ and Krishna asked Satr&jit for it^ bat
Satrdjit went away and delivered it into the charge of hia
brother Prasena. And Prasena took the jewels and went
out into the forest to huntj and a lion met him and slew him.
And the lion took the gem in his mouth and departed with
it^ but was attacked and killed by Jdmbavat, the Raja of
the Bears ; and Jdmbavat kept possession of the gem.
Meanwhile Satrdjit suspected Krishna of having slain
his brother Prasena for the sake of the gem ; and this was
told to Krishna^ and he collected a number of Yddavaa and
went forth in search of Prasena^ and followed the marks of
his horse's hoofs until he came to the spot where he had
been killed. And all the people saw that Prasena had been
slain by a lion^ and acquitted Krishna of having taken the
gem. But Krishna followed the footsteps of the lion, and
found that the lion had been killed by Jdmbavat ; and he
fought against Jdmbavat and subdued him, and Jdmbavat
presented him with the gem, and gave him his daughter
Jdmbavat! in marriage. After this Krishna returned to
Dwdrakd and gave the gem to Satrkjit, who then knew that
Krishna had not slain Prasena. And Satr&jit gave Krishna
his daughter Satyabhdmd in marriage, and presented him
with the gem as dowry, but Krishna desired him to keep
the jewel.
Now before Satyabhdmd had been given to Krishna she
had been sought in marriage by many Yddavas ; and they
were greatly enraged with Satrdjit, and one of them killed
Satrdjit in his sleep and obtained possession of the gem.
When Krishna heard what had been done he followed the
man and slow him with his chakra ; but the man had made
over the gem to the charge of Akrura, and it remained ever
afterwards in the possession of Akrrira.
And Krishna married many wives and took many con-
cubines, and all his life he was famous for his love of women ;
I. — LEGENDS OF KRISHNA. 477
and his elder brother Balardma was in like manner ever history of
famous for his love of wine, JH^^^t
Fast ill.
The foregoing legends respecting Krishna, so far Review of the
as they refer to his historical character, appear to call {^j^J^**
for no particular remark. They sufficiently illustrate
both the low origin of Krishna as a cowherd, and
the disorder and violence which prevailed in the
Yddava tribe. In the previous traditions which con- Difference in
nect Krishna with the Pdndavas. and which have al- tht seirate"^ °
• ■,. .« .1 traditions of
ready been indicated m the Mahd Bhdrata, Krishna ^«^^jy]U[«o'j
is represented in a higher and better character. His iHte^J^Sl!?*™
amorous temperament is but briefly noticed, and he of the grLt^
stands prominently forward as an experienced war- ""'"
rior, witty in his conversation, ardent in his friend-
ships, and a comforter to those who are in affliction.
But in the present series Krishna is little better than
a boor, with some sense of humour and decidedly
mischievous propensities, and above all with a
strong amorous temperament. The deification of Q|j^«on of hto
such a hero as an incarnation of Vishnu forms a curi- JfteiT^ ^^^
ous subject of inquiry ; but the question is so closely
intertwined with the history of the Hindu religion,
that it must be reserved for a future volume.
CHAPTER n.
NALA AND DAMATANTI.
HISTORY OF
INDIA.
Pakt III.
Three Hiudd
traditiouB
referrinir to
three dllferent
epochs.
•**
"Nalaand
Drnmaysnti'
to be Peferrod
to tho Vedic
period.
Proofi that the
Htory bcloiiKs to
a late stage in
the Vedic
period.
The three Hindii traditions which will now be
exhibited in an English dress, are not only exquisite
pictures of ancient Hindu life, but seem to refer to
tliree distinct epochs in the History of India. Their
respective titles, and the age to which they appear to
belong, may be indicated as follows : —
Nala and Damayantl — the Vedic period.
Devaydnf and Yaydti — the Brahmanic period.
Chandrahasna and Bikya — the modem period.
TIic first of these stories, namely, " Nala and
Damayantf," is widely known to English readers
througli the metrical translation of Dr Milman.^
The events seem to have occurred in the Vedic pe-
riod, or that period which preceded Bralimanism ;
for although Brdhmans are introduced it is only to
act as messengers, and the marriage rites of the hap-
py pair are not performed by a Brdhman, but by the
Raja who was the father of the bride. But it must
have belonged to a late stage in the Vedic period,
and at a date when the Aryans were already settled
* A free trnnslution in blank veree by Mr Charles Bruce appeared in Fraser's
Maprazinc for December, 1863, and January, 1864, and is perliapseven more popu-
lar than that of Dr Milman.
II.— KAIA AND DAMAYANTI. 479
in Hindustan, for the hero was a Raja in Nishada or history op
INDIA.
the Bhfl country, whilst the heroine was the daughter pj^t iii.
of a Raja of the Dekhan who reigned at Vidarbha, Advance of the
the modem Berar. Again, the evidences of civiliza- i>e^^i»*n.
tion which are furnished by the story, combined
with the geographical position of the leading actors,
indicate a period long subsequent to the great war of
Bhdrata. It will also be remarked that the Vedic Dc^nemtion of
deities, who are represented as being present at the deitie*. °
Swayamvara of Damayantf, seem to have lost their
abstract nature, and appear as human beings, who
pay great respect to a Brdhman sage, and arc to
some extent humbled by the hero of the tradi-
tion ; whilst a considerable number of supernatural douiKl**'*"'^
details have been introduced, either to disguise some
usage in the original tradition which was condemned
by a subsequent age, or as artificial embellishments
which have been introduced in accordance with a
meretricious taste which appears to have prevailed
in the later era of Sanskrit literature. Indeed a wide wido interval
betwe<*n the ago
interval appears to separate the age in which the ^u^^auS"*"
main events of the story actually took place, fromlhe^mwi
the age in which the poem itself was composed;
and thus while the tradition belongs to a period
when the Vedic deities were still worshipped, and
the rites of marriage were performed by Rajas, the
poem must have been thrown into its present form
in a far later age of Brahmanism, when the worsliip
of the Vedic deities had fallen into decay, and the
Brahmanical sages were held to be equal if not su-
perior to the gods.
The leading incidents in the story of Nala and J}";sj'i^^^jr*'
Damayantf may be thus indicated : —
Ist, The Loves of Nala and Damayantf.
^ ^
480 THE MAHA BUARATA.
HISTORY OF 2nd, The Swayamvara of Damayantf.
pabt 111. 3rd, The Gambling Match between Nala and
Pushkara.
4th, The Exile of Nala and Damayantf.
5th, Nala's desertion of Damayantf.
6th, Adventures of Nala,
7th, Discovery of Damayantf.
8th, Discovery of Nala.
9 th, Nala's Drive from Ayodhyd to Vidarbha.
10th, Damayantf recovers her husband.
11th, Nala recovers his Raj.
BtoTTof xau The story of Nala and Damayantf may now be
and DtMnajanti. *' y y
related as follows : —
1. The Loves of Nala and DamayanU.
Nai»»BAjftof In ancient times there lived in Nishadha a certain Raja
NithadhA or the "^
Bhii country, named Nala, and he was handsome, brave, majestic, and
splendid, gifted with the choicest virtues, renowned for his
skill in archery and in taming horses, of onblemished truth,
admired by noble women, but loving dice exceedingly ; and
ho was also deeply read in the Vedas, and had brought every
^lummti, the sonso and passion under control. Farther south, in the city
**«ghtOTof of Vidarbha, reigned Raja Bhlma, terrible in strength, whose
S)SJ^f*tir blooming and slender-waisted daughter Damayanti was fa-
Dekhan. mous amongst all the Rajas for her radiant charms and ex-
Matuai love of cecding grace. And Nala, the tiger amongst Rajas, had so
DunayuitL oflcn heard of the exquisite loveliness of Damayanti, the
pearl of maidens, that he was enamoured without having
seen her; and the soul-disturbing Damayanti had, in like
manner, so often been told of the godlike comeliness and
virtues of the hero Nala, that she secretly desired to become
his bride.
TJje ijj^ with Now on a certain day Raja Nala wandered to a grove and
fiidS»Dama- pcndercd on his deep love for Damayanti, when a flock of
of noone^ut^ swans with golden plumage flew into the grove; and he
^■^ caught one of the bright birds. And the bird cried out :—
IL — ^ALk AND DAMATANTI. 481
t(
Slay me not, O gentle Baja, and I will so praise thee in history op
INDIA.
Part III.
the presence of Damayantf, that she shall think of no other India.
man but thee/' So Nala set it free, and the bird of golden
wing flew away with all its companions to the city of Vi-
darbha, and entered the garden of Raja Bhima. And the
beautiful Damayanti was sporting with her maidens in the
garden, when they all beheld a flock of swans who dropped
their golden plumes ; and the slender- waisted damsels chased
the bright birds about the garden, when suddenly a swan
turned round to Damayanti, and said in the language of Thoswan
men : — " O Damayanti, thou art the loveliest of maidens, misMion."
and Nala is the handsomest of heroes ; if the peerless wed
the peerless how happy will be the union/' Then the royal
maiden softly said to the bird : — " Speak the same words to
Xahi ! '' And the bird fluttered its golden wings, and flew
away to Nishadha, and told all to Nala.
Meantime the beautiful maiden grew pale and dejected Mcianchoiv of
m her fathers Court at Vidarbna. She could not sleep, she
often wept, she found no joy in banquets or in conversation,
and she gazed upon the sky at night-time with a look of wild
distraction ; for her heart was wholly possessed with a deep
love for Nala. So the maidens told her roval father that
Damayanti was fading away into a deep melancholy. And
the Eaja of Vidarbha said : — " My dautfliter is full cn*o^vn, and ^ja Bhima
" , ^ , o ^ proclaims a
must be given away in marriage.'^ And he sent Bnihmans swujamvara.
round the world to proclaim a Swayamvara; and all the
Bajas of the earth who had heard of the divine loveliness of AasombiinKof
Damayanti, flocked to the Court of Bhima, with all the pomp vldarbila.
of chariots and horses, and elephants, and armies. And
Bhima welcomed them all with due courtesy and entertained
them well.
Now at this time the holy saffe Niirada ascended on Nftrada, the
•^ o ^ saKC cames the
high to the heaven of Indra. And Indra gave him honour- s*^?*JamJSmto
able welcome, and said : — ''Whore, 0 sage, are all the Rajas, ^"^™-
that they come not to my abode ? " And Narada replied :
— '' 0 cloud-compeller, all the Rajas and their mighty sons
have gone to the Swayamvara of Damayanti, for she, iho
loveliest of maidens, is about to choose a husband for her-
VOL. I. 31
482 THE MAHA BHARATA.
HISTORY OP 8e\{" Then the gods were stricken as they heard of the
INDIA. transcendent beauty of Damayanti, and they exclaimed : —
'^ We too will go to her Swayamvara ! " And Indra^ lord
YwunA. and of Swarga, and Agni, god of fire, and Varuna, who roles
theSinqrwn- the seas^ and Yama^ who judges the dcad^ called for their
celestial chariots^ and drove through the air to the city of
Vidarbha ; and as they approached the earth they beheld
the hero Nala^ as radiant as the sun^ and as comely as the
god of love ; and they stayed their chariots in the blue air,
Thfi gods ure- and said to the heroic one : — *' 0 Nala, we pray you to do
Mk Damayanti our biddincr/' And Nala stood with folded hands, and
to ^MMM6 OnA
or them for her said: — ''Whatsoever you command, that I will do." So
buaband. "^
Indra, sovereign of the gods, said to Nala : — '* Go now and
tell the fair daughter of Bhima that the four immortal gods
have come from heaven to woo her, and that she must choose
from amongst them whom she will." But Nala replied : —
'* 0 spare me this, for I too am enamoured with the damsel,
and how can I woo her for another ? " But all the gods
spoke out with one accord : — " Ilave you not pledged your-
self to do whatsoever we command ? Delay not, therefore,
nor belie your word." Then Nala said : — " The palace of
Bhima is strongly guarded, and I cannot enter the pre-
indrarpndera scncc of the maiden." But Indra replied : — " No man shall
Nala invisible.
stop you, only go ! '^ Then Raja Nala entered the palace
of Bhima, and no man hindered him ; and he reached the
inner apartments, and beheld the beautiful damsel sitting
amongst her maidens ; and when the damsels saw him they
sprang from their scats, and marvelled at his wondrous
beauty. And Nala smiled sweetly upon Damayanti, and
she with lovely eyes smiled sweetly in return, and said : —
" 0 hero, how came you hither ? How have you escaped
the guards that my father has set around us?" Then
Nala replied : — ^' 0 loveliest of damsels, my name is Nala,
and I am a messenger from the gods, and through their
power I have passed the gates unseen by men : Now the
four gods desire to wed you, and pray you to choose one
of their number to be your lord." And Damayanti bowed
in reverence to the gods, and then smiled again upon Nala
U. — NALA AND DAMATANTI. 483
End said : — '^O Raja, the language of the golden- pi amaged history of
swan has kindled my sool, and I will choose no other lord p^, lu.
but you ; and if you spurn my love, I will take poison, or j^^^^^^^
plunge into the water or the fire/' And Xala replied :— JjJi'^o^bS***
" O beautiful maiden, how can you choose a mortal man in ^[*^
the presence of the bright gods ? How can you refuse to •tnun.
be arrayed in heavenly raiment, and bright amaranthine
flowers, and all the glory of the celestials ? Where is the
damsel who would not wed the radiant Agni, god of fire,
whose mouths consume the world ? Or the bright Indra,
sovereign of ihe gods, at whose dread sceptre all the assem-
blies of the earth are forced to do justice and work righteous-
ness ? Or the majestic Varuna, lord of waters ? Or the
mighty Yama, judge over all the dead ? '' But Damayanti FidoUty or
trembled at the words of Nala, and her eyes were filled ^* ""
with t^ars, and she said : — " I will pay due homage to all
the gods, but you only will I choose to be my lord.'' And
Nala went his way and told to the expectant gods all that
Damayanti had said.
2. T/ie Stvayamvara of Damayanti.
At length the day of happy omen, the great day of the The day of the
Swayamvara, dawned upon the city of Vidarbha. And all A^mWy^tho
the Bajas, sick with love, passed through the glittering SSi^of sute.
portals, and the court of golden columns, and entered the
Hall of State, like lions entering their mountain lairs. And
all the Rajas were adorned with fragrant garlands, and rich
earrings of costly gems were hanging from their ears. And
some had long arms, robust and vigorous as the ponderous
battle-mace; whilst others were as soft and delicately
rounded as a smooth serpent. With bright and flowing
hair, and arched eyebrows, their faces were as radiant as
the stars; and they filled the Hall of State, as the serpents
fill the under world, or as tigers fill the caves in the moun-
tains. But when Damayanti entered the hall, every eye Damaj-iiuti
was fixed, and every soul entranced, at her dazzling lovoli- ''"^'" i»»«"*"-
noss ; and all the Rajas gazed upon her beauty, and were J;,^pL^J;**®
stricken with deep and passionate desire. Tlien the name ^^''^^^^
484
THE MAHA BUARATA.
UI8T0BT OF
INDIA.
Part IIL
Pttrplezity of
Damajantl.
Her pnjw*
The gods (cnut
her prayer and
reveal them-
ielvet in their
true forms.
Damayanti
diacoven Nala
and gives him
the garland.
Nala's TOW to
Bamijranti.
Divine gifts of
thogoda to
Nala.
of every Raja was proclaimed aloud, and Damayanti glanced
around her at the glittering crowd of suitors, and she saw
in her dismay that there were five Nalas in the hall, for
each of the four bright gods had taken upon himself the
form of Nala. And Damayantf trembled with fear, and
after a while she folded her hands in reverence to the gods,
and said in sad and humble tones : — " Since I heard the
language of the swan, I have chosen Nala for my lord, and
have thought of no other husband : Therefore, 0 gods, I
pray to you, that you resume your own immortal shapes
and reveal Nala to me, that I may choose him for my lord
in the presence of all/' And the gods heard the piteous
prayer of Damayantf, and they wondered at her steadfast
truth and fervent love ; and straightway they revealed the
tokens of their godhead. Then Damayantl saw the four
bright gods, and knew that they were not mortal heroes^
for their feet touched not the eai*th, and their eyes winked
not ; and no perspiration hung upon their brows, nor dust
upon their raiment, and their garlands were as fresh as if the
flowers were just gathered. And Damayanti also saw the
true Nala, for he stood before her with shadow falling to
the ground, and twinkling eyes, and drooping garland;
and moisture was on his brow, and dust upon his raiment ;
and she knew that he was Nala. Then she went in all
maidenly modesty to Nala, and took the hem of his gar-
ments, and threw a wreath of radiant flowers round his
neck, and thus chose him for her lord. And a sound of
wild sorrow burst from all the Rajas; but the gods and
sages cried aloud : — " Well done ! '' And Nala turned to
the slender- waisted damsel, and said : — " Since, O maiden
with the eye serene, you have chosen me for your husband
in the presence of the gods, know that I will be your faith-
ful consort, ever delighting in your words ; and so long as
my soul shall inhabit this body, I solenmly vow to be thine,
and thine alone.'' Then the blest pair approached the gods
with reverence, and the gods gave rare gifts to Nala. To
him Indra gave the sight which sees the Unseen in the
sacrifice, and the power to go unhindered where he pleased ;
II. — NALA AND DAMAYANTI. 485
and Agni gave him the mastery over fire, and power over histoey oi
the three worlds ; and Varuna gave him the mastery over ^art^ui
water, and the power of obtaining fresh garlands at will ;
and Yama gave him a subtile taste for food and eminence in
every virtue.
Then Baja Bhima, in his joy and pride, performed the Marrfafco of
marriage rites of his beautiful daughter and her chosen lord, Dami^raiiti.
and in due time Saja Nala carried away his bride to his own
city. Thus the tiger among Rajas obtained the pearl of
maidens ; and henceforth the bliss of Nala and Damayanti
was equal to that of the giant-slayer Indra and his beautiful
Sachi. Radiant and excellent as the sun, Nala ruled all the
subjects of his Raj with a just and equal sway. Ho per-
formed an Aswamedha, with many rich gifts to holy men ;
and Damayantf bore him two children, a handsome son i>aniayanti
*' . hviLTH a Hon and
named Indrasen, and a beautiful daughter named Indrasena. * da"Ki»^'
3. The Gamhling Match between Nala and Pushkara,
Now when the bright gods were returning from the wrath of Kaii
Swayamvara to the heaven of Indra, they met the evil spirit Na^riiwchot^r
Kali, accompanied by Dwdpara.* And Indra said to Kali : — W ^"»»>w>t»-
Whither art thou going, 0 Kali ? ^' And Kali replied : —
I am going to the Swayamvara of Damayanti ; for I have
set my heart upon having her for my bride/' And Indra Mirth of indra,
laughed and said : — " The bridal of Damayanti is ended, for
in our presence she chose Raja Nala to bo her lord/' Then Kali's throat.
Kali was filled with rage, and bowing with reverence to the
gods, he exclaimed : — " Since she hath preferred a mortal
man to the immortal gods, heavy shall be her doom/' But
the four gods replied: — ''It was with our consent that The four ^ods
Damayanti chose her lord; and what maiden would not with Kali.
€€
it
' Tbia Kali must not be idcntifipd with the black goddess Kfili, who hiis been
identified with the wife of Siva, and was apparently unknown in the Vcdic period.
On the other hand, the Kali of the present story is a mule personification of the
Kail aj^ or the fourth and last age through which the world is now passing, and
which is presumed to be one of vice and iniquity. In like manner Dw¶ is u
personification of the Dw¶ age, or third age of the world. These personifica-
tions do not appear to belong to the Vcdic period, but are the Work of a subsequent
epoch. In the old Vedic times Kali may have been the demon of the dice.
/ ^
486 THE MAHA BHARATA.
HI8TOBT OF incline to one so virtuous as Nala ? And lie who has read
p^R m. *^® Vedas, and constantly adores the gods with pure offer-
iogs, and is gentle to all living creatures, and true in word
and deed, ho is equal to the immortal gods/' Then the
KaII pio«» with orods asconded on hiffh, but Kali said to Dwiipara : — '* I will
DwftiMunk for the ^ ° ' . *
j|}jj™«**<« ^ not stay my wrath, but henceforth I will keep watch on
Nala, and you shall abide in the dice ; and when the hour
comes I will enter his soul and gain the mastery over him
until I have cast him out of his Saj and parted him from
his sweet bride/' And from that hour the two evil spirits
Kali and Dwdpara dwelt in the palace of Nala.
JJl^JJ^JJ^ ^ Twelve years passed away, and none in all the world were
BO supremely blessed as the beautiful Damayanti and her
Naiftprmto husband Nala. But on a certain oveninir Nala failed in
the gods with ^
JJJjJwJiTtJklM* ^'^^y* ^^^ ^® prayed to the gods with feet unwashen ; and
EiST"**"^ ^^^ seized the opportunity, and straightway entered into
Kali bring! him and possessed his inmost soul. And Nala had a brother
About a ^
gjaWingmatch named Pushkara, and Kali said to Pushkara: — "Go you
Mdhubrother and play at dice with Nala, and I will make you the winner
of his Baj.'' And Pushkara challenged Nala to a game at
dice, and Nala and^Pushkara sat down to play in the presence
Naia*iioMos. ^f Damayantf. And they played for gold and jewels and
raiment, and for chariots and horses, but Nala was worsted
at every throw, for Dwupara embodied the dice, and
Naia'i Wends Kali had mastered him body and soul. Then the faithful
■tiie.**™""' friends of Nala prayed him to throw no longer, but he was
maddened with the love of play, and shut his ears to all
2J»«^chirfinen they said. And all the chief men of the Eaj assembled at
tenKMe in rain, ^he gate of the Palace to arrest the frenzy of the Raja. And
the charioteer entered the Hall and said to Damayanti : —
'* Lo all the city are gathered together, for they fear lest
some dire misfortune befall the Raja." And Damayanti was
stricken with deep sorrow, and she entreated the Raja to
listen to the voice of his people, but he turned away from
her beautiful and tearful eyes, and answered not a word ;
and so the play went on, and the people returned to their
houses, saying : — '' Surely this gambler cannot be the Raja.'*
ij»*«^»^ of And when Nala had lost all his treasures, the sorrowing
U. — ^AUL AND DAMAYANTI. 487
Damayanti told her nurse to snmmon the Council ; and the history o
Council assembled at the Palace, and Damayanti announced p^^^VJv
their presence to Nala, but he heeded not her words ; and —
she was filled with shame, and left the Hall and went to her retires from th
HaU.
own rooms.
Then Damayanti sent for the charioteer, and spoke to D&majanti
him winninffly, and said : — '^ You know what trust my lord charioteer
® "^ . '^ V&rshneya. tan
the Baja has ever placed in you : Go now and harness the 5J{l****Sl![
steeds to the chariot, and take my children to my father^s y^rbii?'*^*
city, and leave them in my father^s house ; and then dwell
there, or go wherever you will.'* And the charioteer went
to the Council and obtained their consent ; and he took the
noble boy and the beautiful maiden to the city of Vidarbha,
and he crave them into the charge of Raia Bhima : and then virshiieyatake
° , o •! ^ ^ service under
he went his way with great sadness of heart to the city of Ritupama.
Ayodhyi and entered the service of Raja Rituparna.^
Meanwhile, Nala had lost all his treasures and his chariots Raja of
and his horses : and he staked his Raj and the vestments Saia loses his
Kaj, but refuse
which he wore, and he lost all to Pushkara. And Pushkara to stake his wir
Damayanti.
smiled and said : — '^ O Nala, you have lost your all, except-
ing only your wife, Damayanti : Throw once more and stake
Damayanti.' At these words the heart of Nala was rent
asunder, and he said not a word. And he took off all his Bepartureof
NaJaaud
robes and ornaments, and looked sadly upon Pushkara, and ^?*^y*»|J^ ^^^
went out with but a single scanty covering, and Damayanti
also had but a single covering, and she followed him slowly
behind.
4. The exile of Nala and Damayanti.
Then Pushkara proclaimed throughout the city : — " Who- cmei prociama
ever shall give food or shelter to Nala shall be put to kwtu* ^^^
death.'' And for three days and three nights Nala lived on
fruits and roots, and his sorrowing Ram followed behind
him and did the same. Then Nala saw a flock of birds upon The birds fly
away with
"~ Nala's only
- Some attempt has been made to fix the date of the story by reference to the covering.
position held by Nala and llituparna on the respective lists of the Lunar and Solar
dynasties ; but the genealogies of both races have been so hopelessly garbled that
no inferences of any real value can apparently be drawn from them.
488 THE ^lAHA BHAEt^TA.
HISTORY OP the ground, and he said within himself: — " This day we shall
p^T ni ^®'^® food/' And he threw his only garment upon the birds,
but they flew into the air and carried the garment with them.
Hook Naia. And the birds spoke in human language, and mocked Nala in
his misery, and said : — '^ 0 foolish Nala, we are the dice, and
we came hither to rob you of your covering, for whilst you
Naiaentreau had a single garment left, our joy was small/' Then Nala
Mtoher was in an agony, and he said to Damayanti : — '' Weep not for
mo, but go to the house of your father : Yonder lies the road,
and it passes through woods that have abundant fruits, and
on the way are many hermitages of pious sages/' But
DMMflrMitt Damayanti burst into tears and replied : — " 0 my lord, your
Naift wiu words will break my heart : How can I leave you in this
•oo(Hnp«ny her. *' *'
lonely wood, when you have been robbed of all ? No, I will
stay and soothe your weariness, for the wisest physicians
say that a true wife is the best balsam in every time of sor-
row : If I go to my kindred it must be with you, and we
NaiareftuieBto must both go together/' But Nala had not the heart to
tftko PoAure with
hiswife'Mikther. take refuge in the house of his wife's father; and he said : —
'^ I will not seek refuge in your father's Raj : Once I went
there in joy and pride, but now should I appear there I
should only increase my shame/'
Wnnderingsof So Nala and Damayanti journeyed on together, and they
Damayanti. mado ouc garment suffice them. And they came to a brook,
and Nala caught two fishes and laid them before his wife
and went into the brook to bathe ; and Damayanti in her
hunger put her hand upon the fishes, but the touch of her
fingers revived them like a draught of amrita, and they
sprang back into the water. And when Nala returned he
thought that Damayanti had eaten the fishes, but he said
nothing, and so they still wandered on.
Dire extremity. Now when both the Raja and the Rdnl were wearied with
their toil and faint with thirst and hunger, they reached a
little hut, and there they lay and slept upon the bare ground.
And Damayanti was oppressed with sleep, but Nala was dis-
traught with sorrow. And Nala awoke and thought of the
Nala tempted ■'^^J which ho had lost, and the friends who had deserted
a&uidon*hi8 ^i^^> ^^^ ^f ^^^ weary wandering in the jungle. And he
Jlmglo.'^*^ grew frantic, for the evil spirit of Kali was working within
U. — NALA AND DAMAYANTI. 489
him ; and he said within his heart : — '' If Damayanti remains history op
INDIA.
Pabt III.
with me she must bear certain sorrow, but if I leave her she i^'^^'a.
may return to her father's house : If I go, I know not which
is better for me, life or death ; but for her no one will harm
a wife so devoted and so beautiful.'^ Then Nala pondered s^^ve™ his wife's
*• gfarment.
how ho should divide the single garment between them ;
and he saw a sword that lay in the cabin, and ho severed the
garment in two, and he clothed himself with the half of the
garment. Then he fled into the jungle, but came back again ms irresolution.
and beheld his wife sleeping. And he wept bitterly and
said : — " My love, whom neither sun nor wind dared look
upon, how will she awake? How will she wander alone
through the deep jungle, haunted by serpents and wild
beasts ? May the Sun god and the god of wind protect her,
though her virtue is her best guard.'* Then the mind of
Nala was swayed to and fro, first by love and then by de-
spair, until at last he lefb his wife alone in the hut, and rushed His fiiKiit.
like one who is mad into the depths of the jungle.
5. Nala^s desertion of Damayanti.
Now when the slender- waisted Damayanti awoke from Danmyanti's
her deep slumber and found herself abandoned in the jungle,
she shrieked aloud in grief and pain, and ran about the
wood leaping in madness ; and she sobbed very bitterly, and
said : — " May that evil one who has caused this dread suffer-
ing to Nala, be smitten by a curse more fatal still." Thus The great
she went wailing through the forest, until suddenly there
came a great serpent and seized her in his grasp and coiled
around her j and she cried out in great terror, and a hunts-
man heard her screams, and shot an arrow at the serpent's
face, and released her from her peril. Then the huntsman
brought her water and food, and refreshed her ; and at his
biddihg she told him all her story ; but as he gazed upon her tiio huntnnan.
beautiful form, which was scantily covered by half a gar-
ment, a deep passion burned within him, and he whispered
words of love. Then Damayanti was filled with wrath, and
she cursed him in her bitterness of soul, and he fell down
dead Uke a tree that has been stricken with lightning.
490 THE mahX bharata.
HISTORY OF Then Damayantf wandered on in quest of Nala nntil sHe
PiAT m. ™^^ ^ caravan of merchants^ with elephants^ and camels^ and
-— chariots, and horses ; and when the people saw her so beau-
Acannui. tiful and noble, and yet so pale and worn, they took com-
passion on her ; and they told her they were going to the
Fiennnt city of Chedi. And Damayanti went with the caravan, and
enounpuMiit.
when it was evening they came to a pleasant lake fragrant
with lotos flowers, and they pitched their tents and encamped
Terrible night there. But at midnight there was a great cry, for a horde
elephants. of wild elcphants of the jangle had scented the tame
elephants of the caravan, and rashed down upon the encamp-
ment, like mountain-tops rolling down to the valley ; and
they trampled upon the sleeping people, and crushed many
with their heavy tread, and gored others with their fierce
Aburmofthe tusks. And the merchants shrieked aloud with terror, and
some began to fly, and others stood gasping blind with
sleep ; whilst many struck each other down, or stumbled
over the rough gi'ound, or climbed the trees, or hid them-
Efcapeof sclves in the holes in the earth. And Damayanti awoke
*^^^^ amidst the dreadful turmoil ; and some said that she was a
woman of evil omen, and had worked all the mischief; and
she was filled with shame and fear, and fled once again into
the depths of the jungle.
Pitiftii appear- After many days Damayanti entered the city of Chedi,
yanti in the city and she was famished and distressed and broken down with
sorrow. And she was clad in only half a garment, and her
long hair was hanging dishevelled over her shoulders, and
her gaze was wild and distracted, and her faoe was emaciated
from long fasting. And the people of the city thought that
she was mad, and a crowd of boys followed her and mocked
PvSeS'^? her. And as she approached the gate of the palace, the
mothw^o/the "^^*^^^^ ^^ *h® B^]Si beheld her from the terrace, and sent
^^^ her waiting woman to bring the wanderer in ; and Dama-
yantf entered the palace and told how her husband was a
Raja, who had lost his all by dice, and how she had
followed him into exile through the greatness of her love,
but how he had left her in the jungle with only half a
garment. And the eyes of Damayanti were filled with tears.
n. — ^NAIJL AND DAMATANTl. 491
and the gracious lady bade her take up her abode in the history of
INDIA.
Pabt iil
palace, whilst the servants of the household went abroad in ^^^^^
search, of Nala. And Damayantf said to the mother of the
Takes service
Haia : — " 0 mother of heroes, I will dwell with you, but I unciercondi-
will not eat the victuals loft by others, nor wash the foot of
others, nor converse with strange men." And the mother Becomes oom-
of the Baja agreed, and called her daughter Sunanda, and Princess
hade her take Damayanti to be her friend. And Damayanli
dwelt in the palace many days as friend and companion of
the Princess Sunandd.
6. Adventures of Nala.
Now when Baja Nala left Damayantf in the hut, he be- Nnia rescues a
held a great fire in the forest, and he heard a voice crying : — drffc^of ^re.*
" Hasten, Nala, and come hither!" And Nala remembered
that on his bridal day the god Agni had given him power
over fire ; and he plunged into the bright flame, and saw
the Kaja of Serpents coiled up in a ring. And the Serpent
said : — " I deceived the sage Ndrada, and he has cursed me
that fire should surround me until you save me." And the
Serpent shrank to the size of a finger, and Nala lifted him
up and carried him out of the fire. Then the Serpent bit Naia's form
Nala, and immediately the form of Nala was changed into sen>eiit. *
that of a deformed dwarf, so that no man could know him.
And the Serpent said to Nala : — " My poison shall work on
the evil spirit who has entered your soul, until he leaves
you free : Take now the name of Vdhuka and enter the
service of Ritupama, Eaja of Ayodhya; and you shall teach
him the art of taming horses, and he shall teach you all the
secrets of the dice : Therefore, sorrow no more, O Nala, for
you shall see again your wife, your children, and your Raj ;
and when you would again resume your proper form, put on
this change of raiment and think of me." So saying, the
Serpent gave a change of raiment to Nala, and vanished
away from his sicrht.
Xala takes ^
Then Nala journeyed on to the city of Ayodhya, and Hervioe with
offered his services to Raja Ritupama, both as a tamer ^^y^jj,,"'!* u„j
horses, and as skilled in the art of cooking viands ; and ^Ij;^;;^;^^ ®'
^ f
492 THE HAHA BHABATA.
HI8T0BT OF the Baja engaged him^ and bade him take heed that the
pSt ui liorses were swift of foot ; and he gave him Vdrshneya and
— Jivala to be his adjutants. Now Vdrshneya had been
TiS^oT' charioteer to Nala, and had driven his children to the city
of Vidarbha; but Naiads form had been changed by the
Naia'i evening Serpent, and Vdrshneya knew him not. And every even-
ing Nala used to sing this single verse : —
'^ Where is she whom I left in the jungle to suffer hunger^
thirst, and weariness ?
'^ Does she think of me, her foolish lord, or does she sit
in the presence of another ?/'
Neifti expi«n». And Jivala said to Nala : — '' Who is she, 0 Vdhuka, for
tion. ' '
whom you are grieving?" And Nala answered: — "A
man there was bereft of sense, who had a faithful wife, but in
his foolishness he forsook her in the wilderness ; and ever
since that time the man wanders to and fro in despair, for
whether she lives or no he cannot say !
yy
BrAhman.
7. Discovery of DamayanU.
Bi^aBhims Meantime, Baja Bhlma of Vidarbha had sent holy
iniearchof Brdhmans to every land in quest of his daughter Dama-
yanti and her husband Nala; and the joyful Brdhmans,
hoping for rich rewards, went through every city and every
climo, but nowhere could they find a trace of those they
Dainayanti souffht. At length a Certain Brdhman, whose name was
discovered by ^ ^ , , ^
s^jj^jjthe Sudeva, went to the pleasant city of Chedi, and there he
saw the slender- waisted Damayantf, standing in the palace
by the side of the Princess Sunandd ; and her beauty was
dim, and seemed like the sunlight struggling through a
cloud, yet he failed not to see that she was the daughter of
Baja Bhfma. And the Brdhman spoke to her, saying: —
" 0 daughter of Bhima, your father has sent me to seek for
you ; and both he and your mother and your brethren are
all well ; and so too are your little ones, who are dwelling
in your father's palace/' And Damayantl remembered Su-
deva, and made inquiry about all her friends. And the
mother of the Raja came in and saw her talking to the
U. — ^NALA AND DAMATANTf. 493
BrilLman : and presently she took the Brdhman aside^ and histort op
said : — " Who is this lady to whom you have spoken ? Who p^j^^ iii.
is her father, and who is her husband ? " Then the Brdh- jdentined by a
man told all to the mother of the Raja, and he said : — " I ™o\« ^ J^e
knew she was the daughter of Bhima, because of her peer- SSJjaof chodL
less beauty ; but from her birth a lovely beauty mark was
to be seen between her eyebrows, and now it has passed
away." When the Princess Sunandd heard the words of
the Brdhman, she took water and washed away the traces
of tears that were between the eyes of Damayanti, and the
beauty mark was present to the eyes of all. Then the
mother of the Baja exclaimed to Damayanti : — " You are
the daughter of my sister : I know you by the mark, for I
myself was present at your birth : Lo, all I have is yours /^
And Damayanti bowed to her mother's sister, and prayed Damayanti
that she might be sent to her two children at Vidarbha. Other's hoiwo
And the palanquin was prepared, and a guard was ordered, * ^ ***
and Damayanti was carried to her father's palace at Vi-
darbha. And when she saw her children her heart was filled H^r J®^ ***
HiHnng ner
with joy, and she passed the night in sweet slumber ; but in ci^idren.
the morning she went to her mother, and softly said : — '' 0 "Sii!^"*^®*^ '^'
mother, if my life is dear to you, I pray you to do all you
can to bring back Nala/' And her mother went to Bhima
and said : — " Your daughter is mourning for her husband
Nala."
Then Baja Bhima sent the Brilhmans once again to every Sj^J^^JJUf^Jj?"*
land in search of Nala ; and before the Brahmans departed, ^^^
Damayanti sent for them, and entreated them to cry aloud
these words in every public place : — " Whither didst thou pamavanti's
go, O gambler, who severed thy wife's garment, and left BrthmMw.*^*^*
her in the lonely forest, where she still sits son'owing for
thee ? '' So the Brdhmans went forth to all lands, and tlioy
searched everywhere in crowded cities and quiet villages,
and in the hermitages of holy men, and everywhere they
repeated aloud the words of Damayanti, but no man took
heed of the question respecting Nala.
. DlSCOVerfl of JSala. Xala on hi^aring
*^ "^ tht» proclauia-
Now after a while a certain Brdhman went to the great iliihmaiia.
• ^
494 THE MAHA BHABATA.
HiSTO&T OF city of Ayodhyd, where reigned Raja Bitupama^ and where
p^T m! ^^^ was dwelling in the goiso of a charioteer and under
the name of Vdhuka. And the Brdhman cried alond the
question of Damayanti in all the streets and ways and
RflNponae of market- placcs in the city, but no man heeded him. So he
prucUmation. took leavo of the Raja and prepared to depart, when V4huka
came to him and groaned in anguish and wept bitterly, and
said : — " Even in the extremity of misery a noble woman is
mistress of herself; and even when abandoned by her hns-
£!^wuthat ^^^^> she will not give her soul to anger/' At these words
RhehM found the Brdhman left the city of Ayodhyd with all speed, and
hastened to the city of Yidarbha, and told Damayanti all that
Ydhuka had said; and the eyes of Damayanti overflowed
with tears, for she thought that she had found Nala. Then
Damayanti went to her mother, and said : — " O mother, I
must send a message to the city of Ayodhyd which my
father Bhfma must not hear ; and I will deliver it in your
presence to Sudeva, that best of Brdhmans who found me
in the city of Chedi ; and as he brought your daughter to
her father's house, so may he swiftly bring my royal hus-
Sudeva dimmed band from the city of Ayodhyd." So she sent for Sudeva,
to inform Bitu- _ iti^.,! n t ha ^
t»rna that and requested mm in the presence of her mother to go to
Damayanti was •/•aii/ t i -rk-T*' j
about to oeie- tho City 01 Ayodhya, and to seek out Kaja xCitupama, and
Swayamvara. gay to him as if by chance : — ^' Damayanti, daughter of Raja
Bhima, is about to choose a second husband, and all the
Rajas and sons of Rajas are hastening to Vidarbha : K you
would be there you must make good speed, for to-morrow is
the appointed day, and at sunrise she makes her choice, for
Raja Nala cannot be found, and no man knows whether he
be alive or dead/'
Sit*' arna^^ bo "^^^ Sudova Went to the city of Ayodhyd and performed
iieoondSwi**^^- *^® bidding of Damayanti ; and when Ritupama heard the
^•^ tidings that Damayanti was about to choose another hus-
band, his heart burned to be there, but the way was far.*
B.ifciip»rna Then Ritupama went to Vdhuka, his charioteer, and spoke
* The distance from the city of Ayodhy& on the river Goomtl, to that of Vi-
darbha on tho riTcr Taptl, must have been about five hundred miles as the crow
Hies,
n. — ^NALA AND DAMAYANTI. 405
to him with winning words^ like one that asks a favour^ uistobt of
INDIA.
Part III.
and said : — " On the morrow the daughter of Bhima will i^^^^-
choose a second husband ; I too would seek to win hcr^ but
the city of Yidarbha is afar off: Say then if you have horses Naia. "
that can reach it in a single day.'' Then the heart of
Yahoka was smitten with anguish^ and he wondered that
the holy Damayantf should be driven to a deed so unholy^
and he thought within himself that ho would see if the
tidings were true. So he folded his hands in reverence to
the Baja^ and said: — ''I promise in a single day to roach Xaisf^gagcsto
the city of Yidarbha.*' And he went to the stables of the Ayodh.v& to
Raja^ and pondered long over the horses ; and he chose siuKie day.
four that were very slender^ but fleet and powerful for the SowS^'
Toad^ and they had broad nostrils and large jaws ; and ho
harnessed them to the chariot of the Raja. But when
Bitupama saw the slendemess of the coursers^ he cried out :
— '* What steeds be these ? Have they strength and wind
for such a journey ?" And Ydhuka replied : — '' Those horses
will not fail to carry you to Yidarbha; but if you desire
others^ tell me which you will have, and I will harness
them." But the Raja said : — " You know the horses best,
aud may harness what you will.^
»
9. Naiads drive from Ayodhja to Vidarhha.
Now when the chariot was ready, Raja Ritupama took The chariot and
his seatj and commanded Ydrshneya to ascend likewise, forAyudhya.
whilst Ydhuka drove. Then the fiery horses began to
prance and paw the air, but Ydhuka gathered up the reins,
and cried out to the horses with a soothing voice, and they
sprang into the air as if they would unseat their driver, and
then tore along the ground as swift as the wind. And the :kran(iiouH
riders were well nigh blinded with the speed ; but the Raja ^^"''^*'
marvelled and rejoiced greatly at the driving of Ydhuka ; and
Virshneya said within himself, as he felt the rattling of the
chariot and beheld the driving of Ydhuka : — " Either this
Vdhuka must be the charioteer of Indra, or else he is my
old master. Raja Nala."^
^. The deBcription of the driTiiig of Nala might bo compared with that of the
INDIA.
Past III.
496 TH£ MAHA BHARATA.
HISTO&Y OP Thus the chariot flew along^ like a bird in the air, through
the deep forests, and over the rivers and mountains and
broad lakes. And the Saja dropped his mantle and prayed
hones. Nala to halt a moment and pick it up ; but Nala said: — ^' The
JJjJ^tte?* * mantle is miles behind, and we cannot return to recover it."
R^ai^the -^^ ^^^7 P^ssod a Certain tree, and the Raja said to Nala : —
a^^^nof " jfaj,^ nQ^ my gkiii in numbers, for I know the sfecrets of
dice and the rules of calculation : On those two branches
hang fifty millions of leaves, and two thousand and ninety-
Ntiaoounuthe five berrios.*' And Nala descended the chariot to count the
leaves and
berries on a leaves and berries: and whilst the Raja cried out that he
tree. •'
could not wait, Nala persisted ; and after a while Nala found
that the numbering of the Raja was true to a single leaf.
TbeBsjs And Nala said: — "0 Raja, teach me this skill of yours,
the secrets of and you shall learn from me all the secrets that I know in
forthesecntsof horsemanship.'' And the Raia did so, and when Nala knew
horsemanship. '^ ...%-• i» •• ^
Nala freed from the Secret of the dice, the evil spirit Kali went forth out of
him, and Kali vomited the poison of the serpent that was
burning within him. And Nala would have cursed Kali,
but he fled away and entered a tree, and men ever after-
wards gave an evil name to that tree. Thus Nala was
released from all his sufferings, but still he took not his own
form of Nala, but remained in that of Vdhuka the cha-
rioteer.
Approach to the Now when it was near to the setting of the sun, the
ha. chariot approached the city of Vidarbha, and the heart of
Nala beat faster and faster ; and when they reached the city
gates the watchmen on the walls proclaimed the coming
of RajaRitupama; and the rushing of the horses and rolling
of the chariot- wheels were like the thunder which heralds
in the coming rain ; and the peacocks on the palace walls
raised their necks and clamoured, and the elephants in the
Damayanti stablcs roared tumultuously. And the heart of Damayanti
rHOoiniizeit the -iti i-i ii ino •!• -i r
driving. thrilled with delight as she heard the old familiar sound of
her husband's driving ; and she said : — " Unless Nala comes
driving of Jehu. " The driving is like the driving of Jehu, the son of Ximshi,
for he driveth furiously." 2 Kings ix. 20.
II. — ^NALA AND DAMAYANTI. 497
this daj^ and I feel the gentle pressure of his arms^ I will no histobt of
INDIA.
Past IIL
longer live, but will perish by the fire." india.
10. Damayanti recovers her husband.
Then Damayanti ascended to the terrace on the roof of pamayMti fiiis
•^ to rccoKiiizehim
the palace, and looked down into the middle court ; and she »■ Vihuka.
saw Raja Hitupama, and her old charioteer Ydrshneya, and
the dwarfish and deformed Ydhuka; and she beheld her
father Bhuna receive Ritupama with all courtesy, although
amazed at the suddenness of his coming; and she remem-
bered Varshneya, and thought that he had learned to drive
furiously like Nala ; for she knew not Vdhuka because of
his altered form. But still her heart thrilled and she pon- Sends her maid
dered deeply, for she remembered what Vdhuka had said to Vihuka.
the Brdhmanfj and she called her fair-haired handmaiden
named Kesinf, and said to her : — " Go, my little maid, and
speak to that chariot-driver who is short in stature, and find
out who he is ; and do you repeat to him the message which
was brought to me by the Brdhman, and tell me what he
says/' So whilst Damayanti watched from the terrace, the
blameless little maiden went into the middle court to speak
to Nala.
Meantime, Nala had taken the chariot to the stall, and First intorviow
^ ' b«tw«en Keuni
after he had tended to his horses, he mounted the chariot *"<* Naia.
and sat there alone. And the fair-haired Kesini went to Kesini's quoi*.
him and said : — " I salute you, 0 charioteer, and pray you replies.
to hear the message of my mistress Damayanti. She de-
sires to know whence you came and wherefore you have
come ? '' Nala answered : — " When my master, the Raja,
heard that Damayanti would wed again, and would choose
another husband on the morrow, ho bade me drive him
hither with all speed ; and, lo, we have come this day
all the way from the city of Ayodliyd.^' Then Kesini
said : — " And who is that other charioteer who came with
you? " Nala answered : — '' That is the renowned Viirsh-
neya, who was once the charioteer of Nala ; and when his
Raja went into exile he took service with Ritupama ; and I
VOL. I. 32
498
THE MAHA BHARATA.
