Nations from the North, the West, the
East, and the South, are being struck, wounded and slain, after the
performance of incomparable feats in battle by great warriors of both
sides. It was thou that hadst gambled. It was for thee that we lost our
kingdom. Our calamity arose from thee, O king! Striking us, again, with
the cruel goad of thy speeches, O king, do not provoke our wrath.'"
"Sanjaya said, 'Having addressed these harsh and exceedingly bitter words
unto his eldest brother and thereby committed a venial sin, the
intelligent Savyasaci of calm wisdom, who is ever actuated by the fear of
defection from virtue, became very cheerless. The son of the chief of the
celestials became filled with remorse and breathing heavily, drew his
sword. Seeing this, Krishna asked him, "What is this? Why dost thou again
unsheathe thy sword blue as the sky? Tell me what thy answer is, for then
I shall give thee counsel for the gratification of thy object." Thus
addressed by that foremost of men, Arjuna, in great sorrow answered
Keshava, saying, "I shall, putting forth my strength, slay my own self by
whom this wicked act hath been done." Hearing those words of Partha,
Keshava, that foremost of all righteous persons said this unto
Dhananjaya, "Having said these words unto the king, why hast thou become
so cheerless? O slayer of foes, thou desirest now to destroy thy own
self. This, however, Kiritin, is not approved by the righteous. If, O
hero among men, thou hadst today, from fear of sin, slain this thy eldest
brother of virtuous soul, what would then have been thy condition and
what wouldst thou not then have done? Morality is subtle, O Bharata, and
unknowable, especially by those that are ignorant.
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