वैशम्पायन उवाच द्वैपायनवचः श्रुत्वा कुपिते च धनंजये। व्यासमामन्त्र्य कौन्तेयः प्रत्युवाच युधिष्ठिरः॥
Hearing the words of Dvaipayana Vyasa and seeing Dhananjaya angry, Yudhishthira the son of Kunti saluted Vyasa and said.
युधिष्ठिर उवाच न पार्थिवमिदं राज्यं न भोगाश्च पृथग्विधाः। प्रीणयन्ति मनो मेऽद्य शोको मां रुन्धयत्ययम्॥
Yudhishthira said This earthly sovereignty and the various objects of enjoyments cannot give me any joy. On the other hand, this painful grief is cutting me to the quick.
श्रुत्वा वीरविहीनानामपुत्राणां च योषिताम्। परिदेवपमानानां शान्तिं नोपलभे मुने।॥
Hearing the lamentations of these women who have lost their heroic husbands and children, I cannot enjoy peace, O sage.
वैशम्पायन उवाच इत्युक्तः प्रत्युवाचेदं व्यासो योगविदां वरः। युधिष्ठिरं महाप्राज्ञो धर्मज्ञो वेदपारगः॥
Vaishampayana said Thus addressed, the virtuous Vyasa, the best of all persons conversant with Yoga, endued with great wisdom and a master of the Vedas, said to Yudhishthira.
व्यास उवाच न कर्मणा लभ्यते चिन्तया वा नाप्यस्ति दाता पुरुषस्य कश्चित्। पर्याययोगाद् विहितं विधात्रा कालेन सर्वं लभते मनुष्यः॥
Vyasa said, No one can acquire anything by his own deeds or by sacrifices and adoration. No man can give anything to another. Man gets everything through Time. The Great Ordainer has made the course of Time the instrument of acquisition.
न बुद्धिशास्त्राध्ययनेन शक्यं प्राप्तुं विशेषं मनुजैरकाले। मूर्योऽपि चाप्नोति कदाचिदर्थान् कालो हि कार्य प्रति निर्विशेषः॥
By mere intelligence of study of the scriptures, men, if Time be not propitious, cannot acquire any earthly object. Sometimes an ignorant fool may acquire wealth. Time is the the powerful instrument for the accomplishment of all acts.
नाभूतिकालेषु फलं ददन्ति शिल्पानि मन्त्राश्च तथौषधानि। तान्येव कालेन समाहितानि सिद्ध्यन्ति वर्धन्ति च भूतिकाले॥
During the hour of adversity, neither science, nor incantations, nor drugs, produce any fruits. In prosperity, however, those very things, applied, yield abundant fruits.
कालेन शीघ्राः प्रवहन्ति वाता: कालेन वृष्टिर्जलदानुपति। कालेन पद्मोत्पलवज्जलं च कालेन पुष्यन्ति वनेषु वृक्षाः॥
By time the winds blow violently; by Time the clouds become surcharged with rain; by Time tanks become adorned with lotuses of various sorts; by Time trees in the forest are covered with flowers.
कालेन कृष्णाश्च सिताश्च रात्र्यः कालेन चन्द्रः परिपूर्णबिम्बः। नाकालतः पुष्पफलं दुमाणां नाकालवेगाः सरितो वहन्ति॥
By Time nights become dark or lighted. By Time the Moon becomes full. If the proper Time does not come, trees do not bear flowers and fruits. If the proper Time does not come, the currents of rivers do not become powerful.
नाकालमत्ताः खगपन्नगाश्च मृगद्विपाः शैलमृगाच लोके। नाकालतः स्त्रीषु भवन्ति गर्भा नायान्त्यकाले शिशिरोष्णवर्षाः॥
Birds, snakes, deer, elephants and other animals never become excited when the proper Time does not come. If the proper Time does not come, women do not conceive. It is with Time that winter, summer, and the rainy seasons come.
नाकालतो म्रियते जायते वा नाकालतो व्याहरते च बालः। नाकालतो यौवनमभ्युपैति नाकालतो रोहति बीजमुप्तम्॥
If the proper Time does not come, no one is born and no one dies. If the Time does not come, the infant does not gain power of speech. If the Time does not come one does not come by youth. It is with Time that the seed sown sprouts up.
