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28.PASUPATA
IN the beginning of their stay in the forest,
Bhima and Draupadi used, on occasions,
to argue with Yudhishthira.
They would plead that only righteous
anger befitted a kshatriya and that
patience and forbearance under slights and
insults were not worthy of him.
They would quote weighty authorities and
argue vehemently in support of their
contention. Yudhishthira would firmly
reply that they should abide by the
promise they had made and that
forbearance was the highest virtue of all.
Bhima was burning with impatience to
attack and kill Duryodhana immediately
and win back the kingdom. He thought it
unworthy of warriors to continue to dwell
tamely in the forest.
Bhima said to Yudhishthira: "You speak
like those who repeat Vedic mantras and
are satisfied with the sound of the words
though ignorant of their meaning. Your
intellect has become confused. You are
born as a kshatriya and yet you do not
think or behave like one. You have
become a brahmana by temperament. You
know, the scriptures enjoin on a kshatriya
sternness and enterprise. We should not
let the wicked sons of Dhritarashtra have
their way. Vain is the birth of a kshatriya
who does not conquer his deceitful
enemies. This is my opinion, and to me, if
we go to hell by killing a deceitful foe,
such hell is heaven. Your forbearance
burns us worse than fire. It scorches
Arjuna and myself day and night, making
us sleepless.
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