Yudhishthira releases Nahusha from a curse
Having reached king Vrishaparva's hermitage, while those fearful warriors were living in various wonderful woods, Bhimasena roaming at pleasure, with bow in hand and armed with a scimitar, found that beautiful forest, frequented by gods and Gandharvas. Then he beheld some lovely spots in the Himalayan mountains, frequented by Devarshis and Siddhas and inhabited by hosts of Apsaras, resounded here and there with the warbling of birds – the chakora, the chakravaka, the jivajivaka, the cuckoo and the Bhringaraja, and abounding with shady trees, soft with the touch of snow and pleasing to the eye and mind, and bearing perennial fruits and flowers. He beheld mountain streams with waters glistening like the lapis lazuli and with ten thousand snow-white ducks and swans and with forests of deodar trees forming a trap for the clouds; and with tugna and kalikaya forests, interspersed with yellow sandal trees. He of mighty strength, in the pursuit of the chase, roamed in the level and desert tracts of the mountain, piercing his game with unpoisoned arrows. In that forest the famous and mighty Bhimasena, possessing the strength of a hundred elephants, killed many large wild boars, with the force of his arms. Endowed with terrible prowess and mighty strength, and powerful as the lion or the tiger, and capable of resisting a hundred men, and having long arms, and possessing the strength of a hundred elephants, he killed many antelopes and wild boars and buffaloes. Here and there, in that forest he pulled out trees by the roots, with great violence and broke them too, causing the earth and the woods and the surrounding places to resound. Then shouting and trampling on the tops of mountains, and causing the earth to resound with his roars, and striking his arms, and uttering his war-cry, and slapping and clapping his hands, Bhimasena, exempt from decay, and ever-proud and without fear, again and again leaped about in those woods. On hearing the shouts of Bhimasena, powerful lions and elephants of huge strength, left their lairs in fright. In that same forest, he fearlessly strolled about in search of game; and like the denizens of the woods, that most valiant of men, the mighty Bhimasena, wandered on foot in that forest. He penetrated the vast forest, shouting strange whoopos, and terrifying all creatures, endowed with strength and prowess.
Then being terrified, the snakes hid themselves in caves, but he, overtaking them with promptitude, pursued them slowly. Then the mighty Bhimasena, like unto the Lord of the Celestials, saw a serpent of colossal proportions, living in one of the mountain fastnesses and covering the entire cave with its body and causing one's hair to stand on end from fright. It had its huge body stretched like a hillock, it possessed gigantic strength, its body was speckled with spots and it had a turmeric-like yellow colour and a deep copper-coloured mouth of the form of a cave supplied with four teeth; and with glaring eyes, it was constantly licking the corners of its mouth. It was the terror of all animated beings and it looked like the very image of the Destroyer Yama; and with the hissing noise of its breath it lay as if rebuking an in-comer. Seeing Bhima draw so near to him, the serpent, all on a sudden, became greatly enraged, and that goat-devouring snake violently seized Bhimasena in his grip. Then by virtue of the boon that had been received by the serpent, Bhimasena with his body in the serpent's grip, instantly lost all consciousness. Unrivalled by that of others, the might of Bhimasena's arms equalled the might of ten thousand elephants combined. But Bhima, of great prowess, being thus vanquished by the snake, trembled slowly, and was unable to exert himself. That one of mighty arms and of leonine shoulders, though possessed of strength of ten thousand elephants, yet seized by the snake, and overpowered by virtue of the boon, lost all strength. He struggled furiously to extricate himself, but did not succeed.
The powerful Bhimasena, having thus come under the power of the snake, thought of its mighty and wonderful prowess; and said unto it, “Be you pleased to tell me, O snake! who are you? What will you do with me? I am Bhimasena, the son of Pandu, and next by birth to Yudhishthira the just. Endued as I am with the strength of ten thousand elephants, how have you been able to overpower me? In fight have been encountered and slain by me innumerable lions, and tigers, and buffaloes, and elephants. Mighty Rakshasas and Pisachas, and Nagas, are unable to stand the force of my arms. Are you possessed of any magic, or have you received any boon, that although exerting myself, I have been overcome by you? Now I have been convinced that the strength of men is false, for, O serpent! by you has such mighty strength of men been baffled.”
