Vaisampayana continued, “On that Rakshasa having been slain, that lord,
the royal son of Kunti, returned to the hermitage of Narayana and began
to dwell there. And once on a time, remembering his brother Jaya
(Arjuna), Yudhishthira summoned all his brothers, together with Draupadi
and said these words, ‘We have passed these four years peacefully ranging
the woods. It hath been appointed by Vibhatsu that about the fifth year
he will come to that monarch of mountains, the excellent cliff Sweta,
ever graced with festivities held by blooming plants and maddened Kokilas
and black bees, and peacocks, and chatakas and inhabited by tigers, and
boars and buffaloes, and gavayas, and deer, and ferocious beasts; and
sacred; and lovely with blown lotuses of a hundred and a thousand petals,
and blooming lilies and blue lilies and frequented by the celestials and
the Asuras. And we also, eagerly anxious of meeting him on his arrival
have made up our minds to repair thither. Partha of unrivalled prowess
hath appointed with me, saying, ‘I shall remain abroad for five years,
with the object of learning military science.’ In the place like unto the
region of the gods, shall we behold the wielder of Gandiva, arrive after
having obtained the weapons.’ Having said this, the Pandava summoned the
Brahmanas, and the sons of Pritha having gone round the ascetics of rigid
austerities and thereby pleased them, informed them of the matter
mentioned above. Thereupon the Brahmanas gave their assent, saying, ‘This
shall be attended by prosperity and welfare. O foremost of the Bharatas,
these troubles shall result in happiness. O pious one, gaining the earth
by the Kshatriya virtue, thou shall govern it.’ Then in obedience to
these words of the ascetics, that represser of foes, Yudhishthira, set
out with his brothers and those Brahmanas, followed by the Rakshasa and
protected by Lomasa. And that one of mighty energy, and of staunch vows,
with his brothers, at places went on foot and at others were carried by
the Rakshasas. Then king Yudhishthira, apprehending many troubles,
proceeded towards the north abounding in lions and tigers and elephants.
And beholding on the way the mountain Mainaka and the base of the
Gandhamadana and that rocky mass Sweta and many a crystal rivulet higher
and higher up the mountain, he reached on the seventeenth day the sacred
slopes of the Himalayas. And, O king, not far from the Gandhamadana,
Pandu’s son beheld on the sacred slopes of the Himavan covered with
various trees and creepers the holy hermitage of Vrishaparva surrounded
by blossoming trees growing near the cascades. And when those repressers
of foes, the sons of Pandu, had recovered from fatigue, they went to the
royal sage, the pious Vrishaparva and greeted him. And that royal sage
received with affection those foremost of Bharatas, even as his own sons.
And those repressers of foes passed there seven nights, duly regarded.
And when the eighth day came, taking the permission of that sage
celebrated over the worlds, they prepared to start on their journey. And
having one by one introduced unto Vrishaparva those Brahmanas, who, duly
honoured, remained in his charge as friends; and having also entrusted
the highsouled Vrishaparva with their remaining robes, the sons of Pandu,
O king, left in the hermitage of Vrishaparva their sacrificial vessels
together with their ornaments and jewels. And wise and pious and versed
in every duty and having a knowledge of the past as well as the future,
that one gave instructions unto those best of the Bharatas, as unto his
own sons. Then taking his permission those high-souled ones set out
towards the north. And as they set out the magnanimous Vrishaparva
followed them to a certain distance. Then having entrusted the Pandavas
unto the care of the Brahmanas and instructed and blessed them and given
directions concerning their course, Vrishaparva of mighty energy retraced
his steps.
