“The Danavas said, ‘O Suyodhana, O great king? O perpetuator of the race
of Bharata, thou art ever surrounded by heroes and illustrious men. Why
hast thou, then, undertaken to do such a rash act as the vow of
starvation? The suicide ever sinketh into hell and becometh the subject
of calumnious speech. Nor do intelligent persons like thee ever set their
hands to acts that are sinful and opposed to their best interests and
striking at the very root of their purposes. Restrain this resolve of
thine, therefore, O king, which is destructive of morality, profit, and
happiness, of fame, prowess, and energy, and which enhanceth the joy of
foes O exalted king, know the truth, the celestial origin of thy soul,
and the maker of thy body, and then summon thou patience to thy aid. In
days of old. O king, we have obtained thee, by ascetic austerities from
Maheswara. The upper part of thy body is wholly made of an assemblage of
Vajras, and is, therefore, invulnerable to weapons of every description,
O sinless one. The lower part of thy body, capable of captivating the
female heart by its comeliness was made of flowers by the goddess
herself--the wife of Mahadeva. Thy body is thus, O best of kings, the
creation of Maheswara himself and his goddess. Therefore, O tiger among
kings, thou art of celestial origin, not human. Other brave Kshatriyas of
mighty energy headed by Bhagadatta, and all acquainted with celestial
weapons, will slay thy foes. Therefore, let this grief of thine cease.
Thou hast no cause for fear. For aiding thee, many heroic Danavas have
been born on the earth. Other Asuras will also possess Bhishma and Drona
and Kama and others. Possessed by those Asuras, these heroes will cast
away their kindness and fight with thy foes. Indeed, when the Danavas
will enter their heart and possess them completely, flinging all
affections to a distance, becoming hard-hearted, these warriors will
strike every body opposed to them in battle without sparing sons,
brothers, fathers, friends, disciples, relatives, even children and old
men. Blinded by ignorance and wrath, and impelled by that destiny which
hath been ordained by the Creator, these tigers among men, with hearts
steeped in sin, will, O thou foremost of the Kurus, depopulate the earth
by hurling and shooting all kinds of weapons, with great manliness and
strength and always addressing one another boastfully with words such as
these, ‘Thou shall not escape from me today with life.’ And these
illustrious sons of Pandu also, five in number, will fight with these.
And, endued with mighty strength and favoured by Fate, they will compass
the destruction of these. And, O king, many Daityas and Rakshasas also
that have been born in the Kshatriya order, will fight with great prowess
in the battle with thy foes, using maces and clubs and lances and various
weapons of a superior kind. And, O hero, with respect to the fear that is
in thy heart rising from Arjuna, we have already settled the means for
slaying Arjuna. The soul of the slain Naraka hath assumed the form of
Karna. Recollecting his former hostility he will encounter both Kesava
and Arjuna. And that mighty warrior and foremost of smiters, proud of his
prowess will vanquish Arjuna in battle as also all thy enemies. The
wielder of the thunder-bolt, knowing all this, and desirous of saving
Arjuna, will in disguise take away from Karna his ear-rings and coat of
mail. We also have for that reason appointed hundreds upon hundreds and
thousands upon thousands of Daityas and Rakshasas, viz., those that are
known by the name of Samsaptakas.[83] These celebrated warriors will slay
the heroic Arjuna. Therefore, grieve not, O king. Thou wilt rule the
whole earth, O monarch, without a rival. Do not yield to despondency.
Conduct such as this does not suit thee. O thou of the Kuru race, if thou
diest, our party becometh weak. Go thou, O hero, and let not thy mind be
directed to any other course of action. Thou art ever our refuge as,
indeed, the Pandavas are the refuge of the gods.’
Vaisampayana continued, “Having addressed him thus, those Daityas
embraced that elephant among kings, and those bulls among the Danavas
cheered that irrepressible one like a son. And, O Bharata, pacifying his
mind by soft speech, they permitted him to depart, saying, ‘Go and attain
victory!’ And when they had given leave to the mighty-armed one, that
very goddess carried him back to the spot where he had sat down, intent
upon putting an end to his life. And having set that hero down and paid
him homage, the goddess vanished, taking the king’s permission. O
Bharata, when she had gone, king Duryodhana considered all (that had
happened) as a dream. He then thought within himself, ‘I shall defeat the
Pandavas in battle.’ And Suyodhana thought that Karna and the Samsaptaka
army were both able (to destroy) and intent upon destroying that slayer
of foes, Partha. Thus, O bull of the Bharata race, the hope was
strengthened of the wicked minded son of Dhritarashtra, of conquering the
Pandavas. And Karna also, his soul and faculties possessed by the inmost
soul of Naraka, had at that time cruelly determined to slay Arjuna. And
those heroes--the Samsaptakas also--having their sense possessed by the
Rakshasas, and influenced by the qualities of emotion and darkness, were
desirous of slaying Phalguna. And, O king, others with Bhishma, Drona,
and Kripa at their head, having their faculties influenced by the
Danavas, were not so affectionate towards the sons of Pandu as they had
been. But king Suyodhana did not tell any one of this.
“When the night passed away, Karna, that offspring of the Sun, with
joined hands, smilingly addressed these wise words to king Duryodhana,
‘No dead man conquereth his foes: it is when he is alive that he can see
his good. Where is the good of the dead person; and, O Kauraveya, where
is his victory? Therefore, this is no time for grief, or fear or death.’
And having, with his arms embraced that mighty-armed one, he further
said, ‘Rise up, O king! Why dost thou lie down? Why dost thou grieve, O
slayer of foes? Having afflicted thy enemies by thy prowess, why dost
thou wish for death? Or (perhaps) fear hath possessed thee at the sight
of Arjuna’s prowess. I truly promise unto thee that I will slay Arjuna in
battle. O lord of men, I swear by my weapon that when the three and ten
years shall have passed away, I will bring the sons of Pritha under thy
subjection.’ Thus addressed by Karna, and remembering the words of the
Daityas and supplications made by them (his brothers), Suyodhana rose up.
And having heard those words of the Daityas that tiger among men, with a
firm resolve in his heart arrayed his army, abounding in horses and
elephants and cars and infantry. And, O monarch, immensely swarming with
white umbrellas, and pennons, and white Chamaras, and cars, and
elephants, and foot-soldiers, that mighty army, as it moved like the
waters of the Ganga, looked graceful like the firmament, at a season when
the clouds have dispersed and the signs of autumn have been but partially
developed. And, O foremost of kings, eulogised like a monarch by the best
of the Brahmanas blessing with victory, that lord of men Suyodhana,
Dhritarashtra’s son, receiving honours paid with innumerable joined
palms, and flaming in exceeding splendour, went in the front, accompanied
by Karna, and that gambler, the son of Suvala. And all his brothers with
Dussasana at their head, and Bhurisrava, and Somadatta, and the mighty
king Vahlika, followed that lion among kings on his way, with cars of
various forms, and horses, and the best of elephants. And, O prime among
monarchs, in a short time, those perpetuators of the Kuru race entered
their own city.”