SECTION 9
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 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 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."
