The Mahabharata, of, Krishna-Dwaipayana Vyasa, BOOK 3, VANA PARVA, SECTION XI (Kirmirabadha Parva)

 The Mahabharata, of, Krishna-Dwaipayana Vyasa, BOOK 3, VANA PARVA,

SECTION XI

(Kirmirabadha Parva)

"Dhritarashtra said, 'O Kshatta, I am desirous to hear of the destruction

of Kirmira! Do thou tell me how the encounter took place between the

Rakshasa and Bhimasena!'

"Vidura said, 'Listen to the story of that feat of Bhimasena of super

human achievements! I have often heard of it in course of my conversation

with the Pandavas (while I was with them)

'O foremost of kings, defeated at dice the Pandavas departed from hence

and travelling for three days and nights they at length reached those

woods that go by the name of Kamyaka. O king, just after the dreadful

hour of midnight when all nature is asleep, when man-eating Rakshasas of

terrible deeds begin to wander, the ascetics and the cowherds and other

rangers of the forest used to shun the woods of Kamyaka and fly to a

distance from fear of cannibals. And, O Bharata, as the Pandavas were at

this hour entering those woods a fearful Rakshasa of flaming eyes

appeared before them with a lighted brand, obstructing their path. And

with outstretched arms and terrible face, he stood obstructing the way on

which those perpetuators of the Kuru race were proceeding. With eight

teeth standing out, with eyes of coppery hue, and with the hair of his

head blazing and standing erect, the fiend looked like a mass of clouds

reflecting the rays of the sun or mingled with lightning flashes and

graced with flocks of cranes underneath on their wings. And uttering

frightful yells and roaring like a mass of clouds charged with rain, the

fiend began to spread the illusion proper to his species. Hearing that

terrible roar, birds along with other creatures that live on land or in

water, began to drop down in all directions, uttering cries of fear. And

in consequence of the deer and the leopards and the buffaloes and the

bears flying about in all directions, it seemed as if the forest itself

was in motion. And swayed by the wind raised by the sighs of the

Rakshasa, creepers growing at a great distance seemed to embrace the

trees with their arms of coppery leaves. And at that moment, a violent

wind began to blow, and the sky became darkened with the dust that

covered it. And as grief is the greatest enemy of the object of the five

senses, even so appeared before the Pandavas that unknown foe of theirs.

And beholding the Pandavas from a distance clad in black deer-skins, the

Rakshasa obstructed their passage through the forest even like the

Mainaka mountain. And at the sight of him never seen before the

lotus-eyed Krishna, agitated with fear, closed her eyes. And she whose

braids had been dishevelled by the hand of Dussasana, stationed in the

midst of the five Pandavas, looked like a stream chafing amid five hills.

And seeing her overwhelmed with fear the five Pandavas supported her as

the five senses influenced by desire adhere to the pleasures relating to

their objects. And Dhaumya of great (ascetic) energy, in the presence of

the sons of Pandu, destroyed the fearful illusion that had been spread by

the Rakshasa, by applying various mantras, calculated to destroy the

Rakshasa. And beholding his illusion dispelled, the mighty Rakshasa of

crooked ways, capable of assuming any form at will, expanded his eyes in

wrath and seemed like death himself. Then king Yudhishthira, endued with

great wisdom, addressed him saying, 'Who art thou, and whose (son)? Tell

us what we should do for thee.' The Rakshasa thus addressed, answered

Yudhishthira the just, saying, 'I am the brother of Vaka, the celebrated

Kirmira. I live at ease in these deserted woods of Kamyaka, daily

procuring my food by vanquishing men in fight. Who are ye that have come

near me in the shape of my food? Defeating ye all in fight, I will eat ye

with pleasure.'

"Vaisampayana continued, 'O Bharata, hearing these words of the wretch,

Yudhishthira announced his own name and lineage, saying, 'I am king

Yudhishthira the just, the son of Pandu, of whom thou mayst have heard.

Deprived of my kingdom, I have with my brothers Bhimasena and Arjuna and

the others, in course of my wanderings, come into this terrible forest

which is thy dominion, desirous of passing my period of exile here!'

"Vidura continued, 'Kirmira said unto Yudhishthira, 'By good luck it is

that fate hath accomplished today my long-accomplished desire! With

weapons upraised have I been continually ranging the entire earth with

the object of slaying Bhima. But Bhima I had found not. By good luck it

is that slayer of my brother, whom I had been seeking so long, hath come

before me! It was he who in the disguise of a Brahmana slew my dear

brother Vaka in the Vetrakiya forest by virtue of his science. He hath

truly no strength of arms! It is also this one of wicked soul who

formerly slew my dear friend Hidimva, living in this forest and ravished

his sister! And that fool hath now come into this deep forest of mine,

when the night is half spent, even at the time when we wander about!

