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The Mahabharata of Krishna Dwaipayana Vyasa, Volume 1 by or: Kisari Mohan Ganguli

o >> or: Kisari Mohan Ganguli >> The Mahabharata of Krishna Dwaipayana Vyasa, Volume 1




"'I shall now indicate the occasions in detail of forgiveness, as laid
down by the learned, and which should ever be observed by all. Hearken
unto me as I speak! He that hath done thee a service, even if he is
guilty of a grave wrong unto thee, recollecting his former service,
shouldst thou forgive that offender. Those also that have become
offenders from ignorance and folly should be forgiven for learning and
wisdom are not always easily attainable by man. They that having offended
thee knowingly, plead ignorance should be punished, even if their
offences be trivial. Such crooked men should never be pardoned. The first
offence of every creature should be forgiven. The second offence,
however, should be punished, even if it be trivial. If, however, a person
commiteth an offence unwillingly, it hath been said that examining his
plea well by a judicious enquiry, he should be pardoned. Humility may
vanquish might, humility may vanquish weakness. There is nothing that
humility may not accomplish. Therefore, humility is truly fiercer (than
it seemeth)! One should act with reference to place and time, taking note
of his own might or weakness. Nothing can succeed that hath been
undertaken without reference to place and time. Therefore, do thou ever
wait for place and time! Sometimes offenders should be forgiven from fear
of the people. These have been declared to be times of forgiveness. And
it hath been said that on occasions besides these, might should be put
forth against transgressors.'

"Draupadi continued, 'I, therefore, regard, O king, that the time hath
come for thee to put forth thy might! Unto those Kurus the covetous sons
of Dhritarashtra who injure us always, the present is not the time for
forgiveness! It behoveth thee to put forth thy might. The humble and
forgiving person is disregarded; while those that are fierce persecute
others. He, indeed, is a king who hath recourse to both, each according
to its time!'"



