’Vaisampayana continued, ’Thus addressed by her, the righteous-souled Yudhishthira, with passions under complete control, became, with all his brothers, plunged into great distress.  Endued with great intelligence, the king said not a word.  Having reflected for a little while, king Yudhishthira the Just, cheerless and plunged in anxiety and sorrow, addressed his mother, saying,—­’Strange, indeed, is this purpose of thine?  It behoves thee not to accomplish it.  I can never grant thee permission.  It behoves thee to show us compassion.  ’Formerly, when we were about to set out of Hastinapore for the woods, O thou of agreeable features, it was thou who, reciting to us the story of Vidula’s instructions to her son, excited us to exertion.  It behoves thee not to abandon us now.  Having slain the kings of Earth, I have won sovereignty, guided by thy words of wisdom communicated through Vasudeva.  Where now is that understanding of thine about which I had heard from Vasudeva?  Dost thou wish now to fall away from those Kshatriya practices about which thou hadst instructed us?  Abandoning ourselves, this kingdom, and this daughter-in-law of thine who is possessed of great fame, how wilt thou live in the inaccessible woods?  Do thou relent!  Kunti, with tears in her eyes, heard these words of her son, but continued to proceed on her way.  Then Bhima addressed her, saying,—­’When, O Kunti, sovereignty has been won, and when the time has come for thee to enjoy that sovereignty thus acquired by thy children, when the duties of royalty await discharge by thee, whence has this desire got hold of thy mind?  Why then didst thou cause us to exterminate the Earth?  For what reason wouldst thou leave all and wish to take up thy abode in the woods?  We were born in the woods.  Why then didst thou bring us from the woods while we were children?  Behold, the two sons of Madri are overwhelmed with sorrow and grief.  Relent, O mother, O thou of great fame, do not go into the woods now.  Do thou enjoy that prosperity which acquired by might, has become Yudhishthira’s today.’  Firmly resolved to retire into the woods, Kunti disregarded these lamentations of her sons.  Then Draupadi with a cheerless face, accompanied by Subhadra, followed her weeping mother-in-law who was journeying on from desire of going into the woods.  Possessed of great wisdom and firmly resolved on retirement from the world, the blessed dame walked on, frequently looking at her weeping children.  The Pandavas, with all their wives and servitors, continued to follow her.  Restraining then her tears, she addressed her children in these words.’”

SECTION XVII