Vaisampayana said, "After they had departed, Yudhishthira the virtuous
son of Kunti, unwavering in his promises, addressed all his brothers,
saying, 'We shall have to dwell in the solitary forest for these twelve
years. Search ye, therefore, in this mighty forest for some spot
abounding in birds and deer and flowers and fruits, beautiful to behold,
and auspicious, and inhabited by virtuous persons and where we may dwell
pleasantly for all these years!' Thus addressed by Yudhishthira,
Dhananjaya replied unto the son of Dharma, after reverencing the
illustrious king as if he were his spiritual preceptor. And Arjuna said,
'Thou hast respectfully waited upon all the great and old _Rishis_.
There is nothing unknown to thee in the world of men. And O bull of the
Bharata race, thou hast always waited with reverence upon Brahmanas
including Dwaipayana and others, and Narada of great ascetic merit, who
with senses under control, ever goeth to the gates of all the world from
the world of the gods unto that of Brahma, including that of the
Gandharvas and Apsaras! And thou knowest, without doubt, the opinions of
the Brahmanas, and, O king, their prowess also! And O monarch, thou
knowest what is calculated to do us good! And O great king, we will live
wherever thou likest! Here is this lake, full of sacred water, called
_Dwaitavana_, abounding with flowers, and delightful to look at, and
inhabited by many species of birds. If, O king, it pleaseth thee, here
should we like to dwell these twelve years! Thinkest thou otherwise?'
Yudhishthira replied, 'O Partha, what thou hast said recommendeth itself
to me! Let us go that sacred and celebrated and large lake called
_Dwaitavana_!'"
Vaisampayana continued, "Then the virtuous son of Pandu, accompanied by
numerous Brahmanas, all went to the sacred lake called _Dwaitavana_. And
Yudhishthira was surrounded by numerous Brahmanas some of whom
sacrificed with fire and some without it and some of whom, devoted to
the study of the Vedas, lived upon alms or were of the class called
_Vanaprasthas_. And the king was also surrounded by hundreds of
_Mahatmas_ crowned with ascetic success and of rigid vows. And those
bulls of the Bharata race, the sons of Pandu setting out with those
numerous Brahmanas, entered the sacred and delightful woods of _Dwaita_.
And the king saw that mighty forest covered on the close of summer with
_Salas_, and palms, and mangoes, and _Madhukas_, and _Nipas_ and
_Kadamvas_ and _Sarjjas_ and _Arjunas_, and _Karnikars_, many of them
covered with flowers. And flocks of peacocks and _Datyuhas_ and
_Chakoras_ and _Varhins_ and _Kokilas_, seated on the tops of the
tallest trees of that forest were pouring forth their mellifluous notes.
And the king also saw in that forest mighty herds of gigantic elephants
huge as the hills, with temporal juice trickling down in the season of
rut, accompanied by herds of she-elephants. And approaching the
beautiful Bhogavati (Saraswati), the king saw many ascetics crowned with
success in the habitations in that forest, and virtuous men of
sanctified souls clad in barks of trees and bearing matted locks on
their heads. And descending from their cars, the king that foremost of
virtuous men with his brothers and followers entered that forest like
Indra of immeasurable energy entering heaven. And crowds of _Charanas_
and _Siddhas_, desirous of beholding the monarch devoted to truth, came
towards him. And the dwellers of that forest stood surrounding that lion
among kings possessed of great intelligence. And saluting all the
_Siddhas_, and saluted by them in return as a king or a god should be,
that foremost of virtuous men entered the forest with joined hands
accompanied by all those foremost of regenerate ones. And the
illustrious and virtuous king, saluted in return by those virtuous
ascetics that had approached him, sat down in their midst at the foot of
a mighty tree decked with flowers, like his father (Pandu) in days
before. And those chiefs of the Bharata race _viz_., Bhima and
Dhananjaya and the twins and Krishna and their followers, all fatigued,
leaving their vehicles, sat themselves down around that best of kings.
And that mighty tree bent down with the weight of creepers, with those
five illustrious bowmen who had come there for rest sitting under it,
looked like a mountain with (five) huge elephants resting on its side."