BOOK IIIRAJASUYA(The Imperial Sacrifice)
(The Imperial Sacrifice)
A curious incident followed the bridal of Draupadi. The five sons of Pandu returned with her to the potter's house, where they were living on alms according to the custom of Brahmans, and the brothers reported to their mother that they had received a great gift on that day. “Enjoy ye the gift in common,” replied their mother, not knowing what it was. And as a mother's mandate cannot be disregarded, Draupadi became the common wife of the five brothers.
The real significance of this strange legend is unknown. The custom of brothers marrying a common wife prevails to this day in Thibet and among the hill-tribes of the Himalayas, but it never prevailed among the Aryan Hindus of India. It is distinctly prohibited in their laws and institutes, and finds no sanction in their literature, ancient or modern. The legend in theMaha-bharata, of brothers marrying a wife in common, stands alone and without a parallel in Hindu traditions and literature.
Judging from the main incidents of the Epic, Draupadi might rather be regarded as the wife of the eldest brother Yudhishthir. Bhima had already mated himself to a female in a forest, by whom he had a son, Ghatotkacha, who distinguished himself in war later on. Arjun too married the sister of Krishna, shortly after Draupadi's bridal, and had by her a son, Abhimanyu, who was one of the heroes of the war. On the other hand, Yudhishthir took to him self no wife save Draupadi, and she was crowned with Yudhishthir in the Rajasuya or Imperial Sacrifice. Notwithstanding the legend, therefore, Draupadi might be regarded as wedded to Yudhishthir, though won by the skill of Arjun, and this assumption would be in keeping with Hindu customs and laws, ancient and modern.
The jealous Duryodhan heard that his contrivance to kill his cousins at Varanavata had failed. He also heard that they had found a powerful friend in Drupad, and had formed an alliance with him. It was no longer possible to keep them from their rightful inheritance. The Kuru kingdom was accordingly parcelled; Duryodhan retained the eastern and richer portion with its ancient capitalHastina-puraon the Ganges; and the sons of Pandu were given the western portion on the Jumna, which was then a forest and a wilderness. The sons of Pandu cleared the forest and built a new capitalIndra-prastha, the supposed ruins of which, near modern Delhi, are still pointed out to the curious traveller.
Yudhishthir, the eldest of the five sons of Pandu, and now king of Indra-prastha, resolved to perform the Rajasuya sacrifice, which was a formal assumption of the Imperial title over all the kings of ancient India. His brothers went out with troops in all directions to proclaim his supremacy over all surrounding kings. Jarasandha, the powerful and semi-civilised king of Magadha or South Behar, opposed and was killed; but other monarchs recognised the supremacy of Yudhishthir and came to the sacrifice with tributes. King Dhrita-rashtra and his sons, now reigning at Hastina-pura, were politely invited to take a share in the performance of the sacrifice.
The portion translated in this Book forms Sections xxxiii. To xxxvi. and Section xliv. of Book ii. of the original.
Ancient halls of proud Hastina mirrored bright on Ganga's wave!Thither came the son of Pandu, young Nakula true and brave,
Came to ask Hastina's monarch, chief of Kuru's royal race,To partake Yudhishthir's banquet and his sacrifice to grace.
Dhrita-rashtra came in gladness unto Indra-prastha's town,Marked its new-built tower and turret on the azure Jumna frown,
With him came preceptor Kripa, and the ancient Bhishma came,Elders of the race of Kuru, chiefs and Brahmans known to fame.
Monarchs came from distant regions to partake the holy rite,Warlike chiefs from court and castle in their arms accoutred bright,
Kshatras came with ample tribute for the holy sacrifice,Precious gems and costly jewels, gold and gifts of untold price.
Proud Duryodhan and his brothers came in fair and friendly guise,With the ancient Kuru monarch and Vidura, good and wise,
With his son came brave Suvala from Gandhara's distant land,Car-borne Salya, peerless Karna, came with bow and spear and brand.
Came the priest and proud preceptor Drona skilled in arms and lore,Jayadratha famed for valour came from Sindhu's sounding shore,
Drupad came with gallant princes from Panchala's land of fame,Salwa lord of outer nations to the mighty gathering came.
Bhagadatta came in chariot from the land of nations brave,Prag-jyotisha, where the red sun wakes on Brahma-putra's wave,
With him came untutoredmlechchaswho beside the ocean dwell,Uncouth chiefs of dusky nations from the lands where mountains swell,
Came Virata, Matsya's monarch, and his warlike sons and bold,Sisupala, king of Chedi, with his son bedecked in gold.
Came the warlike chiefs of Vrishni from the shores of Western Sea,And the lords of Madhya-desa, ever warlike ever free!
Jumna's dark and limpid waters laved Yudhishthir's palace wallsAnd to hail himDharma-raja, monarchs thronged his royal halls,
He to honoured kings and chieftains with a royal grace assignedPalaces with sparkling waters and with trees umbrageous lined,
Honoured thus, the mighty monarchs lived in mansions milky white,Like the peaks of famed Kailasa lifting proud their snowy height!
