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THE LAMENT OF GANDHARI 225 sorrow. In that moment, all that had happened passed swiftly before her mind. Like one who had risen a step on a mountain side, she saw suddenly also the Pandava bereavement. The battle appeared before her as a play, in which two armies had destroyed each other. Who had been the mover of all these puppets ? Who, that could have prevented, had allowed such evil to befall ? With one swift glance, Gandhari saw the truth, and, in the thunder-like tones of the prophet, gazing at a vision of far-o£F doom, with the voice of the judge instead of that of the mourner, she turned slowly round and addressed herself once more to the Lord of All.

" Two armies, O Krishna, h ave been here con- sumed. Whilst they thus put an end to each other, why were Thine eyes closed ? Thou who couldst have done either well or ill, as pleased Thee, why hast Thou allowed this evil to come upon all ? Mine is it tlien, Thou Wielder of discus and mace, in virtue of the truth and purity of womanhood, to pronounce Thy doom I Thou, O Govinda, because Thou wast indifferent to the Kurus and Pandavas, whilst they killed each other, shalt Thyself become the slayer of Thine own kinsmen. In the thirty-sixth year from now, O slayer of Kansa. having brought about the destruction of Thy sons and kindred, Thou shalt Thyself perish by woeful means, alone in the wilderness. And