Today I will wreak my long-cherished vengeance upon him, and I will today

gratify (the manes of) Vaka with his blood in plenty! By slaying this

enemy of the Rakshasas, I shall today be freed from the debt I owe to my

friend and my brother, and thereby attain supreme happiness! If Bhimasena

was let free formerly by Vaka, today, I will devour him in thy sight, O

Yudhishthira! And even as Agastya ate up and digested the mighty Asura

(Vatapi) I will eat up and digest this Bhima!'

"Vidura continued, 'Thus addressed by the Rakshasa, the virtuous

Yudhishthira, steadfast in his pledges, said, 'It can never be so,--and

in anger rebuked the Rakshasa.' The mighty-armed Bhima then tore up in

haste a tree of the length of ten Vyasas and stripped it of its leaves.

And in the space of a moment the ever-victorious Arjuna stringed his bow

Gandiva possessing the force of the thunderbolt. And, O Bharata, making

Jishnu desist, Bhima approached that Rakshasa still roaring like the

clouds and said unto him, 'Stay! Stay!' And thus addressing the cannibal,

and tightening the cloth around his waist, and rubbing his palms, and

biting his nether lip with his teeth, and armed with the tree, the

powerful Bhima rushed towards the foe. And like unto Maghavat hurling his

thunderbolt, Bhima made that tree, resembling the mace of Yama himself

descend with force on the head of the cannibal. The Rakshasa, however,

was seen to remain unmoved at that blow, and wavered not in the conflict.

On the other hand, he hurled his lighted brand, flaming like lightning,

at Bhima. But that foremost of warriors turned it off with his left foot

in such a way that it went back towards the Rakshasa. Then the fierce

Kirmira on his part, all on a sudden uprooting a tree darted to the

encounter like unto the mace bearing Yama himself. And that fight, so

destructive of the trees, looked like the encounter in days of yore

between the brothers Vali and Sugriva for the possession of the same

woman. And the trees struck at the heads of the combatants, were broken

into shivers, like lotus-stalks thrown on the temples of infuriate

elephants. And in that great forest, innumerable trees, crushed like unto

reeds, lay scattered as rags. That encounter with trees between that

foremost of Rakshasas and that best of men, O thou bull of the Bharata

race, lasted but for a moment. Then taking up a crag, the angry Rakshasa

hurled it at Bhima standing before him, but the latter wavered not. Then

like unto Rahu going to devour the sun dispersing his rays with extended

arms, the Rakshasa with out-stretched arms darted towards Bhima, who had

remained firm under the blow inflicted with the crag. And tugging at and

grappling with each other in diverse ways they appeared like two

infuriate bulls struggling with each other. Or like unto two mighty

tigers armed with teeth and claws, the encounter between them waxed

fierce and hard. And remembering their (late) disgrace at the hands of

Duryodhana, and proud of the strength of his arms, and conscious also of

Krishna looking at him, Vrikodara began to swell in vigour. And fried

with anger, Bhima seized the Rakshasa with his arms, as one elephant in

rut seizeth another. And the powerful Rakshasa also in his turn seized

his adversary, but Bhimasena that foremost of all men endued with

strength, threw the cannibal down with violence. The sounds that in

consequence of those mighty combatants pressing each other's hands, were

frightful and resembled the sounds of splintering bamboos. And hurling

the Rakshasa down, seized him by the waist, and began to whirl him about,

even as fierce hurricane shaketh a tree. And thus seized by the mighty

Bhima, the fatigued Rakshasa, became faint, and trembling all over, he

still pressed the (Pandava) with all his strength. And finding him

fatigued, Vrikodara, twined his own arms round the foe, even as one

bindeth a beast with cord. And the monster thereupon began to roar

frightfully, as a trumpet out of order. And the mighty Vrikodara for a

long while whirled the Rakshasa till the latter appeared to be

insensible, and began to move convulsively. And finding the Rakshasa

exhausted, the son of Pandu without loss of time took him up in his arms,

and slew him like a beast. And placing his knee on the waist of that

wretch of Rakshasa, Vrikodara began to press the neck of the foe with his

hands. Then Bhima, dragging along the earth the bruised body of the

Rakshasa with the eye-lids about to close, said, 'O sinful wretch, thou

wilt no more have to wipe away the tears of Hidimva or Vaka, for thou too

art about to go to the mansions of Yama!' And saying this, that foremost

of men, his heart filled with wrath, beholding the Rakshasa destitute of

clothing and ornaments, and insensible, and undergoing convulsions, let

him dead. And after that Rakshasa of hue like the clouds had been slain,

the son of that best of kings (Pandu) praised Bhima for his many

qualities, and placing Krishna in their front, set out for the Dwaita

woods."

