'Thus, O king, the mighty and illustrious Garuda, son of Vinata, having suffered from the might of Vishnu, was cured of his pride.' Kanva continued: 'In just the same way, O son of Gandhari, you live, O son, only so long as you do not come near the heroic sons of Pandu in battle. Whom there — whom can Bhima, the foremost of destroyers, that mighty son of Vayu, or Dhananjaya, the son of Indra, fail to slay in battle? Vishnu himself, Vayu, Dharma, and the Ashvins — these gods are your enemies. Not to speak of facing them, you are not even able to look upon them on the field of battle. Therefore, O prince, do not seek war; let peace be made through Vasudeva. It behooves you thus to save your line. This great ascetic Narada himself witnessed with his own eyes the incident I have related to you, which shows the greatness of Vishnu; know, then, that this Krishna is the bearer of the discus and the mace!' Vaishampayana continued: 'Having heard these words of the Rishi, Duryodhana knitted his brows and began to breathe heavily. And, casting a glance at the son of Radha, he burst into loud laughter. And, disregarding these words of the sage, that wicked one began to slap his thigh, which resembled the trunk of an elephant. And, addressing the Rishi, he said: "I am, O great Rishi, exactly as the Creator made me. What must be, must be. That which is destined in my case must come to pass; I cannot act otherwise. So what use can these meaningless recitations serve?"'