ādiparva - Chapter-23

आदिपर्व - ādiparva

अध्यायः – 23 ::Chapter- 23

Shlokas	No. of Shlokas
वैशम्पायन उवाच॥ अथ रात्र्यां व्यतीतायामशेषो नागरो जनः । तत्राजगाम त्वरितो दिदृक्षुः पाण्डुनन्दनान् ॥ 1॥ निर्वापयन्तो ज्वलनं ते जना ददृशुस्ततः । जातुषं तद्गृहं दग्धममात्यं च पुरोचनम् ॥ 2॥ नूनं दुर्योधनेनेदं विहितं पापकर्मणा । पाण्डवानां विनाशाय इत्येवं चुक्रुषुर्जनाः ॥ 3॥ विदिते धृतराष्ट्रस्य धार्तराष्ट्रो न संशयः । दग्धवान्पाण्डुदायादान्न ह्येनं प्रतिषिद्धवान् ॥ 4॥ नूनं शान्तनवो भीष्मो न धर्ममनुवर्तते । द्रोणश्च विदुरश्चैव कृपश्चान्ये च कौरवाः ॥ 5॥ ते वयं धृतराष्ट्रस्य प्रेषयामो दुरात्मनः । संवृत्तस्ते परः कामः पाण्डवान्दग्धवानसि ॥ 6॥ ततो व्यपोहमानास्ते पाण्डवार्थे हुताशनम् । निषादीं ददृशुर्दग्धां पञ्चपुत्रामनागसम् ॥ 7॥ खनकेन तु तेनैव वेश्म शोधयता बिलम् । पांसुभिः प्रत्यपिहितं पुरुषैस्तैरलक्षितम् ॥ 8॥ ततस्ते प्रेषयामासुर्धृतराष्ट्रस्य नागराः । पाण्डवानग्निना दग्धानमात्यं च पुरोचनम् ॥ 9॥ श्रुत्वा तु धृतराष्ट्रस्तद्राजा सुमहदप्रियम् । विनाशं पाण्डुपुत्राणां विललाप सुदुःखितः ॥ 10॥ अद्य पाण्डुर्मृतो राजा भ्राता मम सुदुर्लभः । तेषु वीरेषु दग्धेषु मात्रा सह विशेषतः ॥ 11॥ गच्छन्तु पुरुषाः शीघ्रं नगरं वारणावतम् । सत्कारयन्तु तान्वीरान्कुन्तिराजसुतां च ताम् ॥ 12॥ कारयन्तु च कुल्यानि शुभ्राणि च महान्ति च । ये च तत्र मृतास्तेषां सुहृदोऽर्चन्तु तानपि ॥ 13॥ एवङ्गते मया शक्यं यद्यत्कारयितुं हितम् । पाण्डवानां च कुन्त्याश्च तत्सर्वं क्रियतां धनैः ॥ 14॥ एवमुक्त्वा ततश्चक्रे ज्ञातिभिः परिवारितः । उदकं पाण्डुपुत्राणां धृतराष्ट्रोऽम्बिकासुतः ॥ 15॥ चुक्रुशुः कौरवाः सर्वे भृशं शोकपरायणाः । विदुरस्त्वल्पशश्चक्रे शोकं वेद परं हि सः ॥ 16॥ पाण्डवाश्चापि निर्गत्य नगराद्वारणावतात् । जवेन प्रययू राजन्दक्षिणां दिशमाश्रिताः ॥ 17॥ विज्ञाय निशि पन्थानं नक्षत्रैर्दक्षिणामुखाः । यतमाना वनं राजन्गहनं प्रतिपेदिरे ॥ 18॥ ततः श्रान्ताः पिपासार्ता निद्रान्धाः पाण्डुनन्दनाः । पुनरूचुर्महावीर्यं भीमसेनमिदं वचः ॥ 19॥ इतः कष्टतरं किं नु यद्वयं गहने वने । दिशश्च न प्रजानीमो गन्तुं चैव न शक्नुमः ॥ 20॥ तं च पापं न जानीमो यदि दग्धः पुरोचनः । कथं नु विप्रमुच्येम भयादस्मादलक्षिताः ॥ 21॥ पुनरस्मानुपादाय तथैव व्रज भारत । त्वं हि नो बलवानेको यथा सततगस्तथा ॥ 22॥ इत्युक्तो धर्मराजेन भीमसेनो महाबलः । आदाय कुन्तीं भ्रातृंश्च जगामाशु महाबलः ॥ 23॥	23 (1518)
Vaisampayana said, 'As night fell away, a large crowd of townspeople hurried to the scene to glimpse the sons of Pandu. After the fire was put out, they noticed that the recently burned house was made of lacquer, and that Duryodhana's advisor Purochana had perished in the flames. The crowd began to cry out, 'This was surely plotted by the wicked Duryodhana to eliminate the Pandavas. There's no doubt that he, with Dhritarashtra's knowledge, caused the death of Pandu's heirs; otherwise, the prince would have been stopped by his father. It is also clear that Bhishma, son of Santanu, along with Drona, Vidura, Kripa, and the other Kauravas, have failed in their duties. Let us send a message to Dhritarashtra to say, 'Your wish has come true! You have burned the Pandavas to death!' They then began to sift through the remains to find any signs of the Pandavas and discovered the unfortunate Nishada woman and her five sons, all burnt to death. Meanwhile, a miner sent by Vidura, while clearing away the ashes, cleverly concealed the hole he had dug with those ashes, so it went unnoticed by everyone present.' The citizens quickly informed King Dhritarashtra that the Pandavas, along with Duryodhana's advisor Purochana, had been tragically killed in a