"Sanjaya
said, 'Knowing the feat that Karna desired to achieve, the slayer of
Madhu, the mighty-armed Janardana, O king, commanded the prince of the
Rakshasas, Ghatotkacha of mighty energy, to engage in single combat with
Karna for rendering, O monarch, the latter's fatal dart fruitless. All
this, O king, is the result of thy evil policy! We would certainly have
achieved success, O perpetuator of Kuru's race, if Krishna had not
(thus) rescued the mighty car-warrior Partha from Karna's hands. Indeed,
Partha would have been destroyed with his steeds, standard, and car, in
battle, Oh Dhritarashtra, if that master, that lord of Yogins, viz.,
Janardana had not saved him. Protected by diverse means, O king, and
well-aided by Krishna, Partha approaching his foes, vanquished that
fatal dart, otherwise that weapon would have quickly destroyed the son
of Kunti like the lightning destroying a tree.'
"Dhritarashtra
said, 'My son is fond of quarrel. His advisers are foolish. He is vain
of his wisdom. It is for that, that this certain means of Arjuna's death
hath been baffled. Why, O
Suta, did not Duryodhana, or that foremost of all wielders,
viz., Karna, possessed of great intelligence,
hurl
that fatal dart at Dhananjaya? Why, O son of Gavalgana, didst thou too
forget this great object, possessed as thou art of great wisdom, or why
didst not thou remind Karna of it?'
"Sanjaya
said, 'Indeed, O king, every night this formed the subject of
deliberation with Duryodhana and Sakuni and myself and Duhsasana. And we
said unto Karna,
'Excluding
all other warriors, O Karna, slay Dhananjaya. We would then lord it
over the Pandu's and the Panchalas as if these were our slaves. Or, if
upon Partha's fall, he of Vrishni's race appoints another amongst the
sons of Pandu (in this place for carrying on the fight), let Krishna
himself be slain.
Krishna is the root of the Pandavas, and
Partha is like their risen trunk.
The other sons of Pritha are like their branches,
while the Panchalas may be called their leaves.
The
Pandavas have Krishna for their refuge, Krishna for their might,
Krishna for their leader. Indeed, Krishna is their central support even
as the moon is of the constellations. Therefore, O Suta's son, avoiding the leaves and branches and trunk, slay that Krishna who is everywhere and always the root of the Pandavas.
Indeed, if Karna had slain him of Dasarha's race, viz.,
that delighter of the Yadavas, the whole earth, O king, would, without
doubt, have come under thy control. Truly, O monarch, if that
illustrious one, that delighter of both the Yadavas and the Pandavas,
could be made to lie down on the earth, deprived of life, then
certainly, O monarch, the entire earth with the mountains and forests
would have owned thy supremacy.
We rose every morning, having formed such a resolution in respect of that Lord of the very gods, viz., Hrishikesa of immeasurable energy. At the time of battle, however, we forget our resolution.
Kesava always protected Arjuna, the son of Kunti. He never placed Arjuna before the Suta's son
in battle. Indeed, Achyuta always placed other foremost of car-warriors
before Karna, thinking how that fatal dart of ours might be made
fruitless by ourselves. O lord! When, again, the high-souled Krishna
protected Partha in this manner from Karna, why, O monarch, would not
that foremost of beings protect his own self? Reflecting well, I see
that there is no person in the three worlds who is able to vanquish that
chastiser of foes, viz., Janardana, that hero bearing the discus in hand.'
"Sanjaya continued, 'That tiger among car-warriors, viz.,
Satyaki of prowess incapable of being baffled, asked the mighty-armed
Krishna about the great car-warrior, Karna, saving, 'O Janardana, even
this had been Karna's firm resolution, viz., that he would hurl that dart of immeasurable energy at Phalguna. Why, however, did not the Suta's son actually hurt it then at him?'
"Vasudeva said,
- 'Duhsasana and
- Karna and
- Sakuni and
- the ruler of the Sindhus,
- with Duryodhana at their head,
had frequently debated on this subject.
Addressing
Karna, they used to say, 'O Karna. O great bowman, O thou of
immeasurable prowess in battle, O foremost of all victors, this dart
should not be hurled at any one else than that great car-warrior,
viz., Kunti's son, Partha or Dhananjaya. He is the most celebrated amongst
them,
like Vasava amongst the gods. He being slain, all the other Pandavas
with the Srinjayas will be heartless like fireless celestials!
'
Karna having assented to this, saying 'So be it' (the desire of) slaughtering the wielder of Gandiva, O bull amongst the Sinis, was ever present in Karna's heart.
I,
however, O foremost of warriors, always used to stupefy the son of
Radha. It was for this that he did not hurl the dart at Pandu's son,
owning white steeds. As long as I could not baffle that means of
Phalguna's death, I had neither sleep, nor joy in my heart, O foremost
of warriors! Beholding that dart, therefore, rendered futile through
Ghatotkacha, O bull amongst the Sinis, I regarded Dhananjaya today to
have been rescued from within the jaws of Death.
I do not regard
- my sire,
- my mother,
- yourselves,
- my brothers,
- ay, - Others
- my very life,
so worthy of protection as Vibhatsu in battle. If there be
anything more precious than the sovereignty of the three worlds, I do
not, O Satwata, desire (to enjoy) it without Pritha's son, Dhananjaya
(to share it with me). Beholding Dhananjaya, therefore, like one
returned from the dead, these transports of delight, O Yuyudhana, have
been mine. It was for this that I had despatched the
Rakshasa unto Karna for battle. None else was capable of withstanding, in the night, Karna in battle.'
"Sanjaya
continued, 'Even thus did Devaki's son who is ever devoted to
Dhananjaya's good and to what is agreeable to him, speak unto Satyaki on
that occasion.'"
"Dhritarashtra
said, 'I see, O sire, that this act of Karna and Duryodhana and
Suvala's son, Sakuni, and of thyself, in especial, hath been very much
against the dictates of policy. Indeed, when you knew that dart could
always slay one person in battle, and that it was incapable of being
either borne or baffled by the very gods with Vasava at their head, why
then, O Sanjaya, was it not hurled by Karna at Devaki's son, or
Phalguna, while he was engaged with this in battle before?'
"Sanjaya
said, 'Returning from battle every day, O monarch, all of us, O
foremost one of Kuru's race, used to debate in the night and say unto
Karna. Tomorrow morning, O Karna, this dart should be hurled at either Kesava or Arjuna.'
When,
however, the morning came, O king, through destiny, both Karna and the
other warriors forgot that resolution. I think destiny to be supreme,
since Karna, with that dart in his hands, did not slay in battle either
Partha or Devaki's son, Krishna. Indeed, because his understanding was
afflicted by destiny itself, it is for this that he did not, stupefied
by the illusion of the gods, hurl that fatal dart of Vasava, though he
had it in his hand, at Devaki's son, Krishna for his destruction or at
Partha endued with prowess like Indra's, O lord!'
"Dhritarashtra said,
- 'Ye are destroyed by destiny,
- by your own understanding, and
- by Kesava.
Vasava's dart is lost, having effected the slaughter of
Ghatotkacha who was as insignificant as straw. Karna, and my sons, as
all the other kings, through his highly impolitic act, have already
entered the abode of Yama.