Graceful walls that swept the meadows circled round the royal halls,Nets of gold belaced the casements, gems bedecked the shining walls,
Flights of steps led up to chambers many-tinted-carpet-graced,And festooning fragrant garlands were harmonious interlaced!
Far below from spacious gateways rose the people's gathering cry,And from far the swan-white mansions caught the ravished gazer's eye,
Richly graced with precious metals shone the turrets bright and gay,Like the rich-ored shining turrets of the lofty Himalay.
And the scene bedecked byrishisand by priests and kings of might,Shone like azure sky in splendour, graced by deathless Sons of Light!
Spake Yudhishthir unto Bhishma, elder of the Kuru race,Unto Drona proud preceptor, rich in lore and warlike grace,
Spake to wise preceptor Kripa, versed in sacred rites of old,To Duryodhan and his brothers, honoured guests and kinsmen bold:
“Friends and kinsmen, grant your favour and your sweet affection lend,May your kindness ever helpful poor Yudhishthir's rite attend,
As your own, command my treasure, costly gifts and wealth untold,To the poor and to the worthy scatter free my gems and gold!”
Speaking thus he made hisdiksha, and to holy work inclined,To his friends and to his kinsmen all their various tasks assigned:
Proud Duhsasan in his bounty spread the rich and sumptuous feast,Drona's son with due devotion greeted saint and holy priest,
Sanjay with a regal honour welcomed king and chief of might,Bhishma and the pious Drona watched the sacrificial rite,
Kripa guarded wealth and treasure, gold and gems of untold price,And with presents unto Brahmans sanctified the sacrifice,
Dhrita-rashtra, old and sightless, through the scene of gladness strayed,With a careful hand Vidura all the mighty cost defrayed,
Proud Duryodhan took the tribute which the chiefs and monarchs paid,Pious Krishna unto Brahmans honour and obeisance made.
'Twas a gathering fair and wondrous on fair Jumna's sacred shore,Tributes in a thousandnishkasevery willing monarch bore,
Costly gifts proclaimed the homage of each prince of warlike might,Chieftains vied with rival chieftains to assist the holy rite.
Bright Immortals, robed in sunlight, sailed across the liquid sky,And their gleaming cloud-borne chariots rested on the turrets high!
Hero-monarchs, holy Brahmans, filled the halls bedecked in gold,White-robed priests adept inmantramingled with the chieftains bold.
And amidst this scene of splendour, pious-hearted, pure and good,Like the sinless godVaruna, gentle-souled Yudhishthir stood,
Six bright fires Yudhishthir lighted, offerings made to gods above,Gifts unto the poor and lowly spake the monarch's boundless love.
Hungry men were fed and feasted with an ample feast of rice,Costly gifts to holy Brahmans graced the noble sacrifice,
Ida, ajya, homaofferings, pleased the “Shining Ones” on high,Brahmans pleased with costly presents with their blessings filled the sky!
Dawned the day ofabhisheka, proud anointment, sacred bath,Crownéd kings and learnéd Brahmans crowded on Yudhishthir's path,
And as gods and heavenlyrishisthrong inBrahma'smansions bright,Holy priests and noble monarchs graced the inner sacred site!
Measureless their fame and virtue, great their penance and their power,And in converse deep and learned Brahmans passed the radiant hour,
And on subjects great and sacred, oft divided in their thought,Various sages in their wisdom various diverse maxims taught,
Weaker reasons seemed the stronger, faultless reasons often failed,Keen disputants like the falcon fell on views their rivals held!
Some were versed in Laws of Duty, some the Holy Vows professed,Some with gloss and varied comment still his learned rival pressed,
Bright the concourse of the Brahmans unto sacred learning given,Like the concourse of the bright stars in the glorious vault of heaven,
None of impure caste and conduct trespassed on the holy site,None of impure life and manners stained Yudhishthir's sacred rite!
Deva-rishi, saintly Narad, marked the sacrificial rite,Sanctifying by its lustre good Yudhishthir's royal might,
And a ray of heavenly wisdom lit therishi'sinner eye,As he saw the gathered monarchs in the concourse proud and high!
He had heard from lips celestial in the heavenly mansions bright,All these kings were god incarnate, portions of Celestial Light,
And he saw in them embodied beings of the upper sky,And in lotus-eyéd Krishna saw the Highest of the High!
Saw the ancientNarayana, great Creation's Primal Cause,Who had sent the gods as monarchs to uphold his righteous laws,
Battle for the cause of virtue, perish in a deadly war,Then to seek their upper mansions in the radiant realms afar!
“Narayana, World's Preserver, sent immortal gods on earth,He himself in race of Yadu hath assumed his mortal birth,
Like the moon among the planets born in Vrishni's noble clan,—He whom bright gods render worship,—Narayana, Son of Man,
Primal Cause and Self-created! when is done his purpose high,Narayanaleads Immortals to their dwelling in the sky.”
Such bright glimpses of the Secret flashed upon his inner sight,As in lofty contemplation Narad gazed upon the rite.
