MAHABHARATA – MAUSALA PARVA

THE MAHABHARATA
                                 CODENSED IN
THE POET’S OWN WORDS
                                    By PANDIT
A. M. SRINIVASACHARIAR
                                  Translated By Dr V,
Raghavan M.A., Ph.D.
                                                              
       ॥मौसलपर्व॥
                         MAUSALA
PARVA
                   षट्त्रिंशे त्वथ संप्राप्ते वर्षे कौरवनन्दनः।
           ददर्श विपरीतानि निमित्तानि
युधिष्ठिरः||
When the thirty-sixth year after the battle came, Yudhishthira saw
inauspicious portents.
            अथ पश्यन्हृषीकेशः संप्राप्तं
कालपर्ययम्।
            गान्धारी यद् व्याजहार चिकीर्षुस्सत्यमेव
तत्।
            आज्ञापयामास तदा तीर्थयात्रामरिन्दमः॥

Observing then the change in the times that had taken place and desiring to
make true what Gandhari had said (namely, that the kinsmen of Krishna would
perish, killing each other), Krishna, the subduer of enemies, ordered an
excursion to a water-side.

   
             हृष्टा प्रभासे न्यवसन्
सदारा यादवास्तदा।
             अवर्तत महापानं प्रभासे
तिग्मतेजसाम्।
             जघ्नुरन्योन्यमाक्रन्दे
मुसलैः कालचोदिताः।
             मत्ताः परिपतन्ति स्म
योधयन्तः परस्परम्॥
The
merry Yadavas camped with their wives at Prabhasa at that time.  Those Yadvas of fiery valour had a big
carouse at Prabhasa. Impelled by Fate, they struck each other with clubs in a
fight.  Intoxicated and fighting one
another, they fell.       
             कृष्णस्तदा दारुकमन्वशासत्
                ’पार्थाय शंसस्व वधं यदूनाम्’।
             ततः पुरीं द्वारवतीं प्रविश्य
                जनार्दनः पितरं प्राह
वाक्यम्॥
At
that time, Krishna ordered Daruka, (his charioteer): “Inform Arjuna of the
destruction of the Yadus.” Then,he entered the city of Dwaraka and said to his
father(Vasudeva):
              सर्वं भवान् रक्षतु नस्समग्रं
                   धनञ्जयस्यागमनं
प्रतीक्षन्।
              तपश्चरिष्यामि निबोध
तन्मे
                   रामेण सार्धं वनमभ्युपेत्य॥
“Please,
protect everything belonging to us, looking forward to Arjuna’s arrival; know
it from me that I will go to the forest and perform penance, along with
Balarama.”
               इतीवमुक्त्वा केशवस्तं
ददर्श
                   रामं वने स्थितमेकं
विविक्ते।
               अथापश्यद्योगयुक्तस्य
तस्य
                   नागं मुखात्सागरान्तं
विशन्तम्॥
Having
said this in this manner, Krishna met Balarama standing alone in a lonely
forest; He then saw a serpent entering the seas from out of the mouth of that
Balarama in Yoga.                     
               
