Mahabharata – 190
by
Sankar Mukherjee
&
Dr Ramesh Chandra Mukhopadhyaya
by
Sankar Mukherjee
&
Dr Ramesh Chandra Mukhopadhyaya
Aadivamsavatarana Parva
Kunti's pleading
Thus addressed by Pandu , Kunti replied ---Oh virtuous one!you are free from all the vices and I am your wedded wife therefore you should not say like this to me. Oh you lotus-eyed! Being your wife I am only devoted to you. yourself shall, piously, beget upon me children who will be endowed with great energy. Then I shall ascend to heaven with you.Oh my lord receive me in your arms and embrace me for begetting children. I shall not certainly, even in imagination, accept any other man except you. Where is the other man in this world superior to you? Oh virtuous one, listen to this Pauranic narrative that was, heard by me. In the ancient times, a king in this race of Puru, known by the name of Vyushitaswa. He was devoted to truth and virtue. Of virtuous soul and mighty arms, on one occasion, while he was performing a sacrifice to the gods, Indra and the great rishis came to him, and Indra was so intoxicated with the Soma juice he drank and the Brahmanas with the large gifts they received, that both the gods and the great rishis began themselves to perform everything relevant to that sacrifice of the illustrious royal sage. And Vyushitaswa began to shine above all men like the Sun appearing in double splendor when the winter season is over. And the powerful Vyushitaswa, after performing the horse-sacrifice, defeated all the kings of the East, West, North, and South. And he brought them under
control. There is a story which is recited by all the gleemen of Puranas, in connection with that of the illustrious Vyushitaswa. He was endowed with the strength of ten elephants. And having conquered the whole Earth up to the coast of the sea. Vyushitaswa protected every class of his subjects as a father protecting his own sons. Performing many great sacrifices he gave away much wealth, unlimited jewels and precious stones to the Brahmanas. And he performed special Vedic sacrifices,by collecting great quantities of Soma juice. The Somanga sacrifice was taking place. Vyushitaswa’s dearest wife, was Bhadra, the daughter of Kakshivan, with unparalleled beauty on earth. And it had been heard by us that the couple loved each other deeply. King
Vyushitaswa was seldom separated from his wife. Sexual excess, however, brought on an attack of tuberculosis and the king died within a few days, sinking like the Sun in his glory. Then the sonless Bhadra, his beautiful queen, in great woe wept in great pain. Kindly listen to it, as I narrate to you all that Bhadra said in deep distress --- Women serve no purpose when their husbands are dead. She who lives after her husband is dead. And she drags a miserable existence that can hardly be called life. Oh best of the Kshatriya order, death is a blessing to women without husbands. I wish to follow the way you have gone. Be kind and take me with you. Be kind to me, Oh king ! Take me to the eternal world very soon. Oh best of the men, I shall follow you along the even and uneven ground. You have gone away, Oh lord, never to return. I shall follow you. O king I shall always be obedient to you. And I will ever do what is agreeable to you and what is for your good. Oh you whose eyes liken lotus-petals, without you, from this day, mental agonies will move me and eat my heart. A wretched that I am, surely in the past, some
loving couple was separated by me. For that now, I am made to suffer from deep pain of separation from you. Oh king! That wretched woman who lives even for a moment separated from her lord, lives in distress and suffers the pain of hell even here. Some loving couple was
doubtless separated by me in the past life .For the sinful act I am suffering this torture arising from my separation from you. Oh king!From this day I shall lay myself down on a bed of Kusa grass and abstain from every luxury, hoping to see you once more. Oh king !Show yourself to me and command me once more. See that your unfortunate wretched and bitterly weeping wife is in great woe. It was thus, the beautiful Bhadra wept over the death of her lord. And the weeping
Bhadra held in her arms the dead body of her husband in agony. Then she was addressed by an airy voice ---Rise up, Oh amiable lady!, Leave this place now. Oh you of sweet smiles, I assure you that, I will beget offspring upon you. Lie down with me on your own bed, after the monthly seasonal bath, on the night of the eighth or the fourteenth day of the moon. Thus addressed by the airy voice, the maidenly Bhadra did, as she was directed, for obtaining an offspring. The dead body of her husband begot upon her seven children. Three Salwas and four Madras. Oh king!do you also beget offspring upon me, like the illustrious Vyushitaswa, by the exercise of that ascetic
power which you possess. The laments of the wife of Vyushitaswa is significant. Often widows
have to lie on kusa grass in absence of their husbands. If the widow chooses the life of penance out of her love for the deceased husband it is fine. But are women capable of love like the wife of Vyushitaswa ?If they are not attached to their husband in the self same way why
should they adopt a life of penance giving up all the pleasures of existence.
