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Mahābhārata • Parva 8 (Karṇaparva) • Adhyāya 49

Karṇaparva Adhyāya 49

कर्णपर्व • अध्यायः 49

Karṇaparva Adhyāya 49 of the classical Mahābhārata with 117 verses.

Total: 117 Verses • Citations: MBh 8.49.1–117 • 250 Lexicon Terms • Page 2 of 4 (Verses 30 shown)
तादृशं पश्यते बालो यस्य सत्यमनुष्ठितम् । सत्यानृते विनिश्चित्य ततो भवति धर्मवित् ॥
English Translation
Indeed it is not a very easy thing to become righteous. He who can distinguish between the niceties of truth and untruth can alone become conversant with morality.
किमाश्चर्यं कृतप्रज्ञः पुरुषोऽपि सुदारुणः । सुमहत्प्राप्नुयात्पुण्यं बलाकोऽन्धवधादिव ॥
English Translation
What wonder is there then that a wise man by doing something awfully cruel may even acquire virtue, as Balaka did by killing a blind beast.
किमाश्चर्यं पुनर्मूढो धर्मकामोऽप्यपण्डितः । सुमहत्प्राप्नुयात्पापमापगामिव कौशिकः ॥
English Translation
What wonder then that an ignorant and inexperienced person, intending to practise virtue, would commit grave vice like Kaushika on the river-bank."
आचक्ष्व भगवन्नेतद्यथा विद्यामहं तथा । बलाकान्धाभिसंबद्धं नदीनां कौशिकस्य च ॥
English Translation
Arjuna said Tell me of it, O holy one, in a way that I may learn it these stories about Balaka and Kaushika on the river-bank.
मृगव्याधोऽभवत्कश्चिद्बलाको नाम भारत । यात्रार्थं पुत्रदारस्य मृगान्हन्ति न कामतः ॥
English Translation
Vasudeva said There was once a hunter, O Bharata, Balaka by name. He used to kill animals, not willfully but, in order to support his children and wife.
सोऽन्धौ च मातापितरौ बिभर्त्यन्यांश्च संश्रितान् । स्वधर्मनिरतो नित्यं सत्यवागनसूयकः ॥
English Translation
Devoted to his tribal pursuits, always speaking the truth and devoid of malice, he used to maintain his aged mother and father and other dependents.
स कदाचिन्मृगाँल्लिप्सुर्नान्वविन्दत्प्रयत्नवान् । अथापश्यत्स पीतोदं श्वापदं घ्राणचक्षुषम् ॥
अदृष्टपूर्वमपि तत्सत्त्वं तेन हतं तदा । अन्वेव च ततो व्योम्नः पुष्पवर्षमवापतत् ॥
English Translation
Though he had not before seen a like of it, yet he killed it then and there. No sooner the blind beast had been killed, that there fell from the skies a shower of flowers.
अप्सरोगीतवादित्रैर्नादितं च मनोरमम् । विमानमागमत्स्वर्गान्मृगव्याधनिनीषया ॥
English Translation
A celestial car, filled with the songs and music of Apsaras, came down from heaven to fetch that hunter of animals.
तद्भूतं सर्वभूतानामभावाय किलार्जुन । तपस्तप्त्वा वरं प्राप्तं कृतमन्धं स्वयंभुवा ॥
English Translation
That beast having, successfully performed all the austerities of asceticism with a view to kill all the animals, had received that boon but was made blind instead by the Self-born.
तद्धत्वा सर्वभूतानामभावकृतनिश्चयम् । ततो बलाकः स्वरगादेवं धर्मः सुदुर्विदः ॥
English Translation
Therefore Valaka, having killed the beast that was bent upon killing all the animals, went to heaven. Morality is, therefore, very difficult to be understood.
कौशिकोऽप्यभवद्विप्रस्तपस्वी न बहुश्रुतः । नदीनां संगमे ग्रामाददूरे स किलावसत् ॥
English Translation
There was an ascetic Brahmin named Kaushika not much read in the Scriptures. He used to reside at a confluence of rivers, not far away from a village.
सत्यं मया सदा वाच्यमिति तस्याभवद्व्रतम् । सत्यवादीति विख्यातः स तदासीद्धनंजय ॥
English Translation
He had taken the vow that the would ever speak the truth.' Therefore, O Dhananjaya, he become famous as a truthful man.
अथ दस्युभयात्केचित्तदा तद्वनमाविशन् । दस्यवोऽपि गताः क्रूरा व्यमार्गन्त प्रयत्नतः ॥
English Translation
At a time certain persons, being afraid of robbers, entered the woods. Even there the robbers, filled with anger, doggedly haunted after them.
अथ कौशिकमभ्येत्य प्राहुस्तं सत्यवादिनम् । कतमेन पथा याता भगवन्बहवो जनाः । सत्येन पृष्टः प्रब्रूहि यदि तान्वेत्थ शंस नः ॥
English Translation
They then approaching Kaushika the truthful, said-'O holy one, which way have a number of men passed a little while ago? Asked in the name of truth tell us if you have seen them.'
स पृष्टः कौशिकः सत्यं वचनं तानुवाच ह । बहुवृक्षलतागुल्ममेतद्वनमुपाश्रिताः । ततस्ते तान्समासाद्य क्रूरा जघ्नुरिति श्रुतिः ॥
English Translation
