05.054
Duryodhana said:
Do not fear, O great king, nor lament for us. We are capable, O king, of conquering the enemies in battle, O lord.
Krishna, with his great military force, oppressed the enemy's kingdom and exiled the sons of Pritha to the forest upon his arrival.
Kekaya, Dhrishtaketu, Dhrishtadyumna, the son of Prishata, and many other kings followed the sons of Pritha.
The great warriors from near Indraprastha gathered and criticized you along with the Kauravas.
The group, led by Krishna, gathered to pay homage to Yudhishthira, who was seated and adorned with deer-skins, O Bharata.
The kings declared that it is their duty to return the kingdom, intending to destroy you and your followers.
Upon hearing these words from me, Bhishma, Drona, and Kripa were filled with fear, O king, dreading the destruction of their kinsmen, O best of the Bharatas.
In my opinion, the Pāṇḍavas will not be able to stand when the time comes. Vāsudeva indeed intends to completely destroy us.
All of you, except Vidura, are to be killed, O noble ones. Dhritarashtra, who understands dharma, should not be harmed, O esteemed Kuru.
O father, Janardana has completely destroyed us and now desires to establish a unified kingdom of the Kurus under Yudhishthira.
There, what should we do at this appropriate time: surrender, retreat, or fight back the enemies even at the cost of our lives?
In a counter-battle, our defeat is certain because all the kings are indeed under Yudhishthira's control.
We are alienated from the kingdoms, and our friends are angry with us. We have been disgraced by all the kings and completely by our own people.
In bowing down, there is a fault that lasts for eternal years among relatives. However, I mourn my father, the wise leader and lord of the people, who has suffered endless sorrow and trouble because of me.
O best of men, your sons have indeed obstructed others for my sake; you were aware of this beforehand.
The great warriors of King Dhritarashtra, along with his ministers, will retaliate against the Pandavas by destroying their lineage.
Then Droṇa, Bhīṣma, Kṛpa, and Drauṇi, O Bhārata, perceived that I was in great distress and anxiety, with my senses disturbed, and they spoke to me.
O scorcher of foes, if others are angered, we should not fear. They are incapable of defeating us in battle, O lord of people.
We are capable of defeating each king individually. Let them come; we will shatter their pride with our sharp arrows.
Once, all the kings were defeated by Bhishma alone. After the death of their father, O Bharata, someone became enraged and took to the chariot.
The enraged best of the Kurus killed many of them. Out of fear, they sought refuge with Bhishma.
Bhishma, who was very capable and accompanied by us in battle, was determined to conquer the enemies. Therefore, O best of the Bharatas, let go of your fear. This was indeed the decision of the immensely powerful at that time.
In the past, the entire earth was under the control of others. However, today, they are not capable of defeating us in battle. The others are like those with broken wings, and the Pāṇḍavas lack strength.
O best of the Bharatas, our institution, the earth, exists. The kings are united in purpose and are led by me through both happiness and sorrow.
O best of the Kurus, understand that all the kings would even enter fire or the ocean for my sake, O scorcher of foes.
Here, like a madman, you are laughed at, sorrowful and lamenting in many ways, frightened by the boasting of others.
Each of these kings believes himself to be capable of facing the Pandavas. Let their fear that has come upon them be dispelled.
Even Indra cannot destroy my entire army; this form is imperishable, created by Brahma, the self-born.
Yudhishthira, having left the city, requests five villages. He is indeed afraid of the power of my army, O lord.
You believe that Vrikodara, the son of Kunti, is capable, but that is not true, as you are not aware of my full power, O Bharata.
There is truly no one on earth who is my equal in mace fighting; there has been none who surpassed me, nor will there be anyone in the future.
I am engaged and accustomed to suffering, and thus accomplished in knowledge. Therefore, I have no fear from the fearful ones or from others anywhere.
Balarama is certain that there is no one like Duryodhana in mace fighting. Blessings to you as he observes fasting.
In battle, Bhīma, who is equal to Saṅkarṣaṇa in strength and superior on earth, could never withstand my mace blow.
An enraged king would strike Bhima with such force that it would swiftly send him to the dreadful realm of Yama.
