Mahabharata 12.33: trayastriṃśo'dhyāyaḥ

12.33.1

yudhiṣṭhira uvāca |
hatāḥ putrāśca pautrāśca bhrātaraḥ pitarastathā |
śvaśurā guravaścaiva mātulāḥ sapitāmahāḥ || 1 ||

"Yudhishthira said, 'Sons and grandsons and brothers and sires and fathers-in-law and preceptors and maternal uncles and grandsires, many high-souled Kshatriyas, many relatives (by marriage), friends, companions, sister's sons, and kinsmen, O grandsire, and many foremost of men coming from diverse countries, have fallen. All these, O grandsire, have been caused to be slain by myself alone, from desire of kingdom. Having caused so many heroic kings who were always devoted to righteousness and all of whom had quaffed Soma in sacrifices, what end shall I attain, O great ascetic! Thinking that this earth has been bereft of many lions among kings, all of whom were in the enjoyment of great prosperity, I burn continually to this day. Having witnessed this slaughter of kinsmen and millions of other men, I burn with grief, O grandsire! Oh, what will be the plight of those foremost of ladies who have been deprived of sons, of husbands, and of brothers. Reproaching the Pandavas and the Vrishnis as cruel murderers, those ladies, with emaciated features and plunged in grief, will throw themselves on the earth! Not beholding their sires and brothers and husbands and sons, those ladies, through affliction, casting off their life-breath, will go to the abode of Yama, O foremost of Brahmanas! I have no doubt of this. The course of morality is very subtle. It is plain that we shall be stained with the guilt of slaughtering women for this. Having slain our kinsmen and friends and thereby committed an inexpiable sin, we shall have to fall into hell with heads downwards. O best of men, we shall, therefore, waste our limbs with the austerest of penances. Tell me, O grandsire, to what mode of life I should betake myself then.'"

12.33.2

kṣatriyāśca mahātmānaḥ saṃbandhisuhṛdastathā |
vayasyā jñātayaścaiva bhrātaraśca pitāmaha || 2 ||

12.33.3

bahavaśca manuṣyendrā nānādeśasamāgatāḥ |
ghātitā rājyalubdhena mayaikena pitāmaha || 3 ||

12.33.4

tāṃstādṛśānahaṃ hatvā dharmanityānmahīkṣitaḥ |
asakṛtsomapānvīrānkiṃ prāpsyāmi tapodhana || 4 ||

12.33.5

dahyāmyaniśamadyāhaṃ cintayānaḥ punaḥ punaḥ |
hīnāṃ pārthivasiṃhaistaiḥ śrīmadbhiḥ pṛthivīmimām || 5 ||

12.33.6

dṛṣṭvā jñātivadhaṃ ghoraṃ hatāṃśca śataśaḥ parān |
koṭiśaśca narānanyānparitapye pitāmaha || 6 ||

12.33.7

kā nu tāsāṃ varastrīṇāmavasthādya bhaviṣyati |
vihīnānāṃ svatanayaiḥ patibhirbhrātṛbhistathā || 7 ||

12.33.8

asmānantakarānghorānpāṇḍavānvṛṣṇisaṃhitān |
ākrośantyaḥ kṛśā dīnā nipatantyaśca bhūtale || 8 ||

12.33.9

apaśyantyaḥ pitṝnbhrātṝnpatīnputrāṃśca yoṣitaḥ |
tyaktvā prāṇānpriyānsarvā gamiṣyanti yamakṣayam || 9 ||

12.33.10

vatsalatvāddvijaśreṣṭha tatra me nāsti saṃśayaḥ |
vyaktaṃ saukṣmyācca dharmasya prāpsyāmaḥ strīvadhaṃ vayam || 10 ||

12.33.11

te vayaṃ suhṛdo hatvā kṛtvā pāpamanantakam |
narake nipatiṣyāmo hyadhaḥśirasa eva ca || 11 ||

12.33.12

śarīrāṇi vimokṣyāmastapasogreṇa sattama |
āśramāṃśca viśeṣāṃstvaṃ mamācakṣva pitāmaha || 12 ||