found in the Mahá Bhárata. The narrative may be HISTORY OF left to tell its own story:

INDIA. PART II.

perity.

Now after Raja Yudhishthira had performed the great Peace and prosAswamedha Yaga, the Pándavas lived for many years in peace and prosperity under Maháraja Dhritarashtra in the city of Hastinapur. But though the Pándavas had succeeded the Kauravas in the rule of the Raj, and were zealous in the performance of every filial duty towards their uncle the Maharaja, yet Dhritarashtra could never forget the death of his own sons, and could never forgive Bhíma for having slain Duryodhana. And there sprung up many bitter dis- Bitter disputes putes between Bhíma and the Maháraja, and Bhíma treated and the Mahahis blind uncle with insult, and refused to obey his commands; and Dhritarashtra determined to live at a distance from the brethren. And Dhritarashtra departed out of The Maháraja Hastinapur, and went away to live in the jungle on the bank Gandhari and of the Ganges; and he took with him his wife Gándhárí, and jungle on the Ganges. Kuntí, who was his brother's widow, and Vidura, and all the older members of the family; and they abode there on the bank of the Ganges.

between Bhima

raja.

departs with

Kunti to the

Pandavas to the

And it came to pass that after some years, the Pandavas Visit of the were desirous of paying their respects to Maharaja Dhrita- Maháraja. ráshtra and the Rání Gándhárí, and to see again all their aged kinsfolk who had sought an abiding place in the jungle. And the five brethren went forth with their wife Draupadí, and paid a visit to the Maharaja, and all were rejoiced to see them; but when they asked for Vidura, they Death of Viduwere told that he had gone to the bank of the Ganges to die by fasting; and they hastened to the place where Vidura was, and when they came up to him he was speechless, and gave up the ghost.

ra.

promises to as

ghosts of all who were slain

After this, whilst all were talking together of the hus- The sage Vyása bands, and the sons, and the kinsfolk whom they had semble the lost in the great war of Mahá Bhárata, the sage Vyása ap- in the great war peared amongst them, and said: "I will this day heal of Maha Bháall your griefs: Go you all to the river Ganges, and bathe therein, and there each one of you shall behold the kinsmen for whom you have been sorrowing." So they all went

rata.

INDIA. PART II.

the slain bathe

Ganges.

the ghosts.

The armies reappear in all their pomp as when alive.

HISTORY OF down to the river, and chose a bathing-place for themselves and families; and Vyása said to them :-"You shall see this night all those whom you desire." And the day passed away so slowly that it seemed like a whole year to them, The widows of but at last the sun went down, and they all bathed in the and pray in the river by command of Vyása, and said their prayers, and went and stood near him; and Raja Yudhishthira and his brethren were on the side of Vyása, and Maháraja Dhritaráshtra stood before them, and everybody else stood wherVyasa summons ever places could be found. Vyása then went into the water, and prayed and bathed; and he then came out and stood by Dhritarashtra and Yudhishthira, and called out the names of each of the persons who had been slain, one by one. At that moment the river began to foam and boil, and a great noise was heard rising out of the waters, as though all the slain men were once again alive, and as though they and their elephants and their horses were bursting into loud cries, and all the drums and trumpets and other instruments of music of both armies were striking up together. The whole assembly were astonished at this mighty tempest, and some were smitten with a terrible fear, when suddenly they saw Bhishma and Drona in full armour seated in their chariots, and ascending out of the waters, with all their armies arrayed as they were on the first day of the Mahá Bhárata. Next came forth Abhimanyu, the heroic son of Arjuna, and the five sons of Draupadí, and the son of Bhíma with his army of Asuras. After them came Karna, and Duryodhana, and Sakuni, and Duhsásana, and the other sons of Dhritaráshtra, all in full parade seated upon their chariots, together with many other warriors and Rajas who had been slain. All appeared in great glory and splendour, and more beautiful than when they were alive; and all came with their own horses and chariots and banners and arms. And every one was in perfect friendship with each other, for enmity had departed from amongst them; and each one was preceded by his bards and eulogists who sang his Joy of the liv- praises; and very many singing men and dancing girls appeared with them, singing and dancing. Now when these

Perfect friend

ship between

the Kauravas

and Pandavas.

ing in the company of the

dead.

