Mahabharata (English)

by Kisari Mohan Ganguli | 2,566,952 words | ISBN-10: 8121505933

The English translation of the Mahabharata is a large text describing ancient India. It is authored by Krishna-Dwaipayana Vyasa and contains the records of ancient humans. Also, it documents the fate of the Kauravas and the Pandavas family. Another part of the large contents, deal with many philosophical dialogues such as the goals of life. Book...

Section LXVIII

["Sanjaya continued,]

["Vyasa continued,]

"Narada said,

'Dushmanta’s son, Bharata, O Srinjaya, we hear, fell a prey to death. While only a child (living) in the forest, he achieved feats incapable of being achieved by others. Endued with great strength, he speedily deprived the very lions, white as snow and armed with teeth and claws, of all their prowess, and dragged them and bound them (at his pleasure). He used to check tigers also, that were fiercer and more ruthless (than lions), and bring them to subjection. Seizing other beasts of prey possessed of great might, and even huge elephants, dyed with red arsenic and spotted with other liquid minerals by their teeth and tusks, he used to bring them to subjection, causing their mouths to become dry, or obliging them to fly away. Possessed of great might, he used also to drag the mightiest of buffaloes.

And in consequence of his strength, he checked proud lions by hundreds, and powerful Srimaras and horned rhinoceroses and other animals. Binding them by their necks and crushing them to an inch of their lives, he used to let them go. For those feats of his the regenerate ascetics (with whom he lived) came to call him Sarvadamana (the controller of all). His mother, at last, forbade him from torturing animals in that way. Endued with great prowess he performed a hundred Horse-sacrifices on the banks of the Yamuna, three hundred such sacrifices on the banks of Sarasvati, and four hundred on the banks of the Ganga.

Having performed these sacrifices, he once more performed a thousand Horse-sacrifices and a hundred Rajasuyas, great sacrifices, in which his gifts also to the Brahmanas were very profuse. Other sacrifices, again, such as the Agnishtoma, the Atiratra, the Uktha and the Visvajit, he performed together with thousands and thousands of Vajapeyas, and completed without any impediment. The son of Sakuntala, having performed all these, gratified the Brahmanas with presents of wealth. Possessed of great fame, Bharata then gave ten thousand billions of coins, made of the most pure gold, unto Kanva (who had brought up his mother Sakuntala as his own daughter).

The gods with Indra at their head, accompanied by the Brahmanas, coming to his sacrifice, set up his sacrificial stake made entirely of gold, and measuring in width a hundred Vyamas.[1] And imperial Bharata, of noble soul, that victor over all foes, that monarch never conquered by any enemy, gave away unto the Brahmanas beautiful horses and elephants and cars, decked with gold, and beautiful gems of all kinds, and camels and goats and sheep, and slaves—male and female—and wealth, and grains and milch cows with calves, and villages and fields, and diverse kinds of robes, numbering by millions and millions.

When he died, O Srinjaya, who was superior to you in respect of the four cardinal virtues and who superior to you, was, therefore, much superior to your son, you should not, saying, 'Oh, Swaitya, Oh, Swaitya,' grieve for the latter who performed no sacrifice and made no sacrificial present.'

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

A Vyama is the space between the two arms extended at their furthest.

Conclusion:

This concludes Section LXVIII of Book 7 (Drona Parva) of the Mahabharata, of which an English translation is presented on this page. This book is famous as one of the Itihasa, similair in content to the eighteen Puranas. Book 7 is one of the eighteen books comprising roughly 100,000 Sanskrit metrical verses.

FAQ (frequently asked questions):

Which keywords occur in Section LXVIII of Book 7 of the Mahabharata?

The most relevant definitions are: Brahmanas, Bharata, Srinjaya, Sakuntala, Sanjaya, soul; since these occur the most in Book 7, Section LXVIII. There are a total of 23 unique keywords found in this section mentioned 30 times.

What is the name of the Parva containing Section LXVIII of Book 7?

Section LXVIII is part of the Abhimanyu-badha Parva which itself is a sub-section of Book 7 (Drona Parva). The Abhimanyu-badha Parva contains a total of 52 sections while Book 7 contains a total of 5 such Parvas.

Can I buy a print edition of Section LXVIII as contained in Book 7?

Yes! The print edition of the Mahabharata contains the English translation of Section LXVIII of Book 7 and can be bought on the main page. The author is Kisari Mohan Ganguli and the latest edition (including Section LXVIII) is from 2012.

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