Parva 1 Chapter 20: pitṛkalpaḥ (4) - pūjanīyopākhyānam - chaṭakākhyānam - Legends of rebellious warrior ugra-āyudha and a lady bird called pūjanīya

"When that god sanat-kumāra vanished then by his grace a divine sight chanced on me while retaining consciousness about the present - bhavya vijṣānaṁ - then, oh, bhīṣma, I could see those seven brāhmaṇā-s, the legatees of kaushika viz., who took rebirth near at kurukṣetra, about whom my lord sanat-kumāra just now said to me... brahmadatto abhavat rājā yaḥ teṣāṁ saptamo dvijaḥ | pitṛ-varti iti vikhyāto nāmnā śīlena karmaṇā || 1-20-3 shukasya kanyā kṛtvī taṁ janayāmāsa pārthivam | aṇuhāt pārthiva śreṣṭhāt kāmpilye nagara uttame || 1-20-4 Of those seven brāhmaṇā-s, the seventh one who is famous for his deeds and conduct, because he is true to his name pitṛ-varti, a father-devotee, later took birth as king brahmadatta, and became a best king of kāmpilya city... the daughter of shuka, lady kṛtvi, aka kīrti-mati, begot this brahmadatta through a king called aṇuhu..." So said mārkanḍeya to bhīṣma. bhīṣma uvāca - bhīṣma continued to dharmaja: yathovāca mahābhāgo mārkaṇḍeyo mahātapāḥ | tasya vaṁśam ahaṁ rājan kīrtayiṣyāmi tacchṝṇu || 1-20-5 "Oh, dharmaja...this is what sage mārkanḍeya said to me and I am now reiterating the same to you..." Thus bhīṣma is reiterating to dharmaja. yudhiṣṭhira uvāca - yudhiṣṭhira is asking bhīṣma: aṇuhaḥ kasya vai putraḥ kasmin kāle babhūva ha | rājā dharma-bhṛtāṁ śreṣṭho yasya putro mahāyaśāḥ || 1-20-6 brahmadatto nara-patiḥ kiṁ vīryaḥ sa babhūva ha | kathaṁ ca saptamaḥ teṣāṁ sa babhūva narādhipaḥ || 1-20-7 na hi alpa-vīryāya shuko bhagavān lloka-pūjitaḥ | kanyāṁ prādādyat yogātmā kṛtvīṁ kīrtimatīṁ prabhuḥ || 1--20-8 etat icchāmi ahaṁ śrotuṁ vistareṇa mahādyute | brahmadattasya caritaṁ tat bhavān vakktum arhati || 1-20-9 yathā ca vartamānāḥ te saṁsāre ca dvijātayaḥ | mārkaṇḍeyena kathitāḥ tat bhavān prabravītu me || 1-20-10 "You said that the best possible expert in kingcraft, namely the glorious brahmadatta, is the son of king aṇuhu... but, whose son is this king aṇuhu, and in which period did he exist? What might be the mettle of king brahmadatta? How a brāhmaṇā, seventh one from among the seven the legatees of kaushika, has become a king? That godly shuka is no trifler because he is the soul of honour in matters of yoga and he is reverenced by all worlds... how that lord shuka gave his glorious daughter kṛtvi to king ahuṇa, where ahuṇa is comparatively a lesser entity than shuka... all these topics I would like to know in detail... hence it will be apt of you to elucidate the legend of brahmadatta... also please elaborate as t how the seven accursed brahamaṇa-s conducted themselves in this world, and how they are manumitted from this world... so, please narrate all that has been narrated to you by sage mārkanḍeya... bhīṣma uvāca - bhīṣma replied dharmaja: pratīpasya tu rājarṣeḥ tulya-kālo narādhipa | pitāmahasya me rājan babhūva iti mayā shrutam || 1-20-11 brahmadatto mahābhāgo yogī rājarṣi-sattamaḥ | rutajṣaḥ sarva bhūtānāṁ sarva bhūta hite rataḥ || 1-20-12 When my grandfather, the sagely king pratīpa, was on the throne, this kingly sage brahmadatta, the king of kāmpilya, was his coeval, who is righteous among all beings and interested n the well-being of one and all... I have heard so... sakhā āsa gālavo yasya yogācāryo mahāyaśāḥ | śikṣām utpādya tapasā kramo yena pravartitaḥ| Highly renowned yoga-master gālava, who studiously rearranged the texts of veda-anga-s, ancillaries of veda-s, up to some extent, is the collegian - saha-pāṭhi - and a confidant of this brahmadatta... kaṇḍarīkaḥ ca yogātmā tasya eva sachivo mahān || 1-20-13 jāti antareṣu sarveṣu sakhāyaḥ sarva eva te | sapta-jātiṣu sapta eva babhūvuḥ amita-ojasaḥ | Another soul of honour, namely kaṇḍarīka, is his best minister... in fact, all his consociates are like that... that is to say, the king, his ministers, and friends... all are - brahma-vettā-s - proficient in the quiddity of brahma... further, brahmadatta has seven such friends in all his previous seven births, of whom gālava is cited because he is a prominent one... yatha uvāca mahābhāgo mārkaṇḍeyo mahātapāḥ || 1-20-14 tasya vaṁśam ahaṁ rājan kīrtayiṣyāmi tacchṛṇu | brahmadattasya paurāṇāṁ pauravasya mahātmanaḥ || 1-20-15 King brahmadatta is from the lineage of puru dynasty... hence listen about the lineage of puru kings as has been said by sage mārkanḍeya... bṛhat-kṣatrasya dāyādaḥ suhotro nāma dhārmikaḥ | suhotrasya api dāyādo hastī nāma babhūva ha || 1-20-16 tena idaṁ nirmitaṁ pūrvaṁ hastinā-puram uttamam | In the lineage of puru kings bṛhat-kṣatra is a prominent personality... his son is suhotra, whose son is hasti... the city of hastina-pura is built by this king hasti... There is very tall family tree preceding bṛhat-kṣatra. Chapter XIX of viṣṇu purāṇa, of HH Wilson, may be perused for some details on it. hastinaḥ cāpi dāyādāḥ trayaḥ parama-dhārmikāḥ || 1-20-17 ajamīḍho dvimīḍhaḥ ca purumīḍhaḥ tathaiva ca | ajamīḍhasya dhūminyāṁ jajṣe bṛhad-iṣuḥ nṛpa | bṛhaddhanuḥ bṛhadiṣoḥ putraḥ tasya mahāyaśāḥ || 1-20-18 King hasti begot three sons, namely