VIBATA PARVA 9
fires, he offered, with mantras, oblations on them for the prosperity and success of the Pandavas, as for their reconquest of the whole world. And walking round those fires and round the Brahmanas of ascetic wealth, the six set out, placing Yajnaseni in their front. And when those heroes had departed, Dhaumya, that best of ascetics, taking their sacred fires, set out for the Panchalas. And Indrasena, and others already mentioned, went to the Yadavas, and looking after the horses and the cars of the Pandavas passed their time happily and in privacy."
Thus ends the fourth section in the Pandava-Pravesa Parva of the Virata Parva.
SECTION V
(Pandava-Pravesa Parva continued)
swords, and with various equipped with finger-protectors made of iguana skins and weapons, those heroes proceeded in the direction of the river Yamuna.
Vaisampayana
And
those
said,
bowmen
"Girding
their
waists
with
desirous of (speedily) recovering their kingdom,
hitherto living in inaccessible hills and forest fastnesses, their forest life and proceeded to the southern
bank
now terminated
of that river.
And
those mighty warriors endued with great strength and hitherto leading the lives of hunters by killing
the deer of the forest, passed through
Yakrilloma and Surasena, leaving behind, on their right, the country of the Panchalas, and on their
left,
that of the Dasarnas.
And
those
bow-
men, looking wan and wearing beards and equipped with swords, entered Matsya's dominions leaving the forest, giving themselves out as hunters. And on arriving at that country, Krishna addressed Yudhish"We see footpaths here, and various fields. From this thira, saying, it
appears that Virata's metropolis is still at a distance. Pass we here of the night is still left, for great is my fatigue.' "Yudhishthira answerd, 'O Dhananjaya of Bharata's race, do thou '
what part
take up Panchali and carry her. arrive at the city.
Just on emerging
from
this forest,
we
Vaisampayana continued, "Thereupon like the leader of a herd of elephants, Arjuna speedily took up Draupadi, and on coming to the And on reaching the city Ruru's son vicinity of the city, let her down. (Yudhishthira), addressed Arjuna, saying weapons, before entering the city ? If,
weapons about
us,
we
thereby
Further, the tremendous bow,
zens.
so that people will, of us
shall
is
twelve
discovered,
'Where shall we deposit our we enter it with our
O child,
surely excite the alarm of the citi-
the Qandiva,
is
without doubt, recognise us soon.
we
shall,
known to all men, And if even one
according to promise, have to pass another
years in the forest.
"Arjuna
said.
'Hard by yon cemetery and near that inaccessible
