Mahabharata – 196
by
Sankar Mukherjee
&
Dr Ramesh Chandra Mukhopadhyaya
    Aadivamsavatarana Parva

Birth of Nakula and Sahadeva

Pandu,  allured by the desire of having more children wished to request again to Kunti. But Kunti replied ---The wise do not sanction a fourth delivery even in a season of distress in this way.The woman having intercourse with four different men is called a Swairini. While she having  intercourse with five becomes a Bandhaki. Therefore, Oh learned one,as you are well-acquainted with the scripture on this subject, why do you, misled by desire of offspring, ask me so in seeming forgetfulness of the ordinance?

 After the birth of Kunti’s sons and Gandhari’s son,Madri one day privately addressed to  Pandu, ---  You have lost the power to procreate.I have no complaint for that. Though by birth I am a princess but I am staying in such an ordinary situation. I do not complain for that. I do not grieve, that Gandhari has obtained a hundred sons. But  my great grief is that while Kunti and I are equal,I am childless, while fortunate Kunti is with your children. Now if Kunti be gracious that I should have offspring, she would then be really doing me a great favour and benefiting you likewise. Kunti  being my co-wife, I feel that it is embarrassing in soliciting any favour from her. But if you are happy with me then please do a favour to me by asking her to grant my desire to become a mother. Hearing her, Pandu replied --- Oh Madri! I am also considering this matter in my own mind. I am hesitating to tell you  anything, not knowing how you would respond to it. Now that I know what your wishes are.I shall certainly request her. I think that, asked by me, Kunti will not refuse me. After this, Pandu addressed Kunti in private --- Oh Kunti! give me some more offspring for the expansion of my race and for doing good to the people.Oh blessed one! provide me and my ancestors, that we may always have the funeral cake offered to us. Do one more beneficial act for my satisfaction. Do what indeed, may be difficult for you, moved by the desire of achieving unfading fame. Do good to every one of us once more.See that Indra, even though he had obtained the kingdom of the celestials,yet for the sake of fame alone, he performed sacrifices. Oh handsome one!, Brahmanas, acquainted with the mystical formula,and having achieved high ascetic merit, yet they,for fame alone,approach their spiritual masters with reverence.So also all great ascetic royal sages and Brahmanas,for fame only,aspire for the most difficult ascetic feat to achieve. Rescue Madri like a raft, and achieve imperishable fame by making her a mother of children.Kunti replied --- Oh King! Whatever you said is as per the laws of virtue.I shall do a favour to Madri.In accordance with Pandu’s request, Kunti said to Madri--- Think, of some celestial for once only, and you shall certainly obtain from him a child like him. Madri thought of the twin Aswins, who showed up in a flash to her and begat upon her twin sons and they were known in the world as Nakula and Sahadeva.Their beauty was unparalleled on earth. And as soon as they were born, an airy voice said --- In energy and beauty these two children shall exceed the twin Aswins themselves. Indeed they possesses great energy and beauty. They will illuminate the whole region.

After all the children were born, the rishis dwelling in the Sata-Sringa mountain  blessed them and affectionately performed the first rites of birth.And they honoured the children by performing the naming ceremony.The eldest of Kunti's children was called Yudhishthira,the second Bhimasena,and the third Arjuna, and of Madri's sons, the first-born of the twins was called Nakula and the next Sahadeva.And all those sons were born one after another at an interval of one year Nakula and Sahadeva were however twins born after one year from the date of birth of Arjuna.But all of them were physically stout as if each one of them was    five years old.And king Pandu, seeing his children of celestial beauty and of super- human energy of great strength and prowess, was exceedingly happy. After some time Pandu again requested Kunti in private on behalf of Madri for begetting a child again. Kunti replied --- Having given her the mystic formula of calling on any deity only once, she had, managed to obtain two sons by calling twin gods. Thus I was deceived by her. I fear, that she will soon surpass me in the number of her children. This, indeed, is the way of all wicked women. I am a fool. I did not know that by calling the twin gods one may obtain at one birth two sons. I beseech you, O king, do not command me any more. Let this be the boon granted by you to me. Each bears every auspicious mark on his person. Each one is handsome like the Moon, proud as the lion, well-skilled in the use of the bow.

