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

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




"Yayati answered, 'The wise, with the help of the Vedas and of Knowledge,
having ascertained the visible universe to be illusory, instantly realises
the Supreme Spirit as the sole existent independent essence. While they
that devote themselves to Yoga meditation take time to acquire the same
knowledge, for it is by practice alone that these latter divest themselves
of the consciousness of quality. Hence the wise attain to salvation first.
Then again if the person devoted to Yoga find not sufficient time in one
life to attain success, being led astray by the attractions of the world,
in his next life he is benefited by the progress already achieved, for he
devoteth himself regretfully to the pursuit of success. But the man of
knowledge ever beholdeth the indestructible unity, and, is, therefore,
though steeped in worldly enjoyments, never affected by them at heart.
Therefore, there is nothing to impede his salvation. He, however, who
faileth to attain to knowledge, should yet devote himself to piety as
dependent on action (sacrifices). But he that devoteth himself to such
piety, moved thereto by desire of salvation, can never achieve success.
His sacrifices bear no fruit and partake of the nature of cruelty. Piety
which is dependent on action that proceedeth not from the desire of fruit,
is, in case of such men Yoga itself.'

"Ashtaka said, 'O king, thou lookest like a young man; thou art handsome
and decked with a celestial garland. Thy splendour is great! Whence dost
thou come and where dost thou go? Whose messenger art thou? Art thou going
down into the Earth?'

"Yayati said, 'Fallen from heaven upon the loss of all my religious merits,
I am doomed to enter the Earth-hell. Indeed, I shall go there after I have
finished my discourse with you. Even now the regents of the points of the
universe command me to hasten thither. And, O king, I have obtained it as
a boon from Indra that though fall I must upon the earth, yet I should
fall amidst the wise and the virtuous. Ye are all wise and virtuous that
are assembled here.'

"Ashtaka said, 'Thou art acquainted with everything. I ask thee, O king,
are there any regions for myself to enjoy in heaven or in the firmament?
If there be, then, thou shalt not fall, though falling.'

"Yayati answered, 'O king, there are as many regions for thee to enjoy in
heaven even as the number of kine and horses on Earth with the animals in
the wilderness and on the hills.'

"Ashtaka said, 'If there are worlds for me to enjoy, as fruits of my
religious merits, in heaven, O king, I give them all unto thee. Therefore,
though falling, thou shalt not fall. O, take thou soon all those, wherever
they be, in heaven or in the firmament. Let thy sorrow cease.'

"Yayati answered, 'O best of kings, a Brahma-knowing Brahmana alone can
take in gift, but not one like ourselves. And, O monarch, I myself have
given away to Brahmanas as one should. Let no man who is not a Brahmana
and let not the wife of a learned Brahmana ever live in infamy by
accepting gifts. While on earth, I ever desired to perform virtuous acts.
Having never done so before, how shall I now accept a gift?'

"Pratardana who was amongst them asked, 'O thou of the handsomest form, I
am Pratardana by name. I ask thee if there are any worlds for me to enjoy
as fruits of my religious merits, in heaven or the firmament? Answer me,
thou art acquainted with everything.'

"Yayati said, 'O king, numberless worlds, full of felicity, effulgent like
the solar disc, and where woe can never dwell, await thee. If thou
dwellest in each but for seven days, they would not yet be exhausted.'

"Pratardana said, 'These then I give unto thee. Therefore, though falling,
thou must not fall. Let the worlds that are mine be thine, whether they be
in the firmament or heaven. O, soon take them. Let thy woes cease.'

"Yayati answered, 'O monarch, no king of equal energy should ever desire
to receive as gift the religious merits of another king acquired by Yoga
austerities. And no king who is afflicted with calamity through the fates
should, if wise, act in a censurable way. A king keeping his eye fixed for
ever on virtue should walk along the path of virtue like myself and,
knowing what his duties are, should not act so meanly as thou directest.
When others desirous of acquiring religious merits do not accept gifts,
how can I do what they themselves do not?' On the conclusion of this
speech, that best of kings, Yayati, was then addressed by Vasumat in the
following words."


SECTION XCIII

(Sambhava Parva continued)

"Vasumat said, 'I am Vasumat, the son of Oshadaswa. I would ask thee, O
king, whether there are any worlds for me to enjoy as fruits of my
religious merits, in heaven or the firmament. Thou art, O high-souled one,
acquainted with all holy regions.'

