जनमेजय उवाच भगवन् काम्यकात् पार्थे गते मे प्रपितामहे। पाण्डवाः किमकुर्वंस्ते तमृते सव्यसाचिनम्॥
Janamejaya said : O exalted one, when my great-grandfather, the son of Pritha (Arjuna) had gone away from the Kamyaka, what did the Pandavas do in the absence of Savyasachi (Arjuna)?
स हि तेषां महेष्वासो गतिरासीदनीकजित्। आदित्यानां यथा विष्णुस्तथैव प्रतिभाति मे॥
It appears to me that great bowman and the victor of armies (Arjuna) was their refuge, as Vishnu was that of the Adityas.
तेनेन्द्रसमवीर्येण संग्रामेष्वनिवर्तिना। विनाभूता वने वीराः कथमासन् पितामहाः॥
How did my great-grand-fathers pass their time in the forest deprived as they were of the company of that hero who was equal to Indra in prowess and who never turned his back in a field of battle?
वैशम्पायन उवाच गते तु पाण्डवे तात काम्यकात् सत्यविक्रमे। बभूवुः पाण्डवेयास्ते दुःखशोकपरायणाः॥
Vaishampayana said : O child, when the greatly powerful Pandava, (Arjuna) had gone away from the Kamyaka, the sons of Pandu were filled with sorrow and grief.
आक्षिप्तसूत्रा मणयश्छिन्नपक्षा इव द्विजाः। अप्रीतमनसः सर्वे बभूवुरथ पाण्डवाः॥
The Pandavas all became depressed and looked like pearls unstrung from a garland or like birds shorn of their wings.
वनं तु तदभूत् तेन हीनमक्लिष्टकर्मणा। कुबेरेण यथा हीनं वनं चैत्ररथं तथा॥
Without the presence of that hero of spotless deeds, that forest looked like the Chaitraratha forest deprived of the presence of Kubera.
तमृते ते नरव्याघ्राः पाण्डवा जनमेजय। मुदमप्राप्नुवन्तो वै काम्यके न्यवसंस्तदा॥
O Janamejaya, in his absence, those foremost of men, the Pandavas, continued to live in the Kamyaka in great cheerlessness.
ब्राह्मणार्थे पराक्रान्ता: शुद्धैर्बाणैर्महारथाः। निघ्नन्तो भरतश्रेष्ठ मेध्यान् बहुविधान् मृगान्॥
O best of the Bharata race, those powerful, great car-warriors killed with pure (nonpoisonous) arrows various kinds of sacrificial animals for the Brahmanas.
नित्यं हि पुरुषव्याघ्रा वन्याहारमरिदमाः। उपाकृत्य उपाहृत्य ब्राह्मणेभ्यो न्यवेदयन्॥
Those chastisers of foes, those foremost of men daily killed wild animals and after properly sanctifying them, they offered them to the Brahmanas.
सर्वे संन्यवसंस्तत्र सोत्कण्ठाः पुरुषर्षभाः। अहृष्टमनसः सर्वे गते राजन्धनंजये।॥
O king, after the departure of Dhananjaya (Arjuna) thus did they live there, filled with sorrow and with cheerless heart.
विशेषतस्तु पाञ्चाली स्मरन्ती मध्यमं पतिम्। उद्विग्नं पाण्डवश्रेष्ठमिदं वचनमब्रवीत्॥
Panchali (Draupadi) in particular remembered her third husband and she thus spoke to the anxious chief of the Pandavas (Yudhishthira).
योऽर्जुनेनार्जुनस्तुल्यो द्विवाहुबहुबाहुना। तमृते पाण्डवश्रेष्ठ वनं न प्रतिभाति मे॥
Draupadi said : Arjuna with two hands, is equal to Arjuna of many hands; in the absence of that foremost of the Pandavas, this forest does not at all look charming to me.
शून्यामिव प्रपश्यामि तत्र तत्र महीमिमाम्। बह्लाश्चर्यमिदं चापि वनं कुसुमितदुमम्॥
Wherever I cast my eyes, I see this earth as if it is empty. This forest, with its blossoming trees and with its so many wonders.
न तथा रमणीयं वै तमृते सव्यसाचिनम्। नीलाम्बुदसमप्रख्यं मत्तमातङ्गगामिनम्॥
Does not appear to me charming in the absence of Savyasachi (Arjuna). He is (in color) like a mass of blue clouds, he is in prowess like a mad elephant.
तमृते पुण्डरीकाक्षं काम्यकं नातिभाति मे। यस्य वाधनुषो घोषः श्रूयते चाशनिस्वनः। न लभे शर्म वै राजन् स्मरन्ती सव्यसाचिनम्॥
In the absence of that lotus-eyed hero, the Kamyaka does not at all look charming to me. Remembering Savyasachi, the twang of whose bow sounds like the roars of thunder, I do not feel any peace of mind.
