(Draupadi-Satyabhama Samvada)
Vaisampayana said, “After those Brahmanas and the illustrious sons of
Pandu had taken their seats, Draupadi and Satyabhama entered the
hermitage. And with hearts full of joy the two ladies laughed merrily and
seated themselves at their ease. And, O king, those ladies, who always
spake sweetly to each other, having met after a long time, began to talk
upon various delightful topics arising out of the stories of the Kurus
and the Yadus. And the slender-waisted Satyabhama, the favourite wife of
Krishna and the daughter of Satrajit, then asked Draupadi in private,
saying, ‘By what behaviour is it, O daughter of Drupada, that thou art
able to rule the sons of Pandu--those heroes endued with strength and
beauty and like unto the Lokapalas themselves? Beautiful lady, how is it
that they are so obedient to thee and are never angry with thee? Without
doubt the sons of Pandu, O thou of lovely features, are ever submissive
to thee and watchful to do thy bidding! Tell me, O lady, the reason of
this. Is it practice of vows, or asceticism, or incantation or drug at
the time of the bath (in season) or the efficacy of science, or the
influence of youthful appearance, or the recitation of particular
formulae, or Homa, or collyrium and other medicaments? Tell me now, O
princess of Panchala, of that blessed and auspicious thing by which, O
Krishna, Krishna may ever be obedient to me.”
“When the celebrated Satyabhama, having said this, ceased, the chaste and
blessed daughter of Drupada answered her, saying, ‘Thou askedest me, O
Satyabhama, of the practices of women that are wicked. How can I answer
thee, O lady, about the cause that is pursued by wicked females? It doth
not become thee, lady, to pursue the questions, or doubt me, after this,
for thou art endued with intelligence and art the favourite wife of
Krishna. When the husband learns that his wife is addicted to
incantations and drugs, from that hour he beginneth to dread her like a
serpent ensconced in his sleeping chamber. And can a man that is troubled
with fear have peace, and how can one that hath no peace have happiness?
A husband can never be made obedient by his wife’s incantations. We hear
of painful diseases being transmitted by enemies. Indeed, they that
desire to slay others, send poison in the shape of customary gifts, so
that the man that taketh the powders so sent, by tongue or skin, is,
without doubt, speedily deprived of life. Women have sometimes caused
dropsy and leprosy, decrepitude and impotence and idiocy and blindness
and deafness in men. These wicked women, ever treading in the path of
sin, do sometimes (by these means) injure their husbands. But the wife
should never do the least injury to her lord. Hear now, O illustrious
lady, of the behaviour I adopt towards the high-souled sons of Pandu.
Keeping aside vanity, and controlling desire and wrath, I always serve
with devotion the sons of Pandu with their wives. Restraining jealousy,
with deep devotion of heart, without a sense of degradation at the
services I perform, I wait upon my husbands. Ever fearing to utter what
is evil or false, or to look or sit or walk with impropriety, or cast
glances indicative of the feelings of the heart, do I serve the sons of
Pritha--those mighty warriors blazing like the sun or fire, and handsome
as the moon, those endued with fierce energy and prowess, and capable of
slaying their foes by a glance of the eye. Celestial, or man, or
Gandharva, young or decked with ornaments, wealthy or comely of person,
none else my heart liketh. I never bathe or eat or sleep till he that is
my husband hath bathed or eaten or slept,--till, in fact, our attendants
have bathed, eaten, or slept. Whether returning from the field, the
forest, or the town, hastily rising up I always salute my husband with
water and a seat. I always keep the house and all household articles and
the food that is to be taken well-ordered and clean. Carefully do I keep
the rice, and serve the food at the proper time. I never indulge in angry
and fretful speech, and never imitate women that are wicked. Keeping
idleness at distance I always do what is agreeable. I never laugh except
at a jest, and never stay for any length of time at the house-gate. I
never stay long in places for answering calls of nature, nor in
pleasure-gardens attached to the house. I always refrain from laughing
loudly and indulging in high passion, and from everything that may give
offence. Indeed, O Satyabhama, I always am engaged in waiting upon my
lords. A separation from my lords is never agreeable to me. When my
husband leaveth home for the sake of any relative, then renouncing
flowers and fragrant paste of every kind, I begin to undergo penances.
