Great distress of a Brāhmaṇa

 tataḥ kadācid gatāste puruṣarṣabhāḥ

saṁgatyā bhīmasenastu tatrāste pṛthayā saha

One day, when those best of men went out for food, Bhīma alone was at home with his mother Pṛthā.

athārtijaṁ mahāśabdaṁ brāhmaṇasya niveśane

bhṛśamutpatitaṁ ghoraṁ kuntī śuśrāva bhārata

O descendant of Bharata! Kuntī heard loud and heart rendering lamentations in the house of a Brāhmaṇa.

rorūyamāṇāṁstān dṛṣṭvā paridevayataśca sā

kāruṇyāt sādhubhāvācca kuntī rājan na cakṣame

mathyamānena duḥkhena hṛdayena pṛthā tadā

uvāca bhīmaṁ kalyāṇī kṛpānvitamidaṁ vacaḥ

vasāma susukhaṁ putra brāhmaṇasya niveśane

ajñātā dhartarāṣṭrasya satkṛtā vītamanyavaḥ

o king! Seeing them weeping and piteously lamenting, she could not bear it from her compassion and from her goodness of heart. Being sorry in mind, amiable Pṛthā spoke to Bhīma these words full of compassion: O son! Our grief being gone, we were happily living in Brāhmaṇa ̍ s house, unknown to Dhṛtarāṣṭra ̍ s son and much respected by him.

sā cintaye sadā putra brāhmaṇasyāsya kiṁ nvaham

priyaṁ kuryāmiti gṛhe yat kuryuruṣitāḥ sukham

O son! I always think what might be good for Brāhmaṇa and what good I can do to him, as men who live in other ̍ s house, ought to try to do.

etāvān puruṣastāta kṛtaṁ yasmin na naśyati

yāvacca kuryādanyo ̍ sya kuryādabhyadhikaṁ tataḥ

O child! He is truly a man who pays back the benefit received! Such an act is never destroyed. One should do more good than others do to him.

tadidaṁ brāhmaṇasyāsya duḥkhamāmāpatitaṁ dhruvam

tatrāsya yadi sāhāyyaṁ kuryāmupakṛtaṁ bhavet

This Brāhmaṇa has certainly fallen into a great distress. If we can be of any help to him, in his present distress, we should by some means repay his services.

bhīmasena uvāca

jñāyatāmasya yad yataścaiva samutthitam

viditvā vyavasiṣyāmi yadyapi syāt suduṣkaram

Bhīma said: I shall learn what is his distress and from which cause that distress has befallen on him. Having learnt it, I shall try to remove his distress, however difficult its achievement may be.

vaiśampāyana uvāca

evaṁ tau kathayantau ca bhūyaḥ śuśruvatuḥ svanam

ārtijaṁ tasya viprasya sabhāryasya viśāmpate

Vaiśampāyana said: O king! When those two - Kuntī and Bhīma, were thus talking, they heard a cry of sorrow proceeding from Brāhmaṇa and his wife.

antaḥpuraṁ tatastasya brāhmaṇasya mahātmanaḥ

viveśa tvaritā kuntī baddhavatseva saurabhī

As Kāmadhenu - all boon giving cow, runs at her tethered calf, so Kuntī ran in all hurry to the inner apartment of high souled Brāhmaṇa.

 tatastaṁ brāhmaṇaṁ tatra bhāryayā ca sutena ca

duhitrā caiva sahitaṁ dadarśāvanatānanam

She saw there Brāhmaṇa, his wife, his son and his daughter, all sitting cast down faces.

brāhmaṇa uvāca

dhigidaṁ jīvitaṁ loke gatasāramanarthakam

duḥkhamūlaṁ parādhīnaṁ bhṛśamapriyabhāgi ca

Brāhmaṇa said: Fie on the life in this world which is hollow as read. It ir full of misery, it is a slave to others, it is based on great sorrow.

jīvite paramaṁ duḥkhaṁ jīvite paramo jvaraḥ

jīvite vartamānasya duḥkhānāmāgamo dhruvaḥ

To live is to suffer great misery, to live is to suffer great diseases. Life is certainly a record of sorrows.

ātmā hyeko hi dharmārthau kāmaṁ caiva niṣevate

etaiśca viprayogo ̍ pi duḥkhaṁ paramanantakam

Soul is one, but it has to serve Dharma, Artha and Kāma. By simultaneous pursuit of these, great misery is occasioned.

