HISTORY OF

INDIA. PART II.

Krishna renews his promises.

Krishna answered her:-" Fear not, for Raja Yudhishthira will perform every filial duty to your husband Dhritaráshtra a thousand times better than was ever done by Duryodhana; and the Maharaja will be a thousand times better treated by the Pándavas than ever he was by his own sons; and if Duryodhana and Duhsásana were your sons, Yudhishthira and Arjuna will be your slaves." And Gándhárí was consoled by these words of Krishna; and Krishna Pandavas in the then returned to the Pándavas, who had taken up their quarters for the night in the camp of the Kauravas; and he entered the presence of Yudhishthira and related to him all that had occurred during his visit at Hastinápur.

Returns to the

quarters of the

camp of the

Kauravas.

Review of the foregoing narrative of the last day of the great

war.

Mythical refer

na.

counsel of

The foregoing narrative of the events of the last day of the great war is deeply interesting, but calls for little comment. The mythical references to ences to Krish- Krishna are however singularly suggestive; both as regards his strange counsel during the battle between Bhíma and Duryodhana, and his mythical mission Extraordinary to Hastinapur at the conclusion of the war. Upon the former point it may be remarked that Duryodhana had hitherto displayed a peculiar enmity towards Krishna; or, to use a later and more mythical form of expression, he had ever opposed the worship of Krishna, and disbelieved in his divine nature. For some strange reason, which can scarcethe Kauravas ly be fathomed, the deaths of the three leading immoral inter- heroes of the Kauravas are ascribed to Krishna's Krishna. interference, although each case involved a moral

Krishna that Bhima should strike a foul blow.

Deaths of the

three heroes of

ascribed to the

ference of

delinquency. He caused the death of Drona by suggesting the lie which was told as regards Aswattháma. He caused the death of Karna by counselling Arjuna to shoot an arrow when Karna was trying to raise his chariot-wheel from the earth. Finally, he suggested the foul blow with the mace beneath the waist by which Duryodhana was mor

INDIA.

myth.

by

tally wounded by Bhíma. Accordingly the divine HISTORY OF hero is bitterly reproached by Duryodhana for these PART II. offences; and the difficulty is to understand why the Krishna reBrahmanical compilers should have attributed such Duryodhana. undoubted deviations from morality to their own particular deity. Possibly they desired to transfer Origin of the the guilt from responsible heroes to an irresponsible Supreme Being. The narrative of Yudhishthira's lie, of Arjuna's unfair shot, and of Bhima's foul blow, may have been related in the original tradition, without any reference to Krishna, and without any attempt at palliation, simply because at that early period they were not opposed to the moral sense of the community. In the Brahmanical age however such deeds were by no means creditable to the national heroes; although when changed to religious mysteries, and ascribed to an incarnation of the Supreme Being, they might be treated as acts which mere humanity could not venture to praise or condemn.

The mission of Krishna to console the blind Ma- Krishna appears

háraja Dhritarashtra, and the Rání Gándhárí, for the slaughter of their sons, and, above all, to reconcile the bereaved pair to the murderers of their sons, is a circumstance which is far more in accordance with the religious character of Krishna, who is not unfrequently represented as a consoler in times of sorrow and suffering. Indeed, the tone of thought which prevails throughout this portion of the poem sufficiently indicates its later origin; and it may be safely passed over as a pure invention and interpolation of the Brahmanical compilers.

in his mission to

the character of

a consoler.

HISTORY OF

INDIA. PART II.

Termination of the war and

Pándavas.

alone remaining of all the forces of the Kauravas.

CHAPTER XIII.

THE REVENGE OF ASWATTHÁMA.

THE great war of Bhárata was now over.

The

cause of the Pandavas had triumphed. Duryodhana was lying mortally wounded upon the plain of Kutriumph of the rukshetra, and of all his numerous followers only Three warriors three remained alive. But these three were still prepared to renew the struggle; a circumstance that tends to confirm the view that the war turned upon single combats, and that the forces engaged might have been counted by tens or hundreds rather than by millions or billions. Amongst these three men was one named Aswattháma. He was the son of the old preceptor Drona, and had fought, like his father, on the side of the Kauravas, but had hitherto made Vow of Aswat- no figure in the history. When however Drona was slain by Dhrishta-dyumna on the fifteenth day of the war, Aswattháma had sworn to be revenged on his father's murderer; and on the night of the last day of the war circumstances occurred which enabled him to fulfil his vow. Yudhishthira and his brethren were sleeping in the camp of the Kauravas, on the opposite side of the lake; but all their surviving followers and servants, together with their wife Draupadi and their five sons, were sleeping in

tháma, son of Drona, to be

revenged for the death of his

father.

