Microsoft Word - Mahabharata by Kamala Subramaniam.doc Read online

  Preface

  1. Adi Parva

  01. On the Banks of the Ganga

  02. Sixteen Years Later

  03. The Fisherman's Daughter

  04. The Vow of Celibacy

  05. The Swayamvara at Kasi

  06. Amba's Thirst for Revenge

  07. Satyavati and Bheeshma

  08. The Advent of Vyaasa

  09. The Marriages of Pandu and Dhritarashtra

  10. Born of the Sun

  11. Pandu is Cursed

  12. The Birth of the Pandavas and Duryodhana

  13. The Death of Pandu

  14. Towards Hastinapura

  15. Jealousy: Its First Sprouts

  16. Enter Drona

  17. Drona and Drupada

  18. Ekalavya the Nishada

  19. Radheya

  20. Bhargava's Curse

  21. The Tournament

  22. Gurudakshina: Drona's Revenge

  23. The Plot

  24. The Pandavas Sent to Varanavata

  25. In Varanavata

  26. The Burning of the House of Lac

  27. News Reaches Hastinapura

  28. Bheema's Marriage with Hidimbi

  29. The Birth of Ghatotkacha

  30. Ekachakra and the Killing of Baka

  31. The Brahmin's Story

  32. The Advent of Dhaumya

  33. Kampilya

  34. Draupadi's Swayamvara

  35. The Lord Meets the Pandavas

  36. "All Five of Us Will Marry Your Daughter"

  37. Panic in the Kaurava Court

  38. The Assembly Hall

  39. Khandavaprastha, the Gift of the King

  40. Arjuna's Teerthayatra

  41. Subhadra's Gardens

  42. Subhadraarjuna

  43. Arjuna's Return to Indraprastha

  44. The Hungry Brahmin

  45. The Burning of the Khandava Forest

  2. Sabha Parva

  01. Maya Builds A Hall

  02. Narada's Visit to Indraprastha

  03. Yudhishthira's Desire

  04. Jarasandha

  05. The Rajasuya

  06. Krishna, the Guest of Honour

  07. The Killing of Sisupala

  08. When Draupadi Laughed

  09. The Sabha at Jayanta

  10. Farewell to Indraprastha

  11. The Die is Cast

  12. Draupadi A Slave

  13. Draupadi Poses A Question

  14. Insult Heaped on Insult

  15. The Terrible Oaths

  16. The Game to be Played Again

  17. The Banishment of the Pandavas

  3. Vana Parva

  01. Kamyaka Forest

  02. The Curse of Maitreya

  03. Krishna's Oath

  04. Dwaitavana

  05. Bheema, Draupadi and Yudhishthira

  06. Arjuna's Journey to Indrakila

  07. Pasupata

  08. The Other Astras

  09. Urvasi's Wrath

  10. Yudhishthira's Teerthayatra

  11. Towards Himavan

  12. Bheema and Hanuman

  13. The Return of Arjuna

  14. Nahusha, the Fallen God

  15. Two Years More

  16. Duryodhana's Ghoshayatra

  17. Praayopavesa

  18. Duryodhana's Rajasuya

  19. Jayadratha

  20. The Lake of Death

  21. Yaksha-prasna

  4. Virata Parva

  01. Plans for the Thirteenth Year

  02. Kanka in the Court of Virata

  03. The Pandavas in Virata

  04. Sairandhri

  05. The Wrestling Match

  06. Radheya's Dream

  07. The Begging-bowl of Indra

  08. Keechaka-the Brother of the Queen

  09. Sairandhri in the Court Hall

  10. Bheema and Sairandhri

  11. The Dance Hall-the Trysting Place

  12. The Assembly in Hastinapura

  13. Virata's Cows Stolen!

  14. Uttara Kumara-the Young Prince

  15. Arjuna and the Young Prince

  16. The Sami Tree

  17. Radheya and Aswatthama

  18. Duryodhana's hearth-break

  19. The Routing of the Kaurava Army

  20. Yudhishthira's Blood

  21. After the Eclipse, the Full Moon

  22. The Wedding of Abhimanyu

  5. Udyoga Parva

  01. The Council Hall in Virata

  02. Arjuna and Duryodhana in Dwaraka

  03. Krishna-the Charioteer of Arjuna

  04. Eighteen Akshauhinis

  05. Dhritarashtra's Reply to Yudhishthira

  06. Sanjaya Sent Back to Hastinapura

  07. Vldura-Neeti

  08. Sanjaya in the Kaurava Court

  09. "Give Us Five Villages"

