“Vaishampaayana said, ‘When the heroes (Veera in Sanskrit) of the Vrishni race began to speak
repeatedly in this tension, Vaasudeva (Sri Krishna) uttered these words filled with deep meaning and consistent with true Dharma,
‘Gudaakesha (the conqueror of sleep or he of the curly hair; i.e. Arjuna), by what he has done, has not insulted our
family. He has without doubt, rather enhanced our respect. Paartha (Arjuna) knows that we of the Saatwataa race are
never greedy. The son of Pandu (Arjuna)
also regards a Swayamvara as doubtful in its results. Who also would approve of
accepting a bride in gift as if she were an animal (as it happens in
Swayamvara)? What man again is there on
earth that would sell his offspring? I think Arjuna, seeing these faults in all
the other methods took the lady away by force, according to the Shaastraas.
This alliance is very proper. Subhadra is a famed girl. Paartha too possesses fame.
Perhaps, thinking of all this, Arjuna has taken her away by force. Who is there
that would not desire to have Arjuna for a friend, who is born in the race of
Bharata and the famous (King) Shantanu,
and the son also of the daughter of Kuntibhoja?
“I do not see, in all the worlds with (Lord) Indra and the Rudras, the person that can by force defeat Paartha (Arjuna) in battle, except the three-eyed god
Mahadeva (Lord Shiva). His chariot
is well-known. Attached to that are those horses of mine (Saibya and
Sugriva). Paartha (Arjuna) as a warrior is well-known; and his
lightness of hand is well-known. Who shall be equal to him? This is my opinion:
you go cheerfully after Dhananjaya (Arjuna) and by peace making stop him and bring him back. If Paartha (Arjuna) goes to his city after having defeated us
by force, our fame will be gone. There is no disgrace,
however, in peace making.’
“Hearing, O monarch (Janamejaya), those words of Vaasudeva (Sri Krishna), they did as he directed. Stopped by them, Arjuna returned to Dwaraka
and was united in marriage with Subhadra. Worshipped by the sons of Vrishni’s
race, Arjuna, sporting there as he pleased, passed a whole year in Dwaraka. The last year of his exile, the noble one (Arjuna), passed at
the sacred region of Pushkara (present-day Pushkar in the Ajmer district,
Rajasthan, India). After the twelve years were complete he
came back to Khandavaprastha. He approached the king (Yudhishthira) first and then worshipped the Brahmanas
with respectful attention. At last the hero (Arjuna) went to Draupadi. Draupadi, from jealousy, spoke to him, saying, ‘Why are
you coming here, O son of Kunti (Arjuna)? Go where the daughter of the Saatwata race (Subhadra) is! A second tie always relaxes the first
one upon a firewood!’
“Krishna (Draupadi) lamented
much in this stress. But Dhananjaya (Arjuna) pacified her repeatedly and asked for her forgiveness. Returning soon to
where Subhadra who is dressed in red silk, was staying, Arjuna, sent her into
the inner apartments (of Draupadi)
dressed not as a queen but in the simple cloth of a cowherd woman. But arrived
at the palace, the famous Subhadra looked beautiful in that dress. The
celebrated (Su)Bhadra of large and
slightly red eyes first worshipped Pritha (Kunti). Kunti from excess of affection smelled the head of that girl of
perfectly faultless features, and pronounced infinite blessing upon her. Then
that girl of face like the full moon (Subhadra) quickly went to Draupadi and worshipped her, saying, ‘I am your maid!’
Krishna (Draupadi) rose quickly and
embraced the sister of Maadhava (sister of Sri Krishna) from affection, and said, ‘Let your husband (Arjuna) be without am enemy!’ (Su)Bhadra then, with a delighted heart, said to
Draupadi, ‘So be it!’ From that time, O Janamejaya, those great warriors, the
Pandavas, began to live happily, and Kunti also became very happy.’
“Vaishampaayana continued, ‘When that burner of enemies, viz., Keshava (Sri
Krishna) of pure soul and eyes, like
lotus-petals, heard that the foremost of the Pandavas, viz., Arjuna, had
reached his own excellent city of Indraprastha, he came there accompanied by (Bala)Rama, the other heroes (Veera in
Sanskrit) and great warriors of the
Vrishni and the Andhaka tribes, and by his brothers and sons and many other
brave warriors. Shauri (Sri Krishna)
came accompanied by a large army that protected him. There came with Shauri (Sri
Krishna), that oppressor of enemies,
viz., the exceedingly liberal Akrura of great intelligence and fame, the commander
of the brave Vrishni army. There also came Anaadhrishti of great prowess,
Uddhava of great fame, of great intelligence, of great soul, and a disciple of (Deva
Guru) Brihaspati himself. There also
came Satyaka, Saatyaki, Kritavarma and Saatwata; Pradyumna, Samba, Nishatha and
Shanku; Chaarudeshna, Vikranta, Jhilli of great prowess, also Viprithu, Saarana
of mighty arms and Gada, the foremost of learned men. These and many other
Vrishnis, Bhojas, and Andhakas came to Indraprastha, bringing with them many wedding
gifts.
