National Epics Part 2

Sagara, an early king of Ayodhya, had sixty thousand sons, whom he sent out one day to recover a horse that had been designed for the great sacrifice, but had been stolen by a rakshasa. Having searched the earth unsuccessfully, they proceeded to dig into the lower regions.

Cloven with shovel and with hoe, pierced by axes and by spades, Shrieked the earth in frantic woe; rose from out the yawning shades Yells of anguish, hideous roars from the expiring brood of h.e.l.l,-- Serpents, giants, and asoors, in the deep abyss that dwell.

Sixty thousand leagues in length, all unweary, full of wrath, Through the centre, in their strength, clove they down their h.e.l.lward path.

And downward dug they many a rood, and downward till they saw aghast, Where the earth-bearing elephant stood, ev'n like a mountain tall and vast.

'T is he whose head aloft sustains the broad earth's forest-clothed round, With all its vast and spreading plains, and many a stately city crowned.

If underneath the o'erbearing load bows down his weary head, 't is then The mighty earthquakes are abroad, and shaking down the abodes of men.

Around earth's pillar moved they slowly, and thus in humble accents blest Him the lofty and the holy, that bears the region of the East.

And southward dug they many a rood, until before their shuddering sight The next earth-bearing elephant stood, huge Mahapadmas' mountain height.

Upon his head earth's southern bound, all full of wonder, saw they rest.

Slow and awe-struck paced they round, and him, earth's southern pillar, blest.

Westward then their work they urge, king Sagara's six myriad race, Unto the vast earth's western verge, and there in his appointed place The next earth-bearing elephant stood, huge Saumanasa's mountain crest; Around they paced in humble mood, and in like courteous phrase addrest, And still their weary toil endure, and onward dig until they see Last earth-bearing Himapandure, glorying in his majesty.

_At last they reach the place where Vishnu appears with the horse. A flame issues from the mouth of the indignant deity and destroys the six myriad sons of Sagara, The adventure devolves on their brother Ansuman, who achieves it with perfect success. He is permitted to lead away the horse, but the ashes of his brothers cannot be purified by earthly water; the G.o.ddess Ganga must first be brought to earth, and having undergone l.u.s.tration from that holy flood, the race of Sagara are to ascend to heaven. Brahma at last gives his permission to Ganga to descend. King Bhagiratha takes his stand on the top of Gokarna, the sacred peak of Himavan (the Himalaya), and here_--

Stands with arms outstretch'd on high, amid five blazing fires, the one Towards each quarter of the sky, the fifth the full meridian sun.

Mid fiercest frosts on snow he slept, the dry and withered leaves his food, Mid rains his roofless vigil kept, the soul and sense alike subdued.

High on the top of Himavan the mighty Mashawara stood; And "Descend," he gave the word to the heaven-meandering water-- Full of wrath the mandate heard Himavan's majestic daughter.

To a giant's stature soaring and intolerable speed, From heaven's height down rushed she, pouring upon Siva's sacred head, Him the G.o.ddess thought in scorn with her resistless might to sweep By her fierce waves overborne, down to h.e.l.l's remotest deep.

Down on Sankara's holy head, down the holy fell, and there, Amid the entangling meshes spread, of his loose and flowing hair, Vast and boundless as the woods upon the Himalaya's brow, Nor ever may the struggling floods rush headlong to the earth below.

Opening, egress was not there, amid those winding, long meanders.

Within that labyrinthine hair, for many an age, the G.o.ddess wanders.

_By the penances of the king, Siva is propitiated, and the stream, by seven channels, finds its way to the plains of India_.

Up the Raja at the sign upon his glittering chariot leaps, Instant Ganga the divine follows his majestic steps.

From the high heaven burst she forth first on Siva's lofty crown, Headlong then, and p.r.o.ne to earth thundering rushed the cataract down, Swarms of bright-hued fish came das.h.i.+ng; turtles, dolphins in their mirth, Fallen or falling, glancing, flas.h.i.+ng, to the many-gleaming earth.

And all the host of heaven came down, spirits and genii, in amaze, And each forsook his heavenly throne, upon that glorious scene to gaze.