“Then Kunti’s son, Yudhishthira of unfailing prowess, together with his
brothers, began to proceed on foot along the mountain path, inhabited by
various kinds of beasts. And having dwelt at the mountain slopes, densely
overgrown with trees, Pandu’s son on the fourth day reached the Sweta
mountain, like unto a mighty mass of clouds, abounding in streams and
consisting of a mass of gold and gems. And taking the way directed by
Vrishaparva, they reached one by one the intended places, beholding
various mountains. And over and over they passed with ease many
inaccessible rocks and exceedingly impassable caves of the mountain. And
Dhaumya and Krishna and the Parthas and the mighty sage Lomasa went on in
a body and none grew tired. And those highly fortunate ones arrived at
the sacred and mighty mountain resounding with the cries of birds and
beasts and covered with various trees and creepers and inhabited by
monkeys, and romantic and furnished with many lotus-lakes and having
marshes and extensive forests. And then with their down standing erect,
they saw the mountain Gandhamadana, the abode of Kimpurushas, frequented
by Siddhas and Charanas and ranged by Vidyadharis and Kinnaris and
inhabited by herds of elephants and thronged with lions and tigers and
resounding with the roars of Sarabhas and attended by various beasts. And
the war-like sons of Pandu gradually entered into the forest of the
Gandhamadana, like unto the Nandana gardens, delightful to the mind and
heart and worthy of being inhabited and having beautiful groves. And as
those heroes entered with Draupadi and the high-souled Brahmanas, they
heard notes uttered by the mouths of birds, exceedingly sweet and
graceful to the ear and causing delight and dulcet and broken by reason
of excess of animal spirits. And they saw various trees bending under the
weight of fruits in all seasons, and ever bright with flowers--such as
mangoes and hog-plums and bhavyas and pomegranates, citrons and jacks and
lakuchas and plantains and aquatic reeds and parvatas and champakas and
lovely kadamvas and vilwas, wood-apples and rose-apples and kasmaris and
jujbes and figs and glomerous figs and banians and aswatthas and khirikas
and bhall atakas and amalkas and bibhitakas and ingudas and karamardas
and tindukas of large fruits--these and many others on the slopes of the
Gandhamadana, clustered with sweet and nectarine fruits. And besides
these, they beheld champakas and asokas and ketakas and vakulas and
punnagas and saptaparnas and karnikaras, and patals, and beautiful
kutajas and mandaras, and lotuses, and parijatas, and kovidaras and
devadarus, and salas, and palmyra palms, and tamalas, and pippalas, and
salmalis and kinsukas, and singsapas, and saralas and these were
inhabited by Chakoras, and wood-peckers and chatakas, and various other
birds, singing in sweet tones pleasing to the ear. And they saw lakes
beautiful on all sides with aquatic birds, and covered all around with
kumudas, and pundarikas, and kokanadas, and utpalas, and kalharas, and
kamalas and thronged on all sides with drakes and ruddy geese, and
ospreys, and gulls and karandavas, and plavas, and swans, and cranes, and
shags, and other aquatic birds. And those foremost of men saw those
lotus-lakes beautified with assemblages of lotuses, and ringing with the
sweet hum of bees, glad, and drowsy on account of having drunk the
intoxicating honey of lotuses, and reddened with the farina falling from
the lotuscups. And in the groves they beheld with their hens peacocks
maddened with desire caused by the notes of cloud-trumpets; and those
woods-loving glad peacocks drowsy with desire, were dancing, spreading in
dalliance their gorgeous tails, and were crying in melodious notes. And
some of the peacocks were sporting with their mates on kutaja trees
covered with creepers. And some sat on the boughs of the kutajas,
spreading their gorgeous tails, and looking like crowns worn by the
trees. And in the glades they beheld the graceful sindhuvaras like unto
the darts of Cupid. And on the summits of the mountain, they saw blooming
karnikaras bearing blossoms of a golden hue, appearing like ear-rings of
excellent make. And in the forest they saw blossoming kuruvakas, like
unto the shafts of Cupid, which smiteth one with desire and maketh him
uneasy. And they saw tilakas appearing like unto beauty-spots painted on
the forehead of the forest. And they saw mango trees graced with blossoms
