Mahabharata Book 11 Stri Parva

OF
KRISHNA-DWAIPAYANA VYASA
BOOK 11 – STRI PARVA
[1883-1896]
MAHABHARATA – BOOK 11 - STRI PARVA KISARI MOHAN GANGULI
THE
MAHABHARATA
of
KRISHNA-DWAIPAYANA
VYASA
Translated into English Prose from the Original

Sanskrit Text
by
Kisari Mohan Ganguli
[1883-1896]
2
Translator's Preface
The object of a translator should ever be to hold the mirror up to

his author.
That being so, his chief duty is to represent so far as practicable
the manner in which his author’s ideas have been expressed,
retaining if possible at the sacrifice of idiom and taste all the
peculiarities of his author’s imagery and of language as well. In
regard to translations from the Sanskrit, nothing is easier than to
dish up Hindu ideas, so as to make them agreeable to English
taste. But the endeavour of the present translator has been to give
in the following pages as literal a rendering as possible of the
great work of Vyasa.
To the purely English reader there is much in the following pages
that will strike as ridiculous. Those unacquainted with any
language but their own are generally very exclusive in matters of
taste. Having no knowledge of models other than what they meet
with in their own tongue, the standard they have formed of purity
and taste in composition must necessarily be a narrow one. The
translator, however, would ill-discharge his duty, if for the sake of
avoiding ridicule, he sacrificed fidelity to the original. He must
represent his author as he is, not as he should be to please the
narrow taste of those entirely unacquainted with him. Mr.
Pickford, in the preface to his English translation of the Mahavira
Charita, ably defends a close adherence to the original even at the
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sacrifice of idiom and taste against the claims of what has been
called ‘Free Translation,’ which means dressing the author in an
outlandish garb to please those to whom he is introduced.
In the preface to his classical translation of Bhartrihari’s Niti
Satakam and Vairagya Satakam, Mr. C.H. Tawney says, “I am
sensible that in the present attempt I have retained much local
colouring. For instance, the ideas of worshipping the feet of a god
of great men, though it frequently occurs in Indian literature, will
undoubtedly move the laughter of Englishmen unacquainted with
Sanskrit, especially if they happen to belong to that class of
readers who revel their attention on the accidental and remain
blind to the essential. But a certain measure of fidelity to the
original even at the risk of making oneself ridiculous, is better
than the studied dishonesty which characterises so many
translations of oriental poets.”
We fully subscribe to the above although, it must be observed, the
censure conveyed to the class of translators last indicated is
rather undeserved, there being nothing like a ‘studied dishonesty’
in their efforts which proceed only from a mistaken view of their
duties and as such betray only an error of the head but not of the
heart. More than twelve years ago when Babu Pratapa Chandra
Roy, with Babu Durga Charan Banerjee, went to my retreat at
Seebpore, for engaging me to translate the Mahabharata into
English, I was amazed with the grandeur of the scheme. My first
question to him was,--whence was the money to come, supposing
my competence for the task. Pratapa then unfolded to me the
4
details of his plan, the hopes he could legitimately cherish of

assistance from different quarters. He was full of enthusiasm. He
showed me Dr. Rost’s letter, which, he said, had suggested to him
the undertaking. I had known Babu Durga Charan for many years
and I had the highest opinion of his scholarship and practical
good sense. When he warmly took Pratapa’s side for convincing
me of the practicability of the scheme, I listened to him patiently.
The two were for completing all arrangements with me the very
day. To this I did not agree. I took a week’s time to consider. I
consulted some of my literary friends, foremost among whom was
the late lamented Dr. Sambhu C. Mookherjee. The latter, I found,
had been waited upon by Pratapa. Dr. Mookherjee spoke to me of
Pratapa as a man of indomitable energy and perseverance. The
result of my conference with Dr. Mookherjee was that I wrote to
Pratapa asking him to see me again. In this second interview
estimates were drawn up, and everything was arranged as far as
my portion of the work was concerned. My friend left with me a
specimen of translation which he had received from Professor
Max Muller.
This I began to study, carefully comparing it sentence by
sentence, with the original. About its literal character there could
be no doubt, but it had no flow and, therefore, could not be
perused with pleasure by the general reader. The translation had
been executed thirty years ago by a young German friend of the
great Pundit. I had to touch up every sentence. This I did without
at all impairing faithfulness to the original. My first ‘copy’ was set
5
up in type and a dozen sheets were struck off. These were

submitted to the judgment of a number of eminent writers,
European and native.
All of them, I was glad to see, approved of the specimen, and then
the task of translating the Mahabharata into English seriously
began.
Before, however, the first fasciculus could be issued, the question
as to whether the authorship of the translation should be publicly
owned, arose. Babu Pratapa Chandra Roy was against anonymity.
I was for it. The reasons I adduced were chiefly founded upon the
impossibility of one person translating the whole of the gigantic
work. Notwithstanding my resolve to discharge to the fullest
extent the duty that I took up, I might not live to carry it out. It
would take many years before the end could be reached. Other
circumstances than death might arise in consequence of which
my connection with the work might cease. It could not be
desirable to issue successive fasciculus with the names of a
succession of translators appearing on the title pages. These and
other considerations convinced my friend that, after all, my view
was correct. It was, accordingly, resolved to withhold the name of
the translator. As a compromise, however, between the two views,
it was resolved to issue the first fasciculus with two prefaces, one
over the signature of the publisher and the other headed—
‘Translator’s Preface.’
6
This, it was supposed, would effectually guard against

misconceptions of every kind. No careful reader would then
confound the publisher with the author.
Although this plan was adopted, yet before a fourth of the task
had been accomplished, an influential Indian journal came down
upon poor Pratapa Chandra Roy and accused him openly of being
a party to a great literary imposture, viz., of posing before the
world as the translator of Vyasa’s work when, in fact, he was only
the publisher. The charge came upon my friend as a surprise,
especially as he had never made a secret of the authorship in his
correspondence with Oriental scholars in every part of the world.
He promptly wrote to the journal in question, explaining the
reasons there were for anonymity, and pointing to the two
prefaces with which the first fasciculus had been given to the
world. The editor readily admitted his mistake and made a
satisfactory apology.
Now that the translation has been completed, there can no longer
be any reason for withholding the name of the translator. The
entire translation is practically the work of one hand. In portions
of the Adi and the Sabha Parvas, I was assisted by Babu Charu
Charan Mookerjee. About four forms of the Sabha Parva were
done by Professor Krishna Kamal Bhattacharya, and about half a
fasciculus during my illness, was done by another hand. I should
however state that before passing to the printer the copy received
from these gentlemen I carefully compared every sentence with
7
the original, making such alterations as were needed for securing

a uniformity of style with the rest of the work.
I should here observe that in rendering the Mahabharata into
English I have derived very little aid from the three Bengali
versions that are supposed to have been executed with care. Every
one of these is full of inaccuracies and blunders of every
description. The Santi in particular which is by far the most
difficult of the eighteen Parvas, has been made a mess of by the
Pundits that attacked it. Hundreds of ridiculous blunders can be
pointed out in both the Rajadharma and the Mokshadharma
sections. Some of these I have pointed out in footnotes.
I cannot lay claim to infallibility. There are verses in the
Mahabharata that are exceedingly difficult to construe. I have
derived much aid from the great commentator Nilakantha. I know
that Nilakantha’s authority is not incapable of being challenged.
But when it is remembered that the interpretations given by
Nilakantha came down to him from preceptors of olden days, one
should think twice before rejecting Nilakantha as a guide.
About the readings I have adopted, I should say that as regards
the first half of the work, I have generally adhered to the Bengal
texts; as regards the latter half, to the printed Bombay edition.
Sometimes individual sections, as occurring in the Bengal
editions, differ widely, in respect of the order of the verses, from
the corresponding ones in the Bombay edition. In such cases I
have adhered to the Bengal texts, convinced that the sequence of
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ideas has been better preserved in the Bengal editions than the
Bombay one.
I should express my particular obligations to Pundit Ram Nath
Tarkaratna, the author of ‘Vasudeva Vijayam’ and other poems,
Pundit Shyama Charan Kaviratna, the learned editor of
Kavyaprakasha with the commentary of Professor Mahesh
Chandra Nayaratna, and Babu Aghore Nath Banerjee, the
manager of the Bharata Karyalaya. All these scholars were my
referees on all points of difficulty. Pundit Ram Nath’s solid
scholarship is known to them that have come in contact with him.
I never referred to him a difficulty that he could not clear up.
Unfortunately, he was not always at hand to consult. Pundit
Shyama Charan Kaviratna, during my residence at Seebpore,
assisted me in going over the Mokshadharma sections of the Santi
Parva. Unostentatious in the extreme, Kaviratna is truly the type
of a learned Brahman of ancient India. Babu Aghore Nath
Banerjee also has from time to time, rendered me valuable
assistance in clearing my difficulties.
Gigantic as the work is, it would have been exceedingly difficult
for me to go on with it if I had not been encouraged by Sir Stuart
Bayley, Sir Auckland Colvin, Sir Alfred Croft, and among Oriental
scholars, by the late lamented Dr. Reinhold Rost, and Mons. A.
Barth of Paris. All these eminent men know from the beginning
that the translation was proceeding from my pen.
Notwithstanding the enthusiasm, with which my poor friend,
Pratapa Chandra Roy, always endeavoured to fill me. I am sure
9
my energies would have flagged and patience exhausted but for

the encouraging words which I always received from these
patrons and friends of the enterprise.
Lastly, I should name my literary chief and friend, Dr. Sambhu C.
Mookherjee. The kind interest he took in my labours, the
repeated exhortations he addressed to me inculcating patience,
the care with which he read every fasciculus as it came out,
marking all those passages which threw light upon topics of
antiquarian interest, and the words of praise he uttered when any
expression particularly happy met his eyes, served to stimulate
me more than anything else in going on with a task that
sometimes seemed to me endless.
Kisari Mohan Ganguli

Calcutta
10
BOOK 11
STRI PARVA
11
Book 11: Stri Parva
Sub Parvas
Sub Parva Section Start Section End
Jalapradanika-parva Section 1 Section 15

Stri-vilapa-parva Section 16 Section 27
12
(Jalapradanika-parva)
Om! Having bowed down unto Narayana and Nara, the foremost
of male beings, and unto the goddess Sarasvati, must the word
Jaya be uttered.
Janamejaya said, “After Duryodhana had fallen and after all the
warriors also had fallen, what, O sage, did king Dhritarashtra do
on receipt of the intelligence? What also did the high-souled Kuru
king Yudhishthira, the son of Dharma, do? What did the three
survivors (of the Kuru army) viz. Kripa and the others do? I have
heard everything about the feats of Ashvatthama. Tell me what
happened after that mutual denunciation of curses. Tell me all that
Sanjaya said unto the blind old king.”
Vaishampayana said, “After he had lost his century of sons, king

Dhritarashtra, afflicted with grief on that account, cheerless, and
looking like a tree shorn of its branches, became overwhelmed
with anxiety and lost his power of speech. Possessed of great
wisdom, Sanjaya, approaching the monarch, addressed him,
saying, Why dost thou grieve, O monarch? Grief does not serve
any purpose. Eight and ten Akshauhinis of combatants, O king,
13
have been slain! The earth hath become desolate, and is almost
empty now! Kings of diverse realms, hailing from diverse
quarters, united with thy son (for aiding him in battle) have all laid
down their lives. Let now the obsequial rites of thy sires and sons
and grandsons and kinsmen and friends and preceptors be
performed in due order.”
Vaishampayana continued, “Destitute of sons and counsellors and

all his friends, king Dhritarashtra of great energy suddenly fell
down on the earth like a tree uprooted by the wind.
“Dhritarashtra said, Destitute as I am of sons and counsellors and

all my friends, I shall, without doubt have to wander in sorrow
over the earth. What need have I now of life itself, left as I am of
kinsmen and friends and resembling as I do a bird shorn of its
wings and afflicted with decrepitude? Shorn of kingdom, deprived
of kinsmen, and destitute of eyes, I cannot, O thou of great
wisdom, shine any longer on earth like a luminary shorn of its
splendours! I did not follow the counsels of friends of Jamadagnis
son, of the celestial rishi Narada, and of island-born Krishna,
while they offered me counsel. In the midst of the assembly,
Krishna told me what was for my good, saying, “A truce (tense) to
hostilities, O king! Let thy son take the whole kingdom! Give but
five villages to the Pandavas!” Fool that I was, for not following
that advice, I am now obliged to repent so poignantly! I did not
14
listen to the righteous counsels of Bhishma. Alas, having heard of

the slaughter of Duryodhana whose roars were as deep as those of
a bull, having heard also of the death of Duhshasana and the
extinction of Karna and the setting of the Drona-sun, my heart
does not break into pieces. I do not, O Sanjaya, remember any evil
act committed by me in former days, whose consequences, fool
that I am, I am suffering today. Without doubt, I committed great
sins in my former lives, for which the Supreme Ordainer has set
me to endure such a measure of grief. This destruction of all my
kinsmen, this extermination of all my well-wishers and friends, at
this old age, has come upon me through the force of Destiny.
What other man is there on earth who is more afflicted than my
wretched self? Since it is so, let the Pandavas behold me this very
day firmly resolved to betake myself to the long way that leads to
the regions of Brahman!”
Vaishampayana continued, “While king Dhritarashtra was
indulging in such lamentations, Sanjaya addressed him in the
following words for dispelling his grief, Cast off thy grief, O
monarch! Thou hast heard the conclusions of the Vedas and the
contents of diverse scriptures and holy writ, from the lips of the
old, O king! Thou hast heard those words which the sages said
unto Sanjaya while the latter was afflicted with grief on account of
the death of his son. When thy son, O monarch, caught the pride
that is born of youth, thou didst not accept the counsels offered
unto thee by thy well-wishers. Desirous of fruit, thou didst not,
15
through covetousness, do what was really for thy benefit. Thy own
intelligence, like a sharp sword, has wounded thee. Thou didst
generally pay court to those that were of wicked behaviour. Thy
son had Duhshasana for his counsellor, and the wicked-souled
son of Radha, and the equally wicked Shakuni and Citrasena of
foolish understanding, and Salya. Thy son (by his own behaviour)
made the whole world his enemy. Thy son, O Bharata, did not
obey the words of Bhishma, the reverend chief of the Kurus, of
Gandhari and Vidura, of Drona, O king, of Kripa the son of
Sharadvata, of the mighty-armed Krishna, of the intelligent
Narada, of many other rishis, and of Vyasa himself of
immeasurable energy. Though possessed of prowess, thy son was
of little intelligence, proud, always desirous of battle, wicked,
ungovernable, and discontented. Thou art possessed of learning
and intelligence and art always truthful. They that are so
righteous and possessed of such intelligence as thou, are never
stupefied by grief. Virtue was regarded by none of them. Battle
was the one word on their lips. For this the Kshatriya order has
been exterminated and the fame of thy foes enhanced. Thou hadst
occupied the position of an umpire, but thou didst not utter one
word of salutary advise. Unfitted as thou wert for the task, thou
didst not hold the scales evenly. Every person should, at the
outset, adopt such a beneficial line of action that he may not have,
in the end, to repent for something already done by him.
Through affection for thy son, O monarch, thou didst what was
agreeable to Duryodhana. Thou art obliged to repent for that now.
16
It behoveth thee, however not to give way to grief. The man whose
eyes are directed towards only the honey without being once
directed to the fall, meets with destruction through his
covetousness for honey. Such a man is obliged to repent even like
thee. The man who indulges in grief never wins wealth. By
grieving one loses the fruits one desires. Grief is again an obstacle
to the acquisition of objects dear to us. The man who gives way to
grief loses even his salvation. The man who shrouds a burning
coal within the folds of his attire and is burnt by the fire that is
kindled by it, would be pronounced a fool if he grieves for his
injuries. Thyself, with thy son, hadst, with your words, fanned the
Partha-fire, and with your covetousness acting as clarified butter
caused that fire to blaze forth, into consuming flames. When that
fire thus blazed forth thy sons fell into it like insects. It behoveth
thee not, however, to grieve for them now that they have all been
burnt in the fire of the enemys arrow. The tear-stained face, O
king, which thou bearest now is not approved by the scriptures or
praised by the wise. These tears, like sparks of fire, burn the dead
for whom they are shed. Kill thy grief with thy intelligence, and
bear thyself up with the strength of thy own self! Thus was the
king comforted by the high-souled Sanjaya. Vidura then, O
scorcher of foes, once again addressed the king, displaying great
intelligence.”
17
Vaishampayana said, “Listen, O Janamejaya, to the nectar-like

