SECTION –CCCXII
(Aranya Parva Continued)
Vaisampayana continued,--"Then agreeable to
the words of the Yaksha the Pandavas rose up; and in a moment their hunger and
thirst left them. Thereupon Yudhishthira said, 'I ask thee that art incapable
of being vanquished and that standest on one leg in the tank, what god art
thou, for I cannot take thee for a Yaksha! Art thou the foremost of the Vasus, or
of the Rudras, or of the chief of the Maruts? Or art thou the lord himself of
the celestials, wielder of the thunder-bolt! Each of these my brothers is
capable of fighting as hundred thousand warriors, and I see not the warrior
that can slay them all! I see also that their senses have refreshed, as if they
have sweetly awaked from slumber. Art thou a friend of ours, or even our father
himself? At this the Yaksha replied,-'O child, I am even thy father, the Lord
of justice, possessed of great prowess! Know, bull of the Bharata race, that I
came hither desirous of beholding thee! Fame, truth, self-restraint, purity,
candour, modesty, steadiness, charity, austerities and Brahmacharya, these are
my body! And abstention from injury, impartiality, peace, penances, sanctity,
and freedom from malice are the doors (through which I am accessible). Thou art
always dear to me! By good luck thou art devoted to the five; 1 and by good
luck also thou hast conquered the six. 2 Of the six, two appear in the first part
of life; two in the middle part thereof; and the remaining two at the end, in
order to make men repair to the next world. I am, good betide thee, the lord of
justice! I came hither to test thy merit. I am well-pleased to witness thy
harmlessness; and, O sinless one, I will confer boons on thee. Do thou, O
foremost of kings, ask of me boons. I shall surely confer them, O sinless one!
Those that revere me, never come by distress!' Yudhishthira said,--'A deer was
carrying away the Brahmana's fire-sticks. Therefore, the first boon that I
shall ask, is, may that Brahmana's adorations to Agni be not interrupted!' The
Yaksha said,--'O Kunti's son endued with splendour, it was I who for examining
thee, was carrying away, in the guise of a deer, that Brahmana's fire-sticks!"
Vaisampayana continued,--"Thereupon that
worshipful one said,--'I give thee this boon! Good betide thee! O thou that are
like unto an immortal, ask thou a fresh boon! Yudhishthira said,--'We have
spent these twelve years in the forest; and the thirteenth year is come. May no
one recognise us, as we spend this year somewhere.'
Vaisampayana continued,-'Thereat that worshipful
one replied,--'I give this boon unto thee!' And then reassuring Kunti's son
having truth for prowess, he also said, 'Even if, O Bharata, ye range this
(entire) earth in your proper forms none in the three worlds shall recognise
you. Ye perpetuators of the Kuru race, through my grace, ye will spend this
thirteenth year, secretly and unrecognised, in Virata's kingdom! And every one
of you will be able at will to assume any form he likes! Do ye now present the
Brahmana with his fire-sticks. It was only to test you that I carried them away
in the form of a deer! O amiable Yudhishthira, do thou ask for another boon
that thou mayst like! I will confer it on thee. O foremost of men, I have not
yet been satisfied by granting boons to thee! Do thou my son, accept a third
boon that is great and incomparable! Thou, O king, art born of me, and Vidura
of portion or mine!" Thereat Yudhishthira said,--'It is enough that I have
beheld thee with my senses, eternal God of gods as thou art! O father, whatever
boon thou wilt confer on me I shall surely accept gladly! May I, O lord, always
conquer covetousness and folly and anger, and may my mind be ever devoted to
charity, truth, and ascetic austerities! The Lord of justice said,--'Even by
nature, O Pandava, hast thou been endued with these qualities, for thou art the
Lord of justice himself! Do thou again attain what thou asked for!"
Vaisampayana continued,--"Having said these
words, the worshipful Lord of justice, who is the object of contemplation of
all the worlds, vanished therefrom; and the high-souled Pandavas after they had
slept sweetly were united with one another. And their fatigue dispelled, those
heroes returned to the hermitage, and gave back that Brahmana his firesticks.
That man who pursueth this illustrious and fame-enhancing story of the revival
(of the Pandavas) and the meeting of father and son (Dharma and Yudhishthira),
obtaineth perfect tranquillity of mind, and sons and grandsons, and also a life
extending over a hundred years! And the mind of that man that layeth this story
to heart, never delighteth in unrighteousness, or in disunion among friends, or
misappropriation of other person's property, or staining other people's wives,
or in foul thoughts!
Footnotes
612:1 That is, tranquillity of mind,
self-restraint, abstention from sensual pleasures, resignation, and Yoga
meditation.
612:2 That is, hunger, thirst, sorrow, bluntness
of mortal feeling, decrepitude, and death.
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