Critical Edition
वैशंपायन उवाच तच्छ्रुत्वा वचनं तस्या भीमसेनोऽथ भीतवत् गान्धारीं प्रत्युवाचेदं वचः सानुनयं तदा
AI Translation: Vaishampayana said Hearing those words of hers, Bhimasena, out of fear, replied to Gandhari with these words, full of humility.
अधर्मो यदि वा धर्मस्त्रासात्तत्र मया कृतः आत्मानं त्रातुकामेन तन्मे त्वं क्षन्तुमर्हसि
AI Translation: If it was unrighteous or righteous, I did it out of fear. I did it out of a desire to save myself. You should forgive me for that.
न हि युद्धेन पुत्रस्ते धर्मेण स महाबलः शक्यः केनचिदुद्यन्तुमतो विषममाचरम्
M. N. Dutt: Your powerful son was incapable of being killed by anybody in a fair and righteous battle. And therefore I did what was unfair.
Supplementary Passages:
11.14.3 After 3, K1-3.5 Ñ1 B D1.3.4.6. 8.9 T1 G M1.3.4 ins.: *40 अधर्मेण जितः पूर्वं तेन चापि युधिष्ठिरः निकृताश्च सदैव स्म ततो विषममाचरम्
सैन्यस्यैकोऽवशिष्टोऽयं गदायुद्धे च वीर्यवान् मां हत्वा न हरेद्राज्यमिति चैतत्कृतं मया
M. N. Dutt: Your son was then the only unslain warrior of his party. In order that brave prince might not kill me in the mace-encounter and once more deprive us of our kingdom, I acted in that way.
राजपुत्रीं च पाञ्चालीमेकवस्त्रां रजस्वलाम् भवत्या विदितं सर्वमुक्तवान्यत्सुतस्तव
M. N. Dutt: You know what your son had said to the princes of Panchala while the latter, in her seasons, was clad in a single piece of cloth.
सुयोधनमसंगृह्य न शक्या भूः ससागरा केवला भोक्तुमस्माभिरतश्चैतत्कृतं मया
M. N. Dutt: Without having killed Suyodhana it was impossible for us to rule peacefully whole Earth with seas. And therefore I acted in that way.
तच्चाप्यप्रियमस्माकं पुत्रस्ते समुपाचरत् द्रौपद्या यत्सभामध्ये सव्यमूरुमदर्शयत्
M. N. Dutt: Your son wronged us in many ways. In the court he had shown his left thigh to Draupadi.
तत्रैव वध्यः सोऽस्माकं दुराचारोऽम्ब ते सुतः धर्मराजाज्ञया चैव स्थिताः स्म समये तदा
M. N. Dutt: For that wicked conduct of his your son deserved to be killed by us even then. However, commanded by king Yudhishthira the just, we allowed ourselves to be restrained by the agreement that had been made.
वैरमुद्धुक्षितं राज्ञि पुत्रेण तव तन्महत् क्लेशिताश्च वने नित्यं तत एतत्कृतं मया
M. N. Dutt: By this means, O queen, your son excited deadly hostilities with us. We suffered great miseries in the forest. Remembering all this, I acted in that way!
वैरस्यास्य गतः पारं हत्वा दुर्योधनं रणे राज्यं युधिष्ठिरः प्राप्तो वयं च गतमन्यवः
M. N. Dutt: Having killed Duryodhana in battle, we have terminated our hostilities. Yudhishthira has regained his kingdom, and we also have been freed from anger!'
गान्धार्युवाच न तस्यैष वधस्तात यत्प्रशंससि मे सुतम् कृतवांश्चापि तत्सर्वं यदिदं भाषसे मयि
M. N. Dutt: Hearing these words of Bhima, Gandhari said,– 'As you praise my son thus he did not deserve such a death! He, however, did all that you describe!
हताश्वे नकुले यत्तद्वृषसेनेन भारत अपिबः शोणितं संख्ये दुःशासनशरीरजम्
M. N. Dutt: When Vrishasena, however, had deprived Nakula of his horses, O Bharata, you drank in battle the blood from Dussasana's body.
सद्भिर्विगर्हितं घोरमनार्यजनसेवितम् क्रूरं कर्माकरोः कस्मात्तदयुक्तं वृकोदर
M. N. Dutt: Such an act is cruel and is spoken ill of by the good. It becomes a most disrespectable person. It was a wicked act, O Vrikodara, which you then perpetrated. You should not have done it.
