ORIENTAL SERIES.

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MAHA-BHARA TA.
great straggle was the kingdom whose capital was Hastina-pura
(elephant city), the ruins of which are traceable fifty-seven miles
north-east of Delhi, on an old bed of the Ganges.
Krishna Dwaipayana Vyasa is not only the author of the poem,
He was the
but the source from whom the chief actors sprung.
son of the Jfoshi Parasara by a nymph named Satyavati, who,
although she had given birth to a son, remained a virgin. There
was a king, a descendant of Bharata, named $antanu, who had
a son called $antavana, better known as Bhishma. In his old
age $antanu wished to marry again, but the hereditary rights of
Bhishma were an obstacle to his obtaining a desirable match.
To gratify his father's desire, Bhishma divested himself of all
rights of succession, and $antanu then married SatyavatL She
bore him two sons, the elder of whom, Chitrangada, succeeded
to the throne, but was soon killed in battle by a Gandharva
king who bore the same name. Viehitra-virya, the younger,
succeeded, but died childless, leaving two widows, named An>
bika and Ambalika, daughters of a king of ELasi. Satyavati
fchen called on Krishna Dwaipayana Vyasa to fulfil the law, and
had lived the life ot
raise up seed to his half-brother. Vyasa
an anchorite in the woods, and his severe austerities had made
him terrible in
appearance. The two widows were so frightened
at him that the elder one closed her eyes, and so gave birth to
a blind son, who received the name of Dhnta-rashfra ; and the
younger turned so pale that her son was called Pamfa, '
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pale. Satyavati wished for a child without blemish, but the
elder widow shrank from a second association with Yyasa, and
made a slave girl take her place. From this girl was born a
son who was named Yidura. These children were brought up by
their uncle Bhishma, who acted as regent. "When they became
of age, Dhnta-rashfra was deemed incapable of reigning in consequence
of his blindness, and Pan^u came to the throne. The
name Pandu has suggested a suspicion of leprosy, and either
through that, or in consequence of a curse, as the poem states,
he retired to the forest, and Dhrita-rashfra then became king.
Pan