Mahabharata, Book 18, Section Iस्वर्गारोहणपर्व

Kisari Mohan Ganguli’s English prose (1883–96), beside the Sanskrit of adhyāya 18.1.

1Sanskrit adhyāya 18.1 · Sanskrit source · English source

Sanskrit

श्रीवेदव्यासाय नमः।
नारायणं नस्कृत्य नरं चैव नरोत्तमम्।
देवीं सरस्वतीं व्यासं ततो जयमुदीरयेत्।।
जनमेजय उवाच।
स्वर्गं त्रिविष्टपं प्राप्य मम पूर्वपितामहाः।
पाण्डवा धार्तराष्ट्राश्च कानि स्थानानि भेजिरे।।
एतदिच्छाम्यहं श्रोतुं सर्वविच्चासि मे मतः।
महर्षिणाऽभ्यनुज्ञातो व्यासेनाद्भुतकर्मणा।।
वैशम्पायन उवाच।
स्वर्गं त्रिविष्टपं प्राप्य तव पूर्वपितामहाः।
युधिष्ठिरप्रभृतयो यदकुर्वत तच्छृणु।।
स्वर्गं त्रिविष्टपं प्राप्य धर्मराजो युधिष्ठिरः।
दुर्योधनं श्रिया जुष्टं ददर्शासीनमासने।।
भ्राजमानमिवादित्यं वीरलक्ष्म्याऽभिसंवृतम्।
देवैर्भ्राजिष्णुभिः साध्यैः सहितं पुण्यकर्मभिः।।
ततो युधिष्ठिरो राजा दुर्योधनममर्षितः।
सहसा सन्निवृत्तोऽभूच्छ्रियं दृष्ट्वा सुयोधने।।
ब्रुवन्नुच्चैर्वचस्तान्वै नाहं दुर्योधनेन वै।
सहितः कामये लोकाँल्लब्धेनादीर्घदर्शिना।।
यत्कृते पृथिवी सर्वा सुहृदो बान्धवास्तथा।
हतास्माभिः प्रसह्याजौ किल्ष्टैः पूर्वं महावने।।
द्रौपदी च सभामध्ये पाञ्चाली धर्मचारिणी।
पर्याकृष्टाऽनवद्याङ्गी पत्नी नो गुरुसन्निधौ।।
अस्ति देवा न मे कामः सुयोधनमुदीक्षितुम्।
तत्राहं गन्तुमिच्छामि यत्र ते भ्रातरो मम।।
नैवमित्यब्रवीत्तं तु नारदः प्रहसन्निव।
स्वर्गे निवासे राजेन्द्र विरुद्धं चापि नश्यति।।
युधिष्ठिर महाबाहो मैवं वोचः कथञ्चन।
दुर्योधनं प्रति नृपं शृणु चेदं वचो मम।।
एष दुर्योधनो राजा पूज्यते त्रिदशैः सह।
सद्भिश्च राजप्रवरैते इमे स्वर्गवासिनः।
वीरलोकगतिं प्राप्ता युद्धे हुत्वाऽऽत्मनस्तनुम्।
यूयं सर्वे सुरसमा येन युद्धेन बाधिताः।।
स एष क्षत्रधर्मेण स्थानमेतदवाप्तवान्।
भये महति योऽभीतो बभूव पृथिवीपतिः।।
न तन्मनसि कर्तव्यं पुत्र यद्द्यूतकारितम्।
द्रौपद्याश्च परिक्लेशं न चिन्तयितुमर्हसि।।
ये चान्येऽपि परिक्लेशा युष्माकं ज्ञातिकारिताः।
संग्रामेष्वथवाऽन्यत्र न तान्संस्मर्तुमर्हसि।।
समागच्छ यथान्यायं राज्ञा दुर्योधनेन वै।
स्वर्गोऽयं नेह वैराणि भन्ति मनुजाधिप।।
नारदेनैवमुक्तस्तु कुरुराजो युधिष्ठिरः।
भ्रातॄन्पप्रच्छ मेधावी वाक्यमेतदुवाच ह।।
यदि दुर्योधनस्यैते वीरलोकाः सनातनाः।
अधर्मज्ञस्य पापस्य पृथिवीसुहृदद्रुहः।।
यत्कृते पृथिवी नष्टा सहसा सनरद्विपा।
वयं च मन्युना दग्धा वैरं प्रतिचिकीर्षवः।।
ये ते वीरी महात्मानो भ्रातरो मे महाव्रताः।
सत्यप्रतिज्ञा लोकस्य शूरा वै सत्यवादिनः।
तेषामिदानीं के लोका द्रष्टुमिच्छामि तानहम्।।
कर्णं चैव महात्मानं कौन्तेयं सत्यसङ्गरम्।
धृष्टद्युम्नं सात्यकिं च धृष्टद्युम्नस्य चात्मजान्।।
ये च शस्त्रैर्वधं प्राप्ताः क्षत्रधर्मेण पार्थिवाः।
क्वनु ते पार्थिवान्ब्रह्मन्नैतान्पश्यामि नारद।।
विराटद्रुपदौ चैव धृष्टकेतुमुखांश्च तान्।
शिखण्डिनं च पाञ्चाल्यं द्रौपदेयांश्च सर्वशः।
अभिमन्युं च दुर्धर्षं द्रष्टुमिच्छामि नारद।।
।। इति श्रीमन्महाभारते
स्वर्गारोहणपर्वणि प्रथमोऽध्यायः।। 1 ।।

