SECTION 39
"'Shalya said, "Do not, O Suta's son, give away to any man a golden car
with six bulls of elephantine proportions. Thou wilt obtain a sight of
Dhananjaya today. From foolishness you are giving away wealth as if thou
wert the Lord of treasures. Without any trouble, however, O son of Radha,
thou wilt behold Dhananjaya today. Thou are for giving away this wealth
like a senseless person; but you seest not the demerits attaching to
those gifts that are made to undeserving persons. With that large wealth
which you are desirous of giving away, you are certainly able to
perform many sacrifices. Therefore, O Suta's son, do you perform those
sacrifices. As regards your desire, entertained from folly, that is surely
vain. We have never heard of a couple of lions having been overthrown by
a fox. Thou seekest what should never be sought by thee. It seems that
thou hast no friends for forbidding you that are speedily falling into a
blazing fire. Thou are unable to discriminate between what you shouldst
do and what you shouldst not. Without doubt your period is full. What man
desirous of living would utter speeches that are so incoherent and
undeserving of being listened to? This your endeavour is like that of a
person desirous of crossing the ocean by the aid of only his two arms
after having attached to his neck a heavy stone, or of one desirous of
leaping down from the summit of a mountain. If you are desirous of
winning what is for your good, fight with Dhananjaya, well protected from
within your arrayed division, and aided by all your warriors. I say this to
thee for the good of Dhritarashtra's son and not from any ill will to
thee. If you hast any wish for preserving your life then accept the words
spoken by me."
"'Karna said, "Relying on the might of my own arms I seek Arjuna in
battle. Thou, however, that are a foe with the face of a friend desirest
to frighten me. No person shall deter me from this resolution, not even
Indra himself uplifting his thunder; what then need be said of a mortal?'"
"Sanjaya continued, 'At the conclusion of these words of Karna, Shalya,
the ruler of the Madras, desirous of provoking Karna exceedingly, said
these words in reply, "When keen-pointed shafts winged with Kanka
feathers, shot by Phalguna of mighty arms and impelled from his
bow-string and sped with all his energy will seek you then wilt thou
lament your encounter with that hero. When Partha, called also Savyasaci,
taking up his celestial bow, will scorch the (Kuru) army and afflict thee
exceedingly with keen shafts, then, O Suta's son, wilt you repent (of
thy folly). As a child lying on the lap of its mother seeks to seize the
Moon, even so dost you from folly seek to vanquish the resplendent
Arjuna stationed on his car. In desiring, O Karna, to fight today with
Arjuna of keen-edged feats, you are for rubbing all your limbs against
the keen edges of a trident. This your challenge of Arjuna, O Suta's son,
is like that of a foolish young little deer of activity challenging a
huge lion excited with wrath. Do not, O Suta's son, challenge that prince
of mighty energy like a fox gratified with meat in the forest challenging
the maned monarch of the forest. Do not be destroyed, encountering
Arjuna. Thou, O Karna, challengest Dhananjaya, the son of Pritha, even
like a hare challenging a mighty elephant with tusks large as
plough-shafts, and with the juice issuing out of its mouth and rent
cheeks. From folly you are piercing, with a piece of wood, the black
cobra of virulent poison excited to fury within its hole, in desiring to
fight with Partha. Endued with little understanding, thou, O Karna,
disregarding that lion among men, viz., the son of Pandu, yellest at him,
like a jackal that, disregarding a maned lion excited with wrath, yells
at him. As a snake, for its own destruction, challenges that foremost of
birds, viz., Vinata's son, possessed of beautiful plumage and great
activity, even so dost thou, O Karna, challenge Dhananjaya the son of
Pandu. Thou desirest to cross without a raft the terrible ocean, the
receptacle of all the waters, with its mountain waves and teeming with
aquatic animals, when at its height at the rise of the Moon. O Karna,
thou challengest Dhananjaya, the son of Pritha, to battle even like a
calf challenging a smiting bull of keen horns and neck thick as a drum.
Like a frog croaking at a terrible and mighty cloud yielding copious
showers of rain, you croakest at Arjuna who is even like Parjanya among
men. As a dog from within the precincts of the house of his master barks
at a forest-roaming tiger, even so, O Karna, you barkest at Dhananjaya,
that tiger among men. A jackal, O Karna, residing in the forest in the
midst of hares regardeth himself a lion till he actually sees a lion.
Even so, O son of Radha, you regardest thyself a lion, for you dost not
behold that repressor of foes, that tiger among men, viz., Dhananjaya.
Thou regardest thyself a lion till you beholdest the two Krishnas
stationed on the same car like Surya and Candramas. As long as you dost
not hear the twang of Gandiva in great battle, so long are you able to
do what you pleasest. Beholding Partha, causing the ten points of the
compass to resound with the roar of his car and the twang of his bow, and
beholding him roaring like a tiger, you wilt become a jackal. Thou art
always a jackal, and Dhananjaya always a lion. O fool, in consequence of
thy envy and hatred for heroes, you always, seemest to be like a jackal.
As a mouse and a car are to each other in strength, or a dog and a tiger,
a fox and a lion, or a hare and an elephant, as falsehood and truth, as
poison and nectar, even so are you and Partha known to all by your
respective deeds.'"
--------------------END OF PARVA 8 : UPA-PARVA 39 ---------------------
