NARADAGAMANA PARVA: Chapter 38

Yudhishthira's Lamentations

तथा महात्मनस्तस्य तपस्युग्रे च वर्ततः। अनाथस्येव निधनं तिष्ठत्स्वास्मासु बन्धुषु॥ दुर्विज्ञेया गतिर्ब्रह्मन् पुरुषाणां मतिर्मम। यत्र वैचित्रवीर्योऽसौ दग्ध एवं वनाग्निना॥
When such a fate overtook that great king who was engaged in austere penances, despite the fact of his having such kinsmen as ourselves all alive. It seems to me, O twice born one, that the end of human beings is difficult to guess. Alas, who would have thought that the son of Vichitravirya would thus be burns to death.

यस्य पुत्रशतं श्रीमदभवद् बाहुशालिनः। नागायुतबलो राजा स दग्धो हि दवाग्निना॥
He had a hundred sons each gifted with mighty-arms and possessed of great prosperity! The king himself had the strength of ten thousand elephants, Alas, even he has been burnt to death in a wild fire.

यं पुरा पर्यवीजन्त तालवृन्तैर्वरस्त्रियः। तं गृध्राः पर्यवीजन्त दावाग्निपरिकालितम्॥
Alas, he had formerly been fanned with palm leaves by the fair hands of beautiful women, was fanned by vultures with their wings after he had been burnt to death in a wild fire.

सूतमागधसंघेश्च शयानो यः प्रबोध्यते। धरण्यां स नृपः शेते पापस्य मम कर्मभिः॥
He was formerly roused from sleep every morning by bands of Sutas and Magadhas had to sleep on the naked earth through the acts of my sinful self.

न च शोचामि गान्धारी हतपुत्रां यशस्विनीम्। पतिलोकमनुप्राप्तां तथा भर्तृव्रते स्थिताम्॥
I do not grieve for the famous Gandhari who had been deprived of all her children. Observing the same vows as her husband. she has acquired those very regions which have become his.

पृथामेव च शोचामि या पुत्रैश्वर्यमृद्धिमत्। उत्सृज्य सुमहद् दीप्तं वनवासमरोचयत्॥
I grieve, however, for Pritha who, renouncing the blazing prosperity of her sons, became desirous of living in the forest.

धिग् राज्यमिदमस्माकं धिग् बलं धिक् पराक्रमम्। क्षत्रधर्मे च धिग् यस्मान्मृता जीवामहे वयम्॥
Fie on this sovereignty of ours, fie on our prowess, fie on the practices of Kshatriyas! Though alive, we are really dead.

सुसूक्ष्मा किल कालस्य गतिर्द्विजवरोत्तम।
O foremost of superior Brahmanas, the course of Time is very subtle and difficult to understand inasmuch as Kunti, casting off sovereignty, became desirous so living in the forest.

युधिष्ठिरस्य जननी भीमस्य विजयस्य च। अनाथवत् कथं दग्ध इति मुह्यामि चिन्तयन्॥
How is it that she who was the mother of Yudhishthira, of Bhima, of Vijaya, was brunt to death like helpless creature! Thinking of this I become stupefied.

वृथा संतर्पितो वह्निः खाण्डवे सव्यसाचिना। उपकारमजानन् स कृतघ्न इति मे मतिः॥
In vain was the god of fire pleased at Khandava by Arjuna! Ingrate that he is, forgetting that service, he has burnt to death the mother of his benefactor.

यत्रादहत् स भगवान् मातरं सव्यसाचिनः। कृत्वा यो ब्राह्मणच्छद्मा भिक्षार्थी समुपागतः॥ धिगग्नि धिक् च पार्थस्य विश्रुतां सत्यसंधताम्।
Alas, how could that deity burn the mother of Arjuna! Putting, on the guise of Brahmana, he had formerly come to Arjuna, for begging a favour! Fie on the deity of fire! Fie on the celebrated success of Partha's arrows.

इदं कष्टतरं चान्यद् भगवन् प्रतिभाति मे॥ वृथाग्निना समायोगो यदभूत् पृथिवीपतेः। तथा तपस्विनस्तस्य राजर्षेः कौरवस्य ह॥ कथमेवंविधो मृत्युः प्रशास्य पृथिवीमिमाम्। तिष्ठत्सु मन्त्रपूतेषू तस्याग्निषु महावने॥ वृथाग्निना समायुक्तो निष्ठां प्राप्तः पिता मम।
This is another incident, O holy one, which appears to me to be productive of greater misery, for that king, met with death by union with a fire that was not sacred! How could such a death overtake thai royal sage of Kuru's family who, after having governed the whole Earth, was engaged in the practice of penances! In that great forest there were fires that had been sanctified with Mantras. Alas, my father has made his departure from has world, coming

मन्ये पृथा वेपमाना कृशा धमनिसंतता॥ हा तात! धर्मराजेति समाक्रन्दन्महाभये।
I suppose that Pritha, emaciated and reduced to a from in which all her nerves became visible, must have trembled in fear and cried aloud, saying, O son Yudhishthira! and awaited the terrible approach of the fire.

भीम! पर्याप्नुहि भयादिति चैवाभिवाशती॥ समन्ततः परिक्षिप्ता माताभन्मे दवाग्निना।
She must have also said, O Bhima, save me from this danger! when she, my mother, was surrounded on all sides y that dreadful fire.

सहदेवः प्रियस्तस्याः पुत्रेभ्योऽधिक एव तु॥ न चैनां मोक्षयामास वीरो माद्रवतीसुतः।
Among all her sons, Sahadeva was her darling. Alas, that heroic son of Madravati did not rescue her!'

तच्छुत्वा रुरुदुः सर्वे समालिङ्य परस्परम्॥ पाण्डवाः पञ्च दुःखार्ता भूतानीव युगक्षये।
Hearing these bewailings of the king. all those person who were present there began to weep, embracing each other. In fact, the five sons of Pandu were so stricken with grief that they resembled living creatures at the time of the dissolution of the universe.

तेषां तु पुरुषेन्द्राणां रुदतां रुदितस्वनः॥ प्रासादाभोगसंरुद्ध अन्वरौत्सीत् स रोदसी॥
The sound of lamentations uttered by those weeping heroes, filling the spacious chambers of the palace, escaped therefrom and penetrated the very sky.