Mahabharata Vol. 2 (Penguin Translated Texts) (22 page)

‘“Brahmanas brought gifts out of affection, kshatriyas because they had been defeated and vaishyas and shudras out of servitude. Out of affection and respect, they waited on Yudhishthira—all the mlecchas and all the varnas, the superior, the middle and the inferior,
arriving from many countries and many races. O descendant of the Bharata lineage! In Yudhishthira’s abode, I saw the kings make such large and great offerings to my enemy that I wish to die from grief. Now let me tell you about the servants of the Pandavas, to whom Yudhishthira supplies both raw and cooked food. There are three hundred thousand soldiers mounted on elephants. There are a hundred million chariots and innumerable foot soldiers. The raw food is measured out in one place, cooked elsewhere and distributed at another place. Auspicious sounds are heard. Among all the varnas, I have not seen a single one in Yudhishthira’s abode who has not obtained food, is unhappy and has not been rewarded well. Eighty-eight thousand snatakas live a householder’s life, each supported by thirty servant girls provided by Yudhishthira. They are happy and satisfied and always pray for the destruction of his enemies. In Yudhishthira’s abode, ten thousand ascetics who have controlled their seed, eat from golden plates. O lord of the earth! Yajnaseni
⁸¹
does not eat until she has seen to it that everyone has eaten and is full, even hunchbacks and dwarfs. O descendant of the Bharata lineage! There are only two who have not paid tribute to Kunti’s son—the Panchalas because of the marriage alliance
⁸²
and the Andhakas and the Vrishnis because of friendship.”’

‘Duryodhana said, “The arya kings are devoted to truth and great in their vows, complete in their knowledge, eloquent and immersed in
vedanta
,
⁸³
forbearing, modest, famous and with dharma in their hearts. Those kings who have been anointed wait on
him.
⁸⁴
There I saw many thousands of wild cows that had been brought by the kings as dakshina, with brass pots for milking. O descendant of the Bharata lineage! As a mark of respect and of their own volition, the kings brought supreme vessels for the consecration there. Bahlika brought the chariot that was inlaid with gold. Sudakshina
⁸⁵
yoked it with white horses from Kamboja. In affection, the immensely strong Sunitha
⁸⁶
fixed the axle. Willingly, the king of Chedi
⁸⁷
himself fixed the flagstaff. The king from the south had the armour ready, Magadha
⁸⁸
the garland and the headdress. The great archer Vasudana
⁸⁹
held the king of elephants, sixty years old. Matsya
⁹⁰
fixed the sides,
⁹¹
Ekalavya held the footwear. Avanti had the many kinds of water required for the final bath. Chekitana
⁹²
gave the quiver, the king of Kashi the bow and Shalya the sword with a golden hilt and with straps inlaid with gold. Dhoumya and the immensely ascetic Vyasa performed the anointing, after having placed Narada and the sages Devala–Asita
⁹³
at the forefront. The maharshis attended the
abhisheka
⁹⁴
with pleasure. Just as the saptarshis approach the great Indra, lord of the gods, in heaven, with Jamadagni’s son,
⁹⁵
the great-souled ones, learned in the Vedas and the mantras, came with large quantities of gifts.

‘“Satyaki, with truth as his valour, held up the umbrella. Dhananjaya and Bhima fanned Pandava.
⁹⁶
Varuna’s conch shell had been
constructed by Vishvakarma in ancient times with a thousand pieces of gold and had been given by Prajapati to Indra in that ancient era. The ocean now brought it for him
⁹⁷
and Krishna anointed him with that. At this, I felt benumbed. They went to the western, eastern and southern oceans.
⁹⁸
O father! But they did not go to the north, which is for the birds. To make it auspicious, hundreds of conch shells were blown and when they were blown together, my hair stood up at the roar. Kings were deprived of their own energy and fell prostrate on the ground. But Dhristadyumna, the Pandavas, Satyaki and Krishna as the eighth were valorous and kindly disposed towards each other.
⁹⁹
They maintained themselves and on seeing me and the kings unconscious on the ground, laughed at us. O descendant of the Bharata lineage! Then, delightedly, Bibhatsu gave the principal brahmanas five hundred bullocks, their horns plated with gold. Like lord Harishchandra, Kounteya accomplished the rajasuya and his prosperity was supreme. Shambara’s slayer,
¹⁰⁰
Youvanashva, Manu, King Prithu and Bhagiratha couldn’t rival this. O lord! O descendant of the Bharata lineage! Having witnessed Partha’s prosperity like that of Harishchandra, how should I see any good in remaining alive? O lord of men! A yoke attached by a blind man becomes loose. O descendant of the Bharata lineage! The younger ones
¹⁰¹
are prospering, while the older ones
¹⁰²
are decaying. O supreme among the Kurus! Having witnessed all this, I find no refuge, whichever way I look. That is the reason I am becoming thin. That is the reason I am pale and miserable.”’

