Chapter 231
Vaisampayana said, “After those Brahmanas and the illustrious sons ofPandu had taken their seats, Draupadi and Satyabhama entered thehermitage. And with hearts full of joy the two ladies laughed merrily andseated themselves at their ease. And, O king, those ladies, who alwaysspake sweetly to each other, having met after a long time, began to talkupon various delightful topics arising out of the stories of the Kurusand the Yadus. And the slender-waisted Satyabhama, the favourite wife ofKrishna and the daughter of Satrajit, then asked Draupadi in private,saying, ‘By what behaviour is it, O daughter of Drupada, that thou artable to rule the sons of Pandu–those heroes endued with strength andbeauty and like unto the Lokapalas themselves? Beautiful lady, how is itthat they are so obedient to thee and are never angry with thee? Withoutdoubt the sons of Pandu, O thou of lovely features, are ever submissiveto thee and watchful to do thy bidding! Tell me, O lady, the reason ofthis. Is it practice of vows, or asceticism, or incantation or drug atthe time of the bath (in season) or the efficacy of science, or theinfluence of youthful appearance, or the recitation of particularformulae, or Homa, or collyrium and other medicaments? Tell me now, Oprincess of Panchala, of that blessed and auspicious thing by which, OKrishna, Krishna may ever be obedient to me.”
“When the celebrated Satyabhama, having said this, ceased, the chaste andblessed daughter of Drupada answered her, saying, ‘Thou askedest me, OSatyabhama, of the practices of women that are wicked. How can I answerthee, O lady, about the cause that is pursued by wicked females? It dothnot become thee, lady, to pursue the questions, or doubt me, after this,for thou art endued with intelligence and art the favourite wife ofKrishna. When the husband learns that his wife is addicted toincantations and drugs, from that hour he beginneth to dread her like aserpent ensconced in his sleeping chamber. And can a man that is troubledwith fear have peace, and how can one that hath no peace have happiness?A husband can never be made obedient by his wife’s incantations. We hearof painful diseases being transmitted by enemies. Indeed, they thatdesire to slay others, send poison in the shape of customary gifts, sothat the man that taketh the powders so sent, by tongue or skin, is,without doubt, speedily deprived of life. Women have sometimes causeddropsy and leprosy, decrepitude and impotence and idiocy and blindnessand deafness in men. These wicked women, ever treading in the path ofsin, do sometimes (by these means) injure their husbands. But the wifeshould never do the least injury to her lord. Hear now, O illustriouslady, of the behaviour I adopt towards the high-souled sons of Pandu.Keeping aside vanity, and controlling desire and wrath, I always servewith devotion the sons of Pandu with their wives. Restraining jealousy,with deep devotion of heart, without a sense of degradation at theservices I perform, I wait upon my husbands. Ever fearing to utter whatis evil or false, or to look or sit or walk with impropriety, or castglances indicative of the feelings of the heart, do I serve the sons ofPritha–those mighty warriors blazing like the sun or fire, and handsomeas the moon, those endued with fierce energy and prowess, and capable ofslaying their foes by a glance of the eye. Celestial, or man, orGandharva, young or decked with ornaments, wealthy or comely of person,none else my heart liketh. I never bathe or eat or sleep till he that ismy husband hath bathed or eaten or slept,–till, in fact, our attendantshave bathed, eaten, or slept. Whether returning from the field, theforest, or the town, hastily rising up I always salute my husband withwater and a seat. I always keep the house and all household articles andthe food that is to be taken well-ordered and clean. Carefully do I keepthe rice, and serve the food at the proper time. I never indulge in angryand fretful speech, and never imitate women that are wicked. Keepingidleness at distance I always do what is agreeable. I never laugh exceptat a jest, and never stay for any length of time at the house-gate. Inever stay long in places for answering calls of nature, nor inpleasure-gardens attached to the house. I always refrain from laughingloudly and indulging in high passion, and from everything that may giveoffence. Indeed, O Satyabhama, I always am engaged in waiting upon mylords. A separation from my lords is never agreeable to me. When myhusband leaveth home for the sake of any relative, then renouncingflowers and fragrant paste of every kind, I begin to undergo penances.Whatever my husband drinketh not, whatever my husband