Mahabharata Vol. 2 (Penguin Translated Texts) (41 page)

‘Yudhishthira said, “O descendant of the Bharata lineage! There is no doubt that all this is true. Your sharp words pierce me like barbs and weaken me. But I cannot blame you. My wrong course of action has brought this adversity and misery on us. I took up the dice with a desire to take away the sovereignty and kingdom of Dhritarashtra’s son. It was thus that Subala’s son, the skilful and deceitful gambler, played with me for Suyodhana’s sake. O Bhimasena! Shakuni, the dweller of the mountains,
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is knowledgeable in great maya. He hurled out the dice in the middle of the sabha. He used maya against me, who did not know any maya. It is then that I saw the deceit. I
saw that the dice would always follow the wishes of Shakuni and favour him in odds and evens.
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I was capable of restraining my mind then, but anger robs a man of his patience. O son!
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The self cannot be controlled when it is overcome by manliness, pride and valour. O Bhimasena! I do not take umbrage at what you have said. I think that this was destined to be. O Bhimasena! The king who is Dhritarashtra’s son wished to rob us of our kingdom and inflict misery on us. Slavery was inflicted on us and it was Droupadi who became our only refuge.

‘“Both you and Dhananjaya know what Dhritarashtra’s son told us when we were summoned to the sabha yet again to gamble with dice. In front of all the Bharatas, he told us what one throw of the dice would entail. He said, ‘O prince! O Ajatashatru! Without being concealed, you will have to live in the forest of your choice for twelve years. After that, you and your brothers will have to live for another year in concealment and without being detected. O father!
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O Partha! But when you are roaming thus, if the spies of the Bharatas hear of you or detect you, you will again have to spend a similar period in that fashion. Knowing this, you must give your certain promise. O king! O descendant of the Bharata lineage! If you are not found out during that period and manage to confound my spies, I promise in this assembly of Kurus that you will have the five rivers back.
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If we are defeated by you, ‘all my brothers and I’ will give up our comforts for a similar period and live accordingly.’ This is what the king said earlier in the midst of the Kurus and I gave my promise. That abominable game of dice then began there. All of us were defeated and exiled. We are thus roaming around in these regions, in these difficult forests that are in the form of a calamity. Even then, Suyodhana did not wish for peace. He fell prey to even greater rage. He encouraged all the Kurus and all those who were under his control.
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Having entered into an
agreement before righteous ones, who would wish to break it for the sake of a kingdom? As an arya, I think that transgression of dharma is worse than death, even for the sake of ruling the earth.

‘“You could have performed a brave deed then. You grasped your club at the time of the gamble. Had Phalguna not restrained you, you would have burnt my arms. O Bhima! That would not have been a misdeed then. Since you are aware of your manliness, why did you not speak up then and perform the deed at its appointed time. You have found the time now, when it is too late. When the time has passed, what is the point of censuring me? O Bhimasena! But I suffered from misery even more, when I saw Yajnaseni oppressed and though we saw it, we restrained ourselves. O Bhima! That was like drinking a poisonous juice. O brave one among the Bharata lineage! We cannot do anything now. We made an agreement in the midst of the Kuru warriors. We must wait for the time, until our happiness dawns again, like those who sow seeds wait for the fruit. If someone has been vanquished through deceit earlier and knows that the enmity will bear flowers and fruit, such a brave one truly lives in the world of the living and obtains many qualities through his manliness. He obtains all the prosperity in this world. I think that his enemies bow down before him. His friends gather around and worship him, and live off him, like the gods off Indra. Know that the promise I made will be true. I think dharma is superior to immortality and life. The kingdom, sons, fame, wealth—all of these are worth only a small fragment
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of truth.”’

