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Library: Krishna narrates the conversation between sage Narada and Sṛñjaya, where various great kings like Bharata, Bhagirata, Rama, Dilipa, Mandhata, Yayati, Nahusha, Shashibindu, Chaitraratha, Rantideva, Sagara, and Prithu are narrated, and all are dead, and hence one should not be miserable because of death.
Vaiśampāyana said.
As Yudhishthira, the son of Kunti and Dharma, remained silent, Arjuna (Guḍākeśa), the son of Pandu, spoke to Krishna (Hṛṣīkeśa).
O Mādhava, the King of Dharma, scorcher of foes, is tormented by the grief of his kinsmen and is immersed in an ocean of sorrow; please console him.
O Janardana, all your followers are again doubtful. O mighty-armed, you ought to dispel this sorrow.
Thus, when addressed by Vijaya, the great-souled Govinda, the lotus-eyed Acyuta, turned the king back.
Keśava is truly not to be opposed by Dharmarāja. From childhood, Govinda has, out of affection, always been dearer than Arjuna.
Śauri (Krishna), grasping the sandalwood-adorned arm of the mighty-armed one, which was like a mountain pillar, spoke words of encouragement.
His face, adorned with beautiful teeth and lovely eyes, shone like a fully blossomed lotus made radiant by the sun.
O tiger among men, do not grieve and waste your body. Those who have been slain in this battlefield are not easily found again.
Just as the gains acquired in a dream are found to be unreal upon waking, so too, O King, those warriors of the royal lineage have perished in the great battle.
All these heroes are indeed facing forward, glorious in battle; among them, not a single one has turned his back, fled, or even fallen from behind.
All those heroes, having given up their lives in the great battle and purified by weapons, have attained heaven; you should not grieve for them.
Right here, an ancient story is told: how Nārada spoke to Sṛñjaya, who was grieving for his son.
O Sṛñjaya, I, you, and all the people will live in Avimukta, whether in happiness or sorrow; so what is there to grieve about?
Hear from me of the supreme great fortune of kings, which is being praised. Go attentively, O king; then you will abandon sorrow.
When you hear of the death of the great-souled kings, do not grieve; instead, listen to me as I tell you everything in detail.
O Sṛñjaya, listen: My Āvikṣita and Marutta are dead. The gods, creators of all, together with Indra, Varuṇa, and led by Bṛhaspati, went to the sacrifice of the great-souled king.
He who brought rivalry to Śakra, the king of the gods, the hundred-sacrificed one; whom, desiring Śakra's favor, the wise Bṛhaspati explained. Saṃvarta caused that one to perform a sacrifice for the distress of Bṛhaspati.
When the best among kings, the king of the virtuous, ruled, the earth, with its uncultivated land, shone, adorned with shrines.
At the sacrificial session of Āvikṣita, all the gods, the assembly members, the Maruts, the attendants, and the Sādhyas of the great-souled one were present.
The Marut hosts drank the Soma offered by Marutta; those gifts surpassed those given to gods, men, and Gandharvas.
O Sṛñjaya, if my son dies, he will be four times more auspicious and more meritorious by you than your own son; therefore, do not grieve for your son.
O Sṛñjaya, we have heard that if Suhotra, the descendant of Vaithithi, has died, then to whom did you, O Magahvan, bestow gold for a year?
When he obtained the earth called Satya, he became the ruler of the people. In that land, the rivers brought gold for the lord of the country.
O king, Maghavan (Indra), honored by the world, caused tortoises, crabs, crocodiles, makaras, and śiṃśukas to fall into the rivers.
When the descendant of Vītihotra saw the fallen golden beings, fishes, crocodiles, and tortoises by the thousands and hundreds, he smiled.
That endless gold, enclosed in the land of the Kurus, was offered by the attentive sacrificer to the Brāhmaṇas in the great sacrifice.
If he has died, O Sṛñjaya, he is four times more auspicious by your action and indeed more meritorious than a son; do not grieve for your son. One who does not give dakṣiṇā, a non-sacrificer, O Śvaitya, having passed away, do not grieve for him.
O Sṛñjaya, we have heard that Anga, Bṛhadratha too, is dead; he who released thousands upon thousands of white horses.
In the great sacrifice, the sacrificer gave as gifts thousands upon thousands of maidens adorned with gold.
He gave as a gift a hundred hundred-thousands of bulls adorned with gold garlands, along with thousands of cows, in great abundance.
At that time, on the mountain at Vishnu's abode, Indra was gladdened by Soma and offerings, along with the twice-born (Brahmins), for the limb of the sacrificer.
O king, in whose sacrifices, again and again, the gifts given in hundreds in number surpassed those given to the gods, men, and gandharvas.
