The Mahabharata of Krishna-Dwaipayana Vyasa BOOK 1 ADI PARVA SECTION CLXLV (Vaivahika Parva)

 The Mahabharata of

Krishna-Dwaipayana Vyasa BOOK 1

ADI PARVA

 SECTION CLXLV

(Vaivahika Parva)

"Vaisampayana said, 'Thus addressed Dhrishtadyumna, that foremost of the

Lunar princes, cheerfully said unto his father all that had happened and

by whom Krishna had been won. And the prince said, 'With large, red eyes,

attired in deer-skin, and resembling a celestial in beauty, the youth who

strung that foremost of bows and brought down to the ground the mark set

on high, was soon surrounded by the foremost of Brahmanas who also

offered him their homage for the feat he had achieved. Incapable of

bearing the sight of a foe and endued with great activity, he began to

exert his prowess. And surrounded by the Brahmanas he resembled the

thunder-wielding Indra standing in the midst of the celestials, and the

Rishis. And like a she-elephant following the leader of a herd, Krishna

cheerfully followed that youth catching hold of his deer-skin. Then when

the assembled monarchs incapable of bearing that sight lose up in wrath

and advanced for fight, there rose up another hero who tearing up a large

tree rushed at that concourse of kings, felling them right and left like

Yama himself smiting down creatures endued with life. Then, O monarch,

the assembled kings stood motionless and looked at that couple of heroes,

while they, resembling the Sun and the Moon, taking Krishna with them,

left the amphitheatre and went into the abode of a potter in the suburbs

of the town, and there at the potter's abode sat a lady like unto a flame

of fire who, I think, is their mother. And around her also sat three

other foremost of men each of whom was like unto fire. And the couple of

heroes having approached her paid homage unto her feet, and they said

unto Krishna also to do the same. And keeping Krishna with her, those

foremost of men all went the round of eleemosynary visits. Some time

after when they returned, Krishna taking from them what they had obtained

as alms, devoted a portion thereof to the gods, and gave another portion

away (in gift) to Brahmanas. And of what remained after this, she gave a

portion to that venerable lady, and distributed the rest amongst those

five foremost of men. And she took a little for herself and ate it last

of all. Then, O monarch, they all laid themselves down for sleep, Krishna

lying along the line of their feet as their nether pillow. And the bed on

which they lay was made of kusa grass upon which was spread their

deer-skins. And before going to sleep they talked on diverse subjects in

voices deep as of black clouds. The talk of those heroes indicated them

to be neither Vaisyas nor Sudras, nor Brahmanas. Without doubt, O

monarch, they are bulls amongst Kshatriyas, their discourse having been

on military subjects. It seems, O father, that our hope hath been

fructified, for we have heard that the sons of Kunti all escaped from the

conflagration of the house of lac. From the way in which the mark was

shot down by that youth, and the strength with which the bow was strung

by him, and the manner in which I have heard them talk with one another

proves conclusively, O monarch, that they are the sons of Pritha

wandering in disguise.'

"Hearing these words of his son, king Drupada became exceedingly glad,

and he sent unto them his priest directing him to ascertain who they were

and whether they were the sons of the illustrious Pandu. Thus directed,

the king's priest went unto them and applauding them all, delivered the

king's message duly, saying, 'Ye who are worthy of preference in

everything, the boon-giving king of the earth--Drupada--is desirous of

ascertaining who ye are. Beholding this one who hath shot down the mark,

his joy knoweth no bounds. Giving us all particulars of your family and

tribe, place ye your feet on the heads of your foes and gladden the

hearts of the king of Panchala mid his men and mine also. King Pandu was

the dear friend of Drupada and was regarded by him as his counterself.

And Drupada had all along cherished the desire of bestowing this daughter

of his upon Pandu as his daughter-in-law. Ye heroes of features perfectly

faultless, king Drupada hath all along cherished this desire in his heart

that Arjuna of strong and long arms might wed this daughter of his

according to the ordinance. If that hath become possible, nothing could

be better; nothing more beneficial; nothing more conducive to fame and

virtue, so far as Drupada is concerned.'

