(Haranaharana Parva)
"Vaisampayana said, 'When the heroes of the Vrishni race began to speak
repeatedly in this strain, Vasudeva uttered these words pregnant with deep
import and consistent with true morality. "Gudakesa (the conqueror of sleep
or he of the curly hair), by what he hath done, hath not insulted our
family. He hath without doubt, rather enhanced our respect. Partha knoweth
that we of the Satwata race are never mercenary. The son of Pandu also
regardeth a self-choice as doubtful in its results. Who also would approve
of accepting a bride in gift as if she were an animal? What man again is
there on earth that would sell his offspring? I think Arjuna, seeing these
faults in all the other methods took the maiden away by force, according
to the ordinance. This alliance is very proper. Subhadra is a renowned
girl. Partha too possesseth renown. Perhaps, thinking of all this, Arjuna
hath taken her away by force. Who is there that would not desire to have
Arjuna for a friend, who is born in the race of Bharata and the renowned
Santanu, and the son also of the daughter of Kuntibhoja? I do not see, in
all the worlds with Indra and the Rudras, the person that can by force
vanquish Partha in battle, except the three-eyed god Mahadeva. His car is
well-known. Yoked thereunto are those steeds of mine. Partha as a warrior
is well-known; and his lightness of hand is well-known. Who shall be equal
to him? Even this is my opinion: go ye cheerfully after Dhananjaya and by
conciliation stop him and bring him back. If Partha goes to his city after
having vanquished us by force, our fame will be gone. There is no disgrace,
however, in conciliation." Hearing, O monarch, those words of Vasudeva,
they did as he directed. Stopped by them, Arjuna returned to Dwaraka and
was united in marriage with Subhadra. Worshipped by the sons of Vrishni's
race, Arjuna, sporting there as he pleased, passed a whole year in Dwaraka.
The last year of his exile the exalted one passed at the sacred region of
Pushkara. After the twelve years were complete he came back to
Khandavaprastha. He approached the king first and then worshipped the
Brahmanas with respectful attention. At last the hero went unto Draupadi.
Draupadi, from jealousy, spoke unto him, saying, "Why tarriest thou here,
O son of Kunti? Go where the daughter of the Satwata race is!" And
Krishna lamented much in this strain. But Dhananjaya pacified her
repeatedly and asked for her forgiveness. And returning soon unto where
Subhadra, attired in red silk, was staying, Arjuna, sent her into the
inner apartments dressed not as a queen but in the simple garb of a
cowherd woman. But arrived at the palace, the renowned Subhadra looked
handsomer in that dress. The celebrated Bhadra of large and slightly red
eyes first worshipped Pritha. Kunti from excess of affection smelt the
head of that girl of perfectly faultless features, and pronounced infinite
blessing upon her. Then that girl of face like the full moon hastily went
unto Draupadi and worshipped her, saying, "I am thy maid!" Krishna rose
hastily and embraced the sister of Madhava from affection, and said, "Let
thy husband be without a foe!" Bhadra then, with a delighted heart, said
unto Draupadi, "So be it!" From that time, O Janamejaya, those great
warriors, the Pandavas, began to live happily, and Kunti also became very
happy.
"Vaisampayana continued, 'When that scorcher of foes, viz., Kesava of pure
soul and eyes like lotus-petals, heard that the foremost of the Pandavas,
viz., Arjuna, had reached his own excellent city of Indraprastha, he came
thither accompanied by Rama and the other heroes and great warriors of the
Vrishni and the Andhaka tribes, and by his brothers and sons and many
other brave warriors. And Saurin came accompanied by a large army that
protected him. And there came with Saurin, that oppressor of foes, viz.,
the exceedingly liberal Akrura of great intelligence and renown, the
generalissimo of the brave Vrishni host. And there also came Anadhrishti
of great prowess, and Uddhava of great renown, of great intelligence, of
great soul, and a disciple of Vrihaspati himself. And there also came
Satyaka and Salyaka and Kritavarman and Satwata; and Pradyumna and Samva
and Nisatha and Sanku; and Charudeshna, and Jhilli of great prowess, and
Viprithu also and Sarana of mighty arms and Gada, the foremost of learned
men. These and many other Vrishnis and Bhojas, and Andhakas came to
Indraprastha, bringing with them many nuptial presents. King Yudhishthira,
hearing that Madhava had arrived, sent the twins out to receive him.
