The Word Brought to Hastinapura

When the recitation had come as far as the fall of Drona, Janamejaya lifted his hand and stopped the brahmana.

"He did not die when Bhishma fell," the king said. "He did not die when Drona fell. Not at Bahlika, not at Somadatta, not at Bhurishrava, not at his sons and his grandsons. Now tell me how a man hears that Karna is dead, Karna upon whom that monarch had rested the whole hope of his sons' victory, and still goes on breathing. I begin to think that the yielding up of one's life is exceedingly difficult, even under circumstances of great grief. Tell me all of it in detail, and as it actually happened. I am not satiated with hearing the high achievements of my ancestors."

"It is difficult," Vaishampayana said. "Hear how it was done."

After Drona had been slain, the royal warriors of the Kaurava army went and sat around Drona's son, and when night came they went to their tents and found no happiness in them. Four of them did not sleep at all. Karna, and king Suyodhana, and Duhshasana, and Shakuni passed that night together in Duryodhana's tent, and what came into their minds there was not Drona. It was the assembly hall, and the match at dice, and Draupadi brought into that hall plunged into woe. Recollecting it, they experienced great regret. The night went over them, and it was one night, and it seemed as if it were really a hundred years.

When morning came they observed the dictates of the ordinance and went duly through the customary rites, and were comforted to some extent, and ordered the troops to be arrayed. They made Karna their generalissimo by tying the auspicious thread round his wrists. They caused many foremost of brahmanas to pray for their victory, giving them vessels of curds and clarified butter, akshatas and coins of gold, kine and jewels and costly robes, and heralds and musicians adored them with hymns about victory.

Under the commandership of Karna the battle lasted two days. On the second, having made an immense slaughter of his enemies, Vrisha was slain in the sight of the Dhartarashtras by Arjuna. That night the son of Gavalgana called for horses.

He rode for Nagapura in the dark, on steeds that rivalled the wind in speed. The abode he entered was one that no longer teemed with kinsmen and friends. He went through it to where the king sat, deprived of all energy by grief, and joined his hands and worshipped his feet. Then he made the sound men make when there is no word for a thing, and began.

"I am Sanjaya, O lord of Earth. Art thou not happy? I hope thou art not stupefied, having through thy own faults fallen into such distress. Counsels for thy good had been uttered by Vidura and by Ganga's son and by Keshava. I hope thou feelest no pain now, remembering thy rejection of those counsels. Counsels for thy good had also been uttered in that assembly by Rama and Narada and Kanwa and others. I hope thou feelest no pain now, remembering their rejection by thee. I hope thou feelest no pain, remembering the slaughter in battle, by the foe, of Bhishma and Drona and others, those friends that were ever engaged in thy good."

The king drew a long and hot breath before he answered.

"Hearing of the fall of the heroic son of Ganga, that warrior of all celestial weapons, my heart feeleth great pain. He was born of the Vasus themselves, and he slew every day ten thousand car-warriors clad in mail, and he has been slain by Yajnasena's son Shikhandi protected by the Pandavas. And Drona, through whose grace the royal sons of Kunti became maharathas, slain by Dhrishtadyumna. Those two had not in the world a person equal to them in the four kinds of weapons." He turned his blind face toward the voice. "Tell me what the people of my side did. What became of the colour of the faces of Duryodhana, and Karna, and Kritavarma the chief of the Bhojas, and Shalya the ruler of the Madras, and of my remaining sons, when the Kuru divisions fled away from the field? Tell me all this as it truly happened."

"O sire," Sanjaya said, "hearing all that has happened unto the Kauravas through thy fault, thou shouldst not feel any anguish. He that is wise never feeleth any pain at what Destiny bringeth."

"I do not feel great pain, O Sanjaya," the king said. "I regard all this to be the result of Destiny. Tell me all that thou wishest."

"Upon the fall of the great bowman Drona," Sanjaya said, "thy sons became pale and deprived of their senses. Armed with weapons, all of them hung down their heads. Afflicted with grief and without looking at one another, they stood perfectly silent. The weapons of many of them, dyed with blood, dropped from their hands, and those that were still held hung in the grasp so that they resembled falling meteors in the sky.

"Then thy son, beholding that army of thine standing as if paralysed and lifeless, said this to them. 'Relying upon the might of your army I summoned the Pandavas to battle. Upon the fall of Drona the prospect seems to be cheerless. But warriors engaged in battle all die in battle. A warrior may have either victory or death. What can be strange, then, in this? Fight ye with faces turned towards every direction. Behold now the high-souled Karna, the son of Vikartana, that great bowman of mighty strength, careering in battle, using his celestial weapons. Through fear of that warrior in battle, that coward Dhananjaya always turns back like a small deer at the sight of a lion. It is he who, uttering a loud roar, slew with his invincible dart the brave Ghatotkaca of a thousand illusions. Let the sons of Pandu behold today the prowess of both Ashvatthama and Karna. All of you are singly able to slay the sons of Pandu with their troops. How much more, then, are you capable when united together.'

