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Mahābhārata The History of the Great India
<< 6 The Birth of the Pandavas >>
 |  | King Pandu, the emperor of the world, killed a sage and his wife who were disguised as deer just as they were about to mate. Before the sage died, he cursed the king to die if the king ever tried to conceive a child. As the Mahabharata continues, the sage Vaisampayana tells of Pandu's lamentation and of the extraordinary birth of Pandu's sons.
| | | Vaisampayana said:
Seeing the young sage pass away, the king was distraught. Agonizing over the accidental killing of a saintly brahmana, he and his wives lamented as if for their own kin.
| | | Pandu said:
People like me who lack spiritual advancement, even though born in noble families, come to misfortune by their own foolish acts. Such people are trapped in the network of their selfish desires.
| | | I have heard that my father Vicitravirya, though born to religious parents, became absorbed in sex pleasure and by overindulgence that young king died childless. Therefore, the self-disciplined and divine sage Dvaipayana begot me in my father's wife. [What a blessed birth was mine!] And yet today my degraded mind became absorbed in evil passion, and I foolishly lost myself in hunting. I am so wicked that even the gods have abandoned me!
| | | [I conquered the earth with military strength, but because I did not conquer my own material desires I remained in bondage.] I am determined to seek salvation, for bondage to this world is nothing but a great calamity. Now I shall follow the imperishable path of my father Dvaipayana. I have no doubt. I shall practice the most severe austerities and wander the world alone as a thoughtful mendicant, staying each day beneath the shelter of a single tree. I shall shave my head and cover my body with dust. I shall live in deserted houses or simply beneath a tree, and nothing will please or displease me. I shall not lament or rejoice for any material thing. Whether people ridicule or praise me, I shall accept both ridicule and praise equally. I shall not hanker for anything in this mortal world, or flatter any man for his favor. Heat and cold, happiness and distress, victory and defeat—I shall not waver in the face of these worldly dualities, nor shall I claim anything to be mine. I shall not ridicule or frown upon any creature. I shall always be of cheerful countenance and dedicate myself to the spiritual welfare of every living being. I shall not commit violence against any life, moving or unmoving, for I shall always look upon all God's creatures as my own beloved kin. I shall treat all living things with equality.
| | | Vaisampayana said:
Speaking thus, King Pandu, deeply aggrieved, breathed heavily for a long time. Carefully meeting the eyes of his beloved Kunti and Madri, he told them, Everyone must be told of the changes in my life. Many people depend on me, so as gently as possible you must inform my mother, the wise Vidura and King Dhrtarastra, and all our other relatives. Speak to the noble Satyavati and Bhisma, all the priests of the royal family, and the brahmanas, those great souls so strict in their vows who drink the nectar of the gods. Tell all the senior and elderly citizens who have faithfully served us all their lives. Tell them all that Pandu is gone, gone alone to the forest.
| | | Hearing of his decision to live in the forest as an ascetic, the women replied with equal determination: There are other stages of life for married people in which you can perform heavy austerities together with us, your lawful wives. Undoubtedly you will be successful and reach the heavenly abode. Both of us are ready to fix our mind and senses on spiritual life, for we are determined to follow you in this life and the next. We have decided to give up material lust and enjoyment, and we shall undergo serious austerities. O most learned one, O lord of the earth, if you reject us we shall immediately give up our lives. There is no doubt about it.
| | | Pandu said:
If that is what you have both decided, then you may come along, since your proposal is in accord with religious principles. But I warn you, I shall follow my vows strictly, following my father Dvaipayana Vyasa. I shall truly renounce all domestic comfort and concerns and perform severe austerities. I shall wander in the deep forest, dressed in tree bark, nourished on wild fruits, nuts, and roots. I shall sit by the fire, not only in freezing winter but in scorching summer. I shall bathe in the river not only in summer but in winter as well. I shall wear rags and skins and long matted hair, and my body will grow thin from my meager diet. I shall have to tolerate cold, wind, and heat. Hunger, thirst, and fatigue will be my constant companions. By all these difficult austerities, I must conquer and dry up the senses before they conquer me. If my senses overwhelm me, I shall immediately die, and not a glorious death.
| | | In all my thoughts and acts, spiritual progress will be my only goal. With the fruits of the wilderness, ripened or not, and with my words and thoughts and all that I collect, I shall worship my venerable forefathers and the Supreme Personality of Godhead, whom they adored, and I shall revere the Lord's empowered servants who manage this temporary world.
| | | As I wander about the wilderness, I shall never do anything to harm or displease the elderly who have retired to the forest for spiritual liberation. Nor shall I disturb my countrymen or any of the simple village-dwellers. I shall strictly follow the scriptural injunctions for renounced life in the forest. Indeed, I wish to follow the most severe of those injunctions, until this body is finished and I lie down in peace.
| | | Vaisampayana said:
Having thus spoken to Kunti and Madri, the great Kuru monarch took off his jeweled crown, medallion, bracelets, and earrings, and he offered everything to the saintly brahmanas, including his invaluable wardrobe and the wardrobe and jewels of his wives.
| | | Pandu then spoke again, this time addressing his followers and personal attendants: Go to Hastinapura, he said sadly, and make it known that Pandu, along with his faithful wives, has departed for the forest to live as a mendicant, without worldly riches or pleasure.
| | | Hearing these heart-rending words from their beloved lord, Pandu's followers and personal attendants made a terrible cry and sobbed in anguish. Shedding hot tears, they turned away from their monarch and ran to Hastinapura to deliver his final message. When the Kuru leader Dhrtarastra heard from them all that had happened in the deep forest, he could not stop weeping for his younger brother.
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