and slew thee to my grief?  How couldst thou, O hero, who had so many protectors, be slain so helplessly in the very sight of the Pandavas and the Pancalas?  Beholding thee, O hero, slain in battle by many persons united together, how is that tiger among men, that son of Pandu, thy sire, able to bear the burden of life?  Neither the acquisition of a vast kingdom nor the defeat of their foes conduces to the joy of the Parthas bereft of thee, O lotus-eyed one!  By the practice of virtue and self-restraint, I shall very soon repair to those regions of bliss which thou hast acquired by the use of weapons.  Protect me, O hero, when I repair to those regions.  When ones hour does not come, one cannot die, since, wretched that I am, I still draw breath after seeing thee slain in battle.  Having repaired to the region of the pitris, whom else, like me, dost thou address now, O tiger among men, in sweet words mingled with smiles?  Without doubt, thou wilt agitate the hearts of the apsaras in heaven, with thy great beauty and thy soft words mingled with smiles!  Having obtained the regions reserved for persons of righteous deeds, thou art now united, O son of Subhadra, with the apsaras!  While sporting with them, recollect at times my good acts towards thee.  Thy union with me in this world had, it seems, been ordained for only six months, for in the seventh, O hero, thou hast been bereft of life!” O Krishna, the ladies of the royal house of Matsya are dragging away the afflicted Uttara, baffled of all her purposes, while lamenting in this strain.  Those ladies, dragging away the afflicted Uttara, themselves still more afflicted than that girl, are weeping and uttering loud wails at sight of the slain Virata.  Mangled with the weapons and shafts of Drona, prostrate on the ground, and covered with blood, Virata is encompassed by screaming vultures and howling jackals and crowing ravens.  Those black-eyed ladies, approaching the prostrate form of the Matsya king over which carnivorous birds are uttering cries of joy, are endeavouring to turn the body.  Weakened by grief and exceedingly afflicted, they are unable to do what they intend.  Scorched by the Sun, and worn out with exertion and toil, their faces have become colourless and pale.  Behold also, O Madhava, those other children besides Abhimanyu—­Uttara, Sudakshina the prince of the Kambhojas, and the handsome Lakshmana—­all lying on the field of battle!”

21

“Gandhari said, Then the mighty Karna, that great bowman, lieth on the ground!  In battle he was like a blazing fire!  That fire, however, hath now been extinguished by the energy of Partha.  Behold, Vikartanas son Karna, after having slain many atirathas, has been prostrated on the bare ground, and is drenched with blood.  Wrathful and possessed of great energy, he was a great bowman and a mighty car-warrior.  Slain in battle by the wielder of gandiva, that hero now sleepeth on the ground.  My sons, those mighty car-warriors, from fear of the