"Having said this, the priest remained silent and humbly waited for an

answer. Beholding him sitting thus, the king Yudhishthira commanded Bhima

who sat near, saying, 'Let water to wash his feet with and the Arghya be

offered unto this Brahmana. He is king Drupada's priest and, therefore,

worthy of great respect. We should worship him with more than ordinary

reverence.' Then, O monarch, Bhima did as directed. Accepting the worship

thus offered unto him, the Brahmana with a joyous heart sat at his ease.

Then Yudhishthira addressed him and said, 'The king of the Panchalas

hath, by fixing a special kind of dower, given away his daughter

according to the practice of his order and not freely. This hero hath, by

satisfying that demand, won the princess. King Drupada, therefore, hath

nothing now to say in regard to the race, tribe, family and disposition

of him who hath performed that feat. Indeed, all his queries have been

answered by the stringing of the bow and the shooting down of the mark.

It is by doing what he had directed that this illustrious hero hath

brought away Krishna from among the assembled monarchs. In these

circumstances, the king of the Lunar race should not indulge in any

regrets which can only make him unhappy without mending matters in the

least. The desire that king Drupada hath all along cherished will be

accomplished for his handsome princess who beareth, I think, every

auspicious mark. None that is weak in strength could string that bow, and

none of mean birth and unaccomplished in arms could have shot down the

mark. It behoveth not, therefore, the king of the Panchalas to grieve for

his daughter today. Nor can anybody in the world undo that act of

shooting down the mark. Therefore the king should not grieve for what

must take its course.'

"While Yudhishthira was saying all this, another messenger from the king

of the Panchalas, coming thither in haste, said, 'The (nuptial), feast is

ready.'"

SECTION CLXLVI

(Vaivahika Parva continued)

"Vaisampayana continued, 'The messenger said, 'King Drupada hath, in view

of his daughter's nuptials prepared a good feast for the bride-groom's

party. Come ye thither after finishing your daily rites. Krishna's

wedding will take place there. Delay ye not. These cars adorned with

golden lotuses drawn by excellent horses are worthy of kings. Riding on

them, come ye into the abode of the king of the Panchalas.'

"Vaisampayana continued, 'Then those bulls among the Kurus, dismissing

the priest and causing Kunti and Krishna to ride together on one of those

cars, themselves ascended those splendid vehicles and proceeded towards

Drupada's place. Meanwhile, O Bharata, hearing from his priest the words

that Yudhishthira had said, king Drupada, in order to ascertain the order

to which those heroes belonged, kept ready a large collection of articles

(required by the ordinance for the wedding of each of the four orders).

And he kept ready fruits, sanctified garlands, and coats of mail, and

shields, and carpets, and kine, and seeds, and various other articles and

implements of agriculture. And the king also collected, O monarch, every

article appertaining to other arts, and various implements and apparatus

of every kind of sport. And he also collected excellent coats of mail and

shining shields, and swords and scimitars, of fine temper, and beautiful

chariots and horses, and first-class bows and well-adorned arrows, and

various kinds of missiles ornamented with gold. And he also kept ready

darts and rockets and battle-axes and various utensils of war. And there

were in that collection beds and carpets and various fine things, and

cloths of various sorts. When the party went to Drupada's abode, Kunti

taking with her the virtuous Krishna entered the inner apartments of the

king. The ladies of the king's household with joyous hearts worshipped

the queen of the Kurus. Beholding, O monarch, those foremost of men, each

possessing the sportive gait of the lion, with deer-skins for their upper

garments, eyes like unto those of mighty bulls, broad shoulders, and

long-hanging arms like unto the bodies of mighty snakes, the king, and

the king's ministers, and the king's son, and the king's friends and

attendants, all became exceedingly glad. Those heroes sat on excellent

seats, furnished with footstools without any awkwardness and hesitation.

