New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1883-10-28

"The Great Journey" IN INC H""'
Heaven we find Yudhisthira being ushered INTO ms
new abode The first sight that ne encounters Is ~,
ancient enemy. Duryodhana, "throncd as god
amid the gods"
But when the King beheld
DurvOdhana in bliss, and not his own
Not DrauT,ad nor Bhima, nor the resi-
With quiclg-averted face and angry eyes .ho,o
The monarch spake: Keep Hea.ea i3 9r sgGh ''
Where ne is, whom hated rightfully
Reing a cOvetous and witless Prince;
whose deed it was that IN wild fields OF warn war
BROTHERS and friends by mutual slaughter iet, a.,
Willie our swords smote, sharpeDed 40 wrathluhss
BY all those wrongs borne wandering III 'ne "'0'''
But Draupadi's the deepest wrong, for he.
He who sits there-haled her before the court
Selling that sweet and viItuOus lady-Be' cods
With gIievons hand wound in her tresses' 1ouS'
cannot look qnoa him S TI,bc "a g sf col"
Norada. the saint. assures him that Duryodhana
has expiated his sins, but Yudhisthira cannot oe
comfored for the absence of those ne loves nor APP
peased because of the presence of the one he hates
And he says asking for his KIN:
"If they he here high gods, aud those Win them
For whose sweet sakes lived, 9ers , %in NNo'
Meek hearted; hut if such be not adu9geu
worthy I am not worthy, nor my soul
Willing rest without theln'
And he concludes;
"ghow me those souls!
Icannot tarTy where have them not
Bliss Is not blssful, just and mighty ones
fave II | rest beside them. Heaven Is mere ,
When Love and Faith make heaven Let me go'
Permission is given him to proceed, and Deva Is
sent TO guide him TO where his kinsmen are ne
passes through The gates of pearl and begins 10 do
scend "bv a path evil and dark" and so enters
"The Sinners Road' The description OF the dark
and gloomy region the King here enters recalls the
Inferno and the medieval pictures OF the men Vi
Christendom The wealthy Oriental Inauguration
has lavished itself prOdigay upon the invention "a
horrors Here are roads paved with fostering
corpses and hedged by burning forests whlie poi-
/ IL. tho fnT
cbonel-bonse infects the atmosphere. At length
the monarch is wel-nigh overcome with the terrorS
Of the region. aud is tempted to turn back ana
! abandon his quest But at this juncture he IS be-
soupht by pitful voices, speaking in anguish nom
ont the thick darkness, and he recognizes them as
| those of his brothers, Aruna, and Bhima' ana
! Nakula aud Sahadev, and last
moan Of music from the darkness slshed'
" Draupadi cries 10 theeV
Aud tbe GREAT Kings soul is shaken within him.
What have these poor ones done, he asks himself
tbot +bcv sbonld have earned death with the
damned or life loathlier than death, Ill Narak
midstr And then his resolution is taken
| "Thcreat
| For nitv and for pain the King waxed wrolh
| That soul fear could not shake. nor trials TIRE,
! RnITed terrible With tenderness, the while
His eyes searched al the gloom; ms planted , rect
He cursed the gods; wcllgsh hat itea4ly yca nina
Broke from IT, faith in virtue BH, ne , ny
| TIL indignant passion, softly speaking lms
| Unto the angel: 60 10 those thou scly'St;
| Tel them come not thithcr say stand
| Here i'm the throat Of hell. and here will bide-
| Nav, If pcIish-whilc my w'I-beioN
Win case and peace by any pains OF hnhe'
There is no erandcr conception in all literature
| than this For Yudhisthira Is not presented rs
divine being. He is merely man, with al human
! veal nesse. vet he is strong enough not only TO
refuse heaven unless those he loves can snare II
with him. but 70 go down TO hell deliberately for
| n,,Jr in
the conclusion is worthy of this most excellent con-
cention. When the good gods hear Of Yudhisthiras
| heroic resolution the Princes OF Pandavas uprose
each Splendor in his place." and together they 90
down into the neither gloom where the King tarrles
! Carving with them light and life, they approach
and at their appearance all the horrors vanish "as
dreams fade And then it is explained to
Yudhisthira that his pcnancc and that of his
brothers and Draupadi is accomplished, and he
| learns also for the first time why his enemy,
Duryolhana, was in heaven, while his own friends
and loved ones were in torment. Yes, says the
| God of gods" speaking graciously to him:
| =. II Is appointed that all kings sec he'll.
| The reCkOIug- for the life 81 men are twain
OF each mars righteous deeds tally true
! A tally true of each mans evil deeds. -
| who hath wrought little right, TO him Is paid
! 4 little bliss in Swarga, then the woe -, -,
Which purges who much right hath wrought, from MN
The little IN 10y lighter pains Is cieanscd,
| And then the Joys. sweet Is peace aitcI pam,
! And bitter pain which follows peace yct they
| WHO sorely sin taste of the heaven they miss,
And they that suffer quit their debt at last
He and ms have had their slight punishments
! before their amending rewards and pleasures.
Henceforth there is 10 more pain or sorrow for
Them and the Justice of the gods is vindcated not
withstanding the peyplcXties of appearances. All
that is needed now is for Yudhisthira 10 battle in
the stream of "grcat GunGa, howng through
Three Worlds" and being admonished by Sakra 10
perform this ceremony he complies, and enters into
his rest.
.'Thus hirhaccosed, the rejoicing King
/ rThy ancestor o IicgcD proceeded straight
! INTO that rivers brink which howcth pure
Through the Three Worlds, mighty, and sweet and
There, bcng bafhed the body Of the King
| Put Of its mortal, coming up a!Tayed
! In grace celestial, washed from soils OF sin.
From passion, pain and change Co. hand in hand
Landed by lovely mnstrcisy, and -ongs
OF unknown music, where tho.c heroes stood
i And lous-eycd and lovelie-t Draupad!,
| Waiting 10 greet him, gladdcning ana Glad'
Surely this is a very beautiful and ennobling
poem. 1t is instinct with pure and unsclfsh
thought 1t is not too much say that this high
deed of King Yudhisthira though the conception Of
minds long antedating Christianity would have
been almost impossible 10 the medirval Christian
IMAGINATION. Yet tins episode Of the AIahabharata
has probably as Mr.. Arnold says, " m origin an
terror 70 writing, anterior to Purlnc theology, an
terror to Homer. perhaps even to Moses And, in
deed the sweetness and tenderness of many Of the
old Indian stories legends and epics are wonderful.
We seem 10 find here and there in those
antique records and creations a completeness of
altruisic conception the parallel to which may be
sought in vain save in the most modern of phil
osOphical speculatiOns. II must, however, not
be forgotten that much Of the charm Of these sto-
ries is due TO the grace and elegance with which
they have been clothed by Mr.. Arnold. He has, in
deed done the world Il twO-fOd service; first, in
bringing these gems to light and second in so cut
ting and setting them that all their value and their
beauty is enhanced and heightened. These poems,
too have a special use in that they afford insight
10 that Oriental religion which has been so little
understood. even by Orientalists. whicn eyen now