King Dhritarashtra burst into wrath when Duryodhana rejected his counsel. Raising his voice, the blind monarch rebuked his son with piercing words. Wars, he said, had been fought even in earlier times, yet a broken hand cannot be stretched again. After defeat, what wisdom lies in attacking once more? Your army fled the field in terror. Arjuna alone rescued you from the Gandharvas, while Karna stood by; what then did he accomplish? When Arjuna took the cattle back from your forces, what resistance did you show? Tell me, what has this Karna truly done?
This moment, the king continued, is unlike that earlier skirmish over the cattle, which was no more than a trial of strength. Now, when Krishna himself guides Arjuna, when the Gandiva is strung, when Bhima stands beside him, confrontation is impossible. Do not let pride and vaunted valor drive you into recklessness. Karna may fall and earn renown as a loyal warrior and counted companion, but you will walk straight toward the open gate of death.
At these words Karna, burning with rage, spoke before Duryodhana could intervene. He declared that he had been rejected by Bhishma and by the elders, and that this insult cut deeper than any wound. Casting aside his weapons, he vowed not to enter the battlefield while Bhishma lived, nor to assist the Kauravas after such humiliation. After the grandsire’s fall, he said, he would roam the field like a consuming fire. In anger he forgot his duty to the throne and his responsibility toward Duryodhana, who had placed his hopes upon him. Thus, inviting reproach among warriors, Karna challenged the grandsire, though he could not equal him in any field of mastery, for before Bhishma’s proven excellence he remained but a novice. Declaring this, Karna discarded his arms and stormed out of the assembly.
Bhishma then smiled and, turning to Duryodhana, spoke with gentle mockery. Karna, he said, had made great boasts of destroying the Pandavas, yet with the departure of this warrior the sons of Pandu were spared a grave peril. You place your faith in him and rush toward war, but now you shall witness my heroism in battle, and all doubt will be dispelled. In the presence of Drona and Bahlika, thousands of enemy warriors will fall by my hands; behold it with your own eyes.
Duryodhana, blinded by partiality and devoid of humility, replied sharply. People, he said, speak of the Pandavas fighting with pride of valor, relying first upon you, upon Bahlika and upon Drona, and thus I advanced toward war. My own chivalry is sufficient. When Karna and Dushasana stand beside me, I need no one else. I shall conquer the enemy hosts and crush all opposition within this ocean-girdled land. This decision is final; let the end reveal whether it is just or corrupt. It cannot be reversed.
Hearing this, Dhritarashtra sank into grief and turned to Vidura. My son, he lamented, is beyond my control and beyond the counsel of elders. Ensnared in the noose of death along with Karna, he hastens toward ruin. Tell me, what can yet be done. Vidura replied that their forces were weak and divided, and that discord among them would only grant advantage to Arjuna. Unity alone was needed at this hour. More than this could not be said. The Pandavas, he reminded the king, stood under a single command. Cease idle talk and futile designs, summon the Pandavas, and render them justice.
The king then wished to hear the remaining account of Sanjaya’s visit to Upaplavya and asked for Arjuna’s final words before his departure. Sanjaya spoke before the assembled elders. Dharmaraja, the light of the Kuru line, had demanded half the inheritance of his father Pandu. When this was denied, Arjuna declared that he would burn the sons of Dhritarashtra with his arrows and reclaim their rightful share. Embracing Sanjaya, he bestowed ornaments and garments, then, having taken leave of Krishna and the Pandavas, Sanjaya returned to report all this to the king. Duryodhana dismissed these words with indifference, while Dhritarashtra stood shaken and confused.
The assembly dispersed, leaving Dhritarashtra alone with Sanjaya. Consumed by greedy hope, the king questioned him anxiously. Knowing the strengths and weaknesses of both sides, he asked, on whom courage and skill would rest if war came, and who would prevail. Sanjaya urged him not to press such grave questions alone but to invoke the sage Vyasa and summon Gandhari, for they were righteous and wise, capable of clearing the king’s troubled mind.
Dhritarashtra sent for Gandhari and prayed with devotion to Vyasa, who soon appeared. All rose and prostrated before him, offering him a seat of honor. By divine vision Vyasa knew the cause of his summons and bade Sanjaya speak openly in his presence. Sanjaya then declared that the disparity between the two armies was clear, for Krishna stood with the Pandavas, and among the Kauravas there was none equal to him. He described Krishna as valor itself, the lord who had subdued mighty foes, humbled the pride of demons, and playfully brought the celestial tree from the lord of heaven’s garden. He recounted how Banasura, fortified by boons and arrogance, was defeated, his thousand arms cut down, and how harmony was restored. Such deeds revealed Krishna’s immeasurable might.
Krishna, Sanjaya said, was eternally bound to Arjuna, and for his sake he would do anything. His Sudarshana, subtle and all-pervading, encircled the Pandavas, governing their weapons and assuring their victory. Dhritarashtra, you continually underestimate their strength, yet the truth is this: Krishna is their very life and courage. Even if all worlds opposed him, he would consume their brilliance. By his will creation, preservation, and dissolution proceed. Wherever truth and righteousness stand, there Krishna abides, and where he is, victory follows. He descends to uphold the good and punish the wicked, and thus he will chastise your sons and their allies. Whoever seeks refuge in him is saved.
Dhritarashtra asked why Sanjaya perceived Vishnu when others failed. Sanjaya replied that knowledge and ignorance are opposed states. Ignorance, shrouded in inertia, cannot behold the divine, while knowledge, born of purity, reveals him. Asked further, Sanjaya explained that freedom from ignorance and passion, guided by righteousness and inner purity, was the sole path to such vision. Whatever opposed this was ignorance.
The king then urged his son to heed Sanjaya, seek Krishna’s protection, and live safely with his brothers. Duryodhana retorted that once he knew Krishna stood with Arjuna, he would not even look upon him. Turning to Gandhari, Dhritarashtra lamented his son’s pride, jealousy, and moral blindness, foreseeing his destruction. Gandhari warned Duryodhana that his corrupted mind would lead him to death, and that Bhima, as divine justice, would strike him down.
Vyasa then counseled Dhritarashtra to seek Krishna’s refuge, for he draws near to the devoted and turns away from those stained by anger, lust, pride, and greed. The king accepted this guidance and asked Sanjaya to explain the meaning of Vasudeva and the path to reach him. Sanjaya replied that Vasudeva signifies the all-pervading, present in everything. Self-restraint and endurance purify the mind, leading to concentration, through which the divine manifests. Though blind, Sanjaya said, he ever regretted that he could not behold Krishna’s enchanting form, known to those purified by penance. Declaring his faith, Dhritarashtra folded his hands and sought refuge in Vasudeva.
With this resolve spoken, the sage departed. The others returned to their dwellings, and the king withdrew with Gandhari into his private chambers. Thus concluded the discourse under the guidance of Vyasa, while Vaishampayana continued the narration as King Janamejaya inquired into the events that followed.