SECTION XXIX

Yudhishthira said, 'Anger is the slayer of men and is again their
prosperor. Know this, O thou possessed of great wisdom, that anger is the
root of all prosperity and all adversity. O thou beautiful one, he that
suppresseth his anger earneth prosperity. That man, again, who always
giveth way to anger, reapeth adversity from his fierce anger. It is seen
in this world that anger is the cause of destruction of every creature.
How then can one like me indulge his anger which is so destructive of the
world? The angry man commiteth sin. The angry man killeth even his
preceptors. The angry man insulteth even his superiors in harsh words.
The man that is angry faileth to distinguish between what should be said
and what should not. There is no act that an angry man may not do, no
word that an angry man may not utter. From anger a man may slay one that
deserveth not to be slain, and may worship one that deserveth to be
slain. The angry man may even send his own soul to the regions of Yama.
Beholding all these faults, the wise control their anger, desirous of
obtaining high prosperity both in this and the other world. It is for
this that they of tranquil souls have banished wrath. How can one like us
indulge in it then? O daughter of Drupada, reflecting upon all this, my
anger is not excited One that acteth not against a man whose wrath hath
been up, rescueth himself as also others from great fear. In fact, he may
be regarded to be the physician of the two (viz., himself and angry man).
If a weak man, persecuted by others, foolishly becometh angry towards men
that are mightier than he, he then becometh himself the cause of his own
destruction. And in respect of one who thus deliberately throweth away
his life, there are no regions hereafter to gain. Therefore, O daughter
of Drupada, it hath been said that a weak man should always suppress his
wrath. And the wise man also who though presecuted, suffereth not his
wrath to be roused, joyeth in the other world--having passed his
persecutor over in indifference. It is for this reason hath it been said
that a wise man, whether strong or weak, should ever forgive his
persecutor even when the latter is in the straits. It is for this, O
Krishna, that the virtuous applaud them that have conquered their wrath.
Indeed, it is the opinion of the virtuous that the honest and forgiving
man is ever victorious. Truth is more beneficial than untruth; and
gentleness than cruel behaviour. How can one like me, therefore, even for
the purpose of slaying Duryodhana, exhibit anger which hath so many
faults and which the virtuous banish from their souls? They that are
regarded by the learned of foresight, as possessed of (true) force of
character, are certainly those who are wrathful in outward show only. Men
of learning and of true insight call him to be possessed of force of
character who by his wisdom can suppress his risen wrath. O thou of fair
hips, the angry man seeth not things in their true light. The man that is
angry seeth not his way, nor respecteth persons. The angry man killeth
even those that deserve not to be killed. The man of wrath slayeth even
his preceptors. Therefore, the man possessing force of character should
ever banish wrath to a distance. The man that is overwhelmed with wrath
acquireth not with ease generosity, dignity, courage, skill, and other
attributes belonging to real force of character. A man by forsaking anger
can exhibit proper energy, whereas, O wise one, it is highly difficult
for the angry man to exhibit his energy at the proper time! The ignorant
always regard anger as equivalent to energy. Wrath, however hath been
given to man for the destruction of the world. The man, therefore, who
wisheth to behave properly, must ever forsake anger. Even one who hath
abandoned the excellent virtues of his own order, it is certain,
indulgeth in wrath (if behaveth properly). If fools, of mind without
light, transgress in every respect, how, O faultless one, can one like me
transgress (like them)? If amongst men there were not persons equal unto
the earth in forgiveness, there would be no peace among men but continued
strife caused by wrath. If the injured return their injuries, if one
