Chapter 161

“Sanjaya said, ‘After the high-souled Pandavas, O king, had encamped bythe side of the Hiranwati, the Kauravas also fixed their camps. And kingDuryodhana having strongly posted his troops and paid homage to all thekings (on his side) and planted outposts and bodies of soldiers for theprotection of warriors, summoned those rulers of men, viz., Karna andDussasana and Sakuni, the son of Suvala, and began O Bharata, to consultwith them. And king Duryodhana, O Bharata, having (first) consulted withKarna, and (next), O monarch, with Karna and his (own) brother Dussasana,and Suvala’s son all together, then summoned, O bull among men, Uluka andbringing him into his presence in private, told him, O king, these words,’O Uluka, O son of an adept at dice, repair thou unto the Pandavas andthe Somakas. And repairing thither, repeat these my words (untoYudhishthira) in the hearing of Vasudeva. That terrible battle betweenthe Kurus and the Pandavas which had been expected from a long time backhas, at last come. Those boastful words which Sanjaya brought to me, inthe midst of the Kurus and which thou hadst, with Vasudeva and thyyounger brothers, uttered in deep roar,–the time, O son of Kunti, hathat last come for making them good. Do ye achieve, therefore, all which yehave pledged yourselves to achieve. Unto the eldest son of Kunti thoumust say, as my words, the following, ‘Virtuous as thou art, how canstthen, with all thy brothers, with the Somakas, and the Kekayas, set thyheart upon unrighteousness? How canst thou wish the destruction of theuniverse, when, as I think thou shouldst be the dispeller of the fears ofall creatures. O bull of Bharata’s race, this sloka sung of old byPrahlada when his kingdom had been wrested from him by the gods, hathbeen heard by us,–Ye gods, that person whose standard of righteousnessis always up, but whose sins are always concealed is said to adopt thebehaviour of the cat (in the story).’ I will here repeat to thee, O king,this excellent story recited by Narada to my father. A wicked cat, Oking, once on a time took up his abode on the banks of the Ganges,abandoning all work and with his hands upraised (after the manner of adevotee). Pretending to have purified his heart, he said unto allcreatures these words, for inspiring confidence in them, viz.,–I am nowpractising virtue. After a long time, all oviparous creatures reposedtrust in him, and coming unto him all together, O monarch, they allapplauded that cat. And worshipped by all feathery creatures, thatdevourer of feathery creatures, regarded his purpose alreadyaccomplished, as also the purpose of his austerities. And after some moretime, the mice went to that place. And these also all beheld him to be avirtuous person engaged in the observance of vows, and proudly exertinghimself in a grand act. And having arrived at that settled conviction,they entertained the following wish, O king,–‘Many foes we have. Letthis one, therefore, become our maternal uncle, and let him alwaysprotect all the old and young ones of our race. And going at last to thecat, all of them said, ‘Through thy grace we desire to roam in happiness.Thou art our gracious shelter, thou art our great friend. For this, allof us place ourselves under thy protection. Thou art always devoted tovirtue, thou art always engaged in the acquisition of virtue. O thou ofgreat wisdom, protect us, therefore, like the wielder of the thunderboltprotecting the celestials.’ Thus addressed, O king, by all the mice, thecat answered them, saying, ‘I do not see the consistency of these two,viz., my ascetic pursuits and this protection (that I am called upon togrant). I cannot avoid, however, doing good to you agreeably to yourrequest. You all, at the same time, should always obey my words. Stayingas I am in the observance of a severe vow, I am weakened by my asceticpractices. I do not, therefore, see the means of my moving from place toplace. Ye all should, therefore, bear me hence every day to theriver-side.’ Saying, ‘So be it,’ the mice then, O bull of Bharata’s race,made over all their old and young ones to that cat. Then that sinfulcreature of wicked soul, feeding on mice, gradually became fat and ofgood complexion and strong in his limbs. And thus while the mice began tobe reduced in number, the cat began to grow in vigour and strength. Thenall the mice, coming together, said unto one another, ‘Our uncle is dailygrowing stout, while we are being daily reduced (in number)!’ Then acertain mouse endued with wisdom, named Dindika, said, O king these wordsunto the large swarm of mice gathered there, ‘Go all of ye to theriver-side together. I will follow ye, accompanying our uncle.”Excellent, Excellent,’ they said, and applauded that one of theirnumber. And they all did just as those words of grave import spoken byDindika seemed to indicate. The cat, however, not knowing all this, ateup Dindika that day. All the mice then, without losing much time, beganto take counsel of one another. Then a very old mouse, named Kilika, saidthese just words, O king, in the presence of all his kinsfolk, ‘Our uncleis not really desirous of earning virtue. He hath, like a hypocrite,become our friend when in reality he is our enemy. Indeed, the excreta ofa creature that liveth only upon fruits and roots never containeth hairof fur. Then again, while his limbs are growing, our number is decaying.Besides, Dindika cannot be seen for these eight days.’ Hearing thesewords, the mice ran away in all directions. And that cat also of wickedsoul returned to whence he came. O thou of wicked soul, thou too art apractiser of such feline behaviour. Thou behavest towards thy kinsmenafter the manner of the cat (in the story) towards the mice. Thy speechis of one kind, and thy conduct is of another. Thy (devotion to)scripture and thy peacefulness of behaviour are only for display beforemen. Giving up this hypocrisy, O king, adopt the practices of a Kshatriyaand do all that one should do as such. Art thou not virtuous, O bullamong men? Acquiring the earth by means of the prowess of thy arms, makegifts, O best of the Bharatas, unto the Brahmanas and to the means of thydeceased ancestors as one should. Seeking the good of that mother ofthine who hath been afflicted with distress for a series of years, dry upher tears, and confer honours on her by vanquishing (thy foes) in battle.Thou hadst with great abjectness, solicited only five villages. Even thatwas rejected by us, for how could we bring about a battle, how could wesucceed in angering the Pandavas, was all that we sought. Rememberingthat it was for thee that the wicked Vidura was driven (by us) and thatwe had tried to burn you all in the house of lac, be a man now; at thetime of Krishna’s setting out (from Upaplavya) for the Kuru court, thouhadst through him communicated this message (to us), viz.,–Hear, O king,I am prepared for either war or peace! Know, O monarch, that the hourhath come for battle. O Yudhishthira, I have made all these preparationsin view of that. What doth a Kshatriya regard as a more estimableaccession (of good fortune) than battle? Born thou hast beer in theKshatriya order. Known also thou art in the world. Having obtainedweapons again from Drona and Kripa, why, O bull of the Bharata race, dostthou rely on Vasudeva who belongeth to the same order of life as thyselfand who is, not superior to thee in might.’

