49 verses
Sūta said: Then the Pāṇòavas along with Kṛṣṇa, putting the women in front, went to the Gaḍgā to give water to the departed relatives who desired it.
Offering water to the departed and lamenting intensely, everyone again took bath in the water purified by the dust from the lotus feet of the Lord.
Ninīya means having given.
Kṛṣṇa along with the sages then consoled Yudhiṣṭhira and his brothers, Dhṛtarāṣṭra, Gāndhaṛī, Kuntī and Draupadī, lamenting the loss of their sons, all of whom were overcome with grief by the death of their relatives, who were all seated there, by showing the relentless movement of time upon all entities.
Kuru-patim refers to Yudhiṣṭhira. Sahānujam refers to Bhīma and his brothers. Kṛṣṇa consoled them along with the sages.
Kṛṣṇa had Yudhiṣṭhira established in his rightful kingdom stolen by cheaters, had the unrighteous kings whose lives were shortened because of grabbing Draupadīs hair destroyed, and had Yudhiṣṭhira conduct horse sacrifices three times with best arrangements. Thus his pure fame spread in all directions like that of Indra.
The kings lives were destroyed by grabbing Draupadīs hair and other sinful acts. The horse sacrifices were actually carried out later. This is a summary of events without chronology.
O Śaunaka! Having spoken to the Pāṇòavas, having worshipped the sages such as Vyāsa and have been worshipped by them, Kṛṣṇa, desiring to go to Dvārakā, while seated on his chariot with Sātyaki and Uddhava, saw Uttarā, shaking with fear, running towards him.
Śaineyaḥ means Sātyaki, the grandson of Śini.
Uttarā said: O great yogī! O Supreme Lord! Master of the universe! Please protect me. I do not see anyone except you who is fearless in this word where each living being causes anothers death.
Other than you (tvad) I see no one who can give fearlessness. Death is mutual (parasparam) in the sense that one person causes anothers death, and someone else causes his death.
O powerful lord! This arrow of burning iron is pursuing me. O Lord! Let it burn me up! But let it not kill my child!
You are praying for your life even though you are now without your husband Abhimanyu. Are you not ashamed? I am not praying for my life. I am praying for my sons life.
Sūta said: Hearing Uttarās words, Kṛṣṇa, affectionate to his devotees, understood that Aśvatthāmā had released a brahmāstra to rid the world of the Pāṇòavas.
Aśvatthāmā wanted to make the world (idam) without the Pāṇòavas (apāṇòavam).
O best of sages! Seeing five flaming arrows headed towards them, the Pāṇòavas then took up their weapons.
The Pāṇòavas only saw this and no one else could.
The Lord, seeing the danger to the Pāṇòavas who were dedicated only to him, protected them with his own weapon - the Sudarśana.
The brahmāstra cannot be counteracted by any weapon except another brahmāstra. Arjuna had counteracted one brahmāstra with one of his previously. Now Aśvatthāmā had released five separate brahmāstras for each of the Pāṇòavas. This was difficult to counteract because it would take time to release five brahmāstras. Considering (vīkṣya) the unavoidable danger, though the Lord had renounced all weapons, he protected his devotees, even if he had to break his own promise, in order to preserve his unique quality of having affection for his devotees.
The Lord, master of yoga, the soul dwelling within all beings, covered the embryo of Parīkṣit within Uttarā, in order to preserve the family of the Pāṇòavas, using his yoga-māyā.
As the paramātmā Kṛṣṇa was situated within Uttarā already (antaḥsthaḥ), but by the power of his yoga (yogeśvaraḥ) he entered as Kṛṣṇa and covered the embryo. Covered means he protected it, for continuation of the Kuru family (kuru-tantave). He used his yoga-māyā potency (sva-māyayā), so that even Uttarā was unaware of what he did. Kuru here means the Pāṇòavas since they were also in the Kuru family.
O Śaunaka! Though the brahmāstra is effective and cannot be prevented from acting, on meeting the weapon of Viṣṇu, it became completely ineffective.
