SECTION XXIV
"Vaisampayana said, 'The Pandavas alighted, at a distance, from their
cars and proceeded on foot to the retreat of the king, bending themselves
in humility. All the combatants also, and all the denizens of the
kingdom, and the spouses of the Kuru chiefs, followed them on foot. The
Pandavas then reached the sacred retreat of Dhritarashtra which abounded
with herds of deer and which was adorned with plantain plants. Many
ascetics of rigid vows, filled with curiosity, came there for beholding
the Pandavas who had arrived at the retreat. The king, with tears in his
eyes, asked them, saying,--'Where has my eldest sire, the perpetuator of
Kuru's race, gone?' They answered, O monarch, telling him that he had
gone to the Yamuna for his ablutions, as also for fetching flowers and
waters. Proceeding quickly on foot along the path pointed out by them,
the Pandavas beheld all of them from a distance. Desirous of meeting with
their sire they walked with a rapid pace. Then Sahadeva ran with speed
towards the spot where Pritha was. Touching the feet of his mother, he
began to weep aloud. With tears gushing down her cheeks, she saw her
darling child. Raising her son up and embracing him with her arms, she
informed Gandhari of Sahadeva's arrival. Then seeing the king and
Bhimasena and Arjuna, and Nakula, Pritha endeavoured to advance quickly
towards them. She was walking in advance of the childless old couple, and
was dragging them forward. The Pandavas, beholding her, fell down on the
earth. The puissant and high-souled monarch, endued with great
intelligence, recognising them by their voices and also by touch,
comforted them one after another. Shedding tears, those high-souled
princes, with due formalities, approached the old king and Gandhari, as
also their own mother. Indeed, regaining their senses, and once more
comforted by their mother, the Pandavas took away from the king and their
aunt and mother the jars full of water which they had been carrying,
forbearing them themselves. The ladies of those lions among men, and all
the women of the royal household, as also all the inhabitants of the city
and provinces, then beheld the old king. King Yudhishthira presented all
those individuals one after another to the old king, repeating their
names and races, and then himself worshipped his eldest sire with
reverence. Surrounded by them all, the old monarch, with eyes bathed in
tears of joy, regarded himself as once more staying in the midst of the
city called after the elephant. Saluted with reverence by all his
daughters-in-law headed by Krishna, king Dhritarashtra, endued with great
intelligence, with Gandhari and Kunti, became filled with joy. He then
reached his forest-retreat that was applauded by Siddhas and Charanas,
and that then teemed with vast crowds of men all desirous of beholding
him, like the firmament teeming with innumerable stars."
