Parva 4

4.1.1 Janamejaya said: How did my great-grandfathers dwell unrecognised in the city of Virāṭa, tormented by fear of Duryodhana?

4.1.2 Vaiśaṃpāyana said: Having thus received boons from Dharma, that best upholder of righteousness among righteous men went to the hermitage and recounted everything to the brāhmaṇas.

4.1.3 Having told all of that to the brāhmaṇas, Yudhiṣṭhira returned the fire-sticks together with the kindling-wood to that brāhmaṇa.

4.1.4 Then King Yudhiṣṭhira, son of Dharma and great-souled one, having assembled all his younger brothers together, spoke thus, O Bhārata.

4.1.5 These twelve years we have dwelt in exile from the kingdom; now the thirteenth has arrived, the most difficult and hard to endure.

4.1.6 Therefore, O son of Kuntī, O Arjuna, please choose well a place of residence from here, where all of us may dwell entirely unrecognised by our enemies.

4.1.7 Arjuna said: By the very boon of Dharma himself, O lord of men, O bull of the Bhāratas, we shall move about unrecognised among people.

4.1.8 Yet I shall name certain kingdoms that are pleasant and well-concealed as places to reside; please choose whichever one of them appeals to you.

4.1.9 There are pleasant countries rich in food surrounding the Kurus: the Pāñcālas, the Cedis, the Matsyas, the Śūrasenas, the Paṭaccaras, the Daśārṇas, the Navarāṣṭra, the Mallas, the Śālvas, and the Yugaṃdharas.

4.1.10 Which of these, O king, O lord of kings, does it please you to reside in? We shall dwell wherever you choose for this one year.

4.1.11 Yudhiṣṭhira said: It is exactly so, O mighty-armed one; as that blessed lord, the master of all beings, has spoken, so it shall be, and not otherwise.

4.1.12 Yet for the purpose of our dwelling we must necessarily deliberate together, all of us, and find a place that is pleasant, auspicious, comfortable, and free from all danger.

4.1.13 Virāṭa, king of the Matsyas, is powerful, and he would protect the Pāṇḍavas; he is virtuous in conduct, generous, advanced in age, and of very great wealth.

4.1.14 In the city of Virāṭa, dear one, we shall spend this one year performing service for him, O Bhārata.

4.1.15 And whatever tasks each of us is able to perform for him—let each one, O sons of Kuru's line, declare that task.

4.1.16 Arjuna said: O king of men, O virtuous one, what work will you perform in the kingdom of King Virāṭa? In what occupation will you find pleasure?

4.1.17 You are gentle, generous, modest, righteous, and one whose prowess is proven in truth—yet you are afflicted, O king, O Pāṇḍava; what will you do?

4.1.18 You are not accustomed to any hardship in the manner that common people are; having encountered this terrible calamity, how will you endure it?

4.1.19 Yudhiṣṭhira said: Listen, O sons of Kuru's line, to what work I shall indeed perform upon reaching Virāṭa, that bull among men and king.

4.1.20 I shall become a dice-companion in the assembly of that great-souled king, presenting myself as a brāhmaṇa named Kaṅka, skilled at dice and fond of gambling.

4.1.21 I shall fashion beautiful dice of beryl, gold, and ivory, together with fruit-seeds and bright resins—black-spotted and red-spotted ones to delight the mind.

4.1.22 'I was formerly the dearest friend of Yudhiṣṭhira, equal to his very life'—so shall I tell the king, if he should question me.

4.1.23 Thus I have told you how I shall conduct myself. O Vṛkodara, in what occupation will you find pleasure in Virāṭa's kingdom?

4.2.1 Bhīma said: Presenting myself as a head cook named Ballava, I shall attend King Virāṭa—this is my intention.

4.2.2 I shall prepare broths for him; I am skilled in the kitchen, and in the side-dishes those well-trained cooks have made before—I shall surpass even them, generating his delight.

4.2.3 I shall also bring in great stores of firewood, and seeing that prodigious labour the king will be pleased.

4.2.4 Should powerful elephants or mighty bulls need to be restrained, O king, I shall restrain those as well.

4.2.5 And whatever wrestlers may engage in bouts at festivals, I shall defeat them, increasing his delight.

4.2.6 Yet I shall not slay those fighters in any manner whatsoever; I shall fell them in such a way that they suffer no mortal harm.

4.2.7 'I was a pastry-cook, a meat-cutter, a broth-maker, and a wrestler for Yudhiṣṭhira'—so shall I say to those who question me.

4.2.8 Guarding myself by my own self, O lord of the people, I shall move about—this I pledge, and this is how I shall conduct myself.

4.2.9 Yudhiṣṭhira said: He whom the god Fire once approached in the form of a brāhmaṇa, desiring to burn the Khāṇḍava forest, seeking the best of men together with the son of Dāśārha—

4.2.10 That immensely strong, long-armed, unconquered son of Kuru's line—what task will that Dhanaṃjaya, son of Kuntī, now perform?

4.2.11 He who, having approached that forest, gratified the god of fire, having conquered Indra single-handedly with his chariot and slain serpents and rākṣasas—that Arjuna, foremost among warriors, what will he do?

4.2.12 The sun is the foremost among those that blaze with heat; the brāhmaṇa is the best among two-footed beings; the venomous serpent is the best among snakes; and fire is the best among the radiant ones.

4.2.13 The thunderbolt is the best of weapons; the bull with a hump is the best of cattle; the ocean is the greatest among lakes and reservoirs; Parjanya is the best among those that rain.

4.2.14 Dhṛtarāṣṭra is the best among serpents; Airāvata is foremost among elephants; a son exceeds all that is dear; and a wife is the best among friends.

4.2.15 Just as these are pre-eminent each in their own kind, O Vṛkodara, so too that young man Guḍākeśa is the foremost among all who wield the bow.

4.2.16 This Bībhatsu, wielder of the Gāṇḍīva bow, drawn by white horses, inferior to none save Indra and Vāsudeva—O Bhārata, what will he do?

4.2.17 Having dwelt for five years in the abode of the thousand-eyed Indra and having obtained divine weapons, gleaming with the form of a god—

4.2.18 He whom I regard as the twelfth Rudra and the thirteenth Āditya, whose two arms are equal and long, the skin hardened by bowstring-slaps, and whose right and left arms bear the calluses of a cowherd's yoke—

4.2.19 As the Himālayas among mountains, as the ocean among rivers, as Śakra among the thirty gods, as fire the bearer of oblations among the Vasus—

4.2.20 As the tiger among deer, as Garuḍa foremost among birds in flight—so Arjuna, the best of those who arm themselves for battle—what will he do?

4.2.21 Arjuna said: I shall make a declaration that I am a eunuch, O lord of the earth; for my two great bowstring-marks are difficult to conceal, O king.

4.2.22 Adorning my ears with earrings blazing like fire, braiding my hair into a plait, O king, I shall go by the name of Bṛhannaḍā.

4.2.23 Reciting the repertoire of stories, again and again adopting the nature of a woman, I shall delight the lord of the earth and the other people within the inner apartments.

4.2.24 Song, varied and wonderful dance, and diverse instrumental music—these I shall teach, O king, to the women in the palace of Virāṭa.

4.2.25 Speaking of the conventions of common folk and of many accomplished deeds, O son of Kuntī, I shall conceal my true self from myself through this artifice.

4.2.26 'I have lived in Yudhiṣṭhira's household as an attendant of Draupadī'—so shall I say when questioned by the king, O Bhārata.

4.2.27 By this means, disguised with an assumed identity as Nala was, I shall dwell happily in the palace of Virāṭa, O lord of kings.

4.3.1 Yudhiṣṭhira said: What will you do there, dear Nakula, going about? You are tender, brave, handsome to behold, and accustomed to comfort.

4.3.2 Nakula said: I shall become the horse-keeper of King Virāṭa; by name I shall be called Granthika—this work is very dear to me.

4.3.3 I am skilled in horse-training and equally in the treatment of horses; horses are always dear to me, O king of Kurus, just as they are to you.

4.3.4 To those people in the city of Virāṭa who address me, I shall speak in the following manner, and thus I shall conduct myself.

4.3.5 Yudhiṣṭhira said: Sahadeva, how will you conduct yourself in his presence? And what will you do, dear one, moving about in disguise?

4.3.6 Sahadeva said: I shall become the cattle-enumerator of Virāṭa, lord of the earth; a herd-protector and a milker as well, skilled in the counting of cattle.

4.3.7 Known by the name Tantipāla—let this be known to you; I shall move about with skill. Let the fever of your mind depart.

4.3.8 For I was constantly engaged by you in the care of cattle in former times; there my skilled work was learned and understood, O lord of the people.

4.3.9 The marks, the behaviour, and whatever is auspicious about cattle—all of that is well known to me, and much else besides, O lord of the earth.

4.3.10 I also know bulls of distinguished marks, O king, whose urine, when smelled, causes even a barren cow to conceive.

4.3.11 I shall conduct myself in this way, for my delight always lies here, and no enemy shall recognise me. May this please you, O lord of the earth.

4.3.12 Yudhiṣṭhira said: But this dear wife of ours, more precious to us than our very lives—she must be protected like a mother and honoured like an elder sister.

4.3.13 By what work will Kṛṣṇā Draupadī move about? For she does not know any task in the way that ordinary women do.

4.3.14 She is delicate, still young, a princess of great renown, devoted to her husband, supremely blessed—how indeed will she go about?

4.3.15 Garlands, perfumes, ornaments, and various garments—these alone she is acquainted with, for from birth she has been a highborn lady.

4.3.16 Draupadī said: There exist in the world, O Bhārata, independent female attendants who are unprotected—it is the settled conviction of people that no other women go about in that way.

4.3.17 Presenting myself as a sairandhrī skilled in hairdressing, I shall move about protecting myself—since you ask me about it.

4.3.18 I shall present myself in service to Sudeṣṇā, the illustrious royal wife; she will protect me when I have arrived—let not such sorrow be yours.

4.3.19 Yudhiṣṭhira said: You speak auspiciously, O Kṛṣṇā, as one born of a noble lineage would speak. You know no sin; well done, you who stand firm in the vow of a virtuous wife.

4.4.1 Yudhiṣṭhira said: The tasks you have each declared, those you shall carry out; and mine also, agreeable as they are to my intellect, are firmly determined.

4.4.2 Let this our family priest guard the sacred fires, together with the cooks and provisioners, in the abode of Drupada.

4.4.3 And let these men, headed by Indrasena, taking only the chariots, proceed quickly to Dvāravatī—this is the thinking that prevails in my mind.

4.4.4 And all these women who are attendants of Draupadī—let them go to the Pāñcālas, together with the cooks and provisioners.

4.4.5 And all should say: 'The Pāṇḍavas are nowhere to be found; indeed they all departed from the Dvaita forest after abandoning us.'

4.4.6 Dhaumya said: Even to those who know the truth, dear friends should speak with affection; therefore I too shall speak just the reason for it—hear me.

4.4.7 Come, O princes, I shall tell you how one who moves about in a royal household in service shall not come to harm.

4.4.8 Truly, O scions of Kuru, those who know the hardship of royal dwellings, who deserve great honour yet go unhonoured, who are unrecognised—they must endure it for the full year.

4.4.9 One should obtain access through the appointed gate and should not trust in kings; one should seek out only that seat where no enemy will assail him.

4.4.10 He should not mount the king's conveyance, nor his couch, nor his seat, nor his elephant, nor his chariot, thinking 'I am esteemed'—thus he may dwell in a royal household.

4.4.11 And wherever those of corrupt conduct might suspect him when he is seated, he should never sit there—thus he may dwell in a royal household.

4.4.12 One should never instruct a king who has not asked; rather, one should wait upon him in silence, showing reverence at the proper time.

4.4.13 For kings take offense at those who speak falsely, and they likewise hold in contempt a minister who utters falsehoods.

4.4.14 A wise man should never in any way cultivate friendship with the wives of kings, nor with those who dwell in the inner apartments, nor with those who are hostile or unfavorable to him.

4.4.15 One should perform even the smallest duties with the king's knowledge; a king whose servant acts thus suffers no harm anywhere.

4.4.16 One should serve him with care, as one would serve fire or a god; for one who serves him with deceit will undoubtedly harm him.

4.4.17 Whatever the master enjoins, one should carry out accordingly; one should shun negligence, contempt, and anger.

4.4.18 In all matters where one is capable, one should represent what is both beneficial and pleasing; indeed, one should speak what is beneficial to him even above what is merely pleasing.

4.4.19 One should be agreeable to him in all matters and conversations, and should not describe to him anything that is displeasing or harmful.

4.4.20 A wise man should not serve with the thought 'I am not dear to him'; rather, being vigilant and attentive, he should do what is beneficial and pleasing.

4.4.21 One should not pursue what is undesired by him, should not dwell with those who are hostile to him, should not waver from one's proper station — such a one may dwell in a royal household.

4.4.22 A wise man should sit at the right or left side; the position behind is ordained for armed guards, and sitting directly in front is always strictly forbidden — it is a seat of great importance.

4.4.23 One should not whisper anything at all during an audience, however important it may be; for even this is the foremost seat of offense for the poor.

4.4.24 One should not reveal among men what the king has spoken falsely, and one should not mention the person whom kings resent.

4.4.25 One should not be arrogant thinking 'I am a hero' or 'I am wise'; by doing only what is pleasing to the king, one becomes dear to him and enjoys his favor.

4.4.26 Having obtained power that was hard to obtain, and having won the king's favor, one should remain vigilant in what is dear and beneficial to the king.

4.4.27 Whose anger is a great calamity and whose favor yields great fruit — who, deemed wise, would even in his mind desire ill toward such a one?

4.4.28 One should never twist the lips, nor interrupt speech; one should always sneeze, pass wind, and spit quietly.

4.4.29 Even when amusing things occur in his presence, one should not be excessively delighted, nor should one laugh like a madman.

4.4.30 One should not comport oneself with excessive gravity, for that way one becomes heavy; rather, a gentle smile born of graciousness should be shown.

4.4.31 One who does not rejoice at gain, who does not feel pain when dishonored, and who is always unconfused — such a one may dwell in a royal household.

4.4.32 A minister who, having become wise, always attends upon the king or a prince, long enjoys prosperity.

4.4.33 A minister who is favored and also restrained with cause, and who does not bind the king with obligations, gains favor once more.

4.4.34 A discerning dependant who speaks of virtues both in the king's presence and in his absence, and whoever dwells in the king's domain — such a one thrives.

4.4.35 A minister who demands enjoyment from the king by force will not long keep his position and will come to danger of his life.

4.4.36 Seeing always what is best for himself, one should not converse with the king about something superior, and one should never surpass the king in any domain where he is competent.

4.4.37 One who is unfading, strong, brave, always present like a shadow, truthful, gentle, and self-controlled — such a one may dwell in a royal household.

4.4.38 One who, when another is being sent, steps forward first saying 'What shall I do?' — such a one may dwell in a royal household.

4.4.39 One who, when commanded, does not make excuses whether in heat or cold, by night or by day — such a one may dwell in a royal household.

4.4.40 One who, when away from home, does not dwell in memory of loved ones, and who seeks happiness even through hardship — such a one may dwell in a royal household.

4.4.41 One should not dress alike with the king, should not laugh too loudly in his presence, and should not make counsel widely known — thus one becomes dear to the king.

4.4.42 One who is appointed to a task should not touch any wealth; for one who steals property gains either imprisonment or death.

4.4.43 Whatever conveyance, garment, or ornament the king gives, along with anything else — one should always wear that alone; thus one becomes more beloved.

4.4.44 Dear ones, for this one year, behave thus and desire to prosper; then, having reached your own domain, you will move about as you please.

4.4.45 Yudhiṣṭhira said: We have been instructed; good fortune to you. No one could say these things save our mother Kuntī and the great-minded Vidura.

4.4.46 Whatever must now be done immediately, please do it — for our deliverance from this sorrow, for our departure, and for victory.

4.4.47 Vaiśaṃpāyana said: Thus addressed by the king, Dhaumya, the foremost of twice-born men, duly performed all that is prescribed for a departure.

4.4.48 He kindled their fires and made offerings with mantras for the increase of prosperity and abundance, and for the conquest of the earth.

4.4.49 Having circumambulated the fire and honored the brahmins who were rich in austerity, with Yājñasenī (Draupadī) at their head, the six of them then set out.

4.5.1 Vaiśaṃpāyana said: Those heroes, with their swords buckled on, their quivers of arrows strapped in place, and their leather finger-guards bound, went along the Kālindī river.

4.5.2 Then those archers proceeded on foot along the southern bank, dwelling in mountain fastnesses and forest strongholds.

4.5.3 Those mighty archers, great bowmen, piercing various kinds of deer, passed with Dasharna to the north of them and Pāñcāla to the south.

4.5.4 The Pāṇḍavas passed between Yakrilloma and Śūrasena, speaking as hunters, and entered the territory of Matsya from the forest.

4.5.5 Then, having reached the inhabited country, Kṛṣṇā (Draupadī) said to the king: 'Look — plowed fields are visible on every side, and various kinds of fields can be seen.'

4.5.6 'Clearly the capital of Virāṭa must be far away. Let us spend the night here — my fatigue is great.'

4.5.7 Yudhiṣṭhira said: Dhanañjaya, O Bhārata, take up Pāñcālī and carry her; we shall dwell in the capital, freed at last from forest life.

4.5.8 Vaiśaṃpāyana said: Arjuna quickly took Draupadī and, like a lordly elephant, having reached the vicinity of the city, Arjuna set her down.

4.5.9 Having reached the capital, the son of Kuntī (Yudhiṣṭhira) said to Arjuna: 'Where shall we deposit our weapons and then enter the city?'

4.5.10 'If we enter the city armed, dear one, we will without doubt cause alarm among its people.'

4.5.11 'Then we would have to enter the forest again for twelve years, for if even one of us is recognized, that is what we vowed.'

4.5.12 Arjuna said: O lord of men, here on this eminence stands a great and dense shami tree with massive branches, hard to climb, near a cremation ground.

4.5.13 'And there is no one at all to be found here, O king, for it has grown in a pathless forest frequented by deer and serpents.'

4.5.14 'Let us hang our weapons on this tree and go toward the city; thus we shall move about here as we please, O Bhārata.'

4.5.15 Vaiśaṃpāyana said: Having spoken thus to the righteous-souled king Yudhiṣṭhira, he proceeded to deposit the weapons, O bull of the Bhāratas.

4.5.16 With which bow the son of Kuru's joy, alone on his chariot, had conquered gods, men, and serpents, and had subdued other flourishing kingdoms —

4.5.17 — that noble, greatly resounding Gāṇḍīva, which strikes fear into enemies and destroys multitudes of foes, the son of Pṛthā (Arjuna) now unstrung.

4.5.18 The bowstring of that bow with which the hero, scorcher of foes, had protected Kurukṣetra — its inexhaustible string — Yudhiṣṭhira unloosed.

4.5.19 With which bow the mighty Bhīmasena had conquered the Pāñcālas in battle, and alone had repelled many enemies in the conquest of the directions —

4.5.20 — hearing the twang of which, enemies fled in battle, like the crack of a splitting mountain or the burst of a thunderbolt —

4.5.21 — with which the blameless one had seized the king of Sindhu — the bowstring of that bow Bhīmasena now removed.

4.5.22 With which bow the Pāṇḍava had conquered the western quarter, the string of that bow the heroic Sankrandana (Arjuna) drew off in battle.

4.5.23 With which bow the lord, skilled in southern ways, had conquered the southern quarter — the hero Sahadeva now unstrung that weapon.

4.5.24 They deposited together with their bows their golden, long swords, their quivers of great worth, their scabbards, and their razor-edged arrows.

4.5.25 Nakula, climbing the tree, himself deposited the bows in those forks which he judged to be firm and solid.

4.5.26 And where he saw it had rained across the years he bound them there very tightly with strong cords.

4.5.27 The Pāṇḍavas also bound there the body of one dead, so that men would stay away from this shami tree even from a distance, smelling the foul stench and thinking 'a corpse is tied here.'

4.5.28 Those who said 'This is a mother aged a hundred and eighty years — it is not so' would declare: 'This is the family custom practiced by our ancestors too — hanging them upon this tree.'

4.5.29 Telling their stories down to the cowherd boys and shepherd lads, the Pārthas, scorchers of foes, destroyers of enemies, came near to the city.

4.5.30 Jaya, Jayanta, Vijaya, Jayatsena, Jayadbala — these were the secret names that Yudhiṣṭhira assigned to them.

4.5.31 Then, true to their vows, they entered the great city, intending to live unrecognized in the kingdom through the thirteenth year.

4.6.1 Vaiśaṃpāyana said: Then Yudhiṣṭhira approached Virāṭa first, the king seated in his assembly hall, having donned lapis-blue golden dice and holding them under his arm wrapped in cloth.

4.6.2 The lord of men — of great renown, increaser of the Kaurava line, of great majesty, honored by the king of men, unapproachable as a sharp-venomed serpent — approached the glorious lord of the realm.

4.6.3 That great bull among men appeared youthful in form, and radiant as an immortal; covered with brilliant rays like the sun, and mighty as fire concealed beneath ash.

4.6.4 Seeing the Pāṇḍava approach like the moon covered by clouds, the king of Virāṭa asked his ministers, brahmins, and charioteers, as well as the commoners and all who were seated in the assembly: 'Who is this who has come first, and who is this one who now surveys the hall?'

4.6.5 'He will not be a mere brahmin — he is the best of men; in my mind I think he must be a lord of the earth. He has no slave, no chariot, no earrings — yet he shines near us like Indra.'

4.6.6 'His bodily marks point to this — in my mind it is as if he were a consecrated king. He approaches me free of distress, like a rutting elephant going to a lotus pond.'

4.6.7 While he was thus reflecting, that bull among men, Yudhiṣṭhira, approached Virāṭa and said: 'Let the emperor know that a brahmin who has lost all his wealth, seeking a livelihood, has come here.'

4.6.8 'Here I wish to dwell near you, blameless one, moving freely as I please, O lord.' The king, filled with joy, immediately replied: 'Welcome! Accept my hospitality.'

4.6.9 'I address you gladly, my friend — from whose king's territory have you come here? Tell me truly your clan and name, and what skill or craft you possess.'

4.6.10 Yudhiṣṭhira said: 'I was formerly a friend of Yudhiṣṭhira; I am a brahmin of the Vyaghrapada lineage. I am skilled at throwing dice and gambling. I am known, O Virāṭa, by the name Kaṅka.'

4.6.11 Virāṭa said: 'Come then, I grant you whatever boon you desire; command the Matsyas — I am at your disposal. My gamblers who are dear to me have always pleased me; and you, O equal of the gods, are worthy of a kingdom.'

4.6.12 Yudhiṣṭhira said: The highest outcome of a contest has been obtained, O lord of the people; nothing whatsoever is lacking, O Matsya. No one whom I have defeated retains the winnings — let this be my boon, by your grace.

4.6.13 Virāṭa said: I would strike down even one who should not be struck, should he act against your wish; likewise I would banish Brahmins from the realm. Let the assembled people of the land hear this: as I am master of the kingdom, so too is Kaṅka.

4.6.14 You shall be my companion and friend of equal standing; you shall have abundant garments, drink, and food. You may move freely both within and without at all times, and I have made the door open for you.

4.6.15 Those who might speak ill of you, though worn down by want — you need only mention them to me and I will provide them everything, there is no doubt. No fear exists for you in my presence.

4.6.16 Vaiśaṃpāyana said: Having thus obtained the boon and the fellowship of King Virāṭa, that bull among men, that hero, lived there highly honored and happy; and no one at all came to know his true conduct.

4.7.1 Vaiśaṃpāyana said: Then another came, blazing with the splendor of mighty strength, striding with the gait and grace of a lion — he held in his hand a ladle, a stirring rod, and a dark-bladed sword unsheathed and unblemished.

4.7.2 In the guise of a cook, yet blazing with supreme radiance like the sun illumining this world, clad in dark garments and firm as the king of mountains, he came and stood before the king of the Matsyas.

4.7.3 The king, beholding him as he approached and wishing to honor him, then spoke to the assembled people of the land: "This one with shoulders raised like a lion's is exceedingly handsome — who is this bull among men, this youth?"

4.7.4 "This is a man I have never seen before, like the sun. Pondering, I cannot fathom his fortune; and pondering likewise his disposition, I cannot to this day arrive at the truth about this bull among men."

4.7.5 Then the Pāṇḍava, approaching Virāṭa with a seemingly humble appearance yet great in spirit, said: "I am a cook, O king of men, Ballava by name — accept me as a master preparer of dishes."

4.7.6 Virāṭa said: "I do not believe in your being a cook, O giver of honor; for you appear like Indra of a thousand eyes in splendor, in form, and in valor. You shine here as second to none among men, my friend."

4.7.7 Bhīma said: "O king of men, I am your cook and servant. I know the art of soups and dishes perfectly — those same dishes that were once tasted with pleasure, O king, by King Yudhiṣṭhira in every respect."

4.7.8 "None is found equal to me in strength; I am ever fond of wrestling, O king, and I have contended with elephants and lions alike. I shall always do what is pleasing to you, O blameless one."

4.7.9 Virāṭa said: "Very well, I grant you the boon of the kitchen; work there as you wish, for you speak skillfully. Yet I do not think that work suits you at all — you deserve the earth girdled by the sea."

4.7.10 "As your desire is, so it shall be done — be foremost for me in the kitchen. And the men who were formerly my appointed ones there — be you, by my decree, their master."

4.7.11 Vaiśaṃpāyana said: Thus Bhīma, installed in the kitchen, became the firm favorite of King Virāṭa. He dwelt there, O king, and no ordinary person, nor any attendant there, came to know him.

4.8.1 Vaiśaṃpāyana said: Then she, the dark-eyed one, gathering up her tresses whose tips were curled and which were beyond reproach, concealed them along her right side, those soft locks.

4.8.2 And donning a single great dark and very soiled garment, and taking on the disguise of a sairandhri (a skilled female attendant), Kṛṣṇā moved about as one in distress.

4.8.3 Men and women ran toward her as she moved about; and seeing her, they questioned her: "Who are you, and what do you wish to do?"

4.8.4 She said to them: "O lord of kings, I have come as a sairandhri; I wish to do service for whoever will take me in."

4.8.5 Because of her beauty, her bearing, and her sweet speech, they did not believe that she was a maidservant come merely for food.

4.8.6 But Kaikeyī, the greatly honored wife of Virāṭa, looking out from the palace, caught sight of the daughter of Drupada.

4.8.7 She, having observed her of such beauty, unprotected and clad in but a single garment, called to her and said: "Blessed one, who are you and what do you wish to do?"

4.8.8 She said to her: "O queen, I have come as a sairandhri; I wish to serve whoever will take me in."

4.8.9 Sudeṣṇā said: "Those who are as you describe yourself — maidservants — are not of such beauty, O lovely one; many send out maidservants and manservants of that kind."

4.8.10 "Your ankles are hidden, your thighs compact, three things about you are deep, six are elevated, five are red in their redness, and you speak with the sweet broken voice of a swan."

4.8.11 "You have beautiful hair, well-formed breasts, a dark complexion, full hips and bosom, and you are endowed with every quality — like a Kashmiri mare in her excellence."

4.8.12 "Your eyes are bright with lovely lashes, your lips like the bimba fruit, your waist slender, your neck like a conch shell, your veins hidden, and your face like the full moon."

4.8.13 "Tell me truly, blessed one — you are by no means a maidservant. Are you a yakshi, or a goddess, a gandharvi, or an apsara?"

4.8.14 "Are you Alambusā, Mishrakesha, Puṇḍarīkā, or Mālinī? Are you Indrāṇī, Vāruṇī, or a goddess of Tvaṣṭṛ, Dhata, or Prajāpati? Those goddesses are renowned among the gods — which of them are you, auspicious one?"

4.8.15 Draupadī said: "I am not a goddess, nor a gandharvi, nor an asuri, nor a rakshasi — I am indeed a sairandhri, a free attendant. This is the truth I tell you."

4.8.16 "I know how to dress hair; I grind fragrant unguents well; and I shall weave garlands of varied flowers of the most beautiful kind."

4.8.17 "I served Satyabhāmā, the beloved chief queen of Kṛṣṇa, and also Kṛṣṇā, the wife of the Pāṇḍavas, the one beauty among the Kurus."

4.8.18 "I move thus from place to place, receiving beautiful garments wherever I can obtain them, and wherever I receive them, there I dwell in happiness."

4.8.19 "Mālinī is the very name the goddess herself gave me. It is thus that I, O goddess Sudeṣṇā, have come to your dwelling."

4.8.20 Sudeṣṇā said: "I would shelter you on my very head — there is no doubt of that — were it not that the king here might pursue you with his entire heart."

4.8.21 "Look at the women of the royal household here in my chambers — they gaze fixedly at you. What man would you not bewitch?"

4.8.22 "Look at the trees standing here in my dwelling — even they seem to bow toward you. What man would you not enchant?"

4.8.23 "King Virāṭa, seeing your superhuman form, O fair-hipped one, would abandon me, O woman of lovely limbs, and pursue you with his whole mind."

4.8.24 "Whatever man you, O flawless-limbed one with long eyes, were to gaze upon with longing — he would fall under the power of desire."

4.8.25 "And whatever man were constantly to behold you, O one of lovely smile, of such entirely flawless limbs — he too would fall under the sway of the god of love."

4.8.26 "As a female crab bears in her womb her own death, so I regard your dwelling here to be of that nature, O bright-smiled one."

4.8.27 Draupadī said: "I cannot be obtained by Virāṭa, nor by any other, in any manner. My husbands are five Gandharvas who are young, O lovely one."

4.8.28 "They are sons of a certain great-souled king of the Gandharvas; they protect me always — and so those who behave harshly toward me suffer for it, and so indeed do I."

4.8.29 "The one who would not give me his leavings, nor bow to wash my feet — my Gandharva husbands are pleased with such a dwelling for me."

4.8.30 "Whatever man might lust after me as he would after any ordinary woman — that very night he would enter another body (i.e., meet his death)."

4.8.31 "Nor can I be led astray by anyone, O beautiful one, for those Gandharvas are fierce in nature and are far more powerful than I."

4.8.32 Sudeṣṇā said: "I shall shelter you on such terms as you yourself desire, O Nandini; you shall never be made to touch feet, nor shall you ever in any way touch leavings."

4.8.33 Vaiśaṃpāyana said: Thus Kṛṣṇā was kindly reassured by the wife of Virāṭa; and no one else there, O Janamejaya, came to know her true identity.

4.9.1 Vaiśaṃpāyana said: Sahadeva too, donning the best disguise of a cowherd and adopting their manner of speech, then approached Virāṭa.

4.9.2 Beholding him approaching and radiant, that bull among men, the king drew near and questioned the delight of the Kurus.

4.9.3 "Whose are you, and from where do you come, and what do you wish to do, my friend? I have not seen you before — tell me truly, O bull among men."

4.9.4 He, the scorcher of enemies, having reached the king, then spoke with a voice resonant as the great roar of thunderclouds: "I am a Vaiśya; Ariṣṭanemi is my name; I was the cattle-counter of the foremost Kurus."

4.9.5 "I wish to dwell with you, O best among the Vaishas; for I do not know where those lions among kings, the Pārthas, are. It is not possible to live by any other work, and no other king pleases me besides you."

4.9.6 Virāṭa said: "Whether you are a Brahmin or a Kṣatriya, you are endowed with the form of a lord who rules the earth girdled by the sea. Tell me truly, O crusher of enemies — the work of a Vaiśya does not suit you at all."

4.9.7 "From whose king's realm have you come here? And what skill have you cultivated? How will you dwell among us always? Tell me also what your wages should be here."

4.9.8 Sahadeva said: "The eldest of the five sons of Pāṇḍu is King Yudhiṣṭhira. His cattle herds numbered eight hundred thousand, in groups of hundreds upon hundreds."

4.9.9 "Others numbered ten thousand, and yet others twice as many. I was the cattle-counter of those herds — Tantipāla is the name by which I am known."

4.9.10 "What has been, what is, and what will be, and whatever tally exists anywhere — there is nothing unknown to me within ten leagues in every direction."

4.9.11 "My qualities were well known to that great-souled one, and King Yudhiṣṭhira, the Kuru king, was pleased with me."

4.9.12 "By this means and that, all known to me, cattle swiftly multiply; no disease whatsoever afflicts them here. These skills reside in me."

4.9.13 "I know also the bulls of auspicious marks, O king — those whose urine, when smelled, can cause even a barren cow to give birth."

4.9.14 Virāṭa said: "A hundred thousand head of cattle gathered together — of each class and variety, their qualities ascertained — I give to you along with their herdsmen. Let my cattle here be under your care."

