The Mahabharata/Book 1: Adi Parva/Section 127

Section CXXVII. ( *Sambhava Parva continued.* ) Vaisampayana continued, "Dhrita-rashtra then said, O Vidura, celebrate the funeral ceremonies of that lion among kings—Pandu, and of Madri also in a right royal style! For the good of their souls, distribute cattle, cloths, gems, and various kinds of wealth, every one having as much as he asketh for. Make arrangements also for Kunti's performing the last rites of Madri in such style as pleaseth her. And let Madri's body be so carefully wrapped up that neither the Sun nor Vayu may behold it! Lament not for the sinless Pandu,—he was a worthy king and hath left behind five heroic sons equal unto the celestials themselves!'" Vaisampayana continued, "Then Vidura, O Bharata, saying, 'So be it,' in consultation with Bhisma, fixed upon a sacred spot for the funeral rites of Pandu. The family priests went out of the city without loss of time, carrying with them the lit up sacred fire that was fed with clarified butter and rendered fragrant therewith. Then friends, relatives, and adherents, wrapping it up with cloth, decked the body of the monarch with the flowers of the season and sprinkled various excellent perfumes over it. And they also decked the hearse itself with garlands and rich hangings. Then placing the covered body of the king with that of his queen on that excellent bier decked out so brightly, they caused it to be carried on human shoulders. With the white umbrella (of state) held over the hearse, and waving *Chamaras* and the sounds of various musical instrumeuts, the whole scene looked bright and grand. Hundreds of people began to distribute gems among the crowd on the occasion of the funeral rites of the king. At length some beautiful robes, and white umbrellas, and larger *Chamaras*, were brought for the great dead. The priests, clad in white, walked in the van of the proccesion, pouring libations of clarified butter on the sacred fire blazing in an ornamented vessel. And Brahmanas, and Kshatriyas, and Vaisyas, and Sudras in thousands followed the deceased king, loudly wailing in these accents:—'O prince, where dost thou go, leaving us behind, and making us forlorn and wretched for ever!' And Bhisma, and Vidura, and the Pandavas also all wept aloud. At last they came to a romantic wood on the bank of the Ganga. There they deposited down the car on which the truthful and lion-hearted prince and his spouse lay. Then they brought water in many golden vessels, washed the body of the prince before besmeared with several kinds of fragrant paste, and smeared it anew with sandal paste. They then dressed it in a white dress made of national fabrics. And with this new suit on, the king seemed as if he was living and only sleeping on a costly bed. "When the other funeral ceremonies had been finished in consonance with the directions of the priests, the Kauravas set fire to the dead bodies of the king and queen,—bringing lotuses, sandal paste, and other fragrant substances to the pyre. "Then seeing the bodies aflame, Kausalya burst out, 'O, my son, my son!'—and fell down sensless on the ground. And seeing her down, the loyal citizens began to wail from grief. And the birds of the air and the beasts of the field were touched by the lamentations of Kunti. And Bhisma, son of Shantanu, and the wise Vidura, and others also became disconsolate. "Thus weeping, Bhisma, Vidura, Dhrita-rashtra, the Pandavas, and the ladies performed the watery ceremony of the king. And when all this was over, the magnates with their servants and subjects fell to consoling the bereaved sons of Pandu. And the Pandavas with their friends began to sleep on the ground. Seeing this, the Brahmanas and other citizens also renounced their beds. Young and old—all the citizens grieved on account of the sons of king Pandu, and passed their days in mourning with the weeping Pandavas." Thus ends the hundred and twenty-seventh Section in the Sambhava of the Adi Parva.