INDIA. PART II. determine to go to the city of Raja Viráta. HISTORY OF Counsel together, and especially with Arjuna, for he had visited many cities when he had gone into exile on account of Draupadí; and they resolved to go to the city of Raja The Pandavas Viráta, and to enter into the service of that Raja. And as they came near the city, they proceeded to the spot where Conceal their the people of that place were accustomed to burn their pons ou a tree in dead; and there they laid aside their weapons and their garments, and disguised themselves; and they hid their weapons and their old garments in the branches of a tree, Set up a dead and they took a dead body which they found in that place, and hung it on the trunk of the tree, and cried out with a loud voice :-"This is the dead body of our mother, and it is clothes and wea the place of burning. body to guard the tree. Pandavas and Draupadi assume new names, and ap to Raja Viráta. Grace and majesty of Yudhishthira. to remain here for a whole year, after which we will take it down and burn it." So it was rumoured abroad throughout that country that a party of travellers had hung the dead body of their mother on the trunk of that tree, and would not return until a year had expired; and no man would go near the tree lest he should in any way offend the ghost of the dead mother of the strange men. After this the Pándavas and Draupadí took other names,' so that neither Raja Viráta, nor the people of the city, ply for service should discover who they were; and they then went together to the gate of the palace, where the Raja and his Chieftains were sitting in Council. And Yudhishthira was the first to enter the assembly, and when those who were present saw him, they were amazed at his grace and majesty ; and the Raja seeing that he was a stranger, asked him the reason of his coming. Yudhishthira answered:-"I am a man who has met with nothing but danger and calamity, and having heard many praises of your benevolent qualities, I have come to put myself under your protection that I may be relieved of my distress." The Raja then asked his con 1 Throughout this portion of the narrative in the Mahá Bharata the new names are employed so long as the Pandavas continued in their disguise. But as these new names would only confuse the European reader, they are omitted from the text, and the old names preserved throughout the story. The order in which each of the Pandavas presented himself to the assembly has been slightly modified, as it is more convenient to represent them as entering the Hall in the order of their respective ages. INDIA. PART II. Yudhishthira private com- Vita. as head cook. dition and descent; and he replied:-"I am a Bráhman, and HISTORY OF for some time I was a retainer of Raja Yudhishthira, and his private companion, and I taught him the whole art of throwing dice." The Raja then said :-" You have come at a engaged as a favourable moment, for I am in want of an instructor in the panion and mystery of play, that I may defeat the tricks of artful gamblers; and I will show you the same favour and patronage as were shown to you by Raja Yudhishthira." When the Raja had engaged him, the giant Bhíma entered the assembly, clothed in black garments like a cook, and having an iron ladle in one hand, and a rusty scimetar in the other; and all present were struck with his strange appearance, and cried out :-"What wonderful giant is this?" Then the Raja asked him who he was, and Bhíma replied:-"I was cook to Raja Yudhishthira, and I understand the whole art of cookery, and I know the whole science of war, and my strength is such that it would be difficult for you to find a man who could cope with me." Then the Raja said :-"You have in Bhima engaged your countenance all the marks of command and sovereignty, but as it is your own proposal, I make you the head of the cooks in my palace, so that the fear of your strength may keep all other cooks from wasting or thieving the victuals." Arjuna then came forward dressed as a eunuch, with ear- Arjuna engaged rings in his ears, and a woman's necklace round his neck, teach music and dancing. and a woman's bracelets upon his wrists; and he also wore a woman's vest to hide the scars which had been made upon his shoulder by his bow-string. And he said that he could sing, and also play upon musical instruments, and that he likewise understood dancing, and that he was well qualified to teach all those arts to ladies; so the Raja engaged him to perfect his daughter in the practice of music and dancing. After this Nakula and Sahadeva entered the assembly, and Nakula engaged the Raja engaged Nakula to be master of his horse, and horse. Sahadeva to be master of his cattle; and as Sahadeva had Sahadeva enlearnt the whole science of astronomy from his tutor Drona, of the cattle he was also engaged to cast nativities and tell fortunes. Meanwhile the Rání had seen Draupadí from the terrace Draupadi enters of her apartments, and had sent for her; and Draupadí the Rání. as a eunuch to as master of the gaged as master and caster of nativities. the presence of INDIA. PART II. The Rání objects to Draupadi's beauty. HISTORY OF presented herself to the Raja's wife, dressed in mean attire, with her hair untied according to her vow, but twisted into one string, like the tail of a serpent; and the women of the Raja were much pleased with her appearance, and they gathered around her, and the Rání asked her who she was. Draupadí answered:-"I am a maid-servant, and ready to serve any one who will employ me ; and I have been servant to the wife of Krishna, and afterwards was servant to Draupadí, the wife of the Pándavas, who was very fond of me, and used to call me her dearest friend." The Rání said :— "You do not look like a servant, but rather like the wife of a Raja; and you are far too beautiful for me, for if I were to take you into my service, and the Raja should see you, he will never look on me any more; so I will have nothing to do with you." Draupadí replied :—“Have no fear of me on account of the Raja, for five Gandharvas keep constant watch over me; and if any one looks at me with an eye of desire, those Gandharvas will speedily put him to death: I can do every kind of service, but I will not wash the feet of any