gone much misery. Behave thou then unto us like a
father or brother If we go wrong, it is the duty
of our father to set us right. Therefore set us on the
THE PLEADING FOR PEACE 155
way, and tread thou also the excellent path of right-
eousness." Pathetically He reminded Dhritarashtra
of the wrongs inflicted on the sons of Pandu and of
their patient endurance and present willingness to for-
give. " For the sake of virtue, of profit, of happiness,
make peace, O king, and do not allow the earth's
population to be slaughtered, regarding evil as good
and good as evil. Restrain thy sons, O monarch, who
have from covetousness proceeded too far. As re-
gards the sons of Pritha, they are equally ready to
wait upon thee in dutiful service as to fight. That
which seemeth to thee to be for thy good, O chastiser
of foes, do thou adopt." The silver tones sank into
silence, and stillness again brooded over the assembly,
the kings thinking " within themselves that there
was no man who could dare reply to that speech."
At last one Rishi after another addressed Duryo-
dhana, giving him instances of the defeat of those
intoxicated by pride. Narada pleaded long with him,
begging him to listen to friends who wished him well,
but all was in vain. Then Dhritarashtra begged the
Lord Himself to strive to persuade his foolish and
wicked son, and Keshava, approaching Duryodhana,
spoke sweetly to him, praising his good qualities and
praying him to turn fiom his perverse ways and make
peace. All would then be happy, and he would obey
156 PEACE OR WAR?
his father and mother. " Peace with the Pandavas,
O sire, recommends itself to thy father. Let it there-
fore, O chief of the Kurus, recommend itself to thee."
To follow unrighteousness was to court ruin. Let
not his relatives and the chiefs who followed him be
slain. " Let not people say that thou art the exter-
minator of thy race and the destroyer of its achieve-
ments." He might be lord paramount with the con-
sent and support of the PSndavas. " Making peace
with the Pandavas and acting according to the coun-
sels of thy friends, and rejoicing with them, thou art
sure to obtain what is for thy good for ever and ever."
Bhishma followed, praying Duryodhana not to sink
his father and mother in an ocean of grief, and Drona
pleaded, and Vidura and Dhritarashtra himself, and
again Bhishma and Drona, all with loving words and
gentle urgings, but all in vain. Duryodhana spoke
fiercely in reply, declaring himself faultless, and again
saying that while he lived, " even that much of our
land which may be covered by the point of a sharp
needle shall not, O Madhava, be given by us unto the
Pandavas." Then replied Keshava sternly : " Wish-
est thou for a bed of heroes ? Verily thou shalt have
it with thy councillors." "Thou art not, O sinful
man, willing to give them their paternal share in the
kingdom although they are begging it of thee. Thou
A MAD PLOT 157
shalt have to give it to them when, divested of pros-
perity, thou shalt be laid low." At this Duryodhana,
infuriated, rose and left the court, rudely disregardful
of his elders, and followed by his brothers and those
on his side. Then Vasudeva advised the king to
arrest Duryodhana, Karna, Shakuni and Dushasana
and to bind them and hand them over to the Pandavas,
so that the whole Kshattriya race should not be slain.
