Duryodhana Tells Karna the Truth

Verse 1 (3.249.1)

अजानतस्ते राधेय नाभ्यसूयाम्यहं वचः । जानासि त्वं जिताञ्शत्रून्गन्धर्वांस्तेजसा मया ॥

ajānataste rādheya nābhyasūyāmyahaṃ vacaḥ | jānāsi tvaṃ jitāñśatrūngandharvāṃstejasā mayā

You speak without knowing, son of Radha, so I do not hold your words against you. You think that I conquered my enemies the gandharvas by my own might.

Note on the text: Removed a stray space inside गन्धर्वांस्तेजसा.

Verse 2 (3.249.2)

आयोधितास्तु गन्धर्वाः सुचिरं सोदरैर्मम । मया सह महाबाहो कृतश्चोभयतः क्षयः ॥

āyodhitāstu gandharvāḥ suciraṃ sodarairmama | mayā saha mahābāho kṛtaścobhayataḥ kṣayaḥ

The gandharvas were fought for a long time by my brothers together with me, mighty-armed one, and there was slaughter on both sides.

Verse 3 (3.249.3)

मायाधिकास्त्वयुध्यन्त यदा शूरा वियद्गताः । तदा नो न समं युद्धमभवत्खेचरैः सह ॥

māyādhikāstvayudhyanta yadā śūrā viyadgatāḥ | tadā no na samaṃ yuddhamabhavatkhecaraiḥ saha

But when those heroes, mighty in illusion, rose into the sky and fought from there, our battle with the sky-rovers was no longer an equal one.

Verse 4 (3.249.4)

पराजयं च प्राप्ताः स्मो रणे बन्धनमेव च । सभृत्यामात्यपुत्राश्च सदारबलवाहनाः । उच्चैराकाशमार्गेण ह्रियमाणाः सुदुःखिताः ॥

parājayaṃ ca prāptāḥ smo raṇe bandhanameva ca | sabhṛtyāmātyaputrāśca sadārabalavāhanāḥ | uccairākāśamārgeṇa hriyamāṇāḥ suduḥkhitāḥ

We suffered defeat in battle and capture too, and with our servants, ministers and sons, with our wives, troops and vehicles, we were carried off high along the path of the sky in great distress.

Verse 5 (3.249.5)

अथ नः सैनिकाः केचिदमात्याश्च महारथाः । उपगम्याब्रुवन्दीनाः पाण्डवाञ्शरणप्रदान् ॥

atha naḥ sainikāḥ kecidamātyāśca mahārathāḥ | upagamyābruvandīnāḥ pāṇḍavāñśaraṇapradān

Then some of our soldiers and ministers, great chariot-warriors, went in misery to the Pandavas, the givers of refuge, and said:

Verse 6 (3.249.6)

एष दुर्योधनो राजा धार्तराष्ट्रः सहानुजः । सामात्यदारो ह्रियते गन्धर्वैर्दिवमाश्रितैः ॥

eṣa duryodhano rājā dhārtarāṣṭraḥ sahānujaḥ | sāmātyadāro hriyate gandharvairdivamāśritaiḥ

"Here is King Duryodhana, son of Dhritarashtra, with his younger brothers, his ministers and his wives, being carried off by the gandharvas who have taken to the sky.

Verse 7 (3.249.7)

तं मोक्षयत भद्रं वः सहदारं नराधिपम् । परामर्शो मा भविष्यत्कुरुदारेषु सर्वशः । इत्यब्रुवन्रणान्मुक्ता धर्मराजमुपागताः ॥

taṃ mokṣayata bhadraṃ vaḥ sahadāraṃ narādhipam | parāmarśo mā bhaviṣyatkurudāreṣu sarvaśaḥ | ityabruvanraṇānmuktā dharmarājamupāgatāḥ

Free the lord of men together with his wives, bless you, so that no outrage may be done to the Kuru women anywhere." So they spoke, having escaped from the battle and come to the King of Dharma.

Note on the text: Removed stray wiki marks (` and ') around the third line and corrected रणआन् → रणान् (misprint in Wikisource; critical edition apparatus raṇān). The first two lines match the critical edition 3.237.7 (the automatic alignment missed it); the third line is not in its constituted text (its apparatus has it as 3.237.7d*1136).

Verse 8 (3.249.8)

एवमुक्ते तु धर्मात्मा ज्येष्ठः पाण्डुसुतस्तदा । प्रसाद्य सोदरान्सर्वानाज्ञापयत मोक्षणे ॥

evamukte tu dharmātmā jyeṣṭhaḥ pāṇḍusutastadā | prasādya sodarānsarvānājñāpayata mokṣaṇe

When this was said, the righteous eldest son of Pandu won his brothers over and ordered them to set us free.