You should not consider this so surprising for Kṛṣṇa who is full of all wonderful powers. He creates, maintains and destroys this universe by his power of Māyā-devī.
The devotee Kuntī, along with Draupadī and her sons who were saved from the fire radiation of the brahmāstra, then spoke to Kṛṣṇa as he was about to depart for Dvārakā.
Kṛṣṇayā means with Draupadī. Satī means a devotee.
I offer my respects to you, the Supreme Person, the original one, the controller, beyond the control of prakṛti, unseen by material senses, and existing inside and outside of all living beings.
Understanding everything that Kṛṣṇa had done recently, Kuntī was unable to tolerate the agitation caused by the great respect that arose in her heart. Thus she began praising Kṛṣṇa.
But I am your nephew. Why are you offering respects?
But you are the Supreme Lord (puruṣam).
Of course I am a man (puruṣam). There is no doubt about that!
You are the first one (ādyam).
Well, all bodies come and go. All souls are original (ādya).
But you are supreme (īśvaraḥ).
Oh, in Svarga, Indra and the moon god, and on earth the kings are controllers (iśvara).
But you are superior to prakṛti.
Am I the puruṣa within, Paramātmā?
No, you are imperceptible (alakṣyam). The Paramātmā is subject to revelation by use of intelligence and other means.
Am I the imperceptible brahman?
No, you are situated internally and externally.
I do not know you, covered by the screen of māyā, beyond the knowledge of the material senses, and unaffected, just as the puppeteer behind the screen moving the puppets is not understood by the eyes of the ignorant.
Since internally, you protected the child in the womb of Uttarā and externally you protect us by being near us, should I understand that you are all pervading? I do not know. That is expressed in this verse.
You are covered by the curtain (javanikā) of māyā.
Then māyā covers me?
It is like the fool who thinks that the sun is covered by a cloud. I see you as covered because my vision is covered by māyā, because you are beyond sense knowledge (adhokṣajam). Sense knowledge (akṣajam jñānam) is situated below you (adhaḥ). I do not have the power to contact you, since my knowledge arises from my senses, like the knowledge of a fool. But even if despicable people like me do not know you, there is no loss for you. You remain unaffected by this (avyayam).
But you see me directly and praise me. You know that I am beyond prakṛti. Then why do you criticize yourself as being ignorant?
Though the dancer is endowed with rhythms and dance steps suitable to the rasa, the ignorant spectator, ignorant of the scriptures delineating performance, sees only a dancer dancing. Though he sees, he does not really see. Similarly though I see you, I really do not see you. The word tathā (similarly) should be understood from the context. Though you protect the Pāṇòavas, your devotees, since you are the soul within all of us constantly, you personally counteracted a weapon of Aśvatthāmā meant for killing the Pāṇòavas. Though you promised not to use weapons, you took up a weapon. Though you protect the righteous, you had Bhīṣma and other righteous persons destroyed. Though you are most affectionate to Draupadī and Subhadrā, you let their sons be killed. I do not know the truth about your pastimes.
How can we women hope to see you, the object of bhakti for the omniscient, liberated sages?
I am hopeless as a woman. Can even the omniscient sages, paramahaṁsas, who worship you with attraction for your sweet pastimes, being ignorant of the truth about your pastimes, know the intricacies of your pastimes? That is expressed in this verse.
Amalātmanām refers to those who are free from the contamination of material guṇas, liberated souls in this life. How can we see you, who are the object of bhakti-yoga practice (bhakti-yoga-vidhānārtham) for the paramahaṁsas? That the paramahaṁsas worship the Lord has been explained in the verse ātmārāmas ca munayaḥ. (SB 1.7.10)
I repeatedly offer respects to Kṛṣṇa, the son of Vasudeva, who gave joy to Devakī, who was the child of Nanda and satisfier of the senses of the gopīs.
