hou virtuously thy own sons
and those of Pandu. That virtue had been beguiled by wicked souls with
Suvala's son at their head, when thy sons invited the righteous
Yudhishthira and defeated him in the match at dice. O king, of this deed
of utter iniquity I behold this expiation whereby, O chief of the Kurus,
thy son, freed from sin, may win back his position among good men. Let
the sons of Pandu, obtain that which was given unto them by thee. For,
verily, even this is the highest morality that a king should remain
content with his own, and never covet another's possessions. Thy good
name then would not suffer nor would family dissensions ensue, nor
unrighteousness be thine. This then is thy prime duty now,--to gratify
the Pandavas and disgrace Sakuni. If thou wishest to restore to thy sons
the good fortune they have lost, then, O king, do thou speedily adopt
this line of conduct. If thou dost not act so, the Kurus will surely meet
with destruction, for neither Bhimasena nor Arjuna, if angry, will leave
any of their foes unslain. What is there in the world which is
unattainable to those who cannot among their warriors Savyasachin skilled
in arms; who have the Gandiva, the most powerful of all weapons in the
world, for their bow; and who have amongst them the mighty Bhima also as
a warrior? Formerly, as soon as thy son was born, I told thee,--Forsake
thou this inauspicious child of thine. Herein lieth the good of thy
race.--But thou didst not then act accordingly. Nor also, O king, have I
pointed out to thee the way of thy welfare. If thou doest as I have
counselled, thou shalt not have to repent afterwards. If thy son consent
to reign in peace jointly with the sons of Pandu, passing thy days in joy
thou shalt not have to repent. Should it be otherwise, abandon thou thy
child for thy own happiness. Putting Duryodhana aside, do thou install
the son of Pandu in the sovereignty, and let, O king, Ajatasatru, free
from passion, rule the earth virtuously. All the kings of the earth,
then, like Vaisyas, will, without delay, pay homage unto us. And, O king,
let Duryodhana and Sakuni and Karna with alacrity wait upon the Pandavas.
And let Dussasana, in open court, ask forgiveness of Bhimasena and of the
daughter of Drupada also. And do thou pacify Yudhishthira by placing him
on the throne with every mark of respect. Asked by thee, what else can I
counsel thee to do? By doing this, O monarch, thou wouldst do what was
proper.'

'Dhri