Mahabharata Vol. 1 (Penguin Translated Texts) (43 page)

‘When the cries of “Victory” had died down, the bull among kings told the Kourava,
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“What can I give you that is comparable to your gift of this kingdom? O king! O tiger among kings! Tell me and I will do your bidding.” Suyodhana
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replied, “I wish for your eternal friendship.” Having been thus addressed, Karna said, “So shall it be.” Thereupon, they embraced each other in joy and were immensely happy.’

Vaishampayana said, ‘At that moment, Adhiratha entered the arena, swaying on his feet and supporting himself on a staff. He was trembling and perspiring and his upper garments were in disarray. On seeing him, Karna discarded his bow. Out of regard for his father, he bowed down his head, still wet with water from the coronation. The charioteer quickly covered his feet with the end of his garment and addressed Karna, who had been crowned with success, as his son. Trembling with affection, he kissed him on the head and wet with his tears the head that was already damp with water from
the instatement as the king of Anga. When Pandava Bhimasena saw him, he deduced that he
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was a charioteer’s son and jeeringly said, “O son of a charioteer! You don’t have the right to be killed by Partha in battle. You had better take up a whip, more befitting of your lineage. O worst of men! You have no right to enjoy the kingdom of Anga, just as a dog has no right to eat the cake that is offered at a sacrificial fire.” At these words, Karna’s lips quivered a little. He looked up at the sun in the sky and sighed.

‘The immensely strong Duryodhana arose angrily from among his brothers, like a mad elephant arises from a pond of lotuses. He told Bhimasena, of the terrible deeds, who stood there, “O Vrikodara! You should not speak these words. Strength is the most important virtue of Kshatriyas and even the most inferior of Kshatriyas deserves to be fought with. The sources of warriors and rivers are both the same; they are always unknown. The fire that covers the entire world arises from water. The vajra that destroyed danavas was made from Dadhichi’s bones. It is said that the birth of the illustrious god Guha
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is a complete mystery. Some say he is the son of Agni, or of the Krittikas,
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or Rudra’s son, or Ganga’s. It is said that those who have been born Brahmanas have become Kshatriyas. Our preceptor was born in a water pot, Kripa in a clump of reeds. And we also know how all of you were born. Can a deer give birth to this tiger, equal to the sun, with natural armour and earrings and possessing all the auspicious marks? This lord of men deserves to be king, not only of Anga but of the entire world, through the valour of his arms and my obedience to him. If there is any man to whom my action seems condemnable, let him ascend his chariot, or on foot bend his bow.” At this, a loud uproar arose in the arena, intermingled with cheers of applause. At that time, the sun went down.

‘King Duryodhana grasped Karna’s hand and led him out of the arena, lit with the flames of myriad torches. O lord of the earth!
With Drona, Kripa and Bhishma, the Pandavas also returned to their own homes. Everyone went to their respective houses. O descendant of the Bharata lineage! As they went away, some hailed Arjuna, some Karna and some Duryodhana. Kunti was also delighted out of affection for her son, because she recognized him from the various auspicious marks on his body, and he had become the king of Anga. O king! Having obtained Karna, Duryodhana quickly banished his fears arising out of Arjuna’s skills. Skilled in use of arms, that warrior
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also gratified Suyodhana with sweet words. At that time, Yudhishthira also thought that there was no archer equal to Karna on earth.’

Vaishampayana said, ‘O ruler of the earth! One day, Drona the preceptor assembled his pupils together and asked all of them for his fee.
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“Capture Drupada, the king of Panchala, in a raid and bring him here to me. O fortunate ones! That will be my greatest dakshina.” Agreeing, all of them armed themselves with weapons and quickly climbed into their chariots and set out, accompanied by Drona, in order to pay the preceptor’s fee. Those bulls among men destroyed Panchala and went to the capital of the immensely powerful Drupada and attacked it. O bull of the Bharata lineage! Thus capturing Yajnasena Drupada and his advisers in battle, they brought him to Drona.

‘Seeing him
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humiliated and robbed of his riches and under his complete control, Drona remembered his earlier enmity with Drupada and said, “I have laid waste your kingdom and your capital. Now that you have received your life at an enemy’s hand, do you wish to revive our old friendship?” Having said this, he smiled a little, arrived
at a decision and continued, “O king! Do not fear for your life. We Brahmanas always forgive. O bull among the Kshatriyas! From the days when we were boys and played in the hermitage, my love and affection for you have increased. O bull among men! I ask for your friendship once again. O king! As a boon, I am granting you half of your kingdom. O Yajnasena! How can one who is not a king be a friend to one who is a king? Therefore, I am retaining half of your kingdom. You will be the king of the region that is to the south of the Bhagirathi and I will be the king on the northern side. O Panchala! If you so desire, from now on, know me as your friend.” Drupada replied, “O Brahmana! O great-souled and brave one! This is not surprising. I am pleased to be your friend and I wish to give you pleasure eternally.” O descendant of the Bharata lineage! At these words, Drona set him free. He honoured him with a happy heart and returned half his kingdom.

