Mahabharata 11.14: caturdaśo'dhyāyaḥ

11.14.1

vaiśaṃpāyana uvāca |
tacchrutvā vacanaṃ tasyā bhīmaseno'tha bhītavat |
gāndhārīṃ pratyuvācedaṃ vacaḥ sānunayaṃ tadā || 1 ||

Vaishampayana said, "Hearing these words of Gandhari, Bhimasena, looking like one in fright, said these words for soothing her, ‘Be the act righteous or unrighteous, it was done by me through fear and for the object of protecting my own self. It behoveth thee therefore, to forgive me now. Thy mighty son was incapable of being slain by anybody in a fair and righteous battle. It was for this that I did what was unfair. Duryodhana himself had formerly vanquished Yudhishthira unrighteously. He used always to behave guilefully towards us. It was for this that I had recourse to an unfair act. Thy son was then the sole unslain warrior on his side. In order that that valiant prince might not slay me in the mace-encounter and once more deprive us of our kingdom, I acted in that way. Thou knowest all that thy son had said unto the princess of Pancala while the latter, in her season, was clad in a single piece of raiment. Without having disposed of Suyodhana it was impossible for us to rule peacefully the whole earth with her seas. It was for this that I acted in that way. Thy son inflicted many wrongs on us. In the midst of the assembly he had shown his left thigh unto Draupadi. For that wicked behaviour, thy son deserved to be slain by us even then. At the command, however, of king Yudhishthira the just, we suffered ourselves to be restrained by the compact that had been made. By this means, O queen, thy son provoked deadly hostilities with us. Great were our sufferings in the forest (whither we were driven by thy son). Remembering all this, I acted in that way. Having slain Duryodhana in battle, we have reached the end of our hostilities. Yudhishthira has got back his kingdom, and we also have been freed from wrath.’ Hearing these words of Bhima, Gandhari said, ‘Since thou praisest my son thus (for his skill in battle), he did not deserve such a death. He, however, did all that thou tellest me. When Vrishasena, however, had deprived Nakula of his steeds, O Bharata, thou quaffedst in battle the blood from Duhshasana’s body! Such an act is cruel and is censured by the good. It suits only a person that is most disrespectable. It was a wicked act, O Vrikodara, that was then accomplished by thee! It was undeserving of thee.’ Bhima replied, saying, ‘It is improper to quaff the blood of even a stranger, what then need be said about quaffing the blood of one’s own self? One’s brother, again, is like one’s own self. There is no difference between them. The blood, however, (that I am regarded to have quaffed) did not, O mother, pass down my lips and teeth. Karna knew this well. My hands only were smeared with (Duhshasana’s) blood. Seeing Nakula deprived of his steeds by Vrishasena in battle, I caused the rejoicing (Kaurava) brothers to be filled with dread. When after the match at dice the tresses of Draupadi were seized, I uttered certain words in rage. Those words are still in my remembrance, I would, for all years to come, have been regarded to have swerved from the duties of a Kshatriya if I had left that vow unaccomplished. It was for this, O queen, that I did that act. It behoveth thee not, O Gandhari, to impute any fault to me. Without having restrained thy sons in former days, doth it behove thee to impute any fault to our innocent selves?’

11.14.2

adharmo yadi vā dharmastrāsāttatra mayā kṛtaḥ |
ātmānaṃ trātukāmena tanme tvaṃ kṣantumarhasi || 2 ||

11.14.3

na hi yuddhena putraste dharmeṇa sa mahābalaḥ |
śakyaḥ kenacidudyantumato viṣamamācaram || 3 ||

11.14.4

sainyasyaiko'vaśiṣṭo'yaṃ gadāyuddhe ca vīryavān |
māṃ hatvā na haredrājyamiti caitatkṛtaṃ mayā || 4 ||

11.14.5

rājaputrīṃ ca pāñcālīmekavastrāṃ rajasvalām |
bhavatyā viditaṃ sarvamuktavānyatsutastava || 5 ||

