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The lamps in the hall were still burning, though the light off them had turned cold. Shakuni, king of Gandhara and a master of the dice, took the pieces into his hand and looked at Yudhishthira. In that same royal court of Hastinapura, with Bhishma and Drona and Kripa and Vidura seated all around, a game was underway in which every throw fell the same way, and the thing being gambled away had already passed beyond gold. Much of the Pandavas’ treasure was gone. Now Shakuni spoke, quietly: you have lost much of the wealth of the Pandavas, Yudhishthira. If there is anything left that has not yet come to us, son of Kunti, tell us what it is. And Yudhishthira, whose mind that hour seemed to be walking in some other world, answered that his wealth had no count, and that he would stake it and play.
The last of the treasure, and the brothers one by one
Yudhishthira said: son of Suvala, I know that my wealth is beyond count. Why then, Shakuni, do you ask me what I own? Tens of thousands, millions, tens of millions, hundreds of millions, billions, trillions, and up through the nila and the padma, and more still than that, whatever amount you care to lay on the board, that much I have. With that wealth, king, I will play with you. Hearing this, Shakuni, the dice ready in his hand, took to his cheat and said to Yudhishthira, look, I have won.
Yudhishthira said that he had countless cattle and horses, milch cows with their calves, goats and sheep, in the country stretching from the river Parnasa to the eastern bank of the Sindhu; with this wealth he would play. Shakuni threw again by his cheat and said, look, I have won. Yudhishthira went on: he had his city, his country, his land, the wealth of everyone dwelling there except the Brahmanas, and the people themselves too, all except the Brahmanas; with this he would play. The dice fell, and Shakuni’s same cry came, look, I have won.
Then Yudhishthira said that these princes here, shining in their ornaments and their ear-rings, their nishkas (gold coins worn as jewels) and every royal adornment, were now his wealth; with them he played. Shakuni cast the dice and said, look, we have won them.
Now the game reached the brothers. Yudhishthira said that Nakula here, broad-armed, with a lion’s neck and red eyes and full of youth, was now a stake; know that he is my wealth. Shakuni answered: king Yudhishthira, prince Nakula is dear to you; he has already passed under our power. With whom will you play now? And saying this he cast the dice and said, look, we have won him.
Yudhishthira said that Sahadeva dispenses justice and has earned a name in this world for his learning; undeserving as he is of being staked, still, treating one so dear as though he were not dear, I will stake him and play. Shakuni by his cheat said again, look, I have won. And Shakuni went on: king, both sons of Madri, dear to you, are won; yet it seems that Bhimasena and Dhananjaya are held by you in far higher regard. Yudhishthira answered: wretch, you sin, seeking to sow division among us who are all of one heart, casting morality aside.
A key to reading this (numbers in modern terms): The units Yudhishthira counts off, from tens of thousands up through the padma and past it, are the high orders of the old Indian decimal reckoning; a single padma comes to the equal of ten kharab in today’s counting. The point is that his wealth was too vast to see an end to, and even so it could not save him from this game.
Shakuni, as if begging pardon, said that a man who is drunk falls into a pit and lies there unable to move; king, you are older than us and graced with the highest virtues, and so he bows to you. You know that gamblers, worked up by play, blurt out things they would never say awake, nor even in a dream. Then Yudhishthira, staking Arjuna, said: he who carries us like a boat to the far shore of the sea of battle, who is ever victorious over foes, who is full of great energy, the one hero of this world, that Falguna, undeserving though he is of being made a stake, I will now stake and play with you. Shakuni by his cheat said again, look, I have won, and said: this best of all bowmen, this son of Pandu who can draw the bow with either hand with equal speed, is won; now stake your dear brother Bhima, with whatever wealth is left to you, and play.
Yudhishthira said: king, undeserving though he be of being staked, still I will stake Bhimasena and play, that prince who is our leader, foremost in battle, the one enemy of the Danavas like the wielder of the thunderbolt, high-souled, with a lion’s neck and arched brows and eyes that glance sideways, who cannot bear an insult, whose strength has no equal in the world, the first of all mace-fighters, who grinds every foe to nothing. Shakuni said again, look, I have won. And he said: son of Kunti, you have lost much, horses and elephants and your brothers too; say, if anything is left that you have not lost.
The gist: Shakuni’s dice fall by a cheat every time, and Yudhishthira, one after another, stakes and loses his wealth, his kingdom, his people, and then all four of his brothers. The hall is silent at each loss, and the gambler’s fever will not let Yudhishthira stop. This is the point past which only a deeper fall remains.
The stake of himself, and then Draupadi
Yudhishthira said: now I alone, the eldest of the brothers and dear to them, am still unwon; won by you, I will do what a man who has been won must do. Shakuni threw and by his cheat said, look, I have won. Then he said: you let yourself be won, and that is a grave sin; king, wealth is still left to you, so to lose yourself is surely sinful. And saying this, Shakuni, skilled at dice, announced to all the brave kings present that he had won the Pandavas one after another. Then he turned to Yudhishthira and said: king, one stake dear to you is still unwon; stake Krishna, the princess of Panchala, and by her win yourself back.
Then Yudhishthira, staking Draupadi, described her: neither short nor tall, neither thin nor stout, with dark curling hair, with eyes like the petals of the autumn lotus and fragrant as the autumn lotus itself, in beauty the equal of Sree, such a woman as a man would want for a wife in the softness of her heart and the wealth of her looks and her virtues. Endowed with every grace, compassionate, sweet of speech, last to lie down and first to wake, who looks after everyone down to the cowherds and the shepherds; slender of waist, with long flowing hair and red lips, the princess of Panchala. King, this slender-waisted Draupadi I make my stake, and I will play with you, son of Suvala.
When the wise Yudhishthira, king of justice, had spoken so, from the mouths of every elder in the hall broke the cry, shame. The whole assembly was shaken, and the kings there sank into grief. Bhishma and Drona and Kripa were soaked with sweat. Vidura held his head in both hands and sat like a man whose reason had left him; face down, sunk in his own thoughts, he breathed like a snake. But Dhritarashtra, glad within, asked again and again, has the stake been won, has the stake been won, and could not hide what he felt. Karna and Dussasana and the rest laughed aloud, while the eyes of everyone else in the hall filled with tears. And the son of Suvala, proud of his success and flushed with excitement, kept repeating, look, I have won, and gathered up the dice he had cast.
A sub-tale: Draupadi came into the world out of the altar-fire of Drupada’s sacrifice; no woman carried her in the womb. From that same fire came her brother Dhrishtadyumna as well. The hair that was sprinkled with water sanctified by mantras at the Rajasuya sacrifice was the very hair that was about to be seized in this hall. In time this same Dhrishtadyumna will become the means of Drona’s death, a thing Drona himself knows, and that is why he is afraid.
The gist: Having lost himself, Yudhishthira stakes Draupadi and loses her too. From here rises the fine question of dharma that will shake the whole hall: a man who has already lost himself, can he stake anyone else at all? The elders cry shame, and still no one stops it.
The summons to the hall, and Draupadi’s question
Duryodhana said: Kshatta (Vidura), bring Draupadi, the dear and beloved wife of the Pandavas, here; let her sweep the chambers, force her to it, and let the wretched woman live where our serving-women live. Vidura said: do you not know, wretch, that with such harsh words you are binding yourself with cords? Do you not see that you are hanging on the edge of a cliff? Being a deer, you rouse so many tigers to rage. Snakes of deadly venom, roused to anger, are over your head; do not goad them further, wretch, or you will go to the realm of Yama. In my judgment slavery does not touch Krishna, since the king staked her after he had already lost himself and was no longer his own master. Drunk as he is, Duryodhana in these last moments still cannot see that dice bring enmity and terrible dread. Dishonesty is one of the frightful gates of hell. And Vidura said further that beyond doubt this foolish king would be the cause of the ruin of the Kurus, for the kindly words of friends go unheard while greed keeps on growing.
Drunk with pride, Duryodhana cursed Vidura with words of scorn and, in the midst of all those honored elders, ordered the Pratikamin (a herald of the Suta caste) present there to go and bring Draupadi; he had no fear of the Pandavas, and only Vidura raved out of fear. The herald, hearing the king’s order, went quickly, and entering the Pandavas’ quarters like a dog into a lion’s den, came to the queen. He said: Draupadi, Yudhishthira, drunk on dice, has lost you, and Duryodhana has won you; so come now to Dhritarashtra’s house, Yajnaseni, let me take you and set you to some menial work.
Draupadi said: Pratikamin, why do you say such a thing? What prince is there who plays staking his own wife? Surely the king was drunk on the dice; could he find nothing else to stake? The Pratikamin said: when nothing else was left to stake, it was then that Ajatasatru, the son of Pandu, staked you; the king staked his brothers first, then himself, and then you, princess. Draupadi said: go, son of the Suta race, and ask that gambler in the hall whom he lost first, himself or me; find that out and come back, then take me with you.
The messenger returned to the hall and repeated Draupadi’s words to all, and said to Yudhishthira, seated among the kings: Draupadi asks, whose lord were you at the time you lost me; did you lose yourself first, or me? But Yudhishthira sat there like one demented and robbed of his reason, and gave the Suta no answer good or ill. Then Duryodhana said: let the princess of Panchala come here and put her question; let everyone in this hall hear the words that pass between her and Yudhishthira.