Outspake Bhishma to Yudhishthir: “Monarch of this wide domain,Honour due to crowned monarchs doth our sacred law ordain,
Arghya to the wise Preceptor, to the Kinsman and to Priest,To the Friend and to the Scholar, to the King as lord of feast,
Unto these is due thearghya, so our holy writs have said,Therefore to these kings assembled be the highest honour paid,
Noble are these crownéd monarchs, radiant like the noonday sun,To the noblest, first in virtue, be the foremost honour done!”
“Who is noblest,” quoth Yudhishthir, “in this galaxy of fame,Who of chiefs and crownéd monarchs doth our foremost honour claim?”
Pond'ring spake the ancient Bhishma in his accents deep and clear:“Greatest midst the great is Krishna! chief of men without a peer!
Midst these monarchs pure in lustre, purest-hearted and most highLike the radiant sun is Krishna midst the planets of the sky,
Sunless climes are warmed to verdure by the sun's returning ray,Windless wastes are waked to gladness when reviving breezes play,
Even so thisrajasuya, this thy sacrificial rite,Owes its sanctity and splendour unto Krishna's holy might!”
Bhishma spake and Sahadeva served his mandate quick as thought,And thearghyaduly flavoured unto peerless Krishna brought,
Krishna trained in rules of virtue then the offeredarghyatook,Darkened Sisupala's forehead and his frame in tremor shook,
To Yudhishthir and to Bhishma turns the chief his flaming eyes,To the great and honoured Krishna, Sisupala wrathful cries.
“Not to Vrishni's uncrowned hero should this reverence be paid,Midst these mighty crownéd monarchs in their kingly pomp arrayed,
Ill beseems the good Yudhishthir, royal Pandu's righteous son,Homage to an uncrowned chieftain, to the lowly honour done!
Pandu's sons are yet untutored, and with knowledge yet unblessed,Knowing Bhishma blessed with wisdom hath the rules of courts transgressed,
Learnéd in the Laws of Duty he hath sinned from partial love,Conscious breach of rules of honour doth our deeper hatred move!
In this throng of crownéd monarchs, ruling kings of righteous fame,Can this uncrowned Vrishni chieftain foremost rank and honour claim?
Doth he as a sage and elder claim the homage to him done?Sure his father Vasudeva hath his claims before his son!
Doth he as Yudhishthir's kinsman count as foremost and the best?Royal Drupad by alliance surely might the claim contest!
Doth he as a wise preceptor claim the highest, foremost place,When the great preceptor Drona doth his royal mansion grace?
Unto Krishna as arishishould the foremost rank be given?Saintly Vyasa claims the honour, Vedic bard inspired by Heaven!
Unto Krishna should we render honour for his warlike fame?Thou, O Bhishma! Death's Subduer, surely might precedence claim!
Unto Krishna for his knowledge should the noble prize we yield?Drona's son unmatched in learning surely might contest the field!
Great Duryodhan midst the princes stands alone without a peer,Kripa priest of royal Kurus, holiest of all priests is here!
Archer Karna—braver archer none there is of mortal birth—Karna learnt his arms from Rama, he who slew the kings of earth!
Wherefore then to unknown Krishna render we this homage free!Saintly priest, nor wise preceptor, king nor foremost chief is he!”
Tiger-hearted Sisupala spake in anger stem and high,Calm unto him Krishna answered, but a light was in his eye:
“List, O chiefs and righteous monarchs! from a daughter of our raceEvil-destined Sisupala doth his noble lineage trace,
Spite of wrong and frequent outrage, spite of insult often flung,Never in his heart hath Krishna sought to do his kinsman wrong!
Once I went to eastern regions, Sisupala like a foeBurnt my far-famed seaport Dwarka, laid the mart and temple low!
Once on Bhoja's trusting monarch faithless Sisupala fell,Slew his men and threw him captive in his castle's dungeon cell!
Once for holyaswamedhaVasudeva sent his steed,Sisupala stole the charger, sought to stop the righteous deed,
Once on saintly Babhru's consort, pious-hearted, pure and just,Sisupala fell in madness, forced the lady to his lust,
Once Visala's beauteous princess went to seek her husband's side,In her husband's garb disguiséd Sisupala clasped the bride!
This and more hath Krishna suffered, for his mother is our kin,But the sickening tale appalleth, and he addeth sin to sin!
One more tale of sin I mention: by his impious passion fired,To my saintly wife, Rukmini, Sisupala hath aspired,
As the low-born seeks theVeda, soiling it with impure breath,Sisupala sought my consort, and his righteous doom is Death!”
Krishna spake; the rising red blood speaks each angry hero's shame,Shame for Chedi's impious actions, grief for Sisupala's fame!
Loudly laughed proud Sisupala, spake with bitter taunt and jeer,Answered Krishna's lofty menace with disdain and cruel sneer:
“Wherefore in this vast assembly thus proclaim thy tale of shame,If thy wedded wife and consort did inspire my youthful flame?
Doth a man of sense and honour, blest with wisdom and with pride,Thus proclaim his wedded consort was another's loving bride?
Do thy worst! Or if by anger or by weak forbearance led,Sisupala seeks no mercy, nor doth Krishna's anger dread!”
