“Yudhishthira then said, ’Let those mendicants and Brahmanas and Yogis that are incapable of bearing hunger and thirst, the fatigues of travel and toil, and the severity of winter, desist.  Let those Brahmanas also desist that live on sweetmeats, and they also that desire cooked viands and food that is sucked or drunk as well as meat.  And let those also remain behind that are dependent on cooks.  Let those citizens that have followed me from motives of loyalty, and whom I have hitherto kept on proper stipends, repair to king Dhritarashtra.  He will give them their allowances in due time.  If, however, that king refuses to grant them proper allowances, the king of the Panchalas will, for our satisfaction and welfare, give them these.’”

Vaisampayana continued, “And thereupon oppressed with grief, the citizens and the principal Brahmanas and Yatis set out for Hastinapura.  And out of affection for Yudhishthira the just, the royal son of Amvika received them properly, and gratified them with proper allowances.  And the royal son of Kunti, with only a small number of Brahmanas, abode for three nights at Kamyaka, cheered by Lomasa.”

SECTION XCIII

Vaisampayana said, “Those Brahmanas then, that had been dwelling (with him) in the woods, beholding the son of Kunti about to set out (on the pious pilgrimage), approached him, O king, and said, ’Thou art about to set out, O king, on thy journey to the sacred tirthas, along with thy brothers and accompanied by the illustrious Rishi Lomasa.  O king, it behoveth thee, O son of Pandu, to take us with thee.  Without thee, we shall not be able, O son of the Kuru race, to visit them at any time.  Surrounded by dangers and difficult of access, they are infested by beasts of prey.  Those tirthas, O lord of men, are inaccessible to persons in small parties.  Foremost of all wielders of the bow, thy brothers are ever brave.  Protected by your heroic selves, we also would proceed to them.  Permit us to acquire, O lord of earth, through thy grace the blessed fruit of tirthas.  Protected by thy energy, let us, O king, be cleansed of all our sins by visiting those tirthas and purified by baths therein.  Bathing in those tirthas, thou also, O Bharata, wilt acquire without doubt the regions difficult of acquisition that Kartavirya and Ashtaka, the royal sage Lomapada and the imperial and heroic Bharata only had earned.  In thy company, O king, we desire to behold Prabhasa and other tirthas, Mahendra and other hills, Ganga and other rivers, and Plaksha and other gigantic trees.  If, O lord of men, thou hast any regard for the Brahmanas, do thou our bidding.  Thou wilt surely have prosperity from this.  O thou of mighty arms, the tirthas are infested by Rakshasas that ever obstruct ascetic penances.  It behoveth thee to protect us from them.  Protected by Lomasa and taking us with thee, go thou to all the tirthas spoken of by Dhaumya and the intelligent Narada, as also all those that have been spoken of by the celestial Rishi Lomasa, endued with great ascetic wealth, and be thou, by this, cleansed of all thy sins.”