Mahabharata Vol. 3 (Penguin Translated Texts) (53 page)

‘“But suddenly those from the world of the gods were seen to be worsted. The terrible danavas slaughtered the residents of heaven. The chiefs among the danavas uttered terrible roars like lions. They sounded their musical instruments and there was a great noise from their kettledrums. An extremely strong and terrible danava emerged from the army of the daityas then. His name was Mahisha and he grasped a giant mountain. He looked like the sun, surrounded by dense clouds. O king! On seeing him raise the mountain, the gods fled. But Mahisha pursued the gods and flung the mountain. O king! The army of the gods was struck by that falling mountain, which was terrible in form. They were killed in large numbers and fell down on the ground. With the other danavas, Mahisha terrified the gods. He shattered them in battle, like a lion on small animals. On seeing Mahisha descend on them, Indra and the other gods fled from the field of battle. Their weapons and their pennants were strewn around. Then Mahisha was extremely angered and advanced towards Rudra’s chariot. Approaching it, he seized the pole of Rudra’s chariot. When the angry Mahisha suddenly seized Rudra’s chariot, the sky and the earth groaned deeply and the maharshis fainted. Gigantic daityas, that were like clouds, roared. They were certain that they would triumph. But even in this state, the illustrious one
³²⁰
did not kill Mahisha in battle. He knew that the evil-minded one’s death would be at Skanda’s hands. The fearful Mahisha exulted at having seen Rudra’s chariot. He roared, delighting the daityas and terrifying the gods.

‘“When the gods confronted this terrible danger, Mahasena arrived. He flamed like the sun in his wrath. He was attired in red garments. He was adorned in red garlands and ornaments. His mouth was red. The mighty-armed lord was clad in golden armour. He was astride his chariot, golden in hue and like the sun. On seeing him, the army of the daityas suddenly lost their hearts in battle. O Indra among kings! The immensely strong Mahasena hurled a flaming spear, which was capable of shattering, at Mahisha. Once unleashed, it struck Mahisha’s gigantic head. The head was severed from the body and Mahisha fell down, having lost his life. He hurled that spear again
and again, slaying enemies by the thousands. As the gods and the danavas looked on, it then returned to Skanda’s hand. The residual masses of the terrible daitya army were mostly killed by the wise Mahasena with his arrows. They were frightened and terrified and Skanda’s unassailable companions killed and devoured them in hundreds. They ate the danavas and drank their blood. In a short time, they exterminated all the danavas and began to rejoice. Like the sun destroys darkness, a fire destroys trees and the wind dispels clouds, the famous Skanda destroyed enemies through his own valour. He was shown homage by the thirty gods and he worshipped Maheshvara. The son of the Krittikas was resplendent, like the gorgeous sun amidst its rays. When the enemies were destroyed by Skanda and Maheshvara had left, Purandara embraced Mahasena and spoke to him. ‘O Skanda! You have killed Mahisha, who had received a boon from Brahma. The gods were like straw to him. You are foremost among victorious ones. O mighty-armed one! You have destroyed the thorn of the gods. In battle, you have killed a hundred danavas who were the equals of Mahisha. You have slain the enemies of the gods, who had oppressed us earlier. Your followers have devoured hundreds of other danavas. You are as invincible in battle as the illustrious husband of Uma.
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O god! This will be famous as your first deed. Your fame will be eternal in the three worlds. O son of a god! The gods will be under your suzerainty.’ Having spoken these words to Mahasena, Shachi’s husband
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stopped. He took the permission of the illustrious Tryambaka
³²³
and left, together with the other gods. Rudra returned to Bhadravata. The gods returned. Rudra spoke to the gods, ‘Regard Skanda as you regard me.’ Having killed masses of danavas, Agni’s son subjugated all the three worlds within a single day and was worshipped by the maharshis. He who attentively reads this account of Skanda’s birth, obtains prosperity here and Skanda’s world in the hereafter.”’

This parva has eighty-eight shlokas and three chapters.

Chapter 519(222): 59 shlokas

Chapter 520(223): 12 shlokas

Chapter 521(224): 17 shlokas

Sambada
means conversation and this short parva has a conversation between Droupadi and Satyabhama. Krishna and Satyabhama return to Dvaravati.

Vaishampayana said, ‘When the brahmanas and the great-souled Pandavas were seated, Droupadi and Satyabhama entered together. They were extremely happy and seated themselves comfortably. O Indra among kings! They had seen each other after a long time. They were pleasant in speech and spoke to each other about the deeds of the kings from the Kuru and Yadu lineages. Then the slender-waisted Satyabhama, Krishna’s beloved queen and the daughter of Satrajit, spoke to Yajnaseni in private. “O Droupadi! How do you conduct yourself when you attend to the Pandavas? Those
brave and young ones are the equals of the guardians of the world. O beautiful one! How do you keep them under your control? O one who is beautiful to behold! The Pandavas are always under your control. They always look towards you and do your bidding. Tell me the reason. Do you follow vows or is it austerities? Is it ablutions, bathing, mantras or herbs? Is it the valour of knowledge or the valour of roots? Is it meditation, oblations or medicaments? O Panchali! O Krishna!
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Tell me about your famous knowledge of amorous matters, so that Krishna will always remain under my control.” Having said this, the famous Satyabhama stopped.

