Mausala Parva
Mausala Parva, or the "Book of Clubs", is the sixteenth of eighteen books of the Indian epic Mahabharata. It traditionally has nine chapters. The critical edition has eight chapters. It is one of three shortest books in the Mahabharata.
Mausala Parva describes the demise of Krishna in the 36th year after the Kurukshetra war had ended, the submersion of Dwaraka under sea, death of Balarama by drowning in the sea, Vasudeva's death, and a civil war fought among the Yadava clan that killed many of them. The story of infighting of the Yadavas becomes the reason why Yudhishthira and all the Pandava brothers renounce their kingdom and begin their walk towards heaven, events recited in the last two books of the Mahabharata.
Mausala Parva is significant for serving as a basis of archaeological studies for the Mahabharata, as well as being one of the eight Parvas found in Hindu culture of Java and Bali, Indonesia.
Structure and chapters
Mausala Parva traditionally has 9 adhyayas and has no secondary sub-parvas. Of the 80,000 verses in the critical edition of the Mahabharata - Mausala parva represents about 0.25% of all verses of the Epic. This makes it one of the smallest books of the Epic.Background to Mausala parva
In days after the 18-day Kurukshetra war, Lord Krishna meets Gandhari, a meeting described in Stri Parva. In anger and grief over the death of her sons and the Kaurava soldiers, Gandhari curses Krishna with the destruction Yadavas in a manner similar to the death of her sons. She blames Krishna for his inaction and believes that he could have prevented the war and the slaughter of hundreds of millions people who died in the war. Krishna accepts the curse because he thought the Yadavs that day were being very adharmi, explains how he had tried many times to mediate peace, how Duryodhana refused. He also explained how Duryodhana and the Kauravas had tried many times to kill the Pandavas.Plot summary
The chapter begins with the announcement at the court of Pandavas that many Yadavas men were killed in an internecine war fought with clubs made of eraká grass. Yudhishthira asks for details. Mausala parva then recites the details.The events start near the city of Dvārakā 36 years after the end of Kurukshetra war. The empire is peaceful and prosperous, the youth of Yadavas have become frivolous and hedonistic. Krishna's son Samba dresses up as a woman and his friends meet Rishi Vishwamitra, Durvasa, Vashista, Narada and other rishis, who were visiting Dwaraka for an audience with Krishna. The young man playfully pretending to be a woman claims he is pregnant, and asks the rishis to predict the gender of the baby.
One Rishi sees through the prank. In a fit of rage, he curses Samba will give birth to an iron bolt that will destroy his entire race. The youth inform King Ugrasena what has happened, who asks Samba to powder the iron bolt and cast it into the Prabhas sea. The king also issues an order that no intoxicating spirits shall be produced or distributed in the Yadavas kingdom.
The town then witnesses several dark omens, including the disappearance of the Sudarshana Chakra, the Panchajanya, Krishna's chariot and the plough weapon of Balarama. Pests multiply. Sinful acts multiply, yet no one feels any shame. Wives deceive their husbands, and husbands deceive their wives. Everyone has the same terrifying dreams. People insult and humiliate their seniors and teachers. Krishna gets concerned, asks everyone to go on a pilgrimage to the sacred waters of the Prabhas sea. They do. When they arrive, the Yadavas revel in merry making, dance and drink much alcohol.
Satyaki, inebriated with wine, goes over to Kritavarma, criticizes him for scheming with Ashwatthama and killing the remaining Pandavas army while they were sleeping. Pradyumna applauds Yuyudhana words, while disregards Kritavarman. Kritavarman in return reminds him how he cruelly slayed the armless Bhurisravas who, on the field of battle, sat in praya. Krishna shows his angry glance to Kritavarman. They begin to argue who did more wrong during the war. In the ensuing fracas, Satyaki severed Kritavarman head with his sword, then began to strike down others there present. Hrishikesa ran to prevent him from doing further mischief, at that time however, others impelled by fate in the face of Krishna slew Satyaki and Pradyumna, who tried to save Satyaki. Krishna beholding his own son slain and the son of Sini too, took up, in wrath, eraká grass in his hand, which miraculously becomes a bolt of iron - it is with this iron rod he begins to slay the violent. Others tries to imitate him taking the grass too, which from curse too transforms into an iron bolt in their hands. Everyone, inebriated with alcohol, attacks everyone else. Soon everyone who is battling is dead, except Vabhru, Daruka and Krishna. Balarama survives because he withdrew from that spot before fight. Krishna asks Daruka to go to Pandavas, tell what had happened and ask Arjuna to come with help. While Daruka was gone, Krishna sends Vabhru for protecting ladies of his kingdom from robbers, tempted by wealth. As soon however he proceeded to a distance, an iron bolt comes and penetrates Vabhru killing him. Kesava goes himself to Dwaravati and consoles his father Vasudeva, before returning to his brother Balarama in forest. He sees him departing from this world, giving up his life through yoga. Krishna who knew everything that gonna happen, concluded that the hour of his departure from this world had come. Restraining his senses, he sat in high yoga, for dispelling his doubts of being a supreme deity. Some of the powder cast in the Prabhas sea had been swallowed by a fish. Inside the fish, the powder has become a metal piece. Jara, a hunter, catches that fish and finds the metal. Jara sharpens it to make an arrow and goes for hunting. That fierce hunter comes and seeing red marks on Krishna foot, thinking it as a deer eye, aimed at it. On coming near for capturing its prey, he found that deity, and touched his feet for being an offender. The high-souled one comforted him and then ascended upwards, filling the entire welkin with splendour.
