novelraw Arc 1 - Jamvu-Khanda Nirmana and Bhumi Parva Chapter 4 - The Measure of Ages and the Decline of V
Arc 1 - Jamvu-Khanda Nirmana and Bhumi Parva Chapter 4 - The Measure of Ages and the Decline of V
Vaiśampāyana said:
“When Sanjaya had spoken thus, painting before the king the worlds visible and unseen, Dhṛtarāṣṭra fell into deep meditation. His heart trembled like a leaf in the wind of destiny.
After a pause, he said — his voice heavy with understanding—”
“Indeed, O son of Suta’s line,
All this is wrought by hand divine;
It is Kāla — Time — that builds and breaks,
That stirs the sea, that burns, that wakes.
All things return, all things decay,
None born of earth can death delay;
For Nara–Nārāyaṇa reigns,
And Time itself moves in their chains.”
And Dhṛtarāṣṭra continued in solemn tone:
“Truly, O Sanjaya, it is Time that creates and destroys. Nothing is eternal here below. Nara and Nārāyaṇa, omniscient and all-pervading, consume all beings at will. The gods call Him Vaikuṇṭha, the Boundless One; men call Him Viṣṇu, the Pervader of All.”
“So ended that divine discourse,
Where Sanjaya traced creation’s course;
And blind Dhṛtarāṣṭra, freed from night,
Beheld the Eternal through inner sight.”
Vaiśampāyana said:
Dhṛtarāṣṭra spoke with a heavy heart, asking Sanjaya to tell, truly and in full, of that Varṣa named after Bhārata—the land for which princes raged and armies gathered, the realm that drew even a father’s mind into its whirlpool of desire.
Sanjaya replied gently that the sons of Pāṇḍu were not covetous of the country; rather, it was Duryodhana, with Śakuni son of Suvala and other provincial Kṣatriyas, whose greed set brother against brother. Then, in the manner of the ancients, he praised that land beloved of Indra and of Manu, of Pṛthu and Vainya, Ikṣvāku and Yayāti, Ambarīṣa and Māndhātṛ, Nahuṣa and Muchukunda, Śibi of Uśīnara, Ṛṣabha and Ilā, Nṛga and Kuśika, Gādhi, Somaka, and Dilīpa—the kings who made Bhārata their altar of dharma.
This land of vows, this yājña-ground,
Where fame and dharma twine and bound—
Beloved of Manu, Indra’s eye,
Where kings are measured by the sky.
Sanjaya said:
“In Bhārata stand the seven Kāla-mountains—Mahendra, Malaya, Sahya, Śuktimat, Rakṣavat, Vindhya, and Paripātra—spines of the earth, cloud-garlanded and cave-ribbed. Between and beyond them rise thousands more: hard, vast, valley-rich; and lesser ranges sheltering many tribes. Āryas and Mlecchas, and peoples mixed of both, drink from the rivers that web the realm.
He named the mothers of waters, beginning with the great: Gaṅgā, Sindhu, Sarasvatī, Godāvarī, Narmadā, Yamunā, then Dhṛṣadvatī, Vipāśā, Sthūlavālūkā, Vetravatī, Kṛṣṇaveṇā, Irāvatī, Vitastā, Payosyinī, Devikā, and others—Vedasṁritā, Vedavatī, Tridiva, Ikṣumālavī, Kāriṣiṇī, Citravāhā, Citrasenā, Gomati, Dhūtapadā, Gaṇḍakī, Kauśikī, Niścitrā, Kīrtyā, Nichitā, Lohatāriṇī, Rāśasī, Śatakumbhā, Sarayū, Carmanvatī, Hastisomā, Diśā, Sāravatī, Vennā, Bhīmārathī, Kāverī, Chulukā, Vīṇā, Sātavalā, Nivārā, Mahilā, Suprayogā, Pavitram, Kuṇḍalā, Rājanī, Pūrṇamālinī, Pūrvābhirāmā, Vīrā, Bhīmā, Oghavatī, Pālasinī, Pāpahārā, Mahendra, Pātālavātī, Āsiknī, Kuśacīrā, Mākari, Pravara, Menā, Hemā, Dhṛtavatī, Pūravatī, Anūṣṇā, Śaivya, Kapi, Sadanīrā, Adṛśyā, Kuśadharā, Śaḍakāntā, Śivā, Vīravatī, Vatsū, Suvastū, Kampanā with Hiraṇvatī, Varā, Pañcamī, Rathacitrā, Jyotiratha, Viśvāmitra, Kapiñjala, Upendra, Vāhulā, Kuchirā, Madhūvāhinī, Vinādī, Piñjalā, Venā, Puṅgavena, Vidiśā, Kṛṣṇaveṇā, Tāmra, Kapilā, Śālu, Suvarṇā, Vedasvā, Harisrava, Śīghrā, Piścalā, Bhāradvājī, again Kauśikī, Śoṇa, Candrama, Durgamantraśilā, Brahmavodhyā, Vṛhadvatī, Yakṣā, Rohī, Jāmbūnadī, Sunāsā, Tāmāsā, Dāsī, Vāsā, Varuṇā, Asī, Nīlā, Dhṛmatī, Pārṇasā, Pomāsī, Vṛṣabha, Brahmamedhyā, Vṛhaddhānī—and countless more, named and unnamed.”
