The Mahabharata of Krishna-Dwaipayana Vyasa Translated into English Prose: Virata Parva
Religion
The Mahabharata of Krishna-Dwaipayana Vyasa Translated into English Prose: Virata Parva
Epic literature, Sanskrit
Vaisampayana continued, "Agreeable to Arjuna's words, Uttara speedily
ordered the messengers, saying, 'Go ye and proclaim the king's victory.
The foe hath been routed, and the kine have been recovered.' And the
Matsya and the Bharata princes having thus consulted together
re-approached the same _Sami_ tree. And gratified with the victory they
had won, and arrived at the foot of the _Sami_ tree, they wore on their
persons and took up on their car the ornaments and robes they had left
there. And having vanquished the whole hostile army and recovered the
whole of the wealth from the Kurus, the heroic son of Virata returned to
the city with Vrihannala as his car-driver."
SECTION LXVII
Vaisampayana said, "Having speedily recovered his wealth Virata owning a
large army entered his city with a cheerful heart, accompanied by the
four Pandavas. And having vanquished the _Trigartas_ in battle and
recovered all the kine, that mighty monarch, along with the sons of
Pritha, looked resplendent and blazed forth in beauty. And as the brave
king, that enhancer of the joys of friends, was seated on his throne,
all his subjects headed by the Brahmanas stood before him. And
worshipped by them, the king of the Matsyas, at the head of his army,
saluted the Brahmanas and his subjects in return and dismissed them
cheerfully. And Virata, the king of the Matsyas owning a large army,
enquired after Uttara, saying, 'Where hath Uttara gone?' And the women
and the maidens of the palace and the other females living in the inner
apartments joyfully said unto him, 'Our kine having been seized by the
Kurus, Bhuminjaya incensed at this and from excess of bravery hath
issued forth alone with only Vrihannala as his second, for vanquishing
the six mighty car-warriors, Bhishma the son of Santanu, and Kripa, and
Karna, and Duryodhana, and Drona, and Drona's son who have all come with
the Kuru army.'"
Vaisampayana continued, "Then king Virata, hearing that his brave son
had gone forth with only one car and with Vrihannala as his car-driver,
became filled with grief, and addressing his chief counsellors, said,
'Without doubt, the Kauravas and other lords of earth, learning the
defeat of the Trigartas, will never keep their ground. Therefore, let
those of my warriors that have not been wounded by the _Trigartas_ go
out, accompanied by a mighty force, for the protection of Uttara.' And
saying this, the king speedily despatched, for the sake of his son,
horses and elephants and cars and a large number of foot-soldiers,
equipped and decked with various kinds of weapons and ornaments. And it
was thus that Virata, the king of the Matsyas, owning a large army,
quickly ordered out a large division consisting of four kinds of troops.
And having done this, he said, 'Learn ye, without loss of time whether
the prince liveth still or not! I myself think that he who hath got a
person of the neuter sex for his car-driver is not alive.'"
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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