Read Mahabharata Vol. 1 (Penguin Translated Texts) Online
Authors: Bibek Debroy
‘“Shuddering at the god’s sudden words, he
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joined his palms and told the terrible god who has many manifestations, ‘O Bhava!
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Show me a way out today.’ Smilingly, the god with the terrible bow replied, ‘Those who act like this, do not find an escape. These others were like you and will become again. Therefore, enter the cavern and lie down there. There is no doubt that all your fates will be the same. All of you will have to be born in human wombs. Having achieved great feats of violence there and having sent a large number towards their deaths, you will again attain the world of Indra through the merit of your actions. You will achieve all that I have said and much more, with varied significance.’ The earlier Indras said, ‘We will go from the world of gods to that of men. Salvation is difficult to obtain there. Let the gods Dharma, Vayu, Maghavan
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and the Ashvins beget us on our mother.’ Having heard this, the wielder of
the vajra once again spoke to the greatest of the gods,
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‘With my semen, I will create a man who can accomplish this task. He will be my son and will be the fifth among these.’ In his good nature, the illustrious lord with the terrible bow granted them the wishes they desired. He ordained that the woman, the most beautiful in the worlds, who was none other than Shri
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herself, would be their wife in the world of men. Thereafter, accompanied by them,
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he
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went to the god Narayana, who is beyond measure. He
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approved of everything and thus it was that they were born on earth.
‘“Hari
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plucked two hairs from his body. One was white and the other was black. These two hairs entered the wombs of two women from the Yadu lineage, Rohini and Devaki. One of them
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became Baladeva and the second one that was black became Keshava. Those ones who were like Shakra and were earlier confined in the mountain cavern are none other than the valorous Pandavas, while the Pandava Savyasachi
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is a part of Shakra. O king! Thus it was that the former Indras were born as the Pandavas, and the celestial Lakshmi, earlier ordained to be their wife, was born as the divinely beautiful Droupadi. She whose radiance is like the sun and the moon and whose fragrance can be smelt from the distance of one krosha, cannot have arisen from the earth. At the end of the sacrifice, she arose through divine intervention. O ruler of men! I will happily grant you a most wonderful boon. With this divine eyesight, behold Kunti’s sons, in their earlier divine forms.”’
Vaishampayana said, ‘Then the pure Brahmana Vyasa, performer of extremely generous deeds, gave divine sight to the king through his ascetic powers. The king saw them in their earlier forms. He saw them divine and young, broad-chested and 5 cubits tall, adorned with
golden garlands, crowns and jewels, with complexions as radiant as that of the fire or the sun, each resembling Shakra, dressed in divine garments that were beautiful and golden, resplendent with fragrant garlands that were the best, the equals of the three-eyed god,
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the vasus and the celestial adityas, with every quality. On seeing the earlier Indras, King Drupada was surprised and pleased. With the power of divine maya that is beyond measure, he saw that supreme of women, Shri personified. In beauty, splendour and fame, he saw her to be the right wife for those Indras on earth. On seeing this wonderful sight, he touched the feet of Satyavati’s son and said, with a tranquil mind, “O supreme rishi! For you, this is no wonder.”
‘Vyasa replied, “In a hermitage in a forest, there was once the daughter of a great-souled rishi, who was beautiful and pure, but could not get a husband. It is said that through her austerities, she pleased the god Shankara.
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Pleased with her, the god himself spoke to her, ‘Tell me what you want.’ Thus addressed, she repeatedly told the boon-granting supreme god, ‘I wish to have a husband who is accomplished in every way.’ Then the god Shankara happily granted her the boon and said, ‘O fortunate one! You will have five excellent husbands.’ The one who had pleased the god said, ‘O Shankara! I wish to have only one husband who possesses all the qualities.’ The god of gods, extremely pleased with her, again uttered these holy words. ‘You have addressed me five times, asking for a husband. O fortunate one! It shall be as you have asked. You will have good fortune and all this will happen in one of your future births.’ O Drupada! So this daughter, with the form of a goddess, was born to you. Krishna Parshati
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was preordained to be the wife of five and remain unblemished. The divine Shri was born out of the great sacrifice to be the wife of the Pandavas. After performing severe austerities, she was born as your daughter. O King Drupada! That resplendent goddess, sought after by the gods themselves, was ordained to be the wife of five through her own actions. She was
created by the self-creating one
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to be the wife of these gods. On hearing this, act as you wish.”’