He paused, then said that these rivers, by hundreds and thousands, are mothers of the universe, repositories of merit, flowing also as Mandākinī, Vaitaraṇī, Kośā, Mahānadī, Śuktimatī, Ananga, Puṣpāveṇī, Utpālāvatī, Lohitya, Karatoyā, Vṛṣaśabhyā, Kumārī, Ṛṣikulyā, Marīṣā, the sacred Sarasvatī again, Supuṇyā, Sarvasaṅgā—waters that cleanse and crown Bhārata.
Rivers like sutras bind the land,
From snows to sea, from dust to sand;
Who bathes in them, in deed and mind,
Finds merit’s path by dharma lined.
Then Sanjaya named the provinces—a garland of realms strung across the soil:
Kuru-Pañcālas, Śālvas, Madrakas, Jaṅgalas, Śūrasenas, Kaliṅgas, Vodhas, Mālās, Matsyas, Sauvalyas, Kuṇṭalas, Kāśī-Kośalas, Cedis, Karūṣas, Bhojas, Sindhus, Pulindakas, Uttamas, Daśārṇas, Mekalas, Utkalas; Pañcālas (again), Kauśijas, Nikarpṛṣṭhas, Dhuraṃdharas; Śodhas, Madrabhujingas, Kāśis and the further-Kāśis; Jāṭharas, Kukuras; Kuṇṭis, Avantis, and further-Kuṇṭis; Gomantas, Maṇḍakas, Śaṇḍas, Vidarbhas, Rūpavāhikas; Aśvakas, Pañsuraṣṭras, Goparaṣṭras, Karītyas; Adhirjayas, Kulādyas, Mallaraṣṭras, Keralas, Varātrasya, Apavāhas, Chakras, Vakratapas, Śakas; Videhas, Magadhas, Svākṣas, Malayas, Vijayas, Aṅgas, Vaṅgas, Kaliṅgas, Yakṛllomans; Mallas, Śuddellas, Prāṇradas, Mahikas, Śaśikas; Bāhlikas, Vātadhanas, Ābhīras, Kālajoṣakas; Aparāntas, Parāntas, Pahnābhas, Carmamaṇḍalas; Āṭaviśikharas, Mahābhūtas; Upāvṛttas, Anupāvṛttas, Sūraśatras, Kekayas; Kūṭas, Maheyas, Kakṣas, Samudraniṣkutas; Āndhras; many hill tribes and foot-hill peoples; Aṅgāmalajas, Mānāvañjakas; Prāviśeyas, Bhārgavas; Puṇḍras, Bhargas, Kirātas, Sudeśnas, Yāmunas; Śakas, Niṣādhas, Anartas, Nairītas, Durgalas, Pratimāsyas; Kuṇṭalas, Kuśalas; Tiragrahas, Ijakas, Kānyakāguṇas, Tilabhāras, Śamīras, Madhumattas, Sukandakas; Kāśmīras, Sindhu-Sauviras, Gandharvas, Dārśakas; Abhīsāras, Utulas, Śaivalas, Bāhlikas; Dārvis, Vanavādarvas, Vātagas, Amarathas, Ūragas; Vāhubadhas, Kauravyas, Sudāmanas, Sumālikas; Vādhras, Kariśākas, Kālindas, Upatyakas; Vātāyanas, Romanas, Kuśavindas; Kāchchas, Gopālkāchchas, Kuruvarṇakas; Kirātas, Vārvasas, Siddhas, Vaidehas, Tāmraliptas; Aundras, Pauṇḍras, Śaiśikatas, Pārvatīyas—and many more.
