"Yudhishthira said, 'O Bhima, let this mighty and heroic Rakshasa chief,
thy legitimate son, devoted to us, and truthful, and conversant with
virtue carry (his) mother (Draupadi) without delay. And, O possessor of
dreadful prowess, depending on the strength of thy arms, I shall reach
the Gandhamadana, unhurt, together with Panchala's daughter.'"
Vaisampayana said, "Hearing the words of his brother, that tiger among
men, Bhimasena, commanded his son, Ghatotkacha, represser of foes,
saying, 'O invincible son of Hidimva, this thy mother hath been sorely
tired. Thou art, again, strong and capable of going wherever thou
likest. Do thou therefore, O ranger of the skies, carry her. May
prosperity attend thee! Taking her on thy shoulders, thou shalt go in
our company, adopting a course not far overhead,--so that thou mayst not
render her uneasy.' Thereat, Ghatotkacha said, 'Even single-handed, I am
able to carry Yudhishthira the just, and Dhaumya, and Krishna, and the
twins--and what wonder then that I shall to-day carry them, when I have
others to assist me? And, O sinless one, hundreds of other heroic
(Rakshasas), capable of moving through the sky, and of assuming any
shape at will, will together carry you all with the Brahmanas.'"
Vaisampayana said, "Saying this, Ghatotkacha carried Krishna in the
midst of the Pandavas, and the other (Rakshasas) also began to carry the
Pandavas. And by virtue of his native energy, Lomasa of incomparable
effulgence moved along the path of the Siddhas, like unto a second sun.
And at the command of the lord of the Rakshasas, those Rakshasas of
terrific prowess began to proceed, bearing all the other Brahmanas, and
beholding many a romantic wood. And they proceeded towards the gigantic
jujube tree. And carried by the Rakshasas of great speed, proceeding at
a rapid pace, the heroes passed over longextending ways quickly, as if
over short ones. And on their way they saw various tracts crowded with
_Mlechchha_ people, and containing mines of diverse gems. And they also
saw hillocks teeming with various minerals, thronged with Vidyadharas,
inhabited on all sides by monkeys and Kinnaras and Kimpurushas, and
Gandharvas, and filled with peacocks, and _chamaras_, and apes, and
_turus_, and bears, and gavayas, and buffaloes, intersected with a
network of rivulets, and inhabited by various birds and beasts, and
beautified by elephants, and abounding in trees and enraptured birds.
After having thus passed many countries, and also the Uttarakurus, they
saw that foremost of mountains, the Kailasa, containing many wonders.
And by the side of it, they beheld the hermitage of Nara and Narayana,
with celestial trees bearing flowers and fruits in all seasons. And they
also beheld that beautiful jujube of round trunk. And it was fresh; and
of deep shade; and of excellent beauty; and of thick, soft and sleek
foliage; and healthful; and having gigantic boughs; and wide-spreading;
and of incomparable lustre; and bearing full-grown, tasteful, and holy
fruits dropping honey. And this celestial tree was frequented by hosts
of mighty sages, and was always inhabited by various birds maddened with
animal spirits. And it grew at a spot devoid of mosquitoes and
gad-flies, and abounding in fruits and roots and water, and covered with
green grass, and inhabited by the celestials and the Gandharvas, and of
smooth surface, and naturally healthful, and beauteous and cool and of
delicate feel. Having reached that (tree) together with those bulls
among Brahmanas, the high-souled ones gently alighted from the shoulders
of the Rakshasas. Then in company with those bulls among the twice-born
ones, the Pandavas beheld that romantic asylum presided over by Nara and
Narayana; devoid of gloom; and sacred; and untouched by the solar rays;
and free from those rubs, viz. hunger, and thirst, heat and cold, and
removing (all) sorrow; and crowded with hosts of mighty sages; and
adorned with the grace proceeding from the Vedas, Saman, Rich, and
Yajus; and, O king, inaccessible to men who have renounced religion; and
beautified with offerings, and _homas_; and sacred; and well-swept and
daubed; and shining all around with offerings of celestial blossoms; and
spread over with altars of sacrificial fire, and sacred ladles and pots;
and graced with large water-jars, and baskets and the refuge of all
beings; and echoing with the chanting of the Vedas; and heavenly; and
worthy of being inhabited; and removing fatigue; and attended with
splendour and of incomprehensible merit; and majestic with divine
qualities. And the hermitage was inhabited by hosts of great sages,
subsisting on fruits and roots; and having their senses under perfect
control; and clad in black deer-skins; and effulgent like unto the Sun
and Agni; and of souls magnified by asceticism and intent on
emancipation; and leading the Vanaprastha mode of life; and of subdued
senses; and identified with the Supreme Soul; and of high fortune; and
reciting Vedic hymns. Then having purified himself and restrained his
senses, that son of Dharma, the intelligent Yudhishthira of exceeding
energy, accompanied by his brothers, approached those sages. And all the
great sages endued with supernatural knowledge, knowing Yudhishthira
arrived, received him joyfully. And those sages engaged in the
recitation of the Vedas, and like unto fire itself, after having
conferred blessings on Yudhishthira, cheerfully accorded him fitting
reception. And they gave him clean water and flowers and roots. And
Yudhishthira the just received with regard the things gladly offered for
his reception by the great sages. And then, O sinless one, Pandu's son
together with Krishna and his brothers, and thousands of Brahmanas
versed in the Vedas and the Vendangas, entered into that holy hermitage,
like unto the abode of Sukra and pleasing the mind with heavenly odours
and resembling heaven itself and attended with beauty. There the pious
(Yudhishthira) beheld the hermitage of Nara and Narayana, beautified by
the Bhagirathi and worshipped by the gods and the celestial sages. And
seeing that hermitage inhabited by the Brahmarshis and containing fruits
dropping honey, the Pandavas were filled with delight. And having
reached that place, the high-souled ones began to dwell with the
Brahmanas. There beholding the holy lake Vinda, and the mountain
Mainaka, of golden summits and inhabited by various species of birds,
the magnanimous ones lived happily with joy. The son of Pandu together
with Krishna took pleasure in ranging excellent and captivating woods,
shining with flowers of every season; beauteous on all sides with trees
bearing blown blossoms; and bending down with the weight of fruits and
attended by the numerous male _kokilas_ and of glossy foliage; and thick
and having cool shade and lovely to behold. They took delight in
beholding diverse beautiful lakes of limpid water and shining all round
with lotuses and lilies. And there, O lord, the balmy breeze bearing
pure fragrance, blew gladdening all the Pandavas, together with Krishna.
And hard by the gigantic jujube, the mighty son of Kunti saw the
Bhagirathi of easy descent and cool and furnished with fresh lotuses and
having stairs made of rubies and corals and graced with trees and
scattered over with celestial flowers, and gladsome to the mind. And at
that spot, frequented by celestials and sages, and extremely
inaccessible, they, after having purified themselves offered oblations
unto the _pitris_ and the gods and the _rishis_ in the sacred waters of
the Bhagirathi. Thus those bulls among men the heroic perpetuators of
the Kuru race, began to reside there with the Brahmanas offering
oblations and practising meditation. And those tigers among men, the
Pandavas of the god-like appearance, felt delight in witnessing the
various amusements of Draupadi."