"Yayati answered, 'There are as many regions for thee to enjoy in heaven
as the number of places in the firmament, the Earth and the ten points of
the universe illumined by the Sun.'

"Vasumat then said, 'I give them to thee. Let those regions that are for
me be thine. Therefore, though falling, thou shall not fall. If to accept
them as gift be improper for thee, then, O monarch, buy them for a straw?'

"Yayati answered, 'I do not remember having ever bought and sold anything
unfairly. This has never been done by other kings. How shall I therefore
do it?'

"Vasumat said, 'If buying them, O king, be regarded by thee as improper,
then take them as gift from me. For myself I answer that I will never go
to those regions that are for me. Let them, therefore, be thine.'

"Sivi then addressed the king thus, I am, O king, Sivi by name, the son of
Usinara. O father, are there in the firmament or in heaven any worlds for
me to enjoy? Thou knowest every region that one may enjoy as the fruit of
his religious merit.'

"Yayati said, 'Thou hast never, by speech or in mind, disregarded the
honest and the virtuous that applied to thee. There are infinite worlds
for thee to enjoy in heaven, all blazing like lightning.' Sivi then said,
'If thou regardest their purchase as improper, I give them to thee. Take
them all, O king! I shall never take them, viz., those regions where the
wise never feel the least disquiet.'

Yayati answered, 'O Sivi, thou hast indeed, obtained for thyself,
possessed of the prowess of Indra, infinite worlds. But I do not desire to
enjoy regions given to me by others. Therefore, I accept not thy gift.'

"Ashtaka then said, 'O king, each of us has expressed his desire to give
thee worlds that each of us has acquired by his religious merits. Thou
acceptest not them. But leaving them for thee, we shall descend into the
Earth-hell.'

"Yayati answered, 'Ye all are truth-loving and wise. Give me that which I
deserve. I shall not be able to do what I have never done before.'

"Ashtaka then said, 'Whose are those five golden cars that we see? Do men
that repair to these regions of everlasting bliss ride in them?'

"Yayati answered, 'Those five golden cars displayed in glory, and blazing
as fire, would indeed, carry you to regions of bliss.'

"Ashtaka said, 'O king, ride on those cars thyself and repair to heaven.
We can wait. We follow thee in time.'

"Yayati said, 'We can now all go together. Indeed, all of us have
conquered heaven. Behold, the glorious path to heaven becomes visible."

"Vaisampayana continued, 'Then all those excellent monarchs riding in
those cars set out for heaven for gaining admittance into it, illuminating
the whole firmament by the glory of their virtues.'

"Then Ashtaka, breaking the silence asked, 'I had always thought that
Indra was my especial friend, and that I, of all others, should first
obtain admittance into heaven. But how is it that Usinara's son, Sivi hath
already left us behind?'

"Yayati answered, 'This Usinara's son had given all he possessed for
attaining to the region of Brahman. Therefore, is he the foremost among us.
Besides, Sivi's liberality, asceticism, truth, virtue, modesty,
forgiveness, amiability, desire of performing good acts, have been so
great that none can measure them!'

"Vaisampayana continued, 'After this, Ashtaka, impelled by curiosity,
again asked his maternal grandfather resembling Indra himself, saying, 'O
king, I ask thee, tell me truly, whence thou art, who thou art, and whose
son? Is there any other Brahmana or Kshatriya who hath done what thou
didst on earth?' Yayati answered, 'I tell thee truly, I am Yayati, the son
of Nahusha and the father of Puru. I was lord of all the Earth. Ye are my
relatives; I tell thee truly, I am the maternal grandfather of you all.
Having conquered the whole earth, I gave clothes to Brahmanas and also a
hundred handsome horses fit for sacrificial offering. For such acts of
virtue, the gods became propitious to those that perform them. I also gave
to Brahmanas this whole earth with her horses and elephants and kine and
gold all kinds of wealth, along with a hundred Arbudas of excellent milch
cows. Both the earth and the firmament exist owing to my truth and virtue;
fire yet burneth in the world of men owing to my truth and virtue. Never
hath a word spoken by me been untrue. It is for this that the wise adore
Truth. O Ashtaka, all I have told thee, Pratardana, and Vasumat, is Truth
itself. I know it for certain that the gods and the Rishis and all the
mansions of the blessed are adorable only because of Truth that
characteriseth them all. He that will without malice duly read unto good
Brahmanas his account of our ascension to heaven shall himself attain to
the same worlds with us.'

