Duryodhana and Karna Urge Dhritarashtra to Plot
After Dhritarashtra publicly praises the Pandavas' good fortune, his son Duryodhana and the warrior Karna pull him aside. They accuse him of applauding his rivals and insist the time has come for secret counsel to weaken the Pandavas before they destroy the Kauravas.
Dhritarashtra had just finished speaking words of apparent goodwill about the Pandavas' prosperity. Vidura, his half-brother and adviser, blessed him, saying, "O king! May this intelligence of yours last for a hundred years."
The moment Vidura finished, Duryodhana and Karna, the son of Radha, approached Dhritarashtra. Their manner was urgent. "We cannot speak in Vidura's presence," they told the blind king. "We wish to speak to you in private."
Once they had his ear alone, their criticism was sharp and direct. "What do you want to do now? O father! Do you take the prosperity of your rivals to be that of your own?" They reminded him of his public praise before the kshatta (Vidura). "O supreme among men! You applauded them... You act one way when another needs to be done."
Their demand was clear and uncompromising. "O father! We must always act in a way so as to weaken their strength." The crisis, in their view, was immediate. "The time has come for us to counsel one another," they declared, "so that they do not swallow us up, with our sons, armies and relatives."