He ranged southward: Draviḍas, Keralas, Prāchyas, Muṣikas, Vanavāśikas, Karaṇāṭakas, Māhiṣakas, Vikalpas, Muśakas, Jhillikas, Kuṇṭalas, Saunridas, Nālakaṇanas, Kaṅkutakas, Cholas, Mālāvāyakas, Samāṅgas, Kanakas, Kukkuras, Aṅgara-mariṣas; Dhvājins, Utsavas, Saṅketas, Trigartas, Śālvasena; Vākas, Kokarakas, Pāśtris, Lāmavegavaśas; Vindhyachūlakas, Pulindas, Valkalas; Mālavas, Vallavas, further-Vallavas, Kulindas, Kalavas, Kuṇṭaukas, Karāṭas; Mṛṣakas, Tānavalas, Sanīyas; Ālidas, Pāśivātas, Tanayas, Sulanyas; Ṛṣikas, Vidarbhas, Kākas, Tāṅgaṇas and further-Tāṅgaṇas.
In the north: Mlecchas and Krūras, Yavanas, Cīnas, Kāmbojas, Dāruṇas, and many Mleccha tribes; Sukṛtvāhas, Kulatthas, Hūṇas, Pārasīkas, Rāmaṇas, Daśamālikas; also Śūdra-Ābhīras, Dardas, Kāśmīras, Paṭṭis, Khāśiras; Atreyas, Bhāradvājas, Stanapoṣikas, Poṣakas, Kaliṅgas, many Kirāta peoples; Tomaras, Haṃsamārgas, Karamañjakas—east and north the tapestry continued.
So vast the realm, so many names,
So many shrines and rivers’ frames;
Earth, tended well, becomes the cow
That yields dharma, artha, kāma—now.
Sanjaya concluded:
“If Earth be husbanded according to her guṇas and prowess, she becomes an ever-yielding cow, pouring the threefold fruits—virtue, profit, and pleasure. Therefore brave kings, versed in policy, become covetous, and, driven by activity, risk their very lives for wealth. Earth shelters beings in celestial and human bodies alike; yet, desiring to enjoy the Earth, kings become like dogs that snatch meat from each other—their ambition unbounded, never sated.
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Thus the Kurus and the Pāṇḍavas strive for possession—by negotiation, disunion, gift, and battle. If Earth be well-guarded, she is father, mother, children, firmament, and heaven to all creatures. Guard her, O Bull among men, lest the milk of dharma be spilt upon the ground.”
For dust is throne and throne is dust,
And kings must choose between their lust
And law—keep Earth in righteous care,
Or lose both realm and heaven’s share.
Vaiśampāyana said:
When the aged Dhṛtarāṣṭra, blind but inwardly discerning, heard the vast expanse of Bhārata described, he spoke again to Sanjaya, desiring to know not merely the lands and rivers but the lives of men—their years, strength, and virtue across the ages.
“O Sanjaya, wise in lore of time,
Who knowest Earth in every clime,
Tell me of Bhārata’s sons, their span,
Their virtue, vice, and fate of man.
Speak too of Himavat’s bright race,
And Hari’s realm of holy grace;
The past, the future, and today—
Let all before my spirit lay.”
Sanjaya said:
“O bull among the Bharatas, four Yugas unfold in Bhārata-varṣa—Kṛta, Tretā, Dvāpara, and Kali—each marking a decline of virtue and the waning of strength. The first is Kṛta, pure and golden; then cometh Tretā, fair and steadfast; next Dvāpara, half-shadowed; and last of all Kali, dark and full of sorrow.
In the Kṛta age, men lived four thousand years, mighty in body and soul, radiant with wisdom, their wealth born of truth. In that blessed time, children were born by hundreds, strong, long-lived, and free from deceit. The earth yielded food unasked, and speech itself was a vow. The ṛṣis of that age, blazing with tapas, were masters of themselves, truthful in word, pure in conduct, and luminous as fire.
The Kṣatriyas then were lions among men—broad-chested, strong-armed, and skilled in the bow. Their battles were like sacred rites, and conquest was tempered with dharma.
“When Kṛta’s dawn in glory shone,
Men knew no hunger, fear, or moan;
Their truth was fire, their speech was gold,
And earth gave fruit a thousandfold.”
