Kripa said, "A person who is bereft of intelligence and who hath not his
passions under control, cannot, even if he waits dutifully upon his
superiors, understand all the considerations of morality. This is my
opinion. Similarly, an intelligent person who does not practise humility
fails to understand the settled conclusions of morality. A brave man, if
bereft of understanding, by waiting all his life upon a learned person
fails to know his duties, like a wooden ladle unable to taste the juicy
soup (in which it may lie immersed). The wise man, however, by waiting
upon a learned person for even a moment, succeeds in knowing his duties,
like the tongue tasting the juicy soup (as soon as it comes into contact
with the latter). That person who is endued with intelligence, who waits
upon his superiors, and who has his passions under control succeeds in
knowing all the rules of morality and never disputes with what is
accepted by all. An ungovernable, irreverent, and sinful person of wicked
soul perpetrates sin in seeking his well-being by disregarding destiny.
Well-wishers seek to restrain a friend from sin. He who suffers himself
to be dissuaded, succeeds in winning prosperity. He that does otherwise
reaps misery. As a person of disordered brains is restrained by soothing
words, even so should a friend be restrained by well-wishers. He that
suffers himself to be so restrained never becomes a prey to misery. When
a wise friend is about to perpetrate a wicked act, well-wishers possessed
of wisdom repeatedly and according to the extent of their power endeavour
to restrain him. Setting thy heart on what is truly beneficial, and
restraining thyself by thy own self, do my bidding, O son, so that thou
mayst not have to repent afterwards.
In this world, the slaughter of sleeping persons is not applauded,
agreeably to the dictates of religion. The same is the case with persons
that have laid down their arms and come down from cars and steeds. They
also are unslayable who say We are thine!' and they that surrender
themselves, and they whose locks are dishevelled, and they whose animals
have been killed under them or whose cars have been broken. All the
Pancalas will sleep tonight. O lord, divesting themselves of armour.
Trustfully sunk in sleep, they will be like dead men. That crooked-minded
man who would wage hostility with them then, it is evident, would sink in
deep and limitless hell without a raft save himself. In this world thou
art celebrated as the foremost of all persons conversant with weapons.
Thou hast not as yet committed even a minute trespass. When the sun rises
next morning and light shall discover all things, thyself, like a second
sun in effulgence wilt conquer the foe in battle. This censurable deed,
so impossible in one like thee, will look like a red spot on a white
sheet. Even this is my opinion."
Ashvatthama said, "Without doubt, it is even so, O maternal uncle, as
thou sayest. The Pandavas, however, have before this broken the bridge of
righteousness into a hundred fragments. In the very sight of all the
kings, before thy eyes also, my sire, after he had laid down his weapons,
was slain by Dhrishtadyumna. Karna also, that foremost of car-warriors,
after the wheel of his car had sunk and he had been plunged into great
distress, was slain by the wielder of gandiva. Similarly, Shantanu's son
Bhishma, after he had laid aside his weapons and become disarmed, was
slain by Arjuna with Shikhandi placed in his van. So also, the mighty
bowman Bhurishrava, while observant of the praya vow on the field of
battle, was slain by Yuyudhana in total disregard of the cries of all the
kings! Duryodhana too, having encountered Bhima in battle with the mace,
hath been slain unrighteously by the former in the very sight of all the
lords of earth. The king was all alone in the midst of a large number of
mighty car-warriors standing around him. Under such circumstances was
that tiger among men slain by Bhimasena. Those lamentations that I have
heard, of the king lying prostrate on the earth with his thighs broken,
from the messengers circulating the news, are cutting the very core of my
heart. The unrighteous and sinful Pancalas, who have broken down the
barrier of virtue, are even such. Why do you not censure them who have
transgressed all considerations? Having slain the Pancalas, those slayers
of my sire, in the night when they are buried in sleep, I care not if I
am born a worm or a winged insect in my next life. That which I have
resolved is hurrying me towards its accomplishment. Hurried as I am by
it, how can I have sleep and happiness? That man is not yet born in the
world, nor will be, who will succeed in baffling this resolution that I
have formed for their destruction."
Sanjaya continued, "Having said these words, O monarch, the valiant son
of Drona yoked his steeds to his car at a corner and set out towards the
direction of his enemies. Then Bhoja and Sharadvata's son, those
high-souled persons, addressed him, saying, "Why dost thou yoke the
steeds to thy car? Upon what business art thou bent? We are determined to
accompany thee tomorrow, O bull among men! We sympathise with thee in
weal and woe. It behoveth thee not to mistrust us. Remembering the
slaughter of his sire, Ashvatthama in rage told them truly about the feat
that he had resolved to accomplish. When my sire, having slain hundreds
and thousands of warriors with keen shafts, had laid aside his weapons,
he was then slain by Dhrishtadyumna. I shall slay that slayer today in a
similar condition that is, when he will have laid aside his armour. The
sinful son of the king of the Pancalas I shall today slay by a sinful
act. It is my resolve to slay like an animal that sinful prince of the
Pancalas in such a way that he may not attain to regions earned by
persons slain with weapons! Put on your coats of mail without delay and
take your bows and swords, and wait for me here, ye foremost of
car-warrior and scorchers of foes."
Having said these words, Ashvatthama got upon his car and set out towards
the direction of the enemy. Then Kripa, O king, and Kritavarma of the
Satvata race, both followed him. While the three proceeded against the
enemy, they shone like three blazing fires in a sacrifice, fed with
libations of clarified butter. They proceeded, O lord, towards the camp
of the Pancalas within which everybody was asleep. Having approached the
gate, Drona's son, that mighty car-warrior, stopped."
