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 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!"
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! 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!"
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,
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!"
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
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 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 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 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!"
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
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 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 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!"
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. 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 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 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. 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,