Chapter 27

“Sanjaya said, ‘O Pandava, the world hath heard thy conduct beingrighteous. I see it also to be so, O son of Pritha. Life is transient,that may end in great infamy; considering this, thou shouldst not perish.O Ajatasatru, if without war, the Kurus will not yield thy share, Ithink, it is far better for thee to live upon alms in the kingdom of theAndhakas and the Vrishnis than obtain sovereignty by war. Since thismortal existence is for only a short period, and greatly liable to blame,subject to constant suffering, and unstable, and since it is nevercomparable to a good name, therefore, O Pandava, never perpetrate a sin.It is the desires, O ruler of men, which adhere to mortal men and are anobstruction to a virtuous life. Therefore, a wise man should beforehandkill them all and thereby gain a stainless fame in the world, O son ofPritha. The thirst after wealth is but like fetter in this world; thevirtue of those that seek it is sure to suffer. He is wise who seekethvirtue alone; desires being increased, a man must suffer in his temporalconcerns, O sire. Placing virtue before all other concerns of life, a manshineth like the sun when its splendour is great. A man devoid of virtue,and of vicious soul, is overtaken by ruin, although he may obtain thewhole of this earth. Thou hast studied the Vedas, lived the life of asaintly Brahman, hast performed sacrificial rites, made charities toBrahmanas. Even remembering the highest position (attainable by beings),thou hast also devoted thy soul for years and years to the pursuit ofpleasure. He who, devoting himself excessively to the pleasures and joysof life, never employeth himself in the practice of religious meditation,must be exceedingly miserable. His joys forsake him after his wealth isgone and his strong instincts goad him on towards his wonted pursuit ofpleasure. Similarly, he who, never having lived a continent life,forsaketh the path of virtue and commiteth sin, hath no faith inexistence of a world to come. Dull as he is after death he hath torment(for his lot). In the world to come, whether one’s deeds be good or evilthese deeds are in no case, annihilated. Deeds, good and evil, precedethe agent (in his journey to the world to come); the agent is sure tofollow in their path. Your work (in this life) is celebrated by all ascomparable to that food, savoury and dainty, which is proper to beoffered with reverence to the Brahmanas–the food which is offered inreligious ceremonies with large donations (to the officiating priests).All acts are done, so long as this body lasts, O son of Pritha. Afterdeath there is nothing to be done. And thou hast done mighty deeds thatwill do good to thee in the world to come, and they are admired byrighteous men. There (in the next world) one is free from death anddecrepitude and fear, and from hunger and thirst, and from all that isdisagreeable to the mind; there is nothing to be done in that place,unless it be to delight one’s senses. Of this kind, O ruler of men, isthe result of our deeds. Therefore, do not from desire act any longer inthis world. Do not, O Pandu’s son, betake to action in this world andthereby thus take leave of truth and sobriety and candour and humanity.Thou mayst perform the Rajasuya and the Aswamedha sacrifices, but do noteven come near an action which in itself is sin! If after such a lengthof time, ye sons of Pritha, you now give way to hate, and commit thesinful deed, in vain, for virtue’s sake, did ye dwell for years and yearsin the woods in such misery! It was in vain that you went to exile, afterparting with all your army; for this army was entirely in your controlthen. And these persons who are now assisting you, have been alwaysobedient to you,–this Krishna, and Satyaki, and Virata of the goldencar, of Matsya land, with his son at the head of martial warriors. Allthe kings, formerly vanquished by you would have espoused your cause atfirst. Possessed of mighty resources, dreaded by all, having an army, andfollowed behind by Krishna and Arjuna, you might have slain your foremostof foes on the field of battle. You might have (then) brought lowDuryodhana’s pride. O Pandava, why have you allowed your foes to grow sopowerful? Why have you weakened your friends? Why have you sojourned inthe woods for years and years? Why are you now desirous of fighting,having let the proper opportunity slip? An unwise or an unrighteous manmay win prosperity by means of fighting; but a wise and a righteous man,were he free from pride to betake to fight (against better instinct),doth only fall away from a prosperous path. O Pritha’s son, yourunderstanding inclines not to an unrighteous course. From wrath you evercommitted a sinful act. Then what is the cause, and what is the reason,for which you are now intent to do this deed, against the dictates ofwisdom? Wrath, O mighty king, is a bitter drug, though it has nothing todo with disease; it brings on a disease of the head, robs one of his fairfame, and leads to sinful acts. It is drunk up (controlled) by those thatare righteous and not by those that are unrighteous. I ask you to swallowit and to desist from war. Who would incline himself to wrath which leadsto sin? Forbearance would be more beneficial to you than love ofenjoyments where Bhishma would be slain, and Drona with his son, andKripa, and Somadatta’s son, and Vikarna and Vivingsati, and Karna andDuryodhana. Having slain all these, what bliss may that be, O Pritha’sson, which you will get? Tell me that! Even having won the entiresea-girt earth, you will never be free from decrepitude and death,pleasure and pain, bliss and misery. Knowing all this, do not be engagedin war. If you are desirous of taking this course, because yourcounsellors desire the same, then give up (everything) to them, and runaway. You should not fall away from this path which leads to the regionof the gods!'”