Astrological Key in Mahābhārata - The New Era

4 Astrological Mahiibhiirata
Contents
Page
Foreword xv
CHAPTER 1
Principles of Astronomy-Precession
CHAPTER 2
Symbolism of the Precessional Eras 9
CHAPTER 3
The End of the Era of Aries-Appearance of the
Mahiibharata, Attributed to the Sage Vyasa 17
CHAPTER 4
Origin of the Lunar Dynasty of the Bhiiratas-Its
Transmission from the Era of Aries to the Era of
Pisces, the Dominant Theme of the Epic 25
CHAPTER 5
The Astronomical Representations of Kr�Qa, Arjuna and
Bhi�ma 33
CHAPTER 6
Condensation of the Subject of the MBh in the
Khiil)�ava Forest Passage of Book I 41
CHAPTER 7
Origin of the Matsya Lineage: Virata and Satyavati-
Birth of Vyasa on an Island in the Yamuna 45
CHAPTER 8
Vyasa's Intercession for the Continuation of the Bharata
Lineage-Birth of his sons Dhrtara�tra, PiiQQU and
Vidura-Role of the Important Character of Bhi�ma 53
CHAPTER 9
Marriage of the Three Bharatas of the First Generation
Birth of the Piil)�ava and Kaurava Cousins-Imbalan-
ce between Brahmins and K!}atriyas, Illustrated by
Drona and Dru ada 61
X Contents
CHAPTER 10
General Discussion of the Sources of Discord: Karl).a
and Ambii 69
CHAPTER 11
Duryodhana and Bhima-the first Voluntary Exile of
the Piil).<;lavas with their Mother Kunti 77
CHAPTER 12
Marriage of the five Pii.I).<;lavas with Draupadi (the
daughter of king Drupada) - Their return to
Hastiniipura-Division of the kingdom between
Duryodhana andYudhi�thira-Arjuna's pilgrimage
and his encounter with three women: Uliipi,
Citriiilgadii and Subhadrii-Importance of the third
member in a series 83
CHAPTER 13
Preparation ofYudhi�thira's Riijasuya (royal consecra-
tion)-Jariisandha's Opposition to its Performance 93
CHAPTER 14
Celebration of Yudhi�thira's Riijasuya-The game of
dice 97
CHAPTER 15
The 13-year forced exile of the Piindavas with their
wife Draupadi (the final year passed incognito)
Arjuna's departure for Svarga-Significant allego
ries: Ilvala and Viitiipi-Agastya-Sibi, king of the
Usinaras 105
CHAPTER 16
Meeting of Bhima with Hanumiin-Arjuna's return
from Svarga with divine weapons-The Kaura vas
provoke the Piil).gavas in the forest-Attempt by
Jayadratha, Duryodhana's brother-in-law to kidnap
. Draupadi-Search for a safe place in which to pass
the 13th year incognito 111
CHAPTER 17
13th and final year of exile passed with Viriita, king of
the Matsyas-Goharal).a (the theft of the cows)
parvan: a "rehearsal" for the coming war-Arjuna's
son Abhimanyu marries Viriita's daughter Uttarii 119
Contents xi
CHAPTER 18
Preparations for War-Negotiations-KrH1a's Mediation 129
CHAPTER 19
The Eighteen-day war begins-The Bhagavad Gita:
Kmta gives his teaching to Arjuna · 137, ·
CHAPTER 20
Description of the War-Bhi�ma, the commanding
general of the Kauravas "voluntarily" withdraws
from the combat on the lOth da:y-Droi).a replaces
Bhi$ma, and Kan;�a enters the battle-Death of
Abhimanyu, son of Arjuna and father of the future
Parik$it, on the 13th day 143
CHAPTER 21
Continuation of the War-Death of Jayadratha
Death of the brahmin DroQa, killed on the night
between days 14 and 15, by Dhf$!adyumna, command
ing general of the ParH. ;lavas-First partial nocturn
al destruction-KarQa becomes the third leader
of the Kaurava armies-Death of Karl).a 151
CHAPTER 22 .
Salya (although the uncle of the PaQc,iavas) is named
fourth commanding general o.f the Kauravas, on
·
the 18th day-Death of Salya and Sakuni, the two

evil uncles-Disappearance of Duryodhana who
hides on an· artificial created "island" 157
CHAPTER 23
Bhima combats Duryodhana and crushes his thighs-
Return of Kr$1Ja's brother Baladeva, after his volun
tary withdrawal from combat-Three Kauravas: ·
- : '�;: .'J
Asvatthaman, KrPa and Krtavarman, and seven

PaQc,iavas: the five brothers, Kf$l).a and Satyaki
survive 161
CHAPTER 24
Kiilariitri, the night of total destruction, between the
18th and 19th days; which concludes the war
Relationship between Asvatthaman, the extermi
nator, the symbolism of the "sacrificed" constellation
Abhi" it, and that of Saturn (the planet and its regent) 169
xii Contents
CHAPTER 25
The aftermath of the war-Funerals of the warriors
killed on the Kuruk�etra 177
CHAPTER 26
The reign of Yudhi�thira-The death of Bhi�ma
KnQa returns to his capital at Dvaraka-Birth of
Parik�it, who is stillborn, but resuscitated by Kr�Qa 181
CHAPTER 27
The Asvamedha (Horse Sacrifice) of YudhiHhira
Victories won by Arjuna over the rulers of the Earth,
over which Yudhi�thira becomes the Universal
Sovereign 187
CHAPTER 28
DhrtaraHra's departure for the Forest with Gandhari,
Kunti and Vidura, after the fifteenth year ofYudhi�-
thira's reign�Their death, three years later 193
CHAPTER 29
Disappearance of Kr�Qa and Baladeva, 36 years after
the war-Dvaraka is inundated by the sea 197
CHAPTER 30
The PaQc;lavas and Draupadi leave Earth for Svarga,
· 36 years after the war-Parik�it becomes the Bharata
king-End of the Era of Aries and commencement
of the Era of Pisces 203
CHAPTER 3 1
Conclusion 207
Glossary 211
Bibliography 231
ILLUSTRATIONS
CHART : The 12 signs of the Zodiac (�asis) and the 27
constellations (nak�atras) v
TABLE 1 : Origin of the Bharatas Lunar Dynasty vi
TABLE 2 : Genealogy of the Bharatas and the Matsyas vii
TABLE 3 : Lineage of the PaQc;lavas Allies viii
Lineage of the Kauravas Allies viii
Index 235
Note on Transliteration
Of Indo-European origin, classical Sanskrit is the ancient, sacred

and literary language of India, written in Devaniigari alphabet,
one of the richest in existence.
Its gramm ar being of great complexity, we shall use in our work
only the root forms of the words, in their Latin transcription. The
separated words at the end of lines, may at times seem arbitrary
due to printing requirements.
Below are some indications on the pronunciation of Sanskrit:
- A horizontal stroke above the vowel indicates that it is
long and pronounced for approximately twice as long as a
short one.
a is pronounced like a in above. Example Aja
u " " " 00 , full " Duryodhana
r " " ree " merrily Krta (Yuga)
e " " " ai " paint deva
ai " " " " bite " daiva
au , , , ow , cow , Kaurava
- The diacritical marks accompanying the consonants give the
following sounds:
is pronounced like ti in partial. Example Kr�Qa
" " , sh , sure , Sukra
" " " ng , going " paiica
- The dots above or below n, m, d, t, correspond to a particular
retroflexed or nasal resonance.
- As for the following consonants:
c is pronounced like ch in chill. Example cakra
g , , , g , gamble , Ganga
j " j ,, jet jaya
s " " " s , sit " Matsya
h " h , him " Hastina ura
Foreword
Indestructible is the weave of this Universe. . .
That which exists can never pass away . . .
Bhagavad Gita
India is a land of violent contrasts in which the heat is over

whelming, the monsoon diluvian, the sunsets majestic, and the
starry nights bewitching. Here, amidst the alternation of vast
stretches of desert and tangled forests, one finds a luxuriant
vegetation, replete with extraordinarily beautiful flowers, in which
proliferate dreaded beasts and insects; but here are also sheltered
enchanting animals and birds-here, the human population is
as diverse as are the country's regions and castes; here, the religion
expresses itself both through the delirious enthusiasm of its
masses, and the austerity and self-abnegation of its ascetics.
Out of the inexhaustible corpus of its mythology, it is fitting that
one work correspond, in its immensity, to the land itself: this is
the MAHABHARATA, a gigantic and complex epic which,
while a monument to ancient Indian thought, remains forever
contemporary. Spangled with legends, this narrative is neverthe
less constructed around a core theme: this is the heroic war
fought between two rival branches of the same Bharata lunar
·
dynasty, for the prize of a kingdom.

Over the centuries, this epic poem has been studied, commented
upon and interpreted in diverse ways by historians, literary critics
and philosophers from all over the world. It has also been a
subject of scrutiny for astronomers, whose· main object has been
to date this celebrated battle-through the constant references
made in the narrative to the sidereal world.
It was through these same references that I came to see in the
MBh1 a message, intended to announce a change of astronomical
1For reasons of simplicity, we adopt the MBh for MAHABHARATA (the

great BHARATAS). Modern lndia once again bears the name of this
illustrious d nast : Bhiirata.
xvi Foreword
eras, of which the Initiated must have been aware at the time of
its composition; that is, over six to eight centuries that strad
dled the beginning of the common era.
I also set myself the task of bringing to light those significant
correspondences that existed between the heavenly bodies and
the epic characters who represent the manifestation, on Earth,
of divine or negative forces. For, the Earth is the locus upon which
are projected all sidereal conflicts and upheavals, and the gods
move among humans when it becomes necessary to effect critical
passages from one phase to the next. In the particular case of the
MBh, this pivotal time was also the moment in which, by virtue
of minute and extremely numerous observations, a novel system
for the scientific explanation of the Cosmic Order was being
introduced, to take the place of a theretofore arbitrary method for
designating the seasons.
But the transitional period necessa,ry for the acceptance of this
reshuffling turned out to be a very long one, and all the more
so for the fact that it ran up against the opposition of the all
powerful orthodoxy of Hindu society. This nevertheless came to
constitute the vital spark with which its composers animated the
richest poem known to Humanity; but they transmitted this
secret knowledge through a veil of fiction, enveloped in the
hermeticism of a mythic language whose key has been lost to us.
The multiplicity of characters and the diversity of plots and
subplots have obliged me to make certain repetitions, which I
have permitted myself to systematize in order to better focus on
the subject I wish to treat. l beg the indulgence of Indian astro
nomers if a few technical inaccuracies appear in the course of
my development of these themes; they are the fruit of years
of research in which I came to know the anguish of the lone
researcher faced with the impossibility of exhausting the wealth
of ideas brought to life by his work.
My attachment to and affection for India and its thought has
never left me as I have worked at elaborating this study, in which
the MAHABHARA TA has shown itself to me to be more . an
astronomical than a heroic myth.
The Universe is a vast complex of undulatory forms which
seem to be connected together, at every level (both cosmic and
molecular), by mysterious bonds that are still inexplicable in
Foreword xvii
physical terms, but which emerge through astrological symbolism.

Over the millennia, this universal language, originally transmit
ted by those initiated into the heavenly secrets, has sought to
establish a relationship between the individual psyche and the
essence of the Cosmos by means of various modes of expression
and figurative or abstract representations, according to the ages
and traditions in which it has manifested itself.
The Epic of the Mahabharata seems to me to be one such
revelation: it is our present task to decipher it.l
l Our sources :
(Sanskrit) The critical edition of the Mahiibhiirata, ed. by Vishnu S. Sukthan
kar et. al. (Poona, Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute
1 93 3-1 969)
(English) The Mahiibhiirata (vol 1: The Book of the Beginning), tr. by
J.A.B. van Buitenen (Chicago, University of Chicago Press, 1 973
( 1 930)). All MBh citations are quoted from this source. The
Mahiibhiirata, tr. by Pratap Chandra Roy (Calcutta, Bharat Press,
1 889).
CHAPTER )
Principles of Astronomy-Precession
The Era of Pisces is coming to an end, to be followed by that of

Aquarius, and the world is moving. ... His mind whirling, as if he
were peering, from some vertiginous height, down into the abyss
of this great turning-point, modern man finds himself confronted,
with ever-increasing urgency, by the need for some transform
ation, some transmutation, of his very being.
A radical change in the structure of his mind, in the processes
of daily life, in his relationships to others, seems to thrust itself
upon him. At the dawn of this new Age, the frame that bounds
"his" universe, defined by his desires, his ambitions, his indivi
duality, is exploding-to open onto more universal, more cosmic
perspectives. The foundations built over the past centuries
those foundations upon which he has constructed his existence
are shaken.
Faced with this ineluctable metamorphosis, man is afraid. ...
What is to become of his all-powerful will? Must he submit to
the crises that are sh�king his environment? Why must he strip
himself of his deep-seated ego with its automatic reactions, its
received ideas that are accepted without ever having been assi
milated, its indomitable influence: why change?. . . He finds him
self frustrated; he is losing his composure.
The most evolved of beings is becoming conscious that his
planet, the Earth, can no longer be dissociated from the rest of
the World; for she is an integral part of one solar system among
many, and because there exists a physical connection between
himself and his galaxy-the Milky Way.
Science reminds him that the same laws govern the infinitely
great-the Cosmos-and the infinitely small-electrons; that both
are animated by three forces-gravitational, electromagnetic. and
2 Astrological Key in Mahiibhiirata
nuclear ; and that these join the human world to cosmic pheno
mena, as if with invisible threads.
"That which is below is like unto that which is above, and
that which is above is like unto that which is below, in order that
the miracle of the Unity might be accomplished." Such is the
testimony of Tablet V of the Emerald Tables, inspired by the
doctrines of the legendary Hermes Trismegistus (himself a re
presentation of the Egyptian god Thoth).
With the structure of the atom assimilated to a solar system
by modern scholars, man discovers himself to be a miniaturiza
tion of the Cosmos. The matter of which he is constituted may
be reduced to energy, which is itself reducible to vibratory motion
in multidimensional space. All manifestation is thus governed
by rhythms, and automatically subject to physical time and its
cycles. These are biological for the human being-and cosmic
for the Universe which passes through evolutionary phases of
dissolution and preservation, in its ongoing creation.
"And when the Father that engendered it perceived it in
motion and alive, a thing of joy to the eternal Gods, He too
rejoiced . . . wherefore He planned to make a moveable image of
Eternity, and, as He set in order the Heaven, of that Eternity
which abides in Unity, He made an eternal image, moving
according to Number, even that which we have named Time. "
(Plato, Timeaus, 37c d tr. R.G. Bury, Loeb Classical Library,
-
Cambridge, Harvard, 1929 (1975), pp. 74-75) .

Since highest Antiquity, man has gazed at the celestial vault
which is particularly magnificent in India. The great spectacle
of the night frightens him, attracts him, fascinates him ; and he
is moved to discover its mystery. Through patient observation,
he succeeds in distinguishing planets from stars, and in recording
their world as it surrounds his own.1
Although he believes the Earth to be immobile, living attached
to her as a child to its mother, he senses correlations between
human occurrences and the displacements of the heavenly bodies.
The two heavenly orbs that appear to him as equal in size2
1 The Earth turns from West to East : it is for this reason that the apparent
motion of heavenly bodies is from East to West.
2 The Sun and Moon have the same apparent diameter when viewed from
Earth.
Chapter One 3
allow him to measure his life from one sunrise to another, from
one new moon to the next. He fixes their movements and those
of the five planets visible to the naked eye, 1 against a backdrop
of fixed stars, which he groups into twenty-eight constellations2
according to their recognizable characteristics. These correspond
to the short, successive stages by which the Moon moves in the
sky : the Moon's mobility and repeating phases help him to
organize his daily activities and religious rituals.
It is nevertheless the Sun that proves to be the main regulating
force behind the seasons, those periods so essential to his exist
ence and survival. Therefore, in order to better study its posi
tions, man traces its fictive path-the ecliptic-in the middle of
a circular strip of the celestial sphere, and notes the principal
constellations through which the solar orb passes in its annual
revolution. Over the length of this 360° band which he calls the
Zodiac, he divides the firmament into six diurnal and six noc
turnal parts, and then into twelve equal subdivisions : these are
the zodiacal signs, that came to replace the older equator-based
system of the 36 dekans.3
As a means to differentiate and fix these in his memory, he
imagines-for each sign or constellation-symbols or hiero
glyphs. In this way, the most ancient of all sciences began to
take form : this was astronomy, which was originally conflated
with a sacred astrology that was already known at the time
of Sumer, of Chaldea, of ancient Egypt, China and India. In
this last tradition, the Vedas4 refer to the zodiacal belt, the
1 Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn; Mercury, difficult to observe due to
its proximity to the Sun, was discovered long after the other planets.
2 Considered as the wives of the lunar god Soma (the word for moon is
masculine in Sanskrit). We will see later that, in a more recent time, the 28
constellations were replaced by 27 (nak$atras) in order to better correspond
to the solar signs.
a According to Hindu astrology, each sign of 30° (ra§i) is composed of
nine padas (feet); thus 108 padas for the twelve riisis. Each constellation
(nak$atra) or lunar house of 1 3 · 20 takes up 4 padas of a sign, which also
works out to 108 padas for the 27 nak$afras. The whole of the Zodiac,
whether solar or lunar, thus corresponds to 108 padas.
4 Vedas: the oldest religious texts of India. They are the revealed knowledge
par excellence, and are divided into four groups: f!.g Veda, Yajur Veda, Siima
Veda and Atharva Veda.
rta,1 and to its twelve radii (fl._g Veda 1 . 1 64 . 1 1).

In every Tradition, the source of this Knowledge of the
Heavens, the blueprint for a universal ontology, is lost in the
dark night of Time. Long before such was written down, it grew
out of the direct observations of the Sages who transmitted it
orally from master to disciple, through an initiatory language
of which certain key constructs remain to be deciphered today.
Outstanding among these are the planisphere of a temple in
Upper Egypt, the Zodiac of Dendera (owned by the Louvre),
the disk of Phaistos exhibited in the Museum of Herakleion in
Crete, and the Oriental Zodiac (the riisi cakra, "Zodiacal Belt")
mentioned by Sir William Jones, the founder of the Royal Asiatic
Society of Bengal. Various ancient sacred texts, which harbor
psycho-metaphysical concepts regarding the mysteries of Crea
tion, Life and the divine powers of the sidereal world, continue
to be impenetrable enigmas.
After millennia of investigations, man discovered that the

Earth too was a part of the great cosmic ballet. It moves along
its orbit around the Sun in its annual revolution, thus deter
mining the seasons ; and turns on its central, polar axis in a
period of twenty-four hours, thus producing night and day.
Finally, this pivot is possessed of a slow internal vibration, which
is circular and retrograde :2 the fictive extension of this wobbling
axis, traced on the stellar vault in the direction of the Pole Star,
causes this latter to vary, to move, from one age to another. It is
for this reason that our present Pole Star is the alpha of the cons
tellation of the Little Dipper (Ursa Minor), after having been, in
succession, stars in the constellations of Draco, of Lyra, etc.
The line of the solar ecliptic cuts across that of the equator
along a diameter of which the extremities mark the summer and
winter solstices. Perpendicular to this are found the equinoxes
of autumn, and of spring whose VERNAL POINT indicates the
commencement of the twelve solar divisions.
1 rta: Cosmic Order from the root lJ. which connotes movement ; setting
in place; that which is articulated. This equatorial belt apparently encircles
our solar system.
2 This terrestrial vibration is provoked by the gravitational forces exerted
b the ·Sun and the Moon on the Earth.
Chapter One 5
Now, the spinning top motion of the earth's polar axes causes
the Sun to return to this same equinoctial point BEFORE the
completion of its revolution across the background of the fixed
stars. So it is that the vernal point apparently slips backwards
along the ecliptic,1 in the course of an entire cycle of approxi
mately 26,000 years.
Tradition has fixed the Zodiacal Year at 25,920 years, (the
rate of precessional displacement being 1 o every 72 years) and
divided it into twelve Great Months of 2 1 60 years each, known
as precessional eras.2
This movement of the vernal point across the celestial vault,
apparently RETROGRADE with regard to that of the Sun on
the Zodiac as viewed from Earth, constitutes the PRECESSION
OF THE EQUINOXES.
This theory of the precession was developed in the second
century B.C. by the Greek astronomer Hipparchus of Nicea, on
the basis of observations he himself made of the same stars as
were identified by astronomers of previous centuries, from the
schools of Alexandria, Chaldea and the Orient : the corrobora
tion of the ancient evidence with his own observations brought
him to an inevitable conclusion-that this precessional motion
Was a reality.
It is certain that this phenomenon, well before it was raised
to the level of a scientific datum, had not escaped the searching
eyes of the ancient visionaries, whose revelations were born of
their direct confrontation with the forces of nature. However,
their "prophecies" were couched in forms so obscure and ambi
guous as to be incomprehensible to their contemporaries.
Whenever the full Moon appears in a constellation, it is
possible to reckon the position of the Sun-which is to be found
at a point diametrically opposite to the rising or setting of the
Moon on the horizon. Thus, the times of the equinoxes (when
l At the end of a cycle, every star on the ecliptic returns to its original
position with regard to the North Pole.
2 The human organism vibrates with the planetary cycles: on an average,
it has 72 heartbeats and 1 8 respirations each minute. Thus, in one day : 1440
minutes x 1 8 = 25,920 breaths!
Elsewhere, each Great Month corresponds to one of the twelve zodiacal
signs of 30° (or 3 x 10°) : these consist of three periods of 720 years each, at
a rate of 1o ever 72 ears.
6 Astrological Key in Mahabharata
the days and nights are of the same duration) and those of the
solstices (the longest and shortest days of the year) are easily
determined. And so they were, with regard to the constellations.
The times of these primal solar stages were considered as
special and auspicious moments. These were the occasions for
important festivities and specific sacrifices, of which some are
still practised today. Over the Ages and across every Tradition,
man has sought to harmonize the microcosm with the macro
cosm, by means of a kind of analogical play of correspondences
with the Laws governing the Universe.
Ancient man was able to effect his observations with the aid
of great stones, in megalithic sites such as at Stonehenge in Great
Britain and the Mediterranean Basin ; and in the temples oriented
towards the East, out of which emerged each morning the
heavenly body of Becoming, on the site of the Egyptian Pyra
mids. It was here that, on the instigation of Ramses II in about
1 300 B.C., the equinoxes and solstices were located in the signs
of Aries, Libra, Cancer and Capricorn ; towards the 3rd century
B.C., the Greeks gave these signs their definitive1 names, according
to those of the constellations that they "straddled" at that time.
It was the case in the time of Hipparchus that the spring
equinox fell in the constellation AND in the sign of Aries-which
was the name assigned to that precessional era.
This last era is succeeded by that of Pisces-our own age
during which the vernal point has moved and continues to move
through this sign, apparently in reverse. It will leave this sign at
the beginning of the 3rd millennium, according to the Sky Map
of the Institut Geographique National : presuming that this
phenomenon of precession is constant in its periodicity. The
vernal point will next fall in the sign of Aquarius, for another
period of approximately 2, 1 60 years.
In India, it is likely that the signs were adopted at a later
time, since their names are not cited in the Vediinga Jyoti�a2
1 These names were in fact derived from those already attributed to the
constellations (stellar configurations), in order to distinguish them, after

the images of men and animals that they evoked.
2 Dated to about the 1 3 th century B.C., this text represents the post
Vedic astronomical system : it is the most important of the Jyoti$as, in its
study of the motions of celestial bodies and the divisions of time.
/
Chapter One 7
that one of the six Appendices to the Vedas devoted to astro

nomical Knowledge ; this work nevertheless makes reference to
the twelve solar radii, as well as to the solstices and equinoxes.
The seasons were then determined with regard to the cons
tellations, in the case of which it was observed that a new major
star rose in the East, at exactly the same time as the Sun, every
nine to ten centuries.
If we base our calculations on the Tradition's theoretical
number of 960 years, and bear in mind that a zodiacal sign is
equal to 2{ constellations (nak$atras), we once again arrive at
the era of 2, 1 60 years (960 x2+240) which corresponds to the
Great Precessional Month ...
Fo r the ancient Hindus, this star was the means b y which to
locate the time of the spring equinox-as well as the winter solstice
upon which the year was based, and the seasonal rites and sacri
fices.
The Sun was thus placed under the charge of a different
divinity called Viriij ; and a new Prajiipati1 was given the task of
redistributing the stars in the two halves (pak$a) of the celestial
vault, on either side of the equator. It was also he who was to
gain the approval of the suras or devas, the legitimate divine
occupants of the luminous and divine half; and that of the
asuras, who inhabited the dark and invisible regions. These
'negotiations' did not fail to provoke serious dissension regarding
supremacy over their respective hemispheres, between these
parties.
Placed in the center of the Triple World, between these re
presentatives of the forces from above and from below, the Earth
became the field of their rivalries and confrontations. In order
that their oblations reach the devas, and not the asuras, the
priestly sacrificial officiants were obliged to constantly adapt their
offerings to the changing cosmic situation.
So it was that stars followed upon one another, each seem
ingly driving out its predecessor to give preeminence to "its"
constellation, in which the vernal or spring equinox would fall. 2
However, the measurement o f time a s a function o f astral
1 Viriij: sovereign. Prajiipati : protective divinity who engenders living
beings.
2 Krttikii enjoyed this reeminence at the end of the Era of Taurus and
.motions through the constellations lacked precision for the simple

fact that the constellation occupied by the Sun is never visible.
It was for this reason that the tropical zodiac-made up of
twelve solar divisions of 30° each, with the vernal point for each
new year fixed at oo in Aries-was laid down, out of a concern
for scientific rigor. It thus took the place of the sidereal year,
the period of time between two consecutive passages of the Sun
before a given heavenly body.
It was the axis formed by the stars Aldeberan (in the cons
tellation of Taurus) and Antares (in that of Scorpio), stars dia
metrically opposite to one another, that most likely allowed for
a precise location, in the Era of Taurus, of the equinoxes. From
these could be established the Zodiac : these two axial stars are
located in the middle (1 5°) ' of their respective signs.
Moreover, in order to establish a correspondence between
the solar divisions and the constellations, it was necessary to
effect an "overlay" of the latter. Thus, among the 28 traditionally
recognized nak.�atras, one had to be eliminated : this was Abhijit.
This new celestial organization upon which depended the
practical and religious life of the Hindus ran into resistance on
the part of the orthodoxy, and it was only with great reserve
that it came to be integrated into the sphere of Celestial Know
ledge.
It was this long and difficult introduction of these concepts,
so disturbing to the established Tradition, that inspired the
myth of the MAHABHARATA, in which the drama i s,played
out on two levels : that of humans and that of divine or semi
divine beings.
It is not our aim here to grasp this myth's etiological character
through a structuralist approach. We rather prefer to let our
selves be carried along by its imagic and poetic representation
of a period of great change.
the beginning of that of Aries. It next fell, in succession, to Bhara!Ji and

Asvini.
Since the beginning of our Era of Pisces, the vernal point has fallen in
the constellations of Revati and Uttarabhiidrapadii : it will fall in that of
Pfirvabhiidrapadii before the Era of Aquarius.
See map.
CHAPTER 2
Symbolism of the Precessional Eras
As difficult as it remains today to precisely establish the date on

which one era ends and another begins, it is nevertheless striking
to note that each transition period is marked by profound spi
ritual changes, and is subject to cyclical social transformations.
Then, in the course of its duration, each era seems to become
" colored" by the symbolism attributed to the sign bearing the
name of the constellation "visited" by the vernal point. Such
nuances, following a mysterious law of synchronicity, comple
ment those of the sign located in polar opposition. Each Great
Month is thus clothed in its own particular, non-repeating, uni
versal character : this rule holds even when (because of preces
sion)1 signs and constellations bearing the same name no longer
coincide.
For it is not the apparently immobile stars of the zodiacal
constellations that determine the "quality" of the signs : such is
effected by the Sun, as it passes through the twelve sectors of the
ecliptic. Each 30° sign constitutes a reference point for its (and
those of the planets) relative position with regard to the Earth.
It represents a proper field of experience, which functions accord
ing to the cosmic zone of energy in which the sign is inserted,
and the vibratory field set up between it and the Sun (or the
planets).
It is for this reason that each of the twelve solar sectors were
1 The annual spring equinox is still calculated from the 0° point of Aries,
in the tropical zodiac.

Modern Hindu astrologers, still loyal to the sidereal zodiac of the fixed
stars (nirayaiJa), are nevertheless constrained to account for precessional
distance (ayaniimsa) in their calculations of exact planetary positions for a
iven period.
placed, by the Ancients, under the reign of a planet, which in

turn corresponded to a particular god whose characteristics
were archetypal to them. Every mythology, down to our own
modern astrology, bears witness to this millenary repartition,
thus revealing the history of the human psyche.
The symbolism of analogies existing between cosmic and
terrestrial cycles is the product of observations and deductions
that go so far back in time that its origins become confused with
those of human thought itself.
The astro-mythical wheel of the solar Zodiac thus partici
pates in the long precessional revolution. As a result, the cosmo
gonies and cosmologies of very diverse peoples, but of con
comitant periods of a common era, show similarities. Political,
social and religious structures are organized after a like fashion,
thus betraying a common source, i.e. that of planetary symbols
and of mythological language expressive of that which is today
known as the collective unconscious.1
By going back in time as much as our present knowledge per

mits, we can proceed to the following approximate observations :
The Era of Leo (between about 10,000 and 8000 B.C.) bears
witness to the fertile creativity attributed to that sign. The walls
of the caves in which Ice Age hunters were forced to take re
fuge-such as those of Lascaux in France, in the north of Spain,
and in Anatolia-are decorated with paintings . . . . Inventions,
however rudimentary-but typical of the Stone Age-appear.
At the end of the Ice Age (ca. 8000 to 6000 B.C.), in the Era
of Cancer, man emerged from his excavations to construct dwell
ings, cultivate the earth and raise herds : at first rough, these
techniques became refined and organized. Fertility rites appear
at this time, since the sign of Cancer, placed under the regency
of the Moon, is that of the matrix, of life in gestation. This is
expressed in the rounded primitive sculptures of the Fertile
Woman, and in the cult of the Great Mother.
The Era of Gemini (ca. 6000 to 4000 B.C.) corresponds to the
principle of the fusion of positive and receptive primordial
Energies, to polarity, and to the nocturnal and diurnal duality
of human and spiritual tendencies.
1 L'Essence de Ia Mythologie par Jung et Kerenyi (Payot).
Chapter Two 11
This phenomenon of the twin birth is translated in Indo

European mythology into twin gods possessed of special and
often beneficial powers, such as Ormuzd and Ahriman in Persia,
or the Dioscuri, Castor and Pollux, healing Greek gods par
excellence, and the names of the principal stars of the Cons
tellation of Gemini (the latter, Pollux, is brighter than the
former).
The Vedic Asvins of India are the most ancient divine twins
that we know of.
A need for communication, for expression and human con
tact define this sign that is governed by Mercury. These tendencies
translate into the rough symbols that we find on ancient pottery,
and later in the ideographic scripts of cuneiform characters.
People unite into groups in order to share their knowledge, and
religions develop under the influence of the complementary sign
of Sagittarius. The wheel, prime agent for physical communica
tion, makes its appearance.
Between 4000 and 2000 B.C., the Sun's equinoctial passage
occurs in the Constellation of Taurus, and this powerful animal,
which evokes creative strength and energy, is deified everywhere.
In ancient Egypt, this is the cult of the sacred bul l Apis ; in Crete,
it is the Minotaur in the Labyrinth ; in India, it is Siva's1 vehicle
Nandi who symbolizes justice, vigor, the vital and fertilizing
impulse, and the Cosmic Order-he is the reference point mark
ing the beginning of the constellations.
In religious practice, sacrificial ritual becomes predominant.
This is in close correlation with the symbolism of the sign and its
element, earth. This latter is traversed by telluric currents that
are often assimilated with the reptiles who move about in search
of these, and the shedding of whose skin evokes the renewal of
the seasons. Crucial to the wealth of the soil that they permeate,
these natural forces are as critical to human survival as are the
atmospheric magnetic currents, these latter being compared to
flying dragons or mythic birds, such as the supan}as of Indian
1 God of the Hindu Trinity-the Trimurti-the manifestation of the one

God, made up of Brahma, Vi�l)u and Siva, who symbolize Creation, Pre
servation and Dissolution, to the rhythm of the eternal cycles. In the Veda,
these gods personified the three very important stars Vega, Altair and Sirius
(sometimes Orion).
tales who bear an ambivalent relationship of complementarity

or rivalry with the niigas (serpents).
On those sites at which the active life of the Earth circulates
there stand stones, sometimes brought from great distances, in
the form of dolmens, menhirs and sacrificial slabs. These mono
liths, at which man encounters the Invisible, evoke through
cultic rites and pilgrimages the power of this vital impulse of
Mother Earth.1 This latter is often represented by chthonic
divinities who insure the fertility and prosperity of vegetation,
and the engendering of new life after a time of destruction-all
of which combine to emphasize the polarity Taurus-Scorpio
that is so pronounced in this Era.
The theme of death becomes a clear preoccupation, giving
rise to questions regarding an afterlife ; whence the practices of
mummification in Egypt and the construction of massive fune
rary monuments. Birth, transformation, death 'and rebirth cha
racterize the rhythmic law of Time. This subject was first broached
in India through various esoteric oral teachings : these would
later come to constitute Vedic texts known as the Upani$ads.
But the vedi or sacrificial altar, facing towards the east, also
serves as a reference point for the great lunar and solar phases,
and is also considered to be the center of the Universe. Close to
this altar is a pole by means of which the eastern direction and
the equinoctial star may be precisely determined. It is necessary
that this star be of considerable size and appear at a precise point.
When such is lacking, an important star, located on the opposite
end of the ecliptic (1 80° from the theoretical equinoctial star),
and very near to the line of the horizon which it will barely have
crossed, is chosen to locate the equinoctial point.
This is the case, during the Era of Aries (which followed that
of Taurus in about 2300 B.C.) with the star Spica in the cons
tellation Citrii (straddling the signs of Virgo and Libra), whose
outstanding brilliance is instrumental in determining the vernal
equinox in the constellation Asvini, opposite to it. And the spring
season takes the name of Caitra.
1 Objects have been found at the site of Harappa (3rd millennium B.C.)
in the Indus Valley that are connected to a cult of the Mother and of Fertility.
Among these are li!igams. Stones at once serve to accumulate and amplify·
the beneficent currents arisin from Heaven and Earth.
Chapter Two 13
Architecture is particularly revelatory with regard to the

changing of eras. Inspired by the balance and beauty proper to
the sign of Libra, which is complementary to Aries, buildings
become lighter and reduced in volume, as in the case of the Greek
temple.
Religious practice comes to center on the ram, as in the
sacrifices of the wandering tribes of Israel, myths of the Golden
Fleece, and in the ovicephalic Egyptian sun god Amon-Ra.
Aries, the first sign of the Zodiac, is the symbol of virility
and impulse. He is the procreator, progenitor and guardian of
the herd. He is connected with the primal Fire-his element-and
with the cosmic manifestation that occurs with the explosion of
nature each spring when the Sun passes through his sign.
The aggressiveness that characterizes him comes from his
ruling planet Mars, thus marking this era with warlike tendencies
and tribal wars.
But amidst this upwelling of power and combativeness, Aries,
like a battering ram, works to activate the energy-consciousness
of the human being by forcing open his "inner door".
In India, the same Sanskrit word, "kriya"1 stands for the ritual
act (in the feminine gender) and for the first zodiacal animal
(in the masculine gender) ; for it is here that man seemingly first
manifests a desire to transcend the Sacrifice. Indeed, this term
takes on a new dimension, showing itself to be crucial to the
Ordering of the Universe-without which the Earth cannot
survive.
The Vedic god AGNI, the symbol for the Sacrificial Fire, also
comes to symbolize the solar fire of the spring equinox, inasmuch
as he is the guardian of the seasons (rtu) at the moment in which
the vernal point leaves the sector of Taurus to enter into that of
Aries.
The celestial changes of these seasons-which we know to
be the result of precessional motion-are apparently orchestrated
by INDRA, the king of the gods. It is he who, by virtue of his
warlike powers, has the task of killing the asuras, the enemies
of the devas (gods) ; especially those who occupy the intermediate
region between Heaven and Earth, and who thus obstruct the
workings of the solstices and equinoxes.
I Although they are derived from different roots.
In the Ba�kalamantra Upani�ad, he is said to shatter the limits

of Heaven, mounted on his " one-wheeled chariot whose rim has
twice six spokes", an allusion to the Zodiac, that immense Cosmic
Wheel whose twelve radii are the months of the annual path of
the Sun. Indra also speaks of the different forms in which he is
clothed over the cycles, including that of a Ram. He thus assimi
lates himself with Agni, in order to kidnap a descendant of the
r�i Angiras1 and disclose to him his teaching-that the Principle
is One :
"I have transformed myself into a Ram for your happiness.

You have reached the path of the Law, for your well-being.
Approach my sole veritable nature. I am Light. I am Immor
tality. I am the place of the world, what has been and what will
be. I am you ; I am I and you. Understand that you are Me2 " • • •
Over the final centuries of this Great Precessional Month,

a transformation would seemingly manifest itself to penetrate
the very heart of humanity, as the first sign of that current of
universal love and charity that Christianity would come to extol
at the dawn of the second millennium. But first, the Paschal
Lamb is symbolically sacrificed for the salvation of the world,
at the same time marking the passage of the vernal point from
the sign of Aries to that of Pisces-whose hieroglyph would
become the first Christians' emblem.
It is in the final phase of this Era of Aries that the Buddha
teaches his religion of compassion. Elsewhere in India, the way
of "bhakti", defined as the "dominant form of Hinduism imply
ing a relationship of grace between God and his creature, and a
relationship of total devotion between creature and God"3-
through the intermediary of Sacrifice-finds its way into Hindu
texts.
I Ailgiras was a seer and astronomer ; r#: one of the ancient sages of the
age, to whom are attributed the Hymns of the Veda, the Sacred Wisdom.
In astronomy, the constellation of the Big Dipper is said to be made up of
seven Nis, whence its name of Saptar$i-one of which is Ailgiras, which is
also one of the names for the planet Jupiter.
2 Translation by Louis Renou, Maisonneuve, Paris.
a cf. the glossary of "Clefs pour Ia Pensee Hindoue," Madeleine Biardeau,
ed. Se hers.
Chapter Two 15
Man gives that he may receive, offers in order to gain an

advantage, and makes himself agreeable to the gods out of a desire
for the rewards of protection and attainment of the Supreme
Good : so explains Kr$l)a, the avatar of the god Vi�l)u, to Arjuna
in the Bhagavad Gitii.l
This need to bend the gods to one's needs and to solicit their
favors becomes all the more urgent that this change of era is to
take place in the course of the Kali Yuga. This is the last of the
four Ages of Humanity, a period of darkness that corresponds
to the distancing of man from his original center, the Creative
Principle, as he approaches the rim of the Cosmic Wheel.
APART from the extremely long cycles,2 which are too complex
to discuss here, Hindu Tradition sets the involution of humanity
to the rhythm of the Mahiiyugas or Caturyugas. These are succes
sions of the four recurring Ages ( Yugas), whose descending
durations are proportional to the disintegration of the spiritual
qualities inherent to each. These are, in their order, the Golden,
Silver, Bronze and Iron Ages ; in Sanskrit, the Krta, Tretii, Dvii
para and Kali Yugas. This last is the shortest and most evil of
times, and it is in this Yuga that Indian Tradition locates our
modern age, which began, according to the ancient astronomical
source of the Surya Siddhiinta, in 3 1 02 B.C. It will continue until
the universal cataclysm, after which will begin another Mahii
yuga. The relative duration of the four Yugas follows a propor
tion of 4 :3 :2 : 1 , and their names correspond to those of dice
throws in a very ancient game. They are sometimes related to
the phases of the moon.
The annual cycle is the microcosmic reflection of the pre
cessional cycle, which is a microcosm of the Mahiiyuga. The
latter would be composed, according to certain Traditions
(Chaldean, Egyptian, Greek and Biblical), of five Great Years
of 1 2,960 years (known to Plato), or two precessions of 25,920
1 The Bhagavad Gita, tr. Anne-Marie Esnoul and Olivier Lacombe, Ed.
Le Seuil. This teaching is a part of Book 6 of the Mahabharata.

2 These moreover correspond to durations of such considerable length
that their origin remains an enigma. They are mentioned in those Pura!Jas
that are osterior to the MBh.-See lossar .
years plus one Great Year, or thirty precessional eras of 2, 1 60

years : all of these add up to 64,800 years, which corresponds
to the Chaldean great cycle of the ten divine kings.1
As for the precessional era, or Great Month, this may be
divided into three periods of 720 years, or six of 360 years, or
twelve of 1 80 years.
ALL of these numbers are multiples of the numbers 1 8 or
36, which appear frequently in the Epic. Thus we find mentions
of periods of 36 years, which are of great importance to astro
logical symbolism, as each of the seven planets, in turn, opens
and closes these cycles-in which each year is moreover con
trolled by its own planetary ruler.2
The number 36 also corresponds to the ancient division-of
the lunar year into periods of ten days--:-that was later replaced
by the twelve solar signs which were composed of three dekans
of 1 0° each.
The Hindu Zodiac, which contains three times 36 padas (or
6 times 1 8) is made up of 108 padas, which is another key number
in Astrology.
The laws of astrology have assigned to each planet a maximal
period of influence on a given human being called da§a: this
is determined by the effects of various conjunctions, as these
relate to the lunar houses (nak!jatras) and the zodiacal signs
riisis.
The sum total of planetary influences is fixed at 1 08 years :
Siirya (Sun) 6 years, Candra or Soma (Moon) 1 5 years, Mailgala
(Mars) 8 years, Budha (Mercury) 1 7 years, Sani (Saturn) 1 0 years,
Brhaspati (Jupiter) 1 9 years, Rahu and Ketu (the ascending and
descending nodes of the Moon) 1 2 years, and Sukra (Venus)
2 1 years-making a total of 1 08 years ( l/20th of the 2 1 60 year
era).
1 08 is the number proper to man : 72 is that of the Earth and
36 that of Heaven.
1 Two 2.1 60 year eras equal the number 4320 which is the basis of the
Hindu system by which the great cycles are calculated, as well as that of
the Chaldean great cycle: these figures convey to a better explanation of
the Manvantara or Age of Man than that offered by the PuraQ.aS .
. 2 ln the absolute, this short cycle of 36 years represents a totality.
CHAPT ER 3
The End of the Era ofAries-Appearance of the

Mahiibhiirata, Attributed to the Sage Vyiisa
At this, the end of the Era of Aries, dharma,1 that cohesive and
steadying force so indispensable to the preservation of the Uni
versal Order (rta), is no longer respected by the k$atriyas.2 Yet,
it is the specific duty of this very group to insure the smooth
functioning and the protection of its kingdoms, in a balanced
relationship with the religious function of the brahmin caste.
Such failures to fulfil their duties disturb the harmony that
exists between Heaven and Earth, give rise to a confusion bet
ween the var!Jas, and even provoke the destruction of the sacri
fices that these princes offer through the intermediary of the
priesthood-sacrifices that are meant to insure the connection
between the World on high and that on earth. Manifestation is
threatened by the opposing force of dissolution.
So it is, in the midst of these noxious and decadent tendencies
that both reverse the basic traditional values and constitute a.
threat of total annihilation, that the wise man turns his question
ing and troubled gaze towards the Heavens ; but it is there pre
cisely that an event, whose repercussions transcend the imagi
nation, is about to take place. On the basis of deductions drawn
from a vast field of celestial investigation-and particularly
from the new stars that rise in the east to indicate the equinox
he knows that in a few centuries, the vernal point will ineluctably
"topple" from the sign of Aries into that of Pisces. For it has
!Conformity to the Universal Law, from the root DH!J.: to maintain,

support.
2Hindu society is divided into four classes or castes (var(za) : brahmin,
k$atriya, vaisya and siidra (that of the priests, princes, farmers or merchants,
and those who serve the three u er castes). Outcastes are known as candiilas.
been moving in that direction, following a RETROGRADE

(pratipa) motion effected in a direction opposite to that of the
motion of the sun, from the perspective of the astronomer in
his investigation of its revolutions.
This change will furthermore occur at the end of a complete
zodiacal revolution, and at the beginning of a new cyclic process.i
Now, Heaven and Earth are closely correlated. The siderial
bodies are divinities who serve as reference points and who
dictate to man the Universal Order to which he should submit,
given his place in the hierarchical order. He personalizes, vene
rates or dreads them . . .
I s this perturbation in the celestial vault thus to be seen as the
"consequence" of the regression manifested among men?
Will this cosmic change bring about the end of the world,
engulfed by fire or swept clean by a deluge? Such has already
been the case in the past, when the dissolution wiped nearly
every created being off the face of the Earth-and the memory
of this continues to haunt the now repopulated planet.
What will be the reaction of the gods who control the Three
Worlds and guide the mortal creatures? Will they unleash their
wrath against them ?
For the appearance of an equinoctial star does not announce
a partial reshuffiing of the Celestial Ordering, but its total up
setting.
THis astral retrogression is analogized with the terrestrial de

gradation, the whole being transposed into the prodigious
Sanskrit Epic of the MAHABHARATA, the History both of
the Great Descendants of Bharata,2 and of the battle fought by
the two clans of this same family for the sovereignty of a King
dom-as do the devas and the asuras for hegemony in Heaven.3
I Aries is the first of the signs of the Zodiac, whereas Pisces is the last.
2a and a : the lengthening of the first syllable of the word 'BHARATA'
corresponds to the concept of descendance. As indicated in our foreword,
we will abbreviate Mahabharata with MBh in order to simplify our text.
The other celebrated Sanskrit epic is the Ramaya�;�a of Valmiki.
3The asuras should be placed in opposition to the suras or devas (gods) ;
but this does not im ly the infernal associations that Judea-Christian tradi-
Chapter Three 19
Known as the Fifth Veda, this legendary epic poem is a colos

sal monument to Indian thought, chock-a-block with mythic
episodes rich in detail and repetition, and with a variety of tales
-set inside the frame-narrative whose profusion corresponds to
that of the Hindu pantheon. Its immensity and fecundity betray
the fact that it is not the product of a single author's genius.
It is in fact composed of themes that must be assigned to different
periods, of which some no doubt go back to the Vedic, or even
pre-Vedic age.
Nevertheless, this gigantic and boundless work shows itself
through the process of its decipherment and in spite of its super
imposed plots and allegories-to be possessed of a balanced
composition, whose warp and weft are woven around a central
theme : the account of the Bhii.rata war, the tale of which is
generally attributed to Kr�.Q.a-Dvaipii.yana alone.
Is it because the latter narrated historical and contemporary
events that the Mahii.bhii.rata was qualified as " /tihiisa", as a
mark of its authenticity?1
In this distant time, information was gathered from a variety
of sources : the bandins, whose duty was to sing the praises of
their kings ; the miigadhas whom the privileged caste placed in
the center of political power, thus allowing them to possess
information concerning the kings and their lineages ; and the
tions apply to demons, in a moral sense. In the context of the MBh, these
correspond to the inhabitants of the regions (constellations) situated below
the line of the equator or close enough to this line to pass below it with the
Precession. Asserting the supremacy of their "sphere", they behave like de
mons inasmuch as they obstruct the cyclic process by every means possible.
IJn the Vedic period, the word "itihiisa' was always coupled with that
of "Purcu:za", the latter designating the history of the past, and the former
corresponding to contemporary times.
The MBh alone was qualified as itihasa, without mention of the word
purli!Ja being made.
This latter term was later assigned to a great number of texts co!1sisting
of ancient sacred stories, composed of a variety of narratives collected over
untold generations. A traditional group of eighteen of these are considered
to be the most important: the maha-pura(las.
The most recent Pura(las are essentially composed of more or less dis
torted and variously interpreted legends and myths.
All of these texts seem to have been assembled most especially around
the tenth centur B.c. and between the 4th and 6th centuries A.D.
sutas, who collected the miigadhas' lore in order to sing poems

and legends during special meetings or on the occasion of the
great sacrifices. These sutas represented illegitimate progeniture,
as they were the issue of a brahmin father and a k$atriya mother,
or vice versa. They served their kings by driving their war
chariots, whence their title of driver or coachman (suta).
To complete the process, the most important events were
recorded, updated and edited by the 'vyiisas', chroniclers of a
sort, among whom Kr�I).a-Dvaipii.yana was apparently considered
the most eminent-thus winning for him the very surname of
VYASA.1
His detailed account of the war and Victory (Jaya) of the
Bhii.ratas was respectfully assembled by his disciples, who in
turn transmitted it to their own pupils.
But over the centuries, successive generations of those privi
leged persons who possessed and taught the Sacred Wisdom
made additions to Vyii.sa's semi-historical, semi-legendary core
narrative-respected as it was in its totality for its sacred
character-to edify the Epic into the work we know today.
These later generations grafted onto the core narrative myths
and legends, amalgamating divine or semidivine adventures
with real events, and using the theme of the famous battle as a
vehicle for their astronomical message.
The text is spangled with constant references to the solar
and lunar luminaries, to the planets, comets, eclipses and other
sidereal phenomena. The equinoxes and solstices are mentioned
in certain long passages. Allusions are made to 'the Wheel of
Time symbolized by the year, whose spokes, radiating from the
nave, correspond to the signs of the Zodiac : this is a Wheel of
Time which makes manifest the fruits of the acts of all beings,
as well as the composite elements of this Universe-which one
must strive to liberate.' (Adi Parvan, ch. 3). 2
lWe will continue to call him Vyasa, so as not to confuse him with the
divine Kr�Qa, the avatara of Vi�Qu.
Vyasa nevertheless appears in the Epic, as none other than an incarnation
of Vi�l)u-Narayal)a, one of the god's forms. On this subject, see supra, p. 37.
2Fire, Earth, Air and Water are the sentient or gross constitutive elements
(bhutas) of the material universe and the human body. The fifth, Ether, present
to all of these, is their quintessence. Assimilated to a celestial serpent, and held
Chapter Three 21
The names of nearly every character have astrological con

notations, these often in relation to the nak�atras, the 27 cons
tellations through which the Moon passes each month. Some
bear the names of reputed astronomers : Vyasa, Vaisampayana,
Lomahar�al).a, Ugrasravas, and Parasara.I
These numerous allusions to the Knowledge of the Heavens
are scattered through the narrative, in an anachronistic and
incoherent fashion and as a result, their credibility has, more
often than not, been questioned.
But it is this very diversity that constitutes a proof of the long
and varied stages of the Mahabharata's composition. These
stages, furthermore, correspona to observed astronomical changes
that proved to be both crucial and spectacular from the second
half of the Era of Aries onwards.
These "improbabilities" ought to constitute a means for
literary scholars and historians-in enlisting the support of
scientists, rather than sharply criticizing them in this endeavor
to date this major Indian work in which are found, side by side,
both the most ancient and most recent of this tradition's astro
nomical observations.
On the basis of these adjuncts, it is our conclusion that the
History of the War of the Bharatas served as the medium for
communicating a prediction of an epochal change that was to
occur in the near future, a prediction that also constituted a
warning to the upper castes of the catastrophes that their failure
to respect their status could unleash.
In a period in which the principle of the Precession of the
Equinoxes was becoming a certainty-well before Hipparchus
made it " official"-this epic poem appears to us as an anticipa
tion of this scientific truth.
The result proves itself to be of the same magnitude as the
revelation : enormous.
In this theogony, the order of the divine or semidivine genea
logies is not the least bit arbitrary : there is correlation, if not
to be immobile, it is in fact animated by a motion opposite to that of the

Earth. Each of these has a corresponding colour: water, white-earth, yellow
or black-fire, red-air, green-ether, blue.
lMost of the ancient astronomers are only known through citations of
them in more recent text .
identification, between these and the direction of natural pro

cesses-which follow the RETROGRADE motion of the vernal
point-and the central theme of the Epic.
But this conjectural phenomenon, of such vital importance,
could not have been revealed to the laymen without the greatest
prudence. It is for this reason that the message was camouflaged,
inserted into an explosion of heroic adventures, and diffused
through the media of ancient India's multifaceted society, con
ceptions, traditions, metaphysics and often excessive praises of
brahminism.
This fabulous Epic, the greatest of all the ones known to the
contemporary world, recounts the time of crisis that preceded
the passage from the Era of Aries into that of Pisces-a crisis
that brought about, within the Bhiirata dynasty, the annihilation
of the "AJA" branch and the hegemony of the "MATSYA"
as representatives of the Masters of the Earth.
These two words appear to us to be essential to a clear deve
lopment of our working hypothesis :
MATSYA : means fish. It is the term used to designate the
twelfth and final zodiacal sign (more oft�n called "mina").
-This was the name of an ancient country and people in
Madhyadesa (near modern Jaipur).
-In the Epic, it is the name of the new branch of the Bhiirata
dynasty.
AJA : This term is more often implied than directly employed
in the text.
-It means ram, both the animal and one of the names for the
first sign of the Zodiac (Aries) ; the other designation being
"me$a".
Yudhi�thira, to whom the kingship of the Bhiiratas is sup
posed to fall, is referred to in several places as "Aj a-Mi<;lha"
(double or doubly Aries)1 : this repetition is not gratuitous.
-Aja is one of the names for the Moon (the god Soma, who is
the eponymous king of the Bharata dynasty).
-a-ja (the "a-" is privative) designates a divine and supernatural
lThe ancestor Aja-Mi<;lha may be the ram (Aries) who is the first sign of
the Zodiac. This redoubling reinforces the twofold character of Yudhi�thira.
Plays on words are frequent and greatly appreciated in the Indian (textual)
tradition.
Chapter Three 23
birth, which is the general case for the principal heroes : this
is a Being who engenders Himself without ever leaving the
maternal womb.
-This is one of the numerous appellations of the god Agni,
the regent of the Constellation Krttikii which straddles the
signs of Taurus and Aries.
AGNI, as we have shown, symbolizes the Cosmic Fire of
the Sun at the spring equinox. He is also the Primal Fire in
asmuch as he is the transmuting agent of the Sacrifice : this latter
is the sole guarantor of the unification and cohesion of the Cos
mos in a final half of the Great Month of Aries characterized
by a declining and endangered dharma. In this twofold function,
AGNI is to be maintained and preserved (bharata)1 for the con
servation of the Three Worlds and the protection of the Bharatas.
This will be effected through the Sacrifice of the war, offered by
those who must bear the weight of responsibility for this critical
period.
By this means, the Wheel of Time may continue to turn
through Eternity.
lFrom the root BH� : to bear, maintain.