No one born, nor any begetter, nor any other man will give that which the limb gave as wealth in the seven Soma sacrifices.
If my son has died, O Sṛñjaya, you have one who is four times more auspicious and more meritorious than a son; therefore, do not grieve for your son.
O Sṛñjaya, we have heard that Śibi, the descendant of Ushīnara, who had enveloped this entire earth like a hide, is dead.
He, who, with the mighty sound of his chariot, made the earth echo and brought it under one rule with his victorious single chariot.
Śibi, the king of the Uśīnaras, gave as many cows in the sacrifice as there are cows and horses today together with the animals of the forest-dwellers.
O Bharata, Prajapati considered that, among all kings, there was no one in the past or future who could bear his burden, except for the royal sage of Indra-like prowess, from Ushinara and Shaibya.
If he has died, O Sṛñjaya, know that by you he is four times more blessed and more meritorious than a son; do not grieve for your son. Understand that one who does not give gifts and does not perform sacrifices is not worthy of sorrow.
O Sṛñjaya, we have heard that Bharata, the son of Duḥṣanta, the descendant of Śakuntalā, the great archer endowed with great wealth and energy, is dead.
He who, having bound thirty horses for the gods along the Yamunā, twenty along the Sarasvatī, and fourteen along the Gaṅgā.
Long ago, Bharata, the illustrious descendant of Duḥṣanta, performed a thousand aśvamedha and a hundred rājasūya sacrifices.
The great deed of Bharata among all kings was such that the other earthly kings, like mortals trying to reach the sky with their arms, were unable to follow him.
Bharata, having tied horses beyond a thousand and constructed the altar, gave a thousand lotuses to Kaṇva.
If my son dies, O Sṛñjaya, he is by you four times more auspicious and indeed more meritorious than your son; therefore, do not grieve for your son.
O Sṛñjaya, we have heard that Rāma, the son of Daśaratha, is dead—the one who always showed compassion to his subjects as if they were his own sons.
When Rama ruled the kingdom, there was not a single widow without a protector in his territory. Rama was like a father to all.
When Rāma ruled the kingdom, there were timely rains, the clouds poured, the crops were full of sap, and there was always abundance.
When Rāma ruled the kingdom, living beings did not drown in water, fire did not burn in calamity, and there was no fear from serpents.
During the reign of Rāma, the subjects lived for thousands of years, had thousands of sons, were free from disease, and all their aims were fulfilled.
There was no quarrel among women, so how could there be among men? The subjects were steadfast in dharma when Rāma ruled the kingdom.
When Rāma ruled the kingdom, the trees always bore flowers and fruits, were free from disturbance, and all cows yielded a drona of milk.
After spending fourteen years in the forest, the great ascetic performed ten Aśvamedha sacrifices with all proper rites and without any hindrance.
Rama, dark-complexioned, youthful, and red-eyed, possessing the strength of an intoxicated elephant, ruled the kingdom for ten thousand years.
If he has died, O Sṛñjaya, he is by you four times more blessed and indeed more meritorious than your son; therefore, do not grieve for your son.
O Sṛñjaya, we have heard that Bhagīratha, the king, is dead; in whose grand sacrifice Indra, having drunk Soma, became intoxicated.
O best of the gods, Indra, the blessed subduer of Pāka, conquered many thousands of asuras by the strength of his arms.
He who, in the great sacrifice, gave away as gifts thousands upon thousands of maidens adorned with gold.
All the maidens were on chariots, and all the chariots were drawn by four horses; in each chariot, there were a hundred elephants with lotus-standards and adorned with golden garlands.
A thousand horses followed each elephant from behind. On each horse, there were a thousand cows, and a thousand goats and sheep.
While he was dwelling at the riverbank, Gaṅgā Bhāgīrathī sat on his lap; from him, Urvaśī was formerly born.
Gaṅgā, who traverses the three worlds, became the daughter of the generous sacrificer Bhagīratha, a descendant of Ikṣvāku.
If he has died, O Sṛñjaya, know that he is by you four times more auspicious and more meritorious than your son; therefore, do not grieve for your son.
O Sṛñjaya, we have heard that Dilīpa and Ilavila are dead; the Brāhmaṇas recount their many deeds.
The lord of the earth, with full concentration, gave this earth, endowed with wealth, to the Brāhmaṇas during that great sacrifice.
Here, in each sacrifice of that sacrificer, the priest caused a thousand golden elephants to be given as gifts.
In his sacrifice, there was a great and splendid golden sacrificial post; the gods, led by Indra, approached it while performing the ritual acts.
On the sacrificial post with a golden peg, six thousand divine Gandharvas danced in seven ways.