At Duryodhana’s command the messenger went again to the palace and, himself much distressed, said to Draupadi: princess, the men in the hall are summoning you; it seems the end of the Kauravas is at hand, for this weak-minded king can no longer guard his fortune. Draupadi said: the great ordainer of the world has willed it so; happiness and sorrow pay their court to the wise and the foolish alike. But it has been said that morality is the one highest thing in the world; if it is cherished, it will surely dispense blessings to us. Let that morality not now abandon the Kauravas. Go back to those in the hall and repeat these words of mine, spoken in keeping with morality: I am ready to do whatever those elderly and virtuous persons learned in morality decide and tell me. The Suta went back and repeated her words in the hall, but everyone sat with faces down, uttering not a word, for they knew the eagerness and resolve of Dhritarashtra’s son.
A key to reading this (the idea): Draupadi’s question reaches past the insult into the law of dharma. A man who has already lost himself is no longer anyone’s master, and one who is not a master cannot stake another. On the other side, the scriptures also say that a wife is always under her husband’s command. Caught between these two currents, even a man as versed in dharma as Bhishma cannot render a verdict. Here the Mahabharata shows dharma as subtle and full of doubt, never simple.
Krishna dragged by the hair
Yudhishthira, learning Duryodhana’s intent, sent a trusted messenger to Draupadi, telling her that although her season had come and she was in a single garment with her lower cloth open, still she should come weeping before her father-in-law. The wise messenger went with speed and told Draupadi Yudhishthira’s meaning. The Pandavas, meanwhile, distressed and grieving, bound by their word, could not settle what they should do. Then Duryodhana, glad at heart, told the Suta: bring her here; let the Kauravas answer her question to her face. The Suta, terrified of the possible wrath of Drupada’s daughter, forgetting his reputation for good sense, once again asked the hall what he should say to Krishna.
Hearing this, Duryodhana said: Dussasana, this dull-witted son of my Suta is afraid of Vrikodara; so go yourself and bring the daughter of Yajnasena here by force; our enemies now depend on our will, what can they do to you? At his brother’s order Dussasana rose with blood-red eyes, entered the quarters of those great warriors, and said to the princess: come, come, Krishna, princess of Panchala, you have been won by us; come now, lotus-eyed one, and accept the Kurus as your lords; you were won virtuously, come to the hall. At these words Draupadi rose in great affliction, rubbed her pale face with her hands, and, distressed, ran to where the women of Dhritarashtra’s household were.
Then Dussasana, roaring with anger, ran after her and seized the queen by her long, dark, wavy hair. Those locks that had been sprinkled with water sanctified by mantras at the great Rajasuya sacrifice were now seized by force by the son of Dhritarashtra, in contempt of the prowess of the Pandavas. And Dussasana dragged Krishna of the long locks toward the assembly as though she were helpless, though her protectors were able men, and pulling at her he made her tremble like a plantain in a storm. Bent low as she was dragged, she cried faintly: wretch, it ill becomes you to take me before the assembly; my season has come, and I am now clad in a single garment. But Dussasana, dragging her by her black locks by force, said: whether your season has come or not, whether you are in one garment or wholly naked, once you have been won at dice and made our slave, you are to live among our serving-women as you please. And through it all Draupadi called on Krishna and Vishnu, who on earth were Narayana and Nara, in piteous appeal.
With her hair loosened and her garment half undone, dragged along by Dussasana, the modest Krishna, consumed with anger, said faintly: in this hall are men skilled in every branch of learning, given to sacrifices and holy rites, all equal to Indra; some of them are truly my superiors and others deserve to be respected as such; I cannot stand before them in this state. Cruel wretch, do not drag me so, do not uncover me so; these princes, my lords, will not pardon you, even if you had the gods themselves with Indra for your allies. The son of Dharma is now bound by the ties of morality; but morality is subtle, and only those whose sight is very clear can make it out. I will not admit in speech even a grain of fault in my lord, forgetting his virtues. You drag me, who am in my season, before these Kuru heroes; this is a wholly unworthy act, and yet no one here rebukes you; surely all of them are of one mind with you. Shame, truly the virtue of the Bharatas is gone, and the usage of those who know the Kshatriya way has vanished, or these Kurus in this assembly would never look silently on this act that transgresses every limit. Both Drona and Bhishma have lost their energy, and the high-souled Kshatta too, and this king too, or these foremost of the Kuru elders would not look silently on this great crime.
So Krishna of the slender waist cried out in distress in that hall. And casting a glance at her enraged lords, the Pandavas, who were filled with terrible wrath, she kindled them further with that glance of hers. The loss of their kingdom, their wealth, and their costliest gems had not wrung them as this glance of Krishna did, moved as it was by modesty and anger. And Dussasana, seeing Krishna look at her helpless lords, dragged her still more forcibly and, calling out slave, slave, laughed aloud. At those words Karna became very glad and approved of them by laughing aloud, and Shakuni, son of Suvala, the Gandhara king, applauded Dussasana in the same way. Except for these three and Duryodhana, everyone in the assembly was filled with sorrow to behold Krishna dragged like this in sight of them all.
A key to reading this (lineage): Krishna, that is Draupadi, is called by many names: Yajnaseni, daughter of Yajnasena which is another name of Drupada; Panchali, princess of the land of Panchala; and Krishna, for her dark complexion. This Krishna is a different person from Vasudeva Krishna; yet in her hour of danger it is that same Vasudeva Krishna, who is Vishnu and Hari and Narayana, whom Draupadi calls.
The gist: Dussasana seizes Draupadi by the hair and drags her into the full assembly. She cries out for justice, but everyone from Bhishma to Drona is silent. Karna, Shakuni, and Duryodhana relish the humiliation; the rest sit steeped in grief. There is no clean line here between the good and the wicked; the silence of the silent becomes a crime of its own.
Bhishma’s dilemma, and Vikarna’s courage
Beholding all this, Bhishma said: blessed one, morality is subtle, and so I am unable to decide with certainty the point you have put. On the one hand, a man who has no wealth cannot stake the wealth belonging to another; on the other, wives are always under the orders and at the disposal of their lords. Yudhishthira can give up the whole world full of wealth, but he will never sacrifice morality; and the son of Pandu himself has said, I am won. Therefore I cannot decide this matter. No one has an equal to Shakuni at dice, and yet the son of Kunti still played with him of his own will; and Yudhishthira himself does not hold that Shakuni cheated him, so I cannot decide this point.
Draupadi said: the king was summoned to this assembly, and though he had no skill at dice he was made to play with skilful, wicked, deceitful, and desperate gamblers; how then can he be said to have staked of his own will? These men of deceitful conduct and unholy instincts, acting together, first stripped the chief of the Pandavas of his judgment and then vanquished him; he could not read their tricks, but he has understood them now. Here in this assembly are Kurus who are lords of both their sons and their daughters-in-law; let all of them, weighing my words well, decide the point that I have put.
As Krishna wept and cried piteously, looking again and again at her helpless lord, Dussasana spoke many more disagreeable and harsh words to her. Beholding Draupadi in her season dragged so, and her upper garment pulled at, Vrikodara, afflicted beyond endurance, fixed his eyes on Yudhishthira and gave way to wrath. Bhima said: Yudhishthira, even gamblers keep in their houses many women of loose character, yet out of kindness they do not stake even them. Whatever the king of Kasi gave, whatever gems and animals and wealth, coats of mail and weapons other kings of the earth gave, our kingdom, you, and we ourselves, all have been won by the foes; at all this my wrath was not roused, for you are our lord. But this act of staking Draupadi I regard as highly improper; this innocent girl deserves no such treatment. Having obtained the Pandavas as her lords, it is for you alone that she is persecuted so by the low, despicable, cruel, mean-minded Kauravas. It is for her sake, king, that my anger falls on you; I shall burn those hands of yours. Sahadeva, bring fire.
Hearing this, Arjuna said: never before, Bhimasena, have you uttered such words as these; surely your high morality has been destroyed by these cruel foes. You should not fulfil the wishes of the enemy; practise the highest morality. Whom does it behove to transgress his virtuous eldest brother? The king was summoned by the foe, and remembering the usage of the Kshatriyas he played at dice against his will; that is certainly conducive to our great fame. Bhima said: had I not known, Dhananjaya, that the king had acted according to Kshatriya usage, I would have taken his hands together by force and burned them in a blazing fire.
Beholding the Pandavas so distressed and the princess of Panchala so afflicted, Vikarna, son of Dhritarashtra, said: kings, answer the question that has been asked by Yajnaseni; if we do not judge a matter referred to us, all of us will assuredly go to hell without delay. How is it that Bhishma and Dhritarashtra, both the oldest of the Kurus, and the high-souled Vidura, say nothing? The son of Bharadwaja, who is our preceptor, and Kripa too are here; why do these best of the twice-born not answer? Let those other kings assembled here from every direction, setting aside all motives of gain and anger, answer this question by their own judgment. Vikarna appealed to the assembly again and again, but those kings gave him not a word, good or ill. At last the prince, rubbing his hands and sighing like a snake, said: kings of the earth, Kauravas, whether you answer this question or not, I will say what I regard as just and proper.
Vikarna said: it has been said that hunting, drinking, gambling, and too much enjoyment of women are the four vices of kings. The man addicted to these lives forsaking virtue, and people do not regard the acts done by one so improperly engaged as of any authority. This son of Pandu, while deeply engaged in one of these vices, urged thereto by deceitful gamblers, made Draupadi a stake. And Draupadi, besides, is the common wife of all the sons of Pandu. And the king, having first lost himself, then offered her as a stake; and Suvala himself, desirous of a stake, prevailed upon the king to stake this Krishna. Reflecting upon all these circumstances, I regard Draupadi as not won.
Hearing these words, a loud uproar rose from those present in the assembly; all applauded Vikarna and censured the son of Suvala. And at that sound the son of Radha, Karna, deprived of his senses by anger, waving his well-shaped arms, said: Vikarna, many opposite and inconsistent conditions are noticeable in this assembly. Like fire produced from a faggot, consuming the faggot itself, this ire of yours will consume you. All these personages, though urged by Krishna, have not uttered a word; they all regard the daughter of Drupada as properly won. You alone, because of your immature years, are bursting with wrath, and though but a boy you speak in the assembly as if you were old.
