ally arranged, adorned with garlands,
and filled with fragrance. And those mighty monarchs of men all came to
that place. And on the seats in front sat the two kings Virata and
Drupada. And the revered and aged rulers of the earth, and Valarama and
Krishna along with their father, all sat there. And close to the king of
Panchala was seated the great hero of the race of Sini, together with the
son of Rohini. And side by side with the king of the Matsya sat Krishna
and Yudhishthira, and all the sons of king Drupada, and Bhima and Arjuna,
and the two sons of Madri, and Pradyumna and Samva, both valiant in
battle, and Abhimanyu with Virata's sons. And those princes, the sons of
Draupadi, rivalling their fathers in valour, strength, grace, and
prowess, sat upon excellent seats inlaid with gold. And when those mighty
heroes wearing shining ornaments and robes had set themselves down, that
gorgeous assembly of kings looked beautiful like the firmament spangled
with resplendent stars. And those valiant men, assembled together, having
conversed with one another upon various topics, remained for some time in
a pensive mood, with their eyes fixed upon Krishna. And at the end of
their talk, Krishna drew their attention to the affairs of the Pandavas.
And those powerful kings together listened to Krishna's speech, pregnant
and lofty. And Krishna said, 'It is known to you all, how this
Yudhishthira was deceitfully defeated at dice by the son of Suvala, and
how he was robbed of his kingdom and how a stipulation was made by him
concerning his exile in the forest. And capable as they were of
conquering the earth by force, the sons of Pandu remained firm in their
plighted faith. And accordingly for six and seven years these
incomparable men accomplished the cruel task imposed upon them. And this
last, the thirteenth year, was exceedingly hard for them to pass. Yet
unrecognised by any one they have passed it, as known to you, suffering
unendurable hardships of various kinds. This is known to you all. These
illustrious men have spent the thirteenth year, employed in menial
service of others. This being so, it is for you to consider what will be
for the good of both Yudhishthira and Duryodhana, and what, as regards
the Kurus and the Pandavas, will be consistent with the rules of
righteousness and propriety and what will meet with the approbation of
all. The virtuous king Yudhishthira would not unrighteously covet even
the celestial kingdom. B