Tirthayatra Parva — Lamentation for Arjuna

Janamejaya said : O exalted one, when my great-grandfather, the son of Pritha (Arjuna) had gone away from the Kamyaka, what did the Pandavas do in the absence of Savyasachi (Arjuna)?

It appears to me that great bowman and the victor of armies (Arjuna) was their refuge, as Vishnu was that of the Adityas.

How did my great-grand-fathers pass their time in the forest deprived as they were of the company of that hero who was equal to Indra in prowess and who never turned his back in a field of battle?

Vaishampayana said : O child, when the greatly powerful Pandava, (Arjuna) had gone away from the Kamyaka, the sons of Pandu were filled with sorrow and grief.

The Pandavas all became depressed and looked like pearls unstrung from a garland or like birds shorn of their wings.

Without the presence of that hero of spotless deeds, that forest looked like the Chaitraratha forest deprived of the presence of Kubera.

O Janamejaya, in his absence, those foremost of men, the Pandavas, continued to live in the Kamyaka in great cheerlessness.

O best of the Bharata race, those powerful, great car-warriors killed with pure (nonpoisonous) arrows various kinds of sacrificial animals for the Brahmanas.

Those chastisers of foes, those foremost of men daily killed wild animals and after properly sanctifying them, they offered them to the Brahmanas.

O king, after the departure of Dhananjaya (Arjuna) thus did they live there, filled with sorrow and with cheerless heart.

Panchali (Draupadi) in particular remembered her third husband and she thus spoke to the anxious chief of the Pandavas (Yudhishthira).

Draupadi said : Arjuna with two hands, is equal to Arjuna of many hands; in the absence of that foremost of the Pandavas, this forest does not at all look charming to me.

Wherever I cast my eyes, I see this earth as if it is empty. This forest, with its blossoming trees and with its so many wonders.

Does not appear to me charming in the absence of Savyasachi (Arjuna). He is (in color) like a mass of blue clouds, he is in prowess like a mad elephant.

In the absence of that lotus-eyed hero, the Kamyaka does not at all look charming to me. Remembering Savyasachi, the twang of whose bow sounds like the roars of thunder, I do not feel any peace of mind.

Vaishampayana said : O great king, hearing her thus lament, that slayer of hostile heroes Bhimasena, thus spoke to Draupadi.

Bhima said: O blessed lady, O beauty of slender waist the pleasing words you say are as delightful to my mind, as the drinking of ambrosia.

(Without him), whose arms are long, symmetrical, stout and mace-like, which are round and marked with the scars of the bowstrings, which are ground with the bow, the sword and the other weapons, encircled with golden bracelets, like two five-headed snakes, without that foremost of men, the sky seems to have lost the sun.

(Without him), relying on which mightyarmed hero the Panchalas and the Kurus do not fear even the various powerful celestials.

Relying on the prowess of the arms of which illustrious here, we all consider our enemies vanquished and the earth (already) acquired.

Without that heroic Falguni (Arjuna), I do not get peace of mind in the Kamyaka. I behold all directions as empty and covered with darkness. Wherever I cast my eyes, I see the earth as if she is empty. Thereupon the son of Pandu, Nakula, thus spoke with his voice choked with tears.

Nakula said: (Without him) whose excellent deeds in battle are talked about even by the gods, without that best of warriors, what pleasure can be here in this forest?

(Without him) who, going to the northern regions, conquered in battle hundreds of greatly powerful Gandharva chiefs and obtained greatly effulgent horses.

Of the Tittiri and Kalamasha species, all possessing the speed of the wind, which were all presented by him to his brother out of the love he bore for him at the great Rajasuya sacrifice.

Without that great bowman, the younger brother of Bhima, without that celestials-like hero, I do not any longer desire to dwell in this Kamyaka.

Sahadeva said: O king, O descendant of Bharata, seeing his bed of grass empty in our hermitage without that Jishnu, who, having vanquished powerful warriors in battle, won wealth and virgins and brought them to the king at the time of the great sacrifice, without that immeasurably effulgent hero who having vanquished singlehanded all the Yadavas took possession of Subhadra with the consent of Vasudeva (Krishna), who having invaded the kingdom of the illustrious Drupada, gave to the preceptor Drona his tuition-fee by securing for him half of Drupada's kingdom, my mind by no means gets any consolation. O chastiser of foes, to go away from this forest to some other forest is what I would prefer, for in the absence of that hero this forest can by no means be delightful.