character, and when, at the close of life, he was again
tested, when a God bade him desert his faithful
dog, he rose above the trial and stood fast in right-
eousness, throwing away heaven that he might be
faithful to the end. Thus do the Gods deal with
us, trying us to the very uttermost, that any flaw
may be found and gotten rid of, that in the end we
may be able to stand blameless, through any stress
of pain or any strain on self-reliance.
192 THE SIN OF YUDHISHTHIRA
When Drona heard from Bhima, on Yudhlshthi'ra's
authority, that his son was slain, he dropped his
weapons, and, sitting down on his car, gave himself
to meditation. Then Dhrishtadyumna, leaping from
his chariot, seized a sword and rushed on the weapon-
less hero, who, bending his head, left his body, rising
in radiant glory into the sky. As he rose, the lifeless
body sank prone on the side of the war, and Dhrishta-
dyumna, seizing the white locks, struck off the vener-
able head, the head of his Guru, that ancient hero of
five-and-eighty years, whose disciples were the leaders
of the battling hosts. In vain Arjuna cried, " Bring
the preceptor alive ! do not slay him ! he should not
be slain." Drona had passed ere the sword had
struck him, and, glorious in the region of Brahman,
was beyond all earthly pain. [§ 186-193]
At Drona's death, the Kuru troops broke and fled
in all directions, until Ashvattham^, hearing of his
father's death, and inflamed to fury at the insult of
seizing him by his reverend white locks, swore the
death of his slayers, and summoned to his aid the
mighty Narayana weapon, capable of annihilating all
foes in war. He rallied the flying forces and marshal-
led them again for battle. Meanwhile Arjuna, broken-
hearted, was bewailing his preceptor and his own
crime in being present at his cruel slaughter, though in
KESHAVA SAVES THE ARMY 193
truth he had striven to save him. " I have, O Lord ! "
he cried, "sunk in hell, overcome with shame," Angri-
ly Bhima and Dhrishtadyumna reproached him, but
S&tyaki sided with him, bitterly rebuking Dhrishtady-
umna, until the two rushed upon each other in anger,
and only the onslaught of the Kurus made them
turn again upon the common foe. As Ashvatthama
launched his terrible weapon at the Pandava host, it
blazed up consuming the troops, and Keshava shout-
ed to them to lay down their arms and stand wea-
ponless on the ground, so should that weapon be
baffled : alone Bhima refused to obey and stood
for battle, till he was enveloped in fire, and Keshava
and Arjuna dragged him down despite himself, and
then the w^eapon vanished. Duryodhana hotly cried
to Ashvatthama to launch it once more, but Drona's
son answered sadly that the weapon could not be
recalled, nor used twice ; Keshava had baffled it, and
the destruction of the foe remained unaccomplished.
Then the battle recommenced, and Bhima's charioteer
falling, he was carried away by his horses, while
Arjuna attacked AsvatthamS, and as he issued unin-
jured from a shower of arrows from a celestial wea-
pon that slew, amid the darkness it created, a whole
Akshauhini of troops, Drona's son, heartbroken at
his failure to kill Keshava and Arjuna, fled away from
N
194 "^^^ SIN OF YUDHISHTHIRA
the field. Meeting Vyasa, he learned from him the
true nature of Keshava and Arjuna, and why his wea-
pon could not slay them, and then he called the army
to retire for the night, and the battle ceased. At its
close Arjuna asked Vyasa who was a Being he saw
going before his car, and slaying those who were ap-
parently slain by himself, and Vyasa told him that it
was Mahadeva Himself, the Supreme Lord ; he then
gave him a wonderful description of the greatness of
Maheshvara, and with this the Drona Parva closes.
(§ 194-204.)
On the sixteenth day of battle, Karna — whose
name is given to the next Parva — was made generalis-
simo, and the combat broke out with undiminished
vigour. Karna fought with Nakula, depriving him
of charioteer, horses and finally weapons, but spared
his life for Kunti's sake ; placing his bowstring round
his neck, he let him fly, vanquished and ashamed.
