SECTION –CCXXXVIII
(Ghosha-yatra Parva Continud)
Vaisampayana said, "King Duryodhana then
moving from forest to forest, at last approached the cattle-stations, and
encamped his troops. And his attendants, selecting a well-known and delightful
spot that abounded in water and trees and that possessed every convenience
constructed an abode for him. And near enough to the royal residence they also
erected separate abodes for Kama and Sakuni and the brothers of the king. And
the king beheld his cattle by hundreds and thousands and examining their limbs
and marks supervised their tale. And he caused the calves to be marked and took
note of those that required to be tamed. And he also counted those kine whose
calves had not yet been weaned. And completing the task of tale by marking and
counting every calf that was three years old, the Kuru prince, surrounded by
the cowherds, began to sport and wander cheerfully. And the citizens also and
the soldiers by thousands began to sport, as best pleased them, in those woods,
like the celestials. And the herdsmen, well skilled in singing and dancing and
instrumental music, and virgins decked in ornaments, began to minister to the
pleasures of Dhritarashtra's son. And the king surrounded by the ladies of the
royal household began cheerfully to distribute wealth and food and drinks of
various kinds amongst those that sought to please him, according to their
desires.
"And the king, attended by all his
followers, began also to slay hyenas and buffaloes and deer and gayals and
bears and boars all around. And the king, piercing by his shafts those animals
by thousands in deep forest, caused the deer to be caught in the more
delightful parts of the woods. Drinking milk and enjoying, O Bharata, various
other delicious articles and beholding, as he proceeded, many delightful
forests and woods swarming with bees inebriate with floral honey and resounding
with the notes of the peacock, the king at last reached the sacred lake of
Dwaitavana. And the spot which the king reached swarmed with bees inebriate
with floral honey, and echoed with the mellifluous notes of the blue-throated
jay and was shaded by Saptacchadas and punnagas and Vakulas. And the king
graced with high prosperity proceeded thither like the thunder-wielding chief
of the celestials himself. And, O thou best of the Kuru race, King Yudhishthira
the just, endued with high intelligence, was then, O monarch, residing in the
vicinity of that lake at will and celebrating with his wedded wife, the
daughter of Drupada, the diurnal sacrifice called Rajarshi, according to the
ordinance sanctioned for the celestials and persons living in the wilderness.
And, O monarch, having reached that spot, Duryodhana commanded his men by
thousands, saying, 'Let pleasure-houses be constructed soon.' Thus commanded,
those doers of the king's behests replying to the Kruru chief with the words,
'So be it,' went towards the banks of the lake for constructing
pleasure-houses. And as the picked soldiers of Dhritarashtra's son, having
reached the region of the lake, were about to enter the gates of the wood, a
number of Gandharvas appeared and forbade them to enter. For, O monarch, the
king of the Gandharvas accompanied by his followers, had come thither
beforehand, from the abode of Kuvera. And the king of the Gandharvas had also
been accompanied by the several tribes of Apsaras, as also by the sons of the
celestials And intent upon sport, he had come to that place for merriment, and
occupying it, had closed it against all comers. And the attendants of the
(Kuru) king, finding the lake closed by the king of the Gandharvas, went back,
O monarch, to where the royal Duryodhana was. And Duryodhana having heard these
words, despatched a number of his warriors difficult of being subjugated in
battle, commanding them to drive away the Gandharvas. And those warriors who
formed the vanguard of the Kuru army, hearing these words of the king, went
back to the lake of Dwaitavana and addressing the Gandharvas, said, 'The mighty
king Duryodhana--the son of Dhritarashtra--is coming, hither for sport. Stand
ye aside, therefore!' Thus addressed by them, O king, the Gandharvas laughed
and replied unto those men in these harsh words: 'Your wicked king Duryodhana
must be destitute of sense. How else could he have thus commanded us that are
dwellers of heaven, as if indeed, we were his servants? Without forethought, ye
also are doubtless on the point of death; for senseless idiots as ye are, ye
have dared to bring us his message! Return ye soon to where that king of the
Kurus is, or else go this very day to the abode of Yama.' Thus addressed by the
Gandharvas, the advanced guard of the king's army ran back to the place where
the royal son of Dhritarashtra was."
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