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Mahābhārata The History of the Great India
<< 89 Karna Wants War >>
 |  | Duryodhana and Karna advise Dhrtarastra how to get rid of the Pandavas. The sage Vaisampayana is telling the history of the Pandavas to their great-grandson, King Janamejaya. As the narration continues, the Pandavas, who had been living disguised as brahmanas, have just married Princess Draupadi, the daughter of King Drupada. Now the world knows that the Pandavas, supposedly dead, are alive.
| | | Spies and agents brought news to the world leaders that the Pandavas were not dead and had won splendid Draupadi as their wife. It was the great soul Arjuna, a most glorious fighter with mighty bow and arrows, who had strung the impossible bow and pierced the difficult target. And the mighty one who had lifted up Salya, king of Madra, and spun him around, and who had terrified the men in the arena by angrily brandishing a tree—there was no more confusion whatsoever about the identity of that great soul, for he was Bhimasena, of the awesome touch, who brings down whole divisions and armies of enemies. Hearing that the sons of King Pandu had done all this disguised as brahmanas, the rulers of mankind were wonderstruck.
| | | After Draupadi's svayamvara, the kings in attendence, having formerly heard that Kunti and her sons had burned to death in a house of lac, now felt as if the Pandavas had risen from the dead. Cursing and reviling Bhisma and Dhrtarastra, the Kuru king, for the most cruel act of trying to kill the Pandavas (which was in fact perpetrated by Purocana under the direction of Duryodhana), the kings had dispersed at the conclusion of the svayamvara festival knowing that it was the Pandavas in disguise whom Draupadi had chosen. King Duryodhana, having seen Draupadi select as her husband Arjuna, who was known for his pure white stallions, was discouraged, and he returned home with his brothers and Karna, Krpa, Sakuni, and Asvatthama.
| | | Duryodhana's brother Duhsasana was ashamed at this setback for the Kurus, the Pandavas' enemies, and in a whisper he said to Duryodhana, "If Arjuna had not disguised himself as a brahmana, he never would have won Draupadi. Actually, king, no one knew he was Dhananjaya Arjuna. But I consider the will of God supreme and the efforts of men of no avail. Our manly strength is useless, dear brother, for the Pandavas have stolen the prize."
| | | Thus conversing, and rebuking Purocana, the Kurus entered the city of Hastinapura in confused and dejected spirits. Seeing that the mighty sons of Prtha had escaped the raging fire and were now allied with Drupada, the Kuru princes were deeply afraid of retaliation, for they had failed in their sinister plot. They also worried over Dhrstadyumna, born to kill Drona, and Sikhandi, bent on slaying Bhisma, and the other sons of Drupada, for all these warriors were masters of war.
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