Section LXXXVII

"Vidura said,

'O monarch, O best of men, you are respected by three worlds. You, O Bharata, art loved and regarded by every body. Venerable in year as you are, what you will say at this age cap never be against the dictates of the scriptures or the conclusions of well-directed reason, for your mind is ever calm. Your subjects, O king, are well-assured that, like characters on stone, light in the sun, and billows in the ocean, virtue resides in you permanently.

O monarch, every one is honoured and made happy in consequence of your numerous virtues. Strive, therefore, with your friends and kinsmen to retain those virtues of thine. Oh, adopt sincerity of behaviour. Do not from folly, cause a wholesale destruction of your sons, grandsons, friends, kinsmen, and all that are dear to you. It is much, O king, that you wishes to give unto Kesava as your guest. Know, however, that Kesava deserves all this and much more, aye, the whole earth itself. I truly swear by my own soul that you dost not wish to give all this unto Krishna either from motives of virtue or for the object of doing what is agreeable to him. O giver of great wealth, all this betrays only deception, falsehood, and insincerity. By the external acts, O king, I know your secret purpose.

The five Pandavas, O king, desire only five villages. You, however, dost not wish to give them even that. You are, therefore, unwilling to make peace. You seeks to make the mighty-armed hero of Vrishni’s race your own by means of your wealth; in foot, by this means, you seeks to separate Kesava from the Pandavas. I tell you, however, that you are unable, by wealth, or attention, or worship, to separate Krishna from Dhananjaya. I know magnanimity of Krishna; I know firm devotion of Arjuna towards him, I know that Dhananjaya, who is Kesava’s life, is incapable of being given up by the latter.

Save only a vessel of water, save only the washing of his feet, save only the (usual) enquiries after the welfare (of those he will see), Janardana will not accept any other hospitality or set his eyes on any other thing. Offer him, however, O king, that hospitality which is the most agreeable to that illustrious one deserving of every respect, for there is no respect that may not be offered to Janardana. Give unto Kesava, O king, that object in expectation of which, from desire of benefiting both parties, he comes to the Kurus. Kesava desires peace to be established between you and Duryodhana on one side and the Pandavas on the other. Follow his counsels, O, monarch. You are their father, O king, and the Pandavas are your sons. You are old, and they are children to you in years, behave as father towards them, that are disposed to pay you filial regard."