king and two queens, returned to the city.  Having duly honoured those remains with garlands and scents of diverse kinds and disposed of them, they informed Yudhishthira of the accomplishment of their task.  The great Rishi Narada, having comforted king Yudhishthira of righteous soul, went away to where he liked.  Even thus did king Dhritarashtra make his exit from this world after having passed three years in the forest and ten and five years in the city.  Having lost all his children in battle, he had many gifts in honour of his kinsmen, relatives, and friends, his brethren and own people.  King Yudhishthira after the death of his uncle, became very cheerless.  Deprived of his kinsmen and relatives, he somehow bore the burthen of sovereignty.

One should listen with rapt attention to this Asramavasika Parvan, and having heard it recited, one should feed Brahmanas with Habishya, honouring them with scents and garlands."’

The end of Asramavasika Parvan.

FOOTNOTES

1.  The derivation of Aralikas is explained by Nilakantha thus; Potherbs cut off with a kind of weapon called Ara are called Aralu.  They who were expert in cooking those potherbs were called Aralikas.  Ragakhandava was manufactured from piper longum, dry ginger, sugar, and the juice of Phaseolus Mango.

2.  It will be remembered, Earth, unable to bear her load of population, prayed to the Grandsire for lightening that load.  The Grandsire urged Vishnu to do the needful.  Hence Vishnu incarnated himself as Krishna and brought about a lightening of Earth’s load.

3.  Mahadana implies such gifts as elephants, boats, cars, horses, etc.  Everybody does not accept these gifts, for their acceptance causes a Brahmana to fall away from his status.

4.  Some of the Bengal texts read avimukham hatah for abhimukam hatah.  The sense is the same.

5.  The king gets a sixth share of the penances performed by the Rishis living under his protection.  The demerit, again, of all evil deeds done within his realm is shared by the king, for such deeds become possible through absence of supervision by the king.

6.  Formerly kings and noblemen wore jewels and medicinal herbs on their arms.  The last were enclosed in drum-like capsules of gold, hermetically closed on both sides.  It was believed that jewels and medicinal herbs are a great protection against many evils.

7.  The eight limbs of a kingdom are the law, the judge, the assessors, the scribe, the astrologer, gold, fire, and water.

8.  Atta is explained by Nilakantha as the space kept for the soldiers to tread upon.

9.  Grass may conceal the spies of foes.  The darkness of night also may do the same.

10.  Adanaruchi is a very civil way of indicating corrupt officials and thieves.  Inflictors of severe punishments were looked upon as tyrants deserving of being put down.  Heavy fines were at one time interdicted in England.  Sahasapriya is a doer of rash deeds, such as culpable homicide not amounting to murder, to adopt the terminology of the Indian Penal Code.