Sanjaya, whose hope was newly stirred, spoke with measured inquiry. He recalled how the Pandavas, obedient to command, had surrendered their kingdom and wealth and departed to the forests. Though they endured many hardships in exile, they nevertheless rescued Duryodhana from the grasp of the Gandharvas during the cattle expedition—a deed well known to all. Therefore, he advised that if the Pandavas were invited back with assurance of their rightful share, their wrath would dissolve like mist at sunrise. They could then be recalled, reinstated in authority, and allotted their proper realms.
Having judged the temper of the assembly, Duryodhana replied in his habitual haughty and self-serving manner. He declared that the sons of Pandu, worn by seasons and forest trials, were timid and spiritless, unworthy of fear. It was folly, he said, for the king to dread them, for victory, by any means, would be theirs. His speech revealed both his arrogance and his dark intent.
He extolled Bhishma, who had triumphed even over Parashurama, at whose very name kings fled. He reminded them of Kripa and Drona, warriors of immense might and mastery, whose anger even Rudra could scarcely withstand. He praised Ashwatthama, born by divine grace, radiant as the sun and unparalleled in knowledge of celestial and earthly weapons, and questioned why, with such heroes present, there should be any fear of battle.
Duryodhana proclaimed the greatness of Karna, born with natural armor and radiant earrings, whose strength was immeasurable and whose charity was boundless. He recounted how Karna had even surrendered his armor to Indra, and asserted that no warrior in Dharmaraja’s host could stand against him. He further named Shalya, Bhishlika, Somadatta, Saindhava, Shakuni, and others as champions superior to the Pandavas, boasting that many allies had come eager to share his triumph, even at the cost of their lives.
He argued that if servants grew discontented, friends deserted, or volunteers fled to the enemy, it was merely fate. Yet he swore he would neither bow nor retreat, resolving to fight until death or victory. He accused the king of humiliation unworthy of their lineage and warned that supplication born of fear would invite only contempt.
Vaunting his prowess with the mace, he declared that none in the three worlds could equal him. Bhima, he claimed, would fall before him like a mountain shattered by a thunderbolt, and with Bhima’s fall, all resistance would collapse. This, he said, explained why the Pandavas sought only five towns. He insisted that as long as Karna bore his spear, Arjuna could not survive, for even Arjuna’s divine weapons would be overcome by the might of Bhishma and others.
He praised his brothers and sons as conquerors of the world, asserted superiority in numbers with eleven divisions against seven, and dismissed the king’s sorrow as groundless. Turning to Sanjaya, he demanded an account of Dharmaraja’s disposition.
Sanjaya replied that Dharmaraja was averse to war, yet his brothers were filled with quiet confidence, as if preparing for a joyous occasion. Their minds were balanced, their leaders eager to display their strength, and they placed complete trust in Arjuna’s bow and Bhima’s mace, standing ready for righteous combat.
When Duryodhana accused Sanjaya of favoring the Pandavas and questioned their arms, Sanjaya described Arjuna’s divine chariot, drawn by white steeds and bearing the monkey emblem, along with his mighty conch whose sound inspired awe. He then spoke of the chariots and weapons of Bhima, Yudhishthira, Nakula, and Sahadeva, as well as the forces of Virata and Drupada, each a living arsenal.
He further revealed their strategy: Shikhandi would face Bhishma; Dhrishtadyumna would confront Drona; Arjuna would engage Karna, Shakuni, Saindhava, and Ashwatthama; Satyaki would oppose Kritavarma; Chekitana would meet Somadatta; Nakula and Sahadeva would fight the sons of Shakuni and allied kings; the Kekayas would battle their own kin; and Dharmaraja himself would stand against Shalya. Each warrior was matched to an equal.
Hearing this, Dhritarashtra lamented that nowhere was there safety for his sons, for the opposing valor seemed unconquerable. He bewailed his fate, bound as he was to unending sorrow. But Duryodhana rebuked him, insisting that destiny had decreed them the sole possessors of the land, beyond all reversal.
Sanjaya warned the king that his son acted without wisdom, for conflict against those grounded in truth and righteousness could bring no good. When asked who urged the Pandavas toward war, he named Dhrishtadyumna, who inspired them with bold words, declaring that even mighty hosts could not withstand their strength.
He further recounted how Arjuna, armed with divine weapons, was invincible to mortals, and how Dharmaraja would grant refuge even to those who had committed grave wrongs. At last, Dhritarashtra implored Duryodhana to divide the land and avert war, praising Dharmaraja’s enduring virtue and warning that elders and kin would shrink from battle.
Yet Duryodhana, driven by Karna, Shakuni, and Dussasana, refused to yield even a needle’s point of land. He vowed instead to quench the Pandavas’ anger in war, confident in his strength despite limited support.
The king then foretold scenes of dreadful carnage—elephants crushed, rivers of blood flowing, and Arjuna’s arrows felling entire hosts. His words stirred the assembly, yet failed to move Duryodhana, who blindly clung to hope of survival.
Sanjaya concluded that the Pandavas were protected by divine powers and that peace alone could save the Kauravas. But the son of Dhritarashtra, hardened by pride, cruelty, and stubborn will, remained unmoved. Thus, the course of events bent inexorably toward a fateful and destructive war.
