An Index to the Names in the Mahabharata, with Short Explanations and a Concordance to the Bombay and Calcutta Editions and P. C. Roy's Translation c5.s2.706

c5.s2.706

[Cyavana - Kuçika - samvāda(ḥ)], "the discourse between Cyavana and Kuçika." § 745θ (Cyavanop.): Bhīshma said: Cyavana Bhārgava saw the stain that would affect his own race and desired to consume the race of the Kuçikas; he came and said to king Kuçika that he desired to dwell with him for some time. Kuçika and his wife welcomed and honoured him; according to his desire, they promised to serve him, while he observed a vow. Once he slept for twenty-one days, while Kuçika and the queen kept themselves awake, foregoing all food; then Cyavana went out, followed by the king and the queen, and disappeared (XIII, 52); the king with the queen sorrowfully returned to the palace, where he found Cyavana stretched as before on his bed, and sat by his side, while he slept for twenty-one days; then Cyavana ordered them to rub him, and then entered the bathing house, and once more disappeared by means of his yoga-power. The next time, C. was seen on the throne; then he ordered food (descriptioo), but reduced it all to ashes, and disappeared. Kuçika with his queen stood there in the same posture the night without speaking a word, without giving way to wrath. So it went on every day. Cyavana failed to notice any fault in the conduct of the king. Then he ordered them to yoke themselves to a chariot and pull him along; it should be the king's battle-chariot with every weapon, etc., and the goad (description); they must drag him slowly in the sight of the people, who lamented; suddenly he struck them with the goad, so that they were covered with blood; no food had passed their lips for fifty nights; on his way he began to give away very largely of the king's property. Then Cyavana, delighted, came down from the chariot, unharnessed the royal couple, and granted them a boon; he softly touched them with his hands, the healing virtues of which were like ambrosia, and all their fatigue, etc., was dispelled, and they once more became endued with youth. He dismissed them till the next day, himself remaining on the banks of the Gaṅgā. Meanwhile Cyavana, by his yoga-power, converted that delightful wood on the bank of the Gaṅgā into a retreat full of wealth of every kind and jewels and gems (XIII, 53). The next morning Kuçika came with his wife, and saw that palace made entirely of gold, etc. (description), and Aps. and G., and thought that it was the country of the Uttara-Kurus or Indra's abode Amarāvatī. Cyavana lay stretched on a costly and excellent bed, and at the same time on a mat of kuça-grass. In a moment everything disappeared, Aps., G., etc. Cyavana praised Kuçika and his queen; Kuçika said that he had a sufficient boon, not having been consumed by the fire of Cyavana's penances; he asked him to expound some doubts (XIII, 54). Asked by Kuçika, Cyavana explained the reason of his conduct: In days past, when the gods had assembled together, he had heard Brahmán say that, owing to a contention between brahman- and kshatriya-energy, there would occur an intermixture in his race; therefore he had resolved to exterminate the Kuçikas, but had failed to find any fault with Kuçika; seeing the delightful palace he had created, Kuçika had had a foretaste of heaven and had become desirous of the status of a brahman and tho merit of penances; "the person who will be the third in descent from thee shall attain to the status of a brahman; through the energy of the Bhrgus, thy grandson will be an ascetic endued with the splendour of fire; I shall set out on a tīrthayātrā." Kuçika asked in what way the status of brahmanhood would attach to his race (XIII, 55). Cyavana foretold that the Kshatriyas would exterminate the Bhārgavas, except Ūrva, who would cast the fire of his wrath into the mare's mouth (Vaḍavā-vaktra) in the Ocean; he would have a son Reika, to whom Dhanurveda in its incarnate form would come in order to exterminate all Kshatriyas; he would communicate it to his son Jamadagni: