Mahabharata Vol. 2 (Penguin Translated Texts) (16 page)

‘Jarasandha said, “I never take a king until I have vanquished him. Who is here who has not been vanquished? Whom have I not conquered? O Krishna! It has been said that the livelihood and dharma of kshatriyas is to bring others under his sway through valour and then do as he pleases. O Krishna! These kings have been collected for a divine purpose. Remembering the duty of kshatriyas, how can I free them today out of fear? I am prepared to fight—army against army, one against one, or one against two or three, all at the same time, or separately.”’

Vaishampayana said, ‘Having said this, the king gave orders that Sahadeva should be instated
³⁰
and readied himself to do battle with those whose deeds were terrible. O bull among the Bharata lineage! O king! When the time for battle approached, the king remembered his generals Koushika and Chitrasena, whose names in this world had been Hamsa and Dibhaka. These were names that had earlier been renowned and worshipped by all the people in the world of men. O king! O tiger among men! And the lord Shouri, supreme among strong ones, with a valour equal to that of tigers, also remembered. This did the truthful Achyuta remember. It had been destined that Jarasandha would be killed by the valorous Bhima. Madhusudana, the younger brother of Haladhara, foremost among those who have controlled themselves, wished to show respect to Brahma and did not wish to kill him himself.’

Vaishampayana said, ‘Then Adhokshaja,
³¹
descendant of the Yadu lineage and eloquent in speech, spoke to King Jarasandha, who had resolved to do battle. “O king! With which one of us three have you made up your mind to fight? Who among us should be ready for the battle?” O king! Having been thus addressed by Krishna, the immensely radiant Magadha Jarasandha decided to do battle with Bhimasena. The priest brought chief herbs for alleviating pain and restoring consciousness to Jarasandha, who was impatient for the fight. A famous and learned brahmana performed the benedictions. In accordance with the dharma of kshatriyas, Jarasandha dressed himself appropriately. He removed his crown and tied up his hair. Jarasandha arose like an ocean that bursts through the shoreline. The intelligent king spoke to Bhima, whose valour was terrible. “O
Bhima! I will fight with you. It is better to be vanquished by a superior one.” Having said this, the immensely energetic Jarasandha, conqueror of enemies, rushed at Bhimasena, like the demon Bali once rushed at Shakra.

‘After consultations with Krishna, the powerful Bhimasena had also had benedictions performed and, eager to fight, advanced towards Jarasandha. Those two supreme warriors, tigers among men and armed only with their bare arms, engaged each other, extremely eager and each desiring to defeat the other. The sounds of grasping, holding and releasing of the arms then resounded with a terrible roar, like the roar of thunderbolts striking mountains. Both of them were the strongest among those who were strong and were supreme in their eagerness. Desiring victory, each sought to exploit weaknesses in the other. O king! This duel between the powerful ones was like that between Vasava and Vritra and the terrible duel sometimes drove away the crowds that were near.
³²
They pulled each other forward and broke away from each other’s holds. They threw the other one down and to the sides, dragging and grabbing the thighs. They insulted each other in loud words. They struck each other with rock-like blows. With broad shoulders and long arms, the two skilled fighters rained blows on each other with arms that were like iron clubs.

‘The duel started on the first day of the month of Kartika. Ceaselessly, it went on day and night. The great-souled fighters were still engaged on the thirteenth day. But on the night of the fourteenth day, the Magadha withdrew, as he was exhausted. O king! On seeing that the king was tired, Janardana spoke, as if to Bhima of the terrible deeds.
³³
“O Kounteya!
³⁴
One should not press down on an enemy
who is weakened in battle. If pressed down at such a time, he might completely give up his soul. O Kounteya! Therefore, you should not press down upon the king. O bull among the Bharatas! Fight him with your arms, so that he can be an equal.” From these words of Krishna, the Pandava,
³⁵
the destroyer of enemy warriors, got to know Jarasandha’s weakness and determined to kill him. Vrikodara, descendant of the Kuru lineage and chief among those who are strong, then seized the unvanquished Jarasandha, with the intention of vanquishing him.’