Agni is called BHARATA in the �g Veda, the Briihma!Jas, the Kausika
Sutra, etc.
C H A P T ER 4
Origin of the Lunar Dynasty of the Bhiiratas-Its

Transmission/rom the Era of Aries to the Era
of Pisces, the Dominant Theme of the Epic
The lineage of BHARATA, the son of Du$yanta and Sakuntala,l

belongs to the lunar dynasty since the time when Soma, the Moon
god, was accorded sovereignty over the plant world-source of
food for man and beast-by the god Brahma.2
But Soma, carried away by his hegemony, dares to fall in love
and run away with Tara, the wife of Brhaspati, chaplain of the
gods and regent of the planet Jupiter. His audacity unleashes a
terrible battle between the devas (gods) and asuras (demons) ; and
Brahma finds himself forced to bring Tara back to her husband
before calm can reign once more.
Later, when she gives birth to a son of exceptional beauty, the
inhabitants of heaven wonder over his paternity. Tara declares
Soma to have been the father, and the latter triumphantly names
the child Budha (Mercury).3 Budha marries Ila (the Earth) and
engenders Pun1ravas, the first king of the lunar dynasty.
Among the numerous descendants of this king, and at different
levels of his genealogy, figure BHARATA, HAST! (founder of
the capital of Hastinapura) and KURU-whose name is often
used for the Bharatas as a group in the Epic. But the clan of the
forces of evil is more generally known by the patronymic of Kuru,
as the KAURAVAS ; whereas the side of the forces of good are
called the sons of Pat)<;iu or the PA�QAVAS.
lThey would later become the two celebrated characters of the great poet
Kiilidiisa's play : Abhijiiiinasakuntala.
2See Trimurti, n. 1 p, 1 1 . See also "Lune, Mythes et Rites", pp. 233-57 by
Jean Varenne (Paris, Seuil, 1 962).
aBudha, the Janet Mercur ; and not Buddha, father of Buddhism.
Figuring among the Revealed Texts, known as Sruti, the MBh

is made up of eighteen Parvas.1 This term means "book", but it
also signifies the passage of the Sun into a new sign, or any emi
nently important time of the year.
The number eighteen is placed in very high relief in the account
of this lunar saga. In effect, approximately every eighteen years, the
pole of the Moon's orbit describes a small ellipse in the sky. The
center of this ellipse revolves around the pole of the Solar ecliptic
in . 25,920 years, a period equal to that of the Precession. Bradley2
. .
would call this lunar motion the nutation of the Earth's axis.
The Moon's orbit moreover crosses that of the Sun at two very
important points : the Northern and Southern nodes, known in
Hindu Tradition as Rahu and Ketu,3 and in the West as the Head
and Tail of the Dragon. These points of intersection move back
wards along the Zodiac in a circular RETROGRADE motion,
like that of the Precession, crossing the same point every eighteen
years approximately . . .
The waning4 phase of the Moon would come to b e symbolized
by the lunar dynasty, that of the Bharatas and of the sideral Zodiac
of constellations ; the waxing phase would represent the solar
dynasty and the Zodiac of signs, which would succeed the former.
The dominant theme of this long epic poem is the fratricidal war
fought by the devas and asuras through their incarnations-these
being the good and evil cross-cousins of the celebrated lineage. 5
IAn annex is sometimes added to the MBh: this is the Harivm!lsa, the history
of the family of Kr�IJa, the avatara of Vi�I)u.
2James Bradley ( 1 692 - 1 762) English astronomer.
3Considered as planets, and counted in their number by Hindu Astrology.
4The ascending and descending phases of the Moon correspond to the 3 6
ancient dekans, with 1 8 for each of the two.
5"The kinship system used brings into play the preferred marriage with the
cross-cousin (daughter of the maternal uncle or the paternal aunt). Corollary
to this is the importance of the relationship between brothers-in-law (and
cross-cousins), the closest of all possible relations, and the role of the maternal
uncle and contingently that of the paternal aunt." Madeleine Biardeau,
Dictionnaire des Mythologies (Paris, Flammarion). This privileged kinship
relation from India finds its echo in Kepler's Tertius Interveniens : "Nature
chooses for birth a day and an hour which correspond, with regard to the
heavens, (to a particularity of) the nativity of the brother of the mother or
father ; this is not ualitative, but astronomical and uantitative."
Chapter Four 27
At stake is a Kingdom, on a Universal scale for the superhuman,

and a Terrestrial scale for the human adversaries.
The Kuruk�etra, the vast sacrificial site on which these k$atriyas
offer their oblation of war, is the locus of the Epic : it symbolizes
the zodiacal field (k$etra) of the Great Month of Aries over which
the Kurus (the Bharatas as a whole) attempt to exercize their
sovereignty.
This Kuruk�etra represents an immense experimental matrix
in which existing forms are to be destroyed in order to allow for
a future creation of new manifestations. Whatever the case, the
confrontation of opposing forces that motivates these heroes will
prove to be insufficient, inasmuch as the issue of the war will not
be decisive. For this change of eras does not occur at the end of
the Kali Yuga-which is characterized by a universal annihila
tion-but during its passage, as such is punctuated by the
precessional periods.
Thus the Bharata dynasty will need to extend its rule into the
following Era of Pisces, in order that Creation, Sacrifice and
Dharma may be maintained in accordance with the logical Order
of the Cosmos (rta). This will also make for the reestablishment of
a solid connection between the abstract forces that join the human
environment to celestial phenomena.
The war will end with a fratricidal bloodbath, but without any
real winners or losers. Of course, the rule of the Kingdom will
once again fall to the Pal)c;lavas, but the glory of their situation
will lack the necessary magnitude to crush the Kauravas. In the
end, both sides will simply have been manipulated by Destiny
(daiva), with each character seemingly continuing on his way
towards an inexorable end. All has been preordained, since a
distant age . . .
After a reign of 3 6 years (which evoke the 3 6 dekans through
which the Sun passes on the ecliptic), the "Aja" kingship will be
transmitted to the sole surviving princely heir, PARIK�IT, who
is a descendant of both the Bharata and "Matsya" branches, thus
insuring the unbroken continuation of the k�atra.1
lk$atra : the royal order represented by the k$atriya caste. Exercizing an
essentially divine function, the king serves as intermediary between his people
and the divine, as sacrificer, rather than priest. He also is the adm inistrator
of all punishment . . . .
It i s to Parik�it's son, Janamejaya, that the story of his ancestors is recited,
28 Astrological Key in Mahabhiirata
The subject of the Epic reminds us, on a secondary level, of the

Vedic cosmogonic theme of the Deluge (taken up in MBh Book
3). According to this source, Manu Vaivasvata,1 the Hindu equi
valent of Noah, survives alone with the seven r:;is and the seeds
of every living thing, through the agency of a small fish he had
once saved from the voracity of a bigger one. Now the fish comes
to his aid, guiding him through the tempest in a boat attached
by a rope to a horn on his head. He draws him up to a Himalayan
peak, the only point of land visible above the waters that have
inundated the Earth. Here Manu attaches his boat and awaits the
end of the catastrophe.
This divine fish is none other than Vi�l).U, the protector of all
human beings. As for the salvific boat with its precious cargo, this
corresponds to the "residue" that, subsisting after a cosmic
destruction, heralds the resurgence of a new Creation to be
effected by a Manu following the instructions of Brahmii.
This idea of a remainder-se:;a-is essential to Indian thought :
it is from this that the Earth is to be reborn after the disintegration
necessary to its cyclic renewal.2
In the MBh, thi s providential relief is manifested in Kr�lJ.a, the
avatar a of Vi�l).u, who reanimates Parik�it3 just in the nick of time.
Like all of the Bhiirata embryos, this future prince had been killed
by heart, by Vaisampayana, one of the disciples of Vyasa, the presumed

author of the MBh.
tEach human cycle of Manvantara (See p. 1 5) is presided over by a Manu,
a representative of divine power. Manu Vaivasvata i s that of our cycle, the
seventh. The theme of the Fish Incarnation of Vi�l,lu is most developed in the
Matsya PuriiiJa.
2Se�a is also the name of one of the three great mythic Serpents (Niigas) in
the MBh, with regard to the Triple World:
For us, Se$a represents the celestial Milky Way, that vast nebula, the
primordial Ocean of Milk upon which Vi$l,lU rests between two cata
clysms, immobile as he prepares the following Manifestation.
Vasuki would correspond, in the atmosphere, to the line of the horizon,
and to the path taken by the Sun and planets through the constellations,
around the fixed Pole Star.
Tak�aka is directly associated with the Earth, and its aquatic worlds of
which he is the king.
3Parik$it: derived from the root pari K$1, represents extension, prolonga
tion of the dynasty.
Chapter Four 29
in his mother's womb by an asura. Thus, by virtue of this Matsya

survivor, the lineage escapes total submersion, and is regenerated
by the waters of the Great Month of Pisces that is to begin.
The sign of Pisces is the synthesis of the beginning and the end
of the zodiacal cycle, in its bright (diurnal) and dark (nocturnal)
halves : it is the symbol of the Eternal and Infinite, of the move
ment of involution of Spirit into Matter, and that of the evolution
of the composite Spirit-Matter into its One Principle.
Parik�it is the se$a by virtue of which Manifestation will be able
to take shape in the next cosmic phase. Like the Uroboros-the
half white and half black mythic Serpent that bites its tail to form
a complete circle-Manifestation must follow its eternal round,
over the periods of progression and retrogression governed by
the Universal Law of Cyclic Time.I
Whereas Indra, the king of the gods, insures the insertion of the
sidereal transformations into the precessional continuity, Vi�I)U
has the task of assuring that terrestrial beings be spared from con
tingent repercussions occasioned by celestial upheavals, all the
while respecting the "plan" of temporal Circularity. He personi
fies the Wheel of the Universe of which Brahmii is the hub.
At changes in yugas or in particularly critical periods, he sends
an avatiira into the midst of mankind, endowing him with his di
vine attributes of the conch, club and Cakra. This last is a cutting
discus, in the form of the Zodiac, used by the gods for the good
or evil that is necessary to the Three W odds.
Kr�Da who, after the time of the MBh, would be considered
as the eighth avatiira of Vi�I)u,2 is one of the main Epic heroes:
IThe concept of circular Time appears very early in other Traditions. Among
other examples, we may cite that of a bronze sword from the 1 8th century
B.C., displayed in the Museum of Herekleion (Crete), whose grip is ornamented
by a serpent that forms a circle, representing a man whose feet touch his head.
2From the root K]J.$, the word kr$Q.a means black or blue-black, the colour
of the avatar's complexion, which thus associates him with the incurved dark
half of the Cosmic Wheel, and with the long descending phase of the Moon,
this latter evoked by the dark fortnight of the lunar month (between the Full
and New Moons). Kr$Q.a is also often identified with Rahu (the ascending
node of the Moon), the supposed cause of eclipses of the Sun. He remains
India's most popular incarnation of Vi$Q.U, to whom are attributed ten avatars
(not yet organized in the MBh) : the fish (Matsya), tortoise (Kiirma), boar
( Variiha), the dwarf Viimana), the man-lion (Narasi111ha), Parasurama, Rama,
The Epic locates his "descent" at the junction of the two last, and
most evil Ages-the Dviipara and Kali Yugas. Yet, elsewhere in
this work, we find mentions of the Kali Yuga as being greatly ad
vanced. Are we to take this as a glaring anachronism in the text?
Or should we not see this mission of the avatar as one necessi
tated by the delicate moment of the change of the precessional
Month, at the articulation of the first and last sectors of the celes
tial sphere, in the course of the Yuga assigned to him ?
The iron discus wielded by Kr�Q.a moreover bears the evocative
name of a species offish : the sudar§ana. He is the Cakravartin who
sets the World in rotation.
In any. case, in order that his new intercession remain discreet,
he chooses an intermediary for his actions from among the
Bharatas : this is Arjuna, the projection of his own father Indra
on Earth, where he is considered to be the third of the five sons
of PaQ.<;iu.1
JusT as Vi�Q.U and Indra were often associated in the Vedic Age
as representatives of the Sun, of Light, and as drinkers of Soma,2
the sacred elixir and inexhaustible source of Cosmic Energy, they
again find themselves together in the Epic, through their incarna
tions of Kr�Q.a and Arjuna-this time to watch over the precession
and to win the war in which the Pal). <;lava is to be the central hero.
According to certain hypotheses, Vi�Q.u's name may be a
Kr$J:.la, Buddha (sometimes disputed) and Kalkin, the avatar to come. All
colours are absorbed into the black, as are all names and forms. Thus KT$I.la's
darkness may also constitl!te a power of disintegration.
IOn the importance of thirds, see p. 9 1 .
2Soma: name o f the lunar god who founded the Bhiirata dynasty. By
extension, it is also the name of the Moon.
Soma also designates the quaff of immortality reserved for the divinities:
it was presented to them by brahmins in the course of Vedic sacrifices, and
consisted of a plant harvested by the light of the Moon, and then pressed and
mixed with milk, honey and butter. It was a source of strength and vitality.
Just as the plant called arjuna is often used in the ritual to replace soma, so
Arjuna appears on Earth as substitute for the divine Kr$J:.la. Noteworthy is the
fact that these two stars dedicated to Yi$I)U (Altair) and Indra (Antares)
respectively, seem to appear simultaneously in the East (in northern lati
tudes), and to correspond to the rainy season.
Chapter Four 31
deformation of the root "vi�u", which is found in the derivates

vi�uiJa, vi�uva, and vi�uvat, words signifying the equinoctial points.
The "three steps" taken by the god over the celestial vault,
above the line of the equator and in the visible part of the
northern hemisphere, may correspond to the two equinoxes and
the winter solstice. This solstice, called uttariiyal)a or uttariiyal)a
sarrzkriinti1 in Sanskrit, was the starting point of the ascending and
bright phase of the Sun's annual trajectory ; in early Indian tradi
tions, this solstice marked the beginning of the five-year cycles
that were founded in order that solar and lunar years might
coincide.2
But once the new celestial divisions allowed for an exact deter
mination of the solstices, equinoxes and planetary positions, the
relatively inexact quinquennial cycle was abandoned, and replaced
with a solar year made up of six seasons of two lunar months each.
These latter remained as the "bridge" between the new, and the
old system of the nak�atras and the lunar phases.3
Spring (vasanta) beginning approximately 35 days before the
Sun reached the vernal equinox, became the first season of this
tropical year, with the constellation in which the Sun fell being
placed at the head of the 27 nak�atras.
!Literally " the passage of the Sun in its northerly course". The terms uttara
yal}a (progression towards the north) and dak$i1Jayana (progression towards
the south), introduced into astronomical language to designate the half revo
lutions of the Sun between the solstices, were later applied to the solstices
themselves. It is for this reason that we shall not employ the term sarrzkranti
any more.
2This cycle consisted of 60 solar or 67 lunar months; 2 intercalary winter
months (adhimasa) were added to this In order that the periods called Madhu
and Madhava might coincide with the spring season. The perfect year
sakrtsmrtvatsara-was that which was purified by an intercalation, these
generally occuring at the end of 2J years, and at the end of the five-year cycle.
The cycle mentioned in the Epic began with the Sun/Moon conjunction in
the constellation-Dhani${ha.
3Apart from the Sun and Moon, which never retrogress, the retrograde
motions of the planets may be explained, in the geocentric system, by the differ
ent velocities with which these move along their orbits. These variations are
only apparent, as the planets are never found in a position opposite to that of
the Sun.
The seasons are: Vasanta, Gri$ma, Var,ra, Sarad, Hemanta and Si.Sira ; i.e.
spring, hot season, rainy season, autumn, winter and cold season.
In the time of the great king Bharata, the founder of the famous
dynasty, and down to the end of the time of the Jyoti$aS,1 the
spring season had fallen in the months of Vaisiikha and Caitra ;
and Krttikii (the Pleiades) was the first of the constellations. As
such, it was astride two signs, with 1 /4 of it overlapping into Aries
and 3/4 in Taurus.
When the Precession shifted the vernal point into the preceding
celestial division, it was possible to pinpoint its location in the
constellation Asvini (wholly within the sign of Aries according to
the new celestial division). This precision was attained by virtue
of the fact that the first magnitude star Spica Virginis (the Spike)
shone brilliantly on the opposite end of the ecliptic, in the cons
tellation Citra and in proximity to the signs of Virgo and Libra.2
Thus the month of Caitra was associated with that of Phiilguna
to designate the spring season ; 3 and Asvini replaced Krttikii as
the first of the constellations. The enumeration of these came to
be known at this time as me$iidi (Aries the ram being called aja
or me$a in Sanskrit, and adi meaning etcetera).
But so many obstacles yet remained to be surmounted before
this revolutionary division of time would be accepted ; and many
were those who would not be convinced of the retrogression of
the solstices and equinoxes in the celestial sphere, following to
the reorganization arising from the Zodiac of signs.
Even today, the Hindus have a solar (astronomical) year and a lunar (civil)
year-of which the day is divided into 60 hours.
IThis most likely marks the general adoption of the signs, between 700 and
500 B.C. See n. 2 p. 6.
2We showed on p. 1 2 that no star in the constellation Asvini allowed for a
determination of the equinoctial point that fell in it .
3Jn February-March, Caitra corresponds to the sign of Aries. Phiilguna to
of Pisces.
CHAPTER 5
The Astronomical Representations of Kr$tz a,

Arjuna and Bhi$ma
These upheavals in traditional astronomical data and their inevi

table consequences fired the imagination of India's initiated poets
who, in order to shape the imperishable work of the MBh, breath
ed life into the whole of the firmament and related the tribulations
of the astral bodies and the cardinal points, assaulted as they were
by this celestial revolution. They analogized the dominant stages
that punctuate the annual path of the Sun with preponderant
characters. We therefore wish here to specify the cosmic functions
of these persons before taking up the narrative itself, in which
their characteristics would assert themselves and move them to
perform heroic acts. This is particularly the case with the winter
solstice, then in the sign of Aquarius : it has become stripped of
its supremacy in regulating the year, now that it is the vernal equi
nox, in the sign of Aries, that is all-important.
Thus K�S�A and ARJUNA would symbolize the two months
of CAITRA and PHALGUNA which make up the spring season
in this, the end of the Era of Aries. It will furthermore be their
duty to prepare the coming passage into the Era of Pisces, in order
that they might maintain, the one in Heaven and the other on
Earth, the cosmic equilibrium so essential to the Triple World.
It is for this reason that, throughout the story, Arjuna is often
referred to as Phalguna ; and Kp�I).a often qualified as Madhu
siidana, Madhuka or Madhava, all derivates of madhu,1 and
related to CAITRA.
In fact, these words were already assigned to the springtime
which was then considered to be the "mouth" (mukha) of the
lMadhu means honey. This is also the name of a demon killed by Vi�I)U,
most likely dethroned by the precession.
lunar years that made up the short cycles-in the Vedic age, well
before the appearance of precise months and seasons. Their names
connote soma, honey, nectar, the vital sap that rises in young
plants, and the intoxicating essences of nature. Derivates of
"madhu" are still used today for the month of Caitra, which is
known as Madhumiisa (the month of honey) : this is an error,
however, as these terms may only qualify the spring season and
not designate constellations-due to the precessional shift.
The symbolic association of the yellow-garbed Kr�l).a with the
first season of the year developed, for the most part, after the time
of the MBh. In this later period, a wealth of adventures was
attributed to the young god in which he was represented as an
impulsive and prankish cowherd, tumbling in the soft grass with
pretty shepherd girls, of which Radha was his favourite.
He quickly became a popular divinity and the object of(a some
times delirious) devotion-the "bhakti" of his devotees.
In the Epic, the avatar of Vi�l).u takes on a k�atriya aspect, as
the advisor to the Pal).c;lavas who hearken to his words, and whom
he surrounds with his protection in order to save them. His divine
nature seems to be perceptible to but a rare privileged group : it
nevertheless shines forth briefly in some passages, such as the
Bhagavad Gua, or in his place in the considerations of certain
principal characters.
Kr�l).a is first and foremost the king of Dvaraka, and this word
which literally means "door, opening", emphasizes well his true
mission : to watch over the "passage" into a new Yuga, and during
this one, to a different era.
He consecrates himself to his task with determination, taking
a cold and detached attitude in the midst of a succession of
dramatic events. He knows that ALL is preordained.
His cosmic representation as the month of CAITRA takes on
its full value, however, when he gives in marriage to ARJUNA
PHALGUNA his own sister SUBHADRA, who is also called
CITRA after the n ame of the constellation in which is located the
star Spica, on the boundary between the signs of Virgo and Libra.1
The symbolism of Subhadra-Citra participates, moreover, in
the symbolism of these two zodiacal divisions. The equilibrium
lThe Constellation Citra is associated with the lunar dynasty in several
passages of the Vedanga Jyoti:ja. See also p. 1 27. note 1.
Chapter Five 35
represented by the sign of Libra (the Scales ) in the stability of its

two balance pans is insured throughout the Zodiac, with Kr�l).a
and Arjuna in the sign of Aries (in which the Sun appears at the
spring equinox) on the one hand, and Subhadni in the sign of
Libra (the place of the full Moon of the fall equinox) on the other.
These would thus illustrate two of the steps of Vi�I).U.
This complementarity of powers is concretized in the union of
Arjuna with Subhadni, upon the advice of Kr�l).a. From this is
born Abhimanyu, the son who will strengthen the bonds uniting
the Bharata-Ajas and the Matsyas when he marries the princess
Uttara.1
Finally, in the third generation (the third, once again) will
appear Parik�it, the issue of Abhimanyu and Uttara, the symbol
of the celestial vernal point that heralds the Era of Pisces.
Through her appurtenance to the division of Virgo and the star
Spica Virginis (the Spike), Subhadra evokes creative power, the
ground for the Spirit with which Virgo fecundates inside herself
the seed brought her by the element water of Pisces, her comple
mentary sign.2 The element earth of the sign of Virgo, in the
middle of the zodiacal circle and at the junction of the involute
.and devolute arcs, is the k�etra or field in which a desire for change
is expressed.
In India, the concept of the Virgin is connected to the myth of
the Goddess in her diverse forms. It is associated with the image
of the rich and prosperous Earth, so indispensable to human sur
vival, following the period of gestation and conception depicted
in the MBh by Subhadra and Uttara, upon whom depends the
future of the entire dynasty. Every one of the Epic heroines is
presented as a particular facet of the Earth.
THE third essential point of the ecliptic-the winter solstice or

Uttarayal).a (Vi�l).u's third step ?)-is symbolized by Bhi�ma. The
IDaughter of king Virata of the Matsya kingdom.

The word "uttara" means northern : it also has the sense of "future" and
may designate "left" . . . all of which reinforces our hypothesis.
2The Virgin Mary of Christian tradition is an illustration of the symbolism
of the polarity Virgo-Pisces. She is the vessel of the Christ-God, of the pure
Intelli ence that receives and conceives all even as it retains its inte it .
common great-uncle of both the Pai).gava and Kaurava claus, he

is nevertheless referred to as grandfather : Pitamaha. This is one
of the names of Brahma, but it is also that of the dean of Indian
astronomers, the author of the Pitiimaha Siddhiinta to whom is
attributed the five-year cycle.l
Now, Bhi�ma-Pitamaha is unique among the Epic characters
in that he is the only one to mention this yuga that begins with the
Sun-Moon conjunction in the constellation Dhani$thii.2 Further
more, when he allows himself to be wounded on the tenth day of
b attle,3 he awaits the month of Miigha to die. It is in this month
that the winter solstice falls precisely in the part of Dhani$thii
governed by the Vasu divinities, of which he is the issue. This por
tion is located in the sign of Aquarius, whereas the other half of
the constellation is placed in the sign of Capricorn, in which the
uttariiya!Ja would henceforth be situated on the fixed cross of the
Zodiac.
Clad in his white armor, with his immaculate bow and moon
colored parasol, Bhi�ma remains spread out on a bed of arrows
for two lunar months, i.e. for 58 nights,4 as if it were necessary
that the five-year cycle disappear with him, to give way to the
new solar year in which the first season, the spring, would b e
represented by CAITRA and PHALGUNA (Kr�I.la and Arjuna),
with Parik�it the future Matsya King symbolizing the celestial
vernal point.
By choosing to die in this particular moment of the year, the
"Pitamaha" shows his approval for the new distribution of the
lSee p. 31 and 32. This Siddhiinta, also called the Briihma Siddhiinta because
it was revealed by this god, served as the basis for the Vediinga Jyoti$a. Also
known through citations made to it in later texts, it should nevertheless be
distinguished from other works of the same name-both because it precedes
them (and the Greek influence) and because it was the innovator of the
five-year yuga, starting with the conjunction of Sun and Moon at the begin
ning of Dhani$!hii (i.e. at the end of Sravm:zii but not in the direction of the
precession).
Bhi�ma is sometimes called "kuruvrddha", the eminent Kuru: the suffix
"vrddha" is often annexed to authors' names.
2ln important passages of the Viriita Parvan (Book 4) and the Anusiisanika
Parvan (Book 13).
3The tenth day of the month is very important in astrology, as it corresponds
to the trigon Sun/Moon of favorable and auspicious tendencies.
4The lunar month is of approximately 29 days duration.
Chapter Five 37
tropical Zodiac, with its vernal equinox at 0° in Aries, its summer

solstice at 0° in Cancer, its fall equinox at 0° in Libra and the
winter equinox at 0° in Capricorn.1
These had previously corresponded to the signs of Taurus,
Leo, Scorpio and Aquarius. Bhi�ma also gives his ratification, by
extension, to the precessional movement which would also be
added to the universal knowledge of the Heavens.
In their symbolization of the months of Caitra and Phiilguna,

Kr�l).a and Arjuna appear as the "asvayujau",2 the two zodiacal
horses who draw the solar chariot around the ecliptic, starting
from the first season of the year. But they are also brought together
to lead the solar vehicle across the Great Month of Aries, amidst
the tumult of the change of ages heralded by the war. The one
drives while the other battles, against the grain-PRATiPA-of
those who deny the ineluctable process of the retrograde preces
sional motion. In this way, they seek to insure the victory of the
coming solar Kingdom of the MATSYAS.
It is for this reason that Arjuna's "ambidexterity" is so frequent
ly mentioned in the text; for it evokes the Sun's double trajectory
that of the solar year which sets the rhythm of the seasons, and
its other apparently retrograde motion in the celestial sphere.
Together, Kr�l).a and Arjuna make up the duo of Nara-Nanl.
yal).a, 3 those two inseparable heavenly r�is who manifest them
selves on Earth in times of crisis, in order to punish the asuras and
help the gods in their good fight. They are a redoubled form of the
IThis distribution of the seasons has remained unchanged down to the

present. The precessional motion, however, in spite of its extreme slowness,
has become quite perceptible and thus a problem for practical astronomy.
The place of the Sun with regard to the zodiacal constellations is, across the
seasons, quite different from the position it occupied a few centuries ago.
2Dual form of "asvayuj" : harnesser of horses (here, those of the Sun). This
is also the name of the head of the constellation of Aries (Asvini).
3NarayaQa : ancient name attributed to Vi�Qu when he sleeps on the Cosmic
Ocean (the Milky Way) between successive periods of universal dissolution
and creation.
m:ira=water
ayana= running, progression, the movement of the precession.
nara=man.
avatar of Vi�ou, a projection of the god and his privileged crea

ture, chosen to defend dharma among men.
Their asrama, located in the Himalayas, bears the name of
Badari. A synonym of this is Karkandhu, a word whose root karka
corresponds to the sign of Cancer in which the summer solstice
of the new zodiacal distribution is located.! This etymological
allusion further underlines the cosmogonic function attributed to
Kr�oa and Arjuna.
By accepting to drive his chariot in the merciless war waged
between the Pao\favas and Kauravas, and to guide its wheels
that symbolize Cyclic Time, Kr�oa fulfils his mission as avatiira,
taking on the warlike form of Vi�ou even as he "disguises" him
self; for he refuses to enter the fray himself, even though he is the
k�atriya king of Dvaraka, and places himself in a position
inferior to that of Arjuna by becoming his driver (suta).
This p assive and self-effacing p articipation allows him to be
present at every high point in the war, thus permitting him to
suggest or provoke actions by "his" performer in the direction
of Destiny-the relentless Daiva-and to bestow on him his
advice and his Teaching-especially in the renowned passage
of the Bhagavad Gitii of Book 6, at the beginning of the
battle.2
Brothers-in-law born a few months apart, and representatives
of the gods Vi�ou and Indra who are themselves often associated,
Kr�oa and Arjuna are also cross-cousins.:3 Arjuna's mother Kunti
is the sister of Vasudeva, the avatara's father. They both in fact
belong to the lunar dynasty through their common ancestor
Yayati and his two wives : Yadu, the son of Devayani, his first
wife, is the founder of the non-governing branch of the Yadavas
to which Kr�oa belongs.
Yayati's second wife, Sarmi�tha, the daughter of king Vr�a-
lStarting from the summer solstice, the Sun changes the direction of its
motion, and seemingly begins to circle back on itself. It descends after having
ascended from the time of the winter solstice. Thus the hieroglyph for Cancer,
composed of two spirals biting their tails.
2Bhagavat Gitii : see n. 1 p. 15.
3A relationshi whose importance we have emphasized, in n. 5 p. 26.
Chapter Five 39
parvan whose name �vokes the Era of Taurus (vr$a),1 is entrusted

with the continuation of the governing branch of the Bharatas,
through her son Puru. In the coming Era of Aries, this task will
fall to Kr�JJ.a's sister Subhadra-Citra alone, and no other of
Arjuna's four wives. 2
The birth of their son Abhimanyu is to be an occasion of dazzl
ing celebration and rites of state which the avatar will honor by
his presence, going out of his way to render homage to he who
would later unite the Bharatas and Matsyas and engender Parik�it.
lSee table "Origin of the Lunar Dynasty".

These two marriages are qualified as "anuloma" and "pratiloma" : following
the normal order, and against the normal order. But the complementarity
of these two unions is reproduced in their astrological symbolism: Devayani
is the descendant of Sukra, i.e. the planet Venus that governs the sign of
Taurus (vr$a) represented by Sarmi$!hil.
2See p. 86ff, on Arjuna and women.
CHAPTER 6
Condensation of the Subject of the MBh in the

Khii!Jflava Forest Passage of Book I
A significant event takes place during his stay among the

Piil}.gavas, shortly after the coming of Abhimanyu to Earth.
While on an excursion along the shore of the Yamuna, Kr�l}.a
and Arjuna, having gone ahead of the joyous revellers accom
p anying them, make the acquaintance of a strange brahmin. This
individual quickly reveals himself to them as none other than the
god Agni (symbol of the Fire of Aries), who complains that he
is saturated with ritual butter1 from a surfeit of sacrifices offered
him by a K�atriya.
The only way he can relieve himself is to devour with his burning
fire the entire Khiil}.gava forest in which the two young men are
taking their stroll. Alas, this forest is also the kingdom of the niiga
Tak�aka, the serpent friend of Indra who, in order to protect it,
causes frequent and abundant rains to fall on the region. Agni
asks for their assistance.
They barely have the time to show their compassion before
there appear before them magical weapons. From this day on
wards, Arjuna and Kr�l}.a will guard these preciously until the
time of the war, in which they will prove most useful : The Piil}.gava
receives the bow Giirxliva, two inexhaustible quivers, and a sparkl
ing chariot whose banner is figured with a monkey.2 For the
divine avatii.ra, there is a club, the bow Siin1ga,3 and the Cakra
IRitual butter poured as an oblation onto the sacrificial fire.

2The group of stars of the constellation Hasta, entirely encompassed within
the sign of Virgo-the Goddess-Earth-seems to describe a monkey. The
monkey Hanuman's presence on the standard of Arjuna who battles for the
Earth may have a relationship to this evocation.
asarir a : see note 2 p. 42.
Sudarsana, whose central stem makes it possible for him to throw

it at his enemies and make it return to his hands at will. For
is he not the master of the Kali Yuga, which he manipulates as he
sees fit ?
Agni then shoots out seven flames to engulf the forest, flames
that burn to cinders everything-vegetation, animals, birds-in
their path. At the same time, the clouds sent by Indra are inter
cepted by Kr$I).a's and Arjuna's arrows : the heat is so terrifying
that their raindrops are transformed into steam.
All of the serpents-with the exception of their king Tak�aka
who has left for the Kuruk�etra,1 and his heir Asvasena whom
his mother has swallowed to save from the fire-are destroyed.
Indra is furious at the sight of his earthly son who diverts the
torrents of rain that he sends with ever-increasing intensity. After
the water there comes a rain of stones, but here too Arjuna proves
himself a skilled marksman, capable of handling his bow with
both his right and left hands (an allusion to the Sun's two tra
jectories). In this way, he succeeds in breaking up in the air the bits
of mountain that are falling from above, as if the planets and
luminaries had strayed from their normal paths . . .
Seeing the Bhiirata's prodigious feat, however, Indra's anger
is suddenly calmed and, mounted on his white elephant, the god
returns to his celestial abode full of pride and joy at the reuniting
of the pair Nara-Niiriiyai).a for the good of Humanity. Moreover,
before he disappears, he offers a boon to his son, who asks for
additional divine weapons and the eternal friendship of Kr$I).a :
these will be granted.
After several days of intense devastation, Agni, satiated, cea5es
his plague on the Forest. From its cinders fly up four siirngaka2
birds, whose father had moved the divinized Fire, through his
perseverance, to save his posterity.
Another survivor is the asura Maya, the architect of the world
of the supernatural. After having taken refuge in the niigas' abode,
he manages to flee the threatening Fire with the help of the compas-
lThe Kuruk�etra, on which the MBh war takes place, is a geographical
site in northern India.
2Siirngaka: a species of bird probably chosen for its etymology. The word
"siirnga" literally means "having horns" (from sr1iga : horn) like the Moon,
but also like the zodiacal Aries. It is also Vi�nu's bow.
Chapter Six 43
sionate Arjuna. His name evokes miiyii, the metaphysical un

reality that Brahman causes to appear with each new Creation in
order to experience certain of his creatures. Only by attaining the
source of Truth that is the Sacred Wisdoml can one escape from
the Cosmic Illusion of Manifestation and of the visible Universe.
In a display of gratitude to the Pal)<.lavas, the asuric architect
would one day build them a superb palace of crystal within which
the eldest of the Kaurava cousins, having come to admire it, would
lose himself in the tangle of labyrinths, blinded by miiyii-whereas
the sons of Pal)<.iu would be able to move through it without diffi
culty, by virtue of their spiritual qualities.
IN Book I, the subject matter of the entire Epic is condensed

into this important allegory of the Khal)c.Iava Forest fire, as it
prefigures events to come in a very imagic abridgement :
Stepping beyond the rules of the dharma of his caste by an
excessive abuse of sacrifices that increase his power overmuch, a
king threatens to equal the supremacy of the lord of the gods,
thus producing a malaise in the celestial world whose repercus
sions are felt throughout the whole of the Cosmos. The result is
a universal catastrophe : the crackled Earth, which is to be quar
tered in tum, is represented by the Khal)c.iava Forest (khiil)r}a
means cracked), and its inhabitants are symbolized by the niigas,
those serpents assimilated with the telluric currents that enrich
the soil.
The forest fire and the deluge of water destroy everything, or
nearly. . . for, in order that harmony be reestablished between the
three levels of the Universe, and that the cyclic process of the
World be manifested in the next phase, it is necessary that a
"se$a", a residue, remain. This is composed of the seven creatures
!The root MA means "measure, construct", thus making the architect

Maya's name a logical appellation.
Maya is above all creative power, which has the possibility of becoming
an illusory mental construct. It corresponds, by extension, to a kind of magic,
sorcery, or deceptive image. It is illusion cast as the veritable nature of pheno
menal appearances.
The Surya Siddhanta, reputed to be an extremely ancient astronomical
Treatise, is considered to have been revealed to the asura Maya.
who escaped the holocaust : the lord of the niigas and his heir (the
king being the sole possessor and protector of dharma), four
"samples" of the Era of Aries (the siinigaka birds), and an asura
a negative element, as such is inherent to all M anifestation.
Finally, this abridged but all-important account is inscribed
with the preeminence of two inseparable characters. These are
Kr�I).a and Arjuna in whom are at once manifested Vi�I).u and
lndra, Nara and Naniyai).a, as well as Caitra and Phiilguna, the
new months of spring.
Agni, the primordial and sacrificial fire ofthis sector of Aries,
could not have chosen better collaborators.
C HAP TER 7
Origin ofthe Matsya Lineage : Viriita and Satya

vati-Birth of Vyiisa on an Island in the Yamuna
Introduced as the king of Dvaraka, Kr�Qa, the avatar of Vi�Qu, is

complemented by the brahmin Vyasa, the incarnation of Vi�I).u
Narayal).a the form that Vi�I).u projects in the Cycle of M anifesta
tion of the Cosmic Man.
Whereas Kr�I).a has come to Earth to watch over the process of
the change in ages, it is Vyasa who renders possible the continua
tion of the Kuru dynasty ; and his birth in the middle of the waters
will contribute to the progress of Humanity towards the next
precessional Great Month.
Tradition ascribes the authorship of the MBh to Vyasa, who
also appears as a major protagonist in the Epic. Yet, it is difficult
to imagine that he could have assigned himself the role of a "cirafi
jiva", a quasi-immortal mythic personage, who in this case has
left his ascetic retreat in order to procreate and save, in extremis,
the lunar lineage.
In fact, Vyasa was an eminent guru of great wisdom who, pos
sessed of a methodical and rigorous temper, succeeded in the pro
digious task of assembling the traditional formulae and history of
the Vedic period into an encyclopedic synthesis. It was he who
compiled the most ancient Vedas and Purii7Jas. An astronomer
as well, he must certainly have had knowledge of the first shock
waves that the appearance of the solar signs and the tropical
Zodiac (for the distribution of the solstices and equinoxes) car
ried regarding the science of the Heavens. The terrible war rela
ted in the "ltihiisa" attributed to him may have served as a means
for supporting these recent discoveries.
Then, over the centuries, several generations of disciples and
sutas(bards) gradually built onto his "Jaya" or History of the Victory

of the Bharatas-itself quite likely based on historical fact-to
constitute the vast Epic of the MBh as we know it. In so doing,
they transposed onto the cosmo-mythic level the extremely import
ant astronomical events that occurred in the second part of the
Era of Aries, thus adding to the data already transmitted by the
greatest "vyiisa" of all. And so, in order to preserve for Eternity
the product of his genius, they could find no better homage than
to attribute to him a preponderant role in the story.
For it is he who appears as the first MATSYA link introduced
into the unbroken chain of the Bharatas, in order that this might
be regenerated and allowed to perpetuate itself down to the birth
of Parik�it, the starting point of the future Era of Pisces. The
supernatural birth of Vyasa is recounted in the MBh in the
foilwing manner :
IN a bygone time, Indra entrusts the protection of both dharma

and the Triple World to the king Vasu Uparicara, the descendant
of Yayati, the common ancestor of Kr�l)a and Arjuna. By way of
thanks, the king offers numerous sacrifices to the king of the gods
who in turn showers him and his subjects with favours and
kindnesses.
Some time later, while hunting in the forest, Vasu Uparicara
suddenly falls to dreaming about his wife and, in spite of himself,
ejaculates. Knowing this to be an auspicious period for obtaining
a son, he collects his seed in an "asoka" leaf, pronounces an
incantation over it, and bids a bird to carry it back to the queen.
Alas, the winged messenger is attacked in flight by a predator
more rapid than himself, and he drops his precious missive into
the Yamunii,1 at the very spot in which a female fish is quivering.
This fish is in fact the Apsaras2 Adrika, who has been forced to
assume this form as a punishment by the god Brahma.
One day the fisher and ferryman Dasaraja catches this fish, from
tGreat waterway of India, that merges with the Ganges at Allahabad
(Prayag).
2A nymph. The Gandharvas (celestial musicians) and Apsaras are inter
mediaries between gods and men, and manifest themselves when the course
of the World runs counter to human Destiny.
Chapter Seven 47
which he has the great surprise of extracting twins of both sexes

and of human appearance, that Adrikii had borne inside her for
ten months.! Thus freed from her curse, Adrikii returns to Svarga
(Heaven), while the fisherman hurries to the Palace to show his
strange discovery. Still without an heir, Vasu Uparicara adopts
the boy born from his seed. After him, this boy will become the
MATSYA sovereign Viriita ; the girl, named Satyavati, is bestowed
upon the man who found her.
Now an attractive adolescent, she is convinced by Pariisara2--a
sage of immense tapas whom she is ferrying across the river and
who has been bewitched by her charms-to unite with him in her
boat, once he has enveloped the world in darkness so as to hide
them. He promises her that her strong fishy smell will be trans
formed into an exquisite perfume, and that she would recover her
virginity if, after having yielded to him, she abandoned the child
born of their Fusion.
When the time comes, Satyavati remembers the Sage's words,
and leaves her son on an island in the Yamuna _where he becomes
Kr�I).a-Dvaipiiyana, literally "the dark islander". But this name
evokes the dark part of the involution and gestation of the zodiacal
sphere, following which will come the bright half of evolution and
conception, when the sun will turn northwards-uttara, which
is the name of Parik�it's mother.
Given the surname VYASA, this son of Satyavati is sometimes
called Biidariiyai).a. It should be noted that "biidara" is a sea
conch whose spiral turns from left to right, in a direction opposite
to all others . . .
In the river associated with the concept of transmigration, the
island (dvipa) where Vyiisa lives as an ascetic brahmin constitutes
for him a refuge, a place protected by the waters from which his
!The tenth month, that of Capricorn of which the makara (a kind of croco
dile) is the symbol, is more generally associated with the divine Ganga (the
Ganges). But it must be recalled that this tenth month is that in which will
thenceforward be situated the winter solstice. See p. 31 and 35, 36.
2tapas : heat, the internal fire mastered by self-discipline. Pariisara, "he who
destroys from top to bottom", is one of the names for Kiirttikeya, the planet
Mars, regent of the sign of Aries. It is also the name of a highly reputed astro
nomer of about 1 500 B.C. His work has been lost to us, but is mentioned in
those of Bhat(otpala and others.
Matsya mother was born, until the day that the latter causes him
to leave it in order that he be entrusted with the task of continuing
the Bhiirata dynasty, "that which is to be maintained."
SHORTLY after Vyiisa's secret coming to Earth, the ever-virginal

Satyavati becomes the wife of Siintanu, widower of Gailgii..1 This
king, reputed for his devotion and for his exemplary adherence
to dharma, is a descendant of the ruling branch of the Bhiiratas.
However, in spite of the fact that he belongs to the lunar lineage,
he is chosen as terrestrial incarnation by a solar king named
Mahiibhi�a. This he does in order that he may suffer the punish
ment of Brahmii for having not lowered his gaze at a time when
the wind lifted the moon-coloured skirts of the divine Ganga, to
unveil her incomparable beauty.
The goddess could not help but be moved by this indiscreet and
admiring look on the part of the king, and one day she leaves
Svarga behind to seek out the human who had so touched her
heart. On her way, she meets the eight Vasu2 divinities who have
themselves been condemned to birth from a female womb, for the
fact that one of them, Dyaus (the divinized Sky), had stolen for
his wife the !$i Vasi�tha's cow. This sage is considered to be the
model representative of the brahmin class, as well as one of the
seven eminent Sages making up the Constellation of the Big
Dipper (Ursa Major), the Saptar$i.
Dyaus' fault is a great one, because milk is both an indispen
sable oblatory material and the ascetic's food par excellence, and
because his theft has brought harm to the cow's calf. 3
Touched by their supplications, Gailgii promises the Vasus that
IThe Ganges, the divinized great river of India. The Milky Way, our galaxy,
is called the Heavenly Ganga (akasaganga) or sometimes simply Ganga.
·
2Vasu : l iterally " desirable object". The eight Vasu gods were originally
deifications of natural phenomena, and indifferently headed by Indra, Agni
or Vi�IJ.U, the three gods associated with the seasons and the bounty that these
represent for the Earth-thus her qualification as Vasumati. The Vasu gods
are regents of the Constellation Dhani${ha, i n which the winter solstice falls
in the five year cycle. They are related to the eight cardinal directions.
aThe cow symbolizes the Earth, and thus the Kingdom of which the
prosperity depends on the sacrifices that k$atriyas offer through the agency
of brahmins.
Chapter Seven 49
she will become their terrestrial mother, and then drown them at
birth in order that they might regain the Celestial Kingdom as
quickly as possible. In exchange, she obtains from them the boon
of providing an heir (irtdispensable from the Indian viewpoint) for
her husband, before definitively leaving the Earth herself. Each
god will contribute one eighth of his strength and power to the
development of this son, who will thus be assigned the name of
Vasuttama, the loftiest of the Vasus. But there is a single caveat :
that he himself have no descendants.
After having found Santanu again, the fair goddess unites with
him to bear him sons, which she hurries to plunge into the river.
She had previously demanded of her husband that he make no
remark whatsoever regarding her actions. Overcome with grief
and bereft of all hope of ever having a successor, the king implores
her to spare the eighth infant. "It was to accomplish a purpose
of the Gods that I have lived with you . . . There is no begetter like
you on Earth" (MBh 1 .92.49) she tells the king as she reveals to
him her divine origin. And, as planned, she spares the life of her
last born, Devavrata (the Sacred Vow), the incarnation of the
Vasu Dyaus, the god who had stolen the ascetic's milk.
But the king had broken the promise he bad made in marrying
her, to neither reproach nor criticize her behavior. Ganga there
fore takes the child to a secret place, and the king finds himself
alone and without an heir.
Mu.ch later, on the shore of the Ganges (as if by chance),

Santanu is witness to an extraordinary feat : a handsome young
man shoots from his bow such a quantity of arrows that these stop
the river's flow. And he recognizes in this remarkable archer his
son Devavrata, whom the goddess, having emerged from the
waters, entrusts to him before dematerializing once more.
Four years have passed when Santanu, while walking along the
Yamuna, perceives Satyavati whose beauty and now subtle per
fume enchant him. Alas, her adoptive father Dasaraja will only
allow their marriage on the condition that the child conceived
from their union alone be anointed king after him. But it is
Devavrata, the son of Ganga, who ought to succeed him.
Consumed b his new assion, and torn by the terrible dilemma
so Astrological Key in Mahiibhiirata
into which he has fallen, his health so declines that Devavrata

comes to learn of the condition imposed on the king. He does not
hesitate, however : for the happiness of his father, and out of his
duty and respect for him, he personally renounces the Kingdom
and marriage-and thus his posterity, as the Vasu gods had
exacted. From this time onwards, he is known by the surname of
Bhi�ma (the Dreadful), and receives from his father, as a sign of
gratitude, the power of being able to fix at will his hour of death :
thus he, a k�atriya, is invested with the invulnerability proper to
brahmins.1
By virtue of his noble son's abnegation, Sii.ntanu, haloed with· a
brilliance equal to that of Indra king of the gods, would thus
contribute, with a view to the coming era, to the grafting of the
new Matsya branch onto the Bhii.ratas' genealogical tree, through
his union with Satyavati. .
His own father has already, through his particularly significant
name, pointed out the direction in which the new lineage is to
begin : his name is PRATIPA or "the Retrograde" (literally
"against the current")-which is the characteristic motion of
the Precession !
In the same way as occurs in the Heavens, the terrestrial axis
the pivot of our globe-moves in a reverse direction (pratipa). So
it is that, rather than Ganga, it is Sii.ntanu's second wife who
provides the charge necessary to setting in motion the Human
Round. 2 In effect, after the death of the king and of the two sons
that issued from their union-these having disappeared without
ever having produced an heir-Satyavati desperately realizes that
the Royalty risks irreversible extinction. But a solution suddenly
presents itself in her mind, and she telepathically summons the
individual born from her union with Parii.sara, who has been since
then kept on an island in the greatest secrecy. The brahmin Vyii.sa
immediately appears in the capital of Hastinii.pura. For, due to
the absence of a king, the Kingdom (as symbol of the entire Earth)
IPhi�ma is the character who will come to symbolize the winter solstice of
the quinquennial cycle. See p. 35, 3 6
2The same was the case with Yayati, the ancestor of the lunar dynasty,
whose second wife, Sarmi�tha (and not Devayani, his first) was charged with
insuring the continuation of the ruling branch through her son Puru. (see p .
38).
Chapter Seven 51
-can no longer exist. The ruler alone is the protector of dharma,

of ritual, of the divinities and of the wealth they accord.
Thus, as the Laws of Manu1 stipulate for cases of universal dis
tress-iipaddharma-in which k:;atriyas are lacking, it is the duty
of brahmins to intercede for the salvation of the k:;atra2 by pro
creating with their wives-without carnal desire, of course. But
these interferefices· between the upper castes and their grave fai-
1ings with respect to their respective statuses threaten to provoke
a confusion of the varl)as. Whence the chaotic situation evoked in
the MBh, and the urgent need to eliminate all deteriorating
elements before rebuilding on a new base.
The darkness with which Pani.Sara enveloped the boat in which

he united with Satyavati to engender Vyii.sa elliptically suggest the
pralaya. This is the destructive phase in which the World is alter
nately annihilated by fire and deluge, to be followed by a "Night"
of the material Universe, through the course of which Vi$I)U
Nii.rii.yaoa sleeps, lying on the Serpent Se$a who has uncoiled to
-stretch over the Cosmic Ocean (the Milky Way).3
Before going to sleep, the god has reabsorbed into himself every
creature condemned to continuing the cycle of rebirths. All
remains within him until the dawning of the next cosmic Day upon
which Brahmii. apparently arises from his navel-from which an
opened lotus had sprouted-to extract from his person the next
·Creation.
In the darkness spread by Parii.sara, the Fire of Aries penetrates
into the Water of Pisces by which it is pacified without being
extinguished. The two elements bring about a fusion of their basic
tLaws of Manu : Miinavadharmasiistra a treatise of sacred Laws applied to

all castes in every circumstance. The same data i s found in the numerous
siistras (treatises), of which the origins and dates of composition vary, and
in which are developed, in theoretical fashion, timeless rules of conduct ema
nating from the Eternal Truth contained in the Vedas which bears the stamp
of authority.
2See note 1 p. 27.
3The coiling of this zodiacal Serpent around the World evokes the course
of the Sun through the constellations of the Ecliptic. Se�a is sometimes assimi
lated to the Ether in which the Universe is bathed : this is a vital current which,
in spite of its apparent immobility, is possessed of an East-West motion.
energy flows such that these become complementary and produce

a regenerated Life.
And, in the same way as she had helped men to cross over the
Yamuna from one shore to another, Satyavati will intercede here
to help the k�atriya caste and prepare humanity's passage into the
next Age: this she will accomplish through Vyasa, her eldest son,
with the cooperation of the two wives widows of her last son
Vicitravirya. The latter is born from Santanu whose solar element
would thus, by substitution, be introduced into the lunar dynasty.
C H A P T ER 8
Vyiisa's Intercession for the Continuation of the

Bhiirata Lineage-Birth of his Sons Dhrtarii$tra,
PiiJJif-u and Vidura--Role of the Important
Character of Bhi$ma
It was the queens Ambika and Ambiilika, daughters of the king of

Kiisi (the present day Benares), whom Bhi�ma unhesitatingly
"pinched" during a presentation ceremony in order to offer them
as wives to the young son of Santanu. Their elder sister Amba1
revolted against her kidnapper and left Hastinapura : she would
later come to be the cause of serious and dramatic conflicts. The
dark (kNIJa) complexion of these young women associates them
with earthly Manifestation.
Ambika brings Dhrtara�tra into the world.
Ambalika becomes the mother of Piil)<;lu, the future father of the
five Piil)<;lavas, of which Arjuna is the third.
Lastly, a maidservant takes the place of one of the queens pre
viously rebuffed by an experience with Vyasa, and gives birth to
Vidura, the most dharmic of the three sons in spite of his inferior
mixed-blood status.
In effect, when Vyasa introduces himself to the two queens as a
substitute for the deceased king, they are terrified by his gigan
tism, his red beard and knotted hair (the color of the Fire of
Mars, the violent planet that governs the sign of Aries), and his
dark hue which evokes the destructive and involuted side of his
father Parasara and of the avatar Kr�I)a, as well as the color of
the Earth, the stake in the Epic war.
IName of a star in the Constellation Krttikii (the Pleiades), sometimes called

the Divine Mother due to her correspondence with Alcyon, the brightest star
of the group, which was the Pole Star in the Era of Taurus.
They are troubled by his terrifying looks and by his abnormal

