Mahabharata: Volume 4 (59 page)

‘Sanjaya said, “On hearing these auspicious and beneficial words from Keshava, Karna honoured Krishna Madhusudana
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and spoke these words. ‘O mighty-armed one! Knowing everything, why did you wish to confuse me? The destruction of the entire earth is imminent. Shakuni, Duhshasana and Dhritarashtra’s son, King Duryodhana, and I are responsible. O Krishna! There is no doubt that there will be a great and terrible war between the Pandavas and the Kurus, with the mud of blood. The kings and the princes who follow Duryodhana’s instructions will be burnt in the battle with the flames of weapons and will go to Yama’s abode. O Madhusudana! Many terrible dreams are seen. There are fearful portents and extremely terrible omens. They signify the defeat of Dhritarashtra’s son and Yudhishthira’s victory. O Varshneya! There are many signs and they make the body hair stand up. The sharp and extremely
radiant planet Shanaishchara
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is oppressing the nakshatra Prajapatya,
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implying greater suffering for all beings. O Madhusudana! Angaraka
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is retrograde in Jyeshtha and is aspiring for Anuradha, as if seeking its friendship.
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O Krishna! O Varshneya! A great calamity confronts the Kurus, in particular because the planet is oppressing Chitra.
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The signs on the moon are distorted and Rahu is obstructing the sun. Meteors are showering down from heaven. There are storms and earthquakes. The elephants are trumpeting. O Madhava! The horses are shedding tears and no longer find pleasure in fodder and water. O mighty-armed one! When such omens are seen, it is said that a great calamity is at hand and that it will be the terrible destruction of beings. O Keshava! It is seen that though horses, elephants and men are eating little, they are releasing large quantities of excrement. O Madhusudana! The learned ones have said that these are the signs of the defeat of the entire army of Dhritarashtra’s son. O Krishna! It is said that the mounts of the Pandavas are happy. The animals are circumambulating them from the right and that is a sign of their victory. O Keshava! But all the animals are circumambulating Dhritarashtra’s son from the left. Invisible voices can be heard and these are signs of his defeat. Peacocks,
pushpashakuna
s,
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swans, cranes, chatakas and masses of
jivamjivaka
s
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follow the Pandavas. Vultures, crows,
bada
s,
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hawks,
yatudhana
s, jackals and masses of flies follow the Kouravas. There is no sound of drums in the army of Dhritarashtra’s son. But even when they are not struck, the drums of the Pandavas are making a sound. The wells in the army of Dhritarashtra’s son are making a sound like that of cows and bulls. That is a sign of his defeat. O Madhava! The gods are showering down flesh and blood. A radiant city of the gandharvas has appeared. It has walls, moats, turrets and beautiful gates. At dawn and at dusk, a black mace can be seen to envelope the sun. This signifies a great calamity. A jackal is howling terribly and that is a sign of his
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defeat. Terrible birds with black necks hang around. Then they fly away towards the dusk, a sign of his defeat. O Madhusudana! He first hates the brahmanas, then his elders and his faithful servants. That is a sign of his defeat. The eastern direction is red. The southern direction has the complexion of weapons. O Madhusudana! The western direction looks like an unbaked vessel. O Madhava! For Dhritarashtra’s son, all the directions are on fire. These signs that are seen presage a great calamity. O Achyuta! I had a dream in which I saw a palace with a thousand pillars. I saw Yudhishthira, together with his brothers, ascending this. All of them were seen to wear white headdresses and white garments. I saw all of them seated on beautiful seats. O Krishna! O Janardana! I saw you in that dream, draping the earth, strewn with blood, with entrails. The infinitely energetic Yudhishthira ascended a heap of bones. He happily ate ghee mixed with
payasa
⁴¹
from a golden vessel. I saw Yudhishthira swallow the earth, which you had given him. It is evident he will enjoy the earth. Vrikodara, terrible in his deeds, ascended a mountain. That tiger among men held a club in his hand and seemed to be eyeing the earth. This clearly shows that he will kill us in a great battle. O Hrishikesha! I know that where dharma exists, victory exists there. O Hrishikesha! Together with you, Dhananjaya held the Gandiva and mounted a white elephant.
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He shone in supreme radiance. O
Krishna! There is no doubt that you will slaughter all the kings, with Duryodhana in the forefront, in battle. Nakula, Sahadeva and maharatha Satyaki were adorned in white bracelets and necklaces and wore white garlands and garments. Those tigers among men ascended excellent vehicles that were drawn by men. Those three great ones had white umbrellas and garments. O Janardana! O Keshava! I saw three from the army of Dhritarashtra’s son too, wearing white headdresses. You know who they are—Ashvatthama, Kripa and Satvata Kritavarma. O Madhava! All the other kings were seen with red headdresses.
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O mighty-armed one! O Janardana! Ascended on a vehicle drawn by camels, Bhishma and Drona, together with me and Dhritarashtra’s son, headed in the direction ruled by Agastya.
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O Janardana! In a short while, we reached Yama’s abode. There is no doubt that I and the other kings, and the circle of kshatriyas, will enter Gandiva’s fire.’