नाकालतो भानुरुपैति योगं नाकालतोऽङ्गिरिमभ्युपैति। नाकालतो वर्धते ही चन्द्रः समुद्रोऽपि महोर्मिमाली।॥
If the Time does not come, the Sun does not appear in the horizon, nor, when the Time for it does not come, does he set. If the Time for it does not come, the Moon does not increase nor wane, nor the ocean with its waves rise and ebb.
अत्राप्युदाहरन्तीममितिहासं पुरातनम्। गीतं राज्ञा सेनजिता दुःखार्तेन युधिष्ठिर॥
In this connection is related the old story, O Yudhishthira, by king Senajit in sorrow.
सर्वानेवैष पर्यायो मान् स्पृशति दुःसहः। कालेन परिपक्वा हि म्रियन्ते सर्वपार्थिवाः॥
The powerful course of Time affects all mortals. All earthly objects, ripened by Time, meet with destruction.
घ्नन्ति चान्यान् नरा राजस्तानप्यन्ये तथा नराः। संज्ञैषा लौकिकी राजन् न हिनस्ति न हन्यते॥
Some, O king, kill some men. The killers, again, are slain by others. This is what the world says. In reality, however, no one kills and no one is killed.
हन्तीति मन्यते कश्चिन्न हन्तीत्यपि चापरः। स्वभावतस्तु नियतौ भूतानां प्रभवाप्ययौ॥
Some body thinks men kill (their fellow men). Another thinks men do not kill. The truth is that the birth and death of all creatures have been ordained to happen by their very nature.
नष्टे धने वा दारे वा पुत्रे पितरि वा मृते। अहो दुःखमिति ध्यायन् दुःखस्यापचितिं चरेत्॥
At the loss of one's riches or the death of one's wife or son or father, one cries out saying-Alas what grief!-and the continued thought of that sorrow always increases it.
स किं शोचसि मूढः सञ्शोच्यान् किमनुशोचसि। पश्य दुःखेषु दुःखानि भयेषु च भयान्यपि॥
Why do you, like a foolish man, grieve? Why do you grieve for them who are subject to grief? Mark, grief is enhanced by indulgence as fear is by fearing.
आत्मापि चायं न मम सर्वापि पृथिवी मम। यथा मम तथान्येषामिति पश्यन् न मुह्यति॥
This body even is not mine. Nothing in this Earth is mine. The things of this Earth belong as much to others as to me. Seeing this, the wise do not allow themselves to be beguiled.
शोकस्थानसहस्राणि हर्षस्थानशतानि च। दिवसे दिवसे मूढमाविशन्ति न पण्डितम्॥
There are thousands of causes for sorrow and hundreds of causes for joy. These affect daily the ignorant only, but not the wise.
एवमेतानि कालेन प्रियद्वेष्याणि भागशः। जीवेषु परिवर्तन्ते दुःखानि च सुखानि च॥
These in course of Time. become objects of love or hatred, and appearing as happiness or misery revolve for affecting living creatures.
दुःखमेवास्ति न सुखं तस्मात् तदुपलभ्यते। तृष्णार्तिप्रभवं दुःखं दुःखार्तिप्रभवं सुखम्॥
There is only sorrow in this world and not happiness. Therefore sorrow only is felt. Desire begets sorrow and sorrow happiness.
सुखस्यानन्तरं दुःखं दुःखस्यानन्तरं सुखम्। न नित्यं लभते दुःखं न नित्यं लभते सुखम्॥
Sorrow comes after happiness. and happiness after sorrow. One does not always suffer sorrow or always enjoy happiness.
सुखमेवहि दुःखान्तं कदाचिद् दुःखतः सुखम्। तस्मादेतद् द्वयं जह्याद् य इच्छेच्छाश्वतं सुखम्॥
Happiness always ends in sorrow and sometimes originates from sorrow itself. He, therefore, who desires perpetual happiness must give up both.
