Vaisampayana continued, "Then the chamber where Bhima slept, breathing
hard like a lion, being filled with the beauty of Drupada's daughter and
of the high-souled Bhima, blazed forth in splendour. And Krishna of
sweet smiles, finding Bhimasena in the cooking apartments, approached
him with the eagerness of a three-year old cow brought up in the woods,
approaching a powerful bull, in her first season, or of a she-crane
living by the water-side approaching her mate in the pairing season. And
the Princess of Panchala then embraced the second son of Pandu, even as
a creeper embraces a huge and mighty _Sala_ on the banks of the Gomati.
And embracing him with her arms, Krishna of faultless features awaked
him as a lioness awaketh a sleeping lion in a trackless forest. And
embracing Bhimasena even as a she-elephant embraceth her mighty mate,
the faultless Panchali addressed him in voice sweet as the sound of a
stringed instrument emitting _Gandhara_ note. And she said, 'Arise,
arise! Why dost thou, O Bhimasena, lie down as one dead? Surely, he that
is not dead, never suffereth a wicked wretch that hath disgraced his
wife, to live.' And awakened by the princess, Bhima of mighty arms, then
rose up, and sat upon his couch overlaid with a rich bed. And he of the
Kuru race then addressed the princess--his beloved wife, saying, 'For
what purpose hast thou come hither in such a hurry? Thy colour is gone
and thou lookest lean and pale. Tell me everything in detail. I must
know the truth. Whether it be pleasurable or painful, agreeable, or
disagreeable, tell me all. Having heard everything, I shall apply the
remedy. I alone, O Krishna, am entitled to thy confidence in all things,
for it is I who deliver thee from perils again and again! Tell me
quickly what is thy wish, and what is the purpose that is in thy view,
and return thou to thy bed before others awake.'"


SECTION XVIII