4.9.15 Vaiśaṃpāyana said: Thus that lord of men, unknown to the king, O lord of the people, dwelt there in comfort. And no others either came to know him in any way; and the king gave him maintenance as he desired.

4.10.1 Vaiśaṃpāyana said: Then another appeared — a great man in the full splendor of his form, wearing women's ornaments, with earrings fastened at his ears on the rampart-top, and wearing long beautiful conch-shell bangles and bracelets.

4.10.2 He shook out many long tresses upon his head; great-armed, he moved with the gait of a rut elephant, making the earth tremble with his step; and he came up to Virāṭa near the hall of assembly.

4.10.3 The king, beholding him as he came upon the floor of the assembly hall — concealed beneath the appearance of a satra performer, yet a crusher of enemies, blazing with supreme radiance — saw the son of great Indra with the gait of a lord among elephants.

4.10.4 He questioned all those who moved near him: "From where does this one come? I have not heard of him before." The men did not tell him — they did not know. Then the king, full of wonder, spoke these words.

4.10.5 "This man is endowed with every quality, charming to the mind, dark and young, like a lordly elephant in his herd. He has put off his conch-shell bangles and bracelets, undone his braid and fastened on earrings —"

4.10.6 "— wearing a crest and fine hair in another fashion. Become an archer, put on armor, take up arrows too; mount a chariot and ride about. Be equal to my sons or equal to me!"

4.10.7 "For I am old and desire relief from burdens — swiftly protect all the Matsyas! Those of eunuch form are never of this kind, it seems to my mind."

4.10.8 Arjuna said: "I sing, I dance, and I play instruments; I am skilled in dancing, I am expert in singing. Assign me yourself to Uttara — I will be the dancing-teacher of the princess, O king of men."

4.10.9 "But this form of mine — what would proclaiming it accomplish? It would only greatly increase grief. Know me, O king of men, as Bṛhannaḍā — as a son or daughter bereft of both father and mother."

4.10.10 Virāṭa said: "Very well, Bṛhannaḍā, I grant you the boon — teach my daughter and those like her to dance. Yet I do not think this work befits you; you deserve the earth girdled by the sea."

4.10.11 Vaiśaṃpāyana said: The king of the Matsyas, having observed Bṛhannaḍā's skills in the arts, in dancing, and likewise in instrumental music, and having ascertained the certainty of his eunuchhood, then dismissed him to the women's quarter of the princesses.

4.10.12 And the lordly Dhanañjaya instructed the daughter of Virāṭa in singing and playing instruments, as well as her companions and attendants; and that Pāṇḍava became dear to them all.

4.10.13 Thus Dhanañjaya, self-controlled, dwelt there under his disguise, doing what was pleasing to those women; and the people there — whether those who moved outside or those within — did not come to know him for what he was.

4.11.1 Vaiśaṃpāyana said: Then another Pāṇḍava, a lord, appeared as King Virāṭa was inspecting his horses. The common people saw him approach like the solar orb freed from cloud.

4.11.2 He indeed gazed at the horses here and there; and the king of the Matsyas saw him gazing. Then the slayer of enemies spoke to his attendants: "From where does this man come, shining like an immortal?"

4.11.3 "This one gazes at my horses most intently — he must certainly be a skilled knower of horses, an expert. Let him be brought swiftly near me; for this hero shines just as an immortal would."

4.11.4 Approaching the king, the slayer of enemies said: 'Victory to you, O lord of the earth, and may all blessings be yours. Yoked to horses, O king, I am always skilled; I shall be your expert groom.'

4.11.5 Virāṭa said: 'I give you carriages, wealth, and a dwelling — you are worthy to be my horse-keeper. But where are you from? Whose are you? How did you come here? Tell me fully the skill that you possess.'

4.11.6 Nakula said: 'Among the five sons of Pāṇḍu, the eldest king is Yudhiṣṭhira. By him I was formerly appointed over horses, O afflicator of enemies.'

4.11.7 'I know the nature of horses and their training in every respect, the handling of vicious ones, and the complete treatment of their ailments.'

4.11.8 'No mount would ever be timid under me; I have no unruly mares — much less stallions. The people call me Granthika, and so too does that Pāṇḍava Yudhiṣṭhira.'

4.11.9 Virāṭa said: 'Whatever horse-conveyances I possess, let all of them be under your authority from this day forward. And whatever horse-trainers and charioteers I have, let them be under your command.'

4.11.10 'If this pleases you, O god-like one, tell me whatever wealth you desire. The work of a groom seems unworthy of you — you shine like a king in my estimation.'

4.11.11 'Indeed, your appearance equals that of Yudhiṣṭhira himself in my sight, O fair one. But how is it that the blameless Pāṇḍava, separated from his servants, dwells in the forest and finds his pleasure there?'

4.11.12 Vaiśaṃpāyana said: Thus that youth, who resembled the foremost of Gandharvas, was honored by the delighted king Virāṭa. And no others knew him in the least as he moved about among them, charming and agreeable.

4.11.13 Thus the Pāṇḍavas, those lords whose vision never fails and whose vows are unfailing, dwelt in the land of Matsya, passing their time of incognito with composed minds — they who are lords whose realm extends to the rim of the ocean — in great suffering.

4.12.1 Janamejaya said: 'When the Pāṇḍavas of great valor were dwelling thus in the city of Matsya, O brahmin, what did they do after that?'

4.12.2 Vaiśaṃpāyana said: 'Hear what those descendants of Kuru, concealed in that place, did while dwelling there and pleasing the king.'

4.12.3 Yudhiṣṭhira became the beloved companion of the assembly members in the hall, and likewise a favorite of Virāṭa and his son, O lord of the people.

4.12.4 For that Pāṇḍava, knowing the secrets of dice, entertained them at gambling as he pleased, like a puppeteer controlling brahmins on strings.

4.12.5 And the king of righteousness, that tiger among men, secretly winning Virāṭa's wealth, would distribute it fittingly among his brothers.

4.12.6 Bhīmasena too, with the various eatables and meats lavishly provided by Matsya, would sell them and give the proceeds to Yudhiṣṭhira.

4.12.7 Arjuna too, obtaining worn-out garments from the women's quarters, would sell them and distribute the proceeds to all the Pāṇḍavas.

4.12.8 Sahadeva too, that Pāṇḍava, adopting the guise of a cowherd, would provide curds, milk, and ghee to the Pāṇḍavas.

4.12.9 Nakula too, obtaining wealth for his work with the horses when that lord of men was pleased, would give it to the Pāṇḍavas.

4.12.10 And Kṛṣṇā too — that noble lady in her suffering — would look upon all those brothers and move about as before, unrecognized.

4.12.11 Thus those great warriors, providing for each other in this way, and yet beholding Kṛṣṇā in that condition, dwelt there in concealment, O lord of men.

4.12.12 Then, in the fourth month, there arose a grand festival of Brahmā among the Matsyas — prosperous and well-regarded by the people.

4.12.13 There, wrestlers gathered from all directions, O king, by the thousands — of great bodies and great strength, like the Kalakhanja demons.

4.12.14 Swelling with valor, overflowing with strength, honored by the king, with shoulders, waists, and necks like lions — proud and high-minded men who had repeatedly won glory in the arena before the king.

4.12.15 Among them one was pre-eminent and challenged all the wrestlers. As he strutted about the arena, none would stand up to him.

4.12.16 When all the wrestlers were disheartened and their spirits broken, the king of Matsya had that wrestler fight against his cook.

4.12.17 Then Bhīma, though urged with difficulty, made up his mind — for in public he could not refuse the lord of men.

4.12.18 Then that tiger among men, moving with the relaxed gait of a lion, entered the great arena, filling Virāṭa with delight.

4.12.19 The son of Kuntī tied his sash and thereupon gladdened the crowd. Then Bhīma challenged that wrestler who was like Vṛtra himself.

4.12.20 Both were of tremendous enthusiasm and both of fierce valor — like two great bull elephants of sixty years in rut.

4.12.21 Bhīma, slayer of enemies, tearing the wrestler away with his arms, dragged him — roaring and shrieking — like a tiger with an elephant.

4.12.22 The mighty-armed and valorous one, lifting him up, whirled him around. Then both the wrestlers and the Matsyas were struck with the greatest amazement.

4.12.23 Having whirled him a hundredfold, with the wrestler's life gone and his senses extinguished, the mighty-armed Vṛkodara ground him into the earth.

4.12.24 When that wrestler Jimuta, world-renowned, was slain, Virāṭa was filled with the utmost joy along with his kinsmen.

4.12.25 Overflowing with joy, the high-minded king gave great wealth to Ballava in the great arena, as generously as Kubera himself.

4.12.26 In this way, slaying very many wrestlers and men of great strength, he brought the highest delight to the king of Matsya.

4.12.27 When no man equal to him could be found there, he then fought with tigers and lions and elephants as well.

4.12.28 Again, having entered the women's quarters, Vṛkodara would fight among the women at Virāṭa's command against maddened lions of great strength.

4.12.29 And Bībhatsu too, that Pāṇḍava, satisfied Virāṭa and all the women of the inner quarters with song and beautiful dancing.

4.12.30 With well-trained and swift horses gathered from various places, Nakula gratified the king, O best of kings.

4.12.31 Pleased upon seeing the well-trained cattle belonging to Sahadeva, the king gave him much wealth as his due reward, O mighty one.

4.12.32 Thus those bulls among men lived there in concealment, performing services for Virāṭa the king in those days.

4.13.1 Vaiśaṃpāyana said: While the sons of Pṛthā, those great warriors, were dwelling thus in concealment in the city of Matsya, ten months passed by.

4.13.2 Yājñasenī, serving Sudeṣṇā, O lord of the people, dwelt there in great suffering — she who deserved to be served, O Janamejaya.

4.13.3 As she moved about in that manner in Sudeṣṇā's household, the commander of Virāṭa's army beheld the Pāñcālī, she of lotus-like face.

4.13.4 Seeing her as she moved about, radiant as one born of divine seed, like a goddess herself, Kīcaka desired her, pierced by the arrows of Kāma.

4.13.5 Scorched by the fire of desire, the commander approached Sudeṣṇā and, as if smiling, spoke these words:

4.13.6 'This beautiful one was never seen by me before in the abode of King Virāṭa. With her beauty she maddens me utterly — this lady, born fragrant like wine.'

4.13.7 'Who is this one with the form of a goddess, captivating to the heart, O fair one? Tell me — who is she and where is she from, this lovely woman? She churns my mind and brings me under her sway. I know no other remedy for this today.'

4.13.8 'Ah, this handmaid of yours is beautiful — she of fresh, youthful beauty appears before me. Indeed she performs work unworthy of her form. Let her command me and all that I possess.'

4.13.9 'Let her adorn my great house — rich in elephants, horses, and chariots, possessed of great wealth, full of prosperity, with abundant drink and food, charming, decorated with golden ornaments.'

4.13.10 Then Kīcaka, having taken leave of Sudeṣṇā, approached the daughter of the king of men and spoke then to Kṛṣṇā with words of enticement — like a jackal in the forest approaching the daughter of the lion.

4.13.11 'This beauty of yours, and your youth — both are rendered purposeless and barren today, O passionate one. Like a supreme garland that goes unworn, you do not shine, O beautiful one, though you are truly lovely.'

4.13.12 'I will abandon my former wives — let them become your maidservants, O fair-smiling one. And I myself, O beautiful woman, shall stand like a slave before you; I shall always be under your command, O lovely-faced one.'

4.13.13 Draupadī said: 'O son of a charioteer, you court me here as one not to be courted — a Sairandhrī woman of lower standing, a contemptible hairdresser.'

4.13.14 'I am another's wife — may it be well with you; this is not fitting for you at this time. The wives of living beings are dear to them — reflect on dharma.'

4.13.15 'Your mind should never in any way turn toward another's wife. The renunciation of improper deeds — that is the vow of good men.'

4.13.16 'For a man of sinful soul who wrongly lusts and has entered into delusion will gain terrible infamy and will incur very great fear.'

4.13.17 'Do not be elated, O son of a charioteer — today you will lose your life, coveting me who am difficult to attain, guarded by heroes.'

4.13.18 'And I cannot be taken by you. My husbands are Gandharvas — they will kill you when angered. Stop, it is enough — do not bring about your own destruction.'

4.13.19 'Just as a foolish boy, standing on a bank, mindlessly wishes to cross to the far bank though he cannot — so you, a man who cannot accomplish what you desire, wish to do what is beyond you.'

4.13.20 'Whether you enter the earth, or fly upward, or run to the far shore of the ocean — even so you shall not escape them. For my husbands are mighty sons of gods.'

4.13.21 'Like some afflicted man who rushes toward the night of doom — why do you importune me so stubbornly today, O Kīcaka? Do you think of me like a child lying in its mother's lap who wants to grasp the moon?'

4.14.1 Vaiśaṃpāyana said: Rejected by the princess-born, Kīcaka, overwhelmed by unbridled and terrible desire, spoke to Sudeṣṇā:

4.14.2 'Let it be arranged that I may meet with the Sairandhrī by some means, O Kaikeyī. Seek to obtain her for me, Sudeṣṇā — otherwise I shall give up my life.'

4.14.3 Hearing his lamentations again and again, the wise queen, chief consort of Virāṭa, felt compassion for him.

4.14.4 Keeping her own interest in mind and reflecting upon his interest as well, and also upon Kṛṣṇā's distress, Sudeṣṇā spoke to the charioteer's son:

4.14.5 'You prepare wine and food on the occasion of the festival day. I will send her to you there — the wine-fetcher — into your presence.'

4.14.6 'There, when she has been sent and is alone without restraint, you may coax her as you please — if, when coaxed, she is willing to sport with you.'

4.14.7 Kīcaka then, going home at his sister's word, had wine fetched — of royal quality, well-filtered and refined.

4.14.8 And he had much roast meat and many kinds of game, great and small, prepared by skilled cooks — splendid food and drink.

4.14.9 When this had been done and Kīcaka had sent word to the queen, Sudeṣṇā dispatched the Sairandhrī to Kīcaka's dwelling.

4.14.10 Sudeṣṇā said: 'Rise and go, Sairandhrī, to Kīcaka's dwelling. Bring wine, dear one — thirst torments me.'

4.14.11 Draupadī said: 'I should not go to his dwelling, O princess. You yourself know, O queen, how shameless he is.'

4.14.12 'And I, O blameless-limbed one, O passionate lady, shall not become one who acts out of lust in your house, unfaithful to my husbands.'

4.14.13 'And you yourself know, O goddess, what agreement was made when I first entered your house, O passionate one.'

4.14.14 'And Kīcaka — foolish and arrogant with the pride of Kāma — he will dishonor me upon seeing me. I will not go there, O lovely one.'

4.14.15 'You have many other attendants obedient to your command, O princess — send another. May it be well with you, for he will dishonor me.'

4.14.16 Sudeṣṇā said: 'He will never harm you when you are sent by me from here.'

4.14.17 Vaiśaṃpāyana said: With these words she placed in her hands a bronze vessel with a golden lid. She, full of suspicion, weeping, having taken refuge in fate, set forth as the wine-fetcher to Kīcaka's dwelling.

4.14.18 Draupadī said: "As I know no other man but the Pāṇḍavas, by that truth I have been protected — do not bring me under Kīcaka's power."

4.14.19 Vaiśaṃpāyana said: That frail woman stood before the Sun for a moment; then the Sun understood everything regarding that slender-waisted one.

4.14.20 Then the Sun, becoming invisible, assigned a Rākṣasa to guard her, and that being did not abandon the blameless woman in any circumstance thereafter.

4.14.21 Seeing Kṛṣṇā approach trembling like a doe, the charioteer's son rose up joyfully, like a ferryman who has found a boat to cross the river.

4.15.1 Kīcaka said: "Welcome, O beautiful-haired one! The night has passed well for me. You, my mistress, have arrived — grant me my desire."

4.15.2 "Let them bring golden garlands, conch-shell ornaments, earrings and bracelets, and garments of silk and deerskin."

4.15.3 "There is a bright bed prepared for your sake — come there with me and drink the sweet spring wine."

4.15.4 Draupadī said: "The princess sent me to fetch wine for you — quickly bring the drink for me, she said, I am thirsty — thus she spoke."

4.15.5 Kīcaka said: "Others will carry the princess's wine, dear lady."

4.15.6 Vaiśaṃpāyana said: Saying this, the charioteer's son seized her by the right hand; she, though grasped, shook him off and hurled Kīcaka to the ground, then fled to the assembly hall for refuge, where King Yudhiṣṭhira sat.

4.15.7 Kīcaka chased after her and seized her by the side of her hair; then, even before the watching king, he threw her down and kicked her with his foot.

4.15.8 Then that Rākṣasa who had been assigned to her by the Sun at that moment hurled Kīcaka away with the speed of wind, O Bhārata.

4.15.9 Struck by the power of the Rākṣasa, he fell to the ground, spinning and motionless, like a tree torn up by the roots.

4.15.10 Bhīmasena and Yudhiṣṭhira, seated there, both saw it, unable to endure Kīcaka's assault on Kṛṣṇā with his foot.

4.15.11 The great-souled Bhīma, yearning to kill that wicked Kīcaka, then ground his teeth against his teeth in fury.

4.15.12 Then the king of righteousness pressed down Bhīma's thumb with his own thumb, O king, fearing that Bhīma might reveal himself.

4.15.13 Reaching the door of the assembly hall, she, the beautiful-hipped one, wept and addressed the Matsya king, glancing at those dejected husbands.

4.15.14 Guarding her composure and the vow in accordance with dharma, the daughter of Drupada stood as if burning, with fierce blazing eyes.

4.15.15 Draupadī said: "Those men whose enemy dares not sleep touching the ground with his feet — the charioteer's son has kicked me, their self-respecting wife, with his foot."

4.15.16 "Those who give but never beg, who are devoted to Brahmins and speak only truth — the charioteer's son has kicked me, their self-respecting wife."

4.15.17 "Those from whom the rumble of kettledrums and the twang of bowstrings is heard unceasingly — the charioteer's son has kicked me, their self-respecting wife."

4.15.18 "Those who are glorious, self-restrained, mighty, and proud — the charioteer's son has kicked me, their self-respecting wife."

4.15.19 "Those who, bound by the cord of dharma, could destroy the entire world — the charioteer's son has kicked me, their self-respecting wife."

4.15.20 "Those great warriors who become refuge for the refuge-seeking, who roam the world in disguise — where are they today?"

4.15.21 "How can those mighty men of boundless valour endure, like eunuchs, watching their beloved chaste wife being beaten by the charioteer's son?"

4.15.22 "Where is their indignation, their heroism, and their splendour, that they do not protect their wife being beaten by that wicked soul?"

4.15.23 "What can I do here, when Virāṭa, who corrupts dharma, looks on and endures my being beaten though I am innocent?"

4.15.24 "O king, you do nothing befitting a king regarding Kīcaka — your conduct is like that of brigands; it does not befit a royal assembly."

4.15.25 "Kīcaka is not standing by his own dharma, nor is the Matsya king in any way; even the assembly members are ignorant of dharma, those who attend upon this man."

4.15.26 "I do not reproach you openly in this public assembly, O king Virāṭa; I am not fit to kill him here in your presence, O Matsya — yet let the assembly members witness Kīcaka's transgression."

4.15.27 Virāṭa said: "I did not witness the quarrel between the two of you in person; without knowing the truth of the matter, how could it be well for me to intervene?"

4.15.28 Vaiśaṃpāyana said: Then the assembly members, understanding the situation, honoured Kṛṣṇā further, saying "Well done, well done," and condemned Kīcaka.

4.15.29 The assembly members said: "He whose wife this woman is — beautiful in every limb, with wide lotus-like eyes — would have gained the greatest treasure; he need never grieve."

4.15.30 Vaiśaṃpāyana said: While the assembly members thus honoured and gazed upon Kṛṣṇā, sweat broke out on Yudhiṣṭhira's brow from suppressed rage.

4.15.31 Then the Kaurava spoke to the princess, his dear wife: "Go, Sairandhrī, do not stay here — return to Sudeṣṇā's quarters."

4.15.32 "Wives of heroes suffer hardship in serving their husbands; those who suffer thus through devoted service win the world of their husbands in the end."

4.15.33 "I believe your husbands, the Gandharvas brilliant as the sun, do not see this as the right moment for anger — that is why they do not rush forward for you."

4.15.34 "You do not understand the right moment, Sairandhrī; you rush about like an actress and create disturbance for the Matsyas gambling in the royal assembly. Go, Sairandhrī — the Gandharvas will do what is pleasing to you."

4.15.35 Draupadī said: "I, a righteous woman acting in their interest, am exceedingly worthy of compassion — I am to be beaten here in their cause, when their eldest is addicted to dicing."

4.15.36 Vaiśaṃpāyana said: Having spoken thus, Kṛṣṇā ran to Sudeṣṇā's quarters, the beautiful-hipped one, her hair dishevelled, her eyes red with passion and grief.

4.15.37 Her face, now that she had ceased weeping, shone like the disc of the moon freed from a streak of cloud in the sky.

4.15.38 Sudeṣṇā said: "Who has struck you, O lovely-limbed one? Why do you weep, beautiful woman? Whose offence brings you no happiness today, dear one? Who has wronged you?"

4.15.39 Draupadī said: "Kīcaka struck me there when I had gone to fetch wine for you — in the assembly hall, before the watching king, just as if I were alone."

4.15.40 Sudeṣṇā said: "I shall have Kīcaka killed, if you think it right — he who, maddened by desire, pursues you who are so hard to obtain."

4.15.41 Draupadī said: "Others will indeed kill him — those against whom he commits his offences. I believe he will most certainly go to the next world even this very day."

4.16.1 Vaiśaṃpāyana said: Struck by the charioteer's son, the princess blazed with fury; desiring the death of the army's commander, that passionate woman, the daughter of Drupada, then went to her own dwelling.

4.16.2 Kṛṣṇā, the slender-waisted one, having duly performed her purification, washed her limbs and garments with water.

4.16.3 Weeping, she pondered the resolution of this suffering: "What shall I do? Where shall I go? How should I proceed?"

4.16.4 Having thus reflected, her mind went to Bhīma: "There is no one but Bhīma who can today do what is dear to my heart."

4.16.5 Then, rising at night and abandoning her own bed, Kṛṣṇā ran off seeking her protector — she who had a protector, chaste, overwhelmed by great mental anguish, that woman of resolute mind.

4.16.6 Reaching the kitchen and finding Bhīmasena, that bright-smiling Pāñcālī stood before him like a white three-year-old cow born in the forest, like a cow in heat before a great elephant.

4.16.7 Like a creeper clinging to a great flowering sāla tree on the Gomatī's bank, she embraced him with both arms and awakened him, the blameless one, like a lioness rousing a sleeping lion in a difficult forest.

4.16.8 With speech sweet as a vīṇā perfectly tuned to the gāndhāra note, that blameless Pāñcālī addressed Bhīmasena.

4.16.9 "Rise, rise! Why do you sleep like a dead man, Bhīmasena? A sinful man who is not dead cannot live on after laying hands upon a wife."

4.16.10 "While that most wicked army commander, my enemy, who has committed such a deed, still lives today — how can you indulge in sleep?"

4.16.11 Awakened by the princess, he sprang up abandoning his bed, like a cloud in appearance, and sat up on his couch with its cushioned covering.

4.16.12 Then the Kaurava spoke to the princess, his dear wife: "For what purpose have you come to me hastily like this?"

4.16.13 "Your complexion does not appear natural — you look thin and pale. Tell me everything fully so that I may know it all."

4.16.14 "Whether it is happiness or suffering, whether hateful or dear — tell me everything accurately; having heard, I will know what further is to be done."

4.16.15 "I alone, Kṛṣṇā, am your trusted one in all matters; I too shall rescue you from dangers again and again."

4.16.16 "Speak quickly whatever you wish to say, whatever your purpose — then go back to sleep before anyone else becomes aware of it."

4.17.1 Draupadī said: "How should she not grieve, whose husband is Yudhiṣṭhira — knowing all her sufferings, why do you even ask me?"

4.17.2 "That the attendant brought me then with the taunt of 'slave-woman,' into the midst of the assembly — that burns me, O Bhārata."

4.17.3 "Who else called a king's daughter, like me, could live on after enduring such intense suffering — except Draupadī, O lord?"

4.17.4 "And who else could endure to bear the second molestation by the wicked Sindhava while dwelling in forest exile?"

4.17.5 "Touched by Kīcaka's foot in the presence of the Matsya king and before that scoundrel's eyes — who like me could live on?"

4.17.6 "Thus afflicted by so many kinds of suffering, O Bhārata, you do not truly know me, O son of Kuntī — what is the fruit of life for me?"

4.17.7 "This one, O Bhārata, O tiger among men — the army commander of King Virāṭa named Kīcaka, the king's brother-in-law, of utterly wicked mind —"

4.17.8 "That evil-souled one, while I dwell in the royal palace in the guise of a Sairandhrī, constantly tells me: 'Become my wife.'"

4.17.9 "Being thus solicited by him who deserves death, O slayer of foes, my heart splits like a fruit ripe with time."

4.17.10 "And blame your eldest brother, that wicked gambler at dice — through whose action I have obtained this endless suffering."

4.17.11 "Who indeed, having abandoned his kingdom and all his possessions along with his own person, would gamble as if in voluntary renunciation — except that wicked dice-player?"

4.17.12 "If he had gambled morning and evening with a thousand niṣkas and with whatever other substantial wealth, even for many years —"

4.17.13 "Gold, silver, garments, vehicles with their teams, goats and sheep, and herds of horses and mules — none of these would ever have been exhausted."

4.17.14 "Yet this same man, stripped of his royal splendour through gambling, sits silent like a fool, pondering his own deeds."

4.17.15 "He whom ten thousand lotus-marked elephants, garlanded in gold, used to follow as he went — that same man now lives by gambling."

4.17.16 "Likewise hundreds of thousands of men of boundless splendour used to attend the great king Yudhiṣṭhira at Indraprastha."

4.17.17 "A hundred thousand maidservants, with vessels in hand, used to feed guests day and night in his kitchen."

4.17.18 "This foremost of givers, who gave away thousands of niṣkas, is now overwhelmed by the great calamity born of gambling."

4.17.19 "Many bards and panegyrists, possessed of melodious voices, wearing polished jewelled earrings, used to attend upon him morning and evening."

4.17.20 He in whose assembly a thousand sages constantly sat as members — men endowed with austerity and learning, attended upon by every wish they desired —

4.17.21 — that Yudhiṣṭhira, out of compassion, always supported cheerfully all the blind, the aged, the destitute, and all those in distress throughout his kingdoms —

4.17.22 — that same Yudhiṣṭhira has fallen to ruin; he who used to gamble in the king's assembly is now a servant of the Matsya king, called Kaṅka.

4.17.23 He at whose court, when he dwelt at Indraprastha, all kings used to bring tribute — that very one now seeks wages from others.

4.17.24 Kings and rulers of the earth were once subject to his will; that same king, now robbed of his will, lives today under the power of others.

4.17.25 He who scorched the entire earth with his splendour like the sun with its rays — that same Yudhiṣṭhira is now a dice-player in the court of king Virāṭa.

4.17.26 Him whom kings waited upon together with sages in his assembly — behold that Pāṇḍava now waiting upon another, O Pāṇḍava!

4.17.27 Seeing Yudhiṣṭhira, the great-minded, the righteous-souled, undeserving of this fate, reduced to seeking refuge for the sake of bare life — whose heart would not grieve?

4.17.28 He whom the entire earth, O hero, waited upon in assembly — behold that Bhārata now waiting upon another, O Bhārata!

4.17.29 Thus tormented by so many griefs, helpless as one without a protector, standing in the midst of an ocean of sorrow — why, O Bhīma, do you not see me?

4.18.1 Draupadī said: This great sorrow which I am about to tell you, O Bhārata — you must not blame me for it; it is out of pain that I speak of it.

4.18.2 When you fight within the house with tigers, buffaloes, and lions, while Kaikeyī's woman watches — at such times a faintness comes over me.

4.18.3 And the Kaikeyī woman, rising from her watching, would say to those women, seeing me, flawless of form, as though overcome by faintness —

4.18.4 "Out of affection born of long cohabitation, I think, this sweet-smiling woman grieves for this cook being fought with by mighty warriors."

4.18.5 "The sairandhrī is of lovely form, and the cook Ballava exceedingly handsome; the hearts of women are hard to know — in my view they are well matched."

4.18.6 "The sairandhrī, ever tender-hearted from pleasant intimacy, and these two are residents of this royal household for the same length of time."

4.18.7 Speaking such words, she would constantly needle me; and seeing me grow angry, she would suspect me of feelings for you.

4.18.8 When she spoke thus, a great sorrow would come over me; sunk in grief for Yudhiṣṭhira, I have no will left to live.

4.18.9 He who in a single chariot conquered gods, men, and serpents alike — that one is now a young dancing-master for the daughters of king Virāṭa.

4.18.10 He whose immeasurable soul once satisfied Agni in the Khāṇḍava forest — that Pārtha is now confined within the inner apartments like fire hidden in a well.

4.18.11 He from whom the enemies ever feared — that bull among men — Dhanañjaya now sits in a guise scorned by the world.

4.18.12 At the sound of whose bowstring the enemies trembled — women now cheerfully attend upon him at the sound of song.

4.18.13 On whose head shone a diadem blazing like the sun — that same Dhanañjaya today has his hair plaited and braided like a woman's.

4.18.14 He in whom all divine weapons reside, that great-souled one, the repository of all sciences — he now wears earrings.

4.18.15 Whom thousands of kings of unequalled glory dared not challenge in battle, as the great ocean does not transgress its shore —

4.18.16 — that same one is now a young dancing-master for the daughters of king Virāṭa, living in disguise as a servant of the maidens.

4.18.17 At the sound of whose chariot the earth trembled together with its mountains and forests, O Bhīma, along with all that is stationary and that moves —

4.18.18 At whose birth, O greatly fortunate one, Kuntī's sorrow vanished — that younger brother of yours, O Bhīmasena, now causes me grief.

4.18.19 Seeing him adorned with ornaments, with earrings of wrought gold, coming with shell-like wrists — my heart sinks.

4.18.20 Seeing that terrible archer Arjuna, his hair twisted into a braid, surrounded by maidens — O Bhīma, my heart sinks.

4.18.21 When I see him, divine in form, surrounded by maidens — like a rut-maddened elephant encircled by she-elephants —

4.18.22 — Pārtha, the master of wealth, standing in attendance upon Matsya Virāṭa amid the sound of instruments — at such times the directions vanish from my sight.

4.18.23 Surely the noble lady (Kuntī) does not know of the hardship that has befallen Dhanañjaya, the Kaurava who never made an enemy, now sunk by evil gambling.

4.18.24 And seeing Sahadeva the younger, the lord of warriors, coming disguised in cowherds' dress among the cattle, I have become pale as the Pāṇḍu plant, O Bhārata.

4.18.25 Thinking again and again on Sahadeva's deeds, I cannot find, O mighty-armed, any misdeed of Sahadeva by reason of which a man of such true valour should suffer this kind of sorrow.

4.18.26 I burn with pain, O foremost of Bhāratas, seeing your dear brother, resembling a mighty bull among cattle, set to work among cattle by Matsya.

4.18.27 When I see him full of spirit, dressed in red, walking at the head of the cowherds, saluting Virāṭa — then fever seizes me.

4.18.28 The noble lady (Kuntī) always praised the heroic Sahadeva to me: "He is of great lineage, of excellent conduct, and of good character."

4.18.29 "He who is restrained by modesty, sweet-spoken, righteous, and dear to me — that one is to be protected by you in the forests, O Yājñasenī, even through the nights."

4.18.30 Seeing Sahadeva, the best of warriors, engaged among the cattle, sleeping at night on a calf's skin — can I go on living, O Pāṇḍava?

4.18.31 He who is always endowed with three excellences — beauty, skill in weapons, and intelligence — is now a groom of horses for Virāṭa. Behold the reversal of time!

4.18.32 Crowds gather to watch him as he tames the horses of the great king with garlands and bonds, training them swiftly.

4.18.33 I saw that glorious one, brilliant and noble, standing in attendance upon the Matsya Virāṭa and presenting the horses to him.

4.18.34 Do you think me happy, O Pārtha, O scorcher of foes? — I am thus overwhelmed by hundreds of sorrows on account of Yudhiṣṭhira.

4.18.35 Beyond these, O Bhārata, other distinct sorrows also beset me, O son of Kuntī — hear them too, I shall tell you.

4.18.36 While you all are alive, manifold sorrows are desiccating my body. What greater sorrow than this can there be?

4.19.1 Draupadī said: I, moving about in the royal palace in the guise of a sairandhrī, am a cleaning-maid of Sudeṣṇā — because of that gambling cheat.

