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 king
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.”
Vaisampayana said, “Having fallen into distress,
those princes thus obtained at last a pleasant habitation
in that forest. And there in those woods abounding
with Sala trees and washed by the Saraswati, they who
were like so many Indras, began to sport themselves.
And the illustrious king, that bull of the Kuru race,
set himself to please all the Yatis and Munis and
the principal Brahmanas in that forest, by offerings
of excellent fruits and roots. And their priest,
Dhaumya endued with great energy, like unto a father
to those princes, began to perform the sacrificial
rites of Ishti and Paitreya for the Pandavas residing
in that great forest. And there came, as a guest,
unto the abode of the accomplished Pandavas living
in the wood after loss of their kingdom, the old Rishi
Markandeya, possessed of intense and abundant energy.
And that bull of the Kuru race, the high-souled Yudhishthira,
possessed of unrivalled strength and prowess, paid
his homage unto that great Muni, reverenced by celestials
and Rishis of men, and possessed of the splendour
of blazing fire. And that illustrious and all-knowing
Muni, of unrivalled energy, beholding Draupadi and
Yudhishthira and Bhima and Arjuna, in the midst of
the ascetics, smiled, recollecting Rama in his mind.
And Yudhishthira the just, apparently grieved at this,
asked him, saying, ’All these ascetics are sorry
for seeing me here. Why is it that thou alone
smilest, as if an glee, in the presence of these?’
Markandeya replied, ‘O child’, I too am
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