Chapter 135

“Kunti said, ‘Hearing these words of his mother the son said, O ruthlessand wrathful mother, O thou that thinkest highly of martial heroism, thyheart is surely made of steel beat into that shape. Fie on Kshatriyapractices, in accordance with which thou urgest me to battle, as if Iwere a stranger to thee, and for the sake of which thou speakest tome–thy only son–such words as if thou wert not my mother. If thoubeholdest me not, if thou art dissociated with me–thy son, of what usethen would the whole earth be to thee, of what use all thy ornaments andall the means of enjoyment, indeed, of what use would life itself be tothee?’

“The mother said, ‘All the acts of those that are wise, are (undertaken),O son, for the sake of virtue and profit. Eyeing these (virtue andprofit) only, I urge thee, O Sanjaya, to battle. The fit hour hath comefor exhibiting thy prowess. If at such a time thou dost not resort toaction, then disrespected by the people thou wouldst do that which wouldbe most disagreeable to me. If, O Sanjaya, thou art about to be stainedwith infamy and I do not (from affection) tell thee anything, then thataffection, worthless and unreasonable, would be like that of theshe-ass’s for her young. Do not tread the path that is disapproved by thewise and adopted by the fool. Great is the ignorance here. Innumerablecreatures of the world have taken refuge in it. If thou, however,adoptest the behaviour of the wise, thou wilt then be dear to me. Indeed,if thou hast recourse to virtue and profit, if with God above thoureliest upon human exertion, if thy conduct becometh like that of thegood, then it is by this and not by any other means that thou wilt becomedear to me. He that taketh delight in sons and grandsons that arewell-instructed (enjoyeth a delight that is real). He, on the other hand,that taketh delight in a son who is destitute of exertion, refractory,and wicked minded, hath not the very object accomplished for which a sonis desired. Those worst of men that never do what is proper and always dowhat is censurable, do not obtain happiness here or hereafter. AKshatriya, O Sanjaya, hath been created for battle and victory. Whetherhe winneth or perisheth, he obtaineth the region of Indra. The happinessthat a Kshatriya obtaineth by reducing his foes to subjection is suchthat the like of it doth not exist in heaven in the sacred region ofIndra. Burning with wrath, a Kshatriya of great energy, if vanquishedmany times, should wait desiring to vanquish his foes. Without eithercasting away his own life or slaying his foes, how can he obtain peace ofmind by any other course? He that is possessed of wisdom regardethanything little as disagreeable. Unto that person to whom anything littlebecomes agreeable, that little (ultimately) becometh a source of pain.The man that hath not what is desirable soon becometh wretched. Indeed,he soon feeleth every want and is lost like the Ganga on entering theocean.’

“The son said, ‘Thou shouldst not, O mother, give expression to suchviews before thy son. Show him kindness now, staying by his side, like asilent and dumb being.’

“The mother said, ‘Great is my gratification since thou sayest so. I whomay be urged (by thee to what is my duty) am thus urged by thee. I shall,therefore, urge thee more (for doing what thou shouldst do). I will,indeed, honour thee then when I will behold thee, crowned with completesuccess after the slaughter of all the Saindhavas.’

“The son said, ‘Without wealth, without allies, how can success andvictory be mine? Conscious of this exceedingly miserable state of mine, Ihave myself abstained from desire of kingdom, like an evil-doerabstaining from desire of heaven. If, therefore, O thou of mature wisdom,thou seest any means (by which all this can be effected), speak fully ofit to me as I ask thee, for I shall do all that thou mayst command me todo.’

“The mother said, ‘Do not disgrace thy soul, O son, by anticipations offailure. Objects unattained have been attained; while those attained havebeen lost. The accomplishment of objects should never be sought withwrath and folly. In all acts, O son, the attainment of success is alwaysuncertain. Knowing that success is uncertain, people still act, so thatthey sometimes succeed, and sometimes do not. They, however, who abstainfrom action, never obtain success. In the absence of exertion, there isbut one result, viz., the absence of success. There are, however, tworesults in the case of exertion, viz., the acquisition of success or itsnon-acquisition. He, O prince, who hath settled beforehand that all actsare uncertain in respect of their results, maketh both success andprosperity unattainable by himself. This will be,–with such a beliefshould one, casting off all sloth, exert and wake up and address himselfto every act. That wise king, who, O son, engageth in acts, havingperformed all auspicious rites and with the gods and the Brahmanas on hisside, soon winneth success. Like the sun embracing the east, the goddessof prosperity embraceth him. I see thou hast shown thyself fit for thevarious suggestions and means and encouraging speeches thou hast had fromme. Display (now) thy prowess. It behoveth thee to win, by everyexertion, the object thou hast in view. Bring together to thy own sidethose that are angry (with thy foes), those that are covetous, those thathave been weakened (by thy foes), those that are jealous (of thy foes),those that have been humiliated (by them), those that always challenge(them) from excess of pride, and all others of this class. By this meansthou wilt be able to break the mighty host (of thy enemy) like animpetuous and fierce-rising tempest scattering the clouds. Give them (thywould be allies) wealth before it is due, seek their food, be up anddoing, and speak sweetly unto them all. They will then do the good, andplace thee at their head. When the enemy cometh to know that his foe hathbecome reckless of his life, then is he troubled on the latter’s account,from a snake living in his chamber? If, knowing one to be powerful, one’senemy doth not strive to subjugate him, he should at least make onefriendly by the application of the arts of conciliation, gift, and thelike. Even that would be tantamount to subjugation. Obtaining a respiteby means of the art of conciliation, one’s wealth may increase. And ifone’s wealth increaseth, one is worshipped and sought as a refuge byone’s friends. If, again, one is deprived of wealth, one is abandoned byfriends and relatives, and more than that mistrusted and even despised bythem. It is perfectly impossible for him to ever regain his kingdom, who,having united himself with his foe, liveth confidently.'”