(virupa) appearance, which themselves prefigure calamity to come.
Ambika closes her eyes at the moment that Vyasa takes her,
and her son is born blind. Ambalika blanches, and her son PaQ.QU
has a pale, livid complexion.1 Vidura is of normal appearance,
but he is a mere sudra . . .
IN this work of such impressive immensity, Vyasa represents the

element of providential conjunction, and thus saves, in the nick of
time, the Bharata dynasty that is at the point of being inexorably
interrupted. In so doing, he also breathes into it the new strength
of his own lineage.
Through his progeniture, he seals the alliance begun by the
union of Santanu with Satyavati. But he is only allowed to inter
cede after his mother obtains the consent of her son engendered
by the king with Ganga, his first wife. This son is Devavrata,
who has become the head of the family and who, after having
renounced the Kingdom and his own marriage, had been given
the name of BHI�MA, the "Dreadful."
For, from that moment onwards, it is he who has become the
instrument of Destiny for the accomplishment of EVERYTHING
in accordance with Cyclic Time.
Bhi�ma acts sagely when he accepts Vyasa as a last resort. He
knows that the branch of Satyavati alone, that of the MATSYAS,
is destined to insure the continuity of the Bharata lineage in the
next era; and that he, the son of Ganga, must withdraw himself
so as to not hinder the fated course of events.
His knowledge is vast. His military expertise was acquired over
those years, shrouded in mystery, that he passed with his mother
far from the Court : his strength makes him Indra's equal. He is
also possessed of the secrets of the stars ; for is he not the incarna
tion of Dyaus, the Vasu who symbolizes the Sky ?
"And likewise the knowledge that Angiras's son (Brhaspati)
possesses, he for whom the Gods and Asuras bow alike, and
whatever branches of knowledge are known to Usanas, that
knowledge too lies firmly lodged within him, your. . . son . . expert
lThe pallor of Piit;t<Ju, the future king of the lunar dynasty, is reminiscent
of the moon's opalescent color.
Chapter Eight 55
in Law and Profit, a champion. . . " (MBh 1 . 94. 33-38) : such

was Ganga's revelation to the king when the latter had found
Devavrata after his long absence.
Now, Usanas is one of the names of Sukra, the "purohita"1
of the asuras and the divinity of the planet Venus.
As for Brhaspati, he is the "guru" of the devas. He is the Orderer
of all things in accordance with the Just Law, and unites opposing
energies as he associates the divine with the human in his capacity
as the regent of the planet Jupiter and the sign of Pisces. 2
Brhaspati's father Arigiras is a celebrated !$i, purportedly born
from Brahmii.'s mouth. He belongs to the group of the constella
tion of the Big Dipper (Ursa Major), and came into the world in
order to compose an Astronomical Treatise and the Ninth Hynm
of the f!..g Veda.
With such a pedigree behind his Knowledge of the totality of
the celestial sphere-of both its visible portion above the horizon
and that which is hidden from human view, below-Bhil?ma can
not help but be aware of the precessional motion that will cause the
vernal point to shift from the Constellation of Aries into that of
Pisces ; and this at the same time as the "non-dhii.rmic" earthly
"Aja" Royalty is to be sacrificed in order to make way for that of
the "Matsyas", so that the kl?atra might be purified, and not sub
merged, by the element water of Pisces.
In the uninterrupted circle of the cycles, his father Sii.ntanu
presents himself, in the preceding generation, as an important cog,
engaged between his two wives : Garigii. is the deification of the
white river of salvation and deliverance through asceticism and
renunciation. She is associated with the winter solstice known as
uttariiyaf!a (-sarrzkriinti), as well as deviiyana or "door of the gods",
the extracosmic access to Brahmaloka (World of Brahmii.).
In iconographic sources or on the doorposts of numerous
sanctuaries, the goddess Garigii. is depicted as riding a Makara, a
lPurohita : chaplain.
Guru : master, preceptor.
The relationship between Venus (Sukra) and the asuras may be explained
by his twofold appearance, to the east in the morning and the west in the
evening, making him a symbol of the cycle of death and rebirth.
2Neptune is now considered as the governing planet of the sign of Pisces:
this since its discovery in 1 846, on the basis of LeVerrier's calculations. But
Jupiter continues to be its second rul ing planet.
sacred monster inspired by the crocodile and dolphin,1 whose

jaws can either devour creatures or open the way to their tran
scendence, according to their spiritual evolution. This is the hiero
glyph of Capricorn, the tenth sign of the Zodiac in which is located
the solstice at the time of the Earth's retraction.
The counterpart to Ganga is the divinized Yamuna, the symbol
of the dark river whose colour evokes the element earth : she is
associated with fecundation, Manifestation and transmigration.
She rides a sea turtle (kurma) or a crab (karkata or karka), which
correspond to the fourth sign, of Cancer, the place of the solstice
in the period of terrestrial expansion-the intracosmic "door of
men".
Born from the waters of the Yamuna, and of the Matsya lineage,
Satyavati alone is capable of perpetuating that of the Bharatas,
with the help of her son Vyasa and the assent of Ganga's son,
Bhi�ma.
When the latter, possessed as he is of the power to fix the
moment of his death, voluntarily collapses in the war, he can make
no better choice than to die on the uttariiyal)a illustrated by his
mother. He awaits the moment in which the Sun would complete
its passage through the part of the Constellation Dhani$!hii govern
. ed by the Vasu gods. This part is located in the sign of Aquarius,
which entirely encompasses the 1 00 stars of the Constellation
Satabhi$a. By his act, this group of stars becomes deprived
of its supremacy over the short cosmic cycles, 2 just as on Earth
the 1 00 brothers of the Kaurava clan, so full of themselves and
their royal prerogatives, find themselves dispossessed of their
Kingdom by the Pal)gavas, after a heroic battle.
By accepting to withdraw from combat on the tenth day, Bhi�ma
apparently contributes to this Pal)gava victory and, by the same
token, the installment of the solstice in Capricorn, the tenth
celestial division of the tropical year, and the removal of that
lMight this be inspired by the Beluga, a species of sturgeon, a white carni

vorous mammalian cetacean belonging to the dolphin family and living in the
polar regions?
21t should be recalled that approximately 960 years are necessary for the
location of the winter solstice to change with regard to a nak�atra, of which
each star has the "honor" of being the starting point for the annual sacrifice
(yajiia) and the year (sal?lvatsara).
Chapter Eight 57
which had served as starting point, in Aquarius, for the

quinquennial cycle. The Pitamaha knows that Kr�l)a and Arjuna1
must win the Victory for a Cosmos of balance and beauty.
Possessed of the same object and determination as the avatar
in his role as guide and protector of the sons of Pal)<;iu, it falls to
Bhi�ma to play a thankless and difficult part in the camp of the
Kaurava asuras who brought on the crisis. His venerable title
of "grandfather" allows him to manipulate them in their fated
direction, as his preeminence is reco�ized by all, and his autho
rity accepted by the entire Bharata race.
It is for this reason that he may be considered as the great
renouncer of the MBh. On Earth, he is the sacrificial representation
of the war, his Celestial parallel being symbolized by Karttikeya,
his half brother born from Ganga and Agni2 who, under the name
of Skanda, is assimilated with Mars, the warrior god charged
with the defense of the celestial inhabitants and the rule of the
sign of Aries.
As skilled as Indra in the military arts, Bhi�ma the k$atriya
nevertheless refuses, from the outset of the war, to deploy his
invulnerable power against his dharmic great-nephews. This he
does in spite of the pressure and reproaches brought against him
by the Kauravas who have made him commander in chief of
their troops.
When he allows himself to be mortally wounded by the Pal)<;iavas'
arrows, he is a living illustration, on the battlefield, of Self
sacrifice, the highest form of renunciation, to which he has volun
tarily consented in order that the World might continue towards
the Renewal of Time. He is that privileged offering known as
dak$i1Jii and, like a ram (aja), he sacrifices himself on the sacri-
I The marine creature corresponding to the makara, symbol of the waters,
is also called yadas. It is tempting to draw an etymological relationship between
yadas and yiidava (or yadva), the non-ruling branch of the lunar dynasty to
which Kr�f.la belongs, and of which the ancestor Yadu had once been saved
from a flood by Indra. This further supports the circularity of the narrative.
It should be recalled that the Makara represents the sign of Capricorn in
which would thenceforth be situated half of the Constellation Dhani${ha, and
the winter solstice.
2His name is derived from the fact that he was raised by the six entities that
make up the Constellation Krttika, the Pleiades. His paternity has been
attributed to several ods of which Siva is one.
ficial site of the Kuruk�etra as he awaits the coming of the utta

rayal).a.
He has been incessantly guided by a single obsession over the
whole of his lifetime : to see the survival of the Kuru lineage.
So it is that the wives that he has chosen for nearly every male
member of his entourage have been so placed by him to serve in
his plans. Might this be because he is the incarnation of Dyaus,
the Vasu punished for having stolen a brahmin's cow at his wife's
insistence, that Bhi�ma considers Woman to be Fatality? He in
fact bears towards feminine characters nothing more than a kind
of respect tempered with indifference, if not contempt. This is
clearly indicated in his attitude towards Amba, the eldest of the
princesses of Kasi. It will be recalled that he had kidnapped
her for Santanu's young son, along with her sisters upon whom he
forced a union with Vyasa to produce offspring, after the king
had died without having left an heir.
When Amba resists, reminding him that she had been promised
to king Salva,1 he unhesitatingly sends her back to her intended
fiance-who immediately returns her, both out of a fear of
reprisals, and because she has been devalued in his eyes for having
lived with another man. When the girl comes back to him,
Bhi�ma rejects her definitively without the slightest consideration
for her hurt feelings and her flouted honor. He is wholly insen
sitive to her pain.
The victim of this sinister play of cross-purposes, Amba solaces
herself with the hatred he inspires in her. She gives herself up
to sacrifices of such great intensity that she wins from Siva the
promise that she may be a man in her next birth-by which she
will state her desire for vengeance.
Without losing a moment, she proceeds with her own crema
tion, and is reborn in the house of king Drupada who, since the
forced division of his kingdom, has never ceased to dream of his
revenge against the brahmin and fencing master Drol)a. 2 Upon
rebirth, she is still a girl, named Sikhaw;lini ; but the queen, fear
ing that her husband Drupada might be disappointed by the
birth of a girl, causes her to pass for a boy. She later becomes a
lAs the incarnation of the asura Ajaka, Salva is a negative representation
of the "Aja" king: the -ka suffix gives the term a pejorative sense.
2 e will later i t is acco nt.
Chapter Eight 59
boy, when she exchanges her sex with an understanding yak�a,1

to take the name of Sikha�<;iin. This ambiguous figure, the
product of a series of corrupt and extreme sacrifices, proves in the
war to be an ardent and eager k�atriya who, on the side of the
Pa�<;iavas, provokes all manner of incident in order to come face
to face with Bhi�ma.
When the latter collapses on the tenth day, he apparently
falls under Sikha�din's arrows . . . or those of Arjuna who has
used him as a "pick", knowing that the Pitamaha could never
aim at a woman, even if she has since become a man and his
worst enemy. He had sworn to his father Santanu that he would
never touch a female.
Yet a doubt remains . . . Who was it that struck him in the end ?
Bhi�ma knows, but this is of no importance. All has been
programmed in the Cycle of Time, and the dynasty, reactivated
by the Matsyas' input, is to be actualized in Uttara, from whom
Parik�it will be born.
IN the firmament, Amba is the star Alcyon in Krttikii, the

Pleiades cluster placed at the head of the constellations when
the Sun of the spring equinox manifested itself there, in the
Era of Taurus that preceded that of Aries. Because of her great
size and her proximity to the Polar Axis, Amba was then conse
crated as the Pole Star and qualified as Divine Mother and
guardian of the seasons. Her dominant position in the sector of
Taurus also won her the name of "Jye�tha" (the eldest), which
is the name of the constellation on the opposite end of the
ecliptic, in which the full Moon of the autumn equinox occurred,
at that time, in the sign of Scorpio.
But with the precessional shift, Amba was dispossessed of
her titles of Jye�tha and Pole Star, rejected by the new system
of celestial division and sacrificed by the Era of Aries . . .
Might the tribulations of Amba-Alcyon not have inspired
the account of the drama of the unhappy princess of Kasi? For
the MBh remains above all else a vast mythic transposition of
cosmic phenomena.
3The Yak�as are supernatural creatures associated with Uma (the Night),
the wife of iva.
CHAPTER 9
Marriage of the Three Bhiiratas of the First Genera

tion-Birth of the Pal;l{iava and Kaurava Cousins
Imbalance between Brahmins and K�atriyas,
Illustrated by Dro!:za and Drupada
It is once again Bhi�ma who charges himself with marrying

the three sons of the new generation engendered by Vyasa, with
a single exception.
The blind Dhrtara�tra marries Gandhari, who voluntarily blind
folds herself out of respect for and submission towards him.
The worship that she has shown to the god of boons1 in order
to obtain a numerous progeniture bears a most unexpected fruit :
out of a mass of flesh that issues from her womb, Vyasa shapes
1 00 balls, each of which he places in a "kumbha", pot filled with
sacrificial clarified butter "in a well-guarded place, taking
account of the passage of Time."
The word "kumbha", serving a s i t does to designate a recep
tacle as well as the sign of Aquarius, seems to support the parallel
that we wish to establish between the 1 00 stars of the Constella
tion Satabhi�a in that part of the Sky with the 100 Kaurava sons
that emerge at the appointed time from the balls prepared by
Satyavati's son.
To these are added a girl, DuhSala, who chanced to arise
from a fragment of the initial mass. Another son, Yuyutsu, born
from Dhrtara�tra and a vaisya (the third van;a) woman also
belongs to the Kaurava camp. Later, he will leave his brothers
to join the dharmic camp of his PaQ.<;lava cousins.
When he is born, the eldest son Duryodhana brays like an)ss,
which provokes the cries of vultures, hyenas and jackals . . .
Frightened b y these bad omens, the Sages belonging to the family
IHara Bha anetrahara one of the one thousand names of Siva.
counsel his father to sacrifice him, but Dhrtani.Hra is himself

incapable of grasping the values of renunciation, and he refuses.
Little by little, Duryodhana, the incarnation of the asura
Kali,1 becomes the tool of his maternal uncle Sakuni, himself the
manifestation of the demon Dvapara. The two thus make up the
infernal duo of the MBh. The primary cause of Duryodhana's
hatred is his father's blindness, because of which Dhrtara�tra,
the eldest of Vyasa's three sons, is deprived of his royal title
which thus falls to the pale Pa!).<)u.
This latter is chosen as husband by the maternal aunt of the
avatar. Named Prtha at birth, the designation Kunti was given
to her when she was adopted by the childless king Kuntibhoja,
to whom Sura (Kf$l).a's grandfather) had promised his first born.
Kunti is the only wife that Bhi$ma does not personally select
for his nephews. This is as if reflective of the fact that he, as the
incarnation of Dyaus (the Sky) could not act directly, without
an intermediary, upon she who is one of the Epic symbols of the
Earth (prthivi and prthii are derived from the same root). She
is moreover the future mother of the first three Pal). <;lavas, whence
the metronymic of Partha (son of Prtha) which is particularly
applied to Arjuna. Of all the women in the Epic, it is to her
alone that Bhi$ma shows a profound respect. For is she not of
the family of the divine avatar in spite of her adoption? And
was this adoption not necessary in order that Prtha change over,
in her early youth, from the non-ruling Yadava2 line into a royal
lineage? As an incarnation of Siddhi, one of the aspects of the
goddess, she plays a part in the fulfilment and the success for
the extension of the dynasty through Time.
BEFORE her marriage, while still an adolescent, she shows herself

to be most attentive towards an irascible and demanding brahmin
visitor, unaware that this is Siva who has come to her adoptive
father's house to test her, by taking on the appearance of the
terrible Durvasas. Herself accustomed to being served after the
manner of a princess, Kunti nevertheless takes on an attitude
lName of the last and worst Age, in which we are presently living. See
p. 15. Name of the Age preceding the Kali Yuga; also an evil time.
2Descendant of Yadu, the son of Yayati (see note 1 . 57).
Chapter Nine 63
of total humility towards the unknown ascetic. Fearing the

all-consuming fire of his potential anger, she submits herself
unflinchingly to his acerbic words and scornful demands. Finally,
after a year has passed, the mysterious Sage dematerializes
before her eyes, after having granted her a mantra (a sacred
formula) by virtue of which she may "convoke" the god of her
choice and subject him to her will.
Some time later, she thinks intensely of her boon while looking
into the Sun-in which she suddenly perceives the god Siirya.
His complexion is honey-coloured, and he wears a glittering
armor and tiara, superb bracelets and great earrings. This
apparition troubles her greatly, and she regrets having brought it
on ; but, fearing an eventual curse, she allows the god to approach
and penetrate her with his heat. This he does without staining her,
such that her virginity remains intact.
She reveals her strange adventure to no one, save a loyal
maidservant who helps her to deliver a son who is bathed in
light and covered from his first day by a golden armor, and
brilliant round hoops hanging from his ears. These evoke the
solar orb, the siirya ma1J¢a/a, the Cosmic Wheel of Time asso
ciated here with the destructive aspect of Siva who had supplied
the mantra. Kunti places the newborn child in a waterproof
basket which she commits to the river with a silent prayer to the
god Siirya that he guide the frail little boat to a safe harbor
and helping hands.
It is the siita Adhiratha and his wife Radhiil who intercept the
basket and discover its precious cargo. Themselves childless,
they see this as a gift from Heaven and they adopt him, giving him
the name of Kan;ta. When he reaches the proper age, they send
him to the Bharata capital of Hastinapura to perfect his know
ledge of the Sacred Texts and the military arts.
Just as Satyavati had done after Vyasa was secretly brought
into the world, Kunti remains silent on the subject of Karl).a, and
Ilt will be recalled that a suta is a mixture of brahmin and k:falriya. He is

at once a coachman, the driver of the royal chariot, and bard. This is the role
chosen by Kr�!Ja in his relations with Arjuna. Radha is also the name of the
constellation Visiikhii, which straddles the signs of Libra and Scorpio with
which, as we shall see, Karl)a is associated. He is called "Riidheya", the" son
of adha".
she becomes the first wife of king Piii).Q.u. His second wife is Mii.dri.
Her brother Salya will take the side of the baneful Kauravas in
spite of his relationship to the Pii.I).Q.avas.
The king sets out to do battle with neighboring countries where
his victories are numerous, and "the glorious battle cry of. .. King
Sii.ntanu (which) had been lost . . . is now once more raised by
Pii.I).Q.u. They who had taken the lands of the Kurus . . . (are) now
made tributary to Pii.I).Q.u, the lion of Hastinii.pura." (MBh 1 . 105.
20-21)
Upon his triumphal return, Bhi�ma congratulates him for having
reminded the World that the Bhii.rata dynasty was indestructible.
The kingdom enjoys a period of peace and happiness but Pii.I).Q.u,
in spite of his glory, withdraws into the forest with his two wives
and his entourage, forsaking the affairs of State which he treats
from afar through the intermediary of messengers.
One day, while engaging in his favorite pastime of hunting, he
mortally wounds two mating antelopes (mrga) who are in fact
a muni and his wife in strange disguise. Before expiring, the hermit
curses Pii.l).gu, condemning him to the same cruel fate.
The word "mrga" corresponds to a wild animal of the Ungulata
species which includes the fallow deer and the antelope, and may
well be associated with the Ram (Aries) of the Zodiac, whose
representation differs from one Tradition to another.
This allegorical passage thus heralds the beginning of the
vicissitudes of the adhii.rmic Kingdom that is doomed to disappear
in its "aja" form.
THE king, terrified by the curse that has befallen him, cons
trains himself to absolute abstinence, living like an ascetic and
desperately fearing that he will never have a son to succeed him.
At this point, Kunti reveals to him the power that Siva's mantra
has invested in her. Relieved of his distress, Pii.I).Q.u himself chooses
the gods who are to take his place ; and Kunti invokes these at one
year intervals.
By Dharma, the god of sovereign Order, she conceives Yudhi�thira,
whose military-sounding name ("firm in combat") is contradicted
by his desire to find deliverance (mok$a), and by his irreproach
able attitude that transcends an manifestation of violence.
Chapter Nine 65
Through the intervention of Vayu, the Wind god, i s born the

impetuous strong-armed Bhima, whose strength is immense and
whose courage is indomitable. His birth coincides exactly with
that of Duryodhana, his demonic cousin and the eldest of the
one hundred Kauravas.
Lastly, Indra, the king of the gods, engenders the third son,
Arjuna, for whom is predestined the role of model k$atriya, a
quality recognized by both Kf$1).a and Bhi$ma. He alone is capable
of saving the Bharata dynasty in this critical turning point bet
ween two Eras. The preparations preceding his creation are more
over the occasion for meticulous and stately ceremonies.
"For this world rests on both fate and man's1 own deeds
(karman) ; but fate is received from Daiva (Destiny) conjoined with
Kala (Time) . . . " (MBh 1 . 1 14. 1 6- 1 7) king Paw;lu explains to Kunt!
when he directs her to undertake longer and stricter observances
than usual for the "coming" of the third divinity. He himself per
forms a rigorous tapas2 in accordance with the Solar rhythms, in
order to obtain the greatest possible boon from the KING of the
gods.
And Indra agrees to manifest himself after their preparatory
penod, promising them a son who will be renowned in the Three
W odds, and whose qualities in battle will be equal to those of Siva,
by virtue of the divine weapons that will be offered him. He will
bring back the lost splendor of the Bharatas.
Whereas the birth of Duryodhana, Dhrtara$tra's eldest son,
had given rise to inauspicious portents, that of Arjuna is accom
panied by music and explosions of joy among the celestial troops.
AU of the inhabitants of Heaven rejoice at the great favor that has
been accorded to Kunt!-Prtha, the symbol of the Earth.
Reassured by the arrival of these three heirs, Pal).<;iu is not yet
IThere are four stages to human activity : kama (desire), arrha (action),
dharma (the respect for Universal Law) and mok$a (definitive liberation from
the Cycle of Rebirths into Manifestation).
Karman : The wheel of the chariot of rebirths set in motion by the fruits of
acts committed in life and in connection with the phenomena of birth, old
age, disease and death. Karman is derived from the root KIJ. : "make, do".
2Tapas : see n. 2 p. 47. PiiQ<;iu's tapas is evocative of the Vedic "garbhiidhiina"
rite practised for the procreation of a descendant. This is cited by Gautama,
in his Dharmasastra treatise : cp.P.V. Kane. History of Dharmasastra, II, 1 ,
chap. 6 (Poona, 1941).
resolved to stop with these. Kunti hides herself from him, but
agrees to let her co-wife Madri use her magic formula to her own
advantage. As the latter may use this mantra but once, she invokes
the Asvins, the divine twins of the Veda, and thus presents two
sons of incomparable beauty, Nakula and Sahadeva to her greatly
gratified husband.
"These boys all shine like five glory-filled years" (an allusion
to the five-year cycle). But desire gets the better of Piil)gu's pru
dence, and he yields to Madri's charms. Alas, by uniting with her,
he is surrendering himself to Death, for in spite of the fact that his
ecstasy erases his memory of his preordained evil fate, Destiny
remains ever-vigilant. He dies in the arms of his second wife, who
follows him on his funeral pyre1 to the abode of Yama, the king
,of the other world, so as to continue their union.
The charge of the five Pal)gava princes thus falls to Kunti.
Vyasa's third son, the bastard Vidura, unites with Devaki. Al
though he belongs, as the son of a maidservant, to the lowest caste,
his clairvoyance and wisdom make him superior to his brothers
Dhrtara�tra and Pal)gu. He is moreover the incarnation of the
god Dharma, the same god who engendered Yudhi$thira, his
nephew, and his judicious advice often proves most useful.
But the crisis must come to pass, such that the destruction of
that which brought on the confusion and adharma of this "Aja"
cycle-with a view to that of "Matsya"-might be realized ; and the
great Sacrifice of war slowly begins to take shape. The Piil)gavas
and Kauravas are to be its officiants or victims, manipulated
as they are by the devas or asuras who prepare their own great
Celestial upheaval.
SHORTLY after Pal)gu's disappearance, Kunti returns to Hastinapura

with her sons. 1'hese are presented to Bhi$ma and Vidura by mys
terious ascetics who immediately vanish into thin air, from which
there falls a rain of flowers.
Yudhi�thira, the eldest son of the deceased king and of all the
<:ousins, is designated as crown prince by Dhrtara�tra, who is him-
lA widespread practice in ancient India. The widow who thus threw herself
into the flames of her husband's re was called "sati" a virtuous woman.
Chapter Nine 67
-self deprived of his right to rule because of his blindness. This

decision arouses the hatred of his own son Duryodhana towards
Pal)c;lu's, son who has come out of the forest to foil his ambitions
for a kingship that he considers to be his due.
In any case, while awaiting Yudhi$!hira's coming of Royal age,
the princes are brought up together in the Court, under the two
fold tutelage of Dhrtara$!ra and their great-uncle Bhi$ma. This
latter secures for them the finest teachers : Krpa and his brother
in-law Drol)a, the father of Asvatthaman.
Born from a great f$i, 1 Drol)a is a partial incarnation of
Brha>pati, the chaplain and preceptor of the gods and divinity
of the planet Jupiter. He is well versed in the Knowledge of the
Sacred Texts and in the martial arts, and in spite of his brahmin
status, his skill in wielding the bow (a symbol of cosmic energy) has
made him famous.
But before being entrusted with the education of these distin
guished pupils, DrolJa had known a time of extreme poverty.
He had then sought help from king Drupada, an old childhood
friend who, in a moment of youthful enthusiasm had promised
to heap kindnesses upon him when his time would come to rule.
Rejected and scorned by him, Drol)a takes refuge at Hastinapura
with his brother-in-law Krpa who is the Bharata cousins' fencing
master : it is through him that Drol)a is himself engaged by Bhi$ma.
In spite of this privilege, his mind remains obsessed by the
revenge he would take against the person who had so cruelly
refused him, and he prepares a plan by which to realize his ends :
he proposes that the princes promise him, without any questions
asked, to carry out a mission that he would ask of them, at the
_proper time. This request enters into the fees2 that are due to him.
All are perplexed by this, with the exception of Arjuna who
accepts immediately, thus winning him Drol)a's favor. This is all
the more the case for the fact that he excels in every discipline
I His father, Bharadviija, had been unable to withhold his seed upon seeing
an apsaras (nymph), and had collected it in a "dro!Ji'', a vase used in sacri
ficial ritual, whence the name Drol)a given to the son who arose from it.
Drol)a's wife i s Krpi, the sister of Krpa.
For his symbolic representation as the sign of Sagittarius, see p . 147.
2Dak$i1Ja : the honorarium paid to the sacrificial officiant by the sacrificer ;
fees paid to one's teacher or master.
and quickly proves to be superior to this brothers, his cousins

and Asvatthiiman-the guru's own son, who takes offense at his
father's admiration for this disciple. His jealousy incites him to
lean toward the Kauravas.
At last, the day arrives on which they are to undergo the
mysterious test that they are honor-bound to perform : to conquer
the kingdom of Drupada, king of the Paficiilas. True to their word
and full of youthful ardor, they take Drupada prisoner, and bring
him to Drol).a after a brilliant victory. The brahmin requires that
the king share his territory with him, and this demand becomes
the source of another very grave conflict in the MBh.
This account places in relief the confusion of var!JaS that has
begun in this Era of Aries. The brahmin shows himself to be an
expert in the martial arts, and the k$atriya refuses from the outset
to let him enjoy the wealth of the kingdom that he possesses. The
brahmin-k$atriya opposition, a common theme in the mythology
of the avatiira, bears witness to the difficulties faced by the superior
castes over the ages in their attempts to arrive at some sort of
balance between themselves, if not an ideal complementarity.
Their antinomy upsets the Cosmic Order (rta), and the inversion
of their respective duties places the Triple World in peril.
In Indian cosmogony, rta and dharma appear as two constants
that are indissociable from the Ordering of the three levels of the
Cosmos, the first being applied to the celestial sphere and the
second to that of humah beings.
Their interaction is so strong and so inextricable that the slight
est weakening of the one has repercussions on the other. They
act like Energy vectors, structuring man and the universe and
guaranteeing their harmony.
C H A P T ER 1 0
General Discussion of the Sources of Discord:

Kan;a and Ambii
Another desire for vengeance weaves itself into the MBh's plot :
this is that born from the power and the glory of the PaiJ9avas
and nurtured in the proud and envious spirit of Kafl)a, the son
of Surya (the Sun)-and of Kunti who, before her marriage, bore
him in strictest secrecy. Even the young man himself is unaware
of his true origins.
His resentment dates from a tournament that takes place before
the punitive expedition instigated by the brahmin Drol)a against
king Drupada. The princes take great delight in dazzling all who
are present, but it is Arjuna, the last to appear, who once again
proves to be the best, as he wins a brilliant victory.
It is at this moment, in the silence following the clash of weapons
that a terrifying sound arrests the attention of the entire rich
assembly. A young man appears, fair and shining like the Sun ;
and claiming superiority to Arjuna, challenges him to a duel.
Krpa intervenes to introduce the two participants, since a prince
of the PaQ9ava's high nobility may not measure himself against
a man of unglorious pedigree. When Kafl)a hesitates to answer,
Duryodhana immediately qualifies him as the king of Aitga,
certain that he has found in him a potential ally to serve in his
sinister designs.
The scene however becomes an occasion for mockery when
Adhiratha, Karl).a's adoptive father, uneasily runs out to him,
and the young upstart is obliged to respectfully bow before the
old man to reassure him. There is general hilarity, and stinging
words are pronounced. How could this suta 's son have the auda
city to measure himself against Arjuna?
Kama has however, · mt been made kind of An a, and their
duel might have taken place, had the Sun not suddenly disappear
ed, to the surprise of all present. Duryodhana carries his rash
protege away in his chariot, convinced that the armor and golden
earrings that he wears mask a secret concerning his birth.
These solar attributes borne by the son of Kunti from the day
he was born are the theme of an accoWit found in Book III, at a
later point in the Epic, of a head to head combat. In fact, after
this incident, Indra, the celestial father of Arjuna, dreads what
must come to pass between his son and that of Surya. Knowing
Kama's strength to be amplified by his shining ornaments, the
sovereign of the gods decides to relieve him of these by posing
as a poor brahmin desirous of obtaining such superb jewels for
himself.
Surya had tried as best he could to warn his son in a dream to
never give these up, but Karl)a, driven by the vainglory of filling
his obligations towards a priest and convinced that he would thus
win renown both in Heaven and on Earth, forgets this warning.
He tears off the armor that adheres to his body, and the rings from
his ears, and gives them to the ascetic-who then reveals his true
identity as Indra.
Nevertheless, by way of rewarding this generous-or vain-ges
ture, Indra grants him his magic weapon, his Sakti of infinite
power. He does so with the condition that Karl)a use it against
all his enemies, save one whose name he may not pronounce, lest
he himself disappear.
"Daiva" is setting up its pawns.
Karl).a, in his heart of hearts, denies such an alternative. As a
means to rendering hin1self invulnerable, he decides to win an
other all-powerful weapon called the Brahmiistra,1 which is held
by the old Sage Parasun'i.ma (Rama with the Axe). He thus presents
himself to this teacher, to become his devoted disciple. This,
until the day on which, bitten by a worm Wltil his blood flows
while his guru is sleeping with his head on his knee, Kama re
mains motionless and silent, fighting the pain with all his strength.
Upon waking, the hermit comprehends what has happened,
and deduces that he has been deceived : this pupil cannot be a
brahmin, as only a k$atriya could be capable of showing such
IThe power of brahman in the form of a weapon.

Chapter Ten 71
heroism. H e drives him away, pronouncing a malediction o n him.

Because he has been betrayed, the divine Sakti-the weapon of
Brahmii-will in turn betray Karl).a. He will be incapable of
remembering the mantra won by treachery when the fatal moment
comes to use it.
How is it possible to explain this Epic appearance of Parasuriima,

who is of the race of Bhrgu (another name for the planet Venus)
and later identified, after the MBh, as the sixth avatara of Vi$1).U ?' 1
In fact, he is supposed to have appeared at the end of a former
adharmic Age of the Mahayuga-in a very distant time-in
order to rid the Earth of its kijatriyas who had become adharmic.2
Now, we also encounter Parasuriima in the "Ramiiyal).a",3 in
which he makes a fleeting appearance to sing the greatness of
Rama, the avatar who is to succeed him. He again appears in the
History of the Bharatas with Karl).a, as well as with Bhi$ma
under the following circumstances :
Before Siva promises Amba a male reincarnation by which to
avenge herself against the son of Ganga who has dishonored her,
the god gives her a "vision" of the most ancient Sage, as a means
to overcoming her enemy. A battle between the two adversaries
follows that is so brutal as to be inconceivable by the human mind.
Their combat lasts for days, observed from time to time by the
goddess Ganga and by the Vasu gods who rush to bear Bhi$ma
up when he touches the Earth, and suggest that he tip the balance
in his favor-for the two are equal in strength-by neutralizing
the old avatar with the sleep-inducing Prasviipa weapon. But when
he sees this, Parasurama gives up the fight.
For it is impossible for him and Bhi$ma to destroy each other.
Both are associated with the Eternal Cycle of Time, punctuated by
long Yugas which are themselves broken up into precessional
eras-whence this fleeting reappearance of this immortal represen
tative of Vi$1).U, Parasurama.
IAiso named Rama Jamadagnya, he wasVi$�:tu's sixth avatara, with Rama
the seventh and Kr�Da the eighth. See note 2 p. 29.
2Parasurama wishes to avenge his father who was killed by one of these
kings. He thus appears as the destroyer of k$atriyas and the protector of brah
mins.
3The other renowned Indian Epic.
Their respective roles are determined according to the cosmic

period in which they are located. Whereas the old avatar himself
annihilated all of the k$atriyas at the end of one Age, thus neces
sitating the union of brahmins with their wives in order to bring
dharmic kings back into the world, Bhi�ma, on a less grandiose
scale, causes the brahmin Vyasa to join with the queens Ambika
and Ambalika in order that the Bharata dynasty might arise again
during a turning point between two eras.
Their earthly activities betray a certain complementarity, as
regards the renewal of the Creation of k$atriyas over time ever
lasting. There also exists between the two a certain guru-disciple
relationship, thus implying deference and humility on the part of
the latter; and Ganga does not fail to remind her son of this be
fore their confrontation.1 Ignoring this advice, Bhi�ma does not
heed his old master when he orders him to "retrace his steps
(pada)",2 and he thus unleashes Parasurama's fury. Their duel
nevertheless ends with a tacit agreement.
On a symbolic level, Bhi�ma's refusal to back up a single "pada"
corresponds to his reticence to abandon his own symbolization
of the winter solstice that begins the five-year cycle. This point
has however been retrograded, by the Precession, to 0° in the sign
of Capricorn, following the new seasonal distribution of the solar
year. But the disciple comprehends finally his guru's message and
accepts to submit himself to the divine Order. He will withdraw
from the cosmic scene, at a period that he himself has determined.
And so it is that, after this inconclusive conflict, Amba will return
to Earth, alone and without outside support, to avenge herself in
the form of SikhaiJ.9in.
IN his manifestation before Karl)a, Parasurama behaves with

greater severity. He does not hesitate to curse him who had
deceptively called him forth in order to obtain the infallible weapon
of Brahma, by which to annihilate Arjuna, the one and only
l
!Perhaps it was this eternal teacher who instructed Bhi�ma during the
mysterious years that Ganga spent with him far from the Court of Santanu.
2The word pada corresponds to a quarter of a constellation. Are 10 padas
the distance that the winter solstice must pass through in order to slip back
wards into Capricorn?
Chapter Ten 73
individual who must be spared in this difficult age. It is thus

necessary that Kan)a be done away with. The image that he presents
of his father Surya is a negative and destructive one ; and by join
ing the Kauravas he constitutes an obstacle to the founding of
the new astronomical system. The strength that he gradually
acquires, catalyzed by his pride and jealousy, has become a real
and present danger for Arjuna. It is for this reason that Indra has
deprived him of his solar attributes : his golden armor and ear
rings-circular like the ecliptic-that he is no longer worthy of
keeping. This is the reason for which Parasurama's curse must
unremittingly come to pass.
The mystery that broods over his origins renders Kan)a a
tormented and rebellious individual. Totally unaware of his past,
�part from his adoption, he frantically tries to find an identity and
to compensate for his complex of social inferiority through his
martial talents. Thus he seeks to equal and even surpass Arjuna
whom he considers to be equal to his strength and his hatred.
He does not know that he is the son of the solar god Surya and
the most noble Kunti, and his extraction-which he finds to be
. troubled and poorly defined-combined with his possession by
the asura Naraka, increases his aggressiveness tenfold. He gives him
self entirely to the cause of Duryodhana, who had offered him his
friendship and bestowed on him a royal title and an honorable
place in his clan when he was still but an object of contempt in
the eyes of the Pal)<;iavas.
Much later, but only after Bhi�ma is no longer able to parti
cipate in the war, he throws himself into the battle with ferocious
energy. It is then that his noble pedigree manifests itself in the
courage and bravura that he deploys at the side of his friend for
whom his fidelity and gratitude remain intact even after Kunti
at last reveals herself to be his mother, shortly before his death.
In effect, she resigns herself to seeking him out, driven by the
anguish born of the sight of her sons dying in battle, a battle that
rages and heaps the Kuruk�etra with its dead. She intercedes for
them, coming to their blood brother Karl)a and imploring him to
join their side and abandon the enemy camp that has moreover
just named him their commander in chief!
With a dash and courage that reveal his sublime greatness, Karl) a
refuses to turn against Duryodhana who has always shown him-
self worthy of his confidence. Nevertheless, out of respect for her,

he consents to avoid them in the battle, with a single exception.
Kunti, he adds, will still have five sons : either with him and with
out Arjuna, or with Arjuna and without him, if he should die.
Then he returns to Duryodhana to help him win the day, thence
forth fighting more out of duty perhaps than out of an aversion
for the sons of Pat;u;lu, who are still unaware of the ties that bind
them to him.
He who had all his life poorly exemplified the resplendant image
of his august father by taking part in the sinister machinations of
the Kaurava, seems suddenly to have acquired dignity. He now
knows that he can measure himself against Arjuna as his equal ;
and not only by his skill, which is already the case, but also with
an equal pride in his standing within a noble lineage. After having
been humiliated and vilified by the Pal).<;iava, his foreboding-that
the two mmt face one another down to the bitter and ultimate end
-becomes all the sharper. There isn't room enough on this Earth
for both of them.
THE characters of Karl).a and Amba, as victims of circumstances,

appear as projections of two concomitant cosmic events :
Amba, as we have seen, evokes the Era of Taurus and the Pole
Star Aleyon of the Constellation Krttika in which the Sun appeared
at the spring equinox, facing the full Moon in the Constellation
Jye�tha, the name given to Amba, the eldest of the princesses of
Kasu
This constellation, in the shape of an earring, located in the
sign of Scorpio, was at that time the place of the Sun of the autumn
equinox with which Karl).a is associated : he is himself designated
as Jye�tha, being the first son of Kunti.
When the Era of Aries appeared, the two celestial divisions of
Taurus and Scorpio were "rejected" to the advantage of those of
Aries and Libra-just as Amba and · KarlJ.a were "forsaken" on
Earth.
ISee p. 58. The word "jye${ha" means preeminent, the eldest.
Antares is the principal star of the Constellation JyeHhii in the sign of
Scorpio and is diametrically opposed to Aldebaran in the Constellation
Rohini in the sign of Taurus.
Chapter Ten 75
Thus a "drama" that occurred in the Sky finds itself transposed in

the Epic into these two nonspecific beings who are skinned alive
and torn apart by their imprecise identities. Both are driven out
by the Pal).c;lavas and Bhi�ma, who are themselves more concerned
with the resurgence and the continuation of the k�atra of the
Great Bharatas.
Lacking a personality structured by either sex or caste, they take
refuge in rebellion and hatred, making use of the most contemptu
ous of means to express their feelings : deceptions, and sacrifices
that are abusive and pernicious in their intended purpose.
Their preferred targets are, like they themselves, representatives
of celestial p henomena.
That of Karl).a is Arjuna, who symbolizes the Spring in the sign
of Aries, in harmony with the autumn equinox in that of Libra,
which is the case of the Pal).c;iava with his wife Citra-Subhadra,
Kr�I).a's sister.
The enemy of Princess Amba is Bhi�ma, the representative of a
thenceforth completed cycle, just as is the Polar Star Amba.
Contrary to Karl).a and Amba, the two heroes Arjuna and
Bhi�ma accept the circularity of Time, the one at the head of his
Pal).c;iava brothers under the guidance of the avatara i n the battle,
the other as the commander in chief of the Kauravas-with whom
he has deliberately sided in order to better manipulate them.
Each of these has in his camp the adversary of the other, in order
that their combats be balanced and compounded in the direction
of the Future.
Bhi�ma, who knows all of the mysteries of the Cosmos, will
choose to fall under the mingled arrows of Arjuna and Sikhal).c;iin,
by virtue of which Amba's rancour will at last be appeased.
After Bhi�ma will have stopped fighting, Karl).a's turn will come
at last-in order that Arjuna may eliminate him by making his
head roll like a mad Sun gone astray across the Heavens, and that
Kr�va may himself kill the asura Naraka who possessed him.
C H AP T ER 1 1
Duryodhana and Bhima-the first V oluntary Exile

of the Piil;u}avas with their Mother Kunti
Since the time his father Dhrtara�tra designated Yudhi�thira, the

eldest Pii.r.t<;lava, as the crown prince, the thirst for vengeance has
afforded no respite to the diabolical mind of Duryodhana.
The exemplary conduct of the former augurs well for the even
tuality that he will become a great king, good and just. He is al
ready admired by all of the kingdom's subjects, and arouses the
respect and devotion of his brothers, who are concerned for his
safety in the tense atmosphere of the Court. They watch over him
with ceaseless vigilance, but it is to the colossal Bhima that the task
of protecting him particularly falls.
It is for this reason that Duryodhana applies all of his ingenuity
and duplicity and mobilizes his allies and friends in order to defini
tively rid himself of this cumbersome cousin who stands in his
way, a cousin born at exactly the same time as himself, and whose
physical strength is equal to his own. He increases his attempts to
eliminate him, and at times finds himself nearly succeeding . . .
Aware of Bhima's incredible voracity, sufficient to win him the
epithet of Vrkodara (Wolf-Belly), Duryodhana one day causes him
to ingest a poisoned dish, and takes advantage of his malaise by
having him bound and thrown into the river. The Pii.IJ<;lava thus
comes into the kingdom of the Niigas who attack him ; but their
venom is neutralized by the poison he had absorbed with the food
he had eaten, and their fangs merely serve to draw him out of his
torpor. All of the inhabitants of this strange place gather around
their king Vii.suki to contemplate this human freak. One among
them, Kunti's grandfather Aryaka, recognizes him and is allowed
by the Nii.ga sovereign to obtain a magical nectar, by which his
descendant mi ht re ain the shore of the Ganges. B virtue of this
brew, Bhima finds his strength to have increased tenfold, a boon

that will permit him to throw aside every danger that threatens the
future king and his brothers, whether they take the shape of beasts,
of riik�asas,1 or of Duryodhana-to whom he has thenceforth be
come superior.
In fact, following this stay in the deeps, his protective role takes
on a cosmic dimension which is reinforced by his surname of
Bhimasena: this appellation was borne before him by the grand
father of Pratipa "the Retrograde", the direct ancestor of Santanu
who had brought the Matsya lineage into the family by uniting
with SatyavatL
Bhima's gluttony appears as a symbol of cyclic reintegration,
allowing him to "swallow" all that might obstruct the passage of
Time, as that maw which encloses-in order to destroy it-all that
has become perverted, as occurs in a pralaya. His measureless
power becomes an unshakable bulwark behind which All will be
allowed to take place, and against which the toughest of adver
saries to the precessional shift and the establishment of the new
tropical year would stumble.
After various fruitless attempts to suppress Bhima and his
brothers, Duryodhana succeeds in convincing his father, now
serving as regent, to place them outside of the capital where they
enjoy too much support, to his mind, from the Ancients of the
family, especially Blli�ma and Vidura.
The king shows himself to be as blind morally as he is physically,
and at the instigation of his eldest son incites his nephews to leave
for a stay at Varal)iivata on the banks of the Ganges, where nume
rous festivities are to take place. A superb palace is placed at their
disposal, built of laquer, pitch and other inflammable materials !
Although it is the case that Vidura has dutifully taken the side
of his elder brother Dhrtara$tra, his affections nevertheless lie
with the sons of his deceased brother Pal)<;lu ; and he never fails
to give them his discreet yet precious support throughout the Epic.
So it happens that, portending Duryodhana's perfidious inten
tions, and bearing witness to an inspiration from Dharma-the
god of the Universal Order of which he is the incarnation (whereas
lCannibalistic demons : they appear when royal power fails, and thus play
tructive role.
Chapter Eleven 79
Yudhi$!hira is that god's son)-he suggests that the Pandavas

secretly dig a tunnel leading to the outside, as far away as possible.
The young men understand his motivations and carry out his plan.
They then agree to hotd a banquet for the architect-spy of Duryo
dhana and his courtiers. While the feast is at its height, Bhima sets
fire to the building, into which a low-caste woman and her five
sons have been secretly brought : their burnt bodies would serve
to sidetrack Duryodhana.
The giant plunges into the tunnel with his family, and doesn't
hesitate to take them on his shoulders and under his arms to
accelerate their flight. He is guided by the stars and pushed forward
by the wind unleashed by his divine father Vayu. A boat awaits
them on the river's shore, to take them far away, on the other side.
When it is announced that they have died in the flames, the
Kingdom is filled with grief, and Dhrtara$!ra is overcome by re
morse. He feels himself to be an accomplice in Duryodhana's sinis
ter machinations, and commands that numerous sacrifices be
offered to the memory of his unhappy nephews.
A long and perilous exile begins for the sons of Pal)<;lu and their
mother Kunti, in the course of which Bhima's prodigious strength
allows them to escape from incessant dangers and from the fre
quent and fatal (to humans) attacks of horrible riik$asas.
These demons, living in great numbers in the depths of the
forest, are especially dreadful in the twilight times of dawn and
dusk. The five brothers are obliged to stand guard in shifts when
ever they stop to rest.
One evening, when it is Bhima's watch, the ogress Hi<;limba,
sent by her brother to massacre them in order that he might feed
on them, is smitten with admiration at the sight of the gigantic
young man. So moved is she that she takes on a pleasing appear
ance so that she might present herself to him and avert him of
Hi<;limba's1 horrible intentions. She goes so far as to say that she
is prepared to help him to flee, alone or with his family.
But there is nothing that can discourage or decamp the colos
sus, and he engages in a terrible hand to hand combat with the
demon, whom he manages to throw to the ground, bend in half
and break in two.
ITheir names are the same, with the long final -a indicating the feminine
gender.
He is prepared to submit the riik$asi to the same fate, were it

not for Kunti who, touched by the passion that the young
demoness shows for him, authorizes her impetuous son to let himself
be drawn into living a strange relationship that is suspended each
night to be renewed each morning.
But Hi<;limba cannot continue to betray her race through love
for long, and she di-sappears forever after having promised to
watch over Bhima and his relatives, and the descendant who has
come to seal their union. His name is Ghatotkaca, became "his
head is as smooth as a water pot", and his look is terrifying.
Before he leaves in turn for a certain tin1e, he swears to the
Pal)<;lavas that he will appear before them when the time comes to
help them. He was, in fact, shaped by Indra to face Kari)a, the son
of Surya, in a battle in which he would be killed in place of Arjuna.
CoNTINUING their wanderings-dressed in tree bark and animal

skins, living on alms, and devoting themselves to the study of the
Sacred Texts with ascetics who share their miserable existence
the Pai)gavas one day come to "Ekacakra" on the advice of their
grandfather Vyasa: it is his wont to make brief and sudden appear
ances, before immediately vanishing, in which to offer them his
moral support and advice.
They are greeted by a poor brahmin whom they quickly
recognize to be in the clutches of an ever-increasing anguish. Their
host at last explains to them that the protection of the region is in
the hands of a riik$asa nan1ed Baka, whose legendary cruelty
alone is sufficient to keep all outside aggressors at a distance. In ex
change, the monster exacts massive quantities of food : to wit, rice
water buffalo and the flesh of he who brings these to his retreat.
Every family is thus sorely aggrieved, and the weak and cowardly
king, most happy with this arrangement, remains indifferent to
the pain and disappearance of his subjects. The day has now
arrived upon which the brahmin, or one of his family, must bring
Baka his provisions ; but rather than becoming separated, they
have decided to go to him together.
Bhima is called upon once again, and sure of his strength which
is equal to that of ten thomand elephants, he sets out on the forest
ath. As he approaches his fateful meeting, Vrkodara (Bhima),
Chapter Eleven 81
tormented with hunger, begins to devour the food he is carrying.

This he continues to do, even as he perceives an enormous body
topped by a grimacing face of which the mouth is an outsized
opening that stretches from ear to ear, and whose eyes, beard and
hair are of an intense red color: this is the characteristic hue of
the sign of Aries and of its governing planet Mars.
Baka explodes with anger when he sees Bhima's mouth filled
with the food meant for him, and hurls himself upon him, striking
him with unimaginable violence. Their rage is proportional to
their stature, and their endurance seemingly inexhaustible. Tearing
up trees to serve them as clu_bs, the two antagonists cause the
earth to tremble and the forest to weep. Once again, Bhima gets
the better of his adversary, breaking him in two over his knee and
making the blood flow in rivers out of his gaping maw.
When troops of riik$asas come running from every direction,
drawn by the fearsome cries of one of their number, Bhima threat
ens them with the same fate if ever they dare to attack the humans
living in the area. But thanks to him, these are at last able to live
in peace.
IN this allegory the monster Baka, like the heron (baka) who
lives by eating fish, tries to devour all of the inhabitants meant to
survive in the surrounding area. The name of this region, Ekacakra
("the Single Wheel"), evokes the zodiacal circle through which the
Sun passes, the same Sun that the asuras wish to hinder in its
precessional motion towards the sign of Pisces.
But the PiiQ<;lavas are there to watch over the cyclic passage of
the ages.
While the virtuous Yudhi$!hira follows the just path of dharma
by avoiding violence, and Arjuna symbolizes useful activity (artha)
directed towards the continuation and prosperity of the Kingdom,
Bhima himself ascribes to the third aim of man.1 This is kama, the
desire for earthly goods and the pleasures they procure ; as such,
it is bound to karman. The insatiable, material and sensual appe
tites that he incarnates moreover make him sensitive towards
women, whom he is always ready to defend.
ISee n. 1 , . 65 for the four stages of human acts.

His devotion will prove boundless with regard to she who comes
into the Pal).<;iavas' life, to bring them a time of peace and happi
ness in the dark times of their voluntary exile. In effect, the
brothers decide to attend the presentation of the princess Draupadi,
the daughter of the very king Drupada whose kingdom of Paficala
they had conquered for their venerable master Drol).a;
C H A P T ER 1 2
Marriage of thefive Pii!Jif.avas with Draupadi (the

daughter of king Drupada)-Their return to
Hastiniipura-Division of the kingdom between
Duryodhana and Yudhi$!hira-Arjuna's pilgri
mage and his encounter with three women :
Ulupi, Citriingadii and Subhadrii-lmpor
tance of the third member in a series
In the svayaf!'lvara, a ceremony that was current in the Epic period,

it is the task of an unmarried girl to herself publicly designate her
husband from amongst her pretendants who take part in a trial
by arms.
Weary of their aimless wanderings, and finding in this contest
a chance to bring their long retirement to an end, the Pai}.Qavas
join a group of brahmins, putting on the garb appropriate to the
caste. Through this dissimulation, they pass unnoticed by the
Kauravas who have also been drawn by this event ; but they do not
escape the recognition of Kr�l}.a, who is also in attendance, along
with his brother Balarama.1 In spite of the news of their death in
the laquer house, the avatar in fact recognizes his cousin Arjuna
(even though they have not yet met) and also picks out Karl}.a, the
son of whom his aunt Kunti has never revealed the birth.
Amidst the ostentation and magnificence proper to ancient
Indian civilization, the festivities extend over several days before
the young princess even appears before the dazzled assembly.
Her brother Dhr�tadyumna2 explains to the competitors the feat
that they must accomplish : with a bow and five arrows that he
IKJ:$Qa's brother is also called Baladeva. See n. 3 p. 95.

2King Drupada's other son is SikhaQ<;Iin, that ambiguous person in whom
Amba has reincarnated herself in order to avange herself against Bhi$ma.
offers to them in turn, they must hit a target located in the center
of a WHEEL. This is, once again, an allusion to this period of
Cyclic Time upon which depends the fate of the Earth, symbolized
by Draupadi whose dark complexion assigns her the surname of
Km1a.1
After several inconclusive attempts on the part of the young
participants, Karoa, the suta who has become the king of Anga,
steps forward to try his luck. He seemingly defeats his rivals ;
but as he corresponds to a deviant representation of the Sun, his
father, his winning of Draupadi would constitute a grave danger
for the Triple World.
At this point, Arjuna, unrecognizable in his brahmin disguise,
takes hold of the bow-which is itself difficult to bend-and the
five arrows of which none has as of yet hit the mark. And he
wins the trial incontestably, to the general stupefaction : who can
this unknown priest be to whom the daughter of king Drupada
must now be promised?
The exultant Pao<;iavas set off again for the forest with the sub
missive Draupadi in tow. When they arrive at the hidden spot
where their mother awaits them, Kunti, busy with whatever she is
doing, doesn't turn around when they joyously announce to her,
"Here is what we have brought you today." Thinking that they are
referring to their hunt, she orders them to enjoy it equally among
themselves . . . Her word is sacred, and the princess won by Arjuna
(for whom she will always bear a secret preference) becomes the
common wife of the five sons of Pao<;iu. 2 A strange coincidence,
considering that she had called on the god Siva five times in order
that he accord her a husband . . .
After a meticulous inquest, Dhr�tadyumna at last discovers the
identity of the man who had won his sister. This he reveals to his
father, king Drupada, who is relieved by the news as he sees in it a
means to realize his plans for revenge against the brahmin Drooa.
lThe four constituent elements of the objective World-Fire, Air, Earth and
Water-are each related to a specific color and flavor that result from their
physico-chemical properties. The fifth element, Ether, is their quintessence.
See n. 2 p. 20. In Alchemy, substances are compounds of the Five original
subtle elements which are present in varying proportions. Among these,
mercury is considered to be the primary substance. It is called "rasa".
2Polyandry was a current practice among certain ancient peoples.
Chapter Twelve 85
With the help of Arjuna and his brothers who are now his allies,
he hopes to be able to recover the portion of his kingdom that is
still occupied by his enemy.
The brilliant victory won at the svayaYf!vara permits the
PaQ.c)avas to return to the Court at Hastinapura where Dhftara�tra
greets them with emotion, his conscience eased at not having
contributed to their death in the palace fire. His subjects are
bursting with a joy proportional to the sorrow they had felt when
the loss of their crown prince had been announced. Confronted
by such an outburst of sympathy but dreading the baneful reaction
of his eldest were he to be completely dispossessed, the blind king,
weak and credulous, decides under the pressure of his perverse
son to divide the kingdom between its rival branches. This only
increases the tension that reigns.
The Kauravas retain that part of which Hastinapura is the
capital, close to the Ganges. To the PaQ.c,lavas falls the other half,
with Indraprastha, on the Yamuna, becoming their main city.1
Once again, we find the two rivers in a relation of symmetry.
On the one hand, the Ganga is connected to the symbol of
renouncement, and to the winter solstice, symbolized by Bhi�ma,
which begins the five-year cycle. On the other is the Yamuna from
which emerged the Matsya twins, Virata and Satyavati, in order
that Manifestation might continue and the Zodiac change.
Hastinapura, "the city of the Elephant", evokes both royal
power and Indra's vehicle, a white beast whose head is orna
mented with a precious stone of the brilliance of a lightningbolt.
By its form-four pillars supplanted by a sphere-the elephant
generally depicts the structure of the Cosmos, of which the cardinal
and intermediate points are moreover guarded by pachyderms.
At the time of the MBh, in which the winter solstice still pre
dominated, the city of Hastinapura may have corresponded to
the locus of a zodiacal "cleavage" in the Constellation Dhani$fha
which was itself divided between the half attributed to the sign of
Aquarius and that which fell in the sign of Capricorn to become
the new site of the solstice.
Thus appears on a cosmic scale the error committed by
IHastinapura was founded by Hastin, a distant ancestor. Indraprastha is a

site consecrated to Indra.
DhrtaraHra in effectingthe division of the "KINGDOM" in order

to continue his undue favoritism towards his son.
YuoHI�THIRA's subjects enjoy a time of happiness and prosperity.

