The Mahabharata of Krishna Dwaipayana Vyasa by Kisari Mohan Ganguli (Translator)

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John B. Hare and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team

The Mahabharata

of

Krishna-Dwaipayana Vyasa

Translated into English Prose from the Original Sanskrit Text

by

Kisari Mohan Ganguli

[1883-1896]

Scanned at sacred-texts.com, 2003. Redaction at Distributed Proofing,
Juliet Sutherland, Project Manager. Additional proofing and formatting at
sacred-texts.com, by J. B. Hare. This text is in the public domain. These
files may be used for any non-commercial purpose, provided this notice of
attribution is left intact.

TRANSLATOR'S PREFACE

The object of a translator should ever be to hold the mirror upto his
author. That being so, his chief duty is to represent so far as
practicable the manner in which his author's ideas have been expressed,
retaining if possible at the sacrifice of idiom and taste all the
peculiarities of his author's imagery and of language as well. In regard
to translations from the Sanskrit, nothing is easier than to dish up Hindu
ideas, so as to make them agreeable to English taste. But the endeavour of
the present translator has been to give in the following pages as literal
a rendering as possible of the great work of Vyasa. To the purely English
reader there is much in the following pages that will strike as ridiculous.
Those unacquainted with any language but their own are generally very
exclusive in matters of taste. Having no knowledge of models other than
what they meet with in their own tongue, the standard they have formed of
purity and taste in composition must necessarily be a narrow one. The
translator, however, would ill-discharge his duty, if for the sake of
avoiding ridicule, he sacrificed fidelity to the original. He must
represent his author as he is, not as he should be to please the narrow
taste of those entirely unacquainted with him. Mr. Pickford, in the
preface to his English translation of the Mahavira Charita, ably defends a
close adherence to the original even at the sacrifice of idiom and taste
against the claims of what has been called 'Free Translation,' which means
dressing the author in an outlandish garb to please those to whom he is
introduced.

In the preface to his classical translation of Bhartrihari's Niti Satakam
and Vairagya Satakam, Mr. C.H. Tawney says, "I am sensible that in the
present attempt I have retained much local colouring. For instance, the
ideas of worshipping the feet of a god of great men, though it frequently
occurs in Indian literature, will undoubtedly move the laughter of
Englishmen unacquainted with Sanskrit, especially if they happen to belong
to that class of readers who revel their attention on the accidental and
remain blind to the essential. But a certain measure of fidelity to the
original even at the risk of making oneself ridiculous, is better than the
studied dishonesty which characterises so many translations of oriental
poets."

We fully subscribe to the above although, it must be observed, the censure
conveyed to the class of translators last indicated is rather undeserved,
there being nothing like a 'studied dishonesty' in their efforts which
proceed only from a mistaken view of their duties and as such betray only
an error of the head but not of the heart. More than twelve years ago when
Babu Pratapa Chandra Roy, with Babu Durga Charan Banerjee, went to my
retreat at Seebpore, for engaging me to translate the Mahabharata into
English, I was amazed with the grandeur of the scheme. My first question
to him was,--whence was the money to come, supposing my competence for the
task. Pratapa then unfolded to me the details of his plan, the hopes he
could legitimately cherish of assistance from different quarters. He was
full of enthusiasm. He showed me Dr. Rost's letter, which, he said, had
suggested to him the undertaking. I had known Babu Durga Charan for many
years and I had the highest opinion of his scholarship and practical good
sense. When he warmly took Pratapa's side for convincing me of the
practicability of the scheme, I listened to him patiently. The two were
for completing all arrangements with me the very day. To this I did not
agree. I took a week's time to consider. I consulted some of my literary
friends, foremost among whom was the late lamented Dr. Sambhu C.
Mookherjee. The latter, I found, had been waited upon by Pratapa. Dr.
Mookherjee spoke to me of Pratapa as a man of indomitable energy and
perseverance. The result of my conference with Dr. Mookherjee was that I
wrote to Pratapa asking him to see me again. In this second interview
estimates were drawn up, and everything was arranged as far as my portion
of the work was concerned. My friend left with me a specimen of
translation which he had received from Professor Max Muller. This I began
to study, carefully comparing it sentence by sentence with the original.
About its literal character there could be no doubt, but it had no flow
and, therefore, could not be perused with pleasure by the general reader.
The translation had been executed thirty years ago by a young German
friend of the great Pundit. I had to touch up every sentence. This I did
without at all impairing faithfulness to the original. My first 'copy' was
set up in type and a dozen sheets were struck off. These were submitted to
the judgment of a number of eminent writers, European and native. All of
them, I was glad to see, approved of the specimen, and then the task of
translating the Mahabharata into English seriously began.

