30. AFFLICTION IS NOTHING NEW :

BALARAMA and Krishna came with
their retinue to the abode of the Pandavas
in the forest. Deeply distressed by what he
saw, Balarama said to Krishna:



"O Krishna, it would seem that virtue and
wickedness bear contrary fruit in this life.
For see, the wicked Duryodhana is ruling
his kingdom clad in silk and gold, while
the virtuous Yudhishthira lives in the
forest wearing the bark of trees. Seeing
such unmerited prosperity and undeserved
privation, men have lost their faith in God.
The praise of virtue in the sastras seems
mere mummery when we see the actual
results of good and evil in this world.



How will Dhritarashtra justify his conduct
and defend himself when he is face to face
with the god of death? Even the
mountains and the earth weep at the sight
of the blameless Pandavas dwelling in the
forests with the blessed Draupadi, born
from the sacrificial fire."



Satyaki, who was seated near, said: "O
Balarama, this is no time for lamenting.
Should we wait till Yudhishthira asks us
to do our duty for the Pandavas? While
you and Krishna and all other relations are
living, why should the Pandavas waste
their precious years in the forest? Let us
collect our forces and attack Duryodhana.
With the army of the Vrishnis, we are
surely strong enough to destroy the
Kauravas. Why, where is the need to foil
Karna's vaunted archery and cut off his
head. Let us kill Duryodhana and his
adherents in the battlefield and hand over
the kingdom to Abhimanyu if the
Pandavas wish to keep their word and stay
in the forest. This is good for them and
befits us as men of valor."



Vasudeva, who was listening carefully to
this speech, said: "What you say is true.
But the Pandavas would not like to
receive from the hands of others what they
have not won by their own efforts.



Draupadi for one, born of a heroic race as
she is, would not hear of it. Yudhishthira
will never give up the path of
righteousness for love or fear. When the
stipulated period of exile is over the kings
of Panchala, Kekaya and Chedi and
ourselves will unite our forces to help the
Pandavas to conquer their enemies."



Yudhishthira was delighted at these words
of Krishna. "Sri Krishna knows my mind,"
said he. "Truth is greater than power or
prosperity and has to be guarded at all
costs and not the kingdom. When he
wants us to fight, he shall find us ready.
The heroes of the Vrishni race may now
return with the certainty that we shall
meet again when the time is ripe." With
these words Yudhishthira gave them leave
to return.



Arjuna was still away in the Himalayas
and Bhima's anxiety and impatience
became well nigh insupportable. He said
to Yudhishthira:



"You know that our life depends on
Arjuna. He has been away very long, and
we have had no tidings of him. If he
should be lost to us, then neither the king
of Panchala, nor Satyaki nor even Sri
Krishna can save us, and I for one cannot
survive that loss. All this we owe to that
mad game of dice, our sorrows and
sufferings, as well as the growing strength
of our foes. To be dwelling in the forest is
not the duty enjoined on a kshatriya. We
should immediately recall Arjuna and
wage war with the sons of Dhritarashtra,
with the help of Sri Krishna. I shall be
satisfied only when the wicked Sakuni,
Karna and Duryodhana are slain. After
this clear duty is done, you may, if you
like, return to the forest and live a life of
asceticism. It is not a sin to kill by
stratagem an enemy who has resorted to
stratagem. I have heard that the Atharva
Veda has incantations, which can
compress time and reduce its span. If we
could, by such means, squeeze thirteen
years into thirteen days, we would be
perfectly justified in doing so, and you
will permit me on the fourteenth day to
kill Duryodhana."



Hearing these words of Bhima,
Dharmaputra affectionately embraced him
and sought to restrain his impetuosity.
"Beloved brother, as soon as the period of
thirteen years is over, Arjuna, the hero,
with the Gandiva bow, and yourself will
fight and kill Duryodhana. Be patient till
then. Duryodhana and his followers, who
are sunk in sin, cannot escape. Be assured
of it." While the sorrow-stricken brothers
were thus engaged in debate, the great
sage Brihadaswa came to the hermitage of
the Pandavas and was received with the
customary honors.



After a while, Yudhishthira said to him:
"Revered sage, our deceitful enemies,
drew us into this game of dice and cheated
us of our kingdom and riches, and drove
my heroic brothers, as well as Panchali
and myself, to the forest. Arjuna, who left
us a long time ago to get divine weapons,
has not returned as yet and we miss him
sorely. Will he return with divine arms?
And when will he be back? Surely never
was there in this world a man who
suffered so much sorrow as myself."



The great sage replied: "Do not let your
mind dwell on sorrow. Arjuna will return
with divine weapons and you will conquer
your enemies in the fitness of time. You
say that there is no one in this world that
is as unfortunate as you. Now, that is not
true, though everyone, tried by adversity,
is inclined to claim pre-eminence in
sorrow, because things felt are more than
things heard or seen. Have you heard of
king Nala of Nishadha? He suffered more
sorrows than yourself even in the forest.
He was deceived by Pushkara at a game
of dice. He lost his wealth and kingdom
and had to go in exile to the forest. Less
fortunate than you, he had not with him
his brothers or brahmanas. The influence
of Kali, the spirit of the dark age, deprived
him of his discrimination and good sense.
And not knowing what he was doing, he
deserted his wife who had accompanied
him, and wandered about in the forest,
solitary and almost mad. Now, compare
your state with his. You have the
company of your heroic brothers and
devoted wife and are supported by a few
learned brahmanas in your adversity.
Your mind is sound and steady. Self-pity
is natural, but you are really not so badly
off."



The sage then narrated the life of Nala
which constitutes twenty-eight chapters of
the great epic. The sage concluded with
these words:



"O Pandava, Nala was tried by sorrows
more agonising than yours, yet he
triumphed over them all and his life ended
happily. You have the alleviations of
unclouded intellect and the society of your
nearest and dearest. You spend much of
your time in exalted contemplation of
dharma and in holy converse with
brahmanas who are learned in the Vedas
and Vedantas. Bear your trials and
tribulations with fortitude, for they are the
lot of man and not peculiar to you."
Thus did the sage Brihadaswa console
Yudhishthira.