Chapter 18

Vaisampayana said, “When Yudhishthira, after saying these words, becamesilent, Arjuna, afflicted by that speech of the king, and burning withsorrow and grief, once more addressed his eldest brother, saying, ‘Peoplerecite this old history, O Bharata, about the discourse between the rulerof the Videhas and his queen. That history has reference to the wordswhich the grief-stricken spouse of the ruler of the Videhas had said toher lord when the latter, abandoning his kingdom, had resolved to lead alife of mendicancy. Casting off wealth and children and wives andprecious possessions of various kinds and the established path foracquiring religious merit and fire itself.[53] King Janaka shaved hishead (and assumed the garb of a mendicant). His dear spouse beheld himdeprived of wealth, installed in the observance of the vow of mendicancy,resolved to abstain from inflicting any kind of injury on others, freefrom vanity of every kind, and prepared to subsist upon a handful ofbarley fallen off from the stalk and to be got by picking the grains fromcrevices in the field. Approaching her lord at a time when no one waswith him, the queen, endued with great strength of mind, fearlessly andin wrath, told him these words fraught with reason: ‘Why hast thouadopted a life of mendicancy, abandoning thy kingdom full of wealth andcorn? A handful of fallen off barley cannot be proper for thee. Thyresolution tallies not with thy acts,[54] since abandoning thy largekingdom thou covetest, O king, a handful of grain! With this handful ofbarley, O king, wilt thou succeed in gratifying thy guests, gods. Rishisand Pitris? This thy labour, therefore, is bootless. Alas, abandoned byall these, viz., gods, guest and Pitris, thou leadest a life, ofwandering mendicancy, O king, having cast off all action. Thou wert,before this, the supporter of thousands of Brahmanas versed in the threeVedas and of many more besides. How canst thou desire to beg of them thyown food today? Abandoning thy blazing prosperity, thou castest thy eyesaround like a dog (for his food). Thy mother hath today been made sonlessby thee, and thy spouse, the princess of Kosala, a widow. These helplessKshatriyas, expectant of fruit and religious merit, wait upon thee,placing all their hopes on thee. By killing those hopes of theirs, towhat regions shalt thou go, O king, especially when salvation is doubtfuland creatures are dependent on actions?[55] Sinful as thou art, thou hastneither this world nor the other, since thou wishest to live, having castoff thy wedded wife?[56] Why, indeed, dost thou lead a life of wanderingmendicancy, abstaining from all actions, after having abandoned garlandsand perfumes and ornaments and robes of diverse kinds? Having been, as itwere, a large and sacred take unto all creatures, having been a mightytree worthy of adoration and granting its shelter unto all, alas, howcanst thou wait upon and worship others? If even an elephant desists fromall work, carnivorous creatures coming in packs and innumerable wormswould eat it up. What need be said of thyself that art so powerless?[57]How couldst thy heart be set on that mode of life which recommends anearthen pot, and a triple-headed stick, and which forces one to abandonhis very clothes and which permits the acceptance of only a handful ofbarley after abandonment of everything? If, again, thou sayest thatkingdom and a handful of barley are the same to thee, then why dost thouabandon the former! If, again, a handful of barley becomes an object ofattachment with thee, then, thy original resolution (of abandoningeverything) falls to the ground, If, again, thou canst act up to thyresolution of abandoning everything! then who am I to thee, who art thouto me, and what can be thy grace to me?[58] If thou beest inclined tograce, rule then this Earth! They that are desirous of happiness but arevery poor and indigent and abandoned by friends may adopt renunciation.But he who imitates those men by abandoning palatial mansions and bedsand vehicles and robes and ornaments, acts improperly, indeed. One alwaysaccepts gifts made by others; another always makes gifts. Thou knowestthe difference between the two. Who, indeed, of these two shouldst beregarded the superior? If a gift be made to one who always accepts gifts,or to one that is possessed of pride, that gift becomes bootless like theclarified butter that is poured upon a forest-conflagration.[59] As afire, O king, never dies till it has consumed all that has been throwninto it, even so a beggar can never be silenced tilt he receives adonative. In this world, the food that is given by a charitable person isthe sure support of the pious. If, therefore, the king does not give(food) where will the pious that are desirous of salvation go?[60] Theythat have food (in their houses) are house-holders. Mendicants aresupported by them. Life flows from food. Therefore, the giver of food isthe giver of life. Coming out from among those that lead a domestic modeof life, mendicants depend upon those very persons from whom they come.Those self-restrained men, by doing this, acquire and enjoy fame andpower. One is not to be called a mendicant for his having only renouncedhis possessions, or for his having only adopted a life of dependence oneleemosynary charity. He who renounces the possessions and pleasures ofthe world in a sincere frame of mind is to be regarded a truemendicant.[61] Unattached at heart, though attached in outward show,standing aloof from the world, having broken all his bonds, and regardingfriend and foe equally, such a man, O king, is regarded to beemancipated! Having shaved their heads clean and adopted the brown robe,men may be seen to betake themselves to a life of wandering mendicancy,though bound by various ties and though ever on the lookout for bootlesswealth. They who, casting off the three Vedas, their usual occupations,and children, adopt a life or mendicancy by taking up the triple-headedcrutch and the brown robe, are really persons of little understanding.Without having cast off anger and other faults, the adoption of only thebrown robe, know, O king, is due to the desire of earning the means ofsustenance. Those persons of clean-shaven heads that have set up thebanner of virtue, have this only (viz., the acquisition of sustenance)for their object in life. Therefore, O king, keeping thy passions undercontrol, do thou win regions of bliss hereafter by supporting them thatare truly pious amongst men of matted locks or clean-shaven heads, nakedor clad in rags, or skins or brown robes. Who is there that is morevirtuous than he who maintains his sacred fire, who performs sacrificeswith presents of animals and Dakshina, and who practises charity day andnight?’

“Arjuna continued, ‘King Janaka is regarded to have been a truth-knowingperson in this world. Even he, in this matter (viz., the ascertainment ofduty) had become stupefied. Do not yield to stupefaction! Even thus theduties of Domesticity are observed by persons practising charity. Byabstaining from injuries of all kinds, by casting off desire and wrath,by being engaged in protecting all creatures, by observing the excellentduty of charity, and lastly by cherishing superiors and persons of age,we shall succeed in attaining such regions of bliss as we like. By dulygratifying gods, guests, and all creatures, by worshipping Brahmanas, andby truthfulness of speech, we shall certainly attain to desirable regionsof bliss.'”