Having saluted the Supreme Deity (Narayana), and the highest of all male beings (Nara) and also the Goddess of Learning (Saraswati), let us cry success!
Vaishampayana said: -
1. Then the heroic sons of Kuru belonging to the party of Abhimanyu pleased at having celebrated his (Abhimanyu’s) nuptials and having rested during the night, awoke at break of day and went to the court of Virata.
2. The court of the Lord of the Matsyas was richly decorated and adorned with a collection of precious stones and choice gems, with seats arranged in it, having garlands and filled with fragrance. Those aged kings among men came there.
3. On the front seats sat the two kings Virata and Drupada, aged and revered among the rulers of the earth, and Rama and Janardana also along with their father.
4. Near the king of Panchala sat the brave ruler of Sini along with the son of Rohini and next to the king of Matsya (sat) Janardana and Yudhisthira.
5. (There sat) also all the sons of king Drupada, Bhima and Arjuna, the two sons of Madri, Pradyumna and Samba, who were valiant in battle, and Abhimanyu in company with the son of Virata.
6. And on the best seats wrought in gold sat the heroic sons of Draupadi who were equal to their fathers in valour, beauty and strength.
7. Those mighty heroes, shining in ornaments and clothes, being seated, that assemblage of kings shone like the firmament studded with beautiful stars.
8. Then those kings, heroes among men, having engaged in conversation with one another on various topics, remained for a moment gazing pensively on Krishna.
9. Those lions among kings, having reached the end of their talk, and their attention having been called by Madhava to the affairs of the Pandavas, listened to his lofty speech which conveyed deep meaning.
Krishna said: -
10. It is known to you all how this Yudhisthira was defeated by a trick at a game of dice by the son of Suvala, how he was robbed of his kingdom, and how he made a stipulation regarding his exile in the forest.
11. The sons of Pandu, who are capable of subjugating the world by sheer force of arms, whose chariots go unrestrained to the celestial or the terrestrial regions and who are true to their words, have fulfilled that austere vow for thirteen years.
12. The thirteenth year in the forest has been very hard, but this these great men have passed, unknown to you and suffering various sorts of unbearable hardships.
13. Even they who have been engaged in the menial service of others seek their family and their kingdom; such being the case, consider what is best for the son of Dharma (Yudhisthira) and forking Duryodhana.
14. (Consider) also what is right, suitable and calculated to redound to the glory of the illustrious Kauravas. The virtuous king Yudhisthira does not want even the kingdom of the gods wrongfully.
15-16. He would rather prefer the rightful lordship of some single village. It is known to all the kings (assembled here) how he has been robbed of his ancestral kingdom with the help of a mean trick by the sons of Dhritarashtra by whom the son of Pritha has not been vanquished through prowess borne by him.
17-19. Still the king Yudhisthira with his friends wishes them prosperity. The sons of Kunti, heroes among men, and the two sons of Madri, seek only what has been earned by the sons of Pandu by overthrowing the king and winning victory over him. It is also well known to you how, when they were mere boys, their enemies who were cruel, dishonest and who sought to get the kingdom, attempted by several means to kill them. Consider their greediness and also the extreme piety of Yudhisthira.
20. Consider also the relationship between them; consult together and also think each of you yourself. They have always been attached to truth and have always fulfilled their promises.
21. If they are now wrongfully treated let them slay all the sons of Dhritarashtra or let their friends who see the unworthy treatment they get in this matter make them (the sons of Dhritarashtra) desist.
22-23. If they (the sons of Dhritarashtra) oppose them (the Pandavas) in battle the latter thus opposed will kill them; and if you are of opinion that the Pandavas, owing to insufficiency of numbers, will not be able to win victory over them let them combine with all their friends and try to overthrow them. The intentions of Duryodhana are not known nor what he is going to do.
24. The intentions of the other side not being known, how can you determine on what to do yourself. Therefore, let a man virtuous, holy, of good parentage and wileless go from here -a capable ambassador who will be able to persuade them into surrendering half of Yudhisthira’s kingdom.
25. Hearing this speech of Janardana which was pregnant with meaning and virtue, interesting and impartial, his elder brother accepted the suggestions and after praising the speech addressed him O king, thus.
Thus ends the first chapter, the speech of Krishna, in the Sainyodyoga of the Udyoga Parva.