वह्निना चाक्षया दत्ताः शरास् ते ऽपि क्षयं ययुः युध्यतः सह गोपालैर् अर्जुनस्याभवत् क्षयः
Even the inexhaustible arrows given by Agni perished; fighting alongside the cowherds, Arjuna suffered defeat.
अचिन्तयत् तु कौन्तेयः कृष्णस्यैव हि तद् बलम् यन् मया शरसंघातैः सबला भूभृतो जिताः
Kaunteya reflected on Krishna's power, thinking, 'By my showers of arrows, kings with their armies were conquered.'
मिषतः पाण्डुपुत्रस्य ततस् ताः प्रमदोत्तमाः अपाकृष्यन्त चाभीरैः कामाच् चान्याः प्रवव्रजुः
As the Pandava watched, those excellent women were dragged away by the Abhiras, and others departed of their own will.
ततः शरेषु क्षीणेषु धनुष्कोट्या धनंजयः जघान दस्यूंस् ते चास्य प्रहाराञ् जहसुर् द्विजाः
When his arrows were exhausted, Dhananjaya struck the bandits with the tip of his bow; the twice-born laughed at his blows.
पश्यतस् त्व् एव पार्थस्य वृष्ण्यन्धकवरस्त्रियः जग्मुर् आदाय ते म्लेच्छाः समन्तान् मुनिसत्तमाः
Even as Partha watched, the women of the Vrishni and Andhaka clans were taken away by the mlecchas all around, O best of sages.
ततः स दुःखितो जिष्णुः कष्टं कष्टम् इति ब्रुवन् अहो भगवता तेन मुक्तो ऽस्मीति रुरोद वै
Then Jishnu, distressed, cried out, 'Alas, alas!' saying, 'Ah, by the Blessed One I have been forsaken,' and he wept.
तद् धनुस् तानि चास्त्राणि स रथस् ते च वाजिनः सर्वम् एकपदे नष्टं दानम् अश्रोत्रिये यथा
That bow, those weapons, that chariot, and those steeds—all were lost in a single instant, just as a gift is lost when given to one unlearned in the Vedas.
अहो चाति बलं दैवं विना तेन महात्मना यद् असामर्थ्ययुक्तो ऽहं नीचैर् नीतः पराभवम्
Alas, how powerful is fate! Because of that great soul's absence, I have become powerless and have been brought low, defeated by those of lesser worth.
तौ बाहू स च मे मुष्टिः स्थानं तत् सो ऽस्मि चार्जुनः पुण्येनेव विना तेन गतं सर्वम् असारताम्
Those arms, that fist of mine, that station, and I myself as Arjuna—all, without him, have lost their merit, just as virtue departs when its cause is gone.
ममार्जुनत्वं भीमस्य भीमत्वं तत्कृतं ध्रुवम् विना तेन यद् आभीरैर् जितो ऽहं कथम् अन्यथा
My Arjuna-hood and Bhima's might—surely, both were due to him; without him, how else could I have been defeated by the Abhiras?
इत्थं वदन् ययौ जिष्णुर् इन्द्रप्रस्थं पुरोत्तमम् चकार तत्र राजानं वज्रं यादवनन्दनम्
Thus speaking, Jishnu went to Indraprastha, the foremost city, and there installed as king Vajra, the joy of the Yadavas.
स ददर्श ततो व्यासं फाल्गुनः काननाश्रयम् तम् उपेत्य महाभागं विनयेनाभ्यवादयत्
There Phalguna beheld Vyasa, dwelling in the forest; approaching that illustrious one, he greeted him with reverence.
तं वन्दमानं चरणाव् अवलोक्य सुनिश्चितम् उवाच पार्थं विच्छायः कथम् अत्यन्तम् ईदृशः
Seeing him bowing at his feet, Vyasa, fully certain, spoke to Partha: 'How is it that your radiance has so utterly departed?'
अजारजोनुगमनं ब्रह्महत्याथवा कृता जयाशाभङ्गदुःखी वा भ्रष्टच्छायो ऽसि सांप्रतम्
Have you followed one who is aged or born low, or committed the sin of Brahmin-slaying? Or are you grieved by the shattering of your hope for victory, that your luster is now lost?
सांतानिकादयो वा ते याचमाना निराकृताः अगम्यस्त्रीरतिर् वापि तेनासि विगतप्रभः
Or perhaps you have refused the requests of the Santanikas and others, or indulged in forbidden women—thus your splendor has faded.
