Gayatri Vedanta US / Mahabaratha 1: 8

SECTION CCI
(Vaivahika Parva continued)
"Vaisampayana said, 'King Drupada, after his alliance with the Pandavas,had all his fears dispelled. Indeed, the monarch no longer stood in feareven of the gods. The ladies of the illustrious Drupada's householdapproached Kunti and introduced themselves unto her, mentioning theirrespective names, and worshipped her feet with heads touching the ground.Krishna also, attired in red silk and her wrists still encircled with theauspicious thread, saluting her mother-in-law with reverence, stoodcontentedly before her with joined palms. Pritha, out of affection,pronounced a blessing upon her daughter-in-law endued with great beautyand every auspicious mark and possessed of a sweet disposition and goodcharacter, saying, 'Be thou unto thy husband as Sachi unto Indra, Swahaunto Vibhavasu, Rohini unto Soma, Damayanti unto Nala, Bhadra untoVaisravana, Arundhati unto Vasishtha, Lakshmi unto Narayana! O amiableone, be thou the mother of long-lived and heroic children, and possessedof everything that can make thee happy! Let luck and prosperity ever waiton thee! Wait thou ever on husbands engaged in the performance of grandsacrifices. Be thou devoted to thy husbands. And let thy days be everpassed in duly entertaining and reverencing guests and strangers arrivedat thy abode, and the pious and the old; children and superiors. Be thouinstalled as the Queen of the kingdom and the capital of Kurujangala,with thy husband Yudhishthira the just! O daughter, let the whole earth,conquered by the prowess of thy husbands endued with great strength, begiven away by thee unto Brahmanas at horse-sacrifice! O accomplished onewhatever gems there are on earth possessed of superior virtues, obtainthem, O lucky one, and be thou happy for a full hundred years! And, Odaughter-in-law, as I rejoice today beholding thee attired in red silk,so shall I rejoice again, when, O accomplished one, I behold thee becomethe mother of a son!'
"Vaisampayana continued, 'After the sons of Pandu had been married, Hari(Krishna) sent unto them (as presents) various gold ornaments set withpearls and black gems (lapis lazuli). And Madhava (Krishna) also sentunto them costly robes manufactured in various countries, and manybeautiful and soft blankets and hides of great value, and many costlybeds and carpets and vehicles. He also sent them vessels by hundreds, setwith gems and diamonds. And Krishna also gave them female servants bythousands, brought from various countries, and endued with beauty, youthand accomplishments and decked with every ornament. He also gave themmany well-trained elephants brought from the country of Madra, and manyexcellent horses in costly harness, cars drawn by horses of excellentcolours and large teeth. The slayer of Madhu, of immeasurable soul, alsosent them coins of pure gold by crores upon crores in separate heaps. AndYudhishthira the just, desirous of gratifying Govinda, accepted all thosepresents with great joy.'"

SECTION CCII
(Viduragamana Parva)
"Vaisampayana said, 'The news was carried unto all the monarchs (who hadcome to the Self-choice of Draupadi) by their trusted spies that thehandsome Draupadi had been united in marriage with the sons of Pandu. Andthey were also informed that the illustrious hero who had bent the bowand shot the mark was none else than Arjuna, that foremost of victoriouswarriors and first of all wielders of the bow and arrows. And it becameknown that the mighty warrior who had dashed Salya, the king of Madra, onthe ground, and who in wrath had terrified the assembled monarchs bymeans of the tree (he had uprooted), and who had taken his stand beforeall foes in perfect fearlessness, was none else than Bhima, that fellerof hostile ranks, whose touch alone was sufficient to take the lives outof all foes. The monarchs, upon being informed that the Pandavas hadassumed the guise of peaceful Brahmanas, wondered much. They even heardthat Kunti with all her sons had been burnt to death in the conflagrationof the house of lac. They, therefore, now regarded the Pandavas in thelight of persons who had come back from the region of the dead. Andrecollecting the cruel scheme contrived by Purochana, they began to say,'O, fie on Bhishma, fie on Dhritarashtra of the Kuru race!'
"After the Self-choice was over, all the monarchs (who had come thither),hearing that Draupadi had been united with the Pandavas, set out fortheir own dominions. And Duryodhana, hearing that Draupadi had selectedthe owner of white steeds (Arjuna) as her lord, became greatly depressed.Accompanied by his brothers, Aswatthaman, his uncle (Sakuni), Karna andKripa the prince set out with a heavy heart for his capital. ThenDuhsasana, blushing with shame, addressed his brother softly and said,'If Arjuna had not disguised himself as a Brahmana, he could never havesucceeded in obtaining Draupadi. It was for this disguise, O king, thatno one could recognise him as Dhananjaya. Fate, I ween, is ever supreme.Exertion is fruitless; fie on our exertions, O brother! The Pandavas arestill alive!' Speaking unto one another thus and blaming Purochana (forhis carelessness), they then entered the city of Hastinapura, withcheerless and sorrowful hearts. Beholding the mighty sons of Pritha,escaped from the burning house of lac and allied with Drupada, andthinking of Dhrishtadyumna and Sikhandin and the other sons of Drupadaall accomplished in fight, they were struck with fear and overcome withdespair.
"Then Vidura, having learnt that Draupadi had been won by the Pandavasand that the sons of Dhritarashtra had come back (to Hastinapura) inshame, their pride humiliated, became filled with joy. And, O king,approaching Dhritarashtra, Kshattri said, 'The Kurus are prospering bygood luck!' Hearing those words of Vidura, the son of Vichitravirya,wondering, said in great glee, 'What good luck, O Vidura! What goodluck!' From ignorance, the blind monarch understood that his eldest sonDuryodhana had been chosen by Drupada's daughter as her lord. And theking immediately ordered various ornaments to be made for Draupadi. Andhe commanded that both Draupadi and his son Duryodhana should be broughtwith pomp to Hastinapura. It was then that Vidura told the monarch thatDraupadi had chosen the Pandavas for her lords, and that those heroeswere all alive and at peace, and that they had been received with greatrespect by king Drupada. And he also informed Dhritarashtra that thePandavas had been united with the many relatives and friends of Drupada,each owning large armies, and with many others who had come to thatself-choice.
"Hearing these words of Vidura, Dhritarashtra said, 'Those children areto me as dear as they were to Pandu. Nay, more. O listen to me why myaffection for them now is even greater! The heroic sons of Pandu are welland at ease. They have obtained many friends. Their relatives, and otherswhom they have gained as allies, are all endued with great strength. Whoamongst monarchs in prosperity or adversity would not like to haveDrupada with his relatives as an ally?'
"Vaisampayana continued, 'Having heard these words of the monarch, Vidurasaid, 'O king, let thy understanding remain so without change for ahundred years!' Having said this Vidura returned to his own abode. Then,O monarch, there came unto Dhritarashtra, Duryodhana and the son ofRadha, Karna. Addressing the monarch, they said, 'We cannot, O king,speak of any transgression in the presence of Vidura! We have now foundthee alone, and will, therefore, say all we like! What is this that thouhast, O monarch, desired to do? Dost thou regard the prosperity of thyfoes as if it were thy own, that thou hast been applauding the Pandavas,O foremost of men, in the presence of Vidura? O sinless one, thou actestnot, O king, in the way thou shouldst! O father, we should now act everyday in such a way as to weaken (the strength of) the Pandavas. The timehath come, O father, for us to take counsel together, so that thePandavas may not swallow us all with our children and friends andrelatives.'"

SECTION CCIII
(Viduragamana Parva continued)
"Vaisampayana said, 'Dhritarashtra replied saying, I desire to do exactlywhat you would recommend. But I do not wish to inform Vidura of it evenby a change of muscle. It was, therefore, O son, that I was applaudingthe Pandavas in Vidura's presence, so that he might not know even by asign what is in my mind. Now that Vidura hath gone away, this is thetime, O Suyodhana (Duryodhana), for telling me what thou hast hit upon,and what, O Radheya (Karna), thou too hast hit upon.'
"Duryodhana said. 'Let us, O father, by means of trusted and skilful andadroit Brahmanas, seek to produce dissensions between the sons of Kuntiand Madri. Or, let king Drupada and his sons, and all his ministers ofstate, be plied with presents of large wealth, so that they may abandonthe cause of Yudhishthira, the son of Kunti. Or, let our spies induce thePandavas to settle in Drupada's dominions, by describing to them,separately, the inconvenience of residing in Hastinapura, so that,separated from as, they may permanently settle in Panchala. Or, let someclever spies, full of resources, sowing the seeds of dissension among thePandavas, make them jealous of one another. Or, let them incite Krishnaagainst her husbands. She has many lords and this will not present anydifficulty. Or, let some seek to make the Pandavas themselvesdissatisfied with Krishna, in which case Krishna also will bedissatisfied with them. Or, let, O king, some clever spies, repairingthither, secretly compass the death of Bhimasena. Bhima is the strongestof them all. Relying upon Bhima alone, the Pandavas used to disregard us,of old. Bhima is fierce and brave and the (sole) refuge of the Pandavas.If he be slain, the others will be deprived of strength and energy.Deprived of Bhima who is their sole refuge, they will no longer strive toregain their kingdom. Arjuna, O king, is invincible in battle, if Bhimaprotecteth him from behind. Without Bhima, Arjuna is not equal to even afourth part of Radheya. Indeed, O king, the Pandavas conscious of theirown feebleness without Bhima and of our strength would not really striveto recover the kingdom. Or, if, O monarch, coming hither, they provedocile and obedient to us, we would then seek to repress them accordingto the dictates of political science (as explained by Kanika). Or, we maytempt them by means of handsome girls, upon which the princess ofPanchala will get annoyed with them. Or, O Radheya, let messengers bedespatched to bring them hither, so that, when arrived, we may throughtrusted agents, by some of the above methods, cause them to be slain.Strive, O father, to employ any of these (various) methods that mayappear to thee faultless. Time passeth. Before their confidence in kingDrupada--that bull amongst kings--is established we may succeed, Omonarch, to encounter them. But after their confidence hath beenestablished in Drupada, we are sure to fail. These, O father, are myviews for the discomfiture of the Pandavas. Judge whether they be good orbad. What, O Karna, dost thou think?'"

SECTION CCIV
(Viduragamana Parva continued)
"Vaisampayana said, 'Thus addressed by Duryodhana, Karna said, 'It dothnot seem to me, O Duryodhana, that thy reasoning is well-founded. Operpetuator of the Kuru race, no method will succeed against thePandavas. O brave prince, thou hast before, by various subtle means,striven to carry out thy wishes. But ever hast thou failed to slay thyfoes. They were then living near thee, O king! They were then unfledgedand of tender years, but thou couldst not injure them then. They are nowliving at a distance, grown up, full-fledged. The sons of Kunti, O thouof firm resolution, cannot now be injured by any subtle contrivances ofthine. This is my opinion. As they are aided by the very Fates, and asthey are desirous of regaining their ancestral kingdom, we can neversucceed in injuring them by any means in our power. It is impossible tocreate disunion amongst them. They can never be disunited who have alltaken to a common wife. Nor can we succeed in estranging Krishna from thePandavas by any spies of ours. She chose them as her lords when they werein adversity. Will she abandon them now that they are in prosperity?Besides women always like to have many husbands, Krishna hath obtainedher wish. She can never be estranged from the Pandavas. The king ofPanchala is honest and virtuous; he is not avaricious. Even if we offerhim our whole kingdom he will not abandon the Pandavas. Drupada's sonalso possesseth every accomplishment, and is attached to the Pandavas.Therefore, I do not think that the Pandavas can now be injured by anysubtle means in thy power. But, O bull amongst men, this is what is goodand advisable for us now, viz., to attack and smite them till they areexterminated. Let this course recommend itself to thee. As long as ourparty is strong and that of the king of the Panchalas is weak, so longstrike them without any scruple. O son of Gandhari, as long as theirinnumerable vehicles and animals, friends, and friendly tribes are notmustered together, continue, O king, to exhibit thy prowess. As long asthe king of the Panchalas together with his sons gifted with greatprowess, setteth not his heart upon fighting with us, so long, O king,exhibit thy prowess. And, O king, exert thy prowess before he of theVrishni race (Krishna) cometh with the Yadava host into the city ofDrupada, carrying everything before him, to restore the Pandavas to theirpaternal kingdom. Wealth, every article of enjoyment, kingdom, there isnothing that Krishna may not sacrifice for the sake of the Pandavas. Theillustrious Bharata had acquired the whole earth by his prowess alone.Indra hath acquired sovereignty of the three worlds by prowess alone. Oking, prowess is always applauded by the Kshatriyas. O bull amongstKshatriyas, prowess is the cardinal virtue of the brave. Let us,therefore, O monarch, with our large army consisting of four kinds offorces, grind Drupada without loss of time, and bring hither thePandavas. Indeed, the Pandavas are incapable of being discomfited by anypolicy of conciliation, of gift, of wealth and bribery, or of disunion.Vanquish them, therefore, by thy prowess. And vanquishing them by thyprowess, rule thou this wide earth. O monarch, I see not any other meansby which we may accomplish our end.'
"Vaisampayana continued, 'Hearing these words of Radheya, Dhritarashtra,endued with great strength, applauded him highly. The monarch thenaddressed him and said, 'Thou, O son of a Suta, art gifted with greatwisdom and accomplished in arms. This speech, therefore, favouring theexhibition of prowess suiteth thee well. But let Bhishma, and Drona, andVidura, and you two, take counsel together and adopt that proposal whichmay lead to our benefit.'
Vaisampayana continued, "'Then king Dhritarashtra called unto him, allthose celebrated ministers and took counsel with them.'"

SECTION CCV
(Viduragamana Parva continued)
"Vaisampayana said, 'Asked by Dhritarashtra to give his opinion, Bhishmareplied, 'O Dhritarashtra, a quarrel with the Pandavas is what I cannever approve of. As thou art to me, so was Pandu without doubt. And thesons of Gandhari are to me, as those of Kunti. I should protect them aswell as I should thy sons, O Dhritarashtra! And, O king, the Pandavas areas much near to me as they are to prince Duryodhana or to all the otherKurus. Under these circumstances a quarrel with them is what I neverlike. Concluding a treaty with those heroes, let half the land be givenunto them. This is without doubt, the paternal kingdom of those foremostones of the Kuru race. And, O Duryodhana, like thee who lookest upon thiskingdom as thy paternal property, the Pandavas also look upon it as theirpaternal possession. If the renowned sons of Pandu obtain not thekingdom, how can it be thine, or that of any other descendant of theBharata race? If thou regardest thyself as one that hath lawfully comeinto the possession of the kingdom, I think they also may be regarded tohave lawfully come into the possession of this kingdom before thee. Givethem half the kingdom quietly. This, O tiger among men, is beneficial toall. If thou actest otherwise, evil will befall us all. Thou too shall becovered with dishonour. O Duryodhana, strive to maintain thy good name. Agood name is, indeed, the source of one's strength. It hath been saidthat one liveth in vain whose reputation hath gone. A man, O Kaurava,doth not die so long as his fame lasteth. One liveth as long as one'sfame endureth, and dieth when one's fame is gone. Follow thou, O son ofGandhari, the practice that is worthy of the Kuru race. O thou of mightyarms, imitate thy own ancestors. We are fortunate that the Pandavas havenot perished. We are fortunate that Kunti liveth. We are fortunate thatthe wretch Purochana without being able to accomplish his purpose hathhimself perished. From that time when I heard that the sons ofKuntibhoja's daughter had been burnt to death, I was, O son of Gandhari,ill able to meet any living creature. O tiger among men, hearing of thefate that overtook Kunti, the world doth not regard Purochana so guiltyas it regardeth thee. O king, the escape, therefore, of the sons of Panduwith life from that conflagration and their re-appearance, do away withthy evil repute. Know, O thou of Kuru's race, that as long as thoseheroes live, the wielder of the thunder himself cannot deprive them oftheir ancestral share in the kingdom. The Pandavas are virtuous andunited. They are being wrongly kept out of their equal share in thekingdom. If thou shouldst act rightly, if thou shouldst do what isagreeable to me, if thou shouldst seek the welfare of all, then give halfthe kingdom unto them.'"

SECTION CCVI
(Viduragamana Parva continued)
"Vaisampayana said, 'After Bhishma had concluded, Drona spoke, saying, 'Oking Dhritarashtra, it hath been heard by us that friends summoned forconsultation should always speak what is right, true, and conductive tofame. O sire, I am of the same mind in this matter with the illustriousBhishma. Let a share of the kingdom be given unto the Pandavas. This iseternal virtue. Send, O Bharata, unto Drupada without loss of time somemessenger of agreeable speech, carrying with him a large treasure for thePandavas. And let the man go unto Drupada carrying costly presents forboth the bridegrooms and the bride, and let him speak unto that monarchof thy increase of power and dignity arising from this new alliance withhim. And, O monarch, let the man know also that both thyself andDuryodhana have become exceedingly glad in consequence of what hathhappened. Let him say this repeatedly unto Drupada and Dhrishtadyumna.And let him speak also about the alliance as having been exceedinglyproper, and agreeable unto thee, and of thyself being worthy of it. Andlet the man repeatedly propitiate the sons of Kunti and those of Madri(in proper words). And at thy command, O king, let plenty of ornaments ofpure gold be given unto Draupadi. And let, O bull of Bharata's race,proper presents be given unto all the sons of Drupada. Let the messengerthen propose the return of the Pandavas to Hastinapura. After the heroeswill have been permitted (by Drupada), to come hither, let Duhsasana andVikarna go out with a handsome train to receive them. And when they willhave arrived at Hastinapura, let those foremost of men be received withaffection by thee. And let them then be installed on their paternalthrone, agreeably to the wishes of the people of the realm. This, Omonarch of Bharata's race, is what I think should be thy behaviourtowards the Pandavas who are to thee even as thy own sons.'
"Vaisampayana continued, 'After Drona had ceased, Karna spake again,'Both Bhishma and Drona have been pampered with wealth that is thine andfavours conferred by thee! They are also always regarded by thee as thytrusted friends! What can therefore be more amusing than that they bothshould give thee advice which is not for thy good? How can the wiseapprove that advice which is pronounced good by a person speaking withwicked intent but taking care to conceal the wickedness of his heart?Indeed, in a season of distress, friends can neither benefit nor injure.Every one's happiness or the reverse dependeth on destiny. He that iswise and he that is foolish, he that is young (in years) and he that isold, he that hath allies and he that hath none, all become, it is seeneverywhere, happy or unhappy at times. It hath been heard by us thatthere was, of old, a king by name Amvuvicha. Having his capital atRajagriha, he was the king of all the Magadha chiefs. He never attendedto his affairs. All his exertion consisted in inhaling the air. All hisaffairs were in the hands of his minister. And his minister, namedMahakarni, became the supreme authority in the state. Regarding himselfall powerful, he began to disregard the king. And the wretch himselfappropriated everything belonging unto the king, his queens and treasuresand sovereignty. But the possession of all these, instead of satisfyinghis avarice, only served to inflame him the more. Having appropriatedeverything belonging to the king, he even coveted the throne. But it hathbeen heard by us that with all his best endeavours he succeeded not inacquiring the kingdom of the monarch, his master, even though the latterwas inattentive to business and content with only breathing the air. Whatelse can be said, O king, than that monarch's sovereignty was dependenton destiny? If, therefore, O king, this kingdom be established in thee bydestiny, it will certainly continue in thee, even if the whole world wereto become thy enemy! If, however, destiny hath ordained otherwise,howsoever mayest thou strive, it will not last in thee! O learned one,remembering all this, judge of the honesty or otherwise of thy advisers.Ascertain also who amongst them are wicked and who have spoken wisely andwell.'
"Vaisampayana continued, 'Hearing these words of Karna, Drona replied,'As thou art wicked it is evident thou sayest so in consequence of thewickedness of thy intent. It is for injuring the Pandavas that thoufindest fault with us. But know, O Karna, what I have said is for thegood of all and the prosperity of the Kuru race. If thou regardest allthis as productive of evil, declare thyself what is for our good. If thegood advice I have given be not followed, I think the Kurus will beexterminated in no time.'"

