Vaisampayana said, "O son of Kuru, they, Yudhishthira and others, having
reached the forest of _Kamyaka_, were hospitably received by hosts of
saints and they lived together with Krishna. And while the sons of Pandu
were dwelling in security in that place, many _Brahmanas_ came to wait
upon them. And a certain _Brahmana_ said, 'He the beloved friend of
Arjuna, of powerful arms and possessed of self control, descendant of
_Sura_, of a lofty intellect, will come, for, O ye foremost of the
descendants of Kuru, Hari knows that ye have arrived here. For, Hari has
always a longing for your sight and always seeks your welfare. And
Markandeya, who lived very many years devoted to great austerities,
given to study and penance, will erelong come and meet you.' And the
very moment that he was uttering these words, there was beheld Krishna,
coming thitherward upon a car unto which were yoked the horses Saivya
and Sugriva,--he the best of those that ride on cars, accompanied by
Satyabhama, is like Indra by Sachi, the daughter of Pulaman. And the son
of Devaki came, desirous to see those most righteous of the descendants
of Kuru. And the sagacious Krishna, having alighted from the car,
prostrated himself, with pleasure in his heart, before the virtuous
king, in the prescribed way, and also before Bhima, that foremost of
powerful men. And he paid his respects to Dhaumya, while the twin
brothers prostrated themselves to him. And he embraced Arjuna of the
curly hair; and spoke words of solace to the daughter of Drupada. And
the descendant of the chief of the Dasaraha tribe, that chastiser of
foes, when he saw the beloved Arjuna come near him, having seen him
after a length of time, clasped him again and again. And so too
Satyabhama also, the beloved consort of Krishna, embraced the daughter
of Drupada, the beloved wife of the sons of Pandu. Then these sons of
Pandu, accompanied by their wife and priests, paid their respects to
Krishna, whose eyes resembled the white lotus and surrounded him on all
sides. And Krishna, when united with Arjuna, the son of Pritha, the
winner of riches and the terror of the demons assumed a beauty
comparable to that of _Siva_, the magnanimous lord of all created
beings, when he, the mighty lord, is united with Kartikeya (his son).
And Arjuna, who bore a circlet of crowns on his head, gave an account of
what had happened to him in the forest to Krishna, the elder brother of
Gada. And Arjuna asked, saying, 'How is Subhadra, and her son
Abhimanyu?' And Krishna, the slayer of Madhu, having paid his respects
in the prescribed form to the son of Pritha, and to the priest, and
seating himself with them there, spoke to king Yudhishthira, in words of
praise. And he said, 'O king, Virtue is preferable to the winning of
kingdoms; it is, in fact, practice of austerities! By you who have
obeyed with truth and candour what your duty prescribed, have been won
both this world and that to come! First you have studied, while
performing religious duties; having acquired in a suitable way the whole
science of arms, having won wealth by pursuing the methods prescribed
for the military caste, you have celebrated all the time-honoured
sacrificial rites. You take no delight in sensual pleasures; you do not
act, O lord of men, from motives of enjoyment, nor do you swerve from
virtue from greed of riches; it is for this, you have been named the
Virtuous King, O son of Pritha! Having won kingdoms and riches and means
of enjoyment, your best delight has been charity and truth and practice
of austerities, O King, and faith and meditation and forbearance and
patience! When the population of Kuru-jangala beheld Krishna outraged in
the assembly hall, who but yourself could brook that conduct, O Pandu's
son, which was so repugnant both to virtue and usage? No doubt, you
will, before long, rule over men in a praiseworthy way, all your desires
being fulfilled. Here are we prepared to chastise the Kurus, as soon as
the stipulation made by you is fully performed!' And Krishna, the
foremost of the _Dasarha_ tribe, then said to Dhaumya and Bhima and
Yudhishthira, and the twins and Krishna, 'How fortunate that by your
blessing Arjuna the bearer of the coronet, has arrived after having
acquired the science of arms!' And Krishna, the leader of the _Dasarha_
tribe, accompanied by friends, likewise spoke to Krishna, the daughter
of Yajnasena, saying, 'How fortunate that you are united, safe and
secure, with Arjuna, the winner of riches!' And Krishna also said, 'O
Krishna, O daughter of Yajnasena, those sons of yours, are devoted to
the study of the science of arms, are well-behaved and conduct
themselves on the pattern, O Krishna, of their righteous friends. Your
father and your uterine brothers proffer them a kingdom and territories;
but the boys find no joy in the house of Drupada, or in that of their
maternal uncles. Safely proceeding to the land of the Anartas, they take
the greatest delight in the study of the science of arms. Your sons
enter the town of the _Vrishnis_ and take an immediate liking to the
people there. And as you would direct them to conduct themselves, or as
the respected Kunti would do, so does Subhadra direct them in a watchful
way. Perhaps, she is still more careful of them. And, O Krishna, as
Rukmini's son is the preceptor of Aniruddha, of Abhimanyu, of Sunitha,
and of Bhanu; so he is the preceptor and the refuge of your sons also!
