Stories of the Great Bharata - A Retelling

Arc 1 - Aranyaka and Kirmirabadha Parva - Chapter 2 - The Inexhaustible Pot of the Sun

Vaiśampāyana said:

Thus addressed by Saunaka, Yudhiṣṭhira, son of Kuntī, approached his priest. In the presence of his brothers he spoke with a heart torn between duty and helplessness:

“The Brāhmaṇas, versed in the Vedas, are following me into the forest. Afflicted with many calamities, I have no means to sustain them. Yet I cannot abandon them, nor have I the power to provide for them. O holy one, tell me—what should I do in such a plight?”

Vaiśampāyana said:

Dhaumya, foremost of the virtuous, pondered for a moment, seeking the right course by his yogic insight. Then he addressed Yudhiṣṭhira, saying:

Dhaumya said:

In ancient days, when beings first were made,

They suffered sore from hunger’s pang;

Then Savitṛ, father of the worlds,

Looked on them all with pity’s glance.

Vaiśampāyana said: Dhaumya began with a tale of the sun-god Savitṛ, the universal father, who took compassion upon the starving beings of the newly made world.

Dhaumya said:

Northward he turned and drew the streams,

Up from the earth with golden rays;

Then southward stayed with heat contained,

To bless the lands through summer days.

Vaiśampāyana said: Moving first into the northern course, the sun drew water upward by his heat; then, in his southern course, he held that warmth within himself, ripening life upon the earth.

Dhaumya said:

The moon, lord of the growing plants,

Received the sun’s long-hoarded might;

He formed the clouds from solar breath,

And poured down rain in silver light.

Vaiśampāyana said: The moon, master of vegetation, transformed the vapours born of the sun’s heat into clouds, and let them fall as life-giving rain. From that rain, seeds sprouted and plants grew.

Dhaumya said:

Thus in the sprouting seed there dwells

The strength of sun and lunar grace;

In every grain the fathers live,

And all life’s food is their embrace.

Vaiśampāyana said: Food, he taught, is imbued with solar energy, and the sun is therefore the true father of all creatures.

Dhaumya said:

Seek refuge then in him, O king,

Whose rays sustain both man and beast;

For all the pure and mighty lords

Have drawn from him their endless feast.

Vaiśampāyana said: He urged Yudhiṣṭhira to take refuge in the sun through austerity, as noble monarchs of old—Kārtavīrya, Vainya, and Nahusha—had done to save their people from affliction.

Dhaumya said:

Enter the fire of penance bright,

As kings of righteous race have done;

With vow and fast and silent prayer,

Win grace and gifts from him, the Sun.

Vaiśampāyana said: Such penance, preceded by sacred vows, would enable the king to support the Brāhmaṇas who had chosen to follow him into exile.

Vaiśampāyana said:

Then Janamejaya, the son of Parīkṣit, spoke with eager curiosity:

“O how did that bull among the Kurus, Yudhiṣṭhira, for the sake of the Brāhmaṇas, adore the Sun of marvellous splendour?”

Vaiśampāyana replied:

“Listen attentively, O king—purify your thoughts, still your mind, and appoint within yourself the space for sacred hearing. I shall tell you in detail. Hear now the one hundred and eight names of the Sun, as once revealed by Dhaumya to Yudhiṣṭhira, the high-souled son of Pṛthā.

Then Dhaumya, the noble priest, spoke:

Dhaumya said:

Salutations to Sūrya, Aryaman, Bhaga, Tvaṣṭṛ, Pūṣan, Arka, Savitṛ, Ravi;

Gabhastimat, Aja, Kāla, Mṛtyu, Dhātṛ, Prabhākara;

Pṛthivī, Āpa, Tejas, Kha, Vāyu, the sole stay, Soma;

Bṛhaspati, Śukra, Budha, Aṅgāraka, Indra, Vivasvān.

Dīptāṃśu, Śuci, Śauri, Śanaiścara, Brahmā, Viṣṇu, Rudra, Skanda;

Vaiśravaṇa, Yama, Vaidyutāgni, Jatharāgni, Aindhna, Tejasampati;

Dharmadhvaja, Veda-kartṛ, Vedāṅga, Vedavāhana;

Kṛta, Tretā, Dvāpara, Kali full of every impurity.

Kāla, Kāṣṭhā, Muhūrta, Kṣapā, Yama, and Kṣaṇa;

Saṃvatsara-kara, Aśvattha, Kālachakra, Bibhāvasu;

Puruṣa, Śāśvata, Yogin, Vyaktāvyakta, Sanātana;

Kālādhyakṣa, Prajādhyakṣa, Viśvakarman, Tamonuda.

