Mahabharata 12.39: ekonacatvāriṃśo'dhyāyaḥ

12.39.1

vaiśaṃpāyana uvāca |
praveśane tu pārthānāṃ janasya puravāsinaḥ |
didṛkṣūṇāṃ sahasrāṇi samājagmurbahūnyatha || 1 ||

"Vaisampayana said, 'At the time the Parthas entered the city, thousands upon thousands of the citizens came out to behold the sight. The well-adorned squares and streets, with crowd swelling at each moment looked beautiful like the ocean swelling at the rise of the moon. The large mansions that stood on the street-sides, decked with every ornament and full of ladies, seemed to shake, O Bharata, with their weight. With soft and modest voices they uttered the praises of Yudhishthira, of Bhima and Arjuna, and of the two sons of Madri. And they said, 'Worthy of all praise art thou. O blessed princess of Panchala, that waitest by the side of those foremost of men even like Gautami by the side of the (seven) Rishis. Thy acts and vows have borne their fruits, O lady!' In this strain, O monarch, the ladies praised the princess Krishna. In consequence of those praises, O Bharata, and their speeches with one another, and the shouts of joy (uttered by the men'), the city became filled with a loud uproar. Having passed through the streets with such behaviour as befitted him, Yudhishthira then entered the beautiful palace (of the Kurus) adorned with every ornament. The people belonging to the city and the provinces, approaching the palace, uttered speeches that were agreeable to his ears, 'By good luck, O foremost of kings, thou hast vanquished thy enemies, O slayer of foes! By good luck, thou hast recovered thy kingdom through virtue and prowess. Be, O foremost of kings, our monarch for a hundred years, and protect thy subjects virtuously like Indra protecting the denizens of heaven.' Thus adored at the palace-gate with blessed speeches, and accepting the benedictions uttered by the Brahmanas from every side, the king, graced with victory and the blessings of the people, entered the palace that resembled the mansion of Indra himself, and then descended from his car. Entering the apartments, blessed Yudhishthira approached the household gods and worshipped them with gems and scents and floral wreaths. Possessed of great fame and prosperity, the king came out once more and beheld a number of Brahmanas waiting with auspicious articles in their hands (for pronouncing benedictions on him). Surrounded by those Brahmanas desirous of uttering benedictions on him, the king looked beautiful like the spotless moon in the midst of the stars. Accompanied by his priest Dhaumya and his eldest uncle, the son of Kunti cheerfully worshipped, with due rites, those Brahmanas with (gift of) sweets, gems, and gold in profusion, and kine and robes, O monarch, and with diverse other articles that each desired. Then loud shouts of 'This is a blessed day' arose, filling the entire welkin, O Bharata. Sweet to the ear, that sacred sound was highly gratifying to the friends and well-wishers (of the Pandavas). The king heard that sound uttered by those learned Brahmanas and that was as loud and clear as the sound of a flock of swans. He listened also to the speeches, fraught with melodious words and grave import, of those persons well conversant with the Vedas. Then, O king, the peal of drums and the delightful blare of conchs, indicative of triumph, arose. A little while after when the Brahmanas had become silent, a Rakshasa of the name of Charvaka, who had disguised himself as a Brahmana, addressed the king. He was a friend of Duryodhana and stood therein the garb of a religious mendicant. With a rosary, with a tuft of hair on his head, and with the triple staff in his hand, he stood proudly and fearlessly in the midst of all those Brahmanas that had come there for pronouncing benedictions (upon the king), numbering by thousands, O king, and all of whom were devoted to penances and vows. That wicked wight, desirous of evil unto the high-souled Pandavas and without having consulted those Brahmanas, said these words unto the king.'

