शल्य उवाच परान् प्रति। ननु प्रलापाः कफ्ते यान् ब्रवीपि ऋते कर्णसहस्रेण शक्या जेतुं परे युधि॥
Shalya said These are but your ravings, O Karna that you give vent to with regard to your enemies. But I can without a thousand Karnas defeat my foe in battle.
संजय उवाच तथा ब्रुवन्तं परुषं कर्णो मद्रधिपं तदा। परुषं द्विगुण भूयः प्रोवाचाप्रियदर्शनम्॥
Sanjaya said To the king of Madras, who was speaking such harsh words Karna, of unpleasant looks, spoke words again twice as harsh.
कर्ण उवाच इदं तु ते त्वमेकाग्रः शृणु मद्रजनाधिप। शंनिधौ धृतराष्ट्रस्य प्रोच्यमानं मया श्रुतम्॥
Karna said O king of Madras, listen attentively to what I heard recited in the presence of Dhritarashtra.
देशांश्च विविधांश्चित्रान् पूर्ववृत्तांश्च पार्थिवान्। ब्राह्मणः कथयन्ति स्म धृतराष्ट्रनिवेशने॥
In Dhritarashtra's house the Brahmanas used to describe many pleasant regions and the lives of many ancient kings.
तत्र वृद्धः पुरावृत्ताः कथा कश्चिद् द्विजोत्तमः। वाहीकदेशं मद्रांश्च कुत्सयन् वाक्यमब्रवीत्॥
One aged and leading Brahmana among them, while recounting the ancient historian, said thus blaring the Balhikas and Madrakas.
बहिष्कृता हिमवता गङ्गया च बहिष्कृताः। शरस्वत्या यमुनया कुरक्षेत्रेण चापि ये॥ पञ्चानां सिन्धुषष्ठानां नदीनां येऽन्तराश्रिताः। तान् धर्मबाह्यानशुचीन वाहीकानपि वर्जयेत्॥
One should always avoid the impure and impious Balhikas who live away from Himavat and Ganga, Sarasvati, Yamuna and Kurukshetra and the Sindhu with its five tributaries.
गोवर्धनो नाम वटः सुभद्रं नाम चत्वरम्। एतद् राजकुलद्वारमाकुमारात् स्मराम्यहम्॥
I remember from my youth that a slaughter ground for kine and the cellars for wine mark out the gates of the palaces of Balhika kings.
कार्येणात्यर्थगूढेन वाहीकेषूषितं मया। तत एषां समाचारः संवासाद् विदितो मम॥
For some secret work I had to live with them. On account of this living I know them very well.
शाकलं नाम नगरमापगा नाम निम्नगा। जर्त्तिका नाम वाहीकास्तेषां वृत्तं सुनिन्दतम्॥
There is a town of the name of Shakala, a river by the name of Apaga and a clan of the Balhikas known as Jarttikas. Their conduct is very reprehensible.
धाना गौड्यासवं पीत्वा गोमांसं लशुनैः सह। अपूपमांसवाट्यानामाशिनः शीलवर्जिताः॥
They drink the liquor Ganda and eat friend barley with it. They also eat beef with garlics. They also take flour with meat and boiled rice that is bought of others. They are shorn of all good practices.
गायन्त्यथ च नृत्यन्ति स्त्रियो मत्ता विवाससः। नगरागारवप्रेषु बहिर्माल्यानुलेपनाः॥ मत्तावगीतैर्विविधैः खरोष्ट्रनिनदोपमैः। अनावृता मैथुने ताः कामचाराश्च सर्वशः॥
Their women all drink and are nude and laugh and dance, outside the walls of the houses in cities, with garlands and unguents, singing under the influence of liquor various obscene songs like the bray of the ass or the bleat of lambs. They freely mix and intercourse with all. Inebrite they address one another with endearing terms.
आहुरन्योन्यसूक्तानि प्रब्रुवाणा मदोत्कटाः। हे हते हे हतेत्येव स्वामिभर्तृहतेति च॥
The fallen Balhika women, unobservant of restrictions even on sacred days, dance and exclaim “Alas! our husband, our lord is dead!"
आक्रोशन्त्यः प्रनृत्यन्ति व्रात्याः पर्वस्वसंयता। तासां किलावलिप्तानां निवसन् कुरुजाङ्गले॥
One of those wicked Balhikas who lived amongst them and and for time in Kurujangala burst out with cheerless heart saying-
कश्चिद् वाहीकदुष्टानां नातिहष्टमना जगौ। सा नूनं बृहती गौरी सूक्ष्मकम्बलवासिनी॥
"Surely that big and fair (Balhika maiden) dressed in her blankets is thinking of me her Balhika lover, who am living in Kurujangala at the time of her going to bed.
