The conversation between Draupadi and Yudhishthira

Draupadi said: I bow to Dhatri and Vidhatri who have thus bewildered my sense; you think otherwise from your father and grandfather regarding what you have got to bear.

By actions men are placed in different situations of life; consequences of action are inevitable, from ignorance people desire for the liberation from action. A man does not even attain prosperity in this world by virtue, gentleness, forgiveness, straight-forwardness and fear of censure.

Or else, O descendant of Bharata, this unbearable misfortune would not have befallen you, who are so unworthy of it and your brothers of great energy.

Neither then, nor even now, O descendant of Bharata, has anything appeared to you dearer than virtue, which is dearer to you even than your life.

That your kingdom is for virtue and your life even is for virtue, is known by Brahmanas, superiors and even celestials.

You can abandon Bhimasena, Arjuna these twin sons of Madri along with myself, I think, but you can never renounce virtue.

I have heard from elders that a king protects virtue and virtue in return protects him-but methinks it does not protect you.

O best of men, like a shadow following a man, you with a singleness of purpose always follow virtue.

You have never disregarded your equals, inferiors and superiors; obtaining even the entire universe your pride never increased.

O son of Pritha, with Yvahas and Svaddhas and other forms of worship you ever adore the Brahmanas, the celestials and the Pitris.

O son of Pritha, you have always pleased the Brahmanas by granting all their desires; the Yatis, the ascetics, the householder ascetics, have always been fed by you on golden plates where (myself) have distributed food. You always give food and gold to Vanaprasthas; there is nothing in your house which you cannot bestow upon the Brahmanas.

Having distributed duly, O king, all to the guests in the Vishvadeva sacrifice that is solemnized in your house for your peace you live upon what remains.

Ishtis, Pashubandhas, sacrifice for obtaining the gratification of desires and ordinary household ceremonies, Paka sacrifices and various other rites are daily performed in your house.

Even in this huge solitary forest frequented by robbers, living in banishment, deprived of your kingdom your virtue has suffered no decrease.

The Ashvamedha, the Rajasuya, Pundarika, the Gosava-all these great sacrifices requiring large gifts have been celebrated by you.

O king, by your perverse understanding, in your defeat at the gambling match you lost your kingdom, wealth, weapons your brothers and even myself.

How could your mind, siinple, gentle, liberal, modest and truthful as you are, be drawn to the vice of gambling?

Beholding this your calamity and misfortune my sense is bewildered and mind overwhelmed.

I shall cite here an old historical incident as an illustration that men are subject to the will of Providence and not to themselves.

The Lord Ishana ordains beforehand, with reference to weal and woe, happiness and misery, of all creatures like a seed.

O hero among men, O king, as a wooden figure is made to move its limbs by the wirepuller so are all these creatures (made to act by the lord.)

O descendant of Bharata, pervading all creatures, like ethereal space the Providence ordains its happiness or misery.

Like a bird tied with a string all creatures depend upon God; they all live in dependence upon God not upon others; nor are they their own masters.

Like a pearl set on a string, a bull tied by a rope passing through its nose or a tree fallen from the bank into the middle of a river. All creatures follow the ordinances of the Creator for they are identical with Him and live in Him; they are not subject to themselves and cannot pass an hour independently.

Ignorant as they are, creatures are not masters of their own happiness or misery; dispatched by the Providence they either go to heaven or hell.

As light straws are brought to the subjugation of the strong wind, so all creatures, O descendant of Bharata, depend upon the Creator.

Again, performing actions right or wrong and pervading the universe, the Lord exists but is not perceived by any (who can say) "This is God."

This physical body is merely the instrument of God by which the Lord engages them in actions, the fruits of which are cither good or bad.

Behold the power of the illusive energy by which he makes them kill their fellows.

This is seen in a different light by the sages seeing the real truths; they appear to them in a different light like the rays of the sun.

Ordinary people see all those things in a different view; the Lord create and destroy them in a different way.

As one can break a piece of inactive senseless wood with wood, stone with stone and iron with iron. So, O Yudhishthira the Self-create, divinc Grandsire spreading his illusive energy destroys creatures, with creatures.

Like a child playing with his creatures, creating and destroying them.

O king, the Providence behaves towards the creatures, like a father or mother, like an ordinary person he (sometimes) seems to be angry towards them.

Sceing elderly, well behaved and modest persons, in distress and the vicious, in happiness, I am beside myself with thought.

O son of Pritha, seeing your misfortune and the prosperity of Suyodhana, I blame the Providence who sees such an inequality.

Conferring prosperity prosperity upon the wily avaricious of Dhritarashtra, who transgresses the sacred scriptures and injures virtue, what fruit shall the Creator reap?

If the act done follows the performer then forsooth, the God himself is contaminated with the sin of every action.

If the sin consequent upon actions does not touch the doer then the individual power is the cause and I grieve for those who are weak. son