aja-mīḍha, dvi-mīḍha, and puru-mīḍha; king aja-mīḍha begot a son named bṛhad-iṣu through lady dhūmini; bṛhat-dhanu is the son of bṛhay-iṣu... bṛhat-dharma iti vikhyāto rājā parama-dhārmikaḥ | satyajit tanayaḥ tasya viśvajit tasya ca ātmajaḥ || 1-20-19 putro viśvajitaḥ cāpi senajit pṛthivīpatiḥ | putrāḥ senajitaḥ ca āsan catvāro lokaviśrutāḥ || 1-20-20 ruciraḥ śvetaketuḥ ca mahimnāraḥ tathaiva ca | vatsaḥ ca avantako rājā yasya ete parivatsakāḥ || 1-20-21 Then the line of princes is: bṛhay-iṣu ® satya-jit ® viśva-jit ® sena-jit; then sena-jit begot four sons, namely: rucira, śvetaketu, mahimnāra and one called vatsa.... this vatsa aka vatsala was the sometime king of avanti kingdom... rucirasya tu dāyādaḥ pṛthuseno mahāyaśāḥ | pṛthusenasya pāraḥ tu pārāt nīpaḥ tu jajṣivān || 1-20-22 Then the line of princes from rucira forward is: rucira ® pṛthu-sena ® pāra ® nīpa... nīpasya eka-śataṁ tāta putrāṇām amitaujasām | mahā-rathānāṁ rājendra śūrāṇāṁ bāhu-śālinām | nīpā iti sam-ākhyātā rājānaḥ sarva eva te || 1-20-23 And this nīpa begot hundred sons, who are highly resplendent, valiant, mighty of mightiest, and who are the top speeded men-at-chariots... and they are collectively called 'nīpā-s' after their father... teṣāṁ vaṁśakaraḥ rājā nīpānāṁ kirtivardhanaḥ | kāṁpilye samaro nāma sa cheṣṭa samaro'bhavat || 1-20-24 From among those hundred sons of nīpa, the eldest one being the enricher of that dynasty is the king of kāmpilya kingdom, who is a true battler true to his name, samara - be at daggers drawn... samarasya paraḥ pāraḥ sadashva iti te trayaḥ | putrāḥ parama-dharma-jṣāḥ para putraḥ pṛthuḥ babhau || 1-20-25 pṛthoḥ tu sukṛto nāma sukṛtena iha karmaṇā | jajṣe sarva-guṇa-peto vibhrājaḥ tasya ca ātmajaḥ || 1-20-26 vibhrājasya tu putro abhūt aṇuho nāma pārthivaḥ | babhau shukasya jāmātā kṛtvī bhartā mahāyaśāḥ || 1-20-27 King samara has three highly righteous sons, namely para, pāra, sadashva; pāra begot a son called pṛthu, who is highly proficient in dharma; then pṛthu by virtue of his good deeds begot a prince called sukṛta - behovely; then that sukṛta begot a prince called vibhrāja; later vibhrāja begot aṇuhu, who is the husband of lady kṛtvi, thus the son-in-law of highly renowned shuka... This aṇuhu is the coeval of my grandfather pratīpa...." Thus bhīṣma is continuing his narration to dharmaja. putraḥ aṇuhasya rājarṣiḥ brahmadattaḥ abhavat prabhuḥ | yoga-ātmā tasya tanayo viṣvaksenaḥ paraṁ-tapaḥ || 1-20-28 vibhrājaḥ punaḥ āyātaḥ sva-kṛtena iha karmaṇā | .... iti śrutaḥ Then brahmadatta, the sagely king and the honourable soul of yoga is the son of king aṇuhu; then brahmadatta's son is viṣvaksena... they say, vibhrāja, the deceased father of aṇuhu, reacquiring mortal life owing to his past deeds took rebirth as this viṣvaksena... brahmadattasya putraḥ anyaḥ sarvasena iti śrutaḥ || 1-20-29 cakṣuṣī tasya nirbhinne pakṣiṇyā pūjanīyayā | su-cira-uṣitayā rājan brahmadattasya veshmani || 1-20-30 There is another son of brahmadatta, called sarva-sena... but a bird, vicitra chaṭaka, a sparrow-like odd domesticated bird whose name is pūjaniya, and which resided in the palace of brahmadatta for a long time, pecked off both the eyes of sarva-sesna, rendering him blind... ātha asya putraḥ tu aparo brahmadattasya jajṣivān | viṣvaksena iti khyāto mahā-bala-parākramaḥ || 1-20-31 But the other son born to brahmadatta, namely viṣvaksena, is a very mighty conqueror... viṣvaksenasya putraḥ abhūt daṇḍaseno mahīpatiḥ | bhallāṭaḥ asya kumāraḥ abhūt rādheyena hataḥ purā || 1-20-32 daṇḍasena ātmajaḥ śūro mahātmā kula-vardhanaḥ | viṣvaksena's son is daṇḍasena whose son is bhallāṭa whom one called rādheya has slain... this bhallāṭa, the son of daṇḍasena is a true valiant, highsouled person and conserved his family prestige... bhallāṭa putro durbuddhiḥ abhavat ca yudhiṣṭhira || 1-20-33 sa teṣām abhavat rājā nīpānām anta-kṛt nṛpa | ugrāyudhena yasya arthe sarve nīpā vināśitāḥ || 1-20-34 ugrāyudho mada utsikto mayā vinihato yudhi | darpa anvito darpa ruciḥ satataṁ ca anaye rataḥ || 1-20-35 But, the son of bhallāṭa became ignominious... oh, yudhiṣṭhira... he became the king of nīpa lineage, i.e., the king of kāmpilya, only for the holocaust of nīpa descendants - because he could not resist an invading king called ugra-āyudha... because of the son of bhallāṭa, this ugra-āyudha has annihilated all the nīpa descendants, while the same ugra-āyudha, who is besides himself, draws himself up, and affronting... and the one who is always indulged in other untoward desires had to be extirpated by me in a confrontation..." Thus bhīṣma is continuing narration... yudhiṣṭhira uvāca - yudhiṣṭhira questioned: ūgrāyudhaḥ kasya sutaḥ kasmin vaṁśe atha jajṣivān | kim arthaṁ caiva bhavatā nihataḥ tat bravīhi me || 1-20-36 "Whose son is this ugra-āyudha... to which family he belongs... what for he had to be eliminated by you... please tell me something about it..." thus yudhiṣṭhira cross-queried bhīṣma... ugra-āyudha upākhyānam bhīṣma uvāca - bhīṣma replied: ajamīḍhasya dāyādo vidvān rājā yavi-naraḥ | dhṛtimān tasya putraḥ tu tasya satya-dhṛtiḥ sutaḥ || 1-20-37 jajṣe satya-dhṛteḥ putro