But Dhritarashtra, as a last resort, sent for Gandhari
and prayed her to speak to their headstrong son, and
she summoned Duryodhana back to the court, who
came, flushed with anger. Gently the mother pleaded
with him, but where the golden tongue of Shri
Krishna had failed, how should even a mother's voice
prevail ? Duryodhana again left the court in a rage,
without a word of answer, without a gesture even of
reverence, and plunged headlong into his mad plot
for seizing the divine Krishna. S^tyaki guessed at
his wicked plan and warned Keshava, Dhritarashtra
and Vidura, saying that in desiring to seize the lotus-
eyed, they were " like idiots and children desiring to
seize a blazing fire with their garments." Keshava
bade the king let Duryodhana try his worst, promis-
ing that He would do no wrathful act, and Duryo-
dhana and his brothers and supporters being called
back into the court, his father and Vidura sternly told
158 PEACE OR WAR?
him of Keshava's might and that none might seize
Him by force against His will. Then Keshava, ad-
dressing Duryodhana.said : " From delusion, O Suyo-
dhana, thou regardest Me to be alone, and it is for
this, O thou of little understanding, that thou seekest
to make Me a captive after vanquishing Me with
violence. Here, however, are all the Pandavas and
all the Vrishnis and Andhakas. Here are all the
Adityas, the Rudras, and the Vasus, with all the
great Rishis ! " And as the mighty One laughed
at His puny foe, lo ! from out His body issued
myriad forms of Gods and formed a blazing halo
round Him, and Arjuna stood on His right and
Rama on His left, with the four Pandavas behind
Him, and the roll of drums thundered through the
hall and flowers fell as rain. And as all wondered,
the divine glory vanished, and Keshava left the court,
finding outside His white chariot awaiting Him.
Then Dhritarashtra, following, addressed Him sadly,
protesting his powerlessness to control his sons, and
Keshava answered sternly and shortly, addressing the
great chiefs and the king : " Ye have yourselves wit-
nessed all that has happened in the assembly of the
Kurus, how the wicked Duryodhana, like an unedu-
cated wretch, left the court in anger, and how king
Dhritarashtra also describeth himself to be powerless.
THE LAST THROW 1 59
With the permission of you all, I will now go back
to Yudhishthira." With a grave salute, Keshava as-
cended the chariot, and went to visit Kunti, who again
sent fiery messages toher sons, inviting them to battle.
He then called Karna and took him with Him a brief
way, and, after dismissing him, drove away, leaving
the Kurus to their doom. The last throw had been
made for peace, and was lost. War was now inevi-
table. [ § 87-136. ]
Bhishma and Drona, left behind, once more be-
sought Duryodhana to make peace, assuring him of
their fealty but pathetically bewailing their enforced
combat with the Pandavas, of whom, said Drona, Ar-
juna was dearer to him than his own son. They were
old ; their lives were over. But he was still young,*
and was flinging away friends, kingdom and life.
[ § ^7-138. ] It is sometimes asked, why should not
Bhishma and those like-minded with him have gone
to the Pandavas, and fought on the side where lay
their hearts and the blessing of the Gods? Bhishma
above all, devoted to Shri Krishna, how could he lift
bow against Him ? Bhishma, whose life was the sym-
bol of duty, righteousness and justice, how could he
war against the side that embodied these, and on the
side arrayed against them ? Yet Bhishma, as the
incarnation of duty, never shone more brightly than
l6o PEACE OR WAR?
in these closing scenes of his h'fe. And Drona ? He
who had trained Arjuna, who loved none as he loved
him, why should he go forth to do battle with him ?
Because under all trials, in all the circumstances of
life, in face of heart-break and death, duty must be
done. And for the Kshattriya, duty of combat for
his king, for the cause of his country, was the su-
preme law of life. The bodies worn by Bhishma and
Drona owed allegiance to Dhritarashtra and his sons ;
they were his subjects, his warriors, his councillors ;
they had lived, worked, fought in his service all his
life through. Not for pain and suffering, not for
broken heart and ruined life, could Bhishma and
Drona leave duty. They must pay with their bodies
the debt those bodies owed. Their love, their hopes,
their reverence, were with Shri Krishna and His
friends, but their bodily strength, their warrior arms,
their skilled brains, their might as leaders, lay at the
feet of the king to whom they had sworn allegiance.
Not for them to ^udge of the right or wrong of the
quarrel when war outbroke ; theirs to fight where
their karma had placed them. So they got them
ready for the battle, to fight outwardly against the
Lord they loved, hoping, it may be, that in the
struggle a bolt from Him might lay them low, that
they might die of the wounds of love.
