Vaishampayana said After the ladies had been sent away, Dhritarashtra, the son of Ambika, sunk into grief greater than that which had afflicted him before, began, O monarch, to bewail.

Exhaling smoky breaths and repeatedly shaking his arms and reflecting a little, O monarch, he said these words.

Dhritarashtra said Alas, O Suta, painful is the news that I hear from you viz., that the Pandavas are all safe and have suffered no loss in battle!

Forsooth, my hard heart is made of the essence of thunder since it breaks not upon hearing of the fall of my sons!

Thinking of their ages, O Sanjaya and of their sports in childhood and learning today that all of them have died, my heart seems to break into pieces!

Although owing to my blindness I never saw their forms, still I cherished a great love for them on account of the affection one feels for his children.

Hearing that they had passed out of childhood and entered the period of youth and then of early manhood, I became highly glad, Osinless one.

Hearing today that they have been killed and divested of prosperity and energy, I do not enjoy peace of mind, being overwhelmed with grief on account of the calamity that has befallen them.

Come, come, O king of kings, to me that am without a lord now! Deprived of you, O mighty-armed one, what will be my condition?

Why, O sire, leaving all the assembled kings do you lie on the nacked ground, deprived of life, like an ordinary and wretched king?

Having been, O monarch, the refuge of kinsmen and friends, where do you go now, O hero, leaving me that am blind and old?

Where now, O king, is that pity of yours, that love and that respectfulness? Invincible you were in battle, how, alas, have you been killed by the Parthas?

Who will now, after I will get up from bed at the proper hour, repeatedly address me in such loving and respectful words as-O father, O father-O great king-O Lord of the world!-and affectionately clasping my neck with tearful eyes, will ask for my orders, saying-Command me, you of Kuru's race!-address me, O son, in that sweet language once inore!

O dear child, I heard even these words from your lips, viz.-This wide Earth is cqually ours with Pritha's son!

Bhagadatta and Kripa and Shalya and the two princes of Avanti and Jayadratha and Bhurishravas and Cala and Somadatta and Valhika and Ashvatthaman and the chief of the Bhojas and the mighty princes of Magadha and Vrihadvala and the ruler of the Kasis and Shakuni, the son son of Subala and many thousands of Mlechchhas and Shakas and Yavanas and Sudakshina the ruler of the Kambojas and the king of the Trigartas and the grandsire Bhishma and Bharadvaja's son and Gotama's son and Shrutayusha and Ayutayusha and Shatayusha of great power and Jalasandha and Rishyashringa's son and the Rakshasa Alayudha and the mighty-arined Alambusha and the great car-warrior Suvahu-these and many other kings, O best of monarchs, have taken up arms on my behalf and are ready to throw away their very lives in great battle!

Stationed on the field amidst these and encircled by my brothers, I will fight against all the Parthas and the Panchalas and the Chedis, O foremost to kings and the son of Draupadi and Satyaki and Kuntibhoja and the Rakshasa Ghatotkacha.

Even one amongst these, O king, worked up with anger, is able to resist in battle the Pandavas rushing towards him!

What need I say then of all these heroes, every one of whom has wrongs to avenge on the Pandavas, when united together? All these, O monarch, will fight with the followers of the Pandavas and will kill them in battle.

Karna alone, with myself, will kill the Pandavas. All the heroic kings will then live under my control.

Their leader, the mighty Vasudeva, will not, he has told me, take up arms for them, O king. In this way, O Suta, did Duryodhana often use to speak to me. Hearing what he said, I believed that the Pandavas would be killed in battle.

While, my sons, stationed in the midst of those heroes and fighting vigorously in battle, have all been slain, what can it be but Destiny?

When that lord of the world, viz., the valiant Bhishma, having encountered Shikhandin, died like a lion, killed by a jackal, what can it be but Destiny?

When the Brahmana Drona, the master of all offensive and defensive, weapons has been killed by the Pandavas in battle, what can it be but Destiny?

When Bhurishravas has been slain in battle, as also Somadatta and king Valhika, what can it be else Destiny?

When Bhagadatta, an expert in fighting from the back of elephants, has been killed and when Jayadratha has been slain, what can it be but Fate?

