Chapter 6

“Vaisampayana said, ‘Having said these words, the celestial Rishi Naradabecame silent. The royal sage Yudhishthira, filled with grief, becameplunged in meditation. Beholding that hero cheerless and unmanned bysorrow, sighing like a snake and shedding copious tears, Kunti, herselffilled with grief and almost deprived of her senses by sorrow, addressedhim in these sweet words of grave import and well-suited to the occasion,’O mighty-armed Yudhishthira, it behoveth thee not to give way to sorrowthus. O thou of great wisdom, kill this grief of thine, and listen towhat I say. I tried in past times to apprise Karna of his brothershipwith thee. The god Surya also, O foremost of all righteous persons, didthe same. All that a well-wishing friend, from desire of good, should sayunto one, was said unto Karna by that god in a dream and once more in mypresence. Neither by affliction nor by reasons could Surya or myselfsucceed in pacifying him or inducing him to unite himself with thee.Succumbing to the influence of Time, he became resolved upon wreaking hisenmity on thee. As he was bent upon doing injuries upon you all, I myselfgave up the attempt.’ Thus addressed by his mother, king Yudhishthira,with tearful eyes and heart agitated by grief, said these words, ‘Inconsequence of thyself having concealed thy counsels, this greataffliction has overtaken me!’ Possessed of great energy, the righteousking, then, in sorrow, cursed all the women of the world, saying,’Henceforth no woman shall succeed in keeping a secret.’ The king, then,recollecting his sons and grandsons and kinsmen and friends, becamefilled with anxiety and grief. Afflicted with sorrow, the intelligentking, resembling a fire covered with smoke, became overwhelmed withdespair.”