Ghosha Yatra Parva — Lamentation of Dhritarashtra

Janamejaya said : O Brahmana, when those foremost of men, the sons of Pritha, were passing their days in the forest exposed to the inclemencies of the winter and the summer, of the wind and the sun, what did they do after they had reached the lake and the forest named Dvaita?

Vaishampayana said : When the Pandavas reached the lake, they chose a place to live in far from the habitations of men. They roamed through charming forests and delightful mountains and beautiful valleys through which ran many rivers and stream-lets.

When they began to live there, many venerable ascetics, learned in the Vedas, often came to see them. Those foremost of men always received those Veda-knowing Rishis with great respect.

Thereupon one day there came to the Kuru princes a certain Brahmana who was celebrated on carth for his powers of speech. Having talked with them for some time, he went away to the king, the of Vichitravirya (Dhritarashtra).

Having been received with all respect by that foremost of the Kurus, that old king (Dhritarashtra) the Brahmanas took his seat; and then asked by the king, he talked about the son of Dharma, Pavana, Indra and the twins (Asvinis). son

All of whom having fallen into great misery had become emaciated and reduced owing to exposure to the wind and the sun. He also talked of Krishna (Draupadi) who had been overwhelmed with sufferings and who had become protectorless though she had heroes for her lords.

On hearing his words, the king Vichitravirya's son became afflicted with grief, thinking that the royal princess (Draupadi) had been drowned in a river of sorrow.

His inmost soul was afflicted with sorrow. Trembling all over with sighs, he quieted himself with great effort, thinking that his folly was the cause of everything. He said,

"Alas, how is it that Dharmaraja Yudhishthira who is the eldest of my sons, who is truthful and pious and virtuous in his behaviour, who has not a single enemy (on earth) and who formerly used to sleep on beds made of soft Ranku-skins, sleeps now on the bare ground!

He used to be awakened by the Sutas and Magdhas and other singers with his praises melodiously chanted every morning. That Indra-like Kuru prince is now awakened from the bare ground early in the morning by innumerable birds.

How does Vrikodara, reduced by exposure to wind and sun and filled with wrath, sleep on the bare ground in the presence of the Panchala princess unfit as he is to suffer such misery?

Perhaps the intelligent Arjuna who is incapable of bearing pain and who though ever obedient to Yudhishthira yet feels himself pierced by the remembrance of his wrongs, does not at all sleep in the night.

Seeing the twins (Nakula and Sahadeva) and Krishna (Draupadi) and Yudhishthira and Bhima in the greatest possible misery, Arjuna certainly sighs like a fearful serpent and from wrath does not sleep in the night.

The twins also, who are even like a couple of blessed celestials in heaven, sunk in misery though deserving of happiness and comfort, certainly pass their nights without sleep, only restrained from taking revenge by virtue and truth.

The mighty son of Vayu (Bhima) who is equal to Vayu himself in strength certainly sighs and restrains his wrath tied through his eldest brother (Yudhishthira) to the bond of truth.

Superior in battle to all warriors, he now quietly lies on the ground. Being restrained by virtue and truth but burning to kill my sons, he simply passes his time.

The cruel words that Duhshasana spoke after Ajatshatru (Yudhishthira) had been deceitfully defeated at dice have reached the inner most depth of Vrikodara's heart. They are consuming him as a blazing bundle of straw consumes a faggot of dry wood.

The son of Dharma (Yudhishthira) never sinfully acts. Dhananjaya (Arjuna) also always obeys him, but the anger of Bhima is daily increasing like a fire helped by the wind in consequence of a life of exile.

That hero, burning in wrath, squeezes his hands and breathes hot and fearful sighs, as if he wants to consume by them all my sons and grandsons.

The wielder of Gandiva (Arjuna) and Bhima when angry are like Yama and Kala themselves. Hurling their arrows which are like so many thunderbolts, they exterminate their enemies in battle.

Alas, Duryodhana and Shakuni and Suta's son (Karna) and the wicked minded Duhshasana in robbing the Pandavas of their kingdom by means of dice saw only honey (on the tree) without thinking the terrible fall from it!

A man having acted rightly or wrongly expects to get the fruit of his acts. But fruits however (often) confounds and paralyses him. How can a man thus obtain salvation!

If land is properly cultivated and the seed sown and if the god (Indra) seasonably showers rain, still the crop might not grow. This is what we often hear. How could this be true as I think unless everything here in this world) is ruled by Destiny. The gambler Shakuni has behaved deceitfully towards the son of Pandu (Yudhishthira) who always acts honestly and virtuously. From the love and fondness that I bear of my wicked sons I also have similarly acted. Alas, it is for this the time, for the destruction of the Kurus has come.

Or perhaps what is inevitable must come to pass. The wind, whether impelled or not, must move. The woman who conceives must give birth to a child. Darkness must pass away in the morning and the day in the evening.

Whatever may be earned by us and others, whether people spend it or not, it would bring us misery when the time would come. Why then people become so anxious to earn wealth? If what is acquired is the result of Fate, then it should be protected, so that is may not be divided nor protected, so that it may not be divided nor lost little by little nor permitted to flow out at once, for if unprotected it may break into one one hundred fragments. But whatever the character of our possession may be, our acts in this world are never lost.

Behold what great is the prowess of Arjuna who went to the abode of Indra from the forest. Having secured the four kinds of celestials weapons, he has returned to earth.

What man is there who having gone to heaven in his own human body ever wishes to come back? Because he sees the Kurus at the point of death by Time, he has returned.

The wielder of the bow is Arjuna Savyasachi, the bow is the Gandiva of fearful energy, the weapons are also all celestials, who is there who would be able to withstand the (combination of these) three."

Having heard those words of the king, the son of Subala Shakuni went to Duryodhana who was then with Karna and told them everything in private. The foolish Duryodhana was filled with grief at what he heard.