Chapter 30

“Dhritarashtra said, ‘After all the Kaurava troops had been slain by thesons of Pandu on the field of battle, what did those survivors of myarmy, Kritavarma and Kripa and the valiant son of Drona do? What also didthe wicked-souled king Duryodhana then do?’

“Sanjaya said, ‘After the flight of the ladies of those high-souledKshatriyas, and after the (Kaurava) camp had become entirely empty, thethree car-warriors (thou hast mentioned) became filled with anxiety.Hearing the shouts of the victorious sons of Pandu, and beholding thecamp deserted towards the evening, those three warriors of our side,desirous of rescuing the king, and unable to stay on the field, proceededtowards the lake. Yudhishthira, of virtuous soul, with his brothers inthat battle, felt great joy and wandered over the field from desire ofstaying Duryodhana. Filled with wrath, the Pandavas, desirous of victory,searched for thy son. Though, however, they looked very carefully forhim, they failed to discover the (Kuru) king. Mace in hand, he had fledwith great speed from the field of battle and penetrated into that lake,having by the aid of his powers of illusion, solidified its waters. Whenat last the animals of the Pandavas became very much tired, the latterproceeded to their camp and rested there with their soldiers. After theParthas had retired to their camp, Kripa and Drona’s son and Kritavarmaof the Satwata race, slowly proceeded towards that lake. Approaching thelake within which lay the king, they addressed that invincible ruler ofmen asleep within the water, saying, “Arise, O king, and fight with usagainst Yudhishthira! Either obtaining victory enjoy the earth, or,slain, proceed to heaven! The forces of the Pandavas also, O Duryodhana,have all been slain by thee! Those amongst them that are yet alive havebeen exceedingly mangled! They will not be able, O monarch, to bear thyimpetuosity, especially when thou shalt be protected by us! Arise,therefore, O Bharata!”

“‘Duryodhana said, “By good luck, I see you, ye bulls among men, comeback with life from this destructive battle between the Pandavas and theKauravas! After we have rested a while and dispelled our fatigue, weshall encounter the enemy and conquer him! Ye also are tired and I myselfam exceedingly mangled! The army of the Pandavas is swelling with might!For these reasons, I do not like to fight now! These exhortations on yourpart, ye heroes, are not at all wonderful, for your hearts are noble!Your devotion also to me is great! This, however, is not the time forprowess! Resting for this one night, I shall, on the morrow, join you andfight with the foe! In this there is no doubt!”‘

