Yanasandhi Parva — The speech of Sanjaya

Dhritarashtra said I envy those who have eyes, O Sanjaya and who will see before them the son of Vasudeva with his body shining with great lustre in the cardinal points of the earth and in the points between them.

And uttering blessed words which ought to be listened to with all respect by the Bharatas, words that are for the good of the Sanjayas, unexceptionable words that ought to be accepted by those praying for prosperity and incapable of being acted up to by those who are about to meet their end.

Who (Krishna) is ever full of energy, eternal and the one hero in the world, who is the leader of the Yadavas and the bull among them; who is the slayer of his enemies and the cause of terror among them and the destroyer of the fame of his foes.

The sons of Kuru, assembled together, will see that worshipful slayer of his foes, of high soul, that foremost among the Vrishnis, speaking words full of benevolence and thus winning over my party.

With that ascetic who is eternal and who has the knowledge of self, the ocean of words easily obtainable by anchorites, with that Arishta bird with beautiful wings, that destroyer of creatures, that refuge of the universe, that being with a thousand heads, that ancient Being who has neither beginning, nor end, nor middle, whose fame has no end who is the cause of the universal seed, who is without birth, who is eternity itself, shall I take refuge.

I shall take refuge under the creator of the three worlds, the creator of the gods, Asuras, Nagas and Rakshasas, the chief among the rulers of men and learned men and that younger brother of Indra. On the return of Sanjaya, Yudhishthira, the king of virtue, said to the scion of the Dhritarashtra race (Krishna), that bull among all the Sattvatas.

This is the time arrived for friends (to show that they are so), O you devoted to the interests of your friends. Any other save yourself I do not see, who could get us through this difficulty.

Depending on you, Madhava, we have without fear asked back our share (of the kingdom) from the son of Dhritarashtra and all his followers, who are filled with vain pride.

As you get through the Vrishnis out of all difficulties, O chastiser of chastiser of foes; so are the Pandavas, the proper party, to be protected by you. Get them through this great difficulty.

The blessed Krishna of divine attributes said Here am I, O you with long arms. Speak what you want to say. I shall do all that you will ask me to do, O Bharata.

Yudhishthira said You have heard what Dhritarashtra with his son intends to do. It is, O Krishna, exactly as Sanjaya told me.

Such are the intentions of Dhritarashtra; for Sanjaya knows the heart and is as his very soul, so to say. As an ambassador is instructed, so dose he speak; and if he speaks otherwise he should be killed.

Without restoring to us our kingdom ho wants peace with us; and the covetous man behaves by his sinful heart without impartiality towards those whose interests should be looked after by him equally.

For twelve years have the forests been inhabited by us; and at the command of Dhritarashtra have we lived in disguise for another year.

So that Dhritarashtra might abide by those pledges of ours, O lord; the Brahmanas, O Krishna, in our company know that we did not break our pledges.

The avaricious king Dhritarashtra dose not follow the path of virtue of his class, and out of affection for his son and with a desire to please him he follows the course marked out by that fool.

The king listening to the advice of Suyodhna, O Janardana, behaves deceitfully towards his own interests.

What is more regrettable than this that I am unable to be of any good to my mother or to my friends, O Janardana.

Five villages were only asked by me, who have the Kashis, the Chedis, the Panchalas and the Matsyas for my supporters and your exalted self for my lord.

(The villages were) Avisthala, Vrikasthala, Makandi, Varanavata and any other, O Govinda, for the last or the fifth.

Give as, O Sire, (so we said) five villages or towns where we may reside united together; for we do not desire the destruction of the Bharatas.

Not this even dose the wicked-souled son of Dhritarashtra grant, thinking the proprietary rights of the entire earth to be vested in him. What is there more regrettable than this.

The avarice of man born in a noble family yet desiring to possess himself the wealth of others nullifies his wisdom; and the wisdom being destroyed, the sense of shame dose nowhere exist.

Sense of shame being lost, desire of virtue is weakened; and the destruction of virtue causes the decline of prosperity. Prosperity being lost, the man meets with death; for poverty is death to a man.

Form a man stricken with property do cousins, friends and Brahmanas turn away; as from a tree without flowers and fruits the winged creatures turn away.

This I regard as death to me, O Sire, since from me the cousins away as from a fallen creature or breath forsakes an animal that is dead.

Shambara was of opinion that there was no condition of life which could be more woeful than that in which a man cannot see what his food is to be tomorrow.

Wealth is said to be the best virtue. Everything is established on wealth; and wealthy men are living in this world and men without wealth are dead.

Those, who by force of their physical strength, deprived a man of his wealth, destroy the virtue, profit and pleasure of that man.