And those foremost of men sat with perfect fearlessness on those costly

seats one after another according to the order of their ages. After those

heroes were seated, well-dressed servants male and female, and skilful

cooks brought excellent and costly viands worthy of kings on gold and

silver plates. Then those foremost of men dined on those dishes and

became well-pleased. And after the dinner was over, those heroes among

men, passing over all other articles, began to observe with interest the

various utensils of war. Beholding this, Drupada's son and Drupada

himself, along with all his chief ministers of state, understanding the

sons of Kunti to be all of royal blood became exceedingly glad.'"

SECTION CLXLVII

(Vaivahika Parva continued)

"Vaisampayana said, 'Then the illustrious king of Panchala, addressing

prince Yudhishthira in the form applicable to Brahmanas, cheerfully

enquired of that illustrious son of Kunti, saying, 'Are we to know you as

Kshatriyas, or Brahamanas, or are we to know you as celestials who

disguising themselves as Brahmanas are ranging the earth and come hither

for the hand of Krishna? O tell us truly, for we have great doubts! Shall

we not be glad when our doubts have been removed? O chastiser of enemies,

have the fates been propitious unto us? Tell us the truth willingly!

Truth becometh monarchs better than sacrifices and dedications of tanks.

Therefore, tell us not what is untrue. O thou of the beauty of a

celestial, O chastiser of foes, hearing thy reply I shall make

arrangements for my daughter's wedding according to the order to which ye

belong.'

"Hearing these words of Drupada, Yudhishthira answered, saying 'Be not

cheerless, O king; let joy fill thy heart! The desire cherished by thee

hath certainly been accomplished. We are Kshatriyas, O king, and sons of

the illustrious Pandu. Know me to be the eldest of the sons of Kunti and

these to be Bhima and Arjuna. By these, O king, was thy daughter won amid

the concourse of monarchs. The twins (Nakula and Sahadeva) and Kunti wait

where Krishna is. O bull amongst men, let grief be driven from thy heart,

for we are Kshatriyas. Thy daughter, O monarch, hath like a lotus been

transferred only from one lake into another. O king, thou art our revered

superior and chief refuge. I have told thee the whole truth.'

"Vaisampayana continued, 'Hearing those words, the king Drupada's eyes

rolled in ecstasy. And. filled with delight the king could not, for some

moments answer Yudhishthira. Checking his emotion with great effort, that

chastiser of foes at last replied unto Yudhishthira in proper words. The

virtuous monarch enquired how the Pandavas had escaped from the town of

Varanavata. The son of Pandu told the monarch every particular in detail

of their escape from the burning palace of lac. Hearing everything that

the son of Kunti said, king Drupada censured Dhritarashtra, that ruler of

men. And the monarch gave every assurance unto Yudhishthira, the son of

Kunti. And that foremost of eloquent men then and there vowed to restore

Yudhishthira to his paternal throne.

"Then Kunti and Krishna and Bhima and Arjuna and the twins, commanded by

the king, to reside there, treated by Yajnasena with due respect. Then

king Drupada with his sons, assured by all that had happened, approaching

Yudhishthira, said, 'O thou of mighty arms, let the Kuru prince Arjuna

take with due rites, the hand of my daughter on this auspicious day, and

let him, therefore, perform the usual initiatory rites of marriage.'

"Vaisampayana continued, 'Hearing these words of Drupada, the virtuous

king Yudhishthira replied, saying, 'O great king, I also shall have to

marry.' Hearing him, Drupada said, 'If it pleaseth thee, take thou the

hand of my daughter thyself with due rites. Or, give Krishna in marriage

unto whomsoever of thy brothers thou likest.' Yudhishthira said, 'Thy

daughter, O king, shall be the common wife of us all! Even thus it hath

been ordered, O monarch, by our mother. I am unmarried still, and Bhima

also is so amongst the sons of Pandu. This thy jewel of a daughter hath

been won by Arjuna. This, O king, is the rule with us; to ever enjoy

equally a jewel that we may obtain. O best of monarchs, that rule of

conduct we cannot now abandon. Krishna, therefore, shall become the

wedded wife of us all. Let her take our hands, one after another before

the fire.'