SECTION CCVII
(Viduragamana Parva continued)
"Vaisampayana said, 'After Drona had ceased, Vidura spoke, saying, 'Omonarch, thy friends without doubt, are saying unto thee what is for thygood. But as thou art unwilling to listen to what they say, their wordsscarcely find a place in thy ears. What that foremost one of Kuru's race,viz., Bhishma, the son of Santanu, hath said, is excellent and is for thygood. But thou dost not listen to it. The preceptor Drona also hath saidmuch that is for thy good which however Karna, the son of Radha, doth notregard to be such. But, O king, reflecting hard I do not find any one whois better a friend to thee than either of these two lions among men(viz., Bhishma and Drona), or any one who excels either of them inwisdom. These two, old in years, in wisdom, and in learning, alwaysregard thee, O king, and the sons of Pandu with equal eyes. Withoutdoubt, O king of Bharata's race, they are both, in virtue andtruthfulness, not inferior to Rama, the son of Dasaratha, and Gaya. Neverbefore did they give thee any evil advice. Thou also, O monarch, hastnever done them any injury. Why should, therefore, these tigers amongmen, who are ever truthful, give thee wicked advice, especially when thouhast never injured them? Endued with wisdom these foremost of men, Oking, will never give thee counsels that are crooked. O scion of Kuru'srate, this is my firm conviction that these two, acquainted with allrules of morality, will never, tempted by wealth, utter anythingbetraying a spirit of partisanship. What they have said, O Bharata, Iregard highly beneficial to thee. Without doubt, O monarch, the Pandavasare thy sons as much as Duryodhana and others are. Those ministers,therefore, that give thee any counsel fraught with evil unto thePandavas, do not really look to thy interests. If there is any partialityin thy heart, O king, for thy own children, they who by their counselseek to bring it out, certainly do thee no good. Therefore, O king, theseillustrious persons endued with great splendour, have not I think, saidanything that leadeth to evil. Thou, however, dost not understand it.What these bulls among men have said regarding the invincibility of thePandavas is perfectly true. Think not otherwise of it, O tiger among men.Blest be thou! Can the handsome Dhananjaya, the son of Pandu, using theright and the left hand with equal activity, be vanquished in battle evenby Maghavat himself? Can the great Bhimasena of strong arms possessingthe might of ten thousand elephants, be vanquished in battle by theimmortals themselves? Who also that desireth to live can overcome inbattle the twins (Nagula and Sahadeva) like unto the sons of Yamahimself, and well-skilled in fight? How too can the eldest one of thePandavas in whom patience, mercy, forgiveness, truth, and prowess alwayslive together, be vanquished? They who have Rama (Valadeva) as theirally, and Janardana (Krishna) as their counsellor, and Satyaki as theirpartisan, have already defeated everybody in war. They who have Drupadafor their father-in-law, and Drupada's sons--the heroic brothers, viz.,Dhristadyumna and others of Prishata's race for their brothers-in-law,are certainly invincible. Remembering this, O monarch, and knowing thattheir claim to the kingdom is even prior to thine, behave virtuouslytowards them. The stain of calumny is on thee, O monarch, in consequenceof that act of Purochana. Wash thyself of it now, by a kindly behaviourtowards the Pandavas. This kindly behaviour of thine, O monarch, towardsthe Pandavas will be an act of great benefit to us, protecting the livesof us all that belong to Kuru's race, and leading to the growth of thewhole Kshatriya order! We had formerly warred with king Drupada; if wecan now secure him as an ally, it will strengthen our party. TheDasarhas, O king, are numerous and strong. Know where Krishna is, all ofthem must be, and where Krishna is, there victory also must be! O king,who, unless cursed by the gods, would seek, to effect that by means ofwar which can be effected by conciliation? Hearing that the sons ofPritha are alive, the citizens and other subjects of the realm havebecome exceedingly glad and eager for beholding them. O monarch, act in away that is agreeable to them. Duryodhana and Karna and Sakuni, the sonof Suvala, are sinful, foolish and young; listen not to them. Possessedof every virtue thou art I long ago told thee, O monarch that forDuryodhana's fault, the subjects of this kingdom would be exterminated.'"

SECTION CCVIII
(Viduragamana Parva continued)
"Vaisampayana said, 'Hearing these various speeches, Dhritarashtra said,The learned Bhishma, the son of Santanu, and the illustrious Rishi Drona,and thyself also (O Vidura), have said the truth and what also is mostbeneficial to me. Indeed, as those mighty car-warriors, the heroic sonsof Kunti. are the children of Pandu, so are they, without doubt, mychildren according to the ordinance. And as my sons are entitled to thiskingdom, so are the sons of Pandu certainly entitled to it. Therefore,hasten to bring hither the Pandavas along with their mother, treatingthem with affectionate consideration. O thou of Bharata's race, bringalso Krishna of celestial beauty along with them. From sheer good fortunethe sons of Pritha are alive; and from good fortune alone those mightycar-warriors have obtained the daughter of Drupada. It is from goodfortune alone that our strength hath increased, and it is from goodfortune alone that Purochana hath perished. O thou of great splendour, itis from good fortune that my great grief hath been killed!'
"Vaisampayana continued, 'Then Vidura, at the command of Dhritarashtra,repaired, O Bharata, unto Yajnasena and the Pandavas. And he repairedthither carrying with him numerous jewels and various kinds of wealth forDraupadi and the Pandavas and Yajnasena also. Arrived at Drupada's abode,Vidura conversant with every rule of morality and deep in every science,properly accosted the monarch and waited upon him. Drupada receivedVidura in proper form and they both enquired after each other's welfare.Vidura then saw there the Pandavas and Vasudeva. As soon as he saw themhe embraced them from affection and enquired after their well being. ThePandavas also along with Vasudeva, in due order, worshipped Vidura ofimmeasurable intelligence. But Vidura, O king, in the name ofDhritarashtra repeatedly enquired with great affection after theirwelfare. He then gave, O monarch, unto the Pandavas and Kunti andDraupadi, and unto Drupada and Drupada's sons, the gems and various kindsof wealth that the Kauravas had sent through him. Possessed ofimmeasurable intelligence, the modest Vidura then, in the presence of thePandavas and Keshava, addressed the well-behaved Drupada thus:
"With thy ministers and sons, O monarch, listen to what I say. KingDhritarashtra, with ministers, sons, and friends, hath with a joyousheart, O king, repeatedly enquired after thy welfare. And, O monarch, hehath been highly pleased with this alliance with thee. So also, O king,Bhishma of great wisdom, the son of Santanu, with all the Kurus, enquiredafter thy welfare in every respect. Drona also of great wisdom the son ofBharadwaja and thy dear friend, embracing thee mentally, enquired of thyhappiness. And, O king of Panchalas, Dhritarashtra and all the Kurus, inconsequence of this alliance with thee regard themselves supremely blest.O Yajnasena, the establishment of this alliance with thee hath made themhappier than if they had acquired a new kingdom. Knowing all this, Omonarch, permit the Pandavas to re-visit their ancestral kingdom. TheKurus are exceedingly eager to behold the sons of Pandu. These bullsamong men have been long absent (from their kingdom). They as well asPritha must be very eager to behold their city. And all the Kuru ladiesand the citizens and our subjects are eagerly waiting to behold Krishnathe Panchala Princess. This, therefore, is my opinion, O monarch, thatthou shouldst, without delay, permit the Pandavas to go thither withtheir wife. And after the illustrious Pandavas, O king, will havereceived thy permission to go thither, I shall send information untoDhritarashtra by quick messengers. Then, O king, will the Pandavas setout with Kunti and Krishna.'"

SECTION CCIX
(Viduragamana Parva continued)
"Vaisampayana said, 'Hearing these words of Vidura, Drupada said, 'It iseven so as thou, O Vidura of great wisdom, hast said. Venerable one, Itoo have been exceedingly happy in consequence of this alliance. It ishighly proper that these illustrious princes should return to theirancestral kingdom. But it is not proper for me to say this myself. If thebrave son of Kunti viz., Yudhishthira, if Bhima and Arjuna, if thesebulls among men, viz., the twins, themselves desire to go and if Rama(Valadeva) and Krishna, both acquainted with every rule of morality, beof the same mind, then let the Pandavas go thither. For these tigersamong men (Rama and Krishna) are ever engaged in doing what is agreeableand beneficial to the sons of Pandu.'
"Hearing this, Yudhishthira said, 'We are now, O monarch, with all ouryounger brothers, dependent on thee. We shall cheerfully do what thou artpleased to command.'
"Vaisampayana continued, 'Then Vasudeva said, 'I am of opinion that thePandavas should go. But we should all abide by the opinion of kingDrupada who is conversant with every rule of morality.'
"Drupada then spoke, 'I certainly agree with what this foremost of men,thinketh, having regard to the circumstances. For the illustrious sons ofPandu now are to me as they are, without doubt, to Vasudeva. Kunti's sonYudhishthira himself doth not seek the welfare of the Pandavas soearnestly as, Kesava, that tiger among men.'
"Vaisampayana continued, 'Commanded by the illustrious Drupada, thePandavas, then, O king, and Krishna and Vidura, taking with them Krishna,the daughter of Drupada, and the renowned Kunti, journeyed towards thecity called after the elephant, stopping at various places along the wayfor purposes of pleasure and enjoyment. King Dhritarashtra, hearing thatthose heroes had neared the capital sent out the Kauravas to receivethem. They who were thus sent out were, O Bharata, Vikarna of the greatbow, and Chitrasena, and Drona that foremost of warriors, and Kripa ofGautama's line. Surrounded by these, those mighty heroes, their splendourenhanced by that throng slowly entered the city of Hastinapura. The wholecity became radiant, as it were, with the gay throng of sight-seersanimated by curiosity. Those tigers among men gladdened the hearts of allwho beheld them. And the Pandavas, dear unto the hearts of the people,heard, as they proceeded, various exclamations with the citizens, everdesirous of obeying the wishes of those princes, loudly uttered. Someexclaimed, 'Here returns that tiger among men, conversant with all therules of morality and who always protects us as if we were his nearestrelatives.' And elsewhere they said, 'It seems that king Pandu--thebeloved of his people--returneth today from the forest, doubtless to dowhat is agreeable to us.' And there were some that said, 'What good isnot done to us today when the heroic sons of Kunti come back to our town?If we have ever given away in charity, if we have ever poured libationsof clarified butter on the fire, if we have any ascetic merit, let thePandavas, by virtue of all those acts stay in our town for a hundredyears.'
"At last the Pandavas, on arriving at the place, worshipped the feet ofDhritarashtra, as also those of the illustrious Bhishma. They alsoworshipped the feet of everybody else that deserved that honour. And theyenquired after the welfare of every citizen (there present). At last, atthe command of Dhritarashtra they entered the chambers that had beenassigned to them.
"After they had rested there for some time, they were summoned (to thecourt) by king Dhritarashtra and Bhishma, the son of Santanu. When theycame, king Dhritarashtra addressing Yudhishthira, said, 'Listen, O son ofKunti, with thy brothers, to what I say. Repair ye to Khandavaprastha sothat no difference may arise again (between you and your cousins). If youtake up your quarters there no one will be able to do you any injury.Protected by Partha (Arjuna), like the celestials by the thunderbolt,reside ye at Khandavaprastha, taking half of the kingdom.'
"Vaisampayana continued, 'Agreeing to what Dhritarashtra said, thosebulls among men worshipping the king set out from Hastinapura. Andcontent with half the kingdom, they removed to Khandavaprastha, which wasin unreclaimed desert. Then those heroes of unfading splendour, viz., thePandavas, with Krishna at their head, arriving there, beautified theplace and made it a second heaven. And those mighty car-warriors,selecting with Dwaipayana's assistance a sacred and auspicious region,performed certain propitiatory ceremonies and measured out a piece ofland for their city. Then surrounded by a trench wide as the sea and bywalls reaching high up to the heavens and white as the fleecy clouds orthe rays of the moon, that foremost of cities looked resplendent likeBhogavati (the capital of the nether kingdom) decked with the Nagas. Andit stood adorned with palatial mansions and numerous gates, eachfurnished with a couple of panels resembling the out-stretched wings ofGaruda. And it was protected with gateways looking like the clouds andhigh as the Mandara mountains. And well-furnished with numerous weaponsof attack the missiles of the foes could not make slightest impression onthem. And they were almost covered with darts and other missiles likedouble-tongued snakes. The turrets along the walls were filled with armedmen in course of training; and the walls were lined with numerouswarriors along their whole length. And there were thousands of sharphooks and Sataghnis (machines slaying a century of warriors) and numerousother machines on the battlements. There were also large iron wheelsplanted on them. And with all these was that foremost of cities adorned.The streets were all wide and laid out excellently; and there was no fearin them of accident. And decked with innumerable mansions, the citybecame like unto Amaravati and came to be called Indraprastha (like untoIndra's city). In a delightful and auspicious part of the city rose thepalace of the Pandavas filled with every kind of wealth and like unto themansion of the celestial treasurer (Kuvera) himself. And it looked like amass of clouds charged with lightning.
"When the city was built, there came, O king, numerous Brahmanaswell-acquainted with all the Vedas and conversant with every language,wishing to dwell there. And there came also unto that town numerousmerchants from every direction, in the hope of earning wealth. There alsocame numerous persons well-skilled in all the arts, wishing to take uptheir abode there. And around the city were laid out many delightfulgardens adorned with numerous trees bearing both fruits and flowers.There were Amras (mango trees) and Amaratakas, and Kadamvas and Asokas,and Champakas; and Punnagas and Nagas and Lakuchas and Panasas; and Salasand Talas (palm trees) and Tamalas and Vakulas, and Ketakas with theirfragrant loads; beautiful and blossoming and grand Amalakas with branchesbent down with the weight of fruits and Lodhras and blossoming Ankolas;and Jamvus (blackberry trees) and Patalas and Kunjakas and Atimuktas; andKaraviras and Parijatas and numerous other kinds of trees always adornedwith flowers and fruits and alive with feathery creatures of variousspecies. And those verdant groves always resounded with the notes ofmaddened peacocks and Kokilas (blackbirds). And there were variouspleasure-houses, bright as mirrors, and numerous bowers of creepers, andcharming and artificial hillocks, and many lakes full to the brim ofcrystal water, and delightful tanks fragrant with lotuses and lilies andadorned with swans and ducks and chakravakas (brahminy ducks). And therewere many delicious pools overgrown with fine aquatic plants. And therewere also diverse ponds of great beauty and large dimension. And, O king,the joy of the Pandavas increased from day to day, in consequence oftheir residence in that large kingdom that was peopled with pious men.
"Thus in consequence of the virtuous behaviour of Bhishma and kingDhritarashtra towards them, the Pandavas took up their abode inKhandavaprastha. Adorned with those five mighty warriors, each equal untoIndra himself, that foremost of cities looked like Bhogavati (the capitalof the nether kingdom) adorned with the Nagas. And, O monarch, havingsettled the Pandavas there, the heroic Krishna, obtaining their leave,came back with Rama to Dwaravati.'"

SECTION CCX
(Rajya-labha Parva)
"Janamejaya said, 'O thou possessed of ascetic wealth, what did thosehigh-souled ones, my grandsires, the illustrious Pandavas, do, afterobtaining the kingdom of Indraprastha? How did their wife Draupadi obeythem all? How is it also that no dissensions arose amongst thoseillustrious rulers of men, all attached to one wife, viz., Krishna? Othou of the wealth of asceticism, I wish to hear everything in detailregarding the behaviour towards one another of those rulers of men aftertheir union with Krishna.'
"Vaisampayana said, 'Those scorchers of foes, the Pandavas, havingobtained their kingdom, at the command of Dhritarashtra, passed theirdays in joy and happiness at Khandavaprastha with Krishna. AndYudhishthira. endued with great energy and ever adhering to truth, havingobtained the sovereignty, virtuously ruled the land, assisted by hisbrothers. And the sons of Pandu, endued with great wisdom and devoted totruth and virtue, having vanquished all their foes, continued to livethere in great happiness. And those bulls among men, seated on royalseats of great value, used to discharge all the duties of government. Andone day, while all those illustrious heroes were so seated, there cameunto them the celestial Rishi Narada, in course of his wanderings.Beholding the Rishi, Yudhishthira offered him his own handsome seat. Andafter the celestial Rishi had been seated, the wise Yudhishthira dulyoffered him the Arghya with his own hands. And the king also informed theRishi of the state of his kingdom. The Rishi accepting the worship,became well-pleased, and eulogising him with benedictions, commanded theking to take his seat. Commanded by the Rishi, the king took his seat.Then the king sent word unto Krishna (in the inner apartments) of thearrival of the illustrious one. Hearing of the Rishi's arrival Draupadi,purifying herself properly, came with a respectful attitude to whereNarada was with the Pandavas. The virtuous princess of Panchala,worshipping the celestial Rishi's feet, stood with joined hands beforehim, properly veiled, The illustrious Narada, pronouncing variousbenedictions on her, commanded the princess to retire. After Krishna hadretired, the illustrious Rishi, addressing in private all the Pandavaswith Yudhishthira at their head, said, 'The renowned princess of Panchalais the wedded wife of you all. Establish a rule amongst yourselves sothat disunion may not arise amongst you. There were, in former days,celebrated throughout the three worlds, two brothers named Sunda andUpasunda living together and incapable of being slain by anybody unlesseach slew the other. They ruled the same kingdom, lived in the samehouse, slept on the same bed, sat on the same seat, and ate from the samedish. And yet they killed each for the sake of Tilottama. Therefore, OYudhishthira, preserve your friendship for one another and do that whichmay not produce disunion amongst you.'
"On hearing this, Yudhishthira asked, 'O great Muni, whose sons wereAsuras called Sunda and Upasunda? Whence arose that dissension amongstthem, and why did they slay each other? Whose daughter also was thisTilottama for whose love the maddened brothers killed each other? Was shean Apsara (water nymph) or the daughter of any celestial? O thou whosewealth is asceticism, we desire, O Brahmana, to hear in detail everythingas it happened. Indeed, our curiosity hath become great.'"