BISTORT OF
INDIA.
Past IIL
Kesini QU6S-
tions Nal»
resmotinff the
reply he had
givpii to the
lihuiaa.
AiMTuiihof
Kala.
KalarepefttahU
reply.
Kosini returns
to Damayantk.
DanayanTi
■eiicUi Kntiiii to
watch Nala.
KeHiniperoeivef
the divine
powen of Nala.
Damajranti
eenda for a
portion of the
meat which
Nahbhad
cooked.
also serve Ritupama^ for I am his charioteer, and the chief
of all his cooks." And Kesini said further : — '^ Does
Viirshneya know aught of Nala? And for yourself, how
came you to know the story of Nala? " Nala answered : —
'^ It was Vurshneya who brought the children of Nala to
this city, and then he went his way and heard no more of
his old master.'* And Kesini said still further: — "The
Bi'ihman that lately went to the city of Ayodhyd was com-
manded by my mistress to cry aloud in every place: —
' WTiither didst thou go, 0 gambler, who severed thy wife's
garment, and left her in the lonely forest, where she still
sits sorrowing for thee ? ' Now it was you who gave the
Brahman his answer back ; so I pray you to repeat that
answer again, for my mistress desires to hear it.*' At these
words of the blameless little maiden the heart of Nala was
wrung with a deep sorrow, and his eyes overflowed with
tears, and with a voice half choking from weeping, he thus
repeated his reply : — '^ Even in the extremity of misery a
noble woman is mistress of herself; and even when aban-
doned by her husband, she will not give her soul to anger.''
And Nala wept afresh, and the maid went back to Dama-
yanti, and told her all that Vtihuka had said, and described
to her the bitterness of his sorrow.
Then Damayanti was still heavy at heart, wondering
whether the charioteer could possibly be Nala; and she
said : — " Go again, O Kesinf, and watch this man, and
observe all that he does, and see that no fire or water be
given to him ; and whatsoever he does, be it human or
divine, come back and tell to me." And Kesini went out
and watched Nala, and presently she returned and said : —
" 0 Damayanti, never before did I behold a man so god-
like ; for if he approaches a low portal he never bows his
head, but the portal rises above him; and when he prepared
to dress the victuals for his master, the vessels were filled
with water directly he looked at them ; and when he had
washed the meat he held some blades of grass towards the
setting sun, and they blazed with fire of their own accord."
And Damayanti remembered the gifts which the gods had
II. — ^NALA AND DAMAYANTI. 499
given to Nala on his marriage-day, and she said with a history of
gentle voice : — " Go again, Kesini, and bring me some of ^^^^?"
the meat that the charioteer is cooking." So the little — —
maiden went into the kitchen and brought some of the food
to Damayanti ; and Damayanti tasted it, and cried aloud : —
" The charioteer is Nala ! *' And her heart was stirred Damavwiti
with vehement emotion, and she directed her maid to carry children to
her two children to the charioteer. And when Nala beheld Emotion of
his son and daughter, as beautiful as the children of the ^**^
gods, he wound his arms around them, and pressed them to
his bosom, and burst into a flood of tears ; and he said to
Kesinf : — '' 0 blameless maiden, the children are so like
my own, that I have been compelled to weep : But go now,
beautiful girl, for we are guests and strangers, and perad-
venture people will see that you are much with me, and may
therefore suspect evil.'*
When Damayanti heard from her handmaid of the deep Damayanti
affliction of the charioteer, she was seized with a deep long- ^^ve the
ing to behold Nala, and she sent Kesinl to her mother, say- own room.
ing : — " We have watched the charioteer most closely, and
we suspect him to be Nala, only that his form is changed : I
pray you, therefore, either to permit him to be brought to
you, or give me leave to have him brought to me, with or
without the knowledge of my father." So the mother of
Damayanti told to Bhima all the secret counsel of his daugh-
ter, and the Raja permitted Damayanti to summon the
charioteer, and to receive him in her own chamber.
Then Damayanti sent for Nala, and as she saw him she Dnmayanti
trembled greatly, and her hair was dishevelled about her the gwb of a
shoulders, and she was arrayed in a mantle of scarlet ; and
the eyes of both Nala and Damayanti overflowed with tears.
And Damayanti was almost overcome by her strong emotion, Herqueation.
and she said : — " O Vahuka, did you ever know an upright
and noble man who abandoned his sleeping wife in a wood ?
Who was he who thus forsook a beloved and blameless wife,
who but Raja Nala ? He who was chosen by me, and for
whom I rejected the gods ! He left me, who had borne him
children ; me, whose hand he had clasped in the presence of
/ /
500 THE MAHA BHAHATA.
HI8T0BT OF the imniortal gods ; me, to whom he had plighted his faith
p^^^iii 'before the nuptial fire ; — ^where is that promise now V^
— ; And Nala gazed upon his long-lost wife like one in a
dream, and he said : — " I lost my Raj by the dice, but the
evil was wrought by Kali ; I forsook you in the jungle, but the
guilty deed was the work of Kali : Long time has Kali dwelt
within me, but now he is subdued and gone, and for thy sake
I made haste to come hither : But how may a high-bom
woman choose a second husband P Yet heralds are pro-
claiming throughout the world that the daughter of Bhfma
wiU celebrate a second Swayamvara/'
2"jyj"*V" At these last words Damayanti trembled and said : —
™»; igji " Do not suspect me of such shameless guilt ! The Brdh-
■nd SomA. mans proclaimed a second Swayamvara only to find thee, and
to bring thee here : I call on the all-seeing Wind, the Sun,
the Moon, who are the three gods that govern the three
VoiooofVAjtt. worlds, to attest the truth of what I say/' Then the voice
of the Wind was heard in the air : '^ Nala ! she hath neither
done nor thought evil, but for three long years hath trea-
sured up her virtue in all its fulness : The second Sway-
amvara was but a plot to recover thee : Thou hast met with
the daughter of Bhima, and the daughter of Bhima has met
with thee : Take thy own wife to thy bosom ! "
TheroooncUia- Even as the Wind was speaking the flowers fell in
showers from heaven, and the gods sounded sweet music ;
and every doubt of the blameless Damayanti passed away
from the mind of Nala, and he threw off his disguise and put
on the garments that the Serpent had given to him, and at
once resumed his proper form as Baja Nala. And Dama-
yanti shrieked aloud and embraced her husband ; and Nala,
radiant as of old, clasped her to his heart, and the children
were brought in, and the night passed away in the fulness
of joy.
1 1 . Nala recovers his Raj.
Moidnp In And when the white-robed dawn was awakening a sleep-
ing world, the sound of rejoicing ran through the city of
Vidarbha. In every street the people exulted in the safe
II. — NALA AND DAMAYANTI. 501
return of Raja Nala^ and adorned their houses with banners bistort op
and garlands, and hung chains of flowers from door to door, p^?ni
and strewed the roadways with leaves and blossoms. And
aU was gladness in the palace at Vidarbha, for Raja BWma
was transported with joy when he beheld the long-lost hus-
band of his beloved daughter; and Raja Ritupama was filled
with wonder and delight when he knew that his fiercely
driving charioteer was no other than Raja Nala. Then they Naia reooren
took counsel together how they might compel the evil- piighkara."'
minded Pushkara to restore the Raj to his elder brother.
And Nala had learned the whole art of throwing dice from
his old master Raja Ritupama, and he saw how Pushkara
had won the Raj, and resolved to win it back in like manner.
So when one month had passed away and Nala was perfect
in the game, he set off to Nishadha, with elephants and
horses and chariots, and challenged his brother Pushkara to
another throw, in which he would stake Damayanti against
the Raj ; and the wicked Pushkara eagerly agreed, and ex-
ulted in the certainty of winning the wife of Nala. But the
throw was against Pushkara, and thus Nala won back his
Raj and all his treasure ; but when Pushkara humbled him-
self before him, Nala forgave him all, and dismissed him
with many gifts to his own city. Then Nala returned to Hnppy reign of
Yidarbha and brought away his beautiful Damayanti ; and
henceforth he reigned at Nishadha, as Indra reigns in hea-
ven, and performed every holy rite in honour of the gods,
with all the munificence of a royal devotee.
The foregoing story of Nala and Damayantf is S^'^^7„jV^i.
worthy of consideration on two grounds. In the first IJSdnliSll*
place, it fiirnishes abundant evidence that the events ^*"'^
which form the groundwork of the tradition, and
which have already been referred to the Vedic age,
must have long preceded the age in which the poem
was composed ; and thus, as will presently be seen,
it throws an extraordinary light upon the clvilizatioix
502 THE MAHA BhXrATA.
HISTORY OF of two diflFerent ercis, which have been distinguished
INDIA.
PastIIL
^^^^ as the Vedic and Brahmanic periods. In the second
place, it exhibits some of the most graphic pictures
of Hindd life and manners which are to be found in
Hindu literature, whilst it displays a knowledge of
the human heart and an appreciation of woman's
devotion, which stamps it as the production of a
genuine bard.
cwifltetofideM As regards the light which the story throws
twodufereiit i;pon two diflFeront eras, it may be remarked that
there is throughout a conflict of ideas, especially as
regards the character of the ancient Rajas, the social
intercourse which prevailed between tlie two sexes,
and the custom of widows re-marrying, which can
only be referred to two different ages corresponding
oppoiitkmof to Vedic and Brahmanic times. Thus the character
hsroks Mid re-
IS^SLSSi^of ^^ as delineated at the opening of the story
Kftk. indicates such an opposition of heroic and religious
ideas, that it is impossible to conceive of them both
as existing in tlio same individual. It is easy to
imagine a Kshatriya hero as a great archer, skilful
in taming horses, beloved of women, and fond of
gambling ; but it is difficult to believe that such a
hero would be deeply read in the Vedas, and it is
impossible to reconcile the existence of a strong
passion for gambHng with the statement that the
gambler had all his passions under perfect control.
Moreover, being beloved of women may have been
the characteristic of a hero of the old days of Aryan
chivalry, but it would not be regarded as a virtue
in Brahmanic times, when women were supposed to
lead a life of seclusion, and were treated as entirely
subservient to the other sex, and given in marriage
without the slightest reference to the state of their
II. — NALA AND DAMAYANTI. 603
affections. This point of view is still more plainly hibtort of
illustrated by the evident fi'eedom of intercourse pa»tiil
which prevailed between the sexes in the Vedicpreedomofin.
*i lii /v*i i* ai m J 1" • tereourae which
period, and the eiiorts oi the narrator to disofuise prevailed in tho
. I . 1 • . Vedic period
this freedom by the interpolation of detail which [^^^^'iiin^of'^
may be fairly regarded as supernatural. Thus there SXuT*"^
is the plain statement that Nala and Damayantf
were deeply in love with each other ; and from this
statement only one inference can be drawn, namely,
that they had seen each other, and consequently
had been inspired with a mutual affection. Such an
idea forms indeed the very essence of the Swayam-
vara, but it would scarcely be relished in a later
age when women were kept in the inner apart-
ments, and were never seen by men until the day of
their betrothal. Accordingly, the Hindu bard has
endeavoured to veil this implied freedom of inter-
course by intimating that they had fallen in love
with each other without having seen each other;
and that they carried on an amatory correspondence
by means of birds with golden plumage, who were
gifted with a power of speech far beyond the mere
imitative faculty of paiTots, and corresponding in
every respect to the intellectual faculty as exercised
by human beings. Thus, whilst it is possible to
believe that the interest of a youth or maiden may
be awakened by a description of a beautiful damsel
or a handsome hero, it is impossible to believe that
the deep affection of the love-sick Damayantf for
the gallant Nala could have existed without a sight
of the beloved object ; and it is still more impossible
j-if. xij^j^i "J o xi_ 1 * !_• J • Incident of Nb1»
to believe that the episode of the speaking birds is making hit waj
anything more than a pretty fable introduced by the J5i2?b? u^^
Hindd bard. .Again, it is distinctly intimated thatU^tf"*'^"*
504 THE MAHA BHABATA.
HisTORT OF immediately before the Swayamvara the hero made
INDIA.
pa«t iil his way into the presence of Damayantl, on which
occasion the royal maiden pledged her troth to Nala^
by promising to choose no other husband. Here
again the prudish bard appears to be shocked, not at
the interview itself, but at the possibility of such an
interview taking place in the inner apartments.
Accordingly, the incident is disguised by a story of
a power to pass where he pleased without being
hindered, which is said to have been granted to Nala
by the god Indra, and which, like the story of the
birds, may be safely rejected as a mere creation of
the imagination Again, the sequel turns upon a
plot which was diametrically opposed to later ideas.
B^Sl^i^mop. Damayantf secures the presence of her long-lost
mlSkai £«£.' husband at her father's city, by pretending that she
was about to choose a second husband ; an idea which
appears so perfectly in accordance with the usages of
the Vedic period, that the Raja of Ayodhya does not
doubt the rumour for a moment; but, at the same time,
was so foreign to the ideas of the Brdhmans, that the
poet duly represents a second marriage as something
unholy. Indeed an insinuation in the present day
of the possibility of a second marriage, would be re-
garded as the deepest insult which could possibly
be inflicted upon the father of the widow.
Conception of The main purpose of tlie story seems to be to
an aveqgiiig Ne- ^ *^ "^ ,
metis. illustrate that conception of an avenging Nemesis
which was undoubtedly familiar to the ancient
bards. The ruin of Nala was brought about by an
evil spirit named Kali, a personification of the Kali
age, who envied his excess of happiness, and sud-
oambiingnot denly rcduccd him to the extremest misery. As
viwj. regards the gambling, it is curious to remark that
n. — ^NALA AND DAMAYANXf. 505
whilst the progress of the match and the evils of histoet op
dice are delineated with a master hand, gambling part hl
itself is not held up to reprobation. On the con-
traiy, whilst Nala loses his Raj by the dice, he re-
covers it by the same means, and even deliberately
perfects himself in dice-throwing for the purpose of
effecting this object.
The pictures which are presented in succession Graphic pic
to the eye are calculated to impart a vivid concep- s^^y-
tion of the civilization which prevailed in ancient
times. The damsels chasing the birds in tlie royal Dami^anti and
garden, the melancholy of the love-sick maiden, and
the flocking of the Rajas to the Sway am vara, are all
told with considerable power. The description of The swayamva-
. . 1 . ra of Damayaiitl
the bwayamvara is unique, and con tarns none of jjjjjpjp^^^h
those rude incidents which characterize the Sway- ^^
amvara of Draupadf, and which must be referred to
a rude and patriarchal age. On the other hand,
Damayantf appears throughout as a maiden of high
rank and blood ; and whilst she is invested with the
right of choice, and exhibits an undisguised prefer-
ence for one particular hero, yet her maidenly
modesty is preserved with rare delicacy, and even
the public expression of her affection in no way
militates against her conduct, as a pure, loving, and
unsophisticated girl. The picture of the gambling Thj^^f^^^^lj}^
match is equally sensational, though far less coarse ^3 YudhLV
and barbarous than the gambling match of Yudhish- '^""^
thira. The interest does not turn upon such a rude
scene as that which transpired in the gambling
booth of the Kauravas, and in which a matron was
rudely handled by a successful gamester. Indeed,
in the present instance, the interest of the scene
turns upon the alarm of the Council and the people ;
506 THE MAHA BHARATA.
HISTORY OF the convulsive efforts of the terrified wife to arrest
pabt ui. her husband in his frantic play ; and the quiet agony
with which she sends her children to her father's
The wifiB'i dero- housc. Then, again, the devotion of Damayantf to
her ruined husband, and her refusal to leave him in
the jungle, are depicted with an appreciation of
woman's love, and a truthfulness to human nature,
EpfandeoTtho which are tho cssencc of real poctry. The incident
of Nala's single garment being carried away by the
birds is perhaps too artificial to awaken the sym-
j^eofthe pathies of a European reader, but the episode of the
gMne in um fishcs is touching to the last degree. So, too, is the
scene of the pair spending the night in a hut ; — the
wife fallen into a heavy slumber through toil and
privation ; the husband sleepless from remorse, and
maddened with the sight of the being whom his
folly has reduced to such sore extremity, until he
hesitates whether to stay or go; and, finally, tlie
horror of Damayantf on awaking and finding tliat
her husband has abandoned her, and that she is
alone in the jungle. The story of the serpent and
the huntsman, again, can scarcely perhaps be realized
by the European to the same extent as it is by the
thehoMlo^f**' Hindu; but the terrible night scene in which a
TiJiipuSg do^ horde of wild elephants rush through the encamp-
'•"«-"- ment of a caravan, trampling and goring to death
all that comes in their way, can scarcely fail to in-
Paiace life. spirc cvcry reader with awe and terror. The pic-
tures of palace life are equally real. The old Ranf
beholding from the terrace of the palace at Chedi a
mad woman followed by a crowd of boys ; the rapid
driving of Nala into the city of Vidarbha ; the noise
of the peacocks and elephants; the entertainment
of one Raja by another without any question as to
n. — ^NALA AKD DAMAYANTI. 607
the reason of the visit ; are scenes which evidently histoey op
belong to an age of Hindd civilization. But the pa^thi.
beautiful description of the interview between Nala Exquisite de-
and Damayantf, the final reconciliation of the hus- intc?viewV *
\ • • . • tween Nala and
band and the wife, and the bringing in of the chil- i>»ma^TiutL
dren, exhibit the workings of the human heart with
a power and truthfulness which cannot fail to
awaken a universal sympathy in every age or clime,
in which husbands may be temporarily separated
from their wives, and the children are introduced as
forming the bond of union.
CHAPTER III.
LEGENDS OF DEVAYANI.
HISTORY ov The story of the love adventures of Devaydnf,
pjSt nl *^® daughter of a Brdhman priest named Sukra,
chwBctwof — represents a new phase both in human character and
tJSS'tot^*??' Hindu history. The heroine Devaydnf furnishes a
'*°'*^*"^ striking contrast to the modest, gentle, and devoted
Damayantf, for she is a self-willed and vindictive
girl, who prides herself upon being the daughter of
a Brdhman priest, and who occasionally meets with
some mortifying rebuffs, for wliich she seeks to gain
Dernytora a pitiful revenge. The father of the morose young
theSiSinr^ damsel is a fair type of the Brdhman priests of both
BrAhmwi pre- • . i i .• i • n i
oeptor. ancient and modern times, who occasionally keep a
village or a tribe in strict subordination, by preying
upon their superstitious fears, and arrogating to
themselves the power of bringing rain from heaven,
or healing diseases, or securing victory in battle, or
averting any of the thousand ills to which flesh is
heir. In the first instance Devaydnl entertains an
unrequited affection for her father's pupil ; and on
finding that her advances are rejected she exhibits
that sourness of disposition which subsequently be-
comes a marked feature in her character; and
wliich leads to her engaging in a girlish quarrel
m. DEVAYANI. 509
with the daughter of the Raia as to their re- histoet oi
spective ranks, which is carried on with considerable part iil
spirit, and terminates in an unexpected and amusing
manner.
The period in which the events seem to have
transpired may be easily inferred from the surround-
ing circumstances. The story contains no satisfac- Sfei?STo*th^
tory traces of the Vedic age, and evidently belongs »'»**'"»»*«■««
to an early period in the Bralimanic age ; inasmuch
as the interest turns first upon the Brahmanical rule
that a pupil is prohibited from marrying the daugh-
ter of his preceptor ; and secondly, upon a primitive
assertion of Brahmanical supremacy over a supersti-
tious and barbarous tribe. There is one remarkable
feature in the story which is of some historical import-
ance. It will be seen that Sukra, the father of Deva-
ydnf, was not the priest and preceptor of a tribe of
Aryans, or Devatds, but of a tribe of Daityas ; and
the Daityas were the dark-complexioned aborigines
who are generally represented as the enemies of the
Aryans. From this circumstance it may be inferred The Br&hmans
•^ , , _- , a professional
that the Brahmans were not originally a tribe or na- Ji^^th^A^^ilS
tionality , but a professional class of priests who were *"** »bo'<«i«»««-
as ready to oflBciate for one race as for another, for
the Turanian aborigines of the country as well as for
the Aryan invaders. The same circumstance also
throws some light upon the means by which the
Brdhman missionaries, who made their way into the
territories of the aborigines, established their ascend-
ancy over the rude and barbarous tribes who appear
in the Rig- Veda as the enemies of the Aryans.
The legends respecting Devaydnf may now be
related as follows : —
510 THE MAHA BHARATA.
HISTORY OF
INDIA. 1. Refusal of Kanju to marry Devay&nL
BakrA, priest of ^^ days of old when the Daityas and Devatds were at war
the Mtyat. f^j. ^^ goveiTimcnt of the world, Sukra was the priest and
vHhMn^ preceptor of the Daityas, and Vrihaspati was the priest and
priest of the preceptor of the Devatds ; and Kanju, the son of Vrihaspati,
became a pupil in the house of Sukra.
LorepMBagM Now Sukra had a daughter named Devaydnf; and she
the pupil of 8u- and Kanju passed their time very pleasantly together; for
yAni, the daugh- both woro vciy youug, and Kanju always reverenced De-
tef of Buknu
yaydni as though she were his own sister, and rendered her
every service as though he were her brother. Sometimes
she sang to him, and sometimes ho sang to her, or he would
relate to her famous stories of ancient times ; and Devaydnf
began to feel a deep love for her father's pupil, and could
SnkndeiiTnv never be happy save in the presence of Kanju. But all this
his pupil Annin i.iit^. ti •% • • ni i*i
the wnthofthe while the Daityas were wroth that their pnest Sukra should
teach all his spells and mantras to the son of the priest of
their enemy. One day when Kanju was taking his tutor's
cows to pasture, the Daityas carried him off; and Devaydni
seeing the cows return home without him, immediately told
hor father, who thereupon compelled the Daityas to restore
the youth. After this when Kanju had gone into the jungle
to gather flowers for the sacrifice, the Daityas again found
him and carried him away ; and Devaydnf went to her father,
and acquainted him with what the Daityas had done, but
Sukra reftised to interfere, saying: — ''I cannot be always
compelling the Daityas to restore Kanju.'' Then Devaydni
urgently entreated her father, and said: — ^^0 father, this
youth is the son of Vrihaspati and the grandson of Angiras,
and he has served you better than a son, and if you do not
interfere I will not live another day." So Sukra threatened
the Daityas that he would pronounce a curse upon them
unless they delivered up Kanju ; and they, being sore afraid
of the Brdhman, permitted the young man to return to the
house of his preceptor.
Srji\wrto^hS ^^^ when the years of the studentship of Kanju were
fiitboT'e houso.
• r
ni. DEVAY AN 1 . 511
fully accomplished, he desired to leave his tutor and take up history oi
his abode in his father's house ; and Sukra, having taught p'^^ ni
him all he knew, spoke very kindly to him, and permitted
him to take his leave. Then Kanju went to Devaydnf and
prayed her also to permit him to depart ; but Devayunf said : Devayini pro-
— '^ 0 Kanju, I have long nourished an entire friendship for ^^^ n»'^«'»*««
you : Do you now demand me of my father in marriage, and
espouse me in proper form." Kanju replied : — " Your father Kanju declines
is the same to me as my father, and you are my perfect sis-
ter : How then can I ask for you in marriage ? Moreover,
you are the daughter of my tutor, and I have served you
with clasped hands as a sign of reverence : How then can I
take you for a wife, and suffer you to serve me ? '' Devayani Devnyini ro-
said : — '' If a young man bo instructed by a preceptor he
does not thereby become the son of his preceptor : You are
the son of the Brdhman Vrihaspatf, and I am the daughter
of the Brdhman Sukra, and there has always been a firm
alliance between your family and mine, and for a very long
time there has been a friendship between you and me : How
then can it be in any way improper for you to demand me
of my father in marriage ?'' But Kanju still persisted in Kanju pcrsinta.
his refusal, saying : — " I am the son of your father, and I
will never presume to ask your father to give you to me;
for you are the daughter of my tutor, and have the right of
sisterhood in regard to me.'' Then Devaydnf was very ivvayini cursei
wroth, and said : — " As you have refused to accede to my
wishes, I pronounce this curse, that all the mantras you have
learned of my father may prove of no avail when you utter
them." Kaniu replied : — " I have served you for many Kanju cursos
, ^ IT l>evayftni.
years, and it is my profound respect for you, as the daughter
of my tutor, that prevents ray asking for you in marriage :
So as you have cursed me unjustly I also curse you that no
Brdhman shall ever demand you in marriage ; and that you
shall only marry a Kshatriya." So saying, Kanju threw
himself at the feet of Devaydnf, and declared that he was
her servant'; and then he went his way to his father's house,
and she saw him no more.
^ /
512 THE MAHA BHABATA.
HISTORY OF
iNwL 2. Devaydni pushed into a well by Sarmishthd.
Some time after this, Devaydni went ont into the
dMifliitCT ofthe jangle, accompanied by Sarmishthd, the daughter of the
milibu^the^' Raja of the Daityas, and a number of other young damsels
ima, take their of the tribe, to take their pleasure amongst the trees and
jungle. flowers. On reaching a pleasant pool, the damsels threw off
mtaf Md&ir- their garments and went into the water to bathe, when it so
Seimnkoftheir happened that Vdyu, the god of the wind, passed by, and
SSen!^ seeing their clothes upon the bank, he mingled them up
together. Accordingly, when the damsels came out of the
water, some of them put on the clothes which belonged to
the others, and Sarmishthd put on the dress of Devaydni,
and Devaydni put on the dress of Sarmishthd. Devaydni
then said to the daughter of the Raja : — ^' My father is a
Brdhman, and yours is a Kshatriya, and therefore it does
not become you to flaunt about in my clothes.** Sar-
mishthd replied : — " When my father sits in Council, your
father enters with clasped hands and pays him reverence ;
so what honour can I gain by wearing your clothes ? If
you say another word about it, I will order my maids to
DeTayini push- beat you and thrust you out of the city.** Devaydni replied
' with a scowl so bitter, that Sarmishthd slapped her face, and
pushed her into a dry well, and leaving her there returned
with her other companions to the city.
Devajini de- Now it SO happened that a great Raja named Yaydti was
weiibvSj^' ® hunting that very day in the same jungle, and being very
*^^ thirsty he approached the well, where instead of water he
saw a beautiful young damsel. Accordingly, the Raja asked
her who she was, and what she was doing in that well ;
and when he had heard her story he stretched his right arm
into the well and bade her take his hand. So the Raja took
hold of her hand and drew her out of the well, and she
uttered a blessing upon him, and he then took leave of her
and returned to his own city.
Deraytoire- 3- Vindictivetiess of DevaydnL
fUMM to return
toj^tyof the Devaydui then proceeded a little way in the direction of
• A
III. — DEVAYANl. 513
her father's house^ when she was met by her own maid who history op
INDIA.
Part III.
had como out to rescue her, and who wept very much at ^^i^^-
seeing her ; but she told the girl that it was no time for
weeping, and that she had better go and tell Sukra what
had happened, for that she herself would never enter the
city amin. The maid carried the story to Sukra, and ho AnKerofSukr*
_. _ _ _ . , ,. , , , _ with the Eaja'«
was exc^edmgly wroth at heanng that his daughter had daughter.
been pushed into the well by the daughter of the Baja.
He set off for the jungle, and taking Devaydni in his arms,
he bade her not to grieve, for whatever might have been her
offence against the Princess, it had been more than wiped
away by the insult she had received. But Devaydni was Devay&ni ro.
determined that her father should procure her revenge, and fortecL
she said that she cared very little about being thrust into a
well, in comparison with hearing that her own father stood
with clasped hands in the presence of Sarmishthd's father,
and begged alms of him, and that it was because of this
saying of Sarmishthd that she was resolved upon never
again entering the city. Sukra desired her not to bo
troubled about that matter, for ho never stood with clasped
hands in the presence of the Raja, and asked alms of him,
but the Raja stood in that posture before him ; and the Raja
and his tribe were his slaves, for without his prayers they
could never procure the rains to fall in proper season. But
Devaydni refused to be pacified ; and though he discoursed
to her upon the merit of patience and longsuffering, and of
repaying good for evil, she declared that her heart still
burned with the taunts of Sarmishthd, and that it was better
to die than to live with such insolent people.
Sukra, seeing his daughter in such affliction, was ffreatly Sukra thrwitons
-111 11 -I Ti-r»'-' to a*>a»»<lon the
grieved, and he went to the palace, and found the Raja sittmg i^jaof theDai-
with his Council. And he was received with every respect
by all present, and invited to take the highest scat ; and
after a short pause, he spoke to the Raja as follows : — " Ho
who does evil to another will certainly reap the fruits of that
evil, either in his own person or in the persons of his pos-
terity : I am a man of mortifications and penances who has
fallen amongst you, and of me you have received nothing
VOL. I. 33
INDIA.
P^BT IIL
514 THE MAHA BHABATA.
HISTORY OP but unmixed good : By the efficacy of my prayers the rains
have fallen in their proper season, and by my mantras your
wounds have been healed after the battle : In return you
have twice carried away the young man Kanju, who came to
me for instruction, and now my daughter has been grossly
insulted by your daughter, and thrown into a well : After
AUm of the ^j^g J ^[j remain with you no longer." Then the Baja was
alarmed, and he tried to pacify the Brdhman, saying: —
'* Why do you hold such language to us ? Have we not
always treated you with respect ? If the children have
quarrelled amongst themselves, that is no reason why you
should bo offended with us ; and if you forsake us, wo must
fly to the islands of the ocean, for without your aid we shall
never be able to withstand the Devatds." Sukra replied that
the Saja and his tribe might do what they liked, but that
he was determined to leave a country in which his daughter
Humiliation of had been so grievously insulted. The Baja and the whole
his Council be- of tlio Council wcro then greatly alarmed, and humbled
man. themselves very much before the Brdhman ; and the Baja
laid his head at the feet of Sukra, and began to weep^ and
to implore the priest to pardon him. Sukra replied that if
the Raja would pacify his daughter Devaydni then he would
remain, but unless she were reconciled he must go away to
another country.
The Baja pro- Then the Baja of the Daityas, accompanied by all his
miahthAshau be Council, went out of the city to seek Devaydni, and having
viJSS. ^ found her, the Baja spoke to her as follows : — ^^ We are all
the slaves of your father, and if my daughter has behaved
with incivility towards you, I will do with her according to
your command.^' Devaydni replied : — " I shall be satisfied
upon one condition, that whensoever my father shall give
me to a husband, your, daughter, who has thrown me into
a well, shall be given to me as my servant.^' The Baja
said : — ^^ This is a light thing for me, who am ready to
sacrifice my own life to appease Sukra : Why, then, should
I hesitate to give you my daughter ? " So he sent a
messenger to the palace to tell Sarmishthd that she was to
&jmiahthA enter the service of Devaydni. And Sarmishthd replied : —
in. — DEVAYAN 1 . 615
*' Whatever my father commands I will obey, for I have no history op
remedy/' The Eaja's daughter then set out with her slave p^^t ui.
girls to present herself to her father ; and he immediately
made her over, together with her maids, to the service of
the daughter of the Brfehman. Devaydni then proceeded
with great joy into the city, accompanied by her father ; and
henceforth Sarmishthd presented herself every day to Deva-
ydni to receive her commands and do what she was ordered,
and then returned to her own apartments.
4. Marriage of Devaydni and Yaydti.
One day Devaydni went out of the city, attended by DevajrAni goes'
Sarmishth& and her maids, and they came to the place whore th& and her
_ , *i i. maidcna to the
Sarmishthd had pushed Devaydni into the well. In this ^eiL
pleasant spot, where the trees were loaded with delicious
fruits, and the verdure was enlivened by running streams,
Devaydni sat down upon the grass ; and some of her com-
panions sat by her, whilst others stood round about them in
groups conversing. At that moment Raja Yaydti was jCT^y^J^jf
hunting in the forest, and whilst in hot pursuit of a stag, ho
suddenly burst in upon the damsels. The sight of so much
loveliness almost deprived Yaydti of his senses, for they
were all in the prime of beauty; though Devaydni and
Sarmishthd were incomparably more lovely than the others,
whilst in dignity and grace Sarmishthd was superior to
Devaydni. The Raja immediately alighted from his horse
and begged the damsels to tell him who they were ; and
Devaydni answered him and said : — '' I am the daughter of
Snkra, the preceptor of the Daityas, and this is Sarmishthd,
the daughter of the Raja of the Daityas, and wherever I go,
she always attends me.'' Raja Yaydti replied : — " Sarmish- TayiH inauiiwi
thd is the daughter of a great Raja, and excels you in elo- has ilecome the
gance : How then is it that she has become your slave ? " va^ani. .
Devaydni said that it was by the will of God, and desired him
not to ask any more such questions, but to answer her in-
quiries and tell her who it was that had come amongst them
arrayed in royal vestments and with a resplendent counten-
^ ^
516 THE MAHA BHAEATA.
HISTORY OF anco. The Baja replied that his name was Yaydti^ that
INDLL ]^Q ^gjg descended from a long line of Rajas^ and that he had
■ come into the forest to hunt deer, in like manner as she had
come to gather the flowers ; and he likewise said that what-
soever she commanded him to do, ho would perform. So
Demyioi re- Dcvaydnl said : — ^' All these damsels are my slaves, and this
Mpouae ben lady also, who is the daughter of a great Raja, is my slave ;
and my request to you is that you espouse me in due form/'
TagritiexonaeB Yaydti replied: — "I am a Kshatriya and you are a Brdh-
man : How then can I take you for my wife ? '* Devaydni said :
— " All the Kshatriyas were begotten by the Brdhmans, and
you yourself are descended from a Rishi/' Yaydti replied
that this was true, but that the rule of life had changed,
and that it was not proper for him now to marry the
^JJgJJJ^JJJi daughter of a Brdhman. But Devaydni rejoined that the
^^JjjJ^i^^J^ mode of espousal among the Kshatriyas was for the man to
the weiL ^j^^ ^j^^ woman by the hand, and this he had already done
with her ; and she reminded him of his having delivered her
from the well, when he had taken her by the hand and lifted
her out; and she said: — ''Since you have given me your
hand and taken mine, I will never give my hand to any other
TejAti's reply, husband/' So the Raja was afraid of her, and said : — " If
your father will give you to me I will espouse you, but I
cannot take you without the consent of your father/'
TuyAti'R inter- Then Raia Yaydti went his way to the house of Sukra,
vIaw with Hii» ' *' ^ ^ '
knu and respectfully saluted him. At that moment Devaydni re-
turned also from the forest, and entered the house, and said
to her father : — " This is the Raja who gave me his hand
to deliver me from the well, and since he has given me his
hand, I will never give mine to any other man.*' Then
Sukra said : — ^' 0 Raja, since you have first given your hand
to my daughter, I now give my daughter to you : You are
a mighty Raja, and I have an unbounded affection for my
daughter, and I therefore pray you to use her kindly.'' Yaydti
replied : — '^ I too am very desirous for this marriage, but I am
afraid lest I commit a crime in marrying a Brdhman." Sukra
said : — '' Take no concern : I will absolve you from any
yJSiS^Dert^ guilt in this respect, and pray the Almighty that true es-
y&iii.
m — ^DEVATANI. 617
teem and affection may subsist between raj daughter and histort oi
INDIA.
Part IIL
you/' Sukra then chose a fortunate moment, and performed ^^^^^
the rites of marriage between Raja Yaydti and his daughter
Devay&ni.
After many days Raja Yaydti took his leave of Sukra, ^^Jfp^^JJjJff
and departed with his wife Devaydni for his own city ; J?hi2*^dt*^
and Devaydnf took Sarmishthd with her. In due course
they reached the city of Yaydti, which was as resplendent
as the city of Indra; and there the Eaja placed Devaydni
in a splendid palace, according to her rank, and appointed
a house for Sarmishthd in the garden. Then Eaja Yaydti
Uved for a long while in great happiness with his wife
Devaydnf, and she gave birth to two sons, Yadu and
Turvasu.
6. Sarmishthd* 8 revenge.
At length it so happened that one day Raja Yaydti went Love paRsage
to walk in the garden wherein was the house of Sarmishthd, and SarmiahthA
and as he passed by she came out and made him a reverence.
And the Raja was enamoured with her beauty and elegance,
and he entered her apartment and sat down, and said to
her : — " You are the daughter of a great Raja, and I am very
desirous to espouse you, but when Sukra sent you along
with Devaydni to accompany me hither, he bade me take
every care of you, but never to make you my wife, and I
pledged myself to obey, and now I do not know how to
escape from my promise.*' Sarmishthd replied : — ^^ A friend
is a friend's second self; Devaydnf and I are such friends :
Therefore when you married her, you at the same time mar-
ried me." Yaydti then said : — '* It is my rule of conduct
never to refuse a request which any one may please to make ;
and therefore whatever you may ask of me I will assuredly
grant." So Sarmishthd asked that she might become the
mother of a son.
Some months after this it was told to Devaydnf that s*™*??**!*,
■^ gives birth to a
Sarmishthd had given birth to a son ; and slie was greatly «>n.
afflicted, and went to Sarmishthd, and said : — " So you could JJ^^^®'^^*"
not persevere any longer in the preservation of your chast-
518 THE MAHA BHABATA.
HI0TOST OF ity : Who is the father of this child ? '' Sarmishthd replied :
p^n m. — '^ -^ Rishi of the most holy life and conduct came to me,
r~]Tr7; — and I desired him to espouse me : He did espouse me, and
«»o. this son is the fruit of our union : I have committed no
crime in this ! " Devaydnl said : — " If this be true you are
innocent: but do you not know who that Bishi was?*'
Sarmishthd replied : — ^^ The light of that Brdhman was like
that of the sun, and from the greatness of my awe I could
not ask him his name.^' Devaydnl said : — " As this is the
case you have done right, and I have not suflTered by your
wrong doing." So she returned to her own palace.
DenyAni dis- After Bome years Baja Yaydti was walking in the gar-
yjwtotheft^cp den with Devaydnf, when they came to the house occupied
cWidiwL by Sarmishthd; and Devaydni saw three boys at play,
who appeared to be the most beautiful children in the world.
She accordingly asked the Raja whose children they were,
for their countenances greatly resembled his own. The
Eaja gave her no answer ; so Devaydni called the boys and
asked them whose sons they were. The boys immediately
pointed with their fingers to the Raja, and said : — '^ We are
his sons ; '' and then pointing to Sarmishthd, they said : —
^' That is our mother." They then ran to the Raja, and tried
to put their arms round his neck ; but he, in order to dis-
semble with Devaydni, and keep her in good humour, thrust
the children away, and they went crying to their mother.
Devaydni then turned to Sarmishthd, and said : — " It is all
a lie you told me about a Rishi coming to you : It is all
my own fault, for not keeping you day and night in constant
attendance upon me : But you are the daughter of a Daitya,
SannwhthA'sde. and a lie is no offence in your eyes." Sarmishthd replied : —
^^ I told you no lie at all, for the Raja is a Rishi, inasmuch
as ho follows the same form of worship as the Rishis : Be-
sides, I am no purchased slave that I may not look out for
Dev«y&ni re- a husband without your leave." Devaydni then told the
Cfcther's house. Raja that she would never more enter his house to have a
slave treat her as an equal in his presence. So she im-
mediately went away to the house of her father.^
^ Here the story virtually ends. DcTay&ni declared that she would live no
m. — DEVAYAWI. 519
The foregoing legends of Devaydnf are valuable history oi
relics of the early age of Brahmanism, and tlirow a part hi.
new light upon one of the most obscure portions of Review of the
Hindii history. The most important element in the «j;;f» of Dev».
story is perhaps the opposition which is exhibited P^^tiSfoST
between the Devatds, or fair- complexion ed Aryan irilft'h?DJJ5!iJ
or ftboirisriuGs
invaders, and the Daityas, or dark-complexioned
aborigines of the country. In the Rio:-Veda this Expression of
o ./ o the opnosition
opposition clearly appears as one between tlie in- "'^^**^-v®^
vaders and the aboriginal inhabitants ; and as the
Vedic hymns are the expression of Aryan senti-
ments and ideas, the aborigines are naturally alluded
to in terms of hatred and reproach as robbers and
cattle-lifters. In the subsequent affo to which the subsequent con
^ *~^ version of tlie
foregoing legends belong, the traditions of the old ^^s or'iS^atAa
wars between the Aryans and the aborigines became m>thi?iVw^o
converted into mythical legends of wars between »"ons.
the Devatds, or gods, and the Daityas, or demons,
which was carried on for the empire of the world.
This circumstance has led to a strange confusion of ^«"/)»H'^°*°i^^
O am>lieation of
ideas in many of the Brahmanical versions of the ia^^lf JSd i^t-
old traditions. Sometimes the term Dcvatds refers to ^"**
the Vedic pantheon, in which Indra appears as sove-
reign ; sometimes, however, as in the present story,
it seems to refer to the Aryan people, who were the
worshippers of the Vedic deities. Then, again, the
longer with the Raja, and carried her complaint to her father Sukra, who there-
upon pronounced a curse of old age upon Yuy&ti. T)ie curse is said to have taken
effect, but Sukra offered to remove it by transferring it to any one of Yay&ti's sons,
who would agree to aco<;pt the infliction. Yadu, his eldest son by Dcvays'mi,
refused, and was cursed that his posterity should never enjoy dominion ; and ho
ultimately became the ancestor of the Y&davas, or cowherds. Then all the other
soni of the Raja refused, and were cursed in like manner, excepting the youngest
•on by Sarmishthk, who was named Puru, and who agreed to bear the burden of
his father's old age for a period of a thousand years, and who ultimately became
the ancestor of the P&udavas and the Kauravas.
r •
520 THE MAHA BHARATA.
HisTOEY OF term Daityas was applied both to demons and to
INDIA m • •
pabt ul the aborigines, and having thus become current as
a term of reproach, it was apparently applied in a
still later age to the Buddhists. Thus the question
occasionally arises as to whether the term Daityas
applies to the aborigines who preceded the Aryans,
or to the demons who fought against the gods, or to
the Buddhists who fought against the worshippers of
the Linga. In the present instance the term un-
doubtedly applies to the aborigines.
Priendnhipb©. Another point for consideration is the curious
tween the Brfth- . . ^ . .
SwKTSfi^ friendship which existed between the Brdhman
wwe At enmity. pj^^|^ ^f rival tiibcs, ovcu when those tribes were
at war. Thus the son of the priest of the Devatds
is entertained as a pupil in the house of the priest
of the Daityas ; a circumstance which naturally ex-
cited the jealousy of the Daityas, and led to that
animosity of the Daityas towards the pupil, which,
but for the interposition of Sukra, would have led
to his destruction.
Mythical detail The Ico^cnd of the marriage of Dovavdnf and
repreaentingtho ^ ° ^ ^ •^ ^
SeSSSftfof Yaydti seems to be cumbered with some mythical
Yi^andDo. j^^g^jj f^j, ^^^q purposc of cnnobUng the tribe of
Yddavas, to which Krishna belonged, by represent-
ing them to have been descended from one of the
ancient Kajas of Bhdrata and the daughter of a
Brdhman. In the genealogical lists YayAti appears
as the great-grandfather of Raja Bhdrata ; a circum-
stance which may well be doubted, if the theory be
accepted that the Brdhmans held but a subordinate
rank in the Vedic age. The story of Sarmishthd is
very suggestive, but scarcely calls for comment. It
may, however, be observed that the explanation of
Sarmishthd, that a Rishi was the father of her chil-
ra.— DEVAYANf. 621
dren, refers to an extraordinary and revolting dog- histobt op
ma, which is especially connected with the worship ^^^{l
of Krishna, that a woman acquires religious merit significant ex-
by intercourse with her religious preceptor; and st^ofsl^h.
even in the present day this abominable idea has J^^ii^^-
iiot been wholly eradicated from India, and notably
finds expression amongst a sect in the Bombay
Presidency which is known by the name of the
Mahdrajas.
mang.
CHAPTER IV.
CHANDRAHASA AND BIEYA.
HISTORY OF The story of Chandrahasa and Bikya appears
pa«t III. more like a romance than a historical tradition, and
Bomantio cha. scems to bclong to a much later era than any of the
•tory. * foregoing legends. In the first place, it will be
wSSilf*^^*'^ noticed that the scene is laid in the Dekhan, or
t«MM^ ^ south of India. The narrative contains allusions to
temples which do not appear to have existed in the
Vedic age ; and indeed it may be remarked that no
ruins of temples have hitherto been found in India of
a date antecedent to the age of Buddhism. Again,
Education of the storv tums upon a letter which was written by a
young ladies In,,, ,
r^gngand Minister to his son, and which a young lady could
not only read, but was able to alter with her own
hand ; circumstances which plainly indicate a mo-
dern origin ; for in the earlier legends messages are
always carried by word of mouth, and none of the
ancient heroines appear to have been able to read
Beuef in the in- or writo. The story is based upon a belief in as-
fluenoe of the ^ x
thS?ortune a^S" t^^logy, and involves the idea that the influence of
tiw physiogno- ^^^ stoxs is perccptiblo not only in the fortunes of
an individual, but in his physiognomy; a belief
which was once as widely spread in Europe as it
still is in India, and to this day the terms mercurial,
lY. — CHANDBAHA8A AND BIKYA. 523
jovial^ and satumixie are employed to express those history op
characteristics of temperament which were once p^t uL
supposed to result firom the influences of the planets "
Mercury, Jupiter, and Saturn.
The story, which needs no preliminary explana- Tho story.
tion, may now be related as follows : —
1. Chandrahasa^ the fortunate hoy.
Far away in the farthest extremity of the Dekhan, in the Birth of chau-
country where camphor is collected, there lived a Raja who
was doomed to sufTer the severest adversity. To this Raja
a son was bom when the fiill moon was in the most favour-
able of all the lunar mansions^ and who was thus destined
to enjoy the highest prosperity. Very soon after the birth
of this son, a powerftd enemy invaded the country, and the
Baja was slain with most of his army, and his Rdni perished
on the funeral pile. The nurse then fled away with the preserved alive
infant to a city named Kutuwal, but told to no one the ^ ^ "**««•
secret of the child's parentage. She put herself out to
service, and supported herself and the child by the proceeds
of her toil ; but after three years she died, and the little
boy was thus thrown destitute upon the worid.