Among all the avatāras you are the best. Though all those who have prema are fortunate, my brother Vasudeva was most fortunate, since you selected him as your father. That is the significance of the word Vāsudeva, son of Vasudeva. And your mother, endowed with even more prema is most fortunate. You made her more successful than all others by situating yourself in her womb alone. Thus Kuntī addresses Kṛṣṇa as devakī-nandana: he who gives joy to Devakī. Nanda, endowed with more prema is most fortunate. You let him alone experience the sweetness of your infant (kumāra) pastimes (nanda-gopa-kumāra). Yaśodā with abundant prema is most fortunate. This will be explained in verse 31. The pastimes of your kaiśora age have even more sweetness than the kaumāra pastimes. Thus Kuntī addresses Kṛṣṇa as Govinda. Kṛṣṇa got the name Govinda at the beginning of his kaiśora age after he was bathed by the Surabhi cow. You take possession (vinda) of all the senses (go) of all people. The enjoyers of this form of Kṛṣṇa are not mentioned because of their extraordinary nature, the esoteric nature of this love and the lack of qualification of others to taste it.
I offer respects to you, with lotus navel, wearing a lotus garland, having lotus eyes, and lotus feet.
I am also counted among the fortunate, for you give happiness to my eyes. My eyes, receiving the sight of your navel, garland, eyes and feet, become pleasantly cool.
O master of the senses! O Lord! Just as you protected Devakī imprisoned by evil Kaṁsa one time, you, my master, released me along with my sons repeatedly from even greater dangers, since I was afflicted with great suffering.
You protected me when I was helpless as if I were your mother.
O Hṛṣīkeśa, master of the senses! You alone know my heart since you are master of the senses. I was rescued from danger along with my sons. You showed special mercy to me (since you did not protect her (Devakīs) other children). What was the reason? I was more afflicted with suffering by my karmas (śucārpitā). I was suffering even more than Devakī. I was saved by you, my master (nāthena). She had a husband (nātha), Vasudeva and thus had the possibility of having more children. And since you were the crest jewel among all children, what need was there for her previous inferior children who were not saved? Moreover, I was again and again saved from a host of dangers, whereas she was saved from one little danger caused by Kaṁsa. She had not even a trace of danger since she was happy with repeated expectations that the Supreme Lord would be born from her womb. And after you were born, she had no danger at all. I was in all ways wretched. You were merciful to me because you are the friend of the most fallen. I was not like fortunate Devakī who had prema for you.
You saved us from Bhīma getting poisoned, from the burning house of lac, from the sight of rākṣasas like Hiòimbā, from the gambling den, from the hardships of living in the forest, from unlimited weapons thrown by great warriors in countless battlefields, and from the brahmāstra of Aśvatthāmā.
In this verse she shows the variety of dangers. Viṣād refers to the giving of poison to Bhīma. Mahāgneḥ means from the burning of the house of lac. Puruṣāda means the rākṣasas like Hiòimbā. Asat-sabhāyāḥ refers to the gambling match.
O guru of the universe! May we have dangers in such situations continually, because in those dangers we will see you, and by that we will gain release from this material world.
These dangers are a great blessing to me. O guru of the universe! To give benefit to us, you destroy unsteadiness caused by intoxication with material comfort by giving the ointment of dangers arising out of your mercy. Through those dangers (yad) we can see you. By seeing you, we no longer will see the suffering of material existence.
A man swelling with pride because of birth, power, learning or money, cannot chant your names. You are available to those who have nothing except you.
The security of the material world is actually a danger. Abhidhātum means to say the names of the Lord.
I offer my respects to he whose treasure is unalloyed devotees, who is devoid of material interest, who is disinterested in those who are not devotees, who forgives his devotees, and helps the devotee desiring liberation.
Those who do not have anything materially speaking (akiñcana), but possess only you who have a body of complete knowledge and bliss, are alone your unalloyed devotees. They are the abodes of prema, and are thus like treasures, who should be hidden from everyone. I offer respects to you who possess these treasures of the akiñcanas (akiñcana-vittāya). But akiñcanas are poor. That is true. The devotees of the Lord do not have the wealth arising from the guṇas of māyā (nivṛtta). They have the Lord who is devoid of all material enjoyment (nivṛtta-guṇa-vṛttaye). The Lords attachment to the akiñcana-bhaktas was described. Now, his detachment from others is shown (ātmārāmāya). If the devotee makes offense to the Lord, the Lord does not become angry. He remains peaceful (śāntāya), showing mercy to his devotee. He also assists those devotees interested in liberation (kaivalya-pataye).
