11.009
Core and Panchartara-Ext: King along with mourning women goes towards the battlefield.
जनमेजय उवाच॥
Janamejaya said:
गते भगवति व्यासे धृतराष्ट्रो महीपतिः। किमचेष्टत विप्रर्षे तन्मे व्याख्यातुमर्हसि ॥११-९-१॥
O best of Brāhmaṇas, after the venerable Vyāsa had departed, what did King Dhṛtarāṣṭra do? Please explain that to me.
वैशम्पायन उवाच॥
Vaiśampāyana said:
एतच्छ्रुत्वा नरश्रेष्ठ चिरं ध्यात्वा त्वचेतनः। सञ्जयं योजयेत्युक्त्वा विदुरं प्रत्यभाषत ॥११-९-२॥
O best of men, after hearing this and meditating for a long time, while you were unconscious, he said, "Sanjaya should be connected," and addressed Vidura.
क्षिप्रमानय गान्धारीं सर्वाश्च भरतस्त्रियः। वधूं कुन्तीमुपादाय याश्चान्यास्तत्र योषितः ॥११-९-३॥
Quickly bring Gandhari and all the Bharata women. Bring the bride Kunti and the other women who are there.
एवमुक्त्वा स धर्मात्मा विदुरं धर्मवित्तमम्। शोकविप्रहतज्ञानो यानमेवान्वपद्यत ॥११-९-४॥
Having thus spoken to Vidura, the most virtuous, the righteous-souled one, whose mind was overcome by grief, ascended his vehicle.
गान्धारी चैव शोकार्ता भर्तुर्वचनचोदिता। सह कुन्त्या यतो राजा सह स्त्रीभिरुपाद्रवत् ॥११-९-५॥
Gandhari, deeply afflicted by grief and urged by her husband's words, together with Kunti and the other women, went where the king had gone.
ताः समासाद्य राजानं भृशं शोकसमन्विताः। आमन्त्र्यान्योन्यमीयुः स्म भृशमुच्चुक्रुशुस्ततः ॥११-९-६॥
Those women, deeply afflicted with grief, approached the king, spoke to each other, and then cried out loudly together.
ताः समाश्वासयत्क्षत्ता ताभ्यश्चार्ततरः स्वयम्। अश्रुकण्ठीः समारोप्य ततोऽसौ निर्ययौ पुरात् ॥११-९-७॥
The charioteer, himself even more afflicted, consoled those women; after embracing them, their throats choked with tears, he then departed from the city.
ततः प्रणादः सञ्जज्ञे सर्वेषु कुरुवेश्मसु। आकुमारं पुरं सर्वमभवच्छोककर्शितम् ॥११-९-८॥
Then a loud wailing arose throughout all the houses of the Kurus. The whole city, from the princes downward, was overcome with grief.
अदृष्टपूर्वा या नार्यः पुरा देवगणैरपि। पृथग्जनेन दृश्यन्त तास्तदा निहतेश्वराः ॥११-९-९॥
Those women, who had never been seen before even by the hosts of gods, are now seen by ordinary people, after their lord has been slain.
प्रकीर्य केशान्सुशुभान्भूषणान्यवमुच्य च। एकवस्त्रधरा नार्यः परिपेतुरनाथवत् ॥११-९-१०॥
The women, having let their beautiful hair loose and removed their ornaments, dressed in a single garment, fell down as if they were helpless and unprotected.
श्वेतपर्वतरूपेभ्यो गृहेभ्यस्तास्त्वपाक्रमन्। गुहाभ्य इव शैलानां पृषत्यो हतयूथपाः ॥११-९-११॥
They left their homes, which looked like white mountains; just as female deer, whose leaders have been slain, flee from the caves of the mountains.
तान्युदीर्णानि नारीणां तदा वृन्दान्यनेकशः। शोकार्तान्यद्रवन्राजन्किशोरीणामिवाङ्गने ॥११-९-१२॥
O king, at that time, those groups of women, deeply afflicted by grief, melted away in many ways, just like young girls in the courtyard.
प्रगृह्य बाहून्क्रोशन्त्यः पुत्रान्भ्रातॄन्पितॄनपि। दर्शयन्तीव ता ह स्म युगान्ते लोकसङ्क्षयम् ॥११-९-१३॥
Clutching their arms, they cried out for their sons, brothers, and fathers, as if displaying the destruction of the world at the end of an age.
विलपन्त्यो रुदन्त्यश्च धावमानास्ततस्ततः। शोकेनाभ्याहतज्ञानाः कर्तव्यं न प्रजज्ञिरे ॥११-९-१४॥
Lamenting and weeping, they ran here and there, their minds overwhelmed by grief, unable to understand what they should do.
व्रीडां जग्मुः पुरा याः स्म सखीनामपि योषितः। ता एकवस्त्रा निर्लज्जाः श्वश्रूणां पुरतोऽभवन् ॥११-९-१५॥
The shame that once even the wives of friends had disappeared; those women, wearing only a single garment, became shameless before their mothers-in-law.
परस्परं सुसूक्ष्मेषु शोकेष्वाश्वासयन्स्म याः। ताः शोकविह्वला राजन्नुपैक्षन्त परस्परम् ॥११-९-१६॥
O king, those women, overwhelmed by grief, who had been consoling each other in their subtle sorrows, now neglected one another.
ताभिः परिवृतो राजा रुदतीभिः सहस्रशः। निर्ययौ नगराद्दीनस्तूर्णमायोधनं प्रति ॥११-९-१७॥
Surrounded by thousands of weeping women, the distressed king quickly left the city for the battlefield.
शिल्पिनो वणिजो वैश्याः सर्वकर्मोपजीविनः। ते पार्थिवं पुरस्कृत्य निर्ययुर्नगराद्बहिः ॥११-९-१८॥
The artisans, merchants, Vaiśyas, and all those who lived by various occupations, led by the king, left the city and went outside.
तासां विक्रोशमानानामार्तानां कुरुसङ्क्षये। प्रादुरासीन्महाञ्शब्दो व्यथयन्भुवनान्युत ॥११-९-१९॥
As those distressed women cried out during the destruction of the Kurus, a great sound arose, shaking the worlds.
युगान्तकाले सम्प्राप्ते भूतानां दह्यतामिव। अभावः स्यादयं प्राप्त इति भूतानि मेनिरे ॥११-९-२०॥
At the end of the age, when destruction arrived and it seemed as if all beings were being consumed, the beings thought: 'Now non-existence has come.'
भृशमुद्विग्नमनसस्ते पौराः कुरुसङ्क्षये। प्राक्रोशन्त महाराज स्वनुरक्तास्तदा भृशम् ॥११-९-२१॥
O great king, at the destruction of the Kurus, those citizens, greatly disturbed in mind and deeply attached, cried out loudly.
