SECTION XXXII
Vaisampayana said, "Unto king Yudhishthira who still remained speechless
and plunged in grief, the island-born Vyasa, that great ascetic,
conversant with truths of religion, spoke again."
"Vyasa said, 'O thou of eyes like lotus petals, the protection of
subjects is the duty of kings. Those men that are always observant of
duty regard duty to be all powerful. Do thou, therefore, O king, walk in
the steps of thy ancestors. With. Brahmanas, penances are a duty. This is
the eternal ordinance of the Vedas. Penances, therefore, O bull of
Bharata's race, constitute the eternal duty of Brahmanas. A Kshatriya is
the protector of all persons in respect of their duties.[104] That man
who, addicted to earthly possessions, transgresses wholesome restraints,
that offender against social harmony, should be chastised with a strong
hand. That insensate person who seeks to transgress authority, be he an
attendant, a son, or even a saint, indeed,--all men of such sinful
nature, should by every means be chastised or even killed. That king who
conducts himself otherwise incurs sin. He who does not protect morality
when it is being disregarded is himself a trespasser against morality.
The Kauravas were trespassers against morality. They have, with their
followers, been slain by thee. Thou hast been observant of the duties of
thy own order. Why then, O son of Pandu, dost thou indulge in such grief?
The king should slay those that deserve death, make gifts to persons
deserving of charity, and protect his subjects according to the
ordinance.'
"Yudhishthira said, 'I do not doubt the words that fall from thy lips, O
thou of great ascetic merit! Everything appertaining to morality and duty
is well known to thee, O foremost of all persons conversant with morality
and duty! I have, however, for the sake of kingdom, caused many persons
to be slain! Those deeds, O Brahmana, are burning and consuming me!'
"Vyasa said, 'O Bharata, is the Supreme Being the doer, or is man the
doer? Is everything the result of Chance in the world, or are the fruits
that we enjoy or suffer, the results of (previous) action? If man, O
Bharata, does all acts, good or bad, being urged thereto by the Supreme
Being, then the fruits of those acts should attach to the Supreme being
himself. If a person cuts down, with an axe, a tree in forest, it is the
person that incurs the sin and not the axe by any means. Or, if it be
said that, the axe being only the material cause, the consequence of the
act (of cutting) should attach to the animate agent (and not to the
inanimate tool), then the sin may be said to belong to the person that
has made the axe. This, however, can scarcely be true. If this be not
reasonable, O son of Kunti, that one man should incur the consequence of
an act done by another, then, guided by this, thou shouldst throw all
responsibility upon the Supreme Being.[105] If, again, man be himself the
agent of all his acts virtuous and sinful, then Supreme Director there is
none, and, therefore, whatever thou hast done cannot bring evil
consequences on thee.[106] No one, O king, can ever turn away from that
which is destined. If, again, Destiny be the result of the acts of former
lives, then no sin can attach to one in this life even as the sin of
cutting down a tree cannot touch the maker of the axe.[107] If thou
thinkest it is chance only that acts in the world, then such an act of
destruction could never happen nor will ever happen.[108] If it is
necessary to ascertain what is good and what is evil in the world, attend
to the scriptures. In those scriptures it has been laid down that kings
should stand with the rod of chastisement uplifted in their hands. I
think, O Bharata, that acts, good and bad, are continually revolving here
as a wheel, and men obtain the fruits of those acts, good or bad, that
they do. One sinful act proceeds from another. Therefore, O tiger among
kings, avoid all evil acts and do not thus set thy heart upon grief. Thou
shouldst adhere, O Bharata, to the duties, even if reproachable, of thy
own order. This self-destruction, O king, does not look well in thee.
Expiations, O king, have been ordained for (evil) acts. He that is alive
can perform them, but he that dies fails in their performance. Therefore,
O king without laying down thy life, perform those expiatory acts. If
thou dost not perform them thou mayst have to repent in the next world.'
