Krishna and Markandeya arrive at Kamyaka
While the Pandavas were dwelling at Kamyaka, there set in the season of the rains, the season that puts an end to the hot weather and is delightful to all animated beings. Then the black clouds, rumbling loudly, and covering the heavens and the cardinal points, ceaselessly rained during day and night. These clouds, counted by hundreds and by thousands, looked like domes in the rainy season. From the earth disappeared the effulgence of the sun; its place was taken by the stainless lustre of the lightning; the earth became delightful to all, being overgrown with grass, with gnats and reptiles in their joy; it was bathed with rain and possessed with calm. When the waters had covered all, it could not be known whether the ground was at all even or uneven; whether there were rivers or trees or hills. At the end of the hot season, the rivers added beauty to the woods being themselves full of agitated waters, flowing with great force and resembling serpents in the hissing sound they made. The boars, the stags and the birds, while the rain was falling upon them began to utter sounds of various kinds which could be heard within the forest tracts. The chatakas, the peacocks and the host of male Kokilas and the excited frogs, all ran about in joy. Thus while the Pandavas were roaming about in the deserts and sandy tracts, the happy season of rain, so various in aspect and resounding with clouds passed away.
Then set in the season of autumn, thronged with ganders and cranes and full of joy; then the forest tracts were overrun with grass; the river turned limpid; the firmament and stars shone brightly., The autumn, thronged with beasts and birds, was joyous and pleasant for the magnanimous sons of Pandu. Then were seen nights, that were free from dust and cool with clouds and beautified by myriads of planets and stars and the moon. They beheld rivers and ponds, adorned with lilies and white lotuses, full of cool and pleasant water. While roving by the river Sarasvati whose banks resembled the firmament itself and were overgrown with canes, and as such abounded in sacred baths, their joy was great. Those heroes who wielded powerful bows, were specially glad to see the pleasant river Sarasvati, with its limpid waters full to the brim. The holiest night, that of the full moon in the month of Kartika in the season of autumn, was spent by them while dwelling there! The sons of Pandu spent that auspicious juncture with righteous and magnanimous saints devoted to penance. As soon as the dark fortnight set in immediately after, the sons of Pandu entered the forest named the Kamyaka, accompanied by Arjuna and their charioteers and cooks.
They, Yudhishthira and others, having reached the forest of Kamyaka, were, hospitably received by hosts of saints and they lived together with Krishna. While the sons of Pandu were dwelling in security in that place, many Brahmanas came to wait upon them. A certain Brahmana said, “He the beloved friend of Arjuna, of powerful arms and possessed of self control, descendant of Sura, of a lofty intellect, will come, for, Hari knows that you have arrived here. For, Hari has always a longing for your sight and always seeks your welfare. And Markandeya, who lived very many years devoted to great austerities, given to study and penance, will erelong come and meet you.”
The very moment that he was uttering these words, there was beheld Krishna, coming there upon a car unto which were yoked the horses Saibya and Sugriva, accompanied by Satyabhama, is like Indra by Shachi, the daughter of Pulaman. The son of Devaki came, desirous to see those most righteous of the descendants of Kuru. The sagacious Krishna, having alighted from the car, prostrated himself, with pleasure in his heart, before the virtuous king, in the prescribed way, and also before Bhima. He paid his respects to Dhaumya, while the twin brothers prostrated themselves to him. He embraced Arjuna of the curly hair; and spoke words of solace to the daughter of Drupada. Krishna, when he saw the beloved Arjuna come near him, having seen him after a length of time, clasped him again and again. So too Satyabhama also, the beloved consort of Krishna, embraced the daughter of Drupada, the beloved wife of the sons of Pandu. Then these sons of Pandu, accompanied by their wife and priests, paid their respects to Krishna, whose eyes resembled the white lotus and surrounded him on all sides. Krishna, when united with Arjuna assumed a beauty comparable to that of Shiva, the magnanimous lord of all created beings, when he, the mighty lord, is united with Kartikeya. Arjuna gave an account of what had happened to him in the forest to Krishna. Arjuna asked, saying, “How is Subhadra, and her son Abhimanyu?” Krishna, having paid his respects in the prescribed form to the son of Pritha, and to the priest, and seating himself with them there, spoke to king Yudhishthira, in words of praise.
He said, “O king, Virtue is preferable to the winning of kingdoms; it is, in fact, practice of austerities! By you who have obeyed with truth and candour what your duty prescribed, have been won both this world and that to come! First you have studied, while performing religious duties; having acquired in a suitable way the whole science of arms, having won wealth by pursuing the methods prescribed for the military caste, you have celebrated all the time-honoured sacrificial rites. You take no delight in sensual pleasures; you do not act from motives of enjoyment, nor do you swerve from virtue from greed of riches; it is for this, you have been named the Virtuous King! Having won kingdoms and riches and means of enjoyment, your best delight has been charity and truth and practice of austerities, and faith and meditation and forbearance and patience! When the population of Kuru-jangala beheld Krishna outraged in the assembly hall, who but yourself could brook that conduct, which was so repugnant both to virtue and usage? No doubt, you will, before long, rule over men in a praiseworthy way, all your desires being fulfilled. Here are we prepared to chastise the Kurus, as soon as the stipulation made by you is fully performed!”
