ourable
to the wishes of Sakuni in odds and evens, I could have controlled my
mind. Anger, however, driveth off a person's patience. O child, the mind
cannot be kept under control when it is influenced by hauteur, vanity, or
pride. I do not reproach thee, O Bhimasena, for the words thou usest. I
only regard that what hath befallen us was pre-ordained. When king
Duryodhana, the son of Dhritarashtra, coveting our kingdom, plunged us
into misery and even slavery, then, O Bhima, it was Draupadi that rescued
us. When summoned again to the assembly for playing once more, thou
knowest as well as Arjuna what Dhritarashtra's son told me, in the
presence of all the Bharatas, regarding the stake for which we were to
play. His words were, O prince Ajatsatru, (if vanquished), thou shalt
have with all thy brothers, to dwell, to the knowledge of all men, for
twelve years in the forest of thy choice, passing the thirteenth year in
secrecy. If during the latter period, the spies of the Bharatas, hearing
of thee, succeed in discovering thee, thou shalt have again to live in
the forest for the same period, passing once more the last year in
secrecy. Reflecting upon this, pledge thyself to it. As regards myself, I
promise truly in this assembly of the Kurus, that if thou canst pass this
time confounding my spies and undiscovered by them, then, O Bharata, this
kingdom of the five rivers is once more thine. We also, O Bharata, if
vanquished by thee, shall, all of us, abandoning all our wealth, pass the
same period, according to the same rules. Thus addressed by the prince, I
replied unto him in the midst of all the Kurus, 'So be it!' The wretched
game then commenced. We were vanquished and have been exiled. It is for
this that we are wandering miserably over different woody regions
abounding with discomfort. Suyodhana, however, still dissatisfied, gave
himself up to anger, and urged the Kurus as also all those under his sway
to express their joy at our calamity. Having entered into such an
agreement in the presence of all good men, who dareth break it for the
sake of a kingdom on earth? For a respectable person, I think, even death
itself is lighter than the acquisition of sovereignty by an act of
transgression. At the time of the play, thou hadst desired to burn my
hands. Thou wert prevented by Arjuna, and accordingly didst only squeeze
thy own hands. If thou couldst do what thou hadst desired, could this
calamity befall us? Conscious of thy