words that Vidura said unto the son of Vicitravirya and by which
he gladdened that bull among men!
“Vidura said, Rise, O king! Why art thou stretched on the earth?
Bear thyself up with thy own self. O king, even this is the final
end of all living creatures. Everything massed together ends in
destruction; everything that gets high is sure to fall down. Union
is certain to end in separation; life is sure to end in death. The
destroyer, O Bharata, drags both the hero and the coward. Why
then, O bull amongst Kshatriyas, should not Kshatriyas engage in
battle? He that does not fight is seen to escape with life. When,
however, ones time comes, O king, one cannot escape. As regards
living creatures, they are non-existent at first. They exist in the
period that intervenes. In the end they once more become non-
existent. What matter of grief then is there in this? The man that
indulges in grief succeeds not in meeting with the dead. By
indulging in grief, one does not himself die. When the course of
the world is such, why dost thou indulge in sorrow? Death drags
all creatures, even the gods. There is none dear or hateful to death,
O best of the Kurus! As the wind tears off the tops of all blades of
grass, even so, O bull of Bharatas race, death overmasters all
18
creatures. All creatures are like members of a caravan bound for

the same destination. (When death will encounter all) it matters
very little whom he meets with first. It behoveth thee not, O king,
to grieve for those that have been slain in battle. If the scriptures
are any authority, all of them must have obtained the highest end.
All of them were versed in the Vedas; all of them had observed
vows. Facing the foe all of them have met with death. What
matter of sorrow is there in this? Invisible they had been (before
birth). Having come from that unknown region, they have once
more become invisible. They are not thine, nor art thou theirs.
What grief then is there in such disappearance? If slain, one wins
heaven. By slaying, fame is won. Both these, with respect to us,
are productive of great merit. Battle, therefore, is not bootless. No
doubt, Indra will contrive for them regions capable of granting
every wish. These, O bull among men, become the guests of
Indra. Men cannot, by sacrifices with profuse gifts, by ascetic
penances and by learning, go so speedily to heaven as heroes slain
in battle. On the bodies of hostile heroes constituting the
sacrificial fire, they poured their arrowy libations. Possessed of
great energy, they had in return to endure the arrowy libations
(poured upon them by their enemies). I tell thee, O king, that for a
Kshatriya in this world there is not a better road to heaven than
battle! They were all high-souled Kshatriyas; possessed of
bravery, they were ornaments of assemblies. They have attained to
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a high state of blessedness. They are not persons for whom we

should grieve. Comforting thyself by thy own self cease to grieve,
O bull among men! It behoveth thee not to suffer thyself to be
overwhelmed with sorrow and to abandon all actions. There are
thousands of mothers and fathers and sons and wives in this
world. Whose are they, and whose are we? From day to day
thousands of causes spring up for sorrow and thousands of causes
for fear. These, however, affect the ignorant but are nothing to
him that is wise. There is none dear or hateful to Time, O best of
the Kurus! Time is indifferent to none. All are equally dragged by
Time. Time causeth all creatures to grow, and it is Time that
destroyeth everything. When all else is asleep, Time is awake.
Time is irresistible. Youth, beauty, life, possessions, health, and
the companionship of friends, all are unstable. He that is wise will
never covet any of these. It behoveth thee not to grieve for what is
universal. A person may, by indulging in grief, himself perish, but
grief itself, by being indulged in, never becomes light. Ifthou
feelest thy grief to be heavy, it should be counteracted by not
indulging in it. Even this is the medicine for grief, viz., that one
should not indulge in it. By dwelling on it, one cannot lessen it.
On the other hand, it grows with indulgence. Upon the advent of
evil or upon the bereavement of something that is dear, only they
that are of little intelligence suffer their minds to be afflicted with
grief. This is neither Profit, nor Religion, nor Happiness, on which
20
thy heart is dwelling. The indulgence of grief is the certain means

of ones losing ones objects. Through it, one falls away from the
three great ends of life (religion, profit, and pleasure). They that
are destitute of contentment, are stupefied on the accession of
vicissitudes dependent upon the possession of wealth. They,
however, that are wise, are on the other hand, unaffected by such
vicissitudes. One should kill mental grief by wisdom, just as
physical grief should be killed by medicine. Wisdom hath this
power. They, however, that are foolish, can never obtain
tranquillity of soul. The acts of a former life closely follow a man,
insomuch that they lie by him when he lies down, stay by him
when he stays, and run with him when he runs. In those conditions
of life in which one acts well or ill, one enjoys or suffers the fruit
thereof in similar conditions. In those forms (of physical
organisation) in which one performs particular acts, one enjoys or
suffers the fruits thereof in similar forms. Ones own self is ones
own friend, as, indeed, ones own self is ones own enemy. Ones
own self is the witness of ones acts, good and evil. From good acts
springs a state of happiness, from sinful deeds springs woe. One
always obtains the fruit of ones acts. One never enjoys or suffers
weal or woe that is not the fruit of ones own acts. Intelligent
persons like thee, O king, never sink in sinful enormities that are
disapproved by knowledge and that strike at the very root (of
virtue and happiness).”
21
22
“Dhritarashtra said, O thou of great wisdom, my grief has been

dispelled by thy excellent words! I desire, however, to again hear
thee speak. How, indeed, do those that are wise free themselves
from mental grief born of the advent of evils and the bereavement
of objects that are dear?
“Vidura said, He that is wise obtains tranquillity by subduing both

grief and joy through means by which one may escape from grief
and joy. All those things about which we are anxious, O bull
among men, are ephemeral. The world is like a plantain tree,
without enduring strength. Since the wise and the foolish, the rich
and the poor, all, divested of their anxieties, sleep on the
crematorium, with bodies reft of flesh and full of bare bones and
shrivelled sinews, whom amongst them will the survivors look
upon as possessed of distinguishing marks by which the attributes
of birth and beauty may be ascertained? (When all are equal in
death) why should human beings, whose understandings are
always deceived (by the things of this world) covet one anothers
rank and position? The learned say that the bodies of men are like
houses. In time these are destroyed. There is one being, however,
that is eternal. As a person, casting off one attire, whether old or
new, wears another, even such is the case with the bodies of all
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embodied beings. O son of Vicitravirya, creatures obtain weal or

woe as the fruit of their own acts. Through their acts they obtain
heaven, O Bharata, or bliss, or woe. Whether able or unable, they
have to bear their burdens which are the result of their own acts.
As amongst earthen pots some break while still on the potters
wheel, some while partially shaped, some as soon as brought into
shape, some after removal from the wheel, some while in course
of being removed, some after removal, some while wet, some
while dry, some while being burnt, some while being removed
from the kiln, some after removal therefrom, and some while
being used, even such is the case with the bodies of embodied
creatures. Some are destroyed while yet in the womb, some after
coming out of the womb, some on the day after, some on the
expiration of a fortnight or of a month, some on the expiration of a
year or of two years, some in youth, some in middle age, and
some when old. Creatures are born or destroyed according to their
acts in previous lives. When such is the course of the world, why
do you then indulge in grief? As men, while swimming in sport on
the water, sometimes dive and sometimes emerge, O king, even so
creatures sink and emerge in lifes stream. They that are of little
wisdom suffer or meet with destruction as the result of their own
acts. They, however, that are wise, observant of virtue, and
desirous of doing good unto all living creatures, they, acquainted
24
with the real nature of the appearance of creatures in this world,

attain at last to the highest end.”
25
“Dhritarashtra said, O foremost speakers, how may the wilderness

of this world be known? I desire to hear this. Asked by me, tell me
this.
“Vidura said, I will describe to thee all the acts of creatures from
their first conception. At the outset it lives in the admixture of
blood and the vital fluid. Then it grows little by little. Then on the
expiry of the fifth month it assumes shape. It next becomes a
foetus with all its limbs completed, and lives in a very impure
place, covered with flesh and blood. Then, through the action of
the wind, its lower limbs are turned upwards and the head comes
downwards. Arriving in this posture at the mouth of the uterus, it
suffers manifold woes. In consequence of the contractions of the
uterus, the creature then comes out of it, endued with the results of
all his previous acts. He then encounters in this world other evils
that rush towards him. Calamities proceed towards him like dogs
at the scent of meat. Next diverse diseases approach him while he
is enchained by his previous acts. Bound by the chains of the
senses and women and wealth and other sweet things of life,
diverse evil practices also approach him then, O king! Seized by
these, he never obtains happiness. At that season he succeeds not
in obtaining the fruit of his acts, right or wrong. They, however,
26
that set their hearts on reflection, succeed in protecting their souls.

The person governed by his senses does not know that death has
come at his door. At last, dragged by the messengers of the
Destroyer, he meets with destruction at the appointed time.
Agitated by his senses, for whatever good and evil has been done
at the outset and having enjoyed or suffered the fruits of these, he
once more becomes indifferent to his acts of self-slaughter. Alas,
the world is deceived, and covetousness brings it under its
dominion. Deprived of understanding by covetousness, wrath, and
fear, one knows not ones own self. Filled with joy at ones own
respectability of birth, one is seen to traduce those that are not
high-born. Swelled also with pride of wealth, one is seen to
contemn the poor. One regards others to be ignorant fools, but
seldom takes a survey of ones own self. One attributes faults to
others but is never desirous to punish ones own self. Since the
wise and the ignorant, the rich and the poor, the high-born and the
lowborn, the honoured and the dishonoured, all go to the place of
the dead and sleep there freed from every anxiety, with bodies
divested of flesh and full only of bones united by dried-up
tendons, whom amongst them would the survivors look upon as
distinguished above the others and by what signs would they
ascertain the attributes of birth and beauty? When all, stretched
after the same fashion, sleep on the bare ground, why then should
men, taking leave of their senses, desire to deceive one another?
27
He that, looking at this saying (in the scriptures) with his own
eyes or hearing it from others, practiseth virtue in this unstable
world of life and adhereth to it from early age, attaineth to the
highest end. Learning all this, he that adhereth to Truth, O king,
succeedeth in passing over all paths.”
28
“Dhritarashtra said, Tell me in detail everything about the ways of

that intelligence by which this wilderness of duties may be safely
covered.
“Vidura said, Having bowed down to the Self-create, I will obey

thy behest by telling thee how the great sages speak of the
wilderness of life. A certain brahmana, living in the great world,
found himself on one occasion in a large inaccessible forest
teeming with beasts of prey. It abounded on every side with lions
and other animals looking like elephants, all of which were
engaged in roaring aloud. Such was the aspect of that forest that
Yama himself would take fright at it. Beholding the forest, the
heart of the brahmana became exceedingly agitated. His hair stood
on end, and other signs of fear manifested themselves, O scorcher
of foes! Entering it, he began to run hither and thither, casting his
eyes on every point of the compass for finding out somebody
whose shelter he might seek. Wishing to avoid those terrible
creatures, he ran in fright. He could not succeed, however, in
distancing them or freeing himself from their presence. He then
saw that that terrible forest was surrounded with a net, and that a
frightful woman stood there, stretching her arms. That large forest
was also encompassed by many five-headed snakes of dreadful
29
forms, tall as cliffs and touching the very heavens. Within it was a
pit whose mouth was covered with many hard and unyielding
creepers and herbs. The brahmana, in course of his wanderings,
fell into that invisible pit. He became entangled in those clusters
of creepers that were interwoven with one another, like the large
fruit of a jack tree hanging by its stalk. He continued to hang
there, feet upwards and head downwards. While he was in that
posture, diverse other calamities overtook him. He beheld a large
and mighty snake within the pit. He also saw a gigantic elephant
near its mouth. That elephant, dark in complexion, had six faces
and twelve feet. And the animal gradually approached that pit
covered with creepers and trees. About the twigs of the tree (that
stood at the mouth of the pit), roved many bees of frightful forms,
employed from before in drinking the honey gathered in their
comb about which they swarmed in large numbers. Repeatedly
they desired, O bull of Bharatas race, to taste that honey which
though sweet to all creatures could, however, attract children only.
The honey (collected in the comb) fell in many jets below. The
person who was hanging in the pit continually drank those jets.
Employed, in such a distressful situation, in drinking that honey,
his thirst, however, could not be appeased. Unsatiated with
repeated draughts, the person desired for more. Even then, O king,
he did not become indifferent to life. Even there, the man
continued to hope for existence. A number of black and white rats
30
were eating away the roots of that tree. There was fear from the
beasts of prey, from that fierce woman on the outskirts of that
forest, from that snake at the bottom of the well, from that
elephant near its top, from the fall of the tree through the action of
the rats, and lastly from those bees flying about for tasting the
honey. In that plight he continued to dwell, deprived of his
senses, in that wilderness, never losing at any time the hope of
prolonging his life.”
31
“Dhritarashtra said, Alas, great was the distress of that person and
very painful his mode of life! Tell me, O first of speakers, whence
was his attachment to life and whence his happiness? Where is
that region, so unfavourable to the practice of virtue, in which that
person resides? Oh, tell me how will that man be freed from all
those great terrors? Tell me all this! We shall then exert ourselves
properly for him. My compassion has been greatly moved by the
difficulties that lie in the way of his rescue!
“Vidura said, They that are conversant, O monarch, with the

religion of moksha cite this as a simile. Understanding this
properly, a person may attain to bliss in the regions hereafter. That
which is described as the wilderness is the great world. The
inaccessible forest within it is the limited sphere of ones own life.
Those that have been mentioned as beasts of prey are the diseases
(to which we are subject). That woman of gigantic proportions
residing in the forest is identified by the wise with Decrepitude
which destroys complexion and beauty. That which has been
spoken of as the pit is the body or physical frame of embodied
creatures. The huge snake dwelling in the bottom of that pit is
time, the destroyer of all embodied creatures. It is, indeed, the
universal destroyer. The cluster of creepers growing in that pit and
32
attached to whose spreading stems the man hangeth down is the

desire for life which is cherished by every creature. The six-faced
elephant, O king, which proceeds towards the tree standing at the
mouth of the pit is spoken of as the year. Its six faces are the
seasons and its twelve feet are the twelve months. The rats and the
snakes that are cutting off the tree are said to be days and nights
that are continually lessening the periods of life of all creatures.
Those that have been described as bees are our desires. The
numerous jets that are dropping honey are the pleasures derived
from the gratification of our desires and to which men are seen to
be strongly addicted. The wise know lifes course to be even such.
Through that knowledge they succeed in tearing off its bonds.”
33
“Dhritarashtra said, Excellent is this parable that thou hast recited!

