The end of Mahaprasthanika-parv

The Mahabharata

of

Krishna-Dwaipayana Vyasa

BOOK 18

Svargarohanika-parva

Translated into English Prose from the Original Sanskrit Text

by

Kisari Mohan Ganguli

[1883-1896]

Scanned and Proofed by Mantra Caitanya.  Additional proofing and formatting at sacred-texts.com, by J. B. Hare, October 2003.

1

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 Pancala, 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.