| YouTube Channel

स्वयंवरपर्वन् (svayaMvaraparvan)

 
Mahabharata
English
[Svayaṃvaraparvan(ºva)]
(“the section relating how Draupadī chose herself a husband”, the 12th of the minor parvans of Mhbhr.). (Cf. Svayaṃvara). § 231. The Pāṇḍavas went to the Pāñcāla land in the company of brahmans, who told them of the svayaṃvara, and of Dhṛshṭadyumna, and Kṛshṇā (I, 184). On their way they beheld Dvaipāyana. They took up their quarters in the house of a potter, and adopting the brahmanical profession, they began to lead a mendicant life. Yajñasena (= Drupada) always cherished the wish of bestowing his daughter on Kirīṭin (i.e. Arjuna), but never spoke of this wish to anybody. He therefore caused a very stiff bow to be made, which was incapable of being bent by anybody except Arjuna
and causing some machinery to be erected in the sky, he set up a mark attached to that machinery, and said: “He who with this bow and these arrows hits the mark shall obtain my daughter.” Among the kings that came were Duryodhana and the Kurus and Karṇa. The princes entered the arena by the north-eastern gate (śiśumāraśiraḥ prāpya). The arena was situated to the north-east of the capital (description of it). On the 16th day Draupadī, having bathed, entered the arena. Then the purohita of the Somakas gratified Agni. Dhṛshṭadyumna, possessing a voice deep as that of a kettledrum or of the clouds, taking hold of his sister's arm, stood in the midst of the arena, and said: “Hit the mark by means of these five arrows.” Then he addressed his sister, reciting to her the names, etc. of the assembled princes (I, 185).--§ 232. Enumeration () of the assembled princes (I, 186).--§ 233. There came also the devagaṇas on their chariots
the Rudras and the Ādityas, the Vasus and the Aśvins, the Sādhyas and all the Maruts, with Yama and Dhaneśvara (i.e. Kubera) walking ahead
and also the Daityas and Suparṇas, the mahoragas, the Devarshis, the Guhyakas and the Cāraṇas, Viśvāvasu, Nārada and Parvata, the principal Gandharvas with the Apsarases, and the Asuras and Siddhas (v. 7017), and Halāyudha (i.e. Balarāma), and Janārdana (i.e. Kṛshṇa), and the chiefs of the Vṛshṇis, Andhakas, and Yadus, always obedient to Kṛshṇa. Kṛshṇa pointed out the Pāṇḍavas to his brother Rāma. When Duryodhana, the Cedi- king Śiśupāla (son of Damaghosha), Jarāsandha, the Madra- king Śalya, etc. had in vain tried to string the bow, and Karṇa, though having succeeded in stringing it, had, as a sūta, been rejected by Kṛshṇā, Jishṇu (i.e. Arjuna) came forward (I, 187). Some of the brahmans spoke reproachingly of Arjuna's daring undertaking, some approved of it (citing Paraśurāma and Agastya's drinking out of the Sea). Arjuna, bending his head to Īśāna and remembering Kṛshṇa, accomplished the task. The gods showered celestial flowers. Drupada was filled with joy. Yudhishṭhira with the twins returned home. Kṛshṇā approached Arjuna, who soon afterwards left the lists followed by her (I, 188).--§ 234. When Drupada expressed his desire of bestowing his daughter on that brahman, the kings resolved to slay Drupada and burn Kṛshṇā, but spare Arjuna, whom they took for a brahman. They rushed at Drupada, who was defended by Arjuna with the bow and by Bhīma with a tree torn up by the root. Kṛshṇa then knew, and said to Balarāma that they must be the Pāṇḍavas, who had escaped from the fire (I, 189). Karṇa was defeated by Arjuna (“accomplished in the Brāhma and the Paurandara weapons”, v. 7105), and the Madra-king Śalya by Bhīma
then Duryodhana, etc., who had been engaged with the brahmans, desisted from the combat, because brahmans, though offending, should yet always be protected. Kṛshṇa said to them that those brahmans had justly acquired the maiden. The kings returned to their respective kingdoms. Bhīma and Arjuna, with difficulty, escaped from the throng, followed by Kṛshṇā.--§ 235. Kuntī was filled with anxiety, seeing that her sons were late in returning from their begging tour. Then, in the late afternoon, Jishṇu (i.e. Arjuna), accompanied by a body of brahmans, entered the abode of the Bhārgava (i.e. the potter, Nīl.) (I, 190). Bhīma and Arjuna presented Kṛshṇā as their “alms”, and Kuntī, not yet seeing them, said: “enjoy ye all.” Afterwards, she was alarmed at what she had said. Yudhishṭhira declared that Arjuna should wed her
but Arjuna replied that it was a sin for the younger brother to marry before the elder. Meanwhile, they all fell in love with Kṛshṇā. Then Yudhishṭhira recollected the words of Vyāsa, and, from fear of a division amongst the brothers, said that she should be the common wife of them all. Kṛshṇa and Balarāma then paid them a visit, and again went away (I, 191).--§ 236: When Bhīma and Arjuna were turning towards the abode of the Bhārgava, Dhṛshṭadyumna followed them and concealed himself in some part of the house. Then Bhīma and Arjuna and the twins returning from their begging tour in the evening, gave everything to Yudhishṭhira. Kuntī caused Kṛshṇā to distribute it, giving to Bhīma alone as much as to all the others, because he always ate much. Then they laid down for the night, and Dhṛshṭadyumna overheard their conversations. In the morning Dhṛshṭadyumna set out to report it to Drupada, who was sad, because he did not know, if perhaps a man of mean descent had taken away his daughter, though he thought it possible that it was Arjuna (I, 192).