The sage Vaisampayana said to King Janamejaya that after Vasudeva departed from the assembly, Gandhārī, overwhelmed and struck silent by the proceedings she had witnessed, withdrew to her private chambers. The elders of the Kauravas hastened after Kṛṣṇa, who crossed the inner gates of the palace with a heart unsatisfied by the exposition he had delivered. Dāruka, the charioteer, stood ready with the chariot, his hands folded in reverence. The son of Devakī halted, turned back, and in a soft and gentle voice bade them all to stop.
Then Dhṛtarāṣṭra came forward with his sons and spoke to Kṛṣṇa, saying that he had striven in every way known to him, and in the sight of the assembly, to forge an alliance between the Kauravas and the Pāṇḍavas so that peace might prevail. He recalled how, in Kṛṣṇa’s presence, he had laboured to protect the righteous conduct of their lineage, and declared that if his intentions were indeed pure, their recognition would be equal to the applause of all realms, of friends and of kin. He added that he chiefly wished to know whether his guiding principle was acceptable to Kṛṣṇa.
Govinda, casting his glance upon Bhīṣma, Droṇa, Bāhlīka, and Kṛpa, men of established virtue, replied that the king himself knew well what had transpired in the chamber of the assembly. Dhṛtarāṣṭra had absolved himself of all responsibility, declaring that no fault lay with him; therefore, Kṛṣṇa saw no need to remain further and took his leave, resolving to report faithfully all that had occurred to Dharmarāja. He mounted his chariot, and Dhṛtarāṣṭra with the others followed him, as custom required, to bid him farewell.
Nārāyaṇa then descended from his chariot at the chambers of Kuntī. In the presence of the Kuru elders who had followed, he bowed and touched her feet, and informed her of the counsel he had offered in the Kuru assembly. He explained the twofold course of action, peaceful and forceful, and briefly set forth the crooked conduct of Duryodhana. Śrī Kṛṣṇa thus related to the queen of Pāṇḍu the strange and portentous marvels of the Kuru court, while the Kauravas, intoxicated by the wealth of the kingdom and blinded by arrogance, remained ignorant of the future course of events.
Kṛṣṇa then said that it was well for them, for the blazing fire of Arjuna would soon find what it must consume. He declared that he would go to the sons of Pāṇḍu and asked Kuntī what message he should bear to them. Kuntī replied by recounting ancient histories, beginning with King Muchukunda, son of Māndhātā, who invaded Alakāpurī and was opposed by the forces of Kubera. Through prayer to his preceptor, he obtained the fruits of penance, the strength of sacred hymns, and the merit of his rituals, which empowered both him and his army. Knowing the might born of brāhmaṇical force joined with kṣatriya valour, Kubera surrendered, declaring himself unable to fight him.
She told how Muchukunda later stood with the gods in their great war against the demons and ensured victory for Indra, and how, wearied by battle, he received a boon that any who disturbed his sleep would be reduced to ashes by his gaze. Retiring to a cave, he fell into deep slumber, and when the demon Kālayavana, mistaking him for Kṛṣṇa, kicked him, he was instantly burnt to ashes. Kuntī then spoke of King Śṛñjaya, who entrusted the care of the sages Parvata and Nārada to his daughter Mādayantī. Nārada wedded her and granted the king a son, Suvarṇasthīvin, from whose body gold issued forth.
She narrated how thieves, imagining that his belly was filled with gold, slew him and found nothing, and how the grief-stricken king prayed to Nārada, who restored the youth to life. Later, as Śṛñjaya walked with his family on the banks of the Bhāgīrathī, Indra, jealous of Suvarṇasthīvin’s gifts, struck him down with the thunderbolt by assuming the form of a tiger, only for Nārada again to restore him. Thus, she said, both kings lived in prowess, and she did not know whether Dharmarāja had heard these tales, though all present listened to her with rapt attention.
Kuntī then declared that kings must live by courage and gallantry, for no other path is commended to them by the wise. Strength and wealth, she said, naturally align with the virtues of a noble lineage, while the ignorant resort to cowardice and survive on the mercy of others. She reminded Kṛṣṇa that his sister’s husband and his brothers had restrained themselves and striven in every way for alliance, yet knowing how hard it was to dwell in peace with the Kauravas, they chose instead the welfare and fame of the Kuru line. Since Duryodhana had rejected this, they would now live with courage and boldness, and Kṛṣṇa need harbour no doubt of this resolve.
She affirmed that heroism is the crown of the Kuru lineage, that Arjuna would win no praise among warriors unless he displayed his power in battle, and that the pride of Bhīma’s sinews was ill-suited to compromise. Declaring Kṛṣṇa venerable to all worlds, she said that by divine grace the terms of alliance had failed. She added that the Pāṇḍavas had once withdrawn to the forest rather than stray from virtue, but when their rightful share of the kingdom was denied and righteous conduct was harmed, they must seek imperishable glory through courage and chivalry. Embracing Kṛṣṇa, she blessed him, asked him to convey that she was content where she was, and urged him to tell them to live with strength and valour.
Then the son of devaki moving with the majestic gait of a lion, advanced, bade the Kauravas remain behind, placed his arm about Karṇa’s shoulder, and asked him to accompany him in farewell. He mounted the chariot with him, while Sātyaki set out in another, and Kṛṣṇa requested Kṛtavarmā to remain. The people watched with reverence and murmured among themselves what manner of rulers these were who dared defy Vāsudeva, ignorant of the vast destruction of life that war would bring, and how such cunning kings were a danger to the world. On both sides of the road people hailed Nārāyaṇa with cries of victory.
In the assembly, Dhṛtarāṣṭra spoke of Kṛṣṇa, and Bhīṣma and Droṇa said to Duryodhana that they had not expected Kuntī to speak so, for her words were disorienting, hard, and unyielding. They observed that she and Kṛṣṇa were skilled in directing events to their purpose, and that they had spoken today the verses of courage. They warned that the ocean of Dharmarāja was bounded by restraint, and asked what should now be done, for the matter posed a grave challenge.
After reflection, they urged that the present course be abandoned, that one should go in humility and righteousness to meet Dharmarāja, preserve the Kuru dynasty as the people desired, discard pride, and prevent sorrow to the line and the realm by seeking out Śrī Kṛṣṇa again. Duryodhana’s face burned with anger, yet he remained silent. Bhīṣma and Droṇa rose, looked sharply at him, and said that they had reached the far shore of life, feared the calamity of war, and had tried in many ways for his good, but would now leave matters to fate.
Dhṛtarāṣṭra withdrew to his private chambers, and Prince Suyodhana, sending away his retinue, returned with only a few to his palace of deceit and torment. Thus ended the mission of diplomacy, its failure pregnant with unforeseen consequences, as the elders departed and entrusted the future to destiny, mindful of the sayings of sages and the counsel they had offered, while the driving forces of events yet to come remained to be revealed.