Sanjaya continued:
“When the Tretā age came, virtue lost a quarter of its light. Yet still, kings were emperors ruling from sea to sea. Brave, generous, and devoted to sacrifice, they guarded the law like fathers. The yajña flames rose high, and men performed their duties with zeal.
In that time, heroes wielded the bow with mastery, and though life shortened to three thousand years, men were strong of heart and pure in aim.
But when Dvāpara began, strength and virtue waned by half. Men of all four orders—Brāhmaṇa, Kṣatriya, Vaiśya, and Śūdra—became restless and contentious, eager to test their might and claim dominion over one another. Life’s span shrank again to two thousand years, and though wisdom remained, it dimmed like the waning moon.”
“When Dvāpara’s twilight veiled the skies,
Men strove for wealth, for power, for prize;
The strong oppressed, the weak complied,
And dharma faltered, though not died.”
Sanjaya said:
“In the Kali age, O King, the measure of years is uncertain. Some perish in the womb; some die at birth; some grow old without honor. Men are feeble in body, short of life, fierce in anger, and unsteady in mind.
Jealousy, pride, deceit, greed, and wrath are their constant companions. They speak untruth, forsake their elders, and turn from sacrifice and faith. Wealth, not wisdom, rules their hearts; and even virtue is sold for gain.
This, O Bharata, is the shadowed age in which the world now stands—the remnant of Dvāpara fading into the darkness of Kali.”
“When Kali comes, the heart is dry,
The lie is truth, the truth a lie;
The weak grow bold, the strong forget,
And dharma mourns in dust and debt.
Men’s years are few, their joy is vain,
Their wisdom lost for gold and gain;
The earth grows weary, heaven still,
And Time fulfills the Maker’s will.”
Sanjaya concluded:
“Yet know, O King, that above Bhārata lie realms of purer light. The Haimavat-varṣa, embraced by the Himalaya, surpasses this in merit and serenity; and beyond it shines Hari-varṣa, radiant and auspicious, wherein men live as the gods, untouched by decay.
Each realm rises in virtue as one ascends northward, even as the dawn grows brighter toward the sun. Thus, O Dhṛtarāṣṭra, is the world ordered by Time and dharma—the river of existence flowing from truth to shadow, yet circling ever back to truth again.”
“Four ages wheel through mortal sight,
From golden dawn to iron night;
Yet through their change the soul must climb—
Beyond the bounds of death and time.”
Vaiśampāyana said:
When Dhṛtarāṣṭra had heard of Jambūdvīpa, his heart was not yet satisfied. The blind monarch, whose mind sought to see what his eyes could not, again questioned Sanjaya of the seven islands girdled by oceans and of the paths of the Sun, the Moon, and Rāhu.
“O Sanjaya, thou seer of spheres,
Who pierceth through the veil of years,
Tell me of oceans, isles, and skies,
Where Meru’s golden summit lies.
Speak of the Sun’s unwearied flight,
Of Soma’s calm, of Rāhu’s might;
Tell me, O sage, of the world’s design,
And Earth’s vast frame by will divine.”
Sanjaya said:
“O mighty King, there are countless islands across which the Earth extends like a net of jewels upon the ocean’s breast. Yet among them seven alone are held sacred in the reckoning of the seers. I shall speak of these seven, and of Soma the Moon, Sūrya the Sun, and the shadowy planet Rāhu.
The mountain Jambu, lord of Jambūdvīpa, spreads across eighteen thousand and six hundred yojanas. The ocean surrounding it is twice that measure, salt to the taste and shining with coral and pearls. Its waters are thronged with Siddhas and Cāraṇas, and mountains studded with metals and gems rise from its depths like towers of light. Circular as the wheel of time, it encircles the first island of men.
Beyond this lies Sākadvīpa, twice the size of Jambūdvīpa, encircled in turn by an ocean twice its breadth. That sea gleams like molten silver, and its shores are bright with gold and crystal sands. The lands there are righteous, the people serene, and death is unknown. Neither famine nor disease afflicts them; their hearts are gentle, their energies vast. Thus have the ancient ṛṣis sung of it.”
“Sākadvīpa shines beyond the foam,
Where no one weeps, where none seek home;
Their lives are long, their hearts are still,
Their joy is dharma, peace their will.”
