“Janamejaya said, ’Tell me.  O learned Brahmana, what that wonderful feat was which the great Rishi Vyasa of high energy accomplished after his promise to the old king, made when Dhritarashtra, that lord of Earth, that foremost one of Kuru’s race, had taken up his abode in the forest, with his wife and with his daughter-in-law Kunti; and after, indeed, Vidura had left his own body and entered into Yudhishthira, and at the time when all the sons of Pandu were staying in the ascetic retreat.  For how many days did the Kuru king Yudhishthira of unfading glory stay, with his men, in the woods?  On what food, O puissant one, did the high-souled Pandavas support themselves, with their men, and wives, while they lived in the woods?  O sinless one, do thou tell me this.’

“Vaisampayana said, ’With the permission of the Kuru king, the Pandavas, O monarch, with their troops and the ladies of their household, supported themselves on diverse kinds of food and drink and passed about a month in great happiness in that forest.  Towards the close of that period, O sinless one, Vyasa came there.  While all those princes sat around Vyasa, engaged in conversation on diverse subjects, other Rishis came to that spot.  They were Narada, and Parvata and Devala of austere penances, and Viswavasu and Tumvuru, and Chitrasena., O Bharata.  Endued with severe penances, the Kuru king Yudhishthira, with the permission of Dhritarashtra, worshipped them according to due rites.  Having obtained that worship from Yudhishthira, all of them sat down on sacred seats (made of Kusa grass), as also on excellent seats made of peacock feathers.  After they had all taken their seats, the Kuru king of high intelligence took his seat there, surrounded by the sons of Pandu.  Gandhari and Kunti and Draupadi, and she of the Sattwata race, and other ladies of the royal household also sat down.  The conversation that then arose was excellent and had reference to topics connected with piety, and the Rishis of old, and the deities and the Asuras.  At the close of that conversation Vyasa of great energy, that foremost of eloquent men, that first of all persons conversant with the Vedas, highly gratified, addressed the blind monarch and once more said,—­’Burning as thou art with grief on account of thy children, I know, O king of kings, what object is cherished by thee in thy heart.  The sorrow that always exists in the heart of Gandhari, that which exists in the heart of Kunti, and that also which is cherished by Draupadi in her heart, and that burning grief, on account of the death of her son, which Krishna’s sister Subhadra also cherishes, are all known to me.  Hearing of this meeting, O king, of thine with all these princes and princesses of thy house, I have come here, O delighter of the Kauravas, for dispelling thy doubts.  Let the deities and Gandharvas, and all these great Rishis, behold today the energy of those penances which I have acquired for these long years.  Therefore,