(Viduragamana Parva continued)
" said, 'Hearing these words of , said, 'It is even so as thou you, O of great wisdom, hast have said. Venerable one, I too have been exceedingly happy in consequence of this alliance. It is highly proper that these illustrious princes should return to their ancestral kingdom. But it is not proper for me to say this myself. If the brave son of viz., , if and , if these bulls among men, viz., the twins, themselves desire to go and if Rama () and , both acquainted with every rule of morality, be of the same mind, then let the Pandavas go thither there. For these tigers among men (Rama and ) are ever engaged in doing what is agreeable and beneficial to the sons of .'
"Hearing this, said, 'We are now, O monarch, with all our younger brothers, dependent on thee you. We shall cheerfully do what thou you art pleased to command.'
" continued, 'Then said, 'I am of opinion that the Pandavas should go. But we should all abide by the opinion of king who is conversant with every rule of morality.'
" then spoke, 'I certainly agree with what this foremost of men, thinketh thinks, having regard to the circumstances. For the illustrious sons of now are to me as they are, without doubt, to . 's son himself doth does not seek the welfare of the Pandavas so earnestly as, , that tiger among men.'
" continued, 'Commanded by the illustrious , the Pandavas, then, O king, and and , taking with them , the , and the renowned , journeyed towards the city called after the elephant, stopping at various places along the way for purposes of pleasure and enjoyment. King , hearing that those heroes had neared the capital sent out the Kauravas to receive them. They who were thus sent out were, O Bharata, of the great bow, and , and that foremost of warriors, and of Gautama's line. Surrounded by these, those mighty heroes, their splendour enhanced by that throng slowly entered the city of Hastinapura. The whole city became radiant, as it were, with the gay throng of sight-seers animated by curiosity. Those tigers among men gladdened the hearts of all who beheld them. And the Pandavas, dear unto to the hearts of the people, heard, as they proceeded, various exclamations with the citizens, ever desirous of obeying the wishes of those princes, loudly uttered. Some exclaimed, 'Here returns that tiger among men, conversant with all the rules of morality and who always protects us as if we were his nearest relatives.' And elsewhere they said, 'It seems that king --the beloved of his people--returneth returns today from the forest, doubtless to do what is agreeable to us.' And there were some that said, 'What good is not done to us today when the heroic sons of come back to our town? If we have ever given away in charity, if we have ever poured libations of clarified butter on the fire, if we have any ascetic merit, let the Pandavas, by virtue of all those acts stay in our town for a hundred years.'
"At last the Pandavas, on arriving at the place, worshipped the feet of , as also those of the illustrious . They also worshipped the feet of everybody else that deserved that honour. And they enquired after the welfare of every citizen (there present). At last, at the command of they entered the chambers that had been assigned to them.
"After they had rested there for some time, they were summoned (to the court) by king and , the . When they came, king addressing , said, 'Listen, O son of , with thy your brothers, to what I say. Repair ye you to Khandavaprastha so that no difference may arise again (between you and your cousins). If you take up your quarters there no one will be able to do you any injury. Protected by (), like the celestials by the thunderbolt, reside ye you at Khandavaprastha, taking half of the kingdom.'
" continued, 'Agreeing to what said, those bulls among men worshipping the king set out from Hastinapura. And content with half the kingdom, they removed to Khandavaprastha, which was in unreclaimed desert. Then those heroes of unfading splendour, viz., the Pandavas, with at their head, arriving there, beautified the place and made it a second heaven. And those mighty car-warriors, selecting with 's assistance a sacred and auspicious region, performed certain propitiatory ceremonies and measured out a piece of land for their city. Then surrounded by a trench wide as the sea and by walls reaching high up to the heavens and white as the fleecy clouds or the rays of the moon, that foremost of cities looked resplendent like Bhogavati (the capital of the nether kingdom) decked with the Nagas. And it stood adorned with palatial mansions and numerous gates, each furnished with a couple of panels resembling the out-stretched wings of . And it was protected with gateways looking like the clouds and high as the Mandara mountains. And well-furnished with numerous weapons of attack the missiles of the foes could not make slightest impression on them. And they were almost covered with darts and other missiles like double-tongued snakes. The turrets along the walls were filled with armed men in course of training; and the walls were lined with numerous warriors along their whole length. And there were thousands of sharp hooks and Sataghnis (machines slaying a century of warriors) and numerous other machines on the battlements. There were also large iron wheels planted on them. And with all these was that foremost of cities adorned. The streets were all wide and laid out excellently; and there was no fear in them of accident. And decked with innumerable mansions, the city became like unto to Amaravati and came to be called Indraprastha (like unto to 's city). In a delightful and auspicious part of the city rose the palace of the Pandavas filled with every kind of wealth and like unto to the mansion of the celestial treasurer () himself. And it looked like a mass of clouds charged with lightning.