On cars, like high-towered cities, seen, with elephants and coursers rode, Or on soft swinging palanquin, lay wondering each observant G.o.d.

As met in bright divan each G.o.d, and flashed their jewell'd vestures'

rays, The coruscating aether glow'd, as with a hundred suns ablaze.

And with the fish and dolphins gleaming, and scaly crocodiles and snakes, Glanc'd the air, as when fast streaming the blue lightning shoots and breaks: And in ten thousand sparkles bright went flas.h.i.+ng up the cloudy spray, The snowy flocking swans less white, within its glittering mists at play.

And headlong now poured down the flood, and now in silver circlets wound, Then lake-like spread all bright and broad, then gently, gently flowed around, Then 'neath the caverned earth descending, then spouted up the boiling tide, Then stream with stream harmonious blending, swell bubbling up and smooth subside.

By that heaven-welling water's breast, the genii and the sages stood, Its sanctifying dews they blest, and plung'd within the l.u.s.tral flood.

Whoe'er beneath the curse of heaven from that immaculate world had fled, To th' impure earth in exile driven, to that all-holy baptism sped; And purified from every sin, to the bright spirit's bliss restor'd, Th' ethereal sphere they entered in, and through th' empyreal mansions soar'd.

The world in solemn jubilee beheld those heavenly waves draw near, From sin and dark pollution free, bathed in the blameless waters clear.

Swift king Bhagiratha drave upon his lofty glittering car, And swift with her obeisant wave bright Ganga followed him afar.

_Milman's Translation._

THE DEATH OF YAJNADATTA.

The Raja Dasaratha was compelled to banish his favorite son Rama, immediately after his marriage to Sita, because his banishment was demanded by the Raja's wife Kaikeyi, to whom he had once promised to grant any request she might make. His grief at the loss of his son is described in this selection.

Scarce Rama to the wilderness had with his younger brother gone, Abandoned to his deep distress, king Dasaratha sate alone.

Upon his sons to exile driven when thought that king, as Indra bright, Darkness came o'er him, as in heaven when pales th' eclipsed sun his light.

Six days he sate, and mourned and pined for Rama all that weary time.

At midnight on his wandering mind rose up his old forgotten crime.

His queen, Kausalya, the divine, addressed he, as she rested near: "Kausalya, if thou wakest, incline to thy lord's speech thy ready ear.

Whatever deed, or good or ill, by man, O blessed queen, is wrought.

Its proper fruit he gathers still, by time to slow perfection brought.

He who the opposing counsel's weight compares not in his judgment cool, Or misery or bliss his fate, among the sage is deemed a fool.

As one that quits the Amra bower, the bright Palasa's pride to gain Mocked by the promise of its flower, seeks its unripening fruit in vain, So I the lovely Amra left for the Palasa's barren bloom, Through mine own fatal error 'reft of banished Rama, mourn in gloom.

Kausalya! in my early youth by my keen arrow, at his mark Aimed with too sure and deadly truth, was wrought a deed most fell and dark.

At length, the evil that I did, hath fallen upon my fated head, As when on subtle poison hid an unsuspecting child hath fed; Even as that child unwittingly hath made the poisonous fare his food, Even so, in ignorance by me was wrought that deed of guilt and blood.

Unwed wert thou in virgin bloom, and I in youth's delicious prime, The season of the rains had come,--that soft and love enkindling time.

Earth's moisture all absorbed, the sun through all the world its warmth had spread, Turned from the north, its course begun, where haunt the spirits of the dead: Gathering o'er all the horizon's bound on high the welcome clouds appeared, Exulting, all the birds flew round,--cranes, cuckoos, peac.o.c.ks, flew and veered.

And all down each wide-watered sh.o.r.e the troubled, yet still limpid floods, Over their banks began to pour, as o'er them hung the bursting clouds.

And, saturate with cloud-born dew, the glittering verdant-mantled earth, The cuckoos and the peac.o.c.ks flew, disputing as in drunken mirth.--

"In such a time, so soft, so bland, oh beautiful! I chanced to go.

With quiver and with bow in hand, where clear Sarayu's waters flow, If haply to the river's brink at night the buffalo might stray, Or elephant, the stream to drink,--intent my savage game to slay.