  10. Krishna Leaves for Hastinapura

  11. Hastinapura Prepares Herself

  12. Krishna and Vidura

  13. Krishna-the Peacemaker

  14. Duryodhana's Anger

  15. Viswaroopa

  16. "Surya is Your Father"

  17. Krishna Returns to Upaplavya

  18. Bheeshma-the Commander of the Kaurava Army

  19. Radheya and Kunti-I

  20. Radheya and Kunti-II

  21. Radheya and Kunti-III

  22. Balarama and Rukmi

  23. Uluka in the Pandava Camp

  6. Bheeshma Parva

  01. The Field of Kurukshetra

  02. Yudhishthira's chivalry

  03. The Bhagavad Gita

  04. The Beginning of the End

  05. The Second Day

  06. Krishna's Anger

  07. Duryodhana's Despair

  08. The Fifth and Sixth Days

  09. Sikhandi's Vain Attempts

  10. Ghatotkacha's Valour

  11. The Night in Bheeshma's Tent

  12. Bheeshma-the Forest Fire

  13. The Pandavas at the Feet of Bheeshma

  14. Slkhandi in the forefront

  15. The Fall of Bheeshma

  16. Radheya and Bheeshma

  7. Drona Parva

  01. Radheya Enters the Field

  02. To Capture Yudhishthira

  03. The Trigartas

  04. Supritika, Bhagadatta's Elephant

  05. The Fall of Bhagadatta

  06. Drona's Promise

  07. The Chakravyuha and Abhimanyu

  08. Jayadratha is Formidable

  09. The Killing of Abhimanyu

  10. Arjuna's Oath

  11. Jayadratha's panic

  12. Krishna's Preparations

  13. The Fourteenth Day Dawns

  14. Arjuna Ploughs through the Army

  15. The Glory that was Drona

  16. Arjuna's Horses are Tired

  17. Yudhishthira's Fears

  18. The Prowess of Satyaki

  19. Yudhishthira Hears the Panchajanya

  20. Bheema's Duel with Drona

  21. Bheema and Radheya

  22. Bhoorisravas

  23. The Death of Jayadratha

  24. Drona Touched to the Quick

  25. Radheya and Kripa

  26. The Midnight Battle

  27. Ghatotkacha

  28. The Death of Ghatotkacha

  29. Drona Harassed by Duryodhana

  30. The One Lie

  31. The Fall of Drona

  32. Discussions in the Pandava Camp-I

  33. Discussions in the Pandava Camp-II

  34. The Narayanastra

  8. Karna Parva

  01. Radheya in Command

  02. Th
e Sixteenth Day

  03. The Last Night of Radheya

  04. Salya the Charioteer of Radheya

  05. Yudhishthira hurt by Radheya

  06. In Yudhishthira's Tent

  07. The Death of Dussasana

  08. Radheya and Arjuna

  09. The Death of Radheya

  10. The King-A Picture of Woe

  11. With His Grandfather

  9. Salya Parva

  01. Kripa and the King

  02. Death of Salya

  03. Sakuni Dead

  04. Dwaipayana Lake

  05. Duryodhana Ready to Fight

  06. Samantapanchaka

  07. The Fall of Duryodhana

  08. Balarama's Wrath

  10. After The War

  01. Arjuna's Chariot

  02. Aswatthama's grief

  03. The Midnight Massacre

  04. Krishna's Curse

  05. The Embrace of Death

  06. The Curse of Gandhari

  07. "Radheya was My Son"