I have always desired to see Vrikodara, the one with the mace in hand, O king; this has been my long-standing wish.
My son Arjuna, known as Vrikodara, will be struck down in battle by a mace, and with his limbs shattered, he will fall lifeless to the ground.
Even the mighty mountain Himavan, if struck once by my mace, would shatter into a hundred thousand pieces.
He is aware that Vasudeva and Arjuna are present, and it is certain that no one equals Duryodhana in mace fighting.
May your fear related to Vrikodara vanish in the great battle. I will surely remove it. O king, do not be disheartened.
O best of the Bharatas, when Arjuna is quickly killed by me, many chariots, both similar and distinguished, will attack.
Bhishma, Drona, Kripa, Ashwatthama (son of Drona), Karna, Bhurishrava, along with the king of Pragjyotisha, Shalya, the king of Sindhu, and Jayadratha were present.
Each one of these warriors is capable of killing the Pandavas, O Bharata; however, together, they will send them to the abode of Yama in an instant.
The entire army of the earth cannot defeat Arjuna, known as Dhananjaya. There is no reason for this inability.
Arjuna, with showers of arrows from Bhishma, Drona, Drona's son, and Kripa, in hundreds and thousands, will reach the abode of Yama.
O Bharata, the grandfather, the son of Ganga, was born above Shantanu, like a Brahmarshi, and was difficult to withstand even by the gods. His father, pleased, told him that he would not die against his will.
Drona was born to the sage Brahmarshi and Bharadvaja in Droni. From Drona, O great king, was born Drauni, the supreme master of weapons.
Kṛpa, the chief among teachers, is considered to be from the lineage of the great sage Gautama. He is believed to have emerged from the arrow pillar and is regarded as prosperous and invincible, according to my opinion.
O great king, indeed, this trio—father, mother, and uncle—of Ashwatthama is not born from a womb. He stands as a hero of mine.
O great king, all these warriors, who are like gods, could cause even Indra to suffer in battle, O best of the Bharatas.
Karna is regarded by me as equal to Bhishma, Drona, and Kripa. Furthermore, with Rama's permission, you are considered my equal, O Bharata.
The beautiful and auspicious earrings of Karna were requested by Mahendra for the sake of Shachi. O great king, with his infallible and formidable power, he is known as the scorcher of foes.
Why would Arjuna, who is concealed by his power, continue to live? My victory is assured, O king, as if the fruit is already in hand. The total defeat of the enemies is evident on earth.
During the day, Bhishma alone slays ten thousand warriors, O Bharata. Equally skilled are the great archers Drona, Ashwatthama, and Kripa.
O scorcher of foes, the sworn groups of warriors, either Arjuna or us, are certainly known as Dhananjaya.
The kings think that it is enough to kill Arjuna, O lord. How is it that you, O king, are agitated without cause?
O Bharata, if Bhimasena is slain, who else would fight the enemies? Tell me that, if you know, O chastiser of the foes.
Your five brothers, along with Dhrishtadyumna and Satyaki, are all there. Among the enemies, there are seven royal warriors who are supreme in strength.
Among our ranks, the most distinguished are Bhishma, Drona, Kripa, and others, including the son of Drona, Karna, the son of Vikartana, Somadatta, and Bahlika.
The king of Prāgjyotiṣa, Śalya, the king of Avanti, Jayadratha, Duḥśāsana, Durmukha, and Duḥsaha are present, O lord of the people.
Śrutāyu, Citrasena, Purumitra, Viviṁśati, Śala, Bhūriśravā, and both Vikarṇa and your son were present.
O king, I have assembled eleven divisions of army. They are only seven less than those of others, so why should I face defeat?
Brihaspati said, "The strength is three times less than others, and this army of mine, O king, is three times stronger."
O Bharata, I observe many lacking qualities in others, but the rise of many qualities in oneself, O lord of the people.
O Bhārata, having comprehended all this, including my supreme strength and the shortcomings of the Pāṇḍavas, you should not fall into delusion.
Vaiśampāyana spoke:
After speaking to Sañjaya once more, the conqueror of enemy cities, eager to understand, inquired about the right moments, O descendant of Bharata.
