Chapter 48

“Dhritarashtra said, “I ask thee, O Sanjaya, in the presence of my boyand of these kings, what words were said by the illustrious Dhananjaya ofmight that knoweth no diminution,–that leader of warriors,–thatdestroyer of the lives of the wicked?’

“Sanjaya said, ‘Let Duryodhana listen to the words which the high-souledArjuna, eager for fight, uttered, with Yudhishthira’s sanction and in thehearing of Kesava. Fearless (in battle) and conscious of the might of hisarms, the heroic Kiritin, eager for fight, spoke thus unto me in thepresence of Vasudeva, ‘Do thou, O suta, say unto Dhritarashtra’s son, inthe presence of all the Kurus, and also in the hearing of that Suta’sson, of foul tongue and wicked soul, of little sense, stupid reason, andof numbered days, who always desires to fight against me, and also in thehearing of those kings assembled for fighting against the Pandavas, anddo thou see that all the words now uttered by me are heard well by thatking with his counsellors.’ O monarch, even as the celestials eagerlylisten to the words of their chief armed with the thunderbolt, so did thePandavas and the Srinjayas listened to those words of grave importuttered by Kiritin. Just these are the words spoken by Arjuna, thewielder of Gandiva, eager for the fight and with eyes red as the lotus,’If Dhritarashtra’s son doth not surrender to king Yudhishthira of theAjamida race, his kingdom, then (it is evident) there must be some sinfulact committed by the sons of Dhritarashtra, whose consequences are yetunreaped by them, for it can be nothing else when they desire battle withBhimasena and Arjuna, and the Aswins and Vasudeva and Sini’s son, andDhrishtadyumna infallible in arms, and Sikhandin, and Yudhishthira, whois like Indra himself and who can consume heaven and earth by merelywishing them ill. If Dhritarashtra’s son desireth war with these, thenwill all objects of the Pandavas be accomplished. Do not, therefore,propose peace for the sons of Pandu, but have war if thou likest. Thatbed of woe in the woods which was Yudhishthira’s when that virtuous sonof Pandu lived in exile; Oh, let a more painful bed than that, on thebare earth, be now Duryodhana’s and let him lie down on it, as his last,deprived of life. Win thou over those men that were ruled by the wickedDuryodhana of unjust conduct to the side of Pandu’s son endued withmodesty and wisdom and asceticism and self-restraint and valour and mightregulated by virtue. Endued with humility and righteousness, withasceticism and self-restraint and with valour regulated by virtue, andalways speaking the truth, our king, though afflicted by numerousdeceptions, hath forgiven all and hath patiently borne great wrongs. Whenthe eldest son of Pandu, of soul under proper control, will indignantlydart at the Kurus his terrible wrath accumulated for years, then will theson of Dhritarashtra repent for this war. As a blazing fire burning allaround consumeth dry grass in the hot season, so will Yudhishthira,inflamed with wrath, consume the Dhritarashtra host by glance alone ofhis eye. When Dhritarashtra’s son will behold Bhimasena, that wrathfulPandava of terrific impetus, stationed on his car, mace in hand, vomitingthe venom of his wrath, then will Duryodhana repent for this war. Indeed,when he will behold Bhimasena, who always fighteth in the van, accoutredin mail, scarcely capable of being looked at even by his own followersfelling hostile heroes and devastating the enemy’s ranks like Yamahimself, then will the exceedingly vain Duryodhana recollect these words.When he will behold elephants, looking like mountain-peaks, felled byBhimasena, blood flowing their broken heads like water from broken casks,then will Dhritarashtra’s son repent for this war. When falling upon thesons of Dhritarashtra the fierce Bhima of terrible mien, mace in hand,will slaughter them, like a huge lion falling upon a herd of kine, thenwill Duryodhana repent for this war. When the heroic Bhima undaunted evenin situations of great danger and skilled in weapons-when that grinder ofhostile hosts in battle,–mounted on his car, and alone will crush by hismace crowds of superior cars and entire ranks of infantry, seize by hisnooses strong as iron, the elephants of the hostile army, and mow downthe Dhritarashtra’s host, like a sturdy woodsman cutting a forest downwith an axe, then will Dhritarashtra’s son repent for this war. When hewill behold the Dhartarashtra’s host consumed like a hamlet full ofstraw-built huts by fire, or a field of ripe corn by lightning,–indeedwhen he will behold his vast army scattered, its leaders slain, and menrunning away with their back towards the field afflicted