वैशम्पायन उवाच वने निवसतां तेषां पाण्डवानां महात्मनाम्। वर्षाग्येकादशातीयुः कृच्छ्रेण भरतर्षभ॥
Vaishampayana said : O best of the Bharata race, thus living in the forest, the high-souled Pandavas spent eleven years in great misery.
फलमूलाशनास्ते हि सुखाहाँ दुःखमुत्तमम्। प्राप्तकालमनुध्यान्तः सेहिरे वरपूरुषाः॥
Although deserving of happiness, those best of men, brooding over their miserable plight, passed their days in misery living on fruits and roots.
युधिष्ठिरस्तु राजर्षिरात्मकर्मापराधजम्। चिन्तयन् स महाबाहुर्धातृणां दुःखमुत्तमम्॥ न सुष्वाप सुखं राजा हृदि शल्यैरिवार्पितैः। दौरात्म्यमनुपश्यंस्तत् काले द्यूतोद्भवस्य हि॥
That royal sage, the illustrious Yudhishthira, reflecting that the extremity of misery which had befallen his brothers was owing to his own fault and remembering also the sufferings that had arisen from his act of gambling, could not sleep in peace. He felt as if his heart had been pierced with a lance.
संस्मरन् परुषा वाचः सूतपुत्रस्य पाण्डवः। निःश्वासपरमो दीनो बिभ्रत् कोपविषं महत्॥
Remembering the harsh words of the Suta's son, the Pandava, repressing the venom of his wrath passed his days in humble guise and he often sighed heavily.
अर्जुनो यमजौ चोभौ द्रौपदी च यशस्विनी। स च भीमो महातेजाः सर्वेषामुत्तमो बली॥ युधिष्ठिरमुदीक्षन्तः सेहुर्दुःखमनुत्तमम्।
Arjuna and both the twins and the illustrious Draupadi and the mighty Bhima, he that was strongest of all men, felt the greatest pain in casting their eyes on Yudhishthira.
अवशिष्टमल्पकालं मन्वानाः पुरुषर्षभाः॥ वपुरन्यदिवाकार्षुरुत्साहामर्षचेष्टितैः।
Thinking that only a short time remained (of their exile) those foremost of men, influenced by rage and hope and by resorting to various exertions and endeavours made their bodies assume almost different shapes.
कस्यचित् त्वथ कालस्य व्यासः सत्यवतीसुतः॥ आजगाम महायोगी पाण्डवानवलोककः। तमागतमभिप्रेक्ष्य कुन्तीपुत्रो युधिष्ठिरः॥ प्रत्युद्गम्य महात्मानं प्रत्यगृह्णाद् यथाविधि।
After a while the son of Satyavati, Vyasa, the great Yogi came there to see the Pandavas. Seeing him coming, the son of Kunti, Yudhishthira, went forward and duly received that high-souled one.
तमासीनमुपासीनः शुश्रूषुर्नियतेन्द्रियः॥ तोषयन् प्रणिपातेन व्यासं पाण्डवनन्दनः।
Having gratified Vyasa by bowing down to him, the self-controlled Pandava (Yudhishthira), when the Rishi sat down, sat down before him with the desire of listening to him.
तानवेक्ष्य कृशान् पौत्रान् वने वन्येन जीवतः॥ महर्षिरनुकम्पार्थमब्रवीद्वाष्पगद्गदम्।
Seeing his grandson lean and living on forest produce, that great Rishi, moved by compassion spoke thus in accents choked with tears.
युधिष्ठिर महाबाहो शृणु धर्मभृतां वर॥ नातप्ततपसो लोके प्राप्नुवन्ति महासुखम्। सुखदुःखे हि पुरुषः पर्यायेणोपसेवते॥
"O mighty armed Yudhishthira, O foremost of all virtuous men, lear; those men who do not perform asceticism never obtain great happiness in this world; men experience happiness and misery by turn.
न ह्यनन्तं सुखं कश्चित् प्राप्नोति पुरुषर्षभ। प्रज्ञावांस्त्वेव पुरुषः संयुक्तः परया धिया॥ उदयास्तमनज्ञो हि न हृष्यति न शोचति।
O foremost of the Bharatas, no man ever enjoys unmixed happiness. A wise man, possessing high wisdom, knowing that life has its ups and downs, is neither filled with joy nor with grief.
सुखमापतितं सेवेद् दुःखमापतितं वहेत्॥ कालप्राप्तमुपासीत सस्यानामिव कर्षकः।
When happiness comes one should enjoy it and when misery comes one should bear it. As a sower of crops must wait for the (proper) season (to gather his crops).
तपसो हि परं नास्ति तपसा विन्दते महत्॥ नासाध्यं तपस: किंचिदिति बुद्ध्यस्व भारत।
There is nothing superior to asceticism. Asceticism produces great results. descendant of Bharata, know that there is nothing which asceticism cannot produce.
