Vyasa Reveals the Divine Origins of the Fallen

Verse 1 (15.33.1)

भद्रे द्रक्ष्यसि गान्धारि पुत्रान्भ्रातॄन्स्वकान्गणान् । वधूश्च पतिभिः सार्धं निशि सुप्तोत्थिता इव ॥

bhadre drakṣyasi gāndhāri putrānbhrātṝnsvakāngaṇān | vadhūśca patibhiḥ sārdhaṃ niśi suptotthitā iva

Good Gandhari, you shall see your sons, your brothers and your own hosts, and your daughters-in-law with their husbands, as though risen from sleep in the night.

Note on the text: Corrected सुप्तोस्थिता → सुप्तोत्थिता (misprint in Wikisource; स्थ for त्थ; CE reads 'suptotthitā').

Verse 2 (15.33.2)

कर्णं द्रक्ष्यति कुन्ती च सौभद्रं चापि यादवी । द्रौपदी पञ्चपुत्रांश्च पितॄन्भ्रातॄंस्तथैव च ॥

karṇaṃ drakṣyati kuntī ca saubhadraṃ cāpi yādavī | draupadī pañcaputrāṃśca pitṝnbhrātṝṃstathaiva ca

Kunti shall see Karna, and the Yadava lady (Subhadra) Saubhadra; Draupadi shall see her five sons, and her fathers and brothers too.

Verse 3 (15.33.3)

पूर्वमेवैष हृदये व्यवसायोऽभवन्मम । यदाऽस्मि चोदितो राज्ञा भवत्या पृथयैव च ॥

pūrvamevaiṣa hṛdaye vyavasāyo'bhavanmama | yadā'smi codito rājñā bhavatyā pṛthayaiva ca

This resolve was formed in my heart long before, when I was urged by the king, by you, and by Pritha.

Note on the text: Corrected व्यवसायोऽभकवन्मम → व्यवसायोऽभवन्मम (misprint in Wikisource; stray क; CE reads 'vyavasāyo ’bhavan mama').

Verse 4 (15.33.4)

न ते शोच्या महात्मानः सर्व एव नरर्षभाः । क्षत्रधर्मपराः सन्तस्तथा हि निधनं गताः ॥

na te śocyā mahātmānaḥ sarva eva nararṣabhāḥ | kṣatradharmaparāḥ santastathā hi nidhanaṃ gatāḥ

Those great-souled bulls among men are not to be mourned. All of them were devoted to the duty of warriors, and so they met their end.

Verse 5 (15.33.5)

भवितव्यमवश्यं तत्सुरकार्यमनिन्दिते । अवतेरुस्ततः सर्वे देवा भागैर्महीतलम् ॥

bhavitavyamavaśyaṃ tatsurakāryamanindite | avaterustataḥ sarve devā bhāgairmahītalam

This was bound to be, blameless lady; it was the work of the gods. All the gods then descended to earth with portions of themselves.

Verse 6 (15.33.6)

गन्धर्वाप्सरसश्चैव पिशाचा गुह्यराक्षसाः । तथा पुण्यजनाश्चैव सिद्धा देवर्षयोपि च ॥

gandharvāpsarasaścaiva piśācā guhyarākṣasāḥ | tathā puṇyajanāścaiva siddhā devarṣayopi ca

Gandharvas and apsarases, pishachas, guhyakas and rakshasas, the punyajanas, the siddhas and the divine sages as well,

Verse 7 (15.33.7)

देवाश्च दानवाश्चैव तथा देवर्षयोऽमलाः । ते एते निधनं प्राप्ताः कुरुक्षेत्रे रणाजिरे ॥

devāśca dānavāścaiva tathā devarṣayo'malāḥ | te ete nidhanaṃ prāptāḥ kurukṣetre raṇājire

gods and danavas, and the stainless divine sages — these are the ones who met their death on the battlefield of Kurukshetra.

Verse 8 (15.33.8)

गन्धर्वराजो यो धीमान्धृतराष्ट्र इति श्रुतः । स एव मानुषे लोके धृतराष्ट्रः पतिस्तव ॥

gandharvarājo yo dhīmāndhṛtarāṣṭra iti śrutaḥ | sa eva mānuṣe loke dhṛtarāṣṭraḥ patistava

The wise king of the gandharvas known as Dhritarashtra — he himself is your husband Dhritarashtra in the world of men.

Verse 9 (15.33.9)

पाण्डुं मरुद्गणाद्विद्धि विशिष्टतममच्युतम् । धर्मस्यांशोऽभवत्क्षत्ता राजा चैव युधिष्ठिरः ॥

pāṇḍuṃ marudgaṇādviddhi viśiṣṭatamamacyutam | dharmasyāṃśo'bhavatkṣattā rājā caiva yudhiṣṭhiraḥ

Know Pandu to have been of the Maruts, the most excellent and unfallen; Kshatta (Vidura) was a portion of Dharma, and so is King Yudhishthira.