                     मेने ततः सङ्क्रमणस्य
कालं
                        शिश्ये महायोगमुपेत्य
कृष्णः।
                     योगाचार्यो रोदसी
व्याप्य लक्ष्म्या
                        स्थानं प्राप
स्वं महात्माऽप्रमेयम्॥
Krishna
then thought that it was time for his passage (to His own world); (and so) he
lay down, entering upon deep Yoga; pervading heaven and earth with his
splendour, that Master of Yoga, the Supreme spirit, reached His own inscrutable
place.
                   दारुकोऽपि कुरून्गत्वा
दृष्ट्वा पार्थान्महारथान्।  
                   आचष्ट मौसले वृष्णीनन्योन्येनोपसंहृतान्॥
And
Daruka also reached the Kuru country, saw the great warriors, the Pandavas, and
told them of the Vrishnis mutually destroyed in a club-fight.
               पाण्डवाः शोकसन्तप्ताः,
केशवस्य प्रियस्सखा।   
               प्रययौ मातुलं द्रष्टुं
दारुकेण सह [प्रभो]॥
The
pandavas were afflicted with grief (and) the dear friend of Krishna, Arjuna,
went along with Daruka, to see his uncle (Vasudeva).
                समालिंग्यार्जुनं वृद्धो
विललाप सुदुःखितः।
                उवाचेदं वचः काले पार्थो
दीनतरस्तथा॥
Embracing
Arjuna, the aged Vasudeva wept, being greatly distressed.  And extremely sad, Arjuna said these words in
the proper time.
               ‘शक्रप्रस्थमहं नेष्ये
वृष्ण्यन्धकजनं स्वयम्।
               वज्रोऽयं भवतां राजा
शक्रप्रस्थे भविष्यति॥
“I
shall myself take all the Vrishnis and the Andhakas to Indraprastha.  This Vajra (son of Aniruddha, Krishna’s
grandson) will be your king at Sakraprastha.”
               श्वोभूतेऽथ ततश्शौरिर्जगाम
गतिमुत्तमाम्॥
On
the following day then Vasudeva attained to heaven.
               स तेषां विधिवत्कृत्वा
प्रेतकार्याणि पाण्डवः।
               सप्तमे दिवसे प्रायाद्रथमरुह्य
सत्वरः॥
After
performing in the prescribed manner the funeral rites for the departed
Vrishnis, Arjuna mounted the chariot and sped on the seventh day.
              स्त्रियस्ता वृष्णिवीराणामनुजग्मुर्धनञ्जयम्॥
The
ladies of the (departed) Vrishni heroes followed Arjuna.
              यद्यद्धि पुरुषव्याघ्रो
भूमेस्तस्या व्यमुच्यत।
              तत्तत्संप्लावयामास सलिलेन
स सागरः॥
As
the best of men, Arjuna, left part after part of that land of the Vrishnis, the
sea flooded it with its waters.
               ततो लोभस्समभवद्दस्यूनां
निहतेश्वराः।
               दृष्ट्वा स्त्रियो नीयमानाः
पार्थेनैकेन [भारत]।
               अभिपेतुर्धनार्थं ते
कालपर्यायचोदिताः॥
Then,
on seeing the ladies, with their lords dead, being taken by Arjuna, himself
alone, thieves became greedy and impelled by the change in Time, they fell upon
(the party) for (looting) their wealth.
              प्रयत्नमकरोत्पार्थः
जनस्य परिरक्षणे।
              अस्त्राणां च प्रणाशेन
बाहुवीर्यस्य च क्षयात्।
              बभूव विमनाः पार्थो दैवमित्यनुचिन्तयन्
Arjuna
made an effort to protect the people. (But), owing to the utter loss of his
missiles and owing to the decreae in the power of his arm, Arjuna became
dejected, thinking “it is fate”.
              ततश्शेषं समादाय कुरुक्षेत्रमवातरत्।
              युधिष्ठिरस्यानुमते वंशकर्तॄन्कुमारकान्।
              न्यवेशयत कौरव्यस्तत्र
तत्र धनञ्जयः॥
Taking
with him those that survived (the attack by the robbers), Arjuna entered
Kurukshetra, and with the permission of Yudhishthira, he settled at different
places the princes who were to continue the Vrishni race.
                बाष्पेणापिहितो व्यासं
ददर्शासीनमाशमे॥
With
eyes shrouded by tears, Arjuna met vyasa sitting in his hermitage.
                आर्जुनः-
                ’यस्स मेघवपुः श्रीमान्
बृहत्पंकजलोचनः। 
                स कृष्णस्सह रामेण
त्यक्त्वा देहं दिवं गतः॥
                मौसले वृष्णिवीराणां
विनाशो रोमहर्षणः॥
                शोषणं सागरस्येव मन्दरस्येव
चालनम्।
                नभसः पतनं चैव शैत्यमग्नेस्तथैव
च।
                अश्रद्धेयमहं मन्ये
विनाशं शार्ङ्गधन्वनः।
                न चेह स्थातुमिच्छामि
लोके कृष्णविनाकृतः॥
                इतः कष्टतरं चान्यच्छृणु
तद्वै तपोधन।
                पश्यतो वृष्णिदाराश्च
मम ब्रह्मन्सहस्रशः।
                आभीरैरभिभूयाजौ हृताः
पञ्चनदालयैः ॥
                धनुरादाय तत्राहं नाशकं
तस्य पूरणे।
                यथा पुरा च मे वीर्यं
भुजयोर्न महामुने।
                उपदेष्टुं मम श्रेयो
भवानर्हति सत्तम॥’
Arjuna-
“That
beautiful Krishna of body like the cloud and eyes like a big lotus, has, along
with Balarama, left his body and gone to heaven. There was a terrific
destruction of the Vrishni heroes in a fight with clubs. The disappearance of
Krishna, I consider, is as unbelievable as the drying up of the ocean, the
moving of the Mandara mountain, the falling of the skies and the cooling of
fire.
And,
bereft of Krishna, I do not want to stay in this world.  Hear of this, O sage, more painful to me than
that: sage, even as I was seeing, the Abhiras of the Panchanada region overpowered
in battle and carried away by thousands Vrishni ladies.  I took the bow there but could not string
it.  O great sage, the prowess of my arm
is not as it was before.  O best of men,
you must advise what is good for me.”
             व्यासः-
             देवांशा देवभूतास्ते सम्भूतास्ते
गतास्सह।
             धर्मव्यवस्थारक्षार्थं
न तान् शोचितुमर्हसि ॥
             कृत्वा भारावतरणं पृथिव्याः
पृथुलोचनः।
             मोक्षयित्वा तनुं प्राप्तः
कृष्णस्स्वस्थानमुत्तमम्॥
             त्वयाऽपीह महत्कर्म देवानां
पुरुषर्षभ।
             कृतं भीमसहायेन यमाभ्यां
च महाभुज॥
Vyasa-
“Those
Vrishnis were born as partial incarnations of the gods for the protection of
the bounds of Dharma and they have gone along with God Krishna; you must not
grieve for them.
Disburdening
the Earth of its evil men, the large-eyed Krishna has left his body and reached
his own highest place.
You
best of men, you of mighty arm! You also, with Bhima as your aid and with the
twins, have achieved in this world the great mission of the gods.”
             
