ntelligent and virtuous Vidura. Without doubt, this had been
foreseen by Vidura of great wisdom, this great carnage of Kshatriyas and
of ourselves in battle. Reflecting on this, the king, with heart burning
in grief at having witnessed the extermination of his army, desired to
penetrate into the depths of that lake. The Pandavas, O monarch, with
Dhrishtadyumna at their head, filled with rage, rushed against (the small
remnant of) thy army. With his Gandiva, Dhananjaya baffled the purpose of
the (Kaurava) troops, who, armed with darts and swords and lances, were
uttering loud roars. Having with his sharp shafts slain those troops with
their allies and kinsmen, Arjuna, as he stood on his car having white
steeds yoked unto it, looked exceedingly beautiful. Upon the fall of
Subala's son along with horse, cars and elephants, thy army looked like a
large forest laid low (by the wind). In Duryodhana's army then, O
monarch, which had numbered many hundred thousands of warriors, not
another great car-warrior was seen to be alive, save the heroic son of
Drona, and Kritavarma, and Kripa the son of Gotama, O monarch, and that
lord of the earth, thy son! Dhrishtadyumna, seeing me, laughingly
addressed Satyaki, saying, 'What is the use of seizing this one? Nothing
will be gained by keeping him alive.' Hearing these words of
Dhrishtadyumna, the grandson of Sini, that great car-warrior, uplifting
his sharp sword, prepared to slay me. Just at that juncture, the
Island-born Krishna of great wisdom (Vyasa), coming there, said, "Let
Sanjaya be dismissed alive! By no means should he be slain!" Hearing
these words of the Island-born, the grandson of Sini, joined his hands,
and then, setting me free said unto me, "Peace to thee, O Sanjaya, thou
mayest go hence!" Permitted by him, I myself then, putting off my armour
and making over my weapons, set out on the evening on the road leading to
the city, my limbs bathed in blood. After I had come about two miles, O
monarch, I beheld Duryodhana, standing alone, mace in hand, and
exceedingly mangled. His eyes were full of tears and therefore he could
not see me. I stood cheerlessly before him. He looked accordingly at me
without recognising me. Beholding him standing alone on the field and
indulging in grief, I also, overwhelmed with sorrow, succeeded not for a
little while to speak a single word. Then I said unto him everything
about my own capture and my release through the grace of the Island-born.