“Vaishampaayana said, ‘Then those youthful princes adorned with
ear-rings, competing with one another and each regarding himself accomplished
in arms and gifted with might, stood up raising their weapons. Intoxicated with
pride of beauty, prowess (Veeram in Sanskrit), lineage (kula in Sanskrit),
knowledge, wealth, and youth, they were like Himalayan elephants in the season
of rut with crowns split from excess of temporal juice. Looking each other with
jealousy and influenced by Kaamadeva, they suddenly rose up from their royal
seats, exclaiming ‘Krishna (Draupadi)
shall be mine.’ The Kshatriyas assembled in that arena, each desirous of
winning the daughter of Drupada, looked like the Devaganas standing round Uma (Devi
Paarvati), the daughter of the King of
mountains.
“Pained with the arrows of the Devas of the flowery bow (Kaamadeva) and with hearts utterly lost in the viewing
of Krishna (Draupadi), those princes
descended into the arena for winning the Paanchaala lady and began to regard
even their best friends with jealousy. There also came the Devas on their chariots,
with the Rudras, the Adityas, the Vasus and the twin Ashwins (Ashwini
Devas), the Saadhyaas and all the
Marutas, and Kubera with Yama walking ahead. There came also the Daityas and
the Suparnas, the great Naagaas, the Devarishis, the Guhyakaas, the Chaaranaas,
Vishwavasu, Narada and Parvata, and the important Gandharvas with Apsaras.
“Halaayudha (Balarama) and Keshava
(Sri Krishna) and the chief of the Vrishni,
Andhaka, and Yadava lineages who obeyed the leadership of (Sri) Krishna were also there, viewing the scene.
Looking those elephants in rut -- the five (Pandavas) -- attracted towards Draupadi like mighty elephants towards a lake
overgrown with lotuses, or like fire covered with ashes, (Sri) Krishna the foremost of Yadu heroes (Veera
in Sanskrit) began to think. He said to (Bala) Rama, ‘That is
Yudhishthira; that is Bhima with Jishnu (Arjuna); and those are the twin heroes (Veera
in Sanskrit).’ (These are the first
words in the Mahabharata issued out from the mouth of Sri Krishna). (Bala) Rama surveying them
slowly gave a glance of satisfaction at Janardana (Sri Krishna).
“Biting their lower lips in anger, the other heroes (Veera in
Sanskrit) there -- sons and grandsons of
kings – with their eyes and hearts and thoughts set on Krishna (Draupadi), looked with expanded eyes on Draupadi
alone without noticing the Pandavas. The sons of Pritha (sons of Kunti) also, of mighty arms, and the illustrious
twin heroes (Nakula and Sahadeva), looking
Draupadi, were all likewise struck by the arrows of Kaama. Crowded with Devarishis,
Gandharvas, Suparnas, Naagaas, Asuras and Siddhas, and filled with divines
perfumes and scattered over with divine flowers, and resounding with the
kettle-drum and the deep hum of infinite voices, and echoing with the softer
music of the flute, the Veena, and the sound of small drums, the cars of Devas
could scarcely find a passage through the sky.
“Then those princes -- Karna, Duryodhana, Salwa, Shalya, Ashwatthaama, Kratha,
Sunitha, Vakra, the ruler of Kalinga and Vanga, Paandya, Paundra, the ruler of
Videha, the chief of the Yavanas, and many other sons and grandsons of kings --
sovereigns of territories with eyes like lotus-petals -- one after another
began to exhibit prowess for (winning)
that lady of unrivalled beauty. Decorated with crowns, garlands, bracelets, and
other ornaments, endued with mighty arms, possessed of prowess, vigour and
bursting with strength and energy, those princes could not, even in imagination,
string that bow of extraordinary stiffness.
“(Some among) those kings in
exerting with swelling lips each according to his strength, education, skill,
and energy -- to string that bow, were thrown on the ground and lay perfectly
motionless for some time. Their strength spent and their crowns and garlands
loosened from their body, they began to pant for breath and their ambition of
winning that fair lady was cooled. Thrown by that tough bow, and their garlands
and bracelets and other ornaments disordered, they began to utter exclamations
of sorrow. That assembly of monarchs, their hope of obtaining Krishna (Draupadi) gone, looked sad and sorrowful.
“Seeing the plight of those monarchs, Karna that foremost of all
wielders of the bow went to where the bow was, and quickly raising it strung it
and placed the arrows on the string. Looking the son of Surya -- Karna of the
Suta kula -- like to Agni or Soma or Surya himself, resolved to shoot the mark,
those foremost of bowmen -- the Pandavas -- regarded the mark as already shot
and brought down upon the ground. But seeing Karna, Draupadi loudly said, ‘I
will not select a Suta for my lord.’ Then Karna, laughing in anger and throwing
a glance at the Sun, threw aside the bow already drawn to a circle.
“Then when all those Kshatriyas gave up the task, the heroic king of
the Chedis -- mighty as Yama himself -- the illustrious and determined Sishupaala,
the son of Damaghosa, in trying to string the bow, himself fell upon his knees
on the ground. Then king Jaraasandha fillwed with great strength and powers,
approaching the bow stood there for some moment, fixed and motionless like a
mountain. Thrown by the bow, he too fell upon his knees on the ground, and
rising up, the monarch left the arena for (returning to) his kingdom. Then the great hero Shalya,
the king of Madra, filled with great strength, in trying to string the bow fell
upon his knees on the ground. At last, when in that assembly consisting of
highly respectable people, all the monarchs had become subjects of satirical
talk that foremost of heroes (Veera in Sanskrit) – Jishnu (Arjuna), the son
of Kunti -- desired to string the bow and placed the arrows on the
bow-string.’”
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