Varuṇa, Sāgara, Aṃśu, Jimuta, Jīvana, Arihan;

Bhūtāśraya, Bhūtapati, Sraṣṭṛ, Saṃvartaka, Vahni;

Sarvādi, Alolupa, Ananta, Kapila, Bhānu, Kāmada;

Sarvatomukha, Jaya, Viśāla, Varada, Manas, Suparṇa.

Bhūtādi, Śīghraga, Prāṇadhāraṇa, Dhanvantari, Dhūmaketu;

Ādideva, Aditisuta, Dvādaśātman, Aravindakṣa;

Pitṛ, Mātṛ, Pitāmaha, Svargadvāra, Prajādvāra, Mokṣadvāra;

Tripiṣṭapa, Dehakartṛ, Praśāntātman, Viśvātman, Viśvatomukha.

Carācarātman, Sūkṣmātman, and the merciful Maitreya.

Vaiśampāyana said:

“These, O king, are the hundred and eight names of Sūrya of immeasurable energy, as spoken of old by the Self-create Brahmā. Then Dhaumya offered the praise:

I bow to thee, O Bhāskara, blazing like gold, like fire,

Worshipped by gods, by Pitṛs, by Yakṣas,

Adored by Asuras, by night-walkers, and Siddhas;

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Thou art the life of all, the light of all, the witness of all worlds.

Vaiśampāyana said:

Dhaumya declared that he who recites this hymn with steady mind at sunrise gains wife, offspring, wealth, and the memory of past births. By this recitation, a man acquires patience and keen remembrance; he becomes proof against grief, against forest fire, against the perils of the sea, and all his desires are fulfilled.

Having heard Dhaumya’s words, Yudhiṣṭhira, son of Kuntī, stilled his mind and purified his heart. Moved by the desire to sustain the Brāhmaṇas who followed him, he performed his ablutions and worshipped the Maker of Day with flowers and other offerings. Standing in the stream of Gaṅgā, facing the eastern sky, he touched the sacred water. Sustaining himself by breath alone, he restrained his speech, fixed his mind, and entered into the discipline of prāṇāyāma. With senses under control and soul absorbed, he began to praise the Sun.

Yudhiṣṭhira’s Hymn to the Sun

O Sun, O Eye of all the worlds,

O soul of all embodied forms,

O source from whom all beings spring,

O refuge of the righteous born!

Thou art the gate that knows no bolt,

The path for those who seek release;

Thou holdest up, revealest all,

And guardest worlds from love of peace.

The Brāhmaṇas with Veda’s song

Approach thee at the hour of dawn;

The Ṛṣis, Siddhas, Gandharvas bright,

The Yakṣas, Nāgas, all are drawn.

The thirty-three with mighty lords—

Upendra, Śakra, shining high—

Have won their realms and endless fame

By worshipping thy golden sky.

The Pitṛs, Guhyas, Vasus strong,

The Rudras, Sādhyas, Maruts’ throng,

The saints of old, the seers deep,

Have bowed to thee and grown most strong.

In thee all light resides alone,

The elements, the mind’s pure flame;

From thee is forged the discus bright

That humbles hosts of Asura name.

Thy rays draw forth the life of seas,

Thy clouds return it in the rain;

Thou warmest, scorcheth, roarest loud,

And cool’st the parched and burnt again.

No fire, no shelter, woven fleece,

Can warm the frozen limbs like thee;

Thou lightest earth with thirteen isles,

And guardest all from dark to sea.

Without thy rise the worlds are blind,

The threefold path can none pursue;

Brahman, Kṣatriya, and the Vaiśya

Their dharmas owe their life to you.

A day of Brahmā’s dawn and dusk

Is measured by thy cosmic span;

Thou rul’st the Manus, all their sons,

The lords of time, the worlds of man.

At dissolution’s fiery hour,

The Samvartaka flames from thee;

And clouds, with thunderbolts and tusked

Airāvata, bring down the sea.

In twelvefold form thy suns arise

To drink the oceans dry again;

Thou art Indra, Viṣṇu, Brahmā too,

And Prajāpati’s ancient name.

Thou art the swan, the Savitṛ,

The Bhānu, Aṃśumalin bright;

Thou art Vivasvān, Pūṣan, Mitra,

Thou art Dharma’s living light.

Thousand-rayed Āditya art thou,

Tapana, Lord of every beam;

Mārtāṇḍa, Arka, Ravi’s glow,

Divākara of day’s fair dream.

Destroyer swift of gloom art thou,

With steeds of yellow, fleet of pace;

The sixth, the seventh moon’s bright day

Brings Lakṣmī’s smile to those who praise.

They who see thee everywhere,

Adore with single, steadfast mind,

Are freed from sickness, freed from sin,

From grief and peril of every kind.

