Vaishampayana said “The question you have put, O king, is, indeed, worthy of you! I will tell you everything truly truly as it happened. See Duryodhana, the powerful son of Dhritarashtra, struck down by Bhimasena against the rule of fair fight, and beholding the Kuru king slain unfairly. O Bharata, Yudhishthira, O monarch, was filled with great fear, thinking of the highly-blessed and ascetic Gandhari-'See has practised severe ascetic austerities and can, therefore, consume the three worlds,' this was the thought of the son of Pandu. By sending Krishna, the angry Gandhari, Gandhari, would be comforted before Yudhishthira's own arrival.
वैशम्पायन उवाच त्वयुक्तोऽयमनुप्रश्नो यन्मां पृच्छसि पार्थिव। तत्तेऽहं सम्प्रवक्ष्यामि यथावद् भरतर्षभ।॥ हतं दुर्योधनं दृष्ट्वा भीमसेनेन संयुगे। व्युत्क्रम्य समयं राजन् धार्तराष्ट्र महाबलम्॥ अन्यायेन हतं दृष्ट्वा गदायुद्धेन भारत। युधिष्ठिरं महाराज महद् भयमथाविशत्॥ चिन्तयानो महाभागं गान्धारी तपसान्विताम्। घोरेण तपसा युक्तां त्रैलोक्यमपि सा दहेत्॥ तस्य चिन्तयमानस्य बुद्धिः समभवत् तदा। गान्धार्याः क्रोधदीसाया पूर्वं प्रशमनं भवेत्॥