ll my questions! Tell us now who is truly a man,
and what man truly possesseth every kind of wealth.' Yudhishthira
answered,--'The report of one's good action reacheth heaven and spreadeth
over the earth. As long as that report lasteth, so long is a person to
whom the agreeable and the disagreeable, weal and woe, the past and the
future, are the same, is said to possess every kind of wealth.' The
Yaksha said,--'Thou hast, O king truly answered who is a man, and what
man possesseth every kind of wealth. Therefore, let one only amongst thy
brothers, whom thou mayst wish, get up with life!' Yudhishthira
answered,--'Let this one that is of darkish hue, whose eyes are red, who
is tall like a large Sala tree, whose chest is broad and arms long, let
this Nakula, O Yaksha, get up with life! The Yaksha rejoined,-'This
Bhimasena is dear unto thee, and this Arjuna also is one upon whom all of
you depend! Why, then, O king dost thou, wish a step-brother to get up
with his life! How canst thou, forsaking Bhima whose strength is equal to
that of ten thousand elephants, wish Nakula to live? People said that
this Bhima was dear to thee. From what motive then dost thou wish a
step-brother to revive? Forsaking Arjuna the might of whose arm is
worshipped by all the sons of Pandu, why dost thou wish Nakula to
revive?' Yudhishthira said,--'If virtue is sacrificed, he that
sacrificeth it, is himself lost. So virtue also cherisheth the cherisher.
Therefore taking care that virtue by being sacrificed may not sacrifice
us, I never forsake virtue. Abstention from injury is the highest virtue,
and is, I ween, even higher than the highest object of attainment. I
endeavour to practise that virtue. Therefore, let Nakula, O Yaksha,
revive! Let men know that the king is always virtuous! I will never
depart from my duty. Let Nakula, therefore, revive! My father had two
wives, Kunti and Madri. Let both of them have children. This is what I
wish. As Kunti is to me, so also is Madri. There is no difference between
them in my eye. I desire to act equally towards my mothers. Therefore,
let Nakula live?' The Yaksha said,--'Since abstention from injury is
regarded by thee as higher than both profit and pleasure, therefore, let
all thy brothers live, O bull of Bharata race!"

SECTION CCCXII

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 sa