01.096
Core:Vichitra Veerya's marriage and death.
Vaiśampāyana said:
O sinless one, when Citrāṅgada was slain and the brother was still young, Bhīṣma protected the kingdom, abiding by the counsel of Satyavatī.
Seeing that his brother Vicitravīrya, the best among the wise, had reached youth, Bhīṣma decided to arrange his marriage.
Then Bhīṣma heard that the three daughters of the king of Kāśi, equal to apsarases, were together holding a svayaṁvara ceremony, O king.
Then he, the best among charioteers, clad in armor and alone in his chariot, went toward the city of Vārāṇasī with his mother’s permission.
There, Bhīṣma, the son of Śantanu, saw the assembled kings who had come from all directions and also saw those maidens.
While the names of kings were being announced by the thousands, then Bhīṣma himself, O king, chose those maidens, the mighty one.
Bhīṣma, the foremost among warriors, placing the maidens on his chariot, addressed the kings, O king, with a voice like the roar of a cloud.
The wise regard the summoning and gifting of maidens to worthy men, after adorning them and giving wealth according to one's means, as a proper form of marriage.
Some give the maiden with a pair of cows; others with specified wealth; others by force; and others with consent.
Others approach an intoxicated maiden, and some seize her themselves; thus, the eighth form of marriage based on wealth is considered by sages.
Princes praise and attend the svayaṁvara ceremony; but those who speak of dharma consider her who is carried away by force as the superior form.
O kings, I desire to take these maidens by force; now exert yourselves to the utmost—either for victory or for the other. I stand here, O kings, resolved for battle.
Thus addressing the kings and the king of Kāśi, the valiant Kaurava placed all the maidens on his own chariot, took leave of them, and swiftly departed, having seized those maidens.
Then all the kings sprang up in fury, touching their arms and biting their lips in rage.
As they hastily cast off their ornaments and donned their armors, a great confusion arose among them.
O Janamejaya, there was a fall like that of stars — of shining ornaments and armors everywhere.
They, adorned with shining armor and ornaments, quickly moved about here and there, with wrathful, furrowed brows and bloodshot eyes.
Mounting splendid chariots prepared by charioteers and drawn by ten well-yoked horses, the warriors, armed with all weapons, pursued the lone Kaurava with raised arms.
Then there arose a tumultuous, hair-raising battle, O Bhārata, between him and them — one against many.
They hurled ten thousand arrows at him at once, but Bhīṣma swiftly cut off all those arrows before they could reach him.
Then all the kings surrounded him from all sides and rained down showers of arrows, like clouds pouring rain upon a mountain.
He warded off that shower of arrows from all sides with his own, and then pierced each of the kings with three arrows.
Even his enemies praised his unparalleled swiftness as a charioteer and his self-defense in battle, recognizing him as beyond ordinary men.
Having vanquished them in battle, the expert in all weapons, Bhārata, departed with the maidens toward the Bhāratas.
Then, O king, the mighty chariot-warrior Śālva, of immeasurable spirit, struck Bhīṣma, son of Śāntanu, from behind in battle.
Just as another strong elephant strikes the hind part of a roaring one with its tusks, the strongest leader of the herd comes upon it.
The king Śālva, mighty-armed and impelled by indignation, said to Bhīṣma: “O woman-seeker, stop, stop!”
Then Bhīṣma, the tiger among men and destroyer of enemy forces, agitated by those words, blazed with anger like a smokeless fire.
Freed from fear and confusion, adopting the warrior's code, the great chariot-warrior turned his chariot back toward Śālva.
Seeing him turn back, all the kings became spectators at the encounter of Bhīṣma and Śālva.
Like two roaring bulls in the midst of a challenge, the two mighty warriors, endowed with strength and valor, charged toward each other.
Then the king of Śālva, best among men, showered Bhīṣma, son of Śāntanu, with hundreds of thousands of swift arrows.
Seeing Bhīṣma at first overpowered by Śālva, the kings were amazed and said, “Well done, well done.”
Seeing his agility in battle, all the kings praised Śālva with delighted words, the rulers of men honoring him.
Hearing the words of the kṣatriyas, Bhīṣma, son of Śāntanu and conqueror of enemy cities, enraged, cried out, “Stop! Stop!”
Enraged, he said to his charioteer, “Go to where this king is, until I strike him down today like a serpent by the king of birds.”
Then the Kaurava properly applied the Varuṇa weapon and with it struck down the four horses of King Śālva, O lord of men.
Countering the weapons of King Śālva with his own, Bhīṣma, tiger among kings, slew his charioteer and then with one weapon struck down his excellent horses as well.
Then Bhīṣma, son of Śāntanu and best of men, having defeated him for the sake of the maidens, let the best of kings go alive. Śālva then returned to his city, O bull among the Bharatas.
The kings who had come there to witness the svayaṁvara also returned to their own kingdoms, O conqueror of enemy cities.
Thus having conquered, Bhīṣma, the best among warriors, took those maidens and departed to Hastinapura, where the Kaurava king resided.
In a short time, the lord of men passed through forests, rivers, and mountains filled with diverse trees.
Uninjured and of immeasurable valor, he subdued the enemies in battle and brought back the daughters of the king of Kāśi — the son of the river did so.
That righteous Bhīṣma received them as if they were daughters-in-law, sisters, or daughters, and returned to the Kurus.
All those virtuous maidens, won by valor, Bhīṣma, the elder brother, gave to his younger brother Vicitravīrya.
Having performed a superhuman deed in accordance with dharma, the righteous Bhīṣma began arrangements for the marriage of his brother Vicitravīrya, having made a mutual decision with Satyavatī.
As Bhīṣma was preparing for the marriage, the eldest of the daughters of the king of Kāśi, a virtuous woman, said these words to him.
Formerly I accepted the lord of Śālva in my heart as husband, and he too had chosen me before — this was the wish of both me and my father.
Śālva was to be chosen by me in that svayaṁvara; knowing this, O knower of dharma, do now what is right.
Thus addressed by the maiden in the Brāhmaṇa assembly, the heroic Bhīṣma entered into reflection fitting to that situation and his deed.
Having taken counsel with Veda-knowing Brāhmaṇas, the righteous Bhīṣma then consented to release Ambā, the eldest daughter of the king of Kāśi.
Bhīṣma gave Ambikā and Ambālikā as wives to his younger brother Vicitravīrya, according to proper rites.
Having taken the hands of both, Vicitravīrya, though righteous, became sensual-minded, proud of beauty and youth.
They were tall, dark, with curly dark hair, red raised nails, and full hips and breasts.
Thinking that they had obtained a worthy husband, the two maidens worshipped the auspicious Vicitravīrya.
He, with the form like the Ashvins and divine strength, became the captor of the hearts of all women.
Enjoying with both for seven years, the young king Vicitravīrya contracted consumption.
Despite the efforts of his friends and trusted physicians, the Kaurava prince went to the abode of Yama, like the sun setting in the west.
Bhīṣma, abiding by the counsel of Satyavatī and assisted by priests and all the foremost of the Kurus, properly conducted all the funeral rites of King Vicitravīrya.
