Mahabharata Vol. 3 (Penguin Translated Texts) (36 page)

‘Having thus overcome the mighty-armed one, but freeing his thick arms, the serpent said, “O mighty-armed one! I have been hungry for an extremely long time and it is fortunate that the gods and destiny have sent me my food. Life is dear to all beings that have bodies. O destroyer of enemies! O virtuous one! But I must certainly tell you the account now, how it was that I became a serpent. I attained this state because of the anger of the learned ones. Wishing to overcome the curse, I will tell you the serpent’s account. You must have heard of the rajarshi named Nahusha. He was your ancestor and that of your forefathers. He was Ayu’s son and the extender of that lineage. I am he. Because of the disrespect shown to brahmanas and because of Agastya’s curse, I have attained this state.
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Look at what fate has wrought on me. You are my descendant and you are extremely handsome. Therefore, you should not be killed by me. But look at destiny. I will devour you today. O supreme among men! Once I have grasped a prey on the sixth day, whether it is an elephant or a buffalo, it can never free itself from me. O best of Kouravas! You have not
only been grasped by a serpent that belongs to the inferior species. I have the gift of a boon. When I was swiftly falling from the vimana on which Shakra is seated, I asked the illustrious supreme sage
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to free me from the curse. Flooded with compassion, the energetic one replied, ‘O king! You will be freed after some time has passed.’ Then I fell down on the ground, but did not lose my memory. Therefore, what has been determined in ancient times is fixed in my mind and memory. The rishi told me, ‘He who replies accurately to your questions, will free you from your curse. O king! Once grasped by you, even if it is a being that is stronger and superior to you, it will immediately lose its mettle.’ Affectionate towards me and driven by compassion, those brahmanas then instantly disappeared.
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O immensely radiant one! I thus assumed the form of a serpent. I live in this unholy hell, performing evil deeds, waiting for the appointed time.”

‘Then the mighty-armed Bhimasena told the serpent, “O great serpent! I am not angry with you. Nor do I blame myself. Sometimes a man is capable of bringing happiness or unhappiness. At other times, he is incapable. One’s mind should not be worried at these comings and goings. How can one’s own exertions rise above destiny? I think that destiny is supreme and endeavours are meaningless. Behold. Because of adverse destiny, I have lost the strength of my arms. Without any immediate reason, I have been reduced to this state now. But today, I do not sorrow as much over my own destruction as I do over my brothers, who have been dislodged from their kingdom and have been exiled to this wilderness. The Himalayas are difficult of access and are infested with yakshas and rakshasas. On seeing me thus, they will be confounded and will fall down. On hearing of my destruction, they will lose all enterprise. They follow dharma. It was I who drove them, because of my greed for the kingdom. Or perhaps the intelligent Arjuna, who knows all the weapons and is invincible to the gods, the gandharvas and the rakshasas, will be overcome by sorrow. The
mighty-armed one, immensely strong, is capable, with his strength, of dislodging the king of the gods from his seat, not to speak of Dhritarashtra’s sons, deceitful in gambling, hated by all the worlds and addicted to insolence and avarice. I sorrow over my poor mother, so loving towards her sons. She always wished that we might attain a greatness superior to that of others. O serpent! At my destruction, she will be without a protector. All the desires that she had for me will become unsuccessful. The twins, Nakula and Sahadeva, followed their elder. They were always protected through the strength of my arms and were proud of their manliness. They will lose their enterprise. They will be dislodged from prowess and valour. At my destruction, they will be without protection. This is what I think.” In this way, Vrikodara lamented a lot. He was coiled by the serpent and could not move at all.