Indeed, thou art acquainted with truth! Having listened to thy
nectarlike speech, I desire to hear thee more.
“Vidura said, Listen to me, O king, I shall once more discourse in

detail on those means an acquaintance with which enable the wise
to free themselves from the ties of the world. As a person, O king,
who has to travel a long way is sometimes obliged to halt when
fatigued with toil, even so, O Bharata, they that are of little
intelligence, travelling along the extended way of life, have to
make frequent halts in the shape of repeated births in the womb.
They, however, that are wise are free from that obligation. Men
conversant with the scriptures, for this, describe lifes course as a
long way. The wise also call lifes round with all its difficulties a
forest. Creatures, O bull of Bharatas race, whether mobile or
immobile, have to repeatedly return to the world. The wise alone
escape. The diseases, mental and physical, to which mortals are
subject, whether visible or invisible, are spoken of as beasts of
prey by the wise. Men are always afflicted and impeded by them,
O Bharata! Then again, those fierce beasts of prey, represented by
their own acts in life, never cause any anxiety to them that are of
little intelligence. If any person, O monarch, somehow escapes
34
from diseases, Decrepitude, that destroyer of beauty,

overwhelmshim afterwards. Plunged in a slough by the objects of
the different senses—sound and form and taste and touch and
scent—man remains there without anything to rescue him thence.
Meanwhile, the years, the seasons, the months, the fortnights, the
days, and the nights, coming one after another, gradually despoil
him of beauty and lessen the period allotted to him. These all are
messengers of death. They, however, that are of little
understanding know them not to be such. The wise say that all
creatures are governed by the Ordainer through their acts. The
body of a creature is called the car. The living principle is the
driver of (that car). The senses are said to be steeds. Our acts and
the understanding are the traces. He who followeth after those
running steeds has to come repeatedly to this world in a round of
rebirths. He, however, who, being self-restrained restrains them
by his understanding hath not to come back. They, however, that
are not stupefied while wandering in this wheel of life that is
revolving like a real wheel, do not in reality wander in a round of
rebirths. He that is wise should certainly take care to prevent the
obligation of rebirth. One should not be indifferent to this, for
indifference may subject us to it repeatedly. The man, O king,
who has restrained his senses and subdued wrath and
covetousness, who is contented, and truthful in speech, succeeds
in obtaining peace. This body is called the car of Yama. Then
35
those that are of little intelligence are stupefied by it. Such a

person, O king, would obtain that which thou hast obtained. The
loss of kingdom, of friends, and of children, O Bharata, and such
as these, overtake him who is still under the influence of desire.
He that is wise should apply the medicine of intelligence to all
great griefs. Indeed, obtaining the medicine of wisdom, which is
truly very efficacious and is almost unattainable, the man of
restrained soul would kill that serious disease called sorrow.
Neither prowess, nor wealth, nor friend, nor well-wishers can cure
a man of his grief so effectually as the self-restrained soul.
Therefore, observant of the great duty of abstention from all
injuries, or friendship for all creatures, be of pious behaviour, O
Bharata! Self-restraint, renunciation, and heedfulness are the three
steeds of Brahman. He who rides on the car of his soul, unto
which are yoked these steeds with the aid of traces furnished by
good conduct, and drives it, casting off all fear of death,
proceedeth, O king, to the regions of Brahman. That person, O
monarch, who gives unto all creatures an assurance of his
harmlessness, goes to the highest of regions, the blessed realm of
Vishnu. The fruit that one obtains by an assurance unto all
creatures of his harmlessness cannot be obtained by a 1,000
sacrifices or by daily fasts. Amongst all things there is certainly
nothing dearer than self. Death is certainly disliked by all
creatures, O Bharata! Therefore, compassion should certainly be
36
shown unto all. Endued with diverse kinds of errors entangled by

the net of their own intelligence, they that are wicked and are of
good vision, wander repeatedly on the earth. They however, that
are wise and endued with subtle sight, attain to a union with
Brahman.”
37
Vaishampayana said, “Even after hearing the words of Vidura, the

chief of the Kurus, afflicted with grief on account of the death of
his sons, fell down senseless on the Earth. Beholding him fall
down in that state, his friends, as also the island-born Vyasa, and
Vidura, and Sanjaya, and other well-wishers, and the attendants
who used to wait at the gates and who enjoyed his confidence,
sprinkled cool water over his body, and fanned him with palm
leaves, and gently rubbed him with their hands. For a long while
they comforted the king while in that condition. The monarch,
recovering his senses after a long time, wept for a long while,
overwhelmed with grief on account of the death of his sons. He
said, Fie on the state of humanity! Fie on the human body! The
woes that are suffered in this life frequently arise from the very
state of humanity. Alas, O lord, great is the grief, like poison or
fire, that one suffers at the loss of sons, of wealth, of kinsmen, and
relatives. That grief causes the limbs to burn and our wisdom to be
destroyed. Overwhelmed with that grief, a person regards death to
be preferable. This calamity that has overtaken me through ill-
luck is even like that. It will not, I see, end except with life itself.
O best of regenerate ones, I shall, therefore, put an end to my life
this very day. Having said these words unto his high-souled sire,
38
that foremost of all persons conversant with Brahman,

Dhritarashtra, overwhelmed with grief, became stupefied. The
king, O monarch reflecting on his woes, became speechless.
Hearing these words of his, the puissant Vyasa thus spoke unto his
son afflicted with grief on account of the death of his children.
“Vyasa said, O mighty-armed Dhritarashtra, listen to what I say.

Thou art possessed of learning, thou hast great intelligence, and
thou, O puissant one, art skilled in understanding duties. Nothing
of that which should be known is unknown to thee, O scorcher of
foes! Without doubt, thou knowest the instability of all things
doomed to death. When the world of life is unstable when this
world itself is not eternal, when life is sure to end in death, why
then, O Bharata, dost thou grieve? Before thy very eyes, O king,
the concatenation of facts brought about by Time making thy son
the cause, produced this hostility. This destruction of the Kurus, O
king, was inevitable. Why then dost thou grieve for those heroes
that have attained to the highest end? O thou of mighty arms, the
high-souled Vidura knew everything. With all his might he had
endeavoured, O king, to bring about peace. It is my opinion that
the course marked out by Destiny cannot be controlled by anyone,
even if one struggles for eternity. The course that was settled by
the gods was heard directly by me. I will recite it to thee, so that
tranquillity of mind may be thine. Once before, without any
fatigue, I repaired very quickly to the court of Indra. There I
39
beheld all the denizens of heaven assembled together. There

were, O sinless one, all the celestial rishis also, headed by Narada.
There, O monarch, I saw also the Earth (in her embodied form).
The latter had repaired to the gods for the accomplishment of a
particular mission. Approaching the gods, she said, “That which
ye all should do for me hath, ye blessed ones, been already
promised by you while you were in Brahmas abode. Let that be
accomplished soon.” Hearing these words of hers, Vishnu, the
adored of all the worlds, smilingly addressed her in the midst of
the celestial conclave, saying, “The eldest of the hundred sons of
Dhritarashtra, who is known by the name of Duryodhana, will
accomplish thy business. Through that king, thy purpose will be
achieved. For his sake, many kings will assemble together on the
field of Kuru. Capable of smiting, they will cause one another to
be slain through the instrumentality of hard weapons. It is evident,
O goddess, that thy burthen will then be lightened in battle. Go
quickly to thy own place and continue to bear the weight of
creatures, O beauteous one!” From this thou wilt understand, O
king, that thy son Duryodhana, born in Gandharis womb, was a
portion of Kali, sprung for the object of causing a universal
slaughter. He was vindictive, restless, wrathful, and difficult of
being gratified. Through the influence of Destiny his brothers also
became like him. Shakuni became his maternal uncle and Karna
his great friend. Many other kings were born on earth for aiding in
40
the work of destruction. As the king is, so do his subjects become.

If the king becomes righteous, even unrighteousness (in his
dominions) assumes the shape of righteousness. Servants, without
doubt, are affected by the merits and defects of their masters.
Those sons of thine, O king, having obtained a bad king, have all
been destroyed. Conversant with truth, Narada, knew all this. Thy
sons, through their own faults, have been destroyed, O king! Do
not grieve for them, O monarch! There is no cause for grief. The
Pandavas have not, O Bharata, the least fault in what has
happened. Thy sons were all of wicked souls. It is they that caused
this destruction on earth. Blessed be thou; Narada had truly
informed Yudhishthira of all this in his court on the occasion of
the rajasuya sacrifice, saying, “The Pandavas and the Kauravas,
encountering each other, will meet with destruction. Do that, O
son of Kunti, which thou shouldst!” Upon these words of Narada,
the Pandavas became filled with grief. I have thus told thee that
which is an eternal secret of the gods. This will destroy thy grief
and restore to thee a love of thy life-breath, and cause thee to
cherish affection for the Pandavas, for all that has happened has
been due to what had been ordained by the gods. O thou of
mighty arms, I had learnt all this sometime before. I also spoke of
it to king Yudhishthira the just on the occasion of his foremost of
sacrifices, the rajasuya. When I secretly informed him of all this,
Dharmas son endeavoured his best for preserving peace with the
41
Kauravas. That, however, which is ordained by the gods proved

too powerful (to be frustrated by him). The fiat, O king of the
Destroyer, is incapable of being baffled anyhow by mobile and
immobile creatures. Thou art devoted to virtue and possessed of
superior intelligence, O Bharata! Thou knowest also that which is
the way and that which is not the way of all creatures. If king
Yudhishthira learns that thou art burning with grief and losing thy
senses frequently, he will cast off his very life-breath. He is
always compassionate and possessed of wisdom. His kindness
extends even to all the inferior creatures. How is it possible, O
king, that he will not show compassion to thee, O monarch? At
my command, and knowing that what is ordained is inevitable, as
also from kindness to the Pandavas, continue to bear thy life, O
Bharata! If thou livest thus, thy fame will spread in the world.
Thou shalt then be able to acquire a knowledge of all duties and
find many years for obtaining ascetic merit. This grief for the
death of thy sons that has arisen in thy heart, like a blazing fire,
should always be extinguished, O king, by the water of wisdom!””
Vaishampayana continued, “Hearing these words of Vyasa of

immeasurable energy and reflecting upon them for a little while,
Dhritarashtra said, O best of regenerate ones, I am exceedingly
afflicted by a heavy load of grief. My senses are repeatedly
forsaking me and I am unable to bear up my own self. Hearing,
however, these words of thine about what had been ordained by
42
the gods, I shall not think of casting off my life-breath and shall
live and act without indulging in grief! Hearing these words of
Dhritarashtra, O monarch, Satyavatis son, Vyasa, disappeared
then and there.”
43
Janamejaya said, “After the holy Vyasa had departed, what, O

regenerate sage, did king Dhritarashtra, do? It behoveth thee to
tell me this. What also did the Kuru king, the high-souled son of
Dharma, do? And how did those three, Kripa and others, do? I
have heard of the feats of Ashvatthama and the mutual
denouncement of curses. Tell me what happened next and what
Sanjaya next said (unto the old king).”
Vaishampayana said, “After Duryodhana had been slain and all

the troops slaughtered, Sanjaya, deprived of his spiritual sight,
came back to Dhritarashtra.
“Sanjaya said, The kings of diverse peoples, that came from

diverse realms, have all, O king, gone to the regions of the dead,
along with thy sons. Thy son, O king, who had constantlybeen
implored (for peace) but who always wished to terminate his
hostility (with the Pandavas by slaughtering them) has caused the
earth to be exterminated. Do thou, O king, cause the obsequial
rites of thy sons and grandsons and sires to be performed
according to due order!”
Vaishampayana continued, “Hearing these terrible words of

Sanjaya, the king fell down on the Earth and lay motionless like
44
one deprived of life. Approaching the monarch who was lying

prostrate on the Earth, Vidura, conversant with every duty, said
these words: Rise, O king, why dost thou lie down thus? Do not
grieve, O bull of Bharatas race! Even this, O lord of Earth, is the
final end of all creatures. At first creatures are non-existent. In the
interim, O Bharata, they become existent. At the end, they once
more become non-existent. What cause of sorrow is there in all
this? By indulging in grief, one cannot get back the dead. By
indulging in grief, one cannot die himself. When such is the
course of the world, why dost thou indulge in grief? One may die
without having been engaged in battle. One also escapes with life
after being engaged in battle. When ones Time comes, O king,
one cannot escape! Time drags all kinds of creatures. There is
none dear or hateful to Time, O best of the Kurus! As the wind
tears off the ends of all blades of grass, even so all creatures, O
bull of Bharatas race, are brought by Time under its influence. All
creatures are like members of the same caravan bound for the
same destination. What cause of sorrow is there if Time meets
with one a little earlier than with another? Those again, O king,
that have fallen in battle and for whom thou grievest, are not
really objects of thy grief, since all those illustrious ones have
gone to heaven. By sacrifices with profuse presents, by ascetic
austerities, and by knowledge, people cannot so easily repair to
heaven as heroes by courage in battle. All those heroes were
45
conversant with the Vedas; all of them were observant of vows;

all of them have perished, facing the foe in battle. What cause of
sorrow then is there? They poured their arrowy libations upon the
bodies of their brave foes as upon a fire. Foremost of men, they
bore in return the arrowy libations poured upon themselves. I tell
thee, O king, that there is no better way to heaven for a Kshatriya
than through battle. All of them were high-souled Kshatriyas, all
of them were heroes and ornaments of assemblies. They have
attained to a high state of blessedness. One should not grieve for
them. Do thou comfort thy own self. Do not grieve, O bull among
men! It behoveth thee not to suffer thyself to be overwhelmed
with sorrow and abandon all action.”
46
10
Vaishampayana said, “Hearing these words of Vidura, that bull of

Bharatas race (Dhritarashtra) ordered his car to be yoked. The
king once more said, Bring Gandhari hither without delay, and all
the Bharata ladies. Bring hither Kunti also, as well as all the other
ladies with her. Having said these words unto Vidura, conversant
with every duty, Dhritarashtra of righteous soul, deprived of his
senses by sorrow, ascended on his car. Then Gandhari, afflicted
with grief on account of the death of her sons, accompanied by
Kunti and the other ladies of the royal household, came at the
command of her lord to that spot where the latter was waiting for
her. Afflicted with grief, they came together to the king. As they
met, they accosted each other and uttered loud wails of woe. Then
Vidura, who had become more afflicted than those ladies, began
to comfort them. Placing those weeping fair ones on the cars that
stood ready for them, he set out (with them) from the city. At that
time a loud wail of woe arose from every Kuru house. The whole
city, including the very children, became exceedingly afflicted
with grief. Thoseladies that had not before this been seen by the
very gods were now helpless, as they were, for the loss of their
lords, seen by the common people. With their beautiful tresses all
dishevelled and their ornaments cast off, those ladies, each attired
47
in a single piece of raiment, proceeded most woefully. Indeed,

they issued from their houses resembling white mountains, like a
dappled herd of deer from their mountain caves after the fall of
their leader. These fair ladies, in successive bevies, O king, came
out, filled with sorrow, and ran hither and thither like a herd of
fillies on a circus yard. Seizing each other by the hand, they
uttered loud wails after their sons and brothers and sires. They
seemed to exhibit the scene that takes place on the occasion of the
universal destruction at the end of the Yuga. Weeping and crying
and running hither and thither, and deprived of their senses by
grief, they knew not what to do. Those ladies who formerly felt
the blush of modesty in the presence of even companions of their
own sex, now felt no blush of shame, though scantily clad, in
appearing before their mothers-in-law. Formerly they used to
comfort each other while afflicted with even slight causes of woe.
Stupefied by grief, they now, O king, refrained from even casting
their eyes upon each other. Surrounded by those thousands of
wailing ladies, the king cheerlessly issued out of the city and
proceeded with speed towards the field of battle. Artisans and
traders and Vaishyas and all kinds of mechanics, issuing out of the
city, followed in the wake of the king. As those ladies, afflicted by
the wholesale destruction that had overtaken the Kurus, cried in
sorrow, a loud wail arose from among them that seemed to pierce
all the worlds. All creatures that heard that wail thought that the
48
hour of universal destruction had come when all things would be

