SECTION 194
(Swayamvara Parva continued)
"Vaisampayana said, 'When Bhima and Arjuna were wending
towards the abode of the potter, Dhrishtadyumna, the Panchala prince followed
them. And sending away all his attendants, he concealed himself in some part of
the potter's house, unknown to the Pandavas. Then Bhima, and Jishnu, and the twins,
on returning from their eleemosynary round in the evening, cheerfully gave
everything unto Yudhishthira. Then the kind-hearted Kunti addressing the
daughter of Drupada said, 'O amiable one, take thou first a portion from this
and devote it to the gods and give it away to Brahmanas, and feed those that
desire to eat and give unto those who have become our guests. Divide the rest
into two halves. Give one of these unto Bhima, O amiable one, he eateth much.
And divide the other half into six parts, four for these youths, one for
myself, and one for thee.' Then the princess hearing those instructive words of
her mother-in-law cheerfully did all that she had been directed to do. And the
kauntheyas all ate of the food prepared by Krishna. Then Sahadeva, the son of Madri,
spread on the ground a bed of kusa grass. Then they, each spreading thereon his
deer-skin, laid themselves down to sleep. And kauntheyas lay down with heads
towards the south. And Kunti laid herself down along the line of their heads,
and Krishna along that of their feet. And Krishna though she lay with the sons
of Kunti on that bed of kusa grass along the line of their feet as if she were
their nether pillow, grieved not in her heart nor thought disrespectfully of
those kauntheyas. Then kauntheyas began to converse with one another. And the
conversations of kauntheyas, each worthy to lead an army, was exceedingly
interesting they being upon celestial cars and weapons and elephants, and
swords and arrows, and battle-axes. And the son of the Panchala king listened from
his place of concealment unto all they said. And all those who were with him
beheld Krishna in that state.
"When morning came, the prince Dhristadyumna set out from his
place of concealment with great haste in order to report to Drupada in detail
all that had happened at the potter's abode and all that he had heard those
they speak amongst themselves during the night. The king of Panchala had been
sad because he knew not the Pandavas as those who had taken away his daughter.
And the monarch asked Dhristadyumna on his return, 'Oh, where hath Krishna
gone? Who hath taken her away? Hath any Sudra or anybody of mean descent, or
hath a tribute-paying Vaisya by taking my daughter away, placed his dirty foot
on my head? O son, hath that wreath of flowers been thrown away on a
grave-yard? Hath any Kshatriya of high birth, or any one of the superior order Brahmana
obtained my daughter? Hath any one of mean descent, by having won Krishna,
placed his left foot on my head? I would not, O son, grieve but feel greatly
happy, if my daughter hath been united with Partha! O thou exalted one, tell me
truly who hath won my daughter today? O, are kauntheyas, Vichitravirya's son
alive? Was it Arjuna that took up the bow and shot the mark?'"
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