SECTION XXXIX
"Narada said, 'The king has not been burnt to death by an unsanctified
fire. I have heard this there. I tell thee, O Bharata, such has not been
the fate of Vichitraviryya. It has been heard by us that when the old
king endued with great intelligence and subsisting on air alone entered
the woods (after his return from Gangadwara), he caused his sacrificial
fires to be duly ignited. Having performed his sacred rites therewith, he
abandoned them all. Then the Yajaka Brahmanas he had with him cast off
those fires in a solitary part of the woods and went away as they liked
on other errands, O foremost one of Bharata's race. The fire thus cast
off grew in the woods. It then produced a general conflagration in the
forest. Even this is what I have heard from the ascetics dwelling on the
banks of Ganga. United with that (sacred) fire of his own, O chief of the
Bharatas, the king, as I have already said unto thee, met with death on
the banks of Ganga. O sinless one, this is what the ascetics have told
me,--those, viz., whom I saw on the banks of the sacred Bhagirathi, O
Yudhishthira. Thus O lord of Earth, king Dhritarashtra, coming into
contact with his own sacred fire, departed from this world and attained
to that high goal that has been his. Through service rendered by her to
her seniors, thy mother, O lord of men, has attained to very great
success. There is not the slightest doubt of this. It behoveth thee, O
king of kings, to now discharge the rites of water to their honour, with
all thy brothers. Let, therefore, the necessary steps be taken towards
that end.'
"Vaisampayana continued,--'Then that lord of Earth, that foremost of men,
that upholder of the burthens of the Pandavas, went out, accompanied by
all his brothers as well as the ladies of his household. The inhabitants
of the city as also those of the provinces, impelled by their loyalty,
also went out. They all proceeded towards the banks of Ganga, every one
clad in only single peace of raiment. Then all those foremost of men,
having plunged into the stream, placed Yuyutsu at their head, and began
to offer oblations of water unto the high-souled king. And they also gave
similar oblations unto Gandhari and Pritha, naming each separately and
mentioning their families. Having finished those rites that cleanse the
living, they came back but without entering their capital took up their
residence outside of it. They also despatched a number of trusted people
well conversant with the ordinances relating to the cremation of the
dead, to Gangadwara where the old king had been burnt to death. The king,
having rewarded those men beforehand, commanded them to accomplish those
rites of cremation which the bodies of Dhritarashtra and Gandhari and
Kunti still awaited.[62] On twelfth day, the king, properly purified,
duly performed the Sraddhas of his deceased relations, which were
characterised by gifts in abundance. Referring to Dhritarashtra,
Yudhishthira made many gifts of gold and silver, of kine and costly beds.
Uttering the names of Gandhari and Pritha, the king, endued with great
energy, made many excellent gifts. Every man received what thing he
wished and as much of it as he wished. Beds and food, and cars and
conveyances, and jewels and gems, and other wealth were given away in
profusion. Indeed, the king referring to his two mothers, gave away cars
and conveyances, robes and coverlets, various kinds of food, and female
slaves adorned with diverse ornaments. Having thus made many kinds of
gifts in profusion, that lord of Earth then entered his capital called
after the elephant. Those men who had gone to the banks of Ganga at the
command of the king, having disposed of (by cremation) the remains of the
king and two queens, returned to the city. Having duly honoured those
remains with garlands and scents of diverse kinds and disposed of them,
they informed Yudhishthira of the accomplishment of their task. The great
Rishi Narada, having comforted king Yudhishthira of righteous soul, went
away to where he liked. Even thus did king Dhritarashtra make his exit
from this world after having passed three years in the forest and ten and
five years in the city. Having lost all his children in battle, he had
many gifts in honour of his kinsmen, relatives, and friends, his brethren
and own people. King Yudhishthira after the death of his uncle, became
very cheerless. Deprived of his kinsmen and relatives, he somehow bore
the burthen of sovereignty.
One should listen with rapt attention to this Asramavasika Parvan, and
having heard it recited, one should feed Brahmanas with Habishya,
honouring them with scents and garlands."'
The end of Asramavasika Parvan.