Lowered Krishna's eye and forehead, and unto his hands there cameFatal disc, the dread of sinners, disc that never missed its aim,
“Monarchs in this hall assembled!” Krishna in his anger cried,“Oft hath Chedi's impious monarch Krishna's noble rage defied,
For unto his pious mother plighted word and troth was given,Sisupala's hundred follies would by Krishna be forgiven,
I have kept the plighted promise, but his crimes exceed the tale,And beneath this vengeful weapon Sisupala now shall quail!”
Then the bright and whirling discus, as this mandate Krishna said,Fell on impious Sisupala, from his body smote his head,
Fell the mighty-arméd monarch like a thunder-riven rock,Severed from the parent mountain by the bolt's resistless shook!
And his soul be-cleansed of passions came forth from its mortal shroud,Like the radiant sun in splendour from a dark and mantling cloud,
Unto Krishna good and gracious, like a lurid spark aflame,Chastened of its sin and anger, Sisupala's spirit came!
Rain descends in copious torrents, quick the lurid lightnings fly,And the wide earth feels a tremor, restless thunders shake the sky,
Various feelings away the monarchs as they stand in hushed amaze,Mutely in those speechless moments on the lifeless warrior gaze!
Some there are who seek their weapons, and their nervous fingers shake,And their lips they bite in anger, and their frames in tremor quake,
Others in their inmost bosom welcome Krishna's righteous deed,Look on death of Sisupala as a sinner's proper meed,
Rishisbless the deed of Krishna as they wend their various ways,Brahmans pure and pious-hearted chant the righteous Krishna's praise!
Sad Yudhishthir, gentle-hearted, thus unto his brothers said:“Funeral rites and regal honours be performed unto the dead,”
Duteously his faithful brothers then performed each pious rite,Honours due to Chedi's monarch, to his rank and peerless might,
Sisupala's son they seated in his mighty father's place,And with holyabhishekahailed him king of Chedi's race!
Thus removed the hapless hindrance, now the holy sacrificeWas performed with joy and splendour and with gifts of gold and rice,
Godlike Krishna watched benignly with his bow and disc and mace,And Yudhishthir closed the feasting with his kindliness and grace.
Brahmans sprinkled holy water on the empire's righteous lord,All the monarchs made obeisance, spake in sweet and graceful word:
“Born of race of Ajamidha! thou hast spread thy father's fame,Rising by thy native virtue thou hast won a mightier name,
And this rite unto thy station doth a holier grace instil,And thy royal grace and kindness all our hope and wish fulfil,
Grant us, king of mighty monarchs, now unto our realms we go,Emperor o'er earthly rulers, blessings and thy grace bestow!”
Good Yudhishthir to the monarchs parting grace and honours paid,And unto his duteous brothers thus in loving-kindness said:
“To our feast these noble monarchs came from loyal love they bear,Far as confines of their kingdoms, with them let our friends repair.”
And his brothers and his kinsmen duteously his hest obey,With each parting guest and monarch journey on the home ward way.
Arjun wends with high-souled Drupad, famed for lofty warlike grace,Dhrishta-dyumna with Virata, monarch of the Matsya race,
Bhima on the ancient Bhishma and on Kuru's king doth wait,Sahadeva waits on Drona, great in arms, in virtue great,
With Gandhara's warlike monarch brave Nakula holds his way,Other chiefs with other monarchs where their distant kingdoms lay.
Last of all Yudhishthir's kinsman, righteous Krishna fain would part,And unto the good Yudhishthir opens thus his joyful heart:
“Done this gloriousrajasuya, joy and pride of Kuru's race,Grant, O friend! to sea-girt Dwarka, Krishna now his steps must trace.”
“By thy grace and by thy valour,” sad Yudhishthir thus replies,“By thy presence, noble Krishna, I performed this high emprise,
By thy all-subduing glory monarchs bore Yudhishthir's sway,Came with gifts and costly presents, came their tributes rich to pay,
Must thou part? my uttered accents may not bid thee, friend, to go,In thy absence vain were empire, and this life were full of woe,
Yet thou partest, sinless Krishna, dearest, best belovéd friend,And to Dwarka's sea-washed mansions Krishna must his footsteps bend!”
Then unto Yudhishthir's mother, pious-hearted Krishna hies,And in accents love-inspiring thus to ancient Pritha cries:
“Regal fame and righteous glory crown thy sons, reveréd dame,Joy thee in their peerless prowess, in their holy spotless fame,
May thy sons' success and triumph cheer a widowed mother's heart,Grant me leave, O noble lady! for to Dwarka I depart.”
From Yudhishthir's queen Draupadi parts the chief with many a tear,And from Arjun's wife Subhadra, Krishna's sister ever dear,
Then with rites and due ablutions to the gods are offerings made,Priests repeat their benedictions, for the righteous Krishna said,
And his faithful chariot-driver brings his falcon-bannered car,Like the clouds in massive splendour and resistless in the war,
Pious Krishna mounts the chariot, fondly greets his friends once more,Leaves blue Jumna's sacred waters for his Dwarka's dear-loved shore,
Still Yudhishthir and his brothers, sad and sore and grieved at heart,Followed Krishna's moving chariot, for they could not see him part,
Krishna stopped once more his chariot, and his parting blessing gave,Thus the chief with eyes of lotus spake in accents calm and brave:
“King of men! with sleepless watching ever guard thy kingdom flair,Like a father tend thy subjects with a father's love and care,
Be unto them like the rain-drop nourishing the thirsty ground,Be unto them tree of shelter shading them from heat around,
Like the blue sky ever bending be unto them ever kind,Free from pride and free from passion rule them with a virtuous mind!”