Vidura said, 'It was thus, O lord of men, that Kirmira was slain in

combat by Bhima, in obedience, O Kaurava, to the commands of Yudhishthira

the just! And having rid the forest of its pest, the victorious

Yudhishthira the just, began to live in that dwelling of theirs, with

Draupadi. And those bulls of the Bharata race comforting Draupadi began

to cheerfully extol Bhima with glad hearts. And after the Rakshasa had

been slain, borne down by the might of Bhima's arms, those heroes entered

into the peaceful forest freed from its annoyance. Passing through the

great forest I saw lying the body of the wicked and fearless Rakshasa

slain by Bhima's might. And, O Bharata, there I heard of this achievement

of Bhima from those Brahmanas who have assembled round the Pandavas.'

Vaisampayana continued, 'Hearing the account of the slaughter in combat

of Kirmira, that foremost of Rakshasas, the king sighed in sorrow and

became absorbed in thought.'"

SECTION XII

(Arjunabhigamana Parva)

Vaisampayana said, 'Hearing that the Pandavas had been banished, the

Bhojas, the Vrishnis, and the Andhakas went to those heroes residing in

affliction in the great forest. And the consanguineous relatives of

Panchala, and Dhrishtaketu the king of Chedi, and those celebrated and

powerful brothers--the Kaikeyas, their hearts fired with wrath, went to

the forest to see the sons of Pritha. And reproaching the sons of

Dhritarashtra, they said, 'What should we do?' And those bulls of the

Kshatriya race, with Vasudeva at their head, sat themselves down round

Yudhishthira the just. And respectfully saluting that foremost of the

Kurus, Kesava mournfully said, 'The earth shall drink the blood of

Duryodhana and Karna, of Dussasana and the wicked Sakuni! Slaying these

in battle and defeating their followers along with their royal allies,

will we all install Yudhishthira the just on the throne! The wicked

deserve to be slain! Verily, this is eternal morality.'

Vaisampayana continued, 'And when on account of the wrongs of Pritha's

sons, Janardana had thus got into a passion, and seemed bent upon

consuming all created things, Arjuna exerted himself to pacify him. And

beholding Kesava angry, Falguna began to recite the feats achieved in his

former lives by that soul of all things, himself immeasurable, the

eternal one, of infinite energy, the lord of Prajapati himself, the

supreme ruler of the worlds, Vishnu of profound wisdom!'

"Arjuna said, 'In days of old, thou, O Krishna, hadst wandered on the

Gandhamadana mountains for ten thousand years as a Muni having his home

where evening fell! Living upon water alone, thou hadst, in days of old,

O Krishna, also dwelt for full eleven thousand years by the lake of

Pushkara! And, O slayer of Madhu, with arms upraised and standing on one

leg, thou hadst passed a hundred years on the high hills of Vadari,[16]