मामनुस्मरती शेते वाहीकं कुरुजाङ्गले। शतद्रुकामहं तीर्खा तां च रम्यामिरावतीम्॥ गत्वा स्वदेश द्रक्ष्यामि स्थूलशङ्खा शुभाः स्त्रियः। मनः शिलोजवलापाङ्गयो गौर्यस्त्रिककुदाञ्जनाः॥
some Crossing the Sutlej, the charming Iravati and coming to my own country when shall I look at those beautiful women with thick frontal bones, with shining circles of red arsenic on their foreheads, with tinges of red, black collyrium on their eyes and their beautiful forms dressed in blankets and skins and themselves uttering shrill cries?
कम्बलजिनसंवीता क्रन्दन्त्यः प्रियदर्शनाः। मृदङ्गानकशङ्खानां मर्दलानां च निःस्वनैः॥
When shall I be happy in the company of those inebriate women amid the sound of drums and kettle-drums and conches sweet as the brays of asses and cries of camels and mules?
खरोष्ट्राश्वतरैश्चैव मत्ता यास्यामहे सुखम्। शमीपीलुकरीराणां वनेषु सुखवमसु॥
When shall I be in the midst of those women who live on cakes of flour and meat and balls of barley and skimmed milk in the forest having pleasant paths of Shami, Pilu and Karira?
अपूपान् सक्तुपिण्डांश्चं प्राश्नन्तो मथितान्वितान्। पथि सुप्रबला भूत्वा कदा सम्पततोऽध्वगान्॥ चेलापहारं कुर्वाणस्ताडयिष्याम भूयसः।
When shall I, surrounded by my countrymen, muster strong on the high roads, fall upon the passers by, carry away their robes and attires and beat them repeatedly?
एवंशीलेषु व्रात्येषु वाहीकेषु दुरात्मसु॥ कश्चेतयानो निवसेनमुहूर्तमपि मानवः।
What man is there who will live willingly even for a moment in the midst of Bahikas who are so fallen, wicked and of fraudulent conduct?
ईदृशा ब्राह्मणेनोक्ता वाहीका मोघचारिणः॥ येषां षड्भागहर्ता त्वमुभयोः शुभपापयोः।
Thus did the Brahmanas describe the vile Balhikas, a sixty of whose merit and demerit, you possess, O Shalya.
इत्युक्त्वा ब्राह्मणः साधुरुत्तरं पुनरुक्तवान्॥ वाहीकेष्वविनीतेषु प्रोत्यमानं निबोध तत्।
Having said this the pious Brahmana said some thing about the wicked Bahikas. Hear what I say.
तत्र स्म राक्षसी गाति सदा कृष्णचतुर्दशीम्॥ नगरे शाकले स्फीते आहत्य निशि दुन्दुभि।
In the large and populous city of Shakala a Rakshasa woman used to sing on every fourteenth day of the dark half of the month in accompaniment with a drum.
कदा वाहेयिका गाथा: पुनर्गास्यामि शाकले।॥ गव्यस्य तृप्ता मांसस्य पीत्वा गौडं सुरासवम्। गौरीभिः सह नारीभिहतीभिः स्वलंकृताः॥ पलाण्डुगंडूषयुतान् खादन्ती चैडकान् बहून्। वाराहं कौक्कुटं मांसं गव्यं गार्दभमौष्ट्रिकम्॥ ऐडं च ये न खादन्ति तेषां जन्म निरर्थकम्।
When shall I next sing the songs of the Bahikas in this town of Shakala having fed me full with beef and drunk the Gada liquor. Decked with ornaments when shall I with these huge women and maidens feed upon a large number of sheep, a quantity of pork and beef and the meat of fowls, asses and camels. In vain do they live who do not eat the sheep.
इति गायन्ति ये मत्ताः सीधुना शाकलाश्च ये॥ सबालवृद्धाः क्रन्दनन्तस्तेषु धर्मः कथं भवेत्।
Thus O Shalya, the young and old inhabitants of Sakala, sing and cry under the influence of liquor. How can there by virtue among such people?
इति शल्य विजानीहि हन्त भूयो ब्रवीमि ते॥ यदन्योऽप्युक्तवानस्मान् ब्राह्मणः कुरुसंसदि।
You should know this. I will now recount to you again what another Brahmana said to us in the Kuru court.
पञ्च नद्यो वहन्त्येता यत्र पीलुवनान्युत॥ शतर्दुश्च विपासा च तृतीयैरावती तथा। चन्द्रभागा वितस्ता च सिन्धुषष्टा बहिर्गिरेः॥ आरट्टा नाम ते देशा नष्टधर्मा न तान् व्रजेत्।'
There where the forests of Pilus stand and the five rivers Shatadru, Vipasha, Iravati, Chandrabhaga and Vitasta and which have the Sindhu for their sixty flow there in those region is situated the Province called the Arattas distant from Himavat. The Province is shorn of virtue and religion. No one should there.
