Rajadharmanushasana Parva — The characteristics of virtuous conduct and how it can be acquired

Yudhishthira said All persons on Earth, O foremost of men, speak highly of virtuous conduct, I have, however, great misgivings regarding this subject of their praise.

If the subject be not far from our comprehension, O foremost of virtuous men, I wish to hear everything about the way in which virtuous conduct can be acquired.

How is, that conduct acquired, O Bharata! I wish to hear it. Tell me also, O foremost of orators, what are the characteristics of that conduct.

Bhishma said 'Formerly, O givers of honours, Duryodhana while burning within at your and your brothers' prosperity at Indraprastha, and for the jeers he received for his mistakes at the grand palace, had asked his father Dhritarashtra the same question. Hear what transpired at that time, O Bharata.

Having seen that grand palace and that great prosperity of yours, Duryodhana, while sitting before his father described to him of all he had seen.

Having heard the words of Duryodhana, Dhritarashtra, addressing his son and Karna, replied to him as follows.

Dhritarashtra said Why do you grieve, O son! I wish to hear the cause fully. If after hearing the reasons they appear to be sufficient, I shall then try to instruct you.

O subjugator of hostile towns, you too have acquired great affluence. All your brothers are ever obedient to your, as also all your friends and relatives.

You are clad in the best robes. You take the richest food. Horses of the best species bear you. Why then have you become pale and emaciated?

Duryodhana said Ten thousands of great Snataka Brahmanas daily take their food at Yudhishthira's palace from plates of gold.

Seeing his beautiful palaces adorned with excellent flowers and fruits, his horses of the Tittiri and the Kalmasha breeds, his dresses of various sorts, indeed, seeing that high prosperity of my enemies, viz., the sons of Pandu,-a prosperity resembling that of Vaishravana himself,-I am burning with grief, O Bharata!-

Dhritarashtra said If you wish, O sire, to acquire prosperity like that of Yudhishthira or that which is even superior to it, do you then, O son, try to be of virtuous conduct.

Forsooth, one may, by his conduct alone, conquer the three words. There is nothing which virtuous persons cannot obtain.

Mandhata conquered the whole word in only one night, Janamejaya, in course of three; and Nabhaga, in course of seven.

All these kings were endued with mercy and virtuous conduct. Therefore, the Earth came to them at their will, won over by their virtues!

Duryodhana said I wish to hear, O Bharata, how that conduct may be acquired, by which the Earth was won by them so quickly!-

Dhritarashtra said Regarding it the following old narrative is cited. It was formerly recited by Narada, with regard to virtuous conduct.

In days of yore, the Daitya Prahlada, by the merit of his conduct, snatched from the great Indra his sovereignty and brought the three worlds under subjection.

Shakra then, with joined hands, approached Brihaspati. Endued with great wisdom, the god of the celestials addressed to the great preceptor, saying,-I desire you to tell me the source of happiness.

Thus accosted, Brihaspati said to him that Knowledge is the source of the greatest happiness.

Indeed, Brihaspati pointed out knowledge to be the source of supreme happiness. Indra, however, once more asked him as to whether there was any thing superior to that.

Brihaspati said There is some thing, O son, which is still higher. The great Bhargava (Ushanas) will instruct your better. Go to him, blessed be you, and enquire of him, O king of the celestials!

Endued with great ascetic merit and effulgence, the king of the celestials then went to Bhargava and acquired from him, with a gratified heart, a knowledge of that which was to his greatest good.

Acquiring the permission of the great Bhargava, the celebrator of a hundred sacrifices once more asked the sage as to whether there was anything superior to what the sage had already told him.

The omniscient Bhargava said,-The great Prahlada has better knowledge!-Learning this, Indra became highly pleased.

The chastiser of Paka, endued with supreme intelligence, assumed the form of a Brahman and going to Prahlada, asked him saying-I desire to hear what conduces to felicity.

Prahlada answered the Brahmana, saying,-O chief of the twice-born, I have no time, being wholly engaged with the task of ruling the three worlds!-I cannot therefore, instruct you.

The Brahmana said,-O king when you may have leisure, I wish to listen to your instructions about that conduct which yields good!

At this answer, king Prahlada became pleased with that Brahmavadin. Saying,-So be it!-he availed of a favourable opportunity for delivering to the Brahma the truths of knowledge.

The Brahmana duly treated Prahlada as a disciple should his preceptor, and began with his whole heart to do what Prahlada wished.

Many a time the Brahmana enquired, saying,O chastiser of enemies by what means have you been able to acquire the sovereignty of the three worlds? Tell me, O pious king, what those means are!-Prahlada, O king, answered the question of the Brahmana.

Prahlada said I do not, O twice-born one, feel any pride for my being a king, nor do I entertain any hostile feeling towards the Brahmanas! On the other hand, I accept and follow the policy they describe to me based upon the teachings of Shukra.

Full confident they say to me what they wish to say, and restrain me from unrighteous or improper courses. I am ever obedient to the teachings of Shukra. I wait upon and serve the Brahmanas and my elders. I bear no malice.

