आश्रमवासिक पर्व — (क्रमशः) त्यही विषय

Vaishmpayana said The king, O chief of Bharatas' race, with those foremost of men, viz., his brothers who all had eyes resembling lotus petals, took his seat in the hermitage of his eldest sire.

There sat around him many highly blessed ascetics, coming from various regions, from desire of seeing the sons of that lord of Kuru's race, viz., the Pandavas of wide chests.

They said, 'We wish to know who amongst these is Yudhishthira, who are Bhima and Arjuna, who the twins, and who is the illustrious Draupadi?'

Then the Suta, Sanjaya, in answer to their queries, pointed out to them the Pandavas, naming each, and Draupadi too as also the other ladies of the Kururace.

Sanjaya said This one fair like pure gold, who is endued with a body which looks like that of a fullgrown lion, who is possessed of a large aquiline nose, and wide and expansive eyes of a coppery hue, is the Kuru king.

This one whose tread is like that of an infuriate elephant, whose complexion is as fair as that of heated gold, whose frame is of large and expansive proportions, and whose arms are long sand stout, is Vrikodara. See him well.

The powerful bowmen who sits besides him, of darkish color and youthful frame, who resembles the leader of an elephantine herd, whose shoulders are as high as those of a lion, who walks like a sporting elephant, and whose eyes are as expansive as the petals of a lotus, is the hero called Arjuna.

Those two foremost of men, who are sitting beside Kunti, are the twins resembling Vishnu and Mahendra. In the entire world, they have not their cquals in beauty and strength and excellence of conduct.

This lady having eyes expansive as lotuspetals, who seems to have touched the middle age of life, whose complexion resembles that of the blue lotus, and who looks like goddess, is Krishna, the embodied form of the goddess of prosperity.

She who sits besides her, possessed of the complexion of pure gold, who looks like the embodied rays of the moon, in the midst of other ladies, O foremost of twice-born oncs, is the sister that unrivaled hero who holds the discus.

This other, as fair as pure gold, is the daughter of the Naga king and wife of Arjuna. This other whose complexion is like of pure gold or like that of Madhuka flowers, is the princess Chitrangada.

This one, whose complexion is like an assemblage of blue lotuses, is the sister of that monarch, that lord of hosts, who used to always challenge Krishna. She is the foremost wife of Vrikodara.

This is the daughter of the king of Magadha who was known by the name of Jarasandha. Possessed of the complexion of an assemblage of Champakas, she is the wife of the youngest son of Madravati.

Possessed of complexion dark as the blue lotus, she who sits there on the earth, and whose eyes are as expansive as lotus-petals, she is the wife of the eldest son of Madravati,

This lady whose complexion is as fair as that of heated gold and who sits with her child on her lap, is the daughter of king Virata. She is the wife of that Abhimanyu who while divested of his car, was killed by Drona and other fighting from their cars.

These ladies, the hair on whose heads shows not the parted line, and who are clad in white, are the widows of the killed sons of Dhritarashtra. They are the daughters-in-law of this old king, the wives of his hundred sons, now deprived of both their husbands and children who have been killed by heroic enemies.

I have now pointed them out in the order of precedence. On account of their devotion to Brahmanas, their understanding and hearts are divested of every kind of crookedness. Possessed of pure souls, they have all been pointed out by men, these princesses of the Kaurava line, in answer to your queries.

Vaishampayana said Thus that aged king of Kuru's race, having met with those sons of him that was a celestial among men, enquired about their well-being after all the ascetics had departed.

The warriors who had accompanied the Pandavas, leaving the retreat, sat themselves down at a little distance, getting down from their cars and the animals they rode. Indeed, after all the crowd, viz., the ladies the old men and the children, had been seated, the old king duly addressed thein after making the usual polite enquireis.