Mahabharata Vol. 1 (Penguin Translated Texts) (46 page)

‘Bhimasena said, “The rakshasas remember their enmity and use delusions.
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O Hidimba! Therefore, you also follow the path that your brother has taken.” Yudhishthira said, “O tiger among men! O Bhima! Do not kill a woman even in anger. O Pandava! Following the righteous path is more important than preservation of the physical body. You have killed the immensely powerful rakshasa who came here with the intention of killing us. What can his sister do to us, even if she is angry?”’

Vaishampayana said, ‘Thereupon, Hidimba respectfully saluted Kunti and Yudhishthira with joined hands and told Kunti, “O honoured lady! You are familiar with the pangs women suffer through Ananga.
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O fortunate lady! I am now suffering those pangs for Bhimasena. I have suffered that great misery, waiting for the right time. But now that time has come and I expect my happiness. O fortunate lady! I have left my friends, relatives and my designated path. I have chosen your son, this tiger among men, as my husband. O illustrious lady! Will the choice of a woman be rejected because of the way I speak? O greatly fortunate lady! Whether you think me stupid or whether you think that I am devoted to you, please unite me with your son, my husband. O fortunate lady! Let me go as I wish, taking this god-like one. Trust me that I shall bring him back here. Whenever you think of me, I shall immediately come to you and swiftly carry these bulls among men on my shoulders, over pastures and difficult terrain, wherever you wish to go. Please take pity on me and let Bhimasena make love to me. It is in accordance with what is right that one should preserve oneself from disaster and act accordingly, by whatever means. One who follows this righteous path in calamities is supreme among those who know what is right. Calamities are the greatest danger to what is right and to righteous ones. What preserves life is holy and, therefore, what grants life is what is holy. The means
through which this righteousness is ensured can never deserve condemnation.”
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Yudhishthira replied, “O Hidimba! There is no doubt that what you have said is true. O lady with the slender waist! Act in accordance with the righteous path, as you have described it to be. O fortunate lady! When he has bathed, performed his ablutions and finished all rites, he will make love to you until the sun sets. O you who are swift as the mind! Have your pleasure with him, as you wish, during the day. But you must bring Bhimasena back every night.” Having taken an oath to do this, the rakshasi Hidimba then took Bhimasena up and rose into the sky.

‘Assuming the most beautiful of forms, adorned in every kind of ornament and sometimes breaking out in sweet music, she pleasured with the Pandava on beautiful mountain peaks cared for by the gods and always frequented by animals and birds; and also in forests and mountain passes with flowering trees and creepers; in beautiful ponds adorned with lotuses and water lilies; in islands on rivers where the gravel was like lapis lazuli and in mountain streams where the woods and the water were pure; on the shores of the ocean with jewels and gold; in beautiful cities and in forests with large shala trees; in forests sacred to the gods and the peaks of mountains; in the dwelling places of the guhyakas and the hermitages of ascetics; and along the waters of Lake Manasa,
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abounding in flowers and fruit in all seasons. Assuming a beautiful form, she pleasured with the Pandava. In every such place, the one who was as swift as the mind, pleasured with Bhima.

‘From Bhimasena, the rakshasi then gave birth to an immensely powerful son. He had a fearful appearance, with terrible eyes, a large mouth and ears like spikes. His form was distorted. His lips were brown as copper and his teeth were sharp, with great strength in them. He had mighty arms, possessed great energy and was born extremely valorous, a great archer. He had great speed, with gigantic size and was a conqueror of enemies, greatly skilled in the powers of delusion. Though born from a man, with great speed and great strength, he
had nothing human in him. He surpassed all pishachas and other such creatures, not to speak of humans. O lord of men! Although a child, by human standards he seemed to be a fully grown youth. He became a powerful and supreme hero, skilled in the use of all the weapons that are known.

‘Rakshasa women give birth on the day they conceive. They are capable of assuming any form they want and they can adopt many different forms. The child who had grown and become a supreme archer, then saluted his father and mother by touching their feet. They gave him a name. His mother said, “He is shiny like a pot,”
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and his name became Ghatotkacha. Ghatotkacha was devoted to the Pandavas and they always loved him. He became one of them. Knowing that the prescribed time of her stay with them was over, Hidimba made another agreement with them
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and went where she wanted. Ghatotkacha, the best of rakshasas, told his father that he would come whenever he was required and left for the north. He had been created by the great-souled Maghavan
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as a powerful antagonist against the great-souled maharatha Karna.’