consumed by the fire that arises at the end of the Yuga. The
citizens also (of Hastinapura), devoted to the house of Kuru, with
hearts filled with anxiety at the destruction that had overtaken
their rules, set up, O king, a wail that was as loud as that uttered
by those ladies.”
49
11
Vaishampayana said, “Dhritarashtra had not proceeded for more

than two miles when he met with those three great car-warriors,
Sharadvatas son Kripa, Dronas son (Ashvatthama), and
Kritavarma. As soon as the latter obtained a sight of the blind
monarch possessed of great power, the three heroes sighed in grief
and with voices choked in tears weepingly addressed him, saying,
Thy royal son, O king, having achieved the most difficult feats,
has, with all his followers, gone to the region of Indra. We are the
only three car-warriors of Duryodhanas army that have escaped
with life. All the others, O bull of Bharatas race, have perished.
Having said these words unto the king, Sharadvatas son Kripa,
addressing the grief-afflicted Gandhari, said these words unto her,
Thy sons have fallen while engaged in achieving feats worthy of
heroes, while fearlessly fighting in battle and striking down large
numbers of foes. Without doubt, having obtained those bright
worlds that are attainable only by the use of weapons, they are
sporting there like celestials, having assumed resplendent forms.
Amongst those heroes there was no one that turned back from
battle. Every one of them has fallen at the end or edge of weapons.
None of them joined his hands, begging for quarter. Death in
battle at the end or edge of weapons has been said by the ancients
50
to be the highest end that a Kshatriya can obtain. It behoveth thee

not, therefore, to grieve for any of them. Their foes, O queen, the
Pandavas, too, have not been more fortunate. Listen, what we,
headed by Ashvatthama, have done unto them. Learning that thy
son had been slain unrighteously by Bhima, we slaughtered the
Pandavas after entering their camp buried in sleep. All the
Pancalas have been slain. Indeed, all the sons of Drupada, as also
all the sons of Draupadi, have been slaughtered. Having caused
this carnage of the sons of our foes, we are flying away since we
three are incapable of standing in battle with them. Our foes, the
Pandavas, are all heroes and mighty bowmen. They will soon
come up with us, filled with rage, for taking vengeance on us.
Hearing the slaughter of their sons, those bulls among men,
infuriated with rage, those heroes, O illustrious lady, will speedily
pursue our track. Having caused a carnage (in their sleeping
camp) we dare not stay. Grant us permission, O queen! It
behoveth thee not to set thy heart on sorrow. Grant us thy
permission also, O king! Summon all thy fortitude. Do thou also
observe the duties of a Kshatriya in their highest form. Having
said these words unto the king, and circumambulating him, Kripa
and Kritavarma and Dronas son, O Bharata, without being able to
withdraw their eyes from king Dhritarashtra possessed of great
wisdom, urged their steeds towards the banks of the Ganga.
Moving away from that spot, O king, those great car-warriors,
51
with hearts plunged in anxiety, took one anothers leave and

separated from one another. Sharadvatas son, Kripa, went to
Hastinapura;
Hridikas son repaired to his own kingdom; while the son of Drona
set for the asylum of Vyasa. Even thus those heroes, who had
offended the high-souled sons of Pandu, respectively proceeded to
the places they selected, afflicted with fear and casting their eyes
on one another. Having met the king thus, those brave chastisers
of foes, before the sun rose, went away, O monarch, to the places
they chose. It was after this, O king, that the sons of Pandu, those
great car-warriors, encountered the son of Drona, and putting forth
their prowess, vanquished him, O monarch, (in the way already
related).”
52
12
Vaishampayana said, “After all the warriors had been slaughtered,

king Yudhishthira the just heard that his uncle Dhritarashtra had
set out from the city called after the elephant. Afflicted with grief
on account of the death of his sons, Yudhishthira, O king,
accompanied by his brothers, set out for meeting his uncle, filled
with sorrow and overwhelmed with grief for the slaughter of his
(hundred) sons. The son of Kunti was followed by the high-souled
and heroic Krishna of Dasharhas race, and by Yuyudhana, as also
by Yuyutsu. The princess Draupadi also, burning with grief, and
accompanied by those Pancala ladies that were with her,
sorrowfully followed her lord. Yudhishthira beheld near the banks
of the Ganga, O king, the crowd of Bharata ladies afflicted with
woe and crying like a flight of she-ospreys. The king was soon
surrounded by those thousands of ladies who, with arms raised
aloft in grief, were indulging in loud lamentations and giving
expression to all kinds of words, agreeable and disagreeable:
Where, indeed, is that righteousness of the king, where is truth
and compassion, since he has slain sires and brothers and
preceptors and sons and friends? How, O mighty-armed one, hath
thy heart become tranquil after causing Drona, and thy grandsire
Bhishma, and Jayadratha, to be slaughtered? What need hast thou
53
of sovereignty, after having seen thy sires and brothers, O

Bharata, and the irresistible Abhimanyu and the sons of Draupadi,
thus slaughtered? Passing over those ladies crying like a flight of
she-ospreys, the mighty-armed king Yudhishthira the just saluted
the feet of his eldest uncle. Having saluted their sire according to
custom, those slayers of foes, the Pandavas, announced
themselves to him, each uttering his own name. Dhritarashtra,
exceedingly afflicted with grief on account of the slaughter of his
sons, then reluctantly embraced the eldest son of Pandu, who was
the cause of that slaughter. Having embraced Yudhishthira the just
and spoken a few words of comfort to him, O Bharata, the
wicked-souled Dhritarashtra sought for Bhima, like a blazing fire
ready to burn everything that would approach it. Indeed, that fire
of his wrath, fanned by the wind of his grief, seemed then to be
ready to consume the Bhima-forest. Ascertaining the evil
intentions cherished by him towards Bhima, Krishna, dragging
away the real Bhima, presented an iron statue of the second son of
Pandu to the old king. Possessed of great intelligence, Krishna
had, at the very outset, understood the intentions of Dhritarashtra,
and had, therefore, kept such a contrivance ready for baffling
them. Seizing with his two arms that iron Bhima, king
Dhritarashtra, possessed of great strength, broke into pieces,
thinking it to be Bhima himself in flesh and blood. Endued with
might equal to that of 10,000 elephants, the king reduced that
54
statue into fragments. His own breast, however, became

considerably bruised and he began to vomit blood. Covered with
blood, the king fell down on the ground like a parijata tree topped
with its flowery burden. His learned charioteer Sanjaya, the son of
Gavalgana, raised the monarch and soothing and comforting him,
said, Do not act so. The king then, having cast off his wrath and
returned to his normal disposition, became filled with grief and
began to weep aloud, saying, Alas, oh Bhima, alas, oh Bhima!
Understanding that he was no longer under the influence of wrath,
and that he was truly sorry for having (as he believed) killed
Bhima, Vasudeva, that foremost of men, said these words, Do not
grieve, O Dhritarashtra, for thou hast not slain Bhimasena! That is
an iron statue, O king, which has been broken by thee!
Understanding that thou wert filled with rage, O bull of Bharatas
race, I dragged the son of Kunti away from within the jaws of
Death. O tiger among kings, there is none equal to thee in strength
of body. What man is there, O mighty-armed one, that would
endure pressure of thy arms? Indeed, as no one can escape with
life from an encounter with the Destroyer himself, even so no
body can come out safe from within thy embrace. It was for this
that yonder iron statue of Bhima, which had been caused to be
made by thy son, had been kept ready for thee. Through grief for
the death of thy sons, thy mind has fallen off from righteousness.
It is for this, O great king, that thou seekest to slay Bhimasena.
55
The slaughter of Bhima, however, O king, would do thee no good.

Thy sons, O monarch, would not be revived by it. Therefore, do
thou approve of what has been by us with a view to secure peace
and do not set thy heart on grief!”
56
13
Vaishampayana said, “Certain maid-servants then came to the

king for washing him. After he had been duly washed, the slayer
of Madhu again addressed him, saying, Thou hast, O king, read
the Vedas and diverse scriptures. Thou hast heard all old histories,
and everything about the duties of kings. Thou art learned,
possessed of great wisdom, and indifferent to strength and
weakness. Why then dost thou cherish such wrath when all that
has overtaken thee is the result of thy own fault? I spoke to thee
before the battle. Both Bhishma and Drona, O Bharata, did the
same, as also Vidura and Sanjaya. Thou didst not, however, then
follow our advice. Indeed, though exhorted by us, thou didst not
yet act according to the counsels we offered, knowing that the
Pandavas were superior to thee and thine, O Kauravya, in strength
and courage. That king who is capable of seeing his own faults
and knows the distinctions of place and time, obtains great
prosperity. That person, however, who, though counselled by
well-wishers, does not accept their words, good or bad, meets with
distress and is obliged to grieve in consequence of the evil policy
he pursues. Observe thou a different course of life now, O
Bharata! Thou didst not keep thy soul under restraint, but suffered
thyself to be ruled by Duryodhana. That which has come upon
57
thee is due to thy own fault. Why then dost thou seek to slay
Bhima? Recollecting thy own faults, govern thy wrath now. That
mean wretch who had, from pride, caused the princess of Pancala
to be brought into the assembly has been slain by Bhimasena in
just revenge. Look at thy own evil acts as also at those of thy
wicked-souled son. The sons of Pandu are perfectly innocent. Yet
have they been treated most cruelly by thee and him.”
Vaishampayana continued, “After he had thus been told nothing

but the truth by Krishna, O monarch, king Dhritarashtra replied
unto Devakis son, saying, It is even so, O thou of mighty arms!
What thou sayest, O Madhava, is perfectly true. It is parental
affection, O thou of righteous soul, that caused me to fall away
from righteousness. By good luck, that tiger among men, the
mighty Bhima of true prowess, protected by thee, came not within
my embrace. Now, however, I am free from wrath and fever. I
desire eagerly, O Madhava, to embrace that hero, the second son
of Pandu. When all the kings have been dead, when my children
are no more, upon the sons of Pandu depend my welfare and
happiness. Having said these words, the old king then embraced
those princes of excellent frames, Bhima and Dhananjaya, and
those two foremost of men, the two sons of Madri, and wept, and
comforted and pronounced blessings upon them.”
58
14
Vaishampayana said, “Commanded by Dhritarashtra, those bulls

of Kurus race, the Pandava brothers, accompanied by Keshava,
then proceeded to see Gandhari. The faultless Gandhari, afflicted
with grief on account of the death of her hundred sons,
recollecting that king Yudhishthira the just had slain all his
enemies, wished to curse him. Understanding her evil intentions
towards the Pandavas, the son of Satyavati addressed himself for
counteracting them at the very outset. Having cleansed himself by
the sacred and fresh water of the Ganga, the great rishi, capable of
proceeding everywhere at will with the fleetness of the mind,
came to that spot. Capable of seeing the heart of every creature
with his spiritual vision and with his mind directed towards it, the
sage made his appearance there. Endued with great ascetic merit
and ever intent on saying what was for the benefit of creatures, the
rishi, addressing his daughter-in-law at the proper moment, said,
Do not avail thyself of this opportunity for denouncing a curse.
On the other hand, utilize it for showing thy forgiveness. Thou
shouldst not be angry with the Pandavas, O Gandhari! Set thy
heart on peace. Restrain the words that are about to fall from thy
lips. Listen to my advice. Thy son, desirous of victory, had
besought thee every day for the eighteen days that battle lasted,
59
saying, “O mother, bless me who am fighting with my foes.”

Implored every day in these words by thy son desirous of victory,
the answer thou always gavest him was, “Thither is victory where
righteousness is!” I do not, O Gandhari, remember that any words
spoken by thee have become false. Those words, therefore, that
thou, implored by Duryodhana, saidst unto him, could not be
false. Thou art always employed in the good of all creatures.
Having without doubt reached the other shore in that dreadful
battle of Kshatriyas, the sons of Pandu have certainly won the
victory and a measure of righteousness that is much greater. Thou
wert formerly observant of the virtue of forgiveness. Why wouldst
thou not observe it now? Subdue unrighteousness, O thou that art
conversant with righteousness. There is victory where
righteousness is. Remembering thy own righteousness and the
words spoken by thyself, restrain thy wrath, O Gandhari! Do not
act otherwise, O thou that art beautiful in speech. Hearing these
words, Gandhari said, O holy one, I do not cherish any ill feelings
towards the Pandavas, nor do I wish that they should perish. In
consequence, however, of grief for the death of my sons, my heart
is very much agitated. I know that I should protect the Pandavas
with as much care as Kunti herself protects them, and that
Dhritarashtra also should protect them as I should. Through the
fault of Duryodhana and of Shakuni the son of Subala, and
through the action of Karna and Duhshasana, extermination of the
60
Kurus hath taken place. In this matter the slightest blame cannot
attach to Vibhatsu or to Prithas son Vrikodara, or to Nakula or
Sahadeva, or to Yudhishthira himself. While engaged in battle, the
Kauravas, swelling with arrogance and pride, have fallen along
with many others (that came to their aid). I am not grieved at this.
But there has been one act done by Bhima in the very presence of
Vasudeva (that moves my resentment). The high-souled
Vrikodara, having challenged Duryodhana to a dreadful encounter
with mace, and having come to know that my son, while careering
in diverse kinds of motion in the battle, was superior to him in
skill, struck the latter below the navel. It is this that moves my
wrath. Why should heroes, for the sake of their lives, cast off
obligations of duty that have been determined by high-souled
persons conversant with every duty?”
61
15
Vaishampayana said, “Hearing these words of Gandhari,

