26. DRAUPADI'S GRIEF:

PRATHIKAMI went to Draupadi as
ordered by his master. He said to her: "O
revered princess, Yudhishthira fell under
the spell of the game of dice and has
wagered and lost even you. Now you
belong to Duryodhana. I have come by
Duryodhana's command to take you to
serve in his household as maid servant,
which will hereafter be your office."
Draupadi, the spouse of the emperor who
had performed Rajasuya, was
dumbfounded, at this strange message.
She asked: "Prathikami, what do you say?
Which prince would pledge his wife? Had
he nothing else to pawn?"


Prathikami answered: "It is because he
had already lost all other possessions and
had nothing else left that he played
offering you as a stake."


Then he told her the whole story of how
Yudhishthira had lost all his wealth and
had finally betted her, after having first
forfeited his brothers and himself.


Though the news was such as to break the
heart and kill the soul, still, Draupadi soon
regained her fortitude and, with anger
blazing from her eyes, said: "O charioteer,
return. Ask of him who played the game
whether in it he first lost himself, or his
wife. Ask this question in the open
assembly. Bring me his answer and then
you can take me." Prathikami went to the
assembly and, turning to Yudhishthira,
asked of him the question put by
Draupadi.


Yudhishthira remained speechless.
Then Duryodhana bade Prathikami bring
Panchali herself there to question her
husband. Prathikami went again to
Draupadi and humbly said: "Princess, the
mean-minded Duryodhana desires you to
go to the assembly and ask your question
yourself."


Draupadi answered: "No. Return to the
assembly and put the question and
demand an answer."
Prathikami did so.


Enraged, Duryodhana turned to his
brother Duhsasana and said: "This man is
a fool and is afraid of Bhima. Go and
fetch Draupadi even if you have to drag
her here."


Thus commanded, the wicked Duhsasana
at once sped with joy on his errand. He
proceeded to the place where Draupadi
was, shouting: "Come, why do you delay?
You are now ours. Be not shy, beautiful
lady. Make yourself agreeable to us, now
that you have been won by us. Come to
the assembly" and in his impatience, he
bade as though to take her thither by
force.


Panchali rose trembling, heart-stricken
with sorrow and started to fly for refuge to
the inner apartments of Dhritarashtra's
queen. Duhsasana darted after her, caught
her by the hair and dragged her to the
assembly.


It is with a shudder of repugnance that we
relate how the sons of Dhritarashtra
stooped to commit this vilest of deeds.
As soon as she came to the assembly,
Draupadi controlled her anguish and
appealed to the elders gathered there:
"How could you consent to my being
staked by the king who was himself
trapped into the game and cheated by
wicked persons, expert in the art? Since
he was no longer a free man, how could
he stake anything at all?"


Then, stretching out her arms and raising
her flowing eyes in agonised supplication
she cried in a voice broken with sobs:
"If you have loved and revered the
mothers who bore you and gave you suck,
if the honor of wife or sister or daughter
has been dear to you, if you believe in
God and dharma, forsake me not in this
horror more cruel than death"'
At this heart-broken cry, as of a poor fawn
stricken to death, the elders hung their
heads in grief and shame. Bhima could
hold himself no longer. His swelling heart
found relief in a roar of wrath that shook
the very walls, and turning to
Yudhishthira he said bitterly:
"Even abandoned professional gamblers
would not stake the harlots who live with
them, and you, worse than they, have left
the daughter of Drupada to the mercy of
these ruffians. I cannot bear this injustice.
You are the cause of this great crime.


Brother Sahadeva, bring fire. I am going
to set fire to those hands of his which cast
the dice."


Arjuna however remonstrated gently with
Bhima: "You have never before spoken
thus. The plot devised by our enemies is
entangling us also in its meshes and
inciting us to wicked action. We should
not succumb and play their game.
Beware."


With a superhuman effort, Bhima
controlled his anger.


Vikarna, the son of Dhritarashtra, could
not bear the sight of the agony of
Panchali. He rose up and said: "O
Kshatriya heroes, why are you silent? I
am a mere youth, I know, but your silence
compels me to speak. Listen. Yudhishthira
was enticed to this game by a deeply
plotted invitation and he pledged this lady
when he had no right to do so, because
she does not belong to Yudhishthira alone.
For that reason alone the wager is illegal.
Besides, Yudhishthira had already lost his
freedom, and being no longer a free man,
how could he have a right to offer her as a
stake? And there is this further objection.
It was Sakuni who suggested her as a
pledge, which is against the rules of the
game, under which neither player may
demand a specific bet. If we consider all
these points, we must admit that Panchali
has not been legally won by us. This is my
opinion."


When the young Vikarna spoke thus
courageously, the wisdom given by God
to the members of the assembly suddenly
illumined their minds. There were great
shouts of applause. They shouted:
"Dharma has been saved. Dharma has
been saved."


