SECTION XVI
Vaisampayana said, "After the conclusion of Arjuna's speech, Bhimasena of
great wrath and energy, mustering all his patience, said these words unto
his eldest brother, 'Thou art, O monarch, conversant with all duties.
There is nothing unknown to thee. We always wish to imitate thy conduct,
but, alas, we cannot do it!--"I will not say anything! I will not say
anything--! Even this is what I had wished! Impelled, however, by great
grief I am constrained to say something. Listen to these words of mine, O
ruler of men! Through the stupefaction of thy faculties, everything is
endangered, and ourselves are being made cheerless and weak. How is it
that thou that art the ruler of the world, thou that art conversant with
all branches of knowledge, sufferest thy understanding to be clouded, in
consequence of cheerlessness, like a coward? The righteous and
unrighteous paths of the world are known to thee. There is nothing
belonging either to the future or the present that is also unknown to
thee, O puissant one! When such is the case, O monarch, I will indicate,
O ruler of men, the reasons in favour of your assuming sovereignty.
Listen to me with undivided attention. There are two kinds of diseases,
viz., physical and mental. Each springs from the other. None of them can
be seen existing independently. Without doubt, mental diseases spring
from physical ones. Similarly physical diseases spring from mental ones.
This is the truth. He that indulgeth in regrets on account of past
physical or mental woes, reapeth woe from woe and suffereth double woe.
Cold, heat, and wind,--these three are the attributes of the body.[41]
Their existence in harmony is the sign of health. If one of the three
prevails over the rest, remedies have been laid down. Cold is checked by
heat, and heat is checked by cold. Goodness, passion, and darkness are
the three attributes of the mind. The existence of these three in harmony
is the sign of (mental) health. If one of these prevails over the rest,
remedies have been prescribed. Grief is checked by joy, and joy is
checked by grief. One, living in the present enjoyment of this, wishes to
recollect his past woes. Another, living in the present suffering of woe,
wishes to recollect his past bliss. Thou, however, wert never sad in
grief or glad in bliss.[42] Thou, shouldst not, therefore, use thy memory
for becoming sad during times of bliss, or glad during times of woe. It
seems that Destiny is all-powerful. Or, if it be thy nature, in
consequence of which thou art thus afflicted, how is it that it does not
behove thee to recollect the sight thou sawest before, viz., the
scantily-clad Krishna dragged, while in her season, before the
assembly.[43] Why does it not behove thee to recollect our expulsion from
the (Kuru) city and our exile (into the woods) dressed in deerskins, as
also our living in the great forests? Why hast thou forgotten the woes
inflicted by Jatasura, the battle with Chitrasena, and the distress
suffered at the hands of the Sindhu king? Why hast thou forgotten the
kick received by the princess Draupadi from Kichaka white we were living
in concealment? A fierce battle, O chastiser of foes, like that which
thou hast fought with Bhishma and Drona is now before thee, to be fought
(however) with thy mind alone. In deed, that battle is now before thee in
which there is no need of arrows, of friends, of relatives and kinsmen,
but which will have to be fought with thy mind alone. If thou givest up
thy life-breath before conquering in this battle, then, assuming another
body, thou shalt have to fight these very foes again.[44] Therefore,
fight that battle this very day, O bull of Bharata's race, disregarding
the concerns of thy body, and aided by thy own acts, conquer and identify
with thy mind's foe.[45] If thou canst not win that battle, what wilt be
thy condition? On the other hand, by winning it, O monarch, thou shalt
have attained the great end of life. Applying thy intellect to this, and
ascertaining the right and the wrong paths of creatures, follow thou the
course adopted by thy sire before thee and govern properly thy kingdom.
By good luck, O king, the sinful Duryodhana hath been stain with all his
followers. By good luck, thou too hast attained to the condition of
Draupadi's locks.[46] Perform with due rites and profuse presents the
horse-sacrifice. We, are thy servants, O son of Pritha, as also Vasudeva
of great energy!'"
