Chapter 83: Draupadî Meets the Queens of Krishna

(1) S'rî S'uka said: 'The Supreme Lord, the spiritual master and goal of the gopîs, this way showing His favor, then met with Yudhishthhira and the rest of His relatives and inquired after their welfare. (2) They, who from seeing His feet were freed from their sinful reactions, felt thus questioned by the Lord of the World very honored and replied gladly: (3) 'How can inauspiciousness arise for those who of Your lotuslike feet ever drank the intoxicating nectar that is poured out by the minds and mouths of the great souls? How can they who with the drinking cups of their ears drank to their fill not experience the happiness, o Master, o Destroyer of the forgetfulness about the Creator of one's bodily existence? (4) Indeed are we by the light of Your personal form released from the bonds of the three states of material consciousness [wakefulness, dreaming and sleeping] and are we, totally immersed, of spiritual happiness in having bowed down to You, the goal of the perfected saints [the paramahamsas] who by the power of Your illusion has assumed this form for the protection of the unlimited and ever fresh vedic knowledge that is threatened by time.' 

(5) The great sage said: 'As His people were thus glorifying the crest jewel of all personalities hailed by the scriptures, met the women of the Andhaka and Kaurava clans to discuss with each other the topics of Govinda sung in the three worlds; please listen as I describe them to you. (6-7) S'rî Draupadî said: 'O Vaidarbhî [Rukminî], Bhadrâ, Jâmbavatî and Kaus'alâ [Nâgnajitî]; o Satyabhâmâ, Kâlindî, S'aibyâ [Mitravindâ], Rohinî [see foonote* and 10.61*] and Lakshmanâ [Mâdrâ] and other wives of Krishna, please tell us how it came to pass that Acyuta, the Supreme Lord Himself, who by the grace of His mystic power lived the way one lives in the world, got married to you?' 

(8) S'rî Rukminî said: 'Like a lion taking his share from a herd of goats and sheep, took He who puts the dust of His feet upon the heads of invincible fighters, me away when the kings with their bows were about to offer me to S'is'upâla; may the feet of Him, the abode of S'rî, be my object of worship [see 10.52-54].' 

(9) S'rî Satyabhâmâ said: 'To my father whose heart was distressed with the death of his brother, gave He, being accused, to clear His name, the jewel back after defeating the king of the bears [Jâmbavân]; afraid because of this offered my father me to the Lord even though I was spoken for [see 10.56].' 

(10) S'rî Jâmbavatî said: 'The maker of this body unaware of Him, the Husband of Sîtâ, as being his master and worshipable deity, fought for twenty-seven days with Him. Having come to his senses recognizing Him he presented me together with the jewel taking hold of His feet; I'm His maid-servant [see also 10.56].'

(11) S'rî Kâlindî said: 'Knowing that I with the desire of touching His feet was executing penances, came He together with His friend [Arjuna] and took He my hand; I am the one cleaning His residence [10.58: 12-23].' 

(12) S'rî Mitravindâ said: 'During my svayamvara coming forward stole He me away the way the enemy of the elephants [a lion] claims his share from a pack of dogs; after defeating the kings and my brothers insulting Him, took He me to His capital where S'rî resides; may there for me, life after life, be the service of washing His feet [10.58: 31].'

(13-14) S'rî Satyâ said: 'Seven great bulls most strong and vital with the sharpest horns, by my father arranged to test the prowess of the kings, destroyed the pride of the heroes; but they were quickly subdued and tied up by Him with the ease of children playing with young goats. This way paying for me with His valor took He me, protected by maid-servants, with Him, with an army of four divisions along the road defeating the kings; may there be my servitude to Him [10.58: 32-55].' 

(15-16) S'rî Bhadrâ said: 'With me in love with Him, o Krishnâ [Draupadî], invited my father on his own accord my maternal cousin Krishna and gave he me to Him together with a retinue of female companions and a military escort of one akshauhini; may there for me, birth after birth wandering because of my karma, be that betterment of myself in touching His feet [10.58: 56].'