The child now wandered about without a soul to care Destitution of
the child.
for him. Sometimes the people of the city gave him a little
provision out of charity, and at night ho sheltered himself
in a pagoda. When he was five or six years old he began
to associate and play with other children of his own age ;
and sometimes the boys would take him to their own homes,
and their mothers, hearing that he was without a parent or
a friend, would take pity upon him, and give him victuals
and clothes, and wash him and take a liking to him. One The Riahia pre-
° diet his future
day he happened to go to the house of the Minister of the ?[?**"«»« tp f he
Baja of Kutuwal, and a number of Rishis and astrologers RjjaofKutu-
were present who were well skilled in the science of physi-
ognomy ; and when they saw the boy they said to one an-
other : — '' Who is he ? for on his fSouje are all the signs of
royalty." No one, however, knew him, and when they
524 THE MAHA BHABATA.
HISTOST OF asked the Minister about him^ lie replied that he had many
INDIA. toyg loitering about his house, and that he knew nothing of
him. Then the men of science said to the Minister : — "The
signs of greatness and royalty are so manifest upon this
boy, that one day he will surely be the ruler of this country,
and all your people and all your property will hereafter
belong to him/'
Jeiiou^jofthe When the Minister heard these words he saluted the
Minifter.
Bishis and philosophers, each one according to his rank,
and dismissed them. He then began to reflect upon their
words, and to consider that they were not persons likely to
RaKiTei on the Say anything which was not well founded. Therefore, to be
dnhMft. beforehand with the boy, and prevent his doing any mia-
chief, he determined to put him to death ; and he hired some
Chanddlas to take him into the jungle and make away with
TheiMMsins him. The assassins led the lad away by night, and when
relent and leave . t . i .11 i • -i t r^ t £>
the chUd alive thov drow their swords to kill him he prayed to Grod for
in the Jungle. •' .
succour ; and God changed their hearts, and they took com-
passion on him, and resolved not to kill him. But as the
Minister had desired them to bring to him some token or
proof from the boy's body that they had fiilfilled his instruc-
tions, they looked over his body and found that he had six
toes ; and they cut off the sixth toe, and carried it to the
Minister, who was thereupon much pleased, and gave to
each man a milch buffalo.
Chandrahasa About this time a Certain dependent of the Minister,
brought up by a .
Zemindar. whose duty it was to go about the country and receive the
rents and correct injustice, was passing through the jungle,
when he heard the cry of the boy. He hastened to the spot,
and seeing the lad lying wounded, and being very much
struck with his countenance, and having no child of his own,
he carried him home to his wife and adopted him as his son.
He also called in the astrologers of that neighbourhood, who
declared that the boy had a most powerful nativity, and
would of a surety become a mighty Baja. They also said
that when the boy laughed his face resembled the moon,
and that he ought, therefore, to be called Chandrahasa, or
'* Moon laughing.^' So the boy was named Chandrahasa.
IV. — CHANDRAHASA AND BIKYA. 525
2. Canqtiests of Chandrahasa. ^^iSiZ ^
Part IIL
From that day forward everythinff prospered in the
noase of Uhandrahasa s adopted father. The milch kine Zemmdw.
and buffaloes gave twice as much milk as heretofore^ and
the crops produced tenfold. Meantime^ Chandrahasa was
carefully educated in arms and sciences ; and when ho was
gfrown up, he was desirous of making war. Now there were chiSdn£j«i.
many refractory vassals whom the Raja of Kutuwal had fre-
quently direct-ed the Minister to subdue, but who had ever
routed his troops and compelled them to retire. Chandra-
hasa went out and fought against these rebels, and slow them
all; and he carried their wives and children into captivity,
and brought away abundance of spoil.
At the achievements of Chandrahasa, his adopted father chaiSnSiiSa'^
was filled with dehght, and carried off a large present to the S^R^JJanShJ
Minister, and told him how his son had conquered the *^i^*^'
rebellious vassals and brought away abundance of spoil.
Whereat the Minister was exceedingly pleased, and carried
a portion of the spoil to the Raja, saying : — '^ I sent one of
my own dependents to attack the Chieftains of the rebellious
provinces; and he has now destroyed all the malcontents,
and brought away all their treasures.'* The Raja immedi-
ately asked : — '^ Which of your dependents was it who has
done this service ? You, at the head of my whole army,
have often gone against these very rebels and never could
subdue them : What servant is it of yours who has had so
much better success ? *' The Minister replied : — '^ I have
been much ashamed of my own repeated failures, but the
Almighty has now delivered me from my disgrace.'* Then the
Raja was satisfied ; and bestowed much encouragement and
favour upon the Minister, and even conferred upon him the
districts which had been conquered. And the Minister re-
turned to his house in great joy, and in his turn showed
much kindness to his dependent, and conferred upon him a
portion of the conquered lands.
Chandrahasa then dug many wells in his father's city, zemindar «-
and built many resting-places for travellers, so that great louayoftheMii
A /
526 THE MAHA BHARATA.
HISTORY OP numbers of people flocked to that city, and passed their lires
INDIA. jjj comfort and tranquillity ; and the city increased mightily.
Now the father of Ghandrahasa paid every year a revenue
of twenty thousand pieces of gold, namely, ten thonsand
pieces to the Raja, five thousand to the Baja's zenana, and
five thousand to the Baja's Minister. But he became so
prosperous that he determined to pay seven times the
amount he had been accustomed to pay.
3. Jealousy of the Minister.
Slv« hiiToffice Meantime the Minister had grown very jealous of hi8
■onanJtwte"* ^©pendout, who had conquered enemies whom he himself
the Zemindar, j^^d failed to conquer, and who paid seven times the amotmt
of revenue he was called upon to pay ; and he determined
to leave the duties of his own post, as Minister to the Baja,
in the charge of his son Madan, and to pay a visit to the
house of his dependent, and ascertedn, with his own eyes,
the cause of his extraordinary wealth.
Bcqueatof Bik- Now at the moment the Minister was about to depart on
yA^the daughter , .
of the Minister, his joumoy, his blooming daughter Bikya presented herself
before him covered with blushes, for she was anxious to be
married, but knew not how to explain her wishes to her
father. Accordingly, she said that she had a mango tree,
the fruit of which was ripe, and she wished a feast might be
given that the fruit might be gathered in its prime ; mean-
ing thereby that she herself was the tree, and that she
wished her own marriage feast to be celebrated. But the
Minister, in haste to depart, heeded not the meaning of her
words, and said that the feast might be given; and thus
without knowing it he led his daughter to believe that he
would speedily give her to a husband.
The Minister The Minister then went on his way out of the city, and
house of the W iu duo time arrived at the house of his dependent, where he
mindarand dis- • j -ii ^ n . -i t • •
covers Chandra- was received With every mark of respect and submission.
Then he made inquiry respecting the extraordinary wealth
and good fortune which had befallen his dependent, and
learned to his surprise that the prosperity was all due to an
adopted son, who had been found in the jungle with his foot
IV. — CHANDSAHASA AND BIKYA. 527
bleeding from the loss of a sixth toe. The truth then broke history op
upon his mind^ that this was the same hoj whom he had paet iil
sent into the jungle to be killed ; and that the assassins had
deceived him by sparing the life of their victim and bringing
him the toe ; and he was exceedingly wroth. But when he
beheld the young hero Chandrahasa^ and saw that he was jSfo^'^^lSjJvS
&r superior to his own son, Madan, and that his face was as tion of cSmdni
resplendent as the full moon, and that in grace and dignity ***^
he was equal to the gods, he was veiy jealous and sought to
destroy him ; for the Raja of Kutuwal was old, and had no
sons and only one daughter ; and the Minister had schemed
that his own son Madan should marry the daughter of the
Baja, and succeed to the Raj ; but he now felt assured that
should Chandrahasa once enter the presence of the Raja,
Madan would be supplanted, and the adopted son of the de-
pendent would be exalted to the highest place in the Raja's
&vour.
4. Plot of the Minister frustrated hy Bikya.
But whilst the Minister was bursting with wrath he kept
his countenance and concealed his anger from the standers-
by; and he wrote a letter to his son Madan, and requested Letter of the
Chandrahasa to carry it to the city; and the letter was as JJJrM^Suufl.**'
follows :—
'' May my son eat the fruits of youth, and know that this
same Chandrahasa is my enemy ^ and that he is eager to
get possession of all my property : Look not you to his youth
or comeliness, nor trouble yourself as to whose son he is, or
whether he be a man of rank, or learning, or abilities, but
give him poison"
Chandrahasa readily accepted the mission, and setting ci,^„dr»h
forth with the letter, saw the most favourable omens on his ?^IP^ '***
way. At starting, he met a newl^-married man taking his
bride home, with a cavalcade of tom-toms and trumpets.
Further on he met a cow with a calf just bom, which the
cowherd was driving to his house. At last he arrived at the
beautiful suburbs of the city, and came to the most charm- Goes to deep be
ing garden he had ever seen ; and being very weary, he tied '* ® *8aroen.
528 THE MAHA BHARATA.
&I8T0BY ov his horse to a treo^ and laid down in the shade and fell
— Now it so happened that this pleasant garden belonged
Sporiiorthe to the Minister, and that very morning his daughter Bikya
M^t^ »d and the daughter of the Baja had come there with all their
B^ tai the maids and companions to take their pleasore ; and they all
sported about in the garden, and did not fail to jest each
other about being married. Bikya filled her skirt with
flowers and threw them on the Princess, and wished her an
agreeable husband and a life of happiness ; and the Princess
declared that Bikya's face was so radiant that she surely
must be about to be married that morning to the handsomest
young man in all the world.
Bftymdtoeoveri Thus the young damsels enlivened the garden with
their jests and laughter, and presently Bikya wandered
away from the others, until she came to a tank, on the
bank of which she saw sleeping a young man with such a
charming countenance, that her heart burned towards him.
Presently she saw a letter half falling from his bosom, and
to her great surprise she perceived that this letter was
addressed to her own brother, and was in the hand-writing
of her father. Then remembering what her father had
said to her about giving her to a husband, she drew the
letter from the bosom of the young man, and opened it and
Alteration of the read it through. And she had compassion upon him, and
thought to alter the writing in the letter, and she read again
the words : — '^ Chandrahasa is my enemy : Give him poi-
son/' Now the word signifying ''enemy'' was such, that
by taking away a single letter she could turn it into a word
signifying '' friend ; " and she did so. And the word signi-
fying poison was Bika, and seeing that the young man was
very handsome, she altered the word Bika into her own name
of Bikya ; and she re-sealed the letter with a copy of her
father's seal which she had with her, and placed it back in
the bosom of the young man. She then returned to her
companions, and the Princess looked upon her countenance,
and said : — '' Ah, Bikya, your face betrays you : HaVe you
not seen a young man, and have you not fallen in love with
IV. — CHANDRAHASA AND BIKYA. 529
him ? *' But Bikya only answered with a smile, and turned history op
the conversation to another matter. part ni
After some time, Chandrahasa rose from his sleep, and
remounted his horse, and found his way to the house of the djiivers the
Minister^ and delivered the letter to his son ; and Madan MiniMtcr's »on.
read the letter with great surprise, but saw that the orders
were very positive and that he must obey them without
delay : — " Look not to his youth, nor to his comeliness, nor
whether he be a man of rank, or leaniing, or abilities, but
give him Bikya ! '' Madan then sent for the astrologers to Prpparations for
n n • t 1 ^ n t • t ti tit *^'' inarria(?e of
fix a nttmg day and hour tor the nuptials, and they declared chjuidrahaiia
that sunset that same evening would be a most auspicious
time ; and Madan issued orders accordingly, and Bikya, who
feared lest her father should return and spoil her plot, was
immediately arrayed for the ceremony ; whilst Chandra-
hasa, who was more confounded than any one, was pre-
sented with a bridegroom^s dress, and directed to prepare
himself to bo married that evening to the beautiful daughter
of the Minister.
At sunset everything was ready for the marriage, for The marrUww.
Madan had been anxious to win the favour of his father bv
showing the utmost alacrity and zeal in carr}'ing out the
Minister's orders. He led his sister and Chandrahasa to
a splendid couch, and seated them side by side. The Bnlli-
mans, in due form, inquired the names of the fathers and
grandfathers of the bridegroom and the bride; but when
Chandrahasa was called upon to declare the names of his
father and grandfather he replied that he was not aware that
he had any father, grandfather, or mother, beyond the
Almighty God. The Minister's son, mindful of his father's
instructions, smiled at this reply, and desired the Bnihmans
to proceed with the rite and to ask no questions ; and the
Brdhmans tied together the skirts of the bridegroom and the
bride, and Chandrahasa and Bikya were thus made hus-
band and wife. Madan then distributed magnificeut presents '^^^ preaeuts.
of gold, jewels, silken stuffs, horses, elephants, sandal, and
camphor ; and the news spread throughout the city, and all
the dancing-girls, musicians, and poets, as well as an immense
VOL. I. 31
530 THB MAHA BHARATA.
BISTORT OF multitude of people, flocked to the house of the Minister,
Paet III. ^°^ received so many good things that every street was filled
"~ with rejoicings and congratulations, and with prayers for
the happiness of Chandrahasa and the lovely Bikya.
5. Wrath of the Minister.
of AH this time the Minister himself had been staying in
wvdsthe ze- the city of his dependent, and having sent away Chandra-
hasa, he wreaked his wrath upon the young man's adopted
father. He threw the dependent into prison, and gave his
ofiice and all his great wealth to another of his retainers; and
he imprisoned all the officers in that quarter, and grievous-
ly punished the Ryots with stripes. Having thus gratified
his jealous rage, and being especially delighted at having
destroyed his dangerous enemy, Chandrahasa, ihe returned
to the city of Kutuwal at the moment when the marriage
getuni ofthe ceremony had been finally concluded. On reaching his own
own hoose. housc he saw that an extraordinary entertainment was going
on, for singers and musicians were performing a deUghtful
concert, whilst drums were beating, and throngs of people
were coming out laden with gold and presents. When
the people saw the Minister, they loudly congratulated
him on the happy marriage of his daughter Bikya with the
Hi» surprise, horo Chandrahasa ; and he looked round him with astonish-
ment, and thinking that they were all mad, he ordered them
to be driven away with whips. A second multitude ap-
proached him with similar compliments, and by his order
were driven away in like manner. Last came a crowd of
Bmhmans and Chieftains still offering the same congratula-
tions, and the Minister, choking with rage and vexation,
seized a whip from his servant and belaboured the Brdh-
mans with his own hand, until some threw down their pre-
sents and ran away, whilst others dropped their turbans, or
fell upon their faces in fear and trembling.
Ti»e Minister The Minister then entered his house in a state border-
at the marriage iuff upou maducss, for all the womcu of his household
of CJuuidra- .,-,,,.
hawandBikxa, througeu arouud him, and assailed him with a storm of
IV. CilANDRAHAflA AND BIKYA. t/Sl
blessings and praises. He hastened to the Hall, and there history op
INDIA.
Part III.
he saw Chandrahasa and his own daughter, Bikya, sitting i^dia.
on the couch with their garments tied together as bride-
groom and bride ; and a trembling seized him, and ho could
not say a word, but could only suppose that his son must
be mad. He went out, and seeing Madan, he cried out : —
'' O fool, what have you been doing ? I sent you a man
with orders to kill him, and you have given him ray daugh-
ter in marriage, and thrown away all my money in presents
to the people.'' Madan then produced the letter which had The Minuter
8ocs his own
been brought to him by Chandrahasa; and as the Minister hotter.
was unable to perceive the alterations which had been made,
he was compelled to accept the orders as his own, and could
only wonder at the greatness of his own blunder.
The Minister then began to reflect, and to perceive the riot of the Min-
importance of concealing his feelings ; for ho knew full well Chandrahiwa
,.-,, lAi 1 ., »" the temple of
that if he began a quarrel at such a moment, or spoke evil i>urg^
of his new son-in-law, he would be condemned by all men.
Accordingly, he returned to the newly-married pair, and
endeavoured to conciliate his son-in-law by such excuses as
he could invent for the occasion, and kissed his daughter
and wished her joy. All the time, however, he was so
vexed that he could have murdered every one in the house,
but he was compeUed to permit the wedding night to pass
by without working out any scheme of revenge. Early next
morning he sent for some Chanddlas, and engaged them by
the promise of largo rewards to secrete themselves in the
temple of the goddess Durgd, which was without the city,
and to mnrder the man who should come at evening time
to present a golden pot of incense to the goddess. He then
sommoned Chandrahasa, and informed him that it was tho
fixed rule for every man who married into his family to offer
a golden cup of incense at the temple of Durgd ; and Chan-
drahasa readily promised to comply with the custom that
same evening.
6. The Raj given to Chandrahasa. 8„jdp„ ^,^
tion of the Rat|»
But this very day, being the day after the marriage, a chaudn5it».
532
THK MAHA BUARATA.
HI8T0RT OP
INDIA.
Past IIL
The Minister's
son proceeds to
tho tPinple of
I>urg4.
Hb dt>ath.
Chatidrahasa
crowncHl llcvia
and mnrric<l to
t\vi Rijn's
daughter.
sudden resolution had seized tlie mind of the Eaja. On the
previous night he had dreamed a dream which in the opinion
of the wise men of his Court betokened a speedy death ;
and ho had also seen his own shadow without a head to it,
which is an apparition that always betokens death within
seven days. Accordingly, the Raja resolved upon retiring
immediately from the Raj, and devoting the remainder of
his days to solemn preparations for his coming end. Being
ignorant of the return of his Minister he sent for Madan,
and told him that he meant that day to resign his Raj, and
said that he had heard so much of the virtue and piety of
Ghandrahasa that he was determined to make that young
man his successor. He therefore desired Madan to bring
his new brother-in-law to the palace with all speed, in order
that the Raj might be conferred upon him without a mo-
ment's delay.
Madan, overjoyed at the good fortune of his new
brother-in-law, immediately set out in search of Ghandra-
hasa, and presently found him on the road to the temple
of Durg4, with the golden cup in his hand ; and having
briefly explained to him the urgent necessity for his imme-
diate presence at the palace, ho took the cup from his hand
and promised to present it himself to the goddess. Madan
tlius sent back Ghandrahasa to the palace of the Raja, and
proceeded alone with the golden cup to the temple of Durgu.
Darkness was now fast closing in, and Madan to his horror
beheld many evil omens; an owl suddenly perched upon
his head, and two cats fought each other in the middle of
his path, whilst blood dripped from his eyes without any
apparent cause. But it seemed to him that these omens
pointed at Ghandrahasa rather than at himself, and he
fervently prayed that any evil which might bo impending
over so excellent a brother-in-law might bo transferred
to himself. At last he opened the door of the temple and
went in, and was at once cut down by the swords of the a^s-
sassins and slaughtered upon the spot.
Meantime, Ghandrahasa had reached the palace where
the Raja was holding a Gouncil with liis Ghieftains. Ilic
IV. — CHANDRAHASA AND BIKYA. 533
Baja thon took the diadem from his own head and placed it histoey of
upon the head of Chandrahasa ; and sending for his own p^^ iil
daught^r^ the same who had sported and jested with Bikya
in the garden, he married her to the young hero. He then
tamed to his Council and said : — " I constitute this young
man to be Raja over you : may he, and you, and all his sub-
jects, be happy." The Chieftains burst into tears, and
pledged themselves to accept Chandrahasa as their now
Raja with all their heart and soul. The old Raja then
stripped himself of his royal robes, and placed them upon
Chandrahasa, and left the palace with only his cloth around
him, and went off into the jungle and was hoard of no
more.
7. Fatal end of the Minister.
The royal drums proclaiming the succession of a new pav^"jj viSiTro
Raja were then beaten throughout the city, and the Minister ^^^ MiHwter.
hearing the sound immediately inquired the cause, in the
foud hope that it betokened the abdication of the Raja,
which he had been long expecting, and the accession of his
own son Madan to the Raj. The servant of the Minister
told his master the truth, namely, that the Raja had given
the Raj to Chandrahasa ; but the Minister was so enraged
at these words that he refused to believe them, and ordered
that the tongue of the man who had spoken them should be
cut out. Presently, a royal cavalcade appeared in sight,
for Chandrahasa still believed that he owed all his good
fortune to the Minister, and therefore had determined to
pay him a visit that very evening, accompanied by the
Raja's daughter, to whom he had been that day married.
The Minister now more than ever comforted himself with
the idea that his own son Madan had succeeded to the Raj,
and was coming to receive his father's congratulations; but
he was soon undeceived by the appearance of Chandrahasa,
and for a while he was speechless with rage. Suddenly he
inquired for Madan, and was told that he had gone in the
place of Chandrahasa to offer the cup of inceuse in the
534 THE MAUA BHAIIATA.
HISTORY OF temple of Durgd. At these words he uttered a loud cry,
pabt^u ^^^ ^^ ^^*'^ ^^ haste to the temple, but only to find the
-— — slaughtered remains of his son ; and maddened to despera-
the Minister, tion at the sight, he dashed out his own brains against a
pillar and expired upon the spot.
Reviftwofthe Tho foregoing story of Chandrahasa and Bikya
^^3!miS^Zk is one which throws considerable light upon the
Hindu belief in astrology and good fortune ; whilst
even from a European point of view the plot will
be regarded as ingenious and pleasing. Perhaps
proce«iings of EuTopeau tasto may be slightly outraged by the
idS^*^^*^^''*'^ steps taken by Bikya to secure for herself a hand-
some husband, but still her proceedings are not
altogether unfeminine ; nor are they foreign to
Hindu ideas, which permits a yoimg lady to choose
a husband for herself on arriving at a marriageable
age, unless one has previously been selected for her
by her father or guardian. In like manner the two
marriages of Chandrahasa, first to the daughter of
the Minister and afterwards to the daughter of the
Raja, is foreign to European sentiments although in
accordance with Oriental institutions. Again, the
rapid and forcible manner in which the good fortime
of Chandrahasa, and the unlucky destiny of the
Minister, are developed in the story, may be re-
iiiuKtration of ffurded as somewhat artificial or romantic : but still
Hindu life in the ^ i i • .
riSi"^*^' ^^^ whole n)ay be accepted as a pleasing picture of
Hindu life during the historical period, when the
Mussulmans may already have established them-
selves at Delhi, but when the Dekhan was as yet
undisturbed by their influence or sway.
END OF VOL. I.
INDEX.
Abhimanyu, ton of Arjuna and Subhadr6,
his birth, 152; married to Uttar^,
daughter of Kaja Virata, 225 ; the mar-
riage treated as a myth belonging to the
historj of Krishna, but having no connec-
tion with the history of the Pandaras, 238 ;
his combat with Bhfshma on the first day
of the great war, 300 ; praised by Bhfsh-
ma, 301 ; slays a son of Dunrodhana on the
second day of the war, 303 ; attacked by
Duryodhana, but rescued b^ Arjuna, ib.;
commanded by Yudhishthira to charge
the Kauravas who are drawn up in the
form of a spider's web, 311 ; driyes his
chariot into the enemy's ranks and per-
forms prodigies of valour, ib. ; Pdndavas
nreTcntcd by Jayadratha from rescuing
nim, 312; overpowered by six warriors and
slain, 404 ; his extreme beauty and prow-
ess, ib.; Arjuna's grief, ib. ; Krishna tries
to comfort his mother Subhadrd and w^idow
Uttar^ 313 ; touching character of his
•tory. 319 ; his son Parfkshit succeeds to
the Keg of Ha&tindpur, 453.
Abraham, his feast after the rescue of Lot
compared with the feast given by Yud-
hishthira after the rescue of Duryodhana
fh>m the Oandharvas, 195.
Adityas, the twelve, 23 ; originally in-
cluded the god Vishnu, 24.
Adoption, female, 68.
Agni, the deity of fire, conception of, 9 ;
characteristics of, 17 j mysterious attri-
butes of fire, ib. ; family associations con-
nected with fire in cold climates, ib. ;
reverence excited amongst a primitive
people bv the presence of fire, ib. ; general
ntihty of fire, ib. ; higher manifestations
of fire, 18 ; presence of fire necessary at
the marriage ceremony, ib. ; Agni repre-
sented in various characters, ib. ; as an
immortal being, ib. ; as a priest and divine
messenger, ib. ; as the devouring clement,
ib. ; character of the Vcdic hymns ad-
dnMsed to him, ib. ; invocations to him as
a destroyer, 19; invocations to him in
his domestic capacity, ib.; invocations to
him as a deity, ih. ; invocations to him as
the Supreme Being, ib. ; similarity of his
attributes to those of Surya, or the sun,
23 ; mythical appearance of, in the guiso
VOL. I.
of a Brahman to Arjuna and Krishna in
the forest of Khandava-prastha, 144 ; his
desire to devour the forest, ib. ; Indra
resists as the ally of the Nagus or serpents,
145 ; interpretation of the myth, ib. ; his
mythical marriage with the aaughtcr of a
Kaja, 396 ; extraordinary account of, 397y
note ; attends the Swayumvara of Dama-
yantf, 482.
Amazons, the horse in the Aswamcdha of
Yudhishthira enters their country, 400 ;
their marriaee customs, 401 ; Arjuna's
difficulty in fighting against women, ib. ;
their extreme beauty, ib. ; carry away the
horse to their Kuni Paramita, ib. ; go
out to meet Arjuna on elephants and
horses, ib.; laugh at the chariots of
Arjuna and his warriors, ib. ; proposals
of the KaDi rejected by Arjuna, 402 ; Ar
i'una defeated, and engages to marry the
Lan(, ib. ; restores the horse, ib. ; Para-
mita proceeds to Uastinapur, ib. ; resem-
blance between the Hindu and Greek
traditions, 419; identification of their
country with Malabar, ib. ; privileges of
the Nair women, 420.
Ambd, eldest daughter of the Raja of Kasf,
refuses to marry Vichitra-vfrya, 53;
rejected by the Kaja of S41wa, ib. ; her
unfortunate end, ib.; mythical character
of her story, 57 ; bom again as Sikhandin
and slays Bhfshma, 308, note.
Anga, a country in the neighbourhood of
Bhagulpore, 90 ; Buddhist dynasty of
Kama Kajas, 95.
Archery, on foot, horseback, elephants, and
chariots, 87 ; feats of Arjuna in, 88.
Argha, legend of its presentation to the
frcatest chief present at the llajasiaya,
70 ; given to Krishna, ib. ; a gift of
respect, 171 ; presentation of. not to be
found in the ancient ritual of the llajasdya,
ib. ; attributed to the Buddhist period,
ib.
Arjuna, the third P&ndava, learns the use
of the bow from Drona, 75; the
best beloved pupil, ib. ; excites the
jealousy of Duryodhana, ib. ; his hand-
some appearance at the exhibition of
arms at Hastin4pur, 88 ; his marvellous
feats in archeiy, sword playing, whirling
35
636
INDEX.
the cbakra, and throwing the nowe, 88 ;
challenged by Kama to Bii^le combat,
89; mutual abuse, ib.; Drona calls
upon him to fight Kama, ib. ; battle
prevented by Kripa, ib. ; his sudden ap-
Scarance at Uie Swayamvara of Draupadf
isguised as a Br^man, 121; mentally
prays to Drona and strikes tJie golden
fish, 122 ; acknowledged by Draupadf
as the victor, ib. ; leads away Draupadf,
ib. ; his conversation with Yudhishthira
respecting the marriage of Draupadf, 123 ;
myth of nis hunting with Krishna in the
forestof Kh4ndava-prastha,140; mythical
appearance of the god Agni, who desires
to devour the forest, ib. ; receives weapons
from Agni and fights against Indra, 141 :
interpretation of the myth, ib. ; alleged
breach of the matrimonial law, 142;
accepts the penalty of twelve years' exile,
143 ; jcsuiti^ remonstrance of Yudhish-
thira, ib, ; goes into exile, ib. ; its mythical
character, 144 ; said to have gone on pil-
grimages to sacred places accompanied by
a crowd of Brahmans, ib. ; his amours in
the remotest quarters of India, ib. ;
amour with Ulupf, 14d ; visit to Parasa
K4ma, ib. ; marries the daughter of the
Kaja of Manipura, ib. ; proceeds to
Prabh&sa near i)w&rak&, 146 ; review of
his adventures, ib. ; converted into a
Brahnianical hero, ib. ; amours introduced
to represent him as the ancestor of the
Nfiga Rajas, ib. ; his amour with Uldpf
popularly regarded as one with a serpent
maiden, 148; significance of his amour
with the daughter of the Raja of Mani-
pura, ib. ; legend of his marriage with
8ubbadrd, the sister of Krishna, 149 ;
his reception by Krishna at Dwarukd, 150;
falls in love with Subhadrd, ib.; advised
by Kritthna to elope with her, lol ; lifts
Subhadra into his chariot and drives away
towards Indra-prastha, 151 ; news carried
to Dwuraka, ib.; wr th of Balarama, ib.;
the marriage, 152 ; returns to Indra-pras-
tha with his wife Subhadra, ib. ; meet-
ing with Draupadf, ib. ; legend of the
marriaiie proven to be a myth, ib. ; period
of his exile a blank in the history, 153;
famous myths referring to him, 191 ;
practises austerities on the Himalayas to
induce the gods to grant him celestial
weapons, ib. ; Indra refers him to Siva,
ib. ; engages in single combat with Siva,
ib ; receives a weapon from him, ib. ;
receives weapons from the gods of the four
quarters of the universe — Indra, Yama,
Varuna, and Kuvera, ib. ; practises the
use of arms in the heaven of Indra, 192 ;
his mythic wars against the Daityas of the
sea, ib. ; Kama's vow to slay him, 197 ;
engaged as a eunuch by Raja Virata to
teuch music and dancing, 207 ; Draupadi*s
auger at his not attempting to rescue her,
218 ; agrees to go out ogainst the Kau-
ravas as charioteer to Uttar, 221 ; mirth
of the damsels at seeing him put on armour,
ib. ; they pray him to bring home plenty
of spoil, ib. ; recognized by the Kauravan,
222 ; compels Uttar to dnve the chariot,
ib. ; recovers his own weapons and dis-
covers himself to Uttar, ib. ; defeats the
Kauraras and recovers the cattle, ib. ;
returns with Uttar to the city, ib.; his for-
bearance as regards fugitives and captives,
223 ; declines the hand of Uttar&, 225 ;
marriage of his son Abhimanyu to Uttar&,
ib. ; supernatural character of his dis-
guise as a eunuch, 235 ; his efforts to win
over Krishna to the side of the P&ndavas,
246 ; his humiUty and reverence towards
Krishna, ib. ; decides to take Krishna
singly in preference to Krishna's army,
247 ; Krishna promises to drive his chariot
in the forthcoming war, 248 ; praised by
Bhfshma in the Council of the Kauravaa,
249; represented as N4r&yan, or an in-
carnation of Vishnu, 262, note ; his myth-
ical bow Oandfva, 266, note; Bhlshma
stipulates that he shall not be called upon
to fi^ht him during the great war, ib. ;
dismisses Rukmin on account of the
extravagance of his pretensions, 278 ; his
reply to the challenge sent by Duryodhana,
282 ; probably the only reply sent to
Duryoahana, ib. ; his dialogue with
Krishna known as the Bhagayat-0ft4,
293 ; his combat with Bhfshma on the
first day of the war, 301 ; on the second
day rallies the P&ndavas after they have
been repulsed by Bhfshma, 302 ; Bnishma
reluctantly engages with him, ib. : he
rescues his son Abhimanyu from Dur-
yodhana, 303 ; flight of the Rajas at the
sound of his chanot, ib. ; drives back the
Kauravas after Bhfshma's repulse of the
F4ndavas, 305 ; his terrible conflict with
Bhfshma, who is mortally wounded, 306 ;
protects Yudhishthira from being taken
prisoner by Drona, 309 ; challenged by
Susarman and his four brethren, ib. ;
accepts the challenge contrury to the ad-
vice of Yudhishthira, 310 ; defeats Susar-
man and his brethren, ib.; fights Susarman
a second time, ib. ; his overpowering
grief on hearing cf the death of Abhi-
manyu, 312 ; vows to slay Jayadratha
before sunset on the morrow, or enter the
fire, 313 ; attended by Krishna throughout
the night, ib. ; fierce struggle to reach
Jayadratha, 314 ; interferes in the combat
between Bhurisrava and Satyaki, ib. ;
cuts ofi" the arms of Bhurisrava, ib. ; de-
fence of his having interfered contrary to
rule, ib. ; reproached by the Kauravas,
ib. ; retorts by reminding them of the
cowardly slaughter of Abhimanyu, ib.
desperate conflict with Jayadratha, 315;
cuts ofi" his head just before ^ unset, ib. ;
Kama engages to slay him, 323 ; Yud-
hishthira's anger with him for fighting
Susarman when he should have been
fighting Kama, 326 ; taunted by Yudhish-
thira, ib. ; draws his sword and threatens
to kill Yudhishthira, ib. ; reconciled to
Yudhishthira by Krishna, 327 ; goes forth
to a final battle with Kama, 328; the
INDEX.
537
armiea stop fighting and the gods descend
firom hearen, 328; ,his address to his
charioteer, ib. ; the' battle, ib. ; stays
from fighting whilst Kama tries to disen-
gu^e his chariot- wheel, ib. ; reminded by
KrishnJn of the insults to Draupadf ana
nmrder of Abhimanjru, ib. ; slays Kama
with a crescent-shaped arrow, 329 ; seyeral
mythical circumstances connected with
the battle, 330, note; gives the hint to
Bhfma to strike Duryodbana on the thigh,
338 ; takes the amulet from Aswatth^a
and gives it to Bhfma, 344 ; his sorrow at
the death of Kama, 365 ; followed the
twelve adventures of the horse — see
Horse ; releases the disobedient wife who
had been transformed into a rock, 399;
his battle with Sadnova, 400; his ad-
renturea in the country of Amazons^
$ee Amaxons; conquers the Daityas of
the sea, 404 ; his son Babhru-vahana
offers his Raj, 408; strikes Babhru-v&-
hana and disowns him, 409 ; calls him the
son of a herdsman and jackal, ib. ;
Babhm-v&hana remonstrates and pre-
pares for battle against him, ib. ; he is
defeated, 410 ; sees evil omens, ib. ; be-
headed by a crescent-shaped arrow, ib. ;
wonderfm light issuing from his body,
ib. ; restored to life by the jewel brought
from the city of serpents, 412 ; the recon-
ciliation, ib. ; his triumphant return to
Hastin&pur, 415; marshalling of the
army, 416 ; rejoicings of the people, ib. ;
^rlands thrown from the verandahs, 417 ;
interview with Yudhishthira, ib. ; intro-
duces his son Babhru-v4hana, ib. ; his
adventures at Manipura an illustration of
the Brahmanizing of the ancient epics,
419 ; summoned to Dw(irak& by Krishna
after the massacre at Prablmsa, 448 ;
proceeds to Dwdraki, 449 ; directs all the
residue of the people to leave the city, 450;
attends the ouming of Yasudeva, ib. ;
orders the funeral ceremonies of the
shun at Prabh&sa. ib.^ leaves Dwarakd,
451 ; caravan under his charge attacked
and despoiled by robbers, ib. ; finds that
his strength has left him, ib. ; proceeds to
Kurukshetra and then to Indra-prostha,
ib. ; his connection with Dwarak& a
mythical interpolation, 453; advised by
Yy&Ba to abandon worldly concerns, ib.;
dies with the other P^uidavas on the
Him&laya mountains, 454 ; his grandson
Farikslut succeeds to the Raj of nastind-
pur, 453.
Artillery, references to, in the description
of Manipura, 405, 422.
Aryans, the Vcdic people, 7; patriarchal
bfe, 8; distinction between the terms
Aryan and Turanian, 7, note ; outpost at
Hastin&pur, 42 ; Raj of Bharata, 44 ;
legend of the son of the Bhfl Raja who
pra]^cd Drona to teach him archery, illus-
trative of the supremacy exercised by the
Aryan tribes over their aboriginal neigh-
bours, 82; represented in the Mah&
Bhikrata by the P&ndavas, 104 ; progress
from the Punjab to All&habid, ib. ; later
legends of their wars against the abori-
gines tacked on to the story of the great
war, ib. ; wars of Bhfma, 106, 113 ; dis-
tinction between the Aryans residing in
cities and the aborigines of the jungle,
114 ; migration of, from Hastinapur to
Khdndava-prastha, 138: clearing the
forest, 140; progress of two bands of
Aryans towards the south-east, one along
the valley of the Ganges, and the other
along the valley of the Jumna. 141.
Astrology, Sahadeva engagea by Raia
Virata to cast nativities, 207 ; belief m
the influence of the stars both upon the
fortune and the physiognomy, 522.
Astronomy, taught by Droua, 75, 76—
See Astrology.
Asuras, Bhfma' s wars against, to be accepted
as referring to the old wars between the
Aryans and aborigines, 106 ; Bhfma *8
fight with Hidimba and marriage with
Hidimbi, 108 ; Bhfma's fl^ht with Vaka,
110 ; submission of the subjects of Vaka,
111. — See also Daityas and R4kshasas.
Aswamedha, or sacrifice of a horse, 377;
pcrformanceof one con to at plated by Raja
Yudhishthira, ib. ; a more important rite
than the Rajas<!lya. ib. ; idea involved,
378 ; loosening of a norse and wars against
the Rajas whose territory ho might enter,
ib. ; failure of, if the horse was not re-
covered, ib.; grand sacrifice and feast at the
close of a successful Aswamedha, ib. ; re-
nown of every Raja who performed one,
ib.; great attractions of, 379; combination
of war and gambling, ib. ; general excite-
ment, ib. ; memory long preserved in
local tradition, ib. ; sacrifice of the horse
associated with the worship of the sun,
380 ; Greek conception of the sun god, ib.;
horse sacrifice of the Managetffi, ib. ;
disappearance of the rite in India, ib. ;
the two Aswamedha hymns in the Rig-
Veda, 380, note; Brahmonical interpret-
otions of the ceremonial, 381 ; Brah-
manical interpolutions in the tradition
of the Aswamedha of Yudhishthira, ib. ;
sometimes performed without any actual
slaughter, ib. note; objections against
eliminating the interpretations, 382 ; three
stages in the performance, ib. (1.) Nar-
rative of the capture of the horse, ib. ;
confiicting idea of an Aswasmedha as a
means of easting aside melancholy and as
an atonement for sin, ib. ; rule of the
Aswamedha, 383 ; colour of the horse, ib.;
ni|^ht of the loosening, ib. ; gold plate
with inscription, ib. ; necessity for the
performing Raja to control his passions
for an entire year, ib. ; wild conjectures
that the horse is a type of Christ, 385,
note ; review of the narrative of the cap-
ture of the horse, 390 ; mythical character
of the details, ib. ; later Brahmanical
idea of the conquest of the passions, atone-
ment for sin, and acquisition of religious
merit, ib. ; a low marriage, a disqualifi-
cation for, 391 ; fable of the treasure, ib.
538
INDEX.
(2.) NaTTative of the loosening of the
honie, 394; limited area of the real ad-
Tenturcs extended by Brahmanical exag-
geration over all the known world, ib. ;
twelve legends connected with the norsCi
ib. ; night of the loosening on the full
moon of the month Choitro, 396 j wander-
ings of the horse followed by Anuna, ib. ;
twelve adventures of the horse — see
Horse. Triumphant return of Aijuna at
the end of the year, 416 ; review of the
twelve adventures of the horse, 417.
(3.) Narrative of the sacrifice of the horse
combined with the offering of homa, 426 ;
seventeen stages in the performance of an
Aswamedha, 427 ; description of, 428 :
preparations ib. ; the thrones of gold and
sandal wood^ ib. ; assembly of the ladies,
429 ; ploughmg and sowing the land, ib. ;
prayers of the Br&hmans and ladies, ib. ;
the pavement of gold bricks, ib. ; the
eight pillars, pits, and ladles, ib. ; the
vegetables and medicinal herbs, ib. ;
Yy&sa president, ib. ; sixty-four pots of
water brought in procession from the
Ganges, 430 ; distribution of dresses, ib. ;
performance of the homa, ib. ; Ganges
water poured over the head of the Kaja
and the head of the horse, ib. ; speech of
the horse, ib. ; purity of the horse ascer-
tained by Dhaumya, 431 ; Bhfma
slauehters the horse, ib. ; the horse's
head mounts the sky, ib. : Krishna con-
gratulates Yudhishthira, ib. ; distribution
of the merits of the Aswamedha, 432;
general rejoicings, ib. ; Yudhishthira's
apologies to Vv4sa the sage, ib. ; assigns
estates to Vyasa, who transfers them to
the Brahmans, ib. ; proportions of ^ifts
to the Brahmans, ib. ; Yudhifhthira's
apologies to the Rajas, 433; distribution
of gifts, ib. ; gif^s to Krishna's family, ib.;
Bhfma feasts the Brahmans, ib.; departure
of the Kajas, ib. ; review of the foregoing
description of the Aswamedha, ib. ;
ploughing the place of sacrifice, a Scythian
or Buddhist custom, 433 ; Scythian tradi-
tion of a golden plough, ib. ; description
in the Mahawanso of the ploughing of con-
secrated ground by a Buddhist sovereign,
434 ; description of the offering of the
homa, ib. ; distribution of the religious
merit acquired by the homa. 43o ; descrip-
tion of the sacrifice of the horse, ib. ;
golden bricks employed in ancient times,
ib. ; the victims tied to pillars, ib. ; rite
performed by Nakula and Sahadcva, 436 ;
speech of the horse a Brahmanical inter-
polation, ib. ; unmeaning introduction
of Dhaumya, ib. ; conversion of the horse's
flesh into camphor and homa, ib. ; Vcdic
idea of the ascent of the horse's head, ib. ;
sacrifice of the horse to Indra instead of
to the Sun indicative of an ancient change
in the national religion, 437.
Aswatthama, son of Drona and Kripa, 77 ;
his vow to slay Dhrishta-d^nimna in re-
venge for the slaughter of his father, 317 ;
with Kripa and Kritavaiman the only
surviving warriors of the Kanrava armiei,
331 ; the three discover Duryodhana in
the lake and invite him to renew the
conflict, 332; Duryodhana declinca, and
recommends the three to conceal uem-
selves, ib. ; Aswatthima vainly remon-
strates, ib. ; story of his revenge for tlw
death of his father Drona, 34^; visits
Duryodhana on the night which snooeeded
the last day of the great war, accompanied
by Kripa and Kritavarman, 347 ; ofllen
to slay the P&ndavas that night, ib. ; tp-
pointod Commander-in-Chief by Duryod-
nana and directed to bring the head of
Bhfma, ib. ; sees an owl kifi the sleeping
crows, 348 ; resolves to fall upon tbs
Pandavas in like manner, ib. ; Kripa re-
monstrates with him, ib. ; he persists in
revenging the slauffhter of Drona, ib.;
refuses to wait until momincr, 349 ; pro-
ceeds to the camp of the Pandavas, fol-
lowed by Kripa and Kritavarman, ib.;
absence of the P4ndavas in the camp of the
Kauravas, ib. ; the single gateway, ib.; he
leaves his two friends to guaid the gatp
whilst he enters the camp, ib. ; surprises
Dhrishta-dyumnaand slaughters him, ib.;
scn>aming of the women and general con-
fusion, 3oO ; he slays the five sons of the
Pandavas ib. ; fcamil slaughter amonnt
the followers and servants of the P4nda-
vas, ib. ; escapes with the five heads of the
Ave sons of the Pandavas, ib.; returns with
I Kripa and Kritavarman to Duryodhana,
3ol ; passes off the heads of the sons for
the heads of the fathers, ib. ; reproached
by Duryodhana who discovers the cheat,
ib. ; flies with the other two warriors on
the death of Duryodhana, S52 ; Draupadf
prays to be revenged upon him, 353;
Yudhishthira represents that he is the son
of a Brdhman, and that revenge must be
left to Vishnu, ib. ; Draupadf persists in
having the jewel from his head, ib. ; he
is deprived of the jewel by Arjuna, 3'>4 ;
review of the story of his revenge, 350;
efioct of the appearance of the owl devour-
ing the birds upon his mind, 356 ; myth-
ical character of the fable of his amulet,
357.
Aswins, the two, 24 ; myth that they were
the fathers of Nakula and Sahadcva,
71.
Babhru-vahana, son of Arjuna by Chitran-
gnda, daughter of the Kaja of Manipura,
145 ; mythical de^^cription of, 404 ; his
city and palace, 405 ; his waggons and fire
weapons, ib. ; his exhaustless revenues,
ib. ; his wealth and virtues, ib. ; talents
and bravery of his Ministers, 406 ; seizes
the horse in the Aswamedha of Yudhish-
thira, ib. ; discovers that Arjuna is his
father, 407 ; resolves on restoring the horse
and offering the Raj to Arjuna, ib. ; places
his head under Arjuna's foot, 408 ; struck
to the earth and discovered by Arjuna,
409 ; called the son of a herdsman and a
jackal, ib. ; remonstrates and prepares for
INDEX.
539
I battle,400; defeat of Arjjuna, ib. ; beheads
Azjana with a crescent-shaped arrow, 410 ;
rejoicings of his army, ib. ; horror of his
mother, ib. ; descends into the under-
world and defeats the serpents, 411 ; ob-
tains the life-restoring jewel, 412; the
reconciliation, ib. ; his introduction to
Tudhishthira, 417.
Badrarati, city of, Bhfma offers to go there
and bring away the horse for the Aswa-
medha of Tudhishthira, 383 ; the jour-
ney, 384 ; the old mother of the Riga re-
fuses to leave the palace, 385 ; carried to
Hastin&pur by force, ib.
Balar&ma, elder brother of Krishna, designs
to giTe his sister Subhadr& in marriage
to Duryodhana, 150; his wrath at her
elopement with Arjuna, 151 ; Krishna
remonstrates wiUi mm, ib. ; the legend
prdled to be a fiction, 152 ; his speech at
the great Council of the P&ndayas and
their allies, 243 ; refuses to take any part
in the great war, 247 ; visits the camp of
the P&ndaTas, but refuses to engage in
the war, 27; goes on a pilgrimage to
Frabh&sa, ib. j appears on the plain of
Kurukshetra just oefore the great battle
between Duryodhana and Bhfma, 337 ;
stays to behold it as he had taught the use
of the mace to both of them, ib. ; advises
the combatants to fight in the middle of
the plain, ib. ; his indignation at Bhfma's
foul blow, 340 ; prepares to sla^ the P&n-
davaa, but is prevented by Krishna, ib. ;
denounces Bhfma, ib. ; nis death, 449 ;
legend of his birth, 462 ; brought up in
Gokula as the son of Rohinf, ib. ; his in-
fancy, 464 ; his gambols, ib. ; goes with
Krifthna to the city of Mathur&, 470;
slaughters the fighting men of Kansa,
471 ; accompanies Krishna to the arena,
both disguised as jugglers, 472; adven-
tures with the ^at elephant of Raja
Kansa, 473; assists Krishna in slaying
the wrestlers, 474; his marriage with
Revatr,475.
