वैशम्पायन उवाच अथार्जुन उवाचेदमधिक्षिप्त इवाक्षमी। अभिनीततरं वाक्यं दृढवादपराक्रमः॥ दर्शयन्नैन्द्रिरात्मानमुग्रमुग्रपराक्रमः। स्पयमानो महातेजाः सृक्किणी परिसंलिहन्॥
Vaishampayana said Like a person reluctant to forgive an insult, the highly energetic Arjuna of keen speech and prowess, betraying great fierceness and licking the corners of his mouth, said smilingly these
अर्जुन उवाच अहो दुःखमहो कृच्छ्रमहो वैक्लव्यमुत्तमम्। यत् कृत्वामानुषं कर्म त्यजेथाः श्रियमुत्तमाम्॥
'O how painful, how distressing, I am sorry to see this great agitation of your heart, since having performed such a superhuman feat, you are deterinined to forsake the world,
शत्रून् हत्वा महीं लब्ध्वा स्वधर्मेणोपपादिताम्। एवंविधं कथं सर्वं त्यजेथा बुद्धिलाघवात्॥
Having killed your enemies, and having the sovereignty of the Earth, which has been won ever by observing of the duties of your own order, why should you give up everything through fickleness of heart?
क्लीबस्य हि कुतो राज्यं दीर्घसूत्रस्य वा पुनः। किमर्थं च महीपालानवधीः क्रोधमूर्छितः॥
Where on Earth has a eunuch or a procrastinating person acquired sovereignty? Why then did you beside yourself with anger, slay all the kings of the Earth.
यो ह्याजिजीविषेद् भैक्ष्यं कर्मणा नैव कस्यचित्। समारम्भान् बुभूषेत हतस्वस्तिरकिंचनः। सर्वलोकेषु विख्यातो न पुत्रपशुसंहितः॥
He that would lead the life of a mendicant, cannot, by any act of his, enjoy the good things of Earth. Shorn of prosperity and other resources, he can never acquire fame on Earth or sons and animals.
कापाली नृप पापिष्ठां वृत्तिमासाद्य जीवतः। संत्यज्य राज्यमृद्धं ते लोकोऽयं किं वदिष्यति॥
If, O king, abandoning this prosperous kingdom, you lead the wretched life of a mendicant, what will the world say of you?
सर्वारम्भान् समुत्सृज्य हतस्वस्तिरकिंचनः। कस्मादाशंससे भक्ष्यं कर्तुं प्राकृतवत् प्रभो॥
Why do you say that leaving aside all the good things of the Earth, shorn of prosperity, and of resources, you will live like a mendicant and a vulgar person.
अस्मिन् राजकुले जातो जित्वा कृत्स्नां वसुंधराम्। धर्मार्थावखिलौ हित्वा वनं मौढ्यात् प्रतिष्ठसे॥
You are born in a royal family. Having conquered the whole Earth, do you foolishly wish to live in the forest after for-saking everything of virtue of profit?
यदीमानि हवींषीह विमथिष्यन्त्यसाधवः। भवता विप्रहीणानि प्राप्तं त्वामेव किल्बिषम्॥
In your absence, dishonest men will despoil sacrifices. That sin will certainly contaminate you.
आकिंचन्यं मुनीनां च इति वै नहुघोऽब्रवीत्। कृत्वा नृशंसं ह्यधने धिगस्त्वधनतामिह॥
Having perpetrated many wicked acts in a state of poverty, king Nahusha spoke ill of that state and said that poverty is for recluses.
अश्वस्तनमृषीणां हि विद्यते वेद तद् भवान्। यं त्विमं धर्ममित्याहुर्धनादेष प्रवर्तते॥
To make no provision for the morrow is a practice that suits Rishis. You know this well! The religion of kings, however, depends entirely on wealth.
