संजय उवाच हन्त ते सम्प्रवक्ष्यामि सर्वे प्रत्यक्षदर्शिवान्। शुश्रूषस्व स्थिरो भूत्वा तव ह्यपनयो महान्॥
Sanjaya said Alas, as I have seen everything with my own eyes, I shall tell you. Hear me patiently. Great indeed is your fault.
गतोदके सेतुबन्धो याक् तागयं तव। विलापो निष्फलो राजन् मा शुचो भरतर्षभ॥
O king, these lamentations of yours are as useless as the construction of embankments when the waters have receeded from a flooded field. O foremost of the Bharatas, do not indulge in grief.
अनतिक्रमणीयोऽयं कृतान्तस्याद्भुतो विधिः। मा शुचो भरतश्रेष्ठ दिष्टमेतत् पुरातनम्॥
The decrees of Destiny and wonderful and enevitable. O foremost of the Bharatas, do not give way to grief, for these things are not unique.
यदि त्वं हि पुरा द्यूतात् कुन्तीपुत्रं युधिष्ठिरम्। निवर्तयेथाः पुत्रांश्च न त्वां व्यसनमाव्रजेत्॥
If in days gone by, you had prevented Kunti's son Yudhishthira or your own sors, from the tournament at dice, then this calamity would not have overtaken you.
युद्धकाले पुनः प्राप्ते तदैव भवता यदि। निवर्तिताः स्युः संरब्धा न त्वां व्यसनमाव्रजेत्॥
If, again, on the eve of the battle, you had prevented the enraged parties from joining in the battle, then this calamity would not have overtaken you.
दुर्योधनं चाविधेयं बनीतेति कुरूनचोदयिष्यस्त्वं न त्वां व्यसनमाव्रजेत्॥
If, again, formerly you had incited the other Kurus to put an end to the existence of the refractory Duryodhana, then this calamity would never have overtaken you.
पुरा यदि। तत् ते बुद्धिव्यभीचारमुपलप्स्यन्ति पाण्डवाः। पञ्चाला वृष्णयः सर्वे ये चान्येऽपि नराधिपाः॥
If, indeed, you had done one of these alternatives, then the Pandavas, the Panchalas, the Vrishnis and the other rulers of Earth have never had the reason for blaming you for your pervert understanding.
स कृत्वा पितृकर्म त्वं पुत्रं संस्थाप्य सत्पथे। वर्तेथा यदि धर्मेण न त्वां व्यसनमाव्रजेत्॥
If, again, doing the duty of a father, you had (by directing Duryodhana on the path of virtue) compelled him to follow in the same path, then this calamity would never have befallen you.
त्वं तु प्राज्ञतमो लोके हित्वा धर्मे सनातनम्। दुर्योधनस्य कर्णस्य शकुनेश्चान्वागा मतम्॥
You are the wisest man on the face of the Earth. But inspite of your being so, you accepted the counsel of Karna, Duryodhana and Shakuni, abounding the ways of eternal virtue.
तत् तं विलपितं सर्वं मया राजन् निशामितम्। अर्थे निविशमानस्य विषमिश्रं यथा मधु॥
Therefore, O king, all these lamentations of yours that I have heard, you who are absorbed in the enjoyment of worldly objects-appear to me to be like honey-mixed with poison.
नामन्यत तदा कृष्णो राजानं पाण्डवं पुरा। न भीष्मं नैव च द्रोणं यथा त्वां मन्यतेऽच्युतः॥
In days gone by, Krishna did not hold king Yudhishthira the son of Pandu or Bhishma or Drona, in so high an estimation as he did hold you, O king.
अजानात् स यदा तु त्वां राजधर्मादधश्च्युतम्। तदाप्रभृति कृष्णस्त्वां न तथा बहु मन्यते॥
But when he came to know you fallen from the duties of royalty, that time forward, he did not respect you as before.
परुषाण्युच्यमानांश्च यथा पार्थानुपेक्षसे। तस्यानुबन्धः प्राप्तस्त्वां पुत्राणां राज्यकामुक॥
When your sons applied harsh epithets to the sons of Pritha, you assumed an indifferent attitude. The result of that indifference of yours has now overtaken you-you who long to see your sons installed on the throne.
पितृपैतामहं राज्यमपवृत्तं तदानघ। अथ पार्जितां कृत्स्नां पृथिवीं प्रत्यपद्यथाः॥
O sinless one, the royalty you inherited from your fore-fathers, is now going to slip off your hands; or on the other hand you will have it, obtaining it from the sons of Pritha (who would certainly snatch it away from your sons after slaying them).
पाण्डुना निर्जितं राज्यं कौरवाणां यशस्तथा। ततश्चाप्यधिक भूयः पाण्डवैर्धर्मचारिभिः॥१५॥
The dominions of the Kurus and their fame, had been cquired by Pandu and the rightbehaving sons of Pandu have again added to that fame and those dominions.
तेषां तत् तादृशं कर्म त्वामासाद्य सुनिष्फलम्। यत् पित्र्याद् भ्रंशिता राज्यात् त्वयेहामिषगृद्धिना॥
All those endeavours of their became fruitless when indeed their interests clashed with yours, in as much as they were despoiled of their ancestral sovereignty by your very avaricious self.
यत् पुनयुद्धकाले त्वं पुत्रान् गर्हयसे नृप। बहुधा व्याहरन् दोषान् न तदद्योपपद्यते॥
So, O king, the fact of your attributing blame to your sons at the time of the actual warfare and the face of your expatiating on their faults, indeed, seem very unbecoming.
न हि रक्षन्ति राजानो युध्यन्तो जीवितं रणे। चमू विगाह्य पार्थानां युध्यन्ते क्षत्रियर्षभाः॥
The monarchs, when engaged in battle, do not pay the least regard to their lives. Those foremost of the Kshatriyas fight (to the best of their abilities, having penetrated into the heart of the array of troops belonging to the sons of Pritha.
यांतु कृष्णार्जुनौ सेनां यां सात्यकिवृकोदरौ। रक्षेरन् को नु तां युध्येच्चमूमन्यत्र कौरवैः॥
The army which Krishna and Arjuna and Satyaki and Vrikodara protect what persons except the Kauravas would hazard a battle with that army.
येषां योद्धा गुडाकेशो येषां मन्त्री जनार्दनः। येषां च सात्यकिर्योद्धा येषां योद्धा वृकोदरः॥
They whose warrior is Gudakesha (Arjuna), they whose counsellor is Krishna, they whose protectors are Vrikodara and Satyaki.
को हि तान् विषहेद् योद्धं मर्त्यधर्मा धनुर्धरः। अन्यत्र कौरवेयेभ्यो ये वा तेषां पदानुगाः॥
What human wielder of bow would venture to fight them, save and except the Kauravas and those who follow their lead.
यावत् तु शक्यते कर्तुमन्तरज्ञैर्जनाधिपः। क्षत्रधर्मरतैः शूरैस्तावत् कुर्वन्ति कौरवाः॥
Everything that can possibly be done by devoted (tributary) kings endued with heroism and observant of the duties of the Kshatriyas, all that is being done for the Kauravas by their partisans.
यथा तु पुरुषव्या युद्ध परमसंकटम्। कुरूणां पाण्डवैः सार्धं तत् सर्वं शृणु तत्त्वतः॥
Hear now from me everything that transpired in that dreadful battle between those foremost of men, viz., the Kauravas and the Pandavas.