  08. Yudhishthira's Unhappiness

  09. The Crowning of Yudhishthira

  10. Bheeshma on the Bed of Arrows

  11. Talks on the Dharma of a King

  12. The Passing of Bheeshma

  13. Krishna Returns to Dwaraka

  14. Parikshit: The Aswamedha Yaga

  15. The Death of the Elders

  16. The Tragedy at Prabhaasa

  17. The Death of Krishna

  18. The Sea Enters Dwaraka

  19. Yudhishthira Reaches the Heavens

  20. The Rules of Heaven

  Epilogue

  Glossary

  Foreword

  Smt. Kamala Subramaniam has attempted not only a summary of the great and wonderful epic, Mahabharata, but has also brought out the magic of its human interest and spiritual profundity. Besides bringing the central story into relief, she has given due place to all important conversations and episodes.

  To quote what I wrote about Mahabharata in 1951:

  "The Muhabhatata is not a mere epic; it is a romance, telling the tale of heroic men and women and of some who were divine; it is a whole literature in itself, containing a code of life, a philosophy of social and ethical relations, and speculative thought on human problems that is hard to rival; but, above all, it has for its core the Gita, which is, as the world is beginning to find out, the noblest of scriptures and the grandest of sagas the climax of which is reached in the wondrous Apocalypse in the Eleventh Canto. Through such books alone, the harmonies underlying true culture, I am convinced, will one day reconcile the disorders of modern life."

  To an English reader, this volume will bring home the validity of the comment made by generations of Indian authors that "what is not there is nowhere to be found".

  Smt. Subramaniam's style is lucid and expressive. At places, it reads not as a summary, but the original.

  Smt. Subramaniam has rendered great service to the English-knowing public which has neither the time nor the ability to read the original.

  I congratulate her on the conscientious labour that she has put in in preparing this volume.

  Bombay:

  May 26, 1965 K.M. Munshi

  Preface

  For the last so many years the Mahabharata has held me in thrall. The Ramayana and the Mahabharata are the two renowned epics of India. The Mahabharata is the longer of the two. There are more characters in it and the story too is more complicated than the Ramayana.

  In those days, that is twenty-five to thirty years ago, children were more familiar with these two stories than they are now. It was then the fashion to stage these stories and also there used to be Harikathas where the stories were narrated to an audience. But now the days are changed. I have noticed that, on the whole, many children and youngsters today are almost strangers to the stories. This is indeed a sad state of affairs.

  I have always wanted to share the Mahabharata with everyone, specially youngsters.

  There are a number of difficulties attending this. The most conspicuous of them is, of course, the length of the book. It is made up of eighteen volumes, "Parvas" as they are called; and each is made up of roughly three to four hundred pages of poetry. Unless one is devoted to the epic it is not

  possible to read through it easily. The language is the next hurdle.

  Nowadays there are very few youngsters who are familiar enough with Sanskrit to read through the book in the original.

  The only alternative is to read translations. I have seen several translations of the Mahabharata, and not one is satisfactory. They are all literal translations. A literal translation is like the wrong side of a tapestry: the threads are all there but the pattern is missing. It is so with this great epic.

  It is not possible to do full justice to it in a literal translation. The English used by the translator is not suited to the elaborate similes which are common to Sanskrit. Let me quote a couple of instances. In Sanskrit Arjuna is called "Bharatarshabha". This is very pleasing to the ear in Sanskrit. But, when translated into English it has to be: "O Bull of the Bharata Race!". One can see how awkward it sounds. Again, a woman is addressed as "Madagajagaamini" in Sanskrit. In English it has to be "O

  woman with the gait of an elephant in rut!" This sounds so ridiculous.

  Literal translations fail because of the vast difference between the Eastern and the Western ways of description. Indian ideas of beauty are far different from those of the West. Again, I have seen several condensations of the Mahabharata: books which give us just the story of the epic. Here again, there is a handicap. The story is there of course. But the characters in the story are not handled properly. They cannot be, since there is not enough space for it.