with fear, andall the warriors, humbled to the dust, being scorched by Bhimasena withthe fire of his weapons,–then will the son of Dhritarashtra repent forthis war, When Nakula, that warrior of wonderful feats, that foremost ofall car-warriors, dexterously shooting arrows by hundreds, will manglethe car-warriors of Duryodhana, then will the son of Dhritarashtra repentfor this war. Accustomed to enjoy all the comforts and luxuries of life,when Nakula, recollecting that bed of woe on which he had slept for along time in the woods, will vomit the poison of his wrath like an angrysnake, then will the son of Dhritarashtra repent for this war. Ready tolay down their very lives, the (allied) monarchs, O Suta, urged to battleby king Yudhishthira the just, will furiously advance on theirresplendent cars against the (hostile) army. Beholding this, the son ofDhritarashtra will certainly have to repent. When the Kuru prince willbehold the five heroic sons of (Draupadi), tender in years but not inacts, and all well-versed in arms, rush, reckless of their lives, againstthe Kauravas, then will that son of Dhritarashtra repent for this war.When bent upon carnage Sahadeva, mounted on his car of noiseless wheels,and motion incapable of being obstructed, and set with golden stars, anddrawn by well-trained steeds, will make the heads of monarchs roll on thefield of battle with volleys of arrows,–indeed, beholding that warriorskilled in weapons, seated on his car in the midst of that frightfulhavoc, turning now to the left and now to the right and falling upon thefoe in all directions, then will the son of Dhritarashtra repent for thiswar. Indeed, when the modest but mighty Sahadeva, skilled in battle,truthful, conversant with all the ways of morality, and endued with greatactivity and impetuousness, will fall upon the son of Gandhari in fierceencounter and rout all his followers, then will the son of Dhritarashtrarepent for this war. When he will behold the sons of Draupadi, thosegreat bowmen, those heroes skilled in weapons and well-versed in all theways of chariot-fighting, dart at the foe like snakes of virulent poison,then will the son of Dhritarashtra repent for this war. When that slayerof hostile heroes, Abhimanyu, skilled in arms like Krishna himself, willoverpower the foe showering upon them, like the very clouds, a thickdownpour of arrows, then will the son of Dhritarashtra repent for thiswar. Indeed, when he will behold that son of Subhadra, a child in yearsbut not in energy, skilled in weapons and like unto Indra himself,failing like Death’s self upon the ranks of the foe, then will the son ofDhritarashtra repent for this war. When the youthful Prabhadrakas, enduedwith great activity, well-versed in battle, and possessed of the energyof lions will overthrow the sons of Dhritarashtra with all their troops,then will Duryodhana repent for this war. When those veteran car-warriorsVirata and Drupada will assail, at the head of their respectivedivisions, the sons of Dhritarashtra and their ranks, then willDuryodhana repent for this war. When Drupada, skilled in weapons, andseated on his car, desirous of plucking the heads of youthful warriors,will wrathfully strike them off with arrows shot from his bow, then willthe son of Dhritarashtra repent for this war. When that slayer of hostileheroes, Virata will penetrate into the ranks of the foe, grinding allbefore him with the aid of his Matsya warriors of cool courage, then willthe son of Dhritarashtra repent for this war. When he will behold in thevery van the eldest son of the Matsya king, of cool courage and collectedmien, seated on his car and accoutred in mail on behalf of the Pandavas,then will the son of Dhritarashtra. repent for this war. I tell theetruly that when that foremost of Kaurava heroes, the virtuous son ofSantanu, will be slain in battle by Sikhandin, then all our foes, withoutdoubt, will perish. Indeed, when, overthrowing numerous car-warriors,Sikhandin, seated on his own well-protected car, will proceed towardsBhishma, crushing multitudes of (hostile) cars by means of his ownpowerful steeds, then will the son of Dhritarashtra repent for this war.When he will behold Dhristadyumna unto whom Drona hath imparted all themysteries of the science of weapons, stationed in splendour in the veryvan of the Srinjaya ranks, then will the son of Dhritarashtra repent.Indeed, when the leader of the Pandava host, of immeasurable prowess andcapable of withstanding the rush of any force, will proceed to attackDrona in battle, crushing with his arrows the Dhritarashtra ranks, thenwill Duryodhana repent for this war. What enemy can withstand him whohath, for fighting