dhṛḍha-nemiḥ pratāpavān | dhṛḍhanemi sutaḥ cāpi su-dharmā nāma pārthivaḥ || 1-20-38 āsīt sudharmaṇaḥ putraḥ sārva-bhaumaḥ prajā īśvaraḥ | sārvabhauma iti khyātaḥ pṛthivyām eka-rāṭ vibhuḥ || 1-20-39 The line of princes from ajamīḍha is like this: ajamīḍha ® scholarly son named yavi-nara ® dhṛti-mān ® satya-dhṛti ® valiant dhṛḍha-nemi ® su-dharmā ® sārva-bhauma, named so because he got emperorship and whole earth was under his single umbrella.... tasya anvavāye mahati mahān paurava nandana | mahataḥ cāpi putraḥ tu rājā rukma-rathaḥ smṛtaḥ || 1-20-40 putro rukmarathasya api su-pārśvo nāma pārthivaḥ | supārśva tanayaḥ cāpi sumatiḥ nāma dhārmikaḥ || 1-20-41 sumateḥ api dharmātmā sannatiḥ nāma vīryavān | tasya vai sannateḥ putraḥ kṛtaḥ nāma mahābalaḥ || 1-20-42 In this great lineage of paurava-s there arose a king named mahati, and from him the lineage of princes is like this: mahati ® rukma-ratha ® su-pārśva ® sumati ® sannati ® kṛta śiṣyo hiraṇyanābhasya kaushalasya mahātmanaḥ | catur-viṁśati-dhā tena sa-prācyāḥ sāma-saṁhitāḥ || 1-20-43 smṛtāḥ te prācya-sāmānaḥ kārtayo nāma sāma-gāḥ | This prince kṛta is the disciple of a vedic-teacher from kosala province called hiraṇya-nābha... this teacher has bifurcated old treatises of sāma-veda into twenty-four divisions that are later renowned as prācya-sāmā-s, ancient sāma-veda-hymns; kārti, the son of kṛta has practised the singing of these sāma-veda-hymns in the rearranged method, hence those who sing sāma-hymns in that way are called as kīrti-sāma-gā - kīrti-sāma-singers - prefixing the name of original singer to the method of singing, with a little variation in words kārti and kīrti... kārtiḥ ugrāyudhaḥ saḥ atha vīraḥ paurava-nandanaḥ || 1-20-44 babhūva yena vikramya pṛṣatasya pitāmahaḥ | nīpo nāma mahatejāḥ pāṣcāla adhipatiḥ hataḥ || 1-20-45 This kārti or kīrti is the father of the valiant legatee of paurava-s, namely ugra-āyudha, who attacked and slain the then king of pāncāla, a legatee of nīpa and the grandsire of pṛṣata... Other texts say that ugra-āyudha attacked and slew pṛṣata, the grandfather of drupada; others say he slew daṇḍa-sena the father of pṛṣata; while mbṭn says that pṛṣata is the father of drupada. For mbh even ḍhriśtadyumna is the son of Prishata. Hence pṛṣata here is to be taken as an ancestor, grandsire, rather than a strict term grandfather. ugrāyudhasya dāyādaḥ kṣemyo nāma mahāyaśāḥ | kṣemyāt suvīro nṛpatiḥ suvīrāt tu nṛpaṣjayaḥ || 1-20-46 nṛpaṣjayāt bahu-ratha iti ete pauravāḥ smṛtāḥ | The progeny of ugra-āyudha is like this: ugra-āyudha ® kṣemya ® su-vīra ® nṛpaṣjaya, or sṛṣjaya ® bahu-ratha... these will be called the legatees of pauravas... sa ca api ugrāyudhaḥ tāta dur-buddhiḥ abhavat tadā || 1-20-47 pravṛddha cakro balavān nīpa anta-karaṇo mahān | sa darpa-pūrṇo hatva ajau nīpān anyān ca pārthivān || 1-20-48 That mighty king ugra-āyudha acquired a fierce weapon, namely a disc, purportedly per kindness of śrī hari, so they say... and then he started to wipe out nīpa dynasty... having annihilated the kings of nīpa and other kings incidentally, his audacity multiplied making him a pervert... pitari uparate mahyaṁ śrāvayāmāsa kilbiṣam | mām amātyaiḥ parivṛtaṁ śayānaṁ dharaṇī-tale || 1-20-49 At that time my father king shantanu breathed his last, and I was undertaking pitṛ-medha, postfunerary rites, with utmost sincerity like dietaries and getting forty winks on bare ground etc... at such a time this ugra-āyudha sent a messenger to me when I am surrounded by my ministers, who conveyed a worst message to me... pitṛ-medha need not be misconstrued as slaughter of father, as has been done in the case of ashva-medha. medha is a ritual in accordance with vedic injunctions. ugrāyudhasya rājendra dūtaḥ abhi etya vacaḥ abravīt | adya tvaṁ jananīṁ bhīṣma gandha-kālīṁ yaśasvinīm | strī-ratnaṁ mama bhārya arthe prayaccha kuru-puṅgava || 1-20-50 Coming into my audience, oh, king dharmaja, that messenger of ugra-āyudha parroted these words of his sender: "oh, bhīṣma, yield your glorious stepmother, a jewel among women, as my makeshift-wife... kuru-puṅgava... evaṁ rājyaṁ ca te sphītaṁ dhanāni ca na saṁśayaḥ | pradāsyāmi yathā kāmam ahaṁ vai ratna-bhāk bhuvi || 1-20 -51 mama prajvalitaṁ cakraṁ nishamya idaṁ su-durjayam | shatravo vidravanti ajau darśanāt eva bhārata || 1-20-52 rāṣṭrasya icchasi chet svasti prāṇānāṁ vā kulasya vā | śāsane mama tiṣṭhasva na hi te śāntiḥ anyathā || 1-20-53 Whereby oh, kuru, the great... you can snowball your kingdom and riches... no doubt about it... or, I will present whatever gems and jewels available on earth if you so wish... or else, see the indomitable discus of mine that is ablaze, just by the sight of which my enemies fleeth the battlefield... if you cherish well-being of your province, or of your life, or of your dynasty, simply remain in my command... otherwise, you have no peace... adhaḥ-prastāra-śayane śayānaḥ tena choditaḥ | dūtān tarhi tam etat vai vākyam agni shikha upamam || 1-20-54 that ahaṁ tasya durbuddheḥ vijṣāya matam achyuta | ājṣāpayaṁ vai saṁgrāme sena-adhyakṣān ca sarvaśaḥ || 1-20-55 This is the message sent to someone who is observing