And a good preceptor, would unceasingly give them lessons in the
wielding of maces and swords and bucklers, in missiles and in the arts
of driving cars and of riding horses, being valiant. And he, the son of
Rukmini, having bestowed a very good training upon them, and having
taught them the art of using various weapons in a proper way, takes
satisfaction at the valorous deeds of your sons, and of Abhimanyu, O
daughter of Drupada! And when your son goes out, in pursuit of
(out-door) sports, each one of them is followed thither by cars and
horses and vehicles and elephants.' And Krishna said to the virtuous
king, Yudhishthira, 'The fighting men of the _Dasarha_ tribe, and the
_Kukuras_, and the _Andhakas_--let these, O king, place themselves at
thy command--let them perform what thou desirest them. O lord of men,
let the army of the tribe of Madhus, (resistless) like the wind, with
their bows and led by Balarama whose weapon is the plough--let that
army, equipped (for war), consisting of horsemen and foot soldiers and
horses and cars and elephants, prepare to do your bidding. O son of
Pandu! Drive Duryodhana, the son of Dhritarashtra, the vilest of sinful
men, together with his followers and his hosts of friends to the path
betaken by the lord of Saubha, the son of the Earth! You, O ruler of
men, are welcome to stick to that stipulation which was made in the
assembly-hall--but let the city of Hastina be made ready for you, when
the hostile force has been slain by the soldiers of the _Dasarha_ tribe!
Having roamed at your pleasure in all those places where you may desire
to go, having got rid of your grief and freed from all your sins--you
will reach the city of Hastina--the well-known city situated in the
midst of a fine territory!'--Then the magnanimous king having been
acquainted with the view, thus clearly set forth by Krishna that best of
men, and, having applauded the same, and having deliberated, thus spoke
with joined palms unto Kesava, 'O Kesava, no doubt, thou art the refuge
of the sons of Pandu; for the sons of Pandu have their protector in
thee! When the time will come, there is no doubt that thou wilt do all
the work just mentioned by thee; and even more than the same! As
promised by us, we have spent all the twelve years in lonely forests. O
Kesava, having in the prescribed way completed the period for living
unrecognised, the sons of Pandu will take refuge in thee. This should be
the intention of those that associate with thee, O Krishna! The sons of
Pandu swerve not from the path of truth, for the sons of Pritha with
their charity and their piety with their people and their wives and with
their relations have their protector in thee!'"
