The Mahabharata/Book 1: Adi Parva/Section LXIII
Section LXIII.
( Adivansavatarana Parva continued. )
Vaisampayana said, "There was a king of name Uparichara. And the monarch was devoted to virtue. And he was very much addicted also to hunting. And this monarch of the Paurava race, called also Vasu, conquered the excellent and delightful kingdom of Chedi under instructions from Indra. Sometime after, the king gave up the use of arms, and dwelling in a recluse asylum practised the most severe austerities. And the gods with Indra ahead once approached the monarch during this period, believing that he sought the headship of the gods by those severe austerities of his. And the celestials, becoming objects of his sight, by soft speeches succeeded in winning him away from his ascetic austerities.
"And the gods said, 'O lord of the Earth, thou shouldst take care so that virtue may not sustain a diminution on Earth! Protected by thee, virtue itself will in return protect the universe!' And Indra said, 'O king, protect thou virtue on Earth, attentively and rigidly! Being virtuous, thou shalt, for all time, behold (in after life) many sacred regions! And thou I am of heaven, and thou art of the Earth, yet art thou my friend and dear to me. And, O king of men, dwell thou in that region of the Earth, which is the most delightful, which aboundeth in animals, is sacred, full of wealth and corn, well-protected like heaven, of agreeable climate, graced with every object of enjoyment and blessed with fertility. And, O monarch of Chedi, this thy dominion is full of riches, of gems and precious stones, and containeth besides much mineral wealth. The cities and towns of this region are all devoted to virtue; the people are honest and contented; they never lie even in jest. Sons never divide their wealth with their fathers and are ever mindful of the welfare of their parents. Lean cattle are never yoked to the plough or the cart, or engaged in carrying merchandise; on the other hand, they are well-fed and fattened. In Chedi, O thou reverencer of the gods and guests, the four orders are always engaged in their respective vocations. Let nothing be unknown to thee that happens in the three worlds. I shall give thee a crystal car such as the celestials alone have, capable of carrying thee through mid-air. Thou alone, of all mortals on the Earth, riding on that best of cars, shalt range through mid-air like a celestial endued with a physical frame. I shall also give thee a triumphal garland of unfading lotuses wearing which in battle thou shalt not be wounded by weapons. And, O king, this blessed and incomparable garland, widely known on Earth as Indra's garland, shall be thy distinctive badge.'
"And the slayer of Vitra also gave the king, for his gratification, a bamboo pole for protecting the honest and the peaceful. And after the expiration of a year, the king planted it on the ground for the purpose of worshipping the giver thereof, viz, Sakra. From that time forth, O monarch, all kings, following Vasu's example, plant a pole for the celebration of Indra's worship. The next-day, the pole that is erected is decked with golden cloth and scents and garlands and various ornaments. And the gods Vasava is worshipped in due form with such garlands and ornaments. And the god, for the gratification of the illustrious Vasu, assuming the form of a swan came himself to accept the worship thus offered. And the god, the great Indra, beholding the auspicious worship thus made by Vasu—that just of monarchs, was delighted, and said unto him, 'Those men, and kings also, who shall worship me and joyously observe this festivity of mine like the king of Chedi, shall have glory and victory for the countries and kingdoms. And their cities also shall expand and be ever in joy.'
"King Vasu was thus blessed by the gratified Maghavat—the high-souled chief of the gods. Indeed, those men who cause this festivity of Sakra to be observed with gifts of land, of gems and precious stones, do become the respected of the world. And king Vasu—the lord of Chedi—bestowing boons and performing great sacrifices and observing the festivity of Sakra, was respected by Indra. And from Chedi he ruled the whole world virtuously. And for the gratification of Indra, Vasu, the lord of Chedi, observed the festivity of Indra.
"And Vasu had five sons of great energy and immeasurable prowess. And the emperor installed his sons as governors of various provinces.
"And his son Vrihadratha was installed in Magadha and was known by the name of Maharatha. And another son of his was Pratyagra; and another, Kusamva, who was also called Mani-vahana. And the two others were Mavellyn and Yadu of great prowess and invincible in war.
"These, O monarch, were the sons of that royal sage of mighty energy. And the five sons of Vasu planted kingdoms and towns in their own names and founded separate dynasties that lasted for long ages.
