Arjuna, myself protecting the rear of Arjuna (in the fight
that ensued) and Bhima protecting the rear of the sons of Madri, and the
wielder of the Gandiva coming out unharmed from the press of battle
having made a great slaughter of the hostile host,--do they remember
that? It is not by a single good deed, O Sanjaya, that happiness can here
be attained, when by all our endeavours we are unable to win over the son
of Dhritarashtra!'"

SECTION XXIV

"Sanjaya said, 'It is even so as thou hast said, O son of Pandu! Dost
thou enquire about the welfare of the Kurus and of the foremost ones
among them? Free from illness of every kind and in the possession of
excellent spirit are those foremost ones among the Kurus about whom, O
son of Pritha, thou enquirest. Know, O son of Pandu, that there are
certainly righteous and aged men, as also men that are sinful and wicked
about Dhritarashtra's son. Dhritarashtra's son would make gifts even to
his enemies; it is not likely, therefore, that he should withdraw the
donations made to the Brahmanas. It is customary with you, Kshatriyas, to
follow a rule fit for butchers, that leads you to do harm to those that
bear no ill-will to you; but the practice is not good. Dhritarashtra with
his sons would be guilty of the sin of intestine dissension, were he,
like a bad man, to bear ill-will towards you who are righteous. He does
not approve of this injury (done to you); he is exceedingly sorry for it;
he grieves at his heart--the old man--O Yudhishthira,--for, having
communicated with the Brahmanas, he hath learnt that provoking intestine
dissensions is the greatest of all sins. O king of men, they remember thy
prowess on the field, and that of Arjuna, who taketh the lead in the
field of battle. They remember Bhima wielding his mace when the sound of
the conch-shell and the drum rises to the highest pitch. They remember
those mighty car-warriors, the two sons of Madri, who on the field of
battle career in all directions, shooting incessant showers of shafts on
hostile hosts, and who know not what it is to tremble in fight. I
believe, O king, that which Futurity hath in store for a particular
person cannot be known, since thou, O son of Pandu, who art endowed with
all the virtues, hast had to suffer trouble of such unendurable kind. All
this, no doubt, O Yudhishthira, thou wilt again make up by help of your
intelligence. The sons of Pandu, all equal to Indra would never abandon
virtue for th