Chapter 234

Janamejaya said, “While those foremost of men–the sons of Pritha–werepassing their days in the forest exposed to the inclemencies of thewinter, the summer, the wind and the sun, what did they do, O Brahmana,after they had reached the lake and woods going by the name of Dwaita?”

Vaisampayana said, “After the sons of Pandu had arrived at that lake,they chose a residence that was removed from the habitations of men. Andthey began to roam through delightful woods and ever charming mountainsand picturesque river-valleys. And after they had taken up theirresidence there, many venerable ascetics endued with Vedic lore oftencame to see them. And those foremost of men always received thoseVeda-knowing Rishis with great respect. And one day there came unto theKaurava princes a certain Brahmana who was well known on earth for hispowers of speech. And having conversed with the Pandavas for a while, hewent away as pleased him to the court of the royal son of Vichitravirya.Received with respect by that chief of the Kurus, the old king, theBrahmana took his seat; and asked by the monarch he began to talk of thesons of Dharma, Pavana, Indra and of the twins, all of whom having falleninto severe misery, had become emaciated and reduced owing to exposure towind and sun. And that Brahmana also talked of Krishna who wasoverwhelmed with suffering and who then had become perfectly helpless,although she had heroes for her lords. And hearing the words of thatBrahmana, the royal son of Vichitravirya became afflicted with grief, atthe thought of those princes of royal lineage then swimming in a river ofsorrow. His inmost soul afflicted with sorrow and trembling all over withsighs, he quieted himself with a great effort, remembering thateverything had arisen from his own fault. And the monarch said, ‘Alas,how is it that Yudhishthira who is the eldest of my sons, who is truthfuland pious and virtuous in his behaviour, who hath not a foe, who hadformerly slept on beds made of soft Ranku skins, sleepeth now on the bareground! Alas, wakened formerly by Sutas and Magadhas and other singerswith his praises, melodiously recited every morning, that prince of theKuru race, equal unto Indra himself, is now waked from the bare groundtowards the small hours of the night by a multitude of birds! How dothVrikodara, reduced by exposure to wind and sun and filled with wrath,sleep, in the presence of the princess of Panchala, on the bare ground,unfit as he is to suffer such lot! Perhaps also, the intelligent Arjuna,who is incapable of bearing pain, and who, though obedient to the will ofYudhishthira, yet feeleth himself to be pierced over all by theremembrance of his wrongs, sleepeth not in the night! Beholding the twinsand Krishna and Yudhisthira and Bhima plunged in misery, Arjuna withoutdoubt, sigheth like a serpent of fierce energy and sleepeth not fromwrath in the night! The twins also, who are even like a couple of blessedcelestials in heaven sunk in woe though deserving of bliss, without doubtpass their nights in restless wakefulness restrained (from avenging theirwrongs) by virtue and truth! The mighty son of the Wind-god, who is equalto the Wind-god himself in strength, without doubt, sigheth andrestraineth his wrath, being tied through his elder brother in the bondsof truth! Superior in battle to all warriors, he now lieth quiet on theground, restrained by virtue and truth, and burning to slay my children,he bideth his time. The cruel words that Dussasana spoke afterYudhishthira had been deceitfully defeated at dice, have sunk deep intoVrikodara’s heart, and are consuming him, like a burning bundle of strawconsuming a fagot of dry wood! The son of Dharma never acteth sinfully;Dhananjaya also always obeyeth him; but Bhima’s wrath, in consequence ofa life of exile, is increasing like a conflagration assisted by the wind!That hero, burning with rage such as that, squeezeth his hands andbreatheth hot and fierce sighs, as if consuming therewith my sons andgrandsons! The wielder of the Gandiva and Vrikodara, when angry, are likeYama and Kala themselves; scattering their shafts, which are like untothunder-bolts, they exterminate in battle the ranks of the enemy. AlasDuryodhana, and Sakuni, and the Suta’s son, and Dussasana also of wickedsoul, in robbing the Pandavas of their kingdom by means of dice, seem tobehold the honey alone without marking the terrible ruin. A man havingacted rightly or wrongly, expecteth the fruit of those acts. The fruit,however, confounding him, paralyses him fully. How can man, thereof, havesalvation? If the soil is properly tilled, and the seed sown therein, andif the god (of rain) showereth in season, still the crop may not grow.This is what we often hear. Indeed, how could this saying be true unless,as I think, it be that everything here is dependent on Destiny? Thegambler Sakuni hath behaved deceitfully towards the son of Pandu, whoever acteth honestly. From affection for my wicked sons I also have actedsimilarly. Alas, it is owing to this that the hour of destruction hathcome for the Kurus! Oh, perhaps, what is inevitable must happen! Thewind, impelled or not, will move. The woman that conceives will bringforth. Darkness will be dispelled at dawn, and day disappear at evening!Whatever may be earned by us or others, whether people spend it or not,when the time cometh, those possessions of ours do bring on misery. Whythen do people become so anxious about earning wealth? If, indeed, whatis acquired is the result of fate, then should it be protected so that itmay not be divided, nor lost little by little, nor permitted to flow outat once, for if unprotected, it may break into a hundred fragments. Butwhatever the character of our possessions, our acts in the world arenever lost. Behold what the energy of Arjuna is, who went into the abodeof Indra from the woods! Having mastered the four kinds of celestialweapons he hath come back into this world! What man is there who, havinggone to heaven in his human form, wisheth to come back? This would neverhave been but because he seeth innumerable Kurus to be at the point ofdeath, afflicted by Time! The bowman is Arjuna, capable of wielding thebow with his left hand as well! The bow he wieldeth is the Gandiva offierce impetus. He hath, besides, those celestial weapons of his! Who isthere that would bear the energy of these three!”

“Hearing these words of the monarch, the son of Suvala, going untoDuryodhana, who was then sitting with Kama, told them everything inprivate. And Duryodhana, though possessed of little sense, was filledwith grief at what he heard.”