chastised by his superior were to chastise his superior in return, the
consequence would be the destruction of every creature, and sin also
would prevail in the world. If the man who hath ill speeches from
another, returneth those speeches afterwards; if the injured man
returneth his injuries: if the chastised person chastiseth in return; if
fathers slay sons, and sons fathers and if husbands slay wives, and wives
husbands; then, O Krishna, how can birth take place in a world where
anger prevaileth so! For, O thou of handsome face, know that the birth of
creatures is due to peace! If the kings also, O Draupadi, giveth way to
wrath, his subjects soon meet with destruction. Wrath, therefore, hath
for its consequence the destruction and the distress of the people. And
because it is seen that there are in the world men who are forgiving like
the Earth, it is therefore that creatures derive their life and
prosperity. O beautiful one, one should forgive under every injury. It
hath been said that the continuation of species is due to man being
forgiving. He, indeed, is a wise and excellent person who hath conquered
his wrath and who showeth forgiveness even when insulted, oppressed, and
angered by a strong person. The man of power who controleth his wrath,
hath (for his enjoyment) numerous everlasting regions; while he that is
angry, is called foolish, and meeteth with destruction both in this and
the other world. O Krishna, the illustrious and forgiving Kashyapa hath,
in this respect, sung the following verses in honour of men that are ever
forgiving, 'Forgiveness is virtue; forgiveness is sacrifice, forgiveness
is the Vedas, forgiveness is the Shruti. He that knoweth this is capable
of forgiving everything. Forgiveness is Brahma; forgiveness is truth;
forgiveness is stored ascetic merit; forgiveness protecteth the ascetic
merit of the future; forgiveness is asceticism; forgiveness is holiness;
and by forgiveness is it that the universe is held together. Persons that
are forgiving attain to the regions obtainable by those that have
preformed meritorious sacrifices, or those that are well-conversant with
the Vedas, or those that have high ascetic merit. Those that perform
Vedic sacrifices as also those that perform the meritorious rites of
religion obtain other regions. Men of forgiveness, however, obtain those
much-adored regions that are in the world of Brahma. Forgiveness is the
might of the mighty; forgiveness is sacrifice; forgiveness is quiet of
mind. How, O Krishna, can one like us abandon forgiveness, which is such,
and in which are established Brahma, and truth, and wisdom and the
worlds? The man of wisdom should ever forgive, for when he is capable of
forgiving everything, he attaineth to Brahma. The world belongeth to
those that are forgiving; the other world is also theirs. The forgiving
acquire honours here, and a state of blessedness hereafter. Those men
that ever conquer their wrath by forgiveness, obtain the higher regions.
Therefore hath it been said that forgiveness is the highest virtue.'
Those are the verses sung by Kashyapa in respect of those that are
everforgiving. Having listened, O Draupadi, to these verses in respect of
forgiveness, content thyself! Give not way to thy wrath! Our grandsire,
the son of Santanu, will worship peace; Krishna, the son of Devaki, will
worship peace; the preceptor (Drona) and Vidura called Kshatri will both
speak of peace; Kripa and Sanjaya also will preach peace. And Somadatta
and Yuyutshu and Drona's son and our grandsire Vyasa, every one of them
speaketh always of peace. Ever urged by these towards peace, the king
(Dhritarashtra) will, I think, return us our kingdom. If however, he
yieldeth to temptation, he will meet with destruction. O lady, a crisis
hath come in the history of Bharatas for plunging them into calamity!
This hath been my certain conclusion from some time before! Suyodhana
deserveth not the kingdom. Therefore hath he been unable to acquire
forgiveness. I, however, deserve the sovereignty and therefore is it that
forgiveness hath taken possession of me. Forgiveness and gentleness are
the qualities of the self-possessed. They represent eternal virtue. I
shall, therefore, truly adopt those qualities."



