11-1-001
जनमेजय उवाच
हते दुर्योधने चैव हते सैन्ये च सर्वशः
धृतराष्ट्रो महाराजः श्रुत्वा किमकरोन्मुने
Janamejaya asked: O sage! When the great king Dhṛtarāṣṭra heard that Duryodhana and all the soldiers had been killed, what did he do?
11-1-002
तथैव कौरवो राजा धर्मपुत्रो महामनाः
कृपप्रभृतयश्चैव किमकुर्वत ते त्रयः
What did the great-minded Kaurava king, Dharma's son, and the other three, Kṛpa and the others, do?
11-1-003
अश्वत्थाम्नः श्रुतं कर्म शापश्चान्योन्यकारितः
वृत्तान्तमुत्तरं ब्रूहि यदभाषत संजयः
I have heard about Aśvatthāma's deed and the curses that were imposed on each other. Tell me what happened next and what Sañjaya said.
11-1-004
वैशंपायन उवाच
हते पुत्रशते दीनं छिन्नशाखमिव द्रुमम्
पुत्रशोकाभिसंतप्तं धृतराष्ट्रं महीपतिम्
Vaiśampāyana replied: When his one hundred sons had been killed, Dhṛtarāṣṭra, the lord of the earth, was miserable and tormented by sorrow on account of his sons. He was like a tree deprived of its branches.
11-1-005
ध्यानमूकत्वमापन्नं चिन्तया समभिप्लुतम्
अभिगम्य महाप्राज्ञः संजयो वाक्यमब्रवीत्
He was deep in reflection and overcome by his thoughts. The immensely wise Sañjaya went to him and spoke these words.
11-1-006
किं शोचसि महाराज नास्ति शोके सहायता
अक्षौहिण्यो हताश्चाष्टौ दश चैव विशां पते
निर्जनेयं वसुमती शून्या संप्रति केवला
"O great king! Why are you grieving? Sorrowing does not help. O lord of the earth! Eighteen akṣauhiṇī-s have been destroyed. The earth has been rendered bare and is almost empty.
11-1-007
नानादिग्भ्यः समागम्य नानादेश्या नराधिपाः
सहितास्तव पुत्रेण सर्वे वै निधनं गताः
The lords of men had assembled from many directions and many countries. With your sons, all of them have confronted their death.
11-1-008
पितॄणां पुत्रपौत्राणां ज्ञातीनां सुहृदां तथा
गुरूणां चानुपूर्व्येण प्रेतकार्याणि कारय
It is necessary to perform the funeral rites of the fathers, the sons, the grandsons, kin, well-wishers and preceptors, in the due order."
11-1-009
वैशंपायन उवाच
तच्छ्रुत्वा करुणं वाक्यं पुत्रपौत्रवधार्दितः
पपात भुवि दुर्धर्षो वाताहत इव द्रुमः
Vaiśampāyana said: On hearing those piteous words, the invincible one was afflicted because of the death of his sons and grandsons and fell down on the ground, like a tree struck by a storm.
11-1-010
धृतराष्ट्र उवाच
हतपुत्रो हतामात्यो हतसर्वसुहृज्जनः
दुःखं नूनं भविष्यामि विचरन्पृथिवीमिमाम्
Dhṛtarāṣṭra said, "My sons have been killed. My advisers have been killed. All my well-wishers have been killed. It is certain that I will roam around the earth in grief.
11-1-011
किं नु बन्धुविहीनस्य जीवितेन ममाद्य वै
लूनपक्षस्य इव मे जराजीर्णस्य पक्षिणः
Bereft of my relatives, how will I now live this life? I am like a decayed and aged bird whose wings have been clipped.
11-1-012
हृतराज्यो हतसुहृद्धतचक्षुश्च वै तथा
न भ्राजिष्ये महाप्राज्ञ क्षीणरश्मिरिवांशुमान्
I have lost my kingdom. My well-wishers have been slain. I am blind too. O immensely wise one! I am like the one with rays, when it is dim and does not shine.
