The Mahabharata
Book 1: Adi Parva
Kisari Mohan Ganguli, tr.
[1883-1896]
SECTION CXIV
(Sambhava Parva continued)
"Vaisampayana said, 'Pandu, then, at the command of Dhritarashtra, offered
the wealth he had acquired by the prowess of his arms to Bhishma, their grand-mother
Satyavati and their mothers. And he sent portion of his wealth to Vidura also.
And the virtuous Pandu gratified his other relatives also with similar presents.
Then Satyavati and Bhishma and the Kosala princes were all gratified with the
presents Pandu made out of the acquisitions of his prowess. And Ambalika in particular,
upon embracing her son of incomparable prowess, became as glad as the queen of
heaven upon embracing Jayanta. And with the wealth acquired by that hero Dhritarashtra
performed five great sacrifices that were equal unto a hundred great horse-sacrifices,
at all of which the offerings to Brahmanas were by hundreds and thousands.
"A little while after, O bull of Bharata's race, Pandu who had achieved a victory
over sloth and lethargy, accompanied by his two wives, Kunti and Madri, retired
into the woods. Leaving his excellent palace with its luxurious beds, he became
a permanent inhabitant of the woods, devoting the whole of his time to the chase
of the deer. And fixing his abode in a delightful and hilly region overgrown with
huge sala trees, on the southern slope of the Himavat mountains, he roamed about
in perfect freedom. The handsome Pandu with his two wives wandered in those woods
like Airavata accompanied by two she-elephants. And the dwellers in those woods,
beholding the heroic Bharata prince in the company of his wives, armed with sword,
arrows, and bow, clad with his beautiful armour, and skilled in all excellent
weapons, regarded him as the very god wandering amongst them.
"And at the command of Dhritarashtra, people were busy in supplying Pandu in
his retirement with every object of pleasure and enjoyment.
"Meanwhile the son of the ocean-going Ganga heard that king Devaka had a daughter
endued with youth and beauty and begotten upon a Sudra wife. Bringing her from
her father's abode, Bhishma married her to Vidura of great wisdom. And Vidura
begot upon her many children like unto himself in accomplishments.'"