Received by them, the Vrishni host of great prosperity entered
Khandavaprastha well-adorned with flags and ensigns. The streets were well-
swept and watered and decked with floral wreaths and bunches. These were,
again, sprinkled over with sandalwood water that was fragrant and cooling.
Every part of the town was filled with the sweet scent of burning aloes.
And the city was full of joyous and healthy people and adorned with
merchants and traders. That best of men, viz., Kesava of mighty arms,
accompanied by Rama and many of the Vrishnis, Andhakas and Bhojas, having
entered the town, was worshipped by the citizens and Brahmanas by
thousands. At last Kesava entered the palace of the king which was like
unto the mansion of Indra himself. Beholding Rama, Yudhishthira received
him with due ceremonies. The king smelt the head of Kesava and embraced
him. Govinda, gratified with the reception, humbly worshipped Yudhishthira.
He also paid homage unto Bhima, that tiger among men. Yudhishthira the son
of Kunti then received the other principal men of the Vrishni and the
Andhaka tribes with due ceremonies. Yudhishthira reverentially worshipped
some as his superiors, and welcomed others as equals. And some he received
with affection and by some he was worshipped with reverence. Then
Hrishikesa of great renown gave unto the party of the bridegroom much
wealth. And unto Subhadra he gave the nuptial presents that had been given
to her by her relatives. Krishna gave unto the Pandavas a thousand cars of
gold furnished with rows of bells, and unto each of which were put four
steeds driven by well-trained charioteers. He also gave unto them ten
thousand cows belonging to the country of Mathura, and yielding much milk
and all of excellent colour. Well-pleased, Janardana also gave them a
thousand mares with gold harnesses and of colour white as the beams of the
moon. He also gave them a thousand mules, all well-trained and possessing
the speed of the wind, of white colour with black manes. And he of eyes
like lotus-petals also gave unto them a thousand damsels well-skilled in
assisting at bathing and at drinking, young in years and virgins all
before their first-season, well-attired and of excellent complexion, each
wearing a hundred pieces of gold around her neck, of skins perfectly
polished, decked with every ornament, and well-skilled in every kind of
personal service. Janardana also gave unto them hundreds of thousands of
draft horses from the country of the Valhikas as Subhadra's excellent
dower. That foremost one of Dasarha's race also gave unto Subhadra as her
peculium ten carrier-loads of first class gold possessing the splendour of
fire, some purified and some in a state of ore. And Rama having the plough
for his weapon and always loving bravery gave unto Arjuna, as a nuptial
present, a thousand elephants with secretions flowing in three streams
from the three parts of their bodies (the temple, the ears, and the anus)
each large as a mountain summit, irresistible in battle, decked with
coverlets and bells, well-adorned with other golden ornaments, and
equipped with excellent thrones on their backs. And that large wave of
wealth and gems that the Yadavas presented, together with the cloths and
blankets that represented its foam, and the elephants its alligators and
sharks, and the flags its floating weeds swelling into large proportions,
mingled with the Pandu ocean and filled it to the brim, to the great
sorrow of all foes. Yudhishthira accepted all those presents and
worshipped all those great warriors of the Vrishni and the Andhaka races.