(17) S'rî Lakshmanâ said: 'O Queen, time and again hearing Nârada glorifying Acyuta's births and activities became my heart fixed upon Mukunda, He who after due consideration in rejection of the rulers of the world, indeed was chosen by her [the goddess S'rî] holding the lotus. (18) My father known as Brihatsena, o saintly lady, knowing of my state of mind arranged out of his love for his daughter a means to this end. (19)  Just as in your svayamvara, o Queen, was a fish used [hung high as a target] that had to be won by Arjuna. Hidden from sight however, could it only be seen as a reflection in water [in a pot below]. (20) Hearing about this came from everywhere all the kings expert in the art of shooting arrows and wielding other weapons to my father's city along with their thousands of teachers. (21) My father honored all of them in full, each according his strength and age, after which they who had set their minds upon me in the assembly took up their bow and arrow to take a shot. (22) Some of them after lifting [the bow] were unable to string it and some having pulled the bowstring failed because they were hit by it. (23) Other heroes, the kings of Magadha [Jarâsandha], Cedi [S'is'upâla] and Ambashthha as well as Bhîma, Duryodhana and Karna, managed to string the bow but couldn't determine the target's location. (24) Arjuna did manage to locate it and took, as he aimed carefully while looking at the reflection of the fish in the water, a shot, but the arrow didn't hit the target, it brushed it only. (25-26) When the kings defeated in their pride had given up, managed the Supreme Lord, playfully taking up the bow, stringing it and then fixing an arrow on it, to pierce with a single look in the water the fish with His arrow at the moment the sun was situated in Abhijit [in 'victory', or at noon]. (27) Kettledrums resounded in the sky together with the sounds of 'jaya' of the godly on earth who overwhelmed by joy released torrents of flowers. (28) Next did I, with a shy smile on my face and a wreath of flowers in my hair, enter the arena with gently tinkling ankle bells on my feet, a necklace of gold with brilliant jewels around my neck and a pair of fine silken, new garments held together by a belt. (29) Lifting my face with its many locks of hair all around and my cheeks effulgent of the earrings, looked I all around at the kings. With a cool smile casting sidelong glances placed I slowly my necklace around the neck of Murâri who had captured my heart. (30) At that moment resounded conchshells, mridangas, tabors, kettle drums and wardrums and such, and sang the singers while male and female dancers danced. (31) The choice I thus made for the Supreme Lord as my master was for the leading kings not acceptable o Draupadî, upset with a heart filled with abuse they became quarrelsome.  (32) Faced with that situation lifted He me in the chariot with its four excellent horses and stood He, preparing His S'ârnga and donning His armor, firm to deliver battle with His four arms [displayed in full]. (33) Dâruka drove the chariot that was trimmed with gold o Queen, while the kings were looking on as if they were little animals daunted by the lion king. (34) The kings, like village dogs with a lion, went after Him. Some of them then tried to stop Him in His course by raising their bows against Him. (35) From the floods of arrows shot from S'ârnga fell some of them with their arms, legs and necks severed, while some others, gave it up and fled. (36) Then entered the Lord of the Yadus, like the sun reaching its abode [or the western horizon], Dvârakâ, His city that is glorified in heaven and on earth, and was profusely decorated with wonderful archways and banners on flagpoles that blocked the sun. (37) My father honored his friends, immediate relations and other family members with the most valuable clothing and jewelry and with beds, thrones and other furniture. (38) Out of devotion presented he the Lord of the Complete [Pûrnasya] the most valuable weapons, along with maidservants endowed with all riches, infantry, elephantry, chariotry and cavalry. (39) By doing penances with the abrupt breaking off of our material bonds have we all become the maidservants of His household, of Him the One Satisfied Within Himself.'

(40) The other queens said [through Rohinî]: 'He met us after He in battle had killed the demon Bhauma and his followers. We who have been defeated and imprisoned by the demon are the daughters of the kings Bhauma defeated during his conquest of the earth. After our release have we constantly remembered His lotus feet as the source of liberation from a material existence, and has He, the One whose Wishes are All Fulfilled, married us. (41-42) O saintly lady, we do not desire rulership over the earth, a heavenly kingdom, unlimited pleasures even or mystic power, to be the supreme divinity, immortality or the abode of Hari, we desire to carry on our heads the dust of the divine feet of the Wielder of the Club that is enriched with the fragrance of the kunkuma from the bosom of S'rî [see also 10.47: 60, ** and the S'rî S'rî S'ikshâshthaka verse 4]. (43) We desire the same as what the Pulinda women [the gopîs] desire, as what the grass and the plants and the grazing cows and the gopas of Vraja desire: to be touched by the feet of the Supreme Soul.'