Vaishampayana said Having heard this (the above intelligence), the great king Dhritarashtra, the son of Ambika, experienced, indeed, the farthest limit of grief and considered Suyodhana slain (in the battle); and highly perturbed, he fell down upon the ground, like an elephant, that had lost all his senses.

O the most excellent of the Bharata race, on the fall of the highly agitated and foremost of monarchs upon the ground, there was tremendous wailing of women.

Which (the noise) filled the entire earth to all its points. The ladies of the house hold of Bharata, greatly burnt in grief and with hearts filled with great anxiety, bewailed most bitterly, plunged as they were in the very deep ocean of sorrow.

O best of the Bharata race advancing towards the king, Gandhari, as well as all other ladies of the royal household, fell down upon the ground, all having lost their senses. a

Thereupon, O monarch, Sanjaya consoled those ladies, who were highly oppressed with sorrow and deprived of their senses and who, again, were copiously shedding tears from their eyes.

In spite of their being comforted (by Sanjaya), those ladies shivered every moment like the plantain tree constantly shaken by the wind.

Thereupon Vidura, too, began to sprinkle water over the face of that descendant of Kuru and consoled that powerful monarch, who had eyes of wisdom.

O Lord of carth, having gradually attained to consciousness and understanding the rniserable plight of those ladies, the monarch, like at senseless being, remained silent for sometime.

Thereupon he, reflecting (upon the matter) for a pretty long time and sighing heavily and incessantly, condemned his own sons but spoke highly of the Pandavas.

Then having condemned his own reason as well as that of Shakuni the son of Subala and meditated (upon the matter) for a long while, the king trembled at every moment.

The king had, again, restrained his mind and collected enough of patience. Then he asked his charioteer Sanjaya, the son of

O Sanjaya, whatever words were uttered by you were all heard by me. O charioteer, has not my son Duryodhana gone to the region of Yama? Has my son, who is ever desirous of victory, grown desperate of success? O Sanjaya, do you repeat to me in detail truly what you have said already.

O Janamejaya, having been thus asked, the Suta addressed the king, saying-"O king, the son of Vikartan., that mighty car-warrior, was killed in battle along with his sons and brothers, as well as the other warrior sons of Suta, who were all great bowmen and who also were ready to give up their lives in battle.

Dusshasana, too, was slain in an encounter by Bhimasena, that famous son of Pandu, who had drunk his (Dusshasana's) blood out of anger.