Karna went on with harsh words, arguing that the gods have ordained one husband for one woman, but this Draupadi has many husbands, and so she is certainly an unchaste woman; to bring such a woman into the assembly attired in a single garment, or even to uncover her, is no cause for surprise. Whatever wealth the Pandavas had, and they themselves too, all were justly won by the son of Suvala. Then Karna said to Dussasana: this Vikarna, speaking words of apparent wisdom, is but a boy; take off the robes of the Pandavas as also the attire of Draupadi. Hearing these words, the Pandavas took off their upper garments, threw them down, and sat in the assembly. Then, before the eyes of all, Dussasana forcibly seized Draupadi’s attire and began to drag it off her person.
A key to reading this (the idea): Vikarna is a son of Dhritarashtra, a brother of Duryodhana, and yet he alone speaks for justice. His argument is drawn from the scriptures: after losing himself Yudhishthira was no longer Draupadi’s master, and an act done by a king sunk in the vice of dice carries no authority. This is the moral complexity of the Mahabharata: the truth sometimes comes from the mouth of the youngest, spoken against his own side.
The call to Hari, and the endless stream of cloth
While her attire was being dragged off, Draupadi fixed her thought on Hari and cried aloud: Govinda, dweller in Dwaraka, Krishna, beloved of the cowherd women of Vrindavana, Kesava, do you not see how the Kauravas are humiliating me? Lord, husband of Lakshmi, lord of Vraja, destroyer of every affliction, Janardana, rescue me who am sinking in the Kaurava ocean. Krishna, Krishna, great yogin, soul of the universe, creator of all things, Govinda, save me who am distressed, losing my senses in the midst of the Kurus. So that afflicted lady, resplendent still in her beauty, covering her face, cried aloud, thinking of Krishna, of Hari, of the lord of the three worlds.
Hearing the words of Draupadi, Krishna was deeply moved. And while Yajnaseni was crying aloud to Krishna, who is also called Vishnu and Hari and Nara, for protection, the illustrious Dharma, remaining unseen, covered her with excellent clothes of many hues. Whatever garment of Draupadi’s was dragged off, another of the same kind appeared to cover her the moment the first came away; and this went on until many clothes could be seen. By the protection of Dharma, hundreds upon hundreds of robes of many hues came off Draupadi’s person. Then a deep roar rose from many, many voices, and the kings in the assembly, beholding that most extraordinary of all sights in the world, began to applaud Draupadi and censure the son of Dhritarashtra.
Then Bhima, squeezing his hands, with his lips quivering in rage, swore in the midst of all those kings a terrible oath in a loud voice. Bhima said: hear these words of mine, Kshatriyas of the world; words such as these were never uttered before by other men, nor will anyone in the future ever utter them. Lords of the earth, if, having spoken these words, I do not accomplish them hereafter, let me not obtain the region of my ancestors. If in battle I do not tear open by sheer force the breast of this wretch, this wicked-minded scoundrel of the Bharata race, and drink his life-blood, let me not obtain the region of my ancestors.
Hearing these terrible words of Bhima, which made the down of the auditors stand on end, everyone applauded him and censured the son of Dhritarashtra. And when a mass of clothes had gathered in the assembly, all dragged from the person of Draupadi, Dussasana, tired and ashamed, sat down. Beholding the sons of Kunti in that state, the people in the assembly all uttered the word shame, and all together, censuring Dhritarashtra, made a loud clamor.
A sub-tale: In the original story the one who saves Draupadi at the moment of the stripping is, by name, Dharma, the god of righteousness, who remains unseen and keeps producing garment after garment. The one Draupadi calls upon is Vasudeva Krishna, and he is moved to compassion; yet in this passage the credit for the protection of the cloths goes, in Vyasa’s telling, to Dharma. That is the original note of the Vyasa tradition.
The gist: Draupadi calls on Hari, and by the protection of Dharma an endless stream of cloth keeps covering her; Dussasana sits down exhausted. Bhima swears the terrible vow to tear open Dussasana’s breast and drink his blood. The assembly now openly reviles Dhritarashtra, and still the question goes unanswered.
Vidura’s parable, and Draupadi’s unanswered question
Then Vidura, that master of the science of morality, raised his hands, silenced everyone, and said: you that are in this assembly, Draupadi, having put her question, weeps helplessly, and you do not answer her; by such conduct virtue and morality are persecuted. An afflicted person approaches an assembly of good men like one being consumed by fire; those in the assembly quench that fire and cool him by means of truth and morality. The afflicted one asks the assembly about his rights, and the assembly, unmoved by interest and anger, should answer. Vikarna has answered the question according to his own knowledge and judgment; you too should answer as you think proper. He who, knowing the rules of morality and having attended an assembly, does not answer a query that is put, incurs half the demerit that attaches to a lie; and he who, knowing, answers falsely, assuredly incurs the sin of a lie. On this the learned quote the old history of Prahlada and the son of Angiras.
Vidura told it: there was of old a chief of the Daityas named Prahlada, whose son was Virochana. And Virochana, for the sake of obtaining a bride, quarrelled with Sudhanwan, the son of Angiras. Each saying, I am superior, I am superior, for the sake of the bride they wagered their lives, and they made Prahlada the arbitrator to decide between them. They asked him: who among us is superior? Answer, and speak not falsely. Frightened at this quarrel, Prahlada cast his eyes upon Sudhanwan. And Sudhanwan, in rage, burning like the mace of Yama, told him: if you answer falsely, or do not answer at all, your head will be split into a hundred pieces by the wielder of the thunderbolt with that bolt of his. Thus addressed, the Daitya Prahlada, trembling like a leaf of the fig tree, went to Kasyapa of great energy for counsel.
Prahlada asked: what regions are obtainable by those who, being asked a question, answer it not, or answer it falsely? Kasyapa answered: he who knows but, from temptation, anger, or fear, answers not, casts upon himself a thousand nooses of Varuna; and he who, cited as a witness in a matter of what he has seen or heard, speaks carelessly, casts a thousand nooses of Varuna upon his own person. On the completion of one full year, one such noose is loosened; therefore he who knows should speak the truth without concealment. If virtue, pierced by sin, repairs to an assembly for aid, it is the duty of everybody there to take off the dart, or they themselves will be pierced with it. In an assembly where a truly censurable act is not rebuked, half the demerit attaches to the head of the assembly, a fourth to the doer, and a fourth to the others present; but where the one deserving censure is rebuked, the head of the assembly and its members remain free of sin, and only the perpetrator is responsible. Prahlada, they who answer falsely those who ask them about morality destroy the meritorious acts of their seven upper and seven lower generations. Then Kasyapa named the many griefs that the gods have called equal in degree: the grief of one who has lost all his wealth, of one who has lost a son, of one in debt, of one separated from his companions, of a woman who has lost her husband, of one stripped of everything by the king’s demand, of a barren woman, of one in the tiger’s claws, of a co-wife, and of one deprived of his property by false witnesses; these griefs are his who speaks falsely. A person becomes a witness by having seen, heard, and understood a thing, and so a witness should always tell the truth; a truth-telling witness never loses his religious merits or his earthly possessions.
Hearing these words of Kasyapa, Prahlada told his son: Sudhanwan is superior to you, as indeed his father Angiras is superior to me, and the mother of Sudhanwan is superior to your mother; therefore, Virochana, this Sudhanwan is now the lord of your life. At these words of Prahlada, Sudhanwan said: since, unmoved by affection for your child, you have adhered to virtue, I command that this son of yours live for a hundred years. And Vidura said: let all present in this assembly, therefore, hearing these high truths of morality, reflect upon what should be the answer to the question asked by Draupadi.
The kings who were there, hearing these words of Vidura, answered not a word. Only Karna spoke, telling Dussasana: take away this serving-woman Krishna into the inner apartments. And thereupon, before all the spectators, Dussasana began again to drag the helpless and modest Draupadi, who trembled and cried piteously to her lords, the Pandavas.
A sub-tale: Vidura tells this parable of Prahlada and Sudhanwan to remind the assembly of its duty: silence too is a crime. The judge Prahlada spoke the truth against his own son Virochana, and by that very truthfulness his son received from Sudhanwan the boon of a long life. The hint is plain: if the Kuru assembly speaks the truth, that truth will protect it.
The gist: Vidura warns the hall with the story of Prahlada and Sudhanwan that to stay silent is half the sin of a lie. Still the kings keep silent, and at Karna’s order Dussasana begins again to drag Draupadi. The question of justice is still open.
Draupadi’s last question, and Duryodhana’s answer
Draupadi said: wait a little, worst of men, wicked-minded Dussasana; I have an act to perform, a high duty that has not yet been performed by me. Dragged by force by this wretch’s strong arms, I was deprived of my senses; I salute these reverend seniors in this assembly of the Kurus. That I could not do so before cannot be my fault. Dragged now with greater force than before, the afflicted and helpless Draupadi, undeserving of such treatment, fell to the ground and wept in that assembly of the Kurus.
She said: only once before, on the occasion of my Swayamvara, was I beheld by the assembled kings in the amphitheatre, and never even once afterward; today I am brought before this assembly. She whom even the winds and the sun had never seen before in her palace is today before this assembly, exposed to the gaze of the crowd. She whom the sons of Pandu could not, while in her palace, suffer to be touched even by the wind, is today suffered by the Pandavas to be seized and dragged by this wretch. And these Kauravas too suffer their daughter-in-law, so unworthy of such treatment, to be afflicted before them. It seems that the times are out of joint. What can be more distressing to me than that, high-born and chaste, I should yet be compelled to enter this public court? Where is that virtue for which these kings were noted? It has been heard that the kings of ancient days never brought their wedded wives into the public court; that eternal usage has disappeared from among the Kauravas. Kauravas, I am the wedded wife of Yudhishthira, king of justice, hailing from the same dynasty to which the king belonged; tell me now whether I am a serving-maid or not, and I will cheerfully accept your answer. Kings, I desire you to answer whether you regard me as won or unwon; whatever your verdict, I will accept it.
