SECTION 69
"Sanjaya said, 'Thus addressed by Yudhishthira, Kunti's son owning white
steeds, filled with rage, drew his sword for slaying that bull of
Bharata's race. Beholding his wrath, Keshava, conversant with the
workings of the (human) heart said, "Why, O Partha, dost you draw thy
sword? I do not, O Dhananjaya, behold anyone here with whom you hast to
fight! The Dhartarashtras have now been assailed by the intelligent
Bhimasena. Thou comest from battle, O son of Kunti, for seeing the king.
The king has been seen by thee. Indeed, Yudhishthira is well. Having seen
that tiger among kings who is endued with prowess equal to that of a
tiger, why this folly at a time when you shouldst rejoice? I do not see
here, O son of Kunti, the person whom you mayst slay. Why then dost thou
desire to strike? What is this delusion of your mind? Why dost thou, with
such speed, take up that formidable sword? I ask you this, O son, of
Kunti! What is this that you are about, inasmuch as, O you of
inconceivable prowess, you graspest that sword in anger?" Thus addressed
by Krishna, Arjuna, casting his eyes on Yudhishthira, and breathing like
an angry snake, said unto Govinda, "I would cut off the head of that man
who would tell me 'Give your Gandiva to another person." Even this is my
secret vow. Those words have been spoken by this king, O you of
immeasurable prowess, in your presence, O Govinda! I dare not forgive
them. I will for that slay this king who himself fears the slightest
falling from virtue. Slaying this best of men, I will keep my vow. It is
for this that I have drawn the sword, O delighter of the Yadus. Even I,
slaying Yudhishthira, will pay off my debt to truth. By that I will
dispel my grief and fever, O Janardana. I ask thee, what do you think
suitable to the circumstances that have arisen? Thou, O sire, knowest the
entire past and future of this universe. I will do what you wilt tell
me.'"
"Sanjaya continued, 'Govinda then said, "Fie, fie," unto Partha and once
more continued to say, "I now know, O Partha, that you hast not waited
upon the old, since, O tiger among men, you hast yielded to wrath at a
time when you shouldst not have done so. No one that is acquainted with
the distinctions of morality would act in the way, O Dhananjaya, in which
thou, O son of Pandu, that are unacquainted with them, are acting today!
He, O Partha, is the worst of men who committeth acts that should not be
done and doeth acts that are apparently proper but condemned by the
scriptures. Thou knowest not the decisions of those learned men who,
waited upon by pupils, declare their opinions, following the dictates of
morality. The man that is not acquainted with those rulings becomes
confounded and stupefied, O Partha, even as you hast been stupefied, in
discriminating between what should be done and what should not. What
should be done and what should not cannot be ascertained easily.
Everything can be ascertained by the aid of the scriptures. Thou,
however, are not acquainted with the scriptures. Since (believing
thyself) conversant with morality, you are desirous of observing
morality (in this way, it seems) you are actuated by ignorance. Thou
believest thyself to be conversant with virtue, but you dost not know, O
Partha, that the slaughter of living creatures is a sin. Abstention from
injury to animals is, I think, the highest virtue. One may even speak an
untruth, but one should never kill. How then, O foremost of men, couldst
thou wish, like an ordinary person, to slay your eldest brother, the King,
who is conversant with morality? The slaughter of a person not engaged in
battle, or of a foe, O Bharata who has turned his face from battle or who
flies away or seeks protection or joins his hands or yields himself up or
is careless, is never applauded by the righteous. All these attributes
are in your superior. This vow, O Partha, was adopted by you before from
foolishness. In consequence of that vow you are now, from folly,
desirous of perpetrating a sinful act. Why, O Partha, dost you rush
towards your reverend superior for slaying him, without having resolved
the exceedingly subtle course of morality that is, again, difficult of
being understood? I will now tell thee, O son of Pandu, this mystery
connected with morality, this mystery that was declared by Bhishma, by
the righteous Yudhishthira, by Vidura otherwise called Kshatri, and by
Kunti, of great celebrity. I will tell you that mystery in all its
details. Listen to it, O Dhananjaya! One who speaks truth is righteous.
There is nothing higher than truth. Behold, however, truth as practised
is exceedingly difficult to be understood as regards its essential
attributes. Truth may be unutterable, and even falsehood may be utterable
where falsehood would become truth and truth would become falsehood. In a
situation of peril to life and in marriage, falsehood becomes utterable.
In a situation involving the loss of one's entire property, falsehood
becomes utterable. On an occasion of marriage, or of enjoying a woman, or
when life is in danger, or when one's entire property is about to be
taken away, or for the sake of a Brahmana, falsehood may be uttered.
These five kinds of falsehood have been declared to be sinless. On these
occasions falsehood would become truth and truth would become falsehood.
He is a fool that practises truth without knowing the difference between
truth and falsehood. One is said to be conversant with morality when one
is able to distinguish between truth and falsehood. What wonder then in
this that a man of wisdom, by perpetrating even a cruel act, may obtain
great merit like Valaka by the slaughter of the blind beast? What wonder,
again, in this that a foolish and ignorant person, from even the desire
of winning merit, earns great sin like Kausika (living) among the rivers?"
"'Arjuna said, "Tell me, O holy one, this story that I may understand it,
viz., this illustration about Valaka and about Kausika (living) among
rivers."
