(Sambhava Parva continued)
" said, 'The godlike Rishis, wise in counsels, beholding the death of , consulted with one another, and said, 'The virtuous and renowned king , abandoning both sovereignty, and kingdom came hither here for practising ascetic austerities and resigned himself to the ascetics dwelling on this mountain. He hath has hence ascended to heaven, leaving his wife and infant sons as a trust in our hands. Our duty now is to repair to his kingdom with these his offspring, and his wife.'
" continued, 'Then those godlike Rishis of magnanimous hearts, and crowned with ascetic success, summoning one another, resolved to go to Hastinapura with 's children ahead, desiring to place them in the hands of and . The ascetics set out that very moment, taking with them those children and and the two dead bodies. And though unused to toil all her life, the affectionate now regarded as very short the really long journey she had to perform. Having arrived at Kurujangala within a short time, the illustrious presented herself at the principal gate. The ascetics then charged the porters to inform the king of their arrival. The men carried the message in a trice to the court. And the citizens of Hastinapura, hearing of the arrival of thousands of Charanas and Munis, were filled with wonder. And it was soon after sunrise that they began to come out in numbers with their wives and children to behold those ascetics. Seated in all kinds of cars and conveyances by thousands, vast numbers of Kshatriyas with their wives, and Brahmanas with theirs came out. And the concourse of Vaisyas and Sudras too was as large on the occasion. The vast assemblage was very peaceful, for every heart then was inclined to piety. And there also came out , the , and or and the royal sage () endued with the vision of knowledge and himself and the venerable and the illustrious princess of Kosala and accompanied by the other ladies of the royal household. And the hundred sons of , decked with various ornaments, also came out.
"The Kauravas, then, accompanied by their priest, saluted the Rishis by lowering their heads, and took their seats before them. The citizens also saluting the ascetics and bowing down unto to them with touching the ground, took their seats there. Then , setting that vast concourse perfectly still, duly worshipped, O king, those ascetics by offering them water to wash their feet with and the customary Arghya. And having done this, he spoke unto to them about the sovereignty and the kingdom. Then the oldest of the ascetics with matted locks on head and loins covered with animal skin, stood up, and with the concurrence of the other Rishis, spoke as follows, 'You all know that that possessor of the sovereignty of the Kurus who was called king , had, after abandoning the pleasures of the world, repaired hence to dwell on the mountain of a hundred peaks. He adopted the Brahmacharya mode of life, but for some inscrutable purpose the gods have in view, this his eldest son, , was born there, begotten by himself. Then that illustrious king obtained from this other son--the foremost of all mighty men--called . This other son, begotten upon by , is whose achievements will humble all bowmen in the world. Look here again at these tigers among men, mighty in the use of the bow, the twin children begotten upon by the twin Aswins. Leading in righteousness the life of a Vanaprastha in the woods, illustrious hath has thus revived the almost extinct line of his grandfather. The birth, growth, and Vedic studies of these children of , will, no doubt, give you great pleasure. Steadily adhering to the path of the virtuous and the wise, and leaving behind him these children, departed hence seventeen days ago. His wife , beholding him placed in the funeral pyre and about to be consumed, herself ascended the same pyre, and sacrificing her life thus, hath has gone with her lord to the region reserved for chaste wives. Accomplish now whatever rites should be performed for their benefit. These are (the unburnt portions of) their bodies. Here also are their children--these oppressors of foes--with their mother. Let these be now received with due honours. After the completion of the first rites in honour of the dead, let the virtuous , who had all along been the supporter of the dignity of the Kurus, have the first annual Sraddha (sapindakarana) performed with a view to installing him formally among the Pitris.'
" continued, 'The ascetics with Guhyakas, having said this unto to the Kurus, instantly disappeared in the very sight of the people. And beholding the Rishis and the Siddhas thus vanish in their sight like vapoury forms appearing and disappearing in the skies, the citizens filled with wonder returned to their homes.'"
(Sambhava Parva continued)
" continued, ' then said, 'O , celebrate the funeral ceremonies of that lion among kings viz., , and of also, in right royal style. For the good of their souls, distribute cattle, cloths, gems and diverse kinds of wealth, every one receiving as much as he asketh asks for. Make arrangements also for 's performing the last rites of in such a style as pleaseth pleases her. And let 's body be so carefully wrapped up that neither nor () may behold it. Lament not for the sinless . He was a worthy king and hath has left behind him five heroic sons equal unto to the celestials themselves.'
" continued, 'Then , O Bharata, saying, 'So be it,' in consultation with , fixed upon a sacred spot for the funeral rites of . The family priests went out of the city without loss of time, carrying with them the blazing sacred fire fed with clarified butter and rendered fragrant therewith. Then friends, relatives, and adherents, wrapping it up in cloth, decked the body of the monarch with the flowers of the season and sprinkled various excellent perfumes over it. And they also decked the hearse itself with garlands and rich hangings. Then placing the covered body of the king with that of his queen on that excellent bier decked out so brightly, they caused it to be carried on human shoulders. With the white umbrella (of state) held over the hearse with waving yak-tails and sounds of various musical instruments, the whole scene looked bright and grand. Hundreds of people began to distribute gems among the crowd on the occasion of the funeral rites of the king. At length some beautiful robes, and white umbrellas and larger yak-tails, were brought for the great ceremony. The priests clad in white walked in the van of the procession pouring libations of clarified butter on the sacred fire blazing in an ornamental vessel. And Brahmanas, and Kshatriyas, and Vaisyas, and Sudras by thousands followed the deceased king, loudly wailing in these accents, 'O prince, where dost do thou you go, leaving us behind, and making us forlorn and wretched for ever?' And , and , and the Pandavas, also all wept aloud. At last they came to a romantic wood on the banks of the . There they laid down the hearse on which the truthful and lion-hearted prince and his spouse lay. Then they brought water in many golden vessels, washed the prince's body besmeared before with several kinds of fragrant paste, and again smeared it over with sandal paste. They then dressed it in a white dress made of indigenous fabrics. And with the new suit on, the king seemed as if he was living and only sleeping on a costly bed.
"When the other funeral ceremonies also were finished in consonance with the directions of the priests, the Kauravas set fire to the dead bodies of the king and the queen, bringing lotuses, sandal-paste, and other fragrant substances to the pyre.
"Then seeing the bodies aflame, Kausalya burst out, 'O my son, my son!'--and fell down senseless on the ground. And seeing her down the citizens and the inhabitants of the provinces began to wail from grief and affection for their king. And the birds of the air and the beasts of the field were touched by the lamentations of . And , the , and the wise , and the others also that were there, became disconsolate.
"Thus weeping, , , , the Pandavas and the Kuru ladies, all performed the watery ceremony of the king. And when all this was over, the people, themselves filled with sorrow, began to console the bereaved sons of . And the Pandavas with their friends began to sleep on the ground. Seeing this the Brahmanas and the other citizens also renounced their beds. Young and old, all the citizens grieved on account of the sons of king , and passed twelve days in mourning with the weeping Pandavas.'"