Hearing these words, Bhishma answered: blessed one, I have said already that the course of morality is subtle; even the illustrious wise of this world fail always to understand it. What a strong man in this world calls morality is regarded as such by others, however otherwise it may really be; but what a weak man calls morality is scarcely regarded as such, even if it be the highest morality. From the importance of the issue, from its intricacy and subtlety, I am unable to answer your question with certitude. But this is certain: since all the Kurus have become the slaves of covetousness and folly, the destruction of our race will come on no distant date. Princess of Panchala, the family into which you have been admitted as a daughter-in-law is such that those born in it, however afflicted by calamities, never deviate from the paths of virtue; and this conduct of yours, that though sunk in distress you still cast your eyes on virtue and morality, is assuredly worthy of you. Drona and the other elders, of mature years and conversant with morality, sit here heads down like men from whom life has departed; but it seems to me that Yudhishthira is the authority on this question, and it is for him to declare whether you are won or not won.
The kings in the assembly, from fear of Duryodhana, uttered not a word, good or ill, though they beheld Draupadi crying piteously like a female osprey and appealing to them again and again. And the son of Dhritarashtra, beholding the kings and princes all silent, smiled a little and said to the daughter of the king of Panchala: Yajnaseni, the question you have put depends upon your husbands, on Bhima of mighty strength, on Arjuna, on Nakula, on Sahadeva; let them answer it. Panchali, let them for your sake declare in the midst of these respectable men that Yudhishthira is not their lord, and thereby make Yudhishthira, king of justice, a liar; then you shall be freed from the condition of slavery. If the illustrious son of Dharma, always adhering to virtue, himself declares that he is not your lord, then at his word accept the Pandavas or ourselves without delay.
At these words of Duryodhana the Kauravas were exceedingly glad, and all the kings, with faces turned sideways, looked upon Yudhishthira, curious to hear what he would say, and what Arjuna and Bhima and the twins would say. When that busy hum of voices became still, Bhimasena, waving his strong and well-formed arms smeared with sandal paste, said: if this high-souled Yudhishthira, king of justice, who is our eldest brother, were not our lord, we would never forgive the Kuru race for all this. He is the lord of all our religious and ascetic merits, the lord even of our lives; if he regards himself as won, then we too have all been won. Were it not so, what creature touching the earth with mortal feet could escape from me with his life after having touched those locks of the princess of Panchala? Behold these mighty, well-formed arms of mine, like maces of iron; having once come within them, even Indra of the hundred sacrifices could not effect an escape. Bound by the ties of virtue and the reverence due to our eldest brother, and repeatedly urged by Arjuna to remain silent, I am doing nothing terrible; but if once commanded by the king of justice, I would slay these wretched sons of Dhritarashtra, making slaps do the work of swords, like a lion slaying a number of little animals. At this Bhishma and Drona and Vidura said to Bhima: forbear, Bhima; everything is possible with you.
The gist: Even fallen to the ground, Draupadi remembers propriety, bows to the elders, and firmly asks whether she is a slave or not. Bhishma again takes shelter in the subtlety of dharma and lays the decision on Yudhishthira. Duryodhana plays his move: if the brothers say Yudhishthira is not their lord, Draupadi goes free; and Bhima, though enraged, stays bound by his devotion to his eldest brother.
Karna’s bitter words, and Duryodhana’s bared thigh
Karna said: of all the persons in this assembly, three, Bhishma, Vidura, and the preceptor of the Kurus, Drona, appear to be independent, for they always call their master wicked, censure him, and never wish for his prosperity. Excellent one, the slave, the son, and the wife are always dependent; they cannot earn wealth, for whatever they earn belongs to their master. You are the wife of a slave incapable of possessing anything on his own account; go now into the inner apartments of Dhritarashtra and serve the king’s relatives, for that is now your proper business. Princess, your masters now are the sons of Dhritarashtra, and the sons of Pritha have ceased to be. Select another husband, one who will not make you a slave by gambling; and Nakula has been won, as also Bhimasena, and Yudhishthira, and Sahadeva, and Arjuna; Yajnaseni, you are now a slave, and your husbands who are slaves can no longer be your lords.
Hearing these words, the wrathful Bhima breathed hard, a very picture of woe. Obedient to the king and bound by the tie of duty, burning everything with eyes inflamed by anger, he said: king, I cannot be angry at these words of this son of a Suta, for we have truly entered the state of servitude; but, king, could our enemies have said so to me, had you not played staking this princess? Hearing this, Duryodhana said to Yudhishthira, who was silent and deprived of his senses: king, both Bhima and Arjuna and the twins are under your sway; answer the question Draupadi has asked, and say whether you regard Krishna as unwon.
And having said this, desirous of encouraging the son of Radha and insulting Bhima, Duryodhana quickly uncovered his left thigh, like the stem of a plantain tree or the trunk of an elephant, graced with every auspicious sign and endued with the strength of thunder, and showed it to Draupadi in her very sight. Beholding this, Bhimasena, expanding his red eyes, said to Duryodhana in the midst of all those kings, as if piercing them with his dart-like words: let Vrikodara not attain to the regions obtained by his ancestors if he does not break that thigh of yours in the great conflict. And sparks of fire began to be emitted from every sense of Bhima, like those that come from every crack and orifice in the body of a blazing tree.
Then Vidura, addressing everyone, said: kings of Pratipa’s race, behold the great danger that arises from Bhimasena; know for certain that this great calamity threatening to overtake the Bharatas has been sent by Destiny itself. The sons of Dhritarashtra have gambled, disregarding every proper consideration, and even now they dispute in this assembly about a lady of the royal household; the prosperity of our kingdom is at an end, for the Kauravas are now engaged in sinful consultations. Kauravas, take to heart this high precept: if virtue is persecuted, the whole assembly becomes polluted. Had Yudhishthira staked Draupadi before he was himself won, he would certainly be regarded as her master; but if a person stakes anything at a time when he is himself incapable of holding any wealth, to win it is very like obtaining wealth in a dream. Listening to the words of the king of Gandhara, fall not off from this undoubted truth. Duryodhana answered that he was willing to abide by the words of Bhima, of Arjuna, and of the twins; let them say that Yudhishthira is not their master, and Yajnaseni would be freed from her bondage. At this Arjuna said: this illustrious son of Kunti, Yudhishthira, king of justice, was certainly our master before he began to play; but having lost himself, whose master he could be after that, let all the Kauravas judge.
A key to reading this (the idea): Karna’s argument and Duryodhana’s baring of his thigh sharpen the very question Vikarna and Vidura had raised. Arjuna’s answer only repeats the reasoning of Bhishma and Vidura, but with great care: Yudhishthira was their lord, yet whether he stayed their lord after losing himself he leaves to the assembly. He levels no direct charge, and even his half-answer keeps within the bounds of propriety.
The omens, Dhritarashtra waking, and three boons
Just then a jackal began to cry loudly in the homa-chamber of Dhritarashtra’s palace. At its cry the asses began to bray in answer, and terrible birds too, from all sides, began to answer with their cries. Vidura, who knew everything, and the daughter of Suvala both understood the meaning of those terrible sounds. Bhishma and Drona and the learned Gautama, that is Kripa, loudly cried, Swasti, Swasti. Then Gandhari and the learned Vidura, beholding that frightful omen, in great affliction represented everything to the king.
Then Dhritarashtra said: wicked-minded Duryodhana, wretch, when you insult in such language the wife of these bulls among the Kurus, above all their wedded wife Draupadi, know that destruction has already overtaken you. And having said these words, the wise Dhritarashtra, endued with knowledge, wishing to save his relatives and friends from destruction, reflecting with the aid of his wisdom, began to console Krishna, the princess of Panchala, and said: princess of Panchala, ask of me any boon you desire; chaste and devoted to virtue, you are the first of all my daughters-in-law.
Draupadi said: bull of the Bharata race, if you will grant me a boon, I ask that the handsome Yudhishthira, obedient to every duty, be freed from slavery; let not unthinking children call my child Prativindhya, endued with great energy of mind, the son of a slave. Having been a prince, superior to all and nurtured by kings, it is not proper that he be called the child of a slave. Dhritarashtra said: let it be as you say, auspicious one; ask another boon, excellent one, and I will give it; my heart inclines to give you a second, for you deserve more than one boon. Draupadi said: I ask, king, that Bhimasena and Dhananjaya and the twins too, with their cars and their bows, freed from bondage, regain their liberty.
Dhritarashtra said: let it be as you desire, blessed daughter; ask a third boon, for you have not been sufficiently honored with two; virtuous in your behaviour, you are the foremost of all my daughters-in-law. Draupadi said: best of kings, illustrious one, covetousness always brings about a loss of virtue; I do not deserve a third boon, and so I dare not ask any. It has been said that a Vaisya may ask one boon, a Kshatriya lady two, a Kshatriya male three, and a Brahmana a hundred. King, these my husbands, freed from the wretched state of bondage, will achieve prosperity by their own virtuous acts.
A key to reading this (numbers): When Draupadi refuses a third boon, she recalls the limit set in the scriptures for boons: one for a Vaisya, two for a Kshatriya woman, three for a Kshatriya man, a hundred for a Brahmana. With two boons she freed all five of her husbands and her son’s honor, and, keeping clear of greed, let the third go. That is her discernment.
