SECTION XXVIII.Parāçara said:—Having found the bodies of Krishna and Rāma, Arjuna performed for them and the rest of the slain the obsequial rites. The eight queens of Krishna, who have been named with Rukmini at the head, embraced Hari and entered the funeral fire. O foremost of the pious, embracing the corpse of Rāma, Revati too entered fire which was cool to her happy heart in contract with her lord. Thereupon hearing all this Ugrasena and Vasudeva with Devaki and Rohini entered fire. Having performed duly the obsequious rites of the Yadavas, Arjuna, with the inhabitants of Dwārakā and Vajra, issued out of the city. And Kunti's son proceeded slowly with thousands of Krishna's wives and the residents of Dwārakā. With the departure of Krishna from the land of mortals both the Sudharman palace and the Pārijāta tree proceeded to heaven; and on the same day that Hari departed from the earth the dark-bodied Kali age set in. The ocean rose and inundated the whole of Dwārakā, except only the dwelling of the deity of the race of Yadu. The sea has not been able to wash away that temple and there even up to the present day Kesava constantly resides; whoever visits that holy shrine where Krishna pursued his sports is freed from sins.O foremost of ascetics, one day while proceeding, Arjuna, the son of Pritha, halted the people he had brought from Dwārakā in the Panchanada country; in a rich and fertile spot; the desires of the neighbouring robbers were excited When they saw a number of widowed females and immense riches in the possession of Arjuna alone. Worked up with their cupidity they assembled their villainous herds and said to them:—"This Arjuna, alone with his bow, is passing amongst us having immense riches and numberless women with him, whose husbands have been slain; cursed is thy strength therefore. His pride hath been increased by the death of Bhishma Drona, Jayadratha, Karna and others; he is not cognisant of the prowess of the simple villagers. Up, up, take your long thick staves; this stupid fellow hates us. Why should we not lift up our arms?" Saying this they rushed armed with cudgels and clods of earth, upon the people who were without their lord. Arjuna met them and said to them in contempt: "Go away, O ye wretches, ignorant of what is right, if you do not wish to die". But they neglected his threats seized his treasures and women, the wives of Viswaksena.Thereupon Arjuna began to brace his celestial bow Gāndiva, irresistible in encounter, but it was in vain, for in spite of his efforts to lighten it, it continued flaccid; neither could he recollect the incantation of superhuman weapons. Losing all patience he discharged, as best as he could, his arrows upon the foes, but they merely scratched the skin. The shafts that were given him by Agni for certain destruction, were themselves destroyed and proved fatal to Arjuna in his encounter with herdsmen. Thereupon he tried to recall the prowess of Krishna by the strength whereof his shafts had slain many a mighty king; but he tried in vain, for they were either put aside by peasants or they flew at random wide of their marks. His arrows being all exhausted he beat the robbers with the horn of his bow. They laughed at his blows and in the very sight of Arjuna the barbarians carried off all the women of the Vrishni and Andhaka tribes and went their way. Thereupon Jishnu was greatly sorry, and lamented bitterly saying "Alas! Alas! I am deserted by my lord". And immediately the bow, the heavenly arms, his car and steeds perished entirely like a donation to an unlearned Brahmin. "Alas! how powerful is the destiny" said he "deprived of my illustrious friend I have been defeated by the base. These two arms are mine; mine is this fist, this is my place; I am Arjuna, but without that righteous help all these are pithless. The bravery of Arjuna, the strength of Bhima was all his work; without him I am defeated by peasants; it cannot be from any other cause". Saying this, Arjuna went to the city of Mathurā and there installed the Yādava prince Vajra as a king. There he saw Vyāsa who was living in a forest and he approached the sage and saluted him respectfully. The ascetic observed him for some time as he lay prostrate at his feet and said to him. "How is it that I see you shorn of lustre? Have you been guilty of an illicit intercourse with a woman or Brahmincide? Or have you suffered any grievous disappointment that you are so dejected. Have your prayers for offspring or other good gifts proved fruitless? Or have you indulged improper passions that your lustre has been clouded? Or have you devoured the meal given to Brahmanas? Arjuna, say, have you seized upon the property of the poor? Has the wind of a winnowing basket lighted upon you? Or has an evil eye gazed upon you that you look so miserable. Have you been touched by the water of a finger nail? Or has the water of a water-jar sprinkled you? Or, what is most probably the case, have you been beaten by your inferiors in battle?"Having sighed deeply Arjuna described to Vyāsa all the circumstances of his defeat, and said:—"Hari who was our strength, our heroism, our might, our prowess, our prosperity and brightness, has left us and departed. Deprived of our illustrious friend who was ever kindly speaking we have become as feeble as if made of straw. Excellent Purusha, he, who was the living vigour of my weapon, my arrow, my bow, has departed. When he looked upon us, fortune, fame, wealth and dignity crowded us; but Govinda has departed from our midst. That Krishna has left earth by whose power Bhishma, Drona, the king of Anga, Duryodhana and the rest were slain. Not I alone but earth has grown old, miserable and lustreless in the absence of the holder of the discus. Krishna, through devotion to whom Bhishma and other powerful men perished like moths in the flame of my valour, has departed and I am now vanquished by cow-herds. The bow Gāndiva, that