reth a wicked wretch that hath disgraced his
wife, to live.' And awakened by the princess, Bhima of mighty arms, then
rose up, and sat upon his couch overlaid with a rich bed. And he of the
Kuru race then addressed the princess--his beloved wife, saying, 'For
what purpose hast thou come hither in such a hurry? Thy colour is gone
and thou lookest lean and pale. Tell me everything in detail. I must
know the truth. Whether it be pleasurable or painful, agreeable, or
disagreeable, tell me all. Having heard everything, I shall apply the
remedy. I alone, O Krishna, am entitled to thy confidence in all things,
for it is I who deliver thee from perils again and again! Tell me
quickly what is thy wish, and what is the purpose that is in thy view,
and return thou to thy bed before others awake.'"

SECTION XVIII

"Draupadi said, 'What grief hath she not who hath Yudhishthira for her
husband? Knowing all my griefs, why dost thou ask me? The _Pratikamin_
dragged me to the court in the midst of an assembly of courtiers,
calling me a slave. That grief, O Bharata, consumeth me. What other
princess, save Draupadi, would live having suffered such intense misery?
Who else, save myself, could bear such second insult as the wicked
Saindhava offered me while residing in the forest? Who else of my
position, save myself, could live, having been kicked by Kichaka in the
very sight of the wicked king of the Matsyas? Of what value is life, O
Bharata, when thou, O son of Kunti, dost not think me miserable,
although I am afflicted with such woes? That vile and wicked wretch, O
Bharata, known by the name of Kichaka, who is the brother-in-law of king
Virata and the commander of his forces, every day, O tiger among men,
addresses me who am residing in the palace as a _Sairindhri_, saying,
_Do thou become my wife_.--Thus solicited, O slayer of foes, by that
wretch deserving to be slain, my heart is bursting like a fruit ripened
in season. Censure thou that elder brother of thine addicted to
execrable dice, through whose act alone I have been afflicted with such
woe. Who else, save him that is a desperate gambler, would play, giving
up kingdom and everything including even myself, in order to lead a life
in the woods? If he had gambled morning and evening for many years
together, staking _nishkas_ by thousand and other kinds of substantial
wealth, still his silver, and gold, and robes, and vehicles, and teams,
and goats, and sheep, and multitudes of