Benares. See Kasi.
Bhogavat-Oftd, or '< Divine Song," 293; spe-
cimen of, 294, note.
Bharadw&ja, the sage, the mythical father
of Drona, 78, note.
Bharata, son of Dushyanta, family .tra-
ditions of the house of, 42; liaj of an
Aryan empire established by the hero
Bh&rata amidst an aboriginal population,
44 ; doubtful extent of the Rai, ib. ; name
applied in modem times to all India, ib. ;
mythical character of the more ancient
traditions which precede the main story of
the great war, 45 ; Ksbatriya myth that
the Kajas of Bh&rata were descended from
the Moon, ib. ; legends of the R^jas from
Bh&rata to DhritariUhtra, 46 ; 'legends of
Raja Bh&rata, ib. ; his birth, 47 ; founds
the great Reg, ib. ; original scat of the
empire, 48, note ; great war of, 274 ; four
important incidents between the alleged
embassy of Krishna and the commence-
ment of the war, ib. ; march of the Kau-
ravas and P&ndavas to the plain of Kuruk-
shetra, ib. ; election of generalissimos,
276 ; position of the rival camps on either
side of the lake, 277 ; generally authentic
account of the narrative of the entrench-
ment of the rival camps and the inaugura-
tion of generalissimos, 278 ; dubious inci-
dents, ib. ; legend of the humiliation of
Rukmin, ib. ; interchange of challenges
between the Kauravas and P&ndavas, tSo,
281 ; six rules for ameliorating the horrors
of the war, 283 ; apparently of modem
date, 284; disregaracd in the war, ib. ;
eighteen days of the war, 287 ; its mean
character, ib. ; form in which the history
of the war has been preserved, 288 ; ex-
traordinary extent to which the original
Kshatriya tradition has been enlarged
and interpolated by the Brahmanical com-
pilers, ib. ; necessity for eliminating a
large portion of the matter in order to
render the narrative available for his-
torical purposes, ib. ; diffuse dialogues,
289 ; wearisome description of combats
and charges, all resembling each other,
ib. ; Brahmanical discourses, ib. ; general
description of the excluded matter, ib. ;
mythical references to the vast armies en-
gaged on either side, ib. ; mythical details
of the battles, 290 ; superhuman strength
and skill of the warriors engaged, ib. ;
employment of magical weapons, ib. ; su-
pernatural exploits, ib. ; extraordinary
omens, ib. ; exonerated pomp and cir-
cumstance, 291 ; exageerated slaughter,
ib. ; real character of the contest : a war
to the knife between two branches of the
same family for the possession of a landed
inheritance, ib. ; probable numbers en-
gaged, ib. ; barbarous single combats with
clubs and knives, 292; free practice of
treachery, deceit, and foul play, ib. ; irre-
levant introduction of Brahmanical dis-
quisition, ib. ; Sanjaya's discourse on
geography to the blind Mah&r^ja, 293;
dialogue between Krishna and Arjuna on
the field of battle, known as the Bhagavat-
Gfta, or *< Divine Song," ib. ; Bhfshma's
discourse on the duties of Rajas, whilst
mortally wounded, on a couch or arrow-
heads, ib. ; final contest between Duryod-
hana and Bhfma prefaced by a sermon
on the efl[icacy of places of pilgrimage, ib. ;
narrative of the eighteen days of tne war
dividcl into four periods corresponding to
the four commanas of the four successive
feneralissimos of the Kauravas, via.
Ihfshma, Drona, Kama, and S&lya, 296.
(1.) Bhfshma's command — ten days, 297;
morning of the first day, ib. ; Yudhish-
thira proceeds on foot to the army of the
Kauravas, ib. ; asks the permission of
Bhfshma and Drona to fight againfit the
Kauravas, ib. ; Bhfshma and Dnma ex-
cuse themselves from fighting for the P&n-
davas, ib. ; Yuyutsu, half-brother of Dur-
yodhana, goes over to the Pdndavas, 298 ;
joy of the P&ndavas, ib. ; mythical cha-
racter of the foregoing incidents, ib. ; the
540
INDEX.
story of Tudhishtbira's requests rcfcmble
to the later Brahmanical period, 298; im-
probability of Bhfshma and Drona's pro-
fessed partiality for the Pundavas, ib. ;
introduced to harmonize with the speeches
they are said to have delivered at Krish-
na's embassy, 299 ; dubious authenticity
of the desertion of Yuyutsu, ib. ; first day
of the war, ib ; battle between Bhfshma
and Bhfma and their r^pective armies,
300 ; character of the battle, ib. ; single
combats, ib. ; disregard of the rules of
fighting, ib. ; combat between the youth-
fm Abhimanyu and the patriarch ^Bhfsh-
ma, ib. ; praises bestowed by Bhfshma
upon the prowess of Abhimanyu, 301 ;
combat between Uttar and SdJya, ib. ;
combat between Bhfshma and Arjuna,
, ib. ; mythical dialogue between Yudhi^-
thira and Krishna, ib. ; Yudhishthira
. complains of the havoc committed by
Bhfshma and proposes retiring, ib. ; con-
soled by the remonstrances of Krishna,
who dwells on the prowess of Arjuna and
Dhrishta-dyumna, 302 ; narrative of the
war from the second to the tenth day, ib. ;
second day of the war, ib. ; the Pandavas
repulsed by Bhfshma, but rallied by Ar-
juna, ib. ; Bhfshma reluctantly engages
with Ariuna, ib. ; Bhfma attacked by Uie
Raja of Magadh& and his army, ib. ; slays
the son of the Raja of Magadha, 303:
vaults on an elephant and slays a second
son, ib. ; slays the Raja and his elephant
at a single blow, ib. ; Abhimanjru slays a
son of Duryodhana, ib. ; attacked by l5ur-
yodhana and rescued by Arjuna, ib. ;
night of all the Rujas at the sound of Ar-
j Una's chariot, ib. ; alarm of Bhfshma at
the havoc created by Arjuna. 304; suc-
cesses of the Pundavas, ib. ; tnird day of
the war, ib. ; tremendous charge of the
Pundavas in the form of a half moon, ib. ;
terrible slaughter, ib. ; cries of the wound-
ed, ib. ; dead men rise without heads and
fi^ht each other, ib. ; the warriors fight
with their fists, feet, teeth, and nails, 305 ;
repulse of the Knuravas, ib. ; Duryod-
hana complains of the indiflference of
Bhfshma, ib. ; Bhfshma renews the bat-
tle, but the Kauravas are driven back by
Arjuna, ib. ; the war rages from the fourth
to the ninth day, ib. ; Kauravas dis-
heartened at not conquering the Pan-
davas, ib. ; Duryodhana complains to his
Chieftains of his want of success, ib. ;
Kama engages to slay the P4ndavas if
Bhfshma will retire from the command,
306; Duryodhana proposes to Bhfshma
that he should retire, ib. ; Bhfshma's
wrath, ib. ; Bhf.shma engages to defeat
the P4ndavn9 on the tenth day or retire
from the field, ib. ; tenth day of the war,
ib. ; terrible conflict between Bhfshma
and Arjuna, ib.; Bhfshma mortally wound-
ed, ib. ; review of the first ten days of the
war, 317; interest centres in the single
combat between Bhfshma and Arjuna,
ib. ; singular effort to Brahmanize the
character of Bhfshma, ib. ; mythical story
that Bhfshma lay for many oays upon a
couch formed of arrow-heads, and then
delivered some moral and religious dis-
courses, 308. (2.) Drona's command — five
days, 309 ; prominence of single combats,
ib. ; three important incidents in the his-
tory of Drona s command, ib. ; election of
Drona, ib. ; eleventh day of the war and
first of Drona's command, ib. ; efforts of
Drona to take Yudhishthira prisoner, ib. :
frustrated by the presence of Krishna and
Arjuna, ib. ; Susarman and his four bre-
thren send a challenge to Arjuna, 310;
Arjuna accepts the challenge, contrary to
the advice of Yudhishthira, ib. ; twelfth
day of the war and second of Drona's
command, ib. ; Aijuna defeats Susarman
and his brethren, ib. ; Yudhishthira nar-
rowly escapes being taken prisoner by
Drona, ib. ; thirteenth day of tho war and
third of Drona's command, ib. ; Arjuna
fights Susarman a second time, ib. ; Drona
draws up the army of the Kauravas in
the form of a spider's web, ib. ; inabilitr
of the P&ndavas to oppose the spider s
web in the absence of Krishna and Ar-
juna, 311 ; Yudhishthira commands Ab-
himanyu to charge the spider's web, ib. ;
Abhimanyu drives his chariot into the
enemy's ranks and performs prodigies of
valour, ib. ; P&ndavas prevented by Ja-
yadratha firom rescuing Abhimanyu, 312 ;
Abhimanyu overpowered by six warriors
and slain, ib. ; extreme beauty and prow-
ess of Abhimanyu, ib. ; profound grief of
Yudhishthira, ib. ; general outcry against
the cowardly Chieftains who slew Abhi-
manyu, ib. ; Ariuna's overpowering grief
on hearing of the death of Abhimanyu,
313 ; vows to slay Jayadratha before sun-
set on the morrow, ib. ; Krishna endeav-
ours to console Arjuna, ib. ; tries to com-
fort Subhadra and Uttard, the mother and
widow of Abhimanyu, ib. ; his touching
attendance upon Arjuna throughout the
night, ib. ; orders his chariot to be ready
at early mom to drive Arjuna against
Jayadratha, ib. ; cowardly attempt of Ja-
yadratha to withdraw from the field, 314 ;
fourteenth day of the war and four^ of
Drona's command, ib. ; fierce struggle of
Arjuna, Sdt^*aki, and Bhfma to reach
Jayadratha, ib. ; combat between Satyaki
and Bhurisrava, ib. ; Bhurisrava conquers
Satyaki and prepares to cut off his head,
ib. ; K rishna requests Arjuna to interfere,
ib. ; Arjuna cuts off the arms of Bhuris-
rava, ib. ; Bhurisrava abuses Arjuna for
interfering, ib. ; Arjuna's defence, ib. ;
all the Kauravas reproach Arjuna, ib. ;
Arjuna's retort respecting the cowardly
murder of his son, 315 ; Satyaki beheadb
Bhurisrava, ib. ; desperate conflict be-
tween Arjuna and Jayadratha, ib. ; Ar-
juna beheads Jayadratha just before sun-
set, ib. ; exultation of the P&ndavas and
grief of the Kauravas, ib. ; battle con-
tinued throughout the night, ib. ; fright-
INDEX.
541
fal eomhudtm in the darknesi, 315; plain
of Knrukshetra lit up by torches, 316;
battle ittenee by torchlight, ib. ; short in-
terral of slumber at midnight, ib. ; renewal
of the battle by moonlight, ib. ; the battle
goes against the Pdnaayas, ib.; tow of
Dhriahta-dyumna to sla^ Drona, ib. ;
Bhfma fights Drona until sunrise, 317 ;
fifteenth day of the war and fifth of Dro-
na's command, ib. ; Dhrishta-dyumna
fights Drona, ib. ; Drona orercome by
meana of a lie, ib. ; Dhrishta-dyumna be-
heads Drona, ib. ; rejoicings of the P4n-
daraa, ib. ; deep regret of the Kauravas
at the death of Drona, ib. ; row of Aswat-
thima to reyenge the death of Drona, ib. ;
renew of the foregoing account of the five
days of Drona*s command, ib. ; touching
character of the story of Abhimanyu, 319 ;
reyiew of the death of Drona, 320 ; myth-
ical details, ib. ; extraordinary account of
a lie inadyertently told by Tudhishthira,
ib. ; Krishna suggests the he, 321 ; Krishna
suggests a preyancation, ib. (3.i Kama's
command — two days, 322 ; election of
Kama, 323; sixteenth day of the war and
first of Kama's command, ib. ; indecisive
battle, ib. ; Kama engages to slay Arjuna.
ib. ; seventeenth day of the war and secona
of Kama's command, ib. ; Kama de-
sires that S&lya would drive his chariot
as Krishna drove the chariot of Arjuna,
ib. ; Duryodhana makes the request to
S&lya, 324; Silya's indignation, ib. ; Sal-
jra sneers at the birth of Kama as the
son of a charioteer, ib. ; Duryodhana as-
sures S&lya of his respect ana ranks him
with Krishna, ib. ; Sulya drives Kama's
chariot against Arjuna, 32d ; evil omens,
ib. ; contention between Kama and Salya
as regards the prowess of Arjuna, ib. ;
Kama retorts by referring to the depraved
customs of S41ya*s subjects, ib. ; Kama
charffcs the P&ndavas, ib. ; Kama attacks
Yndnishthira in the absence of Arjuna,
826; reproaches Yudhishtlu'ra for the cow-
ardice he had imbibed from Brahmans,
ib. ; wrath of Yudhishthira at being left
wiuiout protection, ib. ; anger of Yud-
hishthira that Aijuna had been fighting
Susarman when he should have been
fighting Kama, ib. ; tounts Arjuna, ib. ;
Arjuna Uireatens to kill Yudhishthira,
but is restrained by Krishna, ib. ; recon-
ciled to Yudhishthira by Krishna, 327 ;
Bhfma attacked by Duhs&sana. ib. ; dead-
ly confiict between Bhfma and Duhsasana,
ib. ; Bhfma's address to the Kauravas.
ib. ; fulfils his vow by drinking the blooa
of Duhsa<<ana, 328; Arjuna goes forth to
fight a final battle with Kama, ib. ; the
armies stop fighting and the gods descend
from heaven, ib. ; Arjuna and Kama ad-
dress their respective charioteers, ib. ; the
battle, ib. ; a wheel of Kama's chariot
sinks into the earth, ib. ; Arjuna stays
from fighting whilst Kama tries to release
the wheel, 329 ; Krishna reminds Arjuna
of the insults to Draupadf and murder of
Abhimanyu, lb.; Arjuna slays Kama
with a crescent-shaped arrow, ib. ; tri-
umph of the Pdndavas and consternation
of the Kauravas, ib. ; flight of the Kau-
ravas, ib. ; Kripa advises Duryodhana to
conclude a treaty with the P&ndavas, ib. ;
refusal of Duryodhana, ib. ; the Kauravas
resolve to renew the battle on the morrow,
ib. ; review of the foregoing narrative of
Kama's command^ 330. (4.) Salya's com-
mand— one day, ib. : election of Salya,
ib. ; eighteenth and last day of the war,
331 ; ICauravas abstain from single com-
bats, ib. ; Salya slain by Yudhishthira,
ib. ; utter defeat of the Kauravas, ib. ;
Duryodhana conceals himself in the lake,
ib. ; three survivors, ib. ; general search
for Duryo<lbana, ib. ; the three Kaurava
warriors discover Duryodhana and pray
him to renew the battle, 332; Duryod-
hana declines and recommends conceal-
ment, ib. ; Aswatthama vainly remon-
strates, ib. ; failure of the Pandavas to
discover Duryodhana, ib. ; Bhfma's serv-
ants discover him, ib. ; the Pandavas pro-
ceed to the lake, ib. ; Yudhishthira calls
upon Duryodhana to leave the lake, 333 ;
Duryodhana prays for rest before renew-
ing the combat, ib. ; Yudhishthira rcmon-
strate.«, ib. ; Duryodhana prays the Pan-
davas to teke the Il^j and let him retire
to the desert, ib. ; 1l udhishthira refuses
to toke the Ka^' except by conquest, ib. ;
Duryodhana oficrs to fight the Pandavas
one at a time if they will fight fairly, 334 ;
Yudhishthira accepts the conditions, ib. ;
Duryodhana stipulates to fight with the
mace only, ib. ; Yudhishthira agrees, ib. ;
Duryodhana still remains in the lake, 33d;
Krishna advises Bhfma to provoke Dur-
yodhana to leave the water, ib. ; Bhfma's
irritating address to Duryodhana, ib. ;
Duryodhana offers to fight on the morrow,
ib. ; Bhfma renews his teunts and threat-
ens to drag Duryodhana out of the lake,
ib. ; Duryodhana leaves the lake in great
affliction, 336 ; laughter of the followers
of the P4ndavas, ib. ; his ghastly appear-
ance, ib. ; Yudhishthira offers nim arms
and armour, ib. ; question of who should
fight Duryodhana, ib. ; Krishna suggests
Bnfma, ib. ; Bhfma gladly assents, ib. ;
Bhfma and Duryodhana reproach one an-
other, 337 ; Balarama, brother of Krishna,
appears upon the plain, ib. ; the battle,
ib. ; desperate struggle, ib. ; Krishna ad-
yises Bhfma to commit foul play, 338;
Arjuna gives the hint to Bhfma, ib. ;
Bhfma nearly killed, ib. ; smashes the
right thigh of Duryodhana, 339 ; kicks
Duryodhana on the head, ib. ^ wrath of
Yudhishthira, ib. ; Yudhishthira strikes
Bhfma in the face, ib. ; addresses Dur-
yodhana, ib. ; Baluriima's indignation at
Bhfma's foul play, 340; Balaruma pre-
pares to slay the Pdndavas, but is pre-
vented by Krishna, ib. ; Krishna defends
Bhfma, ib. ; Balar&ma denounces Bhfma,
ib.; Krishna excuses Bhfma, ib. ; Bhfma
642
INDEX.
forgiven b^ Tudhishthira, 340 ; the P&n-
davas go with Krishna to see Duryodhana,
lb.: recriminations between Duryodbana
and Krishna, ib. ; manifestation of the
divine approval of Duryodbana, 341 ;
Krishna consoles the Panda vas and pro-
claims Yudhishthira Raja, ib. ; the P&n-
davas proceed to the camp of the Kauravas
and obtain ^eat spoil, ib. ; Yudhishthira
requests Krishna to proceed to Hastin&pur
and excuse the proceeding of himself and
brethren to the Mah&raja, ib. ; Krishna
reaches Hastin^pur on the first quarter of
the right, 342 ; interview between Krish-
na and the Mah&raja. ib. ; afiectins in-
terview between Krisnna and the H&nf
O&ndh&ri, ib. ; Krishna consoles O&nd-
h&ri by engaging that the P&ndavas should
5 rove more dutiful than the Kauravas,
43 ; O&ndhdrfs reply to Krishna, ib. ;
Krishna renews his promises, ib. ; returns
to the quarters of the Pandavas in the
' camp of the Kauravas, 344 : review of the
foregoing narrative of the last day of the
great war, ib. ; the revenge of Aswat-
th&ma, 346; review of the 'story of the
revenge of Aswatth&ma, 356 ; appearance
of the plain of Kunikshetra on the even-
ing of the last da^ of the war, ib. ; recon-
ciliation of the living and burial of the
dead, 359 ; narrative of the funeral cere-
monies on the field of battle, 363 ; diffi-
culty as regards the war lasting eighteen
daySj ib. ; narrative of the funeral cere*
momes on the field of battle — see Funeral
Ceremonies ; Vydsa, the sage, promises to
assemble the ghosts of the slain, 439 ; the
armies rcap]>car in all their pomp as when
alive, 440 ; disappearance of the dead at
the dawn, 441 ; the widows rejoin their
husbands by drowning themselves in the
Ganges, ib.
Bhfls, lesrend of the son of the Raja of, who
desired Drona to teach him archery, illus-
trative of the supremacy exercised' by the
Aryans over their aboriginal neighbours,
82 ; ancient and modem condition of the
Bhfls, ib. ; Drona refuses to teach the son
of tlic Bhfl Raja, 83 ; sorrow of the Bhfl,
ib. ; the Bhfl sets up a clay image of
Drona and learns archery by practising
before the image, ib. ; Drona contemplates
spoiling his archery, but is restrained by
his submission, ib. ; alleged Bhfl custom
of not shooting with the fore-linger, 84 ;
review of the tradition, ib. ; cause of the
alarm of the Kshatriyas, ib. ; story of the
Bhfl woman and her five sons wno were
burnt at Varanavata, 103.
Bbfma, the second Panduva, his life at-
tempted by Duryodbana, 74 ; escapes to
the city of serpents, ib. ; his great strength,
ib. ; mythical character of his escape, ib. ;
learns the use of the club from Drona, 75 ;
his club-fighting with Duryodbana at the
exhibition of arms at Hastinapur, 87 ; his
C(mtemptuous language towards Kama,
90 ; burns the house of Purochana at V&-
randvata, 102; wars against the Asuras
referred to the old wars between the
Aryans and aborigines, 106 ; story of his
encounter with Hidimba the Asura, 107 ;
carries his mother and brethren through
the great forest, 108 ; slays Hidimba, ib. ;
advances of Hidimba's sister, ib. ; marries
Hidimbi, ib. ; extraordinary honeymoon,
109 ; review of the fiction, ib. ; his fight
with Yaka, the Asura, 110; legendary
voracity, ib. ; his serio-comic preparations
for the battle. 111 ; rends Vaka asunder,
112 ; submission of the other Asuras, ib. ;
review of the fiction, 113; hb conquest
of Jarasandha, Raja of Magadhi, 162 ;
mythical character of the l^end, 164;
prevented by his elder brother Yudhish-
thira from interfering in behalf of Drau-
padf in the gambling navilion, 182 ; speaks
vehemently to Yuahishthira, ib. ; his
fearful row against Duryodbana and
Duhsasana, ib.; his interview with his
mythical brother Hanuman, son of V&yu,
190 ; proceeds to the gardens of Kurera,
the god of wealth, 191 ; his wrathful re-
ply to the insolent invitation of Duhs&sana
to the sacrifice of Duryodbana, 196; his
pursuit of Jayadratha after the abduction
of Draupadf, 201 ; drags him from his
chariot and reduces him to the condition
of a slave, 202 ; refuses to release him un-
less commanded by DraupadL ib. ; appears
in the Council-hall of Raja Vir&ta with a
ladle in one hand and a scimitar in the
other, 207; engaged as head cook, ib.;
declines to fight Jimilta until he has
satisfied his hunger, 209; devours an
enormous quantity of provisions, ib. ; great
battle with Jimuta, ib. ; dashes out his
brains, 210 ; obtains great favour from the
Raja, ib. ; fights with wild beasts in the
women's apartments, ib. ; commanded by
Yudhishthira not to interfere when Drau-
padf is afironted by Kfchaka in the Coun-
cil-hall, 212; Draupadf awakens him in
the night and demands revenge, 213; re-
bukes her, 214; explains how Yudhishthira
has in every case prohibited his interfer-
ence, ib. ; engages to punish Kfchaka, ib. ;
his battle with Kfchaka in the music and
dancing-room, 215 ; slays Kfchaka and
rolls his flesh and bones into a ball, 216 ;
hastens to rescue Draupadf from the bro-
thers of Kfchaka, 217 ; mistaken for the
Gandharva, ib. ; rescues Raja VirAta, 220; •
refers to Krishna for a reply to Duryod-
hana's challenge, 281 ; his battle with
Bhfshma on the first day of the war, 300 ;
attacked by the Raja of Magadha on the
second day of the war, 302; slays a son
of the Raja of Magadbi, 303; vaults on
an elephant and slays a second son, ib.;
slays the Raja and his elephant at a single
blow, ib.; fights Drona in the night be-
tween the fourteenth and fifteenth days
of the war, 317 ; attacked by Duhsasana,
327; deadly conflict between him and
' Duhsasana, ib. ; fulfils his vow by drink-
ing the blood of Duhs4sana, ib. ; his serv-
ants discover Duryodbana in the lake, 332 ;
INDEX.
543
Krulina adTiset him to proroke Duryod-
liana to leaTC the lake, 335 ; his irritating
addreaa to Duryudhana, ib. ; threatens to
dra^ Duryodhana out of the lake, ib. ;
Krishna suggests that he should fight
Durjodhana, 336 ; he gladly assents, io. ;
he exchanges reproaches with Duryod-
hana, 337; the battle, 338: desperate
stmgffle, ib. ; advised by Krishna to com-
mit ^ul play, ib. ; Aijuna gnres him the
hint, 339 ; nearly killed bT Duryodhana,
ib.; smashes the thigh of Durj-odhana,
ib. ; kicks Dur}'odhana on the head, ib. ;
wrath of Tudhishthira, ib. ; struck in the
fiice by Yudhishthira, ib. ; Balardma in-
dignant at hh conduct, 340 ; defended by
Krishna, ib. ; denounced by Balarama
but exciued by Krishna, ib. ; forgiven by
Yudhishthira, ib. ; his head desired by
Duryodhana, 3-18; his son's head passed
off by Aswatthdma as his own head, 3dl ;
Duryodhana crushes it in his hands and
discovers the cheat, ib. ; receives from Ar-
jnna the amulet belonging to Aswatth&ma
and gives it to Draupadf , 354 ; prostrates
himself with his brethren at the feet of
the Mah^Uaja, 361 ; Dhritar&shtra calls
for him and receives his imase instead, ib. ;
the image crushed, ib. ; the Mahdraja cm-
braces him, ib.; reproached bv the Runf
O&udh&rf for having drank the blood of
Dnhi^Uana, 362 ; his denial, ib. ; offers to
go to the city of Badravati to bring away
a horse for the Aswamcdha of Yudhish-
thira, 383 ; jealousy of Krishna that Ar-
juna was not selected, ib. ; Krishna objects
to his fondness for eating and his marriage
to an Asura wife, 384 ; retorts that Krisn-
na's stomach contains the universe, ib. ;
refers to Krishna's marriage to the daugh-
ter of a Bear, ib. ; mollifies Krishna, ib. ;
proceeds to the city of Badravati to bring
away the horse, ib. ; tantalizing trick as
re«urds eating played upon by Krishna,
386 ; complains to Krishna of the trouble-
some conduct of the women of his camp,
387; appointed General-Superintendent
of the women, ib.; jesting conversation
with Krishna, ib. ; his address to the wo-
men, ib. ; arrives at Manipura mounted
upon Oarura, 412 ; slaughters the horse
at the Aswamcdha of Yudhishthira, 431 ;
feasts the Brdhmans, 433 ; his diitputes
with the Mahdiaja, 439 ; his death, 454.
Bhfma, Raja of vidarbha, or Berar, in
the Dekhan, 480 ; proclaims the Swayam-
Tara of his daughter Damayantf, 481 ;
Sirforms the marriage rites of Nala and
amayantf, 485 ; sends Brdhmans in search
of Damayantf, 492 ; DamayantCs return,
493 ; sends Brdhmans in search of Nala,
ib.
Bhishma, his dreadful vow, 51 ; a leading
character in the Mahd Bhdrata, ib.; his
loyalty to his half-brothers, 52; carries
away the three daughters of the Raja of
Benares to be wives to Vichitra-vfrya, ib. ;
the marriage, 53 ; refuses to raise up seed
to his deceased half-brother, 54 ; educates
Dhritardshtra, Pdndu, and Vidura, 63;
entertains Drona as preceptor of the Kau-
ravas and Pdndavos, 75 ; gives his half-
sister in marriage to Drona, ib.; his ap-
pearancc at the public exhibition of arms
at Hastindpur, 86 ; proposes in Council a
division of the Raj between the Kauravas
and Pdndavas, 1 27, 137 ; refrains from
interfering when Draupadf is insulted in
the gambling pavilion, 181 ; publicly re-
bukes Duryodhana after the Pdndavas
have rescued him from the Oandharvos,
195 ; his reply in the Council to the de-
mand of the Pdndavas for the restoration
of their Raj, 2>30 ; remonstrated with by
Kama for praising Arjuna, ib. ; threatens
that Arjuna will destroy Kama, 251 ; in-
terposition of Mahdraja Dhritandshtra, ib. ;
his wrath at the proposal of Duryodhana
to put Krishna in custody, 259 ; receives
Krishna in the Council-hull, 262 ; strongly
remonstrates with Duryodhana in the
Council of Kauravas summoned to receive
Krishna, 265 ; second powerful speech in
the Council, 266 ; Duryodhana proposes
that he shall be generalissimo of tho
Kauravas and their allies in the great war,
276 ; agrees on condition that he shall not
be called upon to fight Arjuna, and that
Kama absents himself from the field, ib. ;
solemnly inaugurated as Commander-in-
Chief of the Kauravas, ib. ; frames six
rules for ameliorating the horrors of the
war, 283 ; his discourse on the duties of
Rajas, 293 ; narrative of his ten days' com-
mand, 297 ; excuses himself from fighting
for the Pdndavas, ib. ; improbability of
the story, 298; introduced to harmonize
with the speech he is said to have delivered
at Krishna's embassy, 299 ; first day of
his command, 300 ; his battle with Bhfma,
ib. ; his combat with Abhimanyu, ib.;
praises the prowess of Abhimanyu, 301 ;
his combat with Anuna, ib.; second day
of his command, 302 ; repulses the Pdn-
davas, ib.; reluctantly engages with Ar-
juna, ib.; Duryodhana complains of his
indifference, 305; he renews the battle,
but is driven back by Arjuna, ib ; his
wrath at the proposition of Duryodhana
that he should retire from the field, 306 ;
engages to defeat the Pdndavas on the
tenth day or perish upon the field, ib.;
terrible confiict with Arjuna, ib. ; mor-
tally wounded, ib. ; singular effort to
Brahmanize his character, 307 ; mythical
story that he lay for many days upon a
couch formed of arrow heads, and there
delivered some moral and religious dis-
courses, 308 ; another preposterous myth
connected with his death, ib.
Bhishmaka, Ruja of Vidarbha, his daughter
Rukminf carried off by Krishna, 475.
Bhojas, a tribe in the \ indhya mountains,
66 ; still represented by the Dhur Rnjos,
ib., note; myth that Kuntf was broup^ht
up in the house of tho Raja of the Bhojas,
93.
Bhurisrava, his combat with Sdtyaki on the
544
INDEX.
fourth day of Drona's command, 314 ;
conquers Sdtyaki and prepares to cut off
hit nead, ib. ; Arjuna interferes and cuts
off his arms, ib. ; his abuse of Arjuna, ib. ;
beheaded by Satyaki, 315.
Bikya, dauffhter of the Minister of Kutuwal,
story of, o22 ; reouests her father to give
her to a husband, 526; sports with the
daughter of the Raja in the warden, 528 ;
discovers Chandrahasna ana alters the
letter he is carrying, ib ; her marriage to
Chandrahasna, 529 ; the presents, ib. ;
surprise of her father on his return, ib.
Brahma, a period of vast duration, 413.
Brahmanas, 5, note.
Brahmanic period distinct from the Vedic
period, 5 ; characteristics of, 6 ; decay
of the Vedic religion in, 30 ; changes in
circumstances and geographical position,
ib. ; existence of a mUitaiy class and in-
Btitution of caste, ib. ; their efforts to re-
present the heroes of the Mah& Bharata
as descendants of Brahmans, 59 ; favourite
heroes of the Hindds associated with the
old national ^ods, 193.
Br&hmans, distinguished by the thread and
the title of twice bom, 32 ; religious
class indicated in the Rig-Veda, 33 ; dis-
^nguished from the military class, 35, 36 ;
extent of the separation in the Vedic age,
36 ; early ascendancy, 37 ; ancient infe-
riority to the Kshatri^as, 49 ; general
characteristics of, 79 ; distinction between
two classes of Br&hmans, vis. (1.) The
Purohita, or family priest, and (2.) The
Guru, or great ecclesiastical hMd, ib. ;
general character of their myths, 78, note ;
rigid service demanded by them, 93 ; per-
secuted the Buddhists, 103 ; try to dissuade
Arjuna from competing at the Swayam-
yara of Draupadf, lest the R^jas should be
offended, 121 ; their delight at Arjuna's
yictory, 122 ; wrath of the Rajas at being
beaten by a Brdhman, ib. ; the main in-
cident of the tradition, 129 ; cause of the
disdain in which they were held by the
Kshatriyas, ib. ; the priest originally a
hireling engaged to act for the patriarch
or Chieftain, ib. ; said to have accompanied
Arjuna during his exile, 144 ; ancient
conflict with the Scythic Nagos merged
in the later religious wars l^tween the
Brahmans and the Buddhists, 147 ; decline
of the political clement of sacrifice durine
their ascendancy, 157 ; mode by whicn
they arrogated to themselves the sole right
of officiating at the great sacrifices, 156,
note; doctrines of sacrifices, penances,
and castes overthrown by the ceformation
of Buddha, 158 ; revival of BruhmaniHm,
159 ; continued influence of Buddhism,
ib. ; Maha Bharata composed during their
ascendancy, 168 ; contemporary splendour
of the courts of the Rajas, ib.; respect
paid to the ancient sages exaggerated by
the Brahmanical compilers of the Mah&
Bhirata, 169; their ja^heers excepted
whon Yudhishthira lost his Raj, 179, note;
wars of Arjuna against the Daityas typical
of their wars against the Buddhists, 193 ;
insult inflicted upon the Br&hmans at the
festival at Prabh4sa, 446; a professional
class officiating for both Aryans and ab-
origines, 509 ; depraved privileges claimed
by, 518. 520.
Buddhism, element of, in the Mah& Bhara-
ta, 39 ; legend of a Princess and a Rsga
afflicted with leprosy, 69, note; discern-
ible in the legend of the visit of the Pan-
davas to V&nin&vata, 102; Brahmanical
persecutions, 103 ; fiction of the marriage
of Bhfma and Hidimbi, to be referred to
the period, 110; in the story of Bhfma's
fight with Vaka, 114 ; l^end of the mar-
riage of four brothers with their half-
sisters, 117; ancient conflict between the
Br&hmans and Nagas merged in the later
religious wars between the Br&hmans and
the Buddhists, 147; overthrow of the
doctrines of sacrifices, penances, and caste,
overthrown by Buddha, 158 ; presentation
of the araha at the R^asdya of Yudhish-
thira re^rred to, 171 ; conversion of the
chakra into a prayer wheel, 172; Brah-
manical revival against, 193; wars of
Arjuna against the Daity^as typical of the
wars of tne Br&hmans against the Bud-
dhists, ib. ; parable of the animals implor-
ing Yudhishthira to leave the jungle, 198;
further identification of Daityas and Bud-
dhists, 421 ; custom of ploughing the place
of sacrifice, 433 ; description in the Ma-
hawanso, 434; connection of Krishna
with, 460.
Cannibals, amongst the aborigines, 108,
111 ; in the country where human sacri-
fices arc performed, 403 ; amongst Brah-
mans and Saniascs, ib., 421.
Caste, unknown in the Vedic period, 6;
originated during the interval between
the Vedic and Brahmanic ages, 30 ; Ques-
tion of how far the establishment of the
Aryans as a conauering power was calcu-
lated to lead to the introduction of caste,
31 ; importance of the question from the
general tendency of foreign conquest to
create a caste feeling, ib. ; question of how
far the elements of an oppo>ition of classes
arc to be found in the Rig- Veda, ib.;
four castes existing in the Brahmanic ase,
viz. Br&hmans, Kshatriyas, Vaisyas, ou-
dras, 32 ; outcastes and slaves, ib. ; Br&h-
mans, Kshatriyas, and Vaisyas distin-
guished from the Sddras by the thread
and the title of twice bom, ib . ; hypothesis
that the three twice-born castes are de-
scendants of the Aryans of the Rig- Veda,
and that the Sddras are a pre-Aryan
people, ib. ; antiouity of the Pariahs, or
outcastes, ib. ; three distinct classes of
worshippers indicated in the Rig- Veda :
viz. (I.) A peaceful and religious ciaNS, the
ancestors of the Br&hmtins, 33 ; (2.) A
military cla.ss, the ancestors of the Ksha-
triyas, 34 : marks of difference between
the peaceful and the military class, ib.;
increased prevalence of animal sacrifices
INDEX.
545
when the Aryans became a eonquering
power, 34; (3.) A mercantile clam, the
aneestOTB of the Vaima, 35 ; origin of the
difference between the Brdhmans and the
Kshatriyas, ib. ; characteristics of the
Br&hmans, ib. ; characteristics of the
Kshatriyas, 36 ; extent of the separation
between the Br&hmans and the Ksnatrijas
in the Vedic age, ib. ; rise of Brahmanical
aaeendancy, 3?.
Chakra, a wheel-shaped weapon, Arjuna*8
feats with, 88 ; used by Knshna in slay-
ing SisnpiUa, 170 ; an emblem of the di-
▼ine wrath of Vishna, 1 72 ; the prayer
wheel of the Buddhists, ib., note.
Challenges, all Kshatriyas bound to accept
them, 177y 310 ; their abusiye character,
ib.
Ch4mara, an emblem of sovereiimty, 372.
ChandiUs, hired as assassins, 524.
Chandels, account of, 405, note,
Chandra, the moon, connected in the Yedas
with the soma plant, 24 ; regarded as the
mjrthieal progenitor of the great Lunar
nux of Bhdra^ ib.
Cbandrahasna and Bikya, story of, 522 ;
its romantic character, ib. ; scene laid in
the Dekhan, ib. ; allusions to temples, ib. ;
education of voung ladies in reading and
writing, ib. ; belief in the influence of the
stars Iwth upon the fortune and the phy-
siognomy, ib.
Cbandrahasna, Ri^ of, 413 ; story of, 522 ;
his birth, 523 ; preserved alive by his
nurse, ib. ; destitution of the child, ib. ;
the Rishis predict his future greatness to
the Minister of the Raja of Kutuwal, 524 ;
jealousy of the Minister, ib. ; his death
resolved upon, ib. ; escapes from the as-
sassins, ib. ; brouffht up by a Zemindar,
ib. ; brings good fortune to the Zemindar,
625 ; his conquests, ib. ; his fame reaches
the ears of the Raja and his Minister, ib. ;
iealousT of the Minister, 526 ; the Minister
leaves his office in charge of his son and
visits the Zemindar, ib. ; destruction of
Cbandrahasna resolved on, 527 ; carries a
letter from the Minister to his son, ib. ;
goes to sleep beside a garden, 528 ; dis-
covered by Bikya, ib. ; alteration of the
letter, ib. ; delivers the letter to the Min-
ister's son, 529 ; preparations for his mar-
riage with Bikya, ib. ; the marriage, ib. ;
the presents, ib. ; surprise of the Minister
on his return, 530 ; plot for the destruction
of Cbandrahasna, 531 ; sudden abdication
of the Riga in his favour, 532 ; death of
the Minister's son in the temple of Durgi.
ib. ; crowned Raja and married to the
Raja's daughter, 533 ; pays a visit to the
Minister, ib. ; tragic end of the Minister,
534 ; review of the story, ib. ; an illustra-
tion of Hindti life in the historical period,
ib.
Charioteers, low rank of, open to ques-
tion, 91 : a royal amusement, ib. ; reason
why the Brahmanical compilers threw
contempt upon charioteers, ib. ; their con-
fidential position subsequently held by the
Pnrohita. or family priest, ib. ; historical
change, ib. ; father of Kama only a carter,
92.
Ch&rv&ka, a Rikshasa disguised as a Brdh-
man, reviles Tudhisbthira at his instal-
lation as Raja, 369 ; rage of the real
Br&hmans who declare their allegiance to
Yudhishthira, 370 ; burnt to death by the
anffry eyes of the Briihmans, ib. ; story of
a later interpolation intended as a side
blow against the sect of Ch&rv&kas, 373.
Chedi, Sisupala, Raja of, legend of his death,
169.
Chitrdngada, daughter of the R%ja of Mani-
pura, her amour with Arjuna, 146 ; her
son Babhru-v&hana, ib. ; charged by Ar-
juna with unchastity, 409 ; entertains the
prisoners after the defeat of Arjuna, 410 ;
horror at hearine that her son Babbru-
v&hona has slain his father, ib.
Choitro, full moon in the month of, corre-
sponding to Easter, 385.
Circular dance of Krishna and the women
of Vrinduvana, 469.
Civilization, characteristics of the Vedic and
Brdhmanic periods, 6; patriarchal life,
8; religious rites connected with eating
and drinking, 11 ; origin of the caste sys-
tem, 30 ; priests, soldiers, and merchants
indicated in the Rig- Veda, 33 ; origin of
the difference between the Br&hmans and
the Kshatriyas, 36; rise of Brahmani<»d
ascendancy, 37 ; simple character of Hindd
historians, 41 ; excitement of a Hindil
audience, ib. ; approximate description of
Hastindpur, 43 ; amour of Dushyanta and
Sakuntald, 47; legend of the old Riga
who wanted a young wife, 50 ; horror of
celibacy, 51 ; custom of raising up sons to
a deceased kinsman, 54, 58 ; abduction of
women by the Kshatriyas sanctioned by
Brahmanical law, 57; education of the
three sous of Vishitra-vfrya, 63 ; hunting,
fondness of, 64 ; retirement of lepers, 69 ;
significance of the marriage of Dhritar-
dshtra and G&ndhari, 71 ; education of
the Kauravos and Pandavas, 75; marriaso
of a preceptor in the family of a Riga, 76 ;
Puronitas and Gurus, 78; supremacy of
the Aryans over the aborigines as exem-
plified in the story of the son of the BhQ
Raja, 82 ; barbarous practices in a primi-
tive age, 84 ; public exhibition of arms at
Hastin&pur, 85; charioteering and cha-
rioteers, 91 ; confidential position of cha-
rioteer subsequently held by the Purohita,
or family priest, ib. ; exactions of service
on the part of Brahman sages as exem-
plified in the story of Durv&sa, 93 ; dis-
ffrace attached to an unmarried mother,
94; post of Yuvanga, 97: description of
the city of Varan&vata, 100; custom of
giving presents, 101 ; Kuntf 's feast to the
poor, 102; burning a sleeping enemy
opposed to Kshatriya ideas, out familiar
to the age when the Br&hmans persecuted
the Buddhists, ib. ; ancient wars to be
found amongst the earliest traditions of
every people, 101; national traditions pre-
646
INDEX.
•erred when correspond inff to the national
religion, 105 ; remodelled by changes in
the religion, ib. ; converted into nursery
stories when the old religion has been
driven out by a new one, ib. ; striking
similarity between Hindd and European
traditions of great wars, ib. ; character-
istics of Hindd fiction, ib. ; action of nar-
rators of fictions, 107 ; horrible death of
the Asura, a barbarous fiction, 108 ; mar-
riage of an Aryan to an Asura, 109;
share of a meal given to the poor, HO ;
submission of the subjects of the Asura
Chief to Bhfma, 112 ; Hindil fondness for
children, 113; historical significance of
the story, ib. ; dintinction oetween the
Aryans dwelling in cities and the abo-
rigines of the lungle, 114 ; polyandry,
three different theories respecting its ori-
?:in, vis. (I.) Division of land amongst
amilies ; (2.) Absenteeism of some of the
brothers on pasturing expeditious ; (3.)
Scaroi^ of women amongst a military
class of foreign emigrants, 1 16 ; origin of
the Swayamvara, 117 — 9ee also Swayam-
vara ; decay of polyandry and the Swa-
yamvara, 118; Draupadi distributes the
victuals of the Pandavas at the evening
meal, 123 ; rights of the elder brother in
a polyandry marriage, 126 ; probable de-
tails m connection with the marriage of
Draupadf, 127 ; the Raja of Panch&la
S'ves a feast, at which he intends marry-
g his daughter to the best archer, ib. ;
mde merriment of the occasion, 128 ; sim-
plicity of the Rapa's daughter in moving
amongst her suitors, ib. ; exercises the
right of excluding an unwelcome suitor
from the trial, ib. ; self-possessed demean-
our of Draupadf an indication of poly-
andry, ib. ; modest appearance of damsels
in later Swayamvaras, ib. ; winning of the
prize by an apparent Brahman, the main
incident in the tradition, 129 ; cause of
the ancient disdain in which the Brah-
mans were held by the Kshatriyos, ib. ;
the priest, originally a hireling, engaged
to act for the patriarch or Chieftain, ib. ;
general commotion excited at the success
of a mendicant Brahman when the Ksha-
triyas had all failed, ib. ; the Swayamvara
and polyandry compared, 130 ; plain in-
dications of polyandry as an institution in
the narrative of events which immediately
succeeded the Swayamvara, ib. ; scene on
the arrival of the Pandavas and Draupadf
at the house of Kuntf, 131 ; Brahmanical
perversion of the words of Kuntf, ib. ;
proofs of Brahmanical interpolation, ib. ;
natural interpretation that Kuntf directed
her sons to share Draupadf amongst them,
ib. ; confirmed by the sequel of the tra-
dition, 1 32 ; acknowledgment of the right
of the elder brother to choose a wife for the
family, ib, ; Draupadf treated before mar-
riage as betrothed to all five brothers, ib. ;
arrangements for the night, ib. ; objection
of Dhrishta-dyumna, that the claim of Ar-
juua as the winner of the Swayamvara set
aside the right of Tudhishthira as eldest
brother, 134 ; primitive character of the
ancient Councils of the Kshatriyas, 137;
strange domestic life which accompanied
the institution of polyandry, 142, note ; ma-
trimonial law, ib. ; its dubious authenticity,
143 ; proofs that it is a myth, 144 ; legend of
Arj Una's elopement with Subhadra, 151 ;
proved to be a fiction. 152 ; a model Raj,
154 ; a Rajasdya, or royal sacrifice. 155--
»ee Raiasdya ; pavilions, 165 ; probable pic-
ture of the scene, 167 ; probable character
of the Rajas present at the Rajasdya, ib. ;
topics of conversation, 168 ; gambling a
special vice of the Hindds, 17o ; visits of
ceremony, 177 : gambling scene in the pa-
vilion, 178 ; Bhfma' s fearful vow against
Duryodhana and Duhsasana, 182; tradi-
tion of the Kauravas going out every three
years to mark the cattle in the pastures,
194 ; feast given by Yudhishthira after
the rescue of Duryodhana from the Oand-
harvas, 195 ; the Vrishnava sacrifice of
Duryodhana, 196 ; law against the abduc-
tion of a woman without first conquering
her husband, 200 ; story of the reduction
of Jayadratha to the condition of a slave,
202 ; difference between the tradition of
the amour of the Commander-in-Chief
and the waiting-maid and the traditions
of the house of Bharats, 205 ; Raja Vi-
r&ta engages Yudhishthira as private com-
panion and teacher of dice playing, 207 ;
jBhfma as head cook, ib. ; Arjuna as a
eunuch to teach music and dancing, ib. ;
Nakula as master of the horse, ib. ; Saiia-
deva as master of the cattle and caster of
nativities, ib. ; exhibitions of pugilism and
wrestling in the court of Raja Virata,
209 ; fighting with wild beasts in the
women's apartments, 210 ; dancing of the
Raja's daughter and other damsAs, ib. ;
ancient saying that the brother of the
Runf is always to be feared, 211 ; position
of female servants in the courts of Uindd
Rajas, 213 ; the music and dancing-room,
215 ; attempt to bum Draupadf alive with
the dead body of Kfchaka, 216 ; alarm of
herdsmen at a foreign invasion, 219 ; mirth
of the damsels at seeing Arinna putting
on armour, 221 ; they pray him to bring
home plenty of spoil, ib. ; forbearance as
regards fugitives and captives, 223 ; llaja
Virata dashes the dice at Yudhishthira's
face, 224 ; procession of damsels to meet a
victorious warrior, ib. ; idea that if blood
falls to the ground the blow must be re-
venged, 225 ; curious ground on which
Arj una declined to marry Uttard, ib. ;
character of the people in the Dark Ages
of Ilindti history, 226 ; leading characters
in the tradition of the amour of Kfchaka,
227 ; jealous fears of the Ranf of Virata
allayed by Draupadfs story of the five
Gaudharvas, ib. ; belief in the amours of
invisible demons with mortal women, 228 ;
peculiar status of Kfchaka as the brother
of the Ranf, 229; peculiar incidents in
Kfchaka's amour, 230 ; asks his sister to
INDEX.