‘Drupada said, “O maharshi! I sought to act in the way that I had said only when I had not heard these words from you. I cannot act against what has been ordained. I wish to act as you have said. The knot tied by destiny cannot be untied. There is nothing that results from our own actions. The rites set out for one husband must now become the rites for this rule.
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Since Krishna herself repeatedly asked for many husbands in ancient times, the great god accordingly granted her the boon. The god himself knows what is best. Since Shankara has ordained it to be thus, dharma or adharma, I will commit no sin. Therefore, since Krishna is ordained to them, let them take her hand as they wish, according to the prescribed rites.”’
Vaishampayana said, ‘Then the great lord
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spoke to Dharmaraja, “O son of Pandu! Today is an auspicious day. The moon has entered the constellation Pushya. Today, you accept Krishna’s hand first.” At that, King Yajnasena
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and his son made arrangements for the wedding. He made ready a lot of wealth for the marriage. After she had bathed and had been adorned with many jewels, he brought out his daughter Krishna. To witness the marriage ceremony, the king’s friends and relatives happily came there, with advisers and many Brahmanas and chief citizens. Crowded with those who had come for alms, the extensive festive grounds thick with lotuses and lilies, lined with heaps of precious stones, his palace looked like the sky, studded with brilliant stars. Then the young Kuru princes bathed. Adorned
with earrings and ornaments, dressed in expensive garments and perfumed with sandalwood paste, they performed the preparatory ceremony and other auspicious rites. O lord! Accompanied by their priest Dhoumya, as radiant as the fire, they then joyfully entered, in due order and one after another, like mighty bulls entering a pen.
‘Then the priest
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who knew the Vedas built and lit the sacrificial fire and poured offerings, with mantras. He then called Yudhishthira and united him with Krishna. Then the Veda-knowing one married them, making them walk around the fire, hand in hand. Then the priest took leave of that ornament of battle
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and went out of the palace. Then those maharathas, bringers of fame to the Kuru lineage, sons of a king among men, took the hand of that supreme among women, in succession, one day after another.
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The devarshi
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told me something extremely wonderful, beyond human powers. That slender-waisted and great lady regained her virginity from one day to another.
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‘When the marriage was over, Drupada gave those maharathas a lot of gifts—100 supreme chariots adorned with gold, each yoked to four horses with golden bridles; 100 elephants with lotus marks on them, like a hundred mountains with golden peaks; and 100 young maidservants dressed in expensive garments and adorned with ornaments and garlands. Making the fire his witness, the king of the lunar dynasty,
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befitting his might, separately gave each of those
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a lot of wealth, garments and ornaments and other riches. When the marriage was over and the mighty Pandavas, the equals of Indra, had obtained their Shri, along with her great wealth, they lived in the city of the king of Panchala.’
Vaishampayana said, ‘After his alliance with the Pandavas, Drupada’s fears were dispelled. He did not even fear the gods. All the ladies in the great-souled Drupada’s household came to Kunti. They mentioned their names and saluted her, with their foreheads touching her feet. Dressed in a silken garment and with the marriage thread still encircling her,
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Krishna also paid her respects to her mother-in-law and stood before her, her palms joined.
‘Lovingly, Pritha bestowed her blessings on Droupadi, endowed with beauty and auspicious marks and with a pure disposition and good character. “As Indrani
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is to Harihaya,
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as Svaha
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is to Vibhavasu,
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as Rohini
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is to Soma,
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as Damayanti is to Nala, as Bhadra
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is to Vaishravana,
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as Arundhati is to Vashishtha and as Lakshmi is to Narayana, so may you be to your husbands. O fortunate one! May you be the mother of long-lived and valorous sons. May you be happy. May you be fortunate and prosperous. May you be strict in your vows and a wife to your husbands at the time of sacrifices. May you always pass your time serving your guests in the proper way—holy men, the aged, the young and your seniors. May you be anointed queen, with the righteous king,
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in the kingdom and the capital of Kurujangala. Let the entire earth be conquered by your immensely powerful husbands and presented to Brahmanas in a great horse-sacrifice. O accomplished one! O treasure of all virtues! May all the riches of the world belong to you. May you be happy for 100 autumns. O daughter-in-law! I bless you today on seeing you in silken
garments. I shall bless you again when you have given birth to a son with all the qualities.”
