Sanjaya said "Having killed all the Panchalas and the sons of Draupadi, the three Kuru heroes together came where Duryodhana was lying, struck down by the enemy.

Arrived there, they found that life had not been wholly extinct in the king. Getting down from their cars, they encircled you son.

The Kuru king, O Sire, was lying there with broken thighs. Almost senseless, his life was about to pass away. He was vomiting blood at times, stretching downwards.

He was then encircled by a large number of carnivorous animals of dreadful forms, and by wolves and hyenas, that stood near for fceding upon his body.

With great difficulty the king was keeping off those beasts of prey that waited there for feasting upon the body. He was suffering great pain.

Seeing him thus lying on the Earth, covered with blood, the three heroes who were the only remnant of his army, viz., Ashvatthaman, Kripa and Kritavarman, were possessed with grief and sat surrounding him.

Encircled by those three great car-warriors who were covered with blood and who sighed heavily, the Kuru king looked like a sacrificial altar surrounded by the tiree heroes weeping in sorrow.

Wiping the blood from off his face with their hands, they bewailed piteously in the hearing of he king lying prostate on the field of battle.

Kripa said There is nothing difficult which Destiny cannot bring about, since even this king Duryodhana who was the master of eleven Akshauhinis of troops, sleeps on the necked ground, struck down by the foe and bathed in blood.

See, fond as he was of the mace, that mace made of pure gold is still by the side of the king whose lustre still resembles that of pure gold.

In no battle did that mace leave this hero! Even now, when is about to go to heaven, that weapon abandons not this illustrious hero.

See that weapon, made of pure gold, is still by the side of this hero like a loving wife by the side of her husband stretched on his bed in his chamber of sleep.

Witness the misfortunes brought about Time! This destroyer of enemies who used to walk at the head of all crowned kings, is now। covered with the dust.

He who had formerly struck down many enemies and caused them lie on the naked earth that king of the Kurus, lies to-day on the bare ground, struck down by enemies.

He to whom hundreds of kings used to bow down in fear, lies to-day on the battle-field, encircled by beasts of prey!

The Brahmanas formerly used to wait upon this lord for money. Alas beasts of prey wait upon him to-day for feasting upon his body!

Sanjaya said Seeing that Kuru's Chief lying on the earth Ashvatthaman, O best of the Bharatas, bewailed thus piteously,-O foremost of kings, all people recognised you as the best of all bowmen! People also said that in mace fight you, a disciple of Shankarshana, were like Kuvera himself.

How then, O sinless one, could Bhima find any defect in you. You were ever powerful and skillful. He on the other hand, O king, is a wicked man.

Forsooth, O king, time in this world is more powerful than every thing else, for we see even you struck down by Bhimasena in battle.

Alas, how could the wretched and mean Vrikodara unfairly strike you down, righteous as you always were in all your action. Forsooth! Time is irresistible.

Alas, having invited you to a fair fight, Bhimasena, displaying his power broke your thighs.

Fie on that retched Yudhishthira who allowed the head of one struck down unfairly in battle to be touched with the foot.

In all battles warriors will certainly censure Vrikodara as long as the world will exist. Forsooth, you have been struck down unrighteously.

The valiant Rama of Yadu's family, O king, always used to see that there is 11O one equal to Duryodhana.

The Vrishni hero in mace fight, O Bharata, used to boast of you, O lord, in every assembly. Saying, Duryodhana, of the race of Kuru, is a worthy disciple of mine.

You have achieved that end which Rishis consider to be the mate of a Kshatriya killed in battle facing the foe.

I do not, O foremost of men, grieve for you, O Duryodhana! I grieve only for your mother Gandhari and your father, childless as they now are.

Stricken with grief, they will have to travel over the Earth, begging their food! Fie on the Vrishni hero Krishna, and on wicked Arjuna.

They consider themselves as moral, yet both of them were indifferent while you were killed! How will the other Pandavas, shameless as they are, O king, speak of the manner in which they have brought about your death?

You are highly fortunate, O son of Gandhari, since you have been killed on the field of battle, O foremost of men, while fighting fairly with the enemy.

Alas, what will be the condition of Gandhari who is now childless, and who had lost all her kinsmen and relatives what also will be the condition of the blind king.

Fie on Kritavarma, on myself, as also on the powerful car-warrior Kripa, since we have not yet gone to heaven with your royal self.

Fie on us, mean as we are, since we do not follow you-the grantor of all wishes the protector of all men, and the benefactor of all your subjects.

through you the houses of Kripa, of myself, and of my father, as well as those of our dependents, are full of riches.

Through your grace, ourselves with our friends and relatives have celebrated many leading sacrifices with profuse presents to Brahmanas.

Where shall such sinful persons as ourselves now go, since you have gone to heaven taking with you all the kings of the Earth?

Because we three, O king, do not follow you who are about to achieve the highest end (of life), we are bewailing thus.

Deprived of your company, of wealth, alas, what will be our lot since we do not follow you.

Forsooth, O Kuru king, we shall have to rove in sorrow on the Earth! Deprived of you, O king, where can we enjoy peace and where can we have happiness.

Going from this world, O king, and meeting with those powerful car-warriors gone before you, show your respect to them, at the request, according to their rank and age.

Having adored your preceptor, preceptor, that foremost of bowmen, tell hiin, O king, that Dhrishtadyumna has been killed by me.

Embrace king Valhika, that great carwarrior, as also the king of the Sindhus, and Somadatta, and Bhruishravas, and the other foremost of kings gone before you to heaven. At my request, embrace all of them and enquire after their well-being.

Sanjaya continued Having addressed thus the senseless king, and who was lying with broken thighs, Ashvatthaman once more looked at him and said: 'If, O Duryodhana, you have any vitality in you still, listen to these agrecable words. On the side of the Pandavas, only seven are alive, and among the Dhritarashtras, only we three survive.

Then seven on their side and are the five brothers and Vasudeva and Satyaki; on our side, we three are myself and Kripa and Kritavarman.

All the sons of Draupadi as also all the children of Dhrishtadyumna have been killed. All the Panchalas, too, as also the remnant of the Matsyas, O Bharata, have been killed.

Mark the vengeance taken for their offense. The Pandavas are now childless. While asleep, the men and animals in their camp have all been killed.

Entering into their camp in the night, O king, I have killed the sinful Dhrishtadyumna, as one kills an animal.'

having heard these words that were so agreeable to his heari, Duryodhana regained his consciousness and replied 'That which neither Ganga's son, nor Karna, nor your father, could accomplish, you have done today, accompanied by Kripa and Bhoja,

You have killed that mean wretch, viz., Dhrishtadyumna, who was the Commander of the Pandava forces, as also Shikhandin. For this I regard myself equal to Indra himself.

Good be to you all. May you prosper. All of US will again meet together in heaven.'-Having said this the great king of the Kurus became silent.

Casting off his sorrow for all his killed kinsmen, he then breathed his last. His soul went to holy heaven, while his body only remained on Earth.

Thus, O king, you son Duryodhana died. Having caused the battle first, he was killed by his enemies.

The three heroes repeatedly embraced the king and looked steadfastly at him. They then got upon their cars.

Having heard the piteous cries of Drona's son, I came away early in the morning towards the city.

Thus the armies of the Kurus and the Pandavas have been killed. Great and terrible has been that destruction, O king, brought on by your evil policy.

After your son's death, I was stricken with grief and the spiritual insight which the Rishi gave, has been lost by me.”

Vaishampayana said "Hearing of his son's death, the king, sighed heavily and was stricken with great anxiety."