ritual formalities like reposing on mats on ground etc... actually, I too was reposing on a mat then... but perceiving the malice of ugra-āyudha through such a message that is twingeing like the tongue of an inferno, I then got up, dismissed the messenger, ordered all of my army commanders to be at the ready... vicitravīryaṁ bālaṁ ca mat upāśrayam eva ca | dṛṣṭvā krodha-parīta-ātmā yuddhāya eva mano dadhe || 1-20-56 nigṛhītaḥ tadā ahaṁ taiḥ sachivaiḥ mantra-kovidaiḥ | ṛtvidbhiḥ veda-kalpaiḥ ca su-hṛdbhiḥ ca artha-darśibhiḥ || 1-20-57 snigdhaiḥ ca śāstra-vidbhiḥ ca saṁyugasya nivartane | kāraṇaṁ śrāvitaḥ ca asmi yukta-rūpaṁ tadā anagha || 1-20-58 At that time, vicitravīrya was just a boy and wholly dependant on me... perceiving ugra-āyudha, is hell-bent on warring with me as he is maddened with fury, I too wanted to retaliate... but, my ministers who are experts in political thinking, my priests who are high scholars of vedic injunctions, my friends who are well aware of the expedient, and the other near and dear who all base their thinking in scriptural imperatives have deterred me from a direct confrontation at that particular moment... they have advised me about some workable methods that can be undertaken at that time, i.e., when I am in postfunerary vow aimed at my deceased father... mantriṇa ūcuḥ - minsiters said to bhīṣma: pravṛtta-cakraḥ pāpaḥ asau tvaṁ ca ashaucha gataḥ prabho | na ca eṣa prathamaḥ kalpo yuddhaṁ nāma kadācana || 1-20-59 te vayaṁ sāma pūrvaṁ vai dānaṁ bhedaṁ tathaiva ca | prayokṣyāmaḥ tataḥ shuddho daivatāni abhivādya ca || 1-20-60 kṛta svasti ayanaḥ vipraiḥ hutvā agnīn arcya ca dvijān | brāhmaṇaiḥ abhyanujṣātaḥ prayāsyasi jayāya vai || 1-20-61 That sinister ugra-āyudha's discus is still spinning, my lord, for it is godsend to him..., and when you are in an unclean state - ashaucham - ceremonially impure condition, it is not advisable to confront a weapon of divine origin... so, a direct war is not the immediate solution, anywise... hence, we the ministers will approach the intruder using political traits of sāma, dāna, bheda upāyā-s, tactics of amity, integrity, and dis-integrity, to alleviate a confrontation... should this fail, you may wage a war after cleansing yourself at the end of postfunerary vow towards your deceased father... after completion of this vow of yours, you have to take the cleansing ceremonial bath; then firstly worship gods; obtain sacred blessings of priests - svasti-ayana-vākyā-s; enkindle sacred ritual fires; venerate scholarly brāhmaṇā-s; then, having received the consent of scholars, you can embark on a battle, if you cherish a righteous victory... astrāṇi ca prayojyāni na praveśyaḥ ca saṅgaraḥ | āśauche vartamāne tu vṛddhānām iti śāsanam || 1-20-62 Entering a battlefield or launching of missiles is prohibited during the period of ashaucha - ceremonially unclean state - this is the dictum of the past-masters... sāma-dāna-ādibhiḥ pūrṇam api bhedena vā tataḥ | tāṁ haniṣyasi vikramya śambaraṁ maghavān iva || 1-20-63 If the enemy is unyielding to us even after our using political tactics of amity, carity, and disintegrity, then you can launch a full-scale war to eliminate him, as indra once eliminated shambara-asura, the demon, in war..." So said the ministers to me... bhīṣma continued: prājṣānāṁ vacanaṁ kāle vṛddhānāṁ ca viśeṣataḥ | shrotavyam iti tat śrutvā nivṛttaḥ asmi narādhipa || 1-20-64 tataḥ taiḥ saṁkramaḥ sarvaḥ prayuktaḥ śāstra-kovidaiḥ | tasmin kāle kuruśreṣṭha karma ca ārabdham uttamam || 1-20-65 And I, thinking that we should be heedful of the timely advice of knowledgeable people that too of elders, refrained myself from waging an immediate war... then those scholarly ministers and priests have gone to ugra-āyudha to draw truce and I have completed the ritual vow in the meantime... saṁkramaḥ - upāya antereṇa śamaḥ - one who can be silenced by other means than war. saḥ sāma ādibhiḥ eva adāu upāyaiḥ prāk chintitaiḥ | anunīyamānaḥ dur-buddhiḥ anunetuṁ na shakyate || 1-20-66 pravṛttaṁ tasya tat cakram adharma niratasya vai | para-dāra-abhilāṣeṇa sadyaḥ tāta nivartitam || 1-20-67 na tu ahaṁ tasya jāne tat nivṛttaṁ cakram uttamam | hataṁ sva-karmaṇā taṁ tu pūrvaṁ sadbhiḥ ca ninditam|| 1-20-68 But, I have been thinking all the while that 'this evil-minded ugra-āyudha will not yield to any of the political manoeuvres preplanned by my ministers...' 'his discus will be effective if he uses it properly... how can that so-called divine discus will work for his gains when he himself became a wife-snatcher...' 