Having reached this condition (i.e. poverty) one class of men prefer death; another retire to villages (form cities); a third to the wilderness; while the fourth rove about with a view to meet speedy death.

One class of men become insane; another go under the control of their enemies; and a third become slaves for the sake of getting the wealth of others.

Poverty is a more potent evil to a man than death; for it destroys his prosperity. Wealth is the source of a man's virtue well as his pleasure.

The natural death of a man is like the ever recurring point of the wheel of this world. It is the unavoidable path of all creatures and none can avoid it.

A man without wealth from his very birth does not suffer so much, 0 Krishna, as one who after the possession of great prosperity and a life of great happiness is deprived of it.

The man steeped in gigantic difficulties by his own short comings blames the gods with Indra and rarely himself.

His intimacy with all the holy books cannot procure him a mitigation of his sufferings. Sometimes he feels wrathful towards his servants; and afterwards he envies his friends.

Ever subject to outbursts of passion, he sometimes loses his senses and getting himself under the control of his folly he attaches himself to the performance of evil deeds.

From his evil deeds spring confusion of castes; and a mixing up of castes is the way to hell, for it is the very culminating point of sinful deeds.

If he does not awake, he goes to hell O Krishna, wisdom alone is his awakening; the ey.es of wisdom alone can rescue him.

A man on obtaining the gift of wisdom follows the holy books. Observance of what is enjoyed in the holy books is the best virtue and modesty is the beautiful accompaniment of such a life.

A man endued with a senses of shame despises sins and his prosperity ever increases. When he becomes endued with prosperity, then he is a man.

That clam soul, ever engaged in the practice of virtue and ever attached to action after mature thought, never turns his mind towards vice, nor ever turns to sin.

The one without a sense of shame is neither a woman nor a man. He has no claims upon virtue; he is as a Shudra.

The man endued with a sense of shame pleases the gods, the Pitris and his own self; and by this does he obtain immortality which is the goal of men attached to virtuous acts.

All this has been seen by you in me, o slayer of Madhu, namely, how I have lived these years, deprived of our kingdom.

There is no need for us to abandon that prosperity. In this case the death of ourselves, struggling to obtain back our prosperity, would be better.

With regard to that our intention the first thing is to enjoy that prosperity, themselves and ourselves united in peace and with the same interests, O Madhava.

It is the greatest of all vicious deeds for us to prosper after this destruction-that we should obtain the kingdoms after slaying the sons of Kuru.

Those that are not related to us, O Krishna, those dishonourable foes-the refrainment of slaying them too is our duty. What then is our duty towards those who are so closely related to us.

We have many cousins; and our elders are supporters (on both sides). Their destruction is extremely vicious. What then is the good in engaging in battle?

These practices of the Kshatriyas are sinful; but, alas, we are born in Kshatriya families and whether such practices are virtuous or the reverse; any other course of life would not be right!

A Shudra serves (the other classes); a Vaishya lives by trade and commerce; we live by massacre; and the wooden plate (profession of begging) has been selected by the Brahmanas.

A Kshatriya kills another Kshatriya; a fish lives on another fish; a dog kills another dog. See how each follows his rule of life, O you of the Dasharha race.

In battle, O Krishna, Kali is ever present; in a battle lives are lost; but, in spite of fixed policy applied to fighting, success and defeat.

Are not dependent on the will (of the combatants); as life and death are independent of the will of creatures. Until the right time happiness cannot be attained, nor misery, O you best of the Yadu race.

One man kills many; and many also united kill one. A coward kills a real hero, known to fame, a renowned warrior.

Both parties cannot live to behold victory nor can both parties live to see defeat but the waste and the loss may be seen to be on both sides. To a man attempting to fly there come both loss (of life, and expense.

In all cases fight is an evil. Who that strikes is not struck in return? But victory and defeat, O Hrishikesha, are of the same moment to one that is killed.

Defeat is not very much better than death I think; he on whose side victory is declared, O Krishna, also has surely to meet with a loss.

At least the men on the other side kill some one who is dear; and a man, thus rendered weak, O adorable one and not seeing his sons and brothers.

Lives on, O Krishna, as if in unconsciousness and his purposes are foiled at every step. Those who are modest, prudent, honourable, kind and wise are killed in battle; while a wicked avoids defeat. Even after killing the enemy we become a prey to repentance, OJanardana.

In the end the result is that a surviver gives a lot of troubles and in the end collecting an army puts an end to what remains.

One makes attempts at putting an end to everything through a desire to settle the dispute. Victory gives birth to enmity; and that which has met with defeat lives in misery.

