Dhritarashtra Asks Sanjaya for the Account

Verse 1 (5.159.1)

तथा व्यूढेष्वनीकेषु कुरुक्षेत्रे द्विजर्षभ । किमकुर्वंश्च कुरवः कालेनाभिप्रचोदिताः ॥

tathā vyūḍheṣvanīkeṣu kurukṣetre dvijarṣabha | kimakurvaṃśca kuravaḥ kālenābhipracoditāḥ

When the armies had been drawn up in this way at Kurukshetra, best of the twice-born, what did the Kurus do, driven on by Time?

Note on the text: Corrected किमर्कुर्वंश्च → किमकुर्वंश्च (misprint in Wikisource; a stray repha; किम् अकुर्वन् च — the critical edition reads kim akurvanta).

Verse 2 (5.159.2)

तथा व्यूढेष्वनीकेषु यत्तेषु भरतर्षभ । धृतराष्ट्रो महाराज सञ्जयं वाक्यमब्रवीत् ॥

tathā vyūḍheṣvanīkeṣu yatteṣu bharatarṣabha | dhṛtarāṣṭro mahārāja sañjayaṃ vākyamabravīt

When the armies had been drawn up and stood ready, O bull of the Bharatas, Dhritarashtra, great king, spoke these words to Sanjaya:

Verse 3 (5.159.3)

एहि सञ्जय सर्वं मे आचक्ष्वानवशेषतः । सेनानिवेशे यद्वृत्तं कुरुपाण्डवसेनयोः ॥

ehi sañjaya sarvaṃ me ācakṣvānavaśeṣataḥ | senāniveśe yadvṛttaṃ kurupāṇḍavasenayoḥ

"Come, Sanjaya, tell me everything, leaving nothing out: all that has taken place in the camps of the Kuru and Pandava armies.

Note on the text: Corrected सर्व मे → सर्वं मे (misprint in Wikisource; dropped anusvara; the critical edition reads me sarvam). Speaker: Dhritarashtra's direct speech, without a printed heading (the input carried वैशंपायन).

Verse 4 (5.159.4)

दिष्टमेव परं मन्ये पौरुषं चाप्यनर्थकम् । यदहं बुद्ध्यमानोऽपि युद्धदोषान्क्षयोदयान् ॥

diṣṭameva paraṃ manye pauruṣaṃ cāpyanarthakam | yadahaṃ buddhyamāno'pi yuddhadoṣānkṣayodayān

I think fate alone is supreme and human effort is of no use; for though I understand the evils of war, which lead only to destruction,

Note on the text: Speaker: Dhritarashtra's direct speech, without a printed heading (the input carried वैशंपायन).

Verse 5 (5.159.5)

तथापि निकृतिप्रज्ञं पुत्रं दुर्द्यूतदेविनम् । न शक्नोमि नियन्तुं वा कर्तुं वा हितमात्मनः ॥

tathāpi nikṛtiprajñaṃ putraṃ durdyūtadevinam | na śaknomi niyantuṃ vā kartuṃ vā hitamātmanaḥ

I still cannot restrain my son, whose cleverness lies only in deceit and who plays at crooked dice, nor can I do what is good for myself.

Note on the text: Speaker: Dhritarashtra's direct speech, without a printed heading (the input carried वैशंपायन).

Verse 6 (5.159.6)

भवत्येव हि मे सूत बुद्धिर्दोषानुदर्शिनी । दुर्योधनं समासाद्य पुनः सा परिवर्तते ॥

bhavatyeva hi me sūta buddhirdoṣānudarśinī | duryodhanaṃ samāsādya punaḥ sā parivartate

My mind does see the faults, charioteer; but as soon as it comes near Duryodhana, it turns round again.

Note on the text: Speaker: Dhritarashtra's direct speech, without a printed heading (the input carried वैशंपायन).

Verse 7 (5.159.7)

एवं गते वै यद्भावि तद्भविष्यति सञ्जय । क्षत्रधर्मः किल रणे तनुत्यागे हि पूजितः ॥

evaṃ gate vai yadbhāvi tadbhaviṣyati sañjaya | kṣatradharmaḥ kila raṇe tanutyāge hi pūjitaḥ

Now that things have come to this, Sanjaya, what is to be will be. Giving up the body in battle, they say, is honoured as the duty of a kshatriya."

Note on the text: Speaker: Dhritarashtra's direct speech, without a printed heading (the input carried वैशंपायन).

