As Yudhishthira was recovering from the shock of the sights in hell he heard a voice coming from Indra, addressing him: “Yudhishthira, we gods are pleased with you. Do you remember the lie you told your teacher, Drona, about the killing of his son, Aswatthama? The noble Drona believed you and, grief stricken, gave up arms. You had to be in hell for that brief period on account of that. You are now cleansed of that sin and now merit a place in heaven where your great predecessors like Hariscandra, Bharata and Mandhata live. I intentionally created a false hell and showed your brothers and wife there. They are all enjoying life in heaven. You need not have worries about them.”
Dharmaraja also spoke welcoming words to his son. “Son, this was the third time I tested you and demonstrated your adherence to Dharma under all circumstances to the worlds. Take a holy dip in the heavenly Ganga now and abandon your body there. Its sacred waters will also cleanse your mind of all earthly sentiments like sorrow, hatred and envy.”
Meeting with his brothers and Krishna
Krishna was the first whom the Pandava king met there, after he abandoned his body. The Yadava prince was found holding his famous weapons and in the company of Arjuna. Krishna welcomed his cousin with all the love and due respect.
Yudhishthira, next, found Karna in the middle of the twelve suns (dwaadaSa aaaditya) and Bhima seated next to the god of air (vaayu). Nakula and Sahadeva were spotted by the side of the healers of heaven, the Aswinis.
In the presence of Draupadi
Yudhishthira was astounded by the sight of Draupadi shining even more beautiful than ever. Indra promptly reminded the Pandava of her birth. “Draupadi was the goddess of beauty (Sreedevi) before she took birth as the daughter of Drupada, at the express wish of Siva, and became your queen.” Indra alsopointed out to Yudhishthira the five sons of the Pandavas born of Draupadi in the middle of divinities in heaven.
With the Kurus
Yudhishthira continued with introductory tour of heaven, meeting others with whom he was close on earth, with the help of Indra. The king of gods promptly pointed out Pandu to Yudhishthira and said. “Your father pays me a visit every day, riding on his heavenly vehicle, in the company of his two wives, Kunti and Madri.”
Yudhishthira, similarly, saw his uncle, Dhritarashtra in the company of the Gandharvas. Bhishma was with the other seven Vasus and Drona was located shining next to Brihaspati, the teacher of the gods.
The conclusion of the story of Mahabharata
Thus sage Vaisampayana concluded the main story of Mahabharata. By then Janamejaya had come to the close of the sacrifice of serpents. He offered various gifts to the participating Brahmins and returned to Hastinapura from Takshasila (takshaSila) where the sacrifice was conducted.
At the end of the book there is a brief section about the benefits (phalaSruti) of reading the story. It talks of the various positive gains (puNya) and of the cleansing of different type of sins by the reading of the text. There is a separate section on the proper procedure, almost as a ritual, for the reading or listening to its reading.
Vedavyasa states in this context that the epic was compiled in the course of three years.
There is also a stanza called a Gayatri which may be taken as the essential teaching of Mahabharata. It says. “Never abandon Dharma because of lust, fear or greed or even for the sake of life, because, Dharma is eternal. Happiness and sorrow are not. The soul is permanent, not its cause (na jaatu kaamaa nna bhayaa nna lobhaad dharmam tyajed jeevitasyaapi hetoh/ nityo dharmah sukhadukhetvanitye jeevo nityo hetu rasya tvanityah).”
To the question of Janamejaya about the duration of stay of the Kurus in heaven sage Vaisampayana explained: “The stay in heaven or hell is the result of one’s actions in this world. The duration is determined by the action itself. At the end, ordinary souls take birth assuming new bodies and go through the cycle of birth and death until they attain salvation. In the case of many of the Pandavas they were divine souls taking human body for a specific reason. After enjoying their stay in heaven they returned to their original souls, as Yudhishthira did with Dharmaraja, Bhima with Vayu and so on.”
We may, yet, go through the essential stories from the next two books and try to get a gist of the final book as well, in due course.
Concluded