was celebrated all over the three-worlds, has been foiled, on account of his departure, by the sticks of peasants. The numberless women, over whom I was lord, have been carried off from me by thieves armed only with cudgels; the whole household of Krishna, O Krishna, has been forcibly carried off by peasants, who with their staves have put my strength to shame. I do not wonder that I am shorn of my lustre; it is a marvel that I live. Surely grandsire, I am so shameless that I survive the stain of indignity inflicted by the vile".Vaysa replied to Arjuna and said, "Think no more my son of the indignity; it does not behold you to grieve. Know that time subjects all beings to similar vicissitude: Time brings out the production and dissolution of all creatures. All that exists is founded on time. Know this, Arjuna, and preserve thy fortitude. Rivers, oceans, mountains, the entire earths, celestials, men, animals, trees, are all created and will all be destroyed by time. Be thou sober, knowing that all that is the effect of time. These mighty works of Krishna, whatever they have been, have been performed to relieve earth of her load; for this he has come down. Oppressed by her load earth has had recourse to the assembly of the celestials and Janārddana, who is identical with time, has descended on that account. This object has now been accomplished: all the kings of the earth have been destroyed; no more remained for him to accomplish. Therefore the lord has departed whither he pleased, his ends being all fulfilled. At the period of creation the god of gods creates; in that of duration he preserves, at the end of all he is the powerful destroyer. Now all is done. Therefore O Arjuna, be not pained by thy defeat; the power of mortals is the gift of time. Bhishma, Karna and other kings have been slain by this alone; this was the work of time; and why should not therefore thy defeat by those inferior to thee occur? In the same manner as through thy devotion to Vishnu these were overthrown by thee, so has thy discomfiture by cursed thieves been brought about by time. That divinity, assuming various shapes, preserves the world; and in the end the lord of creatures destroys it. O son of Kunti, on the occasion of thy good fortune, the illustrious Janārddana was thy help; in thy decline thy enemies have been favoured by Kesava. Who will now believe, that thou didst alone defeat Bhishma and other Kauravas. Who would believe peasants have defeated thee? Know it for certain, O son of Pritha, that it is but the sport of the Universal Hari that the Kauravas have been slain by thee and thou hast been vanquished by herdsmen. As regards the women for whom thou dost grieve and who have been carried off by the thieves, hear from me an ancient story that will explain why this has happened."In ancient time, a Brāhman, named Ashtāvakra, was pursuing his religious penances, standing in water and meditating on the eternal spirit for many years. On account of the overthrow of the Asuras there was a great festival on the summit of Meru; on their way to which Rambhā, Tilottamā and hundreds of other beautiful nymphs praised and hymned him for his devotions. They bowed unto him and eulogised him when he was immersed in water up to his throat, his hair twisted in a braid. They sang in honour of him whatever they thought would be agreeable to that most eminent of Brāhmanas. Ashtāvakra at last said to them:—'I am well pleased with you, illustrious damsels; ask of me whatever you wish and I will give it however difficult it may be of attainment'. Thereupon all these nymphs, Rambhā, Tillottamā and others mentioned in the Vedas, replied:—'It is enough for us that thou art pleased, what else need we say, O Brāhman?' But some amongst them said:—'If you are indeed pleased with us, O illustrious sire, thou grant us a husband, the best of men and sovereign of Brāhmanas'. Thereupon saying 'so be it,' Ashtāvakra came up from the waters. When the nymphs observed him coming out of the water and saw that he was very ugly and crooked in eight places they could not restrain their merriment and laughed aloud. The Muni was very angry and imprecated them with a curse, saying 'Since you have been so impertinent as to laugh at my deformity, I denounce upon you this curse; through the favour I have shown unto you, you shall obtain the first of males for your husband; and on account of my curse, you shall afterwards fall into the hands of thieves'. When the nymphs heard this imprecation they tried to appease the Muni, and they so far succeeded that he told them that they should finally go to the region of the celestials. It is on account of the curse of the ascetic Ashtāvakra that these women, who were the wives of Kesava, have fallen into the hands of the barbarians; and there is nothing for you, Arjuna to regret it in the least. All this destruction has been brought about by the lord of all, and your end is also near at hand, since he has withdrawn from your strength, splendour, valour and pre-eminence. Death is the doom of every one who is born; fall is the end of exhaltation; union terminates in separation and growth tends only to decay. Knowing all this, wise men are neither subject to grief nor joy; and those who know these ways are equally free from pleasure or joy. Do you therefore, most excellent prince, understand this truth and along with your brothers relinquish everything and repair to the holy forest. Go now and say from me to Yudhishthira that he, to-morrow with his brethren, will tread the path of heroes".Thus instructed by Vyāsa, Arjuna went and described to the other sons of Pritha all that he had seen, experienced and heard. When he had related unto them the message of Vyāsa, the sons of Pandu placed Pārikshit on the throne and went to the forest.I have thus described to you, O Maitreya, in detail the actions of Vāsudeva when he was born in the race of Yadu.THE END OF PART V.
