Saturday, June 3, 2017

SRIMAD MAHABHARATA - AADI PARVA - SAMBHAVA (UPA) PARVA - PART 101


"Vaishampaayana said, 'O monarch (Janamejaya), after the marriage were over, king Shantanu established his beautiful bride in his household. Soon after was born of Satyavati an intelligent and heroic son of Shantanu named Chitraangada. He was provided with great energy and became an eminent man. The lord Shantanu of great capability also fathered upon Satyavati another son named Vichitravirya, who became a mighty bowman and who became king after his father.

"Before that bull among men - Vichitravirya, attained to majority, the wise king Shantanu realised the inevitable influence of Time. After Shantanu had ascended to heaven. Bhishma, placing himself under the command of Satyavati, installed that suppressor of enemies - Chitraangada, on the throne, who, having soon vanquished by his capability all monarchs, considered not any man as his equal.


"Seeing that he could vanquish men, Asuras, and the very Devas, his namesake, the powerful king of the Gandharvas (also of the name of Chitraanganda), approached him for an encounter. Between that Gandharva (Chitraanganda) and that foremost one of the Kurus (Shantanu's son Chitraanganda), who were both very powerful, there occurred on the field of Kurukshetra a fierce combat which lasted full three years on the banks of the Saraswati.

"In that terrible encounter characterised by thick showers of weapons and in which the combatants ground each other fiercely, the Gandharva, who had greater bravery or strategic deception, slew the Kuru prince. Having slain (Shantanu's son) Chitraangada -- that first of men and oppressor of enemies -- the Gandharva (Chitraangada) ascended to heaven. O king (Janamejaya), when that tiger among men endued with great bravery (Chitraangada) was slain, Bhishma, the son of Shantanu, performed all his funeral. He then installed the boy Vichitravirya of mighty arms, still in his minority, on the throne of the Kurus. Vichitravirya, placing himself under the command of Bhishma, ruled the ancestral kingdom. He adored Shantanu's son Bhishma who was knowledgeable with all the rules of Dharma and law; so, indeed, Bhishma also protected him that was so obedient to the dictates of duty.'"

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