mahatÄ hi prayatnena
hasty-aśva-ratha-pattibhiḥ
asmÄbhir yad anuá¹£á¹heyaá¹
gandharvais tad anuá¹£á¹hitam
mahatÄ - very great; hi - certainly; prayatnena - by endeavor; hasti - elephants; aÅ›va - horses; ratha - chariots; pattibhiḥ - and by infantry soldiers; asmÄbhiḥ - by ourselves; yat - whatever; anuá¹£á¹heyam - has to be arranged; gandharvaiḥ - by the Gandharvas; tat - that; anuá¹£á¹hitam - done.
“ ‘What we have had to arrange with great endeavor by collecting elephants, horses, chariots and infantry soldiers has already been accomplished by the Gandharvas.’
This is a quotation from the MahÄbhÄrata (Vana-parva 241.15). BhÄ«masena made this statement when all the PÄṇá¸avas were living in exile in the forest. At that time there was a fight between the Kauravas and the Gandharvas. The Kaurava soldiers were under the command of Karṇa, but the commander-in-chief of the Gandharvas was able to arrest all the Kauravas by virtue of superior military strength. At that time Duryodhana’s ministers and commanders requested MahÄrÄja Yudhiá¹£á¹hira to help. After being thus petitioned, BhÄ«masena spoke the verse given above, remembering Duryodhana’s former nefarious and atrocious activities against them. Indeed, BhÄ«masena felt it very fitting that Duryodhana and his company were arrested. This could have been accomplished by the PÄṇá¸avas only with great endeavor.