भीमसेन उवाच अन्यस्यापि न पातव्यं रुधिरं किं पुनः स्वकम् यथैवात्मा तथा भ्राता विशेषो नास्ति कश्चन
M. N. Dutt: Bhima replied,-'It is improper to drink the blood of even a stranger, what then need be said about quaffing the blood of one's own self. One's brother, again, is like his own self. There is no difference between them.
रुधिरं न व्यतिक्रामद्दन्तोष्ठं मेऽम्ब मा शुचः वैवस्वतस्तु तद्वेद हस्तौ मे रुधिरोक्षितौ
M. N. Dutt: The blood, however, did not, O mother, pass down my lips and teeth. Karna knew this well. My hands only were covered with Dussasana's blood.
Supplementary Passages:
11.14.15 After 15, D4 ins. 42*; while S ins. after 15: *41 मा कृथा हृदि तन्मातर्न तत्पीतं मयानघे
हताश्वं नकुलं दृष्ट्वा वृषसेनेन संयुगे भ्रातॄणां संप्रहृष्टानां त्रासः संजनितो मया
M. N. Dutt: Seeing Nakula deprived of his horses by Vrishasena in battle, I caused the rejoicing Kaurava brothers to be filled with fear.
Supplementary Passages:
11.14.16 D3.5 ins. after 16: K1.2 D2 (all om. 15c-16d) after 15ab: D4 after 15: *42 यत्तु संज्ञामकरवं पिबाम्यसृगहं रुषा दन्तोष्ठं नाभिचक्राम रुधिरं मे च मा शुचः नासृक्पातुं त्वया शक्यं मम संग्राममूर्धनि वृथा गर्जसि मूढस्त्वं निस्तोयस्तोयदो यथा तदेवं ब्रुवमाणस्य तव सूनोऽल्पचेतसः (sic) विभिद्य हृदयं पीतं राक्षस्या मम भार्यया On the other hand, S ins. after 16: *43 न प्रतिज्ञामकरवं पिबाम्यसृगरेरिति
केशपक्षपरामर्शे द्रौपद्या द्यूतकारिते क्रोधाद्यदब्रुवं चाहं तच्च मे हृदि वर्तते
M. N. Dutt: When after the gambling match the hairs of Draupadi were seized, I gave vent to certain words in anger. I do still remember those words.
क्षत्रधर्माच्च्युतो राज्ञि भवेयं शाश्वतीः समाः प्रतिज्ञां तामनिस्तीर्य ततस्तत्कृतवानहम्
M. N. Dutt: I would for all years to come, have been regarded to have neglected the duties of a Kshatriya if I had left that promise unfulfilled. It was for this, O queen, that I did that act.
न मामर्हसि गान्धारि दोषेण परिशङ्कितुम् अनिगृह्य पुरा पुत्रानस्मास्वनपकारिषु
M. N. Dutt: You should not, O Gandhari, attribute any fault to me. Without having checked your sons formerly, should you attribute any fault to our innocent selves.
Supplementary Passages:
11.14.19 After 19, K1.2 Dn1 D1-6.8.9 ins.: *44 अधुना किं तु दोषेण परिशङ्कितुमर्हसि
गान्धार्युवाच वृद्धस्यास्य शतं पुत्रान्निघ्नंस्त्वमपराजितः कस्मान्न शेषयः कंचिद्येनाल्पमपराधितम्
M. N. Dutt: Gandhari said "Unvanquished by any one, you have killed a hundred sons of this old man! Oh, why did you not spare, O child, even one son of this old couple deprived of kingdom. Who had not committed a greater offense?
संतानमावयोस्तात वृद्धयोर्हृतराज्ययोः कथमन्धद्वयस्यास्य यष्टिरेका न वर्जिता
M. N. Dutt: Why did you not leave even one crutch for this blind couple?
शेषे ह्यवस्थिते तात पुत्राणामन्तके त्वयि न मे दुःखं भवेदेतद्यदि त्वं धर्ममाचरः
M. N. Dutt: O child, although you live unscathed, having killed all my sons, yet I would not have been sorry, if you had followed the path of righteousness in killing them.