Vaishampayana said, "Understanding that that weapon was thrown (into the
wombs of the Pandava women) by Drona's son of sinful deeds, Hrishikesha,
with a cheerful heart, said these words unto him: A certain brahmana of
pious vows, beholding Virata's daughter who is now daughter-in-law to
Arjuna, while she was at Upaplavya, said, "While the Kuru line will
become extinct, a son will be born to thee. This thy son for that reason,
will be called by the name of Parikshit." The words of that pious man
shall become true: the Pandavas shall have a son called Parikshit. Unto
Govinda, that foremost one of the Satvata race, while he was saying these
words, Drona's son, filled with wrath, replied, saying, This, O Keshava,
that thou sayest from thy partiality for the Pandavas, shall not happen.
O thou of eyes like lotus-petals, my words cannot but be fulfilled.
Uplifted by me, this weapon of mine shall fall on the foetus that is in
the womb of Virata's daughter, upon that foetus which thou, O Krishna,
art desirous of protecting.'
The holy one said, "The fall of this mighty weapon will not be fruitless.
The foetus will die. But being dead, it will live again and have a long
life! As regards thyself, all wise men know thee for a coward and a
sinful wretch! Always engaged in sinful acts, thou art the slayer of
children. For this reason, thou must have to bear the fruit of these thy
sins. For 3,000 years thou shalt wander over this earth, without a
companion and without being able to talk with anyone. Alone and without
anybody by thy side, thou shalt wander through diverse countries, O
wretch, thou shalt have no place in the midst of men. The stench of pus
and blood shall emanate from thee, and inaccessible forests and dreary
moors shall be thy abode! Thou shalt wander over the Earth, O thou of
sinful soul, with the weight of all diseases on thee.
The heroic Parikshit, attaining to age and a knowledge of the Vedas and
the practice of pious vows, shall obtain all weapons from the son of
Sharadvata. Having obtained a knowledge of all high weapons, and
observant of all kshatriya duties, that righteous-souled king shall rule
the earth for sixty years. More than this, that boy shall become the
mighty-armed king of the Kurus, known by the name of Parikshit, before
thy very eyes, O thou of wicked soul! Though burnt by the energy of thy
weapon's fire, I shall revive him. O lowest of men, behold the energy of
my austerities and my truth."
Vyasa said, "Since, disregarding us, thou hast perpetrated this
exceedingly cruel act, and since thy behaviour is such although thou art
a good brahmana (by birth), therefore, those excellent words that
Devaki's son has said, will, without doubt, be realised in thy case, an
adopter as thou hast been of kshatriya usages!"
Ashvatthama said, "With thyself among all men, O holy one, I shall live!
Let the words of this illustrious and foremost of men become true!"
Vaishampayana continued, "Drona's son, then, having made over his gem to
the high-souled Pandavas, cheerlessly proceeded, before their eyes, to
the forest. The Pandavas who had killed and chastised all their foes,
placed Govinda and the island-born Krishna and the great ascetic Narada
at their head, and taking the gem that was born with Ashvatthama, quickly
came back to the intelligent Draupadi who was sitting in observance of
the praya vow.
Those tigers among men, borne by their excellent steeds resembling the
wing in fleetness, came back with him of Dasharha's race to their
encampment. Speedily alighting from their cars, those great car-warriors,
themselves much more afflicted, beheld, Drupada's daughter Krishna
afflicted with woe. Approaching the cheerless princess stricken with
sorrow and grief, the Pandavas with Keshava, sat round her.
Then the mighty Bhimasena, desired by the king, gave that celestial gem
unto her and said these words: "This gem, O amiable lady, is thine. The
slayer of thy sons hath been vanquished. Rise, casting off thy sorrow,
and recollect the duties of a kshatriya lady. O thou of black eyes, when
Vasudeva was about to set out (from Upaplavya) on his mission of peace,
thou hadst, O timid lady, said even these words unto the slayer of Madhu,
"I have no husbands! I have no sons, nor brothers! Nor art thou alive, O
Govinda, since the king desires for peace!" Those bitter words were
addressed by thee to Krishna, that foremost of persons! It behoveth thee
to recollect those words of thine that were so consistent with kshatriya
usages.
The wretched Duryodhana, that obstacle on the way of our sovereignty, has
been slain. I have quaffed the blood of the living Duhshasana. We have
paid off the debt we owed to our enemy. People, while talking, will not
be able to censure us any longer. Having vanquished Drona's son, we have
set him free for the sake of his being a brahmana and of the respect that
should be shown to our deceased preceptor. His fame hath been destroyed,
O goddess, only his body remains! He has been divested of his gem and on
earth he has been reft of his weapons!"
Draupadi said, "I desired to only pay off our debt for the injury we have
sustained. The preceptor's son is worthy of my reverence as the preceptor
himself. Let the king bind this gem on his head, O Bharata!" The king
then, taking that gem, placed it on his head, at the desire of Draupadi
and regarding it as a gift from the preceptor. Holding on his head that
excellent and celestial gem, the puissant king looked beautiful like a
mountain with the moon above it. Though stricken with grief on account of
the death of her sons, the princess Draupadi, possessed of great mental
strength, gave up her vow. Then king Yudhishthira enquired of the
mighty-armed Krishna, saying the following words."
