he attaineth to Brahma.  The world belongeth to those that are forgiving; the other world is also theirs.  The forgiving acquire honours here, and a state of blessedness hereafter.  Those men that ever conquer their wrath by forgiveness, obtain the higher regions.  Therefore hath it been said that forgiveness is the highest virtue.”  Those are the verses sung by Kashyapa in respect of those that are everforgiving.  Having listened, O Draupadi, to these verses in respect of forgiveness, content thyself!  Give not way to thy wrath!  Our grandsire, the son of Santanu, will worship peace; Krishna, the son of Devaki, will worship peace; the preceptor (Drona) and Vidura called Kshatri will both speak of peace; Kripa and Sanjaya also will preach peace.  And Somadatta and Yuyutshu and Drona’s son and our grandsire Vyasa, every one of them speaketh always of peace.  Ever urged by these towards peace, the king (Dhritarashtra) will, I think, return us our kingdom.  If however, he yieldeth to temptation, he will meet with destruction.  O lady, a crisis hath come in the history of Bharatas for plunging them into calamity!  This hath been my certain conclusion from some time before!  Suyodhana deserveth not the kingdom.  Therefore hath he been unable to acquire forgiveness.  I, however, deserve the sovereignty and therefore is it that forgiveness hath taken possession of me.  Forgiveness and gentleness are the qualities of the self-possessed.  They represent eternal virtue.  I shall, therefore, truly adopt those qualities.’”

SECTION XXX

“Draupadi said, ’I bow down unto Dhatri and Vidhatri who have thus clouded thy sense!  Regarding the burden (thou art to bear) thou thinkest differently from the ways of thy fathers and grand-fathers!  Influenced by acts men are placed in different situations of life.  Acts, therefore, produce consequences that are inevitable; emancipation is desired from mere folly.  It seemeth that man can never attain prosperity in this world by virtue, gentleness, forgiveness, straight-forwardness and fear of censure!  If this were not so, O Bharata, this insufferable calamity would never have overtaken thee who art so undeserving of it, and these thy brothers of great energy!  Neither in those days of prosperity nor in these days of thy adversity, thou, O Bharata, hath ever known anything so dear to thee as virtue, which thou hast even regarded as dearer to thee than life!  That thy kingdom is for virtue alone, that thy life also is for virtue alone, is known to Brahmanas and thy superiors and even the celestials!  I think thou canst abandon Bhimasena and Arjuna and these twin sons of Madri along with myself but thou canst not abandon virtue!  I have heard that the king protecteth virtue; and virtue, protected by him, protecteth him (in return)!  I see, however, that virtue protecteth thee not!  Like the shadow pursuing a man, thy heart, O tiger among men, with singleness of purpose,