When the heroic Bhima of noble deed had said this, the snake caught him, and coiled him all round with his body, having thus subdued that mighty-armed one, and freed his plump arms alone, the serpent spoke these words, “By good fortune it is that, myself being hungry, after long time the gods have to-day destined you for my food; for life is dear unto every embodied being, I should relate unto you the way in which I have come by this snake form. Hear, I have fallen into this plight on account of the wrath of a Maharshi. Now desirous of getting rid of the curse, I will narrate unto you all about it. You have, no doubt, heard of the royal sage, Nahusha. He was the son of Ayu, and the perpetuator of the line of your ancestors. I am that one. For having affronted the Brahmanas I, by virtue of Agastya's malediction, have come by this condition. You are my agnate, and lovely to behold, so you should not be slain by me, yet I shall to-day devour you! Do you behold the dispensation of Destiny! Be it a buffalo, or an elephant, none coming within my reach at the sixth division of the day, can escape. You have not been taken by an animal of the lower order, having strength alone, but this has been so by reason only of the boon I have received. As I was falling rapidly from Indra's throne placed on the front of his palace, I spoke unto that worshipful sage Agastya, “Do you free me from this curse.” Thereat filled with compassion, that energetic one said unto me, “O king! you shall be freed after the lapse of some time.” Then I fell to the earth as a snake; but my recollection of former life did not renounce me. Although it be so ancient, I still recollect all that was said. The sage said unto me, “That person who conversant with the relation subsisting between the soul and the Supreme Being, shall be able to answer the questions put by you, shall deliver you. Taken by you, strong beings superior to you, shall immediately lose their strength.” I heard these words of those compassionate ones, who felt attached unto me. Then the Brahmana vanished. Thus, having become a serpent, I, doing exceedingly sinful acts, live in unclean hell, in expectation of the appointed time.”
The mighty-armed Bhimasena addressed the serpent, saying, “I am not angry, O mighty snake! nor do I blame myself. Since in regard to happiness and misery, men sometimes possess the power of bringing and dismissing them, and sometimes do not. Therefore one should not fret one's mind. Who can baffle destiny by self-exertion? I deem destiny to be supreme, and self-exertion to be of no avail. Smitten with the stroke of destiny, the prowess of my arms lost, behold me to-day fallen unto this condition without palpable cause. But to-day I do not so much grieve for my own self being slain, as I do for my brothers deprived of their kingdom, and exiled into the forest. This Himalaya is inaccessible, and abounds with Yakshas and the Rakshasas, Searching about for me, they will be distracted. Hearing that I have been killed, my brothers will forego all exertion, for, firm in promise, they have hitherto been controlled by my harsh speech, I being desirous of gaining the kingdom. Or the intelligent Arjuna alone, being versed in every lore, and incapable of being overcome by gods, Rakshasas and Gandharvas, will not be afflicted with grief. That mighty-armed and exceedingly powerful one is able single-handed to speedily pull down from his place even the celestials. What shall I say of the deceitfully gambling son of Dhritarashtra, detested of all men, and filled with haughtiness and ignorance! I also grieve for my poor mother, affectionate to her sons, who is ever solicitous for our greatness in a large measure than is attained by our enemies. O serpent! the desire that forlorn one had in me will all be fruitless in consequence of my destruction. Gifted with manliness, the twins, Nakula and Sahadeva, following their elder brother me, and always protected by the strength of my arms, will, owing to my destruction, be depressed and deprived of their prowess, and stricken with grief. This is what I think.”
In this way Bhimasena lamented profusely. Being bound by the body of the snake, he could not exert himself.
