SECTION VIII

"Vyasa said, 'O wise Dhritarashtra, hear what I say! I will tell thee

that which is for the great good of all the Kauravas! O thou of mighty

arms, it hath not pleased me that the Pandavas have gone to the forest

dishonestly defeated (at dice) by Duryodhana and others! O Bharata, on

the expiration of the thirteenth year, recollecting all their woes, they

may shower death-dealing weapons, even like virulent poison, upon the

Kauravas! Why doth thy sinful son of wicked heart, ever inflamed with

ire, seek to slay the sons of Pandu for the sake of their kingdom? Let

the fool be restrained; let thy son remain quiet! In attempting to slay

the Pandavas in exile, he will only lose his own life. Thou art as

honest as the wise Vidura, or Bhishma, or ourselves, or Kripa, or Drona.

O thou of great wisdom, dissension with one's own kin are forbidden,

sinful and reprehensible! Therefore, O king, it behoveth thee to desist

from such acts! And, O Bharata, Duryodhana looketh with such jealousy

towards the Pandavas that great harm would be the consequence, if thou

didst not interfere. Or let this wicked son of thine, O monarch, alone

and unaccompanied, himself go to the forest and live with the sons of

Pandu. For then, if the Pandavas, from association, feel an attachment

for Duryodhana, then, O king of men, good fortune may be thine. (This,

however, may not be)! For it hath been heard that one's congenital

nature leaveth him not till death. But what do Bhishma and Drona and

Vidura think? What also dost thou think? That which is beneficial should

be done while there is time, else thy purposes will be unrealised.'"

The Mahabharata of Krishna-Dwaipayana Vyasa Translated into English Prose Vana Parva, Part 1 · 第 8 / 145 章