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Mahābhārata The History of the Great India
<< 44 Bhima's Lament >>
 |  | "How ironic that in Varanavata my mother and brothers could not fall asleep on the most costly beds and now they sleep so soundly on the bare ground. Behold this lady, Kunti. Her brother Vasudeva crushed the hosts of wicked enemies. Kunti, the daughter of King Kuntibhoja, is glorified by all the marks of divine and noble birth. She is the daughter-in-law of Vicitravirya and the wife of the great soul Pandu. She has always slept in palaces, and she shines like the bright whorl of the lotus. She is the most delicate of women, and by all rights she deserves the costliest bedding. Just see her now so unfairly lying on the dirt of the earth! She bore her sons from the god of justice, from the king of heaven, and from the Wind, and now that same innocent woman lies exhausted on this bare land.
| | | "What could be more heartbreaking for me than this—that I must now watch my own brothers, tigers among men, sleeping here on the empty ground? Whatever kingdom may be in the three worlds, this king, Yudhisthira, deserves to rule it, for it is he who knows the Law. How can that very king lie here exhausted on bare ground like a most wretched and vulgar man? And Arjuna, who has no equal among men in this world, whose divine hue is dark like a bluish rain cloud—he too lies here on the empty land like a wretched person. What is sadder than this? And the twins, endowed with beauty like that of the celestial Asvins—they too rest on the hard surface of the earth as if the poorest of men.
| | | "A man who has no biased and scheming relatives to disgrace his family lives very happily in this world, like a tree that stands alone in a village. That single tree, full of leaves and fruits, becomes sacred to the village, and because it stands alone, without a jungle of relatives, the people honor and revere it.
| | | "Of course, those who have many courageous relatives and who are devoted to religious principles also live happily in this world, free of distress. Powerful, prosperous people who love and take care of their friends and family live by helping and depending on one another, like trees in a noble forest.
| | | "But Dhrtarastra and his wicked son have driven us out of our home. Somehow, by the instruction of Vidura, we were not burned to death. And here we are under the shelter of a tree. What direction shall we take, now that we have come to the worst trouble of our lives?
| | | "I seem to make out a city not too far from this forest. Someone had better keep guard while the others sleep, so I myself shall stay awake. My mother and brothers will drink water later, when they awaken and are rested and relaxed."
| | | Thus making up his mind, Bhima guarded his family throughout the night.
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