The Prayers of Queen Kuntī and Parīkṣit Saved

This chapter contains fifty-two verses, out of which verses 9–10 are spoken by Uttarā, verses 18–43 are the prayers of Kuntī, and verses 48–52 are spoken by Yudhiṣṭhira. All other verses are spoken by Sūta, who narrates the story to Śaunaka and the sages. In verse 12 of the previous chapter, Sūta introduced a new topic in his discussion with the sages, namely the birth, actions, and death of King Parīkṣit, and the passing away of the Pāṇḍavas. In this regard, he related the story of Aśvatthāmā’s punishment for killing the five sleeping sons of Draupadī after the conclusion of the Mahābhārata war. The chapter ended with the Pāṇḍavas and Draupadī performing the cremation rites for their dead sons.

In the opening eight verses of this chapter, Sūta continues the narration from where he left off in the previous chapter. After the Pāṇḍavas offered oblations to the river Gaṅgā for their dead relatives, Kṛṣṇa consoled the surviving members of the Kuru dynasty. On the day that He was about to depart for His city of Dvārakā, He saw Uttarā, the wife of Arjuna’s son Abhimanyu, running toward Him. In that moment, Aśvatthāmā had just released a brahmāstra weapon to kill all five Pāṇdavas and Uttarā’s child in the womb. In verses 9–10, Uttarā prayed to Kṛṣṇa for the protection of her child within the womb. Sūta then describes how Kṛṣṇa entered her womb and neutralized the weapon with His Sudarśana disc (verses 11–17).

Kuntī, the mother of the Pāṇdavas, then offered elaborate prayers to Kṛṣṇa, who was once again ready to depart. These prayers form the major topic of discussion in this chapter (verses 18–43). Kuntī pointed out how Kṛṣṇa remains imperceptible, while performing actions disguised in a human-like form. She also noted that Kṛṣṇa had repeatedly protected her and her sons from a host of calamities. In this regard, she remarkably prayed that they be repeatedly beset with calamities, so that they may continuously be blessed with the vision of Him (verse 25). Kuntī then reiterated a few of the principal reasons for Kṛṣṇa’s appearance in this world (verses 32–35). Finally, she prayed that Kṛṣṇa would cut her strong bond of affection for her kinsmen and bestow upon her uninterrupted love for Him, like the flow of the Gaṅgā to the sea (verses 41–42).

Sūta then relates that Kṛṣṇa accepted Kuntī’s prayer, entered the city of Hastināpura, and bade farewell to the women, headed by Subhadrā (verses 44–45). When He was once again ready to depart, He was restrained by Yudhiṣṭhira out of love. In spite of Yudhiṣṭhira’s being instructed by sages, such as Vyāsa, and even by Kṛṣṇa Himself, he could not be consoled (verses 46–47). The chapter ends with Yudhiṣṭhira condemning his actions that led to the war and the enormous toll of deaths (verses 48–52).

