SECTION XXVII

Vaisampayana said, “Exiled to the woods the sons of Pritha with Krishna seated in the evening, conversed with one another afflicted with sorrow and grief.  And the handsome and well informed Krishna dear unto her lords and devoted to them, thus spake unto Yudhishthira, Then sinful, cruel, and wicked-minded son of Dhritarashtra certainly feeleth no sorrow for us, when, O king, that evil-hearted wretch having sent thee with myself into the woods dressed in deer-skin feeleth no regret!  The heart of that wretch of evil deeds must surely be made of steel when he could at that time address thee, his virtuous eldest brother, in words so harsh!  Having brought thee who deservest to enjoy every happiness and never such woe, into such distress, alas, that wicked-minded and sinful wretch joyeth with his friends!  O Bharata, when dressed in deer-skin thou hast set out for the woods, only four persons, O monarch, viz., Duryodhana, Karna, the evil-minded Sakuni, and Dussasana that bad and fierce brother of Duryodhana, did not shed tears!  With the exception of these, O thou best of the Kurus, all other Kurus filled with sorrow shed tears from their eyes!  Beholding this thy bed and recollecting what thou hadst before, I grieve, O king, for thee who deservest not woe and hast been brought up in every luxury!  Remembering that seat of ivory in thy court, decked with jewels and beholding this seat of kusa grass, grief consumeth me, O king!  I saw thee, O king, surrounded in thy court by kings!  What peace can my heart know in not beholding thee such now?  I beheld thy body, effulgent as the sun, decked with sandal paste!  Alas, grief depriveth me of my senses in beholding thee now besmeared with mud and dirt!  I saw thee before, O king, dressed in silken clothes of pure white!  But I now behold thee dressed in rags?  Formerly, O king, pure food of every kind was carried from thy house on plates of gold for Brahmanas by thousands!  And, O king, food also of the best kind was formerly given by thee unto ascetics both houseless and living in domesticity!  Formerly, living in dry mansion thou hadst ever filled with food of every kind plates by thousands, and worshipped the Brahmanas gratifying every wish of theirs!  What peace, O king, can my heart know in not beholding all this now?  And, O great king, these thy brothers, endued with youth and decked with ear-rings, were formerly fed by cook with food of the sweet flavour and dressed with skill!  Alas, O king, I now behold them all, so undeserving of woe, living in the woods and upon what the wood may yield!  My heart, O King knoweth no peace!  Thinking of this Bhimasena living in sorrow in the woods, doth not thy anger blaze up, even though it is time?  Why doth not thy anger, O king, blaze up upon beholding the illustrious Bhimasena who ever performeth everything unaided, so fallen into distress, though deserving of every happiness?  Why, O king,