Yudhishthira likewise spared Duryodhana, when the
latter swooned away, wounded by the Pandava king,
remembering Bhima's vow. The day's honours again
rested with Arjuna, who carried all before him ;
wherever the white horses flashed, guided by the
divine Charioteer, victory was seen. That night Karna
resolved to pit himself against Arjuna on the mor-
row, and, when the seventeenth day of battle dawned,
KARNA AS LEADER I95
he vowed to slay Arjuna on that day or to be himself
slain by him ; but he asked that Shalya, the king
of the Madras, should be his charioteer, and thus
enable him to cope with Arjuna on equal terms.
At first Shalya, regarding the request as an insult,
was much enraged, but Duryodhana pacified him
and persuaded him to consent, since he would be
pitted against Keshava Himself, and since Brahm^
Himself had once driven the chariot of Rudra.
Thus Karna went forth to battle with Shalya as his
charioteer, and the day opened inauspiciously by
a quarrel between charioteer and warrior, as Shalya
rebuked Karna for his boasting and praised Arjuna'
his foe. [ § 1-45.]
Karna's first great combat was with Yudhishthira,
whose car he destroyed, and who finally fled before
him, but Bhima revenged his brother's defeat, and,
striking Karna senseless, forced his charioteer to
drive him out of the battle. Soon however, returning,
he engaged again in battle, and presently, meeting
Yudhishthira with Nakula and Sahadeva, he con-
quered all three, and then rushed to the rescue of
Duryodhana, hard pressed by Bhima. Arjuna, mean-
while, having defeated Ashvatthama, sought his elder
brother, anxious as to his fate, and Yudhishthira
welcomed him joyfully, thinking that Karna must
196 THE SIN OF YUDHIHSTHIRA
be slain since Dhananjaya had left the field. On
hearing, however, that Karna was still alive, Yudhish-
thira, smarting from his own defeat, burst out into
angry reproaches against Arjuna, even taunting him
with cowardice and bidding him give Gandiva to
a better man. Then Arjuna drew his sword, and,
on the hasty interposition of Govinda, he declared
that he had vowed to slay the man who should bid
him give Gandiva to another, and, slaying Yudhish-
thira, he would pay his debt to truth. Sternly Keshava
reproved his friend for drawing his sword on his elder
brother and king, till Arjuna submissively prayed
his Lord to tell him how he might keep his vow
and yet not slay the king. Then Shri Krishna bade
him shew some trifling disrespect to his elder brother,
since disrespect killed a superior, and afterwards
worship his feet and soothe him. On this Arjuna
harshly addressed the king, but, heartstricken at
his own disrespect, again drew his sword to slay him-
self in expiation of his fault. Patiently Keshava
again checked him, reasoning with him till Arjuna,
touching the king's feet, prayed his pardon and
vowed to slay Karna. Then Yudhishthira, cut tq
the heart, bitterly reproached himself for his cruel
words, and was fain to throw away his crown, having
wronged his brother. But Govinda soothed the
A TERRIBLE DEED 197
penitent king, and he bent down and raised the
prostrate Arjuna, praising Shri Krishna and lovingly
embracing his brother, so that the storm was over,
and Arjuna went back to the battle, blessed by
Yudhishthira and vowing not to return till Karna
was slain. [ § 46-71. ]
Throughout Arjuna's absence, Bhima had been
bearing the brunt of the battle, and great was his
joy when the flashing diadem of Dhananjaya was
again seen rushing through the press. Arjuna fought
his way through till he reached Karna's division,
staying only a brief space on the way to rescue
Bhima overborne. As Arjuna went on to reach
Karna, Dushasana advanced against Bhima and a
fierce duel ensued ; it soon ended, however, for
Bhima hurled his terrible mace against his hated
foe, and, as Dushasana fell to the ground, he leapt
to earth and, remembering Krishna's wrongs and
his own awful vow, he seized his sword, ripped open
DushAsana's breast, and drank some of his blood,
then striking off the head of his wife's insulter. A
terrible deed, that struck fear and horror into all
beholders, the frightful sequel of a shameful wrong.