Verse 10 (15.33.10)

कलिं दुर्योधनं विद्धि शकुनिं द्वापरं नृपम् । दुःशासनादीन्विद्धि त्वं राक्षसान्शुभदर्शने ॥

kaliṃ duryodhanaṃ viddhi śakuniṃ dvāparaṃ nṛpam | duḥśāsanādīnviddhi tvaṃ rākṣasānśubhadarśane

Know Duryodhana to be Kali, and King Shakuni to be Dvapara; and know Duhshasana and the rest to be rakshasas, O fair-faced one.

Verse 11 (15.33.11)

मरुद्गणाद्भीमसेनं बलवन्तमरिंदमम् । विद्धि त्वं तु नरमृषिमिमं पार्थं धनंजयम् । नारायणं हृषीकेशमश्विनौ यमजौ तथा ॥

marudgaṇādbhīmasenaṃ balavantamariṃdamam | viddhi tvaṃ tu naramṛṣimimaṃ pārthaṃ dhanaṃjayam | nārāyaṇaṃ hṛṣīkeśamaśvinau yamajau tathā

Know the mighty Bhimasena, tamer of foes, to be of the Maruts. Know this Partha Dhananjaya to be the sage Nara, Hrishikesha to be Narayana, and the twins to be the two Ashvins.

Note on the text: Corrected विद्धिं → विद्धि (misprint in Wikisource; stray anusvara; CE reads 'viddhi').

Verse 12 (15.33.12)

द्विधा कृत्वाऽऽत्मनो देहमादित्यं तपतां वरम् । लोकांश्च तापयानं वै कर्णं विद्धि पृथासुतम् ॥

dvidhā kṛtvā''tmano dehamādityaṃ tapatāṃ varam | lokāṃśca tāpayānaṃ vai karṇaṃ viddhi pṛthāsutam

Know Karna, son of Pritha, to be the Sun, best of those who give heat, who dividing his body in two scorches the worlds.

Note on the text: Lines = CE 15,039.012a,c; the second line differs in wording from CE 012c ('karṇaṃ ca śobhane').

Verse 13 (15.33.13)

यः स वैरार्थमुद्भूतः संघर्षजननस्तथा । तं कर्णं विद्धि कल्याणि भास्करं शुभदर्शने ॥

yaḥ sa vairārthamudbhūtaḥ saṃgharṣajananastathā | taṃ karṇaṃ viddhi kalyāṇi bhāskaraṃ śubhadarśane

He who arose for the sake of enmity and as a cause of strife — know that Karna, gracious lady, to be Bhaskara, the Sun, O fair-faced one.

Note on the text: Corrected जननस्कतथा → जननस्तथा (misprint in Wikisource; stray क; CE reads 'saṃgharṣajananas tathā'). Line a = CE 15,039.012e; line b = CE star line 15,039.012f*0068_01.

Verse 14 (15.33.14)

यश्च पाण्डवदायादो हतः षड्भिर्महारथैः । स सोम इह सौभद्रो योगादेवाभवद्द्विधा ॥

yaśca pāṇḍavadāyādo hataḥ ṣaḍbhirmahārathaiḥ | sa soma iha saubhadro yogādevābhavaddvidhā

And he who was the heir of the Pandavas and was slain by six great chariot-warriors — that Saubhadra here is Soma, the Moon, who by yoga became twofold.

Note on the text: Corrected षङ्मिर् → षड्भिर् (misprint in Wikisource; broken conjunct; CE reads 'ṣaḍbhir').

Verse 15 (15.33.15)

द्रौपद्या सह संभूतं धृष्टद्युम्नं च पावकात् । अग्नेर्भागं शुभं विद्धि राक्षसं तु शिखण्डिनम् ॥

draupadyā saha saṃbhūtaṃ dhṛṣṭadyumnaṃ ca pāvakāt | agnerbhāgaṃ śubhaṃ viddhi rākṣasaṃ tu śikhaṇḍinam

Know Dhrishtadyumna, born from the fire together with Draupadi, to be a fortunate portion of Agni, and Shikhandin to be a rakshasa.

Note on the text: Corrected अग्रेर्भागं → अग्नेर्भागं (misprint in Wikisource; र for न; CE reads 'agner').

Verse 16 (15.33.16)

द्रोणं बृहस्पतेर्भागं विद्धि द्रौणिं च रुद्रजम् । गाङ्गेयो वसुवीर्येण देवो मानुषतां गतः ॥

droṇaṃ bṛhaspaterbhāgaṃ viddhi drauṇiṃ ca rudrajam | gāṅgeyo vasuvīryeṇa devo mānuṣatāṃ gataḥ

Know Drona to be a portion of Brihaspati, and Drona's son to be born of Rudra; Gangeya (Bhishma), a god, took human form through the power of a Vasu.