SECTION CCXI
(Rajya-labha Parva continued)
"Vaisampayana said, 'Hearing these words of Yudhishthira, Narada replied,'O son of Pritha, listen with thy brothers to me as I recite this oldstory, O Yudhishthira, exactly as everything happened. In olden days, amighty Daitya named Nikumbha, endued with great energy and strength wasborn in the race of the great Asura, Hiranyakasipu. Unto this Nikumbha,were born two sons called Sunda and Upasunda. Both of them were mightyAsuras endued with great energy and terrible prowess. The brothers wereboth fierce and possessed of wicked hearts. And those Daityas were bothof the same resolution, and ever engaged in achieving the same tasks andends. They were ever sharers with each other in happiness as well as inwoe. Each speaking and doing what was agreeable to the other, thebrothers never were unless they were together, and never went anywhereunless together. Of exactly the same disposition and habits, they seemedto be one individual divided into two parts. Endued with great energy andever of the same resolution in everything they undertook, the brothersgradually grew up. Always entertaining the same purpose, desirous ofsubjugating the three worlds, the brothers, after due initiation, went tothe mountains of Vindhya. And severe were the ascetic penances theyperformed there. Exhausted with hunger and thirst, with matted locks ontheir heads and attired in barks of trees, they acquired sufficientascetic merit at length. Besmearing themselves with dirt from head tofoot, living upon air alone, standing on their toes, they threw pieces ofthe flesh of their bodies into the fire. Their arms upraised, and eyefixed, long was the period for which they observed their vows. And duringthe course of their ascetic penances, a wonderful incident occurredthere. For the mountains of Vindhya, heated for a long course of years bythe power of their ascetic austerities, began to emit vapour from everypart of their bodies. And beholding the severity of their austerities,the celestials became alarmed. The gods began to cause numerousobstructions to impede the progress of their asceticism. The celestialsrepeatedly tempted the brothers by means of every precious possession andthe most beautiful girls. The brothers broke not their vows. Then thecelestials once more manifested, before the illustrious brothers, theirpowers of illusion. For it seemed their sisters, mothers, wives, andother relatives, with disordered hair and ornaments and robes, wererunning towards them in terror, pursued and struck by a Rakshasa with alance in hand. And it seemed that the women implored the help of thebrothers crying, 'O save us!' But all this went for nothing, for firmlywedded thereto, the brothers did not still break their vows. And when itwas found that all this produced not the slightest impression on any ofthe two, both the women and the Rakshasa vanished from sight. At last theGrandsire himself, the Supreme Lord ever seeking the welfare of all, cameunto those great Asuras and asked them to solicit the boon they desired.Then the brothers Sunda and Upasunda, both of great prowess, beholdingthe Grandsire, rose from their seats and waited with joined palms. Andthe brothers both said unto the God, 'O Grandsire, if thou hast beenpleased with these our ascetic austerities, and art, O lord, propitiousunto us, then let us have knowledge of all weapons and of all powers ofillusion. Let us be endued with great strength, and let us be able toassume any form at will. And last of all, let us also be immortal.'Hearing these words of theirs, Brahman said, 'Except the immortality youask for, you shall be given all that you desire. Solicit you some form ofdeath by which you may still be equal unto the immortals. And since youhave undergone these severe ascetic austerities from desire ofsovereignty alone I cannot confer on you the boon of immortality. Youhave performed your ascetic penances even for the subjugation of thethree worlds. It is for this, O mighty Daityas, that I cannot grant youwhat you desire.'
"Narada continued, 'Hearing these words of Brahman, Sunda and Upasundasaid, 'O Grandsire, let us have no fear then from any created thing,mobile or immobile, in the three worlds, except only from each other!'The Grandsire then said, 'I grant you what you have asked for, even thisyour desire'. And granting them this boon, the Grandsire made them desistfrom their asceticism, and returned to his own region. Then the brothers,those mighty Daityas, having received those several boons becameincapable of being slain by anybody in the universe. They then returnedto their own abode. All their friends and relatives, beholding thoseDaityas of great intelligence, crowned with success in the matter of theboons they had obtained, became exceedingly glad. And Sunda and Upasundathen cut off their matted locks and wore coronets on their heads. Attiredin costly robes and ornaments, they looked exceedingly handsome. Theycaused the moon to rise over their city every night even out of hisseason. And friends and relatives gave themselves up to joy and merrimentwith happy hearts. Eat, feed, give, make merry, sing, drink--these werethe sounds heard everyday in every house. And here and there arose louduproars of hilarity mixed with clappings of hands which filled the wholecity of the Daityas, who being capable of assuming any form at will, wereengaged in every kind of amusement and sport and scarcely noticed theflight of time, even regarding a whole year as a single day.'"

SECTION CCXII
(Rajya-labha Parva continued)
'Narada continued, 'As soon as those festivities came to an end, thebrothers Sunda and Upasunda, desirous of the Sovereignty of the threeworlds, took counsel and commanded their forces to be arranged. Obtainingthe assent of their friends and relatives, of the elders of the Daityarace and of their ministers of state, and performing the preliminaryrites of departure, they set out in the night when the constellationMagha was in the ascendant. The brothers set out with a large Daityaforce clad in mail and armed with maces and axes and lances and clubs.The Daitya heroes set out on their expedition with joyous hearts, thecharanas (bards) chanting auspicious panegyrics indicative of theirfuture triumphs. Furious in war, the Daitya brothers, capable of goingeverywhere at will, ascended the skies and went to the region of thecelestials. The celestials knowing they were coming and acquainted alsowith the boons granted unto them by the Supreme Deity left heaven andsought refuge in the region of Brahman. Endued with fierce prowess, theDaitya heroes soon subjugated the region of Indra, and vanquishing thediverse tribes of Yakshas and Rakshasas and every creature ranging theskies, came away. Those mighty car-warriors next subjugated the Nagas ofthe nether region, and then the inmates of the ocean and then all thetribes of the Mlechchhas. Desirous next of subjugating the whole earth,those heroes of irresistible sway, summoning their soldiers, issued thesecruel commands, 'Brahmanas and royal sages (on earth) with theirlibations and other food offered at grand sacrifices, increase the energyand strength of the gods, as also their prosperity. Engaged in such acts,they are the enemies of the Asuras. All of us, therefore, musteringtogether should completely slaughter them off the face of the earth!'Ordering their soldiers thus on the eastern shore of the great ocean, andentertaining such a cruel resolution, the Asura brothers set out in alldirections. And those that were performing sacrifices and the Brahmanasthat were assisting at those sacrifices, the mighty brothers instantlyslew. And slaughtering them with violence they departed for some otherplace. Whilst their soldiers threw into the water the sacrificial firesthat were in the asylums of Munis with souls under complete control, thecurses uttered by the illustrious Rishis in wrath, rendered abortive bythe boons granted (by Brahman), affected not the Asura brothers. When theBrahmanas saw that their curses produced not the slightest effect likeshafts shot at stones they fled in all directions, forsaking their ritesand vows. Even those Rishis on earth that were crowned with asceticsuccess, and had their passions under complete control and were whollyengrossed in meditation of the Deity, from fear of the Asura brothers,fled like snakes at the approach of Vinata's son (Garuda thesnake-eater). The sacred asylums were all trodden down and broken. Thesacrificial jars and vessels being broken, their (sacred) contents werescattered over the ground. The whole universe became empty, as if itscreatures had all been stricken down during the season of generaldissolution. And, O king, after the Rishis had all disappeared and madethemselves invisible both the great Asuras, resolved upon theirdestruction, began to assume various forms. Assuming the forms ofmaddened elephants with temples rent from excess of juice, the Asurapair, searching out the Rishis who had sheltered themselves in caves,sent them to the region of Yama. Sometimes becoming as lions and again astigers and disappearing the next moment, by these and other methods thecruel couple, seeing the Rishis, slew them instantly. Sacrifice and studyceased, and kings and Brahmanas were exterminated. The earth becameutterly destitute of sacrifices and festivals. And the terrified peopleuttered cries of Oh and Alas and all buying and selling were stopped. Allreligious rites ceased, and the earth became destitute of sacredceremonies and marriages. Agriculture was neglected and cattle were nolonger tended. Towns and asylums became desolate. And scattered over withbones and skeletons, the earth assumed a frightful aspect. All ceremoniesin honour of the Pitris were suspended, and the sacred sound of Vashatand the whole circle of auspicious rites ceased. The earth becamefrightful to behold. The Sun and the Moon, the Planets and Stars, andConstellations, and the other dwellers in the firmament, witnessing theseacts of Sunda and Upasunda, grieved deeply. Subjugating all the points ofheaven by means of such cruel acts, the Asura brothers took up theirabode in Kurukshetra, without a single rival.'"

SECTION CCXIII
(Rajya-labha Parva continued)
"Narada continued, 'Then the celestial Rishis, the Siddhas, and thehigh-souled Rishis possessing the attributes of tranquillity andself-restraint, beholding that act of universal slaughter, were afflictedwith great grief. With passions and senses and souls under completecontrol, they then went to the abode of the Grandsire, moved bycompassion for the universe. Arrived there, they beheld the Grandsireseated with gods, Siddhas, and Brahmarshis around him. There were presentthat God of gods, viz., Mahadeva, and Agni, accompanied by Vayu, and Somaand Surya and Sakra, and Rishis devoted to the contemplation of Brahma,and the Vaikhanasas, the Valakhilyas, the Vanaprasthas, the Marichipas,the Ajas, the Avimudas, and other ascetics of great energy. All thoseRishis were sitting with the Grandsire, when the celestial and otherRishis, approaching Brahman with sorrowful hearts, represented unto himall the acts of Sunda and Upasunda. And they told the Grandsire in detaileverything that the Asura brothers had done, and how they had done it,and in what order. Then all the celestials and the great Rishis pressedthe matter before the Grandsire. The Grandsire, hearing everything theysaid, reflected for a moment and settled in his mind what he should do.Resolving to compass the destruction of the Asura brothers, he summonedViswakarman (the celestial architect). Seeing Viswakarman before him, theGrandsire possessed of supreme ascetic merit commanded him, saying,'Create thou a damsel capable of captivating all hearts.' Bowing downunto the Grandsire and receiving his command with reverence, the greatartificer of the universe created a celestial maiden with carefulattention. Viswakrit first collected all handsome features upon the bodyof the damsel he created. Indeed, the celestial maiden that he createdwas almost a mass of gems. And created with great care by Viswakarman,the damsel, in beauty, became unrivalled among the women of the threeworlds. There was not even a minute part of her body which by its wealthof beauty could not attract the gaze of beholders. And like unto theembodied Sri herself, that damsel of extraordinary beauty captivated theeyes and hearts of every creature. And because she had been created withportions of every gem taken in minute measures, the Grandsire bestowedupon her the name of Tilottama. And as soon as he started it into life,the damsel bowed to Brahman and with joined palms said, 'Lord of everycreated thing, what task am I to accomplish and what have I been createdfor?' The Grandsire answered, 'Go, O Tilottama, unto the Asuras, Sundaand Upasunda. O amiable one, tempt them with thy captivating beauty. And,O damsel, conduct thyself there in such a way that the Asura brothersmay, in consequence of the wealth of thy beauty, quarrel with each otheras soon as they cast their eyes upon thee.'
"Narada continued, 'Bowing unto the Grandsire and saying, 'So beit,'--the damsel walked round the celestial conclave. The illustriousBrahman was then sitting with face turned eastwards, and Mahadeva withface also towards the east, and all the celestials with faces northwards,and the Rishis with faces towards all directions. While Tilottama walkedround the conclave of the celestials, Indra and the illustrious Sthanu(Mahadeva) were the only ones that succeeded in preserving theirtranquillity of mind. But exceedingly desirous as Mahadeva was (ofbeholding Tilottama) when the damsel (in her progress round the celestialconclave) was at his side, another face like a full-blown lotus appearedon the southern side of his body. And when she was behind him, anotherface appeared on the west. And when the damsel was on the northern sideof the great god, a fourth face appeared on the northern side of hisbody. Mahadeva (who was eager to behold the damsel) came also to have athousand eyes, each large and slightly reddish, before, behind and on hisflanks. And it was thus that Sthanu the great god came to have fourfaces, and the slayer of Vala, a thousand eyes. And as regards the massof the celestials and the Rishis, they turned their faces towards alldirections as Tilottama walked round them. Except the divine Grandsirehimself, the glances of those illustrious personages, even of all of themfell upon Tilottama's body. And when Tilottama set out (for the city ofthe Asuras) with the wealth of her beauty, all regarded the task asalready accomplished. After Tilottama had gone away, the great god whowas the First Cause of the Universe, dismissed all the celestials and theRishis.'"

SECTION CCXIV
(Rajya-labha Parva continued)
"Narada continued, 'Meanwhile the Asura brothers having subjugated theearth were without a rival. The fatigue of exertion gone, they, havingbrought the three worlds under equal sway, regarded themselves as personsthat had nothing more to do. Having brought all the treasures of thegods, the Gandharvas, the Yakshas, the Nagas, the Rakshasas, and thekings of the earth, the brothers began to pass their days in greathappiness. When they saw they had no rivals (in the three worlds), theygave up all exertion and devoted their time to pleasure and merriment,like the celestials. They experienced great happiness by givingthemselves up to every kind of enjoyment, such as women, and perfumes andfloral wreaths and viands, and drinks and many other agreeable objectsall in profusion. In houses and woods and gardens, on hills and inforests, wherever they liked they passed their time in pleasure andamusement, like the immortals. And it so happened that one day they wentfor purposes of pleasure to a tableland of the Vindhya range, perfectlylevel and stony, and overgrown with blossoming trees. After every objectof desire, all of the most agreeable kind, had been brought, the brotherssat on an excellent seat, with happy hearts and accompanied by handsomewomen. And those damsels, desirous of pleasing the brothers, commenced adance in accompaniment to music, and sweetly chanted many a song inpraise of the mighty pair.'
"Meanwhile Tilottama attired in a single piece of red silk that exposedall her charms, came along, plucking wild flowers on her way. Sheadvanced slowly to where those mighty Asuras were. The Asura brothers,intoxicated with the large portions they had imbibed, were smitten uponbeholding that maiden of transcendent beauty. Leaving their seats theywent quickly to where the damsel was. Both of them being under theinfluence of lust, each sought the maiden for himself. And Sunda seizedthat maid of fair brows by her right hand. Intoxicated with the boonsthey had obtained, with physical might, with the wealth and gems they hadgathered from every quarter, and with the wine they had drunk, maddenedwith all these, and influenced by wishful desire, they addressed eachother, each contracting his bow in anger, 'She is my wife, and thereforeyour superior,' said Sunda. 'She is my wife, and therefore yoursister-in-law', replied Upasunda. And they said unto each other, 'She ismine not yours.' And soon they were under the influence of rage. Maddenedby the beauty of the damsel, they soon forgot their love and affectionfor each other. Both of them, deprived of reason by passion, then took uptheir fierce maces. Each repeating, I was the first, I was the first,'(in taking her hand) struck the other. And the fierce Asuras, struck byeach other with the mace, fell down upon the ground, their bodies bathedin blood, like two suns dislodged from the firmament. And beholding this,the women that had come there, and the other Asuras there present, allfled away trembling in grief and fear, and took refuge in the netherregions. The Grandsire himself of pure soul, then came there, accompaniedby the celestials, and the great Rishis. And the illustrious Grandsireapplauded Tilottama and expressed his wish of granting her a boon. TheSupreme Deity, before Tilottama spoke, desirous of granting her a boon,cheerfully said, 'O beautiful damsel, thou shalt roam in the region ofthe Adityas. Thy splendour shall be so great that nobody will ever beable to look at thee for any length of time!' The Grandsire of allcreatures, granting this boon unto her, establishing the three worlds inIndra as before, returned to his own region.'
"Narada continued, 'It was thus that Asuras, ever united and inspired bythe same purpose slew each other in wrath for the sake of Tilottama.Therefore, from affection I tell you, ye foremost ones of Bharata's line,that if you desire to do anything agreeable to me, make some sucharrangements that you may not quarrel with one another for the sake ofDraupadi.'
"Vaisampayana continued, 'The illustrious Pandavas, thus addressed by thegreat Rishi Narada, consulting with one another, established a ruleamongst themselves in the presence of the celestial Rishi himself enduedwith immeasurable energy. And the rule they made was that when one ofthem would be sitting with Draupadi, any of the other four who would seethat one thus must retire into the forest for twelve years, passing hisdays as a Brahmacharin. After the virtuous Pandavas had established thatrule amongst themselves, the great Muni Narada, gratified with them, wentto the place he wished. Thus, O Janamejaya, did the Pandavas urged byNarada, established a rule amongst themselves in regard to their commonwife. And it was for this, O Bharata, that no dispute ever arose betweenthem.'"

SECTION CCXV
(Arjuna-vanavasa Parva)
"Vaisampayana said, 'The Pandavas, having established such a rule,continued to reside there. By the prowess of their arms they brought manykings under their sway. And Krishna became obedient unto all the fivesons of Pritha, those lions among men, of immeasurable energy. Like theriver Saraswati decked with elephants, which again take pleasure in thatstream, Draupadi took great delight in her five heroic husbands and theytoo took delight in her. And in consequence of the illustrious Pandavasbeing exceedingly virtuous in their practice, the whole race of Kurus,free from sin, and happy, grew in prosperity.
"After some time, O king, it so happened that certain robbers lifted thecattle of a Brahmana, and while they were carrying away the booty, theBrahmana, deprived of his senses by anger, repaired to Khandavaprastha,and began to reprove the Pandavas in accents of woe. The Brahmana said,'Ye Pandavas, from this your dominion, my kine are even now being takenaway by force by despicable and wicked wretches! Pursue ye the thieves.Alas, the sacrificial butter of a peaceful Brahmana is being taken awayby crows! Alas, the wretched jackal invadeth the empty cave of a lion! Aking that taketh the sixth part of the produce of the land withoutprotecting the subject, hath been called by the wise to be the mostsinful person in the whole world. The wealth of a Brahmana is being takenaway by robbers! Virtue itself is sustaining a diminution! Take me up bythe hand, ye Pandavas for I am plunged in grief!"
"Vaisampayana continued, 'Dhananjaya, the son of Kunti, heard thoseaccents of the Brahmana weeping in bitter grief. As soon as he heardthose accents, he loudly assured the Brahmana, saying, 'No fear!' But itso happened that the chamber where the illustrious Pandavas had theirweapons was then occupied by Yudhishthira the just with Krishna. Arjuna,therefore, was incapable of entering it or, going alone with theBrahmana, though repeatedly urged (to do either) by the weeping accentsof the Brahmana. Summoned by the Brahmana, Arjuna reflected, with asorrowful heart, Alas, this innocent Brahmana's wealth is being robbed! Ishould certainly dry up his tears. He hath come to our gate, and isweeping even now. If I do not protect him, the king will be touched withsin in consequence of my indifference; our own irreligiousness will becited throughout the kingdom, and we shall incur a great sin. If,disregarding the king, I enter the chamber, without doubt I shall bebehaving untruthfully towards the monarch without a foe. By entering thechamber, again, I incur the penalty of an exile in the woods. But I mustoverlook everything. I care not if I have to incur sin by disregardingthe king. I care not if I have to go to the woods and die there. Virtueis superior to the body and lasteth after the body hath perished!'Dhananjaya, arriving at this resolution, entered the chamber and talkedwith Yudhishthira. Coming out with the bow, he cheerfully told theBrahmana, 'Proceed, O Brahmana, with haste, so that those wretchedrobbers may not go much ahead of us. I shall accompany thee and restoreunto thee thy wealth that hath fallen into the hands of the thieves.'Then Dhananjaya, capable of using both his arms with equal skill, armedwith the bow and cased in mail and riding in his war-chariot decked witha standard, pursued the thieves, and piercing them with his arrows,compelled them to give up the booty. Benefiting the Brahmana thus bymaking over to him his kine, and winning great renown, the hero returnedto the capital. Bowing unto all the elders, and congratulated byeverybody, Partha at last approached Yudhishthira, and addressing him,said, 'Give me leave, O lord, to observe the vow I took. In beholdingthee sitting with Draupadi, I have violated the rule established byourselves. I shall therefore go into the woods, for this is even ourunderstanding.' Then Yudhishthira, suddenly hearing those painful words,became afflicted with grief, and said in an agitated voice, 'Why!' Alittle while after, king Yudhishthira in grief said unto his brotherDhananjaya of curly hair who never departed from his vows, these words,'O sinless one, if I am an authority worthy of regard, listen to what Isay. O hero, full well do I know the reason why thou hadst entered mychamber and didst what thou regardest to be an act disagreeable to me.But there is no displeasure in my mind. The younger brother may, withoutfault, enter the chamber where the elder brother sitteth with his wife.It is only the elder brother that acts against the rules of propriety byentering the room where the younger brother sitteth with his wife.Therefore, O thou of mighty arms, desist from thy purpose. Do what I say.Thy virtue hath sustained no diminution. Thou hast not disregarded me.'
"Arjuna, hearing this, replied, 'I have heard, even from thee, thatquibbling is not permitted in the discharge of duty. I cannot waver fromtruth. Truth is my weapon.'
"Vaisampayana continued, 'Obtaining then the king's permission, Arjunaprepared himself for a forest-life; and he went to the forest to livethere for twelve years.'"