Kr�l).a honors his friends with numerous visits : Draupadi, for
her part, showers her husbands with every happiness.
But an incident comes to throw a s hadow over their harmony.
One day, when Yudhi�thira is alone with the young woman,
Arjuna transgresses the arrangements the five brothers had made
in common in order to protect their concord. He enters into the
room occupied by the couple so as to recover his weapons, which
he needs to help a brahmin supplicant in the pursuit of brigands
who have stolen his cows. His mission accomplished, Arjuna is
conscience-stricken at having violated the accord, especially with
regard to his elder. In spite of the latter's pardon, he decides to go
into voluntary exile.
Over a period of twelve years, he will visit the tirthas (sacred
sites) of India, starting from the source of the Ganges, and offer
numerous sacrifices to Agni, the Sacred Fire.
At this end of the Era of Aries, it is especially crucial that it
be preserved (bharata).
But whereas Arjuna goes off to find spiritual peace and live
like a brahmacarin1 far from his wife, his path is crossed by
women over the entire length of his pilgrimage. The first of these
appears at the time of a ritual bath that he accomplishes with
great devotion : she pulls him down into the depths. Her name
is Ulupi, the daughter of a king of the Niigas (Serpents). She begs
him to unite with her but once, and promises to return the favor
with interest: her boon to him is victory over all aquatic creatures,
especially the dreaded crocodile,2 the Makara.
Arjuna finally yields to her pleas, and from their union is born
IBrahmacarin : one who studies the Vedas (Sacred Texts) while taking a
temporary vow of celibacy. It is the first of the four stages of life for a brahmin :
the second i s grhastha (householder), the third vanaprastha (forest hermit) and
the last sannyasin (renouncer).
2See p. 55. This is a possible allusion to Bhi�ma, the son of Ganga and the
invulnerable warrior whom Arjuna can only reach in the battle by protecting
himself behind the body of Sikhat).ljin.
Chapter Twelve 87
Iravat (irii is the Earth fecundated by t'elluric and phreatic currents

that run through it transversally as do the serpents).
In the war, this son would fight on the side of the Pii.Q<;iavas,
and fall as the first sacrificial victim offered to the Kingdom.
Continuing on his way to MaQipura (the City of the Jewel),
Arjuna is bewitched by the unequalled beauty of the princess
Citrii.ngadii., whose family has been prey to a weird destiny over
the past several generations. In effect, each of its members has
had but a single child, who has always been male until the birth
of Citrii.ilgadii.. The princess' father deplores the thought that
his lineage is to be interrupted by his only daughter, and suggests
that Arjuna engender with her a son whom he would himself
adopt. Their offspring will be the dark red Babhruvii.hana, who
later comes to inherit the Kingdom of MaQipura.
The king's vehicles are decorated and fast as the wind, whence
his surname "Citravii.hana" and his daughter's appellation of
"Caitravii.hani", "She who brings the Springtime" : the word
"citra" implies motion and may be used to designate Ether, the
·fifth element, that most subtle substance which the ancients saw
as filling the space between the heavenly bodies. The princess of
MaQipura's two names herald she who is soon to enter into
Arjuna's life-a woman whose symbolism is connected with the
line of the equinoxes. This is Subhadrii.-Citrii., the sister of Kr�Qa.
After three years consecrated to the fair Citrii.ngadii., the
Pii.Q<;iava again takes up his travels to the tirthas, one of which
has been deserted by the Sages, out of fear for five fearsome
crocodiles (makaras). Remembering the favor accorded him by
the Nii.ga princess, Arjuna leaps into the tirtha's waters and defeats
the voracious beasts. These prove to be charming apsaras who
had long before been condemned by the ascetic Nii.rada, then
deep in meditation, for having attempted to seduce him.1 They
had long been awaiting a warrior of universal renown to defeat
them and thus free them from their malediction.
Arjuna at last arrives at the final stage of his journey : this is
Dvii.rakii., the capital of the Yii.davas, of whom the king is his
lit is said that, in the beginning, Brahmii revealed his Siddhfmta to Narada.
It is in this, the tradition known as the Paitiimaha Siddhiinta, that the five-year
uga i s first mentioned.
friend and cousin Kr�l)a. This relay is of particular interest, since

it is here that the Paw;lava falls in love with the stunning
Subhadni., who is also called Citra, after the name of the Constella
tion that corresponds to the signs of Virgo and Libra,1 located
opposite to Aries.
But the conquest of this independent and proud young woman
proves to be a difficult task, with a svayaY}'lvara a hazardous
undertaking. Knowing how indispensable this union is to the
cosmic balance, Kr�IJa then suggests to Arjuna to purely and
simply kidnap his sister. He even lends him his team of horses
to bring her back to Indraprastha where Abhimanyu, the future
· father of Parik�it, would be born.
To be sure, Arjuna accomplishes this long pilgrimage as if it

were a dik$ii, a sacrificial preparation in view of the coming war
in which he is to be the principal hero. But these twelve years,
the duration of a cycle of Jupiter (the regent of the sign of Pisces)2
above all represent an initiatory and propitiatory consecration .
. Through this, he will obtain from the gods their approval that
he choose, from among the four women who have come into
his life, that one most apt to insure the passage from one era to
another and thus the salvation of the Triple World, through the
child she would bear him.
Subhadra becomes his sakti, the creative power with which he
communes and unites in a close relation of symbiosis. She is prakrti,
the cosmic feminine energy destined to dissolve into Oneness
with him-the Puru$a or masculine static consciousness. She is
the matrix of the recurrent universal cycles, of the eternal stuff of
the World's creation : after her, Uttara would play the same role
in relation to Abhimanyu. .
For woman is the "k$etra", the "field" in which the miracle of
Life and rebirth occurs. It is for this reason that the symbolism
of the Goddess, the figuration of the Female Eternal, is indissoci
able from the concept of the Earth and the four elemental prin
ciples of matter : fire, water, air and earth.
IThe star Spica Virginis is found in this sign. See pp. 34ff.
2 1 2 is a symbolic number : the lunar year is 1 2 days shorter than the solar.
The si n of Pisces is the 12th of the Zodiac.
Chapter Twelve 89
Through Draupadi, Uliipi, Citrarigada and Subhadra in

succession, Arjuna draws on the source of each of the terrestrial
components that they personify. In so doing, he seeks the neces
sary support by which THE EARTH might subsist. It is the last
of these that has been elected by Fate :
Subhadra belongs to the illustrious Bharata fan1ily ; rather than
through the weakened reigning branch, her appurtenance is
through that of Kr�r:�a1 and the "Vasudevas". This latter is an
honorific title attributed to but one person per generation : while
its meaning has become obscure, it is possible that it connotes the
wealth that the light and heat of the Sun procures for the Earth
whence her name Vasumati-through the chari.ging seasons.2
Kunti, the paternal aunt of the avatara and another emanation
of the Goddess, had already provided a new impulse to the
preceding generation of the Bharata k:;atra by marrying PaQ<;lu and
bearing Arjuna. But previous to this, it was necessary that she be
adopted by a ruling king and relation of her father, while still but
a child playing with her ball. This ball that she passed from one
hand to another is an obvious allusion to the Kingdom of which
she would one day become the queen, and thus explains the
consideration and respect that Bhi�ma-Pitamaha,3 aware of her
determinative role in the evolution of the dynasty, holds for her.
Arjuna's first wife Draupadi symbolizes the terrestrial globe that
has become destabilized in this period of crisis, a globe which the
PaQ<;lava, as the image of the ideal king, has the mission of protect
ing. She is thus unable to produce from her loins the seed that is
to regenerate the strength of the lineage and so bear it forward
into the Future. She is moreover the issue of the too intense sacri
fices that her father Drupada had offered through the intermediary
of an unworthy brahmin in order to obtain her and her brother
Dhr�tadyumna. He needs both to appease the rancour that he
holds for Drol)a : the son in order to kill him, and the daughter
to ally himself with Arjuna who would thus find himself obliged
to fight on his side when the time would come to win back his
possessions.
!The Yadavas, descendants of Yadu : see table on the origin of the lunar
dynasty. See note 1 p. 57.
zsee note 2 p. 48.
�see p. 62 and n. 3 p. 95.
Thus the five sons that Draupadi obtained, at one year inter
vals, from each of her husbands, would all die in the war ; and she
who was born from the Sacrificial Fire would know the pain of
offering them as oblations to the Era of Aries. All of Arjuna's
offspring as well would be immolated on the cosmic altar of the
Kuruk�etra, even Abhimanyu, the young prince borne by
Subhadni. The sole survivor of this hecatomb is to be Parik�it, the
son of the latter, who would grow in the womb of his mother
Uttara ("she who causes to pass over") like the waxing moon,
saved by the avatara from the great catastrophe.
Parik�it is the "se�a" purified by the waters of Pisces, the cul
mination of the Matsya lineage, and the meeting point for the
energies emitted by Satyavati and Virata, the twins who developed
inside the fish netted out of the Yamuna to open the way for the
k:jatra across the signs and through the eras, from the time that
Vasu Uparicara's1 seed was gathered up by the nymph Adrika.
SAlYAYATi + PaciSara
(Matsya) I
Vyasa + Ambalilci
YIRA"fA + Sude§!)a
I
PalfC;Iu + Kunti (Matsya)
I
Arjuna + Subhadci
I
Abhimanyu -- + -- Uttaci
I
PAR1l\.'?IT
However, whereas on Virata's side of the family, Parik�it re

presents the third generation, twice three generations have been
necessary to purify the lineage on Satyavati's side before him, of
which two Yadava women from the avatara KwJ.a's family. In
fact, Kunti and Subhadra have served as "filters", one at the end
of the first triad, and the other at the beginning of the second.
lA descendant of the lunar dynasty, Vasu Uparicara's name means "he

who moves in s ace".
Chapter Twelve 91
"Three" i s universally considered to be a fundamental number.

It is the culmination of Manifestation.
Duality may at times be a source of imbalance, whence the need
for a third which is indispensable to Creation. Time is threefold :
past, present and future. The World is triple : bhu, bhuvar and svar
(or svarga) in Sanskrit, i.e. Earth, Atmosphere and Heaven.
Three units from a given order unite to form a single unit of an
immediately superior grade : the Holy Trinity, the Triad of the
Alexandrians and Pythagoras, and the Hindu Trimiirti composed
of Brahma, Vi�l).u and Siva (who create, preserve and transform).
The Law of the Third is resolved in the One.
Inversely, the One is divisible into the creative Trinity of the
three tendencies of Nature : sattva, rajas and tamas ;1 in his com
posite parts, man is a unified third.
"Among the components of the third, the first is active par ex
cellence. The second is intermediary : active with regard to its
consequent but passive with regard to its precedent ; and the third
is strictly passive, as the manifestation of the first two."2
Thus Arjuna, the third son of Kunti (and Piil).QU) and the grand
son of Vyasa, serves as a support for the Manifestation of the
Bhii.ratas, threatened as they are with annihilation, in order that
his own grandson-the third element of a series of which he is the
first-might reunite the potentialities for balance necessary to the
dynasty.3 Parik�it polarizes the two complementary powers of
Satyavati and of Virata that fuse in him to become the One who
is to face the change of era.
lThese three gu�;�as are the modalities of all manifestation : essentiality

appearance, activity-transformation, and realization-disappearance.
The three dekans (of 1 0° each) of each astrological sign may be seen as
partici pating i n the quality of the three gu�;�as.
2Dictionnaire des Symboles, ed. Seghers.
awhence the importance of the grandfather in the hierarchical order.
CHAPTER 13
Preparation of Yudhi�thira's Rajasuya ( royal

consecration)-Jariisandha's Opposition to its
Performance
Having become king, but deprived of half of his kingdom by

Duryodhana, Yudhi�thira seeks to consolidate and extend his
sovereignty, in the four cardinal directions, within the half left to
him by Dh.rtara�tra.
At this time, India is made up of numerous independent states,
grouped together at times under the protection of a greater
monarch to whom they pledge allegiance in the course of a royal
sacrifice of consecration. This rite, known as the Riijasuya, may
not be carried out by; any other king during his lifetime.
But the king of the Magadhas, Jarasandha, is opposed to the
measures of justice and order established by the Pal).c;lavas on be
half of their subjects, and has imprisoned all members of his en
tourage who favor such reforms in his kingdom. He tries by every
possible means to obstruct the Riijasuya that Yudhi�thira wishes
to celebrate, more out of a concern for the dignity of his race
than for reasons of personal ambition. Mocking Yudhi�thira,
Jarasandha decides to effect a great sacrifice of his · own to Siva,
in which the incarcerated princes are to be offered.
Fortunately, this evil king was flawed at birth.
In effect, in order to have a son, his father had gone to consult a
sage, from whom he had received a magical fruit which he unfortu
nately hastened to share equally between his two beloved wives.
Some time later, on the same day, each wife gave birth to a half
of a baby.
Faced with this horrible spectacle, a maidservant quickly wrap
ped the two halves in a piece of cloth, which she threw away : by
chance the riiksasi Jara icked u this stran e bundle, and man-
aged to bring together the parts so as to seal them together for

ever. The child, reconstructed in this way, was presented to the
king as his heir.
The strength of Jarasandha ("joined by Jara") has become im
mense, but it nevertheless remains vulnerable. K:r�l).a therefore
advises a single combat in order that this evil-doer be vanquished,
and the task falls to Bhima to kill him by tearing him asunder,
such that he return to his original state.
This episode has a certain analogy with that of Riihu (L 1 : 1 9-55),

the asura who, in order to rival the gods, stole their liquor of im
mortality (amrta). But, alerted by Siirya and Soma (the sun and
moon), Vi�l).u, in the form of Narayal).a, cut off the demon's head
with his discus : the lower part of Riihu's body has since been
known by the name of Ketu. For Riihu, having once tasted the
ambrosia, even in small quantity, could not be totally destroyed ;
and since that time, his head continues to wander in the heavens
in pursuit of the two spying luminaries (while his tail moves in the
opposite direction on the ecliptic). Whenever he catches them, he
seems to swallow them, causing their eclipses and sowing terror
among humanity.
In more scientific language, the head and the tail of the "dragon"
correspond to the p oints of intersection of the solar and lunar
orbits, which are respectively named the ascending node when the
moon enters the northern hemisphere, and the descending node
when it goes into the southern hemisphere.
In India, these two important imaginary points have long been
considered as planets (graha), and thus figure in their lists.1 Such
was already the case in the time of the Epic.
The complete revolution of Rahu and Ketu takes approxi
mately 1 8 years : their motion is retrograde with respect to the other
heavenly bodies, just as is that of the vernal precessional point.
In the mythology, the demon Rahu is considered to be the son
of Vipracitti,2 whose earthly incarnation was . . . as Jarasandha,
lThe two luminaries together with Venus, Mercury, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn,
as well as Rahu and Ketu, make up the 9 planets (graha) of Hindu astrology.
2Vipra is one of the names of the Moon as well as of the month of Bhlidra
pada. This latter corresponds to the sign of Virgo, which is opposite to that of
Pisces and the month Phal una.
Chapter Thirteen 95
whose story thus appears as a prologue to that of the dragon.

The MBh tradition is furthermore punctuated by two crucial
events :
-at the beginning, there is the death of this king eliminated by
Bhima, on Kr�IJ.a's instigation and in Arjuna's presence ;
-on the tenth day of the war, there is the death of his son
Jayatsena, killed by Arjuna's son, Abhimanyu, shortly before the
death of Bhi$ma.
These turning p oints to the primary narrative seem to delimit,
within the symbolic period of a nodal cycle,1 the time needed to
neutralize the ill-omened p owers unleashed against the Piil).�avas,
powers originating in particular amongst the Diinavas, of which
king Jariisandha and his son are members.
This class of asuras is probably associated with the cardinal
points guarded by elephants, as the word "diina" may be used to
designate the liquid that flows from the temples of these animals
in rutting season.
Between the death of the father split in half and that of his heir,
all of the Diinavas--enemies of the gods, and of terrestrial crea
tures as well-are killed.
The avatiira has good reasons for ridding himself of J ariisandha,
who became his personal enemy when he revolted against the very
honorable title of "Vasudeva" enjoyed by Kr�IJ.a's father and
Kr�IJ.a himself, in its relationship with beneficial natural pheno
mena and the prosperity of the Earth.2
The stages in the cycles of its development are constantly
renewed, to the rhythm of the changing seasons. These are orches
trated by Indra, Vi$1).U and Agni, the three resplendent gods, them
selves indissociable from the precession and the Vasu divinities,
of which each was, in turn, the head.
The chosen one, to whom the name of Vasudeva is given, radi
ates a divine light and appears with a halo of cosmic effulgence.
But whereas this exceptional distinction gives rise to devotion
to Kf$1J.a on the part of his older brother Baladeva,3'it only wins
him the scorn of Jariisandha who, contrary to Baladeva, refuses
IRelated to the number 1 8. See pp. 16 and 26.
2See note 2 p. 48.
avasudeva had two wives, RohiQi and Devaki ; the latter had eight sons, of
which the last was Krnza.
to recognize the supremacy it implies, and goes so far as to present

him as a "prati Vasudeva".1
This king sets himself against the fluidity of Time, which he seeks
to immobilize, to seal away, as it were, inside a leaden shell known
to alchemists by the name of Satum ;2 for this metal, when com
bined with gold and silver, masks their properties and appears to
swallow them.
But the brilliance of the gold of the sun, and of the silver of the
moon are supposed to illuminate our earth, according to the
rhythm of the cycles : this is why the avatiira attaches such impor
tance to the fact that Jariisandha:-who is an obstacle to the cosmic
process-should disappear before the sacrificial rite by which
Yudhi�thira is to ju�tify his absolute sovereignty, before the
beginning of the war.
After the death of this burdensome adversary, the princes who
had been held captive are released. J ayatsena then reigns as king, up
to the moment in which he is immolated in battle by Abhimanyu.
Yudhi�thira prepares himself for the celebration of his Riijasuya
and the attainment of the title of"samriif'', universal master of the
k�atra.
Karnsa, the king of Mathura, having heard the prediction that his life would
be threatened by a son of Devaki, his cousin, relentlessly seeks to do away
with her children.
The seventh, Baladeva (often called Balarama) was thus transferred from the
womb of Devaki into that of RohiQi, in order that he might be spared. He is
said to have been born from one of Vi�Qu's white hairs; he is the incarnation
of the Naga Se�a.
The eighth son, Kr$Qa, i s dark-ski nned and born from one of the god's
black hairs. He was taken far away by his father, and exchanged for the son
of the cowherd Nanda and his wife Yasoda.
Kr�Qa's father had been fortold that Vi�Qu would incarnate himself in his
eighth son, whence the importance of protecti ng this chosen infant : the father
was g iven the name Vasudeva.
Belonging to the non-ruling line of the lunar dynasty, Kr$Qa's father is a
descendant of Yadu, who was once saved from a flood by lndra.
It is worth noting that Bhi$ma was also an eighth chi ld, saved by Ganga.
IThe same roles may well have been played by Riima, Lak$maQa and RiivaQa
in the RiimiiyaQa epic, in the preceding Age of Taurus. The word "prati ''
means "against" and indicates the idea of opposition.
2The planet Saturn symbolizes the principle of condensati.on, of inerti� ,
whence its frequent association with the idea of old age, for which the � ansknt
term is "jarfl''. Does Jarasandha not thus stand for a world whose time has
passed and is destined to disappear? Does he not correspond to a static notion
of a cosmos in which all is rhythm?
C H A P T E R 14
Celebration of Yudhi$thira's Rajasuya

The game of dice
The ceremony proceeds with great pomp, in the shimmering light

of the precious fabrics and bejewelled golden ornaments worn
by the many k�atriyas who have come to pledge allegiance and
obedience to YudhiHhira-all in the presence of a distinguished
guest, the king of Dvaraka, who is none other than the avatara
Kr�IJ.a in disguise.
Among these participants, Bhi�ma alone is aware of his divine
origin, and suggests, without explaining his motives, that a special
homage be paid to him.
Sisupala, the king of the Cedis-a people renowned for their
fidelity to the ancient laws and institutions-vehemently protests
against this unfounded show of deference, and attacks his Yadava
relative, whom he has always hated,1 with stinging and insulting
words. Then, turning to Bhi�ma, he wonders aloud whether it is
possible to respect this k�atriya who has renounced both marriage
and the throne. Weakness and impotence are the sole grounds for
such a serious failure in fulfilling the duties of his caste.
He exits noisily, followed by several princes, with Kr�IJ.a raging
at their heels. In spite of Yudhi�thira's attempts to restore calm,
Sisupala's anger reaches its paroxysm : KniJ.a's fearsome cakra
slices off the head of this asura incarnate. A tiny light flies up,
bows before the avatara and melts into him, after the fashion of all
creatures who are reabsorbed into Vi�IJ.u-Narayal).a at the pralaya
before taking rebirth in a succeeding cycle.
After Sisupala's humiliating departure, calm returns to the
IThis enmity goes back to the time that. KnQa stole his fiancee RukmiQi,
who bore him a son, Prad umna.
assembly, and the Riijasuya :concludes in the warm and friendly

atmosphere created by the noble Yudhi�thira.
At the end of this celebration, Vyasa takes leave of his grand
son, now the I great Bharata suzerain. He warns him however that
he has glimpsed, through his powers of prescience, grave events
that would come to pass over the thirteen coming years, and cul
minate in a terrible disaster.
But it is impossible to escape the destiny decreed by the gods,
and Vyasa, in giving his benediction, limits his advice to an
injunction to remain ever steadfast and vigilant.
Greatly moved by his grandfather's predictions, Yudhi�thira
swears before his brothers to avoid all conflict or any act that
might give rise to such.
He shows himself worthy of his qualification of "Aja-Mi<;lha"
(double Aries) chosen as he is from among the Bharatas to rule
until such time that the royal function should pass into the hands
of a Matsya.
HAVING returned to his palace after his cousin's ordination,

and still dazzled by the Pal)<;iavas' show of glory and wealth,
Duryodhana is overwhelmed with jealousy and envy.
He shares his bitterness with Sakuni, the brother of his mother
Gandhari, in the certainty that he will find in him an echo of his
hatred and a suggestion as to how he might allay it.
His uncle then reminds him of his own skill in dicing, a game
greatly admired by the la;atriyas ; and especially by Yudhi�thira,
himself very clever at play in spite of his lack of experience. Sakuni
adds that he might play on Duryodhana's behalf, with a loaded
die : Duryodhana need only set the stage for such a match.
Thus by means of a harmless pastime, the two hope to oust
their adversaries and recover their wealth peacefully and blood
lessly, to the satisfaction of the Kauravas who are the most reti
cent sharers in their cause.
They prepare their diabolical plan, as proper earthly represen
tatives of the asuras Dvapara and Kali who guide the destiny of
the two final and most critical Yugas, and themselves bear the
names of two particular dice throws.
Dur odhana succeeds in convincin his father Dhrtara$tra to
Chapter Fourteen 99
·convene his Pal).gava nephews at Hastinapura. The challenge

takes the form of an invitation that the wise uncle Vidura trans
mits along with his own warnings and advice. But Yudhi�thira's
exemplary conduct is flawed by a passion for gambling, and his
lofty resolutions are smothered by the fever that takes hold of him.
Their game of dice, still famous in India today, begins under
the watchful eyes of the venerable preceptors Drol).a and Krpa,
king Dhrtara�tra and his brother Vidura, and Bhi�ma. All of them
dread the final outcome, but none can put a halt to the inexorable
march of daiva. "Wisdom does not swallow fate ; it is the latter
that swallows the former . . " (L. 1 . 1 1 8.9-10).
.
Inexplicable to many, destiny holds no secrets for Bhi�ma, as

he is the incarnation of Heaven, the abode of the devas.
In Sanskrit, it is from the noun "div" (of which the nominative
form is dyaus), the diurnal sky, that are derived the terms deva
{god) and daiva (destiny).
The verb "DIV" means "shine", but it also applies to playing,
to throwing the dice "while confiding in destiny". Now, "dice"
is translated by the term "ak:ja" which may also designate a
"wheel" . . . and so it is that the dramatis personae of the Epic are
incessantly confronted with the concept of the cosmic circle of
destiny. Having been chosen by this daiva that manipulates them
like the marionettes of a divine "lilii"1 they are captives of the
"circularity" of time. The game of dice is evoked at every crucial
moment of the war.
IN the sabhii, the hall reserved for men's reunions, the spectators
watch the game with bated breath. Whereas the elders can hardly
hide their disapproval, the princes are brimming with wild
enthusiasm, their excitement mounting as Yudhi�thira, his reason
swept away by a wave of madness, successively loses his precious
jewels, his wealth, his palace and court, his brothers, and finally
himself.
The tension rises to such a height as to become nearly palpable.
Duryodhana should be satisfied with his human ancl. material
winnings, but he is possessed by an insatiable demon ; so too is
!Pastime, diversion; God's play.

1 00 Astrological Key in Mahiibhiirata
Sakuni who, totally devoted to his nephew, takes matters in his

own hands, and pushes the Pal).gava to stake the last jewel
remaining to him. It is the wife he shares in common with his
brothers : it is Draupadi.
. So it is that the fate of the entire worldly game hangs on the
queen, just as that in heaven, contested between the "Ajas" and
the "Matsyas" (the sectors of Aries and Pisces), turns around the
Earth as prize.
And the sound of the rolling dice in the sabhii is a roar that fills
the Universe. The queen becomes the focus of the twisted designs,
of the asuras incarnate, which mount in proportion and intensity
right up to the day of the war.
Kno\\-n to everyone as the daughter of Drupada,1 king of the
Paficalas, Draupadi is in fact the offspring of Agni, the sacrificial
fire. In effect, after having been dispossessed of a part of his king
dom by the brahmin Dror;a-with the complicity of the young
Bharata princes-Drupada in turn suffered the pains of a wounded
ego. In order to avenge himself, he then performed a most rigorous
tapas, undertaking arduous fasts and rituals such that he might
obtain a son to kill Dror;a and a daughter to marry Arjuna who
would thus be his ally when the time came to combat his enemy. 2
His hopes came to fruition on the very site of his sacrifices :
rising out of the center of the vedi (the sacrificial altar), Agni,
the god of fire, incarnated himself as the earthly Dhr�tadyumna,
replete with crown, a shining armor, sword, bow and arrows. He
was immediately followed by his twin sister Draupadi, also emitted
by Agni. According to the Vedas, it is this god who chases the
darkness and who devours the offerings made by brahmins.
The brahmin chosen by Drupada is a corrupt and unscrupu
lous priest, a living example of this period of crisis in which the
profanation of the sacred, the inversion of traditional values, and
the rejection of the order established by the creator, all threaten
the cosmic balance. The Earth is mistreated by men in the same
way as is Draupadi in the sabhii.
tDrupada is the son of Pr$ata, the "spotted antelope", a possible reference
to the Ram of the zodiac. In this Era, Drupada exemplifies the deficient k$atra
and Drol)a evil brahmanism, both of which must disappear.
2Drupada's third child is SikhaiJ.(:Iin, the reincarnation of Ambit who will
change her sex to become the warrior Sikhal)<;\in and combat Bhi$ma.
Chapter Fourteen 101
This queen, an aja by her divine and supernatural birth, is often

called Yajnaseni, as she issued from the personified sacrifice (yajiia).
She is the emanation of a portion of Saci, the wife of Indra,
king of the gods who, manifested as Atjuna, has become her
secretly preferred husband.
Finally, she is the incarnation of the goddess Sri-whence her
name Kr$Q.a-and thus the representative of the rich and fertile
Earth that every ruler must win for the prosperity of his kingdom,
even if his possession of it is merely titular, as the Laws of Manu
stipulate.1
In fact, the Earth belongs to no one. It is entrusted to the king
by the divine Order such that he may serve, defend and cause it
to be fruitful, for the welfare of his subjects. He is bound to offer
many sacrifices on behalf of the Earth, but it may never itself
become a sacrificial offering. For the Earth is eternal and indestruc
tible, and if anyone ever tried to give Her away, even as an
honorific present offered to mortals, She would angrily disappear.
Even less likely is the p ossibility that the Earth serve as wager
in a game of dice. Yet, Yudhi$thira bets and loses the very person
who symbolizes this goddess.
When she hears of this betrayal, Draupadi rebels, refusing to
appear before the assembly until she can be certain that her
hu<>band the king did not place her life on the line before his own.
Sakuni becomes impatient and sends Duryodhana's younger
brother to fetch her. Dul}.sasana drags her by the hair-trembling
with shame and anger and in a state of partial undress-into
the sabhii normally prohibited to women. She is but another
vulgar object counted among the victorious Kaurava's winnings.
There, Draupadi affronts the elders, rebuking them for having
dared to allow her to play the pawn for her own husband, against
a king not even present in the game. How could YudhiHhira,
himself betrayed by traitors, have possibly played her once he
had gambled away his own freedom and, by extension, his free
will? How could she continue to belong to a being who no longer
properly existed ? Why were they themselves so passive in the face
of such an abomination? It could bring only sorrow and ruin to
the Bharatas and their kingdom.
ISee note "1 . 51.

1 02 Astrological Key in Mahiibharata
Intrinsic to Draupadi's plea is that of the everlasting Earth,I.

over which the king has no right of ownership. The dharmic
ruler YudhiHhira cannot be unaware of this sacred truth.
Duryodhana is all the more responsible, as it was he who sowed the
seeds of disorder in his mind by taking advantage of his sole
weak point-his love for gambling-and by ignominiously
cheating him.
Her words augment the sadness and apprehension felt by this
venerable, audience ; but what must be will be, and they remain
silent. More than anyone else, it is Bhi�ma, who knows that the
time of the PaQ.<;iavas' victory is still far off. All must fall into
place before the epic war against the asuras can become a reality.
As for Kr�Q.a, he is absent from the sabhii, pinned down in his
state of Dvaraka which the partisans of Sisupala have tried to
sack, out of vengeance for the death of their friend. This avatar
of Vi�Q.U must wait until the dice have been thrown before he
can intervene.
Draupadi's vibrant and pathetic voice dies away, and a heavy
silence hangs over the assembly. The PaQ.<;iavas find themselves
condemned to a trial they must face to the bitter end, victims
that they are of the evil forces unleashed by the Kauravas. As a
sign of their submission, they take off some of their clothes.
Draupadi, who refuses to remove her sari stained with menstrual
blood, evokes an Earth that has been violated and torn apart by
hostile and demonic forces that have furrowed and penetrated
to her very depths. Dul).sasana abuses her in his attempt to have
her undress, and she prays to the divine Kr�J)a. Her prayers are
not in vain : by the grace of the god Dharma, her veil unwinds
without end, just as the Earth that she personifies turns and
turns over the eras and Cycles of time.
Bhima curses the one who dared to so profane her, swearing
that he would one day crush his chest and drink his blood-which
he does in the war.
Outside, a baneful clamour arising from every quarter signals
the impending calamity. An eclipse devours the sun before the
moon so much as enters into one of its nodes.
IThe Earth is eternal as well in the Theory of the Elements posited by Hippo
crates in the fourth century B.C., because the elements are indestructible.
Chapter Fourteen 103
Dhrtarii�tra, overcome with fear, orders that Draupadi be

spared, and enjoins her to make a wish, as a miserable compensa
tion by which he might soothe his blind conscience. She limits
herself to asking that she and her husbands might be set free,
and their weapons returned to them. This is done, and the riches
lost at the beginning of the game are also remitted.
Draupadi saves her husbands from disgrace, but after having
shared their life of splendor she must now share their sufferings.
In reality, the liberation of his cousins fills Duryodhana with
panic. He knows the PiiQ.<;lavas will never forgive the pains he
has caused them, or the outrages committed against Draupadi.
He once again makes use of the power he holds over his father
and, in spite of the exhortations of his entourage, Dhrtarii�tra
incites his nephews to take revenge through a second game of
dice. Hoping to wipe away their humiliation and recover their
honor, the Pal).<;lavas accept. This they do in spite of the draconian
stake that is at play this time : that the loser should suffer twelve
years of exile in the forest plus a thirteenth year incognito, failing
which an additional period of the same length would be added
to the first.
As onerous as this stake may be, it does not frighten the
Kauravas, as Sakuni is once again playing for Duryodhana with
his loaded die. YudhiHhira loses definitively, and he and his
family are faced with a very long period of proscription and
flight. Only their mother Kunti, due to her advanced age, will
remain behind with Vidura.
Consternation reigns in the kingdom, whose subjects are filled
with despair at the sight of their good and just king's departure ;
for he is to be replaced by Duryodhana whose vileness, cruelty,
greed and hard-heartedness symbolize the Kali Yuga which he
incarnates.
CHAPTER 15
The thirteenth-year forced exile of the Pii!Jf/avas with

their w(fe Draupadi (thefinal year passed incognito)
A rjuna's departure for Svarga-Significant
allegories: Ilvala and Viitiipi-Agastya-
Sibi, king of the Usinaras.
Once again, the five heroes find themselves on the path that leads
into the forest and its holy places where, now that all their posses
sions have been taken away, they subsist on the alms offered to
brahmins. There they also learn of the repeated failures on the
part of Dhrtara$tra to mediate on their behalf.
The third book, which treats of their wanderings, is filled with
accounts related to the PaQ<;Iavas by hermits or superhuman
beings. Their successive adventures take place in an atmosphere
of enchantmen t and fantasmagoria often charged with intense
emotion. At the beginning, and in the face of the difficulties that
confront them, Yudhi$thira is often confounded. So it happens
that the hermit Dhaumya one day urges him to request the aid
of 1 08-named Sun,1 that fair-faced nourishing father who is the
source of all creatures; the origin of light and heat, the wheel of
Time, the god divisible into the 1 2 Adityas (the solar months),
the yogins' path of Liberation, the king of kings venerated in
Indra's heaven by the 33 gods themselves.2 According to this
Sage, the Sun grants every favor to all who sing his praises, and
it is through his adoration that "Aja-Mi<;lha" will help his
brothers to bear the weight of their sorrows in this, the end of
the Era of Aries.
Kr$Qa visits them often. He reassures Arjuna regarding the
lSee p. 1 6 .
2The total revolution of the seasons is of a duration of 3 3 synodic years
same con · unctions with the Sun) the same number as that of the gods.
condition of his wife Subhadni-Citrii whom the avatar has insisted

on sheltering, along with their son Abhimanyu, in his palace at
Dviirakii ; for this latter has become the dynasty's most precious
. possession. He is to remain isolated in this sacred abode, as had
been Vyiisa on his island in the Yamuna, until such time that he
produces a successor to the royal line.
Draupadi, the sole woman to share in her husbands' misfor
tunes, is indignant at the lot that has unjustly befallen them
through Duryodhana's trickery. Yudhi�thira preaches patience
and forgiveness : one must, he says, do one's duty without regard
for the fruit of one's acts, without expectation of rewards. But
rather than the king's wise words, Draupadi prefers the comfort
of Bhima's colossal strength, and Arjuna's great skills in armed
warfare : it is in Arjuna that lie her hopes for vengeance against
the insults and cruelty that she had to suffer in the sabhii. He is,
moreover, about to part for the heavenly kingdom of his father
Indra, in order that he might prepare himself for future combats.
But before he sets out on his fantastic journey, Arjuna must
face a ·difficult test. Through his practice of the most extreme
austerities-as a means to obtaining divine favors-he begins
to worry the heavenly population with the intensity of his yogic
exercises and sacrifices, which threaten to destabilize the Cosmos
through an overconcentration of tapas.1 In order to intervene,
Siva disguises himself as a Kiriita (and thus a low caste) hunter,
and manifests himself before the young prince at the very moment
that a ferocious boar is charging him. The Piil)Qava shoots an
arrow, as does the hunter, and when the beast falls, both claim
the kill. They insult one another and, with their bows, come to
blows ; but GiiJJ<}iva, that of Arjuna, seems to be inoperative.
Tormented by the rain of darts that assails him, his strength
fails. He calls on Siva to come to his aid : the moment could not
be more opportune . . . The god immediately reveals himself before
him, shedding his rustic aspect, and shows the Piil)Qava how, in
a past life, he had been Nara, the companion to Vi�!J.u's cosmic
force Niiriiyal)a, sent to this world to sustain it in a time of travail.
Now that the Earth is once again in need of his help and valor
Siva bestows upon him the divine Piisupata "astra" (weapon) and
! Tapas, see note 2 p. 47.
Chapter Fifteen 1 07
the power known as Brahmasiras which the god uses at the end
of a yuga, in order to destroy perverse Manifestation.
With these, Arjuna will be capable of doing battle with the great
est of heroes-Bhi�ma, Krpa, Drol)a and KarQa-in the coming
war ; but he is to use them with great caution lest he annihilate
everything. Siva explains their manipulation to him in great sec
recy ; for these are arms that can neither be shot with a bow, nor
with thought, the eye or the spoken word.
Then, before returning to the realm of the invisible, the god
urges him to go to Svarga, where other weapons would be placed
at his disposal. Immediately, a chariot harnessed to wild steeds
and driven by lndra's coachman Matali, bears Arjuna up into
the air, enveloped in a mantle of light. On high, his mood changes
from wonder to enchantment as he skirts the shining astral abodes
of the r#s, the gandharvas and apsaras, themselves astride glitter
ing aerial cars, in great number.
When he reaches Amaravati, the indestructible city of the king
of the gods, its noble inhabitants gratify him with their benedic
tions over the length of the Suravithi (the Divine Way), up to the
gleaming bejewelled palace of his august father.
He is initiated into the use of the celebrated astras of the greatest
divinities, as well as their corresponding mantras. He is also ex
posed to ethereal melodies sweet to his ears ; but he does not
allow himself to be transported by the luxuriant and harmonious
atmosphere, recalling the reason for his stay in these lofty spheres.
He even resists a ravishing apsaras who, out of spite, curses him
to one day become a eunuch in the midst of beautiful and desirable
women.
Even in this paradisial atmosphere, a certain anxiety has taken
hold of the gods, threatened as they are by their Danava enemies
who lie hidden at the bottom of the sea amidst schools of fabulous
fishes. Indra asks Arjuna to flush them out with the divine wea
pons that have been placed in his hands.
Not without difficulty, the PaQgava wins a crushing victory ;
his driver relates this to the hero's proud father. This determina
tive victory is the occasion for Arjuna, weighted down with the
wide array of incomparably brilliant arms which he has so recently
wielded against his host's enemies, to leave Heaven. He goes with
Indra's promise that an equal success is to be his against the Kau-
ravas, when the Time comes. He also receives the benediction of

Siintanu, the ancestor of the glorious Bhiiratas and the husband
of Satyavati.
ON Earth, Arjuna's long absence weighs heavily on Draupadi and

the four other sons of PiiQ.<,iu. They are as if broken, like birds
whose wings have been clipped. They visit the holy places con
secrated to pilgrimage, followed by certain of their acquaintances
and accompanied by brahmins. These, in order to bolster their
courage, tell them stories in which the characters were more or
less the victims of vicissitudes similar to their own, under similar
circumstances.
One of these accounts is of particular interest to us : A Daitya1
king named Ilvala one day asks an ascetic who has undertaken a
great penance to intercede with the gods in order that he might at
last gain a son-a single son, but one like unto their king Indra.
The brahmin categorically refuses to intervene to perform a sacri
fice by which such an outrageous demand might be fulfilled, and
thus brings upon the entire priestly class the hatred of this Daitya.
From that time forward, the king offers to every priest who
presents himself at the palace out of a need for help and assistance
a very special dish : he magically transforms his brother Viitiipi
into a ram (aja), and at the moment that the priest swallows this
delicious food, Ilvala calls out to his accomplice who, when he
leaves the body of this poor starving man, splits it open.
The brahmins thus become rare in the region, and their presti
gious caste risks rapid extinction, unless the r# Agastya can
intercede. The latter, in effect, despairing that he has not found
a wife worthy of bearing a son who will honor his ancestors,
decides to create one to fit his needs, and secures her birth in the
house of the king of Vidarbha. He then awaits that she reaches a
marriageable age to join her.
The young Lopiimudrii withdraws into the forest with her hus
band, having exchanged her rich finery for a hermit's garb of bark
and antelope hide, in accordance with his demands. But in spite
of the fact that she is perfection itself for him, she is nonetheless
IDaitya : a class of asura.

Chapter Fifteen 1 09
a woman, and refuses to be joined with him until such time as he

offers her the treasures of which she is worthy.
So great is her determination that the great r�i finds himself
obliged to beg the help of three kings, who let it be known that
helping him would ruin them. Agastya is unable to bear his un
happy lot, and seeing his disarray, the three kings suggest that
he try his chance with the terrible king Ilvala. Although his crimes
have never been proven they are aware of his evil reputation ; but
they also know that he is as wealthy as Kubera, the god of Riches.
Agastya thus goes to the dreaded king's palace, where he has a
presentiment of the horrible scheme to which he is to fall victim
once the dish is offered to him. He then sets to carefully reducing
the morsels given him into a gruel, and when Ilvala urges his
brother to emerge, Vatapi does not reappear, and the Sage is
merely shaken as if by a strong wind.
Thus unmasked, but continuing to play the part of the respect
ful patron, Ilvala cedes his immense fortune to Agastya who,
after distributing a portion of it to the three kind kings who had
been instrumental in its acquisition, returns to his wife. He lays
his gold out at her feet, asking that she reciprocate by giving him
heirs-or even but one heir, for one good son is preferable to
many bad ones.
Over a period of seven years, Lopamudra prepares a child with
i q, her womb. This son will be named Dr<;lhasyu, and will be the
gr'eatest of all ascetics. In this way, thanks to an Agastya who was
more clever than the two demon brothers, the reputation of the
brahmin caste-of which he is the savior-increases in the world.
This allegory heralds cosmic events that are to follow : In order
that the vernal equinoctial p oint might fall in the constellation of
Pisces, that of Aries must disappear from the northern hemisphere,
as if it had been "swallowed" by Agastya, the very brilliant star
Canopus1 in the south ern constellation of Argo, below the hori
zon. Vatapi is engulfed, in the form of a ram, by the r# Agastya
after the same fashion ; whereas his brother Ilvala lives on . . . which
is no great surprise since the word "ilvala" designates a species
of fish !
IA first magnitudes star, Canopus is the brightest of all save Sirius. It is not
visible in the northern ortion of the boreal hemisphere.
THE brahmins who follow or meet the Pal). <;lavas in the forest teach
them the revealed Sacred Texts. Among these is a r# named
Lomasa (literally "the ram")1 who passes on to them his Know
ledge of Astronomy, and initiates them into the mysteries of the
celestial vault. These holy men and doctors speak to them of Se�a.
the path, in the milky way, along which the sun tirelessly retraces
its steps, seldom concealing its splendor from the eyes of earthly
creatures, sharing out night and day, hours and minutes. He
explains to them the well-tempered movements of the planets
and the secrets of the cosmic cycles.
The Pal). <;lavas' gaze is often turned upwards, full of admiration,
towards the skies into which Arjuna disappeared.
The Sages remind them time and again of how closely Agni and
Indra are related to one another in the sacrifice, just as they are
in the harmonious and balanced movement of the solstices and
equinoxes. This is illustrated by the edifying fable of the Hawk
and the Dove, forms in which these gods manifested themselves
in order to test the sense of fairness of the most excellent of
k�atriyas, Sibi, the king of the Usinaras :
One day a dove pretends that he is being pursued by a cruel
hawk, and takes refuge with this sovereign. This latter offers the
predator all kinds of food, imploring him to spare the bird, but
he obstinately refuses any substitute for the object of his desires.
Too attentive to dharma to yield up to an enemy a creature wqo
has asked his protection, the king's heroism is extended to the
point of offering that the hawk-who accepts in the end-con
sume a part of his own body equal in weight to that of the dove.
But alas, however many morsels of himself are placed on the
scale, their weight never equals the dove's, and in the end the
brave Sibi finds his whole body, bloody and mutilated, in the
balance.
Agni and lndra then appear in their divine form before this
incomparable man who was so willing to sacrifice himself for a
just repartition of energies. They cover him with everlasting glory,
allowing him to accede to Trivi�tapa.2
lName of an ancient astronomer.

2lndra's Heaven.
CHAPTER 16
Meeting of Bhima with Hanumiin-Arjuna's return

from Svarga with divine weapons-The Kauravas
provoke the Piil){iavas in the forest-Attempt by
Jayadratha, Duryodhana's brother-in-law, to
kidnap Draupadi-Search for a safe place in
which to pass the thirteenth year incognito
The Paw;iavas at last arrive at a privileged site in. which they may
await Arjuna's return from Svarga : it is the hermitage where Nara
and Narayat;ta had lived long ago, during their last stay on Earth.1
Mahar$is and ascetics, alerted by their prescient vision, come
out of their retreat to j oin them. Kr�r.ta often appears before them,
encouraging them to endure their tribulations in the same spirit
as does Vyasa, the grandfather of all of the Bharatas.
It is here, in this enchanted place, that Draupadi discovers a
golden lotus2 of such exceptional beauty that she bespeaks her
desire to have a bouquet of the same. Always willing to satisfy her,
Bhima sets out to explore their surroundings in search of other
flowers belonging to this rare species. Caught up in his quest,
climbing higher and higher up the side of a nearby mountain, he
is suddenly confronted by an enormous monkey who blocks his
path. The golden leonine Pat;t<;lava colossus tries to thrust him
aside, but is unable to so much as move the animal's tail.
The young man wonders who indeed could be hiding behind
this simian aspect. The monkey announces that he is Hanuman,
one of the sons of Vayu, the Wind god, and thus the half-brother
ISee p. 37.
2The eight petals of the lotus, reminiscent of the eight cardinal directions,
make this a cosmogonic symbol. Its luxuriance is evocative of both prosperity
and prolific posterity, and its inalterable beauty, in spite of the swampy waters
in which it grows, makes it an emblem of purity.
of Bhima himself. He then informs him that he must turn back,

for he is on the way to Svarga which is forbidden to humans : this
is indicative, yet again, of the extraordinary favor accorded to
Arjuna in being permitted to visit Indra in his mission to save the
Triple World.
Before leaving him, the Pal).gava requests that Hanuman allow
him to perceive that form by which he was able to cross the sea
in the distant time of the Riimiiya!Ja, when he had helped Rama
to recover his wife Sita who had been kidnapped by the riik$asa
Raval).a.t But is Bhima capable of receiving this revelation? The
monkey hesitates and first shows him the four Ages of Man and
their successive degradation, down to the last, the Kali Yuga : this
is the most wobbly of all, as it has lost three of its four feet. In his
description of this time, he speaks of the disappearance of duty,
of religious ceremonies, of sacrifices and of spirituality. In these
final days, he adds, the Vedas are no longer observed ; indolence,
anger, hate, jealousy and diseases are predominant. Now that
dharma has been rejected, the world is rushing towards its down
fall. Vice and evil are man's great sources of pleasure, and truth
is on the wane.
Then, by way of unveiling his ancient appearance, Hanuman
inflates his body so much that it seems to touch the cardinal points,
in the same way as do the solstices and the equinoxes. The sky is
set ablaze.
When he returns to his monkey form before Bhima's eyes,
which are still wide with wonder, Hanuman promises to protect
the Pal).gavas during their imminent war against the Kauravas.
He will in fact appear on the banner displayed by Arjuna on the
battlefield, a terrifying figure set in defiance to his enem ies. His
cries will also be heard behind Bhima's lion's roar. Following this
extraordinary encounter, the two brothers, greatly moved, part
ways and, following Hanuman's directions, Bhima returns to
Draupadi, his arms filled with the lotuses for which she longs.
THESE five years of separation from Arjuna weigh heavy on the

lA theme of the Ramiiya!Ja, the other great Indian epic, transmitted by
Valmiki. Much shorter than the MBh, it is readable in its entirety. It is our
opinion that its symbolism is also related to a change of precessional era,
one revious to that of Aries.
Chapter Sixteen 1 13
hearts of the sons of Pa1,1gu and of Draupadi, but they bring them
ever closer to the end of their exile. In order to soothe their im
patience, and in accordance with the brahmins' advice, they pass
long hours watching the Sky that harbors so many mysterious
messages. One day, they are surprised to see a meteor that seem
ingly swoops down onto the Earth with such an incredible speed
that, even before they have time to give voice to their fright, a
flaming chariot touches down close by, steered by Indra's driver.
Arjuna dismounts, dressed in gold from head to foot and haloed
in the splendor of a divine apparition. He bows before his elder
brothers Yudhi�thira and Bhima, receives the homage of the
twins Nakula and Sahadeva, and exchanges affectionate smiles
with Draupadi.
When Matali flies off, with the speed oflightning, the gazes that
turn towards the brilliant trail left behind by the aerial car are
filled with emotion and j oy. The driver returns the next day, bring
ing the king of gods himself. The thousand-eyed immortal, dazzl
ing in his golden raiment, comes to solemnly pledge to Yudhi�
thira that he will govern the Earth, once Arjuna has vanquished
all of their enemies with the divine astras entrusted to him by the
most wondrous dwellers of Heaven. Then, after having honored
them with his benedictions, the vajra-bearer1 disappears from view.
When they are alone again, Arjuna distributes among his
brothers and Draupadi the heavenly presents he has brought them,
and gives them an account of his fabulous adventure. He shows
them his impenetrable armor, the tiara that shines on his head
(which wins him the epithet of "Kiritin"), his conch Devadatta,
and the many weapons whose brilliance eclipses the brightest
objects on our planet. But when Arjuna attempts to wield them,
a terrible tremor shakes the Earth, and a Sage immediately mani
fests himself to warn him against touching them before the Time
comes.
While awaiting the ineluctable events determined by "Daiva",
the Pa1,1«;lavas, reunited at last, continue to fall prey to adversity.
Their existence becomes more and more precarious-to the delight
l Vajra : Indra's thunderbolt. The word also means "diamond", a pure and
crystalline form of carbon which is wide-spread in nature, and of which the
chemical quadrivalency evokes the four spatial directions under the sway of
the "va 'ra" of lndra, the celestial King.
1 14 Astrological Key in Mahabharata
of Duryodhana, to whom such is related by his emissary-spies.

Wholly without scruples and unacquainted with remorse, the
Kaurava now reigns over the whole of the Kingdom and fully
means to remain its sole master. But it is not enough for him to
know that his cousins have fallen into a miserable state, subjected
as they are to torrential rains and the burning sun after having
known the riches of palace life, with its precious robes and jewels
and servants in great number. He wishes to. savor his triumph
by going to contemplate in person these victims of his deceit and
their own fall.
Under the pretext of going to inspect their herds close to Lake
Dvaitavana, where the Pal)<;iavas have been living for some time,
the Kauravas settle in the area with their troops of horses, ele
phants and soldiers, accompanied by their superbly garbed parti
sans. The wealth that they display with such ostentation accentu
ates all the more the contrast between it and the penury of the
ascetic life of these poor fugitives.
When their tents are replaced with sumptuous residences, pro
vided in expectation of grandiose festivals, thousands of Gandhar
vas enter into action to protect these sacred sites from such a
sacrilege. They succeed in driving out the Kauravas and their
warriors, in spite of strong resistance.
All of Duryodhana's forces are able to return to their camps,
with he alone being held captive. His brothers and allies then
shamelessly present themselves before the Pal)<;iavas to solicit their
help in freeing their king. Bhima cannot hide his scorn, but the
noble Yudhi�thira, leaving aside their quarrels and dissension for
a moment, agrees to lend his aid, considering that the entire
family has suffered greatly at the hands of his uncle Dhrtara�tra's
eldest son.
The Gandharvas however refuse to release the malificent being
who is their prisoner, and the sons of Pal)<;iu find themselves
obliged to do battle with them, under the order of Yudhi�thira.
Arjuna's celestial weapons are able to throttle the magical powers
of the Gandharvas, the leader of whom, even as he releases his
captive, warns the five brothers to remain vigilant during their
final year of exile.
This incident sows confusion in the mind of Duryodhana. His
cousin's attitude, generous and in conformity with dharma in
Chapter Sixteen 115
every way, i s s o contrary to his ethic of existence that a spark

seems to kindle itself in his consciousness . He devotes himself
to penitence, fasting and total silence, and even considers doing
away with himself, so strong is his revulsion towards his own
existence.
But the dark forces that surround and dwell -within him ·can
allow no place for his metaphysical cogitations. These send to
him a sorceress named Krtya who draws him down into the in
fernal regions of his own being. He emerges more diabolical than
ever before, fully persuaded that he has been given the sacred
mission of immolating Arjuna-Phalguna.
Bhi�ma vituperates once more against this bloodthirsty mad
man whose acts are so many fetters to the cosmic processes. He
expresses his clear preference for the sons of Pal)<;iu, whose cause
he pleads to Dhrtara�tra. But the demon Kali inside Duryodhana
is tough and demanding : .never again will doubt enter in to dis-
. turb his determination.
Before he openly attacks his enemy cousins, the Kaurava
decides to bring under his subjection as many princes as possible :
the riches that will be offered him as tribute should contribute to
reinforcing his armies, just as such had previously been the case
with Yudhi�thira. He too might perform a Riijasuya as a means
to consecrating his power and domination : he has had a gnawing
desire to do so ever since he attended the Pal)<;iava's magnificent
royal ceremony at Indraprastha.
But his ambitious plan is foiled by the Ancient Treatises that
formally prohibit the performance of this rite by another ruler so
long as the previous celebrant is alive. This exegetical objection
only increases the hate and jealousy that have taken hold of Dur
yodhana's mind. In order to pacify him, he is offered a compro
mise : instead of the Riijasuya, another very ancient sacrifice, dedi
cated to Vi�l)u, may be accomplished. This is the Vai�TJava rite,
which partly consists of the plowing of the sanctified enclosure
with a golden plow. Care is taken that every detail of this cele
bration be equal in munificence to that of Yudhi�thira.
Numerous princes come to pledge their allegiance, amidst a
general air of gaity. Nevertheless, the Pal)<;iavas whom Duryo
dhana had the audacity and the perversity to invite, are absent.
Prudence and dignity are the grounds for their refusaL
Although the sacrifice he has celebrated lacks the solemnity

proper to a royal sacrifice, it has not at all decreased Duryodhana's
omnipotence ; nor has it decreased the danger that he embodies.
In their forced retirement, the PaQ.Qavas, distressed by their afilic
tions, at times fall prey to discouragement.
They are dealt a fatal blow when Jayadratha, the husband of
DuJ:tsala who is Duryodhana's sister and the sole female amongst
the cousins, attempts to kidnap Draupadi. This king of Sindh
glimpses her while passing through the forest close to the hermitage
in which the PaQ.Qavas are staying-but the five brothers are away,
spread over the forest in search of game. He is dazzled by her
beauty, and insists that she come with him. He promises to shower
her with riches and give her a life worthy of her virtues. Draupadi
reviles him and flies into a passion, thus making herself all the
more desirable to him, and Jayadratha carries her off by force in
his chariot. I
Upon their return, her husbands learn of this dramatic turn of
events from an old hermit, and set out in a frantic pursuit of the
kidnapper. When they catch him, their rage and the power they
unleash are so great that the five of them alone manage to over
come the king of Sindh and his company. Bhima places his foot
on the defeated king's head in order to crush it, but when Yu
dhi�thira orders that he spare him, he must content himself with
shaving his head, with the exception of five symbolic locks of hair.
Jayadratha will not show the slightest gratitude for this, and in
the course of the battle will help his allies to form a deadly circle
around the young Abhimanyu, thus arousing Arjuna's vengeance.
Eagerly awaiting the day that he would be punished, the PaQ.Qavas,
furious at this new blow that fate has dealt them, bring their wife
who is still trembling with fear and anger-back home again.
After having been abused and gambled away in the sabhii, had
she not nearly been dragged by Jayadratha back to the Kaurava's
camp ? These would one day have to repent bitterly their desire
to steal the Earth, or the woman that symbolized her.
WITH their twelve years of exile nearly at its end, the PaQ.Qavas
wonder where they might take refuge and remain out of the sight
IHe was in fact on his way to a svayarrzvara, to "win" a wife.
Chapter Sixteen 117
o f Duryodhana, who is constantly spying on them and harassing

them with his provocations. The last year is to be in fact a crucial
one, since discovery during this final phase would result in an
additional thirteen years of banishment.
So it happens that Dharma, YudhiHhira's divine father, appears
to him in the form of a heron (baka) in order to know his feelings
and experience the nobility of his nature. This he does by means
of a series of philosophical and spiritual questions based on the
Veda. Fully satisfied by his son's answers, the god suggests that
he take his brothers and their wife to the kingdom of the MATS
YAS (Pisces) where they might spend the final year of their unjust
sentence wholly incognito.
They are assured that they shall find in the house of king
Virata-the twin of Satyavati with whom he had been discovered
in the belly of the fish in the Yamuna-the best of possible condi
tions in which to end their terrible experience. This twelve month
trial preceding the war will be offered as an oblation by the
PaiJ.c.Iavas to the Triple World.
Whereas Hastinapura is the City of division, coveted by the
"anugrahas" and the "vigrahas", those favorable or opposed to
a change amongst the heavenly bodies, Upaplavya1 will be the
choice site on which the complementary forces of the "good"
Bharatas and Matsyas will effect a metamorphosis of the Kuru
dynasty.
IDerived from the root upa-PLU: to overflow . Upaplavya is the city elected
to "receive", without being inundated, the Waters of the Great Month of
Pisces, complementary of the sign of Virgo that is occasionally called "plava",
from the same root !
CHAPTER 17
13th and final year of exile passed with Virt'ita, king

of the Matsyas-Goharaf)a ( the theft of the cows)
parvan: a "rehearsal'' for the coming war-Arjuna's
son Abhimanyu marries V iriita's daughter Uttarii
Before seeing them off, the hermits who have shared their ascetic
life in the forest and the beneficent aid of their Teachings with the
Pao<;lavas, urge them to disguise themselves so as to pass this last
crucial year in anonymity. Seeing their hesitation, the Sages prove
to them through various examples that all the gods resort to
subterfuge. Does the Sun not camouflage himself every night?
At last the sons of Pao<;lu and their wife set out in the direction
of Upaplavya,l the capital of the kingdom of the Matsyas, whose
name evokes the zodiacal sign of Pisces in which the Sun will
choose to take up residence in the precessional era to come. Their
stay in THIS country is more than a mere privilege accorded to
its king, and more than an innocent pretext for concealing them
selves up to the end of their days of adversity.
In choosing to remain, during a key period of their existence,
in the kingdom suggested by the god Dharma, the Pao<;lavas
comply with a premonitory warning as they move forward in the
direction of the cosmic evolution . This thirteenth year that they
pass with the Matsyas foretells mutations in the Cosmos-and
on Earth as well, where such will be accomplished through the
Sacrifice of war.
The five brothers hide their weapons in a "sami"2 tree on the
outskirts of the city and hard by a cremation ground, after having
tSee note p. 1 1 1 7.
2The wood of the sami is used to make the araiJi, the hollow vessel in which
is turned a churning stick of asvattha wood (another Indian tree), in order to
roduce the sparks that will Ki ndle the sacrificial fire.
taken the precaution of attaching to its trunk the corpse of an

old woman, so as to ward off importunate passers-by.
They present themselves before Vinita in turn, under diverse
appearances. Yudhi�thira passes for the brahmin Kailka (heron),
an old friend of the Pal)<;lavas from their days at Hastinapura and
a skilled dice player.
The voracious Bhima is disguised as Ballava, an excellent cook
and occasional cowherd, when sacrifices call for a particular culi
nary preparation.
It is under the name of Malini,l an independent artisan, that
Draupadi is taken in by the queen Sude�I)a to grind her perfumes
and care for her coiffure. The wife of Virata at first hesitates to
employ her, fearing the ravages that such an incomparable beauty
could trigger in her Court. The young "servant" finds it necessary
to reassure her, by mentioning her five very jealous Gandharva
husbands.
Sahadeva is appointed to the stables, to take charge of the cows
and bulls. He is named Ari�tanemi. 2
Arjuna, the valiant warrior, enters the Palace in women's dress,
his hair in braids, his ears ornamented with great round rings,
and his arms encircled by golden bracelets reminiscent of the
circular path of the Sun and the march of Time. He is the eunuch
Brhannala, 3 thus realizing the prediction made by the gracious
apsaras whose advances he had refused during his stay in Svarga.
He is hired to teach dance to the princess Uttara. This function is
an allusion to the cosmic and destructive dance of Siva Nataraja
(the dancing King), through which the god evokes the motions
of the worlds that arise and fall in the course of the cosmic cycles.
The last to arrive is the other twin Nakula, whose perfect under
standing of horses wins him a post in the royal stables, under the
name of Granthika.4
lMiilini : a connotation of impurity is attached to this word sometimes used

in reference to a menstruating woman, as was the case with Draupadi in the
sabha.
2Ari�tanemi : "a circumference whose line has not been touched", as should
be the case with the Zodiac .
. aBrhannala : the name of an important conjunction of planets in two lunar
houses, according to Hindu astronomy.
4Granthika : literally "he who understands the temporal divisions", as the
astrolo er.
Chapter Seventeen 121
The king seems to not recognize in these strangers the great

grandsons of his sister Satyavati, yet he welcomes them without
mental reservation. With him the Piil).9avas will find a safe shelter
in which to curl up, as if inside a womb, for a second gestation.
The counterpart to this situation is the fact that each is resigned
to fulfilling the thankless tasks entrusted to them, with seriousness
and in earnest : they know all too well the grave consequences they
would have to suffer if they were unmasked. It appears that they
have at last found an ideal situation in which to peaceably await
the end of their misfortunes.
This peace becomes sadly attenuated when the queen's brother,
the suta Kicaka, falls in love with Draupadi, dazzled by her femi
nine charms. The more she resists him, the more he desires her,
and the day comes when he tries to take her by force. She struggles
with such vigour that she succeeds in throwing him off balance,
after which he falls to the ground. Furious at having been so ill
treated by a mere servant, who, on the contrary, ought to have
succumbed to him, he rights himself and, leaping at her, brings
her down in turn as he strikes her.
Yudhi$!hira and Bhima happen to witness this crushing scene
of violence, but cannot intervene at the risk of giving themselves
away. It is only with great difficulty that Bhima can control his
rage. His pseudonym Ballava, "the cowherd", perfectly fits this
giant who is always ready to use his strength to defend his clan.
It is to him moreover that Draupadi later goes to lament her
cruel and unjust fate.
She implores him to avenge her and threatens to take her own
life if he refuses. So it is that they secretly plan together an in
trigue :
Draupadi agrees to meet her hot-blooded suitor on the following
night, but, under the cover of darkness, Kicaka's eager hands only
find the powerful muscles of Bhima. After a harsh exchange of
blows, the colossus strangles the queen's brother. This he does
before daybreak, just as would a riik�asa, and everyone in the
Court believes that it is Mii1ini's Gandharva husbands who have
come to satisfy their jealousy. Virii!a's partisans would like no
thing better than to see the creature who caused the death of his
brother-in-law mount his funeral pyre. But the king pardons and
s ares Drau adi.
THE time passes, and at Hastiniipura, Duryodhana rails at his

emissaries who cannot discover the hiding place in which his
cousins have disappeared. His anger grows with each passing
month. If the thirteenth year passes without him discovering them,
he knows that the Piii.J.<;lavas will make him pay dearly, everso
dearly, their forced exile-in a war without mercy.
To while away the time and increase his wealth, against the
inconceivable eventuality that the Piii.J.<;lavas remain untraceable,
he decides along with his brothers and the Trigartas1-who are
personal enemies of the Matsyas-to go and steal Viriita's cows.
These are as innumerable as the stars in the sky ! A strange coin
cidence indeed . . .
A s soon as he hears of this, the king comes to the place in which
they are enclosed-at the head of his troops which include his
new "servants", and in whose number is even counted the brahmin
Kanka (Yudhi�thira). Only Arjuna is excluded : in his role of
eunuch, he is relegated to remain behind with the women.
The battle is horrible and bloody, and its intensity seems to b e
out o f proportion with the pretext that gave rise to it. I n the reign
ing confusion, the Trigartas succeed in carrying off the Matsya
king, while Duryodhana and his soldiers hasten to round up the
animals to drive them back to Hastiniipura.
When he is informed of these events, prince Uttara refuses to
go and bring back his father's herds, and so create a diversion
among the enemy. He claims that he has no driver, but the true
reason for his reticence is that he is afraid. This is the occasion
for the eunuch, the dancing master to his sister, the princess
Uttarii, to suggest that he himself drive the princely chariot. His
offer, which provokes peals of laughter in the harem, is neverthe
less ac�epted by Viriita's son, who feels he cannot refuse.
While Arjuna puts on his armor over his skirts, buttons and
bows, the young women stand around him joking, and ask that
he bring back his prisoners' clothes (a sign of submission) for
their puppets. These are a kind of marionnette called piificiilikii ;
this name evokes that of Piificiili, which Draupadi bears as the
daughter of Drupada, the king of the Paficiilas. 2
IName of a people : their country comprises the present day region of Lahore.
2The root word "pafica" corresponds to the number five, and evokes the
elements that make u all that is found on the Earth (the Kin dom), of which
Chapter Seventeen 1 23
The chariot starts off and gains speed in skilled hands of the
Pal)<;iava. His earrings and braids are flying in the wind, but his
smile has disappeared and his eyes are flashing with fury. He drives
up to the "sami" tree where his weapons are hidden, and when he
has assembled them before the astonished eyes of Uttara, he then
reveals to him his true identity. The young man's surprise is s o
great that h e demands as proof that Arjuna cite his ten names.
This the latter does :
Arjuna : white as the Sun at dawn, and in the Spring which he

represents.
Dhanaq1jaya : he possesses all of the Sun's gold.
Vijaya : he is Victory, as invincible as the Sun that surpasses all
else.
Svetavahana : his chariot is harnessed to gold-armored white
horses, like that of the Sun.
Phalguna : because he is the evocation of the Spring months asso
ciated with Caitra (KI�I)a).
Kiritin : Indra himself placed a tiara on his head when he won his
Victory over the Diina.vas, enemies of the gods, during his stay
in Svarga.
Bibhatsu : he abhors enemies of dharma and of the march of Time.
Savyasiicin : because he is ambidextrous : he can shoot arrows
from his bow with both his right and left hands, an allusion to
the two motions of the Sun : one is apparently retrograde on the
celestial ecliptic (savya means "to the left" and "that which
moves in reverse"), the other real in the normal direction, over
the length of the Zodiac.
Ji�I)U : he is the son of Indra, the king of the gods, and like his
father he triumphs over all of his enemies.
Kr�I)a : he is sometimes attributed this tenth name. Although his
name Arjuna connotes the Moon's white color, his dark hue
associates him with the Earth that he was chosen to defend.
With the avatara of which he is the protege, he represents the
Spring, in the descending phase of the Moon that rules over the
destinies of the present dynasty. The ascending phase will follow,
when the Sun reaches the sign of Pisces.
Draupadi, in this particular moment of the Era of Aries, is the principal

symbolic representative.
Convinced that he is in the presence of the great Bharata hero,

prince Uttara1 bows to him with the deepest respect, and then
listens to an account of the Pal)<;iava's vicissitudes, as told by the
false eunuch who has now thrown down his feminine baubles, put
on a shining golden armor, and pulled his hair back into a white
cloth.
Then, giving the reins to the son of Virata, Indra's son stands ·
up in the chariot as he blows on his conch.