I consider you to be destroyer of the offenders, the controller, without beginning or end, the most powerful, equal to all, moving everywhere in all living beings, and the abode of conflicting qualities.
This verse describes the Lords destruction (kālam) of those who offend his devotees. You are not unjust (samam) because you show attachment to the devotee, indifference to matter, assistance to some and destruction to others. Yad mithaḥ kaliḥ means in whom there is conflict because the Lord gives suffering and bliss, he is equal and prejudiced, is unmerciful and merciful.
No one knows the intentions of the Lord who desires to hide himself in human form, who does not show favor or hatred to anyone, and about whom all men have different opinions.
Who will decide the truth about you if there is a disagreement? No one can decide. This is explained in two verses.
No one knows the plan of you who desire (īhamānasya) to make the knowledge of those who speculate about scripture useless. Or no one knows the plan of you who desire to play the role of human beings as Rāma and Kṛṣṇa. Or no one knows the plan of you who desire to delude the fools by not letting them see your sweet qualities. All men have differing ideas about you (yasmin viṣamā matir nṛṇām). The sun shows attachment to the sun stone by imparting its own qualities. It shows indifference to the blind people and is helpful to the Cakravāka birds (who become joyful when the sun rises and destroys darkness). The sun is harmful to the darkness used by thieves and owls. But the sun is not partial to anyone. It manifests the same light to all. The cause of difference is the good or bad qualities of the specific object. It is the same with the Lord. Different people relate with the Lord in different ways according to their qualities.
O soul of the universe! You are unborn and perform no actions, but you take birth and perform activities in the forms of animals, men and aquatics. This is extremely deceptive.
Understanding the conclusions about your partiality or impartiality, your action or lack of action, your birth or lack of birth, one can relish your pastimes. You are born though you are unborn, and perform actions though you are not the doer. You manifest your attractive nature in various forms of animals, humans and aquatics. This is an extreme deception (atyanta-viòambanam) since it appears that you lessen your stature by accepting inferior forms. When you accepted the boar incarnation you sniffed out the earth. Though you are omniscient and omnipotent, you became a real boar. But seeing that form, the knowers of the truth will not laugh and say that you are simply a mortal animal, thinking that you are a jīva under the control of karma. Since you are actually without birth and material action, your pastimes with birth and action must not actually be true. But this is incompatible with the fact that the pastimes were attractive to ātmārāmas like Śukadeva. However, from the statement of the Lord himself janma karma ca me divyam evaṁ yo vetti tattvataḥ: he who knows the truth nature of my birth and activities (BG 4.9), the Lords birth and activities are factual, not a fiction. This is incompatible with the statement that the Lord has no birth and no activities. Thus who can know the truth about the Lord possessing unlimited, inconceivable powers?
TRANSLATION (from folio) My dear Kṛṣṇa, Yaśodā took up a rope to bind you when you committed an offense, and your perturbed eyes flooded with tears, which washed the mascara from your eyes. And you were afraid, though fear personified is afraid of you. This sight is bewildering to me.
Because of this I relish your pastimes. When you broke the yogurt pot, committing offense against Yaśodā (kṛtāgasi), Yaśodā put a rope around your waist. The state at that moment astonishes me. Lowering your head with eyes filled with tears mixed with eye ointment, you stood there in fear of her punishment. It is astonishing because (yad) fear itself is afraid of you. This state shows that Yaśodā, having such prema, was more fortunate than Nanda, since you were brought under her control completely. By saying fear is afraid of you Kuntī shows her awareness of Kṛṣṇas power as the Lord. She also accepts as true that he was internally feeling fear. It would not be possible for her to be bewildered if she thought he was only imitating being fearful. Thus the word viòambanam in the previous verse cannot mean imitation, that the Lord only took the various roles while pretending.
