Vaishampayana said, “Upon receiving the permission of Pandu’s son, Yudhishtira to leave, Sanjaya obeying all the instructions of the mighty King Dhrutharashtra departed from there.
After arriving in Hastinapura, he made haste to the Rajabhavan and went to the door of the inner quarters and said the following to the gate-keeper.
“O Dvārapaal! Please inform King Dhrutharashtra of my arrival and say this – “Sanjaya has returned after meeting the Pandavas. ” Do not delay.
Dvārapaal! If the king awakens, then please offer my pranaams. I will enter inside only after receiving his command. I have an important request to submit to him.” After hearing this, the gate-keeper went to Dhrutharashtra and said thus –
Dvāhastha said, “O King! I respectfully bow to you. The messenger Sanjaya who has returned after meeting the Pandavas is waiting by the entrance eager to meet you. O King! Please command, what should this Sanjaya do?”
Dhrutharashtra said, “Dvārapaal! Sanjaya is welcome. Please inform him that I am safe and comfortable and please make the necessary arrangements to receive him. Escort him inside. There is never any impediment for me to meet him. Then why is he waiting at the door?”
Vaishampayana said, “Janamejaya! After receiving the permission of the King, Sutaputra Sanjaya entered the opulent and glorious Rajabhavan that has been kept safe by intelligent, wise, brave and exemplary persons and folded his hands in front of the son of Vichitravirya – King Dhrutharashtra who was seated on the royal throne and said the following –
Sanjaya said, “O Monarch! Salutations to you! O Great King! I am Sanjaya and have returned after meeting the Pandavas. The generous son of Pandu, Yudhishtira offers his pranaams to you and makes kind enquiries of your health and well-being.
He has also enquired about all your sons with great pleasure. O King! Are you happy and pleased with all those who are with you namely your sons, relatives, well-wishers and ministers and all those who have sought your protection?”
Dhrutharashtra said, “O Wise Sanjaya! I welcome you and ask you if Kuntinandan Ajathashatru Yudhishtira is keeping well. Is the King of the Kauravas, Yudhishtira along with his sons, minister and younger brothers doing well?”
Sanjaya said, “Panduputra King Yudhishtira along with his ministers is doing well and would like to take back their kingdom, all their wealth and others that they received before you. They are observing and following dharma and artha in an exemplary manner, are high-minded, well-versed, visionaries and of virtuous nature.
Bharata! Pandunandan Yudhishtira thinks that the expectation and viewpoint of all dharma is compassion which is the parama dharma. He considers that observing dharma is the appropriate expectation and view of accumulation of wealth. His intelligence does not allow him to pursue objects that are bereft of dharma, of desire and happiness that has no use/value and desirable things.
O mighty King! Similar to how a puppet tied to a string becomes inspired by others and moves and dances, likewise a man also attempts and puts in effort for each and every action and inaction getting inspired by Paramātmā – the Supreme Self. After seeing the difficulties of Pandunandan Yudhishtira, I have begun to believe that in the expectation and view of the pursuance of the object of a man’s life, the legislation and ordinance of the Supreme is only powerful.
Your karmadosha – blemishes of karma are exceedingly frightening and the indescribable and sins to come in the future will beget only sorrow and unhappiness. After seeing this also, I have arrived at the conclusion that the legislation and ordinance of the Supreme is only powerful. A man can attain praise and accolades only till such time as the Vidhātā ordains it.
Similar to how a snake sheds its old snakeskin as well that which does not stay in the body and dazzles upon shedding it, likewise the glorious and brave Ajathashatru Yudhishtira has also renounced sins and has left the burden of those sins upon you only and continues to remain always peaceful and graceful and true to his virtuous nature.
O King! Please look carefully upon your own karma. Your conduct is always opposite to the conduct of those exemplary people who are endowed with dharma and artha. O King! This is the reason that you are denounced in this world and again you will have to experience the sorrow and unhappiness in naraka in the upper heavenly worlds.
Bharatavamshashiromani! You are at this present moment deluded by your sons and want to keep the Pandavas away and want to take all their wealth for yourself only and there is doubt over the success of this. And even if you are successful in this, then you will severely criticized and denounced on earth for this gross injustice. Therefore, this act will never be in your interest.
