Vaisampayana said, "King Duryodhana then moving from forest to forest,
at last approached the cattle-stations, and encamped his troops. And his
attendants, selecting a well-known and delightful spot that abounded in
water and trees and that possessed every convenience constructed an
abode for him. And near enough to the royal residence they also erected
separate abodes for Karna and Sakuni and the brothers of the king. And
the king beheld his cattle by hundreds and thousands and examining their
limbs and marks supervised their tale. And he caused the calves to be
marked and took note of those that required to be tamed. And he also
counted those kine whose calves had not yet been weaned. And completing
the task of tale by marking and counting every calf that was three years
old, the Kuru prince, surrounded by the cowherds, began to sport and
wander cheerfully. And the citizens also and the soldiers by thousands
began to sport, as best pleased them, in those woods, like the
celestials. And the herdsmen, well skilled in singing and dancing and
instrumental music, and virgins decked in ornaments, began to minister
to the pleasures of Dhritarashtra's son. And the king surrounded by the
ladies of the royal household began cheerfully to distribute wealth and
food and drinks of various kinds amongst those that sought to please
him, according to their desires.
"And the king, attended by all his followers, began also to slay hyenas
and buffaloes and deer and gayals and bears and boars all around. And
the king, piercing by his shafts those animals by thousands in deep
forest, caused the deer to be caught in the more delightful parts of the
woods. Drinking milk and enjoying, O Bharata, various other delicious
articles and beholding, as he proceeded, many delightful forests and
woods swarming with bees inebriate with floral honey and resounding with
the notes of the peacock, the king at last reached the sacred lake of
_Dwaitavana_. And the spot which the king reached swarmed with bees
inebriate with floral honey, and echoed with the mellifluous notes of
the blue-throated jay and was shaded by _Saptacchadas_ and _punnagas_
and _Vakulas_. And the king graced with high prosperity proceeded
thither like the thunder-wielding chief of the celestials himself. And,
O thou best of the Kuru race, King Yudhishthira the just, endued with
high intelligence, was then, O monarch, residing in the vicinity of that
lake at will and celebrating with his wedded wife, the daughter of
Drupada, the diurnal sacrifice called _Rajarshi_, according to the
ordinance sanctioned for the celestials and persons living in the
wilderness. And, O monarch, having reached that spot, Duryodhana
commanded his men by thousands, saying, 'Let pleasure-houses be
constructed soon.' Thus commanded, those doers of the king's behests
replying to the Kuru chief with the words, 'So be it,' went towards the
banks of the lake for constructing pleasure-houses. And as the picked
soldiers of Dhritarashtra's son, having reached the region of the lake,
were about to enter the gates of the wood, a number of _Gandharvas_
appeared and forbade them to enter. For, O monarch, the king of the
_Gandharvas_ accompanied by his followers, had come thither beforehand,
from the abode of _Kuvera_. And the king of the _Gandharvas_ had also
been accompanied by the several tribes of _Apsaras_, as also by the sons
of the celestials. And intent upon sport, he had come to that place for
merriment, and occupying it, had closed it against all comers. And the
attendants of the (Kuru) king, finding the lake closed by the king of
the _Gandharvas_, went back, O monarch, to where the royal Duryodhana
was. And Duryodhana having heard these words, despatched a number of his
warriors difficult of being subjugated in battle, commanding them to
drive away the _Gandharvas_. And those warriors who formed the vanguard
of the Kuru army, hearing these words of the king, went back to the lake
of _Dwaitavana_ and addressing the _Gandharvas_, said, 'The mighty king
Duryodhana--the son of Dhritarashtra--is coming, hither for sport. Stand
ye aside, therefore!' Thus addressed by them, O king, the _Gandharvas_
laughed and replied unto those men in these harsh words: 'Your wicked
king Duryodhana must be destitute of sense. How else could he have thus
commanded us that are dwellers of heaven, as if indeed, we were his
servants? Without forethought, ye also are doubtless on the point of
death; for senseless idiots as ye are, ye have dared to bring us his
message! Return ye soon to where that king of the Kurus is, or else go
this very day to the abode of Yama.' Thus addressed by the _Gandharvas_,
the advanced guard of the king's army ran back to the place where the
royal son of Dhritarashtra was."