'I have no knowledge of the capability of that discus... how to backfire it, if at all it is launched on us...' these being my thoughts, good samaritans have also inveighed him saying, 'this ugra-āyudha is digging his own grave by this provocative action...' kṛta śauchaḥ śarī ca apī rathī niṣkramya vai purāt | kṛta svastyayano vipraiḥ prāyodhayam ahaṁ ripum || 1-20-69 tataḥ saṁ-sargam āgamya balena astra balena ca | tri aham unmatta vat yuddhaṁ deva asuram iva abhavat || 1-20-70 sa mayā astra-pratāpena nir-dagdho raṇa mūrdhani | papāta abhimukhaḥ śūraḥ tyaktvā prāṇānn arindama || 1-20-71 When the delegation of my ministers failed, as expected, I set out to encounter the enemy myself, because my ritual vow is completed by then... when I just came out of our city, taking my arms, riding on my chariot, while priests chanting hymns for bon voyage, I am suddenly beset by enemy's army... then coming into direct confrontation, a mad war of three days is waged with the personal as well as the might of our armies, as if it is a war between gods and demons... "And oh, enemy-eliminator dharmaja, that ugra-āyudha, burnt by the efficacy of my missile fell down in the van of battle, and breathed his last... What happened to the discus that is oft repeated for its destruction... though it is unsaid here, its legend is like this: ugra-āyudha flung that discus at the brāhmaṇa-s and ministers who have gone to him as ambassadors of bhīṣma, at the time of delegation itself. But that disc stayed spinning in the sky, without hurting anyone. ugra-āyudha, surprised at the malfunction of his missile, neither withdrew it, nor depended on it, till the arrival of bhīṣma to battlefield. When bhīṣma arrived, there occurred a brute war, which bhīṣma terms as unmatta vat yuddhaṁ - a maniacal war, because divine power of discus has become non-functional. e-tasmin antare tāta kāmpilye pṛṣataḥ abhi-āyāt | hate nīpa īśvare caiva hate ca ugrāyudhe nṛpe || 1-29-72 A while later king pṛṣata came back to throne of kāmpilya, viz. south pāncāla, as he had to back away from his kingdom when his grandfather and the lord of nīpa-s is dead at the hand of ugra-āyudha, while that ugra-āyudha, the then ruling king of pāncāla, is dead at my hand... āhi-cchatraṁ svakaṁ rājayaṁ pitryaṁ prāpa mahādyutiḥ | drupadasya pitā rājan mama eva anumate tadā || 1-20-73 This king pṛṣata, the father of king drupada, ruled both south pāncāla with capital kāmpilya, as well as the north pāncāla with capital āhi-cchatraṁ, of course, with the carte blanche given by me... tataḥ arjunena tarasā nirjitya drupadaṁ raṇe | āhi-cchatraṁ sa kāmpilyaṁ droṇāya atha apavarjitam || 1-20-74 prati-gṛhya tataḥ droṇa ubhayaṁ jayatāṁ varaḥ | kāmpilyaṁ drupadāya eva prāyacchat viditaṁ tava || 1-20-75 Later when your brother arjuna won both north and south pāncālā-s together with their capitals āhi-cchatraṁ and kāmpilya, on conquering drupada in a confrontation, he ceded both of them to droṇa-ācārya... but droṇa, taking both kingdoms from arjuna, returned south pāncāla with its capital kāmpilya to drupada... you are aware of that... apa-varjitam= dattam= left off, beneficed. eṣa te drupadasya ādau brahmadattasya caiva ha | vaṁśaḥ kārtsnyena vai prokto nīpasya ugrāyudhasya ca || 1-20-76 Thus this is the dynastic legend of drupada and others, brahmadatta, nīpa kings and that of ugra-āyudha, narrated in its entirety... legend of pūjani, the lady bird yudhiṣṭhira uvāca - yudhiṣṭhira asked: kim arthaṁ brahmadattasya pūjanīyā śakuntikā | andhaṁ cakāra gāṅgeya jyeṣṭhaṁ putraṁ purā vibho || 1-20-77 cira uṣitā gṛhe cāpi kim arthaṁ caiva yasya sā | cakāra vi-priyam idaṁ tasya rājṣo mahātmanaḥ || 1-20-78 pūjanīyā cakāra asau kiṁ sakhyaṁ tena caiva ha | etat me saṁśayaṁ Chindhi sarvam uktvā yathātatham || 1-20-79 "h* gāṅgeya, what for the bird pūjanīya pecked off the eyes of brahmadatta's son? Though that bird is house-trained, though it has stay put in the palace for a long time, how come that bird harmed the inmates... basically, what for that bird remained in the palace of brahmadatta for a long time... what is the attachment between that king and this bird.... please clarify these doubts of mine... bhīṣma uvāca - bhīṣma replied: śṛṇu sarvaṁ mahārāja yathā vṛttam abhūt purā | brahmadattasya bhavane tat nibodha yudhiṣṭhira || 1-20-80 "Oh, yes, my dear king, yudhiṣṭhira, I will now tell all about the incident that has once happened in the palace of brahmadatta... you may listen to it... kācit śakuntikā rājan brahmadattasya vai sakhī | śiti-pakṣā śoṇa-śirāḥ śiti-pṛṣṭhā śiti-udarī || 1-20-81 sakhī sā brahmadattasya sudṛḍhaṁ baddha sauhṛdā | tasyāḥ kulāyam abhavat gehe tasya narottama || 1-20-82 There used to be a preen bird named pūjanīya, a dear friend of brahmadatta, which is beauteous with coppery plume, white wings, and whitely white dorsally and ventrally... the brahmadatta's palace has become that bird's accustomed snuggery whereby that king is emotionally attached to this bird... kulāyam = nīḍam= cage, nest, snuggery. sā sadā ahani nirgatya tasya rājṣo gṛha uttamāt | cacāra ambhodhi-tīreṣu palvaleṣu sarassu ca || 1-20-83 nadī parvata kuṣjeṣu vaneṣu upa-vaneṣu ca | praphulleṣu taḍāgeṣu kalhāreṣu sugandhiṣu || 1-20-84 kumuda utpala kiṣjalka surabhī kṛta vāyuṣu | haṁsa sārasa Ghuṣṭeṣu kāraṇḍava ruteṣu ca || 1-20-85 Everyday that bird, exiting the royal palace, used to flutter over seashores, rivers, and lakes; it used to roam in the forests and gardens on the mountain terraces where just grown leaflets are there; on the lakes filled with plenitude of blossomy flowers; where the breeze is loaded with the fragrances of the pollen of lotuses, kumuda and utpala etc flowers; and where the ambience is reverberating with