Expostulations and mishaps occur for those who are dullards, are born to a very lowly class, are savage, keep grudges and are antagonistic for long periods of time, are completely inexperienced in the art of war and code of conduct of kshatriyas, bereft of gallantry and not of virtuous nature and conduct.
Those fortunate ones who are high-born, are strong, are celebrated, are well-read scholars, are of delightful and pleasing nature and who keep their mind under control and who exhibit the mutually intertwined dharma and artha will attain that exalted virtuous wealth.
You worship the most superlative ministers and you are itself intelligent and wise, you implement dharma and artha at the time of tribulations in the appropriate manner and receive the best possible advice at all times. Then in that case, how can a person like you who is endowed with resources and means and is a scholar commit such a cruel act?
These scholarly ministers of yours who are assigned to engage in karmas always and others regularly meet together to discuss. The drastic conclusion that they have arrived at for not returning the kingdom of the Pandavas will definitely become the cause for the destruction of the future of the the Kauravas.
O King! If Ajathashatru Yudhishtira decides to put the burden of all the sins on you alone and decides to commit another sin for the sins committed by you, then all the Kauravas will be destroyed at an inopportune time and only your denouncement will be heard all over the world.
What kind of object is beyond the jurisdiction of the lokapalakas? Thus, Arjuna on the Indrakeel mountain has acquired the celestial weapons from all the lokapalakas and went to visit Bhu, Bhuvarh and Swargaloka. If after being honoured by the lokapalakas Arjuna has to face difficulties, it can be said without a shadow of doubt that the pursuance of the object of a man’s life is nothing in front of the power of the Supreme.
This gallantry, knowledge and other virtues are attained based on the previous karma and the advancement and decline of beings at present is illusive. When King Bali contemplated on all these matters and could not overcome this, then he decided that the cause for this is TIME alone and nothing else.
Eyes, ears, nose, skin and tongue are the five jnānedriyas that are the seats of jnāna for all forms and other matters of the beings. After the end of thirst, these remain happy always. Hence, man should be bereft of distress and sorrow and should keep those indriyas under control to be rid of thirst.
It is said if only the pursuance of the object of a man’s life is observed appropriately, then it will reap exalted fruits similar to how a son born to the efforts of the mother-father will strive for accession for food and others in the appropriate manner but I do not believe in this supposition because the power of the Supreme reigns supreme.
O King! A man will constantly receive desirable-undesirable, happiness-sorrow, criticism-praise in this world. Therefore, when a man commits a mistake, he is criticized and when one’s conduct is exemplary, then that saintly person is praised.
Thus, I will denounce you for the opposition that you are spreading in Bharatavamsha because the clash between the Kauravas and Pandavas will definitely lead to the destruction of all the kingdoms. If you do not act according to my advice, then because of your mistake Arjuna will burn all the Kauravas in the same manner as fire destroys the fields of grass.
O King! O mighty King! In all this world, you are the only one who continued to praise your wayward son and continued to praise him becoming a subordinate/an accessory during the game of dice and could not overcome the greed for the kingdom and now you can see the frightening consequences of that with your own eyes.
O great King! You have gathered such people who are not worthy of trust and instead have punished the well-versed scholars and advisors. Therefore, Kurukulanandan! You can never be competent to protect this praiseworthy wealthy endless land because of this weakness of the mind.
O mighty King! I am tired because of the speed and movements of the chariot and would like to rest now with your permission. When all the Kauravas have gathered in the sabha in the morning, they will hear the words of Ajathashatru Yudhishtira.”
Dhrutharashtra said, “Sutaputra! I give you permission now to go home and rest. When all the Kauravas have assembled in the sabha in the morning, they can hear the message of Ajathashatru Yudhishtira from your lips.”
[Sanjaya-yāna Parva – Arjuna’s message for the Kauravas, Sanjaya returns to Hastinapura and meets Dhrutharashtra with the news of Yudhishtira’s well-being and criticizes Dhrutharashtra’s act – Chapter 32 of Udyoga Parva – Slokas 1 – 32]
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