SECTION XXX

"Draupadi said, 'I bow down unto Dhatri and Vidhatri who have thus
clouded thy sense! Regarding the burden (thou art to bear) thou thinkest
differently from the ways of thy fathers and grand-fathers! Influenced by
acts men are placed in different situations of life. Acts, therefore,
produce consequences that are inevitable; emancipation is desired from
mere folly. It seemeth that man can never attain prosperity in this world
by virtue, gentleness, forgiveness, straight-forwardness and fear of
censure! If this were not so, O Bharata, this insufferable calamity would
never have overtaken thee who art so undeserving of it, and these thy
brothers of great energy! Neither in those days of prosperity nor in
these days of thy adversity, thou, O Bharata, hath ever known anything so
dear to thee as virtue, which thou hast even regarded as dearer to thee
than life? That thy kingdom is for virtue alone, that thy life also is
for virtue alone, is known to Brahmanas and thy superiors and even the
celestials! I think thou canst abandon Bhimasena and Arjuna and these
twin sons of Madri along with myself but thou canst not abandon virtue! I
have heard that the king protecteth virtue; and virtue, protected by him,
protecteth him (in return)! I see, however, that virtue protecteth thee
not! Like the shadow pursuing a man, thy heart, O tiger among men, with
singleness of purpose, ever seeketh virtue. Thou hast never disregarded
thy equals, and inferiors and superiors. Obtaining even the entire world,
thy pride never increased! O son of Pritha, thou ever worshippest
Brahmanas, and gods, and the Pitris, with Swadhas, and other forms of
worship! O son of Pritha, thou hast ever gratified the Brahmanas by
fulfilling every wish of theirs! Yatis and Sannyasins and mendicants of
domestic lives have always been fed in thy house from off plates of gold
where I have distributed (food) amongst them. Unto the Vanaprasthas thou
always givest gold and food. There is nothing in thy house thou mayest
not give unto the Brahmanas! In the Viswadeva sacrifice, that is, for thy
peace, performed in thy house, the things consecrated are first offered
unto guests and all creatures while thou livest thyself with what
remaineth (after distribution)! Ishtis Pashubandhas, sacrifices for
obtaining fruition of desire, the religions rites of (ordinary)
domesticity, Paka sacrifices, and sacrifices of other kinds, are ever
performed in thy house. Even in this great forest, so solitary and
haunted by robbers, living in exile, divested of thy kingdom, thy virtue
hath sustained no diminution! The Aswamedha, the Rajasuya, the Pundarika,
and Gosava, these grand sacrifices requiring large gifts have all been
performed by thee! O monarch, impelled by a perverse sense during that
dire hour of a losing match at dice, thou didst yet stake and loss thy
kingdom, thy wealth, thy weapons, thy brothers, and myself! Simple,
gentle, liberal, modest, truthful, how, O king could thy mind be
attracted to the vice of gambling? I am almost deprived of my sense, O
king, and my heart is overwhelmed with grief, beholding this thy
distress, and this thy calamity! An old history is cited as an
illustration for the truth that men are subjects to the will of God and
never to their own wishes! The Supreme Lord and Ordainer of all ordaineth
everything in respect of the weal and woe, the happiness and misery, of
all creatures, even prior to their births guided by the acts of each,
which are even like a seed (destined to sprout forth into the tree of
life). O hero amongst men, as a wooden doll is made to move its limbs by
the wire-puller, so are creatures made to work by the Lord of all. O
Bharata, like space that covereth every object, God, pervading every
creature, ordaineth its weal or woe. Like a bird tied with a string,
every creature is dependent on God. Every one is subject to God and none
else. No one can be his own ordainer. Like a pearl on its string, or a
bull held fast by the cord passing through its nose, or a tree fallen
from the bank into the middle of the stream, every creature followeth the
command of the Creator, because imbued with His Spirit and because
established in Him. And man himself, dependent on the Universal Soul,
cannot pass a moment independently. Enveloped in darkness, creatures are
not masters of their own weal or woe. They go to heaven or hell urged by
God Himself. Like light straws dependent on strong winds, all creatures,
O Bharatas, are dependent on God! And God himself, pervading all
creatures and engaged in acts right and wrong, moveth in the universe,
though none can say This is God! This body with its physical attributes
is only the means by which God--the Supreme Lord of all maketh (every
creature) to reap fruits that are good or bad. Behold the power of
illusion that hath been spread by God, who confounding with his illusion,
maketh creatures slay their fellows! Truth-knowing Munis behold those
differently. They appear to them in a different light, even like the rays
of the Sun (which to ordinary eyes are only a pencil of light, while to
eyes more penetrating seem fraught with the germs of food and drink).
Ordinary men behold the things of the earth otherwise. It is God who
maketh them all, adopting different processes in their creation and
destruction. And, O Yudhishthira, the Self-create Grandsire, Almighty
God, spreading illusion, slayeth his creatures by the instrumentality of
his creatures, as one may break a piece of inert and senseless wood with
wood, or stone with stone, or iron with iron. And the Supreme Lord,
according to his pleasure, sporteth with His creatures, creating and
destroying them, like a child with his toy (of soft earth). O king, it
doth seem to me that God behaveth towards his creatures like a father or
mother unto them. Like a vicious person, He seemeth to bear himself
towards them in anger! Beholding superior and well-behaved and modest
persons persecuted, while the sinful are happy, I am sorely troubled.
Beholding this thy distress and the prosperity of Suyodhana, I do not
speak highly of the Great Ordainer who suffereth such inequality! O sir,
what fruits doth the Great Ordainer reap by granting prosperity to
Dhritarashtra's son who transgresseth the ordinances, who is crooked and
covetous, and who injureth virtue and religion! If the act done pursueth
the doer and none else, then certainly it is God himself who is stained
with the sin of every act. If however, the sin of an act done doth not
attach to the doer, then (individual) might (and not God) is the true
cause of acts, and I grieve for those that have no might!'"



