THE HARMONY OF VIRTUE

IV. 3. The Problem of the Mahabharata191even distant Bengal under the Poundrian Vasudeva and distantSindhu under Vriddha Kshatra and his son Jayadratha began tomean something in the reckoning of forces. The Yadava nationscounted as a great military force in the balance of politicsowing to their abundant heroism and genius, but seemed to havelacked sufficient cohesion and unity to nurse independent hopes.Strong, however, as these nations were none seemed able todispute the prize of the coming empire with the Kurus, untilunder Jarasandha the Barhadratha Magadha for a moment disturbedthe political balance. The history of the first great Magadhanhope of empire and its extinction — not to be revived againuntil the final downfall of the Kurus — is told very briefly inthe Sabhaparva of the Mahabharata. The removal of Jarasandharestored the original state of politics and it was no longerdoubtful that to the Kurus alone could fall the future empire.But contest arose between the elder and the younger branchesof the Bharata house. The question being then narrowed to apersonal issue, it was inevitable that it should become largely ahistory of personal strife and discord; other and larger issueswere involved in the dispute between the Kaurava cousins,but whatever interests, incompatibilities of temperament anddifference of opinion may divide brothers, they do not engagein fratricidal conflict until they are driven to it by a longrecord of collision and jealousy, ever deepening personal hatredand the worst personal injuries. We see therefore thatnot only the early discords, the slaying of Jarasandha and theRajasuya sacrifice are necessary to the epic but the great gamblingand the mishandling of Draupadi. It cannot, however,have been personal questions alone that affected the choiceof the different nations between Duryodhana and Yudhishthira;personal relations like the matrimonial connections of Dhritarashtra'sfamily with the Sindhus and Gandharas and of thePandavas with the Matsyas, Panchalas and Yadavas doubtlesscounted for much, but there must have been something more;personal enmities counted for something as in the feud cherishedby the Trigartas against Arjuna. The Madras disregardedmatrimonial ties when they sided with Duryodhana; the Magadhasand Chedis put aside the memory of personal wrong when they