12.137
Yudhishthira said.
O mighty-armed one, it is said that there should be no trust in enemies. How can a king conduct himself if he cannot trust anyone at all?
O king, it is from trust that the greatest fear for a king arises. How can a king who does not trust ever conquer his enemies, O ruler?
O grandsire, dispel this doubt of mine; my mind is greatly confused, having heard this story of disbelief.
Bhīṣma said.
O son of Kunti, listen to what occurred in the house of Brahmadatta: the dialogue between Pūjanyā and Brahmadatta, O king.
In Kāmpilya, in the inner apartments of Brahmadatta, there lived a female bird named Pūjanī, who had lived together for a long time.
She, like the bird Jīvājīvaka who knows the sounds of all beings, is omniscient and knows all dharmas, even though she has taken birth among animals.
She gave birth there to a radiant son. At the same time, the queen of the king also bore a son.
She went to the ocean shore and brought back two fruits for the nourishment of both her own son and the prince.
He gave one fruit to his son and another to the prince; the fruit tasted like nectar and increased strength and energy. There, from eating the fruit, the prince attained supreme growth.
The nurse held it in her hand, and the bird played with it. But in an empty place, the bird, having taken its companion of the same kind, killed it, and then, O king, approached the nurse's hand.
Then, O king, the fruit-gathering female-bird came and saw her son slain by that boy on the ground.
Seeing her son slain, Pūjanī, her face full of tears, distressed and tormented by grief, weeping, spoke these words.
Among kṣatriyas, there is no true association, affection, or friendship. They come together only for a reason, and once their purpose is fulfilled, they abandon (the association) and depart.
One should never trust Kṣatriyas who are always harmful; even after causing harm, they keep trying to appease, but it is meaningless.
Today I will inflict a fitting punishment for enmity upon him—upon the ungrateful, the cruel, and the betrayer of trust, most severely.
To kill one who has grown up together, or a companion in food, or one who has sought refuge, is considered a threefold sin.
Having said this, she struck the prince's eyes with her feet; then, composed, Pūjanī spoke these words.
Sin committed by one's own will comes to fruition immediately. For those who have performed a counteraction, neither their good nor evil deeds are destroyed.
If any sinful action has been done and is not found in him, it falls upon his sons; if not, then upon his grandsons or great-grandsons.
Brahmadatta said.
Indeed, what was to be done by us has been done, and you have reciprocated. Both sides are now equal; O venerable one, please stay, do not leave.
Pūjanyu said.
If someone, having once committed an offence, continues to remain there, the wise do not approve of it; it is better to withdraw from that place.
O king, when conciliation is used, do not trust one with whom enmity has been established. A fool is quickly ensnared, for enmity does not truly subside.
For those who have become enemies with one another, their sons and grandsons perish. But when the sons and grandsons are gone, the person himself departs to the next world.
Distrust of all those who have become enemies brings happiness. One should never place trust in a betrayer of trust.
One should not trust the untrustworthy, nor even the trustworthy. One may make others trust as needed, but should not trust others.
Among relatives, mother and father are the most important; the wife represents old age, the son is merely a seed. The brother is an enemy, a friend is one with wet hands; only the self truly knows happiness and sorrow.
There can be no alliance among those who have created mutual enmity. Moreover, the reason for which I stayed here has now passed.
The mind of a person who was previously harmed, even if honored with wealth and pride, does not trust; previously, it is forcibly made to fear.
A person of character should leave a place where he is first honored and then later dishonored, having experienced both honor and dishonor.
I have lived in your house for a long time without harm. Now, enmity has arisen between us. Please remain happily; I am leaving.
Brahmadatta said.
He who acts in return for what has been done for him does not commit an offense there. By that, he becomes free from debt. O Vasu, O worshipful one, do not go.
The venerable one spoke.
Friendship is not restored again between the one who has done the act and the doer. The heart knows there, both of the doer and the one who has done the act.
Brahmadatta said.
Friendship is restored between the deed and the doer; enmity ceases, and sin does not recur.
Pūjanyu said.
One should not trust that enmity has ended just because there is apparent reconciliation. Trusting too easily leads to harm, as even a child can be ensnared by trust; therefore, it is better to avoid contact.
Those who cannot be subdued by force, even with very sharp weapons, are restrained by conciliation, just as elephants are controlled by female elephants.
