11.001
Pancharatra and Core: Lamentation of Dhritarashtra absolving himself of any blame, and Sanjaya asking him to take the responsibility.
janamejaya uvāca॥
Janamejaya said:
hate duryodhanae caiva hate sainye ca sarvaśaḥ। dhṛtarāṣṭro mahārājaḥ śrutvā kimakaromune ॥11-1-1॥
O sage, after Duryodhana and his entire army were slain, what did King Dhritarashtra do upon hearing this?
tathaiva kauravo rājā dharmaputro mahāmanāḥ। kṛpaprabhṛtayaścaiva kimakurvata te trayaḥ ॥11-1-2॥
Likewise, what did the Kaurava king, the great-minded Dharmaputra, and Kṛpa and his companions, those three, do?
aśvatthāmnaḥ śrutaṃ karma śāpaścānyonyakāritaḥ। vṛttāntamuttaraṃ brūhi yadabhāṣata sañjayaḥ ॥11-1-3॥
Tell me about the deed and curse of Aśvatthāman that were mutually caused, and the event and answer that Sañjaya spoke.
vaiśampāyana uvāca॥
Vaiśampāyana said:
hate putraśate dīnaṃ chinnaśākhamiva drumam| putraśokābhisantaptaṃ dhṛtarāṣṭraṃ mahīpatim ॥11-1-4॥
When his hundred sons had been slain, King Dhritarashtra, distressed and tormented by grief for his sons, was like a tree whose branches had been cut off.
dhyānamūkatvam-āpannaṃ cintayā samabhiplutam। abhigamya mahāprājñaḥ sañjayo vākyam-abravīt ॥11-1-5॥
Sanjaya, the wise, approached and spoke as Dhritarashtra sat silent in meditation, overwhelmed by thought.
kiṁ śocasi mahārāja nāsti śoke sahāyatā। akṣauhiṇyo hatāś cāṣṭau daśa caiva viśāṁ pate ॥ nirjaneyaṁ vasumatī śūnyā samprati kevalā ॥11-1-6॥
Why do you grieve, O great king? There is no help in sorrow. Eighteen akṣauhiṇīs have been destroyed, O lord of men. Now this earth is deserted, empty, and left alone.
nānādigbhyaḥ samāgamya nānādeśyā narādhipāḥ। sahitāstava putreṇa sarve vai nidhanaṃ gatāḥ॥11-1-7॥
Kings from many directions and regions gathered together with your son; all of them have indeed perished.
pitṝṇāṃ putrapautrāṇāṃ jñātīnāṃ suhṛdāṃ tathā। gurūṇāṃ cānupūrvyeṇa pretakāryāṇi kāraya ॥11-1-8॥
Perform the funeral rites in due order for the ancestors, sons and grandsons, relatives, friends, and teachers.
vaiśampāyana uvāca॥
Vaiśampāyana said:
tacchrutvā karuṇaṃ vākyaṃ putrapautravadhārditaḥ। papāta bhuvi durdharṣo vātāhata iva drumaḥ॥11-1-9॥
Hearing those sorrowful words and overwhelmed by the loss of his son and grandson, the mighty one collapsed to the ground like a tree felled by the wind.
dhṛtarāṣṭra uvāca॥
Dhritarashtra said:
hataputro hatāmātyo hatasarvasuhṛj-janaḥ। duḥkhaṃ nūnaṃ bhaviṣyāmi vicaran pṛthivīm imām ॥11-1-10॥
Having lost my son, ministers, and all my friends, I shall surely wander this earth in sorrow.
kiṁ nu bandhu-vihīnasya jīvitena mama adya vai। lūna-pakṣasya iva me jarā-jīrṇasya pakṣiṇaḥ ॥11-1-11॥
What is the point of my life today, without any relatives? My life is like that of an old, worn-out bird with its wings clipped.
hṛtarājyo hatasuhṛddhatacakṣuśca vai tathā। na bhrājiṣye mahāprājña kṣīṇaraśmirivāṃśumān ॥11-1-12॥
My kingdom is lost, my friends are slain, and my sight is gone; O wise one, I will not shine, just like the sun whose rays have faded.
