When the waters had covered all, it could not be known whether the ground was at all even or uneven;—­whether there were rivers or trees or hills.  At the end of the hot season, the rivers added beauty to the woods being themselves full of agitated waters, flowing with great force and resembling serpents in the hissing sound they made.  The boars, the stags and the birds, while the rain was falling upon them began to utter sounds of various kinds which could be heard within the forest tracts.  The chatakas, the peacocks and the host of male Kohilas and the excited frogs, all ran about in joy.  Thus while the Pandavas were roaming about in the deserts and sandy tracts, the happy season of rain, so various in aspect and resounding with clouds passed away.  Then set in the season of autumn, thronged with ganders and cranes and full of joy; then the forest tracts were overrun with grass; the river turned limpid; the firmament and stars shone brightly., And the autumn, thronged with beasts and birds, was joyous and pleasant for the magnanimous sons of Pandu.  Then were seen nights, that were free from dust and cool with clouds and beautified by myriads of planets and stars and the moon.  And they beheld rivers and ponds, adorned with lilies and white lotuses, full of cool and pleasant water.  And while roving by the river Saraswati whose banks resembled the firmament itself and were overgrown with canes, and as such abounded in sacred baths, their joy was great.  And those heroes who wielded powerful bows, were specially glad to see the pleasant river Saraswati, with its limpid waters full to the brim.  And, O Janamejaya, the holiest night, that of the full moon in the month of Kartika in the season of autumn, was spent by them while dwelling there!  And the sons of Pandu, the best of the descendants of Bharata, spent that auspicious juncture with righteous and magnanimous saints devoted to penance.  And as soon as the dark fortnight set in immediately after, the sons of Pandu entered the forest named the Kamyaka, accompanied by Dhananjaya and their charioteers and cooks.”

SECTION CLXXXII

Vaisampayana said, “O son of Kuru, they, Yudhishthira and others, having reached the forest of Kamyaka, were, hospitably received by hosts of saints and they lived together with Krishna.  And while the sons of Pandu were dwelling in security in that place, many Brahmanas came to wait upon them.  And a certain Brahmana said, ’He the beloved friend of Arjuna, of powerful arms and possessed of self control, descendant of Sura, of a lofty intellect, will come, for, O ye foremost of the descendants of Kuru, Hari knows that ye have arrived here.  For, Hari has always a longing for your sight and always seeks your welfare.  And Markandeya, who lived very many years devoted to great austerities, given to study and penance, will erelong come and meet you.’  And the very moment that he was uttering these words,