वैशम्पायन उवाच ते समासाद्य गङ्गां तु शिवां पुण्यजलोचिताम्। ह्रदिनीं च प्रसन्नां च महारूपां महावनाम्॥ भूषणान्युत्तरीयाणि वेष्टनान्यवमुच्य च। ततः पितॄणां भ्रातॄणां पौत्राणां स्वजनस्य च॥ पुत्राणामार्यकाणां च पतीनां च कुरुस्त्रियः। उदकं चक्रिरे सर्वा रुदत्यो भृशदुःखिताः॥
Vaishampayana said Arrived at the holy Ganga full of sacred water, containing many lakes, adorned with high banks and broad shores, and having a vest bed, they threw off their ornaments, upper garments, and belts and girdles. The Kuru ladies, crying and stricken with great sorrow offered oblations of water of their fathers and grandsons and brothers and kinsmen and sons and seniors and husbands. Conversant with duties, they also performed the water-rite for their friends.
सुहृदां चापि धर्मज्ञाः प्रचक्रुः सलिलक्रियाः। उदके क्रियमाणे तु वीराणां वीरपत्निभिः॥ सूपतीर्था भवद्गङ्गा भूयो विप्रससार च।
While those wives of heroes were performing this rite in honour of their heroic husband, the access to the stream became easy, although the paths (carved out by feet) disappeared afterwards.
तन्महोदधिसंकाशं निरानन्दमनुत्सवम्॥ वीरपत्नीभिराकीर्णं गङ्गातीरमशोभत।
The shores of their river though crowded with those wives of heroes, looked as broad as the ocean and presented a sorrow of sorrow and cheerlessness.
ततः कुन्ती महाराज सहसा शोककर्शिता॥ रुदती मन्दया वाचा पुत्रान् वंचनमब्रवीत्।
Then Kunti, O king, laden with grief, weepingly addressed her sons in these soft words.
यः स वीरो महेष्वासो रथयूथपयूथपः॥ अर्जुनेनं जित: संख्ये वीरलक्षणलक्षितः। यं सूतपुत्रं मन्यध्वं राधेयमिति पाण्डवाः॥ यो व्यराजच भूमध्ये दिवाकर इव प्रभुः। प्रत्ययुध्यत वः सर्वान् पुरा यः सपदानुगान्॥ दुर्योधनबलं सर्वं यः प्रकर्षन् व्यरोचत। यस्य नास्ति समो वीर्ये पृथिव्यामपि पार्थिवः॥ योऽवृणीत यशः शूरः प्राणैरपि सदा भुवि। कर्णस्य सत्यसंधस्य संग्रामेष्वपलायिनः॥ कुरुध्वमुदकं तस्य भ्रातुरकिष्टकर्मणः। स हि वः पूर्वजो भ्राता भास्करान्मय्यजायत॥ कुण्डली कवची शूरो दिवाकरसमप्रभः।
That hero and great bowman, that chief of many car-divisions, that heroic warrior who has been killed by Arjuna in battle, that warrior whom, ye sons of Pandu, you knew as the son of the charioteer Radha, that hero who shone in the midst of his army like the Sun himself, who fought with all of you and your followers, who shone as he commanded the vast army of Duryodhana, who had no equal on Earth in energy, that hero who preferred glory to life, that brave warrior firm in truth and never fatigued with exertion, was your eldest brother! Offer oblations of water to that eldest brother of yours who was born of me by the Sun! That hero was born with a pair of earrings and clad in armour, and took after the Sun-God himself in effulgence.
श्रुत्वा तु पाण्डवाः सर्वे मातुर्वचनमप्रियम्॥ कर्णमेवानुशोचन्तो भूयः क्लान्ततराभवन्।
Hearing these painful words of their mother, the Pandavas began to grieve for Karna. Indeed, they became more afflicted then ever.