Viśvāvasu himself played the vīṇā there in the midst, and all beings thought: "This one is playing my instrument."
The kings did not follow this example of King Dilīpa, where women adorned with gold, intoxicated, would indeed lie on the path.
Those men who saw King Dilipa, mighty-armed and truth-speaking, the very great-souled one, they too became conquerors of heaven.
In the house of Dilīpa, three sounds are ever-present: the chanting of study, the twang of the bowstring, and the words 'let it be given.'
If my son has died, O Sṛñjaya, then by you he will be four times more auspicious and more meritorious than your son; therefore, do not grieve for your son.
O Sṛñjaya, we have heard that Māndhātā, the son of Yauvanāśva, has died; he whom the gods, the Maruts, took as an embryo from his father's side.
The king, illustrious and conqueror of the three worlds, who was born from pṛṣadājya and grew in the womb of the great-souled Yuvanāśva.
Seeing him, who had the form of a god, lying in his father's lap, the gods said to one another, 'Who will bear this one?'
Indra accepted, 'He will hold only me.' Therefore, Śatakratuḥ gave him the name Māndhātā.
Then, for the nourishment of the great-souled Yauvanāśva, a stream of water flowed from his mouth, as if it were the hand of Indra.
O king, as he drank Indra's hand, he grew by a year each day, and in twelve days he became as if twelve years old.
He conquered this entire earth in a single day. In battle, he was a righteous, great-souled, heroic man equal to Indra.
Māndhātā, in battle, conquered Aṅgāra the king, Marutta, Asita, Gaya, Aṅga, and Bṛhadratha.
When Yauvanāśva fought with Aṅgāra in battle, the twangings of his bow made the gods think that the sky itself had been split.
The entire region from where the sun rises to where it sets is said to be the territory of Yauvanāśva Māndhātṛ.
After performing a hundred aśvamedha and a hundred rājasūya sacrifices, the king gave red fishes to the brāhmaṇas.
The golden objects, each ten yojanas in height and length, the additional ones, were distributed to the twice-born; the rest were given to the other people.
If my son dies, O Sṛñjaya, know that by you he is four times more auspicious and more meritorious than a son; therefore, do not grieve for your son.
O Sṛñjaya, we have heard that Yayāti and Nahusha, who conquered this entire earth together with the oceans, are dead.
The king, by casting the goad and adorning the altars, performing meritorious sacrifices, traversed the earth.
After performing a thousand sacrifices and a hundred horse-sacrifices, he satisfied Indra, the king of the gods, by offering three golden mountains.
When the battle between the gods and asuras was arrayed, Yayāti, the son of Nahusha, having slain the Daiteya and Dānava demons, divided the whole earth.
Having entrusted his sons Yadu, Druhya, and others with leadership, and having installed Puru as king, he set out to the forest with his wife.
O Sṛñjaya, if my son is dead, then by you one who is four times more auspicious and more meritorious than a son has been gained; therefore, do not grieve for your son.
O Sṛñjaya, we have heard that Ambarīṣa and Nābhāga, the virtuous protectors and best among kings, were chosen by their subjects, though now dead.
He who, as a devoted worshipper in the great sacrifice, gives away the wealth of thousands of kings and ten thousand sacrificers to the Brāhmaṇas.
No one in the past has done this, nor will others in the future; thus, at Ambarīṣa, the priests rejoiced with Nābhāga.
Hundreds of thousands of kings and hundreds of groups of kings, all performers of horse-sacrifices, approached the southern path.
If my son has died, O Sṛñjaya, he is four times more auspicious and more meritorious by you than your own son; therefore, do not grieve for your son.
O Sṛñjaya, we have heard that Śaśabindu Caitraratha, the great-souled one, who had a hundred out of thousands of wives, is dead.
Among thousands, there were a thousand descendants of Śaśabindu, all of whom wore golden armor and were excellent archers.
A hundred maidens followed each prince from behind. For each maiden, a hundred elephants, and for each elephant, a hundred chariots.
A hundred chariots, each with native horses adorned with gold; a hundred horses, cows, and likewise goats and sheep.
At the great horse-sacrifice, King Śaśabindu gave this inexhaustible wealth to the Brāhmaṇas.
If he has died, O Sṛñjaya, know that he is by you four times more auspicious and more meritorious than a son; therefore, do not grieve for your son.
O Sṛñjaya, it is said that King Gaya, who had an incorporeal essence and ate the remnants of offerings, lived for a hundred years and then died.
To whom Agni granted boons, then Gaya chose those boons. May there be inexhaustibility for me in giving, and may faith in dharma increase.
May my mind find joy in truth; by your grace, O Fire-consumer, we have heard that all those desires were obtained from Pāvaka (Agni).
