Arjuna. This was done, and Arjuna, taking the reins
as soon as he arrived near the Kurus, urged the
horses straight at the foe. Then the boy's courage
failed him and he prayed his charioteer to stop ; but
Arjuna scornfully refused, till poor Uttara sprang
from the rushing chariot in terror, throwing away his
bow. Indignantly Arjuna flung down the reins and
ran after him, and, seizing him by the hair, stopped
ARJUNA IN BATTLE 137
his flight. "Drive then for me," he cried, and lifted
him on to the chariot, and drove quickly to the
tree where he had hidden his weapons a year before,
bidding Uttara climb into the tree and fetch down
the bow of Arjuna that he would find there, as the
bows of Uttara would not bear his strength. Once
again did Arjuna hold with joy his mighty bow, and
telling Uttara of the weapons and the owners, he
finished by saying, " I am Arjuna," and revealing
also the identity of his brothers. Then Uttara, re-
joicing, lost his fear and took up the reins of the
battle-steeds, and Arjuna entered the battle-field with
the furious rattling of wheels, the loud blare of his
conch, and the crashing twang of the string of Gan-
diva. Rushing at Karna, he first drove that hero,
mangled and bleeding, from the field, and then charg-
ed on Kripa, destroying his car, so that he also was
compelled to leave. Now came Drona charging down,
and Arjuna saluted him respectfully, refusing to
strike unless he struck first : but Drona replied with
a shower of arrows, and combat raged between pre-
ceptor and pupil, until Drona's son came to his
father's rescue, and Drona fled swiftly from the field
of battle. Then was Ashvatthama also overcome,
and Karna, returning, fought once more and was
again forced to flee, and at last, as Arjuna was driving
140 THE THIRTEEN YEARS' EXILE
answered that he had done nothing ; a celestial youth
fought for him, and alone had vanquished the great
Kuru chiefs ; he had disappeared, but would, Uttara
thought, return.
At last the happy morning dawned when the
thirteenth year of the vow was over, and the five
Pandavas, in white and regal robes, came, blazing
with ornaments, into Virata's council hall, and sat
themselves down on the seats reserved for kings.
When Virata came in and saw them thus seated, his
wrath blazed up and he angrily reproved the suppos-
ed Kanka for his insolence. But Arjuna answered
playfully, describing his brother's attainments, and
then declaring : " He is no other than the bull of the
Kuru race, king Yudhishthira the just." Astounded,
Virata asked, if he were indeed Yudhishthira, where
were his mighty brothers and Draupadi ; and Arjuna
named them one by one : the cook, the keepers of
horse and kine, the Sairindhri, while he himself was
Arjuna. Great was then the joy, and the king wor-
shipped the sons of Pandu with due honour, offering
to Yudhishthira his whole kingdom and to Arjuna
his fair daughter Uttara. Arjuna refused her for
himself, since she had ever treated him as a father,
but accepted her as wife for his noble son Abhi-
manyu, the favourite nephew of Vasudeva. Then
THE END OF THE EXILE I4T
to Virata's court the kings of neighbouring countries
and Shri Krishna came, and Subhadra and Abhi-
manyu and many another, and the fair Uttara was
given to Arjuna's son with many rejoicings, and thus,
amid marriage feastings, the thirteen years of exile
ended. [ § 25-72. ]
:0:-
CHAPTER VI.
Peace or War ?
At the close of the last chapter we left the princes
in the midst of the marriage festivities that succeeded
the thirteen years of exile. When tliese were over,
the great question naturally arose : " How to recover
the kingdom ? " The contract entered into, you will
remember, was that at the end of the thirteen years,
passed according to the terms, their kingdom should
be given back to them. The Pandavas had manfully
carried out their share of the agreement ; would
Duryodhana perform his ? The next section of the
" Mahabharata," the Udyoga Parva, answers this
question, and relates the events which immediately
preceded the Great War.
The day after the wedding, the various kings and
princes gathered in the council hall of king Virata,
who, with Drupada, presided over the royal assembly.