SECTION XXVIII.Parāçara said:—Having found the bodies of Krishna and Rāma, Arjuna performed for them and the rest of the slain the obsequial rites. The eight queens of Krishna, who have been named with Rukmini at the head, embraced Hari and entered the funeral fire. O foremost of the pious, embracing the corpse of Rāma, Revati too entered fire which was cool to her happy heart in contract with her lord. Thereupon hearing all this Ugrasena and Vasudeva with Devaki and Rohini entered fire. Having performed duly the obsequious rites of the Yadavas, Arjuna, with the inhabitants of Dwārakā and Vajra, issued out of the city. And Kunti's son proceeded slowly with thousands of Krishna's wives and the residents of Dwārakā. With the departure of Krishna from the land of mortals both the Sudharman palace and the Pārijāta tree proceeded to heaven; and on the same day that Hari departed from the earth the dark-bodied Kali age set in. The ocean rose and inundated the whole of Dwārakā, except only the dwelling of the deity of the race of Yadu. The sea has not been able to wash away that temple and there even up to the present day Kesava constantly resides; whoever visits that holy shrine where Krishna pursued his sports is freed from sins.O foremost of ascetics, one day while proceeding, Arjuna, the son of Pritha, halted the people he had brought from Dwārakā in the Panchanada country; in a rich and fertile spot; the desires of the neighbouring robbers were excited When they saw a number of widowed females and immense riches in the possession of Arjuna alone. Worked up with their cupidity they assembled their villainous herds and said to them:—"This Arjuna, alone with his bow, is passing amongst us having immense riches and numberless women with him, whose husbands have been slain; cursed is thy strength therefore. His pride hath been increased by the death of Bhishma Drona, Jayadratha, Karna and others; he is not cognisant of the prowess of the simple villagers. Up, up, take your long thick staves; this stupid fellow hates us. Why should we not lift up our arms?" Saying this they rushed armed with cudgels and clods of earth, upon the people who were without their lord. Arjuna met them and said to them in contempt: "Go away, O ye wretches, ignorant of what is right, if you do not wish to die". But they neglected his threats seized his treasures and women, the wives of Viswaksena.Thereupon Arjuna began to brace his celestial bow Gāndiva, irresistible in encounter, but it was in vain, for in spite of his efforts to lighten it, it continued flaccid; neither could he recollect the incantation of superhuman weapons. Losing all patience he discharged, as best as he could, his arrows upon the foes, but they merely scratched the skin. The shafts that were given him by Agni for certain destruction, were themselves destroyed and proved fatal to Arjuna in his encounter with herdsmen. Thereupon he tried to recall the prowess of Krishna by the strength whereof his shafts had slain many a mighty king; but he tried in vain, for they were either put aside by peasants or they flew at random wide of their marks. His arrows being all exhausted he beat the robbers with the horn of his bow. They laughed at his blows and in the very sight of Arjuna the barbarians carried off all the women of the Vrishni and Andhaka tribes and went their way. Thereupon Jishnu was greatly sorry, and lamented bitterly saying "Alas! Alas! I am deserted by my lord". And immediately the bow, the heavenly arms, his car and steeds perished entirely like a donation to an unlearned Brahmin. "Alas! how powerful is the destiny" said he "deprived of my illustrious friend I have been defeated by the base. These two arms are mine; mine is this fist, this is my place; I am Arjuna, but without that righteous help all these are pithless. The bravery of Arjuna, the strength of Bhima was all his work; without him I am defeated by peasants; it cannot be from any other cause". Saying this, Arjuna went to the city of Mathurā and there installed the Yādava prince Vajra as a king. There he saw Vyāsa who was living in a forest and he approached the sage and saluted him respectfully. The ascetic observed him for some time as he lay prostrate at his feet and said to him. "How is it that I see you shorn of lustre? Have you been guilty of an illicit intercourse with a woman or Brahmincide? Or have you suffered any grievous disappointment that you are so dejected. Have your prayers for offspring or other good gifts proved fruitless? Or have you indulged improper passions that your lustre has been clouded? Or have you devoured the meal given to Brahmanas? Arjuna, say, have you seized upon the property of the poor? Has the wind of a winnowing basket lighted upon you? Or has an evil eye gazed upon you that you look so miserable. Have you been touched by the water of a finger nail? Or has the water of a water-jar sprinkled you? Or, what is most probably the case, have you been beaten by your inferiors in battle?"Having sighed deeply Arjuna described to Vyāsa all the circumstances of his defeat, and said:—"Hari who was our strength, our heroism, our might, our prowess, our prosperity and brightness, has left us and departed. Deprived of our illustrious friend who was ever kindly speaking we have become as feeble as if made of straw. Excellent Purusha, he, who was the living vigour of my weapon, my arrow, my bow, has departed. When he looked upon us, fortune, fame, wealth and dignity crowded us; but Govinda has departed from our midst. That Krishna has left earth by whose power Bhishma, Drona, the king of Anga, Duryodhana and the rest were slain. Not I alone but earth has grown old, miserable and lustreless in the absence of the holder of the discus. Krishna, through devotion to whom Bhishma and other powerful men perished like moths in the flame of my valour, has departed and I am now vanquished by cow-herds. The bow Gāndiva, that