adden all thy subjects. Do thou assure them and establish peace among
all. Do thou also honour all thy well-wishers with such rewards as they
deserve! Let all thy friends and well-wishers live, depending on thee for
their means, even as birds live, depending for their means upon a
full-grown tree charged with fruit and standing on a sacred spot. When
the hour comes for my departure from this world, do thou come here, O
king. The time when I shall take leave of my body is that period when the
sun, stopping in his south-ward course, will begin to return northwards!"
The son of Kunti answered, "So be it!" And saluted his grandsire with
reverence and then set out, with all his relatives and followers, for the
city called after the elephant. Placing Dhritarashtra at the head and
also Gandhari who was exceedingly devoted to her lord, and accompanied by
the Rishis and Kesava, as also by the citizens and the inhabitants of the
country and by his counsellors, O monarch, that foremost one of Kuru's
race entered the city named after the elephant.'"

SECTION CLXVII

"Vaisampayana said, 'Then the royal son of Kunti, having duly honoured
the citizens and the inhabitants of the province, dismissed them to their
respective homes. The Pandava king then consoled these women, who had
lost their heroic husbands and sons in the battle, with abundant gift of
wealth. Having recovered his kingdom, Yudhishthira of great wisdom caused
himself to be duly installed on the throne. That foremost of men then
assured all his subjects by diverse acts of good will. That foremost of
righteous men then set himself to earn the substantial blessing of the
Brahmanas, of the foremost military officers, and the leading citizens.
The blessed monarch having passed fifty nights in the capital recollected
the time indicated by his grandsire as the hour of his departure from
this world. Accompanied by a number of priests he then set out of the
city named after the elephant, having seen that the sun ceasing to go
southwards had begun to proceed in his northward course. Yudhishthira the
son of Kunti took with him a large quantity of clarified butter and
floral garlands and scents and silken cloths and excellent sandalwood and
Aquilaria Agallocha and dark sloe wood, for cremating the body of
Bhishma. Diverse kinds of costly garlands and gems also were among those
stores. Placing Dhritarashtra ahead and queen Gandhari celebrated for her
virtues, and his own mother