one, nor will I eat the victuals which any one may leave after a meal." So the Rání said :— "Since this is the case, I will take you into my service." And she engaged her. Draupadi's story of her five Gandharvas. Engaged as a maid-servant by the Rání. Tranquil life of the Pandavas And the five brethren and their wife Draupadi dwelt and Draupadi. many days in great comfort and tranquillity of mind in the palace of Raja Viráta, and they found much favour in the eyes of the Raja and the Rání. And many Chieftains came to Yudhishthira, and engaged him to play, and he played with them, and won much money; and he carried all that he had won and laid it before Raja Viráta, but the Raja Mode in which gave it to him back again. And Yudhishthira divided the money into six portions, one portion for himself, and one for each of his brothers, and he himself kept Draupadi's portion. And all the presents that any one of the other brethren received, he carried to his elder brother Yudhishthira, and Yudhishthira divided it in like manner. the brethren shared their emoluments. Raja Viráta holds a great festival. Now when three months had passed away, Raja Viráta held a great festival; and all the fighting men and wrestlers, INDIA. PART II. Assembling of wrestlers. pugilism and the Raja. Superiority of Jimúta, a foreigner. Raja that none wrestlers could Jimúta. for Bhima. and other athletes, came in great numbers from all the HISTORY OF countries round about to exhibit their strength and skill before the Raja. And when the day of the festival had come, a mighty multitude were assembled from all the cities, pugilists and and the Raja was there and all his Chieftains; and when- Exhibitions of ever one man overcame another, the multitude shouted wrestling before aloud, and the Raja gave great gifts to the victor. Now one among the wrestlers, named Jimúta, had come from a far country, and he put all the rest to shame; for every man who stood up against him was conquered, so that, after a while, no man durst encounter him. Then the Raja and Trouble of the his Chieftains were sorely troubled that they had no wrestler of his own in the Raj who could overthrow Jimúta; and the Raja called overcome out in the assembly to know if there was any man who would fight Jimúta, but no man gave reply. Now after a The Raja sends while the Raja said: "I have a warrior in my kitchen, whom I took into my service to be the head of all my cooks; and he boasted very much of his great strength and exceeding valour Perchance he may be able to fight against this foreign wrestler." So the Raja sent for Bhíma. And Bhima enters Bhíma came out of the kitchen, and entered the presence but declines to of the Raja, and said:-"I am famished with hunger, and until I have eaten I cannot wrestle with this man Jimúta." So the Raja ordered that he should have as much victuals as he could eat, and the servants brought him heaps of pro- Bhima devours visions, such as would have sufficed for a great company; quantity of probut Bhíma fell to and devoured them, to the amazement of all who saw him. And when Bhíma had finished eating, he went before the Raja, and the Raja bade him be of good courage. And Bhíma went out and challenged Jimúta to battle; and Jimúta came out in like manner, and accepted the challenge. Then Bhíma and Jimúta fought and strug- Great battle gled together like wild elephants, and they struck one and Jimúta, another with their clenched fists; and all the other wrestlers looked on and marvelled at their fighting. Now when they had fought for a long while, and Jimúta was half spent, Bhíma rushed upon him, and seized him by the two legs, Bhima whirls and raised him from the ground; and he whirled him by the legs, and several times round his own head, whilst Jimúta filled the against the ground. VOL. I. 14 the presence, fight Jimúta un til he has satis fied his hunger. an enormous visions. between Bhima Jimúta round dashes him INDIA. HISTORY OF air with his roaring. At last Bhíma dashed him against the ground with all his might, and Jimúta at that instant gave up the ghost and became a dead man. PART II. Death of the multitude and great joy of the Raja. Bhima richly Great favour shown to Bhi ma. Bhima's fights with wild beasts in the women's And when the multitude saw that Jimúta had been slain by Bhíma, they set up a loud shout and filled the air with their acclamations. And the Raja leaped from his seat in great joy that the foreign wrestler had been overcome by one of his own servants. And he bestowed very many gifts and commendations upon Bhíma. And all the Chieftains in like manner gave many presents to Bhíma, each one according to his rank. And when it was night, Bhíma carried all the gifts he had received to his elder brother Yudhishthira, that they might be divided according to custom. After this Raja Viráta took a great liking to Bhíma, and showed him much favour; and sometimes he took Bhíma into the apartments of his women, and made him fight with lions, and tigers, and bears, and Bhíma always killed every beast with one blow of his fist; and the Raja and the ladies wondered at his prowess, and gave many gifts to Bhíma, and very large quantities of victuals, which he devoured as Satisfaction of fast as they were brought to him. In like manner the Raja apartments. the Raja in the singing dancing of Arjuna reward Satisfaction of the Raja with Nakula and Sahadeva. danis Very often called for Arjuna, and for the Princess his daughdaughter. ter, and the other young damsels of the Court, who were taught by the new master; and the damsels danced and ed by the Raja sang before the Raja, and gave him such delight that he gave many presents to Arjuna. At the same time the Raja was much pleased with Nakula, for whenever he went to the stables he found his horses in excellent order, and he gave rich rewards to Nakula. Sahadeva also received much praise and many gifts from the Raja; for he foretold very correctly everything before it happened, whilst the cattle under his care multiplied abundantly, and the cows yielded three or four times as much milk as they had ever done before. Commanding influence pos sessed by Ki chaka, the Now there dwelt in the city of Vmight and valour, named Kíc1 brother of the the Rání, and commanded Rání. |