| SHANTI PARV MAHABHARAT BOOK 12 CHAPTER 39 Mahabharat
Book 12 Chapter 39 : English
Thy acts and vows have borne their fruits, O lady!' In this strain, O monarch, the ladies praised the princess Krishna. In consequence of those praises, O Bharat, and their speeches with one another, and the shouts of joy (uttered by the men'), the city became filled with a loud uproar. Having passed through the streets with such behaviour as befitted him, [Yudhishthir]] then entered the beautiful palace (of the Kurus) adorned with every ornament. The people belonging to the city and the provinces, approaching the palace, uttered speeches that were agreeable to his ears, 'By good luck, O foremost of kings, thou hast vanquished thy enemies, O slayer of foes! By good luck, thou hast recovered thy kingdom through virtue and prowess. Be, O foremost of kings, our monarch for a hundred years, and protect thy subjects virtuously like Indra protecting the denizens of heaven.' Thus adored at the palace-gate with blessed speeches, and accepting the benedictions uttered by the Brahmans from every side, the king, graced with victory and the blessings of the people, entered the palace that resembled the mansion of Indra himself, and then descended from his car.
Entering the apartments, blessed Yudhishthir approached the household gods and worshipped them with gems and scents and floral wreaths. Possessed of great fame and prosperity, the king came out once more and beheld a number of Brahmans waiting with auspicious articles in their hands (for pronouncing benedictions on him). Surrounded by those Brahmans desirous of uttering benedictions on him, the king looked beautiful like the spotless moon in the midst of the stars.
Accompanied by his priest Dhaumya and his eldest uncle, the son of Kunti cheerfully worshipped, with due rites, those Brahmans with (gift of) sweets, gems, and gold in profusion, and kine and robes, O monarch, and with diverse other articles that each desired. Then loud shouts of 'This is a blessed day' arose, filling the entire welkin, O Bharata. Sweet to the ear, that sacred sound was highly gratifying to the friends and well-wishers (of the Pandavas). The king heard that sound uttered by those learned Brahmans and that was as loud and clear as the sound of a flock of swans. He listened also to the speeches, fraught with melodious words and grave import, of those persons well conversant with the Vedas. Then, O king, the peal of drums and the delightful blare of conchs, indicative of triumph, arose. A little while after when the Brahmans had become silent, a Rakshash of the
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name of Charvak, who had disguised himself as a Brahman, addressed the king. He was a friend of Duryodhan and stood therein the garb of a religious mendicant. With a rosary, with a tuft of hair on his head, and with the triple staff in his hand, he stood proudly and fearlessly in the midst of all those Brahmans that had come there for pronouncing benedictions (upon the king), numbering by thousands, O king, and all of whom were devoted to penances and vows. That wicked wight, desirous of evil unto the high-souled Pandavas and without having consulted those Brahmans, said these words unto the king.'
"Charvaka said, 'All these Brahmans, making me their spokesman, are saying, 'Fie on thee! Thou art a wicked king. Thou art a slayer of kinsmen. What shalt thou gain, O son of Kunti, by having thus exterminated thy race? Having slain also thy superiors and preceptor, it is proper for thee to cast away thy life.' Hearing these words of that wicked Rakshash the Brahmans there became deeply agitated. Stung by that speech, they made a loud uproar. And all of them, with king Yudhishthir. O monarch, became speechless from anxiety and shame.'
"Yudhishthir said, 'I bow down to you and beseech you humbly, be gratified with me. It doth not behove you to cry fie on me. I shall soon lay down my life.'
1"Vaisampayan continued, 'Then all those Brahmans, O king, loudly said, 'These are not our words. Prosperity to thee, O monarch!' Those high-souled persons, conversant with the Vedas, with understanding rendered clear by penances, then penetrated the disguise of the speaker by means of their spiritual sight.' And they said, 'This is the Rakshash Charvaka, the friend of Duryodhan. Having put on the garb of a religious mendicant, he seeks the good of his friend Duryodhan. We have not, O thou of righteous soul, said anything of the kind. Let this anxiety of thine be dispelled. Let prosperity attend upon thee with thy brothers.'
"Vaisampayan continued, 'These Brahmans then, insensate with rage, uttered the sound Hun. Cleansed of all sins, they censured the sinful Rakshash and slew him there (with that very sound). Consumed by the energy of those utterers of Brahma, Charvaka fell down dead, like a tree with all its sprouts blasted by the thunder of Indra. Duly worshipped, the Brahmans went away, having gladdened the king with their benedictions. The royal son of Pandu also, with all his friends, felt great happiness.
Footnotes :
82:1 Pratyasanna-vyasaninam is explained by Nilakanth as 'I stand near these distressed brothers of mine' (for whose sake only I am for accepting sovereignty). This is certainly very fanciful. The plain meaning is, 'I am about to lay down my life.'
Note - Bhumichara word is missing in the translation
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