Karna said: never have we heard of such an act, performed by any of the women noted in this world for their beauty; when the sons of both Pandu and Dhritarashtra were excited with wrath, this Draupadi became the salvation of the sons of Pandu. Indeed the princess of Panchala, becoming a boat for the sons of Pandu who were sinking in a boatless ocean of distress, has brought them in safety to the shore. Hearing these words of Karna among the Kurus, that the sons of Pandu were saved by their wife, the angry Bhimasena in great affliction said to Arjuna: Dhananjaya, it has been said by Devala that three lights reside in every person, that is, offspring, acts, and learning, for from these three has sprung creation; when life becomes extinct and the body, grown impure, is cast off by relatives, these three become of service to a person still. But the light that is in us has been dimmed by this insult to our wife; how, Arjuna, can a son born of this insulted wife of ours prove serviceable to us? Arjuna replied: Bharata, superior persons never prate about the harsh words that may or may not be uttered by inferior men; those who have earned respect, even if they are able to retaliate, remember not the acts of hostility of their enemies, but treasure up only their good deeds.
Bhima said: king, shall I slay all these gathered foes here and now without delay, or, Bharata, take them out of this palace and destroy them root and branch? Or what need is there of words or command; I shall slay them all this moment, and you rule the whole earth without a rival. And saying this, Bhima, with his younger brothers, like a lion in the midst of a herd of inferior animals, repeatedly cast his angry glances around. But Arjuna, of white deeds, began to pacify his elder brother with appealing looks. The mighty-armed hero began to burn with the fire of his wrath, and that fire began to issue out of Vrikodara’s ears and other senses with smoke and sparks and flames; his face became terrible to behold, with brows furrowed like those of Yama at the time of universal destruction. Then Yudhishthira forbade the mighty hero, embracing him in his arms and telling him, be not so, stay in silence and peace. And having pacified that mighty-armed one whose eyes were red with wrath, the king approached his uncle Dhritarashtra with hands joined in entreaty.
The gist: Roused by the omen of the jackal, Dhritarashtra rebukes Duryodhana and offers Draupadi three boons. Draupadi asks first for Yudhishthira’s freedom, then for that of the other four brothers, and, avoiding greed, lets the third boon go. At Karna’s stinging remark Bhima flares up again, but Arjuna and Yudhishthira calm him.
Dhritarashtra’s pardon, and the return to Indraprastha
Yudhishthira said: king, you are our master; command us as to what we shall do; Bharata, we desire to remain always in obedience to you. Dhritarashtra replied: Ajatasatru, blessed be you; go in peace and safety; commanded by me, go and rule your own kingdom with your wealth. And, child, take to heart this command of an old man, this wholesome advice: you know the subtle path of morality, you are possessed of great wisdom, you are humble, and you wait upon the old; where there is intelligence, there is forbearance, so, Bharata, follow the counsels of peace. The axe falls on wood and spares the stone. You are open to counsel, unlike Duryodhana. They are the best of men who remember not the acts of hostility of their foes, who behold only the merits and not the faults of their enemies, and who never enter into hostilities themselves.
Dhritarashtra said further: child, remember not the harsh words of Duryodhana; look at your mother Gandhari and at me, if you desire to remember only what is good. Bharata, look at me, old and blind, who am a father to you and am still alive. It was for seeing our friends and examining also the strength and weakness of my children that I had, from motives of policy, suffered this match at dice to proceed. King, those among the Kurus who have you for their ruler and the all-learned Vidura for their counsellor have nothing to grieve for. In you is virtue, in Arjuna patience, in Bhimasena prowess, and in the twins, those foremost of men, pure reverence for superiors. Blessed be you, Ajatasatru; return to Khandavaprastha, and let there be brotherly love between you and your cousins; let your heart also be ever fixed on virtue.
Thus addressed by his uncle, Yudhishthira, that foremost of the Bharatas, king of justice, having gone through every ceremony of politeness, set out with his brothers for Khandavaprastha. And, accompanied by Draupadi and mounting their cars all of the hue of the clouds, with cheerful hearts they all set out for that best of cities called Indraprastha.
A key to reading this (place): Khandavaprastha and Indraprastha are two names for one city: this capital, raised by burning the Khandava forest, is the Pandavas’ own, apart from Hastinapura. Dhritarashtra sends the Pandavas back safe to this kingdom of theirs, so that for a moment it seems the danger has passed.
Dussasana’s complaint, and the plan for the second game
Janamejaya asked how the sons of Dhritarashtra felt when they came to know that the Pandavas had, with Dhritarashtra’s leave, left Hastinapura with all their wealth and jewels. Vaisampayana said: king, learning that the wise Dhritarashtra had commanded the Pandavas to return to their capital, Dussasana went without loss of time to his brother, and, arriving before Duryodhana with his counsellor, afflicted with grief, began to say: mighty warriors, that which we had won after so much trouble, the old man, our father, has thrown away; know that he has made over the whole of that wealth to the foes. At these words Duryodhana and Karna and Shakuni, son of Suvala, all guided by vanity, united together, and, desirous of counteracting the sons of Pandu, went in haste and saw privately the wise king Dhritarashtra, son of Vichitravirya, and spoke to him these pleasing and artful words.
Duryodhana said: king, have you not heard what Vrihaspati, the preceptor of the celestials, said in the course of counselling Sakra about mortals and politics? These, slayer of foes, were the words of Vrihaspati: those enemies who always do wrong by stratagem or force should be slain by every means. If, therefore, with the wealth of the Pandavas we gratify the kings of the earth and then fight with the sons of Pandu, what reverses can overtake us? When one has placed venomous, wrathful snakes on his neck and back for his own destruction, is it possible for him to take them off? Equipped with weapons and seated on their cars, the angry sons of Pandu, like wrathful and venomous snakes, will assuredly annihilate us, father. Even now Arjuna proceeds, encased in mail and furnished with his couple of quivers, frequently taking up the Gandiva and breathing hard and casting angry glances around; and it has been heard that Vrikodara, hastily ordering his car to be made ready and riding on it, proceeds along frequently whirling his heavy mace. Nakula goes along with the sword in his grasp and the semicircular shield in his hand, and Sahadeva and King Yudhishthira too have made signs clearly testifying to their intentions.
Duryodhana said further: persecuted thus by us, they cannot forgive us those injuries; who among them will forgive that insult to Draupadi? Blessed be you; we will gamble with the son of Pandu once more, to send them into exile; in this way we are competent to bring them under our sway. Dressed in deerskins, either we or they, defeated at dice, shall repair to the woods for twelve years; the thirteenth year shall have to be spent in some inhabited country unrecognized, and, if recognized, an exile of another twelve years shall follow. This Shakuni knows well the whole science of dice. Even if they succeed in observing this vow for thirteen years, we shall in the meantime be firmly rooted in the kingdom, and, making alliances, assemble a vast, invincible host and keep the people content, so that we shall defeat the sons of Pandu even if they reappear. Dhritarashtra said: bring back the Pandavas then, even if they have gone a great way; let them come at once again to cast the dice.
Then Drona, Somadatta, and Valhika, Gautama that is Kripa, Vidura, the son of Drona which is Aswatthaman, the mighty son of Dhritarashtra by his Vaisya wife, Bhurisravas, Bhishma, and that mighty warrior Vikarna, all said: let the play not commence; let there be peace. But Dhritarashtra, partial to his sons, disregarding the counsels of all his wise friends and relatives, summoned the sons of Pandu.
A key to reading this (numbers): The stake of the second game is time itself: the loser must spend twelve years in the forest and the thirteenth in hiding, unrecognized, and if he is recognized in that thirteenth year, another twelve years of exile follow. This is the vow of twelve years and one that becomes the ground of the whole story ahead.
Gandhari’s warning, and Yudhishthira’s return
King, it was then that the virtuous Gandhari, afflicted with grief out of love for her sons, said to Dhritarashtra: when Duryodhana was born, Vidura of great intelligence said, it is well to send this disgrace of the race to the other world, for he cried repeatedly and dissonantly like a jackal; it is certain he will prove the destruction of our race. Take this to heart, lord of the Kurus; Bharata, sink not, for your own fault, into an ocean of calamity. Lord, accord not your approbation to the counsels of the wicked ones of immature years; be not the cause of the terrible destruction of this race. Who is there that will break an embankment already completed? Who is there that will rekindle a fire already extinguished? Best of the Bharatas, who is there that will provoke the peaceful sons of Pritha? Ajamida, you remember everything, and yet I will call your attention to this: the scriptures can never control the wicked-minded for good or evil, and a person of immature understanding will never act as one of mature years. Let your sons follow you as their leader; let them not be separated from you forever by losing their lives. Therefore, at my word, king, abandon this wretch of our race.
Gandhari said further: you could not, king, from parental affection, do this before; but know that the time has come for the destruction of the race through him. Err not, king; let your mind, guided by counsels of peace, virtue, and true policy, be what it naturally is. That prosperity which is acquired by wicked acts is soon destroyed, while that which is won by mild means takes root and descends from generation to generation. Though Gandhari pointed out to him the path of virtue in such language, the king replied: if the destruction of our race has come, let it take place freely; I am ill able to prevent it; let it be as my sons desire; let the Pandavas return, and let my sons gamble with the sons of Pandu again.
A sub-tale: Gandhari recalls Vidura’s old warning, given at Duryodhana’s birth: the newborn’s jackal-like wailing was an evil omen, and Vidura said even then that this child would destroy the race. A father’s love outweighed that warning then, and it outweighs it now. Knowing everything, Dhritarashtra lets the ruin come.
