Section 39

"’shalya said, "Do not, O Suta’s son, give away to any man a golden car with six bulls of elephantine proportions. You will obtain a sight of Dhananjaya today. From foolishness you are giving away wealth as if you were the Lord of treasures. Without any trouble, however, O son of Radha, you will behold Dhananjaya today. You are for giving away this wealth like a senseless person; but you seest not the demerits attaching to those gifts that are made to undeserving persons. With that large wealth which you are desirous of giving away, you are certainly able to perform many sacrifices. Therefore, O Suta’s son, do you perform those sacrifices. As regards your desire, entertained from folly, that is surely vain. We have never heard of a couple of lions having been overthrown by a fox. You seeks what should never be sought by you. It seems that you have no friends for forbidding you that art speedily falling into a blazing fire. You are unable to discriminate between what you should do and what you should not. Without doubt your period is full. What man desirous of living would utter speeches that are so incoherent and undeserving of being listened to? This your endeavour is like that of a person desirous of crossing the ocean by the aid of only his two arms after having attached to his neck a heavy stone, or of one desirous of leaping down from the summit of a mountain. If you are desirous of winning what is for your good, fight with Dhananjaya, well protected from within your arrayed division, and aided by all your warriors. I say this to you for the good of Dhritarashtra’s son and not from any ill will to you. If you have any wish for preserving your life then accept the words spoken by me."

"'Karna said, "Relying on the might of my own arms I seek Arjuna in battle. You, however, that art a foe with the face of a friend desirest to frighten me. No person shall deter me from this resolution, not even Indra himself uplifting his thunder; what then need be said of a mortal?'"

"Sanjaya continued, 'At the conclusion of these words of Karna, Shalya, the ruler of the Madras, desirous of provoking Karna exceedingly, said these words in reply, "When keen-pointed shafts winged with Kanka feathers, shot by Phalguna of mighty arms and impelled from his bow-string and sped with all his energy will seek you then will you lament your encounter with that hero. When Partha, called also Savyasaci, taking up his celestial bow, will scorch the (Kuru) army and afflict you exceedingly with keen shafts, then, O Suta’s son, will you repent (of your folly). As a child lying on the lap of its mother seeks to seize the Moon, even so dost you from folly seek to vanquish the resplendent Arjuna stationed on his car. In desiring, O Karna, to fight today with Arjuna of keen-edged feats, you are for rubbing all your limbs against the keen edges of a trident. This your challenge of Arjuna, O Suta’s son, is like that of a foolish young little deer of activity challenging a huge lion excited with wrath. Do not, O Suta’s son, challenge that prince of mighty energy like a fox gratified with meat in the forest challenging the maned monarch of the forest. Do not be destroyed, encountering Arjuna. You, O Karna, challengest Dhananjaya, the son of Pritha, even like a hare challenging a mighty elephant with tusks large as plough-shafts, and with the juice issuing out of its mouth and rent cheeks. From folly you are piercing, with a piece of wood, the black cobra of virulent poison excited to fury within its hole, in desiring to fight with Partha. Endued with little understanding, you, O Karna, disregarding that lion among men, viz., the son of Pandu, yellest at him, like a jackal that, disregarding a maned lion excited with wrath, yells at him. As a snake, for its own destruction, challenges that foremost of birds, viz., Vinata’s son, possessed of beautiful plumage and great activity, even so dost you, O Karna, challenge Dhananjaya the son of Pandu. You desirest to cross without a raft the terrible ocean, the receptacle of all the waters, with its mountain waves and teeming with aquatic animals, when at its height at the rise of the Moon. O Karna, you challengest Dhananjaya, the son of Pritha, to battle even like a calf challenging a smiting bull of keen horns and neck thick as a drum. Like a frog croaking at a terrible and mighty cloud yielding copious showers of rain, you croakest at Arjuna who is even like Parjanya among men. As a dog from within the precincts of the house of his master barks at a forest-roaming tiger, even so, O Karna, you barkest at Dhananjaya, that tiger among men. A jackal, O Karna, residing in the forest in the midst of hares regards himself a lion till he actually sees a lion. Even so, O son of Radha, you regardest thyself a lion, for you dost not behold that repressor of foes, that tiger among men, viz., Dhananjaya. You regardest thyself a lion till you behold the two Krishnas stationed on the same car like Surya and Candramas. As long as you dost not hear the twang of Gandiva in great battle, so long art you able to do what you pleasest. Beholding Partha, causing the ten points of the compass to resound with the roar of his car and the twang of his bow, and beholding him roaring like a tiger, you will become a jackal. You are always a jackal, and Dhananjaya always a lion. O fool, in consequence of your envy and hatred for heroes, you always, seemest to be like a jackal. As a mouse and a car are to each other in strength, or a dog and a tiger, a fox and a lion, or a hare and an elephant, as falsehood and truth, as poison and nectar, even so art you and Partha known to all by your respective deeds.'"