All Verses

  1. Verse 1Śrī Sūta said: Thereafter, the Pāṇḍavas, placing the ladies in front and accompanied by Śrī Kṛṣṇa, went to the bank of the Gaṅgā to offer oblations of water to their departed relatives, who [in spirit forms] were anxious to receive such oblations.
  2. Verse 2After offering oblations of water and weeping bitterly, they all bathed once again in the water of the Gaṅgā that is purified by the dust of Hari’s lotus feet.
  3. Verse 3-4By pointing out the inexorable passage of time upon all living beings, Mādhava, along with the sages, consoled King Yudhiṣṭhira together with his younger brothers, Dhṛtarāṣṭra and his wife Gāndhārī, who was grief-stricken at the loss of her sons, as well as Kuntī and Draupadī, all of whom were seated there and plunged into bereavement for their lost relatives.
  4. Verse 5-6Having restored King Yudhiṣṭhira’s own kingdom that was seized by the cheaters [Duryodhana and party], having brought about the destruction of the unrighteous kings, whose lifespan was diminished by touching Queen Draupadī’s hair, and by prompting Yudhiṣṭhira to perform three horse sacrifices with the finest ceremonial arrangements, Kṛṣṇa spread the king’s pious reputation in all directions, like that of Indra, who performed a hundred such sacrifices.
  5. Verse 7-8O brāhmaṇa [Śaunaka], after taking leave of Pāṇḍu’s sons, and after having been worshiped in turn by the brāhmaṇas headed by Dvaipāyana Vyāsa, who were first worshiped by Him, Kṛṣṇa, accompanied by Sātyaki and Uddhava, mounted a chariot with the intention to return to Dvārakā. Just then, He saw Uttarā rushing toward Him, overcome with fear.
  6. Verse 9Uttarā entreated Śrī Kṛṣṇa: O Supreme Yogī! O God of gods! O Master of the Cosmos! Please protect me, protect me. In this world where death is mutually related, I cannot identify any source of fearlessness other than You.
  7. Verse 10O Lord! O Omnipotent One! A red-hot iron arrow is rushing toward me. O Guardian, let it burn me if it so pleases You, but let it not destroy the child in my womb.
  8. Verse 11Śrī Sūta said: Having attentively listened to her words, Bhagavān, who is affectionately disposed toward His devotees, understood this to be the missile of Droṇācārya’s son [Aśvatthāmā], which was deployed to rid this world of the Pāṇḍava dynasty.
  9. Verse 12O best of sages [Śaunaka], thereupon in that precise moment, the Pāṇḍavas, seeing five burning arrows heading toward them, took up their weapons.
  10. Verse 13Perceiving the inevitable calamity that faced them [the Pāṇḍavas], whose essential being was without any other object of attention, the Omnipotent, Omniscient Bhagavān protected His own devotees with His Sudarśana weapon.
  11. Verse 14Hari, the Immanent Self of all living beings and the Master of yoga, entered within Uttarā and covered her womb by means of His own intrinsic potency to protect the Kuru dynasty.
  12. Verse 15O descendant of the Bhṛgu dynasty [Śaunaka], although the brahmāstra weapon could not be counteracted by any means and was thus unfailing, yet when it encountered Kṛṣṇa’s effulgent power, it was diffused.
  13. Verse 16You should certainly not think of this as astonishing for Acyuta [Śrī Kṛṣṇa], the very embodiment of all wonders, who, while personally unborn, evolves, sustains, and dissolves this cosmos by His divine extrinsic potency (māyā).
  14. Verse 17The virtuous Kuntī, along with her sons and Draupadī, who were liberated from the fire of the brahmāstra, spoke as follows to Kṛṣṇa, who was about to depart for Dvārakā.
  15. Verse 18Kuntī said: I offer obeisance unto You, the Primeval Person, who are beyond primordial nature (prakṛti), because You are the Supreme Regulator [of that nature], and though You are situated in a complete manner both within and without all living beings, You are yet imperceptible.
  16. Verse 19I, who am ignorant [of bhakti-yoga], simply offer obeisance unto You, who are concealed by the veil of māyā, beyond sense perception, and immutable. Thus, You cannot be known by a person of bewildered vision, just as an actor disguised in a stage costume cannot be recognized by an uncultured spectator.
  17. Verse 20In the same manner, You [of such glory] cannot be known even by highly self-realized beings (paramahaṁsas) and contemplative sages (munis), whose hearts are cleansed of all impurity. So how indeed can we women know You, who have appeared to grant bhakti-yoga even to such paramahaṁsa sages?
  18. Verse 21Repeated obeisances unto You, Śrī Kṛṣṇa, Govinda, the son of Vasudeva, the delight of Devakī, and the child of the cowherd Nanda.
  19. Verse 22Obeisance unto You, whose navel is shaped like a lotus. Obeisance unto You, who are adorned with a garland of lotus flowers. Obeisance unto You, whose eyes resemble the petals of a lotus. Obeisance unto You, whose feet bear the marks of lotus flowers.
  20. Verse 23O Omnipotent One! O Master of the Senses! Just as Devakī, who was imprisoned and thrown into grief for a long time by the wicked King Kaṁsa, was delivered by You, so too I, along with my sons, have been repeatedly delivered from a series of calamities by You alone, our protector.
  21. Verse 24O Hari! You protected us from poison, from a devastating fire, from the terrifying encounter with cannibals, from the unrighteous assembly [of gamblers], from the hardships of our exile in the forest, from the weapons of many great warriors in battle after battle, and now from the weapon of Aśvatthāmā.
  22. Verse 25O Guru of the Universe! May calamities continuously befall us in all these various circumstances, so that in the midst of such calamities, the vision of You may be granted to us, by which the vision of worldly existence may never be repeated again.
  23. Verse 26A person whose pride is inflated by noble birth, administrative power, learning, or wealth is certainly unable to address You at all, who are accessible only to those who are destitute of all else but You.
  24. Verse 27Obeisance unto You, in whom the functions of the material guṇas are nonexistent and whose real wealth is those who are destitute of all else but You. Obeisances unto You, who delight exclusively in Your own Self, who are established in unwavering tranquility, and who are the Master of liberation.