Krishna then said to Dhaumya, Bhima, Yudhishthira, the twins and Krishna, “How fortunate that by your blessing Arjuna has arrived after having acquired the science of arms!" Krishna, accompanied by friends, likewise spoke to Krishna, the daughter of Yajnasena, saying, “How fortunate that you are united, safe and secure, with Arjuna! Those sons of yours are devoted to the study of the science of arms, are well-behaved and conduct themselves on the pattern of their righteous friends. Your father and your uterine brothers proffer them a kingdom and territories; but the boys find no joy in the house of Drupada, or in that of their maternal uncles. Safely proceeding to the land of the Anartas, they take the greatest delight in the study of the science of arms. Your sons enter the town of the Vrishnis and take an immediate liking to the people there. As you would direct them to conduct themselves, or as the respected Kunti would do, so does Subhadra direct them in a watchful way. Perhaps, she is still more careful of them. As Rukmini's son is the preceptor of Aniruddha, of Abhimanyu, of Sunitha, and of Bhanu; so he is the preceptor and the refuge of your sons also! A good preceptor, would unceasingly give them lessons in the wielding of maces and swords and bucklers, in missiles and in the arts of driving cars and of riding horses, being valiant. He, the son of Rukmini, having bestowed a very good training upon them, and having taught them the are of using various weapons in a proper way, takes satisfaction at the valorous deeds of your sons, and of Abhimanyu. And when your son goes out, in pursuit of out-door sports, each one of them is followed there by cars and horses and vehicles and elephants.”
Krishna said to Yudhishthira, “The fighting men of the Dasarha tribe, the Kukuras, and the Andhakas, let these, place themselves at your command, let them perform what you desire them. Let the army of the tribe of Madhus, resistless like the wind, with their bows and led by Balarama whose weapon is the plough—let that army, equipped for war, consisting of horsemen and foot soldiers and horses and cars and elephants, prepare to do your bidding. Drive Duryodhana, the vilest of sinful men, together with his followers and his hosts of friends to the path betaken by the lord of Saubha, the son of the Earth! You are welcome to stick to that stipulation which was made in the assembly-hall--but let the city of Hastina be made ready for you, when the hostile force has been slain by the soldiers of the Dasarha tribe! Having roamed at your pleasure in all those places where you may desire to go, having got rid of your grief and freed from all your sins—you will reach the city of Hastina--the well-known city situated in the midst of a fine territory!”
Then the magnanimous king having been acquainted with the view, thus clearly set forth by Krishna, and, having applauded the same, and having deliberated, thus spoke with joined palms unto Krishna, “O Krishna, no doubt, you are the refuge of the sons of Pandu; for the sons of Pandu have their protector in you! When the time will come, there is no doubt that you will do all the work just mentioned by you; and even more than the same! As promised by us, we have spent all the twelve years in lonely forests. Having in the prescribed way completed the period for living unrecognised, the sons of Pandu will take refuge in you. This should be the intention of those that associate with you, O Krishna! The sons of Pandu swerve not from the path of truth, for the sons of Pritha with their charity and their piety with their people and their wives and with their relations have their protector in you!"
While Krishna and the virtuous king, were thus talking, there appeared then the saint Markandeya, grown grey in the practise of penances. He had seen many thousand years of life, was of a pious soul, and devoted to great austerities. Signs of old age he had none; and deathless he was, and endued with beauty and generous and many good qualities. He looked like one only twenty-five years old. When the aged saint, who had seen many thousand years of life, came, all the Brahamanas paid their respects to him and so did Krishna together with Pandu's son. When that wisest saint, thus honoured, took his seat in a friendly way, Krishna addressed him, in accordance with the views of the Brahmanas and of Pandu's sons, thus,
“The sons of Pandu, and the Brahmanas assembled here, and the daughter of Drupada, and Satyabhama, likewise myself, are all anxious to hear your most excellent words, O Markandeya! Propound to us the holy stories of events of bygone times, and the eternal rules of righteous conduct by which are guided kings and women and saints!”
When they had all taken their seats, Narada also, the divine saint, of purified soul, came on a visit to Pandu's sons. Him also, then, of great soul, all those foremost men of superior intellect, honoured in the prescribed form, by offering water to wash his feet, and the well-known oblation called the Arghya. Then the godlike saint, Narada, learning that they were about to hear the speech of Markandeya, expressed his assent to the arrangement. He, the deathless, knowing what would be opportune, said smilingly, “O saint of the Brahmana caste, speak what you were about to say unto the sons of Pandu!” Thus addressed, Markandeya, devoted to great austerities, replied, “Wait a moment. A great deal will be narrated.” Thus addressed, the sons of Pandu, together with those twice-born ones, waited a moment, looking at that great saint, bright as the mid-day sun.
Pandu's son, the king of the Kuru tribe, having observed that the great saint as willing to speak, questioned him with a view to suggesting topics to speak upon, saying, “You who are ancient in years, know the deeds of gods and demons, and illustrious saints, and of all the royal ones. We consider you as worthy of being worshipped and honoured; and we have long yearned after your company. Here is this son of Devaki, Krishna, who has come to us on a visit.”
Later, while answering Yudhishthira’s questions, Markandeya narrated the fruits of auspicious and inauspicious Karmas, the stories of Tarkshya Arishtanemi, Atri, Saraswati Gita, Vaivasvata Manu and the Fish incarnation of Vishnu, sight of child Mukunda at the end of a Yuga, description of Kali Yuga, the story of Manduka-Vamadeva, Indradyumna, Dundhumara-Uttanka, the killing of Madhu-Kaitaba, conversation between a Brahmin and a chase woman, conversation between a Brahmin and a meat-seller, the lineage of Angiras and Kartikeya.
