While the Pandavas were in Dwaithavana, Bhimasena urged Dharmaraya to wage a war against the Kauravas. Then dharmarayabriefed Bhemasena, about the strength of the enemy army and asked him to use restraint. He also told him that theyhad to live up to their word and wait for an opportune time. Still Dharmaraya had doubts in his mind. Just at thattime Sage Vyasa visited the place. He sat down and said,"dharmaraya I have come here as I have realised in my mind'seye your fear about the great strength of Bhishma, Droana,Karna and Aswathama. I am here to clear your fear." He thentook Dharmaraya to a lonely place and said,"Dharmaraya your good times are near at hand. Arjuna is capable destroy ingall your enemies. I am going to initiate you to a special mantra called "Prathismruthi". This knowledge is the godof success. You are fit to receive this great knowledge. You later initiate Arjuna to this. With the help of thispower let him go to devas and get divine weapons. This would give him special powers to travel to heaven. Dharmarayado not stay here for long. Your party is huge. The sources of food in this area will become dry. Then the originaldwellers if this place will be put to difficulties. Further, it is not advisable to stay in a place longer."
Sage Vyasa initiated Dharmaraja to Prathismruthi vidya and left the place. Dharmaraja in turn initiated Arjuna to thesame as advised by sage Vyasa and he pleased Parashiva by doing severe tapas and got the all powerful Pashupatha.Later as a result of the adament behaviour of the Kauravas, the eighteen day war became unavoidable. When Duryodhanaand all his friends and relatives were killed, Dharamaraja became sad. He refused to sit on a throne, and decided toretire to the forest renoncing everything. Once again Vedavyasa had to come and console him and advice him to followdharma and do his duty as a king. As a Kshatriya he had certain duties to perform. He adviced him to go to Bhishmawho was lying on a bed of arrows. He also went to the place with Dharamaraja. when Dharmaraja heard Bhishma's wordshe felt satisfied. when Vyasa reliased Dharmaraja's state of mind he said to Bhishma,"Bhishma, ask dharmaraja to go to Hastinapur." Then he adviced Dharmaraja to perform ashwamedhayaga. Arjuna was given the responsibility of looking afterthe sacrificial horse. Under sage Vyasa's guidance the Ashwamedha yaga was completed successfully. Dharmaraja offeredall that he had to sage Vyasa as dakshina. Vyasa returned everything to Dharmaraja and asked him to give gold as dakshinato brahmins.
Dhritarashtra continued to live with the Pandavas. when he said that he would retire to the forest with Gandhari,Yudhishtira did not agree. Dharmaraja was constantly haunted by the feeling of sin that, it was on account him that Dhritarashtra and Gandhari became orphans in their old age. Vyasa advised Dharmaraja to allow the blind king andhis queen to retire to the forest as it was the custom among kings. As desired by Kunti and Gandhari Vyasa made all thosewho died in Mahabharata war come to life out of the Ganga. A number of Kshatriya women, along with their husbands got themselves drowned in the Ganga and went to pithruloka.
Writing the Mahabharata
Once Bhagwan Vyasa got the divine idea of writing the great Mahabharata reading of which would acrue a person the fourpurusharthas. He had a holy bath and sat on a set made of darbha grass in a cave and began to meditate. He thoughtabout the format of this great epic, the story of which was based on righteousness and later it was to become part of history. He began to see it in his mind's eye from the beginning. Then with the help of the power of his tapas, heconceived this great history of mankind, which is also the essence of the four vedas and the reading of which wouldmake the world a holy place. Then he began to think about the ways and means of teaching this this great epic to hisdisciples. When he was thus thinking, the great teacher of mankind Brahmadeva came to his ashram. Sage Vyasa was supremely happy to see Lord Brahmadeva in his ashram. He got up and received the supreme creator with all humility, offering him arghya, padya and performing other rituals. He made the Lord sit on a seat, stood before him fold hands.
As ordered by the Lord he sat on the floor and said,"Bhagwan, I have in mind a great epic which is going to be the essence of all the vedas and shastras, but my problem is that I do not have a person to write it down as I dictate it."Then Lord Bhahma said,"My dear son, pray to Lord Ganesha, he is the only capable person to do the job for you." Sosaying Lord Brahma left the place. Sage Vyasa, as instructed by Brahma deva prayed to Ganesha. Ganesha appeared before him in a trice. Sage Vyasa requested Ganesha to act as his scribe. Ganesha said,"O great Maharishi, I am ready to bethe scribe but on one condition. When I start writing mu pen will not rest even for a moment." Vyasa agreed to abideby the condition. But he also imposed one condition on Ganesha. He said, "Bhagwan, I have a condition. When you writeyou have to understand every line before you write it." Ganesha agreed to do so.
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