INDIA. PART II. HISTORY OF quished him and all his forces, and brought him away prisoner. So Drona took the half of Drupada's Raj, but left the remainder in the possession of Drupada. Then Raja Raj of Panchala. Drupada returned to his own country; but he swore that the day should come when he would be revenged upon Drona. Division of the Significance of the legend of the Raj of Panchála. The story of this expedition against Drupada is division of the somewhat isolated in the Mahá Bhárata, but still appears to have an important bearing upon the main incident in the Epic. The defeat of the Kauravas and victory of the Pándavas may be somewhat mythical; and, indeed, chiefly serve to illustrate the tendency of the original bards to celebrate the praises of the Pándavas at the expense of the Kauravas. But the division of the Raj of Drupada seems to imply that Drona had some claim to the half share, and confirms the suspicion already expressed that Drona was a brother or near kinsman of Drupada, and that the Brahmanical compilers have suppressed the relationship in order to represent Drona as a Bráhman. Geographical position of the The geographical position of the Raj of Panchála Raj of Panchala. opens up a curious question of inquiry. The name has been sometimes applied to the Punjab, and the Raj certainly appears to have been situated in close contiguity with that of Hastinápur. But Manu identifies Panchála with Kanouj, which is at least two hundred miles from Hastinapur; whilst the compilers of the Mahá Bhárata indulge in far grander ideas, and seem to indicate that the Raj of Bhárata extended over the northern Doab, whilst the Raj of Panchála occupied the more southerly portion as far as the junction of the Ganges and Jumná. It will be seen hereafter that the Raj of Panchála was probably a little territory in the more HISTORY OF immediate neighbourhood of Hastinapur. The story of the rivalry between Yudhishthira and Duryodhana for the post of Yuvaraja, or heirapparent, may now be related as follows: INDIA. PART II. tween Yudhish raja. When the war against Drupada was fully over, there 7th, Rivalry bewas more ill blood between the Kauravas and the Pándavas thira and Duryodhana, for the than had ever been before, because the Kauravas had been post of Yuvadefeated by Drupada, and the Pándavas had gained the victory. Meantime the Maháraja decided that Yudhishthira, the eldest son of Pándu, had the best right to succeed. him in the Raj; and as the custom was, Yudhishthira was Yudhishthira Then Yudhish- raja, or heir-apappointed Yuvainstalled as Yuvaraja, or "Little Raja." thira began to rule the Raj for his uncle the Maháraja, and the glory of his reign became greater than the glory of his father Pándu; for though he was not skilful in the use of arms like Bhíma or Arjuna, his wisdom and virtue were famous throughout the land, and his truthfulness, and justice, and patience on all occasions rendered him beloved by all people. parent. yodhana. tween Duryod Maharaja. the Kauravas being passed over in favour of Now when Yudhishthira was appointed Yuvaraja, his Jealousy of Durcousin Duryodhana was in great affliction, and Duryodhana plotted day and night with his brother Duhsúsana, and his uncle Sakuni, and his friend Karna, how to bring about the destruction of the Pándavas. One day when the Maháraja Conversation bewas quite alone, Duryodhana went into his presence, and hana and the spoke to him as follows:-" O my father, why have you Remonstrates at shown such small regard for your own sons, and treated them so unworthily? You were the elder brother of Raja the Pandavas. Pándu, and ought to have succeeded to the Raj, but you gave up the whole to your younger brother; and now you have passed by your own sons, and have intrusted the management of all affairs to the sons of Pándu: The Raj is yours by right, and the inheritance should descend to us who are your sons; why, then, do you give the preference to others, and make us small and contemptible in the eyes of all people?" Dhritarashtra replied:-" O my son, iny INDIA. PART II. HISTORY OF brother Pándu was without an equal in all the world; and how with my blindness could I pretend to govern the Raj? His sons after him are endued with every qualification for the management of affairs, and give every satisfaction to all the people; how then can I banish them from my councils? Moreover, Yudhishthira possesses the most praiseworthy qualities, such as you do not yourself possess; how then can I be at enmity with him, and exclude him from the government?" Duryodhana said: "I know of no such qualifications as render Yudhishthira superior to me, but I do know that in the field I am more than a match for half a score of Yudhishthiras: So if you are resolved to exclude me from all share in the management of the Raj, I will certainly kill myself, and thus get rid of all my vexations." Dhritarashtra replied:-" O my son, why do you the administra- give way to such violent impatience? If you are bent upon exercising power I will divide the management, and give the half to you and other half to Yudhishthira; so that henceforth there shall be no strife betwixt him and you." The Maharaja offers to divide tion between Duryodhana and Yudhishthira. When the Maharaja had thus spoken, Duryodhana said:"I accept your proposition, O my father; but let the country be divided, so that the Pándavas can take their own land and rule there, whilst I and my brethren stay here at Hastinapur, and govern under you; for if both we and they dwell in the same place there may be feud between us, and many of our friends may be slain." The Maharaja replied:-" The great head of our family is Bhishma, and he will never be satisfied if the Pándavas are sent away to a distance from this city; neither will Drona or Vidura rest content; how then can I tell them to go?" Duryodhana said:" O Maháraja, it is beneath your dignity to consult others: Do you summon the Pándavas, and command them to go to the city of Váranávata, and dwell there for some time; and they will obey your commands without delay, and after they are gone, nobody will trouble about the matter." Accordingly the Maharaja did as Duryodhana counselled. He sent for Yudhishthira and said to INDIA. PART II. him:-" O my son, there is a renowned city, rich in HISTORY OF gold and jewels, named Váranávata: Go thither, you and your brethren, and dwell there for some time; and after that I will recall you." So Yudhishthira and his brethren took leave of the Maháraja, and of all their kinsmen, and departed with their mother Kuntí to the city of Váranávata. INDIA. PART II. tion of the first davas lost in a later fiction. Mythical cha gends referring distance from Hastinapur. CHAPTER III. FIRST EXILE OF THE PÁNDavas. HISTORY OF WITH the journey of the Pándavas to the city of Váranávata the narrative undergoes an entire change, Authentic tradi- and for a brief period the authentic tradition is utexile of the Pan- terly lost in a later fiction. Here it may be remarked that so long as the scene is laid in the city of Hasracter of all le- tinápur, or its immediate neighbourhood, so long to localities at a the story seems to approximate to historic truth; but when the locality is removed to a distance of hundreds of miles from Hastinápur, the narrative is immediately reduced to the condition of either a religious myth or a palpable fiction. Such is the case as regards the alleged journey of the Pándavas Váranávata, the to the city of Váranávata, the modern Alláhabád, bád, 500 miles to the sacred city at the junction of the Ganges and Hastinapur. Jumná, and one of the most famous places of pil modern Alláha the south-east of grimage in Hindústan. A geographical interval of five hundred miles separates the city of Hastinápur from the city of Alláhabád; and, in all probability, a chronological interval of some thousand years separates the old tradition of the sons of Pándu from the modern fiction of their visit to the city of Váranávata. A better judgment, however, will be formed first exile of the after a brief narrative of the events which are said thousand years to have transpired, and which may now be related as follows: Legend of the Pandavas, some later than original tradition. : |
