Ashvatthama said, “With thyself among all men, O holy one, I shall live!  Let the words of this illustrious and foremost of men become true!”

Vaishampayana continued, “Drona’s son, then, having made over his gem to the high-souled Pandavas, cheerlessly proceeded, before their eyes, to the forest.  The Pandavas who had killed and chastised all their foes, placed Govinda and the island-born Krishna and the great ascetic Narada at their head, and taking the gem that was born with Ashvatthama, quickly came back to the intelligent Draupadi who was sitting in observance of the praya vow.

Those tigers among men, borne by their excellent steeds resembling the wing in fleetness, came back with him of Dasharha’s race to their encampment.  Speedily alighting from their cars, those great car-warriors, themselves much more afflicted, beheld, Drupada’s daughter Krishna afflicted with woe.  Approaching the cheerless princess stricken with sorrow and grief, the Pandavas with Keshava, sat round her.

Then the mighty Bhimasena, desired by the king, gave that celestial gem unto her and said these words:  “This gem, O amiable lady, is thine.  The slayer of thy sons hath been vanquished.  Rise, casting off thy sorrow, and recollect the duties of a kshatriya lady.  O thou of black eyes, when Vasudeva was about to set out (from Upaplavya) on his mission of peace, thou hadst, O timid lady, said even these words unto the slayer of Madhu, “I have no husbands!  I have no sons, nor brothers!  Nor art thou alive, O Govinda, since the king desires for peace!” Those bitter words were addressed by thee to Krishna, that foremost of persons!  It behoveth thee to recollect those words of thine that were so consistent with kshatriya usages.

The wretched Duryodhana, that obstacle on the way of our sovereignty, has been slain.  I have quaffed the blood of the living Duhshasana.  We have paid off the debt we owed to our enemy.  People, while talking, will not be able to censure us any longer.  Having vanquished Drona’s son, we have set him free for the sake of his being a brahmana and of the respect that should be shown to our deceased preceptor.  His fame hath been destroyed, O goddess, only his body remains!  He has been divested of his gem and on earth he has been reft of his weapons!”

Draupadi said, “I desired to only pay off our debt for the injury we have sustained.  The preceptor’s son is worthy of my reverence as the preceptor himself.  Let the king bind this gem on his head, O Bharata!” The king then, taking that gem, placed it on his head, at the desire of Draupadi and regarding it as a gift from the preceptor.  Holding on his head that excellent and celestial gem, the puissant king looked beautiful like a mountain with the moon above it.  Though stricken with grief on account of the death of her sons, the princess Draupadi, possessed of great mental strength, gave up her vow.  Then king Yudhishthira enquired of the mighty-armed Krishna, saying the following words.”