Dhritarashtra was not pleased to hear that the Pandavas were still alive, but he concealed his true emotions from Vidura. "I love Pandu's children like my own and I'm glad to hear they survived the fire at Varanavata."
He told Vidura to take Duryodhana with him and bring Draupadi and the Pandavas to Hastinapura. But Vidura knew his brother only too well. He said, "I hope your feelings toward the Pandavas don't change in the coming days."
Duryodhana and Karna entered Dhritarashtra's room after Vidura exited. Hearing Vidura and Dhritarashtra's conversation made Duryodhana seethe with anger.
"I was waiting for Vidura to leave," he said. "I didn't want him to hear us speak. I don't understand why you're glad that the Pandavas survived. An enemy's good fortune is not an occasion for celebration. You must do something before they destroy the Kauravas. Take away all their power, and then we won't have to fear them anymore."
Dhritarashtra revealed his true feelings to Duryodhana and Karna and asked them to devise a plan to eliminate the Pandavas.
Duryodhana suggested several ideas to weaken the Pandavas. "We could sow discord among them. We could drive a wedge between the sons of Kunti and those of Madri. We could bribe Drupada into leaving the Pandavas' side. Or we could use the Pandavas' common wife, Draupadi, to turn them against each other.
"We could spread a rumor that Draupadi loves one of her husbands more than the others. If even this doesn't work, we could kill Bhima, their pillar of power. With Bhima gone, no one will be able to save Arjuna."