11014001a tac chrutvA vacananM tasyA bhImaseno 'tha bhItavat 'Hearing these words of gAndhArI, bhImasena, looking like one in fright,
11014001c gAndhArImM pratyuvAcedaM vacasH sAnunayanM tadA
11014002a adharmo yadi vA dharmas trAsAt tatra mayA kRtaH said these words for soothing her, ‘Be the act righteous or unrighteous, it was done by me through fear and for the object of protecting
11014002c AtmAnanM trAtukAmena tan me tvaGM kSantum arhasi my own self. It behoveth thee therefore, to forgive me now.
11014003a na hi yuddhena putras te dharmeNa sa mahAbalaH Thy mighty son was incapable of being slain by anybody in a fair and righteous battle.
11014003c zakyaH kena cid udyantum ato viSamam Acaram It was for this that I did what was unfair. duryodhana himself had formerly vanquished yudhiSThira unrighteously. He used always to behave guilefully towards us. It was for this that I had recourse to an unfair act.
11014004a sainyasyaiko 'vaziSTo 'yaGM gadAyuddhe ca vIryavAn Thy son was then the sole unslain warrior on his side. In order that that valiant prince, in the mace-encounter,
11014004c mAM hatvA na hared rAjyam iti caitat kRtamM mayA might not slay me and once more deprive us of our kingdom, I acted in that way.
11014005a rAjaputrIJM ca pAJcAlIm ekavastrAM rajasvalAm When the princess of Pancala, in her season, was clad in a single piece of raiment,
11014005c bhavatyA viditaM sarvam uktavAn yat sutas tava thou knowest all that thy son told her.
11014006a suyodhanam asaGMgRhya na zakyA bhUsH sasAgarA Without having disposed of suyodhana we couldn't rule peacefully the whole earth with her seas.
11014006c kevalA bhoktum asmAbhir ataz caitat kRtamM mayA That's why I did this.
11014007a tac cApy apriyam asmAkamM putras te samupAcarat Thy son inflicted many wrongs on us.
11014007c draupadyA yat sabhAmadhye savyam Urum adarzayat In the midst of the assembly he showed his left thigh unto draupadI.
11014008a tatraiva vadhyasH so 'smAkanM durAcAro 'mba te sutaH For that wicked behaviour, thy son deserved to be slain by us even then.
11014008c dharmarAjAjJayA caiva sthitAsH sma samaye tadA At the command, however, of king yudhiSThira the just, we suffered ourselves to be restrained by the compact that had been made.
11014009a vairam uddhukSitaM rAjJi putreNa tava tan mahat By this means, O queen, thy son provoked deadly hostilities with us.
11014009c klezitAz ca vane nityanM tata etat kRtamM mayA And great were our sufferings in the forest (whither we were driven by thy son). Remembering all this, I acted in that way.
11014010a vairasyAsya gataH pAraM hatvA duryodhanaM raNe Having slain duryodhana in battle, we have reached the end of our hostilities.
11014010c rAjyaM yudhiSThiraH prApto vayaM ca gatamanyavaH yudhiSThira has got back his kingdom, and we also have been freed from wrath.’
11014011 gAndhAry uvAca Hearing these words of bhIma, gAndhArI said,
11014011a na tasyaiSa vadhas tAta yat prazaMsasi me sutam
11014011c kRtavAMz cApi tat sarvaM yad idamM bhASase mayi ‘Since thou praisest my son thus (for his skill in battle), he did not deserve such a death. He, however, did all that thou tellest me.
11014012a hatAzve nakule yat tad vRSasenena bhArata
11014012c apibazH zoNitaM saGMkhye duzHzAsanazarIrajam When vRSasena, however, had deprived nakula of his steeds, O bharata, thou quaffedst in battle the blood from duHzAsana’s body!
11014013a sadbhir vigarhitaGM ghoram anAryajanasevitam Such an act is cruel and is censured by the good.
11014013c krUraGM karmAkaroH kasmAt tad ayuktaM vRkodara It suits only a person that is most disrespectable. It was a wicked act, O vRkodara, that was then accomplished by thee! It was undeserving of thee.’
11014014 bhImasena uvAca bhIma replied, saying,
11014014a anyasyApi na pAtavyaM rudhiraGM kimM punasH svakam ‘It is improper to quaff the blood of even a stranger, what then need be said about quaffing the blood of one’s own self?
11014014c yathaivAtmA tathA bhrAtA vizeSo nAsti kaz cana One’s brother, again, is like one’s own self. There is no difference between them.
11014015a rudhiranM na vyatikrAmad dantoSThamM me 'mba mA zucaH The blood, however, (that I am regarded to have quaffed) did not, O mother, pass down my lips and teeth.
11014015c vaivasvatas tu tad veda hastau me rudhirokSitau karNa knew this well. My hands only were smeared with (duHzAsana’s) blood.
11014016a hatAzvanM nakulanM dRSTvA vRSasenena saMyuge Seeing nakula deprived of his steeds by vRSasena in battle,
11014016c bhrAtRRNAM samMprahRSTAnAnM trAsasH saJMjanito mayA I caused the rejoicing (kaurava) brothers to be filled with dread.
11014017a kezapakSaparAmarze draupadyA dyUtakArite When after the match at dice the tresses of draupadI were seized,
11014017c krodhAd yad abruvaJM cAhanM tac ca me hRdi vartate I uttered certain words in rage. Those words are still in my remembrance,
11014018a kSatradharmAc cyuto rAjJi bhaveyaM zAzvatIsH samAH I would, for all years to come, have been regarded to have swerved from the duties of a kSatriya
11014018c pratijJAnM tAm anistIrya tatas tat kRtavAn aham if I had left that vow unaccomplished. That's why I did it.
11014019a na mAm arhasi gAndhAri doSeNa parizaGkitum It behoveth thee not, O gAndhArI, to impute any fault to me,
11014019c anigRhya purA putrAn asmAsv anapakAriSu without having restrained thy sons in former days, us being innocent.’
11014020 gAndhAry uvAca 'gAndhArI said,
11014020a vRddhasyAsya zatamM putrAn nighnaMs tvam aparAjitaH ‘Unvanquished by anyone, thou hast slain a hundred sons of this old man.
11014020c kasmAn nAzeSayaH kaM cid yenAlpam aparAdhitam Oh, why didst thou not spare, O child, even one son of this old couple deprived of kingdom, one whose offences were lighter?