was celebrated all over the three-worlds, has been foiled, on account of his departure, by the sticks of peasants. The numberless women, over whom I was lord, have been carried off from me by thieves armed only with cudgels; the whole household of Krishna, O Krishna, has been forcibly carried off by peasants, who with their staves have put my strength to shame. I do not wonder that I am shorn of my lustre; it is a marvel that I live. Surely grandsire, I am so shameless that I survive the stain of indignity inflicted by the vile".Vaysa replied to Arjuna and said, "Think no more my son of the indignity; it does not behold you to grieve. Know that time subjects all beings to similar vicissitude: Time brings out the production and dissolution of all creatures. All that exists is founded on time. Know this, Arjuna, and preserve thy fortitude. Rivers, oceans, mountains, the entire earths, celestials, men, animals, trees, are all created and will all be destroyed by time. Be thou sober, knowing that all that is the effect of time. These mighty works of Krishna, whatever they have been, have been performed to relieve earth of her load; for this he has come down. Oppressed by her load earth has had recourse to the assembly of the celestials and Janārddana, who is identical with time, has descended on that account. This object has now been accomplished: all the kings of the earth have been destroyed; no more remained for him to accomplish. Therefore the lord has departed whither he pleased, his ends being all fulfilled. At the period of creation the god of gods creates; in that of duration he preserves, at the end of all he is the powerful destroyer. Now all is done. Therefore O Arjuna, be not pained by thy defeat; the power of mortals is the gift of time. Bhishma, Karna and other kings have been slain by this alone; this was the work of time; and why should not therefore thy defeat by those inferior to thee occur? In the same manner as through thy devotion to Vishnu these were overthrown by thee, so has thy discomfiture by cursed thieves been brought about by time. That divinity, assuming various shapes, preserves the world; and in the end the lord of creatures destroys it. O son of Kunti, on the occasion of thy good fortune, the illustrious Janārddana was thy help; in thy decline thy enemies have been favoured by Kesava. Who will now believe, that thou didst alone defeat Bhishma and other Kauravas. Who would believe peasants have defeated thee? Know it for certain, O son of Pritha, that it is but the sport of the Universal Hari that the Kauravas have been slain by thee and thou hast been vanquished by herdsmen. As regards the women for whom thou dost grieve and who have been carried off by the thieves, hear from me an ancient story that will explain why this has happened."In ancient time, a Brāhman, named Ashtāvakra, was pursuing his religious penances, standing in water and meditating on the eternal spirit for many years. On account of the overthrow of the Asuras there was a great festival on the summit of Meru; on their way to which Rambhā, Tilottamā and hundreds of other beautiful nymphs praised and hymned him for his devotions. They bowed unto him and eulogised him when he was immersed in water up to his throat, his hair twisted in a braid. They sang in honour of him whatever they thought would be agreeable to that most eminent of Brāhmanas. Ashtāvakra at last said to them:—'I am well pleased with you, illustrious damsels; ask of me whatever you wish and I will give it however difficult it may be of attainment'. Thereupon all these nymphs, Rambhā, Tillottamā and others mentioned in the Vedas, replied:—'It is enough for us that thou art pleased, what else need we say, O Brāhman?' But some amongst them said:—'If you are indeed pleased with us, O illustrious sire, thou grant us a husband, the best of men and sovereign of Brāhmanas'. Thereupon saying 'so be it,' Ashtāvakra came up from the waters. When the nymphs observed him coming out of the water and saw that he was very ugly and crooked in eight places they could not restrain their merriment and laughed aloud. The Muni was very angry and imprecated them with a curse, saying 'Since you have been so impertinent as to laugh at my deformity, I denounce upon you this curse; through the favour I have shown unto you, you shall obtain the first of males for your husband; and on account of my curse, you shall afterwards fall into the hands of thieves'. When the nymphs heard this imprecation they tried to appease the Muni, and they so far succeeded that he told them that they should finally go to the region of the celestials. It is on account of the curse of the ascetic Ashtāvakra that these women, who were the wives of Kesava, have fallen into the hands of the barbarians; and there is nothing for you, Arjuna to regret it in the least. All this destruction has been brought about by the lord of all, and your end is also near at hand, since he has withdrawn from your strength, splendour, valour and pre-eminence. Death is the doom of every one who is born; fall is the end of exhaltation; union terminates in separation and growth tends only to decay. Knowing all this, wise men are neither subject to grief nor joy; and those who know these ways are equally free from pleasure or joy. Do you therefore, most excellent prince, understand this truth and along with your brothers relinquish everything and repair to the holy forest. Go now and say from me to Yudhishthira that he, to-morrow with his brethren, will tread the path of heroes".Thus instructed by Vyāsa, Arjuna went and described to the other sons of Pritha all that he had seen, experienced and heard. When he had related unto them the message of Vyāsa, the sons of Pandu placed Pārikshit on the throne and went to the forest.I have thus described to you, O Maitreya, in detail the actions of Vāsudeva when he was born in the race of Yadu.THE END OF PART V.
