Chapter 78

“Arjuna said, ‘O Janardana, Yudhishthira hath already said what should besaid. But, O chastiser of foes, hearing what thou hast said, it seemethto me that thou, O lord, does not think peace to be easily obtainableeither in consequence of Dhritarashtra’s covetousness or from our presentweakness. Thou thinkest also that human prowess alone is fruitless, andalso that without putting forth one’s prowess one’s purposes cannot beachieved. What thou hast said may be true, but at the same time it maynot always be true. Nothing, however, should be regarded asimpracticable. It is true, peace seemeth to thee to be impossible inconsequence of our distressful condition, yet they are still actingagainst us without reaping the fruits of their acts. Peace, therefore, ifproperly proposed, O lord, may be concluded. O Krishna, strive thou,therefore, to bring about peace with the foe. Thou, O hero, art theforemost of all friends of both the Pandavas and the Kurus, even asPrajapati is of both the gods and the Asuras. Accomplish thou, therefore,that which is for the good of both the Kurus and the Pandavas. Theaccomplishment of our good is not, I believe, difficult for thee. If thoustrivest, O Janardana, such is this act that it will be soon effected. Assoon as thou goest thither, it will be accomplished. If, O hero, thoupurposest to treat the evil-minded Duryodhana in any other way, thatpurpose of thine will be carried out exactly as thou wishest. Whether itbe peace or war with the foe that thou wishest, any wish, O Krishna, thatthon mayest entertain, will certainly be honoured by us. Doth not theevil-minded Duryodhana with his sons and kinsmen deserve destructionwhen, unable to bear the sight of Yudhishthira’s prosperity and findingno other faultless expedient, that wretch, O slayer of Madhu, deprived usof our kingdom by the sinful expedient of deceitful dice? What bowman isthere, who, born in the Kshatriya order, and invited to combat, turnethaway from the fight even if he is sure to die? Beholding ourselvesvanquished by sinful means and banished to the woods, even then, thou ofthe Vrishni race, I thought that Suyodhana deserved death at my hands.What thou, however, O Krishna, wishest to do for thy friends is scarcelystrange, although it seems inexplicable how the object In view is capableof being effected by either mildness or its reverse. Or, if thou deemesttheir immediate destruction to be preferable, let it be effected soonwithout further deliberation. Surely, thou knowest how Draupadi wasinsulted in the midst of the assembly by Duryodhana of sinful soul andhow also we bore it with patience. That Duryodhana, O Madhava, willbehave with justice towards the Pandavas is what I cannot believe. Wisecounsels will be lost on him like seed sown in a barren soil. Therefore,do without delay what thou, O thou of Vrishni race, thinkest to be properand beneficial for the Pandavas, or what, indeed, should next be done.'”