"Vaisampayana said, 'At the time the Parthas entered the city, thousands upon thousands of the citizens came out to behold the sight. The well-adorned squares and streets, with crowd swelling at each moment looked beautiful like the ocean swelling at the rise of the moon. The large mansions that stood on the street-sides, decked with every ornament and full of ladies, seemed to shake, O Bharata, with their weight. With soft and modest voices they uttered the praises of Yudhishthira, of Bhima and Arjuna, and of the two sons of Madri. And they said, 'Worthy of all praise art thou. O blessed princess of Panchala, that waitest by the side of those foremost of men even like Gautami by the side of the (seven) Rishis. Thy acts and vows have borne their fruits, O lady!' In this strain, O monarch, the ladies praised the princess Krishna. In consequence of those praises, O Bharata, and their speeches with one another, and the shouts of joy (uttered by the men'), the city became filled with a loud uproar. Having passed through the streets with such behaviour as befitted him, Yudhishthira then entered the beautiful palace (of the Kurus) adorned with every ornament. The people belonging to the city and the provinces, approaching the palace, uttered speeches that were agreeable to his ears, 'By good luck, O foremost of kings, thou hast vanquished thy enemies, O slayer of foes! By good luck, thou hast recovered thy kingdom through virtue and prowess. Be, O foremost of kings, our monarch for a hundred years, and protect thy subjects virtuously like Indra protecting the denizens of heaven.' Thus adored at the palace-gate with blessed speeches, and accepting the benedictions uttered by the Brahmanas from every side, the king, graced with victory and the blessings of the people, entered the palace that resembled the mansion of Indra himself, and then descended from his car. Entering the apartments, blessed Yudhishthira approached the household gods and worshipped them with gems and scents and floral wreaths. Possessed of great fame and prosperity, the king came out once more and beheld a number of Brahmanas waiting with auspicious articles in their hands (for pronouncing benedictions on him). Surrounded by those Brahmanas desirous of uttering benedictions on him, the king looked beautiful like the spotless moon in the midst of the stars. Accompanied by his priest Dhaumya and his eldest uncle, the son of Kunti cheerfully worshipped, with due rites, those Brahmanas with (gift of) sweets, gems, and gold in profusion, and kine and robes, O monarch, and with diverse other articles that each desired. Then loud shouts of 'This is a blessed day' arose, filling the entire welkin, O Bharata. Sweet to the ear, that sacred sound was highly gratifying to the friends and well-wishers (of the Pandavas). The king heard that sound uttered by those learned Brahmanas and that was as loud and clear as the sound of a flock of swans. He listened also to the speeches, fraught with melodious words and grave import, of those persons well conversant with the Vedas. Then, O king, the peal of drums and the delightful blare of conchs, indicative of triumph, arose. A little while after when the Brahmanas had become silent, a Rakshasa of the name of Charvaka, who had disguised himself as a Brahmana, addressed the king. He was a friend of Duryodhana and stood therein the garb of a religious mendicant. With a rosary, with a tuft of hair on his head, and with the triple staff in his hand, he stood proudly and fearlessly in the midst of all those Brahmanas that had come there for pronouncing benedictions (upon the king), numbering by thousands, O king, and all of whom were devoted to penances and vows. That wicked wight, desirous of evil unto the high-souled Pandavas and without having consulted those Brahmanas, said these words unto the king.'

"Charvaka said, 'All these Brahmanas, making me their spokesman, are saying, 'Fie on thee! Thou art a wicked king. Thou art a slayer of kinsmen. What shalt thou gain, O son of Kunti, by having thus exterminated thy race? Having slain also thy superiors and preceptor, it is proper for thee to cast away thy life.' Hearing these words of that wicked Rakshasa the Brahmanas there became deeply agitated. Stung by that speech, they made a loud uproar. And all of them, with king Yudhishthira. O monarch, became speechless from anxiety and shame.'

"Yudhishthira said, 'I bow down to you and beseech you humbly, be gratified with me. It doth not behove you to cry fie on me. I shall soon lay down my life.'

Pratyasanna-vyasaninam is explained by Nilakantha as 'I stand near these distressed brothers of mine' (for whose sake only I am for accepting sovereignty). This is certainly very fanciful. The plain meaning is, 'I am about to lay down my life.'