ततः स पुरुषव्याघ्रः कुलीपुत्रो युधिष्ठिरः॥ उवाच मातरं वीरो निःश्वसन्निव पन्नगः। यः शरोमिर्ध्वजावर्तो महाभुजमहाग्रहः॥ तलशब्दानुनदितो महारथमहाह्रदः। यस्येषुपातमासाद्य नान्यस्तिष्ठेद् धनंजयात्॥ कथं पुत्रो भवत्याः स देवगर्भः पुराभवत्।
Then that foremost of men, viz., the heroic Yudhishthira, sighing like a snake asked his mother,-'Were you the mother of that Karna who was like a sea having arrows for his billows, his tall standard for his vortex, his own mighty arms for a couple of huge alligators, his large car for his deep lake, and the sound of his palms or his tempestuous roar, and whose force none could withstand except Dlananjaya? How was that son resembling a very god born of you in former days?
यस्य बाहुप्रतापेन तापिताः सर्वतो वयम्॥ तमग्निमिव वस्त्रेण कथं छादितवत्यसि।
The power of his arms scorched all of us! How, O mother, could you conceal him like a person concealing a fire within the folds of his cloth?
यस्य बाहुबलं नित्यं धार्तराष्ट्ररुपासितम्॥ उपासितं यथास्माभिर्बलं गाण्डीवधन्वनः।
His might of arms was always adored by the Dhritarashtras even as we always worship the might of the wilder of Gandiva.
भूमिपानां च सर्वेषां बलं बलवतां वरः॥ नान्यः कुन्तीसुतात् कर्णादगृह्णाद् रथिनां रथी।
How was that foremost of powerful men, that first of car-warriors, who fought the united force of all the kings in battle, how was he a son of yours?
स नः प्रथमजो भ्राता सर्वशस्त्रभृतां वरः॥ असूत तं भवत्यग्रे कथमद्भुतविक्रमम्।
Was that foremost of all holders of weapons our eldest brother? How did you give birth to that child of wonderful prowess?
अहो भवत्या मन्त्रस्य गृहनेन वयं हताः॥ निधनेन हि कर्णस्य पीडितास्तु सबान्धवाः।
Alas, for your concealing this fact we have been undone! By the death of Karna, ourselves with all our friends have been greatly sorry.
अभिमन्योर्विनाशेन द्रौपदेयवधेन च॥ पञ्चालानां विनाशेन कुरूणां पतनेन च। ततः शतगुणं दुःखमिदं मामस्पृशद् मशम्॥
The grief I fell at Karna's death is a hundred times great than that felt for the death of Abhimanyu and the sons of Draupadi, and the destruction of the Panchalas and the Kurus! Thinking of Karna, I am burning with grief, like a person thrown into a burning fire.
कर्णमेवानुशोचामि दह्याम्यग्नाविवाहितः। नेह स्म किंचिदप्राप्यं भवेदपि दिवि स्थितम्॥ न चेदं वैशसं घोरं कौरवान्तकरं भवेत्।
Nothing could have been unattainable by us, not excepting things belonging to the celestial region. Alas, this terrible carnage, so destructive of the Kurus, would not have taken place.
एवं विलप्य बहुलं धर्मराजो युधिष्ठिरः॥ व्यरुदच्छनकै राजंश्चकारास्योदकं प्रभुः।
Thus bewailing, king Yudhishthira the just uttered loud wails of woe. The powerful king then offered oblations of water to his deceased elder brother.
ततो विनेदुः सहसा स्त्रियस्ताः खलु सर्वशः॥ अभितो याः स्थितास्तत्र तस्मिन्नुदककर्मणि।
Then all the ladies that crowded the shores of the river suddenly cried aloud.
तत आनाययामास कर्णस्य सपरिच्छदाः॥ स्त्रियः कुरुपति/मान् भ्रातुः प्रेम्णा युधिष्ठिरः।
The intelligent king of the Kurus, viz., Yudhishthira, had the wives and members of Karna's family brought before him.
स ताभिः सह धर्मात्मा प्रेतकृत्यमनन्तरम्॥ चकार विधिवद् धीमान् धर्मराजो युधिष्ठिरः। पापेनासौ मया श्रेष्ठो भ्राता ज्ञातिनिपातितः। अतो मनसि यद् गुह्यं स्त्रीणां तन्न भविष्यति॥ इत्युक्त्वा स तु गङ्गाया उत्तताराकुलेन्द्रियः। भ्रातृभिः सहितः सर्वैर्गङ्गातीरमुपेयिवान्॥
The righteous-souled king performed, with them the water-rite in honor of his eldest brother. Having finished the ceremony, the king, with his mind greatly agitated, rose from the waters of Ganga."