spoken by me and Vidura and Drona and Rama and Janardana
and also by Sanjaya. Reft of his senses, like
unto an idiot, Duryodhana placed no reliance on those
utterances. Past all instructions, he will certainly
have to lie down for ever, overwhelmed by the might
of Bhima!—Hearing these words of his, the
Kuru king Duryodhana became of cheerless heart.
Eyeing him, Santanu’s son said,—Listen,
O king! Abandon thy wrath! Thou hast seen,
O Duryodhana how the intelligent Partha created that
jet of cool and nectar-scented water! There is
none else in this world capable of achieving such
feat. The weapons appertaining to Agni, Varuna,
Soma, Vayu, and Vishnu, as also those appertaining
to Indra, Pasupati, and Paramesthi, and those of Prajapati,
Dhatri, Tashtri, Savitri, and Vivaswat, all these
are known to Dhananjaya alone in this world of men!
Krishna, the son of Devaki, also knoweth them.
But there is none else here that knoweth them.
This son of Pandu, O sire, is incapable of being defeated
in battle by even the gods and the Asuras together.
The feats of this high-souled one are superhuman.
With that truthful hero, that ornament of battle,
that warrior accomplished in fight, let peace, O king,
be soon made! As long as the mighty-armed Krishna
is not possessed by wrath, O chief of the Kurus, it
is fit, O sire, that peace should be made with the
heroic Parthas! As long as this remnant of thy
brothers is not slain, let peace, O monarch, be made!
As long as Yudhishthira with eyes burning in wrath
doth not consume thy troops in battle, let peace, O
sire, be made! As long as Nakula, and Sahadeva,
and Bhimasena, the sons of Pandu, do not, O monarch,
exterminate thy army, it seems to me that friendly
relations should be restored between thee and the heroic
Pandavas! Let this battle end with my death, O
sire! Make peace with the Pandavas, Let these
words that are uttered to thee by me be acceptable
to thee, O sinless one! Even this is what I regard
to be beneficial both for thyself and the race (itself
of Kuru)! Abandoning thy wrath, let peace be
made with Parthas. What Phalguni hath already
done is sufficient. Let friendly relations be
restored with the death of Bhishma! Let this
remnant (of warriors) live! Relent, O king!
Let half the kingdom be given to the Pandavas.
Let king Yudhishthira the just, go to Indraprastha.
O chief of the Kurus, do not achieve a sinful notoriety
among the kings of the earth by incurring the reproach
of meanness, becoming a fomentor of intestine dissensions!
Let peace come to all with my death! Let these
rulers of earth, cheerfully mix with one another!
Let sire get back the son, let sister’s son
get back the maternal uncle! If from want of
understanding and possessed by folly thou dost not
harken to those timely words of mine thou wilt have
to repent greatly! What I say is true. Therefore,
desist even now! Having, from affection, said
these words unto Duryodhana in the midst of the kings,
the son of the ocean-going (Ganga) became silent.
Though his vital limbs were burning with the arrow-wounds,
yet, prevailing over his agonies, he applied himself
to yoga.