At that moment Karna rose up and said:
"O Vikarna, forgetting that there are
elders in this assembly, you lay down the
law though you are but a stripling. By
your ignorance and rashness you are
injuring the very family which gave you
birth, just as the flame generated by the
arani destroys its source, the stick. It is an
ill bird that fouls its own nest. At the very
beginning, when Yudhishthira was a free
man, he forfeited all he possessed and
that, of course, included Draupadi. Hence,
Draupadi had already come into Sakuni's
possession. There is nothing more to be
said in the matter. Even the clothes they
have on are now Sakuni's property. O
Duhsasana, seize the garments of the
Pandavas and the robes of Draupadi and
hand them over to Sakuni."


As soon as they heard the cruel words of
Karna, the Pandavas, feeling that they had
to stand the test of dharma to the bitter
end, flung off their upper garments to
show that they were ready to follow the
path of honor and right at any cost.
Seeing this, Duhsasana went to Draupadi
and made ready to seize her clothes by
force. All earthly aid had failed, and in the
anguish of utter helplessness, she
implored divine mercy and succour:
"O Lord of the World," she wailed, "God
whom I adore and trust, abandon me not
in this dire plight. You are my sole refuge.
Protect me." And she fainted away.
Then, as the wicked Duhsasana started his
shameful work of pulling at Panchali's
robes and good men shuddered and
averted their eyes, even then, in the mercy
of God a miracle occurred.


In vain Duhsasana toiled to strip off her
garments, for as he pulled off each, ever
fresh garments were seen to clothe her
body, and soon a great heap of
resplendent clothes was piled up before
the assembly till Duhsasana desisted and
sat down in sheer fatigue.


The assembly trembled at this marvel and
good men praised God and wept. Bhima
with quivering lips, loudly uttered this
terrible oath: "May I never go to the blest
abode of my ancestors if I do not rend the
breast and drink the heart's blood of this
sinful Duhsasana, this shame of the
Bharata race."


Suddenly, the howling of jackals could be
heard. Donkeys and carnivorous birds
began to send forth weird dissonant cries
from all sides, portending calamities to
come.


Dhritarashtra who realised that this
incident would be the cause of the
destruction of his race, for once acted with
wisdom and courage. He called Draupadi
to his side and attempted to soothe her
with words of gentleness and affection.
Then he turned to Yudhishthira and said:
"You are so blameless that you can have
no enemies. Forgive in your magnanimity
the evil done by Duryodhana and dismiss
all memory of it from your mind. Take
back your kingdom and riches and
everything else and be free and
prosperous. Return to Indraprastha." And
the Pandavas left that accursed hall,
bewildered and stunned, and seeing a
miracle in this sudden release from
calamity. But it was too good to endure.
After Yudhishthira and his brothers had
departed, there was a long and angry
discussion in the palace of the Kauravas.
Incited by Duhsasana, Sakuni and others,
Duryodhana upbraided his father with
having frustrated their well-laid plans on
the very threshold of success.
He quoted Brihaspati's aphorism that no
device could be considered wrong which
had as its object the destruction of
formidable enemies.


He spoke in detail on the prowess of the
Pandavas and expressed his conviction
that the only hope of overcoming the
Pandavas lay in guile and taking
advantage of their pride and sense of
honor.


No self-respecting kshatriya could decline
an invitation to a game of dice.


Duryodhana secured his doting father's
reluctant and ominous approval to a plan
to entice Yudhishthira once again to a
game of dice.


A messenger was accordingly dispatched
after Yudhisthira who had taken his
departure for Indraprastha. He came up
with Yudhishthira before the latter had
reached his destination and invited him on
behalf of king Dhritarashtra to come back.
On hearing this invitation, Yudhishthira
said: "Good and evil come from destiny
and cannot be avoided. If we must play
again we must, that is all. A challenge to
dice cannot in honor be refused. I must
accept it." Truly, as Sri Vyasa says:
"There never was and never can be an
antelope of gold! Yet, Rama went in vain
pursuit of what seemed one. Surely, when
calamities are imminent, the judgment is
first destroyed."


Dharmaputra returned to Hastinapura and
set again for a game with Sakuni, though
everyone in the assembly tried to dissuade
him.


He seemed a mere pawn moved by Kali to
relieve the burden of the world.
The stake played for was that the defeated
party should go with his brothers into
exile to the forest and remain there for
twelve years and spend the thirteenth year
incognito. If they were recognised in the
thirteenth year, they should go again into
exile for twelve years.


Needless to say, Yudhishthira met with
defeat on this occasion also, and the
Pandavas took the vows of those who are
to go to the forest.