Thus,Pandu had five sons who were begotten by celestials and were with great strength,and who all lived to achieve great fame.  Needless to say, that they were auspicious in their appearance, they were as pleasing as the Moon. They were as proud as the lion. They ambled like lions. They were great archers even in their boyhood.

Their chest was like that of a lion. The persevered like lions. Their eyes were like those of a lion.Their  necks resembled those of the lion. They were like lion in prowess. They gradually became the best of men.  They were as bright and brave as gods.They were growing like that in the hill named Sata –Sringa to the great surprise awe of the great sages.  The five Pandavas and the hundred sons of Dhritarashtra--that generator of the Kuru race--grew up rapidly like a cluster of lotuses in a lake.

 

Mahabharata – 195
by
Sankar Mukherjee
&
Dr Ramesh Chandra Mukhopadhyaya
                                 Aadivamsavatarana Parva

 Birth of Arjuna
 After the birth of Bhima, Pandu again began to think ---How am I to get  a very heroic son who will be greatest prowess in the globe. Every, thing in the world depends  on destiny and manliness. But destiny can never be successful except by timely manliness. We have
heard  that Indra is the chief of the gods and the kings. Indeed, he is endowed with immeasurable might and energy and prowess and glory. Satisfying  him with my asceticism, I shall obtain from him a son of great strength. The son, he will give me,must be the superior to
all.And he will be capable of defeating  in battle all men and creatures  including demons.I shall, therefore, practice the severest austerities, with heart, deed and speech. After this Pandu,  counseling with the great rishis asked  Kunti to observe an auspicious vow for one full year. Pandu himself practiced severe austerities with deep concentration. He used to stand upon one leg from morning to evening, to satisfy the lord of the gods.
 After a long time Indra being satisfied with Pandu’s  devotion showed up and said to Pandu ---I shall give you,a son who will be famous all over the three worlds. He will protect the kingdom. He will  be engaged in doing  good to the  Brahmanas, cows and friends. The son I shall give you will thrash  the wicked. He will be the cause of joy of friends and relatives. Foremost of all men, he will be an irresistible slayer of all foes. Saying this Indra left the place in a
flash.
Remembering the words of the king of the gods  the virtuous Pandu said to Kunti, Oh fortunate one! The king of the gods has been satisfied. Therefore our mission will become successful . And the result will be excellent. Indra the king of gods is willing to give us the desired son  that we  long for. Oh beautiful lady! Give birth to a son of great fame. Being superhuman,he will be the oppressor of all enemies and he will be  possessed of great wisdom. In splendor he will
be equal to the Sun, unbeatable in battles, and of great achievements. He will also be extremely handsome and possessor of great soul. As the lord of the gods  has become gracious to us bring  forth a child who will have  all the Kshatriya characteristics.
Thus addressed by  Pandu, Kunti appealed to Indra, who  showed up in a flash and blessed her with a son. Then in the month of Phalguna in day time at the juncture of Purva Phalguni and Uttara Phalguni  the boy took birth. As the boy was born in the month of Phalguna and in the Phalguni  Nakshatra, he was named Phalguni. And as soon as this child was born, an airy voice, loud and deep filling the whole sky, addressing Kunti in the hearing of every creature dwelling in that sylvan asylum said --- This child of yours, Oh Kunti!, will be equal to Kartavirya  Arjuna in
energy and Siva in prowess. He will be unbeatable  like Indra.  He will spread your fame far and wide. As Naryana in the guise of a dwarf  enhanced Aditi's joy, so shall this child enhance your joy. Defeating the Madras, the Kurus along with the Somakas, and the kingdom of Chedi, Kasi and Karusha, he will escalate the prosperity of the Kurus. Agni or the fire god will derive great satisfaction from the fat of all creatures dwelling in the Khandava woods  by the prowess of this
one's arms. This mighty hero, vanquishing all the monarchs of the earth, will, with his brothers perform three great horse sacrifices. In prowess, Oh Kunti, he will be like Jamadagnya or Vishnu. The foremost of all men, he will be endowed with prowess .He will achieve