na kṛtaṃ suhṛdāṃ vākyaṃ jāmadagnyasya jalpataḥ। nāradasya ca devarṣeḥ kṛṣṇadvaipāyanasya ca ॥11-1-13॥
The words spoken by the friends—Jāmadagnya (Paraśurāma), Nārada, and the divine sage Kṛṣṇadvaipāyana (Vyāsa)—were not heeded.
sabhāmadhye tu kṛṣṇena yac chreyo’bhihitaṃ mama। alaṃ vaireṇa te rājan putraḥ saṅgṛhyatāmiti ॥11-1-14॥
But in the assembly, Kṛṣṇa said what was best for me: 'O king, let there be an end to your enmity; let your son be restrained.'
tac ca vākyam akṛtvā ahaṃ bhṛśaṃ tapyāmi durmatiḥ। na hi śrotāsmi bhīṣmasya dharmayuktaṃ prabhāṣitam ॥11-1-15॥
Because I did not act on that word, I, being foolish and greatly tormented, am now unable to listen to the righteous words spoken by Bhishma.
duryodhanasya ca tathā vṛṣabhasyeva nardataḥ। duḥśāsanavadhaṃ śrutvā karṇasya ca viparyayam ॥ droṇasūryoparāgaṃ ca hṛdayaṃ me vidīryate ॥11-1-16॥
Hearing of Duḥśāsana's death, Karṇa's defeat, and the fall of Droṇa, my heart is shattered, just as Duryodhana roared like a bull.
na smarāmy ātmanaḥ kiñcit purā sañjaya duṣkṛtam। yasyedaṃ phalam adyeha mayā mūḍhena bhujyate ॥11-1-17॥
O Sañjaya, I do not recall having done any evil deed in the past for which I, in my delusion, am experiencing this result today.
nūnaṃ hy apakṛtaṃ kiñcin mayā pūrveṣu janmasu। yena māṃ duḥkhabhāgeṣu dhātā karmasu yuktavān ॥11-1-18॥
Surely, I must have committed some misdeed in my previous lives, because of which the creator has made me partake in suffering through my actions.
pariṇāmaś ca vayasaḥ sarva-bandhu-kṣayaś ca me। suhṛn-mitra-vināśaś ca daiva-yogād upāgataḥ ॥ ko'nyaḥ asti duḥkhitataro mayā loke pumān iha ॥11-1-19॥
With the change of age, the destruction of all my relatives, and the loss of friends and companions by fate, who else is there in this world, among men here, more sorrowful than I am?
tan mām adyaiva paśyantu pāṇḍavāḥ saṃśitavratam। vivṛtaṃ brahmalokasya dīrgham adhvānam āsthitam॥11-1-20॥
Let the Pāṇḍavas of firm vows see me today itself; the long path to Brahmaloka has been opened and undertaken.
vaiśampāyana uvāca॥
Vaiśampāyana said:
tasya lālapyamānasya bahuśokaṃ vicinvataḥ। śokāpahaṃ narendrasya sañjayo vākyamabravīt ॥11-1-21॥
As he lamented and searched in great sorrow, Sanjaya, who relieves the king's grief, spoke these words.
śokaṃ rājan vyapanuda śrutās te veda-niścayāḥ। śāstrāgamāś ca vividhā vṛddhebhyo nṛpa-sattama॥ sṛñjaye putra-śokārte yad ūcur munayaḥ purā॥11-1-22॥
O king, dispel your grief; you have already heard the conclusions of the Vedas and the various treatises and traditions from the elders, O best of kings. This is what the sages once said to Sṛñjaya, who was stricken with grief for his son.
tathā yauvanajaṃ darpam āsthite te sute nṛpa। na tvayā suhṛdāṃ vākyaṃ bruvatām avadhāritam ॥ svārthaś ca na kṛtaḥ kaścil lubdhena phalagr̥ddhinā ॥11-1-23॥
O king, your son, filled with the arrogance of youth, did not listen to the advice of friends as you did. And, being greedy for results, he did not act in anyone's true interest.