All the members of the assembly26. DRAUPADI'S GRIEF
PRATHIKAMI went to Draupadi as
ordered by his master. He said to her: "O
revered princess, Yudhishthira fell under
the spell of the game of dice and has
wagered and lost even you. Now you
belong to Duryodhana. I have come by
Duryodhana's command to take you to
serve in his household as maid servant,
which will hereafter be your office."
Draupadi, the spouse of the emperor who
had performed Rajasuya, was
dumbfounded, at this strange message.
She asked: "Prathikami, what do you say?
Which prince would pledge his wife? Had
he nothing else to pawn?"


Prathikami answered: "It is because he
had already lost all other possessions and
had nothing else left that he played
offering you as a stake."
Then he told her the whole story of how
Yudhishthira had lost all his wealth and
had finally betted her, after having first
forfeited his brothers and himself.


Though the news was such as to break the
heart and kill the soul, still, Draupadi soon
regained her fortitude and, with anger
blazing from her eyes, said: "O charioteer,
return. Ask of him who played the game
whether in it he first lost himself, or his
wife. Ask this question in the open
assembly. Bring me his answer and then
you can take me." Prathikami went to the
assembly and, turning to Yudhishthira,
asked of him the question put by
Draupadi.


Yudhishthira remained speechless.
Then Duryodhana bade Prathikami bring
Panchali herself there to question her
husband. Prathikami went again to
Draupadi and humbly said: "Princess, the
mean-minded Duryodhana desires you to
go to the assembly and ask your question
yourself."


Draupadi answered: "No. Return to the
assembly and put the question and
demand an answer."
Prathikami did so.


Enraged, Duryodhana turned to his
brother Duhsasana and said: "This man is
a fool and is afraid of Bhima. Go and
fetch Draupadi even if you have to drag
her here."


Thus commanded, the wicked Duhsasana
at once sped with joy on his errand. He
proceeded to the place where Draupadi
was, shouting: "Come, why do you delay?
You are now ours. Be not shy, beautiful
lady. Make yourself agreeable to us, now
that you have been won by us. Come to
the assembly" and in his impatience, he
bade as though to take her thither by
force.


Panchali rose trembling, heart-stricken
with sorrow and started to fly for refuge to
the inner apartments of Dhritarashtra's
queen. Duhsasana darted after her, caught
her by the hair and dragged her to the
assembly.


It is with a shudder of repugnance that we
relate how the sons of Dhritarashtra
stooped to commit this vilest of deeds.
As soon as she came to the assembly,
Draupadi controlled her anguish and
appealed to the elders gathered there:
"How could you consent to my being
staked by the king who was himself
trapped into the game and cheated by
wicked persons, expert in the art? Since
he was no longer a free man, how could
he stake anything at all?"


Then, stretching out her arms and raising
her flowing eyes in agonised supplication
she cried in a voice broken with sobs:
"If you have loved and revered the
mothers who bore you and gave you suck,
if the honor of wife or sister or daughter
has been dear to you, if you believe in
God and dharma, forsake me not in this
horror more cruel than death"'


At this heart-broken cry, as of a poor fawn
stricken to death, the elders hung their
heads in grief and shame. Bhima could
hold himself no longer. His swelling heart
found relief in a roar of wrath that shook
the very walls, and turning to
Yudhishthira he said bitterly:
"Even abandoned professional gamblers
would not stake the harlots who live with
them, and you, worse than they, have left
the daughter of Drupada to the mercy of
these ruffians. I cannot bear this injustice.
You are the cause of this great crime.
Brother Sahadeva, bring fire. I am going
to set fire to those hands of his which cast
the dice."


Arjuna however remonstrated gently with
Bhima: "You have never before spoken
thus. The plot devised by our enemies is
entangling us also in its meshes and
inciting us to wicked action. We should
not succumb and play their game.
Beware."


With a superhuman effort, Bhima
controlled his anger.


Vikarna, the son of Dhritarashtra, could
not bear the sight of the agony of
Panchali. He rose up and said: "O


Kshatriya heroes, why are you silent? I
am a mere youth, I know, but your silence
compels me to speak. Listen. Yudhishthira
was enticed to this game by a deeply
plotted invitation and he pledged this lady
when he had no right to do so, because
she does not belong to Yudhishthira alone.
For that reason alone the wager is illegal.
Besides, Yudhishthira had already lost his
freedom, and being no longer a free man,
how could he have a right to offer her as a
stake? And there is this further objection.
It was Sakuni who suggested her as a
pledge, which is against the rules of the
game, under which neither player may
demand a specific bet. If we consider all
these points, we must admit that Panchali
has not been legally won by us. This is my
opinion."


When the young Vikarna spoke thus
courageously, the wisdom given by God
to the members of the assembly suddenly
illumined their minds. There were great
shouts of applause. They shouted:
"Dharma has been saved. Dharma has
been saved."