Before, however, the first fasciculus could be issued, the question as to
whether the authorship of the translation should be publicly owned, arose.
Babu Pratapa Chandra Roy was against anonymity. I was for it. The reasons
I adduced were chiefly founded upon the impossibility of one person
translating the whole of the gigantic work. Notwithstanding my resolve to
discharge to the fullest extent the duty that I took up, I might not live
to carry it out. It would take many years before the end could be reached.
Other circumstances than death might arise in consequence of which my
connection with the work might cease. It could not be desirable to issue
successive fasciculus with the names of a succession of translators
appearing on the title pages. These and other considerations convinced my
friend that, after all, my view was correct. It was, accordingly, resolved
to withhold the name of the translator. As a compromise, however, between
the two views, it was resolved to issue the first fasciculus with two
prefaces, one over the signature of the publisher and the other headed--
'Translator's Preface.' This, it was supposed, would effectually guard
against misconceptions of every kind. No careful reader would then
confound the publisher with the author.

Although this plan was adopted, yet before a fourth of the task had been
accomplished, an influential Indian journal came down upon poor Pratapa
Chandra Roy and accused him openly of being a party to a great literary
imposture, viz., of posing before the world as the translator of Vyasa's
work when, in fact, he was only the publisher. The charge came upon my
friend as a surprise, especially as he had never made a secret of the
authorship in his correspondence with Oriental scholars in every part of
the world. He promptly wrote to the journal in question, explaining the
reasons there were for anonymity, and pointing to the two prefaces with
which the first fasciculus had been given to the world. The editor readily
admitted his mistake and made a satisfactory apology.

Now that the translation has been completed, there can no longer be any
reason for withholding the name of the translator. The entire translation
is practically the work of one hand. In portions of the Adi and the Sabha
Parvas, I was assisted by Babu Charu Charan Mookerjee. About four forms of
the Sabha Parva were done by Professor Krishna Kamal Bhattacharya, and
about half a fasciculus during my illness, was done by another hand. I
should however state that before passing to the printer the copy received
from these gentlemen I carefully compared every sentence with the original,
making such alterations as were needed for securing a uniformity of style
with the rest of the work.

I should here observe that in rendering the Mahabharata into English I
have derived very little aid from the three Bengali versions that are
supposed to have been executed with care. Every one of these is full of
inaccuracies and blunders of every description. The Santi in particular
which is by far the most difficult of the eighteen Parvas, has been made a
mess of by the Pundits that attacked it. Hundreds of ridiculous blunders
can be pointed out in both the Rajadharma and the Mokshadharma sections.
Some of these I have pointed out in footnotes.

I cannot lay claim to infallibility. There are verses in the Mahabharata
that are exceedingly difficult to construe. I have derived much aid from
the great commentator Nilakantha. I know that Nilakantha's authority is
not incapable of being challenged. But when it is remembered that the
interpretations given by Nilakantha came down to him from preceptors of
olden days, one should think twice before rejecting Nilakantha as a guide.

About the readings I have adopted, I should say that as regards the first
half of the work, I have generally adhered to the Bengal texts; as regards
the latter half, to the printed Bombay edition. Sometimes individual
sections, as occurring in the Bengal editions, differ widely, in respect
of the order of the verses, from the corresponding ones in the Bombay
edition. In such cases I have adhered to the Bengal texts, convinced that
the sequence of ideas has been better preserved in the Bengal editions
than the Bombay one.

I should express my particular obligations to Pundit Ram Nath Tarkaratna,
the author of 'Vasudeva Vijayam' and other poems, Pundit Shyama Charan
Kaviratna, the learned editor of Kavyaprakasha with the commentary of
Professor Mahesh Chandra Nayaratna, and Babu Aghore Nath Banerjee, the
manager of the Bharata Karyalaya. All these scholars were my referees on
all points of difficulty. Pundit Ram Nath's solid scholarship is known to
them that have come in contact with him. I never referred to him a
difficulty that he could not clear up. Unfortunately, he was not always at
hand to consult. Pundit Shyama Charan Kaviratna, during my residence at
Seebpore, assisted me in going over the Mokshadharma sections of the Santi
Parva. Unostentatious in the extreme, Kaviratna is truly the type of a
learned Brahman of ancient India. Babu Aghore Nath Banerjee also has from
time to time, rendered me valuable assistance in clearing my difficulties.

