Vaishampayana continued, “After he had thus been told nothing but the truth by Krishna, O monarch, king Dhritarashtra replied unto Devakis son, saying, It is even so, O thou of mighty arms!  What thou sayest, O Madhava, is perfectly true.  It is parental affection, O thou of righteous soul, that caused me to fall away from righteousness.  By good luck, that tiger among men, the mighty Bhima of true prowess, protected by thee, came not within my embrace.  Now, however, I am free from wrath and fever.  I desire eagerly, O Madhava, to embrace that hero, the second son of Pandu.  When all the kings have been dead, when my children are no more, upon the sons of Pandu depend my welfare and happiness.  Having said these words, the old king then embraced those princes of excellent frames, Bhima and Dhananjaya, and those two foremost of men, the two sons of Madri, and wept, and comforted and pronounced blessings upon them.”

14

Vaishampayana said, “Commanded by Dhritarashtra, those bulls of Kurus race, the Pandava brothers, accompanied by Keshava, then proceeded to see Gandhari.  The faultless Gandhari, afflicted with grief on account of the death of her hundred sons, recollecting that king Yudhishthira the just had slain all his enemies, wished to curse him.  Understanding her evil intentions towards the Pandavas, the son of Satyavati addressed himself for counteracting them at the very outset.  Having cleansed himself by the sacred and fresh water of the Ganga, the great rishi, capable of proceeding everywhere at will with the fleetness of the mind, came to that spot.  Capable of seeing the heart of every creature with his spiritual vision and with his mind directed towards it, the sage made his appearance there.  Endued with great ascetic merit and ever intent on saying what was for the benefit of creatures, the rishi, addressing his daughter-in-law at the proper moment, said, Do not avail thyself of this opportunity for denouncing a curse.  On the other hand, utilize it for showing thy forgiveness.  Thou shouldst not be angry with the Pandavas, O Gandhari!  Set thy heart on peace.  Restrain the words that are about to fall from thy lips.  Listen to my advice.  Thy son, desirous of victory, had besought thee every day for the eighteen days that battle lasted, saying, “O mother, bless me who am fighting with my foes.”  Implored every day in these words by thy son desirous of victory, the answer thou always gavest him was, “Thither is victory where righteousness is!” I do not, O Gandhari, remember that any words spoken by thee have become false.  Those words, therefore, that thou, implored by Duryodhana, saidst unto him, could not be false.  Thou art always employed in the good of all creatures.  Having without doubt reached the other shore in that dreadful battle of Kshatriyas, the sons of Pandu have certainly won the victory and a measure of righteousness that is much greater.  Thou wert formerly observant of the virtue of forgiveness.  Why wouldst thou not observe