             ‘बलं बुद्धिश्च तेजश्च
प्रतिपत्तिश्च भारत।
             भवन्ति भवकालेषु विपद्यन्ते
विपर्यये॥
             कालमूलमिदं सर्वं जगद्बीजं
धनञ्जय।
             कालो गन्तुं गतिं मुख्यां
भवतामपि [भारत]।
             एतच्छ्रेयो हि वो मन्ये
परमं [भरतर्षभ]॥
“Scion
of Bharata! Strength, wisdom, power and understanding appear in good times and
fail (one) when times change. 
Arjuna,
all this which is at the root of the world has itself its root in time.  It is time for you also to go to heaven.
This, I think, is supreme good for you.
              एतद्वचनमाज्ञाय ययौ पार्थो
युधिष्ठिरम्।
              आचष्ट तद्यथावृत्तं वृष्ण्यन्धककुलं
प्रति॥
Understanding
these words (of Vyasa), Arjuna went to Yudhishthira and told him all about the
race of the Vrishnis and the Andhakas, as it happened.
                      ॥इति मौसलपर्व
समाप्तम्॥
                               THUS
ENDS THE MAUSALA PARVA

Sri P R Ramamurthy Ji was the author of this website. When he started this website in 2009, he was in his eighties. He was able to publish such a great number of posts in limited time of 4 years. We appreciate his enthusiasm for Sanskrit Literature. Authors story in his own words : http://ramamurthypr1931.blogspot.com/

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