Maha-bharata Part 42

Not the death of Abhimanyu from the fair Subhadra torn, Not the slaughter of the princes by the proud Draupadi borne,

Not the fall of Kuru warriors, nor Panchala's mighty host, Like thy death afflicts my bosom, n.o.ble Karna! loved and lost!

Monarch's empire, victor's glory, all the treasures earth can yield, Righteous bliss and heavenly gladness, harvest of the _swarga's_ field,

All that wish can shape and utter, all that nourish hope and pride, All were ours, O n.o.ble Karna! with thee by thy brother's side,

And this carnage of the Kurus these sad eyes had never seen, Peace had graced our blessed empire, happy would the earth have been!"

Long bewailed the sad Yudhishthir for his elder loved and dead, And oblation of the water to the n.o.ble Karna made,

And the royal dames of Kuru viewed the sight with freshening pain, Wept to see the good Yudhishthir offering to his brother slain,

And the widowed queen of Karna with the women of his house Gave oblations to her hero, wept her loved and slaughtered spouse!

Done the rites to the departed, done oblations to the dead, Slowly then the sad survivors on the river's margin spread,

Far along the sh.o.r.e and sandbank of the sacred sealike stream Maid and matron laved their bodies 'neath the morning's holy beam,

And ablutions done, the Kurus slow and sad and cheerless part, Wend their way to far Hastina with a void and vacant heart.

BOOK XII

ASWA-MEDHA

(Sacrifice of the Horse)

The real Epic ends with the war and the funerals of the deceased warriors. Much of what follows in the original Sanscrit poem is either episodical or comparatively recent interpolation. The great and venerable warrior Bhishma, still lying on his death bed, discourses for the instruction of the newly crowned Yudhishthir on various subjects like the Duties of Kings, the Duties of the Four Castes, and the Four Stages of Life. He repeats the discourses of other saints, of Bhrigu and Bharadwaja, of Manu and Brihaspati, of Vyasa and Suka, of Yajnavalkya and Janaka, of Narada and Narayana.

He explains _Sankhya_ philosophy and _Yoga_ philosophy, and lays down the laws of Marriage, the laws of Succession, the rules of Gifts, and the rules of Funeral Rites. He preaches the cult of Krishna, and narrates endless legends, tales, traditions, and myths about sages and saints, G.o.ds and mortal kings. All this is told in two Books containing about twenty-two thousand couplets, and forming nearly one-fourth of the entire Sanscrit Epic!

The reason of adding all this episodical and comparatively recent matter to the ancient Epic is not far to seek. The Epic became more popular with the nation at large than dry codes of law and philosophy, and generations of Brahmanical writers laboured therefore to insert in the Epic itself their rules of caste and moral conduct, their laws and philosophy. There is no more venerable character in the Epic than Bhishma, and these rules and laws have therefore been supposed to come from his lips on the solemn occasion of his death.

As a storehouse of Hindu laws and traditions and moral rules these episodes are invaluable; but they form no part of the real Epic, they are not a portion of the leading story of the Epic, and we pa.s.s them by.

Bhishma dies and is cremated; but the endless exposition of laws, legends, and moral rules is not yet over. Krishna himself takes up the task in a new Book, and, as he has done once before in the _Bhagavat-gita_, he now once more explains to Arjun in the _Anu-gita_ the great truths about Soul and Emanc.i.p.ation, Creation and the Wheel of Life, True Knowledge and Rites and Penance. The adventures of the sage Utanka, whom Krishna meets, then take up a good many pages. All this forms no part of the real Epic, and we pa.s.s it by.

Yudhishthir has in the meantime been crowned king of the Kurus at Hastinapura, and a posthumous child of Abhimanyu is named Pariks.h.i.+t, and is destined to succeed to the throne of the Kurus. But Yudhishthir's mind is still troubled with the thoughts of the carnage of the war, of which he considers himself guilty, and the great saint Vyasa advises the performance of the _aswa-medha_, or the Sacrifice of the Horse, for the expiation of the sin.

