t placed thine own self, however, in a position of difficulty. We
have, in consequence of this, been placed in great danger! Who is there
that would abandon sovereignty within grasp, after having vanquished all
his foes and when he hath only one foe to dispose of and that one plunged
in difficulties? I do not see that man in the world today, be he a god,
who is competent to vanquish the mace-armed Duryodhana in battle! Neither
thou nor Bhima, nor Nakula nor Sahadeva, nor Phalguna, is capable of
vanquishing Duryodhana in fair fight! King Duryodhana is possessed of
great skill! How then, O Bharata, canst thou say unto such a foe words
such as these, 'Fight, selecting the mace as thy weapon, and if thou
canst slay one amongst us, thou shalt then be king?' If Duryodhana
encounters Vrikodara amongst us wishing to fight fairly with him, even
then our victory would be doubtful. Duryodhana is possessed of great
might and great skill. How couldst thou say unto him, 'Slaying only one
amongst us be thou king'? Without a doubt, the offspring of Pandu and
Kunti are not destined to enjoy sovereignty! They were born for passing
their lives in continued exile in the woods or in mendicancy!"

"'Bhimasena said, "O slayer of Madhu, do not, O delighter of the Yadus,
give way to sorrow! However, difficult to reach it, I shall today reach
the end of these hostilities! Without doubt, I shall slay Suyodhana in
battle! It appears, O Krishna, that the victory of Yudhishthira the just
is certain! This mace of mine is heavier than Duryodhana's by one and a
half times! Do not, O Madhava, give way to grief! I dare fight him,
selecting the mace as the weapon! Let all of you, O Janardana, stand as
spectators of the encounter! What do you say of Suyodhana, I would fight
with the three worlds including the very gods, even if they be armed with
every kind of weapon!"'

"Sanjaya continued, 'After Vrikodara had said these words, Vasudeva,
filled with joy, applauded him highly and said unto him, "Relying on
thee, O thou of mighty arms, king Yudhishthira the just will, without
doubt, get back his own blazing prosperity after the slaughter of all his
foes! Thou hast slain all the sons of Dhritarashtra in battle! At thy
hands many kings and princes and elephants have met with their fate! The
Kalingas, the Magadhas, the Kauravas, the Westerners, the Gandharas have
all been slain in dreadful battle, O son of Pandu! Slaying Duryodhana
then, O son of Kunti, bestow