And like unto a she-elephant running after her young
one, the princess possessed of large eyes followed that hero advancing
with hasty steps like unto an elephant with rent temples. And beholding
him from a distance, the prince himself said, 'With thee as his
charioteer, Dhananjaya the son of Kunti had gratified _Agni_ at the
Khandava forest and subjugated the whole world! The _Sairindhri_ hath
spoken of thee to me. She knoweth the Pandavas. Do thou, therefore, O
Vrihannala, hold, as thou didst, the reins of my steeds, desirous as I
am of righting with the Kurus and rescuing my bovine wealth. Thou wert
formerly the beloved charioteer of Arjuna and it was with thee that that
bull among the sons of Pandu had alone subjugated the whole earth!' Thus
addressed, Vrihannala replied unto the prince, saying, 'What ability
have I to act as a charioteer in the field of battle? If it is song or
dance or musical instruments or such other things, I can entertain thee
therewith, but where is my skill for becoming a charioteer?'
[39] The words in the original is _pranayam_, lit., love.
Nilakantha, however, explains it as meaning modesty, humility. I
think, Nilakantha is right. The relations between Arjuna and the
princess were like those between father and daughter.
"Uttara said, 'O Vrihannala, be thou a singer or a dancer, hold thou
(for the present), without loss of time, the reins of my excellent
steeds, mounting upon my car!'"
Vaisampayana continued, "Although that oppressor of foes, the son of
Pandu, was acquainted with everything, yet in the presence of Uttara, he
began to make many mistakes for the sake of fun.
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