12.034
Core and Pancharatra: Vyasa instructs Yudhishthira that he has done only his duty and no sin attaches to him. He should perform the horse-sacrifice and assure all the kingdoms.
Vaiśampāyana said:
When Dvaipayana (Vyasa) heard Yudhiṣṭhira's words, he thoughtfully considered them and then addressed the Pandava.
Do not yield to despair, O king; remember your warrior's duty. These warriors have been slain in accordance with their own duty, O best among warriors.
Those who desired all prosperity and great fame on earth, bound by the decree of death, have met their end in due time.
Neither you, nor Bhīma, nor Arjuna, nor even the two Yamas are the killers; it is Time, by the law of succession, that takes the lives of embodied beings.
He who has neither mother nor father, nor anyone to support him; he is the witness of the actions of beings, and by that time, they are destroyed.
O best of men, this is only the cause of that Time; that which destroys beings by beings, that is his divine form.
Know that the witness, having the form of action, abides in both auspicious and inauspicious acts; time, which brings about the qualities of pleasure and pain, is the giver of the fruits of time.
O mighty-armed one, also consider their actions; those by whom the cause of destruction was enacted have already come under the sway of time.
Know well your own discipline, vows, and character; for when you are made to act in such a way by violating the prescribed rule, understand this.
Just as a machine constructed by Tvaṣṭṛ operates under the control of its maker, so too is this world set in motion by actions performed in accordance with time.
Indeed, when one observes that the origin and destruction of a person occur without cause and by chance, both sorrow and joy are meaningless.
O king, whatever offence of mind you have here, for that reason, atonement is prescribed; perform that.
O Pārtha, it is said that in the ancient battle between the gods and asuras, the asuras were the elder brothers and the gods were the younger.
For them too, a great conflict arose for the sake of prosperity. The battle is said to have lasted for thirty-two thousand years.
The gods, having turned the earth into a single ocean flooded with blood, then slew the Daityas and thus gained heaven.
Similarly, after gaining the earth, the Brāhmaṇas who had mastered the Vedas, seeking alliance, took refuge with the Dānavas, being deluded by pride.
O Bhārata, the jackals, thus known in the three worlds, eighty-eight thousand in number, were also slain by the wise.
Those who wish to destroy righteousness and promote unrighteousness—such wicked people must be slain by the gods, just as fierce demons are destroyed.
If killing one person would not harm the virtuous in the family, then killing the family or even the kingdom would not destroy their righteous conduct.
O king, sometimes what appears as righteousness is actually unrighteousness, and what appears as unrighteousness is actually righteousness; the wise should discern this.
Therefore, O Pāṇḍava, restrain yourself; having listened, you, O Bhārata, have followed the path formerly taken by the gods.
Surely, such as these will not go to hell, O best of the Pāṇḍavas. Console your brothers and friends, O subduer of enemies.
Whoever, being engaged in evil deeds and actions with such a disposition, even while acting thus, becomes shameless after having done so.
It is declared that in that, all impurity is ended. For him, there is no atonement, nor any reduction of the evil deed.
But you, born of a pure lineage, have been made to do this by another's fault; though unwilling, having performed this action, you are now tormented by it.
The horse-sacrifice, which is a great sacrifice, has been declared as an expiation. Perform that, O great king, and thus you will become free from sin.
Indra, called Maghavan and Pākaśāsana, together with the Maruts, having conquered his enemies, appropriated each sacrifice a hundred times; thus Śatakratu (Indra) is so named.
Śakra, whose sins were purified and who had conquered heaven, having attained worlds of happiness, surrounded by the hosts of Maruts, shone brilliantly, illuminating all directions.
In the heavenly realm, Indra, the husband of Śacī and lord of the wise, is honored by the celestial nymphs and worshipped by sages and gods alike.
He—this very you—has here advanced upon the earth by valor. And the kings have been conquered by you through valor, O sinless one.
O king, after visiting their ancient kingdoms with friends, anoint the brothers, sons, and grandsons in their respective kingdoms.
By uttering soothing words even to children and those in the womb, delighting all beings, may you protect the earth.
Where there is no son but only daughters, enthrone one of them there. For, indeed, women whose nature is desire will thus overcome their grief.
O Bhārata, after assuring all the kingdoms in this way, perform the horse-sacrifice just as Indra, the victorious one, did in ancient times.
O best of warriors, those great-souled Kshatriyas are not to be grieved for; by their own actions, deluded by the power of Death, they have gone to destruction.
You have obtained the duty of a kṣatriya; you have attained an untainted kingdom. O son of Kunti, perform your duty; one who acts thus attains a better state after death.
