96. WHO CAN GIVE SOLACE?

WHEN the battle was over, Hastinapura

was a city of mourning. All the women

and children were weeping and lamenting

their slain, nearest and dearest. With many

thousands of bereaved women

accompanying, Dhritarashtra went to the

field of battle. At Kurukshetra, the scene

of terrible destruction, the blind king

thought of all that had passed, and wept

aloud. But, of what avail was weeping?

"O king, words of consolation addressed

to a bereaved person do not remove his

grief. Thousands of rulers have given up

their lives in battle for your sons. It is now

time that you should arrange for proper

funeral ceremonies for the dead," said

Sanjaya to Dhritarashtra.

"It is not right to grieve for those who die

in battle. When souls have left their

bodies, there is nothing like relationship,

nothing like brother or son or relative.

Your sons have really no connection with

you. Relationship ends with death, being

only a bodily connection and a mere

minor incident in the soul's eternal life.

From the nowhere do lives come, and,

with death, they again disappear into

nowhere. Why should we weep for them?

Those who die in battle after a heroic fight

go as guests to receive Indra's hospitality.

Grieving for what is past, you cannot gain

anything in the nature of dharma, pleasure

or wealth." Thus, and in many more ways,

did the wise and good Vidura try to

assuage the king's grief.

Vyasa also approached Dhritarashtra

tenderly and said: "Dear son, there is

nothing that you do not know and which

you have to learn from me. You know

very well that all living beings must die.

This great battle came to reduce earth's

burden as I have heard from Lord Vishnu

Himself. That is why this calamity could

not be prevented. Henceforth,

Yudhishthira is your son. You should try

to love him and in that way bear the

burden of life, giving up grief."

Making his way, through the crowd of

weeping women Yudhishthira approached

Dhritarashtra and bowed before him.

Dhritarashtra embraced Yudhishthira, but

there was no love in that embrace.

Then Bhimasena was announced to the

blind king. "Come," said Dhritarashtra.

But Vasudeva was wise. He gently pushed

Bhima aside and placed an iron figure

before the blind Dhritarashtra, knowing

the old king's exceeding anger.

Dhritarashtra hugged the metal statue to

his bosom in a firm embrace and then the

thought came to him of how this man had

killed everyone of his sons. And his wrath

increased to such a pitch that the image

was crushed to pieces in his embrace.

"Ha! My anger has deceived me," cried

Dhritarashtra. "I have killed dear Bhima."

Then Krishna said to the blind king:

"Lord, I knew that it would be thus and I

prevented the disaster. You have not

killed Bhimasena. You have crushed only

an iron image that I placed instead before

you. May your anger be appeased with

what you have done to this image. Bhima

is still alive."

The king was composed somewhat and he

blessed Bhima and the other Pandavas

who then took leave of him and went to

Gandhari.

Vyasa was with Gandhari. "Oh

queen,"said the rishi, "be not angry with

the Pandavas. Did you not tell them even

when the battle began: 'Where there is

dharma, there surely will be victory'? And

so it has happened. It is not right to let the

mind dwell on what is past and nurse

one's anger. You must now call to aid

your great fortitude."

Gandhari said: "Bhagavan, I do not envy

the victory of the Pandavas. It is true that

grief for the death of my sons has robbed

me of my understanding. These Pandavas

also are my sons. I know that Duhsasana

and Sakuni brought about this destruction

of our people. Arjuna and Bhima are

blameless. Pride brought this battle about

and my sons deserve the fate they have

met. I do not complain about it. But then,

in Vasudeva's presence, Bhima called

Duryodhana to battle and they fought.

And, knowing that Duryodhana was

stronger and could not be defeated in

single combat, Bhima struck him below

the navel and killed him. Vasudeva was

looking on. This was wrong and it is this

that I find it impossible to forgive."

Bhima, who heard this, came near and

said: "Mother, I did this to save myself in

battle. Whether it was right or wrong, you

should bear with me. Your son was

invincible in combat and so I did in 

selfprotection what was undoubtedly 

wrong.

He called Yudhishthira to play and

deceived him. We had been wronged by

your son in so many ways. He would not

give back the kingdom, of which be took

unlawful possession. And you know what

your son did to blameless Draupadi. If we

had killed your son on the spot, when he

misbehaved in the Hall of Assembly,

surely you would not have blamed us.

Bound by Dharmaraja's vow, we

restrained ourselves with difficulty then.

We have since discharged honor's debt

and found satisfaction in battle. Mother,

you should forgive me."

"Dear son, if you had left but one out of

my hundred sons and killed all the rest

and satisfied your anger, I and my old

husband would have found solace in that

surviving son for the rest of our lives.

Where is Dharmaputra? Call him." She

said.

Hearing this, Yudhishthira trembled as he,

with clasped hands, approached Gandhari,

whose eyes were bound in a cloth in loyal

lifelong penance for her husband's

blindness. He bowed low before her and

said softly:

"Queen, the cruel Yudhishthira, who

killed your sons, stands before you fit to

be cursed. Do curse me who have

committed great sin. I care not for life or

for kingdom." Saying this, he fell on the

ground and touched her feet.

Gandhari heaved a deep sigh and stood

mute. She turned her head aside knowing

that if, through the cloth with which her

eyes were bound, her vision fell on the

prostrate Yudhishthira he would be

reduced to ashes on the spot. But through

a little space in the cloth, even as she

turned her face away, her eyes fell on the

toe of the prostrate Yudhishthira. At once,

says the poet, the toe was charred black.

Arjuna knew the power of bereaved

Gandhari's wrath, and hid himself behind

Vasudeva. The wise and good Gandhari

suppressed all her anger and blessed the

Pandavas and sent them to Kunti.

Gandhari turned to Draupadi, who was in

lamentation, having lost all her sons.

"Dear girl," said Gandhari. "Do not

grieve. Who can give solace to you and

me? It is through my fault that this great

tribe has been destroyed altogether."

Next : 97. YUDHISHTHIRA'S ANGUISH

Continues...