Chapter 52

“Dhritarashtra said, ‘He whom we have never heard to speak a falsehood,he who hath Dhananjaya to fight for him, may have the sovereignty of eventhe three worlds. Reflecting from day to day I do not find the warriorwho may, on his car, advance in battle against the wielder of Gandiva.When that wielder of Gandiva will shoot winged arrows and Nalikas andshafts capable of piercing the breast of warriors, there is no rival ofhis in battle. If those bulls among men, those heroes,–Drona andKarna,–those foremost of mighty men, versed in weapons and invincible inbattle, withstand him, the result may be very doubtful, but I am surethat the victory will not be mine. Karna is both compassionate andheedless, and preceptor is aged and hath affection for this pupil.Partha, however, is able and mighty, of firm grasp (of the bow). Terriblewill be the encounter between them, without resulting in any one’sdefeat. Conversant with weapons and endued with heroism, all of them haveearned great fame. They may relinquish the very sovereignty of the gods,but not the chance of winning victory. There would be peace, withoutdoubt, upon the fall of either of these two (Drona and Karna) or ofFalguna, There is none, however, who can either slay or vanquish Arjuna.Alas, how may his wrath that hath been excited against my foolish sons bepacified. Others there are acquainted with the use of weapons, thatconqueror are conquered; but it is heard that Falguna always conquereth.Three and thirty years have passed away since the time, when Arjuna,having invited Agni, gratified him at Khandava, vanquishing all thecelestials. We have never heard of his defeat anywhere, O child. Like thecase of Indra, victory is always Arjuna’s, who hath for his charioteer inbattle Hrishikesa, endued with the same character and position. We hearthat the two Krishnas on the same car and the stringed Gandiva,–thesethree forces,–have been united together. As regards ourselves, we havenot a bow of that kind, or a warrior like Arjuna, or a charioteer likeKrishna. The foolish followers of Duryodhana are not aware of this. OSanjaya, the blazing thunderbolt falling on the head leaveth somethingundestroyed, but the arrows, O child, shot by Kiritin leave nothingundestroyed. Even now I behold Dhanajaya shooting his arrows andcommitting a havoc around, picking off heads from bodies with his arrowyshowers! Even now I behold the arrowy conflagration, blazing all around,issuing from the Gandiva, consuming in battle the ranks of my sons. Evennow it seemeth to me that, struck with panic at the rattle ofSavyasachin’s car, my vast army consisting of diverse forces is runningaway in all directions. As a tremendous conflagration, wandering in alldirections, of swelling flames and urged by the wind, consumeth dryleaves and grass, so will the great fame of Arjuna’s weapons consume allmy troops. Kiritin, appearing as a foe in battle, will vomit innumerablearrows and become irresistible like all destroying Death urged forward bythe Supreme Ordainer. When I shall constantly hear of evil omens ofdiverse kinds happening in the homes of the Kurus. and around them and onthe field of battle, then will destruction, without doubt, overtake theBharats.'”