घोषयात्रा पर्व — दुर्योधन के सैनिकों और गन्धर्वों का संवाद

Vaishampayana said : Then the king Duryodhana, living in various parts of that forest, at last came to the cattle stations and encamped there.

Selecting a well known charming place which had a plentiful supply of water and which abounded in trees and possessed every convenience, his attendants built a house for him.

Near the royal residence, they also erected separate houses for Karna, Shakuni and other brothers of the king.

The king saw his cattle by hundreds and thousands. Examining their limbs and marks, he supervised their counting.

He caused the calves to be marked and took notes of those that required to be tamed. He also counted all those cows of which calves had not yet been yeaned.

Completing the task of counting and marking every calf which was three years old, the Kuru prince, surrounded by the cow-herds, began cheerfully to sport and wander about (in that forest).

The citizens and the soldiers by thousands sported in that forest as best pleased them like the celestials.

The herdsman, well-skilled in singing and dancing and playing on musical instruments and maidens adorned with ornaments ministered to the pleasures of Dhritarashtra's son.

The king surrounded by the ladies of the royal household began cheerfully to distribute according to the merit of each, wealth, food and drinks of various kinds among those that sought to please him.

Attended by all his followers, the king killed many bison's, buffaloes, deer gavayas, bear and boars. Pierced by his arrows animals by thousands died in that deep forest. He caused the deer to be caught in the most delightful parts of the forest.

Drinking milk and enjoying various other delicious articles, O descendant of Bharata and also seeing as he proceeded many delightful forests and woods swarming with bees intoxicated with the honey of flowers and resounding with the sweet notes of peacock, the king at last reached the sacred lake of Dvaitavana.

The place was swarmed with bees intoxicated with the honey of the flowers; it echoed with the sweet notes of blue throated jay (bird); it was shaded by Saptachadas and Punnyagas and Bakulas.

The king (Duryodhana) graced with great prosperity went there like the wielder of thunder, the lord of the celestials (Indra). O foremost of the Kuru race, the greatly intelligent Dharmaraja Yudhishthira was then, O king, living near that lake and was performing with his wife Draupadi the sacrifice called Rajarshi according to the ordinance sanctioned for the celestials and persons living in the forest.

O descendant of Bharata, Duryodhana, having arrived at that place, commanded thousands of his men to build there pleasure houses with the least delay.

Saying "So be it", they at the command of the king went towards the banks of the lake to build the pleasure houses.

As the best of the soldiers of Dhritarashtra's son, having reached the lake, were about to enter the woods, many Gandharvas came forward and commanded them not to enter.

O monarch, the king of the Gandharvas with his followers had already arrived there from the abode of Kubera.

He had come surrounded by various Apsaras and also by many sons of the celestials. Having come to that lake to sport, he had closed the place to all comers.

O king, finding the lake closed by the Gandharva king, the royal attendants (of Duryodhana) went back to the place where their king was.

O descendant of Kuru, hearing their words, he (Duryodhana) sent a number of his soldiers, to all difficult to be vanquished in battle, commanding them drive away the Gandharvas.

Those warriors, who forned the vanguard of the Kuru army, having heard those words of the king, went back to the lake of the Dvaitavana and thus spoke to the Gandharvas.

“The powerful king named Duryodhana, the son of Dhritarashtra, has come here for sport. Therefore leave this place at once.”

Having been thus addressed. O king, the Gandharvas laughed aloud. They thus replied to them in harsh words,

“Your wicked-minded Duryodhana has but little sense. Or else how could he thus command us who are dwellers of heaven as if we are his servants.

You are certainly fools to rush thus to the point of death. You are senseless idiots to bring such massage to us.

Go back soon where that Kuru king is or else you will today go to the abode of Dharmaraja (Yama)."

Having been thus addressed by the Gandharvas, those vanguards (of the Kuru army) ran back to the place where the king (Duryodhana), the son of Dhritarashtra was.