‘Kounteya Yudhishthira saw all the terrible omens and was disturbed in his mind. He thought about these evil portents. The sky to the south of the hermitage was ablaze.
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A she-jackal stationed herself there and let out a terrible and dreadful howl. There was a dreadful-looking quail,
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with one wing, one eye and one foot. It was seen to vomit blood, screeching harshly in the direction of the sun. A hot and rough wind began to blow, attracting gravel. All the animals and birds wailed towards the south. A black crow cawed from the back, “Go! Go!” His
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right arm repeatedly trembled. There were tremors in his heart and in his left leg. Foretelling of evil, his left eye began to throb. O descendant of the Bharata lineage! Sensing great danger, the intelligent Dharmaraja asked Droupadi, “Where is Bhima?” Panchali answered that Vrikodara had been gone for a long time. Accompanied by Dhoumya, the mighty-armed king then left. He gave instructions to Dhananjaya to protect Droupadi. He instructed Nakula and Sahadeva to tend to the brahmanas. Then the lord followed Bhima’s footprints from the hermitage and saw the earth marked with
the signs of his passage. As the brave one, with the speed of the wind, had rushed forward on his hunt, the wind created by his thighs had broken down and strewn trees along the path. Following these signs, he reached the mountainous cavern and saw his younger brother immobile there, in the grasp of that Indra among serpents.’

Vaishampayana said, ‘On seeing his beloved brother encircled in the coils of the snake, the wise Yudhishthira approached and told the brave one, “O one whose mother is Kunti! How has this misfortune befallen you? Who is this supreme of serpents, with a body that is equal to a mountain?” On seeing his elder brother Dharmaraja, he
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told his brother everything that had happened and how he had come to be grasped. Yudhishthira said, “O serpent! Yudhishthira is asking you. Tell the truth. Are you a god, a daitya or a serpent? O serpent! What must be done for you, or what must be told you, so as to please you? What food must be brought to you? What must be done to set him free?”

‘The serpent replied, “O unblemished one! I was earlier a king named Nahusha, your ancestor. O lord of men! I was Ayu’s famous son and fifth in the line from Soma.
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Through sacrifices, austerities, studying, self-restraint and valour, I obtained unrivalled lordship of the three worlds. Having attained that prosperity, insolence overcame me. Thousands of brahmanas carried my palanquin. Intoxicated with my fortune, I insulted those brahmanas. O lord of the earth! I have been reduced to this state because of Agastya. O Pandava! O king! But because of the favours of the great-souled Agastya, I have not
lost my wisdom even now. I have obtained your younger brother as my food at the sixth point in time.
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I will not free him. Nor do I desire any other food. But if you answer the questions I ask you, I will later free your brother Vrikodara.”

‘Yudhishthira replied, “O serpent! Tell me whatever you like. O serpent! If I can, I will answer and please you. You are certainly aware of what only a brahmana can know. O king of the serpents! On hearing your words, I will reply.”

‘The serpent asked, “O king! O Yudhishthira! Who is a brahmana and what should he know? From your words, I think that you are extremely wise.”

‘Yudhishthira replied, “O Indra among serpents! It is said that a brahmana is one in whom truthfulness, charity, forgiveness, good conduct, lack of cruelty, self-control and compassion can be seen. O serpent! He obtains knowledge of the supreme brahman, which is beyond happiness and unhappiness, and on attaining which, there is no sorrow. What else will you say?”

‘The serpent asked, “Truthfulness and knowledge of the brahman can be found in all the four varnas. O Yudhishthira! Truthfulness, charity, lack of anger, lack of cruelty, non-violence and compassion can also be found among shudras. O lord of men! You have said that the object of knowledge is beyond happiness and unhappiness. But there is nothing that is free from either. I do not think such a thing exists.”

‘Yudhishthira replied, “If these traits, not even found in a brahmana, are seen in a shudra, he is not a shudra. A brahmana in whom a brahmana’s traits are not found, is a shudra. O serpent! It is said that one in whom these traits are found is a brahmana. O serpent! One in whom these traits are not found, is marked as a shudra. Then again, you have said that the object of knowledge does not exist, because there is nothing that is free from both those sentiments.
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O serpent! It is your view that nothing can exist without those two.
There is a state between cold and heat that is neither cold nor heat. Like that, there is something in between that is neither happiness, nor unhappiness. That is my view. O serpent! What do you think?”

‘The serpent said, “O king! O one with a long life! If you assert that a brahmana is known by his conduct, birth has no meaning, as long as those characteristics can be seen.”