Some say that you, though unborn, have taken birth in the Yadu family to give fame to Yudhiṣṭhira, just as sandalwood, originating in the Malaya Hills gives fame to those hills.
If you were not to appear in this world how would we be able to relish your enchanting pastimes? There are many opinions about the cause of your appearance. Puṇya-śloka here refers to Yudhiṣṭhira, since he was famous by that name at that time. puṇya-śloko nalo rājā puṇya-śloko yudhiṣṭhiraḥ: puṇya-ṣloka means King Nala, a famous person or Yudhiṣṭhira. You appeared in the Yadu dynasty to glorify dear Yudhiṣṭhira. Or the sentence can mean You appeared in that dynasty to glorify the famous Yadu.
Some say that you, though unborn, appeared as the son of Vasudeva in Devakī upon their request, in order to protect the world and kill the demons.
You are unborn yet you came as the son of Vasudeva. Using third person (abhyagāt) instead of second person verb ending with tvam is poetic license. Previously in the form of Sutapa and Pṛśni they asked the Lord to be their son. You appeared for protecting the world (asya) and killing the demons.
Others say that you appeared at the request of Brahmā for lifting up the earth which had sunk like a boat overloaded with weight.
Another opinion is that you appeared mainly because of Brahmās request.
Some say that you have appeared in this world to help those suffering due to their actions arising from material desires arising from ignorance by engaging them in hearing and remembering about you, so that they can attain prema.
This is the real reason for the Lords appearance. First there is ignorance (avidyā) and then desire (kāma), and then action (karmabhiḥ). You come to engage those suffering due to actions arising from material desires which are due to ignorance in actions for attaining prema. The destruction of suffering is incidental, because it is said in the next verse that the result of hearing about the Lord is seeing the lotus of the Lord. By seeing the Lord one attains prema.
Persons who constantly hear, sing, speak, remember and sing to others about your activitiesthey alone, without delay, are able to see your lotus feet which destroy the influence of material existence.
This verse shows the actual reason for the Lords appearance. They and not others (eva) see for certain. It is not that they do not see. They see without delay (acireṇa), not after a long time, your lotus feet, not the lotus feet of one of your expansions. Those lotus feet destroy the influence of material existence rather than prolong material existence. Your form is not without qualities. In order to appreciate the beauty of the Lord, his six aspects need to be seen.
O Lord! Do you, whose deeds are automatically accomplished, desire to reject us today, though we are your friends and depend on you? We, having created trouble with many kings, have no other shelter than your lotus feet.
We, and not others, become happy on seeing you and suffer on not seeing you. The time of happiness has passed and the time of suffering has arrived.
Do you desire to leave us today, since you desire to go to Dvārakā?
But I have stayed many days. Now I must go to Dvārakā. I have necessary work there. Please give your assent.
To this Kuntī answers, But you are the person whose necessary works are already accomplished. Your intentions fulfill themselves automatically (sva-kṛtehita). Some versions have the word without the visarga (ḥ). Then it would a vocative address to Kṛṣṇa, O self-accomplisher! The Pāṇòavas had created suffering for many kings by killing their fathers or relatives. We depend on you (anujīvinaḥ). Therefore stay here and protect my sons.
Without your presence who are we, the Pāṇòavas along with the Yadus with their fame and strength? We are like the senses without the jīva.
But Bhīma and Arjuna, your sons, are very powerful. The king is dharma personified and the Yādavas are your friends. You have no worries.
Who are we Pāṇòavas with the Yadus having fame (nāma) and ability (rūpa) without your presence? Similarly, without the presence of the jīva the senses have no significance or power.
O holder of the club! When you go, this land, marked with the special signs on your feet, will not glow as it does now.
If you go there, this land (iyam) will not glow. The land is marked uniquely (vilakṣitaiḥ) with your signs -- the flag and thunderbolt.
This thriving land, filled with ripe herbs and fruit-laden trees, forests, mountains and rivers, has grown prosperous by your glance.
