to be slain, I have proved myself to be a great fool and a hater of friends.  Unto Yudhishthira who spoke such words, who was overcome with fear, and who stood in her presence, Gandhari, drawing long sighs, said nothing.  Conversant with the rules of righteousness, the Kuru queen, possessed of great foresight, directed her eyes, from within the folds of the cloth that covered them, to the tip of Yudhishthiras toe, as the prince, with body bent forwards, was about to fall down at her feet.  At this, the king, whose nails had before this been all very beautiful, came to have a sore nail on his toe.  Beholding this, Arjuna moved away to the rear of Vasudeva. and the other sons of Pandu became restless and moved from one spot to another.  Gandhari then, having cast off her wrath, comforted the Pandavas as a mother should.  Obtaining her leave, those heroes of broad chests then proceeded together to present themselves to their mother, that parent of heroes.  Having seen her sons after a long time, Kunti, who had been filled with anxiety on their account, covered her face with her cloth and began to weep.  Having wept for some time with her children, Pritha beheld the wounds and scars of many weapons on their bodies.  She then repeatedly embraced and patted each of her sons, and afflicted with grief wept with Draupadi who had lost all her children and whom she saw lying on the bare earth, indulging in piteous lamentations.

“Draupadi said, O venerable dame, where have all your grandsons, with Abhimanyu among them, gone?  Beholding thee in such distress, why are they delaying in making their appearance before thee?  Deprived as I am of my children, what need have I of kingdom?  Raising the grief-stricken princess of Pancala who was weeping thus, Pritha began to comfort that lady of large eyes.  Then Kunti, accompanied by the princess of Pancala and followed by her sons, proceeded towards the grief-afflicted Gandhari herself in greater affliction still.  Beholding that illustrious lady with her daughter-in-law, Gandhari addressed her, saying, Do not, O daughter, grieve so.  Behold, I too am as much stricken with grief as thou.  I think this universal destruction has been brought about by the irresistible course of Time.  Inevitable as it was, this dreadful slaughter has not been due to the voluntary agency of human beings.  Even that has come to pass which Vidura of great wisdom foretold after Krishnas supplication for peace had failed.  Do not, therefore, grieve, in a matter that was inevitable, especially after its occurrence.  Having fallen in battle, they should not be grieved for.  I am in the same predicament with thee.  (If thou actest in such a way) who then will comfort us?  Through my fault, this foremost of races has been destroyed.”

Here ends the Jalapradanika-parva in the Stri-parva.

16

(Stri-vilapa-parva)