Spake and left the saintly Krishna, pure and pious-hearted chief,Sad Yudhishthir wended homeward and his heart was filled with grief.
BOOK IVDYUTA(The Fatal Dice)
(The Fatal Dice)
Duryodhan came back from the Imperial Sacrifice filled with jealousy against Yudhishthir, and devised plans to effect his fall. Sakuni, prince of Gandhara, shared Duryodhan's hatred towards the sons of Pandu, and helped him in his dark scheme. Yudhishthir with all his piety and righteousness had one weakness, the love of gambling, which was one of the besetting sins of the monarchs of the day. Sakuni was an expert at false dice, and challenged Yudhishthir, and Yudhishthir held it a point of honour not to decline such a challenge.
He came from his new capital, Indra-prastha, to Hastina-pura the capital of Duryodhan, with his mother and brothers and Draupadi. And as Yudhishthir lost game after game, he was stung with his losses, and with the recklessness of a gambler still went on with the fatal game. His wealth and hoarded gold and jewels, his steeds, elephants and cars, his slaves male and female, his empire and possessions, were all staked and lost!
The madness increased, and Yudhishthir staked his brothers, and then himself, and then the fair Draupadi, and lost! And thus the Emperor of Indra-prastha and his family were deprived of every possession on earth, and became the bond-slaves of Duryodhan. The old king Dhrita-rashtra released them from actual slavery, but the five brothers retired to forests as homeless exiles.
Portions of Section lxv. and the whole of Sections lxix., lxxvi., and lxxvii. of Book ii. of the original text have been translated in this Book.
Glassed on Ganga's limpid waters brightly shine Hastina's wallsQueen Draupadi duly honoured lives within the palace halls,
But as steals a lowly jackal in a lordly lion's den,Base Duryodhan's humble menial came to proud Draupadi's ken.
“Pardon, Empress,” quoth the menial, “royal Pandu's righteous son,Lost his game and lost his reason, Empress, thou art staked and won,
Prince Duryodhan claims thee, lady, and the victor bids me say,Thou shalt serve him as his vassal, as his slave in palace stay!”
“Have I heard thee, menial, rightly?” questioned she in anguish keen,“Doth a crownéd king and husband stake his wife and lose his queen,
Did my noble lord and monarch sense and reason lose at dice,Other stake he did not wager, wedded wife to sacrifice!”
“Other stakes were duly wagered,” so he spake with bitter groan,“Wealth and empire, every object which Yudhishthir called his own,
Lost himself and all his brothers, bondsmen are those princes brave,Then he staked his wife and empress, thou art prince Duryodhan's slave!”
Rose the queen in queenly anger, and with woman's pride she spake“Hie thee, menial, to thy master, Queen Draupadi's answer take,
If my lord, himself a bondsman, then hath staked his queen and wife,False the stake, for owns a bondsman neither wealth nor other's life,
Slave can wager wife nor children, and such action is undone,Take my word to prince Duryodhan, Queen Draupadi is unwon!”
Wrathful was the proud Duryodhan when he heard the answer bold,To his younger, wild Duhsasan, this his angry mandate told:
“Little-minded is the menial, and his heart in terror fails,For the fear of wrathful Bhima, lo! his coward-bosom quails,
Thou Duhsasan, bid the princess as our humble slave appear,Pandu's sons are humble bondsmen, and thy heart it owns no fear!”
Fierce Duhsasan heard the mandate, blood-shot was his flaming eye,Forthwith to the inner chambers did with eager footsteps hie,
Proudly sat the fair Draupadi, monarch's daughter, monarch's wife,Unto her the base Duhsasan spake the message, insult-rife:
“Lotus-eyed Panchala-princess! fairly staked and won at game,Come and meet thy lord Duryodhan, chase that mantling blush of shame!
Serve us as thy lords and masters, be our beauteous bright-eyed slave,Come unto the Council Chamber, wait upon the young and brave!”
Proud Draupadi shakes with tremor at Duhsasan's hateful sight,And she shades her eye and forehead, and her bloodless cheeks are white,
At his words her chaste heart sickens, and with wild averted eye,Unto rooms where dwelt the women, Queen Draupadi seeks to fly.
Vainly sped the trembling princess in her fear and in her shame,By her streaming wavy tresses fierce Duhsasan held the dame!
Sacred looks! with holy water dewed atrajasuyarite,And bymantraconsecrated, fragrant, flowing, raven-bright,
Base Duhsasan by those tresses held the faint and flying queen,Feared no more the sons of Pandu, nor their vengeance fierce and keen,
Dragged her in her slipping garments by her long and trailing hair,And like sapling tempest-shaken, wept and shook the trembling fair!
