PART II.

created by Ar

juna.

HISTORY OF Krishna blew their shells in triumph. Meantime the wise INDIA. Bhishma perceived the disastrous condition of his army, and Alarm of Bhish- Was much astonished, and he said to Drona :-" See, worthy ma at the havoc preceptor, how Arjuna is committing fearful havoc : He is dreadful as Yama, and I see no chance of defeating him this day; and our own army is so shattered that we cannot lead them against the Pándavas, who the more they fight seem to grow the stronger: The gods are against us; our warriors are weary and panic-stricken; and it would be unwise to expose them this day to another conflict: So pass the order for leaving the field, and direct that all may be ready in the morning for to-morrow's battle." Then Drona gave the order, and the Kauravas returned to their camp with sad Successes of the hearts. But on that day the Pándavas had done mighty things, and they and their troops returned to their quarters in great joy and glory; and so that night passed away.

Pandavas.

Third day of the

war.

Tremendous charge of the

form of a half

moon.

ter.

On the morning of the third day the Pandavas drew up their army in the form of a half-moon, and made such a Pandavas in the charge that they fell at once on the front and two flanks of the Kauravas. And they dashed on pell-mell and broke the enemy's line and threw it into disorder, and then re-formed themselves and charged again; and in the confusion charioteers and horsemen charged the footmen contrary to rule, and slew them with darts on which they had inscribed their own names; but order was soon restored by Bhishma and Arjuna, and they then fought their equals only, as had Terrible slaugh- been agreed upon at the beginning of the war. The slaughter on this day was terrible, and the plain was strewed with heaps of dead, and weapons of every description, and bodies without heads, and horses without riders; and the dust was laid with rivers of blood; and the wounded writhed about in all directions and filled the air with their piercing shrieks and melancholy cries; and still as they fell and rose they struggled in combat with each other; and from the excess of bloodshed and carnage that day the battle was called Maharadra. Even the bodies of those who were dead rose up without their heads and fought each other; and when the people saw this they saw it was an omen that the whole of

Cries of the wounded.

Dead men rise

without heads

and fight each

other.

INDIA. PART II.

fight with their

the living would be slain. Then the great Chieftains of the HISTORY OF Kauravas fell upon the Pándavas, and the battle raged furiously, and was fearful to behold; for when the swords of the warriors were blunted and their arrows spent, they tore up trees by the roots and slew each other with them, or flew The warriors at each other with their clenched fists, and kicked, and fists, feet, teeth, wrestled, and tore each other with their teeth and nails. And the Pandavas drove back the Kauravas, and the Repulse of the Kauravas in their flight resembled the rushing of the waters at the new and full moon.

and nails.

Kauravas.

complains of the

Bhishma.

the battle, but

are driven back

Duryodhana now saw that his forces were being routed, and he went to Bhishma and complained of his indifference Duryodhana to the slaughter of the Kauravas, and begged that he would indifference of exert himself to the utmost to defeat the Pándavas. At these words the eyes of Bhishma became red with wrath, but Bhishmarenews he sounded the shells and trumpets, and the Kauravas the Kauravas responded to the call; and the battle raged again more by Arjuna. furiously than before, and Bhishma drove the army of the Pandavas before him, and killed very many. But Arjuna requested Krishna to drive him against Bhishma, and the Pándavas turned back and fought desperately; and after a long time the Kauravas were defeated, and retired to their own quarters; and the Pándavas blew the shell of victory and returned in triumph to their camp, and bestowed great praises upon Arjuna, and thus ended the third day of the battle.

from the fourth

heartened at not

And now the war raged every day from the fourth to the The war rages ninth day, and sometimes the Chieftains fought single to the ninth day. combats, and sometimes the armies fought together pellmell; but though very many were killed on either side, yet the issue was as far off as ever, and the Pándavas were still unconquered, whilst the Kauravas were much disheartened Kauravas disat their ill success. On the evening of the ninth day, when conquering the the Kauravas had returned to their quarters, Duryodhana, Sakuni, Duhsúsana, and Karna held a consultation together about their disasters; and Duryodhana said :-" O warriors, Duryodhana why is it that whilst we have Bhishma, and Drona, and Chieftains of his Kripa, and Sálya on our side, we are still unable to conquer

Pandavas.

complains to his

want of success

INDIA. PART II.

Karna engages

HISTORY OF the Pándavas? Why should I be defeated every day, and my army decrease in numbers, whilst the Pándavas are still alive? Let me know, I pray you, how we can succeed in to slay the Pan- destroying our enemies?" Karna replied:-" O Raja, cast aside your grief! Arrange that Bhishma withdraws from the fight, so that I may put on my armour and do battle upon the plain, and I swear to you that I will clear the earth of the Pandavas."

davas if Bhishma will retire

from the command.

Duryodhana proposes to Bhishma that

he should retire.

Bhishma's wrath.