SECTION XXXI

"Yudhishthira said, 'Thy speech, O Yajnaseni, is delightful, smooth and
full of excellent phrases. We have listened to it (carefully). Thou
speakest, however, the language of atheism. O princess, I never act,
solicitous of the fruits of my actions. I give away, because it is my
duty to give; I sacrifice because it is my duty to sacrifice! O Krishna,
I accomplish to the best of my power whatever a person living in
domesticity should do, regardless of the fact whether those acts have
fruits or not. O thou of fair hips, I act virtuously, not from the desire
of reaping the fruits of virtue, but of not transgressing the ordinances
of the Veda, and beholding also the conduct of the good and wise! My
heart, O Krishna, is naturally attracted towards virtue. The man who
wisheth to reap the fruits of virtue is a trader in virtue. His nature is
mean and he should never be counted amongst the virtuous. Nor doth he
ever obtain the fruits of his virtues! Nor doth he of sinful heart, who
having accomplished a virtuous act doubteth in his mind, obtain the
fruits of his act, in consequence of that scepticism of his! I speak unto
thee, under the authority of the Vedas, which constitute the highest
proof in such matters, that never shouldst thou doubt virtue! The man
that doubteth virtue is destined to take his birth in the brute species.
The man of weak understanding who doubteth religion, virtue or the words
of the Rishis, is precluded from regions of immortality and bliss, like
Sudras from the Vedas! O intelligent one, if a child born of a good race
studieth the Vedas and beareth himself virtuously, royal sages of
virtuous behaviour regard him as an aged sage (not withstanding his
years)! The sinful wretch, however, who doubteth religion and
transgresseth the scriptures, is regarded as lower even than Sudras and
robbers! Thou hast seen with thy own eyes the great ascetic Markandeya of
immeasurable soul come to us! It is by virtue alone that he hath acquired
immortality in the flesh. Vyasa, and Vasistha and Maitreya, and Narada
and Lomasa, and Suka, and other Rishis have all, by virtue alone, become
of pure soul! Thou beholdest them with thy own eyes as furnished with
prowess of celestial asceticism, competent to curse or bless (with
effect), and superior to the very gods! O sinless one, these all, equal
to the celestials themselves, behold with their eyes what Is written in
the Vedas, and describe virtue as the foremost duty! It behoveth thee
not, therefore, O amiable Queen, to either doubt or censure God or act,
with a foolish heart. The fool that doubteth religion and disregardeth
virtue, proud of the proof derived from his own reasoning, regardeth not
other proofs and holdeth the Rishis, who are capable of knowing the
future as present as mad men. The fool regardeth only the external world
capable of gratifying his senses, and is blind to everything else. He
that doubteth religion hath no expiation for his offence. That miserable
wretch is full of anxiety and acquireth not regions of bliss hereafter. A
rejector of proofs, a slanderer of the interpretation of the Vedic
scriptures, a transgressor urged by lust and covetousness, that fool
goeth to hell. O amiable one, he on the other hand, who ever cherisheth
religion with faith, obtaineth eternal bliss in the other world. The fool
who cherisheth not religion, transgressing the proofs offered by the
Rishis, never obtaineth prosperity in any life, for such transgression of
the scriptures. It is certain, O handsome one, that with respect to him
who regardeth not the words of the Rishis or the conduct of the virtuous
as proof, neither this nor the other world existeth. Doubt not, O
Krishna, the ancient religion that is practised by the good and framed by
Rishis of universal knowledge and capable of seeing all things! O
daughter of Drupada, religion is the only raft for those desirous of
going to heaven, like a ship to merchants desirous of crossing the ocean.
O thou faultless one, if the virtues that are practised by the virtuous
had no fruits, this universe then would be enveloped in infamous
darkness. No one then would pursue salvation, no one would seek to
acquire knowledge not even wealth, but men would live like beasts. If
asceticism, the austerities of celibate life, sacrifices, study of the
Vedas, charity, honesty,--these all were fruitless, men would not have
practised virtue generation after generation. If acts were all fruitless,
a dire confusion would ensue. For what then do Rishis and gods and
Gandharvas and Rakshasas who are all independent of human conditions,
cherish virtue with such affection? Knowing it for certain that God is
the giver of fruits in respect of virtue, they practise virtue in this
world. This, O Krishna, is the eternal (source of) prosperity. When the
fruits of both knowledge and asceticism are seen, virtue and vice cannot
be fruitless. Call to thy mind, O Krishna, the circumstances of thy own
birth as thou that heard of them, and recall also the manner in which
Dhrishtadyumna of great prowess was born! These, O thou of sweet smiles,
are the best proofs (of the fruits of virtue)! They that have their minds
under control, reap the fruits of their acts and are content with little.
Ignorant fools are not content with even that much they get (here),
because they have no happiness born of virtue to acquire to in the world
hereafter. The fruitlessness of virtuous acts ordained in the Vedas, as
also of all transgressions, the origin and destruction of acts are, O
beautiful one, mysterious even to the gods. These are not known to any
body and everybody. Ordinary men are ignorant in respect of these. The
gods keep up the mystery, for the illusion covering the conduct of the
gods is unintelligible. Those regenerate ones that have destroyed all
aspirations, that have built all their hopes on vows and asceticism, that
have burnt all their sins and have acquired minds where quest and peace
and holiness dwell, understand all these. Therefore, though you mayst not
see the fruits of virtue, thou shouldst not yet doubt religion or gods.
Thou must perform sacrifices with a will, and practise charity without
insolence. Acts in this world have their fruits, and virtue also is
eternal. Brahma himself told this unto his (spiritual) sons, as testified
to by Kashyapa. Let thy doubt, therefore, O Krishna, be dispelled like
mist. Reflecting upon all this, let thy scepticism give way to faith.
Slander not God, who is the lord of all creatures. Learn how to know him.
Bow down unto him. Let not thy mind be such. And, O Krishna, never
disregard that Supreme Being through whose grace mortal man, by piety,
acquireth immortality!'"



