Text 8] The Pandavas Retire Timely 775
PURPORT

Draupadi was the most beautiful daughter of King Drupada, and when
she was a young girl almost all the princes desired her hand. But Drupada
Maharaja decided to hand over his daughter to Arjuna only and therefore
contrived a peculiar way. There was a fish hanging on the inner roof of the
house under the protection of a wheel. The condition was that out of the
princely order, one must be able to pierce the fish’s eyes through the wheel
of protection, and no one would be allowed to look up at the target. On
the ground there was a water pot in which the target and wheel were
reflected, and one had to fix his aim towards the target by looking at the
trembling water in the pot. Maharaja Drupada well knew that only Arjuna
or alternately Karna could successfully carry out the plan. But still he
wanted to hand his daughter to Arjuna. And in the assembly of the
princely order, when Dhrstadyumna, the brother of Draupadi, introduced
all the princes to his grown-up sister, Karna was also present in the game.
But Draupadi tactfully avoided Karna as the rival of Arjuna, and she
expressed her desire through her brother Dhrstadyumna that she was
unable to accept anyone who was less than a ksatriya. The vaisyas and the
Siidras are less important than the ksatriyas. Karna was known as a son of
a carpenter, who is a sidra. So Draupadi avoided Karna by this plea. When
Arjuna, in the dress of a poor brahmana, pierced the difficult target, every-
one was astonished, and all of them, especially Karna, offered a stiff fight
to Arjuna, but as usual by the grace of Lord Krsna he was able to emerge
very successful in the princely fight and thus gain the valuable hand of
Krsna,or Draupadi. Arjuna was lamentingly remembering the incidence in
the absence of the Lord by whose strength only he was so powerful.

TEXT 8

THATALY GNSTAAYSAT-

fieg saree Teen fafaet |
TUT TWA WIHAANITAT

Pave SETATTM TATA 116 Ul

yat-sannidhav aham ukhandavam agnaye ‘dam
indram ca samara-ganam tarasa vijitya

labdha sabha maya-krtadbhuta-silpa-maya
digbhyo ’haran nrpatayo balim adhvare te