‘Heartbroken, Drupada lived in a capital named Kampilya, in the region known as Makandi, on the banks of the Ganga, with its towns and countryside. He ruled over the southern part of Panchala, up to the banks of the river Charmanvati. Thinking about his enmity with Drona, he could find no peace. He did not see any way of vanquishing Drona with Kshatriya power and he knew himself to be inferior to the strength of Brahmana power. Therefore, he bore his grievance, waiting for the birth of a son. O king! Drona lived in Ahichhatra, which had towns and a countryside, and was won in battle by Partha and handed over to him.’

Vaishampayana said, ‘On seeing that Bhimasena had become extremely strong and Dhananjaya extremely skilled, the evil Duryodhana was tormented. Then, Vaikartana Karna and Subala’s son, Shakuni, tried to kill the Pandavas through various means. However,
the Pandavas, slayers of enemies, discovered all of them. But because of Vidura’s advice, they refrained from revealing these plots.

‘O descendant of the Bharata lineage! On seeing that the sons of Pandu were blessed with all the qualities, the citizens began to speak about their qualities in squares and assemblies. “Lord of men, Dhritarashtra, though possessing the sight of wisdom, could not inherit the kingdom then because he was blind. How can he be king now? Shantanu’s son, Bhishma, is rigid in his vows and is devoted to the truth. Having given up the kingdom earlier, he will never accept it now. The eldest Pandava is young, but has the conduct of the old, is truthful and compassionate and has knowledge of the Vedas. With due ceremonies, it is up to us to crown him. Since he follows the path of dharma, he will certainly worship Shantanu’s son Bhishma and Dhritarashtra and his sons and give them objects for sustenance.” The evil Duryodhana heard these words of affection for Yudhisthira and burnt in grief. Burning thus, the evil-souled one could not condone such talk.

‘Inflamed with jealousy, he went to Dhritarashtra. Finding his father alone, he paid homage to him, and burnt by the partiality of the citizens, said, “O father! I have heard words of ill omen uttered by the citizens. Ignoring you and Bhishma, they desire that the Pandava should be their king. Bhishma will agree to this, because he does not wish to rule the kingdom. It seems that the citizens wish to impose a great injury on us. Earlier, Pandu obtained this kingdom from his father because of his own qualities. Though you possessed every quality required to inherit the kingdom, you did not get it because of your defect. If Pandu’s son now receives it after Pandu, his son will certainly receive it thereafter and his son and so on. We and our sons will be excluded from the royal succession. O lord of the earth! In future, we will be ignored by the worlds. We will always be dependent on others for our rice cakes and will always live in hell. O king! Therefore, quickly find a way so that this does not happen. O king! If you had obtained the kingdom earlier, you would have become established and we would have certainly succeeded to it, regardless of how unwilling the people are.”’

Vaishampayana said, ‘Having heard these words from his son, Dhritarashta thought for a while and then spoke to his son. Dhritarashtra said, “Pandu was always devoted to dharma. He always behaved respectfully towards his relatives, and especially towards me. I never knew him to care for food and other objects of pleasure. He was rigid in his vows and gave me everything, including the kingdom. Pandu’s son is as devoted to dharma as he was. He has all the qualities, is famous in the worlds and is extremely respected by the citizens. How can we forcibly exile him, especially since he has allies, from the kingdom of his father and grandfather? Pandu always took care of his advisers and his soldiers, especially their sons and grandsons. O son! Earlier, Pandu always took good care of the citizens of the city. For Yudhisthira’s sake, why should they not kill us and our relatives?” Duryodhana replied, “O father! I have thought about that danger also and have weighed it against the evil that will befall us. We must placate the people by offering them wealth and honour. They will then certainly side with us. O lord of the earth! The advisers and the treasury are now under our control. Therefore, use some gentle means to remove the Pandavas to the city of Varanavata. O king! O descendant of the Bharata lineage! When I am firmly installed as king, Kunti and her sons can always return.”