Off in the distance, the Kauravas and their friends shudder as
they recognize its unique sound which seems to spread over the
entire World : they are filled with anguish· at the thought of having
to fight Arjuna. Karl)a speaks of using the astra that Indra had
offered to him-with the caveat that it could be used against all
his enemies, with but a single exception.
But the old guru Krpa, one of the sages of the asuras' camp,
retorts that "only the precisely chosen Time and Place can bring
victory in cases where a Kingdom has been won through trea
chery".
Such is not the case for the Kauravas who wish to block the
Stream of Time and deny the Place selected by the Sun as its next
abode. Certain among their beasts and men are afflicted, meteors
fall upon them, and the voice of a jackal presages ill times.
Suddenly a ray of hope dawns on the evil mind of Duryodhana.
The end of the thirteenth year of exile which the Pal)<;lavas are to
pass incognito is indeed very near, but Arjuna has been somewhat
hasty in coming out of hiding. He has shown himself to those who
sought him, but a few days too early. Shortening his assigned time
in this way will prove fatal to him.
Then the Great Bhi�ma, the incarnation on Earth of Heaven of
which he knows every secret, speaks of the Wheel of Time, of the
movement of the luminaries and the planets, of their deviations
and their retrogressions. He explains that in the five year cycle
(still in use at that time), it is necessary to add one month
(adhimiisa) to each period of thirty solar months, and to reduce
by one lunar day (avama) each period of 62 days.2 So Bhi�ma
Iln this account, Uttara is named Bhiimirpjaya' "Earth's Victory".

2The Paiicasiddhantiki'l of Varahamihira, by G. Thibaut and Sudhakara
Dvivedi. Introduction p. xxi and chapter 12.
Chapter Seventeen 125
calculates that the PaQ.Qavas have lived out their exile with six
days to spare. Once again, in this passage, he is called Pitamaha.
He adds that if Arjuna has indeed appeared before everyone's
eyes, it is because no aspect of the motions of the stars or the
results of their progression escapes him. The sons of Prtha
Kunti would choose to die rather than live a lie.
In effect, THE TIME HAS COME. The thirteenth year has
just come to an end.
Duryodhana can but bow before the wisdom and knowledge
of the "grandfather", whose immediate objective is to slow
Phiilguna's impetuous advance long enough for the Kauravas
to drive the cattle to Hastinii.pura. This would also avoid an
overly bitter meeting between the two cousins, for such would be
premature at this point.
But the great Pii.Q.Qava archer is so rapid that he suddenly
swoops down on them, brandishing Gii.Q.Qiva and showering his
surprised enemies with a rain of sharp unbearable arrows that
send them fleeing in every direction. KarQ.a attempts to step into
the breach, and the sons of the Sun and of Indra face one another
like two elephants in rut.
The former refuses to move a pada (a step) (this corresponds to
a quarter of a constellation in the Sky, the arc necessary for the
autumn equinox to move from the sign of Scorpio into that of
Libra). He is acting against the evolution of the cosmos, and
Arjuna presses in on him with his darts until he has to move away.
The Pii.Q.Qava blazes like a fire sprinkled on the altar with clari
fied butter. He jumps from one chariot to another, just as does the
Sun between the zodiacal signs. His bow passes from his right hand
to his left, and his chariot describes circles first in one direction
and then in the other. He is ineluctable Time, he is the eternal
Sun, he is the Precession.
He seems to envelop his adversaries with his unceasing shafts
in the enflamed atmosphere of dust-reddened with the blood of
beasts and men-that rises to blot out the solar orb. All is red,
striped with the gold of ornaments, of helmets, armor and
harnesses.
The Earth is choked with the substance of all of these sacrificial
victims ; the setting is that of the end of a Yuga.
But Ar"una spares the lives of his old teachers Kr a and DroQ.a,
as well as the latter's son Asvatthiiman. Bhi�ma proves more diffi

cult to neutralize, as his knowledge of weapons is infinite. One of
Gai).<;iiva's arrows nevertheless comes to wound him so deeply that
his driver is obliged to quickly carry him out of range of his great
nephew. Duryodhana then comes onto the battlefield, and the in
justices they have suffered at each others hands stimulate and in
crease tenfold the two cousins' fighting rage.
Spitting blood, DhrtaraHfa's eldest son is forced to capitulate
and flee under a rain of arrows, of which one cleaves his bejewelled
diadem-a presage of the outcome of the war in which royal power
will return to the Pal). <;lavas. In the sky as well, the sign of Aquarius
will be stripped of the domination it has enjoyed due to the all
powerful winter solstice which had occurred in it up to that time.1
The thirty-three gods, the r#s, riik�asas and the ancestors of the
Kuru lineage, all resplendent as planets in conjunction, have come
from Svarga or the intermediate regions to follow the progress of
Arjuna, upon whom the balance of the Triple Worl� will hang.
Indra's thousand eyes are fixed on him.
When all the enemies have fled, the god goes off, thrilled with
his son's exploits. He now knows him to be worthy of the just
Cause of men and heavenly creatures, and capable of bearing the
burden of the coming battle against the asuras who have incarnated
themselves among the Kauravas.
This war is described minutely and at great length ; and in the
details of it described in the Epic, the enchanted will alternate with
gripping realism on the one hand and barbarous cruelty on 'the
other. It will be nothing more nor less than the conclusion, on the
Kuruk�etra, of the confrontation, begun amongst the Matsyas,
between the Kauravas and the Pai).<;iavas.
It is for this reason that this preliminary account is of capital
interest.2
It is at once a condensation of the subject matter of the entire
Mahiibharata and a prelude to the hostilities. It already holds the
seeds of the motives that will unleash the heroic Bharata war, for
lAs a celestial division, a nak$atra measures 1 3 ° and 1 /3 , and such a division
holds for approximately 960 years. It will thus have been over a period of
nearly ten centuries that the 1 00 stars of the constellation Satabhi$a, entirely
encompassed by the sign of Aquarius will have reigned in the sky.
2Book IV, " Virt'ifa Parvan".
Chapter Seventeen 1 27
on a lesser scale, their causes are fundamentally the same. Such is

indicated in the title of this section, which is "Gohara7Ja Parvan "
("The Theft of the Cows").

In fact, the word "go" means cow, the milk of which is the sym
bol of fertility of the nourishing Earth, whose one name is Vasiin
dhanL It is associated with the sacrifice in which it appears in the
form of sacrificial butter, and it is the food par excellence ofbrah
mins. The cow thus keeps men alive, but the gods as well : -"she is
all that is, all that contemplates the Sun," according to the Atharva
Veda. Whence the divine character of this animal in India.
But the term "go" also designates the stars that are grouped in
the great heavenly meadow around their cowherd, the Moon, the
shape of whose first crescent is reminiscent of the animal's horns.1
In the Epic context, these two significations are closely related.
In wishing to steal king Vinita's cows, the Kauravas seek to take
for themselves the essential wealth of his land : this they do for the
Bhiirata kingdom which they are determined to maintain for them
selves.
The asuras of which they are the earthly representatives wish,
as far as they are concerned, to take over the myriads of stars that
would come to constitute the Matsya kingdom's wealth once the
Sun entered into it for the coming age. But, tomorrow, the stars
would be the Matsyas', just as are the cows that the triumphant
Arjuna shows to Uttara.
THE two warriors make their way home with the recovered cattle,
the prince having promised to take credit for the feat. Before en
tering the city, they stop at the "§ami" tree inside which Arjuna
again hides his weapons and exchanges his armor for his skirts
and baubles.
King Virata has also returned with his troops, having defeated
the Trigartas. Upon hearing the account of the Kaurava's flight
before his son and the eunuch who had served as his driver, the
lArcturus (svati, in Sanskrit) is the "Shepherd's Star", a first magnitude
star that prolongs the line of the stars of Ursa Major (in certain languages,
the Great Wagon or Boar). Arcturus, located in the region of the constella
tions of Virgo and Libra, in fact appears to watch over the round of the heaven
ly bodies as does Kr�I:la for the spring as well as the autumn equinoxes in the
sector in which is located the star Spica-Citra-symbolized by his sister Su
bhadrii, the wife of Arjuna.
king has trouble in smiling through his doubt and contempt. The
brahmin Kanka-Yudhi�thira then sides with the d�ncing master,
but due to a lack of respect towards his Iord, he is given a cuffing that
makes him bleed. Immediately the royal Pa1.1c;iava hurries to catch
the falling blood in the hollow of his hand, in order that the earth
of the Matsya's kingdom be spared from soilure. Draupadi collects
it in a golden vase filled with water (that of the purifying Pisces?).
Back in the harem, Arjuna distributes the many garments taken
from the slain soldiers among the laughing and delighted young
women who have greeted his return.
Uttara, incapable of lying to credit himself with victory, tells
his father of the intervention of the son of a god who fought the
Kauravas in his stead, and chased them outside of their borders.
He adds that this being had returned to the Invisible, but that he
would soon return.
Three days later, during a great feast offered by Virata to cele
brate their triumph, the five Pal).c;iava heroes and Draupadi take
off their respective disguises of brahman, servants and woman.
They prostrate themselves before the king, their ancestress Satya
vati's twin brother, and thank him for his protection. Without his
knowing it, he has allowed them to pass the thirteenth and most
crucial year of their exile sheltered from Duryodhana's incessant
and vengeful search for them.
The king is at once surprised and proud to have helped them.
When he hears from the mouth of his own heir that it was thanks
to Arjuna that his cattle had been recovered, he offers the hero
his most prized possession, his daughter Uttara. But Arjuna has
been the paternal advisor to this young princess in the women's
apartment, and so he refuses her for himself but accepts her as
his daughter-in-law, to be married to the son given him by
Subhadra, the sister of Kr�1.1a.
Thus, a short time later, Uttara becomes Abhimanyu's wife, in
a magnificent ceremony marked by numerous sacrifices and sump
tuous gifts, and in the presence of the avatara himselfwho has come
especially for the great occasion.
It is from this union that will be born Parik�it, a Matsya on his
father's side (as a descendant of Satyavati) as well as his mother's,
as she is Virata's daughter. He is to be the Kuru lineage's sole
survivor and will thus incarnate the ksatra in the Era of Pisces.
CHAPTER 18
Preparations for War-Negotiations-Kr$1Ja' s

Mediation
In the first four books of the MBh, all of the main characters have
been introduced, and all the motives for the inevitable war have
been invoked. But the essential reason for the conflict remains :
this is the fact that Yudhi��hira, king Aja-Mi<;lha (double Aries)
has lost, in a dishonest dice game, his goods and his kingdom-to
Duryodhana who refuses to return these to him.
Nonetheless, this dire solution between cousins who are nearly
brothers is repugnant to the members of this dharmic clan. Nego
tiations are thus underway, with emissaries meeting and following
one another. Joined by family ties to the two rival branches, Kr�Qa
attempts to effect a preliminary reconciliation. He receives at his
Court in Dvaraka the two protagonists, Duryodhana and Arjuna,
to whom his support is seemingly indispensable.
As a means of testing them, the avatara gives them a choice bet
ween a great army made up of gopa-niiriiym:zas,1 and himself, un
armed. Without hesitation, Arjuna chooses his friend as moral
guide and chariot driver ; the warriors go to Duryodhana, who is
delighted with this windfall .
Salya, the brother o f Madri who had immolated herself on her
husband PaQ<;iu's funeral pyre, is tricked by the Kauravas while
on his way to offer his services to the PaQ<;iavas. He unwillingly
agrees to be KarQa's driver, but does so with the intention of doing
everything possible to demoralize him and thus render him less
dangerous to Arjuna.
This maternal uncle to the twins Nakula and Sahadeva is the
incarnation of an asura2 who once tried to lead Brahma astray
tKr�I:la is the heavenly cowherd (gopa), the guardian and protector of the
World, manifested as the Nariiyal)a form of Vi�l)u. See note 1 p. 1 27.
2An incarnation of the asura Samhrada, the son of Hiral)yakasipu.
and escape from the cycles of Time. He is thus introduced as a

predestined ally of Duryodhana's camp. But whereas he will drive
Karl).a's chariot in a direction opposite to that of cosmic change,
Kr�l).a will guide the symbolic Wheel of Arjuna's vehicle in the
same sense as the temporal revolution.
Bhi�ma intercedes with DhrtaraHra on several occasions, asking
him to convince his eldest son to give up his ill-gotten goods. But
the old ruler, torn between his duty and the inauspicious influence
of Duryodhana, takes shelter each time-as an excuse for his
weakness-behind implacable Destiny which he considers to be
as blind as he is himself. He nevertheless trembles when he ima
gines the "two Kp�l).as" on their chariot. For Arjuna is capable
of the highest exploits, and if his son remains obstinate in his
errors, the Kauravas, lacking the avatara in their camp, will rush
headlong into their own destruction.
As for Yudhi�!hira, his feeling that Daiva is grounded in a divine
plan that is beyond human ken. The gods govern man through his
acts ; and he thus believes that the Pal).<;lavas must act like k$atriyas
in order to undergo the fate that is reserved for them. Each caste,
he says has its obligations to fulfil, and should proceed in such a
way as to accomplish them. The brahmin who sacrifices, studies
the Vedas and receives honoraria for performing rites ; the k$at
riya who defends his subjects, offers sacrifices,1 reads the Vedas
and helps brahmins ; the vaisya who amasses wealth in exchange
for his good work ; and the sudra who makes himself agreeable to
brahmins and k$atriyas by his good services-all of these can thus
make their fortunes.
It is by his virtues that man can have art influence on his destiny
and his death. This latter does not exist ; it is but a form of negli
gence. Man perishes through his desires, which is why he should
cultivate meditation and penitence in order that he may enjoy the
fruits of such in his next existence-and so on, from rebirth unto
rebirth, until he escapes this cycle. He may then contemplate
Brahma-Eternity, beyond the divisions ofTime.
I For these, he pays honoraria or offers presents (often cows, in early times)
to the officiating priests. These gifts are called "dak$il;rii", the adjective meaning
"right" as opposed to "left".
Chapter Eighteen 131
THE concepts of Destiny expressed b y the Kaurava and the

Pal)c;lava pose the important problem of human free will.
Dhrtara�tra and Pal)c;lu are the sole major characters who are
not incarnations of well-defined gods or asuras,l and not mani
pulated by good or evil external forces. They thus represent Man,
face to face with his destiny and his inner reflections, when con
fronted by the choice offered him between two possible tendencies,
the negative and the positive.
The weak Kaurava Dhrtara�tra succumbs to events and hides
behind Fatalism whenever a catastrophe arises, refusing to resolve
the dilemmas that fall across his path, and running away from the
responsibilities of his position. Frozen in an attitude of carelessness
and passive resignation-even as he anticipates its harmful re
sults-he worsens his karman all the more.
Taking on his father Pal)c;lu's role, Yudhi�thira, on the contrary,
"plays out" his life : he assumes responsibility through arbitrary
action, choosing the harder and more dangerous path, and compen
sating for the discouragement that often dogs him with a detached
outlook, an unshakable spiritual foundation, and a noble concept
of duty. And because he has taken up the Just Path of Divine Law,
he is "upheld" by Dharma, of which he is an emanation. This
is not the well-defined god who will appear in texts posterior to the
MBh, but a divinized abstraction corresponding to the axis around
which man is to center himself and from which he must not deviate.
Such is the case with the Earth and its own polar axis, and the
Kingdom around its · king.
Whereas the Pii.Qc;lava embraces the cosmic message, the Kau
rava remains opposed to it, thus shying away from the necessary
precepts that incumb upon his royal function and his universal role.
Through the intermediary of the character of Dhrtara�tra is to
be seen, as "through a glass darkly", a warning to every Master
of the Earth.
lDhrtara�tra is said to be the representative of a Gandharva. This may be
Bhaga, regent of the Constellation of Uttaraphalguni, which straddles the
signs of Leo and Virgo, and faces the especially crucial regions of Aquarius
and Pisces. Pai)QU is believed to be the incarnation of a Marut.
Gandharvas and Maruts are divinities of the intermediate world. The for
mer are considered to be companions to Kubera, the god of earthly riches,
and the latter, friends of Indra, the god who rules over the seasons and the
rains that dispense such riches.
Astrologers, well-versed in the observation of the Sky and con

junctions between planets and constellations, predict a Pal)<;lava
victory. Bhi�ma describes to the blind Dh:rtara�tra the two r:Jis
Nara-NiiriiyaiJ.a who have been reconstituted in the persons of
K:r�IJ.a and Arjuna, come t o Earth again to help the Good i n their
combat. Vyasa too tries to put pressure on his son, to make him
!!Ware of the terrible danger to which he is exposing the entire
lineage ; but the old king is persistent in his opaquejudgments and
his indecisions.
Saiijaya tirelessly shuttles between Hastinapura and the PiiiJ.
<;lavas' headquarters at Upaplavya. He is the indefatigable suta to
whom the power of clairvoyance was given by Vyiisa in order that
he keep Dh:rtara�tra informed of all that would later come to pass
in the two camps during the battle. For the time being, he serves
as principal emissary in negotiationstowards a reconciliation. But
in spite of the fidelity of his reports, the Pal)<;lavas' goodwill and the
warnings of the old family Sages, not even the slightest tiding, of
peace comes from the asura clan.
Urged by his friends, K:r�IJ.a consents to himself serve as am
bassador to this sovereign of such intransigent vision. All along
the road that takes him to Hastiniipura, he receives the homage of
many NiS and subjects of Duryodhana, while in the city, magni
.
ficent receptions are organized in his honor. Is this red carpet treat
ment but a ploy to woo the king of Dviirakii into a position in
which he could be used against the sons of Pal)<;lu?
For the old king has received the revelation, through Saiijaya's
gift of ubiquity, of K:r�l)a's cosmic dimension : he is the passage of
Time and of the three yugas that he encompasses (is this a p·o ssible
allusion to the three precessional eras of 2, 1 60 years that would
make up the Kali Yuga, for which the avatiiraha:> manifested him
self on Earth?)
Upon Dhrtarii�tra's request, the loyal suta enumer.ates for him
some of the various names of this superior being Kr�IJ.a-Niiriiyal)a
V asudeva.
Madhava, Madhusiidana : because he destroyed the demon

Madhu in order to become the symbol, of the first months of
the year, starting with spring.1
lMadhu is hone .
Ji$!).U Govinda : he is the guardian of the herd of stars in the

celestial vault, ever victorious.
Mahabahu : he encloses the Earth in his arms.
Adhok$aja : he also manifests himself in the regions below the
horizon. Here he bears the name of the constellation Sraval)a,
of which Vi$!).U is the regent. This asterism consists of the three
stars of Aquila, including Altair, and is located in the sign of
Capricorn. Furthermore, this tenth month, in which the winter
solstice would later fall, gives Kr$!).a his names of Hr$ikesa and
Puw;Iarikak�a, as the color white is related to solar Tropic of
Winter superimposed upon the celestial axis (ak�a = wheel,
axle, axis).
Damodara : "he who has a rope around his waist" : the Zodiac
that surrounds the Earth. This is also one of the names for the
twelfth month, falling in Pisces (Phiilguna).
Acyuta : he is everlasting and imperishable.
Ananta : he is without temporal or spatial dimension, infinite as
the line of the horizon that rings the Earth like a serpent.
Aj a : he is of divine origin, and has manifested himself in this,
the Era of Aries.
Dasarha : On him depends human destiny as it is conditioned by
the position of the planets and their respective aspects. For
every individual, a given period of planetary domination
-"dasii"-is especially dependent upon the nak�atra in which
the Moon is located at the moment of birth. This name of
Dasarha borne by Kf$!).a reinforces, in this descending lunar
phase, the importance of his appearance on the side of those
whom he has chosen from among the members of the lunar
dynasty.
Another character of apparent secondary importance, never
theless plays a determining role in the Destiny of the lineage.
This is the fisher king who pulled out of the Yamuna the fish
containing Virata and Satyavati (called Daseyi), whose name is
Dasaraja.1
1The word dasa becomes dasa in compounds.

Generally speaking, there are two kinds of parallel explanations for any
given name : one is legendary and the other cosmic-we naturally choose to
em hasize the latter.
Having immediately gone to offer his respects \.O his aunt Kunti,
and reassure her regarding the condition of her sons and of
Draupadi, whom she has not seen for over thirteen years, Kr�IJa
presents himself before the assembled Kauravas. All prostrate
themselves before him.
Dazzling and majestic, he wears on his breast the jewel Kaus
tubha. This gem, peculiar to Vi�J.lU, arose from the churning of
the Cosmic Ocean1-the Milky Way-along with thirteen other
precious "things". These possibly correspond to the constellations
which became visible to the people fleeing the glaciation of the
Great North, when it at last became possible for them to contem
plate the totality of the constellations seen in the northern hemi
sphere.
He also displays the sign of Srlvatsa, a cross-shaped symbol
that represents the solstices and the equinoxes. Seated upon a
golden, jewel-studded throne, Kr�IJa harangues the k$afriyas who
are present, urging them to greater wisdom, for war can only lead
to carnage and the destruction of the entire family. He makes an
impassioned plea on behalf of his friends and the Kuru lineage.
But Duryodhana is unshaken in his resolve to keep the King
dom for himself. Nothing can dent the demonic determination of
this agent of Kali. He does not show the slightest remorse when
the avatii.ra enumerates the perverse acts he has committed in the
course of the past years. Nor does he regret in the least his mal
treatment of Draupadi in the sabhii, the suggestion by his uncle
Sakuni that she be used as stake, or the fact that he had forced
his own flesh and blood to endure a miserable and dangerous
existence in the inhospitable forest.
Kr�IJa thus prepares his departure, full of scorn for this irre
deemable creature, and fury against the father who would go
IAn ancient myth relates how Narayal)a, in order to obtain amrta (amb
rosia), the drink of immortality, wound the serpent Vasuki (the line of horizon)
around the sacred Mount Mandara (the Cosmos). On either side of this im
provised "churning rope", the gods and asuras set up a rotating motion in order
that Mandara "churn" the Cosmic Ocean (the Milky Way). Along with the
amrta appeared the thirteen other "precious things" that had been lost in the
Deluge.
See note 1 p. 127 on the subject of Kaustubha, and its possible association
with the star Svati-Arcturus, the "Shepherd's star".
along with this evil plan. Before h e leaves Hastinii.pura, Kunti

charges him with the transmission of her thoughts and good
wishes to her sons. She remembers that, when Arjuna was born,
a disembodied voice announced that he would bring the World
under his control and take back from his enemies his elders' right
ful inheritance. He would do this by virtue of his ambidexterity,
yet another reminder of the Sun's two directions, the one real and
the other precessional (this latter retrograde motion being only
apparent).
At the gates of the city, the avatii.ra has a discussion, in great
secrecy, with Kan;1a. Does he speak to him of the mystery of his
origins ? Yes-as Saiijaya reveals to Dhrtarii�tra-although this
is not enough for the son of Siirya and Kunti to agree to abandon
his Kaurava friends.
Kaq1a nevertheless portends that the Sacrifice of war will end
on the Kuruk�etra with the death of Duryodhana at the hands of
Bhima, and his own death dealt by Arjuna.
The opposition between these four very important characters
is reproduced on the symbolic level :
Kan:ta is against the passage of the fall equinox from Scorpio,
which he represents, into Libra, which is counterpoised on the
Zodiac to the sign of Aries in which Arjuna stands for the Spring.
Duryodhana refuses to allow the winter solstice to retreat from
the sign of Aquarius, in which he is supreme, into that of Capri
corn, which is opposite that of Cancer, where Bhima represents
the solar Tropic of Summer.
This colossus, armed with a club to vanquish every dark and
evil force that might threaten life, appears in fact as the Indian
response to Hercules. The Greek hero is associated with the
constellation that bears his name, which is located near Cancer
and Leo.1
Descriptions of Bhima furthermore accentuate his leonine
characteristics. He bears a lion as his standard, and his cosmic
exploits make his a solar myth.
In a fleeting vision, Kar!).a comes to understand that the Time
has come for the Earth to be watered with the blood of the Kurus.
lThe Constellation of Leo is extremely extensive : it takes up 36° of the

ecli tic.
1 36 Astrological Key in Mahabhiirata
He nevertheless rejects the possibility of ever ruling over it by

uniting forces with the Pal).<;iavas, of which he is the eldest, by
their mother.
Like Duryodhana, he refuses to budge a "pada"-a quarter of
a constellation-or to adhere to the cosmic order (rta) of which
dharma is the equivalent on Earth .
C H AP T E R 1 9
The Eighteen-day war begins-The Bhagavad Gitii :

Kr�IJ.a gives his teaching to Arjuna
Yudhi�thira, having resigned himself to an ultimate sacrifice by

which to insure peace, has offered to accept, instead of the King
. dom or his half of it, a mere five villages. This is an allusion to the
five years of the short temporal cycle that are to be abandoned
now that the tropical Zodiac of signs, beginning with the vernal
equinoctial point, is to take the place of the sidereal zodiac of the
constellations, and so dictate the division of the seasons.
But even this has been refused.
So it is that war is declared by the PaQ<;iavas. Dhr�tadyumna,
the brother of Draupadi, is named commanding general of their
seven armies.
This honor falls to Bhi�ma for the eleven Kaurava formations.
He has already been assured that Karl).a, the suta, would not enter
into the combat so long as he was fighting.
Once again we find the number eighteen (one half of the thirty
six year cycle)-which corresponds to the duration of the Moon's
descending phase ( 1 8 years)-symbolically represented by the
lunar dynasty of the Bharatas.1 The battle will last for 18 days, and
Kr�Qa foretells that it will begin in the Fall, when the conjunction
Sun and Moon will take place on the seventh day, in the month
Asvina 2-which corresponds to the sign of Libra.
His brother Baladeva prefers to remain neutral, unable to de
cide which of his cousins he should side with : he leaves on a long
pilgrimage. Kg;Qa tries to reassure the PaQ<;iavas by telling them
that Victory will take the side on which dharma (and he himself)
ISee p. 1 6.
2A day ruled over by Indra, the sovereign of the gods.
stand. Furthermore, the predictions of the astrologers are in their

favor, in confirmation of their previous forecasts.
These notwithstanding, the apprehension of killings that will
bloody and decimate the Kurus provokes inauspicious signs in the
Sky and on Earth, whose tremors are strong and widespread.
Burning meteors fall from the heavens, and a black ring encircles
the Sun, which Rahu is rapidly approaching in order to swallow
it. A dull pain takes hold of man and beast alike. The jackals
howl incessantly.
Duryodhana sends a sibylline, but ironic, message to his ad
versary cousin, making a parody of the Era of Pisces which is to
begin :
"0 Arjuna, come and try, with the strength of your arms, to
cross over this wide ocean of men that surrounds me. Its depth is
immense. KrPa is a great fish, Vivimsati a long aquatic serpent.
Bhi�ma is its strong current, Dro!)a a ferocious crocodile. Kar!)a,
Salva and Salya are its whirlpools filled with quivering fish:
Kamboja is one of its submarine volcanos, Somadatta an enor
mous whale, Jayadratha an immersed boulder and Sakuni its
shoreline.1"
Duryodhana proclaims that when Yudhi�thira will have plunged
into this ocean whose crashing waves are bristling with weapons,
he will lose the desire to govern the Earth and will come to under
stand that Heaven has turned its back on him. Through this
imagery, the Kaurava seems to rail at the precessional motion and
the new astronomical reality. But if the Patj<;lavas' reaction to this
message is one of revulsion and anger, Kr�I.la grasps its true mean
ing and dictates an answer to it by which Duryodhana may know
that "his words have been heard and their meaning understood . "
The failure o f his mediation a t Hastinapura does not surprtse
him. He has known from the start that ALL would be realized
according to the will of this Kaurava so guided by his desire for
hatred and vengeance ; for the progression of Time is imperative.
The destruction of perverted royalty must be real in order that a
lVivirilsati : one of the sons of Dhrtara�tra. Salva : an asura prince, the

fiance of Amba. Satya : the maternal uncle of the Pii.Q<;\ava twins, who rallied
the Kaurava camp by means of Duryodhana's deception. Kamboja and Soma
datta : kin s allied with the Kauravas.
Chapter Nineteen 1 39
new order might be established, in accordance with Universal

Law.
Just as cosmic cataclysms are the result of a concomitant loss
of balance between the elements,1 so the loss of the harmony that
had previously reigned between brahmins and k$atriyas, or bet
ween k$afriyas themselves, provokes a fatal and irreversible up
heaval.
Duryodhana, the incarnation of the asura Kali, is at the opposite
of the avatiira. Now, the Kali Yuga can only be saved through
bhakti, through devotion to a god. This is the only way to stave
off the collapse of dharma at this time, and this is why Vi�J:m's
descent to Earth is indispensable to its salvation.
The members of the two highest castes claim powers not in
cumbent on them : brahmins have become skilled fighters and
k$afriyas have taken refuge in the asceticism and meditation of the
yogin. Only war can rectify this grave crisis, but such a war must
be absolute and without meq.:y. Whether its origins were mythic
or, more likely, historical, its memory lives on in India .. .
AFTER a long preparation, the two sides set up camp o n the Kuru
k�etra. Their armies spread out, with their elephants and horses
by the thousands. They form two great oceans whose deep waters
flow into one another at the moment Yudhi�thira gives the signal
to begin the fight, amidst the deafening din of drums and conches
and the cries of animals and men.
And it is to be a series of apocalyptic visions that will follow over
the next eighteen days, during which time the Earth will be awash
in the blood of warriors and their mounts, and the battlefield
transformed into a tremendous sacrificial ground.
But their sacrifice will not have been in vain. The heroes will
enjoy glory here on Earth and eternal happiness in Svarga ; for by
dying worthily in battle, face to face with his enemy, a k$atriya 's
karman is improved and his sins absolved. Death is preferable to
disho:p.or.
From the first day onwards, all of the kings and princes are
assembled on the Kuruk�etra. Among the Piio\lavas' allies, and
making up the front line with them, are the Matsyas led by Virii!a.
lin the order of cosmic destruction, earth is absorbed into water, water into
fire, fire into air and air into ether.
Yuyutsu, Dhrtara�tra's siidra son, abandons his hundred

brothers to join the dharmic camp.
Each morning, Bhi�ma wishes in his heart of hearts that the
victory may fall to the sons of Piil)<;lu, who came to him before
engaging in battle to receive his benediction and that of the Sages
in his entourage, as prescribed in the Treatises.
Kr�l)a agrees to be Arjuna's driver after having decreed that
he would not himself join the fight.
When their chariot arrives at the area set off for combat, the
Piil)<;iava perceives, from atop his vehicle, a tide of warriors stamp
ing the ground in their impatience for the fight, and all the mem
bers of his family poised for mutual destruction. Tears cloud his
vision and his heart is filled with compassion. He admits to Kr�l)a
that he feels himself incapable of using his arms against them .
It is at this moment that the avatiira reveals his divinity to him,
and gives him his Instruction in the celebrated passage that is the
Bhagavad Gitii.1
He speaks of the vanity of earthly goods, of the duties of crea
tures and the cycle of their rebirths. This they are b ound to follow
until they· reach the ultimate goal : definitive absorption into the
heart of the brahman2, which may be attained by those who live
the life of a yogin.
For, he says, that which is done cannot be undone ; and the
individual never ceases to exist beyond the present life. He is in
destructible ; only his carnal envelope perishes. 3 As for the soill,
it is immutable and immortal ; it is neither born nor dies, but
merely passes from one corporeal form to another.
The death of the body leads to rebirth, and rebirth is followed
by Death. Why therefore should we grieve over those who have
died or are gone?
The respect that each individual holds for dharma and his caste
. is essential. For a k�atriya like Arjuna, there is no death that can
lBook VI (Bhi$maparvan), section 69 (Bhagavadgitiiparvan). The Bhagavad

Gitii has been translated by Richard Gotshalk (Delhi, Motilal Banarsidass,
1986), and by Anne-Marie Esnoul/Olivier Lacombe, Fayard, Paris.
2The brahman (neuter) corresponds to the Impersonal Absolute into which
i s absorbed the Personal Abs6lute. From the nominative masculine is derived
Brahma the name of the god of the Trimiirti.
lt returns to the Five elements.
Chapter Nineteen 141
equal that which is met on the battlefield ; neither successes nor

setbacks should trouble his equanimity.
On the contrary, men born into the race of asuras are unaware
of the mysteries of life and death, and believe in a mutual exchange
of powers directed by their desires : they offer sacrifices that do
not follow the ritual order.
One must know how to suppress one's passions, for it is these
that fetter man to his karman in the endless circle of reincarnation.
They render him subject to the fruits of his actions, which in turn
give rise to new passions-and so are the links in the chain of
sarrzsiira forged and perpetuated.
The yogin is he who acts while remaining detached from the
results of his acts, and who knows how to make propitiatory
offerings to the gods.
Would that Arjuna take refuge in him, the avatiira of Vi$l).U and
Vi$l).U himself, so he might be purified.
Kf$l).a then confides to his protege that he manifests himself
on Earth every time virtue is lacking and vice increasing such that,
with each yuga, the good is maintained and the evil destroyed, and
dharma restored.
He is the support of this Universe, he is the Veda, the syllable
AUM,l the Past, Present and Future.
He is the three essential qualities inherent to Nature-sattva ,
rajas and tamas2-even as he is beyond them.

In the end, he consents to appear in his divine form, resplendent,
infinite, and filling the entire universe. The Sun and Moon are his
eyes, his gaping mouth seemingly has sucked in all his enemies,
and he brandishes his Cakra Sudarsana (the name of a fish). He
manipulates this weapon by its central axis, just as does the Pre
cession in relation to the celestial Zodiac. 3
When he returns to his human appearance, as the king of Dvii
rakii, it is a stupefied and still dazzled Arjuna who promises him
that he will burn up their adversaries and remain steadfast in
spite of any doubts that might assail him.
lA UM (OM) a mystic syllable, the symbol of the Absolute.
2See note 1 p. 9 1 .
aKr�I:la is often represented with the Cakra i n his right hand and the conch
(sankha) in his left.
Saiikha is the name of a son of Virata, Kin of the Mats as.
C H AP T ER 20
Description of the War-Bhi$ma, the commanding

general of the Kauravas "voluntarily'' withdraws
from the combat on the tenth day-Dro!Ja replaces
Bhi$ma, and Kar!Ja enters the battle-Death of
Abhimanyu, son of Arjuna and father of the
future Parik$it, on the thirteenth day
Each day, the respective armies enter into formations that re
produce symbolic figures : cakra, ma!J¢ala (circle), vajra (Indra's
thunderbolt), kurma (crab, the hieroglyph of the sign of Cancer),
makara (that of Capricorn) in relation with the summer and
winter solstices and the holy rivers Yamuna and Ganga, and
srngiitaka (the name of a particular planetary configuration in the
sign of Aries).
· Each day, the combats seemingly reach their paroxysm ; yet, the
next day, the battle rages all the more fiercely. The carnage is in
tolerable, and the warriors have trouble telling each other apart,
so spattered are they with blood.
The dead part by the thousands for the kingdom of Yama, the
god of Death. The Earth is strewn with mangled and decapitated
bodies, with mutilated arms and legs, the whole carried along in
waves of reddened fat and marrow. Her thirst is unquenchable, as
if she were demanding this heavy human tribute in order that she
might be relieved of a weight that has become too great and per
mcwus.
She also lays claim to heroes.
From the very first day, the Matsyas, whose future is to be so
great, offer their sacrificial victims. These are Virata's two sons,
one of which is the same Uttara who took part in the punitive
expedition against the Kauravas when these were about to steal
his father's cows, as numerous as the stars in the sidereal meadow.

On the eighth day, Iravat, born of Arjuna and the Naga prin
cess, is sacrificed. His fair head rolls over the ground (irii)1 to
which he is related, just as he is to its complementary element,
the aquatic world. Earth and Seas are moreover greatly shaken
when he is brought down.
Iravat's magical powers are incapable of saving him ; the same
will be the case with Ghatotkaca, the riik$aSa son of Bhima and
the ogress Hi<;limba- for Duryodhana has set against them
warriors of their respective races who are more powerful than
they themselves.
On the ninth day of the war, Arjuna finds himself face to face
with Bhi�ma, and the avatiira reproaches him for fighting too
gingerly, as if he were hesitating to kill this prestigious grandsire.
Although he has sworn to not make use of his weapons, Kr�I)a
descends from the chariot he is driving and threatens the son of
Ganga with his terrifying discus. Arjuna quickly stops him at his
tenth step to remind him of his promise, and forces him to take
up the reins again.
In fact, it is Bhi�ma who suddenly proves to be extremely dan
gerous, after having carried himself unenthusiastically at the
head of the Kaurava army. Duryodhana had let him know of this
in no uncertain terms, with harsh and stinging words. Now that
he seems determined to use his unequalled strength, which renders
him invulnerable, to the utmost, Pitamaha again becomes the
Piil)<;lavas' most fearsome adversary. Until he can be neutralized,
there can be no hope of victory for them. It is for this reason that
Kr�lJ.a, terrified by his unexpected show of fury against the dhar
mic camp, had wished to intervene himself in the face of Arjuna's
reluctance.
There can be no question that the catastrophe would be uni
versal if the Wheel of the Zodiac were stopped, and if the solstitial
changes were not to take place. For the sake of the survival of the
Triple World, the war must not be won by th€:; Kauravas.
But how is Bhi�ma to be brought down ? Kr�lJ.a suggests to
Yudh iHhira that the best way to find out is to go and ask the
person in question himself. So it is that he learns from the old
IThe word "ira" signifies "earth" as well as "stream of water".
See pp. 86 ff on the women in Arjuna's life.
Chapter Twenty 145
man's own mouth that he has vowed to not shoot his arrows at
Sikhal).c;iin, knowing this hot-blooded warrior to be the reincar
nation of Amba ; she has returned to this world to quench her
thirst for vengeance against him. He will never harm a woman,
for this was his promise to his father Santanu when the latter was
joined with Satyavati.
The other reason for this is that Bhi�ma is possessed of the
Knowledge of what must come to pass in the Cosmos. Having
failed in his attempts to convince Duryodhana to give up the
k�atra, but committed to fulfilling his k�atriya duty as command
ing general of the Kaurava troops, he runs the risk of compromis
ing the cosmic process by outfighting the Pal).c;iavas. He thus
judges it preferable to withdraw from the battle definitely.
When the combat begins again on the tenth day, Pitamaha
challenges the ambiguous being whose hate for himself he knows
all too well. This he does in spite of the fact that he knows Arjuna
to be advancing directly behind him. After a furious battle,
Ga1)rjiva's arrows finally pierce his white armor.
The moment has come for him to withdraw from the World
and from this war in which his superiority might otherwise b e
overwhelming. In the world of the Invisible, the Vasu deities and
Vyasa show their approval. The Wheel of Time shall not b e
stopped irreversibly.
Through his Renunciation, that superior form of Sacrifice,
Bhl�ma appears as a Maha Bharata-a Great Bharata.
When he falls from his chariot, the Earth is shaken by great
tremors. Yet, he remains suspended above the ground, so numer
ous are the arrows that bristle over his body. It is as if he Wished
to set out, between Earth and Heaven-of which he is the incar
nation-the intermediate space without which the Three Worlds
would perish.
The gods are nevertheless astonished and worried to see him
stretched out on his bed of arrows, for the Sun is still following
its path to the south of the horizon. This is neither the day nor
the month : it is still too early !
But this son of Ganga and Santanu possesses, from the latter,
the power to fix the moment of his own death. And, to the great
relief of the heavenly beings and Kr�l).a, he withholds his vital
breath, awaiting the time that the Sun will pass into the boreal
hemisphere. This will come to pass in fiftyeight days, with the

return of the auspicious month of Miigha-which corresponds
to the sign of Aquarius1-when the Sun will again turn to the
North. His astronomical knowledge is obvious.
He is the Kuruvrddha, the inspired ancestor of the chosen
lineage.
As the news of Bhi�ma spreads, the entire Kuru race is filled
with confusion. This victory is anything but joyful for the Pii.Q.ga
vas, and the Kauravas find themselves crippled by this unexpected
loss of their commanding general.
Silencing their quarrels and resentment, they all assemble
around the Pitii.maha-but it is to Arjuna rather than to Duryo
dhana that the wounded one turns, to ask that he plant three
arrows in the ground to hold his head up, to better await the
coming of the solar tropic of winter.
It is he as well that Bhi�ma solicits to wet his lips. So, with a
single shaft from Gii.Q.giva, the Pii.Q.gava pierces the ground, from
which a stream of pure, fresh, perfumed and delicious water
gushes forth.2 It is with this premonitory evocation of the waters
of Pisces that Arjuna refreshes his mouth.
And it is once again Arjuna whose praises he sings, as he sup
plicates the eldest Kaurava one last time to restore the Kingdom
to Yudhi�thira. He implicitly approves of Kr�JJ.a's choice of the
third son of Pii.Q.gu as the rightful defender, on Earth, of the
k$atra and the Cosmos.
But Duryodhana refuses to allow the kingship to pass from him,
and in this way he denies the new celestial division of the seasons.
He no more consents to follow the example of Bhi�ma's sacrifice
than does his friend KarQ.a accept the passage of the fall equinox
from the region of Scorpio into that of Libra.
It is for this reason that the son of Surya will now be able to
take part in the battle from which he had been scornfully excluded
by the "grandfather" of the Bhii.rata cousins. But he now forgets
his rancor long enough to prostrate himself, in turn, at the feet
of the Great Renouncer, who speaks to him as well of his divine
origin. KarQ.a reiterates his fidelity to Duryodhana and justifies
IKumbha, in Sanskrit.
2There are 8 qualities of the element "water".
Chapter Twenty 147
his choice. He nevertheless receives Bhi�ma's benediction ; and

then leaves the latter alone to bemoan his failed attempts to estab
lish peace and understanding between his great-nephews.
THE battle begins again on the eleventh day in an atmosphere of

heightened violence. Kar.Q.a's fresh strength brings him victory
on every front of the Kuruk�etra, on which he moves, like the
Sun on the ecliptic, over the four directions symbolized by the
elephant belt that he displays as his emblem.1
His armor, helm, and gold and bejewelled chariot make him
so resplendent as to nearly blind his adversaries. His enthusiasm
gives a second wind to his troops, who are also comforted by the
presence of Dro.Q.a. This brahmin replaces Bhi�ma at the head of
the already quite decimated Kaurava armies for a period of four
days and five nights. His speed and dexterity give rise to admira
tion in his own camp and fear in that of the Pa.Q.gavas.
It is in fact the case that Dro.Q.a-under his patronymic of
"Bharadvaja", one of the names of the planet Mars, itself asso
ciated with the god of war-evokes this ruler of the sign of Aries,
and of Scorpio as well.2 He is furthermore personally related to
the symbolism of Jupiter (Brhaspati, of whom he i s the partial
incarnation) , the divinity of the sign of Sagittarius, and mythic
expression of th e guru who distribute s the principles of divine
Law, Order and Wisdom. The Motive-Energy of this configura
tion is symbolized by the bow and arrow which Dro.Q.a expertly
wields. But Dro.Q.a battles with the warlike spirit of a k$atriya
and not with the objective that is the aim of every brahmin-the
harmony of cosmic evolution .
But in those confrontations in which his superiority is incon
testable, Dro.Q.a seems to shy from a direct meeting with Dhr�!a--
dyumna, the son of his personal enemy, king Drupada.
lln India, the cardinal points or directions are guarded by elephants. In the
MBh, all of the warriors mounted on elephants are asuric. The death of one of
these precedes each important passage in the battle. _
2In western astrology, Pluto became the first ruler of the sign of Scorpio
after its discovery in 1 930, with Mars its second.
The word "droiJa" may be derived from the root "dru!Ja" : scorpion.
On the twelfth day, the Sarrzsiiptakas, whose motto might well

be "Victory or Death", create a diversion in order to distance
from the battle Kr�l)a and Arjuna, who alone can stop Drol)a's
astras with their divine weapons. But they also do this to allow
the Kauravas to take Yudhi�thira prisoner while they are away.
To the desperate sound of conches which seem to call him from
the distance, Arjuna rushes back to protect his elder, thus pro
voking a furious reaction by the Kauravas and their allies, who
are angry at seeing their plans so foiled.
An enemy arrow, shot with deadly precision, would have been
his end were it not for Kr�l)a, who intercepts it. The wound imme
diately shows itself on the avatiira's chest in the form ofapurple
garland which is at once comparable to his Kaustubha gem and
the chain of constellations that appeared in the Milky Way during
its "churning". Nevertheless, he smiles, for no ill can touch him.
On the thirteenth day, Arjuna once again goes after the intrepid
Sarrz§iiptakas, to complete their extermination. While he is away,
his sonAbhimanyu shows off his extraordinary courage and valor,
as he alone succeeds in killing several warriors dear to the
Kauravas. Among these is Lak�mal)a, the favorite son of
Duryodhana.
All of the Piil)<;lavas' adversaries swear their vengeance, and
Abhimanyu suddenly finds himself cut off and after a bloody
struggle on all sides, in the middle of a circle of six warriors :
Drol)a, Krpa, Asvatthiiman, Krtavarman and Brhadbala.1
From his side of the battle, Jayadratha, the king of Sindh and
Duryodhana's brother-in-law, undertakes a blocking action to
hold back the waves of Piil)<;lavas and their allies who come to
the young man's rescue. Gradually deprived of help and of wea
pons as he defends himself, the heroic Abhimanyu, in the center
of this human "cakra", takes a chariot wheel-a symbol of the
Zodiac rejected by his enemies-to defend himself. In spite of its
weight, he manages to whirl it around, and succeeds for a while
to drive back those who dare to so harass him. But in the end, it
lKrtavarman is a Vr�IJ.i (Aries) prince, from a family allied to Kr�IJ.a's
Brhadbala is the king of the Kosalas.
Yiidavas.
These six warriors illustrate the four spatial directions North-South-East
West, as well as the vertical dimension Zenith-Nadir, on the celestial sphere
the desperately try to immobilize.
Chapter Twenty 1 49
flies into pieces, chopped up by the rain of arrows that dog him.
Not for a moment does the bravery of Arjuna's son weaken, until
he finally falls at the hands of the son of Duryodhana's younger
brother Dul)siisana.
When he hears of the death of his nephew, Yudhi�thira laments
and holds himself responsible, since it was out of a concern to
protect him that the valorous k$atriya had met his Death. Vyiisa
appears out of the world of the Invisible to comfort him and to
reveal to him that this young prince had accomplished a very
great work, whose influence would extend far beyond his own
Time : he had engendered Parik�it.
He had sacrificed himself in order that Heaven remain in har
mony with the Earth to which he had offered the best of himself
his blood and the works of his flesh .. He had been killed by the
son of that abject creature who had, in the sabhii, soiled and humi
liated Draupadi, the earthly symbol of this Era of Aries.
When the sad news reaches him, Arjuna is smitten with grief.
Even Kr�oa shows his emotion on hearing that the child of his
sister Subhadrii has been cut down under such shameful condi
tions. He was still but an adolescent. But the avatiira knows that
his loss is of a most particular importance. It marks the end of
one cycle and the beginning of a new zodiacal revolution : it
announces the transmutation of the dynasty.
While Satyavati had been the first link in this evolutionary
preparation, Abhimanyu is the last ; for with him, the chain closes
before the appearance of Parik�it, who begins the next cosmic
Circle.
So it is that the sacrifice of Arjuna's son, Kr�oa's nephew, will
not have been in vain : he is the Oblation offered for the good of
the microcosm and the macrocosm. He too is a Great Bhiirata.
Abhimanyu's message is comprised, in its entirety, in the signi
ficant gesture of brandishing, as a weapon, the wheel of his chariot.
With this, he threatens those who refuse the sidereal change, and
in so doing he symbolically portends that the k$atra would be
withdrawn, on the Celestial Cakra, from the "Ajas" in order to
be entrusted to the "Matsyas". This new era would begin when
the vernal equinoctial point would fall in the Great Month of
Pisces.
This death, er etrated by k$atriyas unworthy of their caste,
bespeaks the defeat of the Kauravas, for Arjuna will not let it go
unpunished. He must avenge the son given him by Subhadni
Citrii.
He has to pursue those who have succeeded in escaping the
young hero's arm, which though makeshift has been deadly. At
the sight of the devastation it has wreaked, his father's sorrow
is soothed by pride.
Arjuna is as yet unaware that the Moon-god Soma had assigned
to him his own son, Somavarcas, incarnated in Abhimanyu, so
that he might one day share in the crushing of the enemies of the
gods and of the Bhiiratas. On condition however that his sojourn
on Earth be a brief one.
It is for that reason that Abhimanyu, the most valiant, has
returned to his celestial dwelling-place in his sixteenth year.
C H APTER 21
Continuation of the War-Death of Jayadratha-Death

of the brahmin DroiJa, killed on the night between
days fourteen and .fifteen, by Dhr$tadyumna, com
manding general of the Piitufavas-First partial
nocturnal destruction-KariJa becomes the third
leader of the Kaurava armies-Death of KariJa
Arjuna decides, from the morning of the fourteenth day, to begin

by slaughtering Jayadratha. This is Duryodhana's brother-in-law,
the same warrior who had contained the Pat;u;lavas and their allied
troops when these tried to reach Abhimanyu to save him, and
had thus hindered their rescue effort.
This king of the Sindh merits a double chastisement, as it was
he who, during their exile, had tried to ravish Draupadi and force
her to mount into his chariot. Arjuna's fury emboldens him to
the utmost. He succeeds in infiltrating the enemy ranks, sweeping
their greatest warriors from his path. When he finds himself face
to face with his son's murderer and goads him into a one-on-one
combat, the Earth trembles from the fury of their blows.
But suddenly, the sun begins to set. Having lost all notion of
time, the surprised Jayadratha momentarily turns his gaze towards
the horizon behind which the shining orb is disappearing, thinking
himself to be saved for the time being. This brief loss of concen
tration proves fatal, as it is Knl).a who has produced this pre
mature darkness in order that his protege might turn it to his ad
vantage by cutting off the head of his adversary.
As had been the case with Bhi�ma a few days before, this king
would in turn have come to constitute a danger for the Triple
World, and Arjuna's defeat would have meant a Kaurava victory.
When Jayadratha's head flies up into the air, Kr�l).a himself hits
it with an arrow so as to project it outside of the Kuruk�etra,

where it falls onto the knee<> of Vrddhak�atra, 1 the decapitated
warrior's father, who is sitting in a yogic posture. Deeply absorbed
in his meditation, he does not see it, and is thus incapable of re
membering that the sad end of his son had been long before fore
told to him by a mysterious voice. At that time he had condemned
to suffer a similar fate whoever would dare to accomplish such an
act.
So it is that when the old king who has become a yogin emerges
from his meditation and stands up, he causes Jayadratha's head to
fall to the ground, whence his own explodes into a hundred
pieces.
CoNTRARY to the prescriptions of the sacred Treatises, the battle

does not cease at the end of this fourteenth day. However, al
though the Moon2 is full, the night is dark, and it is by the light
of torches that the warriors seek out and rage against each other.
The battlefield, dappled with areas of darkness and light and
haunted by Death, becomes all the more terrifying.
The darkness plays in favor of the riik�asas' ardor. Ghatot
kaca, the son of Bhima and the ogress Hi<;limbii, slays a great
number of enemies as he draws ever closer to his father who is
facing Karl)a. The latter leaps from one chariot to another, just
as does the Sun through the constellations, as he tries to avoid
the Piil)<;lava colossus' club ; but suddenly, he gathers up his
strength and begins to torment his adversary, placing him in peril.
Ghatotkaca immediately rushes to defend Bhima, creating a
diversion through a brilliant demonstration of his magic powers.
He attacks from every side, remaining suspended in the air above
the king of Ailga as he rains arrows down on him. This demon is
so swift that Kama doesn't know which way to shoot. He, the
valiant hero, loses control and uses as a last resort his invincible
astra that Indra had given him, and which he had destined for
Arjuna. Bhima's son collapses, and his gigantic body stands out
I Literally, the word vrddhak$atra means lapsed royalty.

