it now?  Subdue unrighteousness, O thou that art conversant with righteousness.  There is victory where righteousness is.  Remembering thy own righteousness and the words spoken by thyself, restrain thy wrath, O Gandhari!  Do not act otherwise, O thou that art beautiful in speech.  Hearing these words, Gandhari said, O holy one, I do not cherish any ill feelings towards the Pandavas, nor do I wish that they should perish.  In consequence, however, of grief for the death of my sons, my heart is very much agitated.  I know that I should protect the Pandavas with as much care as Kunti herself protects them, and that Dhritarashtra also should protect them as I should.  Through the fault of Duryodhana and of Shakuni the son of Subala, and through the action of Karna and Duhshasana, extermination of the Kurus hath taken place.  In this matter the slightest blame cannot attach to Vibhatsu or to Prithas son Vrikodara, or to Nakula or Sahadeva, or to Yudhishthira himself.  While engaged in battle, the Kauravas, swelling with arrogance and pride, have fallen along with many others (that came to their aid).  I am not grieved at this.  But there has been one act done by Bhima in the very presence of Vasudeva (that moves my resentment).  The high-souled Vrikodara, having challenged Duryodhana to a dreadful encounter with mace, and having come to know that my son, while careering in diverse kinds of motion in the battle, was superior to him in skill, struck the latter below the navel.  It is this that moves my wrath.  Why should heroes, for the sake of their lives, cast off obligations of duty that have been determined by high-souled persons conversant with every duty?”

15

Vaishampayana said, “Hearing these words of Gandhari, Bhimasena, looking like one in fright, said these words for soothing her, Be the act righteous or unrighteous, it was done by me through fear and for the object of protecting my own self.  It behoveth thee therefore, to forgive me now.  Thy mighty son was incapable of being slain by anybody in a fair and righteous battle.  It was for this that I did what was unfair.  Duryodhana himself had formerly vanquished Yudhishthira unrighteously.  He used always to behave guilefully towards us.  It was for this that I had recourse to an unfair act.  Thy son was then the sole unslain warrior on his side.  In order that that valiant prince might not slay me in the mace-encounter and once more deprive us of our kingdom, I acted in that way.  Thou knowest all that thy son had said unto the princess of Pancala while the latter, in her season, was clad in a single piece of raiment.  Without having disposed of Suyodhana it was impossible for us to rule peacefully the whole earth with her seas.  It was for this that I acted in that way.  Thy son inflicted many wrongs on us.  In the midst of the assembly he had shown his left thigh unto Draupadi.  For that wicked behaviour, thy son deserved to be slain by us even then.  At the command, however, of king