When Sudakshina has been slain and Jalasandha of Puru's race, as also Shrutayusha and Ayutayusha, what can it be but Destiny?

When Brihadvala has been slain and the powerful king of the Magadhas and the brave Ugrayudha, that model of all bowmen when the two princes of Avanti viz., Vinda and Avinda have been slain, and the king also of thc Trigartas, as also the numerous Samshaptakas, what can it be but Destiny?

When king Alambusha and the Rakshasa Alayudha and Rishyashringa's on have been slain, what can it be but Destiny.

When the Narayanas have been slain as also the Gopalas, ever invincible in battle and many thousands of Mlecchas, who can it be but Destiny.

When Shakuni the son of Subala and the powerful Uluka, called the gamester's son, at the head of his forces, have been slain, what can it be but Destiny?

When numerous great heroes, well-read in all sorts of offensive and defensive weapons and gifted with prowess equal to that of Indra himself, have been slain, ( Suta, when Kshatriyas coming from different kingdoms, O Sanjaya, have all been slain in battle, what can it be but Destiny?

My mighty, sons and grandsons have been slain, as also my friends and brothers, what can it be but Destiny? Truly man takes his birth, subject to Destiny.

A fortunate man always meets with good. I am bereft of good fortune and therefore, am deprived of my children, O Sanjaya. Old as I am, how shall I now submit to the sway of enemies? I do not think anything else but exile into the woods is good for me, O lord. Shorn of relatives and kinsmen as I am, I will go into the woods.

Nothing else save an exile into the woods can be better for me who am fallen into this plight and who am shorn of my sons, O Sanjaya.

When Duryodhana has been slain, Shalya also has been slain in battle, when Dusshasana and Vivingsha and the mighty Vikarna have been slain, how shall I be able to bear the shouts of that Bhimasena who has alone killed a hundred sons of inine in battle?

He will frequently speak of the slaughter of Duryodhana in my ears. Burning with grief and sorrow, I shall not be able to withstand his cruel words!"

Vaishampayana said Even thus that king burning with grief and deprived of relatives and kinsmen, repeatedly swooned, overwhelmed with grief consequent on the death of his sons.

Having wept for a long time, Dhritarashtra, the son of Ambika, sighted heavily thinking of his defeat.

Overwhelined with sorrow and burning with grief, that best of Bharata's race once more enquired of his charioteer Sanjaya, the son of Gavalgana, the details of the battle.

Dhritarashtra said After Bhishma and Drona had been slain and the Suta's son also overthrown, whom did my warriors make their general?

The Pandavas are slaying quickly every one whom my warriors make their general in battle.

Bhishma was slain at the van of battle by the diadem-decked Arjuna in your presence. Even thus was Drona slain before you all.

Even thus was the Suta's son, the valiant Karna, slain by Arjuna in the presence of all the kings.

Long before, the high-souled Vidura had told me that through the fault of Duryodhana, the people of the Earth would be rooted out.

There are some fools that do not see things even though they cașt their eyes on them. Those words of Vidura have proved true in my case.

What the pious Vidura, conversant with the attributes of everything, then said, had proved true, for the words he uttered were nothing but the truth.

Afflicted by fate, I did not then act according to those words. The fruits of that evil course have now appeared. Describe them to me, O son of Gavalgana, once more.

Who became the head of our army after Karna's fall? Who was that car-warrior who proceeded against Arjuna and Vasudeva?

Who were they that protected the right wheel of the ruler of the Madras in battle? Who protected the left wheel of that hero when he went to battle? Who also protected his rear?

How, when all of you were together, could the mighty king of the Madras, as also my son, be slain, O Sanjaya, by the Pandavas?

Describe particularly the great destruction of the Bharatas. Tell me how my son Duryodhana fell in battle!

Tell me how all the Panchalas with their followers and Dhrishtadyumna and Shiklandhin and the five sons of Draupadi, were killed.

Tell me how the (five) Pandavas and the two Satvatas (viz., Krishna and Satyaki) and Kripa and Kritavarman and Drona's son, have escaped with life.

I desire to hear everything about the battle and its nature. You are a skillful narrator. O Sanjaya, tell the everything!'