धर्मं संहरते तस्य धनं हरति यस्य सः। ह्रियमाणे धने राजन् वयं कस्य क्षमेमहि॥
One who robs another of riches, robs him of his religion as well. Who amongst us, therefore, O king, would forgive an act of depriving us of our wealth.
अभिशस्तं प्रपश्यन्ति दरिद्रं पावतः स्थितम्। दरिद्रं पातकं लोके न तच्छंसितुमर्हति॥
It is seen that a poor man, even when he stands hard by, is accused falsely. Poverty is a sin. You should not, therefore, speak high of poverty.
पतितः शोच्यते राजन् निर्धनश्चापि शोच्यते। विशेष नाधिगच्छामि पतितस्याधनस्य च॥
A degraded man as also a poor man, O king, have both to rue their fate, I see no difference between these two.
अर्थेभ्यो हि विवृद्धेभ्यः सम्भृतेभ्यस्ततस्ततः। क्रियाः सर्वाः प्रवर्तन्ते पर्वतेभ्य इवापगा:॥
The increased and deposited wealth like rivers from mountain begets all kinds of meritorious acts.
अर्थाद् धर्मश्च कामश्च स्वर्गश्चैव नराधिप। प्राणयात्रापि लोकस्य विना ह्यर्थं न सिद्ध्यति॥
From wealth originate all religious acts, all pleasures, and heaven itself, O king, Without wealth, a man cannot find the very means of maintaining his life.
अर्थेन हि विहीनस्य पुरुषस्याल्पमेधसः। विच्छिद्यन्ते क्रियाः सर्वा ग्रीष्मे कुसरितो यथा।॥
The acts of a person who, endued with little intelligence allows himself to be divested of wealth, are all dried up like shallow rivers in the summer.
यस्यार्थास्तस्य मित्राणि यस्यार्थास्तस्य बान्धवाः। यस्यार्थाः स पुमॉल्लोके यस्यार्थाः स च पण्डितः।।
He who has wealth has friends. He who has wealth has kinsmen. He who has wealth is considered as a sincere man in the world. He who has wealth is regarded as a learned man.
अधनेनार्थकामेन नार्थः शक्यो विधित्सितुम्। अर्थरर्था निबध्यन्ते गजैरिव महागजाः॥
If a person who has no wealth desires to accomplish a particular object, he meets with failure. Wealth Wealth accumulates wealth, like elephants capturing (wild) elephants.
धर्मः कामश्च स्वर्गश्च हर्षः क्रोधः श्रुतं दमः। अर्थादेतानि सर्वाणि प्रवर्तन्ते नराधिप।॥
Religious acts, pleasures, joy, courage, anger, learning, and sense of dignity, all originate from wealth, O king.
धनात् कुलं प्रभवति धनाद् धर्म प्रवर्धते। नाधनस्यास्त्ययं लोको न परः पुरुषोत्तम॥
Wealth begets family prestige. wealth multiples one's religious merit. He who is without wealth has neither this world, nor the next,O foremost of men.
नाधनो धर्मकृत्यानि यथावदनुतिष्ठति। धनाद्धि धर्मः स्त्रवति शैलादभि नदी यथा॥
The man who has no wealth cannot celebrate religious acts, for these originate from wealth, like rivers from a mountain.
यः कृशार्थः कृशगवः कृशभृत्यः कृशातिथिः। सवै राजन् कृशो नाम न शरीरकृशः कृशः॥
He whose limbs are lean is not truly a lean man, but he who is lean in respect of horses and kine and servants and guests is truly so.
अवेक्षस्व यथान्यायं पश्य देवासुरं यथा। राजन् किमन्यज्जातीनां वधाद् गृद्ध्यन्ति देवताः॥
Judge truly, O kihg, and mark the conduct of the gods and the Danavas. O king, do the gods ever seek anything else than the destruction of their kinsmen (the Asuras)?
