The Pandavas Arrive at Panchala and Are Secretly Tested

The Pandavas sent the priest ahead of them. Then, placing Kunti and Draupadi on one chariot, they ascended their own great chariots and set out for the palace of the king of Panchala. King Drupada had already heard the priest’s report of Yudhishthira’s words. He was not yet ready to accept the five wandering Brahmins as the lost princes of the Kuru lineage on faith alone. So he prepared a test. He ordered a large collection of objects to be laid out in readiness—a silent, sprawling examination. There were fruits and sanctified garlands, but also shields and armor, seats and cattle, ropes and tools used in agriculture. The king provided for every craft: objects concerning carpentry, smithing, and other trades. He also laid out all articles used in sports and, most prominently, war: chariots, horses, shining armor, great swords, adorned horses and chariots again, the best of bows and the choicest of arrows, spears and lances laced with gold, javelins, catapults, and battleaxes. Every instrument connected with war was there, alongside beds and seats and many other objects of fine craftsmanship. The display was an encyclopedia of possible lives. Taking Draupadi with her, Kunti entered the inner quarters of the palace, where the ladies eagerly worshipped the wife of the king of the Kurus. The five brothers remained in the hall. When Drupada and his court saw the men who entered, their reaction was immediate delight. These were chiefs among men, with eyes like those of powerful bulls, dressed in deerskin for upper garments. They had broad shoulders and long arms that were like coiled snakes, and they walked with the gait of lions. The king, his advisers, his sons, his relatives, and all the attendants looked on with approval. Without hesitation or surprise, the five warriors seated themselves on the best of seats, each with a separate footstool. They sat one after another, according to age. Well-dressed male and female servants and skilled cooks brought them all types of food worthy of kings, served on plates of gold and silver. Having eaten, the foremost among men were pleased and relaxed. Then they turned their attention to the objects laid out around the hall. They examined everything. And their interest, their natural gravitation, was unmistakable: they showed the most keen attention to the various implements of war—the swords, the bows, the armor. On seeing this, Drupada’s sons, the king himself, and all his chief advisers were delighted. The test was conclusive. The way these men looked at weapons, the instinctive familiarity in their posture, confirmed what their bearing had already suggested: these were the sons and grandsons of kings, true kshatriyas (warriors). Their secret identity, held close for so long, was now an open truth in the eyes of their host. King Drupada and his court paid their respects.