Vaisampayana said, "Meanwhile those foremost of bowmen on the face of
the earth, having wandered separately and ranged in all directions, and
having slain plenty of deer and buffaloes, at length met together. And
observing that great forest, which was crowded with hosts of deer and
wild beasts, resounding with the shrill cries of birds, and hearing the
shrieks and yells of the denizens of the wilderness, Yudhishthira said
unto his brothers, 'These birds and wild beasts, flying towards that
direction which is illuminated by the sun, are uttering dissonant cries
and displaying an intense excitement. All this only shows that this
mighty forest hath been invaded by hostile intruders. Without a moment's
delay let us give up the chase. We have no more need of game. My heart
aches and seems to burn! The soul in my body, over-powering the
intellect, seems ready to fly out. As a lake rid by Garuda of the mighty
snake that dwells in it, as a pot drained of its contents by thirsty
men, as a kingdom reft of king and prosperity, even so doth the forest
of Kamyaka seem to me.' Thus addressed, those heroic warriors drove
towards their abode, on great cars of handsome make and drawn by steeds
of the _Saindharva_ breed exceedingly fleet and possessed of the speed
of the hurricane. And on their way back, they beheld a jackal yelling
hideously on the wayside towards their left. And king Yudhishthira,
regarding it attentively, said unto Bhima and Dhananjaya, 'This jackal
that belongs to a very inferior species of animals, speaking to our
left, speaketh a language which plainly indicates that the sinful Kurus,
disregarding us, have commenced to oppress us by resorting to violence.'
After the sons of Pandu had given up the chase and said these words,
they entered the grove which contained their hermitage. And there they
found their beloved one's maid, the girl Dhatreyika, sobbing and
weeping. And Indrasena then quickly alighting from the chariot and
advancing with hasty steps towards her, questioned her, O king, in great
distress of mind, saying, 'What makes thee weep thus, lying on the
ground, and why is thy face so woe-begone and colourless? I hope no
cruel wretches have done any harm to the princess Draupadi possessed of
incomparable beauty and large eyes and who is the second self of every
one of those bulls of the Kuru race? So anxious hath been Dharma's son
that if the princess hath entered the bowels of the earth or hath soared
to heaven or dived into the bottom of the ocean, he and his brothers
will go thither in pursuit of her. Who could that fool be that would
carry away that priceless jewel belonging to the mighty and
ever-victorious sons of Pandu, those grinders of foes, and which is dear
unto them as their own lives? I don't know who the person could be that
would think of carrying away that princess who hath such powerful
protectors and who is even like a walking embodiment of the hearts of
the sons of Pandu? Piercing whose breasts will terrible shafts stick to
the ground to-day? Do not weep for her, O timid girl, for know thou that
Krishna will come back this very day, and the sons of Pritha, having
slain their foes, will again be united with Yagnaseni!' Thus addressed
by him, Dhatreyika, wiping her beautiful face, replied unto Indrasena
the charioteer, saying, 'Disregarding the five Indra-like sons of Pandu,
Jayadratha hath carried away Krishna by force. The track pursued by him
hath not yet disappeared, for the broken branches of trees have not yet
faded. Therefore, turn your cars and follow her quickly, for the
princess cannot have gone far by this time! Ye warriors possessed of the
prowess of Indra, putting on your costly bows of handsome make, and
taking up your costly bows and quivers, speed ye in pursuit of her, lest
overpowered by threats or violence and losing her sense and the colour
of her cheeks, she yields herself up to an undeserving wight, even as
one poureth forth, from the sacrificial ladle, the sanctified oblation
on a heap of ashes. O, see that the clarified butter is not poured into
an unigniting fire of paddy chaff; that a garland of flowers is not
thrown away in a cemetery. O, take care that the _Soma_ juice of a
sacrifice is not licked up by a dog through the carelessness of the
officiating priests! O, let not the lily be rudely torn by a jackal
roaming for its prey in the impenetrable forest. O, let no inferior
wight touch with his lips the bright and beautiful face of your wife,
fair as the beams of the moon and adorned with the finest nose and the
handsomest eyes, like a dog licking clarified butter kept in the
sacrificial pot! Do ye speed in this track and let not time steal a
march on you.'
"Yudhishthira said, 'Retire, good woman, and control thy tongue. Speak
not this way before us. Kings or princes, whoever are infatuated with
the possession of power, are sure to come to grief!'"
Vaisampayana continued, "With these words, they departed, following the
track pointed out to them, and frequently breathing deep sighs like the
hissing of snakes, and twanging the strings of their large bows. And
then they observed a cloud of dust raised by the hoofs of the steeds
belonging to Jayadratha's army. And they also saw Dhaumya in the midst
of the ravisher's infantry, exhorting Bhima to quicken his steps. Then
those princes (the sons of Pandu) with hearts undepressed, bade him be
of good cheer and said unto him, 'Do thou return cheerfully!'--And then
they rushed towards that host with great fury, like hawks swooping down
on their prey. And possessed of the prowess of Indra, they had been
filled with fury at the insult offered to Draupadi. But at sight of
Jayadratha and of their beloved wife seated on his car, their fury knew
no bounds. And those mighty bowmen, Bhima and Dhananjaya and the twin
brothers and the king, called out Jayadratha to stop, upon which the
enemy was so bewildered as to lose their knowledge of directions."