in his van, that lion of the Vrishni race, that chiefof the Somakas, who is modest and intelligent, mighty and endued withgreat energy, and blessed with every kind of prosperity? Say also this(unto Duryodhana),–Do not covet (the kingdom). We have chosen, for ourleader, the dauntless and mighty car-warrior Satyaki, the grandson ofSini, skilled in weapons and having none on earth as his equal. Of broadchest and long arms, that grinder of foes, unrivalled in battle, andacquainted with the best of weapons, the grandson of Sini, skilled inarms and perfectly dauntless, is a mighty car-warrior wielding a bow offull four cubits’ length. When that slayer of foes, that chief of theSinis, urged by me, will shower, like the very clouds, his arrows on thefoe, completely overwhelming their leaders with that downpour, then willthe son of Dhritarashtra repent for this war. When that illustriouswarrior of long arms and firm grasp of the bow, musters his resolutionfor fight, the foe then, like kine getting the scent of the lion, flyaway from him before even commencing the encounter. That illustriouswarrior of long arms and firm grasp of the bow is capable of splittingthe very hills and destroying the entire universe. Practised in weapons,skilled (in battle), and endued with exceeding lightness of hand, heshineth on the field of battle like the sun himself in the sky. That lionof the Vrishni race, that scion of Yadu’s line, of superior training,hath diverse wonderful and excellent weapons. Indeed, Satyaki ispossessed of a knowledge of all those uses of weapons that are said to beof the highest excellence. When he will behold in battle the golden carof Satyaki of Madhu’s race, drawn by four white steeds, then will thatwretch of uncontrolled passions, the son of Dhritarashtra, repent. Whenhe will also behold my terrible car, endued with the effulgence of goldand bright gems, drawn by white steeds and furnished with the bannerbearing the device of the Ape and guided by Kesava himself, then willthat wretch of uncontrolled passions repent. When he will hear the fiercetwang produced by the constant stretch of the bow-string with fingerscased in leather gloves,–that terrible twang, loud as the rolling of thethunder, of my bow Gandiva wielded by me in the midst of the greatbattle,–then will that wicked wretch, the son of Dhritarashtra repent,beholding himself abandoned by his troops, flying away like kine from thefield of battle in all directions, overwhelmed with the darkness createdby my arrowy downpour. When he will behold innumerable keen-edged arrows,furnished with beautiful wings, and capable of penetrating into the veryvitals, shot from the string of Gandiva, like fierce and terrible flashesof lightning emitted by the clouds, destroying enemies by thousands, anddevouring numberless steeds and elephants clad in mail, then will the sonof Dhritarashtra repent for this war. When he will behold the arrows shotby the enemy turned off, or turned back struck by my shafts, or cut topieces pierced transversely by my arrows, then will the foolish son ofDhritarashtra repent for this war. When broad-headed arrows shot by myhands will strike off the heads of youthful warriors, like birds pickingoff fruits from the tree-tops, then will the son of Dhritarashtra repentfor this war. When he will behold excellent warriors of his failing downfrom their cars, and elephants and steeds rolling on the field, deprivedof life by my arrows, then will the son of Dhritarashtra repent for thiswar. When he will behold his brothers, even before fairly coming withinthe range of the enemy’s weapons, die all around, without having achievedanything in battle, then will the son of Dhritarashtra repent for thiswar. When pouring my blazing shafts incessantly, I will, like Deathhimself with mouth wide-open, destroy on all sides multitudes of cars andfoot-soldiers, then will that wretch repent. When he will behold his owntroops, covered with the dust raised by my car wander in all directions,torn to pieces by Gandiva and reft of senses, then will that wretchrepent. When he will behold his whole army running away in fear in alldirections, mangled in limbs, and bereft of senses; when he will beholdhis steeds, elephants, and foremost of heroes slain; when he will see histroops thirsty, struck with panic, wailing aloud, dead and dying, withtheir animals exhausted; and hair, bones and skulls lying in heaps aroundlike half-wrought works of the Creator, then will that wretch repent.When he will behold on my car, Gandiva, Vasudeva, and the celestial conchPanchajanya, myself, my couple of inexhaustible quivers, and my conchcalled Devadatta as also my white