or ill. Not to speak of horses, even mares in my hands will never be
found to be vicious. People called me Granthika by name and so did
Yudhishthira, the son of Pandu.'

"Virata said, 'Whatever horses I have, I consign to thy care even from
today. And all the keepers of my horses and all my charioteers will from
today be subordinate to thee. If this suits thee, say what remuneration
is desired by thee. But, O thou that resemblest a celestial, the office
of equerry is not worthy of thee. For thou lookest like a king and I
esteem thee much. The appearance here hath pleased me as much as if
Yudhishthira himself were here. Oh, how does that blameless son of Pandu
dwell and divert himself in the forest, now destitute of servants as he
is.'"

Vaisampayana continued, "That youth, like unto a chief of the
_Gandharvas_, was treated thus respectfully by the delighted king
Virata. And he conducted himself there in such a manner as to make
himself dear and agreeable to all in the palace. And no one recognised
him while living under Virata's protection. And it was in this manner
then the sons of Pandu, the very sight of whom had never been fruitless,
continued to live in the country of the Matsyas. And true to their
pledge those lords of the earth bounded by her belt of seas passed their
days of _incognito_ with great composure notwithstanding their poignant
sufferings."

SECTION XIII

(_Samayapalana Parva_)

Janamejaya said, "While living thus disguised in the city of the
Matsyas, what did those descendants of the Kuru race endued with great
prowess, do, O regenerate one!"

Vaisampayana said, "Hear, O king, what those descendants of Kuru did
while they dwelt thus in disguise in the city of the Matsyas,
worshipping the king thereof. By the grace of the sage Trinavindu and of
the high-souled lord of justice, the Pandavas continued to live
unrecognised by others in the city of Virata. O lord of men,
Yudhishthira, as courtier made himself agreeable to Virata and his sons
as also to all the Matsyas. An adept in the mysteries of dice, the son
of Pandu caused them to play at dice according to his pleasure and made
them sit together in the dice-hall like a row of birds bound in a
string. And that tiger among men, king Yudhishthira the Just, unknown to
the monarch, distributed among his brothers, in due proportion, the
wealth he won from Virata. And Bhimasena on his part, sold to
Yudhishthira for price, meat and viands of various