वैशम्पायन उवाच तूष्णीभूतं तु राजानं शोचमानं युधिष्ठिरम्। तपस्वी धर्मतत्त्वज्ञः कृष्णद्वैपायनोऽब्रवीत्॥
Vaishampayana saidDvaipayana-Vyasa, that great ascetic conversant with the truths of religion, spoke again to king Yudhishthira, who still remained silent and plunged in grief.
व्यास उवाच प्रजानां पालनं धर्मो राज्ञां राजीवलोचन। धर्मः प्रमाणं लोकस्य नित्यं धर्मानुवर्तिनः॥
Vyasa said 'O you having eyes like lotus petals, the protection of subjects is the duty of kings. Those men who are always observant of duty regard duty to be all powerful.
अनुतिष्ठस्व तद् राजन् पितृपैतामहं पदम्। ब्राह्मणेषु तपो धर्मः स नित्यो वेदनिश्चितः॥
Do you, therefore, O king, follow your forefathers. The penances are the duty of the Brahmanas. This is the eternal prescription of the Vedas.
तत् प्रमाणं ब्राह्मणानां शाश्वतं भरतर्षभ। तस्य धर्मस्य कृत्स्नस्य क्षत्रियः परिरक्षिता॥
Penances, therefore, O foremost of Bharata's race, are the eternal duty of the Brahmanas. A Kshatriya's duty is to protect all persons.
यः स्वयं प्रतिहन्ति स्म शासनं विषये रतः। स बाहुभ्यां विनिग्राह्यों लोकयात्राविघातकः॥
That man, who addicted to earthly objects, disregards wholesome restrictions, that man who transgresses at social harmony, should be punished with a strong hand.
प्रमाणमप्रमाणं यः कुर्यान्मोहवशं गतः। भृत्यो वा यदि वा पुत्रस्तपस्वी वाथ कश्चन॥ पापान् सर्वैरुपायैस्तान् नियच्छेच्छातयीत वा। अतोऽन्यथा वर्तमानो राजा प्राप्नोति किल्बिषम्॥
The fool who ties to transgress authority, be he an attendant, a son or even a saint-indeed all such sinful men,-should by every means be punished or even killed. That king who behaves otherwise incurs sin.
धर्म विनश्यमानं हि यो न रक्षेत् स धर्महा। ते त्वया धर्महन्तारो निहताः सपदानुगाः॥
He who does not protect morality when it is being disregarded, is himself a trespasser of the same. The Kauravas transgressed morality. They have with their followers been killed by you.
स्वधर्मे वर्तमानस्त्वं किं नु शोचसि पाण्डव। राजा हि हन्याद् दद्याच्च प्रजा रक्षेच्च धर्मतः॥
You have simply observed the duties of your own order. Why then, O son of Pandu, do you indulge in such grief? The king should kill those that deserve death, make gifts to persons deserving of charity, and protect his subjects according to the sacred laws.
युधिष्ठिर उवाच न तेऽभिशंके वचनं यद् ब्रवीषि तपोधन। अपरोक्षो हि ते धर्मः सर्वधर्मविदां वर॥
Yudhishthira said I do not doubt your words, O you of great ascetic merit? Everything regarding morality and duty is well known to you, O foremost of all persons, conversant with morality and duty.
मया त्ववध्या बहवो घातिता राज्यकारणात्। तानि कर्माणि मे ब्रह्मन् दहन्ति च पचन्ति च॥
I have, however, for the sake of kingdom, caused many persons to be killed. Those deeds, O Brahmana, are burning and consuming me.
व्यास उवाच कुरुते पुरुषः ईश्वरो वा भवेत् कर्ता पुरुषो वापि भारत। हठो वा वर्तते लोके कर्मजं वा फलं स्मृतम्॥
Vyasa said O Bharata, is the Supreme Being the actor, or is men the doer? Is everything the outcome of Chance in the worlds, or are the fruits of our pristine deeds?
ईश्वरेण नियुक्तो हि साध्वसाधु च भारत। कर्म फलमीश्वरगामि तत्॥
If man, O Bharata, does all acts, good or evil, being urged by the Supreme Being, then the fruits thereof should attach to the Supreme Being himself.
