27. DRAUPADI QUESTIONS YUDHISHTHIRA

SRIMAD MAHABHARATA > AARANYA PARVA > ARJUNABHIGAMANA PARVA > CHAPTER 27 - DRAUPADI QUESTIONS YUDHISHTHIRA

“Vaishampaayana said, ‘Exiled to the forest Paarthaas (Paandavaas) with Krishna (Draupadi) seated in the evening, conversed with one another pained with sorrow and grief. The beutiful and well-informed Krishna (Draupadi) dear unto her husbands and devoted to them, thus spoke to Yudhishthira, ‘The sinful, cruel, and wicked-minded (Duraatma in Sanskrit) son of Dhritarashtra certainly feels no sorrow for us, when, O king, that evil-hearted (Dushtaama in Sanskrit) wretch having sent you with myself into the forest dressed in deer-skin feels no regret! The heart of that wretch of evil deeds must surely be made of steel (Aayasam in Sanskrit) when he could at that time address you, his Dharmic eldest brother, in words so harsh! Having brought you who deserve to enjoy every happiness and never such sadness, into such distress, alas, that wicked-minded (Duraatma in Sanskrit) and sinful wretch (Paapa Poorusha in Sanskrit) enjoys with his friends! O Bharata (Yudhishthira), when dressed in deer-skin you have set out for the forest, only four persons, O monarch (Yudhishthira) – Duryodhana, Karna, the evil-minded (Duraatma in Sanskrit) Shakuni, and Duhshaasana that bad and fierce brother of Duryodhana, did not shed tears! With the exception of these, O you best of the Kurus, all other Kurus filled with sorrow shed tears from their eyes!

“Seeing this your bed and recollecting what you had before, I grieve, O king (Yudhishthira), for thee who do not deserve sadness and have been brought up in every luxury! Remembering that seat of ivory (Daantam in Sanskrit) in your sabha, decked with precious stones and seeing this seat of kusha grass (Botanical name is Desmostachya bipinnata), grief consumes me, O king (Yudhishthira)! I saw you, O king, surrounded in your sabha by kings! What peace can my heart know in not seeing you like that now? I saw your body, bright as the Sun, decked with sandal paste! Alas, grief deprives me of my senses in seeing you now covered with mud and dirt! I saw you before, O king, dressed in silken clothes of pure white! But I now see you dressed in rags? Formerly, O king, pure food of every kind was carried from your house on plates of gold for Brahmanas by thousands! O king, also food of the best kind was formerly given by you to ascetics (Yatee in Sanskrit) both houseless and living in domesticity! Formerly, living in dry mansion (Griha in Sanskrit) you had ever filled with food of every kind plates by thousands, and worshipped Dwijas satisfying every wish of theirs! What peace, O king, can my heart know in not seeing all this now?

“O Maharaja (Yudhishthira), these your brothers, filled with youth and decked with ear-rings, were formerly fed by cook with food of the sweet flavour and dressed with skill! Alas, O king, I now see them all, so undeserving of sadness, living in the forest and upon what the forest may yield! My heart, O King, knows no peace! Thinking of this Bhimasena living in sorrow in the forest, does not your anger blaze up, though it is time? Why does not your anger, O king, blaze up upon seeing Bhimasena who always performs everything unaided, so fallen into distress, though deserving of every happiness? Why, O king, does not your anger blaze up on seeing that Bhima living in the forest who was formerly surrounded with numerous vehicles and dressed in costly apparel? This noble personage (Bhimasena) is ready to slay all the Kurus in battle. He bears, however, all this sorrow, only because he waits for the fulfilment of your promise (Pratignaa in Sanskrit)!

“This Arjuna, O king, though possessed of two hands, is equal, for the lightness of his hand in discharging shafts, to (Kartaveerya) Arjuna of a thousand arms! He is (to enemies), like to Yama himself at the end of the Yuga! It was by the skill of his weapons that all the kings of the earth were made to wait upon the Brahmanas at your (Raajasooya) yagna. Seeing that Arjuna, that tiger among men, worshipped by both Devas and Daanavaas so anxious, why, O king, do you not feel angry? I grieve, O Bharata (Yudhishthira), that your anger doth not blaze up at sight of that Paarthaa (Arjuna) in exile, that prince who do not deserve such distress and who has been brought up in every luxury! Why does not your anger blaze up at sight of that Arjuna in exile, who, on a single chariot, has defeated Devas, men and serpents? Why, O king, does not your anger blaze up at sight of that Arjuna in exile who, honoured with offerings of chariots, vehicles of various forms, horses and elephants, forcibly took from the kings of the earth their treasures, who is the punisher of all enemies, and who at one drive can throw full five hundred arrows?

“Why, O king (Yudhishthira), does not your wrath blaze up at sight of Nakula, in exile, who so fair, able-bodied and young, is the foremost of all swordsmen? Why, O king (Yudhishthira), do you forgive the enemy? O Yudhishthira, at sight of Maadri’s son, the handsome and brave Sahadeva in exile? Why does not your anger blaze up, O king, at sight of both Nakula and Sahadeva overwhelmed with grief, though so undeserving of distress?

“Why also, O king, do you forgive the enemy at sight of myself in exile who, born in the race of Drupada (Druapada Kula in Sanskrit) and, therefore, the sister of Dhrishtadyumna, am the daughter-in-law of the Mahatma Paandu and the devoted wife of heroes (Veera in Sanskrit)?

“Truly, O you best of the Bharatas (Yudhishthira), you have no anger, else why is it that your mind is not moved at sight of your brothers and myself (in such distress)? It is said that there is no Kshatriya in the world who is without anger. I now see in you, however, a refutation of the proverb! That Kshatriya, O Paarthaa (Yudhishthira), who does not discover his energy when the opportunity comes, is ever disregarded by all creatures! Therefore, O king, you should not extend your forgiveness to the enemy. Indeed, with your energy (Tejas in Sanskrit), without doubt, you, may slay them all! So also, O king, that Kshatriya who is not softened when the time for forgiveness comes, becomes unpopular with every creature and meets with destruction both in this and the other world!’”