Chapter 170

“Vaisampayana said, ‘Hearing these words of the Brahmana, the sons ofKunti seemed to be, as it were, pierced with darts. Indeed, all thosemighty heroes lost their peace of mind.

Then the truthful Kunti,beholding all her sons listless and inattentive, addressed Yudhishthiraand said, ‘We have now lived many nights in the abode of this Brahmana.We have passed our time pleasantly in this town, living on the almsobtained from many honest and illustrious persons. O oppressor of foes,as we have now seen often and often all the agreeable woods and gardensthat are in this part of the country, seeing them again would no longergive any pleasure. O heroic scion of Kuru’s race, alms also are not nowobtainable here as easily as before. If thou wishest it would be well forus now to go to Panchala; we have not seen that country, it will, nodoubt, O hero, prove delightful to us. O crusher of foes, it hath beenheard by us that alms are obtainable in the country of the Panchala, andthat Yajnasena, the king thereof, is devoted to Brahmanas. I am ofopinion that it is not good to live long in one place. Therefore, O son,if thou likest, it is good for us to go there.’

“Hearing these words, Yudhishthira said, ‘It is our duty to obey thycommand, which, besides, must be for our good, I do not, however, knowwhether my younger brothers are willing to go.'”