SECTION CCXVI
(Arjuna-vanavasa Parva continued)
"Vaisampayana said, 'When that spreader of the renown of Kuru's race, thestrong-armed Arjuna, set out (for the forest), Brahmanas conversant withthe Vedas walked behind that illustrious hero to a certain distance.Followed by Brahmanas conversant with the Vedas and their branches anddevoted to the contemplation of the Supreme Spirit, by persons skilled inmusic, by ascetics devoted to the Deity, by reciters of Puranas, bynarrators of sacred stories by devotees leading celibate lives, byVanaprasthas, by Brahmanas sweetly reciting celestial histories, and byvarious other classes of persons of sweet speeches, Arjuna journeyed likeIndra followed by the Maruts. And, O thou of Bharata's race, that bullamong the Bharatas saw, as he journeyed, many delightful and picturesqueforests, lakes, rivers, seas, provinces, and waters. At length, onarriving at the source of the Ganges the mighty hero thought of settlingthere.
"Listen now, O Janamejaya, to a wonderful feat which that foremost of thesons of Pandu, of high soul, did, while living there. When that son ofKunti, O Bharata, and the Brahmanas who had followed him, took up theirresidence in that region, the latter performed innumerable Agnihotras(sacrificial rites by igniting the sacred fire). And, O king, inconsequence of those learned vow-observing, and illustrious Brahmanas,who never deviated from the right path, daily establishing and ignitingwith mantras on the banks of that sacred stream, after the performance oftheir ablutions, fires for their sacrifices, and pouring libations ofclarified butter into the same, and worshipping those fires withofferings of flowers, that region itself where the Ganges entered theplains became exceedingly beautiful. One day that bull amongst thePandavas, while residing in that region in the midst of those Brahmanas,descended (as usual) into the Ganges to perform his ablutions. After hisablutions had been over, and after he had offered oblations of water untohis deceased ancestors, he was about to get up from the stream to performhis sacrificial rites before the fire, when the mighty-armed hero, Oking, was dragged into the bottom of the water by Ulupi, the daughter ofthe king of the Nagas, urged by the god of desire. And it so happenedthat the son of Pandu was carried into the beautiful mansion of Kauravya,the king of the Nagas. Arjuna saw there a sacrificial fire ignited forhimself. Beholding that fire, Dhananjaya, the son of Kunti performed hissacrificial rites with devotion. And Agni was much gratified with Arjunafor the fearlessness with which that hero had poured libations into hismanifest form. After he had thus performed his rites before the fire, theson of Kunti, beholding the daughter of the king of the Nagas, addressedher smilingly and said, 'O handsome girl, what an act of rashness hastthou done. O timid one! Whose is this beautiful region, who art thou andwhose daughter?'
"Hearing these words of Arjuna, Ulupi answered, 'There is a Naga of thename of Kauravya, born in the line of Airavata. I am, O prince, thedaughter of that Kauravya, and my name is Ulupi. O tiger among men,beholding thee descend into the stream to perform thy ablutions, I wasdeprived of reason by the god of desire. O sinless one, I am stillunmarried. Afflicted as I am by the god of desire on account of thee, Othou of Kuru's race, gratify me today by giving thyself up to me.'
"Arjuna replied, 'Commanded by king Yudhishthira, O amiable one, I amundergoing the vow of Brahmacharin for twelve years. I am not free to actin any way I like. But, O ranger of the waters, I am still willing to dothy pleasure (if I can). I have never spoken an untruth in my life. Tellme, therefore, O Naga maid, how I may act so that, while doing thypleasure, I may not be guilty of any untruth or breach of duty.'
"Ulupi answered, 'I know, O son of Pandu, why thou wanderest over theearth, and why thou hast been commanded to lead the life of aBrahmacharin by the superior. Even this was the understanding to whichall of you had been pledged, viz., that amongst you all owning Drupada'sdaughter as your common wife, he who would from ignorance enter the roomwhere one of you would be sitting with her, should lead the life of aBrahmacharin in the woods for twelve years. The exile of any one amongstyou, therefore, is only for the sake of Draupadi. Thou art but observingthe duty arising from that vow. Thy virtue cannot sustain any diminution(by acceding to my solicitation). Then again, O thou of large eyes, it isa duty to relieve the distressed. Thy virtue suffereth no diminution byrelieving me. Oh, if (by this act), O Arjuna, thy virtue doth suffer asmall diminution, thou wilt acquire great merit by saving my life. Knowme for thy worshipper, O Partha! Therefore, yield thyself up to me! Eventhis, O lord, is the opinion of the wise (viz., that one should accept awoman that wooeth). If thou do not act in this way, know that I willdestroy myself. O thou of mighty arms, earn great merit by saving mylife. I seek thy shelter, O best of men! Thou protectest always, O son ofKunti, the afflicted and the masterless. I seek thy protection, weepingin sorrow. I woo thee, being filled with desire. Therefore, do what isagreeable to me. It behoveth thee to gratify my wish by yielding thy selfup to me.'
"Vaisampayana said, 'Thus addressed by the daughter of the king of theNagas, the son of Kunti did everything she desired, making virtue hismotive. The mighty Arjuna, spending the night in the mansion of the Nagarose with the sun in the morning. Accompanied by Ulupi he came back fromthe palace of Kauravya to the region where the Ganges entereth theplains. The chaste Ulupi, taking her leave there, returned to her ownabode. And, O Bharata, she granted unto Arjuna a boon making himinvincible in water, saying, 'Every amphibious creature shall, withoutdoubt, be vanquishable by thee.'"

SECTION CCXVII
(Arjuna-vanavasa Parva continued)
"Vaisampayana said, 'Then the son of the wielder of the thunderboltnarrated everything unto those Brahmanas (residing with him there), setout for the breast of Himavat. Arriving at the spot called Agastyavata,he next went to Vasishtha's peak. Thence the son of Kunti proceeded tothe peak of Bhrigu. Purifying himself with ablutions and other ritesthere, that foremost of the Kurus gave away unto Brahmanas many thousandsof cows and many houses. Thence that best of men proceeded to the sacredasylum called Hiranyavindu. Performing his ablutions there, that foremostof the sons of Pandu saw many holy regions. Descending from those heightsthat chief of men, O Bharata, accompanied by the Brahmanas, journeyedtowards the east, desiring to behold the regions that lay in thatdirection. That foremost one of Kuru's race saw many regions of sacredwaters one after another. And beholding in the forest of Naimisha thedelightful river Utpalini (full of lotuses) and the Nanda and the AparaNanda, the far-famed Kausiki, and the mighty rivers Gaya and Ganga, andall the regions of sacred water, he purified himself, O Bharata, (withthe usual rites), and gave away many cows unto Brahmanas. Whateverregions of sacred waters and whatever other holy palaces there were inVanga and Kalinga, Arjuna visited all of them. Seeing them all andperforming proper ceremonies, he gave away much wealth. Then, O Bharata,all those Brahmanas following the son of Pandu, bade him farewell at thegate of the kingdom of Kalinga and desisted from proceeding with him anyfurther. The brave Dhananjaya, the son of Kunti, obtaining their leave,went towards the ocean, accompanied by only a few attendants. Crossingthe country of the Kalingas, the mighty one proceeded, seeing on his waydiverse countries and sacred spots and diverse delightful mansions andhouses. Beholding the Mahendra mountain adorned with the ascetics(residing there), he went to Manipura, proceeding slowly along thesea-shore. Beholding all the sacred waters and other holy places in thatprovince, the strong-armed son of Pandu at last went, O king, to thevirtuous Chitravahana, the ruler of Manipura. The king of Manipura had adaughter of great beauty named Chitrangada. And it so happened thatArjuna beheld her in her father's palace roving at pleasure. Beholdingthe handsome daughter of Chitravahana, Arjuna desired to possess her.Going unto the king (her father), he represented unto him what he sought.He said. 'Give away unto me thy daughter, O king! I am an illustriousKshatriya's son.' Hearing this, the king asked him, 'Whose son art thou?'Arjuna replied, 'I am Dhananjaya, the son of Pandu and Kunti.' The king,hearing this, spoke unto him these words in sweet accents, 'There was inour race a king of the name of Prabhanjana, who was childless. To obtaina child, he underwent severe ascetic penances. By his severe asceticism,O Partha, he gratified that god of gods, Mahadeva, the husband of Uma,that supreme Lord holding (the mighty bow called) Pinaka. The illustriousLord granted him the boon that each successive descendant of his raceshould have one child only. In consequence of that boon only one child isborn unto every successive descendant of this race. All my ancestors (oneafter another) had each a male child. I, however, have only a daughter toperpetuate my race. But, O bull amongst men, I ever look upon thisdaughter of mine as my son. O bull of Bharata's race, I have duly madeher a Putrika. Therefore, one amongst the sons that may be begotten uponher by thee, O Bharata, shall be the perpetuator of my race. That son isthe dower for which I may give away my daughter. O son of Pandu, if themchoosest, thou canst take her upon this understanding.' Hearing thesewords of the king, Arjuna accepted them all, saying, 'So be it.' TakingChitravahana's daughter (as his wife), the son of Kunti resided in thatcity for three years. When Chitrangada at last gave birth to a son,Arjuna embraced that handsome princess affectionately. And taking leaveof the king (her father), he set out on his wanderings again.'"

SECTION CCXVIII
(Arjuna-vanavasa Parva continued)
"Vaisampayana said, 'Then that bull of Bharata's race went to the sacredwaters on the banks of the southern ocean, all adorned with the asceticsresiding there. And there lay scattered five such regions where alsodwelt many ascetics. But those five waters themselves were shunned by allof them. Those sacred waters were called Agastya, and Saubhadra andPauloma of great holiness, and Karandhama of great propitiousnessyielding the fruits of a horse-sacrifice unto those that bathed there,and Bharadwaja, that great washer of sins. That foremost one among theKurus, beholding those five sacred waters, and finding them uninhabited,and ascertaining also that they were shunned by the virtuous asceticsdwelling around, asked those pious men with joined hands, saying, 'Why Oascetics, are these five sacred waters shunned by utterers of Brahma?'Hearing him, the ascetics replied, 'There dwell in these waters fivelarge crocodiles which take away the ascetics that may happen to bathe inthem. It is for this, O son of Kuru's race, that these waters areshunned.'
"Vaisampayana continued, 'Hearing these words of the ascetics, thatforemost of men endued with mighty arms, though dissuaded by them went tobehold those waters. Arrived at the excellent sacred water calledSaubhadra after a great Rishi, the brave scorcher of all foes suddenlyplunged into it to have a bath. As soon as that tiger among men hadplunged into the water a great crocodile (that was in it) seized him bythe leg. But the strong-armed Dhananjaya the son of Kunti, that foremostof all men endued with might, seized that struggling ranger of the waterand dragged it forcibly to the shore. But dragged by the renowned Arjunato the land, that crocodile became (transformed into) a beautiful damselbedecked with ornament. O king, that charming damsel of celestial formseemed to shine for her beauty and complexion. Dhananjaya, the son ofKunti, beholding that strange sight, asked that damsel with a pleasedheart, 'Who art thou, O beautiful one? Why hast thou been a ranger of thewaters? Why also didst thou commit such a dreadful sin?' The damselreplied, saying, 'I am, O mighty-armed one, an Apsara that sported in thecelestial woods. I am, O mighty one, Varga by name, and ever dear untothe celestial treasurer (Kuvera). I have four other companions, allhandsome and capable of going everywhere at will. Accompanied by them Iwas one day going to the abode of Kuvera. On the way we beheld a Brahmanaof rigid vows, and exceedingly handsome, studying the Vedas in solitude.The whole forest (in which he was sitting) seemed to be covered with hisascetic splendour. He seemed to have illuminated the whole region likethe Sun himself. Beholding his ascetic devotion of that nature and hiswonderful beauty, we alighted in that region, in order to disturb hismeditations. Myself and Saurabheyi and Samichi and Vudvuda and Lata,approached that Brahmana, O Bharata, at the same time. We began to singand smile and otherwise tempt that Brahmana. But, O hero, that Brahmana(youth) set not his heart even once upon us. His mind fixed on puremeditation, that youth of great energy suffered not his heart to waver, Obull among Kshatriyas, the glance he cast upon us was one of wrath. Andhe said, staring at us, 'Becoming crocodiles, range ye the waters for ahundred years.'"

SECTION CCXIX
(Arjuna-vanavasa Parva continued)
"Vaisampayana said, 'Varga continued, 'We were then, O foremost one ofBharata's race, deeply distressed at this curse. We sought to propitiatethat Brahmana of ascetic wealth that departed not from his vow.Addressing him, we said, 'Inflated with a sense of our beauty and youth,and urged by the god of desire, we have acted very improperly. Itbehoveth thee, O Brahmana, to pardon us! Truly, O Brahmana, it was deathto us that we had at all come hither to tempt thee of rigid vows andascetic wealth. The virtuous, however, have said that women should neverbe slain. Therefore grow thou in virtue. It behoveth thee not to slay usso. O thou that art conversant with virtue, it hath been said that aBrahmana is ever the friend of every creature. O thou of greatprosperity, let this speech of the wise become true. The eminent alwaysprotect those that seek protection at their hands. We seek thyprotection. It behoveth thee to grant us pardon.'
"Vaisampayana continued, 'Thus addressed, that Brahmana of virtuous souland good deeds and equal in splendour, O hero, unto the sun or the moon,became propitious unto them. And the Brahmana said, 'The words hundredand hundred thousand are all indicative of eternity. The word hundred,however, as employed by me is to be understood as a limited period andnot indicative of a period without end. Ye shall, therefore, becomingcrocodiles, seize and take away men (for only a hundred years asexplained by me). At the end of that period, an exalted individual willdrag you all from water to the land. Then ye will resume your real forms.Never have I spoken an untruth even in jest. Therefore, all that I havesaid must come to pass. And those sacred waters (within which I assignyou your places), will, after you will have been delivered by thatindividual, become known all over the world by the name of Nari-tirthas(or sacred waters connected with the sufferings and the deliverance offemales), and all of them shall become sacred and sin cleansing in theeyes of the virtuous and the wise.'
"Vaisampayana continued, 'Varga then addressing Arjuna, finished herdiscourse, saying, 'Hearing these words of the Brahmana, we saluted himwith reverence and walked round him. Leaving that region we came awaywith heavy hearts, thinking as we proceeded, 'Where shall we all soonmeet with that man who will give us back our own shapes (after ourtransformation)?' As we were thinking of it, in almost a moment, OBharata, we beheld even the eminent celestial Rishi Narada. Beholdingthat Rishi of immeasurable energy, our hearts were filled with joy.Saluting him with reverence, O Partha, we stood before him, with blushingfaces. He asked of us the cause of our sorrow and we told him all.Hearing what had happened the Rishi said, 'In the low-lands bordering onthe southern ocean, there are five regions of sacred water. They aredelightful and eminently holy. Go ye thither without delay. That tigeramong men, Dhananjaya, the son of Pandu of pure soul, will soon deliveryou, without doubt, from this sad plight.' O hero, hearing the Rishi'swords, all of us came hither. O sinless one, true it is that I have todaybeen delivered by thee. But those four friends of mine are still withinthe other waters here. O hero, do a good deed by delivering them also.'
"Vaisampayana continued, 'Then, O monarch, that foremost of the Pandavas,endued with great prowess, cheerfully delivered all of them from thatcurse. Rising from the waters they all regained their own forms. ThoseApsaras then, O king, all looked as before. Freeing those sacred waters(from the danger for which they had been notorious), and giving theApsaras leave to go where they chose, Arjuna became desirous of once morebeholding Chitrangada. He, therefore, proceeded towards the city ofManipura. Arrived there, he beheld on the throne the son he had begottenupon Chitrangada, and who was called by the name of Vabhruvahana. SeeingChitrangada once more, Arjuna proceeded, O monarch, towards the spotcalled Gokarna.'"

SECTION CCXX
(Arjuna-vanavasa Parva continued)
"Vaisampayana said, 'Then Arjuna of immeasurable prowess saw, one afteranother, all the sacred waters and other holy places that were on theshores of the western ocean. Vibhatsu reached the sacred spot calledPrabhasa. When the invisible Arjuna arrived at that sacred and delightfulregion, the slayer of Madhu (Krishna) heard of it. Madhava soon wentthere to see his friend, the son of Kunti. Krishna and Arjuna mettogether and embracing each other enquired after each other's welfare.Those dear friends, who were none else than the Rishis Nara and Narayanaof old, sat down. Vasudeva asked Arjuna about his travels, saying, 'Why,O Pandava art thou wandering over the earth, beholding all the sacredwaters and other holy places?' Then Arjuna told him everything that hadhappened. Hearing everything, that mighty hero of Vrishni's race said,'This is as it should be.' And Krishna and Arjuna having sported as theyliked, for some time at Prabhasa, went to the Raivataka mountain to passsome days there. Before they arrived at Raivataka, that mountain had, atthe command of Krishna been well-adorned by many artificers. Much foodalso had, at Krishna's command, been collected there. Enjoying everythingthat had been collected there for him, Arjuna sat with Vasudeva to seethe performances of the actors and the dancers. Then the high-souledPandava, dismissing them all with proper respect, laid himself down on awell-adorned and excellent bed. As the strong-armed one lay on thatexcellent bed, he described unto Krishna everything about the sacredwaters, the lakes and the mountains, the rivers and the forests he hadseen. While he was speaking of these, stretched upon that celestial bed,sleep, O Janamejaya, stole upon him. He rose in the morning, awakened, bysweet songs and melodious notes of the Vina (guitar) and the panegyricsand benedictions of the bards. After he had gone through the necessaryacts and ceremonies, he was affectionately accosted by him of the Vrishnirace. Riding upon a golden car, the hero then set out for Dwaraka, thecapital of the Yadavas. And, O Janamejaya, for honouring the son ofKunti, the city of Dwaraka, was well-adorned, even all the gardens andhouses within it. The citizens of Dwaraka, desirous of beholding the sonof Kunti, began to pour eagerly into the public thoroughfares by hundredsof thousands. In the public squares and thoroughfares, hundreds andthousands of women, mixing with the men, swelled the great crowd of theBhojas, the Vrishnis, and the Andhakas, that had collected there. Arjunawas welcomed with respect by all the sons of Bhojas, the Vrishnis, andthe Andhakas. And he, in his turn, worshipped those that deserved hisworship, receiving their blessings. The hero was welcomed withaffectionate reception by all the young men of the Yadava tribe. Herepeatedly embraced all that were equal to him in age. Wending then tothe delightful mansion of Krishna that was filled with gems and everyarticle of enjoyment, he took up his abode there with Krishna for manydays.'"