SHRt KRISHNA AND KARNA l6r
What was happening between Shri Krishna and
Karna, as they drove a short way together? A
strange scene truly, the roots of which were in the
past. We remember that Kunti had been given a
mantra by Durvllsa which enabled her to summon
any God to give her a son. Soon after receiving this
mantra, ere she met Pindu, in girlish curiosity and
folly, to try its force, she had repeated the mantra
with the name of Sflrya, the Sun-God. On his
appearing, she was frightened, and begged him earn-
estly to depart, and not compel her to bear a son ;
she pleaded her childish foolishness and begged for
giveness, but the force of the mantra bound the Sun-
God, and a glorious child was born of her, clad in
natural armour, radiant and strong. Left by his
mother at Surya's command, he was found by Radha,
the wife of the charioteer Adhiratha, and she took
compassion on him, and brought him up as her own
son. This was Karna. [Adi Farva^ ^ ^02-;^oS.] Shri
Krishna now reminded him of his real mother Kunti,
whose husband Pandu was legally his father. He
was thus, said Keshava, the eldest brother of the
Pandavas, and He would now take him to them and
tell the story of his birth. Gladly would they bow
down to him as the rightful monarch ; he should be
crowned king, and all the Panglavas and their hosts,
L
l62 PEACE OR WAR?
including Himself, would follow him ; the sovereignty
of the earth should be his, and the love of his young-
er brothers. Gently but steadily, Karna put away
the proffered rule and happiness ; Kunti had aban-
doned him, and, though of right the eldest son of
Pandu, he could not take up the broken bonds of
kinship. He owed everything to the Suta Adhiratha
and his wife Radha, care in infancy, protection in
childhood, fatherly guidance and training. His wives
were of Adhiratha's choice ; sons and grandsons had
been born to him. By every tie of family, love, fidelity,
he was bound to his adopted kin and to their order.
To Duryodhana also, who gave him a kingdom, he was
bound by gratitude ; Duryodhana was going into this
war depending on him, and he was selected to meet
Arjuna in single combat. Above all, the P&ndavas
must not know the story of his birth, else would they
never fight against him or accept the kingdom. Be-
sides, were the kingdom his, he would give it to
Duryodhana. Yudhishthira was worthy to be king,
and the kingdom was already practically won. The
battlefield would be a sacrificial platform, where the
leaders would be the priests, the warriors the offerings,
arrows the sacrificial ladles. There would he himself
be slain by Arjuna while Bhima would slay DushS-
sana and Duryodhana. For all the harsh words he
LAST WORDS 163
had spoken to the sons of PSndu he was consumed
with repentance. With one prayer he ended ; " Oh !
let this sweUing host of Kshattriyas perish by means of
weapons on that most sacred of all spots in the three
worlds, Kurukshetra, O Keshava ! O Thou of eyes like
lotus-leaves, accomplish on this spot what Thou hast
in Thy mind, so that, O Thou of Vrishni's race, the
whole Kshattriya order may attain to heaven." Gra-
ciously the Lord answered him that with the great
battle the ages Krita, Treta and Dv^para would
vanish, and He bade him go to Bhishma, Drona and
Kripa and say to them the time was fair and pleasant ;
seven days thence was the day of the new moon ;
then let the battle join, and the warriors, "obtaining
death by weapons, will attain to an excellent state."
For thus, in the counsels of the Gods, was the great
Kshattriya order to pass from the earth, leaving it to
the Kali Yuga. Then Karna worshipped Keshava,
and relating a vision in which he had seen the Panda-
vas truimphant and only AsvatthSma, Kripa and
Kritavarman as survivors of Duryodhana's army, he
spoke his last words to Shri Krishna. " If, O Krish-
na, we come out with life from this great battle
that will be so destructive of heroic Kshattriyas,
then, O Thou of mighty arms, may we meet here
again. Otherwise, O Krishna, we shall certainly
j54 peace or war?