'Drupada answered, 'O scion of Kuru's race, it hath been directed that

one man may have many wives. But it hath never been heard that one woman

may have many husbands! O son of Kunti, as thou art pure and acquainted

with the rules of morality, it behoveth thee not to commit an act that is

sinful and opposed both to usage and the Vedas. Why, O prince, hath thy

understanding become so?' Yudhishthira said in reply, 'O monarch,

morality is subtle. We do not know its course. Let us follow the way

trodden by the illustrious ones of former ages. My tongue never uttered

an untruth. My heart also never turneth to what is sinful. My mother

commandeth so; and my heart also approveth of it. Therefore, O king, that

is quite conformable to virtue. Act according to it, without any

scruples. Entertain no fear, O king, about this matter.'

"Drupada said, 'O son of Kunti thy mother, and my son Dhrishtadyumna and

thyself, settle amongst yourselves as to what should be done. Tell me the

result of your deliberations and tomorrow I will do what is proper.'

"Vaisampayana continued, 'After this, O Bharata, Yudhishthira, Kunti and

Dhrishtadyumna discoursed upon this matter. Just at that time, however,

the island-born (Vyasa), O monarch, came there in course of his

wanderings.'"

SECTION CLXLVIII

(Vaivahika Parva continued)

"Vaisampayana said, 'Then all the Pandavas and the illustrious king of

the Panchalas and all others there present stood up and saluted with

reverence the illustrious Rishi Krishna (Dwaipayana). The high-souled

Rishi, saluting them in return and enquiring after their welfare, sat

down on a carpet of gold. And commanded by Krishna (Dwaipayana) of

immeasurable energy, those foremost of men all sat down on costly seats.

A little after, O monarch, the son of Prishata in sweet accents asked the

illustrious Rishi about the wedding of his daughter. And he said, 'How, O

illustrious one, can one woman become the wife of many men without being

defiled by sin? O, tell me truly all about this.' Hearing these words

Vyasa replied, 'This practice, O king, being opposed to usage and the

Vedas, hath become obsolete. I desire, however, to hear what the opinion

of each of you is upon this matter.'

"Hearing these words of the Rishi, Drupada spoke first, saying, 'The

practice is sinful in my opinion, being opposed to both usage and the

Vedas. O best of Brahmanas, nowhere have I seen many men having one wife.

The illustrious ones also of former ages never had such a usage amongst

them. The wise should never commit a sin. I, therefore, can never make up

mind to act in this way. This practice always appeareth to me to be of

doubtful morality.

"After Drupada had ceased, Dhrishtadyumna spoke, saying 'O bull amongst

Brahmanas, O thou of ascetic wealth, how can, O Brahmana, the elder

brother, if he is of a good disposition, approach the wife of his younger

brother? The ways of morality are ever subtle, and, therefore, we know

them not. We cannot, therefore, say what is conformable to morality and

what not. We cannot do such a deed, therefore, with a safe conscience.

Indeed, O Brahmana, I cannot say, 'Let Draupadi become the common wife of

five brothers.'

"Yudhishthira then spoke, saying, 'My tongue never uttereth an untruth

and my heart never inclineth to what is sinful. When my heart approveth

of it, it can never be sinful. I have heard in the Purana that a lady of

name Jatila, the foremost of all virtuous women belonging to the race of

Gotama had married seven Rishis. So also an ascetic's daughter, born of a

tree, had in former times united herself in marriage with ten brothers

all bearing the same name of Prachetas and who were all of souls exalted

by asceticism. O foremost of all that are acquainted with the rules of

morality, it is said that obedience to superior is ever meritorious.

