घोषयात्रा पर्व — शकुनिका वचन

Vaishampayana said : Having heard those words of Dhritarashtra, Shakuni, when he got an opportunity through Karna, spoke thus to Duryodhana.

Shakuni said: Having exiled the heroic Pandavas through your own prowess, O descendant of Bharata, you now rule this earth without a rival, as the slayer of Shambara rules the heaven.

O ruler of men, O king, the kings of the east, west, north and south all pay tribute to you.

O king, the blazing goddess of prosperity, that once used to pay court to the Pandavas, has now been secured by you with your brothers.

O king, the blazing prosperity that we formerly saw in Yudhishthira at Indraprastha is now seen by us in you.

O king of kings, that which you saw not long ago with so much grief has been now snatched by you from the king Yudhishthira by the force of intellect alone.

O mighty armed hero, O chastiser of foes, all the kings of the world are now under your subjection. They now await your commands as they used to do before those of Yudhishthira. O king, the goddess earth bounded with the seas with her mountains and forests towns and cities and mines, with her woodlands and hills is now yours. Adored by the Brahmanas and worshipped by the kings, O monarch, you (now) blaze forth in your prowess like the sun among the celestials in heaven.

Surrounded by the Kurus, O king, as Yama is surrounded by the Rudras and Vasava by the Marutas, you shine like the moon among the stars.

Let us go and see the Pandavas who are now divested of their prosperity, who are now living in the forest, who never obeyed commands and who never owed you subjection.

O great king, we have heard that they are now living on the banks of the lake situated in the forest named Dvaitavana with many Brahmanas, the dwellers of the wood.

O king, go there with all your prosperity and thus scorch the Pandavas with a sight of your glory, as the sun scorches every thing with his hot rays.

You a (great) sovereign and they deprived of their sovereignty, you in prosperity and they deprived of it, you are in affluence and they are in poverty. O king, go and (now) see the Pandavas.

Let the Pandavas see you like Yayati, the son of Nahusha accompanied by a large number of followers and in the enjoyment of great bliss.

O king, that blazing prosperity which is seen by one's both friend and foe is considered to be the real prosperity.

What happiness could be more complete than what one enjoys by being himself in great prosperity and his enemy being in adversity just like the man on the top of a hill looking down upon another who crawls on the earth.

O foremost of kings, the happiness that one drives from seeing his enemies in grief is greater than what one drives on getting a son or wealth or kingdom.

What happiness will not be his who himself being in affluence sees Dhananjaya (Arjuna) in barks and skins.

Let your wife clad in costly robes look at the afflicted Krishna (Draupadi) now in barks and skins and thus increase her misery.

Let the daughter of Drupada reproach herself and her life deprived as she is of wealth, for the sorrow that she will feel on seeing your wife adorned with ornaments will be far greater than what she had felt in the Sava.

Vaishampayana said: O Janamejaya, having thus spoken to the king, Shakuni and Karna when their speech was over both became silent.