Gigantic as the work is, it would have been exceedingly difficult for me
to go on with it if I had not been encouraged by Sir Stuart Bayley, Sir
Auckland Colvin, Sir Alfred Croft, and among Oriental scholars, by the
late lamented Dr. Reinhold Rost, and Mons. A. Barth of Paris. All these
eminent men know from the beginning that the translation was proceeding
from my pen. Notwithstanding the enthusiasm, with which my poor friend,
Pratapa Chandra Roy, always endeavoured to fill me. I am sure my energies
would have flagged and patience exhausted but for the encouraging words
which I always received from these patrons and friends of the enterprise.

Lastly, I should name my literary chief and friend, Dr. Sambhu C.
Mookherjee. The kind interest he took in my labours, the repeated
exhortations he addressed to me inculcating patience, the care with which
he read every fasciculus as it came out, marking all those passages which
threw light upon topics of antiquarian interest, and the words of praise
he uttered when any expression particularly happy met his eyes, served to
stimulate me more than anything else in going on with a task that
sometimes seemed to me endless.

Kisari Mohan Ganguli

Calcutta

THE MAHABHARATA

ADI PARVA

SECTION I

Om! Having bowed down to Narayana and Nara, the most exalted male being,
and also to the goddess Saraswati, must the word Jaya be uttered.

Ugrasrava, the son of Lomaharshana, surnamed Sauti, well-versed in the
Puranas, bending with humility, one day approached the great sages of
rigid vows, sitting at their ease, who had attended the twelve years'
sacrifice of Saunaka, surnamed Kulapati, in the forest of Naimisha. Those
ascetics, wishing to hear his wonderful narrations, presently began to
address him who had thus arrived at that recluse abode of the inhabitants
of the forest of Naimisha. Having been entertained with due respect by
those holy men, he saluted those Munis (sages) with joined palms, even all
of them, and inquired about the progress of their asceticism. Then all the
ascetics being again seated, the son of Lomaharshana humbly occupied the
seat that was assigned to him. Seeing that he was comfortably seated, and
recovered from fatigue, one of the Rishis beginning the conversation,
asked him, 'Whence comest thou, O lotus-eyed Sauti, and where hast thou
spent the time? Tell me, who ask thee, in detail.'

Accomplished in speech, Sauti, thus questioned, gave in the midst of that
big assemblage of contemplative Munis a full and proper answer in words
consonant with their mode of life.

"Sauti said, 'Having heard the diverse sacred and wonderful stories which
were composed in his Mahabharata by Krishna-Dwaipayana, and which were
recited in full by Vaisampayana at the Snake-sacrifice of the high-souled
royal sage Janamejaya and in the presence also of that chief of Princes,
the son of Parikshit, and having wandered about, visiting many sacred
waters and holy shrines, I journeyed to the country venerated by the
Dwijas (twice-born) and called Samantapanchaka where formerly was fought
the battle between the children of Kuru and Pandu, and all the chiefs of
the land ranged on either side. Thence, anxious to see you, I am come into
your presence. Ye reverend sages, all of whom are to me as Brahma; ye
greatly blessed who shine in this place of sacrifice with the splendour of
the solar fire: ye who have concluded the silent meditations and have fed
the holy fire; and yet who are sitting--without care, what, O ye Dwijas
(twice-born), shall I repeat, shall I recount the sacred stories collected
in the Puranas containing precepts of religious duty and of worldly profit,
or the acts of illustrious saints and sovereigns of mankind?"

"The Rishi replied, 'The Purana, first promulgated by the great Rishi
Dwaipayana, and which after having been heard both by the gods and the
Brahmarshis was highly esteemed, being the most eminent narrative that
exists, diversified both in diction and division, possessing subtile
meanings logically combined, and gleaned from the Vedas, is a sacred work.
Composed in elegant language, it includeth the subjects of other books. It
is elucidated by other Shastras, and comprehendeth the sense of the four
Vedas. We are desirous of hearing that history also called Bharata, the
holy composition of the wonderful Vyasa, which dispelleth the fear of evil,
just as it was cheerfully recited by the Rishi Vaisampayana, under the
direction of Dwaipayana himself, at the snake-sacrifice of Raja
Janamejaya?'