Meanwhile, Yudhishthira, seeing and reflecting on dreadful ill omens, became alarmed. Terrified by the blaze of the points of the horizon, jackals stationing themselves on the right of that hermitage, set up frightful and inauspicious yells. Ugly Vartikas as of dreadful sight, having one wing, one eye, and one leg, were seen to vomit blood, facing the sun. The wind began to blow dryly, and violently, attracting grits. To the right all the beasts and birds began to cry. In the rear the black crows cried, “Go!” “Go!” Momentarily his right arm began to twitch, and his chest and left leg shook of themselves. Indicating evil his left eye contracted spasmodically. Thereupon, the intelligent Yudhishthira, inferring some great calamity to be imminent, asked Draupadi, saying, “Where is Bhima?” Thereat Panchali said that Bhimasena had long gone out. Hearing this, that mighty-armed king set out with Dhaumya, after having said unto Arjuna, “You should protect Draupadi.” He also directed Nakula and Sahadeva to protect the Brahmanas.
Issuing from the hermitage, Yudhishthira, following the footprints of Bhimasena, began to search for him in that mighty forest. On coming to the east, he found mighty leaders of elephant-herds slain and saw the earth marked with Bhima's foot-prints. Then seeing thousands of deer and hundreds of lions lying in the forest, the king ascertained his course. On the way were scattered trees pulled down by the wind caused by the thighs of that hero endued with the speed of the wind as he rushed after the deer. Proceeding, guided by those marks, to a spot filled with dry winds and abounding in leafless vegetables, brackish and devoid of water, covered with thorny plants and scattered over with gravel, stumps and shrubs and difficult of access and uneven and dangerous, he saw in a mountain cavern his younger brother motionless, caught in the folds of that foremost of snakes.
Yudhishthira, finding his beloved brother coiled by the body of the serpent, said these words: “O son of Kunti! how have you come by this misfortune! Who is this best of serpents having a body like unto a mountain mass?”
Bhimasena said, “O worshipful one! this mighty being has caught me for food. He is the royal sage Nahusha living in the form of a serpent.”
Yudhishthira said, “O longlived one! do you free my brother of immeasurable prowess; we will give you some other food which will appease your hunger.”
The serpent said, “I have got for diet even this son of a king, come to my mouth of himself. You go away. You should not stay here. If you remain here, you too shall be my fare to-morrow. This is ordained in respect of me, that he that comes unto my place, becomes my food and you too are in my quarter. After a long time have I got your younger brother as my food; I will not let him off; neither do I like to have any other food.”
Thereat Yudhishthira said, “O serpent! whether you are a god, or a demon, or an Uraga, tell me truly, it is Yudhishthira that asks you, why have you taken Bhimasena? By obtaining which, or by knowing what will you receive satisfaction, and what food shall I give you? How may you free him.”
The serpent said, “I was your ancestor, the son of Ayu and fifth in descent from the Moon. I was a king celebrated under the name of Nahusha. By sacrifices, asceticism, study of the Vedas, self-restraint and prowess I had acquired a permanent dominion over the three worlds. When I had obtained such dominion, haughtiness possessed me. Thousands of Brahmanas were engaged in carrying my chair. Intoxicated by supremacy, I insulted those Brahmanas. By Agastya have I been reduced to this pass! Yet, O Pandava! to this day the memory of my former birth has not forsaken me! O king! by the favour of that high-souled Agastya, during the sixth division of the day have I got for meal your younger brother. Neither will I set him free, nor do I wish for any other food. But if to-day you answer the questions put by me, then, I shall deliver Bhimasena!"
At this Yudhishthira said, “O serpent! ask whatever you wish! I shall, if I can, answer your questions with the view of gratifying you! You know fully what should be known by Brahmanas. Therefore, hearing you, I shall answer your queries!”
The serpent said, “O Yudhishthira! Say, who is a Brahmana and what should be known? By your speech I infer you to be highly intelligent.”
Yudhishthira said, “He, it is asserted by the wise, in whom are seen truth, charity, forgiveness, good conduct, benevolence, observance of the rites of his order and mercy is a Brahmana. And, that which should be known is the supreme Brahma, in which is neither happiness nor misery, and attaining which beings are not affected with misery; what is your opinion?”
The serpent said, “O Yudhishthira! truth, charity, forgiveness, benevolence, benignity, kindness and the Veda which works the benefit of the four orders, which is the authority in matters of Dharma and which is true, are seen even in the Sudra. As regards the object to be known and which you allege is without both happiness and misery, I do not see any such that is devoid of these.”
