III

 

 The Slaying of Jarasandha

 

Krishna pursued: “Now is the call of Fate,

Fallen is Dimbhuc, fallen Hansa great,

Kansa is slain and all his host; the hour

At last draws nigh when Jarasandha’s power

Must bow to death; yet not in violent war

Is conquerable nor all the gods that are

Nor the embattled Titans overwhelm:

In deadly duel we must vanquish him.

Conduct is mine, strength Bheem’s and in the field

Arjoon who is very victory stands to shield.

We will consume the Maagadh, King, believe,

As three strong fires a sacrifice achieve

If we three in a lonely place attain

To see him, no doubt is, the King of men

Duel with one of three will undertake,

In pride and strength and greed of glory’s sake

Grandiose of heart, duel with Bhema claim

But Bheme great-armed, Bheme vigorous for him

Suffices, even as death that closes all

Sufficient is for the immense world’s fall.

King, if my heart thou knowest and if trust

Thou hast in me at all, then as a just

And dear deposit in my hands implied

Bheem and Arjoona give.” And the King cried,

“Achyuta, O Achyuta, never so,

O hero, speak, O slayer of the foe.

Thou art the Pandav’s lord, their refuge thou.

Govinda, all thou speakest I avow

Truth merely; (whom thou guidest are not men

Fortune abandons. Nay, already slain

King Jarasandha is, rescued already

Those kings of earth, and won and greatly ready

Imperial Sacrifice, now that I stand,

O first of men, in thy controlling hand. 

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Quickly this work to accomplish, be it planned

But prudently; for without you no zest,

No courage I have to live, as one distressed

One overcome with sickness, who lives on

When life no meaning has but pain alone.)

Without the child of Pandu Krisna is none,

Nor possible without Krishna Pritha’s son.

By Krishna led unvanquishable are these.

Splendid in strength, strongest of strong men is,

Vricodar: joined and made a third with you,

Famous and noble, nought is he may not do.

(Well led the armed multitudes effect

Great deeds, but led must be by men elect.

Blind and inert mere strength is, all its force

 Impetuous but a block. As by that course

Where dips the soil, there water’s led and whence

A gap most opens rivermen lead thence

Water, even such is guiding policy.)  

Therefore, Govinda, in thy hand are we,

Whom the world names its hero famousest

For conduct and in that great science best.

Krishna whose strength is wisdom, counsel, who

Is girded with resource, Krishna must you

Put in your van with action’s every need:

So only action’s purpose may succeed:

Arjoon by Krishna led, Bheema by Arjoon:

Then conduct, victory, strength — these three triune

Shall grow and conquer, making valour good.”

He said, and those three huge in hardihood,

The Vrisnny hero and the Pandavs twain,
Went forth to Magadha of happy men.

To Girivraj, the city of the hills,

A nation of the four-fold orders fills,

A prosperous race and glad, they travelled are,

Flushed with high festival and void of care

(A virgin city inviolable in war).

So came they to the city gates where soared

 

‘ For I shall live as lasts a man distressed, 

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The height by Brihadratha’s sons adored

And all the people, one of peaks that stand,

Delightful hills, Chytyac, in Magadh land; —

Thither they storming came. There Rishabha,

The eater of forbidden flesh, to slay

Came Brihadrath the king (and slew and bound

Three war-drums with its hide whose threatening sound

Far borne through a whole month went echoing).

These in his city placed the Maagadh king.

(Covered with dust of glorious blossoms there

The drums hurled oft their thunders through the air.)

But now came storming to the Chytyac-wall

The heroes and the war-drums broke and all

Upon the rampart fell as if to smite

The very head of Jarasandha’s might:

Chytyac, the ancient peak enorm, deep-based,

Ever with flowers and fragrance worshipped, vast

And famous, with Titanic force of arm

Assailed and overthrew with loud alarm;

So leaped exulting through no usual gate.

To war with Jarasandh they came, and yet

Weapons of war had none, with their arms merely

Sworded and shielded with the vow austerely

Assumed wherein men enter worldly life,

Snatucs. A town they saw with riches rife,

Food-mart and flower-mart and populous street,

In all desirable wealth grandly complete.

So went they mid the shops and highroad wide

And from the garland-makers in the pride

Of hostile strength fresh garlands violently

They mastered. Then in bright variety

Of garments many-hued the mighty three

With wreaths and burnished ear-rings bright a fame

To Jarasandha’s lordly dwelling came.

As lions of the Himalaya eye

A cattle-pen, so they the palace high.