"Having said these words, thy son with his brothers made Karna the generalissimo of the Kuru army. Obtaining the command, that mighty car-warrior, so fierce in battle, uttered loud roars and fought with the foe. He caused a great carnage among the Srinjayas, the Pancalas, the Kekayas, and the Videhas. From his bow issued innumerable lines of arrows, one close behind the wings of another, like flights of bees. Having slain thousands of warriors, he was at last slain by Arjuna."

Hearing this, the son of Ambika felt the acme of grief and regarded Suyodhana to be already dead. The king fell down on the Earth like an elephant deprived of its senses.

When that foremost of monarchs fell, loud wails were uttered by the ladies of the royal household, and the noise seemed to fill the entire Earth. Gandhari came to where the king lay, and she and the other ladies of the household all fell down on the earth, deprived of their senses.

Sanjaya went among them and comforted them, and they trembled like a plantain grove shaken by the wind. Vidura took water and sprinkled it upon that descendant of Kuru, and slowly the monarch who had knowledge only for his eye came back to himself.

Understanding that the women of the household were in the room, the king remained perfectly silent for a long time, like one reft of reason. Then he reflected, and drew long breaths, and began to speak against his own sons and to praise the Pandavas, and against his own intelligence, and against the intelligence of Shakuni the son of Subala. Then he controlled his mind, and put his question to his charioteer.

"I have heard, O Sanjaya, all that thou hast said. Hath my son Duryodhana, who is ever desirous of victory, already gone to Yama's abode, despairing of success? Tell me truly, even if thou wilt have to repeat it."

"The mighty car-warrior Vaikartana, O monarch, hath been slain with his sons and brothers, and other Suta warriors, all of whom were mighty bowmen ready to lay down their lives in battle. Duhshasana also hath been slain by the renowned son of Pandu. Indeed, his blood also hath been, from wrath, drunk by Bhimasena in battle."

"Though the evil policy of my son of little foresight," the king said, "Vikartana's son hath been slain. This intelligence is cutting the very core of my heart. I am desirous of crossing this sea of grief. Remove my doubts, therefore, by telling me who are still alive and who are dead amongst the Kurus and the Pandavas."

So Sanjaya began the count, and it went on a long while.

"Bhishma the son of Shantanu hath been slain after ten days. The invincible bowman Drona of the golden car, having slaughtered the Pancala divisions, hath been slain. Having slaughtered the half of what remained after the carnage by Bhishma and the illustrious Drona, Vikartana's son Karna hath been slain. Thy heroic son Vikarna, deprived of steeds and weapons, stood facing the foe, remembering the duties of Kshatriyas, and Bhimasena hath slain him, bearing in mind his own vow. Jayadratha, who had under his sway ten kingdoms having Sindhu for their chief, Arjuna hath slain after vanquishing eleven akshauhinis of troops. King Bhagadatta, the dear friend of the chief of the celestials himself, hath been slain by Dhananjaya. Bhurishrava hath been slain by Satyaki. Thy son Duhshasana hath been slain by Bhimasena. Karna's son Vrishasena hath, in the very sight of Karna, been despatched to Yama's abode by Dhananjaya, who put forth his prowess remembering the slaughter of his own son Abhimanyu. Shalya's son Rukmaratha hath been slain by Sahadeva, although the former happened to be the latter's brother. Thy grandsire Bahlika, with all his followers, hath been slain by Bhimasena. The Vasatis, numbering two thousand, have all been slain. That prince of Rakshasas, Alayudha, unto whose vehicle were yoked asses of monstrous shape, hath been despatched to Yama's abode by Ghatotkaca. Radha's son of the Suta caste, and those mighty car-warriors who were his brothers, have all been slain."

He came at last to the end of it, and did not soften the end.

"Even as Mahendra slew Vritra, and Rama slew Ravana, even so hath Arjuna, in single combat, slain, with all his kinsmen, that foremost of smiters, Karna, who was invincible in battle and upon whom the Dhartarashtras had placed their hopes of victory. Pandu's son hath now accomplished that which at one time thou couldst not believe him capable of accomplishing, although well-meaning friends failed not to apprise thee of it. Thou, O king, wishing them well, hast heaped those evils on the heads of thy covetous sons. The fruit of those evils is now manifesting itself."

"Thou hast, O son, mentioned the names of those of my side that have been slain in battle by the Pandavas. Tell me now the names of those amongst the Pandavas that have been slain by the people of my side."

It was a shorter list, and the king listened to it as a man listens to money counted out that he knows will not cover what he owes.

