“Thus addressed respectfully by them, the king—­that bull amongst the sons of Pandu—­surrounded by his heroic brothers headed by Bhima, with tears of joy in his eyes, said unto all those ascetics, ‘Let it be so.’  With the permission then of Lomasa, as also of his priest Dhaumya, that foremost of Pandu’s sons with soul under complete control, resolved, along with his brothers and Drupada’s daughter of faultless features, to set out.  Just at this time, the blessed Vyasa, as also Parvata and Narada, all endued with high intelligence, came to Kamyaka for seeing the son of Pandu.  Beholding them, king Yudhishthira worshipped them with due rites.  And worshipped by the monarch thus, those blessed ones, addressing Yudhishthira, said, ’O Yudhishthira, O Bhima, and ye twins, banish all evil thoughts from your minds.  Purify your hearts and then set out for the tirthas.  The Brahmanas have said that the observance of regulations in respect of the body are called earthly vows, while efforts to purify the heart, so that it may be free from evil thoughts, are called spiritual vows.  O king, the mind that is free from all evil thoughts is highly pure.  Purifying yourselves, therefore, harbouring only friendly feelings for all, behold ye the tirthas.  Observing earthly vows in respect of your bodies and purifying your minds by spiritual vows, obtain ye the fruits as recited, of pilgrimages.”

“Saying, ‘So be it,’ the Pandavas with Krishna, caused those celestial and human Rishis to perform the usual propitiatory ceremonies.  And those heroes, having worshipped the feet of Lomasa and Dwaipayana and Narada and the celestial Rishi Parvata, O king, and accompanied by Dhaumya as also the ascetics that had been residing with them in the woods, set out on the day following the full moon of Agrahayana in which the constellation Pushya was ascendant.  Dressed in barks and hides, and with matted lock on head, they were all cased in impenetrable mail and armed with swords.  And O Janamejaya, the heroic sons of Pandu with quivers and arrows and scimitars and other weapons, and accompanied by Indrasena and other attendants with fourteen and one cars, a number of cooks and servants of other classes, set out with faces turned towards the east!”

SECTION XCIV

“Yudhishthira said, ’O best of celestial Rishis, I do not think that I am without merits.  Yet am I afflicted with so much sorrow that there never was a king like me.  I think, however, that my enemies are destitute of good qualities and even destitute of morality.  Yet why, O Lomasa, do they prosper in this world?”