‘After the Pandavas had taken a wife, Hari
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sent them many golden ornaments, adorned with pearls and lapis lazuli. Madhava
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also sent them expensive garments from many regions, blankets, deer skins, jewels that were beautiful and soft, and expensive beds, seats, vehicles and vessels, adorned with diamonds and lapis lazuli. Krishna also gave them thousands of young maidservants, adorned with ornaments, beautiful, accomplished and brought from many regions, well trained, and tame elephants, many excellent and caparisoned horses and many chariots, drawn by horses with large teeth and excellent colours, bedecked with golden cloth. And Madhusudana,
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whose soul cannot be measured, also sent them in a separate heap crores of pure gold coins. In a desire to please Govinda,
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Dharmaraja Yudhishthira, who was filled with pure joy, accepted all this.’
This parva has 174 shlokas and seven chapters.
Chapter 192: 29 shlokas
Chapter 193: 19 shlokas
Chapter 194: 25 shlokas
Chapter 195: 19 shlokas
Chapter 196: 28 shlokas
Chapter 197: 29 shlokas
Chapter 198: 25 shlokas
192Agamana
means arrival or coming and this parva is about Vidura’s arrival.
Vaishampayana said, ‘Then trusted spies brought the news to the kings that the beautiful and fortunate Droupadi had got the Pandavas as her husbands and that the great-souled one who had strung the bow and had pierced the target was Arjuna, greatest among those who are victorious and a mighty wielder of the bow and arrows. The great-souled and strong one who had lifted up Shalya, the king of Madra, and had whirled him around and had frightened all men in the fight with a tree, himself without fear, was none other than Bhima, whose touch was terrible and who was the tormentor of armies of enemies. When they heard that Kunti’s and Pandu’s
sons had assumed the disguise of peaceful Brahmanas, those rulers of men were greatly surprised, because they had earlier heard that Kunti and her sons had been burnt alive in the house of lac. Those rulers of men therefore regarded them
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as having been born again. Remembering the extremely cruel deed of Purochana, they cursed Bhishma and the Kourava Dhritarashtra. When the svayamvara was over, all the kings learnt that the Pandavas had been chosen and returned the way they had come.
‘On seeing that Arjuna, who was borne by white horses, had been chosen by Droupadi, King Duryodhana was very depressed and returned with his brothers, Ashvatthama, his maternal uncle,
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Karna and Kripa. Full of shame, Duhshasana softly spoke to him, “O king! If Dhananjaya
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had not been disguised as a Brahmana, he would never have succeeded in obtaining Droupadi. No one recognized him because of that. I think destiny is supreme and human endeavours are fruitless. O brother! Cursed be our human endeavours when the Pandavas are still alive.” Thus, talking to one another and blaming Purochana, they entered Hastinapura, miserable and downcast. They were frightened and all their resolutions disappeared when they discovered that the immensely powerful sons of Pritha
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had escaped the fire and were allied with Drupada. They thought of Dhrishtadyumna, Shikhandi and all the other sons of Drupada, all skilled in the art of war.
‘On learning that Droupadi had chosen the Pandavas and that Dhritarashtra’s sons had returned in shame, their pride broken, Vidura was very happy. O lord of the people! The kshatta went to Dhritarashtra and said in great wonder, “The Kurus
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are prospering from good fortune.” O descendant of the Bharata lineage! On hearing this from Vidura, Dhritarashtra, the son of Vichitravirya, was overjoyed and exclaimed, “What great fortune!” In his ignorance, the king of men, who only possessed the eyesight of knowledge, had thought
that Droupadi had chosen his eldest son, Duryodhana. He ordered that many ornaments be made for Droupadi and sent word to his son Duryodhana that Krishna
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should be brought in. It was then that Vidura told him that the Pandavas had been chosen, that those warriors were all in good health and that they had been duly honoured by Drupada. They had many allies and relatives now, with large armies.
‘Dhritarashtra said, “Pandu’s sons are dearer to me than they were to Pandu. O Vidura! My joy is greater, now that I know that those brave Pandavas are in good health, with friends. O kshatta! Which king, deprived of fortune on earth and in search of power, would not desire to have an alliance with Drupada and his relatives?”’
