“Vaishampaayana said, ‘Asked by (King) Dhritarashtra to give his opinion, Bhishma replied, ‘O Dhritarashtra,
a quarrel with the Pandavas is what I can never approve of. As you are to me,
so was Pandu without doubt. The sons of Gaandhari are to me, as those of Kunti.
I should protect them (Pandavas) as
well as I should your sons, O Dhritarashtra! O king, the Pandavas are as much dear
to me as they are to prince Duryodhana or to all the other Kurus. Under these
circumstances a quarrel with them is what I never like. Concluding a treaty
with those heroes (Veera in Sanskrit),
let half the land (of Kurujangala kingdom) be given to them. This is without doubt, the paternal kingdom of those
foremost ones of the Kuru race. O Duryodhana, like you who look upon this
kingdom as your paternal property, the Pandavas also look upon it as their
paternal possession. If the renowned Pandavas did not obtain the kingdom, how
can it be yours, or that of any other descendant of the Bharata race? If you
regard yourself as one that has lawfully come into the possession of the
kingdom, I think they also may be regarded to have lawfully come into the
possession of this kingdom before you. Give them half the kingdom quietly.
This, O tiger among men, is beneficial to all. If you act otherwise, evil will happen
to us all. You too shall be covered with dishonour. O Duryodhana, strive to
maintain your good name. A good name is, indeed, the
source of one’s strength. It has been said that
one lives in no purpose whose reputation hath gone. A man, O Kaurava (Duryodhana), does not
die so long as his fame lasts. One lives as long as one’s fame endures, and
dies when one’s fame is gone.
O son of Gaandhari (Duryodhana), you
follow the practice that is worthy of the Kuru race. O you of mighty arms,
imitate your own ancestors. We are fortunate that the Pandavas have not
perished. We are fortunate that Kunti lives. We are fortunate that the wretch
Purochana without being able to accomplish his purpose has himself perished.
From that time, when I heard that the sons of Kuntibhoja’s daughter (Pandavas) had been burnt to death, I was, O son of Gaandhari,
unable to meet any living creature. O tiger among men, hearing of the fate that
overtook Kunti, the world does not regard Purochana so guilty as it regards you.
O king (Duryodhana), the escape,
therefore, of the Pandavas with life from that fire and their re-appearance, do
away with your evil repute. O you of Kuru’s race (Duryodhana), know that as long as those heroes (Veera
in Sanskrit) live, the wielder of Vajra (Lord
Indra) Himself cannot deprive them of
their ancestral share in the kingdom. The Pandavas are Dharmic and united. They
are being wrongly kept out of their equal share in the kingdom. If you should
act rightly, if you should do what is agreeable to me, if you should seek the
welfare of all, then give half the kingdom to them.’”
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