Bhima, who
heard this, came near and said:"Mother, I did this to save myself
in battle. Whether it was right or wrong, you should bear with me. Your son was invincible
in combat and so I did in self-protection what was undoubtedly wrong.
He called Yudhishthira to play and deceived him. We had been wronged by
your son in so many ways. He would not give back the kingdom, of which be took unlawful
possession. And you know what your son did to blameless Draupadi.
If we bad killed your son on the spot, when he misbehaved in the Hall
of Assembly, surely you would not have blamed us. Bound by Dharmaraja's vow, we restrained
ourselves with difficulty then. We have since discharged honour's debt and found
satisfaction in battle. Mother, you should forgive me."
'Dear son, if you had left but one out of my hundred sons and killed
all the rest and satisfied your anger, I and my old husband would have found solace in
that surviving son for the rest of our lives. Where is Dharmaputra? Call him." She
said.