सुखान्तप्रभवं दुःखं दुःखान्तप्रभवं सुखम्। यन्निमित्तो भवेच्छोकस्तापो वा भृशदारुणः॥ आयासो वापि यन्मूलस्तदेकाङ्गमपि त्यजेत्।
When sorrow must arise upon termination of happiness, and happiness upon the termination of sorrow, and should, therefore, shake off, like a (snake-bit) limb, that which begets sorrow or that heart-burning which is reared by sorrow or that which is the root of his anxiety.
सुखं वा यदि वा दुःखं प्रियं वा यदि वाप्रियम्। प्राप्तं प्राप्तमुपासीत हृदयेनापराजितः॥
Happiness or sorrow, whatever comes should be borne with an unaffected heart.
ईषदप्यङ्ग दाराणां पुत्राणां वा चराप्रियम्। ततो ज्ञास्यसि कः कस्य केन वा कथमेव च।॥
O amiable king, if you do not in the least, do what is agreeable to your wives and children, you shall then know who is whose, and why so, and for what.
ये च मूढतमा लोके ये च बुद्धेः परं गताः। त एव सुखमेधन्ते मध्यमः क्लिश्यते जनः॥
Only those who stolid fools and those who are masters of their souls enjoy happiness here. They, however, who occupy an intermediate position suffering misery.
इत्यब्रवीन्महाप्राज्ञो युधिष्ठिर स सेनजित्। परावरज्ञो लोकस्य धर्मवित् सुखदुःखवित्॥
This, O Yudhishthira, is what the highly wise the Senajit who was conversant with what is good or bad in this world, with duties, and with happiness and misery said.
येन दुःखेन यो दुःखी न स जातु सुखी भवेत्। दुःखानां हि क्षयो नास्ति जायते ह्यपरात् परम्॥
He who is grieved at other people's griefs can never enjoy happiness. There is no end of grief, and grief originates from happiness itself.
सुखं च दुःखं च भवाभवौ च लाभालाभौ मरणं जीवितं च। पर्यायतः सर्वमवाप्नुवन्ति तस्माद्धीरो नैव हृष्येन शोचेत्॥
Happiness and misery, prosperity and adversity, gain and loss, death and life, in their turn, visit all creatures. There the wise man, endued with equanimity soul would neither be puffed up with joy nor be depressed with sorrow.
दीक्षां राज्ञः संयुगे युद्धमाई र्योगं राज्ये दण्डनीत्यां च सम्यक्। वित्तत्यागो दक्षिणानां च यज्ञे सम्यग् दानं पावनानीति विद्यात्॥
Battle has been described as the Sacrifice for a king; observance of chastisement is his Yoga; and the gift of riches in sacrifices in the form of presents his Renunciation. All these should be regarded as acts which purify him.
रक्षन् राज्यं बुद्धिपूर्वं नयेन संत्यक्तात्मा यज्ञशीलो महात्मा। प्यूर्ध्वं देहान्मोदते देवलोके॥
By governing the kingdom with intelligence and policy, casting off wide, celebrating sacrifices, and looking at everything and all the persons with kindness and impartiality, a great king, after death, sports in the region of the celestials.
जित्वा संग्रामान्पालयित्वा च राष्ट्र सोमं पीत्वा वर्धयित्वा प्रजाश्च। युक्त्या दण्डं धारयित्वा प्रजानांयुद्धे क्षीणो मोदते देवलोके॥
By gaining battles, protecting his kingdom, drinking the Soma juice, making his subjects prosper, holding judiciously the rod of chastisement, and renouncing his body at last in fight, a king enjoy happiness in heaven.
सम्यग् वेदान् प्राप्य शास्त्राण्यधीत्य सम्यग् राज्यं पालयित्वा च राजा। चातुर्वर्ण्य स्थापयित्वा स्वधर्म पूतात्मा वै मोदते देवलोके॥
Having studied all the Vedas and the other scriptures duly, having protected the kingdom duly, and having made all the four orders follow their respective duties, a king become purified and finally sports in heaven.
यस्य वृत्तं नमस्यन्ति स्वर्गस्थस्यापि मानवाः। पौरजानपदामात्याः स राजा राजसत्तमः॥
He is the best of kings whose conduct, even after his death, is praised by the denizens of the city and the country and by his counsellors and friends.