the coos of hosts of swans, sārasa, kāraṇḍava etc waterfowls... caritvā teṣu sā rājan nishi kāmpilyam āgamat | nṛpateḥ bhavanaṁ prāpya brahmadattasya dhīmataḥ || 1-20-86 rājṣā tena sadā rājan kathā yogaṁ cakāra sā | āścaryāṇi ca dṛṣṭāni yāni vṛttāni kānicit || 1-20-87 caritvā vividhān deśān kathayāmāsa sā nishi | That bird used to return to kāmpilya city by the evening after moving like that through out the day... then, on coming back to the palace of king brahmadatta that bird used to narrate if any amazing things or happenings she has seen on that day, like a daily newscaster... kadācit tasya nṛpateḥ brahmadattasya kaurava || 1-20-88 putro abhūt rājaśārdūla sarvasena iti viśrutaḥ | pūjanīyā atha sā tasmin prāsūta aṇḍam atha api ca || 1-20-89 tasmin nīḍe purā hi ekaṁ tat kila prāsphuṭat tadā | sphuṭito māṁsa-piṇḍaḥ tu bāhu pāda āsya saṁyutaḥ || 1-20-90 babhru vaktraḥ cakṣuḥ hīno babhūva pṛthivīpate | cakṣuṣmān api abhūt paścāt īṣat pakṣa utthitaḥ ca ha || 1-20-91 Sometime later brahmadatta begot a son named sarva-sena, while the bird pūjanīya also laid an egg simultaneously, and when that egg is hatched a meatball like bird emerged with infinitesimal wings, feet and beak, eyes unopened yet, but that birdling has a clamorous voice... slowly wings stared to rise and eyes opening in step with its growth, yet remained rudimentary... atha sā pūjanīyā vai rāja-putra sva putrayoḥ | tulya snehāt prītimatī divase divase'bhavat || 1-20-92 ājahāra sadā sāyaṁ chaṣchvā amṛta-phala dvayam | amṛta āsvāda sadṛśaṁ sarvasena tanūjayoḥ || 1-20-93 sa bālo brahmadattasya pūjanīyā sutaḥ ca ha | te phale bhakṣayitvā ca pṛthukau prīta-mānasau || 1-20-94 abhūtāṁ nityam eva iha khādetāṁ tau ca te phale | However, the mother bird pūjanīya had shown equal tenderness towards the two newborns, her son, and the prince sarva-sena, day in and day out... she used to bring two nectarine fruits daily by evening for these two infants, because eating them is synonymous with consuming nectar itself for those two... mother bird's bringing two fruits and the infants eating them has become a daily routine... tasyāṁ gatāyām atha ca pūjanyāṁ vai sadā ahani || 1-20-95 śiśunā chaṭakena atha dhātrī taṁ tu śiśuṁ nṛpa | tena prakrīḍayāmāsa brahmadatta ātmajaṁ sadā || 1-20-96 The prince sarva-sena daily used to bring the baby bird from the nest to ground and started to play with it, as and when the mother bird pūjanīya went out of the palace in the morning on her daily rounds... nīḍāt tam ākṛṣya tadā pūjanīyā kṛtā tataḥ | krīḍatā rāja-putreṇa kadācit chaṭakaḥ sa tu || 1-20-97 nigṛhītaḥ kandharāyāṁ śiśunā dṛḍha-muṣṭinā | dur-bhaṅga-muṣṭinā rājan asūn sadyaḥ tu ajījahat || 1-20-98 On certain day when the prince wanted to play with young bird, he dragged it from the nest, but it resisted... he again pulled it catching by its neck... being a frail bird it could not free itself from the tight grip of the prince, and breathed its last instantaneously... taṁ tu paṣchatvam āpannaṁ vyātta āsyaṁ bāla ghātitam | kathaṁchit mochitaṁ dṛṣtvā nṛpatiḥ duḥkhitaḥ abhavat 1-20-99 dhātrīṁ tasya jagarhe tāṁ tadā ashru paramo nṛpaḥ | tasthau shoka anvito rājaṣ shochan taṁ chaṭakaṁ tadā || 1-20-100 Arriving from somewhere, king brahmadatta saw that dead baby bird in the hands of prince, and understood that the prince alone has strangulated the bird to death, and somehow released the dead bird from the grip of the prince, making it fall to ground... then, clutching the ground where the dead bird has fallen, the king wailed tearfully... he remained squatted on ground lamenting for the bird... pūjanīya api tat kāle gṛhītvā tu phala dvayam | brahmadattasya bhavanam ājagāma vane-charī || 1-20-101 atha apashyat tam āgamya gṛhe tasmin narādhipa | paṣcha-bhūta parityaktaṁ śocyaṁ taṁ sva tanu udbhavam || 1-20-102 mumoha dṛṣṭvā taṁ putraṁ punḥ saṁjṣām atha ālabhat | labdha-saṁjṣā ca SA rājan vilalāpa tapasvinī || 1-20-103 At the same time the mother bird pūjanīya also returned to the palace of brahmadatta taking two nectarine fruits. brahmadatta who is lamenting for the departed baby bird also noticed the arrival of mother bird... but became speechless in his mourning. On seeing her baby bird, from which the five vital elements have departed, and lay dead, that mother bird fainted instantaneously... recovering her senses later she wailed a lot... pūjanīyovāca - motherly wail of pūjanīya na tu tvam āgatāṁ putra vāśantīṁ parisarpasi | kurvan cāṭu-sahasrāṇi avyakta kalayā girā || 1-20-104 vyāditāsyaḥ kṣudhārtaścha pītenāsyena putraka | śoṇena tālunā putra kathamadya na sarpasi || 1-20-105 pakṣābhyāṁ tvāṁ pariṣvajya nanu vāśāmi cāpyaham | chi-cī-kū-cī iti vāśantaṁ tvāmadya na śṛṇomi kim || 1-20-106 manoratho yastu mama paśyeyaṁ putrakaṁ kadā | vyāttāsyaṁ vāri yācantaṁ sphuratpakṣaṁ mamāgrataḥ || 1-20-107 sa me manoratho bhagnastvayi paṣchatvamāgate | vilapyaivaṁ bahuvidhaṁ rājānam atha sābravīt || 1-20-108 "O, son why you are not nearing me today... why don't you make sweet sounds with your sweet voice... why you don't bite this fruit today with your yellow beak... why don't you eat this fruit with your reddish mouth... why