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 the 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 Dhanajaya, 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