JALAPRADANIKA PARVA: Chapter 24

.-Contd. Gandhari's lamentation

गान्धार्युवाच सोमदत्तसुतं पश्य युयुधानेन पातितम्। विद्युतमानं विहगैर्बहुभिर्माधवान्तिके॥
Gandhari said See the son of Somadatta, who was killed by Yuyudhana, is being cut by a large number of birds.

पुत्रशोकाभिसंतप्तः सोमदत्तो जनार्दन। युयुधानं महेष्वासं गर्हयन्निव दृश्यते॥
Burning with sorrow at the death of his son, Somadatta, O Janarddana, seems to blame the great bowman Yuyudhana.

असौ हि भूरिश्रवसो माता शोकपरिप्लुता। आश्वासयति भर्तारं सोमदत्तमनिन्दिता॥ दिष्ट्या नैनं महाराज दारुणं भरतक्षयम्। कुरुसंक्रन्दनं घोरं युगान्तमनुपश्यसि॥
There the mother of Bhurishravas that faultless lady, beside herself with grief, is addressing her lord Somadatta, saying,-By good luck, O king, you do not witness this terrible destruction of the Bharatas, this extermination of the Kurus, this sight resembling the spectacles occurring at the end of a cycle.

दिष्ट्या यूपध्वजं पुत्रं वीरं भूरिसहस्रदम्। अनेकक्रतुयज्वानं निहतं नानुपश्यसि॥
By good luck, you do not see your heroic, son, who bore the device of the sacrificial stake on his banner and who celebrated numberless sacrifices with profuse presents to all, killed on the field of battle.

दिष्ट्या स्नुषाणामाक्रन्दे घोरं विलपितं बहु। न शृणोषि महाराज सारसीनामिवार्णवे॥
By good luck, you do not hear those dreadful wails of woe uttered amidst this destruction by your daughter-in-law like the screams of a fight of cranes of the sea.

एकवस्त्रार्धसंवीताः प्रकीर्णासितमूर्धजाः। स्नुषास्ते परिधावन्ति हतापत्या हतेश्वराः।। :॥
Your daughters-in-law, deprived of both husbands and sons, are running about, each clad in a single piece of cloth and each with her clad in a single piece of cloth and each with her black hairs all disheveled.

श्वापदैर्भक्ष्यमाणं त्वमहो दिष्ट्या न पश्यसि। छिन्नबाहुं नरव्याघ्रमर्जुनेन निपातितम्॥
By good luck, you do not see to-day your son, that foremost of men, deprived of one of his arms, killed by Arjuna, and now being devoured by beasts of prey.

शलं विनिहतं संख्ये भूरिश्रवसमेव च। स्नुषाश्च विविधाः सर्वा दिष्ट्या नाद्येह पश्यसि॥
By good luck, you do not see to-day your son Shala killed in battle, and Bhurishravas deprived of life, and your widowed daughterin-law plunged into grief.

दिष्ट्या तत् काञ्चनं छत्रं यूपकेतोर्महात्मनः। विनिकीर्णं रथोपस्थे सौमदत्तेर्न पश्यसि॥
By good luck, you do not see the golden umbrella of that illustrious hero who had the sacrificial stake as his emblem on his banner, torn and broken on the terrace of his car.

अमूस्तु भूरिश्रवसो भार्याः सात्यकिना हतम्। परिवार्यानुशोचन्ति भर्तारमसितेक्षणाः॥
There the black-eyed wives of Bhurishravas are bewailing piteously surrounding their lord killed by Satyaki.

एता विलय करुणं भर्तृशोकेन कर्शिताः। पतन्त्यभिमुखा भूमौ कृपणं वत केशव॥
Stricken with sorrow on account of the slaughter of their husband, those ladies bewailing piteously, are falling down on the Earth with their faces toward the ground, and slowly approaching you, O Keshava!

बीभत्सुरतिबीभत्सं कर्मेदमकरोत् कथम्। प्रमत्तस्य यदच्छत्सीद् बाहुं शूरस्य यज्वनः॥
Alas, why did Arjuna of pure deeds commit such a heinous crime, since he cut off the arm of a heedless warrior who was brave and used to perform sacrifices.

ततः पापतरं कर्म कृतवानपि सात्यकिः। यस्मात् प्रायोविष्टस्य प्राहार्षीत् संशितात्मनः॥
Alas, Satyaki perpetrated a still more sinful act, for he killed a person of restrained soul while sitting in the observance of the praya VOW.

