The Great Epic of the Bhārata dynasty 2.65: pañcaṣaṣṭhitamo'dhyāyaḥ

2.65.1

yudhiṣṭhira uvāca |
rājankiṃ karavāmaste praśādhyasmāṃstvamīśvaraḥ |
nityaṃ hi sthātumicchāmastava bhārata śāsane || 1 ||

"Yudhishthira said,--'O king, thou art our master. Command us as to what we shall do. O Bharata, we desire to remain always in obedience to thee.

2.65.2

dhṛtarāṣṭra uvāca |
ajātaśatro bhadraṃ te ariṣṭaṃ svasti gacchata |
anujñātāḥ sahadhanāḥ svarājyamanuśāsata || 2 ||

"Dhritarashtra replied.--'O Ajatasatru, blest be thou. Go thou in peace and safety. Commanded by me, go, rule thy own kingdom with thy wealth. And, O child, take to heart this command of an old man, this wholesome advice that I give, and which is even a nutritive regimen. O Yudhishthira, O child, thou knowest the subtle path of morality. Possessed of great wisdom, thou art also humble, and thou waitest also upon the old. Where there is intelligence, there is forbearance. Therefore, O Bharata, follow thou counsels of peace. The axe falleth upon wood, not upon stone. (Thou art open to advice, not Duryodhana). They are the best of men that remember not the acts of hostility of their foes; that behold only the merits, not the faults, of their enemies; and that never enter into hostilities themselves. They that are good remember only the good deeds of their foes and not the hostile acts their foes might have done unto them. The good, besides, do good unto others without expectation of any good, in return. O Yudhishthira, it is only the worst of men that utter harsh words in quarrelling; while they that are indifferent reply to such when spoken by others. But they that are good and wise never think of or recapitulate such harsh words, little caring whether these may or may not have been uttered by their foes. They that are good, having regard to the state of their own feelings, can understand the feelings of others, and therefore remember only the good deeds and not the acts of hostility of their foes. Thou hast acted even as good men of prepossessing countenance do, who transgress not the limits of virtue, wealth, pleasure and salvation. O child, remember not the harsh words of Duryodhana. Look at thy mother Gandhari and myself also, if thou desirest to remember only what is good. O Bharata, look at me, who am thy father unto you and am old and blind, and still alive. It was for seeing our friends and examining also the strength and weakness of my children, that I had, from motives of policy, suffered this match at dice to proceed. O king those amongst the Kurus that have thee for their ruler, and the intelligent Vidura conversant with every branch of learning for their counsellor, have, indeed, nothing to grieve for. In thee is virtue, in Arjuna is patience, in Bhimasena is prowess, and the twins, those foremost of men, is pure reverence for superiors. Blest be thou, O Ajatasatru. Return to Khandavaprastha, and let there be brotherly love between thee and thy cousins. Let thy heart also be ever fixed on virtue.'"

2.65.3

idaṃ tvevāvaboddhavyaṃ vṛddhasya mama śāsanam |
dhiyā nigaditaṃ kṛtsnaṃ pathyaṃ niḥśreyasaṃ param || 3 ||

2.65.4

vettha tvaṃ tāta dharmāṇāṃ gatiṃ sūkṣmāṃ yudhiṣṭhira |
vinīto'si mahāprājña vṛddhānāṃ paryupāsitā || 4 ||

2.65.5

yato buddhistataḥ śāntiḥ praśamaṃ gaccha bhārata |
nādārau kramate śastraṃ dārau śastraṃ nipātyate || 5 ||

2.65.6

na vairāṇyabhijānanti guṇānpaśyanti nāguṇān |
virodhaṃ nādhigacchanti ye ta uttamapūruṣāḥ || 6 ||

2.65.7

saṃvāde paruṣāṇyāhuryudhiṣṭhira narādhamāḥ |
pratyāhurmadhyamāstvetānuktāḥ paruṣamuttaram || 7 ||

2.65.8

naivoktā naiva cānuktā ahitāḥ paruṣā giraḥ |
pratijalpanti vai dhīrāḥ sadā uttamapūruṣāḥ || 8 ||

2.65.9

smaranti sukṛtānyeva na vairāṇi kṛtānyapi |
santaḥ prativijānanto labdhvā pratyayamātmanaḥ || 9 ||

2.65.10

tathācaritamāryeṇa tvayāsminsatsamāgame |
duryodhanasya pāruṣyaṃ tattāta hṛdi mā kṛthāḥ || 10 ||

2.65.11

mātaraṃ caiva gāndhārīṃ māṃ ca tvadguṇakāṅkṣiṇam |
upasthitaṃ vṛddhamandhaṃ pitaraṃ paśya bhārata || 11 ||

2.65.12

prekṣāpūrvaṃ mayā dyūtamidamāsīdupekṣitam |
mitrāṇi draṣṭukāmena putrāṇāṃ ca balābalam || 12 ||

2.65.13

aśocyāḥ kuravo rājanyeṣāṃ tvamanuśāsitā |
mantrī ca viduro dhīmānsarvaśāstraviśāradaḥ || 13 ||

2.65.14

tvayi dharmo'rjune vīryaṃ bhīmasene parākramaḥ |
śraddhā ca guruśuśrūṣā yamayoḥ puruṣāgryayoḥ || 14 ||

2.65.15

ajātaśatro bhadraṃ te khāṇḍavaprasthamāviśa |
bhrātṛbhiste'stu saubhrātraṃ dharme te dhīyatāṃ manaḥ || 15 ||

2.65.16

vaiśaṃpāyana uvāca |
ityukto bharataśreṣṭho dharmarājo yudhiṣṭhiraḥ |
kṛtvāryasamayaṃ sarvaṃ pratasthe bhrātṛbhiḥ saha || 16 ||

Vaisampayana continued,--"That foremost of the Bharatas--king Yudhishthira the just--then, thus addressed by his uncle, having gone through every ceremony of politeness, set out with his brothers for Khandavaprastha. And accompanied by Draupadi and ascending their cars which were all of the hue of the clouds, with cheerful hearts they all set out for that best of cities called Indraprastha."

2.65.17

te rathānmeghasaṃkāśānāsthāya saha kṛṣṇayā |
prayayurhṛṣṭamanasa indraprasthaṃ purottamam || 17 ||