"And when king Vasu was seated on that crystal car, the gift of Indra, and coursed through the sky, he was approached by Gandharvas and Apsaras (the celestial singers and dancing-maids.) And because he coursed through the upper regions, therefore was he called Uparichara. And by his capital flowed a river called Shuktimati. And that river was once attacked by a life-endued mountain called Kolahala maddened by lust. And Vasu, beholding the foul attempt, struck the mountain with his foot. And by the indentation caused by Vasu's stamp, the river came out (of the embraces of Kolahala.) But the mountain begat in the river two children that were twins. And the river, grateful to Vasu for his having set her free from Kolahala's embraces, gave them both to Vasu. And the child that was male was made by Vasu—that best of royal sages and giver of wealth and the punisher of his enemies—the generalissimo of his forces. But the daughter, called Girika—was by Vasu made his wife.
"And Girika the wife of Vasu, when her season came, becoming pure after a bath, represented her state unto her lord. But that very day, the Pitris of Vasu came unto that best of monarchs and foremost of the wise, and asked him to slay deer (for their Shradha.) And the king, thinking that the command of the Pitris should not be disobeyed, went ahunting, wishfully thinking of Girika alone who was gifted with great beauty and like unto another Sree (Laksmi) herself. And the season being spring, the woods within which the king was roaming, had become delightful like unto the garden of the king of the Gandharvas himself. There were Ashokas and Champakas, and Chutas and Atimuktas in abundance; and there were Punnagas and Karnikaras and Vakulas and Divya Patalas and Patalas and Narikelas and Chandanas and Arjunas and such other beautiful and sacred trees resplendant with fragrant flowers and tasteful fruits. And the whole forest was maddened by the sweet notes of the Kakila and echoed with the hum of the maddened bee. And the king became possessed with desire and he saw not his wife before him. Maddened by desire as he was roaming hither and thither, he saw a beautiful Ashoka decked with dense foliage and its branches covered with flowers. And the king sat at his ease in the shade of that tree. And excited by the fragrance of the season and the charming odours of the flowers around, and maddened also by the delicious breeze, the king could not keep away from his mind, the thoughts of the beautiful Girika. Ibique in silvis semen suum continere non potuit. Rex autem, illud frustra profundi nolens, ut excidit, in folium recepit. Agnovit etiam tempes liviam cojugis suæ horam adventam esse. Itaque rex rem multa cogitatione iterum atque iterum rovelvens, (scivit enim semen suum frustra perdi non posse et tempus jam adesse in quo conjux illius egeret), carmina super illo recitavit. And beholding that a swift hawk was resting very near to him, the king, acquainted with the subtle truths of Dharma and Artha, went unto him and said, 'Amiable one, carry thou this seed for my wife Girika and give it unto her. Her season hath arrived.'
"And the hawk, swift of speed, took it from the king and rapidly coursed through the air. And while thus passing, the hawk was seen by another of his species. And thinking that the first one was carrying meat, the second one flew at him. And the two fought with each other in the sky with their beaks. And while they were fighting, the seed fell into the waters of the Yamuna (Jumna.) And in those waters dwelt an Apsara of the higher ranks, known by the name of Adrika, but transformed by a Brahmana's curse into a fish. And that Adrika, transformed into a fish, as soon as the seed of Vasu fell into the water from the claws of the hawk, rapidly approaching, swallowed it at once. And that fish was, sometime after, caught by the fishermen. And it was the tenth month of the fish's having swallowed the seed. And from the stomach of that fish came out a male and a female child of human form. And the fishermen wondered much, and wending unto king Uparichara (for they were his subjects) told him all. And they said, 'O king, these two of human shape have been born in the body of a fish.' And the male child amongst the two was taken by Uparichara. And this child afterwards became the virtuous and truthful monarch Matsya.
"And after the birth of the twins, the Apsara herself became freed from her curse. For she had been told before by the illustrious one (who had cursed her) that she would, while living in her piscatorial form, give birth to two children of human shape and then would be freed from the curse. And then, according to these words, having given birth to the two, and slain by the fishermen, leaving her fish form she assumed her own celestial shape. And that Apsara then went away into the regions of the Rishis crowned with success and of the Charanas.
