Maha-bharata Part 25

Then in gentler voice Vidura sought his pensive mind to tell, From his lips serene and softly words of woe and anguish fell:

"Not for thee I grieve, Duryodhan, slain by vengeance fierce and keen, For thy father weeps my bosom and the aged Kuru queen!

Sons and grandsons, friends and kinsmen slaughtered in this fatal war, Homeless, cheerless, on this wide earth they shall wander long and far!

Friendless, kinless, on this wide earth whither shall they turn and fly?

Like some bird bereft of plumage, they shall pine awhile and die!

Of their race and sad survivors, they shall wander o'er the earth, Curse the fatal day, Duryodhan, saw thy sad and woeful birth!"

IX

Dhrita-rashtra's Speech

Tear-drops filled his sightless eyeb.a.l.l.s, anguish shook his aged frame, As the monarch soothed Duryodhan by each fond endearing name:

"Listen, dearest son, Duryodhan, shun this dark and fatal strife, Cast not grief and death's black shadows on thy parents' closing life!

Krishna's heart is pure and spotless, true and wise the words he said, We may win a world-wide empire with the n.o.ble Krishna's aid!

Seek the friends.h.i.+p of Yudhishthir, loved of righteous G.o.ds above, And unite the scattered Kurus by the lasting tie of love!

Now at full is tide of fortune, never may it come again, Strive and win! or ever after all repentance may be vain!

Peace is righteous Krishna's counsel, and he offers loving peace, Take the offered boon, Duryodhan! Let all strife and hatred cease!"

X

Duryodhan's Speech

Silent sat the proud Duryodhan, wrathful in the council hall, Spake to mighty-armed Krishna and to Kuru warriors all:

"Ill becomes thee, Dwarka's chieftain, in the paths of sin to move, Bear for me a secret hatred, for the Pandavs secret love!

And my father, wise Vidura, ancient Bhishma, Drona bold, Join thee in this bitter hatred, turn on me their glances cold!

What great crime or darkening sorrow shadows o'er my bitter fate, That ye chiefs and Kuru's monarch mark Duryodhan for your hate?

Speak, what nameless guilt or folly, secret sin to me unknown, Turns from me your sweet affection, father's love that was my own?

If Yudhishthir, fond of gambling, played a heedless, reckless game, Lost his empire and his freedom, was it then Duryodhan's blame?

And if freed from shame and bondage in his folly played again, Lost again and went to exile, wherefore doth he now complain?

Weak are they in friends and forces, feeble is their fitful star, Wherefore then in pride and folly seek with us unequal war?

Shall we, who to mighty INDRA scarce will do the homage due, Bow to homeless sons of Pandu and their comrades faint and few?

Bow to them while warlike Drona leads us as in days of old, Bhishma greater than the bright-G.o.ds, archer Karna true and bold?

If in dubious game of battle we should forfeit fame and life, Heaven will ope its golden portals for the Kshatra slain in strife!

If unbending to our foemen we should press the gory plain, Stingless is the bed of arrows, death for us will have no pain!

For the Kshatra knows no terror of his foeman in the field, Breaks like hardened forest timber, bonds not, knows not how to yield!

So the ancient sage Matanga of the warlike Kshatra said, Save to priest and sage preceptor unto none he bends his head!

Indra-prastha which my father weakly to Yudhishthir gave, Nevermore shall go unto him while I live and brothers brave!

Kuru's undivided kingdom Dhrita-rashtra rules alone, Let us sheathe our swords in friends.h.i.+p and the monarch's empire own!

If in past in thoughtless folly once the realm was broke in twain, Kuru-land is re-united, never shall be split again!

_Take my message to my kinsmen, for Duryodhan's words are plain, Portion of the Kuru empire sons of Pandu seek in vain!_

_Town nor village, mart nor hamlet, help us righteous G.o.ds in heaven, Spot that needle's point can cover not unto them be given!"_

BOOK VIII

BHISHMA-BADHA

(Fall of Bhishma)

All negotiations for a peaceful part.i.tion of the Kuru kingdom having failed, both parties now prepared for a battle, perhaps the most sanguinary that was fought on the plains of India in the ancient times. It was a battle of nations, for all warlike races in Northern India took a share in it.

Duryodhan's army consisted of his own division, as well as the divisions of ten allied kings. Each allied power is said to have brought one _akshauhini_ troops, and if we reduce this fabulous number to the moderate figure of ten thousand, including horse and foot, cars and elephants, Duryodhan's army including his own division was over a hundred thousand strong.

Yudhishthir had a smaller army, said to have been seven _akshauhinis_ in number, which we may by a similar reduction reckon to be seventy thousand. His father-in-law the king of the Panchalas, and Arjun's relative the king of the Matsyas, were his princ.i.p.al allies. Krishna joined him as his friend and adviser, and as the charioteer of Arjun, but the Vrishnis as a nation had joined Duryodhan.

When the two armies were drawn up in array and faced each other, and Arjun saw his revered elders and dear friends and relations among his foes, he was unwilling to fight. It was on this occasion that Krishna explained to him the great principles of Duty in that memorable work called the _Bhagavat-gita_ which has been translated into so many European languages. Belief in one Supreme Deity is the underlying thought of this work, and ever and anon, as Professor Garbe remarks, "does Krishna revert to the doctrine that for every man, no matter to what caste he may belong, the zealous performance of his duty and the discharge of his obligations is his most important work."

Duryodhan chose the grand old fighter Bhishma as the commander-in-chief of his army, and for ten days Bhishma held his own and inflicted serious loss on Yudhishthir's army. The princ.i.p.al incidents of these ten days, ending with the fall of Bhishma, are narrated in this Book.

This Book is an abridgment of Book vi. of the original text.

I

Pandavs routed by Bhishma

Ushas with her crimson fingers oped the portals of the day, Nations armed for mortal combat in the field of battle lay!

Beat of drum and blare of trumpet and the _sankha's_ lofty sound, By the answering cloud repeated, shook the hills and tented ground,

And the voice of sounding weapons which the warlike archers drew, And the neigh of battle chargers as the armed hors.e.m.e.n flew,