Then of a water cruse, as slow it filled, the gurgling sound I heard, Nought saw I, but the sullen low of elephant that sound appeared.

The swift well-feathered arrow I upon the bowstring fitting straight, Towards the sound the shaft let fly, ah, cruelly deceived by fate!

The winged arrow scarce had flown, and scarce had reached its destined aim, 'Ah me, I'm slain,' a feeble moan in trembling human accents came.

'Ah, whence hath come this fatal shaft against a poor recluse like me, Who shot that bolt with deadly craft,--alas! what cruel man is he?

At the lone midnight had I come to draw the river's limpid flood, And here am struck to death, by whom? ah whose this wrongful deed of blood?

Alas! and in my parents' heart, the old, the blind, and hardly fed, In the wild wood, hath pierced the dart, that here hath struck their offspring dead.

Ah, deed most profitless as worst, a deed of wanton useless guilt: As though a pupil's hand accurs'd his holy master's blood had spilt.

But not mine own untimely fate,--it is not that which I deplore.

My blind, my aged parents' state--'tis their distress afflicts me more.

That sightless pair, for many a day, from me their scanty food have earned; What lot is theirs when I'm away, to the five elements returned?

Alike, all wretched they, as I--ah, whose this triple deed of blood?

For who the herbs will now supply,--the roots, the fruit, their blameless food?'

My troubled soul, that plaintive moan no sooner heard, so faint and low, Trembled to look on what I'd done, fell from my shuddering hand my bow.

Swift I rushed up, I saw him there, heart-pierced, and fallen the stream beside, The hermit boy with knotted hair,--his clothing was the black deer's hide.

On me most piteous turned his look, his wounded breast could scarce respire, And these the words, O queen, he spoke, as to consume me in his ire: 'What wrong, O Kshatriya, have I done, to be thy deathful arrow's aim, The forest's solitary son, to draw the limpid stream I came.

Both wretched and both blind they lie, in the wildwood all dest.i.tute, My parents, listening anxiously to hear my home-returning foot.

By this, thy fatal shaft, this one, three miserable victims fall, The sire, the mother, and the son--ah why? and unoffending all.

How vain my father's life austere, the Veda's studied page how vain, He knew not with prophetic fear his son would fall untimely slain.

But had he known, to one as he, so weak, so blind, 't were bootless all, No tree can save another tree by the sharp hatchet marked to fall.

But to my father's dwelling haste, O Raghu's son, lest in his ire Thy head with burning curse he blast, as the dry forest tree the fire.

Thee to my father's lone retreat will quickly lead yon onward path, Oh, haste his pardon to entreat, or ere he curse thee in his wrath.

Yet first that gently I may die, draw forth the barbed steel from hence, Allay thy fears, no Brahmin I, not thine of Brahmin blood the offence.

My sire, a Brahmin hermit he, my mother was of Sudra race.'

So spake the wounded boy, on me while turned his unreproaching face.

As from his palpitating breast I gently drew the mortal dart, He saw me trembling stand, and blest that boy's pure spirit seemed to part.

As died that holy hermit's son, from me my glory seemed to go, With troubled mind I stood, cast down t' inevitable endless woe.

That shaft that seemed his life to burn like serpent venom, thus drawn out, I, taking up his fallen urn, t' his father's dwelling took my route.

There miserable, blind, and old, of their sole helpmate thus forlorn, His parents did these eyes behold, like two sad birds with pinions shorn.

Of him in fond discourse they sate, lone, thinking only of their son, For his return so long, so late, impatient, oh by me undone.

My footsteps' sound he seemed to know, and thus the aged hermit said, 'O Yajnadatta, why so slow?--haste, let the cooling draught be shed.

Long on the river's cooling brink hast thou been sporting in thy joy.

Thy mother's fainting spirits sink in fear for thee; but thou, my boy, If aught to grieve thy gentle heart thy mother or thy sire do wrong, Bear with us, nor, when next we part, on the slow way thus linger long, The feet of those that cannot move, of those that cannot see the eye, Our spirits live but in thy love,--oh wherefore, dearest, no reply?'