Dhṛtarāṣṭra said:
“Thou hast spoken briefly, O wise Sanjaya. Tell me now of that island in full—the mountains, the rivers, the people, and their ways.”
Sanjaya said:
“Hear then, O King, the sacred geography of Sākadvīpa. There rise seven mountains, jeweled and radiant, abodes of gods and mines of countless gems. Rivers divine spring from their sides, flowing with purity and sweetness.
The first among them is Meru, glowing like the dawn, home to the devas, ṛṣis, and gandharvas. Next to it stretches Malaya, the cloud-maker, whence arise the rains of heaven. Third stands Jaladhara, whence mighty Indra draws the purest waters for the monsoon showers.
After these is Raivataka, over which the constellation Revati has been set by the grandsire Brahmā himself. North of it towers the Śyāma mountain, dark as a bank of rainclouds, luminous and immense. Because its hue is deep and shadowed, the people dwelling near are of darker complexion, O king; and for that reason it is named the Dark Mountain.
Then comes Durgaśaila, hard to ascend and radiant as crystal, and beyond it Keśarī, perfumed with fragrant winds. The measure of each mountain, O Bharata, is double that of the one before it, ascending in majesty and might.
These seven mountains divide the land into seven Varṣas, realms of men and gods alike. The region of Meru is called Mahākāśa, that of Malaya Kumudottara. The Varṣa of Jaladhara bears the name Sukumāra; that of Raivataka, Kaumāra; of Śyāma, Maṇikañcana. The Varṣa of Keśarī is Māndakī, and the last, beyond it, Mahāpumān.
In the heart of the island grows a vast and sacred tree called Śāka, equal in measure to the Jambū tree of our own dvīpa. The people there revere it as the pillar of life, and it gives the island its name—Sākadvīpa.”
“There stands the Śāka, root of light,
Whose shade is peace, whose fruit is right;
All tribes beneath its branches meet,
And bow where gods and mortals greet.”
Sanjaya continued:
“In that blessed land, O monarch, are many provinces adorned with holy shrines where Śiva is worshipped. Thither come the Siddhas, Cāraṇas, and Devas, drawn by the fragrance of faith. The people are pure in conduct and steadfast in their duties; all four orders—Brāhmaṇa, Kṣatriya, Vaiśya, and Śūdra—dwell in harmony, each performing its sacred task. There is neither theft nor envy, neither punishment nor crime, for the law of dharma is in every heart.
Freed from age and death, they grow in strength and beauty as rivers swell with the rain. Their waters are holy, their air perfumed. Among the countless rivers that bless Sākadvīpa are Sukumārī, Kumārī, Śvetā, Kevarakā, Mahānadī, Maṇijālā, Cakṣus, and Vardhanikā, and thousands more, all sin-cleansing, all sanctified by the presence of the gods. From these, even Vāsava draws the water he pours upon the earth as rain.
There are also four sacred provinces named Mṛga, Māṣaka, Mānāsa, and Māndaga. In the first dwell the Brāhmaṇas, devoted wholly to their sacred callings. In the second, the Kṣatriyas, righteous rulers and generous givers. In the third, the Vaiśyas, prosperous and wise, skilled in trade and worship. In the fourth, the Śūdras, brave and virtuous, serving with devotion and diligence.
None oppresses another, for justice and goodwill are their natural law. There is no king, no judge, no sword, nor need for one—the people are self-governed by dharma itself.”
“No crown, no chain, no tyrant hand,
Yet peace abides in every land;
For dharma rules where kings are none,
And all are equal in the sun.
Age knows no fear, nor flesh decay,
In Sākadvīpa’s deathless day;
Where Ganga’s streams in splendor run,
And Śiva’s name and Vishnu’s one.”
Sanjaya concluded:
“Thus, O Dhṛtarāṣṭra, have I spoken of Sākadvīpa, radiant with seven mountains and seven realms, where the gods themselves delight to dwell. Beyond it lie other islands, O king, each twice the breadth of the last—Kuśadvīpa, Śālmalidvīpa, and Kraunchadvīpa, encircled by oceans vast and luminous. Of these and of the orbits of Soma, Sūrya, and Rāhu, I shall tell thee next, if it please thee to hear.”
“Thus spake Sanjaya, heaven’s eye,
Revealing worlds that never die;
While Dhṛtarāṣṭra, blind yet wise,
Saw through his heart the boundless skies.”