The Mahabharata of Krishna Dwaipayana Vyasa by Kisari Mohan Ganguli (Translator)

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"Meanwhile Kunti seeing that her sons were late in returning from their
eleemosynary round, was filled with anxiety. She began to think of various
evils having overtaken her sons. At one time she thought that the sons of
Dhritarashtra having recognised her sons had slain them. Next she feared
that some cruel and strong Rakshasas endued with powers of deception had
slain them. And she asked herself, 'Could the illustrious Vyasa himself
(who had directed my sons to come to Panchala) have been guided by
perverse intelligence?' Thus reflected Pritha in consequence of her
affection for her offspring. Then in the stillness of the late afternoon,
Jishnu, accompanied by a body of Brahmanas, entered the abode of the
potter, like the cloud-covered sun appearing on a cloudy day.'"

SECTION CLXLIII

(Swayamvara Parva continued)

"Vaisampayana said, 'Then those illustrious sons of Pritha, on returning
to the potter's abode, approached their mother. And those first of men
represented Yajnaseni unto their mother as the alms they had obtained that
day. And Kunti who was there within the room and saw not her sons, replied,
saying, 'Enjoy ye all (what ye have obtained).' The moment after, she
beheld Krishna and then she said, 'Oh, what have I said?' And anxious from
fear of sin, and reflecting how every one could be extricated from the
situation, she took the cheerful Yajnaseni by the hand, and approaching
Yudhishthira said, 'The daughter of king Yajnasena upon being represented
to me by thy younger brothers as the alms they had obtained, from
ignorance, O king, I said what was proper, viz., 'Enjoy ye all what hath
been obtained.' O thou bull of the Kuru race, tell me how my speech may
not become untrue; how sin may not touch the daughter of the king of
Panchala, and how also she may not become uneasy.'

"Vaisampayana continued, 'Thus addressed by his mother that hero among men,
that foremost scion of the Kuru race, the intelligent king (Yudhishthira),
reflecting for a moment, consoled Kunti, and addressing Dhananjaya, said,
'By thee, O Phalguna, hath Yajnaseni been won. It is proper, therefore,
that thou shouldst wed her. O thou withstander of all foes, igniting the
sacred fire, take thou her hand with due rites.'

"Arjuna, hearing this, replied, 'O king, do not make me a participator in
sin. Thy behest is not conformable to virtue. That is the path followed by
the sinful. Thou shouldst wed first, then the strong-armed Bhima of
inconceivable feats, then myself, then Nakula, and last of all, Sahadeva
endued with great activity. Both Vrikodara and myself, and the twins and
this maiden also, all await, O monarch, thy commands. When such is the
state of things, do that, after reflection, which would be proper, and
conformable virtue, and productive of fame, and beneficial unto the king
of Panchala. All of us are obedient to thee. O, command us as thou
likest.'

"Vaisampayana continued, 'Hearing these words of Jishnu, so full of
respect and affection, the Pandavas all cast their eyes upon the princess
of Panchala. And the princess of Panchala also looked at them all. And
casting their glances on the illustrious Krishna, those princes looked at
one another. And taking their seats, they began to think of Draupadi alone.
Indeed, after those princes of immeasurable energy had looked at Draupadi,
the God of Desire invaded their hearts and continued to crush all their
senses. As the lavishing beauty of Panchali who had been modelled by the
Creator himself, was superior to that of all other women on earth, it
could captivate the heart of every creature. And Yudhishthira, the son of
Kunti, beholding his younger brothers, understood what was passing in
their minds. And that bull among men immediately recollected the words of
Krishna-Dwaipayana. And the king, then, from fear of a division amongst
the brothers, addressing all of them, said, 'The auspicious Draupadi shall
be the common wife of us all.'