2The four parvans or phases of the Moon are the days of the full and new
moon, and the ei th and fourteenth days of each fortnight.
Chapter Twentyone 1 53
against the sky as a dark and enormous mass, making the night
all the more opaque. This new loss of one of their number fills the
Pal)<;iavas with grief. But the Kauravas allow them no respite, and
charge them with such violence that the five brothers are forced
to abandon their sorrow and reassert their courage.
Courage is what they need, for in the opposing camp Drol)a is
proving himself a remarkable general and a warrior of stupefying
virtuosity. He intercepts every enemy arrow, without ever being
touched himself, whereas his never fail to hit their target and from
which V irata and Drupada could not escape.
Kr�IJa decides that guile is the only way by which his friends
might hope to neutralize their old guru, that dreaded warrior with
the impenetrable armor. Why not, he suggests, spread the rumor
of the death of Asvatthaman ? This is the name of Drol)a's son,
but it is also that of an enormous elephant possessed by one of
the Kauravas' allies. The plan is immediately set in motion, and
the pachyderm is slaughtered by Bhima's club.
The name of Asvatthaman is quickly spread as being the most
recent of the Pal)<;iavas' victims, and this half-lie or half-truth
produces the desired effect. Believing that his son has been slain,
the old brahmin leaves the combat, suddenly repenting ever having
waged war like a k�atriya.
He takes up a yogic posture on his chariot and offers no resis
tance when he is approached by DhrHadyumna, whose father
Drupada had been killed by him. And when the brother-in-law
and commander-in-chief of the Pal)<;iavas cuts off his head, a light
arises from it and mounts up to Heaven.
Through the person of Drol)a is punished every brahmin who,
scorning the duties of his own van:za to assume those of the k�at
riyas, preaches nonviolence while sowing Death before them and
thus causing the destruction of the princes of the Earth. The latter
are just as guilty when they lay down their arms to become ascetics.
Disorder and adharma are the results of their reciprocal errors.
So it is that heads roll on the Kuruk�etra, heads cut off by those
who have not failed in the duties of their social rank.
In the celestial vault as well we find the principal stars dethroned
by those which are meant to replace them with, the passage of the
various cyclic phenomena. But obstructions to these are deeply
felt at ever cosmic level.
IN fact, Duryodhana is assailed by doubt for but a short time after

DroiJa's end has been announced to him. He rushes to entrust his
loyal friend Kari;la with the leadership of the remaining armies,
determined to win the final victory through him. It is the fifteenth
day of the war.
As soon as the omens turn in their favor, the Piii;lc;iava side again
takes up the fight, possessed of greater optimism now that their
two most bitter adversaries, Bhi�ma and Droi;la, have been dis
posed of.
At last, Bhima can punish Dul,lsiisana for having dishonored
Draupadi in the sabhii. He quenches his thirst for vengeance in a
fearsome duel in which he tears off one of his antagonist's arms
and takes advantage of his weakness to split his chest open with
his deadly blade-and thus drink his blood, as he had vowed to
do some thirteen years before.
All of the warriors who are present, in spite of their toughness,
tremble inside their armors : the conflict soon becomes general,
as if this spectacle had somehow given them new life .
Still unaware of their family ties, the five brothers choose for
their target Duryodhana's "suta" friend, who is himself protected
by a wall of men which they gradually succeed in penetrating.
Brandishing his standard on which is figured his emblem of the
"kak$a" representing an elephant belt1 and the orbital path of
the Sun, Kari;la rushes to the defense of his own son whom Arjuna
is b ombarding with arrows. He arrives too late, however, and his
eyes suddenly fill with tears . So it is that even in sorrow the two
great warriors are equals, both suffering the death of their res
pective descendants.
Tears are followed by rage, and the same Kari;la who had parti
cipated a few days before in the encircling of Abhimanyu is bet
rayed by his chariot wheel as he hurls himself at Arjuna. 0 irony
of fate, he finds himself closed in by the Piii;lc;lavas.
He who had taken the side of evil Bhiiratas out of vanity and
presumptuousness, he whose incarnation rejects the evolution of
the k$atra and the Cosmos by denying the distribution of the
tropical zodiac and the RETROGRADE motion of the Sun-he
finds the LEFT wheel of his chariot sunken deep into the reddened
lA reference to the ele hants guarding the cardinal directions.

Chapter Twentyone 155
earth. Quickly leaping onto the ground to try to pull it up, he re
minds the Pal).<;lavas who surround him that the Treatises prohibit
them from striking him in this situation.
His words provoke a scathing reaction on the part of Kr�I).a.
How dare he take refuge in the k�atriya Code of Honor, when he
had insulted Draupadi before the assembled men, when he had
allowed Sakuni to use the loaded die in order that the Pal).<;lavas
be obliged to go into exile for so many years of suffering and
shame, when he had been a part of the pitiless cakra that closed
around Arjuna's son Abhimanyu without allowing him the slightest
chance of escaping? So Kr�I).a enumerates all the perverse acts
that Karl).a had committed since he had come into the Bharatas'
life.
Karl).a <;ets his teeth as be silently suffers Kr�Q.a's reproaches.
When his vehicle has at last been pulled out of its rut, he again
takes up his seat, but in spite of his horses' efforts, the wheel,
although freed, will not budge an inch (pada).
Seeing his enemies moving in at an alarming rate, Karl).a feels
the need to use the Brahmiistra, the secret power that had been
taught to him by Parasurama, the old avatara of Vi�I).u. But as he
had attempted to obtain it by trickery, his memory-just as the
old hermit had predicted-fails to function at this critical moment
in which Death is tracking him.
Kr�I).a incites Arjuna to take advantage of Karo.a's disarray and
kill him, but the Pal).<;lava hesitates to strike his rival while his
mind is so clearly distracted. He is nevertheless totally respectful
and obedient towards the Master of creatures and of the Celestial
Worlds, whom he has had the honor and the privilege to con
template in his infinite glory. So, with an arrow from GaQ.<;liva, he
decapitates Karo.a whose head, already bereft of its solar earrings,
begins to roll over the E arth like a mad Sun through space while
Kr�I).a eliminates Naraka, the demon that possesses him.
The two have fused anew the duo of Nara-Narayal).a, such that
the progress of the heavenly body of Life might no longer be hin
dered by this unworthy son.
C H A P T ER 22
Salya (although the uncle of the Piir.ujavas) is named

fourth commanding general of the Kauravas, on
the eighteenth day-Death of Salya and Sakuni,
the two evil uncles-Disappearance of Duryo
dhana who hides on an artificial created "island"
Duryodhana is overwhelmed by this new trial which has deprived

him of a great soldier and a trusted friend. But it is too late-or
too early-for the hostilities to end : Destiny must continue on its
appointed way.
It is now the turn of Salya, who has up to this time been charged
with driving the sitta Kan;ta's chariot, to become the fourth Kau
rava commander-in-chief, on the eighteenth day of the battle.
When, as the brother of Miidri and the maternal uncle of the
twins Nakula and Sahadeva, he had gone to offer the Piii).<;lavas
his and his army's services before the beginning of the fighting,
Salya was intercepted by Duryodhana who showered him with
honors and sumptuous gifts . Thus obliged to the wily Kaurava,
all that remained for him was to join the asura camp, even as he
promised his nephews to demoralize Kafi).a whenever possible.
This ambiguous role fits him perfectly, because he is the incarna
tion of an asura (SaQlhriida) just as the maternal uncle of the Kau
ra vas, Sakuni, is that of Kali. Both represent a kinship relation
that is even more inauspicious than it is important in the Indian
context.1
The word " Satya" has the connotation of spine or barb, thus
associating him with the sign of Scorpio which the Sun of the fall
equinox-illustrated by Kari).a-must leave. Like Kari).a, Salya
had let himself be taken in by the wrong clan, and had thrown his
lots in with a false alliance.
ISee note 5 p. 26.
Immediately following his nomination, the new commander in

chief shows himself worthy of his reputation as a skilled and light
ning-fast warrior. His arrows, like so many sharpened darts, fall
on the Pal) <;lavas like fearsome swarms of bees. He seems to have
totally forgotten his promise to help his nephews through his
position in the enemy camp.
It is the last, but perhaps the most terrible, day of the battle.
Under Salya's impetus, the Kuruk�etra is quickly covered with
the slashed bodies of the dead, with transpierced animals, random
arms and legs ornamented with bracelets and rich jewelry, heads
set with brilliant earrings, and trunks of bodies butchered inside
their rich armors. Tides of blood, carrying gold in their wake,
wash over everything like the waves of the ocean.
This apocalyptic setting is scattered with chariot wheels that
rise up here and there as witness to ineluctable Cyclic Time and
to the inevitable precession. The warriors change partners in duels
of incredible savagery, but the conflict quickly turns into a general
row.
Salya is to be found everywhere, astonishing even the greatest
of archers with his skill. An arrow shot by YudhiHhira, racing like
a meteor at the end of a yuga, nevertheless tears open the chest of
the Madra king. It bursts through his back and plants itself qui
vering in the groundI he collapses upon it, his arms outstretched,
embracing it as if it were his lover. Had it indeed not been a part
of his life, he whose emblem was a furrow sown with gold?
This detail seemingly reinforces Salya's appurtenance to the
Constellation of Scorpio,1 whose corresponding sign is connected
with the subsoil in which break down leaves and fallen fruits to
form the humus that nurtures the coming harvest, itself associated
with the period in which the furrow is prepared for sowing.
Once again, we are in the presence of the concept of non-demo
nic (in the Judea-Christian sense of the term) asuras, whose nega
tive attitude was considered as indispensable to the regulation of
energies, and consequently to the functioning of the World.
IBefore the apportionment of the solar divisions, the Constellation of Scorpio

encompassed that which became the sign of Libra, and extended into that of
Vir o.
Chapter Twentytwo 1 59
WHEN Salya's death is announced, the Pal)gavas break into

expressions of j oy, whereas the Kauravas are seized with
panic. But Duryodhana quickly drives out the fear that assails
him. He orders those who surround him to regain control of them
selves and to take up the combat again in spite of the baneful
omens that fill the sky : meteors, jets of flame, and rains of stones.
Then, at his instigation, in a writhing and desperate fury that is
difficult to contain, the asura armies, maneuvred by malevolent
forces and inebriated with blood, use their arrows like venomous
serpents.
On this eighteenth day of the mytbico-cosmic war, two shadows
remain attached to Duryodhana and Sakuni in their criminal deve
lopments. Might these be the asuras Dvapara and Kali who have
come to encourage them in their evil designs? The uncle' s malice
and duplicity have never ceased to serve the unbounded conceit
of his nephew, and both are determined to see their labor of
destruction through to its ultimate end.
S akuni becomes the Pal)<;lavas' next target. He bad been the
principal author of their sorrows through his shameless trickery
in the dice game, and his victory won through fraud had banished
them from a Kingdom that was rightfully their own. This illicit act
of Duryodhana's uncle had warped the unfolding of the Cosmic
Order ; so the five brothers riddle him with their sharpened arrows,
each wishing to vent into him all that he had forced them to
suffer.
It is the pointed tips of the twin Sahadeva that at last trans
pierces him, cutting off his head with its golden ornaments and
causing it to roll into the crimson mud like an iridescent ball.
In Sakuni, it is as if it were his own maternal uncle Salya, killed
the same morning by Yudhi�thira, that the son of Madri kills ; and
it is especially this kinship function that he strikes, for it is pre
cisely these two characters who illustrate it, with their vice-ridden
and malicious principles that are dangerous for the structure of
dharma.
Now that 'this perfidious creature has been eliminated, the way
is at last open for the Pal)<;lavas to attack Duryodhana and win a
definitive victory.
Although they search for him over every part of the Kuruk
setra the cannot find him an where. Where has he one?
DEPRIVED of his tool Sakuni, the eldest Kaurava has withdrawn

to the middle of a pond whose waters he has managed, through
an occult formula, to solidify around him to form an island, a
salvific dvaipiiyana, on which to take refuge.l Once again, Duryo
dhana takes recourse in the "miiyii" that deludes men and covers
their eyes with a thick veil of illusion.2 By solidifying the waters,
he seeks to stop the course of Time that is drawing the World
towards the sign of Pisces.
Vyasa (KrHla-Dvaipayana), the son of a Matsya, had been pre
served on a "natural" island in the middle of the sacred Yamuna
before interceding to effect a resurgence and regeneration of the
Bharata lineage. As for Duryodhana, he hides himself on an arti
ficial island formed by successive layers of duality, in which he has
never ceased to trap himself since the beginning of the Epic, per
sisting as he has to deny the reality of the Revolution of the Cycles
and the supremacy of those who have decided to adhere to it.
Believing himself to be inaccessible, and persuaded that he alone
is to be the continuation of the K$atra, he sinks ever deeper into
the error of his denial.
l "dvipa" means island or refuge. It is also one of the seven (occasionally

eighteen) divisions (islands) of our globe, which are situated around Mount
Meru, itself considered to be the center of the Universe. These dvipas are
separated from one another by distinct concentric oceans.
The word " dvipa" corresponds to the terrestrial globe divided into two
halves by the equator, which are delimited by the path of the Sun to the north
and south of the central line.
The term ayana is applied to the solstices and equinoxes, and thus to the
precession.
2See note . 43 .
C H A P T ER 23
Bhima combats Duryodhana and crushes his thighs-

Return of Kr.rtza's brother Baladeva, after his
voluntary withdrawal from combat-Three
Kauravas: Asvatthiiman, Krpa and Krtavar
man, and seven Piil)<;lavas: the five brothers,
Kr$1Ja and Siityaki survive
The three surviving heroes from the asuric camp-Krtavarman,

the old guru KrPa and Asvatthiiman, the son of DrOJ)a-succeed
in finding Duryodhana in his hiding place. There, moaning, he
pleads fatigue and a desire to recover his strength before putting
an end to the Piil)<;iavas, as pretexts for his flight.
His words are overheard by hunters who hurry to report them
to Arjuna. The five brothers and Kr�IJa then rush to the pond,
around which they form a living "cakra", just as the Kaurava
warriors had done with Abhimanyu. The similarity of the situation
makes it a tempting occasion for vengeance, as Duryodhana has
become an easy prey to bring down on his fragile refuge. But the
Piil)<;lava brothers are too respectful of dharma to depart from the
k$atriya code, even when it is a case of making Duryodhana pay
for the ignoble death inflicted on Arjuna's young son. It is pre
cisely because their actions go against the general trend of moral
degradation that characterizes a world gone crazy in the Kali Yuga
that Kr�IJa has chosen them to represent the Masters of the Earth.
As for Duryodhana, he is the boisterous representative of this
very madness.
Knowing just how strong the asura in Duryodhana is in its plan
for destruction, Kr�IJa feels that it is only an act of guile that can
dislodge him from the Piil)<;iavas' path. It is not a treacherous and
disloyal ruse on the order of those employed by the incarnation
of Kali himself that he has in mind, but a simple subterfuge in the

course of a one to one combat ; for Time is running out, the end
of the Cycle is near, and the K$afra must be restored into dharmic
hands if the Progress of the Cosmos is to be maintained.
Seeing the hesitation of the five brothers, the avatara reminds
them that the gods themselves often resort to stratagem in order
to attain their ends and thus impose the temporal Revolution on
men; In an attempt to draw Duryodhana out of his refuge, it is
proposed that he come out to fight with that one among them
whom he would himself designate : this rather than battling the
Pal)<;iavas one after the other, a task of which he considers himself
capable, steeped as he still is in his own superiority.
So it is that he chooses Bhimaofthe iron armor, his astrological
twin since the two were born at the same moment, and whose
strength has long since shown itself to be equal to his own. He now
believes him to be his inferior since he has, over the years of his
cousins' exile in the forest, taken advantage of their absence to
undergo intensive training against a statue of an iron man, with
just such a circumstance in mind.
Before their engagement, Kr�l)a declares to Bhima that he ought
to offer the Earth and the Seas that surround it to his elder Yudhi�
!hira, but this only after having smashed the Kaurava's two thighs.
Through its etymology, the Sanskrit word for thigh (iiru) is a

symbol of (often erotic) possession and of strength, inasmuch as
it is a mobile support for the human being.
In Astronomy, the Ancients referred to the two northern and
southern pincers of the Constellation Scorpio-which encom
passed the sign of Libra; still poorly defined at that time-as
"thighs" or "legs". The imposing size of the giam Scorpio, stradd
ling the two signs, won for it a reputation that was all the more
fearsome for the fact that it was starting from it that the Sun
pursued its southern course and passed below the Horizon into
unknown and mysterious parts.
From the moment that the sign of Libra was accorded its speci
ficity in the tropical year, it was attributed the autumn equinox
which thus escaped from the pincers of Scorpio where it had been
-re resented by Karl)a. Simultaneously, the winter solstice neces-
Chapter Twentythree 1 63
sarily left the Constellatioil of Aquarius, where it had been sym

bolized by Bhi�ma, to enter the sign of Capricorn.
The reordering of these key celestial divisions provoked the
decline of the old sidereal system and the abandonment of the
quinquennial cycle, thus giving rise to opposition on the part of
the orthodoxy.
If Duryodhana's thighs are crushed, this will mean for him the
·decadence and loss of his sovereign power. But Bhima is somewhat
unprepared for the intensity of his cousin's aggressiveness and
impetuousity; especially after the latter's declaration of fatigue in
the aftermath of so many harrowing days of battle. It is necessary
for him to gather up all his strength, as unbounded as it is, to hold
up under the intensity of their club-combat, and victory apparently
eludes him on several occasions.
At last, at Kr�IJ.a's instigation, Arjuna touches his own left leg
after having drawn his brother's attention : the latter understands
the message and succeeds in cleanly breaking Duryodhana's two
thighs. The Earth moans under his fall, which coincides with the
crashing down of a meteor upon her surface . In the fury of his
combat, the colossus raises his arm and is on the brink of braining
him when the avatara intercedes to stop his impetus . .
The PiiQ<;lavas are filled with light-hearted j oy at the sight of
Dhrtarii�tra's eldest son immobilized on She whom he had wished
to unjustly keep for himself, but a spectator at their side does not
share their enthusiasm.
This is Baladeva,1 Kr�IJ.a's brother, the very one who had taught
the use of the club in combat to the two cousins who had become
·
enemies. Absent since a time before the war in which he had
refused to take sides with either branch of his Bhiirata family, he
is returning from a forty-two day long pilgrimage along the length
of the Sarasvati,2 the sacred river, which he has remounted
against the current (pratipa).
lHe is often called Balarama.

Both are sons of Vasudeva and Devaki. See note 3, p. 95 on the subject of
their birth.
2A mythic sevenfold river, the Sarasvati reputedly descended from Heaven
to bear riches and fame to those who honor her.
Whereas Kw;ta's weapon is the Cakra, that of his elder brother.

apart from the club, is a ploughshare. So revolted is he by Bhima's
comportment, that he now threatens him with this, but the avatara
stops him.
This implement wins him the name of "Halayudha" : the word
"halii" serves to designate the earth, the element of the sign of
Taurus, to which Baladeva's origins are apparently connected.
He is considered to be the son of RohiQi, "the Red One" ; it was
in her womb that he was spared from infanticide. Her name was
that of one of the twenty-seven daughters of Dak�a1 who had be
come the wives of the lunar god Soma, but the beauty of RohiQi
had been so remarkable that he had given himself up to her and
abandoned the others. To punish him, Brahma caused him to
waste away progressively each day. So it happened that the plants,
relatively deprived of the nurturing power he afforded them, began
to fail as well, as did the living creatures who now too began to
lack i n essential nutritive elements. The situation was becoming
extremely worrisome, and the gods pleaded the cause of the love
stricken Soma to Brahma.
The latter yielded to them, and ordered Soma to bathe himself
in the Sarasvati in order to wax once more, but with the condition
that he thenceforth visit all of his wives in an equitable manner.
But his punishment, although reduced, has continued to afflict
him, and this is why the Moon still wanes during half of each
month and waxes in the other.2
In the night sky, Rohi!Ji is a constellation that falls completely
within the sign of Taurus. It is possible that it corresponds to the
Hyades group which is composed of seven stars dominated by the
"reddish" and very brilliant star Aldebaran.
In Greek mythology, these seven stars are the nymphs who
raised Dionysos-Bacchus, the god of vegetation and especially of
the vine, after his formation inside Jupiter's thigh. Later, he in
vaded India with his men and women armed with thyrses, cudgels
ornamented with leafy vines.
lDak�a : name of a prajapati who presided over a Creation.
2During the approximately eighteen years of its nodal cycle, the Moon
remains for five or six years in the Constellation Rohil,li. As this is longer than
in the other constellations, we may see in this phenomenon a possible origin
of this myth.
Chapter Twentythree 165
A s for Baladeva, who sprung from the womb o f Rohil)i in which

he had been hidden, he often appears in the Epic in a state
of inebriation . His emblem is the tala-a variety of palm tree from
which an alcoholic beverage is extracted-whence his qualification
of Taladhvaja. His club (gada), a staff with a great knotty head,
is reminiscent of that wielded by Dionysos, and his weapon, the
ploughshare, associates him with the element earth of the sign of
TaU! us : he is moreover the incarnation of the serpent Se�a, the
king of the Nagas.l
Both the Hindu and Greek myths seem to have drawn their
origin from the same sidereal source.
Dreading the excesses and fratricidal killings that would mark
the war, Baladeva preferred to maintain his neutrality and depart
at a time in which the Moon was in the nak$atra Pu$ya (which
corresponds to the sign of Cancer) and the Sun in Anuradha, in
Scorpio.
Now, among the Santi rites-expiatory rituals accomplished for
protection against evils and calamities brought on by inauspicious
phenomena-cited by Varahamihira2-the most meritorious is the
"pu$ya snana", a ritual bath to be taken when the full Moon is
in the nak$atra Pu$ya, in a river whose waters flow from left to
right. This rite proves most effective as a remedy for the inaus
picious effects of eclipses, comets and evil planetary influences.
By visiting the tirthas on this precisely determined date, Baladeva
most certainly practised a "dik$a", a religious observance that
insures that the passage of Time be respected.
He reappears on the last day of the war, when the Moon is in
the Constellation Sravm:za, also known as Asvattha, in the sign of
Capricorn. He returns after an absence of forty-two days3 at the
exact moment in which Duryodhana and Bhima are facing each
other for the last time, with sparks flying from their crashing clubs.
!The sign of Taurus also includes the Constellation of the Pleiades-the

Krttikas-the nymphs who raised Kiirttikeya, the god of war, and whose
principal star is Alcyon (Amba). See p. 74.
2ln Brhat Samhiti
. i 1 1 · 82.
aFro� Pu$ya to Punarvasu there are 27 constellations, and from Pu$ya to
Sravm:ui 1 5, thus making a total of forty-two nak$atras corresponding to forty
two lunar days during which Baladeva was absent.
The Constellation Sravm:ui (or Asvattha) is sometimes called Sro]Jii.
The dark-skinned and yellow-garbed Kr�J:la and the fair Bala

deva in his black clothes find themselves, resplendent as the Sun
and Moon, together once more ; but their reactions to Bhima's
victory are very different. The latter protests loudly at the sight of
the warrior who has been hit "below the belt" (niibhi : navel).
Kr�I).a then relates to him the different stages of the battle and
the diabolical attitude adopted by Duryodhana. Besides, had a
Sage not once predicted the incident in which the Kaurava's thighs
would be crushed ? Baladeva, he says, ought to remember that to
each Age there correspond particular actions and specific circum
stances. Now that it is the KALI AGE, one must act accordingly.
But in spite of his devotion for his brother, the august Vasudeva,
Baladeva leaves, and heads for Dviirakii.
THE war has taken a heavy tribute from the Bhiiratas in order that
the K$atra be entrusted to Yudhi�thira, the lord of the Earth.
The Piil).<;iavas rej oice at their success, while Duryodhana, plant
ed on the ground, sees his power slip definitively from his hands,
following the loss of his four generals, the greatest of warriors.
He pulls his upper body to a vertical position to spit out his
venom, like a snake, and calls on Kr�I).a to respond to all the
heinous crimes and turpitudes for which he holds him responsible.
He blames on him the death of Bhi�ma towards whom Arjuna
advanced behind Sikhal).<;iin, for Drol).a who was tricked by the
alleged death of his son when it was but an elephant named Asvat
thiiman who h·ad been slain, for Karl).a, his most loyal ally, who
was killed when his chariot wheel was mired in a rut, and for
Salya who was killed by Yudhi�thira, whom he considered as his
nephew.
Kr�I).a reacts violently, and in turn makes a long enumeration
of the Kauravas' perfidious acts for which he, the eldest would
have to bitterly repent. But his reproaches fall on deaf ears, for
Duryodhana is persuaded that he has acted as a good k$atriya
throughout the war, and that he is consequently entitled to his
place in Svarga. For is the Kuruk�etra not the salvific place glori
fied in the Three Worlds because it allows the warrior to obtain
an eternal abode ?
The Piil).davas mi ht well have been softened by the words of
Chapter Twentythree 1 67
their wounded cousin, but Kr�l)a puts their scruples to rest. This
creature, who built his life on hate, falsehood and hypocrisy, is
incapable of dying in a fair fight.
In this final phase ofthe descending Moon, the K�atra is destined
to return to its rightful sovereign, to bear him up at the j unction
of the two Eras of Aries and Pisces, at the crucial moment in which
the solar year will replace the five-year cycle. This explains Yudhi�
!hira's emblem, which is a musical instrument called the "Mr
daizga"1 whose oblong shape is reminiscent of that of the Constel
lation Dhani�!ha. That part of this constellation which falls in
Aquarius must yield its sovereignty over the Celestial Sphere to
the half that is found in the sector of Capricorn, which is thence
forth to be distinguished by the winter solstice that will occur in
it.
lA kind of drum made of a leather pouch.

C H A P T E R 24
Kalan1tri, the night of total destruction, between

the eighteenth and nineteenth days, which concludes
the war-Relationship between Asvatthiiman, the
exterminator, the symbolism of the " sacrificed"
constellation Abhijit, and that of Saturn
(the planet and its regent)
So the war has come to an end, and victory is on the side of the
Pii.IJ.<;iavas, for wherever Kr�IJ.a is, there lies victory, just as had
predicted their grandfather Vyii.sa.
Whereas Dhr�tadyumna had been, from the first day to the last,
the sole commander in chief of their perfectly cohesive allied
armies, it had been necessary for Duryodhana to entrust his own
to four successive individuals. Their nomination had moreover
always been the occasion for friction regarding the relative priority
and preference of their various allies. The Kaurava's entire exis
tence had been nothing other than a succession of compromises,
of means as well as of ends.
The great monkey Hanumii.n disappears from the standard of
Arjuna whose chariot bursts into flame without anyone having set
fire to it.
The five brothers bow with gratitude and respect before Arjuna's
divine driver, who takes leave of them to go to Hastinii.pura to
announce ,to Gii.ndhii.ri the end of her son Duryodhana.
This latter has not yet in fact breathed his last. He lies sprawled
on the Earth that he had wanted to keep for .himself, in spite of
the fact that kings only have custody over her temporarily. His
strength wastes away, but when he is rejoined by three survivors
from his own camp, Krtavarman, Kwa and his nephew Asvat
thii.man, he has enough energy to command that Drol).a's son not
allow his comin death to o un unished.
Having promised to avenge him, the three warriors depart and

camp under a tree on this, the final night. Obsessed by his vow
and his personal desire to take vengeance for his father, Asvat
thaman finds no rest.
With his eyes, he follows the movements of a reddish-brown owl
who takes advantage of the sleep of other birds to cut their throats
and strew the ground with their corpses. This scene immediately
gives birth to a plan in his mind. He knows how to do away with
the Pal)gavas and the troops that remain to them.
HAVING awakened his two companions and hastily convinced

them to approve of his strategy, he makes his way with them, in
the darkness, to their old camp which is now occupied by the
victors. But a terrifying phantom1 blocks their path. Asvatthaman
then invokes Siva and offers himself as an oblation on a golden
altar that has suddenly manifested itself. Out of the sacrificial fire
there emerge several deformed creatures : horrid to behold, many
among them have "ram" heads. They shoot fire out of every pore'
of their hideous bodies, which are covered with incandescent hairs.
While these surround Drol)a's son as they let out inhuman cries,
Siva enters into him to render him invincible, so that he might
immolate all of the warriors. The demands of Daiva are heavy.
Followed by his macabre improvised army, the son of Drol)a
enters into the camp, leaving Kwa and Krtavarman to guard
the exit.
Asvatthaman's first victim is his father's murderer, Dhr�ta
dyumna, whom he brutally wrenches out of his sleep before crush
ing his neck and chest. He kills him like a sacrificial beast, remain
ing insensitive to the wailing of he who had decapitated his father,
the guru, after his spirit had left him, forgetting that Drol)a had
himself killed Drupada, Dhr�tadymnna's father. Asvatthaman
butchers and flays all who had been relatives, allies and friends of
Drupada, before heading for the other tents to continue his mas
sacre of the sleeping soldiers. Those who are partly awakened
believe themselves to be experiencing the most terrible of night
mares, in which there appears before them the god of Death him
self, preceded by a black Fury who is dressed in red with crimson
Chapter Twentyfour 171
lips and eyes and a lash in her hand with which she lacerates men
and beasts, as she sings.
Is this Kiili, the destructive form of the Goddess ?1 Is it Piirvati,
Siva's consort, associated with the dark Moon that appears in the
Constellation Asvattha at the end of this final day of the war? Is
it the spirit of Satyavati, sometimes called Kiili, who has come to
help Asvatthiiman to mow down the survivors of the Aja Age
before the founding of that of the Matsyas whose Destiny depends
on her?
On this Kalaratri (Night of Destruction), the sons and grand
sons of Draupadi, SikhaQ.gin (the incarnation of Ambii), the kin
and allies of the PiiQ.gavas, the Matsyas, and all the k�atriyas be
longing to the Great Month of Aries, are executed.
Protecting himself with a shield on which are figured a hundred
moons, the son of DroQ.a rushes through the camp as he bran
dishes his luminous sword, strewing the Earth with mutilated and
bloody bodies, and trunks without legs or heads.2 Those warriors
who succeed in escaping are killed at the "dvaraka", i.e. the camp
gate, which thus evokes Kr�Q.a's capital and the solsticial gates
of which he is the guardian.
The site is transformed into a vast lake of blood, to the general
delectation of rak�asas who come running from every direction.
They tear apart the corpses, and suck the marrow out of their
smashed bones as they let out grotesque cries of pleasure. On this
final night succeeding the eighteenth day of the war, they come to
complete the exterminatory labor of DrauQ.i (Asvatthiiman) that
had been initiated on the fourteenth night, by his father DroQ.a
before he had renounced the fight and his life.
Before abandoning the site, the three warriors set fire to this
place of desolation, this enormous slaughtering ground on which
silence suddenly' reigns. They then leave to relate to their sovereign
the bloody punishment they have inflicted on the enemy. Dur
yodhana is already surrounded by jackals, but he now can die
happy. All of the descendants of PiiQ.gu, he believes, have been
massacred . . . He is unaware of the fact that his cousins were absent
IKali is the active cosmic power of Time (kiila), that disintegrating force
that allows for the appearance of new life.
2These trunks are called "kabandhas", a name applied to clouds that obscure
the Sun, as well as to Rahu.
from the camp, as were Kr�l)a and their faithful ally Siityaki. These
and Duryodhana's three companions are the sole survivors.
So we once again encounter the number ten, as symbol of the
totality of Manifestation, with its indispensable good and evil ele
ments : seven are PiiQc)avas and three Kauravas (ten is the sum of
the four first numbers ; after nine, it is necessary to return to the
serial order beginning with one).
WHEN the five brothers learn of the genocide perpetrated by Asvat

thiiman, they are overcome with pain. They cry for their sons,
relatives and friends, all victims of this atrocity.
Draupadi, greatly distressed, arrives from the Matsya capital
to demand the death of this butcher ; and, in order to be assured
of his punishment, exacts that the jewel (ma!Ji) that he had always
worn on his head since birth be remitted to her. She especially
addresses Bhima, whose boundless strength will be necessary
against this son of Drol)a who possesses a divine astra1 he
had extorted from his father who, knowing his murderous in
tentions, had urged him to never use it against men. Nevertheless,
when the Piil)gavas catch up to him, Asvatthiiman seizes a reed
in his left hand and, after pronouncing an incantation over it,
shoots a fiery arrow in their direction that is capable of burning
up the Three Worlds. At one time he had had the impudence to
wish to exchange this weapon for Kr�l)a's Cakra, considering the
latter to be even more effective ; but he had been unable to lift the
divine discus.
His dreaded arrow describes in the sky a fiery circle : against
this, without anger and with the sole end of extinguishing it,
Arjuna shoots a burning dart from his Gii�J{iiva. The Earth begins
to tremble, and meteors fall by the thousands.
"Vyiisa and the r�i Niirada2 immediately appear, panic-stricken
by the imminent catastrophe that is about to befall the Universe.
They offer that Asvatthiiman exchange his life for his ma!Ji, and
urge him to catch the Brahmasiras.
IThe Brahmasiras (Brahma's head), a mythic weapon.

2Narada is a messenger between gods and men. A sort of instrument of
Fate, he makes numerous appearances throughout the Epic.
Chapter Twenty/our 1 73
Although Arjuna's purity makes it possible for him to control

its power, the mind of Drova's son, possessed by Siva, hinders
him from recovering his own astra. He admits his inability, and
declares that, since the enflamed reed must eventually fall, he will
cause it to change its course, and direct it against the future sons
of the Bhiirata lineage. So saying, he turns the weapon against
the wombs of the wives of the Bhiirata and Matsya sons and
grandsons who had lost their husbands.
Its devastating energy kills the embryos of every single woman,
including that of Uttarii, the daughter of Viriita and wife of Abhi
manyu. But Kr�va reminds Asvatthiiman of a prediction accord
ing to which the child born of this union would be endowed with
long life. It is for this reason thatthe avatiira announces that when
THE DAY COMES, he would bring back to life Parik�it, the
grandson of Arjuna, the " Se�a" who is to protect the Earth. He
will be the first Kuru king of the Era of Pisces for a period of
sixty years, the duration of a long cycle of the planet Jupiter.
Whereas Parasuriima, Vi�vu's sixth avatiira, had himself rid the
World of its perverse K$atriyas in their entirety, going so far as to
slay their foetuses in their mothers' bellies, Kr�va, the eighth
avatiira, allows Siva to act through Asvatthiiman to massacre every
king and prince who is alive or to come, with the exception of
the dharmic Piiv<;lavas and their sole descendant Parik�it. It is
indispensable that the lineage survive through this period of
mutation.
After having thus attacked the posterity of the Kurus and Mats
yas, Asvatthiiman hands his "mal)i'' over to Vyiisa who gives it
to Bhima to pass on to Draupadi. She in turn will place it in the
hands of Yudhi�thira, the great Bhiirata king.
This precious jewel, red as a ruby,I reminds us by its color of
the planet Mars (whose name Bhiiradviija is that of Asvatthiiman's
grandfather), which is itself on the verge of yielding the power-
that it reserves for the sign of Aries-to Jupiter who rules the sign
of Pisces.
It also evokes the mal)i of the brilliance of lightning that is worn
lThe color red corresponds in Hindu astrology to the van;a of the k$atriyas.
The ruby is associated with the Sun, ruler of the sign Leo. In occidental astro
logy, this precious stone is attributed to the sign of Capricorn, of which the
first ruling planet is Saturn and the second Mars.
on the head of Indra's white elephant, who orchestrates the sols

tices and equinoxes.
The son of Drol).a saves his life by bartering it for his gemstone,
but Knl).a's punishment is severe : he is doomed to wander, for
3000 years among men without ever approaching them, exuding
a terrible odor of blood and pus.
AT this end of the Era of Aries, the sword placed in Asvatthaman's

hands by Siva for the extermination of all those that the war had
spared, suggests the scythe carried by Saturn, the Great Destroyer,
and master of the sign of Capricorn. Now, it is precisely in this
celestial region that is found the Constellation of ABHIJIT, the
28th constellation which is "sacrificed" when the tropical Zodiac,
which begins with the vernal point, necessitated a distribution of
but 27 constellations, in order that these coincide with the signs.1
At that time, Abhijit was "absorbed" by the constellations
around it-on one side by Uttarii$ii¢hii (straddling Sagittarius
and Capricorn), and on the other by A§vattha (or Srava!Jii, com
pletely encompassed by Capricorn). This latter received the "ma!Ji"
of Abhijit, the star Vega, one of the brightest points in the firma
ment : and a point towards which the solar system apparently is
drawn, whence the importance for the Matsyas to retain it.
The character of Asvatthaman may thus be a transposition of
this "nak$afra" destroyed by the new astronomical system.
His sacrificial participation in the Destruction of the k$afriyas
may also be echoed in the portion of Abhijit assimilated into the
Constellation Uttarii$ii¢hii : "a$iit;/h a'' is the name of a brick used
in the oblatory altar.
Furthermore, "a§vattha" is the tree whose wood is used to shape
the long component part known as "ara!Ji" that is inserted into a
cavity called "dro7Ja" (which is hollowed out of a piece of §ami
wood) to produce, by friction, the ritual fire. This complementarity
is illustrated by the brahmin Drol).a and his son Asvatthaman-
ISee p. 8 . Abhijit corresponds to the Constellation of Lyra, between those

of Cygnus and of Hercules.
The star Vega was the Pole Star approximately 1 2,000 years ago; it is the
al has star of Lyra. In the Veda it was identified with Brahma.
Chapter Twentyfour 1 75
Draul)i who "set fire" to the k$atriyas of this cycle who m�st be
eliminated.
The "fire" set by the father between the 1 4th and 1 5th days of
the war, after the destruction of Abhimanyu representative of
Soma,1 culminates in an inferno comparable to the end of a Yuga.
This occurs in the course of a cosmic Sacrifice that consecrates
the suppression of the Constellation ABHIJIT, the end of the war,
and the offering of all of its participants, in which the son Asvat
thaman is the principal Officiating Priest. The Sacrifice takes place
in the night between the 1 8th and 1 9th days while the Moon is in
the Constellation Asvattha and is at the end of its fullness.2
So the bell tolls for the disappearance of the Lunar Dynasty,
which bad ruled over the sidereal Zodiac, whose stars had served
to determine the seasons.
It thus falls to Asvatthaman to terminate the Great Sacrifice of
the Bbaratas, as it is related in the Epic. The relinquishing of his
"ma1;i'' permits him, by way of exchange, to go on living, but he
is to remain an outlaw for 3000 years.
It is possible to give an explanation for this obscure detail :
Saturn rules the sign of Capricorn as well as that of Aquarius3
of which the precessional Era will follow after that of Pisces. If
one accounts for the 2, 1 60 years of this latter, and adds to it the
nine centuries of the Era of Aries that have passed since the appear
ance of a new equinoctial star, we come up with 3000 years, the
duration of Asvatthaman's exile . . . and of his symbolization of
Saturn, before he returns to represent, in a distant future, the
Great Month of Aquarius. In the meantime, the planet Saturn is
to govern the sign of Capricorn in the Solar zodiac, now at last
accepted, in which is located the new winter solstice.4
The symbolic evocation of Saturn goes into exile, so that that
IName of the Moon and of the Soma Sacrifice.
2When the day of the full Moon occurs in the month Asvina (which corres
ponds (to the sign of Libra) , it bears the name of "asvatthti". But it should be
recalled that the Moon was new in this month when the war began.
3ln western astrology, the planet Uranus discovered by Herschel in 1 78 1
became the first regent of Aquarius with Saturn the second. The Era of Aqua
rius will follow our own, the Era of Pisces.
4We have seen (P · 1 47) that his father DrOJ:ta is a possible representation of
Jupiter, the regent of the sign of Sagittarius; while his grandfather Bharadvaja
is that of Mars when this planet is specifically the master of the sign of Scorpio.
of Jupiter might appear in the Era of Pisces which it rules. This

sign corresponds, in the language of astrology, to the endpoint
of the wanderings of the human Consciousness, and of the cyclic
Becoming of Manifested Life into the Unmanifested.1
It heralds the consecration of the Solar 2odiac and Dynasty.
lThe conjunction of these two planets, the two most distant known planets
of the time, allowed for the calculation of the cycle of 60 years. This period
known as the Great Year, is the time needed for the two to return, on the
celestial Zodiac, to an identical configuration with the three other planets
(Mercury, Venus and Mars). This cycle, the shortest of all the yugas, was
predominant in India. To each of its years was attributed a particular name.
In occidental astrology, the ascending node of the lunar orbit is attributed to
Jupiter, with the descending attributed to Saturn.
2 c cles of Saturn = 5 c cles of Ju iter = 1 2 c cles of 5 ears, or 60 ears.
C H A P T E R 25
The aftermath ofthe war-Funerals of the warriors

killed on the Kuruk$etra
Following the intensity of the war and this night of horror, the
Earth is at last relieved of her heavy burden-but what voracity
she has shown ! Thousands of warriors from the eighteen Kuru
armies have been offered in a holocaust that has lasted for eighteen
days on the altar of Kuruk�etra.
If it is the case that each k$atriya has come to know a happy
afterlife by dying in combat, their wives, mothers and daughters
nevertheless have been left to mourn, incessantly, these heroes
whom they had so l�ved.
The old blind monarch Dhrtara�tra has also lost all of his
family-his one hundred sons and numerous grandsons, kin,
friends and allies. His karman shall certainly be difficult to expiate,
for it was his own weakness towards his eldest son that was the
cause of such sorrow and the ruin of his family. As for Duryo
dhana, he is guilty of having had evil intentions and of having
allowed himself to be led astray by perfidious advisors.
As a means to lightening the sovereign's suffering, Safijaya, who
had been his "eyes" during the war, elaborates a great meta
physical discussion. The Sage attempts to console him by speaking
to him of the frailty of earthly things, of the fruits that all human
actions bear, for better or for worse, of the life cycles that are
constantly renewed like all else in the Universe, and of the immor
tality of the soul. His words are reminiscent of those spoken by
Kr�l).a to Arjuna at the beginning of the hostilities.
For their part, the Pal).<;iavas, aware that they too have contri
buted to the killing and desirous of receiving their afflicted uncle's
pardon, come to bow before him and kiss his feet in a sign of sub
mission and res ect.
One by one, DhrtariiHra takes them in his arms and recognizes

each of them without seeing them. He affectionately embraces
them-for are they not the only children left to him now ? He
nevertheless would have suffocated Bhima, he who had struck
.down his favorite son, in his mighty arms had Kr�l).a not foreseen
this reaction and substituted for the Piil).<;iava colossus an iron
statue that replicated him in every way. When this image collapses,
crushed in every one of its parts, the old man sobs, and is only
calmed when he is told of the subterfuge.
Queen Giindhiiri is more reticent in bestowing her pardon than
is her royal husband. When Yudhi�thira comes to offer her his
respects, the blindfold that she has always worn out of humility
towards the king moves slightly, briefly unveiling a look of such
fiery intensity that it reduces to ashes one of the Piil).<;iava's toes.
But she quickly regains her composure and blesses her nephews,
and even adds that the Bhiirata race had been destroyed through
a fault of her own .
Her hermetic language may be clarified through the etymology
of her name, which is connected to the odor "gandha" of the
earth and to copper "iira" ; that vital principle of all things which,
permeating the soil in many varied forms, is tied into the vegetable
world and to the fertility of the subterranean regions. "Ara" is
also one of the names of the planet Mars that governs this Month
of Aries that is fated to disappear from the disk (arin) of Time. And
Mars is the ruler of the sign of Scorpio as well.
Giindhari is also associated with mythic birds, symbols of at
mospheric currents, through the presumed appurtenance of her
lineage to Garu<;la1 and through her brother Sakuni who is himself
a representation of "a bird of ill omen" with regard to his nephew
Duryodhana, whom he incites to act for the perdition of the King
dom by provoking an imbalance between the celestial and terres
trial forces.
Might the queen be making a heavily veiled allusion here to the
noxious participation of her own "race" in the cosmic catastrophe?
lVi�l)u's vehicle. See pp. 1 1 -12, on the subject of serpents and birds. When
the sector of Libra was still included in the one of Scorpio, before it found its
specificity and its emblem, it was represented by a woman, blindfold (like
Gandhari), in order to indicate that her judgement was impartial. She occasion
all had a sort of scale in her hands.
Chapter Twentyfive 1 79
In spite of h er voluntarily blindfolded eyes, she appears throughout

the Epic as being possessed of clairvoyance, and as standing for
the Goddess of Knowledge (particularly that of the cycles.)
As for Kunti, she appears to be resigned to the situation. Her
sorrow is certainly very deep, but her sons are alive. She at last
reveals the origins of Kan,1a, the issue of the divine Si.irya, to
Yudhi�thira who now understands why he had once been troubled
by the resemblance between the king of Ailga's feet (pada) and
those of his mother.1
Not without bitterness, he reproaches Kunti for having re
mained silent so long, and he curses women to thenceforth be
incapable of keeping a secret '
AccORDING to the ritual sources, it is now necessary that they

proceed with an enormous funeral ceremony. On Dhrtara�tra's
order, a long procession is formed, that will move on to the Kuru
k�etra. Behind him walk Gandhari, Kunti, Draupadi, the various
Pai,H,iavas' wives, Uttara, and all the mothers, wives and daughters
of the victims of this great massacre. Bereft of jewelry and with
dishevelled hair, their cries rise together as they walk.
At the sight of the plain, covered with amputated bodies, heads,
scattered limbs, piles of bones, smashed weapons and crushed
chariots, their lamentations unite so as to form a single rending
wail that fills the sky. Their pain makes them forget that they had
ever belonged to opposing camps. They run in every direction,
seeking to discover one of their beloved, or what remains of him,
as they chase away the carrion-feeders that have come to profane
their heroes. Some of them walk aimlessly, suddenly rendered mad.
Gandhari is overcome with sadness, having lost her 1 00 sons
and all of their male children. She calls a curse down on Kr�1,1a
who had pushed the sons of Pa1,1<;lu to avenge themselves and win
a blood-drenched victory. She enumerates the noble dead whose
deaths he has caused. May he now be condemned, she says, to
seeing his own people annihilated in their time, before himself
meeting his end in the 36th year to come.2
lit should be recalled that before the tropical Zodiac, the Constellation of
Scorpio extended i nto that of Virgo, whence the possibility of a "similitude
ofpadas".
2See . 1 6 about the importance of the period of 36 years.
Impassible, Kr�lJ.a-Vasudeva answers that he alone can destroy

the power of the Vr$1Jis (the Rams) and the Yiidavas, to whose
race he belongs. He knows, he adds, that they must disappear.
In this allusion, he is certainly referring to those blind represent
atives of this Era that the March of Time will no more spare than
it has the Bhiiratas. As for the Yiidavas, their destruction is neces
sary because they belong to the non-ruling branch, long ago
singled out by Indra (see n. 1 , p. 57), when he had saved their first
king Yadu from a flood, and had bestowed the title of "Vasudeva"
upon the most prestigious representatives of their lineage.
However, the portion of the Constellation Dhani$/hii (also called
Vasudeva), which these luminaries had symbolically "brightened"
by their presence, is to remain in the sector of Aquarius in which
the light of the winter solstice will no longer be renewed. It is for
this reason that the time has come for all of them to perish : fol
lowing which, Baladeva and his brother Kr�lJ.a-Viisudeva will
accept to sacrifice themselves for the Triple World.
The five brothers shudder with terror wl,len they hear the terrible
yet hermetic words pronounced by the avatiira in answer to Giin
dhiiri's prophetic ones. Have they grasped their meaning?
Yudhi�thira orders that the funeral ceremonies be celebrated.
Pyres are piled up, which are soon being licked by tongues of
flame that will devor without distinction the thousands of assem
oled warriors who had so hated and killed one another.
Long hours of cremation pass before the procession again may
form to go to the sacred Ganges and perform purificatory baths
for the sake of the dead.
C H A P T E R 26
The reign of Yudhi$thira-The death of Bhi$ma

Kr$tza returns to his capital at Dviirakii-Birth
of Parik$it, who is stillborn, but resuscitated
by Kr$tza
In spite of his victory, it is sorrow that wells up in Yudhi�thira,

as he revolts against the violence and lust for power that have
brought on so much unhappiness. He extols resignation, the ab
sence of desires and the purity practised by ascetics in their forest
retreats, as a means to escaping the cycle of rebirths and suffering.
His attitude of rejection gives rise to bitterness and resentment
on the part of his brothers. If he was going to refuse Kingship in
the end, a sovereignty won at the price of a fratricidal war and
innumerable murders, what had been the point of depriving them
of their sons, grandsons, family and friends ?
The king who recoils from his duties bears the name of "kali"
(evil), just as does the final Yuga in which dharma is scoffed at and
caste divisions neglected. It falls to the king to protect good
men by defeating his enemies. If there were no punishment, the
people of the kingdom would perish ; but the law must be applied
justly and wisely.
The ancestor Vyii.sa, who is nearly eternal and always present
at important moments, reminds Yudhi�thira that a sovereign must
never, under any circumstance, flee his responsibilities. Through
the agency of his different bqdies, man is capable of accomplishing
the prescribed expiations for his evil deeds past or present. In each
of his incarnations, he finds himself possessed of the vicissitudes
or advantages proper to the period in which he lives-for Time
governs all, birth and death as well as joy and pain. Every indivi
dual must suffer the sort of life that he has merited under the in-
fiuence of Destiny and the cyclic passage of the Ages, however

cruel it may appear to be.
Vyasa further counsels Yudhi�thira to pay a visit to he who
knows ALL, by virtue of having received his Wisdom from Usanas
(Sukra), the guru of the asuras and master of the planet Venus ;
from Brhaspati, the guru of the devas and regent of Jupiter ; from
Vasi�tha, one of the sages of Ursa Major, and from Kumara, also
known as Karttikeya, the divine master of the planet Mars.
This omniscient being who possesses the key to the mysteries
of the Earth and Cosmos, this exceptional creature, is none other

than Bhi�ma, the son of Ganga and Santanu, of whom the latter
had granted him the boon of choosing the moment of his death.
The Pitamaha is in fact still lying on his bed of arrows, awaiting
the moment that the Sun move towards the North at the time of
the next winter solstice.
BUT previous to this, having been convinced by all of the imppr

tance of his role as king, the eldest Pal)<;iava is consecrated in his
supreme function at Hastinapura. In the course of the sacrificial
ceremony, oblations are poured onto the fire, after which Kr�l)a
Dasarha takes up his conch and fills it with water to pour over the
head of the Master of the Earth, who is glorified by the brahmin
community. Yudhi�thira bows before the divine incarnation of
Vi�l)u and promises to be a just and good king, respectful of his
own dharma and that of his subjects. He sings the praises of Kr�l)a,
to whom he attributes cosmic qualities. He renders homage to
him who, clad in yellow silk and haloed by a dark blue light, is the
creator and destroyer of the worlds, who is without beginning or
end.
After having thus been sanctified by the god of earthly Mani
festation, Yudhi�thira goes, accompanied by his brothers on
Kr�l)a's golden and bejeweled chariot, to prostrate himself before
the Pitarnaha. Upon seeing the avatara, Bhi�ma deferentially sa
lutes him, calling him "k$etrajfia" (he who has knowledge of the
cosmic circle, the Zodiac, a field of experience of the soul and
body). He honors in him that Being in whom are contained the
Three Worlds, who transcends All, including Siirya to whom he
is e ual in brilliance. He a ears under twelve forms (the zodiacal
Chapter Twentysix 1 83
signs), he manifests himself under the name of Narayal).a, the

Infinite, to bring about creation and dissolution beyond the five
elements. He reveals himself in each Yuga (and each of its sub
divisions) : he is the seasons, in whom all is contained, and from
whom all arises. His head fills the Heavens, his feet touch the
Earth.
He is Yoga, but he is also Miiyii, that illusion which causes
creatures to believe in the reality of things
Following these greetings, the avatara promises Bhi�ma that he
is soon to accede to those happy regions that lie beyond the cycle
of rebirth, such that he might come to know Deliverance (mok�a).
In the sky, the eight Vasu gods ready themselves to carry the being
shaped from the eighth of each of them, upon their celestial car.
The Pitamaha at last transmits his teaching to Yudhi�thira,
reminding him that the duties of the king are to be attentive to
the well-being of his subjects within the framework of their van;ta.
He is to protect them against all aggression, whether from without
or within his State, in order that they might enjoy optimal material
and spiritual conditions in which to respect, each and every one,
the dharma of his social group. The king must never forget to show
generosity towards brahmins, who depend on him, nor to fail to
offer numerous sacrifices. Long speeches, on politics and ethics,
interspersed with legends and apologetics, are addressed to him.
Bhi�ma then explains to him the Cosmos, the secrets of the
planets, their cycles, the four Yugas and the heavy burden that
kings like him shoulder during the Kali Yuga. He enumerates for
him the 36 virtues that a sovereign ought to possess : these are
reminiscent of the 36 dekans of the 360° zodiac. Each of these
corresponds, on an astrological level, to a spiritual, moral or phy
sical stage that is variously experienced by an individual according
to the configuration of the heavenly bodies at the moment of his
birth-his dasii-and to the aspects that they produce between
themselves, according to his own evolutionary trajectory.
Enriched by this enlightened advice, and in spite of the shadows
of doubt and sadness that occasionally assail him, Yudhi�thira
becomes a model of peace and justice, and brings happiness and
prosperity to his Kingdom.
The Sun at last reaches its maximum southerly delineation and
the winter solstice has arrived, puttin an end to the !on wait of
two lunar months (58 nights) Bhi$ma has undergone to unite him
self with Time.
Before the astonished eyes of the Kurus, who have specially
assembled to witness this fateful day, the arrows give up the Pita
maha's body, and his vital breath escapes out of the top of his
head to rise up into the sky in which ethereal music and a rain of
flowers are produced.
Wood of various sorts is piled up for the pyre, and the funerary
rites (Sriiddha) begin, punctuated by numerous libations. When
the body has been consumed, Vyasa, followed by Kf$I)a, the Pa!)
<;lavas, the Bharata women and the people of Hastinapura go to
the shore of the Ganges to offer oblations of water for the peace
of the deceased.
The goddess Ganga suddenly rises up out of the river, lamenting
for her son whom no warrior on Earth could equal . She weeps
over his death at the hands of Sikha!)<;lin. The avatara consoles her
when he reveals that it was the arrows of Arjuna, a hero worthy
of him, that had brought him down, and adds that Bhi$ma is on
his way to the Heaven of the Vasus.
As he climbs up from the shore, the recent disaster so torment
Yudhi$thira that he collapses like a beaten elephant. As soon as
he regains consciousness, the blind Dhrtara$tra speaks quietly to
him, claiming responsibility for their calamities, and addressing
him as if he were his own son. Vyasa, also in an effort to quiet his
remorse, cites to Yudhi$thira the example of the gods who are
themselves tormented by the desire for possessions, and the suffer
ings this carries with it.
The king then recovers his composure and inner peace.
K�S�A returns to Dvaraka, meeting on his way a T$i named

Utarika who is totally unaware of the holocaust war of the Kurus.
After listening to the account of the tragic events that have taken
place, the ascetic is about to pronounce a curse against the avatara
for having allowed such destruction to happen.
The divine incarnation of Vi$I)U then appears before him in
his multifold " Visvarupa" form, which he assumes at certain pe
riods to save the World. He states to him that he had tried every
means possible to avoid the worst but, faced with the Kauravas'
Chapter Twentysix 185
arrogance and frantic lust for power, h e had been obliged t o see
them all perish. To reassure and pacify him, Kr�IJ.a at last speaks
to him of the remaining, "sefja", whose name is to be Parik�it.
Having arrived in his palace, Kr�IJ.a relates in detail the phases
of the bloody war. When she hears of the death of Abhimanyu,
his sister Subhadni falls into a swoon, suffocated by the pain of
having lost her son. The wife of the deceased, Uttara, is also deeply
touched : in order to comfort them, Kunti attributes this murder
to the influence of Time, and announces that the heir to this hero
will soon be in their midst. She requests thatthe women behave
themselves as wives worthy of their most noble kfjatriya husbands,
and that Uttara take great care of her future offspring.
The mother of the Pal)<;iavas then makes arrangements for
funeral rites to be celebrated for Abhimanyu's soul, to which
Kr�IJ.a, Baladeva and Satyaki proceed on their own.
Over the following months, the absence of the young prince is
bitterly felt by all. Uttara is wasting away with each passing day,
and everyone is concerned for the precious embryo that she carries.
Vyasa then materializes once again, to predict to them that the
child is to become the Master of the Earth, through the inter
cession of Kn;IJ.a-Vasudeva, when he himself, the son of Satyavati,
would judge the time to be ripe. In this perspective, and before
becoming invisible, Vyasa enjoins Yudhi�thira to proceed with
the celebration of a Horse Sacrifice-an Asvamedha-in order to
assert his own supremacy and that of his lineage.
Before carrying out this sacrifice, the Pal)<;iava and his brothers
set out for the Himalayas at the precise moment in which the
Sun is in the Constellation closest to the Pole Star (dhruva), to
perform numerous special rites in honor of Siva, of Kubera the
god of treasures, and of all the beings of the intermediate regions.
In exchange, they receive from these divinities innumerable riches
that are hidden in the mountains' flanks, and return triumphantly
to Hastinapura, where Yudhi�thira is to perform the ritual act
prescribed by Vyasa.
While Kr�IJ.a is in Hastinapura to participate in the Asvamedha
ceremony, Parik�it, the son of Uttara, comes into the World. But
his arrival is accompanied by a great cry of distress, for the child
is stillborn.
The avatara hastil returns to his Palace where his sister Su-
bhadni. supplicates him to intercede-an act which she considers

him to be capable of performing. He enters into the room in which
all had been set in readiness to honor this birth and drive away the
evil spirits. Uttani. weeps, prostrate with grief at this new twist
ofFate which, after having taken from her her husbandAbhimanyu
has now again turned against her. She wonders how she can sur
vive the evil luck that has befallen her ; but she nevertheless feels
that her time has not yet come. She in turn implores Kr�Da to
bring her child back to life. He consents.
The body of Parik�it slowly comes to life as the incarnation of
Vi�I).u draws out the evil spell thrown on it by Asvatthaman. The
disappointed riik$asas move off, the brahmins begin to recite
mantras, and happiness returns to the palace, in the city, in the
Kingdom.
After having revived him, Kr�Da covers the infant with precious
stones,1 as do the leaders of the VNT:Li race, and shortly after, the
Pa!).<;iavas who have come in haste to see he who incarnates the
hope and future of the dynasty.
Following the scream of anguish, it is a cry of intense joy that
fills the air.
The Kurus are assured survival, and so too is the Triple World.
YudhiHhira tells Vyasa, who has come to join in the general
rejoicing, that he is ready to be initiated for the accomplishment
of the Asvamedha rite.
lPrecious stones concentrate the energy that is found in cosmic rays. In

astrology, they constitute beneficent forces. Each planet has its corresponding
gemstone.
C H A P T E R 27
The Asvamedha (Horse Sacrifice ) of Yudhi#hira

Victories won by Arjuna over the rulers of the
Earth, over which Yudhi#hira becomes the
Universal Sovereign
The war seems to fall between two great Sacrifices. The first one
is the Riijasuya, the ceremony of royal consecration, which is cele
brated by Yudhi�thira with such brilliances that it kindles the
jealousy and hatred of his cousin Duryodhana and provokes the
series of unhappy events that befall the sons of Pal)<;iu.
The second, the Asvamedha, occurs after the fratricidal war and
shortly before the denouement of the story, and has the object
of restoring the Kingship, without question or mitigation, to
Yudhi�thira.
On the occasion of this at once religious and military Vedic rite,
the horse of a monarch is set free to wander for an entire year
through . the territories of neighboring States. A specially desig
nated k$atriya follows the horse over the whole of its peregrina
tions, accompanied by 400 princes1 of a different rank, but of
royal lineage, who are charged with doing battle against any king
who would try to obstruct the animal's passage through their
lands. Those who, on the contrary, show no resistance, are ex�
pected to recognize the suzerainty of the horse's owner.
Upon its return, the beast is sacrificed to the gods in the pre
sence of its master and his "vassals" who have come to pledge
their allegiance.
During the year of wandering, the king, who remains at his
Court, is required to satisfactorily answer enigmatic questions
lThe four groups of 100 k$atriyas each may signify that in every State, each
of the four cardinal directions are to be con uered.
posed to him by his officiants, following a determined ritual order.

