Mahabharata, Book 3, Section VIIIवनपर्व

Kisari Mohan Ganguli’s English prose (1883–96), beside the Sanskrit of adhyāya 3.8.

8Sanskrit adhyāya 3.8 · Sanskrit source · English source

Sanskrit

व्यास उवाच।
धतराष्ट्र महाप्राज्ञ निबोध वचनं मम।
वक्ष्यामि त्वां कौरवाणां सर्वेषां हितमुत्तमम् ।।
न मे प्रियं महाबाहो यद्गताः पाण्डवा वनम्।
निकृत्त्या निकृताश्चैव दुर्योधनपुरोगमैः ।।
ते स्मरन्तः परिक्लेशान्वर्षे पूर्णे त्रयोदशे।
विमोक्ष्यन्ति विषं क्रुद्धाः कौरवेयेषु भारत ।।
तदयं किंनु पापात्मा तव पुत्रः सुमन्दधीः।
पाण्डवान्नित्यसंक्रुद्धो राज्यहेतोर्जिघांसति ।।
वार्यतां साध्वयं मूढः शमं गच्छतु ते सुतः।
वनस्थांस्तानयं हन्तुमिच्छन्प्राणान्विमोक्ष्यति ।।
यथाऽऽह विदुरः प्राज्ञो यथा भीष्मो यथा वयम्।
यथा कृपश्च द्रोणश्च तथा साधु विधीयताम् ।।
विग्रहो हि महाप्राज्ञ स्वजनेन विगर्हितः।
अधर्म्यमयशस्यं च मा राजन्प्रतिपद्यथाः ।।
समीक्षा यादृशी ह्मस्य पाण्डवान्प्रति भारत।
उपेक्ष्यमाणा सा राजन्महान्तमनयं व्रजेत् ।।
अथवाऽयं सुमन्दात्मा वनं गच्छतु ते सुतः।
पाण्डवैः सहितो राजन्नेक एवासहायवान् ।।
ततः संसर्गजः स्नेहः पुत्रस्य तव पाण्डवैः।
यदि स्यात्कृतकृत्यस्त्वं भवेथाः पुरषर्षभ ।।
अथवा जायमानस्य यच्छीलमनुजायते।
श्रूयते तन्महाराज नामृतस्यापसर्पति ।।
कथं वा मन्यते भीष्मो द्रोणोऽथ विदुरोपिवा।
भवान्वाऽत्र परं कार्यं पुरा चार्थो निवर्तते ।।
।। इति श्रीमन्महाभारते अरण्यपर्वणि
किर्मीरवधपर्वणि अष्टमोऽध्यायः ।। 8 ।।

English Ganguli

“Vyasa said, ‘O wise Dhritarashtra, hear what I say! I will tell thee that which is for the great good of all the Kauravas! O thou of mighty arms, it hath not pleased me that the Pandavas have gone to the forest dishonestly defeated (at dice) by Duryodhana and others! O Bharata, on the expiration of the thirteenth year, recollecting all their woes, they may shower death-dealing weapons, even like virulent poison, upon the Kauravas! Why doth thy sinful son of wicked heart, ever inflamed with ire, seek to slay the sons of Pandu for the sake of their kingdom? Let the fool be restrained; let thy son remain quiet! In attempting to slay the Pandavas in exile, he will only lose his own life. Thou art as honest as the wise Vidura, or Bhishma, or ourselves, or Kripa, or Drona, O thou of great wisdom, dissension with one’s own kin are forbidden, sinful and reprehensible! Therefore, O king, it behoveth thee to desist from such acts! And, O Bharata, Duryodhana looketh with such jealousy towards the Pandavas that great harm would be the consequence, if thou didst not interfere. Or let this wicked son of thine, O monarch, along and unaccompanied, himself go to the forest and live with the sons of Pandu. For then, if the Pandavas, from association, feel an attachment for Duryodhana, then, O king of men, good fortune may be thine. (This, however, may not be)! For it hath been heard that one’s congenital nature leaveth him not till death. But what do Bhishma and Drona and Vidura think? What also dost thou think? That which is beneficial should be done while there is time, else thy purposes will be unrealised.’”