  25. Verse 28I consider You as Time, as the Supreme Regulator, as without beginning or end, as omnipotent, and as moving impartially everywhere, because the mutual conflict between living beings takes place of its own accord [with You as its instrument of actualization].
  26. Verse 29O Bhagavān! No one knows what You intend to do while You act disguised as a human being. No one is ever dear or detestable to You, upon whom the attitude of bias belonging to human beings is mistakenly projected.
  27. Verse 30O Life of the Cosmos! The birth and actions of You, the birthless and inactive Omnipresent Self, which You exhibit among animals, human beings, sages, and aquatics, are an extraordinary imitative display.
  28. Verse 31When the cowherd woman [Yaśodā] took a rope to bind You after You had committed the transgression of breaking the pot of yogurt, in that very moment, You lowered Your face, as Your restless eyes filled with tears mingled with collyrium. This condition of Yours, in which You stood fearfully imagining that she would punish You — You, whom even Fear itself fears — is greatly mystifying to me!
  29. Verse 32Some say that You, although unborn, have taken birth in the Yadu dynasty to enhance the fame of Your beloved Yudhiṣṭhira of spotless glory, just as the sandalwood tree grows [in the malayana genetic line] to enhance the glory of the Malaya Mountain.
  30. Verse 33Others say that for the well-being of this world and to slay the enemies of the gods, You, although unborn, accepted the “sonship” of Vasudeva and Devakī when You were prayed to by them [in their previous lives as Sutapā and Pṛśni].
  31. Verse 34Others propose [as primary] that You verily appeared on being petitioned by the “self-born” Brahmā, to relieve the burden of the earth, which was oppressed like a boat on the ocean sinking due to excessive weight.
  32. Verse 35Others say that You appeared with the intent to perform acts worthy to be heard and deliberated upon for the cessation of the miseries of those who are tormented in this world by primordial ignorance (avidyā), by its ensuing effect in the form of worldly desire (kāma), and by the latter’s consequence in the form of conditional action (karma).
  33. Verse 36Those persons alone who continuously hear, sing, praise, remember, or relish Your divine acts quickly behold Your lotus feet, which put an end to the flow of material existence.
  34. Verse 37O Omnipotent One! O You, by whom the wishes of Your devotees are automatically fulfilled! Do You intend to leave us today — we who are Your dearly beloved friends, whose very life is dependent on You, we who have inflicted anguish upon the enemy kings and who have no refuge other than Your lotus feet?
  35. Verse 38What are we when You are absent from our vision? We Pāṇḍavas along with the Yadus, both of substantial fame and fortune, are then nothing at all, just as upon the disappearance of the impelling agent [the living being], the senses, together with their names and forms, are then nothing at all.
  36. Verse 39O Gadādhara! Upon Your departure, this land will not appear as beautiful as it shines at present, being imprinted by Your feet that are distinguished by Your own distinctive marks.
  37. Verse 40By Your merciful ambrosial glances, these lands, abounding with ripe crops and vegetation, and with forests, mountains, rivers, and oceans, certainly flourish.
  38. Verse 41Therefore, O Supreme Regulator of the Cosmos! O Immanent Self of the Cosmos! O Embodiment of the Cosmos! Please cut this rigid bond of affection of mine toward my own kinsmen, the Pāṇḍavas and the Vṛṣṇis.
  39. Verse 42O Lord of the Madhus! Let my mind, devoid of any other object of affection, continuously and directly convey the flow of unimpeded divine love unto You, just as the Gaṅgā conveys its flow to the ocean.
  40. Verse 43O Śrī Kṛṣṇa! Friend of Arjuna! Chief of the Vṛṣṇis! You, who are the Fire that burns the dynasties of kings who are enemies of the earth! You of undiminished prowess! O Govinda! You, who descend to dispel the distress of the cows, the brāhmaṇas, and the gods! Master of Yoga! Guru of the Universe! O Bhagavān! I offer obeisance unto You.
  41. Verse 44Śrī Sūta said: Vaikuṇṭha [Śrī Kṛṣṇa], whose complete glory was thus eloquently praised by Kuntī with endearing words, smiled gently, as if to enchant her by His affection (māyā).
  42. Verse 45Replying to Kuntī, “Let it be so,” Kṛṣṇa entered the city of Hastināpura, where He bade farewell to her and the other women. When He was about to depart for His own city [Dvārakā], He was restrained by King Yudhiṣṭhira out of love.
  43. Verse 46Although instructed by sages such as Vyāsa, who were unaware of Bhagavān’s hidden intention, and even by Śrī Kṛṣṇa Himself, the performer of supranatural deeds, by way of reexamining the previous events, the grief-stricken Yudhiṣṭhira could not be consoled.
  44. Verse 47O brāhmaṇas, while lamenting the death of his friends and relatives with his mind altogether bereft of discernment, King Yudhiṣṭhira, the son of Dharma, having fallen under the sway of affection and bewilderment, spoke as follows.
  45. Verse 48Alas! Just see the ignorance that has arisen in this heart of mine, a man of wicked intent. For the sake of this body alone, which is meant for others, legions of military divisions have been slaughtered by me.
  46. Verse 49I am the enemy of children, brāhmaṇas, well-wishers, friends, uncles, cousins, and teachers. Certainly, I will never be delivered from hell, even after thousands of years.
  47. Verse 50“The killing of enemies in a morally justified war involves no sin on the part of a king provided he does so solely in his capacity as the protector of the citizens.” Thus [it is enjoined in the Nīti-śāstras]. These words of instruction, however, are unable to appease me.
  48. Verse 51Even by performing the sacrifices prescribed for a householder, I shall not be able to atone for the hostility that I have inflicted upon the women whose relatives have been killed by me in battle.
  49. Verse 52Just as muddy water cannot be purified by mud, or as the impurity of a surface touched by liquor cannot be cleansed by liquor, so too, no one at all can purify himself from the sin of murdering even a single living being by sacrifices [involving intentional use of violence].