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The Seventeenth Chapter
When the Lord was about to depart, the queens, led by Yaswati, along with the ministers, followed Him. Their eyes were filled with tears of sorrow. ||159|| Their bodies, like creepers, were withered, and they had removed their ornaments. Some were stumbling, their feet unsteady, as they followed the Lord. ||160|| Some were consumed by the fire of grief, their limbs trembling, their eyes closed in a faint. They fell to the ground. ||161|| "Where are you going, O Lord? Where will you wait for us? How far do you have to go?" Some asked repeatedly. ||162|| Others felt a tremor in their hearts, a throbbing in their breasts, a weariness in their bodies, a stammer in their speech, and tears in their eyes. ||163|| "Don't bring bad luck by crying, child," they were told. One woman stopped crying, but her tears remained trapped in her eyes, making her seem as if she were bursting with grief. ||164|| Unable to bear the auspiciousness of the departure, another woman held back her tears, but her eyes were filled with them, making her seem as if she had been swallowed by grief. ||165|| The speed of their movement caused the necklaces of some to break, scattering their pearls. These scattered pearls made them seem as if they were shedding large tears. ||166|| The hair of some women had come loose, their garlands of flowers had fallen, their garments were loose, and their eyes were filled with tears. They were in a state of great sorrow. ||167|| Some women were so overwhelmed with grief that they were carried in palanquins and comforted and consoled in various ways. They were barely able to keep from fainting. ||168|| Some women, though valiant and courageous, had tearful eyes. They followed their Lord, their hearts filled with devotion, like pure-hearted queens. ||169||