Santi Parva – Rajadharmanusasana Parva
Adhyaya 48
Yudhisthira asks Krishna about Rama
(Santi Parva – Rajadharmanusasana Parva continued)
Vaishampayana said—
Then Hrishikesha, and king Yudhishthira, and all those persons headed by Kripa, and the four Pandavas, riding on those cars resembling fortified cities and adorned with stands and banners, quickly went to Kurukshetra with the help of their quick-coursing horses.
They descended on that field of Kuru, which was covered with hair, marrow and bones, and where millions of great Kshatriyas had died.
It also contained many hills made of the bodies and bones of elephants and horses, and human heads and skulls were scattered over it like conch-shells.
Interspersed with thousands of funeral pyres and containing masses of armour and weapons, the vast field looked like the drinking site of the Destroyer himself used and left of late.
The powerful car-warriors quickly proceeded, seeing the field of battle haunted by crowds of spirits and thronged with Rakshasas.
While proceeding, the powerful Keshava, that delighter of all the Yadavas, spoke to Yudhishthira about the prowess of Jamadagni’s son.
Krishna
‘Yonder, at a distance, O Partha’ are the five lakes of Rama. There Rama offered oblations of Kshatriya blood to his departed manes.
It was here that the powerful Rama, having freed the Earth of Kshatriyas for twenty-one times, accomplished his task.’
Yudhishthira said—
I have doubt very much of what you say about Rama’s having twenty-one times rooted the Kshatriyas in days of yore.
When the very Kshatriya seed was burnt by Rama, O foremost of the Yadus, how was the Kshatriya order revived?
How, O best of the Yadus, was the Kshatriya order exterminated by the illustrious and great Rama, and how did it again grow?
In dreadful car-encounters millions of Kshatriyas were killed. The Earth, O foremost of orators, was covered with the corpses of Kshatriyas.
Why was the Kshatriya order thus rooted out in day of old by Rama, the great descendant of Bhrigu, O foremost of the Yadus. O Vrishni hero, remove this doubt of mine, O Garuda-fanned hero. O Krishna, O younger brother of Vasudeva, the highest knowledge is from you.’
Vaishampayana said—
The powerful elder brother of Gada then described fully to Yudhishthira everything that had taken place, as to how the Earth had become filled with Kshatriyas.
Santi Parva – Rajadharmanusasana Parva
Adhyaya 49
Continued. The story of Rama.
(Santi Parva – Rajadharmanusasana Parva continued)
Vasudeva said—
Listen, O son of Kunti, to the story of Rama’s energy and powers and birth as I heard from great Rishis discoursing upon the subject.
Listen to the story of how millions of Kshatriyas were killed by Jamadagni’s son and how those that were bom again in the various royal houses in Bharata were again killed.
Jahnu had a son named Rajas. Rajas had a son named Balakashva. King Balakashva had a pious son named Kushika.
Resembling the thousand-eyed Indra on Earth, Kushika, practised the austerest of penances from desire of getting the lord of the three worlds for a son.
Seeing him engaged in the hardest of penances and capable of begetting a son, the thousand-eyed Purandara himself inspired the king with his energy.
The great lord of the three worlds, viz., the chastiser of Paka, O king, then became Kushika’s son known by the name of Gadhi.
Gadhi had a daughter, O king, by the name of Satyavati. The powerful Gadhi married her to Richika a descendant of Bhrigu.
Her husband of Bhrigu’s race, O delighter of the Kurus, became highly pleased with her for the purity of her conduct. He cooked charu the sacrificial food of milk and rice for giving to Gandhi a son.
Calling his wife, Richika of Bhrigu’s race, said,—
Richika
This portion of the sanctified food should be taken by you, and this (the other) portion by your mother.
An energetic son will be bom of her who will be the foremost of the Kshatriyas, Invincible by Kshatriyas on Earth, he will be the destroyer of the foremost of Kshatriyas.
As regards you, O blessed lady, this portion of the food will give you a son of great wisdom, a personification of tranquillity, endued with ascetic penances, and the foremost of Brahmanas.
Krishna
Having said these words to his wife, the blessed Richika of Bhrigu’s race, setting his heart on penances, entered into the woods.
About this time, king Gadhi, making a pilgrimage to the sacred waters, arrived with his queen at the hermitage of Richika.
O king, thereupon taking the two portions of the sanctified food, Satyavati cheerfully and quickly, represented the words of her husband to her mother.
The queen-mother, O son of Kunti, gave the portion reserved for herself to her daughter, and herself took unwittingly the portion intended for the latter.
Thereupon Satyavati, her body blazing with lustre, conceived a child of dreadful form intended to become the exterminator of the Kshatriyas.