"Vaisampayana continued, 'It was thus that the illustrious king Yayati of
high achievements, rescued by his collateral descendants, ascended to
heaven, leaving the earth and covering the three worlds with the fame of
his deeds.'"


SECTION XCIV

(Sambhava Parva continued)

"Janamejaya said, 'O adorable one, I desire to hear the histories of those
kings who were descended from Puru. O tell me of each as he was possessed
of prowess and achievements. I have, indeed, heard that in Puru's line
there was not a single one who was wanting in good behaviour and prowess,
or who was without sons. O thou of ascetic wealth, I desire to hear the
histories in detail of those famous monarchs endued with learning and all
accomplishments.'

"Vaisampayana said, 'Asked by thee, I shall tell thee all about the heroic-
kings in Puru's line, all equal unto Indra in prowess, possessing great
affluence and commanding the respect of all for their accomplishments.

"Puru had by his wife Paushti three sons, Pravira, Iswara, and Raudraswa,
all of whom were mighty car-warriors. Amongst them, Pravira was the
perpetuator of the dynasty. Pravira had by his wife Suraseni a son named
Manasyu. And the latter of eyes like lotus-petals had his sway over the
whole Earth bounded by the four seas. And Manasyu had for his wife Sauviri.
And he begat upon her three sons called Sakta, Sahana, and Vagmi. And they
were heroes in battle and mighty car-warriors. The intelligent and
virtuous Kaudraswa begat upon the Apsara Misrakesi ten sons who were all
great bowmen. And they all grew up into heroes, performing numerous
sacrifices in honour of the gods. And they all had sons, were learned in
all branches of knowledge and ever devoted to virtue. They are Richeyu,
and Kaksreyu and Vrikeyu of great prowess; Sthandileyu, and Vaneyu, and
Jaleyu of great fame; Tejeyu of great strength and intelligence; and
Satyeyu of the prowess of Indra; Dharmeyu, and Sannateyu the tenth of the
prowess of the celestials. Amongst them all, Richeyu became the sole
monarch of the whole earth and was known by the name of Anadhrishti. And
in prowess he was like unto Vasava amongst the celestials. And Anadhristi
had a son of the name of Matinara who became a famous and virtuous king
and performed the Rajasuya and the horse-sacrifice. And Matinara had four
sons of immeasurable prowess, viz., Tansu, Mahan, Atiratha, and Druhyu of
immeasurable glory. (Amongst them, Tansu of great prowess became the
perpetrator of Puru's line). And he subjugated the whole earth and
acquired great fame and splendour. And Tansu begat a son of great prowess
named Ilina. And he became the foremost of all conquerors and brought the
whole world under his subjection. And Ilina begat upon his wife Rathantara
five sons with Dushmanta at their head, all equal in might unto the five
elements. They were Dushmanta, Sura, Bhima, Pravasu, and Vasu. And, O
Janamejaya, the eldest of them, Dushmanta, became king. And Dushmanta had
by his wife Sakuntala an intelligent son named Bharata who became king.
And Bharata gave his name to the race of which he was the founder. And it
is from him that the fame of that dynasty hath spread so wide. And Bharata
begat upon his three wives nine sons in all. But none of them were like
their father and so Bharata was not at all pleased with them. Their
mothers, therefore, became angry and slew them all. The procreation of
children by Bharata, therefore, became vain. The monarch then performed a
great sacrifice and through the grace of Bharadwaja obtained a son named
Bhumanyu. And then Bharata, the great descendant of Puru, regarding
himself as really possessing a son, installed, O foremost one of Bharata's
race, that son as his heir-apparent. And Bhumanyu begat upon his wife,
Pushkarini six sons named Suhotra, Suhotri, Suhavih, Sujeya, Diviratha and
Kichika. The eldest of them all, Suhotra, obtained the throne and
performed many Rajasuyas and horse-sacrifices. And Suhotra brought under
his sway the whole earth surrounded by her belt of seas and full of
elephants, kine and horses, and all her wealth of gems of gold. And the
earth afflicted with the weight of numberless human beings and elephants,
horses, and cats, was, as it were, about to sink. And during the virtuous
reign of Suhotra the surface of the whole earth was dotted all over with
hundreds and thousands, of sacrificial stakes. And the lord of the earth,
Suhotra, begat, upon his wife Aikshaki three sons, viz., Ajamidha, Sumidha,
and Purumidha. The eldest of them, Ajamidha, was the perpetuator of the
royal line. And he begat six sons,--Riksha was born of the womb of Dhumini,
Dushmanta and Parameshthin, of Nili, and Jahnu, Jala and Rupina were born
in that of Kesini. All the tribes of the Panchalas are descended from
Dushmanta and Parameshthin. And the Kushikas are the sons of Jahnu of
immeasurable prowess. And Riksha who was older than both Jala and Rupina
became king. And Riksha begat Samvarana, the perpetuator of the royal line.
And, O king, it hath been heard by us that while Samvarana, the son of
Riksha, was ruling the earth, there happened a great loss of people from
famine, pestilence, drought, and disease. And the Bharata princes were
beaten by the troops of enemies. And the Panchalas setting out to invade
the whole earth with their four kinds of troops soon brought the whole
earth under their sway. And with their ten Akshauhinis the king of the
Panchalas defeated the Bharata prince. Samvarana then with his wife and
ministers, sons and relatives, fled in fear, and took shelter in the
forest on the banks of the Sindhu extending to the foot of the mountains.
There the Bharatas lived for a full thousand years, within their fort. And
after they had lived there a thousand years, one day the illustrious Rishi
Vasishtha approached the exiled Bharatas, who, on going out, saluted the
Rishi and worshipped him by the offer of Arghya. And entertaining him with
reverence, they represented everything unto that illustrious Rishi. And
after he was seated on his seat, the king himself approached the Rishi and
addressed him, saying, 'Be thou our priest, O illustrious one! We will
endeavour to regain our kingdom.' And Vasishtha answered the Bharatas by
saying, 'Om' (the sign of consent). It hath been heard by us that
Vasishtha then installed the Bharata prince in the sovereignty of all the
Kshatriyas on earth, making by virtue of his Mantras this descendant of
Puru the veritable horns of the wild bull or the tusks of the wild
elephants. And the king retook the capital that had been taken away from
him and once more made all monarchs pay tribute to him. The powerful
Samvarana, thus installed once more in the actual sovereignty of the whole
earth, performed many sacrifices at which the presents to the Brahmanas
were great.

