Karna Parva — Shalya reviling

Shalya said O son of a charioteer, give away to any man a golden car with six bulls as large as the elephants you will see Dhananjaya today.

Foolishly you are giving away your wealth as if you are Vaisravana, the king of riches. Without any trouble, O son of Radha, you will see Dhananjaya today.

You are giving away your riches as if they are nothing like a highly ignorant man. You do not out of ignorance perceive the demerit attached to gifts made to unworthy persons.

You may perform many Yajnas with the immense wealth that you are thus distributing. Therefore, O charioteer's son, do you perform Yajnas.

But vain is the desire that you cherish out of folly, for destroying Krishna and Arjuna. We have never heard of a couple of lions overthrown by a fox.

You seek what you should never do. You have no such friends as will prevent you form immediately falling into fire.

You are unable to distinguish between what you should do and should not. Forsooth, the lease of your life has run out. What man, desirous of living, would give vent to such incoherent words unworthy of being listened to.

This your attempt is like that of a person, who, having tied round his neck a heavy stone, wishes to cross the ocean with his two arms or like that of a man who wishes to leap down from the summit of a mountain.

If you wish to secure your well-being, fight with Dhananjaya from the division of your own army well protected and aided by your warriors.

I tell you this for the well-being of Duryodhana and not out of any ill will for you. If you wish to preserve your life obey my words.

Karna said Depending on the strength of my own arms I wish to meet Arjuna in battle. You are an enemy with the look of a friend and wish to frighten me.

No one will be able to make me change this resolution, not even Indra taking up his thunderbolt, what to speak of an insignificant mortal?

Sanjaya said After Karna had his say, Shalya the king of Madra, with a view to provoke him greatly, said in reply.

When keen edged and Kanka feathered arrows, shot off his bow. by the powerful Phalguna with all his energy, will come upon you, you will repent for your encounter with that hero.

When Partha, otherwise called Savyasachin, taking up his celestial bow, will scorch the Kuru army and assail you greatly with his keen edged arrows then O charioteer's son, you will repent for your folly.

Like a child, on mother's lap seeking to catch hold of the sun, you, out of your folly, wish to defect the effulgent Arjuna stationed on his car.

By desiring to fight, O Karna, today with Arjuna of illustrious feats, you have addressed yourself to rule your body against the keen edges of a trident.

O charioteer's son, your challenge of Arjuna is like that of an over active little deer against a huge angry lion.

O charioteer's son, do not challenge that highly energetic prince like a fox, gratified with meat, challenging a lion. Do not be slain by encountering Arjuna.

O Karna, your challenge of Dhananjaya, the son of Pritha, is like that of a hare challenging a powerful elephant with tusks large as ploughshares and with temporal juice trickling out of its mouth and temples.

By wishing to fight with Partha you are, out of folly, striking with a piece of wood the black cobra of deadly venom furiously excited within its hole.

You are a fool to yell at Arjuna, the best of men, disregarding him like a jackal yelling at an excited lion.

As a snake, for its own destruction, encounters the best of birds Garuda, highly active and of beautiful feathers, so do you O Karna, challenge Dhananjaya the son of Pritha.

You wish to cross, without a raft at the rise of the moon, the ocean, the receptacle of all waters with dreadful huge waves and teeming with aquatic animals.

O Karna, your challenge of Dhananjaya is like that of a calf against a fearful bull of sharpened horns and with a neck thick as a drum.

Your roaring at Arjuna, the deity of clouds among men, like that of frog at a dreadful huge cloud discharging copious showers of rain.

Like a dog barking from within his master's house at a forest-ranging tiger you bark at Dhananjaya, the foremost of men.

While living in the forest in the midst of hares a jackal, O Karna, considers himself a lion till he actually sees the latter.

So do you, O son of Radha, consider yourself a lion for you do not see that subduer of foes, that foremost of men, Dhananjaya.

You consider yourself a lion for you have not seen Krishna and Arjuna stationed on the same car like the sun and moon.

As long as you do not hear the twang of Gandiva in battle, so long you are able to do what you please.

Beholding the ten quarters filled with the sound of his car and the twang of his bow and him roaring like a tiger you will become a jackal.

You are always a jackal and Dhananjaya always a lion. On account of your envy and hatred for heroes, you appear a jackal.

As a mouse and a cat are to each other in strength, or a fox and a lion or a hare and an elephant, as falsehood and truth, ambrosia and poison so you and Partha are known to all by your respective deeds.