Chapter 60

“Vaisampayana said, ‘Having heard these words of Sanjaya, the monarchendued with the eye of wisdom, took that speech into his consideration asregards its merits and demerits. And having counted in detail the meritsand demerits as far as he could, and having exactly ascertained thestrength and weakness of both parties, the learned and intelligent king,ever desirous of victory to his sons, then began to compare the powers ofboth sides. And having at last ascertained that the Pandavas were enduedwith strength and energy both human and divine, and that the Kurus weremuch weaker Dhritarashtra said unto Duryodhana, ‘This anxiety, ODuryodhana, always filleth me. Indeed, it doth not leave me. Truly, itseemeth that I behold it with my eye. This conviction is not a matter ofinference. All created beings show great affection for their offsprings,and do, to the best of their power, what is agreeable and beneficial tothem. This is generally to be seen also in the case of benefactors. Theythat are good always desire to return the good done to them and to dowhat is highly agreeable to their benefactors. Remembering what was doneto him to Khandava, Agni will, no doubt, reader aid to Arjuna in thisterrible encounter between the Kurus and the Pandavas. And from parentalaffection, Dharma. and other celestials duly invoked, will come togetherto the aid of the Pandavas. I think that to save them from Bhishma andDrona and Kripa, the celestials will be filled with wrath, resembling thethunderbolt in its effects. Endued with energy and well-versed in the useof weapons, those tigers among men, the sons of Pritha, when united withthe celestials, will be incapable of being even gazed upon by humanwarriors, He who hath the irresistible, excellent and celestial Gandivafor his bow, he who hath a couple of celestial quivers obtained fromVaruna,–large, full of shafts, and inexhaustible, he on whose banner,that is unobstructed like smoke in its action, is stationed themonkey-image of celestial origin, whose car is unequalled on the earthgirt by the four seas, and the rattle of which as heard by men is likethe roar of the clouds, and which like the rolling of the thunderfrightens the foe; he whom the whole world regards as superhuman inenergy; he whom all the kings of the earth know to be the vanquisher ofthe very gods in battle; he that taketh up five hundred arrows at a timeand in the twinkling of the eye, shooteth them, unseen by other, to agreat distance; that son of Pritha and tiger among car-warriors andchastiser of foes, whom Bhishma and Drona and Kripa and Drona’s son andSalya, the king of the Madras, and in fact, all impartial persons, regardas incapable of being vanquished by even earthly kings of superhumanprowess, when ready for fight who shooteth at one stretch full fivehundred arrows, and who is equal unto Kartavirya in strength of arms;that great bowman, Arjuna, equal unto Indra or Upendra in prowess,–Ibehold that great warrior committing a great havoc in this terriblebattle. O Bharata, reflecting day and night on this, I am unhappy andsleepless, through anxiety for the welfare of the Kurus. A terribledestruction is about to overtake the Kurus, if there is nothing but Peacefor ending this quarrel. I am for peace with the Parthas and not for war.O child, I always deem the Pandavas mightier than the Kurus.'”