“Yudhishthira answered, ’O Dhananjaya of Bharata’s race, do thou take up Panchali and carry her.  Just on emerging from this forest, we arrive at the city.’”

Vaisampayana continued, “Thereupon like the leader of a herd of elephants, Arjuna speedily took up Draupadi, and on coming to the vicinity of the city, let her down.  And on reaching the city, Ruru’s son (Yudhishthira), addressed Arjuna, saying, ’Where shall we deposit our weapons, before entering the city?  If, O child, we enter it with our weapons about us, we shall thereby surely excite the alarm of the citizens.  Further, the tremendous bow, the Gandiva, is known to all men, so that people will, without doubt, recognise us soon.  And if even one of us is discovered, we shall, according to promise, have to pass another twelve years in the forest.’

“Arjuna said, ’Hard by yon cemetery and near that inaccessible peak is a mighty Sami tree, throwing-about its gigantic branches and difficult to ascend.  Nor is there any human being, who, I think, O Pandu’s son, will espy us depositing our arms at that place.  That tree is in the midst of an out-of-the way forest abounding in beasts and snakes, and is in the vicinity of a dreary cemetery.  Stowing away our weapons on the Sami tree, let us, O Bharata, go to the city, and live there, free from anxiety!’”

Vaisampayana continued, “Having O bull of the Bharata race spoken thus to king Yudhishthira the just, Arjuna prepared to deposit the weapons (on the tree).  And that bull among the Kurus, then loosened the string of the large and dreadful Gandiva, ever producing thundering twang and always destructive of hostile hosts, and with which he had conquered, on a single car, gods and men and Nagas and swelling provinces.  And the warlike Yudhishthira, that represser of foes, unfastened the undecaying string of that bow with which he had defended the field of Kurukshetra.  And the illustrious Bhimasena unstrung that bow by means of which that sinless one had vanquished in fight the Panchalas and the lord of Sindhu, and with which, during his career of conquest, he had, single-handed, opposed innumerable foes, and hearing whose twang which was like unto the roar of the thunder or the splitting of a mountain, enemies always fly (in panic) from the field of battle.  And that son of Pandu of coppery complexion and mild speech who is endued with great prowess in the field, and is called Nakula in consequence of his unexampled beauty in the family, then unfastened the string of that bow with which he had conquered all the regions of the west.  And the heroic Sahadeva also, possessed of a mild disposition, then untied the string of that bow with which he had subjugated the countries of the south.  And with their bows, they put together their long and flashing swords, their precious quivers, and their arrows sharp as razors.  And Nakula ascended the tree, and deposited on it the bows and the other