वैशम्पायन उवाच भ्रातृणां मतमाज्ञाय नारदस्य चधीमतः। पितामहसमंधौम्यं प्राह राजा युधिष्ठिरः॥
Vaishampayana said: Having ascertained the opinion of his brothers and that of the intelligent Narada, Yudhishthira thus spoke to the grandfather like Dhaumya.
मया स पुरुषव्याघ्रो जिष्णुः सत्यपराक्रमः। अस्त्रहेतोर्महाबाहुरमितात्मा विवासितः॥
Yudhishthira said : I have sent away for the acquisition of weapons, that foremost of men, that irresistibly powerful and the mighty-aried Vishnu (Arjuna) of immeasurable intelligence.
स हि वीरोऽनुरक्तश्च समर्थश्च तपोधनः। कृती च भृशमप्यस्त्रे वासुदेव इव प्रभुः॥
O ascetic, that hero (Arjuna) is devoted to me; he is able, he is well-skilled in weapons, he is like the lord Vasudeva (Krishna) himself.
अहं ह्येतावुभौ ब्रह्मन् कृष्णावरिविघातिनौ। अभिजानामि विक्रान्तौ तथा व्यासः प्रतापवान्॥
O Brahmana, I know them both, Krishna and Arjuna, those greatly powerful destroyers of enemies as much as the mighty Vyasa knows them.
त्रियुगौ पुण्डरीकाक्षौ वासुदेवधनंजयौ। नारदोऽपि तथा वेद योऽप्यशंसत् सदा मम॥
I know Vasudeva (Krishna) and Dhananjaya (Arjuna) to be none else than Vishnu himself of six attributes. Narada also knows them to be such, for he has always spoken so to me.
तथाहमपि जानामि नरनारायणावृषी। शक्तोऽयमित्यतो मत्वा मया स प्रेषितोऽर्जुनः॥ इन्द्रादनवरः शक्रं सुरसूनुः सुराधिपम्। द्रष्टुमस्त्राणि चादातुमिन्द्रादिति विवासितः॥ भीष्मद्रोणावतिरथौ कृपो द्रौणिश्च दुर्जयः। धृतराष्ट्रस्य पुत्रेण वृता युधि महारथाः॥
I also know them to be Rishis Nara and Narayana. Knowing him to be able, I have sent Arjuna away. He is not inferior to Indra and he is fully competent; I have sent him, that son of god (Arjuna) to see the king of the celestials and obtain weapons from him. Bhishma and Drona are mighty car-warriors; Kripa and the son of Drona are invincible. These great carwarriors have been installed by the son of Dhritarashtra (Duryodhana) in the command of his army.
सर्वे वेदविदः शूराः सर्वास्त्रविदुषस्तथा। योद्धुकामाश्च पार्थेन सततं ये महाबलाः। स च दिव्यास्त्रवित् कर्णः सूतपुत्रो महारथः॥
All of them are learned in the Vedas, all are heroic, all possess the knowledge of every weapon. Those greatly powerful heroes always eagerly desire to fight with Arjuna. Karna, the son of Suta, that great car-warrior, is well skilled in the celestials weapons.
योऽस्त्रवेगानिलबलः शरार्चिस्तलनिःस्वनः। रजोधूमोऽस्त्रसम्पातोधार्तराष्ट्रानिलोद्धतः॥ निसृष्ट इव कालेन युगान्ते ज्वलनो महान्। मम सैन्यमयं कक्षं प्रधक्ष्यति न संशयः॥
In respect of the impetus of his weapons, he possesses the strength of Vayu. He being a flame of fire, his arrows are its tongue. The dust (of the battle field) is its smoke and the slaps of his left hand cased in leather are the crackling of that flame. Urged by the son of Dhritarashtra, as the fire, urged by the wind, Karna, fix like the all consuming fire at the end of Yuga, sent forth by the destroyer death himself, will certainly consume my troops like straw.
तं स कृष्णानिलोद्भूतो दिव्यास्त्रज्वलनो महान्। श्वेतवाजिबलाकाभृद् गाण्डीवेन्द्रायुधोल्बणः॥ संरब्धः शरधाराभिः सुदीप्तं कर्णपावकम्। अर्जुनोदीरितो मेघः शमयिष्यति संयुगे॥ स साक्षादेव सर्वाणि शक्रात् परपुरंजयः। दिव्यान्यस्त्राणि बीभत्ससुस्ततश्च प्रतिपत्स्यते॥
Only that mass of clouds, namely Arjuna assisted by Krishna, who is like the powerful wind, his celestials weapons representing fearful lightning (in that cloud) his white steeds representing white cranes flying underneath (those clouds) his unbearable Gandiva representing the rainbow, (that Arjuna only) is capable of extinguishing that blazing flame, namely Karna, by means of the shower of his arrows shot with unflagging steadiness. That conqueror of hostile heroes, Vibhatsu (Arjuna) will certainly succeed in obtaining all the celestials weapons with their fullness and life from Indra.
अलं स तेषां सर्वेषामिति मेधीयते मतिः। नास्ति त्वतिकृतार्थानां रणेऽरीणां प्रतिक्रिया॥
In my opinion he alone is equal to them all; it is impossible otherwise to vanquish in battle all those foes who have all attained great success in all those purposes.
ते वयं पाण्डवं सर्वे गृहीतास्त्रमरिंदमम्। द्रष्टारो न हि बीभत्सुर्भारमुद्यम्य सीदति॥
We the Pandavas shall all see that chastiser of foes (Arjuna) fully equipped with celestials weapons, for Vibhatsu (Arjuna) (Arjuna) when undertaking a task never droops down under its weight.
वयं तु तमृते वीरं वनेऽस्मिन् द्विपदां वर। अवधानं न गच्छामः काम्यके सह कृष्णया।॥
In the absence of that hero, that foremost of men, we shall never have peace of mind with Krishna (Draupadi) in this forest of Kamyaka.
भवानन्यद् वनं साधु बह्वन्नं फलवच्छुचि। आख्यातु रामणीयं च सेवितं पुण्यकर्मभिः॥
Therefore, you, (O Rishis), speak of some other forest which is sacred and delightful and which abounds in fruits and food and which is inhabited by men of pious deeds,
यत्र कंचिद् वयं कालं वसन्तः सत्यविक्रमम्। प्रतीक्षामोऽर्जुनं वीरं वृष्टिकामा इवाम्बुदम्॥
And where we may pass some time waiting for the heroic and invincible Arjuna, as Chataka (bird) expects rain from the gathering clouds.
विविधानाश्रमान् कांश्चिद् द्विजातिभ्यः प्रतिश्रुतान्। सरांसि सरितश्चैव रमणीयांश्च पर्वतान्॥ आचक्ष्व न हि मे ब्रह्मन् रोचते तमृतेऽर्जुनम्। वनेऽस्मिन् काम्यके वासो गच्छामोऽन्यां दिशं प्रति॥
Tell us of various hermitages, lakes, rivers and beautiful mountains which are open to the twice-born. O Brahmana, in the absence of Arjuna, I do not like to live in this forest of Kamyaka We shall go somewhere else.