आश्रमवासिक पर्व — पाण्डवों की अपनी माता और अन्धे राजा से भेंट

Vaishampayana said The Pandavas got down at a distance, from their cars and proceeded on foot to the hermitage of the king, bending themselves in humility.

All the combatants also, and the citizens and the wives of the Kuru chiefs, followed them on foot.

The Pandavas then reached the sacred hermitage 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 seeing the Pandavas who had arrived at the hermitage.

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 saw all of them from a distance.

Desirous of meeting with their sire they walked rapidly. Then Sahadeva ran quickly towards the spot where Pritha was.

Touching the feet of his mother, he began to weep aloud. With tears running 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 he king Bhimasena, Arjuna and Nakula, Pritha tried to advance quickly towards them.

She was walking in advance of the childless old pair, and was dragging them forward. Seeing her, the Pandavas feel down on the earth.

The powerful and the great monarch, gifted with great intelligence, recognising them by their voices ard also by touch, comforted them one after another.

Shedding tears, those great princes, with due formalities, approached the old king and Gandhari, as also their own mother.

Indeed, regaining their senses, and once more consoled by their mother, the Pandavas took away from the king and their aunt and mother the jars full of water which they ha been carrying

The ladies of those leading men, and all the women of the royal household, as also all the inhabitants of the city and the provinces, then saw the old king.

King Yudhishthira presented all those individuals one after another to the old king, repeating their names and families and then himself adored his eldest sire with respect.

Surrounded by them all, the old monarch, with eyes bathed in tears of joy, considered himself as once more staying in the midst of the city of Hastinapur.

Saluted with respect by all his daughters-inlaw headed by Krishna, king Dhritarashtra, gifted with great intelligence, with Gandhari and Kunti became filled with joy.

He then reached his forest-retreat which was highly spoken of by Siddhas and Charanas, and that then was filled up with vast crowds of men all desirous of seeing him, like the sky teeming with my raids of stars.