‘“Krishna replied, ‘O Karna! The destruction of the earth is now near, since your heart does not find my words to be acceptable. O son!
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The destruction of all beings is imminent. That which is wrong appears to be right and is not removed from the heart.’

‘“Karna said, ‘O Krishna! O mighty-armed one! If we remain alive, we may perhaps see you again after this great battle, which will lead to the destruction of all the brave kshatriyas. O Krishna! Otherwise, we will certainly meet in heaven. O unblemished one! Now it seems that we will only meet there again.’”

‘Sanjaya said, “Saying this, Karna embraced Madhava tightly. Having obtained Keshava’s permission, he descended from the chariot. Having ascended his own chariot, decorated with gold, Radheya returned with us,
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dejected in his mind. Together with Satyaki, Keshava then left at a greater speed, repeatedly urging his charioteer, ‘Go! Go!’”’

Vaishampayana said, ‘Krishna’s entreaties having failed, he left the Kurus and went towards the Pandavas. Kshatta went to Pritha and in a soft and sorrowful tone, spoke these words. “O one whose sons are alive! You know that I am always inclined towards kindness. Though I have raised my voice, Suyodhana has not accepted my words. King Yudhishthira has the Chedis, Panchalas, Kekayas, Bhima, Arjuna, Krishna, Yuyudhana
⁴⁷
and the twins on his side. Desiring dharma, he has camped in Upaplavya. Though he is strong, desiring friendship with his kin, he acts like one who is weak. King Dhritarashtra is aged in his years, but does not seek peace. Intoxicated by the insolence of his son, he is walking along the path of adharma. The dissension has arisen because of the evil intelligence of Jayadratha, Karna, Duhshasana and Soubala. Using adharma, in this fashion, they robbed the kingdom from one who follows dharma. But in this way, dharma’s consequences bind one down. Who will not suffer from fever when the Kurus forcibly oppress dharma in this way? Keshava has left without obtaining peace and the Pandavas will prepare for war. Thus, the bad policy followed by the Kurus will lead to the destruction of warriors. I think about this and cannot sleep, during the day and at night.” Kunti heard these words, spoken by one who desired welfare. She began to sigh in grief and her mind was also distressed.

‘She thought, “Shame on artha! It is because of this that there will be this great carnage of relatives. There can only be defeat in this war among friends. If the assembled Pandavas, Chedis, Panchalas and Yadavas fight the Bharatas, what can be greater misery than that? I can see that there is a certain taint associated with war, but it is also there in the case of defeat in war. For those who are without riches, it is better to die. But there cannot be a victory in the destruction of relatives. The grandfather, Shantanu’s son, the preceptor who is foremost among warriors and Karna are with Dhritarashtra’s son and that increases my fears. The preceptor Drona will never willingly
wish to fight with his disciples. Why should the grandfather not be kindly disposed towards the Pandavas? This leaves only one
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who unnecessarily follows the evil-minded son of Dhritarashtra. Because of his evil delusions, he has always hated the Pandavas. He is immensely strong in his resolution and he is also powerful. Karna has always been against the Pandavas and I am now tormented by that. Today, I hope to turn Karna’s mind towards the Pandavas. I will meet him, tell him the truth and seek to obtain his favours. Satisfied, the illustrious Durvasa granted me a boon. When I dwelt in the inner quarters of my father, King Kuntibhoja’s abode, I was honoured by the ability of summoning the gods. With a trembling heart, I thought about this in many ways, about the strength and weakness of the mantra and about the brahmana’s boon. Because of the nature of a woman, who also possessed childish sentiments, I thought about this repeatedly, though I was protected by a trusted nurse and surrounded by friends. How could I avoid taints and how could I preserve my father’s reputation? How could I do something good for myself, without committing a sin? Thinking about that brahmana and bowing down before him, I was overcome by curiosity and behaved like a child. Though I was still a maiden, I summoned the sun god to me. Though I was a virgin, I conceived him in my womb. He was protected like my son. Why should he not listen to my words, which will be beneficial for the cause of his brothers?”