Vaisampayana said, "O descendant of Bharata, while Krishna, the
descendant of the _Vrishnis_ and the virtuous king, were thus talking,
there appeared then the saint Markandeya, grown grey in the practise of
penances. And he had seen many thousand years of life, was of a pious
soul, and devoted to great austerities. Signs of old age he had none;
and deathless he was, and endued with beauty and generous and many good
qualities. And he looked like one only twenty-five years old. And when
the aged saint, who had seen many thousand years of life, came, all the
_Brahmanas_ paid their respects to him and so did Krishna together with
Pandu's son. And when that wisest saint, thus honoured, took his seat in
a friendly way, Krishna addressed him, in accordance with the views of
the _Brahmanas_ and of Pandu's sons, thus,--
"'The sons of Pandu, and the _Brahmanas_ assembled here, and the
daughter of Drupada, and Satyabhama, likewise myself, are all anxious to
hear your most excellent words, O Markandeya! Propound to us the holy
stories of events of bygone times, and the eternal rules of righteous
conduct by which are guided kings and women and saints!'"
Vaisampayana continued, "When they had all taken their seats, Narada
also, the divine saint, of purified soul, came on a visit to Pandu's
sons. Him also, then, of great soul, all those foremost men of superior
intellect, honoured in the prescribed form, by offering water to wash
his feet, and the well-known oblation called the _Arghya_. Then the
godlike saint, Narada, learning that they were about to hear the speech
of Markandeya, expressed his assent to the arrangement. And he, the
deathless, knowing what would be opportune, said smilingly, 'O saint of
the _Brahmana_ caste, speak what you were about to say unto the sons of
Pandu!' Thus addressed, Markandeya, devoted to great austerities,
replied, 'Wait a moment. A great deal will be narrated.' Thus addressed,
the sons of Pandu, together with those twice-born ones, waited a moment,
looking at that great saint, (bright) as the mid-day sun."
Vaisampayana continued, "Pandu's son, the king of the Kuru tribe, having
observed that the great saint was willing to speak, questioned him with a
view to suggesting topics to speak upon, saying, 'You who are ancient
(in years), know the deeds of gods and demons, and illustrious saints,
and of all the royal ones. We consider you as worthy of being worshipped
and honoured; and we have long yearned after your company. And here is
this son of Devaki, Krishna, who has come to us on a visit. Verily, when
I look at myself, fallen away from happiness, and when I contemplate the
sons of Dhritarashtra, of evil life, flourishing in every way, the idea
arises in me that it is _man_ who does all acts, good or bad, and that
it is _he_ that enjoys the fruit the acts bring forth. How then is god
the agent? And, O best of those that are proficient in the knowledge of
God, how is it that men's actions follow them? Is it in this world? Or
is it in some subsequent existence? And, O best of righteous men among
the twice-born, in what way is an embodied animated being joined by his
good and evil deeds that seek him out? Is it after death? Or is it in
this world? And, O descendant of Bhrigu, is what we experience in this
world the result of the acts of this very life? Or will the acts of this
life bear fruit in the world to come? And where do the actions of an
animated being who is dead find their resting place?'
"Markandeya said, 'O best of those that can speak, this question befits
thee, and is just what it should be. Thou knowest all that there is to
know. But thou art asking this question, simply for the sake of form.
Here I shall answer thee: listen to me with an attentive mind, as to how
in this world and in that to come, a man experienceth happiness and
misery. The lord of born beings, himself sprung first of all, created,
for all embodied beings, bodies which were stainless, pure, and obedient
to virtuous impulses, O wisest of the descendants of Kuru! The ancient
men had all their desires fulfilled, were given to praiseworthy courses
of life, were speakers of truth, godly and pure. All were equal to the
gods, could ascend to the sky at their pleasure, and could come back
again; and all went about at their pleasure. And they had their death
and their life also under their own control; and they had few
sufferings; had no fear; and had their wishes fulfilled; and they were
free from trouble; could visit the gods and the magnanimous saints; knew
by heart all righteous rules; were self-controlled and free from envy.
And they lived many thousand years; and had many thousand sons. Then in
course of time they came to be restricted to walking solely on the
surface of the earth, overpowered by lust and wrath, dependent for
subsistence upon falsehood and trick, overwhelmed by greed and
senselessness. Then those wicked men, when disembodied, on account of
their unrighteous and unblessed deeds, went to hell in a crooked way.
