Vaishampayana said “Hearing these words of Gandhari, Bhimasena, in fear said these words for solacing her. "The deed may be fair or unfair, I did it through fear and for the object of protecting my own self! you should, therefore, forgive me now!

Your powerful son was incapable of being killed by anybody in a fair and righteous battle. And therefore I did what was unfair.

Duryodhana himself had formerly defeated Yudhishthira unfairly. He always acted treacherously towards us. It was therefore that I had recourse to an unfair act.

Your son was then the only unslain warrior of his party. In order that brave prince might not kill me in the mace-encounter and once more deprive us of our kingdom, I acted in that way.

You know what your son had said to the princes of Panchala while the latter, in her seasons, was clad in a single piece of cloth.

Without having killed Suyodhana it was impossible for us to rule peacefully whole Earth with seas. And therefore I acted in that way.

Your son wronged us in many ways. In the court he had shown his left thigh to Draupadi.

For that wicked conduct of his your son deserved to be killed by us even then. However, commanded by king Yudhishthira the just, we allowed ourselves to be restrained by the agreement that had been made.

By this means, O queen, your son excited deadly hostilities with us. We suffered great miseries in the forest. Remembering all this, I acted in that way!

Having killed Duryodhana in battle, we have terminated our hostilities. Yudhishthira has regained his kingdom, and we also have been freed from anger!'

Hearing these words of Bhima, Gandhari said,– 'As you praise my son thus he did not deserve such a death! He, however, did all that you describe!

When Vrishasena, however, had deprived Nakula of his horses, O Bharata, you drank in battle the blood from Dussasana's body.

Such an act is cruel and is spoken ill of by the good. It becomes a most disrespectable person. It was a wicked act, O Vrikodara, which you then perpetrated. You should not have done it.

Bhima replied,-'It is improper to drink the blood of even a stranger, what then need be said about quaffing the blood of one's own self. One's brother, again, is like his own self. There is no difference between them.

The blood, however, did not, O mother, pass down my lips and teeth. Karna knew this well. My hands only were covered with Dussasana's blood.

Seeing Nakula deprived of his horses by Vrishasena in battle, I caused the rejoicing Kaurava brothers to be filled with fear.

When after the gambling match the hairs of Draupadi were seized, I gave vent to certain words in anger. I do still remember those words.

I would for all years to come, have been regarded to have neglected the duties of a Kshatriya if I had left that promise unfulfilled. It was for this, O queen, that I did that act.

You should not, O Gandhari, attribute any fault to me. Without having checked your sons formerly, should you attribute any fault to our innocent selves.

Gandhari said "Unvanquished by any one, you have killed a hundred sons of this old man! Oh, why did you not spare, O child, even one son of this old couple deprived of kingdom. Who had not committed a greater offense?

Why did you not leave even one crutch for this blind couple?

O child, although you live unscathed, having killed all my sons, yet I would not have been sorry, if you had followed the path of righteousness in killing them.

Vaishampayana continued Having said so, Gandhari, filled with anger at the slaughter of all her sons and grandsons enquired after Yudhishthira, saying.-'Where is the king?'

After she had said these words, king Yudhishthira, trembling and with joined hands, approached her and said, 'Here is Yudhishthira, O goddess, that cruel destroyer of your sons! I deserve your curses, for I am the root of this universal destruction! Oh curse me!

I do not care for life, for kingdom, for wealth! Having brought about the destruction of such friends, I have proved myself to be a great fool and a hater of friend.

Gandhari, singing heavily, said nothing to Yudhishthira-who spoke such words, who was overcome with fear, and who stood in ner presence.

Conversant with the rules of righteousness, the Kuru queen, possessed of great foresight, turned her eyes from within the folds of the cloth that covered them, to the tip of Yudhishthira's 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, got a sore nail on his toe.

Seeing this, Arjuna went behind Vasudeva, and the other sons of Pandu became restless and moved about from one place to another.

Gandhari then, having shaken off her anger, comforted the Pandavas as a inother should,. With her permission those broadchested heroes then proceeded together to present themselves to their mother.

Having seen her sons after a long time, Kunti who had been filled with anxiety for them covered her face with her cloth and began to weep.

Having wept for sometime with her children, I'ritha saw the wounds and scars of many weapons of their bodies.

She then repeatedly embraced and patted each of her sons, and stricken with grief wept with Draupadi who had lost all her children and whom she saw lying on the naked Earth, piteously bewailing.

Draupadi said O Venerable lady, were have all your grandsons, with Abhimanyu among them, gone? Seeing you in such distress why are they delaying in coming before you. Deprived as I am of my children, what need have I of kingdom.'

Raising the grief-stricken princess of Panchala who was weeping thus, Pritha began to solace that lady having of large eyes.

Then Kunti, accompanied by the princess of Panchala, and followed by her sons proceeded towards the grief-afflicted Gandhari, though she herself was also in great sorrow.

Seeing that illustrious lady with her daughter-in-law, Gandhari said, 'Do not, O daughter, grieve so. See, I too am much afflicted with sorrow as you.

I think, this universal destruction has been caused by the irresistible course of Time. This dreadful slaughter was inevitable, since it has not been brought about by human agency!

What Vidura of great wisdom foretold, after Krishna's suing in vain for peace, has now come to pass!

Do not, therefore, grieve in a matter that was inevitable, especially when it has taken place! Having been dead in battle they should not be grieved for!

I am in the same situation as you are! (If you act thus) who then will comfort us? Through my fault, this foremost of races has becn ruined.' I am in the same situation as you are! (If you act thus) who then will comfort us? Through my fault, this foremost of races has becn ruined.'