Vaisampayana said, "The daughter of Drupada, though naturally handsome,
was suffused with crimson arising from a fit of anger. And with eyes
inflamed and eye-brows bent in wrath, she reproved the ruler of the
Suviras, saying, 'Art thou not ashamed, O fool, to use such insulting
words in respect of those celebrated and terrible warriors, each like
unto Indra himself, and who are all devoted to their duties and who
never waver in fight with even hosts of _Yakshas_ and _Rakshasas_? O
Sauvira, good men never speak ill of learned persons devoted to
austerities and endued with learning, no matter whether they live in the
wilderness or in houses. It is only wretches that are mean as thou who
do so. Methinks there is none in this assemblage of Kshatriya, who is
capable of holding thee by the hand to save thee from falling into the
pit thou openest under thy feet. In hoping to vanquish king Yudhishthira
the just, thou really hopest to separate, stick in hand, from a herd
roaming in Himalayan valleys, its leader, huge as a mountain peak and
with the temporal juice trickling down its rent temples. Out of childish
folly thou art kicking up into wakefulness the powerful lion lying
asleep, in order to pluck the hair from off his face! Thou shalt,
however, have to run away when thou seest Bhimasena in wrath! Thy
courting a combat with the furious Jishnu may be likened to thy kicking
up a mighty, terrible, full-grown and furious lion asleep in a mountain
cave. The encounter thou speakest of with those two excellent
youths--the younger Pandavas--is like unto the act of a fool that
wantonly trampleth on the tails of two venomous black cobras with
bifurcated tongues. The bamboo, the reed, and the plantain bear fruit
only to perish and not to grow in size any further. Like also the crab
that conceiveth for her own destruction, thou wilt lay hands upon me who
am protected by these mighty heroes!'
"Jayadratha replied, 'I know all this, O Krishna, and I am well aware of
the prowess of those princes. But thou canst not frighten us now with
these threats. We, too, O Krishna, belong by birth to the seventeen high
clans, and are endowed with the six royal qualities.[49] We, therefore,
look down upon the Pandavas as inferior men! Therefore, do thou, O
daughter of Drupada, ride this elephant or this chariot quickly, for
thou canst not baffle us with thy words alone; or, speaking less
boastfully, seek thou the mercy of the king of the Sauviras!'
[49] The six acts of a king are peace, war, marching, halting,
sowing dissention, and seeking protection.
"Draupadi replied, 'Though I am so powerful, why doth the king of
Sauvira yet consider me so powerless. Well-known as I am, I cannot, from
fear of violence, demean myself before that prince. Even Indra himself
cannot abduct her for whose protection Krishna and Arjuna would together
follow, riding in the same chariot. What shall I say, therefore, of a
weak human being. When Kiriti, that slayer of foes, riding on his car,
will, on my account, enter thy ranks, striking terror into every heart,
he will consume everything around like fire consuming a stack of dry
grass in summer. The warring princes of the Andhaka and the Vrishni
races, with Janardana at their head, and the mighty bowmen of the
Kaikeya tribe, will all follow in my wake with great ardour. The
terrible arrows of Dhananjaya, shot from the string of the _Gandiva_ and
propelled by his arms fly with great force through the air, roaring like
the very clouds. And when thou wilt behold Arjuna shooting from the
_Gandiva_ a thick mass of mighty arrows like unto a flight of locusts,
then wilt thou repent of thine own folly! Bethink thyself of what thou
wilt feel when that warrior armed with the _Gandiva_, blowing his
conch-shell and with gloves reverberating with the strokes of his
bowstring will again and again pierce thy breast with his shafts. And
when Bhima will advance towards thee, mace in hand and the two sons of
Madri range in all directions, vomiting forth the venom of their wrath,
thou wilt then experience pangs of keen regret that will last for ever.
As I have never been false to my worthy lords even in thought, so by
that merit shall I now have the pleasure of beholding thee vanquished
and dragged by the sons of Pritha. Thou canst not, cruel as thou art,
frighten me by seizing me with violence, for as soon as those Kuru
warriors will espy me they will bring me back to the woods of Kamyaka.'"
Vaisampayana continued, "Then that lady of large eyes, beholding them
ready to lay violent hands on her, rebuked them and said, 'Defile me not
by your touch!' And in a great alarm she then called upon her spiritual
adviser, Dhaumya. Jayadratha, however, seized her by her upper garment,
but she pushed him with great vigour. And pushed by the lady, that
sinful wretch fell upon the ground like a tree severed from its roots.
Seized, however, once more by him with great violence, she began to pant
for breath. And dragged by the wretch, Krishna at last ascended his
chariot having worshipped Dhaumya's feet. And Dhaumya then addressed
Jayadratha and said, 'Do thou, O Jayadratha, observe the ancient custom
of the Kshatriyas. Thou canst not carry her off without having
vanquished those great warriors. Without doubt, thou shalt reap the
painful fruits of this thy despicable act, when thou encounterest the
heroic sons of Pandu with Yudhishthira the just at their head!'"
Vaisampayana continued, "Having said these words Dhaumya, entering into
the midst of Jayadratha's infantry, began to follow that renowned
princess who was thus being carried away by the ravisher."