Having said this much, the king, with eyes laved with tears, became silent, O monarch, agitated as he was with agony.  Beholding the king in tears and grief, Drona’s son flamed up in anger like the fire that is seen at the universal destruction.  Overwhelmed with rage, he squeezed his hand and addressing the king in a voice hoarse with tears, he said these words, “My sire was slain by those wretches with a cruel contrivance.  That act, however, doth not burn me so keenly as this plight to which thou hast been reduced, O king!  Listen to these words of mine that I utter, swearing by Truth itself, O lord, and by all my acts of piety, all my gifts, my religion, and the religious merits I have won.  I shall today, in the very presence of Vasudeva, despatch all the Pancalas, by all means in my power, to the abode of Yama?  It behoveth thee, O monarch, to grant me permission!” Hearing these words of Drona’s son, that were highly agreeable to his heart, the Kuru king addressing Kripa, said, “O preceptor, bring me without delay a pot full of water!” At these words of the king, that foremost of Brahmanas soon brought a vessel full of water and approached the king.  Thy son then, O monarch, said unto Kripa, “Let the son of Drona, O foremost of Brahmanas, (blessed be thou), be at my command installed as generalissimo, if thou wishest to do me the good!  At the command of the king, even a Brahmana may fight, specially one that has adopted Kshatriya practices!  Those learned in the scriptures say this!” Hearing these words of the king, Kripa, the son of Saradwat, installed Drona’s son as generalissimo, at the king’s command!  The installation over, O monarch, Ashvatthama embraced that best of kings and left the spot, having caused the ten points to resound with his leonine roars.  That foremost of kings, Duryodhana, profusely covered with blood, began to pass there that night so frightful to all creatures.  Wending away quickly from the field of battle, O king, those heroes, with hearts agitated by grief, began to reflect anxiously and earnestly.’”

The End of Shalya-parva.

The Mahabharata

of

Krishna-Dwaipayana Vyasa

BOOK 10

Sauptika-parva

Translated into English Prose from the Original Sanskrit Text

by

Kisari Mohan Ganguli

[1883-1896]

Scanned and Proofed by Mantra Caitanya.  Additional proofing and formatting at sacred-texts.com, by J. B. Hare, October 2003.

1

Om!  Having bowed down unto Narayana, and Nara the most exalted of male beings, and unto the goddess Sarasvati, must the word Jaya be uttered!