Bhimasena, looking like one in fright, said these words for
soothing her, Be the act righteous or unrighteous, it was done by
me through fear and for the object of protecting my own self. It
behoveth thee therefore, to forgive me now. Thy mighty son was
incapable of being slain by anybody in a fair and righteous battle.
It was for this that I did what was unfair. Duryodhana himself had
formerly vanquished Yudhishthira unrighteously. He used always
to behave guilefully towards us. It was for this that I had recourse
to an unfair act. Thy son was then the sole unslain warrior on his
side. In order that that valiant prince might not slay me in the
mace-encounter and once more deprive us of our kingdom, I acted
in that way. Thou knowest all that thy son had said unto the
princess of Pancala while the latter, in her season, was clad in a
single piece of raiment. Without having disposed of Suyodhana it
was impossible for us to rule peacefully the whole earth with her
seas. It was for this that I acted in that way. Thy son inflicted
many wrongs on us. In the midst of the assembly he had shown
his left thigh unto Draupadi. For that wicked behaviour, thy son
deserved to be slain by us even then. At the command, however,
of king Yudhishthira the just, we suffered ourselves to be
62
restrained by the compact that had been made. By this means, O

queen, thy son provoked deadly hostilities with us. Great were our
sufferings in the forest (whither we were driven by thy son).
Remembering all this, I acted in that way. Having slain
Duryodhana in battle, we have reached the end of our hostilities.
Yudhishthira has got back his kingdom, and we also have been
freed from wrath. Hearing these words of Bhima, Gandhari said,
Since thou praisest my son thus (for his skill in battle), he did not
deserve such a death. He, however, did all that thou tellest me.
When Vrishasena, however, had deprived Nakula of his steeds, O
Bharata, thou quaffedst in battle the blood from Duhshasanas
body! Such an act is cruel and is censured by the good. It suits
only a person that is most disrespectable. It was a wicked act, O
Vrikodara, that was then accomplished by thee! It was
undeserving of thee. Bhima replied, saying, It is improper to quaff
the blood of even a stranger, what then need be said about
quaffing the blood of ones own self? Ones brother, again, is like
ones own self. There is no difference between them. The blood,
however, (that I am regarded to have quaffed) did not, O mother,
pass down my lips and teeth. Karna knew this well. My hands
only were smeared with (Duhshasanas) blood. Seeing Nakula
deprived of his steeds by Vrishasena in battle, I caused the
rejoicing (Kaurava) brothers to be filled with dread. When after
the match at dice the tresses of Draupadi were seized, I uttered
63
certain words in rage. Those words are still in my remembrance, I

would, for all years to come, have been regarded to have swerved
from the duties of a Kshatriya if I had left that vow
unaccomplished. It was for this, O queen, that I did that act. It
behoveth thee not, O Gandhari, to impute any fault to me. Without
having restrained thy sons in former days, doth it behove thee to
impute any fault to our innocent selves?
“Gandhari said, Unvanquished by anyone, thou hast slain a

hundred sons of this old man. Oh, why didst thou not spare, O
child, even one son of this old couple deprived of kingdom, one
whose offences were lighter? Why didst thou not leave even one
crutch for this blind couple? O child, although thou livest
unharmed, having slain all my children, yet no grief would have
been mine if thou hadst adopted the path of righteousness (in
slaying them).”
Vaishampayana continued, “Having said these words, Gandhari,

filled with wrath at the slaughter of all her sons and grandsons,
enquired after Yudhishthira, saying, Where is the king? After she
had said these words king Yudhishthira, trembling and with joined
hands, approached her and said these soft words unto her, Here is
Yudhishthira, O goddess, that cruel slayer of thy sons! I deserve
thy curses, for I am the cause of this universal destruction. Oh,
curse me! I have no longer any need for life, for kingdom, for
64
wealth! Having caused such friends to be slain, I have proved

myself to be a great fool and a hater of friends. Unto Yudhishthira
who spoke such words, who was overcome with fear, and who
stood in her presence, Gandhari, drawing long sighs, said nothing.
Conversant with the rules of righteousness, the Kuru queen,
possessed of great foresight, directed her eyes, from within the
folds of the cloth that covered them, to the tip of Yudhishthiras
toe, as the prince, with body bent forwards, was about to fall down
at her feet. At this, the king, whose nails had before this been all
very beautiful, came to have a sore nail on his toe. Beholding this,
Arjuna moved away to the rear of Vasudeva. and the other sons of
Pandu became restless and moved from one spot to another.
Gandhari then, having cast off her wrath, comforted the Pandavas
as a mother should. Obtaining her leave, those heroes of broad
chests then proceeded together to present themselves to their
mother, that parent of heroes. Having seen her sons after a long
time, Kunti, who had been filled with anxiety on their account,
covered her face with her cloth and began to weep. Having wept
for some time with her children, Pritha beheld the wounds and
scars of many weapons on their bodies. She then repeatedly
embraced and patted each of her sons, and afflicted with grief
wept with Draupadi who had lost all her children and whom she
saw lying on the bare earth, indulging in piteous lamentations.
65
“Draupadi said, O venerable dame, where have all your

grandsons, with Abhimanyu among them, gone? Beholding thee
in such distress, why are they delaying in making their appearance
before thee? Deprived as I am of my children, what need have I of
kingdom? Raising the grief-stricken princess of Pancala who was
weeping thus, Pritha began to comfort that lady of large eyes.
Then Kunti, accompanied by the princess of Pancala and followed
by her sons, proceeded towards the grief-afflicted Gandhari
herself in greater affliction still. Beholding that illustrious lady
with her daughter-in-law, Gandhari addressed her, saying, Do not,
O daughter, grieve so. Behold, I too am as much stricken with
grief as thou. I think this universal destruction has been brought
about by the irresistible course of Time. Inevitable as it was, this
dreadful slaughter has not been due to the voluntary agency of
human beings. Even that has come to pass which Vidura of great
wisdom foretold after Krishnas supplication for peace had failed.
Do not, therefore, grieve, in a matter that was inevitable,
especially after its occurrence. Having fallen in battle, they should
not be grieved for. I am in the same predicament with thee. (If
thou actest in such a way) who then will comfort us? Through my
fault, this foremost of races has been destroyed.”
Here ends the Jalapradanika-parva in the Stri-parva.
66
16
(Stri-vilapa-parva)
Vaishampayana said, “Having said these words, Gandhari, though

staying on that spot which was distant from the field of battle,
beheld, with her spiritual eye, the slaughter of the Kurus. Devoted
to her lord, that highly blessed lady had always practised high
vows. Undergoing the severest penances, she was always truthful
in her speech. In consequence of the gift of the boon by the great
rishi Vyasa of sanctified deeds, she became possessed of spiritual
knowledge and power. Piteous were the lamentations in which
that dame then indulged. Endued with great intelligence, the Kuru
dame saw, from a distance, but as if from a near point, that field of
battle, terrible to behold and full of wonderful sights, of those
foremost of fighters. Scattered all over with bones and hair, and
covered with streams of blood, that field was strewn with
thousands upon thousands of dead bodies on every side. Covered
with the blood of elephants and horses and car-warriors and
combatants of other kinds, it teemed with headless trunks and
trunkless heads. And it resounded with the cries of elephants and
steeds and men and women and abounded with jackals and cranes
and ravens and kankas and crows. And it was the sporting ground
of rakshasas subsisting on human flesh. And it swarmed with
67
ospreys and vultures and resounded with the inauspicious howls

of jackals. Then king Dhritarashtra, at the command of Vyasa, and
all the sons of Pandu with Yudhishthira at their head, with
Vasudeva and all the Kuru ladies, proceeded to the field of battle.
Those ladies, bereaved of their lords, having reached Kurukshetra,
beheld their slain brothers and sons and sires and husbands lying
on the ground, and in course of being devoured by beasts of prey
and wolves and ravens and crows and ghosts and pishacas and
rakshasas and diverse other wanderers of the night. Beholding that
carnage which resembled the sights seen on the sporting ground of
Rudra, the ladies uttered loud shrieks and quickly alighted from
their costly vehicles. Witnessing sights the like of which they had
never before witnessed, the Bharata ladies felt their limbs to be
deprived of strength and fell down on the ground. Others became
so stupefied that they lost all their senses. Indeed, the Pancala and
the Kuru ladies were plunged into unutterable distress. Beholding
that dreadful field of battle resounding on every direction with the
cries of those grief-stricken ladies, the daughter of Subala,
acquainted with every duty, addressed the lotus-eyed Keshava,
that foremost of all men. Witnessing that universal slaughter of
the Kurus and filled with grief at the sight, she said these words:
Behold, O lotus-eyed Madhava, these daughters-in-law of mine!
Deprived of their lords, they are uttering, with dishevelled hair,
piteous cries of woe like a flight of she-ospreys. Meeting with
68
those dead bodies, they are calling back to their memories the
great Bharata chiefs. They are running hither and thither in large
bands towards their sons and brothers and sires and husbands.
Behold, O mighty-armed one, the field is covered with mothers of
heroes, all of whom, however, have been bereaved of children.
There, those portions again are covered with spouses of heroes,
who have, however, been bereaved of their spouses! Behold, the
field of battle is adorned with those tigers among men, Bhishma
and Karna and Abhimanyu and Drona and Drupada and Shalya, as
if with blazing fires. Behold, it is adorned also with the golden
coats of mail, and with the costly gems, of high-souled warriors,
and with their angadas, and keyuras and garlands. Behold, it is
strewn with darts and spiked clubs hurled by heroic hands, and
swords and diverse kinds of keen shafts and bows. Beasts of prey,
assembled together, are standing or sporting or lying down as it
likes them! Behold, O puissant hero, the field of battle is even
such. At this sight, O Janardana, I am burning with grief. In the
destruction of the Pancalas and the Kurus, O slayer of Madhu, I
think, the five elements (of which everything is made) have been
destroyed. Fierce vultures and other birds, in thousands, are
dragging those blood-dyed bodies, and seizing them by their
armour, are devouring them. Who is there that could think of the
death of such heroes as Jayadratha and Karna and Drona and
Bhishma and Abhimanyu? Alas, though incapable of being slain,
69
they have yet been slain, O destroyer of Madhu! Behold, vultures

and kankas and ravens and hawks and dogs and jackals are
feasting upon them. There, those tigers among men, that fought on
Duryodhanas side, and took the field in wrath, are now lying like
extinguished fires. All of them are worthy of sleeping on soft and
clean beds. But, alas, plunged into distress, they are sleeping
today on the bare ground. Bards reciting their praises used to
delight them before at proper times. They are now listening to the
fierce and inauspicious cries of jackals. Those illustrious heroes
who used formerly to sleep on costly beds with their limbs
smeared with sandal paste and powdered aloe, alas, now sleep on
the dust! These vultures and wolves and ravens have now become
their ornaments. Repeatedly uttering inauspicious and fierce cries
those creatures are now dragging their bodies. Delighting in battle,
those heroes, looking cheerful, have still beside them their keen
shafts, well-tempered swords, and bright maces, as if life has not
yet departed from them. Many foremost of heroes, possessed of
beauty and fair complexions and adorned with garlands of gold,
are sleeping on the ground. Behold, beasts of prey are dragging
and tearing them. Others, with massive arms, are sleeping with
maces in their embrace, as if those were beloved wives. Others,
still cased in armour, are holding in their hands their bright
weapons. Beasts of prey are not mangling them, O Janardana,
regarding them to be still alive. The beautiful garlands of pure
70
gold on the necks of other illustrious heroes, as the latter are being
dragged by carnivorous creatures, are scattered about on every
side. There, those fierce wolves, numbering in thousands, are
dragging the golden chains round the necks of many illustrious
heroes stilled by death. Many, whom bards well-trained to their
work formerly used, with their hymns and eulogies of grave
import, to delight every morning, are now surrounded by fair
ladies stricken with grief and weeping and crying around them in
woe, O tiger of Vrishnis race! The faces of those beautiful ladies,
O Keshava, though pale, look resplendent still, like an assemblage
of red lotuses! Those Kuru ladies have ceased to weep, with their
respective followers and companions. They are all filled with
anxiety. Overwhelmed with sorrow, they are running hither and
thither. The faces of those fair ones have, with weeping and anger,
become resplendent as the morning sun or gold or burnished
copper. Hearing each others lamentations of incomplete sense,
those ladies, in consequence of the loud wails of woe bursting
from every side, are unable to catch each others meaning. Some
amongst them, drawing long sighs and indulging in repeated
lamentations, are stupefied by grief and are abondoning their life-
breaths. Many of them, beholding the bodies (of their sons,
husbands, or sires), are weeping and setting up loud wails. Others
are striking their heads with their own soft hands. The earth,
strewn with severed heads and hands and other limbs mingled
71
together and gathered in large heaps, looks resplendent with these

signs of havoc! Beholding many headless trunks of great beauty,
and many heads without trunks, those fair ones have been lying
senseless on the ground for a long while. Uniting particular heads
with particular trunks, those ladies, senseless with grief, are again
discovering their mistakes and saying, “This is not this ones,” and
are weeping more bitterly! Others, uniting arms and thighs and
feet, cut off with shafts, are giving way to grief and losing their
senses repeatedly (at the sight of the restored forms). Some
amongst the Bharata ladies, beholding the bodies of their lords,--
bodies that have been mangled by animals and birds and severed
of their heads,--are not succeeding in recognising them. Others,
beholding their brothers, sires, sons, and husbands slain by foes,
are, O destroyer of Madhu, striking their heads with their own
hands. Miry with flesh and blood, the Earth has become
impassable with arms still holding swords in their grasp, and with
heads adorned with earrings. Beholding the field strewn with their
brothers and sires, and sons, those faultless ladies, who had never
before suffered the least distress, are now plunged into unutterable
woe. Behold, O Janardana, those numerous bevies of
Dhritarashtras daughters-in-law, resembling successive multitudes
of handsome fillies adorned with excellent manes! What, O
Keshava, can be a sadder spectacle for me to behold than that
presented by those ladies of fair forms who have assumed such an
72
aspect? Without doubt, I must have perpetrated great sins in my

former lives, since I am beholding, O Keshava, my sons and
grandsons and brothers all slain by foes. While indulging in such
lamentations in grief, Gandharis eyes fell upon her son
(Duryodhana).”
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17
Vaishampayana said, “Beholding Duryodhana, Gandhari,

deprived of her senses by grief, suddenly fell down on the earth
like an uprooted plantain tree. Having regained her senses soon,
she began to weep, repeatedly uttering loud wails at the sight of
her son lying on the bare ground, covered with blood. Embracing
her son, Gandhari indulged in piteous lamentations for him.
Stricken with grief, and with senses exceedingly agitated, the
Kuru queen exclaimed, Alas, O son! Alas, O son! Burning with
sorrow, the queen drenched with her tears the body of her son,
possessed of massive and broad shoulders, and adorned with
garlands and collar. Addressing Hrishikesha who stood near, she
said, On the eve of this battle, O puissant one, that has
exterminated this race, this foremost of kings, O thou of Vrishnis
race, said unto me, “In this internecine battle, O mother, wish me
victory!” When he had said these words, I myself, knowing that a
great calamity had come upon us, told him even this, tiger among
men, “Thither is victory where righteousness is. And since, son,
thy heart is set on battle, thou wilt, without doubt, obtain those
regions that are attainable by (the use of) weapons (and sport
there) like a celestial.” Even these were the words that I then said
unto him. I did not then grieve for my son. I grieve, however, for
74
the helpless Dhritarashtra bereaved of friends and kinsmen.

