Ashramavasika Parva — The history of the war as described by a Brahmana

Thus addressed, O you of Kuru's race, by the old king, the citizens and the inhabitants of the provinces stood sometime like men shorn of consciousness.

King Dhritarashtra, finding thein silent, with their throats choked by grief, once more addressed them, saying, 'You best of men, old as I am, and sonless and through cheerlessness of heart, bewailing along with this my wedded wife, I have obtained the permission, in the matter of my retirement into the forest, of my sire, the Island-born Krishna himself, as also of king Yudhishthira, who knows every duty, you righteous dwellers of this kingdom.

You sinless ones, I with Gandhari, repeatedly solicit you with bent heads, You should all grant us permission.

Vaishampayana said Hearing these pitiable words of the Kuru king, O monarch, the assembled dwellers of Kurujangala all began to weep.

Covering their faces with their hands and upper garments, all those men, burning with grief, wept for a while as father sand mothers would weep.

Bearing in their hearts, from which every other thoughts had been removed, the sorrow born of Dhritarashtra's desire to leave the world, they looked like men shorn of consciousness.

Checking that agitation of heart due to the announcement of Dhritarashtra's desire of going to the forest, they gradually were able to address one another, expressing their wishes.

Setting their words briefly, O king, they charged a certain Brahmana therewith and thus replied to the old king.

That learned Brahinana, of good conduct, chosen by unanimous consent, conversant with all subjects, master of all the Rics, and named Samba, tried to speak.

Taking the permission of the whole assembly and with its full approbation, that learned Brahmana of great intelligence, conscious of his own powers, said these words to the king.

O monarch, the answer of this assembly has been committed to my care. I shall speak it out, O hero! Do you receive it, O king.

What you say, O king of kings, is all true, O powerful one. There is nothing in it that is in even slightly tinctured with untruth, you are our well-wisher, as, indeed, we are yours.

Indeed, in this royal family, there never was a king who coming to rulc his subjects, became unpopular with them.

You have ruled us like fathers or brothers. King Duryodhana never did us any wrong.

Do that, O king, which that righteoussouled ascetic, the son of Satyavati, has said. He is, indeed out foremost of instructors.

Left by you, O king, we shall have to pass our days in grief and sorrow, remembering hundreds of virtues possessed by you.

We were well-protected and ruled by king Duryodhana even as we had been ruled by king Shantanu, or by Chitrangada, or by your father, O monarch, who was protected by the prowess of Bhishma, or by Pandu, that ruler of Earth, who was overlooked by you in all is deeds.

Your son, O monarch, never did us the slightest wrong. We lived, depending on that king as trustfully as on our own father.

It is known to you how we lived (under that ruler). Similarly we have enjoyed great happiness, O king, for thousands of years, under the rule of Kunti's son of great intelligence and wisdom.

This righteous-souled king who celebrates sacrifices with profuse gifts, follows the conduct of the royal sages of old, belonging to our race, of meritorious decds, having Kuru and Samavara and other sand the highly intelligent Bharata among them.

There is nothing, O monarch, that is even slightly censurable in the matter of this Yudhishthishta's rule. Protected and ruled by you, we have all lived in great happiness.

The slightest omission cannot be laid at your doors and yours sons. Regarding what you have said about Duryodhana in the matter of this destruction of kinsmen, I beg you, O delighter of the Kurus, (to listen to me).

The carnage that has overtaken the Kurus was not caused by Duryodhana. It was not brought about by you. Nor was it brought about by Karna and Subala's son.

We know that it was encompassed about by Destiny, and that it was incapable of being counteracted. Destiny is not capable of being resisied by human exertion.

Eighteen Akshauhinis of soldiers, O monarch, were collected. In eighteen days that army was destroyed by the foremost of Kuru warriors, viz., Bhishma and Drona and others, and the great Karna, and the heroic Yuyudhana and Dhritadyumna, and by the four sons of Pandu, that is, Bhima and Arjuna and the twins. This destruction, O kiing, could not happen without the influence of Destiny.

Forsooth, by Kshatriyas in particular, should enemies be killed and death encountered in battle. By those foremost of men, gifted with science and might of arms, the Earth has been exterminaled with her horses and cars and elephants.

Your son was not the cause of that destruction of great kings. You were not the cause, nor your servants, nor Karna, nor Subala's son.

The destruction of those for-most ones of Kuru's race and of kings by thousands know, was engendered by Destiny. Who can say anything else in this.

You are regarded as the preceptor and the master of the whole world. We, therefore, in you presence, absolve your righteous-souled son.

Let that king, with all his associates, obtain the regions reserved for herocs Permitted by foremost of Brahmanas, let him sport blissfully in the celestial region.

You, also shall attain to great merit, and unswerving steadiness in virtue. O you of excellent vows, follow fully the duties laid down in the Vedas.

It is not necessary for either you or ourselves to look after the Pandavas. They are capable of ruling the very Heavens, what need then be said of the Earth?

O you of great intelligence, in weal as in woe, the subjects of this kingdom, O foremost one of Kuru's race, will obey the Pandavas who have conduct for their ornament.

The son of Pandu makes those valuable gifts which are always to be made to foremost of twice-born persons in sacrifices and in obscquial rites, after the manner of all the great kings of yore.

The great son of Kunti is mild, and selfcontrolled, and is always disposed to spend as if he were a second Vaishravana. He has great ministers who attend on him.

He is compassionate to even his enemies. Indeed, that foremnost one of Bharata's race is of pure conduct. Gifted with great intelligence, he is perfectly straightforward in his dealings and rules and protects us like a father his children.

From association with him who is the son of Dharma, O royal sage, Bhima and Arjuna and others will never wrong us in the least.

They are mild, O you of Kuru's race, to them that are inild, and fierce like snakes of dreadful poison to them who are fierce. Endured with great energy, those high-souled ones are always devoted to the well-being of the people.

Neither Kunti, nor your (daughter-in-law) Panchali, nor Ulupi, nor the princess of the Satvata race, will do the least wrong to these people.

The affection which you have shown towards us and which in Yudhishthira is seen to exist in a still larger measurc, is incapable of being forgotten by the people of the city and the provinces.

Those powerful car-warriors, viz., the sons of Kunti, themselves devoted to the duties of virtue, will protect and cherish the people even if these happen to be unrighteous.

Do you, therefore, O king, reinoving all anxiety of heat on account of Yudhishthira, set yourself to the accomplishment of all meritorious deeds, O foremost of men.

Hearing these words, fraught with virtue and merit, of that Brahmana and approving of them every person in that assembly said, 'Excellent, Excellent' and accepted them as his own.

Dhritarashtra, also, repeatedly speaking highly of those words, slowly dismissed that assembly of his subjects.

Thus honoured by them and looked upon with auspicious looks, the old king, O chief of Bharata's race, joined his hands and honoured them all in returi.

He, then, entered his own palace with Gandhari, Listen now to what he did after that night had passed away.