"Sauti then said, 'Having bowed down to the primordial being Isana, to
whom multitudes make offerings, and who is adored by the multitude; who is
the true incorruptible one, Brahma, perceptible, imperceptible, eternal;
who is both a non-existing and an existing-non-existing being; who is the
universe and also distinct from the existing and non-existing universe;
who is the creator of high and low; the ancient, exalted, inexhaustible
one; who is Vishnu, beneficent and the beneficence itself, worthy of all
preference, pure and immaculate; who is Hari, the ruler of the faculties,
the guide of all things moveable and immoveable; I will declare the sacred
thoughts of the illustrious sage Vyasa, of marvellous deeds and worshipped
here by all. Some bards have already published this history, some are now
teaching it, and others, in like manner, will hereafter promulgate it upon
the earth. It is a great source of knowledge, established throughout the
three regions of the world. It is possessed by the twice-born both in
detailed and compendious forms. It is the delight of the learned for being
embellished with elegant expressions, conversations human and divine, and
a variety of poetical measures.'"

In this world, when it was destitute of brightness and light, and
enveloped all around in total darkness, there came into being, as the
primal cause of creation, a mighty egg, the one inexhaustible seed of all
created beings. It is called Mahadivya, and was formed at the beginning of
the Yuga, in which we are told, was the true light Brahma, the eternal one,
the wonderful and inconceivable being present alike in all places; the
invisible and subtile cause, whose nature partaketh of entity and non-
entity. From this egg came out the lord Pitamaha Brahma, the one only
Prajapati; with Suraguru and Sthanu. Then appeared the twenty-one
Prajapatis, viz., Manu, Vasishtha and Parameshthi; ten Prachetas, Daksha,
and the seven sons of Daksha. Then appeared the man of inconceivable
nature whom all the Rishis know and so the Viswe-devas, the Adityas, the
Vasus, and the twin Aswins; the Yakshas, the Sadhyas, the Pisachas, the
Guhyakas, and the Pitris. After these were produced the wise and most holy
Brahmarshis, and the numerous Rajarshis distinguished by every noble
quality. So the water, the heavens, the earth, the air, the sky, the
points of the heavens, the years, the seasons, the months, the fortnights,
called Pakshas, with day and night in due succession. And thus were
produced all things which are known to mankind.

And what is seen in the universe, whether animate or inanimate, of created
things, will at the end of the world, and after the expiration of the Yuga,
be again confounded. And, at the commencement of other Yugas, all things
will be renovated, and, like the various fruits of the earth, succeed each
other in the due order of their seasons. Thus continueth perpetually to
revolve in the world, without beginning and without end, this wheel which
causeth the destruction of all things.

The generation of Devas, in brief, was thirty-three thousand, thirty-three
hundred and thirty-three. The sons of Div were Brihadbhanu, Chakshus, Atma
Vibhavasu, Savita, Richika, Arka, Bhanu, Asavaha, and Ravi. Of these
Vivaswans of old, Mahya was the youngest whose son was Deva-vrata. The
latter had for his son, Su-vrata who, we learn, had three sons,--Dasa-
jyoti, Sata-jyoti, and Sahasra-jyoti, each of them producing numerous
offspring. The illustrious Dasa-jyoti had ten thousand, Sata-jyoti ten
times that number, and Sahasra-jyoti ten times the number of Sata-jyoti's
offspring. From these are descended the family of the Kurus, of the Yadus,
and of Bharata; the family of Yayati and of Ikshwaku; also of all the
Rajarshis. Numerous also were the generations produced, and very abundant
were the creatures and their places of abode. The mystery which is
threefold--the Vedas, Yoga, and Vijnana Dharma, Artha, and Kama--also
various books upon the subject of Dharma, Artha, and Kama; also rules for
the conduct of mankind; also histories and discourses with various srutis;
all of which having been seen by the Rishi Vyasa are here in due order
mentioned as a specimen of the book.

The Rishi Vyasa published this mass of knowledge in both a detailed and an
abridged form. It is the wish of the learned in the world to possess the
details and the abridgement. Some read the Bharata beginning with the
initial mantra (invocation), others with the story of Astika, others with
Uparichara, while some Brahmanas study the whole. Men of learning display
their various knowledge of the institutes in commenting on the composition.
Some are skilful in explaining it, while others, in remembering its
contents.

