and cruel shafts are maddening me beyond endurance.  It behoveth thee to relieve me from this plight by surrendering thyself to me and favouring me with thy embraces.  Decked in beautiful garlands and robes and adorned with every ornament, sport thou, O sweet damsel, with me to thy fill.  O thou of the gait of an elephant in rut, deserving as thou art of happiness though deprived of it now, it behoveth thee not to dwell here in misery.  Let unrivalled weal be thine.  Drinking various kinds of charming and delicious and ambrosial wines, and sporting at thy pleasure in the enjoyment of diverse objects of delight, do thou, O blessed lady, attain auspicious prosperity.  This beauty of thine and this prime of thy youth, O sweet lady, are now without their use.  For, O beauteous and chaste damsel, endued with such loveliness, thou dost not shine, like a graceful garland lying unused and unworn.  I will forsake all my old wives.  Let them, O thou of sweet smiles, become thy slaves.  And I also, O fair damsel, will stay by thee as thy slave, ever obedient to thee, O thou of the most handsome face.’  Hearing these words of his, Draupadi replied, ’In desiring me, a female servant of low extraction, employed in the despicable office of dressing hair, O Suta’s son, thou desirest one that deserves not that honour.  Then, again, I am the wife of others.  Therefore, good betide thee, this conduct of thine is not proper.  Do thou remember the precept of morality, viz., that persons should take delight only in their wedded wives.  Thou shouldst not, therefore, by any means bend thy heart to adultery.  Surely abstaining from improper acts is ever the study of those that are good.  Overcome by ignorance sinful men under the influence of desire come by either extreme infamy or dreadful calamity.’

“Vaisampayana continued, ’Thus addressed by the Sairindhri, the wicked Kichaka losing control over his senses and overcome by lust, although aware of the numerous evils of fornication, evils condemned by everybody and sometimes leading to the destruction of life itself,—­then spoke unto Draupadi, ’It behoveth thee not, O beauteous lady, O thou of graceful features, thus to disregard me who am, O thou of sweet smiles, under the power of Manmatha on thy account.  If now, O timid one, thou disregardest me who am under thy influence and who speak to thee so fair, thou wilt, O black-eyed damsel, have to repent for it afterwards.  O thou of graceful eye-brows, the real lord of this entire kingdom, O slender-waisted lady, is myself.  It is me depending upon whom the people of this realm live.  In energy and prowess I am unrivalled on earth.  There is no other man on earth who rivals me in beauty of person, in youth, in prosperity, and in the possession of excellent objects of enjoyment.  Why it is, O auspicious lady, that having it in thy power to enjoy here every object of desire and every luxury and comfort without its equal, thou preferest servitude.  Becoming