‘Dhritarashtra said, “O son! You are the eldest and the son of my eldest wife.
¹⁰³
Do not bear hatred towards the Pandavas. He who bears hatred is always as unhappy as in death. O bull among the Bharata lineage! Yudhishthira is inexperienced. He is your equal in goals and in friends. He does not hate you. Why do you hate him? O king! O son! You are his equal in birth and valour. Why do you covet your brother’s riches? Do not desire out of delusion. Be calm and virtuous. O bull among the Bharata lineage! If you wish to accomplish the glory of a sacrifice, let the priests arrange for the great sacrifice known as
saptatantu
. The kings will bring you great riches, gems and ornaments, from affection and respect. O son! The terrible act of desiring another’s property brings misery. He who is satisfied with his own, remains anchored in his own dharma and is happy. The signs of wealth are lack of concern for another’s prosperity, constant perseverance in one’s own tasks and the protection of what one has obtained. The man who is unmoved in calamities and always skilled and engaged in his own, vigilant and humble, will always witness good fortune. O bull among the Bharata lineage! Give at sacrifices, enjoy the pleasures you desire, sport in the company of women and be at peace.”

‘Duryodhana replied, “You know. But you confuse me, like a boat tied to another boat. Are you not attentive to your own interests? Do you have hostile feelings towards me? Dhritarashtra’s sons
¹⁰⁴
follow your command and I don’t rule them. You always say that everything must be done for the sake of the future. If the leader has lost the path because he has been deluded by the enemy, how can his followers follow that path? O king! You are old in your wisdom, you follow the elders and you have control over your senses. You should
not confuse us, when we are engaged in our own tasks. Brihaspati has said that the royal path must be different from that followed by the worlds. Therefore, a king must always be vigilant in protecting his own self-interest. O great king! A kshatriya’s path is one devoted to victory. O bull among the Bharata lineage! As long as one follows one’s creed, dharma and lack of dharma are irrelevant. O bull among the Bharata lineage! A charioteer uses his whip to drive out in all the directions, wishing to attack the blazing fortunes of his enemy. Those who are skilled in weapons say that the weapon isn’t only the one that cuts. A weapon is that which vanquishes the enemy, be it open or hidden. O king! Discontent is the root of prosperity. That is the reason I wish to be discontented. The supreme one is one who strives for prosperity. In attaining prosperity and riches, shouldn’t self-interest be our way? Others take away what has been obtained before. That is known as the dharma of kings. It was during a period of truce that Shakra cut off Namuchi’s
¹⁰⁵
head, because he knew that enmity towards a foe is eternal. Like a snake swallows rats, the earth swallows up two—the king who does not strive and the brahmana who does not live at home. O lord of the earth! No one is by nature another man’s enemy. The enemy is that one whose pursuits are the same as one’s own, and not anyone else. He who stupidly watches the ascendance of the enemy’s party, leaves a disease unattended and cuts off his own roots. An enemy may be insignificant. But if he is allowed to grow in valour, he will destroy one, the way an anthill destroys the roots of a tree it has grown on. O Ajamidha!
¹⁰⁶
O descendant of the Bharata lineage! Do not be pleased at the enemy’s prosperity. The wise ones should not bear the burden of this policy on their heads. A person who wishes for an increase in his prosperity, the way he has himself grown since birth, grows and prospers with his relatives. Valour brings swift growth. As long as I do not obtain the wealth of the Pandavas, I will always be in doubt. I will either obtain those riches, or lay down my life in the field of battle. O
lord of the earth! If I cannot equal him,
¹⁰⁷
what is the point of being alive today? The Pandavas are always prospering and we are stagnating.”’

