Pandu with their mother, while they were children, although that effort of thine was not crowned with success.  After this, the Pandavas with their mother were obliged to live for a long while, concealed in the town of Ekachakra in the abode of a Brahmana.  With poison, with snakes and cords, thou hadst, by every means, sought the destruction of the Pandavas, although none of thy designs was successful.  With such feelings when thou hadst always acted towards them so deceitfully, how canst thou say that thou hast not offended against the high-souled Pandavas?  Thou art not, O sinful man, willing to give them their paternal share in the kingdom, although they are begging it of thee.  Thou shalt have to give it them, this, when divested of prosperity, thou shalt be laid low.  Having, like a heartless fellow, done innumerable wrongs to the Pandavas and behaved so deceitfully towards them, thou seekest now to appear in a different garb.  Though repeatedly solicited by thy parents, by Bhishma, Drona, and Vidura, to make peace, thou dost not yet, O king, make peace.  Great is the advantage in peace, O king, both to thyself and Yudhishthira.  Peace, however, does not recommend itself to thee.  To what else can it be due, but to thy loss of understanding?  Transgressing the words of thy friends, thou canst never attain to what is for thy benefit.  Sinful and disreputable is that act, which thou, O king, art about to do.’

“Vaisampayana continued, ’While he, of Dasarha’s race, was saying this, Dussasana addressed vindictive Duryodhana and said unto him these words in the midst of the Kurus, If, O king, thou dost not willingly make peace with the Pandavas, verity the Kauravas will bind thee (hand and foot) and make over thee to the son of Kunti.  Bhishma, and Drona, and thy (own) father, O bull amongst men, will make over us three, viz., Vikartana’s son, thyself, and myself, to the Pandavas!’

“Vaisampayana continued, ’Hearing these words of his brother, Dhritarashtra’s son, wicked, shameless, disobedient, disrespectful, and vain Suyodhana, breathing heavily like a great snake rose up from his seat in anger, and disregarding Vidura, and Dhritarashtra and the great king Vahlika, and Kripa, and Somadatta, and Bhishma, and Drona, and Janardana, in fact, all of them, went out of the court, And beholding that bull among men leave the court, his brother and all his counsellors, and all the kings, followed him.  And seeing Duryodhana rise and leave the court in anger with his brothers, Santanu’s son, Bhishma said, ’The enemies of that person, who, abandoning both virtue and profit, followeth the impulses of wrath, rejoice on beholding him plunged into distress at no distant date.  This wicked son of Dhritarashtra, this one unacquainted with the true means (of accomplishing his objects), this fool that is wrongly vain of his sovereignty, obeyeth only the dictates of wrath and avarice.  I see also, O Janardana, that the hour of all those Kshatriyas is arrived, for all those