Page:The Mahabharata of Krishna-Dwaipayana Vyasa (Volume 1).pdf/459

Rh These other (within the cave) had at one time been like thee. Enter thou this cave, therefore, and lie there for sometime. The face of you all shall certainly be the same. All of you shall have to take your birth in the world of men, where, having achieved many difficult feats and slaying a large number of men, ye shall again by the merits of your respective deeds, regain the valued region of Indra. Ye shall accomplish all I have said and much more besides, of other kinds of work. Then those Indras, of their shorn glory, said-We shall go from our celestial regions even unto the region of man where salvation is ordained to be difficult of acquisition. But let the gods Dharma, Vayu, Maghavat.and the twin Ashwins beget us upon our would-be mother. Fighting with men by means of both celestial and human weapons, we shall again come back into the region of Indra !--

"Vyasa continued, 'Hearing these words of the former Indras. the wielder of the thunder-bolt once more addressed that foremost of gods, saying. -Instead of going myself. I shall, with a portion of my energy, create from myself a person for the accomplishment of the task (thou assignest) to form the fifth among these !-Vishwabhuk, Bhutadhaman, Sivi of great energy, Santi the fourth, and Tejaswin, these, it is said were the five Indra of old. And the illustrious god of the formidable bow, from his kindness, granted unto the five Indras the desire they cherished. And be also appointed that woman of extraordinary beauty, who was none else than celestial Sree (goddess of grace) herself, to be their common wife in the world of men. Accompanied by all those Indras, the god Isana then went unto Narayana of immeasurable energy, the Infinite, the Immaterial, the Increate, the Old, the Eternal, and the Spirit of these universe without limits. Narayana approved of everything. Those Indras then were born in the world of men. And Hari (Narayana) took up two bairs from his body, one of which hairs was black and the other white. And those two hairs entered the wombs of two of the Yadu race, by name Devaki and Robini. And one of these hairs, viz., that which was white, became Valadeva. And the hair that was black was born as Kesava's self, Krishna. And those Indras of old who had been confined in the cave on the Himavat are none else than the sons of Pandu, endued with great energy. And Arjuna amongst the Pandavas, called also Savyasachin ( using both hands with equal dexterity) is a portion of Sakra.'

"Vyasa continued,"Thus, o king they who have been born as the Pandavas are none else than those Indras of old. And the celestial Sree herself who had been appointed as their wife is this Draupadi of extraordinary beauty. How could she whose effulgence is like that of the sun or the moon, whose fragrance spreads for two miles around, take