SECTION XXXII

"Draupadi said, 'I do not ever disregard or slander religion, O son of
Pritha! Why should I disregard God, the lord of all creatures? Afflicted
with woe, know me, O Bharata, to be only raving I will once more indulge
in lamentations; listen to me with attention O persecutor of all enemies,
every conscious creature should certainly act in this world. It is only
the immobile, and not other creatures, that may live without acting. The
calf, immediately after its birth, sucketh the mothers' teat. Persons
feel pain in consequence of incantations performed with their statues. It
seemeth, therefore, O Yudhishthira, that creatures derive the character
of their lives from their acts of former lives. Amongst mobile creatures
man differeth in this respect that he aspireth, O bull of the Bharata
race, to affect his course of life in this and the other world by means
of his acts. Impelled by the inspiration of a former life, all creatures
visibly (reap) in this world the fruits of their acts. Indeed, all
creatures live according to the inspiration of a former life, even the
Creator and the Ordainer of the universe, like a crane that liveth on the
water (untaught by any one.) If a creature acteth not, its course of life
is impossible. In the case of a creature, therefore, there must be action
and not inaction. Thou also shouldest act, and not incur censure by
abandoning action. Cover thyself up, as with an armour, with action.
There may or may not be even one in a thousand who truly knoweth the
utility of acts or work. One must act for protecting as also increasing
his wealth; for if without seeking to earn, one continueth to only spend,
his wealth, even if it were a hoard huge as Himavat, would soon be
exhausted. All the creatures in the world would have been exterminated,
if there were no action. If also acts bore no fruits, creatures would
never have multiplied. It is even seen that creatures sometimes perform
acts that have no fruits, for without acts the course of life itself
would be impossible. Those persons in the world who believe in destiny,
and those again who believe in chance, are both the worst among men.
Those only that believe in the efficacy of acts are laudable. He that
lieth at ease, without activity, believing in destiny alone, is soon
destroyed like an unburnt earthen pot in water. So also he that believeth
in chance, i.e., sitteth inactive though capable of activity liveth not
long, for his life is one of weakness and helplessness. If any person
accidentally acquireth any wealth, it is said he deriveth it from chance,
for no one's effort hath brought about the result. And, O son of Pritha,
whatever of good fortune a person obtaineth in consequence of religious
rites, that is called providential. The fruit, however that a person
obtaineth by acting himself, and which is the direct result of those acts
of his, is regarded as proof of personal ability. And, O best of men,
know that the wealth one obtaineth spontaneously and without cause is
said to be a spontaneous acquisition. Whatever is thus obtained by
chance, by providential dispensation, spontaneously, of as the result of
one's acts is, however, the consequence of the acts of a former life. And
God, the Ordainer of the universe, judging according to the acts of
former lives, distributeth among men their portions in this world.
Whatever acts, good or bad, a person performeth, know that they are the
result of God's, arrangements agreeably to the acts of a former life.
This body is only the instruments in the hands of God, for doing the acts
that are done. Itself, inert, it doth as God urgeth it to do. O son of
Kunti, it is the Supreme Lord of all who maketh all creatures do what
they do. The creatures themselves are inert. O hero, man, having first
settled some purpose in his mind, accomplisheth it, himself working with
the aid of his intelligence. We, therefore, say that man is himself the
cause (of what he doeth). O bull among men, it is impossible to number
the acts of men, for mansions and towns are the result of man's acts.
Intelligent men know, by help of their intellect, that oil may be had
from sesame, curds from milk, and that food may be cooked by means of
igniting fuel. They know also the means for accomplishing all these. And
knowing them, they afterwards set themselves, with proper appliances, to
accomplish them. And creatures support their lives by the results
achieved in these directions by their own acts. If a work is executed by
a skilled workman, it is executed well. From differences (in
characteristics), another work may be said to be that of an unskilful
hand. If a person were not, in the matter of his acts, himself the cause
thereof, then sacrifices would not bear any fruits in his case nor would
any body be a disciple or a master. It is because a person is himself the
cause of his work that he is applauded when he achieved success. So the
doer is censured if he faileth. If a man were not himself the cause of