Yudhishthira said, “Those characteristics that are present in a Sudra, do not exist in a Brahmana; nor do those that are in a Brahmana exist in a Sudra. A Sudra is not a Sudra by birth alone, nor a Brahmana is Brahmana by birth alone. He, it is said by the wise, in whom are seen those virtues is a Brahmana. People term him a Sudra in whom those qualities do not exist, even though he be a Brahmana by birth. Again, as for your assertion that the object to be known as asserted by me does not exist, because nothing exists that is devoid of both happiness and misery, such indeed is the opinion, that nothing exists that is without them both. But as in cold, heat does not exist, nor in heat, cold, so there cannot exist an object in which both happiness and misery cannot exist?"
The serpent said, “O king! if you recognise him as a Brahmana by characteristics, then the distinction of caste becomes futile as long as conduct does not come into play.”
Yudhishthira said, “In human society, O mighty and highly intelligent serpent! it is difficult to ascertain one's caste, because of promiscuous intercourse among the four orders. This is my opinion. Men belonging to all orders promiscuously beget offspring upon women of all the orders. Of men, speech, sexual intercourse, birth and death are common. To this the Rishis have borne testimony by using as the beginning of a sacrifice such expressions as – of what caste so ever we may be, we celebrate the sacrifice. Therefore, those that are wise have asserted that character is the chief essential requisite. The natal ceremony of a person is performed before division of the umbilical cord. His mother then acts as its Savitri and his father officiates as priest. He is considered as a Sudra as long as he is not initiated in the Vedas. Doubts having arisen on this point, Swayambhuva Manu has declared, that the mixed castes are to be regarded as better than the other classes, if having gone through the ceremonies of purification, the latter do not conform to the rules of good conduct. Whosoever now conforms to the rules of pure and virtuous conduct, him have I, ere now, designated as a Brahmana.”
The serpent replied, “O Yudhishthira! you are acquainted with all that is fit to be known and having listened to your words, how can I now eat up your brother Bhimasena!"
Yudhishthira said, “In this world, you are so learned in the Vedas and Vedangas; tell me then, what one should do to attain salvation?”
The serpent replied, “O scion of the Bharata's race! my belief is that the man who bestows alms on proper objects, speaks kind words, tells the truth and abstains from doing injury to any creature goes to heaven.”
Yudhishthira enquired, “Which, O snake! is the higher of the two, truth or alms-giving? Tell me also the greater or less importance of kind behaviour and of doing injury to no creature.”
The snake replied, “The relative merits of these virtues, truth and alms-giving, kind speech and abstention from injury to any creature, are known by their objective gravity. Truth is sometimes more praiseworthy than some acts of charity; some of the latter again are more commendable than true speech. Similarly, abstention from doing injury to any creature is seen to be important than good speech and vice-versa. It is so depending on effects. Now, if you have anything else to ask, say it all, I shall enlighten you!”
Yudhishthira said, “Tell me, O snake! how the incorporal being's translation to heaven, its perception by the senses and its enjoyment of the immutable fruits of its actions here below, can be comprehended.”
The snake replied, “By his own acts, man is seen to attain to one of the three conditions of human existence, of heavenly life, or of birth in the lower animal kingdom. Among these, the man who is not slothful, who injures no one and who is endowed with charity and other virtues, goes to heaven, after leaving this world of men. By doing the very contrary, people are again born as men or as lower animals. It is particularly said in this connection, that the man who is swayed by anger and lust and who is given to avarice and malice falls away from his human state and is born again as a lower animal, and the lower animals too are ordained to be transformed into the human state; and the cow, the horse and other animals are observed to attain to even the divine state. The sentient being, reaping the fruits of his actions, thus transmigrates through these conditions; but the regenerate and wise man reposes his soul in the everlasting Supreme Spirit. The embodied spirit, enchained by destiny and reaping the fruits of its own actions, thus undergoes birth after birth but he that has lost touch of his actions, is conscious of the immutable destiny of all born beings.”