‘The immensely fortunate Droupadi, who was devoted to her husbands, replied. “O Satya! You are asking me about the practices of evil women. How can one praise those who travel along wicked paths? Such questions and uncertainties are not worthy of you. You yourself have enough intelligence. You are Krishna’s beloved queen. When a husband learns that a woman uses mantras or roots, he becomes as terrified of her as of a snake that has entered the house. How can someone who is anxious find peace? How can there be happiness without peace? No woman is able to control her husband through mantras. Those who propagate roots are enemies. They are violent and transmit poison and extremely terrible diseases. When a man accepts these powders through the tongue or the skin, there is no doubt that he will soon be killed. Women have caused dropsy, leprosy, old age, impotence, dumbness, blindness and deafness through these means. Addicted to wicked ways, these evil women cause great harm to their husbands. A woman should never act so as to cause displeasure to her husband. O illustrious Satyabhama! Listen. I will tell you everything about how I behave towards the great-souled Pandavas. I always avoid vanity, desire and anger. I always steadily serve the Pandavas and their wives.
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In return for the love, I always place my soul in their souls. I always serve them without any sense of
pride. I protect the hearts of my husbands, without being anxious about wrong words, wrong situations, wrong looks, difficult seats, difficult roads and difficult signs. That is the way I serve the maharatha Parthas, who are extremely terrible in their energy and are equal to the sun, the fire and the moon and who are capable of killing with their glances. My mind never turns to other men—be it a god, a man, a gandharva, a young one with ornaments, one who is rich or one who is handsome. I do not eat, bathe or sleep before my husband,
³
together with his servants, has performed these acts. When my husband returns home from the field, the forest or the village, I always get up to welcome him and offer him a seat and water. The stores for food are clean. The food is clean. I serve food at the right time. I am careful in maintaining the grain and ensure that the house is clean. I am direct and refined in speech. I do not consort with evil women. I always do that which is pleasant. I am never lazy. I do not laugh unless there is a joke. I do not tarry for a long time at the gate. I do not spend a long time in the toilet or in the garden. I do not laugh loudly or complain, or give cause for anger. O Satya! I am always engaged in steadfastly serving my husbands. In no way do I desire anything that does not bring my husband pleasure. When my husband is not at home because of some work connected with the relatives, I follow a vow of not using flowers or fragrances. When my husband does not drink or does not eat, neither do I. I always renounce everything that my husband does not enjoy. O beautiful one! I always base myself on what has been instructed. I am ornamented well. I am extremely careful. I am engaged in the pleasure of my husband. Earlier, my mother-in-law had told me about this dharma followed in the household—about offering alms, sacrifices, funeral ceremonies, cooking food on auspicious lunar days and everything else that should be respected. I know all that. I always follow them untiringly, day and night, with all my soul always fixed on humility and injunctions. My husbands are mild, righteous, truthful and the followers of true dharma. But I serve them as if they are angry and venomous serpents. It is my view that the eternal dharma of women is to be dependent
on the husband. He is the god and he is the path. How can one cause him displeasure? I do not transgress my husbands in sleeping, eating or speech. I always control myself and never complain about my mother-in-law. O fortunate one! Through constant attention in daily pursuits and through servitude to the superiors, my husbands remain under my control. I always serve Kunti, the mother of brave ones and one who is always true in her words, myself—in her bathing, dressing and eating. I never cross her in issues of garments, ornaments or food. Pritha
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is the equal of the earth itself and I never complain about her. Earlier, in Yudhishthira’s abode, eight thousand brahmanas were fed every day on golden plates. Eighty-eight thousand
snataka
householders
⁵
were supported by Yudhishthira, with thirty servant girls for each. Other than this, ten thousand ascetics, with their desire under control, were fed well-cooked food on golden plates. All those brahmanas were knowledgeable about the brahman and had been given grants of land. I worshipped them in due order, with drink, garments and food. The great-souled Kounteya possessed one hundred thousand servant girls. They were adorned with necklaces and bracelets made of shells, gold around their necks, ornaments, expensive garlands, gold and sandalwood paste and sported their gems and their gold. They were skilled in dancing and singing. I knew the names, the forms, the food and the garments of each of them and also their work, what each one did and did not do. Kunti’s intelligent son had one thousand maid servants, who used to serve the guests day and night, holding vessels in their hands. When Yudhishthira lived in Indraprastha, he possessed one hundred thousand horses and one hundred thousand elephants. Such were the king’s instructions when he ruled the earth. I listened to them and laid down the number and tasks for all the servants and everything that was done in the inner quarters. I knew everything about the cowherds and the shepherds, what they did and did not do. I knew everything about the king’s revenue and expenditure. O fortunate one! I alone knew everything about the famous Pandavas.
Those bulls among the Bharatas passed on everything about the household to me. O one with the beautiful face! That is the reason they were devoted to me. This load was incapable of being borne by someone who was evil in soul. I gave up all pleasure, day and night. That treasury of my husbands, who followed dharma, was such an ocean that even Varuna could not manage it. I alone knew about the store. I endured hunger and thirst, day and night. I attended to the Kouravyas, and day and night were the same for me. I was the first to rise from my bed. I was the last to lie down. O Satya! That has always been my practice. I know this to be the greatest technique of making husbands devoted to you. I have not followed the practices of evil women. Nor do I desire to do that.” Having heard these words from Krishna, full of dharma, Satya honoured Panchali, whose conduct always abided by dharma, and said, “O Panchali! O Yajnaseni! I have been at fault. Pardon me. Among friends, it does happen that words are spoken in jest, without having been intended.”’