11-1-013
न कृतं सुहृदां वाक्यं जामदग्न्यस्य जल्पतः
नारदस्य च देवर्षेः कृष्णद्वैपायनस्य च
I did not listen to the words of the well-wishers, or the advice of Jāmadagni's son, devarṣi Nārada, or Kṛṣṇā Dvaipāyana.
11-1-014
सभामध्ये तु कृष्णेन यच्छ्रेयोऽभिहितं मम
अलं वैरेण ते राजन्पुत्रः संगृह्यतामिति
In the midst of the assembly hall, Kṛṣṇā spoke beneficial words to me. "O king! There has been enough of enmity. Restrain your sons."
11-1-015
तच्च वाक्यमकृत्वाहं भृशं तप्यामि दुर्मतिः
न हि श्रोतास्मि भीष्मस्य धर्मयुक्तं प्रभाषितम्
Because I was evil-minded, I disregarded those words and it torments me severely. I did not listen to the words, full of dharma, that Bhīṣma spoke.
11-1-016
दुर्योधनस्य च तथा वृषभस्येव नर्दतः
दुःशासनवधं श्रुत्वा कर्णस्य च विपर्ययम्
द्रोणसूर्योपरागं च हृदयं मे विदीर्यते
On hearing about Duryodhana's death, when he was roaring like a bull, and of Duḥśāsana's slaughter, Karṇa's catastrophe and the setting of the sun that was Droṇa, my heart has been shattered.
11-1-017
न स्मराम्यात्मनः किंचित्पुरा संजय दुष्कृतम्
यस्येदं फलमद्येह मया मूढेन भुज्यते
O Sañjaya! I am suffering like a fool. I do not recall any evil deeds that I have performed, which could lead to these fruits now.
11-1-018
नूनं ह्यपकृतं किंचिन्मया पूर्वेषु जन्मसु
येन मां दुःखभागेषु धाता कर्मसु युक्तवान्
It is certain that I have committed sins in my earlier lives. Because of that, the creator has acted so as to give me this share of grief.
11-1-019
परिणामश्च वयसः सर्वबन्धुक्षयश्च मे
सुहृन्मित्रविनाशश्च दैवयोगादुपागतः
कोऽन्योऽस्ति दुःखिततरो मया लोके पुमानिह
This consequence of the destruction of my friends and all my relatives, the destruction of my well-wishers and allies, has been brought about by destiny. Where is another man on this earth who is as miserable as I am?
11-1-020
तन्मामद्यैव पश्यन्तु पाण्डवाः संशितव्रतम्
विवृतं ब्रह्मलोकस्य दीर्घमध्वानमास्थितम्
Therefore, the Pāṇḍava-s will now see me, rigid in my vows, following the long road that extends towards Brahmā's world.
11-1-021
वैशंपायन उवाच
तस्य लालप्यमानस्य बहुशोकं विचिन्वतः
शोकापहं नरेन्द्रस्य संजयो वाक्यमब्रवीत्
Vaiśampāyana said: Thus did he lament, thinking about his many sorrows. To dispel the king's sorrows, Sañjaya spoke these words.
11-1-022
शोकं राजन्व्यपनुद श्रुतास्ते वेदनिश्चयाः
शास्त्रागमाश्च विविधा वृद्धेभ्यो नृपसत्तम
सृञ्जये पुत्रशोकार्ते यदूचुर्मुनयः पुरा
"O king! O best among kings! Abandon your grief. You have heard about the certainty of the Veda-s and the sacred texts from many seniors and about what the sages told Sṛñjaya in ancient times, when he was tormented by grief on account of his son.
11-1-023
तथा यौवनजं दर्पमास्थिते ते सुते नृप
न त्वया सुहृदां वाक्यं ब्रुवतामवधारितम्
स्वार्थश्च न कृतः कश्चिल्लुब्धेन फलगृद्धिना
O king! When your son was young and insolent, you disregarded the words that were spoken to you by your well-wishers. You were avaricious and desired the fruits and did not act in accordance with what was good for you.
11-1-024
तव दुःशासनो मन्त्री राधेयश्च दुरात्मवान्
शकुनिश्चैव दुष्टात्मा चित्रसेनश्च दुर्मतिः
शल्यश्च येन वै सर्वं शल्यभूतं कृतं जगत्
Your advisers were Duḥśāsana, the evil-souled Rādheya, the evilsouled Śākuni and the evil-minded Citrasenā. They were thorns and they made the entire world full of thorns for themselves.