Stooping in her shame and anguish, pale with wrath and woman's fear,Trembling and in stifled accents, thus she spake with streaming tear:
“Leave me, shameless prince Duhsasan! elders, noble lords are here,Can a modest wedded woman thus in loose attire appear?”
Vain the words and soft entreaty which the weeping princess made,Vainly to the gods and mortals she in bitter anguish prayed,
For with cruel words of insult still Duhsasan mocked her woo:“Loosely clad or void of clothing,—to the council hall you go,
Slave-wench fairly staked and conquered, wait upon thy masters brave,Live among our household menials, serve us as our willing slave!”
Loose-attired, with trailing tresses, came Draupadi weak and faint,Stood within the Council Chamber, tearful made her piteous plaint:
“Elders! versed in holysastra, and in every holy rite,Pardon if Draupadi cometh in this sad unseemly plight,
Stay thy sinful deed, Duhsasan, nameless wrongs and insults spare,Touch me not with hands uncleanly, sacred is a woman's hair,
Honoured elders, righteous nobles, have on me protection given,Tremble sinner, seek no mercy from the wrathful gods in heaven!
Here in glory, son ofDharma, sits my noble righteous lord,Sin nor shame nor human frailty stains Yudhishthir's deed or word,
Silent all? and will no chieftain rise to save a woman's life,Not a hand or voice is lifted to defend a virtuous wife?
Lost is Kuru's righteous glory, lost is Bharat's ancient name,Lost is Kshatra's kingly prowess, warlike worth and knightly fame,
Wherefore else do Kuru warriors tamely view this impious scene,Wherefore gleam not righteous weapons to protect an outraged queen?
Bhishma, hath he lost his virtue, Drona, hath he lost his might,Hath the monarch of the Kurus ceased to battle for the right,
Wherefore are ye mute and voiceless, councillors of mighty fame?Vacant eye and palsied right arm watch this deed of Kuru's shame!”
Spake Draupadi slender-waisted, and her words were stern and high,Anger flamed within her bosom and the tear was in her eye!
And her sparkling, speaking glances fell on Pandu's sons like fire,Stirred in them a mighty passion and a thirst for vengeance dire!
Lost their empire, wealth and fortune, little recked they for the fall,But Draupadi's pleading glances like a poniard smote them all!
Darkly frowned the ancient Bhishma, wrathful Drona bit his tongue,Pale Vidura marked with anger insults on Draupadi flung!
Fulsome word nor foul dishonour could their truthful utterance taint,And they cursed Duhsasan's action, when they heard Draupadi's plaint!
But brave Karna, though a warrior,—Arjun's deadly foe was he,—'Gainst the humbled sons of Pandu spake his scorn thus bitterly:
“'Tis no fault of thine, fair princess! fallen to this servile state,Wife and son rule not their actions, others rule their hapless fate!
Thy Yudhishthir sold his birthright, sold thee at the impious play,And the wife falls with the husband, and her duty—to obey!
Live thou in this Kuru household, do the Kuru princes' will,Serve them as thy lords and masters, with thy beauty please them still!
Fair One! seek another husband who in foolish reckless gameWill not stake a loving woman, will not cast her forth in shame!
For they censure not a woman, when she is a menial slave,If her woman's fancy wanders to the young and to the brave!
For thy lord is not thy husband, as a slave he hath no wife,Thou art free with truer lover to enjoy a wedded life!
They whom at theswayamvara, chose ye, fair Panchala's bride,They have lost thee, sweet Draupadi, lost their empire and their pride!”
Bhima heard, and quick and fiercely heaved his bosom in his shame,And his red glance fell on Karna like a tongue of withering flame!
Bound by elder's plighted promise Bhima could not smite in ire,Looked a painted form of Anger flaming with an anguish dire!
“King and elder!” uttered Bhima, and his words were few and brave,“Vain were wrath and righteous passion in the sold and bounden slave!
Would that son of chariot-driver fling on us this insult keen,Hadst thou, noble king and elder, staked nor freedom nor our queen?”
Sad Yudhishthir heard in anguish, bent in shame his lowly head,Proud Duryodhan laughed in triumph, and in scornful accents said:
“Speak, Yudhishthir, for thy brothers own their elder's righteous sway,Speak, for truth in thee abideth, virtue ever marks thy way,
Hast thou lost thy new-built empire, and thy brothers proud and brave?Hast thou lost thy fair Draupadi, is thy wedded wife our slave?”
Lip nor eye did move Yudhishthir, hateful truth would not deny,Karna laughed, but saintly Bhishma wiped his old and manly eye!
Madness seized the proud Duryodhan, and inflamed by passion base,Sought the prince to stain Draupadi with a deep and foul disgrace!
On the proud and peerless woman cast his loving, lustful eye,Sought to hold the high-born princess as his slave upon his knee!
Bhima penned his wrath no longer, lightning-like his glance he flung,And the ancient hall of Kurus with his thunder accents rung:
“May I never reach those mansions where my fathers live on high,May I never meet ancestors in the bright and happy sky,
If that knee, by which thou sinnest, Bhima breaks not in his ire,In the battle's red arena with his weapon, deathful, dire!”