FOOTNOTES
1. The derivation of Aralikas is explained by Nilakantha thus; Potherbs
cut off with a kind of weapon called Ara are called Aralu. They who were
expert in cooking those potherbs were called Aralikas. Ragakhandava was
manufactured from piper longum, dry ginger, sugar, and the juice of
Phaseolus Mango.
2. It will be remembered, Earth, unable to bear her load of population,
prayed to the Grandsire for lightening that load. The Grandsire urged
Vishnu to do the needful. Hence Vishnu incarnated himself as Krishna and
brought about a lightening of Earth's load.
3. Mahadana implies such gifts as elephants, boats, cars, horses, etc.
Everybody does not accept these gifts, for their acceptance causes a
Brahmana to fall away from his status.
4. Some of the Bengal texts read avimukham hatah for abhimukam hatah. The
sense is the same.
5. The king gets a sixth share of the penances performed by the Rishis
living under his protection. The demerit, again, of all evil deeds done
within his realm is shared by the king, for such deeds become possible
through absence of supervision by the king.
6. Formerly kings and noblemen wore jewels and medicinal herbs on their
arms. The last were enclosed in drum-like capsules of gold, hermetically
closed on both sides. It was believed that jewels and medicinal herbs are
a great protection against many evils.
7. The eight limbs of a kingdom are the law, the judge, the assessors,
the scribe, the astrologer, gold, fire, and water.
8. Atta is explained by Nilakantha as the space kept for the soldiers to
tread upon.
9. Grass may conceal the spies of foes. The darkness of night also may do
the same.
10. Adanaruchi is a very civil way of indicating corrupt officials and
thieves. Inflictors of severe punishments were looked upon as tyrants
deserving of being put down. Heavy fines were at one time interdicted in
England. Sahasapriya is a doer of rash deeds, such as culpable homicide
not amounting to murder, to adopt the terminology of the Indian Penal
Code.
11. i.e., content to work on receiving their food only. Their wages
should not be higher that' what is needed to feed them.
12. The word Mandala has been explained below in verse 5. The distinction
between Udasinas and Madhyasthas, as explained by Nilakantha, is that the
former are neutrals, while the latter are those who cherish equal
sentiments towards both the parties.
13. The four kinds of foes, as explained by the commentator, are (1) foes
proper, (2) allies of foes, (3) those that wish victory to both sides,
and (4) those that wish defeat to both sides. As regards Atatayins, they
are six, viz., (1) he that sets fire to one's house, (2) he that mixes
poison with one's food, (3) he that advances, weapon in hand, with
hostile intent, (4) he that robs one of one's wealth, (5) he that invades
one's fields, and (6) he that steals one's wife.
14. The sixty are thus made up. Eight consisting of agriculture and the
rest; twenty-eight consisting of forces and the rest; fourteen consisting
of atheists and the rest and eighteen consisting of counsels and the rest.
15. i.e., land that is fertile, gold that is pure, and men that are
strong.
16. The wards Kasyanchidapadi should be construed with what follows.
17. The cane yields when pressure is directed towards it. In the Santi
Parva occurs the detailed conversation between the Ocean and the Rivers.
The former enquired why, when the Rivers washed down the largest trees,
they could not wash into the Ocean a single cane. The answer was that the
cane was yielding; the trees were not so.
18. War and peace are each of two kinds, i.e., war with a strong foe and
that with a weak foe: peace with a strong foe and that with a weak foe.
The Bengal texts wrongly read dividhopayam or vividhopayam.
19. I expand this verse a little, following the commentator.
20. Strength is of three kinds, as explained in the next verse.
21. Utsaha is readiness or alacrity, of the forces to attack the foe:
prabhusakti is the complete mastery of the king over his forces, i.e.,
through discipline. By strength of counsels, in this connection, is meant
well-formed plans of attack and defence.
22. Maulam is explained as the strength of money. In modern warfare also,
money is called 'the sinews of war'. Atavivala or the force consisting of
foresters, was, perhaps, the body of Irregulars that supported a regular
army of combatants. Bhritavala implies the regular army, drawing pay from
the state at all times. In India, standing armies have existed from
remote times. Sreni-vala is, perhaps, the forces of artisans, mechanics,
and engineers, who looked after the roads and the transport, as also of
traders who supplied the army with provision.