‘Droupadi said, “I will tell you about a way that is without deceit, for capturing the heart of the husband. O friend! If you follow that true path, you will be able to restrain your husband from other women. O Satya! In all the worlds, with all their gods, there is no god equal to the husband. You will obtain all your desires through his favours. But if he is angered, you will lose them. It is from there that you obtain offspring, various objects of desire, beds, seats, garments that are wonderful to see, garlands, fragrances, the world of heaven and extensive fame. Happiness cannot be obtained through easy means. It is through hardship that a virtuous woman finds happiness. Therefore, always worship Krishna with all your heart, love and affectionate deeds. Through beautiful seats, excellent garlands, various fragrances and prompt service, he will know that you love him and will himself embrace you with all his affection.
When you hear your husband’s voice at the gate, you must arise and stand in the middle of the house. When you see him enter, you must swiftly give him a seat. You must worship him with water for washing the feet. Send your servant girls away. Arise and do every task yourself. O Satya! Let Krishna know that you love and worship him with all your soul. When your husband says something in your presence, protect it as a secret, even if it is not a secret. If one of your co-wives reports it to Vasudeva, he might feel disenchanted with you. Through whatever means, you must invite for meals those whom your husband loves, those who are devoted to him and those who desire his welfare. But you must always distance yourself from his enemies and opponents, those who wish him ill and those who are evil and deceitful. If the man is intoxicated or distracted, control your mind and maintain silence. You should never spend a long time alone with your sons, Pradyumna and Samba. You should be friends with women who are born in noble lineages and those who are virtuous and without sin. You must avoid those who are wrathful, addicted to drink, addicted to food, thieves, evil and fickle. This is the glorious secret of love, which leads to heaven and ensures the destruction of enemies. Therefore, adorn yourself with expensive garlands, ornaments, unguents and pure fragrances and worship your husband.”’

Vaishampayana said, ‘After having been seated with Markandeya, the other brahmanas and the great-souled Pandavas and spoken to them about pleasant subjects, Janardana Madhusudana took his leave in the appropriate way. Keshava ascended his chariot and asked for Satya. Then Satyabhama embraced Drupada’s daughter and spoke these cordial words to her, as was in conformity with her affectionate sentiments. “O Krishna! May you not suffer from any anxiety or grief. May you not lie awake at night. You will win the earth when your husbands, who are the equals of the gods, subjugate it. You are good
in conduct. You have the propitious marks. O black-eyed one! No one like you can confront difficulties for long. I have heard that it is certain that, together with your husbands, you will enjoy the earth, without any enemies and without any thorns. O Drupada’s daughter! When the sons of Dhritarashtra have been killed and the enmity has been avenged, you will behold the earth, protected by Yudhishthira. You will soon see those wives of the Kuru lineage, who, deluded by insolence, laughed at you when you left for banishment, in a state of despair. O Krishna! Know that all those who caused you misery, when you were in a situation that was unpleasant, will depart for Yama’s abode. Your sons Prativindhya, the illustrious Sutasoma, Arjuna’s son Shrutakarma, Nakula’s son Shatanika and Shrutasena begotten by Sahadeva are all brave and skilled. Your sons are skilled in use of weapons. They are living happily with Abhimanyu in Dvaravati, a place they love. Like you, Subhadra loves them with all her soul. Without any conflict, she is affectionate towards them and has no worries on their account. Pradyumna’s mother
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loves them with all her soul. Keshava instructs them, with Bhanu
⁷
and the others. My father-in-law always looks after their food and attire. With Rama
⁸
and the others, all the Andhakas and Vrishnis are devoted towards them. O beautiful one! They love them as much as Praduymna.” Having spoken these affectionate and kind words, pleasant to the mind, she made up her mind to leave and went towards Vasudeva’s chariot. The beautiful Satyabhama, Krishna’s queen, circumambulated Krishna
⁹
and ascended Shouri’s
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chariot. After he had smiled and comforted Droupadi, the best of the Yadu lineage, the scorcher of enemies, took his leave and left on those swift steeds.’