living all the while upon air! And leaving aside thy upper garment, with

body emaciated and looking like a bundle of veins, thou hadst lived on

the banks of the Saraswati, employed in thy sacrifice extending for

twelve years! And, O Krishna of mighty energy, in observance of thy vow

thou hadst stood on one leg for the length of a thousand years of the

celestials, on the plains of Prabhasa which it behoveth the virtuous to

visit! Vyasa hath told me that thou art the cause of the creation and its

course! And, O Kesava, the lord of Kshetra,[17] thou art the mover of all

minds, and the beginning and end of all things! All asceticism resteth in

thee, and thou too art the embodiment of all sacrifices, and the eternal

one! Slaying the Asura Naraka, offspring of the Earth-first begotten,

thou hadst obtained his ear-rings, and performed, O Krishna, the first

horse-sacrifice (offering up that Asura as the sacrificial horse)! And, O

bull of all the worlds, having performed that feat, thou hast become

victorious over all! Thou hadst slain all the Daityas and Danavas

mustered in battle, and giving the lord of Sachi (Indra) the sovereignty

of the universe, thou hast, O Kesava of mighty arms, taken thy birth

among men! O slayer of all foes, having floated on the primordial waters,

thou subsequently becamest Hari,[18] and Brahma and Surya and Dharma, and

Dhatri and Yama and Anala and Vasu, and Vaisravana, and Rudra, and Kala

and the firmament the earth, and the ten directions! Thyself increate,

thou art the lord of the mobile and the immobile universe, the Creator of

all, O thou foremost of all existences! And, O slayer of Madhu, O thou of

abundant energy, in the forest of Chitraratha thou didst, O Krishna,

gratify with thy sacrifice the chief of all the gods, the highest of the

high! O Janardana, at each sacrifice thou didst offer, according to

shares, gold by hundreds and thousands. And, O son of the Yadava race,

becoming the son of Aditi, O exalted one of the supreme attributes, thou

hast been known as the younger brother of Indra! And, O thou chastiser of

foes, even while a child thou didst, O Krishna, in consequence of thy

energy, fill by three steps only the heaven, the firmament, and the

earth! And, O thou soul of all covering the heaven and the firmament

(while thou wert thus transformed), thou didst dwell in the body of the

sun and afflict him with thy own splendour! And, O exalted one, in thy

incarnations on those thousand occasions, thou hadst slain, O Krishna,

sinful Asuras by hundreds! By destroying the Mauravas and the Pashas, and

slaying Nisunda and Naraka. Thou hast again rendered safe the road to

Pragjyotisha! Thou hast slain Ahvriti at Jaruthi, and Kratha and Sisupala

with his adherents, and Jarasandha and Saivya and Satadhanwan! And on thy

car roaring like unto clouds and effulgent like the sun, thou didst

obtain for thy queen the daughter of Bhoja, defeating Rukmi in battle!

Thou didst in fury slay Indradyumna and the Yavana called Kaseruman! And

slaying Salwa the lord of Saubha, thou didst destroy that city of Saubha

itself! These have all been slain in battle; listen to me as I speak of

others (also slain by thee)! At Iravati thou hast slain king Bhoja equal

unto Karttavirya in battle, and both Gopati and Talaketu also have been

slain by thee! And, O Janardana, thou hast also appropriate unto thyself

the sacred city of Dwarka, abounding in wealth and agreeable unto the

Rishi themselves, and thou wilt submerge it at the end within the ocean!

O slayer of Madhu, how can crookedness be in thee, devoid as thou art, O

thou of the Dasarha race, of anger and envy and untruth and cruelty? O

thou who knowest no deterioration, all the Rishis, coming unto thee

seated in thy glory on the sacrificial ground, seek protection of thee!

And, O slayer of Madhu, thou stayest at the end of the Yuga, contracting

all things and withdrawing this universe into thy own self, thou

repressor of all foes! O thou of the Vrishni race, at the beginning of

the Yuga, there sprang from thy lotus-like navel, Brahma himself, and

lord of all mobile and immobile things, and whose is this entire

universe! When the dreadful Danavas Madhu and Kaitava were bent on

slaying Brahma, beholding their impious endeavour thou wert angry, and

from thy forehead, O Hari, sprang Sambhu, the holder of the trident. Thus

these two foremost of the deities have sprung from thy body in order to

do thy work! Even Narada it was who hath told me this! O Narayana, thou

didst, in the forest of Chaitraratha, celebrate with plentiful gifts a

grand sacrifice consisting of a multitude of rites! O God, O thou of eyes

like lotus leaves, the deeds thou hast performed while still a boy,

having recourse to thy might and aided by Baladeva, have never been done

by others, nor are they capable of being achieved by others in the

future! Thou didst even dwell in Kailasa, accompanied by Brahmanas!'

"Vaisampayana continued, 'Having addressed Krishna thus, the illustrious

Pandava, who was the soul of Krishna, became dumb, when Janardana (in

reply addressed that son of Pritha) saying, 'Thou art mine and I am

thine, while all that is mine is thine also! He that hateth thee hateth

me as well, and he that followeth thee followeth me! O thou irrepressible

one, thou art Nara and I am Narayana or Hari! We are the Rishis Nara and

Narayana born in the world of men for a special purpose. O Partha, thou

art from me and I am from thee! O bull of the Bharata race, no one can

understand the difference that is between us!'

"Vaisampayana continued, 'When the illustrious Kesava had said so in the

midst of that assembly of brave kings, all excited with anger, Panchali

surrounded by Dhrishtadyumna and her other heroic brothers, approached

him of eyes like lotus leaves seated with his cousins, and, desirous of

protection, addressed in angry accents that refuge of all, saying, 'Asita

and Devala have said that in the matter of the creation of all things,

thou hast been indicated (by the sages) as the only Prajapati and the

Creator of all the worlds! And, O irrepressible one, Jamadagnya sayeth

that thou art Vishnu, and, O slayer of Madhu, that thou art (embodiment

of) Sacrifice, Sacrificer and he for whom the sacrifice is performed!