‘Thinking in this fashion, Kunti decided on an excellent course of action.
⁴⁹
So as to bring success to her objective, she went towards the Bhagirathi. On the banks of the Ganga, Pritha heard the sounds of incantations, being recited by her compassionate and truthful son. He was facing the east, with his hands raised up. The ascetic lady waited behind him, until the meditations were over. She was the daughter of a Kourava and descended from the Vrishni lineage. She stood there, behind Karna’s upper garments,
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oppressed by the sun, like a garland of lotuses that has dried. He was rigid in his vows and
meditated until his back was heated by the sun. When he turned around, he saw Kunti and joined his hands in salutation. As was appropriate, the immensely energetic one, who was supreme among those who upheld dharma, honoured her.’

‘Karna said, “I am Karna, the son of Radha and Adhiratha, and I salute you. Tell me. Why have you come here? What can I do for you?”

‘Kunti replied, “You are the son of Kunti, not of Radha. And Adhiratha is not your father. O Karna! You have not been born in a lineage of sutas. Know these words of mine to be true. While I was still a maiden, I gave birth to you. In Kuntibhoja’s abode, you were the first one I carried in my womb. O Partha! You are my son. The duty of the god Tapana Virochana
⁵¹
is to produce light. O Karna, supreme among those who wield weapons! He gave birth to you through me. You were born with earrings and armour. You were born as the son of a god, surrounded in radiance. You were born as my invincible son, in my father’s house. Because of your ignorance, you do not know your true brothers. Since you are my son, you should not serve the sons of Dhritarashtra. O son! It is the determination of dharma that the fruits of dharma accrue to men who satisfy their fathers, or their one-eyed mother.
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Earlier, Arjuna earned prosperity for Yudhishthira and the sons of Dhritarashtra robbed it because of their greed. Separate yourself from them and enjoy it. Today, let the Kurus witness the fraternal union between Karna and Arjuna. Let those who are evil bow down. Let Karna and Arjuna be like Rama
⁵³
and Janardana. If the two of you are united in your minds, what can you not achieve in this world? O Karna! Surrounded by your five brothers, you will shine, like Brahma surrounded by the Vedas and the five Vedangas.
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You have all the qualities. You are the eldest and the best among all the relatives. The words ‘son of a suta’ will no longer be used for you. You will be a valiant Partha.”’

Vaishampayana said, ‘Then Karna heard a voice that issued from the sun. It was spoken affectionately like a father and came from the sun god himself. “O Karna! Pritha has spoken the truth. Act in accordance with your mother’s words. O tiger among men! You will obtain the greatest benefit, if you act entirely in accordance with her words.” Thus addressed by his mother, and by his father, the sun god himself, Karna’s resolution did not falter, because he was always established in the truth.

‘Karna said, “O kshatriya lady! It is not that I disbelieve the words spoken by you, or contradict that acting in accordance with your words is the gate to dharma. But your action towards me was extremely evil. By casting me out, you have destroyed the fame and renown that I could have possessed. I have been born a kshatriya, but I did not obtain the rites that were due to a kshatriya. All this was because of you. What wicked enemy could have done anything worse? You showed me no compassion at the time when it was required. You deprived me of my rites. But you are now asking me to act. Earlier, you have never sought my welfare as a mother. However, desiring your own welfare alone, you have now come to me and are addressing me. Who does not suffer when Dhananjaya is aided by Krishna? If I
now go over to the Parthas, who will not think that I am frightened? I have not been known as their brother before. This has been revealed at the time of the battle. If I go to the Pandavas, who will speak of me as a kshatriya? The sons of Dhritarashtra have given me a share in every object of desire. They have honoured me and given me every kind of happiness. How can I act counter to that now? They have always served me and have always bowed down before me, like the Vasus before Vasava. They now confront a feud with an enemy. They think that with my life, they can withstand the enemies. How can I act against the desire that is there in their minds? Using me as a boat, they wish to cross over to the other shore of this shoreless and impassable war. How can I abandon them? For those who have earned a living from the sons of Dhritarashtra, the time has arrived. I must devote myself to that task, even if there is a risk to my life. There are those who are satiated and treated well. But when the time arrives for a task, these wicked ones are ungrateful and act counter to what should be done. They are faithless towards the king. They are servants who steal the ancestral offerings of their master. These evil-acting ones do not obtain this world, or the next. In the cause of Dhritarashtra’s son, I will fight with your sons. I will use all my strength and my power. I will not lie to you. I will seek to abide by the conduct of a non-violent and truthful person. But even if they are beneficial, I will not act in accordance with your words now. However, your appeal to me will not be fruitless. Though I can counter and kill them, I will not kill all of your sons in battle—Yudhishthira, Bhima and the twins, everyone other than Arjuna. In Yudhishthira’s army, I will fight with Arjuna. Having killed Arjuna in battle, I will obtain fruits. Or I will be killed by Savyasachi and attain fame. O illustrious one! The number of your sons will not be less than five. You will either be without Arjuna and with Karna, or if I am killed, you will be with Arjuna.”’