But on the Maagadh men amazement fell

Seeing those shapes of heroes formidable, 

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           Like elephants in strength, broad-breasted, wide

           And great of shoulder and like boles their arms

Of shaal trees mighty, fit for warlike harms;

Now sandal-smeared and rubbed with aloe-scent,

They through the courts in courage arrogant

Pass sternly, through three crowded courts attain

The royal presence freed from anxious pain.

And the great King arose, for them he judged

Worthy of high guest-offerings, nowise grudged

The water for the feet, the honied curds

And gifts of kine, but with deserved words

Greeted them crying “Welcome, holy men”.

And no word answered him the Pandavs twain.

Then Krishna in their midst, the man of mind,

Said only, “King of kings, these two must bind

Silence till midnight hour, envisaging

Their vow. Then will they speak to thee, O King.”

So in the chamber sacrificial placed

They sojourned and the King with awe possessed

Returned to his high mansion. But when night

Was deep, went the strong arbiter of fight

To those three twice-born; for his vow preferred

Compelled him, through earth famous, when he heard

Of Snatac Brahmms in his city bright

To meet them even in the deep midnight.

And they indeed with strange astonishment

Dismayed him and their garments hue-besprent

Unwonted. As he came the three arose,

The lion men, the victors of their foes.

“Welfare, O King,” they cried, and each on each

They looked and scanned the King awaiting speech.

Then to those lords concealed in priestly dress

The King said with his haughty graciousness,

“Sit, holy men.” They sat, heroic forms

Blazing with mightier beauty than informs

The fires of sacrifice, when a great king

Sacrifices. And sternly censuring

Disguise and travesty of shape sincere 

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The conqueror steadfast, “Why come you here,

Not as the Snatac, in this transient world

Who takes the household vow, the Brahmin. Curled

Garlands he wears not, smears not sandal paste.

What names are yours who come in flowers dressed,

Upon your mighty arms the bowstring scored

(And wearing heroism like a sword,)

Yet Brahminhood pretend? Speak truth whence springs

Your race. (Truth is the ornament of kings.)

Splitting the Chytyac peak fiercely you came,

Yet wear a vain disguise to hide a flame

Yourselves reveal. Where no gate was, no path

Allowed, you entered, nor a monarch’s wrath

Calamitous feared; and are ye Brahmins? Bright

In speech the Brahmin; speech his only might

And prowess. You whose deeds your caste deny,                    

What needing come you to my palace high?

And wherefore took you not the offering

To guests observed but scorned Magadha’s King?”

Then Krishna in a deep and quiet voice

Replied, adept in words of exquisite choice.

“Brahmins thou deemest us whom duties call

Worldward, but Brahmin, Kshatriya, Vyshya, all

Equal entitled are to Snatachood;

Vows personal, vows general, both are good.

But those the Kshatriya’s majesty prepare,

To Kshatriyas those belong. Flowers if we wear,

Who decks his aspiration stern with flowers,

The majesty he wins outbraves the hours.

(Rightly thou sayest, King, the Kshatriya’s might

Speaks from his arm, in words has no delight,

Wild words and many uses not; for God

Set in the arm, its natural abode,

The Kshatriya prowess) (which if thou aspire

To see, surely we will not baulk desire;

Today thou shalt behold it.) Nor debate

Of path allowable and door and gate.

No gate is in the house of enemies. 

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By the plain door a friend’s house entered is,

But by no door with ruin impetuous

A foeman’s. These are virtue’s gates and thus

Enters the self-possessed, right-seeing man.

Nor offering hospitable take we can

In foemen’s house with deeds upon our hands.

This is our vow and this eternal stands.”

And Jarasandh replied, “Enmity, strife

I can recall not gazing through my life,

Brahmins, with you begun, nor aught that men

Pervert to hatred. Wherefore call you then

A sinless man your enemy ? The good

One practice keep, one rule well understood;

And he, the Kshatriya who with causeless blame

Lightly has taxed the innocent, he with maim

Virtue curtails inheriting remorse:

But he in virtue conversant, in force

A warrior among warriors, if he act

Other than good, has with his own hand hacked

His own felicity here and there his soul

Following the sinner’s way shall reach the sinner’s goal.

Throughout the triple universe confessed

The Kshatriya virtue, the Kshatriya life is best

For nobleness, for goodness. Other rule

They praise not who have learned in virtue’s school.

That virtue and that life are mine. Steadfast

Today I stand in them with spirit braced,

Sinless before my people. And ye prate

Madness.” Krishna made sterner answer: “Great

Is he who sent us, of a mighty strain

Upbearer, and upon his shoulders lain

The burden of a deed for kindred blood.

