proceeded most woefully.  Indeed, they issued from their houses resembling white mountains, like a dappled herd of deer from their mountain caves after the fall of their leader.  These fair ladies, in successive bevies, O king, came out, filled with sorrow, and ran hither and thither like a herd of fillies on a circus yard.  Seizing each other by the hand, they uttered loud wails after their sons and brothers and sires.  They seemed to exhibit the scene that takes place on the occasion of the universal destruction at the end of the Yuga.  Weeping and crying and running hither and thither, and deprived of their senses by grief, they knew not what to do.  Those ladies who formerly felt the blush of modesty in the presence of even companions of their own sex, now felt no blush of shame, though scantily clad, in appearing before their mothers-in-law.  Formerly they used to comfort each other while afflicted with even slight causes of woe.  Stupefied by grief, they now, O king, refrained from even casting their eyes upon each other.  Surrounded by those thousands of wailing ladies, the king cheerlessly issued out of the city and proceeded with speed towards the field of battle.  Artisans and traders and Vaishyas and all kinds of mechanics, issuing out of the city, followed in the wake of the king.  As those ladies, afflicted by the wholesale destruction that had overtaken the Kurus, cried in sorrow, a loud wail arose from among them that seemed to pierce all the worlds.  All creatures that heard that wail thought that the hour of universal destruction had come when all things would be consumed by the fire that arises at the end of the Yuga.  The citizens also (of Hastinapura), devoted to the house of Kuru, with hearts filled with anxiety at the destruction that had overtaken their rules, set up, O king, a wail that was as loud as that uttered by those ladies.”

11

Vaishampayana said, “Dhritarashtra had not proceeded for more than two miles when he met with those three great car-warriors, Sharadvatas son Kripa, Dronas son (Ashvatthama), and Kritavarma.  As soon as the latter obtained a sight of the blind monarch possessed of great power, the three heroes sighed in grief and with voices choked in tears weepingly addressed him, saying, Thy royal son, O king, having achieved the most difficult feats, has, with all his followers, gone to the region of Indra.  We are the only three car-warriors of Duryodhanas army that have escaped with life.  All the others, O bull of Bharatas race, have perished.  Having said these words unto the king, Sharadvatas son Kripa, addressing the grief-afflicted Gandhari, said these words unto her, Thy sons have fallen while engaged in achieving feats worthy of heroes, while fearlessly fighting in battle and striking down large numbers of foes.  Without doubt, having obtained those bright worlds that are attainable only by the use of weapons, they are sporting there like celestials, having assumed resplendent