Bhagavad-Yana Parva — Speech of Sri-Krishna,

Vaishampayana said Then reflecting, did the scion of the Dasharha race, speak these words to Duryodhana in that assembly of the Kurus.

To get the sleep of a hero is your desire and it will be fulfilled; wait for a short time with your ministers and there will be a great massacre.

O fool, you think that there is nothing blamable in your conduct towards the Pandavas; all the kings here know this.

Being jealous of the prosperity of the great-souled sons of Pandu you arranged for a game at dice consultation with the son of Subala, O Bharata.

How could your cousins, my dear fellow, who are worthy in every respect and of honest turns of mind and virtuous, unite themselves with this deceitful one?

O greatly wise man, dice destroys the intelligence of the honest and in the dishonest it gives rise to disputes and other troubles.

By you and your wicked followers was planned this terrible calamity by means of dice without consulting with those who are of good habits of life.

Who else save yourself could treat the wife of your brother in that way and after brining Draupadi to that council hall and using insulting words as you did?

She is of noble birth, of good behaviour and dearer to them than even their lives; and that queen of the sons of Pandu was thus insulted by you.

All the Kurus know how in the assembly those chastisers of foes, the sons of Kunti, were on the eve of their exile, addressed by Dushasana.

What good man would treat in this unbecoming way his own near kinsmen of good habits of life, who are not covetous and who always practice virtues.

Speeches befitting only the cruel and dishonorable men, were used by Karna and Dushasana as also by yourself.

You took very great pains to burn them up when boys along with their mother at Varanavata but that attempt of yours was not successful.

At that time did the sons of Pandu live for a long time in disguise in company with their mother in the house of a Brahmana Ekachakra.

By poison, by snake, and by rope, in fact by every means was the destruction of the sons of Pandu attempted by you but that attempt of yours was not successful.

Such was ever your inclination and treacherous treatment towards the sons of Pandu; how have you not then offended the great-souled Pandavas?

If you do not give them their paternal share when they ask for it, you shall, O wicked one, have to give it when you will be overthrown, deprived of your prosperity.

Having done many wicked deeds like a cruel man towards them and behaved like a dishonorable man, you now try to took different.

By your mother and by your father as also by Bhishma, Drona and Vidura have you been told again and again to make peace but, О ruler of the earth, you do not make peace.

In peace is your great gain, O ruler of the earth, in fact that of both parties, but it does not seem pleasing to you owing to no other cause save the scarcity of your intelligence.

By going against the advice of your wellwishers, will you not attain to your highest good; for what is about to be done by you is not virtuous and will not lead you to fame.

Vaishampayana said The scion of the Dasharha race having thus spoken to the wrathful Duryodhana, Dushasana said these words in the assembly of the Kurus.

If you do not make peace, O king, of your own free will with the sons of Pandu, the Kauravas will make you over to the son of Kunti bound hand and foot.

The son of Vikartana, yourself and myself, these three, O best among the sons of Manu, your father and Bhishma and Drona will make over to the sons of Pandu.

Suyodhana, the son of Dhritarashtra, hearing those words of his brother was very angry and got up from his seat breathing like a huge serpent.

Vidura, Dhritarashtra, the great king Balhika, and Kripa, and Somadatta, Bhishma, Drona and Janardana,

Disregarding all these that shameless one of wicked intellect, like a dishonorable man, vain and yet not commanding respect and given to insulting those who ought to be respected, went out of the court.

His brothers, having seen him, that best among those born of Manu, go out, followed him along with the ministers and the entire body to the kings.

Seeing Duryodhana rise up in that council and go away accompanied by his brothers, Bhishma the son of Shantanu said.

He who inclines towards wrath abandoning virtue and worldly profit, is soon rejoiced over by wicked men in his troubles.

son This wicked prince, the of Dhritarashtra, who does not know the proper means of suitable ends and is vain of the kingdom, is come under the influence of wrath and avarice.

I think that the time for the end of all Kshatriyas is come, O Janardana, for all the rulers of the earth along with the ministers have followed him out of folly."

That heroic scion of the Dasharha race, with eyes like the petals of the lotus, hearing the words of Bhishma, said to all of them headed by Bhishma and Drona.

"This is the great defeat of all the elders among the Kurus that they do not with force obstruct this wicked king in the enjoyment of prosperity.

O chastiser of foes, I therefore consider that the time has come for you to act; O sinless men, listen to that by doing which you will obtain benefit.

What I shall tell you is clearly for your benefit, if in consequence of its being favourable to you it is approved by you, o Bharatas.

During the life time of the old king of Bhoja, his son, of wicked behaviour and a slave to his passions, having usurped the throne of his father subjected himself to death.

Kansa, the son of Ugrasena, being forsaken by his own friends, was killed by me in a great battle from a desire to do good to my kinsmen.

Ugrasena, the son of Ahuka, being duly honored by ourselves with our kinsmen, was anointed king and he extended the territories of the kingdom of Bhoja.

Abandoning the one, namely Kansa, for the sake of the whole race, did all the Yadavas, Andhakas and Vrishnis attain to happiness, O Bharata.

Paramesthi, the lord of all creatures said, O king, when the gods and the Asuras were prepared for battle and were under arms.

When the world was divided into two parties and was about to be ruined, O Bharata-that god endued with divine prosperity, the creator and the protector of the world said

In a fight with the Daityas, the Danavas, and the Asuras will be defeated, and the Adityas, the Vasus, the Rudras and the denizens of heaven will be victorious.

The gods, the Asuras, the human beings, the Gandharvas and the Rakshasas will, in this battle in their race, kill one another.

Thus thinking Paramesthi, the lord of all creatures, said to Dharma-"Binding these Daityas and Danavas make them over to Varuna."

Dharma being thus spoken to, by the command of Paramesthi binding the Daityas na.

Having bound them with the aids of Dharma as also by his own power, the lord of the caters, Varuna keeps the Danavas ever in the sea.

In the same way, binding Duryodhana, Karna and Shakuni as also Dushasana make them over to the Pandavas.

One man should be sacrificed for the benefit of a race; a race should be sacrificed for he good a town; a town should be sacrificed for the good of the community, and for the sake of the soul should even the earth be sacrificed.

O king, having bound Duryodhana make peace with the sons of Pandu. By so doing will the Kshatriyas not be exterminated, O foremost among the Kshatriyas.