O Lord of all the universes! O life of all the universes! O form of all the universes! Please cut my strong bonds of affection for my relatives, the Pāṇòavas and Yādavas.
Both your departure from here and coming here are unfortunate: departure for the Pāṇòavas and coming here for the Yādavas. Since she ends up with a disturbed mind in either case, Kuntī prays to cut off her ties of affection with both parties. You are the Lord of all the universes (viśveśa). You give life to all the universes (viśvātman). Though you are the form of the universe, being an ocean of mercy, you are always attentive in regards to the welfare of the Yādavas and Pāṇòavas. Will I die uselessly by thinking of their welfare?
Let my mind, with attention fixed on no other object, repeatedly carry its affection to you, chief of the Madhu dynasty, just as the Gaḍgā carries a full stream of water to the ocean.
Then do you want realization of brahman? Because if you cut your affection for the Yādavas, you will cut your affection for me also.
May my mind hold (udvahatāt) affection (rati) for you, without any obstacle. Udvah means to flow strongly. The mind should not think of anything else (ananya-viṣayā). Your devotees are non-different from you and thus without affection for them affection for you cannot take place. It is not possible that this could please you. This I know. Therefore let my mind have attraction for no one except you and your devotees. I prayed to cut affectionate bonds with the Pāṇòavas and Yādavas who are your devotees. But since it is a prayer in front of you it means cutting only the material affection which arises from bodily identification. It is not cutting the affectionate relation with you. I want to cut that affection which causes bondage. Just as the Gaḍgā carries a full stream of water (ogham) to the ocean, the shelter of small and large rivers, may my mind also carry its affection to you, who are the shelter of all the devotees. Just as the Gaḍgā does not consider any obstacles on its course, my mind also should not consider any obstacles that may rise while thinking of you.
O Kṛṣṇa! Of friend of Arjuna! Best of the Yādavas! Destroyer of the kings who harmed the earth! Lord of undiminished strength! Lord of all the cows! Destroyer of the suffering of the cows, brāhmaṇas and devatās! Master of yoga! Guru of all people! O Lord! I offer respects to you.
After offering her prayers she offers respects while remembering how the Lord gave happiness to all people. Kṛṣṇa-sakha means friend of Arjuna. You destroyed the dynasties of kings who injured the earth. You have undiminished strength (anapavarga-vīrya). You have a wealth of kama-dhenus (govinda).
Suta said: The Lord, whose greatness had been glorified by the sweet words of Kuntī, smiled softly as if bewildered by prema.
Pariṇūta comes from the verb pariṇu of the tud class. With the long vowel it means to praise. The Lord was bewildered, not by material māyā but by prema.
Agreeing with her, Kṛṣṇa entered Hastināpura. Wanting to leave for his city, he took permission from Kuntī and the other women. He was prevented from leaving by Yudhiṣṭhira out his great love for Kṛṣṇa.
Kuntī had prayed that her mind be concentrated only on the Lord. Kṛṣṇa accepted that. He then went away from the chariot stable and returned to Hastināpura. He then took permission to leave from Kuntī and the other women headed by Subhadrā. As he was about to go to Dvārakā, Yudhiṣṭhira prevented him, begging that he stay a little longer. This indicates that Kṛṣṇa was completely controlled by the love of the king.
Though instructed through stories by Vyāsa and other sages who did not know the Lords intention, and though even instructed by Kṛṣṇa, who had performed the remarkable action of bewildering Yudhiṣṭhira at this moment, Yudhiṣṭhira became overcome with grief, and could not understand those instructions.
Since I am not staying here, I will make my devotee Bhīṣma happy by showing myself along with my followers to him since he does not want to die without seeing me, and his death is now approaching. I will have him instruct Yudhiṣṭhira in order to spread his glories to the world. This verse conveys this wish of the Lord.