SECTION XXVIII.Parāçara said:—Having found the bodies of Krishna and Rāma, Arjuna performed for them and the rest of the slain the obsequial rites. The eight queens of Krishna, who have been named with Rukmini at the head, embraced Hari and entered the funeral fire. O foremost of the pious, embracing the corpse of Rāma, Revati too entered fire which was cool to her happy heart in contract with her lord. Thereupon hearing all this Ugrasena and Vasudeva with Devaki and Rohini entered fire. Having performed duly the obsequious rites of the Yadavas, Arjuna, with the inhabitants of Dwārakā and Vajra, issued out of the city. And Kunti's son proceeded slowly with thousands of Krishna's wives and the residents of Dwārakā. With the departure of Krishna from the land of mortals both the Sudharman palace and the Pārijāta tree proceeded to heaven; and on the same day that Hari departed from the earth the dark-bodied Kali age set in. The ocean rose and inundated the whole of Dwārakā, except only the dwelling of the deity of the race of Yadu. The sea has not been able to wash away that temple and there even up to the present day Kesava constantly resides; whoever visits that holy shrine where Krishna pursued his sports is freed from sins.O foremost of ascetics, one day while proceeding, Arjuna, the son of Pritha, halted the people he had brought from Dwārakā in the Panchanada country; in a rich and fertile spot; the desires of the neighbouring robbers were excited When they saw a number of widowed females and immense riches in the possession of Arjuna alone. Worked up with their cupidity they assembled their villainous herds and said to them:—"This Arjuna, alone with his bow, is passing amongst us having immense riches and numberless women with him, whose husbands have been slain; cursed is thy strength therefore. His pride hath been increased by the death of Bhishma Drona, Jayadratha, Karna and others; he is not cognisant of the prowess of the simple villagers. Up, up, take your long thick staves; this stupid fellow hates us. Why should we not lift up our arms?" Saying this they rushed armed with cudgels and clods of earth, upon the people who were without their lord. Arjuna met them and said to them in contempt: "Go away, O ye wretches, ignorant of what is right, if you do not wish to die". But they neglected his threats seized his treasures and women, the wives of Viswaksena.Thereupon Arjuna began to brace his celestial bow Gāndiva, irresistible in encounter, but it was in vain, for in spite of his efforts to lighten it, it continued flaccid; neither could he recollect the incantation of superhuman weapons. Losing all patience he discharged, as best as he could, his arrows upon the foes, but they merely scratched the skin. The shafts that were given him by Agni for certain destruction, were themselves destroyed and proved fatal to Arjuna in his encounter with herdsmen. Thereupon he tried to recall the prowess of Krishna by the strength whereof his shafts had slain many a mighty king; but he tried in vain, for they were either put aside by peasants or they flew at random wide of their marks. His arrows being all exhausted he beat the robbers with the horn of his bow. They laughed at his blows and in the very sight of Arjuna the barbarians carried off all the women of the Vrishni and Andhaka tribes and went their way. Thereupon Jishnu was greatly sorry, and lamented bitterly saying "Alas! Alas! I am deserted by my lord". And immediately the bow, the heavenly arms, his car and steeds perished entirely like a donation to an unlearned Brahmin. "Alas! how powerful is the destiny" said he "deprived of my illustrious friend I have been defeated by the base. These two arms are mine; mine is this fist, this is my place; I am Arjuna, but without that righteous help all these are pithless. The bravery of Arjuna, the strength of Bhima was all his work; without him I am defeated by peasants; it cannot be from any other cause". Saying this, Arjuna went to the city of Mathurā and there installed the Yādava prince Vajra as a king. There he saw Vyāsa who was living in a forest and he approached the sage and saluted him respectfully. The ascetic observed him for some time as he lay prostrate at his feet and said to him. "How is it that I see you shorn of lustre? Have you been guilty of an illicit intercourse with a woman or Brahmincide? Or have you suffered any grievous disappointment that you are so dejected. Have your prayers for offspring or other good gifts proved fruitless? Or have you indulged improper passions that your lustre has been clouded? Or have you devoured the meal given to Brahmanas? Arjuna, say, have you seized upon the property of the poor? Has the wind of a winnowing basket lighted upon you? Or has an evil eye gazed upon you that you look so miserable. Have you been touched by the water of a finger nail? Or has the water of a water-jar sprinkled you? Or, what is most probably the case, have you been beaten by your inferiors in battle?"Having sighed deeply Arjuna described to Vyāsa all the circumstances of his defeat, and said:—"Hari who was our strength, our heroism, our might, our prowess, our prosperity and brightness, has left us and departed. Deprived of our illustrious friend who was ever kindly speaking we have become as feeble as if made of straw. Excellent Purusha, he, who was the living vigour of my weapon, my arrow, my bow, has departed. When he looked upon us, fortune, fame, wealth and dignity crowded us; but Govinda has departed from our midst. That Krishna has left earth by whose power Bhishma, Drona, the king of Anga, Duryodhana and the rest were slain. Not I alone but earth has grown old, miserable and lustreless in the absence of the holder of the discus. Krishna, through devotion to whom Bhishma and other powerful men perished like moths in the flame of my valour, has departed and I am now vanquished by cow-herds. The bow Gāndiva, that