on made to the Brahmanas.

The Mahabharata

of

Krishna-Dwaipayana Vyasa

BOOK 15

ASRAMAVASIKA PARVA

Translated into English Prose from the Original Sanskrit Text

by

Kisari Mohan Ganguli

[1883-1896]

Scanned at sacred-texts.com, 2003. Proofed by John Bruno Hare.

SECTION I

(Asramavasa Parva)

OM! AFTER HAVING bowed down to Narayana, and Nara, the foremost of men,
and unto the goddess Saraswati also, must the word Jaya be uttered.

"Janamejaya said, 'After having acquired their kingdom, how did my
grandsires, the high-souled Pandavas, conduct themselves towards the
high-souled king Dhritarashtra? How, indeed, did that king who had all
his counsellors and sons slain, who was without a refuge, and whose
affluence had disappeared, behave? How also did Gandhari of great fame
conduct herself? For how many years did my high-souled grandsires rule
the kingdom? It behoveth thee to tell me all this.'

"Vaisampayana said, 'Having got back their kingdom, the high-souled
Pandavas, their foes all slain, ruled the Earth, placing Dhritarashtra at
their head. Vidura, and Sanjaya and Yuyutsu of great intelligence, who
was Dhritarashtra's son by his Vaisya wife, used to wait upon
Dhritarashtra. The Pandavas used to take the opinion of that king in all
matters. Indeed, for ten and five years, they did all things under the
advice of the old king. Those heroes used very often to go to that
monarch and sit beside him, after having worshipped his feet, agreeably
to the wishes of king Yudhishthira the just. They did all things under
the command of Dhritarashtra who smelt their heads in affection. The
daughter of king Kuntibhoja also obeyed Gandhari in everything. Draupadi
and Subhadra and the other ladies of the Pandavas behaved towards the old
king and the queen as if they were their own father-in-law and
mother-in-law. Costly beds and robes and ornaments, and food and drink
and other enjoyable articles, in profusion and of such superior kinds as
were worthy of royal use, were presented by king Yudhishthira unto
Dhritarashtra. Similarly Kunti behaved towards Gandhari as towards a
senior. Vidura, and Sanjaya, and Yuyutsu, O thou of Kuru's race, used to
always wait upon the old king whose sons had all been slain. The dear
brother-in-law of Drona, viz., the very superior Brahmana, Kripa, that
mighty bowman, also attended upon the king. The holy Vyasa also used to
often meet with the old monarch and r