Gandhari and Kunti Meet the Pandavas; Draupadi's Grief

Verse 1 (11.15.1)

तमेवमुक्त्वा गान्धारी युधिष्ठिरमपृच्छत । क्व स राजेति सक्रोधा पुत्रपौत्रवधार्दिता ॥

tamevamuktvā gāndhārī yudhiṣṭhiramapṛcchata | kva sa rājeti sakrodhā putrapautravadhārditā

Having spoken thus, Gandhari, full of anger and tormented by the slaughter of her sons and grandsons, asked Yudhishthira, "Where is that king?"

Verse 2 (11.15.2)

तामभ्यगच्छत्कौन्तेयो वेपमानः कृताञ्जलिः । युधिष्ठिरस्तु गान्धारीं मधुरं वाक्यमब्रवीत् ॥

tāmabhyagacchatkaunteyo vepamānaḥ kṛtāñjaliḥ | yudhiṣṭhirastu gāndhārīṃ madhuraṃ vākyamabravīt

Kunti's son Yudhishthira, trembling and with joined palms, went up to her, and spoke gently to Gandhari.

Verse 3 (11.15.3)

पुत्रहन्ता नृशंसोऽहं तव देवि युधिष्ठिरः । शापार्हः पृथिवीनाशे हेतुभूतः शपस्व माम् ॥

putrahantā nṛśaṃso'haṃ tava devi yudhiṣṭhiraḥ | śāpārhaḥ pṛthivīnāśe hetubhūtaḥ śapasva mām

"O queen, I am Yudhishthira, the cruel slayer of your sons, the cause of the earth's destruction, and deserving of your curse. Curse me.

Note on the text: Speaker supplied: Yudhishthira's direct speech (the page's heading for the verse is the narrator's).

Verse 4 (11.15.4)

नहि मे जीवितेनार्थो न राज्येन सुखेन वा । तादृशान्सुहृदो हत्वा प्रमूढस्य सुहृद्द्रुहः ॥

nahi me jīvitenārtho na rājyena sukhena vā | tādṛśānsuhṛdo hatvā pramūḍhasya suhṛddruhaḥ

I have no need of life, of a kingdom, or of happiness. I killed such friends in my bewilderment, and I am a betrayer of my friends."

Note on the text: Speaker supplied: Yudhishthira's direct speech (the page's heading for the verse is the narrator's).

Verse 5 (11.15.5)

तमेवंवादिनं भीतं सन्निकर्षागतं तदा । नोवाच किञ्चिद्गान्धारी निःश्वासपरमा नृप ॥

tamevaṃvādinaṃ bhītaṃ sannikarṣāgataṃ tadā | novāca kiñcidgāndhārī niḥśvāsaparamā nṛpa

As he stood close beside her, frightened, speaking in this way, Gandhari said nothing to him, O king, and only sighed deeply.

Verse 6 (11.15.6)

तस्यावनतदेहस्य पादयोर्निपतिष्यतः । युधिष्ठिरस्य नृपतेर्धर्मज्ञा दीर्घदर्शिनी ॥

tasyāvanatadehasya pādayornipatiṣyataḥ | yudhiṣṭhirasya nṛpaterdharmajñā dīrghadarśinī

Of that king, Yudhishthira, whose body was bowed and who was about to fall at her feet, the far-seeing Gandhari, who knew dharma,

Note on the text: Corrected तस्मावनतदेहस्य → तस्यावनतदेहस्य (misprint in Wikisource; म for य; CE 11.15.6a tasyāvanatadehasya). Lines 1–2 are CE 11.15.6a and 6c; line 2 reads दीर्घदर्शिनी where the CE has dharmadarśinī (recension variant, kept). The sentence runs on into the next verse.

Verse 7 (11.15.7)

अङ्गुल्यग्राणि ददृशे देवी पट्टान्तरेण सा । ततः स कुनखीभूतो दर्शनीयनखो नृपः ॥

aṅgulyagrāṇi dadṛśe devī paṭṭāntareṇa sā | tataḥ sa kunakhībhūto darśanīyanakho nṛpaḥ

saw the tips of his toes through the edge of the cloth over her eyes; and at once the king, whose nails had been beautiful, was left with ugly nails.

Note on the text: Line 1 is CE 11.15.6e; line 2 is CE 11.15.7a (CE tataḥ sa kunakībhūto; Wikisource has कुनखीभूतः, kept).