Note on the text: Line a = CE 15,039.015a; line b is CE star line 15,039.015d*0069_01 (replacing CE 015c).

Verse 17 (15.33.17)

एवमेते महाप्रज्ञे देवा मानुष्यमेत्य हि । ततः पुनर्गताः स्वर्गं कृते कर्मणि शोभने ॥

evamete mahāprajñe devā mānuṣyametya hi | tataḥ punargatāḥ svargaṃ kṛte karmaṇi śobhane

Thus, wise lady, these gods took human form, and then went back to heaven when their noble work was done.

Verse 18 (15.33.18)

यच्च वै हृदि सर्वेषां दुःखमेतच्चिरं स्थितम् । तदद्य व्यपनेष्यामि परलोककृताद्भयात् ॥

yacca vai hṛdi sarveṣāṃ duḥkhametacciraṃ sthitam | tadadya vyapaneṣyāmi paralokakṛtādbhayāt

And the sorrow that has long stayed in the hearts of all of you — today I shall remove it, out of fear of what concerns the other world.

Verse 19 (15.33.19)

सर्वे भवन्तो गच्छन्तु नदीं भागीरथीं प्रति । तत्र द्रक्ष्यथ तान्सर्वान्ये हतास्तत्र संयुगे ॥

sarve bhavanto gacchantu nadīṃ bhāgīrathīṃ prati | tatra drakṣyatha tānsarvānye hatāstatra saṃyuge

All of you, go to the river Bhagirathi; there you will see all those who were slain in that battle."

Verse 20 (15.33.20)

इति व्यासस्य वचनं श्रुत्वा सर्वो जनस्तदा । महता सिंहनादेन गङ्गामभिमुखो ययौ ॥

iti vyāsasya vacanaṃ śrutvā sarvo janastadā | mahatā siṃhanādena gaṅgāmabhimukho yayau

Hearing Vyasa's words, all the people then set out toward the Ganga with a great lion's roar.

Note on the text: Corrected सर्वा जनस्तदा → सर्वो जनस्तदा (misprint in Wikisource; gender ending; जन is masculine, CE reads 'sarvo janas tadā').

Verse 21 (15.33.21)

धृतराष्ट्रश्च सामात्यः प्रययौ सह पाण्डवैः । सहितो मुनिशार्दूलैर्गन्धर्वैश्च समागतैः ॥

dhṛtarāṣṭraśca sāmātyaḥ prayayau saha pāṇḍavaiḥ | sahito muniśārdūlairgandharvaiśca samāgataiḥ

Dhritarashtra, with his ministers, set out together with the Pandavas, accompanied by the best of sages and by the gandharvas who had come.

Verse 22 (15.33.22)

ततो गङ्गां समासाद्य क्रमेण स जनार्णवः । निवासमकरोत्सर्वो यथाप्रीति यथासुखम् ॥

tato gaṅgāṃ samāsādya krameṇa sa janārṇavaḥ | nivāsamakarotsarvo yathāprīti yathāsukham

Then, reaching the Ganga, that ocean of people in due order made camp, each as it pleased and as was comfortable.

Verse 23 (15.33.23)

राजा च पाण्डवैः सार्धमिष्टे देशे सहानुगः । निवासमकरोद्धीमान्सस्त्रीवृद्धपुरःसरः ॥

rājā ca pāṇḍavaiḥ sārdhamiṣṭe deśe sahānugaḥ | nivāsamakaroddhīmānsastrīvṛddhapuraḥsaraḥ

The wise king, with the Pandavas and his attendants, made camp in a chosen spot, with women and the aged placed in front.

Verse 24 (15.33.24)

जगाम तदहश्चापि तेषां वर्षशतं यथा । निशां प्रतीक्षमाणानां दिदृक्षूणां मृतान्नृपान् ॥

jagāma tadahaścāpi teṣāṃ varṣaśataṃ yathā | niśāṃ pratīkṣamāṇānāṃ didṛkṣūṇāṃ mṛtānnṛpān

For them, waiting for the night and longing to see the dead kings, that day passed as though it were a hundred years.

Note on the text: Corrected तदहस्चापि → तदहश्चापि (misprint in Wikisource; स्च for श्च; CE reads 'tad ahaś cāpi').

Verse 25 (15.33.25)

अथ पुण्यं गिरिवरमस्तमभ्यगमद्रविः । ततः कृताभिषेकास्ते नैशं कर्म समाचरन् ॥

atha puṇyaṃ girivaramastamabhyagamadraviḥ | tataḥ kṛtābhiṣekāste naiśaṃ karma samācaran

Then the sun went to the holy mountain of the west; and, having bathed, they performed their evening rites.