The Mahabharata
Book 1: Adi Parva
Kisari Mohan Ganguli, tr.
[1883-1896]
SECTION CI
(Sambhava Parva continued)
"Vaisampayana said, 'O monarch, after the nuptials were over, king Santanu
established his beautiful bride in his household. Soon after was born of Satyavati
an intelligent and heroic son of Santanu named Chitrangada. He was endued with
great energy and became an eminent man. The lord Santanu of great prowess also
begat upon Satyavati another son named Vichitravirya, who became a mighty bowman
and who became king after his father. And before that bull among men, viz., Vichitravirya,
attained to majority, the wise king Santanu realised the inevitable influence
of Time. And after Santanu had ascended to heaven. Bhishma, placing himself under
the command of Satyavati, installed that suppressor of foes, viz., Chitrangada,
on the throne, who, having soon vanquished by his prowess all monarchs, considered
not any man as his equal. And beholding that he could vanquish men, Asuras, and
the very gods, his namesake, the powerful king of the Gandharvas, approached him
for an encounter. Between that Gandharva and that foremost one of the Kurus, who
were both very powerful, there occurred on the field of Kurukshetra a fierce combat
which lasted full three years on the banks of the Saraswati. In that terrible
encounter characterised by thick showers of weapons and in which the combatants
ground each other fiercely, the Gandharva, who had greater prowess or strategic
deception, slew the Kuru prince. Having slain Chitrangada--that first of men and
oppressor of foes--the Gandharva ascended to heaven. When that tiger among men
endued with great prowess was slain, Bhishma, the son of Santanu, performed, O
king, all his obsequies. He then installed the boy Vichitravirya of mighty arms,
still in his minority, on the throne of the Kurus. And Vichitravirya, placing
himself under the command of Bhishma, ruled the ancestral kingdom. And he adored
Santanu's son Bhishma who was conversant with all the rules of religion and law;
so, indeed, Bhishma also protected him that was so obedient to the dictates of
duty.'"
