SECTION LXVIII
"Vaisampayana said, 'Then Bhuminjaya, the eldest son of the king,
entered, and having worshipped the feet of his father approached Kanka.
And he beheld Kanka covered with blood, and seated on the ground at one
end of the court, and waited upon by the Sairindhri. And seeing this,
Uttara asked his father in a hurry, saying, 'By whom, O king, hath this
one been struck? By whom hath this sinful act been perpetrated?'
"Virata said, 'This crooked Brahmana hath been struck by me. He deserveth
even more than this. When I was praising thee, he praised that person of
the third sex.'
"Uttara said, 'Thou hast, O king, committed an improper act. Do thou
speedily propitiate him so that the virulent poison of a Brahmana's curse
may not consume you to your roots!'
"Vaisampayana continued, 'Having heard the words of his son, Virata, that
enhancer of the limits of his kingdom, began to soothe Kunti's son, who
was like unto a fire hid in ashes, for obtaining his forgiveness. And
unto the king desirous of obtaining his pardon the Pandava replied, 'O
king, I have long ago forgiven it. Anger I have none. Had this blood from
my nostrils fallen on the ground, then, without doubt, thou, O monarch,
wouldst have been destroyed with your kingdom. I do not, however, blame
thee, O king, for having struck an innocent person. For, O king, they
that are powerful generally act with unreasoning severity.'
"Vaisampayana continued, 'When the bleeding had stopped, Vrihannala
entered (the council-room) and having saluted both Virata and Kanka,
stood silent. And the king, having appeased the chief of the Kurus, began
to praise, in Savyasachin's hearing, Uttara who had returned from the
battle. And the king said, 'O enhancer of the joys of Kekaya's princess,
in you have I truly a son! I never had nor shall have, a son that is
equal to thee! How, indeed, couldst thou, O Child, encounter that Karna
who leaveth not a single mark unhit amongst even a thousand that he may
aim at all at once? How couldst thou, O child, encounter that Bhishma who
hath no equal in the whole world of men? How also couldst thou, O child,
encounter Drona, that foremost of all wielders of weapons, that preceptor
of the Vrishnis and Kauravas, twice-born one who may be regarded as the
preceptor of all the Kshatriyas? How couldst you meet in battle the
celebrated Aswatthaman? How couldst thou, O child, encounter that
Duryodhana, the prince who is capable of piercing even a mountain with
his mighty arrows? My foes have all been thrashed. A delicious breeze
seems to blow around me. And since you hast recovered in battle the
whole of my wealth that had been seized by the Kurus, it seems that all
those mighty warriors were struck with panic. Without doubt, thou, O bull
amongst men, has routed the foe and snatched away from them my wealth of
kine, like his prey from a tiger.'"
--------------------END OF PARVA 4 : UPA-PARVA 68 ---------------------
