Vaisampayana continued, “Thus addressed, the powerful Bhimasena of mightyarms, affectionately, and with a cheerful heart, bowed unto his brother,Hanuman, the monkey-chief, and said in mild words, ‘None is morefortunate than I am; now have I seen my elder brother.
Hanuman said, ‘And after his wife was carried away, that descendant ofRaghu, while searching with his brother for his queen, met, on the summitof that mountain, with Sugriva, chief of the monkeys.
Vaisampayana said, “O represser of foes, hearing these words of theintelligent monkey-chief, the heroic Bhima answered, ‘Who art thou? Andwhy also hast thou assumed the shape of a monkey?
Vaisampayana said, “There observing cleanliness, those tigers among mendwelt for six nights, in expectation of beholding Dhananjaya. And it cameto pass that all of a sudden there blew a wind from the north-east andbrought a celestial lotus of a thousand petals and effulgent as the sun.
“Yudhishthira said, ‘O Bhima, let this mighty and heroic Rakshasa chief,thy legitimate son, devoted to us, and truthful, and conversant withvirtue carry (his) mother (Draupadi) without delay. And, O possessor ofdreadful prowess, depending on the strength of thy arms, I shall reachthe Gandhamadana, unhurt, together with Panchala’s daughter.'”
Vaisampayana said, “When the high-souled sons of Pandu had proceeded onlytwo miles, Draupadi unaccustomed to travel on foot, sank down. Weary andafflicted as she was, the poor daughter of Panchala became faint, onaccount of the hailstorm and also of her extreme delicacy.
Vaisampayana said, “O king, then those foremost of bowmen, ofimmeasurable prowess, holding bows stringed at full stretch and equippedwith quivers and arrows and wearing finger-caps made of the guana-skin,and with their swords on, proceeded with Panchali towards theGandhamadana, taking with them the best of Brahmanas.
“Lomasa said, O sons of Pandu, ye have seen many a mountain, and riverand town and forest and beautiful tirtha; and have touched with yourhands the sacred waters.
“Yudhishthira said, ‘O Vrikodara, there are mighty and powerful invisiblespirits at this place. We shall, however, pass it, through the merit ofour asceticism and Agnihotra sacrifices.
“Lomasa said, ‘O descendant of Bharata, O king, now hast thou left behindthe mountains Usiravija, Mainaka and Sweta, as well as the Kala hills, Oson of Kunti, O bull among the descendants of Bharata, here flow beforethee the seven Gangas.
