Arjuna, having resolved to journey to Dwarakāvati, recalled the words of Gada, who had once spoken with delighted admiration of Subhadrā, the sister of Vāsudeva—more delicate and enchanting, he said, than the heavenly nymph Tilottamā; a treasure of gentle virtues, possessed of a gait full of grace and a conduct beyond reproach. These words, ringing…
After Arjuna sought leave to undertake the year-long pilgrimage of expiation, Yudhishthira spoke with calm discernment: “Arjuna, the act of restraining evil—even if stern or severe—when it shields the Brahmins and the sacred Kine, brings no taint of sin. When two virtues seem to stand opposed, wise men know that the higher law allows an…
In an age when ascetics and hermits gained splendour and renown through the fire of sacrifice and the discipline of ritual, there arose two mighty demons, Sunda and Upasunda, who delighted in breaking the calm of holy men. They came not with sword or spear but in the guises of lion, tiger, elephant and every…
When the Pandavas had been granted the forest of Khandava-prastha, Krishna urged Indra to ordain the raising of a peerless capital there. At his command, the celestial craftsman Vishvakarma descended to fashion upon earth a splendour mirroring Amaravati itself. The sage Vyasa and the priest Dhoumya chose the site and laid its plan according to…
The prudent counsel of Vidura pierced the crooked mind of King Dhritarashtra and forced from him a decision that his heart had long resisted. Bowing at last to reason, the blind monarch declared, “In obedience to your counsel I shall grant the sons of Pandu half the kingdom.” Before the gathered elders—Bhishma, Vidura himself, Drona,…
In a secret conclave, the Kaurava prince weighed his chances and spoke darkly to Karna. “If Bhīma stands guard, no force of earth or heaven can bring Arjuna down. Yet remove that mighty son of the wind, and Arjuna will fall before your hand. Devise, therefore, a swift and certain means to accomplish what we…
The great sage Vedavyasa, like the rising sun that scatters night’s deep gloom, dispelled the darkness of King Drupada’s doubts and gladdened his heart, for the monarch now stood eager to celebrate the wedding of his daughter Draupadi with the sons of Pandu. Approaching Kunti and the eldest of her sons, Vedavyasa spoke with quiet…
After some time, King Drupada, seated amidst his kinsmen and learned counsellors, rose and spoke with solemn pride: “Behold the son of Indra, the grandson of Vichitraveerya, this Arjuna of noble conduct. Fortune has favoured me, for he has won my daughter in the swayamvara and shall now, in the sanctified manner of tradition, take…
Kunti, mother of the five sons born of gods, yet touched by the frailty of mortal feeling, sat restless and anxious. Her mind wandered through the shadows of old sorrows and cruel memories. Long had her sons been gone to the grand assembly of the svayaṃvara, yet no word had returned. Dark thoughts pressed upon…
Drustadyumna turned to the moon-faced Draupadī and said in a low, exultant voice: “Princes without number have come to this great Swayamvara. From Hastināpura are Duryodhana and his brother Duḥśāsana, the sons of Dhṛtarāṣṭra; with them stand Karṇa, Aśvatthāmā, Somadatta, Śalya and Virata. Here also are Akrūra, Śaraṇa, and the valiant Sātyaki, chiefs of the…