And, O best of male beings, the Rishis indicate thee as Forgiveness and

Truth! Kasyapa hath said that thou art Sacrifice sprung from Truth! O

exalted one, Narada calleth thee the god of the Sadhyas, and of the

Sivas, as alone the Creator and the Lord of all things. And, O tiger

among men, thou repeatedly sportest with the gods including, Brahma and

Sankara and Sakra even as children sporting with their toys! And, O

exalted one, the firmament is covered by thy head, and the earth by thy

feet; these worlds are as thy womb and thou art the Eternal one! With

Rishis sanctified by Vedic lore and asceticism, and whose souls have been

purified by penance, and who are contented with soul-vision, thou art the

best of all objects! And, O chief of all male beings; thou art the refuge

of all royal sages devoted to virtuous acts, never turning their backs on

the field of the battle, and possessed of every accomplishment! Thou art

the Lord of all, thou art Omnipresent, thou art the Soul of all things,

and thou art the active power pervading everything! The rulers of the

several worlds, those worlds themselves, the stellar conjunctions, the

ten points of the horizon, the firmament, the moon, and the sun, are all

established in thee! And, O mighty-armed one, the morality of (earthly)

creatures, the immortality of the universe, are established in thee! Thou

art the Supreme lord of all creatures, celestial or human! Therefore it

is, O slayer of Madhu, that impelled by the affection thou bearest me

that I will relate to thee my griefs! O Krishna, how could one like me,

the wife of Pritha's sons, the sister of Dhrishtadyumna, and the friend

of thee, be dragged to the assembly! Alas, during my season, stained with

blood, with but a single cloth on, trembling all over, and weeping, I was

dragged to the court of the Kurus! Beholding me, stained with blood in

the presence of those kings in the assembly, the wicked sons of

Dhritarashtra laughed at me! O slayer of Madhu, while the sons of Pandu

and the Panchalas and the Vrishnis lived, they dared express the desire

of using me as their slave! O Krishna, I am according to the ordinance,

the daughter in-law of both Dhritarashtra and Bhishma! Yet, O slayer of

Madhu, they wished to make of me a slave by force! I blame the Pandavas

who are mighty and foremost in battle, for they saw (without stirring)

their own wedded wife known over all the world, treated with such

cruelty! Oh, fie on the might of Bhimasena, fie on the Gandiva of Arjuna,

for they, O Janardana, both suffered me to be thus disgraced by little

men! This eternal course of morality is ever followed by the

virtuous--viz., that the husband, however weak, protecteth his wedded

wife! By protecting the wife one protecteth his offspring and by

protecting the offspring one protecteth his own self! One's own self is

begotten on one's wife, and therefore it is that the wife is called Jaya.

A wife also should protect her lord, remembering that he is to take his

birth in her womb! The Pandavas never forsake the person that soliciteth

their protection, and yet they abandoned me who solicited it! By my five

husbands five sons of exceeding energy have been born of me: Prativindhya

by Yudhishthira, Sutasoma by Vrikodara, Srutakirti by Arjuna, Satanika by

Nakula and Srutakarman by the youngest, all of them of energy that cannot

be baffled. For their sake, O Janardana, it was necessary to protect me!

Even as (thy son) Pradyumna, they are, O Krishna, mighty warriors all!

They are foremost of bowmen, and invincible in battle by any foe! Why do

they bear the wrongs inflicted (on me) by the sons of Dhritarashtra of

such contemptible strength? Deprived of their kingdom by deception, the

Pandavas were made bondsmen and I myself was dragged to the assembly

while in my season, and having only a single cloth on! Fie on that

Gandiva which none else can string save Arjuna and Bhima and thyself, O

slayer of Madhu! Fie on the strength of Bhima, and fie on the prowess of

Arjuna, since, O Krishna, Duryodhana (after what he had done) hath drawn

breath even for a moment! He it is, O slayer of Madhu, who formerly drove

the guileless Pandavas with their mother from the kingdom, while they

were children still engaged in study and the observance of their vows. It

is that sinful wretch, who, horrible to relate, mixed in Bhima's food

fresh and virulent poison in full dose. But, O Janardana, Bhima digested

that poison with the food, without sustaining any injury, for, O best of

men and mighty-armed one, Bhima's days had not been ended! O Krishna, it

is Duryodhana who at the house standing by the banyan called Pramana

bound Bhima sleeping unsuspectingly, and casting him into the Ganges

returned to the city. But the powerful Bhimasena the son of Kunti,

possessed of mighty arms, on waking from sleep, tore his bonds and rose

from the water. It is Duryodhana, who caused venomous black-cobras to

bite all over the body of Bhimasena, but that slayer of foes died not.