सत्यमार्जवमक्रोधः संविभागो दमः शमः।।१७। अनसूयाविहिंसा च शौचमिन्द्रियसंयमः। पावनानि महाराज नराणां पुण्यकर्मणाम्॥
Truth, sincerity, freedom from anger, justice, self-control, restraint of faculties, immunity from malice, guilelessness, sanctity and mortification of the senses, these, O great king, purify a man of pure acts.
अधर्मरुचयो मूढास्तिर्यग्गतिपरायणाः। कृच्छ्रां योनिमनुप्राप्ता न सुखं विन्दते जनाः॥
Foolish persons, addicted to vice and bestial ways, obtain the birth of beasts in after life and they never enjoy happiness.
इह यत् क्रियते कर्म तत् परत्रोपयुज्यते। तस्माच्छरीरं युञ्जीत तपसा नियमेन च॥
The fruits of acts done in this world are obtained in the next world. Therefore one restrains his body by asceticism and the observance of vows.
यथाशक्ति प्रयच्छेत सम्पूज्याभिप्रणम्य च। काले प्राप्ते च हृष्टात्मा राजन् विगतमत्सरः॥
O king, being free from guile and with a cheerful spirit, one, according to his power, bestows gifts after bowing down to the recipient and paying him homage.
सत्यवादी लभेतायुरनायासमथार्जवम्। अक्रोधनोऽनसूयश्च निर्वृतिं लभते पराम्॥ दान्तः शमपरः शश्वत् परिक्लेशं न विन्दति। न च तप्यति दान्तात्मा दृष्ट्वा परगतां श्रियम्॥
A truthful man obtains a life which is free from all trouble. A person, free from anger, attains to sincerity and one free from malice obtains supreme contentments. A man who has subdued his senses and his inner faculties never knows tribulation, nor is a person of subdued senses affected by sorrow at the sight of other's prosperity.
संविभक्ता च दाता च भोगवान् सुखवान् नरः। भवत्यहिंसकश्चैव परमारोग्यमश्नुते॥
A man who gives every one his due and he who gives boons obtains happiness and every object of enjoyment, while a man who is free from envy reaps perfect ease.
मान्यमानयिता जन्म कुले महति विन्दति। व्यसनैर्न त संयोगं प्राप्नोति विजितेन्द्रियः॥
He who honours those to whom honour is due obtains birth in an illustrious family and he who has subdued his senses never mects with any misfortune.
शुभानुशयबुद्धिर्हि संयुक्तः कालधर्मणा। प्रादुर्भवति तद्योगात् कल्याणमतिरेव सः॥
A man whose mind follows good after death is born on that account possessing a virtuous mind.
युधिष्ठिर उवाच भगवन् दानधर्माणां तपसो वा महामुने। किंस्विद् बहुगुणं प्रेत्य किं वा दुष्करमुच्यते॥
Yudhishthira said : O great Rishi, O exalted one, of the bestowal of gifts and asceticism which is of greater efficacy in the next world and which is more difficult to be practised.
व्यास उवाच दानान्न दुष्करं तात पृथिव्यामस्ति किंचन। अर्थ च महती तृष्णा स च दुःखेन लभ्यते॥
Vyasa said : O child, there is nothing in this world more difficult to practise than charity. Men thirst for wealth and obtain it with great difficulty.
परित्यज्य प्रियान् प्राणान् धनार्थं हि महामते। प्रविशन्ति नरा वीराः समुद्रमटवीं तथा॥
O high-minded one, even abandoning (the hope of) dear life itself, heroic men enter into the depths of the sea and the forest for wealth.
कृषिगोरक्ष्यमित्येके प्रतिपद्यन्ति मानवाः। पुरुषाः प्रेष्यतामेके निर्गच्छन्ति धनार्थिनः॥
For wealth some take to agriculture, some to the tending of the kine and some serve others. Therefore it is extremely difficult to part with wealth which is obtained with such great difficulty.
तस्माद् दुःखार्जितस्यैव परित्यागः सुदुष्करः। न दुष्करतरं दानात् तस्माद् दानं मतं मम॥
As there is nothing harder to practise than charity, in my opinion, even bestowal of boons is superior to every thing.
विशेषस्त्वत्र विज्ञेयो न्यायेनोपार्जितं धनम्। पात्रे काले च देशे च साधुभ्यः प्रतिपादयेत्॥
Specially this is to be remembered that wellgotten gains should in proper time and place be given away to pious men.
अन्यायात् समुपात्तेन दानधर्मो धनेन यः। क्रियते न स कर्तारं त्रायते महतो भयात्॥
But the bestowal of ill-gotten wealth can never rescue the giver from the great fear (of the evil of rebirth).
पात्रे दानं स्वल्पमपि काले दत्तं युधिष्ठिर। मनसा हि विशुद्धेन प्रेत्यानन्तफलं स्मृतम्॥ अत्राप्युदाहरन्तीममितिहासं पुरातनम्। व्रीहिद्रोणपरित्यागाद् यत् फलं प्राप मुद्गलः॥
O Yudhishthira, it has been said that by bestowing in a pure spirit even a slight gift in due time and to a fit recipient a man obtains inexhaustible fruits in the next world. In this connection a story is told about the fruit obtained by Mudgala by giving away only a Drona of corn.