INDIA. PART II.

of the dead at

warriors had come out of the river, their widows and HISTORY OF orphans and kinsfolk were overjoyed, and not a trace of grief remained amongst them; and widows went to their husbands, and daughters to their fathers, and mothers to their sons, and sisters to their brothers, and all the fifteen years of sorrow which had passed since the war of the Mahá Bhárata were forgotten in the ecstasy of seeing each other again. Thus the night passed away in the fulness of Disappearance joy; but when the morning had dawned, all the dead the dawn. mounted their chariots and horses, and disappeared; and those who had gathered together to behold them prepared to depart. And Vyása the sage said that the widows who The widows wished to rejoin their dead husbands might do so; and selves in the all the widows went and bathed in the Ganges, and came join their husout of the water again, and kissed, one by one, the feet of Dhritarashtra and Gándhárí; and then went and drowned themselves in the river; and through the prayers of Vyása they all went to the places they wished, and obtained their several desires.

drown them

Ganges and re

bands.

of the Maharaja

household in a

After this, Raja Yudhishthira and his brethren, and their wife Draupadí, took their leave of Maharaja Dhritaráshtra and the Rání Gándhárí, and returned to the city of Hastinapur. And after many days Nárada the sage came to the palace of Yudhishthira, and said: "The jungle has Terrible death been set on fire, and the flames have been nourished by a and all his strong wind; and the Maharaja and the Rání, and all their jungle fire. kinsfolk and friends, have perished in the burning, and your mother Kuntí has perished also." And the Pándavas were smitten with horror and sorrow, and darkness fell upon them. But when some days had passed away, they were thrown into a deeper consternation; for very fearful Fearful omens omens appeared on all sides, and they felt that something very terrible was about to happen, and they knew not when or how it would happen.

at Hastinapur.

foregoing nar

The foregoing narrative calls for but little com- Review of the ment. The exile of the Maháraja serves to prove rative. the hollow character of his reconciliation with the

INDIA.

PART II.

picture of the

the dead who

great war.

the last day.

volved in the description in Bhá

the Maha Bha

rata.

HISTORY OF Pándavas, to which attention has already been drawn. But the glorious scene in which the dead Grandeur of the who had fallen in the great war arose out of the resurrection of river Ganges, arrayed in all the pomp and magnihad fallen in the ficence of battle, forms one of the grandest pictures ever presented to the human eye. The conception Compared with of the resurrection of the dead on the last day is perhaps more terribly suggestive, but the bursting open of the sepulchres by the shrouded inmates, and the horrible contrast between the saved and the damned, fills the imagination with pain and gloom. Perfect bliss in- The idea in the Mahá Bhárata, however, is one of perfect joy. Trumpets are sounding, banners are waving, and the air is filled with the noise of horses and elephants and chariots, as the vast armies of warriors appear in glory and brightness out of the dark river, arrayed in all the imposing paraphernalia of war. All enmity, however, has departed from amongst them; and all are in perfect friendship with each other; whilst bards and eulo ists are singing before them, and companies of beautiful girls are dancing in the midnight air. Moreover, the contrast between the women and the warriors is one which brings all the purest affections into play. Wives and mothers, sisters and daughters, are once again in the company of those whom they most loved, and in the enjoyment of the highest felicity after long years of bereavement and sorrow. Hindú charac- The glorious and affecting scene is at length brought to a conclusion by an incident somewhat tragic in itself, but still in accordance with Hindú ideas of happiness. At the dawn of the morning, the vision disappears, and the poor widows are again overwhelmed with grief; but by the permission of the

Affecting proceedings of the

women.

ter of the scene.

INDIA. PART II.

sage, they take a touching farewell of their friends HISTORY OF and relatives, and then drown themselves in the sacred river, and thus once again join their husbands in another world.

acter of the

The remaining portion of the narrative is more Horrible charmelancholy. The awful death of the Maharaja and jungle fire. all his household in a jungle fire, is an event which to this day excites a sympathizing horror, for it is sudden, terrible, and overwhelming. In the case of the Pándavas, however, their consternation was increased by portentous omens; and thus they were not only oppressed by their present grief, but by the constant apprehension that something still more fearful was about to happen.

struction of

The alarming event which they were thus hourly 2nd. The deanticipating at length came to pass. Tidings were Dwaraka. suddenly brought to them of a frightful series of disasters which had taken place at Dwáraká, the city of Krishna and the Yádavas; but here, to avoid anticipating, it will be better to leave the narrative to tell its own story:

Wickedness and

profanity of the people of Dwa

raká.

Rishis visit the

Now all this while the great city of Dwáraká, which was situated upon the sea, had been filled with mirth and feasting; and all the people drank wine in abundance, and the young men, who were the sons and grandsons of Krishna, scoffed at the Brahmans, and at sacred things. And three The three great great Rishis of the highest class, whose names were Viswá- city. mitra, Durvásas, and Nárada, were sojourning in the city of the Yadavas; and the youths of the place assembled together, and saw the three sages engaged in their devotions, and amongst them was Sámba, the son of Krishna. And Trick played by the young men for sport dressed up Sámba to represent a upon the Rishis woman with child, and they led him in this disguise into the presence of the three Bráhmans, and requested to know whether she would give birth to a son or to a daughter.

the young men