"But, Krishna broke the silence. 'Then when do you dress your hair as of old? Sister! These loose tresses make you really frightening'. At this the heroic queen roared like a lioness, 'Lord! Pray listen! The filthy rascal who dared touch this hair, hold it in his foul hand and drag me into this hall must have his head broken into bits and his corpse gnawed by foxes and dogs; his wife must be widowed; she must unloosen her tresses and wail in unquenchable grief; that day, I shall dress this hair into a knot; and not till then'. Hearing this imprecation, the elders in the hall were alarmed at its terrible consequences. They covered their ears so as not to hear more; they pleaded, 'Pardon', 'Peace', 'Quieten yourself', for they knew how calamitous was the curse of a woman of virtue. The heart of Dhritharashtra, the old blind father of the wicked gang that insulted her, very nearly burst with fear; his sons tried to put on brave faces but, within them, they were struck down by a tornado of panic. A wave of dread swept over the assembly, for, they knew that her words must come true, the wrong must be avenged by the punishment she has pronounced."
"To reinforce this apprehension, Krishna too said, 'O! Droupadi! May it happen as you have said. I shall destroy these wicked men who caused so much sorrow to your husbands. The words you spoke now must come true, for you have not tainted your tongue with falsehood, even in fun, since the moment of birth. Your voice is the voice of truth; truth will triumph, in spite of everything.'"
"This was the assurance given to your grandmother by the Lord; the Kauravas were destroyed and the righteousness of the Pandavas vindicated, before the world. Where Dharma is, there the Lord is; where the Lord is, there victory is; this holy axiom was taught to the world by the Lord through this tragedy."
"Did you notice? How great were your grandfathers to deserve this continuous shower of grace from Lord Krishna! Their adherence to Dharma, their unwavering allegiance to truth, these won for them that grace. Though one can perform costly and elaborate Yajnas and Yagas, if he but adheres to the path of Dharma and truth, he can cross the ocean of change and grief, and reach the shore of liberation. Or else, when the terror-striking sage Durvasa went into the forest to 'burn' your grandfathers into ashes, as planned by Duryodhana and his gang, how could they be rescued? Poor Durvasa had to learn that the grace of God is more effective than the earnings of years of asceticism and denials. He who was sent to destroy, departed with deep admiration for his intended victims."
When Vyasa was thus proudly declaiming about the devotion of the Pandavas to the Lord, Parikshith raised his head in wonder; he asked, "What did you say? Did Durvasa suffer defeat at the hands of my grandfather? Ah, how fortunate I am that I was born in the dynasty that has proved itself superior even to that great sage! Tell me, master, how did it happen? Why did Durvasa go to them and what was the result?"
