Duryodhana's Schemes Against the Pandavas

Verse 1 (1.220.1)

दुर्योधनेनैवमुक्तः कर्णेन च विशांपते । पुत्रं च सूतपुत्रं च धृतराष्ट्रोऽब्रवीदिदम् ॥

duryodhanenaivamuktaḥ karṇena ca viśāṃpate | putraṃ ca sūtaputraṃ ca dhṛtarāṣṭro'bravīdidam

Addressed in this way by Duryodhana and by Karna, O lord of the people, Dhritarashtra said this to his son and to the son of the charioteer:

Note on the text: The speaker heading "वैशंपायन उवाच" had slipped into the verse text in the input; moved to the speaker field. Removed stray wiki marks (a backtick, an extra double danda and a quote mark). Not in the critical edition (found in the vulgate recension). (CE apparatus 1.193.0*1959.)

Verse 2 (1.220.2)

अहमप्येवमेवैतच्चिकीर्षामि यथा युवाम् । विवेक्तुं नाहमिच्छामि त्वाकारं विदुरं प्रति ॥

ahamapyevamevaitaccikīrṣāmi yathā yuvām | vivektuṃ nāhamicchāmi tvākāraṃ viduraṃ prati

I too want exactly what you two want; but I do not wish to let Vidura see what I really intend.

Verse 3 (1.220.3)

ततस्तेषां गुणानेव कीर्तयामि विशेषतः । नावबुध्येत विदुरो ममाभिप्रायमिङ्गितैः ॥

tatasteṣāṃ guṇāneva kīrtayāmi viśeṣataḥ | nāvabudhyeta viduro mamābhiprāyamiṅgitaiḥ

That is why I make a point of praising their virtues, so that Vidura may not guess my purpose from my gestures.

Verse 4 (1.220.4)

यच्च त्वं मन्यसे प्राप्तं तद्ब्रवीहि सुयोधन । राधेय मन्यसे यच्च प्राप्तकालं वदाशु मे ॥

yacca tvaṃ manyase prāptaṃ tadbravīhi suyodhana | rādheya manyase yacca prāptakālaṃ vadāśu me

Suyodhana, tell me what you think is called for; and Radheya, tell me quickly what you think the moment requires.

Verse 5 (1.220.5)

अद्य तान्कुशलैर्विप्रैः सुगुप्तैराप्तकारिभिः । कुन्तीपुत्रान्भेदयामो माद्रीपुत्रौ च पाण्डवौ ॥

adya tānkuśalairvipraiḥ suguptairāptakāribhiḥ | kuntīputrānbhedayāmo mādrīputrau ca pāṇḍavau

Let us this very day set the sons of Kunti and the two sons of Madri, the Pandavas, against one another, through skilled and trusty brahmins working in close secrecy.

Verse 6 (1.220.6)

अथवा द्रुपदो राजा महद्भिर्वित्तसंचयैः । पुत्राश्चास्य प्रलोभ्यन्ताममात्याश्चैव सर्वशः ॥

athavā drupado rājā mahadbhirvittasaṃcayaiḥ | putrāścāsya pralobhyantāmamātyāścaiva sarvaśaḥ

Or let King Drupada, his sons and all his ministers be tempted with great heaps of wealth,

Verse 7 (1.220.7)

परित्यजेद्यथा राजा कुन्तीपुत्रं युधिष्ठिरम् । अथ तत्रैव वा तेषां निवासं रोचयन्तु ते ॥

parityajedyathā rājā kuntīputraṃ yudhiṣṭhiram | atha tatraiva vā teṣāṃ nivāsaṃ rocayantu te

so that the king abandons Yudhishthira, son of Kunti. Or else let them make the Pandavas fond of living right there,

Verse 8 (1.220.8)

इहैषां दोषवद्वासं वर्णयन्तु पृथक्पृथक् । ते भिद्यमानास्तत्रैव मनः कुर्वन्तु पाण्डवाः ॥

ihaiṣāṃ doṣavadvāsaṃ varṇayantu pṛthakpṛthak | te bhidyamānāstatraiva manaḥ kurvantu pāṇḍavāḥ

describing to each of them separately how full of trouble a life here would be, so that the Pandavas, divided, set their hearts on staying there.

Verse 9 (1.220.9)

अथवा कुशलाः केचिदुपायनिपुणा नराः । इतरेतरतः पार्थान्भेदयन्त्वनुरागतः ॥

athavā kuśalāḥ kecidupāyanipuṇā narāḥ | itaretarataḥ pārthānbhedayantvanurāgataḥ

Or let some clever men, skilled in stratagems, set the Parthas against one another by playing on their love.

Note on the text: Corrected कुशळाः → कुशलाः (misprint in Wikisource; ळ for ल, as in the critical edition "kuśalāḥ").

Verse 10 (1.220.10)

व्युत्थापयन्तु वा कृष्णां बहुत्वात्सुकरं हि तत् । अथवा पाण्डवांस्तस्यां भेदयन्तु ततश्च ताम् ॥

vyutthāpayantu vā kṛṣṇāṃ bahutvātsukaraṃ hi tat | athavā pāṇḍavāṃstasyāṃ bhedayantu tataśca tām

Or let them turn Krishna against them, which is easy, since they are many; or else set the Pandavas against her, and then her against them.

Verse 11 (1.220.11)

भीमसेनस्य वा राजन्नुपायकुशलैर्नरैः । मृत्युर्विधीयतां छन्नैः स हि तेषां बलाधिकः ॥

bhīmasenasya vā rājannupāyakuśalairnaraiḥ | mṛtyurvidhīyatāṃ channaiḥ sa hi teṣāṃ balādhikaḥ

Or, O king, let men skilled in stratagems secretly bring about the death of Bhimasena, for he is the strongest of them.

