"
SECTION LX
"Arjuna said, 'The time, O Karna, hath now come for making good thy
loquacious boast in the midst of the assembly, viz., that there is none
equal to thee in fight. Today, O Karna, contending with me in terrible
conflict, thou shalt know thy own strength, and shalt no longer
disregard others. Abandoning good breeding, thou hadst uttered many
harsh words, but this that thou endeavourest to do, is, I think,
exceedingly difficult. Do thou now, O Radha's son, contending with me in
the sight of the Kurus, make good what thou hadst said before in
disregard of myself. Thou who hadst witnessed Panchala's princess
outraged by villains in the midst of the court, do thou now reap the
fruit of that act of thine. Fettered by the bonds of morality before, I
desisted from vengeance then. Behold now, O son of Radha, the fruit of
that wrath in conflict at hand. O wicked wight, we have suffered much
misery in that forest for full twelve years. Reap thou today the fruits
of our concentrated vengeance. Come, O Karna, cope with me in battle.
Let these thy Kaurava warriors witness the conflict.' Hearing these
words, Karna replied, 'Do thou, O Partha, accomplish in deed what thou
sayst in words. The world knows that thy words verily exceed thy deed.
That thou hadst foreborne formerly was owing to thy inability to do
anything. If we witness thy prowess even now, we may acknowledge its
truth. If thy past forbearance was due to thy having been bound by the
bonds of morality, truly thou art equally bound now although thou
regardest thyself free.
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