The Sacrifice of the Horse was an ancient Hindu custom practised by kings exercising suzerain powers over surrounding kings. A horse was let free, and was allowed to wander from place to place, accompanied by the king's guard. If any neighbouring king ventured to detain the animal, it was a signal for war. If no king ventured to restrain the wanderer, it was considered a tacit mark of submission to the owner of the animal. And when the horse returned from its peregrinations, it was sacrificed with great pomp and splendour at a feast to which all neighbouring kings were invited.

Yudhishthir allowed the sacrificial horse to wander at will, and Arjun accompanied it. Wherever the horse was stopped, Arjun fought and conquered, and thus proclaimed the supremacy of Yudhishthir over all neighbouring potentates. After various wars and adventures in various regions, Arjun at last returned victorious with the steed to Hastinapura, and the sacrifice commenced. The description of the sacrifice is somewhat artificial, and concerns itself with rites and ceremonious details and gifts to Brahmans, and altogether bears unmistakable evidence of the interpolating hand of later priestly writers. Nevertheless we cannot exclude from this translation of the leading incidents of the Epic the last great and crowning act of Yudhishthir, now anointed monarch of Kuru land.

The portion translated in this Book forms Sections lx.x.xv. And parts of Sections lx.x.xviii. and lx.x.xix. of Book xiv. of the original text.

I

The Gathering

Victor of a hundred battles, Arjun bent his homeward way, Following still the sacred charger free to wander as it may,

Strolling minstrels to Yudhishthir spake of the returning steed, Spake of Arjun wending homeward with the victor's crown of meed,

And they sang of Arjun's triumph's in Gandhara's distant vale, On the banks of Brahmaputra and in Sindhu's rocky dale.

Twelfth day came of _magha's_ bright moon, and auspicious was the star, Nigher came the victor Arjun from his conquests near and far,

Good Yudhishthir called his brothers, faithful twins and Bhima true, Spake to them in gentle accents, and his words were grave and few:

"Bhima! Now returneth Arjun with the steed from many a fray, So they tell me, n.o.ble brother, who have met him on the way,

And the time of _aswa-medha_ day by day is drawing nigh, _Magha's_ full moon is approaching, and the winter pa.s.seth by,

Let the Brahmans versed in Vedas choose the sacrificial site, For the feast of many nations and performance of the rite."

Bhima heard of Arjun's coming,--hero with the curly hair,-- And to do Yudhishthir's mandate did with gladsome heart repair,

Brahmans versed in sacrifices, cunning architects of fame, Builders of each various altar with the son of Pritha came,

And upon a level greensward measured forth the sacred site, Laid it out with halls and pathways for the sacrificial rite.

Mansions graced with gem and jewel round the bright arena shone, Palaces of golden l.u.s.tre glinted in the morning sun,

Gilt and blazoned with devices lofty columns stood around, Graceful arches gold-surmounted spanned the consecrated ground,

Gay pavilions rose in beauty round the sacrificial site, For the queens of crowned monarchs wending to the holy rite,

Humbler dwellings rose for Brahmans, priests of learning and of fame, Come to view Yudhishthir's _yajna_ and to bless Yudhishthir's name.

Messengers with kindly greetings went to monarchs far-renowned, Asked them to Hastina's city, to the consecrated ground,

And to please the great Yudhishthir came each king and chieftain bold, With their slaves and dark-eye damsels, arms and horses, gems and gold,

Came and found a royal welcome in pavilions rich and high, And the sealike voice of nations smote the echoing vault of sky!

With his greetings doth Yudhishthir, for each chief and king of men, Cooling drinks and sumptuous viands, beds of regal pride ordain,

Stables filled with corn and barley and with milk and luscious cane Greet the monarchs' warlike tuskers and the steeds with flowing mane.

_Munis_ from their hermitages to the sacred _yajna_ came, _Ris.h.i.+s_ from the grove and forest uttering BRAHMA'S holy name,

Famed _Acharyas_ versed in Vedas to the city held their way, _Brahmacharins_ with gra.s.s-girdle, chanting _rik_ or _saman_ lay,

Welcomed Kuru's pious monarch, saint and sage and man of grace, And with gentle condescension showed each priest his fitting place.

Skilled mechanics, cunning artists, raised the structures for the rite, And with every needful object graced the sacrificial site,