कर्ण पर्व — कर्ण और शल्य के वाग्युद्ध की समाप्ति

Karna said You should know all this, O Shalya, I shall again speak. Hear attentively what I say.

Once on a time a Brahmana came to our houses as a guest. he was highly pleased with

I lived for a long time alone on a summit of the Himalaya mountain, since then I have seen various countries following various religions.

But I have never seen a country where all the people are irreligious, All the races I have met with recognise as religion what has been declared by persons conversant with the Vedas.

Wandering through various countries following diverse religions, I came at last O king, among the Vahikas. There I heard,

That one at first becomes a Brahmana and then becomes a Kshatriya, A Vahika after that will become a Vaishya, then a Sudra and then a barber.

Having become a barber he will again become a Brahmana. Attaining again to the position of a Brahmana he will again become a slave.

One member of a family becomes a Brahmana, All others falling off from virtue act as they please. The Govharas, the Madrakas and the little-witted Vahikas are such.

Having wandered over the entire earth I heard of these sinful practices and irregularities amongst the Vahikas.

You should know this, O Shalya; I will speak to you again these words blaming the Vahikas which another person said to me.

In the days of yore a chaste woman of the country of Aratta was abducted by robbers; they violated her, on which she imprecated a

As you have sinfully ravished a girl who has no husband all the women of your families will become unchaste.

You villains, you will never escape the consequences of this great iniquity. It is for this O Shalya, that the sisters sons of the Arattas become their heirs and not their own sons,

Kauravas with the Panchalas, the Shalyas, the Matsyas, the Naimishas, the Koshalas, the Kashapaunctras, the Kalingas, the Maghadas and the Chedis, who are all blessed, are conversant with the eternal religion. Even the wicked of every country know what religion is; the Balhikas are however divested of piety.

The Matsyas, the Kurus, the Panchalas, the Naimishas and all other respectable races know the eternal truths of religion. This cannot be said of the Madrakas and the wily people that live in the land of the five rivers.

Knowing all these, O Shalya, O king, you should hold your tongue like one of base words in all matters connected with religion and virtue. You are the guardian and the king of this race and therefore partake of the tenth part of their virtue and sin.

Or perhaps you pertake of the sixth portion of their sins only for you never protect them. A king who protects his people is only entitled to the sixth portion of their virtue. You are not a sharer of their virtue.

In the days of yore when the eternal religion was held in reverence in all countries, the grand-father, marking the conduct of those living in the land of five rivers, denounced them.

When even in the golden age the Brahman had consumed those fallen men of evil deeds who were begotten by Sudra on others' wives who can put them to shame?

Thus did the grand-father condemn the practices of the land of five rivers. When all the people observed the duties of their respective orders he had to find fault with those people.

You should know all this, O Shalya, I will speak again to you. A Rakshasa by the name of Kamalashapada, while bathing in a tank said.

Begging is a Kshatriya's dirt, the nonobservance of vows is that of Brahmana. The Vahikas are the dirt of the earth and the Madra women are the dirt of the whole female sex.

While going down the stream a king rescued the Rakshasa. Asked by the former the latter gave this answer. I will recite it to you, listen.

The Mlechas are the dirt of the humanity, the oil-men are the dirt of Mlechas; eunuchs are the dirt of oilmen. And they who appoint Kshatriyas as priests in their yagnas are the dirt of eunuchs.

The sin of those persons who appoint Kshatriyas as their priests as well as that of the Madrakas will visit you if you do not abandon me.

This was declared by the Rakshasa as the Mantra that should be used as a remedy for curing a person possessed by a Rakshasa or one killed by poison.

The Panchalas observe the duties laid down in the Vedas; the Kauravas observe truth; the Matsyas Surasena perform Yajnas; the people of the east follow the conduct of the Sudras. Those of the south are fallen; the Bahikas are thieves, the Saurashtras are bastards.

They are defiled by ingratitude, theft, drunkenness, adultery with the wives of their preceptors, harshness of speech, slaughter of kine, absence from house during night for bad purposes, the using of other people's ornaments. What sin is there that they cannot commit? Fie on Arathas and the people of the land of the five rivers.

The Panchalas, the Kauravas, the Naimishas, the Matsyas all these are conversant with religion. Even the old people of the North, the Angas and Magadhas follow the practice of the pious.

Many gods, led by Agni, reside in the East. The ancestral manes live in the South presided our by Yama the just.

The West is ruled over by the powerful Varuna, who is superior to all the gods there. The North is guarded by the Divine along with the Brahmanas.

The Rakshasas and Pichashas protect Himavat, the best of mountains. The Guhykas protect, O great king, the mount Gandhamadana. Forsooth does Vishnu otherwise called Janardana all creatures.

The Magadhas are conversánt with hints, the Koshalas can understand what they see. The Kurus and Panchalas can understand halfexpressed words. The Shalyas cannot understand till the whole thing is expressed.

The mountaineers like Sivis are very dull. The Yavanas are omniscient, O king and the Suras and particularly so.

The Mlechchas are steeped in their own fanciful creations-other inferior people cannot understand any thing. Bahikas never accept good counsels and Madrakas are none amongst protect them. You are such, O Shalya, you should not give me any reply.

Madras are called the dirt of all nations on earth so the Madra woman is called the dirt of the entire female sex.

There is none more wretched than he whose duty consists in drinking wine, violating the bed of his preceptor, destroying the embryo by miscarriage and robbing other people of their riches. Oh fie on the Arthas and the people of the land of five rivers.

Knowing this, be silent. do not try to contradict me. Do not make me kill Keshava and Arjuna after having killed you first.

Shalya said To forsake the distressed and sell children with wives are the practices of Angas whose king you are, O Karna.

Remembering your faults that were recited by Bhishma before the assembled car-warriors and mighty car-warriors drive away your anger and be not angry.

In every country, O Karma, there are Brahmanas, the Kshatriyas, the Vaishyas, the Sudras and the chaste women observant of good vows.

In every country there are kings observant of their own religions and engaged in repressing the wicked. And in every country there are virtuous men.

There is in every country and every moment men who are experts in speaking of the faults of others. There is none who knows his own faults and knowing them becomes ashamed.

In every country there are kings observant of their own religions and engaged in repressing the wicked. And in every country there are virtuous men.

There is no country, O Karma, where every one is sinful. There are men in many countries who excel even the gods by their good conduct.

Sanjaya said Thereupon the king Duryodhana stopped Karna Shalya, addressing the son of Radha as a friend and requesting Shalya with joined hands.

Karna was pacified, Osire and did not speak anything more. Shalya, then advanced against his enemies. Thereupon smilingly Karna once more excited Shalya saying-"go on."