Vaishampayana said, ‘With his mind firmly set on the desire of killing Jarasandha, Bhimasena then spoke to Krishna of the Yadava lineage, “O Krishna! O tiger among the Yadu lineage! Now that I have girded up my loincloth, this evil one shouldn’t be spared by me of his life.” Having been thus addressed, Krishna, tiger among men, then replied to Vrikodara, so as to rush him, because he wanted to see Jarasandha dead, “O Bhima! Then quickly show us the spirit that you have got from the gods and the power you have got from the wind.
³⁶
Show it on Jarasandha.” At these words, the immensely strong Bhima, the destroyer of enemies, lifted up the powerful Jarasandha. O bull among the Bharata lineage! O king! He whirled him around one hundred times. Then throwing him down on his knee, he broke his back into two. Trampling him down, he roared out aloud. When Jarasandha was thus pressed down and the Pandava roared, there was such a loud roar that all beings were terrified. All those from Magadha were benumbed and expectant women aborted, on hearing Bhimasena and Jarasandha’s roars. Has the Himalaya Mountain, or the earth, been torn apart? On hearing Bhimasena’s
roars, this is what the residents of Magadha thought. At night, the destroyers of enemies left the king’s dead body at the gate of the palace, as if he was asleep, and left.

‘Krishna had Jarasandha’s chariot, with pennants, yoked. He asked the two brothers to ascend it and set his relatives
³⁷
free. Having been freed from their great fear, the kings and lords of the earth presented many gems to Krishna, worthy of bearing gems. Unhurt, armed with weapons and vanquishing his enemy, he
³⁸
mounted the divine chariot and left Girivraja with the kings. With the two brothers as warriors
³⁹
and with Krishna as the charioteer, the chariot was incapable of being conquered by all the kings and seemed to be always killing. With the two warriors Bhima and Arjuna riding in it and with Krishna as the charioteer, the beautiful chariot was radiant and invincible to all archers. It was on this chariot that Shakra and Vishnu had fought in the battle that Taraka
⁴⁰
had caused. It was this chariot that Krishna ascended and left. It glittered like molten gold and was garlanded with nets of small bells. It thundered like rain-bearing clouds. It was always victorious in battle and it always killed its enemies. It was on this chariot that Shakra had killed ninety-nine demons. Having obtained this chariot, those bulls among men rejoiced.

‘Then, on seeing the mighty-armed Krishna and his two brothers on the chariots, the citizens of Magadha were amazed. O descendant of the Bharata lineage! Divine horses, with the speed of the wind, were yoked to the chariot. When Krishna ascended it, it looked extremely beautiful. On that supreme chariot there was a flagstaff that did not seem to be attached to it at all. It was divine in origin, beautiful and with radiance that was like that of Indra’s weapons. It could be seen from a distance of one yojana. Krishna thought of Garuda and he immediately arrived, the instant he had been thought of, like the tall pillar of a temple.
⁴¹
Garuda, eater of serpents, then
sat on that supreme chariot on the flagstaff, together with many other blazing beings that had their mouths open and roared loudly. Incapable of being seen by those beings, his blazing energy was like the midday sun with its one thousand rays. O king! That beautiful flagstaff never knocked against a tree. It was never injured by weapons. Though it was visible to gods and men, it was divine in origin. Achyuta, tiger among men, left on that divine chariot with the two Pandavas, with the sound like that of thunder. King Vasu had obtained it from Vasava and Brihadratha from Vasu. In due course, it had passed from Brihadratha to the king who was Brihadratha’s son. The mighty-armed and immensely illustrious Pundarikaksha came out from Girivraja and stopped on the level ground outside.