After some general conversation, silence fell on the
warriors, and they sat waiting, "with their eyes fixed
upon Krishna," feeling that He, the wise and the
lover of the Pandavas, was the one who could best
open the subject they all had at heart. Shri Krishna
THE COUNCIL I43
spoke, briefly narrating the events that had occurred,
and pointing out the evil treatment received from boy-
hood by the P&ndavas from Dur}odhana ; He bade
the kings consider what was for the good of both
parties, " consistent with the rules of righteousness
and propriety, and what will meet with the approba-
tion of all." " What Duryodhana thinks is not exact-
ly known, nor what he may do." He therefore ad-
vised that an ambassador should be sent to beseech
them mildly to give half the kingdom to Yudhish-
thira. Valadeva followed, expressing the hope that
as Yudhishthira was willing to give up half the king-
dom, Duryodhana would do the same. He was pro-
ceding to urge that the ambassador should cast the
blame of the gambling on Yudhishthira and so gain
by conciliation ; but this was too much for the hot-
tempered Satyaki, who sprang to his feet and warmly
defended Yudhishthira, who had only followed the
rules of his order ; " the means by which I would
beseech them would be sharp arrows," cried he. Dru-
pada spoke soothingly, but advised that, having in
view the obstinate character of Duryodhana, mes-
sengers should be sent to all the surrounding kings,
entreating their alliance ; this should be done at once,
since right-minded persons would grant the request
that first reached them ; meanwhile let a priest be
140 THE THIRTEEN YEARS' EXILE
answered that he had done nothing ; a celestial j'-outh
fought for him, and alone had vanquished the great
Kuru chiefs ; he had disappeared, but would, Uttara
thought, return.
At last the happy morning dawned when the
thirteenth year of the vow was over, and the five
Pandavas, in white and regal robes, came, blazing
with ornaments, into Virata's council hall, and sat
themselves down on the seats reserved for kings.
When Virata came in and saw them thus seated, his
wrath blazed up and he angrily reproved the suppos-
ed Kanka for his insolence. But Arjuna answered
playfully, describing his brother's attainments, and
then declaring : " He is no other than the bull of the
Kuru race, king Yudhishthira the just. " Astounded,
Virata asked, if he were indeed Yudhishthira, where
were his mighty brothers and Draupadi ; and Arjuna
named them one by one : the cook, the keepers of
hor.se and kine, the Sairindhri, while he himself was
Arjuna. Great was then the joy, and the king wor-
shipped the sons of Pandu with due honour, offering
to Yudhishthira his who'.e kingdom and to Arjuna
his fair daughter Uttara. Arjuna refused her for
himself, since she had ever treated him as a father,
but accepted her as wife for his noble son Abhi-
manyu, the favourite nephew of Vasudeva. Then
THE END OF THE EXILE I4I
to Virata's court the kings of neighbouring countries
and Shri Krishna came, and Subhadra and Abhi-
manyu and many another, and the fair Uttara was
given to Arjuna's som wirh many rejoicings, and thus,
amid marriage feastings, the thirteen years of exile
ended. [ s^ 25-72. ]
-:o:
CHAPTER VI.
Peace or War?
At the close of the last chapter we left the princes
in the midst of the marriage festivities that succeeded
the thirteen years of exile. When these were over,
the great question naturally arose : " How to recover
the kingdom?" The contract entered into, you will
remember, was that at the end of the thirteen years,
passed according to the terms, their kingdom should
be given back to them. The Pandavas had manfully
carried out their share of the agreement ; would
Duryodhana perform his ? The next section of the
" Mahabharata," the Udyoga Parva, answers this
question, and relates the events which immediately
preceded the Great War.
The day after the wedding, the various kings and
princes gathered in the council hall of king Virata,
who, with Drupada, presided over the royal assembly.
After some general conversation, silence fell on the
warriors, and they sat waiting, "with their eyes fixed
upon Krishna," feeling that He, the wise and the
lover of the Pandavas, was the one who could best
open the subject they all had at heart. Shri Krishna
THE COUNCIL I43
spoke, briefly narrating the events that had occurred,
and pointing out the evil treatment received from boy-
hood by the P&ndavas from Duryodhana ; He bade
the kings consider what was for the good of both
parties, ".consistent with the rules of righteousness
and propriety, and what will meet with the approba-
tion of all." " What Duryodhana thinks is not exact-
ly known, nor what he may do." He therefore ad-
vised that an ambassador should be sent to beseech
them mildly to give half the kingdom to Yudhish-
thira. Valadeva followed, expressing the hope that
as Yudhishthira was willing to give up half the king-
dom, Duryodhana would do the same. He was pro-
ceding to urge that the ambassador should cast the
blame of the gambling on Yudhishthira and so gain
by conciliation ; but this was too much for the hot-
tempered Satyaki, who sprang to his feet and warmly
defended Yudhishthira, wdio had only followed the
rules of his order ; " the means by which I would
beseech them w^ould be sharp arrows," cried he. Dru-
pada spoke soothingly, but advised that, having in
view the obstinate character of Duryodhana, mes-
sengers should be sent to all the surrounding kings,
entreating their alliance ; this should be done at once,
since right-minded persons would grant the request
that first reached them ; meanwhile let a priest be
144 PEACE OR WAR?
sent to Dhritarashtra as ambassador. This course
was approved by Shri Krishna, who thereupon left
for Dv^raka, and Drupada then sent his own priest
to the Kuru king, while warriors from all parts began
to assemble to espouse the cause of either the Panda-
vas or the Kurus. [§ i-6.]
