Chapter 24

“Sanjaya said, ‘It is even so as thou hast said, O son of Pandu! Dostthou enquire about the welfare of the Kurus and of the foremost onesamong them? Free from illness of every kind and in the possession ofexcellent spirit are those foremost ones among the Kurus about whom, Oson of Pritha, thou enquirest. Know, O son of Pandu, that there arecertainly righteous and aged men, as also men that are sinful and wickedabout Dhritarashtra’s son. Dhritarashtra’s son would make gifts even tohis enemies; it is not likely, therefore, that he should withdraw thedonations made to the Brahmanas. It is customary with you, Kshatriyas, tofollow a rule fit for butchers, that leads you to do harm to those thatbear no ill-will to you; but the practice is not good. Dhritarashtra withhis sons would be guilty of the sin of intestine dissension, where he,like a bad man, to bear ill-will towards you who are righteous. He doesnot approve of this injury (done to you); he is exceedingly sorry for it;he grieves at his heart-the old man–O Yudhishthira,–for, havingcommunicated with the Brahmanas, he hath learnt that provoking intestinedissensions is the greatest of all sins. O king of men, they remember thyprowess on the field, and that of Arjuna, who taketh the lead in thefield of battle. They remember Bhima wielding his mace when the sound ofthe conch-shell and the drum rises to the highest pitch. They rememberthose mighty car-warriors, the two sons of Madri, who on the field ofbattle career in all directions, shooting incessant showers of shafts onhostile hosts, and who know not what it is to tremble in fight. Ibelieve, O king, that which Futurity hath in store for a particularperson cannot be known, since thou, O son of Pandu, who art endowed withall the virtues, hast had to suffer trouble of such unendurable kind. Allthis, no doubt, O Yudhishthira, thou wilt again make up by help of yourintelligence. The sons of Pandu, all equal to Indra would never abandonvirtue for the sake of pleasure. Thou, O Yudhishthira, wilt so make upthy intelligence that they all, viz., the sons of Dhritarashtra and Panduand the Srinjayas, and all the kings who have been assembled here, willattain peace. O Yudhishthira, bear what thy sire Dhritarashtra havingconsulted with his ministers and sons, hath spoken to me. Be attentive tothe same.'”