his acts, how would all this be justified? Some say that everything is
the result of Providential dispensation; others again, that this is not
so, but that everything which is supposed to be the result of destiny or
chance is the result of the good or the bad acts of former lives. It is
seen, possessions are obtained from chance, as also from destiny
Something being from destiny and something from chance, something is
obtained by exertion. In the acquisition of his objects, there is no
fourth cause in the case of man. Thus say those that are acquainted with
truth and skilled in knowledge. If, however, God himself were not the
giver of good and bad fruits, then amongst creatures there would not be
any that was miserable. If the effect of former acts be a myth, then all
purposes for which man would work should be successful. They, therefore,
that regard the three alone (mentioned above) as the doors of all success
and failure in the world, (without regarding the acts of former life),
are dull and inert like the body itself. For all this, however, a person
should act. This is the conclusion of Manu himself. The person that doth
not act, certainly succumbeth, O Yudhishthira. The man of action in this
world generally meeteth with success. The idle, however, never achieveth
success. If success, becometh impossible, then should one seek to remove
the difficulties that bar his way to success. And, O king, if a person
worketh (hard), his debt (to the gods) is cancelled (whether he achieveth
success or not). The person that is idle and lieth at his length, is
overcome by adversity; while he that is active and skillful is sure to
reap success and enjoy prosperity. Intelligent persons engaged in acts
with confidence in themselves regard all who are diffident as doubting
and unsuccessful. The confident and faithful, however, are regarded by
them as successful. And this moment misery hath overtaken us. If,
however, thou betakest to action, that misery will certainly be removed.
If thou meetest failure, then that will furnish a proof unto thee and
Vrikodara and Vivatsu and the twins (that ye are unable to snatch the
kingdom from the foe). The acts of others, it is seen, are crowned with
success. It is probable that ours also will be successful. How can one
know beforehand what the consequence will be? Having exerted thyself thou
wilt know what the fruit of thy exertion will be. The tiller tilleth with
the plough the soil and soweth the seeds thereon. He then sitteth silent,
for the clouds (after that) are the cause that would help the seeds to
grow into plants. If however, the clouds favour him not, the tiller is
absolved from all blame. He sayeth unto himself, 'What others do, I have
done. If, notwithstanding this, I meet with failure, no blame can attach
to me.' Thinking so, he containeth himself and never indulgeth in
self-reproach. O Bharata, no one should despair saying, 'Oh, I am acting,
yet success is not mine! For there are two other causes, besides
exertion, towards success. Whether there be success or failure, there
should be no despair, for success in acts dependeth upon the union; of
many circumstances. If one important element is wanting, success doth not
become commensurate, or doth not come at all. If however, no exertion is
made, there can be no success. Nor is there anything to applaud in the
absence of all exertion. The intelligent, aided by their intelligence,
and according to their full might bring place, time, means, auspicious
rites, for the acquisition of prosperity. With carefulness and vigilance
should one set himself to work, his chief guide being his prowess. In the
union of qualities necessary for success in work, prowess seemeth to be
the chief. When the man of intelligence seeth his enemy superior to him
in many qualities, he should seek the accomplishment of his purposes by
means, of the arts of conciliation and proper appliances. He should also
wish evil unto his foe and his banishment. Without speaking of mortal
man, if his foe were even the ocean or the hills, he should be guided by
such motives. A person by his activity in searching for the holes of his
enemies, dischargeth his debt to himself as also to his friends. No man
should ever disparage himself for the man that disparageth himself never
earneth high prosperity. O Bharata, success in this world is attainable
on such conditions! In fact, success in the World is said to depend on
acting according to time and circumstances. My father formerly kept a
learned Brahmana with him. O bull of the Bharata race, he said all this
unto my father. Indeed, these instructions as to duty, uttered by
Vrihaspati himself, were first taught to my brothers. It was from them
that I heard these afterwards while in my father's house. And, O
Yudhishthira, while at intervals of business, I went out (of the inner
apartments) and sat on the lap of my father, that learned Brahmana used
to recite unto me these truths, sweetly consoling me therewith!"