Bhishma engages to defeat

So Duryodhana went to the tent of Bhishma and said :"If you will defeat the Pandavas according to your promise, it will be well; but if you are desirous of showing mercy to the Pandavas, then do you lay aside your arms and permit Karna to destroy my enemies."

When Bhishma heard this reproachful language from Duryodhana he was touched to the heart, and uttered not a word; but presently he exclaimed, with a voice of thunder:"O Raja, I am doing my utmost, and disregarding my own the Pandavas on life, in order to serve you: Why then do you still reproach perish upon the me with cruel words! On the morrow however you shall either behold me dead upon the field, or you shall be entirely freed from your enemies." So saying he dismissed Duryodhana and retired to his own couch.

the tenth day or

field.

Tenth day of the

war.

between Bhish

Next morning, being the tenth day of the war, Duryodhana told all his Chieftains that Bhishma had resolved to slay the Pandavas or to fall by their hands. Then the armies were marshalled upon the plain, and Bhishma proceeded to the front of his army; and challenged Arjuna to Terrible conflict battle; and there was a terrible conflict between Bhishma ma and Arjuna. and Arjuna which lasted many hours, and all the warriors on either side ceased their combats in order that they might look on. At last after much fighting Bhishma received a mortal wound; and he fell from his chariot upon the ground, and Arjuna went up to him and brought him water, and all the warriors on either side paid homage to the dying patriarch. But Bhishma did not give up the ghost, but lay on the ground many days, and a guard was set upon him by Raja Duryodhana until he died.

Bhishma mortally wounded.

Review of the first ten days of the war.

The foregoing selections from the narrative of

INDIA. PART II.

in the single

Bhishma and

Arjuna.

the first ten days of the war are sufficient to illus- HISTORY OF trate the desultory character of the fighting; and here it should be remarked that however popular some of the scenes appear to be, such as the mythical contest between Bhíma and the Raja of Magadhá and his sons, the onslaught of Arjuna, and the great charge of the army of the Pándavas in the form of a half-moon, still the interest centres in the single Interest centres combat between Bhishma and Arjuna, in which the combat between former was slain. The legend of this combat undoubtedly referred to a real event; but in the Mahá Bhárata, the narrative is so overloaded with supernatural details, introduced for the purpose of explaining away the unseemly character of the contest between the old patriarch and his youthful kinsman, that it will be sufficient to accept the bare fact that the two warriors engaged in several single combats, and that ultimately Bhishma was slain. One point, Singular effort however, in these mythical additions appears to be the character of worthy of notice, namely, the palpable effort to Brahmanize the character of Bhishma. In what appears to be the original tradition Bhishma is represented as a loyal and venerated patriarch, who had withdrawn his claim to the Raj in order to gratify his father, and had subsequently educated the fathers of the Kauravas and Pándavas for the throne, and trained them in the use of arms. The Brahmanical compilers, however, seem to have been desirous of reproducing so celebrated a hero in a character more adapted to their own religious ideas; and consequently, by the bold introduction of fabulous matter, they have actually succeeded, from a Hindú point of view, in transforming the rude and honest veteran into a pious ascetic and moral

to Brahmanize

Bhishma

INDIA.

PART II.

Mythical story

that Bhishma

lay for many days upon a

arrow heads,and

some moral and

religious dis

courses.

HISTORY OF teacher. Bhíshma is said to have been so thickly pierced in every part of his body by the arrows of Arjuna, that when he fell mortally wounded from his chariot, he rested as it were upon the points of Couch formed of the arrows. A pillow for his head was formed by then delivered three more arrows. In this condition he lay in a state of consciousness for many weeks, having received from his father the miraculous power of fixing the hour when he should die. In the first instance he called for Duryodhana, and in a lengthy address advised him before it was too late to restore half of the Raj to the Pándavas; and subsequently tried to persuade Karna to desert Duryodhana and espouse the cause of the Pándavas. Having failed in both cases, he continued to lie on his arrowy couch, until long after the war was over, when just before giving up the ghost he took the opportunity of delivering to Yudhishthira a prolix discourse on the duties of kings. Such startling incongruities as these are only valuable as illustrating the character of the interpolations, which the Brahmanical compilers have introduced into the national Epic; but the Brahmanical teaching involved in the discourses will be brought under discussion in dealing with the religious ideas which prevailed at a later age.

2nd, Drona's command-five

days.

The second period in the progress of the war comprises the history of the five days during which

2 Another preposterous myth connected with the death of Bhishma may be recorded in a note. He is said to have received the mortal wound not from Arjuna, but from a warrior named Sikhandin, who was a younger son of Raja Drupada. In a previous birth Sikhandin is said to have been a female named Ambá, and was indeed the elder daughter of the Raja of Kási whom Bhishma had carried away to be the wife of his half-brother Vichitra-virya. She had perished in the jungle, but before her death she had been assured by Parasu Ráma, that she should become a man in a future birth, and cause the death of Bhishma, who had been the author of all her misfortunes. See page 53.