fire. Hearing this terrible news, King Dhritarashtra was overwhelmed with grief. He lamented, 'My brother Pandu, renowned and noble, has truly died today, along with his valiant sons and their mother who perished in the flames. Swiftly, men, go to Varanavata and arrange the funeral rites for these heroes and the daughter of Kunti! Ensure that their remains are treated with the proper ceremonies, and fulfill all the important rites that are customary. Relatives and friends of the deceased should gather there. We must also perform all the essential acts that should be done for the Pandavas and Kunti, funded by our wealth.' Upon saying this, Dhritarashtra, son of Ambika, surrounded by his kin, offered ceremonial water to the sons of Pandu. All were stricken with deep sorrow, crying out, 'Oh, Yudhishthira! Noble prince of the Kuru clan!' Others shouted, 'Oh, Bhima! Oh, Arjuna!' While some called out for the twins and for Kunti. They mourned deeply for the Pandavas and poured out water in their memory. The citizens wept as well, but Vidura remained relatively composed, as he understood the deeper truth. The Pandavas, strong and determined, set out with their mother from Varanavata and made their way to the Ganges. Thanks to the skill of the boatmen, the swift river current, and a helpful wind, they quickly crossed to the other side. After leaving the boat, they headed south, guided by the stars through the darkness. Exhausted and thirsty, they eventually stumbled into a thick forest, struggling against fatigue as sleep began to overtake them. Yudhishthira turned to Bhima, full of energy, and lamented, 'This is truly distressing. We are lost in this deep forest, unsure of our direction, and we don’t even know if that villain Purochana has met his end. How do we escape these unseen dangers? O Bharata, you must carry us, just as you have done before. You are the only one among us who is strong and swift like the wind.' Inspired by Yudhishthira’s words, the powerful Bhimasena lifted Kunti and his brothers onto his back and moved forward with great speed.
वैशम्पायन उवाच॥ तेन विक्रमता तूर्णमूरुवेगसमीरितम् । प्रववावनिलो राजञ्शुचिशुक्रागमे यथा ॥ 1॥ स मृद्नन्पुष्पितांश्चैव फलितांश्च वनस्पतीन् । आरुजन्दारुगुल्मांश्च पथस्तस्य समीपजान् ॥ 2॥ तथा वृक्षान्भञ्जमानो जगामामितविक्रमः । तस्य वेगेन पाण्डूनां मूर्च्छेव समजायत ॥ 3॥ असकृच्चापि सन्तीर्य दूरपारं भुजप्लवैः । पथि प्रच्छन्नमासेदुर्धार्तराष्ट्रभयात्तदा ॥ 4॥ कृच्छ्रेण मातरं त्वेकां सुकुमारीं यशस्विनीम् । अवहत्तत्र पृष्ठेन रोधःसु विषमेषु च ॥ 5॥ आगमंस्ते वनोद्देशमल्पमूलफलोदकम् । क्रूरपक्षिमृगं घोरं सायाह्ने भरतर्षभाः ॥ 6॥ घोरा समभवत्सन्ध्या दारुणा मृगपक्षिणः । अप्रकाशा दिशः सर्वा वातैरासन्ननार्तवैः ॥ 7॥ ते श्रमेण च कौरव्यास्तृष्णया च प्रपीडिताः । नाशक्नुवंस्तदा गन्तुं निद्रया च प्रवृद्धया ॥ 8॥ ततो भीमो वनं घोरं प्रविश्य विजनं महत् । न्यग्रोधं विपुलच्छायं रमणीयमुपाद्रवत् ॥ 9॥ तत्र निक्षिप्य तान्सर्वानुवाच भरतर्षभः । पानीयं मृगयामीह विश्रमध्वमिति प्रभो ॥ 10॥ एते रुवन्ति मधुरं सारसा जलचारिणः । ध्रुवमत्र जलस्थायो महानिति मतिर्मम ॥ 11॥ अनुज्ञातः स गच्छेति भ्रात्रा ज्येष्ठेन भारत । जगाम तत्र यत्र स्म रुवन्ति जलचारिणः ॥ 12॥ स तत्र पीत्वा पानीयं स्नात्वा च भरतर्षभ । उत्तरीयेण पानीयमाजहार तदा नृप ॥ 13॥ गव्यूतिमात्रादागत्य त्वरितो मातरं प्रति । स सुप्तां मातरं दृष्ट्वा भ्रातृंश्च वसुधातले ॥ 14॥ भृशं दुःखपरीतात्मा विललाप वृकोदरः ॥ शयनेषु परार्ध्येषु ये पुरा वारणावते । नाधिजग्मुस्तदा निद्रां तेऽद्य सुप्ता महीतले ॥ 