Stories of the Great Bharata - A Retelling Arc 4 - Sauptika Parva - Chapter 5 - Aśvatthāma of Rudra’s W

Vaiśampāyana said:

When the Krita-yuga had passed and the gods prepared to perform a great sacrifice, they gathered the clarified butter and all the implents required by the Vedas. They asured out who would share in which libation and set the rites in order. But, through ignorance or slight, they appointed no share to Rudra—Mahādeva, the ascetic and the dread god—though he is the root and end of all things.

Angered at this exclusion, Rudra, clad in deer-skins and crowned with matted locks, resolved to break that sacrifice. From the very substance of the rites he fashioned a bow: its limbs were wrought of the eternal and the sensual sacrifices, its string the sacred mantra vaśat. The four parts of the Sacrifice beca the ornants of that terrible bow, whose length was five cubits. Thus ard, Kapardin the ascetic went to the place where the gods were offering their libations.

At his coming the world shuddered. The Earth herself drew back; mountains trembled and the wind stilled. Even the fire of the altar, though fed with ghee, would not blaze. Stars wandered; the sun lost its splendour; the moon’s disc paled. A thick darkness rolled over the firmant and the assembled gods stood motionless and afraid. Rudra entered the sacrifice, and with one fierce shaft he pierced the very heart of the embodied Sacrifice.

The Sacrifice, taking the shape of a deer, fled with the god of fire and rose toward heaven in a blaze. Rudra pursued. In that uproar the gods lost their brightness and staggered; parts of the Sacrifice itself scattered and were scattered. Savitri’s arms were broken; Bhaga’s eyes were plucked out; Pushana’s teeth were torn away. So of the gods fell senseless as they fled; others reeled, trampling the order of heaven.

Rudra, laughing like thunder, whirled his bow-horn and paralysed the celestial assembly. At the gods’ entreaty, the bow’s string broke and the weapon slackened to a line. The gods, humbled and trembling, ca before the bowless lord and, bearing what remained of the Sacrifice, sought his favour and propitiated him.

Moved by their pleas, Mahādeva cast his wrath into the waters—that wrath which, when embodied, consus the liquid elent—and there the fire of his fury spent itself. He restored to Savitri her arms, to Bhaga his sight, to Pushana his teeth; the scattered portions of the Sacrifice were reunited, and the world breathed anew. The gods, seeing Rudra appeased, gave to Mahādeva the chief share of clarified butter, and peace returned to the heavens.

Knowing this, O Yudhiṣṭhira, answer now: when Rudra is angered the universe quakes; when he is pleased, all becos safe. It was by the grace of that terrible lord that Aśvatthāma rose in power and wrought the midnight slaughter. The deed was not rely the act of a preceptor’s son but the effect of a god’s favour; therefore do not let thy mind be consud by it. Attend now to what must be done next.

Here ends the tale of the Night of Slaughter— the vengeance of Aśvatthāmā, the grace of Maheśvara, the death of the Pāñcālas and the sons of Draupadī, and the curse that left the son of Droṇa to wander in misery through the ages.

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When the wrath of Rudra was appeased

and the gem of the Brahmarṣi’s son

shone upon the brow of Dharma’s heir,

the darkness of that long night was lifted,

and the seed of the Kurus, Parīkṣit,

was saved to continue the line of kings.

Om tat sat.

Thus ends the Sauptika Parva—

the Eighteenth Parva of the Mahābhārata,

the Book of the Sleeping Warriors.

Vaiśampāyana said:

When the Krita-yuga had passed and the gods prepared to perform a great sacrifice, they gathered the clarified butter and all the implents required by the Vedas. They asured out who would share in which libation and set the rites in order. But, through ignorance or slight, they appointed no share to Rudra—Mahādeva, the ascetic and the dread god—though he is the root and end of all things.

Angered at this exclusion, Rudra, clad in deer-skins and crowned with matted locks, resolved to break that sacrifice. From the very substance of the rites he fashioned a bow: its limbs were wrought of the eternal and the sensual sacrifices, its string the sacred mantra vaśat. The four parts of the Sacrifice beca the ornants of that terrible bow, whose length was five cubits. Thus ard, Kapardin the ascetic went to the place where the gods were offering their libations.

At his coming the world shuddered. The Earth herself drew back; mountains trembled and the wind stilled. Even the fire of the altar, though fed with ghee, would not blaze. Stars wandered; the sun lost its splendour; the moon’s disc paled. A thick darkness rolled over the firmant and the assembled gods stood motionless and afraid. Rudra entered the sacrifice, and with one fierce shaft he pierced the very heart of the embodied Sacrifice.

The Sacrifice, taking the shape of a deer, fled with the god of fire and rose toward heaven in a blaze. Rudra pursued. In that uproar the gods lost their brightness and staggered; parts of the Sacrifice itself scattered and were scattered. Savitri’s arms were broken; Bhaga’s eyes were plucked out; Pushana’s teeth were torn away. So of the gods fell senseless as they fled; others reeled, trampling the order of heaven.

Rudra, laughing like thunder, whirled his bow-horn and paralysed the celestial assembly. At the gods’ entreaty, the bow’s string broke and the weapon slackened to a line. The gods, humbled and trembling, ca before the bowless lord and, bearing what remained of the Sacrifice, sought his favour and propitiated him.

Moved by their pleas, Mahādeva cast his wrath into the waters—that wrath which, when embodied, consus the liquid elent—and there the fire of his fury spent itself. He restored to Savitri her arms, to Bhaga his sight, to Pushana his teeth; the scattered portions of the Sacrifice were reunited, and the world breathed anew. The gods, seeing Rudra appeased, gave to Mahādeva the chief share of clarified butter, and peace returned to the heavens.

Knowing this, O Yudhiṣṭhira, answer now: when Rudra is angered the universe quakes; when he is pleased, all becos safe. It was by the grace of that terrible lord that Aśvatthāma rose in power and wrought the midnight slaughter. The deed was not rely the act of a preceptor’s son but the effect of a god’s favour; therefore do not let thy mind be consud by it. Attend now to what must be done next.

Here ends the tale of the Night of Slaughter— the vengeance of Aśvatthāmā, the grace of Maheśvara, the death of the Pāñcālas and the sons of Draupadī, and the curse that left the son of Droṇa to wander in misery through the ages.

When the wrath of Rudra was appeased

and the gem of the Brahmarṣi’s son

shone upon the brow of Dharma’s heir,

the darkness of that long night was lifted,

and the seed of the Kurus, Parīkṣit,

was saved to continue the line of kings.

Om tat sat.

Thus ends the Sauptika Parva—

the Eighteenth Parva of the Mahābhārata,

the Book of the Sleeping Warriors.