Amongst all superiors, it is well-known that the mother is the foremost.

Even she hath commanded us to enjoy Draupadi as we do anything obtained

as alms. It is for this, O best of Brahmanas, that I regard the

(proposed) act as virtuous.'

"Kunti then said, 'The act is even so as the virtuous Yudhishthira hath

said. I greatly fear, O Brahmana, lest my speech should become untrue.

How shall I be saved from untruth?'

"When they had all finished speaking, Vyasa said, 'O amiable one, how

shall thou be saved from the consequence of untruth? Even this is eternal

virtue! I will not, O king of the Panchalas, discourse on this before you

all. But thou alone shalt listen to me when I disclose how this practice

hath been established and why it is to be regarded as old and eternal.

There is no doubt that what Yudhishthira hath said is quite conformable

to virtue.'

"Vaisampayana continued, 'Then the illustrious Vyasa--the master

Dwaipayana--rose, and taking hold of Drupada's hand led him to a private

apartment. The Pandavas and Kunti and Dhrishtadyumna of Prishata's race

sat there, waiting for the return of Vyasa and Drupada. Meanwhile,

Dwaipayana began his discourse with illustrious monarch for explaining

how the practice of polyandry could not be regarded as sinful.'"

SECTION CLXLIX

(Vaivahika Parva continued)

"Vaisampayana said, 'Vyasa continued, 'In days of yore, the celestials

had once commenced a grand sacrifice in the forest of Naimisha. At that

sacrifice, O king, Yama, the son of Vivaswat, became the slayer of the

devoted animals. Yama, thus employed in that sacrifice, did not (during

that period), O king, kill a single human being. Death being suspended in

the world, the number of human beings increased very greatly. Then Soma

and Sakra and Varuna and Kuvera, the Sadhyas, the Rudras, the Vasus, the

twin Aswins,--these and other celestials went unto Prajapati, the Creator

of the universe. Struck with fear for the increase of the human

population of the world they addressed the Master of creation and said,

'Alarmed, O lord, at the increase of human beings on earth, we come to

thee for relief. Indeed, we crave thy protection.' Hearing those words

the Grandsire said, 'Ye have little cause to be frightened at this

increase of human beings. Ye all are immortal. It behoveth you not to

take fright at human beings.' The celestials replied, 'The mortals have

all become immortal. There is no distinction now between us and them.

Vexed at the disappearance of all distinction, we have come to thee in

order that thou mayest distinguish us from them.' The Creator then said,

'The son of Vivaswat is even now engaged in the grand sacrifice. It is

for this that men are not dying. But when Yama's work in connection with

the sacrifice terminates, men will again begin to die as before.

Strengthened by your respective energies, Yama will, when that time

comes, sweep away by thousands the inhabitants on earth who will scarcely

have then any energy left in them.'

"Vyasa continued, 'Hearing these words of the first-born deity, the

celestials returned to the spot where the grand sacrifice was being

performed. And the mighty one sitting by the side of the Bhagirathi saw a

(golden) lotus being carried along by the current. And beholding that

(golden) lotus, they wondered much. And amongst them, that foremost of

celestials, viz., Indra, desirous of ascertaining whence it came,

proceeded up along the course of the Bhagirathi. And reaching that spot

whence the goddess Ganga issues perennially, Indra beheld a woman

possessing the splendour of fire. The woman who had come there to take

water was washing herself in the stream, weeping all the while. The

tear-drops she shed, falling on the stream, were being transformed into

golden lotuses. The wielder of the thunderbolt, beholding that wonderful

sight, approached the woman and asked her, 'Who art thou, amiable lady?

Why dost thou weep? I desire to know the truth. O, tell me everything.'

