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इन्द्रलोकाभिगमनपर्वन् (indralokAbhigamanaparvan)

 
Mahabharata
English
[Indralokābhigamanaparvan]
(“the section relating to Arjuna's journey to the world of Indra, ” the 34th of the minor parvans of Mhbhr.). § 335: After the Lokapālas had gone away, Arjuna began to think of the chariot of Indra, which, guided by Mātali, came down full of swords, missiles, maces, thunderbolts, etc. (description), and great Nāgas with fiery mouths, and drawn by 10, 000 horses of golden hue, and with the flagstaff Vaijayanta (described). Mātali, descending, invited him to ascend the chariot, as Indra waited to behold him, surrounded by gods, ṛshis, Gandharvas, and Apsarases. As that chariot cannot be obtained even by hundreds of rājasūyas and horse-sacrifices, and as even gods and Dānavas are not competent to ride in it, and as he that has no ascetic merit is not competent even to see or touch it, Arjuna first let Mātali ascend it and control the horses. Then he purified himself in the Gaṅgā, repeated his prayers (japyaṃ), gratified the Pitṛs, and bade farewell to the Mandara mountain (b). Then he ascended, in the chariot, through the sky and beheld thousands of vimānas of extraordinary beauty
there was no sun or moon or fire, but they blazed in light of their own, generated by virtue and ascetic merit
and the stars, which from earth look small in consequence of their distance, but are very large, were seen by him in their places
and rājarshis who had attained siddhi (siddhāḥ), and heroes fallen in battle, and those that had obtained heaven by tapas
and Gandharvas, and Guhyakas, and ṛshis, and Apsarases. Mātali explained to him that the stars were virtuous persons (sukṛtinaḥ) stationed in their respective places (dhishṇyeshu). At the gates he beheld Airāvata with four tusks equal to Kailāsa. Continuing along the path of the Siddhas, he passed through the regions (lokān) of [virtuous]
kings, and thus passing through Svargaloka he beheld Amarāvatī(b), the city of Indra (III, 42).--§ 336: When Arjuna had entered the city, praised by Apsarases, Gandharvas, Siddhas, great ṛshis, and gods, he, at the request of Indra, went to the large starry way (nakshatramārga) named Suravīthī, where he met with the Sādhyas, Viśvas, Maruts, Aśvins, Ādityas, Vasus, Rudras, Brahmarshis, Rājarshis with Dilīpa at their head, Tumburu, Nārada, Hāhā, and Hūhū. Then he beheld Indra, eulogized by Gandharvas headed by Viśvāvasu, etc., and was seated on Indra's own seat
and Gandharvas, headed by Tumburu, sang to them, and thousands of Apsarases (enumeration of seventeen) () danced there (III, 43).--§ 337: The gods and Gandharvas offered him arghya, etc., and caused him to enter the palace of Indra. There he received Indra's weapons, the thunderbolt (vajra) and lightning (aśanīḥ). At the request of Indra he dwelt there for five years, and learned the dance and music of the Gandharvas from Citrasena, whom Indra gave him as a friend, but he was longing for his brothers and Kuntī and thirsting for revenge (III, 44).--§ 338: In the beginning, seeing that the eyes of Arjuna were fixed upon Urvaśī, Indra despatched Citrasena to Urvaśī, who gladly consented to choose Arjuna (b) for her lover (III, 45). Urvaśī related to Arjuna that as he had looked on her only in a solemn assembly of celestials held on account of his coming, where the Rudras, Ādityas, Aśvins, Vasus, Maharshis, Rājarshis, Siddhas, Cāraṇas, Yakshas, and Mahoragas (i.e. great serpents) were present, and the Gandharvas played the vīṇās, and the Apsarases danced, Indra had caused Citrasena to send her to him, and that she was herself in love with him. Arjuna declared that he regarded her as the wife of his guru, and that he had been gazing at her because she was the mother of the Paurava race. She replied that the sons and grandsons of Pūru's race, that had come thither in consequence of ascetic merit, did all sport with the Apsarases without incurring any sin. But Arjuna swore that he regarded her as his mother. She then cursed him, saying that he should have to pass his time among females as a dancer and destitute of manhood, and then went away. Indra told him that this would come to pass in the thirteenth year of their exile, when they would live unknown to all, but having passed one year thus he would regain his manhood. The desire of the man that listens to this history of Arjuna never runs after lustful ends, etc. (III, 46).-§ 339: One day the brahmarshi Lomaśa in the course of his wanderings went to the abode of Indra. As Lomaśa within himself wondered how Arjuna, being a kshatriya, had attained the seat of Śakra, who was worshipped by the gods themselves, Śakra, knowing his thoughts, explained to him who Arjuna (b) really was
that moreover the Asuras, the sons of Danu, named the Nivātakavacas, who dwell in Pātāla, proud of a boon they had acquired, were planning the destruction of the gods, and could not be slain by others than either Kṛshṇa (c) or Arjuna
but Madhusūdana (i.e. Kṛshṇa) should not be urged when the task was insignificant, lest his energy should consume the whole universe
therefore Arjuna should slay them. At the request of Indra, seconded by Arjuna, Lomaśa went to the Kāmyaka wood to Yudhishṭhira in order to bring him news about Arjuna and recommend him to visit the tīrthas, and follow him and protect him from the Rākshasas (d) (III, 47).--§ 340: As Dhṛtarāshṭra learnt from Dvaipāyana of Arjuna's arrival and stay at Indra's abode, he expressed his anxiety to Sañjaya (III, 48). Conversation of Sañjaya and Dhṛtarāshṭra about Arjuna's encounter with Śiva in the guise of a Kirāta, etc. (III, 49).--§ 341: During the five years of Arjuna's absence the Pāṇḍavas fed themselves and 10, 000 snātaka brahmans, some with and some without fire, by killing deer, Yudhishṭhira going towards the east, Bhīma towards the south, and the twins towards the west and north (III, 50).--§ 342: Having heard of the way of life of the Pāṇḍavas, Dhṛtarāshṭra expressed his anxiety before Sañjaya, fearing Bhīma with his iron (śaikya) mace, etc. Sañjaya commemorated how Kṛshṇa, Dhṛshṭadyumna, Virāṭa, Dhṛshṭaketu, and the Kaikeyas had visited the Pāṇḍavas in the Kāmyaka wood, whose conversations Sañjaya had learnt through spies and formerly told Dhṛtarāshṭra, Sañjaya further related that Kṛshṇa had consented to become the charioteer of Arjuna (enumeration of kings seen by Kṛshṇa at the rājasūya) and to assist the Pāṇḍavas in the battle, together with Rāma, Akrūra, Gada, Śāmba, Pradyumna, Āhuka, Dhṛshṭadyumna, and the son of Śiśupāla, and Yuyudhāna, and the Kaikeya and Pāñcāla princes and the Matsya king, and Kṛshṇa had declared that Yudhishṭhira should, along with his brothers living at Hāstinapura, rule the earth (III, 51).