The son of Satyavati having, by penance and meditation, analysed the
eternal Veda, afterwards composed this holy history, when that learned
Brahmarshi of strict vows, the noble Dwaipayana Vyasa, offspring of
Parasara, had finished this greatest of narrations, he began to consider
how he might teach it to his disciples. And the possessor of the six
attributes, Brahma, the world's preceptor, knowing of the anxiety of the
Rishi Dwaipayana, came in person to the place where the latter was, for
gratifying the saint, and benefiting the people. And when Vyasa,
surrounded by all the tribes of Munis, saw him, he was surprised; and,
standing with joined palms, he bowed and ordered a seat to be brought. And
Vyasa having gone round him who is called Hiranyagarbha seated on that
distinguished seat stood near it; and being commanded by Brahma
Parameshthi, he sat down near the seat, full of affection and smiling in
joy. Then the greatly glorious Vyasa, addressing Brahma Parameshthi, said,
"O divine Brahma, by me a poem hath been composed which is greatly
respected. The mystery of the Veda, and what other subjects have been
explained by me; the various rituals of the Upanishads with the Angas; the
compilation of the Puranas and history formed by me and named after the
three divisions of time, past, present, and future; the determination of
the nature of decay, fear, disease, existence, and non-existence, a
description of creeds and of the various modes of life; rule for the four
castes, and the import of all the Puranas; an account of asceticism and of
the duties of a religious student; the dimensions of the sun and moon, the
planets, constellations, and stars, together with the duration of the four
ages; the Rik, Sama and Yajur Vedas; also the Adhyatma; the sciences
called Nyaya, Orthoephy and Treatment of diseases; charity and
Pasupatadharma; birth celestial and human, for particular purposes; also a
description of places of pilgrimage and other holy places of rivers,
mountains,, forests, the ocean, of heavenly cities and the kalpas; the art
of war; the different kinds of nations and languages: the nature of the
manners of the people; and the all-pervading spirit;--all these have been
represented. But, after all, no writer of this work is to be found on
earth.'

"Brahma said. 'I esteem thee for thy knowledge of divine mysteries, before
the whole body of celebrated Munis distinguished for the sanctity of their
lives. I know thou hast revealed the divine word, even from its first
utterance, in the language of truth. Thou hast called thy present work a
poem, wherefore it shall be a poem. There shall be no poets whose works
may equal the descriptions of this poem, even, as the three other modes
called Asrama are ever unequal in merit to the domestic Asrama. Let Ganesa
be thought of, O Muni, for the purpose of writing the poem.'

"Sauti said, 'Brahma having thus spoken to Vyasa, retired to his own abode.
Then Vyasa began to call to mind Ganesa. And Ganesa, obviator of obstacles,
ready to fulfil the desires of his votaries, was no sooner thought of,
than he repaired to the place where Vyasa was seated. And when he had been
saluted, and was seated, Vyasa addressed him thus, 'O guide of the Ganas!
be thou the writer of the Bharata which I have formed in my imagination,
and which I am about to repeat."

"Ganesa, upon hearing this address, thus answered, 'I will become the
writer of thy work, provided my pen do not for a moment cease writing."
And Vyasa said unto that divinity, 'Wherever there be anything thou dost
not comprehend, cease to continue writing.' Ganesa having signified his
assent, by repeating the word Om! proceeded to write; and Vyasa began; and
by way of diversion, he knit the knots of composition exceeding close; by
doing which, he dictated this work according to his engagement.

I am (continued Sauti) acquainted with eight thousand and eight hundred
verses, and so is Suka, and perhaps Sanjaya. From the mysteriousness of
their meaning, O Muni, no one is able, to this day, to penetrate those
closely knit difficult slokas. Even the omniscient Ganesa took a moment to
consider; while Vyasa, however, continued to compose other verses in great
abundance.

The wisdom of this work, like unto an instrument of applying collyrium,
hath opened the eyes of the inquisitive world blinded by the darkness of
ignorance. As the sun dispelleth the darkness, so doth the Bharata by its
discourses on religion, profit, pleasure and final release, dispel the
ignorance of men. As the full-moon by its mild light expandeth the buds of
the water-lily, so this Purana, by exposing the light of the Sruti hath
expanded the human intellect. By the lamp of history, which destroyeth the
darkness of ignorance, the whole mansion of nature is properly and
completely illuminated.

This work is a tree, of which the chapter of contents is the seed; the
divisions called Pauloma and Astika are the root; the part called Sambhava
is the trunk; the books called Sabha and Aranya are the roosting perches;
the books called Arani is the knitting knots; the books called Virata and
Udyoga the pith; the book named Bhishma, the main branch; the book called
Drona, the leaves; the book called Karna, the fair flowers; the book named
Salya, their sweet smell; the books entitled Stri and Aishika, the
refreshing shade; the book called Santi, the mighty fruit; the book called
Aswamedha, the immortal sap; the denominated Asramavasika, the spot where
it groweth; and the book called Mausala, is an epitome of the Vedas and
held in great respect by the virtuous Brahmanas. The tree of the Bharata,
inexhaustible to mankind as the clouds, shall be as a source of livelihood
to all distinguished poets."