"Samvarana begat upon his wife, Tapati, the daughter of Surya, a son named
Kuru. This Kuru was exceedingly virtuous, and therefore, he was installed
on the throne by his people. It is after his name that the field called
Kuru-jangala has become so famous in the world. Devoted to asceticism, he
made that field (Kurukshetra) sacred by practising asceticism there. And
it has been heard by us that Kuru's highly intelligent wife, Vahini,
brought forth five sons, viz., Avikshit, Bhavishyanta, Chaitraratha, Muni
and the celebrated Janamejaya. And Avikshit begat Parikshit the powerful,
Savalaswa, Adhiraja, Viraja, Salmali of great physical strength,
Uchaihsravas, Bhangakara and Jitari the eighth. In the race of these were
born, as the fruit of their pious acts seven mighty car-warriors with
Janamejaya at their head. And unto Parikshit were born sons who were all
acquainted with (the secrets of) religion and profit. And they were named
Kakshasena and Ugrasena, and Chitrasena endued with great energy, and
Indrasena and Sushena and Bhimasena. And the sons of Janamejaya were all
endued with great strength and became celebrated all over the world. And
they were Dhritarashtra who was the eldest, and Pandu and Valhika, and
Nishadha endued with great energy, and then the mighty Jamvunada, and then
Kundodara and Padati and then Vasati the eighth. And they were all
proficient in morality and profit and were kind to all creatures. Among
them Dhritarashtra became king. And Dhritarashtra had eight sons, viz.,
Kundika, Hasti, Vitarka, Kratha the fifth, Havihsravas, Indrabha, and
Bhumanyu the invincible, and Dhritarashtra had many grandsons, of whom
three only were famous. They were, O king, Pratipa, Dharmanetra, Sunetra.
Among these three, Pratipa became unrivalled on earth. And, O bull in
Bharata's race, Pratipa begat three sons, viz., Devapi, Santanu, and the
mighty car-warrior Valhika. The eldest Devapi adopted the ascetic course
of life, impelled thereto by the desire of benefiting his brothers. And
the kingdom was obtained by Santanu and the mighty car-warrior Valhika.