The second game, and the single stake of exile
By the command of the wise Dhritarashtra, the royal messenger came upon Yudhishthira, the son of Pritha, who had by then gone a great way, and said: Bharata, these are the words of your father-like uncle: the assembly is ready; son of Pandu, King Yudhishthira, come and cast the dice. Yudhishthira said: creatures obtain fruits good and ill according to the dispensation of the Ordainer of creation; those fruits are inevitable whether I play or not. This is a summons to dice, and it is besides the command of the old king; although I know that it will prove destructive to me, yet I cannot refuse.
Although a living animal made of gold was an impossibility, still Rama suffered himself to be tempted by a golden deer; indeed, the minds of men over whom calamities hang become deranged and out of order. Having said these words, Yudhishthira retraced his steps along with his brothers; and knowing full well the deception practised by Shakuni, the son of Pritha came back to sit at the dice with him again. These mighty warriors, afflicting the hearts of all their friends, entered that assembly again, and, compelled by Fate, once more sat down at ease to gamble for their own destruction.
Shakuni said: the old king has given you back all your wealth, and that is well; but hear me, best of the Bharatas, there is a stake of great value. Either you, defeated by us, dressed in deerskins, shall enter the great forest and live there for twelve years, passing the whole of the thirteenth year unrecognized in some inhabited region, and, if recognized, return to an exile of another twelve years; or we, defeated by you, dressed in deerskins, shall do the same with Krishna. On the expiry of the thirteenth year, each is to have his kingdom surrendered by the other. With this resolution, Yudhishthira, play with us, Bharata, casting the dice.
At these words, those in the assembly, raising up their arms in great anxiety of mind, said: alas, shame on the friends of Duryodhana that they do not apprise him of his great danger. Whether he understands it of his own sense or not, it is your duty to tell him plainly. Even hearing these various remarks, King Yudhishthira, from shame and a sense of virtue, again sat down at dice; and though he knew the consequences full well, as if knowing that the destruction of the Kurus was at hand, he began to play again. Yudhishthira said: Shakuni, how can a king like me, always observant of the uses of his own order, refuse when summoned to dice? Therefore I play with you.
Shakuni answered: we have many cattle and horses, milch cows, an infinite number of goats and sheep, elephants, treasures, gold, and slaves both male and female; all these were staked by us before, but now let this be our one stake, exile into the woods; defeated, either you or we shall dwell in the woods for twelve years, and the thirteenth year, unrecognized, in some inhabited place. With this determination, best of men, we will play. Bharata, this proposal about a stay in the woods was uttered but once; the son of Pritha, however, accepted it, and Shakuni took up the dice. Casting them, he said to Yudhishthira, look, I have won.
The gist: Despite Gandhari’s warning, Dhritarashtra calls the Pandavas back for the second game. Yudhishthira, though he knows the outcome, plays again out of Kshatriya duty and obedience to his elders. On a single throw he loses, and the vow of twelve years in the forest and one year in disguise falls upon them.
The deerskins, Dussasana’s mockery, and the vows of Bhima and Arjuna
Then the vanquished sons of Pritha prepared for their exile into the woods, and one after another, in due order, casting off their royal robes, attired themselves in deerskins. Dussasana, beholding those chastisers of foes dressed in deerskins, deprived of their kingdom, and ready to go into exile, exclaimed: the absolute sovereignty of the illustrious king Duryodhana has commenced; the sons of Pandu have been vanquished and plunged into great affliction. Those who, proud of their wealth, laughed in derision at the son of Dhritarashtra will now go into the woods, defeated and deprived of all their wealth. Let them put off their variegated coats of mail and their robes of celestial make, and attire themselves in deerskins according to the stake they accepted from the son of Suvala. Those who always used to boast that they had no equal in all the world will now, in this calamity of theirs, regard themselves as grains of sesame without the kernel.
Dussasana went on with harsh mockery: the wise Yajnasena of the Somaka race, in bestowing his daughter, the princess of Panchala, on the sons of Pandu, acted most unfortunately, for these sons of Pritha are like eunuchs; Yajnaseni, what joy will be yours upon beholding in the woods these husbands of yours dressed in skins and threadbare rags, deprived of their wealth and possessions? Elect a husband, whomsoever you like, from among all these present here, these Kurus who are all forbearing, self-controlled, and possessed of great wealth, so that this great calamity may not drag you to wretchedness. The sons of Pandu now are even like grains of sesame without the kernel, or like show-animals encased in skins, or like grains of rice without the kernel; why then should you longer wait upon these fallen sons of Pandu?
These most cruel words of Dussasana fell upon the ears of the Pandavas, and hearing them the unforbearing Bhima, in wrath, suddenly approaching that prince like a Himalayan lion upon a jackal, loudly and chastisingly rebuked him: wicked-minded villain, do you rave in words that are uttered only by the sinful? Do you boast so in the midst of the kings, advanced as you are by the skill of the king of Gandhara? As you pierce our hearts with these arrowy words of yours, so shall I pierce your heart in battle, recalling all this to your mind; and those also who, from anger or covetousness, walk behind you as your protectors, them too shall I send to the abode of Yama with their descendants and relatives. Dressed in deerskins and uttering these words of wrath, Bhima still could do nothing, for he could not deviate from the path of virtue. Then Dussasana, abandoning all sense of shame, danced around the Kurus and loudly cried, cow, cow. Bhima said again: wretch, do you dare to use such harsh words? Whom does it behove to boast, thus having won wealth by foul means? I tell you truly that if Vrikodara, the son of Pritha, does not drink your life-blood, piercing open your breast in battle, let him not attain to regions of blessedness; I tell you truly that, by slaying the sons of Dhritarashtra in battle before the very eyes of all the warriors, I shall soon pacify this wrath of mine.
And as the Pandavas were going away from the assembly, the wicked king Duryodhana, from excess of joy, mimicked with his own steps the playful, lionlike gait of Bhima. Then Vrikodara, half turning toward the king, said: think not, fool, that by this you gain any ascendency over me; soon shall I slay you with all your followers, and answer you, recalling all this to your mind. And beholding this insult, the mighty and proud Bhima, suppressing his rising rage and following the steps of Yudhishthira, said, while going out of the Kaurava court: I will slay Duryodhana, and Dhananjaya will slay Karna, and Sahadeva will slay Shakuni, that gambler with the dice. I repeat in this assembly these proud words which the gods will assuredly make good: if ever we engage in battle with the Kurus, I will slay this wretched Duryodhana with my mace, and, prostrating him on the ground, I will place my foot on his head; and as regards this other wicked person, Dussasana, who is audacious in speech, I will drink his blood like a lion.
Arjuna said: Bhima, the resolutions of superior men are not known in words alone; on the fourteenth year from this day, they shall see what happens. Bhima said again: the earth shall drink the blood of Duryodhana, and Karna, and the wicked Shakuni, and Dussasana who makes the fourth. Arjuna said: Bhima, I will, as you direct, slay in battle this Karna, so malicious and jealous and harsh-speeched and vain; for doing what is agreeable to Bhima, Arjuna vows that he will slay this Karna, with all his followers, with his arrows. And I will send unto the regions of Yama also all those other kings who from foolishness fight against me. The mountains of Himavat may be removed from where they are, the maker of the day lose his brightness, the moon his coldness, but this vow of mine will ever be cherished; and all this shall assuredly happen if, on the fourteenth year from this, Duryodhana does not, with proper respect, return us our kingdom.
After Arjuna had said this, Sahadeva, the handsome son of Madri, desirous of slaying Shakuni, waving his mighty arms and sighing like a snake, exclaimed with eyes red with anger: disgrace of the Gandhara kings, those whom you think defeated are not really so; they are sharp-pointed arrows from whose wounds you have run the risk in battle. I shall certainly accomplish all which Bhima has said adverting to you, with all your followers; so, if you have anything to do, do it before that day comes; I shall assuredly slay you in battle with all your followers soon enough, son of Suvala, if you stay in the fight pursuant to Kshatriya usage. Hearing these words of Sahadeva, Nakula, the handsomest of men, said: I shall certainly send to the abode of Yama all those wicked sons of Dhritarashtra who, desiring death and impelled by Fate, and moved by the wish of doing what is agreeable to Duryodhana, have used harsh and insulting speeches toward this daughter of Yajnasena at the gambling match; at the command of Yudhishthira and remembering the wrongs to Draupadi, I shall soon make the earth destitute of the sons of Dhritarashtra. And those tigers among men, having thus pledged themselves to virtuous promises, approached King Dhritarashtra.
The gist: The Pandavas put on deerskins. Dussasana mocks them as hollow sesame and tells Draupadi to choose a new husband; Duryodhana insults Bhima by mimicking his walk. Bhima vows the breaking of Duryodhana’s thigh and the drinking of Dussasana’s blood, Arjuna vows to kill Karna, and Sahadeva and Nakula vow to kill Shakuni and the rest of the sons of Dhritarashtra, all aimed at the fourteenth year.
Vidura’s parting counsel, and the lament of Kunti and Draupadi
Yudhishthira said: I bid farewell to all the Bharatas, to my old grandsire Bhishma, to King Somadatta, the great king Vahlika, Drona, Kripa, all the other kings, Aswatthaman, Vidura, Dhritarashtra, all the sons of Dhritarashtra, Yuyutsu, Sanjaya, and all the courtiers; I bid farewell to all of you, and returning again I shall see you. Overcome with shame, none of those present there could say anything to Yudhishthira; but in their hearts they prayed for the welfare of that intelligent prince.