Red fire flamed on Bhima's forehead, sparkled from his angry eye,As from tough and gnarléd branches fast the crackling red sparks fly!
Hark! within the sacred chamber, where the priests in white attireWith libations morn and evening feed the sacrificial fire,
And o'er sacred rights ofhomaBrahmans chant theirmantrahigh,There is heard the jackal's wailing and the raven's ominous cry!
Wise Vidura knew that omen, and the Queen Gandhari knew,Bhishma muttered “svasti! svasti!” at this portent strange and new,
Drona and preceptor Kripa uttered too that holy word,Spake her fears the Queen Gandhari to her spouse and royal lord.
Dhrita-rashtra heard and trembled with a sudden holy fear,And his feeble accents quavered, and his eyes were dimmed by tear:
“Son Duryodhan, ever luckless, godless, graceless, witless child,Hast thou Drupad's virtuous daughter thus insulted and reviled,
Hast thou courted death and danger, for destruction clouds our path?May an old man's soft entreaties still avert this sign of wrath!”
Slow and gently to Draupadi was the sightless monarch led,And in kind and gentle accents unto her the old man said:
“Noblest empress, dearest daughter, good Yudhishthir's stainless wife,Purest of the Kuru ladies, nearest to my heart and life,
Pardon wrong and cruel insult and avert the wrath of Heaven,Voice thy wish and ask for blessing, be my son's misdeed forgiven!”
Answered him the fair Draupadi: “Monarch of the Kuru's line,For thy grace and for thy mercy every joy on earth be thine!
Since thou bid'st me name my wishes, this the boon I ask of thee,That my gracious lord Yudhishthir once again be bondage-free!
I have borne a child unto him, noble boy and fair and brave,Be he prince of royal station, not the son of bounden slave!
Let not light unthinking children point to him in utter scorn,Call him slave anddasaputra, of a slave and bondsman born!”
“Virtuous daughter, have thy wishes,” thus the ancient monarch cried,“Name a second boon and blessing, and it shall be gratified.”
“Grant me then, O gracious father! mighty Bhima, Arjun brave,And the youngest twin-born brothers,—none of them may be a slave!
With their arms and with their chariots let the noble princes part,Freemen let them range the country, strong of hand and stout of heart!”
“Be it so, high-destined princess!” ancient Dhrita-rashtra cried,“Name another boon and blessing, and it shall be gratified,
Foremost of my queenly daughters, dearest-cherished and the best,Meeting thus thy gentle wishes now I feel my house is blest!”
“Not so,” answered him the princess, “other boon I may not seek,Thou art bounteous, and Draupadi should be modest, wise and meek,
Twice I asked, and twice you granted, and a Kshatra asks no more,Unto Brahmans it is given, asking favours evermore!
Now my lord and warlike brothers, from their hateful bondage freed,Seek their fortune by their prowess and by brave and virtuous deed!”
Now Yudhishthir 'reft of empire, far from kinsmen, hearth and home,With his wife and faithful brothers must as houseless exiles roam.
Parting blessings spake Yudhishthir, “Elder of the Kuru line,Noble grandsire stainless Bhishma, may thy glories ever shine!
Drona priest and great preceptor, saintly Kripa true and brave,Kuru's monarch Dhrita-rashtra, may the gods thy empire save!
Good Vidura true and faithful, may thy virtue serve thee well!Warlike sons of Dhrita-rashtra, let me bid you all farewell!”
So he spake unto his kinsmen, wishing good for evil done,And in silent shame they listened, parting words they uttered none!
Pained at heart was good Vidura, and he asked in sore distress:“AryaPritha, will she wander in the pathless wilderness?
Royal-born, unused to hardship, weak and long unused to roam,Agéd is thy saintly mother, let fair Pritha stay at home.
And by all beloved, respected, in my house shall Pritha dwell,Till your years of exile over, ye shall greet her safe and well.”
Answered him the sons of Pandu: “Be it even as you say,Unto us thou art a father, we thy sacred will obey,
Give us then thy holy blessings, friend and father, ere we part,Blessings from the true and righteous brace the feeble, fainting heart.”
Spake Vidura, pious-hearted: “Best of Bharat's ancient race,Let me bless thee and thy brothers, souls of truth and righteous grace!
Fortune brings no weal to mortals who may win by wicked wile,Sorrow brings no shame to mortals who are free from sin and guile!
Thou art trained in laws of duty, Arjun is unmatched in war,And on Bhima in the battle kindly shines his faithful star,
And the Twins excel in wisdom, born to rule a mighty State,Fair Draupadi, ever faithful, wins the smiles of fickle Fate!
Each with varied gifts endowéd, each beloved of one and all,Ye shall win a spacious empire, greater, mightier, after fall.
This your exile, good Yudhishthir, is ordained to serve your weal,Is a trial andsamadhi, for it chastens but to heal!
