Why also did those tigers among men,
innocent and capable of avenging themselves upon their enemies, calmly
suffer the persecution of the wicked Kurus? Why also, O best of Brahmanas,
did Bhima of mighty arms and of the strength of ten thousand elephants,
control his anger, though wronged? Why also did the chaste Krishna, the
daughter of Drupada, wronged by those wretches and able to burn them, not
burn the sons of Dhritarashtra with her wrathful eyes? Why also did the
two other sons of Pritha (Bhima and Arjuna) and the two sons of Madri
(Nakula and Sahadeva), themselves injured by the wretched Kurus, follow
Yudhishthira who was greatly addicted to the evil habit of gambling? Why
also did Yudhishthira, that foremost of all virtuous men, the son of
Dharma himself, fully acquainted with all duties, suffer that excess of
affliction? Why also did the Pandava Dhananjaya, having Krishna for his
charioteer, who by his arrows sent to the other world that dauntless host
of fighting men (suffer such persecution)? O thou of ascetic wealth, speak
to me of all these as they took place, and everything that those mighty
charioteers achieved.'
"Vaisampayana said, 'O monarch, appoint thou a time for hearing it. This
history told by Krishna-Dwaipayana is very extensive. This is but the
beginning. I shall recite it. I shall repeat the whole of the composition
in full, of the illustrious and great Rishi Vyasa of immeasurable mental
power, and worshipped in all the worlds.
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