all Nagas, as Airavata is the foremost of all elephants, as the son is the foremost of all beloved objects, and lastly, as the wife is the best of all friends, so, O Vrikodara, is the youthful Gudakesa, the foremost of all bowmen.  And O Bharata, what office will be performed by Vibhatsu, the wielder of Gandiva, whose car is drawn by white horses, and who is not inferior to Indra or Vasudeva Himself?  What office will be performed by Arjuna who, dwelling for five years in the abode of the thousand-eyed Deity (Indra) shining in celestial lustre, acquired by his own energy the science of superhuman arms with all celestial weapons, and whom I regard as the tenth Rudra, the thirteenth Aditya, the ninth Vasu, and the tenth Graha, whose arms, symmetrical and long, have the skin hardened by constant strokes of the bowstring and cicatrices which resemble those on the humps of bulls,—­that foremost of warriors who is as Himavat among mountains, the ocean among expanses of water, Sakra among the celestial, Havyavaha (fire) among the Vasus, the tiger among beasts, and Garuda among feathery tribes!’

“Arjuna replied, ’O lord of the Earth, I will declare myself as one of the neuter sex.  O monarch, it is, indeed difficult to hide the marks of the bowstring on my arms.  I will, however, cover both my cicatrized arms with bangles.  Wearing brilliant rings on my ears and conch-bangles on my wrists and causing a braid to hang down from my head, I shall, O king, appear as one of the third sex, Vrihannala by name.  And living as a female I shall (always) entertain the king and the inmates of the inner apartments by reciting stories.  And, O king, I shall also instruct the women of Virata’s palace in singing and delightful modes of dancing and in musical instruments of diverse kinds.  And I shall also recite the various excellent acts of men and thus conceal myself, O son of Kunti, by feigning disguise.  And, O Bharata should the king enquire, I will say that, I lived as a waiting maid of Draupadi in Yudhishthira’s palace.  And, O foremost of kings, concealing myself by this means, as fire is concealed by ashes, I shall pass my days agreeably in the palace of Virata.’”

Vaisampayana continued, “Having said this, Arjuna, that best of men and foremost of virtuous persons, became silent.  Then the king addressed another brother of his."[2]

    [2] This speech of Vaisampayana is not included in some texts
    within the second section.  To include it, however, in the third,
    is evidently a mistake.

SECTION III

“Yudhishthira said, ’Tender, possessed of a graceful presence, and deserving of every luxury as thou art, what office wilt thou, O heroic Nakula, discharge while living in the dominions of that king?  Tell me all about it!’