व्रात्यानां दासमीयानां वाहीकानामयज्वनाम्॥ न देवाः प्रतिगृह्णन्ति पितरो ब्राह्मणास्तथा। तेषां प्रनष्टधर्माणां वाहीकानामिति श्रुतिः॥
The celestials, the ancestral manes and the Brahmanas never accept gifts from fallen persons, from those that are begotten by Sudras upon women of other castes and from Bahikas who never perform Yajnas and are greatly irreligious.
ब्राह्मणेन तथा प्रोक्तं विदुषा साधुसंसदि। काष्ठकुण्डेषु वाहीका मृन्मयेषु च भुञ्जते॥ सक्तुमद्यावलिप्तेषु श्वावलीढेषु निघृणाः। आविकं चौष्टिकं चैव क्षीरं गार्दभमेव च॥ तद्विकारांश्च वाहीका: खादन्ति च पिबन्ति च।
This the learned Brahmana also said in the Kuru Court. The Balhikas, who have no feelings of revulsion, take their food in deep wooden vessels, earthen plates in vessels that have been licked by dogs and those that have been stained with pounded barely and other corn. They drink the milk of sheep, camels and asses and cat curds and other preparations of those various kinds of milk.
पुत्रसंकरिणो जाल्माः सर्वान्नक्षीरभोजनाः॥ आरट्टा नाम वाहीका वर्जनीया विपश्चिता।
There is a number of bastards among those fallen people. There is no food or no milk that they do not take. The ignorant Aratta Bahikas should always be avoided.
हन्त शल्य विजानीहि हन्त भूयो ब्रवीमि ते॥ यदन्योऽप्युक्तवान् मह्यं ब्राह्मणः कुरुसंसदि।
You should always know this, O Shalya. I will now speak to you what another Brahmana said in the Kuru court.
युगन्धरे पयः पीत्वा प्रोष्य चाप्यच्युतस्थले॥ तद्वद् भूतिलये स्नात्वा कथं स्वर्ग गमिष्यति।
How can a man attain to the celestial region having drunk milk in the town called Yugandhara and lived in the place called Achyutastala and bathed in the spot called Bhutilaya.
पञ्च नद्यो वहन्त्येता यत्र निःसृत्य पर्वतात्॥ आरट्टा नाम दीका न तेष्वार्योद्वयहं वसेत्।
No respectable man should live even for two days where the five rivers flow just after issuing from the mountains and where live Aratta Balhikas.
बहिश्च नाम हीच विपाशानां पिशाचकौ॥ तयोरपत्यं वाहीका नैषा सृष्टिः प्रजापतेः। ते कथं विविधान् धर्मान् ज्ञास्यन्ते हीनयोनयः॥
There are two Pishachas in the river Vipasha named Bahi and Hika. The Bahikas are the offspring of those two Pishchas. They are not creatures created by God. Being of such a low birth how can they know the duties laid down in the scriptures?
कारस्करान्माहिषकान् कुरण्डान् केरलांस्तथा। कर्कोटकान् वीरकांश्च दुर्धर्माचं विवर्जयेत्॥
The Karaskaras, the Mahishkas, the Kurandas, the Keralas, the Karkotakas, the Virakas and other people who have no religion should always be avoided by men.
इति तीर्थानुसारं राक्षसी काचिदब्रवीत्। एकरात्रशयी गेहे महोलूखलमेखला॥
A Rakshasa woman of huge hips, thus spoke to a Brahman, who once went to that country for bathing in a sacred water and passed a single night there.
आरट्टा नाम ते देशा वाहीकं नाम तज्जलम्। ब्राह्मणापसदा यत्र तुल्यकालाः प्रजापतेः॥
This Province passes under the name of Arattas. And the people who live there are called Balhikas. The Brahmanas of the lowest order also live there from a very ancient time.
वेदा न तेषां वेद्यंश्च यज्ञा यजनमेव च। व्रात्यानां दासमीयानामन्नं देवा न भुञ्जते॥
They are ignorant of the Vedas and void of knowledge. They do not perform Yajnas nor can help others in them. They are all fallen and many of them have been begotten by Sudras upon other caste girls; the gods never accept gifts from them.
प्रस्थला मद्रगान्धारा आरट्टा नामतः खशाः। वसातिसिन्धुसौवीरा इति प्रायोऽतिकुत्सिताः॥
The Prasthalas, the Madras, the Gandharvas, the Arattas, Khasas, the Vasatis, the Sindhus and the Sauviras also follow these reprehensible practices. upon other caste girls; the gods never accept gifts from them.
प्रस्थला मद्रगान्धारा आरट्टा नामतः खशाः। वसातिसिन्धुसौवीरा इति प्रायोऽतिकुत्सिताः॥
The Prasthalas, the Madras, the Gandharvas, the Arattas, Khasas, the Vasatis, the Sindhus and the Sauviras also follow these reprehensible practices.