At that moment Karna rose up and said:
"O Vikarna, forgetting that there are
elders in this assembly, you lay down the
law though you are but a stripling. By
your ignorance and rashness you are
injuring the very family which gave you
birth, just as the flame generated by the
arani destroys its source, the stick. It is an
ill bird that fouls its own nest. At the very
beginning, when Yudhishthira was a free
man, he forfeited all he possessed and
that, of course, included Draupadi. Hence,
Draupadi had already come into Sakuni's
possession. There is nothing more to be
said in the matter. Even the clothes they
have on are now Sakuni's property. O
Duhsasana, seize the garments of the
Pandavas and the robes of Draupadi and
hand them over to Sakuni."


As soon as they heard the cruel words of
Karna, the Pandavas, feeling that they had
to stand the test of dharma to the bitter
end, flung off their upper garments to
show that they were ready to follow the
path of honor and right at any cost.
Seeing this, Duhsasana went to Draupadi
and made ready to seize her clothes by
force. All earthly aid had failed, and in the
anguish of utter helplessness, she
implored divine mercy and succour:
"O Lord of the World," she wailed, "God
whom I adore and trust, abandon me not
in this dire plight. You are my sole refuge.
Protect me." And she fainted away.
Then, as the wicked Duhsasana started his
shameful work of pulling at Panchali's
robes and good men shuddered and
averted their eyes, even then, in the mercy
of God a miracle occurred.


In vain Duhsasana toiled to strip off her
garments, for as he pulled off each, ever
fresh garments were seen to clothe her
body, and soon a great heap of
resplendent clothes was piled up before
the assembly till Duhsasana desisted and
sat down in sheer fatigue.


The assembly trembled at this marvel and
good men praised God and wept. Bhima
with quivering lips, loudly uttered this
terrible oath: "May I never go to the blest
abode of my ancestors if I do not rend the
breast and drink the heart's blood of this
sinful Duhsasana, this shame of the
Bharata race."


Suddenly, the howling of jackals could be
heard. Donkeys and carnivorous birds
began to send forth weird dissonant cries
from all sides, portending calamities to
come.


Dhritarashtra who realised that this
incident would be the cause of the
destruction of his race, for once acted with
wisdom and courage. He called Draupadi
to his side and attempted to soothe her
with words of gentleness and affection.
Then he turned to Yudhishthira and said:
"You are so blameless that you can have
no enemies. Forgive in your magnanimity
the evil done by Duryodhana and dismiss
all memory of it from your mind. Take
back your kingdom and riches and
everything else and be free and
prosperous. Return to Indraprastha." And
the Pandavas left that accursed hall,
bewildered and stunned, and seeing a
miracle in this sudden release from
calamity. But it was too good to endure.
After Yudhishthira and his brothers had
departed, there was a long and angry
discussion in the palace of the Kauravas.
Incited by Duhsasana, Sakuni and others,
Duryodhana upbraided his father with
having frustrated their well-laid plans on
the very threshold of success.


He quoted Brihaspati's aphorism that no
device could be considered wrong which
had as its object the destruction of
formidable enemies.


He spoke in detail on the prowess of the
Pandavas and expressed his conviction
that the only hope of overcoming the
Pandavas lay in guile and taking
advantage of their pride and sense of
honor.


No self-respecting kshatriya could decline
an invitation to a game of dice.
Duryodhana secured his doting father's
reluctant and ominous approval to a plan
to entice Yudhishthira once again to a
game of dice.


A messenger was accordingly dispatched
after Yudhisthira who had taken his
departure for Indraprastha. He came up
with Yudhishthira before the latter had
reached his destination and invited him on
behalf of king Dhritarashtra to come back.
On hearing this invitation, Yudhishthira
said: "Good and evil come from destiny
and cannot be avoided. If we must play
again we must, that is all. A challenge to
dice cannot in honor be refused. I must
accept it." Truly, as Sri Vyasa says:
"There never was and never can be an
antelope of gold! Yet, Rama went in vain
pursuit of what seemed one. Surely, when
calamities are imminent, the judgment is
first destroyed."


Dharmaputra returned to Hastinapura and
set again for a game with Sakuni, though
everyone in the assembly tried to dissuade
him.


He seemed a mere pawn moved by Kali to
relieve the burden of the world.
The stake played for was that the defeated
party should go with his brothers into
exile to the forest and remain there for
twelve years and spend the thirteenth year
incognito. If they were recognised in the
thirteenth year, they should go again into
exile for twelve years.


Needless to say, Yudhishthira met with
defeat on this occasion also, and the
Pandavas took the vows of those who are
to go to the forest.


All the members of the assembly bent
down their heads in shame.