Pratijna Parva — The lamentations of Subhadra

Sanjaya said Having heard these words of Keshava of high-soul, Subhadra afflicted with grief on account of her son and sorely distressed, began to lament piteously.

Alas! son of my unfortunate self, why did you go to the battle? Oh son equal in prowess to your father, how could you perish?

Oh my dear child, how shall I see your face dark like the blue lotus and graced with beautiful teeth and charming eyes, soiled with the dust of battle-field!

Surely, heroic and unretreating as you were, you are now being seen by every body. Of graceful head, well-formed neck and arms, of expensive chest, of low belly of limbs, decked with ornaments, of charming eyes and covered with wounds of weapons, surely creatures are now looking at you as if at the rising moon!

Alas! you who used to lie down on beds covered with precious coverlets, alas, how could you, ever used to luxuries, now lie down on the bare earth, being pierced with arrows!

That hero of mighty arms who used formerly to be attended upon by most beautiful damsels, Oh, how can he, prostrate on the field of battle, pass his time today in the company of the jackals!

He who formerly used to be eulogised by the joyful bards, minstrels and singers alas, he, today, is greeted by the dreadful flesh-eaters with their fierce yells!

O son! having the Pandavas, the Vrishni heroes and the Panchalas for your protector, by whom have you been slain like one helpless?

O my sinless son! my desire for looking at you is not yet satiated. Unfortunate that I am, I shall surely today go to the regions of Death.

When again O my son, shall I see that face of yours, graced with expansive eyes, covered with beautiful looks and from which sweet words and fragrant perfume used always to come out?

Fie on the strength of Bhima, fie on the 'bowmanship of Arjuna, fie on the prowess of the Vrishni heroes and fie on the mighty of the Panchalas!

Fie on the Kaikayas and on the Chedis and the Matsyas and the Srinjayas, who all, united together, could not protect that hero when he went to battle.

Today do I see the earth vacant and destitute of its beauty, inasmuch as I do not see Abhimanyu and my eyes are blinded with grief.

How shall we see you slain, you who are the son of the wielder of the Gandiva, the son of Vasudeva's sister, you who are a hero and a Atiratha too!

Dear son! Come to me. You would thirsty. Suck milk from my breast immediately by taking a seat on lap as I am an unfortunate mother who had to live thirsty to see your face.

Alas, O hero, you were like a hoard of treasure to me, seen and lost in dream. Alas! everything human is as transitory as even a bubble of water!

How shall I comfort your young wife overwhelmed by the grief caused by your death and resembling a cow bereft of its calf.

Alas, Oh my son, you have passed away prematurely at a time when you were on the point of bearing fruit, although I yearn to have a sight of you!

Surely the ways of the Destroyer are mysterious even to the wise, inasmuch as, you, having Keshava himself for your protector, have been slain in battle like one perfectly helpless.

May you, O son, attain that end which is theirs that perform sacrifices, theirs that are Brahmanas of purified soul, theirs that observe the vow Bhramacharya, theirs that have bathed in the sacred waters, theirs that are grateful, theirs that are devoted to the performance of benevolent deeds, theirs that serve their preceptors and theirs that make profuse sacrificial presents!

May that end be yours which they attain who fight and never retreat or who fall in battle after slaying their numerous foes!

That blessed end which they attain who give away a thousand cows or who perform charitable deeds at a sacrifice or who give away houses and palaces to the liking of the recipients.

Or who give away gems and jewels to worthy Brahmanas or who mete out just punishments, O son, may that blessed end be yours!

O son, may you attain to that end which sages of rigid vows attain to, by the performance of Brahmacharya or that end which is attained by the women who marry but once their husbands.

That eternal and which is obtained by monarchs through their good conduct or by those persons who, leading one after another all the four modes of life and through the observance of duties, have purified themselves. That end which they attain who are kind to the poor and the woe-stricken or who equally divide objects of enjoyments amongst themselves and their dependents or who are free from the influence of malice, O son, may that end be yours!

That end which is theirs, who observe their vows, theirs that are devoted to righteous practices, theirs that serve their elders and preceptors, theirs that never drive away guests from their doors, O son, may that end by yours!

O son, may you attain to that end which they attain who preserve the coolness of their temper in the most difficult circumstances, however much they may be consumed by the fire of sorrow!

May you attain to the end of those who always take care of their father and mother and who never enjoy the company of women other than their own wives!

May you attain, O son, to the end of those who hold sexual intercourse with their own wives during their seasons, of those who restrain themselves from enjoying others; wives! even

May you attain to the end of those, who, free from malice, look upon every one with an eye of peace or who are forgiving and never enflict distress on others!

O son, may you attain to the end of those who ever hold themselves aloof from money, meat, intoxicating drinks, pride and falsehood or who never cause pain to any body else!

O son, may you attain that end which they attain who are modest, learned in all the Shastras, content in knowledge and hold their passions under check.

While the distressed Subhadra, overwhelmed with grief, had been thus lamenting, Panchali accompanied by Vairata's daughter, came to her.

Then copiously lamenting and bewailing under the weight of their grief, they fell down, Oking, on the earth, senseless and like so many mad creatures.

Then the highly-afflicted Krishna who was there ready with water sprinkled water on the face of them and for comforting them said such salutary words that should be said on such occasions. Then the eyes of resembling lotuspetals said these words to his sister, weeping, insensible, trembling and pierced in her very heart.

0 Subhadra, bewail not your son; O Panchali, console the sister of Ullara. Abhimany'i, that foremost of Kshatriyas, has atlaired in the most excellent state.

you of charming countenance, may all the other people of our race that are yet alive attain to that state which the illustrious Abhimanyu has attained!

We, supported by our allies, desire to accomplish that feat in this battle, the like of which, O lady, your son, that mighty carwarrior, achieved single-handed.

Thus having consoled his sister and Draupadi and Uttara, that subduer of foes, that mighty-armed one, (viz., Krishna) came back to Partha's side.

Then with the permission of his relatives and of the kings and of Arjuna, O monarch, Krishna retired to the inner apartments of the latter's pavilion; the rest of the kings then retired to their respective quarters.