Chapter 20

“Gandhari said, He whose might and courage were regarded, O Keshava, as aone and half times superior to those of his sire and thee, he whoresembled a fierce and proud lion, he who, without a follower, alonepierced the impenetrable array of my son, he who proved to be the deathof many, alas, he now sleepeth there, having himself succumbed to death!I see, O Krishna, the splendour of that son of Arjuna, of that hero ofimmeasurable energy, Abhimanyu, hath not been dimmed even in death.There, the daughter of Virata, the daughter-in-law of the wielder ofgandiva, that girl of faultless beauty overwhelmed with grief at sight ofher heroic husband, is indulging in lamentations! That young wife, thedaughter of Virata, approaching her lord, is gently rubbing him, OKrishna, with her hand. Formerly, that highly intelligent and exceedinglybeautiful girl, inebriated with honeyed wines, used bashfully to embraceher lord, and kiss the face of Subhadras son, that face which resembled afull-blown lotus and which was supported on a neck adorned with threelines like those of a conch-shell. Taking of her lords golden coat ofmail, O hero, that damsel is gazing now on the blood-dyed body of herspouse. Beholding her lord, O Krishna, that girl addresses thee and says,”O lotus-eyed one, this hero whose eyes resembled thine, hath been slain.In might and energy, and prowess also, he was thy equal, O sinless one!He resembled thee very much in beauty. Yet he sleeps on the ground, slainby the enemy!” Addressing her own lord, the damsel says again, “Thou wertbrought up in every luxury. Thou usedst to sleep on soft skins of theranku deer. Alas, does not thy body feel pain today by lying thus on thebare ground? Stretching thy massive arms adorned with golden angadas,resembling a couple of elephants trunks and covered with skin hardened byfrequent use of the bow, thou sleepest, O lord, in peace, as if exhaustedwith the toil of too much exercise in the gymnasium. Alas, why dost thounot address me that am weeping so? I do not remember to have everoffended thee. Why dost thou not speak to me then? Formerly, thou usedstto address me even when thou wouldst see me at a distance. O reverendsir, whither wilt thou go, leaving behind thee the much-respectedSubhadra, these thy sires that resemble the very celestials, and my ownwretched self distracted with woe?” Behold, O Krishna, gathering with herhands the blood-dyed locks of her lord and placing his head on her lap,the beautiful damsel is speaking to him as if he were alive, “How couldstthose great car-warriors slay thee in the midst of battle,–thee that artthe sisters son of Vasudeva and the son of the wielder of gandiva? Alas,fie on those warriors of wicked deeds, Kripa and Karna and Jayadratha andDrona and Dronas son, by whom thou wert deprived of life. What was thestate of mind of those great car-warriors at that time when theysurrounded thee, a warrior of tender years, and slew thee to my grief?How couldst thou, O hero, who had so many protectors, be slain sohelplessly in the very sight of the Pandavas and the Pancalas? Beholdingthee, O hero, slain in battle by many persons united together, how isthat tiger among men, that son of Pandu, thy sire, able to bear theburden of life? Neither the acquisition of a vast kingdom nor the defeatof their foes conduces to the joy of the Parthas bereft of thee, Olotus-eyed one! By the practice of virtue and self-restraint, I shallvery soon repair to those regions of bliss which thou hast acquired bythe use of weapons. Protect me, O hero, when I repair to those regions.When ones hour does not come, one cannot die, since, wretched that I am,I still draw breath after seeing thee slain in battle. Having repaired tothe region of the pitris, whom else, like me, dost thou address now, Otiger among men, in sweet words mingled with smiles? Without doubt, thouwilt agitate the hearts of the apsaras in heaven, with thy great beautyand thy soft words mingled with smiles! Having obtained the regionsreserved for persons of righteous deeds, thou art now united, O son ofSubhadra, with the apsaras! While sporting with them, recollect at timesmy good acts towards thee. Thy union with me in this world had, it seems,been ordained for only six months, for in the seventh, O hero, thou hastbeen bereft of life!” O Krishna, the ladies of the royal house of Matsyaare dragging away the afflicted Uttara, baffled of all her purposes,while lamenting in this strain. Those ladies, dragging away the afflictedUttara, themselves still more afflicted than that girl, are weeping anduttering loud wails at sight of the slain Virata. Mangled with theweapons and shafts of Drona, prostrate on the ground, and covered withblood, Virata is encompassed by screaming vultures and howling jackalsand crowing ravens. Those black-eyed ladies, approaching the prostrateform of the Matsya king over which carnivorous birds are uttering criesof joy, are endeavouring to turn the body. Weakened by grief andexceedingly afflicted, they are unable to do what they intend. Scorchedby the Sun, and worn out with exertion and toil, their faces have becomecolourless and pale. Behold also, O Madhava, those other children besidesAbhimanyu–Uttara, Sudakshina the prince of the Kambhojas, and thehandsome Lakshmana–all lying on the field of battle!”