‘Thou must also say unto Vasudeva in the presence of the Pandavas thesewords,–For thy own sake, as also for the sake of the Pandavas, withstandme in battle to the best of thy power! Assuming once more that form whichthou hadst assumed before in the Kuru court, rush thou with Arjunaagainst me (on the field)! A conjuror’s tricks or illusions may(sometimes) inspire fright. But as regards the person that stands armedfor fight, such deceptions (instead of inspiring fight) only provokeanger! We also are competent, by our powers of illusion, to ascend toheaven or the firmament, or penetrate into the nether region, or the cityof Indra! We also can display various forms in our own body! The greatOrdainer bringeth all creatures to subjection by a flat of His will (andnever by such conjuror’s tricks)! Thou always sayest, O thou of Vrishni’srace, these words, viz.,–Causing the sons of Dhritarashtra to be slainin battle, I will confer undisputed sovereignty on the sons ofPritha!–These words of thine were brought to me by Sanjaya. Thou hadstalso said, ‘Know, ye Kauravas that it is with Arjuna, having me for hissecond, ye have provoked hostilities!’ Truthfully adhering to thatpledge, put forth thy energy for the Pandavas and fight now in battle tothe best of thy power! Show us that thou canst be a man! He is said to betruly alive, who, having ascertained (the wight of his) foes inspirethgrief in them by resorting to true manliness! Without any reason, OKrishna, great hath been thy fame spread in the world! It will, however,presently be known that there are many persons, in the world that arereally eunuchs though possessed of the signs of manhood. A slave ofKansa, especially as thou art, a monarch like me should not cover himselfin mail against thee!

‘Say (next) repeatedly, from me, O Uluka, unto that stupid, ignorant,gluttonous Bhimasena, who is even like a bull though divested of horns,these words, viz.,–O son of Pritha, a cook thou hadst become, known bythe name of Vallabha, in the city of Virata! All this is evidence of thymanliness! Let not the vow thou hadst made before in the midst of theKuru court be falsified! Let Dussasana’s blood be drunk if thou art able!O son of Kunti, thou often sayest,–Speedily shall I slay Dhritarashtra’ssons in battle!–The time for accomplishing it hath now come! O Bharata,thou deservest to be rewarded in cookery! The difference, however, isvery great between dressing food and fighting! Fight now, be a man!Indeed, thou shalt have to lie down, deprived of life, on the earth,embracing thy mace, O Bharata! The boast in which thou hadst indulged inthe midst of thy assembly is all vain, O Vrikodara!