4.19.2 Behold my dire degradation, O scorcher of foes — I, a king's daughter, sit waiting upon time; all sorrow, it is said, has its season.

4.19.3 For mortals, it is said, the attainment of goals, and victory and defeat alike, are all impermanent — keeping this in mind, I wait for my husbands' rise again.

4.19.4 Whatever is the cause of a man's victory is also the cause of his defeat — keeping this truth in mind, I wait with patience.

4.19.5 Men who give are themselves asked in return; those who kill are slain in return; those who bring others down are brought down by others in turn — so have I heard.

4.19.6 Fate has no burden too great and fate cannot be transcended — so too says the scripture; keeping faith in fate still more, I wait.

4.19.7 Water that has stood before returns to the same place again — desiring the turn of the cycle, I wait again for the rise.

4.19.8 When by fate even well-directed effort comes to ruin, then — so the wise know — one must still strive when fate's moment arrives.

4.19.9 The purpose behind these words I have spoken — ask me, or else I shall tell you unsolicited, for I am one in distress.

4.19.10 The chief queen of the sons of Pāṇḍu, the daughter of Drupada — having reached this condition, who other than I would still wish to live?

4.19.11 Surpassing all the Kurus, even the Pāñcālas, O Bhārata, and the sons of Pāṇḍu — such affliction has come upon me, O subduer of foes.

4.19.12 With brothers, fathers-in-law, and many sons — a woman thus richly provided — what other woman could be so afflicted, O slayer of enemy heroes?

4.19.13 Surely I must have offended fate in my childhood — by whose displeasure I have come to this ill fate, O bull of the Bhāratas.

4.19.14 See also, O Pāṇḍava, the situation of my complexion — the space for colour that was not there in my extremest grief then.

4.19.15 You alone know, O Bhīma, what happiness was mine before, O Pārtha — that same I, having fallen into servitude, can find no peace, helpless as I am.

4.19.16 I do not think this is fate's doing — that Pārtha Dhanañjaya, the mighty-armed wielder of the terrible bow, sits quiet as a fire that has gone out.

4.19.17 The course of living beings cannot be known by men, O Pārtha — this downfall of yours I consider not to have been anticipated.

4.19.18 You who are equal to Indra always used to look to my face for guidance — that best of virtuous women am I, now looking up at the faces of women lesser than myself.

4.19.19 Behold my condition, O Pāṇḍava, how undeserved it is — even while you all live, behold the reversal of time.

4.19.20 She to whom the earth bounded by the ocean was obedient — today I, frightened, am obedient to Sudeṣṇā.

4.19.21 She before whom attendants used to walk and behind whom they used to follow — that same I today walk before and behind Sudeṣṇā. Know this as my unbearable sorrow, O son of Kuntī.

4.19.22 I who never ground the unguents for my own body — except for Kuntī, bless you — today grind sandalwood paste. Behold, O son of Kuntī, my hands — not as they were before for you.

4.19.23 Vaiśaṃpāyana said: Saying this, she showed him both her hands, bound with calluses.

4.19.24 Draupadī said: I who never feared Kuntī nor any of you — today I stand frightened before Virāṭa as a servant-girl.

4.19.25 What will the queen say to me — is the paste well prepared or not? For the Matsya king, they say, takes pleasure only in sandalwood ground by no other hand.

4.19.26 Vaiśaṃpāyana said: That passionate woman Kṛṣṇā (Draupadī), while recounting her sorrows to Bhīmasena, wept softly, gazing up at Bhīmasena.

4.19.27 She, with a voice choked by tears, sighing again and again, thus spoke, striking at the heart of Bhīmasena.

4.19.28 No small offence must I have committed against the gods in a former life, O Bhīma — unhappy that I am, I live on when I ought to die, O Pāṇḍava.

4.19.29 Then Vṛkodara (Bhīma), the slayer of enemy heroes, brought to his face her two hands, swollen and bound with calluses, and wept, while she trembled.

4.19.30 Taking those hands in his, the son of Kuntī, the mighty one, releasing his tears, spoke these words, overwhelmed by the deepest grief.

4.20.1 Bhīmasena said: Shame on the strength of my arms and on Phalguna's Gāṇḍīva — that your hands, once flushed with beauty, have now become callused on both!

4.20.2 I would have wrought great slaughter in Virāṭa's assembly, but Dharmarāja restrained me there with a sideways glance — understanding his intention, I have held back, O passionate one.

4.20.3 And the expulsion of the Kurus from their kingdom, and the slaying — of Suyodhana, of Karṇa, of Śakuni the son of Subala,

4.20.4 and of the sinful Duḥśāsana — that I have not taken his head burns in my heart like a dart planted there, O lovely one. Do not abandon righteousness, O fair-hipped one; abandon your anger, O great-minded one.

4.20.5 If King Yudhiṣṭhira were to hear this reproach of yours, O auspicious one, he would entirely abandon his life.

4.20.6 Or if Dhanaṃjaya, O lovely-hipped one, or the twins were to pass to another world, I could not continue living, O slender-waisted one.

4.20.7 Sukanyā, daughter of Śāryāta, a proud and beautiful woman, followed the sage Cyavana of the Bhṛgu lineage into the forest, where he sat in meditation, having become an anthill.

4.20.8 And if you have heard of Nāḍāyanī and Indrasenā, radiant in beauty — she followed her aged husband, who had lived for a thousand years.

4.20.9 And if you have heard of Vaidehī, daughter of Janaka — Sītā followed her husband Rāma who dwelt in the great forest.

4.20.10 Though seized and oppressed by a demon, Rāma's beloved queen, O lovely-hipped one, followed Rāma alone even in her affliction.

4.20.11 So too Lopāmudrā, O timid one, though endowed with youth and beauty, followed Agastya, abandoning all superhuman pleasures.

4.20.12 Just as these women, praised for their beauty and devotion to their husbands, are celebrated, so too are you, O auspicious one, endowed with all virtues.

4.20.13 Bear this long period patiently — it amounts to only a month and a half more; when the thirteenth year is complete, you shall be queen of the king again.

4.20.14 Draupadī said: It is out of distress, O Bhīma, that I have shed these tears, being unable to bear my sufferings — I do not reproach the king.

4.20.15 O Bhīmasena of great might, now that the period of concealment has passed and the time for action is at hand, be ready to act without delay.

4.20.16 Here, O Bhīma, the princess Kaikeyī always torments me out of fear that I might surpass her in beauty — the king constantly worries about how to keep her satisfied.

4.20.17 And knowing her feelings, this Kīcaka, wicked-souled and himself of crooked vision, always importunes me.

4.20.18 Angry at him, O Bhīma, yet restraining my anger again and again, I spoke to that one blinded by desire: 'Protect yourself, Kīcaka.'

4.20.19 'I am the wife of the Gandharvas, the beloved queen of five of them — those fierce, bold warriors will slay you.'

4.20.20 Thus addressed, that wicked-souled Kīcaka replied: 'I do not fear the Gandharvas, O Sairandhrī of bright smile.'

4.20.21 'Even a hundred or a thousand Gandharvas assembled in battle I would slay — O timid one, grant me even one moment of your company.'

4.20.22 When he spoke thus, I again told that charioteer's son consumed by desire: 'You are no match for those glorious Gandharvas.'

4.20.23 'I am always established in righteousness, endowed with noble lineage and virtue — I do not wish anyone to be slain, and that is why you still live, Kīcaka.'

4.20.24 Thus addressed, that wicked-souled one laughed loudly then — he did not remain on the path of righteousness, nor did he desire to follow dharma.

4.20.25 Evil-souled, evil-minded, enslaved to lust and passion, rude and wicked — though rejected again and again, he would torment me at every encounter, and so I would rather abandon my life.

4.20.26 Therefore, if you strive in dharma, great dharma will not perish for those who keep their vow — but if you do not protect your wife, she will no longer be yours.

4.20.27 When a wife is protected, progeny is protected; when progeny is protected, the self is protected.

4.20.28 I have heard from Brahmins who expound the duties of the castes that the dharma of a Kṣatriya is always nothing other than the destruction of enemies.

4.20.29 In the sight of the king of dharma and before your very eyes, O mighty Bhīmasena, Kīcaka struck me with his foot.

4.20.30 It was you who rescued me from that terrible demon Jaṭāsura; and likewise you conquered Jayadratha together with your brothers.

4.20.31 Slay this wretch too, O Bhārata, this Kīcaka who insults me, relying on the king's favor, and who causes me grief.

4.20.32 Smash him who is thus maddened by lust — smash him like a pot against a stone — for he is the cause of many calamities for me, O Bhārata.

4.20.33 If the sun rises tomorrow and he still lives, I will mix poison and drink it — I will not fall under Kīcaka's power; death before you, O Bhīmasena, is better for me.

4.20.34 Vaiśaṃpāyana said: Having spoken thus, Kṛṣṇā wept, leaning against Bhīma's chest; and Bhīma, embracing her and offering great consolation, turned his mind to Kīcaka, licking the corners of his lips.

4.21.1 Bhīmasena said: I shall do exactly as you say, O fortunate one, O timid lady — today I will slay Kīcaka along with all his kinsmen.

4.21.2 At the early part of this night, O Yājñasenī of bright smile, shaking off your sorrow and grief, arrange a meeting with him.

4.21.3 There is the dance hall built by the king of Matsya — during the day young women dance there, at night they go to their homes.

4.21.4 There is a bed there, O timid one, firm-framed and well set — there I will show him his forefathers who have gone before to the realm of the dead.

4.21.5 Arrange matters, O auspicious one, so that no one sees you making this assignation with him, and so that I may be close at hand.

4.21.6 Vaiśaṃpāyana said: Having spoken thus to each other and shedding tears, the two of them, filled with grief, bore that terribly harsh remainder of the night in their hearts.

4.21.7 When that night had passed, Kīcaka rose at dawn and going directly to the royal household, spoke these words to Draupadī.

4.21.8 'In the assembly hall, before the king's eyes, I kicked you down, and yet you found no protection even when you appealed to one mightier than I.'

4.21.9 'For it is only by name that this one is called king of the Matsyas — I myself am truly the king of the Matsyas, the commander of the army.'

4.21.10 'Come willingly to me, O timid one — I shall become your slave; I will give you a hundred gold coins this very day, O lovely-hipped one.'

4.21.11 'And I would give you a hundred maidservants, and male servants beyond that, and a chariot yoked with mules — O timid one, let there be a union between us.'

4.21.12 Draupadī said: Agree to one condition of mine today, Kīcaka — let no friend or brother of yours know that you have met with me.

4.21.13 For I am afraid of the glorious Gandharvas finding out; promise me this, and then I shall be yours to command.

4.21.14 Kīcaka said: I will do exactly as you say, O lovely-hipped one; I shall go alone, O blessed one, to your empty dwelling.

4.21.15 For the sake of union with you, O round-thighed one, I am maddened by desire — so that the Gandharvas of solar splendor will not discover you.

4.21.16 Draupadī said: That dance hall which was built by the king of Matsya — during the day young women dance there, at night they go to their homes.

4.21.17 Go there in the darkness — the Gandharvas do not know of it; the fault will be avoided there, without doubt.

4.21.18 Vaiśaṃpāyana said: While Kṛṣṇā was speaking these words and Kīcaka was responding, O king, half a day passed — it seemed equal to an entire month.

4.21.19 Then Kīcaka went home, overwhelmed with joy — the fool did not perceive that what appeared to him as the Sairandhrī was in fact Death itself.

4.21.20 Engrossed especially in perfumes, ornaments, and garlands, he hastily adorned himself, blinded by desire.

4.21.21 While he was doing this, time seemed very long to him, as he thought over and over of that long-eyed woman.

4.21.22 His splendor appeared even greater than usual — like a lamp's wick about to flare up at the moment of extinction, the splendor of one about to lose all splendor.

4.21.23 With his mind made up about the meeting, Kīcaka, blinded by desire, did not notice the day passing as he brooded on the assignation.

4.21.24 Then Draupadī, the auspicious one of Kuru lineage, went to the kitchen and approached her husband Bhīma closely.

4.21.25 With her beautiful hair ends, she spoke to him: 'I have arranged a meeting with Kīcaka in the dance hall, as you instructed me, O scorcher of foes.'

4.21.26 'That Kīcaka will come alone to the empty dance hall at night, O mighty-armed one — slay that Kīcaka.'

4.21.27 'That son of a charioteer, Kīcaka, arrogant with pride — go to the dance hall, O son of Kuntī, and render him lifeless, O Pāṇḍava.'

4.21.28 'And that son of a charioteer out of arrogance insults the Gandharvas — uproot him, O best of warriors, as an elephant uproots a reed.'

4.21.29 'Wipe away the tears of me who am overcome with grief, O Bhārata — do what is good for yourself, and uphold the honor of our family.'

4.21.30 Bhīmasena said: Welcome, O lovely-hipped one, is the glad news you bring me — I desire no helper at all for this task, O woman of excellent complexion.

4.21.31 The joy you have told me of — this meeting with Kīcaka — is the same joy I felt when I slew Hiḍimba, O woman of excellent complexion.

4.21.32 Placing truth, my brothers, and dharma before me, I tell you truly: I will slay Kīcaka as the lord of the gods slew Vṛtra.

4.21.33 Whether in a hidden place or in the open, I will crush Kīcaka — and if anyone should discover it, I will certainly slay the Matsyas as well.

4.21.34 Then, having slain Duryodhana, I will reclaim the earth — let Yudhiṣṭhira, son of Kuntī, serve under the Matsya king as long as he likes.

4.21.35 Draupadī said: Act so that you do not abandon your pledge of truth on my account, O mighty one — staying concealed, O hero, bring Kīcaka down in that way.

4.21.36 Bhīmasena said: I will do exactly as you say, O timid one — unseen by him, this very night in the darkness, O blameless one.

4.21.37 As an elephant tramples a bilva fruit, I will crush the head of that wicked-souled Kīcaka who desires what cannot be obtained.

4.21.38 Vaiśaṃpāyana said: Bhīma went first and sat concealed in the night — like a lion invisible to its prey, he waited for Kīcaka.

4.21.39 And Kīcaka, having adorned himself to his heart's desire, approached that time and place at the dance hall with the hope of union with Pāñcālī.

4.21.40 Thinking of the assignation, he entered that dwelling; and entering, he found that great hall enveloped in darkness.

4.21.41 Then that evil-minded one encountered Bhīma of incomparable might, who had arrived first and was sitting there alone in a corner.

4.21.42 The charioteer's son touched the one lying on the bed — and that one was Death itself, blazing with fury born of the insult to Kṛṣṇā.

4.21.43 And approaching him, Kīcaka, blinded by desire, his mind and soul churned by excitement, said with a smile:

4.21.44 'I have provided you with wealth of many kinds and without limit — with all of that in mind for you, I have hastened here.'

4.21.45 'Women who stay at home always praise me without cause — I am well-dressed and handsome, and there is no man like you,' — meaning himself.

4.21.46 Bhīmasena said: How fortunate that you are so handsome, how fortunate that you praise yourself — but such a touch as you are about to receive from me you have never felt before.

4.21.47 Vaiśaṃpāyana said: Having spoken thus, the mighty-armed Bhīma of terrible prowess, son of Kuntī, leapt up and laughing at that lowest of men, Bhīma seized him by the hair adorned with garlands and sweet-smelling.

4.21.48 Seized by the hair by that force, Kīcaka — the best among the strong — swiftly pulled away from the hair-grip and grasped the Pāṇḍava by the arms.

4.21.49 A wrestling match ensued between those two lions among men in their fury, like two mighty elephants fighting in spring over a cow in heat.

4.21.50 Though slightly slipping and stepping unsteadily out of rage, the powerful Kīcaka struck Bhīma down to the ground with his knees.

4.21.51 Though knocked to the ground by the mighty Kīcaka, Bhīma leapt up again with speed, like a serpent struck by a rod.

4.21.52 Drunk on their own strength and rival pride, that pair—the charioteer's son and the Pāṇḍava—grappled and dragged each other at midnight in the deserted darkness.

4.21.53 That finest of halls trembled again and again, and the two mighty men, blazing with fury, roared at each other.

4.21.54 Though struck on the chest by Bhīma's open palms, the mighty Kīcaka, burning with rage, did not give a single step of ground.

4.21.55 But after bearing for a moment that assault—hard to endure on earth—the charioteer, tormented by Bhīma's power, at last began to falter.

4.21.56 Perceiving him flagging, the great-powered Bhīmasena swiftly seized him against his chest and churned him until he lost his senses.

4.21.57 Possessed by fury, Vṛkodara—best among the victorious—exhaled a hot breath and seized him violently by the hair.

4.21.58 Gripping Kīcaka, the mighty Bhīma let out a great roar, like a tiger that craves flesh having seized a great quarry.

4.21.59 His feet, his hands, his head, his neck—all of them Bhīma thrust entirely into his body, as Śiva the bearer of the Pināka bow does to a beast.

4.21.60 Having reduced him—all his limbs crushed—to a mere lump of flesh, the mighty Bhīmasena showed him to Kṛṣṇā.

4.21.61 And the blazing son of Pāṇḍu said to Draupadī: 'Come and see, Pāñcālī, what has been made of this lustful one.'

4.21.62 Having thus slain Kīcaka and letting his rage subside, he took leave of Kṛṣṇā Draupadī and quickly returned to the royal kitchen.

4.21.63 And Draupadī, best among women, having seen Kīcaka slain, was filled with joy, her anguish gone, and she spoke to the guards of the hall.

4.21.64 'This Kīcaka lies slain—by my gandharva husbands—he who was maddened by lust for another man's wife. Come together and see.'

4.21.65 Hearing her words, the guards of the dance hall came rushing together at once, carrying torches by the thousands.

4.21.66 Going to that chamber, they saw Kīcaka flung down—lifeless, drenched in blood upon the ground.

4.21.67 "Where is his neck? Where his feet? Where his hands? Where his head?"—thus they examined him, slain by the gandharva.

4.22.1 Vaiśaṃpāyana said: At that time all his kinsmen gathered there; surrounding Kīcaka on all sides, they wept at the sight of him.

4.22.2 Their hair standing on end, all of them terrified, they beheld Kīcaka with every limb crushed inward, like a tortoise dragged out onto dry land.

4.22.3 Pounded by Bhīmasena as Indra pounds a demon, they resolved to perform his last rites and began carrying him outside.

4.22.4 Then those assembled charioteer-sons caught sight of Kṛṣṇā not far away—her limbs flawless—standing there clinging to a pillar.

4.22.5 When the charioteer-sons had assembled, the leader of the Upakīcakas spoke to them: 'Let this unchaste woman be killed at once—she for whose sake Kīcaka was slain.'

4.22.6 'Or rather, she should not be killed here—let her be burned together with her lover. Even in death, what is dear to the charioteer's son must be done in every way.'

4.22.7 Then they went to Virāṭa and said: 'Kīcaka was slain on account of this woman; she should be burned with him today—please grant your permission.'

4.22.8 Considering the valor of the charioteer-clan, O lord of the people, the king gave his consent that the Sairandhrī be burned together with the charioteer's son.

4.22.9 Approaching the trembling, lotus-eyed Kṛṣṇā as she was fainting, the Kīcakas there seized her violently.

4.22.10 They lifted her up, bound the slender-waisted woman, and all of them set out, carrying her toward the cremation ground.

4.22.11 As she was being dragged away, O king, by the charioteer-sons, blameless Kṛṣṇā—a true wife longing for her protector—cried out aloud.

4.22.12 Draupadī cried: 'Jaya, Jayanta, Vijaya, Jayatsena, Jayadbala—let them hear my words: the charioteer-sons are taking me away!'

4.22.13 'Those whose bowstring-twang sounds in great battle like the crash of a thunderbolt—the fierce, dreadful roar of those swift ones—'

4.22.14 '—and the mighty chariot-thunder of those glorious gandharvas—let them hear my words: the charioteer-sons are taking me away!'

4.22.15 Vaiśaṃpāyana said: Hearing those pitiful, lamenting words of Kṛṣṇā, Bhīma leapt from his bed without a moment's hesitation.

4.22.16 Bhīmasena said: 'I hear the words you have spoken, Sairandhrī. Therefore, timid one, you need have no fear from the charioteer-sons.'

4.22.17 Vaiśaṃpāyana said: Having said this, the mighty-armed one stretched himself with the desire to kill; then, adjusting his disguise and wrapping it around, he leapt out through a side passage and issued forth.

4.22.18 Bhīmasena swiftly tore a tree from the rampart wall and set off toward the cremation ground, where the Kīcakas had gone.

4.22.19 Grasping that tree—ten fathoms long, with its trunk and branches intact—the mighty one charged at the charioteers like Yama with his staff.

4.22.20 From the force of his thighs as he ran, the nyagrodha, aśvattha, and kiṃśuka trees fell to the ground and lay there in heaps.

4.22.21 Seeing the gandharva arrive like a lion blazing with fury, the charioteers were terrified on all sides, trembling with dread and despair.

4.22.22 Seeing that gandharva approaching like Death himself, the Upakīcakas—who had been about to burn their eldest brother—said to one another, trembling with fear and despair:

4.22.23 'A mighty gandharva comes in rage, raising up a tree! Release the Sairandhrī at once—great danger has come upon us!'

4.22.24 Seeing the tree whirled by Bhīmasena, they released Draupadī on the spot and fled toward the city.

4.22.25 Watching them flee as Indra watches fleeing demons, Bhīma dispatched one hundred and five of them to the abode of Yama.

4.22.26 Then, O lord of the people, he set her free and comforted Kṛṣṇā; the invincible Vṛkodara, the mighty-armed one, spoke there to the Pāñcālī Draupadī, whose face was filled with tears and who was wretched.

4.22.27 'Thus, timid one, are those slain who torment you though you are innocent. Go to the city, Kṛṣṇā—you have nothing to fear. I shall go back by a different way to Virāṭa's kitchen.'

4.22.28 And those one hundred and five lay slain there, O Bhārata, like a great forest felled, its trees scattered about.

4.22.29 Thus, O king, those one hundred and five Kīcakas were slain, along with the general who was killed before—making a total of six hundred charioteers.

4.22.30 Seeing that great wonder, the men and women who had gathered fell into the utmost amazement and said not a single word, O Bhārata.

4.23.1 Vaiśaṃpāyana said: Those who had seen the charioteers slain went and reported to the king: 'O king, more than a hundred charioteer-sons have been killed by the gandharvas.'

4.23.2 'As the great summit of a mountain shattered by the thunderbolt might be seen scattered about, so lay the charioteers on the earth.'

4.23.3 'The Sairandhrī has been released and is coming back to your house again. O king, your entire city will be thrown into doubt and danger.'

4.23.4 'For the Sairandhrī is of such a beauty, and the gandharvas are of such great power, and the subject of desire between men is without doubt agreeable for union.'

4.23.5 'Therefore, O king, such a policy must be devised that your city does not quickly come to ruin through keeping the Sairandhrī here.'

4.23.6 Hearing their words, Virāṭa, lord of the army, said: 'Let the final rites of these charioteers be performed.'

4.23.7 'Let all the Kīcakas be burned quickly together in a single well-kindled fire, with jewels and fragrances of every kind.'

4.23.8 The king, seized with fear, also said to his queen Sudeṣṇā: 'When the Sairandhrī arrives, tell her this on my behalf:'

4.23.9 '"Go, Sairandhrī, be well—go wherever you wish, dear girl. The king, O fine-hipped one, fears defeat at the hands of the gandharvas."'

4.23.10 'I do not dare to speak to her myself—she who is protected by gandharvas. But women are without fault in speaking to her, and so I charge you to tell her.'

4.23.11 Then Kṛṣṇā, freed from fear, the charioteer-sons driven off, having been rescued by Bhīmasena, made her way toward the city.

4.23.12 Like a young doe frightened by a tiger, the high-minded one washed her limbs and garments with water.

4.23.13 Seeing her, O king, men fled in all ten directions, terrified of the gandharvas; some shut their eyes tight.

4.23.14 Then, O king, the Pāñcālī saw Bhīmasena standing at the kitchen door—like a mighty elephant in rut.

4.23.15 Marveling at him, she approached slowly and said with a gesture: 'Homage to the king of the gandharvas, by whom I have been freed.'

4.23.16 Bhīmasena said: 'Those men who move about here as her obedient servants—having heard her word, they move about free of debt.'

4.23.17 Vaiśaṃpāyana said: Then she saw in the dance hall Dhanaṃjaya—the great-armed one—teaching the dance to the daughters of king Virāṭa.

4.23.18 Then the girls, coming out of the dance hall together with Arjuna, saw Kṛṣṇā approaching—afflicted but blameless.

4.23.19 The girls said: 'By good fortune, Sairandhrī, you are freed! By good fortune you have come back! By good fortune the charioteers who tormented you though innocent are slain!'

4.23.20 Bṛhannaḍā said: 'How were you freed, Sairandhrī? And how were those sinners killed? I wish to hear everything from you, exactly as it happened.'

4.23.21 The Sairandhrī said: 'What business do you have today with the Sairandhrī, Bṛhannaḍā? You who always dwell in comfort, dear one, in the girls' quarters?'

4.23.22 'You do not suffer the pain that the Sairandhrī endures, and yet you question me in my grief as if laughing.'

4.23.23 Bṛhannaḍā said: 'Even Bṛhannaḍā, dear lady, suffers the most extreme grief—born into an in-between existence, young woman—yet you do not understand her.'

4.23.24 Vaiśaṃpāyana said: Then Draupadī, unflinching, entered that royal palace together with the girls, and came before Sudeṣṇā.

4.23.25 The princess said to her the words of Virāṭa: 'Sairandhrī, go quickly wherever you wish to go.'

4.23.26 'The king, be assured, fears defeat at the hands of the gandharvas, and you too are young, O fine-browed one, unmatched in beauty upon the earth.'

4.23.27 The Sairandhrī said: 'Let the king grant me merely thirteen days, dear lady; the gandharvas will have accomplished their purpose, without doubt.'

4.23.28 'Then they will take me away and do what is pleasing; and the king will certainly be joined with prosperity together with his kinsmen.'

4.24.1 Vaiśaṃpāyana said: O lord of the people, at the slaying of Kīcaka together with his younger brothers, the common people reflected on that great calamity and were filled with wonder.

4.24.2 Throughout that city and countryside, talk spread on every side: 'By his valor Kīcaka was the king's favorite and a man of great spirit—'

4.24.3 '—he was a striker of men, an ill-minded violator of others' wives; that evil-souled, wicked man has been slain by the gandharvas, as was fitting.'

4.24.4 Thus people in every region spoke, O great king, destroyer of enemy armies, of Kīcaka who had been so hard to assail.

4.24.5 Now those spies sent out by the son of Dhṛtarāṣṭra, having searched through many villages, kingdoms, and cities—

4.24.6 Having made arrangements as instructed and having shown themselves in their respective regions, having completed their deliberations, they then turned back toward Nāgapura.

4.24.7 There, having seen the Kaurava king, the son of Dhṛtarāṣṭra, assembled together with Droṇa, Karṇa, and Kṛpa, and with the great-souled Bhīṣma,

4.24.8 gathered with his brothers and with the Trigarta great chariot warriors, they addressed Duryodhana who was seated in the midst of the assembly, saying this:

4.24.9 "O lord of men, we have always made the greatest effort in searching for the Pāṇḍavas in that great forest,

4.24.10 which is desolate and filled with deer, covered with many kinds of trees and creepers, thick with spreading vines, and overgrown with all manner of shrubs.

4.24.11 Yet we do not know by which route the Pārthas, those of firm valor, may have gone — searching here and there in every direction for their footprints.

4.24.12 On lofty mountain peaks, in various kingdoms, in thickly populated regions, in villages, and in cities —

4.24.13 O lord of men, we have searched repeatedly and still we do not find the Pāṇḍavas. They have vanished utterly. May it be well with you, O bull among men.

4.24.14 O best of chariot warriors, O lord of men, for a time we followed in the tracks of chariots and the paths of charioteers while searching their routes.

4.24.15 Having searched as was proper and having come to know the truth of the matter, the charioteers arrived at Dvāravatī without the Pārthas, O scorcher of foes.

4.24.16 The Pāṇḍavas were not there, O king, nor was Kṛṣṇā the devoted wife. They have disappeared altogether. We bow to you, O bull of the Bhāratas.

4.24.17 We do not know the movement of those great-souled Pāṇḍavas, nor their dwelling, nor their doings, nor the deeds done by them. Instruct us, O lord of men, O lord of people, as to what we should do hereafter.

4.24.18 What more shall we do in the search for the Pāṇḍavas? Hear also this pleasing, auspicious, and agreeable speech from us.

4.24.19 O king, Kīcaka, the great charioteer, the commander of King Matsya's forces — he by whose great power the Trigartas were brought low —

4.24.20 that wicked-souled one has been slain and lies fallen, O Bhārata, O Acyuta, killed at night by invisible Gandharvas together with his brothers.

4.24.21 Having heard this delightful news of the enemy's defeat, O Kauravya, consider yourself accomplished and decide what should be done next."

4.25.1 Vaiśaṃpāyana said: Then King Duryodhana, having heard their words, became absorbed in his own thoughts for a long while and then replied to those assembled in the hall:

4.25.2 "It is indeed very difficult to know in the end where affairs will lead. Therefore let all of you reflect carefully on where the Pāṇḍavas might have gone.

4.25.3 In this thirteenth year, the greater part of the time of their life of incognito has already passed; only a little time remains at the end.

4.25.4 If the Pāṇḍavas, devoted as they are to their vow of truth, pass through what remains of this year, their term of exile would be completed.

4.25.5 Like mighty elephants in musth, all of them resembling venomous serpents, they will surely become fierce and terrible toward the Kauravas, filled with rage.

4.25.6 But if they are discovered before the time is up while still wearing their disguise, having subdued their anger, they would then have to enter the forest once more for the same duration.

4.25.7 Therefore, quickly seek to find out how our kingdom may remain permanently ours, undisputed, untroubled, free of rivals, and enduring."

4.25.8 Then Karṇa spoke: "O Bhārata, let others who are more clever, capable, discreet, and efficient go quickly.

4.25.9 Let them travel through the prosperous and populous provinces in disguise, in gatherings there and elsewhere, among ascetics and wandering mendicants.

4.25.10 In pleasure grounds, at various sacred fords, and at different sources of wealth, they are to be identified by those men through well-trained inference and deduction.

4.25.11 By various means, by men fully intent on the task, expert in their knowledge, subtle and concealed, the Pāṇḍavas living in disguise are to be searched for with great skill.

4.25.12 In forest thickets along rivers, at sacred fords, in villages and cities, in pleasant hermitages, on mountains, and in caves —

4.25.13 Then Duḥśāsana, the one born next after the eldest, addressed his elder brother who was inclined to sinful thoughts, saying:

4.25.14 "All that Karṇa has said — let us look into it. Let all the spies search as directed here and there. These and many other more numerous agents should go from region to region according to procedure.

4.25.15 Yet their movement, their dwelling, and their activities are not to be detected; or perhaps, in hiding, they have gone to the far shore of the wave-tossed ocean.

4.25.16 Or perhaps those who fancy themselves heroes have been devoured by tigers in the great forest, or having met with some calamity, they have perished for all time.

4.25.17 Therefore, O joy of the Kurus, O lord of men, with an undisturbed mind, do whatever work you consider appropriate with whatever energy you have."

4.26.1 Vaiśaṃpāyana said: Then Droṇa, the greatly valiant one who sees the true meaning of things, spoke: "Such men do not perish, nor do they come to defeat.

4.26.2 They are brave, learned in all knowledge, wise, masters of their senses, knowing dharma, grateful, and devoted to the king of dharma.

4.26.3 They follow the eldest who is the knower of the true nature of statecraft, dharma, and wealth, who is as steady as a father, established in righteousness, firm in truth, and who reverences the eldest.

4.26.4 O king, brothers devoted to the great-souled brother — to the one who has no enemies, who is full of modesty — and he in turn devoted to his brothers:

4.26.5 why should the wise Pārtha not bring about the welfare of those great-souled ones who are thus disciplined and discreet?

4.26.6 Therefore with effort they await the arrival of their proper time. I see by my understanding that they surely cannot come to ruin.

4.26.7 And whatever needs to be done now, without delay — let it be done quickly after due deliberation, and let their place of dwelling also be thought over carefully.

4.26.8 The sons of Pāṇḍu, steadfast in all matters, blameless, endowed with austerity — those heroes are indeed difficult to track in their proper form.

4.26.9 Pārtha is pure-souled, virtuous, truthful, wise, and pure; he is an immeasurable mass of brilliance that could captivate even the eyes of others.

4.26.10 Therefore, having understood this, let action be taken; and let us search further through learned Brahmins, accomplished spies, and others who have knowledge of such matters."