"Vyasa continued, 'The woman thereupon answered, 'O Sakra, thou mayest

know who I am and why, unfortunate that I am, I weep, if only, O chief of

the celestials, thou comest with me as I lead the way. Thou shall then

see what it is I weep for." Hearing these words of the lady, Indra

followed her as she led the way. And soon he saw, not far off from where

he was, a handsome youth with a young lady seated on a throne placed on

one of the peaks of Himavat and playing at dice. Beholding that youth,

the thief of the celestials said, 'Know, intelligent youth, that this

universe is under my sway.' Seeing, however, that the person addressed

was so engrossed in dice that he took no notice of what he said, Indra

was possessed by anger and repeated, 'I am the lord of the universe. The

youth who was none else than the god Mahadeva (the god of the gods),

seeing Indra filled with wrath, only smiled, having cast a glance at him.

At that glance, however, the chief of the celestials was at once

paralysed and stood there like a stake. When the game at dice was over,

Isana addressing the weeping woman said, 'Bring Sakra hither, for I shall

soon so deal with him that pride may not again enter his heart.' As soon

as Sakra was touched by that woman, the chief of the celestials with

limbs paralysed by that touch, fell down on the earth. The illustrious

Isana of fierce energy then said unto him, 'Act not, O Sakra, ever again

in this way. Remove this huge stone, for thy strength and energy are

immeasurable, and enter the hole (it will disclose) where await some

others possessing the splendour of the sun and who are all like unto

thee.' Indra, then, on removing that stone, beheld a cave in the breast

of that king of mountains, within which were four others resembling

himself. Beholding their plight, Sakra became seized with grief and

exclaimed, 'Shall I be even like these?' Then the god Girisha, looking

full at Indra with expanded eyes, said in anger, 'O thou of a hundred

sacrifices, enter this cave without loss of time, for thou hast from

folly insulted me.' Thus addressed by the lord Isana, the chief of the

celestials, in consequence of that terrible imprecation, was deeply

pained, and with limbs weakened by fear trembled like the wind-shaken

leaf of a Himalayan fig. And cursed unexpectedly by the god owning a bull

for his vehicle, Indra, with joined hands and shaking from head to foot,

addressed that fierce god of multi-form manifestations, saving, 'Thou

art, O Bhava, the over-looker of the infinite Universe!' Hearing these

words the god of fiery energy smiled and said, 'Those that are of

disposition like thine never obtain my grace. These others (within the

cave) had at one time been like thee. Enter thou this cave, therefore,

and lie there for some time. The fate of you all shall certainly be the

same. All of you shall have to take your birth in the world of men,

where, having achieved many difficult feats and slaying a large number of

men, ye shall again by the merits of your respective deeds, regain the

valued region of Indra. Ye shall accomplish all I have said and much more

besides, of other kinds of work.' Then those Indras, of their shorn glory

said, 'We shall go from our celestial regions even unto the region of men

where salvation is ordained to be difficult of acquisition. But let the

gods Dharma, Vayu, Maghavat, and the twin Aswins beget us upon our

would-be mother. Fighting with men by means of both celestial and human

weapons, we shall again come back into the region of Indra.'

"Vyasa continued, 'Hearing these words of the former Indras, the wielder

of the thunderbolt once more addressed that foremost of gods, saying,

'Instead of going myself, I shall, with a portion of my energy, create

from myself a person for the accomplishment of the task (thou assignest)

to form the fifth among these!' Vishwabhuk, Bhutadhaman, Sivi of great

energy, Santi the fourth, and Tejaswin, these it is said were the five

Indras of old. And the illustrious god of the formidable bow, from his

kindness, granted unto the five Indras the desire they cherished. And he

also appointed that woman of extraordinary beauty, who was none else than

celestial Sri (goddess of grace) herself, to be their common wife in the

world of men. Accompanied by all those Indras, the god Isana then went

unto Narayana of immeasurable energy, the Infinite, the Immaterial, the

Uncreate, the Old, the Eternal, and the Spirit of these universes without

limits. Narayana approved of everything. Those Indras then were born in

the world of men. And Hari (Narayana) took up two hairs from his body,

one of which hairs was black and the other white. And those two hairs

entered the wombs of two of the Yadu race, by name Devaki and Rohini. And

one of these hairs viz., that which was white, became Valadeva. And the

hair that was black was born as Kesava's self, Krishna. And those Indras

of old who had been confined in the cave on the Himavat are none else

than the sons of Pandu, endued with great energy. And Arjuna amongst the

Pandavas, called also Savyasachin (using both hands with equal dexterity)

is a portion of Sakra.'

