words be acceptable to you or not. What
Karna said unto thee was only for raising our (drooping) courage. As
regards thyself, O preceptor's son, forgive everything. The business at
hand is very grave. When the son of Kunti hath come, this is not the time
for quarrel. Everything should now be forgiven by thyself and the
preceptor Kripa. Like light in the sun, the mastery of all weapons doth
reside in you. As beauty is never separated from Chandramas, so are the
Vedas and the Brahma weapon both established in you. It is often seen
that the four Vedas dwell in one object and Kshatriya attributes in
another. We have never heard of these two dwelling together in any other
person than the preceptor of the Bharata race and his son. Even this is
what I think. In the Vedantas, in the Puranas, and in old histories, who
save Jamadagni, O king, would be Drona's superior? A combination of the
Brahma weapon with the Vedas,--this is never to be seen anywhere else. O
preceptor's son, do thou forgive. This is not the time for disunion. Let
all of us, uniting, fight with Indra's son who hath come. Of all the
calamities that may befall an army that have been enumerated by men of
wisdom, the worst is disunion among the leaders.' Aswatthaman said, 'O
bull among men, these thy just observations, need not be uttered in our
presence; the preceptor, however, filled with wrath, had spoken of
Arjuna's virtues. The virtues of even an enemy should be admitted, while
the faults of even one's preceptor may be pointed out; therefore one
should, to the best of his power, declare the merits of a son or a
disciple.'

"Duryodhana said, 'Let the preceptor grant his forgiveness and let peace
be restored. If the preceptor be at one with us, whatever should be done
(in view of the present emergency) would seem to have been already done.'"

Vaisampayana continued, "Then, O Bharata, Duryodhana assisted by Karna
and Kripa, and the high-souled Bhishma pacified Drona.

"Drona said, 'Appeased I have already been at the words first spoken by
Bhishma, the son of Santanu. Let such arrangements be made that Partha
may not be able to approach Duryodhana in battle. And let such
arrangements be made that king Duryodhana may not be captured by the foe,
in consequence either of his rashness or want of judgment. Arjuna hath
not, to be sure, revealed himself before the expiry of the term of exile.
Nor will he pardon this act (of ours) today, having only recovered the
kine.