NALOPAKHYANA PARVA The colloquy between Brihadashva and Yudhishthira

Janamejaya said : When the illustrious son of Pritha (Arjuna) had gone to the region of Indra with a view of obtain the arms, what did Yudhishthira and the other Pandavas do?

Vaishampayana said : When the illustrious son of Pritha had gone to the region of Indra for obtaining the arms then those foremost ones of the Bharata race lived with Krishna (Draupadi) in the forest of Kamyaka.

Thereupon those excellent ones of the seated one day with Krishna on a clean and solitary turf (in the forest). They were greatly afflicted with grief; their voices were choked up with the tears and also they were overwhelmed with sorrow on account of the absence of Dhananjaya. A flood of grief passed over them, tormented as they were by his separation.

Thereupon the heroic Bhima, afflicted with sorrow for the separation of Dhananjaya and the loss of kingdom, addressed Yudhishthira in the following terms.

"O great king, this chief of the Bharata race Arjuna, has gone away in obedience to your command. On him depend the very lives of the sons of Pandu.

Losing Arjuna, we with all our sons, the Panchalas, as also the Satyaki and Vasudeva, are sure to die.

For what can we grieve more than this, that the righteous Vibhatsu goes away at your behest, thinking upon the various sorrows?

Relying upon the strength of arms of that illustrious hero, we can take for granted that our enemies are already vanquished and the possession of the earth is ours,

But for the intervention of that mightyarmed hero in the meeting of warriors, I could not send the descendants of Dhritarashtra with

We are supported by Vasudeva and are the mightiest warriors. We were constrained to suppress the wrath that had been awakened in ourselves, because you are the cause of that anger.

As a matter of fact, assisted by Krishna, having slain all our foes with Karna at their head, we are in a position to rule the whole rld, conquered by the might of our own arms.

Although we are not devoid of manliness yet we are the most unfortunate and that is for the reason of your gambling vice. Meanwhile the foolish sons of Dhritarashtra are growing very strong with the tributes (collected from the dependant chiefs).

O great king, it is necessary for you to keep in view the duties of a Kshatriya. O great king, to live in the forest should not be his duty.

The sages have said that the duty of a Kshatriya is to rule the kingdom. O king, you, are versed in the Kshatriya moralities, should not go astray from the path of your duty, the most righteous as you are.

Calling back Partha and Janardana, let us, O king, go away from the forest and slay the descendants of Dhritarashtra even before the expiry of pledged period of twelve years.

O great monarch, O high-souled one, O king of kings, I shall send the sons of Dhritarashtra to the other world (even if they are encircled by their soldiers in battle-array) by the very push of our arms. I shall slay all the sons of Dhritarashtra accompanied by the Subalas, Duryodhana and Karna and others who will encounter me (or us) in battle.

The enemies thus being slain by me, you may come back to the forest again, O king of kings, there will be no fault of yours if thus acted.

O sir, O chastiser of foes, if thus a sin be committed, we are able to wash it off by the performance of various sacrifices and we may ascend a superior heaven.

O monarch, such may happen, if our king be not foolish or procrastinating. Indeed you are, O king, righteous.

Undoubtedly the deceitful persons should be done away with deceitful means. Surely it is no sin. to destroy them by frauds.

O Bharata, O great prince, the pious, who are conversant in morality, have regarded a day and a night as equivalent to an entire year.

O illustrious one, the Veda text is often heard to signify that a year, O great monarch, passes away like a day, if one is engaged in strict devotion.

Therefore regard, O one of unfading glory, accepting the authority of the Vedas, the period of thirteen years equal to a day or so.

O chastiser of foes, this is the (proper) time to kill Duryodhana with all his attendants. Otherwise, O prince, he will bring the whole world under his subjection.

O most excellent of princes, this has been the out-come of your love for gambling. We are almost ruined by your promise to live one year undiscovered.

I do not find a country where, if we live, that wicked and evil-natured Suyodhana will not be able to discover us by his spies.

And having thus traced us, that stupid one will again deceitfully banish us (to live in exile) into the woods.

If that sinful wretch beholds us to return from the woods after the expiration of that period of our undiscovered life, he will again invite us to game at dice.