Awaking, the son of Kunti smashed all the serpents and with his left hand

killed (the agent, viz.) the favourite charioteer of Duryodhana. Again,

while the children were asleep at Varanavata with their mother, it is he

who set fire to the house intending to burn them to death. Who is there

capable of doing such an act? It was then that the illustrious Kunti,

overtaken by this calamity, and surrounded by the flames, began to cry

out in terror, speaking to the children, 'Alas, I am undone! How shall we

escape from this fire today! Alas, I shall meet with destruction with my

little children!' Then Bhima, possessed of mighty arms, and prowess like

unto the force of the wind, comforted his illustrious mother as also his

brothers, saying, 'Like that king of birds, Garuda, the son of Vinata, I

will spring up into the air. We have no fear from this fire'. And then

taking his mother on his left flank, and the king in his right, and the

twins on each shoulder, and Vivatsu on his back, the mighty Vrikodara,

thus taking all of them, at one leap cleared the fire and delivered his

mother and brother from the conflagration. Setting out that night with

their renowned mother, they came near the forest of Hidimva. And while

fatigued and distressed, they were sleeping fast with her, a Rakshasa

woman called Hidimva approached them. Beholding the Pandavas with their

mother asleep on the ground, influenced by desire she sought to have

Bhimasena for her lord. The weak one then took up Bhima's feet on her lap

to press them with her soft hands. The mighty Bhima of immeasurable

energy, of prowess that could not be baffled, then woke from sleep, and

asked her, saying, 'O thou of faultless features, what dost thou wish

here?' Thus asked by him, the Rakshasa lady of faultless features,

capable, besides, of assuming any form at will, replied unto the

high-souled Bhima, saying, 'Do ye speedily fly from this place! My

brother gifted with strength will come to slay ye! Therefore speed and

tarry not!' But Bhima haughtily said, 'I do not fear him! If he cometh

here, I will slay him!' Hearing their converse, that vilest of cannibals

came to the spot. Of frightful form and dreadful to behold, uttering loud

cries as he came, the Rakshasa said, 'O Hidimva, with whom dost thou

converse? Bring him unto me, I will eat him up. It behoveth thee to tarry

not.' But moved by compassion, the Rakshasa lady of faultless features

and pure heart said nothing out of pity. Then the man-eating monster,

uttering dreadful cries, rushed at Bhima with great force. And

approaching him furiously, the mighty cannibal, possessed with rage,

caught hold of Bhima's hand with his own and clenching fast his other

hand and making it hard as the thunder-bolt of Indra, suddenly struck

Bhima a blow that descended with the force of lightning. His hand having

been seized by the Rakshasa, Vrikodara, without being able to brook it,

flew into a rage. Then a dreadful combat took place between Bhimasena and

Hidimva, both skilled in all weapons and which was like unto the

encounter of Vasava with Vritra. And, O sinless one, after sporting with

the Rakshasa for a long while the powerful Bhima of mighty energy slew

the cannibal when the latter had become weak with exertion. Then having

slain Hidimva, and taking (his sister) Hidimva at their head, of whom was

(subsequently) born Ghatotkacha, Bhima and his brothers went away. Then

all those repressors of their foes, accompanied by their mother and

surrounded by many Brahmanas proceeded towards Ekachakra. In the matter

of this their journey, Vyasa ever engaged in their welfare had become

their counsellor. Then arriving at Ekachakra, the Pandavas of rigid vows

there also slew a mighty cannibal, Vaka by name, terrible as Hidimva

himself. And having slain that fierce cannibal, Bhima that foremost of

smiters, went with all his brothers to the capital of Drupada. And, O

Krishna, as thou hadst acquired Rukmini, the daughter of Bhishmaka, even

so Savyasachin, while residing there, obtained me! O slayer of Madhu,

Arjuna won me in the Swayamvara, having performed a feat difficult of

achievement by others and having fought also with the assembled kings!

'Thus, O Krishna, afflicted with numerous griefs, and in great distress,

am I living, with Dhaumya at our head, but deprived of the company of the

adorable Kunti! Why do these that are gifted with strength and possessed

of the prowess of the lion, sit indifferently, beholding me thus

afflicted by enemies so despicable? Suffering such wrongs at the hands of

wicked and evil-doing foes of small strength, am I to burn in grief so

long? Born I was in a great race, coming into the world in an

extraordinary way! I am also the beloved wife of the Pandavas, and the

daughter-in-law of the illustrious Pandu! The foremost of women and

devoted to my husbands, even I, O Krishna, was seized by hair, O slayer

of Madhu, in the sight of the Pandavas, each of whom is like an Indra

himself!

'Saying this the mild-speeched Krishna hid her face with her soft hands

like the buds of lotus, and began to weep. And the tears of Panchali

begot of grief washed her deep, plump and graceful breasts crowned with

auspicious marks. And wiping her eyes and sighing frequently she said

these words angrily and in a choked voice, 'Husbands, or sons, or

friends, or brothers, or father, have I none! Nor have I thee, O thou

slayer of Madhu, for ye all, beholding me treated so cruelly by inferior

foes, sit still unmoved! My grief at Karna's ridicule is incapable of

being assuaged! On these grounds I deserve to be ever protected by thee,

O Kesava, viz., our relationship, thy respect (for me), our friendship,

and thy lordship (over me)