Vaishampayana said, ‘When the king uttered such words, Vidura replied, “O king! May this intelligence of yours last for a hundred years.” O ruler of the people! Then Duryodhana and Radha’s son
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came to Dhritarashtra and told him, “We cannot speak in Vidura’s presence. We wish to speak to you in private. What do you want to do now? O father! Do you take the prosperity of your rivals to be that of your own? O supreme among men! You applauded them before the kshatta. O one who is unblemished! You act one way when another needs to be done. O father! We must always act in a way so as to weaken their strength. The time has come for us to counsel one another, so that they
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do not swallow us up, with our sons, armies and relatives.”’
‘Dhritarashtra said, “I myself have the worries that you do. But I do not wish to reveal my attitude to Vidura. Therefore, I particularly praised their qualities, so that Vidura does not know my true wishes, even through a gesture. This is the time. O
Suyodhana!
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Tell me what you think. O Radheya!
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You also tell me what you think.”
‘Duryodhana said, “Let us now use skilled and able Brahmanas who have our trust to create conflict among the Pandavas, between the sons of Kunti and the sons of Madri. Or let us tempt King Drupada, his sons and all his advisers with large presents of wealth so that they abandon Kunti’s son, King Yudhishthira. Or let them
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individually be told how difficult it is to live here,
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so that the Pandavas decide to live there,
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away from us. Or let artful and skilled men create dissension among the sons of Pritha.
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Or let them
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incite Krishna
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against them. That should be easy, because they are many.
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Let the Pandavas be dissatisfied with her, and she with them. O king! Let artful and skilled men secretly bring about Bhimasena’s death. He is the strongest among them. O king! When he is dead, they will lose their enterprise and their energy. Without him, they will no longer wish for the kingdom, because he is their only support. Arjuna is invincible in battle as long as he is supported from the back by Vrikodara.
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Without him, Phalguna
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is not even worth a fourth of Radheya
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in battle. With Bhimasena dead, they will know their great weakness and knowing our great strength, the feeble ones will perish. O king! If the sons of Pritha come here and submit themselves to our desires, we can confidently destroy them. Or, one after another, we can seduce them with pretty women so that Krishna
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is
disenchanted with Kunti’s sons. Or we can send Radheya to bring them here and on the way here, get them killed through an attack by dacoits whom we trust. Employ, without delay, whichever of these strategies seems to you to be faultless. Time passes. As long as their confidence in King Drupada, who is like a bull, is not established, until then, we can succeed. But not afterwards. O father! These are my views. We should suppress them. O Radheya! What do you think? Are these views good or bad?”’
‘Karna said, “O Duryodhana! In my view, your opinions are not distinguished by wisdom. O extender of the Kuru lineage! The Pandavas cannot be overcome through trickery. O brave warrior! In the past, you have used subtle tricks to suppress them, but you did not succeed. O king! Then they lived near you and were children who had not developed friends and allies. But you could not hold them down. They now live far away and have grown up. They have developed friends and allies. It is my firm conviction that Kunti’s sons cannot be injured through trickery. Nor can they be subjugated through vices, because they are protected by fate. They desire to have the kingdom of their fathers and grandfathers back. We can’t injure them through such means. It is impossible to create dissension among them. It is impossible to create dissension among those who have taken a common wife. Nor will we succeed in alienating Krishna
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from them. She chose them in a time of adversity and they are now prosperous. Women have a quality that they desire many husbands. Krishna has got this and can’t be alienated. The king of Panchala
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is virtuous and does not crave for riches. Even if we give him our entire kingdom, it is certain that he will not desert the sons of Kunti. His son
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also has
all the good qualities and is attached to the Pandavas. Therefore, I do not think that any subtle strategy that you think of will ever be able to injure them.
‘“O bull among men! But today, this is what is good and advisable for us. O lord of the earth! The Pandavas can be struck down as long as they have not established their roots. O lord! Agree to smite them with arms. As long as our side is strong and that of the Panchalas is weak, we should strike them with arms, without hesitation. O son of Gandhari! Strike them with arms quickly and with valour, before their chariots, their friends and their relatives gather. O king! Display your valour before the king of Panchala and his immensely brave son decide to take action. Show your valour before Varshneya
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arrives with his Yadava army to restore the Pandavas to their kingdom. O ruler of the earth! Riches, diverse objects of pleasure, kingdoms—there is nothing that Krishna will not sacrifice for the sake of the Pandavas. The great-souled Bharata
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acquired the earth through his valour. The slayer of Paka
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obtained lordship of the three worlds through his valour. O lord of the earth! Valour is always praised among Kshatriyas. O bull among kings! Valour is the natural dharma of those who are brave. O king! Therefore, without any more delay, let us defeat Drupada with a large army with four components
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and bring the Pandavas here. The Pandavas cannot be defeated through conciliation, gifts or dissension. Therefore, vanquish them with your valour. O ruler of men! After defeating them through your valour, rule over the extensive earth. I do not see any other way of accomplishing our objective.”’