‘O king! All the citizens, with the brahmanas in the forefront, approached him there to show homage, in accordance with the prescribed rites. The kings who had been liberated from their bondage, worshipped Madhusudana with words of praise. “O mighty-armed! O son of Devaki! Aided by the strength of Bhima and Arjuna, it is not surprising that the protection of dharma should be vested in you. Today, you have accomplished the task of rescuing kings who had been miserably immersed in Jarasandha’s terrible mire of a lake. O Vishnu! O supreme among men! We languished in that terrible mountain fortress. It is our destiny that we have been freed and you have obtained blazing fame. O tiger among men! O bull among men! Please tell us what we should do. However difficult may be the task, know that the kings will accomplish it.” Reassuring them, the great-minded Hrishikesha said, “Yudhishthira wishes to perform the rajasuya. He who lives by dharma wishes to become a sovereign emperor. All of you must aid him in the sacrifice.” O bull among the Bharata lineage! Then all those kings gave their words with happy hearts. The lords of the earth then made Dasharha
⁴²
share in their riches. Though disinclined, Govinda accepted, out of affection towards them.

‘The maharatha Sahadeva, Jarasandha’s son, came out with his relatives and his advisers, with the priest at the forefront. Sahadeva bowed down low before Vasudeva, god among men, and bowed down
in homage, with presents of many gems. Krishna provided assurances to the frightened one. Then and there, he instated Jarasandha’s son.
⁴³
Having been allied with Krishna and having obtained homage from the two Parthas,
⁴⁴
the intelligent king again entered Brihadratha’s city. The lotus-eyed Krishna, resplendent with supreme radiance and laden with many riches, left with the two Parthas.

‘Achuyta and the two Pandavas went to Indraprastha. On meeting Dharmaraja, he happily said, “O supreme among kings! Through good fortune, Bhima has killed the mighty Jarasandha. The kings who were imprisoned have been set free. O descendant of the Bharata lineage! Through good fortune, the skilled Bhimasena and Dhananjaya are well. They have returned unharmed to their own city.” Then Yudhishthira worshipped Krishna, as he deserved. He embraced Bhima and Arjuna in delight. Having eliminated Jarasandha and obtained victory through his brothers, Ajatashatru enjoyed himself with his brothers. The Pandava
⁴⁵
and his brothers then went to the freed kings
⁴⁶
and in accordance with age, showed them homage and paid their respects. They then gave them leave to depart. Having been thus instructed by Yudhishthira, the kings swiftly left for their own respective kingdoms on their different mounts, happy in their hearts. Thus did the immensely intelligent Janardana, tiger among men, get his enemy Jarasandha killed through the Pandavas. O descendant of the Bharata lineage! Having ensured Jarasandha’s killing through his intelligence, that conqueror of enemies
⁴⁷
then took leave from Dharmaraja, Pritha and Krishna
⁴⁸
and from Subhadra, Bhimasena, Phalguna
⁴⁹
and the twins. Having taken leave of Dhoumya, he prepared to leave for his own city in that chief divine chariot, radiant as the bright morning sun. It had been given to him by Dharmaraja and it thundered over
the directions. O bull among the Bharata lineage! Led by Yudhishthira, the Pandavas circumambulated Krishna, whose deeds never decay. O descendant of the Bharata lineage! When the illustrious Krishna, Devaki’s son, departed, the Pandavas obtained great glory. They had won a great victory and had provided security to the kings. This deed added to that. O king! They themselves found great joy in Droupadi. The king
⁵⁰
was then famous for the protection of his kingdom and in accordance with dharma, did whatever was consistent with dharma, kama and artha.’

This section has 191 shlokas and seven chapters.

Chapter 248(23): 26 shlokas
Chapter 249(24): 27 shlokas
Chapter 250(25): 20 shlokas
Chapter 251(26): 16 shlokas
Chapter 252(27): 28 shlokas
Chapter 253(28): 55 shlokas
Chapter 254(29): 19 shlokas

The word
digvijaya
means the conquest of the directions, that is, the conquest of the world. This section is therefore about the conquest undertaken by the Pandavas.