Brahmadatta said.
Affection arises from living together, even among deadly enemies; mutual trust also develops, just as between a dog-eater and a dog.
When those who have been mutually hostile live together, their enmity softens and disappears; that enmity does not remain, just as water does not stay on a lotus leaf.
Pūjanyu said.
The wise recognize that enmity arises from five sources: caused by women, property, speech, and the offence of co-wives.
There, the giver must especially be slain by the kṣatriya, whether openly or secretly, after considering the place, strength, and other relevant factors.
Do not trust one who has become an enemy, even if he appears as a friend; hidden enmity remains like fire concealed in wood.
O king, the fire of enmity is not extinguished by wealth, harsh words, conciliation, or learning, just as the fire of Aurva is not extinguished in the ocean.
O king, the fire of enmity or actions arising from offence do not subside without burning; they end only when one of the two is destroyed.
One who has been honored may be won over by wealth and respect, but for one who has previously done harm, there is neither peace nor trust; actions only cause fear by force.
Neither did I nor you ever harm anyone; formerly, I was corrupted by trust, but now I do not trust anymore.
Brahmadatta said.
All actions are performed by time; in the same way, various activities proceed only by time. Who here can be blamed for anything?
Death and birth are both equal and proceed together; both are effected by time, and for that reason, one lives.
Some are bound at once, while others are not; Time, having reached beings, burns them like fire burns fuel.
Neither I nor you are the authority in auspicious mutual actions; time always brings happiness and sorrow to embodied beings.
Thus, live here with affection, unharmed as time passes. Whatever has been done, I have forgiven that; you too, O venerable one, please forgive.
Pūjanyu said.
If you consider time as the determining factor, then there would be no enmity with anyone. So why do relatives perform honors for a relative when he is slain?
What was the reason that the gods and asuras fought each other in the past? If time brings about departure, pleasure and pain, and the states of existence and non-existence, then why did they fight?
Physicians wish to give medicine to the sick, but if recovery comes only with time, what is the use of medicines?
Why do those overwhelmed by great grief babble? If time alone is your authority, then why does righteousness exist among those who act?
Your son killed my child and I injured him. Therefore, O king, I should be bound by you.
Indeed, I have sinned against your son out of grief for my own son; therefore, you should strike me. Now hear the truth from me.
Men desire birds either for eating or for playing; there is no third reason for associating with them, except for killing or binding.
Some people, out of fear of killing and bondage, have turned to the path of liberation. The learned in dharma say that suffering arises from death and calamity.
Everyone loves their own life and their children; everyone recoils from sorrow, and everyone desires happiness.
O Brahmadatta, old age is suffering, misapprehension of meaning is suffering; association with the undesirable is suffering, and suffering arises from separation from the desirable.
Suffering caused by enmity, bondage, violence, or women constantly alternates among people with happiness.
Some unwise people say that there is no suffering in another's suffering. He who does not understand suffering merely talks idly among the masses.
But how could one who is afflicted by sorrow and grieving be able to speak? One who truly understands the essence of all sorrow perceives it in others just as in oneself.
O king, whatever has been done by you and by me, that cannot be undone even in hundreds of years, O subduer of enemies.
There is no alliance between us for what has been done to each other. As you remember your son again and again, new enmity will arise.
One who tries to form affection while harboring enmity close by will find, just as a broken clay pot cannot be joined, that reconciliation is impossible.
Those who are versed in the science of polity have determined that distrust leads to happiness. Uśanas (Śukra) once spoke two verses to Prahlāda in ancient times.
Enemies who place their faith in truth or even in untruth are destroyed by their own faith, just as honey is consumed by dry grass.
Enmities in families do not subside even up to the tenth generation. If there is a man in the family, narrators are also found.
Kings first embrace and conciliate enmities; then, when the time comes, they crush the person like a full pot is smashed on a stone.
O king, one should never trust anyone here who has committed a sin; for, having wronged others, one indeed suffers due to misplaced trust.
Brahmadatta said.
One who acts out of distrust does not seek objects nor desire anything; out of fear of either, they always become as if dead.
The venerable one spoke.
If here a person's two feet are wounded and he moves around on them, when those two feet are well-protected, they heal and hasten towards him.
If someone with diseased eyes looks against the wind, it is certain that wind causing pain will arise in his eyes.
