The banks were decked
with various flowers whose fragrance filled the atmosphere. The Kauravas
and the Pandavas sat down and began to enjoy the things provided for them.
They became engaged in play and began to exchange morsels of food with one
another. Meanwhile the wicked Duryodhana had mixed a powerful poison with
a quantity of food, with the object of making away with Bhima. That wicked
youth who had nectar in his tongue and a razor in his heart, rose at
length, and in a friendly way fed Bhima largely with that poisoned food,
and thinking himself lucky in having compassed his end, was exceedingly
glad at heart. Then the sons of Dhritarashtra and Pandu together became
cheerfully engaged in sporting in the water. Their sport having been
finished, they dressed themselves in white habiliments, and decked
themselves with various ornaments. Fatigued with play, they felt inclined
in the evening to rest in the pleasurehouse belonging to the garden.
Having made the other youths take exercise in the waters, the powerful
second Pandava was excessively fatigued. So that on rising from the water,
he lay down on the ground. He was weary and under the influence of the
poison. And the cool air served to spread the poison over all his frame,
so that he lost his senses at once. Seeing this Duryodhana bound him with
chords of shrubs, and threw him into the water. The insensible son of
Pandu sank down till he reached the Naga kingdom. Nagas, furnished with
fangs containing virulent venom, bit him by thousands.
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