Vaishampayana said "Hearing these words of Vidura, that foremost of Bharata's race, viz., Dhritarashtra, ordered for his car. The king once more said,—'Bring Gandhari here forthwith, and all the Bharata ladies. Bring here Kunti also, as well as all the other ladies with her.

Having said these words to Vidura conversant with every duty, the pious on Dhritarashtra, deprived of his senses by sorrow got on his car.

Then Gandhari, stricken stricken with grief consequent the death of his sons, accompanied by Kunti and the other ladies of the royal household, came, as ordered by her lord, where the latter was waiting for her.

Stricken with great grief, they came together to the king. As they met, they addressed each other and cried aloud.

Then Vidura, who had become more afflicted than those ladies, began to solace them. Placing those weeping ladies on the cars that stood ready for them, he left the city.

At that time a loud cry of sorrow arose from every Kuru house. The whole city, including the very children, were stricken with grief.

Those ladies who had not before this been seen by the very celestials were now helpless as they were in the absence of their lords, seen by the common people.

With their beautiful dishevelled hairs, and their ornaments thrown off, those ladies, each clad in a single piece of cloth, proceeded most sorrowfully.

Indeed, they came out of their houses looking like white mountains, like a herd of deer from their mountain caves after the fall of their leader.

Those bevies of fair damsels, O king, came out filled with sorrow, and ran here and here like a herd of fillies on a circus yard.

Seizing each other's hands, they began to bewail aloud after their sons, brothers, and fathers. The presented a spectacle that takes place on the occasion of the universal destruction at the end of a cycle.

Weeping and crying and running here and there, deprived of their senses by sorrow, they knew not what to do.

Those ladies who formerly felt abashed even in the presence of companions of their own sex, now felt no shame, though scantily clad, in coming out before their mothers-in-law.

Formerly they used to console each other while stricken with even slightest grief, Stupefied by grief, they, O king, could not look upon each other.

Surrounded by those thousands of wailing ladies, the king issued out of the city in great depression and proceeded quickly towards the battle-field.

Issuing out of the city, artisans and traders and Vaishyas and all kinds of mechanics, followed the king.

As those ladies, afflicted by the entire destruction of Kurus, cried in sorrow, a loud wail arose from among them that pierced all the words.

All creatures that heard that cry thought that the hour of universal destruction was near at hand when all things would be devoured by the fire that arises at the end of the cycle.

The citizens also of Hastinapura devoted to the Kurus, whit hearts filled with anxiety at the destruction of their rulers, O king, cried aloud like those ladies.