Rajadharmanushasana Parva — The discourse between king Janaka and his Queen-the latter finding fault with the life of mendicancy.

Vaishampayana said When after saying these words, Yudhishthira became silent, Arjuna, pained by that speech of the king, and burning with sorrow and grief, once more said to his eldest brother,

Arjuna said People recite this old history, O Bharata, about the discourse between the king of the Videhas and his queen.

It is the account of the words which the grief-stricken wife of the king of the Videhas had said to her lord when the latter, leaving his kingdom, had resolved to live like a mendicant.

Leaving off wealth and children and wives and valuable possessions of all sorts and the established path for acquiring religious merit and fire itself, king Janaka shaved his head.

His dear wife saw him deprived of wealth, practising the vow of mendicancy resolved to abstain from inflicting any kind of injury on others, shorn of vanity and prepared to subsist upon a handful of barley fallen off from the stalk.

Approaching her husband when he was alone, the queen possessing great strength of mind, fearlessly and in anger, told him these reasonable words:-

'Why have you adopted a life of mendicancy, leaving your prosperous kingdom : full of corn? A handful of fallen off barley is not your becoming diet.

Your resolution does not agree with your acts, since leaving your large kingdom you, O king, seek a handful of grain.

With this handful of barley, O king, you will not be able to gratify your guests, gods, Rishis, and Pitris? This your labour, therefore, is in vain.

Alas forsaken by gods, guests, and Pitris, you live like a wandering mendicant, o king, having cast off all action.

You, before this, supported thousands of Brahmanas versed in the three Vedas and many more others. How can you desire to beg of them your own food today.

Forsaking your blazing prosperity, you look about like a dog for his food. Your mother has to-day been made sonless by you, and your wife, the princess of Koshala, a widow.

These helpless Kshatriyas, expecting fruits of religious merit, wait upon you, placing all their hopes on you.

By dissipating their hopes, to what regions will you go, O king, especially when salvation is doubtful and creatures are dependent on actions?

Sinful as you are, you will acquire neither this world nor the next, since you wish to live, having cast off your married wife?

Why, indeed, do you lead a life of roving mendicancy, abstaining from all actions, after having forsaken garlands and perfumes and ornaments and robes of various sorts.

Having been, like a large and sacred lake to all creatures, having been a mighty tree worthy of adoration, alas, how can you wait upon and adore others?

If even an elephant gives up all work, carnivorous creatures and innumerable worms would eat it up. What need be said of yourself who are so powerless?

How could your heart approve of that mode of life which recommends an earthen pot, and a triple-headed rod, and which compels one to give up his very clothes, and which sanctions the acceptance of only a handful of barley after leaving off everything? If, again, you hold that kingdom and a handful of barley are the same to you, then why do you abandon the foriner.

If, again, a handful of barley becomes an object of attachment with you, then your original resolution of leaving off everything becomes futile! If, again, you carry out your resolution of leaving off everything, then who am I to you, who are you to me, and what can be your favour to me?

If you wish to show your favour, rule then this Earth! They who seeks happiness but are very poor and abandoned by friends may adopt Renunciation.

But he who imitates those men by leaving off palatial edifices and beds and vehicles and dresses and ornaments, acts improperly, indeed.

One always accepts gifts from others, while another always makes gifts. You know the difference between the two, Who, indeed, of these two should be considered superior?

If a gift is made to one who always accepts gifts, or to one who is proud, that gift, becomes useless like the clarified butter that is poured upon a forest-fire.

As a fire, o king, never dies till it has consumed all that has been thrown into it, even so a beggar is silenced till he receives something.

In this world, the food given by a charitable person, is the support of the pious. If, therefore, the king does not give (food), where will the pious go to, who aspire for salvation.

They that have food (in their houses) are householders. Mendicants are supported by them. Life is kept up by food. Therefore, the giver of food is the giver of life.

Coming out from among those who live as householders, mendicants depend upon those very persons from whom they come. By doing this, those self-controlled men acquire and enjoy fame and power.

One cannot be called a mendicant for his having only renounced his worldly possessions, or for his having only led a life of dependence on charity. He who forsakes sincerely the possessions and pleasures of the world to be regarded a true mendicant.

Unattachment at heart though showing attachment outwardly, standing aloof from the world, having broken all his fetters, regarding friend and foe in the same light, such a man, O king, is regarded to be liberated.

Having shaved their heads clean and put on the brown robe, people rove like mendicants, though fettered by various ties and though always seeking useless wealth.

They who, casting off the three Vedas, their usual avocations and children, live like mendicants by taking up the triple-headed rod and the brown robe, are really persons of weak understanding.

Without having cast off anger and other passions, wearing only the brown robe, O king, is due to the desire of earning the means of livelihood. Those persons of clean-shaved heads who hold up the banner of virtue, have the acquisition of sustenance for their only object in life.

Therefore, O king, controlling your passions do you secure blissful regions for yourself hereafter by maintaining them that are truly pious amongst those having matted locks or clean-shaved heads, naked or clad in rags, or skins or brown clothes.

Who is there that is more virtuous then he who maintains his sacred fire, who celebrates sacrifices with presents of animals and money, and who administers charity day and night?

Arjuna said King Janaka was known as a truth-knowing person in the world. Even he, was bewildered in the ascertainment of duty. Do not yield to stupefaction.

The duties of a householder are observed by person practising charity. By abstaining from all sorts of injuries, by casting off desire and anger, by being engaged in protecting all creatures, by making charities and lastly by making elders and aged persons, we shall succeed in attaining such blissful regions as are after our hearts.

By duly satisfying gods, guests, and all creatures, by adoring Brahmanas, and by truthfulness of speech, we shall certainly attain to desirable regions of bliss.