Again and again, they were grilled, and, again and again they began to
drag their miserable existence in this wonderful world. And their
desires were unfulfilled, the objects unaccomplished, and their
knowledge became unavailing. And their senses were paralysed and they
became apprehensive of everything and the cause of other people's
sufferings. And they were generally marked by wicked deeds, and born in
low families; they became wicked and afflicted with diseases, and the
terror of others. And they became short-lived and sinful and they reaped
the fruit of their terrible deeds. And coveting everything, they became
godless and indifferent in mind, O son of Kunti! The destiny of every
creature after death is determined by his acts in this world. Thou hast
asked me where this treasure of acts of the sage and the ignorant
remain, and where they enjoy the fruit of their good and evil deeds! Do
thou listen to the regulations on this subject! Man with his subtle
original body created by God lays up a great store of virtue and vice.
After death he quits his frail (outer) body and is immediately born
again in another order of beings. He never remains non-existent for a
single moment. In his new life his actions follow him invariably as
shadow and, fructifying, makes his destiny happy or miserable. The wise
man, by his spiritual insight, knows all creatures to be bound to an
immutable destiny by the destroyer and incapable of resisting the
fruition of his actions in good or evil fortune. This, O Yudhishthira,
is the doom of all creatures steeped in spiritual ignorance. Do thou now
hear of the perfect way attained by men of high spiritual perception!
Such men are of high ascetic virtue and are versed in all profane and
holy writ, diligent in performing their religious obligations and
devoted to truth. And they pay due homage to their preceptors and
superiors and practise Yoga, are forgiving, continent and energetic and
pious and are generally endowed with every virtue. By the conquest of
the passions, they are subdued in mind; by practising _yoga_ they become
free from disease, fear and sorrow; they are not troubled (in mind). In
course of birth, mature or immature, or while ensconced in the womb, in
every condition, they with spiritual eyes recognize the relation of
their soul to the supreme Spirit. Those great-minded _Rishis_ of
positive and intuitive knowledge passing through this arena of actions,
return again to the abode of the celestials. Men, O king, attain what
they have in consequence of the grace of the gods of Destiny or of their
own actions. Do thou not think otherwise. O Yudhishthira, I regard that
as the highest good which is regarded so in this world. Some attain
happiness in this world, but not in the next; others do so in the next,
but not in this. Some, again, attain happiness in this as well as in the
next world; and others neither here nor in the next world. Those that
have immense wealth, shine every day with well-decorated persons. O
slayer of mighty foes, being addicted to carnal pleasures, they enjoy
happiness only in this world, but not in the next. But those who are
engaged in spiritual meditations and the study of the Vedas, who are
diligent in asceticism, and who impair the vigour of their bodies by
performing their duties, who have subdued their passions, and who
refrain from killing any animated being, those men, O slayer of thy
enemies, attain happiness in the next world, but not in this! Those who
first live a pious life, and virtuously acquire wealth in due time and
then marry and perform sacrifices, attain bliss both in this and the
next world. Those foolish men again who do not acquire knowledge, nor
are engaged in asceticism or charity or increasing their species, or in
encompassing the pleasures and enjoyments of this world, attain bliss
neither in this nor in the next world. But all of you are proficient in
knowledge and possessed of great power and strength and celestial
vigour. For the extermination (of the wicked) and for serving the
purposes of the gods, ye have come from the other world and have taken
your birth in this! Ye, who are so valiant, and engaged in asceticism,
self-restraining exercises, and religious ordinances, and fond of
exertion, after having performed great deeds and gratified the gods and
_Rishis_ and the _Pitris_, ye will at last in due course attain by your
own acts the supreme region--the abode of all virtuous men! O ornament
of Kuru's race, may no doubts cross thy mind on account of these thy
sufferings, for this affliction is for thy good!'"