‘Dhritarashtra said, “O Duryodhana! The same thought has arisen in my mind too. But I could not reveal it because it was evil. Bhishma or Drona or kshatta
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or Goutama
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will never approve the banishment of Kunti’s sons. O son! In their eyes, we and the Pandavas are equals. Those wise and virtuous men will not tolerate any differentiation. O son! Why should we not deserve death
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from the descendants of the Kuru lineage, those great-souled ones and even inhabitants of the entire world?”

‘Duryodhana said, “Bhishma will always be neutral. Drona’s son
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is on my side. There is no doubt that Drona will be on the side that his son is on. There is no doubt that Sharadvat’s son, Kripa, will be on the side where those three
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can be. He will never forsake Drona and his sister’s son.
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Though he secretly sides with others,
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kshatta’s survival is linked to us. Even if he opposes us for the sake of the Pandavas, he will be able to do no harm. Without any fear, banish Pandu’s sons and their mother to Varanavata. Do it today and evil will not result. Through this act, take away the terrible spike that is in my heart and the fire that burns me with grief and robs me of my sleep.”’

Vaishampayana said, ‘Then King Duryodhana and his brothers slowly began to win people over to their side by bestowing honour and riches on them. One day, on Dhritarashtra’s instructions, some skilled ministers began to describe the beautiful city of Varanavata. “Pashupati’s
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festival will be held in the beautiful city of Varanavata. A large number of people have assembled there. That marvellous place will be adorned with all the gems.” On Dhritarashtra’s bidding, these were the words they uttered. O king! When they heard these stories about the beautiful city of Varanavata, Pandu’s sons wished to go there.

‘When the king realized that the Pandavas were curious, Ambika’s son
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told the Pandavas, “My men always and repeatedly describe to me the city of Varanavata, the most charming in the world. O sons!
If you wish to witness the festival in the city of Varanavata, go there with your attendants and soldiers and enjoy yourselves like the gods. Give jewels to all the Brahmanas and the singers. Enjoy yourselves like radiant gods who possess all they desire. Spend as much time as you want there and when you have enjoyed yourselves completely, happily return to Hastinapura.” Realizing that this was Dhritarashtra’s own wish and he himself had no allies, Yudhisthira agreed.

‘Addressing Shantanu’s son, Bhishma, the immensely wise Vidura, Drona, the Bahlika Somadatta, the Kouravas, Kripa, the preceptor’s son
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and the illustrious Gandhari, Yudhisthira said, softly and meekly, “On Dhritarashtra’s command, we are going with our friends to the lovely and populated city of Varanavata. Bless us with happy hearts, so that those sacred blessings ensure our prosperity and protect us from sin.” Having heard these words of Pandu’s son, all the Kouravas blessed the Pandavas with happy hearts. “O sons of Pandu! Let all the beings along your journey bring you fortune. Let not the slightest touch of evil touch you.” Then, after having received blessings and after having performed all the rites for obtaining the kingdom, the Pandavas left for Varanavata.’

Vaishampayana said, ‘O descendant of the Bharata lineage! When the king
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addressed Pandu’s great-souled sons, the evil-hearted Duryodhana was extremely happy.

‘O bull among the Bharatas! He privately summoned Purochana, grasped the adviser by the right hand and told him these words. “O Purochana! This world, with all its riches, is mine. But with me, it is also yours. You should protect it. I have no other ally who is as trustworthy. I have to consult with you. O father!
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Keep these
consultations
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and destroy my enemies cleverly. Skilfully accomplish what I ask you to do. Dhritarashtra has sent the Pandavas to Varanavata. On Dhritarashtra’s command, they will sport themselves in the festival there. Ensure that you reach Varanavata today on a cart drawn by swift asses. On reaching there, build an excellent house with four halls on the outskirts of the city—large and full of riches and near the store where weapons are kept. Use hemp, resin and other inflammable materials that can be obtained in the construction. Mix the clay with ghee, oil from seeds and a large quantity of lac and plaster the walls with this. Also place carefully in the house hemp, cane, ghee, lac, wood and wooden tools, but in such a way that the Pandavas or other men are not suspicious on scrutiny and do not deduce that the house has been constructed with inflammable materials. After constructing the house in this way, reverently pay homage to the Pandavas and get them to live there, with Kunti and her attendants. For the sons of Pandu, place beautiful conveyances, seats and beds there, so as to satisfy my father. Do it in such a way that no one in the city of Varanavata gets to know, until our time arrives. Knowing that they are asleep in their beds, completely assured and without suspecting danger from anywhere, set fire to it, beginning at the gate. When they have burnt to death in that house, people will not blame us for the death of the Pandavas.” Purochana promised the Kourava
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that he would do this and left for Varanavata in a cart drawn by asses.