English Ganguli

Om! Having bowed down into Narayana, and to Nara, the foremost of men, as also to the goddess Sarasvati, should the word "Jaya" be uttered.

"Janamejaya said, 'Having attained to Heaven, what regions were respectively attained by my grandsires of old, viz., the Pandavas and the sons of Dhritarashtra? I desire to hear this. I think that thou art conversant with everything, having been taught by the great Rishi Vyasa of wonderful feats.'

"Vaishampayana said, 'Listen now to what thy grandsires, Yudhishthira and others, did after having attained to Heaven, that place of the deities. Arrived at Heaven, king Yudhishthira the just, beheld Duryodhana endued with prosperity and seated on an excellent seat. He blazed with effulgence like the sun and wore all those signs of glory which belong to heroes. And he was in the company of many deities of blazing effulgence and of Sadhyas of righteous deeds. Yudhishthira, beholding Duryodhana and his prosperity, became suddenly filled with rage and turned back from the sight.

"'He loudly addressed his companions, saying, "I do not desire to share regions of felicity with Duryodhana who was stained by cupidity and possessed of little foresight. It was for him that friends, and kinsmen, over the whole Earth were slaughtered by us whom he had afflicted greatly in the deep forest. It was for him that the virtuous princess of Panchala, Draupadi of faultless features, our wife, was dragged into the midst of the assembly before all our seniors. Ye gods, I have no desire to even behold Suyodhana. I wish to go there where my brothers are."

"'Narada, smiling, told him, "It should not be so, O king of kings. While residing in Heaven, all enmities cease. O mighty-armed Yudhishthira, do not say so about king Duryodhana. Hear my words. Here is king Duryodhana. He is worshipped with the gods by those righteous men and those foremost of kings who are now denizens of Heaven. By causing his body to be poured as a libation on the fire of battle, he has obtained the end that consists in attainment of the region for heroes. You and your brothers, who were veritable gods on Earth, were always persecuted by this one. Yet through his observance of Kshatriya practices he has attained to this region. This lord of Earth was not terrified in a situation fraught with terror.

"'"O son, thou shouldst not bear in mind the woes inflicted on thee on account of the match at dice. It behoveth thee not to remember the afflictions of Draupadi. It behoveth thee not to remember the other woes which were yours in consequence of the acts of your kinsmen, the woes, viz., that were due to battle or to other situations. Do thou meet Duryodhana now according to the ordinances of polite intercourse. This is Heaven, O lord of men. There can be no enmities here."

"'Though thus addressed by Narada, the Kuru king Yudhishthira, endued with great intelligence, enquired about his brothers and said, "If these eternal regions reserved for heroes be Duryodhana's, that unrighteous and sinful wight, that man who was the destroyer of friends and of the whole world, that man for whose sake the entire Earth was devastated with all her horses and elephants and human beings, that wight for whose sake we were burnt with wrath in thinking of how best we might remedy our wrongs, I desire to see what regions have been attained by those high-souled heroes, my brothers of high vows, steady achievers of promises, truthful in speech, and distinguished for courage. The high-souled Karna, the son of Kunti, incapable of being baffled in battle, Dhrishtadyumna, Satyaki, the sons of Dhrishtadyumna and those other Kshatriyas who met with death in the observance of Kshatriya practices, where are those lords of Earth, O Brahmana? I do not see them here, O Narada. I desire to see, O Narada, Virata and Drupada and the other great Kshatriyas headed by Dhrishtaketu, as also Shikhandi, the Panchala prince, the sons of Draupadi, and Abhimanyu, irresistible in battle."'"