that was made of gold, beautiful throughout and overlaid
with a rich coverlet. With hands joined, eyes
bathed in tears, and voice chocked in grief, he then
addressed Bhishma, saying, ’Taking thy protection,
this battle, O slayer of foes, we ventured to vanquish
the very gods and the Asuras with Indra at their head.
What shall I say, therefore, of the sons of Pandu,
heroic though they be, with their kinsmen and friends?
Therefore, O son of Ganga, it behoveth thee, O lord,
to show me mercy. Slay the brave sons of Pandu
like Mahendra slaying the Danavas.—I will
slay, O king, all the Somakas and the Panchalas and
the Karushas along with the Kekayas, O Bharata-these
were thy words to me. Let these words become true.
Slay the assembled Parthas, and those mighty bowmen,
viz., the Somakas. Make thy words true,
O Bharata. If from kindness (for the Pandavas),
O king, or from thy hatred of my unfortunate self,
thou sparest the Pandavas, then permit Karna, that
ornament of battle, to fight. He will vanquish
in battle the Parthas with all their friends and kinsmen.
The king, thy son Duryodhana having said this, shut
his lips without saying anything more to Bhishma of
terrible prowess.”
Sanjaya said, “The high-souled Bhishma, deeply
pierced with wordy daggers by thy son, became filled
with great grief. But he said not a single disagreeable
word in reply. Indeed, mangled by those wordy
daggers and filled with grief and rage, he sighed
like a snake and reflected (in silence) for a long
while. Raising his eyes then, and as if consuming,
from wrath, the world with the celestials, the Asuras,
and the Gandharvas, that foremost of persons conversant
with the world, then addressed thy son and said unto
him these tranquil words, ’Why, O Duryodhana,
dost thou pierce me thus with thy wordy daggers?
I always endeavour to the utmost of my might to achieve,
and do achieve, what is for thy good. Indeed,
from desire of doing what is agreeable to thee, I
am prepared to cast away my life in battle. The
Pandavas are really invincible. When the brave
son of Pandu gratified Agni in the forest of Khandava,
having vanquished Sakra himself in battle, even that
is a sufficient indication.[462] When, O mighty-armed
one, the same son of Pandu rescued thee while thou
wert being led away a captive by the Gandharvas, even
that is a sufficient indication. On that occasion,
O lord, thy brave uterine brothers had all fled, as
also Radha’s son of the Suta caste. That
(rescue, therefore, by Arjuna) is a sufficient indication.
In Virata’s city, alone he fell upon all of us
united together. That is a sufficient indication.
Vanquishing in battle both Drona and myself excited
with rage, he took away our robes. That is a
sufficient indication. On that occasion, of old,
of the seizure of kine, he vanquished that mighty
bowman the son of Drona, and Saradwat also. That
is a sufficient indication. Having vanquished
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