“Sanjaya said, ‘Hearing these words of Arjuna, the mighty car-warriors
present there said not a single word, O monarch, agreeable or
disagreeable, unto Dhananjaya. Then the mighty-armed Bhimasena, filled
with wrath, O bull of Bharata’s race, reproaching Kunti’s son, Arjuna,
said these words, “Thou preachest truths of morality like an anchorite
living in the woods or a Brahmana of rigid vows and senses under complete
control. A person is called a Kshatriya because he rescues others from
wounds and injuries. Being such, he must save himself from wounds and
injuries. Showing forgiveness towards the three that are good (viz., the
gods, the Brahmanas, and preceptor), a Kshatriya, by doing his duties,
soon wins the earth as also piety and fame and prosperity.[262] Thou, O
perpetuator of thy race, art endued with every attribute of a Kshatriya.
It does not, therefore, look well for thee to speak like an ignorant
wight. O son of Kunti, thy prowess is like that of Sakra himself, the
lord of Sachi. Thou dost not transgress the bounds of morality like the
ocean that never transgresses its continents. Who is there that would not
worship thee, seeing that thou seekest virtue, having abandoned the wrath
cherished by thee for thirteen years? By good luck, O sire, thy heart
today followeth in the wake of virtue. O thou of unfading glory, by good
luck, thy understanding inclineth towards compassion. Though, however,
thou art inclined to adopt the path of virtue, thy kingdom was snatched
from thee most unrighteously. Dragging thy wife Draupadi to the assembly,
thy foes insulted her. Clad in barks of trees and skins of animals, all
of us were exiled to the woods, and though we were undeserving of that
plight, our foes nevertheless compelled us to endure it for thirteen
years. O sinless one, thou hast forgiven all these circumstances, every
one of which demands the exhibition of wrath. Wedded as thou art to
duties of a Kshatriya, thou hast quietly borne these. Remembering all
those acts of unrighteousness, I came here with thee for avenging myself
of them. (When, however, I see that thou art so indifferent, why), I
myself will slay those low wretches that despoiled us of our kingdom.
Thou hadst formerly said these words, viz., ‘Addressing ourselves to
battle, we will exert to the utmost extent of our abilities.’ Today,
however, thou reproachest us. Thou now seekest virtue. Those words,
therefore, that thou saidst formerly were untrue. We are already
afflicted with fear. Thou cuttest, however, the very core of our hearts
with these thy words, O crusher of foes, like one pouring acid upon the
sores of wounded men. Afflicted with thy wordy darts, my heart is
breaking. Thou art virtuous, but thou dost not know in what righteousness
truly consists, since thou applaudest neither thyself nor us, though all
of us are worthy of applause. When Kesava himself is here, praisest thou
the son of Drona, a warrior that does not come up to even a sixteenth
part of thyself, O Dhananjaya, confessing thy own faults, why dost thou
not feel shame? I can rend asunder this earth in rage, or split the very
mountains in whirling that terrible and heavy mace of mine, decked with
gold. Like the tempest, I can break down gigantic trees looking like
hills. I can, with my arrows, rout the united celestials with Indra at
their head, together with all the Rakshasas, O Partha, and the Asuras,
the Uragas and human beings. Knowing me, thy brother, to be such, O bull
among men, it behoveth thee not, O thou of immeasurable prowess, to
entertain any fear about Drona’s son. Or, O Vibhatsu, stand thou here,
with all these bulls amongst men. Alone and unsupported, I shall, armed
with my mace, vanquish this one in great battle.” After Bhima had ended,
the son of the Panchala king, addressing Partha, said these words, like
Hiranyakasipu (the leader of the Daityas) unto the enraged and roaring
Vishnu,[263] “O Vibhatsu, the sages have ordained these to be the duties
of Brahmanas, viz., assisting at sacrifices, teaching, giving away,
performance of sacrifices, receiving of gifts, and study as the sixth. To
which of these six was that Drona devoted who has been slain by me?
Fallen off from the duties of his own order and practising those of the
Kshatriya order, that achiever of wicked deeds used to slay us by means
of superhuman weapons. Professing himself to be a Brahmana, he was in the
habit of using irresistible illusion. By an illusion itself hath he been
slain today. O Partha, what is there that is improper in this? Drona
having been thus punished by me, if his son, from rage, uttereth loud
roars, what do you lose by that? I do not think it at all wonderful that
Drona’s son, urging the Kauravas to battle, will cause them to be slain,
unable to protect them himself. Thou art acquainted with morality. Why
then dost thou say that I am a slayer of my preceptor? It was for this
that I was born as a son to the king of the Panchalas, having sprung from
the (sacrificial) fire. How, O Dhananjaya, you call him a Brahmana or
Kshatriya, with whom, while engaged in battle, all acts, proper and
improper, were the same? O foremost of men, why should not he be slain,
by any means in our power, who, deprived of his senses in wrath, used to
slay with the Brahma weapons even those that were unacquainted with
weapons? He that is unrighteous is said by those that are righteous to be
equal to poison. Knowing this, O thou that art well versed with the
truths of morality, why dost thou, O Arjuna, reproach me? That cruel
car-warrior was seized and slain by me. I have done nothing that is
worthy of reproach. Why then, O Vibhatsu, dost thou not congratulate me?
O Partha, I have cut off that terrible head, like unto the blazing sun or
virulent poison or the all-destroying Yuga fire, of Drona. Why then dost
thou not applaud an act that is worthy of applause? He had slain in
battle only my kinsmen and not those of any one else. I say that having
only cut off his head, the fever of my heart hath not abated. The very
core of my heart is being pierced for my not having thrown that head
within the dominion of the Nishadas, like that of Jayadratha![264] It
hath been heard, O Arjuna, that one incurreth sin by not slaying his
foes. Even this is the duty of a Kshatriya, viz., to slay or be slain.
Drona was my foe. He hath been righteously slain by me in battle, O son
of Pandu, even as thou hast slain the brave Bhagadatta, thy friend.
Having slain thy grandsire in battle, thou regardest that act to be
righteous. Why then shouldst thou regard it unrighteous in me for my
having slain my wretched foe? In consequence of our relationship, O
Partha, I cannot raise my head in thy presence and am like a prostrate
elephant with a ladder against his body (for helping puny creatures to
get on his back). It, therefore, behoveth thee not to reproach me. I
forgive all the faults of thy speech, O Arjuna, for the sake of Draupadi
and Draupadi’s children and not for any other reason. It is well known
that my hostility with the preceptor has descended from sire to son. All
persons in this world know it. Ye sons of Pandu, are ye not acquainted
with it? The eldest son of Pandu hath not been untruthful in speech. I
myself, O Arjuna, am not sinful. The wretched Drona was a hater of his
disciples. Fight now. Victory will be thine.”’”