I am of righteous soul. I have conquered anger. I am self-controlled, and all my senses are under restraint. Those twice-born ones that are my instructors give me wholesome advice like bees dropping honey into the cells of their comb.

I taste the ambrosia dropped by those learned men, and like the Moon among the stars I live among the members of my family.

Even listening to the teachings of Shukra from the lips of Brahmanas and following them in practise, is this nectar on Earth, even this is the clearest eye.

The good of a man consists in these, Thus said Prahlada to that utterer of Brahma. Served dutifully by him, the chief of the Asuras once more said,-O foremost of twice-born ones, I am highly pleased with you for your dutiful conduct towards me. Ask of me the boon you wish, blessed be you, for I shall grant you what you will ask.

The Brahmana answered the king of the Asuras saying,-Very well. I will obey you.-Prahlada, pleased with him, said,-Take what you wish.

The Brahmana said for. If, O king, you have been pleased with me and if you wish to do what is agreeable to me, I wish then to acquire your behaviour? This is the boon that I pray

At this, though pleased, Prahlada became stricken with a great fear. Indeed when this boon was indicated by the Brahmana, the Asura king thought that the solicitor could not be an ordinary person.

Wondering much, Prahlada at last said,-Let it be so!-Having, however, granted the boon, the Asura king became filled with grief.

Having received the boon, the Brahmana went away, but Prahlada, O king, was stricken with a deep anxiety and knew not what to do.

While the Asura king sat brooding over the matter, a flame of light came out of his person. It had a shadowy form of great effulgence and huge proportions. Prahlada asked the form, saying,-Who are You?-The form answered, saying-—I am the embodiment of your conduct. Renounced by you I am going away.

I shall henceforth, O king, dwell in that blameless and foremost of Brahmanas who had become your devoted disciple!-Having said these words, the form vanished and soon after entered the body of Shakra.

After the disappearance of that form, another of similar form issued out of Prahlada's body. The Daitya king addressing it, said,-Who are you?

The form answered, saying,-Know me, O Prahlada, for the embodiment of Righteousness, I shall go there where that foremost of Brahmanas is, for, o king of the Daityas, I reside there where Conduct lives!

Upon the disappearance of Righteousness, a third highly effulgent form, O monarch, issued out of the body of the great Prahlada.

Asked by Prahlada as to who he was, that highly effulgent form answered, sayingKnow, O king of the Daityas, that I am Truth. I shall leave you, following the way of Righteousness!

After Truth had left Prahlada, following Righteousness, another great person issued out of Prahlada's body. Asked by the Daitya king, the mighty being answered, being answered, I am the embodiment of good works. Know, O Prahlada, that I live there were the Truth lives!

After this one had left Prahlada, another being come out, giving vent to loud and deep cries. Addressed by Prahlada, he answered,-Know that I am Power. I live there where good works are.

Having said these words, Power went away where good works had gone. After this, a goddess of great effulgence came out of Prahlada's person.

The Daitya king asked her and she answered him saying that she was the embodiment of Prosperity, adding,-I lived in you, O hero, O you of prowess incapable of being baffled. Renounced by you, I shall follow Power.

The great Prahlada, stricken with fear, once more asked the goddess, saying,-Where do you go, O goddess, O you that live amid lotuses?

You are ever devoted to truth, O goddess, and you are the foremost of deities. Who is that foremost of Brahmanas? I wish to know the truth!

The goddess of Prosperity said Practising the vow of Brahmacharya, that Brahmana who was instructed by you was Shakra. O foremost one, he robbed you of that sovereignty which you had over the three worlds.

O Righteous one, it was by your conduct that you had reduced the three worlds to subjection. Knowing this the king of the gods robbed you of your conduct!

Righteousness and Truth and good works and Power and myself, O you of great wisdom, all originate from conduct.

Bhishma said Having said these words, the goddess of Prosperity went away, as also all the rest, O Yudhishthira. Once more addressing his father.

Duryodhana said O delighter of the Kurus, I wish to know the truth about conduct. Tell me the means by which it may be acquired.

Dhritarashtra said Those means were described by the great Prahlada while discoursing to Indra. Listen, however, O king, as to how in brief conduct may be acquired.

Abstention from injury, by act, thought, and word to all creatures, mercy, and gift, constitute the praise-worthy behaviour.

That act or exertion which does not do good to other, or that act for which one has to feel shame, should never be done.

That act, on the other hand, should be done for which one may be lauded in society. O best of the Kurus, I have now told you briefly as to what conduct is.

If, O king, wicked persons do ever acquire prosperity, they do not enjoy it long, O son, and are soon rooted out.

Dhritarashtra said Knowing all this truly, do you, O son, be of good conduct, if you wish to obtain greater prosperity than Yudhishthira.'

Bhishma said This was what king Dhritarashtra said to his son. Do you follow these instructions, O son of Kunti, and you will then surely acquire their fruit.