not wiggle your wings to my delight... why I am not listening your pleasant chirping saying chi-cī-kū-cī... if not now, when can my motherly affection be fulfilled with a son like you... opening your mouth and wiggling your wings you used to ask for water... where is it now... all my motherly hopes are shattered with your passing..." thus that mother bird wailed a lot and then started questioning the king... nanu mūrdha abhiṣiktaḥ tvaṁ dharmaṁ vetsi sanātanam | adya kasmāt mama sutaṁ dhātryā ghātitavān asi || 1-20-109 tava putreṇa ca ākṛṣya kṣatriya-adhama śaṁsa me | na ca nūnaṁ śrutā te'bhūt iyam āṅgīrasī śrutiḥ || 1-20-110 "O, king you are a king anointed scripturally and you are well aware of age-old tradition... tell me you lowly kshatriya... what for you made my son fall dead at the hand your son who strangled him... are you heedless of the canons of aṅgīrasas... śaraṇāgataḥ kṣudha ārtaḥ ca śatrubhiḥ ca abhyupadrutaḥ | cira uṣitaḥ ca svagṛhe pātavyaḥ sarvadā bhavet || 1-20-111 apālayan naro yāti kuṁbhī-pākam asaṁśayam | katham asya haviḥ devā gṛhṇanti pitaraḥ svadhām || 1-20-112 "One who does not protect him, who is in need of shelter, thirsty, hungry; or one who is fleeing for fear of foes; or one who is long-time resident in his own house, will undoubtedly fall in a hell called kuṁbhī-pāka-narakam..." so say the canons of aṅgīrasas... then, where is the question of gods or fatherly-gods taking the holy-oblations offered by such a hell-bound person.. evamuktvā mahārāja daśa-dharma-gatā satī | śokārtā tasya bālasya cakṣuṣī nirbibheda sā || 1-20113 karābhyāṁ rājaputrasya tataḥ tat cakṣuḥ asphuṭat | kṛtvā ca andhaṁ nṛpa-sutam utpapāta tataḥ ambaram || 1-20-114 Saying so she that mother bird went into a state called tenfold-frenzy induced by her ecstatic wailing, Then, on puncturing the eyes of the son of brahmadatta with her talons and rendering him blind she dashed to sky... daśa-dharmam - ten types of frenzies are: matta pramatta unmattaḥ śrāntaḥ kruddho bubhukśitaḥ | tvaramāṇaḥ ca bhītaḥ ca lubdhaḥ kāmī ca te daśa || brahmadatta said: atha rājā sutaṁ dṝṣṭvā pūjanīyām uvāca ha | viśokā bhava kalyāṇi kṛtaṁ te bhīru shobhanam || 1-20-115 gata śokā nivartasva ajaryaṁ sakhyamastu te | pureva vasa bhadraṁ te nivartasva ramasva ca || 1-20-116 putra-pīḍodbhavaḥ cāpi na kopaḥ paramaḥ tvayi | mama asti sakhi bhadraṁ te kartavyaṁ ca kṛtaṁ tvayā || 1-20-117 Even on seeing his son blinded that way, king brahmadatta spoke to the mother bird in this way, "you have justly requited like for like with my son... oh, lady-bird, be fearless and leave off your agony... you have done whatever you ought to... even though I am heartbroken for my son, I don't bear a grudge against you for whatever you have done to him... come back and stay with me as before... pūjanīyovāca - pūjanīya replied: ātma-upamyena jānāmi putra-snehaṁ tava api aham | na ca ahaṁ vastum icchāmi tava putram acakṣuṣam | kṛtvā vai rājaśārdūla tvat gṛhe kṛta-kilbiṣā || 1-20-118 "Committing the blunder of blinding your son, oh, kingly tiger, it will be unbefitting for me to stay further in your house... I am aware of your love for your soul-like son... gāthāḥ ca api ushano gītā imāḥ śṛṇu mayā iritāḥ | ku-mitraṁ ca ku-deśaṁ ca ku-rājānaṁ ku-sauhṛdam | ku-putraṁ ca ku-bhāryāṁ ca dūrataḥ parivarjayet || 1-20-119 You may list4en to śukra-nīti as I tell... a vile-friend, vile-country, vile-king, vile-friend, vile-son, vile-wife are discardable distantly... kumitre sauhṛdaṁ nāsti kubhāryāyāṁ kuto ratiḥ | kutaḥ piṇḍaḥ kuputre vai nāsti satyaṁ kurājani || 1-20-120 kusauhṛde kva viśvāsaḥ kudeshe na tu jīvyate | kurājani bhayaṁ nityaṁ kuputre sarvato'sukham || 1-20-121 Where is amity with a vile-friend, where is the pleasure with a vile-wife, where is beatification with a vilely son, where is candour with a vile-king, where is trustfulness with a vilely person, where is livelihood in a vilest country! Threat haunts everywhere from a vile-king, while fret hangs around everything from a vile-son... apakāriṇi visraṁbhaṁ yaḥ karoti narādhamaḥ | anātho durbalo yadvā na ciraṁ sa tu jīvati || 1-20-122 na viśvaset aviśvaste viśvaste na ati-viśvaset | viśvāsāt bhayam utpannaṁ mūlāni api nikṛntati || 1-20-123 A basely fellow becomes debilitated, deprived, or even short-lived, if he reposes confidence in deleterious people... reposing confidence in untrustworthy is bad; reposing overconfidence in trustworthy is equally bad, because confidence breeds compunction, which uproots root and branch of the truster... visraṁbhaṁ = viśvāsam rāja-seviṣu viśvāsaṁ garbha-saṁkariteṣu ca | yaḥ karoti naro mūḍho na ciraṁ sa tu jīvati || 1-20-124 A fool reposing confidence in the officials of the king, or in the misbegotten nitwits, will not have a long-lived life... api unnatiṁ prāpya nṝpāt prāvāraḥ kīṭako yathā | sa vinashyati asaṁdeham āhaivamuśanā nṛpa || 1-20-125 Presumptuous self-styled elevation of oneself higher than a king ruins him instantaneously as with an ant falling to death when it soars to heights just when its wings started to emerge... prāvāraḥ = marāṭhi = dongala, or mungaLa = A species of large black