547
■cod her waiting-maid to hit house, 230 ;
wine drank bj Hindti women, ib. ; scene
between Kfchaka and the waiting-maid
in the Council-hall, ib. ; dialogue between
the waiting-maid and the Raja, ib. ; poet-
ic jnstice in the slaughter of Kfchaka,
ib. ; distinction between the Brahmanical
idea of Satf and the slaughter of a female
fiiYourite, 231 ; cookery a royal accom-
plishment, 235 ; story of the embassy of
the family priest of Drupada to Hastina-
pur illustratiTO of the patriarchal period
prior to the age of writing, 249 ; prelimin-
ary courtesies, ib. ; the envoy requests
permission to repeat the words of the
PandaTOS, ib. ; review of the tradition of
the embassy, 251 ; embassy of San jay a to
the Pindavas, 252 ; diplomatic qualifica-
tions of Sanjava, 253 ; Krishna s public
entrance into the city of Hastin&pur, 259 ;
great Council of the Kauravas to receive
the mission of Krishna, 261 ; solemn co-
Tenant of the Chieftains of the Kauravas
before the great war, 275 ; election of a
generalissimo, 276 ; abusive character of
challenges, 280 ; six rules for ameliorating
the horrors of war, 283 ; apparently of
modem date, 284 ; disregarded in the
ffreat war, ib. ; of Brahmanical origin,
lb. ; mythical respect to elders and pre-
ceptors, 297 ; terrible slaughter in the
great war — MtfBh^rata; Kshatriyas bound
to accept challenges, 310 ; duty towards a
father, an elder brother^ and a Raja, 327 ;
drinking the blood or an enemy, ib. ;
Dhrishta-dyumna surprised whilst sleep-
ing in the quarters of the Pandavas sur-
rounded by his women, and barbarously
murdered by Aswatthdma, 349, 3^30 ; ap-
pearance of the plain of Kurukshetra on
the evening of the last day of the war,
355 ; passionate desire for revenge ex-
hibited by the surviving Kauravas, ib. ;
pleasure of gratified revenge as displayed
m the dying hour of Duryodhana, 357 ;
the five P&ndavas lay their heads at the
feet of their mother Kunti, 363 ; funeral
ceremonies for those slain in the great
war — »ee Funeral Ceremonies ; triumph-
ant procession of the Pandavas from the
plain of Kurukshetra to the city of Has-
tin4pur, 368 ; installation of Yudbishthira
— aee Installation ; sacrifice of a horse —
tee Aswamedha; obstinate refusal of the
old mother of the Raja of Badravati to
leave the house to the prey of the serv-
ants, 385 ; carried away by force to Has-
tin&pur, ib. ; tantalizing trick played by
Krishna upon Bhfma, ib. ; motley camp
of Krishna, 386 ; merriment of the crowd,
ib. ; conversntion between Draupadf and
the ladies of Krishna respecting polygamy
and polyandry, 390 ; Icave-takmg of fe-
male relations before going out to bat-
tle, 399 ; cannibalism and wine-drinking
amongst certain Br&hmans and Saniases,
403 ; extraordinary state of civilization at
Manipura, 40i ; magnificent procession,
407 ; Babhru-v&hana places hu head un-
der Arjuna*s foot, 408 ; Arjuna calls him
the son of a herdsman and a jackal, 409 ;
triumphant return of Arjuna to Hostini-
pur, 416 ; joy of the Rajas at the recep-
tion given them by Yudbishthira, 417«
426 ; oriental idea of happiness. 417 ; moxul
lesson involved in the fable or the disobe-
dient wife, 418 ; Hindd conception of a
bad wife, ib. ; custom of Hindd warriors
to take leave of female relatives before
going to battle, 419 ; ladies present at the
Aswamedha of Yudbishthira, 429 ; the
gambling match of Nala and Pushkara,
485 ; refusal of Nala to take refuge in the
house of his wife's father, 488 ; terrible
night attack of wild elephants upon a
caravan, 490 ; position of Damayantf in
the palace of the Raja of Chodi, ib.
Club-hghting between Duryodhana and
Bhfma at the public exhibition of arms at
Hastinapur, 87; interference of Droua, ib.
College, at V4randvata, 101.
Cookery, a royal accomplishment, 235,
note.
Council, Hall of, at Hastinapur, 43 ; pri-
mitive character of, 137 ; inferiority of
the speeches to those in Homer and Thu-
cydides, ib. ; scene in the Council-hall at
llastiniipur, ib. ; curious scenes in the
Council-hall of Raja Virata, 209, 212 ;
great Council of the P&ndavas and their
allies at the marriage feast of Abhimanyu
and Uttara, 242 ; Council of the Kauravas
summoned to receive the envoy from Raja
Drupada, 249 ; Council of the Pandavas
to receive Sanjaya, the envoy of Maharaja
Dhritardshtra, 2^32 ; Council of the Kau-
ravas summoned to receive the return
messages brought by Saniaya from the
Pandavas, 254 ; Council of the Kauravas
summoned to receive the mission of Krish-
na from the Pandavas, 261 ; Council at
Hastinapur preliminary to the great war,
275 ; ma^ificent hall at Manipura, 405 ;
golden pillars, artificial birds, luminous
gems, artificial fishes, torches of sandal
wood, ib. ; review of the description, 423.
Daityas, of the sea, mythic wars of Arjuna
against, 192 ; their chariot horses of the
colour of peacocks, ib. ; historical signi-
ficance of the myths, ib. ; wars of Arjuna
typical of the wars of the Bruhmans
against the Buddhists, 193 ; fly to the
islands of the sea, 404 ; their houses burnt
by Arjuna, ib. ; further identification with
the Buddhists, 421 ; their wars against the
Devatas, 510 ; their priest Sukra, ib. ;
their efforts to slay Kanju, the pupil of
Sukra, ib. ; the Rnja's daughter pushes
Dcvayanf into a well, 512 ; anger of Sukra,
513 ; alarm and humiliation of the Raja,
514 ; opposition between the Daityas and
Duvatd!>, 519 ; expression of the opposition
in the Rig-Veda, ib. ; subsequent con-
version of the traditionary wars into myth-
ical wars of gods and demons, ib. ; con-
fusion in the application of the terms
Daityas and Dov4tas, ib.
548
IND£X.
Damayantf, the beautiful daughter of Bhf ma,
Raja of Vidarbha, 480 ; her love for Nala,
ib. ; induced by the swan with golden
wings to think of no one but Nala, 481 ;
her melancholy, ib. ; proclamation of her
Swayamrara, ib. ; aascmblinff of the Rajas,
ib. ; visited by Nala, 482 ; refuses to choose
any husband but Nala, 483 ; Nala remon-
strates, ib. ; her hdelitT, ib. ; the day of
the Swayamrara, ib. ; she enters the Hall,
ib. ; each of the four gods assumes the
form of Nala, 484 ; her perplexity, ib. ;
her prayer, ib. ; the gods grant her prayer
and reveal themselves in tncir true forms,
ib. ; she discovers Nida and gives him the
garland, ib. ; Nala's vow to ner, ib. ; the
marriage, 485 ; grives birth to a son and a
daughter, ib. ; alarmed at the gambling
match between Nala and Pushkara, 486 ;
retires from the Hall, 487 ; summons the
charioteer, V&rshneya, and sends her chil-
dren to her father's house at Vidarbha,
ib. ; depeuts with Nala into the jungle,
ib. ; refuses to go to her father's house un-
less Nala will accompany her, 488 ; aban-
doned by Nala in tlie jungle, 489 ; her
anguish, ib. ; the great serpent, ib. ; the
huntsman, ib. ; joins a caravan, 490 ;
pleasant encampment, ib. ; terrible night
attack of wild elephants, ib. ; alarm of the
merchants, ib. ; she escapes, ib. ; her piti-
ful appearance in the city of Chedi, ib. ;
invited into the pilace by the mother of
the Raja, ib. ; takes service under condi-
tions, 461 ; becomes companion to the
Princess Sunand&, ib. ; her father Bhfma
sends Brahmans in search for her, 492 ;
discovered by Sudeva the Br&hman, ib. ;
identified by a mole as the niece of the
mother of the Raja of Chedi, 493 ; re-
turns to her father's house at Vidarbha,
ib. ; her joy at seeing her children, ib. ;
her anxiety for Nala, ib. ; her directions
to the Brdhmans sent in search of Nala,
ib. ; suspects that she has found Nala,
494 ; directs Sudeva to inform Raja Ritu-
parna that she was about to celebrate a
second Swavamvara, ib. ; recognizes the
driving of Nala, 496 ; fails to recognize
him as Vahuka, 497 ; sends her maid
Kesinf to Vdhuka, ib. ; sends for a portion
of the meat which Nala had cooked, 499 ;
sends her children to Nala, ib. : permitted
to receive him in her own room, ib. ; the
interview, ib. ; her fidelity testified by
Vayu, 600 ; the reconciliation, ib. ; happy
reign of Nala^ 601.
Dark Ages of Hmdil history, 226 ; character
of, ib.
Dawn, the, personified. See Ushas.
Deities, Ycdic, 8 ; confusion in the personi-
fications, ib.
Devaki, daughter of Devaka, married to
Vasudcva, 462 ; Raja Kansa threatens to
slay her on her wedding day, ib. ; Vasu-
deva engages to deliver up her children
to Kansa, ib. ; birth of ^alarama, ib. ;
birth of Krishna, 463.
DcvaUis, their wars against the Daityas,
610 ; their priest Vrihasnatf, ib. ; opposi-
tion between them and the Daityas, 619 ;
expression of the opposition in the Rig-
Veda, ib. ; subsequent conversion of the
traditionary wan into mythical wars of
gods and aemons, ib. ; confusion in the
application of the term, ib.
Devay&nf, legends of, 608 ; character of, a
contrast to that of Damayantf, ib. ; her
fiither a tjrpe of the modem Br&hman pre-
ceptor, ib. ; the stOTy to be referred to the
Brahmanic age, 609 ; refusal of Kanju to
marryher,610; cursesKanju,611; pushed
into a well by 8armishth&, 612 ; delivered
from the well by Raja Tay&ti, ib. ; refuses
to return to the city of the Daityas, 613 ;
refuses to be comforted, ib. ; the Raja of
the Daityas promises that 8annLshth& shall
be her servant, 614 ; goes with Sarmishthi
and her maidens to the well, 616 ; approach
of R^ja Yaydti, ib. ; requests Yay&ti to
marry her, 616; urges tnat he espoused
her when he delivered her from the well,
ib. ; the marriage, 617 ; departs with Ta-
y&ti to his own city accompanied by Sar-
mishth&, ib.; her wrath at hearing that
8armishth4 had given birth to a son, ib. ;
discovers that Yay4ti is the father of Sar-
mishth&'s children, 618 ; returns to her
father's house, ib. ; review of the legends,
619 ; opposition between the Devatds, or
Aryans, and the Daityas, or aborigines,
ib. ; friendship between the Brdnman
S receptors of tribes who were at enmity,
20 ; mythical detail representing the T&-
davas as descendants of Yay&ti and Sar-
mishthi, ib.
Dharma, a personified virtue, the mythical
father of Yudhishthira, 71.
Dhaumya, engrsged to be family priest to the
Pdndavas, 119; one of the sacred cooks
at the Rajasdya of Yudhishthira, 166 ;
accompanies the Paudavas in their exile,
184 ; exclaims against Jayadratha for car-
rying away Draupadf without having first
conouered her husbands, 201 ; assists in
the burning of the dead upon the plain of
Kurukfchctra, 364 ; performs the inaugur-
ation ceremonies for Raja Yudhishthira,
370 ; squeezes milk out of the horse's ear
at the performance of the Aswamedha,
431 ; unmeaning allusions to his appear-
ance at the Aswamedha, 436.
Dhrishta-dyumna, brother of Draupadf, con-
ducts his sister into the area at her Sway-
amrara, 120 ; proclaims the conditions
of the Swayamvara, ib. ; recites the names
and lineage of her suitors, ib. ; follows
Dniupadf after her Swayamvara to the
house of the Pdndavas and discovers that
they are Kshatri^as, 124 ; objects to the
marriage of his su»ter to the five Panda-
vas, 126 ; objections overruled, ib. ; objects
that the claim of Arjuna as winner at the
Swayamvara set aside the right of Yud-
hishthira as elder brother, 134 ; appointed
f generalissimo of the P&ndavas, 277 : so-
emnly enthroned, ib. ; vows to slay Drona
in revenge for the slaughter of hia father
IKDEX.
549
Dmpada, 316 ; turpriaed by Aswatth&ma
'whiLit sleeping in tne quarten of the P4ii-
daTM and barbarouuy murdered, 350 ;
lus charioteer hastens to the Kaurara camp
to inform the PandaTas, 352.
Dhritar&shtra, the blind, birth o^ 64; le
god of his early life, 63 ; set aside from the
ij on account of his blindness, ib. ; suc-
ceeds to the throne on the retirement of
P&ndn, 64 ; marries Oundh&ri, 65 ; his
sons known as the Kauravas, ib. ; kindly
recciTes the widow and sons of his brother
Pandu, ib. ; significance of his marriage,
74 ; his monogamy as opposed to the poTy-
ffamy of his predecessors, 72 ; directs
l)rona to prepare for a public exhibition
of arms in behalf of the Kauravos and
F4ndaTas, 86 ; his appearance at the ex-
hibition, ib. ; appoints Yudhishthira to be
YuTaraja, 97 ; remonstrances of Duryod-
hana, ib. ; offers to diyide the administra-
tion, but refuses to divide the lands, 98 ;
permiadcd by Duryodhana to send the
randaTas to the city of Varandvata, ib. ;
sends the P&ndavas to the countiy of
Khdndara-prastha, 139; prevailed on by
Durvodhana to invite the P4ndavas to a
gambling match, 176 ; his sudden appear-
ance in tno gambling pavilion, 182 ; apo-
logises to Draupadf for the affronts put
upon her, and bids her return with ncr
husbands to Indra-prastha, ib. ; recalls
the P&ndavas in consequence of the re-
monstrances of Duryodhana, 183 ; his
ilaughter DuhsaU married to Jayadratha,
Kaja of Sindhu, 202 ; summons a Council
to receive the envoy from the Pundavas,
249; tries to appease Bhfshma and Kama,
and declares in favour of peace, 25 1 ; sends
his mimster and charioteer Sanjaya on an
embany to the Pandavas, ib. ; ms message
to the Piadavas, 253 ; receives privatclj
the replies sent by the Pdndavas, 25G ; his
anxious night conversation with Vidura,
ib. ; summons a CouncU of the Kauravas
to receive the messages sent by the Pan-
davas through Sanjaya, ib. ; agreement
impossible, ib.; remonstrates with Dur-
yodhana on his proposal to put Krishna
m custody, 259 ; nts reception of Krishna
in the Council hall, 262 ; requests Krishna
to counsel Duryodhana, 265 ; advised bj
Krishna to arrest Duryodhana and his
three aUies, 268 ; summons the Hanf
Gandharf into the Council, ib. ; mythical
character of the mission of Krishna, 271 ;
affecting interview with Krishna afler the
slaughter of his sons in the great war,
342 ; proceeds with all the women of his
household to the plain of Kurukhhctra,
354; interview with the three surviving
warriors of the Kaurava armies, ib. ; at-
tempts to reconcile him with the Punda-
vas, 359 ; mythical efforts of Krishna and
Yvisa, ib. ; impossibility of a real rccon-
ciuation between parents and the mur-
derers of their sons, ib. ; want of family
sympathy on the part of the Brahmanical
compilers, 360 ; his interview with the
Pdndavas on the day after the war, ib. ;
necessity for a feigned reconciliation, ib. ;
his real feelings on the occasion, 360 ; nar-
rative of tho reconciliation, ib. ; the Pan-
davas, accompanied by Krishna, come out
to meet him, ib. ; prostrate themselves at
his feet, 361 ; calls for Bhfma and receives
his image instead, ib. ; crushes the image
to pieces in his wrath against the murderer
of his sons, ib. ; repents the deed and
weeps, ib. ; undeceived by Sanjaya, ib. ;
embraces the five Pandavas in turn, ib. ;
the reconciliation, ib. ; orders the funeral
rites of the Kauravas to be performed,
364 ; narrative of the installation of Yud-
hishthira as Raja under the nominal
sovereignty of himself as Maharaja, 368 ;
Yudhishthira requests the BrAhmans to
accept his rule, 372 ; story of the exile and
death of Dhritarashtra, 438 ; his bitter dis-
putes with Bhima, 439 ; he departs with
the Ranf Odndh&rf and Kuntf to tlie
jungle on tho Ganges, ib. ; visit of the
Pandavas, ib. ; Vyasa the sage assembles
the ghosts of all who were slain in tho
ffreat war, ib. ; horrible death of the Ma-
haraja and all his household in a jungle
fire, 441.
Dice. See Gambling.
Dinajpur anciently a land of fable, 233.
Draupadf, daughter of Kaja Drupuda, im-
portant story of her marriage with tho
five Pandavas, 115; her beauty, 118 ; tho
Pandavas resolve to attend her Sway-
amvara, ib. ; conducted into the area by
her brother Dhrishta-dyumna, 120 ; pre-
vents Kama from engaging in the com-
petition, 121 ; acknowledges Arjuna to bo
visitor, 122 ; led away by Arjuna and his
brethren, ib. ; postponement of the mar-
riage, 123 ; diatributes the provisions at
supper in the place of Kuntf, ib. ; followed
by her brother to the hut, 124 ; married
to tho five brothers in the order of their
ages, 126 ; probable details of the real
incident, 127 ; her self-possessed demean-
our, 128 ; myth that in a former birth sho
prayed five times to Siva for a good hus-
band, 133 ; her strange domestic life, 143,
note ; her interview with Arjuna after his
exile, 152 ; reconciled to Subhadra, ib. ;
the wives of the Pandavas jealous of her
beauty, 177 ; staked by Yudhishthira at
the gambling match at Hastinapur, 180 ;
Duryodhana sends for her to sweep tho
rooms, ib. ; question of whether she was
fairly lost, as Y'udhishthira was a slave
when he staked her, ib. ; refuses to go to
the pavilion, 181 ; dragged in by Duhsa-
sana, ib. ; vainly appeals to Bhfshma and
Drona, ib. ; the Pandavas forbidden by
Yudhishthira to interfere, 182 ; insulted
by Duhsasana and Duryodhana before
all the assembly, ib. ; apologies of the
Maharaja, 183 ; her terrible vow, 184 ;
familiar with the idea that wives were
occahionally lost or won at gambling
matches, ib. ; myth of Duhsasana trying
to strip her, but prevented by Krishna,
550
INDEX.
185, note; senftational picture of her de-
parture into exile, 186 ; visited by Jaya-
dratha, Raja of Sindhu, in the absence of
her husbands, 199 ; her couTersation with
the Chieftain sent b^ Javadratha, ib. ; her
proffered hospit^ities, 200 ; her rage at
the wicked proposals of Jayadratha, ib. ;
her curses and threats, ib. ; she is carried
off by main force, ib. ; abandoned by Ja-
yadratha, who tries to escape from the
FandaTas, 201 ; her wrath at the clemency
of Yudhishthira, ib. ; returns to the hut
with Yudhishthira, ib. ; orders the release
of Jayadratha, 202 ; her appearance be*
fore the R4nf of Virdta, 207 ; the Hanf
objects to her beauty, 208 ; her story of
her five Oandharvas, ib. ; engaged as a
waiting-maid by the Ranf, ib. ; stipulates
that she shall not be required to wash feet
or eat the victuals which have been loft
by others, ib. ; tranquil life, ib. ; attracts
the attention of Kfchalca, 211 ; sent by the
R&nf to bring a cup of wine from his
house, ib.; prays to the Sun for succour,
ib. ; affronted by Kfchaka, 212 ; escapes
from the houitc and runs to the Council-
hall, ib. ; rebuked by Yudhi^ihthira, ib. ;
appeals in vain to the Ranf, ib. ; awakens
Bhfma in the night and demands revenge,
213 ; bitterlv complains of the insults sne
has received from the Kauravaa, Jaya-
dratha, and Kfchaka, ib. ; complains of
the low occupations of her husbands in
the court of liaja Virdta, ib. ; complains
of her position as the favourite maid-serv-
ant of the Ruja, 214 ; rebuked by Bhfma,
ib. ; her delight at the prospect of obtain-
ing revenge, ib. ; Kfchaka pays a second
visit and threatens to carry her away, ib. ;
his lavish offers, ib. ; engages to meet him
at midnight in the music and dancing-
room, 21o ; her joy at his being slain by
Bhfma, 216 ; telU the watchmen that ho
has been sluin by the Oandharvas, ib. ;
brothers of Kfchaka prepare to burn her
alive on his funeral pile, 217 ; her screams
for succour, ib. ; Bhfma hastens to her
rescue, ib. ; returns to the palace and
causes great alarm, ib. ; enters the music
and dancing-room and manifests her anger
against Arjuna, 218 ; led bv the damsels
into the presence of the llanf, ib. ; their
conversation, ib. ; universal terror, 221 ;
proposes that Arjuna should drive the
chariot of Uttar against the Kauravas,
ib. ; catches the blood that fell from Yud-
hishthira's nose, 224; mythical character
of her personation as a maid-servant, 23-5 ;
extraordinary arrangement of her hair in
consequence of her vow, 236 ; question-
able beauty, ib. ; alleged refinement of her
manners, ib. ; myth that the Sun god
preserved her from the indignity of a kick,
z37 ; complains to Krishna of Yudhish-
thlra's undue love of peace, 2o7 ; comfort-
ed by Krishna, ib. ; sleeping in the camp
of the Kauravas on the night when her
five sons were slain by Aswatthama, 350 ;
sent for by Yudhishtmra, 353 ; decries the
idea of her husbands ruling as Rajas, ib. ;
consoled by Yudhishthira and Krishna,
ib. ; prays tor revenge upon Aswatthama,
ib. ; Yudhishthira represents to her that
Aswatth&ma is the son of a Brahman, and
that revenge must be left to Vishnu, ib. ;
she persists in having an amulet belonging
to Aswatthama, ib. ; Arjuna deprivea As-
watth&ma of the amulet and gives it to
« Bhfma, who consoles Draupadi and eirea
it her, upon which she transfers it to
Yudhishthira, 354; her affecting inter-
view with Kuntf, 363 ; consoled by O&nd-
h4rf, ib. ; seated upon the tiger's skin
with Yudhishthira at his instulation as
Raja, 371 ; her conversation with the wives
of Krishna respecting polygamy and poly-
andry, 390 ; acknowledges the miraculous
interference of Krishna in the gambling
pavilion, ib. ; accompanies her husbands
to the Him&laya mountains in the garb
of a devotee, and dies, 454.
Dream of Yudhishthira that the animals
implored him to leave the jungle, 198;
portentous dreams of Raja Kansa, 472.
Drona, the Brdhman preceptor of the Kau-
ravas and Pandavas, his arrival at Ha»-
tinapur, 75 ; educates the princes on
condition that thej afterwards fi^ht the
Raja of Panchdla, ib. ; marries Knpd, the
half-sister of Bhfshma, ib. ; question of
whether he was a Brahman or a Kshatri-
ya, 76 ; his son Aswatth&ma, 77 ; efforts
of the JBrahmanical compilers to represent *
him as a Brahman who officiated as Puro-
hita, or family priest, ib. ; more probably
a Kshatriya, ib. ; absurd myth respecting
his birth, 77, note; interpretation of the
myth, ib. ; legend of the son of the Bhil
Ruja, 82 ; fiocking of sons of Ruias to
Hostinapur to learn archery from Drona,
83 ; he refuses to teach the son of the Bhfl
Raja. ib. ; the Bhfl sets up a clay image
of l)rona and learns archery by practising
before the image, ib. ; Drona contemplates
spoiling the Bnfl's archery, but is restrained
by his submission, 84 ; review of the tra-
dition, ib. ; requested by Mahariga Dhri-
tarashtra to hold a public exhibition of
arms, 86 ; appears at the exhibition w^ith
his son Aswatthama, 87 ; interferes in the
club fighting between Duryodhana and
Bhfma, ib. ; causes the war against Dru-
pada. Raja of Panehala, 9*5 ; significance
of the division of the Raj of Panehala, 96 ;
probably the brother of Drupada, ib. ; re-
frains from interfering when Draupadf is
insulted in the gambling pavilion, 182 ;
remonstrates with Duryodhana in the
Council of Kauravas summoned to receive
the embassy of Krishna, 265 ; frames six
rules for ameliorating the horrors of the
war, 283 ; excuses himself from fiffhting
for the Pandavas, 297; improbability of
the story, 298; introduced to harmonise
with the speech he is said to have delivered
at Krishna's embassy, 299 ; narrative of
his five days' command, 309 ; his election,
ib. ; first day of his command, ib.; his
INDEX.
ool
efforts to take Tudhishtbira prisoner
frustrated by Krishna and Arjuna, 309;
second day of bis command, 310 ; nearly
anoceeds in taking Yudhishtbira prisoner,
ib. ; draws up the army of the KauraTas
in the form of a spider's web, ib. ; fourth
day of his command, 314 ; cuts off the
heads of Vir&ta and Drupada, 316;
Dhriahta-dyumna rows to slay him in
revenge for the death of his father Dru-
pada, ib. ; Bhlma fijghts him untU sunrise,
317 ; fifth day of his command, ib. ; com-
bat with Dhrifihta-dyumna, ib. ; is over-
come by means of a lie, ib. ; rejoicings of
the Pdndavas and sorrow of the Kauravas,
ib. ; TOW of his son Aswatthama to revenge
his death, ib. ; review of his death. 320 ;
mythical details, ib- ; extraordinary ac-
count of a lie inadvertently told by Yud-
hishtbira, 321 ; dies in the character of a
Brahman Yogi, 322; escape of his soul
through his skull, ib.
Drupada, Kaja of Panchala, his probable
relationship to Drona, 78, tiote ; war
against him, 95; defeats the Kauravas,
but is defeated by the Pdndavos, ib. ; di-
yision of his territory, ib. ; significance of
the l^end respecting the division of his
Ri^, 96; probably the brother of Drona,
ib.; geographical position of his Raj, ib. ;
his humiliation at his daughter bcin^ won
by a Br&hman, 124 ; learns from his son
that the supposed Brahmans arc Kshatri*
yas, ib. ; sends his Purohita as envoy to
the Pandavas and invites them to his pa-
lace, ib. ; his ^rand reception of the Pan-
davas, 125 ; his joy at hearing their birth
and lineage, ib. ; his daughter married to
the five Pandavas, 126 ; becomes the lead-
ing ally of the Pandavas after the thir-
teenUi year, 239 ; sends his own priest as
envoy to the Kauravas, 245 ; story of the
embtussy, 249; slain and beheaded by
Drona on the fourteenth day of the great
war, 316 ; his son Dhri^htandyumna vows
to revenge his death, ib.
Duhsalii, daughter of Mah&raja Dhrita-
r&shtra, married to Jayadrathu, Kaja of
Sindhu, 202; story of, 414 ; her dead son
miraculously restored to life by Krishna,
ib.
Duhs&sana plots with his elder brother
Duryodhana to dispos-sess the Pandavas
of tneir Raj, 175; drags Draupadf into
the gambling pavilion by her hair, 181 ;
insults her before the assembly, 182 ;
danced for joy when Duryodhana won the
Raj of the Pandavas, 183 ; Bhfma vows to
drink his blood, 184 ; myth of his trying
to strip Draupadf, but preveuted by Kiitth-
na, 185, note ; insultingly invites the Pan-
dayas to the sacrifice of Duryodhana, 196 ;
mild answer of Yudhishtbira and wrathful
reply of Bhfma, ib. ; warns Dur>'odhana
in the Council of the Kauravas that unless
he submits to the Pdndavas the elders
will deliver him up to Yudhiiihthira, 26xS ;
joins in the plot for seising Krishna, 269 ;
joins in the slaughter of Abhimanyu, 312;
VOL. I.
his deadly conflict with Bhfma, 327 ; Bhf-
ma drinks his blood, 328.
Durga, temple of, 531.
Durvasas, the sage, curses Sakuntali, 47:
his irascibility, 48 ; his visit to the house
of the Raja of the Bhojas, 93 ; Kuntf ap-
pointed to wait upon bun night and day,
lb. ; dutiful service of Kuntf, ib. ; he offers
her a boon, ib.; teaches her a mantra
which will bring any good to her, 94 ; vi-
sits Dwaraka with two other Rishis, 443.
Duryodhana, the eldest son of Dhritar&sh-
tra, attempts to take the life of Bhfma,
74 ; mythical character of the legend, ib. ;
his jealousy of Arjuna, 75 ; his cTub-fight-
ing with Bhfma at the exhibition of arms
at Uastinapur, 87 ; creates Kama a Ruja,
90 ; leads him away, ib. ; rivalry with
Yudhishtbira for the post of Yuvaraja,
97 ; his jealousy at the appointment of
Yudhishtbira, ib. ; remonstrates with
Maharaja Dhritardshtra, ib. ; refuses the
Maharaja's offer to divide the administra-
tion, 98 ; stipulates for a division of the
land which is refused, ib. ; persuades the
Mahdraja to send the Pandavas to the
city of Varanavata, 99; his plot to burn
the Pdudavas at Varanavata, 101 ; story
of his jealous wrath at the llajasuya of
Yudhishtbira, 172 ; his surprise at the
marvels of Indra-prustha, ib. ; mistakes a
square of crystal for real water, 173 ; ex-
cites the mirth of the Pandavas, ib. ; strikes
his head against a false door, ib. ; the story
borrowed from the Koran, ib. ; plots with
Duhsasana and Sakuni to dispossess the
Pandavas of their new ICaj, 175 ; proposals
to invito the Pandavas to a gambling
match, ib. ; prevails on his father Dhritar-
&shtra to send the invitation, 176; lays
the stakes whilst his uncle Sukuni pluys
the game, 178 ; wins Draupadf, 180 ; sends
for her to sweep the rooms, ib. ; (question
of whether she was really won, ib. ; his
servants fail to bring Draupadf, 181 ; his
brother Dubsasana drags her into the pa-
vilion, ib. ; bis outrage upon Draupadf,
ib.; the Maharaja appears and commands
the Pandavas to depart, 183 ; remonstrates
with the Maharaja, ib. ; represents the
unpardonable nature of the affront which
hud been put upon the Pandavas, 186 ;
story of his capture by the Gandharvus,
194; his insolence, 195; rescued by the
Pandavas, ib. ; his mortification, ib. ; his
resentment at being publicly rebuked by
Bhfshma, ib. ; his jealous desire to per-
form a Kujasiiva sacrifice, 196 ; disqualified
whilst the Maharuju and Yudhit>hthira
are alive, ib. ; prepares to perform a Vaish-
nava sacrifice, ib. ; the sacrifice, 197 ; di-
verse opinions of his friends and enemies,
ib. ; returns to his palace in a great pro-
cession, ib. ; congratulations of Kama,
ib. ; review of the tradition, ib. ; agrees
to a war against the Raja Virata, 219 ;
invades the southern quarter, 220 ; de-
feated by Arjuna, 222 ; his efforts to win
over Krishna to the side of the Kauravas,
36
552
INDEX.
246 ; his arrogance in the palace of Krish-
na, ib. ; remonstrates with Krishna for
speaking to Arjuna first, 247; elects to
have Krishna's army, ib. ; Balar&ma de-
clines to join either side, ib. ; advised by
Yidura to give a grand reception to
Krishna in his capacity as ambassador,
258 ; commences the preparations, ib. ;
told by Vidura that the reception will be
useless unless he is prepared to restore the
five Tillages to the Pandavas, ib. ; aban-
dons his preparations and proposes putting
Krishna in custody, 2^39 ; remonstrances
of the Maharaja, ib. ; wrath of Bhf(*hma,
ib. ; refuses to go out with the others to
receive Krishna, ib. ; his haughtiness to-
wards Krishna, ib. ; offers a splendid en-
tertainment to Krishna, which is refused,
260 ; spurns the Council of Krishna, 265 ;
exasperated by the remonstrances of
Bhfshma, ib. ; remonstranoes of Drona
and Vidura, ib. ; further remonstrances
of Bhishma, 266 ; his indignant speech to
Krishna, 267 : rebuked by Krishna, ib. ;
warned by Duhsasana that unless he
submits to the P&ndayas the elders will
deliver him up to Yudhishthira, 268 ; ab-
ruptly leaves the assembly, ib. ; Krishna
advises his arrest, ib. ; tne R4n( Oand-
h&rf sends for him and remonstrates with
him in the presence of the Council, ib. ;
leaves the Council hall and plots with
Sakuni, Duhsasana, and Kama to seize
Krishna, 269^; Krishna reveals himself to
him as the Supreme Being, ib. ; holds a
Council at Hastiniipur, 275 ; solemn cove-
nant of the Chieftains on the side of the
Kauravns, ib. ; entrenches all his forces
on the plain of Kurukshptra, ib. ; pots of
snakes and scorpions, 276 ; proposes that
Bhfshma should be generalissimo, ib. ;
dismisses Kukmin on account of the ex-
travagance of his pretensions, 278 ; sends
a kinsman with a challenge to the Pan-
davas, 2^0 ; language of "the challenge,
ib. ; replies of Krishna and Arjuna, 282 ;
his son slain by Abhimanyu, 303 ; attacks
Abhimanyu, who is rescued by Arjuna,
ib. ; complains of the indifference of Bhfsh-
ma, 305; complains to his Chieftains of
his want of success, ib. ; proposes to Bhfsh-
ma that he should retire, 306 ; approves
of the plot for taking Yudhishthira pri-
soner, 310 ; reproaches Drona for not
having succeeded, ib. ; his efforts to pro-
tect Jayadratha, 314; reproaches Drona
for not having murdered the Pandavas
whilst they were sleeping, 316; requests
Salya to drive Kama's chariot, 324 ; as-
sures Salya of his respect and ranks him
with Krishna, 327 ; refuses the advice of
Kripa to conclude a treaty with the Pan-
davas, ib. ; utter defeat of the Kauravas,
331 ; fiies from the plain and conceals
himself in a lake, ib. ; general search for
Duryodhana, ib. ; discovered by the three
surviving Kaurava warriors and invited
to renew the contest, 332 ; declines and
recommends concealment, ib. ; Aswattha-
ma vainly remonstrates, ib. ; failnre of the
P^davas to discover him, ib. ; found out
by Bhfma's servants, ib. ; Yudhishthira
calls upon him to leave the lake, 333 ; he
prays for rest before renewing the contest,
lb. ; offers the Kin to the Pajadavas, that
he may retire to the desert, ib. ; refusal of
Yudhishthira to obtain the Raj from him
except by conquest, 334 ; offers to fight
the P4ndavas one at a time if they will
fight fairly, ib. ; the conditions accepted,
ib. : stipulates to fight with the mace only,
335 : Yudhishthira agrees, ib. ; still re-
mains in the lake, ib. ; taunted by Bhfma,
ib. ; offers to fight on the morrow, ib. ;
Bhfma threatens to drag him out of the
lake, ib. ; laughter of the followers of the
P&ndavas, 336 ; his ghastly appearance,
ib. ; Yudhishthira offers him arms and
armour, ib. ; question of who should fight
him, ib. ; Krishna suggests Bhfma, lo. ;
Bhfma gladly assents, ib. ; Bhfma and
Duryodhana reproach one another, 337 ;
the battle, 338 ; desperate struggle, ib. ;
nearly kills Bhfma, 339 ; his thigh smashed
by Bhfma, ib. ; kicked by Bhfma on the
head, ib. ; Yudhishthira's speech to him,
ib. ; indignation of Balar&ma at Bhfma't
foul blow, 340 ; recriminations between
Duryodhana and Krishna, ib. ; refers to
the goodness of his government, 341 ;
manifestation of the divine approval of his
conduct, ib. ; left woimded and alone on
the plain of Knrukshetra, 347 ; visited by
Aswatth&ma, Kripa, and Krit4varman,
ib. ; appoints Aswatth4ma to the chief
command and directs him to bring the
head of Bhfma, ib. ; left by the three
warriors, 348 ; return of the three warriors
after the revenge of Aswatth&ma, 351 :
deceived by Aswatth^ma, who parses off
the heads of the sons of the Pandavas as
the heads of the fathers, ib. ; his temporary
exultation, ib. ; takes the head of Bmma's
son and discovers the deception by crush;*
ing the skull, 352 ; reproaches Aswatthima
for the murder of the innocent sons, ib. ;
his death, ib. ; pleasure of gratified revenge
as exhibited in his last moments, 357 ; ac-
customed in early days to try his strength
upon an image of Bhfma, 361, note ; la«>
mentations of his mother Oandh^rf over
his body, 364 ; his widow places his head
upon her lap, ib,
Dushvanta, story of his amour with Sakun-
talu, 47 ; historical form of the tradition,
48.
Dwiipara, a personification of the Dwipara
age, 485, noU ; Kati plots with him for
tne destruction of Nala, 486.
Dwdraka, legend of its destruction, 443;
wickedness and profanity of the people,
ib. ; visit of the three great Rishis, ib.;
trick played by the young men upon the
Rishis, ib. ; threats of the Rishis, 444 ;
their departure, ib. ; Krishna issues a
proclamation against wine, ib. ; fearful
apparition, ib. ; great wind, ib. ; portent-
ous increase of rats and owls, ib. ; evil
INDEX.
553
omeiiB tnd ffenenl deprayity, 445 ; pro-
clamation of Krishna that the people
should go and worship at Prabh&sa, io. ;
apparition of a black woman, ib. ; jewels
and weapons carried off by evil spirits,
ib. ; the people permitted to drink wine
at the festival at Prabhfiiia, 446 ; general
conririality, ib. ; the tumult and mas-
sacre, 447 ; Arjuna arrives at the city,
449 ; Amend ceremonies of the slain, 4/)0 ;
the city overwhelmed b^ a cyclone, 451 ;
review of the narrative, ib. ; nature of the
inundation, 453.
Education by Bhfshma of the three sons
raised up to Vichitra-vfrya, 63; by
Drona'of the Kauravas and Pandavas. 75 ;
practice in the use of the spear, club, bow,
and sword, ib. ; taming horses, ib. ; astro-
nomy, ib.; other pursuits, 76; Arjuna
engaged as a eunuch by R^ja Kirata to
teach music and dancing, 207 ; young
ladies taught reading and writing, 622.
Ekachakr&f city of, 110; identified with
Arrah, 114.
Embassy, description of the miction of the
ftmily priest of Drupada to Hastinapur,
249; Council summoned to receive the
envoy, ib.; the Br&hman reouests per-
mission to repeat the words of the Pan-
davas, ib. ; review of the tradition, 251 ;
return embassy of Sai^aya to the P4nda-
ras. 252.
Exhibition of arms, public, at Hastin&pur,
85 ; resemblance to a tournament, ib. ;
three rarieties of^ viz. : (1.) The exhibi-
tion proper, ib ; .(2.) The Swayamvara,
ib. ; (^.) Professional pugilism and wrest-
ling, lb. ; narrative of the exhibition of
arms at Hastin^pur, 86 ; space set apart
on the great plain, ib. ; the galleries, ib. ;
morning of the exhibition, ib. ; |rallerics
adorned with flags and garlands, ib. ; the
multitude, ib. ; the blind Mah&rajn, ib. ;
^e chieftains and ladies, ib. ; the feats of
arms, 87 ; wonderful exploits of Arjuna,
88 ; sudden appearance of ICama, 89 ; his
exploits, ib. ; pugilism and wrestling in
the court of Raja Vir&ta, 209.
Fetische worship, connection of Krishna
with, 460. 466.
Fiction, HindiS, characteristics of, 105 ; popu-
larity of, 106 ; historic value of, ib. ; in«
terest to be dirided between the stories
and the audiences to whom they arc re-
lated, ib. ; action of the narrator in
heightening the interest, 107 ; connected
with the Bhfma's combats with the Asu-
ras, ib.; improbabilities of the story,
109; to be referred to the Buddhist period,
110 ; pathetic description of the family of
a Brihman who were required to fumiflh
a human victim to Vaka the Asura, 111 ;
serio-comic preparations of Bhfma for
doing battle against Vaka, ib. ; disap-
Enntment and wrath of the Asura. 1 12 ;
hfma rends Vaka asunder, ib. ; submis-
sion of the rabjects of Vaka, ib. ; painful
realism of the narrative, 1 12 ; masterly
stroke of genius in the introduction of tho
Brahman s infant son, 113; intense de-
light of a Hindd audience at the irritat-
ing proceedings of Bhfma, ib. ; value of
the twelve fictions connected with the
loosening of the horse in the Aswamedha
of Yudbishthira, 394 ; adventures of the
horse — see Horse.
Filial obedience of Kama towards his aged
father, 90.
Fire, god of, 9 — tee Agni; horrible character
of a conflagration in the jungle, 443.
Funeral ceremonies, narrative of those per-
formed for the slain in the great war,
363 ; sad procession of tho women to the
plain of Kurukshetra, 364 ; the women sit
by the dead bodies of their husbandn, ib. ;
lamentations of Odndh&rf over her son
Duryodhana, ib. ; lamentations of tho
widows, ib. ; performance of the funeral
rites for the slain, ib. ; collection of ma-
terials for the burning, ib. ; dead bodies
of the Kajos recognized by their chariot-
eers, 365; burning of the Rajas of the
flrst rankf ib. ; burning of the remaining
bodies, ib. ; bathing in the Ganges and
sprinkling of water, ib. ; death of the
chief wife of Kama, 366 ; review of the
narrative, ib. ; refers to an ante-Brah-
manic period, ib. ; no reference to Sati
nor satisfactory allusion to tho Brdhmans,
ib.
Gambling, a special vice of the HindiSs,
175; Uindil traditions of its disastrous
results, ib. ; specialities of Hindii dice,
ib. ; skill as well as chance brought into
play, ib. ; ancient game of coupun with
cubic dice, 176 ; modem gr&nio of pasha
with oblong dice, ib. ; legend of the great
gambling match at Hastin&pur, ib. ; un-
scrupulous skill of Sakuni, ib. ; Duryod-
hana prevails on his father DhritaraNntra
to invito the Pdndavas to a match, ib. ;
reluctance of Yudbishthira, 177 ; the Pan-
davas arrive at Hastinapur, ib. ; morning
of the match, 178; the Pdndavas proceed
to the pavilion, ib. ; Sakuni challenges
Yudbishthira to a game at dice, ib, ;
Duryodhana lays tho stakes whilst Sakuni
plays, ib. ; picture of the gambling match,
ib. ; losses of Yudbishthira, 179 ; question
of whether Draupadf was really lost, 180 ;
insults committed upon Draup.idf before
the whole a<isombly, 182 ; Bh{ma*s fearful
vow, ib. ; sudden appearance of the Ma-
hdroja, ib. ; departure of the Pdndavas,
183 ; Pdndavas rco-illed and play a second
game, ib. : exile of tho Pdndavas, ib. ;
affecting character of the tradition, 184 ;
its truthfulness to human nature as mani-
fested by a primitive but high-spirited
race, ib. ; wives not unfrequeutly lost and
won at Kshatriya gambling matches, ib. ;
sensational character of the scene, 185 ;
Yudbishthira engaged as teacher of dice-
playing to R^ja Virdta, 207 ; the Raja
dashes the dice at his face, 224 ; ideas of
fair play, 243 ; gambling match of Nala
554
INDEX.
•nd Po«hkara, 486; not regarded u a
Tice, 60o; comparuon of the ffambling
match of Nala with that of Yndhish-
thira, ib.
0&ndh4ra, country, name of, still preserred
in Kandahar, 71.
G4ndharf, daughter of the Raja of 04nd-
hiira, marries Mah4raja Dhritar&Bhtra, 65 ;
blindfolds herself on hearing that he was
blind, ib. ; her sons named Kauravas,
ib. ; significance of her marriage, 71 ;
absurd myth respecting the birth of her
tons, 72, note ; Mummoned by the Mahi-
raja to the Council of the KauraTas, 268 ;
sends for Duryodhana and remonstrates
with him in the presence of the Council,
ib. ; aficcting interview with Krishna
after the slaughter of her sons in the great
war, 342 ; Krithna consoles her by engag-
ing that the P&ndavas will prove more
dutiful than the Kauravas, 343 ; her
reply, ib. ; Krishna renews his promises,
344 ; her affecting interview with the
P4ndavas, 362 ; Yudhishthira*8 excuses,
ib. ; her resignation, ib. ; she reproaches
Bhfma for having drank the blood of
Duhsiisana, ib. ; his denial, ib. ; sends the
P&ndavas to their mother Kuntf, ib. ;
piously consoles Draupadf, 363 ; accom-
panies the sad procession of the women to
the plain of Kurukshetra, 364 ; her la-
mentations over her son Duryo<lhana, ib. ;
departs with the Mahriraja and Kuntf to
the jungle on the Ganges, 439 ; his death,
441.