"Vaisampayana continued, 'Then all those Brahmanas, O king, loudly said, 'These are not our words. Prosperity to thee, O monarch!' Those high-souled persons, conversant with the Vedas, with understanding rendered clear by penances, then penetrated the disguise of the speaker by means of their spiritual sight.' And they said, 'This is the Rakshasa Charvaka, the friend of Duryodhana. Having put on the garb of a religious mendicant, he seeks the good of his friend Duryodhana. We have not, O thou of righteous soul, said anything of the kind. Let this anxiety of thine be dispelled. Let prosperity attend upon thee with thy brothers.'

"Vaisampayana continued, 'These Brahmanas then, insensate with rage, uttered the sound Hun. Cleansed of all sins, they censured the sinful Rakshasa and slew him there (with that very sound). Consumed by the energy of those utterers of Brahma, Charvaka fell down dead, like a tree with all its sprouts blasted by the thunder of Indra. Duly worshipped, the Brahmanas went away, having gladdened the king with their benedictions. The royal son of Pandu also, with all his friends, felt great happiness.

12.39.2

sa rājamārgaḥ śuśubhe samalaṃkṛtacatvaraḥ |
yathā candrodaye rājanvardhamāno mahodadhiḥ || 2 ||

12.39.3

gṛhāṇi rājamārge tu ratnavanti bṛhanti ca |
prākampanteva bhāreṇa strīṇāṃ pūrṇāni bhārata || 3 ||

12.39.4

tāḥ śanairiva savrīḍaṃ praśaśaṃsuryudhiṣṭhiram |
bhīmasenārjunau caiva mādrīputrau ca pāṇḍavau || 4 ||

12.39.5

dhanyā tvamasi pāñcāli yā tvaṃ puruṣasattamān |
upatiṣṭhasi kalyāṇi maharṣīniva gautamī || 5 ||

12.39.6

tava karmāṇyamoghāni vratacaryā ca bhāmini |
iti kṛṣṇāṃ mahārāja praśaśaṃsustadā striyaḥ || 6 ||

12.39.7

praśaṃsāvacanaistāsāṃ mithaḥśabdaiśca bhārata |
prītijaiśca tadā śabdaiḥ puramāsītsamākulam || 7 ||

12.39.8

tamatītya yathāyuktaṃ rājamārgaṃ yudhiṣṭhiraḥ |
alaṃkṛtaṃ śobhamānamupāyādrājaveśma ha || 8 ||

12.39.9

tataḥ prakṛtayaḥ sarvāḥ paurajānapadāstathā |
ūcuḥ kathāḥ karṇasukhāḥ samupetya tatastataḥ || 9 ||

12.39.10

diṣṭyā jayasi rājendra śatrūñśatrunisūdana |
diṣṭyā rājyaṃ punaḥ prāptaṃ dharmeṇa ca balena ca || 10 ||

12.39.11

bhava nastvaṃ mahārāja rājeha śaradāṃ śatam |
prajāḥ pālaya dharmeṇa yathendrastridivaṃ nṛpa || 11 ||

12.39.12

evaṃ rājakuladvāri maṅgalairabhipūjitaḥ |
āśīrvādāndvijairuktānpratigṛhya samantataḥ || 12 ||

12.39.13

praviśya bhavanaṃ rājā devarājagṛhopamam |
śrutvā vijayasaṃyuktaṃ rathātpaścādavātarat || 13 ||

12.39.14

praviśyābhyantaraṃ śrīmāndaivatānyabhigamya ca |
pūjayāmāsa ratnaiśca gandhairmālyaiśca sarvaśaḥ || 14 ||

12.39.15

niścakrāma tataḥ śrīmānpunareva mahāyaśāḥ |
dadarśa brāhmaṇāṃścaiva so'bhirūpānupasthitān || 15 ||

12.39.16

sa saṃvṛtastadā viprairāśīrvādavivakṣubhiḥ |
śuśubhe vimalaścandrastārāgaṇavṛto yathā || 16 ||

12.39.17

tānsa saṃpūjayāmāsa kaunteyo vidhivaddvijān |
dhaumyaṃ guruṃ puraskṛtya jyeṣṭhaṃ pitarameva ca || 17 ||