hummed over by black bees, and serving the purpose of Cupid’s shafts. And
on the slopes of the mountain there were diverse blossoming trees,
looking lovely, some bearing flowers of a golden hue, and some, of the
hue of the forest-conflagration, and some, red and some sable, and some
green like unto lapises. And besides these, there were ranges of salas
and tamalas and patalas and vakula trees, like unto garlands put on by
the summits of mountain. Thus gradually beholding on the slopes of the
mountain many lakes, looking transparent like crystal, and having swans
of white plumage and resounding with cries of cranes, and filled with
lotuses and lilies, and furnished with waters of delicious feel; and also
beholding fragrant flowers, and luscious fruits, and romantic lakes, and
captivating trees, the Pandavas penetrated into the forest with eyes
expanded with wonder. And (as they proceeded) they were fanned by the
breeze of balmy feel, and perfumed by kamalas and utpalas and kalharas
and pundarikas. Then Yudhishthira pleasantly spake unto Bhima saying,
‘Ah! O Bhima, beautiful is this forest of the Gandhamadana. In this
romantic forest there are various heavenly blossoming wild trees and
creepers, bedecked with foliage and fruit, nor are there any trees that
do not flower. On these slopes of the Gandhamadana, all the trees are of
sleek foliage and fruit. And behold how these lotus-lakes with fullblown
lotuses, and ringing with the hum of black bees, are being agitated by
elephants with their mates. Behold another lotus-lake girt with lines of
lotuses, like unto a second Sree in an embodied form wearing garlands.
And in this excellent forest there are beautiful ranges of woods, rich
with the aroma of various blossoms, and hummed over by the black bees.
And, O Bhima, behold on all sides the excellent sporting ground of the
celestials. By coming here, we have attained extra-human state, and been
blessed. O Partha, on these slopes of the Gandhamadana, yon beautiful
blossoming trees, being embraced by creepers with blossoms at their tops,
look lovely. And, O Bhima, hark unto the notes of the peacocks crying
with their hens on the mountain slopes. And birds such as chakoras, and
satapatras, and maddened kokilas, and parrots, are alighting on these
excellent flowering trees. And sitting on the twigs, myriads of
jivajivakas of scarlet, yellow and red hues, are looking at one another.
And the cranes are seen near the spots covered with green and reddish
grass, and also by the side of the cascades. And those birds,
bhringarajas, and upachakras, and herons are pouring forth their notes
charming to all creatures. And, lo! with their mates, these elephants
furnished with four tusks, and white as lotuses, are agitating that large
lake of the hue of lapises. And from many cascades, torrents high as
several palmyra palms (placed one upon another) are rushing down from the
cliffs. And many argent minerals splendid, and of the effulgence of the
sun, and like unto autumnal clouds, are beautifying this mighty mountain.
And in some places there are minerals of the hue of the collyrium, and in
some those like unto gold, in some, yellow orpiment and in some,
vermilion, and in some, caves of red arsenic like unto the evening clouds
and in some, red chalk of the hue of the rabit, and in some, minerals
like unto white and sable clouds; and in some, those effulgent as the
rising sun, these minerals of great lustre beautify the mountain. O
Partha, as was said by Vrishaparva, the Gandharvas and the Kimpurushas,
in company with their loves, are visible on the summits of the mountain.
And, O Bhima, there are heard various songs of appropriate measures, and
also Vedic hymns, charming to all creatures. Do thou behold the sacred
and graceful celestial river Mahaganga, with swans, resorted to by sages
and Kinnaras. And, O represser of foes, see this mountain having
minerals, rivulets, and beautiful woods and beasts, and snakes of diverse
shapes and a hundred heads and Kinnaras, Gandharvas and Apsaras.’”
Vaisampayana said, “Having attained excellent state, those valiant and
warlike repressers of foes with Draupadi and the high-souled Brahmanas
were exceedingly delighted at heart, and they were not satiated by
beholding that monarch of mountains. Thereafter they saw the hermitage of
the royal sage Arshtishena, furnished with flowers and trees bearing
fruits. Then they went to Arshtishena versed in all duties of rigid
austerities, skeleton-like, and having muscles bare.”