Vaishampayana said, ‘On hearing Radheya’s words, the immensely powerful Dhritarashtra praised him and said, “O son of a suta! You are blessed with great wisdom and are skilled in the use of weapons.
Such words that speak of valour are worthy of you. But let Bhishma, Drona, Vidura and the two of you consult each other and arrive at a course of action that is the best for our welfare.” Thereupon, the immensely famous King Dhritarashtra summoned all his advisers and consulted them.’
‘Bhishma said, “I will never agree to a war with Pandu’s sons. There is no doubt that Pandu was as dear to me as Dhritarashtra is. To me, the sons of Gandhari are like the sons of Kunti. O Dhritarashtra! They must be protected as much by me as by you. O descendant of the Bharata lineage! Like they are to me and the king,
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they should be the same way to Duryodhana and the other sons of Kuru. Therefore, I can never favour a war with them. Have a treaty with those warriors and give them land. For those best of the Kurus,
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there is no doubt that this is the kingdom of their fathers and grandfathers. O Duryodhana! Just as you consider this kingdom to be your parental property, the Pandavas also see it as their paternal property. If the Pandavas, who practise austerities, cannot get this kingdom, how can it be yours or of anyone from the Bharata lineage? O bull among the Bharatas! If you think that you have acquired this kingdom through what is right, I think that they rightfully think that they obtained the kingdom before you. O tiger among men! Peacefully give them half of the kingdom. That will be the best for everyone. If you act in any other way, no good will come out of it. There is no doubt that you will be covered in dishonour.
‘“Try to preserve your good reputation. A good reputation is the source of supreme strength. It is said that a man who has lost his reputation, lives in vain. O son of Gandhari! O descendant of Kuru!
As long as a man’s good reputation lasts, he does not die. He is destroyed when his good reputation is lost. Therefore, follow the dharma that is worthy of the Kuru lineage. O one with mighty arms! Act as your ancestors have acted before you. It is fortunate that those warriors are alive. It is fortunate that Pritha is alive. It is fortunate that the evil Purochana himself perished, without being successful. O son of Gandhari! From the time I heard what had happened to the sons of Kunti, I was not able to look at any living being. O tiger among men! People do not think Purochana as guilty as they think you. O king! Therefore, the escape of the Pandavas from that destruction and their reappearance is something that should be wished for. O descendant of the Kuru lineage! Know that as long as those warriors are alive, the wielder of the vajra
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himself cannot deprive them of their paternal property, because they are established in dharma and are united. They have been deprived of an equal share in the kingdom through adharma. If you wish to act in accordance with dharma, if you wish to do that which pleases me, if you wish to do that which is good, give them half.”’
‘Drona said, “O king! It has been heard that Dhritarashtra’s friends who have been summoned for consultation should always speak that which is right and true and brings fame. My views are the same as those of the great-souled Bhishma. Let Kunti’s sons have a share in the kingdom. That is eternal dharma. O descendant of the Bharata lineage! Send a soft-spoken man to Drupada. Let him carry many riches for them. Let him carry many expensive presents with him. Let him speak to him
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in good fortune that comes about because of this alliance. O king! O descendant of the Bharata lineage!
Let him repeatedly tell Drupada and Dhrishtadyumna that both you and Duryodhana are extremely pleased with what has happened. Let him say that this alliance is appropriate and pleasing. Let him repeatedly pacify the sons of Kunti and the sons of Madri. O king of kings! On your command, let him present Droupadi with many brilliant and golden ornaments. O bull among the Bharata lineage! Let presents also be given to all the sons of Drupada and appropriate ones to all the Pandavas and Kunti. Thus pacifying Drupada and the Pandavas, he should immediately propose their return.
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When those warriors receive the permission to return, let Duhshasana and Vikarna
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go to receive them with a magnificent army. O best of kings! Let the sons of Pandu always be treated by you with honour. As desired by the people, let them be instated in their ancestral kingdom. O descendant of the Bharata lineage! O king! Bhishma and I believe that this should be your conduct towards the Pandavas, who are like your own sons.”