4.27.1 Vaiśaṃpāyana said: Then Bhīṣma, the son of Śaṃtanu, the grandfather of the Bhāratas, learned, knowing time and place, knowing truth, and versed in all dharma,

4.27.2 when the teacher's speech had ended, taking up that speech and joining it to his own for the sake of their welfare, he spoke this address to the Bhāratas:

4.27.3 Bhīṣma there spoke a speech anchored in Yudhiṣṭhira, the knower of dharma, resting on dharma, ever rare among the wicked, always beloved of the good — a speech honored by the virtuous.

4.27.4 "Just as this Brahmin Droṇa, who knows the true nature of all things, has said: the Pāṇḍavas, endowed with all auspicious marks, do not deserve destruction.

4.27.5 They are furnished with learning and good conduct, endowed with virtuous vows, immersed in the teaching of their elders, and devoted to their vow of truth.

4.27.6 Knowing the proper time, observing their pure vows, upholding the burden of the righteous — they do not deserve to sink in despair.

4.27.7 Protected both by dharma and by their own valor, the Pāṇḍavas cannot come to ruin — this is how my thinking stands.

4.27.8 I shall direct my understanding toward the matter of the Pāṇḍavas, O Bhārata; yet the policy of one who is truly wise cannot be traced by others.

4.27.9 But what I am able to say here, having thought carefully about those Pāṇḍavas — I will speak through understanding, not through hostility. Hear that.

4.27.10 And what is to be said should be said well — there should be no injustice at all — for one who abides by the teaching of elders, O dear one, and whose nature is truth.

4.27.11 Surely the steadfast man who wishes to speak in the midst of the virtuous must speak in every way according to his understanding, out of desire for dharma.

4.27.12 In this matter I do not think as these others do: in whatever city or province King Yudhiṣṭhira resides —

4.27.13 the people there will not be envious, nor jealous, nor given to excessive speech, nor spiteful; they will each follow their own dharma.

4.27.14 The chanting of the Vedas will increase greatly, as will complete oblations; and sacrifices will be many, with abundant gifts.

4.27.15 And there the rain-cloud will always shower in due season, without doubt; the earth will be rich with crops and free from calamities.

4.27.16 The grains will be full of sap, the fruits rich in virtue, the garlands fragrant, and the speech auspicious.

4.27.17 The wind will be pleasant to the touch, and the sight will be without obstruction; fear will not enter there where King Yudhiṣṭhira dwells.

4.27.18 Cows will be plentiful there, neither lean nor hard to milk; milk, curds, and clarified butter will be full of taste and wholesome.

4.27.19 The drinks will be virtuous and the foods full of flavor — these things will exist in whatever region King Yudhiṣṭhira dwells.

4.27.20 Tastes, textures, fragrances, sounds — all endowed with virtue — and all sights will be pleasant, wherever King Yudhiṣṭhira is.

4.27.21 Endowed each with their own proper qualities, in this thirteenth year, these things will exist in the region that shelters the Pāṇḍavas, dear one.

4.27.22 The people there will be affectionate, satisfied, pure, and steadfast, loving in the worship of gods and guests, and kindly toward all beings.

4.27.23 Generous in giving, greatly enthusiastic, forever devoted to dharma, hating what is inauspicious, seeking what is auspicious, always sacrificing, observing auspicious vows — such will the people be wherever King Yudhiṣṭhira dwells.

4.27.24 Having abandoned falsehood in speech, dear one, auspicious, propitious, and fortunate, seeking auspicious ends, thinking auspicious thoughts — wherever King Yudhiṣṭhira is, the people there will always observe vows pleasing to their desires.

4.27.25 That dharma-souled one is thus invisible even to the twice-born in that form, dear one; how much less can the Pārtha be fully recognized by ordinary people?

4.27.26 In whom reside truth, steadiness, generosity, supreme peace, unfailing patience, modesty, prosperity, fame, the highest brilliance, non-cruelty, and straightforwardness —

4.27.27 therefore the concealed dwelling of that wise one, like a sacrifice hidden in disguise, or his supreme course — I do not venture to speak of it otherwise.

4.27.28 Having considered all this, whatever you think is for the good — do that quickly, O Kauravya, if you trust what I say."

4.28.1 Vaiśaṃpāyana said: Then Kṛpa, the son of Śaradvan, spoke thus: "Fitting and appropriate is what the elder has said regarding the Pāṇḍavas.

4.28.2 Gracious, accompanied by dharma and artha, true, and well-reasoned — what Bhīṣma has said there is appropriate. Now hear my speech on this matter as well.

4.28.3 Let the movements of those Pāṇḍavas through the sacred fords, and their dwelling, be considered carefully; and let whatever policy is now beneficial be determined.

4.28.4 O dear one, even an ordinary enemy is not to be despised by one who desires to prosper — how much less the Pāṇḍavas, dear one, who are skilled in all weapons in battle?

4.28.5 Therefore, now that the great-souled Pāṇḍavas have entered their concealment, hidden and disguised, and the time of reckoning is approaching —

4.28.6 one's own strength in one's own kingdom and in enemy kingdoms is to be known; and when the time of the Pāṇḍavas' rise is reached — there is no doubt about it.

4.28.7 When their term is ended, the Pārthas, those great-souled, supremely powerful, and greatly energetic Pāṇḍavas of surpassing brilliance, will be roused to action.

4.28.8 Therefore let military strength, treasury, and statecraft all be arranged so that when the time of reckoning arrives, we may properly come to terms with them.

4.28.9 Dear one, I think all of this is so — understand your own strength, fixed as it is in relation to all your allies, the powerful and the weak alike."

4.28.10 Having assessed the forces as high, middling, or low, O Bhārata, and knowing who is pleased and who is not, let us then make peace with our enemies accordingly.

4.28.11 Through conciliation, through sowing discord, through gifts, through chastisement, through tribute — bring the powerful to submission by righteous means, and bend the weak by force.

4.28.12 Having appeased your allies and encouraged the army with reassurance, you, grown strong with treasury and forces, will properly achieve success.

4.28.13 You will have to fight against powerful enemies who are arrayed before you — whether others or the Pāṇḍavas themselves — even if they are reduced in their own forces and vehicles.

4.28.14 Having resolved upon all this and applying your effort according to your own duty, O lord of men, you will long enjoy happiness at the right moment.

4.29.1 Vaiśaṃpāyana said: Then Suśarmā, king of the Trigartas, lord of chariot-hosts, hurriedly spoke these timely words with great urgency.

4.29.2 "I have been wronged again and again — first by the Matsyas together with the Sālveyas, and time and again by Kīcaka, the commander of Matsya's forces.

4.29.3 Harassed together with my kinsmen by one mighty through force, O lord" — thus saying, he glanced at Karṇa and then addressed Duryodhana.

4.29.4 "My kingdom has been oppressed time and again by the king of Matsya with might, and Kīcaka was his mighty commander-in-chief in former times.

4.29.5 That cruel, wrathful, evil-souled one, renowned throughout the earth for his valor, that wicked and brutal man was slain there by the Gandharvas.

4.29.6 And with him slain, O king, Virāṭa will be stripped of his pride and support, and will be without courage — so is my conviction.

4.29.7 An expedition there is what I have in mind, if it pleases you, O sinless one, and all the Kauravas, and the great-souled Karṇa.

4.29.8 This I consider a task that is both urgent and beneficial — let us swiftly march upon his kingdom, so abundant in grain.

4.29.9 Let us carry off his many and various gems and riches, or we shall plunder his villages and territories in division.

4.29.10 Or else we shall seize many thousands of fine cattle of various kinds, pressing upon his city by force.

4.29.11 Uniting with the Kauravas and the Trigartas, O lord of the people, let us all together swiftly drive away his cattle, well-assembled in force.

4.29.12 Or having made a treaty with him, let us restrain his manhood; or having slaughtered his entire army, let us bring him under our dominion.

4.29.13 Having brought him under rightful subjection, we shall dwell in ease, and your strength will increase beyond all doubt."

4.29.14 Hearing these words of his, Karṇa said to the king: "What Suśarmā has spoken is well-said — timely and beneficial to us.

4.29.15 Therefore let us set out quickly, having marshaled the army and arrayed the divisions as you see fit, O sinless one.

4.29.16 This wise elder of the Kurus, our grandsire Bhīṣma, and the preceptor Droṇa, and Kṛpa the son of Śaradvat —

4.29.17 — as all of them think fit, so let the expedition be arranged; and having deliberated quickly, let us march to achieve the king's purpose.

4.29.18 And what business do we have with the Pāṇḍavas, diminished in wealth, strength, and valor? They are either utterly lost, or else they have reached the realm of Yama."

4.29.19 "Let us go, O king, without anxiety, into the territory of Virāṭa; we shall take his cattle and various other riches."

4.29.20 Then king Duryodhana, accepting that word of Karṇa, son of Vikartana, himself gave the command swiftly.

4.29.21 "Duḥśāsana, ever devoted to my command, consult with the elders immediately and then quickly marshal the army.

4.29.22 We shall march to the designated place together with all the Kauravas; and let the great warrior Suśarmā proceed to the assigned territory.

4.29.23 The king, together with the Trigartas and with his full complement of forces and vehicles, well-guarded, shall go first into Matsya's territory.

4.29.24 We shall follow in the rear a day later, marching in a solid body into the well-prosperous territory of the king of Matsya.

4.29.25 Going quickly toward Virāṭa's city, let them swiftly fall upon the herdsmen there and seize great wealth.

4.29.26 Hundreds of thousands of cattle, fine and of good quality — these too we shall seize, dividing our army in two.

4.29.27 And so, going in the assigned direction of the fire — the southwest — that lord of earth Suśarmā seized the cattle on the seventh day of the fortnight of heat.

4.29.28 The next day, O king, all the Kauravas assembled together and on the eighth day seized those herds of cattle by the thousands.

4.30.1 Vaiśaṃpāyana said: Then, O great king, for those great-souled Pāṇḍavas of immeasurable splendor who had entered there in disguise —

4.30.2 — the agreed period had fully elapsed while they dwelt in that best of cities, performing the services of that lord of earth, Virāṭa.

4.30.3 Then, O Bhārata, at the close of that thirteenth year, the great cattle-wealth was seized by force by Suśarmā.

4.30.4 Then with great speed a herdsman came to the city; and having leapt down from his chariot, his earrings swinging, he approached the king of Matsya.

4.30.5 He saw the king surrounded by brave warriors wearing earrings and armlets, and together with noble ministers and the bull-like Pāṇḍavas.

4.30.6 Approaching Virāṭa, that great king seated in the assembly hall, increaser of the kingdom, he spoke with a bow.

4.30.7 "Defeating us in battle and humiliating us along with our kinsmen, the Trigartas are driving away hundreds of thousands of cattle. O lord of men, pursue them — let not your livestock be lost!"

4.30.8 Hearing that, the lord of the Matsyas marshaled his army — crowded with chariots, elephants, and horses, swarming with infantry and banners.

4.30.9 Kings and princes here put on their armor — radiant and variegated, finely crafted — each according to his own portion.

4.30.10 Śatānīka, the beloved brother of Virāṭa, brought armor reinforced with iron lightning-bolts and trimmed with heated gold.

4.30.11 Madirāśva, younger than Śatānīka, brought armor crafted entirely of excellent iron, covered with auspicious plates and very strong.

4.30.12 The king of the Matsyas himself brought his armor — blazing like a hundred suns, with a hundred swirling designs, a hundred spots, a hundred eyes, practically impenetrable.

4.30.13 Sūryadatta brought armor whose raised surfaces bore a hundred fragrant lotuses, with a golden back, gleaming like the sun.

4.30.14 Śaṅkha, the eldest heroic son of Virāṭa, brought armor that was firm, reinforced with iron, white, and set with a hundred eyes.

4.30.15 And the great warriors, god-like in form and fierce in attack, bound on their own armor by the hundreds as they prepared for battle.

4.30.16 The great chariot-warriors yoked their horses, each with golden harnesses, separately to fine, bright, and great chariots.

4.30.17 The great standard of Matsya, resembling the sun and moon, was then raised high on his divine, golden chariot.

4.30.18 Then other brave Kṣatriyas fastened various kinds of gold-adorned banners each to his own chariot.

4.30.19 Then king Matsya said to the youngest, Śatānīka: "Kaṅka, Ballava, Gopāla, and the valiant Dāmagrantha — it is my intention that they should fight; of this there is no doubt."

4.30.20 "Let chariots with banners and flags be given to these as well; let varied armor — both firm and flexible — be fastened on their bodies, and let weapons be given to them."

4.30.21 "Men of heroic build and resembling the trunks of elephant-lords — surely such men would never fail to fight. So runs my thinking."

4.30.22 Hearing the king's words and with his mind urgent, Śatānīka, O king, assigned chariots to the sons of Pṛthā — to Sahadeva, and to the king Yudhiṣṭhira, and to Bhīma, and to Nakula.

4.30.23 Then the chariot-drivers, filled with joy and with devotion to the king foremost in their hearts, quickly yoked those chariots designated by the lord of men.

4.30.24 The varied armor, firm and flexible, which Virāṭa had issued for those tireless warriors — having fastened it on their bodies, those scorchers of foes were clad in armor.

4.30.25 Swift, disguised in form, all skilled in battle, the four heroic Pāṇḍava brothers, bulls among Kurus, of true valor, followed behind Virāṭa together.

4.30.26 Fearsome elephants in rut, with ichor flowing from their temples, dripping like rain-clouds, with fine tusks, sixty years old —

4.30.27 — mounted by trained and battle-skilled elephant-drivers, followed the king from behind, moving like mountains.

4.30.28 Eight thousand chariots, ten hundred elephants, and sixty thousand horses of the Matsyas, ready, obedient, joyful, and following, sallied forth.

4.30.29 That army of Virāṭa shone brilliantly, O bull of the Bhāratas, O great king, as it marched forth to retrieve the track of the cattle.

4.30.30 That foremost army of Virāṭa set out and shone with splendor, crowded with men bearing firm weapons, thronged with elephants, horses, and chariots.

4.31.1 Vaiśaṃpāyana said: Having sallied forth from the city, the brave, array-formed, fierce Matsyas came upon the Trigartas as the sun was declining.

4.31.2 Those Trigartas and Matsyas, enraged, frenzied for battle, roaring at one another, greedy for cattle, mighty in strength —

4.31.3 — and fearsome elephants in rut, goaded with iron darts and elephant-hooks, mounted by village leaders skilled as elephant-drivers —

4.31.4 — their encounter was terrible, tumultuous, hair-raising, equal to the battle of gods and Asuras, O king, as the sun slanted down.

4.31.5 Earthen dust arose and nothing could be discerned; birds fell to the ground, obscured by the dust of the armies.

4.31.6 The sun was hidden by the crossing arrows; the sky shone as if filled with fireflies.

4.31.7 The gold-backed bows of the bowmen intertwined as the world's heroes fell — shooting left and right.

4.31.8 Chariots clashed with chariots, foot-soldiers with foot-soldiers, cavalry with cavalry, and great elephants with great elephants.

4.31.9 With swords, battle-axes, lances, javelins, and iron darts, enraged in the battle, O king, they slew one another.

4.31.10 Slaying one another in battle, those heroes with club-like arms, furiously engaged, were unable to make the heroes turn their backs.

4.31.11 A severed head was seen, with trimmed upper lip, fine nose, dressed hair, and adorned with earrings, covered with dust.

4.31.12 In that great slaughter of Kṣatriyas, limbs were seen, cut to pieces by arrows, resembling the trunks of Śala trees.

4.31.13 The earth was strewn there with arms like serpents' coils, anointed with sandalwood paste, and with heads bearing earrings.

4.31.14 The earthen dust was quelled by the spreading blood; a terrible, boundless faintness pervaded the field and raged without restraint.

4.31.15 Śatānīka, having slain a hundred, and Viśālākṣa, having slain four hundred, both great warriors, plunged into the vast Trigarta army and grappled in fierce combat, hair gripping hair, nails tearing nails.

4.31.16 Seeing those two plunge into the Trigartas' chariot host, Sūryadatta and Madirāśva followed behind them.

4.31.17 Virāṭa in that battle, having destroyed five hundred chariots and having slain here five hundred horses and five great warriors —

4.31.18 Ranging across many paths as a chieftain among chariot-warriors, he encountered Suśarman of the Trigartasthe one with the golden chariot—in battle.

4.31.19 Those two great-souled and mighty warriors fought there, roaring at each other like two bulls in a cattle-pen.

4.31.20 Then those two chariot-warriors, circling each other on their chariots from all sides, swiftly released arrows like rain-laden clouds pouring streams of water.

4.31.21 Extremely enraged at each other, impatient and skilled in weapons, bearing sword, spear, and mace, they ranged about, piercing each other with sharp arrows.

4.31.22 Then the king pierced Suśarman with ten arrows, and with five and five more he pierced his four horses.

4.31.23 Likewise Suśarman, frenzied in battle and a supreme master of weapons, pierced the king of Matsya with fifty sharp arrows.

4.31.24 Then the armies of both the Matsya king and Suśarman, enveloped in the dust of dusk, could no longer distinguish one another.

4.32.1 Vaiśaṃpāyana said: O Bhārata, with the world flooded by darkness and dust, the arrayed armies of combatants halted for a moment.

4.32.2 Then the moon rose, dispelling the darkness, making the night bright and bringing joy to the Kṣatriyas in battle.

4.32.3 Then, as light returned, the terrible battle resumed; even so, they could no longer properly observe one another.

4.32.4 Then Suśarman of Trigarta, together with his younger brother, charged at the king of Matsya from all sides with a multitude of chariots.

4.32.5 Then those two brothers, bulls among Kṣatriyas, leaped down from their chariots and, maces in hand, full of fury, charged toward the horses.

4.32.6 Likewise their forces, enraged, charged at one another with maces, swords, axes, and lances with sharp points and well-whetted edges.

4.32.7 But Suśarman, the lord of Trigarta, having crushed and forcibly overcome all the forces of Matsya with his own forces, charged at the mighty Virāṭa of Matsya.

4.32.8 Having slain separately the draft-horses and both rear-guard charioteers, those two seized the king of Matsya alive, his chariot rendered useless.

4.32.9 Suśarman, having seized him and placed him on his own chariot like a weeping bride, sped away with swift horses.

4.32.10 When the mighty Virāṭa was thus captured and left without a chariot, the Matsyas fled in fear, greatly tormented by the Trigartasas.

4.32.11 While they were being routed in terror, Yudhiṣṭhira, son of Kuntī, addressed the mighty-armed Bhīmasena, the subduer of foes.

4.32.12 The king of Matsya has been seized by Suśarman of Trigarta—free him, O mighty-armed one; let him not fall under the power of our enemies.

4.32.13 We have all dwelt in comfort, honored with every wish fulfilled; O Bhīmasena, you must repay that hospitality now.

4.32.14 Bhīmasena said: By your command, O king, I shall rescue him. Behold my great deed as I fight against the enemies.

4.32.15 Relying on the strength of my own arms, stand aside with your brothers, O king; withdrawing to one side, witness my prowess today.

4.32.16 This great tree with its sturdy trunk stands like a mace; uprooting it, I shall rout the enemies.

4.32.17 Vaiśaṃpāyana said: As that one, like a maddened elephant, was eyeing the forest lord, Dharmarāja Yudhiṣṭhira spoke to his heroic brother.

4.32.18 Do not act rashly, O Bhīma; let this forest tree remain. O Bhārata, lest people, seeing you perform superhuman deeds with a tree, recognize you as Bhīma.

4.32.19 Take up some other, more human weapon instead—a bow, a lance, a sword, or an axe.

4.32.20 Whatever human weapon, O Bhīma, would go unnoticed by others—take up that weapon and quickly free the lord of the earth.

4.32.21 And the two mighty twins shall be your wheel-guards; they will array themselves in battle, dear one, seeking to protect the king of Matsya.

4.32.22 Then all of them together urged their horses forward, invoking divine weapons and full of fury toward the Trigartasas.

4.32.23 Seeing the Pāṇḍavas with their chariots turned back toward them, that great army of Virāṭa, supremely enraged, fought in a most wondrous manner.

4.32.24 There Yudhiṣṭhira, son of Kuntī, slew a thousand; Bhīma dispatched seven hundred warriors to the next world; Nakula too sent seven hundred with his arrows.

4.32.25 The glorious Sahadeva, that bull among men, commanded by Yudhiṣṭhira, slew three hundred heroes, breaking through that great army of the Trigartasas, O bull among men.

4.32.26 Then king Yudhiṣṭhira, that great chariot-warrior, swiftly charging at Suśarman, struck him hard with arrows.

4.32.27 Suśarman too, greatly enraged, swiftly pierced Yudhiṣṭhira with nine arrows and his four horses with four each.

4.32.28 Then, O king, Vṛkodara, son of Kuntī, swift in action, charging at Suśarman, slaughtered his horses.

4.32.29 And having slain his two rear-guards with supreme arrows, enraged, he then dragged his charioteer down from the chariot-platform.

4.32.30 And the wheel-guard, the renowned hero called Śoṇāśva, seeing the Trigarta in single-chariot combat, then fled in fear.

4.32.31 Then Virāṭa, having leaped down from Suśarman's chariot, grabbed his mace and struck him with it; that powerful man moved about mace in hand like a young man, though aged.

4.32.32 But Bhīma, dreadful in appearance and earring-adorned, leaped from his chariot and seized the king of Trigarta as a lion seizes a small animal.

4.32.33 When that great chariot-warrior of the Trigartasas was seized and left without his chariot, the entire Trigarta army broke and fled, stricken with terror.

4.32.34 Then the mighty sons of Pāṇḍu, having recovered all the cattle, having subdued Suśarman, and having seized all his wealth,

4.32.35 endowed with the strength of their own arms, restrained by modesty, steadfast in their vows, passed that night happily in the midst of the battlefield.

4.32.36 Then Virāṭa honored those great chariot-warriors, the sons of Kuntī, of superhuman valor, with wealth and esteem.

4.32.37 Virāṭa said: Whatever jewels are mine are equally yours; use them all as you desire and as pleases you.

4.32.38 I shall give you adorned maidens and various riches, and whatever else your hearts desire, O destroyers of foes.

4.32.39 By your valor I am today freed and stand here in safety; therefore, all of you are indeed lords over the Matsyas.

4.32.40 Vaiśaṃpāyana said: All the descendants of the Kurus, led by Yudhiṣṭhira, with joined palms, each replied to Matsya who had spoken thus.

4.32.41 We receive your words with joy, O lord of the people, and we are satisfied by this alone—that you are today freed from your enemies.

4.32.42 Then with a joyful heart, the king of Matsya, the mighty-armed Virāṭa, best of kings, once again said to Yudhiṣṭhira: Come, I shall consecrate you—be our king of Matsya.

4.32.43 And whatever your heart desires, O destroyer of foes, all of that I shall give you; you are worthy of our everything.

4.32.44 Jewels, cattle, gold, gems and pearls—O descendant of Vyāghrapāda, O lord of brāhmaṇas, to you all homage in every way.

4.32.45 For because of you I today see both my kingdom and myself; and the one from whom the conflict arose—that enemy too has been brought under control.

4.32.46 Then Yudhiṣṭhira once again addressed Matsya: I joyfully accept your words; you speak pleasingly, O Matsya.

4.32.47 Be ever dedicated to non-cruelty and always be very happy. Let swift messengers go to your city, O king, to announce the glad tidings to your friends and proclaim your victory.

4.32.48 Then, at those words, king Matsya instructed the messengers: Go to the city and announce my victory in battle.

4.32.49 Let the princes come adorned from my city, and all the musical instruments, and the courtesans well-adorned.

4.32.50 Those messengers, having traveled through the entire night and toward sunrise, proclaimed the victory near the city of Virāṭa.

4.33.1 Vaiśaṃpāyana said: While the Matsya king had gone toward the Trigartasas to recover his cattle, Duryodhana with his ministers then marched against Virāṭa.

4.33.2 Bhīṣma, Droṇa, Karṇa, and Kṛpa the supreme weapon-master, Drauṇi and the son of Subala, and the lord Duḥśāsana—

4.33.3 Viviṃśati, Vikarṇa, the valiant Citrasena, Durmukha, Duḥsaha—and whatever other great chariot-warriors there were.

4.33.4 These, having come against the Matsyas, the subjects of king Virāṭa, swiftly scattered the settlements and with force carried off the cattle.

4.33.5 The Kurus were driving sixty thousand cows, surrounding them on all sides with a great multitude of chariots.

4.33.6 In the settlements of the cowherds, as they were being slaughtered by those great chariot-warriors, a tremendous uproar arose in the terrifying encounter.

4.33.7 The superintendent of cattle, terrified, quickly mounted a chariot and went directly to the city, crying out piteously in distress.

4.33.8 Having entered the city, he went then to the king's palace; quickly alighting from the chariot, he entered to deliver the news.

4.33.9 Seeing Bhūmiṃjaya, the proud son of Matsya, he reported to him all the plundering of the kingdom's cattle.

4.33.10 The Kurus are driving away sixty thousand cows—arise to conquer that wealth of cattle, the prosperity of the kingdom.

4.33.11 O prince, wishing your welfare, please go out yourself quickly; the Matsya king, lord of the earth, has appointed you here as guardian in his absence.

4.33.12 That lord of men praises you in the assembly, saying: 'My son is suited to me, a hero, and the upholder of our lineage.'

4.33.13 'A fighter skilled in archery and ever heroic is my son'—let the words of that lord of men prove true.

4.33.14 Turn back the Kurus after defeating them and recover the cattle, O best among the wealthy; burn their armies with the fierce blazing of your arrows.

4.33.15 With gold-feathered, well-jointed arrows loosed from the bow, pierce the enemies' armies like a bull-elephant leading a herd.

4.33.16 Play the bow-vīṇā, whose strings are the bowstring, whose pillow is the arrow-notch, whose shaft is the handle, which resounds greatly and is adorned with arrows, in the midst of the enemies.

4.33.17 Let white horses, resplendent as silver, be yoked to your chariot, and let the golden lion-banner be raised on high for you, O lord.

4.33.18 Let your gold-feathered arrows with bright tips, released by your skillful hand—arrows that cut short the lives of kings—cover even the sun.

4.33.19 Having conquered all the Kurus in battle as Vajrapāṇi conquered the demons, having won great glory, enter this city again.

4.33.20 You are the supreme refuge of the kingdom, son of the Matsya lord; let all the subjects of the realm today find their recourse through you.

4.33.21 Thus addressed in the midst of women, that one, boasting in the inner chambers, spoke this fearless-seeming word in response.

4.34.1 Uttara said: Today I would follow the tracks of the cattle, firm-bowed as I am, if only I had a charioteer who is skilled with horses.

4.34.2 But I cannot find the man who would be my driver; look quickly for a charioteer suitable for me as I am about to set out.

4.34.3 Twenty-eight nights ago, or at most a month, there was that great battle in which my charioteer was slain.

4.34.4 If only I could find another man skilled in driving horses, I would go today with all speed, my great banner raised high.

4.34.5 Plunging into their army, crowded with elephants, horses and chariots, I would defeat the Kurus — stripped of valour by my weapons — and bring back the cattle.

4.34.6 Duryodhana, the son of Śaṃtanu, Karṇa the son of Vikartana, Kṛpa, Droṇa together with his son — all these great archers assembled —

4.34.7 — I would terrify them in battle as the bearer of the thunderbolt terrifies the demons, and in this very hour bring the cattle back again.

4.34.8 The Kurus seized their opportunity when the land was empty of defenders and march off taking the cattle-wealth. What could I do, since I was not there?

4.34.9 Let those assembled Kurus witness my valor today — as if to say, 'Can this be Pārtha Arjuna himself who harasses us?'

4.34.10 Vaiśaṃpāyana said: As he kept repeating these words again and again among the women, the Pāñcālī princess could not bear to hear Bībhatsu's name spoken thus.

4.34.11 Then that distressed woman came forward from among the ladies and, as if shyly, spoke these words to him softly.

4.34.12 "That youth of mighty elephant-like splendor, handsome and delightful to behold, known by the name Bṛhannaḍā — he was the charioteer of Pārtha.

4.34.13 He was also second to none in archery, a pupil of that great soul. I saw him before, O hero, when I was moving among the Pāṇḍavas.

4.34.14 When the fire burned that great forest of Khāṇḍava, it was he who controlled the excellent horses for Arjuna at that time.

4.34.15 With that charioteer, Pārtha conquered all creatures on every side at Khāṇḍavaprastha — for there is no driver like him.

4.34.16 This beautiful-hipped princess, your younger sister — he will do whatever she says, O hero; of this there is no doubt.

4.34.17 If he were to serve as charioteer, then without any doubt you would conquer all the Kurus, recover the cattle and certainly return home."

4.34.18 Thus addressed by the Sairandhrī, he spoke to his sister: "Go, O blameless-limbed one, and bring Bṛhannaḍā to me."

4.34.19 Sent by her brother, she went quickly to the dance-hall where that mighty-armed Pāṇḍava dwelt, living in disguise.

4.35.1 Vaiśaṃpāyana said: Seeing that wide-eyed princess, his companion addressed his companion with a laugh: "Where have you come from, O princess?"

4.35.2 The princess approached that bull among men and, cultivating intimacy, spoke these words in the midst of the women companions:

4.35.3 "The cattle of the kingdom are being driven off by the Kurus, O Bṛhannaḍā. My brother, the bowman, is going to set out to defeat them.

4.35.4 Not long ago his charioteer was killed in battle, and there is no driver equal to him who could now serve as his charioteer.

4.35.5 For him who is thus seeking a charioteer, O Bṛhannaḍā, the Sairandhrī spoke of your skill in horse-lore.

4.35.6 Do serve well as charioteer for my brother, O Bṛhannaḍā — for the Kurus are already driving our cattle far away.

4.35.7 If today, being urged out of affection, you will not do this thing I ask, I shall abandon my life."

4.35.8 Thus addressed by that beautiful-hipped companion, the scorcher of foes went to the presence of the prince of immeasurable might.

4.35.9 She of wide eyes followed behind him as he walked quickly, like a young elephant-cow following behind a great maddened elephant.

4.35.10 Seeing him from a distance, the prince spoke to him: "With you as charioteer, Pārtha satisfied the fire in the Khāṇḍava forest.

4.35.11 Dhanaṃjaya, son of Kuntī, conquered the entire earth. The Sairandhrī has told me of you — for she knows the Pāṇḍavas.

4.35.12 So take hold of my horses, O Bṛhannaḍā — for me as I am about to fight the Kurus in order to recover the cattle-wealth."

4.35.13 "You were indeed formerly the beloved charioteer of Arjuna; with your help as ally, that bull of the Pāṇḍavas conquered the earth.

4.35.14 Thus addressed, Bṛhannaḍā replied to the prince: "What power have I to serve as charioteer at the head of battle?

4.35.15 Singing, or dancing, or playing various instruments — that I will do; blessings on you — but where would chariot-driving come from in me?"

4.35.16 Uttara said: "Be a singer or a dancer again later, O Bṛhannaḍā — for now, quickly mount my chariot and take hold of the excellent horses."

4.35.17 Vaiśaṃpāyana said: There the Pāṇḍava, knowing everything, performed many playful acts right in front of Uttarā, O subduer of foes.

4.35.18 He tossed a piece of armor up into the air and then buckled it onto his body; the wide-eyed maidens there, seeing him, laughed aloud.

4.35.19 Seeing him fumbling, Uttara himself then bound on Bṛhannaḍā the most excellent and precious armor.

4.35.20 He himself also wore the finest armor, brilliant as rays of light, and raising the lion-banner, prepared himself for the role of charioteer.

4.35.21 Taking up the most precious bows and many beautiful arrows, the hero set out with Bṛhannaḍā as charioteer.

4.35.22 Then Uttarā and the maiden companions said to her: "O Bṛhannaḍā, bring us beautiful garments —

4.35.23 — fine and variegated and of many kinds, for the sake of our dolls, after defeating in battle the Kurus headed by Bhīṣma and Droṇa."

4.35.24 Then to those maidens speaking together, the son of Pāṇḍu replied with a laugh — Pārtha, whose voice resounded like the drum of a thunder-cloud:

4.35.25 "If this Uttara defeats the great warriors in battle, then I shall bring back divine and beautiful garments for you."

4.35.26 Having said this, Bībhatsu the hero then urged on the horses toward the Kurus, who displayed many banners and pennants.

4.36.1 Vaiśaṃpāyana said: Having departed from the royal capital, Vairāṭi the earth-conqueror said to his charioteer: "Drive on to where the Kurus have gone."

4.36.2 "Having swiftly defeated the assembled Kurus who seek victory, and having quickly recovered their cattle, I shall return to my own city."

4.36.3 Then the son of Pāṇḍu urged on the excellent horses. Those steeds, urged on by the lion among men, swift as the wind, seemed to scratch at the sky as they sped forward, wearing their golden garlands.