12.39.18

sumanomodakai ratnairhiraṇyena ca bhūriṇā |
gobhirvastraiśca rājendra vividhaiśca kimicchakaiḥ || 18 ||

12.39.19

tataḥ puṇyāhaghoṣo'bhūddivaṃ stabdhveva bhārata |
suhṛdāṃ harṣajananaḥ puṇyaḥ śrutisukhāvahaḥ || 19 ||

12.39.20

haṃsavanneduṣāṃ rājandvijānāṃ tatra bhāratī |
śuśruve vedaviduṣāṃ puṣkalārthapadākṣarā || 20 ||

12.39.21

tato dundubhinirghoṣaḥ śaṅkhānāṃ ca manoramaḥ |
jayaṃ pravadatāṃ tatra svanaḥ prādurabhūnnṛpa || 21 ||

12.39.22

niḥśabde ca sthite tatra tato viprajane punaḥ |
rājānaṃ brāhmaṇacchadmā cārvāko rākṣaso'bravīt || 22 ||

12.39.23

tatra duryodhanasakhā bhikṣurūpeṇa saṃvṛtaḥ |
sāṃkhyaḥ śikhī tridaṇḍī ca dhṛṣṭo vigatasādhvasaḥ || 23 ||

12.39.24

vṛtaḥ sarvaistadā viprairāśīrvādavivakṣubhiḥ |
paraṃsahasrai rājendra taponiyamasaṃsthitaiḥ || 24 ||

12.39.25

sa duṣṭaḥ pāpamāśaṃsanpāṇḍavānāṃ mahātmanām |
anāmantryaiva tānviprāṃstamuvāca mahīpatim || 25 ||

12.39.26

ime prāhurdvijāḥ sarve samāropya vaco mayi |
dhigbhavantaṃ kunṛpatiṃ jñātighātinamastu vai || 26 ||

"Charvaka said, 'All these Brahmanas, making me their spokesman, are saying, 'Fie on thee! Thou art a wicked king. Thou art a slayer of kinsmen. What shalt thou gain, O son of Kunti, by having thus exterminated thy race? Having slain also thy superiors and preceptor, it is proper for thee to cast away thy life.' Hearing these words of that wicked Rakshasa the Brahmanas there became deeply agitated. Stung by that speech, they made a loud uproar. And all of them, with king Yudhishthira. O monarch, became speechless from anxiety and shame.'

12.39.27

kiṃ te rājyena kaunteya kṛtvemaṃ jñātisaṃkṣayam |
ghātayitvā gurūṃścaiva mṛtaṃ śreyo na jīvitam || 27 ||

12.39.28

iti te vai dvijāḥ śrutvā tasya ghorasya rakṣasaḥ |
vivyathuścukruśuścaiva tasya vākyapradharṣitāḥ || 28 ||

12.39.29

tataste brāhmaṇāḥ sarve sa ca rājā yudhiṣṭhiraḥ |
vrīḍitāḥ paramodvignāstūṣṇīmāsanviśāṃ pate || 29 ||

12.39.30

yudhiṣṭhira uvāca |
prasīdantu bhavanto me praṇatasyābhiyācataḥ |
pratyāpannaṃ vyasaninaṃ na māṃ dhikkartumarhatha || 30 ||

"Yudhishthira said, 'I bow down to you and beseech you humbly, be gratified with me. It doth not behove you to cry fie on me. I shall soon lay down my life.'

12.39.31

vaiśaṃpāyana uvāca |
tato rājanbrāhmaṇāste sarva eva viśāṃ pate |
ūcurnaitadvaco'smākaṃ śrīrastu tava pārthiva || 31 ||

"Vaisampayana continued, 'Then all those Brahmanas, O king, loudly said, 'These are not our words. Prosperity to thee, O monarch!' Those high-souled persons, conversant with the Vedas, with understanding rendered clear by penances, then penetrated the disguise of the speaker by means of their spiritual sight.' And they said, 'This is the Rakshasa Charvaka, the friend of Duryodhana. Having put on the garb of a religious mendicant, he seeks the good of his friend Duryodhana. We have not, O thou of righteous soul, said anything of the kind. Let this anxiety of thine be dispelled. Let prosperity attend upon thee with thy brothers.'