O great prince, the game of chance will once more begin. And then being again summoned at dice, we are sure to be banished.

He (the king) is unskilled at dice and beyond doubt he looses his senses when at dice. Therefore, O great monarch, you shall have again to live in the woods.

O great prince, if it behoves you not to make us miserable for life, observe fully the teaching of the Vedas, which lay down, that verily the deceitful ought to be destroyed by the deceitful means. If I but have your command, I would go forth (to Hastinapur) and even as fire consumes heap of grass, would slay that wicked Suyodhana with all my power. It behoves you therefore, O charioteer, to grant me permission."

And king Dharmaraja Yudhishthira, having consoled and smelling the crown of the head of that son of Pandu, Bhima, who thus (as above) addressed, spoke thus.

“You shall, O mighty-armed warrior, assisted by the wielder of the Gandiva, slay, without doubt, Suyodhana after the expiration of the pledged period of thirteen years.

O son of Pritha, as for what you say, that “O Lord, the period is complete," I dare not tell a lie, for it never finds place in my heart.

O son of Kunti, you shall without the help of deceit, which is doubtlessly a sin, slay that irrepressible Suyodhana with all his adherents."

Whilst Dharmaraja Yudhishthira, was thus speaking to Bhima, there came before him that great and most illustrious sage, Brihadashva.

That righteous and high-souled monarch, Yudhishthira, worshipped the virtuous ascetic with the respectful offerings of Madhuparka (made of honey, curd clarified-butter, sugar and milk in a small cup made of some metal) whom he beheld standing before him.

When the great sage was seated, the mightyarmed Yudhishthira, having supplied him with the refreshments, sat before him, looking and spoke to him in the most piteous terms.

"O almighty one, summoned by those evilminded and mischievous but skillful gamblers at dice. I have been deprived of my wealth and kingdom (through gambling).

I am not an expert at dice, the sinful men, having recourse to the foul means, defeated me at dice and even brought my wife, who is dearer to me that life itself, into the midst of the assembly (of herocs).

And defeating me at dice a second time, they have exiled me into the fearful woods, where I lead a disastrous life, clad in deer-skin.

Greatly afflicted with sorrow, I am at present leading a very distressful life in the woods. The cruel speeches which I heard uttered (by my enemies) on the occasion of the past. Gambling and the expressions of my afflicted friends regarding the game and other subjects, live still fresh in my heart and when remembered, they put me into serious thinking during the whole night.

I am, even as deprived of my life, as I am in destitute of that high-souled wielder of the Gandiva, on whom depend the very lives of us all.

Ah! when shall I see the swift-speaking and liberal Vibhatsu, who is so full of the milk of human kindness and aptitude, coming back to us with all the arms collected from heaven!

Is there a prince, on the earth, who is more wretched than I am? Have you ever heard of or seen such a one before. So far as I think, there is no such person, who is more afflicted with grief than myself."

Brihadashva said: O great prince, O son of Pandu, you say that on this earth there is no such a person more wretched than yourself. O sinless monarch, I will narrate to you if you would listen to me, the history of a king who was (really) more miserable than yourself.

Vaishampayana said: Thereupon the king spoke to the great sage, "O most glorious one, relate as I am desirous to hear, the history of the king who had fallen in the most distressful condition of life.”

Brihadashva said : O prince, O you that never lapse hear attentively, with your brothers the history of the king who was more miserable than yourself.

O great king, there lived a famous prince among the Nishadhas, who was known by the name of Virasena. He had a son, named Nala, who was versed in religion (virtue) and (in the knowledge of acquiring) wealth).

We have heard that the king was deceitfully defeated by Pushkara; and in consequence defeated by Pushkara; and in consequence thereof he dwelt in the forest with his spouse, pressed with distress.

O king, while living in the forest, Nala had neither servants nor chariots, (nor charioteers), neither he had a brother or friends with him.

But you are encircled by your war-like brothers, who are equal to the celestials and also by the best of the twice-born Brahmanas, who arelike unto Brahma himself. Consequently, O king, you should not lament.

Yudhishthira said: O foremost of the story-tellers, I am very desirous of hearing in detail the history of that illustrious king, Nala. It behoves you therefore, to tell me.