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We do not know the women's names, but their voices are quite distinct. All are pregnant. But while the first woman awaits the birth of her baby with a moon-like serenity, the other two are not so lucky. One, whose previous pregnancies have failed to go to term, is experiencing a heartbreaking late miscarriage; the other is a young student whose accidental pregnancy will end in her child being put up for adoption.

Sylvia Plath's only play was never intended for the stage, being broadcast instead on BBC radio in August 1962. Less than six months later, Plath killed herself, but not before the burst of astonishing creative energy that produced her extraordinary, terrifying Ariel poems.

Anyone who knows Plath's poetry will see the connection between Three Women and Plath's subsequent poems, particularly in the way she talks about the agony of childbirth, the rush of love for this tiny alien being, and both the wonder and wounded rawness of motherhood. It is a beautiful piece, full of startling imagery that draws you in through the sheer intensity of its femaleness, and because it so precisely articulates the emotions that are often thought but seldom voiced by women - certainly not in the early 1960s - about men, motherhood and our relationship to our bodies.

It's been 20 years since there has been an attempt at a professional stage version and - in a theatre world that happily accepts the poetic offerings of Sarah Kane and Debbie Tucker Green, or the staged possibilities of The Waves, one of Plath's own inspirations for the piece, I see no reason why it shouldn't be brought to life. Sadly, it doesn't breathe here, in a production by Robert Shaw that is clearly a labour of love, but which never finds a way to give the internal a physical reality. Plath's poetry, like most babies, is more robust than it appears - and won't break if treated with a little less reverence and considerably more grit.

Instead, what we are offered is tinkling piano music, mournful mood lighting, an innocuous pale setting, as well as three perfectly good but indisputably ladylike performances that capture none of the wounded redness of Plath's poetry, and do her the disservice of making her sound bleached and somewhat prissy. It's a pity. What might have been a wonder ends up a mere curiosity.

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