ma too was of the
same mind, but Yudhishthir would not be moved from his plighted word.

The great _rishi_ Vyasa came to visit Yudhishthir, and advised Arjun,
great archer as he was, to acquire celestial arms by penance and
worship. Arjun followed the advice, met the god SIVA in the guise
of a hunter, pleased him by his prowess in combat, and obtained his
blessings and the _pasupata_ weapon. Arjun then went to INDRA'S
heaven and obtained other celestial arms.

In the meanwhile Duryodhan, not content with sending his cousins to
exile, wished to humiliate them still more by appearing before them
in all his regal power and splendour. Matters how ever turned out
differently from what he expected, and he became involved in a
quarrel with some _gandharvas_, a class of aerial beings. Duryodhan
was taken captive by them, and it was the Pandav brothers who
released him from his captivity, and allowed him to return to his
kingdom in peace. This act of generosity rankled in his bosom and
deepened his hatred.

Jayadratha, king of the Sindhu or Indus country, and a friend and
ally of Duryodhan, came to the woods, and in the absence of the
Pandav brothers carried off Draupadi. The Pandavs however pursued the
king, chastised him for his misconduct, and rescued Draupadi.

Still more interesting than these various incidents are the tales and
legends with which this book is replete. Great saints came to see
Yudhishthir in his exile, and narrated to him legends of ancient
times and of former kings. One of these beautiful episodes, the tale
of Nala and Damayanti, has been translated into graceful English
verse by Dean Milman, and is known to many English readers. The
legend of Agastya who drained the ocean dry; of Parasu-Rama a
Brahman who killed the Kshatriyas of the earth; of Bhagiratha who
brought down the Ganges from the skies to the earth; of Manu and the
universal deluge; of Vishnu and various other gods; of Rama and his
deeds which form the subject of the Epic _Ramayana_;--these and
various other legends have been inter woven in the account of the
forest-life of the Pandavs, and make it a veritable storehouse of
ancient Hindu tales and traditions.

Among these various legends and tales I have selected one which is
singular and striking. The great truth proclaimed under the thin
guise of an eastern allegory is that a True Woman's Love is not
conquered by Death. The story is known by Hindu women high and low,
rich and poor, in