SECTION 207 (Viduragamana Parva continued)

SECTION 207

(Viduragamana Parva continued)

"Vaisampayana said, 'After Drona had ceased, Vidura spoke, saying, 'O monarch, thy friends without doubt, are saying unto thee what is for thy good. But as thou art unwilling to listen to what they say, their words scarcely find a place in thy ears. What, Bhishma, hath said, is excellent and is for thy good. But thou dost not listen to it. The preceptor Drona also hath said much that is for thy good which however Karna, doth not regard to be such. But, O king, reflecting hard I do not find any one who is better a friend to thee than either of these two men Bhishma and Drona, or any one who excels either of them in wisdom. These two, old in years, in wisdom, and in learning, always regard thee, O king, and the sons of Pandu with equal eyes. Without doubt, O king of Bharata's race, they are both, in virtue and truthfulness, not inferior to Rama, the son of Dasaratha, and Gaya. Never before did they give thee any evil advice. Thou also, O monarch, hast never done them any injury. Why should, therefore, these men, who are ever truthful, give thee wicked advice, especially when thou hast never injured them? Endued with wisdom these men, O king, will never give thee counsels that are crooked. This is my firm conviction that these two, acquainted with all rules of morality, will never, tempted by wealth, utter anything betraying a spirit of partisanship. What they have said, I regard highly beneficial to thee. Without doubt, the Pandavas are thy sons as much as Duryodhana and others are. Those ministers, therefore, that give thee any counsel fraught with evil unto the Pandavas, do not really look to thy interests. If there is any partiality in thy heart, O king, for thy own children, they who by their counsel seek to bring it out, certainly do thee no good. Therefore, O king, these illustrious persons endued with great splendour, have not I think, said anything that leadeth to evil. Thou, however, dost not understand it. What these men have said regarding the invincibility of the Pandavas is perfectly true. Think not otherwise of it. Blest be thou! Can Dhananjaya, be vanquished in battle even by Maghavat himself? Can the great Bhimasena, be vanquished in battle by the immortals themselves? Who also that desireth to live can overcome in battle the twins Nakula and Sahadeva and well-skilled in fight? How too can the eldest one of the Pandavas, always live together, be vanquished? They who have Baladeva as their ally, and Krishnan as their counsellor, and Satyaki as their partisan, have already defeated everybody in war. They who have Drupada for their father-in-law, and Drupada's sons, Dhristadyumna and others for their brothers-in-law, are certainly invincible. Remembering this, and knowing that their claim to the kingdom is even prior to thine, behaves virtuously towards them. The stain of calumny is on thee, O monarch, in consequence of that act of Purochana. Wash thyself of it now, by a kindly behaviour towards the Pandavas. This kindly behaviour of thine, towards the Kauntheyas will be an act of great benefit to us, protecting the lives of us all that belong to Kuru's race, and leading to the growth of the whole Kshatriya order! We had formerly warred with king Drupada; if we can now secure him as an ally, it will strengthen our party. The Dasarhas, are numerous and strong. Know where Krishnan is, all of them must be, and where Krishnan is, there victory also must be! O king, who, unless cursed by the gods, would seek, to affect that by means of war which can be affected by conciliation? O monarch, act in a way that is agreeable to them. Duryodhana and Karna and Sakuni, are sinful, foolish and young; listen not to them. Possessed of every virtue thou art I long ago told thee, O monarch that for Duryodhana's fault, the subjects of this kingdom would be exterminated.'"