12.39.32

jajñuścaiva mahātmānastatastaṃ jñānacakṣuṣā |
brāhmaṇā vedavidvāṃsastapobhirvimalīkṛtāḥ || 32 ||

12.39.33

brāhmaṇā ūcuḥ |
eṣa duryodhanasakhā cārvāko nāma rākṣasaḥ |
parivrājakarūpeṇa hitaṃ tasya cikīrṣati || 33 ||

12.39.34

na vayaṃ brūma dharmātmanvyetu te bhayamīdṛśam |
upatiṣṭhatu kalyāṇaṃ bhavantaṃ bhrātṛbhiḥ saha || 34 ||

12.39.35

vaiśaṃpāyana uvāca |
tataste brāhmaṇāḥ sarve huṃkāraiḥ krodhamūrchitāḥ |
nirbhartsayantaḥ śucayo nijaghnuḥ pāparākṣasam || 35 ||

"Vaisampayana continued, 'These Brahmanas then, insensate with rage, uttered the sound Hun. Cleansed of all sins, they censured the sinful Rakshasa and slew him there (with that very sound). Consumed by the energy of those utterers of Brahma, Charvaka fell down dead, like a tree with all its sprouts blasted by the thunder of Indra. Duly worshipped, the Brahmanas went away, having gladdened the king with their benedictions. The royal son of Pandu also, with all his friends, felt great happiness.

12.39.36

sa papāta vinirdagdhastejasā brahmavādinām |
mahendrāśaninirdagdhaḥ pādapo'ṅkuravāniva || 36 ||

12.39.37

pūjitāśca yayurviprā rājānamabhinandya tam |
rājā ca harṣamāpede pāṇḍavaḥ sasuhṛjjanaḥ || 37 ||

12.39.38

vāsudeva uvāca |
brāhmaṇāstāta loke'sminnarcanīyāḥ sadā mama |
ete bhūmicarā devā vāgviṣāḥ suprasādakāḥ || 38 ||

"Vaisampayana said, 'Then Devaki's son Janardana of universal knowledge addressed king Yudhishthira who stood there with his brothers, saying, 'In this world, O sire, Brahmanas are always the objects of worship with me. They are gods on earth having poison in their speech, and are exceedingly easy to gratify. Formerly, in the Krita age, O king, a Rakshasa of the name of Charvaka, O mighty-armed one, performed austere penances for many years in Vadari. Brahman repeatedly solicited him to ask for boons. At last the Rakshasa solicited the boon, O Bharata, of immunity from fear at the hand of every being in the universe. The Lord of the universe gave that high boon of immunity from fear at the hands of all creatures, subject to the only limitation that he should be careful of how he offended the Brahmanas. Having obtained that boon, the sinful and mighty Rakshasa of fierce deeds and great prowess began to give pain to the gods. The gods, persecuted by the might of the Rakshasa, assembling together, approached Brahman, for compassing their foe's destruction. The eternal and unchangeable god answered them, O Bharata, saying, 'I have already arranged the means by which the death of this Rakshasa may soon be brought about. There will be a king of the name of Duryodhana. Among men, he will be the friend of this wight. Bound by affection towards him, the Rakshasa will insult the Brahmanas. Stung by the wrong he will inflict upon them, the Brahmanas, whose might consists in speech, will in wrath censure him at which he will meet with destruction. Even that Rakshasa Charvaka, O foremost of kings, slain by the curse of the Brahmanas, lies there deprived of life. Do not, O bull of Bharata's race, give way to grief. The kinsmen, O king, have all perished in the observance of Kshatriya duties. Those butts among Kshatriyas, those high-souled heroes, have all gone to heaven. Do thou attend to thy duties now. O thou of unfading glory, let no grief be thine. Stay thy foes, protect thy subjects, and worship the Brahmanas.'"