‘Say, O Uluka, unto Nakula, from me, these words, viz.,–Fight now, OBharata, patiently! We desire, O Bharata, to behold thy manliness, thyreverence for Yudhishthira, and thy hatred of myself! Recall to mind thesufferings in their entirety that Krishna had suffered!

‘Next, thou must say these words of mine unto Sahadeva in the presence ofthe (assembled) monarchs,–Fight in battle now, to the best of thy power!Remember all your woes!

‘Say next, from me, unto both Virata and Drupada, these words,viz.,–Since the beginning of the creation, slaves, endued even withgreat accomplishments, have never been able to fully understand theirmasters. Nor have affluent kings been always able to understand theirslaves! This king deserveth no praise,–possibly, under such a belief, yehave come against me! United together, fight ye, therefore, against mefor achieving my death, and accomplish the objects ye have in view, asalso those that the Pandavas have!

Say also, from me, unto Dhrishtadyumna, the prince of Panchalas, thesewords, viz.,–The hour hath now come for thee, and thou also hast comefor thy hour! Approaching Drona in battle thou wilt know what is best forthee! Achieve thou the business of thy friend! Accomplish that feat whichis difficult of accomplishment!

‘Tell, next, repeatedly from me, O Uluka, unto Sikhandin, these words,viz.,–The mighty-armed Kaurava, foremost of all bowmen, Ganga’s son(Bhishma), will not slay thee, knowing thee to be only a female! Fightnow without any fear! Achieve in battle what canst to the best of thypower! We desire to behold thy prowess!’