From him we come upon thee like a flood.

Sinless dost thou, O Jarasandha, claim

And thou the world’s great princes dost overwhelm

Gathered for cruel slaughter ? When before

Did kings on good kings tyranny explore ?

But thou, a king, hast conquered and subdued, 

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And Rudra’s altar thou wouldst have imbrued

With blood of kings for victims. On our head

Their piteous blood shall lie which thy hands shed.

For we are Virtue’s and in her have force

Virtue to bulwark. (Giving tyranny course,

We share the sin.) Not yet the world has seen

That crowning horror, butchery of men.

O man, how couldst thou to a god devise,

To Shankara, a human sacrifice ?

(It is thy blood, thy kind thou levellest

Comparing human natures with the beast.)

Is there a man in all the world whose mind

Like thine is violent, like thine is blind?

But this remember, not with the deed man does

There is an end; he reaps from what he sows

And as he planted such the fruit he sees:

(Footprints his action left, Fate treads in these.)

Therefore ‘gainst thee, destroyer of our caste,

We, champions of the miserable oppressed,

For rescue of our kindred men are here

To slay thee. But thou sayest, ‘What should I fear?

There is no man in all the Kshatriya race

And I am he alone.’ Great witlessness

Is thine, O King, and error most unjust.

What Kshatriya has a soul and lives but must

Recall with pride his birth from valiant men ?

Who would not by the way of battle then

Enter the doors of Paradise eterne,

Felicitous gates. When paradise to earn

Heroes to war as to a sacrifice

Initiate go, resistless then they rise

Conquering Nature. ( Veda fathers heaven;

To glory excellent its gates are given;

Austerity masters it. In battle who falls

He most infallibly wins the happy halls.

For what is Indra’s heaven, what Paradise?

Heaven in noble deeds and virtue lies.)

By these the myriad-sacrificing god

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Conquered the Titans and the world bestrode.

And what more excellent way to heaven than strife

With thee ? Nor thou by lustiness of life

Deceived and thy huge armies Magadhine

Maddening with strength thy foemen quite disdain.

In many hearts a fire of courage dwells

That equals thine; nay, maybe, far excels.

While these are hidden in the hands of fate,

So long thou art supreme, but so long great.

Yes, I will speak it, we, even we, can bear

The brunt of all thy greatness. King, forbear

Pride with thy equals and vain insolence.

(O King, why wilt thou with thy son go hence,

With all thy captains and great men below

To Yama’s melancholy mansions go ?

Were there not kings as great as thou?. Who strove

With Brihadrath, Cartoveriya, Dambhodbhove,

High Uttara? All they are sunk unmourned,

Great kings and mighty captains; for they scorned

Mightier than they.) No Brahmins, learn, are we,

Antagonists of thy supremacy.

Shourian I am and Hrishikesha styled;

These are the Pandav heroes. Brother’s child

I of their mother am — Krishna, thy foe.

Take our defiance, King. In battle show

Thy steadfast courage, prince of Magadha,

Or while thou mayst, escape. Either this day

Release the captive princes all or die.”

Then answered Jarasandha puissantly:

“Not without conquest I collect amain

Princes; who is there penned my walls within

And not in equal battle overthrown ?

This is the law and life to Kshatriyas known,

To battle and subdue and work their will

Upon the conquered, Krishna, Owable

Upon God’s altar I have gathered these;

And shall I for ignoble fear release,

While yet the Kshatriya blood beats in my veins, 

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And yet one Kshatriya thought unquenched remains?

Army with battled army, single gage

With single or alone I will engage

With two or three together or one by one.”

So spake the King and ordered that his son

Be straight anointed for the kingdom’s needs.

(Himself must fight with men of dreadful deeds.)

And in that hour King Jarasandha sighed

Remembering, great captains who had died,

Cowshic and Chitrasane, (but other names

Men gave in converse with world-wide acclaims,

Hamsa and Dimbhuc calling). Of them that night

Recalled and shadow of the coming fight.

 

Then spake the Yadove pure and eloquent,

Seeing the monarch upon battle bent:

“With which of three will thy heart battle dare,

O King, or which of us shall now prepare

For battle?” Then that famous royal man,

The Maagadh Jarasandh, with Bheemasen

Chose battle. Wreaths, pigment of augury

Bovine and all auspicious grammary,

Medicaments beside that lighten pain

Or call the fugitive senses back again,

The high priest brought for Jarasandh and read

The word of blessing o’er the monarch’s head.

 

Sabhaparva, Adhyayas 2O-22 and Adhyaya 23 incomplete 

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