A story is furthermore daily recounted to him by the sacrificing
priest, on the subject of a famous mythic king whose acts are meant
to serve as a model for him. This cyclic narrative-called piiri
pla va-is began over again, during 36 periods of 10 days, in the
course of twelve months.
This particular point strikingly evokes the 36 divisions of the
year, by means of which hours were calculated in the Ancient
world. These corresponded to specific constellations which ap
·
peared on the horizon, each remaining visible for approximately
ten days and assigned the protection of a particular divinity.
With the appearance of the solar Zodiac, itself calculated from
the vernal point, these sections were replaced by the 36 dekans
of 10° each, on the "Circle of the Gods" of which each degree
bad its own specific characteristics.
In the Epic, the circular path taken by the horse through the
domains of k$atriyas to render them subject to the sovereignty of
the Bharata king is reminiscent of that of the "zodiacal charger"
who pulls the Solar chariot across the ecliptic through the celestial
divisions, where he imposes his hegemony upon any star that might
still be in revolt against the sidereal change of order.I
In the sacrifice however, it is necessary that the beast be put to
death at the end of its wanderings in order that the Sun might
symbolically continue its own passage in the course of a renewed
year, along the belt of the twelve principal constellations.
Who, then, could be more qualified than Arjuna-Phalguna to
follow Yudhi�thira's Sun-horse around the kingdom ? It is more
over he whom Vyasa the visionary designates for this task.
The Asvamedha is presented in the Mahabharata as a cosmo
gonic Symbol. All of the ritual instruments are of gold2 and shine
like the orb for which the sacrifice is accomplished ; and a garland
of precious metal shimmers on the neck of the Paw;lava king.
The horse chosen to represent him is black, and designated by
the word "kNtzasiira", a name given to deerlike ruminants such
as the antelope, the gazelle-and the spotted dark-horned Asian
IThe horse is an archetype fundamental to humanity. Its association with

the solar sphere connects it to wealth, strength, power and Time.
2They were normally made of wood.
Chapter Twentyseven 1 89
saiga, which perhaps inspired the Indian rendering of the zodiacal

Ram (Aries).
The animal begins his periplus in a dexter sense, followed by the
vehicle drawn by Arjuna's white steeds : their departure provokes
an immense noise whose echo reverberates through space. The
Kingdom, composed of all of the territories which are to be con
quered without exception, represents the whole of the Earth, thus
taking on a cosmic dimension.
In order to defend the "kNTJasiira" and to protect himself against
all rebels, Arjuna fights a great number of combats, which are
made all the more difficult for the fact that his royal brother had
exacted that his victories be won without bloodshed. He has the
good fortune of being helped by the Sun and Moon, the clouds,
the wind, the demon Riihu and various natural phenomena. These
manifest themselves at the most crucial moments, and in such a
spectacular and unforseeable fashion, that they strike fear into
the hearts of his adversaries and command their respect for
him.
The k$atriyas whose lands he treads are often the young
sons of enemy warriors killed in the Kuruk�etra, who seek to
avenge their fathers on the person of the PiiT,l<;lava. But all end by
bowing before the strength or the divine assistance of the Bhiirata
hero.
TowARDS the end of the year of wandering, he finds himself in the

kingdom of MaT,lipura, in which he had fathered, upon the fair
princess Citriiil.gadii, a son who was immediately adopted by the
king to insure his descent. Having succeeded this king, the son
Babhruviihana comes to bow before Arjuna, surrounded by brah
mins whose humble attitude he has adopted, against the precepts
of k$afriya behavior. The father then provokes the son into doing
battle, and a fierce combat ensues, in which these two beings are
clearly pleased at measuring themselves against one another. To
the arrows in the form of venomous serpents shot by the former,
the latter answers with darts so terrible that he succeeds in throw
ing the great PiiT,l<;lava warrior to the ground, where he remains,
face down and in a seemingly inanimate state.
Uliipi, the daughter of the Niiga king (who is thus associated
with the wealth of the soil),1 is standing close by the young prince,
who is now tormented by the act he has committed. But this
princess of the subterranean waters appears quite untroubled by
this incident, considering that it is she who was the cause of it.
For, in fact, she has known of the secret curse pronounced by
Ganga against Arjuna when the avatara had revealed to her that
it was his arrows, and not those of Sikhaoc.lin-Amba that had
struck Bhi�ma down. At that time, she had asked her father to
intercede on behalf of this k�atriya protector of the Earth,
following which he obtained from the Vasus the promise that the
son of Paoc.Iu would be freed from this malediction if and when
he were defeated by the king of Maoipura.
Uliipi could not forego this occasion to set the son against the
father ; for the former could not be harmed by the latter, being
his own image, any more than Arjuna could be by his father
Indra.
Before taking leave of them, the Paoc.Iava asks that they come
with Citrailgada to the Court of Yudhi��hira, for the Asvamedha
ceremonies that would take place at the time of the full Moon of
the coming month of Caitra-that month associated with the
month of Phiilguna to herald the Spring in this waning Era of
Aries.
The same invitation is extended to all whom he renders subject
during his trip around "the Earth", with the sole exception of the
grandson who is heir to Jayadratha.2 This is apparently because
this king of Sindh had once attempted to carry Draupadi off into
the forest, and had contributed to the death of Abhimanyu in the
war ; but a more likely reason is the fact that, caricaturing Arjuna
in the asuric camp, he had behaved like the symbolic representa
tion of the Kaurava's laughable "zodiacal horse".
With his imposing mount which is frequently mentioned, he
could be an evocation of Pegasus, the Constellation of the equa
torial region (in the vicinity of Pisces which it seems to separate)
whose form is but a reproduction of those of the Great and Small
Bears where the Polar Star is to be found.
Ilravat, the son of Uliipi also engendered by Arjuna, was the first sacrificial
victim of the war.
2The husband of Dul;lSala, the sister of Duryodhana and the sole girl of the
Jans.
Chapter Twentyseven 1 91
After its complete Victory, the "kNfWsiira" returns at the end

of the year to the city of Hastinapura, whereArjuna is triumphantly
received by an enthusiastic crowd. Vyasa then inaugurates the
veritable ceremony, which Yudhi�thira will repeat three times in
order to completely liberate himself from his active participation
in the war and purify himself of all stain, in the presence of the
most prestigious representatives of the two highest var7Jas.
The rites are performed in strictest conformity with the Treatises.
Numerous animals are sacrificed, including that which has just
c ompleted its triumphal conquest of the Earth. The infinite riches
brought back from the Himalayas by the sons of PiiQ.gu are distri
buted as honoraria among the brahmins and as gifts to their
guests, along with elephants and horses.
The wine flows in great streams and the food is delicious and
abundant in the banquets that follow this, the greatest Sacrifice
that the World has ever known. By virtue of this same rite,
Yudhi�thira is thenceforth known and honored as Universal
Sovereign.
CHA P T E R 28
Dhrtara$fra' s departure for the Forest with Gandhari,

Kunti and Vidura, after the fifteenth year of
Yudhi$!hira's reign-Their death, three years later
Aided by his four brothers in bearing his heavy burden as Master

of the Earth, Yudhi$thira exemplifies every virtue, and is the
perfect image of the dharmic king, to the great pride of his subjects.
He shows great respect towards the blind Dhrtara$tra and often
solicits his advice in affairs of State, taking care to never humiliate
nor remind him of his weak attitude that had been the cause of
all of their past sorrows.
Queen Gandhari is herself the object of the eager attenti on
of Kunti and Draupad i : she nevertheless remains disconsolate in
the aftermath of her sons' deaths on the Kuruk$etra. Yuyutsu, the
son of her husband by a vaisya, is the sole survivor of the heca
tomb.
The other sons of Pa!J.�U also show great deference towards
them, with the major exception of Bhima who is incapable of
pardoning and forgetting the ill-will borne by the Kauravas in
their regard. His injurious attitude and words add to the sorrow
and the weight of years of his elderly relatives.
In the fifteenth year of Yudhi$thira's reign, Dhrtara$tra real
izes that his strength is rapidly declining, and decides that the time
has come to leave for the forest to prepare himself for death in an
attitude of asceticism and contemplation. In so doing, he follows
the rules of dharma prescribed for k$alriyas who do not end their
lives on the battlefield. Thus, after having distributed his fortune1
to pious brahmins, and having obtained the Pa!J,�ava king's
lThis distribution continues for a period of ten days, proving that giving
(dana) has become necessary in a Kali Yuga in which sacrifice (yajfia) is
i t.
assent, he leaves Hastimipura, followed by Gandhari. They are led

by Kunti who has also decided to share their ascetic life, rather
than the luxurious existence of her sons, to be prepared when the
time would come to rejoin Pai)<;iu, wherever he might be. Vidura,
the brother of the old king, and the siita Safi.jaya remain loyal to
the very end, and share the penury, privations and discomfort of
the humble hermitage.
After a few months of barely tolerable separation, the Pai)<;iavas,
accompanied by a great retinue, come to visit them in their
retreat. They are shocked to find them greatly emaciated and
dessicated by the penances they have forced upon themselves.
Vidura lives apart from the others, completely naked and
absorbed in his meditation and yogic exercises. When he sees
Yudhi�thira approaching, his yogic powers allow him to penetrate
inside the person of his nephew, thus merging their vital breaths
and senses into one. Through the power of his tapas, Vidura, the
incarnation of Dharma, totally consumes himself so as to melt
into the son of this god and thus become identical with him.
During this transmutation, the bodily envelope of this Wlcle
remains lying up against a tree, wholly emptied, whereas
Yudhi�thira finds himselfchanged, stronger, more intelligent, more
lucid, possessed of the summit of Knowledge. But what is he to
·do with the body of he who dwells inside of him now, which he
cannot burn without himself being consumed by flames?
At this point, he becomes aware that his family has assembled
around him : his brothers as well as Vyasa and r�is to whom he
renders homage. The ancestor declares that the envelope ofVidura
will go on to attain the sphere of ascetics, and explains to them
that gods and asuras are capable of entering into a body through
thought, speech, sight, touch or sexual union. Many of those among
them, or of those who have disappeared in the war, were incarna
tions of divinities or asuras : Sakuni and Duryodhana those of
Dvapara and Kali, Yudhi�thira of Dharma, Bhima of Vayu,
Arjuna of lndra and the r#Nara, Kr�I)a of Narayai)a, the twins of
the Asvins, Kari)a of Surya (after he had split his solar body in
half), Abhimanyu of Soma, Dhr�tadyumna and Draupadi of an
auspicious portion of Agni, Sikhai)<;iin of a riik$asa, Droi)a of a
portion of Brhaspati, Asvatthaman of Rudra (Siva) and Bhi�ma
of the Vasus.
Chapter Twentyeight 1 95
Every one of these divine or asuric beings, associated with the

Cosmos or with sidereal phenomena, has returned to another
level after having fulfilled his mission on Earth .
Vyiisa then guides them to the Ganges where they perform their
ablutions before being permitted to see once more all of the heroes
who died on the Kuruk�etra. Out of the depths of the river, they
rise up with their celestial garb, all wearing earrings that are round
and brilliant as the path of the Sun. Their faces are emptied of
hatred or of sentient feeling. They embrace the living for a brief
moment before the waters of the Ganges swallow them up once
more.
With Vyiisa's authorization_ the widows throw themselves into
the water to rejoin their husbands.
Yudhi�thira makes his way back to Hastiniipura with his
brothers while Kr�I).a returns to Dviirakii. Dhrtarii�tra, Giindhiiri,
Kunti and Safijaya leave their humble dwelling to wander in the
forest.
After three years of the ascetic life, a fire lit by brahmins' sacri
fices breaks out in the area of the hermitage they have abandoned,
while they are purifying themselves in the sacred river. The flames
draw ever closer to them but they refuse to flee from them. They
take up yogic p ostures and calmly await their own cremation.
Safijaya alone goes away to live as a sannyasin1 in the inaccessible
mountains.
Eighteen years have passed since the end of the war.
n ascetic who renounces the world.

C H A P T E R 29
Disappearance of Kr.y!Ja and Baladeva, thirtysix years

after the war-Dviirakii is inundated by the sea
Having contributed as cousin and counseller to the Pii.Qgavas'

success, Kr$lJ.a rules over Dvarakii.. Nearly thirty-six years have
passed since the war, but the avatara has not forgotten the curse
pronounced on him by queen Gandhari when the tragic end of
her son Duryodhana had been announced to her. At that time she
had foretold the destruction of his entire family, his subjects and
himself. The fatal expiry of her malediction is now at hand and
Kr$Qa knows that All must come to pass.
The inauspicious signs that are characteristic of the Kali Yuga
are moreover omnipresent. Birds in the air describe circles from
right to left and then in the opposite direction, rivers change their
direction, meteors fall from the heavens, the Earth is shaken by
violent shocks, the Sun darkens and rings of fire appear in the Sky.
The divine plan is taking form.
Inside Dvii.raka, which has become a city of licentiousness and
debauchery, r#s come to threaten the inhabitants with worse
punishments, but their words are only met with scorn and sar
casm. One of these1 disguises himself as a woman and asks the
Sages to intercede on his behalf in order to obtain a son. "He will
have a weapon of burning iron, " the r# answers "that will burn
up the Vr�IJ.iS and the Andhakas (branches of the Yiidava scion)
with the exception of Kr$lJ.a and his brother Baladeva."
And, t o everyone's surprise, the prediction comes to pass on the
following day, for the thunderbolt produced by the agent provo
cateur reduces to ashes all who are around him. The projectile is
lSamba, the immoral and debauched son of Kr�J:la. The three Nis who curse
him are Visvii.mitra Durvasa and Nii.rada.
immediately pulverized, on the order of the Vr�TJ-i king, and thrown

away on the shore.
The Sages' warning is followed by a period of relative sobriety
on the part of the people, who feel Death on the prowl around
them. But their evil tendencies once again get the better of them,
and are justified as means for forgetting their fear and anxiety.
Through a calculation of lunations, Kr�l)a knows that the 36th
year, in which the fatal event is to occur, has arrived. By way of
encouraging Fate, he organizes a pilgrimage to the edge of the
sea, bringing with him all of the Yiidavas and their families, loaded
down with food and wine. They are soon drunk, and their frivolity
soon degenerates _into quarreling.
Satyaki, the king of Dvaraka's suta, reproaches Krtavarman
for having participated along with Asvatthaman and Krpa in the
Destruction of the last night of the war. After a violent battle
with him, he cuts off his head. The course of events is suddenly
catalyzed by Time, and the row becomes general. Satyaki is killed
in turn, followed by Pradyumna, one of Kr�l)a's sons, who has
come to his defense.
Reeds which have grown up in the place where the dust of the
iron weapon had fallen, are seized : once in their hands, these
become iron daggers with which sons kill their fathers and fathers
their sons. Witnessing the general destruction, the avatara's wrath
increases, moving him to finish off the survivors. For no one is to
be spared from Death in this cosmic phase of the Kali Yuga (Iron
Age)-which is illustrated by the weapons with which they pierce
one another, weapons arising from these particular reeds, which
are most significant in this period ofmutation.1
BALADEVA withdraws into a nearby forest and becomes absorbed

in yogic meditation. While he is in this state, there emerges from
his mouth a white serpent with a thousand red-eyed heads. The
snake creeps down to the sea in which are gathered the luminaries
of the reptile kingdom who have come to honor their king Se�a,
!These are designated in the text by the word "eraka", the name of a serpent ;
but "eraka" may be a corrupt form of "elaka" which bears the same meaning
as "eqaka" : ram.
Chapter Twentynine 199
the emblem of the Eternity of Creation, 1 and his incarnation

Baladeva, himself the representative of the Constellation of Taurus
in its association with the Earth. The first leads the latter into
the waters into which the stars and nak$atras disappear over the
horizon-presumably to hide or die.
Now that all the k$atriyas have been wiped out without excep
tion, thus bringing to fruition Gandhari's curse, the moment has
come for Kr�!).a to withdraw from this world as well. His mission
on Earth, to aid and give support to a critical phase in the passage
of eras within the Kali Yuga, has now been wholly fulfilled. So it
is that he lays his body down upon She whom he had freed from
her oppressive burden of humanity and, reducing his sentient being
to nil by means of his infinite powers, he abandons his bodily
envelope.
A hunter named "Jaras", looking to stalk a mrga (antelope/
the Zodiacal Ram), takes him for a likely prey and shoots him in
the heel. When he draws closer to perceive a form enveloped in
yellow silk with its four arms pointing towards the cardinal
directions, Jaras prostrates himself. But Kr�!).a comforts him, and
dematerializes before his eyes, filling the sky with his splendor
before attaining the higher regions in which the divinities greet
and thank him for having saved the Triple World.
Once again in the Epic, the regent of the planet Saturn manifests
himself in the form of "Jara" to symbolize the temporal power,
both creative and destructive, of which he is the symbol. He illus
trates, more particularly, the winter solstice2 which marks the end
of the nine month solar cycle that begins with the vernal equinox
and corresponds to procreation. This solstice in fact represents
the "door of the gods" which opens to allow for passage into
material Life-for Saturn is the master of the Threefold Time
that conditions creation.
As soon as he bears of his friend Kf$!).a's passing, Arjuna hastens

to Dvaraka, towards which the ocean's tide is advancing. There
he organizes the cremation of all of the Yiidavas who lie dead on
1Se$a, the king of the Nagas, bears the name of "residue", this being in
dispensable to the continuation of Manifestation. According to tradition, he
transmitted his Knowledge to the ancient astronomer Garga.
2The words 'jara' and •jaras' bear the sense of old age and decrepitude .
the shore. He also engages highly qualified brahmins to perform

funerary rites for Baladeva and Kr�l).a, as well as for their father
Vasudeva, whose four wives-Devaki, Rohil).i, Bhadra and
Madira-throw themselves on his pyre and thus join him.
Arjuna leaves on the seventh day, taking with him all survivors :
the elderly relations, wives and children of the Andhakas and
V!$�Jis, along with their servants, Kr�l).a's 1 6,000 wives and his
grandson Vajra.I
The long procession has barely passed through the outer gate
before the city disappears beneath the waters, after the fashion of
the cosmic Era of Aries which is "submerged" by that of Pisces.
Viewing the tidalwave from afar, the survivors marvel at their
fortunate lot ; but Destiny will not permit all of them to reach
Yudhi�thira's kingdom. In fact, as they pass through the land of
the five rivers, they are attacked by herders (iibhiras) who lust after
both the riches transported by the convoy and the most beautiful
of the V!$1Ji women. These they kidnap as they flee with their
booty. Arjuna attempts to intervene, but Giiru/iva proves to be
inoperative, and the inexhaustible and invincible weapons which
he has unfailingly invoked up to the present all slip his mind.
The women evoked in this passage apparently represent the
STARS, in all their multitude and incomparable brilliance, of
which a great number would continue to shine in the Sky of the
Month of Pisces. Contrariwise, those of Aries (vN�Ji) have passed
out of sight, disappearing with this sign beneath the horizon,
carried off by the guardians of the "heavenly fields".
Along with the remainder of the people he had lead out of
Dvarakii, Arjuna continues on his way, ashamed at his defeat. As
s oon as he arrives in the Kingdom, he rushes to the hermitage
where he is certain to find Vyasa, to confide his trouble to him.
The ancestor comforts him, saying that all that has come to
pass has been part of a divine plan. Vasudeva had come to Earth
to carry out the terrible destruction, and had used his brothers and
himself to accomplish his cosmic task. Arjuna is to rejoice, Vyasa
adds, over the privilege that had been reserved for them, and the
place that they had had the honor to occupy in the designs of the
gods. Now that these have been accomplished, the time has come
I Vajra : flaming beam, the name of Indra's weapon. See note 1 , p. 1 1 3 .

Chapter Twentynine 201
fo r them to abandon as well the Earth that they had aided in the
p a ss age of Time, that seed of the Universe, that root of all crea
tures, through which men become rich and then poor, master
then servant, according to their merits, on the Eternal Wheel.
Time commends to each thing its proper place.
The son of Satyavati at last reveals to him that the divine arms
to which he had had recourse are no longer operative, but that
they would be carefully preserved before again m anifesting them
selves at Time's command.
FoLLOWING his instructions, the sons of Pat;<;lu prepare themselves

for their final j ourney. Parik�it is installed on the throne of the
Kurus at Hastinapura. K.fpa becomes his guru, and Yuyutsu,
Duryodhana's vaisya brother who had joined the dharmic camp,
remains with the new king to counsel him, just as Vidura had
done two generations before.
Vajra, the survivor of the descendants of Yadu, settles at
Indraprastha where he represents the non-ruling branch of the
lineage even as he is the king of this city, as Kr�t;a had been at
Dvaraka.
The Pat;<;lavas cause funerary rites to be celebrated in memory
of thousands who were the last to disappear, and distribute their
wealth among the most illustrious of brahmins, their servants and
their subjects.
Uliipi returns to the subterranean waters, and Citrailgada goes
back to Mat;ipura, the "ethereal" kingdom.
Order has returned to the World, the cosmic balance has been
reestablished, and the gods once again find serenity and peace.
Yudhi�!hira's reign comes to an end after thirty-six years.1
lSee p. 1 6.
C H A P T E R 30
The Pii!Jcjavas and Draupadi leave Earth for Svarga,

thirtysix years after the war-Parik$it becomes the
Bhiirata king-End of the Era of Aries and com-
mencement of the Era of Pisces
The sons of Pat;gu, followed by Draupadi, leave the Kingdom

and set out, very symbolically, towards the four cardinal points,
as if it were their intention to encircle the Universe after the fashion
of the Sun.
They at last make their way along the path of the gods towards
the Himalayas. As they ascend, it is Draupadi who is the first to
fall to the Earth of which she was the representative. When Bhima
asks him the reason for her fall, Yudhi�thira explains that her
culpable preference for Arjuna has now borne its fruit.
And, for each brother who succumbs in turn, the Pat;gava
sovereign gives an explanation : Nakula believed his beauty to
be incomparable ; Arjuna collapses because he had thought him
self capable of annihilating all of his enemies in a single day ; and
when Bhima finally slumps, he learns that he ate too much and
was too boastful of his strength.
Without even looking back, Yudhi�thira walks on alone, follow
ed by a dog. When he arrives at Svarga, he obstinately refuses to
part ways with his loyal companion, alleging that a king must
never turn away the weak creature wh o comes to ask his aid, or
who has served him with devotion. When he pronounces these
words, the divine Dharma appears before him, satisfied with his
son's answer-and the dog vanishes from his sight.
From our astronomical standpoint, it is tempting for us to
relate the sudden appearance of this animal at the end of the Epic
to the Constellation of Canis Major, the Great Dog, of which the
rinci al star, Sirius, is of the first rna nitude. This luminary was
often attributed to Siva by the ancient r#s because, although it is

situated in the southern hemisphere, just below the line of the
equator, its exceptional heavenly brilliance renders it visible well
into the northern latitudes. It is thus visible in India, as well as in
Egypt, where it was considered to be the loyal guardian of celestial
motions.1
In this perspective, should we not look for a more hermetic
meaning to Yudhi�thira's edifying justifications for keeping this
dog by his side ? In fact, it was quite impossible to cast the star
Sirius, ever near to the horizon, out of the new system of the
stellar divisions ; for, in spite of the precession, it would continue
to adorn the night in the vicinity of the Constellation of Cancer, in
which the summer solstice of the solar Zodiac would thenceforth
be situated.
THE gods in their aerial car bring YudhiHhira, still possessed of

his terrestrial body, up to Svarga, where he rejo1ces and admires
all who appear before his eyes. Imagine his surprise when he
perceives Duryodhana there, resplendent as the Sun with its glo
rious halo-but none of his brothers ! YudhiHhira cannot hide
his stupor, and rebels against the shining presence of he who had
been the cause of so much sorrow, ruin and destruction. And, deaf
to the exhortations of the Sages and divinities who surround him
to forget his hatred, he insists on being led to his relatives, includ
ing Kama.
So it happens that, after these abodes of pleasure, he finds him
self suddenly transported into dark and nauseabound regions,
where he is attacked by fire, insects and iron-beaked birds.2
Corpses are piled up pell-mell, and exude a pestilential odor.
IFor the Egyptians, Sirius (Sothis) heralded the renewal of the rural year
and determined the cyclic terrestrial cycles, as well as the Sothic Year of 1460
years, at the end of which the star returned to a perfect conjunction with the
Sun. At the time of the heliacal rising of Sirius in approximately the 1 2th c.
B.C., statues of Cynocephalics appeared before their temples to adore the
Sun (like the "baboons" of Luxor exhibited at the Louvre). At this time, the
fall equinox fell in the sector of Virgo-Libra, in which the star Spica is located,
in a constellation whose form is remjniscent of an animal that is half-monkey
and half-dog.
2A reference to the Kali Yuga, the Age of Iron in which we live.
Chapter Thirty 205
The ground is furrowed with streams of boiling water that carry

in their wake bones, blood, and hair. The trees have cutting blades
for leaves, and the stones are of iron and white hot. Confronted
with this dreadful spectacle, Yudhi�thira starts to turn back when
he hears wailing voices that beg him to stay, as his very presence
pacifies their owners' suffering. And he recognizes the voices of
those he is seeking.
How can these pure, just and loyal heroes so well-versed in the
Vedas and respectful of k$atriya duty, be left huddled here, while
the Kaurava enj oys a place in Paradise?
Pressed by the messenger who has accompanied him to return
to Svarga, Yudhi�thira charges him with communicating to the
gods his indignation and his refusal to abandon Kama, Bhima,
Arjuna and the twins.
His divine hosts immediately appear before him, led by Indra
and Dharma. At the same instant, the infernal river dries up,
light drives out the dark shadows, and the impression of horror
disappears. The king of the gods declares that every prince ought
to see these sombre regions as a means to atoning for his wrong
past acts, and to testing more fully the joys of Svarga. Having
glimpsed them, he continues, Yudhi�thira has been purified of
the fault of having deceived DroQ.a with regard to the supposed
death of Asvatthaman ; and his brothers and KarQ.a have likewise
been purged of their errors. From this day onwards, he may
rejoice in the higher spheres and attain the place he had merited
through his dharmic acts and his Riijasuya (his royal consecration).
First, the Paw;Lava king is invited to bathe in the divine Ganges,
she whopours her waters over the Three Worlds. There, he washed
away his physical envelope, his hatred and malice. Arriving at
the end of his journey, in the abode of the blessed, he sees Kr�IJa
in his form of universal splendor, being worshipped by Arjuna
Phalguna. On other levels, he sees KarQ.a, the adopted son of
Radha, merge into Surya, as does Abhimanyu into Soma, Bhi�ma
into the Vasus, and DroQ.a into Brhaspati. Draupadi, born from
no earthly womb and exuding the pleasant odor of the Earth,
coalesces into Sri, the goddess of Prosperity, and Dhr�tadyumna
into Agni, the god of Fire. Paw;lu is again together with Kunti
and Madri in the presence of Indra, and Dhrtara�tra and
Gandhari are together with Kubera. Virata, his sons and Uattara
have also reached the celestial spheres : other heroes unite with
gandharvas and apsaras. Sakuni disappears into Dvapara, while
the brothers of Duryodhana and all of the warriors who fought
on their side follow after the riik$asas, of which the most cele
brated, accompanied by Ghatotkaca, attain the status of yak$aS.
Yudhi�!hira in turn merges into Dharma, as does Vidura.
Kr�l).a-Vasudeva returns into Narayal).a, from whom he had arisen,
and his 1 6,000 wives attach themselves to the celestial vault, to
illuminate the heavens.
All have reintegrated themselves into the celestial bodies of
which they had been the incarnations on Earth, having descended
to aid her in crossing over into a new stage on the zodiacal Cakra.
CHA P T ER 3 1
Conclusion
It is on this note that concludes this Jaya to the glory of the gods
and their terrestrial representatives the Bhiiratas, who so acted
for the sake of the Triple World.
To he who listens to it attentively, it promises the acquisition of
merits, the quest of Virtue and the attainment of Liberation. It
contains all that is found in the Universe, on Earth or in Heaven.
That which is found in it is everywhere ; that which is absent from
it may be found nowhere else. It is the eternal Truth ; it is the
passage of Time.
On his guru Vyiisa's order, it was this long narrative that
Vaisampiiyana thus hymned for the benefit of Janamejaya, the
son of Parik�it. This he did on the occasion of a Sacrifice that the
descendant of the celebrated lineage had decided to perform on
th e Kuruk�etra, to avenge the memory of his father, through
the immolation of all the serpents in the world.
Tak�aka, the king of this race, had in fact entered, in the form
of an insect, into a fruit guilefully offered to Parik�it who, after
sixty years of existence (the duration of a long Jupiterian cycle)
had succumbed to the serpent' s fatal bite. Thus had been fulfilled
the curse that had befallen him during a hunting expedition in the
Forest, at which time he had plied a muni who had taken a vow
of silence, with questions regarding the direction taken by a
mrga (a deer, and the zodiacal Aries) that had disappeared from
view : receiving no reply he had, in his anger, thrown a dead reptile
onto the ascetic's shoulder.
Having in turn become the supreme ruler (and the husband of a
princess of Kiisi), Janamejaya learns from the Ni Utailkal the
IUtailka is the name of the Ni encountered by l<.r$l)a on his way back to

Dvaraka, after the war. See p . 1 84.
208 Astrological Key in Mahiibharata
true reasons for his father's death. This latter has his own motives
for wishing the death of Tak�aka, as the serpent king had once
tried to steal the kur:ujalas (earrings that are round, like the
Sun's orbit) he was bringing from the residence of King Pau�ya1
for the wife of his guru. Janamejaya's reaction is the expected one :
he orders the destruction of the Naga sovereign and his entire race,
and he chooses Astika as his sacrificial officiant.
This priest is the offspring of the Naga Vasuki's sister with a
brahmin who had accepted this union because of the similitude of
their names : Jaratkaru. This particularity had been exacted by
his ancestors when he had once chanced upon them. They had
shrunken to the size of a thumb (karaTJa),2 and were hanging head
down at the end of a tenuous thread through which a rat was
slowly gnawing. Their decline was the result of an absence of
descendants.
These Manes, of the Yayavara lineage evoke, through the
etymology of this word, the wandering heavenly bodies that are
shaken by a change of ages and threatened with annihilation by
Time. But Time itself is possessed of a positive and generative as
pect, as illustrated by Jaratkaru3 who stretches the rules of his
ascetic life in order to obtain a descendant on Vasuki's sister,
and thus procure the deliverance of his ancestors. His son is named
Astika, and it is he who bas been placed by daiva at Janamejaya's
side to perform his Sacrifice (sarpa-sattra).
This predestined brahmin naturally intercedes with the king on
behalf of the serpents, of which the most evil have already been
thrown, by the thousands, into the flames at Agni's summons.
But Tak�aka is to once again escape this god of Fire, on the same
lThe word Pau$ya is related to the Constellation Pu$ya, the site of the
summer solstice in the sign of Cancer, opposite to that of Capricorn.
When dharma is not respected, either by oneself, by others, or when sacri
fice is used to nefarious ends, it tends to bring a curse down upon he who
trespasses the rules of his var�a. The curse often carries with it a desire for
vengeance, in an uninterrupted chain of cause and effect.
2Kara�a means accomplishment, and also corresponds to an astrological
division of the lunar day.
3The word jarat (like jaras and jarii) connotes the old age and decrepitude
attributed to Saturn, the regent of Capricorn which also corresponds to the
conce t of reconstruction and regeneration.
Chapter Thirtyone 209
Kuruk�etra that he was visiting when, at the beginning of the Epic,

Agni had devoured the Khii.Qc;lava Forest.
In effect, when the son of Parik�it and great-grandson of Arjuna
has heard the entire account of the exploits of all the Bharata
heroes, he is so filled with admiration that, inspired by Vyasa, h e
accepts t o let the rite end without having made a complete offer
ing. His order is pronounced at the very moment in which Tak�aka
is being dangled by Indra over the coals ; but he is revived and
finds himself unharmed on the Earth to which he is connected,
and which he would have plunged into chaos had all the serpents
been exterminated.1
For the Earth is eternal, and until the Kali Yuga comes to an
end, living creatures-at least the most virtuous and dharmic
among them-should continue to inhabit Her. Janamejaya had
caused the Cosmos to tremble in fear.
THROUGH: the circularity of its symbolic accounts in which similar

situations and identical names recur as a means to marking its
perennial nature, the Epic is the fabulous story of humans led by
Destiny through Cyclic Time, down to the moment when Vi�IJu
Nii.rii.yaQa would again sleep upon the Serpent Se�a, during a
pralaya that would issue in another Age of Man.
A t the present end of the second millennium and the Era of
Pisces, and with the approach of the Great Month of Aquarius,2
the eschatological myth of the MBh appears as a renewed warning
of the menace that hangs over the World. In this time of profound
change and paradox in which, after a long enslavement to material
ism the urgent need is felt for a universal planetary consciousness
that will remind him of his interdependence with his galaxy, man
finds himself tossed between two currents.
Will his ever-advancing interstellar exploration, science and
technology precipitate him into an irremediable catastrophe, or
tWe should recall here the cosmogonic function of the three Niiga kings,
Se�a, Vasuki and Tak�aka, in relation to the Triple World. See note 2, p. 28.
2The beginning of the Era of Aquarius will fall in the first decades of the
coming century ; but, as with every change in eras, its effects are felt prior to
its expected appearance.
will they free him from the pangs of birth that are increasingly felt
as his archaic ordering of the· universe breaks down?
The symbolism of the sign of Aquarius is illustrated by a figure
carrying on his shoulder a vase which is inclined so as to pour out
a stream of water. Is this the water of Wisdom, or that which
drowns the World in universal Destruction ? The answer is known
to Daiva-it remains to man to "throw the right die" and to
meditate on the mes�age that the MAHABHARATA offers for
bis reflection, in a time in which Nature's violence is a reaction to
his own, and in which the Earth groans under the weight of
noxious-we are tempted to say "asuric"-elements.
Over the recurring cycles, Astrology has revealed that the hu
man being is a composite of twelve dissociated forms of energy,
· into which the primordial Energy has divided itself. It is thus his
task to recognize the relationships between his constituent forces,
and to direct these to work towards his evolution-or his annihi
lation. It falls to him to choose the "right camp" in the unceasing
ly renewed confrontation of devas and asuras that courses through
him, through the course of Time.
Glossary
·
ABHIJIT. Constellation located between Asvattha (or Sraval)a) arid Uttara
�iiQhii, sacrificed through the new distribution of the solar Zodiac. Its
star Vega was then encompassed by Asvattha.
ABHIMANYU. Son of the Piil)Qava Arjuna and Subhadra, Kr�l)a's sister,
Father of Parik�it. Incarnation of Soma's son. Sacrificed on the thir-
·
teenth day of the war.

A.CARYA. Master, teacher.
ADHARMA. That which opposes the Eternal Law of Truth.
ADHIKA MASA. An intercalary morith added, approximately every 30
months, to lunar years, in order that they might correspond to solar
years.
ADITYA. A group of gods (sometimes twelve in number, as are the rays of
the sun and later, the zodiacal signs). Among these are Vi�l)u, Indra and
Silrya, the Sun, an A.ditya par excellence. 'rheir mother is the goddess
Aditi.
AGASTYA. A mythic Sage (Ni)-The star Canopus in the austral Constella�
tion Argo.
AGNI. A Vedic god-The divinized sacrificial fire, who mediates between the
sacrificer and the god he invokes-The Fire of spring, and thus a cosmic
symbol associated with the vernal equinox. He is most particularly the
regent of the Constellation Krttika (the Pleiades), located in the signs of
Aries and Taurus.
AHUyt:SA. The refusal to kill or harm a living creature.
AJA. Aries, the Ram-The first sign of the zodiac, for which the term "me$a"
is most generally employed-One of the names of the Moon and of the
god Agni - a-ja (not born from a womb) : existing for all eternity-Aja
MiQha, "double ram", is a surname of Yudhi�thira, the eldest son of
king Piil)QU, whom he succeeds to rule over the Kingdom of the Bharatas
Aja is the term we employ to designate the representatives of the Era
of Aries, who are to be succeeded by the Matsya (Pisces) of the next Era.
AKA. SA. Ether, the fifth and most subtle element, from which are successively
derived air, fire, water and earth.
AMBA.. The star Alcyon ofthe Constellation Krttika (the Pleiades). In the
Era of Taurus she was the Pole Star and was called the Divine Mother
or Jye$�hii. (literally the first, the most important), two of the names
attributed to the eldest princess· of Kii.si, whose two younger sisters were
Arnbika and Arnbalika.
AM"B,.TA. Ambrosia, the nectar of immortality, produced in the churning
of the Cosmic Ocean (the Milky Way) and identified with soma.
ANGA. A member or part of the body-A portion or division of the Zodiac
One of the six texts attached to the Veda, known as the Vediitiga, of
which Jyofi$a treats of astronomy and astrology-Kama, the son of the
solar god Siirya and Kunti was bestowed with the title of king of Ariga
by Duryodhana.
APSARAS. A celestial nymph-The Apsaras move or dance within or among
the water-bearing clouds, and frequent the Earth under various divine
forms.
ARJUNA. The third of the five Piil).<j.ava brothers-Considered to be the
earthly son of king Pii.l).<j.u, he is the offspring of Indra, the king of the
gods-Father of Abhimanyu and grandfather of Parik$it-One of his
wives is Subhadra-Citra, the sister of the avatara-Kr�l).a, of whom he is
the protege and from whom he receives the Teachings which comprise
the Bhagavad Gitii-Arjuna's name is reminiscent of the pale silvery color
of the Moon, but his complexion is dark the color of the Earth-The
plant arjuna is a sacrificial substitute for soma.
ARTHA. Useful directed activity by which one obtains prosperity and worldly
goods-One of the four aims (puru$iirtha: see below) of man.
ARYA. Noble, Aryan-The name of the race that invaded north India from
Central Asia, and transmitted to India their brahrnanic culture.
ASRAMA. (1) A hermitage, a site consecrated to spiri tual exercises and
meditation ; (2) The four stages in the religious life of a brahmin who
is, in succession : brahmaciirin, the pupil who studies at the feet of a guru ;
grhastha, the householder; viinaprastha, the brahmin who, after his
children have been raised, retires to the forest with his wife to consecrate
his life to spirituality; and sannyiisin, the total renouncer who transcends
all ritual and disparities of caste.
ASTRA. A throwing weapon-A divine missile whose use entails magic for
mulas.
ASURA. Beings hostile to the gods (devas), whose place in Heaven they
attempt to usurp. Their domain is the lower region defined by the line of
the equator which divides the terrestrial globe into two parts, the north
ern and southern hemispheres-It is our hypothesis that, in the MBh,
their negative "asuric" activity consists in opposing the cosmic evolu
tion-The confusion between asuras and demons does not appear in
texts until after the time of the MBh.
ASVA. Horse-By extension, this is the steed yoked to the solar chariot-In
Glossary 213
the Vedic rite of the Asvamedha through which a monarch asserted his
dominance, the horse was sacrificed after a year of wandering : this in
order that the Sun's passage through the zodiacal belt be symbolically
renewed, ratl�er than halted.
ASVAITHA. The sacred fig tree (Ficus religiosa) whose wood served to
shape the elongated component (ara�i) which, churned in a recipient
(dro�a) made of sami (Mimosa suma) wood, produced the spark with
which the sacrificial fire was kindled-In its feminine form, Asvatthii
i s the name of the day of the full Moon of the month of Asvina (mid
September to mid-October)-It is a variant name for the Constellation
Sraval)a, also known as Srol)a.
ASVAITHAMAN. The son of the brahmin Drol)a, the preceptor of the

Bhiirata princes-An ally of the Kauravas, he provokes the final con
flagration of the war.
A SVINS. The twin gods of Vedic mythology who traverse the Sky at dawn
In the MBh, they are incarnated as Nakula and Sahadeva, the sons of
king PiiQQU and his second wife Madri.
ATMAN. The individual self, as opposed to the brahman, the Universal Self,
the Absolute.
AVATARA. Descent, divine incarnation (from the root ava-T�)-The ten
avataras of the god Vi�Qu are the fish (Matsya), tortoise (Kurma), boar
(Varaha), dwarf (Vamana), man-lion (Narasir:pha), Rama with-the-Axe
(ParaSurama), Rama, Kr�Qa, Buddha (subject to controversy), and
Kalkin (who is to appear at the end of the Kali Yuga astride a white
horse)-The avataramanifests himself on Earth to set a particularexample
when dharma is not respected by men and when the world is thus in periL
AYANA. Path, trajectory-Passage of the Sun from one solstice to another
by extension : precession.
BABHRUVAHANA. The son of Arjuna and Citrangada, the princess of
MaQipura (City of the Jewel).
BALADEVA. (Or Balarama) Kr�Qa's older brother-The seventh son of
Vasudeva, he was transferred from the womb of Devaki into that of
RohiQi, by which his life was spared-He refuses to choose between his
rival cousins, and rather than participate in the war, he voluntarily
withdraws to undertake a 42-day pilgrimage-He is the incarnation of
the serpent Se�a.
BHAGA VAD GlTA. The celebrated passage of the sixth book of the MBh,
composed of 18 chapters, in the course of which theavatara Kr�Qa gives
his Teachings, founded on bhakti, to his protege Arjuna. It stands as a
self-contained summary of the whole of Hindu spirituality.
BHAKTI. Fervor, adoration-Devotion to the divine-In the Kali Yuga,
bhakti proves to be the most indispensable form of religion, for the attain
ment of the path of Deliverance (from rebirth .
21A Astrological Key in Mahiibhiirata
BHARADVAJA. The brahmin DroQ.a's father-One of the names of the

planet Mars.
BHARATA. A descendant of Bharata, the ancestor of the ltm�r dynasty.
Name adopted by modern India.
nHIMA. The second son of king Pal).qU and Ktinti-His divine father is Va u.
'
y
·
the god of the wind ·and atmosphere which allow for communication
·
between Earth and Heaven. ·
BHI�MA. Son of the goddess Ganga and Sii.ntanu-In order that the latter
might •unite with Satyavati of the Matsya lineage, Bhi�ma himself re
nounces marriage and the throne-The great-uncle of the PaQ.c.Iavas and
the Kauravas, he is addressed bx the!ll, as Pitii.m�h,a (grand-fath�r).
,
BHV, BHUMI. Earth, the soil.
BRAHMAN. (neuter) Vedic wisdom, the Veda, the power and knowledge
9,f the brahmin-The supreme principle from which the World emanate:;;
and into which it returns-Brahman is the Universal Self, as opposed. to
the individual atman-the Absolute-Brahma (masculine) is the Creator
of the Trimiirti (the Indian Trinity) who apparently arises from the navel
of Vi�Q.U (who has absorbed into himself all of the creatures who are to
survive), after a pralaya, in order to effect a new Creation-He has four
· .
heads; his wife is Sarasvati and his vehicle the ha111sa (swan).
. .
BRAHMA�A (BRAHMIN). Member of the priesthood, the highest caste

,
of Hindu society�Works in prose relative to Vedic sacrifices.
Bl,UiASPATI. The preceptor and chaplain of the gods-The husband of
Tara-The brahmin DroQ.a is his partial incarnation-The planet Jupiter.
BUDHA. The planet Mercury-The son of the Moon god Soma and Tara, the
wife of .Brhaspati (Jupiter).
BUDDHA. The founder of Buddhism.
CAKRA. A chariot wheel-The potter's wheel-A cyCle; circular moti� _:_ �
The name of the cutting discus of Vi�Q.u and his avatara Kr�Q.a, called
Sudarsana.
· , ·
CAITRA� Name of a month associated with that of Phalguna, just as is Arjuna

with KnQ.a,. in the MBh, as representatives of the Spring in the second
half of the Era of Aries.
CANDRA. A name of the Moon, more recent than Soma.
CITRA. . �arne of a constellation divided equally between the· signs of Virg0
a11d Libra, in which the autumnal equinox of the tropical Zodiac was
located-It contains the star Spica which allowed for the fixing of the
vernal point in the Constellation Asvini which corresponds to the sign of
. Aries-Citra is also a name given to Subhadra, the sister of Kr�Q.a who
married Arjuna.
CITRA:t\!GADA. The dau hter of the kin of Mani ura Cit of the Jewel
Glossary 215
or Pearl)-Her father adopted Babhruvahana, the son she bore with

Arjuna, to make him his heir.
DAITYA. A class of asuras often associated with the Diinavas.
DAIVA. Destiny that predetermines human and divine acts-Daiva mani
fests itself at every cosmic level, and is as unpredictable as the game of
dice. It is related to the root DIV ("to play a game of chance") as well
as to the noun diu (nominative : dyaus) which is Heaven, in which ar.e
located the celestial bodies upon which human fate depends.
DAK�I�A. Located to the right or to the south-Dak$iniiymia sarrzkriinti is
the passage of the Sun from the north to the south of the equator, and
by extension the summer solstice.
PAK�I�A. Honorarium pa,id to the sacrificial officiant by the sacrificer�
Payment offered to a master or teacher.
DANA. Gift, offering; generosity-This is also the term employed for the
liquid that flows from the temples of an elephant in rut. ,
DANAVA. A class of asuras, transformed by Indra into kabandhils (headlesS
trunks) among men : kabandha is also a name applied to certain clouds,
wl)oich hide the Sun at its rising or at its setting, and to Rahu.
DASA. A fisherman-Dasaraja is the fisher king who discovers Satyavati and
Virata inside. a fish netted from the Yamuna.
DASA. Human fate as determined by the position of the planets (the Moon 'in
particular) at the moment of birth and the periods of planetary influences
through which he passes in his life-The name of Dasarha attributed to
Kr�1.1a reinforces his determinative role in the destiny of the lunar dynasty
and its cosmic evolution.
DEVA. Derived from the root DIV: to shine {also to play a game ·of chance)
The gods, theoretically 33 in number, who live in Svarga, the Heaven
of the divine half of the globe above the horizon : the asuras live in the
other half (pak$a)-Brahmanic literature is filled with references to the
battles between the devas and asuras in the periods of the successive
divisions of the celestial sphere, by which "limits" were established
between their respective territories (blziigas) and the constellations proper
to them. See daiva.
DHANI�THA. (also called Vasudeva). A Constellation straddling the signs
of Aquarius and Capricorn, in which the winter solstice would come to
be situated-It is our hypothesis that Dhani�tha represents the point of
cleavage between the devas and asuras, and corresponds on Earth to the
Kingdom, of which Hastinapura is the capital, over which the PaQ.<;Iavas
and Kauravas fought a fratricidal war.
DHANUS. A bow, the royal weapon par excellence-It symbolizes strength,
k$afriya power on Earth, and Indra's bow, the rainbow.
DHARMA. Derived from the root DH� : to uphold, support�Dharma is
moral law, which is just because of divine essence, by which the socio
cosmic Order (rta) is maintained-The rules of this Eternal Law are
related in the Dharma Siistras. It is personified by the god Dharma.
DH�I;)TADYUMNA. Son of king Drupada and brother of Draupadi, the
wife of the five PiiQc;lavas of whom he became the commander-in-chief
of the armies during the war.
DH�TA�Ai;iTRA. The eldest son of Vyasa-Blind from birth, he is unfit
for Royal office, which falls to his brother PiiQQU.
DHRUVA. The Pole Star, the sole immobile point in the Sky of which it is
the "navel", above Mount Meru-The axis of the poles point in its direc
tion, and the heavenly bodies turn around it.
DIKI;)A. Spiritual initiation by a guru by which negative energies are destroyed.
DRAUPADI. Daughter of king Drupada, she becomes the wife of the five
PiiQc;lavas after Arjuna's victory at her svaya111 vara. Incarnation of the
goddess Sri, and of a portion of Saci, the wife of lndra.
DRO�A. The brahmin preceptor of the young Bharata princes-Born in a
dro�;�a, a sacrificial recipient in which his father Bharadvaja had placed
his seed, he is the husband of Krpi and father of Asvatthaman.
DRUPADA. The k$atriya king of the Paiicalas and sworn enemy of the
brahmin DroQa-Father of Draupadi, Dhr$tadyurnna and SikhaQc;lin(i).
DUI;ISALA. The sole daughter of Dhrtarii$tra, she is the sister of the Kauravas
and cousin of the PiiQc;lavas-Wife of Jayadratha.
DURYODHANA. The son of Dhrtarii$tra, he is the eldest Kaurava and the
incarnation of the asura Kali.
DVARAKA. The capital of KnQa, which is invaded by the waters at the end of
the Epic-The words dviiraka and dviira (door, opening) evoke the four
points through which the Sun passes on the ecliptic, at the times of sols
tices and equinoxes.
GANDHARi. The wife of the blind Dhrtarii$tra, she voluntarily blindfolds
herself as a sign of humility-She is the mother of the 100 Kauravas and
Dul)sala.
GANDHARVAS. Genies of the intermediate world and celestial musicians,
they are considered to be the husbands of the Apsaras.
GA�I)lVA. The bow of Arjuna, offered him by Agni in the KhiiQc;lava Forest
at the beginning of the Epic.
GANGA. The Ganges, the sacred river of India, divinized in the form of a
goddess who becomes, in the MBh, the wife of king Santanu and the
mother of Bhi$ma-Akasaganga is the celestial Ganges who descended
to Earth, flowing from Vi$QU's foot through Siva's hair, by means of
which her crushing hydraulic force was broken-The Milky Way is
often designated by the word iikiiSagaizgii.
Glossary 2 17
GHATOTKACA. The son of Bhima, the second Piil)(,iava, and of the riik$asi
Hi<,iimbii.
GO. Cow-This term may also be used to designate the stars, pointS of white
ness spangling the "heavenly meadow", of which Kr�IJa "Govinda" is
the protector.
GRAHA. The act of grasping-A planet, considered as an entity possessed

of the power to seize hold of human fate through its cosmic influences.
In Indian astrology, Riihu and Ketu (the northern and southern nodes
of the Moon), together with the Sun, Moon, Mercury, Venus, Mars,
Jupiter and Saturn, make up the nine grahas.
GRAMA. A village or inhabited place.
GU1�AS. Substantial qualities of nature which produce Manifestation when

they fall out of balance-There are three guT:Zas: sattva, rajas and
tamas, i.e. essentiality-appearance, activity-transformation, and reali
zation-disappearance-The three dekans of each zodiacal sign are said
to be dependent upon the qualities of the three guT:Zas, and upon their
combinatory proportions specific to every terrestrial phenomenon.
GURU. Spiritual master, preceptor-One of the names of the planet Jupiter
(Brhaspati).
HA¥SA. Goose or swan-A mythic bird that serves as Brahrnii's vehicle.
HANUMAN. A demigod having the form of a monkey, who plays an impor
tant role in the Riimiiyal)a epic-In the MBh, he is the son of the god
Viiyu, as is the second Piil)(,iava Bhima.
HARIVAMSA. Name of an appendix to the MBh containing the history and
adventures of Kr�IJa and his family-This term may also correspond to
the lineage of Vi�J)u.
BASTA. A Constellation encompassed by the sign of Virgo, of which the
stars seem to depict a cynocephalic.
HASTINAPURA. The "City of the Elephant" on the shore of the Ganges
the capital of the Bharata Kingdom, it is unjustly occupied by the Kau
ravas at a time when the royalty is to pass to the Piil)(,iavas-lt's name
associates it with elephants, who guard the cardinal points (hastin=
elephant).
HI.I;>IMBA. The sister of the riik$asa Hi<,iimba, she bears Ghatotkaca from
her union with Bhima, the second Piil)(,iava.
INDRAPRASTHA. The "Place protected by Indra" on the shore of the

Yamuna, where the Piil)(,iavas live until the time of their installation at
Hastinapura.
INDRA. A Vedic divinity, he is considered to be the king of the 33 gods
The divine father of Arjuna, the third of the earthly sons of Piii)Qu-Like
Vi�J)U, Indra plays a cosmogonic role with relation to the solstices and
equinoxes-His vehicle is moreover the elephant Airavata-He wields

the thunderbolt (vajra) and rules over the beneficent rains that fecundate
the wealth of the Earth.
IRAVAT. The son of Arjuna and Uliipi, the Naga princess.
ITIHASA. A myth whose validity transcends the human dimensions of time

and space, even as it recounts historical accounts.
JAGAT. The world of living beings.