"The Kuntis have been slain in fight by Bhishma, with all their kinsmen and advisers. Satyajit, who was equal to the diadem-decked Arjuna himself in energy and might, hath been slain by Drona of sure aim. The two kings Virata and Drupada, both venerable in years, who exerted themselves with great prowess for their ally, have, with their sons, been slain in battle by Drona."

He paused there, and then said the next thing plainly.

"That invincible hero Abhimanyu, who, though a child in years, was still equal in battle to Arjuna or Keshava or Baladeva, after making an immense slaughter of the foe, was at last encompassed by six foremost of car-warriors and slain by them. Unable to resist Arjuna himself, they thus slew Arjuna's son. Deprived of his car, that hero still stayed in battle, remembering the duties of a Kshatriya. At last, O king, Duhshasana's son slew him on the field.

"Nila and Vyaghradatta have both been despatched to Yama's abode by Ashvatthama. Citrayudha and Citrayodhin have both been slain by Vikarna. Purujit and Kuntibhoja, the two maternal uncles of Savyasaci, have been despatched by Drona with shafts. Shikhandi's son Kshatradeva hath been slain by thy grandson Lakshmana. Virata's son Sankha, as also Uttara of great strength, have repaired to Yama's abode. These and many other mighty car-warriors of the Pandavas have been slain by Drona exerting himself with great energy. I have now told them all that thou hadst asked me."

"When all the foremost of my warriors have perished," the king said, "I do not think that the remnant of my army will not perish. When those two mighty bowmen, those two foremost of the Kurus, Bhishma and Drona, have been slain, what use can I any longer have with life? I cannot also brook the death of Radha's son, that ornament of battle, the might of whose arms was as great as that of ten thousand elephants. Tell me now who are yet alive in my army after the death of all the foremost heroes. Thou hast told me the names of those that have fallen. It seems, however, to me that those who are still alive are almost all dead."

"That hero to whom Drona imparted many blazing celestial weapons of the four kinds, that high-souled son of Drona, is still on the field, desirous of battling for thy sake. The son of Hridika, that foremost one among the Satwatas, Kritavarma, is on the field. Artayana's son, he that abandoned his own sister's sons, the Pandavas, for making his own words true, that hero who promised in the presence of Yudhishthira that he would in battle depress the proud spirit of Karna, that invincible Shalya, is still on the field. The king of the Gandharas stayeth on the field with his Ajaneyas and Saindhavas and Kambojas. Sharadvata's son called Gautama, taking up a large bow capable of bearing great strain, stayeth on the field. Duryodhana also, in the midst of an elephant force, stayeth on his car adorned with gold, and in the midst of many kings he looked resplendent in his armour of gold, like a fire with little smoke. Thy sons Sushena, armed with sword and shield, and the heroic Satyasena, are staying with Citrasena, and two sons of Karna are staying at the head of forces incapable of being pierced by warriors of little energy."

"Thou hast told me duly all that are alive both amongst us and the foe," the king said. "From this I plainly see on which side the victory will be. Indeed, it may be inferred from the facts."

And having said it, having learnt that only a small portion of his army was alive, he felt his heart to be exceedingly agitated by grief, and swooned away a second time. Partially restored to his senses, he put out a hand and said, "Wait for a moment." Then he said, "O son, having heard of this dire calamity, my heart is greatly agitated. My senses are being stupefied, and my limbs are about to be paralysed." And having said these words, that lord of earth lost his senses and fell down on the earth.

"Having heard of Karna's fall and the slaughter of his sons," Janamejaya said, "what did the king say, after he had been a little comforted? Tell me all that the king said on that occasion."

Vaishampayana said that the news had come to him like the downfall of Meru, or a clouding of the intellect of the wise Shukra, or the falling down on the Earth of the resplendent Sun from the firmament. And having reflected upon it, the king thought that his army had been annihilated, and thinking that other creatures also, as unslayable as Karna, would meet with a similar fate, he began to lament, sighing like a snake.

"O Sanjaya, the heroic son of Adhiratha was endued with the prowess of the lion or the elephant. His neck was as thick as that of a bull, and his eyes, his gait, and his voice were like the bull's. Of limbs as hard as the thunderbolt, that young man never desisted from battle even if his foe happened to be the great Indra himself. At the sound of his bowstring and his palms men and steeds and cars and elephants fled away from battle. How, then, could Karna be forcibly slain by Partha in battle?