23. A sakata array was an array after the form of a car. It is described
in Sukraniti fully, and occurs in the Drona Parva, ante. The Padma is a
circular array with angular projections. It is the same with what is now
called the starry with angular projections. It is the same what is now
called the starry array, many modern forts being constructed on this
plan. The Vajra is a wedge-like array. It penetrates into the enemy's
divisions like a wedge and goes out, routing the foe. It is otherwise
called suchivyuha.
24. i.e., meet the foe whether within his own kingdom or invade the foe's
realm and thus oblige the foe to fall back for resisting him there.
25. i.e., for obtaining fame here and felicity hereafter.
26. Those who die become at first what is called Preta. They remain so
for one year, till the Sapindikarana Sraddha is performed. They then
become united with the Pitris. The gifts made in the first Sraddha as
also in the monthly ones, have the virtue of rescuing the Preta or
bringing him an accession of merit. The gifts in annual Sraddhas also
have the same efficacy.
27. The text in verse 2, where mention is made of thousands of years as
embracing the rule of Yudhishthira, is evidently vitiated.
28. The correct reading is jane and not kshane.
29. 'It is difficult to imagine why the rider of the Sindhus, Jayadratha,
only should be regarded as a wrong-doer to the Pandavas. In the matter of
the slaying of Abhimanyu he played a very minor part, by only guarding
the entrance of the array against the Pandava warriors. It is true he had
attempted to abduct Draupadi from the forest retreat of the Pandavas, but
even in this, the wrong was not so great as that which Duryodhana and
others inflicted on the Pandavas by dragging Draupadi to the court of the
Kurus.
30. The usual way in which gifts are made at the present day on occasions
of Sraddhas and marriages or other auspicious rites very nearly resembles
what is described here. Instead of dedicating each gift with mantras and
water and making it over to the receiver, all the articles in a heap are
dedicated with the aid of mantras. The guests are then assembled, and are
called up individually. The Adhyaksha or superintendent, according to a
list prepared, names the gifts to be made to the guest called up. The
tellers actually make them over, the scribes noting them down.
31. Each gift that was indicated by Dhritarashtra was multiplied ten
times at the command of Yudhishthira.
32. As Dhritarashtra was blind, his queen Gandhari, whose devotion to her
lord was very great, had, from the days of her marriage, kept her eyes
bandaged refusing to look on the world which her lord could not see.
33. Nilakantha explains that as Dhritarashtra is Pandu's elder brother,
therefore, Kunti regards him as Pandu's father. Queen Gandhari therefore
is Kunti's mother-in-law. The eldest brother is looked upon as a father.
34. To live watching the faces of others is to live in dependence on
others.
35. It has been pointed out before that mahadana means gifts of such
things as elephants, horses, cars and other vehicles, boats, etc. The
giver wins great merit by making them, but the receiver incurs demerit by
acceptance, unless he happens to be a person of exceptional energy. To
this day, acceptors of such gifts are looked upon as fallen men.
36. The words that Kunti spoke were just. The opposition her sons offered
was unreasonable. Hence, their shame.
37. 'Brahmi night' implies a night in course of which sacred hymns are
sung.
38. Nakharaprasa-yodhina, Nilakantha explains, are those combatants who
are armed with tiger-like claws made of iron and tied to their waists.
39. Suradevata is like karivringhati or govalivardda.
40. Ulupi is implied.
41. Implying the unfair character of the fight, for one on the earth
should never be assailed by one on his car.
42. Yudhishthira was Dharma's self, Vidura also was Dharma born as a
Sudra through the curse of the Rishi Animandavya. Both, therefore, were
of the same essence. When Vidura left his human body, he entered the body
of Yudhishthira and thus the latter felt himself strengthened greatly by
the accession.
43. Nilakantha here implies the peacock and not the blue jay, for the
word keka is applied to the notes of the peacock alone. Datyuhas are
gallinules or a species of Chatakas whose cry resembles, Phatik
jal--phatik jal--phatik jal! repeated very distinctly, the second
syllable being lengthened greatly.
44. Audumvaran is an adjective of kalasan. It means 'made of copper'.
Praveni is a kutha or blanket. Sruk is a ladle having the cup like cavity
at one extremity only. Sruv is a ladle having cup-like cavities at both
extremities.