"Vyasa continued, 'Thus, O king, they who have been born as the Pandavas

are none else than those Indras of old. And the celestial Sri herself who

had been appointed as their wife is this Draupadi of extraordinary

beauty. How could she whose effulgence is like that of the sun or the

moon, whose fragrance spreads for two miles around, take her birth in any

other than an extraordinary way, viz., from within the earth, by virtue

of the sacrificial rites? Unto thee, O king, I cheerfully grant this

other boon in the form of spiritual sight. Behold now the sons of Kunti

endued with their sacred and celestial bodies of old!'

"Vaisampayana continued, 'Saying this, that sacred Brahmana Vyasa of

generous deeds, by means of his ascetic power, granted celestial sight

unto the king. Thereupon the king beheld all the Pandavas endued with

their former bodies. And the king saw them possessed of celestial bodies,

with golden crowns and celestial garlands, and each resembling Indra

himself, with complexions radiant as fire or the sun, and decked with

every ornament, and handsome, and youthful, with broad chests and

statures measuring about five cubits. Endued with every accomplishment,

and decked with celestial robes of great beauty and fragrant garlands of

excellent making the king beheld them as so many three-eyed gods

(Mahadeva), or Vasus, or Rudras, or Adityas themselves. And observing the

Pandavas in the forms of those Indras of old, and Arjuna also in the form

of Indra sprung from Sakra himself, king Drupada was highly pleased. And

the monarch wondered much on beholding that manifestation of celestial

power under deep disguise. The king looking at his daughter, that

foremost of women endued with great beauty, like unto a celestial damsel

and possessed of the splendour of fire or the moon, regarded her as the

worthy wife of those celestial beings, for her beauty, splendour and

fame. And beholding that wonderful sight, the monarch touched the feet of

Satyavati's son, exclaiming, 'O great Rishi, nothing is miraculous in

thee!' The Rishi then cheerfully continued, 'In a certain hermitage there

was an illustrious Rishi's daughter, who, though handsome and chaste,

obtained not a husband. The maiden gratified, by severe ascetic penances,

the god Sankara (Mahadeva). The lord Sankara, gratified at her penances,

told her himself. 'Ask thou the boon thou desirest' Thus addressed, the

maiden repeatedly said unto the boon-giving Supreme Lord, 'I desire to

obtain a husband possessed of every accomplishment. Sankara, the chief of

the gods, gratified with her, gave her the boon she asked, saying, 'Thou

shall have, amiable maiden, five husbands.' The maiden, who had succeeded

in gratifying the god, said again, 'O Sankara, I desire to have from thee

only one husband possessed of every virtue?' The god of gods,

well-pleased with her, spake again, saying, 'Thou hast, O maiden,

addressed me five full times, repeating, 'Give me a husband.' Therefore,

O amiable one, it shall even be as thou hast asked. Blessed be thou. All

this, however, will happen in a future life of thine!'

"Vyasa continued, 'O Drupada, this thy daughter of celestial beauty is

that maiden. Indeed, the faultless Krishna sprung from Prishata's race

hath been pre-ordained to become the common wife of five husbands. The

celestial Sri, having undergone severe ascetic penances, hath, for the

sake of the Pandavas, had her birth as thy daughter, in the course of thy

grand sacrifice. That handsome goddess, waited upon by all the

celestials, as a consequence of her own acts becomes the (common) wife of

five husbands. It is for this that the self-create had created her.

Having listened to all this, O king Drupada, do what thou desirest.'"