great fame. He will satisfy in battle, by his prowess, Lord Shiva. And he will receive from him the great weapon named Pasupata. Your this son of mighty arms will also slay, at the command of Indra, the demons called the Nivatakavachas who are the enemies of the gods. He will
also acquire all kinds of celestial weapons. This bull among men will recover the lost fortunes of his family from the enemies. Kunti heard these extraordinary words immediately after the birth of his this son. Those words were uttered so loudly, that  the ascetics dwelling on the mountain of Sata-Sringa became very glad on hearing. The sound of the chariots of the celestials with Indra in the sky could be heard. And the sounds of the  drum filled the entire sky.And the whole region was covered with flowers showered down by invisible agents. The gods,the Garuda and other birds, theNagas, the Gandharvas, the apsaras, the Prajapati, the seven great rshis, began  to offer their respectful admiration to Arjuna. Bharadwaja, Kasyapa, Gautama,Viswamitra, Jamadagni, Vasishtha, and the illustrious Atri who illumined the world
when the Sun used to set, all came there. And Marichi, Angiras,Pulastya, Pulaha, Kratu, Dakshaprajapati, the Gandharvas, and Apsaras, came there also. The Apsaras, decked with fine cloth and celestial garlands and  ornaments, came there and danced and sang in joy, for
Arjuna. The great rishis all around began repeat  mystical mantras for the well-being of Arjuna. And the handsome Tumvuru accompanied by the other gandharvas was already there. And Bhimasena and Ugrasena, Urnayus and Anagha. Gopati and Dhritarashtra and Purnyavarchas,Yugapa and Trinapa, Karshni, Nandi, and Chitraratha, Salisirah,Parjanya,the
Kali , and Narada, Rihatta,Vrihatta, Vriakha,Karal, Brahmachari, and famous Suvrana of great soul, Viswavasu, Bhumanyu, Suchandra, Saru and the Haha and Huhu with wonderful  voice, started singing in praise of Arjuna. Many important apsaras or celestial dames also of large eyes, decked with ornament came there to dance and sing. And Anuchana and Anavadya, Gunamukhya and Gunavara, Adrika and Soma, Misrakesi and Alambusha, Marichi and Suchika, Vidyutparna and Tilottama and Ambika, Lakshmana, Kshema Devi, Rambha, Manorama, Asita, Suvahu, Supriya, Suvapuh, Pundarika, Sugandha, Surasa, Pramathini, Kamya and Saraswati,
these twentyeight apsaras all danced there together. And Menaka, Sahajanya, Karnika, Punjikasthala, Ritusthala, Ghritachi, Viswachi, Purvachiti, the celebrated Umlocha, Pramlocha and Urvasi these eleven, large-eyed dancing apsaras came there and sang in chorus. And Dharti
and Aryaman and Mitra and Varuna, Bhaga and Indra, Vivaswat, Pushan, auspicious Tvastra and Parjanya and Vishnu, these twelve Adityas came there to glorify birth of the third Pandava and lingered in the milky way of the sky. Mrigavyadha, Sarpa, the Niriti, Ajaikapada,
Ahivradhna, Pinakii, Dahana, Iswara, Kapalii, Sthanu and the Bhaga--these eleven Rudras,--also came there. And the twin Aswins, the eight Vasus, the mighty fortynine Marutas, the Viswedevas, and the Sadhyas, also came there. And Karkotaka, Vasuki, Kachchhapa, Kunda and
the Takshaka,--these mighty and cruel snakes possessed of high ascetic merit also came there. And Tarkshya, Arishtanemi, Garuda, Asitadvaja, Aruna and Aruni of Vinata's race also came there. And only great Rishis crowned with ascetic merit and not others saw those celestials
and other beings seated in their cars or waiting on the mountain peaks. Those best of Munis seeing that wonderful sight, became astonished, and their love and affection for Arjuna was in consequence increased.
This episode is significant at least on three levels. On the first level it clearly posits that despite the fact that Pandu was impotent physically he was extra ordinarily powerful in ascetic feats. It was through his sheer asceticism and through the grand devotion of his queen that Indra came upon the scene to bless Kunti with a third child named Arjuna or Phalguni. Thus Pandu became dejure the father of Arjuna.The descriptions of the circumstances during the birth of Arjuna  reminds us of a saviour who will save the world from the trauma of existence. The greatest men, the celestials and the Nature participated in the cosmic joy of the existence at the birth of Arjuna. We get a glimpse of the pisgah vision hereby. The prophesy
of the voice of heaven give us a notion of coming events

