thout doubt, obtaineth fame, besides sons and grandsons and
animals, a high position among men, and health, and joy. And, O king, the
fear also that thou entertainest, viz., (Some one skilled in dice will
summon me), I will for once dispel. O thou of invincible prowess, I know
the science of dice in its entirety. I am gratified with thee; take this
lore, O son of Kunti, I will tell unto thee.'"

Vaisampayana continued, "King Yudhishthira then, with a glad heart, said
unto Vrihadaswa, 'O illustrious one, I desire to learn the science of
dice from thee.' The Rishi then gave his dice-lore unto the high-souled
son of Pandu, and having given it unto him, that great ascetic went to
the sacred waters of Hayasirsha for a bath.

"And after Vrihadaswa had gone away, Yudhishthira of firm vows heard from
Brahmanas and ascetics that came to him from various directions and from
places of pilgrimage and mountains and forests that Arjuna of high
intelligence and capable of drawing the bow with his left hand, was still
engaged in the austerest of ascetic penances, living upon air alone. And
he heard that the mighty-armed Partha was engaged in such fierce
asceticism that none else before him had ever been engaged in such
penances. And Dhananjaya, the son of Pritha, engaged in ascetic
austerities with regulated vows and fixed mind and observing the vow of
perfect silence, was, he heard, like the blazing god of justice himself
in his embodied form. And, O king, (Yudhishthira) the son of Pandu
hearing that his dear brother Jaya, the son of Kunti, was engaged in such
asceticism in the great forest, began to grieve for him. And with a heart
burning in grief, the eldest son of Pandu, seeking consolation in that
mighty forest held converse with the Brahmanas possessed of various
knowledge who were living with him there."

SECTION LXXX

(Tirtha-yatra Parva)

Janamejaya said, "O holy one, after my great-grandfather Partha had gone
away from the woods of Kamyaka, what did the sons of Pandu do in the
absence of that hero capable of drawing the bow with his left hand? It
seemeth to me that mighty bowman and vanquisher of armies was their
refuge, as Vishnu of the celestials. How did my heroic grandsires pass
their time in the forest, deprived of the company of that hero, who
resembled Indra himself in prowess and never turned his back in battle?"

Vaisampayana said, "After Arjuna of unbaffled prowess had gone away from
Kamyaka, the sons of