‘Bhimasena said, “O great king! You have made an agreement with time, the arrow
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that brings an end to everything. It has
no end, it is without measure and it is like a current that carries everything away. I think that it follows the dharma of foam and the dharma of fruit. You are a mortal and you are tied down by time. How can you think that time is directly before you? O Kounteya! Like collyrium becomes less every time it is picked with a blade of grass,
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one’s life becomes less in an instant. Why should it
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wait? Only one whose life has no end or one who knows the measure of one’s life can wait for time, since one can then see everything clearly. O king! If we wait for time and for thirteen years, our lives will be shortened and we will be nearer death. The bodies of those who have bodies are always overtaken by death. Therefore, we should work towards obtaining the kingdom before death. One who should extend the earth,
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but does not avenge enmity, fails to achieve fame and remains incomplete, like a useless cow. If a man does not avenge enmity because he has little strength and enterprise, I think that his birth has been useless and that he has been born in an inferior lineage. O lord of the earth! Your arms will be laden with gold, you will attain fame. Use the strength of your arms to kill those who hate you in battle and enjoy the riches. O king! O destroyer of enemies! If a man goes to hell after killing a deceitful person, that instantly becomes like heaven to him.

‘“The torment born from anger burns more than fire. I am tormented by it and cannot sleep during the day or at night. Partha Bibhatsu is foremost among those who draw the string of the bow. He is now supremely tormented like a lion in its den. Like a giant elephant, he is suppressing the great heat that arises inside him, though unaided, he can take on all the archers in the world. So as to please you, Nakula, Sahadeva and the aged mother
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who has given birth to warriors are seated, benumbed and dumb. All our relatives, together with the
Srinjayas, wish you well. But I and Prativindhya’s mother
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are greatly tormented and speak to you, though what I am saying will be agreeable to them too. All of them have attained great grief and all of them will welcome war. O king! No calamity can be greater than this. Mean and weaker ones have stolen our kingdom and are now enjoying it. O scorcher of enemies! You are bearing this misery so that your conduct is not tainted out of tenderness and gentleness. But no one will praise you for this. Your gentleness is like that of a brahmana. How have you been born as a kshatriya? Those who are born in that womb are usually cruel-minded. You have heard about the dharma of kings, as recounted by Manu. They are cruel, characterized by deceit and are against pacification. O tiger among men! There is work to be done. Why are you behaving like a crippled one? You have intelligence, valour, knowledge and birth.

‘“O Kounteya! You wish to conceal us, like hiding the Himalaya Mountains in a handful of grass. You are famous throughout the earth. You will not be able to live secretly, undetected. O Partha! The sun cannot pass undetected in the sky. How can Jishnu remain unrecognized? He is like a giant shala tree, like a palasha tree with branches and flowers. He is like a white elephant. O Partha! How will these two young brothers who are like lions, Nakula and Sahadeva, remain hidden? The princess Droupadi is the mother of brave ones and the performer of sacred deeds. O Partha! Krishna is famous. How will she remain unrecognized? O king! All the subjects know me, even the children. I see myself as unrecognized as Mount Meru. Besides, we have exiled many kings and the sons of kings from their kingdoms and they will now follow Dhritarashtra. Deprived and exiled by us, they will not have pacific feelings towards us. They will certainly try to injure us, so as to cause him pleasure. They will employ many spies against us. There will be a great danger that they will detect us and inform against us. We have already lived in this forest for thirteen months. Regard that as equal to that number of years. The learned ones have said that a month can substitute for a year, like
putika
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is a substitute for soma. Act accordingly. O king! You can also free yourself from this single sin
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by satisfying with sacred food a bull that pulls a sacred burden. O king! Therefore, make up your mind to kill your enemies. For kshatriyas, there is no dharma other than that of fighting.”’

