Page:The Mahabharata of Krishna-Dwaipayana Vyasa (1884).djvu/479

beheld by me than that of these tigers among men (my brothers) asleep on the ground! Oh, the virtuous Yudhish-thira who deserveth the sovereignty of the three worlds sleepeth fatiguedd, like an ordinary man, on the bare ground! This Arjuna of darkish hue, like unto that of the clouds of heaven, and unequalled amongst men, sleepeth on the ground like an ordinary person! Oh, what can be more painful than this? Oh, the twins who in beauty are like the twin Aswinas amongst the celestials are asleep like the ordinary mortals on the bare ground! He who hath no jealous and evil-minded relatives, liveth in happiness in this world like a single tree in a village. The tree that standeth single in a village with its leaves and fruits, from absence of others of the same species, becometh sacred and is worshipped and venerated by all. They again that have many relatives but all heroic and virtuous, live happily in the world without sorrow of any kind. Themselves powerful and growing in prosperity and always gladdening their friends and relatives, they live depending on eachother like tall trees growing in the same forest. We, however, have been forced into exile by the wicked Dhrita-rashtra with his sons, having escaped with difficulty, from sheer good fortune, a fiery death. Having escaped from that fire we are now resting in the shade of this tree! Having already suffered so much, where now are we to go? Ye sons of Dhrita-rashtra of little fore-sight, ye wicked wights, enjoy your temporary success! The gods are certainly auspicious to ye! But ye wicked wretches, ye are alive yet only because Yudhish-thira doth not command me to take your lives! Else this very day, filled as I am with wrath, I would send thee, (Duryodhana) to the regions of Yama with thy children and friends and brothers, and Karna, and (Sakuni) the son of Suvala! But what can I do! For ye sinful wretches, the virtuous king Yudhish-thira—the eldest of the Pandavas—is not yet angry with ye!'

"Having said this, Bhima of mighty arms, fired by wrath, began to squeeze his palms, sighing deeply in affliction. Excited again in wrath like an extinguished fire blazing up all on a sudden, Vriko-dara once more beheld his brothers