The Mahabharata of Krishna-Dwaipayana Vyasa Translated into English Prose: Sabha Parva
Religion
The Mahabharata of Krishna-Dwaipayana Vyasa Translated into English Prose: Sabha Parva
Epic literature, Sanskrit
"Duryodhana said,--'I eat and dress myself like a wretch and pass my
time all the while a prey to fierce jealousy. He indeed is a man, who
incapable of bearing the pride of the foe, liveth having vanquished
that foe with the desire of liberating his own subjects from the
tyranny of the foe. Contentment, as also pride, O Bharata, are
destructive of prosperity; and those other two qualities also, viz.,
compassion and fear. One who acteth under the influence of these, never
obtaineth anything high. Having beheld Yudhishthira's prosperity,
whatever I enjoy brings me no gratification. The prosperity of Kunti's
son that is possessed of such splendour maketh me pale. Knowing the
affluence of the foe and my own destitution, even though that affluence
is not before me, I yet see it before me. Therefore, have I lost colour
and become melancholy, pale and emaciated. Yudhishthira supporteth
eighty-eight thousand Snataka Brahmanas leading domestic lives, giving
unto each of them thirty slave-girls. Beside this, thousand other
Brahmanas daily eat at his palace the best of food on golden plates.
The king of Kambhoja sent unto him (as tribute) innumerable skins,
black, darkish, and red, of the deer Kadali, as also numberless
blankets of excellent textures. And hundreds and thousands and
thousands of she-elephants and thirty thousand she-camels wander within
the palace, for the kings of the earth brought them all as tribute to
the capital of the Pandavas. And, O lord of earth, the kings also
brought unto this foremost of sacrifices heaps upon heaps of jewels and
gems for the son of Kunti. Never before did I see or hear of such
enormous wealth as was brought unto the sacrifice of the intelligent
sons of Pandu. And, O king, beholding that enormous collection of
wealth belonging to the foe, I can not enjoy peace of mind. Hundreds of
Brahmanas supported by the grants that Yudhishthira hath given them and
possessing wealth of kine, waited at the palace gate with three
thousands of millions of tribute but were prevented by the keepers from
entering the mansion. Bringing with them clarified butter in handsome
Kamandalus made of gold, they did not obtain admission into the palace,
and Ocean himself brought unto him in vessels of white copper the
nectar that is generated within his waters and which is much superior
to that which flowers and annual plants produce for Sakra. And Vasudeva
(at the conclusion of the sacrifice) having brought an excellent conch
bathed the Sun of Pritha with sea water brought in thousand jars of
gold, all well adorned with numerous gems. Beholding all this I became
feverish with jealousy. Those jars had been taken to the Eastern and
the Southern oceans. And they had also been taken on the shoulders of
men to the Western ocean, O bull among men. And, O father, although
none but birds only can go to the Northern region Arjuna, having gone
thither, exacted as tribute a vast quantity of wealth. There is another
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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