Bīrūnī, Muḥammad ibn Aḥmad, Alberuni's India (v. 1)

(London :  Kegan Paul, Trench, Trübner & Co.,  1910.)

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CHAPTER XLVII.                           405

and then his arm. Now his brother Sahadeva gave
orders that he should never any more embrace anybody,
that he might not be bereft of his strength (?). Arjuna
went to Vasudeva, but could not embrace him on account
of the state in which he was. Vasudeva ordered his
bow to be brought, and handed it over to Arjuna, who
tried his strength at it. Vasudeva ordered him to burn
his body and the bodies of his relations when they had
died, and to bring away his wives from the castle, and
then he died.

Out of the filings or bits of iron which had fallen off
when the pan was filed a hctrdi bush had grown. To
this there came the Yadavas, who tied together some
bundles of its twigs to sit upon. Whilst they were
drinking there arose a quarrel between them; they
beat each other with the harcli bundles, and killed each
other. All this happened near the mouth of the river
Sarsati, where it flows into the sea, near the situation of
Somanath.

Arjuna had done all he had been ordered by Vasu¬
deva. When he brought away the women, they were
suddenly attacked by robbers. When, now, Arjuna was
no longer able to bend his bow, he felt that his strength
was going. He whirled the bow in a circle above his
head, and all who stood under the bow were saved,
while the others were seized by the robbers. Now
Arjuna and his brothers saw that life was no more of
any use to them, therefore they emigrated to the north
and entered the mountains, the snow of which never
melts. The cold killed them one after the other, till
at last only Yudhishthira remained. He obtained the
distinction of being admitted to paradise, but before
that he was to pass through hell in consequence of the
sole lie which he had spoken in his life, at the request
of his brothers and of Vasudeva. These were the words
which he had spoken within hearing of the Brahman
Drona: "Asvatthaman, the elephant, has died,"    He
  Page 405