novelraw Arc 2 – Arjunabhigamana Parva - Chapter 7 - Arjuna’s Quest
Arc 2 – Arjunabhigamana Parva - Chapter 7 - Arjuna’s Quest
Bhīmasena said:
“O king, thou art as unsubstantial as froth upon the water, as unstable as a ripe fruit that must fall. Thou hast bound thyself to a measure of time that is without measure—swift as an arrow, flowing like a river, irresistible as death itself—yet thou thinkest to command it as thine own.
Every moment life is shortened,
Like collyrium taken up grain by grain on a needle.
He only may wait who knows his span and beholds the future as if before his eyes.
How, then, shall we wait, whose days diminish even as we speak? Thirteen years will not bring us strength—they will only bring us nearer to the pyre. Death comes to every creature with a body; therefore, let us strive for our kingdom before death claims us.
He who fails to win fame by chastising his foes is but a useless burden upon the earth, like a bull made lame and unfit for the yoke. A man without courage who leaves his enemies unpunished lives in vain; I count him as low-born. Thy hand is able to rain gold, thy fame already circles the earth; slay thine enemies and enjoy the wealth thy arms can win.
Even if the slayer of his injurer descends to hell that very day,
That hell becomes heaven to him.
The pain of restrained wrath burns fiercer than fire itself.
I burn with that fire, and I find no sleep by day or night. This Vibhatsu—foremost of bowmen—also smoulders with grief, though he sits here like a lion in his cave. He, who could alone destroy every archer on earth, restrains the storm within his breast as a mighty elephant endures the goad. Nakula, Sahadeva, and our mother Kuntī are silent to please thee; our friends and allies likewise bear their tongues in patience. Only I, and Pṛativindhya’s mother, speak the words that all would utter if they dared—words born of grief and the hunger for battle.
What calamity could be greater than this—that our realm should be stolen by weak and contemptible men, and enjoyed by them before our eyes? From the softness of thy nature thou feelest shame to break thy pledge, but no one applauds thy suffering for the sake of such misplaced kindness. Thy judgment, O king, fails to grasp the truth, like a man of high birth who chants the Veda without knowing its sense.
Thou art gentle as a brāhmaṇa—how wast thou born among kṣatriyas? The law of kings, as taught by Manu, is crooked, stern, and unfriendly to tranquillity. Why dost thou forgive the wicked sons of Dhṛtarāṣṭra? Thy birth is noble, thy learning and valour are great, yet thou liest still like a motionless serpent.
To hide us is as hopeless as to hide the Himālaya beneath a handful of grass. Thy name is known over the whole earth—how wilt thou live unknown, like the sun passing unseen through the sky? And how shall Jishnu live unknown, he who is as a great tree in a well-watered land, covered with flowers, or like Airāvata, lord of elephants? How shall Nakula and Sahadeva, lion-cubs both, be concealed? And Kṛṣṇā, daughter of Drupada, princess and mother of heroes, famed in all the world—how shall she live in secret?
As for me, I have been known from my boyhood; I cannot vanish from the eyes of men. Kings we have humbled and driven forth will follow Duryodhana, eager to repay the wrong they feel. They will send spies in many guises to seek us out; if they find us, danger will fall like a storm.
We have already dwelt in the forest thirteen months—count them, O king, for thirteen years. The wise have said that a month may stand for a year, as a pot-herb may take the place of soma in sacrifice. And if thou wilt break thy pledge, the sin may be washed away by feeding a quiet bull that beareth the sacred burden.
Therefore resolve, O king, to strike.
There is no virtue higher for a kṣatriya than battle.
To slay thy foes is to guard thy dharma.
Vaiśampāyana said:
Hearing the impassioned words of Bhīmasena, Yudhiṣṭhira—tiger among men, slayer of foes—sighed deeply and sat in silence, turning his thoughts inward.
“I have heard,” he reflected, “the duties of kings recited, and all that the śāstras declare concerning the ways of the four orders. He is said to observe those duties truly who holds them ever before his eyes, guiding his conduct in the present and shaping his steps for the future. Knowing as I do the narrow and perilous path of dharma—which is so hard to discern—how can I grind it down for the sake of haste, as though I would grind the mountains of Meru to dust?”
Having pondered thus, and fixing in his mind the course he would take, he spoke to Bhīma without giving him further speech.
“O mighty-armed one, all thou hast said is true.
But hear also what I must say.
Deeds born of courage alone, without thought or measure,
Bring pain more often than victory.”
Whatever is begun with patience and deliberation, with well-directed strength, aided by every resource and supported by forethought—such endeavours, O Bhīma, the very gods themselves favour.
“Listen, then, to the ground of my restraint. Bhūriśravā, Śala, the mighty Jarāsandha, Bhīṣma, Droṇa, Karṇa, Aśvatthāman, Duryodhana and his brothers—all are masters of arms and ever ready for battle. Many kings whom we have humbled now stand at their side, bound by old grievance and present favour. Their coffers are full, their hosts are great; they will fight with all their strength for the house of Dhṛtarāṣṭra.
