Kunti said: -
1. Do not grieve for this fear, I see a means by which you may be saved from the Rakshasas.
2. You have only one son who is of tender years; you have only one daughter, who is engaged in vows, I do not like that any of these or yourself or your wife should go.
3. I have five sons; one of them will go carrying on your behalf your tribute to that sinful Rakshasas.
The Brahmana said: -
4. I can never do this in order to live. I cannot cause the death of a Brahmana and a guest for saving my own life.
5. Even those that are lowly born and sinful refuse to do this; one should sacrifice himself and children for the sake of a Brahmana.
6. I consider this precept best for me and I like to follow it. Between the death of a Brahmana and of my own, I would prefer the latter.
7. To kill a Brahmana is a great sin, of which there is no expiation. It is best for me to sacrifice myself reluctantly instead of sacrificing a Brahmana reluctantly.
8. O blessed lady, in sacrificing myself, I do not commit the sin of self destruction. I shall commit no sin by being killed by another.
9. But if I deliberately kill a Brahmana, I shall commit a cruel and sinful act, from which I shall never escape.
10. The learned men have said that the abandonment of one who has come to your house or who has sought your protection and the killing of one who seeks death at your hands are both cruel and sinful.
11. The high-souled men, learned in the precepts that should be adopted in distress and danger, formerly said that one should never perform a cruel and censurable act.
12. It is best for me that I should myself perish to day with my wife. I shall never cause the death of a Brahmana.
Kunti said: -
13. O Brahmana, my form opinion is that Brahmanas must be protected always, if I have one hundred sons, none of them would be less dear to me.
14. But this Rakshasa will not be able to kill my son. my son is powerful energetic and learned in Mantras.
15. He will reach the food of the Rakshasa, but he will be able to save himself; this is my firm belief.
16. I had seen before that many powerful and huge Rakshasas came to my son and were killed at his hands.
17. O Brahmana, do not by any means disclose this to anybody; for then people, being curious and desirous of learning (their power), will trouble my sons.
18. The opinion of the learned men is that if my son gives this knowledge (to others) without the assent of his preceptor, he will no longer be able to profit by it.
Vaishampayana said: -
19. Having been thus addressed by Pritha (Kunti) the Brahmana and his wife became exceedingly glad and assented to those nectar like words (of Kunti).
20. Thereupon Kunti and the Brahmana went to the son of Anila (Bhima) and told him “Do this”; and he replied by saying “Be it so.”
Thus ends the hundred and sixty-third chapter, the promise of Bhima to kill Vaka, in the Vaka-badha of the Adi Parva.
Vaishampayana said: -
1. O descendant of Bharata, when Bhima promised by saying, “I shall do it,” the Pandavas all came there after collecting food.
2. The son of Pandu Yudhisthira learnt the affair by the appearance of Bhima and sitting by his mother, he spoke thus to her in private.
Yudhisthira said: -
3. What is the work that the greatly powerful Bhima wants to performs? Does he wish to do it by your command or of his own will?
Kunti said: -
4. By my request the chastiser of foes (Bhima) will do this great deed for the sake of the Brahmana and in order to save the town (from the Rakshasa).
Yudhisthira said: -
5. What rush act has been done by you! It is a very difficult work. The learned men never praise one’s abandonment of his own son.
6. Why do you wish to abandon your son for the sake of another’s son? You have done this act of abandonment of your son which is not approved by both men and by the Vedas.
7. By the strength of whose arms we all sleep in comfort and hope to recovered the kingdom of which we have been deprived by the wretches (Duryodhana and others).
8. Remembering whose great prowess, Duryodhana with Sakuni and all others do not sleep (for a moment) in the night in anxiety;
9. By whose heretic prowess we were rescued from the burning house of lac and others dangers; by whom Purochana was killed.
10. Relying on whose prowess we believe ourselves that we have already acquired this earth full of wealth and have killed the sons of Dhritarastra.
11. On what consideration have you resolved upon abandoning him? have you lost your senses on account of the calamities?
Kunti said: -
12. O Yudhisthira, you need not be anxious for Vrikodara. I have not resolved (to do it) out of any weakness of my understanding.
13. O son, our grief being assuaged, we live happily in the house of this Brahmana, unknown to the sons of Dhritarastra and much respected by him.
14. O Partha, I have resolved upon doing this in order to requite him, for he is a (true) man upon whom good service is never lost.
15. It is (always) proper that the requital should be greater than the service received. Seeing the great prowess of Bhima in the house of lac. And in killing Hidimba, my confidence on Vrikodara is great.
16. The strength of Bhima’s arms is as great as that of ten thousand elephants. It was therefore that he was able to carry you, all as heavy as elephants from Varanavata.
17. There is none so strong as Vrikodara; he may even vanquish in battle the thunderer (Indra) himself.
18. As soon as he was born, he fell from my lap on the stone. The mass of stone on which he fell was broken into pieces by the weight of his body.
19. O Pandava, from that day I have come to know the (great) strength of Bhima. Therefore, I am desirous of requiting (the services) of the Brahmana.
20. I have not done this from foolishness, from ignorance, or from any motive of gain. I have deliberately resolved to do this virtuous act.
21. O Yudhisthira, two objects will be gained by this act, one is the requital of the Brahmana’s services (to us) and the other is the acquisition of great religious merit.
22. It is my opinion that the Kshatriya who helps a Brahmana obtains the regions of bliss in after life.
23. A Kshatriya, who saves the life of a Kshatriya, acquires great fame in this and in the next world.
24. A Kshatriya, who helps a Vaisya on earth, certainly becomes popular among men.
25. The king should even protect a Sudra who seeks protection. If he does so, he is born in his next birth in a royal family, possessing property and being adored by other kings.
26. O descendant of Kuru, the illustrious and wise Vyasa formerly told me this. Therefore I am resolved upon doing it.
Thus ends the hundred and sixty-fourth chapter, the coloquy of Kunti and Yudhisthira, in the Vaka-badha of the Adi Parva.