Janamejaya said, Having heard of the fall of Bhishma and that other mighty car-wa

rrior,
viz., Drona, the old king Dhritarashtra the son of Amvika had been afflicted wit
h great grief.
How, O foremost of Brahmanas, could he, plunged into grief, support his life hav
ing heard of the
death of Karna, that well-wisher of Duryodhana? How indeed, could that descendan
t of Kuru
support his life when he, upon whom that monarch had rested the hope of his sons
victory, had
fallen? When the king did not lay down his life even after hearing of Karna s deat
h, I think that it
is very difficult for men to yield up life even under circumstances of great gri
ef! O Brahman,
when the king did not yield up his life after hearing of the fall of the venerab
le son of Santanu, of
Valhika and Drona and Somadatta and Bhurisravas, as also other friends and his s
ons and
grandsons, I think, O regenerate one, that the act of yielding up one s life is ex
ceedingly
2
difficult! Tell me all these in detail and as they actually happened! I am not s
atiated with hearing
the high achievements of my ancestors!
Section II
Vaisampayana said, Upon the fall of Karna, O monarch, the son of Gavalgana, with
a
cheerless heart, set out that night for Nagapura, on steeds that rivalled the wi
nd in speed. Arrived
at Hastinapura, with a heart filled with deep anxiety, he proceeded to Dhritaras
htra s abode
which no longer teemed with kinsmen and friends. Beholding the king deprived of
all energy by
grief, joining his hands he worshipped, with a bend of his head, the monarch s fee
t. Having duly
worshipped king Dhritarashtra, he uttered an exclamation of woe and then began, I
am Sanjaya,
O lord of Earth! Art thou not happy? I hope thou art not stupefied, having throu
gh thy own faults
fallen into such distress? Counsels for thy good had been uttered by Vidura and
Ganga s son and