“Vaishampaayana said, ‘Pandu, then, at the command of
Dhritarashtra, offered the wealth he had acquired by the capability of his arms
to Bhishma, their grand-mother Satyavati and their mothers. He sent portion of
his wealth to Vidura also. The Dharmic Pandu pleased his other relatives also
with similar presents. Then Satyavati, Bhishma and the Kosala princess (Ambika and Ambalika) were
all pleased with the presents Pandu made out of the acquisitions of his bravery.
Ambalika in particular, upon embracing her son of incomparable bravery, became
as glad as the queen of heaven upon embracing Jayanta (Jayanta is the son
of Lord Indra). With the wealth acquired
by that hero (Pandu), Dhritarashtra
performed five Mahayagnas that were equal to a hundred great Ashwamedha (yagnas), at all of which the offerings to
Brahmanas were by hundreds and thousands.
“O bull of Bharata’s race (Janamejaya), a little while after Pandu who had achieved
a victory over laziness and lethargy, accompanied by his two wives, Kunti and Maadri,
retired into the forest. Leaving his excellent palace with its luxurious beds,
he became a permanent inhabitant of the forest, devoting the whole of his time
to the chase of the deer (hunting). 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 forest like
Airavata (Lord Indra’s elephant)
accompanied by two she-elephants. The dwellers in those forest, beholding the
heroic Bharata prince (Pandu) 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
Deva wandering amongst them.
“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 (Bhishma), heard that king
Devaka had a daughter endued with youth and beauty and fathered upon a Shudra
wife. Bringing her from her father's abode, Bhishma married her to Vidura of
great wisdom. Vidura fathered upon her many children like to himself in
accomplishments.’”
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