4.36.4 Having gone not too great a distance, the son of Matsya and Dhanaṃjaya — both destroyers of enemies — surveyed the great host of the powerful Kurus. Going toward the cremation ground, they then came upon the Kurus.

4.36.5 That great army of theirs blazed forth with the roar of the ocean, seeming to spread across the sky like a forest dense with trees.

4.36.6 The dust raised by that army spreading out was seen — touching the sky, destroying the sight of all beings, O best of men.

4.36.7 Seeing that great army crowded with elephants, horses and chariots, guarded by Karṇa, Duryodhana, Kṛpa and the son of Śaṃtanu,

4.36.8 — and by Droṇa together with his son, that great archer of keen intellect — with hair standing on end and shaken by fear, Vairāṭi spoke to Pārtha:

4.36.9 "I do not dare to fight with the Kurus — look at how my hair stands on end! Full of many heroes and utterly terrible, difficult to approach even for the gods, I cannot face the endless Kuru army in battle."

4.36.10 "I have no confidence in entering the Bhārata army with its terrible bows, crowded with chariots, elephants and horses, swarming with foot-soldiers and banners — for merely at the sight of the foe in battle, my own self seems to tremble.

4.36.11 Where Droṇa and Bhīṣma are, Kṛpa, Karṇa and Viviṃśati, Aśvatthāmā and Vikarṇa, Somadatta and Bāhlika —

4.36.12 — and also the heroic Duryodhana, that king foremost among chariot-warriors — all of them glorious great archers, all skilled in warfare —

4.36.13 — merely beholding these Kurus arrayed in battle-formation, ready to strike, my hair has bristled and faintness has come upon me.

4.36.14 Vaiśaṃpāyana said: In the very presence of the left-handed archer, this foolish one — through his own stupidity — laments before the knowledgeable one who has ventured what he has not ventured.

4.36.15 "My father has gone against the Trigarta king, leaving me behind in an empty city with all the army taken — I have no soldiers here.

4.36.16 I alone, a mere boy, untrained in effort, cannot face so many skilled warriors in battle. Turn back, O Bṛhannaḍā!"

4.36.17 Arjuna said: "You appear wretched with fear, increasing the joy of your enemies — and yet the foes have not yet done any deed on the battlefield.

4.36.18 And you yourself told me, 'Drive me against the Kauravas.' I shall take you to that very place where all these banners are flying.

4.36.19 Into the midst of those flesh-greedy, violent Kurus — fighters of the earth — I shall take you, O mighty-armed one.

4.36.20 Having thus promised valor to the women and boasted of it among men, having marched out — why will you not fight?

4.36.21 If you return home without having won back those cattle, O hero, men and women gathered together will mock you.

4.36.22 I too was here praised by the Sairandhrī for the task of charioteering — I cannot go back to the city without having won the cattle.

4.36.23 Given the Sairandhrī's praise and your own words to me, how could I not fight all the Kurus? Be steady!"

4.36.24 Uttara said: "Let the Kurus take away the greater part of the Matsya people's wealth if they wish, and let women and men mock me too, O Bṛhannaḍā —

4.36.25 Vaiśaṃpāyana said: Having said this, the dull-witted one, wearing his earrings, leaped down from the chariot in terror and ran away, abandoning his pride and casting aside his arrow-laden bow.

4.36.26 Bṛhannaḍā said: "Flight has never been remembered by the ancients as the duty of a Kṣatriya. Death in battle is better for you — not the flight of a coward."

4.36.27 Vaiśaṃpāyana said: Having thus spoken, the son of Kuntī — Dhanaṃjaya — leaped down from that excellent chariot and chased after the fleeing prince, shaking his long braid and wearing his crimson garments.

4.36.28 As he ran with his braid flying, certain soldiers who did not recognize Arjuna laughed, seeing him in such a form.

4.36.29 Seeing him running swiftly, the Kurus said: "Who is this one concealed by his disguise, like fire hidden under ashes?

4.36.30 Something about him is like a man, and something about him is like a woman; yet he bears a resemblance to Arjuna even while wearing an eunuch's guise.

4.36.31 That very same head and neck, those two arms like iron bars, the same heroic bearing — this one is none other than Dhanaṃjaya.

4.36.32 As Indra, lord of the gods, is among the immortals — so is Dhanaṃjaya among men. Who else in the world but Dhanaṃjaya would come against us alone?"

4.36.33 "Only one son of Virāṭa, left alone in the empty city — he has indeed marched out, but out of boyish rashness, not out of manly valor.

4.36.34 Surely Uttara has made Pārtha Arjuna — who was living in disguise — his charioteer and marched out of the city.

4.36.35 It seems to me that he, frightened upon seeing our banners, is fleeing, and Dhanaṃjaya is surely running to catch him as he runs away."

4.36.36 Thus all the Kurus reflected separately, each to themselves, and they could not decide anything definite about Uttara, seeing that Pāṇḍava likewise in his disguise, O Bhārata.

4.36.37 But Dhanaṃjaya, pursuing Uttara as he ran headlong, went swiftly a hundred steps and seized him by the hair.

4.36.38 Seized by Arjuna, the son of Virāṭa lamented piteously then, weeping much and pitifully.

4.36.39 "I will give you a hundred niṣkas of pure refined gold, and eight great-lustred beryl gems set in gold.

4.36.40 A chariot fitted with gold staffs and harnessed with fine horses, and ten maddened elephants — release me, O Bṛhannaḍā!"

4.36.41 Vaiśaṃpāyana said: Laughing at these and such words of the senseless, lamenting one, the tiger among men brought the chariot near.

4.36.42 Then Pārtha spoke to him who was overcome with fear and had lost his wits: "If you dare not fight the enemies, O tormentor of foes, come and hold the horses for me while I engage the enemies in battle."

4.36.43 "Advance toward that army of chariots, protected by the strength of my arms — that terrible, most formidable force guarded by great warriors and mighty chariot-fighters."

4.36.44 "Fear not, O foremost of princes! You are a kṣatriya, O scorcher of foes. I shall fight the Kurus and recover your cattle."

4.36.45 "Enter this chariot army that is unassailable and hard to approach; be the charioteer, O best of men, while I fight with the Kurus."

4.36.46 Speaking thus, the invincible Bībhatsu, O bull of the Bhārata line, for a moment comforted that prince Uttara, the son of Virāṭa.

4.36.47 Then Pārtha, the foremost of warriors, mounted him — unwilling and oppressed with fear and struggling — onto the chariot.

4.37.1 Vaiśaṃpāyana said: Seeing that bull among men, clad in eunuch's garb, standing on the chariot with Uttara now mounted, heading toward the śamī tree —

4.37.2 — the foremost chariot warriors of the Kurus, led by Bhīṣma and Droṇa, were all struck with terror at the fear inspired by Dhanaṃjaya.

4.37.3 Observing them dispirited and beholding also the portentous omens, the preceptor Bhāradvāja, foremost of weapon-bearers, addressed them.

4.37.4 "Harsh winds blow restlessly with rough, harsh sounds; the sky is covered with darkness of an ashen hue.

4.37.5 Clouds of grim colour appear with wondrous appearance; and various weapons are issuing out of their sheaths by themselves.

4.37.6 Terrible jackals howl in the blazing quarter; horses shed tears and standards tremble though there is no wind.

4.37.7 Given the many signs and forms seen here, let all of you stand alert — battle seems to be at hand.

4.37.8 Guard yourselves; array the army in battle-formation; be ready for slaughter; and protect the cattle as well.

4.37.9 This great bowman, the best of all weapon-bearers, who has come in the disguise of a eunuch — he is Pārtha; there is no doubt in this.

4.37.10 This very Pārtha, valiant Savyasācī, the scorcher of foes — he would not turn back from battle even against all the hosts of the Maruts.

4.37.11 Afflicted in the forest, trained by Vāsava himself, this hero — overcome by righteous wrath — will fight. Of this there is no doubt.

4.37.12 I see no opponent worthy of him here, O Kauravas. Even Mahādeva, it is heard, was pleased with Pārtha in battle.

4.37.13 Karṇa said: "You always boast to us of Phalguna's virtues; yet Arjuna is not a full part equal to me or to Duryodhana."

4.37.14 Duryodhana said: "If this is indeed Pārtha, O son of Rādhā, my purpose would be accomplished — our kinsmen would have to spend another twelve years in exile."

4.37.15 "Or if this is merely some other man dressed as a eunuch, I shall strike him down to the ground with my well-sharpened arrows."

4.37.16 Vaiśaṃpāyana said: As the son of Dhṛtarāṣṭra, that scorcher of foes, spoke those words, Bhīṣma, Droṇa, Kṛpa, and the son of Droṇa applauded that sentiment of valor.

4.38.1 Vaiśaṃpāyana said: Approaching that śamī tree, Pārtha addressed the son of Virāṭa — that delicate youth of noble birth, not greatly skilled in battle.

4.38.2 "As I have commanded you, quickly bring down the bows from this tree, Uttara — for these own bows of yours cannot bear my strength."

4.38.3 "They could not bear the heavy weight, nor endure an elephant's crushing force, nor the sweeping pull of my arms as I conquer the enemies here."

4.38.4 "Therefore, O Bhūmiṃjaya, climb this leafy śamī tree — for in it the bows of the sons of Pāṇḍu are deposited."

4.38.5 "The standards, arrows and divine armour of those heroes — of Yudhiṣṭhira, Bhīma, Bībhatsu, and the twin sons of Mādrī — are all there."

4.38.6 "Here too is this Gāṇḍīva, Pārtha's bow of great power, equal in worth to a hundred thousand bows — the increaser of the kingdom."

4.38.7 "Exceedingly capable of enduring great exertion, great as the king of grasses, supreme among all weapons, the afflicting cause of enemies."

4.38.8 "Adorned with gold, divine, smooth, long, without blemish, fully capable of bearing great weight, terrible yet beautiful to behold — and all the others are equally powerful and sturdy."

4.38.9 Uttara said: "We have heard that a corpse is bound in this tree. How then can I, being a prince, touch it with my hand?"

4.38.10 "It is not proper for me, born of kṣatriya lineage, a great prince, knower of mantras and sacrifices and of virtuous character, to touch such a thing."

4.38.11 "Having touched a corpse, impure as a corpse-carrier, how could you then deal with me as with a pure person, O Bṛhannaḍā?"

4.38.12 Bṛhannaḍā said: "You will remain fit for dealings with others and pure indeed, O lord of kings. Fear not these bows — there is no corpse here."

4.38.13 "How could I make you, the heir and son born in the lineage of the king of the Matsyas, a man of noble spirit, do a censurable act, O son of a king?"

4.38.14 Vaiśaṃpāyana said: Thus addressed by Pārtha, the earring-adorned son of Virāṭa leapt from the chariot and unwillingly climbed the śamī tree.

4.38.15 Standing on the chariot, Dhanaṃjaya instructed him and quickly undid the coverings of those weapons.

4.38.16 Loosening all their fastenings on every side likewise, he saw the Gāṇḍīva there together with four other bows.

4.38.17 As those bows bright as the sun were being loosened, their divine radiance blazed forth like the rising of planets.

4.38.18 Beholding their forms stretching out like serpents uncoiling, his hair stood erect and in an instant he became stricken with fear.

4.38.19 Having touched those radiant and great bows, the son of Virāṭa spoke these words to Arjuna, O king.

4.38.20 Uttara said: "On which a hundred drops of refined gold have been set, and thousands of golden fittings — whose is this excellent bow?"

4.38.21 "On whose back golden elephants shine, armour-clad, with fine sides and easy to grip — whose is this excellent bow?"

4.38.22 "On whose back sixty indragopaka insects of pure refined gold are arranged and gleam — whose is this excellent bow?"

4.38.23 "On which three golden suns blaze, armour-clad, blazing with splendour — whose is this excellent bow?"

4.38.24 "On which golden locusts variegated in refined gold are set, and which is adorned with gold and gems — whose is this excellent bow?"

4.38.25 "And whose are these thousands of iron arrows with quill-like flights, tipped all around with refined silver, in a golden quiver?"

4.38.26 "Whose are these broad, thick arrows with vulture feathers, sharpened on stone, turmeric-coloured, well-tipped, yellow, and wholly iron?"

4.38.27 "Whose is this dark-inlaid quiver bearing the mark of five tigers, mixed with boar-ear feathered arrows, holding ten shafts?"

4.38.28 "Whose are these broad, long, entirely iron arrows — seven hundred nārāca shafts that drink blood standing ready?"

4.38.29 "Whose are these arrows — their forward halves beautifully feathered like parrot wings, their rear halves yellow iron with golden nocks, sharpened on stone?"

4.38.30 "Whose is this long arrow, smooth-backed and sharp-pointed, placed in a tiger-skin sheath, with a large handle adorned in gold?"

4.38.31 "Whose is this sword with a fine blade, in a decorated sheath, a great arrow hung with small bells, with a divine golden hilt, completely unblemished?"

4.38.32 "Whose is this spotless sword placed in a cow-hide sheath, with a golden hilt, irresistible — the sword of Naiṣadha, capable of bearing great weight?"

4.38.33 "Whose arrow in a five-nailed sheath has a golden form, endowed with perfect measure and appearance, yellow and resembling the sky?"

4.38.34 "Whose is this heavy, yellow, polished, entirely unblemished sword — a nistriṃśa blade in a golden sheath, well-heated and blazing like fire?"

4.38.35 "Tell me truthfully as I ask you, O Bṛhannaḍā — great wonder has arisen in me upon seeing all these magnificent things."

4.38.36 Bṛhannaḍā said: "What you first asked me about — the destroyer of enemy armies — this is Gāṇḍīva, Pārtha's bow, renowned throughout the worlds."

4.38.37 "This supreme weapon of all arms, adorned with refined gold — this is Arjuna's Gāṇḍīva, the paramount weapon."

4.38.38 "That which is equal in worth to a hundred thousand bows, the increaser of the kingdom — with this Pārtha withstands both gods and men in battle."

4.38.39 "Honoured by gods, dānavas and gandharvas through eternal ages — Brahmā first held this bow for a thousand years."

4.38.40 "After him, Prajāpati held it; then three hundred and five hundred years; and Śakra held it for eighty-five years."

4.38.41 "King Soma held it for five hundred years; likewise Varuṇa for a hundred; and Pārtha the white-horsed one has held it for sixty-five years."

4.38.42 "Of great power, great, divine — this supreme bow, honoured among gods and mortals, bears its paramount form."

4.38.43 "The bow with fine sides and a gold grip — that is Bhīmasena's, with which Pārtha the scorcher of foes conquered the entire eastern quarter."

4.38.44 "And this one, beautifully formed and adorned with indragopaka insects — this is the excellent bow of King Yudhiṣṭhira, O son of Virāṭa."

4.38.45 "On which golden suns shine brilliantly, blazing with splendour — this is Nakula's weapon."

4.38.46 "On which golden locusts variegated in refined gold are set — this is the bow of the son of Mādrī, Sahadeva."

4.38.47 "And these thousands of razor-like arrows with quill feathers — these are Arjuna's arrows in the land of Virāṭa, equal in venom to serpents."

4.38.48 "These, blazing in battle with their splendour, swift in flight, are the hero's inexhaustible arrows that scatter enemies in combat."

4.38.49 "And these broad, long arrows that resemble a half-disk of the moon — these are Bhīma's sharp arrows that bring destruction to enemies."

4.38.50 "These turmeric-coloured ones with golden nocks, sharpened on stone — this is Nakula's quiver bearing the mark of five tigers."

4.38.51 "With which that wise son of Mādrī conquered the entire western quarter in battle — this quiver was his."

4.38.52 "And these arrows shaped like the sun, entirely iron, variegated and furnished with ritual markings — these belong to the wise Sahadeva."

4.38.53 "And these sharp, yellow, broad, long-shafted great arrows with golden nocks and three nodes — these, O prince, are the king's great arrows."

4.38.54 "And this long arrow, smooth-backed and sharp-pointed, capable of bearing great weight and firm — this is Arjuna's in battle."

4.38.55 The great tiger-skin-scabbarded sword belonging to Bhīmasena — divine, capable of bearing heavy weight — is a source of terror to his enemies.

4.38.56 This straight-bladed sword with a beautiful variegated scabbard and a golden hilt, unsurpassed in excellence, belongs to the Kaurava Dharmarāja, the wise one.

4.38.57 This straight-bladed sword stored in a scabbard adorned with five-nailed designs and bright embellishments — heavy-bearing and firm — belongs to Nakula.

4.38.58 Know that this spotless sword sheathed in a cowhide scabbard, capable of bearing all weight and firm, belongs to Sahadeva.

4.39.1 Uttara said: These weapons of the great-souled Pārthas, wrought with gold and variously fashioned, shine beautifully — belonging to swift-acting warriors.

4.39.2 Where indeed are Arjuna the son of Pṛthā, or the Kaurava Yudhiṣṭhira, and Nakula and Sahadeva and Bhīmasena the Pāṇḍava?

4.39.3 All of them — great souls, destroyers of all enemies — having lost their kingdom at dice, are never heard of anymore.

4.39.4 And where is Draupadī the Pāñcālī, celebrated as a jewel among women? When the dark one's husbands were defeated at dice, she followed them into the forest.

4.39.5 Arjuna said: I am Arjuna, son of Pṛthā. Yudhiṣṭhira is the keeper of the assembly hall. Bhīmasena is Ballava, your father's cook.

4.39.6 Nakula is the horse-keeper, and Sahadeva works among the cattle. Know Draupadī to be the Sairandhrī on whose account Kīcaka was slain.

4.39.7 Uttara said: If you were to recite for me the ten names of the son of Pṛthā that I have heard before, then I would believe everything you say.

4.39.8 Arjuna said: Come then, I shall tell you my ten names: Arjuna, Phalguna, Jiṣṇu, Kirīṭī, Śvetavāhana, Bībhatsu, Vijaya, Kṛṣṇa, Savyasācin, and Dhanañjaya.

4.39.9 Uttara said: Why are you called Vijaya? Why are you called Śvetavāhana? Why Kirīṭī? And how are you Savyasācin?

4.39.10 And why are you Arjuna, Phalguna, Jiṣṇu, Kṛṣṇa, Bībhatsu, and Dhanañjaya? Tell me truly. I have heard only the names of that hero, but not the reasons for them.

4.39.11 Arjuna said: Having conquered all the realms and seized their wealth alone, I stand at the center of that treasure — therefore they call me Dhanañjaya, the winner of wealth.

4.39.12 Because when I advance into battle against those arrogant in war, I do not turn back without conquering — therefore they know me as Vijaya, the victorious.

4.39.13 White horses clad in golden armor are yoked to my chariot when I fight in battle — therefore I am Śvetavāhana, the one with white steeds.

4.39.14 I was born by day on the slopes of the Himālayas under the two Phālgunī asterisms — northern and southern — therefore they know me as Phalguna.

4.39.15 Long ago Śakra gave me, while I was fighting the lords of the Dānavas, a diadem radiant as the sun placed on my head — therefore they call me Kirīṭī, the diademed one.

4.39.16 I would never perform a loathsome deed in any manner while fighting — therefore among gods and men they know me as Bībhatsu, the one who shuns the abhorrent.

4.39.17 Both my hands are right-handed in the drawing of the Gāṇḍīva bow — therefore among gods and men they call me Savyasācin, the ambidextrous.

4.39.18 In the earth bounded by its four limits, my hue is rare and unblemished, and I perform pure deeds — therefore they know me as Arjuna, the bright one.

4.39.19 I am hard to approach, difficult to assail, a tamer of foes, the chastiser of Pāka — therefore among gods and men I am renowned by the name Jiṣṇu, the triumphant.

4.39.20 My father gave me Kṛṣṇa as my tenth name out of affection for the child, me, who was dark yet spotless and virtuous.

4.39.21 Vaiśaṃpāyana said: Then the son of Virāṭa approached the son of Pṛthā and greeted him respectfully, saying: "My name is Bhuminjaya, and I am also called Uttara."

4.39.22 "By good fortune do I behold you, O Pārtha! Welcome, O Dhanañjaya, red-eyed and mighty-armed, like the hood of a lord of serpents! Whatever I said to you in ignorance, please forgive me for that."

4.39.23 "Because of the wondrous and difficult deeds you have performed in the past, my fear has passed away and my affection for you is the greatest."

4.40.1 Uttara said: Having mounted your great chariot, O hero, with me as charioteer, against which army will you advance? Tell me, and I shall go there as you direct.

4.40.2 Arjuna said: I am pleased, O tiger among men! There is no fear for you. I shall drive away all your enemies in battle, O you who are skilled in combat.

4.40.3 Be at ease, O great-minded one! Watch me fighting with the enemies in this clash, performing a great and terrifying feat.

4.40.4 Quickly fasten all these quivers to my chariot, and bring that straight-bladed sword adorned with pure gold — I shall indeed fight the Kurus and win back your cattle.

4.40.5 With wings spread by intent, its archways formed by mighty arms, thronged with triple-staffed quivers and crowded with many banners —

4.40.6 — with the twanging of the bowstring done in wrath, the rumble of the wheel-rims like a kettledrum, this chariot beneath you shall be, for you, a city protected by me.

4.40.7 This chariot, commanded in battle by me, the bearer of the Gāṇḍīva bow, is unconquerable by enemy armies, O son of Virāṭa! Let your fear depart.

4.40.8 Uttara said: I do not fear them; I know you to be steadfast in battle, equal in combat even to Keśava himself, or indeed to Indra in person.

4.40.9 Yet pondering this very thing I become utterly confused — being of poor understanding, I cannot in any way reach a conclusion.

4.40.10 For one whose body is that of a hero and who is endowed with appropriate marks of distinction — how has this state of being a eunuch come about through the ripening of deeds?

4.40.11 I think you to be the trident-bearing god himself, or perhaps the king of the Gandharvas, moving about in the disguise of a eunuch — or even Śatakratu, the god of a hundred sacrifices.

4.40.12 Arjuna said: By the command of my eldest brother I have observed this vow for a year, practicing celibacy — this is the truth I tell you.

4.40.13 I am not a eunuch, O mighty-armed one — I am bound by dharma, subject to another's will. Know me to have completed my vow and to have passed through it, O son of a king.

4.40.14 Uttara said: Today I receive the greatest favor, because my inference was not in vain — for those of eunuch appearance are surely not supreme men of this kind.

4.40.15 I shall be your ally in battle and could fight even against the immortals! My timidity has vanished. Tell me — what shall I do?

4.40.16 I shall hold the reins of your horses, breaker of enemy chariots — for I am trained in chariot-driving through proper instruction, O bull among men.

4.40.17 As Dāruka is to Vāsudeva, as Mātali is to Śakra, so know me to be trained in chariotship, O foremost of men.

4.40.18 The horse yoked on the right shaft, resembling Sugrīva in quality, is one whose hoof-prints on the ground cannot be seen as he gallops.

4.40.19 This splendid horse, best of draft animals, who draws the left shaft — I consider it equal in speed to Meghapuṣpa.

4.40.20 This splendid horse clad in golden armor who draws the left flank-position — I consider it mightier in speed than the whole army's left flank.

4.40.21 This one who draws your right flank with body arched and neck raised — even compared to Balāhaka he is reckoned mightier in speed and valor.

4.40.22 This chariot is worthy of carrying you, the bowman, into battle; and you, having mounted this chariot, are worthy to fight — in my opinion.

4.40.23 Vaiśaṃpāyana said: Then that valiant one removed the bracelets from his arms and, amid a wondrous kettledrum roll, slapped his two auspicious palms.

4.40.24 Having bound up his curly dark hair with a white cloth, he swiftly strung the Gāṇḍīva bow and bent it with force.

4.40.25 As that bow was being drawn, a great sound arose — like a great mountain being struck by another mountain.

4.40.26 The earth shook with thunderclaps; the wind blew mightily in all directions; the sky was filled with wheeling birds, and the great trees trembled.

4.40.27 The Kurus recognized that sound — like the cracking of a thunderbolt — as Arjuna drawing the foremost of bows with his arms upon the chariot.

4.41.1 Vaiśaṃpāyana said: Having made Uttara his charioteer, having circumambulated the shami tree clockwise, and having taken up all the weapons, Dhanañjaya then set forth.

4.41.2 The great chariot-warrior removed the lion banner from that chariot, placed it at the root of the shami tree, and then departed with Uttara as his charioteer.

4.41.3 Having attached to the chariot the divine magical device fashioned by Viśvakarman — the golden banner bearing a lion's tail and marked with a monkey —

4.41.4 — he mentally meditated on and invoked the grace of Pāvaka (Fire); and Pāvaka, knowing what had been thought, impelled supernatural beings onto the banner.

4.41.5 Mounting the chariot adorned with banners and variously decorated limbs, with quivers attached, the great chariot-warrior Bībhatsu, son of Kuntī, the White-horsed one —

4.41.6 — with sword girt on, clad in armor, and bow taken up in hand, he then marched northward, he who bears the banner of the foremost of monkeys.

4.41.7 The mighty crusher of enemies blew his great resonant conch with full strength — a sound that made the hair of his foes stand on end.

4.41.8 Then those swift draft horses fell to their knees upon the ground, and Uttara too, terror-stricken, sank down onto the chariot floor.

4.41.9 The son of Kuntī steadied the horses and raised them up with the reins; then Arjuna embraced Uttara and reassured him.

4.41.10 "Do not be afraid, O foremost of princes! You are a Kṣatriya, a scorcher of foes. How is it, O tiger among men, that you despond in the midst of enemies?"

4.41.11 "You have heard the sounds of conches and the full-toned sounds of war-drums, and the roaring of elephants standing in battle array —"

4.41.12 "— how is it that you, that very man, are now terrified by this conch-sound and appear dejected and frightened like an ordinary person?"

4.41.13 Uttara said: I have indeed heard the sounds of conches and the full-toned sounds of war-drums, and the cries of elephants standing in battle formations —

4.41.14 — but never before have I heard a conch-sound like this; nor have I ever seen a banner such as this before; nor anywhere have I ever heard the twang of a bow like this.

4.41.15 By the sound of this conch, by the twang of this bow, and by the rumbling of this chariot, my mind is utterly bewildered.

4.41.16 All the directions are turbulent and my heart seems to tremble; all directions appear concealed to me by that banner; and by the sound of the Gāṇḍīva my ears are deafened.

4.41.17 Arjuna said: Standing the chariot in a secluded spot, press down firmly with your feet and hold the reins tight — I shall blow the conch again.

4.41.18 Vaiśaṃpāyana said: At the sound of that conch, the rumble of the chariot wheel-rims, and the roar of the Gāṇḍīva, the earth trembled.

4.41.19 Droṇa said: The way this chariot resounds, the way this conch is blown, the way the earth trembles — this can be none other than Savyasācin.

4.41.20 Our weapons do not shine; the horses do not grow spirited; and the fires do not blaze even when kindled — this is not auspicious.

4.41.21 All our animals cry ominously facing the sun; crows settle on the banners — that is not auspicious; and birds circle us inauspiciously on the left, presaging great danger.

4.41.22 This jackal is howling and running through the middle of the army; it has come forth of itself without being struck and portends great danger; I observe that the hair on your bodies stands erect.

4.41.23 Your army is already defeated and no one wishes to fight; most of the warriors are pale-faced and bewildered. Let us drive away the cattle and stand here in battle array, ready to strike.

4.42.1 Vaiśaṃpāyana said: Then King Duryodhana spoke in the battle to Bhīṣma, and to Droṇa the tiger among chariot-warriors, and to Kṛpa the great chariot-warrior.

4.42.2 "This matter has been spoken of by me and by Karṇa to the preceptor many times, and I shall say it again — for I am not satisfied merely speaking of it."

4.42.3 "The defeated ones must dwell — those defeated ones — for twelve years in the forest and a thirteenth year unrecognized among people; this indeed was the stake agreed upon by us."

4.42.4 Their term of exile has not yet expired — the thirteenth year of incognito dwelling is still in progress — and yet Arjuna (Bībhatsu) has now come and engaged us in battle.

4.42.5 If Bībhatsu has come before the term of exile has ended, the Pāṇḍavas will have to dwell in the forest for twelve more years.

4.42.6 Either through greed they have miscalculated, or delusion has overtaken them; whether their reckoning falls short or exceeds the term, Bhīṣma is best able to determine this.

4.42.7 When matters are disputed there is always doubt, for an affair considered one way turns out another way altogether.

4.42.8 Among those who were pursuing Uttara and eager to fight the Matsya army, if Bībhatsu has come, who among them would turn his back in flight?

4.42.9 We came here to fight the Matsyas on behalf of the Trigarta kings; the Matsyas had done many wrongs to them and spoken ill of us.

4.42.10 To them when they came to us in fear we gave our pledge: first they were to seize the vast cattle wealth of the Matsyas.

4.42.11 It was arranged with them that on the seventh day in the afternoon they would act, and on the eighth day we would advance at sunrise.

4.42.12 Either they do not see the cattle, or they have been defeated; or they may have been deceived and joined forces with the Matsya king against us.

4.42.13 Or perhaps Matsya, accompanied by his countrymen and together with his entire army, has come against us for battle.

4.42.14 Among them some mighty champion has come forward to conquer us, or it may be Matsya himself who has come in person.

4.42.15 If it is the king of the Matsyas who has come, or if it is Bībhatsu who has come, we must all fight — this is the agreement we made.

4.42.16 Then why do these foremost charioteers stand idle in their cars — Bhīṣma, Droṇa, Kṛpa, Vikarṇa, and Drauṇi?

4.42.17 All these great warriors are confused in mind at this moment. There is no better course than battle — let that resolve be fixed in each man's heart.

4.42.18 Once our cattle wealth has been seized, who — even if opposed by the god wielding the thunderbolt or by Yama himself in battle — would go back to Hāstinapura?

4.42.19 Of those struck down by arrows and routed into the dense forest, which foot soldier could survive? There would be doubt even for the cavalry. Let the teacher be placed in the rear guard, and let our strategy be arranged accordingly.

4.42.20 He knows the counsel of the Pāṇḍavas, and so he appears to intimidate us; I observe that his special affection is for Arjuna.

4.42.21 And indeed, upon seeing Bībhatsu approach he sings his praises. Let strategy be devised so that the army does not break and flee.

4.42.22 Like an army without a guide, lost in a vast forest in summer, fallen into the enemy's power — let strategy be devised so that the army does not go astray.

4.42.23 What praise should there be merely upon hearing the neighing of horses from the enemy? Horses neigh at all times, whether standing still or moving.

4.42.24 The winds always blow, Indra always sends rain, and the roar of thunder is heard repeatedly — these are no omens.

4.42.25 What business does Arjuna have here, and why is he being praised? It can only be out of desire, or hatred, or sheer anger toward us.

4.42.26 Teachers are compassionate and wise, and they foresee danger; in this great peril that has come upon us, they should on no account be consulted.

4.42.27 In splendid palaces, in learned assemblies, and in pleasant lodgings, those who hold diverse learned conversations — scholars shine there.

4.42.28 Performing many wondrous feats before gatherings of people, and in the graceful drawing of the bow — scholars shine in those arenas.

4.42.29 In discerning the gaps in others' arguments, in understanding human conduct, and in detecting faults in the preparation of food — scholars shine in those matters.

4.42.30 Placing the scholars in the rear, and taking those who praise the enemy's virtues out of the equation, let strategy be arranged such that the foe may be slain.

4.42.31 Let the cattle be secured and held; let the army form its battle array without delay; and let guards be posted where we shall fight the enemy.

4.43.1 Karṇa said: I see that all of the men of this long-lived one are frightened and terrified; they are all disinclined to fight and altogether unsettled.

4.43.2 Whether it is the king of the Matsyas who has come or Bībhatsu who has come, I shall hold them back as the shore holds back the shark-filled ocean.

4.43.3 The arrows I release from my bow, with their joints bent, will not turn back once loosed, just as serpents do not turn back when they glide forward.

4.43.4 Let the arrows released by my skilled hand — gold-feathered and with very sharp tips — cover Arjuna as locusts cover a tree.

4.43.5 Let the sound of the palms striking the bowstring as it drives the fletched arrows hard resound like two kettledrums being beaten.

4.43.6 Bībhatsu, fully composed and trained for thirteen years, has also developed a fondness for battle — he will strike at me with relish.

4.43.7 Let the son of Kuntī, being a worthy vessel just as a virtuous brahmin is, receive the torrents of arrows loosed by me in their thousands.

4.43.8 This great archer is renowned in all three worlds; yet I too, O best of the Kurus, am in no way inferior to Arjuna.

4.43.9 Let the sky today be seen covered on all sides by golden arrows fletched with vulture feathers, as though filled with fireflies.

4.43.10 Today I shall discharge the undying debt I promised in words long ago to the son of Dhṛtarāṣṭra, by slaying Arjuna in battle.

