Bhimasena said-Your understanding, O king, cannot perceive the truth, like that of a foolish and unintelligent reciter of the Veda for his recitation of those scriptures.

If censuring the duties of kings you would lead an idle life, then, O foremost of Bharata's race, this destruction of the Dhartarashtras was perfectly useless.

Does not a Kshatriya possess forgiveness and compassion and pity and abstention from injury?

If we knew that this was your intention, we would then have never taken up arms and killed a single creature.

We would then have lived by begging till the destruction of this body! This dreadful battle between the kings would also have never taken place!

The learned have declared that what we see is food for the strong. This mobile and immobile world is worthy of being enjoyed by the strong.

Wise men conversant with Kshatriya duties have said that they who stand in the way of the person taking the sovereignty of the Earth, should be killed.

Committing the same fault, those that stood as enemies of our kingdom have all been killed by us. Having killed then, O Yudhishthira, righteously govern this Earth!

This act of our refusing the kingdom is like that of a person who having dug a well stops in his work before obtaining water and comes up covered with mire.

Or, this our act is like that of a person who having climbed up a tall tree and collected honey therefrom dies before tasting it.

Or, it is like that of a person who having set out on a long journey comes back in despair without having reached his goal.

Or, it is like that of a person who having killed all his enemies, O you of Kuru's race, at last dies at his own hand.

Or, it is like that of a person with hunger, who having obtained food, refuses to take it, or of a person under the influence of passion, who having obtained a woman reciprocating his desire refuses to know her.

We have become butts of censure, O Bharata, because, O king, we follow you who are of weak understanding, in consequence of yourself being our eldest brother!

We are endued with the might of arms; we are accomplished in knowledge and gifted with great energy. Yet we follow the words of a eunuch as if we were entirely helpless!

We are the refuge of all helpless persons. Yet, when people see us so, why would they not say that we are entirely powerless to acquire our objects? Think of what I say!

It has been laid down that (a life of) Renunciation should be adopted, only in times of difficulty, by kings attacked with decrepitude or defeated by, enemies!

Wise men, therefore, do not praise Renunciation as the duty of a Kshatriya. On the other hand, the clear-sighted think that the adoption of such a life (by a Kshatriya) involves even the loss of virtue.

How can those who are born in that order, who follow the practices of that order, and that have their refuse in them, censure those duties? If indeed those duties be censurable, then why should not the Supreme Ordainer be blamed?

The persons who are shorn of prosperity and wealth and who are unbelievers, have laid down this precept of the Vedas as the truth. In reality, however, it is never, proper for a Kshatriya to do so.

He who can support life by prowess, he who can support himself by his own exertions, does note live, but really deviates from his duty, by following the life of Renunciation.

That man only is capable of leading a solitary life of happiness in the forest who cannot support sons and grandsons and the deities and Rishis and guests and Pitris.

As the deer and boars and birds cannot attain to heaven, even so those Kshatriyas who are not shorn of prowess cannot attain to heaven by leading only a forest life. They should acquire religious merit by other means.

If, O king, anybody could secure success from Renunciation, then mountains and trees would surely obtain it.

These latter always lead lives of Renunciation. They do not harın any one. They do not lead a life of worldliness and are all Brahmacharins.

If it be the truth that a person's success depends upon his own torture in life and not upon that of others, then you should take to action. He that is shorn of action can never attain success.

If they who fill only their own stomachs could achieve success, then all aquatic creatures would get it, for these have none else to support save their own selves.

Behold, the world moves on, with every creature on it acting according to its nature, therefore, one should act. The man shorn of action can never attain success.

If they who fill only their own stomachs could achieve success, then all aquatic creatures would get it, for these have none else to support save their own selves.

Behold, the world moves on, with every creature on it acting according to its nature, therefore, one should act. The man shorn of action can never attain success.