Verse 12 (1.220.12)

तमाश्रित्य हि कौन्तेयः पुरा चास्मान्न मन्यते । स हि तीक्ष्णश्च शूरश्च तेषां चैव परायणम् ॥

tamāśritya hi kaunteyaḥ purā cāsmānna manyate | sa hi tīkṣṇaśca śūraśca teṣāṃ caiva parāyaṇam

Relying on him, Kunti's son has long held us of no account. He is fierce and brave, and he is their mainstay.

Note on the text: Separated सहि → स हि (missing word space in Wikisource). Not in the critical edition (found in the vulgate recension). (CE apparatus 1.193.10*1960.)

Verse 13 (1.220.13)

तस्मिंस्त्वभिहते राजन्हतोत्साहा हतौजसः । यतिष्यन्ते न राज्याय स हि तेषां व्यपाश्रयः ॥

tasmiṃstvabhihate rājanhatotsāhā hataujasaḥ | yatiṣyante na rājyāya sa hi teṣāṃ vyapāśrayaḥ

Once he is struck down, O king, they will lose their zeal and their vigour and will make no effort for the kingdom, for he is their support.

Verse 14 (1.220.14)

अजेयो ह्यर्जुनः सङ्ख्ये पृष्ठगोपे वृकोदरे । तमृते फाल्गुनो युद्धे राधेयस्य न पादभाक् ॥

ajeyo hyarjunaḥ saṅkhye pṛṣṭhagope vṛkodare | tamṛte phālguno yuddhe rādheyasya na pādabhāk

Arjuna is invincible in battle while Vrikodara guards his back; without him, Phalguna in battle is not worth a quarter of Radheya.

Verse 15 (1.220.15)

ते जानानास्तु दौर्बल्यं भीमसेनमृते महत् । अस्मान्बलवतो ज्ञात्वा न यतिष्यन्ति दुर्बलाः ॥

te jānānāstu daurbalyaṃ bhīmasenamṛte mahat | asmānbalavato jñātvā na yatiṣyanti durbalāḥ

Knowing how weak they are without Bhimasena, and knowing us to be strong, they will make no effort, being weak.

Verse 16 (1.220.16)

इहागतेषु वा तेषु निदेशवशवर्तिषु । प्रवर्तिष्यामहे राजन्यथाशास्त्रं निबर्हणम् ॥

ihāgateṣu vā teṣu nideśavaśavartiṣu | pravartiṣyāmahe rājanyathāśāstraṃ nibarhaṇam

Or, once they have come here and are subject to our orders, we shall set about destroying them, O king, as the treatises prescribe.

Verse 17 (1.220.17)

दर्पं वा वदतां तेषां केचिदत्र मनस्विनः । द्रुपदस्यात्मजा राजन्प्रभिद्यन्ते ततः परैः ॥

darpaṃ vā vadatāṃ teṣāṃ kecidatra manasvinaḥ | drupadasyātmajā rājanprabhidyante tataḥ paraiḥ

Or, O king, while they talk arrogantly, some of the high-spirited sons of Drupada there may be split away from them by others.

Note on the text: Removed stray wiki marks (a backtick, an extra double danda and a closing quote mark). Not in the critical edition (found in the vulgate recension). (CE apparatus 1.193.14*1961, with variants.)

Verse 18 (1.220.18)

अथवा दर्शनीयाभिः प्रमदाभिर्विलोभ्यताम् । एकैकस्तत्र कौन्तेयस्ततः कृष्णा विरज्यताम् ॥

athavā darśanīyābhiḥ pramadābhirvilobhyatām | ekaikastatra kaunteyastataḥ kṛṣṇā virajyatām

Or let each son of Kunti be enticed by beautiful women, so that Krishna turns away from them.

Verse 19 (1.220.19)

प्रेष्यतां चैव राधेयस्तेषामागमनाय वै । तैस्तैः प्रकारैः सन्नीय पात्यन्तामाप्तकारिभिः ॥

preṣyatāṃ caiva rādheyasteṣāmāgamanāya vai | taistaiḥ prakāraiḥ sannīya pātyantāmāptakāribhiḥ

And let Radheya be sent to bring them here; once they have been brought in by one means or another, let trusted agents strike them down.

Verse 20 (1.220.20)

एतेषामप्युपायानां यस्ते निर्दोषवान्मतः । तस्य प्रयोगमातिष्ठ पुरा कालोऽतिवर्तते ॥

eteṣāmapyupāyānāṃ yaste nirdoṣavānmataḥ | tasya prayogamātiṣṭha purā kālo'tivartate

Of these stratagems, put into practice whichever seems to you free of fault, before the time slips by.

Note on the text: Corrected यप्रोगम् → प्रयोगम् (misprint in Wikisource; transposed aksharas, as in the critical edition "prayogam").

Verse 21 (1.220.21)

यावद्ध्यकृतविश्वासा द्रुपदे पार्थिवर्षभे । तावदेव हि ते शक्या न शक्यास्तु ततः परम् ॥

yāvaddhyakṛtaviśvāsā drupade pārthivarṣabhe | tāvadeva hi te śakyā na śakyāstu tataḥ param

For only so long as they have not come to trust Drupada, that bull among kings, can they be overcome; after that they cannot.

Verse 22 (1.220.22)

एषा मम मतिस्तात निग्रहाय प्रवर्तते । साध्वी वा यदि वाऽसाध्वी किं वा राधेय मन्यसे ॥

eṣā mama matistāta nigrahāya pravartate | sādhvī vā yadi vā'sādhvī kiṃ vā rādheya manyase

This is my counsel, father, for bringing them to heel, whether it be good or bad. And what do you think, Radheya?