Oandharvas, their form of marriage, 48 ; slay
the cldcbt son of Raja S^ntanu, 52, 54
capture Duryodhana and Knma, 194
later concej)tion of them as ghosts, 20«3
Draupadf represents her five husbands
an Gandharva.<t, 208 ; rumour that they
had hlain Kfchakn, 216 ; great commotion
in the city of Viratn, ib. ; Dhfma mis-
taken for one, 217 ; difficulties regarding,
228; a Hill tribe Rubsequently converted
into cehrhtinl beings, 228.
Gundfva, the mythical bow of Arjuna, 266,
note.
GangoH, river,. Bnid to have borne children
to KnJA Siintanu, 50, note; bathing in,
and 8])rinkling with water a part of the
funeral ceremony, 365 ; the locality of
the retirement of the Mahrirnja, 439.
Garura, a bird, the vehicle of Krishna as
Vihhnu, 412.
Gautama, Hon of Gotama, the mythical
father of Kripa and Kripa, 78, note.
Gayatri, the, 23 idifTcrcnt translations of, ib.,
note.
Generalissimo, election of, prior to a war,
276.
Geographical identification, difficulties in
the wjiy of, 62, note ; in the story of
Raja Virata, 232.
GhostH, conception of the Oandharvas as,
205 ; the Pandavas act up a dead body
in a place of burning to guard their wea-
pon**, 206 ; religious ideas connected with,
226 ; belief in their amours, 228 ; the re-
ligions belief of the aborigines, 239.
Goknlm, encampment of the T&davas there,
461.
Govarddhana mountain, worshipped hj the
Y&davas instead of Indra, 467 ; indra
sends down rain to wash away the country,
ib. ; Krishna renders the mountain fiery
hot, and raises it over the people like an
umbrella, ib.
Gurus, or ecclesiastical heads, correspond-
ing to hereditary Bishops, 79 ; the heads
of the sects, 80 ; their eodesiastical visita-
tions, ib. ; their spiritual powers, ib. ;
their temporal powers, 81 ; their non-
existence amongst the ancient Kshatriyas
proved by the mythical character of the
traditions which refer to them, ib. ; their
garbling of the Mah& Bh&rata, 82.
Hanuman, the monkey demigod, mythical
son of V4yu, 190 ; his interview with his
alleged brother BhCma, ib. ; his super-
natural shrinking and swelling, ib.
Hastin, son of BharaU, 47.
Hastindpur, near the modem Delhi, the
opening scene in the Mah4 Bh&rata, 42 ;
significance of the site as an outpost of
the Aryans, ib. ; approximate description
of, 43 ; the city, ib. ; the palace, ib. ;
the Council hall, ib. ; the Raj, ib. ; coun-
tnr to the south and east a land of fable,
56 ; scarcity of women at, 57, note ; ex-
hibition of arms at, 86 ; mythical character
of all legends referring to localities at a
distance, 100 ; triumphant entry of the
P&ndavas after the great war, 368 ; tri-
umphant return of Arjuna with the horse
in the Aswamedha of Yudhishthira, 416;
Parfkshit, son of Arjuna, obtains the Raj,
453.
Hidimba, the Asura, Bhfma fights and slays
him, 108.
Hidimbi, sister of Hidimba, marries Bhfma,
109 ; extraordinary honeymoon, ib.
Homa, displaced animal sacrifices, 159 ;
offering of, at the installation of Raja
Yudhishthira, 371 ; offering of, combined
with the sacrifice of the horse, 426 ; in-
troduced as a Brabmanical sacrifice, 427 ;
performance of, 430 ; religious merit
acquired by, 435.
Horse, twelve adventures of, after the
loosening in the Aswamedha of Yud-
hishthira, 396 ; first adventure : carried
away by the son of a Raja by the counsel
of one of his thousand wives, ib. ; restored
through the mediation of Agni who had
married the Raja's daughter, ib. ; un-
meaning character of the story, ib., note;
second adventure : legend of the dis-
obedient wife who was transformed to a
rock, 397 ; third adventure : legend of
the Raja and the cauldron of boiling oil,
399; recovery of the horse by Arjuna,
400; fourth adventure: horse transformed
into a mare, ib. ; mythical character of
the story, ib., note; fifth adventure:
horse enters the country of the Amazons,
ib. ; sixth adventure : horse enters a
IXDEX.
555
country where men, women, and animals
grow upon trees, 402 ; men with blanket
ears, 403 ; monsters, ib. ; human sacri-
fices, ib. ; seventh adventure: horse en-
ters the country of Manipuru, 404 ; eighth
adventure : horse enters the city of Kat-
napnra, 412 ; ninth^dventure : the horse
enters the Raj of Chandrahasa. 413;
tenth adventure: the horse enters the
sea beyond the northern mountain, ib. ;
elevenUi adventure : the horse enters the
R^i of Jayadratha, 414 ; twelfth adven-
ture: triumphant return to Hastindpur,
416 ; review of the twelve adventures,
417; locality of the adventure in Muu-
nipore still pointed out by the Mun-
niporees, 425; later adventures connected
with Krishna, 426 ; narrative of the sac-
rifice oi—tee Aswamedha.
Horse, sacrifice of. See Aswamedha.
Horses, taming, taught by Drona, 7o.
Hot Season, warred against by the Raja of
the Rain, 464 ; assembling of the clouds
in battle array, 466; flight of the Hot
Season, ib.
Human sacrifices. See Naramedha.
India, importance of its history, 1 ; dis-
tinction between the history of British
administration and the history of the
Hindds, ib. ; difficulties in the way of
apprehending the latter, 2; the Mah4
Bharata and RUmdyana indispensable to
a knowledge of the Hindus, 3 ; European
M^norance of the Hindils, ib., note ; in-
fluence of the Maha Bharata and Rdmd-
vana upon the masses, 4 ; vast interval
between the age in which the events
occurred and the age in which they are
recorded, 6 ; distinction between the
Yedic and Brahmanic periods, ib.
Indra, conception of, as the god of rain, 8 ;
characteristics of, 14; attributes of a
human hero superadded to those of the
god of the firmament, ib. ; frequently
addressed in familiar terms, ib. ; par-
tiality for strong drink, ib. ; hymned as
the discoverer of the soma, lo ; spirit-
ualized into a personified idea of the
firmament, ib. ; the hero of the Aryans
and foe of the aborigines, ib. ; character
of the Vedic hymns addressed to him,
ib. ; invocations to him in his human
capacity, ib. ; invocations to him as the
Supreme Being, 16 ; myth of his being
the father of Arjuna, 71 ; myth that the
five Panda vas were five ludras, 134 ; the
idly of the Ndgas or serpent^, 141; Ar-
juna and Krishna fight against him, ib. ;
interpolation of the myth, ib. ; appears to
Ariuna and directs him to propitiate the
god Siva, 191 ; propitiated by the flesh of
the horse at the Aswamedha 5f Yudbish-
thira, 431 ; opposition of Krishna, 460 ;
great feast at Vrindavana in honour of,
467 ; Krishna counsels the Yadavas to
transfer the worship of Indra to the
Oovarddhana mountain, 467 ; Indra in
his wratii tends down rain to wash away
the country, ib. ; frustrated by Krishna,
ib. ; worships Krishna as the Supreme
Lord, 468 ; informed by Narada of the
Swayamvara of Damayantf, 481 ; sets off
for the Swayamvara, 482 ; renders Nala
invisible, ib. ; laughs at the wrath of
Kali, 485.
Indra-prastha, remains of the ancient city
of, between Delhi and the Kutub, 141 ;
flourishing Rig of the Panda vns, 154 ;
descends to Yuyutsu, son of Dhritarushtra,
453.
Installation of Raja Yudhishthira, 368 ; tri-
umphant procession from the plain of
Kurukshetra to the city of Hastinapur,
ib. ; arrival of Yudhishthira at the palace,
369 ; worship of the family gods, ib. ; dis-
tribution of gifts to the Brdhmans, ib. ;
enthronement of the Ruja facing the east,
370; ceremony performed by Dhaumya
the Brahman, ib. ; symbolical rites, ib. ;
pots of water from the sacred rivers, ib. ;
high place prepared for sacrifice, 371 ;
Yudhishthira and Draupadf seated upon
the tiger's skin, ib. ; offering of the homa,
ib. ; the five purifying articles poured
upon Yudhishthira and Draupadf, ib. ;
pots of sacred water poured over the pair,
lb. ; music sounded, ib. ; bards and eu-
logists chaunt the praises of Yudhish-
thira, ib. ; description of the umbrella
and chamara as ensigns of royalty, 372 ;
doubtful authenticity of the details, 374 ;
apparent origin of the various cere-
monies, ib. ; description of the cercniuuies
performed as given in the Agui Purana,
375, note.
Isaiah, his denunciations of the Mosaic
ritual, 158, note.
Islands of the sea, inhabited by Daityas,
404 ; story of the old Rishi who inhabited
one, 413.
Jdmbavat, the Bear, Krishna's marriage to
his daughter, 38 i ; carries off" the jewel
from Prasena, 476; gives his daughter to
Krishna, ib.
Janamejaya, his sacrifice of snakes, 46,
note.
Jariisandha, Raja of Magadhd, conquered by
Blifma, 162 ; mythical character of the
legend, 161, note; makes war against
Mathura, and is defeated by Kn!»hua,
475 ; marches an army of barbarians
against Mathura, ib. ; retreat of Krishna
and the Yadavas to the city of Dwaraka,
ib.
Jayadratha, Raja of Sindhu, visits Draupadf
in the absence of her husbands, 199 ; falls
in love with her, ib. ; sends a Chieftain
to inquire her name and lineage, ib. ;
enters the hut, 200 ; his wicked pro-
posals, ib. ; carries her away in his chariot
by main force, 201 ; pursued bv the Pan-
da vas, ib. ; abandons Draupadf and seeks
to escape, ib. ; Yudhishthira's clemency,
ib. ; Bhfma drags him from his chariot
and makes him a slave, 202 ; Draupadf
orders his release, ib. ; review of the tra-
656
INDEX.
dition, 202 ; already married to Duhsali,
ib. ; preyents the r&ndayas from rescuing
Abhimanyu from the spider's web, 312 ;
Arjuna yows to slay him before sunset on
the morrow, 313; cowardly attempts to
withdraw from the field, ib. ; fierce strug^
gle to reach him, 314 ; desperate conflict
with Arjuna, 315; Arjuna cuts off" his
head before sunset, ib. ; adyenture in his
lUg of the horse in the Aswamedha of
Yudhishthira, 414; story of his widow
Duhsald, ib. ; his dead son miraculously
restored to life by Krishna, ib.
Jimilta proyes his superiority in pueilism
and wrestling in the court of Raja Virata,
209 ; trouble of the Raja that none of
his own wrestlers could oyercome him,
ib. ; great battle with Bhfma, ib. ; Bhfma
whirb him round by the legs and dashes
him against the ground, ib. ; his death, ib.
Jungle, Bhfma*s honeymoon in, 109 ; dear-
ing of, by Aryan colonists, 140; changes in
the scenery, 189 ; occasional tempests,
ib. ; humble character of a conflagration,
442.
Kali, the personification of the Kali age,
485 ; his wrath at finding that Nala was
chosen by Damayantf, ib. ; his threat, ib. ;
not to be confounded with the goadcss
Kalf, ib., note; plots with Dwapara for
the destruction of Nala, 486 ; takes pos-
session of Nala, ib. ; brings about a gam-
bling match between Nala and Pushkara,
ib. ; tempts Nala to desert his wife in the
jungle, 489.
K&lidasa, his drama of •* Sakuntala," 48.
K&mpilyu, the citv of Raja Drupada, 119.
Kanju, son of Yrihaspatf and pupil of
Sukra, his love passages with Devayanf,
510 ; delivered by Sukra from the wrath
of the Daityas, ib. ; refuses to marry
Devay^nf, 511; exchaDges curses with
her, ib.
Kansfl, Raja of Mathura, deposed his father
Ugrasena, 461 ; threatens to slay his
cousin Devakf on her wedding day, 462 ;
Yasudeva engages to deliver up her
children, ib. ; his efforts to secure the
infant Krishna, ib. ; seizes the supposed
daughter of Devakf who escapes to
heaven, 463 ; slaughters the worshippers
of Vishnu and the male children, ib. ;
Nanda and the cowherds bring tribute,
ib. ; sends demons to slay Krishna, 464 ;
performs a sacrifice to the god Siva in the
city of Mathurd, 469 ; orders the death of
Krishna and Balarama, 471; slaughter
of his fighting men, ib. ; his restlessness,
472 ; his portentous dreams, ib. ; orders
his Ministers to prepare an arena for the
exhibition of wresUers, ib. ; assembly of
the Raja and his people, ib. ; adventures
of Krishna and Balardma with his great
elephant, 473 ; orders the slaughter of
Krishna and Balarama, and the arrest of
Ugrasena, Vasudeva, and Devakf, 474;
Krishna rises up and fights him, ib. ; his
death, ib. ; his R&nis perform the funeral
rites for him, ib.
Kanwa, the sage, the putatiye father of
Sakuntald, 47.
Kapila, city of, 117> note.
Kama, the son of a charioteer, his sndden
appearance at the exhibition of arms at
Hastinipur, 88; exultation of Duryod-
hana and mortification of Aijuna, 89;
challenges Arjuna to single combat, ib. ;
mutual abuse, ib. ; Drona calls upon
Aijuna to fight him, ib. ; Kripa inter-
poses to prevent the bittle, ib. ; created a
Riga by Duryodhana, 90 : appearance of
his aged father, ib. ; his filisl reverence,
ib.; Bhfma*s contemptuous language to-
wards him, ib. ; combat prevented by the
approach of night, ib. ; led away bj
Duryodhana, ib. ; question respecting his
birth, ib. ; his faUier not a charioteer but
a carter, 92 ; question whether Durjrod-
hana really created him a Raja, ib. ;
legend of ms being the son of Kunti by
the Sun god, ib. ; floated as a babe to the
country of Anga, 94 ; brought up by a
charioteer, ib. ; object of the myth, 95 ;
associated with the later Rajas of Anga,
ib. ; enters the lists at the Swayamyaraof
Draupadf and strings the now, 121 ;
Draupadf prevents his competing on
account of the lowness of his birth, ib. ;
his appeal to the Sun, 121 ; captured by
the Gandharvas, 194 ; congratulates Dur-
yodhana on his performance of a Yaish-
nava sacrifice, 197 ; his vow to slay
Aijuna, ib. ; remonstrates with Bh&hma
for praising Arjuna in the Council of the
Kauravas, 250 ; his message to the| P&n-
davas, ib. ; threat of Bhfshma that Ar-
juna will conquer him, 2^31 ; interposition
of the Maharaja, ib. ; plots with Duryod-
hana to seize Krishna, 269 ; invited by
Krishna to join the P4ndavas, 270 ; re-
fuses to desert Duryodhana or to take a
position where Arjuna would appear as
his superior, ib. ; his parting with Krish-
na, 271 ; Bhfshma stipulates that he
absent himself from the great war, 276 ;
he agrees so long as Bhfshma is alive, ib. ;
engages to slay the Pandavas if Bhfshma
will retire from the command, 306 ; his
five days of command in the great war,
323 ; the election, ib. ; first day, ib. ; in-
decisive struggle, ib. ; Kama engages to
slay Aijuna, ib. ; second day of his com-
mand, desires that Salya would drive his
chariot, ib. ; sneers of Salya at his birth,
324 ; driven by Salya against Arjuna,
325 ; evil omens, ib. ; contention with
Salya respecting the prowess of Arjuna,
ib. ; refers to tne depraved customs of
the people of Madra, ib. ; charges the
P&ndavas, ib. ; attacks Yudhishthira in
the absence of Arjuna, 326; reproaches
Yudhishthira with the cowardice he had
imbibed from Brihmans, ib. ; Arjuna
goes forth to a final battle against him,
328; the armies stop fighting and the
gods descend from heayen, ib. ; his ad-
INDEX.
557
dren to his charioteer, 328 ; the hattle,
ib. ; a wheel of hii chariot sinks into the
euth, ib. ; slain by Arjuna with a cres-
cent-shaped arrow, ib. ; review of the
narratiTe of his command, 329 ; seven
mythical circumstances connected with
atild battle, 330, note ; sorrow of Arjuna
and Tudhishthira at his death, 365 ;
kindness of Yudhishthira towards his
widows, children, and dependants, ib. ;
deaUi of his chief wife, 366.
n, the modem Benares, three daughters
of the Raja carried off by Bhfshma, 52 ;
their marriage to Vichitra-vfrya, 63;
suspicious character of the story, 55 ; dis-
tanoc from Hastinapur, ib. ; name of, pro-
bably'interpolated, 56.
Kaoravas, sons of Mah&raia Dhritardshtra,
birth of, 65 ; absurd myth respecting their
birth, 72, note; main incidents in their
•ariy life, 73 ; narrative of their jealousies
of the Pandavas, 74: their education. 75 ;
defeated by Drupada, Raja of Panch&la,
d6 ; increasmg ill blood between them and
the P&ndavas, 97 ; their plot to bum the
Pindavas at y&ran4vata, 101 ; their alarm
at the marriage of the P&ndavas with the
daughter of Kaja Drupada, 127, 136 ;
jealousy of their wives at the beauty of
DraupadT, 177 ; tradition of their going
out into the jungle to mark the cattle,
but really to spy out the P4ndava8^ 194 ;
capture of Duryodhana and Kama by
the Gandharvas,^195 ; stipulation as re-
gards the thirteenth year of the exile of
the Pandavas, .205; their proceedings
during the thirteenth year of the exile,
219; fail to discover the P&ndavas, ib.;
spies bring the news of the death of Kfch-
aka, ib. ; approve the proposal of Susar-
man to invade the Raj of Virata, 219;
plan, of campaign, ib. ; they discover Ar-
,juna and discuss whether the thirteenth
year is really over, 222 ; defeated by Ar-
juna, ib. ; authenticity of the campaigns
of Duryodhana and Susarman disproved,
233 ; hold a great Council to receive the
envoy from Raja Drupada, 249 ; pre-
liminary message of the Pandavas, ib. ;
their demand for the restoration of their
Raj, 250 ; reply of Bhfshma, ib. ; Kama's
wrathful remonstrances with Bhfshma for
praising Arjuna, ib. ; Kama's message to
the Pandavas, ib. ; Bhfshma threatens that
Arjuna will conquer Kama, 251 ; inter-
position of Maharaja Dhritar^lshtra, ib. ;
embassy of Sanjaya to the Pandavas, 252 ;
summoned to a Coimcil to receive the re-
turn messages brought by Sanjaya, 256 ;
the elders coimsel peace whilst the young
men clamour for war, ib. ; mission of
Krishna, 256 ; question as to the recep-
tion of Krishna, 258 ; they all go out to
meet him excepting Duryodhana, 259 ;
great Council at Hastindpur to discuss the
mission of Krishna, 261 ; plot to seize
Krishna, 269 ; mythical character of the
mission of Krishna, 271 ; march to the
plain of Kurukshetra, 274; separated from
the Pdndavas by a lake, 277 ; interchange
of challenges with the P4ndavas, 279,
280 ; repulsed on the third day of the war,
305 ; Bhfshma renews the battle, in which
they are driven back by Arjuna, ib. ;
disheartened at not conquering the Pdn-
davas, ib. ; Drona on the second day of
his command draws them up in the form
of a spider's web. 310; general outcry
against the cowardly Chieftains who slew
Abhimanyu, 312 ; reproach Arjuna for
interfering in the combat between Bhuris-
rava and Satyaki, 314 ; their grief on tho
death of Jayadratha, 315 ; their sorrow on
the death of Drona, 317 ; their grief at
the death of Duhsdsana, 327 ; consterna-
tion at the death of Kama, 328 ; their
flight, 329 ; resolve to renew the battle on
the morrow, ib. ; eighteenth and last day
of tho great war, 331 ; they abstain from
single combats and charge only in com-
panies, ib. ; their utter defeat, ib. ; their
camp plundered by the Pandavas, 341 ;
said to have ascended to the heaven of
Indra because they died fighting bravely,
355 ; passionate desire of the survivors for
revenge, ib. ; ghosts of the slain assem-
bled from tho river Ganges by Vyasa the
sage, 440 ; the widows drown themselves
in the Gauges and rejoin their husbands,
441.
Kesinf, maid servant of Damayantf, sent to
Nala, 497 ; her interview with Nala, ib. ;
perceives his divine powers, 498.
Knandava-prastha, country of, migration
of the Pandavas to, 138 ; myth of the burn-
ing of tho forest of, 140 ; remains of the
ancient city of Indra-prastha, 141 ;
flourishing liuj of the Pandavas, 154.
Kfchaka, brother of the Ranf of Raja Vi-
rata, his commanding influence, 210 ; pre-
vails with the Ranf to send Draupaclf to
his house, 211; affronts Draupadf, 212 ;
follows her to the Council hall. ib. ; Ruja
Virata refuses to interfere, ib. ; pays a
second visit to the Ranf, 214 ; threatens
to carry away Draupadf, ib. ; makes lavish
offers to Draupadf, ib. ; Draupadf en-
gages to meet him at midnight in tho
music and dancing-room, 215 ; his im-
patience, ib. ; proceeds to the music and
dancing-room and is seized by Bhfma,
ib. ; the buttle, ib. ; slain by Bhfma and
rolled into a ball, 216 ; Draupadf spreads
the report that he has been slain by the
Gandharvas, ib. ; his brothers prepare to
bum Draupadf alive with his dead body,
ib. ; Bhfma rescues her, 217 ; flight and
death of the brethren, ib. ; storj' of, dis-
connected from the mythical references
of the Pandavas, 226 ; review of, ib. ; his
character, 229; poetic justice in his
slaughter, 230.
Kripa, an adopted son of Raja Santanu,
represented as the son of Gautama, 78,
note ; rebukes Kama, 89 ; advises Dur-
yodhana to conclude a treaty with the P4n-
davas, 329 ; with Aswatthdma and Krita-
Tarmani the only surviving warriors of the
558
INDEX.
KauraTa armies, 331 ; the three Tisit the
wounded Duryodhona on the plain of
Kurukshetra, 347 ; remonstrates with
Aswatthima on his design to break at
night into the camp of the P&ndavas, 348;
fofiows Aswatth&ma to the camp of the
P&ndavas, 349 ; guards the gateway with
Kritavarman whu>t Aswatth^ma goes in-
side, ib. ; return of the three warriors to
Duryodhana, 351 ; their flight, 3d2.
Krip4, wife of Drona, 76 ; represented as
the daughter of Gautama the Br&hman,
78, fwie,
Krishna, object of the Brahmanical com-
Eilers of the Mahd Bh&ruta to promulgate
is worship, and to connect his history
with that of the house of Bh^rata, 67 ;
contrast between the historical traditions
of Krishna and the mythical fables re-
specting Vyasa, ib. ; garbling of the tra-
dition*), 68, note ; his mediation in behalf
of the P&ndavas at the Swayamyara of
Draupadf, 122 ; its mythical character,
135 ; myth of his hunting with Arjuna in
the forest of Kh&ndava-prastha, 140; ap-
Searancc of the god Agni, who desires to
eyour the forest, ib.; fights against
Indra, 141 ; interpretation of the m^th,
ib. ; receives Arjuna with great rcioicmgs
at Dwarakd, 150 ; gives a ^reat feast on
the Raivataka mountain, ib. ; perceives
that Arjuna has fallen in love with his
sister Subhadri, and promises to give her
in marriage, ib. ; suggests an elopement,
151 ; wrath of his brother Balarama, ib.;
remonstrates with Balarama, ib, ; the
marriage, 152 ; legend proved to be a fic-
tion intended to cover his own criminal in-
timacy with his sister, 153 ; counsels
Yudhishthira as regards the Kajasiiya,
162 ; mythical conquest of his ancient
enemy Jara^andhn, llaja of Mogadhd, ib. ;
mythical character of the story, 16i;
significance of the assertion that he washed
the feet of the Bruhmans, 166, 169; re-
ceives the argha, 170 ; wrath of Sisup^la,
ib. ; cuts off the head of Sisupala with his
chakra, ib. ; saves the Kajasuva, ib. ; con-
formity of the incident with the tradi-
tions of the Yadavas, and not with those
of the house of Bhdrata, 171 ; presenta-
tion of the aigha referred to the Bud-
dhist period, ib. ; reason why the Yadava
tradition of the death of Sisupala is
^aftod on to the Kshatriya tradition,
lb. ; the legend a religious myth repre-
senting the opposition of Vishnu to Siva,
172; the chakra an emblem of divine
wrath of Vishnu, ib. ; myth of his mira-
culously preventing Duhsdsana from
stripping Draupadf in the gambling booth,
185, note i questionable character of his
subsequent association with the Pdndavas,
241 ; his speech at the Great Council,
242 ; speech of his kinsman Satyakf, 243 ;
his second speech, 245 ; mythical charac-
ter of the details which associate him
with the Pandavas, 246 ; mythical efforts
of Duryodhana and Arjuna to win over
Krishna to their respective rides, ib. ; ex-
cuses himself to Duryodhana for speaking
to Arjuna first, 247 ; promises to drive the
chariot of Arjuna in the forthcoming war,
248 ; improbability of the legend, but re-
ligious significance of the myth, ib. ; his
reply to the messa^ sent by the Mahi-
raja through Sanjaya to the P&ndavas,
2o4 ; his misrion to the Kauravas, 266 ;
legend of the misrion, 257 ; Yudhishthira
applies to him for counsel, ib.; offers to
go as ambassador to Hastin&pur, 257 ;
comforts Draupadf, ib. ; bathes and wor-
ships the sun and fire, ib. ; proceeds to
Hastin4pur, 258 ; sends on messengers to
announce his arrival, ib. ; Yidura coun-
sels Duryodhana to give him a grand re-
ception, ib. ; great preparations com-
menced by Dur^'odhana, ib. ; Duryodhana
resolves to put him into custody, 259 ; re-
monstrances of the Mahdraja, ib. ; enters
the city and is received by idl the Kau-
ravas excepting Duryodhana, ib. : haughti-
ness of Duryodhana towards him, ib. ;
rerides in the house of Vidura where
Kuntf is dwelling, ib. ; affecting inter-
view with Kuntf, ib. ; comforts her with
the assurance that her sons will conquer,
260 ; virits Duryodhana, ib. ; refuses to
partake of the entertainment prepared by
buryodhana, ib. ; declares that mere can
be no frienddiip between them unless
Duryodhana comes to terms with the
P&ndavas, 260; returns to the house of
Vidura and declines all other invitations,
261 ; explains to Vidura the reason of his
coming to Hastinapur, ib. ; reverence
paid to him by the people of Hastinapur,
lb. ; proceeds to the great Council of the
Kauravas, 262 ; his reception by the
Muh&nija and Bhfshma, ib. ; his speech
before the Council, ib. ; reply of the
Maharaja that he had better advise Dur-
yodhana, 265 ; his advice to Dur}'odhana,
ib. ; Duryodhana's indignant speech to
him, 267 ; he rebukes Duryodhana, ib. ;
advises the Maharaja to arrest Duryod-
hana and his three allies, 268 ; reveals
himself as the Supreme Being, 269 ; re-
assumes his humanity and takes his leave
of the Maharaja, ib. ; returns to the house
of Vidura and takes leave of Kuntf, ib. ;
invites Kama to join the P&nuavas, 270 ;
his parting with ICama, 271 ; returns to
the r&ndavas and desires them to prepare
for war upon the plain of Kurukshetra,
271 ; legend of the embassy to be treated
as a myth, ib.; marked difference between
Krishna as a hero and as an incarnation
of the Supreme Being, 272 ; suspicious
character of the legend as a representa-
tion of the actual relations between the
Kauravas and P&ndavas, ib. ; proceedings
of the alleged embassy irreconcilable with
the myth that Krishna made over his
army to Duryodhana, ib. ; turbulent
character of tlie Council at Hastinapur
indicative that the myth beloTies to the
Krishna group of legends, ib. ; legend of
INDEX.
559
the humiliation of his brother-in-law
Rukmin, 279 ; his mythical reply to the
challenge sent by Duryodhana, 282 ; his
mythical dialogue with Arjuna known as
the Bhagavat-Ofta, 293 ; his mythical
dialogue with Yudhishthira on the first
day of the war, 301 ; assists Aijuna in
protecting Yudhishthira against Drona,
309 ; consoles Arjuna after the slaughter
of his son, Abhimanyu, 312 ; comforts
Subhadrd and Uttar&, the mother and
wife of Abhimanyu, 313 ; his touching
attendance upon Arjuna throughout the
night, ib. ; orders his chariot at early
mom to drive Arjuna against Jayadratha,
ih. ; suggests the lie told by Yudhish-
thira to Drona, 321 ; suggests a preyari-
cation, ib. ; reproyes Arjuna for drawing
his sword again&t his elder brother, 327 ;
effects a reconciliation, ib. ; advises
Bhfma to provoke Durvodhana to leave
the lake, 333 ; suggests that Bhfma should
fight Duryodhana, 336; advises Bhfma to
commit foul play, 338 ; prevents Bala-
r4ma from punishing the P4ndavas for
BMma's foul blow, 340 ; defends and
excuses Bhfma, ib. ; goes with the P&n-
davas to see Duryodhana, ib. ; recrimina-
tions with Duryodhana, 341 ; consoles the
Pindavas and proclaims Yudhishthira
Raja, ib. ; requested by Yudhishthira to
proceed to Hastin^purand excuse the pro-
ceedings of himself and brethren to the
Mah&raja, 342 ; reaches Hastindpur in the
first quarter of the night, ib. ; his inter-
Tiew with the blind Maharaja, ib. ; his
affecting interview with the Rani Qand-
harf, ib. ; consoles Odndhdrf by engaging
that the Pundavas should prove more
dutiful than the Kauruvas, 343; her reply,
ib. ; he renews his promises, 344 ; returns
to the quarters of the Pandavas in the
camp of the Kauravas, ib. ; review of the
narrative of the mythical references to
him, ib. ; his extraordinary counsel that
Bhfma should strike a foul blow, ib. ;
deaths of the three heroes of the Kauravas
ascribed to his immoral interference, ib. ;
reproached by Duryodhana, 34o ; origin
of the myth, ib. ; appears in his mission
to Uastinapur in the character of a con-
soler, ib. ; consoles Yudhishthira after the
revenge of Aswatthdma in the camp of
the Pandavas, 3*52; consoles Draupadf,
353; mythical character of his efforts to
reconcile the Maharaja with the P&n-
davas, 359 ; presents the Mah^aja with
the image of Bhfma instead of Bhfma
himself, 361; advises Yudhishthira to
perform an Aswamedha to cast aside his
melancholy, 382 ; his sudden appearance
at the gate of the palace, 383 ; brousht
in to the Pdndavas, ib. ; his jealousy that
Arjuna was not chosen to bnng away the
horse, 384 ; objects to Bhfma's fondness
for eating and marriage to an Asura wife,
ib. ; Bhfma retorU that. Krishna's
stomach contains the universe, ib. ; re-
ference to his marriage to the daughter of
a Bear, ib. ; mollified, ih. ; returns to
Dw4rak4 until the night of the loosening
of the horse, 385 ; trick played by him
upon Bhfma, 386; feast spread out for his
meal, ib. ; tantalizing of Bhfma, ib. ;
sets out for Uastin&pur, ib. ; his
motley camp, ib. ; merriment of the
crowd, ib. ; declaration of a gay woman
that by beholding him her sins were for-
given her, 386 ; application of a flower-
girl, 387; his benevolent reply, ib. ; ap-
plication of a milk-woman, ib. ; Bhfma
complains to him of the troublesome con-
duct of the women, ib. ; he appoints
Bhfma to be General Superintendent of
the women, ib. ; jesting conversation with
Bhfma, ib. ; approacn Mathurd, 388 ;
people of Mathura come out and meet
him with presents, ib. ; remind him of hii
boyhood amongst the cattle at Yrindd-
vana, ib. ; his presents to the women, ib. ;
encamps on the bank of the Jumnd, ib. ;
proceeds in advance to Hastindpur, ib. ;
a Brdhman proclaims the merit of be-
holding him, ib. ; the Brdhmans beseech
him to foi^ive their sins, 389 ; his reply,
ib. ; praised by a eulogist, ib. ; Brdhmans
pray to him, ib. ; dancing girls perform
before him, ib. ; pious speeches and won-
derful performances of one of the dancing
girls, ib. ; praises the dancing girls, ib. ;
enters the city of Hastindpur, ib. ; visits
the Mahdraja and Rdnf, ib. ; his ladies
received by the ladies of the Pdndavas,
390 ; Draupadf acknowledges his mira-
culous interference in the gambling pavi-
lion, ib. ; large interpolations m the
narrative of the Aswamedha referring to
him, 391 ; contradictory features in his
nature as a man of pleasure and an incar-
nation of the Supreme Being, ib. ; absurd
attempt to harmonize the two opposite
conceptions, 392 ; his practical jest with
Bhfma, ib. ; mixture or jesting and piety,
ib. ; Sesha-naga, the great serpent, desires
to win the favour of Krishna by sending
the life-restoring jewel to Arjuna, 411;
proceeds to Mampura riding on Oarura,
412 ; absurd myths in connection with,
412, note; miraculously restores to life
the dead son of Jayadratha and Duhsala,
414: returns to Hastindpur, 415; sees
Yudhishthira clad in a deerskin and hold-
ing a deer's horn, ib. ; relates the victories
of Arjuna, ib. ; consoles his sister Su-
bhadrd, ib. ; questioned by his wives, ib. ;
advises Yudhishthira respecting the As- •
wamedha, 416 ; dubious character of the
miracle of his restoring a dead man to life,
426 ; congratulates Yudhishthira on the
success of his Aswamedha, 431 ; gifts
presented to his family by Yudhishthira,
lb. ; his proclamation at Dwdrakd against
wine, 444 ; his proclamation that the
people should go and worship at Prab-
ndsa, 445 ; disappearance of his ensi^s,
446 ; permits the people to drink wme,
ib. ; upholds Sdtyaki in insulting Krita-
yarman, 447; horrible tumult and mas-
660
INDEX.
nere, 447 ; goes out to Balar&mft, 448 ;
■ends his charioteer to Hastin&pur, ib. ;
proceeds to Dw&raki, ib. ; returns to
Bmlarima and finds him dead, 449 ; slain
by a hunter, ib. ; terrible lamentations of
his widows, ib. ; five of his widows bum
themselves, 450 ; Krishna, legends respect-
ing, their important character, 458 ; their
significance, nistorical and religious, ib. ;
historical character of Krishna as a hero,
ib. ; account of the Y&davaS| 458 ; im-
probabilitT of any intimate relations
Detween the Y&davas and P&ndavas, 459 ;
personal character of Krishna, ib. ; a cow-
nerd famous for his pranks and amours,
460 ; takes a part in a popular movement
against Raja ICansa and slays the tyrant,
ib. ; subsec^uent efforts to ennoble the
birUi of Krishna, ib. ; religious character
of Krishna, ib. ; implied opoosition of
Krishna both to Siva and indra, ib. ;
connection of Krishna with fetische wor-
ship and Buddhism, ib. ; seven le^nds
connected with the early life of Kn&hna,
461 : (1.) Legend of the birth of Krishna,
ib. ; he is carried across the Jumn& in a
basket, 463 ; miraculous lowering of the
waters, ib. ; protected by the great snake
Sesha-n&ga, ib. ; changed for the infant
daughter of Nanda and Yasodd, ib. ;
demons sent by Kansa to slay him, 464 ;
(2.) Infancy and boyhood of Krishna, ib.;
childish gambols with his brother Bala-
r&ma, ib. ; Yasod^ mother of Krishna,
sees the three worlds in his mouth, ib. ;
Krishna's pranks with hi& mother's chum,
465 ; pulls down two trees, ib. ; steals
butter at Vrindavana, ib. ; kills many
demons, ib. ; plays the flute in the pas-
tures, 466 ; confusion of the damsels of
Vrindavana^ ib. ; hides the clothes of the
damsels whilst they are bathing in the
Jumna, ib. ; (3.) Krishna's opposition to
the worship of Indra, ib. ; counsels the
Yitdavas to transfer their worship from
Indra to the Govarddhana mountain, ib. ;
the Yadavas worship the mountain, 467 ;
Krishna appears in a second form as the
genius of the mountain, ib. ; renders the
mountain fiery hot, and raises it over the
people like an umbrella, ib. ; worshipped
by Indra as the Supreme Lord, 468; (4.)
Love adventures of Krishna, ib. ; dances
with all the women of Vrinauvana on the
night of the full moon, ib. ; disappears
with his favourite Xladhika, ib. ; sorrow
of the women, ib. ; finding of the mirror,
469 ; abandons Kadhika, ib. ; returns to
the women, ib. ; multiplies himself into
as many Krishnas as there are women,
ib.; dances the circular dance, ib. ; sports
on the river Jumnd, ib. ; (5.) Krishna's
adventures in Mathura, ib. ; goes with
Balar4ma to the city of Mathur4, 470 ;
adventure with the washerman of Raja
Kansa, ib. ; forgives the sins of a tailor,
470 ; straightens the humpback Kubja
and renders her young and beautiful, ib.;
accepts the offer of Kubja, ib. ; breaks the
bow of Siva, 471 ; slays the warders of the
bow, ib. ; his death ordered by Kansa,
ib. ; slaughters the fighting men of Kansa,
ib. ; warned by Nanda, ib. ; (6.) Krishna's
contest with Kansa, 472 ; Kansa prepares
an arena for the exhibition of vrrestlers,
ib. ; Krishna and Balar4ma approach the
arena disguised as jugglers, ib. ; their ad-
ventures with the great elephant, 473;
kills the great elephant, ib. ; different
ideas of the people and gods respecting,
ib. ; challenged by the wrestlers, ib. ;
Krishna's reply, 474 ; slaughter of the
wrestlers, 474 ; JCri^hna slaughters Raja
Kansa, ib. ; releases Vasudeva and De-
Takf , and restores Ugrasena to the throne,
475 ; defeats Jar&sandha, Raja of Ma-
pulh4, ib. ; retires before an army of bar-
barians to the city of Dw&rak4, ib. ;
(7.) Krishna's life at Dw&rak4, ib.; carries
off Rukminf, the daughter of the Raja of
Yidarbha, ib. ; suspected of stealing a
Sem which he subsequently reeovcn from
ambavat, 476 ; marries J&mbavatf,
ib. ; marries Satyabh4m&, the daugh-
ter of Satrdjit, ib. ; revenges the
death of Satr^it, ib. ; his love of women,
ib. : review of the foregoing l^ends, ib. ;
difference in the character of the tradi-
tions of the early life of Krishna, and of
those which are interwoven with the
story, of the great war, 477 ; question of
his deification to be discussed hereafter,
ib.
Kritavarman, one of the three sunriying
Kaurava warriors at the end of the great
war, 331 ; the three visit the wounded
Duryodhana on the plain of Kurukshetra,
347 ; follows Aswatthama to the camp of
the Pundavas, 349 ; guards the gateway
with Kripa whilst Aswatthama goes
inside, ib. ; return of the three warriors
to Duryodhana, 351 ; their flight, 352 ;
insulted by Satyaki at Prabh&sa for aid-
ing in the revenge of Aswatthama, 447 ;
slain by S&tyaki, ib.
Kshatriyas, distinguished by the thread and
the title of twice bom, 32 ; their origin,
34 ; animal sacrifices, ib. ; character-
istics of, 36 ; traditions and institutions
exhibited in the Epics, 37 ; early superi-
ority over the Brahmans, 49 ; their ab-
duction of women sanctioned by Brah-
manical law as Uakshasa marriages, 57 ;
their custom of raising up heirs to a
deceased Raja compared wiu the story of
Ruth, 62 ; marriages with the Asuras,
1 10 ; their wrath at being beaten by a
Brahman, 122 ; causes of their disdain
of Brahmans, 129 ; primitive character of
their ancient Councils, 136 ; their con-
ception of sacrifice, 155 ; obligation to
obey the Maharaja and accept all chal-
lenges, 177; law against the abduction of
a woman without first conquering her
husband, 202 ; bound not to beg for
what they can acquire by force of arms,
243.
Kubja, a hump-backed woman, her pious
JKDEX.
561
•ddrett to Krishna, 470 ; Krishnaitraight-
ens her and renders her young and beau-
tiCul, ib. ; offers himself to Krishna and is
accepted, ib.
Kunti, wife of Riga P&ndu, 63 ; disputes
with M4drf upon the honour of becoming
Satf, 64 ; returns to Hastinapur with the
Piadaras after the death of P4ndu, 65 ;
aaid to ha^e been the daughter of Kuntf-
bhoga, Kaja of the Bhojas, 66 ; suspicious
atatement that she chose P&ndu at her
Swayamrara, ib. ; myth that she was the
daughter of Sura, grandfather of Krishna,
ib.; origin of the myth, ib.; difficulties
as regitfds her birth, ^ ; said to have
borne three sons to Dharma, V&yu, and
Indra, 71 ; legend of her being the mother
of Kam% 92 ; early life in the house of
the Raja of the Bhojas, 93 ; Tisit of Dur-
T&sa the sage, ib. ; appointed to wait
upon Dunr^sa day and night, ib. ; her
dutiful serrice to the Br4hman, ib. ; Dur-
T&sa offers her a boon, ib. ; teaches her a
mantra, ib. ; she repeats the mantra and
is Tisited by the Sun god, 94; birth of
Karna, ib. ; the babe floated upon a chest
to the country of Anga, ib. ; review of
the myth, ib. ; gives a feast to the poor
at V&ran&yata, 102 ; divides the yictuols
amongst her sons at the evening meal,
110; left in charge of the family priest
Dhaumya during the absence of her sons
at the Swayamvara of Draupadf, 118 ;
desires her sons to share the acquisition
won by Arjuna, 123 ; fears the conse-
quences of her words, ib. ; makes over to
Draupadf the duty of distributing the
victuals at supper, ib. ; Brahmanicai per-
version of her words, 131 ; natural inter-
pretation that she directed her sons to
share Draupadf amongst them confirmed
by the sequel of the tradition, ib. ; her
afrectionate greeting with Subhadrd, wife
of Arjuna, 152; remains at Hastindpur
during the thirteen years* exile of her
son<i, 184 ; her affecting interview with
Krishna at his mission to Hastin&pur,
259 ; comforted by Krishna with the as-
surance that her sons will conquer, 260 ;
Krishna takes leave of her, 270; her
spirited message to her sons, ib. ; her
meeting with her sons after the great
war, 362 ; her joy as they lay their heads
at her feet, 363; her affecting meeting
with Draupadf, ib. ; arrives at Manipura
mounted upon Garura, 412 ; departs with
the Mah4raja and 04ndh4rf to the jungle
on the Ganges, 439 ; her death, 441.
Kuru. son of Hastin, 48.
KuruKshetra, plain of, 274 ; identified with
the field of Paniput to the north-west of
the modem city of Delhi, 274, note ; the
camps of the Kauravas and P4ndavas
separated by a lake, 277; lit up by
torches during a night battle, 816 ; Bala-
r^na recommends Dur^odhana and Bhf-
ma to fight in the middle of the plain,
337; appearance of the plain on the
evening of the last day of the war, 855 ;
' sad procession of the women, 364 ; tri-
umphant procession of the P4ndavas,
369.
Kuvera,'god of wealth, gardens of, 191*
Madra, country o^ situated on the southern
slope of the Hmialayas, 67 ; the ancient
name of Bhutari, ib. ; barbarous customs
of the people, 68, 325.
M4drf, wife of Ri^a P4ndu, 63 ; bums her-
self !with his dead body, 64, 69 \ the sister
of the Raja of Madra, 67 i difficulties as
regards her birth, 68 ; similarity of her
Satf to the Thracian custom, 70; paral-
leled in modem times, ib., fwtei said to
have borne two sons to the two Aswins,
71.
Magadh4, identified with Bahar, 64, note ;
Serpent or N4ga dynasty at, 147, note;
Bhfma's combat with Jar4sandha, Rega
of, 162 ; mythical character of the legend,
ib. ; Raja of, attacks Bbfmaon the second
day of the war, 302 ; his son slain by
Bhfma, 303 ; slain himself together with
his elephant, ib*
Mahd Bhdrata, its importance, 3 ; its influ-
ence upon the UmdUs, 4 ; Kshatriya
origin of the traditions and institutions,
37 ; exaggerations and embellishments of
the Kshatriya bards, ib. ; falsifications and
interpolations of the later Brahmanicai
coaipilers, 38 ; data by which the fact of
an intcrpMolation can be established^ ib. ;
Buddhistic element, 39; form in which it
is exhibited in the present work, ib. ;
neither a translation nor an analysis, but
a condensed paraphrase interspersed with
explanation, commentary, ana historical
inferences, ib.; degree of credibility to
be attached to the subject matter, 40 ;
exaggerations and embellishments to be
treated with leniency, ib. ; simple cha-
racter of ancient Hindil historians, 41 ;
ballad histories, ib. ; excitement of the
audience, ib. ; circumstances under which
portions are chaunted or read, ib. ; tradi-
tions of, 42, 455; contradictions in the
mythical portions, 71 ; historical value of
the legends referring to the early rivalry
between the Kauravas and P4ndava8, 73 ;
garbled by the Purohitos and Gurus, 82 ;
mythical character of all legends referring
to localities at a distance from Hastin4pur.
100 ; composed in the M^e of Brahmanicai
ascendancy, 168 ; compuers often tempted
by self-interest to exaggerate the respect
paid to the ancient sages, 169 ; legend of
Duryodhana's ludicrous mistakes at the
* R4jasUya of Yudhishthira apparently
borrowed from the Koran, 173 ; expres-
sion of an avenging Nemesis, 175 ; war
of— «ee Bh4rata; want of family sym-
pathy on the part of the Brahmanicai
compilers, 360 ; adventures of Arjuna at
Manipura an illustration of the Brahman-
izing of the poem, 419 ; conclusion of the
poem, 454; modem Hindil belief in its
virtues, 455 ; mythical reason for the
poem being caUea the Mah4 Bh4rata, ib.,
662
INDEX.