tava duḥśāsano mantrī rādheyaś ca durātmavān। śakuniś caiva duṣṭātmā citrasenaś ca durmatiḥ ॥ śalyaś ca yena vai sarvaṃ śalyabhūtaṃ kṛtaṃ jagat ॥11-1-24॥
Your Duḥśāsana, the minister, Karna, and other wicked-souled men—Śakuni, Citrasena, and the ill-intentioned Śalya—have made the whole world a place of suffering.
kuruvṛddhasya bhīṣmasya gāndhāryā vidurasya ca। na kṛtaṃ vacanaṃ tena tava putreṇa bhārata ॥11-1-25॥
O Bharata, your son did not heed the words of the elder of the Kurus, Bhishma, Gandhari, and Vidura.
na dharmaḥ satkṛtaḥ kaścin nityaṃ yuddham iti bruvan। kṣapitāḥ kṣatriyāḥ sarve śatrūṇāṃ vardhitaṃ yaśaḥ ॥11-1-26॥
No one respected righteousness, saying "war is perpetual"; all the Kshatriyas were destroyed, and the glory of the enemies increased.
madhyastho hi tvam-apy-āsīr na kṣamaṃ kiñcid-uktavān। dhūrdhareṇa tvayā bhāras-tulayā na samaṃ dhṛtaḥ ॥11-1-27॥
You remained neutral and did not say anything appropriate. The burden was not held equally by you and Dhūrdhara on the scale.
ādāveva manuṣyeṇa vartitavyaṃ yathā kṣamam। yathā nātītamarthaṃ vai paścāttāpena yujyate ॥11-1-28॥
From the very start, a person should act appropriately, so that he does not later regret what has already happened.
putragṛddhyā tvayā rājan priyaṃ tasya cikīrṣatā। paścāttāpam idaṃ prāptaṃ na tvaṃ śocitum arhasi॥11-1-29॥
O king, because you wished to do what was dear to your son out of affection, this regret has come to you; but you should not grieve.
madhu yaḥ kevalaṃ dṛṣṭvā prapātaṃ nānupaśyati। sa bhraṣṭo madhulobhena śocatyeva yathā bhavān ॥11-1-30॥
He who, seeing only the honey, does not notice the precipice, falls due to his greed for honey and grieves, just as you do.
arthān na śocan prāpnoti na śocan vindate sukham। na śocan śriyam āpnoti na śocan vindate param ॥11-1-31॥
One who does not grieve attains objects, happiness, prosperity, and the highest goal.
svayam-utpādayitvā-agniṃ vastreṇa pariveṣṭayet। dahyamānaḥ manas-tāpaṃ bhajate na sa paṇḍitaḥ ॥11-1-32॥
If a person, after kindling a fire himself, wraps it in cloth and then complains of being burned, he is not wise. Similarly, a wise person does not let mental pain trouble him.
tvayaiva sasutenāyaṃ vākyavāyusamīritaḥ। lobhājyena ca saṃsikto jvalitaḥ pārthapāvakaḥ ॥11-1-33॥
It is you, along with your son, who have fanned this fire of Partha (Arjuna) with words and fueled it with the ghee of greed, causing it to blaze up.
tasmin samiddhe patitāḥ śalabhā iva te sutāḥ। tān keśavārcir nirdagdhān na tvaṃ śocitum arhasi ॥11-1-34॥
In that blazing fire, your sons fell like moths. You should not grieve for them, for they were consumed by Keśava's flame.
yaccāśrupātakalilaṃ vadanaṃ vahase nṛpa। aśāstradṛṣṭam etad dhi na praśaṃsanti paṇḍitāḥ ॥11-1-35॥
O king, the wise do not approve of you bearing a tear-stained face, for such behavior is not sanctioned by the scriptures.
visphuliṅgā iva hy etān dahanti kila mānavān। jahīhi manyuṃ buddhyā vai dhārayātmānam ātmanā ॥11-1-36॥
Just as sparks burn men, so too does anger. Therefore, abandon anger with your intellect and restrain yourself by your own self-control.
evam āśvāsitas tena sañjayena mahātmanā। viduro bhūya evāha buddhipūrvaṃ parantapa ॥11-1-37॥
Thus, after being consoled by the great-souled Sañjaya, Vidura once again spoke thoughtfully, O conqueror of enemies.