"O monarch, besides, there were born in the race of Bharata numberless
other excellent monarchs endued with great energy and like unto the
celestial Rishis themselves in virtue and ascetic power. And so also in
the race of Manu were born many mighty car-warriors like unto the
celestials themselves, who by their number swelled the Aila dynasty into
gigantic proportions.'"


SECTION XCV

(Sambhava Parva continued)

"Janamejaya said, 'O Brahmana, I have now heard from thee this great
history of my ancestors. I had also heard from thee about the great
monarchs that were born in this line. But I have not been gratified, this
charming account being so short. Therefore, be pleased, O Brahmana, to
recite the delightful narrative just in detail commencing from Manu, the
lord of creation. Who is there that will not be charmed with such an
account, as it is sacred? The fame of these monarchs increased by their
wisdom, virtue, accomplishments, and high character, hath so swelled as to
cover the three worlds. Having listened to the history, sweet as nectar,
of their liberality, prowess, physical strength, mental vigour, energy,
and perseverance, I have not been satiated!'

"Vaisampayana said, 'Hear then, O monarch, as I recite in full the
auspicious account of thy own race just as I had heard it from Dwaipayana
before.

"Daksha begat Aditi, and Aditi begat Vivaswat, and Vivaswat begat Manu,
and Manu begat Ha and Ha begat Pururavas. And Pururavas begat Ayus, and
Ayus begat Nahusha, and Nahusha begat Yayati. And Yayati had two wives,
viz., Devayani, the daughter of Usanas, and Sarmishtha the daughter of
Vrishaparvan. Here occurs a sloka regarding (Yayati's) descendants,
'Devayani gave birth to Yadu and Turvasu; and Vrishaparvan's daughter,
Sarmishtha gave birth to Druhyu, Anu, and Puru. And the descendants of
Yadu are the Yadavas and of Puru are the Pauravas. And Puru had a wife of
the name of Kausalya, on whom he begat a son named Janamejaya who
performed three horse-sacrifices and a sacrifice called Viswajit. And then
he entered into the woods. And Janamejaya had married Ananta, the daughter
of Madhava, and begat upon her a son called Prachinwat. And the prince was
so called because he had conquered all the eastern countries up to the
very confines of the region where the Sun rises. And Prachinwat married
Asmaki, a daughter of the Yadavas and begat upon her a son named Sanyati.
And Sanyati married Varangi, the daughter of Drishadwata and begat upon
her a son named Ahayanti. And Ahayanti married Bhanumati, the daughter of
Kritavirya and begat upon her a son named Sarvabhauma. And Sarvabhauma
married Sunanda, the daughter of the Kekaya prince, having obtained her by
force. And he begat upon her a son named Jayatsena, who married Susrava,
the daughter of the Vidarbha king and begat upon her Avachina. And
Avachina also married another princess of Vidarbha, Maryada by name. And
he begat on her a son named Arihan. And Arihan married Angi and begat on
her Mahabhauma. And Mahabhauma married Suyajna, the daughter of Prasenajit.
And of her was born Ayutanayi. And he was so called because he had
performed a sacrifice at which the fat of an Ayuta (ten thousands) of male
beings was required. And Ayutanayi took for a wife Kama, the daughter of
Prithusravas. And by her was born a son named Akrodhana, who took to wife
Karambha, the daughter of the king of Kalinga. And of her was born
Devatithi, and Devatithi took for his wife Maryada, the princess of Videha.
And of her was born a son named Arihan. And Arihan took to wife Sudeva,
the princess of Anga, and upon her he begat a son named Riksha. And Riksha
married Jwala, the daughter of Takshaka, and he begat upon her a son of
the name of Matinara, who performed on the bank of Saraswati the twelve
years' sacrifice said to be so efficacious. On conclusion of the sacrifice,
Saraswati appeared in person before the king and chose him for husband.
And he begat upon her a son named Tansu. Here occurs a sloka descriptive
of Tansu's descendants.

"Tansu was born of Saraswati by Matinara. And Tansu himself begat a son
named Ilina on his wife, the princess Kalingi.

"Ilina begat on his wife Rathantari five sons, of whom Dushmanta was the
eldest. And Dushmanta took to wife Sakuntala, the daughter of Viswamitra.
And he begat on her a son named Bharata. Here occurs two slokas about
(Dushmanta's) descendants.