Yudhishthira asked, “O snake! tell me truly and without confusion how that dissociated spirit becomes cognisant of sound, touch, form, flavour, and taste. Do you not perceive them, simultaneously by the senses? Do you answer all these queries!”
The snake replied, “The thing called Atman, betaking itself to corporeal tenement and manifesting itself through the organs of sense, becomes duly cognisant of perceptible objects. Know that the senses, the mind, and the intellect, assisting the soul in its perception of objects, are called Karanas. The eternal spirit, going out of its sphere, and aided by the mind, acting through the senses, the receptacles of all perceptions, successively perceives these things. The mind of living creatures is the cause of all perception, and, therefore, it cannot be cognisant of more than one thing at a time. That spirit, betaking itself to the space between the eyebrows, sends the high and low intellect to different objects. What the Yogins perceive after the action of the intelligent principle by that is manifested the action of the soul.”
Yudhishthira said, “Tell me the distinguishing characteristics of the mind and the intellect. The knowledge of it is ordained as the chief duty of persons meditating on the Supreme Spirit.”
The snake replied, “Through illusion, the soul becomes subservient to the intellect. The intellect, though known to be subservient to the soul, becomes then the director of the latter. The intellect is brought into play by acts of perception; the mind is self-existent. The Intellect does not cause the sensation as of pain, pleasure, but the mind does. This is the difference between the mind and the intellect. You too are learned in this matter, what is your opinion?”
Yudhishthira said, “You have fine intelligence and you know all that is fit to be known. Why do you ask me that question? You knew all and you performed such wonderful deeds and you lived in heaven. How could then illusion overpower you? Great is my doubt on this point.”
The snake replied, “Prosperity intoxicates even the wise and valiant men. Those who live in luxury, soon lose their reason. So, I too, O Yudhishthira! overpowered by the infatuation of prosperity, have fallen from my high state and having recovered my self-consciousness, am enlightening you thus! You have done me a good turn. By conversing with your pious self, my painful curse has been expiated. In days of yore, while I used to sojourn in heaven in a celestial chariot, revelling in my pride, I did not think of anything else, I used to exact tribute from Brahmarshis, Devas, Yakshas, Gandharvas, Rakshasas, Pannagas and all other dwellers of the three worlds. Such was the spell of my eyes, that on whatever creature, I fixed them, I instantly destroyed his power. Thousands of Brahmarshis used to draw my chariot. The delinquency was the cause of my fall from my high prosperity. Among them, Agastya was one day drawing my conveyance, and my feet came in contact with his body; Agastya then pronounced this curse on me, in anger, “Ruin seize you, do you become a snake.” So, losing my glory, I fell down from that excellent car and while falling, I beheld myself turned into a snake, with head downwards. I thus implored that Brahmana, “May this curse be extinguished, O adorable one! You ought to forgive one who has been so foolish from infatuation.” Then he kindly told me this, as I was being hurled down from heaven, “The virtuous king Yudhishthira will save you from this curse, and when, horrible sin of pride will be extinguished in you; you shall attain salvation.” And I was struck with wonder on seeing this power of his austere virtues; and therefore, have I questioned you about the attributes of the Supreme Spirit and of Brahmanas. Truth, charity, self-restraint, penance, abstention from doing injury to any creature, and constancy in virtue, these and not his race of family connections, are the means, by which a man must always secure salvation. May this brother of yours, the mighty Bhimasena, meet with good luck and may happiness abide with you! I must go to Heaven again.”
So saying, that king, Nahusha, quitted his serpentine form, and assuming his celestial shape he went back to Heaven. Yudhishthira, too, returned to his hermitage with Dhaumya and his brother Bhima. Then he narrated all that, in detail, to the Brahmanas who had assembled there. On hearing that, his three brothers and all the Brahmanas and the renowned Draupadi too were covered with shame. All those excellent Brahmanas desiring the welfare of the Pandavas, admonished Bhima for his foolhardiness, telling him not to attempt such things again, and the Pandavas too were greatly pleased at seeing the mighty Bhima out of danger, and continued to live there pleasantly.