Behold, O Madhava, my son, that foremost of warriors, wrathful,
skilled in weapons, and irresistible in battle, sleeping on the bed of
heroes. Behold the reverses brought about by Time. This scorcher
of foes that used of old to walk at the head of all crowned persons
now sleepeth on the dust. Without doubt, the heroic Duryodhana,
when he sleeps on that bed which is the heros hath obtained the
most unattainable end. Inauspicious jackals are now delighting
that prince asleep on the heros bed, who was formerly delighted
by the fairest of ladies sitting round him. He who was formerly
encircled by kings vying with one another to give him pleasure,
alas, he, slain and lying on the ground, is now encircled by
vultures! He who was formerly fanned with beautiful fans by fair
ladies is now fanned by (carnivorous) birds with flaps of their
wings! Possessed of great strength and true prowess, this mighty-
armed prince, slain by Bhimasena in battle, sleeps like an elephant
slain by a lion! Behold Duryodhana, O Krishna, lying on the bare
ground, covered with blood, slain by Bhimasena with his mace.
That mighty-armed one who had in battle assembled together
eleven akshauhinis of troops, O Keshava, hath, in consequence of
his own evil policy, been now slain. Alas, there that great bowman
and mighty car-warrior sleeps, slain by Bhimasena, like a tiger
slain by a lion! Having disregarded Vidura, as also his own sire,
this reckless, foolish, and wicked prince hath succumbed to death,
75
in consequence of his disregard of the old. He who had ruled the

earth, without a rival, for thirteen years, alas, that prince, that son
of mine, sleepeth to-day on the bare ground, slain by his foes. Not
long before, O Krishna, I beheld the Earth, full of elephants and
kine and horses, ruled by Duryodhana! Today, O thou of mighty
arms, I see her ruled by another, and destitute of elephants and
kine and horses! What need have I, O Madhava, of life? Behold,
again, this sight that is more painful than the death of my son, the
sight of these fair ladies weeping by the side of the slain heroes!
Behold, O Krishna, the mother of Lakshmana, that lady of large
hips, with her tresses dishevelled, that dear spouse of Duryodhana,
resembling a sacrificial altar of gold. Without doubt, this damsel
of great intelligence, while her mighty-armed lord was formerly
alive, used to sport within the embrace of her lords handsome
arms! Why, indeed, does not this heart of mine break into a
hundred fragments at the sight of my son and grandson slain in
battle? Alas, that faultless lady now smells (the head of) her son
covered with blood. Now, again, that lady of fair thighs is gently
rubbing Duryodhanas body with her fair hand. At one time she is
sorrowing for her lord and at another for her son. At one time she
looketh on her lord, at another on her son. Behold, O Madhava,
striking her head with her hands, she falls upon the breast of her
heroic spouse, the king of the Kurus. Possessed of complexion
like that of the filaments of the lotus, she still looketh beautiful
76
like a lotus. The unfortunate princess now rubbeth the face of her
son and now that of her lord. If the scriptures and the shrutis be
true, without doubt, this king has obtained those regions (of
blessedness) that one may win by the use of weapons!”
77
18
“Gandhari said, Behold, O Madhava, my century of sons,

incapable of fatigue (from exertion in battle), have all been slain
by Bhimasena with his mace in battle! That which grieves me
more today is that these my daughters-in-law, of tender years,
deprived of sons and with dishevelled hair, are wandering on the
field today. Alas, they who formerly walked only on the terraces
of goodly mansions with feet adorned with many ornaments, are
now, in great affliction of heart, obliged to touch with those feet
of theirs this hard earth, miry with blood! Reeling in sorrow, they
are wandering like inebriated persons, driving away vultures and
jackals and crows with difficulty. Behold, that lady of faultless
limbs and slender waist, seeing this terrible carnage, falleth down,
overwhelmed with grief. Beholding this princess, this mother of
Lakshmana, O thou of mighty arms, my heart is torn with grief.
These beautiful ladies of fair arms, some seeing their brothers,
some their husbands, and some their sons, lying down in death on
the bare ground, are themselves falling down, seizing the arms of
the slain. Listen, O unvanquished one, to the loud wails of those
elderly ladies and those others of middle age at sight of this
terrible carnage. Supporting themselves against broken boxes of
cars and the bodies of slain elephants and steeds, behold, O thou
78
of great might, those ladies, worn out with fatigue, are resting
themselves. Behold, O Krishna, some one amongst them, taking
up some kinsmans severed head decked with beautiful nose and
earrings, is standing in grief. I think, O sinless one, that both those
and myself of little understanding must have committed great sins
in our former lives, since, O Janardana, all our relatives and
kinsmen have thus been slain by king Yudhishthira the just! Our
acts, righteous or unrighteous, cannot go for nothing, O thou of
Vrishnis race! Behold, O Madhava, those young ladies of
beautiful bosoms and abdomen, well-born, possessed of modesty,
having black eye-lashes and tresses of the same colour on their
heads, endued with voice sweet and dear like that of swans, are
falling down, deprived of their senses in great grief and uttering
piteous cries like flights of cranes. Behold, O lotus-eyed hero,
their beautiful faces resembling full-blown lotuses, are scorched
by the sun. Alas, O Vasudeva, the wives of my proud children
possessed of prowess like that of infuriated elephants, are now
exposed to the gaze of common people. Behold, O Govinda, the
shields decked with hundred moons, the standards of solar
effulgence, the golden coats of mail, and the collars and cuirasses
made of gold, and the head-gears, of my sons, scattered on the
earth, are blazing with splendour like sacrificial fires over which
have been poured libations, of clarified butter. There, Duhshasana
sleepeth, felled by Bhima, and the blood of all his limbs quaffed
79
by that heroic slayer of foes. Behold that other son of mine, O

Madhava, slain by Bhima with his mace, impelled by Draupadi
and the recollection of his woes at the time of the match at dice.
Addressing the dice-won princess of Pancala in the midst of the
assembly, this Duhshasana, desirous of doing what was agreeable
to his (elder) brother as also to Karna, O Janardana, had said,
“Thou art now the wife of a slave! With Sahadeva and Nakula and
Arjuna, O lady, enter our household now!” On that occasion, O
Krishna, I said unto king Duryodhana, “O son, cast off (from thy
side) the wrathful Shakuni. Know that thy maternal uncle is of
very wicked soul and exceedingly fond of quarrel. Casting him off
without delay, make peace with the Pandavas, O son! O thou of
little intelligence, thinkest thou not of Bhimasena filled with
wrath? Thou art piercing him with thy wordy shafts like a person
striking an elephant with burning brands.” Alas, disregarding my
words, he vomitted his wordy poison at them, like a snake
vomitting its poison at a bull,--at them who had already been
pierced with his wordy darts. There, that Duhshasana sleepeth,
stretching his two massive arms, slain by Bhimasena like a mighty
elephant by a lion. The very wrathful Bhimasena perpetrated a
most horrible act by drinking in battle the blood of his foe!”
80
19
“Gandhari said, There, O Madhava, my son Vikarna, applauded

by the wise, lieth on the bare ground, slain by Bhima and mangled
horribly! Deprived of life, O slayer of Madhu, Vikarna lieth in the
midst of (slain) elephants like the moon in the autumnal sky
surrounded by blue clouds. His broad palm, cased in leathern
fence, and scarred by constant wielding of the bow, is pierced
with difficulty by vultures desirous of feeding upon it. His
helpless young wife, O Madhava, is continually endeavouring,
without success, to drive away those vultures desirous of feeding
on carrion. The youthful and brave and handsome Vikarna, O bull
among men, brought up in luxury and deserving of every kind of
weal, now sleepeth amid the dust, O Madhava! Though all his
vital parts have been pierced with clothyard shafts and bearded
arrows and nalikas, yet that beauty of person which was his hath
not forsaken this best of the Bharatas. There, my son Durmukha,
that slayer of large band of foes, sleepeth, with face towards the
enemy, slain by the heroic Bhimasena in observance of his vow.
His face, O Krishna, half-eaten away by beasts of prey, looketh
more handsome, O child, even like the moon on the seventh day
of the lighted fortnight. Behold, O Krishna, the face of that heroic
son of mine, which is even such. How could that son of mine be
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slain by foes and thus made to eat the dust? O amiable one, how
could that Durmukha, before whom no foe could stand, be slain
by foes, O subjugator of celestial regions! Behold, O slayer of
Madhu, that other son of Dhritarashtra, Citrasena, slain and lying
on the ground, that hero who was the model of all bowmen?
Those young ladies, afflicted with grief and uttering piteous cries,
are now sitting, with beasts of prey, around his fair form adorned
with wreaths and garlands. These loud wails of woe, uttered by
women, and these cries and roars of beasts of prey, seem
exceedingly wonderful to me, O Krishna! Youthful and
handsome, and always waited upon and served by the most
beautiful ladies, my son Vivinsati, O Madhava, sleepeth there,
stained with dust. His armour hath been pierced with arrows. Slain
in the midst of the carnage, alas, the heroic Vivimshati is now
surrounded and waited upon by vultures! Having in battle
penetrated the ranks of the Pandava army, that hero now lieth on
the bed of a hero,--on the bed, that is, of an exalted Kshatriya!
Behold, O Krishna, his very beautiful face, with a smile playing
on it, adorned with excellent nose and fair eyebrows, and
resembling the resplendent Moon himself! Formerly a large
number of the most beautiful ladies used to wait upon him, like
thousands of celestial girls upon a sporting gandharva. Who again
could endure my son Duhsaha, that slayer of heroic foes, that
hero, that ornament of assemblies, that irresistible warrior, that
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resister of foes? The body of Duhsaha, covered with arrows,

looks resplendent like a mountain overgrown with flowering
karnikaras. With his garland of gold and his bright armour,
Duhsaha, though deprived of life, looks resplendent yet, like a
white mountain of fire!”
83
20
“Gandhari said, He whose might and courage were regarded, O

Keshava, as a one and half times superior to those of his sire and
thee, he who resembled a fierce and proud lion, he who, without a
follower, alone pierced the impenetrable array of my son, he who
proved to be the death of many, alas, he now sleepeth there,
having himself succumbed to death! I see, O Krishna, the
splendour of that son of Arjuna, of that hero of immeasurable
energy, Abhimanyu, hath not been dimmed even in death. There,
the daughter of Virata, the daughter-in-law of the wielder of
gandiva, that girl of faultless beauty overwhelmed with grief at
sight of her heroic husband, is indulging in lamentations! That
young wife, the daughter of Virata, approaching her lord, is gently
rubbing him, O Krishna, with her hand. Formerly, that highly
intelligent and exceedingly beautiful girl, inebriated with honeyed
wines, used bashfully to embrace her lord, and kiss the face of
Subhadras son, that face which resembled a full-blown lotus and
which was supported on a neck adorned with three lines like those
of a conch-shell. Taking of her lords golden coat of mail, O hero,
that damsel is gazing now on the blood-dyed body of her spouse.
Beholding her lord, O Krishna, that girl addresses thee and says,
“O lotus-eyed one, this hero whose eyes resembled thine, hath
84
been slain. In might and energy, and prowess also, he was thy
equal, O sinless one! He resembled thee very much in beauty. Yet
he sleeps on the ground, slain by the enemy!” Addressing her own
lord, the damsel says again, “Thou wert brought up in every
luxury. Thou usedst to sleep on soft skins of the ranku deer. Alas,
does not thy body feel pain today by lying thus on the bare
ground? Stretching thy massive arms adorned with golden
angadas, resembling a couple of elephants trunks and covered
with skin hardened by frequent use of the bow, thou sleepest, O
lord, in peace, as if exhausted with the toil of too much exercise in
the gymnasium. Alas, why dost thou not address me that am
weeping so? I do not remember to have ever offended thee. Why
dost thou not speak to me then? Formerly, thou usedst to address
me even when thou wouldst see me at a distance. O reverend sir,
whither wilt thou go, leaving behind thee the much-respected
Subhadra, these thy sires that resemble the very celestials, and my
own wretched self distracted with woe?” Behold, O Krishna,
gathering with her hands the blood-dyed locks of her lord and
placing his head on her lap, the beautiful damsel is speaking to
him as if he were alive, “How couldst those great car-warriors
slay thee in the midst of battle,--thee that art the sisters son of
Vasudeva and the son of the wielder of gandiva? Alas, fie on
those warriors of wicked deeds, Kripa and Karna and Jayadratha
and Drona and Dronas son, by whom thou wert deprived of life.
85
What was the state of mind of those great car-warriors at that time
when they surrounded thee, a warrior of tender years, and slew
thee to my grief? How couldst thou, O hero, who had so many
protectors, be slain so helplessly in the very sight of the Pandavas
and the Pancalas? Beholding thee, O hero, slain in battle by many
persons united together, how is that tiger among men, that son of
Pandu, thy sire, able to bear the burden of life? Neither the
acquisition of a vast kingdom nor the defeat of their foes conduces
to the joy of the Parthas bereft of thee, O lotus-eyed one! By the
practice of virtue and self-restraint, I shall very soon repair to
those regions of bliss which thou hast acquired by the use of
weapons. Protect me, O hero, when I repair to those regions.
When ones hour does not come, one cannot die, since, wretched
that I am, I still draw breath after seeing thee slain in battle.
Having repaired to the region of the pitris, whom else, like me,
dost thou address now, O tiger among men, in sweet words
mingled with smiles? Without doubt, thou wilt agitate the hearts
of the apsaras in heaven, with thy great beauty and thy soft words
mingled with smiles! Having obtained the regions reserved for
persons of righteous deeds, thou art now united, O son of
Subhadra, with the apsaras! While sporting with them, recollect at
times my good acts towards thee. Thy union with me in this world
had, it seems, been ordained for only six months, for in the
seventh, O hero, thou hast been bereft of life!” O Krishna, the
86
ladies of the royal house of Matsya are dragging away the

afflicted Uttara, baffled of all her purposes, while lamenting in
this strain. Those ladies, dragging away the afflicted Uttara,
themselves still more afflicted than that girl, are weeping and
uttering loud wails at sight of the slain Virata. Mangled with the
weapons and shafts of Drona, prostrate on the ground, and
covered with blood, Virata is encompassed by screaming vultures
and howling jackals and crowing ravens. Those black-eyed ladies,
approaching the prostrate form of the Matsya king over which
carnivorous birds are uttering cries of joy, are endeavouring to
turn the body. Weakened by grief and exceedingly afflicted, they
are unable to do what they intend. Scorched by the Sun, and worn
out with exertion and toil, their faces have become colourless and
pale. Behold also, O Madhava, those other children besides
Abhimanyu—Uttara, Sudakshina the prince of the Kambhojas,
and the handsome Lakshmana—all lying on the field of battle!”
87
21
“Gandhari said, Then the mighty Karna, that great bowman, lieth
on the ground! In battle he was like a blazing fire! That fire,
however, hath now been extinguished by the energy of Partha.
Behold, Vikartanas son Karna, after having slain many atirathas,
has been prostrated on the bare ground, and is drenched with
blood. Wrathful and possessed of great energy, he was a great
bowman and a mighty car-warrior. Slain in battle by the wielder
of gandiva, that hero now sleepeth on the ground. My sons, those
mighty car-warriors, from fear of the Pandavas, fought, placing
Karna at their head, like a herd of elephants with its leader to the
fore. Alas, like a tiger slain by a lion, or an elephant by an
infuriated elephant, that warrior hath been slain in battle by
Savyasaci. Assembled together, O tiger among men, the wives of
that warrior, with dishevelled tresses and loud wails of grief, are
sitting around that fallen hero! Filled with anxiety caused by the
thoughts of that warrior, king Yudhishthira the just could not, for
thirteen years, obtain a wink of sleep! Incapable of being checked
by foes in battle like Maghavat himself who is invincible by
enemies, Karna was like the all-destroying fire of fierce flames at
the end of the yuga, and immovable like Himavat himself! That
hero became the protector of Dhritarashtras son, O Madhava!
88
Alas, deprived of life, he now lieth on the bare ground, like a tree
prostrated by the wind! Behold, the wife of Karna and mother of
Vrishasena, is indulging in piteous lamentations and crying and
weeping and falling upon the ground! Even now she exclaims,
“Without doubt, thy preceptors curse hath pursued thee! When the
wheel of thy car was swallowed up by the Earth, the cruel
Dhananjaya cut off thy head with an arrow! Alas, fie (on the
heroism and skill)!” That lady, the mother of Sushena,
exceedingly afflicted and uttering cries of woe, is falling down,
deprived of her senses, at the sight of the mighty-armed and brave
Karna prostrated on the earth, with his waist still encircled with a
belt of gold. Carnivorous creatures, feeding on the body of that
illustrious hero, have reduced it to very small dimensions. The
sight is not gladdening, like that of the moon on the fourteenth
night of the dark fortnight. Falling down on the earth, the
cheerless dame is rising up again. Burning with grief on account
of the death of her son also, she cometh and smelleth the face of
her lord!”
89
22
“Gandhari said, Slain by Bhimasena, behold, the lord of Avanti

lies there! Vultures and jackals and crows are feeding upon that
hero! Though possessed of many friends, he lies now perfectly
friendless! Behold, O slayer of Madhu, having made a great
slaughter of foes, that warrior is now lying on the bed of a hero,
covered with blood. Jackals, and kankas, and other carnivorous
creatures of diverse kinds, are dragging him now. Behold the
reverses brought about by Time. His wives, assembled together,
and crying in grief, are sitting around that hero who in life was a
terrible slayer of foes but who now lies on the bed of a hero.
Behold, Pratipas son Bahlika, that mighty bowman possessed of
great energy, slain with a broad-headed shaft, is now lying on the
ground like a sleeping tiger. Though deprived of life, the colour of
his face is still exceedingly bright, like that of the moon at full,
risen on the fifteenth day of the lighted fortnight! Burning with
grief on account of the death of his son, and desirous of
accomplishing his vow, Indras son (Arjuna) hath slain there that
son of Vriddhakshatra! Behold that Jayadratha, who was protected
by the illustrious Drona, slain by Partha bent on accomplishing his
vow, after penetrating through eleven Akshauhinis of troops.
Inauspicious vultures, O Janardana, are feeding upon Jayadratha,
90
the lord of the Sindhu-Sauviras, full of pride and energy! Though

sought to be protected by his devoted wives, see, O Acyuta,
carnivorous creatures are dragging his body away to a jungle in
the vicinity. The Kamboja and Yavana wives of that mighty-
armed lord of the Sindhus and the Sauviras are waiting upon him
for protecting him (from the wild beasts). At that time, O
Janardana, when Jayadratha, assisted by the Kekayas,
endeavoured to ravish Draupadi, he deserved to be slain by the
Pandavas! From regard, however, for Duhshala, they set him free
on that occasion. Why, O Krishna, did they not show some regard
for that Duhshala once more? That daughter of mine, of tender
years, is now crying in grief. She is striking her body with her
own hands and censuring the Pandavas. What, O Krishna, can be
a greater grief to me than that my daughter of tender years should
be a widow and all my daughters-in-law should become lordless.
Alas, alas, behold, my daughter Duhshala, having cast off her
grief and fears, is running hither and thither in search of the head
of her husband. He who had checked all the Pandavas desirous of
rescuing their son, after causing the slaughter of a vast force, at
last himself succumbed to death. Alas, those wives of his, with
faces as beautiful as the moon, are crying, sitting around that
irresistible hero who resembled an infuriated elephant!”
91
23
“Gandhari said, There lies Shalya, the maternal uncle himself of