āhuḥ kecit paraṁ mokṣaṁ sa ca nāsti kathaṁcana

arthaprāptau tu narakaḥ kṛtsna evopapadyate

Some say that salvation is our highest object of attainment, but it can never be attained. Acquisition of wealth is hell, it is attended with misery.

arthepsutā paraṁ duḥkhamarthaprāptau tato ̍ dhikam

jitasnehasya cārtheṣu viprayoge mahattaram

Great misery is for those who desire wealth, greater for him who has already acquired it. Great affection is engendered on the acquired wealth and when it goes away, misery is great.

na hi yogaṁ prapaśyāmi yena mucyeyamāpadaḥ

putradāreṇa vā sārdhaṁ prādraveyamanāmayam

I do not see by what means I can escape from this danger and how can I fly away from this place with my son and wife?

yatitaṁ vai mayā pūrvaṁ vettha brāhmaṇi tat tathā

kṣemaṁ yatastato gantuṁ tvayā tu mama na śrutam

O Brāhmaṇī ( wife )! Remember, as I tried to go to some other place where we could be happy, but you did not listen to  my words.

iha jātā vivṛddhāsmi pitā cāpi mameti vai

uktavatyasi durmedhe yācyamānā mayāsakṛt

When I repeatedly asked you to go, you, O foolish woman, said: I am born here, I have grown old here, this is my ancestral homestead!

svargato ̍ pi pitā vṛddhastathā mātā ciraṁ tava

bāndhavā bhūtapūrvāśca tatra vāse tu kā ratiḥ

Your father is dead, your old mother died long ago, your friends and relatives are also dead. Why do you then desire to live here?

so ̍ yaṁ te bandhukāmāyā aśṛṇvatyā vaco mama

bandhupraṇāśaḥ samprāpto bhṛśaṁ duḥkhakaro mama

From your affection towards your relatives and friends, you did not then listen to my words. Great misery for the loss of a relative and friend has now come to us.

athavā madvināśo ̍ yaṁ na hi śakṣyāmi kaṁcana

parityaktumahaṁ bandhaṁ jīvan nṛśaṁsavat

Oh! How can I bear it? Time has come for my own death! I shall not be able to live like cruel wretch by abandoning my own relatives and friends.

sahadharmacarīṁ dāntāṁ nityaṁ mātṛsamāṁ mama

sakhāyaṁ vihitāṁ devairnityaṁ paramikāṁ gatim

You are always my help mate in all virtuous acts. You are like a mother to me. Gods have given you to me as my friend. You are my chief stay.

pitrā mātrā ca vihitāṁ sadā gārhasthyabhāginīm

varayitvā yathānyāyaṁ mantravat pariṇīya ca

kulīnāṁ śīlasampannāmapatyajananīmapi

tvāmahaṁ jīvitasyārthe sādhvīmanapakāriṇīm

parityaktuṁ na śakṣyāmi bhāryāṁ nityamanuvratām

kuta eva parityaktuṁ sutaṁ śakṣyāmyahaṁ svayam

bālamaprāptavayasamajātavyañjanākṛtim

bharturarthāya nikṣiptāṁ nyāsaṁ dhātrā mahātmanā

yayā dauhitrajām̐llokānāśaṁse pitṛbhiḥ saha

svayamutpādya tāṁ bālāṁ kathamutsraṣṭumutsahe

You were made by my parents as a partner of my domestic life. You are nobly born and of good disposition. You are a mother of children. You are ever devoted to me. You are innocent, ever constant to your vows. You have chosen and wed to me in due rites. How can I abandon you for the sake of saving my own life? How I shall be able to abandon my own son? He is a child of tender years, having no beard yet on his chin. How I shall sacrifice my daughter whom I have begotten myself, who has been given to me by illustrious creator for bestowing her on a husband and through whom I am to enjoy, along with my ancestors. These regions attainable by those only who possess daughter ̍ s sons.

manyate kecidadhikaṁ snehaṁ putre piturnarāḥ

kanyāyāṁ kecidapare mama tulyāvubhau smṛtau

Some men think that father ̍ s affection for his son is greater, others think that father ̍ s affection for his daughter is greater, but mine is equal.

yasyāṁ lokāḥ prasūtiśca sthitā nityamatho sukham

apāpāṁ tāmahaṁ bālāṁ kathamutsraṣṭumutsahe

How I can abandon innocent girl upon whom rests religion of internal bliss and my own lineage and perpetual happiness?

ātmānamapi cotsṛjya tapsyāmi paralokagaḥ

tyaktā hyete vyaktaṁ neha śakṣyanti jīvitum

If I sacrifice myself and go to the other world, I shall still be repentant, for being abandoned by me, they would not be able to live.

eṣāṁ cānyatamatyāgo nṛśaṁso garhito budhaiḥ

ātmatyāge kṛte ceme mariṣyanti mayā vinā

To abandon any of these - my wife, son or daughter, will be a cruel and most wicked act. If I sacrifice myself, they will also die without me.

sa kṛcchrāmahṛmāpanno na śaktastartumāpadam

aho dhik kāṁ gatiṁ tvadya gamiṣyāmi sabāndhavaḥ

sarvaiḥ saha mṛtaṁ śreyo na ca me jīvitaṁ kṣamam

Distress into which I have fallen is great. I do not know the means of escape from it. Alas! What means I should adopt with my friends and relatives? It is better that I should die with them. I am unable to live any longer!