“Yudhishthira replied, ’Ye sons of the Kuru race, ye bulls among men, hear what I shall do on appearing before king Virata.  Presenting myself as a Brahmana, Kanka by name, skilled in dice and fond of play, I shall become a courtier of that high-souled king.  And moving upon chess-boards beautiful pawns made of ivory, of blue and yellow and red and white hue, by throws of black and red dice, I shall entertain the king with his courtiers and friends.  And while I shall continue to thus delight the king, nobody will succeed in discovering me.  And should the monarch ask me, I shall say, Formerly I was the bosom friend of Yudhishthira.  I tell you that it is thus that I shall pass my days (in the city of Virata).  What office wilt thou, O Vrikodara, fill in the city of Virata?’”

SECTION II

“Bhima said, ’I intend to present myself before the lord of Virata as a cook bearing the name of Vallava.  I am skilled in culinary art, and I shall prepare curries for the king, and excelling all those skilful cooks that had hitherto dressed his food I shall gratify the monarch.  And I shall carry mighty loads of wood.  And witnessing that mighty feat, the monarch will be pleased.  And, O Bharata, beholding such superhuman feats of mine, the servants of the royal household will honour me as a king.  And I shall have entire control over all kinds of viands and drinks.  And commanded to subdue powerful elephants and mighty bulls, I will do as bidden.  And if any combatants will fight with me in the lists, then will I vanquish them, and thereby entertain the monarch.  But I shall not take the life of any of them.  I shall only bring them down in such way that they may not be killed.  And on being asked as regards my antecedent I shall say that—­Formerly I was the wrestler and cook of Yudhishthira. Thus shall I, O king, maintain myself.’

“Yudhishthira said, ’And what office will be performed by that mighty descendant of the Kurus, Dhananjaya, the son of Kunti, that foremost of men possessed of long arms, invincible in fight, and before whom, while he was staying with Krishna, the divine Agni himself desirous of consuming the forest of Khandava had formerly appeared in the guise of a Brahmana?  What office will be performed by that best of warriors, Arjuna, who proceeded to that forest and gratified Agni, vanquishing on a single car and slaying huge Nagas and Rakshasas, and who married the sister of Vasuki himself, the king of the Nagas?  Even as the sun is the foremost of all heat-giving bodies, as the Brahmana is the best of all bipeds, as the cobra is the foremost of all serpents, as Fire is the first of all things possessed of energy, as the thunderbolt is the foremost of all weapons, as the humped bull is the foremost of all animals of the bovine breed, as the ocean is the foremost of all watery expanses, as clouds charged with rain are the foremost of all clouds, as Ananta is the first of