rs, 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!

"Sanjaya said, 'Those heroes then together proceeded towards the south. At
the hour of sunset they reached a spot near the (Kuru) encampment.
Letting their animals loose they became very much frightened. Reaching
then a fores