ing thy heart on what is truly beneficial, and
restraining thyself by thy own self, do my bidding, O son, so that thou
mayst not have to repent afterwards.

"'"In this world, the slaughter of sleeping persons is not applauded,
agreeably to the dictates of religion. The same is the case with persons
that have laid down their arms and come down from cars and steeds. They
also are unslayable who say 'We are thine!' and they that surrender
themselves, and they whose locks are dishevelled, and they whose animals
have been killed under them or whose cars have been broken. All the
Pancalas will sleep tonight, O lord, divesting themselves of armour.
Trustfully sunk in sleep, they will be like dead men. That crooked-minded
man who would wage hostility with them then, it is evident, would sink in
deep and limitless hell without a raft save himself. In this world thou
art celebrated as the foremost of all persons conversant with weapons.
Thou hast not as yet committed even a minute trespass. When the sun rises
next morning and light shall discover all things, thyself, like a second
sun in effulgence wilt conquer the foe in battle. This censurable deed,
so impossible in one like thee, will look like a red spot on a white
sheet. Even this is my opinion."

"'Ashvatthama said, "Without doubt, it is even so, O maternal uncle, as
thou sayest. The Pandavas, however, have before this broken the bridge of
righteousness into a hundred fragments. In the very sight of all the
kings, before thy eyes also, my sire, after he had laid down his weapons,
was slain by Dhrishtadyumna. Karna also, that foremost of car-warriors,
after the wheel of his car had sunk and he had been plunged into great
distress, was slain by the wielder of Gandiva. Similarly, Shantanu's son
Bhishma, after he had laid aside his weapons and become disarmed, was
slain by Arjuna with Shikhandi placed in his van. So also, the mighty
bowman Bhurishrava, while observant of the praya vow on the field of
battle, was slain by Yuyudhana in total disregard of the cries of all the
kings! Duryodhana too, having encountered Bhima in battle with the mace,
hath been slain unrighteously by the former in the very sight of all the
lords of earth. The king was all alone in the midst of a large number of
mighty car-warriors standing around him. Under such circumstances was
that tiger among men slain by Bhimasena. Those lamentations that I have
heard, of the king lying prostrate on the earth wit