Vaishampayana said, ‘Partha had obtained the supreme bow, the two inexhaustible quivers, the chariot, the flag and the sabha. He told Yudhishthira, “O king! I have the bow, weapons, arrows, valour, allies, land, fame and strength and whatever men desire and find difficult to obtain. O supreme among kings! I think we should act so as to extend our treasury. I wish to make other kings pay us tribute. On an auspicious day, moment and nakshatra, I will set out to
conquer the region protected by Dhanada.”
¹
On hearing Dhananjaya, Dharmaraja Yudhishthira replied in words that were soft and grave. “O bull among the Bharata lineage! Go, but only after brahmanas have uttered benedictions on you, so that our well-wishers may be delighted and our enemies immersed in grief. O Partha! Your victory is certain. Your desires will undoubtedly be fulfilled.” Having heard this, Partha set out with a large army. He set out on the divine chariot, performer of extraordinary deeds, given by Agni. In similar fashion, Bhimasena and the twins, bulls among men, also worshipped Dharmaraja and set out with their armies. The son of the one who vanquished Paka
²
conquered all the regions protected by the lord of wealth—Bhimasena the east, Sahadeva the south and Nakula, skilled in the use of all weapons, conquered the west. O king! Dharmaraja Yudhishthira remained in Khandavaprastha.’

Janamejaya said, ‘O brahmana! Please tell me in great detail the directions of their conquests, because I never tire of hearing about the great characters of my ancestors.’

Vaishampayana said, ‘The sons of Pritha conquered the earth at the same time. I will first tell you about Dhananjaya’s conquest. With great force, the mighty-armed Dhananjaya first conquered the kings of the land of Kuninda.
³
After conquering the Anartas,
⁴
Kalakutas and Kunindas, he placed Sumandala, the conqueror of evil, in charge of the rear of his army. O king! Together with him, Savyasachi, the scorcher of enemies, vanquished the land of Shakala
⁵
and King Prativindhya, the king of Shakala. Shakala was one of the seven regions
⁶
and there was a tumultuous battle between Arjuna and the
armies of the kings of Shakala.
⁷
O bull among the Bharata lineage! After defeating all of them, the mighty archer attacked Pragjyotisha.
⁸
O lord of the earth! There was a mighty king named Bhagadatta there and the great-souled Pandava fought a great battle with him. Pragjyotisha was surrounded by kiratas,
china
s
⁹
and many other warriors who lived along the shores of the ocean.
¹⁰
Having continuously fought with Dhananjaya for eight days and finding him to be still untiring on the field of battle, the king smilingly said, “O mighty-armed one! O descendant of the Kuru lineage! O son of the chastiser of Paka! This blazing valour in battle is appropriate for you. O son!
¹¹
I am a friend of Indra of the gods and can withstand Shakra in battle. But I cannot withstand you in battle. O Pandava! What is it that you want? What can I do for you? O mighty-armed one! O son! Tell me. I will do what you wish.” Arjuna replied, “King Yudhishthira, the son of dharma, is a bull among the Kurus. I wish that he may become the sovereign and others pay him tribute. You are my father’s friend and have been affectionate towards me too. Therefore, I cannot command you. Please pay it
¹²
happily.” Bhagadatta said, “O son of Kunti! You are to me the way King Yudhishthira is. I will do all that. What else can I do for you?”’

Vaishampayana said, ‘Having thus conquered him, Kunti’s son, the mighty-armed Dhananjaya then went towards the north,
protected by the lord of riches.
¹³
Kounteya, bull among men, conquered the inner mountains, the outer mountains and the upper mountains. Having conquered all the mountains and all the kings who lived there, he brought them under his sway and extracted riches from all of them. O king! Having won the riches and the loyalty of those kings, he marched with them against Brihanta, who lived in Kuluta. The earth trembled with the sound of his supreme drums, the clatter of the edges of his chariot wheels and the roar of his elephants.