A man peacefully enjoys lives in the case of leaving aside all thoughts of victory and defeat; but a man who has created an enemy ever sleeps in misery.

Without calmness in his mind as if he lives in a house infested by snakes. He who puts an end to everything (of the enemy in battle) gets no fame.

And he gets the reverse of fame from all beings throughout his life. Enmity though kept alive for a long time is never brought to an end.

There should be no story-teller (to remind him of his wrongs) so long as there is a man alive in the enemy's) family. Enmity, is never turned into peace by enmity, O Keshava.

But it increases as fire fed by clarified butter. There is no exception to this; and peace is ever only obtainable by total annihilation.

Defects may always be found on either side, by which advantage is sought to be obtained. Manly strength is ever the source of pain in the innermost heart of a man; and peace is attainable only by leaving aside war or by death.

By putting an end to the enemy to the roots, O slayer of Madhu, we can attain to our object; but it is most cruel.

The peace that we can obtain by foregoing our claim to the kingdom is in effect the same thing as the total extinction of ourselves and the enemy or the uncertainly of victory.

We do not wish to give up that (kingdom); nor do you wish death of our family; and in such a case that peace which we can obtain through bending ourselves to the will of the other side is preferable.

When all the attempts of those, who are trying to obtain the kingdom by all means without war, fail; then war is proper for them and not a show of weakness.

On the event of these (attempts at obtaining the desired object without war), the results that follow are terrible. All these have been observed by wise men in a war between dogs.

First there comes the wagging of tails, then the bark, then the replying back, then the turning of one round the other, then the show of teeth, then the roaring and then comes the commencement of the fight.

In the fight the one, who is stronger, O Krishna, gains the victory and eats the other's flesh. Such is the case with men; there is no difference whatever.

It should always be the duty of a strong man not to crush hostility with the weak; and the weak should be deferential to the strong.

It is proper that the father, the king and the aged should be treated always with respect; therefore is Dhritarashtra the object of our worship and respect, O Janardana.

The feeling of affection for his son is stronger in Dhritarashtra, O Madhava. Subject to the will of his son, he will laugh away our respectful submission.

What then do you think, O Krishna, to be suitable to the occasion. By what means shall I not deviate from virtue and from worldly good, O Madhava.

In such a difficulty whom other, 0 slayer of Madhu, but yourself is it proper for us to consult, O best among men.

Who is there, O Krishna, who is so dear a friend to ourselves, who desires our welfare so much, who knows so well the course of all acts and who is so well acquainted with the results of everything.

Vaishampayana said Thus addressed, Janardana said to the king of virtue in reply. For the good for the good cause of both to you shall I go to the encampment of the Kurus.

If I succeed in ensuring peace there without a sacrifice of our interests, then will an act of great virtue and of large fruits be done by me, O king.

Then shall I free the band of the fated Kurus and Pandavas from the trap of death, as also this earth and all the sons of Dhritarashtra.

Yudhishthira said It is not my wish, O Krishna, that you should go to the Kurus. For Suyodhana, though spoken in a most friendly manner and for his own good, will not listen to your words.

It is not proper for you, O Krishna, to go into the midst of that assembly of Kshatriya rulers of the earth, who follow the lead of Duryodhana.

The gain of our object will not make us cheerful and what happiness shall we obtain from god-ship or the lordship over the immortals, if any ill happens to you.

The blessed God said I know the vicious nature, O great king, of that son of Dhritarashtra; but (by doing as I say) shall we not be spoken ill of in all these worlds in the universe.

All the rulers of the earth united together are not powerful enough to stand before me in battle when I am angry, like all other animals before a lion.

If they offer insult to me desiring for their good, I shall consume all the Kurus-such is my intention.

O son of Pritha, my going there shall not be without results. There will be some gain in going there, at least we shall not be blamed by others.

Yudhishthira said As you please, O Krishna. May all that is good come out of it. Go to the sons of Kuru. May I see you return with your object gained and in health.

Going to the Kurus, establish such peace among the sons of Bharata, O Lord, that we may live with all of them with cheerful minds and in contentment.

You are my brother and you are my friend dear to me as Vibhatsa. Relying on your friendship we are not at all anxious. May all that is good attend you, who are going for our interests.

You know us and you know our enemy; you know what is conducive to our interests and you know what to say. Suyodhana should be addressed in such a way as will be for our benefit.

Even if words that are beneficial (to both parties) do not strictly conform to virtue (e.g. peace even by our getting only five villages, which is a sin) or whatever they are (e.g. even if I am to play at a game of dice again) should be spoken by you, O Keshava.