"Vaisampayana said, 'Then Devaki's son Janardana of universal knowledge addressed king Yudhishthira who stood there with his brothers, saying, 'In this world, O sire, Brahmanas are always the objects of worship with me. They are gods on earth having poison in their speech, and are exceedingly easy to gratify. Formerly, in the Krita age, O king, a Rakshasa of the name of Charvaka, O mighty-armed one, performed austere penances for many years in Vadari. Brahman repeatedly solicited him to ask for boons. At last the Rakshasa solicited the boon, O Bharata, of immunity from fear at the hand of every being in the universe. The Lord of the universe gave that high boon of immunity from fear at the hands of all creatures, subject to the only limitation that he should be careful of how he offended the Brahmanas. Having obtained that boon, the sinful and mighty Rakshasa of fierce deeds and great prowess began to give pain to the gods. The gods, persecuted by the might of the Rakshasa, assembling together, approached Brahman, for compassing their foe's destruction. The eternal and unchangeable god answered them, O Bharata, saying, 'I have already arranged the means by which the death of this Rakshasa may soon be brought about. There will be a king of the name of Duryodhana. Among men, he will be the friend of this wight. Bound by affection towards him, the Rakshasa will insult the Brahmanas. Stung by the wrong he will inflict upon them, the Brahmanas, whose might consists in speech, will in wrath censure him at which he will meet with destruction. Even that Rakshasa Charvaka, O foremost of kings, slain by the curse of the Brahmanas, lies there deprived of life. Do not, O bull of Bharata's race, give way to grief. The kinsmen, O king, have all perished in the observance of Kshatriya duties. Those butts among Kshatriyas, those high-souled heroes, have all gone to heaven. Do thou attend to thy duties now. O thou of unfading glory, let no grief be thine. Stay thy foes, protect thy subjects, and worship the Brahmanas.'"

12.39.39

purā kṛtayuge tāta cārvāko nāma rākṣasaḥ |
tapastepe mahābāho badaryāṃ bahuvatsaram || 39 ||

12.39.40

chandyamāno vareṇātha brahmaṇā sa punaḥ punaḥ |
abhayaṃ sarvabhūtebhyo varayāmāsa bhārata || 40 ||

12.39.41

dvijāvamānādanyatra prādādvaramanuttamam |
abhayaṃ sarvabhūtebhyastatastasmai jagatprabhuḥ || 41 ||

12.39.42

sa tu labdhavaraḥ pāpo devānamitavikramaḥ |
rākṣasastāpayāmāsa tīvrakarmā mahābalaḥ || 42 ||

12.39.43

tato devāḥ sametyātha brahmāṇamidamabruvan |
vadhāya rakṣasastasya balaviprakṛtāstadā || 43 ||

12.39.44

tānuvācāvyayo devo vihitaṃ tatra vai mayā |
yathāsya bhavitā mṛtyuracireṇaiva bhārata || 44 ||

12.39.45

rājā duryodhano nāma sakhāsya bhavitā nṛpa |
tasya snehāvabaddho'sau brāhmaṇānavamaṃsyate || 45 ||

12.39.46

tatrainaṃ ruṣitā viprā viprakārapradharṣitāḥ |
dhakṣyanti vāgbalāḥ pāpaṃ tato nāśaṃ gamiṣyati || 46 ||

12.39.47

sa eṣa nihataḥ śete brahmadaṇḍena rākṣasaḥ |
cārvāko nṛpatiśreṣṭha mā śuco bharatarṣabha || 47 ||

12.39.48

hatāste kṣatradharmeṇa jñātayastava pārthiva |
svargatāśca mahātmāno vīrāḥ kṣatriyapuṃgavāḥ || 48 ||

12.39.49

sa tvamātiṣṭha kalyāṇaṃ mā te bhūdglāniracyuta |
śatrūñjahi prajā rakṣa dvijāṃśca pratipālaya || 49 ||