JANAMEJAYA. The son of :parik�it to whom is related the entire MBh, in
the course of a sacrifice of serpents (Sarpa sattra) that he wishes to
accomplish to avenge his father.
JARA, JARAS. Old age, decrepitude-In astrology, it connotes the symbolism
of Saturn.
JARASANDHA. The king of the Magadhas and incarnation of Vipracitti,
the Danava father of Rahu, the ascending node of the Moon (Vipra is
one of the names of the Moon, as well as of the month of Bhadrapada in
the sign of Virgo, opposite to that of Pisces with the month of Phalguna
-Because Jarasandha had attempted to obstruct Yudhi�thira's Raja
siiya, Kr�t;�a has him killed by Bhima.
JAYA; Victory, triumph-The account of the war of the Bharatas given by
Vyasa is qualified as a Jaya.
JAYADRATHA. The king of the Sindh-The husband of Dul_lsala, he is thus
the brother-in-law of Duryodhana and the Kauravas.
Jl'\J'ANA. Knowledge, spiritual understanding-Jiiana-yoga is one of the three
paths by which to attain Liberation, as taught by Kr�na in the Bhagavad
Gita.
JYOTI$A. Science of the motions of the celestial bodies (jyoti') and of the
divisions of time-One of the six appendices to the Veda.
KAK$A. A belt, specifically that used for elephants-A planetary orbit�The

emblem of Kart;�a, son of the sun god Siirya and of Kunti.
·
KALA. Time, often identified with Death (Yama) because he exterminates

everything. This is one of the names of Siva in his destructive aspect and
also of the planet Saturn. It is the color black, dark blue or dark brown,
which is attributed to the element earth.
KALI YUGA. The Iron Age, the 4th of the Mahayuga , that which we are
living at present, and reputed to be the worst. See yuga. The name of a
dice marked with one dot-the losing one.
KALI. The Black One (f.)-Name of the goddess in her terrific aspect-Ter
rible form of Durga, the wife of Siva, considered to be the divine sakti_.:...
One of the names of Satyavati, who was discovered, along with her twin
Virata, in the belly of a fish.
Glossary 219
,:f(AMA. Pleasure or desire as a form of cosmic power-One of the four goals

of human existence (puru$iirthas).
KARKATA or KARK.A. A crab or crayfish-The symbol of Cancer� the
fourth zodiacal sign.
KARMAN. Derived from the root KR, � ·to make, do"-Acts performed in
the present life which extend into successive lives according to their con
sequences or effects-Universal law of cause and effect in the cycle of
rebirths (sal?lsiira) of every human being, whose karman, is thus deter
mined by his acts, as well as by their results, that befall him-In Astro
logy, man is represented by his own Map of the Heavens, with his birth
occurring when the celestial impulses are in correlation with his individual
karman.
KARMAYOGA. Disciplfned activity, one of the three Paths to salvation, as
taught in the Bhagavad Gitii.
KARI'�"A. Son of the god Siirya (the Sun) and of Kunti-Prthii., born to her
before her union with king Pii.IJ.QU and the ensuing birth of the three
eldest Pii.IJ.<;Iavas-KariJ.a is born with an armor adhering to his body,
and round, golden earrings (kuiJcfalas)-He is found and adopted by a
suta Adhiratha and his wife Rii.dhii.-Duryodhana bestows upon -him
the title of King of Ailga-His emblem is a kak$a or elephant belt.
KAURAVA. Patronymic derived from Kuru-More particularly, this name
designates from amongst the Bhii.ratas, the evil clan of the cousins (sons
of Dhrtarii.�tra) who were the Pii.IJ.<;Iavas' enemies.
KETU. Descending node of the Moon, known in western astrology as the
southern node or the tail of the Dragon.
.
KHA:r�n;:>AVA. The forest burnt up by Agni in an account which, in Book
. I,
summarizes the theme of the entire MBh.
KRJ>A. Twin brother of DroiJ.a's wife Krpi reared at the Court of Sii.ntanu.
The maternal uncle of Asvatthaman, preceptor and fencing--master to
the Bharata princes. He participates in the final massacre in spite of his
name which, in its feminine form, signifies compassion.
KR$�A. The most ·celebrated of Vi�IJ.u's avataras-Belonging to the non
ruling branch of .the Yii.davas, he is the eighth son of Vasudeva and of
Devaki, whose womb had been penetrated by one of Vi�IJ.u's black
hairs-whence his name, which i s also related to his dark complexion
When Karp.sa, the king of Mathurii., threatens to kill Kr�IJ.a at birth,
Vasudeva entrusts him to the cowherd Nanda and his wife Yasodii.,
whose child is substituted for Kr�IJ.a.
KRTAVARMAN. A friend of Kr$IJ.a who nevertheless fights alongside the
Kauravas and participates in the final destruction of the k$atriyas to
gether with Asvatthii.man and Krpa.
K�TA YUGA. The Age of Gold, the first and most perfect of the four Ages.
Also called Satya Yuga-See Yuga.
K�TTIKA. The Constellation of the Pleiades, of which 1 is situated in the

4
sign of Aries and ! in that of Taurus.
Kl;)ATRA. Supremacy, the function of the k$afriya.
Kl;)ATRIYA. Member of the second var�a (caste), that of Princes and war
riors.
Kl;)ETRA. Field, fertile ground, and metaphorically a woman's womb-A

zodiacal sign.-Kn1Ja-K$etrajfia: "He who knows the field of experience"
(the Zodiac)-Bhagavad Gita.
KUBERA. God of wealth and treasures, and of the northern direction-He
is a part of Siva's entourage, at the head of the yak$as-His abode is
Mount Kailasa, in the Himalayas.
KUMBHA. Pot, vessel-Name of Aquarius, the eleventh sign of the zodiac.

KU�J;>ALA. A round bracelet or earring which evokes the circular path of
the Sun, and the rings of Karl)a.
KUNTi. Before her adoption by king Kuntibhoja, her name was Prtha-The
paternal aunt of Kr$1Ja, she has a son, Karl)a, by the god Sorya, after
which she becomes the wife of Pal)QU to whom she bears three sons :
Yudhi$thira, Bhima and Arjuna, through the gods Dharma, Vayu and
lndra.
KURU. King and ancestor of the lunar dynasty, his name is often given to
his descendants, the Bharatas.
KURUKSETRA. The "Field of Kuru", the site of the famous Epic war.
Name of a plain in northern India.
KUSA. A type of grass used in certain religious ceremonies--It is gathered
in places in which subterranean waters flow.
LILA. Divine "play" that is the source of the Creation and the Destruction
of the Cosmos, and of Life and Death.
LINGAM. A marking-A phallus, the generative and creative power that
complements that of the yoni, the female matrix.
LOKA. World, a level of threefold existence which is composed of Heaven,

Earth and, between the two, intermediate space (Atmosphere)-In
Sanskrit these are svar- bhitr- and bhuvar- loka- Sometimes, tri
loka designates Heaven, Earth and the lower regions-The lokaptilas
constitute a group of divinities who protect the cardinal directions.
MADHU. Honey-Root from which are derived Kr$1Ja's epithets of Madhava
and Madhusodana, which associate him with springtime-Name of a
demon killed by Kr$1Ja.
Glossary 221
MADRI. Pa�:t<.lu's second wife, the mother of the twins Nakula and Saha
deva-She immolates herself on the king's pyre.
Magha. (see miisa) Month corresponding to the sign of Aquarius, chosen by
Bhi$ma for the release of his vital breaths.
MAKARA. A mythic animal, resembling the dolphin or crocodile (and
perhaps inspired by the beluga of the polar seas)-Hieroglyph of Capri
corn, the tenth zodiacal sign-A symbol of the waters associated with
the goddess Ganga who is represented astride a makara, it corresponds
to the winter solstice, i.e. the uttariiya!Ja or deviiyana, the door of the
Sun and of the gods-This creature is also designated by the word yiidas
which may perhaps bear an etymological relationship to Yadava, Kr$�:ta's
lineage whose ancestor Yadu was saved by Indra from a flood.
MA�J;>ALA. Circular, geometric figure with four divisions, representative
of the Cosmos.
MAN GALA. One of the names for Mars, the red planet.
MANTRA. Sacred and magical formula, borrowed from the Vedic hymns,
to accompany ritual practices-OM (AUM), vibratory cosmic energy,
is the transcendent Syllable, the Source of all uttered sounds.
MANU. Progenitor of human Creation-Fourteen Manus preside, in suc
cession, over a period known a s a manvantara-Vaivasvata i s the seventh
Manu of the first septennial, and the progenitor of the present human
race-The first Manu, Svayambhuva, is considered to have inspired a
Treatise of Laws applied to the social sphere : this treatise nevertheless
cannot be dated earlier than the 5th century B.C.
MARUTS. Vedic gods of storms and clouds-The Maruts are part of Indra's
entourage.
MASA. Lunisolar month determined by the full Moon that falls in the Cons
tellation opposite to that of the Sun-They are listed here with the
zodiacal signs (riiSis) that correspond to them :
masa riiSi
caitra (mid-March/mid-April) me$a or AJA Aries

vaisakha " April " May vr$a (or vr$abha) Taurus
jyai$tha " May " June mithuna Gemini
a$a<_lha June " July karka (or karkata) Cancer
srava�:ta " July " August sirpha Leo
bhadrapada " August " Sept. kanya Virgo
asvina " Sept. October tula Libra
karttika Oct. Nov. vrscika Scorpio
mar asir$a Nov. Decem. dhanus Sagittarius
222 Astrological Key in Mahiibharata
pau�a mid-Dec. mid-January makara Capricorn

magha Jan. , February kumbha Aquarius
phalguna , Feb. , March mina or MATSYA Pisces
MATSYA. Fish-The twelfth sign of the zodiac-Name of the Era that is to

follow that of Aries, and of the lineage that is to regenerate the Bharata
dynasty.
MA.YA. Cosmic power of manifestation, but also that of the i llusion in
herent to the nature of phenomenal appearances-In modern physics,
this corresponds to the illusory character of the atom, and to the princi
ple of relativity-From the root MA ("to measure, construct") is de
rived Maya, the name of the architect of the crystal palace (which corres
ponds to the supernatural world) in which the mtiyti of the Kauravas
leads them astray, whereas the Piil).<;iavas are able to move through it
without being lost.
MERU (MOUNT). In mythology, it is considered to be the Axis of Earth,
located at the center of the Universe (Jambiidvipa), around which the
planets effect their revolutions-The heavenly Ganges flows directly on
this mountain, the abode of the gods, before being divided into four
branches which water the Earth.
MOKSA. Liberation by which the cycle of rebirths is brought to an end-The
state realized by he who is delivered from mtiyti.
MRGA.
. Animal belonging to the antelope family, which was likely used to ·
illustrate the zodiacal ram (Aries) in Asia.

MUNI. A silent sage, anachorite.
MRTYU. Death, as well as the god of Death, sometimes identified w'ith Yama.
NAGA. Serpent-Their undulations evoke the telluric and phreatic currents
that they seek out under the ground---'--For us, the three Naga kings are
to be placed in relation to the three levels of the Universe-Se�a is the
Milky Way; Vasuki is the line of the horizon, and the intermediate space
in which the heavenly bodies move along the ecliptic around the Pole
Star; and Tak�aka is the Earth with its subterranean and aquatic worlds .
NAKSATRA. Constellation-The principal constellations were numbered
at 28 : this was reduced to 27, in order to correspond to the solar signs
Each occupies 1 3 ozo of the Zodiac, starting from 0° in Asvini-See
map.
NAKULA. Sahadeva's twin, the son of king Piil).<;iu and of Madri, his second
wife-Together, they incarnate the Vedic Asvins.
NARADA. One of the seven great Nis-He appears as an intermediary bet
ween the gods and men.
NARAYA�A and NARA. The cosmic Man (an aspect of Vi�t:lU) and his
terrestrial pro·ection-In the eriod between two universal hases
Glossary 223
(kalpas), NiirayaQa sleeps on the serpent Se�a who is himself uncoiled

upon the primordial Ocean of Milk : this latter evokes the Milky Way,
that vast nebula whose center is apparently occupied by our solar system
or galaxy (from the Greek gala, galaktos : milk).
PADA. Foot, step-Astronomical measure of length-The Zodiac is equal
to 1 08 padas, in both sidereal and solar reckonings.
PANCANGA. "Having 5 parts"-Calendar indicating solar and lunar days,
nak$alras, yogas and karalJas (divisions of the days)-It designates the
five year cycle.
PA�J;)AVAS. The five sons of king PiiQQU of the Bhiirata dynasty-They are
Yudhi�thira, Bhima, Arjuna, Nakula and Sahadeva (the twins).
PARASARA. Sage who fathered Vyasa on Satyavati-Name of an ancient
astronomer.
PARASURAMA. Rama with the Axe-The sixth incarnation of Vi�QU, who
appears in the Epic in connection with Karl)a and Bhi�ma.
PARIKSIT. The son of Abhimanyu and Uttara, and grandson of Arjuna
The sole survivor among the descendants of the Bharatas and Matsyas,
stillborn but resuscitated by Kr�l)a, he is to represent the dynasty in the
Era of Pisces.
PARIPLAVA (AKHYANA). Cyclic narrative composed of ten stories of
famous kings: these accounts are repeated over 3 6 periods of ten days
in the course of the year of wandering undergone by the horse in the
Vedic sacrifice known as the Asvamedha-Its duration would appear
to bear a relationship to the 36 dekans and the 360° of the Zodiac.
PASU. Cattle, of which the guardian is Pasupati-Sacrificial animal.
PHALGUNA. Name of a month (see masa)-One of Arjuna's names in his
symbolic representation of the spring, in association with Kr�I.la (and
the month Caitra).
PITAMAHA. Literally, paternal grandfather-One of the names of Brahmii

(the grandfather of all creatures) given to Bhi�ma, even though he was
the great-uncle of the PiiQ<_Iavas and Kauravas-Name of the Sage,
possessed of a knowledge of the Sky, to whom the Paitamaha Siddhanta,
a treatise that mentions the five-year cycle, was supposed to have been
revealed by Brahmii at a time precedent to that of the Vedaliga Jyoti$a.
PIT.RS. The Manes, deified ancestors-Before the accomplishment of their
funeral rites, the dead occupy the liminal status of pretas.
PRAJAPATI. Lord of Creatures who, upon the creation of a new Universe,
asks that the devas and asuras accept the new distribution of the stars
in the celestial sphere, and exacts that the Sages adapt their sacrifices
accordingly.
PRAKRTI. The dynamic feminine creative energy of Nature.

224 A strological Key in Mahiibhiirata
PRALAYA. The destruction of the world at the end of a Kalpa-A partial

pralaya takes place at the end of a Yuga.
PRATIPA. "The Retrograde"-His name evokes the precessional motion
He is the father of Sii.ntanu (the husband of Ganga and Satyavati), to
whom he had entrusted the kingship of the Bhii.ratas.
PRTHIVI. The Earth.
PURA:r�A. The whole of Hindu tradition brought together in the form of

reinterpretations of ancient legends-The category applied to the 1 8
principal treatises o n ritual and codes o f law, which interpret the latter
through tales and myths from various periods, and which deal with the
history of India and of humanity. The most ancient Purii.I)as are said to
have been compiled by Vyii.sa.
PURU$A. Male creature, man-Static consciousness, as opposed to the
dynamic energy of prakrti-One of the names of the Absolute.
PURU$ARTHA. The four aims of human existence-These are : kama-the
satisfaction of desires; artha-the acquisition of material goods ; dhar
ma the accomplishment of one's duties according to one's own varl)a ;
-
and mok,m-the ultimate liberation from these various objectives.
RADHA. Name of the adoptive mother of Karl)a, who was born from the
union of the god Silrya and Kunti-Karl)a is called Rii.dheya, the son
of Rii.dhii.-The Constellation of Visii.khii., which straddles the signs of
Libra and Scorpio.
RAHU. Ascending node of the Moon, counted as one of the nine grahas
(planets)-ln western astrology, this is the northern node or the head of
the dragon.
RAJAS. One of the three gUI;as. See above.
RAJASDYA. Major official Sacrifice, performed in order to celebrate the
assumption of supreme power by the king (rii.jan).
RAK$ASA. Derived from the root RAK$, "to protect"-An asura of the
brahmin caste who appears when royal power fails-Possessed of a semi
animal form, and a nocturnal cannibal, the rt1k$asa's activities are greatly
i ncreased with the fall of night.
RAMAYA�A. The second great brahmanic Epic, attributed to Vii.lmiki
This Epic recounts the exploits of Rii.ma of the solar dynasty, whose
wife is Sitii. (a word designating the furrow traced by the plow and, by
extension, the Earth).
RASI. Zodiacal sign-See masa for an enumeration of these.
REVAT'i . Name o f Kf$I)a's brother Baladeva's wife-Constellation situated
in the sign of Pisces.
R$1. A visionary-A completely liberated mythic prophet charged with the

Glossary 22 5
oral transmission of the Revelation (sruti)--He "sees" the Truth con·

tained in the Vedas.
�TA. The cosmic Order that governs the Universe, while dharma, moral
order regulates human destiny.
RTUS. The six seasons-These are : vasanta (spring) ; gri$ma (hot season) ;
·
var$ii (rainy season) ; sarad (autumn) ; hemanta (winter) ; and sisira (cool
season).
RUDRA. Name of Siva in his terrible destructive form.
SABHA. A meeting hall, restricted to men, which also served as a gambling
hall.
SAKTI. Divine power or energy, personified i n a feminine form as the consort

of a god.
SAKUNI. Name of a bird (often the bearer of a portent)-Name of the king
of Gandhara, the brother of Gandhari who married the blind king
Dhrtara$tra-He is an evil counseller to his nephew Duryodhana-One
of the eleven astrological divisions of the lunar day.
SALVA. Royal incarnation of the asura Ajaka-He rejects Amba, the princess
of Kasi to whom he is engaged, on the pretext that she had been kid
napped, along with her sisters, by Bhi�ma.
SALYA. King of the Madras, and the brother of Pal)<,iu's second wife Madri-
An asuric uncle of the Pal)<,iavas, he fights on the side of the Kauravas.
SAMBA. Debauched son of Kr�I:la and of Jambavati, one of his wives.

SAMRAT- Universal sovereign.
SAMSARA. Derived from the root sam-SR-The unfolding of the cycle of

rebirths; the passage through several states of existence, conditioned by
karman.
SANI. Saturn, the dark planet or its regent.
SANJAYA. A member of the suta caste to whom Vyasa gives the boon of
ubiquity, which enables him to keep Dhrtara�tra, the blind king, in
formed of the course of the war in its entirety, in both the camps of his
Kaurava sons and that of his Pal)qava nephews.
SANNYASIN AND SADHU. A holy man who has taken a vow to renounce
the mundane world.
SANTANU. The son of Pratipa, "the Retrograde''-King of the lunar dynasty

in whom the solar king Mahabhi�a incarnated himself-:The husband of
Ganga, by whom he has Bhi�ma; then of Satyavati who gives him two
sons, Citrailgada and Vicitravirya, both of whom die without issue.
SARASVATi. A sacred river, the "Mother of Rivers"-Name of Brahma's
SASTRA. Treatises of laws established by brahmins : their authority is

supreme.
SAT!., A widow who lets herself be burned alive on her husband's pyre, out
of devotion and fidelity.
SATTVA. The first of the three gu�as (qualities) of Nature-Sattva allows

for one to accede to Knowledge through purity and truth.
SATYA. Truth.
SATYAKI. Knt:�a's relative and charioteer at Dvaraka.

SATYAVATI. Female child discovered with her twin Virata in a fish in the
Yamuna-Incarnation of an apsara. She is the first link in the MATSYA
lineage, and the wife of king Santanu by whom she has two sons
Parasara fathered Vyasa upon her before her marriage.
SE�A. Remainder, residue-Name of a Serpent king whose 1 000 heads make
him a symbol of eternity, whence his name Ananta (without end)
During a pralaya, Vi�t;�u-Narayat;�a sleeps on Se�a, who himself uncoils
over the length of the primordial Ocean, the Milky Way or iikiisagmigii
Se�a is incarnated in Baladeva, the elder brother of Kr�t;�a.
SIKHA�l)IN(l). The son of king Drupada, and brother of Dhr�tadyumna
and Draupadi-Born a female, he exchanges his gender with a yak�a
to take his personal vengeance against Bhi�ma during the war, in which
he dies in the final destruction, killed by Asvatthaman, the son of his
father's enemy, the brahmin Drot;�a.
Sll'yiHA. Lion-The fifth sign of the Zodiac.

SISUPALA. Cousin of Kr�t:�a who becomes his personal enemy after the latter
carries off his fiancee, Rukmit;�i-He is killed by the avatara.
SIVA. One of the gods of the Hindu Trimurti--He represents the destructive
aspect of the divine Will, but this with an end of a new reconstruction
A fozm of the principle of disintegration and reintegration-His wife
is Durga (or Kali)-He appears several times in the MBh, in the form
of the irascible -r�i Durvasa.
SKANDA. God assimilated with Mars, the god of war and regent of the
planet that rules over the sign of Aries-He is also called Karttikeya
because he was raised by the Krttikas (Pleiades).
SOMA. The Moon-Name of an intoxicating beverage obtained by pressing
a plant gathered at night that, mixed together with milk and honey, was
used in sacrificial libations-Soma confers immortality.
SRADDHA. Funerary rites.
SRAVA�A. Constellation also called Srot;�a and Asvattha, completely en

compassed by the sign of Capricorn.
SRI. The goddess of prosperity and beauty.

Glossary 227
SRNGA. Horn (those of the Moon, or of an animal such as the ram)�

Saniga, "having horns", is the name of Vi$1)U's bow-Scmigaka is a
type of bird, which escaped fro� the fire of the Khal)<;lava Forest.
·
SRUTI. The corpus of orally revealed texts (the Vedas, Upani$ads, etc.), as
opposed to smrti, which was established according to traditional Teach
ings.
SUBHADRA. Citra, the sister of the avatara J<r$J)a, who married Arjuna to
give birth to Abhimanyu (the father of Parik$it).
SDDRA. The f ourth van.za, whose role is to serve the first three.
SUKRA. The guru of the Daityas (asuras)-Name of the planet Venus (also·
·
called Usanas) and of its regent, the son of Bhrgu.

SDRYA. The sun-The solar god who fathered Karl)a on Kunti-Siirya
mm:u;lala is the .solar circle, the ecliptic-Surya Siddhiinta : an astronomi
cal Treatise, originally revealed by the asura Maya.
,SOTA. Charioteer and bard to a prince-The mixed-caste offspring of a
brahmin and a k$atriya.
SVARGA. Heaven, the abode of the gods and of humans faithful to their
dharma.
SVAYAl\.fVARA. Ceremony in the course of which a princess chose her own
husband from among a group of competing suitors.
T AKSAKA. King of the Nagas, spared from the Khiil)<;lava Forest fire at the
beginning of the Epic, and from the sacrificial fire of Janamej.aya, to
whom the story of the MBh is told in its entirety.
.TAMAS. Darkness, ignorance, the power of inertia, mental obscuration-The
lowest of the three guvas.
TAPAS. Heat, fervor, the concentration of strength obtained through self

discipline and asceticism as a means "to gaining supernatural powers .
.
TARA. A star-Name of Brhaspati's (the regent of the planet Jupiter) wife
who had a son Budha (regent of the planet Mercury) by her lover, the
Moon.
TEJAS. Brilliance, energy, vital force, semen, the internal fire that radiates
from a god or human being.
TIRTHA. Pilgrimage site, generally located near a sacred river.
TRIMDRTI. "That which has three forms"-The manifestation of the Hindu
trinity composed of Brahma (Creation), Vi$1)U (Preservation), and Siva
(Destruction)-The. three members correspond to different cosmic states.
ULDPI. Princess of the Serpent (Naga) kingdom and of the aquatic worlds
She has a son, lravat, by Arjuna.
UPAPLAVYA. City of the Matsya kingdom in which the Piil)<;lavas take
refuge to pass the final year of their exile incognito
UITARA. Sister of Uttara and daughter of king Virata-The Matsya prin

cess who married Abhimanyu (Arjuna's son) to give birth to Parik�it.
UITARAYA.l'�A (sailkranti). Six month period of the Sun's northerly course,

culminating with its highest point above the equator-The word uttarii
ya�a, by itself, means the winter solstice-It is symbolized by Bhi$ma.
VAHANA. Vehicle, especially that of a god, by which he or she is able to
move through space.
VAISAMPAYANA. A disciple of Vyasa and one of the reciters of the MBh.
VAISYA. The third var�a, that of agricultural ists, artisans and merchants.
VAJRA. Thunder-lndra's lightningbolt-Name of a particular configura-

tion of planets and stars-Diamond, the purest and most shining stone,
composed of carbon whose chemical valency corresponds to the number
4, evoking the cosmic sphere's division into quarters.
VARl'�A. Caste, class-Brahmanical society is divided into four groups, each of
which is identified by a defined social status and a particular relationship
to Vedic ritual-In the beginning, this appurtenance was not determined
by birth, but by an individual's value and innate capacities, as revealed
through thepuru$iirthas, the aims of human existence. See n. 2 p. 1 7.
VARU�A. Vedic god of the celestial spheres and of the waters in general.
VASANTA. The spring season, made up of the months of Caitra and Phal
guna in the MBh, and symbolized by Kf$1)a and Arjuna-See rtu.
VASU. A group of eight divinities, of which Indra, Agni and Vi$1)U were the
successive leaders-The Vasus are associated with the Cosmos (such
as when they personify the Pole Star or the Heavens), and are related t&
Fire and Light, and the natural elements. They govern the Constellation
Dhani$tha (also called Vasudeva). One of their number, Dyaus (the
Sky), is incarnated as Bhi$ma.
VASUDEVA. Father of Kf$1)a, who is himself called Vasudeva-An obscure
and poorly defined term, which is to be placed in relationship with the
heat and light of the Sun, and the riches that it bestows upon the Earth
Vasudeva is a name of the Constellation Dhani$tha-See Vasu and
Yadava.
VASUKI. One of the three great Naga kings-Long ago, the devas and asuras
wound him around Mount Mandara (himself the churning rope and the
mountain stick) to churn the Ocean of Milk (the Milky Way), as a
means to obtaining the amrta or liquor of immortality and the 13 other
precious substances that had been lost during the Flood-See Niiga.
VAYU. Wind-The wind god, often associated with lndra in the Vedas
The celestial father of Bhima, the second Piil)<;lava.
VEDA. Sacred Knowledge par excellence-The Veda(s) have no author, but
are an oral revelation given to the r,l'is-The four Vedas are the ]J.g Veda,
Yajur Veda, Siima Veda and Atharva Veda-The MBh is sometimes
Glossary 229
considered to be the fifth Veda-The first three Vedas correspond res

pectively to the three levels of the Cosmos, and particularly to the gods
Agni (Fire on Earth), Vayu (Wind in the atmosphere) and Aditya (or
Sii(ya, the Sun in the Heavens)-From the beginning, each syllable
(ak$ara) of a recited or sung Vedic utterance is endowed with a particular
meaning and efficacy.
The most ancient hymns can be dated as early as 4,000 to 2,500 B.C.
VEDANTA. "End of the Vedas"-The corpus of Vedic texts (Upani�ads)
which deal with the means for escaping the cycle of rebirths and the
attainment of the Path to the Absolute-These texts are presented as
summaries of the Vedas to which they are the keys.
VEDI. A rectangular (or square) altar upon which oblations are placed-The.
vedi is oriented towards the East.
VICITRAVIRYA. Son of Santanu and Satyavati who died, l i ke his brother
Citrangada, without issue-His wives are Ambika and Ambalika, prin
cesses of Kasi (the modern Benares) and sisters of Amba.
VIDURA. The third son of Vyasa, whom he fathered on a servant woman

Although he belongs to an inferior caste, he is nevertheless the incar
nation of Dharma.
VIRAJ. A prince-A sort of organizer of the celestial sphere at the time of .a
new distribution of the heavenly bodies.
VIRATA. King of the Matsyas and twin brother of Satyavati-He was dis
covered in the belly of a fish in the Yamuna.
VIS�U. A god of the Trimiirti of which he represents the preserving aspect
Ten avataras (see above), of which Kr�I)a, are attributed to him-His
wife is Lak�mi (often conflated with Sri), and his vehicle is the mythic
bird Garw;la-His cosmogonic role is related to that of Indra.
VYASA. The mythic brahmin to whom is attributed the composition of the
MBh and the compilation of the Vedas and earliest Pural)as-In the
Epic, he is called Krsl)a-Dvaipayana (the dark island-dweller) ; as such,
he represents Narayal)a, a form of Vi$I)U of whom Kf$I)a is the avatara
Vyasa comes out of his retreat to produce descendants to the Bharata
lineage which is on the verge of disappearing. He is the offspring of
Parasara and Satyavati, conceived while she was helping the ascet to
cross the Yamuna on a boat.
YADA VA. Descendant of Yadu, the son of Yayati and originator of the non
ruling branch of the Bharatas, to which Kr$I)a belongs-This term may
have an etymological relationship with yiidas (or makara) a marine
monster symbolizing the sign of Capricorn, in the region of the Cons
tellation Dhani$(ha (also called Vasudeva)-Yadu, the ancestor of this
lineage, had long ago been saved from a flood by Indra.
YAJ�A. Sacrifice in which Fire is deified.
YAK$A. A class of asuras who often manifest themselves when the sacrificial
order fails-The yak�as are a part of Kubera's entourage and are a
group of chthonic spirits associated with Uma : deified Night, and one
of the names of Siva's consort.
YAMA. The god of Death, sometimes assimilated with Kala, Destructive Time.
YAMUNA. The Jumna, a sacred river which, like the Ganges into which i t
flows, i s a place o f pilgrimage-She is associated with Satyavati and with
the summer solstice, which itself is related to the symbolization of pro
creation proper to the sign of Cancer.
YAYATI. The founder of the lunar dynasty, and of its two branches : that of
the non-ruling descendants of Yadu and the ruling Bharata kings who
are descended from Puru-Yayati's father Nahu$a was changed into a
serpent after he attempted to take possession of Indra's throne.
YOGA. Derived from the root YUJ ("to yoke")-An astronomical division
of the lunar day-A conjunction of the Sun and Moon-Ensemble of
the practices whose aim is the union of the self with the Supreme; of the
individual Self with the Universal Self, such that the two become identi
cal-Method for physically and mentally acquiring self control, espe
cially through the regulation of the vital breaths-Yoga )s one of the
six darsanas, or conceptual systems of orthodox brahmanism ; as such,
it is associated with the Sailkhyan and Vedantic philosophical perspec
tives-He who practices yoga is called a yogin.
YONI. The primordial triangle-The female sexual organ as symbol of the
mysteries of the cosmos and of the bipolarity of procreative Nature
The yoni is the female complement of the male liligam (phallus).
YUDHI$THIRA. The eldest son of king Par:H;Iu and of Kunti on Earth-His
celestial father is Dharma, a divinized abstraction-He becomes the ·
ruler of the Bharata kingdom after the war.

YUGA. A cosmic period-One of the four Ages of a Cycle of Humanity
These are the Krta (or Satya), Treta, Dvapara and Kali Yugas (Ages
of Gold, Silver, Bronze and lron)-According to the PuraQ.as posterior
to the MBh, these four Ages, taken together, make up a mahiiyuga: 7 1
o f these make u p a manvantara (Age o f Manu)-1 4 manvantaras equal
a kalpa or day of Brahma, which is 1 /30th of a month of Brahma : 1 2
of these months constitute a year of Brahma and 1 00 years a life of
Brahma-These numbers are so great that their only interest is to under
line the Eternity of Time-In the earliest account of the yugas, the Manu
smrti (1 68 -71 ), the duration of a Great Age or Divine Age was approxi
·
mately 1 2,000 years, which equals about one half of a total precessional
revolution : this is reminiscent of the Year mentioned in Plato and other
diverse Traditions-As with the Chaldean Great Cycle, the Mahayuga
may be the equivalent of a theoretical period of 64,800 years, of which
all possible combinations of sub-cycles are multiples of 2 1 60 (the du
ration of a precessional era) or of 4320 : this by virtue of a law of analogy
ruling over the entire Cosmos, which i s essential to Astrology.
YUYUTSU. The son of Dhrtarii$(ra, the blind king, and of a vaisyii woman
He fights with the Pal)gavas against his own clan in the war.
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Index
Abhijit, 8 , 1 74, 1 7 5 Arjuna-Pha.lguna, 34

Abhijiianasakuntala 25 Artha, 65
Abhimanyu, 35, 39, 4 1 Aryaka, 77
Abhiras, 200 A soka , 46
Adhiratha, 63, 69 Astika, 208
Adhok$aja, 1 3 3 Astrology, 2 1 0
Adrika, 46, 47 Asuras, 26, 37, 5 5
Agni, 1 3 , 23, 4 1 , 42, 44, 57 Asvamedha, 1 85 , 1 87, 1 88
Ahriman, 1 1 Asvattha, 1 65, 1 74
Aja, 22, 27, 55, 1 3 3 Asvatthaman, 67, 68, 1 53 , 1 70, 1 74
Aja, 3 2 Asvasena, 42
Ajaka, 5 8 Asvayujau, 37
Aja-Mh,lha, 22, 9 8 Asvini, 1 2, 32
Alcyon, 5 3 , 5 9 , 74 Asvins, 1 1 , 66
Aldebaran, 74 A vatiira, 29
Amba, 5 3 , 5 8 , 59, 7 1 , 72, 74, 75
Amba-Alcyon, 59 Babhruvahana, 87, 1 89
Ambiilikii, 53 Badari, 3 8
Ambikii, 53 Balariima, 8 3
Amon-Ra, 1 3 Ballava, 1 20
Ananta, 1 33 Bandins, 1 9
Andhakas, 1 97, 200 Ba$kalamantra Up a11i,�ad, 1 4
Ailgiras, 1 4, 54, 5 5 Bhadra, 200
AnurMhii 1 65 Bhaganetrahara, 6 1
Anusasanika Parvan, 3 6 Bhagavad Gitii, 1 5, 34, 3 8
Apaddharma, 5 1 Bhakti, 34
Apocalyptic, 1 39 Bharadvaja, 67, 1 47, 1 73
Apsaras, 46 Bl).arata, 25, 27, 42, 48, 54, 57, 63; 64,
Aquarius, 33, 3 6 , 37, 56, 57, 6 1 , 1 26, 65, 72
1 46, 1 67, 1 75, 209 Bharatas, 2 1 , 23, 48, 56
Ara, 1 7 8 Bhattotpala, 47
Ara�ri, 1 74 Bhima, 65, 77
Argo, 1 09 Bhi$ma, 35, 37, 50, 53, 54, 55, 5 6 , 57,
Aries, 1 2 , 1 3 , 1 4, 1 7, 2 1 , 22, 2 3 , 27,32, 58, 5 � 6 1 , 62, 64, 6� 7 1 , 72, 73, 75
33, 35, 37, 39, 46, 5 1 , 5 3 , 5 5 , 57, 59, Bhi$ma-Pitamaha, 36
68, 74, 75, 8 1 , 100, 1 74, 1 78 , 200 Bhrgu, 71
Arjuna, 30, 33, 35, 37, 44, 46, 53, 5 7 , Bibhatsu, 1 23
5 9 , 6 2 , 65, 7 2 , 74, 75 Biblical, 1 5
Big Dipper, 55 Devaki, 200

Bradley, 26 Devayiina, 55
Brahma, 29, 36, 46, 72 Devas, 26, 55
Brahmasiras, 1 07, 1 72 Devavrata, 49, 54, 55
Brahmiistra, 70, 1 55 Devayani, 38
Brhannala, 1 20 Dhanarnjaya, 1 23
Brhaspati, 1 6, 25, 55, 67 Dhani$!hii, 36, 56, 85, 1 67, 1 80
Budha, 1 6, 25 Dharma, 64
Dharma, 1 7, 27, 65, 68
Caitra, 1 2, 32, 33, 34, 36, 37, 44 Dhaumya, 1 05
Caitravahani, 87 Dhr$(adyumna, 1 53 , 1 69
Cakra Sudar.5ana, 1 4 1 Dhrtara$tra, 53, 6 1 , 62, 66, 67, 77, 1 77
Cakravartin, 3 0 Dionysos, 1 65
Cancer, 3 7, 56 Dionysos-Bacchus, 1 64
Candra, 1 6 Dioscuri, 1 1
Canis Major, 203 DIV, 99
Canopus, 1 09 Dragon, 26
Capricorn, 36, 37, 47, 56, 72, 85, 1 67, Draupadi, 82, 89, 1 00
1 75 Dr<,ihasyu, 109
Castor, 1 1 Drol)a, 58, 67, 82
Caturyugas, 1 5 Drol)a, 1 74
Cedis, 97 Drupada, 58, 67, 68, 69
Chaldean, 1 5, 1 6 Du l;lsala, 6 1
Cirmijlva, 45 Dul:tsasana, 1 02, 1 54
Citra, 1 2 , 32 Durvasas, 62
Citra, 34 Duryodhana, 6 1 , 62, 65, 67, 69, 73, 77
Citrii-Subhadrii, 75 Du$yanta, 25
Citrartgada, 87, 1 89, 1 90, 201 Duties of the king, 1 8 3
Cosmic, 1 20 Dvaipiiyana, 1 60
Cosmic Energy, 67 Dvaitavana, 1 14
Cosmic Fire, 23 Dviipara Yuga, 15, 30, 62
Cosmic Illusion; 43 Dvapara, 98
Cosmic Ocean, 5 1 Dvaraka, 34, 38, 45
Cosmic Order, 68 Dvipa, 1 60
Cosmogonic, 3 8 Dyaus, 48, 54, 58, 62
Cosmos, 27, 4 3 , 57, 75, 1 95
Crown Prince 66 Ecliptic, 35, 5 1 , 73
Cyclic Time, 29, 38, 54, 84 Egyptian, 1 5
Ekacakra, 80
Daiva, 65, 70, 2 1 0 Epic, 53
Dak$i1Jii, 57, 67 Equinoctial, 1 2, 3 1
Damodara, 1 3 3 Equinox, 7, 1 7, 3 1
Dii.Saraja, 46, 49 Equinoxes, 5, 6, 20, 2 1 , 45
Dasarha, 1 3 3 Era of Cancer, 1 0
Dekans, 1 83 Era of Gemini, 1 0
Deluge, 28 Era o f Leo, 1 0
Devadatta, 1 1 3
Index 23 7
Giindhiiri, 6 1 Kaliyuga, 15, 27, 30, 42, 62, 98, 1 8 1

Gii1Jc/.iva, 4 1 , 1 25, 200 Kama, 65
Giii)Qiva, 1 25 Kailka, 1 20
Gangii, 47, 48, 54, 55, 56, 57, 71 , 72 Karka, 56
Garbhiidhiina, 65 Karkandhu, 38
Ghatotkaca, 1 52 Karka{a, 56
Gohara(!a, 1 27 Karf!1an, 65
Golden Fleece, 1 3 Karl)a, 6 3 , 69, 71, 72, 73, 74, 75
Gopa-Naraym;as, 1 29 Kiirttikeya, 47, 57
Great Month, 1 6 Kasi, 53, 59, 74
Greek, 1 5 Kaurava, 57, 74
Kauravas, 25, 27, 66, 73
Hanumiin, 4 1
Kaustubha, 1 34
Hasta, 4 1
Ketu, 1 6, 26
Hasti , 25
Khiii)Qava (Forest), 4 1 , 43
Hastiniipura, 25, 50, 63, 64, 66, 85
Kicaka, 1 2 1
Hi<;limbii, 79
Kiriita, 1 06
Hieroglyph, 56
Kiritin, 1 23
Hindu Zodiac, 1 6
.Krpa, 67, 69
Hipparchus, 5 , 2 1
Kr�IJa, 28, 33, 34, 35, 37, 42, 44, . 45,
Hippocrates, 1 02
46, 57, 75, 84, 123
Hyades, 1 64
Kr�l)a-Dvaipiiyana, 1 9, 47
KrJIJasiira, 1 88, 1 89, 1 9 1
Ice Age, 1 0
Krta-yuga, 1 5
Ilii, 25
Krttikii, 23, 32, 53, 57, 59, 74
Ilvala, 108
Krtya, 1 1 5
Jlvala, 109
K$afra, 27, 5 1 , 75, 1 66, 1 67
Indra, 1 3 , 29, 30, 42, 46, 54, 65, 70
K$afriya, 34, 5 1 , 70
Ira, 144
K$afriyas, 1 7, 5 1
lriivat, 87
Kumbha, 6 1
Israel, 1 3
Kunti, 38, 62, 63, 6 6
Jtihasa, 45
Kuntibhoja, 6 2
Jiimadagnya, 71 Kunti-Prthii, 65
Janamejaya, 207 Kurma, 56
Jarii, 93 Kuru, 25
Jaras, 1 99 Kuruk$etra, 27, 42, 73
Jaratkiiru, 208 Kurus, 27
Jaya, 20, 46, 207 Kuruvrddha, 36
Jayadratha, 1 1 6, 1 51
J i$1)U, 123 Lascaux, 10
J i$1)U, Gobinda, 1 3 3 Leo, 37
Jupiter, 55, 67, 173 Leverrier, 55
Jye${ha, 59, 74 Libra, 32, 34, 35, 3 7, 74
Jyotisas 32 Lingams, 1 2
Lomahar�al)a, 2 1
Kala, 65 Lomasa, 1 10
Kiilariitri 1 7 1 Lopamudrii, 1 08
Lunar, 48 . Pafica/a, 82
Paiicii/as, 68
Macrocosm, 1 49 Paiiciilikii, 1 22
Miidhava, 132 Piiryc;lava, 74, 75
Madhu, 3 3 , 1 32 Piil)c;lavas, 25, 27, 32, 57, 66, 69, 73
Madhu, 34 Piil)c;lu, 25, 57, 64, 74
Madhumii.sa, 34 Parasara, 2 1 , 47, 50, 51
Madira, 200 Parasuriima, 70, 7 1 , 72, 73
Madra, 1 58 Piirip/ava, 1 88
Miidri, 64, 66 Parik�it 27, 28, 35, 36, 39, 47, 59, 90
Miigadhas, 1 9, 20 Piirtha, 62
Miigha, 3 6 Parvas, 26
Mahiibiihu, 1 33 Paschal Lamb, 1 4
Mahabhiirata, 1 8 , 1 9 Pegasus, 1 90
Mahiibhisa, 48 Phiilguna, 32, 37, 44
Mahiiyuga(s), 1 5, 7 1 Phiilguna, 33, 36, 45, 1 23
Miinavadharmasiistra, 5 1 Pisces, 6, 14, 1 7, 27, 29, 33, 35, 46,
Mailgala, 1 6 5 1 , 55, 8 1 , 1 00, 1 75, 200
Mal)ipura, 87, 1 89 Pitiimaha, 36, 57, 59, 125
Manu Vaivasvata, 28 Pitiimaha-Siddhiinta, 3 6
Mars, 13, 53, 57, 8 1 , 1 73 , 1 78 Pleiades, 3 2 , 53, 5 7 , 59
Matsya, 22, 27, 29, 46, 47, polar Axis, 59
Matsyas, 35, 54, 55, 1 17 Polar Star, 75
Matsya-King, 3 6 Pole Star, 53, 59
Maya, 42, 43 Pollux, I I
Miiyii , 43 Pradyumna, 198
Mesiidi, 32 Prasvcipa, 71
Microcosm, 1 49 Prati Vasudeva, 96
Mok$a, 65 Pratipa, 1 8, 37, 50
Mrdailga, 1 67 Precession, 5, 2 1 , 26, 32, 50, 72, 1 25
Mrga, 64 Precessional, 7, 29, 34, 55, 7 1 , 78
Mukha, 33 Precessional Era, 1 6
Precessional Motion, 1 3 , 55
Niigas, 44, 77 Primal Fire, 23
Nak$alras, 21 Prthii, 62
Nakula, 66 Prthivi, 62
Nara-Niiriiyal)a, 37, 42 Puru, 39
Naraka, 73, 75 Purli1ws, 45
Natariija, 1 20 Pururavas, 25
Neptune, 55 Purohita, 55
Noah, 28 PU$ya, 1 65
Nodes, 26 Pu,�ya sniina, 1 65
Nutation, 26
Riidhii, 34, 63
Ormuzd, 1 1 Rii.hu, 1 6, 26, 94
Rtijasilya, 93, 1 87
Pada, 1 25, 1 3 6 Ram, 64
Index 23.9
Riimiiya!Ja, 71 Srivatsa, 1 34
Rams, 180 Srngiitaka, 1 43
Rohil).i, 74, 1 64, 200 Sruti, 26
Rohi!Ji, 1 64 STARS, 200
]J.ta, 68 Subhadra, 34, 3 5
Subhadra-Citra, 34, 3 9
Sahadeva, 66 Sudariana, 3 0 , 42
Sakti, 70, 71 Sukra, 1 6, 55
Sakuni, 62, 1 57 Summer Solstice, 38
SakuntaHi., 25 Sun, 1 08-named, 1 05
Siilva, 58 Sura, 62
Salya, 64, 1 29, 1 57 Siirya, 16, 63, 70, 73
Sarnhrada, 1 57 Surya Manifala, 63
Saf!lsiiptakas, 1 48 Siirya Siddhbt�ta, 1 5
Sani, 1 6 Siita, 38, 69
Safijaya, 1 32, 195 Siitas, 20
Santanu, 48, 49, 50, 53, 55, 59, 64 Svayaf!lvara, 83
Saptar$i, 48 Svetavahana, 1 23
Sarasvati, 1 63 , 1 64
Sarmi�tha, 3 8 Tak�aka, 4 1 , 42, 207
Siiniga, 4 1 Tiiladhvaja, 1 65
Siinigaka, 42, 44 Tara, 25
Satabhisa, 56 Taurus, 1 1 , 23, 32, 37, 53, 74, 1 64, 1 6 5
Saturn, 96, 1 74, 1 99 Taurus-Scorpio, 1 2
Satyaki, 1 72 , 1 98 Three, 91
Satyavati, 47, 48, 49, 50, 54, 56, 63, Tretii Yuga 1 5
85, 1 7 1 Trigartas, 1 22
Savyasacin, 1 23 Trimiirti, 25
Scorpio, 3 7, 59, 74, 1 57, 1 62
Se$a, 43, 1 85 Ugrasravas, 21
Sesa, 5 1 , 1 10 Uliipi, 86, 201
Siddhi, 62 Umii, 59
Sikhal).(,iin, 59, 72, 75 Ungulata, 64
Sikhai).Qini, 58 Upaplavya, 1 1 7, 1 19, 1 32
Sirius, 204 Uroboros, 29
SiSupiila, 97 Ursa Major, 48, 55
Siva, 62, 64, 71 Oru, 1 62
Skanda, 57 Usanas, 54, 55, 1 82
Solar, 65 Usinaras, 1 10
Solstice 56 Utanka, 1 84, 207
Solstices, 45 Uttara, 35, 59
Soma, 30 UttarU$iir/hii, 1 74
Soma, 16, 25 Uttaraya!Ja, 3 1 , 3 5, 36, 55, 56
Somavarcas, 1 50
Spica, 1 2 , 34 Vaisampayana, 21, 207
Spica Virginis, 32, 35 Vaisya, 6 1
Sravanii, 165 Vajra, 200
Vara�:tavata, 78 Vivimsati, 1 3 8
Var�as, 17, 51 Vrddhak$atra, 152
Vasi�!ha 48 Vrkodara, 77
Vasu, 36, 46, 48, 54, 58, 71 Vr$aparvan, 38-39
Vasu Dyaus, 49 YN�i, 1 86
Vasu Uparicara, 46, 47 Vr$�is, 1 80, 1 97, 200
Vasudeva, 38 Vyasa, 20, 2 1 , 45, 47, 52, 72
Vasudeva, 180 Vyiisa, 46
Vasuki, 77
Vasumati, 89 Winter Solstice, 47, 85
Vasudhara, 1 27
Vasuttama, 49 Yiidava, 62
Vatapi, 1 08 Yiidavas , 199
Yayu, 65 Yadu, 38
Vedanga Jyoti$a, 34, 36 Yajfiaseni, 101
Vedas, 45 Yak$a, 59
Venus, 55, 71 Yak$aS, 206
Vernal, 3 1 Yamunii, 4 1 , 46, 47, 49, 52, 56
Vicitravirya, 52 Yayati, 38, 46, 62
Vidura, 53, 1 03, 1 94 Yayiivara, 208
Vijaya, 123 Yudhi�!hira, 22, 64, 66, 77
Vipracitti, 94 Yuga, 34
Viraj, 7 Yugas, 29
Virii{a, 47, 85, 90 Yuyutsu, 6 1 , 140, 1 93 , 201
Vira{a Parvan, 36
Virgin, 35 Zodiac, 8, 1 0, 13, 14, 20, 26, 29, 32,
Virgo, 32, 34, 35 35, 37, 45, 64, 1 75.
Vi�I)U, 28, 29, 34, 35, 71 Zodiacal, 27
Vi$U�a, 3 1 Zodiacal Aries, 207
Vi$UVa, 3 1 Zodiacal cakra, 206
Vi$uvat, 3 1 Zodiacal Ram, 1 99
Visvariipa, 1 84

Astrological Key in Mahābhārata - The New Era

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4 Astrological Mahiibhiirata

the 18th day-Death of Salya and Sakuni, the two

Asvatthaman, KrPa and Krtavarman, and seven

Of Indo-European origin, classical Sanskrit is the ancient, sacred

Indestructible is the weave of this Universe. . .

That which exists can never pass away . . .

India is a land of violent contrasts in which the heat is over­

dynasty, for the prize of a kingdom.

1For reasons of simplicity, we adopt the MBh for MAHABHARATA (the

physical terms, but which emerge through astrological symbolism.

The Era of Pisces is coming to an end, to be followed by that of

Cambridge, Harvard, 1929 (1975), pp. 74-75) .

1 Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn; Mercury, difficult to observe due to

rta,1 and to its twelve radii (fl._g Veda 1 . 1 64 . 1 1).

After millennia of investigations, man discovered that the

constellations (stellar configurations), in order to distinguish them, after

that one of the six Appendices to the Vedas devoted to astro­

.motions through the constellations lacked precision for the simple

the beginning of that of Aries. It next fell, in succession, to Bhara!Ji and

Symbolism of the Precessional Eras

As difficult as it remains today to precisely establish the date on

in the tropical zodiac.

placed, by the Ancients, under the reign of a planet, which in

By going back in time as much as our present knowledge per­

This phenomenon of the twin birth is translated in Indo­

1 God of the Hindu Trinity-the Trimurti-the manifestation of the one

tales who bear an ambivalent relationship of complementarity

Architecture is particularly revelatory with regard to the

In the Ba�kalamantra Upani�ad, he is said to shatter the limits

"I have transformed myself into a Ram for your happiness.

Over the final centuries of this Great Precessional Month,

Man gives that he may receive, offers in order to gain an

Le Seuil. This teaching is a part of Book 6 of the Mahabharata.

years plus one Great Year, or thirty precessional eras of 2, 1 60

The End of the Era ofAries-Appearance of the

!Conformity to the Universal Law, from the root DH!J.: to maintain,

been moving in that direction, following a RETROGRADE

THis astral retrogression is analogized with the terrestrial de­

Known as the Fifth Veda, this legendary epic poem is a colos­

sutas, who collected the miigadhas' lore in order to sing poems

The names of nearly every character have astrological con­

to be immobile, it is in fact animated by a motion opposite to that of the

identification, between these and the direction of natural pro­

lFrom the root BH� : to bear, maintain.

Origin of the Lunar Dynasty of the Bhiiratas-Its

The lineage of BHARATA, the son of Du$yanta and Sakuntala,l

Figuring among the Revealed Texts, known as Sruti, the MBh

At stake is a Kingdom, on a Universal scale for the superhuman,

The subject of the Epic reminds us, on a secondary level, of the

by heart, by Vaisampayana, one of the disciples of Vyasa, the presumed

in his mother's womb by an asura. Thus, by virtue of this Matsya

deformation of the root "vi�u", which is found in the derivates

The Astronomical Representations of Kr$tz a,

These upheavals in traditional astronomical data and their inevi­

represented by the sign of Libra (the Scales ) in the stability of its

THE third essential point of the ecliptic-the winter solstice or

IDaughter of king Virata of the Matsya kingdom.

common great-uncle of both the Pai).gava and Kaurava claus, he

tropical Zodiac, with its vernal equinox at 0° in Aries, its summer

In their symbolization of the months of Caitra and Phiilguna,

IThis distribution of the seasons has remained unchanged down to the

avatar of Vi�ou, a projection of the god and his privileged crea­

parvan whose name �vokes the Era of Taurus (vr$a),1 is entrusted

India is a land of violent contrasts in which the heat is over

that one of the six Appendices to the Vedas devoted to astro

By going back in time as much as our present knowledge per

This phenomenon of the twin birth is translated in Indo

THis astral retrogression is analogized with the terrestrial de

Known as the Fifth Veda, this legendary epic poem is a colos

The names of nearly every character have astrological con

identification, between these and the direction of natural pro

These upheavals in traditional astronomical data and their inevi

avatar of Vi�ou, a projection of the god and his privileged crea

sionate Arjuna. His name evokes miiyii, the metaphysical un

Origin ofthe Matsya Lineage : Viriita and Satya

lMight this be inspired by the Beluga, a species of sturgeon, a white carni

ficial site of the Kuruk�etra as he awaits the coming of the utta

Marriage of the Three Bhiiratas of the First Genera