12.048
Pancharatra and Library: On the way to the Kurukshetra battlefield, Yudhishthira enquires about five lakes and the incident related to Parashurama destroying the warrior class.
vaiśampāyana uvāca॥
Vaiśampāyana said:
tataḥ sa ca hṛṣīkeśaḥ sa ca rājā yudhiṣṭhiraḥ। kṛpādayaś ca te sarve catvāraḥ pāṇḍavāś ca ha ॥12-48-1॥
Then Hṛṣīkeśa, king Yudhiṣṭhira, Kṛpa and the others, and all four of the Pāṇḍavas were there.
rathais te nagarākāraiḥ patākādhvajaśobhitaiḥ। yayur āśu kurukṣetraṃ vājibhiḥ śīghragāmibhiḥ ॥12-48-2॥
They proceeded swiftly to Kurukshetra in chariots that resembled cities, adorned with banners and flags, drawn by fast horses.
te'vatīrya kurukṣetraṃ keśa-majjā-asthi-saṅkulam। deha-nyāsaḥ kṛto yatra kṣatriyaiḥ taiḥ mahātmabhiḥ ॥12-48-3॥
They descended to Kurukṣetra, a place filled with hair, marrow, and bones, where those great-souled kṣatriyas laid down their bodies.
gajāśva-deha-asthi-cayaiḥ parvataiḥ iva sañcitam। nara-śīrṣa-kapālaiḥ ca śaṅkhaiḥ iva samācitam ॥12-48-4॥
It was piled high with heaps of elephant and horse bones like mountains, and was strewn with human skulls like conch-shells.
citāsahasrair nicitaṃ varmaśastrasamākulam। āpānabhūmiṃ kālasya tadā bhuktojjhitām iva॥12-48-5॥
The ground of the drinking place, piled with thousands of funeral pyres and strewn with armor and weapons, looked as if it had been abandoned by Death after being consumed.
bhūtasaṅghānucaritaṃ rakṣogaṇaniṣevitam। paśyantaste kurukṣetraṃ yayurāśu mahārathāḥ ॥12-48-6॥
The great chariot-warriors quickly proceeded to Kurukṣetra, which was frequented by various beings and attended by hosts of demons.
gacchanneva mahābāhuḥ sarvayādavanandanaḥ। yudhiṣṭhirāya provāca jāmadagnyasya vikramam ॥12-48-7॥
As he was going, the mighty-armed one, delight of all the Yādavas, spoke to Yudhiṣṭhira about the valour of Jāmadagnya.
amī rāma-hradāḥ pañca dṛśyante pārtha dūrataḥ। yeṣu santarpayāmāsa pūrvān kṣatriya-śoṇitaiḥ॥12-48-8॥
O Partha, those five Rama-lakes can be seen from a distance. In those, he satisfied his ancestors with the blood of kṣatriyas.
triḥsaptakṛtvo vasudhāṃ kṛtvā niḥkṣatriyāṃ prabhuḥ। ihedānīṃ tato rāmaḥ karmaṇo virarāma ha ॥12-48-9॥
After making the earth devoid of kṣatriyas twenty-one times, Lord Rama then ceased from action here and now.
yudhiṣṭhira uvāca॥
Yudhiṣṭhira said:
triḥsaptakṛtvaḥ pṛthivī kṛtā niḥkṣatriyā tadā। rāmeṇeti yadāttha tvamatra me saṃśayo mahān ॥12-48-10॥
The earth was made devoid of kṣatriyas twenty-one times then. When you say this was done by Rāma, I have a great doubt about it.
kṣatrabījaṃ yadā dagdhaṃ rāmeṇa yadupuṅgava। kathaṃ bhūyaḥ samutpattiḥ kṣatrasyāmitavikrama ॥12-48-11॥
O chief of the Yadus, when the seed of the warrior class was destroyed by Rāma, how did the warrior class arise again, O one of immeasurable valor?
mahātmanā bhagavatā rāmeṇa yadupuṅgava। kathamutsāditaṃ kṣatraṃ kathaṃ vṛddhiṃ punargatam ॥12-48-12॥
O chief of the Yadus, how did the great-souled, revered Rāma destroy the warrior class, and how did it come to flourish again?
mahābhāratayuddhe hi koṭiśaḥ kṣatriyā hatāḥ। tathābhūc ca mahī kīrṇā kṣatriyair vadatāṃ vara ॥12-48-13॥
Indeed, in the battle of Mahābhārata, crores of Kṣatriyas were slain. Thus, the earth became covered with Kṣatriyas, O best of speakers. 12-48-13.
evaṃ me chindhi vārṣṇeya saṃśayaṃ tārkṣyaketana। āgamaḥ hi paraḥ kṛṣṇa tvatto no vāsavānuja ॥12-48-14॥
Therefore, O Kṛṣṇa, O descendant of Vṛṣṇi, O Garuḍa-bannered one, please dispel my doubt. For us, the supreme authority is the scripture, and you, O younger brother of Indra, are its source.
vaiśampāyana uvāca॥
Vaiśampāyana said:
tato vrajanneva gadāgrajaḥ prabhuḥ; śaśaṁsa tasmai nikhilena tattvataḥ। yudhiṣṭhirāyāpratimaujase tadā; yathābhavatkṣatriyasaṅkulā mahī ॥12-48-15॥
Then, as he was going, Bhīma, the lord, told Yudhiṣṭhira, who was unmatched in strength, everything in detail—how the earth had become filled with Kṣatriyas.