Now Duryodhana and Arjuna alike desired to
secure the alliance of the mighty Keshava, and both,
setting out for Dvaraka, arrived there on the same
day and found Shri Krishna sleeping. Duryodhana
thereupon haughtily seated himself on a handsome
seat at the head of the bed, while Arjuna, bowing
humbly to the sleeper, stood with joined hands at
His feet. As He awaked, His eyes fell first on
Arjuna, and, after greeting them, He asked the reason
of their visit. Duryodhana answered first, claiming
the aid of Shri Krishna in the impending war, and
urging compliance with his request on the ground
that he was the first to ask assistance. The Lord
accepted his assurance that he had arrived first, but
said that Arjuna was the first to be seen by Him on
awaking ; He should therefore help both. He had
an army of ten crores of mighty soldiers that He
would give to one suppliant ; He Himself, unarmed
and not fighting. He would give to the other : Arjuna,
as the younger, had the right of choice ; " you may.
THE CHOICE OF ARJUNA 1 45
son of Kunti, first select whichever of these two
commends itself to you." Arjuna, without a moment's
hesitation, selected the adorable Krishna, whom he
loved above all things on earth, while Duryodhana
joyfully accepted the powerful army which fell to his
share. Valadeva refused to fight on either side, and
Duryodhana departed contentedly home with his
fighting men, far preferable, to his mind, to Shri
Krishna who would not fight. Then Shri Krishna
asked His friend why he had selected Himself who
would not engage in the battle, and Arjuna answered
that he could himself slay his enemies, but he yearned
for fame, and that followed Keshava ; long had he
wished that He should drive his car in battle ; " I
therefore ask you to fulfil my desire, cherished for a
long time." " I will act as thy charioteer," replied the
Lord ; "Let thy wish be fulfilled." " Then with a glad
heart Kunti's son, accompanied by Krishna as well
as by the flower of the Dasharha race, came back to
Yudhishthira." With a glad heart, in truth, for where
Shri Krishna was, tliere was victory.
Duryodhana now cleverly stole a march on his
opponents, for hearing that Shalya, king of the Ma-
dras, was on his way to join the Pandavas, he caused
pavilions to be erected on his way where he was
splendidly entertained ; and when the king asked for
K
146 PEACE OR WAR?
the men who had prepared for his coming, beh'eving
them to be the servants of the son of Kunti, Duryo-
dhana presented himself, and, on being offered any-
tliing he wished, prayed Shalya to be the leader of his
army. Thus entrapped, Shalya was obliged to con-
sent, and went sadly to the sons of Pandu to tell
them of the promise he had been forced to give,
Yudhishthira at once said he had done rightly, but
prayed him, if he drove Karna in a combat with
Arjuna — as doubtless he would, being equal to Krish-
na as a charioteer — that he would discourage Karna
and protect Arjuna, damping the spirits of Karna by
praising his foe. This Shalya promised to do, and
departed with his army to Duryodhana. [ § 7,
8, 18. ]
Meanwhile the troops were assembling from all
sides, till seven Akshauhinis were ranged under the
banner of Yudhishthira, while no less than eleven
were arrayed under Duryodhana. Drupada's priest,
arriving at Hastinapura, pleaded the justice of the
Pandava's cause, pointing out that their paternal pro-
perty had been usurped by the sons of Dhritar^sh-
tra, and that when they had made for themselves a
new kingdom, that had also been filched from them
by fraud. Surely it were better to restore to them
their own, as had been promised by the compact.
WAR OR JUSTICE I47
rather than plunge into a ruinous war. Bhi hma
supported the arguments of the priest, but was rudely
interrupted by Karna, and the dispute was waxing hot
when Dhritarashtra intervened, dismissing the priest
courteously, with message that he would send San-
jaya to the sons of Pandu after due deliberat on.
Calling Sanjaya, the blind king charged him with
many complimentary messages to the injured princes,
but promised no redress ; and Sanjaya, in delivering
these, could only urge peace on general principles.