15॥ स्वसारं वसुदेवस्य शत्रुसङ्घावमर्दिनः । कुन्तिभोजसुतां कुन्तीं सर्वलक्षणपूजिताम् ॥ 16॥ स्नुषां विचित्रवीर्यस्य भार्यां पाण्डोर्महात्मनः । प्रासादशयनां नित्यं पुण्डरीकान्तरप्रभाम् ॥ 17॥ सुकुमारतरां स्त्रीणां महार्हशयनोचिताम् । शयानां पश्यताद्येह पृथिव्यामतथोचिताम् ॥ 18॥ धर्मादिन्द्राच्च वायोश्च सुषुवे या सुतानिमान् । सेयं भूमौ परिश्रान्ता शेते ह्यद्यातथोचिता ॥ 19॥ किं नु दुःखतरं शक्यं मया द्रष्टुमतः परम् । योऽहमद्य नरव्याघ्रान्सुप्तान्पश्यामि भूतले ॥ 20॥ त्रिषु लोकेषु यद्राज्यं धर्मविद्योऽर्हते नृपः । सोऽयं भूमौ परिश्रान्तः शेते प्राकृतवत्कथम् ॥ 21॥ अयं नीलाम्बुदश्यामो नरेष्वप्रतिमो भुवि । शेते प्राकृतवद्भूमावतो दुःखतरं नु किम् ॥ 22॥ अश्विनाविव देवानां याविमौ रूपसम्पदा । तौ प्राकृतवदद्येमौ प्रसुप्तौ धरणीतले ॥ 23॥ ज्ञातयो यस्य नैव स्युर्विषमाः कुलपांसनाः । स जीवेत्सुसुखं लोके ग्रामे द्रुम इवैकजः ॥ 24॥ एको वृक्षो हि यो ग्रामे भवेत्पर्णफलान्वितः । चैत्यो भवति निर्ज्ञातिरर्चनीयः सुपूजितः ॥ 25॥ येषां च बहवः शूरा ज्ञातयो धर्मसंश्रिताः । ते जीवन्ति सुखं लोके भवन्ति च निरामयाः ॥ 26॥ बलवन्तः समृद्धार्था मित्रबान्धवनन्दनाः । जीवन्त्यन्योन्यमाश्रित्य द्रुमाः काननजा इव ॥ 27॥ वयं तु धृतराष्ट्रेण सपुत्रेण दुरात्मना । विवासिता न दग्धाश्च कथञ्चित्तस्य शासनात् ॥ 28॥ तस्मान्मुक्ता वयं दाहादिमं वृक्षमुपाश्रिताः । कां दिशं प्रतिपत्स्यामः प्राप्ताः क्लेशमनुत्तमम् ॥ 29॥ नातिदूरे च नगरं वनादस्माद्धि लक्षये । जागर्तव्ये स्वपन्तीमे हन्त जागर्म्यहं स्वयम् ॥ 30॥ पास्यन्तीमे जलं पश्चात्प्रतिबुद्धा जितक्लमाः । इति भीमो व्यवस्यैव जजागार स्वयं तदा ॥ 31॥	31 (1549)
Vaisampayana said, "As the mighty Bhima moved forward, the entire forest seemed to shudder, its trees and branches trembling against his powerful chest. The force of his strides stirred up winds akin to those of late spring and early summer. Bhima carved a path for himself, trampling the trees and vines in his wake. He crushed the towering trees and plants, with their blooms and fruits, that stood in his way. Just as a furious, sixty-year-old elephant, filled with vigor during mating season, tramples through the woods, so did Bhima march on, unstoppable. His strength rivalled that of Garuda or Marut, and the very presence of Bhima left the Pandavas reeling. Often, the Pandavas swam through challenging streams, hiding from the sons of Dhritarashtra. Bhima carried their delicate mother on his shoulder as he navigated the rugged riverbanks. As evening fell, Bhima, with his brothers and mother on his back, entered a daunting forest where food and water were scarce, filled with the haunting cries of birds and wild animals. As twilight deepened, the noises grew more intense, darkness enveloped everything, and fierce winds began to blow, uprooting trees large and small, and stripping vines of their dry leaves and fruits. Weary and desperate for water, the Kaurava princes could go no further." They all sat down in the forest without any food or drink. Kunti, feeling incredibly thirsty, said to her sons, 'I am the mother of the five Pandavas, yet here I am, suffering from thirst!' She repeated this to her sons. Hearing her, Bhima’s heart, filled with love for his mother, was touched with compassion, and he decided to go as before. Bhima made his way through the vast, frightening forest, until he spotted a beautiful banyan tree with wide branches. He placed his brothers and mother there and said, 'You all rest here while I search for water. I hear the lovely calls of waterfowl, so there must be a pool