Vaishampayana said, ‘O king! The maharathas
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then went from one forest to another, killing many animals and travelling fast, through the lands of Matysa, Trigarta, Panchala and Kichaka, where they saw many beautiful woods and lakes. All of them had their hair in matted locks and they wore barks of trees and deerskin. Those
great-souled ones and Kunti assumed the form of ascetics. Sometimes, the maharathas had to hasten, and carried their mother. Sometimes, they proceeded slowly and in the open.
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They studied about the brahman in the Vedas and all the Vedangas and nitishastra.
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‘At that time, those wise ones met their grandfather.
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Having respectfully saluted Krishna Dvaipayana, those scorchers of enemies
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and their mother stood before him with joined palms. Vyasa said, “O bulls of the Bharata lineage! I had known in advance how Dhritarashtra’s sons would not follow the righteous path and would unjustly banish you. Having known this, I have now come for your welfare. It is not right to sorrow. Know that this will bring future happiness. There is no doubt that you and they are equal in my eyes. But men love more those who suffer from ill fortune or are young. Therefore, my love for you is now greater. As a result of that love, I wish to do something good for you. Listen to me. Not far from here, there is a beautiful town that is a safe place for you. Go and live there in disguise and wait for my return.” After he had thus comforted the Parthas,
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the conquerors of enemies Vyasa led them to Ekachakra.

‘The lord
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also comforted Kunti. “O daughter! Live. Your son Yudhishthira, the son of dharma, will rule righteously over all the kings on earth. Well versed in righteousness, he will conquer the earth through his virtue, aided by the might of Bhima and Arjuna. There is no doubt that he will rule. Your sons and those of Madri, all maharathas, will enjoy themselves happily in their own kingdom. Conquering the entire earth, those tigers among men will perform rajasuya,
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ashvamedha
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and other sacrifices, in which the alms
given will be very large. They will rule over the kingdom of their father and grandfathers and ensure their friends and relatives enjoy pleasures and prosperity.” Having said this, rishi Dvaipayana took them to the house of a Brahmana and told the best
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of the Parthas, “Wait for me. I will return for you. You will find great happiness if you learn to adjust to time and place.” O ruler of men! With joined hands, they said, “So it shall be.” Lord Vyasa, the fortunate rishi, then went away where he wanted to.’

This parva has 206 shlokas and eight chapters.

Chapter 145: 40 shlokas
Chapter 146: 36 shlokas
Chapter 147: 24 shlokas
Chapter 148: 16 shlokas
Chapter 149: 20 shlokas
Chapter 150: 27 shlokas
Chapter 151: 24 shlokas
Chapter 152: 19 shlokas

This parva is about the killing of a demon named Baka.

Janamejaya said, ‘O best of those who are born twice! What did the maharatha Pandavas, the sons of Kunti, do after going to Ekachakra?’

Vaishampayana said, ‘After going to Ekachakra, the maharatha Pandavas, the sons of Kunti, lived in a Brahmana’s house for a short while. O king of the world! They then begged for alms. They saw many beautiful woods, distant parts of the earth, countries, rivers and lakes. Because of their many qualities, they became the favourites of the citizens. Every night, they handed over their alms to Kunti. She divided it into parts and each separately ate his share. The valorous ones, the scorchers of foes, and their mother ate half. The
immensely powerful Bhima ate the other half entirely. O best of the Bharata lineage! O king! Those great-souled ones lived there like that and a great deal of time passed.

‘One day, when the bulls of the Bharata lineage had gone out begging, Bhimasena was at home with Pritha
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for company. O descendant of the Bharata lineage! Then Kunti heard a great uproar in the Brahmana’s house, terrible sounds of lamentations. O king! Because of her compassion and goodness, the lady
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could not bear the sight of that weeping and lamenting. Feeling sorry, the virtuous Pritha then spoke to Bhima in compassionate words. “O son! Unknown to the sons of Dhritarashtra, we have lived happily in this Brahmana’s house, respected and treated well by him. O son! I have always thought about what can be good for the Brahmana and what I can do to please him, as those who happily live in others’ houses should. He is truly a man who returns what is received and such an act is never destroyed. One should do more good than others do to one. Without a doubt, this Brahmana has fallen into some grief. If we can be of any help to him, that will be a good deed.” Bhima said, “Let us find out what the distress is and how it has arisen. Having learnt it, I shall try to remove it,
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no matter how difficult it will be.” O ruler of the world! When those two were thus conversing, they heard a pitiful wail from the Brahmana and his wife.

‘Like Surabhi
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dashes at her tethered calf, Kunti hurried towards the inner quarters of the great-souled Brahmana. She saw there the Brahmana, his wife, his son and his daughter, their faces distorted with grief.

