05.160
Pancharatra-core: Pandavas’s response and the final preparations, night before the war.
sañjaya uvāca॥
Sanjaya said:
duryodhanasya tadvākyaṃ niśamya bharatarṣabhaḥ। netrābhyāmatitāmrābhyāṃ kaitavyaṃ samudaikṣata ॥5-160-1॥
Upon hearing Duryodhana's words, the distinguished Bharata turned his very red eyes towards Kaitavya.
sa keśavam abhiprekṣya guḍākeśo mahāyaśāḥ। abhyabhāṣata kaitavyaṃ pragṛhya vipulaṃ bhujam ॥5-160-2॥
Gudakesha, the greatly renowned, looked at Keshava and spoke to Kaitavya, holding his large arm.
svavīryaṃ yaḥ samāśritya samāhvayati vai parān। abhītaḥ pūrayañśaktiṃ sa vai puruṣa ucyate ॥5-160-3॥
A man is one who, relying on his own strength, fearlessly challenges others and fills himself with power.
paravīryaṃ samāśritya yaḥ samāhvayate parān। kṣatrabandhuraśaktatvālloke sa puruṣādhamaḥ ॥5-160-4॥
He who relies on the strength of others to challenge them is considered the lowest among men, a mere kshatriya in name, due to his incapability.
sa tvaṃ pareṣāṃ vīryeṇa manyase vīryamātmanaḥ। svayaṃ kāpuruṣo mūḍhaḥ parāṃśca kṣeptumicchasi ॥5-160-5॥
You mistakenly believe that the strength of others is your own. Being a coward and foolish, you desire to blame others.
yastvaṁ vṛddhaṁ sarvarājñāṁ hitabuddhiṁ jitendriyam। maraṇāya mahābuddhiṁ dīkṣayitvā vikatthase ॥5-160-6॥
You, who are the elder among all kings, possessing wisdom and beneficial intellect, having mastered your senses, initiated into great wisdom for the purpose of death, now you boast.
bhāvas te vidito'smābhir durbuddhe kulapāṁsana। na haniṣyanti gaṅgeyāṁ pāṇḍavā ghṛṇayeti ca ॥5-160-7॥
Your intentions are clear to us, you evil-minded disgrace to the family. The Pandavas will not kill the son of Ganga out of compassion.
yasya vīryaṃ samāśritya dhārtarāṣṭra vikatthase| hantāsmi prathamaṃ bhīṣmaṃ miṣatāṃ sarvadhanvinām ॥5-160-8॥
Relying on the strength of whom you boast, O son of Dhritarashtra, I will first slay Bhishma in the sight of all the archers.
kaitavya gatvā bharatānsametya; suyodhanaṃ dhārtarāṣṭraṃ bravīhi| tathetyāha arjunaḥ savyasācī; niśāvyapāye bhavitā vimardaḥ ॥5-160-9॥
O Kaitavya, go and meet the Bharatas and speak to Suyodhana, the son of Dhritarashtra. Arjuna, the ambidextrous one, said this; there will be a conflict at the end of the night.
yadvo'bravīdvākyamadīnasattvo; madhye kurūṇāṃ harṣayansatyasandhaḥ| ahaṃ hantā pāṇḍavānāmanīkaṃ; śālveyakāṃśceti mamaeṣa bhāraḥ ॥5-160-10॥
In the midst of the Kurus, your undaunted and truthful one spoke words that gladdened them, declaring that he bears the burden of being the destroyer of the Pandavas' army and the Shalveyakas.
hanyāmahaṃ droṇamṛte hi lokaṃ; na te bhayaṃ vidyate pāṇḍavebhyaḥ| tato hi te labdhatamaṃ ca rājyaṃ; kṣayaṃ gatāḥ pāṇḍavāśceti bhāvaḥ ॥5-160-11॥
I would kill Droṇa, except indeed the world; you have no fear from the Pāṇḍavas. Then indeed your kingdom is most secure; the Pāṇḍavas have been destroyed, thus is the meaning.
sa darpapūrṇo na samīkṣase tva; manarthamātmanyapi vartamānam. tasmādahaṃ te prathamaṃ samūhe; hantā samakṣaṃ kuruvṛddhameva ॥5-160-12॥
You, full of pride, fail to see the disaster that exists within you. Therefore, I will be your first adversary in the assembly, right in front of the elder of the Kurus.
sūryodaye yuktasenaḥ pratīkṣya; dhvajī rathī rakṣa ca satyasandham। ahaṃ hi vaḥ paśyatāṃ dvīpamenaṃ; rathādbhīṣmaṃ pātayitāsmi bāṇaiḥ ॥5-160-13॥
At sunrise, Yuktasena, waiting with a flag, as a charioteer, protect the truthful. Indeed, I will make Bhishma fall from the chariot with arrows, as you all see this island.
