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96.WHO CAN GIVE SOLACE?
WHEN the battle was over, Hastinapura
was a city of mourning. All the women
and children were weeping and lamenting
their slain, nearest and dearest. With many
thousands of bereaved women
accompanying, Dhritarashtra went to the
field of battle. At Kurukshetra, the scene
of terrible destruction, the blind king
thought of all that had passed, and wept
aloud. But, of what avail was weeping?
"O king, words of consolation addressed
to a bereaved person do not remove his
grief. Thousands of rulers have given up
their lives in battle for your sons. It is now
time that you should arrange for proper
funeral ceremonies for the dead," said
Sanjaya to Dhritarashtra.
"It is not right to grieve for those who die
in battle. When souls have left their
bodies, there is nothing like relationship,
nothing like brother or son or relative.
Your sons have really no connection with
you. Relationship ends with death, being
only a bodily connection and a mere
minor incident in the soul's eternal life.
From the nowhere do lives come, and,
with death, they again disappear into
nowhere. Why should we weep for them?
Those who die in battle after a heroic fight
go as guests to receive Indra's hospitality.
Grieving for what is past, you cannot gain
anything in the nature of dharma, pleasure
or wealth." Thus, and in many more ways,
did the wise and good Vidura try to
assuage the king's grief.
Vyasa also approached Dhritarashtra
tenderly and said: "Dear son, there is
nothing that you do not know and which
you have to learn from me. You know
very well that all living beings must die.
This great battle came to reduce earth's
burden as I have heard from Lord Vishnu
Himself. That is why this calamity could
not be prevented. Henceforth,
Yudhishthira is your son. You should try
to love him and in that way bear the
burden of life, giving up grief."
Making his way, through the crowd of
weeping women Yudhishthira approached
Dhritarashtra and bowed before him.
Dhritarashtra embraced Yudhishthira, but
there was no love in that embrace.
Then Bhimasena was announced to the
blind king. "Come," said Dhritarashtra.
But Vasudeva was wise. He gently pushed
Bhima aside and placed an iron figure
before the blind Dhritarashtra, knowing
the old king's exceeding anger.
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