meet in heaven. O sinless one, it seemeth to me now
that there only it is possible for us to meet." " Ha-
ving spoken these words, Karna tightly pressed
Madhava to his bosom. Dismissed by Keshava, he
then descended from the car. And riding on his
own car, decked with gold, Radha's son, greatly
dejected, came back." Such was the last interview
between Shri Krishna and Karna, till they met face
to face on the field of Kurukshetra. [ § 139-142. ]
One other painful interview had Karna to face —
one with his own mother. Kunti sought him, and
prayed him to take his rightful place as Kshattriya
and Pandava, and to be united with Arjuna as was
Keshava with Balarama. Her pleading was reinforc-
ed by a voice issuing from the Sun : " The words said
by Pritha are true. O Kariia, act according to the
words of thy mother. O tiger among men, great
good will result to thee if thou fully followest those
words." But " Kariia's heart did yet not waver, for
he was firmly devoted to truth," and he again refused
to desert his friends in the hour of their danger.
" This is the time when all those that have been sup-
ported by Dhritarashtra's sons should exert them-
selves for their masters. I shall certainly act for
them, reckless of even my life. Those sinful men of
unsteady heart, who, well-fed and well-furnished by
WAR 165
their masters, undo the benefit received by them
when the time cometh for paying back those bene-
fits — veiil}', those sinful men, those faithless servants
of kings, those thieves of their master's cakes, have
neither this nor the other world." One pledge, how-
ever, Karna made ; in the coming battle he would
not slay Yudhishthira, Bhima, nor the twins ; only
against Atjuna would he fight to the death, to slay
him or by him to be slain. [§ 143-145.]
Arrived at Upaplavya, where the Pandavas were
staying, Shri Krishna related to them all that had
occurred, concluding by saying that the kings allied
with the Kurus had already marched to Kurukshetra,
and that nothing remained save to fight. [§ 146-149.]
Then discussion arose as to who should lead the
whole arm)', the separate divisions, or Akshauhinis,
being severally assigned to Drupada, Virata, Dhrishta-
dyumna, Shikhandin, SStyaki, Chekitana and Bhima.
The various chiefs gave their opinions in turn, and
the final decision was referred to Shri Krishna, who
named as commander-in-chief the sacrifice-born
Dhrishtadyumna,the foretold slayer of Drona. Then
marched forth the great host in order, and encamped
on the field of Kurukshetra. Of the opposing Kaurava
host Bhishma was made generalissimo, Karna, ac-
cording to his promise, refusing to fight until Bhishma
1 66 PEACE OR WAR?
was slain. [§ 150-198.] With the clash of arms, the
beating of drums, the blare of conches, concludes the
Udyoga Parva.
We open the Bhishma Parva, the Parva that tells
of the ten days' fighting of Bhishma, and contains
the immortal, the incomparable, Bhagavad Gita.
Vyasa, coming to the blind king Dhritarashtra,
offered him sight to behold the battle ; but Dhrita-
rashtra, shrinking from the seeing of slaughter, the
Rishi bestowed on Sanjaya celestial vision, that he
m.ight describe to the king all that occurred, whether
it happened by day or night or was only thought of
in the mind. As to the result of the combat, victory,
said the sage, " is there where righteousness is."
[§ 1-2.] Truly, however wrong may seem to triumph,
as it did against the Pandavas, truth and justice ulti-
mately carry all before them. Outnumbered by a
third, the Pandavas were yet destined to triumph,
according to words spoken by Brahma in another
combat and quoted by Arjuna as the armies were
arrayed for battle. " They that are desirous of vic-
tory do not conquer by might and energy so much
as by truth, compassion, righteousness and energy.
