Chapter 169

“Bhishma said, ‘Both the brothers Achala and Vrisha are Rathas.Invincible (in battle) they will slay thy foes. Endued with greatstrength, those tigers among men, those foremost of Gandharvas, are firmin wrath. Young and handsome, they are possessed of great strength. Asregards this thy ever dear friend, this one who is always boastful of hisskill in battle, this one who always urgeth thee, O king, to fight withthe Pandavas, this vile braggart, Karna, the son of Surya, this one whois thy counsellor, guide, and friend, this vain wight who is destitute ofsense, this Karna, is neither a Ratha nor an Atiratha. Without sense,this one hath been deprived of his natural coat of mail. Always kind, hehath also been deprived of his celestial ear-rings. In consequence of thecurse of Rama (his preceptor in arms) as also of the words of a Brahmana(who cursed him on another occasion), owing also to his deprivation ofthe accoutrements of battle, he, in my judgment, is only half a Ratha.Having approached Falguni (in battle), he will not certainly escape withlife!’ Hearing this, Drona, that foremost of all wielders of weapons,said, ‘It is even so as thou hast said. That is not untrue! He boastethon the eve of every battle, but yet he is seen to retreat from everyengagement. Kind (out of season) and blundering, it is for this thatKarna, in my judgment, is only half a Ratha!’

“Hearing these words, Radha’s son, expanding his eyes in rage, andafflicting Bhishma with words like sharp hooks, said unto Ganga’s sonthese words, ‘O grandsire, though I am innocent yet from thy aversion tome, thou manglest me thus, according to thy pleasure, with thy wordyarrows at every step. I tolerate, however, all this for the sake ofDuryodhana. Indicating me as only half a Ratha, thou regardest meworthless, as if, indeed, I were a coward! What doubt is there in this? Ido not speak an untruth when I say that thou, O Ganga’s son, art an enemyof the whole universe, and especially of all the Kurus! The king,however, doth not know this! Who else is there that would thus seek todisunite and abate the energy of these kings that are all equal and thatare all equally brave, as thou, from thy hatred of merit, seekest to do?O Kaurava, neither years, nor wrinkles, nor wealth, nor possession offriends, would entitle a Kshatriya to be regarded as a Maharatha! It hathbeen said that a Kshatriya acquireth eminence only through might, asBrahmanas acquire eminence through superiority in mantras, as Vaisyasthrough wealth, and Sudras through age. Influenced, however, by lust andenvy, and acting from ignorance, thou hast indicated Rathas and Atirathasaccording only to thy own caprice! Blessed be thou, O mighty-armedDuryodhana, judge properly! Let this wicked Bhishma, who only wrongeththee, be abandoned by thee! Thy warriors, once disunited, can withdifficulty be united again. O tiger among men, thy main army, under suchcircumstances, can with difficulty be united; far greater will thedifficulty be in uniting an army gathered from various provinces! Behold,O Bharata, doubt (of success) hath already arisen in the hearts of thywarriors! This Bhishma weakeneth our energy in our very presence! Whereis the task of ascertaining the merits of Rathas, and where is Bhishma oflittle understanding? I alone will withstand the army of Pandavas. Comingin contact with me, whose arrows never go for nothing, the Pandavas andthe Panchalas will fly away in all directions like oxen when they come incontact with a tiger! Where, Oh, are battle, the press of armedencounter, good counsels and well-expressed words, and where is Bhishma,who is superannuated and of wicked soul, and who is impelled by the veryfates to become their victim? Alone he challengeth the whole universe! Offalse vision he regardeth none else as a man. It is true the scripturesteach that the words of the old should be listened to. That, however,doth not refer to those that are very old, for these, in my judgment,become children again. Alone I will exterminate the army of the Pandavas!The fame, however, of such a feat will attach to Bhishma, O tiger amongkings, for this Bhishma, O monarch, hath been made by thee the commanderof thy forces, and the renown always attacheth to the leader and not tothose that fight under him. I will not, therefore, O king, fight as longas Ganga’s son liveth! After Bhishma, however, hath been laid low, I willfight with all the Maharathas of the enemy united together!’

“Bhishma said, ‘This burden, vast as the ocean, in the matter ofDuryodhana’s battle (with the Pandavas), is about to be taken up by me. Ihave thought of it for many years. Now that the hour is come for thatterrible encounter, dissensions amongst ourselves should not be createdby me. It is for this, Suta’s son, that thou livest! Else, superannuatedthough I am and young in years thou art, I would quell thy desire forbattle and crush thy hope of life! (Thy preceptor) Rama, the son ofJamadagni, shooting his great weapons, could not cause me the slightestpain. What canst thou, therefore, do to me? They that are good, do notapprove self-praise. Infamous wretch of thy race, know that I indulge inlittle boast because I am enraged. Vanquishing on a single car all theassembled Kshatriyas of the world at the Swayamvara of the daughters ofthe ruler of Kasi, I abducted those maidens. Alone, I stopped on thefield of battle the rush of countless kings with their soldiers!Obtaining thee as embodiment of strife, a great calamity is ready toovertake the Kurus! Strive then for slaying our antagonists. Be a man,fight with that Partha, whom thou so often challengest. O thou of wickedunderstanding, I desire to see thee come out of that encounter with thylife!’

“King Duryodhana then said unto Bhishma, of great prowess, ‘Cast thy eyeson me, O Ganga’s son! Great is the business that is at hand! Thinkearnestly as how I may be most benefited! Both of you will render megreat services! I desire now to bear of the best car-warriors among theenemy, that is, of those that are Atirathas among them and of those thatare leaders of car-division. O Kaurava, I desire to hear of the strengthand weakness of my foes, since when this night will dawn, our greatbattle will take place.'”