was celebrated all over the three-worlds, has been foiled, on account of his departure, by the sticks of peasants. The numberless women, over whom I was lord, have been carried off from me by thieves armed only with cudgels; the whole household of Krishna, O Krishna, has been forcibly carried off by peasants, who with their staves have put my strength to shame. I do not wonder that I am shorn of my lustre; it is a marvel that I live. Surely grandsire, I am so shameless that I survive the stain of indignity inflicted by the vile".Vaysa replied to Arjuna and said, "Think no more my son of the indignity; it does not behold you to grieve. Know that time subjects all beings to similar vicissitude: Time brings out the production and dissolution of all creatures. All that exists is founded on time. Know this, Arjuna, and preserve thy fortitude. Rivers, oceans, mountains, the entire earths, celestials, men, animals, trees, are all created and will all be destroyed by time. Be thou sober, knowing that all that is the effect of time. These mighty works of Krishna, whatever they have been, have been performed to relieve earth of her load; for this he has come down. Oppressed by her load earth has had recourse to the assembly of the celestials and Janārddana, who is identical with time, has descended on that account. This object has now been accomplished: all the kings of the earth have been destroyed; no more remained for him to accomplish. Therefore the lord has departed whither he pleased, his ends being all fulfilled. At the period of creation the god of gods creates; in that of duration he preserves, at the end of all he is the powerful destroyer. Now all is done. Therefore O Arjuna, be not pained by thy defeat; the power of mortals is the gift of time. Bhishma, Karna and other kings have been slain by this alone; this was the work of time; and why should not therefore thy defeat by those inferior to thee occur? In the same manner as through thy devotion to Vishnu these were overthrown by thee, so has thy discomfiture by cursed thieves been brought about by time. That divinity, assuming various shapes, preserves the world; and in the end the lord of creatures destroys it. O son of Kunti, on the occasion of thy good fortune, the illustrious Janārddana was thy help; in thy decline thy enemies have been favoured by Kesava. Who will now believe, that thou didst alone defeat Bhishma and other Kauravas. Who would believe peasants have defeated thee? Know it for certain, O son of Pritha, that it is but the sport of the Universal Hari that the Kauravas have been slain by thee and thou hast been vanquished by herdsmen. As regards the women for whom thou dost grieve and who have been carried off by the thieves, hear from me an ancient story that will explain why this has happened."In ancient time, a Brāhman, named Ashtāvakra, was pursuing his religious penances, standing in water and meditating on the eternal spirit for many years. On account of the overthrow of the Asuras there was a great festival on the summit of Meru; on their way to which Rambhā, Tilottamā and hundreds of other beautiful nymphs praised and hymned him for his devotions. They bowed unto him and eulogised him when he was immersed in water up to his throat, his hair twisted in a braid. They sang in honour of him whatever they thought would be agreeable to that most eminent of Brāhmanas. Ashtāvakra at last said to them:—'I am well pleased with you, illustrious damsels; ask of me whatever you wish and I will give it however difficult it may be of attainment'. Thereupon all these nymphs, Rambhā, Tillottamā and others mentioned in the Vedas, replied:—'It is enough for us that thou art pleased, what else need we say, O Brāhman?' But some amongst them said:—'If you are indeed pleased with us, O illustrious sire, thou grant us a husband, the best of men and sovereign of Brāhmanas'. Thereupon saying 'so be it,' Ashtāvakra came up from the waters. When the nymphs observed him coming out of the water and saw that he was very ugly and crooked in eight places they could not restrain their merriment and laughed aloud. The Muni was very angry and imprecated them with a curse, saying 'Since you have been so impertinent as to laugh at my deformity, I denounce upon you this curse; through the favour I have shown unto you, you shall obtain the first of males for your husband; and on account of my curse, you shall afterwards fall into the hands of thieves'. When the nymphs heard this imprecation they tried to appease the Muni, and they so far succeeded that he told them that they should finally go to the region of the celestials. It is on account of the curse of the ascetic Ashtāvakra that these women, who were the wives of Kesava, have fallen into the hands of the barbarians; and there is nothing for you, Arjuna to regret it in the least. All this destruction has been brought about by the lord of all, and your end is also near at hand, since he has withdrawn from your strength, splendour, valour and pre-eminence. Death is the doom of every one who is born; fall is the end of exhaltation; union terminates in separation and growth tends only to decay. Knowing all this, wise men are neither subject to grief nor joy; and those who know these ways are equally free from pleasure or joy. Do you therefore, most excellent prince, understand this truth and along with your brothers relinquish everything and repair to the holy forest. Go now and say from me to Yudhishthira that he, to-morrow with his brethren, will tread the path of heroes".Thus instructed by Vyāsa, Arjuna went and described to the other sons of Pritha all that he had seen, experienced and heard. When he had related unto them the message of Vyāsa, the sons of Pandu placed Pārikshit on the throne and went to the forest.I have thus described to you, O Maitreya, in detail the actions of Vāsudeva when he was born in the race of Yadu.THE END OF PART V.
