The Mahabharata of Krishna-Dwaipayana Vyasa Translated into English Prose: Adi Parva
Religion
The Mahabharata of Krishna-Dwaipayana Vyasa Translated into English Prose: Adi Parva
Epic literature, Sanskrit
"Vaisampayana said, 'While that king of kings dwelt in heaven--the home of
the celestials, he was reverenced by the gods, the Sadhyas, the Maruts,
and the Vasus. Of sacred deeds, and mind under complete control, the
monarch used to repair now and then from the abode of the celestials unto
the region of Brahman. And it hath been heard by me that he dwelt for a
long time in heaven.
"'One day that best of kings, Yayati, went to Indra and there in course of
conversation the lord of Earth was asked by Indra as follows:
"'"What didst thou say, O king, when thy son Puru took thy decrepitude on
Earth and when thou gavest him thy kingdom?"
"'Yayati answered, "I told him that the whole country between the rivers
Ganga and Yamuna was his. That is, indeed, the central region of the Earth,
while the out-lying regions are to be the dominions of thy brothers. I
also told him that those without anger were ever superior to those under
its sway, those disposed to forgive were ever superior to the unforgiving.
Man is superior to the lower animals. Among men again the learned are
superior to the un-learned. If wronged, thou shouldst not wrong in return.
One's wrath, if disregarded, burneth one's own self; but he that regardeth
it not taketh away all the virtues of him that exhibiteh it. Never
shouldst thou pain others by cruel speeches. Never subdue thy foes by
despicable means; and never utter such scorching and sinful words as may
torture others. He that pricketh as if with thorns men by means of hard
and cruel words, thou must know, ever carrieth in his mouth the Rakshasas.
Prosperity and luck fly away at his very sight. Thou shouldst ever keep
the virtuous before thee as thy models; thou shouldst ever with
retrospective eye compare thy acts with those of the virtuous; thou
shouldst ever disregard the hard words of the wicked. Thou shouldst ever
make the conduct of the wise the model upon which thou art to act thyself.
The man hurt by the arrows of cruel speech hurled from one's lips, weepeth
day and night. Indeed, these strike at the core of the body. Therefore the
wise never fling these arrows at others. There is nothing in the three
worlds by which thou canst worship and adore the deities better than by
kindness, friendship, charity and sweet speeches unto all. Therefore,
shouldst thou always utter words that soothe, and not those that scorch.
And thou shouldst regard those that deserve thy regards, and shouldst
always give but never beg!"'"
SECTION LXXXVIII
(Sambhava Parva continued)
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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