Yudhishthira replied somewhat sternly that no one
wished for war, but that the king and his sons were
forcing it by the denial of justice ; let Indraprastha
be given to him. Sanjaya urged that it would be
better to live on alms than go to war, and Yudhish-
thira appealed to Shri Krishna for his decision. The
Lord answered in weighty and impartial words, point-
ing out that justice lay with the Pandavas, and
reminding Sanjaya of the duty of the Kshattriya.
Deeply injured as they were, they yet desired peace,
but not at the cost of duty. He concluded by say-
ing He would Himself go to the Kurus to try to
bring about an agreement, else would war inevitably
ensue. Sanjaya then praj-ed leave to depart, and
was dismissed by Yudliishthira with the message:
" That desire of thine which torments thy heart, the
148 PEACE OR WAR?
desire of ruling the Kurus without a rival, is very
unreasonable. It hath no justification. As for our-
selves, we will never act in such a way as to do any
thing that may be disagreeable to thee. O foremost
of heroes among the Bharatas, either give me back
my own Indraprastha or fight with me." Then Yu-
dhishthira added some loving words to the old king,
Bhishma and Vidura ; to Duryodhana he sent a
message of forgiveness for all the injuries he had done
them and for the insults offered to KrishnS, but he
insisted that a share of the kingdom must be restored
to them ; a single province, nay, even five villages,
they would accept and end the quarrel. " Let us
make peace." Then Sanjaya departed and returned
to the court of Dhritarashtra. [ § 19-32. ]
Long and discordant was the discussion that
followed on the return of the herald and his dra-
matic account of all he had seen and heard. Bhi-
shma warned the Kurus that Vasudeva and Arjuna
were Nara and Narayana, the warrior Gods whom
none might hope to defeat, and Drona prayed the
king to listen to Bhishma's words. But the king
turned from them and enquired as to the forces of
the Pandavas, and then bewailed the coming ruin,
though clinging to the counsels of his son. Duryo-
dhana at this encouraged his father, declaring that he
durvodhana's obstinacy 149
felt certain of victory, being himself the greatest of
warriors with the mace, having Bhishma, Drona,
Ashvatthama, Kripa and Karna with him, and his
forces exceeding by a third those of the Pandavas.
Again discussion raged, Duryodhana declaring that
he would not surrender to the Pandavas even as much
land as a needle's point would cover. Dhritarashtra
himself at last declared for peace, feeling that war
could only end in ruin, but Duryodhana persisted in
his resolve to fight, vaunting his own prowess, and
declaring that defeat could not crush him. Karna
supported Duryodhana, boasting that he could himself
slay the host of the Pandavas single-handed, and
was thereupon so sharply rebuked by Bhishma that
he, declaring that he laid down his weapons and
would not fight until Bhishma was numbered with
the dead, left the court and went to his own abode,
Dhritarashtra still pleaded with Duryodhana to yield,
and when the rest of the counsellors had retired, the
blind king appealed to Sanjaya for his opinion as to
the result of a struggle ; Sanjaya begged that Gan-
dhari and Vyasa might be sent for, and then, in their
presence, he told the king and his son that Visudeva
was the Soul of all, the Lord of Time and Death, the
increate Creator ; " where Krishna is success must
be." Then the king prayed Duryodhana to yield and
150 PEACE OR WAR?
take refuge in Keshava, but he declared : '• If the
divine son of Devaki, united in friendship with
Arjuna, were to slay all mankind, I cannot even then
resign myself to Keshava." In despair, both father
and mother reproached him, and Vyasa bade the
king himself yield to Janardana, the scene ending
with Sanjaya's proclamation of the names of Shri
Krishna, and Dhritarashtra's resolution — alas ! not
kept — to place himself in the hands of the Eternal
One. [ § 46-70. ]
Meanwhile the Pandavas, on their side, were
discussing the matter, and Shri Krishna had declared
His resolve to visit the Kurus in order to try to
avert the impending war. Yudhishthira at first ob-
jected to His going lest injury should befall Him, but
consented on Keshava reminding him that none could
stand before him if He arose to slay ; He pointed
out to Yudhishthira that, as a Kshattriya, he could
not continue to subsist on alms, and that while He
would strive to make peace. He regarded war as
certain. And now a surprising thing occured : Bhima,
the warlike and haughty Bhima, spoke in favour
of peace, lest they should become the destroyers
of their race — speech " as unexpected as if the hills
had lost their weight and fire had become cold."
Keshava, laughing, chid him for his gentle mood,
DUTY NOT RESULTS I51
declaring that such a frame of mind in him was due
to panic, and was " as strange as articulate speech in
kine." Bhima fired up angrily at the taunt, declar-
ing that he felt no fear, but only sought the preserva-
tion of the Bharatas. Then Shri Krishna gently told
him that' he was all a son of his warrior race should be,
but that He had thus spoken because a man would
never do rightly who weighed the consequences of his
action against his duty. Duty must be done, what-
ever the apparent result.