Vaishampayana said, ‘On hearing Bhimasena’s words, Kunti’s son Yudhishthira, a tiger among men and the scorcher of enemies, sighed and reflected. Having reflected for an instant and having decided what he should do, he immediately replied to Bhimasena, “O descendant of the Bharata lineage! O mighty-armed one! It is as you say. O one who is wise with words! But also listen to the words that I have to say. O Bhimasena! O descendant of the Bharata lineage! Great sins that are begun only out of courage bring pain. O mighty-armed one! But an act that is well advised, well powered, well executed and well planned is successful in its objective and is divinely auspicious. Out of your own strength and insolence and out of rashness, you have thought about a deed that needs to be done. But listen to what I have to say about that. Bhurishrava, Shalya, the valorous Jarasandha, Bhishma, Drona, Karna, Drona’s valorous son
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and Dhritarashtra’s invincible sons with Duryodhana at the forefront—all of them have their weapons ready and are prepared to murder. The kings and the lords of the earth whom we suppressed have resorted to the Kourava side and are affectionate towards them. O descendant of the Bharata lineage! They now seek to do good to Duryodhana, not to us. Their treasury is full and they have a large army. They will make an effort to protect these. All the Kourava
armies, with their sons, advisers and soldiers, have been given riches and honours everywhere. The warriors have been specially honoured by Duryodhana. It is my certain view that they will give up their lives for him in battle. Though the conduct of Bhishma, the mighty-armed Drona and the great-souled Kripa is equal,
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they will certainly be driven by the royal morsels.
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That is what I think. All of them are knowledgeable in the use of divine weapons and all of them are devoted to dharma. Therefore, no matter how precious, they will give up their lives in battle. My view is that they cannot be vanquished, even by the gods and Vasava. Then there is maharatha Karna, intolerant and always angry. He is skilled in the knowledge of all weapons and cannot be assailed, because he is covered with impenetrable armour. O Vrikodara! Without first defeating in battle all these foremost of men and without any allies, you cannot kill Duryodhana. I cannot go to sleep when I think of the lightness of hand of the suta’s son.
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He is foremost among all those who handle the bow.” Bhimasena was intolerant. But having heard these words, he became pensive and alarmed at the truth of these words and did not reply anything.

‘When the two Pandavas were thus conversing, Satyavati’s son, the great yogi Vyasa arrived. When he arrived, he was duly worshipped by the Pandavas and the supreme among eloquent ones then spoke these words to Yudhishthira, “O Yudhishthira! O mighty-armed one! O bull among men! I have swiftly come here, because with my insight I got to know what was passing through your heart. O descendant of the Bharata lineage! O killer of enemies! I will dispel the fear that exists in your heart about Bhishma, Drona, Kripa, Karna and Drona’s son. I will tell you how they can be legitimately killed according to the rules. On hearing this, regain your composure and do what needs to be done.” Then Parashara’s son
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spoke to Yudhishthira alone and that eloquent of speakers told him words of grave import. “O supreme among those of the Bharata lineage! The time for you to regain your
fortune will come. Partha Dhananjaya will overcome the enemies in battle. Accept from me this knowledge known as
pratismriti
, as I recount it to you. It is success personified. On receiving it from you, the mighty-armed Arjuna will be successful. O Pandava! For the sake of weapons, he must go to the great Indra, Rudra, Varuna, the lord of riches
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and Dharmaraja.
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Because of his austerities and valour, he has the power to see the gods. He is an immensely energetic rishi. He is the ancient, eternal and everlasting god who is Narayana’s companion and a part of Vishnu.
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When he has obtained weapons from Indra, Rudra and the Lokapalas,
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the mighty-armed one will perform great deeds. O Kounteya! O lord of the earth! Think about leaving this forest and going to another forest that is more appropriate for your residence. It is never very pleasant to live in the same place for a long time. This can cause anxiety to the serene ascetics. Since you support many brahmanas who are learned in the Vedas and the vedangas, the deer will be exhausted and the plants and herbs will decay.” Having thus spoken, the illustrious lord, Satyavati’s intelligent son Vyasa who was learned in yoga, taught Dharmaraja, who had purified himself, that supreme knowledge of yoga. He then took Kounteya’s leave and instantly disappeared.

‘Yudhishthira, the intelligent one with dharma in his soul, carefully nurtured that knowledge of the brahman in his mind, repeating it from time to time. He was happy with Vyasa’s words. Leaving the forest of Dvaitavana, he went to the forest of Kamyaka, on the banks of the Sarasvati. O great king! Just as the rishis follow Indra of the gods, the brahmana ascetics, learned in words and sounds, followed him. On arriving in Kamyaka, the great-souled bulls among the Bharatas began to live there, with their advisers and followers. O king! Those intelligent ones lived there for some time. The warriors
engaged themselves in the science of archery and listened to the supreme Vedas. They went out on hunts every day, seeking to kill deer with pure arrows.
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In accordance with the rites, they offered oblations to the ancestors, the gods and the brahmanas.’