"Vaisampayana continued, 'In that assembly of heroes Vasudeva then spake

unto the weeping Draupadi as follows, 'O fair lady, the wives of those

with whom thou art angry, shall weep even like thee, beholding their

husbands dead on the ground, weltering in blood and their bodies covered

with the arrows of Vivatsu! Weep not, lady, for I will exert to the

utmost of my powers for the sons of Pandu! I promise thou shalt (once

more) be the queen of kings! The heavens might fall, or the Himavat might

split, the earth might be rent, or the waters of the ocean might dry up,

but my words shall never be futile!' Hearing those words of Achyuta in

reply, Draupadi looked obliquely at her third husband (Arjuna). And, O

mighty king, Arjuna said unto Draupadi, 'O thou of beautiful coppery

eyes, grieve not! O illustrious one, it shall be even as the slayer of

Madhu hath said! It can never be otherwise, O beautiful one!'

"Dhrishtadyumna said, 'I will slay Drona, Sikhandin will slay the

grandfather. And Bhimasena will slay Duryodhana, and Dhananjaya will slay

Karna. And, O sister, assisted by Rama and Krishna, we are invincible in

battle by even the slayer himself of Vritra--what are the sons of

Dhritarashtra?'

"Vaisampayana continued, 'After these words had been spoken, all the

heroes there turned their faces towards Vasudeva, who then in their midst

began to speak as follows.'"

SECTION XIII

"Vasudeva said, O lord of earth, if I had been present at Dwaraka, then,

O king, this evil would not have befallen thee! And, O irrepressible one,

coming unto the gambling-match, even if uninvited by the son of Amvika

(Dhritarashtra), or Duryodhana, or by the other Kauravas, I would have

prevented the game from taking place, by showing its many evils,

summoning to my aid Bhishma and Drona and Kripa, and Vahlika! O exalted

one, for thy sake I would have told the son of Vichitravirya--O foremost

of monarchs, let thy sons have nothing to do with dice!--I would have

shown the many evils (of dice) through which thou hast fallen into such

distress and the son of Virasena was formerly deprived of his kingdom! O

king, unthought of evils, befall a man from dice! I would have described

how a man once engaged in the game continueth to play (from desire of

victory). Women, dice, hunting and drinking to which people become

addicted in consequence of temptation, have been regarded as the four

evils that deprive a man of prosperity. And those versed in the Sastras

are of opinion that evils attend upon all these. They also that are

addicted to dice know all its evils. O thou of mighty arms, appearing

before the son of Amvika, I would have pointed out that through dice men

in a day lose their possessions, and fall into distress, and are deprived

of their untasted wealth, and exchange harsh words! O perpetuator of the

Kuru race, I would have pointed out these and other attendant evils! If

he had accepted my words thus addressed, the welfare of the Kurus as also

virtue itself would both have been secured! And, O foremost of kings, if

he had rejected my gentle counsels offered as medicine, then, O best of

the Bharata race, I would have compelled him by force! And, if those who

wait at his court, professing to be his friends but in reality his foes,

had supported him, then I would have slain them all, along with those

gamblers, there present! O Kauravya, it is owing to my absence from the

Anartta country at that time that thou hast fallen into such distress

begot of dice! O thou best of Kurus, O son of Pandu, on arriving at

Dwarka I learnt from Yuyudhana all about thy calamity! And, O foremost of

kings, directly I heard it with a heart sore agitated by grief, have I

speedily come here wishing to see thee, O king! Alas! O bull of the

Bharata race, ye have all fallen into dire distress! I see thee with thy

brothers plunged in misfortune!"

SECTION XIV

"Yudhishthira said, 'O Krishna, why wert thou absent (from the Anartta

country)? And, O descendant of the Vrishni race, while thou wert away,

where didst thou dwell? And what didst thou do while out of thy kingdom?'

"Krishna said, 'O bull of the Bharata race, I had gone for the purpose of

destroying the (arranging) city Salwa. And, O foremost of the Kauravas,

listen to the reasons I had for so doing! The heroic son of Damaghosha,

the well-known king Sisupala of mighty arms and great energy, was slain

by me, O best of Bharatas, at thy Rajasuya sacrifice, because that wicked

one could not from anger bear to see the first worship offered to me!

