11.001
Pancharatra and Core: Lamentation of Dhritarashtra absolving himself of any blame, and Sanjaya asking him to take the responsibility.
Janamejaya said:
O sage, after Duryodhana and his entire army were slain, what did King Dhritarashtra do upon hearing this?
Likewise, what did the Kaurava king, the great-minded Dharmaputra, and Kṛpa and his companions, those three, do?
Tell me about the deed and curse of Aśvatthāman that were mutually caused, and the event and answer that Sañjaya spoke.
Vaiśampāyana said:
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.
Sanjaya, the wise, approached and spoke as Dhritarashtra sat silent in meditation, overwhelmed by thought.
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.
Kings from many directions and regions gathered together with your son; all of them have indeed perished.
Perform the funeral rites in due order for the ancestors, sons and grandsons, relatives, friends, and teachers.
Vaiśampāyana said:
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.
Dhritarashtra said:
Having lost my son, ministers, and all my friends, I shall surely wander this earth in sorrow.
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.
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.
The words spoken by the friends—Jāmadagnya (Paraśurāma), Nārada, and the divine sage Kṛṣṇadvaipāyana (Vyāsa)—were not heeded.
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.'
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.
Hearing of Duḥśāsana's death, Karṇa's defeat, and the fall of Droṇa, my heart is shattered, just as Duryodhana roared like a bull.
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.
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.
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?
Let the Pāṇḍavas of firm vows see me today itself; the long path to Brahmaloka has been opened and undertaken.
Vaiśampāyana said:
As he lamented and searched in great sorrow, Sanjaya, who relieves the king's grief, spoke these words.
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.
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.
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.
O Bharata, your son did not heed the words of the elder of the Kurus, Bhishma, Gandhari, and Vidura.
No one respected righteousness, saying "war is perpetual"; all the Kshatriyas were destroyed, and the glory of the enemies increased.
You remained neutral and did not say anything appropriate. The burden was not held equally by you and Dhūrdhara on the scale.
From the very start, a person should act appropriately, so that he does not later regret what has already happened.
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.
He who, seeing only the honey, does not notice the precipice, falls due to his greed for honey and grieves, just as you do.
One who does not grieve attains objects, happiness, prosperity, and the highest goal.
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.
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.
In that blazing fire, your sons fell like moths. You should not grieve for them, for they were consumed by Keśava's flame.
O king, the wise do not approve of you bearing a tear-stained face, for such behavior is not sanctioned by the scriptures.
Just as sparks burn men, so too does anger. Therefore, abandon anger with your intellect and restrain yourself by your own self-control.
Thus, after being consoled by the great-souled Sañjaya, Vidura once again spoke thoughtfully, O conqueror of enemies.
