wrongs us in diverse ways, is a foe.  All these attributes are to be found in thee and thou discoverest all of them in me.  For the sake of Duryodhana, for the sake of doing what is agreeable to thee, for the sake of victory, for the sake of myself, and for the sake of God himself, I will with vigorous exertion, fight with Partha and Vasudeva.  Witness today my feats.  Behold today my excellent weapons, my brahmastra and other celestial weapons, as also those that are human.  I will today slay that hero of fierce prowess, like an exceedingly infuriate elephant slaying an infuriate compeer.  I shall, by my mind alone, hurl today at Partha, for my victory, that weapon of immeasurable energy, called the brahmastra.  Arjuna will never be able to escape that weapon, if only the wheels of my car do not sink into the Earth in battle today.  Know this, O Shalya, that I would not take fright at Yama himself armed with his rod, or Varuna himself armed with his noose, or Kuvera himself armed with his mace, or Vasava himself armed with the thunderbolt, or at any other foe whatever that may approach for slaying me.  Therefore, I have no fear from Partha, nor from Janardana.  On the other hand, I shall encounter them both in today’s destructive battle.  Once on a time, while wandering for the sake of practising weapons on my bow called Vijaya, O king, I had, by shooting many fierce shafts of terrible forms, heedlessly struck the calf of a (brahmana’s) homa cow with one of those shafts, and unwillingly killed it white it was wandering in a solitary forest.  The brahmana then addressed me, saying, ’Since, becoming insensate, thou hast slain the offspring of my homa cow, the wheel (of thy car) will sink into the Earth while at the time of battle fear will enter thy heart.’  From these words of the brahmana I am experiencing great fear.  These kings of the Lunar race that are lords of (other people’s) weal and woe, offered to give that brahmana a 1,000 kine and 600 bovine bulls.  With even such a gift, O Shalya, the brahmana would not be gratified, O ruler of the Madras.  I was then for giving him seven hundred elephants of large tusks and many hundred of slaves male and female.  That foremost of brahmana would not still be gratified.  Collecting next full 14,000 kine, each black in hue and having a white calf I was still unable to obtain the grace of that best of brahmana.  A wealthy mansion full of every object of desire, in fact, whatever wealth I had, I wished to give him with due worship, but he refused to accept the gift.  Unto me then that had offended and that had begged so importunately for his pardon, the brahmana said, ’That which, O Suta, hath been uttered by me is sure to happen.  It cannot be otherwise.  A false speech would destroy creatures, and sin also would be mine.  Therefore, for the preservation of virtue I do not venture to speak what is false.  Do not, again, destroy the means of a brahmana’s support.  There is none in the world that would be able to falsify my speech.  Accept those words.  It will be thy atonement (for the sin of having slain a calf).’  Though rebuked by thee, still for friendship’s sake, I have disclosed to thee all this.  I know thee that art rebuking me thus.  Be silent now, and hear what I will presently say.’”