Vaisampayana said, "The hostile Kshatriyas, incensed at sight of
Bhimasena and Arjuna, sent up a loud shout in the forest. And the wicked
king Jayadratha, when he saw the standards of those bulls of the Kuru
race, lost his heart, and addressing the resplendent Yagnaseni seated on
his car, said, 'Those five great warriors, O Krishna, that are coming,
are I believe, thy husbands. As thou knowest the sons of Pandu well, do
thou, O lady of beautiful tresses, describe them one by one to us,
pointing out which of them rideth which car!' Thus addressed, Draupadi
replied, 'Having done this violent deed calculated to shorten thy life,
what will it avail thee now, O fool, to know the names of those great
warriors, for, now that my heroic husbands are come, not one of ye will
be left alive in battle. However as thou art on the point of death and
hast asked me, I will tell thee everything, this being consistent with
the ordinance. Beholding king Yudhishthira the just with his younger
brothers, I have not the slightest anxiety or fear from thee! That
warrior at the top of whose flagstaff two handsome and sonorous tabours
called _Nanda_ and _Upananda_ are constantly played upon,--he, O Sauvira
chief, hath a correct knowledge of the morality of his own acts. Men
that have attained success always walk in his train. With a complexion
like that of pure gold, possessed of a prominent nose and large eyes,
and endued with a slender make, that husband of mine is known among
people by the name of Yudhishthira, the son of Dharma and the foremost
of the Kuru race. That virtuous prince of men granteth life to even a
foe that yields. Therefore, O fool, throwing down thy arms and joining
thy hands, run to him for thy good, to seek his protection. And that
other man whom thou seest with long arms and tall as the full-grown
_Sala_ tree, seated on his chariot, biting his lips, and contracting his
forehead so as to bring the two eye-brows together, is he,--my husband
Vrikodara! Steeds of the noblest breed, plump and strong, well-trained
and endued with great might, draw the cars of that warrior! His
achievements are superhuman. He is known, therefore, by the name of
_Bhima_ on earth. They that offend him are never suffered to live. He
never forgetteth a foe. On some pretext or other he wrecketh his
vengeance. Nor is he pacified even after he has wrecked a signal
vengeance. And there, that foremost of bowmen, endued with intelligence
and renown, with senses under complete control and reverence for the
old--that brother and disciple of Yudhishthira--is my husband
Dhananjaya! Virtue he never forsaketh, from lust or fear or anger! Nor
doth he ever commit a deed that is cruel. Endued with the energy of fire
and capable of withstanding every foe, that grinder of enemies is the
son of Kunti. And that other youth, versed in every question of morality
and profit, who ever dispelleth the fears of the affrighted, who is
endued with high wisdom, who is considered as the handsomest person in
the whole world and who is protected by all the sons of Pandu, being
regarded by them as dearer to them than their own lives for his
unflinching devotion to them, is my husband Nakula possessed of great
prowess. Endued with high wisdom and having Sahadeva for his second,
possessed of exceeding lightness of hand, he fighteth with the sword,
making dexterous passes therewith. Thou, foolish man, shall witness
today his performances on the field of battle, like unto those of Indra
amid the ranks of Daityas! And that hero skilled in weapons and
possessed of intelligence and wisdom, and intent on doing what is
agreeable to the son of Dharma, that favourite and youngest born of the
Pandavas, is my husband Sahadeva! Heroic, intelligent, wise and ever
wrathful there is not another man equal unto him in intelligence or in
eloquence amid assemblies of the wise. Dearer to Kunti than her own
soul, he is always mindful of the duties of Kshatriyas, and would much
sooner rush into fire or sacrifice his own life than say anything that
is opposed to religion and morals. When the sons of Pandu will have
killed thy warriors in battle, then wilt thou behold thy army in the
miserable plight of a ship on the sea wrecked with its freight of jewels
on the back of a whale. Thus have I described unto thee the prowess of
the sons of Pandu, disregarding whom in thy foolishness, thou hast acted
so. If thou escapest unscathed from them, then, indeed thou wilt have
obtained a new lease of life.'"
Vaisampayana continued, "Then those five sons of Pritha, each like unto
Indra, filled with wrath, leaving the panic-stricken infantry alone who
were imploring them for mercy, rushed furiously upon the charioteers,
attacking them on all sides and darkening the very air with the thick
shower of arrows they shot."