SECTION CLXLI
(Swayamvara Parva continued)
"Vaisampayana said, 'When the king (Drupada)
expressed his desire of bestowing his daughter on that Brahmana (who had shot
the mark), all those monarchs who had been invited to the Swayamvara, looking
at one another, were suddenly filled with wrath. And they said, 'Passing us by
and treating the assembled monarchs as straw this Drupada desireth to bestow
his daughter--that first of women,--on a Brahmana! Having planted the tree he
cutteth it down when it is about to bear fruit. The wretch regardeth us not:
therefore let us slay him. He deserveth not our respect nor the veneration due
to age. Owing to such qualities of his, we shall, therefore, slay this wretch
that insulteth all kings, along with his son. Inviting all the monarchs and
entertaining them with excellent food, he disregardeth us at last. In this
assemblage of monarchs like unto a conclave of the celestials, doth he not see
a single monarch equal unto himself? The Vedic declaration is well-known that the
Swayamvara is for the Kshatriyas. The Brahmanas have no claim in respect of a
selection of husband by a Kshatriya damsel. Or, ye kings, if this damsel
desireth not to select any one of us as her lord, let us cast her into the fire
and return to our kingdoms. As regards this Brahmana, although he hath, from
officiousness or avarice, done this injury to the monarchs, he should not yet
be slain; for our kingdoms, lives, treasures, sons, grandsons, and whatever
other wealth we have, all exist for Brahmanas. Something must be done here
(even unto him), so that from fear of disgrace and the desire of maintaining
what properly belongeth unto each order, other Swayamvaras may not terminate in
this way.'
"Having addressed one another thus, those
tigers among monarchs endued with arms like unto spiked iron maces, took up
their weapons and rushed at Drupada to slay him then and there. And Drupada
beholding those monarchs all at once rushing towards him in anger with bows and
arrows, sought, from fear, the protection of the Brahmanas. But those mighty
bowmen (Bhima and Arjuna) of the Pandavas, capable of chastising all foes,
advanced to oppose those monarchs rushing towards them impetuously like
elephants in the season of rut. Then the monarchs with gloved fingers and
upraised weapons rushed in anger at the Kuru princes, Bhima and Arjuna, to slay
them. Then the mighty Bhima of extraordinary achievements, endued with the
strength of thunder, tore up like an elephant a large tree and divested it of
its leaves. And with that tree, the strong-armed Bhima, the son of Pritha, that
grinder of foes, stood, like unto the mace-bearing king of the dead (Yama)
armed with his fierce mace, near Arjuna that bull amongst men. And beholding
that feat of his brother, Jishnu of extraordinary intelligence, himself also of
inconceivable feats, wondered much. And equal unto Indra himself in
achievements, shaking off all fear he stood with his bow ready to receive those
assailants. And beholding those feats of both Jishnu and his brother, Damodara
(Krishna) of superhuman intelligence and inconceivable feats, addressing his
brother, Halayudha (Valadeva) of fierce energy, said, 'That hero there, of
tread like that of a mighty lion, who draweth the large bow in his hand four
full cubits in length, is Arjuna! There is no doubt, O Sankarshana, about this,
if I am Vasudeva. That other hero who having speedily torn up the tree hath
suddenly become ready to drive off the monarchs is Vrikodara! For no one in the
world, except Vrikodara, could today perform such a feat in the field of
battle. And that other youth of eyes like unto lotus-petals, of full four
cubits height, of gait like that of a mighty lion, and humble withal, of fair
complexion and prominent and shining nose, who had, a little before, left the
amphitheatre, is Dharma's son (Yudhishthira). The two other youths, like unto
Kartikeya, are, I suspect, the sons of the twin Aswins. I heard that the sons
of Pandu along with their mother Pritha had all escaped from the conflagration
of the house of lac.' Then Halayudha of complexion like unto that of clouds
uncharged with rain, addressing his younger brother (Krishna), said with great
satisfaction, 'O, I am happy to hear, as I do from sheer good fortune, that our
father's sister Pritha with the foremost of the Kaurava princes have all
escaped (from death)!'"
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