The Mahabharata/Book 1: Adi Parva/Section 194

Section CLXLIV. ( Svayamvara Parva continued. )

Vaisampayana said, "When the Kuru princes (Bhima and Arjuna) were wending towards the abode of the potter, Dhrishta-dyumna the Panchala prince followed them. And sending away all his attendants, he concealed himself in some part of the potter's house, unknown to the Pandavas. Then Bhima, that grinder of all foes, and Jishnu, and the illustrious twins, returning from their eleemosynary round in the evening, cheerfully gave everything unto Yudhish-thira Then the kind Kunti addressing the daughter of Drupada said, 'O amiable one, take thou first a portion from this and devote it to the gods and give it away to Brahmanas, and feed those that desire to eat and give unto those who have become our guests. Divide the rest into two halves. Give one of these unto Bhima, O amiable one, for this strong youth of fair complexion—equal unto a king of elephants—this hero always eateth much. And divide the other half into six parts, four for these youths, one for myself, and one for thee.' Then the princess hearing those excellent words of her mother-in-law, cheerfully did all that she had been directed to do. And those heroes then all ate of the food prepared by Krishnā. Then Sahadeva the son of Madri, endued with great activity, spread on the ground a bed of Kusa grass. Then those heroes, each spreading thereon his deer-skin, laid themselves down to sleep. And those foremost of the Kuru princes laid themselves down with heads towards the south. And Kunti laid herself down along the line of their heads, and Krishnā along that of their feet. And Krishnā, though she lay with the sons of Pandu on that bed of Kusa grass along the line of their feet as if she were their nether pillow, grieved not in her heart nor thought disrespectfully of those bulls amongst the Kurus. Then these heroes began to converse with each other. And the conversation of those princes, each worthy to lead an army, was exceedingly interesting, being upon celestial weapons, and cars, and elephants, and swords, and arrows, and battle-axes. And the son of the Panchala king listened (from his place of concealment) unto all they said. And all those who were with him beheld Krishnā in that state.

"When morning came, the prince Dhrishta-dyumna set out from his place of concealment with great haste inorder to report to Drupada in detail all that had happened at the potter's abode and all that he had heard those heroes to say amongst one another during the night. The king of Panchala had been sad because he knew not as Pandavas those who had taken away his daughter. And the illustrious monarch asked Dhrishta-dyumna on his return, 'Oh where hath Krishnā gone? Who hath taken her away? Hath any Sudra or anybody of mean descent, or hath a tribute-paying Vaisya, by taking my daughter away, placed his dirty foot on my head? O son, hath that wreathe of flowers been thrown away on a grave-yard? Hath any Kshatriya of high brith, or any one of the superior order (Brahmana) obtained my daughter? Hath any one of mean descent, by having won Krishna, placed his left foot on my head? I would not, O son, grieve but feel greatly happy, if my daughter hath been united with Pārtha that foremost of men! O thou exalted one, tell me truly, who hath won my daughter today! O, are the sons of that foremost of the Kurus—Vichitra-virya's son—alive? Was it Pārtha (Arjuna) that took up the bow and shot the mark?'"

Thus ends the hundred and ninety-fourth Section in the Svayamvara of the Adi Parva.