SECTION CCXXI
(Subhadra-harana Parva)
"Vaisampayana said, 'O best of monarchs, within a few days after this,there commenced on the Raivataka mountain, a grand festival of theVrishnis and the Andhakas. At the mountain-festival of the Bhojas, theVrishnis and the Andhakas, the heroes of those tribes began to give awaymuch wealth unto Brahmanas by thousands. The region around that hill, Oking was adorned with many a mansion decked with gems and many anartificial tree of gaudy hue. The musicians struck up in concert and thedancers began to dance and the vocalists to sing. And the youth of theVrishni race, endued with great energy, adorned with every ornament, andriding in their gold-decked cars, looked extremely handsome. Thecitizens, some on foot and some in excellent cars, with their wives andfollowers were there by hundreds and thousands. And there was the lordHaladhara (Valarama), roving at will, hilarious with drink, accompaniedby (his wife) Revati, and followed by many musicians and vocalists. Therecame Ugrasena also, the powerful king of he Vrishni race, accompanied byhis thousand wives and followed by sweet singers. And Raukmineya andShamva also, ever furious in battle, roved there, excited with drink andadorned with floral wreaths of great beauty and with costly attires, anddisported themselves like a pair of celestials. And Akrura and Sarana andGada, and Vabhru, and Nisatha, and Charudeshna, and Prithu, Viprithu, andSatyaka, and Satyaki, and Bhangakara, and Maharava, and Hardikya, andUddhava, and many others whose names are not given, accompanied by theirwives that followed by bands of singers, adorned that mountain-festival.When that delightful festival of immense grandeur commenced, Vasudeva andPartha went about, together, beholding everything around. While wanderingthere, they saw the handsome daughter of Vasudeva, Bhadra by name, deckedwith every ornament, in the midst of her maids. As soon as Arjuna beheldher he was possessed by the god of desire. Then, O Bharata, that tigeramong men, Krishna, observing Partha contemplate her with absorbedattention, said with a smile, 'How is this? Can the heart of one thatrangeth the woods be agitated by the god of desire? This is my sister, OPartha, and the uterine sister of Sarana. Blest be thou, her name isBhadra and she is the favourite daughter of my father. Tell me if thyheart is fixed upon her, for I shall then speak to my father myself.'
"Arjuna answered, 'She is Vasudeva's daughter and Vasudeva's (Krishna)sister; endued with so much beauty, whom can she not fascinate? If thisthy sister, this maid of the Vrishni race, becometh my wife, truly may Iwin prosperity in everything. Tell me, O Janardana, by what means I mayobtain her. To get her I will achieve anything that is achievable by man.'
"Vasudeva answered, 'O bull amongst men, self-choice hath been ordainedfor the marriage of Kshatriyas. But that is doubtful (in itsconsequences), O Partha, as we do not know this girl's temper anddisposition. In the case of Kshatriyas that are brave, a forcibleabduction for purposes of marriage is applauded, as the learned havesaid. Therefore O Arjuna, carry away this my beautiful sister by force,for who knows what she may do at a self-choice.' Then Krishna and Arjuna,having thus settled as to what should be done sent some speedy messengersunto Yudhishthira at Indraprastha, informing him of everything. Thestrong-armed Yudhishthira, as soon as he heard it, gave his assent toit.'"

SECTION CCXXII
(Subhadra-harana Parva continued)
"Vaisampayana said, 'Then Dhananjaya, informed of the assent ofYudhishthira, and ascertaining, O Janamejaya, that the maiden had gone tothe Raivataka hill, obtained the assent of Vasudeva also, after havingsettled in consultation with him all that required to be done. Then thatbull of Bharata's race, that foremost of men, with Krishna's assent,riding in his well-built car of gold equipped with rows of small bellsand with every kind of weapon and the clatter of whose wheels resembledthe roar of the clouds and whose splendour was like unto that of ablazing fire and which struck terror into the hearts of all foes and untowhich were yoked the steeds Saivya and Sugriva, himself accoutred in mailand armed with sword and his fingers encased in leathern gloves, set out,as it were, on a hunting expedition. Meanwhile Subhadra, having paid herhomage unto that prince of hills, Raivataka and having worshipped thedeities and made the Brahmanas utter benedictions upon her, and havingalso walked round the hill, was coming towards Dwaravati. The son ofKunti, afflicted with the shafts of the god of desire, suddenly rushedtowards that Yadava girl of faultless features and forcibly took her intohis car. Having seized that girl of sweet smiles, that tiger among menproceeded in his car of gold towards his own city (Indraprastha).Meanwhile, the armed attendants of Subhadra, beholding her thus seizedand taken away, all ran, crying towards the city of Dwaraka. Reaching alltogether the Yadava court called by the name of Sudharma, theyrepresented everything about the prowess of Partha unto the chief officerof the court. The chief officer of the court, having heard everythingfrom those messengers, blew his gold-decked trumpet of loud blare,calling all to arms. Stirred up by that sound, the Bhojas, the Vrishnis,and the Andhakas began to pour in from all sides. Those that were eatingleft their food, and those that were drinking left their drink. Thosetigers among men, those great warriors of the Vrishni and the Andhakatribes, took their seats upon their thousand thrones of gold covered withexcellent carpets and variegated with gems and corals and possessed ofthe lustre of blazing fire. Indeed they took their seats upon thosethrones, like blazing fires receiving faggots to increase theirsplendour. And after they were seated in that court which was like unto aconclave of the celestials themselves, the chief officer of the court,assisted by those that stood at his back, spoke of the conduct of Jishnu.The proud Vrishni heroes, of eyes red with wine, as soon as they heard ofit, rose up from their seats, unable to brook what Arjuna had done. Someamongst them said, 'Yoke our cars', and some, 'Bring our weapons' andsome said, 'Bring our costly bows and strong coats of mail; and someloudly called upon their charioteers to harness their cars, and some,from impatience, themselves yoked their horses decked with gold untotheir cars. And while their cars and armours and standards were beingbrought, loud became the uproar of those heroes. Then Valadeva, white andtall as the peak of Kailasa, decked with garlands of wild flowers andattired in blue robes, and proud and intoxicated with drink, said thesewords:
'Ye senseless men, what are ye doing, when Janardana sitteth silent?Without knowing what is in his mind, vainly do we roar in wrath! Let thehigh-souled Krishna give out what he proposeth. Accomplish promptly whathe desireth to do.' Then all of them, hearing those words of Halayudhathat deserved to be accepted, exclaimed, 'Excellent! Excellent!' Theythen all became silent. Silence having been restored by the words of theintelligent Valadeva, they took their seats once more in that assembly.Then Rama, that oppressor of foes, spoke unto Vasudeva, saying, 'Why, OJanardana, sittest thou, gazing silently? O Achyuta, it was for thy sakethat the son of Pritha had been welcomed and honoured by us. It seemeth,however, that that vile wretch deserved not our homage. What man is thereborn of a respectable family that would break the plate after havingdined from it! Even if one desireth to make such an alliance, yetremembering all the services he hath received, who is there, desirous ofhappiness, that acts so rashly? That Pandava disregarding us and thee toohath today outraged Subhadra, desiring (to compass) his own death. Hehath placed his foot on the crown of my head. How shall I, O Govinda,tamely bear it? Shall I not resent it, even like a snake that is troddenupon? Alone shall I today make the earth destitute of Kauravas! Nevershall I put up with this transgression by Arjuna.' Then all the Bhojas,Vrishnis, and Andhakas, present there, approved of everything thatValadeva had said, deeply roaring like unto a kettle-drum or the clouds.'"

SECTION CCXXIII
(Haranaharana Parva)
"Vaisampayana said, 'When the heroes of the Vrishni race began to speakrepeatedly in this strain, Vasudeva uttered these words pregnant withdeep import and consistent with true morality. Gudakesa (the conqueror ofsleep or he of the curly hair), by what he hath done, hath not insultedour family. He hath without doubt, rather enhanced our respect. Parthaknoweth that we of the Satwata race are never mercenary. The son of Pandualso regardeth a self-choice as doubtful in its results. Who also wouldapprove of accepting a bride in gift as if she were an animal? What managain is there on earth that would sell his offspring? I think Arjuna,seeing these faults in all the other methods took the maiden away byforce, according to the ordinance. This alliance is very proper. Subhadrais a renowned girl. Partha too possesseth renown. Perhaps, thinking ofall this, Arjuna hath taken her away by force. Who is there that wouldnot desire to have Arjuna for a friend, who is born in the race ofBharata and the renowned Santanu, and the son also of the daughter ofKuntibhoja? I do not see, in all the worlds with Indra and the Rudras,the person that can by force vanquish Partha in battle, except thethree-eyed god Mahadeva. His car is well-known. Yoked thereunto are thosesteeds of mine. Partha as a warrior is well-known; and his lightness ofhand is well-known. Who shall be equal to him? Even this is my opinion:go ye cheerfully after Dhananjaya and by conciliation stop him and bringhim back. If Partha goes to his city after having vanquished us by force,our fame will be gone. There is no disgrace, however, in conciliation.'Hearing, O monarch, those words of Vasudeva, they did as he directed.Stopped by them, Arjuna returned to Dwaraka and was united in marriagewith Subhadra. Worshipped by the sons of Vrishni's race, Arjuna, sportingthere as he pleased, passed a whole year in Dwaraka. The last year of hisexile the exalted one passed at the sacred region of Pushkara. After thetwelve years were complete he came back to Khandavaprastha. He approachedthe king first and then worshipped the Brahmanas with respectfulattention. At last the hero went unto Draupadi. Draupadi, from jealousy,spoke unto him, saying, 'Why tarriest thou here, O son of Kunti? Go wherethe daughter of the Satwata race is! A second tie always relaxeth thefirst one upon a faggot!' And Krishna lamented much in this strain. ButDhananjaya pacified her repeatedly and asked for her forgiveness. Andreturning soon unto where Subhadra, attired in red silk, was staying,Arjuna, sent her into the inner apartments dressed not as a queen but inthe simple garb of a cowherd woman. But arrived at the palace, therenowned Subhadra looked handsomer in that dress. The celebrated Bhadraof large and slightly red eyes first worshipped Pritha. Kunti from excessof affection smelt the head of that girl of perfectly faultless features,and pronounced infinite blessing upon her. Then that girl of face likethe full moon hastily went unto Draupadi and worshipped her, saying, 'Iam thy maid!' Krishna rose hastily and embraced the sister of Madhavafrom affection, and said, 'Let thy husband be without a foe!' Bhadrathen, with a delighted heart, said unto Draupadi, 'So be it!' From thattime, O Janamejaya, those great warriors, the Pandavas, began to livehappily, and Kunti also became very happy.'
"Vaisampayana continued, 'When that scorcher of foes, viz., Kesava ofpure soul and eyes, like lotus-petals, heard that the foremost of thePandavas, viz., Arjuna, had reached his own excellent city ofIndraprastha, he came thither accompanied by Rama and the other heroesand great warriors of the Vrishni and the Andhaka tribes, and by hisbrothers and sons and many other brave warriors. And Saurin cameaccompanied by a large army that protected him. And there came withSaurin, that oppressor of foes, viz., the exceedingly liberal Akrura ofgreat intelligence and renown, the generalissimo of the brave Vrishnihost. And there also came Anadhrishti of great prowess, and Uddhava ofgreat renown, of great intelligence, of great soul, and a disciple ofVrihaspati himself. And there also came Satyaka and Salyaka andKritavarman and Satwata; and Pradyumna and Samva and Nisatha and Sanku;and Charudeshna, and Jhilli of great prowess, and Viprithu also andSarana of mighty arms and Gada, the foremost of learned men. These andmany other Vrishnis and Bhojas, and Andhakas came to Indraprastha,bringing with them many nuptial presents. King Yudhishthira, hearing thatMadhava had arrived, sent the twins out to receive him. Received by them,the Vrishni host of great prosperity entered Khandavaprastha well-adornedwith flags and ensigns. The streets were well-swept and watered anddecked with floral wreaths and bunches. These were, again, sprinkled overwith sandalwood water that was fragrant and cooling. Every part of thetown was filled with the sweet scent of burning aloes. And the city wasfull of joyous and healthy people and adorned with merchants and traders.That best of men, viz., Kesava of mighty arms, accompanied by Rama andmany of the Vrishnis, Andhakas and Bhojas, having entered the town, wasworshipped by the citizens and Brahmanas by thousands. At last Kesavaentered the palace of the king which was like unto the mansion of Indrahimself. Beholding Rama, Yudhishthira received him with due ceremonies.The king smelt the head of Kesava and embraced him. Govinda, gratifiedwith the reception, humbly worshipped Yudhishthira. He also paid homageunto Bhima, that tiger among men. Yudhishthira the son of Kunti thenreceived the other principal men of the Vrishni and the Andhaka tribeswith due ceremonies. Yudhishthira reverentially worshipped some as hissuperiors, and welcomed others as equals. And some he received withaffection and by some he was worshipped with reverence. Then Hrishikesaof great renown gave unto the party of the bridegroom much wealth. Andunto Subhadra he gave the nuptial presents that had been given to her byher relatives. Krishna gave unto the Pandavas a thousand cars of goldfurnished with rows of bells, and unto each of which were put four steedsdriven by well-trained charioteers. He also gave unto them ten thousandcows belonging to the country of Mathura, and yielding much milk and allof excellent colour. Well-pleased, Janardana also gave them a thousandmares with gold harnesses and of colour white as the beams of the moon.He also gave them a thousand mules, all well-trained and possessing thespeed of the wind, of white colour with black manes. And he of eyes likelotus-petals also gave unto them a thousand damsels well-skilled inassisting at bathing and at drinking, young in years and virgins allbefore their first-season, well-attired and of excellent complexion, eachwearing a hundred pieces of gold around her neck, of skins perfectlypolished, decked with every ornament, and well-skilled in every kind ofpersonal service. Janardana also gave unto them hundreds of thousands ofdraft horses from the country of the Valhikas as Subhadra's excellentdower. That foremost one of Dasarha's race also gave unto Subhadra as herpeculium ten carrier-loads of first class gold possessing the splendourof fire, some purified and some in a state of ore. And Rama having theplough for his weapon and always loving bravery gave unto Arjuna, as anuptial present, a thousand elephants with secretions flowing in threestreams from the three parts of their bodies (the temple, the ears, andthe anus) each large as a mountain summit, irresistible in battle, deckedwith coverlets and bells, well-adorned with other golden ornaments, andequipped with excellent thrones on their backs. And that large wave ofwealth and gems that the Yadavas presented, together with the cloths andblankets that represented its foam, and the elephants its alligators andsharks, and the flags its floating weeds swelling into large proportions,mingled with the Pandu ocean and filled it to the brim, to the greatsorrow of all foes. Yudhishthira accepted all those presents andworshipped all those great warriors of the Vrishni and the Andhaka races.Those illustrious heroes of the Kuru, the Vrishni, and the Andhaka racespassed their days in pleasure and merriment there like virtuous men(after death) in the celestial regions. The Kurus and the Vrishnis withjoyous hearts amused themselves there, setting up at times loud shoutsmingled with clappings of the hand. Spending many days in sports andmerriment there, and worshipped by the Kurus all the while, the Vrishniheroes endued with great energy then returned to the city of Dwaravati.And the great warriors of the Vrishni and the Andhaka races set out withRama in the van, carrying with them those gems of the purest rays thathad been given them by those foremost ones of Kuru's race. And, OBharata, the high-souled Vasudeva remained there with Arjuna in thedelightful city of Indraprastha. And the illustrious one wandered overthe banks of the Yamuna in search of deer. And he sported with Arjunapiercing with his shafts deer and wild boars. Then Subhadra, thefavourite sister of Kesava, gave birth to an illustrious son, likePuloma's daughter, (the queen of heaven) bringing forth Jayanta. And theson that Subhadra brought forth was of long arms, broad chest, and eyesas large as those of a bull. That hero and oppressor of foes came to becalled Abhimanyu. And the son of Arjuna, that grinder of foes and bullamong men, was called Abhimanyu because he was fearless and wrathful. Andthat great warrior was begotten upon the daughter of the Satwata race byDhananjaya, like fire produced in a sacrifice from within the sami woodby the process of rubbing. Upon the birth of this child, Yudhishthira,the powerful son of Kunti, gave away unto Brahmanas ten thousand cows andcoins of gold. The child from his earliest years became the favourite ofVasudeva and of his father and uncles, like the moon of all the people ofthe world. Upon his birth, Krishna performed the usual rites of infancy.The child began to grow up like the Moon of the bright fortnight. Thatgrinder of foes soon became conversant with the Vedas and acquired fromhis father the science of weapon both celestial and human, consisting offour branches and ten divisions.
"Endued with great strength, the child also acquired the knowledge ofcounteracting the weapons hurled at him by others, and great lightness ofhand and fleetness of motion forward and backward and transverse andwheeling. Abhimanyu became like unto his father in knowledge of thescriptures and rites of religion. And Dhananjaya, beholding his son,became filled with joy. Like Maghavat beholding Arjuna, the latter beheldhis son Abhimanyu and became exceedingly happy. Abhimanyu possessed thepower of slaying every foe and bore on his person every auspicious mark.He was invisible in battle and broad-shouldered as the bull. Possessing abroad face as (the hood of) the snake, he was proud like the lion.Wielding a large bow, his prowess was like that of an elephant in rut.Possessed of a face handsome as the full-moon, and of a voice deep as thesound of the drum or the clouds, he was equal unto Krishna in bravery andenergy, in beauty and in features. The auspicious Panchali also, from herfive husbands, obtained five sons all of whom were heroes of the foremostrank and immovable in battle like the hills. Prativindhya byYudhishthira, Sutasoma by Vrikodara, Srutakarman by Arjuna, Satanika byNakula, and Srutasena by Sahadeva,--these were the five heroes and greatwarriors that Panchali brought forth, like Aditi bringing forth theAdityas. And the Brahmanas, from their foreknowledge, said untoYudhishthira that as the son of his would be capable of bearing like theVindhya mountains the weapons of the foe, he should be calledPrativindhya. And because the child that Draupadi bore to Bhimasena wasborn after Bhima had performed a thousand Soma sacrifices, he came to becalled Sutasoma. And because Arjuna's son was born upon his return fromexile during which he had achieved many celebrated feats, that child cameto be called Srutakarman. While Nakula named his son Satanika after aroyal sage of that name, in the illustrious race of Kuru. Again the sonthat Draupadi bore to Sahadeva was born under the constellation calledVahni-daivata (Krittika), therefore was he called after the generalissimoof the celestial host, Srutasena (Kartikeya). The sons of Draupadi wereborn, each at the interval of one year, and all of them became renownedand much attached to one another. And, O monarch, all their rites ofinfancy and childhood, such as Chudakarana and Upanayana (first shave ofthe head and investiture with the sacred threads) were performed byDhaumya according to the ordinance. All of them, of excellent behaviourand vows, after having studied the Vedas, acquired from Arjuna aknowledge of all the weapons, celestial and human. And, O tiger amongkings, the Pandavas, having obtained sons all of whom were equal unto thechildren of the celestials and endued with broad chests, and all of whombecame great warriors, were filled with joy.'"