"And the fish-smelling daughter of the Apsara in her piscatorial form was then given by the king unto the fishermen, saying, 'Let this one be thy daughter.' And the daughter was known by the name of Satyavati. And gifted with great beauty and possessed of every virtue, she of agreeable smiles, owing to contact with fishermen, was for some time of fishy smell. And wishing to serve her (foster) father, she plied a boat on the waters of the Yamuna.
"While engaged in this vocation, Satyavati was seen one day by the great Rishi Parashara, in course of his wanderings. Gifted with great beauty and an object of desire with even an anchoret, and of graceful smiles, the wise one, as soon as he beheld her, desired to have her. And that bull amongst Munis addressed the daughter of Vasu, of celestial beauty and tapering thighs, saying, 'Accept my embraces, O blessed one!' And Satyavati replied, 'O thou possessor of the six attributes, know that I am a maiden always under the control of my father. O thou sinless one, by accepting your embraces my virginity will be sullied. O thou best of Brahmanas, my virginity being sullied, how shall I, O Rishi, be able to return home? Indeed, I shall not then be able to bear life! Reflecting upon all this, O illustrious one, do that which should be done.' And the best of Rishis gratified with all she said, replied, 'Thou shalt remain a virgin even if thou grantest my wish. And, O timid fair one, do thou solicit the boon that thou desirest! Thou of fair smiles, my grace hath never before proved fruitless.' And thus addressed, the maiden asked for the boon that her body might emit a sweet scent (instead of the fishy odor that it had.) And the illustrious Rishi thereupon granted the wish of her heart.
"And having obtained her boon, she became very much gratified, and her season immediately came. And she accepted the embraces of that Rishi of wonderful deeds. And she thenceforth became known among men by the name of Gandhavati (the sweet-scented one.) And men could perceive her scent from the distance of a yojana. And for this she was known by another name which was Yojanagandha (one who scatters her scent for a yojana all around.) And the illustrious Parashara, after this, went to his own asylum.
"And Satyavati gratified with having attained the excellent boon (viz, that she became sweet-scented and that her virginity also remained unsullied), conceived in consequence of having admitted Parashara unto herself. And she brought forth the very day, on an island in the Jumna, the child begot in her by Parashara and gifted with great energy. And the child, with the permission of his mother, set his mind on asceticism. And (he went away) saying, 'As soon as remembered by thee when occasion comes, shall I appear unto thee.'
"And it was thus that Dwaipayana was born of Satyavati by Parashara. And because he was born in an island, therefore was he called Dwaipayana, (Dwipa- or island-born.) And the learned Dwaipayana, beholding that virtue is destined to become lame by one pada each yuga (there being four padas in all) and that the period of life and strength too of men followed the yugas, and moved by the desire of doing good to Brahma and the Brahmanas, arranged the Vedas. And therefore came he to be called Vyasa (the arranger or compiler of the Vedas.) The boon-giving great one then taught Sumantu, Jaimini, Paila, his own son Suka, and Vaisampayana, the Vedas having the Mahabharata for their fifth. And the compilation of the Bharata was published by him through them separately.
"Then Bhisma of great energy and fame and of immeasurable splendour, and sprung from the component parts of the Vasus, was born in the womb of Ganga by king Shantanu. And there was a Rishi of the name of Animandavya of great fame. And he was conversant with the interpretation of the Vedas, was the possessor of the six attributes, gifted with great energy, and of great reputation. And accused of theft though innocent, the old Rishi was impaled. And he thereupon summoned Dharma and told him these words:—'In my childhood I had pierced a little fly in a blade of grass. O Dharma, I do recellect that one sin; but I cannot call to mind any other. I have, however, since practiced penances a thousand-fold. Hath not that one sin been conquered by this my asceticism? And because the killing of a Brahmana is more heinous than that of any other living thing, therefore, hast thou, O Dharma, been sinful. Thou shalt, therefore, be born on Earth in the Sudra caste!' And for that curse was Dharma born a Sudra in the form of the learned Vidura of pure body and perfectly sinless. And Suta Sanjaya, like a Muni, was born of Gavalgana. And Karna of great strength was born of Kunti in her maidenhood by Surya (the Sun). And he came out of his mother's womb with a natural armour and face brightened by ear-rings. And Vishnu himself, of world-wide fame, and worshipped of the worlds, was born of Devaki by Vasudeva, for the benefit of the three worlds. He is without birth and death, displayed in splendour, the creator of the universe and the lord of all! Indeed, he who is called the invisible cause of all, who knoweth no deterioration, who is the all-pervading soul, the centre round which every thing moveth, the substance unto which the three attributes of Satwa, raja, and tama co-inhere, the universal soul, the immutable, the material out of which hath been created this universe, the creator himself, the controlling lord, the invisible dweller in every object, whose work is this universe of five elements, who is united with the six high attributes, is the Pranava or Om of the Vedas, in Infinite, incapable of being moved by any force save his own will, displayed in splendour, the embodiment of the mode of life called Sannyasa, who floated on the waters before the creation, who is the source whence hath sprung this mighty frame, who is the great combiner, the increate, the invisible essence of all, the great immutable, who is THE ONE, is bereft of those attributes that are knowable by the senses, who is the universe itself, without beginning, birth, and decay,—that male being possessed of infinite wealth and the Grand-father of all creatures, took his birth in the race of the Andhaka-Vrishnis for the increase of virtue!