न चेद्धर्तव्यमन्यस्य कथं तद्धर्ममारभेत्। एतावानेव वेदेषु निश्चयः कविभिः कृतः॥
If the appropriation of another's wealth be not regarded as right, how, O monarch, will kings practise virtue on this Earth? Learned men have, in the Vedas, laid down this injunction.
अध्येतव्या त्रयी नित्यं भवितव्यं विपश्चिता। सर्वथा धनमाहार्यं यष्टव्यं चापि यत्नतः॥
The learned man have decreed that kings should live, reciting every day the three Vedas, seeking to acquire wealth, and carefully celebrating sacrifices with the wealth thus acquired.
द्रोहाद् देवैरवाप्तानि दिवि स्थानानि सर्वशः। द्रोहात् किमन्यज्ज्ञातीनां गृद्ध्यन्ते येन देवताः॥
The gods, through civil war, have secured footing in the celestial region. When the very gods have won their prosperity through civil war, what fault can there be in such quarrels?
इति देवा व्यवसिता वेदवादाश्च शाश्वताः। अधीयतेऽध्यापयन्ते यजन्ते याजयन्ति च॥ कृत्स्नं तदेव तच्छेरूयो यदप्याददतेऽन्यतः। न पश्यामोऽनपकृतं धनं किंचित् क्वचिद् वयम्॥
Verily the gods, even behave thus. The eternal precepts of the Vedas also approve of it. To learn, teach, sacrifice, and assist at others sacrifices,-these are our primary duties. The wealth that kings appropriate from others, becomes the instrument of their prosperity. Wealth is never acquired without doing some injury to others.
एवमेव हि राजानो जयन्ति पृथिवीमिमाम्। जित्वा ममेयं ब्रुवते पुत्रा इव पितुर्धनम्॥
It is even thus that kings conquer this world. Having conquered, they are justified to regard that wealth as theirs, just as sons speak of the wealth of their fathers as their own, The royal sages that have gone to heaven have described this to be the duty of kings.
राजर्षयोऽपि ते स्वर्यो धर्मो ह्येषां निरुच्यते। यथैव पूर्णादुदधेः स्यन्दन्त्यापो दिशो दश॥
Like water flowing on every direction from a rising ocean, wealth goes on all sides from the treasuries of kings.
एवं राजकुलाद् वित्तं पृथिवीं प्रति तिष्ठति। आसीदियं दिलीपस्य नृगस्य नहुषस्य च।॥
This Earth formerly belonged to king Dvilipa, Nahusha, Ambarisha, and Mandhatri. She is now yours.
अम्बरीषस्य मान्धातुः पृथिवी सा त्वयि स्थिता। स त्वां द्रव्यमयो यज्ञः सम्प्राप्तः सर्वदक्षिणः॥
You should, therefore, celebrate a great sacrifice with enough presents of all sorts and a sufficient quantity of the Earth's produce. If you do not perform that sacrifice, O king, then the sins of this kingdom will visit you.
तं चेन्न यजसे राजन् प्राप्तस्त्वं राज्यकिल्बिषम्। येषां राजाऽश्वमेधेन यजते दक्षिणावता॥
Those subjects whose king performs a horse-sacrifice with enough presents, are all freed from sins and sanctified by witnessing the ablutions at the end of the sacrifice.
उपेत्य तस्यावभृथे पूताः सर्वे भवन्ति ते। विश्वरूपो महादेवः सर्वमेधे महामखे। जुहाव सर्वभूतानि तथैवात्मानमात्मना॥
In a great sacrifice requiring libations of all kinds of flesh, Mahadeva himself, poured all creatures as sacrificial libations and then his own self.
शाश्वतोऽयं भूतिपथो नास्यान्तमनुशुश्रुम। महान् दाशरथः पन्था मा राजन् कुपथं गमः॥
This is the eternal and holy road. Its fruits are never destroyed. This is the great road called Dasharatha. Abandoning it, 'O king, what other path would you follow"? called Dasharatha. Abandoning it, 'O king, what other path would you follow"?