पुत्रदर्शन पर्व — व्यास और अन्य तपस्वियों का संवाद

Janamejaya said Tell me, o learned Brahman, what that wonderful feat was, which the great Rishi Vyasa of great energy accomplished after he had his made promise to the old king, when Dhritarashtra, that foremost one of Kuru's race, had taken up his residence in the forest, with his wife, and with his daughter-in-law Kunti and after, indeed, Vidura had left his own body and entered into Yudhishthria, and at the time when all the sons of Pandu were living in the hermitage.

For how many days did the Kuru king Yudhishthira of Undecaying glory, stay with his men in the forest.

Of what food, O powerful one, did the great Pandavas support themselves with their men, and wives, while they lived in the forest? O sinless one, do you tell me this.

Vaishampayana said With the permission of the Kuru king, the Pandavas, O monarch, with their troops and the ladies of their household, lived on various kinds of food and drink and passed about a month in great happiness in that forest. Towards the close of that period, O sinless one, Vyasa came there.

While all those princes sat around Vyasa, engaged in conversation on various topics, other Rishis came there.

They were Narada, Parvata, Devala of austere penances, Vishvavasu, Tunburu and Chitrasena, O Bharata.

Gifted with severe penances, the Kuru king Yudhishthira, with the permission of Dhritarasthra, adored them according to due rites.

Having got that worship from Yudhishthira, all of them sat down on sacred seats (made of Kusha grass as also on excellent seats made of peacock feathers.

After they had all been seated, the Kuru king of great intelligence took his seat there, surrounded by the sons of Pandu.

Gandhari, Kunti and Draupadi, and she of the Satvata race, and other ladies of the royal household also sat down.

The conversation which then arose was excellent and had reference to subjects, connected with piety, and the Rishis of old, and the celestials and the Asuras.

At the close of the conversation the highly energetic Vyasa, that foremost of eloquent men, that first of all persons knowing the Vedas highly pleased, addressed the blind monarch and once more said, 'Burning as you are with grief on account of your children, I know, O king of kings, what object is cherished by you in your heart. I know the sorrow which always exists in the heart of Gandhari, that which exists in the heart of Kunti, and that also which is cherished by Draupadi in her heart, and that burning grief, on. account of the death of her son, which Krishna's sister Subhadra also cherishes. Hearing of this meeting, O king, of yours with all these princes and princesses of your house., I have come here, O delighter of the Kauravas, for removing your doubts. Let the celestials and Gandharvas and all these great Rishis, see today the energy of those penances which I have acquired for these long years. Therefore, O king, tell me what wish of yours I shall grant today.

I am powerful enough to grant you a boon. See the fruit of my penances. Thus addressed by Vyasa of great understanding, king Dhritarashtra thought for a moment and then prepared to speak. He said, 'I ain greatly fortunate. Lucky am I in obtaining your favour. My life is crowned with success today, since this meeting has taken place between me and you all of great piety. To-day I shall attain to that highly happy end which is reserved for me, since, you ascetics who have penances for wealth, you who are equal to Brahma himself, I have succeeded in obtaining this meeting with you all. There is not the least doubt that this sight that I have obtained of you all has purged me of every sin. son

O sinless ones, I have no longer any fear about my end in the next world. Full as I am of love for my children, I always remember them. My mind, however is always pained by the recollection of the various acts of wrong which my wicked of exceedingly evil understanding perpetrated. Having a sinful understanding, he always persecuted the innocent Pandavas.

Alas, the whole Earth has been devastated by him, with her horses, elephants and men. Many great kings, rulers of various kingdoms, came for helping my son and succumbed to death. Alas, leaving their beloved father and wives and their very life-breaths, all those heroes have become guests of the king of the dead. What end, O twice-born one, has been attained by those men who have killed, for the sake of their friend, in battle? What end also has attained by my sons and grandsons who have fallen in the battle? My heart is always pained at the thought of my having brought about the destruction of the powerful Bhishma, the son of Shantanu, and of Drona, that foremost of Brahmanas, through my foolish and sinful son who was an injurer of his friends.

Desirous of getting the sovereignty of the Earth, he caused the Kuru race, blazing with prosperity, to be annihilated. Thinking of all this, I burn day and night with grief.

Deeply afflicted with pain and grief, I am unable to get peace of mind. Indeed, O sire, thinking of all this, I have no peace of man.

Hearing these lamentation expressed in various ways, of that royal sage, the grief, O Janamejaya of Gandhari, became fresh.

The grief, also, of Kunti, of the daughter of Drupada, of Subhadra, and of the other members male and female, and the daughterin-law of the royal house of Kuru became equally green.

Queen Gandhari, with bandaged eyes, joining her hands, addressed her father-in-law. Deeply afflicted with grief on account of the destruction of her sons, she said-O foremost of ascetics, this king has passed sixteen years grieving for the death of his sons and shorn of peace of mind.

Afflicted with grief on account of the destruction of his his children, this king Dhritarashtra, always breathes heavily, and never sleeps at night, O great Rishi.

Through the power of your penances you are competent to create new worlds. What need I say then about showing this king his children who are now in the other world?

This Krishna, the daughter of Drupada, has lost all her kinsmen and children. Therefore, she who is the dearest of my daughters-in-law grieves greatly.

The sister of Krishna, viz., Subhadra of sweet words, burning with the loss of her son, grieves as deeply.

This lady who is respected by all, who is the wife of Bhurishravas, stricken with grief on account of the fate of her husband, always indulges in heart-rending lamentations.

Her father-in-law the intelligent Valhika of Kuru's race. Alas, Somadatta also was was killed, along with his father, in the great battle.

Alas, a hundred sons, heroes who never retreated from battle, belonging to this son of yours, this king of great intelligence and great prosperity, has been killed in battle.

The hundred wives of those sons are all grieving and repeatedly increasing the grief of both the king and myself. O great ascetic, stricken by that great onslaught, they have gathered round me.

Alas, those great heroes, those great carwarriors, my father-in-law, Somadatta and others, alas, what end has been theirs, O powerful one.

Through your favour, O holy one, that will take place for which this king, myself and this daughter-in-law of yours, viz., Kunti, shall all become freed from our grief.

After Gandhari had said so, Kunti, whose face had become waste through observance of many hard vows, began to think of her secretborn son gifted with solar effulgence.

The boon-giving Rishi Vyasa capable of both seeing and hearing what took place at a remote distance, saw that the royal mother of Arjuna was afflicted with grief.

To her Vyasa said, 'Tell me, O blessed one, what is in your mind. Tell me what you wish to say.'

At this, Kunti, bending her head to herfather-in-law, and overcome with bashfulness, said these words to him, recounting the past incidents of her life. To her Vyasa said, 'Tell me, O blessed one, what is in your mind. Tell me what you wish to say.'

At this, Kunti, bending her head to herfather-in-law, and overcome with bashfulness, said these words to him, recounting the past incidents of her life.