"And Satyaki and Kritavarma, conversant with arms, possessed of mighty energy, well-versed in all branches of knowledge, and obedient to Narayana in everything and competent in the use of weapons, took their births from Satyaka and Hridika. And the seed of the great Rishi Varadwaja of severe penances, kept in a pot, began to develop. And from that seed came Drona (the pot-born.) And from the seed of Gautama, fallen upon a clump of reeds were born two that were twins, the mother of Aswathama, (called Kripi,) and Kripa of great strength. Then was born the mighty Aswathama from Drona. And then was born Dhrishta-dyumna, of the splendour of Agni himself, from the sacrificial fire. And the mighty hero was born with bow in hand for the destruction of Drona. And from the sacrificial altar was born Krishnā (Draupadi) resplendent and handsome, of bright features and excellent beauty. Then were born the disciples of Pralhad—Nagnajit and Suvala. And from Suvala was born a son Sakuni who from the curse of the gods became the slayer of creatures and the foe of virtue. And unto him as also born a daughter (Gandhari) the mother of Duryodhana. And both were well-versed}} in acquiring worldly profits. And from Krishna-Dwaipayana were born, in the soil of Vichitravirya, Dhrita-rashtra— the lord of men, and Pandu of great strength. And from Dwaipayana was also born, in the Sudra caste, the wise and intelligent Vidura, conversant with both Dharma and Artha, and free from all sins. And unto Pandu by his two wives were born five sons like the celestials. The eldest of them was Yudhish-thira. And Yudhish-thira was born (of the seed) of Dharma (Yama—the god of justice); and Bhima of the wolfe's stomach of Maruta (Pavana or Vayu—the god of wind); and Dhananjaya (Arjuna) blessed with good fortune and the first of all wielders of weapons, of Indra; and Nakula and Shahadeva, of handsome features and ever engaged in the service of their superiors, were born of the twin Aswinas. And unto the wise Dhrita-rashtra were born an hundred sons, viz, Duryodhana and others, and (in addition to the hundred) another, named Yuyutsu who was born of a Vaisya woman. And amongst those hundred and one, eleven, viz, Dush-shasana, Durmarshana, Vikarna, Chitrasena, Vivingsati, Jaya, Satyavrata, Purumitra, and Yuyutsu by a Vaisya wife, were all Maharathas (first class charioteers.) And Avimanyu was born of Suvadra, the sister of Vāsudeva, by Arjuna, and was therefore the grandson of the illustrious Pandu. And unto the five Pandavas were born five sons by (their common wife) Panchali (Draupadi.) And these princes were all very handsome and conversant with all branches of knowledge. From Yudhish-thira was born Pritivindhya; from Vrikodara, Suta-soma; from Arjuna, Sruta-kirti; from Nakula, Shatanika; and from Sahadeva, Sruta-sena of great prowess. And Bhima, in the forest, begat in Hidimvā a son named Ghatotkacha. And from Drupada was born a daughter Shikhandi who was afterwards transformed into a male by a Yaksha named Shuna for his own purposes.
"In that great battle of the Kurus came hundreds and thousands of monarchs for fighting against each other. The names of that innumerable host I am unable to recount even in ten thousand years. I have named, however, the principal ones who have been mentioned in this history (of the Bharata.)"
And so ends the sixty-third Section in the Adivansavatarana of the Adi Parva.