‘The Brahmana said, “Cursed be this worldly life, without meaning, and like the substance of fire. Its root is unhappiness, slavery to others and it is based on great sorrow. To live means to suffer great misery, to live means to suffer a great fever. Without a doubt, those who live
have to choose between evils. The atman may be one, but one has to serve dharma, artha and kama. The simultaneous pursuit of these leads to great misery. Some say that salvation is the greatest object, but it can never be reached. The acquisition of artha is hell, its desire creates misery. Great is unhappiness for those who desire wealth, greater for those who have acquired it. There is attachment to the acquired wealth and when it is lost, unhappiness is greater. I do not see any way of escaping from this danger unless I run away with my wife and son to a healthier place. O
brahmani
!
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I have told you before that we should go to a place that is safe, but you didn’t listen to my words then. O foolish woman! When I repeatedly asked, you said, ‘I was born here. I grew old here. This is my father’s house.’ Your father is now dead and your old mother died a long time ago. Your relatives are also dead. Why was there the desire to live here? You didn’t listen to my words as a result of affection towards your relatives. We are now faced with the terrible misery that comes from losing a relative. How can I bear it? Perhaps the time has come for my own death. I cannot live like a cruel one after abandoning one of my own relatives.

‘“Always giving, you have been my companion in all virtuous acts. You are like a mother to me. The gods gave you to me as a friend. You have been my chief support. My father and mother gave you to me as a partner in my duties as a householder. I chose you in accordance with the law. I married you in accordance with the mantras. You were born into a good family. You have a good nature. You are the mother of my children. You have always been faithful to me. You are chaste and have never harmed anyone. You have always been constant in your vows. I cannot give up my wife in order to save my own life.

‘“How can I sacrifice my daughter? She is still a child, not yet an adult, and without any signs of coming of age. The great-souled creator gave her to me in trust so that I could find her a husband. Through her, together with my ancestors, I will be able to attain worlds reached by those who have sons through their daughters. How can I give up a daughter I have fathered myself? Some men think that a father loves a son more than a daughter. Not I. I love them equally. How
can I give up this innocent girl? On her are based my continuity and the worlds that bring eternal bliss.

‘“If I sacrifice myself and go to the other world, I will still have to repent. Abandoned by me, they will not be able to live. To give up any one of these
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will be a cruel act, condemned by those who are learned. But if I sacrifice myself, they will also die without me. Great distress has befallen me. I do not know how to escape. I am cursed. What path will I and my relatives follow? It is better that I should die with all of them. I cannot live.”’

‘The brahmani said, “You must not grieve like a common person. For someone who is as learned as you, this is not the time to grieve. All men must certainly come to an end. If something is certain, one should not grieve over it. A man desires a wife, a son and a daughter for his own sake. Therefore, since you have great learning, abandon this grief. I shall go there myself. It is the supreme and eternal duty of women in this world that they should give up their lives for the welfare of their husbands. Done by me, such an act will bring you happiness. It will also bring me eternal fame in this world and the hereafter. What I have told you is the highest dharma. Through this, it will perceptibly bring you artha and dharma. You have already obtained from me the purpose for which a man acquires a wife—a daughter and a son. Through this, I have been freed from the debt I owe you.

‘“You are capable of supporting and protecting your children. I cannot protect and support the children as you can. You have given me all that I desire and protected me from all danger. If I am abandoned by you, how can these young children and I survive? How can an unprotected widow with two young children support them both, while
treading a path of virtue? How can I protect our daughter when she is wooed by arrogant and selfish suitors who are unworthy of an alliance with you? Like birds grabbing a lump of meat thrown on the ground, all men crave women without their husbands. O best of the twice-born! Solicited by evil-hearted ones, I might waver and might not be able to stick to the path of virtue. How can I ensure that this only daughter of the lineage, young and innocent, walks along the path trodden by her forefathers? How can I teach this young boy, fatherless and without a protector, every desirable quality so as to make him as learned in virtue as you? When I am in this state, those who are unworthy will overcome me and demand this unprotected girl, like Shudras craving to hear the Vedas. If I refuse to give her, endowed with all qualities and with your blood, they may forcibly carry her away, like crows after sacrificial offerings. When they see a son who is unlike you and your daughter under the control of those who are unworthy, I will be despised in the worlds. O Brahmana! I do not know what will happen to me, under the control of the arrogant. But there is no doubt that I shall die. There is no doubt that these young children, deprived of you and of me, will perish like fish when the water dries up. There is no doubt that without you, all three of us will perish in this way. Therefore, you should sacrifice me.

