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2024-03-29, 5:38 AM |
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Chapter 83: Draupadî Meets the Queens of
Krishna
(1)
S'rî S'uka said: 'The Supreme Lord, the
spiritual master and goal of the gopîs, this way showing
His favor, then met with Yudhishthhira and the rest of His relatives
and inquired after their welfare. (2)
They, who from seeing His feet were freed from their sinful reactions,
felt thus questioned by the Lord of the World very honored and replied
gladly: (3) 'How can inauspiciousness arise for those
who of Your lotuslike feet ever drank the intoxicating nectar that is
poured out by the minds and mouths of the great souls? How can they who
with the drinking cups of their ears drank to their fill not experience
the happiness, o Master, o Destroyer of the forgetfulness about the
Creator of one's bodily existence? (4)
Indeed are we by the light of Your personal form released from the
bonds of the three states of material consciousness [wakefulness,
dreaming and sleeping] and are we, totally immersed, of spiritual
happiness in having bowed down to You, the goal of the perfected saints
[the paramahamsas] who by the power of Your illusion has
assumed this form for the protection of the unlimited and ever fresh
vedic knowledge that is threatened by time.'
(5) The great sage said: 'As His people were thus
glorifying the crest jewel of all personalities hailed by the
scriptures, met the women of the Andhaka and Kaurava clans to discuss
with each other the topics of Govinda sung in the three worlds; please
listen as I describe them to you. (6-7)
S'rî Draupadî said: 'O Vaidarbhî [Rukminî],
Bhadrâ, Jâmbavatî and Kaus'alâ
[Nâgnajitî]; o Satyabhâmâ, Kâlindî,
S'aibyâ [Mitravindâ], Rohinî [see foonote* and 10.61*] and Lakshmanâ [Mâdrâ] and other wives of
Krishna, please tell us how it came to pass that Acyuta, the Supreme
Lord Himself, who by the grace of His mystic power lived the way one
lives in the world, got married to you?'
(8) S'rî Rukminî said: 'Like a lion
taking his share from a herd of goats and sheep, took He who puts the
dust of His feet upon the heads of invincible fighters, me away when
the kings with their bows were about to offer me to S'is'upâla;
may the feet of Him, the abode of S'rî, be my object of worship
[see 10.52-54].'
(9) S'rî Satyabhâmâ said: 'To my
father whose heart was distressed with the death of his brother, gave
He, being accused, to clear His name, the jewel back after defeating
the king of the bears [Jâmbavân]; afraid because of this
offered my father me to the Lord even though I was spoken for [see 10.56].'
(10) S'rî Jâmbavatî said: 'The
maker of this body unaware of Him, the Husband of Sîtâ, as
being his master and worshipable deity, fought for twenty-seven days
with Him. Having come to his senses recognizing Him he presented me
together with the jewel taking hold of His feet; I'm His maid-servant
[see also 10.56].'
(11) S'rî Kâlindî said: 'Knowing
that I with the desire of touching His feet was executing penances,
came He together with His friend [Arjuna] and took He my hand; I am the
one cleaning His residence [10.58: 12-23].'
(12) S'rî Mitravindâ said: 'During my svayamvara
coming forward stole He me away the way the enemy of the elephants [a
lion] claims his share from a pack of dogs; after defeating the kings
and my brothers insulting Him, took He me to His capital where
S'rî resides; may there for me, life after life, be the service
of washing His feet [10.58: 31].'
(13-14) S'rî Satyâ said: 'Seven great bulls
most strong and vital with the sharpest horns, by my father arranged to
test the prowess of the kings, destroyed the pride of the heroes; but
they were quickly subdued and tied up by Him with the ease of children
playing with young goats. This way paying for me with His valor took He
me, protected by maid-servants, with Him, with an army of four
divisions along the road defeating the kings; may there be my servitude
to Him [10.58: 32-55].'
(15-16) S'rî Bhadrâ said: 'With me in love
with Him, o Krishnâ [Draupadî], invited my father on his
own accord my maternal cousin Krishna and gave he me to Him together
with a retinue of female companions and a military escort of one akshauhini;
may there for me, birth after birth wandering because of my karma, be
that betterment of myself in touching His feet [10.58:
56].'