. 456, note ; episodes in, 457 ; general cha-
racter of the episodes, ib. ; absence of
historical value, 458; importance of the
legends referring to Krishna, ib. ; their
significance, historical and religious, ib. ;
three other important legends, ib. ; le-
fends of Krishna, 461 ; story of Nala and
)amayant(, 478 ; legends of Deva^dnf,
608; story of Chandrahasa and Bikya,
522.
Mahawanso, description in, of the ploushing
of consecrated ground by a Buddhist
• sovereign, 434.
Mahendra mountain, the abode of Parasu
R&ma, 145 ; a range of hills on the coast
of Coromandel, ib., note.
Malabar, women of, their peculiar privi-
leges, 420, note.
Manipura, the modem Munnipore, Ar-
juna's amour with the daughter of the
Riga, 145 ; the Raja gives her to An una
on condition that any son she may ocar
shall bo left with him, ib.; Serpent or
N&ga dynasty at, 147| note; significance
of Aij Una's amour, 148 ; the modem
Munnipurees, a genuine relic of the
Scythic N&gas, ib., 149, note; country
entered by the horse in the seventh aa-
venture, 404; mythical description of
Raja Babhru-v&hana and his Raj, ib. ;
Sanskrit spoken by the people, 40o ; city
and palace, ib. ; waggons and fire weapons,
ib. ; exhaustless revenues, ib. ; weoltn
and yirtues of the Raja, ib. ; talents and
bravery of the Minister, 406; magnificent
Council hall, ib. ; perfumes distributed
by beautiful girls, ib. ; horse taken into
the Council hall, 407 ; the Raja discovers
that Arjuna is his father, ib. ; resolves on
restoring the horse and ofiering the Raj
to Arjuna, 407 ; description of the meet-
ing between the Raja and Arjuna, and
its consequences, 409 ; modern conversion
of the Munniporees from serpent-worship
to Hinduism, 421 ; late origin of the con-
version proved by the evidence of lan-
guage, ib. ; Brahnmnical description of
the city and people, 422 ; reference to
artillery, ib. ; poetical imagination mani-
fested in the description, 423 ; adaptation
of the mythic description of the city of
serpents to the tastes of the modem Mun-
niporees, 424 ; locality of the adventures
of the horse still pointed out, 425.
Mantras, or hymns, 5, note.
Marriage, Vcdic conception of, 29 ; allu-
sions to polygamy in the Vedas, 29, note ;
Gandharva form, 48 ; injury inflicted
upon a son by the marriage of an aged
father, 51, note ; ancient custom of rais-
ing up seed to a deceased kinsman, 54,
68 ; abduction of women by Kshatriyas
sanctioned by Brahman ical law as Rak-
shasa marriages, 57 ; distinction between
a Rdkshasa and a Gandharva marriage,
ib., note; Kshatriya tradition of Vyasa
raising up heirs to the deceased Raja
compared with the story of Ruth, 62; pro-
miscuous intercourse prevailing amongst
the people of Madra, 68 ; monogamy of
Dhritarashtia compared with the poly-
gamy of his predecessors, 72 ; nuptial
rites of Bhfma and Uidimbi performed by
Tudhishthira, 109 ; extraordinary honey-
moon, ib. ; marriage of an Aryan to an
Asura referrible to the Buddhist period,
110 ; important story of the marriage of
the five Tandavas to Draupadf, daughter
of Raja Drupada, 1 15 ; extensive modi-
fications of the tradition in order to re-
concile the polyandry with modem ideas
of morality, ib. ; polyandry an institution
still existing in Thibet, 116 ; three dilSer-
ent theories of the origin of the institu-
tion, viz. : (1.) Division of land amongst
families ; (2.) Absenteeism of some of the
brothers on pasturing expeditions: (3.)
Scarcity of women amongst a military
class of foreign emigrants, ib. ; origin of
the Swayamvara, 117; women regarded
as prizes, ib.; Buddhistic legend of the
marriage of brothers with their half sis-
ters, 117% note ; decay of the two institu-
tions of polyandry and the Swayamvara,
118 — see Swayamvara; conversation be-
tween Yudhishthiraand Arjuna respecting
the marriage of Draupadf, 123; Draupam
distributes the provisions at supper in the
place of Kuntf, ib. ; Kuntf ana Draupadf
proceed by themselves to the palace of
Drupada, 125 ; Yudhishthira as the elder
brother requested to decide as regards
the marriage. 126 ; marriage of Draupadf
to the Pdnuavas in the order of tncir
respective ages, ib. ; reference of the mar-
riage to the earliest period in Hindii
history, 127 ; comparison of the Swayam-
vara and polyandry, 130 ; plain indica-
tions of polyandry as an institution in the
narrative of events immediately succeeding
the Swayamvara, 130; acknowledgment
of the right of the elder brother to chuose
a wife for the family, 132 ; marriaoe rites
deferred till Raja Drupada could be con-
sulted, ib. ; Draupadf treated during the
interval as a damsel betrothed to all five
brothers, ib. ; strange domestic life which
accompanied the institution of polyandry,
142, and note; matrimonial law, ib.; its
dubious authenticity, ib. ; intervention of
Karada, 143, note; proofs that the alleged
matrimonial law is a mvth, 144 ; wives
not unfrequently won or lost at gambling
matches, 184; law against the abduction
of a woman without first conquering her
husband, 201 ; ancient saying that the
brother of the Ranf is always to be feared
by the Raja, 211; jealous fears of the
Rdnf respecting Draupadf allayed by the
story of the five Ganaharvas, 227 ; belief
in the amours of invisible demons, 228 ;
peculiar incidents in Kfchaka's amour,
230; asks his sister to send her waiting
maid to his house, 230 ; scene between
Kfchaka and the waiting maid in the
Council hall, ib. ; incident of Dhrishta-
INDEX.
563
d3nimiia deeping in his camp snrronnded
by his women, 349 ; conyenation between
Draupadf and the ladies of Krishna upon
polygamy and polyandr]r, 390 ; the Princo
who had a thousand wives, 896 ; legend
of the disobedient wife who was trans*
formed into a rock, 397 ; refused when a
girl to obey her future husband, ib. ;
married to a Kishi, but refused to fulfil
her duties, ib. ; plagues her husband in
every way, 398; the husband tells her
not to do whatever he wishes her to do,
ib. ; success of the experiment, ib. ; final
wickedness of the woman, ib. ; the Rishi
curses her that she shall be a rock until
Arjuna releases her, 399; the horse fas-
tened to a rock, and Arjuna releases both
the horse and the woman, ib. ; legend of
Sadnova, ib. ; legend of the country of
Amazon^, 401 ; oriental idea of happi-
ness, 418 ; moral lesson involved in the
fable of the disobedient wife, ib. ; Hindd
conception of a bad wife, ib. ; privi-
leges of the Nair women, 420, and w}te;
marriage rites of Nala and DamayantT
performed by Raja Bhfma, 485 ; re-
fusal of Nala to take refuge in the house
of his wife's father, 488 ; love passages
between Kanju and Devaydnf, 510 ;
law against the marriage of a daughter
and a pupil, ib. ; question of whether
Yay&ti espoused Devayanf by taking her
by the hand, 516 ; marriage rites of
xay&ti and Devay&nf performed by Sukra,
617 ; love passages between Yayuti and
Sarmishtha, ib. ; Bikya requests her
father to give her to a husband, 522 ;
marriage of Bikya and Chandrahasna,
529.
Maruts, or breezes, distinguished from
V4yu, 9, 25.
HassagetsB, horse sacrifices of, 380.
Hatsya, the fish-girl, and mother of Vyasa
the sage, 60 ; myth identifying her with
Satyavatf , ib. ; the myth proved to be a
later interpolation, ib. ; her amour with
Pardsara, ib.
Matsya, country or city of, 61, 62, fwte,
Maya, or a delusion of'^the mind, 392, note.
Middle Country, Rajas of, 165.
Mithila, identified with the modem Tirhtlt,
64, note.
Monotheism, its co-existenco with poly-
theism, 19, rwte.
Moon. 8«e Chandra.
Miiller, Professor Max, his translation of
a monotheistic hymn from the Rig- Veda,
. 28.
Munnipnr. See Manipura.
K&gas, or serpents, in the forest of Rh4n-
dSiva, protected by Indra, 141 ; interpre-
tation of the myth, ib'. ; the burning of
the forest opposed by the Scythic Nugas,
ib. ; amour of Arjuna with Uli5pf intro-
duced to represent him as the mythical
ancestor of the tribe, 146 ; prominent
part taken by them in the history of
ancient India, ib. ; confusion between the
K&gas as serpents, and the N&gas as
Scythians, 147 ; ancient conflict between
the Br&hmans and the N&gas merged in
the later religious wars between the
Brahmans and the Buddhists, ib. ; N&gas
originally distinct from the Aryans, but
now either Kshatrivas or Buddhists, 148 ;
established themselves in Magadhi and
Munnipnr, 147, note ; invasion of Lydia,
ib., note; their magnificent city, 411;
beautiful wives, jewels, and lake, ib. ;
refuse to send the life-restoring jewel to
Arjuna, ib. See Serpents.
Nair women, their peculiar privileges, 420,
and note.
Nakula, the fourth Pandava, learns the art
of taming and managing horses from
Drona, 75 ; engaged by Raja Virata as
master of his horse, 207.
Nala, Raja of Ni8hndha,orthe Bhfl country,
480 ; his love for Damayantf, ib. ; the
swan with golden wings induces Dama-
yantf to think of no one but him, ib. ; pre-
vailed on by the four gods to ask Dama-
yantf to choose one of their number, 482 ;
rendered invisible by Indra, ib. ; enters
the inner apartments of the palace of
Raja Bhfma, ib. ; Damayantf refuses to
choose any husband but him, 483 ; he re-
monstrates, ib. ; her fidelity, ib. ; the day
of the Swayamvara, 483 ; each of the four
gods assumes his form, 484 ; Damayantf
discovers him and gives him the garland,
ib. ; his vow to Damayantf, ib. ; the gods
give him divine gifts, ib. ; his marriage to
Damayantf, 485 ; Kali plots with Dwd-
para for his destruction, 486 ; twelve
years of happiness, ib. ; he prays to the
gods with unwashen feet, ana Kali takes
possession of him ; tempted by Kali to
gamble with his brother Pushkara, ib. ;
his losses, ib. ; his friends vainly remon-
strate, ib. ; the chief men of the Raj
interpose through Damayantf, ib. ; inter-
ference of the Council, 487 ; Damayantf
retires from the Hall, ib. ; loses his Rfn
but refuses to stake his wife Damayantf
ib. ; retires with her into the jungle, ib. ;
cruel proclamation of Pushkara, ib. ; the
birds fiy away with Nala's only covering,
ib. ; they mock him, 488 ; he entreats
Damayantf to go to her father's house,
ib. ; she refuses unless he will accompany
her, ib. ; he refuses to take refuge with
his wife's father, ib. ; the two fishes, ib. ;
dire extremity, ib. ; tempted by Kali to
abandon his wife in the jungle, ib. ;
severs his wife's garment, 489 ; his irreso-
lution, ib. ; his flight, ib. ; rescues a ser-
pent from a circle of fire, 491 ; his form
changed by the serpent, ib. ; takes serv-
ice with kitupama, Raja of Ayodhya,
under the name of Vuhuka, ib. ; meets his
old charioteer Varshneya, 492 ; his even-
ing song, ib. ; his explanation, ib. ;
Brahmans sent to search for him, 493 ;
his groaning on hearing their proclama-
tion, 495 ; his response to the proclama-
tion, 497 ; consulted by Riga Kitupama
564
INDEIC.
as regards the second SwayamTara of
Bamayantf, 497 ; his anguish, 498 ; ea«
ffages to drire from Ayodhy^ to Vadarbha
m a single day, 495 ; his choice of horses,
ib. ; his drive from Ayodhy^ to Vidarbha,
ib. ; his manrelloos driving, ib. ; proves
the skill of Raja Ritnparua in the calcu-
lation of numbers, 496 ; teaches Ritu-
pama the secrets of horsemanship in
return for the se<7ets of dice, ib. ; freed
from Kali, ib. ; approaches the city of
Vidarbha, ib. ; his driving recognizea by
Damayantf, ib. ; she fans to recogniie
him as V&huka, 497 ; his interview with
her maid-servant Keainf, ib.; his anguish,
491 ; Kesinf perceives his divine powers,
ib. ; Nala sends her children to him, 499 ;
his emotion, ib. ; Damayantf receives him
in the garb of a widow, ib. ; the recon*
ciliation, 600; rejoicings in Vadarbha,
ib. ; he recovers his Raj from Pushkara,
601 ; his happy reign, ib.
Nala and Damayanti^ story of, 478 ; to be
referred to the Vedic period, ib. ; proo&
that the story belong to a late stsure in
the Vedic period, ib. ; advance of the
Aryans into the Dekhan, 479 ; d^enera-
tion of the Vedic deities, ib. ; supernatural
details, ib. ; wide interval between the
age when the events occurred and the age
when the poem was composed, ib. ; mam
incidents in the story, ib. ; (l.JThe loves
of Nala and Damayanti, 480 ; (2.) The
Swayamvara of Damayantf, 483 ; (3.)
The gambling match between Nala and
Pushkara, 486 ; (4.) The exile of Nala
and Damayantf, 487; (6.) Nala*s deser-
tion of Damayantf, 489 ; (6.) Adventures
of Nala, 491 ; (70 Discovery of Dama-
yantf, 492 ; (8.) DiHcovery of Nala, 493 ;
(9.) Nala's drive from Ayodhya to Vid-
arbha, 495 ; (10.) Damayantf recovers her
husband, 497; (11.) Nala recovers his
Raj, 601 ; review of the tradition, ib. ;
conflict of ideas indicative of two different
eras, 502; opposition of heroic and re-
ligious ideas in the character of Nala, ib. ;
freedom of intercourse which prevailed in
the Vedic period veiled by the introduc-
tion of supernatural details, 602 ; incident
of Nala's making his way to the inner
apartments disguised by the incident of
the spell, 604 ; the second Swayamvara
opposed to Brahmanical ideas, ib. ; con-
ception of an avenging Nemesis, ib. ;
gambling not regarded as a vice, 605 ;
graphic pictures in the story, ib. ; Dama-
yantf and her maidens, ib. ; the Swayam-
vara of Damayantf compared with that of
Draupadf, ib. ; the gambling match of
Nala compared with that of Yudhishthira,
ib. ; the wife's devotion, 606 ; episode of
the birds, ib. ; episode of the fishes, ib. ;
scene in the hut, ib. ; night scene of the
horde of wild elephants trampling down
the caravan, ib. ; palace life, ib. ; exqui-
site description of the interview between
Nala and Damayantf, 607.
Nanda, the putative iather of Krishna,
463 ; earriei tribute to Raja Kansa, ib.
Nara, a form of Vishnu, 262, note ; Ndrfi-
yan. a form of Vishnu, ib., note,
Naraoa, the sage, his intervention in the
matrimonial arrangements of Draupadf
and her five husbands, 143, ttote ; present
with other Risfafs at the Council of the
Kauravas summoned to receive Krishna,
262 ; visits Dw&rak4 with two other sages,
443 ; carries the news of the Swayamvara
of Damayantf to Indra, 481.
Naramedha, a human sacrifice, a Brihman
advises the Raja to perform one in the
sixth adventure of the Horse, 403 ; merit
of the sacrifice, ib. ; performed by Brah-
mans and Saniases who were cannibals
and wine-drinkers, ib. ; performed by
R&vana, ib.
Nemesis, the avenging, finds expmsion in
the story of the Pandavas, 176 ; in the
story of Nala, 604.
Noose, Arj Una's skill in throwing it, 88.
Omens, evil, 325 ; efifect of the appearance
of the owl devouring the birds upon the
mind of Aswatthima, 356; fearful ap-
SArance o^ before the dettructaon of
w&rak&, 441, 443.
Panchfila, Ri^ of, 76, 78, note; its goo-
graphical position, 96.
Pudavas, the five sons of Raja P&ndu, 64 ;
return to Hastin&pnr after their fatner's
death, 65 ; kindly received by their uncle
Dhritar&shtra, ib. ; myth that they were
directly begotten by the gods, 70; main
incidents in their early life, 73 ; narrative
of the jealousies between them and the
Kauravas, 74 ; their education, 75; defeat
Drupada, Raja of Panch&la, 96 ; increased
jealousy of the Kauravas, 97 ; sent by
Maharaja Dhritar&shtra to the city of
Varandvata, 99 ; their first exile, 100 ;
authentic tradition of the first exile lost
in a later fiction, ib. ; warned by Vidura,
101 ; plot of the Kauravas to bum them
in their house at V&randvata, ib. ; their
magnificent reception at Varandvata, ib. ;
suspicions of Yudhishthira, ib. ; dig a
subterranean passage, ib. ; Bhfma antici-
pates the plot by burning the house of
Parochana, 102 ; they escape with their
mother Kuntf into the jungle, ib. ; story
to be referred to the later age of Breh»
manism, ib. ; representatives of the Aryan
people in India, 104 ; their life as mendi-
cant Br&hmans in the city of Ekachakri^
110; leave the city of £kachakr4 after
Bhfma's victory over Vaka, 112 j import-
ant story of their marriage to Draupadf,
daughter of Raja Drupada, 116 ; exten-
sive modifications of the tradition in order
to reconcile the polyandry with modem
ideas of morality, ib. ; resolve on attend-
ing the Swayamvara of Draupadf, 118 ;
engage Dhaumya to be their family
priest, and leave Kuntf in his charge,
1 19 ; their fierce battle with the Raias at
the Swayamvara, 122 ; lead away Drau*
INDEX.
565
padf, 122; infonn their mother that they
naye gained an acquisition, 123; desired
by Kuntf to share it, ib. ; postponement
of the marriage, ib. ; Draupadf distributes
the provisions at supper in the place of
Kuntf, ib. ; discovered by Dhrishta-
dyumna to be K&hatriyas, 124 ; invited to
the palace of Raja Drupada, ib. ; Yud-
hishthira's reply, ib. ; grand reception of
by Raja Drupada, \2o ; make known
their birth and lineage, ib. ; married to
Draupadf, 126 ; live in tranquillity at
K&mpilya, ib. ; alarm of the iCauravos,
ib. ; return to Hastinapur and division of
the Raj, 127 ; probable incidents of the
marriage, ib. ; myth that they were five
Indras, 131; no further allusion to the
exceptional character of the marriage,
136; significance of the alliance as pro-
moting the fortunes of the Panda vas, ib. ;
division of the Raj not a division of the
territory, but of the family, 138 ; migra-
tion from Hastin&pur to the country of
Khdndava-prastha, ib. ; origin of the con-
fusion between the migration and the
division of the Raj, 139 ; omission in the
tradition of all reference to the clearing of
the jungle, ib. ; memory of the incident
preserved in the later myth of the burn-
ing of the forest of Khandava-prastha,
140 ; remains of their Raj at Indra-pras-
tha between Delhi and the KUtub, 141 ;
their strange domestic life with one wife,
142, 143, note; legend of their five houses,
142 ; alleged breach of the matrimonial
law by Arjuna, ib. ; his exile, 143 ; period
of the exile a blank in their history,
153 ; prosperity of their Rsy, 154 ; wars
of^ in connection with the llajasdya of
Tudhishthira, 162 ; their mirth at the
ludicrous mistakes of Duryodhana at the
R:nasdya, 173 ; proposal of Duryodhana
to mvite them to a gambling match, 175 ;
the invitation, 176; reluctance of Yud-
hishthira, 177 ; arrive at Hastin&pur with
Kuntf and Draupadf, ib. ; pay visits of
ceremony to the Mah&raja and R&nf, ib. ;
receive the visits of their friends, 178 ;
proceed to the gambling pavilion, ib. ; for-
Didden by Yudhishthira to interfere when
Draupadf was assaulted in the gambling
pavilion, 182 ; commanded by the Mah&-
raja to return to Indra-prastha, 183 ; lose
their Raj, ib. ; depart into exile, 184 ;
unpardonable nature of the affront put
upon them, 186 ; impressive picture of
their departure, ib. ; their second exile,
187; tradition of the twelve jean of
jungle life to be distinguished from the
fiction of the thirteenth year, ib. ; theory
that the twelve vears of exile were origin-
ally twelve montos, and that the thirteenth
year was an intercalary month introduced
to complete the solar year, 187 ; legend of
the twelve years' exile partly mythic and
partly authentic, 188 ; legendary sketch
of their life in the jungle, ib. ; pilgrimages
to holy places, ib. ; instructions of Brah-
man sages, ib. ; mythological portion of
the legend of the twelve years* exile, 189 ;
description of the subject matter, ib. ;
introduced to confirm the myth that they
were the sons of the ancient gods of the
Hindils, ib. ; samples of the myths, 190 ;
authentic portion of the legend of the
twelve years' exile, 193 ; indications that
they never wandered at a great distance
from their Raj, ib. ; their life in the
jungle, ib. ; four incidents in, 194 ; (1.)
The capture of Duryodhana and Karna
by the Gandharvas, ib. ; similarity be-
tween the story of their rescuing Duryod-
hana and Karna, and the feast given by
Yudhishthira, to the rescue of Lot by
Abraham, and feast of bread and wine,
195 ; (2.) The Vaishnava sacrifice per-
formed by Duryodhana, which they refuse
to attend, 196 ; (3.) Yudhishthira's dream
that the animals implored him to leave
the jungle, 198 ; move to the forest of
Kama, 199 ; (4.) Attempt of Jayadratha
to carry off Draupadf, ib. ; pursuit of
Jayadratha, 201 ; force him to submis-
sion, 202 ; prepare for dwelling in
disguise in a foreign city during the
thirteenth year, 204 ; difficulties in refer-
ence to the authenticity of the story, ib. ;
story of the amour between a Commander
and a waitinp^-maid an authentic tra-
dition, ib.; wide difference between the
tradition of the amour and the traditions
of the house of Bh&rata, 205 ; difference
in the conception of the Gandharvas,
ib. ; possible separation of the tradition
of the amour from the myth of the ad-
ventures of the Pundavas during the
thirteenth year, ib. ; tradition of the
thirteenth jear, ib. ; stipulation as re-
gards disguise, ib. ; determine to go to
the city of Raja Virata, 306 ; concc^
their clothes and weapons on a tree in the
place of burning, ib. ; set up a dead body
to guard the tree, ib. ; assume new names
ana apply for service to Raja Virata, ib. ;
their respective duties, 207 ; their tran-
quil life, 208 ; mode in which t'hey shared
their emoluments, ib. ; Raja Vir4ta en-
gages to assist them in the recovery of
their Raj, 225; review of the legend of
the thirteenth year, 226 ; elimination of
the amour of Kfchaka, ib. ; mythical de-
tails in the story, 232 ; geographical de-
tails, ib. ; futile attempts of the Brah-
manical compilers to associate them with
remote quarters of India, 234; mythical
character of the scene in which they pre-
sented themselves to Raja Virdta, 234 ;
Yudhishthira and Bhfma provoke dis-
covery, ib. ; mythical details respecting
them, 237 ; marriage of Abhimanyu and
Uttara treated as a myth, 238; disap-
pearance of Raja Vir4ta after the mar-
riage and reappearance of Drupada as
chief ally, 239; subsequent negotiations
and preparations carri^ on in the city of
Raja Drupada, ib. ; questionable charac-
ter of Krishna's subsequent association
with them, 241 ; history of the negotia-
566
INDEX.
tioni which preceded the frreat war treated
under four heads, 241 ; (1.) Great Coun-
cil of the allies after the marriage feast,
lb. ; speech of Krishna, 242 ; speech of
Balar4ma, 243 ; speech of Satyakf, ib. ;
second speech of Krishna, 245 ; breaking
up of the Council, ib. ; mythical charac-
ter of the details which associate Krishna
with the Pandavas, 246 ; m3rthical efforts
of Duryodhana and Aijuna to win orer
Krishna to their rcspectire sides, ib. ;
desertion of Salya, Raja of Madra, 248 ;
(2.) Embassy of the family priest of
Drupada to Hastin&pur, 249 ; demand the
restoration of their Raj, 2oO ; Bhfshma*s
reply, ib. ; Kama's message, ib. ; (3.)
Embassy of Sanjaya, 252 ; receive Sanjaya
in Council, 253 ; Yudhishthira's reply to
the message of Sanjaya, 254 ; Krishna's
reply, ib. ; Yudhishthira's public mes-
sage to the elders at Hastin&pur and
secret mesrage to Duryodhana, 255 ; (4.)
Mission of Krishna to the Kauravas, 256 ;
Council of the Kauravas held to receive
the mission, 262 ; Kuntfs spirited mes-
sage to her sons, 270 ; desired by Krishna
to prepare for war in the plain of Kuruk-
shetra, 271 ; mythical character of the
mission of Krishna, ib.; march to the plain
'of Kurukshetra, 274, 277 ; marshal their
forces and appoint Dhrishta-dyumna to be
their generalissimo, 276 ; separated from
the Kaurayas by a lake, 277 ; Balar&ma
yisits the camp but refuses to engage in
the war, ib. ; interchange of challenges
with the Kauravas, 279, 280 ; their wrath
at the challenge sent by Duryodhana,
281 ; their reply, ib. ; Bhfshma and
Drona excuse themselves from fighting on
their side, 297 ; their joy at the desertion
of Yuyutsu, ib. ; repulsed by Bhfshma
but rallied by Arjuna, 302; their suc-
cesses on the second day of the war, ib. ;
their tremendous charge on the third day
in the form of a half moon, 304'; terrible
slaughter, ib. ; unable to oppose the
Kauravns, who arc drawn up in the form
of a spider's web, 311 ; prevented by Ja-
yadratha from rescuing Abhimanyu, 312;
their exultation on the death of Jayadra-
tha, 315 ; the conflict at midnight, in
which the battle goes against them, ib. ;
their joy on the death of Drona, 317 ;
charged by Kama, 325 ; their triumph on
the death of Duhsiisana, 328 ; triumph on
the death of Kama, 329 ; eighteenth and
last day of the great war, 331 ; utter de-
feat of the Kauravas, ib. ; discover the
concealment of Duryodhana and proceed
to the lake, 332 ; go with Krishna to see
Duryodhana after his thigh was smashed
by Bhfma, 340; consoled by Krishna,
341 ; proceed to the camp of the Kau-
ravas and obtain great spoil, ib. ; Krishna
engages that they shall prove more duti-
ful to the MahAraja and the Ranf than
the Kauravas, Mi ; Aswatthima promises
Duryodhana that he will slay them, 347 ;
design of Aswatth&ma to break into their
earn]), 348 ; their abtenee in the camp of
the Kauravas, 349; their own camp
entered by a single gateway, ib. ; As-
watth&ma enters ihe camp whilst Kripa
and Kritayarman guard the gateway, ib. ;
slaughter of Dhrishta - dyumna, 350 ;
screaming of the women and general con-
fusion, iS. ; the five sons of the Pan-
davas rush out and are slain one after the
other by Aswatth4ma,ib. ; fearful slaugh-
ter amongst the followers and servants,
ib. ; escape of Aswatthiuna with the five
heads of the five sons of the Pindavaa,
351 ; informed of the massacre by the
charioteer of Dhrishta - dyumna, 352 ;
Draupadf decries the idea of their ruling
as Rajas. 353 ; mythical character of the
efforts of Krishna and Yy&sa to reconcile
them with the Mah4raja, 359 ; impossi-
bility of a real reconciliation between
parents and the murderers of their sons,
lb. ; necessity for a feigned reconciliation,
360 ; narrative of the reconciliation, ib. ;
they go out to meet the Mah&raja ac-
companied by Krishna, ib. ; prostrate
themselves at the feet of the Mah&raja,
361 ; the Mah&raia crushes up the iron
image of Bhfma, ib. ; embraces all five in
turns, ib. ; the reconciliation, ib. ; affect-
ing interview with O&ndhurf, 362 ; sent
by 6&ndh&rf to their mother Kuntf, ib. ;
they lay their heads at her feet, ib. ; re-
view of the narratiye, 363 ; their ladies
receive the ladies of Krishna, 390 ; con-
versation on polygamy and polyandry,
ib. ; duration of their Raj for thirty-six
years after the great war, 438 ; three in-
cidents during the period, ib. ; (1.) The
exile and death of Maharaja Dhritarush-
tra, ib. ; visit the MahAraja on the banks
of the Ganges, 439 ; Vyasa the sage as-
sembles the ghosts of all who were slain
in the great war, 440 ; perfect friendship
between the Pandavas and Kauravas, ib. ;
(2.) The destruction of DwAraka, 443 ;
(3.) The exile and death of the P&nda vas,
453 ; they assume the garb of devotees,
454 ; die on the Him&laya mountain, ib. ;
review of the narrative, ib. ; mythical
details, ib. ; improbability of the exist-
ence of intimate relations of the Pan-
davas and the Yadavas, 459.
Pandu, the pale, birth of, 54 ; legend of his
early life, 63 ; marries two wives, Kuntf
and Madri, ib.; his reign, 64 ; devotes
himself to hunting in the Him&layas, ib. ;
his five sons known as the P&ndavas, ib. ;
cursed by a sage, ib. ; his mythical cam-
paigns, ib., note; takes the vow of celi-
oacy, ib. ; his death, ib. ; review of the
legend, 65 ; probably a leper, "66, Sd^fiote;
suspicious details respecting his marriages,
66 ; mythical account of his deaUi, 69 ;
absurd details, ib.
Paramita, R4nf of the Amazons. See Ama-
zons.
Pardsara, the sage, his amour with Matsya,
the fish-giri, 60.
Far&sara, the putative father of Vyasa, 60.
INDEX.
567
Farata R&ma, or lUma with the axe, 53 ;
▼isited by^ Aijuna, 145 ; teaches Arjuna
the use of arms, ib.
Farfluhit, son of Abhimanyu and grandson
of Arjuna, succeeds to the Raj o? Hastin-
4pur, 453.
Pa^lions appointed for the reception of the
Rajas at tne Kajasitya of Yudhishthira,
165 ; gambling at Hastin&pur, 178.
P&yasa, or sacred food of rice and milk, 160.
Polytheism, its co-existence with mono-
theism, 19, note.
Poor, feasted by Kuntf at Vdrandyata,
102.
Prabhdsa, a place of pilgrimage near Dwd-
rakd, 146 ; visited by Arjuna, ib. ; yisited
by Balar&ma during the great war, 277,
and note; proclamation of Krishna that the
people should go and worship there, 445 ;
general tumult and massacre, 447.
Pradyumna, son of Krishna, slain at Prab-
hasa, 447.
Presents, custom of, 101 ; at the marriage of
Draupadf, 125.
Prishata, Ruga, the father of Drupada, 78,
note,
Priya, a princess of Kapila, afflicted with
leprosy, 69, note; 117, note.
Processions, that of Duryodhana from the
place of sacrifice to ms palace, 197; of
damsels to meet Prince Uttar, 224 ; of
the blind Mah&raia and all the women of
his household to tne plain of Kurukshctra,
354 ; of the widows, 364 ; of the Panda vas
from the plain of Kurukshctra to the city
of Hastin4pur, 368; picture of, 372;
magnificent one at Manipura, consisting
of JBr&hmans and Rishis, virgins with
necklaces and garlands. Chieftains and
Mlnisters,soldier8,fire-workers,tradesmen,
artisans, singing and dancing-girls, 407,
408, 423 ; triumphant entry of Arjuna
into the city of Hastin4pur, 415 ; proces-
sion of Rajas and Rishis with pots of
Ganges water at the Aswamedha of Yud-
hifihthira, 429 ; description of a Buddhist
procession, 434.
Pugilism, 85 ; in the court of Raja Virdta,
209.
Purochana, a retainer of Duryodhana, 101 ;
burnt alive at V&ranavata, 102.
Puru, son of Yayati, and ancestor of the
Pandavas and Kauravas, 519.
Purohitas, or family priests, 78 ; correspond-
ing to hereditary chaplains, 79 ; their
duties as priests in families, as instructors
in the S&i9tras, as confidential advisers,
and as envoys, 80 ; question of whether
they existed amongst the ancient Ksha-
triyas, 81 ; their garbling of the Mahd.
Bharata, 82 ; obligation of every Raja to
engage one, 81, note ; occupied a position
Ereviously held by charioteers, 91 ; Puro-
ita of Drupada sent as envoy to the Pan-
davas, 124.
Pushkara, brother of Nala, engages in a
gambling match with Nala, 486 ; wins
the Raj, 487 ; his cruel proclamation, ib.
Rain, Raja of, his war with the Hot Season,
VOL. I.
465 ; assembling of the clouds in battle-
array, 466 ; flight of the Hot Season, ib. ;
joy of the earth, ib.
Rain, importance of the deity of, 8 ; gods
of, ib.
Raivataka mountain, 150.
Raj, Hindil model, 154.
Rajas, mythical character of the catalogue
of those present at the Swayamvara of
Draupadf, 134 ; Brahmanical ideal of the
rule of a Raia, 154 ; general prosperity
insured by their virtues, ib. ; Rajas of
the Middle and South Countries, 165 ;
present at the Rajasilya of Yudhishthira,
lb. ; their probable character. 167 ; topics
of conversation, 168 ; splendour of their
courts in the age of Brahmanical ascend-
ancy, ib. ; habit of siding with that party
whose messenger arrived first, 245 ; in-
stallation oi—see Installation.
Rajasdya, or royal sacrifice, of Yudhish-
thira, 154, 155; political significance of
the Rajasdya as an assertion of sove-
reignty at a national banquet, combined
with a religious significance as a sacrifice
to the gods, 155 ; conception of sacrifice
amongst the Kshatriyas, ib. ; decline of
the political element during the Brah-
manical ascendancy, 157 ; absence of
allusions to animal sacrifice, although it
formed part of the ancient rite, 160, and
note ; division of the legend of, into four
sections, viz. (1.) Preliminary conquests,
161 ; limited area of conquest, ib. ; idea
of the Rajasdya in its original application,
161 ; idea extended to universal conquest,
162 ; the conquests of the four younger
brothers of Yudhishthira, ib. ; mythical
character of the narrative, 163 ; (2.) The
sacrifice and feast, 161 ; assembling of the
Rajas to the Rajasdya, 165 ; magnificent
pavilions appointed for the reception of
the Rajas, ib. ; assembling of all the four
castes, ib.; place of sacrifice, 166 ; Vy4sa
the chief of the sacrifice, ib. ; Sasarman,
leader of the ohoir of Br&hmans, ib. ;
Dhaumya and Yajna-walkya, the sacred
cooks, ib. ; choir of young Br4hmans, ib. ;
the great feast, ib. ; distribution of food
and gil^% ib. ; mythical respect shown to
the Brahmans, ib. ; exaggeration in the
description of the sacrifice and feast, ib. ;
probable picture of the real scene, 167;
probable character of the sacrificial rites,
ib. ; .the place of sacrifice strewed with
Kusa grass, ib. ; the sacrificial tire, ib. ;
presentation of the Iloma, ib. ; invocations
to Agni, ib. ; nature of the sacrifice, ib. ;
invocations to Indra and all the gods to
descend and portake of the offerings, ib. ;
probable character of the Rajas who were
present at the Raiosdya^ ib. ; reason why
the authentic tradition is lost in mythical
exaggerations, 168 ; the early tradition
modelled to suit the tastes and ideas of a
later period, 169 ; (3.) The death of Sisu-
pala, ib. ; legend of the presentation of
the Argha to the greatest Chieftain present
at a Rajasdya, ib.; Sisupdla threatens to
37
568
INDEX.
gpoil the sacrifice and is slain by Krishna
170 ; Rajasdva saved by Krishna, ib. ;
discrepancy between the legend of the
Argha and the mythic account of the
pavilions, 171 ; incident to be referred to
the Krishna group of legends, ib. ; pre-
sentation of the Argha attributed to the
Buddhist period, ib. ; story of Duryod-
hana's ludicrous mistakes and jealous
wrath against the P&ndavas, 172 ; the
fiction borrowed from the Koran, 173;
possibility of its originating from two in-
dependent sources, 174 » reasons why
Duryodhana coidd not perform the sacri-
fice, 196.
K&kshasas, aborigines of India, their mar-
riages, 57.
R&ma, Raja of Benares, afflicted with lep-
rosy, 69, note.
R&mayana, its importance, 3 ; its influence
upon the Hind^&s, 4 ; Kshatriya origin of
the traditions and institutions, 37.
"R&aU the Queen or wife of the Raja, 211 ;
ancient saying that her brother is always
to be feared, id.
Ratnapura, city of, 412.
R&vana, his performance of a human sacri-
fice known as a Naramedha, 404.
Religious ideas, language of praise to be di»-
tinguished from the expression of thought,
20 ; co-existence of monotheism with
polytheism, 19, note; monotheistic concep-
tion of one Supreme Being, as expressed
in the Vedas, 28 ; granu monotheistic
hymn, 27« note ; refutation of the theory
of an instinctive monotheism peculiar to
the Aryans, 28, note; tenacity of the HindU
belief in Brahmanieul fables, when re-
presented as religious mysteries, 61 ; le-
gend of the Bhfl who learnt archery by
practising in the presence of a clay image
ofDrona, 83; religious worship paid in
modem times to favourite heroes, 84
existing remains of Serpent worship, 147
Brahmanical ideal of paternal rule, 154
general prosperity ensured by the virtues
of a Raja, ib. ; piety of a people preserved
them from all calamity, ib. ; legend of the
presentation of the Argha to Krishna at
the Rajasilya, 171 ; death of Sisupdla a
religious myth representing the opposition
of Vishnu to Siva, and en^rcing the wor-
ship of Krishna as an incarnation of
Vishnu, ib. ; chakra of Krishna an emblem
of the divine wrath of Vishnu, 172 ;
ideas connected with ghosts, 226 ; belief
in the amours of invisible demons, 228 ;
Kauravas said to have ascended to the
heaven of *Indra because they died fight-
ing bravely, 355 ; effect of the appearance
of the owl devouring the birds upon the
mind of Aswatthama. 356; conflicting
idea of an Aswamedtia as a means for
curing melancholy and as an atonement
for sin, 382 ; incongruous ideas connected
with theworship of Krishna as manifested
by the women in Krishna's camp, 387 ;
later Brahmanical idea of the conquest of
the passions, atonement for sin, and acqui-
sition of religious merit, 390; power of
faith, 393, note; crowning sin of the
wife of the Rishi who gave the remains
of consecrated victuals to the hogt, 418 ;
Hindd worship of the Serpent as a guard-
ian deity, 424 ; ideas connected with the
Aswamedha— «ee Aswamedha; religious
merit acquired by the performance of
homa, 43o ; sacrifice of the horse to Indra,
instead of to the Sun, an indication of an
ancient change in the national religion,
437 ; the widows of the slain in the great
war rejoin their husbands by* drowning
themselves in the Ganges, 441 \ grandeur
of the picture of the resurrection of the
dead, 442; perfect bliss invdved in the
description, ib. ; HindA character of the
seene, 443 ; ideas involved in the destruc-
tion of Dw&rak^ ib. ; worshippen of
Vishnu persecuted by tne worshippers of
Siva, 461 ; slaughter of the worshippers of
Vishnu by Rdja Kansa, 463 ; worship of
the Oovarddhana mountain by the Y4-
davas instead of Indra, 467 ; offering of
eakes and sweetmeats to the mountain^ ib. ;
wrath of Indra, who sends down rain to
wash away the country, ib.; Krishna
renders the mountain fiery hot, and raises
it over the people like an umbrella, ib. ;
Indra worships Krishna as the Supreme
Lord, 468 ; sinful elation of the mistress
of Kri&hna, 469 ; Krishna forgives tiie
iins of a tailor, 470 ; singular adyentures
of Kubja with Krishna, ib.; oompored
with miracles in the New Testament, 471»
note; presence of the four Vedic deities at
the Swayamvara of Damayantf, 482 ; per-
sonification of theKalf age, 485, note.
Religious rites, Vedic form of worship, 11 ;
connection of cookery and sacrifice, 12 —
see also Sacrifice ; invocation to the gods
at the opening of an exhibition of arms,
87 ; Arjuna's prayer to Drona before com-
peting at the Swayamvara of Draupadf,
1 22 — see Rajastiya and Vaishnava ; wor-
ship of the family gods at the installation
of a Raja, 369 ; ceremonies at the installa-
tion of Rujas — see Installation ; sacrifice
of a horse — see Aswamedha; human
sacrifices — see Naramedha.
Revatf, daughter of Raja Raivata, married
to Bolariima, 475.
Rhadika, mistress of Krishna, disappears
with him on the night of the full moon,
468 ; her sinful elation, 469 ; abandoned
by Krishna, ib. ; found by the women of
vrindavana and returns to the river
Jumna, ib.
Rig Veda. See Veda.
Rishis, Brahman sages, absurdly introduced
into the Mah4 Bhdrata and R&m&yana,
38 ; myth that the Moon, as the ancestor
of the Lunar race, was begotten by one,
45 ; story of the Rishi in the shape of a
deer, 64 ; officiated at the Rajastijra of
Yudhishthira, 166 ; accompanied Aijuna
during his twelve years' exUe, 145 ; accom-
?aniea the P4ndavas during their exile^
88 ; present at the Council of the Kau-
INDEX.
569
TtLYBB rammoned to receive Krishna, 262 ;
Btorv of the Rishi who married a dis-
obeoient wife and transformed her into a
rock, 397 ; story of an old Rishi who had
liyed during many Brahmas on an island
in the sea, 413 ; he attends the Aswam-
edha of R^ja Yudhishthira, ib. ; legend
of the three Rishis who visited DwiiraKd —
Yiswamitra, Dunr&sas, and N4rada, 443 ;
trick played upon the three b^ the younjg
men, ib. ; threats of the Rishis, ib. : their
departure, ib. ; story of the three Rishis
purely mythical, 452. See also Bharad-
waja, Dhaumya, Drona, Durvasas, Gau-
tama, Kanwa, Narada, Parasara, Parasu,
RsUba, Sasarman, Sukra, Voisampdyana,
Yiswamitra, Vrihaspatf, Vy4sa, and Yaj-
na-walkya.
Rituparna, Riga of Ayodhyi, Varshneya
becomes his charioteer, 487 ; Raja NiUa
- takes sendee with him as a horse-tamer
and cook, 491 ; desires to be present at
the second Swayamvara of Damayantf,
494 ; consults Nala, ib. ; his skill in the
calculation of numbers, 496 ; teaches Nala
the secrets of dice in return for the secrets
of horsemanship, ib.
Rohinf, wife of Vasudcva, Balarama brought
up as her son, 462.
Rukmin, Raja of Vidarbha, joins the army
of the Pandaras, but is dismissed for his
extravagant pretensions, 278 ; goes over
to the I^auravas, but is dismiss^ for the
same reason, 279; returns to his own
country, ib. ; mythical character of the
legend indicated by its apparent want of
purpose, ib. ; connection of the myth with
the legend try history of Krishna, ib.
Rukmini, daughter of Bhishmaka, Raja of
Vidarbha, carried off by Krishna, 47o.
Sacrifice, connection of, with cookery, 12 ;
arrival of the Kshntriyas, 34 ; of snakes,
46, fwte ; the Rajasiiya, or royal sacrifice —
tee Rajasilya ; conception of; amongst the
Kshatriyas, lo5 ; decline of the political
element of, during the Brahmanicsu ascen-
dancy, 157 ; change in the relip^ous senti-
ment, ib. ; simple idea of propitiating the
gods by delicious food, modified by the
complex idea that the deity was to be
propitiated^ by blood, and that animals
were to be slain as an atonement for sin,
ib. ; mode by which the Br&hmans arro-
gated to themselves the sole right of
officiating at, 156, note ; doctrine of, op-
posed by Buddha, 158 ; denounced by
Isaiah, 158, note ; replaced by the Homa
and P4yasa, 159 ; four different concep-
tions of, vis. : (1.) The coronation ban-
quets of the Kshatriyas; (2.) The sacrificial
sessions of the Brdhuians ; (3.) The flower
offerings of the Buddhists ; (4.) The offer-
ing of Homa and Pilyasa during the
Brahmanical revival, ib. — see Rajaidya ;
the Vaishnava sacrifice performed by
Duryodhana, 196 ; horse sacrifice — tee
Aswamedha^ 377 ; human — Mee Nara-
medha.
Sadnova, legend of^ 399 ; his father threat-
ens to put any one who delays joining hii
army into a cauldron of boiling oil, ib. ;
he takes leave of his mother and listery
ib. ; delays a little with his wife, ib. ;
thrown into the cauldron, but preserved
by prayer, 400.
Satadeva, the youngest Pandava, learns
astronomy and the use of the sword from
Brona, 75; engaged by Raja Viriita as
master of his cattle and caster of nativities.
207.
Sakuni, brother of O&ndh&rf. accompanies
his sister to Hastindpur on ner marriage
with Dhritar&shtra, 65 ; his unscrupulous
skill in dice, 176 ; challeuffes Yudhish-
thira, ib. ; his taunt, 178 ; plays the game
whilst Duryodhana lays the stakes, ib. ;
wins every game, 179 ; plots with Duryod-
hana to seize Krishna, 269.
Sakuntal4, legend of, 47 ; K&lid4sa's drama
of, 48 ; historical form of the tradition,
ib. ; her mythical birth, 50, note.
Saliva, Raja of, refuses to take Amb& as his
wife, 53 ; country of, 58. note.
Salya, Raia of Madra, sells his sister Mddrf
to bo wife to Raja P4ndu, 64; barbarous
customs of his subjects, 63 ; deserts the
side of the Pandavas, but promises to
drive the chariot of Kama in his combat
with Arjuna. 248 ; his combat with Uttar
on the first day of the war^ 301 ; Duryod-
hana asks him to drive Kama's chariot,
324 ; his indignation, ib. ; sneers at the
birth of Kama, ib. ; Duryodhana receives
him with respect and ranks him with
Krishna, ib. ; drives Kama against Ar-
juna, 325 ; his contention with Karna re-
specting the prowess of Arjuna, ib. ;
Alama retorts by reference to the depraved
customs of his people, ib. ; Kama's address
to him, 328 ; his command for one day,
the lastof the great war, 330 ; his election,
ib. ; slain by Yudhishthira, 331.