4.43.11 Let the severed nocks of arrows, shattered between them, be seen drifting about in the sky like locusts.

4.43.12 I shall afflict Arjuna — whose touch is like Indra's thunderbolt and whose blazing energy equals that of great Indra — as one drives an elephant with firebrands.

4.43.13 That blazing Pāṇḍava fire — hard to assail, fueled by sword, spear, and arrow, burning brightly and scorching enemies — I shall extinguish.

4.43.14 I, a great cloud with the speed of horses for its forewind, the mass of chariots for its thunder, and showers of arrows for its rain, shall quench the Pāṇḍava fire.

4.43.15 Let the arrows released from my bow, like venomous serpents, glide toward Arjuna as serpents converge on an anthill.

4.43.16 Relying on the weapon-lore I received from Rāma Jāmadagnya, that best of sages, and on my own valour, I could fight even Indra himself.

4.43.17 The monkey perched at the top of his banner, struck down by my broad-headed arrow, shall fall to the earth this very day, shrieking terrible cries.

4.43.18 The wail of the spirit-beings dwelling in the enemy's banner, scattered in all directions as I assail them, shall rise up to heaven.

4.43.19 Today I shall uproot from its very root the thorn that has long been lodged in Duryodhana's heart, by casting Bībhatsu down from his chariot.

4.43.20 Let the Kauravas today behold Arjuna, his horses slain, his chariot wrecked, desperate in his manhood, heaving breath like a great serpent.

4.43.21 Let the Kauravas go freely and take whatever wealth they wish, or let them stand in their chariots and watch my battle unfold.

4.44.1 Kṛpa said: O son of Rādhā, your mind is always crueller than needful in battle. You do not understand the nature of affairs, nor do you consider their consequences.

4.44.2 There are many paths of statecraft, deliberated upon by reliance on the scriptures; among them, those who know antiquity declare battle to be the most wicked.

4.44.3 Battle suited to the right place and the right time grants victory; that very same battle, if untimely, does not bear fruit here. Valour exercised in the right place and the right time is ordained for prosperity.

4.44.4 An interval should be arranged in harmony with the flow of affairs; the wise do not undertake the burden of the chariot-maker — that is, they do not take on what exceeds their capacity.

4.44.5 After careful thought, a direct clash with Arjuna is not advisable for us: alone he defended the Kurus, alone he satisfied the fire god.

4.44.6 Alone he maintained brahmacharya for five years; alone he abducted Subhadrā and challenged Kṛṣṇa to single combat from his chariot; and in this very forest he rescued Kṛṣṇā (Draupadī) who had been carried away.

4.44.7 Alone he learned the divine weapons from Indra for five years; and alone, having conquered the army of Yama (the disciplined host), he brought glory to the Kurus.

4.44.8 Alone, that subduer of foes, he swiftly defeated in battle the Gandharva king Citrasena and his well-nigh unconquerable army.

4.44.9 Likewise the Nivātakavacas and the Kālakhañja demons — invincible even by the gods — were felled in battle by him alone.

4.44.10 O Karṇa, what exactly have you accomplished here alone in the past, comparable to how those kings were each individually brought under subjection by him?

4.44.11 Even Indra himself is not fit to fight Arjuna in battle; whoever boasts that he will fight him — medicine is what that person needs.

4.44.12 You desire, without reflection, to pluck the fang of an enraged venomous serpent with your index finger while its right hood is raised.

4.44.13 Or else you wish, wandering alone in the forest, to mount a maddened elephant without a goad and ride it into the city.

4.44.14 Or you wish, anointed with ghee and wearing bark garments, to wade through a blazing fire fed with ghee, marrow, and fat.

4.44.15 What kind of manliness is it for someone to bind himself hand and foot, tie a great boulder around his neck, and then try to swim across the ocean with his arms?

4.44.16 O Karṇa, whoever — unskilled in arms, very weak — wishes to fight Arjuna, who is skilled in arms and mighty: such a man is one of feeble wit.

4.44.17 We have kept this lion pinned down for thirteen years; now that the lion is freed from its noose, it will leave none of us alive.

4.44.18 We rashly assailed Arjuna sitting apart — like fire concealed in a well — and out of ignorance we have come to face the greatest terror.

4.44.19 Let us fight Arjuna together as he comes, drunk with battle-fury; let the soldiers stand armed and arrayed in formation, ready to strike.

4.44.20 Droṇa, Duryodhana, Bhīṣma, you yourself, Drauṇi, and the rest of us — we shall all fight Arjuna together. O Karṇa, do not act rashly alone.

4.44.21 We six charioteers shall be able to face and fight the resolute Arjuna, raised like Vajra-wielding Indra — if we stand united.

4.44.22 Let the troops be arranged in battle formations; as supreme archers, alert and ready, we shall fight Arjuna in battle as the demons once fought Indra.

4.45.1 Aśvatthāman said: The cattle have not yet been won, nor has the border been crossed, nor has Hāstinapura been reached — and yet you boast, O Karṇa.

4.45.2 Men who have won very many battles, gained great wealth, and conquered enemy territory — they do not boast of their manliness at all.

4.45.3 Fire burns without speaking; the sun shines in silence; the earth bears all the worlds with their moving and unmoving beings in silence.

4.45.4 The duties of the four social orders have been prescribed by the wise — duties by which wealth is to be acquired, and which, when performed, do not taint the doer.

4.45.5 A brahmin, having studied the Vedas, should officiate at sacrifices for others and sacrifice for himself. A kṣatriya, relying on the bow, should sacrifice but not officiate for others. A vaiśya, having acquired goods, should arrange for the sacred rites of the brahmin class.

4.45.6 Those of great fortune who live according to the scriptures and have attained their place in this world — the noble ones honour their teachers, even those teachers who may be flawed.

4.45.7 What kṣatriya who has won a kingdom by gambling deserves to feel satisfied by it — satisfied in such a cruel manner as a common, base person would?

4.45.8 And when wealth is obtained in such a way, what discerning man would boast of it — obtained by fraud and deception, like a trapper who lives by snaring?

4.45.9 In which chariot duel did you conquer Dhanañjaya, or Nakula and Sahadeva, whose wealth you claim to have seized?

4.45.10 In what battle was Yudhiṣṭhira defeated, and Bhīma, the best among the strong? In what battle did you formerly conquer Indraprastha?

4.45.11 And in what battle was Kṛṣṇā (Draupadī) conquered by you — she who, O wicked one, was dragged into the assembly hall clad in a single garment while in her monthly period?

4.45.12 You cut down their great root, like one seeking the heartwood of a sandalwood tree. You made them perform such deeds, O hero — what did Vidura say at that time?

4.45.13 We observe the capacity for peace in human beings according to their strength, and also in other creatures, even down to insects and ants.

4.45.14 The Pāṇḍava should not forgive that torment inflicted on Draupadī. Dhanaṃjaya has appeared for the ruin of the sons of Dhṛtarāṣṭra.

4.45.15 And you, having made yourself out to be wise, wish to speak such words here. Jiṣṇu, the ender of enmities, will leave none of us remaining.

4.45.16 This son of Kuntī, Dhanaṃjaya, would not refrain from fighting here out of fear — not of gods, not of gandharvas, not of asuras, not of rākṣasas.

4.45.17 Whoever he, enraged, shall charge at in battle, he will strike them down with the speed of Garuḍa striking a tree, and return.

4.45.18 Who would not honor that Pārtha, who surpasses you in valor, who is equal to the king of the immortals in archery, who is equal to Vāsudeva in battle?

4.45.19 The divine should be fought with the divine, the human with the human, weapon with weapon. What man is equal to Arjuna?

4.45.20 Those who know dharma understand that a disciple is next after a son. For this reason too, the Pāṇḍava is dear to Droṇa.

4.45.21 As you played at dice, as you took Indraprastha, as you dragged Kṛṣṇā into the assembly hall — in that same manner, fight the Pāṇḍava now.

4.45.22 Here is your wise maternal uncle, skilled in the dharma of the warrior, that Gāndhāran Śakuni who is the deity of crooked gambling — let him fight here.

4.45.23 The Gāṇḍīva does not cast dice; no Dvāpara throw is made with it. The Gāṇḍīva casts flaming, sharp, keen arrows.

4.45.24 For the vulture-feathered, keen-edged arrows released from the Gāṇḍīva do not pause in the spaces between — they can even split mountains.

4.45.25 Antaka, Śamana (Yama), Death itself, and the submarine fire — these might leave some remnant somewhere. But not the enraged Dhanaṃjaya.

4.45.26 Let the teacher fight if he wishes; I will not fight Dhanaṃjaya. The Matsya king is the one we should fight, if he comes to reclaim the cattle.

4.46.1 Bhīṣma said: Droṇa indeed sees rightly; Kṛpa also sees rightly. But Karṇa wishes to fight in accordance with warrior dharma, as is proper.

4.46.2 A teacher should not be reproached by one who is wise. One should fight after considering place and time — this is my view.

4.46.3 When one's five enemies are equal to the sun in striking power, how would a wise man not be confounded in the face of their rising might?

4.46.4 All people are confounded in their own self-interest, even those who know dharma. Therefore, O king, I tell you this — hear my word if it pleases you.

4.46.5 What Karṇa said to us was meant to kindle our martial spirit. Let Aśvatthāman (the teacher's son) forgive it — a great task is at hand.

4.46.6 This is not the time for internal discord, now that the son of Kuntī stands before us. You must forgive all of it, as must the teacher and Kṛpa.

4.46.7 Your mastery of arms is like the radiance in the sun, like the mark on the moon — it can never be taken away. Thus are both brāhmaṇic virtue and the brahma-weapon firmly established in you.

4.46.8 The four Vedas are found in one place, and kṣatriya skill in another. We have never heard of both of these together combined in any single person.

4.46.9 Except in the Bhārata teacher (Droṇa) together with his son — this is my view. The brahma-weapon and the Vedas both — this is seen nowhere else.

4.46.10 Let the teacher's son forgive. This is not the time for division among ourselves. Let us all fight united against the son of Pākaśāsana (Indra) who has come.

4.46.11 Among the calamities of an army that have been enumerated by the wise, internal dissension is foremost — it is considered the most evil by men of learning.

4.46.12 Aśvatthāman said: Let the teacher himself forgive; let peace be made here. For when one's own guru is being reproached, that conduct was driven by anger.

4.46.13 Vaiśaṃpāyana said: Then Duryodhana begged forgiveness from Droṇa, O Bhārata, along with Karṇa, Bhīṣma, and the great-souled Kṛpa.

4.46.14 Droṇa said: I am indeed pleased by that very first word which Bhīṣma, son of Śaṃtanu, spoke. Let that be the course followed here.

4.46.15 Just as an elephant touches soldiers when Duryodhana is careless — whether through rashness or delusion — let the policy be devised accordingly.

4.46.16 As the forest exile has not yet been completed, Dhanaṃjaya should not have revealed himself here. Whether seeking wealth or not, he ought not to be forgiven by us today.

4.46.17 Let policy be devised in such a way that he cannot engage with the sons of Dhṛtarāṣṭra in any manner, and also so that he cannot be defeated.

4.46.18 Such a word was also spoken before by Duryodhana himself. Remembering that, O son of Gaṅgā (Bhīṣma), you should speak as is fitting.

4.47.1 Bhīṣma said: Dear child, the fractions of time are joined together — moments, days, fortnights, months, lunar asterisms, and planets too.

4.47.2 Seasons are joined together, and years as well. Thus, by the divisions of time, the wheel of time turns.

4.47.3 By the excess of time and the displacement of the celestial bodies, two extra months arise every fifth year.

4.47.4 Of those, there are five extra months and twelve extra nights in thirteen years — such is my reckoning.

4.47.5 All of what has been fully accomplished by them as has been heard — knowing this for certain, Bībhatsu (Arjuna) has now come.

4.47.6 All of them are great souls; all are skilled in dharma and artha. When Yudhiṣṭhira is their king, how could they transgress against dharma?

4.47.7 The sons of Kuntī are without greed, and they have accomplished what is hard to accomplish. Nor would they desire the kingdom alone without the proper means.

4.47.8 Indeed, those joys of the Kuru line wanted to act with their heroic power right then, but bound by the bonds of dharma, they did not stray from their warrior's vow.

4.47.9 That which would be called falsehood, and that which would lead to dishonor — the Pārthas would choose death rather than untruth under any circumstances.

4.47.10 But when the proper time has come, those bulls among men would not abandon what is to be obtained. The Pāṇḍavas are of such valor that even what is guarded by the wielder of the thunderbolt (Indra) they would seize.

4.47.11 Let us fight in battle against the best of all weapon-bearers. Therefore let that which is auspicious and practiced by the good in this world be quickly arranged — lest our purpose pass to our enemies.

4.47.12 For I never see, O Kaurava, any certainty of absolute success in battle, O king of kings — and Dhanaṃjaya has arrived.

4.47.13 When battle is engaged, gain or loss, victory or defeat — one of these must come to pass. This has been seen without doubt.

4.47.14 Therefore, O king of kings, let a course of action related to battle, or one in keeping with dharma, be quickly decided upon — for Dhanaṃjaya has arrived.

4.47.15 Duryodhana said: I will not give the kingdom to the Pāṇḍavas, O grandfather. But let whatever pertains to battle be quickly arranged.

4.47.16 Bhīṣma said: If it pleases you, hear my own counsel in this matter. Quickly take one quarter of the army and go toward the city; then let another quarter take the cattle and go.

4.47.17 We, however, with the remaining half of the army, shall fight the Pāṇḍava, or the Matsya king if he comes again, or even Śatakratu (Indra) himself.

4.47.18 Let the teacher (Droṇa) stand in the center; let Aśvatthāman stand to the left; let the wise Kṛpa, son of Śaradvan, guard the right flank.

4.47.19 Let Karṇa, the charioteer's son, stand fully armored at the front. I shall stand at the rear, guarding the entire army.

4.48.1 Vaiśaṃpāyana said: With the armies thus arrayed by the great chariot-warriors of the Kuru line, Arjuna quickly advanced, making the battlefield resound with the thunder of his chariot.

4.48.2 They saw the top of his banner and heard the sound of his chariot, and the great twanging sound of the Gāṇḍīva being vigorously drawn.

4.48.3 Then, having observed all of this and seeing the great chariot-warrior, the bearer of the Gāṇḍīva, arrive, Droṇa spoke.

4.48.4 There, from afar, the tip of Pārtha's banner shines; this is the roar of the cloud-like sound, and there the monkey on his standard screams.

4.48.5 There he stands on his chariot, the best of chariots, the one praised by the best of chariot-warriors; he draws the finest of bows, the Gāṇḍīva, which sounds like a thunderbolt.

4.48.6 These two arrows together have come to rest at my feet; and two others have already passed beyond, the shafts grazing my ears.

4.48.7 Having completed his forest exile and accomplished superhuman deeds, Pārtha now pays his respects and inquires after my welfare — through these arrows near my ears.

4.48.8 Arjuna said: Within arrow-range of the army, rein in the horses, O charioteer, so that I may observe in this army — where is that wretch of the Kuru lineage?

4.48.9 Disregarding all the others, once I have seen that arrogant one, I will descend upon his head — and then all these others will be defeated.

4.48.10 There stands Droṇa, and right after him Drauṇi (Aśvatthāman); Bhīṣma, Kṛpa, and Karṇa — all great bowmen — stand arrayed.

4.48.11 I do not see the king (Duryodhana) here. He goes along with the cattle, taking the southern road — I suspect he is intent on saving his life.

4.48.12 Leaving this chariot-army, go to where Suyodhana (Duryodhana) is. O son of Virāṭa, there is no battle without a stake. Having conquered him, I shall return with the cattle.

4.48.13 Vaiśaṃpāyana said: Thus addressed, the son of Virāṭa carefully reined in the horses and gathered the reins, then urged the steeds toward where those bulls of the Kuru line stood, in the direction where Duryodhana was.

4.48.14 When the white-horsed one (Arjuna) had departed, leaving the chariot-army behind, Droṇa, having understood his intention, spoke.

4.48.15 Bībhatsu (Arjuna) does not wish to stop without reaching the king. We shall seize him from the rear as he speeds swiftly forward.

4.48.16 For no one could fight this enraged one alone in battle, other than the thousand-eyed god (Indra) or Kṛṣṇa, the son of Devakī.

4.48.17 What use to us are the cattle, or even abundant wealth? Duryodhana is already sinking in the water of Pārtha, like a boat that went under long ago.

4.48.18 Going just so, Bībhatsu announced his own name, and then quickly covered that army with arrows, like locusts descending on a field.

4.48.19 Those warriors, being covered by the showers of arrows impelled by Pārtha, saw not a single patch of uncovered earth or sky, so dense were the feathered shafts.

4.48.20 Their minds were fixed neither on fighting nor on fleeing. In their hearts they could only marvel at the swiftness of Pārtha.

4.48.21 Then he blew his conch, making the hair of his enemies stand on end, and drawing his finest bow, he roused the spirits dwelling on his banner.

4.48.22 By the sound of his conch and the rumble of his chariot-wheels, and by those supernatural beings residing on his banner,

4.48.23 The cattle, tossing their tails upward and lowing on all sides, turned back and set out in the southern direction.

4.49.1 Vaiśaṃpāyana said: Having swiftly routed the enemy army and having won back those cattle, Arjuna, the foremost bearer of the bow, set out toward Duryodhana — seeking once more to do what was pleasing in battle.

4.49.2 When the cattle had swiftly departed, and thinking the diademed one (Arjuna) to have accomplished his task, the heroes of the Kuru line suddenly rushed toward him as he advanced toward Duryodhana.

4.49.3 Seeing those many armies closely arrayed, bristling with numerous banners, the slayer of enemies addressed the son of Virāṭa and then spoke.

4.49.4 Lead me quickly by this way to those white horses yoked with golden reins; apply every effort with full speed — bring me close to that pride of chariot-lions.

4.49.5 That wicked son of a charioteer who desires to fight me — bring me to him, O prince, as elephant meets elephant; his arrogance born of shelter under Duryodhana shall be met.

4.49.6 With those great horses swift as wind, girt with golden girths, the son of Virāṭa, scattering the array of the enemy charioteers, then bore the Pāṇḍava into the midst of battle.

4.49.7 Against him as he charged, Citrasena with barbed shafts, Saṃgrāmajit, Śatrusaha, and Jaya — great chariot-warriors desiring to protect Karṇa — rode out against that descendant of Bharata.

4.49.8 Then he, foremost of men, blazing with his bow, scorching with the velocity of his arrows, his wrath burnt up the swarms of Kuru bulls' chariots as fire burns a forest.

4.49.9 While that tumultuous battle raged, Vikarṇa — a great Kuru hero — in his chariot, pouring a rain of piercing shafts, approached Pārtha, that foremost of chariot-fighters, the younger brother of the mighty Bhīma.

4.49.10 Then Arjuna, seizing Vikarṇa's bow — studded with fine gold and fitted with a firm string — brought it down, and smashed his banner; with his banner cut down, Vikarṇa too fled swiftly.

4.49.11 Him who was afflicting the masses of enemies and performing superhuman feats — Śatruṃtapa, unable to endure his anger, assailed Pārtha with a tortoise-nail arrow.

4.49.12 Pierced by that king who was a foremost chariot-fighter, Arjuna, plunging deeper into the Kuru host, quickly struck Śatruṃtapa with five arrows and then killed his charioteer with ten.

4.49.13 Then he, pierced by that bull of the Bhāratas with an arrow that penetrated his body-armor, fell lifeless upon the field, like a great elephant toppling from a mountain peak uprooted by the wind.

4.49.14 Those bulls among chariot-warriors, those heroes, broken in battle by that still greater hero, trembled as great forests shaken by the force of the wind in the season of storms.

4.49.15 Slain by Pārtha, those foremost of men lay sleeping on the earth — young, finely dressed, generous with wealth, equal in valor to Indra, defeated in battle by Indra's son — clad in armor of gold and dark iron, like great elephants of the Himālayan slopes.

4.49.16 Thus slaying enemies in battle, the Gāṇḍīva-bowman, foremost of men, ranged the field in all directions and intermediate quarters, like fire burning a forest at the end of summer.

4.49.17 As the great gale in spring, driving through the sky, strips trees of their scattered leaves, so the Diademed One, scattering his foes, ranged the battlefield as a supreme chariot-warrior on his car.

4.49.18 Having slain the horses of him who drove red horses, the wearer of the diadem — that undaunted soul — with a single arrow cut off the head of Saṃgrāmajit, the brother of the son of Vikartana.

4.49.19 When his brother was slain, the son of the charioteer — Vaikartana — gathered his valor; like the lord of elephants lifting his tusks, he charged at that great bull like a tiger.

4.49.20 Vaikartana swiftly struck the Pāṇḍava with twelve winged shafts, pierced his limbs and all his horses, and struck the son of Virāṭa with arrows.

4.49.21 He, like the lord of elephants struck by another elephant, drew sharp bhalla arrows from his quiver, drew his bow to the full extent of his ear, and pierced the son of the charioteer with arrows.

4.49.22 Then, with arrows loosed from the Gāṇḍīva, bright as thunderbolts, that crusher of foes pierced his arms, thighs, head, forehead, throat, and all the parts of his chariot as he stood in battle.

4.49.23 Driven back by the shafts loosed by Pārtha, like a swift elephant vanquished by another elephant, scorched by the arrows of the Pāṇḍava, Vaikartana abandoned the foremost of the battle and departed.

4.50.1 Vaiśaṃpāyana said: When the son of Rādhā had retreated, the warriors led by Duryodhana attacked the Pāṇḍava with their respective divisions with showers of arrows.

4.50.2 Recognizing which of those many divisions of his army advancing in array with arrows was to be confronted, the son of Virāṭa spoke these words.

4.50.3 "I, as charioteer, have mounted this splendid chariot, O Jiṣṇu — tell me, which division will you go to? I shall go wherever you direct me."

4.50.4 Arjuna said: "Do you see that one, O Uttara, with red eyes, auspicious, wearing a tiger skin, standing in his chariot under a dark blue banner — bring me to him."

4.50.5 "That is the chariot-force of Kṛpa — bring me to that very one. I shall demonstrate to this firm-bowed man my swift mastery of weapons."

4.50.6 "He on whose banner a beautiful water-pot of gold is displayed — that teacher is Droṇa himself, best among all who bear arms."

4.50.7 "With a glad mind, O hero, circumambulate him to the right — here and without obstruction; this is the eternal rule of righteousness."

4.50.8 "If Droṇa strikes my body first, then I will strike him in return — and he will not be angry at that."

4.50.9 "Not far from him, the one whose bow is visible at the top of his banner — that is the teacher's son, Aśvatthāmā, a great chariot-warrior."

4.50.10 "He is always to be honored by me, and by all who bear arms. Having reached his chariot, you must turn back again and again without engaging him."

4.50.11 "He who stands there in the chariot array, clad in golden armor, at the head of the third division of the army, in the battle formation —"

4.50.12 "He on whose banner-top an elephant is displayed, set upon a golden standard — that resplendent son of Dhṛtarāṣṭra is King Suyodhana."

4.50.13 "Turn the chariot to face him, O hero who shatters enemy chariots — bring me to him; this one destroys brilliance and is maddened in battle."

4.50.14 "He is considered the foremost in swift archery among Droṇa's disciples. I shall demonstrate to him my vast swiftness with arrows."

4.50.15 "He whose beautiful serpent-girth stands atop his banner — that is Vaikartana Karṇa, known to you already."

4.50.16 "Approaching the chariot of this wicked son of Rādhā, you must be vigilant in battle — he always contends with me as a rival."

4.50.17 "He who stands in his chariot, mighty, bearing arm-guards, with a great bow, under a banner that is blue adorned with five stars —"

4.50.18 "He whose finest banner on his chariot is adorned with stars and the sun, and above whose head stands that white, spotless parasol —"

4.50.19 "He who stands at the forefront of that great chariot lineage with its many banners and pennants, like the sun at the head of the Balāhaka clouds —"

4.50.20 "He whose golden armor shines like the moon and sun, whose helmet is of pure gold — he fills my heart with something like awe."

4.50.21 "This is Bhīṣma, son of Śaṃtanu, grandsire of us all — though bound by the royal fortune and following in obedience to Duryodhana."

4.50.22 "He is to be approached last, lest he become an obstacle to me. While I fight with these others, hold my horses steady and attentive."

4.50.23 Then the son of Virāṭa, unperturbed, drove the Left-handed Archer to where Kṛpa stood, O King, ready to do battle with Dhanaṃjaya.

4.51.1 Vaiśaṃpāyana said: The armies of the Kurus, terrible with their bows, could be seen creeping forward like clouds driven by gentle winds at the end of the hot season.

4.51.2 Nearby, horses stood mounted by fighters, and terrible-looking elephants were urged on with lances and goads.

4.51.3 Then Śakra, mounting Sudarśana together with hosts of gods, arrived there, O King, with the Viśvas, the Aśvins, and the troops of Maruts.

4.51.4 That sky, thronged with gods, yakṣas, gandharvas, and great serpents, and freed from clouds, shone like the heavens adorned with planets.

4.51.5 And the power of those divine weapons as they were employed against humans, and that terrible great battle at the encounter between Bhīṣma and Arjuna —

4.51.6 — where a hundred times a hundred thousand golden pillars, and others made of jewels and precious stones, supported a palace —

4.51.7 — there the celestial sky-going palace of the king of gods, adorned with all manner of gems, going wherever its master willed, shone beautifully in the air.

4.51.8 There stood the thirty-three gods together with Vāsava, gandharvas, rākṣasas, serpents, and the ancestors along with great sages.

4.51.9 And likewise King Vasumanas, Balākṣa, Supratardana, Aṣṭaka, Śibi, Yayāti, Nahuṣa, and Gaya —

4.51.10 — Manu, Kṣupa, Raghu, Bhānu, Kṛśāśva, Sagara, and Śala — all were to be seen, radiant, in the palace of the king of gods.

4.51.11 The celestial vehicles of Agni, Īśa, Soma, Varuṇa, Prajāpati, of Dhātṛ and Vidhātṛ, of Kubera, and of Yama —

4.51.12 — and of Alambusa, Ugrasena, and the gandharva Tumburu — each in its proper place and according to its allotted station, the celestial cars shone resplendent.

4.51.13 All the hosts of gods, the siddhas, and the greatest sages had come to witness the battle between Arjuna and the Kurus.

4.51.14 There the pure fragrance of divine garlands spread in all directions, as the scent of blooming forests spreads at the onset of spring.

4.51.15 Of the gods as they stood there, their red and non-red parasols, garments, garlands, and fans were all to be seen.

4.51.16 The earthly dust subsided, all was pervaded by rays of light, and the wind, carrying divine fragrances, attended upon the warriors.

4.51.17 The sky shone brilliantly, adorned with wonderful forms — illuminated by the many jewels of the various brilliant celestial cars, of every kind and pattern, brought there by the greatest of the gods, some flying, others stationed still.

4.52.1 Vaiśaṃpāyana said: At that juncture, the great-souled Kṛpa — of great might and valor, best of those who bear arms — arrived, that great chariot-warrior, desirous of battle, to fight against Arjuna.

4.52.2 Those two chariots, bright as the sun, of those two mighty warriors poised to fight, shone brilliantly where they stood like two autumn clouds.

4.52.3 Pārtha too, drawing the Gāṇḍīva — that supreme weapon renowned throughout the world — loosed many iron shafts that pierced to the vital points.

4.52.4 Those iron arrows, feeders on blood, before they even arrived — Kṛpa cut them with his sharp shafts, by the hundreds and thousands.

4.52.5 Then Pārtha, enraged, displaying varied trajectories and covering all directions and intermediate quarters with arrows, that great chariot-warrior —

4.52.6 — making the sky as if of one uniform shade on all sides, that measureless-souled lord Pārtha covered Kṛpa with hundreds of arrows.

4.52.7 Struck with those sharp arrows like flames of fire and angered, Kṛpa swiftly struck that great-souled Pārtha — of matchless energy — with a thousand arrows in return, and then roared in the battle.

4.52.8 Then the hero Arjuna, with haste, shot from the Gāṇḍīva arrows tipped with gold, with smooth joints, four supreme shafts — piercing each of his four horses with one each.

4.52.9 Those horses, pierced by sharp arrows like blazing serpents, all leaped up at once, and Kṛpa was dislodged from his position.

4.52.10 But seeing Gautama Kṛpa dislodged from his position, the joy of the Kurus — that slayer of enemy heroes — did not strike him, respecting his dignity.

4.52.11 But Gautama Kṛpa, having regained his footing, swiftly pierced the Left-handed Archer with ten arrows feathered with heron-plumes.

4.52.12 Then Pārtha cut his bow with a single sharp bhalla arrow, and then again wrested the bow from his hand.

4.52.13 Then with sharp arrows that pierced to the vital spots, Pārtha struck his armor — yet Pārtha did not wound his body itself.

4.52.14 As his armor fell away from him, his body shone forth, like the body of a serpent at the fitting moment as it sloughs its skin.

4.52.15 When his bow was cut by Pārtha, Gautama Kṛpa took up another and strung it — and that seemed wondrous indeed.

4.52.16 The son of Kuntī cut that one too with a smooth-jointed shaft; and thus many other bows as well the Pāṇḍava, slayer of enemy heroes, cut with skilled hands — those of Śaradvatī's son one after another.

4.52.17 Then, his bow cut away, the valiant one took up a lance and hurled it at the son of Pāṇḍu, blazing like a thunderbolt.

4.52.18 That lance as it came — adorned with gold, soaring through the sky, bright as a great meteor — Arjuna cut with ten arrows; falling in ten pieces, it was cut to the ground by the wise Pārtha.

4.52.19 Then, in the middle of the yoke, with bhalla arrows, Kṛpa — his bow now restored — swiftly pierced Pārtha with ten sharp shafts.

4.52.20 Then Pārtha, of great splendor, enraged in battle, released thirteen arrows sharpened on stone, blazing with the fire of their energy.

4.52.21 With one arrow he severed Kṛpa's yoke, with four arrows he struck down his four horses, and with a sixth shaft he cut off the charioteer's head from his body.

4.52.22 With three arrows the mighty one cut the triple bamboo shaft of the chariot, with two he severed the axles, and with a twelfth broad-headed arrow he cut down Kṛpa's banner.

4.52.23 Then Phalguna, equal to Indra, as if smiling, struck Kṛpa in the chest with a thirteenth shaft that blazed like a thunderbolt.

4.52.24 His bow severed, his chariot shattered, his horses slain, and his charioteer killed, Kṛpa leaped down swiftly, mace in hand, and hurled that mace.

4.52.25 But that heavy, well-adorned mace hurled by Kṛpa was deflected by Arjuna's arrows and returned along its own path.

4.52.26 Then warriors seeking to protect the wrathful Sharadvata's son (Kṛpa) poured showers of arrows upon Pārtha from all sides in the battle.

4.52.27 Then Virāṭa's son (Uttara), wheeling his horses to the left and executing a twin circular maneuver, countered those warriors.

4.52.28 Then those bull-like men, of great swiftness, took up the chariotless Kṛpa and bore him away from Kuntī's son Dhanañjaya.

4.53.1 Arjuna said: Where that golden altar rises, resembling a blazing flame of fire, adorned with banners on its golden post — drive me there, my friend, toward Droṇa's army, blessings upon you.

4.53.2 His red horses shine forth — large, finely gaited, glossy as polished coral, copper-faced, lovely to behold — yoked to the finest chariot, skilled in every art of warfare.

4.53.3 Long-armed, of great splendor, possessed of strength and form, renowned in all the worlds — Bhāradvāja's son (Droṇa) blazes with might.

4.53.4 In wisdom he is equal to Uśanas (Śukra), in statecraft equal to Bṛhaspati; he has mastered all four Vedas and likewise the vow of brahmacharya.

4.53.5 All the divine weapons together with their withdrawal formulas, O friend, and the entire science of archery in its completeness are ever established in him.

4.53.6 Forbearance, self-restraint, truthfulness, non-cruelty, and uprightness — these and many other virtues reside in that best of twice-born men.

4.53.7 I wish to fight with that greatly fortunate one in battle. Therefore, O Uttara, quickly drive me to the preceptor — urge the horses forward.

4.53.8 Vaiśaṃpāyana said: Addressed thus by Arjuna, Virāṭa's son (Uttara) urged those gold-adorned horses toward the chariot of Bhāradvāja's son (Droṇa).

4.53.9 Droṇa advanced to meet that best of chariot warriors, the Pāṇḍava, as he came on with speed — Droṇa meeting Pārtha as one maddened elephant meets another.

4.53.10 Then he (Droṇa) blew his conch, which resounded like a hundred kettledrums; the entire army was agitated like a sea churned by the wind.

4.53.11 Then men in battle marveled to see those noble red horses mingled with the swift, swan-white ones on the battlefield.