Daruka reaches to Pandavas and tells them the whole incident. Arjuna set out for seeing them. He met there Vasudeva and 500,000 people who killed each other lying there. He tell them to prepare for their leave within a week. Vasudeva dies next day while he is meditating, while his wives join him in funeral pyre. Then Arjuna made rites who died there, according to their order of seniority. Searching out the bodies then of Balarama and Vasudeva, Arjuna caused them to be burnt. With Yadavas old men, women and children who are the only survivors, including the 16,000 wives of Krishna, together set off for Indraprastha. As they are leaving, waters rises, Dwaraka sinks into the sea. Arjuna proceeded by slow marches, causing the Vrishni women to rest in pleasant forests, mountains and by the sides of delightful streams. Arrived at the country of five waters, they made a encampment there. There robbers overwhelmed by cupidity and temptation attacks them, seeing them being protected by only one bowmen. The son of Kunti, ceasing turned, with his followers, towards the place where robbers attacked. Smiling the while, Arjuna addresses them but they disregarding his words, fell upon him. With great difficulty he succeeded in activating his bow. When the battle had become furious, he tries to invoke his celestial weapons, which did not appear at his bidding. The concourse was very large, the robbers assailed it at different points, Arjuna tries his best to protect it, but fails. In his very sight, ladies were dragged away, while some went away with robbers of their own accord, when they found none to save them. Supported by servants, Arjuna struck the robbers with his shafts sped from Gandiva, but soon however his inexhaustible quivers were out of shafts. Then afflicted with grief, he tries to fight with his bow, but until that time those Mlecchas had retreated, taking away with them ladies. Dhananjaya regarded it all as the work of destiny, while thinking of his non-appearance of celestial weapons, refusal of his bow to obey him; and exhaustion of his shafts. Taking with him the remnant of the Vrishni women, and the wealth that was still with them, reached Kurukshetra. He installs warriors at different positions at different locations. Rukmini, Saivaya, Haimavatu, Jamvabati, ascended the funeral pyre. Satyabhama with others entered the woods to practice penances. Arjuna becomes depressed and full of doubts about his warrior abilities. He meets Vyasa, and explains how he feels for failing those that depended on him for their safety and security. Sage Vyasa explains that it was the destiny of their, Krishna suffered it too, although he was competent to baffle it, Arjuna and his brothers have served the purpose of their lives, those weapons with which he achieved success no longer needs him, and had gone to the place from where they came from. When time approaches, they appears in the hand of right person. So it is time for them to retire and renounce their kingdom, give the responsibilities to the next generation. Arjuna takes leave of Vyasa, meets with Yudhishthira and tells them what had happened.
English translations
Mausala Parva was composed in Sanskrit. Several translations in English are available. Two translations from 19th century, now in public domain, are those by Kisari Mohan Ganguli and Manmatha Nath Dutt. The translations vary with each translator's interpretations.Debroy, in 2011, notes that updated critical edition of Mausala Parva, after removing verses generally accepted so far as spurious and inserted into the original, has 9 adhyayas and 273 shlokas.
Significance
Archaeological studies on the Mahabharata
The details in Mausala Parva have served as a source for scholarly studies on whether the Mahabharata is entirely fictional, or it is partly based on an ancient war in India. The chapters in Mausala Parva that describe Dwarka, its submergence in the Prabhasa sea, and others books of the Mahabharata have attracted the attention of scholars. It has led to the hypothesis that if any city named Dwarka existed in ancient India, it is likely to have been in the modern state of Gujarat or Maharashtra. With funding from the Government of India, the Archaeological Survey of India and National Institute of Oceanography conducted various studies since 1955, particularly since late 1970s. These studies found remnants of various temples in Gujarat, variously dated to be from 9th century, 1st century and 1st millennium BC. The studies have also found ceramic artifacts, votive jars with inscriptions praising the sea god at Bet Dwarka. These have been dated to be between 500 BC and 1500 BC.Archaeological investigations at Dwarka, both on shore and offshore in the Arabian Sea, have been conducted by the Archaeological Survey of India. The first investigations carried out on land in 1963 revealed many artifacts. The objective of the investigations conducted by the Marine Archaeology Unit of the National Institute of Oceanography and the Government of Gujarat was to reconstruct the history of maritime trade, shipbuilding and cultural status of ancient city of Dwarka of the prehistoric times. Excavations done at two sites on the seaward side of Dwarka brought to light submerged settlements, stone-built jetty of large size and triangular stone anchors with three holes. The settlements are in the form of exterior and interior walls, and fort bastions.