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, 'The 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 thy 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 (Kaitavirya) 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!'"