i
disregarded these lamentations of her sons. Then Draupadi with a
cheerless face, accompanied by Subhadra, followed her weeping
mother-in-law who was journeying on from desire of going into the woods.
Possessed of great wisdom and firmly resolved on retirement from the
world, the blessed dame walked on, frequently looking at her weeping
children. The Pandavas, with all their wives and servitors, continued to
follow her. Restraining then her tears, she addressed her children in
these words.'"

SECTION XVII

"'Kunti said, "It is even so, O mighty-armed son of Pandu, as thou sayest.
Ye kings, formerly when ye were cheerless, it was even in this way that I
excited you all. Yes, seeing that your kingdom was wrested from you by a
match at dice, seeing that you all fell from happiness, seeing that you
were domineered over by kinsmen, I instilled courage and high thoughts
into your minds. Ye foremost of men, I encouraged you in order that they
that were the sons of Pandu might not be lost, in order that their fame
might not be lost. You are all equal to Indra. Your prowess resembles
that of the very gods. In order that you might not live, watching the
faces of others, I acted in that way.[34] I instilled courage into thy
heart in order that thou who art the foremost of all righteous persons,
who art equal to Vasava, might not again go into the woods and live in
misery. I instilled courage into your hearts in order that this Bhima who
is possessed of the strength of ten thousand elephants and whose prowess
and manliness are widely known, might not sink into insignificance and
ruin. I instilled courage into your hearts in order that this Vijaya, who
was born after Bhimasena, and who is equal unto Vasava himself might not
be cheerless. I instilled courage into your hearts in order that Nakula
and Sahadeva, who are always devoted to their seniors, might not be
weakened and rendered cheerless by hunger. I acted in that way in order
that this lady of well-developed proportions and of large expansive eyes
might not endure the wrongs inflicted on her in the public hall without
being avenged. In the very sight of you all, O Bhima, Dussasana, through
folly, dragged her trembling all over like a plantain plant, during the
period of her functional illness, and after she had been won at dice, as
if she were a slave. All this was known to me. Indeed, the race of Pandu
had been subjugated (by foes). The Kurus, viz., my father-in-law and