tone for this
crime, Arjuna underwent a series of austerities on the Himalayas, in
reward for which his father Indra took him up to heaven, whence he
brought back sundry weapons, among which we note Siva's miraculous
bow.

Meantime his four brothers and Draupadi had undertaken pious
pilgrimages to all the sacred waters of India, and had learned sundry
useful trades and arts, before they, too, visited the Himalayas. There
Arjuna joined them in Indra's chariot, and led them to the top of a
mountain, whence they beheld the glittering palace of Kuvera, God of
Wealth.

After the twelve years' sojourn in the jungle were ended, the Pandavs,
thanks to divine aid, entered the service of a neighboring king as
teachers of dice and music, as charioteer, cook, cow-herd, and maid.
There the five men and their wife remained for a whole year, without
being discovered by their enemies, and, toward the end of their
sojourn, rendered so signal a service to their master that he offered
his daughter in marriage to Arjuna. Although this prince virtuously
refused to accept her for himself, he bestowed her upon a son begotten
during his exile when he indulged in sundry romantic adventures.

Having completed their penance, the Pandavs returned home, to demand
of the Kurus the surrender of their realm. As these greedy cousins
refused to relinquish their authority, both parties prepared for war.
Seeing the Kurus had ten allies, the Pandavs became anxious to secure
some too. The most powerful person in the region being the rajah
Krishna, one of the Kurus hastened to his palace to bespeak his aid,
and, finding him asleep, seated himself at the head of the bed. A
moment later one of the Pandavs arrived, and modestly placed himself
at the foot of the sleeping monarch's couch. On awakening, Krishna, of
course, saw the Pandav first, but, after listening impartially to both
petitioners, informed them that one party should have the benefit of
his advice and the other the aid of his one hundred million soldiers.
The greedy Kuru immediately bespoke the use of the army, while the
Pandav was only too glad to secure the advice of Krishna (an
embodiment of all the gods), who throughout the war acted as Arjuna's
charioteer.

All preparations finished, the Great War (Mahabharata) began, the two
families pitted against each other meeting on the plain of Kurukshetra
(the modern Panipat) where the battle was fought. After many speeches,
and after erecting for