भुङ्क्ते प्रदाय विप्रेभ्यो मिष्टम् एकम् अथो भवान् किं वा कृपणवित्तानि हृतानि भवतार्जुन
Or, having given delicious food to Brahmins, have you yourself eaten it? Or, Arjuna, have your meager possessions been taken from you?
कच्चिन् न सूर्यवातस्य गोचरत्वं गतो ऽर्जुन दुष्टचक्षुर् हतो वापि निःश्रीकः कथम् अन्यथा
Arjuna, have you perhaps come under the gaze of the sun or wind? Or have you been struck by an evil eye, or slain someone wicked, that you are thus deprived of glory?
स्पृष्टो नखाम्भसा वापि घटाम्भःप्रोक्षितो ऽपि वा तेनातीवासि विच्छायो न्यूनैर् वा युधि निर्जितः
Or have you been touched by water from a nail, or sprinkled with water from a pot? Or have you been defeated in battle by those inferior, that you are so utterly bereft of radiance?
ततः पार्थो विनिःश्वस्य श्रूयतां भगवन्न् इति प्रोक्तो यथावद् आचष्ट विप्रा आत्मपराभवम्
Then Partha, sighing deeply, said, 'Revered one, listen,' and recounted to the sage, just as it happened, his own defeat.
यद् बलं यच् च नस् तेजो यद् वीर्यं यत् पराक्रमः या श्रीश् छाया च नः सो ऽस्मान् परित्यज्य हरिर् गतः
The strength, the energy, the valor, the prowess, the fortune, and the radiance we possessed—all of these left us when Hari departed.
इतरेणेव महता स्मितपूर्वाभिभाषिणा हीना वयं मुने तेन जातास् तृणमया इव
By that other, who spoke first with a smile, we have been abandoned, O sage, and have become as weak as grass.
अस्त्राणां सायकानां च गाण्डीवस्य तथा मम सारता याभवन् मूर्ता स गतः पुरुषोत्तमः
The power that was manifest in my weapons, arrows, and Gandiva—he, the Supreme Person, has departed.
यस्यावलोकनाद् अस्माञ् श्रीर् जयः संपद् उन्नतिः न तत्याज स गोविन्दस् त्यक्त्वास्मान् भगवान् गतः
By whose mere glance we gained fortune, victory, wealth, and elevation—Govinda did not abandon us then, but now the Blessed Lord has left us.
भीष्मद्रोणाङ्गराजाद्यास् तथा दुर्योधनादयः यत्प्रभावेन निर्दग्धाः स कृष्णस् त्यक्तवान् भुवम्
Bhishma, Drona, the king of Anga, and Duryodhana and the rest—all were consumed by his power; that Krishna has now left the earth.
निर्यौवना हतश्रीका भ्रष्टच्छायेव मे मही विभाति तात नैको ऽहं विरहे तस्य चक्रिणः
Deprived of youth, bereft of splendor, my earth appears to me, dear one, like a woman whose radiance is lost; I am not alone in sorrow at the separation from him, the wielder of the discus.
यस्यानुभावाद् भीष्माद्यैर् मय्य् अग्नौ शलभायितम् विना तेनाद्य कृष्णेन गोपालैर् अस्मि निर्जितः
By whose power even Bhishma and others became like moths in my fire—without him, Krishna, today I have been defeated by cowherds.
गाण्डीवं त्रिषु लोकेषु ख्यातं यद् अनुभावतः मम तेन विनाभीरैर् लगुडैस् तु तिरस्कृतम्
The Gandiva bow, renowned in the three worlds by his power, has now, without him, been scorned by cowherds wielding clubs.
स्त्रीसहस्राण्य् अनेकानि ह्य् अनाथानि महामुने यततो मम नीतानि दस्युभिर् लगुडायुधैः
Countless thousands of women, now destitute, O great sage, have been carried off by club-armed robbers while I strove to protect them.
आनीयमानम् आभीरैः सर्वं कृष्णावरोधनम् हृतं यष्टिप्रहरणैः परिभूय बलं मम
All the women of Krishna’s household were seized by the Abhiras, who, armed with staffs, humiliated my strength and carried them away.
निःश्रीकता न मे चित्रं यज् जीवामि तद् अद्भुतम् नीचावमानपङ्काङ्की निर्लज्जो ऽस्मि पितामह
It is no wonder that I am bereft of glory; it is astonishing that I still live. Stained by the mud of base humiliation, I am shameless, O grandsire.