01.109
Core-Pancharatra:Pandu cursed by Kimdama
Janamejaya said:
You have told of the excellent ṛṣi-origin of the sons of Dhṛtarāṣṭra, which is non-human among men, O knower of Brahman.
I have heard the names of these told in parts from you, O sage; now recount the Pāṇḍavas.
Indeed all of them are great souls with the might of the king of gods; you have declared them to be divine portions in partial descents.
Therefore I desire to hear, O Vaiśampāyana, the entire origin of their superhuman deeds; narrate it.
Vaiśampāyana said:
King Pāṇḍu, in the great forest frequented by deer and beasts, saw a leader of the deer herd engaged in mating.
Then Pāṇḍu pierced both the female deer and him with five swift and sharp arrows adorned with golden feathers.
And he, O king, was a radiant son of a sage, rich in austerity, who had united with his wife in the form of a deer.
Joined with the female deer, uttering human speech, he fell to the ground in a moment and lamented with distressed senses.
The deer said:
Even those overpowered by lust and anger, and lacking sound judgment, avoid cruel acts, though they delight in sin.
Wisdom does not consume fate, but fate consumes wisdom. Wisdom cannot withstand misfortunes brought by fate.
O Bhārata, born in a noble line of ever-righteous men, how has your mind been shaken, overpowered by desire and greed?
Pāṇḍu said:
O deer, For a King, the practice that applies in slaying enemies is also considered proper in hunting deer; you should not reproach me in delusion.
Killing of deer by undeceitful means or even with trickery is accepted; this is the dharma of kings. Being wise, why do you reproach that?
The sage Agastya, engaged in a sacrificial rite, moved through the great forest for hunting, having consecrated the deer of the forest sacred to all gods.
How do you reproach us with a dharma supported by precedent? Your own fat offering was once sacrificed in Agastya’s ritual.
The deer said:
In ancient times, arrows were not loosed at enemies at random; the time of striking was praised only when their vulnerability was manifest.
Pāṇḍu said:
Whether careless or alert, when exposed they are struck with force and sharp arrows by all means. Why then do you reproach me, O deer?
The deer said:
O king, I do not reproach the slaying of deer for personal cause, but during mating it should have been spared — you acted without compassion.
Who indeed, being wise, would slay a deer engaged in mating in the forest, at a time beneficial and desirable for all beings? You have made false the beloved fruit of human purpose.
O Kauravya, born in the lineage of the Pauravas and sages of untainted deeds, this act is not appropriate for you.
O Bhārata, this cruel act is great, condemned by all, leads not to heaven, brings disgrace, and is utterly unrighteous.
You, knower of pleasures and scriptures, and godlike in form, are not worthy of doing such a heaven-barring act.
O best of kings, men who are cruel and sinful should be restrained by you, being devoid of the three aims of life.
O best of men, what did I, an innocent sage, living on roots and fruits in a deer’s form, devoted to peace in the forest, do to deserve your blow?
Because you harmed me, without doubt, a similar cruel fate will come to you, helpless and deluded by desire, ending your life.
I am the sage named Kiṁdama, unmatched in austerity, who, feeling shame among men, mated in the form of a deer.
Having become a deer, I roam with deer in the dense forest. Though unaware, your slaying of me in deer form will not avoid being Brahmanicide, for I was deluded by desire.
You, O deluded one, will reap the same result — deluded by desire, in union with your beloved, you will die and go to the world of the dead.
At your death, you will go with your beloved to the lord of the dead — irresistible to all beings. By her devotion, she alone will follow you, O best of the wise.
As you brought me from happiness into sorrow, so too sorrow will come to you in the midst of your happiness.
Vaiśampāyana said:
Having said this, the sorrow-stricken deer gave up his life, and Pāṇḍu too, afflicted by grief, collapsed in a moment.