Discriminating then between righteousness and un-
righteousness, and understanding what is meant by
covetousness, and having recourse to exertion, fight
THE GIVER OF VICTORY I67
without arrogance, for victory is there where righte-
ousness is." And N&rada had said : " There is victory
where Krishna is." Then Shri Krishna bade Arjuna
hymn Durga, the Giver of victory, and he sang to
Her who Hfts Her worshippers above all defeat and
misery, above all calamities. And the mighty God-
dess appeared and promised Arjuna that he should
conquer his foes, and Arjuna mounted on his chariot
with Keshava as his charioteer. [§ 21-23.]
Drawn up by Keshava between the two armies ere
the flight of arrows began, Arjuna's lion-heart falter-
ed, and he sank despondent on the floor of his car.
Not from fear, or the sight of his foes in serried arra)',
not from terror of death nor of warrior's charge,
failed that heroic heart. But for the impending
slaughter of relatives, of comrades, of boyhood's dear
companions, and the friends of maturer years ; for
Bhishma, more than father, for Drona, preceptor be-
loved. The iron heart of the warrior broke with
anguish ; " I will not fight ! " he cried, and cast away
his bow. Then the Lord, to cheer him, spake the
wonderful Song, the Song Celestial, that, uttered five
thousand years ago, has since echoed from heart to
heart, sweetest and loftiest of all teaching given to
those who love the Lord. Shri Krishna spake the
Bhagavad Gita. [§ 25-42.]
l68 PEACE OR WAR?
And now occurs a strange thing. As the armies
are ready to engage, king Yudhishthira throws down
his weapons, puts off his armour, and with joined
hands approaches the hostile force. Alarmed, Arjuna
leaps down to follow him, and the other brothers and
Keshava and all the kings follow him, and they call
aloud anxiously, asking him whither he goes. Only
Keshava says, smiling, " His object is known to me,"
and explains it to the puzzled chiefs. From the
enemy arise shouts of derision ; he is afraid, he seeks
shelter ! Then all is silent, and Yudhishthira, unarmed,
presses through the armed ranks of his foes till he
reaches Bhishma, and clasping his feet, he says : " I
salute thee, O invincible one ! With thee will we do
battle. Grant us thy permission in this matter. Give
us also thy blessing." And Bhishma blessed him
with the promise of victory, and bade him ask what
boon he would : " Bound am I to the Kauravas by
wealth. Battle excepted, what dost thou desire ? "
Then Yudhishthira asked who might conquer him in
battle, and Bhishma replied that none might defeat
him so long as he fought. How then could he be
slain ? " The time also of my death is not yet come,"
answered Bhishma. "Come to me once again."
Then Yudhishthira paid due homage to Drona, who
told him he could only be slain when he cast away
THE BATTLE BEGINS 169
his arms on hearing evil tidings and withdrew
himself in Yoga meditation. Also to Kripa and to
Shalya he offered similar homage and received their
blessings, and then returned to his own army, while
all men applauded the noble courtesy of the sons of
Pandu. [§43-]
• Then the battle outbroke in fury, and Bhishma
carried all before him, and many a great warrior fell.
