Chapter 15
“Vaisampayana said, ‘Rejected thus by the princess, Kichaka, afflictedwith maddening lust and forgetting all sense of propriety, addressedSudeshna saying, ‘Do thou, Kekaya’s daughter, so act that thy Sairindhrimay come into my arms. Do thou, O Sudeshna, adopt the means by which thedamsel of the gait of an elephant may accept me; I am dying of absorbingdesire.’
“Vaisampayana continued, ‘Hearing his profuse lamentations, that gentlelady, the intelligent queen of Virata, was touched with pity. And havingtaken counsel with her own self and reflected on Kichaka’s purpose and onthe anxiety of Krishna, Sudeshna addressed the Suta’s son in these words,’Do thou, on the occasion of some festival, procure viands and wines forme. I shall then send my Sairindhri to thee on the pretence of bringingwine. And when she will repair thither do thou in solitude, free frominterruption, humour her as thou likest. Thus soothed, she may inclineher mind to thee.’
“Vaisampayana continued, ‘Thus addressed, he went out of his sister’sapartments. And he soon procured wines well-filtered and worthy of aking. And employing skilled cooks, he prepared many and various kinds ofchoice viands and delicious drinks and many and various kinds of meat ofdifferent degrees of excellence. And when all this had been done, thatgentle lady Sudeshna, as previously counselled by Kichaka, desired herSairindhri to repair to Kichaka’s abode, saying, ‘Get up, O Sairindhriand repair to Kichaka’s abode to bring wine, for, O beauteous lady, I amafflicted with thirst.’ Thereupon the Sairindhri replied, ‘O princess, Ishall not be able to repair to Kichaka’s apartments. Thou thyselfknowest, O queen, how shameless he is. O thou of faultless limbs, Obeauteous lady, in thy palace I shall not be able to lead a lustful life,becoming faithless to my husbands. Thou rememberest, O gentle lady, Obeautiful one, the conditions I had set down before entering thy house. Othou of tresses ending in graceful curls, the foolish Kichaka afflictedby the god of desire, will, on seeing me, offer me insult. Therefore, Iwill not go to his quarters. Thou hast, O princess, many maids underthee. Do thou, good betide thee, send one of them. For, surely, Kichakawill insult me.’ Sudeshna said, ‘Sent by me, from my abode, surely hewill not harm thee.’ And having said this, she handed over a goldenvessel furnished with a cover. And filled with apprehension, and weeping,Draupadi mentally prayed for the protection of the gods, and set out forKichaka’s abode for fetching wine. And she said, ‘As I do not knowanother person save my husbands, by virtue of that Truth let Kichaka notbe able to overpower me although I may approach his presence.’
“Vaisampayana continued, ‘And that helpless damsel then adored Surya fora moment. And Surya, having considered all that she urged, commanded aRakshasa to protect her invisibly. And from that time the Rakshasa beganto attend upon that blameless lady under any circumstances. And beholdingKrishna in his presence like a frightened doe, the Suta rose up from hisseat, and felt the joy that is felt by a person wishing to cross to theother shore, when he obtains a boat.'”