[§72-83.]
And now Arjuna reached Karna who had just
vanquished Nakula, and, slaying Karna's son under
198 THE SIN OF YUDHISIITHIRA
his father's eyes, attacked his Hfe-long foe. The Gods
themselves came to see that combat, and " the Gods
were on the side of Arjuna, while the A suras were
on that of Karna." Fighters first with their famous
bows, neither obtained any advantage, and when
Arjuna invoked the Brahma weapon, Karna baffled its
force, and sent against his foe fierce snakes of fire.
Then a mighty snake, whose mother had been slain
in the burning of the forest of Khandava, entered
Karna's quiver as a blazing shaft, and as, shot from
Karna's bow, it flew through the air, Keshava pressed
down A rj Una's car so that it sank a cubit's depth into
the earth, while the silver steeds laid themselves flat
on the ground. And the fiery snake-shaft swept off
and broke into fragments the Indra-given diadem of
Arjuna, but him it harmed not, as he had sunk with
his chariot, thus, through Govinda, again escaping
death. The snake returned to Karna to be again shot
forth, but Karna refused to launch the same arrow
twice, and, when the snake hurled himself at Arjuna,
that warrior cut him into pieces with his shafts.
Pressing his enemy hard, Airjuna made him drop his
weapons, and then stayed awhile, not willing to slay
his foe while he stood weaponless. But Keshava
urged him on, and Karna, recovering, snatched up
his bow, when lo ! a voice said to Karna, " The
KARNA'S DEATH 1 99
earth is devouring thy wheel ! " and the left wheel
of Karna's car began to sink deeply into the
ground. (For a Brahmana, whose calf had been
heedlessly slain by Karna, had once cursed him, and
had told him that on the approach of his death-hour,
the wheel of his car should sink into the earth in
battle.) [See § 42.] Then despair struck him and he
began to rail at righteousness, but still fought fu-
riously, until baflfled by his sunken wheel, he sprang
from his chariot to pull it up. He cried to Arjuna to
wait till he had freed his wheel, praising him for his
virtue and appealing to that for his protection. Then
Vasudeva said to him bitterly that he did well to
remember virtue in the hour of his extremity, when
he had forgotten it in all his dealings with the Panda-
vas, in the poisoning of Bhima, in the house of lac,
in the insults to Krishna. " If the virtue that thou
now invokest was nowhere on these occasions, what
is the use then of parching thy palate now by utter-
ing that word ? " Then Karna, leaving his wheel, sped
his best weapons against Arjuna, and it was Arjuna's
turn to stagger back, so that Karna again sprang to
the ground and tried to lift his wheel. Then Arjuna,
recovering, shot again at his foe, cutting off his stan-
dard, and with an arrow, sped by appeal to truth and
righteousness, he struck off Karna's head and the
200 THE SIN OF YUDHISPITHIRA
great warrior fell. Forth from the body of the son
of the Sun-God came a radiant light, that, ascending,
mingled with the Sun, and the sun-rays, nearing the
setting, touching the body of Karna, seemed stained
with his life-blood, painting the sky with crimson
and then the sun itself became pallid and sank out
(jf sight. Then the battle ceased, and the camp of
the Kurus resounded with wailings as that of the
Pandavas rang with joy. [§ 84-96.]
The eighteenth day opened with the election of
Shalya as commander-in-chief, and the Shalya Parva
tells us of his brief leadership. Yudhishthira led the
onslaught against him and the battle raged hotly
between the diminished armies. Several times the
j'oung king met his foe, and was separated from him
by others, until at last, after a combat in which his
driver and his steeds were slain, Yudhishthira dis-
charged a blazing weapon, inspiring it with mantras,
and it sheared through Shalya's chest and stretched
him dead upon the ground. [§ 1-17.]