"The mother is but the sheath of flesh in which the father begets the son.
Indeed the father himself is the son. Therefore, O Dushmanta, support thy
son and insult not Sakuntala. O god among men, the father himself becoming
the son rescueth himself from hell. Sakuntala hath truly said that thou
art the author of this child's being.

"It is for this (i.e., because the king supported his child after hearing
the above speech of the celestial messenger) that Sakuntala's son came to
be called Bharata (the supported). And Bharata married Sunanda, the
daughter of Sarvasena, the king of Kasi, and begat upon her the son named
Bhumanyu. And Bhumanyu married Vijaya, the daughter of Dasarha. And he
begat upon her a son Suhotra who married Suvarna, the daughter of Ikshvaku.
To her was born a son named Hasti who founded this city, which has,
therefore, been called Hastinapura. And Hasti married Yasodhara, the
princess of Trigarta. And of her was born a son named Vikunthana who took
for a wife Sudeva, the princess of Dasarha. And by her was born a son
named Ajamidha. And Ajamidha had four wives named Raikeyi, Gandhari,
Visala and Riksha. And he begat on them two thousand and four hundred sons.
But amongst them all, Samvarana became the perpetuator of the dynasty. And
Samvarana took for his wife Tapati, the daughter of Vivaswat. And of her
was born Kuru, who married Subhangi, the princess of Dasarha. And he begat
on her a son named Viduratha, who took to wife Supriya, the daughter of
the Madhavas. And he begat upon her a son named Anaswan. And Anaswan
married Amrita, the daughter of the Madhavas. And of her was born a son
named Parikshit, who took for his wife Suvasa, the daughter of the Vahudas,
and begat upon her a son named Bhimasena. And Bhimasena married Kumari,
the princess of Kekaya and begat upon her Pratisravas whose son was
Pratipa. And Pratipa married Sunanda, the daughter of Sivi, and begat upon
her three sons, viz., Devapi, Santanu and Valhika. And Devapi, while still
a boy, entered the woods as a hermit. And Santanu became king. Here occurs
a sloka in respect of Santanu.

"Those old men that were touched by this monarch not only felt an
indescribable sensation of pleasure but also became restored to youth.
Therefore, this monarch was called Santanu.

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Turkey is restoring the citizenship of its most famous 20th century poet Nazim Hikmet over 50 years after it branded him a traitor.

Hikmet, a communist who died in exile in Moscow in 1963, was imprisoned in Turkey for more than a decade. He was stripped of his Turkish nationality in 1951 because of his communist views, but despite a ban on his poetry which remained in place until 1965, has remained one of Turkey's best-loved poets. His work, much of which was written in prison, including his masterpiece Human Landscapes, has been translated into more than 50 languages.

"This is very good news," said Richard McKane, Hikmet's English translator. "The restoration of his Turkish citizenship is long overdue: the people of Turkey and his readers are owed that."

Immortalised by Pablo Neruda, with whom he shared the Soviet Union's International Peace Prize in 1950, with the lines "Thanks for what you were and for the fire / which your song left forever burning", Hikmet was also supported by Jean-Paul Sartre and Pablo Picasso. Nobel laureate Orhan Pamuk, when given the editorship for a day of Turkish newspaper Radikal two years ago, used the example of Hikmet in his cover story to criticise the lack of freedom of expression in Turkey. In 2000, 500,000 Turks petitioned the government to restore Hikmet's citizenship rights and repatriate his remains.

Deputy prime minister Cemil Cicek told the Associated Press that it was time for the government to change its mind about Hikmet. "The crimes which forced the government to strip him of his citizenship at that time are no longer considered a crime," the BBC quoted him as saying.

Hikmet, whose remains are currently in Russia, had said that he wished to be buried in Turkey in his 1953 poem Testament, translated by Ruth Christie. "Friends if it's not my lot to see the day / of independence... / if I die before that day / - and it seems I will - / bury me in a village graveyard in Anatolia / and if it's fitting / and a plane tree grows at my head, / then there's no need for a gravestone or anything else."

Cicek said that Hikmet's family would now decide whether to ship his remains back to his homeland.

Hikmet introduced free verse to Turkey in the 1930s, with his themes ranging from war to love. Despite his imprisonment he retained a deep passion for Turkey. "I love my country", he wrote in one of his poems. "I swung in its lofty trees, I lay in its prisons. Nothing relieves my depression like the songs and tobacco of my country."

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