śvobhūte katthanāvākyaṃ vijñāsyati suyodhanaḥ। arditaṃ śarajālena mayā dṛṣṭvā pitāmaham ॥5-160-14॥
Tomorrow, Suyodhana will realize the emptiness of his boastful words when he sees his grandfather struck down by my shower of arrows.
yaduktaśca sabhāmadhye puruṣo hrasvadarśanaḥ। kruddhena bhīmasenena bhrātā duḥśāsanastava ॥5-160-15॥
In the assembly, your brother Duhshasana, who is short-sighted, was addressed by the angry Bhimasena.
adharmajño nityavairī pāpabuddhirnṛśaṁsakṛt। satyāṁ pratijñāṁ nacirādrakṣyase tāṁ suyodhana ॥5-160-16॥
O Suyodhana, you, who are known for unrighteousness, eternal enmity, and wickedness, will soon uphold that true promise.
abhimānasya darpasya krodhapāruṣyayostathā। naiṣṭhuryasyāvalepasya ātmasambhāvanasya ca ॥5-160-17॥
This verse describes the negative qualities such as pride, arrogance, anger, harshness, cruelty, conceit, and self-conceit.
nṛśaṁsatāyāstaikṣṇyasya dharmavidveṣaṇasya ca। adharmasyātivādasya vṛddhātikramaṇasya ca ॥5-160-18॥
This verse speaks about the qualities of cruelty, sharpness, hatred towards righteousness, unrighteousness, excessive speech, and transgression against the elderly.
darśanasya ca vakrasya kṛtsnasyāpanayasya ca। drakṣyasi tvaṃ phalaṃ tīvramacireṇa suyodhana ॥5-160-19॥
O Suyodhana, you will soon witness the intense consequences of your crooked vision and complete removal.
vāsudevadvitīye hi mayi kruddhe narādhipa। āśā te jīvite mūḍha rājye vā kena hetunā ॥5-160-20॥
O King, when I, the second of Vāsudeva, am angry, what reason do you have, foolish one, to hope for life or kingdom?
śānte bhīṣme tathā droṇe sūtaputre ca pātite। nirāśo jīvite rājye putreṣu ca bhaviṣyasi ॥5-160-21॥
When Bhishma, Drona, and Karna have fallen, you will find yourself hopeless in life, in your kingdom, and with your sons.
bhrātṝṇāṃ nidhanaṃ dṛṣṭvā putrāṇāṃ ca suyodhana। bhīmasenena nihato duṣkṛtāni smariṣyasi ॥5-160-22॥
Upon witnessing the demise of your brothers and sons, Suyodhana, slain by Bhimasena, you will recall the wrongdoings.
na dvitīyāṃ pratijñāṃ hi pratijñāsyati keśavaḥ। satyaṃ bravīmyahaṃ hyetatsarvaṃ satyaṃ bhaviṣyati ॥5-160-23॥
Keshava will not make a second promise. I assure you, this will all come true.
ityuktaḥ kaitavo rājaṃstadvākyamupadhārya ca| anujñāto nivavṛte punareva yathāgatam ॥5-160-24॥
The deceiver, having been addressed thus, O king, understood the words and, having been permitted, returned the same way he had come.
upāvṛtya tu pāṇḍubhyaḥ kaitavyo dhṛtarāṣṭrajam। gatvā yathoktaṃ tatsarvamuvāca kurusaṃsadi ॥5-160-25॥
Kaitavya, the son of Dhritarashtra, approached the Pandavas and conveyed everything as instructed in the Kuru assembly.
keśavārjunayorvākyaṃ niśamya bharatarṣabhaḥ। duḥśāsanaṃ ca karṇaṃ ca śakuniṃ cābhyabhāṣata ॥5-160-26॥
Upon hearing the words of Krishna and Arjuna, the noble Bharata addressed Duhshasana, Karna, and Shakuni.
ājñāpayata rājñaśca balaṃ mitrabalaṃ tathā। yathā prāgudayātsarvā yuktā tiṣṭhatyanīkinī ॥5-160-27॥
The king commanded both his own army and the allied forces to be ready and in position before sunrise, ensuring that the entire army was properly arranged.
tataḥ karṇasamādiṣṭā dūtāḥ pratvaritā rathaiḥ। uṣṭravāmībhirapyanye sadaśvaiśca mahājavaiḥ ॥5-160-28॥
Then, as ordered by Karna, the messengers hurriedly set out in chariots, while others used camels and fine horses, all moving with great speed.
tūrṇaṃ pariyayuḥ senāṃ kṛtsnāṃ karṇasya śāsanāt| ājñāpayanto rājñastānyogaḥ prāgudayāditi ॥5-160-29॥
Quickly, by Karna's order, they circled the entire army, commanding them on behalf of the king, before the rise of the sun.
