Chapter 25

“Vaisampayana said, ‘The king, O chief of Bharata’s race, with thoseforemost of men, viz., his brothers, who were all possessed of eyes thatresembled lotus-petals, took his seat in the retreat of his eldest sire.There sat around him many highly-blessed ascetics, hailing from diverseregions, from desire of beholding the sons of that lord of Kuru’s race.,viz., the Pandavas of wide chests. They said, ‘We wish to know whoamongst these is Yudhishthira, who are Bhima and Arjuna, who the twins,and who is Draupadi of great fame.’ Then the Suta, Sanjaya, in answer totheir queries, pointed out to them the Pandavas. naming each, andDraupadi too as also the other ladies of the Kuru household.’

“Sanjaya said, ‘This one that is as fair of complexion as pure gold, thatis endued with a body which looks like that of a full-grown lion, that ispossessed of a large aquiline nose, and wide and expansive eyes that are,again, of a coppery hue, is the Kuru king. This one, whose treadresembles that of an infuriate elephant, whose complexion is as fair asthat of heated gold, whose frame is of large and expansive proportionsand whose arms are long and stout, is Vrikodara. Behold him well! Themighty bowman who sits besides him, of darkish complexion and youthfulframe, who resembles the leader of an elephantine herd, whose shouldersare as high as those of a lion, who walks like a sporting elephant, andwhose eyes are as expansive as the petals of a lotus, is the hero calledArjuna. Those two foremost of men, that are sitting besides Kunti, arethe twins, resembling Vishnu and Mahendra. In this whole world of men,they have not their equals in beauty and strength and excellence ofconduct. This lady, of eyes as expansive as lotus petals, who seems tohave touched the middle age of life, whose complexion resembles that ofthe blue lotus, and who looks like a goddess of Heaven, is Krishna, theembodied form of the goddess of prosperity.[39] She who sits besides her,possessed of the complexion of pure gold, who looks like the embodiedrays of the moon, in the midst of the other ladies, is, ye foremost ofregenerate ones, the sister of that unrivalled hero who wields thediscus. This other, as fair as pure gold, is the daughter of thesnake-chief and wife of Arjuna.[40] This other whose complexion is likethat of pure gold or like that of Madhuka flowers, is the princessChitrangada. This one, that is possessed of the complexion of anassemblage of blue lotuses, is the sister of that monarch, that lord ofhosts, who used to always challenge Krishna. She is the foremost wife ofVrikodara. This is the daughter of the king of Magadha who was known bythe name of Jarasandha. Possessed of the complexion of an assemblage ofChampakas, she is the wife of the youngest son of Madravati. Possessed ofa complexion as darkish as that of the blue lotus, she who sits there onthe earth, and whose eyes are as expansive as lotus-petals, is the wifeof the eldest son of Madravati, This lady whose complexion is as fair asthat of heated gold and who sits with her child on her lap, is thedaughter of king Virata. She is the wife of that Abhimanyu who, whiledivested of his car, was slain by Drona and others fighting from theircars.[41] These ladies, the hair on whose heads shows not the partedline, and who are clad in white, are the widows of the slain sons ofDhritarashtra. They are the daughters-in-law of this old king, the wivesof his hundred sons, now deprived of both their husbands and children whohave been slain by heroic foes. I have now pointed them out in the orderof precedence. In consequence of their devotion to Brahmanas, theirunderstandings and hearts are divested of every kind of crookedness.Possessed of pure souls, they have all been pointed out by me,–theseprincesses of the Kaurava house-hold,–in answer to your queries.’

“Vaisampayana continued, ‘Thus that king of Kuru’s race, of very advancedyears, having met with those sons of him that was a deity among men.enquired about their welfare after all the ascetics had gone away. Thewarriors who had accompanied the Pandavas, leaving the retreat, satthemselves down at a little distance, alighting from their cars and theanimals they rode. Indeed, after all the crowd, viz., the ladies, the oldmen, and the children, had been seated, the old king duly addressed them,making the usual enquiries of politeness.”‘