SECTION 63
Janamejaya said, "For what reason did that tiger among kings,
Yudhishthira the just, despatch that scorcher of foes, Vasudeva, unto
Gandhari? Krishna had at first gone to the Kauravas for the sake of
bringing about peace. He did not obtain the fruition of his wishes. In
consequence of this the battle took place. When all the warriors were
slain and Duryodhana was struck down, when in consequence of the battle
the empire of Pandu's son became perfectly foeless, when all the (Kuru)
camp became empty, all its inmates having fled, when great renown was won
by the son of Pandu, what, O regenerate one, was the cause for which
Krishna had once again to go to Hastinapura? It seems to me, O Brahmana,
that the cause could not be a light one, for it was Janardana of
immeasurable soul who had himself to make the journey! O foremost of all
Adhyaryus, tell me in detail what the cause was for undertaking such a
mission!"
Vaishampayana said, "The question you askest me, O king, is, indeed,
worthy of thee! I will tell you everything truly as it occurred, O bull
of Bharata's race! Beholding Duryodhana, the mighty son of Dhritarashtra,
struck down by Bhimasena in contravention of the rules of fair fight, in
fact, beholding the Kuru king slain unfairly, O Bharata, Yudhishthira, O
monarch, became filled with great fear, at the thought of the highly
blessed Gandhari possessed of ascetic merit. "She hath undergone severe
ascetic austerities and can, therefore, consume the three worlds," even
thus thought the son of Pandu. By sending Krishna, Gandhari, blazing with
wrath, would be comforted before Yudhishthira's own arrival. "Hearing of
the death of her son brought to such a plight by ourselves, she will, in
wrath, with the fire of her mind, reduce us to ashes! How will Gandhari
endure such poignant grief, after she hears her son, who always fought
fairly, slain unfairly by us?" Having reflected in this strain for a long
while, king Yudhishthira the just, filled with fear and grief, said these
words unto Vasudeva: "Through your grace, O Govinda, my kingdom hath been
reft of thorns! That which we could not in imagination even aspire to
obtain hath now become ours, O you of unfading glory! Before my eyes, O
mighty-armed one, making the very hair stand on end, violent were the
blows that you had to bear, O delighter of the Yadavas! In the battle
between the gods and the Asuras, you hadst, in days of old, lent your aid
for the destruction of the foes of the gods and those foes were slain! In
the same way, O mighty-armed one, you hast given us aid, O you of
unfading glory! By agreeing to act as our charioteer, O you of Vrishni's
race, you hast all along protected us! If you had not been the
protector of Phalguna in dreadful battle, how could then this sea of
troops have been capable of being vanquished? Many were the blows of the
mace, and many were the strokes of spiked bludgeons and darts and sharp
arrows and lances and battle axes, that have been endured by thee! For
our sake, O Krishna, you had also to hear many harsh words and endure
the fall, violent as the thunder, of weapons in battle! In consequence of
Duryodhana's slaughter, all this has not been fruitless, O you of
unfading glory! Act you again in such a way that the fruit of all those
acts may not be destroyed! Although victory hath been ours, O Krishna,
our heart, however, is yet trembling in doubt! Know, O Madhava, that
Gandhari's wrath, O mighty-armed one, hath been provoked! That
highly-blessed lady is always emaciating herself with the austerest of
penances! Hearing of the slaughter of her sons and grandsons, she will,
without doubt, consume us to ashes! It is time, O hero, I think, for
pacifying her! Except thee, O foremost of men, what other person is there
that is able to even behold that lady of eyes red like copper in wrath
and exceedingly afflicted with the ills that have befallen her children?
That you shouldst go there, O Madhava, is what I think to be proper, for
pacifying Gandhari, O chastiser of foes, who is blazing with wrath! Thou
art the Creator and the Destroyer. Thou are the first cause of all the
worlds thyself being eternal! By words fraught with reasons, visible and
invisible that are all the result of time, you wilt quickly, O you of
great wisdom, be able to pacify Gandhari! Our grandsire, your holy
Krishna-Dvaipayana, will be there. O mighty-armed one, it is your duty to
dispel, by all means in your power, the wrath of Gandhari!" Hearing these
words of king Yudhishthira the just, the perpetuator of Yadu's race,
summoning Daruka, said, "Let my car be equipped!" Having received
Keshava's command, Daruka in great haste, returned and represented unto
his high-souled master that the car was ready. That scorcher of foes and
chief of Yadu's race, the lord Keshava, having mounted the car, proceeded
with great haste to the city of the Kurus. The adorable Madhava then,
riding on his vehicle, proceeded, and arriving at the city called after
the elephant entered it. Causing the city to resound with the rattle of
his car-wheels as he entered it, he sent word to Dhritarashtra and then
alighted from his vehicle and entered the palace of the old king. He
there beheld that best of Rishis, (Dvaipayana) arrived before him.