“King Yudhishthira, hearing that Maadhava (Sri Krishna) had arrived, sent the twins (Nakula
and Sahadeva) out to receive him.
Received by them, the Vrishni army of great prosperity entered Khandavaprastha
well-adorned with flags and banners. The streets were well-swept and watered and
decked with flower arrangements and bunches. These were, again, sprinkled over
with sandalwood water that was fragrant and cooling. Every part of the town was
filled with the sweet scent of burning aloes. The city was full of joyous and
healthy people and adorned with merchants and traders. That best of men, viz.,
Keshava (Sri Krishna) of mighty
arms, accompanied by (Bala)Rama and
many of the Vrishnis, Andhakas and Bhojas, having entered the town, was
worshipped by the citizens and Brahmanas by thousands. At last, Keshava (Sri
Krishna) entered the palace of the king (Yudhishthira) which was like to the mansion (Bhavana
in Sanskrit) of (Lord) Indra Himself.
“Looking (Bala)Rama,
Yudhishthira received him with due ceremonies. The king smelled the head of Keshava
(Sri Krishna) and embraced him.
Govinda (Sri Krishna), satisfied
with the reception, humbly worshipped Yudhishthira. He (Sri Krishna) also paid homage to Bhima, that tiger
among men. Yudhishthira, the son of Kunti, then received the other principal
men of the Vrishni and the Andhaka tribes with due ceremonies. Yudhishthira respectfully
worshipped some as his superiors, and welcomed others as equals. Some he
received with affection and by some he was worshipped with respect. Then
Hrishikesha (Sri Krishna) of great fame
gave to the party of the bridegroom much wealth. To Subhadra he (Sri Krishna) gave the wedding gifts that had been given
to her by her relatives. (Sri) Krishna
gave to the Pandavas a thousand chariots of gold furnished with rows of bells,
and to each of which were put four horses driven by well-trained charioteers.
He also gave unto them ten thousand cows belonging to the country of Mathura,
and yielding much milk and all of excellent colour. Well-pleased, Janaardana (Sri
Krishna) also gave them a thousand adult
female horses with gold harnesses and of colour white as the beams of the moon.
He also gave them a thousand mules, all well-trained and possessing the speed
of the wind, of white colour with black hair.
“He of eyes like lotus-petals (Sri Krishna) also gave unto them a thousand ladies well-skilled in assisting at
bathing and at drinking, young in years and virgins all before their
first-season, well-attired and of excellent complexion, each wearing a hundred
pieces of gold around her neck, of skins perfectly polished, decorated with
every ornament, and well-skilled in every kind of personal service. Janaardana (Sri
Krishna) also gave to them hundreds of
thousands of draft horses from the country of the Balhikas as Subhadra’s
excellent dower. That foremost one of Daashaarha’s race (Sri Krishna) also gave to Subhadra as her property ten
carrier-loads of first class gold possessing the splendour of fire, some
purified and some in a state of ore.
“(Bala)Rama having the
plough for his weapon and always loving bravery gave to Arjuna, as a wedding
gift, a thousand elephants with secretions flowing in three streams from the
three parts of their bodies (the temple, the ears, and the anus) each large as a mountain summit,
irresistible in battle, decked with coverlets and bells, well-adorned with
other golden ornaments, and equipped with excellent thrones on their backs. That
large wave of wealth and gems that the Yadavas presented, together with the
clothes and blankets that represented its foam, the elephants, its alligators
and sharks, the flags, its floating weeds swelling into large proportions,
mingled with the Pandu ocean and filled it to the brim, to the great sorrow of
all enemies.
“Yudhishthira accepted all those gifts and worshipped all those great
warriors of the Vrishni and the Andhaka races. Those illustrious heroes of the
Kuru, the Vrishni, and the Andhaka races passed their days in pleasure and enjoyment
there like men of Dharma (after death)
in the divine regions. The Kurus, the Vrishnis with joyous hearts amused
themselves there, setting up at times loud shouts mingled with clappings of the
hand. Spending many days in sports and enjoyment there, worshipped by the Kurus
all the while, the Vrishni heroes filled with great energy then returned to the
city of Dwaravati (present-day Dwaraka, Gujarat, India).