(17) S'rî Lakshmanâ said: 'O Queen, time
and again hearing Nârada glorifying Acyuta's births and
activities became my heart fixed upon Mukunda, He who after due
consideration in rejection of the rulers of the world, indeed was
chosen by her [the goddess S'rî] holding the lotus. (18) My father known as Brihatsena, o saintly
lady, knowing of my state of mind arranged out of his love for his
daughter a means to this end. (19)
Just as in your svayamvara, o Queen, was a fish used
[hung high as a target] that had to be won by Arjuna. Hidden from sight
however, could it only be seen as a
reflection in water [in a pot below]. (20)
Hearing about this came from everywhere all the kings expert in the art
of shooting arrows and wielding other weapons to my father's city along
with their thousands of teachers. (21)
My father honored all of them in full, each according his strength and
age, after which they who had set their minds upon me in the assembly
took up their bow and arrow to take a shot. (22) Some of them after lifting [the bow] were
unable to string it and some having pulled the bowstring failed because
they were hit by it. (23)
Other heroes, the kings of Magadha [Jarâsandha], Cedi
[S'is'upâla] and Ambashthha as well as Bhîma, Duryodhana
and Karna, managed to string the bow but couldn't determine the
target's location. (24) Arjuna did
manage to locate it and took, as he aimed carefully while looking at
the reflection of the fish in the water, a shot, but the arrow didn't
hit the target, it brushed it only. (25-26) When the kings defeated in their pride had given up,
managed the Supreme Lord, playfully taking up the bow, stringing it and
then fixing an arrow on it, to pierce with a single look in the water
the fish with His arrow at the moment the sun was situated in Abhijit
[in 'victory', or at noon]. (27)
Kettledrums resounded in the sky together with the sounds of 'jaya'
of the godly on earth who overwhelmed by joy released torrents of
flowers. (28) Next did I, with a shy smile on my face and
a wreath of flowers in my hair, enter the arena with gently tinkling
ankle bells on my feet, a necklace of gold with brilliant jewels around
my neck and a pair of fine silken, new garments held together by a
belt. (29) Lifting my face with its many locks of hair
all around and my cheeks effulgent of the earrings, looked I all around
at the kings. With a cool smile casting sidelong glances placed I
slowly my necklace around the neck of Murâri who had captured my
heart. (30) At that moment resounded conchshells, mridangas,
tabors, kettle drums and wardrums and such, and sang the singers while
male and female dancers danced. (31)
The choice I thus made for the Supreme Lord as my master was for the
leading kings not acceptable o Draupadî, upset with a heart
filled with abuse they became quarrelsome. (32) Faced with that situation lifted He me in
the chariot with its four excellent horses and stood He, preparing His
S'ârnga and donning His armor, firm to deliver battle with His
four arms [displayed in full]. (33)
Dâruka drove the chariot that was trimmed with gold o Queen,
while the kings were looking on as if they were little animals daunted
by the lion king. (34) The kings,
like village dogs with a lion, went after Him. Some of them then tried
to stop Him in His course by raising their bows against Him. (35) From the floods of arrows shot from
S'ârnga fell some of them with their arms, legs and necks
severed, while some others, gave it up and fled. (36) Then entered the Lord of the Yadus, like the
sun reaching its abode [or the western horizon], Dvârakâ,
His city that is glorified in heaven and on earth, and was profusely
decorated with wonderful archways and banners on flagpoles that blocked
the sun. (37) My father honored his friends, immediate
relations and other family members with the most valuable clothing and
jewelry and with beds, thrones and other furniture. (38) Out of devotion presented he the Lord of the
Complete [Pûrnasya] the most valuable weapons, along with
maidservants endowed with all riches, infantry, elephantry, chariotry
and cavalry. (39) By doing
penances with the abrupt breaking off of our material bonds have we all
become the maidservants of His household, of Him the One Satisfied
Within Himself.'
(40) The other queens said [through Rohinî]:
'He met us after He in battle had killed the demon Bhauma and his
followers. We who have been defeated and imprisoned by the demon are
the daughters of the kings Bhauma defeated during his conquest of the
earth. After our release have we constantly remembered His lotus feet
as the source of liberation from a material existence, and has He, the
One whose Wishes are All Fulfilled, married us. (41-42) O saintly lady, we do not desire rulership
over the earth, a heavenly kingdom, unlimited pleasures even or mystic
power, to be the supreme divinity, immortality or the abode of Hari, we
desire to carry on our heads the dust of the divine feet of the Wielder
of the Club that is enriched with the fragrance of the kunkuma
from the bosom of S'rî [see also 10.47:
60, **
and the S'rî S'rî S'ikshâshthaka
verse 4]. (43) We desire the same as what the Pulinda women
[the gopîs] desire, as what the grass and the plants and
the grazing cows and the gopas of Vraja desire: to be touched
by the feet of the Supreme Soul.'
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