Vyāsādyair īśvarehājñaiḥ means by Vyāsa and other sages who either knew or did not know the above-mentioned intention of the Lord. Kṛṣṇa performed a remarkable action (adbhūta-karmaṇā) of entering Yudhiṣṭhiras heart and making him lose his sense of judgment. Kṛṣṇa made him completely incapable of understanding the teachings of himself and Vyāsa. By having Bhīṣma enlighten him, the Lord announced to the world that Bhīsma, his pure devotee, had more knowledge of dharma than Vyāsa, other sages, or even Kṛṣṇa. But because Yudhiṣṭhira had even greater prema for Kṛṣṇa than Bhīṣma, Kṛṣṇa, though going to Dvārakā, stayed back with him because of his request. Having approached Yudhiṣṭhira, he then created this loss of judgment in Yudhiṣṭhira.
O brāhmaṇas! Yudhiṣṭhira, thinking of the killing of his friends, overcome with bewilderment arising from affection, due to material thinking, then spoke.
This verse describes Yudhiṣṭhiras loss of discrimination. Though his self was actually spiritual, he thought of himself materially (prākṛtena ātmanā). But this was only a temporary imposition, by the Lords desire, so that the Lords plan could be carried out.
Oh! Look at the ignorance spread over my evil heart. Just for my body which is fit for the jackals food, I have killed many armies.
For my body which is food for dogs and jackals (pārakyasya) I have killed many akṣauhinīs. Vyāsa has described the akṣauhiṇī.
akṣauhiṇī prasaṁkhyātā rathānāṁ dvija-sattamāḥ |
saṁkhyā-gaṇana-tattva-jñaiḥ sahasrāny eka-viṁśatiḥ ||
śatāny upari caivāṣṭau tathā bhūyaś ca saptatiḥ |
gajānāṁ ca prasaṁkhyānam etad eva prakīrtitam ||
jñeyaṁ śata-sahasraṁ tu sahasrāni navaiva tu |
nārāṇām api pañcāśacchatāni trīṇi caiva hi ||
pañca-ṣaṣṭhi-sahasrāṇi tathāśvānāṁ śatāni ca |
daśottarāṇi ṣaṭ prāhuḥ saṁkhyā-tattva-vido janāḥ |
etām akṣauhiṇīṁ prāhur yathāvad iha saṁkhyayā ||
O best of the brāhmaṇas! Those who understand counting know that an akṣauhiṇī consists of 21,870 chariots and the same number of elephants. It has 109,350 foot soldiers. It has 65,610 horses.
Because I have killed children, brāhmaṇas, relatives, friends, paternal uncles, cousins, and gurus, I cannot be free from hellish punishments for ten thousand years.
Suhrt here means relatives and mitra means friends. Pitṛ means paternal uncles.
There is no sin for the king who kills the enemy in a righteous war, protecting the citizens. This rule does not apply to me.
Killing the enemy is not a sin. This rule does not apply, since it is an instruction for one who is protecting the people. One is permitted to kill those who are killing ones citizens. Since Duryodhana was protecting the citizens, I have committed sins, since I have killed only out of greed for a kingdom.
I cannot counteract the injury I have inflicted on the women, whose husbands or sons I have killed, by household rituals.
Mad-dhata-bandhūnāṁ means women whose husbands I have killed. Kalpaḥ means capable.
Just as one cannot purify muddy water by using mud, or cannot purify what is contaminated with liquor by apply more liquor, it is not possible to purify oneself of killing even one living being by performance of animal sacrifices.
Śruti says sarvaṁ pāpmānaṁ tarati brahmahatyāṁ yo śvamedhena yajate: he who performs a horse sacrifice is purified of all sins, even the sin of killing a brāhmaṇa. Therefore you can purify yourself by a horse sacrifice.
Just as thick mud cannot purify muddy water, and an object made impure by contact with wine cannot become pure by washing it with a lot of wine, one cannot be purified of killing by the performance of many sacrifices which has intentional killing of animals as a major part.
In the Eighth Chapter Kṛṣṇa protects Parīkṣit from the brahmāstra when he is in the womb, Kuntī offers prayers to Kṛṣṇa and Yudhiṣṭhira laments.
There is a rule that the women should go in front during the funeral rites.