Parāçara said:—Having found the bodies of Krishna and Rāma, Arjuna performed for them and the rest of the slain the obsequial rites. The eight queens of Krishna, who have been named with Rukmini at the head, embraced Hari and entered the funeral fire. O foremost of the pious, embracing the corpse of Rāma, Revati too entered fire which was cool to her happy heart in contract with her lord. Thereupon hearing all this Ugrasena and Vasudeva with Devaki and Rohini entered fire. Having performed duly the obsequious rites of the Yadavas, Arjuna, with the inhabitants of Dwārakā and Vajra, issued out of the city. And Kunti's son proceeded slowly with thousands of Krishna's wives and the residents of Dwārakā. With the departure of Krishna from the land of mortals both the Sudharman palace and the Pārijāta tree proceeded to heaven; and on the same day that Hari departed from the earth the dark-bodied Kali age set in. The ocean rose and inundated the whole of Dwārakā, except only the dwelling of the deity of the race of Yadu. The sea has not been able to wash away that temple and there even up to the present day Kesava constantly resides; whoever visits that holy shrine where Krishna pursued his sports is freed from sins.
O foremost of ascetics, one day while proceeding, Arjuna, the son of Pritha, halted the people he had brought from Dwārakā in the Panchanada country; in a rich and fertile spot; the desires of the neighbouring robbers were excited When they saw a number of widowed females and immense riches in the possession of Arjuna alone. Worked up with their cupidity they assembled their villainous herds and said to them:—"This Arjuna, alone with his bow, is passing amongst us having immense riches and numberless women with him, whose husbands have been slain; cursed is thy strength therefore. His pride hath been increased by the death of Bhishma Drona, Jayadratha, Karna and others; he is not cognisant of the prowess of the simple villagers. Up, up, take your long thick staves; this stupid fellow hates us. Why should we not lift up our arms?" Saying this they rushed armed with cudgels and clods of earth, upon the people who were without their lord. Arjuna met them and said to them in contempt: "Go away, O ye wretches, ignorant of what is right, if you do not wish to die". But they neglected his threats seized his treasures and women, the wives of Viswaksena.
Thereupon Arjuna began to brace his celestial bow Gāndiva, irresistible in encounter, but it was in vain, for in spite of his efforts to lighten it, it continued flaccid; neither could he recollect the incantation of superhuman weapons. Losing all patience he discharged, as best as he could, his arrows upon the foes, but they merely scratched the skin. The shafts that were given him by Agni for certain destruction, were themselves destroyed and proved fatal to Arjuna in his encounter with herdsmen. Thereupon he tried to recall the prowess of Krishna by the strength whereof his shafts had slain many a mighty king; but he tried in vain, for they were either put aside by peasants or they flew at random wide of their marks. His arrows being all exhausted he beat the robbers with the horn of his bow. They laughed at his blows and in the very sight of Arjuna the barbarians carried off all the women of the Vrishni and Andhaka tribes and went their way. Thereupon Jishnu was greatly sorry, and lamented bitterly saying "Alas! Alas! I am deserted by my lord". And immediately the bow, the heavenly arms, his car and steeds perished entirely like a donation to an unlearned Brahmin. "Alas! how powerful is the destiny" said he "deprived of my illustrious friend I have been defeated by the base. These two arms are mine; mine is this fist, this is my place; I am Arjuna, but without that righteous help all these are pithless. The bravery of Arjuna, the strength of Bhima was all his work; without him I am defeated by peasants; it cannot be from any other cause". Saying this, Arjuna went to the city of Mathurā and there installed the Yādava prince Vajra as a king. There he saw Vyāsa who was living in a forest and he approached the sage and saluted him respectfully. The ascetic observed him for some time as he lay prostrate at his feet and said to him. "How is it that I see you shorn of lustre? Have you been guilty of an illicit intercourse with a woman or Brahmincide? Or have you suffered any grievous disappointment that you are so dejected. Have your prayers for offspring or other good gifts proved fruitless? Or have you indulged improper passions that your lustre has been clouded? Or have you devoured the meal given to Brahmanas? Arjuna, say, have you seized upon the property of the poor? Has the wind of a winnowing basket lighted upon you? Or has an evil eye gazed upon you that you look so miserable. Have you been touched by the water of a finger nail? Or has the water of a water-jar sprinkled you? Or, what is most probably the case, have you been beaten by your inferiors in battle?"
Having sighed deeply Arjuna described to Vyāsa all the circumstances of his defeat, and said:—"Hari who was our strength, our heroism, our might, our prowess, our prosperity and brightness, has left us and departed. Deprived of our illustrious friend who was ever kindly speaking we have become as feeble as if made of straw. Excellent Purusha, he, who was the living vigour of my weapon, my arrow, my bow, has departed. When he looked upon us, fortune, fame, wealth and dignity crowded us; but Govinda has departed from our midst. That Krishna has left earth by whose power Bhishma, Drona, the king of Anga, Duryodhana and the rest were slain. Not I alone but earth has grown old, miserable and lustreless in the absence of the holder of the discus. Krishna, through devotion to whom Bhishma and other powerful men perished like moths in the flame of my valour, has departed and I am now vanquished by cow-herds. The bow Gāndiva, that was celebrated all over the three-worlds, has been foiled, on account of his departure, by the sticks of peasants. The numberless women, over whom I was lord, have been carried off from me by thieves armed only with cudgels; the whole household of Krishna, O Krishna, has been forcibly carried off by peasants, who with their staves have put my strength to shame. I do not wonder that I am shorn of my lustre; it is a marvel that I live. Surely grandsire, I am so shameless that I survive the stain of indignity inflicted by the vile".