SECTION CCXXIV
(Khandava-daha Parva)
"Vaisampayana said, 'The Pandavas, after they had taken up their abode atIndraprastha at the command of Dhritarashtra and Bhishma began to bringother kings under their sway. All the subjects (of the kingdom) livedmost happily depending upon Yudhishthira the just, like a soul livinghappily depending upon a body blest with auspicious marks and piousdeeds. And, O bull in Bharata's race, Yudhishthira paid homage untovirtue, pleasure, and profit, in judicious proportion, as if each were afriend dear unto him as his own self. It seemed as if the threepursuits--virtue, pleasure, and profit--became personified on earth, andamongst them the king shone as a fourth. The subjects having obtainedYudhishthira as their king, obtained in their monarch one that wasdevoted to the study of the Vedas, one that was performer of the greatsacrifices, and one that was protector of all good people. In consequenceof Yudhishthira's influence, the good fortune of all the monarchs of theearth became stationary, and their hearts became devoted to themeditation of the Supreme Spirit, and virtue itself began to grow everyway all round. And in the midst of and assisted by his four brothers, theking looked more resplendent (than he would have done if he were alone),like a great sacrifice depending upon and assisted by the four Vedas.Many learned Brahmanas with Dhananjaya at their head, each like untoVrihaspati, waited upon the monarch, like the celestials waiting upon theLord of the creation. From excess of affection, the eyes and hearts ofall the people equally took great delight in Yudhishthira who was even asthe full moon without a stain. The people took delight in him not onlybecause he was their king but also from sincere affection. The kingalways did what was agreeable to them. The sweet-speeched Yudhishthira ofgreat intelligence never uttered anything that was improper or untrue orunbearable or disagreeable. The best of monarchs of the Bharata race,endued with great energy, passed his days happily for the welfare of allas his own. His brothers also bringing by their energy other kings undertheir sway, passed their days in happiness, without a foe to disturbtheir peace.
"After a few days, Vibhatsu, addressing Krishna, said, 'The summer dayshave set in, O Krishna! Therefore, let us go to the banks of the Yamuna.O slayer of Madhu, sporting there in the company of friends, we will, OJanardana, return in the evening'. Thereupon Vasudeva said, 'O son ofKunti, this is also my wish. Let us, O Partha, sport in the waters as weplease, in the company of friends.'
"Vaisampayana continued, 'Then, O Bharata, having consulted thus witheach other, Partha and Govinda, with Yudhishthira's leave, set out,surrounded by friends. Reaching a fine spot (on the banks of the Yamuna)suitable for purposes of pleasure, overgrown with numerous tall trees andcovered with several high mansions that made the place look like thecelestial city and within which had been collected for Krishna and Parthanumerous costly and well-flavoured viands and drinks and other articlesof enjoyment and floral wreaths and various perfumes, the party enteredwithout delay the inner apartments adorned with many precious gems ofpure rays. Entering those apartments, everybody, O Bharata, began tosport, according to his pleasure. The women of the party, all of fullrotund hips and deep bosoms and handsome eyes, and gait unsteady withwine began to sport there at the command of Krishna and Partha. Someamongst the women sported as they liked in the woods, some in the waters,and some within the mansions, as directed by Partha and Govinda. Draupadiand Subhadra, exhilarated with wine, began to give away unto the women sosporting, their costly robes and ornaments. And some amongst those womenbegan to dance in joy, and some began to sing; and some amongst thembegan to laugh and jest, and some to drink excellent wines. Some began toobstruct one another's progress and some to fight with one another, andto discourse with one another in private. Those mansions and the woods,filled with the charming music of flutes and guitars and kettledrums,became the scene of Prosperity personified.
"When such was the state of things there, Arjuna and Vasudeva went to acertain charming spot (in those woods) not far from the place where theothers were. O monarch, the high-souled Krishna, and that subjugators ofhostile cities, viz., Arjuna, going thither, sat down upon two verycostly seats. Vasudeva and Partha amused themselves there withdiscoursing upon many past achievements of prowess and other topics. UntoVasudeva and Dhananjaya happily sitting there like the Aswins in heaven,a certain Brahmana came. The Brahmana that came there looked like a tallSala tree. His complexion was like unto molten gold; his beard was brightyellow tinged with green; and the height and the thickness of the bodywere in just proportion. Of matted locks and dressed in rags, heresembled the morning sun in splendour. Of eyes like lotus-petals and ofa tawny hue, he seemed to be blazing with effulgence. Beholding thatforemost of Brahmanas blazing with splendour approach towards them bothArjuna and Vasudeva, hastily rising from their seats, stood, waiting (forhis commands).'"

SECTION CCXXV
(Khandava-daha Parva continued)
"Vaisampayana said, 'Then that Brahmana addressed Arjuna and Vasudeva ofthe Satwata race, saying, 'Ye who are now staying so near unto Khandavaare the two foremost of heroes on earth. I am a voracious Brahmana thatalways eateth much. O thou of the Vrishni race, and O Partha, I solicityou to gratify me by giving me sufficient food.' Thus addressed by theBrahmana, Krishna and the son of Pandu answered him, saying, 'O, tell uswhat kind of food will gratify thee so that we may endeavour to give itthee.' The illustrious Brahmana, thus replied to, said unto those heroeswho were enquiring after the kind of food he sought, 'I do not desire toeat ordinary food. Know that I am Agni! Give me that food which suitethme. This forest of Khandava is always protected by Indra. And as it isprotected by the illustrious one, I always fail to consume it. In thatforest dwelleth, with his followers and family, a Naga, called Takshaka,who is the friend of Indra. It is for him that the wielder of thethunderbolt protecteth this forest. Many other creatures also are thusprotected here for the sake of Takshaka. Desiring to consume the forest Isucceed not in my attempts in consequence of Indra's prowess. Beholdingme blazing forth, he always poureth upon me water from the clouds.Therefore, I succeed not in consuming the forest of Khandava, although Idesire very much to do so. I have now come to you--you who are bothskilled in weapons! If you help me I will surely consume this forest: foreven this is the food that is desired by me! As ye are conversant withexcellent weapons, I pray you to prevent those showers from descendingand any of the creatures from escaping, when I begin to consume thisforest!'
"Janamejaya said, 'Why did the illustrious Agni desire to consume theforest of Khandava that was filled with various living creatures andprotected by the chief of the celestials? When Agni consumed in wrath theforest of Khandava, it is evident there was a grave cause. I desire, OBrahmana, to hear all this in detail from thee. Tell me, O sage, how theKhandava forest was consumed in days of yore.'
"Vaisampayana said, 'O chief of men, I will narrate to you the story ofthe conflagration of Khandava as told by Rishis in the Purana. It hathbeen heard, O king, in the Purana that there was a celebrated king of thename of Swetaki who was endued with strength and prowess and who wasequal unto Indra himself. No one on earth has equalled him in sacrifices,charity, and intelligence. Swetaki performed the five great sacrificesand many others, at all of which the presents unto Brahmanas were large.The heart of that monarch, O king, was always set upon sacrifices,religious rites, and gifts of all kinds. And king Swetaki of greatintelligence, assisted by his Ritwiks performed sacrifices for many longyears, till those sacrificial priests with eyes afflicted by thecontinued smoke and becoming very weak, left that monarch, wishing nevermore to assist at his sacrifices. The king, however, repeatedly askedthose Ritwiks to come to him. But they came not to his sacrifice inconsequence of the painful state of their eyes. The king, therefore,invited at the command of his own Ritwiks, others like unto them, andcompleted the sacrifice that he had begun. After some days had elapsed,king Swetaki desired to perform another sacrifice which should extend fora hundred years. But the illustrious monarch obtained not any priest toassist him in it. The celebrated king then, with his friends andrelatives, casting off all sloth, repeatedly courted his priests withgreat persistence, by bowing down unto them, by conciliatory speeches,and by gifts of wealth. All of them, however, refused to accomplish thepurpose which that king of immeasurable energy had in view. Then thatroyal sage, getting angry, addressed those Brahmanas sitting in theirasylums, and said, 'If, ye Brahmanas, I were a fallen person, or, if, Iwere wanting in homage and service to you, I should then deserve to beabandoned without scruple by you and by other Brahmanas at the same time.But as I am neither degraded nor wanting in homage to you, it behovethyou not to obstruct the performance by me of my sacrifice or to abandonme thus, ye foremost of Brahmanas, without adequate reason. I seek, yeBrahmanas, your protection! It behoveth you to be propitious unto me.But, ye foremost of Brahmanas, if you abandon me from enmity alone or anyimproper motive, I shall go unto other priests for their assistance inthis sacrifice of mine, and conciliating them by sweet words and gifts, Ishall represent unto them the business I have on hand, so that they mayaccomplish it.' Having said this, the monarch became silent. And, Ochastiser of foes, when those priests well knew that they could notassist at the king's sacrifice, they pretended to be angry, andaddressing that best of monarchs said, 'O best of kings, thy sacrificesare incessant! By assisting thee always, we have all been fatigued. Andas we have been wearied in consequence of these labours, it behoveth theeto give us leave. O sinless one, from loss of judgment thou canst notwait (but urgest us repeatedly). Go unto Rudra! He will assist at thysacrifice!' Hearing those words of censure and wrath, king Swetaki becameangry. And the monarch wending to the mountains of Kailasa, devotedhimself to asceticism there. And, O king, the monarch began to worshipMahadeva, with fixed attention, and by observing the most rigid vows. Andforegoing all food at times, he passed a long period. The monarch ateonly fruits and roots sometimes at the twelfth and sometimes at thesixteenth hour of the whole day. King Swetaki stood for six months, raptin attention, with arms upraised and steadfast eyes, like the trunk of atree or a column rooted to the ground. And, O Bharata, Sankara at lastgratified with that tiger among kings, who was undergoing such hardpenances, showed himself unto him. And the god spake unto the monarch ina calm and grave voice, saying, 'O tiger among kings, O chastiser offoes, I have been gratified with thee for thy asceticism! Blest be thou!Ask now the boon that thou, O king, desirest.' Hearing these words ofRudra of immeasurable energy, the royal sage bowed unto that deity andreplied, saying, 'O illustrious one, O thou that art worshipped by thethree worlds, if thou hast been gratified with me, then, O god of gods,assist me thyself, O lord of the celestials, in my sacrifice!' Hearingthese words spoken by the monarch, the illustrious god was gratified, andsmilingly said, 'We do not ourselves assist at sacrifices: but as thou, Oking, hast undergone severe penances, desirous of obtaining a boon, Iwill, O chastiser of foes, assist at thy sacrifice, upon, O king, thiscondition.' And Rudra continued, 'If, O king of kings, thou canst, fortwelve years, pour without intermission libations of clarified butterinto the fire, thyself leading all the while the life of a Brahmacharinwith rapt attention, then thou shalt obtain from me what thou askest.'King Swetaki, thus addressed by Rudra, did all that he was directed to doby the wielder of the trident. And after twelve years had elapsed, heagain came unto Maheswara. And Sankara, the Creator of the worlds uponseeing Swetaki, that excellent monarch, immediately said, in greatgratification, 'I have been gratified by thee, O best of kings, with thisthy own act! But, O chastiser of foes, the duty of assisting atsacrifices properly belongeth to Brahmanas. Therefore, O oppressor offoes, I will not myself assist at thy sacrifice today. There is on earthan exalted Brahmana who is even a portion of my own self. He is known bythe name of Durvasa. Even that Brahmana endued with great energy willassist you in thy sacrifice. Let, therefore, every preparation be made.'Hearing these words uttered by Rudra, the king, returning to his owncapital, began to collect all that was necessary. After everything hadbeen collected, the monarch again presented himself before Rudra andsaid, 'Every necessary article hath been collected, and all mypreparations are complete, through thy grace, O god of gods! Let me,therefore, be installed at the sacrifice tomorrow.' Having heard thesewords of that illustrious king, Rudra summoned Durvasa before him andsaid. 'This, O Durvasa, is that best of monarchs called Swetaki. At mycommand, O best of Brahmanas, assist even this king in his sacrifice.'And the Rishi Durvasa said unto Rudra, 'So be it.' Then the sacrifice forwhich king Swetaki had made those preparations, took place. And theillustrious monarch's sacrifice was performed according to the ordinanceand in proper season. And the gifts, on that occasion, unto the Brahmanaswere large. And after that monarch's sacrifice had come to an end, allthe other priests who had come to assist at it went away with Durvasa'sleave. All other Sadasyas also of immeasurable energy, who had beeninstalled at that sacrifice, then went away. That exalted monarch thenentered his own palace, worshipped by exalted Brahmanas conversant withthe Vedas, eulogised by chanters of panegyrical hymns and congratulatedby the citizens.
"Such was the history of that best of monarchs, the royal sage Swetaki,who, when the time came, ascended to heaven, having won great renown onearth, and accompanied by the Ritwiks and the Sadasyas that had helpedhim in life.'
"Vaisampayana continued, 'At that sacrifice of Swetaki, Agni had drunkclarified butter for twelve years. Indeed, clarified butter had beenpoured into Agni's mouth in a continuous stream for that period. Havingdrunk so much butter, Agni, satiated, desired not to drink butter againfrom the hand of anybody else at any other sacrifice. Agni became pale,having lost his colour, and he could not shine as before. He felt a lossof appetite from surfeit, and his energy itself decreased and sicknessafflicted him. Then when the drinker of sacrificial libations perceivedthat his energy was gradually diminishing, he went to the sacred abode ofBrahman that is worshipped by all. Approaching the great Deity seated onhis seat, Agni said, 'O exalted one, Swetaki hath (by his sacrifice)gratified me to excess. Even now I am suffering from surfeit which Icannot dispel. O Lord of the universe, I am being reduced both insplendour and strength. I desire to regain, through thy grace, my ownpermanent nature.' Hearing these words from Hutavaha, the illustriousCreator of all things smilingly replied unto him, saying, 'O exalted one,thou hast eaten, for twelve years, a continuous stream of sacrificialbutter poured into thy mouth! It is for this that illness hath seizedthee. But, O Agni, grieve not for it. Thou shalt soon regain thy ownnature. I shall dispel this surfeit of thine and the time for it is evencome. The dreadful forest Khandava, that abode of the enemies of thegods, which thou hadst of old once consumed to ashes at the request ofthe gods, hath now become the home of numerous creatures. When thou willhave eaten the fat of those creatures, thou shalt regain thy own nature.Proceed thither in haste to consume that forest with its livingpopulation. Thou wilt then be cured of thy malady.' Hearing the wordsthat fell from the lips of the Supreme Deity, Hutasana proceeded withgreat speed and soon reached the forest of Khandava in great vigour.Arrived there, he suddenly blazed forth in anger, assisted by Vayu.Beholding Khandava on fire the dwellers (in the forest) that were there,made great efforts to extinguish the conflagration. Elephants by hundredsof thousands, speeding in anger, brought water in their trunks andscattered it upon the fire. Thousands of many-hooded snakes, mad withanger, hastily began to scatter upon fire much water from those manyhoods of theirs. And so, O bull of Bharata's race, the other creaturesdwelling in that forest, by various appliances and efforts, soonextinguished the fire. In this way, Agni blazed forth in Khandavarepeatedly, even for seven times. And it was in this way that the blazingfire was extinguished there as often by the denizens of that forest.'"

SECTION CCXXVI
(Khandava-daha Parva continued)
"Vaisampayana said, 'Then Havyavahana (Agni) in anger and disappointment,with his ailment uncured, went back to the Grandsire. And he representedunto Brahman all that had happened: The illustrious deity, reflecting fora moment, said unto him, 'O sinless one. I see a way by which thou mayestconsume the forest of Khandava today in the very sight of Indra. Thoseold deities, Nara and Narayana, have become incarnate in the world of mento accomplish the business of the celestials. They are called on earthArjuna and Vasudeva. They are even now staying in the forest of Khandava.Solicit them for aiding thee in consuming that forest. Thou shalt thenconsume the forest even if it be protected by the celestials. They willcertainly prevent the population of Khandava from escaping, and thwartIndra also (in aiding any one in the escape). I have no doubt of this!'Hearing these words, Agni came in haste unto Krishna and Partha. O king,I have already told thee what he said, having approached the illustriouspair. O tiger among kings, hearing those words of Agni who was desirousof consuming the forest of Khandava against the will of Indra, Vibhatsusaid unto him these words well-suited to the occasion, I have numberlessexcellent celestial weapons with which I can fight even many wielders ofthe thunderbolt. But, O exalted one, I have no bow suited to the strengthof my arms, and capable of bearing the might I may put forth in battle.In consequence of the lightness of my hands also I require arrows thatmust never be exhausted. My car also is scarcely able to bear load ofarrows that I would desire to keep by me. I desire celestial steeds ofpure white, possessing the speed of the wind; and a car possessing thesplendour of the sun and the clatter of whose wheels should resemble theroar of the clouds. Then, there is no weapon suited to Krishna's energyand with which Madhava can slay Nagas and Pisachas. O exalted one, itbehoveth thee to give us the means by which success may be achieved andby which we may thwart Indra in pouring his showers upon that extensiveforest. O Pavaka, we are ready to do all that manliness and prowess cando. But, O exalted one, it behoveth thee to give us the adequate means.'"

SECTION CCXXVII
(Khandava-daha Parva continued)
"Vaisampayana, said, 'Thus addressed by Arjuna, the smoke-banneredHutasana, desirous of an interview with Varuna, recollected that son ofAditi,--that deity protecting one of the points of the heavens and havinghis home in the water and ruling that element. Varuna, knowing that hewas thought of by Pavaka, immediately appeared before that deity. Thesmoke-bannered celestial welcoming with reverence the ruler of thewaters, that fourth of the Lokapalas, said unto that eternal god of gods,'Give me without loss of time that bow and quiver, and that ape-banneredcar also, which were obtained from king Soma. Partha will achieve a greattask with Gandiva, and Vasudeva also with the discus! Give both,therefore, unto me today.' Hearing these words, Varuna replied untoPavaka, saying, 'Well, I am giving them.' He then gave that wonderfuljewel of a bow that was endued with great energy. That bow was theenhancer of fame and achievements, and was incapable of being injured byany weapon. It was the chief of all weapons, and the grinder of them all.And it was the smiter of hostile armies and was alone equal to a hundredthousand bows. It was the multiplier of kingdoms, and was variegated withexcellent colours. It was well-adorned, and beautiful to behold, andwithout a mark of weakness or injury anywhere. And it was alwaysworshipped both by the celestials and the Gandharvas. Varuna also gavetwo inexhaustible quivers, and he also gave a car furnished withcelestial weapons and whose banner bore a large ape. Yoked unto that carwere steeds white as silver of the fleecy clouds, and born in the regionof the Gandharvas, and decked with golden harness, and resembling infleetness the wind or the mind. And it was equipped with implement ofwar, and was incapable of being vanquished by the celestials or theAsuras. Its splendour was great and the sounds of its wheels wastremendous. It delighted the heart of every creature that looked at it.It had been made by Viswakarman, the architect of the universe and one ofthe lords of creation, after severe ascetic meditation. Its splendour,like that of the sun, was so great that no one could gaze at it. It wasthe very car from which the lord Soma had vanquished the Danavas.Resplendent with beauty, it looked like an evening cloud reflecting theeffulgence of the setting sun. It was furnished with an excellentflag-staff of golden colour and great beauty. And there sat upon thatflag-staff a celestial ape of form fierce like that of a lion or a tiger.Stationed on high, the ape seemed bent upon burning everything it beheld.And upon the (other) flags were various creatures of large size, whoseroars and yells caused the enemy's soldiers to faint. Then Arjuna,accoutred in mail and armed with the sword, and his fingers cased inleathern gloves, walking round that excellent car adorned with numerousflags and bowing unto the gods, ascended it like a virtuous man riding inthe celestial car that bears him to heaven. And taking up that celestialand first of bows created by Brahman of old and called Gandiva, Arjunawas filled with joy. And bowing unto Hutasana, Partha endued with greatenergy, took up the bow and strung it forcibly. Those who heard the noisethat was made while the mighty Pandava strung that bow, quaked with fear.And having obtained that car and that bow, and the two inexhaustiblequivers, the son of Kunti became glad and thought himself competent toassist at the task. And Pavaka then gave unto Krishna a discus with aniron pole attached to a hole in the centre. And it was a fiery weapon andbecame his favourite. Having obtained that weapon, Krishna also becameequal to the task. Pavaka then, addressing Krishna, said, 'With this, Oslayer of Madhu, thou shalt be able without doubt to vanquish in battleeven foes that are not human. With this weapon, without doubt, thou shaltbe superior in battle to men and gods, and Rakshasas and Pisachas, andDaityas and Nagas. And thou shalt certainly be able with this to smiteall. And, O Madhava, hurled by thee in battle at thy foes, this weaponwill irresistibly slay the enemy and again come back into thy hands.' Andthe lord Varuna, after this, gave unto Krishna a mace, of name Kaumodaki,capable of slaying every Daitya and producing, when hurled, a roar likethat of the thunder. Then Arjuna and Achyuta, filled with joy said untoPavaka, 'O exalted one, furnished with weapons and knowing their use,possessed of cars with flags and flagstaffs, we are now able to fightwith even all the celestials and the Asuras (together), let alone thewielder of the thunderbolt desirous of fighting for the sake of the Naga(his friend Takshaka).' Arjuna also said, 'O Pavaka, while Hrishikesa,endued with abundant energy, moves on the field of battle with thisdiscus in hand, there is nothing in the three worlds that he will not beable to consume by hurling this weapon. Having obtained the bow Gandivaand this couple of inexhaustible quivers I also am ready to conquer inbattle the three worlds. Therefore, O lord, blaze thou forth as thoulikest, surrounding this large forest on every side. We are quite able tohelp thee.'
"Vaisampayana continued, 'Thus addressed both by Dasarha and Arjuna, theillustrious god then put forth his most energetic form, and prepared toconsume the forest. Surrounding it on all sides with his seven flames, hebegan to consume the forest of Khandava, exhibiting his all-consumingform like that at the end of the Yuga (cycle). And, O bull of Bharata'srace, surrounding that forest and catching it from all sides with a roarlike that of the clouds, Agni made every creature within it tremble. And,O Bharata, that burning forest then looked resplendent like the king ofmountains, Meru, blazing with the rays of the sun fallen thereupon.'"