ant; an ant with small wings; clothes-insect. api mārdava bhāvena gātraṁ saṁlīya buddhimān | ariṁ nāśayate nityaṁ yathā valliḥ mahā-drumam || 1-20-126 If one is succumbed to the cajolery of his enemy it is his self-ruin as with a great tree succumbing to the entanglement of a creeper around it... mṛduḥ ārdraḥ kṛśo bhūtvā śanaiḥ saṁlīyate ripuḥ | valmīka iva vṛkṣasya paścāt mūlāni kṛntati || 1-20-127 If one believes an enemy beguiled by his sweet and juicy talk his fate is doomed as with a tree slowly gouged out by a snake pit... adroha samayaṁ kṛtvā munīnām agrato hariḥ | jaghāna namuchiṁ paścāt apāṁ phenena pārthiva || 1-20-128 Though hari, epithetically indra here, outwardly made an accord with sages to not to do any duplicity, furtively eliminated demon namuchi, that too just with the spume of ocean water in which his weapon thunderbolt is camouflaged... suptaṁ mattaṁ pramattaṁ va ghātayanti ripuṁ narāḥ | viṣeṇa vahninā vā'pi śastreṇa api atha māyayā || 1-20-129 People will strive to eliminate their enemies when in slumber, drunk or unwary... especially by poison, arson, or dissimulations... na ca śeṣaṁ prakurvanti punaḥ vaira bhayāt narāḥ | ghātayanti samūlaṁ hi śrutvā imām upamāṁ nṛpa || 1-20-130 Taking heed of the following maixim, people strive to eradicate any trace of enmity for fear of its recurrence... shatru śeṣam ṛṇāt śeṣaṁ śeṣam agneḥ ca bhūmipa | punaḥ vardheta sambhūya tasmāt śeṣaṁ na śeṣayet || 1-20-131 Vestigial debt, fire, or a foe redoubles in no time... hence, oh, king brahmadatta, their remains should not remain... hasate jalpate vairī eka-pātre bhunakti ca | eka-āsanaṁ ca ārohati smarate tat ca kilbiṣam || 1-20-132 kṛtvā sambandhakaṁ cāpi viśvasecchatruṇā na hi | Unbelievable is an enmy even if he conducts himself smilingly, facetiously, or shares a meal in a single plate, or takes a single seat... hence there should be no interconnection or interdependence with him... pulomānaṁ jaghāna ajau jāmātā saṣ śatakratuḥ || 1-20-33 nidhāya manasā vairaṁ priyaṁ vaktīha yo naraḥ | upasarpenna taṁ prājṣaḥ kuraṅga iva lubdhakam || 1-20-134 indra is the son-in-law of puloma... be that as it may... the same indra eliminated puloma in a given war... enmity is intransigent... believing someone who comes nigh exchanging pleasantries by hiding hatred in heart is as good as adopting the syndrome 'hart-finding-a-credible-hunter...' na ca āsanne nivastavyaṁ sa-vaire vardhite ripau | pātayet taṁ sa-mūlaṁ hi nadī raya iva drumam || 1-20-135 ūnlivable in the proximity of enemy while animosity is escalating for it leads to one's own fall as the rush of river's current undercuts trees living on riverbanks... amitrāt unnatiṁ prāpya na unnato asmi iti viśvaset | tasmāt prāpya unnatiṁ nashyet prāvāra iva kīṭakaḥ || 1-20-136 One cannot remain in self-approbation with a monologic saying 'I am at the zenith...' that too, when that stature is fed upon the interests of his enemy... he and his stature are likely to fall like a winged ant who takes flight overconfident of its trifling wings… īti etā hi uśano-gītā gāthā dhāryā vipaśchitā | kurvatā ca ātma-rakṣāṁ vai nareṇa pṛthivī-pate || 1-20-137 Thus these are the aphoristic teachings contained in uśno-gīta rendered by śrukrācārya, and he who assimilates them and put to use for his self-defence is a wise man… mayā sa-kilbiṣaṁ tubhyaṁ prayuktam ati-dāruṇam | putram andhaṁ prakurvantyā tasmāt na viśvase tvayi || 1-20-138 I for myself balefully committed an outrageous deed of blinding your son; hence my reposal of any trust in you, now onwards, is out of question…” evam uktvā pradudrāva tada ākāśaṁ pataṅginī | iti etat te mayā khyātaṁ purā bhūtam idaṁ nṛpa || 1-20-139 brahmadattasya rājendra yat vṛttaṁ pūjanīyayā | “Saying so, that lady bird pūjanīya instantaneously took wings skyward and went away... this is the episode of brahmadatta and pūjanīya that has happened once...” bhīṣma is thus continuing narration to dharmaja. śrāddhaṁ ca pṛcchase yat māṁ yudhiṣṭhira mahāmate || 1-20-140 ataḥ te vartayiṣye aham itihāsaṁ purātanam | gītaṁ sanatkumāreṇa mārkaṇḍeyāya pṛcchate || 1-20-141 “You have also asked about the efficacy of śrāddha, beatification of manes... I will inform you about that also... when inquisitive sage mārkanḍeya has requested, sanat-kumara narrated these olden legends to him... śrāddhasya phalam uddishya niyataṁ sukṛtasya ca | tat nibodha mahārāja sapta-jātiṣu bhārata || 1-20-142 sa-gālavasya caritaṁ kaṇḍarīkasya caiva hi | brahmadatta tṛtīyānāṁ yogināṁ brahmacāriṇām || 1-20-143 Oh, king dharmaja, now I will narrate further about the results occurring from the beatification of fatherly-gods, as has been said in the legends of ‘seven-births of the sons of sage kaushika..’ along with legends of yogi-s and ascetics like gālava, kaṇḍarīka and the third brahmadatta... --o)0(o-- iti śrīmahābhārate khileṣu harivaṁśe harivaṁśaparvaṇi pūjanīyopākhyāne chaṭakākhyaṁ nāma viṁśo'dhyāyaḥ Thus, this is the twentieth chapter of first canto called harivamsha-parva, in harivamśa-purāṇa, the sequel of mahābhārata, narrating the legends of rebellious warrior ugra-āyudha and a lady bird called pūjanīya. --o)0(o--