एको द्वाभ्यां हतः शेषे त्वमधर्मेण धार्मिक। किं नु वक्ष्यति वै सत्सु गोष्ठीषु च सभासु च॥
Alas, O righteous one, you are lying on the ground, killed unfairly by two foes. Thus, O Madhava, those wives of Bhurishravas are crying aloud in sorrow.

अपुण्यमयशस्यं च कर्मेदं सात्यकिः स्वयम्। इति यूपध्वजस्यैताः स्त्रियः क्रोशन्ति माधव॥ भार्या यूपध्वजस्यैषा करसम्मितमध्यमा। कृत्वोत्सङ्गे भुजं भर्तुः कृपणं परिदेवति॥
There, those wives of that warrior, all having slender waists, are placing upon their laps the cut off arm of their husband and weeping bitterly. Here is that arm which used to attack the girdles, grind the deep bosoms and touch the navel, the thighs, and the hips, of fair ladies, and loosen the ties of the drawers worn by them.

अयं स हन्ता शूराणां मित्राणाप्रभयप्रदः। प्रदाता गोसहस्राणां क्षत्रियान्तकरः करः॥
Here is that arm which killed enemies and dispelled the fears of friends, which gave thousands of kine and rotted out the Kshatriyas in battle.

वासुदेवस्य सांनिध्ये पार्थेनालिष्टकर्मणा। युध्यतः समरेऽन्येन प्रमत्तस्य निपातितः॥
In the presence of Vasudeva himself, Arjuna of pure deeds cut it off while you were heedless and engaged with another in battle.

किं नु वक्ष्यासि संसत्सु कथासु च जनार्दन। अर्जुनस्य महत् कर्म स्वयं वा स किरीटभृत्॥ इत्येवं गर्हयित्वैषा तूष्णीमास्ते वराङ्गना तामेतामनुशोचन्ति सपत्न्यः स्वामिव स्नुषाम्॥
How will you, O Janarddana, describe this great fear of Arjuna while speaking of it in the midst of assemblies. What also will the diadem-decked Arjuna himself say of it?-Censuring you in this way, that best of ladies nas stopped at last. The co-wives of that lady are lamenting piteously with her as if she wee their daughter-in-law.

गान्धारराजः शकुनिर्बलवान् सत्यविक्रमः। निहतः सहदेवेन भागिनेयेन मातुलः॥
There the powerful Shakuni, the king of the Gandharas, having irresistible prowess, has been killed by Sahadeva, the maternal uncle by the sister's son.

यः पुरा हेमदण्डाभ्यां व्यजनाभ्यां स्म वीज्यते। स एष पक्षिभिः पक्षैः शयान उपवीज्यते॥
Formerly, he used to be fanned with a two gold-handed fans. Alas, now, his boy lunging on the ground is being fanned by birds with their wings.

यः स्वरूपाणि कुरुते शतशोऽथ सहस्रशः। तस्य मायाविनो माया दग्धाः पाण्डवतेजसा॥
He used to assume hundreds and thousands of forms. All the illusions, however, of that man possessed of great illusory powers, have been burnt by the energy of the son of Pandu.

मायया निकृतिप्रज्ञो जितवान् यो युधिष्ठिरम्। सभायां विपुलं राज्य स पुनजीवितं जितः॥
Highly wily, he had defeated Yudhishthira in the assembly by his power of deception and won from him his vast kingdom. The son of Pandu, however, has now conquered Shakuni's life-breaths.

शकुन्ताः शकुनि कृष्ण समन्तात् पर्युपासते। कैतवं मम पुत्राणां विनाशायोपशिक्षितम्॥
Look, O Krishna, a number of birds is not sitting around Shakuni. An expert in dice, alas, he had also mastered the means for the destruction of my sons.

एतेनैतन्महद् वैरं प्रसक्तं पाण्डवैः सह। वधाय मम पुत्राणामात्मनः सगणस्य च॥
This fire of hostility with the Pandavas had been lighted by Shakuni, for the destruction of my children as also of himself and his followers ar relatives.

यथैव ममत्राणां लोका: शस्त्रजिताः प्रभो। एवमस्यापि दुर्बुद्धेर्लोकाः शस्त्रेण वै जिताः॥
Like those gained by my sons, O powerful one, by the use of arms, this man too, however wicked-souled, has obtained many blissful regions by the use of weapons.

कथं च नायं तत्रापि पुत्रान्मे भ्रातृभिः सह। विरोधयेदृजुप्रज्ञाननृजुर्मधुसूदन॥
My fear, O destroyer of Madhu, is that wily man may not create dissensions even there between my children all of whom are simple and confiding.