SECTION 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,
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, 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!"
