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25.DRAUPADI'S GRIEF
Vikarna, the son of Dhritarashtra, could
not bear the sight of the agony of
Panchali. He rose up and said: "O
Kshatriya heroes, why are you silent? I
am a mere youth, I know, but your silence
compels me to speak. Listen. Yudhishthira
was enticed to this game by a deeply
plotted invitation and he pledged this lady
when he had no right to do so, because
she does not belong to Yudhishthira alone.
For that reason alone the wager is illegal.
Besides, Yudhishthira had already lost his
freedom, and being no longer a free man,
how could he have a right to offer her as a
stake? And there is this further objection.
It was Sakuni who suggested her as a
pledge, which is against the rules of the
game, under which neither player may
demand a specific bet. If we consider all
these points, we must admit that Panchali
has not been legally won by us. This is my
opinion."
When the young Vikarna spoke thus
courageously, the wisdom given by God
to the members of the assembly suddenly
illumined their minds. There were great
shouts of applause. They shouted:
"Dharma has been saved. Dharma has
been saved."
At that moment Karna rose up and said:
"O Vikarna, forgetting that there are
elders in this assembly, you lay down the
law though you are but a stripling. By
your ignorance and rashness you are
injuring the very family which gave you
birth, just as the flame generated by the
arani destroys its source, the stick. It is an
ill bird that fouls its own nest. At the very
beginning, when Yudhishthira was a free
man, he forfeited all he possessed and
that, of course, included Draupadi. Hence,
Draupadi had already come into Sakuni's
possession. There is nothing more to be
said in the matter. Even the clothes they
have on are now Sakuni's property. O
Duhsasana, seize the garments of the
Pandavas and the robes of Draupadi and
hand them over to Sakuni."
As soon as they heard the cruel words of
Karna, the Pandavas, feeling that they had
to stand the test of dharma to the bitter
end, flung off their upper garments to
show that they were ready to follow the
path of honor and right at any cost.
Seeing this, Duhsasana went to Draupadi
and made ready to seize her clothes by
force. All earthly aid had failed, and in the
anguish of utter helplessness, she
implored divine mercy and succour:
"O Lord of the World," she wailed, "God
whom I adore and trust, abandon me not
in this dire plight. You are my sole refuge.
Protect me." And she fainted away.
Then, as the wicked Duhsasana started his
shameful work of pulling at Panchali's
robes and good men shuddered and
averted their eyes, even then, in the mercy
of God a miracle occurred.
In vain Duhsasana toiled to strip off her
garments, for as he pulled off each, ever
fresh garments were seen to clothe her
body, and soon a great heap of
resplendent clothes was piled up before
the assembly till Duhsasana desisted and
sat down in sheer fatigue.
The assembly trembled at this marvel and
good men praised God and wept. Bhima
with quivering lips, loudly uttered this
terrible oath: "May I never go to the blest
abode of my ancestors if I do not rend the
breast and drink the heart's blood of this
sinful Duhsasana, this shame of the
Bharata race."
Suddenly, the howling of jackals could be
heard. Donkeys and carnivorous birds
began to send forth weird dissonant cries
from all sides, portending calamities to
come.
Dhritarashtra who realised that this
incident would be the cause of the
destruction of his race, for once acted with
wisdom and courage. He called Draupadi
to his side and attempted to soothe her
with words of gentleness and affection.
Then he turned to Yudhishthira and said:
"You are so blameless that you can have
no enemies. Forgive in your magnanimity
the evil done by Duryodhana and dismiss
all memory of it from your mind. Take
back your kingdom and riches and
everything else and be free and
prosperous. Return to Indraprastha." And
the Pandavas left that accursed hall,
bewildered and stunned, and seeing a
miracle in this sudden release from
calamity. But it was too good to endure
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