4.53.12 Seeing those two chariots, filled with valor, at the front of the battle — the teacher and the pupil, both unconquered, both accomplished in all learning, both resolute of mind —

4.53.13 — seeing Droṇa and Pārtha, both of great might, thus engaged with each other, the great army of the Bhāratas trembled again and again.

4.53.14 And Pārtha, filled with joy, as if smiling, that heroic great chariot warrior, drew alongside Droṇa's chariot with his own.

4.53.15 Having paid obeisance, the mighty-armed son of Kuntī, slayer of enemy heroes, spoke these soothing and gentle words:

4.53.16 "We have dwelt in the forest, wishing to repay what was done to us. You ought not be angry with us, O you who are ever unconquerable in battle."

4.53.17 "But I shall strike only after you have struck first, O sinless one — such is the thought in my mind. May the revered one (preceptor) therefore act accordingly."

4.53.18 Then Droṇa shot more than twenty arrows at him; but before they reached him, Pārtha cut them all down with practiced hand.

4.53.19 Then the valiant Droṇa showered a thousand arrows upon Pārtha's chariot, quickly displaying his mastery of weaponry.

4.53.20 Thus the battle unfolded between Bhāradvāja's son (Droṇa) and the diademed one (Arjuna), both releasing blazing-tipped arrows equally in the contest.

4.53.21 Both renowned for their deeds, both equal to the wind in speed, both versed in celestial weapons, both of supreme splendor — as they hurled their nets of arrows, they bewildered even the kings.

4.53.22 Then all the warriors assembled there marveled, honoring them with cries of "Excellent! Excellent!" as they released their arrows with such swiftness.

4.53.23 "Who else but Phalguna is worthy to fight Droṇa in battle? This is the fierce dharma of the warrior class — that he fights even against his own preceptor" — so spoke the men standing at the front of the battle.

4.53.24 And those two heroes, both enraged, both great chariot warriors drawing close to each other, both undefeated, covered each other with masses of arrows.

4.53.25 Then Bhāradvāja's son, enraged, drawing his immense bow with its golden back — a bow hard to approach — fought back against Phalguna.

4.53.26 With nets of arrows, whetted on stone and blazing with light, launched toward Arjuna's chariot, he covered even the radiance of the sun.

4.53.27 And that great chariot warrior, the mighty-armed one, pierced Pārtha with swift, sharp arrows, as a cloud pierces a mountain with rain.

4.53.28 Likewise the Pāṇḍava, taking up his divine Gāṇḍīva bow — that supreme instrument of bearing the burden of battle, the enemy's destroyer, swift as the wind — boldly released many varied arrows fashioned with golden decorations.

4.53.29 Destroying Bhāradvāja's son's showers of arrows with shafts quickly loosed from his bow, the valiant one performed what seemed like a wonder.

4.53.30 Dhanañjaya, Pārtha, moving in his chariot — a splendid sight to behold — simultaneously displayed all his weapons in every direction.

4.53.31 He made the sky like a single shadow with arrows on all sides; Droṇa was not visible at that moment, covered as if by a mist.

4.53.32 His form at that moment, enveloped by those finest of arrows blazing all around, was like a mountain blazing with fire on all sides.

4.53.33 But seeing his own chariot covered by Pārtha's arrows in battle, Droṇa drew his wondrous bow, whose sound was like the rumbling of thunder clouds,

4.53.34 — terrible as a wheel of fire — drawing that supreme weapon to its fullest, that glorious one in battle, Droṇa, shattered those arrows; and then there arose a great sound like that of bamboos burning.

4.53.35 With arrows whose nocks were made of refined gold, issuing from that excellent and decorated bow, the immeasurable-souled one covered the directions and the brilliance of the sun.

4.53.36 Then those gold-nocked arrows with their smooth joints, flying through the sky, were seen in great numbers by the people — filling the heavens.

4.53.37 The arrows issuing from Droṇa's bow, clinging together nock to nock, appeared in the sky as a single long, continuous arrow.

4.53.38 Thus those two heroes, releasing great arrows adorned with gold, made the sky as if covered with meteors.

4.53.39 And their arrows, feathered with heron and peacock plumes, shone like lines of swans moving through the autumn sky.

4.53.40 A fierce, terrible battle arose there between those two great souls, Droṇa and the Pāṇḍava, like the battle between Vṛtra and Vāsava (Indra).

4.53.41 And like two elephants approaching each other and striking with the tips of their tusks, they struck each other with arrows released at full draw.

4.53.42 Those two heroes, both enraged and resplendent in battle, fought each other, invoking their divine weapons in sequence.

4.53.43 Then Arjuna, the foremost among the victorious, warded off with sharp arrows those stone-whetted shafts released by the chief of preceptors.

4.53.44 Displaying himself, Indra's son (Arjuna), fierce and of fierce valor, swiftly covered the sky with many arrows.

4.53.45 Droṇa, the chief of preceptors, the best of weapon-bearers, sported with Arjuna in battle — even as Arjuna, that tiger among men of blazing splendor, sought to slay him — playing with arrows of smooth-jointed shafts.

4.53.46 Against Bhāradvāja's son releasing divine weapons in the great battle, Phalguna countered weapon with weapon and fought him equally.

4.53.47 The collision of those two lions among men, both enraged, both intolerant of each other, was like the clash of gods and demons.

4.53.48 The Pāṇḍava absorbed with his own weapon, again and again, the Aindra (Indra's), the Vāyavya (wind-god's), and the Āgneya (fire-god's) weapons as Droṇa released them one after another.

4.53.49 Thus those two heroes, those great bowmen, releasing sharp arrows, made the sky like a single shadow with their showers of shafts.

4.53.50 Then, as Arjuna's arrows were released and fell upon living bodies, there was heard the sound of those shafts — like thunderbolts falling upon mountains.

4.53.51 Then, O lord of the people, elephants, chariots, and horsemen, drenched in blood, were seen like blossoming kimshuka trees.

4.53.52 And with arms still bearing their armlets, with great chariot warriors fallen, with golden and variegated armor and with banners brought down —

4.53.53 — and with warriors slain there, tormented by Pārtha's arrows, the army was thrown into turmoil at the clash of Droṇa and Arjuna.

4.53.54 But those two heroes, brandishing their bows — those instruments for bearing the burden of battle — covered each other with arrows, enduring the shafts of war.

4.53.55 Then there arose a sound in the sky from those praising Droṇa: "Droṇa has accomplished a feat hard to perform — that he fought against Arjuna."

4.53.56 "That agitator of all, of great valor, firm of fist, hard to approach, the conqueror of gods, demons, and serpents, that great chariot warrior —"

4.53.57 And seeing Pārtha's ceaseless skill, swiftness, and ability to shoot at distant targets in battle, Droṇa too was filled with wonder.

4.53.58 Then, O bull of the Bhāratas, the intolerant Pārtha, taking up his divine Gāṇḍīva bow, drew it with both arms in battle.

4.53.59 His rain of arrows, like an extending swarm of locusts — even the wind could not pass through the gaps between those shafts.

4.53.60 No interval whatsoever was seen in Pārtha at that moment, whether he was nocking arrows ceaselessly, releasing them, or taking them up again.

4.53.61 And so, while that terrible battle of swift weapons proceeded, Pārtha released yet more arrows — faster than fast.

4.53.62 Then hundreds of thousands of arrows with smooth joints descended upon Droṇa's chariot simultaneously from close range.

4.53.63 As Droṇa was being showered by the arrows of the Gāṇḍīva-bearer, O bull of the Bhāratas, a great cry of "Ah! Ah!" rose from the troops.

4.53.64 Maghavan (Indra) honored the Pāṇḍava's swift weaponry, and so did the gandharvas, the apsaras, and all who had assembled there.

4.53.65 Then Aśvatthāmā, the son of the preceptor, commander of a chariot division, suddenly checked the Pāṇḍava with a great multitude of chariots.

4.53.66 Yet Aśvatthāmā in his heart honored the feat of the great-souled Pārtha, even as he aroused in himself great anger.

4.53.67 He, overcome by rage, charged at Pārtha in battle, showering thousands of arrows like a rain-laden thundercloud.

4.53.68 But the mighty-armed Pārtha, turning his horses toward where Droṇa's son (Aśvatthāmā) was, gave Droṇa an interval to withdraw.

4.53.69 And Droṇa, having gained that interval, quickly departed with his swift horses — that hero, his armor and banner cut down, himself struck by the finest arrows.

4.54.1 Vaiśaṃpāyana said: Pārtha received him (Aśvatthāmā) — rising like a gust of wind, pouring arrows like a cloud — with a great net of arrows.

4.54.2 Their great clash, both of them hurling nets of arrows, was like the meeting of gods and demons — like the clash of Vṛtra and Vāsava.

4.54.3 The sun did not shine at that moment, nor did the wind blow, as the sky was made dense with arrows and became shadow all around.

4.54.4 A tremendous crackling sound arose from the two warriors as they struck each other, like the sound of bamboos burning in fire, O conqueror of enemy cities.

4.54.5 Arjuna made all the horses of his opponent nearly lifeless with his arrows; that king, O lord, could not discern any direction, so bewildered was he.

4.54.6 Then Droṇa's son, of great might, spying a tiny opening as Pārtha moved about, severed his bowstring with a razor-headed arrow. The gods praised that deed of his, seeing it to be superhuman.

4.54.7 Then Droṇa's son, having shattered eight of that bull among men's bows, once again struck Pārtha in the chest with heron-feathered shafts.

4.54.8 Then Pārtha the long-armed, laughing aloud, strung Gāṇḍīva with a new bowstring with vigor.

4.54.9 Then Pārtha, drawing back a crescent-shaped arrow, closed in upon him, like a maddened bull elephant advancing upon another maddened leader of a herd.

4.54.10 Then a great battle commenced between those two heroes, unique in the world, in the midst of the fighting, hair-raising and extraordinary.

4.54.11 All the Kurus watched those two great-souled heroes in combat with amazement, like two leaders of elephant herds come together.

4.54.12 Those two heroic bulls among men struck each other with arrows resembling venomous serpents, blazing like fiery serpents.

4.54.13 The great-souled son of Pāṇḍu had two divine quivers that never emptied; thus Pārtha, the hero, stood firm in battle like an immovable mountain.

4.54.14 The arrows of Aśvatthāmā, who was shooting swiftly in battle, went into rapid exhaustion; by this it became clear that Arjuna was superior to him.

4.54.15 Then Karṇa, drawing his great bow with exceeding fury, released it downward; thereupon arose a great cry of lamentation.

4.54.16 Pārtha turned his eyes toward where the bow was being drawn; he saw Rādhā's son there, and his anger flared beyond measure.

4.54.17 Seized by rage, that bull of the Kurus stared fixedly at Karṇa with both eyes wide open, desiring to slay him.

4.54.18 While Pārtha had turned away like this, O king, swift men brought thousands of arrows to Droṇa's son.

4.54.19 And Dhanañjaya the long-armed, the slayer of foes, leaving Droṇa's son, suddenly rushed straight at Karṇa.

4.54.20 Rushing at him, Kuntī's son, his eyes red with anger, desiring single combat on chariots, spoke these words:

4.55.1 Arjuna said: O Karṇa, what you boasted loudly in the midst of the assembly hall in words — that there is no one equal to me in battle — that moment has now arrived.

4.55.2 You spoke harsh words, abandoning righteousness entirely; yet I consider what you now intend to do to be very difficult indeed.

4.55.3 What you declared before without having met me in any way — do that today, O son of Rādhā, in the midst of the Kurus, against me.

4.55.4 You witnessed the princess of Pāñcāla being tormented by those evil-souled men in the assembly hall; now reap the fruit of that, and that alone.

4.55.5 What I endured before, bound by the bonds of dharma — behold my victory born of that anger now, O son of Rādhā, in this battle.

4.55.6 Come, O Karṇa, engage in combat with me; let all the Kurus together with their armies be spectators.

4.55.7 Karṇa said: What you say in words, O Pārtha, accomplish in deeds; for it is well-known in the world that action surpasses speech.

4.55.8 What you endured before — I take it that it was endured out of weakness, O Pārtha, having now witnessed your inferior valor.

4.55.9 If you endured before bound by the cords of dharma, even so you think yourself unbound, though you are bound in the same way.

4.55.10 If indeed the forest dwelling was observed by you as stipulated, then you who know the purpose of dharma are distressed and wish to break the covenant.

4.55.11 Even if Indra himself were to fight on your behalf, O Pārtha, still no distress whatsoever would befall me as I display my valor.

4.55.12 This desire of yours, O son of Kuntī, has arrived soon enough; you will fight with me today — behold my strength.

4.55.13 Arjuna said: Just now you retreated from my battle, and by that you live, O son of Rādhā; but your younger brother has been slain.

4.55.14 Having caused your brother to be slain and having abandoned the forefront of battle, what other man among the good, placed in your position, would speak thus?

4.55.15 Vaiśaṃpāyana said: Speaking thus to Karṇa, the invincible Bībhatsu advanced, releasing arrows that pierced through bodily armor.

4.55.16 Karṇa received those arrows, resembling flames of fire, with a great shower of arrows, like a rain cloud pouring rain.

4.55.17 Terrifying nets of arrows flew out in all directions; he pierced the horses, and separately struck both his arms and the arm-guard of his hand.

4.55.18 He, unable to endure it, severed the strap of Karṇa's quiver with a sharp-tipped arrow of bent joints.

4.55.19 Then Karṇa, taking arrows from another quiver, pierced the son of Pāṇḍu in the hand; his grip was shattered.

4.55.20 Then Pārtha the long-armed cut Karṇa's bow; he hurled a spear at Pārtha, and Pārtha shattered it with arrows.

4.55.21 Then many of Rādhā's son's foot-soldiers rushed forward; those he dispatched to the abode of Yama with shafts released from Gāṇḍīva.

4.55.22 Then Bībhatsu struck Karṇa's horses with sharp arrows, effective for heavy work, drawn to the ear; they fell slain upon the earth.

4.55.23 Then with another blazing arrow, the mighty-armed and valiant son of Kuntī pierced Karṇa in the chest with a sharp shaft.

4.55.24 That arrow, piercing through his armor, struck his body; then he was overcome by darkness and knew nothing at all.

4.55.25 He, in deep pain, abandoned the battle and went away northward; then Arjuna cried out in triumph, and so did the great warrior Uttara.

4.56.1 Vaiśaṃpāyana said: Then, having conquered the son of Vikartana, Pārtha said to the son of Virāṭa: Drive me to the army where the golden palm-tree standard stands.

4.56.2 Here the son of Śaṃtanu, Bhīṣma, our grandsire, godlike in appearance, stands wishing to fight with me; I will even take his bowstring in battle.

4.56.3 Behold me today releasing wonderful divine weapons, like lightning coming from a storm cloud in the sky.

4.56.4 The Kurus will see my gold-backed Gāṇḍīva — and all the assembled enemies will wonder: with which hand, right or left, does he shoot?

4.56.5 I will cause a river to flow, with blood for water, with chariots for its eddies, with elephants for its crocodiles, impassable, flowing toward the other world.

4.56.6 I will cut down the forest of the Kurus — dense with hands, feet, heads, backs, and arms as its branches — with broad-headed arrows of bent joints.

4.56.7 As I alone as an archer conquer the Kaurava army, a hundred paths will open, as fire moves through a forest; you will see only the army struck as if by a discus.

4.56.8 Stand unperturbed on the chariot on level and uneven ground; I will split the mountain that stands filling the sky with my arrow-bearing shafts.

4.56.9 I, at Indra's command, once slew in battle the Paulomas and the Kālakhañjas by the hundreds and thousands.

4.56.10 From Indra I obtained the firm grip, from Brahmā the skilled handwork, the deep, tumultuous, and wonderful release — the art of the Lord of Creatures.

4.56.11 I, beyond the ocean, destroyed the golden city, conquering sixty thousand fierce bowmen in chariots.

4.56.12 The forest of the Kurus — with standards for trees, foot soldiers for grass, and filled with hosts of chariot-lions — I will set ablaze with the fire of my weapons.

4.56.13 I alone will sweep them from their chariot-nests with bent-jointed arrows, as the Wielder of the Thunderbolt swept away the demons.

4.56.14 From Rudra I obtained the Raudra weapon, from Varuṇa the Vāruṇa weapon, from Agni the Āgneya weapon, from the wind-god the Vāyavya weapon, and from Indra the thunderbolt and other weapons.

4.56.15 I will uproot the terrible forest of the sons of Dhṛtarāṣṭra, guarded by human lions; let your fear depart, O son of Virāṭa.

4.56.16 Thus reassured by the ambidextrous one, the son of Virāṭa plunged into the formidable chariot-army of the wise Bhīṣma.

4.56.17 The doer of cruel deeds, composedly, opposed Dhanañjaya the long-armed as he came, wishing to conquer enemies in battle.

4.56.18 Those of varied garlands and ornaments, skilled in knowledge, and resolute of mind came against him of the terrible bow, having strung their bowstrings upon their arms.

4.56.19 Duḥśāsana, Vikarṇa, Duhhsaha, and Viviṃśati came and surrounded the terrible-bowed Bībhatsu.

4.56.20 But Duḥśāsana the hero, with one broad-headed arrow pierced Uttara the son of Virāṭa, and with a second pierced Arjuna in the chest.

4.56.21 Turning toward him, Jiṣṇu cut that broad-edged bow with a vulture-feathered shaft adorned with gold.

4.56.22 Then he pierced him in the chest with five more arrows from behind; he departed, abandoning the battle, tormented by Pārtha's arrows.

4.56.23 Vikarṇa, the son of Dhṛtarāṣṭra, pierced Arjuna, the slayer of enemy heroes, with sharp, straight-flying, vulture-feathered arrows.

4.56.24 Then the son of Kuntī quickly struck him too on the forehead with a bent-jointed arrow; struck, he fell from his chariot.

4.56.25 Then Duhsaha together with Viviṃśati rushed at Pārtha and covered him with sharp arrows, seeking to protect his brother in battle.

4.56.26 Dhanañjaya, undisturbed, piercing both of them simultaneously with two sharp vulture-feathered arrows, slew their horses.

4.56.27 Those two sons of Dhṛtarāṣṭra, their horses slain and their bodies pierced, were carried away on other chariots, followed by their foot soldiers.

4.56.28 The invincible Bībhatsu, the son of Kuntī, wearing the diadem and garlands, mighty and having attained his aim, swooped upon all directions.

4.57.1 Vaiśaṃpāyana said: Then all the great warriors of the Kauravas, coming together, joined forces and vigilantly fought back against Arjuna, O Bhārata.

4.57.2 He of immeasurable spirit covered those great warriors on all sides with nets of arrows, like mist covering mountains.

4.57.3 With roaring great elephants and neighing horses, and with the sounds of kettledrums and conches, that noise became tumultuous.

4.57.4 Piercing through the bodies of men and horses and through iron armors, Pārtha's nets of arrows flew out by the thousands.

4.57.5 Swiftly releasing arrows, the son of Pāṇḍu shone in battle like the autumn sun at midday, blazing with rays.

4.57.6 Terrified chariot-warriors then tumbled from their chariots, horsemen from the backs of their horses, and foot soldiers fell upon the ground.

4.57.7 A great sound arose from the armors of the great souls being struck by arrows — armors of copper, silver, and iron.

4.57.8 The entire battlefield was covered with the bodies of those who had lost consciousness — elephants, horses, riders, and others whose lives had been taken by sharp arrows.

4.57.9 The earth was strewn with men who had fallen from their chariot platforms; Dhanañjaya with bow in hand seemed to dance in the battle.

4.57.10 Hearing the twang of Gāṇḍīva, like the crash of a thunderbolt, all living beings, terrified, fled from that great battle.

4.57.11 Heads adorned with earrings and turbans, garlanded with gold, could be seen fallen at the forefront of battle.

4.57.12 The earth shone covered with limbs torn apart by arrows, and with arms still clutching bows, adorned with bracelets and other ornaments.

4.57.13 O bull of the Bhārata line, as heads were being felled by sharp arrows, it was as though a rain of stones fell from the sky.

4.57.14 Having thus revealed his terrible form, with the valor of Rudra himself, Pārtha the son of Pāṇḍu — who had been constrained and wandering for thirteen years — now unleashed the dreadful fire of his wrath upon the sons of Dhṛtarāṣṭra.

4.57.15 Seeing him burn the army and beholding his valor, all the warriors of Dhṛtarāṣṭra's son became intent on making peace, while their king looked on.

4.57.16 Having terrified that army and routed the great chariot-warriors, Arjuna, the foremost among the victorious, wheeled about, O Bhārata.

4.57.17 He set in motion a dreadful river with waves of torrential blood, choked with bones serving as its moss, fashioned by Time at the end of an age.

4.57.18 Pārtha created a great and dreadful river flowing northward with blood — its rafts were arrows and bows, its mud was flesh and gore, its great islands were mighty chariot-warriors, and it resounded with the sound of conches and drums.

4.57.19 As he picked up arrows, nocked them, and released them, and as he drew the Gāṇḍīva bow, no interval whatsoever could be perceived in his actions.

4.58.1 Vaiśaṃpāyana said: Then Duryodhana, Karṇa, Duḥśāsana, Viviṃśati, Droṇa together with his son, and Kṛpa — an outstanding chariot-warrior in battle —

4.58.2 — came forward again in great fury, with the desire to slay Dhanañjaya, twanging their powerful and sturdy bows.

4.58.3 O great king, the one with the monkey banner advanced to meet them all together in his chariot, whose scattered pennants blazed like the sun.

4.58.4 Then Kṛpa, Karṇa, and Droṇa — the foremost among chariot-warriors — surrounded Dhanañjaya, that man of immense valor, with great celestial weapons.

4.58.5 Releasing volleys of arrows accurately, like monsoon clouds in the rainy season, they rained down showers of arrows upon the diademed warrior as he advanced.

4.58.6 Taking their stand nearby in battle, they diligently filled him quickly with many arrows that caused the hair to stand on end.

4.58.7 As he was covered on all sides by those divine weapons, not even two finger-breadths of his body remained uncovered.

4.58.8 Then Bībhatsu, that great chariot-warrior, smiled and invoked upon the Gāṇḍīva the divine Aindra weapon, blazing like the sun.

4.58.9 Like the sun with its rays, the mighty diademed son of Kuntī, blazing in battle, covered over all the Kurus.

4.58.10 Just as lightning flashes in a storm-cloud, or fire blazes on a rocky mountain, so the Gāṇḍīva appeared like Indra's own weapon stretched wide.

4.58.11 Just as lightning blazes in the sky when the rain-cloud pours down, so the flying Gāṇḍīva covered all ten directions.

4.58.12 All the chariot-warriors everywhere became terrified; becoming intent on peace, they could not collect their own thoughts. All those warriors turned their faces away from battle, their spirits broken.

4.58.13 Thus, O bull of the Bhārata line, all the armies were broken and fled in every direction, without hope for their own lives.

4.59.1 Vaiśaṃpāyana said: Then Bhīṣma, son of Śaṃtanu — irresistible and of great prowess — charged at Dhanañjaya while the warriors were being slaughtered.

4.59.2 Taking up his finest bow adorned with gold, and taking sharp-tipped arrows capable of piercing the vital points and causing destruction —

4.59.3 — that tiger among men, with a white umbrella held above his head, shone like a mountain at sunrise.

4.59.4 Blowing his conch and filling the sons of Dhṛtarāṣṭra with joy, the son of the Gaṅgā circled to the right and checked Bībhatsu.

4.59.5 Beholding him coming thus, the son of Kuntī, slayer of enemy heroes, received him with joyful spirit, like a mountain receiving a rain-bearing cloud.

4.59.6 Then valiant Bhīṣma shot eight arrows of great speed into Pārtha's banner — arrows hissing like serpents.

4.59.7 Those feathered and blazing arrows, reaching the banner of the son of Pāṇḍu, struck the monkey and those other beings dwelling at the top of the standard.

4.59.8 Then the son of Pāṇḍu swiftly cut Bhīṣma's umbrella with a great broad-bladed arrow, and it fell to the ground.

4.59.9 The son of Kuntī, swift in action, also struck his banner hard with arrows, and likewise both his horses, his chariot-drivers, and both rear-guard warriors.

4.59.10 The tumultuous and hair-raising battle between Bhīṣma and Pārtha was like that of Bali and Vāsava (Indra).

4.59.11 In the battle between Bhīṣma and the Pāṇḍava, broad-headed arrows meeting broad-headed arrows glittered in the sky like fireflies in the rainy season.

4.59.12 O king, the Gāṇḍīva of Pārtha as he released arrows, shooting to the left and right, appeared like a spinning wheel of fire.

4.59.13 He covered Bhīṣma with hundreds of sharp arrows, like a rain-cloud covering a mountain with streams of water.

4.59.14 Bhīṣma dispersed that rising shower of arrows, like a wave tossed up by the sea, with his own shafts and checked Arjuna.

4.59.15 Then those nets of arrows, cut apart piece by piece in battle, fell scattered toward Phalguna's chariot.

4.59.16 Then the rising shower of gold-fletched arrows from the Pāṇḍava's chariot — coming swiftly like a swarm of locusts — Bhīṣma in turn dispersed with hundreds of sharp arrows.

4.59.17 Then all the Kurus cried out "Bravo! Bravo!" saying that Bhīṣma had done a difficult thing in fighting Arjuna.

4.59.18 The Pāṇḍava is powerful, young, skilled, and swift in action — who else is capable of withstanding Pārtha's speed in battle?

4.59.19 — except Bhīṣma, son of Śaṃtanu, or Kṛṣṇa the son of Devakī, or the foremost of teachers, Bhāradvāja's son of great strength.

4.59.20 Those two bulls among men, of great power, countering weapons with weapons as if at play, bewildered the eyes of all creatures.

4.59.21 Those two great-souled ones moved about in battle employing the weapons of Prajāpati, Indra, the terrible Āgneya weapon, those of Kubera, Varuṇa, Yama, and the wind-god.

4.59.22 Then all beings were astonished, seeing the two in combat, and cried out "Well done, Pārtha, mighty-armed! Well done, Bhīṣma!"

4.59.23 "This great deployment of celestial weapons that is seen in the battle between Bhīṣma and Pārtha is not fitting for mortals."

4.59.24 Thus the weapon-battle of those two who knew all weapons continued. Then Jiṣṇu (Arjuna), wheeling about, cut Bhīṣma's bow adorned with gold, with a broad-bladed arrow.

4.59.25 In the mere twinkling of an eye, mighty-armed Bhīṣma of great strength took up another bow in battle, strung it, and in anger quickly released very many arrows at Dhanañjaya.

4.59.26 Arjuna too, of very great energy, hurled many varied and sharp arrows at Bhīṣma, and Bhīṣma likewise hurled arrows at the Pāṇḍava.

4.59.27 O king, as those two great-souled masters of celestial weapons released arrows ceaselessly, no difference between them could be perceived.

4.59.28 Then the diademed son of Kuntī, that supreme chariot-warrior, covered the ten directions with arrows, and likewise the brave son of Śaṃtanu.

4.59.29 O king, the Pāṇḍava surpassed Bhīṣma exceedingly, and Bhīṣma surpassed the Pāṇḍava exceedingly — in that battle it was a wonder to the world.

4.59.30 O king, the heroic chariot-guards of Bhīṣma, slain by the Pāṇḍava, lay all around the chariot of the son of Kuntī.

4.59.31 Then the feathered arrows of the white-horsed warrior, loosed from the Gāṇḍīva and desiring to make an end of enemies, came forward, tightly bound at the nock.

4.59.32 Leaping forth from his chariot, gleaming and clothed in gold, they appeared in the sky like lines of swans.

4.59.33 As he released that wondrous and deeply potent divine weapon, all the gods together with Vāsava (Indra) who stood in the sky looked on.

4.59.34 Seeing that marvelous and wondrous feat, the illustrious gandharva Citrasena, supremely pleased, reported it to the king of the gods.

4.59.35 "See these enemy-destroyers going as if linked together — this is the wondrous form of Jiṣṇu's divine weapon as it blazes forth."

4.59.36 "Mortals would not believe this — indeed it does not exist among them. This wondrous conjunction of ancient great weapons is beyond them."

4.59.37 Like the sun blazing in the sky at midday, the armies could not look directly at the Pāṇḍava.

4.59.38 Both were celebrated for their deeds, both were skilled in battle, both performed equal feats, both were unapproachable in combat.

4.59.39 Thus addressed, O Bhārata, the king of the gods honored the encounter of Pārtha and Bhīṣma with a divine shower of flowers.

4.59.40 Then Bhīṣma, son of Śaṃtanu, having taken aim and found an opening, planted a shaft in the left side of Savyasācin (Arjuna) as he was shooting.

4.59.41 Then Bībhatsu, smiling, cut the bow of Bhīṣma of immeasurable energy with a broad-bladed, vulture-feathered arrow.

4.59.42 Then Dhanañjaya, son of Kuntī, pierced him in the chest with ten arrows as he strove and pressed forward.

4.59.43 Tormented, the mighty-armed son of the Gaṅgā — irresistible in battle — stood gripping the chariot-pole for a long time as if in pain.

4.59.44 The charioteer, recalling his instructions and protecting the great warrior, drove him away while he was insensible.

4.60.1 Vaiśaṃpāyana said: When Bhīṣma had abandoned the head of battle and fled, the great-souled son of Dhṛtarāṣṭra raised his standard and, roaring, came himself to grapple with Arjuna.

4.60.2 He pierced Dhanañjaya — wielder of the mighty bow, of lofty valor, ranging among the throng of enemies — right in the middle of the forehead with a broad-bladed arrow drawn fully to the ear.

4.60.3 Struck by that well-aimed arrow of refined gold, O king, the doer of noble deeds shone like a single-knotted, beautiful single-peaked mountain.

4.60.4 Then from him, pierced by the arrow, warm blood flowed freely — that garland of gold-colored flowers upon him shone resplendent with its varied hues.

4.60.5 Struck by that arrow, the swift and undaunted warrior, his anger aroused by Duryodhana, took up arrows like poison and fire and pierced the king.

4.60.6 And Duryodhana of fierce energy struck him, and Pārtha the sole hero struck Duryodhana — those two foremost heroes of the Ajamīḍha clan struck each other equally in battle.

4.60.7 Then Vikarṇa, with a great elephant in rut resembling a moving mountain, along with four chariots protecting the elephant's flanks, charged at Jiṣṇu, the son of Kuntī.

4.60.8 Dhanañjaya pierced that lord of elephants charging swiftly right between the frontal lobes with a swift, firm iron arrow drawn fully to the ear.

4.60.9 That vulture-feathered arrow released by Pārtha entered the elephant all the way to the nock, tearing through that creature radiant as a great mountain — like a thunderbolt sent by Indra into a peak.

4.60.10 That king of elephants, scorched by the arrow, his limbs trembling and his inner spirit tormented, sinking down, fell to the earth like the peak of a mountain struck by a thunderbolt.

4.60.11 When the finest of tusked elephants fell to the earth, Vikarṇa in fear instantly descended and, quickly going eight hundred paces, mounted the chariot of Viviṃśati.

4.60.12 Having slain the elephant with that arrow — that arrow like a thunderbolt, like the best of mountains, like a rain-cloud — with that same kind of arrow Pārtha then pierced Duryodhana in the chest.

4.60.13 Then, with both the elephant and the king struck down, and Vikarṇa along with his foot-guards routed, those foremost warriors, driven away by the shafts loosed from the Gāṇḍīva, suddenly fled.

4.60.14 Seeing the elephant felled by the arrow and learning that all his warriors were fleeing, that foremost hero of the Kurus turned his chariot and fled from the battle to where Pārtha was not.

4.60.15 Seeing that fearsome Duryodhana fleeing swiftly, the quiver-bearing Kirīṭī, eager to fight and enduring of enemies, roared a challenge at him — who had been pierced by an arrow and was vomiting blood.

4.60.16 Arjuna said: Abandoning your vast fame and glory, why do you flee, turning away from battle? Why do your war-drums not sound properly now as they did when you went to fight?

4.60.17 I act on Yudhiṣṭhira's command; I am Pārtha, the third, and I stand firm in battle. For his sake, turn your face and fight — remember the conduct of a king, O son of Dhṛtarāṣṭra.

4.60.18 Your name in this world — 'Duryodhana,' given to you before — is rendered vain; for there is no quality of Duryodhana in you now, as you flee abandoning the battle.

4.60.19 I see no protector of yours, neither in front nor behind you, O Duryodhana. Come, O foremost of the Kurus, protect your dear life from the Pāṇḍava through battle today.

4.61.1 Vaiśaṃpāyana said: Being thus summoned by him in battle, that great-souled son of Dhṛtarāṣṭra was turned back by his words as by a goad — like a maddened elephant turned by a goad.