Being thus asked Kaushika told them the truth, that they had entered the wood thickly covered with trees, creepers and shrubs. O Partha, thus did Kaushika inform them.
तेनाधर्मेण महता वाग्दुरुक्तेन कौशिकः । गतः सुकष्टं नरकं सूक्ष्मधर्मेष्वकोविदः । अप्रभूतश्रुतो मूढो धर्माणामविभागवित् ॥
English Translation
And the report goes that on this those wanton men got hold of those persons and put them to death. For the gave sin of uttering that truth, which should not have been uttered, Kaushika, unversed in the subtleties of religion, fell into a fearful hell.
वृद्धानपृष्ट्वा संदेहं महच्छ्वभ्रमितोऽर्हति । तत्र ते लक्षणोद्देशः कश्चिदेव भविष्यति ॥
दुष्करं परमज्ञानं तर्केणात्र व्यवस्यति । श्रुतिर्धर्म इति ह्येके वदन्ति बहवो जनाः ॥
English Translation
Your definition of morality must be then something like that. Some people attempt at attaining that high and difficult knowledge by the exercise of reasoning. Many persons maintain, on the other hand, that morality can be learned from the scriptures alone.
न त्वेतत्प्रतिसूयामि न हि सर्वं विधीयते । प्रभवार्थाय भूतानां धर्मप्रवचनं कृतम् ॥
English Translation
I do not find fault with the latter, but then everything is not provided for there. The moral precepts have been made for the well-being of the creatures.
धारणाद्धर्ममित्याहुर्धर्मो धारयति प्रजाः । यः स्याद्धारणसंयुक्तः स धर्म इति निश्चयः ॥
English Translation
Dharma (morality) is so-called because it protects all. Indeed, morality saves all creatures. Surely then that is morality which is capable of keeping off a creature from all injuries.
येऽन्यायेन जिहीर्षन्तो जना इच्छन्ति कर्हिचित् । अकूजनेन चेन्मोक्षो नात्र कूजेत्कथंचन ॥
English Translation
Those who try to stick to them logically, have scarcely a mind to acquire morality. If you can get rid of them without a word do no account have any intercourse with them.
अवश्यं कूजितव्यं वा शङ्केरन्वाप्यकूजतः । श्रेयस्तत्रानृतं वक्तुं सत्यादिति विचारितम् ॥
English Translation
If he must be spoken to or if he takes offence on not being talked with, in that case better speak a falsehood; verily that untruth is truth.
प्राणात्यये विवाहे वा सर्वज्ञातिधनक्षये । नर्मण्यभिप्रवृत्ते वा प्रवक्तव्यं मृषा भवेत् । अधर्मं नात्र पश्यन्ति धर्मतत्त्वार्थदर्शिनः ॥
English Translation
When one's life is endangered, at marriage, at the risk of destruction of one's kith and kin or in the course of business, all that is uttered will not be regarded as falsehood. To those who are well-versed in the real secrets of morality, there appear no immorality in all this.
यः स्तेनैः सह संबन्धान्मुच्यते शपथैरपि । श्रेयस्तत्रानृतं वक्तुं तत्सत्यमविचारितम् ॥
English Translation
If he must be spoken to or if he takes offence on not being talked with, in that case better speak a falsehood; verily that untruth is truth.
न च तेभ्यो धनं देयं शक्ये सति कथंचन । पापेभ्यो हि धनं दत्तं दातारमपि पीडयेत् । तस्माद्धर्मार्थमनृतमुक्त्वा नानृतवाग्भवेत् ॥
English Translation
On no account should one's wealth he give to the robbers, if that could be helped. Wealth when give to the sinful afflicts even the donor.
एष ते लक्षणोद्देशः समुद्दिष्टो यथाविधि । एतच्छ्रुत्वा ब्रूहि पार्थ यदि वध्यो युधिष्ठिरः ॥
English Translation
Therefore, an untruth spoken in the cause of morality does not amount to a falsehood. I have now duly pointed out to you the distinctive feathers of morality. Having heard all these tell me, O Partha, if Yudhishthira deserves to be killed.
यथा ब्रूयान्महाप्राज्ञो यथा ब्रूयान्महामतिः । हितं चैव यथास्माकं तथैतद्वचनं तव ॥
English Translation
Arjuna said "O Krishna! You have spoken as a man of great wisdom should say, as a man of great intelligence need say. Your words are even such as would do good to us.
भवान्मातृसमोऽस्माकं तथा पितृसमोऽपि च । गतिश्च परमा कृष्ण तेन ते वाक्यमद्भुतम् ॥
English Translation
You are like both a mother and a father to us. You, O Krishna, are our sanctuary; that is why your words are beneficial to us.
न हि ते त्रिषु लोकेषु विद्यतेऽविदितं क्वचित् । तस्माद्भवान्परं धर्मं वेद सर्वं यथातथम् ॥
English Translation
Nothing is there in the three worlds that is unknown to you. Therefore, you know the sublime morality with all its niceties.
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