The Mahabharata/Book 1: Adi Parva/Section 204

Section CCIV. *(* V*iduragamana Parva continued. )* Vaisampayana said, "Thus addressed by Duryodhana, Karna said, 'It doth not seem to me, O Duryodhana, that thy reasoning is well-founded. O thou perpetuator of the Kuru race, no method will succeed against the Pandavas! Brave prince, thou hadst before, by various subtle means, striven to compass thy wishes. But ever hast thou failed to slay thy foes. They were then living near thee, O king! They were then unfledged and of tender years! Thou couldst not injure them then. They are now living at a distance, grown up, full-fledged. The sons of Kunti, O thou of firm resolution, cannot now be injured by any subtle contrivances of thine, This is my opinion. Aided as they are by the very fates, and desirous as they are of regaining the ancestral kingdom, we can never succeed in injuring them by any means in our power. It is impossible to create disunion amongst them. They can never be disunited who have all taken to a common wife. Nor can we succeed in estranging Krishnā from the Pandavas by any spies of ours. She chose them as her lords when they were in adversity. Will she abandon them now that they are in prosperity? Besides, women always like to have many husbands. Krishnā hath obtained her wish. She can never be estranged from the Pandavas. The king of Panchāla is honest and virtuous. He is not avaricious. Even if we offer him our whole kingdom, he will not abandon the Pandavas. Drupada's son also possesseth every accomplishment, and is attached to the Pandavas. Therefore, I do not think that the Pandavas can now be injured by any subtle means in thy power. But, O thou bull amongst men, this is what is good and advisable for us now, *viz*, as long as the Pandavas, O king, are not exterminated, so long should we attack and smite them! Let this course recommend itself to thee! As long as our party is strong and that of the king of Panchala is weak, so long strike them without any scruples. O son of Gāndhāri, as long as their innumerable vehicles and animals, friends, and friendly tribes, are not mustered together, continue thou, O king, to exibit thy prowess! As long as the king of the Panchalas together with his sons gifted with great prowess, setteth not his heart upon fighting with us, so long, O king, exibit thy prowess! And, O king, exert thy prowess till he of the Vrishni race (Krishna) cometh with the Yādava host into the city of Drupada, carrying everything before him, to restore the Pandavas to their paternal kingdom. Wealth, every article of enjoyment, kingdom, there is nothing that Krishna may not sacrifice for the sake of the Pandavas. The illustrious Bharata had accquired the whole earth by his prowess alone. Paka-shasana (Indra) hath acquired the sovereignty of the three worlds by prowess alone. O king, prowess is always applauded in the Kshatriya. O thou bull amongst Kshatriyas, prowess is the cardinal virtue of the brave. Let us, therefore, O monarch, with our large army consisting of four kinds of forces, grinding Drupada without loss of time, bring hither the Pandavas. Indeed, the Pandavas are incapable of being discomfitted by any policy of conciliation of gift of wealth and bribery, or of disunion. Vanquish them therefore, by thy prowess! And Vanquishing them by thy prowess, rule thou this wide earth! O monarch, I see not any other means by which we may accomplish our end.'" Vaisampayana continued, "Hearing these words of Rādheya Dhrita-rashtra endued with great strength, applauded him highly. The monarch then addressed him and said, 'Thou, O son of *Suta*, art gifted with great wisdom and accomplished in arms. This speech, therefore, favoring the exhibition of prowess suiteth thee well! But let Bhisma, and Drona, and Vidura, and ye two, take counsel together and adopt that proposal which may lead to our benefit.'" Vaisampayana continued, "Then king Dhrita-rashtra called unto him all those celebrated ministers and took counsel with them." Thus ends the two hundred and fourth Section in the Vidurāgamana of the Adi Parva.