Whatever my husband drinketh not, whatever my husband eateth not,
whatever my husband enjoyeth not, I ever renounce. O beautiful lady,
decked in ornaments and ever controlled by the instruction imparted to
me, I always devotedly seek the good of my lord. Those duties that my
mother-in-law had told me of in respect of relatives, as also the duties
of alms-giving, of offering worship to the gods, of oblations to the
diseased, of boiling food in pots on auspicious days for offer to
ancestors and guests of reverence and service to those that deserve our
regards, and all else that is known to me, I always discharge day and
night, without idleness of any kind. Having with my whole heart recourse
to humility and approved rules I serve my meek and truthful lords ever
observant of virtue, regarding them as poisonous snakes capable of being
excited at a trifle. I think that to be eternal virtue for women which is
based upon a regard for the husband. The husband is the wife’s god, and
he is her refuge. Indeed, there is no other refuge for her. How can,
then, the wife do the least injury to her lord? I never, in sleeping or
eating or adorning any person, act against the wishes of my lord, and
always guided by my husbands, I never speak ill of my mother-in-law. O
blessed lady, my husbands have become obedient to me in consequence of my
diligence, my alacrity, and the humility with which I serve superiors.
Personally do I wait every day with food and drink and clothes upon the
revered and truthful Kunti--that mother of heroes. Never do I show any
preference for myself over her in matters of food and attire, and never
do I reprove in words that princess equal unto the Earth herself in
forgiveness. Formerly, eight thousand Brahmanas were daily fed in the
palace of Yudhishthira from off plates of gold. And eighty thousand
Brahmanas also of the Snataka sect leading domestic lives were
entertained by Yudhishthira with thirty serving-maids assigned to each.
Besides these, ten thousand yatis with the vital seed drawn up, had their
pure food carried unto them in plates of gold. All these Brahamanas that
were the utterers of the Veda, I used to worship duly with food, drink,
and raiment taken from stores only after a portion thereof had been
dedicated to the Viswadeva.[82] The illustrious son of Kunti had a
hundred thousand well-dressed serving-maids with bracelets on arms and
golden ornaments on necks, and decked with costly garlands and wreaths
and gold in profusion, and sprinkled with sandal paste. And adorned with
jewels and gold they were all skilled in singing and dancing. O lady, I
knew the names and features of all those girls, as also what they are and
what they were, and what they did not. Kunti’s son of great intelligence
had also a hundred thousand maid-servants who daily used to feed guests,
with plates of gold in their hands. And while Yudhishthira lived in
Indraprastha a hundred thousand horses and a hundred thousand elephants
used to follow in his train. These were the possessions of Yudhisthira
while he ruled the earth. It was I however, O lady, who regulated their
number and framed the rules to be observed in respect of them; and it was
I who had to listen to all complaints about them. Indeed, I knew
everything about what the maid-servants of the palace and other classes
of attendants, even the cow-herds and the shepherds of the royal
establishment, did or did not. O blessed and illustrious lady, it was I
alone amongst the Pandavas who knew the income and expenditure of the
king and what their whole wealth was. And those bulls among the Bharatas,
throwing upon me the burden of looking after all those that were to be
fed by them, would, O thou of handsome face, pay their court to me. And
this load, so heavy and incapable of being borne by persons of evil
heart, I used to bear day and night, sacrificing my ease, and all the
while affectionately devoted to them. And while my husbands were engaged
in the pursuit of virtue, I only supervised their treasury inexhaustible
like the ever-filled receptacle of Varuna. Day and night bearing hunger
and thirst, I used to serve the Kuru princes, so that my nights and days
were equal to me. I used to wake up first and go to bed last. This, O
Satyabhama, hath ever been my charm for making my husbands obedient to
me! This great art hath ever been known to me for making my husbands
obedient to me. Never have I practised the charms of wicked women, nor do
I ever wish to practise them.”
Vaisampayana continued, “Hearing those words of virtuous import uttered
by Krishna, Satyabhama, having first reverenced the virtuous princess of
Panchala, answered saying, ‘O princess of Panchala, I have been guilty, O
daughter of Yajnasena, forgive me! Among friends, conversations in jest
arise naturally, and without premeditation.”