steeds, then will the son ofDhritarashtra repent for this war. When I consume the Kauravas, like Agniconsuming innumerable wicked souls assembled together at the time ofushering in another Yuga at the end of the last one, then Dhritarashtrawith all his sons repent. When the wicked, hearted and the wrathful sonof Dhritarashtra will be deprived of prosperity with brothers and armyand followers, then, reft of pride and losing heart and trembling allover, will that fool repent. One morning when I had finished mywater-rites and prayers, a Brahmana spoke unto me these pleasant words,’O Partha, thou shalt have to execute a very difficult task. OSavyasachin, thou shalt have to fight with thy foes. Either Indra ridingon his excellent steed and thunderbolt in hand will walk before theeslaying thy foes in battle, or Krishna, the son of Vasudeva will protectthee from behind riding on his car drawn by the steeds headed by Sugriva.Relying on those words, I have, in this battle passing over Indra, thewielder of the thunderbolt, preferred Vasudeva as my ally. That Krishnahath been obtained by me for the destruction of those wicked ones. I seethe hand of the gods in all this. The person whose success is only wishedfor by Krishna, without the latter’s actually taking up arms in hisbehalf, is certain to prevail over all enemies, even if those be thecelestials with Indra at their head, while anxiety there is none if theybe human. He that wisheth to conquer in battle that foremost of heroes,Vasudeva’s son Krishna endued with great energy, wisheth to cross by histwo arms alone the great ocean of wide expanse and immeasurable water.He. that wisheth to split by a slap of his palm the high Kailasamountain, is not able to do the slightest damage to the mountain althoughhis hand only with its nails is sure to wear away. He that would conquerVasudeva in battle, would, with his two arms, extinguish a blazing fire,stop the Sun and the Moon, and plunder by force the Amrita of thegods,–that Vasudeva, viz., who having mowed down in battle by main forceall the royal warriors of the Bhoja race, had carried off on a single carRukmini of great fame for making her his wife; and by her was afterwardsborn Pradyumna of high soul. It was this favourite of the gods, who,having speedily smashed the Gandharas and conquered all the sons ofNagnajit, forcibly liberated from confinement king Sudarsana of greatenergy. It was he that slew king Pandya by striking his breast againsthis, and moved down the Kalingas in battle Burnt by him, the city ofVaranasi remained for many years without e king, incapable of beingdefeated by others. Ekalavya, the king of the Nishadas, always used tochallenge this one to battle; but slain by Krishna he lay dead like theAsura Jambha violently thrashed on a hillock. It was Krishna, who, havingBaladeva for his second, slew Ugrasena’s wicked son (Kansa), seated incourt in the midst of the Vrishnis and the Andhakas, and then gave untoUgrasena the kingdom. It was Krishna who fought with king Salya, the lordof Saubha, stationed in the skies, fearless in consequence of his powersof illusion; and it was he, who, at the gate of Subha caught with hishands the fierce Sataghni (hurled by Saubha’s lord). What mortal is ableto bear his might? The Asuras had a city named Pragjyotisha, which wasformidable, inaccessible and unbearable. It was there that the mightyNaraka, the son of the Earth, kept the jewelled ear-rings of Aditi,having brought them by force. The very gods, who, fearless of death,assembled together with Sakra at their head were incapable of conqueringhim. Beholding Kesava’s prowess and might, and weapon that isirresistible, and knowing also the object of his birth, the gods employedhim for the destruction of those Asuras. Vasudeva, too, endued with allthe divine attributes that ensure success, agreed to undertake thatexceedingly difficult task. In the city of Nirmochana that hero slew sixthousand Asuras, and cutting into pieces innumerable keen-edged shafts,he slew Mura and hosts of Rakshasas, and then entered that city. It wasthere, that an encounter took place between the mighty’ Naraka and Vishnuof immeasurable strength. Slain by Krishna, Naraka lay lifeless there,like a Karnikara tree uprooted by the wind. Having slain the Earth’s son,Naraka, and also Mura, and having recovered those jewelled ear-rings, thelearned Krishna of unparalleled prowess came back, adorned with beautyand undying fame. Having witnessed his terrible feats in that battle, thegods then and there blessed him saying, ‘Fatigue will never be thine infights, neither the firmament nor the waters shall stop thy course, norshall weapons penetrate thy body.’ And Krishna, by all this, regardedhimself amply rewarded. Immeasurable, and possessed of great might, inVasudeva ever exist all the virtues. And yet the son of Dhritarashtraseeketh to vanquish that unbearable Vishnu of infinite energy, for thatwretch often thinks of imprisoning him. Krishna, however, beareth allthis for our sake only. That wretch seeketh to create a sudden disunionbetween Krishna and myself. How far, however, he is capable of takingaway the affection of Krishna from the Pandavas, he will see on the fieldof battle. Having bowed down unto Santanu’s son, and also Drona with hisson, and the unrivalled son of Saradwat, I shall fight for regaining ourkingdom. The God of justice himself, I am sure, will bring destruction onthat sinful man who will fight with the Pandavas. Deceitfully defeated atdice by those wretches, ourselves, of royal birth, had to pass twelveyears in great distress in the forest and one long year in a state ofconcealment. When those Pandavas are still alive, how shall the sons ofDhritarashtra rejoice, possessing rank and affluence? If they vanquish usin fight, aided by the very gods headed by Indra, the then practice ofvice would be better than virtue, and surely there would be nothing likerighteousness on earth. If man is affected by his acts, if we be superiorto Duryodhana, then, I hope that, with Vasudeva as my second, I shallslay Duryodhana, with all his kinsmen. O lord of men, if the act ofrobbing us of our kingdom be wicked, if these our own good deeds be notfruitless, than beholding both this and that, it seems to me, theoverthrow of Duryodhana is certain. Ye Kauravas, ye will see it with youreyes that, if they fight, the sons of Dhritarashtra shall certainlyperish. If they act otherwise instead of fighting, then they may live;but in the event of a battle ensuing, none of them will be left alive.Slaying all the sons of Dhritarashtra along with Karna, I shall surelywrest the hole of their kingdom, Do ye, meanwhile, whatever ye thinkbest, and enjoy also your wives and other sweet things of life. Thereare, with us, many aged Brahmanas, versed in various sciences, of amiablebehaviour, well-born, acquainted with the cycle of the years, engaged inthe study of astrology, capable of understanding with certainty themotions of planets and the conjunctions of stars as also of explainingthe mysteries of fate, and answering questions relating to the future,acquainted with the signs of the Zodiac, and versed with the occurrencesof every hour, who are prophesying the great destruction of the Kurus andthe Srinjayas, and the ultimate victory of the Pandavas, so thatYudhishthira, who never made an enemy, already regardeth his objectsfulfilled in consequence of the slaughter of his foes. And Janardanaalso, that lion among the Vrishnis, endued with the knowledge of theinvisible future, without doubt, beholdeth all this. And I also, withunerring foresight, myself behold that future, for that foresight ofmine, acquired of old, is not obstructed. The sons of Dhritarashtra, ifthey fight, will not live. My bow, Gandiva, yawneth without beinghandled; my bow-string trembleth without being stretched; and arrowsalso, issuing from my quiver’s mouth, are again and again seeking to fly.My bright scimitar issueth of itself from its sheath, like a snakequitting its own worn off slough; and on the top of my flag-staff areheard terrific voices,–When shall thy car be yoked, O Kiritin?Innumerable jackals set up hideous howls at night, and Rakshasasfrequently alight from the sky; deer and jackals and peacocks, crows andvultures and cranes, and wolves and birds of golden plumage, follow inthe rear of my car when my white steeds are yoked unto it. Single-handedI can despatch, with arrowy showers, all warlike kings, to the regions ofdeath. As a blazing fire consumeth a forest in the hot season, so,exhibiting diverse courses, I will hurl those great weapons calledSthur-karna, Pasupata, and Brahma, and all those that Sakra gave me, allof which are endued with fierce impetuosity. And with their aid, settingmy heart on the destruction of those monarchs, I will leave no remnant ofthose that come to the field of battle. I will rest, having done allthis. Even this is my chief and decided resolve. Tell them this, O son ofGavalgana. Look at the folly of Duryodhana! O Suta, they that areinvincible in battle even if encountered with the aid of the very godsheaded by Indra,–even against them that son of Dhritarashtra thinketh ofwarring! But so let it be even as the aged Bhishma, the son of Santanu,and Kripa, and Drona with his son, and Vidura endued with great wisdom,are saying, ‘May the Kauravas all live long!”