Thus addressed by Pandu , Kunti replied ---Oh virtuous one!you are free from all the vices and I am your wedded wife therefore you should not say like this to me. Oh you lotus-eyed! Being your wife I am only devoted to you. yourself shall, piously, beget upon me children who will be endowed with great energy. Then I shall ascend to heaven with you.Oh my lord receive me in your arms and embrace me for begetting children. I shall not certainly, even in imagination, accept any other man except you. Where is the other man in this world superior to you? Oh virtuous one, listen to this Pauranic narrative that was, heard by me. In the ancient times, a king in this race of Puru, known by the name of Vyushitaswa. He was devoted to truth and virtue. Of virtuous soul and mighty arms, on one occasion, while he was performing a sacrifice to the gods, Indra and the great rishis came to him, and Indra was so intoxicated with the Soma juice he drank and the Brahmanas with the large gifts they received, that both the gods and the great rishis began themselves to perform everything relevant to that sacrifice of the illustrious royal sage. And Vyushitaswa began to shine above all men like the Sun appearing in double splendor when the winter season is over. And the powerful Vyushitaswa, after performing the horse-sacrifice, defeated all the kings of the East, West, North, and South. And he brought them under
control. There is a story which is recited by all the gleemen of Puranas, in connection with that of the illustrious Vyushitaswa. He was endowed with the strength of ten elephants. And having conquered the whole Earth up to the coast of the sea. Vyushitaswa protected every class of his subjects as a father protecting his own sons. Performing many great sacrifices he gave away much wealth, unlimited jewels and precious stones to the Brahmanas. And he performed special Vedic sacrifices,by collecting great quantities of Soma juice. The Somanga sacrifice was taking place. Vyushitaswa’s dearest wife, was Bhadra, the daughter of Kakshivan, with unparalleled beauty on earth. And it had been heard by us that the couple loved each other deeply. King
Vyushitaswa was seldom separated from his wife. Sexual excess, however, brought on an attack of tuberculosis and the king died within a few days, sinking like the Sun in his glory. Then the sonless Bhadra, his beautiful queen, in great woe wept in great pain. Kindly listen to it, as I narrate to you all that Bhadra said in deep distress --- Women serve no purpose when their husbands are dead. She who lives after her husband is dead. And she drags a miserable existence that can hardly be called life. Oh best of the Kshatriya order, death is a blessing to women without husbands. I wish to follow the way you have gone. Be kind and take me with you. Be kind to me, Oh king ! Take me to the eternal world very soon. Oh best of the men, I shall follow you along the even and uneven ground. You have gone away, Oh lord, never to return. I shall follow you. O king I shall always be obedient to you. And I will ever do what is agreeable to you and what is for your good. Oh you whose eyes liken lotus-petals, without you, from this day, mental agonies will move me and eat my heart. A wretched that I am, surely in the past, some
loving couple was separated by me. For that now, I am made to suffer from deep pain of separation from you. Oh king! That wretched woman who lives even for a moment separated from her lord, lives in distress and suffers the pain of hell even here. Some loving couple was
doubtless separated by me in the past life .For the sinful act I am suffering this torture arising from my separation from you. Oh king!From this day I shall lay myself down on a bed of Kusa grass and abstain from every luxury, hoping to see you once more. Oh king !Show yourself to me and command me once more. See that your unfortunate wretched and bitterly weeping wife is in great woe. It was thus, the beautiful Bhadra wept over the death of her lord. And the weeping
Bhadra held in her arms the dead body of her husband in agony. Then she was addressed by an airy voice ---Rise up, Oh amiable lady!, Leave this place now. Oh you of sweet smiles, I assure you that, I will beget offspring upon you. Lie down with me on your own bed, after the monthly seasonal bath, on the night of the eighth or the fourteenth day of the moon. Thus addressed by the airy voice, the maidenly Bhadra did, as she was directed, for obtaining an offspring. The dead body of her husband begot upon her seven children. Three Salwas and four Madras. Oh king!do you also beget offspring upon me, like the illustrious Vyushitaswa, by the exercise of that ascetic
power which you possess. The laments of the wife of Vyushitaswa is significant. Often widows
have to lie on kusa grass in absence of their husbands. If the widow chooses the life of penance out of her love for the deceased husband it is fine. But are women capable of love like the wife of Vyushitaswa ?If they are not attached to their husband in the self same way why
should they adopt a life of penance giving up all the pleasures of existence.
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