Then Vidura said: the reverend Pritha is a princess by birth; it behoves her not to go into the woods. Delicate and old and ever known to happiness, the blessed one will live, respected by me, in my abode; know this, sons of Pandu, and let safety always be yours. The Pandavas said: sinless one, let it be as you say; you are our uncle, and therefore like our father; we are all obedient to you; learned one, you are our most respected superior; whatever you command, we will always obey; and, high-souled one, order whatever else there is that remains to be done.
Vidura replied: Yudhishthira, best of the Bharatas, know this to be my opinion, that one vanquished by sinful means need not be pained by such defeat. You know every rule of morality; Dhananjaya is ever victorious in battle; Bhimasena is the slayer of foes; Nakula is the gatherer of wealth; Sahadeva has administrative talents; Dhaumya is the foremost of all conversant with the Vedas; and the well-behaved Draupadi is conversant with virtue and economy. You are attached to one another, feel delight at one another’s sight, and enemies cannot separate you; you are content, and so who is there that will not envy you? Bharata, this patient abstraction from the possessions of the world will be of great benefit to you; no foe, even if he were equal to Sakra himself, will be able to stand it.
Vidura went on: formerly you were instructed on the mountains of Himavat by Meru-Savarni, in the town of Varanavata by Krishna-Dwaipayana, on the cliff of Bhrigu by Rama, and on the banks of the Dhrishadwati by Sambhu himself; you have listened to the instruction of the great rishi Asita on the hills of Anjana, and you became a disciple of Bhrigu on the banks of the Kalmashi. Narada and this your priest Dhaumya will now become your instructors; in the matter of the next world, abandon not these excellent lessons you have obtained from the rishis. Son of Pandu, you surpass in intelligence even Pururava, the son of Ila, in strength all other monarchs, and in virtue even the rishis. Therefore resolve earnestly to win victory, which belongs to Indra; to control your wrath, which belongs to Yama; to give in charity, which belongs to Kuvera; and to control all passions, which belongs to Varuna. Bharata, obtain the power of gladdening from the moon, the power of sustaining all from water, forbearance from the earth, energy from the entire solar disc, strength from the winds, and affluence from the other elements. Welfare and immunity from ailment be yours; I hope to see you return; act properly and duly in all seasons, in those of distress, in those of difficulty, indeed in respect of everything; son of Kunti, with our leave go hence, and blessing be yours; no one can say that you have ever done anything sinful before; we hope to see you return in safety and crowned with success. Thus addressed by Vidura, Yudhishthira, of prowess incapable of being baffled, saying, so be it, bowed low to Bhishma and Drona, and went away.
When Draupadi was about to set out, she went to the illustrious Pritha, that is Kunti, and solicited her leave, and asked leave too of the other ladies of the household, who had all been plunged into grief. Saluting and embracing every one of them as each deserved, she desired to go away. Then there arose within the inner apartments of the Pandavas a loud wail of woe. And Kunti, terribly afflicted upon beholding Draupadi on the eve of her journey, said in a voice choked with grief: child, grieve not that this great calamity has overtaken you; you are well conversant with the duties of the female sex, and your behaviour and conduct are as they should be; it behoves me not, sweet-smiling one, to instruct you as to your duties toward your lords. You are chaste and accomplished, and your qualities have adorned the race of your birth as also the race into which you have been admitted by marriage. Fortunate are the Kauravas that they have not been burnt by your wrath. Child, safely go, blessed by my prayers; good women never suffer their hearts to be unstung by the inevitable; protected by virtue that is superior to everything, soon shall you obtain good fortune. While living in the woods, keep your eye on my child Sahadeva; see that his heart sinks not under this great calamity.
Saying, so be it, the princess Draupadi, bathed in tears, clad in a single piece of cloth stained with blood, and with her hair dishevelled, left her mother-in-law and went. And as she went weeping and wailing, Pritha herself, in grief, followed her. She had not gone far when she saw her sons shorn of their ornaments and robes, their bodies clad in deerskins, and their heads down with shame; she beheld them surrounded by rejoicing foes and pitied by friends. Endued with excess of parental affection, Kunti approached her sons in that state, and, embracing them all, said in accents choked with woe: you are all virtuous and good-mannered, adorned with every excellent quality and respectful behaviour; you are all high-minded, engaged in the service of your superiors, devoted to the gods and to the performance of sacrifices; why then has this calamity overtaken you, whence this reverse of fortune? I do not see by whose wickedness this sin has overtaken you; alas, it was I who brought you forth, so all this must be due to my own ill fortune.
Kunti lamented on: in energy and prowess and strength and firmness and might, you are not wanting, so how shall you now, losing your wealth and possessions, live poor in the pathless woods? Had I known before that you were destined to live in the woods, I would not, on Pandu’s death, have come from the mountains of Satasringa to Hastinapura. Fortunate, as I now regard him, was your father, who truly reaped the fruit of his asceticism and, gifted with foresight, entertained the wish of ascending to heaven without having to feel any pain on account of his sons; and fortunate too was the virtuous Madri, who, as if she had foreknowledge of what would happen, obtained the high path of emancipation and every blessing with it. Alas, fie on my desire of life, owing to which I suffer all this woe. Children, you are all excellent and dear to me; I obtained you after much suffering, and I cannot leave you; I too will go with you. Alas, Krishna, why do you leave me so? Then she called on Krishna, dweller in Dwaraka, the younger brother of Sankarshana: where are you? Why do you not deliver me and these best of men from such woe? They say that you, who are without beginning and without end, deliver those who think of you; why does this saying become untrue? She told Sahadeva, her dearest child, to stay, but, bound by the ties of virtue, she let him go with his brothers, blessing him that he might earn the virtue which springs from waiting upon her.
The Pandavas then consoled their weeping mother and, with hearts plunged in grief, set out for the woods. And Vidura himself, also much afflicted, consoling the distressed Kunti with reasons, led her slowly to his house. And the ladies of Dhritarashtra’s household, hearing everything as it had happened, the exile of the Pandavas and the dragging of Krishna into the assembly where the princes had gambled, wept loudly and censured the Kauravas; and the ladies of the royal household sat silent for a long time, covering their lotus-like faces with their fair hands. King Dhritarashtra too, thinking of the dangers that threatened his sons, became a prey to anxiety and could not enjoy peace of mind; and, anxiously meditating on everything, his mind deprived of its equanimity through grief, he sent a messenger to Vidura, saying, let Kshatta come to me without a moment’s delay. At this summons Vidura quickly came to Dhritarashtra’s palace, and as soon as he came the monarch asked him, with great anxiety, how the Pandavas had left Hastinapura.
The gist: Vidura keeps Kunti in his own house and gives Yudhishthira a parting counsel on self-control, dharma, and the virtues of the gods. The lament of Draupadi and Kunti is the aching center of the story. The Pandavas set out for the woods, and the anxious Dhritarashtra calls Vidura to ask how they left.
Vidura’s account, the omens, and Narada’s prophecy
As soon as the far-seeing Vidura came to him, King Dhritarashtra, son of Amvika, timidly asked his brother: how does Yudhishthira, the son of Dharma, proceed along, and how Arjuna, and how the twin sons of Madri, and how, Kshatta, does Dhaumya proceed, and how the illustrious Draupadi? I desire to hear everything, Kshatta; describe to me all their acts. Vidura replied: Yudhishthira, the son of Kunti, has gone away covering his face with his cloth; Bhima has gone away looking at his own mighty arms; Jishnu, that is Arjuna, has gone away, following the king, scattering sand-grains around; Sahadeva, the son of Madri, has gone away besmearing his face, and Nakula, the handsomest of men, has gone away staining himself with dust, his heart in great affliction; and the large-eyed and beautiful Krishna has gone away covering her face with her dishevelled hair, weeping and in tears, following in the wake of the king; and Dhaumya, king, goes along the road with kusa grass in hand, uttering the awful mantras of the Sama Veda that relate to Yama.
Dhritarashtra asked: tell me, Vidura, why is it that the Pandavas are leaving Hastinapura in such varied guise? Vidura replied: though persecuted by your sons and robbed of his kingdom and wealth, the mind of the wise Yudhishthira, king of justice, has not deviated from the path of virtue; he is always kind, Bharata, to your children. Though deprived by foul means, filled with wrath as he is, he does not open his eyes, thinking, I should not burn the people by looking at them with angry eyes; and so the royal son of Dharma goes covering his face. Bhima, thinking there is none equal to him in strength of arm, goes repeatedly stretching forth his mighty arms, desiring to do unto his enemies deeds worthy of those arms. And Arjuna, the son of Kunti, capable of using both arms in wielding the Gandiva, follows the footsteps of Yudhishthira, scattering sand-grains, indicating that as easily as these grains are scattered by him, so easily will he rain arrows on the foe in battle.
Vidura said further: Sahadeva besmears his face so that none may recognize him in this day of trouble; and Nakula stains himself with dust lest he steal the hearts of the ladies who may look at him. And Draupadi goes away, attired in one piece of stained cloth, her hair dishevelled, weeping, signifying that the wives of those for whom she has been reduced to such a plight shall, on the fourteenth year hence, be deprived of husbands, sons, relatives, and dear ones, and, smeared all over with blood, with hair dishevelled and all in their feminine seasons, enter Hastinapura, having offered oblations of water to their dead. And, Bharata, the self-controlled Dhaumya, holding the kusa grass in his hand and pointing it toward the southwest, walks before, singing the mantras of the Sama Veda that relate to Yama, signifying that when the Bharatas are slain in battle, the priests of the Kurus will thus sing the Soma mantras for the deceased.