"Often did he use to say unto the foolish, avaricious, kingdom-coveting and afflicted Duryodhana even such words as these: 'Alone, I shall, in battle, throw down from their foremost of cars those two invincible warriors united together, the wielder of sarnga and the wielder of gandiva.' He had subjugated the Gandharas, the Madrakas, the Matsyas, the Trigartas, the Tanganas, the Khasas, the Videhas, the Kulindas, the Kasi-kosalas, the Angas, the Nishadhas, the Pundras, the Kichakas, the Vatsas, the Kalingas, and the Asmakas. Subjugating all these brave races by means of his keen and whetted arrows equipped with kanka feathers, he had caused all of them to pay tribute to us for the aggrandisement of Duryodhana.

"Amongst steeds, Uccaisravas is the foremost. Amongst Yakshas, Vaishravana is the foremost. Amongst celestials, Indra is the foremost. Amongst smiters, Karna was the foremost. Hearing that he hath been slain by Savyasaci in single combat, I am plunged in an ocean of woe like a wrecked vessel in the vast deep. I desire to have poison, or fire, or a fall from the summit of a mountain. I am unable, O Sanjaya, to bear this heavy load of grief."

"The world regards thee to be equal to Yayati the son of Nahusha," Sanjaya said, "in beauty, birth, fame, asceticism, and learning. Summon thy fortitude. Do not yield to grief."

"I think destiny is supreme and exertion fruitless," the king said, "since even Karna, who was like a shala tree, hath been slain in battle. Without doubt, this hard heart of mine is made of the essence of adamant, for it does not burst into a thousand fragments upon hearing of the fall of Karna.

"In consequence of gambling I am fallen into great misery, like a bird shorn of its wings. As children engaged in sport, having seized a bird and cut off its wings, merrily release it, but the creature cannot achieve locomotion in consequence of its winglessness, even so have I become. Weak, without kinsmen, deprived of relatives and friends, overpowered by enemies, to which point of the compass shall I go?

"How could Death touch him, that hero equal unto Indra himself, while he was engaged in shooting his manifold celestial weapons? He unto whom, in exchange for his earrings, Purandara had given that foe-slaying, gold-decked celestial dart of the splendour of lightning. He who had, lying within his quiver amid sandal-dust, that snake-mouthed celestial arrow decked with gold. He who had acquired from Jamadagni's son the terrible brahmastra. He who with Shakra's dart slew that prince of rakshasas, Ghatotkaca. Surely his bow broke, or his car sank in the earth, or his weapons became exhausted, since thou tellest me that he is slain. I do not, indeed, see any other cause for explaining his slaughter.

"That high-souled one who had made the terrible vow, 'I will not wash my feet till I slay Phalguni.' That warrior through whose fear king Yudhishthira the just had not, in the wilderness, for thirteen years continuously, obtained a wink of sleep. That hero relying upon whose valour my son had forcibly dragged the wife of the Pandavas to the assembly, and there, in the very sight of the Pandavas, had addressed the princess of Pancala as the wife of slaves. That hero who in the midst of the assembly had said to her, 'All thy husbands, O Krishna, that are even like sesamum seeds without kernel, are no more. Therefore seek some other husband, O thou of the fairest complexion.' How was that hero slain by the foe?"

"Partha, when begged for drink by Bhishma then lying on his arrowy bed, pierced the surface of the earth, and beholding the jet of water caused by the son of Pandu, the mighty-armed one said to my son, 'Make peace with the Pandavas. Hostilities ceasing, peace will be thine. Let the war between thyself and thy cousins end with me. Enjoy the earth in brotherliness with the sons of Pandu.' Having disregarded those counsels, my child is certainly repenting now. That has now come to pass which Bhishma of great foresight said.

"Was my son Duhshasana slain while flying away from the field, humbled to the dust, and destitute of all manliness? I hope he did no dastardly act on that occasion. Did not that hero meet with his death like the other kshatriyas that have fallen? What did Shakuni, the son of Subala, who had been filled with joy after cheating the son of Pandu at dice, say when he saw Karna slain? What did Kritavarma say? What did Ashvatthama say? What did Kripa, that teacher of the science of arms, say? What did the great bowman Shalya, that foremost of car-warriors temporarily engaged in driving the car, say when he saw Karna slain?

"Tell me how Shalya the ruler of the Madras became engaged in driving the car of Vaikartana. Who were they that guarded the right wheel of the Suta's son while the latter was engaged in fight, and who were they that guarded his left wheel, and who were they that stood at the rear of that hero? Who were those heroes that did not desert Karna, and who were those mean fellows that ran away? How was Karna slain amidst your united selves? Tell me also how that mighty shaft, equipped with a head like that of a serpent, became futile.

"Tell me all that occurred in the battle between the brave warriors of the Kauravas and their foes after the death of Drona. Tell me how the sons of Kunti fought the battle with Karna, and how that slayer of foes received his quietus in the fight."

And so the blind king, who had refused every counsel while there was still a war to prevent, asked to be told the whole of it again, from the beginning, with the names of the men who had held the wheels. Sanjaya sat down, and told him.