The battle still continued, though now all hope
had left the Kurus save that of dying gloriously, and
it raged on till of Dhritarashtra's sons only two — Dur-
yodhana and Sudarsha — remained. At last, Duryo-
dhana found himself alone, without a companion ;
leaving his slain steed, he fled towards a lake and
DURYODHANA'S last fight 201
took refuge in its depths, opening its water by a
magic charm. Three car-warriors only had escaped
slaughter, Kripa, Ashvattham^ and Kritavarman, on
the Kuru side, and their safety was unknown to
Duryodhana, who thought himself the only survivor.
Hearing from Sanjaya of the king's refuge, the three
sought him after nightfall, and urged him to renew
the struggle, but Duryodhana, wearied out, refused.
Some hunters, approaching the lake and hearing the
conversation, guessed that it was Duryodhana who
had taken refujje in the lake, and went and informed
the sons of Pandu, who sought out at once the hid-
ing place of the vanquished king. Yudhishthira
summoned him to come forth and do battle for the
crown, but Duryodhana asked for a respite for a little
rest, and then he would come forth and fight. Still
pressed, he answered wearily that all he loved were
dead ; for him the earth was a desert, and he would
fain retire to the woods. Let Yudhishthira reign over
the desolated earth. Yudhishthira mockingly refused
to take the earth as a gift from him who was now
discrowned, and again challenged him to battle.
" Alone, cheerless, without a car, and without an
animal ! " cried Duryodhana. " Alone as I am, and
destitute of weapons, how can I venture to fight on
foot against numerous foes all well-armed and pos-
202 THE SIN OF YUDHISHTHIRA
sessed of cars." Yet the gallant spirit of the man
held firm in his sore necessity. " Standing in battle,
alone as I am, I shall resist all of you." And he
challenged them to fight him one at a time. Yu-
dhishthira consented to this wager of battle, adding
that if he slew any one of them, the kingdom should
be his. Then Duryodhana challenged one of the
sons of Pandu to fight him on foot with the mace,
and, this agreed to, he rose from the waters. Yu-
dhishthira provided him with armour and with all he
needed and Bhima was put forward as his antagonist.
The spectators sat round the fighters to view the
struggle and Govinda's elder brother, Rama, came to
see the last duel between the two warriors, that was
to end their life-long rivalry. [§ 18-34.]
Rama had come thither, having set out on a pil-
grimage after refusing to help either side in the
war, and he had visited many tirthas, and had heaM
the story of Kuru tilling the field afterwards called
by his name. [§ 35-54] Rama advised the comba-
tants to return to Kurukshetra for their duel, and
they according repaired thither, and the combat be-
gan. Fiercely it raged between the two mighty war-
riors so equally matched, each of them giving and
receiving heavy blows. As they fought, Keshava
reminded Arjuna of Bhima's vow, and Arjuna struck
duryodhana's fall 203
his own left thigh in the sight of Bhima. Bhima
took the hint, and watching his opportunity he rushed
at his foe, whirUng round his mace to throw it ; Dur-
yodhana leapt in the air to deceive the aim of Bhima,
and, as he leapt, Bhima hurled his mace at the thighs
of the Kuru king, fracturing them with the blow.
Then Bhima, mad with old memories of wrong, ap-
proached his helpless antagonist, and bidding him
remember the insulted Draupadi, he touched his fallen
head with his left foot. The kings around, seeing
this, shewed signs of disapproval, and Yudhishthira
reproved his brother: " Duryodhana is a king. He is,
again, thy kinsman. He is fallen Do not, O
Bhima, touch a king and a kinsman with thy foot."
And he pathetically recited Duryodhana's grievous
losses. Then approaching his fallen enemy he com-
forted him, telling him that his fate was enviable thus
to die, rather than to live, as must he and his brothers,
under the curses of the wives of their slain kinsmen.
