Vaishampayana said: -
1-2. Then the greatly effulgent Panchala king addressed prince Yudhishthira in the form applicable to Brahmanas; he cheerfully inquired of that illustrious son of Kunti, (saying). “Are we to know you as Kshatryas or Brahmanas,
3-4. Or accomplished Vaishyas or men bom of Shudras? Or are we to know you as celestials who have assumed the disguise of Brahmanas by their power of Maya (delusion) and who are roaming over the earth and who have come here for the hand of Krishna? O Sir, tell us the truth, we are in great doubt.
5. Shall we not be happy when our doubts will be removed? O chastiser of foes, have the Fates been propitious to us?
6. Tell us the truth willingly. Truth becomes monarchs better then sacrifices and dedications of tanks. Therefore, do not speak the untruth.
7. O celestials like hero, O chastiser of foes, hearing your reply, I shall then make arrangements for the marriage according to the order to which you belong.
Yudhishthira said: -
8. O Panchala king, be not cheerless. Be cheerful. There is no doubt, your desire has been fulfilled.
9. O king, we are Kshatryas and we are the sons of the illustrious Pandu. Know me to be the eldest of the sons of Kunti and these two to be Bhima and Aryuna.
10. O king, your daughter was won by these two (heroes) in the assembly of kings. The twins (Nakula and Sahadeva) and Kunti are there where Krishna is.
11. O best of men, let grief be dispelled from your heart, we are Kshatryas. Your daughter like a lotus has been transplanted from one lake to the other.
12. O great king, you are our revered superior and chief refuge. I have told all that is necessary to be told.
Vaishampayana said: -
13. Thereupon the king Drupada had his eyes rolling in ecstasy and he was filled with delight; he could not for some time answer Yudhishthira.
14. Suppressing his joy with great effort, that chastiser of foes (Drupada) replied to Yudhishthira in proper words.
15. The virtuous minded (king) asked how they (the Pandavas) had escaped from the city (of Varanavata). The Pandava (Yudhishthira) narrated it all in detail.
16. Hearing the narration of the son of Kunti, king Drupada censured that ruler of men, Dhritarastra.
17. The foremost of all eloquent men, Drupada, gave every assurance to the son of Kunti, Yudhishthira and vowed to restore him to his kingdom.
18. At the request of the king, Kunti, Krishna, Bhima, Aryuna and the twins took up their quarters in a palace.
19. O king, they continued to reside there, treated by Jagmasena (Drupada) with every respect. The king (Drupada) with his sons assured by all that had happened, thus spoke (to Yudhishthira).
Drupada said: -
20. O mighty armed hero, let the Kuru prince Aryuna take today the hand of my daughter with all due rites. Today is an auspicious day.
Vaishampayana said: -
21. Thereupon the virtuous minded king Yudhishthira replied, “O great king, I shall also have to marry.
Drupada said: -
22. O hero, take the hand of my daughter you yourself in all due rites. Or give Krishna in marriage to him whom you please.
Yudhishthira said: -
23. O king, Draupadi shall be the queen of all of us. O great king, it has been thus ordered by our mother.
24. I am still unmarried, so is the Pandavas Bhimasena. Your jewel of a daughter has been won by Partha.
25. O king, this is our rule that we must equally enjoy a jewel that we obtain. O excellent king, we are not willing now to break that rule.
26. Krishna shall be the wedded queen of all of us. Let her take our hands before the fire one after the other according to our age.
Drupada said: -
27. O descendant of Kuru, it is ordained that a husband can have many wives, but we have never heard that a wife can have many husbands.
28. O son of Kunti, pure as you are and acquainted with the rules of morality, you should not commit an act that is sinful and opposed both to the Vedas and usage. Why has your understanding come to be so?
Yudhishthira said: -
29. O great king, morality is subtle, we do not know its course. Let us therefore follow the path trod by the illustrious men of former ages.
30. My tongue never utters an untruth; my mind never turns to that which is sinful. It has been commanded by our mother and my mind also approves of it.
