SECTION CLXLI
(Swayamvara Parva continued)
"Vaisampayana said, 'When the king (Drupada) expressed his desire of
bestowing his daughter on that Brahmana (who had shot the mark), all
those monarchs who had been invited to the Swayamvara, looking at one
another, were suddenly filled with wrath. And they said, 'Passing us by
and treating the assembled monarchs as straw this Drupada desireth to
bestow his daughter--that first of women,--on a Brahmana! Having planted
the tree he cutteth it down when it is about to bear fruit. The wretch
regardeth us not: therefore let us slay him. He deserveth not our respect
nor the veneration due to age. Owing to such qualities of his, we shall,
therefore, slay this wretch that insulteth all kings, along with his son.
Inviting all the monarchs and entertaining them with excellent food, he
disregardeth us at last. In this assemblage of monarchs like unto a
conclave of the celestials, doth he not see a single monarch equal unto
himself? The Vedic declaration is well-known that the Swayamvara is for
the Kshatriyas. The Brahmanas have no claim in respect of a selection of
husband by a Kshatriya damsel. Or, the kings, if this damsel desireth not
to select any one of us as her lord, let us cast her into the fire and
return to our kingdoms. As regards this Brahmana, although he hath, from
officiousness or avarice, done this injury to the monarchs, he should not
yet be slain; for our kingdoms, lives, treasures, sons, grandsons, and
whatever other wealth we have, all exist for Brahmanas. Something must be
done here (even unto him), so that from fear of disgrace and the desire
of maintaining what properly belongeth unto each order, other Swayamvaras
may not terminate in this way.'
"Having addressed one another thus, those tigers among monarchs endued
with arms like unto spiked iron maces, took up their weapons and rushed
at Drupada to slay him then and there. And Drupada beholding those
monarchs all at once rushing towards him in anger with bows and arrows,
sought, from fear, the protection of the Brahmanas. But those mighty
bowmen (Bhima and Arjuna) of the Pandavas, capable of chastising all
foes, advanced to oppose those monarchs rushing towards them impetuously
like elephants in the season of rut. Then the monarchs with gloved
fingers and upraised weapons rushed in anger at the Kuru princes, Bhima
and Arjuna, to slay them. Then the mighty Bhima of extraordinary
achievements, endued with the strength of thunder, tore up like an
elephant a large tree and divested it of its leaves. And with that tree,
the strong-armed Bhima, the son of Pritha, that grinder of foes, stood,
like unto the mace-bearing king of the dead (Yama) armed with his fierce
mace, near Arjuna that bull amongst men. And beholding that feat of his
brother, Jishnu of extraordinary intelligence, himself also of
inconceivable feats, wondered much. And equal unto Indra himself in
achievements, shaking off all fear he stood with his bow ready to receive
those assailants. And beholding those feats of both Jishnu and his
brother, Damodara (Krishna) of superhuman intelligence and inconceivable
feats, addressing his brother, Halayudha (Valadeva) of fierce energy,
said, 'That hero there, of tread like that of a mighty lion, who draweth
the large bow in his hand four full cubits in length, is Arjuna! There is
no doubt, O Sankarshana, about this, if I am Vasudeva. That other hero
who having speedily torn up the tree hath suddenly become ready to drive
off the monarchs is Vrikodara! For no one in the world, except Vrikodara,
could today perform such a feat in the field of battle. And that other
youth of eyes like unto lotus-petals, of full four cubits height, of gait
like that of a mighty lion, and humble withal, of fair complexion and
prominent and shining nose, who had, a little before, left the
amphitheatre, is Dharma's son (Yudhishthira). The two other youths, like
unto Kartikeya, are, I suspect, the sons of the twin Aswins. I heard that
the sons of Pandu along with their mother Pritha had all escaped from the
conflagration of the house of lac.' Then Halayudha of complexion like
unto that of clouds uncharged with rain, addressing his younger brother
(Krishna), said with great satisfaction, 'O, I am happy to hear, as I do
from sheer good fortune, that our father's sister Pritha with the
foremost of the Kaurava princes have all escaped (from death)!'"
--------------------END OF PARVA 1 : UPA-PARVA 191 ---------------------
