Mahabharata – 205
by
Sankar Mukherjee
&
Dr Ramesh Chandra Mukhopadhyaya
Aadivams avatarana Parva
The observation of
funeral ceremony of Pandu and Madri
The dead bodies of Pandu and his wife Madri were brought to Hastinapura. Dhritarashtra said ----Oh Vidura!, perform the funeral ceremonies of the best among kings,Pandu, and of queen Madri also, in right royal style. Distribute cattle, clothes, gems and different kinds of wealth. Every one may receive as much as they ask for, for the ascent to heaven of Pandu and Madri. Make arrangements also for Kunti's performing the last rites of Pandu and Madri in such a style as pleases her. And let Madri's body be carefully wrapped so that neither the Sun nor Vayu may see it. Do not lament for the sinless Pandu. He was a famous king and he has left behind five heroic sons equal to the celestials themselves. Then Vidura said ----- So be it. In consultation with Bhishma, Vidura fixed a sacred place for the funeral rites of Pandu. The family priests went out of the city without loss of time, carrying with them the blazing sacred fire fed with ghee and providing fragrance therewith. Then the friends, relatives, and followers,carried a palanquin wrapping it up in cloth, decked with flowers of the season.They sprinkled various excellent perfumes over it. They approached the body of the monarch and decked it with garlands and other suitable ornaments for the king. Then placing the covered body of the king with that of his queen on that excellent palaquin decked out brightly. They carried the palanquin on their shoulders. Many of them held the white umbrella over the palanquin and waved fly-brush over it. There were sounds of various musical instruments. The whole scene looked bright and grand. Hundreds of people began to distribute gems among the crowd on the occasion of the funeral rites of the king. At length some beautiful clothes and white umbrellas and larger fly-brushes,were brought for the great ceremony. The priests clothed in white walked in the front of the procession offering tribute by pouring ghee on the sacred fire ablaze.And Brahmanas,and Kshatriyas,and Vaisyas, and Sudras by thousands followed the deceased king,loudly crying --- Oh prince! where do you go,leaving us behind, and making us unhappy and wretched for ever?
The dead bodies of Pandu and his wife Madri were brought to Hastinapura. Dhritarashtra said ----Oh Vidura!, perform the funeral ceremonies of the best among kings,Pandu, and of queen Madri also, in right royal style. Distribute cattle, clothes, gems and different kinds of wealth. Every one may receive as much as they ask for, for the ascent to heaven of Pandu and Madri. Make arrangements also for Kunti's performing the last rites of Pandu and Madri in such a style as pleases her. And let Madri's body be carefully wrapped so that neither the Sun nor Vayu may see it. Do not lament for the sinless Pandu. He was a famous king and he has left behind five heroic sons equal to the celestials themselves. Then Vidura said ----- So be it. In consultation with Bhishma, Vidura fixed a sacred place for the funeral rites of Pandu. The family priests went out of the city without loss of time, carrying with them the blazing sacred fire fed with ghee and providing fragrance therewith. Then the friends, relatives, and followers,carried a palanquin wrapping it up in cloth, decked with flowers of the season.They sprinkled various excellent perfumes over it. They approached the body of the monarch and decked it with garlands and other suitable ornaments for the king. Then placing the covered body of the king with that of his queen on that excellent palaquin decked out brightly. They carried the palanquin on their shoulders. Many of them held the white umbrella over the palanquin and waved fly-brush over it. There were sounds of various musical instruments. The whole scene looked bright and grand. Hundreds of people began to distribute gems among the crowd on the occasion of the funeral rites of the king. At length some beautiful clothes and white umbrellas and larger fly-brushes,were brought for the great ceremony. The priests clothed in white walked in the front of the procession offering tribute by pouring ghee on the sacred fire ablaze.And Brahmanas,and Kshatriyas,and Vaisyas, and Sudras by thousands followed the deceased king,loudly crying --- Oh prince! where do you go,leaving us behind, and making us unhappy and wretched for ever?
And Bhishma, and Vidura,
and the Pandavas,also all wept aloud.At last they came to a beautiful wood on
the banks of the Ganga. There they laid down the palanquin on which the
truthful and great prince and his spouse.Then they brought water and,washed the
prince's body.They covered the body with several kinds of fragrant paste.They coated
it with sandal paste.They then clothed it in a white dress made of indigenous
fabrics.With the new dress on, the king seemed as if he was living.When the
other funeral ceremonies also were finished in harmony with the directions of
the priests, the Kauravas set fire to the dead bodies of the king and the queen,
bringing lotuses, sandal-paste, and other fragrant substances to the pyre.
.
Then seeing the bodies aburning,Ambalika burst out, Oh my son, my
son!’--and fell down senseless on the ground. And seeing her senseless on the
ground the citizens and the dwellers of the provinces began to weep from grief
and affection for their king. And the birds of the air and the beasts of the
field were touched by the lamentations of Kunti. Thus weeping, Bhishma,Vidura, Dhritarashtra,the
Pandavas and the Kuru ladies,all performed the water ceremony of the king.And
when all this was over, the people, themselves filled with sorrow,began to
console the bereaved sons of Pandu.And the Pandavas with their friends began to
sleep on the ground.Seeing this the Brahmanas and the other citizens also
rearranged their beds in the same way.Young and old, all the citizens mourned
on account of the sons of the king Pandu, and passed twelve days in mourning
with the weeping Pandavas. Then on the thirteenth day Kunti and Pandavas with
their friends and Bhishma performed the Sraddha
of the deceased Pandu andMadri, and offered the Pinda with nectarine offerings. And they feasted the Kauravas
and thousands of Brahmanas to whom they also gave gems and lands. Then the
citizens returned to Hastinapura with the sons of Pandu. All of then fell to
weeping for the departed king. It seemed as if they had lost one of their kins.
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