Verse 8 (11.15.8)

तं दृष्ट्वा चार्जुनोऽगच्छद्वासुदेवस्य पृष्ठतः ॥

taṃ dṛṣṭvā cārjuno'gacchadvāsudevasya pṛṣṭhataḥ

Seeing it, Arjuna moved behind Vasudeva.

Note on the text: A single line is printed (label 11-15-8a); it is CE 11.15.7c, whose first line (7a) stands in the previous verse here.

Verse 9 (11.15.9)

एवं सञ्चेष्टमानांस्तानितश्चेतश्च भारत । गान्धारी विगतक्रोधा सांत्वयामास मातृवत् ॥

evaṃ sañceṣṭamānāṃstānitaścetaśca bhārata | gāndhārī vigatakrodhā sāṃtvayāmāsa mātṛvat

So, O Bharata, as they moved about this way and that, Gandhari, her anger gone, comforted them like a mother.

Verse 10 (11.15.10)

ते पाण्डवा अनुज्ञाता मातरं वीतमत्सराः । अभ्यगच्छन्त सहिताः पृथां पृथुलवक्षसः ॥

te pāṇḍavā anujñātā mātaraṃ vītamatsarāḥ | abhyagacchanta sahitāḥ pṛthāṃ pṛthulavakṣasaḥ

Given leave by her, the Pandavas, their resentment gone, went together to their mother Pritha, the broad-chested sons.

Note on the text: Corrected पृथुवलक्षसः → पृथुलवक्षसः (misprint in Wikisource; the syllables ल and व are transposed; CE 11.15.9c pṛthulavakṣasaḥ, "broad-chested").

Verse 11 (11.15.11)

चिरस्य दृष्ट्वा पुत्रान्सा पुत्राधिभिरभिप्लुता । बाष्पमाहारयद्देवी वस्त्रेणावृत्य वै मुखम् ॥

cirasya dṛṣṭvā putrānsā putrādhibhirabhiplutā | bāṣpamāhārayaddevī vastreṇāvṛtya vai mukham

Seeing her sons after a long time, overwhelmed by sorrow for them, the queen held back her tears, covering her face with her garment.

Verse 12 (11.15.12)

ततो बाष्पं समुत्सृज्य सह पुत्रैस्तदा पृथा । अपश्यदेनाञ्शस्त्रौघैर्बहुधा परिविक्षतान् ॥

tato bāṣpaṃ samutsṛjya saha putraistadā pṛthā | apaśyadenāñśastraughairbahudhā parivikṣatān

Then, letting her tears flow along with her sons, Pritha saw them wounded in many places by showers of weapons.

Verse 13 (11.15.13)

सा तानेकैकशः पुत्रान्संस्पृशन्ती पुनःपुनः । अन्वशोचत दुःखार्ता द्रौपदीं निहतात्मजाम् । रुदन्तीमथ पाञ्चालीं ददर्श पतितां भुवि ॥

sā tānekaikaśaḥ putrānsaṃspṛśantī punaḥpunaḥ | anvaśocata duḥkhārtā draupadīṃ nihatātmajām | rudantīmatha pāñcālīṃ dadarśa patitāṃ bhuvi

Touching her sons one by one again and again, and sorrowing in her pain for Draupadi, who had lost her children, she saw the Panchali weeping, fallen on the ground.

Verse 14 (11.15.14)

आर्ये पौत्रास्तु ते सर्वे सौभद्रसहिता गताः । न त्वां तेऽद्याभिगच्छन्ति चिरं दृष्ट्वा अनिन्दिते । किन्नु राज्येन मे कार्यं विहीनायाः सुतैर्वरैः ॥

ārye pautrāstu te sarve saubhadrasahitā gatāḥ | na tvāṃ te'dyābhigacchanti ciraṃ dṛṣṭvā anindite | kinnu rājyena me kāryaṃ vihīnāyāḥ sutairvaraiḥ

"Noble lady, all your grandsons have gone together with Saubhadra. After seeing you at last, blameless one, they do not come to you today. What have I to do with a kingdom, bereft of my excellent sons?"

Note on the text: Speaker as headed on the page (द्रौपदी उवाच). Page note: a variant reading of line 1 is आर्ये पौत्रा हताः सर्वे ("all your grandsons are slain"); not adopted. The CE (11.15.13) has "kva te" ("where are your grandsons") in line 1 and "ciradṛṣṭāṃ tapasvinīm" in line 2 (recension variants, kept).

