“Yudhishthira said, ‘The path of duty is long. It has also, O Bharata,many branches. What, however, according to thee, are those duties thatmost deserve to be practised? What acts, according to thee, are the mostimportant among all duties, by the practice of which I may earn thehighest merit both here and hereafter?’
”Yudhishthira said, V sinless one, do thou discourse to me more indetail upon the merits that are attainable by making gifts of kine. Othou of mighty arms, I am never satiated with thy words!’
1 [तुलाधार]
सद्भिर वा यदि वासद्भिर अयं पन्थाः समाश्रितः
परत्यक्षं करियतां साधु ततॊ जञास्यसि तद यथा
1 [भम]
भवन्ति देशे बन्धक्यः कितवानां युधिष्ठिर
न ताभिर उत दीव्यन्ति दया चैवास्ति तास्व अपि
1 [धृ]
उक्तॊ दवीपस्य संक्षेपॊ विस्तरं बरूहि संजय
यावद भूम्यवकाशॊ ऽयं दृश्यते शशलक्षणे
तस्य परमाणं परब्रूहि ततॊ वक्ष्यसि पिप्पलम
“Sanjaya said, ‘Beholding that vast host of the Pandavas swelling withrage and regarding it to be incapable of being resisted, thy sonDuryodhana.
“Sanjaya said, ‘When the night passed away and morning came, thy sonsonce more, in the midst of all the troops, asked their grandsire, saying,’O son of
“Vaisampayana said,–“After the Pandavas had gone to the forest,Dhritarashtra the son of Amvika, whose knowledge was his eye,[14] becameexceedingly sorrowful. And seated at his ease the king addressed thesewords to the virtuous Vidura of profound intelligence, ‘Thy understandingis as clear as that of Bhargava.[15] Thou knowest also all the subtletiesor morality, and thou lookest on all the Kauravas with an equal eye. O,tell me what is proper for me and them. O Vidura, things having thustaken their course, what should we do now? How may I secure the goodwillof the citizens so that they may not destroy us to the roots? O, tell usall, since thou art conversant with every excellent expedient.’
“Vaisampayana said, ‘When that night passed away and day broke in, thoseBrahmamas who supported themselves by mendicancy, stood before thePandavas of exalted deeds, who were about to enter the forest.