Rama, moreover, was furious at the foul blow
struck by Bhima, fighters with the mace not being
allowed to strike below the waist, and he rushed upon
Bhima to slay him, when Keshava flung his arms
round him and with gentle words soothed his anger,
reminding him of Bhima's vow. Then Rama
mounted his car and went away, leaving the sons of
204 THE SIN OF YUDHISHTHIRA
Pandu sad at heart. Unfairly struck down and wait-
ing death, Duryodhana's courage did not fail him ;
reproached by Keshava, he answered boldly : " I
have studied, made presents according to the ordi-
nance, governed the wide earth with her seas, and
stayed over the heads of my foes. Who is there so
fortunate as myself? That end again which is coveted
by Kshattriyas observant of the duties of their own
order, death in battle, hath become mine ; who, there-
fore, is so fortunate as myself? Human enjoyments
such as were worthy of the very Gods, and such as
could with difficultly be obtained by other kings,
have been mine. Prosperity of the very highest
kind has been attained by me. Who then is so
fortunate as myself? With all my well-wishers and
my younger brothers I am going to heaven, O Thou
of unfading glory ! As regards j-ourselves, with your
purposes unachieved and torn by grief, live ye in
this unhappy world." It was a hero-heart that in
the hour of defeat, in bodily agony, and surrounded
by triumphant foes, could thus rejoice exultantly :
obstinate, cruel, unscrupulous, had Duryodhana been,
but he was strong and brave. [§ 55-61.]
As the Pandavas reached their quarters, Keshava
bade Arjuna remove Gandiva and his quivers from
his car and descend in front of Him, Then Keshava
arjuna's chariot 205
Himself left the chariot and the ape on the banner
disappeared, and lo ! in a moment, car, reins, steeds,
yoke and shaft fell into ashes. Amazed, Arjuna
enquired the reason of this strange event, and Go-
vinda replied : " That car, O Arjuna, had before
been consumed by diverse kinds of weapons. It
was because I had sat on it during battle that it
did not fall into pieces, O scorcher of foes ! Previous-
ly consumed by the energy of Brahma weapons
it has been reduced to ashes on My abandoning it
after attainment by thee of thy objects." Truly had
Keshava shewed Himself throughout that deadly
battle the Friend and Protector of Arjuna, and
proven once again that " where Krishna is, there
is victory."
Then Yudhishthira prayed Keshava to go to
Hastinapura, and break to Gandhari the news of her
son's death. Would not the wrath of that pure
ascetic blaze up and consume her son's enemies,
unless Shri Krishna Himself bore to her the fatal
news? So the Lord went forth, and, reaching Hasti-
napura, gently saluted the bereaved parents, weep-
ing as he grasped the blind king's hand. Gravely
and softly He reminded them of the events that
had forced the P^ndavas into the \\ar that had
ended so fatally for their oppressors. He appealed
206 THE SIN OF YUDHISHTHIRA
to Gandhaii, reminding her of her own words to
her son, and she conquered her grief enough to
speak : " It is even so, O Keshava, as Thou sayest.
My heart, burning iri grief, had been unsteadied.