‘The young Brihanta came out from his city with a fourfold army to do battle with Pandava. The battle between Brihanta and Dhananjaya was a great one. But Brihanta was unable to withstand Pandava’s valour. Realizing that Kounteya could not be beaten down, the lord of the mountains,
¹⁴
whose intelligence was limited,
¹⁵
brought him all his riches. O king! Having established the kingdom, he set out with Kuluta
¹⁶
and swiftly threw Senabindu out of his kingdom. He then subjugated Modapura, Vamadeva, Sudamana, Susamkula and the northern Kulutas and their kings. O king! Having brought those men under Dharmaraja’s rule, Dhananjaya then conquered five countries. On arriving in Divahprastha, Senabindu’s great capital, the lord
¹⁷
set up a base there, with his fourfold army. Surrounded by them, that bull among men marched against King Vishvagashva Pourava. O king! After conquering in battle the brave warriors from the mountains, he used his flag-bearing troops to subjugate the city protected by Pourava. After vanquishing Pourava, Pandava defeated the seven mountain-dwelling dacoit tribes known as Utsavasamketa.
¹⁸
Then that bull among kshatriyas defeated the valorous kshatriyas from Kashmir and Lohita, using ten encircling armies. O king! Kounteya then took
on the Trigartas, the Darvas, the Kokanadas and many other kshatriyas who attacked him collectively. The descendant of the Kuru lineage then conquered the charming city of Abhisari and defeated in battle Rochamana, who lived in Urasha. The son of the chastiser of Paka then conquered beautiful Simhapure, protected by Chitrayudhasura. Then, Kiriti,
¹⁹
bull among the Pandavas and descendant of the Kuru lineage, conquered the Suhmas
²⁰
and the Cholas
²¹
with his entire army. The descendant of the Kuru lineage then conquered Bahlika
²²
with supreme valour. They were difficult to defeat, so there was a great battle. Phalgu
²³
Pandava, son of the chastiser of Paka, then took a select force and defeated the Daradas and the Kambojas.
²⁴
The lord then defeated the bandits who live towards the north-east and those who live in the forests. Thereafter, the son of the chastiser of Paka subjugated the Lohas, the superior Kambojas and the northern Rishikas. The battle in Rishika, between the superior Rishikas and Partha was a fearful one, like the battle known as
tarakamaya
.
²⁵
O king! After defeating the Rishikas in the field of battle, he extracted eight horses that had the colour of a parrot’s breast. There were some others that had the colours of peacocks and still others that had both colours. Having thus conquered in battle the Himalaya and Nishkuta Mountains, the bull among men arrived at the white mountains and began to live there.’

Vaishampayana said, ‘O descendant of the Bharata lineage! After having crossed the white mountains, the brave one arrived at
the land where the Kimpurushas lived. They were protected by Drumaputra. There was a great battle in which many kshatriyas were slain. The best of the Pandavas won and extracted tribute. The son of the chastiser of Paka used his army and determination to conquer the region known as Hataka, protected by Guhyaka. Having won them over with conciliation, he set his eyes on the supreme Laka Manasa. He also saw all the places sacred to the rishis. On reaching Manasa, the lord Pandava conquered the regions around Hataka, protected by the gandharvas. As tribute, he obtained from the city of the gandharvas supreme horses that were the colour of partridges and speckled, with eyes like those of frogs. Pandava, son of the chastiser of Paka, then arrived at the northern country of Harivarsha and wished to conquer it too.

‘On seeing him, some doorkeepers appeared. They were giant in form, great in valour and immense in strength. They smilingly told him, “O Partha! You are incapable of conquering this city in any way. O Achyuta!
²⁶
If you desire your own welfare, turn back. You already have enough. Any human who enters this city must certainly die. O valorous one! We are pleased with you. Your conquests are already many. O Arjuna! Nothing can be seen here that is left for you to conquer. This is the land of the Northern Kurus and there cannot be any wars here. O Kounteya! Even if you enter, you will not be able to see anything. Nothing that is here can be seen with human eyes. O tiger among men! O descendant of the Bharata lineage! However, if there is anything else that you wish, please tell us. We will do your bidding.” Having been thus addressed, Arjuna, son of the chastiser of Paka said, “I wish that the intelligent Dharmaraja should become an emperor. I shall not enter this land if it is restricted to humans. But let something be given by you as tribute to Yudhishthira.” Then they gave him divine garments, divine ornaments and divine hides and skins as tribute.