Mahabharata – 194
by
Sankar Mukherjee
&
Dr Ramesh Chandra Mukhopadhyaya
    Aadivamsavatarana Parva

                 Birth of Bhima

We have already narrated the story of the birth of Yudhishthira. Pandu was cursed by an ascetic. He  was not capable to procreate. But his wife Kunti was not an ordinary woman.She earned the super natural power to invoke any god who would bless her with a son. At the request of Pandu she invoked Dharma to give her a child. This is very significant Pandu might have asked Kunti to beget a child by any god whatever. But he asked Kunti to invoke Dharma because Pandu always prized Dharma and virtue above anything else. Consequently Yudhisthira was born and he was deemed to be the eldest son of Pandu.True that one Moon can do away with darkness. But thousands of stars together cannot achieve that.But Pandu was not satisfied with one son only.        

He again addressed his wife ---The wise say that a Kshatriya must be endowed with physical strength. Otherwise he is no Kshatriya. Therefore, I ask you for an offspring of great strength.

Thus requested by her lord,Kunti then appealed to Vayu. And the mighty god of wind, thus solicited, came to her, riding a deer,and said --- What,O Kunti,am I to give you? Tell me what is  your desire?

Smiling in modesty, she said to him --- Oh best of the gods!, give me, a child endowed with great strength.

The god of wind thereupon begot upon her the mighty child afterwards known as Bhima of powerful arms and fierce prowess. And on the birth of the child by the god of wind endwoed with extraordinary strength, an airy voice said --- This child shall be the foremost of all, endowed with strength. Another wonderful event occurred presently after the birth of Bhima. He fell from the lap of his mother upon a large stone. Because of the violence of the fall the stone broke into thousand pieces upon which the child fell. The body of the infant was as hard as the thunderbolt.And the infant body was not injured in the least.And he fell from his mother's lap because Kunti had been frightened by the roar of a tiger. Unconscious of the child that lay asleep on her lap she dropped the child. And seeing this, Pandu became full of wonder and awestruck. And that very day on which Bhima was born,was also, the birthday of Duryodhana.

And this great second child of Kunti was born in the month of Chaitra during the period of waxing moon and on the thirteenth day of the bright fortnight. At that moment Jupiter was rising  in the presence of Magha Nakshatra. The Moon entered into the Leo. It was the middle of the day at the eighth Muhurta.

Mahabharata – 193   by Sankar Mukherjee
&
Dr Ramesh Chandra Mukhopadhyaya

Aadivamsavatarana Parva

Kunti’s reply to Pandu’s entreaty
King Pandu was cursed by an ascetic. Consequently he became impotent.
But he longed for a child so that his duties to his forefather could
be  accomplished. To that end he implored his wife Kunti to co-habit with some brahamana of high water mark to beget sons for him.In response Kunti told Pandu the king as follows   ---It is the responsibility of the wife to please her husband. Presently you my dear husband are trying to please me your wife. It is very much contrary to the religious tenets.
In my teens, I was in my father's house engaged in attending the guests. One day I satisfied with my attention and service that Brahmana of rigid vows and of great ascetic merit whom people call Durvasa. His mind was under full control. He possessed knowledge of all the mysteries of religion. Pleased with my services, he gave me a boon in the form of a mantra for calling to my presence any one of the celestials I liked. And the rishi, told me that --- Anyone among the celestials whom I call by this mantra, will approach me and be obedient to my will, whether he likes it or not.And Durvasa said that I should also have offspring through the grace of the god whom I summon with aid of the aforesaid mantra. Oh king! that Brahmana told me this when I lived in my father's house.The words uttered by the Brahmana can never be false.The time also has come when that may yield fruit. Requested  by you,I can with the help of  that mantra
invoke any of the celestials,so that wmay have good children.