Siunba, son of Krishna, dressed up as a
woman with child to insult the Rishis^
443.
Sanjaya, minister and charioteer of Mah&-
raja Dhritar4shtra, 252 ; sent on an em-
bassy to the Pdndavas, ib. ; his diplomatic
qualifications, ib. ; reaches the camp of
tne Pandavas, and is surprised at the
ffreatness of their preparations for war,
253 ; received by the Pandavas in Coun-
cil, ib. ; delivers the message of the Mah&-
raja, ib. ; reply of Yudhishthira, 254 ;
reply of Krishna, ib. ; Yudhishthira
sen^ by him a public mef^nge to the
elders at Hastin&pur, and a secret message
to Duryodhana, 255 ; he delivers the
messages to the Mah&nya, 256; his
mythical discourse on geography to tho
blind Mah4nua, 293; undeceives the
Mah&raja as regards the image of Bhfma,
361.
S&ntanu, son of Kuru, 48 ; legend of, 50 ;
marries a young wife, ib. ; his death, 61 ;
review of the legend, ib.
Sarmishthi, the daughter of the Raja of tho
570
IND£X«
Baityas, 512 ; her quarrel with DeTay&nf
as regards the rank of their respective
fathers, ib. ; pushes Devay&nf into a well,
ib. ; engages to serre Devav&nf as a sery-
ant, 514 ; ^oes with Devayanf to the well,
515 ; inquiries of R%ja Yay&ti respecting
her, ib. ; accompanies Yay&ti and his
wife Devayinf, 517; her Ioto passages
. with Yay&ti, ib. ; gives birth to a son, ib.r
wrath of Dovayiuu, ib. ; her excuse, 518 ;
Devay&nf discovers that Yay4ti is the
father of her children, ib. ; her defence,
ib. ; Dcvay4i>i returns to her father's
house, ib.
Sasarman, leader of the choir of Br^hmans
at the K^asuya of Yudhishthira, 166.
Satl, no reference to, on the deaths of S&n-
taau and Vichitra-vfrya, 55 ; performed
by M4drf, 61 ; original idea of, amongst
the Scythians, 69 ; Thracian custom, ib. ;
modem idea, 70, note; attempt to bam
Braupadf alive with the dead body of
Kfchaka, 216 ; distinction between the
Brahmanical idea and the slaughter of a
female favourite, 231 ; interference in a
Brahmanical SatC regarded with horror,
ib. ; death of the chief wife of Kama, not
Satt, 366 ; no reference to, in the funeral
ceremonies of those who fell in the great
war, ib. ; legend of the widows or the
ilain in the great war rejoining their hus-
bands by <&owning themselves in the
Ganges. 440 ; widows of Vasudova bum
themselves upon the faneral pile, 450 ;
five widows of Krishna bum themselves,
451 ; not performed by the R&nfs of Ri^a
Kansa, 474.
Satr^jit, entrusts a jewel to his brother
Prasena, who is slain by a lion, 476 ; gives
his daughter Satyabhama in marriage to
Krishna, ib. ; murdered in his sleep, ib. ;
Krishna revenges his death, ib.
Satyabhumu, daughter of Satrajit, married
to K^i8hni^ 476.
Sdtyaki, a kinsman of Krishna, his speech
s at the great Council of the Pandavas and
their allies, 243 ; struggles with Arjuna
and Bhima to reach Jayadratha, 314 ;
his combat with Bhurisrava, ib. ; Bhuris-
rava couquers him and prepares to cut off
his head, ib. ; Arjuna interferes contrary
to rule, and cuts off the arms of Bhuris-
rava, ib. ; insults Kritxivarman at Prab-
hasa for aiding in the revenge of As-
watthdma, 447 ; encouraged by Krishna,
ib. ; slays Kritavarman, ib. ; his death,
ib.
Satyavatf, marries the aged Raja Santanu,
51 ; marriage of her son Vichitra-v(rya to
the two daughters of the Raja of Kasf,
53 ; requests Vydsa, the sage, to raise up
seed to her deceased son, 54 ; myth that
she was identical with Matsya, the mother
of Vyasa, 60 ; the myth proved to be a
later interpolation, ib.
8aurashtra, Raja of, 199.
Sayana Acharya, commentator on the Rig
Veda, 10, note.
Scythians, strangled a royal concubiue on
the death of the King, 70 ; N&gas, tribe
of, 146. 147 ; mythical, descend^ nrom a
being half woman and half serpent, ib.,
note; tradition of a golden plough, 433.
Sea, islands of, inhabited bv DbUju^ 192,
404 ; islands o^ inhabited by a Rishi, 413.
Serpents, Janamejaya's sacrifice of, 46, no<0;
city of, 74 ; in the forest of Khaudava
protected by Indra, 141; interpretation of
the myth, ib. ; the burning of the forest
opposed by the Scythic K&gas, ib. ; Ar-
juna*8 amour with iJlUpf, the daughter of
the Raja o^ 145 -, confusion between the
N4gas as serpents and the Ndgas as
Scythians, 146 ; existing remains of ser-
■nent worship, 148; serpent dynasty at
Ma^adh& and Munnipur, 147, notes ; in-
vasion of Lydia, ib., note; their magnifi-
cent city, 411; their beautiful wives,
jewels, and lake, ib. ; requested by Sesha-
n&ga to send the life-restoring jewel to
Aijuna to win the favour of Krishna, ib. ;
they refuse, ib. : defeated by Babhm-
v&hana, ib. ; tender their submission and
i^\e lam presents, 412; deliver up the
jewels, io. ; Hindil worship of the serpent
as a guardian deity, 42^1; exaggerated
idea or a city of eolvas, ib.; Damayantf
rescued from the toils of a serpent, 489 ;
a serpent rescued by Nala from a circle
of fire, 491 ; form of Nala changed by a
serpent, ib.
Sesha-n&ga, the great serpent with a thou-
sand heads, 411 ; advises the serpents
to send the life-restoring jewel to Arjuna
to win the fiivour of Krishna, ib. ; refusal
of the serpents, ib. ; protects the infant
Krishna in the passage of the Jumnd,
463.
Shcbo, Queen of, similarity of the Mussul-
man legend to the story of Duryodhana's
mistakes at the Rajasiiya, 173, and note%
Sikhandin, legend of, 308, note.
Sindhu, Raja of. See Jayadratha.
Sisupala, Raja of Chedi, story of his death,
an authentic tradition belonging to the
Krishna group, but grafted on to the his-
tory of the Pandavas, 169 ; the incident
to be referred to the Krishna group of
legends, 171 ; reason why the Yadava
tradition is grafted on to the Kshatriya
tradition, ib. ; story of the abduction or
his betrothed Rukminf by Krishna, 475.
Siva, the god, myth of the woman who
prayed five times for a good husband, 133;
ordained that none of the Rajas of Mani-
pura should have more than one child,
146 ; opposition to Vishna manifested in
the legend of the death of Sisup41a, 172 ;
Arjuna directed by Indra to propitiate
Siva, 191 ; combats with Arjuna m the
form of a mountaineer, ib. ; opposition of
Krishna, 460; worshippers of, persecuted
hy the worshippers of Vishnu, 461 ; sacri-
fice to, performed at Mathura by Raja
Kansa, 469; bow of, broken by Krishna,
471.
Soma, or the Moon. See Chandra.
Soma juice, 12, and note.
INDEX.
671
South conntiy, R^jas of, 165,
Spider^s web, army drawn up in the form
of, 310.
Subhadri, sister of Krishna, 149 ; Arjuna
£sUs in love with her, 150; the elopement,
151; the marriaee, 152; reconciliation
with DraupadT, io. ; legend of the mar-
riage proved to be a fiction, ib. ; m^th
in^oduced to cover the tradition of Krish-
na's criminal intimacy with his sister, 153,
and note ; consoled by Krishna after the
adventures of the horse, 415.
Sudeva, the Brahman, discovers Damayantf
at Chedi, 492; directed to inform Kaja
Bitupama that Damayantf was about to
celebrate a second Swayamvara, 495.
Snkra, priest of the Daityas, 511 ; love pas*
sages between his pupil Kanju and his
daughter Devay&nf , ib. : delivers Kanju
from the wrath of the Daityas, ib. ; his
anger with the Raja's daughter for push-
ing Devay&nf into a well, 512; threatens
to abandon the Raja of the Daityas, 513 ;
alarm of the Raja, 514; humiliation of
the Raja and all his Council, ib. ; the
Raja promises that Sarmishthd shall be
servant to Devay&nf, ib. ; Sarmishthd
obeys, ib. ; Yaydti proposes to marry De-
vay&nf, 516; performs the rites of mar-
riage, ib. ; pronounces the curse of old
age upon Tay&ti, ib.
Sun god. See Stirya.
Sunand&, sister of the Raja of Chedi, re-
ceives Damayantf as a companion, 491.
Sura, father of Vasudeva and Kuntf,.66;
Chieftain of the Y&davas, 461.
Sdrya, or the Sun, characteristics of the ^od,
22 ; prominence of the sun in all ancient
religions, ib. ; personification of, one of
the earliest efforts of ancient bards, ib. ;
the golden chariot and invisible steeds,
ib. ; attributes of Stirya similar to those
of Agni, but the personification distinct
from that of Agni, 23 ; the mythical an-
cestor of the Solar race of Ayodhy&, ib. :
regarded as a divine spirit pervading all
things, ib. ; the Gayatri, ib. ; the myth-
ical father of Kama, 94 ; Draupadf pravs
to him for succour against Kfchaka, 212 ;
myth that he preserved her from the in-
dignity of a kick, 236 ; sacrifice of a horse
associated with his worship, 380 ; Greek
conception of, ib.
Sutarman, Raja of Trigarta, proiwses to the
Kauravas to invade the llaj of Virata,
219 ; plan of campaign, ib. ; he invades
the northern quarter, ib. ; his single com-
bat with Raja Yir&ta, 220 ; defeats and
captures Vir&ta, ib. ; taken prisoner bv
Bhfma, ib. ; with his four brethren chal-
lenges Arjuna to battle on the first day of
Drona's command, 309 ; defeated by Ar-
juna on the second day of Drona's com-
mand, ib. ; Aijuna fights him a second
time, ib.
Swayamvara, its resemblance to a tourna-
ment, 85; origin of the institution, 117;
women regarded as prises, ib. ; decayed
in eonseqnence of feudf, 118; tradition of
the Swayamvara of Draupadf, ib. ; the
great plain, 119; pavilions for the suitors,
ib. ; the golden fish, ib. ; rule of the
Swayamvara, ib. ; morning of, ib. ; pub-
lic rejoicing, ib. ; exhibitions of dancers,
showmen, jugglers, musicians, actors, ath'
letcs, wrestlers, and swordsmen, ib. ; catap
logue of the Rajas, ib. ; feasting of tiie
' Rajas, 120 ; Draupadf conducted into the
area by her brother Dhrishta^dyumna,
ib. ; Vcdic hsrmns, ib. ; Dhrishta-dyumna
proclaims the conditions of the Swayam-
vara, ib. ; recites the names and lineage
of the suitors, ib. ; the gwland, ib. ; re-
luctance of the Rajas to commence the
trial, ib. ; failure of the suitors to bend
the bow, ib. ; Kama enters the lists and
strings the bow, 121 ; extraordinary inter-
ference of Draupadf on account of the low
birth of Kama, ib. ; Kama appeals to the
sun, ib. ; other Rajas foil to bend the
bow, ib. ; sudden appearance of Arjuna
disguised as a Br&hman, ib. ; Arjuna men-
tally prays to Drona and strikes the golden
fish, 122 ; acclamations of the multitude
and delight of the Br&hmans, ib. ; Drau-
padf acknowledges Arjuna as victor, ib. ;
wrath and mortification of the Rajas at
being beaten by a Br&hman, ib. ; fierce
battle between the Rajas and Panda vas,
ib. : mediation of Krishna, ib. ; Arjuna
and his brethren lead away Draupadf, ib. ;
probable details of the real incident, 127 ;
the Raja of Paach&la ^ves a feast, at
which he intends marrying his daughter
to the best archer, ib. ; rude merriment
on the occasion, 128 ; self-possessed de-
meanour of Draupadf an indication of
polyandry, ib. ; modest appearance of
damsels m later Swayamvaras, ib. ; win-
ning of the prize by a Br&hman the main
incident in the tradition, 129 ; question of
whether the institution did not belong to
a later period, 135 ; proclamation of the
Swayamvara of Damayantf, 4hl ; assem-
bling of the Rajas, ib. ; the day, 483 ; as-
sembly of the Kajas in the Hall of StatSgr
ib. ; Damayantf enters the Hall, ib. ; de-
scription of the scene, 484 ; a second Swa-
yamvara opposed to Brahmanicol ideas,
504 ; comparison of the Swayamvara of
Damayantf with that of Draupadf, 505.
Sword-playuig, 87 ; Arjuna's feats in, 88.
Thracians, their custom of slaying the best
beloved wife on the death of'^her husband,
69.
Trigarta, Raja of. See Susarman.
Tournament, its' resemblance to the Swa-
yamvara, 85. See alto Exhibition of
arms.
Turanians, how distinguished from the
Aryans, 7, note,
Ugrasena, Raja of Mathur&, deposed by his
son Kansa, 461 ; restored to the throne
by Krishna, 475.
Uldpf, daughter of V&suki, the Raja of the
terpents or H&gaa, her amour with Aijuna,
572
INDEX.
.•^
246 ; popularlj regarded as half woman
and hair serpent^ 148 ; sends to the city
of serpents for a jewel which will restore
Arjuna to life, 411.
Umbrella, an emblem of sovereignty, 372.
Ushas, or the dawn, characteristics of, 25 ;
contrast between the conception and that
of Indra, ib. ; poetry of the conception, 26 ;
associations connected with the dawn itf
India, ib. ; Yedic h^ns addressed to the
dawn as a maiden, ib. ; Y e4ic ideas of, as
a deity, ib.
XJttar, son of Raja Virata, his youth and
ignorance, 2^; urged by the chief of the
herdsmen tovo out against the Kauravas,
221 ; pleads that he has no charioteer, ib. ;
boasts before the women, ib. ; his coward-
ly fear on beholding the Kaurayas, ib.;
runs away^ but is pursued by Arjuna, 222 ;
Arjuna brings him back and makes him
drive the chariot, ib. ; defeat of the K au-
ra vas, ib. ; returns to the city with Arjuna,
223 ; his combat with Salya on the first
day of the great war, 301.
Uttari, daughter of Riga Yir&ta, requests
Arjuna to act as charioteer to her brother
Uttar, 221.
Yaisamp&yana, pupil of Yy&sa the sage, re-
cited the Mah& Bh&rata to Raja Janame-
jaya, 46, note.
Yaishnava sacrifice performed b^ Duryod-
hana, 196 ; review of the tradition, 197 ;
doubts respecting tbm IMrifice, 198.
Yaisyas. traces of, in the Rig-Yeda, 34.
Yaka, tne Asura, devours every day a man
from the city of £kachakr&. HI ; battle
with Bhfma, 112 ; rent asunder, ib.
Y&rondvata, city of, 99 ; the modem Alld-
habad, 100 ; visit of the Pandavas, 101 ;
story to be referred to the later age of
Brohmonism, 102.
Y&rshneya, charioteer of Raja Nala, en-
trusted by Damayantf with her children,
487 ; takes service with Ritupama, Raja
oC Ayodhyd, ib. ; recognized hj Nala, 492.
fTaruna, the deity of water, distinct from
Indra, 8 ; characteristics of, 20 ; mysteri-
ous attributes of water, ib. ; water a puri-
fier and a household necessity, ib. ; ideas
awakened by the currents of great rivers,
ib. ; springs and rivers generally separated
into individual abstractions, ib. ; concep-
tion of a god of the ocean, ib. ; distinction
between a material conception of a sea-
monster and an Aryan conception of a
spiritual existence, 21 ; Varuna considered
as a deity who rewards goodness and
punishes sin, ib. ; deep religious feeling in
a hymn addressed to Varuna, ib. ; attends
the Swayamvara of Damayantf, 482.
Yosudcva, father of Krishna, his grief at
hearing of the fray at Piabhasa, 449 ,• his
death, 450 ; bumod on the funeral pile
with four of his widows, ib. ; a chieftain
of the Yadavas, 461 ; married to I)cviikf,
niece of Uprascna, 462 ; engages to deliver
up Devnkfs children to Raja KauRa, ib. ;
his son Balar&ma by DevakT brought up
as tho iton of Rohinf, ib. ; carries the infant
Krishna across the Jumn& in a basket,
463 ; chanees Krishna for the daughter of
Nanda ana Yasoda, ib.
T&suki, Raja of the Serpents or Nfigas,
amour of his daughter UMpf with Arjuna,
145 ; splendour of his city, 411.
Y4yu, god of wind, distinguished from the
Maruts, 10, 25; the mythical father of
Bhfma, 71 ; and of Hanuman, the monkey
demigod, 190; testifies to the fidelity of
Damayantf, 500.
Veda, hymns of the Rig, 6 ; description of
the Vedas, ib. note; chronology of the
Vedas, 10, note; the two Aswamedha
hymns, 380, note.
VedTc deities, mere nersonifications of the
powers of nature, 8 ; distinction between
Indra and Varuna, ib. ; conception of
Agni, 9 ; form of worship, 11 ; their sup-
pled longings for the sacrifice, 13 ; re-
lations with their worshippers, ib.; cha-
racteristics of Indra, 14; characteristics
of Agni, or fire, 17 > Indra and Agni, the
chief gods, 19 ; characteristics of Varuna,
or water, 20 ; characteristics of Stirya, 22 ;
the twelve Adityas, 24 ; the god Vishnu
originally an Aoitya, ib. ; characteristics
of uie minor gods, ib. ; Soma, or Chandra,
or the moon, ib. ; the two Aswins, ib. ;
V&yu, 25 ; the Maruts, ib. ; characteristics
of Ushas, or the dawn, 25 ; minor Yedic
deities the mere personifications of poetry,
27 ; comparison of ancient and modem
personifications, ib. ; monotheistic con-
ception of one Supremo Being, ib. ; decay
of the Yedic religion in the Brahmanie
age, 30 ; degeneration of, in the age when
the story of Nala and Damayantf was
composed, 479 ; Indra, Agni, Varuna, and
Yama attend the Swayamvara of Dama-
yantf, 4S2.
Yedic people, identified with the Aryans, 7 ;
form of worship, 11.
Yedic period, distinct from the Brahmanie
period, 6 ; characteristics of, ib. ; fanciful
personifications which appear to have been
regarded as minor deities, 10 ; barbarous
character of the age, 84.
Vichitra-vfr3ra, legend of, 51 ; his accession
to the Raj of JBharato, 52 ; marries the
two daughters of the Raja of Kasf , 53 ;
dies without issue, ib. ; review of the le-
gend, 54 ; its mythical character, 58.
Vidarbha, the modem Berar, legend of
Rukmin, Raja of, 278.
Vidura, bom of a slave girl, 54 ; his appear-
ance nt the public exhibition of arms at
Hastinapur, 86; warns the F&ndavas to
beware of fire at Varandvata, 101 ; sends
a man to dig a subterranean passage, ib. ;
brings the Pdndavos back to Hastinapur
after their marriage with Draupadi, 137 ;
carries to the Pandavas the invitation to
the gambling match, 176; protests against
the idea that Draupadf was vron by Dur-
yodhana, 180; anxious night conference
with the Mah4raja after the return of
Sanjaya from his mission to the P4nda-
INDEX.
573
Tas, 256 ; counsels Duryodhana fb gire a
food reception to Krishna, 2o8; urges
owever that a reception is useless unless
Duryodhana is prepared to restore the
five Tillages to the Pandavas, ib. * Krish<4l
na lodges in his house, 259 ; his objections j
to Krishna's embassy, 261 ; remonstrates 1
with Duryodhana in the Council of Kau-J
ravas summoned to receive Krishna, 266^ ~
his death on the banks of the Qanges, 449.
Yijaya-nagur, Rajas of, claim descent from
Uie T4davas, 4o9, note.
Yirdta, Raja, the Pandavas determine to
spend the thirteenth year of their exile in
his city, 206 ; he engages them in various
capacities, ib. ; Draupadf 's appearance be-
fore his R4nf, 207 ; the Ram objects to
her beauty, 208; holds a great festival,
ib. ; exhibition of pugilism and vnrestling,
209; 'superiority of Jimilta, a foreigner,
ib. ; trouble of the Raja that none of his
own wrestlers could overcome Jimuta, ib. ;
sends for Bhfma, ib. ; Bhfma's victory,
ib. ; acclamations of the multitude and
great joy of the Raja, 210 ; richly rewards
Bhfma, ib. ; makes him fight in the inner
apartments, ib. ; his satisfaction with all
the Pandavas. ib. ; is afraid of Kfchaka,
the brother of his Ranf, 211; refuses to
interfere in the afiVonts offered by Kf-
chaka to Draupadf, 212 ; great commotion
in the city on the rumoured slaughter of
Kfchaka bv the Oandharvas, 216; alarm
of the Raja and Chieftains, ib.; timid
directions of the Raja to the likni for get-
ting rid of Draupadf, 218 ; interview be-
tween the Rdnf and Draupadf, ib. ; the
herdsmen bring the news of the invasion
of Susarman, 219 ; the Raja goes out to
battle, ib. ; defeated and taken prisoner
by Susarman, 220; rescued by Bhfma,
ib. ; invMsion of Duryodhana, ib. ; no war-
riors left in the city excepting Uttar and
Arjuna, ib. ; youth and inexperience of
Uttar, ib. ; the Raja exults in the as-
sumed valour of Uttar, 223 ; his quarrel
with Yudhishthira respecting Arjuna,
224; dashes the dice at Yudhishthira' s
face, ib. ; hears the true story and is for-
given by Yudhishthira, 225 ; engages to
assist the P4ndavas, ib ; review of the le-
gend, 226; city of, identified with the
site of the modem Dholka, 232 ; identifi-
cation of the country with Dinajpur, ib. ;
ridiculous character of his dispute with
Yudhishthira, 237 ; disappears after the
marriage of his daughter, and Drupada
takes me lead, 239 ; slain and beheaded
by Drona on the fourteenth day of the
war, 316.
Yishnu, originally one of the twelve Adityas,
24 ; opposition of Siva manifested in the
legend of the death of Sisupdla, 172 ; the
ch^ra of Krishna an emblem of his wrath,
ib. ; Arjuna and Krishna represented as
N&r& and N&r4yan, or incarnations of, 262,
note; worshippers of, persecuted by the
worshippers of Siva, 461 ; worshippers o^
slaughtered by Raja Kansa, 463. |
Viswamitra, visited jArkrakk with two other
Rishis, 443.
Yrihaspatf , priest of the Devatds, 61#; story
of his son Kanju, i|».
Yrindavana, encampment of the Yddavas
there, 461 ; confusion of the damsels of,
at the sound of Krishna's flute, 466; great
feast in honour of Indra, 467.
Tritra, or the rain cloud, 15, 1& note.
Yyasa, the sage, requested by Satyavatf to
raise up seel to her deceased son, 54 ; ter-
ror of the widows, ib. ; becomes the father
of Dhritarashtra, PdndujUid Vidura, ib. ;
traditionary history of, MR^bom of a fish-
^irl, named Matsya, in Eastern Bengal,
lb. ; identified with the Yv4sa who com-
piled the Mah& Bh4rata, ib. ; mythic ac-
count of his birth, 60 ; frequent appear-
ance of, in an abrupt or supernatural
manner throughout toe Mah& Bharata,
62; absurd myth that he caused G&nd-
harf to have a hundred sons, 72, note;
appears to the Pdndavas in the jungle and
advises them to dwell in the city of £ka-
chakrd, 110; appears at the palace of
Raja Drupada, and received with great
reverence, 126; declares that Draupadf
must marry the five brethren on the score
of a religious mystery, ib. ; introduced as
relating mythical stories to wipe away the
stain of polyandry from the early tradi«
tions, 133 ; myth of the old woman who
prayed five tiinee to Siva for a good hus-
band, ib. ; myti^that the five P&ndavas
were five Indras, 134, and note; imparts re-
ligious lessons of morality to Yudhishthira
during the year of conquest in connection
with tne Rajasilva, 163, note; the chief of
the sacrifice at the Rajastiya, 166 ; directs
his alleged grandson Arjuna to do penance
on the Himalayas, 191 ; mythical character
of hit*efforts to reconcile the Mah4raja
with the Pdndavas, 359 ; counsels Yud-
hishthira to perform an Aswamedha for
the atonement of his sins, 382 ; appointed
president at the Aswamedha of YudmaV
thira, 428 ; Yudhishthira apologizes tf^^.
him, 432 ; receives estates which he as-
signs to the Brahmans, ib. ; promises to
assemble the ghosts of all who were slain
in the great war, 439 ; the widows of the
slain bathe and prav in the Ganges, 440 ;
he summons the ghosts, ib. ; the armies
, reappear in all their pomp and magnifi-
cence as when alive, ib. ; ne permits the
widows to rejoin their husbands by drown-
ing themselves in the Ganges, 441 ; ad-
vises Aijuna to abandon worldly concerns,
453.
Yydsas, the twenty-eight, 59, note.
War, burning a sleeping enemy opposed to
Kshatriya ide|f^ 102 ; familiar to the age
when the Briunans persecuted the Bud-
dhists, 103 ; compareu with the story of
Aswatth^ma, 103, note; Arjuna's mercy
towards fugitives and captives, 223 ; pro-
cession to meet a successful warrior, ib. ;
qoettion connected with lengthy marchw,
574
INDEX.
233 ; contrast between the long marches
of Sesostris, Alexander, etc., and the Par-
thian% and Mahrattas and the cattle-lift-
ing forays of Duryodliana and Susarman,
ib. ; solemn coTenant of Chieftains pre-
liminary Ko hostilities, 275; intrench-
ments, ib. ; election of a generalissimo,
276; appointment of signs and watchwords,
ib. ; interchange of challenges, 279, 280 ;
their abusive character, ib. ; six rules for
ameliorating the horrors t)i^ 2S3; ap-
parently of modem date, 284 ; disregarded
in the great var of Bh&rata, 284 ; their
Brahmanical ^Mrigin, ib. ; confusion be-
tween stratagem and treachery, ib. ; im-
practicability of the constantly recurring
truces, 285 ; rational rule as reffards non-
eombatants, ib. ; alMnirdity of the rule
that cavalry should only fight with
cavalry, ib. ; natural law against fighting
during the preliminary abuse, or without
warning, or for a third warrior to inter-
fere between two combatants, ib. ; non-
observance of even these laws by ancient
heroes, 286 ; charse of the P&ndavas in
the form ot a half moon, 304 ; fighting
with fists, feet, teeth, and nails, 305 ;
army of the Kauravas drawn up in the
form of a spider's web, 310; vow of
Arjuna to slay Jayadratha or enter the
fire, 313 ; Arjuna interferes in the combat
between Bhurisrava and S&tyaki con-
trary to rule, ib. ; bazbarous slaughter of
Bhurisrava by Sdtydil, 315 ; frightful
battle at night, ib. ; battle scenes by
torchlight, ib. ; drinking the blood of an
enemy, 328 ; story of the revenge of As-
watth^a, 346 ; passionate desire of the
surviving Kauravas for revenge. 355 ;
comparison between the massacre by As-
watth4ma and the most barbarous inci-
dents in the war, ib. ; pleasure o^^tified
revenge as displayed in the dying hour of
Duryodhana, 357 ; leave-taking of female
l^ll^taves before goin^ out to battle, 399 ;
fortifications of Manipuru with waggons
and fire weapons, 405, 422.
Water, gods of, 9. See Varuna.
Weapons, use of,taught to the Kauravas and
P&ndavas, 75 ; supernatural, 88, noie; fire
weapons employed at Manipura, 405, 422.
Widows, burning of— see Satf; custom of
bearing children to a kinsman of the de-
ceased husband, 54, 58; Vyasa the sage
promises to assemble the ghosts of all who
were slain in the great war, 439; the
widows bathe and pray in the Ganges, ib. ;
rejoin their husbands by drowning them-
selves in the river, 441 ; of Baja Kansa
perfoTm the funeral rites but no Satf, 474.
Wind, gods of, 10.
Wine, prepared from the Soma plant, 12,
noie; supposed partial^ of Indra for,
14 ; practice of the Bhfls to indulge in
strong drink, 102 ; drink of Hindil
women, 211, 230 ; drank by certain Br&h-
mans and Saniases, 403 ; Krishna's pro-
clamation a^inst at Dw&rak&, 444 ; the
people permitted to drink it at Uie festival
%p
at PrCbh&sa, 446; general conviviality,
ib. ; the Chieftains drink in parties, ib. ;
tumult and massacre, 447 ; effects of the
rohibition to drink, 452.
restling, 85 ; in the court of Raja Yir&ta,
209.
itT&davas, slaughter of, at Prabh&sa, 447,
448 ; a nomcuie race, 458 ; their encamp-
ment in the neighbourhood of Mathura,
459; migration from MathurS to Dw&-
rakd, ib. ; improbability of the existence
of intimate relations between the Y&davas
of Dw&rak& and the P&ndavas of Has-
tin&pur, ib. ; descent firom, claimed by the
Rajas of Yijaya-nagur, ib., note; their
encampments at Yrind&vana and Gokula,
461 ; migrate from Gokula to Yrind&vana,
465 ; counselled by Krishna to transfer
their worship from Indra to the Govard-
dhana mountain, 467 ; descended firom
Tadu,son of Yay&ti, 519 ;' mythical details
respecting, 520.
Tadu, son of Yay&ti, and ancestor of the
Y&davas, 519.
Yaina-walkya, one of the sacred cooks at
tiie Rajas^ya of Yudhishthira, 166.
Yama, judge of the dead, 10 ; attends the
Swa vamvara of Damayantf, 482.
Yasoda, the putative mother of Krishna,
463; about to whip Krishna when she
sees the three worlds in his mouth, 464 ;
churning day, 465; Krishna's pranks
with her chum, ib.
Yay&ti, Raja, delivers Devay&nf from the
well, 512 ; approaches Devay&nf and
Sarmishth& near the well, 515; his in-
quiries respecting Sarmishth4, ib. ; re-
quested by Devayanf to marry her, 516 ;
question of his having espoused her when
he delivered her from the well, ib. ; his
interview with Sukra, ib. ; his marriage
with Devay&nf, 517 ; departs with De-
vayanf and Sarmishthli to his own city,
ib. ; his love passages with Sarmishthd,
ib. ; Devayanf discovers that he is the
father of Sarmishth&'s children, 518 ;
Devay&nf returns to her father's house,
ib. ; his sons Yadu and Faru, 619 ; the
curse of old age pronounced upon him, ib.
Yudhishthira, the eldest P&ndava, learns
the use of the spear from Drona, 75 ; his
wisdom and goodness, ib. ; rivalry with
Duryodhana for the post of Yuvaraja, 97;
appointed Yuvaraja, ib. ; wisdom and
i'ustice of his administration, ib. ; envy of
)uryodhana, ib. ; Dhritar&shtra offers to
divide the administration, 98 ; ordered by
Dhritar&shtra to sojourn with his brethren
in the city of V&ran&vata, 99 ; smells the
combustible mortar, 101 ; his conversation
with Arjuna respecting the marrii^e
of Draupadf, 123 ; his reply to the envoy
from Raja Drapada, 125 ; requested as
the eldest of the brothers to decide re-
specting the marriage, 126 ; appeals to his
conscience, ib. ; Draupadf married first to
him as the elder brother, ib. ; weapons of
his brethren kept in his house at Indra-
INDEX.
575
prastha, 142 ; his Jesuitical remonstrances
with Arjuna upon going into exile on
account of his breach of the matrimonial
law, ib. ; Brahmanical ideal of his pa-
terxial rule, 154 ; tranquillity of his K^J'
enabled his subjects to perform all re-
ligious duties, ib. ; general prosperity
insured by his virtues as Kaja, ib. ; re-
spected by all the neighbouring Rajas,
ib. ; Brahmanical tone of the myth,
155 ; resolves to celebrate a RajasUya,
or royal sacrifice, ib., 162 ; pays all the
debts of his subjects, ib. ; calls a Coun-
cil, ib. ; sends for Krishna and takes his
counsel, ib. ; mythical conquest of Jar4-
sandha, Raja of Magadh4, ib. ; commands
his four brethren to collect tribute from
the four quarters of the earth, 163 ; re-
ceives religious instruction from Vyasa,
ib., note : return of the four brethren, ib. ;
again advised by Krishna to celebrate the
Rajasilya, ib. ; mythical character of the
narrative, ib.; his reluctance to go to the
gambling match at Hastinapur, 177 ; his
obligation to obey the Maharaja and ac-
cept a challenge, ib. ; challenged by
Sakuni, 178 ; requires that Sakuni should
play fair, ib. ; taunted by Sakuni, ib. ;
accepts the challenge, ib. ; Duryodhana
lays the stakes whilst Sakuni plays, 179 ;
{>icture of the scene, ib. ; his mythical
osses, ib. ; loses the whole of his Kaj ex-
cepting the iagheers of the Brahmans,ib. ;
stakes his brothers as slaves and loses
them, ib. ; stakes himself and loses, ib. ;
stakes Draupodf, 180; agitation of the
elders and Chieftains, and joy of the Kau-
ravas, ib. ; he loses, ib. ; general conster-
nation, ib. ; question whether Draupadf
was fairly lost, as he was a slave when he
staked her, ib. ; forbids the Fandavas to
interfere, 181 ; loses the final game and
goes into exile, 183; his dialogue with his
mythical father Dharma, 190 ; gives a
feast to the Kauravas after the rescue of
Duryodhana from the Gandharvas, ib. ;
compared with the feast given by Abra-
ham after the rescue of Lot, 195; his
mild reply to the insolent invitation of
Duhsasana to the Rajasilya of Duryod-
hana, 196 ; his sorrow at hearing that
Kama had vowed to slay Arjuna, 197;
his dream that the animals implored him
to leave the jungle, 198 ; apparently a
Buddhistic parable, ib. ; his clemency
towards Jayadratha after the abduction of
Draupadf, 201 ; returns to the hut with
Draupadf, ib. ; orders the release of
Jayadratha, but Bhfma refuses unless
commanded by Draupadf, 202; humiliat-
ing submis.sion of Jayadratha, ib. ; grace
and majesty of his appearance in^ the
Council hall of Raja Vir4ta, 206; en-
gaged as a private companion and teacher
of dice-playing to Raja Virata, 207 ; com-
mands Bhfma not to interfere when Drau-
padf is affronted by Kfchaka in the Coun-
cil hall, 212; urges the rescue of R^ja
Virata, 220 ; rebukes the Riya for pro- I
Buming that Uttar had gained the victory,
224 ; plavs at dice with the Raja, ib. ; the
Raja makes his nose bleed, ib. ; declares
that if the blood hmi fallen to the ground
the blow must be avenged, 225 ; modem
tone of his language to Kaja Virata, 234 ;
his artificial reference to lus own losses,
ib. ; asserts himself to be a Brdhman and
a dice-player, 235 ; ridiculous character of
his dispute with Raja Virata, 237 ; his
reply to the message sent by the Maha-
raja through Sanjaya to the Panda vas,
2A ; sends a public mesaage to the elders
at Hastin4pur, and a ijcict message to
Duryodhana, 255 ; applies to Krishna for
counsel, 257 ; expresses an undue desire
for peace, ib. ; remonstrances of Drau-
padf, ib. ; gives a feast to Rukmin, 278 ;
agrees to the six rules framed by BhJfshma
and Drona for ameliorating the horrors of
the war, 283 ; mythical story of his respect
for his elders and preceptors, 297 ; pro-
ceeds on foot to the army of the Kaura-
vas, ib. ; asks the permission of Bhfshma
and Drona to fight against the Kauravas,
ib. ; the story referred to the later
Brahmanical period, 298 ; his mythical
dialogue with Krishna on the first day of
the war, 301 ; complains of the havoo
committed by Bhfshma and proposes re-
tiring, ib. ; consoled by the remonstrances
of Krishna, who dwells on the prowess
of Arjuna and Dhrishta-dvumna, 302 ;
efforts of DroDft to take him prisoner
frustrated by Krishna and Arjuna, 309 ;
tries to prevent Arjuna from accepting the
challenge of Susarman, 310; narrowly
escapes being taken prisoner by Drona,
311 ; commands Abhimanyuto charge the
spider's web, ib.; his profound grief at
the death of Abhiman]^, 312 ; Brahmani-
cal reaaoas assigned for his cowardice,
318 ; extraordinary account of the lie in-
advertently told by him, 320 ; manner in
which he is said to have told a lie, 3^1 ;
attacked by Kama in the absenoa of
Arjuna, 326; reproached by Kama for
the cowardice which he had imbibed from
the Brahmans, ib. ; his wrath at being left
without protection, ib. ; his anger with Ar-
j una for fighting Susarman when he should
have been fighting Kama, ib. ; taunts
Arjuna, ib. ; Arjuna draws his sword and
threatens to slay him, ib. ; reconciled by
Krishna, 327 ; slays Salya, 331 ; calls upon
Duryodhana to leave the lake, 333; re-
monstrates with Duryodhana, ib. ; refuses
to take the Raj except by conquest, ib. ;
offers that the Fandavas shall fight Dur-
yodhana fairly ,one at a time, ib. ; offers
arms and armour to Duryodhana, 336;
his wrath at Bhfma's kicking Duryodhana
on the head, 389 ; strikes Bhfma in tho
face, ib. ; his speech to Duryodhana, ib. ;
forgives Bhfma, 340; proclaimed Raja by
Krishna, 341 ; requests Krishna to pro-
ceed to Hastinapur and excuse the pro-
ceedings of himself and brethren to the
Mah&raja, 342 ; falls down in a swoon ou
576
INDEX.
hearing of the revenffe of Aswatthdma
in the camp of the Pdndayas, 352 ; his
lamentations, ib.; Krishna consoles him,
ib. ; sends for Dranpadf, 353 ; consoles
her, ib. ; represents to her that Aswat-
th&ma is the son of a Br&hman, and that
reTenge must be left to Vishnu, ib. ;
Draupadf gives him the jewel from the
head of Aswatth^ima, 354 ; excuses the
conduct of the Pdndavas before the R&nf
G4ndh6rf, 362 ; takes all the blame upon
himself, ib. ; assists in the burning of the
dead, 364; his sorrow at the death of
Kama, 365 ; kindness to all the widows,
children, and dependants of Kama, ib.;
mythical character of his kindness, 366 ;
narrative of his installation of Raja under
the nominal sovereignty of Mahiinga
Dhritar&shtra, 368; his disinclination to
be appointed Raja, ib. ; triumphant pro-
cession from the plain of Kurukshetra,
ib. ; grand entry into the city of Hastind-
pur, 369 ; arrives at the palace, ib. ; wor-
ships the family gods, ib. ; distributes
fifto amongst the Br4hmans, ib. ; reviled
y Ch&rv&ka, a R&kshasa disguised as a
Br&hman, ib. : rage of the real Br&hmans,
who declare their allegiance to him, 370 ;
Ch&rv&ka burnt to death, gratification of
Tudhishthira at the acquiescence of the
Br&hmans in his inauguration, ib. ; en-
throned facing the east, ib. ; presence of
his relations and friends, ib. ; ceremony
of inauguration performed by Dhaumya,
ib. ; symbolical rites, ib. ; pots of water
from the sacred rivers, ib. ; high place
prepared for sacrifice, ib. ; seated with
Draupadf upon the tiger's skin, 371 ; of-
fering of the homa, ib. ; the five purifying
articles poured uynm the pair, ib. ; pots of
sacred water poured OTcr them, ib. ; music
sounded, ib. ; bards and enlogistt sound
his praises, ib. ; his perfect equanimity,
ib. ; his patience durmg the ceremonies,
ib. ; distributes large gifts to the Br&h-
mans, ib. ; his addi^ to the Brfihmans,
ib. ; entreats the Br&hmans to accept the
rule of Mah&raja Dhritar&shtra, 372
review of the mregoing narrative, ib.
doubtful authenticity of the details, 374
contemplates the performance of an As-
wamedha or horse sacrifice, 377 ; his me-
lancholy, 382; advised by Krishna and
Yy&sa to perform an Aswamedha, ib. ;
objects to taking a treasure belon^ng to
the Brahmans, ib. ; Boes out with his
brethren to bring Krishna into his palace,
383; discovered Dy Krishna after the ad-
Tcntures of the horse sitting by the Ganges
arrayed in a deerskin and holding a deer's
horn, 415 ; advised by Krishna respecting
the Aswamedha, 416 ; meeting with Ar-
juna, ib. ; introduction of Babhrn-vfihana,
417; joy of the Rajas at their reception,
ib. ; performance of the sacrifice— «m
Aswamedha ; apologises to Yy&sa, 432 ;
assigns estates to Vy asa, who transfers them
to the Brahmans, ib.; apologizes to the
Rajas, 433; presents gifts to the Br4h-
mans and to Uio family of Krishna, ib. ;
gives the Raj of Hastin&pur to Parfkshit,
and the Raj of Indra-prastha to Yuyutsu,
453 ; dies in the Himalaya monntain^54.
Yuvanna, or little Raja, 97 ; rivalry of Yud-
hishthira and Duryoahaxia for the post at
Hastin&pur, ib.
Yuyutsu, son of Dhritar&shtra, 72, note;
mythical story of his desertion to the
Panda vas, 297, 298 ; dubious authenticity
of the story, 299 ; receives the Raj of In-
dra-prastha from Yudhishthira, 453.
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▲LPHABXTXCAL IKDXX.
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THE
SACRED HYMIf S OF THE BRAHMANS
A8 PRB8BRVBD TO U8 IN THB
OLDEST COLLECnOK OF BELI6I0US F0ETB7,
THE RIG-YEDA-SMHITA,
BY
MAX MtiLLER, M.A.,
TATLORIAN PROFESSOR OF MODERN EUROPEAN LANGUAGES IN THE UNIVER8ITT
OF OXFORD; FELLOW OF ALL SOULS COLLEGE.
After twenty years spent in collecting and publisliing the
text of the Rig- Veda with the voluminous Commentary of
S&yana, I intend to lay before the public my translation of
some of the hymns contained in that collection of primeval
poetry. I cannot promise a translation of all the hymns, for
the simple reason that^ notwithstanding Sslyana's traditional
explanations of every word, and in spite of every eflTort to
decipher the original text, either by an intercomparison of
all passages in which the same word occurs, or by etymo-
logical analysis, or by consulting the vocabulary and gram-
mar of co^ate languages, there remain large portions of
the Rig- Veda which, as yet, yield no intelligible sense. It
is very easy, no doubt, to translate these obscurer portions
according to Sftyana's traditional interpretation, but the
Prospw^tuB of Big^Veda SanhUa. 11
impossibility of adopting this alternative may be judged by
the fact that even the late Professor Wilson, who undertook
to give a literal rendering of S&yana's inteipretation of the
Rig-Yeda> found himself obliged, by the rules of common
sense and by the exigencies of the English language, to
desert, not imfrequently, that venerable guide. I need hardly
repeat what I have so often said,^ that it would be reckless to
translate a single line of the Big-Yeda without having
carefully examined S&yana's invaluable commentary and other
native authorities, such as the Br&hmanas, the Aranyakas,
the Pr&tis&khyas, Y&ska's Nirukta, l^aunaka's Brihaddevatft,
the S&tras, the Anukramants, and many other works on
grammar, metre, nay, even on law and philosophy, firom
which we may gather how the most learned among the Brah-
mans imderstood their own sacred writings. But it would be
equally reckless not to look beyond.
A long controversy has been carried on, during the last
twenty years, whether we, the scholars of Europe, have a
right to criticise the traditional interpretation of the sacred
writings of the Brahmans. I think we have not only the
right to do so, but that it is the duty of every scholar never
to allow himself to be guided by tradition, unless that tra-
dition has first been submitted to the same critical tests
which are applied to the suggestions of his own private judg-
ment. A translator must, before all things, be a " sceptic,'' a
man who looks about, and who chooses that for which he is
able to make himself honestly responsible, whether it be
suggested to him, in the first instance, by the most authori-
tative tradition or by the merest random guess.
I ofier my translation of such hymns as I can, to a certain
extent, understand and explain, as a humble contribution to-
A This subject and the principles by which I shall be guided in my translation
of the Rig-Veda have been discussed in an article lately published in the Journal
of the Hoyal Asiatic Society, New Series, yoL iL, part 2, ** The Hymm of the
Oaupuyanaa and the Legend of King AtamAti" The same Tolume contains two
Taluable articles on the same subject by Mr. J. Muir, D.C.L.
la JProipeOuf of Sip^Veda Sanhita.
wards a fbtote tranaUtioii • of the whole of the Big-Yeda.
There are many scholars in England^ Gtermanj, France, and
India who now doTote their energies to the deciphering of
Yedic words and Yedic thoughts; in fact, there are few
Sanskrit scholars at present who have not made the Yeda the
principal subject of their studies. With eyery year, with
OTcry month, new adyances are made, and words and thoughts,
which but lately- seemed utterly unintelligible, receive an
unexpected light from the ingenuity of European students.
Fifty years hence I hope that my own translation may be
antiquated and forgotten. No one can be more conscious of
its shortcomings than I am. All I hope is that it may serve
as a step leading upwards to a higher, clearer, truer point of
view, from which those who come after us may gain a real
insight into the thoughts, the fears, the hopes, the doubts,
the faith of the true ancestors of our race ;— of those whose
lang^uage still lives in our own language, and whose earliest
poetical compositions have been preserved to us for more
than three thousand years, in the most surprising, and, to
my mind, the most significant manner.
MAX MtJLLER.
Oxford, January, 1867.
The present publication is intended to form eight volumes,
of about twenty-five sheets each, containing an English trans-
lation, notes, and explanatory essays. A transliterated text
(in the original Pada form) will be added in order to obviate
the necessity of quoting a whole passage again and again in
the various notes on the same verse. The first volume will
be published as soon as a sufficient number of subscribers has
been obtained. Not more than two volumes to be published
in each year.
Terms of Subscription before publication, 10«. 6d. per
volume — the price to Non-subscribers after publication will
be 12s. Qd. per volume.
TEUBNEB & Co., 60, Paternoster Bow, London.
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