Janamejaya said: -
1-2. O great ascetic, when the Pandavas and the Vrishnis reached the sacred Prabhasa, what did they do? What conversation was held by them th -ere? For all of them were high-souled, proficient in all the branches of Science and both the Vrishnis and the Pandavas held one another in friendly estimation.
Vaishampayana said: -
3. Having arrived at the sacred Tirtha on the coast of sea, the heroic Vrishni surrounded the sons of Pandu and waited upon them.
4. Thereupon Rama, the wielder of plough-share, as white as the milk of a cow or the Kunda flowers or the moon or the silver or the lotus-root, who was adorned with garlands of wild-flowers, thus spoke to the lotus-eyed one.
Rama said: -
5. O Krishna, I do not find that the practice of virtue leads to any good or that sinful practices cause any evil, for the magnanimous Yudhishthira is miserable with matted locks, a wanderer in the forest with barks of trees as his garments.
6. Duryodhana is ruling the earth; the earth does not swallow him up. From these men with little intelligent would consider that a sinful life is preferable to a virtuous one.
7. When Duryodhana is flourishing and Yudhishthira is miserable being robbed as he is of his throne, what should people do in this matter? This is the doubt that is perplexing the mind of every man.
8-9. Here is this lord of men born of Dharma himself, ever steady in the path of virtue, devoted to truthfulness and possessing a liberal heart, this son of Pritha who should give up his kingdom, but who would not swerve from the path of virtue. How is it that Bhishma, Kripa, Brahmana, Drona, the aged king (Dhritarashtra), the senior members of the (Kuru) race are all living happily after banishing the sons ofPritha? Fie to the vicious-minded leaders of the Bharata race!
10. What will that sinful man, that ruler of earth say to his (deceased) ancestors when he will meet them in the next world? Having driven away his inoffensive sons from the throne, will he be able to say that he treated them in a blameless way?
11. He does not now see with his minds eye how he has become so sightless and for what act he has grown blind among the kings of this entire earth. It is because he has banished the sons of Kunti.
12. I have no doubt that son of Vichitravirya's son when he with his sons perpetrated this cruel act, here saw blossoming trees of gold in the abode of the Pitris.
13. When he had farelessly banished Yudhishthira to the forest who had all his weapons with him and who was accompanied by his younger brothers, he must have asked (some questions) them with their shoulders projecting towards him and their red eyes staring at him; and he must have heard their reply.
14. This Vrikodara (Bhima) here is able to destroy with the strength of his powerful arms only and without the help of any weapons a great array of hostile troops. Hearing his war-cry the soldiers on a field of battle utterly lose their heart.
15. The greatly strong hero is now suffering from hunger and thirst and is emaciated with toilsome journeys. It is certain when he will take up in his hand arrows and other weapons and meet his enemies on the field of battle, he will then remember the sufferings of this forest-life and kill all his enemies.
16. None exists in the world who is equal to him in strength or in prowess. He is now emaciated with cold, heat and wind, but when he will stand up for fight, he will kill all.
17. This powerful hero, this Vrikodara, conquered single-handed all the rulers of men of the eastern countries along with those who followed them in battle. He returned from the war safe and uninjured. Even he is now miserably passing his days in the forest wearing barks of trees.
18. This mighty-Sahadeva defeated all the kings of the southern countries, those ruler of men who had assembled on the shore of the sea. they now see him in the garb of an anchorite.
19. This hero (Nakula), valiant in battle defeated single-handed the kings who ruled over the western countries. He now roams in the forest living on fruits and roots, with matted locks on his head and his body besmeared with dirts.
20. This princess (Draupadi), the daughter of a king, who is a great car-warrior, rose from the sacrificial altar. She was always accustomed to a life of comfort and ease. How is she now enduring the miserable life in the forest?
21. How are (the men), the son of Dharma who stands at the head of all the three Vargas (Dharma, Artha and Kama), this, son of Vayu, this son of king of the celestials these two sons of Ashvins, being all the sons of celestials and accustomed to a life of comfort and ease, living in this forest deprived of all comforts.
22. Why did not the earth sink with all these hills when the son of Dharma met with defeat and when his wife, brothers, followers and he himself, were driven away (from the kingdom) and when Duryodhana began to flourish.
Thus ends the hundred and ninteenth chapter, the words of Balarama, in the Tirthayatra of the Vana Parva.