45. Whenever a Brahmana cursed another, his penances underwent a
diminution. Forgiveness was the highest virtue of the Brahmana. His power
lay in forgiveness. Hence, when Mandavya cursed Dharma, he had to spend a
portion of his hard-earned penances. Previously, the plea of minority or
non-age could not be urged in the court of Dharma. Mandavya forced Dharma
to admit that plea in the matter of punishment for offences.
46. Both Dharana and Dhyana are processes or, rather, stages of Yoga. The
former implies the fixing of the mind on one thing; the latter is the
abstraction of the mind from surrounding objects.
47. Valhika was the sire of Somadatta and the grandsire of Bhurisravas.
Valhika, therefore, was the grand-father-in-law of the lady mentioned by
Gandhari.
48. The puissance here referred to is that of Anima, Laghima, etc. i.e.,
the capacity of becoming minute and subtile, etc.
49. The sense is that those had been incarnated as human beings and
fighting with one another met with death as regards their human existence.
50. Nilakantha explains that anayasakritani karma implies the religion of
Nivritti, for the religion of Pravritti consists of acts that require
ayasa or exertion for their accomplishment. The religion of Nivritti or
abstention from acts is said hereto be true and superior, and productive
of real fruit, in the form, that is, of Emancipation. The soul, however,
in the generality of cases, united with ebhih, by which is meant
ayasa-kritam karma, that is, the acts done in pursuance of the religion
of Pravritti, becomes embodied and, therefore, enjoys happiness or
endures misery as the case may be.
51. The sense seems to be this--when a creature stands before a mirror,
its image is formed in the mirror; such reflection, however, never
affects the mirror in the least, for when the object leaves the vicinity
of the mirror, the image or reflection vanishes away. The soul is like
the mirror. Pleasure and pain are like reflections in it. They come and
go away without the soul being at all modified by them in anyway.
Pleasure and pain are destructible, but not so the soul.
52. The ordinary man thinks this conglomeration of diverse objects to be
his self. The man of wisdom who has exhausted his acts does not think so.
He is freed from the obligation of taking a body.
53. The sense probably is this. En the case of ordinary men, the
component parts of the body dissolve away, while Yogins can keep such
parts from dissolution as long as they like.
54. The sense is, the deities bear away to the next world the animals
slain in sacrifices Through the bodies of such animals are apparently
destroyed, yet their life-breaths and senses continue to exist.
55. The sense is that as wives etc., when lost, are sources of sorrow,
wise men should abstain from contracting such relations. They might then
be free from sorrow.
56. Paraparajnah is one that understands the distinction between body and
sell. Apara is, therefore, one that is not possessed of such knowledge;
hence, as Nilakantha explains, it implies one who has not attained to
Jnana nishtha. What is said in the second line is that he that adores
saguna Brahma, succeeds afterwards, through such adoration, in reaching
to nirguna Brahma.
57. The sense seems to be this: we spring from the unmanifest and
disappear once more in the unmanifest. The Bengal texts read the first
line incorrectly. It is adarsanalapatitah. The second line is
unintelligible. Naham tam vedini is taken by Nilakantha as implying 'I do
not know him,' i.e., him that is Emancipate. Asau cha no vetti mam is
explained as a due to karanabhat. But who is asau? 'I have no
renunciation,' or 'renunciation is not yet mine,' implies that
Emancipation, which directly flows from renunciation, is not mine.
58. What is stated here is that if a man does an act that is bad, its
consequences he will have to endure in a human body. The same with regard
to rewards. By doing a meritorious act in one's human form, one will
enjoy its good consequences in one's human body. So acts done mentally
affect the mind and those done with the body affect the body.
It should be noted that the whole of the above translation is offered
tentatively. A verbal rendering has been attempted. The chain of
reasoning is not at all clear. The commentator has done much to elucidate
the sense, but the original obscurities have scarcely been removed.
59. The Bengal reading manah is incorrect. It should be punah.
60. Nripam pradakshinam chakru is the construction. Nivarana has
snanapanat understood after it.
61. Vikarshanam is emaciation of the body by abstention from all food.
62. The verb anvacat from root sas can govern two objectives. Here the
two objectives are purushan and krityani