Meru taught thee righteous maxims where Himalay soars above,And in Varnavata's forest Vyasa taught thee holy love,
Rama preached the laws of duty far on Bhrigu's lofty hill,Sambhu showed the ‘way’ where floweth Drisad-vati's limpid rill,
Fell from lips of saint Asita, words of wisdom deep and grave,Bhrigu touched with fire thy bosom by the dark Kalmashi's wave,
Now once more the teaching cometh, purer, brighter, oftener taught,Learn the truth from heavenly Narad, happy is thy mortal lot!
Greater than the son of Ila, than the kings of earth in might,Holier than the holyrishis, be thou in thy virtue bright!
Indrahelp thee in thy battles, proud subduer of mankind,Yamain the mightier duty, in the conquest of thy mind!
GoodKuverateach thee kindness, hungry and the poor to feed,KingVarnuaquell thy passions, free thy heart from sin and greed!
Like the Moon in holy lustre, like the Earth in patience deep,Like the Sun be full of radiance, strong like wind's resistless sweep!
In thy sorrow, in affliction, ever deeper lessons learn,Righteous be your life in exile, happy be your safe return!
May these eyes again behold thee in Hastina's ancient town,Conqueror of earthly trials, crowned with virtue's heavenly crown!”
Spake Vidura to the brothers, and they felt their might increase,Bowed to him in salutation, filled with deeper, holier peace,
Bowed to Bhishma and to Drona, and to chiefs and elders all,Exiles to the pathless jungle left their father's ancient hall!
In the inner palace chambers where the royal ladies dwell,Unto Pritha, came Draupadi, came to speak her sad farewell,
Monarch's daughter, monarch's consort, as an exile she must go,Pritha wept and in the chambers rose the wailing voice of woe!
Heaving sobs convulsed her bosom as a silent prayer she prayed,And in accents choked by anguish thus her parting words she said:
“Grieve not, child, if bitter fortune so ordains that we must part,Virtue hath her consolations for the true and loving heart!
And I need not tell thee, daughter, duties of a faithful wife,Drupad's and thy husband's mansions thou hast brightened by thy life!
Nobly from the sinning Kurus thou hast turned thy righteous wrath,Safely, with a mother's blessing, tread the trackless jungle path!
Dangers bring no woe or sorrow to the true and faithful wife,Sinless deed and holy conduct ever guard her charméd life!
Nurse thy lord with woman's kindness, and his brothers, where ye go,Young in years in Sahadeva, gentle and unused to woe!”
“Thy fond blessings help me, mother,” so the fair Draupadi said,“Safe in righteous truth and virtue, forest paths we fearless tread!”
Wet her eyes and loose her tresses, fair Draupadi bowed and left,Ancient Pritha weeping followed of all earthly joy bereft,
As she went, her duteous children now before their mother came,Clad in garments of the deer-skin, and their heads were bent in shame!
Sorrow welling in her bosom choked her voice and filled her eye,Till in broken stifled accents faintly thus did Pritha cry:
“Ever true to path of duty, noble children void of stain,True to gods, to mortals faithful, why this unmerited pain,
Wherefore hath untimely sorrow like a darksome cloud above,Cast its pale and deathful shadow on the children of my love?
Woe to me, your wretched mother, woe to her who gave you birth,Stainless sons, for sins of Pritha have ye suffered on this earth!
Shall ye range the pathless forest dreary day and darksome night,Reft of all save native virtue, clad in native, inborn might?
Woe to me, from rocky mountains where I dwelt by Pandu's side,When I lost him, to Hastina wherefore came I in my pride?
Happy is your sainted father; dwells in regions of the sky,Sees nor feels these earthly sorrows gathering on us thick and high!
Happy too is faithful Madri; for she trod the virtuous way,Followed Pandu to the bright sky, and is now his joy and stay!
Ye alone are left to Pritha, dear unto her joyless heart,Mother's hope and widow's treasure, and ye may not, shall not part!
Leave me not alone on wide earth, loving sons, your virtues prove,Dear Draupadi, loving daughter, let a mother's tear-drops move!
Grant me mercy, kind Creator, and my days in mercy close,End my sorrows, kindVidhata, end my life with all my woes!
Help me, pious-hearted Krishna, friend of friendless, wipe my pain,All who suffer pray unto thee and they never pray in vain!
Help me, Bhishma, warlike Drona, Kripa ever good and wise,Ye are friends of truth and virtue, righteous truth ye ever prize!
Help me from thy starry mansions, husband, wherefore dost thou wait,Seest thou not thy godlike children exiled by a bitter fate!
Part not, leave me not, my children, seek ye not the trackless way,Stay but one, if one child only, as your mother's hope and stay!
Youngest, gentlest Sahadeva, dearest to this widowed heart,Wilt thou watch beside thy mother, while thy cruel brothers part?”
Whispering words of consolation, Pritha's children wiped her eye,Then unto the pathless jungle turned their steps with bitter sigh!
Kuru dames with fainting Pritha to Vidura's palace hie,Kuru queens for weeping Pritha raise their voice in answering cry,
Kuru maids for fair Draupadi fortune's fitful will upbraid,And their tear-dewed lotus-faces with their streaming fingers shade!
Dhrita-rashtra, ancient monarch, is by sad misgivings pained,Questions oft with anxious bosom what the cruel fates ordained.