01.117
Pancharatra:The siddhas of Himalaya handover Kunti and her sons, along with the corpse of Pandu and Madri.
Vaiśampāyana said.
Having performed Pāṇḍu’s final rites, the godlike great sages then assembled and deliberated as ascetics.
That great-souled, mighty ascetic abandoned the kingdom and realm, and came to this place to perform austerities, seeking refuge among ascetics.
King Pāṇḍu, entrusting his newborn sons and wives to you here as a sacred trust, went from here to heaven.
Having consulted with each other, devoted to the good of all beings, they set forth with Pāṇḍu’s sons at the front toward the city Nāgasāhvaya.
With noble minds, they resolved to depart, intending to deliver the Pāṇḍavas to Bhīṣma and Dhṛtarāṣṭra.
In that very moment, all the ascetics set out, carrying Pāṇḍu’s wives, sons, and his body.
She who was once happy and ever fond of her children now undertook a long journey, thinking it to be short.
After a long time, the glorious lady reached Kurujāṅgala and arrived at the gate of Vardhamāna city.
When the people of Nāgapura heard of the arrival of thousands of bards and sages, great wonder arose among them.
As the sun rose, all the city dwellers, guided by dharma and accompanied by their wives, went out to see the ascetics.
Groups of women, warriors, and vehicles went out along with the Brāhmaṇas, and the wives of Brāhmaṇas also joined them.
A great commotion arose among the groups of outcastes and Śūdras as well, but none showed envy; all were governed by understanding of dharma.
Likewise Bhīṣma, son of Śāntanu, Somadatta, Bāhlika, the wise royal sage Prajñācakṣu, and the minister Vidura himself also came.
Satyavatī, the queen, and the illustrious Kausalyā came forth, surrounded by royal ladies; Gāndhārī too came out.
The heirs of Dhṛtarāṣṭra, led by Duryodhana, came out in hundreds, adorned with splendid ornaments.
Having bowed their heads in salutation to all the great sages, all the Kauravas along with their priests sat nearby.
Likewise, all the townspeople and countryfolk also bowed to the ground with their heads and sat nearby.
Then, observing the silent multitude all around, Bhīṣma submitted the kingdom and the realm to the great sages.
Then, the eldest among them, a sage wearing matted locks and deer skin, rising and knowing the view of the sages, said this.
That heir of the Kauravas, the king named Pāṇḍu, renouncing sensual pleasures, departed from here to Śataśṛṅga.
This son Yudhiṣṭhira was born to him, who was observant of celibacy, by the direct divine cause of Dharma.
Likewise, the Wind-god gave to that high-souled king a son named Bhīma, greatest among the strong.
This truly valiant one was born to Kuntī from Indra, whose fame will surpass all great archers.
These two tiger-like men, born of the Aśvins and borne by Mādrī, great archers and best of the Kurus, also stand here.
This ancestral lineage was raised again by the glorious Pāṇḍu, who dwelt in the forest with steadfast righteousness.
As Pāṇḍu constantly watched the birth, growth, and Vedic studies of his sons, his delight always increased.
Pāṇḍu, having lived the life of the virtuous and having attained sons, departed to the world of the ancestors on the seventeenth day.
Knowing him to be placed on the funeral pyre and offered to the fire, Mādrī entered the fire, having forsaken her life.
She, devoted, followed him to the world of her husband; let the rites due to both of them be performed thereafter.
Let these two bodies, and these noble sons of them, be honored with rituals along with their mother, O scorcher of foes.
May the renowned Pāṇḍu, knower of all dharmas and upholder of the Kuru race, receive the ancestral oblations after the funeral rites are done.
Having thus spoken to all the Kurus while they watched, all the celestial bards and Guhyakas disappeared in a moment.
Having seen the group of sages and siddhas vanish like a city of Gandharvas, they were filled with great wonder.
