The Mahabharata of Krishna-Dwaipayana Vyasa Translated into English Prose: Vana Parva, Part 1
Religion
The Mahabharata of Krishna-Dwaipayana Vyasa Translated into English Prose: Vana Parva, Part 1
Epic literature, Sanskrit
Vaisampayana continued, "When the illustrious Kesava had said so in the
midst of that assembly of brave kings, all excited with anger, Panchali
surrounded by Dhrishtadyumna and her other heroic brothers, approached
him of eyes like lotus leaves seated with his cousins, and, desirous of
protection, addressed in angry accents that refuge of all, saying,
'Asita and Devala have said that in the matter of the creation of all
things, thou hast been indicated (by the sages) as the only _Prajapati_
and the Creator of all the worlds! And, O irrepressible one, Jamadagnya
sayeth that thou art _Vishnu_, and, O slayer of Madhu, that thou art
(embodiment of) _Sacrifice, Sacrificer_ and he for whom the sacrifice is
performed! And, O best of male beings, the _Rishis_ indicate thee as
Forgiveness and Truth! Kasyapa hath said that thou art Sacrifice sprung
from Truth! O exalted one, Narada calleth thee the god of the Sadhyas,
and of the Sivas, as alone the Creator and the Lord of all things. And,
O tiger among men, thou repeatedly sportest with the gods including
Brahma and Sankara and Sakra even as children sporting with their toys!
And, O exalted one, the firmament is covered by thy head, and the earth
by thy feet; these worlds are as thy womb and thou art the Eternal one!
With _Rishis_ sanctified by Vedic lore and asceticism, and whose souls
have been purified by penance, and who are contented with soul-vision,
thou art the best of all objects! And, O chief of all male beings, thou
art the refuge of all royal sages devoted to virtuous acts, never
turning their backs on the field of the battle, and possessed of every
accomplishment! Thou art the Lord of all, thou art Omnipresent, thou art
the Soul of all things, and thou art the active power pervading
everything! The rulers of the several worlds, those worlds themselves,
the stellar conjunctions, the ten points of the horizon, the firmament,
the moon, and the sun, are all established in thee! And, O mighty-armed
one, the morality of (earthly) creatures, the immortality of the
universe, are established in thee! Thou art the Supreme lord of all
creatures, celestial or human! Therefore it is, O slayer of Madhu, that
impelled by the affection thou bearest me that I will relate to thee my
griefs! O Krishna, how could one like me, the wife of Pritha's sons, the
sister of Dhrishtadyumna, and the friend of thee, be dragged to the
assembly! Alas, during my season, stained with blood, with but a single
cloth on, trembling all over, and weeping, I was dragged to the court of
the Kurus! Beholding me, stained with blood in the presence of those
kings in the assembly, the wicked sons of Dhritarashtra laughed at me! O
slayer of Madhu, while the sons of Pandu and the Panchalas and the
Vrishnis lived, they dared express the desire of using me as their
slave! O Krishna, I am according to the ordinance, the daughter in-law
of both Dhritarashtra and Bhishma! Yet, O slayer of Madhu, they wished
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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