Maha-bharata | Page 9

he now the fruit deny,
Monarch proud who insults monarchs sure a traitor's death shall die,
Honour for his rank we know not, have no mercy for his age, Perish foe
of crownéd monarchs, victim to our righteous rage!
Hath he asked us to his palace, favoured us with royal grace, Feasted us
with princely bounty, but to compass our disgrace,
In this concourse of great monarchs, glorious like a heavenly band,
Doth he find no likely suitor for his beauteous daughter's hand?
And this rite of swayamvara, so our sacred laws ordain, Is for warlike
Kshatras only, priests that custom shall not stain,
If this maiden on a Brahman casts her eye, devoid of shame, Let her
expiate her folly in a pyre of blazing flame!
Leave the priestling in his folly sinning through a Brahman's greed, For
we wage no war with Brahmans and forgive a foolish deed,
Much we owe to holy Brahmans for our realm and wealth and life,
Blood of priest or wise preceptor shall not stain our noble strife,
In the blood of sinful Drupad we the righteous laws maintain, Such
disgrace in future ages monarchs shall not meet again!"
Spake the suitors, tiger-hearted, iron-handed, bold and strong' Fiercely
bent on blood and vengeance blindly rose the maddened throng,
On they came, the angry monarchs, armed for cruel vengeful strife,
Drupad midst the holy Brahmans trembling fled for fear of life,
Like wild elephants of jungle rushed the kings upon their foes, Calm
and stately, stalwart Bhima and the gallant Arjun rose!
With a wilder rage the monarchs viewed these brothers cross their path,
Rushed upon the daring warriors for to slay them in their wrath,

Weaponless was noble Bhima, but in strength like lightning's brand,
Tore a tree with peerless prowess, shook it as a mighty wand!
And the foe-compelling warrior held that mace of living wood, Strong
as death with deadly weapon, facing all his foes he stood,
Arjun too with godlike valour stood unmoved, his bow in hand, Side by
side the dauntless brothers faced the fierce and fiery band!
VIII
Krishna to the Rescue
Krishna knew the sons of Pandu though in robes of Brahmans dressed,
To his elder, Valadeva, thus his inner thoughts expressed:
"Mark that youth with bow and arrow and with lion's lordly gait, He is
helmet-wearing Arjun! greatest warrior midst the great,
Mark his mate, with tree uprooted how he meets the suitor band, Save
the tiger-waisted Bhima none can claim such strength of hand!
And the youth with eyes like lotus, he who left the court erewhile, He is
pious-souled Yudhishthir, man without a sin or guile,
And the others by Yudhishthir, Pandu's twin-born sons are they, With
these sons the righteous Pritha 'scaped where death and danger lay,
For the jealous, fierce Duryodhan darkly schemed their death by fire,
But the righteous sons of Pandu 'scaped his unrelenting ire!"
Krishna rose amidst the monarchs, strove the tumult to appease, And
unto the angry suitors spake in words of righteous peace,
Monarchs bowed to Krishna's mandate, left Panchala's festive land,
Arjun took the beauteous princess, gently led her by the hand.

BOOK III
RAJASUYA
(The Imperial Sacrifice)
A curious incident followed the bridal of Draupadi. The five sons of
Pandu returned with her to the potter's house, where they were living
on alms according to the custom of Brahmans, and the brothers
reported to their mother that they had received a great gift on that day.
"Enjoy ye the gift in common," replied their mother, not knowing what
it was. And as a mother's mandate cannot be disregarded, Draupadi
became the common wife of the five brothers.
The real significance of this strange legend is unknown. The custom of
brothers marrying a common wife prevails to this day in Thibet and
among the hill-tribes of the Himalayas, but it never prevailed among
the Aryan Hindus of India. It is distinctly prohibited in their laws and
institutes, and finds no sanction in their literature, ancient or modern.
The legend in the Maha-bharata, of brothers marrying a wife in
common, stands alone and without a parallel in Hindu traditions and
literature.
Judging from the main incidents of the Epic, Draupadi might rather be
regarded as the wife of the eldest brother Yudhishthir. Bhima had
already mated himself to a female in a forest, by whom he had a son,
Ghatotkacha, who distinguished himself in war later on. Arjun too
married the sister of Krishna, shortly after Draupadi's bridal, and had
by her a son, Abhimanyu, who was one of the heroes of the war. On the
other hand, Yudhishthir took to him self no wife save Draupadi, and
she was crowned with Yudhishthir in the Rajasuya or Imperial
Sacrifice. Notwithstanding the legend, therefore, Draupadi might be
regarded as wedded