Then was slain young Uttara, son of VirSta, and his
elder brother, Sveta, furious with wrath, charged on
the enemy and drove them headlong, till Bhishma
rushed against him, and after long combat between
the heroes Sveta fell, his death closing the day's
struggle. [§ 44-48.] On the following day, as the
Pandavas were flying before Bhishma, Arjuna angrily
told Keshava to drive him against that mighty
warrior, and the flashing chariot with its milk-white
steeds thundered across the field, and Bhishma and
Arjuna met in deadly fray. For hours they fought,
neither having the advantage, while many a deadly
combat of heroes took place around, till Bhishma
turned aside to rescue his troops assailed by Bhima,
and, his charioteer being slain, his steeds rushed from
the field. Then Arjuna, set free, after saving from
imminent danger his heroic son Abhimanyu, raged
over the field, scattering all before him, until sun-
k
170 PEACE OR WAR?
down came, and darkness saved the routed Kurus
from his arrows. On the third day, the Kurus were
again flying from their foes, when Bhishma, stung to
fury at the sight, charged down upon the P^ndavas
and changed the fortune of the day. Then, as the
Pandavas in turn gave way, Keshava turned the
silvery steeds against Bhishma's onslaught, and
brought Arjuna to meet the grandsire again. Arjuna
then attacked his beloved enemy, but with mildness,
hating his task, till Keshava, to sting him to exertion,
called His mighty discus, and whirling it on high, leapt
from the chariot and rushed at Bhishma, who cried
aloud in joyous welcome, " Slain here by thee, O
Krishna, great will be my good fortune both in this
world and the next." But Arjuna, shamed as he was
meant to be, ran after Keshava, and flinging his arms
round Him, dragged Him back, promising to fight
more energetically, and Keshava took up the reins
again, and the battle raged furiously till set of sun,
Arjuna driving all before him. [§ 48-59.] Thus for
day after day the combatants fought, and success
seemed sometimes on one side and sometimes on the
other, yet wherever Bhishma turned, the tide of battle
flowed against the Pandavas. Ten thousand men a
day he destroyed ; he " blazed up like a fire in the
midst of a forest and consumed his foes." [§ 60-99.]
"I WILL SLAY THE GRANDSIRE " 17I
On the ninth day the mighty warrior was even more
invincible than before, and it seemed as though the
lot of battle were to be finally cast against the Panda-
vas. As evening was approaching Keshava once
more hotly rebuked Arjuna, who was fighting half-
heartedly, and who again, at His bidding, attacked
unwillingly the great chief; and once more, as though
hopeless of stimulating His friend in any other way,
He leapt from the chariot with only whip in hand, and
rushed through the battle, though but robed in yellow
silk, on Bhishma. Once more that noble warrior
welcomed death threatening from that beloved hand :
" Strike me as thou pleasest, for I am thy slave, O
sinless one ! " And once more, Arjuna, shame-stricken,
checked Shri Krishna's onset : " O Thou of mighty
arms, stop ! O Keshava, it behoveth Thee not to make
those words false which Thou hadst spoken before,
I will not fight : O Madhava, people will say that
Thou art a liar. All this burden resteth upon me.
I will slay the grandsire. I swear, O Keshava, by
my weapons, by truth and by my good deeds, that,
O slayer of foes, I will do all by which the destruc-
tion of my foes may be achieved." Madhava wrath-
fully remounted the car, and still Bhishma carried all
before him till night fell on the ninth day of combat.
That night Yudhishthira so lamented the slaughter.
172 PEACE OR WAR?
that Keshava offered to throw aside his promise attd
Himself slay Bhishma ; but the young king, abiding
firm by truth, refused to allow Keshava to falsify His
words. Had not Bhishma promised them counsel ?
He might tell them how to compass his own death.
Let them all go to Bhishma, and ask his advice. And
a bitter cry ended the speech : " We were children
and orphans. By him were we reared. O M^dhava,
him, our aged grandsire, I wish to slay — him, the
sire of our sire ! Oh ! fie upon the profession of a
Kshattriya ! " Keshava approved the proposal, and
casting aside their armour and weapons, Keshava and
the five sons of P^ndu went on, to modern view, the
strangest of errands, to ask Bhishma how they might
slay him in battle. Bhishma gave them warm wel-
come and Yudhishthira gently put before him the re-
quest to advise them how to bring about his own
defeat and death. Bhishma answered that while
he lived they could not conquer, but that they might
strike him as they would. Yudhishthira declaring
that they could not slay him, Bhishma calmly gave
them his own death-warrant ; for to men like Bhishma
there is only one will, the will of the Supreme Lord,
and they hold themselves as His, without anxiety
or wish of their own. There was a mighty warrior
among them named Shikhani^in ; he had been a female,
HIS father's father 173
and against such a one he, Bhishma, would not fight ;
let Arjuna place Shikhandin before him, and Bhishma