eateth not,whatever my husband enjoyeth not, I ever renounce. O beautiful lady,decked in ornaments and ever controlled by the instruction imparted tome, I always devotedly seek the good of my lord. Those duties that mymother-in-law had told me of in respect of relatives, as also the dutiesof alms-giving, of offering worship to the gods, of oblations to thediseased, of boiling food in pots on auspicious days for offer toancestors and guests of reverence and service to those that deserve ourregards, and all else that is known to me, I always discharge day andnight, without idleness of any kind. Having with my whole heart recourseto humility and approved rules I serve my meek and truthful lords everobservant of virtue, regarding them as poisonous snakes capable of beingexcited at a trifle. I think that to be eternal virtue for women which isbased upon a regard for the husband. The husband is the wife’s god, andhe is her refuge. Indeed, there is no other refuge for her. How can,then, the wife do the least injury to her lord? I never, in sleeping oreating or adorning any person, act against the wishes of my lord, andalways guided by my husbands, I never speak ill of my mother-in-law. Oblessed lady, my husbands have become obedient to me in consequence of mydiligence, my alacrity, and the humility with which I serve superiors.Personally do I wait every day with food and drink and clothes upon therevered and truthful Kunti–that mother of heroes. Never do I show anypreference for myself over her in matters of food and attire, and neverdo I reprove in words that princess equal unto the Earth herself inforgiveness. Formerly, eight thousand Brahmanas were daily fed in thepalace of Yudhishthira from off plates of gold. And eighty thousandBrahmanas also of the Snataka sect leading domestic lives wereentertained by Yudhishthira with thirty serving-maids assigned to each.Besides these, ten thousand yatis with the vital seed drawn up, had theirpure food carried unto them in plates of gold. All these Brahamanas thatwere the utterers of the Veda, I used to worship duly with food, drink,and raiment taken from stores only after a portion thereof had beendedicated to the Viswadeva.[82] The illustrious son of Kunti had ahundred thousand well-dressed serving-maids with bracelets on arms andgolden ornaments on necks, and decked with costly garlands and wreathsand gold in profusion, and sprinkled with sandal paste. And adorned withjewels and gold they were all skilled in singing and dancing. O lady, Iknew the names and features of all those girls, as also what they are andwhat they were, and what they did not. Kunti’s son of great intelligencehad also a hundred thousand maid-servants who daily used to feed guests,with plates of gold in their hands. And while Yudhishthira lived inIndraprastha a hundred thousand horses and a hundred thousand elephantsused to follow in his train. These were the possessions of Yudhisthirawhile he ruled the earth. It was I however, O lady, who regulated theirnumber and framed the rules to be observed in respect of them; and it wasI who had to listen to all complaints about them. Indeed, I kneweverything about what the maid-servants of the palace and other classesof attendants, even the cow-herds and the shepherds of the royalestablishment, did or did not. O blessed and illustrious lady, it was Ialone amongst the Pandavas who knew the income and expenditure of theking and what their whole wealth was. And those bulls among the Bharatas,throwing upon me the burden of looking after all those that were to befed by them, would, O thou of handsome face, pay their court to me. Andthis load, so heavy and incapable of being borne by persons of evilheart, I used to bear day and night, sacrificing my ease, and all thewhile affectionately devoted to them. And while my husbands were engagedin the pursuit of virtue, I only supervised their treasury inexhaustiblelike the ever-filled receptacle of Varuna. Day and night bearing hungerand thirst, I used to serve the Kuru princes, so that my nights and dayswere equal to me. I used to wake up first and go to bed last. This, OSatyabhama, hath ever been my charm for making my husbands obedient tome! This great art hath ever been known to me for making my husbandsobedient to me. Never have I practised the charms of wicked women, nor doI ever wish to practise them.”
Vaisampayana continued, “Hearing those words of virtuous import utteredby Krishna, Satyabhama, having first reverenced the virtuous princess ofPanchala, answered saying, ‘O princess of Panchala, I have been guilty, Odaughter of Yajnasena, forgive me! Among friends, conversations in jestarise naturally, and without premeditation.”
