Bhagavad-Yana Parva — The speech of Krishna

Dhritarashtra said O you endued with divine prosperity, it is as you say O Narada, and I too wish the same thing, but you endued with heavenly prosperity, I am not the master.

Vaishampayana said Saying this the descendant of Kurus said to Krishna "O Keshava, you have said to me what leads to (the attainment of) heaven, to the benefit of the world and which is virtuous and just.

But I am not my own master, O you of long arms; O best of men, try persuade, O Krishna, my wicked son Duryodhana, who disregards injunctions of the scriptures who never dose what is pleasing to me and never listens to good words.

The son of Gandhari ( does not listen to the advice of) the wise Vidura, O Hrishikesha, as also to that of other friends and of such well wishers as Bhishma and others.

Therefore do yourself instruct the ruler of men, Duryodhana, of wicked soul crooked of evil intellect, of sinful heart and senseless.

Then will a very great duty of a friend have been done by you, O Janardana.” Then did the son of Vrishni addressing the wrathful Duryodhana,

Say these sweet words, conversant as he was with all virtues and worldly profit: “O Duryodhana, listen to this speech of mine, O you best among the Kurus,

Especially for the benefit of yourself and of your followers, O Bharata. Born as you are in a family of very wise men. it is indeed proper that you should do this honorable act.

You are endue with learning and with good habits of life. Whereas these that are born in low families are wicked souled, Inhuman and shameless.

These latter alone act in the way that you are contemplating; in this world the inclination of honest men seems to lie towards and virtue and worldly profit.

And the inclination of bad men seems to lie towards the opposite direction, o best among the Bharatas, this contemplated action of yours seems to lie in this opposite direction.

In this case, the obstinacy shown by you is vicious, frightful and greatly destructive of life; it will lead to your harm, it is without reason, and is unworthy of being pursued by you long, OBharata.

Abandoning what is injurious to yourself you should do what is for your benefit and that of your brothers, followers and friends, O you chastiser of your foes.

You will escape the blame of an act which is opposed to virtue and which will lead to notoriety. With the sons of Pandu who are wise, heroic, of great energy, of noble souls and very much conversant with our holy books,

O foremost among men, make peace-it is beneficial to the wise Dhritarashtra and also pleasing to him,

As also to your grandfather and Drona and Vidura of great intelligence and to Kripa and Somadatta and to the wise Balhika,

And to Ashvathama, and Vikarna, and Sanjaya and Vivingshati and very much so to your cousins and also to your friends, O chastiser of foes.

In peace, there will be your benefit, my dear friend, as also that of the entire world; be endued with modesty, for you are born in a noble family, and be learned and human; therefore, my dear friend, do you follow the commands of your father and mother. O best among the Bharatas.

People consider that to be conducive to his good which a father commands, O Bharata, and a good man, when meeting with a danger, remembers all the commands of his father.

Peace, my dear friend, with the sons of Pandu is pleasing to your father and you foremost among the Kurus, may it prove pleasing to yourself along with your advisers.

That man, who hearing the advice of his friends, does not act according to it, in the end is consumed like one who has eaten the Kimpaka fruit.

He, who out of folly, does not act according to the advice, than which nothing is more beneficial, is visited by the effects of procrastination, does not gain his object and is afterwards struck with remorse.

He, who having heard that, than which nothing is more beneficial, acts up to it abandoning his own opinions, gets happiness in this world.

He, who does not act to the advice of one who desires his good thinking it to be against his interests and listens to what is really so (against his interests), comes under the power of his enemies.

The friends of him, who disregarding the opinions of the honest, follows that of dishonest men, soon grave at his distress,

He, who abandoning his principal advisers according to the injunctions of inferior ones, meets with grave dangers and does not come out of them safe.

He, who acts according to the advice of dishonest men, who behaves falsely and does not listen to the advice of good friends and prefers others to those who are his own, is cast off by the earth, O Bharata.

Yourself, being opposed to those heroes, desire to be served by those who are strangers to you, and who are dishonest, incompetent and fools, O best among the Bharatas.

What man, besides yourself in this world, abandoning kinsmen who are mighty carwarriors and each equal to Shakra himself, expects safely with the help of others.

