the son of Dharma. said,—­’Do thou accept from me these gifts of water and roots and fruits.  It has been said, O king, that one’s guest should take that which one takes oneself.’  Thus addressed, Dharma’s son answered the king, saying,—­’So be it.’  The mighty-armed king ate the fruits and roots which the monarch gave him.  Then they all spread their beds under a tree and passed that night thus, having eaten fruits and roots and drunk the water that the old king had given them."’

SECTION XXVII

“Vaisampayana said, ’They passed that night which was characterised by auspicious constellations even thus, O king, in that retreat of righteous ascetics.  The conversation that occurred was characterised by many reflections on morality and wealth.  Consisting of delightful and sweet words, it was graced with diverse citations from the Srutis.  The Pandavas, O king, leaving costly beds, laid themselves down, near their mother, on the bare ground.  Indeed, those heroes passed that night, having eaten the food which was the food of the high-souled king Dhritarashtra.  After the night had passed away, king Yudhishthira, having gone through his morning acts, proceeded to survey that retreat in the company of his brothers.  With the ladies of his household the servants, and his priest, the king roved about the retreat in all directions, as he pleased, at the command of Dhritarashtra.  He beheld many sacrificial altars with sacred fires blazing on them and with many ascetics seated on them, that had performed their oblations and poured libations in honour of the deities.  Those altars were overspread with fruits and roots of the forest, and with heaps of flowers.  The smoke of clarified butter curled upwards from them.  They were graced, besides, with many ascetics possessed of bodies that looked like the embodied Vedas and with many that belonged to the lay brotherhood.  Herds of deer were grazing, or resting here and there, freed from every fear.  Innumerable birds also were there, engaged in uttering their melodious notes, O king.  The whole forest seemed to resound with the notes of peacocks and Datyuhas and Kokilas and the sweet songs of other warblers.[43] Some spots echoed with the chant of Vedic hymns recited by learned Brahmanas.  Some were adorned with large heaps of fruits and roots gathered from the wilderness.  King Yudhishthira then gave those ascetics jars made of gold or copper which he had brought for them, and many deer-skins and blankets and sacrificial ladles made of wood, and Kamandalus and wooden platters, and pots and pans, O Bharata.[44] Diverse kinds of vessels, made of iron, and smaller vessels and cups of various sizes, were also given away by the king, the ascetics taking them away, each as many as he liked.  King Yudhishthira of righteous soul, having thus roved through the woods and beheld the diverse retreats of ascetics and made many gifts, returned to the place