only for display before men.  Giving up this hypocrisy, O king, adopt the practices of a Kshatriya and do all that one should do as such.  Art thou not virtuous, O bull among men?  Acquiring the earth by means of the prowess of thy arms, make gifts, O best of the Bharatas, unto the Brahmanas and to the means of thy deceased ancestors as one should.  Seeking the good of that mother of thine who hath been afflicted with distress for a series of years, dry up her tears, and confer honours on her by vanquishing (thy foes) in battle.  Thou hadst with great abjectness, solicited only five villages.  Even that was rejected by us, for how could we bring about a battle, how could we succeed in angering the Pandavas, was all that we sought.  Remembering that it was for thee that the wicked Vidura was driven (by us) and that we had tried to burn you all in the house of lac, be a man now; at the time of Krishna’s setting out (from Upaplavya) for the Kuru court, thou hadst through him communicated this message (to us), viz.,—­Hear, O king, I am prepared for either war or peace!  Know, O monarch, that the hour hath come for battle.  O Yudhishthira, I have made all these preparations in view of that.  What doth a Kshatriya regard as a more estimable accession (of good fortune) than battle?  Born thou hast beer in the Kshatriya order.  Known also thou art in the world.  Having obtained weapons again from Drona and Kripa, why, O bull of the Bharata race, dost thou rely on Vasudeva who belongeth to the same order of life as thyself and who is, not superior to thee in might.’

’Thou must also say unto Vasudeva in the presence of the Pandavas these words,—­For thy own sake, as also for the sake of the Pandavas, withstand me in battle to the best of thy power!  Assuming once more that form which thou hadst assumed before in the Kuru court, rush thou with Arjuna against me (on the field)!  A conjuror’s tricks or illusions may (sometimes) inspire fright.  But as regards the person that stands armed for fight, such deceptions (instead of inspiring fight) only provoke anger!  We also are competent, by our powers of illusion, to ascend to heaven or the firmament, or penetrate into the nether region, or the city of Indra!  We also can display various forms in our own body!  The great Ordainer bringeth all creatures to subjection by a flat of His will (and never by such conjuror’s tricks)!  Thou always sayest, O thou of Vrishni’s race, these words, viz.,—­Causing the sons of Dhritarashtra to be slain in battle, I will confer undisputed sovereignty on the sons of Pritha!—­These words of thine were brought to me by Sanjaya.  Thou hadst also said, ’Know, ye Kauravas that it is with Arjuna, having me for his second, ye have provoked hostilities!’ Truthfully adhering to that pledge, put forth thy energy for the Pandavas and fight now in battle to the best of thy power!  Show us that thou canst be a man!  He is said to be truly alive, who, having ascertained (the wight of his) foes inspireth grief in them by resorting to true manliness!  Without any reason, O Krishna, great hath been thy fame spread in the world!  It will, however, presently be known that there are many persons, in the world that are really eunuchs though possessed of the signs of manhood.  A slave of Kansa, especially as thou art, a monarch like me should not cover himself in mail against thee!