er all the
worlds, the best of those endued with speech passed his days happily in
the wood, in the company of Sukanya, his loving wife. This is his lake,
shining, O king! and resounding with the voice of birds. Here must thou,
together with thy uterine brothers, offer libations of water to thy
forefathers and the gods. And, O ruler of earth! O scion of Bharata's
race! having visited it and Sikataksha also, thou shalt repair to the
Saindhava wood, and behold a number of small artificial rivers. And O
great king, O scion of Bharata's race! thou shalt touch the waters of all
the holy lakes and reciting the hymns of the god Sthanu (Siva), meet with
success in every undertaking. For this is the junction, O most
praiseworthy of men, of the two ages of the world, viz., Dwapara and
Treta. It is a time, O Kunti's son! capable of destroying all the sins of
a person. Here do thou perform ablutions, for the spot is able to remove
all the sins of an individual. Yonder is the Archika hill, a dwelling
place for men of cultured minds. Fruits of all the seasons grow here at
all times and the streams run for ever. It is an excellent place fit for
the celestials. And there are the holy cairns of diverse forms, set up by
the celestials. O Yudhishthira! this is the bathing spot belonging to the
Moon. And the saints are in attendance here on all sides round--they are
the dwellers of the wood and the Valakhilyas, and the Pavakas, who
subsist on air only. These are three peaks and three springs. Thou mayst
walk round them all, one by one: then thou mayst wash thyself at
pleasure. Santanu, O king! and Sunaka the sovereign of men, and both Nara
and Narayana have attained everlasting regions from this place. Here did
the gods constantly lie down, as also the forefathers, together with the
mighty saints. In this Archika hill, they all carried on austerities.
Sacrifice to them, O Yudhishthira! Here did they, also the saints, eat
rice cooked in milk, O protector of men! And here is the Yamuna of an
exhaustless spring. Krishna here engaged himself in a life of penances, O
Pandu's son. O thou that draggest the dead bodies of thy foes! the twin
brothers, and Bhimasena and Krishna and all of us will accompany thee to
this spot. O lord of men, this is the holy spring that belongeth to
Indra. Here the creative and the dispensing deity, and Varuna also rose
upwards, and here too they dwelt, O king! observing forbearance, and
possessed of the highest faith.