Nakula, slain in battle, O sire, by the pious and virtuous
Yudhishthira! He used everywhere, O bull among men, to boast of
his equality with thee! That mighty car-warrior, the ruler of the
Madras, now lieth, deprived of life. When he accepted the
drivership of Karnas car in battle, he sought to damp the energy of
Karna for giving victory to the sons of Pandu! Alas, alas, behold
the smooth face of Shalya, beautiful as the moon, and adorned
with eyes resembling the petals of the lotus, eaten away by crows!
There, the tongue of that king, of the complexion of heated gold,
rolling out of his mouth, is, O Krishna, being eaten away by
carnivorous birds! The ladies of the royal house of Madra, uttering
loud wails of woe, are sitting around the body of that king, that
ornament of assemblies, deprived of life by Yudhishthira! Those
ladies are sitting around that fallen hero like a herd of she-
elephants in their season around their leader sunk in a slough.
Behold the brave Shalya, that giver of protection, that foremost of
car-warriors, stretched on the bed of heroes, his body mangled
with shafts. There, king Bhagadatta of great prowess, the ruler of
a mountainous kingdom, the foremost of all wielders of the
elephant-hook, lieth on the ground, deprived of life. Behold the
92
garland of gold that he still wears on his head, looketh

resplendent. Though the body is being eaten away by beasts of
prey, that garland still adorns the fair locks on his head. Fierce
was the battle that took place between this king and Partha,
making the very hair stand on end, like that between Shakra and
the Asura Vritra. This mighty-armed one, having fought
Dhananjaya, the son of Pritha, and having reduced him to great
straits, was at last slain by his antagonist. He who had no equal on
earth in heroism and energy, that achiever of terrible feats in
battle, Bhishma, lieth there, deprived of life. Behold the son of
Shantanu, O Krishna, that warrior of solar effulgence, stretched on
the earth, like the Sun himself fallen from the firmament at the
end of the yuga. Having scorched his foes with the fire of his
weapons in battle, that valiant warrior, that Sun among men, O
Keshava, hath set like the real Sun at evening. Behold that hero, O
Krishna, who in knowledge of duty was equal to Devapi himself,
now lying on a bed of arrows, so worthy of heroes. Having spread
his excellent bed of barbed and unbarbed arrows, that hero lieth
on it like the divine Skanda on a clump of heath. Indeed, the son
of Ganga lieth, resting his head on that excellent pillow,
consisting of three arrows,--becoming complement of his bed—
given him by the wielder of gandiva. For obeying the command of
his sire, this illustrious one drew up his vital seed. Unrivalled in
battle, that son of Shantanu lieth there, O Madhava! Of righteous
93
soul and acquainted with every duty, by the aid of his knowledge
relating to both the worlds, that hero, though mortal, is still
bearing his life like an immortal. When Shantanus son lieth today,
struck down with arrows, it seems that no other person is alive on
earth that possesseth learning and prowess that is competent to
achieve great feats in battle. Truthful in speech, this righteous and
virtuous hero, solicited by the Pandavas, told them the means of
his own death. Alas, he who had revived the line of Kuru that had
become extinct, that illustrious person possessed of great
intelligence, hath left the world with all the Kurus in his company.
Of whom, O Madhava, will the Kurus enquire of religion and duty
after that bull among men, Devavrata, who resembles a god, shall
have gone to heaven? Behold Drona, that foremost of brahmanas,
that preceptor of Arjuna, of Satyaki, and of the Kurus, lying on the
ground! Endued with mighty energy, Drona, O Madhava, was as
conversant with the four kinds of arms as the chief of the
celestials or Shukra of Bhrigus race. Through his grace, Vibhatsu
the son of Pandu, hath achieved the most difficult feats. Deprived
of life, he now lies on the ground. Weapons refused to come (at
last) at his bidding. Placing him at their head, the Kauravas had
challenged the Pandavas. That foremost of all wielders of
weapons was at last mangled with weapons. As he careered in
battle, scorching his foes in every direction, his course resembled
that of a blazing conflagration. Alas, deprived of life, he now lieth
94
on the ground, like an extinguished fire. The handle of the bow is

yet in his grasp. The leathern fences, O Madhava, still encase his
fingers. Though slain, he still looketh as if alive. The four Vedas,
and all kinds of weapons, O Keshava, did not abandon that hero
even as these do not abandon the Lord Prajapati himself. His
auspicious feet, deserving of every adoration and adored as a
matter of fact by bards and eulogists and worshipped by disciples,
are now being dragged by jackals. Deprived of her senses by grief,
Kripi woefully attendeth, O slayer of Madhu, on that Drona who
hath been slain Drupadas son. Behold that afflicted lady, fallen
upon the Earth, with dishevelled hair and face hanging down.
Alas, she attendeth in sorrow upon her lifeless lord, that foremost
of all wielders of weapons, lying on the ground. Many
brahmacaris, with matted locks on their head, are attending upon
the body of Drona that is cased in armour rent through and
through, O Keshava, with the shafts of Dhrishtadyumna. The
illustrious and delicate Kripi, cheerless and afflicted, is
endeavouring to perform the last rites on the body of her lord slain
in battle. There, those reciters of Samas, having placed the body
of Drona on the funeral pyre and having ignited the fire with due
rites, are singing the three (well-known) Samas. Those
brahmacaris, with matted locks on their heads, have piled the
funeral pyre of that brahmana with bows and darts and car-boxes,
O Madhava! Having collected diverse other kinds of shafts, that
95
hero of great energy is being consumed by them. Indeed, having

placed him on the pyre, they are singing and weeping. Others are
reciting the three (well-known) Samas that are used on such
occasions. Consuming Drona on that fire, like fire in fire, those
disciples of his of the regenerate class are proceeding towards the
banks of the Ganga, along the left side of the pyre and having
placed Kripi at their head!”
96
24
“Gandhari said, Behold the son of Somadatta, who was slain by

Yuyudhana, pecked at and torn by a large number of birds!
Burning with grief at the death of his son, Somadatta, O
Janardana, (as he lies there) seems to censure the great bowman
Yuyudhana. There the mother of Bhurishrava, that faultless lady,
overcome with grief, is addressing her lord Somadatta, saying,
“By good luck, O king, thou seest not this terrible carnage of the
Bharatas, this extermination of the Kurus, this sight that resembles
the scenes occurring at the end of the yuga. By good luck, thou
seest not thy heroic son, who bore the device of the sacrificial
stake on his banner and who performed numerous sacrifices with
profuse presents to all, slain on the field of battle. By good luck,
thou hearest not those frightful wails of woe uttered amidst this
carnage by thy daughters-in-law like the screams of a flight of
cranes on the bosom of the sea. Thy daughters-in-law, bereaved of
both husbands and sons, are running hither and thither, each clad
in a single piece of raiment and each with her black tresses all
dishevelled. By good luck, thou seest not thy son, that tiger among
men, deprived of one of his arms, overthrown by Arjuna, and even
now in course of being devoured by beasts of prey. By good luck,
thou seest not today thy son slain in battle, and Bhurishrava
97
deprived of life, and thy widowed daughters-in-law plunged into

grief. By good luck, thou seest not the golden umbrella of that
illustrious warrior who had the sacrificial stake for the device on
his banner, torn and broken on the terrace of his car. There the
black-eyed wives of Bhurishrava are indulging in piteous
lamentations, surrounding their lord slain by Satyaki. Afflicted
with grief on account of the slaughter of their lords, those ladies,
indulging in copious lamentations, are falling down on the earth
with their faces towards the ground, and slowly approaching thee,
O Keshava! Alas, why did Arjuna of pure deeds perpetrate such a
censurable act, since he struck off the arm of a heedless warrior
who was brave and devoted to the performance of sacrifices. Alas,
Satyaki did an act that was still more sinful, for he took the life of
a person of restrained soul while sitting in the observance of the
praya vow. Alas, O righteous one, thou liest on the ground, slain
unfairly by two foes.” Even thus, O Madhava, those wives of
Bhurishrava are crying aloud in woe. There, those wives of that
warrior, all possessed of slender waists, are placing upon their
laps the lopped off arm of their lord and weeping bitterly!
“Here is that arm which used to invade the girdles, grind the deep
bosoms, and touch the navel, the thighs, and the hips, of fair
women, and loosen the ties of the drawers worn by them! Here is
that arm which slew foes and dispelled the fears of friends, which
gave thousands of kine and exterminated Kshatriyas in battle! In
98
the presence of Vasudeva himself, Arjuna of unstained deeds,

lopped it off thy heedless self while thou wert engaged with
another in battle. What, indeed, wilt thou, O Janardana, say of this
great feat of Arjuna while speaking of it in the midst of
assemblies. What also will the diadem-decked Arjuna himself say
of it?” Censuring thee in this way, that foremost of ladies hath
stopped at last. The co-wives of that lady are piteously lamenting
with her as if she were their daughter-in-law!
“There the mighty Shakuni, the chief of gandharvas, of prowess
incapable of being baffled, hath been slain by Sahadeva, the
maternal uncle by the sisters son! Formerly, he used to be fanned
with a couple of gold-handed fans! Alas, now, his prostrate form
is being fanned by birds with their wings! He used to assume
hundreds and thousands of forms. All the illusions, however, of
that individual possessed of great deceptive powers, have been
burnt by the energy of the son of Pandu. An expert in guile, he
had vanquished Yudhishthira in the assembly by his powers of
deception and won from him his vast kingdom. The son of Pandu,
however, hath now won Shakunis life-breaths. Behold, O Krishna,
a large number of birds is now sitting around Shakuni. An expert
in dice, alas, he had acquired that skill for the destruction of my
sons. This fire of hostility with the Pandavas had been ignited by
Shakuni for the destruction of my children as also of himself and
his followers and kinsmen. Like those acquired by my sons, O
puissant one, by the use of weapons, this one too, however
99
wicked-souled, has acquired many regions of bliss by the use of

weapons. My fear, O slayer of Madhu, is that that crooked person
may not succeed in fomenting dissensions even (there, the region
attained by them) between my children, all of whom are confiding
and possessed of candour!”
100
25
“Gandhari said, Behold that irresistible ruler of the Kambojas, that

bull-necked hero, lying amid the dust, O Madhava, though
deserving of being stretched at his ease on Kamboja blankets.
Stricken with great grief, his wife is weeping bitterly at sight of
his blood-stained arms, which, however, formerly used to be
smeared with sandal-paste. Indeed, the beauteous one exclaims,
“Even now adorned with beautiful palms and graceful fingers,
these two arms of thine resemble a couple of spiked maces,
getting within whose clasp, joy never left me for a moment! What
will be my end, O ruler of men, when I am deprived of thee?”
Endued with a melodious voice, the Kamboja queen is weeping
helplessly and quivering with emotion. Behold that bevy of fair
ladies there. Although tired with exertion and worn out with heat,
yet beauty leaves not their forms, like the sightliness of the
wreaths worn by the celestials although exposed to the Sun.
Behold, O slayer of Madhu, the heroic ruler of the Kalingas lying
there on the ground with his mighty arms adorned with a couple
of angadas. Behold, O Janardana, those Magadha ladies crying
and standing around Jayatsena, the ruler of the Magadhas. The
charming and melodious wails of those long-eyed and sweet-
voiced girls, O Krishna, are stupefying my heart exceedingly.
101
With all their ornaments displaced, crying, and afflicted with

grief, alas, those ladies of Magadha, worthy of resting on costly
beds, are now lying down on the bare ground! There, again, those
other ladies, surrounding their lord, the ruler of the Kosalas,
prince Brihadbala, are indulging in loud wails. Engaged in
plucking from his body the shafts with which it was pierced by
Abhimanyu with the full might of his arms, those ladies are
repeatedly losing their senses. The faces of those beautiful ladies,
O Madhava, through toil and the rays of the Sun, are looking like
faded lotuses. There, the brave sons of Dhrishtadyumna, of tender
years and all adorned with garlands of gold and beautiful angadas,
are lying, slain by Drona. Like insects on a blazing fire, they have
all been burnt by falling upon Drona, whose car was the chamber
of fire, having the bow for its flame and shafts and darts and
maces for its fuel. Similarly, the five Kekaya brothers, possessed
of great courage, and adorned with beautiful angadas, are lying on
the ground, slain by Drona and with their faces turned towards
that hero. Their coats of mail, of the splendour of heated gold, and
their tall standards and cars and garlands, all made of the same
metal, are shedding a bright light on the earth like so many
blazing fires. Behold, O Madhava, king Drupada overthrown in
battle by Drona, like a mighty elephant in the forest slain by a
huge lion. The bright umbrella, white in hue of the king of the
Pancalas, shines, O lotus-eyed one, like the moon in the autumnal
102
firmament. The daughters-in-law and the wives of the old king,

afflicted with grief, having burnt his body on the funeral pyre, are
proceeding, keeping the pyre to their right. There those ladies,
deprived of their senses, are removing the brave and great
bowman Dhrishtaketu, that bull among the Cedis, slain by Drona.
This crusher of foes, O slayer of Madhu, this great bowman,
having baffled many weapons of Drona, lieth there, deprived of
life, like a tree uprooted by the wind. Alas, that brave ruler of the
Cedis, that mighty car-warrior Dhrishtaketu, after having slain
thousands of foes, lies himself deprived of life! There, O
Hrishikesha, the wives of the ruler of the Cedis are sitting around
his body still decked with fair locks and beautiful earrings, though
torn by carnivorous birds. Those foremost of ladies placing upon
their laps the prostrate form of the heroic Dhrishtaketu born of the
Dasharha race, are crying in sorrow. Behold, O Hrishikesha, the
son, possessed of fair locks and excellent earrings, of that
Dhrishtaketu, hacked in battle by Drona with his shafts. He never
deserted his sire while the latter battled with his foes. Mark, O
slayer of Madhu, he does not, even in death, desert that heroic
parent. Even thus, my sons son, that slayer of hostile heroes, the
mighty-armed Lakshmana, hath followed his sire Duryodhana!
Behold, O Keshava, the two brothers of Avanti, Vinda and
Anuvinda, lying there on the field, like two blossoming shala trees
in the spring overthrown by the tempest. Clad in golden armour
103
and adorned with Angadas of gold, they are still armed with
swords and bows. Possessed of eyes like those of a bull, and
decked with bright garlands, both of them are stretched on the
field. The Pandavas, O Krishna, with thyself, are surely
unslayable, since they and thou have escaped from Drona, from
Bhishma, from Karna the son of Vikartana, from Kripa, from
Duryodhana, from the son of Drona, from the mighty car-warrior
Jayadratha, from Somadatta, from Vikarna, and from the brave
Kritavarma. Behold the reverses brought about by Time! Those
bulls among men that were capable of slaying the very celestials
by force of their weapons have themselves been slain. Without
doubt, O Madhava, there is nothing difficult for destiny to bring
about, since even these bulls among men, these heroes, have been
slain by Kshatriya warriors. My sons endued with great activity
were (regarded by me as) slain even then, O Krishna, when thou
returnedst unsuccessfully to Upaplavya. Shantanus son and the
wise Vidura told me then, “Cease to bear affection for thy
children!” The interviews of those persons could not go for
nothing. Soon, O Janardana, have my sons been consumed into
ashes!”
Vaishampayana continued, “Having said these words, Gandhari,