‘Shakuni said, “Challenge the enemy to a game of dice. I will rob Pandu’s son Yudhishthira of the prosperity that you have seen, which has been burning you. Be clear that I will not fight in front of armies. Through the throw of dice, a skilful one can vanquish one that is not skilful. O descendant of the Bharata lineage! Know that the bow and arrows are my dice. The heart of the dice is the string of my bow. Know that the carpet
¹⁰⁹
is my chariot.”

‘Duryodhana said, “O king! This one, who is skilled in dice, is ready to win over the prosperity of Pandu’s son with dice. O father! You should find that pleasing.”

‘Dhritarashtra replied, “I always listen to the counsel of my brother, the great-souled Vidura. I will decide on the course of action after meeting with him.”

‘Duryodhana said, “O Kourava! There is no doubt that Vidura will make you refrain from the resolution. He is engaged in the welfare of the Pandavas and not mine. O descendant of the Kuru lineage!
¹¹⁰
No man should engage in his task with another’s counsel, because two minds seldom agree on a course of action. Like a straw mat
¹¹¹
during the rainy season, a fool that abhors fear stands and destroys
himself. Neither disease nor Yama wait for prosperity to come. Therefore, let us act for the good while there is time.”

‘Dhritarashtra replied, “O son! I never like a fight with those who are stronger. Enmity creates distortion, and that itself is a weapon, though it is not made of iron. O prince! You think that disaster will bring welfare, this terrible collection of quarrels. Once it starts, in one way or another, it will release bows, swords and arrows.”

‘Duryodhana said, “The ancient ones created the rules of dice. It leads to neither evil, nor blows. Today, you should approve of Shakuni’s words. Let your instructions be issued for the swift construction of a sabha.
¹¹²
Because the doors of heaven will become closer, it is appropriate for us to be engaged in this. Approve of this act with the Pandavas and we will then stand equal to them.”

‘Dhritarashtra replied, “O Indra among men! I do not like the words that you utter. But do what brings you pleasure. Later, you will remember your words and suffer, because such words cannot bring prosperity to those who abide by dharma. A long time in the past, Vidura, who follows wisdom and learning, had foretold all this. The great calamity that will destroy the seed of the kshatriyas has now arrived and we are powerless.”’

Vaishampayana said, ‘Having uttered these words, the wise Dhritarashtra decided that destiny alone was supreme. Fate robbed the king of his senses and he instructed his men
¹¹³
to obey his son’s words. “Carefully build one thousand pillars adorned with gold and lapis lazuli. Let there be a hundred gates with arches made of crystal. Let the beautiful sabha be swiftly built, one
krosha
¹¹⁴
long and one krosha wide.” On hearing these words, without hesitation, thousands of wise and skilled artisans swiftly built the sabha and stocked it with every kind of object. Then, in a short space of time, they informed the king that the beautiful assembly hall was ready and that it had been adorned with multicoloured gems and beautiful golden seats.
Then Dhritarashtra, lord of men, spoke to the learned Vidura, foremost among his advisers, “Go to Prince Yudhishthira and swiftly bring him here at my command. Say that he and his brothers should come here and see this beautiful sabha that I have built, with many gems and decorated with expensive beds and seats. We will then have a game of dice among well-wishers.” Knowing his son’s mind and that fate could not be avoided, King Dhritarashtra, lord of men, acted thus. Vidura, supreme among learned ones, did not approve of his brother’s words and thought them to be unjust. He spoke to him, “O king! I do not approve of this errand. Do not do this. I fear the destruction of our lineage. O Indra among men! When the sons are disunited, a quarrel is certain and I am concerned about this game of dice.” Dhritarashtra replied, “O Kshatta! Unless destiny turns adverse, I am not worried about a quarrel. The universe is under the control of the creator. The entire world does not run independently. O Vidura! Therefore, today, go to the king
¹¹⁵
at my command and quickly bring Kunti’s invincible son, Yudhishthira, here.”’

Vaishampayana said, ‘On King Dhritarashtra’s forceful command, Vidura started off towards the wise Pandavas, on horses that were noble and strong, trained well and possessing great speed. He proceeded swiftly and came to the king’s
¹¹⁶
city and after being worshipped by the brahmanas, the immensely intelligent one entered. The palace was like Kubera’s abode and the one with dharma in his heart
¹¹⁷
went to Dharmaputra Yudhishthira. Ajatashatru, the great-souled king who was always devoted to the truth, welcomed Vidura
with due homage and worship and then asked about the welfare of Dhritarashtra and his sons.