Analysis of Maha-Bharata, The Epic Of Ancient India - Conclusion

Romesh Chunder Dutt 1848 (Kolkata, Bengal) – 1909 (Baroda State)



The real Epic ends with the war and with the funerals of the deceased
warriors, as we have stated before, and Yudhishthir's Horse-Sacrifice
is rather a crowning ornament than a part of the solid edifice. What
follows the sacrifice is in no sense a part of the real Epic; it
consists merely of concluding personal narratives of the heroes who
have figured in the poem.

Dhrita-rashtra retires into a forest with his queen Gandhari, and
Pritha, the mother of the Pandav brothers, accompanies them. In the
solitude of the forest the old Dhrita-rashtra sees as in a vision
the spirits of all the slain warriors, his sons and grandsons and
kinsmen, clad and armed as they were in battle. The spirits disappear
in the morning at the bidding of Vyasa, who had called them up. At
last Dhrita-rashtra and Gandhari and Pritha are burnt to death in a
forest conflagration, death by fire being considered holy.

Krishna at Dwarka meets with strange and tragic adventures. The
Vrishnis and the Andhakas become irreligious and addicted to
drinking, and fall a prey to internal dissensions. Valadeva and
Krishna die shortly after, and the city of the Yadavas is swallowed
up by the ocean.

Then follow the two concluding Books of the Epic, the _Great Journey_
and the _Ascent to Heaven_, so beautifully rendered into English by
Sir Edwin Arnold. On hearing of the death of their friend Krishna,
the Pandav brothers place Prakshit, the grandson of Arjun, on the
throne, and retire to the Himalayas. Draupadi drops down dead on
the way, then Sahadeva, then Nakula, then Arjun, and then Bhima.
Yudhishthir alone proceeds to heaven in person in a celestial car.

There Yudhishthir undergoes some trial, bathes in the celestial
Ganges, and rises with a celestial body. He then meets Krishna, now
in his heavenly form, blazing in splendour and glory. He meets his
brothers whom he had lost on earth, but who are now Immortals in
the sky, clad in heavenly forms. INDRA himself appears before
Yudhishthir, and introduces him to others who were dear to him on
earth, and are dear to him in heaven. Thus speaks INDRA to
Yudhishthir:

'This is She, the fair Immortal! Her no human mother bore,
Sprung from altar as Draupadi human shape for thee she wore,

By the Wielder of the trident she was waked to form and life,
Born in royal Drupad's mansion, righteous man, to be thy wife,

These are bright aerial beings, went for thee to lower earth,
Borne by Drupad's stainless daughter as thy children took their birth!

This is monarch Dhrita-rashtra who doth o'er _gandharvas_ reign,
This is brave immortal Karna, erst on earth by Arjun slain,

Like the fire in ruddy splendour, for the Sun inspired his birth,
As the son of Chariot-driver he was known upon the earth!

'Midst the _Sadhyas_ and the _Maruts_, 'midst immortals pure and bright,
Seek thy friends the faithful Vrishnis matchless in their warlike might.

Seek and find the brave Satyaki who upheld thy cause so well,
Seek the Bhojas and Andhakas who in Kuru-kshetra fell!

This is gallant Abhimanyu whom the fair Subhadra bore,
Still unconquered in the battle, slain by fraud in yonder shore,

Abhimanyu, son of Arjun, wielding Arjun's peerless might,
With the Lord of Night he ranges, beauteous as the Lord of Night!

This, Yudhishthir, is thy father! by thy mother joined in heaven,
Oft he comes into my mansions in his flowery chariot driven,

This is Bhishma, stainless warrior, by the _Vasus_ is his place,
By the god of heavenly wisdom teacher Drona sits in grace!

_These and other mighty warriors, in the earthly battle slain,
By their valour and their virtue walk the bright ethereal plain!_

_They have cast their mortal bodies, crossed the radiant gate of heaven,
For to win celestial mansions unto mortals it is given!_

_Let them strive by kindly action, gentle speech, endurance long,
Brighter life and holier future into sons of men belong!'_


Scheme XXXXAB CDECFXDX DACXE EXDDGBX XXXXHGAF HH II JJ KK JJ LL MM HH LL EE NN KE EE OO
Poetic Form
Metre 011011010101001001 100111100101110 11001010010110101001 10010101101101101 0110101010010010101 1100010 11010101011110 1010101100100100 1010100111110010 010110110011010 110111001001001 0010101011111111 1110101111100 1001011101001010 10111110100100 100101100101 1001011010110 10110100010101110 11010 1100101011010011 0011111001001101 1101011010111110 011011011110 10011001011111 01111111011 10101110010000101 1110110100010 100101001010111101 0110011001010111 1011111111110100 011010011010101 100101110101111 1011110101111 1 111010100110101 1110111011111 10110101111101 10101101011111 111100101111101 11110101110111 11111111011 1110101111111 1010010110101011 1011100101110101 1010011010101 111010110111 1010111011111 1010110111 1110110111 1100101110101 1111101101 10111110110111 11111011101010 111011100110010010 11110100101111 101110010101101 1010101000010101 111011010101001 11111010101001110 111010101010111 111110101011001 101010010011111
Closest metre Iambic octameter
Characters 3,819
Words 668
Sentences 29
Stanzas 19
Stanza Lengths 6, 8, 5, 7, 8, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2
Lines Amount 62
Letters per line (avg) 50
Words per line (avg) 11
Letters per stanza (avg) 163
Words per stanza (avg) 35
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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

3:22 min read
87

Romesh Chunder Dutt

Romesh Chunder Dutt (Bengali: রমেশচন্দ্র দত্ত; 13 August 1848 – 30 November 1909) was an Indian civil servant, economic historian, writer and translator of Ramayana and Mahabharata. more…

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