तथा लालप्यमानां तां निशम्य परवीरहा। भीमसेनो महाराज द्रौपदीमिदमब्रवीत्॥
Vaishampayana said : O great king, hearing her thus lament, that slayer of hostile heroes Bhimasena, thus spoke to Draupadi.
भीम उवाच मनःप्रीतिकरं भद्रे यद् ब्रवीषि सुमध्यमे। तन्मे प्रीणाति हृदयममृतप्राशनोपमम्॥
Bhima said: O blessed lady, O beauty of slender waist the pleasing words you say are as delightful to my mind, as the drinking of ambrosia.
यस्य दी? समौ पीनौ भुजौ परिघसंनिभौ। मौर्वीकृतकिणौ वृत्तौ खङ्गायुधधनुर्धरौ॥ निष्काइदकृतापीडौ पञ्चशीर्षाविवोरगौ। तमृते पुरुषव्याघ्रं नष्टसूर्यमिवाम्बरम्॥
(Without him), whose arms are long, symmetrical, stout and mace-like, which are round and marked with the scars of the bowstrings, which are ground with the bow, the sword and the other weapons, encircled with golden bracelets, like two five-headed snakes, without that foremost of men, the sky seems to have lost the sun.
यमाश्रित्य महाबाहुं पाञ्चालाः कुरवस्तथा। सुराणामपि मत्तानां पृतनासुन बिभ्यति॥
(Without him), relying on which mightyarmed hero the Panchalas and the Kurus do not fear even the various powerful celestials.
यस्य बाहू समाश्रित्य वयं सर्वे महात्मनः। मन्यामहे जितानाजौ परान् प्राप्तां च मेदिनीम्॥
Relying on the prowess of the arms of which illustrious here, we all consider our enemies vanquished and the earth (already) acquired.
तमृते फाल्गुनं वीरं न लभे काम्यकेधृतिम्। पश्यामि च दिशः सर्वास्तिमिरेणावृता इव। ततोऽब्रवीत् साश्रुकण्ठो नकुलः पाण्डुनन्दनः॥
Without that heroic Falguni (Arjuna), I do not get peace of mind in the Kamyaka. I behold all directions as empty and covered with darkness. Wherever I cast my eyes, I see the earth as if she is empty. Thereupon the son of Pandu, Nakula, thus spoke with his voice choked with tears.
नकुल उवाच यस्मिन् दिव्यानि कर्माणि कथयन्ति रणाजिरे। देवा अपि युधां श्रेष्ठं तमृते का रतिर्वने॥
Nakula said: (Without him) whose excellent deeds in battle are talked about even by the gods, without that best of warriors, what pleasure can be here in this forest?
उदीची यो दिशं गत्वा जित्वा युधि महाबलान्। गन्धर्वमुख्याञ्छतशो हयाँल्लेभे महाद्युतिः॥
(Without him) who, going to the northern regions, conquered in battle hundreds of greatly powerful Gandharva chiefs and obtained greatly effulgent horses.
राज्ञे तित्तिरिकल्माषाञ्छ्रीमतोऽनिलरंहसः। प्रादाद् भ्रात्रे प्रियः प्रेम्णा राजसूये महाक्रतौ॥
Of the Tittiri and Kalamasha species, all possessing the speed of the wind, which were all presented by him to his brother out of the love he bore for him at the great Rajasuya sacrifice.
तमृते भीमधन्वानं भीमादवरजं वने। कामये काम्यके वासं नेदानीममरोपमम्॥
Without that great bowman, the younger brother of Bhima, without that celestials-like hero, I do not any longer desire to dwell in this Kamyaka.
सहदेव उवाच योधनानि च कन्याश्च युधि जित्वा महारथः। आजहार पुरा राजे राजसूये महाक्रतौ॥ यः समेतान् मृधे जित्वा यादवानमितद्युतिः। सुभद्रामाजहारैको वासुदेवस्य सम्मते॥ तस्य जिष्णोतसीं दृष्ट्वा शून्यामिव निवेशने। हृदयं मे महाराज न शाम्यति कदाचन॥ वनादस्माद् विवासं तु रोचयेऽहमरिंदम्। न हि नस्तमृते वीरं रमणीयमिदं वनम्॥
Sahadeva said: O king, O descendant of Bharata, seeing his bed of grass empty in our hermitage without that Jishnu, who, having vanquished powerful warriors in battle, won wealth and virgins and brought them to the king at the time of the great sacrifice, without that immeasurably effulgent hero who having vanquished singlehanded all the Yadavas took possession of Subhadra with the consent of Vasudeva (Krishna), who having invaded the kingdom of the illustrious Drupada, gave to the preceptor Drona his tuition-fee by securing for him half of Drupada's kingdom, my mind by no means gets any consolation. O chastiser of foes, to go away from this forest to some other forest is what I would prefer, for in the absence of that hero this forest can by no means be delightful.