SECTION CCXXVIII
(Khandava-daha Parva continued)
"Vaisampayana said, 'Then those foremost of car-warriors (Krishna andArjuna), riding in their cars and placing themselves on opposite sides ofthat forest, began a great slaughter, on all sides, of the creaturesdwelling in Khandava. At whatever point any of the creatures residing inKhandava could be seen attempting to escape, thither rushed those mightyheroes (to prevent its flight). Indeed those two excellent cars seemed tobe but one, and the two warriors also therein but one individual. Andwhile the forest was burning, hundreds and thousands of living creatures,uttering frightful yells, began to run about in all directions. Some hadparticular limbs burnt, some were scorched with excessive heat, and somecame out, and some ran about from fear. And some clasping their childrenand some their parents and brothers, died calmly without, from excess ofaffection, being able to abandon these that were dear to them. And manythere were who biting their nether lips rose upwards and soon fellwhirling into the blazing element below. And some were seen to roll onthe ground with wings, eyes, and feet scorched and burnt. These creatureswere all seen to perish there almost soon enough. The tanks and pondswithin that forest, heated by the fire around, began to boil; the fishesand the tortoises in them were all seen to perish. During that greatslaughter of living creatures in that forest, the burning bodies ofvarious animals looked as if fire itself had assumed many forms. Thebirds that took wings to escape from that conflagration were pierced byArjuna with his shafts, and cut into pieces, they fell down into theburning element below. Pierced all over with Arjuna's shafts, the birdsdropped down into the burning forest, uttering loud cries. The denizensof the forest, struck with those shafts, began to roar and yell. Theclamour they raised was like unto the frightful uproar heard during thechurning of the ocean (in days of yore). The mighty flames of the blazingfire reaching the firmament, caused great anxiety to the celestialsthemselves. Then all the illustrious dwellers in heaven went in a bodyunto him of a hundred sacrifices and thousand eyes, viz., their chief,that grinder of Asuras. Approaching Indra, the celestial said, 'Why, Olord of immortals, doth Agni burn these creatures below? Hath the timecome for the destruction of the world?'
"Vaisampayana continued, 'Hearing these words of the gods, and himselfbeholding what Agni was doing, the slayer of Vritra set out for theprotection of the forest of Khandava. And Vasava, the chief of thecelestials soon covering the sky with masses of clouds of every kindbegan to shower upon the burning forest. Those masses of clouds byhundreds and thousands, commanded by Indra began to pour rain uponKhandava in showers thick as the flag-staffs of battle-cars. But theshowers were all dried up in the sky itself by the heat of the fire andcould not, therefore, reach the fire at all! Then the slayer of Namuchi,getting angry with Agni, collected huge masses of clouds and caused themto yield a heavy downpour. Then with the flames contending with thoseheavy showers, and with masses of clouds overhead, that forest, filledwith smoke and flashes of lightning, became terrible to behold.'"

SECTION CCXXIX
(Khandava-daha Parva continued)
"Vaisampayana said, 'Then Vibhatsu, the son of Pandu, invoking hisexcellent weapons, prevented that shower of rain by Indra, by means of ashower of his own weapons. And Arjuna of immeasurable soul soon coveredthe forest of Khandava with innumerable arrows like the moon covering theatmosphere with a thick fog. When the sky above that forest was thuscovered with the arrows of Arjuna no living creature could then escapefrom below. And it so happened that while that forest was burning,Takshaka, the chief of the Nagas, was not there, having gone at that timeto the field of Kurukshetra. But Aswasena, the mighty son of Takshaka,was there. He made great efforts to escape from that fire; but confinedby Arjuna's shafts he succeeded not in finding a way. It was then thathis mother, the daughter of a snake, determined to save him by swallowinghim first. His mother first swallowed his head and then was swallowinghis tail. And desirous of saving her son, the sea-snake rose (up from theearth) while still employed in swallowing her son's tail. But Arjuna assoon as he beheld her escaping, severed her head from her body by meansof a sharp and keen-edged arrow. Indra saw all this, and desiring to savehis friend's son, the wielder of the thunderbolt, by raising a violentwind, deprived Arjuna of consciousness. During those few moments,Aswasena succeeded in effecting his escape. Beholding that manifestationof the power of illusion, and deceived by that snake, Arjuna was muchenraged. He forthwith cut every animal seeking to escape by the skies,into two, three, or more pieces. And Vibhatsu in anger, and Agni, andVasudeva also, cursed the snake that had escaped so deceitfully, saying,'Never shalt thou be famous!' And Jishnu remembering the deceptionpractised upon him, became angry, and covering the firmament with a cloudof arrows, sought to fight with him of a thousand eyes. The chief of thecelestials also, seeing Arjuna in anger, sought to fight with him, andhurled his own fierce weapons, covering the wide expanse of thefirmament. Then the winds, making a loud roar and agitating all theoceans, brought together masses of clouds in the sky, charged withtorrents of rain. Those masses of clouds began to vomit thunder andterrible flashes of lightning charged with the thunderclap. Then Arjunapossessing a knowledge of means, hurled the excellent weapon calledVayavya with proper mantras to dispel those clouds. With that weapon theenergy and force of Indra's thunderbolt and of those clouds weredestroyed. And the torrents of rain with which those clouds were chargedwere all dried up, and the lightning that played amongst them was alsodestroyed. Within a moment the sky was cleared of dust and darkness, anda delicious, cool breeze began to blow and the disc of the sun resumedits normal state. Then the eater of clarified butter (Agni), glad becausenone could baffle him, assumed various forms, and sprinkled over with thefat exuded by the bodies of creatures, blazed forth with all his flames,filling the universe with his roar. Then numerous birds of the Garudatribe bearing excellent feathers, beholding that the forest was protectedby Krishna and Arjuna, descended filled with pride, from the upper skies,desirous of striking those heroes with their thunderlike wings, beaks andclaws. Innumerable Nagas also, with faces emitting fire descending fromhigh, approached Arjuna, vomiting the most virulent poison all the while.Beholding them approach, Arjuna cut them into pieces by means of arrowssteeped in the fire of his own wrath. Then those birds and snakes,deprived of life, fell into the burning element below. And there camealso, desirous of battle, innumerable Asuras with Gandharvas and Yakshasand Rakshasas and Nagas sending forth terrific yells. Armed with machinesvomiting from their throats (mouths?) iron balls and bullets, andcatapults for propelling huge stones, and rockets, they approached tostrike Krishna and Partha, their energy and strength increased by wrath.But though they rained a perfect shower of weapons, Vibhatsu, addressingthem reproachfully, struck off their heads with his own sharp arrows.That slayer of foes, Krishna, also, endued with great energy, made agreat slaughter of the Daitya and the Danava with his discus. Many Asurasof immeasurable might, pierced with Krishna's arrows and smitten with theforce of his discus, became motionless like waifs and strays stranded onthe bank by the violence of the waves. Then Sakra the lord of thecelestials, riding on his white elephant, rushed at those heroes, andtaking up his thunderbolt which could never go in vain, hurled it withgreat force. And the slayer of Asuras said unto the gods, 'These two areslain.' Beholding the fierce thunderbolt about to be hurled by theirchief, the celestials all took up their respective weapons. Yama, O king,took up the death-dealing mace, and Kuvera his spiked club, and Varunahis noose and beautiful missile. And Skanda (Kartikeya) took up his longlance and stood motionless like the mountain of Meru. The Aswins stoodthere with resplendent plants in their hands. Dhatri stood, bow in hand,and Jaya with a thick club. Tvashtri of great strength took up in wrath,a huge mountain and Surya stood with a bright dart, and Mrityu with abattle-axe. Aryaman stalked about with a terrible bludgeon furnished withsharp spikes, and Mitra stood there with a discus sharp as a razor. And,O monarch, Pusha and Bhaga and Savitri, in wrath, rushed at Krishna andPartha with bows and scimitars in hand. And Rudras and the Vasus, themighty Maruts and the Viswedevas and the Sadhyas, all resplendent withtheir own energy,--these and many other celestials, armed with variousweapons rushed against those exalted of men, Krishna and Partha, forsmiting them down. Then were seen in that great conflict wonderfulportents all around robbing every creature of his sense, and resemblingthose that appeared at the time of the universal dissolution. But Arjunaand Krishna, fearless and invincible in battle, beholding Sakra and theother celestials prepared for fight, calmly waited, bows in hands.Skilled in battle, those heroes in wrath assailed the advancing host ofcelestials with their own thunderlike arrows. The celestials repeatedlyrouted by Krishna and Arjuna, at last left the field of battle for fearand sought the protection of Indra. The Munis who were witnessing thebattle from the skies, beholding the celestials defeated by Madhava andArjuna, were filled with wonder. Sakra also repeatedly witnessing theirprowess in battle, became exceedingly gratified, and once more rushed tothe assault. The chastiser of Paka then caused a heavy shower of stones,desiring to ascertain the prowess of Arjuna who was able to draw the boweven with his left hand. Arjuna, in great wrath, dispelled with hisarrows that thick shower. Then he of a hundred sacrifices beholding thatshower baffled, once more caused a thicker shower of stones. But the sonof the chastiser of Paka (viz., Arjuna) gratified his father by bafflingthat shower also with his swift arrows. Then Sakra, desirous of smitingdown the son of Pandu, tore up with his hands a large peak from Mandara,with tall trees on it, and hurled it against him. But Arjuna divided thatmountain-peak into a thousand pieces by his swift-going and fire-mouthedarrows. The fragments of that mountain, in falling through the skies,looked as if the sun and the moon and the planets, displaced from theirpositions fell down on earth. That huge peak fell down upon that forestand by its fall killed numerous living creatures that dwelt in Khandava.'"

SECTION CCXXX
(Khandava-daha Parva continued)
"Vaisampayana said, 'Then the inhabitants of the forest of Khandava, theDanavas and Rakshasas and Nagas and wolves and bears and other wildanimals, and elephants with rent temples, and tigers, and lions withmanes and deer and buffaloes by hundreds, and birds, and various othercreatures, frightened at the falling stones and extremely anxious, beganto fly in all directions. They saw the forest (burning all around) andKrishna and Arjuna also ready with their weapons. Frightened at theterrible sounds that were audible there those creatures lost their powerof movement. Beholding the forest burning in innumerable places andKrishna also ready to smite them down with his weapons, they all set up afrightful roar. With that terrible clamour as also with the roar of fire,the whole welkin resounded, as it were, with the voice of portentousclouds. Kesava of dark hue and mighty arms, in order to compass theirdestruction, hurled at them his large and fierce discus resplendent withits own energy. The forest-dwellers including the Danavas and theRakshasas, afflicted by that weapon, were cut in hundreds of pieces andfell unto the mouth of Agni. Mangled by Krishna's discus, the Asuras werebesmeared with blood and fat and looked like evening clouds. And, OBharata, he of the Vrishni race moved able like death itself, slayingPisachas and birds and Nagas and other creatures by thousands. The discusitself, repeatedly hurled from the hands of Krishna, that slayer of allfoes, came back to his hands after slaughtering numberless creatures. Theface and form of Krishna that soul of every created thing--became fierceto behold while he was thus employed in the slaughter of the Pisachas,Nagas and Rakshasas. No one among the celestials, who had mustered therecould vanquish in battle Krishna and Arjuna. When the celestials saw thatthey could not protect that forest from the might of Krishna and Arjunaby extinguishing that conflagration, they retired from the scene. Then, Omonarch, he of a hundred sacrifices (Indra), beholding the immortalsretreat, became filled with joy and applauded Krishna and Arjuna. Andwhen the celestials gave up the fight, an incorporeal voice, deep andloud, addressing him of a hundred sacrifices, said, 'Thy friend Takshaka,that chief of snakes, hath not been slain! Before the conflagrationcommenced in Khandava he had journeyed to Kurukshetra. Know from mywords, O Vasava, that Vasudeva and Arjuna are incapable of beingvanquished in battle by any one! They are Nara and Narayana--those godsof old heard of in heaven! Thou knowest what their energy is and whattheir prowess. Invincible in battle, these best of old Rishis areunconquerable by any one in all the worlds! They deserve the mostreverential worship of all the celestials and Asuras; of Yakshas andRakshasas and Gandharvas, of human beings and Kinnaras and Nagas.Therefore, O Vasava, it behoveth thee to go hence with all thecelestials. The destruction of Khandava hath been ordained by Fate!' Thenthe chief of the immortals, ascertaining those words to be true abandonedhis wrath and jealousy, and went back to heaven. The dwellers in heaven,O monarch, beholding the illustrious Indra abandon the fight, followedhim with all their soldiers. Then those heroes, Vasudeva and Arjuna, whenthey saw the chief of the celestials retreat accompanied by all the gods,set up a leonine roar. And, O monarch, Kesava and Arjuna, after Indra hadleft the scene, became exceedingly glad. Those heroes then fearlesslyassisted at the conflagration of the forest. Arjuna scattered thecelestials like the wind scattering the clouds, and slew with showers ofhis arrows, numberless creatures that dwelt in Khandava. Cut off byArjuna's arrows, no one amongst the innumerable creatures could escapefrom the burning forest. Far from fighting with him, none amongst eventhe strongest creatures mustered there could look at Arjuna whose weaponswere never futile. Sometimes piercing hundred creatures with one shaftand sometimes a single creature with hundred shafts, Arjuna moved aboutin his car. The creatures themselves, deprived of life, began to fallinto the mouth of Agni (god of fire), struck down as it were by deathitself. On the banks of rivers or on uneven plains or on crematoriums, gowhere they did, the creatures (dwelling in Khandava) found no ease, forwherever they sought shelter there they were afflicted by the heat. Andhosts of creatures roared in pain, and elephants and deer and wolves setup cries of affliction. At that sound the fishes of the Ganges and thesea, and the various tribes of Vidyadharas dwelling in that forest allbecame frightened. O thou of mighty arms, let alone battling with them,no one, could even gaze at Arjuna and Janardana of dark hue. Hari slewwith his discus those Rakshasas and Danavas and Nagas that rushed at himin bands. Of huge bodies, their heads and trunks were cut off by theswift motion of the discus, and deprived of life they fell down into theblazing fire. Gratified with large quantities of flesh, blood, and fat,the flames rose up to a great height without a curling wreath of smoke.Hutasana (fire-god) with blazing and coppery eyes, and flaming tongue andlarge mouth, and the hair on the crown of his head all fiery, drinking,with the help of Krishna and Arjuna, that nectar-like stream of animalfat, became filled with joy. Gratified greatly, Agni derived muchhappiness.
"And it so happened that the slayer of Madhu suddenly beheld an Asura ofthe name of Maya escaping from the abode of Takshaka. Agni having Vayufor his car-driver, assuming a body with matted locks on head, androaring like the clouds, pursued the Asura, desirous of consuming him.Beholding the Asura, Vasudeva stood with his weapon upraised, ready tosmite him down, seeing the discus uplifted and Agni pursuing from behindto burn him, Maya said 'Run to me, O Arjuna, and protect me!' Hearing hisaffrighted voice Arjuna said, 'Fear not!' That voice of Arjuna, OBharata, seemed to give Maya his life. As the merciful son of Pritha saidunto Maya that there was nothing to fear, he of the Dasarha race nolonger desired to slay Maya who was the brother of Namuchi, and Agni alsoburned him not.'
"Vaisampayana continued, 'Protected from Indra by Krishna and Partha,Agni gifted with great intelligence, burned that forest for five and tendays. And while the forest burned Agni spared only six of its dwellers,viz., Aswasena, Maya, and four birds called Sarngakas.'"