“The great warriors of the Vrishni and the Andhaka races set out with (Bala)Rama in the forefront, carrying with them
those gems of the purest rays that had been given them by those foremost ones
of Kuru’s race. O Bharata (Janamejaya),
the high-souled Vaasudeva (Sri Krishna)
remained there with Arjuna in the delightful city of Indraprastha. The
illustrious one (Sri Krishna)
wandered over the banks of the Yamuna in search of deer. He sported with Arjuna
piercing with his arrows deer and wild boars. Then Subhadra, the favourite
sister of Keshava (Sri Krishna),
gave birth to an illustrious son, like Puloma’s daughter, (the queen of
heaven) bringing forth Jayanta. The son
that Subhadra brought forth was of long arms, broad chest, and eyes as large as
those of a bull. That hero and oppressor of enemies
came to be called Abhimanyu. The son of Arjuna,
that grinder of enemies and bull among men, was called Abhimanyu because he was
fearless and wrathful. That great warrior was fathered upon the daughter
of the Saatwata race (Subhadra) by
Dhananjaya (Arjuna), like fire
produced in a yagna from within the shami wood by the process of rubbing. Upon
the birth of this child (Abhimanyu),
Yudhishthira, the powerful son of Kunti, gave away to Brahmanas ten thousand
cows and coins of gold. The child from his earliest years became the favourite
of Vaasudeva (Sri Krishna) and of
his father and uncles, like the moon of all the people of the world. Upon his
birth, (Sri) Krishna performed the
usual rites of infancy. The child began to grow up like the Moon of the bright
fortnight. That grinder of enemies (Abhimanyu) soon became knowledgeable with the Vedas and acquired from his father
the Dhanurveda both divine and human, consisting of four branches and ten
divisions.
“Filled with great strength, the child (Abhimanyu) also acquired the knowledge of neutralizing
the weapons hurled at him by others, and great lightness of hand and fleetness
of motion forward, backward, transverse and wheeling. Abhimanyu became like to
his father in knowledge of the Shaastras and rites of Dharma. Dhananjaya (Arjuna), seeing his son, became filled with joy.
Like Maghavat (Lord Indra) seeing
Arjuna, the latter (Arjuna) saw his
son Abhimanyu and became exceedingly happy. Abhimanyu possessed the power of
slaying every enemy and bore on his person every auspicious mark. He was
invisible in battle and broad-shouldered as the bull. Possessing a broad face
as (the hood of) the snake, he was proud
like the lion. Wielding a large bow, his prowess was like that of an elephant
in rut. Possessed of a face handsome as the full-moon, and of a voice deep as
the sound of the drum or the clouds, he was equal to (Sri) Krishna in bravery and energy, in beauty and
in features.
“The auspicious Paanchaali (Draupadi) also, from her five husbands, obtained five sons all of whom were
heroes of the foremost rank and immovable in battle like the hills. Prativindhya by Yudhishthira, Sutasoma by Vrikodara (Bhimasena), Srutakarma
by Arjuna, Shataaneeka by Nakula, and Srutasena by Sahadeva, -- these were the
five heroes (Veera in Sanskrit) and
great warriors that Paanchaali (Draupadi) brought forth, like Aditi bringing forth the Adityas. The Brahmanas,
from their foreknowledge, said to Yudhishthira that as the son of his would be
capable of bearing like the Vindhya mountains the weapons of the enemy, he
should be called Prativindhya. Because the child that Draupadi bore to
Bhimasena was born after Bhima had performed a thousand Soma sacrifices, he
came to be called Sutasoma. Because Arjuna’s son was born upon his return from
exile during which he had achieved many celebrated achievements, that child
came to be called Srutakarma. While Nakula named his son Shataaneeka after a Rajarishi
of that name, in the respected race of Kuru. Again the son that Draupadi bore
to Sahadeva was born under the constellation called Vahni-daivata (Krittika), therefore
was he called after the commander of the army of Devas, Srutasena (Lord Kartikeya). The sons of Draupadi were born, each at the
interval of one year, and all of them became famous and much attached to one
another. O monarch (Janamejaya),
all their rites of infancy and childhood, such as Choodakarana and Upanayana (first
shave of the head and investiture with the sacred threads) were performed by Dhaumya according to the Shaastras. All of them, of
excellent behaviour and vows, after having studied the Vedas, acquired from
Arjuna a knowledge of all the weapons, divine and human. O tiger among kings (Janamejaya), the Pandavas, having obtained sons all of
whom were equal to the children of Devas and filled with broad chests, and all
of whom became great warriors, were filled with joy.’”
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