Those foremost of men, the heroic Pandavas, those delighters of their mother-became greatly stricken with grief.

They who had formerly been always engaged in royal offices, did not at that time attend to those deeds at all in their capital.

Stricken with deep sorrow, they could not find pleasure from anything. It any body asked them, they never honored him with an answer.

Although those irresistible heroes were grave like the ocean, yet they were now deprived of their knowledge and their very senses by the grief they left.

Thinking of their mother, the sons of Pandu became anxious as to how their emaciated mother was serving the old pair.

How, indeed, is that king; whose sons have all been killed and who is without refuge, living alone, with only his wife, in the forest haunted by beasts of prey?

Alas, how does that highly blessed queen, Gandhari, whose dear ones have all been killed, follow her blind husband in the solitary forest.

Such was the anxiety shown by the Pandavas when they talked with one another. They then set their hearts upon beholding the king in his forest asylum.

Then bowing down to the king, Sahadeva said, “I think you wish to see our sire.

From my respect for you, however, I could not speedily speak on the subject of our journey to the forest. The time for that sojourn in now come.

By good luck I shall see Kunti performing penances, with matted locks on her head, practising severe austerities, and emaciated by sleeping on blades of Kusha and Kasha.

She was brought up in palaces, and nursed in every comfort and luxury. Alas, when shall I see my mother who is now toil-worn and plunged into great misery.

Forsooth, O chief of Bharata's race, the ends of men are exceedingly uncertain, since Kunti, who is a princess by birth, is now living in misery in the forest.'

Hearing these words of Sahadeva, queen Draupadi, that foremost of all women duly honoring the king, said, with proper salutations,

Alas, when shall I see queen Pritha, if, indeed, she is alive! I shall consider my life as not passed in vain if I succeed in seeing her once more, O king.

Let this sort of understanding be ever firm in you. Let your mind always take a pleasure in such virtue as is involved, O king of kings, in your desire of granting such a high boon on us.

Know, O king, that all these ladies of your house are staying with their feet raised for the journey, from desire of seeing Kunti and Gandhari, and my father-in-law.

Thus addressed by queen Draupadi, the king, O chief of Bharata's race, summoned all the leaders of his army to his presence and told them.

'Cause my army, full of cars and elephants, to march out. I shall see king Dhritarashtra who is now living in the forest.

To the officers in charge of the ladies word the king gave the order, 'Let various kinds of conveyances be properly equipt, as also all my closed litters counting by thousands.

Let carriages and granaries and wardrobes, and treasuries, be equipt and ordered out, and let mechanics have ihe command to march out. Let men in charge of treasuries go out on the way leading to the ascetic hermitage of Kurukshetra.

Whoever amongst the citizens wishes to see the king, is allowed to do so without any restriction. Let him properly protected.

Let cooks and superintendents of kitchens, and the whole culinary establishment, and various kinds of edibles and viands be ordered to be borne out on carts and conveyances. proceed,

Let it be proclaimed that we march out tomorrow. Indeed, let no delay take place. Let pavilions and resting houses of various kinds be erected on the way.

These were the commands which the eldest son of Pandu gave, with his brothers. When morning came, O monarch, the king started with a large following of women and old men.

Going out of his city, king Yudhishthira waited five days for such citizens as might accompany him and then went towards the forest.