r, thy son Duryodhana stood
there, armed with mace, and with limbs bathed in blood. Covered with
blood and drenched with water, his body then looked like a mountain
shedding water from within. As he stood armed with mace, the Pandavas
regarded him to be the angry son of Surya himself armed with the bludgeon
called Kinkara. With voice deep as that of the clouds or of a bull
roaring in joy, Duryodhana then, of great prowess, armed with his mace,
summoned the Parthas to battle.'

"'Duryodhana said, "You will have, O Yudhishthira, to encounter me one at
a time! It is not proper, that one hero should fight with many at the
same time, especially when that single warrior is divested of armour,
fatigued with exertion, covered with water, exceedingly mangled in limbs,
and without cars, animals and troops! Let the gods in heaven behold me
fight single-handed destitute of all equipment and deprived of even
armour and weapons! I shall certainly fight all of you! Thou shalt be
judge, as thou hast the necessary qualifications, of the propriety and
impropriety of everything!"

"'Yudhishthira said, "How is it, O Duryodhana, that thou hadst not this
knowledge when many great car-warriors, uniting together, slew Abhimanyu
in battle? Kshatriya duties are exceedingly cruel, unmindful of all
considerations, and without the least compassion! Otherwise, how could
you slay Abhimanyu under those circumstances? All of you were acquainted
with righteousness! All of you were heroes! All of you were prepared to
lay down your lives in battle! The high end declared for those that fight
righteously is the attainment of the regions of Shakra! If this be your
duty, that one should never be slain by many, why is it then that
Abhimanyu was slain by many, acting in accord with thy counsels? All
creatures, when in difficulty forget considerations of virtue. They then
view the gates of the other world to be closed. Put on armour, O hero,
and bind thy locks! Take everything else, O Bharata, of which thou
standest in need! This another wish of thine, O hero, I grant thee in
addition, that if thou canst slay him amongst the five Pandavas with whom
thou wishest an encounter, thou shalt then be king! Otherwise, slain (by
him), thou shalt proceed to heaven! Except thy life, O hero, tell us what
boon we may grant thee."

"Sanjaya continued, 'Then thy son, O king, cased his body with armour
made of gold, and put on a beautiful head-gear adorned with pure gold.
Cl