Verse 9 (3.249.9)

अथागम्य तमुद्देशं पाण्डवाः पुरुषर्षभाः । सान्त्वपूर्वमयाचन्त शक्ताः सन्तो महारथाः ॥

athāgamya tamuddeśaṃ pāṇḍavāḥ puruṣarṣabhāḥ | sāntvapūrvamayācanta śaktāḥ santo mahārathāḥ

Then the Pandavas, bulls among men, came to that place, and those great chariot-warriors, though well able to fight, first made their request with conciliatory words.

Verse 10 (3.249.10)

यदा चास्मान्न मुमुचुर्गन्धर्वाः सान्त्विता अपि । आकाशचारिणो वीरा नदन्तो जलदा इव ॥

yadā cāsmānna mumucurgandharvāḥ sāntvitā api | ākāśacāriṇo vīrā nadanto jaladā iva

And when, though gently asked, the gandharvas would not let us go, those heroes ranging the sky and roaring like thunderclouds,

Note on the text: Removed stray wiki marks (` and ') around the second line. The first line matches the critical edition 3.237.10ab (the automatic alignment missed it); the second line is not in its constituted text (its apparatus has it as 3.237.10b*1137). The sentence runs on into the next verse.

Verse 11 (3.249.11)

ततोऽर्जुनश्च भीमश्च यमजौ च बलोत्कटौ । मुमुचुः शरवर्षाणि गन्धर्वान्प्रत्यनेकशः ॥

tato'rjunaśca bhīmaśca yamajau ca balotkaṭau | mumucuḥ śaravarṣāṇi gandharvānpratyanekaśaḥ

then Arjuna and Bhima and the twins, mighty in strength, loosed showers of arrows at the gandharvas again and again.

Note on the text: Matches the critical edition 3.237.10cd–ef (the automatic alignment missed it).

Verse 12 (3.249.12)

अथ सर्वे रणं मुक्त्वा प्रयाताः खेचरा दिवम् । अस्मानेवाभिकर्षन्तो दीनान्मुदितमानसाः ॥

atha sarve raṇaṃ muktvā prayātāḥ khecarā divam | asmānevābhikarṣanto dīnānmuditamānasāḥ

Then all the sky-rovers left the field and made for heaven, gleefully dragging us along, wretched as we were.

Verse 13 (3.249.13)

ततः समन्तात्पश्यामः शरजालेन वेष्टितम् । अमानुषाणि चास्त्राणि प्रयुञ्जानं धनंजयम् ॥

tataḥ samantātpaśyāmaḥ śarajālena veṣṭitam | amānuṣāṇi cāstrāṇi prayuñjānaṃ dhanaṃjayam

Then we saw a net of arrows closing in on every side, and Dhananjaya wielding superhuman weapons.

Note on the text: Corrected घनंजयम् → धनंजयम् (misprint in Wikisource; critical edition dhanaṃjayam).

Verse 14 (3.249.14)

समावृता दिशो दृष्ट्वा पाण्डवेन शितैः शरैः । धनंजयसखाऽऽत्मानं दर्शयामास वै तदा ॥

samāvṛtā diśo dṛṣṭvā pāṇḍavena śitaiḥ śaraiḥ | dhanaṃjayasakhā''tmānaṃ darśayāmāsa vai tadā

Seeing the quarters covered by the Pandava with sharp arrows, Dhananjaya's friend then showed himself.

Verse 15 (3.249.15)

चित्रसेनः पाण्डवेन समाश्लिष्य परस्परम् । कुशलं परिपप्रच्छ तैः पृष्टश्चाप्यनामयम् ॥

citrasenaḥ pāṇḍavena samāśliṣya parasparam | kuśalaṃ paripapraccha taiḥ pṛṣṭaścāpyanāmayam

Chitrasena and the Pandava embraced each other; he asked after their welfare and was asked about his own health in turn.

Verse 16 (3.249.16)

ते समेत्य तथाऽन्योन्यं सन्नाहान्विप्रमुच्य च । एकीभूतास्ततो वीरा गन्धर्वाः सह पाण्डवैः ॥

te sametya tathā'nyonyaṃ sannāhānvipramucya ca | ekībhūtāstato vīrā gandharvāḥ saha pāṇḍavaiḥ

Then, meeting one another and taking off their armour, the heroic gandharvas and the Pandavas became as one.

Note on the text: Matches the critical edition 3.237.15ab–cd (the automatic alignment missed it).

Verse 17 (3.249.17)

परस्परं समागम्य प्रीत्या परमया युतौ । अपूजयेतामन्योन्यं चित्रसेनधनंजयौ ॥

parasparaṃ samāgamya prītyā paramayā yutau | apūjayetāmanyonyaṃ citrasenadhanaṃjayau

Meeting each other with the greatest affection, Chitrasena and Dhananjaya honoured one another.

Note on the text: Removed stray wiki marks (` and ') around the first line, which is not in the critical edition's constituted text (its apparatus has it as 3.237.15d*1138, reading yutāḥ); the second line matches CE 3.237.15ef.