Chapter 267

Vaisampayana said, “Meanwhile those foremost of bowmen on the face of theearth, having wandered separately and ranged in all directions, andhaving slain plenty of deer and buffaloes, at length met together. Andobserving that great forest, which was crowded with hosts of deer andwild beasts, resounding with the shrill cries of birds, and hearing theshrieks and yells of the denizens of the wilderness. Yudhishthira saidunto his brothers. ‘These birds and wild beasts, flying towards thatdirection which is illuminated by the sun, are uttering dissonant criesand displaying an intense excitement. All this only shows that thismighty forest hath been invaded by hostile intruders. Without a moment’sdelay let us give up the chase. We have no more need of game. My heartaches and seems to burn! The soul in my body, over-powering theintellect, seems ready to fly out. As a lake rid by Garuda of the mightysnake that dwells in it, as a pot drained of its contents by thirsty men,as a kingdom reft of king and prosperity, even so doth the forest ofKamyaka seem to me.’ Thus addressed, those heroic warriors drove towardstheir abode, on great cars of handsome make and drawn by steeds of theSaindharva breed exceedingly fleet and possessed of the speed of thehurricane. And on their way back, they beheld a jackal yelling hideouslyon the wayside towards their left. And king Yudhishthira, regarding itattentively, said unto Bhima and Dhananjaya, ‘This jackal that belongs toa very inferior species of animals, speaking to our left, speaketh alanguage which plainly indicates that the sinful Kurus, disregarding us,have commenced to oppress us by resorting to violence.’ After the sons ofPandu had given up the chase and said these words, they entered the grovewhich contained their hermitage. And there they found their beloved one’smaid, the girl Dhatreyika, sobbing and weeping. And Indrasena thenquickly alighting from the chariot and advancing with hasty steps towardsher, questioned her, O king, in great distress of mind, saying, ‘Whatmakes thee weep thus, lying on the ground, and why is thy face sowoe-begone and colourless? I hope no cruel wretches have done any harm tothe princess Draupadi possessed of incomparable beauty and large eyes andwho is the second self of every one of those bulls of the Kuru race? Soanxious hath been Dharma’s son that if the princess hath entered thebowels of the earth or hath soared to heaven or dived into the bottom ofthe ocean, he and his brothers will go thither in pursuit of her. Whocould that fool be that would carry away that priceless jewel belongingto the mighty and ever-victorious sons of Pandu, those grinders of foes,and which is dear unto them as their own lives? I don’t know who theperson could be that would think of carrying away that princess who hathsuch powerful protectors and who is even like a walking embodiment of thehearts of the sons of Pandu? Piercing whose breasts will terrible shaftsstick to the ground to-day? Do not weep for her, O timid girl, for knowthou that Krishna will come back this very day, and the sons of Pritha,having slain their foes, will again be united with Yagnaseni!’ Thusaddressed by him, Dhatreyika, wiping her beautiful face, replied untoIndrasena the charioteer, saying, ‘Disregarding the five Indra-like sonsof Pandu, Jayadratha hath carried away Krishna by force. The trackpursued by him hath not yet disappeared, for the broken branches of treeshave not yet faded. Therefore, turn your cars and follow her quickly, forthe princess cannot have gone far by this time! Ye warriors possessed ofthe prowess of Indra, putting on your costly bows of handsome make, andtaking up your costly bows and quivers, speed ye in pursuit of her, lestoverpowered by threats or violence and losing her sense and the colour ofher cheeks, she yields herself up to an undeserving wight, even as onepoureth forth, from the sacrificial ladle, the sanctified oblation on aheap of ashes. O, see that the clarified butter is not poured into anunigniting fire of paddy chaff; that a garland of flowers is not thrownaway in a cemetery. O, take care that the Soma juice of a sacrifice isnot licked up by a dog through the carelessness of the officiatingpriests! O, let not the lily be rudely torn by a jackal roaming for itsprey in the impenetrable forest. O, let no inferior wight touch with hislips the bright and beautiful face of your wife, fair as the beams of themoon and adorned with the finest nose and the handsomest eyes, like a doglicking clarified butter kept in the sacrificial pot! Do ye speed in thistrack and let not time steal a march on you.’

Yudhishthira said, ‘Retire, good woman, and control thy tongue. Speak notthis way before us. Kings or princes, whoever are infatuated with thepossession of power, are sure to come to grief!'”

Vaisampayana continued, “With these words, they departed, following thetrack pointed out to them, and frequently breathing deep sighs like thehissing of snakes, and twanging the strings of their large bows. And thenthey observed a cloud of dust raised by the hoofs of the steeds belongingto Jayadratha’s army. And they also saw Dhaumya in the midst of theravisher’s infantry, exhorting Bhima to quicken his steps. Then thoseprinces (the sons of Pandu) with hearts undepressed, bade him be of goodcheer and said unto him, ‘Do thou return cheerfully!’–And then theyrushed towards that host with great fury, like hawks swooping down ontheir prey. And possessed of the prowess of Indra, they had been filledwith fury at the insult offered to Draupadi. But at sight of Jayadrathaand of their beloved wife seated on his car, their fury knew no bounds.And those mighty bowmen, Bhima and Dhananjaya and the twin brothers andthe king, called out Jayadratha to stop, upon which the enemy was sobewildered as to lose their knowledge of directions.”