“All the captains of the Kuru host, with their sons and kinsmen, have been honoured by Duryodhana with wealth and indulgence; their hearts are bound to him. Even Bhīṣma, Droṇa, and the noble Kṛpa—though they bear themselves alike toward us and them—will repay his gifts by staking their very lives, dearer to them than all else, on his cause. All are skilled in divine weapons, all are steadfast in virtue. I do not think they could be vanquished even by the gods led by Vāsava himself.
“And there is yet Karṇa—the mighty, the impetuous, the ever-wrathful—lord of all weapons, invincible, encased in mail no shaft can pierce.
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“Without first conquering these in battle,
How shalt thou slay Duryodhana?
I cannot rest, O Vṛkodara,
For I think on the swiftness of that Sūta’s son—
Foremost among bowmen on earth.”
Vaiśampāyana continued:
Hearing the words of Yudhiṣṭhira, Bhīmasena, impetuous in temper, grew silent. His earlier fire was checked, a flicker of unease in his heart. In that still moment, as the sons of Pāṇḍu spoke among themselves, there came to them the great ascetic Vyāsa, son of Satyavatī, luminous with spiritual radiance.
They rose and honoured him with the reverence due to a grandsire and a sage. Then that foremost of speakers, perceiving by his inner sight the thought and trouble in Yudhiṣṭhira’s heart, addressed him in a voice that was calm and weighty:
“O Yudhiṣṭhira, bull among men,
I know the fear that dwells within thee—
Fear born of Bhīṣma, Droṇa, Kṛpa, Karṇa, Aśvatthāman,
And of Duryodhana with his brother Duḥśāsana.
I shall dispel it, O slayer of foes,
By an act enjoined in the sacred ordinance.
Hear it from me and accomplish it with patience;
Thus shalt thou be freed from this fever of the heart.”
Then Vyāsa, son of Parāśara, took Yudhiṣṭhira aside and spoke in words of deep counsel:
“O best of the Bhāratas, thy hour of fortune draws near.
Soon will Dhanañjaya, son of Pṛthā,
Lay low in battle all thy foes.
Accept from me this knowledge,
Called Pratismṛti,
Which is as success embodied.
From thee let Arjuna receive it,
And, bearing it, let him go to Mahendra, to Rudra,
To Varuṇa, to Kubera, to Yama,
That he may obtain weapons from them.
Worthy is he to behold the gods;
In ascetic power and in valour he is their equal—
Ancient, eternal, invincible,
Friend of Nārāyaṇa and godlike in might.
When he returns, armed with their gifts,
Mighty will be the deeds he accomplishes.”
Vyāsa then counselled him further to leave the forest of Dvaitavana for another dwelling-place. “To remain too long in one spot,” said the sage, “is wearisome, and may trouble the ascetics. Thou maintainest many learned brāhmaṇas; long residence here may exhaust the deer and harm the tender life of creepers and plants.”
Having thus spoken, the great Ṛṣi imparted to Yudhiṣṭhira, now ritually purified and attentive, that highest science. The king received it with care, fixing it in his heart and recalling it at the proper times. Then Vyāsa, having blessed him, vanished from sight.
Gladdened by this counsel, Yudhiṣṭhira departed from Dvaitavana and came to the forest of Kāmyaka upon the banks of the Sarasvatī. Many brāhmaṇas of austerity and learning—masters of the Vedas, of sound and script—followed him as the ṛṣis follow the lord of the celestials. There the sons of Pāṇḍu dwelt for a time with their friends and attendants, practising daily with the bow, listening to the sacred recitations, hunting the deer of the wood, and performing duly the rites owed to the Pitṛs, the gods, and the brāhmaṇas.
Vaiśampāyana said:
After some time, Yudhiṣṭhira the just remembered the counsel of the great Ṛṣi Vyāsa. Calling Arjuna to him in private, that bull among men—foremost in wisdom and valour—took his brother’s hands in his own. With a gentle smile and voice tempered by affection, the king spoke after a moment’s thought.
“O Bhārata, know that the whole science of arms abides in Bhīṣma, Droṇa, Kṛpa, Karṇa, and the son of Droṇa.
They are masters of the Brahma-weapons, of celestial missiles, of human and wind-born arms,
And skilled alike in their use and in countering them.
Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s son honours and gratifies them as a disciple honours his preceptor,
And they in turn seek his welfare.
The whole earth, with her towns and villages, her seas, woods, and mines,
Lies now under his sway.
Thou alone art our refuge, O Dhanañjaya.
On thee rests the great burden of our hope.
I have received from Kṛṣṇa Dvaipāyana a science
That will lay the whole universe open to thy sight.
