behoveth thee, O lord, to show me mercy. Slay the brave sons
of Pandu like Mahendra slaying the Danavas.--"I will slay, O king, all the
Somakas and the Panchalas and the Karushas along with the Kekayas, O
Bharata"--these were thy words to me. Let these words become true. Slay the
assembled Parthas, and those mighty bowmen, viz., the Somakas. Make thy
words true, O Bharata. If from kindness (for the Pandavas), O king, or
from thy hatred of my unfortunate self, thou sparest the Pandavas, then
permit Karna, that ornament of battle, to fight. He will vanquish in
battle the Parthas with all their friends and kinsmen.' The king, thy son
Duryodhana having said this, shut his lips without saying anything more
to Bhishma of terrible prowess."

SECTION XCIX

Sanjaya said, "The high-souled Bhishma, deeply pierced with wordy daggers
by thy son, became filled with great grief. But he said not a single
disagreeable word in reply. Indeed, mangled by those wordy daggers and
filled with grief and rage, he sighed like a snake and reflected (in
silence) for a long while. Raising his eyes then, and as if consuming,
from wrath, the world with the celestials, the Asuras, and the
Gandharvas, that foremost of persons conversant with the world, then
addressed thy son and said unto him these tranquil words, 'Why, O
Duryodhana, dost thou pierce me thus with thy wordy daggers? I always
endeavour to the utmost of my might to achieve, and do achieve, what is
for thy good. Indeed, from desire of doing what is agreeable to thee, I
am prepared to cast away my life in battle. The Pandavas are really
invincible. When the brave son of Pandu gratified Agni in the forest of
Khandava, having vanquished Sakra himself in battle, even that is a
sufficient indication.[462] When, O mighty-armed one, the same son of
Pandu rescued thee while thou wert being led away a captive by the
Gandharvas, even that is a sufficient indication. On that occasion, O
lord, thy brave uterine brothers had all fled, as also Radha's son of the
Suta caste. That (rescue, therefore, by Arjuna) is a sufficient
indication. In Virata's city, alone he fell upon all of us united
together. That is a sufficient indication. Vanquishing in battle both
Drona and myself excited with rage, he took away our robes. That is a
sufficient indication. On that occasion, of old, of the seizure of kine,
he vanquished that mighty bowman the son of Drona, and Saradwat also.
That is a sufficient indicatio