Whoever, out of delusion, takes to a corrupt path without knowing his own strength, meets the end of his life thereby.
But if a man ploughs a field without knowing the season of rain and lacks effort, he will not obtain a crop again.
He who always consumes wholesome food, even if it is bitter, astringent, or tasteless, becomes fit for immortality.
If a man, after eating wholesome food, eats something else out of greed without understanding the consequences, that becomes the end of his life.
Divine influence and human effort exist in mutual dependence. For the noble, action is the means; the weak, however, rely on fate alone.
One should perform actions that are beneficial to oneself, whether they are harsh or gentle; but a person who does not act is always consumed by misfortunes and remains destitute.
Therefore, even when the outcome is uncertain, one must exert effort in action. Even if all possessions must be abandoned, men should act for their own benefit.
Knowledge, valor, dexterity, strength, and fortitude are the five; friends are said to be innate, by whom the wise sustain themselves in this world.
It is said that a man obtains everywhere a dwelling, vessel, field, wife, and friend, when these are accumulated.
The wise person delights everywhere and shines everywhere; he does not frighten anyone, nor, when frightened, does he fear.
For the intelligent, even a small purpose always grows; through skill, one accomplishes action, and through restraint, it endures.
A wicked woman consumes the very substance of men of little intelligence who are bound by attachment to their home, just as one does not eat the flesh of cows in the month of Māgha.
Some people, due to confusion of intellect, become attached to things like house, fields, friends, and their own country, and thus they fall into delusion.
One should leave a country afflicted by disease and famine; otherwise, one should always go or reside elsewhere uninvited.
Therefore, I will go to live elsewhere; I cannot stay here. This irreparable act has been done by your son, O king.
One should avoid, from a distance, a bad wife, a bad son, a bad king, bad friendship, bad relationships, and a bad country.
There is no trust in a bad friend, nor pleasure in a bad wife. In a bad kingdom, there is no happiness, and in a bad country, one cannot thrive.
Association with a bad friend does not last; in ever-unstable friendship, insult arises in a bad relationship when interests are reversed.
A true wife is one who speaks kindly; a true son is where there is happiness. A true friend is where there is trust; a true country is where one can live.
Where there is no oppression, that king rules strictly. And indeed, one who wishes to enjoy does not associate closely with the poor.
Wife, country, friends, and all relatives connected to sons—all these belong to a virtuous king who is guided by dharma.
When a ruler who knows only unrighteousness fails to restrain, the subjects are destroyed. A vigilant king protects the foundation of the three pursuits (dharma, artha, and kāma).
After collecting one-sixth as tax, the king should use that tax for the people. He who does not properly protect his subjects is a royal thief.
If a king himself grants fearlessness but does not properly uphold that as authority, then, having incurred sin from all people, one whose mind is set on unrighteousness goes to hell.
The king who always grants fearlessness and establishes authority should be known as the one who brings happiness to all, protecting his subjects through righteousness.
Manu, the lord of creatures, said: 'Father, mother, teacher, protector, fire, Vaiśravaṇa (Kubera), and Yama—these are the seven kings and their qualities.'
The king is truly the father of the kingdom's subjects, and if he, who is compassionate, acts wrongly, then the people go astray.
He regards the miserable as a mother would and receives them; just as fire burns away misfortunes, Yama, being free from disease, acts for the person.
He distributes wealth to those he favors, like Kubera, the wish-granting lord. The teacher, through instruction in dharma, is also a protector by his guardianship.
However, the king who pleases the townspeople and country folk through virtues, his kingdom does not perish because he upholds virtue and law.
A king who himself takes up the duties of both citizens and country people truly enjoys happiness both in this world and the next.
When the subjects are always distressed due to the oppressive burden of taxes and are destroyed by calamities, that ruler meets with ruin.
The king whose subjects flourish like great lotuses in a lake is honored in the world as the recipient of all sacrificial rewards.
O king, conflict by force is praised only in rare cases; for one who has been subdued by force, how can there be a kingdom, how can there be happiness?
Bhīṣma said.
Having thus spoken, the female bird took leave of King Brahmadatta and then went in the direction she desired.
This, what was spoken by me to you together with Pūjanyā and Brahmadatta, O best of the Bharatas, has been said. What else do you wish to hear?