Hearing that he had been slain, Salwa, burning with fierce anger, came to

Dwaraka, while, O Bharata, it was empty, myself being away, residing with

you here. And having arrived there on a car made of precious metals and

hence called the Souva, he had an encounter with the youthful princes of

the Vrishni race--those bulls of that line--and fought With them

mercilessly. And slaughtering many youthful Vrishnis of heroic valour,

the wicked one devastated all the gardens of the city. And, O thou of

mighty arms, he said, 'Where is that wretch of the Vrishni race,

Vasudeva, the evil-souled son of Vasudeva? I will humble in battle the

pride of that person so eager for fight! Tell me truly, O Anarttas! I

will go there where he is. And after killing that slayer of Kansa and

Kesi, will I return! By my weapon I swear that I will not return with out

slaying him!' And exclaiming repeatedly--Where is he? Where is he? the

lord of Saubha rusheth to this place and that, desirous of encountering

me in battle? And Salwa also said, 'Impelled by wrath for the destruction

of Sisupala I shall today send to the mansion of Yama that treacherous

miscreant of mean mind?' And, O king, he further said, 'That Janardana

shall I slay, who, wretch that he is, hath killed my brother who was but

a boy of tender years, and who was slain not on the field of battle,

unprepared as he was!' Having, O great king, wailed thus, and having, O

son of the Kuru race, abused me thus, he rose into the sky on his car of

precious metals capable of going anywhere at will! On returning (to my

kingdom) I heard what, O Kaurava, the evil-minded and wicked king of

Maticka had said regarding myself! And, O descendant of the Kuru race, I

was agitated with wrath, and, O king, having reflected upon everything, I

set my heart upon slaying him! And, learning, O Kauravya, of his

oppression of the Anarttas, of his abuse of myself, and of his excessive

arrogance, I resolved upon the destruction of that wretch! And, O lord of

earth, I accordingly set out (from my city), for slaying the (lord of)

the Saubha. And searching him here and there, I found him in an island in

the midst of the ocean! Then, O king, blowing my conch called the

Panchajanya obtained from the sea, and challenging Salwa to combat, I

stood for the fight! At that instant, I had an encounter with numerous

Danavas, all of whom, however, I subdued and prostrated on the ground. O

mighty-armed one, it was owing to this affair that I could not then come

(unto thee)! As soon as I heard of the unfair game of dice at Hastinapur,

I have come here desirous of seeing ye who have been plunged in

distress.'"

SECTION XV

"Yudhishthira said, 'O illustrious Vasudeva of mighty arms, tell thou in

detail of the death of the lord of Saubha. My curiosity hath not been

appeased by the narration.'

"Vasudeva said, 'O mighty-armed king, hearing that the son of Srutasravas

(Sisupala) had been slain by me, Salwa, O best of the Bharata race, came

to the city of Dwaravati! And, O son of Pandu, the wicked king,

stationing his forces in array, besieged that city around and above. And

stationing himself in the upper regions, the king began his fight with

the city. And that encounter commenced with a thick shower of weapons

from all sides. And, O bull of the Bharata race, the city at that time

was well-fortified on all sides, according to the science (of

fortification), with pennons, and arches, and combatants, and walls and

turrets, and engines, and miners, and streets barricaded with spiked

wood-works and towers and edifices with gate-ways well-filled with

provisions, and engines for hurling burning brands and fires, and

vessels, of deer-skins (for carrying water), and trumpets, tabors, and

drums, lances and forks, and Sataghnis, and plough-shares, rockets, balls

of stone and battle-axes and other weapons and shield embossed with iron,

and engines for hurling balls and bullets and hot liquids! And the city

was also well-defended by numerous cars, and, O tiger among Kurus, by

Gada and Shamva and Uddhava and others, and by warriors of prowess tried

in battle, all well-born and capable of encountering any foe! And these

all placing themselves on commanding posts, aided by cavalry and

standard-bearers, began to defend the town. And Ugrasena and Uddhava and

others, to prevent carelessness, Proclaimed throughout the city that

nobody should drink. And all the Vrishnis and the Andhakas, well-knowing

that they would be slain by Salwa if they behaved carelessly, remained

sober and watchful. And the police soon drove out of the city all mimes

and dancers and singers of the Anartta country. And all the bridges over

rivers were destroyed, and boats forbidden to ply, and the trenches

(around the city) were spiked with poles at the bottom. And the land

around the city for full two miles was rendered uneven, and holes and

pits were dug thereon, and combustibles were secreted below the surface.

Our fort, O sinless one, is naturally strong and always well-defended and

filled with all kinds of weapons! And in consequence of the preparations

made, our city was more prepared than ever to meet the foe. And, O chief

of the Bharatas, in consequence of all this, the city looked like that of

Indra himself. And, O king, at the time of Salwa's approach, nobody could

either enter or leave the town of the Vrishnis and the Andhakas without

presenting the sign that had been agreed upon. And all the streets of the

town and the open spaces were filled with numerous elephants and horses!

And, O thou of mighty arms, the combatants were all specially gratified

with allowances and wages, and rations, and weapons, and dresses! And

amongst the combatants there was none who was not paid in gold, and none

who was not paid at all, and none who was not somehow obliged, and none

who was not of tried valour! And, O thou of eyes like lotus-leaves, it

was thus Dwaraka, abounding in well-ordered arrangements, was defended by

Ahuka (Ugrasena)!'"