nearby.' With his elder brother urging him, 'Go,' Bhima followed the sounds of the birds. Soon, he discovered a lake, bathed, and quenched his thirst. Out of love for his brothers, he soaked his upper garments to carry water back. Rushing back the four miles, he found his mother, and seeing her, he felt deep sorrow and began to sigh heavily. Overcome with sorrow at the sight of his mother and brothers sleeping on the cold ground, Vrikodara began to cry out, 'Oh, how miserable I am to see my brothers on this bare floor—what could possibly hurt me more than this? How pitiful that they, who once couldn’t sleep on the finest beds in Varanavata, now rest on nothing but the earth! What could be a more painful sight than Kunti—sister of Vasudeva, slayer of enemies—the daughter of Kuntiraja, adorned with every blessing, the wife of the noble Pandu, our mother—glowing like a lotus and too delicate for such hardship—now sleeping on the floor as if she never should! She who bore these sons through Dharma, Indra, and Maruta, who once slept in palaces, is now exhausted, lying on the ground! What greater sorrow could I witness than my brothers, these lions among men, resting on the earth? The virtuous Yudhishthira, worthy of ruling the three worlds, lies here, tired like any common man on the bare ground! And this Arjuna, with skin like dark clouds, unparalleled among men, also rests on the ground like an ordinary person! What could be more heart-wrenching than this? Even the twins, who are as beautiful as the celestial Aswins, sleep like regular mortals on the bare earth! He who has no envious, malicious relatives lives peacefully like a single tree in a village.' The tree that stands alone in a village, adorned with its leaves and fruits due to the absence of others like it, is considered sacred and is revered by all. Those who have many relatives, all of whom are brave and good-hearted, live joyfully in the world, free from any sorrow. They flourish and thrive, bringing happiness to their friends and family, depending on one another like tall trees in a shared forest. We, however, have been forced into exile by the evil Dhritarashtra and his sons, barely escaping a fiery death by sheer luck. Having survived that blaze, we now find refuge under this tree. After enduring so much hardship, where else can we go? You sons of Dhritarashtra, lacking wisdom and full of malice, relish your fleeting triumph. The gods may favour you today, but you wretched beings survive only because Yudhishthira has not commanded me to end your lives. Otherwise, in my fury, I would send you, O Duryodhana, along with your children, friends, brothers, Karna, and Sakuni, to the realm of Yama today! But alas, what can I do? You wicked souls remain unharmed only because the virtuous king Yudhishthira, the eldest of the Pandavas, has not yet turned his anger upon you. After saying this, Bhima, strong and angry, started to rub his hands together, deeply sighing in distress. Once again fuelled by rage, like a fire that suddenly reignites, Vrikodara noticed his brothers sleeping on the ground, trusting and unaware. He thought to himself, 'I believe there’s a town not far from this forest. They are all asleep, so I will stay awake. This will quench their thirst when they awaken refreshed.' With that, Bhima sat there, alert and watching over his sleeping mother and brothers.