  For a long time I have wanted to write a book which will rectify these faults. I have wanted to present the book in such a manner that the story will capture the imagination of the reader. I want my book to be a narration of the stupendous drama

  which was enacted years ago. To me the Mahabharata is like a Greek Tragedy. I am fascinated by the many characters who appear in it. I have tried to bring out the characters of the many heroes who appear in it, as sympathetically as I could. Having studied Shakespeare, one cannot help studying the Mahabharata with the eyes of a dramatic critic. Viewed from this angle the epic presents immense possibilities.

  Considering all these things, I have rendered the epic into English. It is not quite a translation: not in the usual sense of the word. One might call it a

  'free translation'. I have tried to narrate the story as dramatically as possible. I have narrated it in simple straightforward English. In this task, if one has to retain the spirit of the epic and the atmosphere, one has to fall back upon the quaint, old-fashioned English. This seems to suit the epic perfectly. At times, crisp clear English does not work. I find the blending of the old and the new to be the perfect medium for the narration. So I have deliberately adopted the style, which, to my thinking, is absolutely perfect.

  My aim, as I said before, is to bring out the dramatic significance of the many scenes.

  Where ever the situation was worth some trouble, I have taken the trouble and added a few touches, a few thoughts of my own, to enhance the dramatic value of the situation. But I have been faithful to the original throughout: except, perhaps, in two places or three. Even there, I have not departed from the facts. Only I have tried to intensify the dramatic value of the situation by my embellishments. One of them, if I remember right, is the names of the villages which Yudhishthira asks for. The names Indraprastha, Vrikaprastha, Jayanta and Varanavata do not occur in the context. But they are mentioned in the play Venisamhara and I have used them. The other, is, perhaps, the scene in which Parikshit is given life. But the scene itself is so sublime that no exaggeration can be considered sufficient for the grandeur of the scene.

  If, after reading the book, a few at least will read the epic in the original, my desire will be fulfilled. May I say that my book is just a guide into the vast ocean ca
lled the Mahabharata?

  Kamala Subramaniam

  1. Adi Parva

  1. On The Banks Of The Ganga

  The king had always been fond of hunting. It was a passion with him. He had reached the banks of the river Ganga. It was there, he saw her. She was like a vision. There she stood, her skin glowing like gold. Her eyes were

  large and lustrous: and her hair which she was combing with her fingers was long, looking like the proverbial Rahu trying to envelop the moon. He stood rooted to the spot drinking her with his eyes. It seemed to him that a nymph from the high heavens had descended on the earth to feast his eyes and only his eyes. He approached her. She turned on hearing the noise and looked at him. A blush suffused her face which became downcast. A smile hovered on her lips. Her toe was tracing patterns on the ground below and her fingers, which were like ivory sticks, twined and untwined the strands of her dark hair. A moment later she lifted her eyes and looked at him. He knew then that she cared' for him.

  He went near her. He took her reluctant hand in his and said: "You are so very beautiful. I want you to be mine. I am Santanu, the king of Hastinapura. I love you. I cannot live without you". She smiled and said:

  "The moment I looked at you I knew that I had to be yours. I will be your queen. But there is a condition. You must not cross me in anything at any time. The moment you displease me I will go away from you never to return". "So be it", said the love-lorn monarch and led her to his city.

  She was, to him, the ideal wife: a companion in every sense of the word.

  She pleased him immensely with her charm, her beauty, her sweet words and her many good qualities. He lost count of time when he was with her.

  She was called Ganga.

  Days passed by: months too. Ganga bore the king a son. His joy was immense. At last, a son and heir had been born to adorn the time-honoured throne of the great Pauravas.

  He hastened to the queen's chambers. He was told that she was not there.

  He heard that she had hurried to the banks of the river Ganga with the new-born child clasped in her arms. He could not understand. He hurried to the river bank. There his horrified eyes saw a scene which he could never blot out from the tablets of his memory.

  Ganga, his dear beloved Ganga, had just flung the new-born child into the river. There was a look on her face which teased him for days together. She looked as though a great load was off her mind. He wanted to ask her. But

  he could not. He remembered the promise he had given her: that he would never, never cross her and displease her.

  It happened again a year later. And again! And again! Seven of the king's sons were thrown into the river by Ganga. The king was silent. Love, they say, is blind. But no.