‘“O Brahmana! Those who are learned in dharma have said that the supreme salvation of women is to go on the last journey before their husbands and not remain under the protection of their sons. For you, I am ready to give up this son and this daughter, my relatives and my life. To be always engaged in what pleases her husband is a greater duty for a woman than sacrifices, austerities, vows and donation of alms. Thus, the act I wish to perform is in conformity with the supreme dharma. It is for the welfare of you and of the lineage. The virtuous say that objects of desire, children, possessions and friends, even the wife, are cherished to rescue oneself in a time of distress. O you who have extended your lineage! The wise ones have said that if all one’s relations are placed on one side of the scale, they do not equal oneself on the other side. My lord! Thus, do through me what has to be done. Save yourself by sacrificing me. Give me permission and protect my children. In deciding the path of virtue for men, those who are
learned in dharma have said that women should never be killed and that rakshasas also know dharma. Therefore, he may not kill me. It is certain that he will kill a man. But it is doubtful that he will kill a woman. O you who are learned in dharma! Therefore, you should let me go. I have enjoyed my life. I have enjoyed great happiness. I have trodden the path of dharma. Through you, I have borne beloved children. I will not grieve if I have to die. I have borne a son and I have grown old. I have always desired to do that which pleases you. Counting all my blessings, I have arrived at my decision. O revered one! You can take another wife after you have sacrificed me. You will then again be able to tread the path of dharma. O virtuous man! To have more than one wife is not a sin among men. But it is a grave sin for a woman to have another husband after the first. Having considered all this and realizing that your self-sacrifice must be condemned, today, without any delay, save yourself, your lineage and these two children through me.”’

Vaishampayana said, ‘O descendant of the Bharata lineage! On hearing her words, her husband embraced her. Stricken with grief, he shed copious tears, along with his wife.’

Vaishampayana said, ‘When the daughter heard these words of her parents, who were extremely sorrowful, she was overcome with grief and spoke to them. “Why are you lamenting so grievously? Why are you weeping as if you have no one to protect you? Now listen to what I have to say. On hearing my words, do what is proper. There is no doubt that dharma dictates that I have to be sacrificed at some time. Since I have to be abandoned in any case, abandon me now and save everyone through me alone. That is the reason men desire children, so that they can be saved. That time has come. Use me as a boat and save yourselves. A child saves everywhere, in this world and in the next. It is because a child saves everywhere that the
learned know a child by the name of putra.
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My grandfathers have always desired to have daughter’s sons through me. Now I shall myself save them by saving my father’s life. My brother is very young. There is no doubt that he will soon perish after you have left this world. When my father has gone to heaven and my younger brother has perished, the funeral cakes offered to the ancestors will come to an end and that act will displease them. Having been abandoned by my father, my mother and my brother, I shall descend from misery to misery and will finally perish in great distress. There is no doubt that if you are healthy and can save yourself, my mother and my child brother, and our lineage, the practice of offering funeral cakes will continue. The son is one’s own self. The wife is one’s friend. The daughter is the cause of suffering. Save yourself from that cause of suffering. Set me on the path of dharma. O father! Without you, I will be an unprotected and wretched girl, going everywhere and whenever, always miserable. Therefore, I shall save my lineage and I shall acquire the merit that this difficult act brings. O best of the twice-born! If you abandon me and go there,
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I will be greatly oppressed. Therefore, be kind to me. O good father! Abandon me, who am to be abandoned eventually. Save yourself for my sake, for the sake of dharma and for the sake of your lineage. There should not be any delay in performing the inevitable. By offering them
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water, you will do that which is good. What can be more painful to us than you ascending to heaven and our roaming like dogs, begging food from others? But if you are saved from this calamity with your relatives
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and are healthy, I shall be very happy in the immortal world.” When they heard her piteous lamentations, all three, the father, the mother and the daughter, began to weep.

‘Then, on seeing all of them cry, their young son uttered these mumbling words, his eyes wide open. “O father! O mother! And
you too, O sister! Do not cry.” Saying this, he smilingly came to each of them. Picking up a blade of grass, he again said happily, “I will kill the man-eating rakshasa with this.” Though they were overcome with grief, hearing the mumbling words of the child, they were cheered up. Knowing that this was the right time, Kunti went to them and thus spoke, like ambrosia reviving the dead.’

‘Kunti said, “I wish to learn exactly from you the reason for this grief. On learning it, I will remove the cause from you, if it can be removed.”

‘The Brahmana said, “O lady blessed with austerities! What you have said is worthy of righteous ones. But removal of this grief is beyond humans. Not far from this town lives a rakshasa named Baka. That immensely powerful one is the lord of this town and this country. That evil-minded maneater, chief among asuras, and with the power of rakshasas, rules over and protects this town, this country and this region, sustained through human flesh. Thus protected by him, we have no fear from any encirclement by enemies or any living beings. But his stipend has been fixed to a supply of food—a cartload of rice, two buffaloes and the human who takes these to him. One after another, all the people provide him with food. After intervals of many years, this difficult task comes to a particular man and it is impossible to escape. If men ever try to escape their turn, the rakshasa eats them up, with their wives and children.