Vaisampayana said, “Exiled to the woods the sons of Pritha with Krishna
seated in the evening, conversed with one another afflicted with sorrow
and grief. And the handsome and well informed Krishna dear unto her lords
and devoted to them, thus spake unto Yudhishthira, Then sinful, cruel,
and wicked-minded son of Dhritarashtra certainly feeleth no sorrow for
us, when, O king, that evil-hearted wretch having sent thee with myself
into the woods dressed in deer-skin feeleth no regret! The heart of that
wretch of evil deeds must surely be made of steel when he could at that
time address thee, his virtuous eldest brother, in words so harsh! Having
brought thee who deservest to enjoy every happiness and never such woe,
into such distress, alas, that wicked-minded and sinful wretch joyeth
with his friends! O Bharata, when dressed in deer-skin thou hast set out
for the woods, only four persons, O monarch, viz., Duryodhana, Karna, the
evil-minded Sakuni, and Dussasana that bad and fierce brother of
Duryodhana, did not shed tears! With the exception of these, O thou best
of the Kurus, all other Kurus filled with sorrow shed tears from their
eyes! Beholding this thy bed and recollecting what thou hadst before, I
grieve, O king, for thee who deservest not woe and hast been brought up
in every luxury! Remembering that seat of ivory in thy court, decked with
jewels and beholding this seat of kusa grass, grief consumeth me, O king!
I saw thee, O king, surrounded in thy court by kings! What peace can my
heart know in not beholding thee such now? I beheld thy body, effulgent
as the sun, decked with sandal paste! Alas, grief depriveth me of my
senses in beholding thee now besmeared with mud and dirt! I saw thee
before, O king, dressed in silken clothes of pure white! But I now behold
thee dressed in rags? Formerly, O king, pure food of every kind was
carried from thy house on plates of gold for Brahmanas by thousands! And,
O king, food also of the best kind was formerly given by thee unto
ascetics both houseless and living in domesticity! Formerly, living in
dry mansion thou hadst ever filled with food of every kind plates by
thousands, and worshipped the Brahmanas gratifying every wish of theirs!
What peace, O king, can my heart know in not beholding all this now? And,
O great king, these thy brothers, endued 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 behold them all, so undeserving
of woe, living in the woods and upon what the wood may yield! My heart, O
King knoweth no peace! Thinking of this Bhimasena living in sorrow in the
woods, doth not thy anger blaze up, even though it is time? Why doth not
thy anger, O king, blaze up upon beholding the illustrious Bhimasena who
ever performeth everything unaided, so fallen into distress, though
deserving of every happiness? Why, O king, doth not thy anger blaze up on
beholding that Bhima living in the woods who was formerly surrounded with
numerous vehicles and dressed in costly apparel? This exalted personage
is ready to slay all the Kurus in battle. He beareth, however, all this
sorrow, only because he waiteth for the fufilment of thy promise! This
Arjuna, O king, though possessed of two hands, is equal, for the
lightness of his hand in discharging shafts, to (Kartavirya) Arjuna of a
thousand arms! He Is even (to foes), like unto Yama himself at the end of
the Yuga! It was by the prowess of his weapons that all the kings of the
earth were made to wait upon the Brahmanas at thy sacrifice? Beholding
that Arjuna that tiger among men worshipped by both the celestials and
the Danavas so anxious, why, O king, dost thou not feel indignant? I
grieve, O Bharata, that thy wrath doth not blaze up at sight of that son
of Pritha in exile, that prince who deserveth not such distress and who
hath been brought up in every luxury! Why doth not thy wrath blaze up at
sight of that Arjuna in exile, who, on a single car, hath vanquished
celestials and men and serpents? Why, O king, doth not thy wrath blaze up
at sight of that Arjuna in exile who, honoured with offerings of cars and
vehicles of various forms and horses and elephants, forcibly took from
the kings of the earth their treasures, who is the chastiser of all foes,
and who at one impetus can throw full five hundred arrows? Why, O king,
doth not thy wrath blaze up at sight of Nakula, in exile, who so fair and
able-bodied and young, is the foremost of all swordsmen? Why, O king,
dost thou pardon the foe. O Yudhishthira, at sight of Madri’s son, the
handsome and brave Sahadeva in exile? Why doth not thy anger blaze up, O
king, it sight of both Nakula and Sahadeva overwhelmed with grief, though
so undeserving of distress? Why also, O king, dost thou pardon the foe at
sight of myself in exile who, born in the race of Drupada and, therefore,
the sister of Dhrishtadyumna, am the daughter-in-law of the illustrious
Pandu and the devoted wife of heroes? Truly, O thou best of the Bharatas,
thou hast no anger, else why is it that thy mind is not moved at sight of
thy brothers and myself (in such distress)? It is said that there is no
Kshatriya in the world who is bereft of anger. I now behold in thee,
however, a refutation of the proverb! That Kshatriya, O son of Pritha,
who discovereth not his energy when the opportunity cometh, is ever
disregarded by all creatures! Therefore, O king, thou shouldst not extend
thy forgiveness to the foe. Indeed, with thy energy, without doubt, thou,
mayst slay them all! So also, O king, that Kshatriya who is not appeased
when the time for forgiveness cometh, becometh unpopular with every
creature and meeteth with destruction both in this and the other world!’”