deprived of her senses by grief, fell down on the earth! Casting off
her fortitude, she suffered her senses to be stupefied by grief.
104
Filled with wrath and with sorrow at the death of her sons,
Gandhari, with agitated heart, ascribed every fault to Keshava.
“Gandhari said, The Pandavas and the Dhartarashtras, O Krishna,

have both been burnt. Whilst they were thus being exterminated,
O Janardana, why wert thou indifferent to them? Thou wert
competent to prevent the slaughter, for thou hast a large number
of followers and a vast force. Thou hadst eloquence, and thou
hadst the power (for bringing about peace). Since deliberately, O
slayer of Madhu, thou wert indifferent to this universal carnage,
therefore, O mighty-armed one, thou shouldst reap the fruit of this
act. By the little merit I have acquired through waiting dutifully
on my husband, by that merit so difficult to attain, I shall curse
thee, O wielder of the discus and the mace! Since thou wert
indifferent to the Kurus and the Pandavas whilst they slew each
other, therefore, O Govinda, thou shalt be the slayer of thy own
kinsmen! In the thirty-sixth year from this, O slayer of Madhu,
thou shalt, after causing the slaughter of thy kinsmen and friends
and sons, perish by disgusting means in the wilderness. The ladies
of thy race, deprived of sons, kinsmen, and friends, shall weep and
cry even as these ladies of the Bharata race!”
Vaishampayana continued, “Hearing these words, the high-souled

Vasudeva, addressing the venerable Gandhari, said unto her these
words, with a faint smile, There is none in the world, save myself,
105
that is capable of exterminating the Vrishnis. I know this well. I

am endeavouring to bring it about. In uttering this curse, O thou of
excellent vows, thou hast aided me in the accomplishment of that
task. The Vrishnis are incapable of being slain by others, be they
human beings or gods or Danavas. The Yadavas, therefore shall
fall by one anothers hand. After he of Dasharhas race had said
these words, the Pandavas became stupefied. Filled with anxiety
all of them became hopeless of life!”
106
26
“The holy one said, Arise, arise, O Gandhari, do not set thy heart
on grief! Through thy fault, this vast carnage has taken place! Thy
son Duryodhana was wicked-souled, envious, and exceedingly
arrogant. Applauding his wicked acts, thou regardest them to be
good. Exceedingly cruel, he was the embodiment of hostilities,
and disobedient to the injunctions of the old. Why dost thou wish
to ascribe thy own faults to me? Dead or lost, the person that
grieves for what has already occurred, obtaineth more grief. By
indulging in grief, one increases it two-fold. A woman of the
regenerate class bears children for the practice of austerities; the
cow brings forth offspring for bearing burdens; the mare brings
forth her young for acquiring speed of motion; the Shudra woman
bears a child for adding to the number of servitors; the Vaishya
woman for adding to the number of keepers of cattle. A princess,
however, like thee, brings forth sons for being slaughtered!”
Vaishampayana said, “Hearing these words of Vasudeva that were

disagreeable to her, Gandhari, with heart exceedingly agitated by
grief, remained silent. The royal sage Dhritarashtra, however,
restraining the grief that arises from folly, enquired of
Yudhishthira the just, saying, If, O son of Pandu, thou knowest it,
107
tell me the number of those that have fallen in this battle, as also
of those that have escaped with life!
“Yudhishthira answered, One billion 660 million and 20,000 men

have fallen in this battle. Of the heroes that have escaped, the
number is 240,165.
“Dhritarashtra said, Tell me, O mighty-armed one, for thou art

conversant with everything, what ends have those foremost of
men attained.
“Yudhishthira said, Those warriors of true prowess that have

cheerfully cast off their bodies in fierce battle have all attained
regions like those of Indra. Knowing death to be inevitable, they
that have encountered it cheerlessly have attained the
companionship of the gandharvas. Those warriors that have fallen
at the edge of weapons, while turning away from the field or
begging for quarter, have attained the world of the guhyakas.
Those high-souled warriors who, observant of the duties of
kshatriya-hood and regarding flight from battle to be shameful,
have fallen, mangled with keen weapons, while advancing
unarmed against fighting foes, have all assumed bright forms and
attained the regions of Brahman. The remaining warriors, that
have in anyhow met with death on the precincts of the field of
battle, have attained the region of the Uttara-Kurus.”
108
“Dhritarashtra said, By the power of what knowledge, O son, thou

seest these things like one crowned with ascetic success? Tell me
this, O mighty-armed one, if thou thinkest that I can listen to it
without impropriety!
“Yudhishthira said, While at thy command I wandered in the

forest, I obtained this boon on the occasion of sojourning to the
sacred places. I met with the celestial rishi Lomasa and obtained
from him the boon of spiritual vision. Thus on a former occasion I
obtained second sight through the power of knowledge!
“Dhritarashtra said, It is necessary that our people should burn,

with due rites, the bodies of both the friendless and the friended
slain. What shall we do with those that have none to look after
them and that have no sacred fires? The duties that await us are
many. Who are those whose (last) rites we should perform? O
Yudhishthira, will they obtain regions of blessedness by the merit
of their acts, they whose bodies are now being torn and dragged
by vultures and other birds?”
Vaishampayana continued, “Thus addressed, Kuntis son

Yudhishthira of great wisdom commanded Sudharma (the priest
of the Kauravas) and Dhaumya, and Sanjaya of the suta order, and
Vidura of great wisdom, and Yuyutsu of Kurus race, and all his
servants headed by Indrasena, and all the other sutas that were
with him, saying, Cause the funeral rites of the slain, numbering
109
by thousands, to be duly performed, so that nobody may perish for

want of persons to take care of them! At this command of king
Yudhishthira the just, Vidura and Sanjaya and Sudharma and
Dhaumya and Indrasena and others, procuring sandal, aloe and
other kinds of wood used on such occasions, as also clarified
butter and oil and perfumes and costly silken robes and other
kinds of cloth, and large heaps of dry wood, and broken cars and
diverse kinds of weapons, caused funeral pyres to be duly made
and lighted and then without haste burnt, with due rites the slain
kings in proper order. They properly burned upon those fires that
blazed forth with libations of clarified butter in torrents over them,
the bodies of Duryodhana and his hundred brothers, of Shalya,
and king Bhurishrava; of king Jayadratha and Abhimanyu, O
Bharata; of Duhshasanas son and Lakshmana and king
Dhrishtaketu; of Vrihanta and Somadatta and the hundreds of
Srinjayas; of king Kshemadhanva and Virata and Drupada; of
Shikhandi the prince of Pancalas, and Dhrishtadyumna of
Prishatas race; of the valiant Yudhamanyu and Uttamauja; of the
ruler of the Kosalas, the sons of Draupadi, and Shakuni the son of
Subala; of Acala and Vrishaka, and king Bhagadatta; of Karna and
his son of great wrath; of those great bowmen, the Kekaya
princes, and those mighty car-warriors, the Trigartas; of
Ghatotkaca the prince of rakshasas, and the brother of Vaka, of
Alambusha, the foremost of rakshasas, and king Jalasandha; and
110
of hundreds and thousands of other kings. The pitri-medha rites in

honour of some of the illustrious dead were performed there,
while some sang Samas, and some uttered lamentations for the
dead. With the loud noise of Samas and Riks, and the
lamentations of the women, all creatures became stupefied that
night. The funeral fires, smokeless and blazing brightly (amid the
surrounding darkness), looked like luminous planets in the
firmament enveloped by clouds. Those among the dead that had
come from diverse realms and were utterly friendless were piled
together in thousands of heaps and, at the command of
Yudhishthira, were caused to be burnt by Vidura through a large
number of persons acting coolly and influenced by good-will and
affection, on pyres made of dry wood. Having caused their last
rites to be performed, the Kuru king Yudhishthira, placing
Dhritarashtra at his head, proceeded towards the river Ganga.”
111
27
Vaishampayana said, “Arrived at the auspicious Ganga full of

sacred water, containing many lakes, adorned with high banks and
broad shores, and having a vast bed, they cast off their ornaments,
upper garments, and belts and girdles. The Kuru ladies, crying and
afflicted with great grief, offered oblations of water unto their
sires and grandsons and brothers and kinsmen and sons and
reverend seniors and husbands. Conversant with duties, they also
performed the water-rite in honour of their friends. While those
wives of heroes were performing this rite in honour of their heroic
lords, the access to the stream became easy, although the paths
(made by the tread of many feet) disappeared afterwards. The
shores of the stream, though crowded with those spouses of
heroes, looked as broad as the ocean and presented a spectacle of
sorrow and cheerlessness. Then Kunti, O king, in a sudden
paroxysm of grief, weepingly addressed her sons in these soft
words, That hero and great bowman, that leader of leaders of car-
divisions, that warrior distinguished by every mark of heroism,
who hath been slain by Arjuna in battle, that warrior whom, ye
sons of Pandu, ye took forth, Sutas child born of Radha, that hero
who shone in the midst of his forces like the lord Surya himself,
who battled with all of you and your followers, who looked
112
resplendent as he commanded the vast force of the Duryodhana,

who had no equal on earth for energy, that hero who preferred
glory to life, that unretiring warrior firm in truth and never
fatigued with exertion, was your eldest brother. Offer oblations of
water unto that eldest brother of yours who was born of me by the
god of day. That hero was born with a pair of earrings and clad in
armour, and resembled Surya himself in splendour! Hearing these
painful words of their mother, the Pandavas began to express their
grief for Karna. Indeed, they became more afflicted than ever.
Then that tiger among men, the heroic Yudhishthira, sighing like a
snake, asked his mother, That Karna who was like an ocean
having shafts for his billows, his tall standard for his vortex, his
own mighty arms for a couple of huge alligators, his large car for
his deep lake, and the sound of his palms for his tempestuous roar,
and whose impetuosity none could withstand save Dhananjaya, O
mother, wert thou the authoress of that heroic being? How was
that son, resembling a very celestial, born of thee in former days?
The energy of his arms scorched all of us. How, mother, couldst
thou conceal him like a person concealing a fire within the folds
of his cloth? His might of arms was always worshipped by the
Dhartarashtras even as we always worship the might of the
wielder of gandiva! How was that foremost of mighty men, that
first of car-warriors, who endured the united force of all lords of
earth in battle, how was he a son of thine? Was that foremost of
113
all wielders of weapons our eldest brother? How didst thou bring
forth that child of wonderful prowess? Alas, in consequence of the
concealment of this affair by thee, we have been undone! By the
death of Karna, ourselves with all our friends have been
exceedingly afflicted. The grief I feel at Karnas death is a hundred
times greater than that which was caused by the death of
Abhimanyu and the sons of Draupadi, and the destruction of the
Pancalas and the Kurus. Thinking of Karna, I am burning with
grief, like a person thrown into a blazing fire. Nothing could have
been unattainable by us, not excepting things belonging to heaven.
Alas, this terrible carnage, so destructive of the Kurus, would not
have occurred. Copiously indulging in lamentations like these,
king Yudhishthira the just uttered loud wails of woe. The puissant
monarch then offered oblations of water unto his deceased elder
brother. Then all the ladies that crowded the shores of the river
suddenly sent up a loud wail of grief. The intelligent king of the
Kurus, Yudhishthira, caused the wives and members of Karnas
family to be brought before him. Of righteous soul, he performed,
with them, the water-rite in honour of his eldest brother. Having
finished the ceremony, the king with his senses exceedingly
agitated, rose from the waters of Ganga.”
The end of Stri-Parv
114

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OF

BOOK 11 – STRI PARVA

Translated into English Prose from the Original

The object of a translator should ever be to hold the mirror up to

details of his plan, the hopes he could legitimately cherish of

up in type and a dozen sheets were struck off. These were

This, it was supposed, would effectually guard against

the original, making such alterations as were needed for securing

my energies would have flagged and patience exhausted but for

Kisari Mohan Ganguli

Book 11: Stri Parva

Sub Parva Section Start Section End

Jalapradanika-parva Section 1 Section 15

Vaishampayana said, “After he had lost his century of sons, king

Vaishampayana continued, “Destitute of sons and counsellors and

“Dhritarashtra said, Destitute as I am of sons and counsellors and

listen to the righteous counsels of Bhishma. Alas, having heard of

Vaishampayana said, “Listen, O Janamejaya, to the nectar-like

creatures. All creatures are like members of a caravan bound for

a high state of blessedness. They are not persons for whom we

thy heart is dwelling. The indulgence of grief is the certain means

“Dhritarashtra said, O thou of great wisdom, my grief has been

“Vidura said, He that is wise obtains tranquillity by subduing both

embodied beings. O son of Vicitravirya, creatures obtain weal or

with the real nature of the appearance of creatures in this world,

“Dhritarashtra said, O foremost speakers, how may the wilderness

that set their hearts on reflection, succeed in protecting their souls.

“Dhritarashtra said, Tell me in detail everything about the ways of

“Vidura said, Having bowed down to the Self-create, I will obey

“Vidura said, They that are conversant, O monarch, with the

attached to whose spreading stems the man hangeth down is the

“Dhritarashtra said, Excellent is this parable that thou hast recited!

“Vidura said, Listen to me, O king, I shall once more discourse in

from diseases, Decrepitude, that destroyer of beauty,

those that are of little intelligence are stupefied by it. Such a

shown unto all. Endued with diverse kinds of errors entangled by

Vaishampayana said, “Even after hearing the words of Vidura, the

that foremost of all persons conversant with Brahman,

“Vyasa said, O mighty-armed Dhritarashtra, listen to what I say.

beheld all the denizens of heaven assembled together. There

the work of destruction. As the king is, so do his subjects become.

Kauravas. That, however, which is ordained by the gods proved

Vaishampayana continued, “Hearing these words of Vyasa of

Janamejaya said, “After the holy Vyasa had departed, what, O

Vaishampayana said, “After Duryodhana had been slain and all

“Sanjaya said, The kings of diverse peoples, that came from

Vaishampayana continued, “Hearing these terrible words of

one deprived of life. Approaching the monarch who was lying

conversant with the Vedas; all of them were observant of vows;

Vaishampayana said, “Hearing these words of Vidura, that bull of

in a single piece of raiment, proceeded most woefully. Indeed,

hour of universal destruction had come when all things would be

Vaishampayana said, “Dhritarashtra had not proceeded for more

to be the highest end that a Kshatriya can obtain. It behoveth thee

with hearts plunged in anxiety, took one anothers leave and

Vaishampayana said, “After all the warriors had been slaughtered,

of sovereignty, after having seen thy sires and brothers, O

statue into fragments. His own breast, however, became

The slaughter of Bhima, however, O king, would do thee no good.

Vaishampayana said, “Certain maid-servants then came to the