‘Thus did that tiger among men conquer the northern regions. He fought many great battles, with kshatriyas, and also with bandits. Having conquered those kings, he extracted tribute from them and
obtained a lot of riches and many jewels, together with horses that had the colour of partridges, were speckled, or had the colour of parrot feathers or those of peacocks. They were all as swift as the wind. O king! Surrounded by a gigantic fourfold army, the brave one returned again to the supreme city of Shakraprastha.’

Vaishampayana said, ‘At the same time, the valorous Bhimasena took his leave from Dharmaraja and left for the eastern direction. That tiger among the Bharata lineage had with him a great circle of forces, capable of oppressing the enemy’s kingdom. He marched out to increase the enemy’s sorrow. Pandava, tiger among kings, first went to the city of Panchala and used various means of conciliation to win the Panchalas over. Then that valorous one, bull among men, defeated the Gandakis and the Videhas
²⁷
and after some time, went on to Dasharna.
²⁸
There, King Sudharma of Dasharna performed a feat that makes one’s hair stand up—he had a great duel with Bhima without any weapons.
²⁹
On witnessing this deed, Bhimasena, the scorcher of enemies, made the immensely strong Sudharma the supreme general. O king! Bhima, terrible in valour, then marched towards the east and that large army seemed to make the earth tremble. O king! That warrior, strongest among the strong, defeated in battle Rochamana, the lord of Ashvamedha, and his younger brother. Without exerting terrible force in vanquishing him, the immensely valorous Kounteya,
³⁰
descendant of the Kuru lineage, then conquered the eastern regions. He then went south to the great city of the
Pulindas and conquered Sukumara and Sumitra, the lord of men. O Janamejaya! Then, on Dharmaraja’s command, that bull among the Bharata lineage advanced on the immensely brave Shishupala.

‘Having heard of Pandava’s
³¹
intention, the king of Chedi,
³²
the scorcher of enemies, came out of his city and welcomed him. O great king! When the bulls among the Kuru and Chedi lineages met, they asked about the welfare of each other’s lineages. O lord of the people! The king of Chedi then smilingly offered his kingdom and told Bhima, “O unblemished one! What do you wish to do?” Bhima then told him about Dharmaraja’s wish and that lord of men acted accordingly.
³³
O king! Bhima spent thirty nights there as Shishupala’s guest. After that, he left with his army and his mounts.’

Vaishampayana said, ‘Then that destroyer of enemies vanquished Kumara Shrenimana and Brihadbala, the lord of Koshala. In Ayodhya, the best of the Pandavas defeated, without having to perform very terrible deeds, the righteous and extremely strong Dirghaprajna. The lord then subjugated the land of Gopalakaccha, the northern Sottamas and the king who was the lord of the Mallas. Along the slopes of the Himalayas, the powerful one then ran into Jaradgava and in a short while, brought the entire country under his power. The bull among men defeated many countries in this fashion and conquered Unnata and the mountains of Kukshimanta. Pandava, great in valour and supreme among those who are strong, defeated in battle Subandhu, the king of Kashi, one who never retreated from battle. The mighty-armed Bhima, terrible in deeds and bull among the Pandavas, used his power to conquer Kratha, lord of the kings in the
region of Suparshva, in battle. Then he conquered the immensely energetic Matsyas, the immensely strong Malayas, the invincible Gayas and all the lands with animals everywhere.
³⁴
The mighty-armed one repulsed Mardavika and Mahidhara and having marched towards the north, conquered the foothills. The strong Kounteya used his strength to defeat the land of the Vatsas, the lord of the Bhargas, the lord of the Nishadas and many other owners of the land, led by Manimana. Pandava Bhima then conquered the southern Mallas and Bhogavanta, without having to expend terrible effort. The lord, tiger among men, used conciliation, without the need for terrible deeds, to win over the Sharmakas and the Varmakasa and King Janaka of Videha, the lord of the earth. Spending time in Videha, Kounteya Pandava defeated the seven lords of the kiratas in the region around Mount Indra.