Mahabharata

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> Apparently Yudhisthira didn't retaliate. Somebody asked him why he

> didn't and he said that King Virata does a big service that

> sometimes people in important positions do things like that; they

> are under a lot of stress and strain.

>

> I couldn't find the passage about not retaliating in Krishna

> Dharma's Mahabharata. Do you know any edition where I can find it?

 

K.M. Ganguly full edition, Virata Parva, SECTION LXVIII:

 

"Vaisampayana said, 'Then Bhuminjaya, the eldest son of the king,

entered, and having worshipped the feet of his father approached

Kanka. And he beheld Kanka covered with blood, and seated on the

ground at one end of the court, and waited upon by the Sairindhri. And

seeing this, Uttara asked his father in a hurry, saying, 'By whom, O

king, hath this one been struck? By whom hath this sinful act been

perpetrated?'

 

"Virata said, 'This crooked Brahmana hath been struck by me. He

deserveth even more than this. When I was praising thee, he praised

that person of the third sex.'

 

"Uttara said, 'Thou hast, O king, committed an improper act. Do thou

speedily propitiate him so that the virulent poison of a Brahmana's

curse may not consume thee to thy roots!'

 

"Vaisampayana continued, 'Having heard the words of his son, Virata,

that enhancer of the limits of his kingdom, began to soothe Kunti's

son, who was like unto a fire hid in ashes, for obtaining his

forgiveness. And unto the king desirous of obtaining his pardon the

Pandava replied, 'O king, I have long ago forgiven it. Anger I have

none. Had this blood from my nostrils fallen on the ground, then,

without doubt, thou, O monarch, wouldst have been destroyed with thy

kingdom. I do not, however, blame thee, O king, for having struck an

innocent person. For, O king, they that are powerful generally act

with unreasoning severity.'

 

 

Sri Galim Das edition:

 

"O King," Yudhisthira replied, "I have already forgiven you, for anger

does not exist in me. Had this blood fallen to the ground, you would

have been devastated along with your kingdom. I do not blame you for

striking an innocent person for such are the ways of powerful persons.

They generally act with unreasoning severity."

 

 

Hope this helps.

 

Your servant, bh. Jan

 

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