“’How, indeed, did the sons of Pandu oppose my father Bhishma, the son of Santanu, that unvanquished hero endued with modesty, while he was engaged in destroying the hostile ranks?  How were the troops arrayed, and how did he battle with high-souled foes?  How, O Sanjaya, was my father Bhishma slain by the enemy?  Duryodhana and Karna and the deceitful Sakuni, the son of Suvala, and Dussasana also,—­what did they say when Bhishma was slain?  Thither where the dice-board is constituted by the bodies of men, elephants, and steeds, and, where arrows and javelins and large swords and bearded darts from the dice, entering that frightful mansion of destructive battle’s play, who were those wretched gamblers,—­those bulls among men,—­that gambled, making their very lives the frightful stakes?  Who won, who were vanquished, who cast the dice successfully, and who have been slain, besides Bhishma, the son of Santanu?  Tell me all, O Sanjaya, for peace cannot be mine, hearing that Devavrata hath been slain,—­that father of mine, of terrible deeds, that ornament of battle, viz., Bhishma!  Keen anguish had penetrated my heart, born of the thought that all my children would die.  Thou makest that grief of mine blaze forth, O Sanjaya, like fire by pouring clarified butter on it.  My sons,

I ween, are even now grieving, beholding Bhishma slain,—­Bhishma celebrated in all worlds and who had taken upon himself a heavy burden.  I will listen to all those sorrows arising from Duryodhana’s act.  Therefore, tell me, O Sanjaya, everything that happened there,—­everything that happened in the battle, born of the folly of my wicked son.  Ill-ordered or well-ordered, tell me everything, O Sanjaya.  Whatever was achieved with the aid of energy in the battle by Bhishma desirous of victory,—­by that warrior accomplished in arms,—­tell me all fully and in detail.  How, in fact, the battle took place between the armies of the Kurus and the manner in which each happened.’”

SECTION XV

Sanjaya said,—­“Deserving as thou art, this question is, indeed, worthy of thee, O great king.  It behoveth thee not, however, to impute this fault to Duryodhana.  The man who incurreth evil as the consequence of his own misconduct, should not attribute that misconduct to others.  O great king, the man that doth every kind of injury to other men, deserveth to be slain by all men in consequence of those censurable deeds of his.  The Pandavas unacquainted with the ways of wickedness had, for a long time, with their friends and counsellors, looking up to thy face, borne the injuries (done to them) and forgiven them, dwelling in the woods.