“Vaisampayana continued, ’Then the high-souled Virata, delighted greatly, approached king Yudhishthira and made an alliance with him, and offered him his whole kingdom together with the sceptre and treasury and metropolis.  And addressing all the Pandavas, and especially Dhananjaya, the mighty king of the Matsyas repeatedly said, ’By good luck it is that I see you.’  And having again and again embraced Yudhishthira and Bhima and the sons of Madri, and smelt their heads, Virata, that owner of a large army, was not satiated with gazing at them.  And being highly pleased, he said unto king Yudhishthira, ’By good luck it is that I see you safe from woods.  By good luck it is that ye have accomplished with difficulty the period of exile, undiscovered by those wicked wights.  I make over my entire kingdom to the sons of Pritha, and what else I have.  Let the sons of Pandu accept these without the slightest hesitation.  And let Dhananjaya, called also Savyasachin, accept the hand of Uttara:  for that best of men is fit to be her lord.’  Thus addressed, king Yudhishthira the just cast a look upon Dhananjaya, the son of Pritha.  And looked at by his brother, Arjuna said unto the Matsya king, ’O monarch, I accept thy daughter as my daughter-in-law.  And alliance of this kind between the Matsya and the Bharatas is, indeed, desirable.’”

SECTION LXXII

“Virata said, ’Why, O best among the Pandavas, dost thou not wish to accept as wife this my daughter that I bestow upon thee?’

“Arjuna said, ’Residing in thy inner apartments, I had occasion always to behold thy daughter, and she too, alone or in company trusted me as her father.  Well-versed in singing and dancing, I was liked and regarded by her, and, indeed, thy daughter always regardeth me as her protector.  O king, I lived for one whole year with her though she had attained the age of puberty.  Under these circumstances, thyself or other men may not without reason, entertain suspicions against her or me.  Therefore, O king, myself who am pure, and have my senses under control, beg to thee, O monarch, thy daughter as my daughter-in-law.  Thus do I attest her purity.  There is no difference between a daughter-in-law and a daughter, as also between a son and son’s own-self.  By adopting this course, therefore, her purity will be proved.  I am afraid of slanderous and false accusations.  I accept, therefore, O king, thy daughter Uttara as my daughter-in-law.  Surpassing all in knowledge of weapons, resembling a celestial youth in beauty, my son, the mighty-armed Abhimanyu is the favourite nephew of Vasudeva, the wielder of the discus.  He, O king, is fit to be thy son-in-law and the husband of thy daughter.’

“Virata said, ’It behoveth the best of the Kurus, Dhananjaya, the son of Kunti, who is so virtuous and wise, to say this.  O son of Pritha, do thou carry out what thou thinkest should be done after this.  He that hath Arjuna for the father of his son-in-law, hath all his desires gratified.’