Those illustrious heroes of the Kuru, the Vrishni, and the Andhaka races
passed their days in pleasure and merriment there like virtuous men (after
death) in the celestial regions. The Kurus and the Vrishnis with joyous
hearts amused themselves there, setting up at times loud shouts mingled
with clappings of the hand. Spending many days in sports and merriment
there, and worshipped by the Kurus all the while, the Vrishni heroes
endued with great energy then returned to the city of Dwaravati. And the
great warriors of the Vrishni and the Andhaka races set out with Rama in
the van, carrying with them those gems of the purest rays that had been
given them by those foremost ones of Kuru's race. And, O Bharata, the high-
souled Vasudeva remained there with Arjuna in the delightful city of
Indraprastha. And the illustrious one wandered over the banks of the
Yamuna in search of deer. And he sported with Arjuna piercing with his
shafts deer and wild boars. Then Subhadra, the favourite sister of Kesava,
gave birth to an illustrious son, like Puloma's daughter, (the queen of
heaven) bringing forth Jayanta. And the son that Subhadra brought forth
was of long arms, broad chest, and eyes as large as those of a bull. That
hero and oppressor of foes came to be called Abhimanyu. And the son of
Arjuna, that grinder of foes and bull among men, was called Abhimanyu
because he was fearless and wrathful. And that great warrior was begotten
upon the daughter of the Satwata race by Dhananjaya, like fire produced in
a sacrifice from within the sami wood by the process of rubbing. Upon the
birth of this child, Yudhishthira, the powerful son of Kunti, gave away
unto Brahmanas ten thousand cows and coins of gold. The child from his
earliest years became the favourite of Vasudeva and of his father and
uncles, like the moon of all the people of the world. Upon his birth,
Krishna performed the usual rites of infancy. The child began to grow up
like the Moon of the bright fortnight. That grinder of foes soon became
conversant with the Vedas and acquired from his father the science of
weapon both celestial and human, consisting of four branches and ten
divisions.
"'Endued with great strength, the child also acquired the knowledge of
counteracting the weapons hurled at him by others, and great lightness of
hand and fleetness of motion forward and backward and transverse and
wheeling. Abhimanyu became like unto his father in knowledge of the
scriptures and rites of religion. And Dhananjaya, beholding his son,
became filled with joy. Like Maghavat beholding Arjuna, the latter beheld
his son Abhimanyu and became exceedingly happy. Abhimanyu possessed the
power of slaying every foe and bore on his person every auspicious mark.
He was invisible in battle and broad-shouldered as the bull. Possessing a
broad face as (the hood of) the snake, he was proud like the lion.
Wielding a large bow, his prowess was like that of an elephant in rut.
Possessed of a face handsome as the full-moon, and of a voice deep as the
sound of the drum or the clouds, he was equal unto Krishna in bravery and
energy, in beauty and in features. The auspicious Panchali also, from her
five husbands, obtained five sons all of whom were heroes of the foremost
rank and immovable in battle like the hills. Prativindhya by Yudhishthira,
Sutasoma by Vrikodara, Srutakarman by Arjuna, Satanika by Nakula, and
Srutasena by Sahadeva,--these were the five heroes and great warriors that
Panchali brought forth, like Aditi bringing forth the Adityas. And the
Brahmanas, from their foreknowledge, said unto Yudhishthira that as the
son of his would be capable of bearing like the Vindhya mountains the
weapons of the foe, he should be called Prativindhya. And because the
child that Draupadi bore to Bhimasena was born after Bhima had performed a
thousand Soma sacrifices, he came to be called Sutasoma. And because
Arjuna's son was born upon his return from exile during which he had
achieved many celebrated feats, that child came to be called Srutakarman.
While Nakula named his son Satanika after a royal sage of that name, in
the illustrious race of Kuru. Again the son that Draupadi bore to Sahadeva
was born under the constellation called Vahni-daivata (Krittika),
therefore was he called after the generalissimo of the celestial host,
Srutasena (Kartikeya). The sons of Draupadi were born, each at the
interval of one year, and all of them became renowned and much attached to
one another. And, O monarch, all their rites of infancy and childhood,
such as Chudakarana and Upanayana (first shave of the head and investiture
with the sacred threads) were performed by Dhaumya according to the
ordinance. All of them, of excellent behaviour and vows, after having
studied the Vedas, acquired from Arjuna a knowledge of all the weapons,
celestial and human. And, O tiger among kings, the Pandavas, having
obtained sons all of whom were equal unto the children of the celestials
and endued with broad chests, and all of whom became great warriors, were
filled with joy.'"