They then
view the gates of the other world to be closed. Put on armour, O hero,
and bind thy locks! Take everything else, O Bharata, of which thou
standest in need! This another wish of thine, O hero, I grant thee in
addition, that if thou canst slay him amongst the five Pandavas with whom
thou wishest an encounter, thou shalt then be king! Otherwise, slain (by
him), thou shalt proceed to heaven! Except thy life, O hero, tell us what
boon we may grant thee."
"Sanjaya continued, 'Then thy son, O king, cased his body with armour
made of gold, and put on a beautiful head-gear adorned with pure gold.
Clad in bright armour of gold, he put on that head-gear. Indeed, O king,
thy son then looked resplendent like a golden cliff. Clad in mail, armed
with mace, and accoutred with other equipments, thy son Duryodhana then,
O king, standing on the field of battle, addressed all the Pandavas,
saying, 'Amongst you (five) brothers, let any one fight me, armed with
mace! As regards myself, I am willing to fight either Sahadeva, or Bhima,
or Nakula, or Phalguna, or thee today, O bull of Bharata's race! Accorded
an encounter, I will fight any one amongst you and will certainly gain
the victory on the field! Today I will reach the end of these hostilities
that is difficult to reach, with the aid, O tiger among men, of my mace
wrapped with cloth of gold. I think, there is none to be my match in an
encounter with the mace! With my mace I shall slay all of you one after
another! Amongst all of you there is no one who is competent to fight
fairly with me! It is not proper for me to speak such words of pride with
respect to my own self! I shall, however, make these words of mine true
in your presence! Within this very hour, these words will become either
true or false! Let him amongst you take up the mace that will fight with
me!'"
33
"Sanjaya said, 'Whilst Duryodhana, O king, was repeatedly roaring in this
strain, Vasudeva, filled with wrath, said these words unto Yudhishthira,
"What rash words hast thou spoken, O king, to the effect, 'Slaying one
amongst us be thou king among the Kurus.
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