12.113
yudhiṣṭhira uvāca॥
Yudhiṣṭhira said.
kiṁ pārthivena kartavyaṁ kiṁ ca kṛtvā sukhī bhavet। tanmamācakṣva tattvena sarvaṁ dharmabhṛtāṁ vara ॥12-113-1॥
What should a king do, and by doing what may he become happy? Please tell me all this truly, O best among the upholders of dharma.
bhīṣma uvāca॥
Bhīṣma said.
hanta te'haṃ pravakṣyāmi śṛṇu kāryaika-niścayam। yathā rājñeha kartavyaṃ yac ca kṛtvā sukhī bhavet ॥12-113-2॥
Indeed, I will tell you—listen—of the one decisive duty: what should be done here for the king, and what, when done, will bring happiness.
na tvevaṃ vartitavyaṃ sma yathedamanuśuśrumaḥ। uṣṭrasya sumahadvṛttaṃ tannibodha yudhiṣṭhira ॥12-113-3॥
You should not act in this way as we have heard. Listen, O Yudhishthira, to the remarkable conduct of the camel.
jātismaro mahānuṣṭraḥ prājāpatyayugodbhavaḥ। tapaḥ sumahadātiṣṭhadaraṇye saṃśitavrataḥ ॥12-113-4॥
He, who remembered his previous births, was a great ascetic born in the age of Prajāpati. He undertook intense austerities in the forest, steadfast in his vows.
tapasas tasya cānte vai prītimān abhavat prabhuḥ। vareṇa chandhayām āsa tataś cainaṃ pitāmahaḥ ॥12-113-5॥
At the end of his austerity, the lord became full of joy. Then the grandsire, with a boon, caused him to choose.
uṣṭra uvāca॥
The camel said.
bhagavaṃs tvatprasādān me dīrghā grīvā bhaved iyam। yojanānāṃ śataṃ sāgraṃ yā gacchec carituṃ vibho ॥12-113-6॥
O Lord, by your grace, may this neck of mine become long, so that it can travel and move a hundred yojanas and more, O mighty one.
bhīṣma uvāca॥
Bhīṣma said.
evam astv iti coktaḥ sa varadena mahātmanā। pratilabhya varaṃ śreṣṭhaṃ yayāv uṣṭraḥ svakaṃ vanam ॥12-113-7॥
Thus, when the great-souled boon-giver said, "So be it," the camel, having received the excellent boon, returned to his own forest.
sa cakāra tad ālasyaṃ varadānāt sa durmatiḥ। na ca aicchat caritum gantum durātmā kālamohitaḥ ॥12-113-8॥
He, having received the boon, became lazy; that wicked-minded one, deluded by time, did not wish to act or go anywhere.
sa kadācit prasāryaivaṃ tāṃ grīvāṃ śatayojanām। cacārāśrāntahṛdayo vātaścāgāttato mahān ॥12-113-9॥
Once, he stretched out his neck, which was a hundred yojanas long; with tireless heart, the great wind also arose from there.
sa guhāyāṃ śirogrīvaṃ nidhāya paśurātmanaḥ। āstātha varṣam abhyāgāt sumahat plāvayaj jagat ॥12-113-10॥
He placed his head and neck like an animal in the cave and remained there. Then a very great rain came, flooding the world.
atha śītaparītāṅgo jambukaḥ kṣucchramānvitaḥ। sadāras tāṃ guhām āśu praviveśa jalārditaḥ॥12-113-11॥
Then, the jackal, shivering from cold and tormented by hunger, entered that cave quickly with his wife, his body drenched with water.
sa dṛṣṭvā māṃsajīvī tu subhṛśaṃ kṣucchramānvitaḥ। abhakṣayattato grīvāmuṣṭrasya bharatarṣabha ॥12-113-12॥
O best of the Bharatas, the meat-eater, having seen this and being exceedingly afflicted with hunger, then ate the neck of the camel.
yadā tvabudhyatātmānaṃ bhakṣyamāṇaṃ sa vai paśuḥ। tadā saṅkocane yatnamakarodbhṛśaduḥkhitaḥ ॥12-113-13॥
When he realized that he himself was being eaten, the animal, greatly distressed, then made every effort to contract himself.
yāvadūrdhvamadhaścaiva grīvāṃ saṅkṣipate paśuḥ। tāvattena sadāreṇa jambukena sa bhakṣitaḥ ॥12-113-14॥
As long as the animal kept contracting its neck up and down, during that time, he and his wife were devoured by the jackal.
sa hatvā bhakṣayitvā ca jambukoṣṭraṃ tatastadā। vigate vātavarṣe ca niścakrāma guhāmukhāt ॥12-113-15॥
After killing and eating (the prey) in the jackal's den, when the wind and rain had ceased, he came out from the mouth of the cave.
evaṃ durbuddhinā prāptamuṣṭreṇa nidhanaṃ tadā। ālasyasya kramāt paśya mahaddoṣam upāgatam ॥12-113-16॥
Thus, due to the bad intellect of the one who acquired the camel, destruction occurred then. See how, due to laziness, a great fault gradually arose.
tvam apy etaṃ vidhiṃ tyaktvā yogena niyatendriyaḥ। vartasva buddhimūlaṃ hi vijayaṃ manur abravīt ॥12-113-17॥
You too, abandoning this procedure, with your senses controlled by discipline, act with intellect as your foundation; for Manu declared that victory comes thus.
buddhiśreṣṭhāni karmāṇi bāhumadhyāni bhārata। tāni jaṅghājaghanyāni bhārapratyavarāṇi ca ॥12-113-18॥
O Bhārata, the actions that are best are those of the intellect; those of the arms are in the middle. The actions of the legs are the lowest and are considered inferior in bearing burdens.
rājyaṃ tiṣṭhati dakṣasya saṅgṛhītendriyasya ca। guptamantraśrutavataḥ susahāyasya cānagha ॥12-113-19॥
O sinless one, the kingdom endures with the competent, the self-controlled, the discreet in counsel, and one who has good allies.
parīkṣyakāriṇo'rthāś ca tiṣṭhantīha yudhiṣṭhira. sahāyayuktena mahī kṛtsnā śakyā praśāsitum ॥12-113-20॥
O Yudhiṣṭhira, only those undertakings which are carefully examined endure; with the aid of capable helpers, the entire earth can be governed.
idaṃ hi sadbhiḥ kathitaṃ vidhijñaiḥ; purā mahendrapratimaprabhāva. mayāpi coktaṃ tava śāstradṛṣṭyā; tvamatra yuktaḥ pracarasva rājan ॥12-113-21॥
This has indeed been declared by the virtuous and those versed in the rules long ago, O king of power equal to Mahendra. I too have told you this according to the śāstra; now you are fit, act accordingly, O king.
