SECTION 169
(Chaitraratha Parva continued)
"The Brahmana continued, 'King Drupada (after this),
distressed at heart, wandered among many asylums of Brahmanas in search of
superior Brahmanas well-skilled in sacrificial rites. Overwhelmed with grief
and eagerly yearning for children, the king always said, 'Oh, I have no
offspring surpassing all in accomplishments.' And the monarch, from great despondency,
always said 'Oh, fie on those children that I have and on my relatives!' And
ever thinking of revenging himself on Drona, the monarch sighed incessantly.
And Drupads, even after much deliberation, saw no way of overcoming, by his
Kshatriya might, the prowess and discipline and training and accomplishment of
Drona. Wandering along the banks of the Yamuna and the Ganga, the monarch once came
upon a sacred asylum of Brahmanas. There was in that asylum no Brahmana who was
not a Snataka, no one who was not of rigid vows, and none who was not virtuous
to a high degree. And the king saw there two Brahmana sages named Yaja and
Upayaja, both of rigid vows and souls under complete control and belonging to
the most superior order. They were both devoted to the study of the ancient
institutes and sprung from the race of Kasyapa. And those Brahmanas were
well-able to help the king in the attainment of his object. The king then, with
great assiduity and singleness of purpose, began to court this pair of
excellent Brahmanas.
Ascertaining the superior accomplishments of the younger of the
two the king courted in private Upayaja of rigid vows, by the offer of every desirable
acquisition. Employed in paying homage to the feet of Upayaja, always
addressing in sweet words and offering him every object of human desire,
Drupada, after worshipping that Brahmana, addressed him (one day), saying, 'O
Upayaja, O Brahmana, if thou, performest those sacrificial rites by (virtue of)
which I may obtain a son who may slay Drona, I promise thee ten thousand kine,
or whatever else may be agreeable to thee, truly am I ready to make gifts to
thee.' Thus addressed by the king, the Rishi replied, saying, 'I cannot
(perform such rites).' But Drupada without accepting this reply as final, once
more began to serve and pay homage unto that Brahmana. Then,
after the expiration of a year, Upayaja addressing Drupada in
sweet tone, said, 'My elder brother Yaja, one day, while wandering through the
deep woods, took up a fruit that had fallen upon a spot the purity of which he
cared not to enquire about. I was following him and observed this unworthy act of
his. Indeed, he entertains no scruples in accepting things impure. In accepting
that particular fruit he saw not any impropriety of sinful nature: Indeed, he
who observeth not purity is not very likely to observe it in the other instances.
When he lived in the house of his preceptor, employed in studying the
institutes, he always used to eat impure remnants of other people's feasts. He
always speaks approvingly of food and entertains no dislike for anything.
Arguing from these, I believe that my brother covets earthy acquisitions.
Therefore, O king, go unto him; he will perform spiritual offices for thee.'
Hearing these words of Upayaja, king Drupada, though entertaining a low opinion
of Yaja, nevertheless went to his abode. Worshipping Yaja who was still worthy
of homage, Drupada said unto him, 'O master, perform thou spiritual offices for
me and I will give thee eighty thousand kine! Enmity with Drona burneth my
heart; it behoveth thee therefore to cool that heart of mine. Foremost of those
conversant with the Vedas, Drona is also skilled in the Brahma weapon and for
this, Drona hath overcome me in a contest arising from impaired friendship.
Gifted with great intelligence, the son of Bharadwaja is now the chief
preceptor of the Kurus. There is no Kshatriya in this world superior to him.
His bow is full six cubits long and looks formidable, and his shafts are
capable of slaying every living being. Drona habited as a Brahmana, is
destroying the Kshatriya power all over the earth. Indeed, he is like a second
Jamadagnya intended for the extermination of the Kshatriya race. There is no
man on earth who can overcome the terrible force of his weapons. Like a blazing
fire fed with clarified butter, Drona, possessed of Brahma might and uniting it
with Kshatriya might, consumeth every antagonist in battle. But thy Brahma force
is greater in itself than Drona's Brahma force united with Kshatriya might.
