Dhritarashtra said If Suta's son had possessed such a Sakti as was sure to slay one hero, why then excepting all others, did he not hurl it at Pritha's son Arjuna.

Had Arjuna been slain by that Sakti, then all the Srinjayas and Pandavas also would have be slain. Indeed, if Phalguna could have been slain, then victory certainly would have been ours.

"Challenged, I would never turn back" even this was the vow taken by Arjuna. The son of Suta should therefore have summoned Arjuna in battle.

Tell me, O Sanjaya, why then Vrisha, summoning Arjuna to a single combat, did not slay the latter by means of the Sakti given him by Indra.

Surely my son is a fool and has not good counsellors also to guide him; that wretch is ever outwitted by the foe, how then can be hope to obtain victory over them?

That Sakti which was such a powerful weapon and on which rested his hopes of victory, also even that Sakti had been made futile by Vasudeva's son through Ghatotkacha.

As a fruit is snatched away from the hands of a cripple with withered arms by a powerful man, even so had that mortal Sakti, of Karna, been made futile by Krishna, through Ghatotkacha.

Just as in a battle between a boar and a dog, the huntsman is the party to forfeit when either is slain, so, I think, O intelligent one, Vasudeva's son is to be party benefitted in that battle between Karna and Hidimva's son.

"If Ghatotkacha slays Karna in battle the Pandavas will be greatly benefitted; on the other hand, if Karna slay Ghatotkacha in battle there will be a great gain to the Pandavas because then Karna's Sakti will be useless."

Thinking in this way and for doing what was agreeable to the Pandavas that foremost of men Vasudeva, endued with great wisdom, had caused Ghatotkacha to be slain by Karna in battle.

Sanjaya said Knowing perfectly well what Karna desired to do, the slayer of Madhu, the mighty armed Janaradana, O monarch ordered the foremost of the Rakshasas, viz., Ghatotkacha of puissant might to engage in a duel with Karna for rendering, O king, the latter's death-dealing Sakti fruitless. All this, O monarch, is the outcome of your wicked policy.

Operpetuator of Kuru's race, we could then have surely been successful had not Karna.

O Dhritarashtra, Partha, with his horse, charioteer and standard, would have been completely destroyed in battle, had he been deprived of the aid of Jannardana, that lord of all yoga prowess.

Protected with various means and always defended by Krishna, Partha ever defeats his foes, encountering them.

Indeed, it was Krishna that rescued Pritha's son from that death dealing Sakti otherwise that weapon would have quickly consumed the son of Kunti like the bolt of Heaven destroying a tree.

Dhritarashtra said My son in quarrelsome; his counsellors are so many fools. He is proud of his wisdom. He has thus overlooked the certain means that have given him victory.

Why, O Suta, did not Karna of high intelligence that foremost of all wielders of weapons discharge that fatal Sakti at Dhananjaya?

Why, O Gavalgani's son, did you too forget this great object, since endued as you are with great intelligence, you did not remind Karna?

Sanjaya said Indeed, every night, O monarch, this used to form the subject of deliberation among Duryodhana, Sakuni, Dushasana and myself.

O Karna, leaving alone the rest of the warriors do you slay Dhananjaya. After that we shall lord over the Panchalas and the Pandavas as if they were mere slaves.

Or it may be that upon the fall of Pritha's son, he, of Vrishni's race, will appoint another among the Pandavas to act as the leader of them. Therefore let Krishna be slain.

Krishna is the root of the Pandavas, Partha is their risen trunk. The other sons of Pritha and the Panchalas are like their branches and leaves respectively.

The Pandavas have Krishna for their shelter, Krishna for their strength and Krishna for their leader. Krishna is their main support like the moon of the constellations.

Therefore, O son of Suta, leave alone the leaves, the branches and the trunk of the Pandava tree. Know Krishna to be its root, ever and every where.

(Thus indeed did we then speak to Karna). Had he slain the scion of the Dasharha race, that delighter of the Yadavas and in that case, the whole earth, O monarch, would certainly have come under your sway.

If that illustrious delighter, of the Yadu race and of the Pandavas, had lain prostrate on the field being slain in battle then, O ruler of men, this earth certainly would have fallen under your sway together with all her mountains, forests and seas.

We rose every morning with this resolution regarding that lord of the celestials, viz., Hrishikesha of infinite prowess. But at the time of battle we forgot our resolution.

Keshava ever defends Kunti's son Arjuna. He never allowed Arjuna to expose himself before Suta's son in battle.

That undeteriorating one even made other foremost of car-ivarriors confront Karna, thinking how that fatal Sakti of ours might be rendered futile by us, O master.

When again the illustrious Krishna protected Pritha's son in this manner, why, O king, would not that foremost of kings protect his own self?

Upon mature thought, I see that there is no person in the three worlds who is able to defeat that subduer of foe viz., Janaraddana, that hero bearing the discus in hand.

Sanjaya said That foremost of car-warrior viz., Satyaki of prowess incapable of being baffled, asked

O Janardana, it had been Karna's firm resolve that he would hurl that dart of infinite energy at Phalguna. Why then did he not hurt if at him actually.

Vasudeva said Dushasana, Karna, Sakuni the ruler of the Sindhus with Duryodhana at their head, had frequently held consultation about this subject.

They used to say to Karna, "Oh Karna, oh mighty bowman, O you of infinite prowess in battle, you should not hurl this Sakti at any one close, O foremost of all victorious combatants.

Except the mighty car-warrior Partha, that son of Kunti who had conquered the lord of wealth himself. Like Vasava among the Gods, he is the most illustrious among the Pandavas.

Upon his slaughter, the rest of the Pandavas and the Srinjayas will be heartless like the god deprived of the fire in his mouth."

Karna having agreed, saying let it be so, O foremost of the Shinis, the slaughter of the wielder of the Gandiva bow was ever the ruling through in Karna's mind.

O foremost of warriors, it was I who confounded the son of Radha, in consequence whereof he did not hurl that Satki at the son of Pandu owning white steeds.

O foremost of warriors, as long as I did not succeed in nullifying that means of Arjuna's death, I enjoyed neither sleep nor joy.

Beholding that dart therefore rendered fruitless through Ghatotkacha, O foremost of the Shinis, I consider Phalguna to be almost saved from the jaws of Death.

Neither my father nor my mother nor yourself, nor my brother, nor even my life, is so worthy of my protection as is Vibhatsu in battle.

If there by anything more precious that the sovereignty of the three worlds, even that I do not want to have at the cost of Dhananjaya the son of Pritha.

Therefore, O Yuyudhana, a great joy has taken possession of myself today, in as much as I look upon Pritha's son as returned from the dead.

For this reason also was the Rakshasa dispatched by me to meet Karna. No one else couid have checked the latter in this nocturnal fight.

Sanjaya said Then the son of Devaki did thus speak to Satyaki, he who devoted to Dhananjaya's good and to what was agreeable to him. was ever couid have checked the latter in this nocturnal fight.

Sanjaya said Then the son of Devaki did thus speak to Satyaki, he who devoted to Dhananjaya's good and to what was agreeable to him. was ever