Seeing the Brahmana child lying within her womb, that foremost of the Bhrigus said to his wife of heavenly beauty these words—
Richika
You have been imposed upon by your mother, O blessed lady, by the substitution of the sanctified food. Your son will become a man of cruel deeds and vindictive heart. Your brother again (bom of your mother) will be Brahmana ever devoted to ascetic penances.
The seed of the supreme and universal Brahma had been placed into the sanctified food intended for you, while into that intended for your mother had been placed the sum-total of Kshatriya energy.
On account of the substitution of the two parts, O blessed lady, that which had been intended will not happen. Your mother will got a Brahmana child while you will get a son that will become a Kshatriya.
Krishna
Thus addressed by her husband the highly blessed Satyavati bent down her head to his feet and tremblingly said,—
Satyavati
You should not, O holy one, speak such words to me, viz.,—You will obtain a wretch among Brahmanas for your son.
Richika said—
This was not intended by me, O blessed lady, for you. A son of terrific deeds has been conceived by you for the substitution of the sanctified food.
Satyavati replied—
If you wish, O sage, you can create other worlds, what shall I say of a child? You should, O powerful one, give me a son who will be pious and peaceful.
Richika said—
‘I had never uttered even in jest, O blessed lady, an untruth. What need then be said of a time for preparing sanctified food with the help of Vedic formulae after lighting a fire?
It was ordained of yore by destiny, O lovely damsel. I have known it all by my penances. All the descendants of your father will be endued with Brahmanic virtues.
Satyavati said—
O powerful one, let our grandson be such, but, O foremost of ascetics, let me have a quiet son.
Richika said—
O fair lady, I see no distinction, between a son and a grandson. It will be, O lovely lady, as you say.
Vasudeva said—
Then Satyavati gave birth to a son in Bhrigu’s race who was devoted to penances and peaceful occupations, viz., Jamadagni of regulated vows.
Kaushika’s son Gadhi begot a son named Vishvamitra. Possessed of every attribute of a Brahmana, that son though a Kshatriya by birth was equal to a Brahmana.
Richika (thus) beget Jamadagni, that sea of penances. Jamadagni begot a son of dreadful deeds.
The foremost of men, that son mastered all the sciences, including that of arms. Like a burning fire, that son was Rama, the exterminator of the Kshatriyas.
Having satisfied Mahadeva on the mountains of Gandhamadana, he begged from that deity for weapons, especially the axe of fierce power in his hands.
For that peerless axe of fiery splendour and irresistible sharpness, he became unequalled on Earth.
Meanwhile the powerful son of Kritavirya, the king of the Haihayas, endued with great power, highly pious, and possessed of a thousand arms through the favour of (the great Rishi) Dattatreya, having conquered in battle, by the strength of his own arms, the entire Earth with her mountains and seven islands, became a very powerful sovereign and (at last) gave away the Earth to the Brahmanas in a house-sacrifice.
Once begged by the thirsty god of fire, O son of Kunti, the thousand-armed king of great prowess gave alms to that deity.
Originating from the point of his arrow, the highly powerful god of fire, desirous of consuming (what was offered) burnt villages and towns and kingdoms and hamlets of cowherds.
Through the prowess of that foremost of men, viz., the powerful Kartavirya, the god of fire consumed mountains and great forests.
Helped by the king of the Haihayas the god of fire, increased more by the wind, consumed the uninhabited but the charming hermitage of the high-souled Apava.
O mighty-armed king, seeing his hermitage consumed by the powerful Kshatriya, the highly energetic Apava cursed that monarch in anger, saying,—
Apava
Since, O Arjuna, without reserving these my woods, you have burnt them, therefore, Rama (of Bhrigu’s race), will cut your thousand arms.
Krishna
The powerful Arjuna, however, of great prowess, always devoted to peace, ever obedient to Brahmanas and ready to protect all classes, and charitable brave, O Bharata, did not think of that curse imprecated on him by that great Rishi. His powerful sons, always proud and cruel, on account of that curse, became the indirect cause of his death. The princes, O foremost of Bharata’s race, caught and brought away the calf of Jamadagani’s Homa cow, against the knowledge of Kartavirya the king of the Haihayas. For this reason a dispute took place between the great Jamadagni and the Haihayas.
The powerful Rama, the son of Jamadagni, filled with anger cut off the arms of Aijuna and brought back, O king, his father’s calf which was grazing within the inner appointment of the king’s mansion.
Then the foolish sons of Arjuna, going in a body to the hermitage of the great Jamadagni, cut with their lances, O king, the head of that Rishi from off his trunk while the celebrated Rama had gone out for fetching sacred fuel and grass.
Worked up with anger at the death of his father and filled with vengeance, Rama vowed to rid the Earth of Kshatriyas and took up arms.