Birth of Yudhishthira
Tell me which of the celestials I shall summon. Know that,as regards this matter, I wait for your commands. Pandu in reply said--- Oh fortunate one! Summon the god of justice.He is the most virtuous amongst the celestials. By the way, justice and virtue will never let us to be polluted with sin. Once a son is born to us with the aid of dharma, we will know that whatever we do or think can never be unholy. The son also that we shall obtain from him shall be virtue personified. Certainly he will be the foremost among the Kurus. Begotten by the god of justice and morality, he will never set his eyes upon anything that is sinful or unholy. Therefore, Oh fortunate one!, steadily keeping your eyes on virtue, and duly observing holy vows, summon the god of justice and virtue by chanting your mantra appeal to god of justice.Thus
addressed by her lord, Kunti said--- So be it. And bowing down to her husband, reverently she resolved to do as per his request.

In the mean time, Gandhari the wife of Dhritarastra  Pandu’s elder brother was also carrying. She had been carrying for one full year. If Gandhari had given birth to a son before Kunti could give birth to a child it was Gandhari’s son who would have the claim to throne. However at the bidding of king Pandu  Kunti  it was then Kunti summoned the god of justice to obtain an offspring from him.She worshipped the god of justice and began to duly repeat the mantra that Durvasa had imparted to her.Then the god, moved by her hymn arrived at the spot where Kunti was busy with the prayer. The god was seated in his car dazzling like the Sun.Smilingly he asked, Oh Kunti!,what am I to give you? And Kunti too smilingly replied---You must give me an offspring. Then the fortunate Kunti was united with the god of justice in the forest on the great mountain Sata-Sringa.
She shared the bed with the god of justice in his super human form. She had purified herself with seasonal bath before mating with thegod.And she obtained from him a son devoted to the good of all creatures. And she give birth to her excellent eldest child, who lived to acquire a great fame, at the eighth Muhurta called Abhijit, at noon when the sun was at the zenith. It was the month of Jyaistha when the sun was in Taurus. It was a full moon day. And as soon as the child was born, a voice from the skies announced ---‘This child shall be the best of men,the foremost of those that are virtuous and honest.He will have great prowess.He will be truthful in speech.He shall certainly be the ruler of the earth.And this first child of Pandu shall be known by the name of Yudhishthira.He shall be a famous king, known throughout the three worlds’.

By the by while Yudhishthira was born, Gandhari though carrying for one long year did not give birth to any child. So Yudhishthira’s claim to the Kuru throne was a fait accompli.

    

Mahabharata – 192
by
Sankar Mukherjee
&
Dr Ramesh Chandra Mukhopadhyaya
    Aadivamsavatarana Parva

Back ground of Birth story of Pandavas

 Pandu was cursed by an ascetic and he became impotent.So he was incapble of bring forth children through his dear wives Madri and Kunti.It seems that Pandu used to confide his personal thoughts in Kunti.And Pandu addressed Kunti and told her --- We the Kurus, for the continuation of the Kuru race, have been begotten by  Vedavyasa. You know that. It has also been said by the scholars who are well versed in the rules of morality that a child could be begotten by a woman with the aid of a deputy provided she has the consent of her husband. A devoted wife must ever seek her husband during her monthly season. But at other times she deserves liberty.  Be that as it may since I am not competent you mate with some ideal person to bring forth children for me. Because I want to reap the fruitions that one who has a son,in the life here-after. This shows that with the protagonists of the Mahabharata the life here after was no less important than the life here. Pandu exhorts his devoted wife to get children by others. He adds that  the Vedas have declared that it is the duty of the wives to do what their husbands ask them to do.This is significant in our context. One wonders whether a wife should undergo prostitution at the instance of her husband. Pandu told Kunti --- Oh my fair lady! I am deprived of the power of procreation by the curse of the Deer. Yet till now I am desirous of having offsprings.Oh you  amiable one! Joining my palms with rosy fingers, and making them a cup  of lotus leaves,I place my hand on your head to regain your favour. Raise offsprings, at my wish through some Brahmana of high ascetic merit and have offsprings. So that I may go to that place which is reserved for those whot are blessed with children. Thus addressed by Pandu, Kunti reply is significant.

