If a kinsman shrinks in the presence of a prosperous relative, like a deer at the sight of a hunter armed with arrows, then the prosperous relative takes upon himself all the sins of the other. O best of men, you will repent (for this inaction of yours now) when in the future you hear of the death of the Pandavas or of your own sons. Oh, consider all of this. Since life itself is unstable, one should from the very outset avoid that act on account of which one would have to indulge in regret, entering the abode of sorrow. It is true that, apart from Bhargava, the author of the science of morality, a man may commit acts contrary to morality. Yet it is seen that a just sense of consequences abides in all intelligent people. You are an aged descendant of the Kuru race. If Duryodhana has in the past inflicted these wrongs upon the sons of Pandu, it is your duty, O lord of men, to set them all right. Having restored them to their position, you will in this world be cleansed of all your sins and will become, O lord of men, an object of reverence even to those whose souls are under control.