Then that foremost of the Bhrigus, endued with great energy, displaying his prowess, quickly killed all the sons and grandsons of Kartavirya.
Killing thousand of Haihayas in anger, the descendant of Bhrigu, O king, covered the Earth with blood.
Highly energetic, he speedily freed the Earth of all Kshatriyas. Filled then with pity, he retired into the woods.
Afterwards, after the expiry of some thousands of years, the powerful Rama, who was angry by nature, was accused of cowardice.
The grandson of Vishvamitra and son of Raivya, possessed of great ascetic merit, named Paravasu, O king, began to accuse Rama publicly, saying,—
Paravasu
O Rama, were not those pious men, viz., Pratardana and others, who were assembled at a sacrifice at the time of Yayati’s death, Kshatriyas by birth?
You are not truthful, O Rama! You simply brag before people. For fear of Kshatriya heroes you have betaken yourself to the mountains.
Krishna
Hearing these words of Paravashu, the descendant of Bhrigu, once more look up arms and once more covered the Earth with hundreds of Kshatriya bodies.
Those Kshatriyas, however, O king counting by hundreds, that were not killed by Rama, multiplied (in time) and became powerful monarchs on Earth.
Rama once more killed them quickly, not sparing even the very children, O king. The Earth again was covered with the bodies of Kshatriya children of premature birth.
As soon as Kshatriya children were bom, Rama killed them. Some Kshatriya ladies, however, succeeded in hiding their children from Rama.
Having made the Earth shorn of Kshatriyas for twenty-one times, the powerful Bhargava, at the completion of a horse-sacrifice, gave away the Earth as sacrificial present to Kashyapa.
For preserving the residence of the Kshatriyas, Kashyapa, 0 king, pointing with his hand that still held the sacrificial ladle, said these words,—
Kasyapa
O great sage, go to the shores of the southern ocean. You should not, O Rama, live within my kingdom.
Krishna
At these words. Ocean all on a sudden made for Jamadagni’s son, on his other shore, a region called Surparaka.
Kashyapa also, O king, having accepted the Earth in gift, and made a present of it to the Brahmanas, entered into woods.
Then Shudras and Vaishyas, began wilfully to know, O foremost of Bharata’s race, the wives of Brahmanas.
When anarchy begins on Earth, the weak are oppressed by the strong, and no man is master of his own possessions.
By the course of Time, the earth was assailed by wicked men. Unprotected duly by the virtuous Kshatriyas, and oppressed by the wicked for that disorder, the Earth quickly sank to the lowest depths.
Seeing the Earth sinking from fear, the great Kashyapa held her on his lap; and because the great Rishi held her on his lap (uni) therefore is the Earth known by the name of Urvi.
The goddess Earth for securing protection, pleased Kashyapa and begged of him a king.
The Earth said—
There are, O Rishi, some leading Kshatriyas concealed by me among women. They were born in the family of the Haihayas. Let them, O sage, protect me.
There is another person of Puru’s family, viz., Viduratha’s son, O powerful one, who has been brought up among bears in the Rikshavat mountains.
Another, viz., the son of Saudasa, has been protected, through pity, by the highly energetic Parashara ever engaged in sacrifices.
Though bom in the family of a twice-born one, yet like a Shudra he docs everything for that Rishi and has, therefore been named servant of all work.
Shivi’s energetic son Gopati, has, been brought up in the forest among kine. Let him, O sage, protect me.
Pratradana’s highly powerful son named Vatsa has been brought up among calves in a cowpen. Let that Kshatriya protect me.
Dadhivahana’s grandson and Diviratha’s son was kept hidden on the banks of Ganga by the sage Gautama.
His name is Brihadratha. Possessed of great energy and endued with numerous accomplishments, that blessed princes has been protected by wolves and the mountains of Griddhrakuta.
Many Kshatriyas of the race of Marutta have been protected. Equally energetic like the lord of Maruts, they have been brought up by Ocean.
Rama, it is my duty, O great sage, to see that their funeral rites are properly performed.
I do not desire that I should be protected by my present kings. Do you, O sage, quickly make such arrangements that I may remain (as before).
Vasudeva said—
Then finding out those energetic Kshatriyas whom the goddess had named, the sage Kashyapa installed them duly as kings.
Those Kshatriya races that are now in existence arc the offsprings of those princes.—What you have questioned me O son of Pandu, thus took place in days of yore.
These children of the Kshatriyas have been heard of as housing in different places. They are residing with artisans and goldsmiths. If they protect me I shall then remain unmoved.
Vaishampayana said—
Conversing thus with Yudhishthira, that foremost of pious men, the great Yadava hero proceeded quickly on that car lighting up all the quarters like the divine Sun himself.
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