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(Cattle-Lifting)
THE conditions of the banishment of the sons of Pandu were hard. They must
pass twelve years in exile, and then they must remain a year in concealment. If
they were discovered within this last year, they must go into exile for another
twelve years. Having passed the twelve years of exile in forests, the Pandav
brothers disguised themselves and entered into the menial service of Virata,
king of the Matsyas, to pass the year of concealment. Yudhishthir presented
himself as a Brahman, skilled in dice, and became a courtier of the king. Bhima
entered the king's service as cook. For Arjun, who was so well known, a
stricter concealment was necessary. He wore conch bangles and earrings and
braided his hair, like those unfortunate beings whom nature has debarred from
the privileges of men and women, and he lived in the inner apartments of the
king. He assumed the name of Brihannala, and taught the inmates of the
royal household in music and dancing. Nakula became a keeper of the king's
horses, and Sahadeva took charge of the king's cows. Draupadi too disguised
herself as a waiting-woman, and served the princess of the Matsya house in that
humble capacity.
In these disguises the Pandav brothers safely passed a year in concealment
in spite of all search which Duryodhan made after them. At last an incident
happened which led to their discovery when the year was out.
Cattle-lifting was a common practice with the kings of ancient India, as
with the chiefs of ancient Greece. The king of the Trigartas and the king of
the Kurus combined and fell on the king of the Matsyas in order to drive off
the numerous herd of fine cattle for which his kingdom was famed. The Trigartas
entered the Matsya kingdom from the south-east, and while Virata went out with
his troops to meet the foe, Duryodhan with his Kuru forces fell on the kingdom
from the north.
When news came that the Kurus had invaded the kingdom, there was no army in
the capital to defend it. King Virata had gone out with most of his troops to
face the Trigartas in the south-east, and the prince Uttara had no inclination
to face the Kurus in the north. The disguised Arjun now came to the rescue in
the manner described in this Book. The description of the bows. arrows, and
swords of the Pandav brothers which they had concealed in a tree, wrapped like
human corpses to frighten away inquisitive travellers, throws some light on the
arts and manufacture of ancient times. The portions translated in this Book
form Sections xxxv., xxxvi., xl. to xliii., a portion of Section xliv., and
Sections liii. and lxxii. of Book iv. of the original text.
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