"'Vasudeva said, "There was a certain hunter of animals, O Bharata, of
the name of Valaka. He used, for the livelihood of his son and wives and
not from will, to slay animals. Devoted to the duties of his own order
and always speaking the truth and never harbouring malice, he used also
to support his parents and others that depended upon him. One day,
searching for animals even with perseverance and care, he found none. At
last he saw a beast of prey whose sense of smell supplied the defect of
his eyes, employed in drinking water. Although he had never seen such an
animal before, still he slew it immediately. After the slaughter of that
blind beast, a floral shower fell from the skies (upon the head of the
hunter). A celestial car also, exceedingly delightful and resounding with
the songs of Apsaras and the music of their instruments, came from heaven
for taking away that hunter of animals. That beast of prey, having
undergone ascetic austerities, had obtained a boon and had become the
cause of the destruction of all creatures. For this reason he was made
blind by the Self-born. Having slain that animal which had resolved to
slay all creatures, Valaka went to heaven. Morality is even so difficult
of being understood. There was an ascetic of the name of Kausika without
much knowledge of the scriptures. He lived in a spot much removed from a
village, at a point where many rivers met. He made a vow, saying, 'I must
always speak the truth.' He then became celebrated, O Dhananjaya, as a
speaker of truth. At that time certain persons, from fear of robbers,
entered that wood (where Kausika dwelt). Thither even, the robbers,
filled with rage, searched for them carefully. Approaching Kausika then,
that speaker of truth, they asked him saying, 'O holy one, by which path
have a multitude of men gone a little while before? Asked in the name of
Truth, answer us. If you hast seen them, tell us this'. Thus adjured,
Kausika told them the truth, saying, 'Those men have entered this wood
crowded with many trees and creepers and plants'. Even thus, O Partha,
did Kausika give them the information. Then those cruel men, it is heard,
finding out the persons they sought, slew them all. In consequence of
that great sin consisting in the words spoken, Kausika, ignorant of the
subtilities of morality, fell into a grievous hell, even as a foolish
man, of little knowledge, and unacquainted with the distinctions of
morality, falleth into painful hell by not having asked persons of age
for the solution of his doubts. There must be some indications for
distinguishing virtue from sin. Sometimes that high and unattainable
knowledge may be had by the exercise of reason. Many persons say, on the
one hand, that the scriptures indicate morality. I do not contradict
this. The scriptures, however, do not provide for every case. For the
growth of creatures have precepts of morality been declared. That which
is connected with inoffensiveness is religion. Dharma protects and
preserves the people. So it is the conclusion of the Pandits that what
maintains is Dharma. O Partha, I have narrated to you the signs and
indications of Dharma. Hearing this, you decide whether Yudhishthira is
to be slaughtered by you or not." Arjuna said, "Krishna, your words are
fraught with great intelligence and impregnated with wisdom. Thou are to
us like our parents and our refuge. Nothing is unknown to you in the
three worlds, so you are conversant with the canons of morality. O
Keshava of the Vrishni clan, you knowest my vow that whoever among men
would tell me, 'Partha, give your Gandiva to some one braver than you,' I
shall at once put an end to his life. Bhima has also made a promise that
whoever would call him 'tularak', would be slaughtered by him there and
then. Now the King has repeatedly used those very words to me in thy
presence, O hero, viz., 'Give your bow.' If I slay him, O Keshava, I will
not be able to live in this world for even a moment. Having intended
again the slaughter of the king through folly and the loss of my mental
faculties, I have been polluted by sin. It behoveth you today, O
foremost of all righteous persons, to give me such counsel that my vow,
known throughout the world, may become true while at the same time both
myself and the eldest son of Pandu may live.'"
"'Vasudeva said, "The king was fatigued, and under the influence of
grief, He had been mangled in battle by Karna with numerous arrows. After
that, O hero, he was repeatedly struck by the Suta's son (with his
shafts), while he was retreating from battle. It was for this that,
labouring under a load of sorrow, he spoke those improper words unto thee
in wrath. He provoked you by those words so that you mightest slay
Karna in battle. The son of Pandu knows that the wretched Karna is
incapable of being borne by any one else in the world (save thee). It was
for this, O Partha, that the king in great wrath said those harsh words
to your face. The stake in the game of today's battle has been made to lie
in the ever alert and always unbearable Karna. That Karna being slain,
the Kauravas would necessarily be vanquished. Even this is what the royal
son of Dharma had thought. For this the son of Dharma does not deserve
death. Thy vow also, O Arjuna, should be kept. Listen now to my counsels
that will be agreeable to thee, to counsels in consequence of which
Yudhishthira without being actually deprived of life may yet be dead. As
long as one that is deserving of respect continues to receive respect,
one is said to live in the world of men. When, however, such a person
meets with disrespect, he is spoken of as one that is dead though alive.
This king hath always been respected by you and by Bhima and the twins,
as also by all heroes and all persons in the world that are venerable for
years. In some trifle then show him disrespect. Therefore, O Partha,
address this Yudhishthira as 'thou' when his usual form of address is
'your honour.' A superior, O Bharata, by being addressed as 'thou,' is
killed though not deprived of life. Bear thyself thus, O son of Kunti,
towards king Yudhishthira, the just. Adopt this censurable behaviour, O
perpetuator of Kuru's race! This best audition of all auditions, hath
been declared by both Atharvan and Angiras. Men desiring good should
always act in this way without scruples of any kind. Without being
deprived of life a superior is yet said to be killed if that venerable
one is addressed as 'thou.' Conversant with duty as you art, address
king Yudhishthira the just, in the manner I have indicated. This death, O
son of Pandu, at your hands, king Yudhishthira will never regard as an
offence committed by thee. Having addressed him in this way, you mayst
then worship his feet and speak words of respect unto this son of Pritha
and soothe his wounded honour. Thy brother is wise. The royal son of
Pandu, therefore, will never be angry with thee. Freed from falsehood as
also from fratricide, you wilt then, O Partha, cheerfully slay the
Suta's son Karna!"'"
--------------------END OF PARVA 8 : UPA-PARVA 69 ---------------------
