विराट-नगरीमा प्रवेश

Vaishampayana said Those heroes equipped with swords and finger-protectors made of Iguna leather and furnished with weapons and quivers proceeded in the direction of the river Kalindi.

Then they desirous of regaining their own kingdom put an end to their forest-life and walked on foot to the southern bank of the river (Kalindi).

Having put an end to their forest life, those sons of Pandu, wielders of great bows, endued with great strength, equipped with swords, wearing beards and looking wan proceeded through Yakrilloma and and Shurasena, and leaving the country of Panchalas on the south and that of Dasharna on the north, dwelling (sometimes) in hill-forts and forest fastness and killing the deer (in their journey) entered Matsya's dominions giving out themselves as hunters.

Having arrived at the country Krishna said to the king-“Look here, there are seen many foot-paths and these indicate the existence of Virata's metropolis in the distance. Spend the remaining part of the night here for great is my fatigue."

Yudhishthira said 0 Dhananjaya, o Bharata, take up Panchali and carry her. As we are come out of this forest we shall settle ourselves in the capital.

Vaishampayana said Arjuna, like the leader of elephants, quickly took up Draupadi (Drupada's daughter) and on reaching the skirts of the forest let her down.

After having arrived at the capital the son of Kunti, asked Arjuna-where shall we keep our weapons before we enter the city?

If we enter the city with our weapons we shall undoubtedly cause terror to the citizens. Moreover your gigantic bow, the Gandiva, is known to the people of the world, therefore, if we enter the city with that weapon, the people will undoubtedly cognizant us very soon.

And if any one of us be discovered we hall have to enter the forest again for another twelve years, for that has truly been our promise.

Arjuna said O lord of men, close by the cremation ground there stands, on the mountain peak, a large Shami tree, gigantic in size, hard to climb upon and with tremendous boughs.

Nor is their any human being I believe who can observe us, O Pandava, depositing our weapons.

Remote from the road there grows the tree in the forest inhabited by beasts and snakes and it stands beside a dismal cremation ground,

Having thus deposited our weapons on the Shami tree we shall, O Bharata, go to the city and pass our days there in style befitting us.

Vaishampayana said Having spoken thus the king Yudhishthira, the virtuous Arjuna, O best of the Bharata race, prepared for putting aside the weapons on that tree. W to

Pritha's son, the best of the Kurus, loosened the string of the large and tremendous Gandiva, capable of producing a deeply terrific twang, of destroying the mighty hosts of enemies and by which he, on a single car, had conquered all the gods and men and many opulent countries.

The warlike Yudhishthira, the chastiser of enemies, loosened the undecaying string of bow with which he had protected the field of the Kurus (Kurukshetra).

The mighty Bhimasena unfastened the string of the bow with which the sinless one had conquered the Panchalas in fight, defeated the lord of Sindhu, opposed many of his foes alone at the time of spreading his conquest in all directions and hearing whose twang like the splitting of a mountain, or like the roar of the thunder, the enemies had fled from the field.

The heroic son of Pandu by Madri, having large arms, copper complexion, frugal speech and immense prowess in the field of battle, known by the name Nakula by virtue of his matchless beauty in the family, took away the string of his bow with which he had conquered all the regions of the west.

The heroic Sahadeva of noble conduct rendered his bow stringless with which he made conquests in the southern regions.

Along with their bows they deposited their long and shining swords, quivers of great value, and arrows with edges as sharp as those of razors.

Vaishampayana said: Then Yudhishthira, the son of Kunti, commanded Nakula-"O heroic one ascend this Shami tree and deposit those bows thereon.”

Having ascended the Shami tree Nakula himself placed these bows. He tied them with strong ropes with those parts of the tree which he thought to be well-formed and where the rain in an oblique lines.

There also the Pandavas fastened a corpse so that the people getting the bad smell and saying-"there is a corpse fastened, will shun this Shami from a distance."

After having finished the fastening they gave out-"This is our mother, one hundred and eight years old. This is our ancestral custom, observed by our forefathers."

Having said this to the cow-herds and shipherds Pritha's sons, the subduers of enemies, approached the capital.

(In order to live incognito) Yudhishthira selected for himself and his brothers these false names-Jaya, Jayanta, Vijaya, Jayatsena and Jayadbala.

For the purpose of passing the thirteenth year undiscovered in that kingdom they entered the great city in conformity to their promise (to Duryodhana).