After hearing Thy words, however, that heart, O
Janardana, hath again become steady. As regards
the bHnd old king, now become childless, thou, O
foremost of men, with those heroes, the sons of
Pandu, hast become his refuge." Thus saying, she
covered her face and burst again into tears. Then
Keshava knew that Drona's son was meditating evil
against the PSndavas, and rising hastily, He took
leave, explaining that Ashvatthama was plotting to
destroy the Pandavas that night. Then the blind
king and his wife bade Him go swiftly and protect
the sons of Pandu, and He drove back to the camp
and went to those He loved. [ § 62, 63. ]
Meanwhile Duryodhana lay dying, and was found
stretched on the ground by Kripa Asvatthama and
Kritavarman, who sorely bewailed his fall. Then
Asvatthama prayed the dying king to give him
permission to slay the conquerors, and Duryodhana
bade Kripa instal Drona's son as general. General,
truly, without an army, but still not a foe to be de-
spised, as the sequel proved. And with this ceremony
•the Shalya Parva ends. [ § 64, 65. ]
t)URYODHANA DIES 207
The brief Sauptika Parva gives the story of the
vengeance taken by Ashvatthama for his father's
death. He decided to attack the sleeping host of
the sons of Pandu, and, despite the efforts of Kripa
to dissuade him, he went to the entrance of their
camp. He was foiled by a mighty Being who stood
there, into whose body his weapons penetrated with-
out effect, and then, worshipping Rudra, and enter-
ing into the sacrificial fire, offering up himself as
victim, he obtained from Mahadeva the power to
accomplish his object. Entering the camp at dead
of night, he slaughtered his sleeping enemies, Dhrish-
tadyumna first of all, with the sons of Draupadi,
till none were left alive, save the five sons of Pandu
and Satyaki and Keshava Himself, who were not
there. Returning to the dying Duryodhana, with
Kripa and Kritavarman, he told him of the destruc-
tion of his foes. It brought a last gleam of satisfac-
tion to the agonising king, and with the words : " Good
be to you all. Prosperity be yours. All of us will
again meet in heaven," he quietly breathed his last
[§ 1-9.]
Yudhishthira, on hearing the grievous news, sent
for Draupad], who, broken-hearted, took a vow to
die if Ashvatthama were not slain, and the gem on
his head, born with him, brought to her. Bhima
208 THE SIN OF YUDIIISHTHIRA
setting forth to pursue Ashvatthama, Keshava desir-
ed Yudhishthira and Arjuna to come with Him on
His car, as Bhima could not cope with the celestial
weapon Brahmashira, known to Drona's son, and they
overtook Bhima as he was just reaching Ashvatthama.
The latter taking up a blade of grass, turned it by
mantras into the great celestial weapon, while Arjuna
quickly obeying Keshava, hurled against Ashvattha-
ma the same celestial weapon, the use of which he had
learned from Drona himself. Then Narada and Vyasa
threw themselves between these weapons and held
them in check, and Arjuna, "submissive and obedient
to all his superiors," withdrew his weapon in rever-
ence, a feat that none save the chaste in heart might
do. Ashvatthama, however, was unable to withdraw
his, but desirous of shewing reverence to the Rishis,
he turned it to slay only the unborn children of the
Pandava women, and gave the gem born with him
from his head. Despite his slaughter of the children,
Keshava declared that one of them should live,
revived by Himself, and should rule over the king-
dom of the Pandavas as Parikshit, while Ashvat-
thama himself should, for his wicked act, roam lonely
over the earth for three thousand years, " without
a companion and without being able to talk with
any one." Keshava returned with Narada and the
THE IRON IMAGE 209
princes to Draupadi, who, receiving the gem and
hearing that Ashvatthama was deprived of his weap-
ons and left to roam the earth, forgave him as the
son of the preceptor, Drona, and gave up her vow.
Then Krishna explained that Ashvatthama had slain
the survivors in the battle by the will of Mahadeva.
[§ lo-ir. ]
Meanwhile king Dhritar^shtra, mourning for his
sons and his people, called all the women of the royal
household to follow him to the obsequies of the slain,
and they set out from Hastinapura, a mournful pro-
cession, fulfilling the prophecy spoken to Krishn^
when she was driven forth in tears. On their way
they met Ashvatthama, Kripa and Kritavarman re-
turning from the slaughter of the P4ndava host, the
three parting after leaving the king, and Ashvat-
thama going on alone, to encounter the princes, as
we have seen. Yudhishthira, with his bi others, Ke-
shava and Krishna, hearing of Dhritarashtra's com-
ing, went forth to meet the king, who gently embraced
Yudhishthira. But when Bhima was approaching,
the blind king's wrath blazed up, and he was going to
strangle Bhima as he flung his arms round him, when
the ever-watchful Keshava thrust into Bhima's place an
iron image, which was crushed by the grip of Dhrita-
rashtra, who sank bleeding to the ground, his owi)
O
210 THE SIN OF YUDHISHTHIRA
chest bruised by the strong embrace. Then remorse