 

Mahabharata 191
by
Sankar Mukherjee
&
Dr Ramesh Chandra Mukhopadhyaya
                                   Aadivamsavatarana Parva
                                           Pandu's pleading
Kunti narrated the laments of the widow Bhadra. The lament touches the high water mark of elegiac poetry. She through her devotion to her husband brought back the fleeting breath of her husband and co-habited with the spirit of the husband and begot children. A wonderful story of conjugal love. Kunti said that she was as devoted to Pandu as Bhadra was devoted to her husband. So Kunti told  king Pandu that she would beget children by the spirit of Pandu even after Pandu’s death the way Bhadra begot her children.
King Pandu well-versed in all the rules of morality replied conforming to virtue --- Oh Kunti, what you said is absolutely true. King Vyushitaswa did as you said. Indeed he was equal to the
gods. But I shall now tell you the practices of rule of the morality as perceived by illustrious rishis. Oh you handsome with sweet smiles! Women formerly were not confined within the houses  and was not defendant on husbands and other relatives. They used to go about freely, enjoying themselves as best as they liked. They did not adhere only to their husbands faithfully. And yet, they were not regarded sinful, as that was the practice of the times. That very
practice is followed even to-day by birds and beasts without any jealousy. That practice, was sanctioned by precedent. It is praised by the great scholars. The practice is yet regarded with respect amongst the Northern Kurus. Indeed, that practice, is good for  the women. It
had  the sanction by the scholars of olden days . The present practice, however of women being confined to one husband for life, was established lately. I shall tell you in detail who established it and why. It has been heard by us that there was a great rishi known by the name Uddalaka, who had a son named Swetaketu who was also a great rishi. The present practice has been established by that Swetaketu in anger. Hear the reason. One day, in the presence of Uddalaka , a
Brahmana came and catching Swetaketu's mother’s   hand, told her ---Let us go. Seeing his mother taken away as if by force,  Swetaketu was greatly moved by anger. Seeing his son upset, Uddalaka addressed him  ---Be not angry. Oh my son! This is the tradition of the women for long. The women of all orders in this world are free. Like the cows the women are subject to their own will.But they never neglected the house hold duties. And during their monthly
season they never deserted their hubands and never allowed other men. The rishi's son, Swetaketu, however, disapproved the old custom. And established in the world,  the present practice as regards men and women. Therefore the existing practice dates from that period among human beings only. But it does not apply to other classes of birds and
animals. It is sinful for the women not to follow their husbands. Women overstepping the limits set by the rishi Swetaketu became henceforth guilty of slaying the embryo. And men too,  who will have extra marital affairs other than his virgin and loving wife, who  from
her maidenhood observed the vow of purity, became guilty of the same sin. The woman also who, being commanded by her husband to raise offspring, by others  refuses to do so becomes equally guilty. Oh Kunti! The present usage established by Swetaketu, the son of Uddalaka
replacing the old one by the power of his asceticism should be observed. It has been also heard by us that Madayanti, the wife of Saudasa, commanded by her husband to raise offspring went to the sage Vasishtha. And on going to him, the handsome Madayanti obtained a son
named Asmaka. She did this, moved by the desire of doing good to her
husband. The Mahabharata thus in its own way seeks to explore the roots or the
genesis of different social institutions. According to the Mahabharata earlier women were more or less free to co – habit with any man. Conversely men were also free to co- habit with any woman. Only during the season the woman can not co- habit with any man other than her
husband. Thus free sex was largely acknowledged during the earlier times. But Swetaketu brought about a change in the system through a legitimation.This simply shows that marriage as an institution is not perennial. Its laws are never absolute. The Mahabharata persists that
even during the Mahabharata age there were societies where women were free to co- habit with others. Since no law is perennial and absolute he rules of marriage could be amended or changed. That is the legitimation of the  Mahabharata. Hence living together gay marriage
and the like of today should not be looked down upon.

        

Mahabharata – 190
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.