recovered from fatigue, they went to the
royal sage, the pious Vrishaparva and greeted him. And that royal sage
received with affection those foremost of Bharatas, even as his own sons.
And those repressers of foes passed there seven nights, duly regarded.
And when the eighth day came, taking the permission of that sage
celebrated over the worlds, they prepared to start on their journey. And
having one by one introduced unto Vrishaparva those Brahmanas, who, duly
honoured, remained in his charge as friends; and having also entrusted
the highsouled Vrishaparva with their remaining robes, the sons of Pandu,
O king, left in the hermitage of Vrishaparva their sacrificial vessels
together with their ornaments and jewels. And wise and pious and versed
in every duty and having a knowledge of the past as well as the future,
that one gave instructions unto those best of the Bharatas, as unto his
own sons. Then taking his permission those high-souled ones set out
towards the north. And as they set out the magnanimous Vrishaparva
followed them to a certain distance. Then having entrusted the Pandavas
unto the care of the Brahmanas and instructed and blessed them and given
directions concerning their course, Vrishaparva of mighty energy retraced
his steps.

"Then Kunti's son, Yudhishthira of unfailing prowess, together with his
brothers, began to proceed on foot along the mountain path, inhabited by
various kinds of beasts. And having dwelt at the mountain slopes, densely
overgrown with trees, Pandu's son on the fourth day reached the Sweta
mountain, like unto a mighty mass of clouds, abounding in streams and
consisting of a mass of gold and gems. And taking the way directed by
Vrishaparva, they reached one by one the intended places, beholding
various mountains. And over and over they passed with ease many
inaccessible rocks and exceedingly impassable caves of the mountain. And
Dhaumya and Krishna and the Parthas and the mighty sage Lomasa went on in
a body and none grew tired. And those highly fortunate ones arrived at
the sacred and mighty mountain resounding with the cries of birds and
beasts and covered with various trees and creepers and inhabited by
monkeys, and romantic and furnished with many lotus-lakes and having
marshes and extensive forests. And then with their down standing erect,
they saw the mountain Gandhamadana, the abode of Kimpurushas, frequented
by Siddhas and Charanas and ranged by Vidyadharis and Kinnaris and