Verse 8 (5.159.8)

त्वद्युक्तोऽयमनुप्रश्नो महाराज यथेच्छसि । न तु दुर्योधने दोषमिममाधातुमर्हसि ॥

tvadyukto'yamanupraśno mahārāja yathecchasi | na tu duryodhane doṣamimamādhātumarhasi

"This question befits you, great king, and you ask it as you wish; but you ought not to lay this fault on Duryodhana.

Note on the text: The automatic alignment left this verse unmatched: it is CE 5.156.8ab–cd (reading yathārhasi for यथेच्छसि and āsaktum for आधातुम्).

Verse 9 (5.159.9)

शृणुष्वानवशेषेण वदतो मम पार्थिव । य आत्मनो दुश्चरितादशुभं प्राप्नुयान्नरः । न स कालं न वा देवानेनसा गन्तुमर्हति ॥

śṛṇuṣvānavaśeṣeṇa vadato mama pārthiva | ya ātmano duścaritādaśubhaṃ prāpnuyānnaraḥ | na sa kālaṃ na vā devānenasā gantumarhati

Hear from me in full what I have to say, O king. A man who meets misfortune through his own misdeeds has no right to lay his sin on Time or on the gods.

Note on the text: The automatic alignment left this verse unmatched: the first line is CE 5.156.8ef and the second and third lines CE 5.156.9 (whose last line reads enasā na sa daivaṃ vā kālaṃ vā gantum arhati — a recension variant).

Verse 10 (5.159.10)

महाराज मनुष्येषु निन्द्यं यः सर्वमाचरेत् । स वध्यः सर्वलोकस्य निन्दितानि समाचरन् ॥

mahārāja manuṣyeṣu nindyaṃ yaḥ sarvamācaret | sa vadhyaḥ sarvalokasya ninditāni samācaran

Great king, the man who does every deed that men condemn deserves death at the hands of the whole world, for he practises what is censured.

Verse 11 (5.159.11)

निकारा मनुजश्रेष्ठ पाण्डवैस्त्वत्प्रतीक्षया । अनुभूताः सहामात्यैर्निकृतैरधिदेवने ॥

nikārā manujaśreṣṭha pāṇḍavaistvatpratīkṣayā | anubhūtāḥ sahāmātyairnikṛtairadhidevane

Out of regard for you, best of men, the Pandavas and their ministers bore insults when they were cheated at the game of dice.

Verse 12 (5.159.12)

हयानां च गजानां च राज्ञां चामिततेजसाम् । वैशसं समरे वृत्तं यत्तन्मे शृणु सर्वशः ॥

hayānāṃ ca gajānāṃ ca rājñāṃ cāmitatejasām | vaiśasaṃ samare vṛttaṃ yattanme śṛṇu sarvaśaḥ

Hear from me in full the slaughter of horses and elephants, and of kings of boundless might, as it took place in battle.

Verse 13 (5.159.13)

स्थिरो भूत्वा महाप्राज्ञ सर्वलोकक्षयोदयम् । यथाभूतं महायुद्धे श्रुत्वा मा विमना भव ॥

sthiro bhūtvā mahāprājña sarvalokakṣayodayam | yathābhūtaṃ mahāyuddhe śrutvā mā vimanā bhava

Hold steady, wise one, and when you have heard how it truly went in the great war, the destruction of the whole world, do not lose heart.

Verse 14 (5.159.14)

न ह्येव कर्ता पुरुषः कर्मणोः शुभपापयोः । अस्वतन्त्रो हि पुरुषः कार्यते दारुयन्त्रवत् ॥

na hyeva kartā puruṣaḥ karmaṇoḥ śubhapāpayoḥ | asvatantro hi puruṣaḥ kāryate dāruyantravat

For a man is not the doer of his deeds, good or evil. Not being his own master, he is made to act like a wooden puppet.

Verse 15 (5.159.15)

केचिदीश्वरनिर्दिष्टाः केचिदेव यदृच्छया । पूर्वकर्मभिरप्यन्ये त्रैधमेतत्प्रदृश्यते । तस्मादनर्थमापन्नः स्थिरो भूत्वा निशामय ॥

kecidīśvaranirdiṣṭāḥ kecideva yadṛcchayā | pūrvakarmabhirapyanye traidhametatpradṛśyate | tasmādanarthamāpannaḥ sthiro bhūtvā niśāmaya

Some are directed by the Lord, some act by mere chance, and others are driven by their former deeds; so it is seen to be threefold. Therefore, now that calamity has come, hold steady and listen."

Note on the text: The automatic alignment left this verse unmatched: lines 1–2 are CE 5.156.15 (reading vikṛṣyate for प्रदृश्यते); line 3 is not in the critical edition's text — it appears in its apparatus as star passage 5.156.15d*0555 (found in the vulgate recension).