"Vaisampayana continued, 'The sons of Pandu, then, hearing those words of
their eldest brother, began to revolve them in their minds in great
cheerfulness. The hero of the Vrishni race (Krishna suspecting the five
persons he had seen at the Swayamvara to be none else than the heroes of
the Kuru race), came accompanied by the son of Rohini (Valadeva), to the
house of the potter where those foremost of men had taken up their
quarters. On arriving there, Krishna and Valadeva beheld seated in that
potter's house Ajatasanu (Yudhishthira) of well developed and long arms,
and his younger brothers passing the splendour of fire sitting around him.
Then Vasudeva approaching that foremost of virtuous men--the son of Kunti--
and touching the feet of that prince of the Ajamida race, said, 'I am
Krishna.' And the son of Rohini (Valadeva) also approaching Yudhishthira,
did the same. And the Pandavas, beholding Krishna and Valadeva, began to
express great delight. And, O thou foremost of the Bharata race, those
heroes of the Yadu race thereafter touched also the feet of Kunti, their
father's sister. And Ajatasatru, that foremost of the Kuru race, beholding
Krishna, enquired after his well-being and asked, 'How, O Vasudeva, hast
thou been able to trace us, as we are living in disguise?' And Vasudeva,
smilingly answered, 'O king, fire, even if it is covered, can be known.
Who else among men than the Pandavas could exhibit such might? Ye
resisters of all foes, ye sons of Pandu, by sheer good fortune have ye
escaped from that fierce fire. And it is by sheer good fortune alone that
the wicked son of Dhritarashtra and his counsellors have not succeeded in
accomplishing their wishes. Blest be ye! And grow ye in prosperity like a
fire in a cave gradually growing and spreading itself all around. And lest
any of the monarchs recognise ye, let us return to our tent.' Then,
obtaining Yudhishthira's leave, Krishna of prosperity knowing no decrease,
accompanied by Valadeva, hastily went away from the potter's abode.'"

SECTION CLXLIV

(Swayamvara Parva continued)

"Vaisampayana said, 'When the Kuru princes (Bhima and Arjuna) were wending
towards the abode of the potter, Dhrishtadyumna, the Panchala prince
followed them. And sending away all his attendants, he concealed himself
in some part of the potter's house, unknown to the Pandavas. Then Bhima,
that grinder of all foes, and Jishnu, and the illustrious twins, on
returning from their eleemosynary round in the evening, cheerfully gave
everything unto Yudhishthira. Then the kind-hearted Kunti addressing the
daughter of Drupada said, 'O amiable one, take thou first a portion from
this and devote it to the gods and give it away to Brahmanas, and feed
those that desire to eat and give unto those who have become our guests.
Divide the rest into two halves. Give one of these unto Bhima, O amiable
one, for this strong youth of fair complexion--equal unto a king of
elephants--this hero always eateth much. And divide the other half into
six parts, four for these youths, one for myself, and one for thee.' Then
the princess hearing those instructive words of her mother-in-law
cheerfully did all that she had been directed to do. And those heroes then
all ate of the food prepared by Krishna. Then Sahadeva, the son of Madri,
endued with great activity, spread on the ground a bed of kusa grass. Then
those heroes, each spreading thereon his deer-skin, laid themselves down
to sleep. And those foremost of the Kuru princes lay down with heads
towards the south. And Kunti laid herself down along the line of their
heads, and Krishna along that of their feet. And Krishna though she lay
with the sons of Pandu on that bed of kusa grass along the line of their
feet as if she were their nether pillow, grieved not in her heart nor
thought disrespectfully of those bulls amongst the Kurus. Then those
heroes began to converse with one another. And the conversations of those
princes, each worthy to lead an army, was exceedingly interesting, they
being upon celestial cars and weapons and elephants, and swords and arrows,
and battle-axes. And the son of the Panchala king listened (from his place
of concealment) unto all they said. And all those who were with him beheld
Krishna in that state.

"When morning came, the prince Dhristadyumna set out from his place of
concealment with great haste in order to report to Drupada in detail all
that had happened at the potter's abode and all that he had heard those
heroes speak amongst themselves during the night. The king of Panchala had
been sad because he knew not the Pandavas as those who had taken away his
daughter. And the illustrious monarch asked Dhristadyumna on his return,
'Oh, where hath Krishna gone? Who hath taken her away? Hath any Sudra or
anybody of mean descent, or hath a tribute-paying Vaisya by taking my
daughter away, placed his dirty foot on my head? O son, hath that wreath
of flowers been thrown away on a grave-yard? Hath any Kshatriya of high
birth, or any one of the superior order (Brahmana) obtained my daughter?
Hath any one of mean descent, by having won Krishna, placed his left foot
on my head? I would not, O son, grieve but feel greatly happy, if my
daughter hath been united with Partha that foremost of men! O thou exalted
one, tell me truly who hath won my daughter today? O, are the sons of that
foremost of Kurus, Vichitravirya's son alive? Was it Partha (Arjuna) that
took up the bow and shot the mark?'"

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 rose 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.