“Sanjaya continued, ‘Thus addressed, the son of Drona replied unto theking, who was invincible in battle, saying, “Arise, O king, blessed bethou, we shall yet vanquish the foe! I swear by all my religious acts, byall the gifts I have made, by truth itself, and my silent meditations, Oking, that I shall today slay the Somakas! Let me not obtain the delightresulting from the performance of sacrifices, that delight which is feltby all pious men, if this night passes away without my slaying thePandavas in battle! Without slaying all the Pancalas, I will not, O lord,put off my armour! I tell thee this truly. Believe me, O ruler of men!”While they were thus conversing, a number of hunters came there. Fatiguedwith the weight of meat they carried, they came there, not of any setpurpose, for slaking their thirst. Those huntsmen, O lord, used everyday, to procure, with great regard, a basketful of meat for Bhimasena, Oking! As they sat concealed on the banks of that lake, those men heardevery word of that conversation between Duryodhana and those warriors.Finding the Kuru king unwilling to fight, those great bowmen, themselvesdesirous of battle, began to urge him greatly to adopt their counsels.Seeing those car-warriors of the Kaurava army, and understanding that theking, unwilling to fight, was staying within the waters, and hearing thatconversation between those heroes and their master staying within thedepths of the lake, indeed, O monarch, the huntsmen, clearly perceivingthat it was Duryodhana who was staying within the lake, formed aresolution. A little while before, the son of Pandu, while searching forthe king, had met those men and asked them about the whereabouts ofDuryodhana. Recollecting the words that the son of Pandu had said, thosehunters, O king, whisperingly said unto one another, “We will discoverDuryodhana (unto the Pandavas). The son of Pandu will then give uswealth! It is evident to us that the celebrated king Duryodhana is here!Let us then, all of us, proceed to the spot where king Yudhishthira is,for telling him that the vindictive Duryodhana is concealed within thewaters of this lake! Let us also, all of us, inform that great bowman,the intelligent Bhimasena, that the son of Dhritarashtra is concealedhere within the waters of this lake! Gratified with us, he will give usmuch wealth! What need of fatiguing ourselves, day after day, withprocuring meat and weakening ourselves with such toil?” Having said thesewords, those huntsmen, filled with joy and longing for wealth, took uptheir baskets of meat and proceeded towards the (Pandava) camp. Possessedof sure aim and skilled in smiting, the Pandavas, O monarch, not seeingin battle Duryodhana, who was then concealed, (were resting in theircamp). Desirous of reaching the end of that sinful wight’s evil policy,they had despatched spies in all directions on the field of battle. Allthe soldiers, however, that had been despatched on that mission returnedto the camp together and informed king Yudhishthira the just that notrace could be found of king Duryodhana. Hearing these words of thereturned messengers, O bull of Bharata’s race, king Yudhishthira becamefilled with great anxiety and began to breathe heavily. While thePandavas, O bull of Bharata’s race, were staying in such cheerlessness,those huntsmen, O lord, having come with great speed from the banks ofthat lake, arrived at the camp, filled with joy at having discoveredDuryodhana. Though forbidden, they still entered the camp, in the verysight of Bhimasena. Having approached that mighty son of Pandu,Bhimasena, they represented everything unto him about what they had seenand heard. Then Vrikodara, that scorcher of foes, O king, giving themmuch wealth, represented everything unto king Yudhishthira the just,saying, “Duryodhana, O king, hath been discovered by the huntsmen thatsupply me with meat! He, O king, for whom thou grievest now lies within alake whose waters have been solidified by him!’ Hearing these agreeablewords of Bhimasena, O monarch, Kunti’s son, Ajatasatru, became, with allhis brothers, filled with joy. Having learnt that the mighty bowmanDuryodhana had penetrated into the waters of a lake, the king proceededthither with great speed, with Janardana at his head. Then a tumultuousnoise arose, O monarch, from among the Pandavas and the Pancalas all ofwhom were filled with joy. The warriors uttered leonine roars, O bull ofBharata’s race, and shouted loudly. All the Kshatriyas, O king, proceededwith great speed towards that lake called Dvaipayana. The rejoicingSomakas all around loudly and repeatedly exclaimed, “The sinful son ofDhritarashtra has been found!” The noise made by the cars of thoseimpetuous warriors who proceeded with great speed, became very loud, Omonarch, and touched the heavens. Although their animals were tired, allof them still proceeded with speed behind king Yudhishthira who was bentupon finding out Duryodhana. Arjuna, and Bhimasena, and the two sons ofMadri by Pandu, and the Pancala prince Dhrishtadyumna, and theunvanquished Shikhandi, and Uttamaujas, and Yudhamanyu, and the mightycar-warrior Satyaki, and the (five) sons of Draupadi, and those amongstthe Pancalas, O king, that were yet alive, and all the Pandavas, and alltheir elephants, and foot-soldiers by hundreds upon hundreds, allproceeded with Yudhishthira. Possessed of great valour, king Yudhishthirathe just, O monarch, arrived at the lake known by the name of Dvaipayanawithin which Duryodhana then was. Wide as the ocean itself, its aspectwas agreeable and its waters were cool and transparent. Solidifying thewaters by means of his power of illusion, by, indeed, a wonderful method,thy son Duryodhana, O Bharata, happened to be within that lake. Indeed,within those waters lay, O lord, that king, armed with his mace, who, Oruler of men, could not be vanquished by any man! Staying within thewaters of that lake, king Duryodhana heard that tumultuous noise (of thePandava army) which resembled the very roar of the clouds. Yudhishthirathen, O king, with his brothers repaired to that lake from desire ofslaying Duryodhana. Raising a thick dust, the son of Pandu caused theearth to tremble with the sound of his car-wheels and the loud blare ofhis conch. Hearing the noise made by the army of Yudhishthira, thosegreat car-warriors, Kritavarma and Kripa and the son of Drona, said thesewords unto the Kuru king, “Filled with joy and longing for victory, thePandavas are coming hither! We will, therefore, leave this place. Let itbe known to thee!” Hearing those words of these heroes endued with greatactivity, he answered them, saying, “So be it,” and remained (as before)within the waters, having, O lord, solidified them by his powers ofillusion. Those car-warriors headed by Kripa, filled with grief, tookleave of the king, O monarch, and went away to a place far removed fromthat spot. Having proceeded far, they beheld a banyan, O sire, underwhose shade they stopped, greatly tired, and exceedingly anxious aboutthe king and indulging in such thoughts as these, “The mighty son ofDhritarashtra, having solidified the waters of the lake, lay stretched atthe bottom. The Pandavas have reached that spot, from desire of battle.How will the battle take place? What will become of the king?’ Thinkingof these things, O king, those heroes, Kripa and the others, liberatedtheir horses from their cars and prepared to rest there for some time.'”