11-1-025
कुरुवृद्धस्य भीष्मस्य गान्धार्या विदुरस्य च
न कृतं वचनं तेन तव पुत्रेण भारत
O descendant of the Bhārata lineage! Your son did not act in accordance with the words of Bhīṣma, eldest among the Kuru-s, or Gāndhārī, or Vidūra.
11-1-026
न धर्मः सत्कृतः कश्चिन्नित्यं युद्धमिति ब्रुवन्
क्षपिताः क्षत्रियाः सर्वे शत्रूणां वर्धितं यशः
He did not act virtuously, in accordance with dharma. Instead, he always spoke of war. He took all the kṣatriya-s to their destruction and increased the fame of the enemies.
11-1-027
मध्यस्थो हि त्वमप्यासीर्न क्षमं किंचिदुक्तवान्
धूर्धरेण त्वया भारस्तुलया न समं धृतः
You were in the midst as a neutral and did not say anything that should have been said. You were the main beast of burden, but you did not bear your proportionate load.
11-1-028
आदावेव मनुष्येण वर्तितव्यं यथा क्षमम्
यथा नातीतमर्थं वै पश्चात्तापेन युज्यते
Right from the beginning, a man should adopt the appropriate course of action. One should not strive for something earlier, which one has to repent later.
11-1-029
पुत्रगृद्ध्या त्वया राजन्प्रियं तस्य चिकीर्षता
पश्चात्तापमिदं प्राप्तं न त्वं शोचितुमर्हसि
O king! Because of your affection towards your son, you were only interested in pleasing him. You have subsequently arrived at a state of repentance and you should not sorrow.
11-1-030
मधु यः केवलं दृष्ट्वा प्रपातं नानुपश्यति
स भ्रष्टो मधुलोभेन शोचत्येव यथा भवान्
There are those who only see the honey and not the fall. Like you, they sorrow when their greed for honey dislodges them.
11-1-031
अर्थान्न शोचन्प्राप्नोति न शोचन्विन्दते सुखम्
न शोचञ्श्रियमाप्नोति न शोचन्विन्दते परम्
One who searches for gain obtains sorrow. One who sorrows does not obtain happiness. One who sorrows does not obtain prosperity. One who sorrows does not obtain the supreme objective.
11-1-032
स्वयमुत्पादयित्वाग्निं वस्त्रेण परिवेष्टयेत्
दह्यमानो मनस्तापं भजते न स पण्डितः
A man who starts a fire and then covers it up in a garment, sorrows when he is scorched. Such a person is not regarded as learned.
11-1-033
त्वयैव ससुतेनायं वाक्यवायुसमीरितः
लोभाज्येन च संसिक्तो ज्वलितः पार्थपावकः
The Pārtha-s were a fire. You and your sons fanned it with the wind of your words. You sprinkled the flames with the clarified butter of your greed.
11-1-034
तस्मिन्समिद्धे पतिताः शलभा इव ते सुताः
तान्केशवार्चिर्निर्दग्धान्न त्वं शोचितुमर्हसि
When it was kindled, your sons fell into it like insects. They were scorched by Keśava's flames. You should not sorrow.
11-1-035
यच्चाश्रुपातकलिलं वदनं वहसे नृप
अशास्त्रदृष्टमेतद्धि न प्रशंसन्ति पण्डिताः
O king! Tears are flowing down from your face. This is not in accordance with the sacred texts and the learned ones do not praise it.
11-1-036
विस्फुलिङ्गा इव ह्येतान्दहन्ति किल मानवान्
जहीहि मन्युं बुद्ध्या वै धारयात्मानमात्मना
It is said that they are like sparks and scorch men. Therefore, use your intelligence to conquer your anger. Get a grip on yourself."
11-1-037
एवमाश्वासितस्तेन संजयेन महात्मना
विदुरो भूय एवाह बुद्धिपूर्वं परंतप
O scorcher of enemies! When the great-souled Sañjaya had consoled him in this way, Vidūra showed his earlier intelligence and again spoke to him.