Duryodhana arranged lavish hospitality for Shalya and his large army along the route. Food, rest, accommodation and other comforts were provided on such a scale that Shalya was deeply impressed. Crucially, Shalya believed that Yudhishthira had arranged everything for him.
Krishna’s private meeting with Karna came only after the public diplomatic process at Hastinapura had broken down. Krishna had already spoken before the Kuru court and urged Dhritarashtra, Duryodhana and the senior elders to avoid a war that would destroy much of the Kuru world.
That distinction gave the Pandava side considerable diplomatic strength. Their position could be presented not as a demand for new territory, but as a request for the restoration of rights that had already been recognised within the political framework of the Kuru kingdom.
Krishna therefore entered Hastinapura carrying more than a territorial proposal. He carried the final opportunity for the Kauravas and Pandavas to resolve their conflict before political rivalry became irreversible bloodshed.
His task is therefore deeply complicated. Dhritarashtra wants him to persuade Yudhishthira to preserve peace, but the Kuru court is unwilling to make the political concession most likely to secure that peace: restoration of the Pandavas’ rightful share of the kingdom. Sanjaya must consequently defend a negotiating position whose internal contradiction he can clearly see.