O Lord of food, vouchsafe to me

Abundance for the noble guest;

Let Aruṇa, Maithra, Māthara too,

And all thy kin, my prayer invest.

Vaiśampāyana said:

Thus, with humility and tranquil mind, Yudhiṣṭhira praised the Sun with devotion, invoking not only the god himself but also his attendants and celestial mothers, praying for the power to feed and honour all who sought his shelter.

Vaiśampāyana said:

Thus did Yudhiṣṭhira, son of Kuntī, adore Sūrya, the purifier of the worlds. Pleased with his hymn, the Maker of Day, self-luminous and blazing like fire, revealed himself to the son of Pāṇḍu.

Vivasvān said:

All that thy heart desires shall be thine;

For five and seven years in turn

Thy stores shall never know decay—

Accept this vessel, copper-borne.

While Pāñcālī holds it in her hand,

Untouched herself till all are fed,

Fruits, roots, meat, and vegetables

Shall flow unending from thy stead.

On the fourteenth circling year,

Thy kingdom’s crown thou shalt regain;

Till then, O king of steadfast vows,

Let this my gift all want restrain.

Vaiśampāyana said:

Having spoken thus, the god vanished. And it is said that whoever recites this hymn with mind composed and austerity in heart shall obtain from the Sun any boon desired, no matter how difficult its attainment.

He who recites or hears it daily—man or woman—shall obtain the blessings they seek: a son if they wish for a son, wealth if they wish for wealth, or learning if they desire knowledge. Those who recite it at the two twilights are freed from danger and from bonds if captive. This hymn, first spoken by Brahmā to Śakra, was passed from Śakra to Nārada, from Nārada to Dhaumya, and from Dhaumya to Yudhiṣṭhira, who by it attained all his wishes.

By virtue of this hymn, one may win victory in battle, gain abundant wealth, and be cleansed of all sin, ascending after death to the solar realms.

The virtuous son of Kuntī, rising from the waters, clasped Dhaumya’s feet, then embraced his brothers. With Draupadī he went to the kitchen, where, adored by her with due honour, he set himself to cook. And though the food prepared was small, yet, furnished with the four tastes, it increased and became inexhaustible.

First the Brāhmaṇas were fed to their content, then his brothers, and then Yudhiṣṭhira himself partook of what remained—called Vighasa, the remnant blessed after guests are fed. After him, Pṛṣatī’s daughter ate, and only then was the day’s store exhausted.

From that time, sustained by the Sun’s boon, the son of Pāṇḍu entertained the Brāhmaṇas according to their wishes. And obedient to their priest, on auspicious days and under holy constellations, the sons of Pṛthā performed sacrifices as enjoined by the scriptures, the mantras, and the sacred law.

When these rites were complete, blessed by Dhaumya’s benedictions and surrounded by Brāhmaṇas, the Pāṇḍavas set out toward the forest of Kāmyaka.

Vaiśampāyana said:

When the Pāṇḍavas had gone to the forest, Dhṛtarāṣṭra, son of Ambikā—whose inner vision served in place of sight—was consumed with grief. Sitting at ease yet restless in heart, the king addressed Vidura, the wise and impartial, saying:

“Thy understanding is as clear as Bhārgava’s, thy knowledge of dharma subtle and sure. Thou regardest all the Kauravas with equal eye. Tell me now what is proper for me and for them. The course of events has run thus—what should we do? How shall I keep the goodwill of the citizens, so they do not rise against us? Tell me all, for thou knowest every excellent expedient.”

Then Vidura, master of counsel, spoke:

Profit, pleasure, and the final path

Have virtue’s root and stand on it;

A kingdom too must rest secure

Where dharma holds the central seat.

Vaiśampāyana said: Vidura reminded the king that all aims of life—material gain, enjoyment, and liberation—spring from virtue, and that even the foundation of kingship rests on it.

Vidura said:

Cherish alike thy sons and theirs,

O monarch of the Kuru line;

Content with thine, covet not theirs,

Thus shall thy name in honour shine.

Vaiśampāyana said: He urged the king to honour both his own sons and the sons of Pāṇḍu, warning that coveting another’s due leads only to ruin.

Vidura said:

Wrong was done at the fatal dice,

By evil hearts with Suvala’s son;

Undo that wrong, restore their due,

And cleanse the stain thy line has won.

Vaiśampāyana said: He named the dice match a deed of utter unrighteousness, for which only restitution could serve as expiation.

Vidura said:

If peace thou seek, disgrace the base,

And give the Pāṇḍavas their right;

But if thou nurse thy wrongful cause,

The Kuru race shall lose the fight.

Vaiśampāyana said: He warned that Bhīma and Arjuna would not spare an enemy if angered, and that the Kurus could not prevail against them in war.