"When the city was built, there came, O king, numerous Brahmanas well-acquainted with all the Vedas and conversant with every language, wishing to dwell there. And there came also unto to that town numerous merchants from every direction, in the hope of earning wealth. There also came numerous persons well-skilled in all the arts, wishing to take up their abode there. And around the city were laid out many delightful gardens adorned with numerous trees bearing both fruits and flowers. There were Amras (mango trees) and Amaratakas, and Kadamvas and Asokas, and Champakas; and Punnagas and Nagas and Lakuchas and Panasas; and Salas and Talas (palm trees) and Tamalas and Vakulas, and Ketakas with their fragrant loads; beautiful and blossoming and grand Amalakas with branches bent down with the weight of fruits and Lodhras and blossoming Ankolas; and Jamvus (blackberry trees) and Patalas and Kunjakas and Atimuktas; and Karaviras and Parijatas and numerous other kinds of trees always adorned with flowers and fruits and alive with feathery creatures of various species. And those verdant groves always resounded with the notes of maddened peacocks and Kokilas (blackbirds). And there were various pleasure-houses, bright as mirrors, and numerous bowers of creepers, and charming and artificial hillocks, and many lakes full to the brim of crystal water, and delightful tanks fragrant with lotuses and lilies and adorned with swans and ducks and chakravakas (brahminy ducks). And there were many delicious pools overgrown with fine aquatic plants. And there were also diverse ponds of great beauty and large dimension. And, O king, the joy of the Pandavas increased from day to day, in consequence of their residence in that large kingdom that was peopled with pious men.
"Thus in consequence of the virtuous behaviour of and king towards them, the Pandavas took up their abode in Khandavaprastha. Adorned with those five mighty warriors, each equal unto to himself, that foremost of cities looked like Bhogavati (the capital of the nether kingdom) adorned with the Nagas. And, O monarch, having settled the Pandavas there, the heroic , obtaining their leave, came back with Rama to Dwaravati.'"
(Rajya-labha Parva)
" said, 'O thou you possessed of ascetic wealth, what did those high-souled ones, my grandsires, the illustrious Pandavas, do, after obtaining the kingdom of Indraprastha? How did their wife obey them all? How is it also that no dissensions arose amongst those illustrious rulers of men, all attached to one wife, viz., ? O thou you of the wealth of asceticism, I wish to hear everything in detail regarding the behaviour towards one another of those rulers of men after their union with .'
" said, 'Those scorchers of foes, the Pandavas, having obtained their kingdom, at the command of , passed their days in joy and happiness at Khandavaprastha with . And . endued with great energy and ever adhering to truth, having obtained the sovereignty, virtuously ruled the land, assisted by his brothers. And the sons of , endued with great wisdom and devoted to truth and virtue, having vanquished all their foes, continued to live there in great happiness. And those bulls among men, seated on royal seats of great value, used to discharge all the duties of government. And one day, while all those illustrious heroes were so seated, there came unto to them the celestial Rishi , in course of his wanderings. Beholding the Rishi, offered him his own handsome seat. And after the celestial Rishi had been seated, the wise duly offered him the Arghya with his own hands. And the king also informed the Rishi of the state of his kingdom. The Rishi accepting the worship, became well-pleased, and eulogising him with benedictions, commanded the king to take his seat. Commanded by the Rishi, the king took his seat. Then the king sent word unto to (in the inner apartments) of the arrival of the illustrious one. Hearing of the Rishi's arrival , purifying herself properly, came with a respectful attitude to where was with the Pandavas. The virtuous princess of Panchala, worshipping the celestial Rishi's feet, stood with joined hands before him, properly veiled, The illustrious , pronouncing various benedictions on her, commanded the princess to retire. After had retired, the illustrious Rishi, addressing in private all the Pandavas with at their head, said, 'The renowned princess of Panchala is the wedded wife of you all. Establish a rule amongst yourselves so that disunion may not arise amongst you. There were, in former days, celebrated throughout the three worlds, two brothers named and living together and incapable of being slain by anybody unless each slew the other. They ruled the same kingdom, lived in the same house, slept on the same bed, sat on the same seat, and ate from the same dish. And yet they killed each for the sake of . Therefore, O , preserve your friendship for one another and do that which may not produce disunion amongst you.'
"On hearing this, asked, 'O great Muni, whose sons were Asuras called and ? Whence from where arose that dissension amongst them, and why did they slay each other? Whose daughter also was this for whose love the maddened brothers killed each other? Was she an Apsara (water nymph) or the daughter of any celestial? O thou you whose wealth is asceticism, we desire, O Brahmana, to hear in detail everything as it happened. Indeed, our curiosity hath has become great.'"