THIRTY
The four younger Pandavas set out, taking Duryodhana's men with them. When they were still some way from the lake, they saw gandharvas in the trees, moving with the ease of wild animals. With them were the Kauravas they had taken captive, Duryodhana, Dusasana, their brothers and wives. Arjuna shot a clutch of arrows over the Elves' heads. They stopped and turned angrily, weapons appearing in their hands as if by magic.
Arjuna cried, "Release my brother Duryodhana, prince of the Kurus!"
The gandharvas laughed at him. One cried back, "Mortal, haven't you learnt your lesson yet? I told you, we take no orders from anyone but our king."
Duryodhana's face was a picture when he saw the Pandavas. Arjuna cried, "Gandharvas, you have taken my cousins' women captive. Release them, or the earth will drink your unearthly blood."
"Brave words, mortal!" said the gandharva, laughing melodiously. "And strangely, I think I have seen you somewhere before. But, Kshatriya, we have just routed an army of a thousand men and you four want battle with us?"
Arjuna raised his bow. "We four are four armies. Release them or fight!"
"Then fight!" cried the gandharva and the fifty Elves stood against the four Pandavas, with weapons raised.
Battle ensued, swift and fierce. The dark woods lit up with shafts of fire and light. What Yudhishtira said about strangers depriving them of their revenge had touched his brothers deeply; they fought as if their lives depended on this battle. The gandharvas filled those woods with illusions again.
But ranged against them now was Arjuna the Pandava, himself a master of the weapons of maya. He shot a golden shaft from his Gandiva. It exploded in stardust and the hallucinations vanished.
After this, there was no containing the Pandavas. Vimanas appeared like mirages among the trees and the gandharvas bundled their captives into these, clambered in themselves and flashed away. But Arjuna was not about to let them escape. He filled the sky with a cloud of arrows, which lashed the elven ships with molten showers. The quicksilver disks flew down again, prisoners and all.
And now the biggest gandharva vimana took to the air under Arjuna's cloak of fire. At a clear panel in that craft stood Chitrasena. From his silver bow, a storm of light beset the Pandavas, who stood chariotless on the ground. Those shafts brought new illusions, not of fear, but delight. The Pandavas saw naked apsaras beckoning from the thickets. The fragrances of Devaloka filled the twilight woods, so the brothers wanted to fling their weapons down. Who wanted to fight, when heaven had come to the earth around them? Delicious languor filled their limbs.
But Arjuna had learnt all about these weapons of enchantment in Amravati, from Chitrasena himself. He did not know yet who the gandharva in the vimana was, but he knew the astra to dispel his visions. When this was done, in a moment, he covered the vimana with a volley of arrows that locked together in a shroud around the disk and drew it down inescapably to earth.
Arjuna was surprised the Elf gave in so easily. The brothers stood with their bows raised, as the vimana descended. But when the tall gandharva king stepped out of his craft and Arjuna saw his face by the dying light, he gave a shout. "Chitrasena!"
He threw down his bow and ran to embrace the unearthly warrior with starlight in his hair. Arjuna brought Chitrasena to Bheema and the twins and said, "This is Chitrasena, my master of music and dance. And these are my brothers, Bheema, Nakula and Sahadeva."
They bowed to one another; Chitrasena greeted them in old speech, he blessed them in the starry tongue of the gandharvas. Around them now the other Elves appeared with their prisoners. Looking at Duryodhana, who stood between two of his captors, his hands tied behind his back with green vine, his head hung, Arjuna said to Chitrasena, "Why have you taken our cousin and his women? They came to Dwaitavana to count their cattle. What harm have they done you?"
The gandharva took Arjuna aside. "His heart is black, the one you call your cousin. He is a devil, full of malice and conceit. He did not come to count cattle but to gloat. He brought his wives with him to make Panchali suffer. Indra knew what Duryodhana was plotting.
Indra said to me, 'Go and protect your friend.' Arjuna, these are my prisoners, fairly taken in battle. They are so full of arrogance they don't deserve to be free. I will release them only to Yudhishtira. After I tell him why the Kauravas came to the jungle, let your brother decide what he will do with them."
So all of them went into the Kamyaka, to the asrama where Yudhishtira had just finished his worship. Chitrasena dragged Duryodhana along, his head bent low and not a word from him. Yudhishtira received the gandharva graciously.
Chitrasena said, "He came to gloat over your privation. Say a word and he will die."
But Yudhishtira looked alarmed. "I thank God you did not kill them, Chitrasena. Ah, my cousin is miserable. Let him and his brothers and women be free."
Chitrasena said, "So be it then." He nodded to his people and they cut Duryodhana and the others loose.
Chitrasena embraced Arjuna and bowed to the other Pandavas. The chariots of the sky had followed him here. He climbed into his vimana and so did the rest of the gandharvas. Noiselessly those craft lifted into the air, a shining squadron and flashed away quicker than time.
When the sky was clear, Yudhishtira turned to Duryodhana. He laid a hand on his shoulder and said, "Being spiteful never brought anyone joy. Go back to Hastinapura and don't be so rash again. Go in peace, I wish you well."
All that while, ever since he was taken by the gandharvas, Duryodhana stood with his head bent down into his chest, so no one saw the shame in his eyes. Without a word, for he had no voice to speak with and his face and heart burning, he stalked out of the Pandavas' asrama with his brothers and his wives.
When the Kauravas had gone, the asrama echoed with laughter. It was Bheema laughing and Draupadi with him.
"Did you see his face?" Panchali cried.
"Ah, that was sweet!" roared Bheema.
But Yudhishtira looked at them so sternly that they stopped.