यथा हि पुरुषश्छिद्याद् वृक्षं परशुना वने। छेत्तुरेव भवेत् पाएं परशोर्न कथञ्चन॥
If a person cuts down by an axe a tree in the forest, it is the person that commits the sin and not the axe.
अथवा तदुपादानात् प्राप्नुयात् कर्मणः फलम्। दण्डशस्त्रकृतं पापं पुरुषे तन्न विद्यते॥
Or, if it be said that, the axe being only the material cause, the consequence of the act should attach to the animate agent, then the sin visits to the person who has made the axe. This, however, can scarcely be true.
न चैतदिष्टं कौन्तेय यदन्येन कृतं फलम्। प्राप्नुयादिति यस्माच्च ईश्वरे तन्निवेशय॥
If this be not reasonable, O son of Kunti, that one man should be visited by the sin of an act done by another, then guided by this, you should throw all responsibility upon the Supreme Being.
अथापि पुरुषः कर्ता कर्मणोः शुभपापयोः। न परो विद्यते तस्मादेवमेतच्छुभं कृतम्॥
If, on the other hand, man is himself the agent of all his acts, good and evil, then there is no Supreme Being and, therefore, whatever you have done cannot bring evil consequences on you.
न हि कश्चित् क्वचिद् राजन् दिष्टं प्रतिनिवर्तते। दण्डशस्त्रकृतं पापं पुरुषे तन्न विद्यते॥
No one, O king, can ever escape from what is ordained. If, again, Destiny be the result of pristine acts, then no sin visits one in this life even as the sin of cutting down a tree cannot affect the maker of the axe.
यदि वा मन्यसे राजन् हतमेकं प्रतिष्ठितम्। एवमप्यशुभं कर्म न भूतं न भविष्यति॥
If you say it is Chance only that acts in the world, then such an act of destruction could never take place nor will ever take place.
अथाभिपत्तिर्लोकस्य कर्तव्या पुण्यपापयोः। अभिपन्नमिदं लोके राज्ञामुद्यतदण्डनम्॥
If it is necessary to determine what is good and what bad in the world, attend to the scriptures. In those scriptures. In those scriptures it has been ordained that kings should stand with the rod of punishment uplifted in their hands.
तथापि लोके कर्माणि समावर्तन्ति भारत। शुभाशुभफलं चैते प्राप्नुवन्तीति मे मतिः॥
I think, O Bharata, that acts, good and bad, are perpetually revolving here as on a wheel, and men reap the fruits of those acts, good or bad, that they do.
एवमप्यशुभं कर्म कर्मणस्तत्फलात्मकम्। त्यज त्वं राजशार्दूल मैवं शोके मनः कृथाः॥
One sinful act begets another. Therefore,O foremost of kings, avoid all evil acts and do not indulge in grief.
स्वधर्मे वर्तमानस्य सापवादेऽपि भारत। एवमात्मपरित्यागस्तव राजन् न शोभनः॥
You should follow, O Bharata, the duties, even if reproachable, of your own order. This self-destruction, o king, does not appear in you.
विहितानि हि कौन्तेय प्रायश्चित्तानि कर्मणाम्। शरीरवांस्तानि कुर्यादशरीरः पराभवेत्॥
Expiations, O king, have been laid down for (evil) acts. He that is alive can perform them, but he that dies cannot perform them.
तद् राजन् जीवनमानस्त्वं प्रायश्चित्तं करिष्यसि। प्रायश्चित्तमकृत्वा तु प्रेत्य तप्तासि भारत॥
Therefore, O king, without laying down your life, perform those expiatory acts. If you do not perform them you may have to repent in the next world.”
विहितानि हि कौन्तेय प्रायश्चित्तानि कर्मणाम्। शरीरवांस्तानि कुर्यादशरीरः पराभवेत्॥
Expiations, O king, have been laid down for (evil) acts. He that is alive can perform them, but he that dies cannot perform them.
तद् राजन् जीवनमानस्त्वं प्रायश्चित्तं करिष्यसि। प्रायश्चित्तमकृत्वा तु प्रेत्य तप्तासि भारत॥
Therefore, O king, without laying down your life, perform those expiatory acts. If you do not perform them you may have to repent in the next world.”