Page:The Mahabharata of Krishna-Dwaipayana Vyasa (Volume 1).pdf/466

452 they said;-'Wecannot, O king, speak of any transgression in the presence of Vidura ! We have now found thee alone, and will, therefore, say all we like ! What is this that thou hast, O monarch, desired to do? Dost thou regard the prosperity of thy foes as if it were thy own, that thou hast been applauding the Pandavas, O foremost of men, in the presence of Vidura ? O sinless one, thou actest not, o king, in the way thou shouldst ! O father, we should now act every day in such a way as to weaken ( the strength of the Pandavas 1 The time hath come, O father, for us to take counsel together, so that the Pandavas may not swallow us all with our children and friends and relatives t" • Thus ends the two hundred and second section in the Viduragamana Parva of the Adi Parva.

Vaisampayana said, "Dhritarashtra replied, saying.-'I desire to do exactly what you would recommend. But I do not wish to inform Vidura of it even by a change of muscle. It was, therefore, O son, that I was applauding the Pandavas in Vidura's presence, so that he might not know even by a sign what is in mind. Now that Vidura hath gone away, this is the time, O Suyodhana (Duryyodhana ), for telling me what thou hast hit upon, and what. O Radheya ( Karna ) thou too hast hit upon

Duryyodhana said.--'Let us, O father, by means of trusted and skilful and adroit Brahmanas, seek to produce dissensions between the sons of Kunti and Madri. Or, let king Drupada and his sons, and all his ministers of state, be plied with presents of large wealth, so that they may abandon the cause of Yudhishthira, the son ot Kunti. Or. let our spies induce the Pandavas to settle in Drupada's dominions, by describing to them, separately, the inconvenience of residing in Hastinapura, so that, separated from us, they may permanently settle in Panchala. Or, let some clever spies, full of resources, sowing the seeds of dissension among the Pandavas, make them jealous of one another. Or, let them incite Krishna against her husbands. She has many lords and this will not present any difficulty. Or, let some seek to make the Pandavas themselves dissatisfied with Krishna, in which case Krishna also will be dissatisfied with them. Or, let, O King, some clever spies, repairing thither, secretly compass the death of Bhimasena. Bhima is the strongest of them all. Relying upon Bhima alone, the