laimed, 'Well done!' 'Well done!' and
censured Kichaka. And the courtiers said, 'That person who owneth this
large-eyed lady having every limb of hers endued with beauty for his
wife, possesseth what is of exceeding value and hath no occasion to
indulge in any grief. Surely, such a damsel of transcendent beauty and
limbs perfectly faultless is rare among men. Indeed, it seems to us that
she is a goddess.'"

Vaisampayana continued, "And while the courtiers, having beheld Krishna
(under such circumstances), were applauding her thus, Yudhishthira's
forehead, from ire, became covered with sweat. And that bull of the Kuru
race then addressed that princess, his beloved spouse, saying, 'Stay not
here, O Sairindhri; but retire to the apartments of Sudeshna. The wives
of heroes bear affliction for the sake of their husbands, and undergoing
toil in ministering unto their lords, they at last attain to region
where their husbands may go. Thy Gandharva husbands, effulgent as the
sun, do not, I imagine, consider this as an occasion for manifesting
their wrath, inasmuch as they do not rush to thy aid. O _Sairindhri_,
thou art ignorant of the timeliness of things, and it is for this that
thou weepest as an actress, besides interrupting the play of dice in
Matsya's court. Retire, O _Sairindhri_; the Gandharvas will do what is
agreeable to thee. And they will surely display thy woe and take the
life of him that hath wronged thee.' Hearing these words the
_Sairindhri_ replied, 'They of whom I am the wedded wife are, I ween,
extremely kind. And as the eldest of them all is addicted to dice, they
are liable to be oppressed by all.'"

Vaisampayana continued, "And having said this, the fair-hipped Krishna
with dishevelled hair and eyes red in anger, ran towards the apartments
of Sudeshna. And in consequence of having wept long her face looked
beautiful like the lunar disc in the firmament, emerged from the clouds.
And beholding her in that condition, Sudeshna asked, 'Who, O beauteous
lady, hath insulted thee? Why, O amiable damsel, dost thou weep? Who,
gentle one, hath done thee wrong? Whence is this thy grief?' Thus
addressed, Draupadi said, 'As I went to bring wine for thee, Kichaka
struck me in the court in the very presence of the king, as if in the
midst of a solitary wood.' Hearing this, Sudeshna said, 'O thou of
tresses ending in beautiful curls, as Kichaka, maddened by lust hath
insulted thee that art incapable of being possessed by