THE HARMONY OF VIRTUE

208 The Harmony of Virtueexile in the forest; and though infallible in the mellay, thoughable by force impetuous to conquer the whole earth, yet the sonsof Pandu stood by their honour religiously; harsh and austeretheir vow but for the six years and the seven they kept it, noblestof men, the sons of Pandu; and this the thirteenth yearand most difficult they have passed before all your eyes unrecognised;in exile they passed it, the mighty-minded ones, sufferingmany and intolerable hardships, in the service of strangers,in menial employments cherishing their desire of the kingdomthat belongeth to their lineage. Since this is so, do ye think outsomewhat that shall be for the good both of the King, the sonof Righteousness and of Duryodhana, just and glorious and worthyof the great Kurus; for Yudhishthira the just would not desireeven the kingship of the gods unjustly, yet would he cling to thelordship of some small village which he might hold with expediencyand justice. For it is known to you kings that how by dishonestproceeding his father's kingdom was torn from him bythe sons of Dhritarashtra and himself cast into great and unbearabledanger; for not in battle did they conquer him by their own prowess,these sons of Dhritarashtra; even so the king with his friendsdesired the welfare of his wrongers. But what the sons of Panduwith their own hands amassed by conquest crushing the lordsof earth, that these mighty ones demand, even Kunti's sonsand Madravatie's. But even when they were children, they weresought by various means to be slain of their banded foemen,savage and unrighteous, for greed of their kingdom, yea all thisis known to you utterly. Considering therefore their growinggreed and the righteousness of Yudhishthira, considering alsotheir close kinship, form you a judgment each man to himselfand together. And since these have always clung to truth andloyally observed the contract, if they know they are wronged,they may well slay all the sons of Dhritarashtra. And hearingof any wrong done by these in this business their friends wouldgather round, the Pandavas, yea and repel war with war andslay them. If natheless ye deem these too weak in numbersfor victory, yet would they all band together and with theirfriends at last to strive to destroy them. Moreover none knoweththe mind of Duryodhana rightly, what he meaneth to do, and