object, possessed as thou art
of great wisdom, or why didst not thou remind Karna of it?'

"Sanjaya said, 'Indeed, O king, every night this formed the subject of
deliberation with Duryodhana and Sakuni and myself and Duhsasana. And we
said unto Karna, "Excluding all other warriors, O Karna, slay Dhananjaya.
We would then lord it over the Pandu's and the Panchalas as if these were
our slaves. Or, if upon Partha's fall, he of Vrishni's race appoints
another amongst the sons of Pandu (in this place for carrying on the
fight), let Krishna himself be slain. Krishna is the root of the
Pandavas, and Partha is like their risen trunk. The other sons of Pritha
are like their branches, while the Panchalas may be called their leaves.
The Pandavas have Krishna for their refuge, Krishna for their might,
Krishna for their leader. Indeed, Krishna is their central support even
as the moon is of the constellations. Therefore, O Suta's son, avoiding
the leaves and branches and trunk, slay that Krishna who is everywhere
and always the root of the Pandavas. Indeed, if Karna had slain him of
Dasarha's race, viz., that delighter of the Yadavas, the whole earth, O
king, would, without doubt, have come under thy control. Truly, O
monarch, if that illustrious one, that delighter of both the Yadavas and
the Pandavas, could be made to lie down on the earth, deprived of life,
then certainly, O monarch, the entire earth with the mountains and
forests would have owned thy supremacy." We rose every morning, having
formed such a resolution in respect of that Lord of the very gods, viz.,
Hrishikesa of immeasurable energy. At the time of battle, however, we
forget our resolution. Kesava always protected Arjuna, the son of Kunti.
He never placed Arjuna before the Suta's son in battle. Indeed, Achyuta
always placed other foremost of car-warriors before Karna, thinking how
that fatal dart of ours might be made fruitless by ourselves, O lord!
When, again, the high-souled Krishna protected Partha in this manner from
Karna, why, O monarch, would not that foremost of beings protect his own
self? Reflecting well, I see that there is no person in the three worlds
who is able to vanquish that chastiser of foes, viz., Janardana, that
hero bearing the discus in hand.'

"Sanjaya continued, 'That tiger among car-warriors, viz., Satyaki of
prowess incapable of being baffled, asked the mighty-armed Krishna about
the great car-warrior, Karna, saying, "O Janardana, even