SECTION CXXVIII
"Vaisampayana said, 'Reflecting (for a moment), with eyes red in anger,
he, of Dasarha's race, addressing Duryodhana in that assembly of the
Kurus, then said these words, 'Wishest you for a bed of heroes? Verily,
thou shalt have it, with your consellors. Wait (for a short while), a
great slaughter will ensue. Thou thinkest, O you of little
understanding, that you hast committed no offence against the Pandavas?
Let the (assembled) monarchs judge. Grieved at the prosperity of the
high-souled Pandavas, you conspirest, O Bharata, with Suvala's son about
the gambling match. O sire, how could those virtuous, honest, and
superior kinsmen of yours (otherwise) engage in such a wicked act with
the deceitful Sakuni? O you that are endued with great wisdom, gambling
robs even the good of their understanding, and as regards the wicked,
disunion and dire consequence spring from it. It was you who hadst
devised with your wicked counsellors, that terrible source of calamity in
the form of the gambling match, without consulting with persons of
righteous behaviour. Who else is there, capable of insulting a brother's
wife in the way you didst or of dragging her into the assembly and
addressing her in language you had used towards Draupadi? Of noble
parentage, and endued with excellent behaviour, and dearer to them than
their very lives, the queen-consort of Pandu's sons was treated even thus
by thee. All the Kauravas know what words were addressed in their
assembly by Dussasana unto those chastisers of foes,--the sons of
Kunti,--when they were about to set out for the woods. Who is there
capable of behaving so wretchedly towards his own honest kinsmen, that
are ever engaged in the practice of virtue, that are untainted by
avarice, and that are always correct in their behaviour? Language such as
becomes only those that are heartless and despicable, was frequently
repeated by Karna and Dussasana and also by thee. Thou had taken great
pains to burn to death, at Varanavata, the sons of Pandu with their
mother, while they were children, although that effort of yours was not
crowned with success. After this, the Pandavas with their mother were
obliged to live for a long while, concealed in the town of Ekachakra in
the abode of a Brahmana. With poison, with snakes and cords, you hadst,
by every means, sought the destruction of the Pandavas, although none of
thy designs was successful. With such feelings when you had always
acted towards them so deceitfully, how canst you say that you hast not
offended against the high-souled Pandavas? Thou are not, O sinful man,
willing to give them their paternal share in the kingdom, although they
are begging it of thee. Thou shalt have to give it them, this, when
divested of prosperity, you shalt be laid low. Having, like a heartless
fellow, done innumerable wrongs to the Pandavas and behaved so
deceitfully towards them, you seekest now to appear in a different garb.
Though repeatedly solicited by your parents, by Bhishma, Drona, and
Vidura, to make peace, you dost not yet, O king, make peace. Great is
the advantage in peace, O king, both to thyself and Yudhishthira. Peace,
however, does not recommend itself to thee. To what else can it be due,
but to your loss of understanding? Transgressing the words of your friends,
thou canst never attain to what is for your benefit. Sinful and
disreputable is that act, which thou, O king, are about to do.'
"Vaisampayana continued, 'While he, of Dasarha's race, was saying this,
Dussasana addressed vindictive Duryodhana and said unto him these words
in the midst of the Kurus, If, O king, you dost not willingly make peace
with the Pandavas, verity the Kauravas will bind you (hand and foot) and
make over you to the son of Kunti. Bhishma, and Drona, and your (own)
father, O bull amongst men, will make over us three, viz., Vikartana's
son, thyself, and myself, to the Pandavas!'
"Vaisampayana continued, 'Hearing these words of his brother,
Dhritarashtra's son, wicked, shameless, disobedient, disrespectful, and
vain Suyodhana, breathing heavily like a great snake rose up from his
seat in anger, and disregarding Vidura, and Dhritarashtra and the great
king Vahlika, and Kripa, and Somadatta, and Bhishma, and Drona, and
Janardana, in fact, all of them, went out of the court, And beholding
that bull among men leave the court, his brother and all his counsellors,
and all the kings, followed him. And seeing Duryodhana rise and leave the
court in anger with his brothers, Santanu's son, Bhishma said, 'The
enemies of that person, who, abandoning both virtue and profit, followeth
the impulses of wrath, rejoice on beholding him plunged into distress at
no distant date. This wicked son of Dhritarashtra, this one unacquainted
with the true means (of accomplishing his objects), this fool that is
wrongly vain of his sovereignty, obeyeth only the dictates of wrath and
avarice. I see also, O Janardana, that the hour of all those Kshatriyas
is arrived, for all those kings, from delusion, have with their
counsellors followed Duryodhana.' Hearing these words of Bhishma, the
lotus-eyed hero of Dasarha's race, possessed of great powers, addressing
all those (that were still there) headed by Bhishma and Drona, said,
'Even this is great transgression, of which all the elders of the Kuru
race are becoming guilty, for they do not forcibly seize and bind this
wicked king in the enjoyment of sovereignty. Ye chastiser of foes, I
think the time hath come for doing this. If this is done, it may still be
productive of good. Listen to me, the sinless ones. The words I will speak
will soon lead to beneficial results, if, indeed, the Bharatas, the accept
what I say in consequence of its recommending itself to you. The wicked
son, of ill-regulated soul, of the old Bhoja king, having usurped his
father's sovereignty during the latter's life-time, subjected himself to
death. Indeed, Kansa, the son of Ugrasena, abandoned by his relatives,
was slain by me in a great encounter, from desire of benefiting my
kinsmen. Ourselves with our kinsmen then, having paid due honours to
Ugrasena, the son of Ahuka, installed that extender of Bhoja's kingdom on
the throne. And all the Yadavas and Andhakas and the Vrishnis, abandoning
a single person, viz., Kansa for the sake of their whole race, have
prospered and obtained happiness. O king, when the gods and Asuras were
arrayed for battle and weapons were upraised for striking, the lord of
all creatures, Parameshthin said thus (something which applies to the
case at hand). Indeed, O Bharata, when the population of the worlds was
divided into two parties and was about to be slaughtered, the divine and
holy Cause of the universe, viz., the Creator, said, 'The Asuras and the
Daityas with the Danavas will be vanquished, and the Adityas, the Vasus,
the Rudras and other dwellers of heaven will be victorious. Indeed, the
gods, and Asuras, and human beings, and Gandharvas, and Snakes, and
Rakshasas, will in rage slaughter one another in this battle.' Thinking
so, the Lord of all creatures, Parameshthin, commanded Dharma, saying,
'Binding fast, the Daityas and the Danavas, make them over to Varuna.'
Thus addressed, Dharma, at the command of Parameshthin, binding the
Daityas and the Danavas, made them over to Varuna. And Varuna, the Lord
of the waters, having bound those Danavas, with Dharma's noose, as also
with his own, keepeth them within the depths of the ocean, always
guarding them carefully. Binding in the same way Duryodhana and Karna and
Sakuni, the son of Suvala, and Dussasana, make them over to the Pandavas.
For the sake of a family, an individual may be sacrificed. For a village,
a family may be sacrificed. For the sake of a province, a village may be
sacrificed. And lastly, for the sake of one's self, the whole earth may
be sacrificed. O monarch, binding Duryodhana fast, make peace with the
Pandavas. O bull among Kshatriyas, let not the whole Kshatriya race be
slaughtered on your account.'"
--------------------END OF PARVA 5 : UPA-PARVA 128 ---------------------
