“Vaishampaayana continued, ‘King Dhritarashtra whose
knowledge only was his eyes (Pragnya Chakshu in
Sanskrit), on hearing these words of his
son and recollecting everything that Kanika had, said to him, became pained
with sorrow, and his mind also immediately began to waver. Then Duryodhana, Karna,
Shakuni – the son of Subala, and Duhshaasana as their fourth, held a
consultation together. Prince Duryodhana said to Dhritarashtra, ‘O father, send
by some clever tactic, the Pandavas to the town of Vaaranaavata. We shall then
have no fear of them.’
“Dhritarashtra, on hearing these words uttered by his
son, thought for a moment and replied to Duryodhana saying, ‘Pandu, ever
devoted to Dharma, always behaved dutifully towards all his relatives but
particularly towards me. He cared very little for the enjoyments of the world, but
devotedly gave everything to me, even the kingdom. His son is as much devoted
to Dharma as he (Pandu), and is possessed of every accomplishment. Of world-wide fame, he is
again the favourite of the people. He is possessed of allies; how can we by
force exile him from his ancestral kingdom? The counsellors, soldiers (of
the state), their sons and grandsons
have all been cherished and maintained by Pandu. O child (Duryodhana), thus benefited before by Pandu, won’t the
citizens slay us with all our friends and relatives now on account of Yudhishthira?’
“Duryodhana replied, ‘O father (Dhritarashtra), what you say
is perfectly true. But in view of the evil that is looming on the future as
regards yourself, if we pacify the people with wealth and honours, they would
assuredly side with us for these proofs of our power. O king (Dhritarashtra), the treasury and the ministers of state are
at this moment under our control. Therefore, it is your duty now to banish, by
some gentle means, the Pandavas to the town of Vaaranaavata; O king (Dhritarashtra), O Bharata, when the sovereignty shall
have been given in me, then may Kunti with her children come back from that
place.’
“Dhritarashtra replied, ‘This, O Duryodhana, is the
very thought existing in my mind. But from its sinfulness I have never given
expression to it. Neither Bhishma, nor Drona, nor Kshattri (Vidura), nor Gautama (Kripa)
will ever sanction the exile of the
Pandavas. O dear son (Duryodhana),
in their eyes among the Kurus ourselves and the Pandavas are equal. Those wise
and Dharmic persons will make no difference between us. O son (Duryodhana), if therefore, we behave so towards the
Pandavas, shall we not, deserve death at the hands of the Kurus, of these
illustrious personalities, and of the whole world?’
“Duryodhana
answered, ‘Bhishma has no excess of affection for either side, and will,
therefore, be neutral (in
case of dispute). The son of Drona (Ashwatthaama) is on my side. There is no doubt that
where the son is, there the father (Drona) will be. Kripa, the son of Sharadwata, must be on the side on which
Drona and Ashwatthaama are. He (Kripa)
will never abandon Drona and his sister's son (Ashwatthaama). Kshattri (Vidura) is dependent on us for his means of life, though he is secretly with
the enemy. If he (Vidura) sides the
Pandavas, he alone can do us no injury, Therefore, you exile the Pandavas to Vaaranaavata
without any fear. Take such steps that they may go there this very day. By this
act, O father, extinguish the grief that consumes me like a blazing fire, that
robs me of sleep, and that pierces my heart even like a terrible arrow.’”
No comments:
Post a Comment