‘Yudhishthira replied, “O great serpent! O immensely wise one! I think that among men, birth is difficult to determine, because of mixed birth among all the varnas. Men always beget children on women from all varnas. All men are equal in speech, intercourse, birth and death. The proof of this can be found in the words of the learned rishis, who have said ‘We sacrifice’ and so on, basing this entirely on conduct.
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The birth rituals of a man are performed even before the navel chord has been severed. At that time, the mother is Savitri and the father is the preceptor.
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Before initiation into knowledge of the Vedas, everyone is a shudra by conduct. When there is a difference of opinion on this, Svayambhuva Manu
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has categorically stated, ‘The observance of rituals determines varna. If conduct cannot be seen, mixed races overwhelmingly dominate.’ O Indra among serpents! O great serpent! O supreme among serpents! I have earlier defined as a brahmana one in whom the principles of good conduct are seen.”

‘The serpent said, “O Yudhishthira! I have listened to your words. You know what should be known. How can I now devour your brother Vrikodara?”’

‘Yudhishthira asked, “In this world, there is no one as knowledgeable as you in the Vedas and the Vedangas.
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Tell me. Which are the deeds through which one attains the supreme objective?”

‘The serpent replied, “O descendant of the Bharata lineage! It is my view that one goes to heaven by giving to those who are worthy, speaking the truth and by always resorting to non-violence.”

‘Yudhishthira asked, “O serpent! Between generosity and truthfulness, which is seen to be superior? Between non-violence and good conduct, which is superior and which is inferior?”

‘The serpent replied, “The superiority or inferiority of generosity versus truthfulness or non-violence vis-à-vis good conduct is determined by whether the effects of these deeds are more or less important. There are times when truthfulness is regarded as superior to generosity. O Indra among kings! There are times when generosity is regarded as superior to truthfulness. O mighty archer! O lord of the earth! In that way, there are occasions when non-violence is superior to kind words and other occasions when kind words are superior. O king! In this fashion, the superiority depends on the effects. If there is anything else that you are thinking of, tell me. I will explain.”

‘Yudhishthira asked, “O serpent! What are the deeds through which one can attain heaven? What are seen to be the certain fruits of the disembodied soul? Explain these things to me.”

‘The serpent replied, “O king! Depending on one’s own deeds, there are seen to be three end goals—human birth, residence in heaven and rebirth as inferior species. These are the three ends. Through continuous acts of charity and deeds based on reasons of non-violence, one attains heaven from this world of men. O Indra among kings! Through the reverse deeds, a man is born as inferior species. O son!
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I will tell you about the specifics. A man who is addicted to desire and anger, and overcome by violence and avarice, is dislodged and is reborn as inferior species. It has separately been said that one who is born as inferior species, can be reborn as a human. Thus, cattle and horses are seen to have attained divine status. O son! Such is the goal of all animals, depending on one’s deeds. O king! The self should always be established in greatness. From one birth to another, the soul enjoys the fruits that come from a body, though it is distinct. This is the characteristic of all beings.”

‘Yudhishthira asked, “O serpent! Tell me exactly how the soul is established in a body and experiences sound, touch, colour, taste and smell. O immensely intelligent one! Do you also not separately experience these senses? O supreme among serpents! Tell me everything that I have asked.”

‘The serpent replied, “O one with a long life! When the soul has resorted to a physical body and has established itself in control, it experiences each of those senses, depending on their characteristics. O bull among the Bharata lineage! Learn from me that knowledge, intelligence and the mind are faculties that determine a soul’s enjoyment of the senses. O son! Through the mind, the embodied being experiences one after another, from one object to another, the senses that flow out of each of these objects. O tiger among men! The mind is thus the cause of all perceptions among animals. At the same time, it cannot experience multiple objects. O tiger among men! The soul is established between the eyebrows. It creates the intelligence about different kinds of objects. O tiger among kings! According to the wise, different kinds of experience flow from this intelligence. These are the ways of an embodied soul.”

‘Yudhishthira asked, “Tell me. What are the specific characteristics that distinguish the mind and the intelligence? What is said to be the supreme deed for those who wish to know about the soul?”

‘The serpent replied, “O son! Through various distractions, the intelligence is said to follow the soul. Though consciousness is derived from it,
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it is said to control the soul. Intelligence is not subject to
the different qualities. But the mind has these qualities. O son! Thus have I distinguished between the mind and intelligence. But you yourself have knowledge about these matters. What do you think?”