INDIA. PART II.

their own entrenched camp in apparently the most HISTORY OF perfect security, having, as they supposed, not a single enemy remaining alive who was capable of working them any harm. The story of the revenge of Aswattháma is as follows:

eighteenth day

wounded and

plain.

surviving war

visit him.

grief.

offers to slay the

Now it was on the evening of the eighteenth and last Night of the day of the great war that the Pándavas had left Duryodhana of the war. on the plain of Kurukshetra, and that Krishna had visited Dhritarashtra and Gándhárí at Hastinápur. And when Dur- Duryodhana yodhana was left by the Pándavas, he sat up in spite of his alone upon the wound, and cleansed his face from blood and dust, and bound up his hair. Meantime Aswattháma, Kripa, and The three Kritavarman perceived that the Pándavas had departed; riors of his army and they came out of their place of concealment, and presented themselves to Duryodhana; and when the people whom Yudhishthira had stationed to take care of the Raja, saw those warriors approaching, they ran away. And when Their great the three warriors came near to Duryodhana, and beheld his wretched condition, they rolled themselves in the dust and wept aloud. And Aswattháma said to Duryodhana :-"You Aswattháma know how Dhrishta-dyumna slew my father Drona, and how Pandavas that with like treachery Bhíma has worked this evil upon you: If now you will lay your commands upon me, I will this very night go and slay every one of the Pándavas." yodhana then bade Kripa bring Aswattháma before and Kripa took Aswattháma's hand, and did as he was manded. Duryodhana then said:-"I now appoint you, Aswattháma, to be Chief in my room." And Raja Duryodhana turned to the other two, Kripa and Kritavarman, and said:"Henceforth do you look upon Aswattháma as you have hitherto looked upon me." And Aswattháma kissed the ground, and uttered a prayer for the Raja; and the Raja said:-"The time of my death has now arrived, and it is my wish that you go this very night and slay all the Pandavas and their army, and bring me the head of Bhíma, that on beholding it I may go out of this world with

night.

Dur- Duryodhana

appoints As

him; watthama Chief

in command,

com- and directs him

to bring the head of Bhima,

HISTORY OF Out regret." So saying, the strength of Duryodhana again failed him, and he fainted away from weakness and pain.

INDIA. PART II.

The three war

yodhana upon

the plain.

After Duryodhana had thus appointed Aswattháma, son riors leave Dur- of Drona, to be Chief and Commander in his own stead, the three warriors took leave of the dying Raja and went their way. And they sat down under a tree to consult what they should do; and Aswattháma said:-"I have already received the orders of the Raja to slay all the Pandavas this very night, and I must now do something or forfeit my head." And Aswattháma saw that a large number of crows were roosting in the tree; and presently an owl came, and killed the crows one by one, without alarming the others. Resolves to fall And Aswattháma said to his two companions :-" This owl

Aswattháma

sees an owl kill the sleeping

crows.

upon the Pán

davas in like

manner.

Kripa remonstrates.

Aswattháma persists in revenging the slaughter of Drona.

instructs me how to act towards my enemies if they be too numerous: It is to kill them by night one after the other, without making any noise that will disturb the rest: Give me your advice! Shall I go and fall upon our enemies, particularly upon Dhrishta-dyumna, who slew my father Drona?" Kripa replied: "You are well aware that Duryodhana will now certainly die, and we have already done very much in his service: My opinion is that we should betake ourselves to Maharaja Dhritarashtra and the Rání Gándhárí, and mention this scheme to them; and then if they order us to set about it we should do so, but that otherwise we should not move in the matter." And both Kripa and Kritavarman strongly urged Aswattháma, but he would not listen to them, saying:-"These people have slain my father, and I am confident that they will all be sleeping after their victory; and if I do not watch this opportunity for revenge, I am very sure I shall never meet with another; and the grief that now overburthens my heart will never be assuaged as long as I live: If I conquer in this effort it is well; otherwise if I am killed I do not care: So do not interrupt me, but leave me to my purpose: In the beginning of the war I ought not to have taken up arms at all, because I am a Bráhman; and I should have occupied myself in study and prayer: But now that I have launched my life upon the torrent of war, I must fight to some purpose: The least that