31. O king, it is certainly comfortable to virtue. Therefore, act accordingly without any scruple. O king, do not entertain any fear in this matter.
Drupada said: -
32. O son of Kunti, my son Dhrishtaduymna, Kunti and you yourself, these three settle amongst yourselves as to what should be done. I shall do what is proper tomorrow.
Vaishampayana said: -
33. O descendant of Bharata, 0 king, thereupon those three (Kunti, Yudhishthira and Dhrishtaduymna) discoursed on this matter; and at that very time Dvaipayana came there (wandering over the world) at pleasure.
Thus ends the hundred and ninety seventh chapter, the arrival of Dwaipayana, in the Vaivahika of the Adi Parva.
Vaishampayana said: -
1. Thereupon all the Pandavas and the illustrious Panchala king and all others stood up; and they saluted the illustrious Krishna (Dvaipayana).
2. The high-souled (Rishi) saluted them in return and inquired after their welfare; he then sat down on a holy carpet made of gold.
3. Commanded by the immeasurable energetic Krishna (Dvaipayana), those foremost of men all sat down on costly seats.
4. Thereupon a moment after the son of Prishata in sweet words asked that illustrious man about the marriage of Draupadi.
Drupada said: -
5. O illustrious one, how can one women become the wife of many men without being defiled by sin. Tell me truly all this in detail.
Vyasa said: -
6. O king, this, being opposed to both usage and the Vedas, has become obsolete. I desire to hear what is the opinion of each of you in this matter.
Drupada said: -
7. In my opinion this practice is sinful, because it is opposed to both the usage and the Vedas. O best of the twice bom, there is nowhere a wife with many husbands.
8. The illustrious men of former ages had never such an usage amongst them. The wise should never commit a sin.
9. I can therefore never make up my mind to act in this way. The practice appears to me to be of doubtful morality.
Dhristadyumna said: -
10. O best of the twice bom, O ascetic Rishi, O Brahmana, how can the elder brother, if he is at all of good character, can approach the wife of his younger brother?
11. The ways of morality are always subtle. Therefore, we do not know them. We cannot, therefore, say what is comfortable to virtue and what is not.
12. We cannot therefore perform such an act with a safe mind. O Brahmana, I can never say, “Let Krishna be the wife of five (husbands).
Yudhishthira said: -
13. My tongue never utters an untruth and my heart never turns to sin. When my heart approves it, it can never be sinful.
14. I have heard in the Puranas that a lady of the Gautama race named Jatila, the foremost of all virtuous women, married seven Rishis (altogether.)
15. So also the daughter of an ascetic married ten brothers, all of them bearing the same name of Prachetas and all of their souls were exalted by asceticism.
16. O foremost of all men learned in the precepts of virtue, it is a cardinal virtue. Of all superiors the mother is the foremost.
17. She has commanded us, saying “Enjoy all of you that which you have obtained.” O best of the twice bom, it is therefore I consider this act to be virtuous.
Kunti said: -
18. It is so as the virtuous Yudhishthira has said. I am in great fear lest my words become untrue. How shall I be saved from untruth?
Vyasa said: -
19. O amiable one, you shall be saved from untruth. This is eternal virtue. O Panchala king, I will not talk on this matter before you all. You alone will hear it.
20. (I shall tell you) how this practice has been established and why it is to be regarded as old and eternal. There is no doubt that what the son of Kunti, Yudhishthira, has said is quite conformable to virtue.
Vaishampayana said: -
21. Thereupon rose the illustrious Vyasa, the lord Dvaipayana; and taking hold of Drupada’s hand he went into the palace.
22. The Pandavas, Kunti and the descendant of Prishata Dhrishtaduymna, waited in that place for those two (Vyasa and Drupada).
23. Thereupon Dvaipayana explained to that illustrious king how the marriage of one wife with many husbands is conformable to virtue.
Thus ends the hundred and ninety eighth chapter, the words of Vyasa, in the Vaivahika of the Adi Parva.