Janardana, embracing the feet of both Vyasa and Dhritarashtra, quietly
saluted Gandhari also. Then the foremost of the Yadavas, Vishnu seizing
Dhritarashtra by the hand, O monarch, began to weep melodiously. Having
shed tears for a while from sorrow, he washed his eyes and his face with
water according to rules. That chastiser of foes then said these softly
flowing words unto Dhritarashtra, "Nothing is unknown to thee, O Bharata,
about the past and the future! Thou are well-acquainted, O lord, with the
course of time! From a regard for thee, the Pandavas had endeavoured to
prevent the destruction of their race and the extermination of
Kshatriyas, O Bharata! Having made an understanding with his brothers,
the virtuous Yudhishthira had lived peacefully. He even went to exile
after defeat at unfair dice! With his brothers he led a life of
concealment, attired in various disguises. They also every day got into
diverse other woes as if they were quite helpless! On the eve of battle I
myself came and in the presence of all men begged of you only five
villages. Afflicted by Time, and moved by covetousness, you didst not
grant my request. Through your fault, O king, all the Kshatriya race hath
been exterminated! Bhishma, and Somadatta, and Valhika, and Kripa, and
Drona and his son, and the wise Vidura, always solicited you for peace.
Thou didst not, however, follow their counsels! Everyone, it seems, when
afflicted by Time, is stupefied, O Bharata, since even thou, O king, as
regards this matter, did act so foolishly! What else can it be but the
effect of Time? Indeed, Destiny is supreme! Do not, O you of great
wisdom, impute any fault to the Pandavas! The smallest transgression is
not discernible in the high-souled Pandavas, judged by the rules of
morality or reason or affection, O scorcher of foes! Knowing all this to
be the fruit of your own fault, it behoveth you not to cherish any
ill-feeling towards the Pandavas! Race, line, funeral cake, and what else
depends upon offspring, now depend on the Pandavas as regards both
thyself and Gandhari! Thyself, O tiger among the Kurus, and the renowned
Gandhari also, should not harbour malice towards the Pandavas. Reflecting
upon all this, and thinking also of your own transgressions, cherish good
feeling towards the Pandavas, I bow to thee, O bull of Bharata's race!
Thou knowest, O mighty-armed one, what the devotion is of king
Yudhishthira and what his affection is towards thee, O tiger among kings!
Having caused this slaughter of even foes that wronged him so, he is
burning day and night, and hath not succeeded in obtaining peace of mind!
That tiger among men, grieving for you and for Gandhari, faileth to
obtain any happiness. Overwhelmed with shame he cometh not before thee
that are burning with grief on account of your children and whose
understanding and senses have been agitated by that grief!" Having said
these words unto Dhritarashtra, that foremost one of Yadu's race, O
monarch, addressed the grief-stricken Gandhari in these words of high
import: "O daughter of Subala, you of excellent vows, listen to what I
say! O auspicious dame, there is now no lady like you in the world! Thou
rememberest, O queen, those words that you spokest in the assembly in my
presence, those words fraught with righteousness and that were beneficial
to both parties, which your sons, O auspicious lady, did not obey!
Duryodhana who coveted victory was addressed by you in bitter words!
Thou toldst him then. 'Listen, O fool, to these words of mine: "thither
is victory where righteousness is."' Those words of thine, O princess,
have now been accomplished! Knowing all this, O auspicious lady, do not
set your heart on sorrow. Let not your heart incline towards the
destruction of the Pandavas! In consequence of the strength of thy
penances, you are able, O highly blessed one, to burn, with your eyes
kindled with rage, the whole Earth with her mobile and immobile
creatures!" Hearing these words of Vasudeva, Gandhari said, "It is even
so, O Keshava, as you sayest! My heart, burning in grief, has been
unsteadied! After hearing your words, however, that heart, O Janardana,
hath again become steady. As regards the blind old king, now become
child, thou, O foremost of men, with those heroes, the sons of Pandu,
hast become his refuge!" Having said so much, Gandhari, burning in grief
on account of the death of her sons, covered her face with her cloth and
began to weep aloud. The mighty-armed lord Keshava then comforted the
grief-stricken princess with words that were fraught with reasons drawn
from visible instances. Having comforted Gandhari and Dhritarashtra,
Keshava of Madhu's race came to know (by intuition) the evil that was
meditated by Drona's son. Rising up in haste after worshipping the feet
of Vyasa bending his head, Keshava, O monarch, addressed Dhritarashtra,
saying, "I take my leave, O foremost one of Kuru's race! Do not set thy
heart on grief! The son of Drona bears an evil purpose. It is for this
that I rise so suddenly! It seems that he has formed a plan of destroying
the Pandavas during the night!" Hearing these words, both Gandhari and
Dhritarashtra said unto Keshava that slayer of Keshi, these words: "Go,
quickly, O mighty-armed one, protect the Pandavas! Let me soon meet thee
again, O Janardana!" Then Keshava of unfading glory proceeded with
Daruka. After Vasudeva had departed, O king, Vyasa, that adored of the
whole world, of inconceivable soul, began to comfort king Dhritarashtra.
The righteous-souled Vasudeva departed, having achieved his mission
successfully, from Hastinapura, for seeing the camp and the Pandavas.
Arrived at the camp, he proceeded to the presence of the Pandavas.
Telling them everything (about his mission to the city), he took his seat
with them."
--------------------END OF PARVA 9 : UPA-PARVA 63 ---------------------