Vidura said: the citizens, afflicted with great grief, are repeatedly crying out, alas, alas, behold our masters are going away; fie on the Kuru elders who have acted like foolish children in thus banishing the heirs of Pandu from covetousness alone; separated from the sons of Pandu, we all shall become masterless; what love can we bear to the wicked and avaricious Kurus? And as those foremost of men were leaving Hastinapura, flashes of lightning appeared in a cloudless sky, and the earth itself began to tremble; Rahu came to devour the sun, though it was not the day of conjunction, and meteors began to fall, keeping the city to their right; and jackals and vultures and ravens and other carnivorous beasts and birds began to shriek from the temples of the gods, the tops of sacred trees, walls, and house-tops. King, these extraordinary calamitous portents, indicating the destruction of the Bharatas as the consequence of your evil counsels, were seen and heard.
King, while Dhritarashtra and the wise Vidura were thus talking with each other, there appeared in that assembly of the Kauravas, before the eyes of all, Narada, the best of the celestial rishis. Before them all he uttered these terrible words: on the fourteenth year hence, in consequence of Duryodhana’s fault, all the Kauravas will be destroyed by the might of Bhima and Arjuna. Having said this, that best of celestial rishis, adorned with surpassing Vedic grace, passed through the skies and disappeared from the scene. Then Duryodhana and Karna and Shakuni, the son of Suvala, regarding Drona as their sole refuge, began to offer the kingdom to him.
A sub-tale: Vidura unfolds the meaning of every gesture of the Pandavas’ going: Yudhishthira’s covered face is the holding back of anger, Bhima’s outstretched arms a resolve of strength, Arjuna’s scattered sand a sign of the coming rain of arrows, the smeared and dust-stained faces of Sahadeva and Nakula a preparation for the year in hiding, and Dhaumya’s mantras to Yama a foretone of the coming slaughter of the Bharatas. This silent pantomime is the thread of the whole story to come.
Drona’s fear, Dhritarashtra’s remorse, and Sanjaya’s truth
Drona said to the envious and wrathful Duryodhana, Dussasana, Karna, and all the Bharatas: the Brahmanas have said that the Pandavas, being of celestial origin, are incapable of being slain; still, since the sons of Dhritarashtra, with all the kings, have heartily and with reverence sought my protection, I shall look after them to the best of my power; Destiny is supreme, and I cannot abandon them. Defeated at dice, the Pandavas are going into exile in pursuance of their promise; they will live in the woods for twelve years, and, practising the Brahmacharya mode of life for that period, they will return in anger and, to our great grief, take the amplest vengeance on their foes. I had formerly deprived Drupada of his kingdom in a friendly dispute; robbed of his kingdom by me, the king performed a sacrifice for obtaining a son who should slay me. Aided by the ascetic power of Yaja and Upayaja, Drupada obtained from the sacrificial fire a son named Dhrishtadyumna and a daughter, the faultless Krishna, both risen from the sacrificial platform. That Dhrishtadyumna is the brother-in-law of the sons of Pandu by marriage and dear to them; it is for him that I have much fear. Of celestial origin and resplendent as fire, he was born with bow and arrows and encased in mail; I am a being that is mortal, and therefore it is for him that I have great fear.
Drona said further: that slayer of all foes, the son of Parshata, has taken the side of the Pandavas; if he and I ever encounter each other in battle, I shall have to lose my life. What grief can be greater to me in this world than this, Kauravas, that it is generally believed that Dhrishtadyumna is the destined slayer of Drona; that he was born for slaying me has been heard by me and is widely known in the world. For your sake, Duryodhana, that terrible season of destruction is almost come; do, without loss of time, what may be beneficial to you. Think not that everything has been accomplished by sending the Pandavas into exile; this happiness of yours will last but a moment, even as in winter the shadow of the top of the palm tree rests for a short time at its base. Perform various kinds of sacrifices, enjoy, and give, Bharata, everything you like; on the fourteenth year hence, a great calamity will overwhelm you.
Hearing these words of Drona, Dhritarashtra said: Kshatta, the preceptor has uttered what is true; go and bring back the Pandavas; and if they do not come, let them go treated with respect and affection; let those my sons go with weapons, cars, infantry, and every other good thing. After the Pandavas had gone to the woods, king, Dhritarashtra was overcome with anxiety. And while he sat restless with anxiety and sighing in grief, Sanjaya, approaching him, said: lord of the earth, having now obtained the whole earth with all its wealth and sent the sons of Pandu into exile, why is it, king, that you grieve so? Dhritarashtra said: what have they not to grieve for who will have to encounter in battle those bulls among warriors, the sons of Pandu, fighting on great cars and aided by allies?
Sanjaya said: king, this whole great hostility has become inevitable on account of your mistaken action, and it will assuredly bring about the wholesale destruction of the whole world. Forbidden by Bhishma, by Drona, and by Vidura, your wicked-minded and shameless son Duryodhana sent his Suta messenger, commanding him to bring into court the beloved and virtuous wife of the Pandavas. The gods first deprive of his reason the man to whom they send defeat and disgrace; it is for this that such a person sees things in a strange light. When destruction is at hand, evil appears as good to the understanding polluted by sin, and the man adheres to it firmly. That which is improper appears as proper, and that which is proper appears as improper, to the man about to be overwhelmed by destruction. The time that brings on destruction does not come with upraised club and smash one’s head; its peculiarity is that it makes a man behold evil in good and good in evil.
Sanjaya said further: these wretches have brought upon themselves this terrible, wholesale, and horrible destruction by dragging the helpless princess of Panchala into the court. Who else than Duryodhana, that false player of dice, could bring into the assembly, with insults, the daughter of Drupada, endued with beauty and intelligence and conversant with every rule of morality, born of the sacred fire and carried in no woman’s womb? The handsome Krishna, then in her season, attired in one piece of stained cloth, when brought into the court cast her eyes upon the Pandavas; but she beheld them robbed of their wealth, of their kingdom, of even their attire, of their beauty, of every enjoyment, and plunged into a state of bondage; bound by the tie of virtue, they were then unable to exert their prowess. And before all the assembled kings, Duryodhana and Karna spoke cruel and harsh words to the distressed and enraged Krishna, undeserving of such treatment. King, all this appears to me as foreboding fearful consequences.
Dhritarashtra said: Sanjaya, the glances of the distressed daughter of Drupada might consume the whole earth; can it be possible that even a single son of mine will live? The wives of the Bharatas, uniting with Gandhari upon beholding the virtuous Krishna, the wedded wife of the Pandavas, endued with beauty and youth, dragged into the court, set up a frightful wail; even now, along with all my subjects, they weep every day. Enraged at the ill-treatment of Draupadi, the Brahmanas in a body did not perform their Agnihotra ceremony that evening. The winds blew mightily, as they did at the time of the universal dissolution; there was a terrible thunderstorm, meteors fell from the sky, and Rahu, by swallowing the sun unseasonably, alarmed the people terribly. Our war-chariots were suddenly ablaze, and all their flagstaffs fell down, foreboding evil to the Bharatas; jackals began to cry frightfully from within the sacred fire-chamber of Duryodhana, and asses from all directions began to bray in response.
Dhritarashtra said on: then Bhishma and Drona and Kripa and Somadatta and the high-souled Vahlika all left the assembly. It was then that, at the advice of Vidura, I addressed Krishna and said, I will grant you boons, Krishna, whatever you would ask. The princess of Panchala there begged of me the liberation of the Pandavas; out of my own motion I then set the Pandavas free, commanding them to return to their capital on their cars and with their bows and arrows. It was then that Vidura told me, even this will prove the destruction of the Bharata race, this dragging of Krishna into the court; this daughter of the king of Panchala is the faultless Sree herself, of celestial origin, the wedded wife of the Pandavas; the wrathful sons of Pandu will never forgive this insult offered to her, nor will the mighty bowmen of the Vrishni race, nor the mighty warriors among the Panchalas, suffer it in silence. Supported by Vasudeva of unbaffled prowess, Arjuna will assuredly come back, surrounded by the Panchala host, and that mighty warrior Bhimasena, endued with surpassing strength, will also come back, whirling his mace like Yama himself with his club; these kings will scarcely be able to bear the force of Bhima’s mace.
Dhritarashtra said: Vidura told me further that therefore, king, lasting peace with the sons of Pandu, and never hostility, seemed to him to be the best course; the sons of Pandu are always stronger than the Kurus. You know, king, that the illustrious and mighty king Jarasandha was slain in battle by Bhima with his bare arms alone; therefore, bull of the Bharata race, it behoves you to make peace with the sons of Pandu; without scruples of any kind, unite the two parties, king; and if you act in this way, you are sure to obtain good fortune. And at the last Dhritarashtra said: thus, son of Gavalgana, did Vidura address me in words of both virtue and profit; and I did not accept that counsel, moved by affection for my son. Here the Sabha Parva ends.
A key to reading this (lineage): Drona’s fear is of Dhrishtadyumna, who came to Drupada from that same fire-sacrifice for the very purpose of killing Drona; and this Dhrishtadyumna is Draupadi’s own brother and the Pandavas’ brother-in-law. Narada’s prophecy, Drona’s fear, and Sanjaya’s words of dharma all point to one truth: in the fourteenth year the ruin of the Kauravas is certain, and its root cause is Dhritarashtra’s love for his son.
The gist: Drona voices his fear of his destined slayer Dhrishtadyumna and warns Duryodhana of the great calamity of the fourteenth year. Narada foretells the ruin of the Kauravas at the hands of Bhima and Arjuna and vanishes. Sanjaya tells Dhritarashtra plainly that this ruin is the fruit of his own mistaken policy and his love for his son, and Dhritarashtra himself admits that he spurned Vidura’s counsel of virtue and profit out of love for his son. On this note of remorse the Sabha Parva closes.
Source: the Mahabharata of Krishna-Dwaipayana Vyasa, Sabha Parva; in the Gita Press, Gorakhpur tradition.
Based on: the Mahabharata, Vedavyasa (Gita Press, Gorakhpur)