weapons.  And he tied them fast on those parts of the tree which he thought would not break, and where the rain would not penetrate.  And the Pandavas hung up a corpse (on the tree), knowing that people smelling the stench of the corpse would say—­here sure, is a dead body, and avoid the tree from a distance.  And on being asked by the shepherds and cowherds regarding the corpse, those repressers of foes said unto them, ’This is our mother, aged one hundred and eighty years.  We have hung up her dead body, in accordance with the custom observed by our forefathers.’  And then those resisters of foes approached the city.  And for purposes of non-discovery Yudhishthira kept these (five) names for himself and his brothers respectively, viz., Jaya, Jayanta, Vijaya, Jayatsena, and Jayadvala.  Then they entered the great city, with the view to passing the thirteenth year undiscovered in that kingdom, agreeably to the promise (to Duryodhana).”

SECTION VI

Vaisampayana said, “And while Yudhishthira was on his way to the delightful city of Virata, he began to praise mentally the Divine Durga, the Supreme Goddess of the Universe, born on the womb of Yasoda, and fond of the boons bestowed on her by Narayana, sprung from the race of cowherd Nanda, and the giver of prosperity, the enhancer (of the glory) of (the worshipper’s) family, the terrifier of Kansa, and the destroyer of Asuras,—­and saluted the Goddess—­her who ascended the skies when dashed (by Kansa) on a stony platform, who is the sister of Vasudeva, one who is always decked in celestial garlands and attired in celestial robes,—­who is armed with scimitar and shield, and always rescues the worshipper sunk in sin, like a cow in the mire, who in the hours of distress calls upon that eternal giver of blessings for relieving him of their burdens.  And the king, desirous with his brothers of obtaining a sight of the Goddess, invoked her and began to praise her by reciting various names derived from (approved) hymns.  And Yudhishthira said, ’Salutations to thee, O giver of boons.  O thou that art identical with Krishna, O maiden, O thou that hast observed the vow of Brahmacharya, O thou of body bright as the newly-risen Sun, O thou of face beautiful as the full moon.  Salutations to thee, O thou of four hands and four faces, O thou of fair round hips and deep bosom, O thou that wearest bangles made of emeralds and sapphires, O thou that bearest excellent bracelets on thy upper arm.  Thou shinest, O Goddess, as Padma, the consort of Narayana.  O thou that rangest the etherial regions, thy true form and thy Brahmacharya are both of the purest kind.  Sable as the black clouds, thy face is beautiful as that of Sankarshana.  Thou bearest two large arms long as a couple of poles raised in honour of Indra.  In thy (six) other arms thou bearest a vessel, a lotus, a bell, a noose, a bow, a large discus, and various other weapons.