that prince, that son of mine, sleepeth to-day on the bare ground, slain by his foes.  Not long before, O Krishna, I beheld the Earth, full of elephants and kine and horses, ruled by Duryodhana!  Today, O thou of mighty arms, I see her ruled by another, and destitute of elephants and kine and horses!  What need have I, O Madhava, of life?  Behold, again, this sight that is more painful than the death of my son, the sight of these fair ladies weeping by the side of the slain heroes!  Behold, O Krishna, the mother of Lakshmana, that lady of large hips, with her tresses dishevelled, that dear spouse of Duryodhana, resembling a sacrificial altar of gold.  Without doubt, this damsel of great intelligence, while her mighty-armed lord was formerly alive, used to sport within the embrace of her lords handsome arms!  Why, indeed, does not this heart of mine break into a hundred fragments at the sight of my son and grandson slain in battle?  Alas, that faultless lady now smells (the head of) her son covered with blood.  Now, again, that lady of fair thighs is gently rubbing Duryodhanas body with her fair hand.  At one time she is sorrowing for her lord and at another for her son.  At one time she looketh on her lord, at another on her son.  Behold, O Madhava, striking her head with her hands, she falls upon the breast of her heroic spouse, the king of the Kurus.  Possessed of complexion like that of the filaments of the lotus, she still looketh beautiful like a lotus.  The unfortunate princess now rubbeth the face of her son and now that of her lord.  If the scriptures and the shrutis be true, without doubt, this king has obtained those regions (of blessedness) that one may win by the use of weapons!”

18

“Gandhari said, Behold, O Madhava, my century of sons, incapable of fatigue (from exertion in battle), have all been slain by Bhimasena with his mace in battle!  That which grieves me more today is that these my daughters-in-law, of tender years, deprived of sons and with dishevelled hair, are wandering on the field today.  Alas, they who formerly walked only on the terraces of goodly mansions with feet adorned with many ornaments, are now, in great affliction of heart, obliged to touch with those feet of theirs this hard earth, miry with blood!  Reeling in sorrow, they are wandering like inebriated persons, driving away vultures and jackals and crows with difficulty.  Behold, that lady of faultless limbs and slender waist, seeing this terrible carnage, falleth down, overwhelmed with grief.  Beholding this princess, this mother of Lakshmana, O thou of mighty arms, my heart is torn with grief.  These beautiful ladies of fair arms, some seeing their brothers, some their husbands, and some their sons, lying down in death on the bare ground, are themselves falling down, seizing the arms of the slain.  Listen, O unvanquished one, to the loud wails of those elderly ladies and those others of middle age at sight of this terrible carnage.  Supporting themselves against broken boxes of cars