SECTION CCXXXI
(Khandava-daha Parva continued)
"Janamejaya said, 'O Brahmana, tell me why and when that forest burnt inthat way, Agni consumed not the birds called Sarngakas? Thou hast, OBrahmana, recited (to us) the cause of Aswasena and the Danava Maya nothaving been consumed. But thou hast not as yet said what the cause was ofthe escape of the Sarngakas? The escape of those birds, O Brahmana,appeareth to me to be wonderful. Tell us why they were not destroyed inthat dreadful conflagration.'
"Vaisampayana said, 'O slayer of all foes, I shall tell thee all as towhy Agni did not burn up those birds during the conflagration. There was,O king, a great Rishi known by the name of Mandapala, conversant with allthe shastras, of rigid vows, devoted to asceticism, and the foremost ofall virtuous persons. Following in the wake of Rishis that had drawn uptheir virile fluid, that ascetic, O monarch, with every sense undercomplete control, devoted himself to study and virtue. Having reached theopposite shores of asceticism, O Bharata, he left his human form and wentto the region of the Pitris. But going thither he failed to obtain the(expected) fruit of his acts. He asked the celestials that sat around theking of the dead as to the cause of his treatment, saying, 'Why havethese regions become unattainable by me,--regions that I had thought hadbeen acquired by me by my ascetic devotions? Have I not performed thoseacts whose fruits are these regions? Ye inhabitants of heaven, tell mewhy these regions are shut against me! I will do that which will give methe fruit of my ascetic penances.'
"The celestials answered, 'Hear, O Brahmana, of those acts and things onaccount of which men are born debtors. Without doubt, it is for religiousrites, studies according to the ordinance, and progeny, that men are borndebtors. These debts are all discharged by sacrifices, asceticism, andoffspring. Thou art an ascetic and hast also performed sacrifices; butthou hast no offspring. These regions are shut against thee only for wantof children. Beget children, therefore! Thou shalt then enjoymultifarious regions of felicity. The Vedas declared that the sonrescueth the father from a hell called Put. Then, O best of Brahmanas,strive to beget offspring.'
"Vaisampayana continued, 'Mandapala, having heard these words of thedwellers in heaven, reflected how best he could obtain the largest numberof offspring within the shortest period of time. The Rishi, afterreflection, understood that of all creatures birds alone were blest withfecundity. Assuming the form of a Sarngaka the Rishi had connection witha female bird of the same species called by the name of Jarita. And hebegat upon her four sons who were all reciters of the Vedas. Leaving allthose sons of his with their mother in that forest, while they were stillwithin eggs, the ascetic went to (another wife called by the name of)Lapita. And, O Bharata, when the exalted sage went away for the companyof Lapita, moved by affection for her offspring, Jarita became verythoughtful. Though forsaken by their father in the forest of Khandava,Jarita, anxious in her affection for them, could not forsake heroffspring, those infant Rishis encased in eggs. Moved by parentalaffection, she brought up these children born of her, herself followingthe pursuits proper to her own species. Some time after, the Rishi, inwandering over that forest in the company of Lapita, saw Agni comingtowards Khandava to burn it down. Then the Brahmana Mandapala, knowingthe intention of Agni and remembering also that his children were allyoung moved by fear, gratified the god, of the burning element, thatregent of the universe, endued with great energy. And he did this,desiring to put in a word for his unfledged offspring. Addressing Agni,the Rishi said, 'Thou art, O Agni, the mouth of all the worlds! Thou artthe carrier of the sacrificial butter! O purifier (of all sins), thoumovest invisible with the frame of every creature! The learned havespoken of thee as an One, and again as possessed of triple nature. Thewise perform their sacrifices before thee, taking thee as consisting ofeight (mouths). The great Rishis declare that this universe hath beencreated by thee. O thou that feedest on sacrificial butter, without theethis whole universe would be destroyed in a single day. Bowing to thee,the Brahmanas, accompanied by their wives and children, go to eternalregions won by them by help of their own deeds. O Agni, the learnedrepresent thee as the clouds in the heavens charged with lightning. OAgni, the flames put forth by thee consume every creature. O thou ofgreat splendour, this universe hath been created by thee. The Vedas arethy word. All creatures, mobile and immobile, depend upon thee. Waterprimarily dependeth on thee, so also the whole of this universe. Allofferings of clarified butter and oblations of food to the pitris havebeen established in thee. O god, thou art the consumer, and thou art thecreator and thou art Vrihaspati himself (in intelligence). Thou art thetwin Aswins; thou art Surya; thou art Soma; thou art Vayu.
"Vaisampayana continued, 'O monarch, thus praised by Mandapala, Agni wasgratified with that Rishi of immeasurable energy; and the god,well-pleased, replied, 'What good can I do to thee?' Then Mandapala withjoined palms said unto the carrier of clarified butter, 'While thouburnest the forest of Khandava, spare my children.' The illustriousbearer of clarified butter replied, 'So be it.' It was, therefore, Omonarch, that he blazed not forth, while consuming the forest ofKhandava, for the destruction of Mandapala's children.'"

SECTION CCXXXII
(Khandava-daha Parva continued)
"Vaisampayana said, 'When the fire blazed forth in the forest ofKhandava, the infant birds became very much distressed and afflicted.Filled with anxiety, they saw not any means of escape. Their mother, thehelpless Jarita, knowing that they were too young to escape, was filledwith sorrow and wept aloud. And she said, 'Oh, the terribleconflagration, illuminating the whole universe and burning the forestdown, approacheth towards us, increasing my woe. These infants withimmature understanding, without feathers and feet, and the sole refuge ofour deceased ancestors, afflict me. Oh, this fire approacheth, spreadingfear all around, and licking with its tongue the tallest trees. But myunfledged children are incapable of effecting their escape. I myself amnot capable of escaping, taking all these with me. Nor am I capable ofabandoning them, for my heart is distressed on their account. Whomamongst my sons, shall I leave behind, and whom shall I carry with me?What (act) should I do now that is consistent with duty? What also doyou, my infant sons, think? I do not, even by reflection, see any way ofescape for you. I shall even cover you with my wings and die with you.Your cruel father left me some time before, saying, 'Upon this Jaritari,because he is the eldest of my sons, will my race depend. My secondSarisrikka will beget progeny for the expansion of my ancestors' race. Mythird, Stamvamitra, will be devoted to asceticism, and my youngest,Drona, will become the foremost of those acquainted with the Vedas.' Buthow hath this terrible calamity overtaken us! Whom shall I take with me?As I am deprived of judgment what should I do that is consistent withduty? I do not see, by the exercise of my own judgment, the escape of mychildren from the fire!'
"Vaisampayana said, 'Unto their mother indulging in these lamentations,the infant ones said. 'O mother, relinquishing thy affection for us, gothou to a place where there is no fire. If we are killed here, thoumayest have other children born to thee. If thou, O mother be killed, wecan have no more children in our race. Reflecting upon both thesecalamities, the time hath come for thee, O mother, to do that which isbeneficial to our race. Do not be influenced by affection for thyoffspring, which promises to destroy both us and thee. If thou savestthyself, our father, who is even desirous of winning regions of felicity,may have his wishes gratified.'
"Hearing what the infants said. Jarita replied, 'There is a hole here inthe ground near to this tree, belonging to a mouse. Enter this holewithout loss of time. You shall have then no fear of fire. After ye haveentered it, I shall, ye children, cover its mouth with dust. This is theonly means of escape that I see from the blazing fire. Then when the firewill be put out, I shall return hither to remove the dust. Follow myadvice if you are to escape from the conflagration.'
"The infant birds replied, 'Without feathers we are but so many balls offlesh. If we enter the hole, certain it is that the carnivorous mousewill destroy us all. Beholding this danger before us, we cannot enterthis hole. Alas, we do not see any means by which we may escape from thefire or from the mouse. We do not see how our father's act of procreationmay be prevented from becoming futile, and how also our mother may besaved. If we enter the hole, the mouse will destroy us; we remain wherewe are and the sky-ranging fire will destroy us. Reflecting upon both thecalamities, a death by fire is preferable to a death by being eaten up.If we are devoured by the mouse within the hole, that death is certainlyignoble, whereas the destruction of the body in fire is approved by thewise.'"

SECTION CCXXXIII
(Khandava-daha Parva continued)
"Vaisampayana said, 'Hearing those words of her sons Jarita continued,'The little mouse that had come out of this hole was seized by a hawkwith his claws and carried away hence. Therefore, ye may fearlessly enterthis hole now.' The young ones replied, 'We are not by any means certainof that mouse having been taken away by the hawk. There may be other miceliving here. From them we have every fear. Whereas it is doubtful whetherfire will at all approach us here. Already we see an adverse wind blowingthe flames away. If we enter the hole, death is certain at the hands ofthe dwellers in the hole. But if we remain where we are, death isuncertain. O mother, a position in which death is uncertain is betterthan that in which it is certain. It is thy duty, therefore, to escapethyself, for, if thou livest thou mayest obtain other children as good.'
"Their mother then said, 'Ye children, I myself saw the mighty hawk, thatbest of birds, swoop down and fly away with the mouse from the hole. Andwhile he was flying away swiftly, I followed him behind and pronouncedblessing on him for his having taken away the mouse from the hole. I saidunto him. 'O king of hawks, because thou art flying away with our enemy,the mouse, in thy claws, mayest thou, without a foe, live in heaven witha golden body.' Afterwards when that hawk devoured the mouse, I cameaway, obtaining his leave. Therefore, ye children, enter this holetrustfully. Ye have nothing to fear. The mouse that was its inmate wasseized and taken away by the hawk in my sight.' The young ones againsaid, 'O mother, we do not by any means know that the mouse hath beencarried away by the hawk. We cannot enter this hole in the ground withoutbeing certain of the fact.' Their mother said, 'I know to a certaintythat the mouse hath been carried away by the hawk. Therefore, yechildren, ye have nothing to fear; do what I say.' The young ones againsaid, 'We do not, O mother, say that thou art dispelling our fears with afalse story. For whatever is done by a person when his reason hath beendisturbed can scarcely be said to be that person's deliberate act. Thouhast not been benefited by us, nor dost thou know who we are. Why dostthou, therefore, strive to protect us at so much cost to thyself? Who arewe to thee? Thou art young and handsome, and capable of seeking out thyhusband. Go unto thy husband. Thou shalt obtain good children again. Letus by entering the fire attain to regions of felicity. If, however, thefire consume us not, thou mayest come back and obtain us again.'
"Vaisampayana said, 'The parent bird then, thus addressed by her sons,left them in Khandava and hastily went to the spot where there was nofire and there was safety. Then Agni in haste and with fierce flamesapproached the spot where the sons of Mandapala were. The young birds sawthe blazing fire come towards them. Then Jaritari, the eldest of thefour, in the hearing of Agni, began to speak.'"

SECTION CCXXXIV
(Khandava-daha Parva continued)
"Jaritari said, 'The person that is wise remaineth wakeful in view ofdeath. Accordingly, when the hour of death approacheth, he feeleth nopangs. But the person of perplexed soul, who remaineth not awake, whenthe hour of death comes, feeleth the pangs of death and never attainethsalvation.'
"The second brother Sarisrikka, said, 'Thou art patient and intelligent.The time is come when our lives are threatened. Without doubt, one onlyamongst many becometh wise and brave.'
"The third brother, Stamvamitra, said, 'The eldest brother is called theprotector. It is the eldest brother that rescueth (the younger ones) fromdanger. If the eldest himself faileth to rescue them, what can theyounger ones do?'
"The fourth and the youngest brother, Drona said, 'The cruel god of fire,with seven tongues and seven mouths quickly cometh towards ourhabitation, blazing forth in splendour and licking up everything in hispath.'
"Vaisampayana continued, 'Having addressed one another thus, the sons ofMandapala then each devotedly addressed an eulogistic hymn to Agni.Listen now, O monarch, to those hymns as I recite them.'
"Jaritari said, 'Thou art, O fire, the soul of air! Thou art the body ofthe Earth's vegetation! O Sukra, water is thy parent as thou art theparent of water! O thou of great energy, thy flames, like the rays of thesun, extend themselves above, below, behind, and on each side.'
"Sarisrikka said, 'O smoke-bannered god, our mother is not to be seen,and we know not our father! Our feathers have not grown as yet. We havenone to protect us save thee. Therefore, O Agni, infants that we areprotect us! O Agni, as we are distressed, protect us with that auspiciousform thou hast and with those seven flames of thine! We seek protectionat thy hands. Thou alone, O Agni, art the giver of heat (in theuniverse). O lord, there is none else (save thee) that giveth heat to therays of the sun. O, protect us who are young and who are Rishis. OHavyavaha (carrier of sacrificial butter), be pleased to go hence by someother route.'
"Stamvamitra said, 'Thou alone, O Agni, art everything! This wholeuniverse is established in thee! Thou sustainest every creature, and thousupportest the universe! Thou art the carrier of the sacrificial butter,and thou art the excellent sacrificial butter itself! The wise know theeto be one (as cause) and many (as effects)! Having created the threeworlds, thou, O Havyavaha, again destroyest them when the time cometh,swelling thyself forth! Thou art the productive cause of the wholeuniverse, and thou also art the essence in which the universe dissolvethitself!'
"Drona said, 'O lord of the universe, growing in strength and remainingwithin their bodies, thou causest the food that living creatures eat tobe digested. Everything therefore, is established in thee. O Sukra, Othou from whose mouth the Vedas have sprung, it is thou who assumests theform of the sun, and sucking up the waters of the earth and every liquidjuice that the earth yields, givest them back in time in the form of rainand causest everything to grow! From thee, O Sukra, are these plants andcreepers with green foliage! From thee have sprung these tanks and pools,and the great ocean also that is ever blessed! O thou of fierce rays,this our (human) body dependeth on Varuna (the water-god)! We are unableto bear thy heat. Be thou, therefore, our auspicious protector! O,destroy us not! O thou of copper-hued eyes, O thou of red neck, O thouwhose path is marked by a black colour, save us by going along any remoteroute, as indeed, the ocean saveth the house on its banks!'
"Vaisampayana continued, 'Thus addressed by Drona--that utterer ofBrahma--Agni, well-pleased at what he heard, and remembering also thepromise he had made to Mandapala, replied unto him, saying, 'Thou art aRishi, O Drona! For what thou hast said is Brahma (Vedic truth). I shalldo your pleasure. Fear not! Indeed, Mandapala had spoken to me of you tothe effect that I should spare his sons, while consuming the forest. Thewords he spoke and thy speech also are entitled to great weight to me.Say what I am to do. O best of Brahmanas, I have been greatly pleasedwith thy hymn. Blest be thou, O Brahmana!'
"Drona said, 'O Sukra, these cats trouble us every day. O Hutasana;consume them with their friends and relatives.'
"Vaisampayana continued, 'Then Agni did what the Sarngakas; asked him todo, telling them of his intentions. And, O Janamejaya, growing instrength, he began then to consume the forest of Khandava.'"

SECTION CCXXXV
(Khandava-daha Parva continued)
"Vaisampayana said, 'O thou of Kuru's race, the Rishi Mandapala becamevery anxious about his children, although he had spoken of them to thegod of fierce rays. Indeed, his mind was not in peace. Distressed onaccount of his sons, he addressed Lapita (his second wife with whom hethen was), saying, 'O Lapita, as my children are incapable of the powerof moving, how are they? When the fire will grow in strength and the windbegin to blow violently, my children will scarcely be able to savethemselves. How will their mother be able to rescue them? That innocentwoman will be afflicted with great sorrow when she will find herselfunable to save her offspring. Oh, how will she compose herself, utteringvarious lamentations on account of my children who are all incapable oftaking wing or rising up into the air. Oh, how is Jaritari, my son, andhow is Sarisrikka, and how is Stamvamitra, and how is Drona, and how alsois their helpless mother?'
"Unto the Rishi Mandapala thus weeping in the forest, Lapita, O Bharata,thus replied, under the influence of jealousy, 'Thou need not worry forthy children who, as thou hast assured me, are all Rishis endued withenergy and prowess! They can have no fear from fire. Didst thou not speakto Agni in my presence, in their behalf? Has not the illustrious deitypromised to save them? One of the regents of the universe as Agni is, hewill never falsify his speech. Thou hast no anxiety, nor is thy heartinclined towards benefiting friends. It is only by thinking of her--myrival (Jarita) that thou art so distracted! Certain it is that the lovethou bearest to me is not equal to what thou hadst for her at first. Hethat hath two parties dividing his attention, can easily behold one ofthose suffer all sorts of pangs; but he should not disregard the partythat is next to his heart. Then go thou to Jarita, for whom thy heart issorrowing! As for myself, I shall henceforth wander alone, as a fitreward for my having attached myself to a wicked person.'
"Hearing these words, Mandapala replied, 'I do not wander over the earthwith such intentions as thou conceivest. It is only for the sake ofprogeny that I am here. And even those that I have are in danger. He whocasteth off what he hath for the sake of what he may acquire, is a wickedperson. The world disregardeth and insulteth him. (Therefore, go I must).As for thyself thou art free to do what thou choosest. This blazing firethat licketh up the trees causeth sorrow in my anxious heart and raiseththerein evil presentiments.'
"Vaisampayana continued, 'Meanwhile, after the fire had left the spotwhere the Sarngakas dwelt, Jarita, much attached to her children, hastilycame thither to see how they were. She found that all of them had escapedfrom the fire and were perfectly well. Beholding their mother, they beganto weep, though safe and sound. She too shed tears upon beholding themalive. And she embraced, one by one, all her weeping children. Just atthat time, O Bharata, the Rishi Mandapala arrived there. But none of hissons expressed joy, upon beholding him. The Rishi, however, began tospeak to them one after another and unto Jarita also, repeatedly. Butneither his sons nor Jarita spoke anything well or ill unto him inreturn.'
"Mandapala then said, 'Who amongst these is thy first born, and who thenext after him? And who is the third, and who the youngest? I am speakingunto thee woefully; why dost thou not reply to me? I left thee, it istrue, but I was not happy where I was.'
"Jarita then said, 'What hast thou to do with the eldest of these, andwhat with him that is next? And what with the third and what with theyoungest? Go now unto that Lapita of sweet smiles and endued with youth,unto whom thou didst go of old, beholding me deficient in everything!'Mandapala replied, 'As regards females, there is nothing so destructiveof their happiness whether in this or the other world as a co-wife and aclandestine lover. There is nothing like these two that, inflames thefire of hostility and causes such anxiety. Even the auspicious andwell-behaved Arundhati, celebrated amongst all creatures, had beenjealous of the illustrious Vasishtha of great purity of mind and alwaysdevoted to the good of his wife. Arundhati insulted even the wise Muniamongst the (celestial) seven. In consequence of such insulting thoughtsof hers, she has become a little star, like fire mixed with smoke,sometimes visible and sometimes invisible, like an omen portending nogood (amongst a constellation of seven bright stars representing theseven Rishis). I look to thee for the sake of children. I never wrongedthee, like Vasishtha who never wronged his wife. Thou hast, therefore, bythy jealousy behaved towards me like Arundhati of old towards Vasishtha.Men should never trust women even if they be wives. Women, when they havebecome mothers, do not much mind serving their husbands.'
"Vaisampayana continued, 'After this, all his children came forward toworship him. And he also began to speak kindly towards them all, givingthem every assurance.'"

SECTION CCXXXVI
(Khandava-daha Parva continued)
"Vaisampayana said, 'Mandapala then addressed his children, saying, 'Ihad spoken unto Agni for the safety of you all. The illustrious deity hadassured me that he would grant my wish. At those words of Agni, andknowing the virtuous disposition of your mother, as also the great energythat is in yourselves, I came not here earlier. Therefore, ye sons, donot harbour in your hearts any resentment towards me. Ye are all Rishisacquainted with the Vedas. Even Agni knoweth you well.'
"Vaisampayana continued, 'Having given such assurances unto his sons, theBrahmana Mandapala took with him his wife and sons, and leaving thatregion, went away to some other country.
"It was thus that the illustrious god of fierce rays, having grown instrength consumed the forest of Khandava with the help of Krishna andArjuna, for the good of the world. And Agni having drunk several riversof fat and marrow, became highly gratified, and showed himself to Arjuna.Then Purandara, surrounded by the Maruts, descended from the firmamentand addressing Partha and Kesava said, 'Ye have achieved a feat that acelestial even could not. Ask ye each a boon that is not obtainable byany man. I have been gratified with you.'
"Vaisampayana continued, 'Then Partha asked from Indra all his weapons.At this Sakra of great splendour, having fixed the time for giving them,said, 'When the illustrious Madhava becomes pleased with thee, then, Oson of Pandu, I will give thee all my weapons! O prince of Kuru's race, Ishall know when the time cometh. Even for thy austere asceticism I willgive thee all my weapons of fire and all my Vayavya weapons, and thoualso wilt accept them all of me.' Then Vasudeva asked that his friendshipwith Arjuna might be eternal. The chief of the celestials granted untothe intelligent Krishna the boon he desired. And having granted theseboons unto Krishna and Arjuna, the lord of the Maruts, accompanied by thecelestials, ascended to heaven, having also spoken to Hutasana (one whosefood is sacrificial butter). Agni also, having burnt that forest with itsanimals and birds for five and ten days, became gratified and ceased toburn. Having eaten flesh in abundance and drunk fat and blood, he becamehighly gratified, and addressing Achyuta and Arjuna said, 'I have beengratified by you two tigers among men. At my command, ye heroes, ye shallbe competent to go wheresoever ye choose!' Thus addressed by theillustrious Agni, Arjuna and Vasudeva and the Danava Maya also--thesethree,--having wandered a little at last sat themselves down on thedelightful banks of a river.'"
END OF ADI PARVA
FOOTNOTES
1. These are divisions of time