Verse 15 (11.15.15)

तां समाश्वासयामास पृथा पृथुललोचना । उत्थाप्याङ्केन सुदतीं रुदतीं शोककर्शिताम् ॥

tāṃ samāśvāsayāmāsa pṛthā pṛthulalocanā | utthāpyāṅkena sudatīṃ rudatīṃ śokakarśitām

Pritha, wide-eyed, comforted her, lifting the fair-toothed, weeping woman, wasted with grief, into her lap.

Note on the text: Corrected पृथललोचना → पृथुललोचना (misprint in Wikisource; short u dropped; CE 11.15.14a pṛthulalocanā, "wide-eyed"). The page's द्रौपद्युवाच heading is not carried over: this verse is narration (Kunti comforting Draupadi), so the speaker is the narrator.

Verse 16 (11.15.16)

तयैव सहिता चापि पुत्रैरनुगता पृथा । अभ्यगच्छत गान्धारीमार्तामार्ततरा स्वयम् ॥

tayaiva sahitā cāpi putrairanugatā pṛthā | abhyagacchata gāndhārīmārtāmārtatarā svayam

With her, and followed by her sons, Pritha, herself still more afflicted, went to the afflicted Gandhari.

Note on the text: The page's द्रौपद्युवाच heading is not carried over: this verse is narration, so the speaker is the narrator.

Verse 17 (11.15.17)

तामुवाचाथ गान्धारी सह कुन्त्या यशस्विनीम् । मैवं पुत्रीति शोकार्ता पश्य मामपि दुःखितां ॥

tāmuvācātha gāndhārī saha kuntyā yaśasvinīm | maivaṃ putrīti śokārtā paśya māmapi duḥkhitāṃ

Then Gandhari, together with Kunti, spoke to the renowned Draupadi: "Do not do so, daughter, in your grief. Look at me too, who am in sorrow.

Note on the text: Page heading वैशम्पायन उवाच stands over this verse. Line 1 is narration; line 2 begins Gandhari's speech, which runs to the end of the adhyaya, so the verse is left whole under the narrator.

Verse 18 (11.15.18)

मन्ये लोकविनाशोऽयं कालपर्यायनोदितः । अवश्यभावी सम्प्राप्तः स्वभावाद्रोमहर्षणः ॥

manye lokavināśo'yaṃ kālaparyāyanoditaḥ | avaśyabhāvī samprāptaḥ svabhāvādromaharṣaṇaḥ

I think this destruction of the world, driven by the turning of Time, was bound to come; it has come, making the hair stand on end, by the very nature of things.

Note on the text: Speaker supplied: Gandhari's direct speech continues, with no printed heading.

Verse 19 (11.15.19)

इदं तत्समनुप्राप्तं विदुरस्य वचो महत् । असिद्धानुनये कृष्णे यदुवाच महामतिः ॥

idaṃ tatsamanuprāptaṃ vidurasya vaco mahat | asiddhānunaye kṛṣṇe yaduvāca mahāmatiḥ

Now the weighty word of Vidura, that wise man, has come true, which he spoke when Krishna's attempt at conciliation had not succeeded.

Note on the text: Speaker supplied: Gandhari's direct speech continues, with no printed heading.

Verse 20 (11.15.20)

तस्मिन्नपरिहार्येऽर्थे व्यतीते च विशेषतः । मा शुचो न हि शोच्यास्ते सङ्ग्रामे निधनं गताः ॥

tasminnaparihārye'rthe vyatīte ca viśeṣataḥ | mā śuco na hi śocyāste saṅgrāme nidhanaṃ gatāḥ

In a matter that could not be avoided, and that is now past, do not grieve. Those who met their death in battle are not to be mourned.

Note on the text: Speaker supplied: Gandhari's direct speech continues, with no printed heading.

Verse 21 (11.15.21)

यथैवाहं तथैव त्वं को वामाश्वासयिष्यति । ममैव ह्यपराधेन कुलमग्र्यं विनाशितम् ॥

yathaivāhaṃ tathaiva tvaṃ ko vāmāśvāsayiṣyati | mamaiva hyaparādhena kulamagryaṃ vināśitam

As I am, so are you; who will console the two of us? It is through my own fault that this noble family was destroyed."

Note on the text: Speaker supplied: Gandhari's direct speech continues, with no printed heading. Page note: वां = आवाम् ("the two of us").