Mahabharata 15.37: saptatriṃśo'dhyāyaḥ

15.37.1

vaiśaṃpāyana uvāca |
tacchrutvā vividhaṃ tasya rājarṣeḥ paridevitam |
punarnavīkṛtaḥ śoko gāndhāryā janamejaya || 1 ||

"Vaisampayana continued, 'Hearing these lamentations expressed in diverse ways, of that royal sage, the grief, O Janamejaya, of Gandhari, became fresh. The grief also of Kunti, of the daughter of Drupada, of Subhadra, and of the other members, male and female, and the daughters-in-law, of the Kuru race, became equally green. Queen Gandhari, with bandaged eyes, joining her hands, addressed her father-in-law. Deeply afflicted with grief on account of the slaughter of her sons, she said,--'O foremost of ascetics, sixteen years have passed over the head of this king grieving for the death of his sons and divested of peace of mind. Afflicted with grief on account of the slaughter of his children, this king Dhritarashtra, always breathes heavily, and never sleeps at night. O great Rishi, through the power of thy penances thou art competent to create new worlds. What need I say then about showing this king his children who are now in the other world? This Krishna, the daughter of Drupada, hath lost all her kinsmen and children. For this, she who is the dearest of my daughters-in-law grieves exceedingly. The sister of Krishna, viz., Subhadra of sweet speech, burning with the loss of her son, grieves as deeply. This lady that is respected by all, that is the wife of Bhurisravas, afflicted with grief on account of the fate that has overtaken her husband, always indulges in heart-rending lamentations. Her father-in-law was the intelligent Valhika of Kuru's race. Alas, Somadatta also was slain, along with his sire, in the great battle! Alas, a century of sons, heroes that never retreated from battle, belonging to this son of thine, this king of great intelligence and great prosperity, has been slain in battle. The hundred wives of those sons are all grieving and repeatedly enhancing the grief of both the king and myself. O great ascetic, stricken by that great slaughter, they have gathered round me. Alas, those high-souled heroes, those great car warriors, my fathers-in-law, Somadatta and others,--alas, what end has been theirs, O puissant one? Through thy grace, O holy one, that will happen in consequence of which this lord of Earth, myself, and this daughter-in-law of thine, viz., Kunti, shall all become freed from our grief. After Gandhari had said so, Kunti, whose face had become wasted through observance of many hard vows, began to think of her secret-born son endued with solar effulgence. The boon giving Rishi Vyasa, capable of both beholding and hearing what happened at a remote distance, saw that the royal mother of Arjuna was afflicted with grief. Unto her Vyasa said,--'Tell me, O blessed one, what is in thy mind. Tell me what thou wishest to say. At this, Kunti, bending her head unto her father-in-law, and overcome with bashfulness, said these words unto him, relating to the occurrences of the past.'"

15.37.2

kuntyā drupadaputryāśca subhadrāyāstathaiva ca |
tāsāṃ ca varanārīṇāṃ vadhūnāṃ kauravasya ha || 2 ||

15.37.3

putraśokasamāviṣṭā gāndhārī tvidamabravīt |
śvaśuraṃ baddhanayanā devī prāñjalirutthitā || 3 ||

15.37.4

ṣoḍaśemāni varṣāṇi gatāni munipuṃgava |
asya rājño hatānputrāñśocato na śamo vibho || 4 ||

15.37.5

putraśokasamāviṣṭo niḥśvasanhyeṣa bhūmipaḥ |
na śete vasatīḥ sarvā dhṛtarāṣṭro mahāmune || 5 ||

15.37.6

lokānanyānsamartho'si sraṣṭuṃ sarvāṃstapobalāt |
kimu lokāntaragatānrājño darśayituṃ sutān || 6 ||

15.37.7

iyaṃ ca draupadī kṛṣṇā hatajñātisutā bhṛśam |
śocatyatīva sādhvī te snuṣāṇāṃ dayitā snuṣā || 7 ||

15.37.8

tathā kṛṣṇasya bhaginī subhadrā bhadrabhāṣiṇī |
saubhadravadhasaṃtaptā bhṛśaṃ śocati bhāminī || 8 ||

15.37.9

iyaṃ ca bhūriśravaso bhāryā paramaduḥkhitā |
bhartṛvyasanaśokārtā na śete vasatīḥ prabho || 9 ||

15.37.10

yasyāstu śvaśuro dhīmānbāhlīkaḥ sa kurūdvahaḥ |
nihataḥ somadattaśca pitrā saha mahāraṇe || 10 ||

15.37.11

śrīmaccāsya mahābuddheḥ saṃgrāmeṣvapalāyinaḥ |
putrasya te putraśataṃ nihataṃ yadraṇājire || 11 ||

15.37.12

tasya bhāryāśatamidaṃ putraśokasamāhatam |
punaḥ punarvardhayānaṃ śokaṃ rājño mamaiva ca |
tenārambheṇa mahatā māmupāste mahāmune || 12 ||

15.37.13

ye ca śūrā mahātmānaḥ śvaśurā me mahārathāḥ |
somadattaprabhṛtayaḥ kā nu teṣāṃ gatiḥ prabho || 13 ||

15.37.14

tava prasādādbhagavanviśoko'yaṃ mahīpatiḥ |
kuryātkālamahaṃ caiva kuntī ceyaṃ vadhūstava || 14 ||

15.37.15

ityuktavatyāṃ gāndhāryāṃ kuntī vratakṛśānanā |
pracchannajātaṃ putraṃ taṃ sasmārādityasaṃbhavam || 15 ||

15.37.16

tāmṛṣirvarado vyāso dūraśravaṇadarśanaḥ |
apaśyadduḥkhitāṃ devīṃ mātaraṃ savyasācinaḥ || 16 ||

15.37.17

tāmuvāca tato vyāso yatte kāryaṃ vivakṣitam |
tadbrūhi tvaṃ mahāprājñe yatte manasi vartate || 17 ||

15.37.18

tataḥ kuntī śvaśurayoḥ praṇamya śirasā tadā |
uvāca vākyaṃ savrīḍaṃ vivṛṇvānā purātanam || 18 ||