महाभारतम् — ११.९

जनमेजय उवाच ।

गते भगवति व्यासे धृतराष्ट्रो महीपतिः ।
किमचेष्टत विप्रर्षे तन्मे व्याख्यातुमर्हसि ॥

M N Dutt Janamejaya said After the holy Vyasa had gone away, what, O Rishi, did king Dhritarashtra do? You should tell me this.

वैशंपायन उवाच ।

११.९.२

एतच्छ्रुत्वा नरश्रेष्ठ चिरं ध्यात्वा त्वचेतनः ।
संजयं योजयेत्युक्त्वा विदुरं प्रत्यभाषत ॥

११.९.३

क्षिप्रमानय गान्धारीं सर्वाश्च भरतस्त्रियः ।
वधूं कुन्तीमुपादाय याश्चान्यास्तत्र योषितः ॥

M N Dutt Vaishampayana said "Hearing these words of Vidura, that foremost of Bharata's race, viz., Dhritarashtra, ordered for his car. The king once more said,—'Bring Gandhari here forthwith, and all the Bharata ladies. Bring here Kunti also, as well as all the other ladies with her.

११.९.४

एवमुक्त्वा स धर्मात्मा विदुरं धर्मवित्तमम् ।
शोकविप्रहतज्ञानो यानमेवान्वपद्यत ॥

M N Dutt Having said these words to Vidura conversant with every duty, the pious on Dhritarashtra, deprived of his senses by sorrow got on his car.

११.९.५

गान्धारी चैव शोकार्ता भर्तुर्वचनचोदिता ।
सह कुन्त्या यतो राजा सह स्त्रीभिरुपाद्रवत् ॥

M N Dutt Then Gandhari, stricken stricken with grief consequent the death of his sons, accompanied by Kunti and the other ladies of the royal household, came, as ordered by her lord, where the latter was waiting for her.

११.९.६

ताः समासाद्य राजानं भृशं शोकसमन्विताः ।
आमन्त्र्यान्योन्यमीयुः स्म भृशमुच्चुक्रुशुस्ततः ॥

M N Dutt Stricken with great grief, they came together to the king. As they met, they addressed each other and cried aloud.

११.९.७

ताः समाश्वासयत्क्षत्ता ताभ्यश्चार्ततरः स्वयम् ।
अश्रुकण्ठीः समारोप्य ततोऽसौ निर्ययौ पुरात् ॥

M N Dutt Then Vidura, who had become more afflicted than those ladies, began to solace them. Placing those weeping ladies on the cars that stood ready for them, he left the city.

११.९.८

ततः प्रणादः संजज्ञे सर्वेषु कुरुवेश्मसु ।
आकुमारं पुरं सर्वमभवच्छोककर्शितम् ॥

M N Dutt At that time a loud cry of sorrow arose from every Kuru house. The whole city, including the very children, were stricken with grief.

११.९.९

अदृष्टपूर्वा या नार्यः पुरा देवगणैरपि ।
पृथग्जनेन दृश्यन्त तास्तदा निहतेश्वराः ॥

M N Dutt Those ladies who had not before this been seen by the very celestials were now helpless as they were in the absence of their lords, seen by the common people.

११.९.१०

प्रकीर्य केशान्सुशुभान्भूषणान्यवमुच्य च ।
एकवस्त्रधरा नार्यः परिपेतुरनाथवत् ॥

M N Dutt With their beautiful dishevelled hairs, and their ornaments thrown off, those ladies, each clad in a single piece of cloth, proceeded most sorrowfully.

११.९.११

श्वेतपर्वतरूपेभ्यो गृहेभ्यस्तास्त्वपाक्रमन् ।
गुहाभ्य इव शैलानां पृषत्यो हतयूथपाः ॥

M N Dutt Indeed, they came out of their houses looking like white mountains, like a herd of deer from their mountain caves after the fall of their leader.

११.९.१२

तान्युदीर्णानि नारीणां तदा वृन्दान्यनेकशः ।
शोकार्तान्यद्रवन्राजन्किशोरीणामिवाङ्गने ॥

M N Dutt Those bevies of fair damsels, O king, came out filled with sorrow, and ran here and here like a herd of fillies on a circus yard.

११.९.१३

प्रगृह्य बाहून्क्रोशन्त्यः पुत्रान्भ्रातॄन्पितॄनपि ।
दर्शयन्तीव ता ह स्म युगान्ते लोकसंक्षयम् ॥

M N Dutt Seizing each other's hands, they began to bewail aloud after their sons, brothers, and fathers. The presented a spectacle that takes place on the occasion of the universal destruction at the end of a cycle.

११.९.१४

विलपन्त्यो रुदन्त्यश्च धावमानास्ततस्ततः ।
शोकेनाभ्याहतज्ञानाः कर्तव्यं न प्रजज्ञिरे ॥

M N Dutt Weeping and crying and running here and there, deprived of their senses by sorrow, they knew not what to do.

११.९.१५

व्रीडां जग्मुः पुरा याः स्म सखीनामपि योषितः ।
ता एकवस्त्रा निर्लज्जाः श्वश्रूणां पुरतोऽभवन् ॥

M N Dutt Those ladies who formerly felt abashed even in the presence of companions of their own sex, now felt no shame, though scantily clad, in coming out before their mothers-in-law.

११.९.१६

परस्परं सुसूक्ष्मेषु शोकेष्वाश्वासयन्स्म याः ।
ताः शोकविह्वला राजन्नुपैक्षन्त परस्परम् ॥

M N Dutt Formerly they used to console each other while stricken with even slightest grief, Stupefied by grief, they, O king, could not look upon each other.

११.९.१७

ताभिः परिवृतो राजा रुदतीभिः सहस्रशः ।
निर्ययौ नगराद्दीनस्तूर्णमायोधनं प्रति ॥

M N Dutt Surrounded by those thousands of wailing ladies, the king issued out of the city in great depression and proceeded quickly towards the battle-field.

११.९.१८

शिल्पिनो वणिजो वैश्याः सर्वकर्मोपजीविनः ।
ते पार्थिवं पुरस्कृत्य निर्ययुर्नगराद्बहिः ॥

M N Dutt Issuing out of the city, artisans and traders and Vaishyas and all kinds of mechanics, followed the king.

११.९.१९

तासां विक्रोशमानानामार्तानां कुरुसंक्षये ।
प्रादुरासीन्महाञ्शब्दो व्यथयन्भुवनान्युत ॥

M N Dutt As those ladies, afflicted by the entire destruction of Kurus, cried in sorrow, a loud wail arose from among them that pierced all the words.

११.९.२०

युगान्तकाले संप्राप्ते भूतानां दह्यतामिव ।
अभावः स्यादयं प्राप्त इति भूतानि मेनिरे ॥

M N Dutt All creatures that heard that cry thought that the hour of universal destruction was near at hand when all things would be devoured by the fire that arises at the end of the cycle.

११.९.२१

भृशमुद्विग्नमनसस्ते पौराः कुरुसंक्षये ।
प्राक्रोशन्त महाराज स्वनुरक्तास्तदा भृशम् ॥

M N Dutt The citizens also of Hastinapura devoted to the Kurus, whit hearts filled with anxiety at the destruction of their rulers, O king, cried aloud like those ladies.

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