Therefore, as I am inferior to Drona in consequence of my possession of
Kshatriya might alone, I solicit the aid of thy Brahma force, having obtained
thee so superior to Drona in knowledge of Brahma. O Yaja, perform that
sacrifice by means of which I may obtain a son invincible in battle and capable
of slaying Drona. Ready am I to give thee ten thousand kine.' Hearing these
words of Drupada, Yaja said, 'So be it.' Yaja then began to recollect the
various ceremonies appertaining to the particular sacrifice. And knowing the
affair to be a very grave one, he asked the assistance of Upayaja who coveted nothing.
Then Yaja promised to perform the sacrifice for the destruction of Drona. Then
the great ascetic Upayaja spoke unto king Drupada of everything required for the
grand sacrifice by aid of fire from which the king was to obtain offspring. And
he said, 'O king, a child shall be born unto thee, endued,as thou desirest,
with great prowess, great energy, and great strength.'
"The Brahmana continued, 'Then king Drupada, impelled by the
desire of obtaining a son who was to slay Drona, began, for the success of his wish,
to make the necessary preparations. Yaja, after having poured libations of
clarified butter on the sacrificial fire, commanded Drupada's queen, saying,
'Come hither, O queen, O daughter-in-law of Prishata! A son and a daughter have
arrived for thee!' Hearing this, the queen said, 'O Brahmana, my mouth is yet filled
with saffron and other perfumed things. My body also beareth many sweet scents;
I am hardly fit for accepting the sanctified butter which is to give me
offspring. Wait for me a little, O Yaja! Wait for that happy consummation.'
Yaja, however, replied, 'O lady, whether thou comest or waitest, why should not
the object of this sacrifice be accomplished when the oblation hath already
been prepared by me and sanctified by Upayaja's invocations?'
"The Brahmana continued, 'Having said this, Yaja poured the
sanctified libation on the fire, whereupon arose from those flames a child resembling
a celestial who possessing the effulgence of fire, was terrible to behold. With
a crown on this head and his body encased in excellent armour, sword in hand,
and bearing a bow and arrows, he frequently sent forth loud roars. And
immediately after his birth, he ascended an excellent chariot and went about in
it for some time. Then the Panchalas in great joy shouted, 'Excellent,
Excellent.' The very earth seemed at that time unable to bear the weight of the
Panchalas mad with joy. Then, marvellous to say, the voice of some invisible
spirit in the skies said, 'This prince hath been born for the destruction of
Drona. He shall dispel all the fears of the Panchalas and spread their fame. He
shall also remove the sorrow of the king.' And there arose, after this from the
centre of the sacrificial platform, a daughter also, called Panchali, who,
blest with great good fortune, was exceedingly handsome. Her eyes were black,
and large as lotus-petals, her complexion was dark, and her locks were blue and
curly. Her nails were beautifully convex, and bright as burnished copper; her
eye-brows were fair, and bosom was deep. Indeed, she resembled the veritable
daughter of a celestial born among men. Her body gave out fragrance like that
of a blue lotus, perceivable from a distance of full two miles. Her beauty was
such that she had no equal on earth. Like a celestial herself, she could be
desired in marriage by a celestial, a Danava, or a: Yaksha. When this girl of
fair hips was born an incorporeal voice said, 'This dark-complexioned girl will
be the first of all women, and she will be the cause of the destruction of many
Kshatriyas. This slender-waisted one will, in time, accomplish the purpose of
the gods, and along with her many a danger will overtake the Kauravas.' On
hearing these words, the Panchalas uttered a loud leonine roar, and the earth
was unable to bear the weight of that joyous concourse. Then beholding the boy
and the girl, the daughter-in-law of Prishata, desiring to have them,
approached Yaja and said, 'Let not these know any one else except myself as
their mother.' Yaja, desiring to do good unto the king said, 'So be it!' Then
the Brahmanas present there, their expectations fully gratified, bestowed names
upon the new-born pair, 'Let this son of king Drupada, they said, be called
Dhrishtadyumna, because of his excessive audacity and because of his being born
like Dyumna with a natural mail and weapon.' And they also said, 'Because this
daughter is so dark in complexion, she should be called Krishna (the dark).'
"The Brahmana continued, 'Thus were born those twins of the
great sacrifice of Drupada. And the great Drona, bringing the Panchala prince into
his own abode, taught him all weapons in requital of half the kingdom he had
formerly taken from Drupada. The high-souled son of Bharadwaja, regarding
destiny to be inevitable, did what would perpetuate his own great deeds.'"
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