Vaysa replied to Arjuna and said, "Think no more my son of the indignity; it does not behold you to grieve. Know that time subjects all beings to similar vicissitude: Time brings out the production and dissolution of all creatures. All that exists is founded on time. Know this, Arjuna, and preserve thy fortitude. Rivers, oceans, mountains, the entire earths, celestials, men, animals, trees, are all created and will all be destroyed by time. Be thou sober, knowing that all that is the effect of time. These mighty works of Krishna, whatever they have been, have been performed to relieve earth of her load; for this he has come down. Oppressed by her load earth has had recourse to the assembly of the celestials and Janārddana, who is identical with time, has descended on that account. This object has now been accomplished: all the kings of the earth have been destroyed; no more remained for him to accomplish. Therefore the lord has departed whither he pleased, his ends being all fulfilled. At the period of creation the god of gods creates; in that of duration he preserves, at the end of all he is the powerful destroyer. Now all is done. Therefore O Arjuna, be not pained by thy defeat; the power of mortals is the gift of time. Bhishma, Karna and other kings have been slain by this alone; this was the work of time; and why should not therefore thy defeat by those inferior to thee occur? In the same manner as through thy devotion to Vishnu these were overthrown by thee, so has thy discomfiture by cursed thieves been brought about by time. That divinity, assuming various shapes, preserves the world; and in the end the lord of creatures destroys it. O son of Kunti, on the occasion of thy good fortune, the illustrious Janārddana was thy help; in thy decline thy enemies have been favoured by Kesava. Who will now believe, that thou didst alone defeat Bhishma and other Kauravas. Who would believe peasants have defeated thee? Know it for certain, O son of Pritha, that it is but the sport of the Universal Hari that the Kauravas have been slain by thee and thou hast been vanquished by herdsmen. As regards the women for whom thou dost grieve and who have been carried off by the thieves, hear from me an ancient story that will explain why this has happened.
"In ancient time, a Brāhman, named Ashtāvakra, was pursuing his religious penances, standing in water and meditating on the eternal spirit for many years. On account of the overthrow of the Asuras there was a great festival on the summit of Meru; on their way to which Rambhā, Tilottamā and hundreds of other beautiful nymphs praised and hymned him for his devotions. They bowed unto him and eulogised him when he was immersed in water up to his throat, his hair twisted in a braid. They sang in honour of him whatever they thought would be agreeable to that most eminent of Brāhmanas. Ashtāvakra at last said to them:—'I am well pleased with you, illustrious damsels; ask of me whatever you wish and I will give it however difficult it may be of attainment'. Thereupon all these nymphs, Rambhā, Tillottamā and others mentioned in the Vedas, replied:—'It is enough for us that thou art pleased, what else need we say, O Brāhman?' But some amongst them said:—'If you are indeed pleased with us, O illustrious sire, thou grant us a husband, the best of men and sovereign of Brāhmanas'. Thereupon saying 'so be it,' Ashtāvakra came up from the waters. When the nymphs observed him coming out of the water and saw that he was very ugly and crooked in eight places they could not restrain their merriment and laughed aloud. The Muni was very angry and imprecated them with a curse, saying 'Since you have been so impertinent as to laugh at my deformity, I denounce upon you this curse; through the favour I have shown unto you, you shall obtain the first of males for your husband; and on account of my curse, you shall afterwards fall into the hands of thieves'. When the nymphs heard this imprecation they tried to appease the Muni, and they so far succeeded that he told them that they should finally go to the region of the celestials. It is on account of the curse of the ascetic Ashtāvakra that these women, who were the wives of Kesava, have fallen into the hands of the barbarians; and there is nothing for you, Arjuna to regret it in the least. All this destruction has been brought about by the lord of all, and your end is also near at hand, since he has withdrawn from your strength, splendour, valour and pre-eminence. Death is the doom of every one who is born; fall is the end of exhaltation; union terminates in separation and growth tends only to decay. Knowing all this, wise men are neither subject to grief nor joy; and those who know these ways are equally free from pleasure or joy. Do you therefore, most excellent prince, understand this truth and along with your brothers relinquish everything and repair to the holy forest. Go now and say from me to Yudhishthira that he, to-morrow with his brethren, will tread the path of heroes".
Thus instructed by Vyāsa, Arjuna went and described to the other sons of Pritha all that he had seen, experienced and heard. When he had related unto them the message of Vyāsa, the sons of Pandu placed Pārikshit on the throne and went to the forest.
I have thus described to you, O Maitreya, in detail the actions of Vāsudeva when he was born in the race of Yadu.
THE END OF PART V.