He of great energy performed the Darśa, Paurnamasa, and Cāturmāsya sacrifices again and again for a thousand years.
He gave hundreds of cows, thousands, and hundreds of horses; having risen again and again, indeed, he gave for a thousand years.
O best of men, he gratified the gods with Soma, the Brahmins with wealth, the ancestors with oblations, and his own women with desired objects.
The king, having fashioned a golden earth ten yojanas wide and twice as long, gave it as a ritual gift (dakṣiṇā) at the great aśvamedha sacrifice.
O king, as many grains of sand as are in the Gaṅgā, that many cows did Gaya, of immeasurable merit, give.
O Sṛñjaya, if my son is four times more auspicious and more meritorious than your son, then do not grieve for your son.
O Sṛñjaya, we have heard that Rantideva and Sāṅkṛtya, both now dead, were greatly renowned for having properly worshipped Indra and obtained a boon from him.
May we have abundant food, may we receive guests; may faith not leave us, and may we not have to beg from anyone.
Both domestic and wild animals themselves approached and served the great-souled and illustrious Rantideva, who was firm in his vows.
The great river originated from a heap of skins due to their soaking; therefore, that great river became well-known as Carmaṇvatī.
The king gave gold coins to the Brāhmaṇas in the assembly. Wherever the twice-born shout, 'To you, to you, a gold coin,' and after saying, 'A thousand to you,' he approaches the Brāhmaṇas.
All the implements for serving food, the vessels, pots, cauldrons, bowls, and jars belonging to the wise Rantideva were not made of gold.
On the night when Rantideva stayed in the house at the assembly, a hundred cows and twenty thousand were taken.
There, indeed, the cooks with well-polished jeweled earrings shout: "Eat food that is abundant in soup; do not eat meat today as you did formerly."
If my son dies, O Sṛñjaya, he will be four times more auspicious and more meritorious than your son by your actions; therefore, do not grieve for your son.
O Sṛñjaya, we have heard that Sagara, the great-souled king, the descendant of Ikṣvāku, a tiger among men and of superhuman valor, is dead.
Sixty thousand sons followed him as he departed, just as groups of stars follow the king of stars at the end of the rainy season in a cloudless sky.
He, to whom the entire earth once bowed in submission, satisfied the gods with a thousand horse-sacrifices.
He who gave a palace with golden pillars, made entirely of gold, filled with beds crowded by women with lotus-petal eyes.
The twice-borns distributed the wealth among themselves according to their respective eligibility and desires, higher and lower, as per his command.
He, who out of anger excavated the earth marked by the ocean, and by whose name the ocean came to be known as 'Sāgara'.
If my son dies, O Sṛñjaya, you will have a son who is four times more auspicious and more meritorious than a son; therefore, do not grieve for your son.
O Sṛñjaya, we have heard that King Pṛthu, the son of Vena, died; the great sages, having assembled in the great forest, anointed him.
Pṛthu is so named because he will expand the worlds; and since he protects us from harm, he is therefore remembered as a Kṣatriya.
When the people saw Pṛthu, the descendant of Vena, and became attached to him, they said, "King"; thus, out of their affection, this name arose for him.
The earth, without being ploughed, yielded honey in every clod. All the cows of Vainya, during his reign, gave a drona of milk.
Humans, free from disease and fear, with all their objectives accomplished, lived as they wished both in the fields and in their homes.
The waters of the ocean, which he desired to cross, were restrained; the rivers also ceased to flow, and there was no obstruction from banners.
The king, during the great horse-sacrifice, gave to the Brāhmaṇas twenty-one golden mountains with three Nala elevations.
If my son has died, O Sṛñjaya, then by you he is four times more blessed and more meritorious than a son; therefore, do not grieve for your son.
Why are you sitting silently in meditation, Sṛñjaya? O king, do you not listen to my words? If what I have spoken is not in vain or false, then it is wholesome, like proper advice given to one who is dying.
Sṛñjaya said.
O Nārada, I hear your words, which are full of wondrous meaning, like a garland fragrant with virtue, associated with the royal sages, the meritorious, and the great-souled, endowed with fame, and intended to dispel sorrow.
O great sage, your words are never in vain; just seeing you, O Nārada, removes my sorrow. I eagerly listen to your words, O knower of Brahman, yet I am never fully satisfied, just as one is never satisfied by drinking nectar.
O infallible-seer, if you grant me your grace, O Lord, to one burned by the sin of his son, please do so; let there be revival of the dead for me today, and by your grace, let there also be union with my son.
Nārada said.
The son who is dear to you and has been separated, the golden-spitting Yamadāt mountain is yours. Again, I give you that son, the golden-navelled one, who is a thousand years old.
