The Mahabharata/Book 1: Adi Parva/Section 153

Section CLIII. ( *Jatu-griha Parva continued.* ) Vaisampayana said, "As the mighty Bhima proceeded, by the clasp of his breast the whole forest with its trees and their branches seemed to tremble. The motion of his legs raised a wind like unto that which bloweth during the months of *Jaishtha* and *Ashara*. And the mighty Bhima proceeded, making a path for, himself, by treading down the trees and creepers before him. In fact, he broke (by the pressure of his body) the large trees and plants with their flowers and fruits standing on his way. Even so passeth through the woods, breaking down mighty trees, a leader of a herd of elephants, of the age of sixty years, angry and endued with excess of energy, during the season of rut when the liquid juice tricketh down the three parts of its body. Indeed, so great was the force with which Bhima endued with the speed of Gadura or of Maruta (the god of wind) proceeded that the Pandavas seemed to faint in consequence. Frequently swimming accross streams difficult of being crossed, the Pandavas disguised themselves on their way from fear of the sons of the Dhrita-rashtra. And Bhima carried on his shoulders his illustrious mother of delicate sensibilities along the uneven banks of rivers. Towards the evening, O thou bull of the Bharata race, Bhima (bearing his brothers and mother on his back) reached a terrible forest where fruits and roots and water were scarce and which was resounding with the terrible cries of birds and beasts. The twilight deepened, the cried of birds and beasts became fiercer, darkness surrounded everything from the view, and an untimely wind began to blow that broke and laid low many a tree large and small and many of creeper with dry leaves and fruits. The Kaurava princes, afflicted with fatigue and thirst and heavy with sleep, were unable to proceed further. They then all sat down in that forest without food and drink. Then Kunti afflicted with thirst said unto her sons, 'I am the mother of the five Pandavas and am now in their midst! Yet am I burning with thirst!' Kunti repeatedly said this unto her sons. Hearing these words, from affection for his mother Bhima's mind was warmed by compassion and he resolved to go (along as before). Then Bhima, proceeding through that terrible and extensive forest without a living soul saw a beautiful banian with wide-spreading branches. Causing his brothers and mother, O thou bull of the Bharata race, to alight there, he said unto them, 'Rest ye here, while I go in quest of water. I hear the sweet cries of acquatic fowls. I think there must be a large pool here.' Commanded, O Bharata, by his eldest brother who said unto him 'Go,' Bhima proceeded in the direction whence the cries of those acquatic fowls were coming. And, O thou bull of the Bharata race, he soon came upon a pool, and bathed and slaked his thirst. And affectionate unto his brothers, he brought for them, O Bharata, water by soaking his upper garments. Hastily retracing his way over those four miles he came unto where his mother was and beholding her he was afflicted with sorrow and began to sigh like a snake. Distressed with grief at seeing his mother and brothers asleep on the bare ground, Vrikodara began to weep. 'Oh wretch that I am, who beholdeth his brothers asleep on the bare ground, what can befall unto me more painful than this? Oh, they who formerly at Varanavata could not sleep on the softest and most valuable beds are now asleep on the bare ground! Oh, what more painful sight shall I ever beholdd than that of Kunti,—the sister of Vasudeva that grinder of hostile hosts,—the daughter of Kuntiraja,—herself decked with every auspicious mark,—the daughter-in-law of Vichitravirya,—the wife of the illustrious Pandu,—the mother of us (five brothers),—resplendant as the filaments of the lotus, and delicate and tender and fit to sleep on the most costly beds,—thus asleep, as she should never be, on the bare ground? Oh, she who hath brought forth these sons by Dharma and Indra and Maruta—she who hath ever slept within palaces—now sleepeth fatigued on the bare ground! What more painful sight shall ever be beheld by me than that of these tigers among men (my brothers) asleep on the ground! Oh, the virtuous Yudhish-thira who deserveth the sovereignty of the three worlds sleepeth fatiguedd, like an ordinary man, on the bare ground! This Arjuna of darkish hue, like unto that of the clouds of heaven, and unequalled amongst men, sleepeth on the ground like an ordinary person! Oh, what can be more painful than this? Oh, the twins who in beauty are like the twin Aswinas amongst the celestials are asleep like the ordinary mortals on the bare ground! He who hath no jealous and evil-minded relatives, liveth in happiness in this world like a single tree in a village. The tree that standeth single in a village with its leaves and fruits, from absence of others of the same species, becometh sacred and is worshipped and venerated by all. They again that have many relatives but all heroic and virtuous, live happily in the world without sorrow of any kind. Themselves powerful and growing in prosperity and always gladdening their friends and relatives, they live depending on eachother like tall trees growing in the same forest. We, however, have been forced into exile by the wicked Dhrita-rashtra with his sons, having escaped with difficulty, from sheer good fortune, a fiery death. Having escaped from that fire we are now resting in the shade of this tree! Having already suffered so much, where now are we to go? Ye sons of Dhrita-rashtra of little fore-sight, ye wicked wights, enjoy your temporary success! The gods are certainly auspicious to ye! But ye wicked wretches, ye are alive yet only because Yudhish-thira doth not command me to take your lives! Else this very day, filled as I am with wrath, I would send thee, (Duryodhana) to the regions of Yama with thy children and friends and brothers, and Karna, and (Sakuni) the son of Suvala! But what can I do! For ye sinful wretches, the virtuous king Yudhish-thira—the eldest of the Pandavas—is not yet angry with ye!' "Having said this, Bhima of mighty arms, fired by wrath, began to squeeze his palms, sighing deeply in affliction. Excited again in wrath like an extinguished fire blazing up all on a sudden, Vriko-dara once more beheld his brothers sleeping on the ground like ordinary persons sleeping in trustfulness. And Bhima said unto himself, 'I think there is some town not far off from this forest. These all are asleep, so I will sit awake. And these will slake their thirst after they rise refreshed from sleep!' Saying this, Bhim sat there awake, keeping watch over his sleeping mother and brothers." Thus ends the hundred and fifty-third Section in the Jatu-griha of the Adi Parva.