Ever since their birth, have the sons of Kunti been persecuted by you but those virtuous-souled sons of Pandu are not vindictive at your conduct.

O friend, ever since birth the sons of Pandu have been treated with deception but those renowned men, O you of long arms, have treated you generously.

By you too should they be treated in the same way, O you best among the race of Bharata; do not show anger towards your own kinsmen.

The energy of wise men follows all the three objects (virtue, profit and desire) O best among the race of Bharata and in the event of it being impossible to follow all the three objects people choose virtue and profit.

If these three are to be pursued separately a wise inan chooses virtue; an indifferent man (i.e. neither wise nor a fool) chooses worldly good, while a boy chooses desire.

The fool, who out of avarice and desire for sexual pleasure, abandons virtue and desires to gain his desire and profit by improper means, is ruined.

The man, who is desirous of gaining the object of desire or worldly profit, must first of all practice virtue; desire or profit is seldom detached from virtue.

It is said that virtue is the means of gaining the three objects, O lord of the universe; and he, who is desirous of getting them by this means increases in prosperity as fire in a heap of dry grass.

You however, my dear friend, desire to get by improper means a greatly extensive kingdom well known among all the kings.

He, who behaves deceitfully towards those following the right path, O king, cuts himself down as the forest by an axe; one does not cut off the intellect of another whose defeat he does not desire.

For one, whose intellect has been clouded, cannot direct his attention to what is conducive to his good. One who keeps his soul under proper control does not think lightly of anything in the three worlds, O Bharata,

Not even an ordinary creature-not to speak to those foremost among men, those sons of Pandu; a man, who is under the influence of wrath, can not discern anything.

All the rank growth must be cut off; O Bharata, look at the proofs; peace with the sons of Pandu is more to your interest than union with wicked people.

Living in peace with them you will succeed in all your objects enjoying the territories built up by the sons of Pandu, O best among kings,

Keeping the sons of Pandu behind you, you repose your hopes for safety on other sources, namely on Dushasana, Durvisha, Karna and the son of Subala.

Reposing your kingly prosperity on them you wish for prosperity, O Bharata; but these friends of yours have not sufficient knowledge of virtue of worldly profit.

They are not competent too in prowess or in strength, to be a match against the sons of Pandu; nor are all these kings united with you competent,

To look at the face of Bhimasena when exercised by anger in battle field. This entire assembled army of the earth is at your elbow.

This Bhishma, Drona, as also this Karna, Kripa as also Bhurishravas, Ashvathama, the son of Somadatta and Janardana,

All these are incapable of fighting against Dhananjaya. This Arjuna is invincible in battle by all the Gods and Asuras and by all human beings and Gandharvas. Do not fix your mind on battle.

Do you see any man in this entire army who, having met Arjuna face to face in battle, has returned home safe?

Of what advantage will a massacre of men be to you, O best among the Bharatas. Show me the man who will defeat the one whose defeat will mean victory to you,

Him who vanquished the gods along with the Gandharvas and Yakshas, and Asuras and Serpents in Khandava Prastha-who will fight against that son of Pandavas?

In the same way in the city of Virata is heard a very strange tale in the fight of one against many; that is a sufficient proof.

Do you wish to defeat that unconquerable, irrepressible and undetoriating Jishnu, the heroic Arjuna when enraged in battle, by whom in an encounter even Mahadeva was gratified?

Who can wish to defeat him having me as his help when he goes to the battle field like Indra (himself)?

He, who would defeat Arjuna in battle, could bear the earth with his arms and being excited with wrath could burn up all earthy creatures, and could hurl down the gods from heaven.

Look at your sons and at your brothers and at your kinsmen and other relations; let them not be destroyed by an act done by you, O you best among the race of Bharata.

Let not this race of Kurus be exterminated ard let not yourself be spoken of as the destroyer of the race and be of great notoriety, O lord of men.

Those mighty car warriors will establish yourself as the viceroy and your father Dhritarashtra, the lord of men, as the emperor.

Do you not, my dear friend, disregard this prosperity which has appeared in the horizon and is about to come to you; having given half to the sons of Pritha attain to great prosperity.

Having effected peace with the sons of Pandu and listening to the advice to your friends and living in peace with your friends will you ever attain to blessing.