Chapter 238

Vaisampayana said, “King Duryodhana then moving from forest to forest, atlast approached the cattle-stations, and encamped his troops. And hisattendants, selecting a well-known and delightful spot that abounded inwater and trees and that possessed every convenience constructed an abodefor him. And near enough to the royal residence they also erectedseparate abodes for Kama and Sakuni and the brothers of the king. And theking beheld his cattle by hundreds and thousands and examining theirlimbs and marks supervised their tale. And he caused the calves to bemarked and took note of those that required to be tamed. And he alsocounted those kine whose calves had not yet been weaned. And completingthe task of tale by marking and counting every calf that was three yearsold, the Kuru prince, surrounded by the cowherds, began to sport andwander cheerfully. And the citizens also and the soldiers by thousandsbegan to sport, as best pleased them, in those woods, like thecelestials. And the herdsmen, well skilled in singing and dancing andinstrumental music, and virgins decked in ornaments, began to minister tothe pleasures of Dhritarashtra’s son. And the king surrounded by theladies of the royal household began cheerfully to distribute wealth andfood and drinks of various kinds amongst those that sought to please him,according to their desires.

“And the king, attended by all his followers, began also to slay hyenasand buffaloes and deer and gayals and bears and boars all around. And theking, piercing by his shafts those animals by thousands in deep forest,caused the deer to be caught in the more delightful parts of the woods.Drinking milk and enjoying, O Bharata, various other delicious articlesand beholding, as he proceeded, many delightful forests and woodsswarming with bees inebriate with floral honey and resounding with thenotes of the peacock, the king at last reached the sacred lake ofDwaitavana. And the spot which the king reached swarmed with beesinebriate with floral honey, and echoed with the mellifluous notes of theblue-throated jay and was shaded by Saptacchadas and punnagas andVakulas. And the king graced with high prosperity proceeded thither likethe thunder-wielding chief of the celestials himself. And, O thou best ofthe Kuru race, King Yudhishthira the just, endued with high intelligence,was then, O monarch, residing in the vicinity of that lake at will andcelebrating with his wedded wife, the daughter of Drupada, the diurnalsacrifice called Rajarshi, according to the ordinance sanctioned for thecelestials and persons living in the wilderness. And, O monarch, havingreached that spot, Duryodhana commanded his men by thousands, saying,’Let pleasure-houses be constructed soon.’ Thus commanded, those doers ofthe king’s behests replying to the Kruru chief with the words, ‘So beit,’ went towards the banks of the lake for constructing pleasure-houses.And as the picked soldiers of Dhritarashtra’s son, having reached theregion of the lake, were about to enter the gates of the wood, a numberof Gandharvas appeared and forbade them to enter. For, O monarch, theking of the Gandharvas accompanied by his followers, had come thitherbeforehand, from the abode of Kuvera. And the king of the Gandharvas hadalso been accompanied by the several tribes of Apsaras, as also by thesons of the celestials And intent upon sport, he had come to that placefor merriment, and occupying it, had closed it against all comers. Andthe attendants of the (Kuru) king, finding the lake closed by the king ofthe Gandharvas, went back, O monarch, to where the royal Duryodhana was.And Duryodhana having heard these words, despatched a number of hiswarriors difficult of being subjugated in battle, commanding them todrive away the Gandharvas. And those warriors who formed the vanguard ofthe Kuru army, hearing these words of the king, went back to the lake ofDwaitavana and addressing the Gandharvas, said, ‘The mighty kingDuryodhana–the son of Dhritarashtra–is coming, hither for sport. Standye aside, therefore!’ Thus addressed by them, O king, the Gandharvaslaughed and replied unto those men in these harsh words: ‘Your wickedking Duryodhana must be destitute of sense. How else could he have thuscommanded us that are dwellers of heaven, as if indeed, we were hisservants? Without forethought, ye also are doubtless on the point ofdeath; for senseless idiots as ye are, ye have dared to bring us hismessage! Return ye soon to where that king of the Kurus is, or else gothis very day to the abode of Yama.’ Thus addressed by the Gandharvas,the advanced guard of the king’s army ran back to the place where theroyal son of Dhritarashtra was.”