तीर्थयात्रा पर्व — धौम्य र युधिष्ठिरको संवाद

Vaishampayana said: Having ascertained the opinion of his brothers and that of the intelligent Narada, Yudhishthira thus spoke to the grandfather like Dhaumya.

Yudhishthira said : I have sent away for the acquisition of weapons, that foremost of men, that irresistibly powerful and the mighty-aried Vishnu (Arjuna) of immeasurable intelligence.

O ascetic, that hero (Arjuna) is devoted to me; he is able, he is well-skilled in weapons, he is like the lord Vasudeva (Krishna) himself.

O Brahmana, I know them both, Krishna and Arjuna, those greatly powerful destroyers of enemies as much as the mighty Vyasa knows them.

I know Vasudeva (Krishna) and Dhananjaya (Arjuna) to be none else than Vishnu himself of six attributes. Narada also knows them to be such, for he has always spoken so to me.

I also know them to be Rishis Nara and Narayana. Knowing him to be able, I have sent Arjuna away. He is not inferior to Indra and he is fully competent; I have sent him, that son of god (Arjuna) to see the king of the celestials and obtain weapons from him. Bhishma and Drona are mighty car-warriors; Kripa and the son of Drona are invincible. These great carwarriors have been installed by the son of Dhritarashtra (Duryodhana) in the command of his army.

All of them are learned in the Vedas, all are heroic, all possess the knowledge of every weapon. Those greatly powerful heroes always eagerly desire to fight with Arjuna. Karna, the son of Suta, that great car-warrior, is well skilled in the celestials weapons.

In respect of the impetus of his weapons, he possesses the strength of Vayu. He being a flame of fire, his arrows are its tongue. The dust (of the battle field) is its smoke and the slaps of his left hand cased in leather are the crackling of that flame. Urged by the son of Dhritarashtra, as the fire, urged by the wind, Karna, fix like the all consuming fire at the end of Yuga, sent forth by the destroyer death himself, will certainly consume my troops like straw.

Only that mass of clouds, namely Arjuna assisted by Krishna, who is like the powerful wind, his celestials weapons representing fearful lightning (in that cloud) his white steeds representing white cranes flying underneath (those clouds) his unbearable Gandiva representing the rainbow, (that Arjuna only) is capable of extinguishing that blazing flame, namely Karna, by means of the shower of his arrows shot with unflagging steadiness. That conqueror of hostile heroes, Vibhatsu (Arjuna) will certainly succeed in obtaining all the celestials weapons with their fullness and life from Indra.

In my opinion he alone is equal to them all; it is impossible otherwise to vanquish in battle all those foes who have all attained great success in all those purposes.

We the Pandavas shall all see that chastiser of foes (Arjuna) fully equipped with celestials weapons, for Vibhatsu (Arjuna) (Arjuna) when undertaking a task never droops down under its weight.

In the absence of that hero, that foremost of men, we shall never have peace of mind with Krishna (Draupadi) in this forest of Kamyaka.

Therefore, you, (O Rishis), speak of some other forest which is sacred and delightful and which abounds in fruits and food and which is inhabited by men of pious deeds,

And where we may pass some time waiting for the heroic and invincible Arjuna, as Chataka (bird) expects rain from the gathering clouds.

Tell us of various hermitages, lakes, rivers and beautiful mountains which are open to the twice-born. O Brahmana, in the absence of Arjuna, I do not like to live in this forest of Kamyaka We shall go somewhere else.