11.14.6

suyodhanamasaṃgṛhya na śakyā bhūḥ sasāgarā |
kevalā bhoktumasmābhirataścaitatkṛtaṃ mayā || 6 ||

11.14.7

taccāpyapriyamasmākaṃ putraste samupācarat |
draupadyā yatsabhāmadhye savyamūrumadarśayat || 7 ||

11.14.8

tatraiva vadhyaḥ so'smākaṃ durācāro'mba te sutaḥ |
dharmarājājñayā caiva sthitāḥ sma samaye tadā || 8 ||

11.14.9

vairamuddhukṣitaṃ rājñi putreṇa tava tanmahat |
kleśitāśca vane nityaṃ tata etatkṛtaṃ mayā || 9 ||

11.14.10

vairasyāsya gataḥ pāraṃ hatvā duryodhanaṃ raṇe |
rājyaṃ yudhiṣṭhiraḥ prāpto vayaṃ ca gatamanyavaḥ || 10 ||

11.14.11

gāndhāryuvāca |
na tasyaiṣa vadhastāta yatpraśaṃsasi me sutam |
kṛtavāṃścāpi tatsarvaṃ yadidaṃ bhāṣase mayi || 11 ||

11.14.12

hatāśve nakule yattadvṛṣasenena bhārata |
apibaḥ śoṇitaṃ saṃkhye duḥśāsanaśarīrajam || 12 ||

11.14.13

sadbhirvigarhitaṃ ghoramanāryajanasevitam |
krūraṃ karmākaroḥ kasmāttadayuktaṃ vṛkodara || 13 ||

11.14.14

bhīmasena uvāca |
anyasyāpi na pātavyaṃ rudhiraṃ kiṃ punaḥ svakam |
yathaivātmā tathā bhrātā viśeṣo nāsti kaścana || 14 ||

11.14.15

rudhiraṃ na vyatikrāmaddantoṣṭhaṃ me'mba mā śucaḥ |
vaivasvatastu tadveda hastau me rudhirokṣitau || 15 ||

11.14.16

hatāśvaṃ nakulaṃ dṛṣṭvā vṛṣasenena saṃyuge |
bhrātṝṇāṃ saṃprahṛṣṭānāṃ trāsaḥ saṃjanito mayā || 16 ||

11.14.17

keśapakṣaparāmarśe draupadyā dyūtakārite |
krodhādyadabruvaṃ cāhaṃ tacca me hṛdi vartate || 17 ||

11.14.18

kṣatradharmāccyuto rājñi bhaveyaṃ śāśvatīḥ samāḥ |
pratijñāṃ tāmanistīrya tatastatkṛtavānaham || 18 ||

11.14.19

na māmarhasi gāndhāri doṣeṇa pariśaṅkitum |
anigṛhya purā putrānasmāsvanapakāriṣu || 19 ||

11.14.20

gāndhāryuvāca |
vṛddhasyāsya śataṃ putrānnighnaṃstvamaparājitaḥ |
kasmānna śeṣayaḥ kaṃcidyenālpamaparādhitam || 20 ||

"Gandhari said, ‘Unvanquished by anyone, thou hast slain a hundred sons of this old man. Oh, why didst thou not spare, O child, even one son of this old couple deprived of kingdom, one whose offences were lighter? Why didst thou not leave even one crutch for this blind couple? O child, although thou livest unharmed, having slain all my children, yet no grief would have been mine if thou hadst adopted the path of righteousness (in slaying them).’"

11.14.21

saṃtānamāvayostāta vṛddhayorhṛtarājyayoḥ |
kathamandhadvayasyāsya yaṣṭirekā na varjitā || 21 ||

11.14.22

śeṣe hyavasthite tāta putrāṇāmantake tvayi |
na me duḥkhaṃ bhavedetadyadi tvaṃ dharmamācaraḥ || 22 ||