It was in the month of Kartika that Shri Krishna
set out on his momentous mission to Hastinapura,
and Dhritarashtra, hearing of his coming, command-
ed the most splendid preparations to be made for His
reception. On the way Duryodhana, at his order,
erected magnificent pavilions at various stages, but
Keshava passed by them all, " without casting a
single glance" at them. Vidura, indeed, on hearing
the directions of the king, remonstrated with him for
his insincerity, declaring that he sought to win Kesha-
va by his wealth, a futile hope ! Keshava would accept
naught save peace, and gifts were of no avail. Dur-
yodhana warmly supported Vidura, holding that this
was no fit season for shewing special honour to
Keshava, nay, he impiously declared : " this, indeed, is
a great resolution which I have formed. I will impri-
353
PEACE OR WAR ?
son Jan^rdana, who is the refuge of the PAndavas."
Horrified, the king protested that Hrishikesha came
as an ambassador, while Bhishma, crying out that
Duryodhana would be destroyed, and that he dared
not listen to such words, rose and left the palace.
[§71-87.]
Now Shri Krishna approached Hastinapura, and
all the sons of Dhritarashtra, save Duryodhana, went
out, with Bhishma, Drona and Kripa to bid Him
welcome. Having done due homage to the king, He
went to the house of Vidura, and there saw the
bereaved mother of the Pandavas. After a natural
outbreak of grief, the heroic spirit of the Kshattriya
spoke out in Kunti, and she sent to each of her sons
a stirring message ; " The time for that event is come
in view for which a Kshattriya woman bringeth forth
a son. If you allow the time to sleep without your
achieving anything, then, though at present ye are
respected by all the world, ye will be only doing that
which would be regarded as contemptible. And if
contempt touches you, I will abandon you for ever.
When the time cometh, even life, which is so dear,
should be laid down." Comforting Kunti, Shri
Krishna went on to see Duryodhana and greeted him
courteously, but, on being offered food, refused to eat,
Duryodhana, speaking gently, but with deceitful pur«
THE LORD AS ENVOY 1 53
pose, asked why He would not eat, and was answered
in measured tones that envoys eat only after their
missions were successful, and that Duryodhana might
entertain Him when His mission had achieved suc-
cess. Still pressed, the Lord answered more sternly :
" Not from desire, nor from wrath, nor from malice,
nor for gain, nor for the sake of argument, nor from
temptation, would I abandon virtue. One taketh
another's food when that other inspireth love. One
may also take another's food when one is in distress.
At present, however, O king, thou hast not inspired
love in Me by any act of thine, nor have I Myself
been plunged into distress. Without any reason, O
king, thou hatest, from the moment of their birth
thy dear and gentle brothers — the Pandavas, crowned
with every virtue Defiled by wickedness, all this
food, therefore, deserveth not to be eaten by Me.
The food supplied by Vidura alone should, I think,
be eaten by Me." Saying thus, Keshava rose and left
Duryodhana, returning to the house of Vidura.
Talking that night to Vidura, Shri Krishna ex-
plained that He had come to strive to liberate the
earth from the meshes of death ; He would sincerely
strive to bring about peace and to serve both parties ;
if the Kurus would listen to His words, "words
fraught with wisdom, consistent with righteousness
154 PEACE OR WAR?
and possessed of grave import, then that peace which
is M)' object will be brought about." In the morning
He went to the court where the kings were assembled,
a splendid array of warrior-chiefs, shining with gold
and gems, and all arose in respectful greeting when
He, the lotus-eyed, attired in yellow, " like a dark
gem mounted in gold," and wearing the blazing jewel
Kaustubha, entered the hall. Every eye was fixed on
Him and breathless silence prevailed, until His voice,
" deep as the roll of clouds in the rainy season," broke
the tense stillness. " In order that, O Bharata, peace
may be established between the Kurus and Pandavas
without a slaughter of heroes, I have come hither."
He began with pleading soothing words, dwelling on
the irresistible strength which would accrue to Dhrita-
rashtra if the Pandavas with his own sons were the
defenders of his throne. But if either were slain,
where would be his happiness ? Let the old love re-
vive with which, as children, he had cherished them.
The Pandavas had kept their pledge during the
thirteen years of exile ; let the king now keep his.
Speaking in their name. He cried : " Knowing that
our obedience is due to thee, we have quietly under-