4.61.2 Unable to endure being struck by those words of the great chariot-warrior, that swift hero, who surpassed all chariot-warriors, wheeled around in his chariot — like a serpent touched by the sole of a foot.

4.61.3 Seeing him turn back, Karṇa, though his body was pierced by arrows, steadied himself and turned back; that hero among men, wearing a garland of gold, came to Duryodhana's right flank to face Pārtha in battle.

4.61.4 Then Bhīṣma, son of Śaṃtanu, turning back and urging his gold-girthed horses, with his bow strung, the mighty-armed one guarded Duryodhana on the western flank from the sons of Pṛthā.

4.61.5 Droṇa, Kṛpa, Viviṃśati, and Duḥśāsana — all of them quickly turned back, with their bows bent and arrows ready, and swiftly came to the front for the sake of Duryodhana.

4.61.6 Seeing those armies turning back, resembling the fullness of flood-tide, Pārtha Dhanañjaya swiftly rushed toward them — as a swan flies toward an approaching cloud.

4.61.7 They surrounded Pārtha from all sides, taking up their divine weapons, and advancing, showered him with arrows on every side — as clouds drench a mountain with torrents of water.

4.61.8 Then the wielder of Gāṇḍīva, bearing down the weapons of those foremost Kuru heroes with counter-weapons, the enemy-subduing son of Indra revealed another weapon — the irresistible Sammohana (bewildering) weapon.

4.61.9 Then, turning in all the cardinal and intermediate directions, he of great strength, with well-edged, sharp, well-feathered arrows and by the roar of the Gāṇḍīva, caused terror to the minds of those warriors.

4.61.10 Then, taking up his great conch of magnificent sound, the slayer of enemies Pārtha blew it mightily with his arms, and the sound filled all the cardinal and intermediate directions, the sky and the earth.

4.61.11 Those foremost Kuru heroes, bewildered by the blast of the conch blown by Pārtha, all let go of their formidable bows and became intent on peace at that moment.

4.61.12 While the enemies were thus rendered unconscious, Pārtha, remembering the words of Uttara, said to the son of Virāṭa: 'Drive out from among them, while the Kurus are still insensible.'

4.61.13 Fetch the two pure white garments of the teacher and of Śāradvata's son, the bright yellow garment of Karṇa, and likewise the dark blue garments of Droṇa's son and the king, O hero among men.

4.61.14 I think Bhīṣma has his senses — he knows how to counter my weapons. Keep his horses on the left side; that is how one must pass those who have not lost their senses.

4.61.15 Then the great-souled son of Virāṭa, releasing the reins, leapt down from the chariot, collected the garments of those great chariot-warriors, and quickly remounted his own chariot.

4.61.16 Then the son of Virāṭa guided the four excellent gold-girthed horses; the white steeds, bearing Arjuna, passed through the army of the banner-bearers and out from the midst of the battle.

4.61.17 As that foremost of men was thus moving away, the swift Bhīṣma struck him with arrows; and he in turn, having struck down Bhīṣma's horses, pierced him in the side with ten swift arrows.

4.61.18 Then Arjuna, having set aside Bhīṣma in the battle and pierced his charioteer, with his bow intact, stood free from amid the multitude of chariots — as the thousand-rayed sun stands after rending Rāhu.

4.61.19 Having regained consciousness, that foremost of Kuru heroes, seeing Pārtha standing alone in the field, freed from the battle, equal to great Indra, that son of Dhṛtarāṣṭra spoke quickly.

4.61.20 He said: 'How has this one escaped from you? Capture him so he cannot get away!' To him Śaṃtanu's son laughed and said: 'Where has your intelligence gone? Where your valor?'

4.61.21 You yourself stood at peace, breathing again, having let go of your arrows and your marvelous bow. But Bībhatsu is not capable of cruelty — his mind is not set on wickedness.

4.61.22 He would not abandon his own dharma even for the sake of the three worlds — that is why not all have been slain in this battle. Go quickly back to the Kuru lands, O foremost of Kurus; let Pārtha return, having won back the cattle.

4.61.23 Hearing those words of the grandfather, which were truly for his own good, Duryodhana, the king, excessively wrathful and having lost the chance to win in battle, heaved a deep sigh and fell silent.

4.61.24 Seeing that beneficial speech of Bhīṣma, and the ever-growing fire of Dhanañjaya, all those who were protecting Duryodhana set their minds on retreating.

4.61.25 Seeing those foremost Kuru heroes setting out, Pārtha Dhanañjaya, with a gladdened mind, followed them for a moment, addressing them, and there that great-souled one honored his elders.

4.61.26 Honoring with bowed head the aged grandfather Bhīṣma, son of Śaṃtanu, the teacher Droṇa, and paying salutation with varied arrows to Droṇa's son, Kṛpa, and all his elders —

4.61.27 — Pārtha cut off with an arrow the crown of Duryodhana, adorned with the finest jewels; and having taken leave of those heroes and venerable ones alike, and filling the worlds with the roar of the Gāṇḍīva —

4.61.28 — that hero, suddenly blowing his Devadatta conch and splitting the hearts of his foes, having overpowered all enemies with his banner, shining with his net of gold —

4.61.29 — seeing the Kurus depart, the diademed Kirīṭī, overjoyed, said to the son of Matsya there: 'Turn the horses around — your cattle have been won. The enemies have gone. Go to your city rejoicing.'

4.62.1 Vaiśaṃpāyana said: Then, having conquered the Kurus in battle, he whose eyes were like a bull's gathered together the great wealth of Virāṭa.

4.62.2 And when the forces of Dhṛtarāṣṭra's son had all gone away, broken and dispersed in every direction, many of the Kuru soldiers emerged from the dense forest.

4.62.3 With minds terrified by fear they came from here and there; they appeared with unbound hair, standing with folded hands.

4.62.4 Exhausted by hunger and thirst, bewildered, in a foreign land and out of their senses, they bowed and said in confusion: 'O Pārtha, what shall we do for you?'

4.62.5 Arjuna said: 'Go in safety, good fortune be with you — you need not fear at all. I do not wish to slay the distressed. I greatly reassure you.'

4.62.6 Vaiśaṃpāyana said: Hearing his words of assurance, the assembled warriors gladdened him with blessings of long life, fame, and glory.

4.62.7 Then the Kurus, turned back and utterly routed, came under his sway; approaching the road, Phalguna spoke this word.

4.62.8 He said: 'O prince, O mighty-armed hero, review all the herds of cattle that have been rounded up together along with the cowherds.'

4.62.9 Then in the afternoon we shall go toward the city of Virāṭa, after resting the horses, giving them water, and refreshing them.'

4.62.10 'Let the cowherds whom you send go quickly to the city to announce the good news and proclaim your victory.'

4.62.11 Vaiśaṃpāyana said: Then Uttara, acting swiftly, commanded messengers accordingly, saying: 'Go and, by Arjuna's word, announce my victory.'

4.63.1 Vaiśaṃpāyana said: Virāṭa, the commander of the army, having also won back the wealth, entered the city rejoicing, together with the four Pāṇḍavas.

4.63.2 Having defeated the Trigartas in battle and recovered the cattle alone, the great king shone resplendent, accompanied by the sons of Pṛthā, enveloped in glory.

4.63.3 When that hero, who increased the joy of his friends, was seated upon his throne, all his ministers along with the brahmins attended upon him.

4.63.4 Honored and congratulated along with his army, the king of Matsya then dismissed the twice-born brahmins and the ministers.

4.63.5 Then that king of the Matsyas, Virāṭa, the commander of the army, eagerly inquired about Uttara, saying: 'Where has he gone?'

4.63.6 The women, maidens, and those who moved within the inner apartments joyfully told him at home that the cattle-wealth had been taken away by the Kurus.

4.63.7 The conqueror of the earth had gone out alone, determined to win them back, with exceeding boldness, with Bṛhannaḍā as his companion.

4.63.8 Six great chariot-warriors had come to oppose him: Droṇa, Śaṃtanu's son Bhīṣma, Kṛpa, Karṇa, Duryodhana, and Droṇa's son.

4.63.9 King Virāṭa, greatly distressed upon hearing that his son had gone with but one chariot, with Bṛhannaḍā as charioteer, he who increases victory in battle, then spoke to all the chief ministers.

4.63.10 The Kurus in particular, and whatever other lords of the earth, will certainly never stand idle upon hearing that the Trigartas have been defeated.

4.63.11 Therefore let my warriors go, surrounded by a great force — those who were not wounded by the Trigartas — for the purpose of protecting Uttara.

4.63.12 He quickly dispatched horses, elephants, chariots, and hosts of infantry — heroic warriors furnished with varied weapons and ornaments — for the sake of his son.

4.63.13 Thus that king of the Matsyas, Virāṭa, the lord of an akshauhini, commanded that fourfold army to march out swiftly.

4.63.14 He said: 'Find the prince quickly — whether he lives or not. A eunuch went as his charioteer; I think he cannot be alive.'

4.63.15 The Dharma-king laughed and said to Virāṭa, afflicted and distressed by the Kurus: 'O lord of men, if Bṛhannaḍā is the charioteer, your enemies will not carry off those cattle today.'

4.63.16 'Your son is fully capable of conquering in battle all the kings together with the Kurus, and likewise the gods, demons, yakshas, and nagas — guided well by that charioteer.'

4.63.17 Then those swift-moving messengers sent by Uttara reached the city of Virāṭa and announced the victory.

4.63.18 The minister then reported to the king the supreme victory, the defeat of the Kurus, and Uttara's return.

4.63.19 'All the cattle have been fully won back, the Kurus have been defeated, and Uttara is safe along with his charioteer, O scorcher of enemies.'

4.63.20 Kaṅka said: 'By good fortune your cattle have been won back and the Kurus defeated. By good fortune your son is heard to be alive, O bull among kings.'

4.63.21 'I do not consider it a wonder that your son conquered the Kurus — certain indeed is the victory of one whose charioteer is Bṛhannaḍā.'

4.63.22 Vaiśaṃpāyana said: Then King Virāṭa, his body hair thrilling with delight upon hearing the victory of that prince of boundless energy, rewarded those messengers with garments and urged his ministers on.

4.63.23 'Let my royal roads be decorated with banners; let the gods be worshipped everywhere with floral offerings.'

4.63.24 'Let the princes, chief warriors, and courtesans, all well adorned, and all the musical instruments go forth to meet my son.'

4.63.25 'Let the drummer quickly mount a maddened elephant and proclaim my victory at every crossroads.'

4.63.26 'And let Uttara, accompanied by many maidens, adorned in fine dress and ornaments, go forth to meet Bṛhannaḍā.'

4.63.27 Hearing the king's command, all with auspicious articles in hand, together with kettledrums, musical instruments, conches, and auspicious women beautifully attired in the finest garments —

4.63.28 — and likewise bards along with panegyrists, players of the nandi drum, players of the paṇava and other instruments, went forth from the city of mighty Virāṭa to meet the son of boundless valor.

4.63.29 Having dispatched the army and the maidens and courtesans, all well adorned, the highly wise king of Matsya, overjoyed, said: 'Fetch the dice, Sairandhrī; let gambling begin, Kaṅka.'

4.63.30 Seeing him speak thus, the Pāṇḍava replied: 'We have heard it said that a gambler elated with joy should not gamble.'

4.63.31 'I am not willing to gamble with you today when you are filled with joy; but I wish to do what is pleasing to you — let it proceed if you think it right.'

4.63.32 Virāṭa said: 'Women, cattle, gold, and whatever other wealth there may be — nothing of mine is to be withheld by you; you may gamble without restraint.'

4.63.33 Kaṅka said: 'What use is gambling to you, O lord of kings, O granter of honor? Gambling has many faults; therefore one should avoid it.'

4.63.34 'Have you heard of, or perhaps seen, the Pāṇḍava Yudhiṣṭhira? He, his great and flourishing kingdom, and his brothers equal to the thirty gods —'

4.63.35 '— all were lost in gambling. Therefore I do not favor gambling. Or if you think otherwise, O king, let us gamble if it pleases you.'

4.63.36 Vaiśaṃpāyana said: While the game of dice was in progress, Matsya said to the Pāṇḍava: 'See — such Kurus as these have been defeated in battle by my son.'

4.63.37 Then Dharmaputra Yudhiṣṭhira said to the king of Matsya: 'He whose charioteer is Bṛhannaḍā — how could he not be victorious?'

4.63.38 At these words king Matsya grew angry and said to the Pāṇḍava: 'You equate a eunuch with my son and praise him — you wretch of a brahmin!'

4.63.39 'You do not know what should and should not be said; surely you hold me in contempt. Why would he not conquer them all — Bhīṣma, Droṇa, and the rest?'

4.63.40 'Out of friendship I forgive this offence of yours, brahmin — but such a thing must not be spoken again by you, if you wish to live.'

4.63.41 Yudhiṣṭhira said: 'Where Droṇa, Bhīṣma, Drauṇi, Karṇa the son of Vikartana, Kṛpa, Duryodhana, and other great warriors stand together, O king —'

4.63.42 '— even Indra of a hundred sacrifices, surrounded by the hosts of Maruts, could scarcely face them in array. Who else but Bṛhannaḍā could oppose them when united?'

4.63.43 Virāṭa said: 'You have been restrained many times, yet you do not check your tongue. If there were no one to restrain, no one would observe dharma.'

4.63.44 Vaiśaṃpāyana said: Then the king, inflamed with rage, struck Yudhiṣṭhira hard on the face with a dice, chiding him in anger: 'Not so!'

4.63.45 Struck with great force, blood flowed from his nose; before it could reach the ground, the son of Pṛthā caught it in his cupped hands.

4.63.46 The righteous-souled one glanced at Draupadī standing nearby; she, who always followed her husband's thoughts, understood his intention.

4.63.47 The blameless one filled a golden bronze vessel and received in it the blood that had flowed from the Pāṇḍava, letting not a drop fall.

4.63.48 Meanwhile Uttara, showered with sweet fragrant garlands and flowers of many kinds, came joyfully at his ease into the city.

4.63.49 Honoured by the citizens, by women, and by country folk, he reached the gate of the palace and presented himself before his father.

4.63.50 Then a door-keeper entered and reported to Virāṭa: 'Your son Uttara stands at the gate, accompanied by Bṛhannaḍā.'

4.63.51 Then the delighted king of Matsya said to his chamberlain: 'Let both of them be brought in at once — I am eager to see them.'

4.63.52 But the Kuru king — Yudhiṣṭhira — whispered softly to the chamberlain: 'Let Uttara enter alone; Bṛhannaḍā is not to be admitted.'

4.63.53 'For this mighty-armed one has taken this firm vow: whoever makes a wound on his body or causes blood to appear — except on the field of battle — shall not live, without doubt.'

4.63.54 'Seeing me with blood on my face, he would not endure it in his fierce anger — he would slay Virāṭa here along with his ministers, troops, and vehicles.'

4.64.1 Vaiśaṃpāyana said: Then the king's eldest son, Pṛthivīṃjaya, entered; having saluted his father's feet, he noticed Dharmarāja.

4.64.2 He saw him seated apart on the ground, spattered with blood, his mind deeply concentrated, innocent of any offence, attended by the Sairandhrī.

4.64.3 Then Uttara hastily questioned his father: 'By whom has this man been struck, O king? Who has committed this evil deed?'

4.64.4 Virāṭa said: 'This crooked one was struck by me, and he deserved even more than that — one who praises a eunuch when a hero like you is being praised.'

4.64.5 Uttara said: 'You have done what should not be done, O king — appease him at once. Let the terrible poison of a brahmin's curse not burn you up, roots and all.'

4.64.6 Vaiśaṃpāyana said: Hearing his son's words, Virāṭa, that enlarger of his kingdom, sought forgiveness from the son of Kuntī — as one would seek to placate a fire covered with ashes.

4.64.7 The Pāṇḍava replied to the king who was seeking forgiveness: 'I have long since forgiven it, O king; there is no anger in me.'

4.64.8 'For if this blood from my nose had fallen on the ground, you, great king, together with your whole kingdom, would surely have been destroyed — there is no doubt.'

4.64.9 'I do not blame you, O king. But one who strikes an innocent man will quickly meet a terrible fate, great king.'

4.64.10 Once the blood had been dealt with, Bṛhannaḍā entered, saluted Virāṭa, and attended upon Kaṅka as well.

4.64.11 Having reconciled with the Kauravya, Matsya then praised Uttara — who had come back from battle — within the hearing of Savyasācin.

4.64.12 'Through you I have an heir, O joy and glory of the Kaikeyīs. A son equal to you has not existed before me nor shall exist hereafter.'

4.64.13 'He who strides a thousand paces and never errs — how was your encounter with that Karṇa, my child?'

4.64.14 'He who has no equal in all the world of men, who is as unshakeable as the ocean and as unbearable as the fire of destruction — how was your encounter with that Bhīṣma, my child?'

4.64.15 'He who is the preceptor of the Vṛṣṇi heroes and of the Pāṇḍavas, the teacher of all the kṣatriyas, the foremost of all who bear weapons — how was your encounter with that Droṇa, my child?'

4.64.16 'The son of the preceptor who is the hero famed above all bearers of weapons, known as Aśvatthāmā — how was your encounter with him?'

4.64.17 'He at whose sight in battle men quail like merchants who have lost their wealth — how was your encounter with that Kṛpa, my child?'

4.64.18 'The royal prince who could pierce a mountain with his mighty arrows — how was your encounter with that Duryodhana, my child?'

4.64.19 Uttara said: 'It was not I who won back the cattle, nor I who defeated the enemy. All that was accomplished by a certain son of a god.'

4.64.20 'For when I was frightened and fleeing, that son of a god stopped me; the young man, resembling Indra the thunderbolt-holder, stood in the rear of the chariot.'

4.64.21 'By him were the cattle won back; by him were those Kurus defeated. That deed belongs to that hero — it was not done by me, father.'

4.64.22 'That mighty one turned back with his arrows Śāradvatī's son Kṛpa, Droṇa, Droṇa's son, the son of a sūta, and Bhīṣma.'

4.64.23 'And in battle he rebuked Duryodhana, the mighty prince, who was broken like a bull-elephant driven from the herd, trembling with fear.'

4.64.24 '"I see no refuge for you in Hāstinapura; strive with all effort to save your life, son of the Kurus."'

4.64.25 '"You will not escape by fleeing, O king; set your mind on battle — conquer and you shall enjoy the earth, or fall and you shall attain heaven."'

4.64.26 'Then that tiger among men turned back, releasing arrows like thunderbolts, the king surrounded by his ministers, panting in his chariot like an elephant.'

4.64.27 'There my hair stood on end and my thighs became rigid, O worthy one, as he shattered that army — dark as a mass of thunder-clouds — with his arrows.'

4.64.28 'Repelling the force of chariots, that lion-built youth laughed at those Kurus, O king, and the powerful one stripped them of their garments.'

4.64.29 'By that single hero, six warriors in their chariots were surrounded — like deer grazing in the forest surrounded by a maddened tiger.'

4.64.30 Virāṭa said: 'Where is that mighty-armed hero, the son of a god, of great renown, who won back my wealth seized by the Kurus in battle?'

4.64.31 'I wish to see and honour that mighty one by whose — that divine son's — power both you and my cattle were protected.'

4.64.32 Uttara said: 'That glorious son of a god has vanished from sight, father; but I think he will reappear tomorrow or the day after.'

4.64.33 Vaiśaṃpāyana said: Even as this account was being given, Virāṭa did not recognise the Pāṇḍava — Pārtha Arjuna — who was dwelling there concealed by his guise.

4.64.34 Then Pārtha, having obtained the permission of the great-souled Virāṭa, himself gave those garments to Virāṭa's daughter.

4.64.35 And Uttarā, the spirited princess, accepted those garments — precious and of many kinds and delicate — and was pleased.

4.64.36 Then the son of Kuntī privately counselled with Uttara about everything that needed to be done — the entire course of action — regarding king Yudhiṣṭhira.

4.64.37 And so the bull among men, bull among Bhāratas, duly arranged all of that, joyful, together with the son of Matsya.

4.65.1 Vaiśaṃpāyana said: On the third day thereafter, the five Pāṇḍava brothers, bathed, clad in white garments, having fulfilled the vow that was theirs to keep —

4.65.2 — with Yudhiṣṭhira at their head, adorned with all their ornaments, like great bull-elephants in full array, those great warriors shining resplendent —

4.65.3 — entered the assembly hall of Virāṭa and there sat down upon the seats of rulers — all of them blazing like fire, like sacred fires upon their hearths.

4.65.4 While they were seated there, Virāṭa, the lord of the earth, came to the assembly hall to attend to all the affairs of state.

4.65.5 Seeing the glorious Pāṇḍavas blazing like fires, Matsya said to Kaṅka — who sat there in godlike bearing, attended by them like the lord of the thirty gods attended by the Marut hosts:

4.65.6 'You are said to be merely a dice-player whom I made a floor-scrubber of the assembly; why then do you sit adorned upon a royal seat?'

4.65.7 Hearing that mocking remark of Virāṭa, Arjuna, smiling, spoke these words, O king:

4.65.8 'Even Indra's seat, O king, is deserved by this man — devoted to brahmins, learned, generous, practised in sacrifice, firm in his vows.'

4.65.9 'This is the bull of the Kurus, Kuntī's son Yudhiṣṭhira; his fame stands in the world like the radiance of the risen sun.'

4.65.10 'The rays of his glory course through all directions, just as the rays of the sun's radiance course when it has risen.'

4.65.11 'Ten thousand swift elephants followed behind him, O king, for as long as he dwelt among the Kurus.'

4.65.12 'Thirty thousand chariots wreathed in gold, furnished with excellent horses, always followed behind him.'

4.65.13 'Eight hundred bards, wearing finely polished jewelled earrings, used to sing his praises together with the Māgadha singers, as sages praise Indra.'

4.65.14 'The Kurus waited upon him constantly as upon a master; all kings as well, O king, attended him as the immortals attend the lord of wealth.'

4.65.15 'This one exacted tribute from all the rulers of the earth at that time — even those who yielded of their own will and those who did not — as a lord exacts tribute from vaiśyas, great king.'

4.65.16 'Eighty-eight thousand great-souled snātakas lived by the patronage of this king, who was steadfast in his vows of good conduct.'

4.65.17 'This one protected the aged, the helpless, the maimed, and the lame among men as if they were his own children, and governed his subjects by dharma, O overlord.'

4.65.18 'This king is disciplined in dharma, in self-restraint, and even in anger; of great grace, devoted to brahmins, and ever truthful.'

4.65.19 'Suyodhana with his followers, along with Karṇa and the son of Subala — that mighty one — is scorched by his brilliance and majesty.'

4.65.20 'His virtues cannot be fully enumerated, O lord of men; this Pāṇḍava is ever devoted to dharma and ever free from cruelty.'

4.65.21 'Endowed with such qualities, this great king, this Pāṇḍava, this bull among kings, this lord of the earth — how is he unworthy of a royal seat?'

4.66.1 Virāṭa said: 'If this is king Yudhiṣṭhira, the Kauravya, son of Kuntī — then which of these is his brother Arjuna, and which is the mighty Bhīma?'

4.66.2 'Where is Nakula, where Sahadeva, where the illustrious Draupadī? When the Pārthas were defeated at dice, they were nowhere to be found.'

4.66.3 Arjuna said: 'He who served as your cook and was called Ballava, O lord of men — that is Bhīma, the mighty-armed one, of terrible speed and valour.'

4.66.4 This one, overcome by rage, slew [them] on the Gandhamādana mountain and brought back divine saugandhika flowers for Kṛṣṇā's sake.

4.66.5 This one is indeed the slayer of the wicked Kīcakas — and it was he who killed tigers, bears, and boars in your women's quarter.

4.66.6 He who was your horse-keeper is this Nakula, the scorcher of foes; and Sahadeva was the cattle-counter — both sons of Mādrī, both great warriors on the chariot.

4.66.7 Adorned in ornaments of beauty, handsome, renowned, capable of handling thousands of diverse chariots — these two are bulls among men.

4.66.8 This lotus-petal-eyed one, slender-waisted, lovely-smiling — she is Draupadī the sairandhrī, O king, on whose account the Kīcakas were slain.

4.66.9 I am Arjuna, O great king — I have now clearly come to your ears. I am Pārtha, younger than Bhīma and elder than the two Yamas' sons.

4.66.10 We have lived happily, O great king, in your abode, dwelling unrecognized like creatures dwelling in a womb.

4.66.11 Vaiśaṃpāyana said: When Arjuna had thus described those five Pāṇḍava heroes, the son of Virāṭa then recounted Arjuna's own feats of valor.

4.66.12 This one moved among the enemy's chariot-hosts like a lion among deer, striking down their foremost warriors one after another.

4.66.13 By him a great elephant was pierced and slain with a single arrow; Hiraṇyakakṣya fell to the ground in battle, felled by his tusks.

4.66.14 By him the cattle were recovered and the Kurus were defeated in battle; the blast of his conch made my ears go deaf.

4.66.15 Hearing those words of his, the powerful king of the Matsyas, his heart inclined toward Yudhiṣṭhira, replied to Uttara thus:

4.66.16 I think it is the proper time to propitiate the Pāṇḍava, and I am willing to give Uttarā to Pārtha — if that is agreeable to you.

4.66.17 Uttara said: They are worthy of honor, of worship, of reverence — and it is my view that the time is right. Let the greatly fortunate Pāṇḍavas, who deserve all worship, be duly honored.

4.66.18 Virāṭa said: I too fell into the enemy's power in battle and was rescued by Bhīmasena; and the cattle were likewise recovered.

4.66.19 Whatever victory was ours in battle came through the might of their arms; therefore let all of us together with our ministers propitiate Yudhiṣṭhira, the son of Kuntī — good fortune to you — along with his brothers, that bull among the Pāṇḍavas.

4.66.20 Whatever was said to that lord of men by us who did not recognize him, this virtuous-souled Pāṇḍava ought to forgive it all.

4.66.21 Vaiśaṃpāyana said: Then Virāṭa, supremely pleased, met with the king and made a pact with him, and the great-souled one surrendered to him his entire kingdom along with its treasury, army, and city.

4.66.22 Then the powerful king of the Matsyas, placing Dhanaṃjaya at the fore, addressed all the Pāṇḍavas saying, 'Fortune! Fortune!'

4.66.23 Smelling their heads and embracing them again and again — Yudhiṣṭhira, Bhīma, and the two sons of Mādrī —

4.66.24 Virāṭa, lord of the army, could not be sated with the sight of them; rejoicing greatly, he then spoke to king Yudhiṣṭhira:

4.66.25 'By good fortune you have all returned safe from the forest! By good fortune the hardship imposed by those wicked ones — the incognito year — has been completed!'

4.66.26 'Let the sons of Kuntī accept without hesitation this kingdom of ours and whatever other wealth there may be — let them take it all.'

4.66.27 'Let the left-handed Dhanaṃjaya accept Uttarā; this best of men is the fitting husband for her.'

4.66.28 Thus addressed, the king of dharma glanced at Pārtha Dhanaṃjaya; and Arjuna, so regarded by his brother, spoke these words to Matsya:

4.66.29 'I accept your daughter as a daughter-in-law, O king; the alliance between us two is fitting — the best of the Matsyas and the best of the Bhāratas.'

4.67.1 Virāṭa said: Why, O foremost of the Pāṇḍavas, do you not wish to take my daughter, offered by me, as your own wife here?

4.67.2 Arjuna said: I lived in the inner apartments always beholding your daughter, in private and in public, while she trusted me as a father.

4.67.3 I was dear and highly regarded as a dancing-master skilled in song; your daughter always regarded me as a teacher.

4.67.4 O king, O lord, I dwelt a year together with her, a young woman of age; great suspicion would arise — rightly — in you and in the world.

4.67.5 Therefore I ask this of you regarding your daughter, O lord of the earth: I am pure, my senses are conquered, self-restrained; her purity has been maintained by me.

4.67.6 Whether as daughter-in-law or as daughter, whether for a son or for myself — I see no doubt in this; by that arrangement her purity shall be established.

4.67.7 I am afraid of impure attachment, O scorcher of foes, and of improper conduct; therefore, O king, I accept your daughter Uttarā as a daughter-in-law.

4.67.8 The nephew of Vāsudeva, like a divine child incarnate, beloved of the discus-wielder — though still a boy he is already versed in the science of weapons —

4.67.9 Abhimanyu of the great arms, my son, O lord of the people — he is indeed the fitting son-in-law for you and the proper husband for your daughter.

4.67.10 Virāṭa said: This befits you, O best of the Kurus, O Dhanaṃjaya son of Kuntī — you who are thus ever steadfast in dharma and whose wisdom has arisen, O Pāṇḍava.

4.67.11 Whatever you think should be done, O Pārtha, let it be done forthwith; all my desires are fulfilled, since Arjuna is my kinsman by marriage.

4.67.12 Vaiśaṃpāyana said: As the king of kings spoke thus, Yudhiṣṭhira the son of Kuntī then gave his approval to the union between the Matsya and the Pārtha at the appointed time.

4.67.13 Then, O Bhārata, the son of Kuntī and Virāṭa, lord of the earth, sent messages to all their friends and to Vāsudeva.

4.67.14 Then, when the thirteenth year had passed, the five Pāṇḍavas assembled altogether at Upaplavya, in Virāṭa's territory.

4.67.15 While residing there, Bībhatsu the Pāṇḍava brought Janārdana and the Dāśārhas from the Ānartas, and Abhimanyu as well.

4.67.16 The king of Kāśī and Śaibya, both devoted to Yudhiṣṭhira, came along with two akṣauhiṇī armies, O lord of the earth.

4.67.17 The splendid and mighty Yajñasena came with one akṣauhiṇī; the heroic sons of Draupadī came, and the unvanquished Śikhaṇḍī.

4.67.18 The irresistible Dhṛṣṭadyumna, foremost of all who bear weapons, came; and all the commanders of the combined akṣauhiṇī forces — sacrificers who give lavish dakṣiṇā, all skilled in weapons and arms, all heroes ready to lay down their lives.

4.67.19 Seeing them arrived, Matsya, best of those who uphold dharma, was filled with joy at having given his daughter to Abhimanyu.

4.67.20 Then, as kings arrived from here and there, Vāsudeva wearing the forest-garland came there, and Halāyudha, and Kṛtavarmā the son of Hārdika, and Yuyudhāna Sātyaki.

4.67.21 Anādhṛṣṭi and Akrūra, Sāmba and Niśaṭha likewise — those scorchers of foes came bringing Abhimanyu along with his mother.

4.67.22 Indrasena and the others too came together in those well-equipped chariots — all who had dwelt apart for the full year.

4.67.23 Ten thousand elephants, ten million horses, a full arbuda of chariots, and a nikh arva of infantry —

4.67.24 Many Vṛṣṇis and Andhakas and Bhojas of supreme vigor followed Vāsudeva, the tiger among the Vṛṣṇis, of great splendor.

4.67.25 Kṛṣṇa gave bridal gifts to the great-souled Pāṇḍavas — women, jewels, and garments separately in great abundance; then the wedding between the Matsya princess and the Pārtha proceeded according to proper rite.

4.67.26 Then conches, kettle-drums, trumpets, and large drums resounded in the dwelling of Matsya as his alliance with the Pārthas was being celebrated.

4.67.27 They slaughtered various deer and hundreds of sacrificially pure animals; copious drinks of surā and maireya liquor were brought forth.

4.67.28 Singers skilled in narrative, actors, and bards approached praising them; sūtas together with māgadhas attended upon them with eulogies.

4.67.29 Placing Sudeṣṇā at their head, the finest women of the Matsyas came — beautiful in every limb, their gem-earrings gleaming bright.

4.67.30 Those women, endowed with fine complexion, beautiful, well-adorned — yet Kṛṣṇā surpassed them all in beauty, fame, and glory.

4.67.31 Surrounding the adorned princess Uttarā — like the daughter of great Indra — they placed her at the fore and attended upon her.

4.67.32 The son of Kuntī, Dhanaṃjaya, then accepted her — the flawless-limbed daughter of Virāṭa — on behalf of his son, Saubhadra.

4.67.33 Standing there in the form of great Indra, Yudhiṣṭhira the son of Kuntī formally received her as a daughter-in-law.

4.67.34 And having received her, placing Janārdana at the fore, Pārtha caused the wedding of the great-souled Saubhadra to be performed.

4.67.35 To him he gave seven thousand swift-as-wind horses and two hundred foremost elephants and much wealth besides.

4.67.36 When the wedding was accomplished, then Yudhiṣṭhira the son of Dharma gave to the brahmins the wealth that Acyuta had brought.

4.67.37 Thousands of cows, jewels, garments of every kind, choice ornaments, vehicles, and couches —

4.67.38 That city of the Matsya king, resembling a great festival, thronged with happy and well-fed people, shone brilliantly, O bull of the Bhāratas.