Chapter 34

Vaisampayana said, “Thus addressed by Bhimasena, the high-souled kingAjatasatru firmly devoted to truth, mustering his patience, after a fewmoments said these words, ‘No doubt, O Bharata, all this is true. Icannot reproach thee for thy torturing me thus by piercing me with thyarrowy words. From my folly alone hath this calamity come against you. Isought to cast the dice desiring to snatch from Dhritarashtra’s son hiskingdom with the sovereignty. It was therefore that, that cunninggambler–Suvala’s son–played against me on behalf of Suyodhana. Sakuni,a native of the hilly country, is exceedingly artful. Casting the dice inthe presence of the assembly, unacquainted as I am with artifices of anykind, he vanquished me artfully. It is, therefore, O Bhimasena, that wehave been overwhelmed with this calamity. Beholding the dice favourableto the wishes of Sakuni in odds and evens, I could have controlled mymind. Anger, however, driveth off a person’s patience. O child, the mindcannot be kept under control when it is influenced by hauteur, vanity, orpride. I do not reproach thee, O Bhimasena, for the words thou usest. Ionly regard that what hath befallen us was pre-ordained. When kingDuryodhana, the son of Dhritarashtra, coveting our kingdom, plunged usinto misery and even slavery, then, O Bhima, it was Draupadi that rescuedus. When summoned again to the assembly for playing once more, thouknowest as well as Arjuna what Dhritarashtra’s son told me, in thepresence of all the Bharatas, regarding the stake for which we were toplay. His words were, O prince Ajatsatru, (if vanquished), thou shalthave with all thy brothers, to dwell, to the knowledge of all men, fortwelve years in the forest of thy choice, passing the thirteenth year insecrecy. If during the latter period, the spies of the Bharatas, hearingof thee, succeed in discovering thee, thou shalt have again to live inthe forest for the same period, passing once more the last year insecrecy. Reflecting upon this, pledge thyself to it. As regards myself, Ipromise truly in this assembly of the Kurus, that if thou canst pass thistime confounding my spies and undiscovered by them, then, O Bharata, thiskingdom of the five rivers is once more thine. We also, O Bharata, ifvanquished by thee, shall, all of us, abandoning all our wealth, pass thesame period, according to the same rules. Thus addressed by the prince, Ireplied unto him in the midst of all the Kurus, ‘So be it!’ The wretchedgame then commenced. We were vanquished and have been exiled. It is forthis that we are wandering miserably over different woody regionsabounding with discomfort. Suyodhana, however, still dissatisfied, gavehimself up to anger, and urged the Kurus as also all those under his swayto express their joy at our calamity. Having entered into such anagreement in the presence of all good men, who dareth break it for thesake of a kingdom on earth? For a respectable person, I think, even deathitself is lighter than the acquisition of sovereignty by an act oftransgression. At the time of the play, thou hadst desired to burn myhands. Thou wert prevented by Arjuna, and accordingly didst only squeezethy own hands. If thou couldst do what thou hadst desired, could thiscalamity befall us? Conscious of thy prowess, why didst thou not, OBhima, say so before we entered into such an agreement? Overwhelmed withthe consequence of our pledge, and the time itself having passed, what isthe use of thy addressing me these harsh words? O Bhima, this is my greatgrief that we could not do anything even beholding Draupadi persecuted inthat way. My heart burneth as if I have drunk some poisonous liquid.Having, however, given that pledge in the midst of the Kuru heroes, I amunable to violate it now. Wait, O Bhima, for the return of our betterdays, like the scatterer of seeds waiting for the harvest. When one thathath been first injured, succeedeth in revenging himself upon his foe ata time when the latter’s enmity hath borne fruit and flowers, he isregarded to have accomplished a great thing by his prowess. Such a braveperson earneth undying fame. Such a man obtaineth great prosperity. Hisenemies bow down unto him, and his friends gather round him, like thecelestials clustering round Indra for protection. But know, O Bhima, mypromise can never be untrue. I regard virtue as superior to life itselfand a blessed state of celestial existence. Kingdom, sons, fame,wealth,–all these do not come up to even a sixteenth part of truth.’