OM! Having bowed down to Narayana, and Nara, the most exalted ofmale beings, and also to the goddess Saraswati, must the wordJaya be uttered.
Janamejaya said, "How did my great-grandfathers, afflicted withthe fear of Duryodhana, pass their days undiscovered in the city ofVirata? And, O Brahman, how did the highly blessed Draupadi,stricken with woe, devoted to her lords, and ever adoring theDeity1, spend her days unrecognised?"
Vaisampayana said, "Listen, O lord of men, how thy greatgrandfathers passed the period of unrecognition in the city ofVirata. Having in this way obtained boons from the god of Justice,that best of virtuous men, Yudhishthira, returned to the asylum andrelated unto the Brahmanas all that had happened. And havingrelated everything unto them, Yudhishthira restored to thatregenerate Brahmana who had followed him the churning staff and thefire-sticks he had lost. And, O Bharata, the son of the god ofJustice, the royal Yudhishthira of high soul then called togetherall his younger brothers and addressed them, saying, 'Exiled fromour kingdom, we have passed twelve years. The thirteenth year, hardto spend, hath now come. Do thou therefore, O Arjuna, the son ofKunti, select some spot where we may pass our days undiscovered byour enemies.'
"Arjuna replied, "Even by virtue of Dharma's boon, we shall, Olord of men, range about undiscovered by men. Still, for purposesof residence, I shall mention some spots that are both delightfuland secluded. Do thou select some one of them. Surrounding thekingdom of the Kurus, are, many countries beautiful and aboundingin corn, such as Panchala, Chedi, Matsya, Surasena, Pattachchara,Dasarna, Navarashtra, Malla, Salva, Yugandhara, Saurashtra, Avanti,and the spacious Kuntirashtra. Which of these, O king, wouldst thouchoose, and where, O foremost of monarchs, shall we spend thisyear?'
"Yudhishthira said 'O thou of mighty arms, it is even so. Whatthat adorable Lord of all creatures hath said must become true.Surely, after consulting together, we must select some delightful,auspicious, and agreeable region for our abode, where we may livefree from fear. The aged Virata, king of the Matsyas, is virtuousand powerful and charitable, and is liked by all. And he is alsoattached to the Pandavas. Even in the city of Virata, O child, weshall, O Bharata, spend this year, entering his service. Tell me,ye sons of the Kuru race, in what capacities ye will severallypresent yourselves before the king of the Matsyas!'
"Arjuna said, 'O god among men, what service wilt thou take inVirata's kingdom? O righteous one, in what capacity wilt thoureside in the city of Virata? Thou art mild, and charitable, andmodest, and virtuous, and firm in promise. What wilt thou, O king,afflicted as thou art with calamity, do? A king is qualified tobear trouble like an ordinary person. How wilt thou overcome thisgreat calamity that has overtaken thee?'
"Yudhishthira replied, 'Ye sons of the Kuru race, ye bulls amongmen, hear what I shall do on appearing before king Virata.Presenting myself as a Brahmana, Kanka by name, skilled in dice andfond of play, I shall become a courtier of that high-souled king.And moving upon chess-boards beautiful pawns made of ivory, of blueand yellow and red and white hue, by throws of black and red dice,I shall entertain the king with his courtiers and friends. Andwhile I shall continue to thus delight the king, nobody willsucceed in discovering me. And should the monarch ask me, I shallsay, Formerly I was the bosom friend of Yudhishthira. I tellyou that it is thus that I shall pass my days (in the city ofVirata). What offi