Take it from me, and by its power attain the grace of the gods.
Armed with bow and sword, clad in mail,
Set thyself to stern vows and travel northwards without fear.
In the hand of Śakra rest all the celestial weapons—
Once gathered together from the gods in their fear of Vṛtra.
Go to him, and he will bestow them upon thee.
Depart today, O son of Pṛthā, and behold Purandara.”
Having spoken thus, Yudhiṣṭhira, master of his speech and senses, imparted the sacred science to Arjuna with the proper rites. Obedient to his brother’s command, Arjuna took up the bow and inexhaustible quivers, donned his mail, gauntlets, and finger-guards of guṇa-skin, poured oblations into the sacred fire, and gave gifts to brāhmaṇas who blessed him with words of victory.
Thus prepared, the strong-armed hero set forth from Kāmyaka, sighing as he looked up to heaven with the thought of bringing death upon the sons of Dhṛtarāṣṭra. Seeing him so armed, the brāhmaṇas, siddhas, and unseen spirits called out: “O son of Kuntī, may thy desire be fulfilled! May victory be thine!”
And Kṛṣṇā, daughter of Drupada, came before him and spoke with a heart full of both grief and blessing:
“O strong-armed one,
May all that Kuntī desired at thy birth, and all that thou thyself desirest,
Be brought to pass.
May none of us hereafter be born into the Kṣatriya order.
I bow ever to the brāhmaṇas, whose life is in holy mendicancy.
This is my sorrow—that Duryodhana, in the assembly of princes,
Mocked me as a cow and hurled cruel words.
Yet greater is my grief at parting with thee now.
In thy absence, thy brothers will pass their waking hours
Speaking again and again of thy deeds.
If thou remain away too long, neither wealth nor pleasure
Will gladden us—life itself will lose its savour.
Our weal and woe, our life and death,
Our kingdom and our prosperity—
All hang upon thee, O Bhārata.
I bless thee—let success be thine!
May Hṛ, Śrī, Kīrti, Dhṛti, Puṣṭi, Umā, Lakṣmī, Sarasvatī
Guard thy path, for thou ever obeyest thy elder brother.
I bow to the Vasus, Rudras, Ādityas, Maruts, Viśvedevas, and Sādhyas,
That thy welfare be secured.
Be thou safe from all spirits of mischief
That haunt the sky, the earth, and the mid-regions.”
Vaiśampāyana said:
When Kṛṣṇā, the daughter of Yajñasena, had spoken her blessings, she fell silent. The strong-armed son of Pāṇḍu, walking reverently around his brothers and around Dhaumya, took up his handsome bow and prepared to depart. All creatures seemed to yield the path before Arjuna, urged on by his longing to behold the Lord of the Thousand Eyes.
He passed over mountains thick with ascetics, until he came to the sacred Himavat, the dwelling of the celestials. The high-souled hero reached that holy range in a single day, for the speed born of his austerities was like the rushing wind and the swiftness of thought. Crossing the Himavat and the Gandhamādana, he moved without weariness through rugged and perilous paths, travelling night and day. At last he came to Indrakīla and halted for a moment.
Then a voice rang out from the heavens: “Stop!” Looking about, Arjuna—ambidextrous master of the bow—beheld a tawny-hued ascetic, thin and matted-locked, seated in the shade of a tree, blazing with Brahmic radiance.
The ascetic spoke:
“Who art thou, O child, that comest here with bow and arrows,
Armoured and gauntleted, bound to the ways of the kṣatriya?
Here dwells no foe, no dispute mars this quiet grove.
Cast aside thy bow—this is the seat of peaceful brāhmaṇas,
Devoted to austerities, free of anger and delight.
No man is thy equal in vigour and prowess—
Why then carry the signs of war into the heart of peace?”
The brāhmaṇa repeated his words with a smile, yet Arjuna, steadfast in his purpose, was unmoved. Then the ascetic’s eyes brightened, and he said with gladness:
“O slayer of foes, blessed be thou! I am Śakra.
Ask now the boon thou seekest.”
Bending his head and joining his palms, Dhanañjaya answered:
“This is the boon I desire, O Thousand-Eyed:
Teach me the use of every weapon.
Not realms of bliss, nor pleasures, nor the seat of the gods do I seek—
What is joy to me while my brothers dwell in the forest?
Shall I, unavenged, win only the shame
That will cling for ages to my name?”
The lord of the celestials smiled and replied gently:
“O son of Kuntī, when thou art able to behold
The Three-Eyed, trident-bearing Śiva,
Lord of all beings,
Then will I bestow upon thee all the weapons of heaven.
Therefore strive to gain the vision of the Highest God—
Only after seeing him shall all thy desires be fulfilled.”
Having spoken thus, Śakra vanished from sight, and Arjuna, devoting himself wholly to ascetic austerities, remained at Indrakīla in patient resolve.