“Vaisampayana continued, ‘Having said this, king Duryodhana laughedaloud. And addressing Uluka again, he said, ‘Say once more untoDhananjaya in the bearing of Vasudeva these words, viz.,–O hero, eithervanquishing us rule thou this world, or vanquished by us lie thou down onthe field (deprived of life)! Recalling to thy mind the sufferingsoccasioned by your banishment from the kingdom, the woes of your sojournin the woods, and ‘he affliction of Krishna, be a man, O son of Pandu!That for which a Kshatriya lady bringeth forth a son is now arrived!Displaying, therefore, in battle, thy might, energy, courage, manliness,and great dexterity and speed in the use of weapons, appease thy wrath!Afflicted with woe, and dispirited and exiled (from home) for a longtime, and driven from his kingdom, who is there whose heart would notbreak? Who is there, well-born, and brave, and uncovetous of other’swealth, that would not have his wrath excited when his kingdom descendingfrom generation to generation is attacked? Realise in deeds those highwords that thou hadst said! One that only boasts without being able to doanything is regarded as a worthless man by those that are good. Recoverthy kingdom and those possessions that are now owned by thy foes! Eventhese two are the purposes which a person desirous of war hath in view.Exert, therefore, thy manliness! Thou wert won (as a slave) at dice!Krishna was caused by us to be brought into the assembly! One thatregardeth himself a man should certainly display his wrath at this! Fortwelve long years hadst thou been exiled from home into the woods, andone whole year hadst thou passed in Virata’s service! Remembering thepangs of banishment from the kingdom and of thy sojourn in the woods, asalso those which Krishna had suffered, be thou a man! Display thy wrathtowards those that repeatedly utter harsh words at thee and thy brothers!indeed, wrath (such as that) would consist in manliness! Let thy anger,thy might and prowess, and knowledge, and thy lightness of hand in theuse of weapons, be exhibited? Fight, O son of Pritha, and prove to be aman! The incantations in respect of all thy weapons have been performed.The field of Kurukshetra is free from mire. Thy steeds are hale andstrong. Thy soldiers have received their pay. With Kesava, therefore, as(thy) second, fight (with us)! Without encountering Bhishma as yet, whydost thou indulge in such boasts? Like a fool, who, without havingascended the Gandhamadana mountains, boasts (of his would-be feat), thou,O son of Kunti, art indulging in a similar bragging, be a man! Withouthaving vanquished in battle the invincible Karna of the Suta race, orSalya, that foremost of persons, or Drona, the first of all mightywarriors and equal unto the lord of Sachi in battle, how canst thou, OPartha, covet for thy kingdom? He that is a preceptor of both Vedic loreand bowmanship, he that hath crossed both those branches of learning, hethat is foremost in battle and imperturbable (as a tower), he whose mightknoweth no diminution, that commander of armies, Drona of greateffulgence,–him, O Partha, thou wishest in vain to conquer! It is neverheard that the Sumeru peak hath been crushed by the wind. Yet even thewind will bear away Sumeru, heaven itself will fall down on the earth,the very Yugas will be altered in respect of their course, if what thouhast said unto me becometh true! What man is there, desirous of life, beit Partha or any body else, who having approached that grinder of foes,would be able to return home with sound body? What person is there,treading upon the earth with his feet, who, encountered by Drona andBhishma and struck with their arrows, would escape from the battle withlife? Like a frog having its abode in a well, why art thou not able torealise the might of this vast army of the assembled monarchs,invincible, looking like the very celestial host, and protected by theselords of men, as the heavenly host by the gods themselves,–protectedthat is, by the kings of the East, the West, the South and the North, bythe Kamvojas, the Sakas, the Khasas, the Salwas, the Matsyas, the Kurusof the middle country, the Mlechchhas, the Pulindas, the Dravidas, theAndhras, and the Kanchis,–this host of many nations, ready for battle,and resembling the uncrossable current of the Ganga. O thou of littleunderstanding, how canst thou, O fool, venture to fight with me whenstationed in the midst of my elephant-host? Thy inexhaustible quivers,thy car given thee by Agni, and thy celestial banner, O Partha, will all,O Bharata, be tested by us in battle! Fight, O Arjuna, without bragging!Why dost thou indulge in too much boast! Success in battle resulteth fromthe method in which it is fought. A battle is never gained by bragging.If, O Dhananjaya, acts in this world succeeded in consequence ofvauntings, all persons would then have succeeded in their objects, forwho is there that is not competent to brag? I know that thou hastVasudeva for thy ally. I know that thy Gandiva is full six cubits long. Iknow that there is no warrior equal to thee. Knowing all this, I retainthy kingdom yet! A man never winneth success in consequence of theattributes of lineage. It is the Supreme Ordainer alone who by his fiatof will maketh things (hostile) friendly subservient. For these thirteenyears, I have enjoyed sovereignty while ye were weeping. I shall continueto rule in the same way, slaying thee with thy kinsmen. Where was thyGandiva then, when thou wert made slave won at stake? Where, O Falguni,was Bhima’s might then? Your deliverance then came neither fromBhimasena, armed with mace, nor from you armed with Gandiva, but from thefaultless Krishna. It was she, the daughter to Prishata’s house, thatdelivered you all, sunk in slavery, engaged in occupations worthy only ofthe low, and working as servitors. I characterised you all as sesameseeds without kernel. That is true. For, did not Partha (some time after)bear a braid when living in Virata’s city? In the cooking apartments ofVirata, Bhimasena was fatigued with doing the work of a cook. Even this,O son of Pritha, is (evidence of) my manliness! Flying from an encounterwith hips and braids and waist-bands, thyself binding thy hair, wertengaged in teaching the girls to dance? It is thus that Kshatriyas alwaysinflict punishment on Kshatriyas! From fear of Vasudeva, or from fear ofthyself, O Falguni, I will not give up the kingdom! Fight with Kesava asthy ally! Neither deception, nor conjuror’s tricks, nor jugglery, canterrify the armed man addressed for fight. On the other hand, theseprovoke only his wrath. A thousand Vasudevas, a hundred Falgunis,approaching me whose arms and weapons never go for nothing, will surelyfly away in all directions. Encounter Bhishma in combat, or strike thehill with thy head, or cross with the aid of thy two arms alone the vastand deep main! As regards my army, it is a veritable main with Saradwat’sson as its large fish, Vivingsati as its huge snake, Bhishma as itscurrent of immeasurable might, Drona as its unconquerable alligator,Karna and Salwa and Salya its fishes and whirlpools, the ruler of theKamvojas its equine head emitting fire, Vrihadvala its fierce waves,Somadatta’s son its whale, Yuyutsu and Durmarshana its waters, Bhagadattaits gale, Srutayus and Hridika’s son its gulfs and bays, Dussasana itscurrent, Sushena and Chitrayuda its water-elephants (hippopotamus) andcrocodile, Jayadratha its (submarine) rock, Purumitra its depth, andSakuni its shores! When having plunged into this surging ocean with itsinexhaustible waves of weapons, thou wilt, from fatigue, be deprived ofsenses and have all thy relatives and friends slain, then will repentancepossess thy heart! Then also will thy heart turn away from the thought ofruling the earth, like the heart of a person of impure deeds turning awayfrom (hope of) heaven. Indeed, for thee to win a kingdom to rule is asimpossible as for one not possessed of ascetic merit to obtain heaven!'”