Vidura said:

Forsake the son who brings thee shame,

Or bid him serve his cousins well;

Let Duryodhana’s head be bowed,

And in Yudhiṣṭhira’s court he dwell.

Vaiśampāyana said: He counselled that Duryodhana, Śakuni, and Karṇa should serve the Pāṇḍavas with alacrity, and Duḥśāsana should publicly beg forgiveness from Bhīma and from Draupadī.

Vidura said:

Seat Ajātaśatru on the throne,

Free from passion, just in deed;

Thus the kings of earth shall bow,

And Kuru’s house again shall lead.

Vaiśampāyana said: By restoring Yudhiṣṭhira to the throne, the Kurus would regain the loyalty of all the earth’s rulers, and peace would return.

Dhṛtarāṣṭra, hearing this, frowned and said:

“These words you speak, O Vidura, are for the Pandavas’ good, not ours. My mind does not accept them. You speak on their behalf—are you truly my friend? How can I abandon my own son for another’s sake? Duryodhana is sprung from my body—who would counsel a man to renounce his own flesh for others? Your speech is crooked, though I hold you in esteem. Stay or go as you please; an unchaste woman, though humoured, will still forsake her lord.”

Vaiśampāyana said:

Thus rebuking Vidura, the king rose suddenly and went into the inner chambers. Vidura, saying, “This race is doomed,” departed to where the sons of Pṛthā dwelt.

Desiring to dwell in the forest, the Pāṇḍavas—bulls among the Bharatas—departed from the banks of the Gaṅgā with their followers. Turning westward, they journeyed through the holy plains of Kurukṣetra, performing their ablutions in the Sarasvatī, the Dṛṣadvatī, and the Yamunā. Passing from forest to forest, they at last beheld the woods of Kāmyaka—favourite haunt of Ṛṣis—spreading by the level wilderness along the Sarasvatī’s bank.

In that woodland, rich with birds and deer, the sons of Pāṇḍu made their dwelling, consoled and entertained by the ascetics who resided there.

Ever longing to see the Pāṇḍavas, Vidura set out alone in a swift chariot and reached Kāmyaka. He found Yudhiṣṭhira seated apart with Draupadī, his brothers and Brāhmaṇas gathered about him. Seeing Vidura approach with quick, purposeful steps, the righteous king spoke to Bhīmasena:

“With what message does Kṣatta come to us? Has he been sent by Śakuni to summon us again to the dice? Does that narrow-minded gamester seek now to win our weapons? If the possession of the Gāṇḍīva is put to wager, will not our kingdom’s hope be lost as well?”

The Pāṇḍavas rose to greet Vidura, welcoming him with honour, and the scion of Ajamīḍha took his seat among them. After resting, he was asked the cause of his coming, and he began to recount in detail the conduct of Dhṛtarāṣṭra.

Vidura said:

“O Ajātaśatru, the king summoned me to his side, honoured me, and said, ‘Tell me what is good for the Pāṇḍavas and for me.’ I spoke what was beneficial for both the Kurus and himself—but my words were not to his liking.

Even as bitter medicine is refused by the sick, so my counsel failed to please him. As an unchaste wife will not return to virtue, so the son of Ambikā could not be turned to the path of dharma. As a young maiden shuns an aged husband, so did Dhṛtarāṣṭra turn from my advice. Surely, destruction approaches the Kuru race, for the king’s heart is closed. My words are to him as water on the leaf of the lotus—falling, glistening, and rolling away without soaking in.

At last, angered, he told me, ‘Go where you will. Never again will I seek your aid in ruling my kingdom or my capital.’

Forsaken by him, I come to you to speak what I said in the open court, and to repeat it in your ear.”

Vidura said:

He who endures the wrongs of foes,

And bides his time with patient heart,

Shall kindle strength as men fan flames,

Till it burns all the earth apart.

Vaiśampāyana said: Vidura urged that the wise man, though wronged, should gather his power slowly, as one turns a small spark into a great fire, until he alone can rule the earth.

Vidura said:

He who in fortune shares his joy

With those who serve through every tide,

Will find them steadfast in his woe,

And by their strength the world will guide.

Vaiśampāyana said: Such sharing of wealth in prosperity makes companions loyal in adversity, and loyal followers bring sovereignty within reach.

Vidura said:

Divide thy gains among thy friends,

Speak truth and fair in all thy ways;

Let them partake thy daily bread,

And never boast in thine own praise.

By sharing sustenance, speaking honestly, treating allies with courtesy, and avoiding pride before them, a king strengthens his realm and his fortune.

Yudhiṣṭhira said:

“With such high counsel, free from passion, I will act as you advise. Whatever further guidance you may offer, suited to time and place, I shall follow fully.”