03.143
Vaiśampāyana said.
They were valiant, bearing stretched bows, equipped with quivers and arrows, with lizard-skin finger-guards fastened, carrying swords, and possessing immeasurable energy. (03-143-1)
O King, the best among all bowmen, having taken along the foremost brāhmaṇas and accompanied by Pāñcālī, set out for Gandhamādana. (03-143-2)
They saw lakes, rivers, mountains, forests, and trees with abundant shade on the mountain summit; regions always abounding in flowers and fruits, frequented by hosts of divine sages. (03-143-3)
The heroes, sustaining themselves through meditation, eating roots and fruits, wandered through difficult and dangerous lands of various terrains, observing many and diverse species of animals. (3-143-4)
Those great souls entered the mountain, frequented by kinnaras, dear to gandharvas and apsarases, and joined by sages, siddhas, and gods. (03-143-5)
O lord of men, as the heroes entered the mountain Gandhamādana, a great rain accompanied by a fierce wind arose. (03-143-6)
Then, a great dust, thick with much foliage, arose and covered the earth, the sky, and even heaven with darkness. (03-143-7)
Nothing at all was visible as the sky was covered with dust, and they were not even able to speak to one another. (03-143-8)
They could not see one another, their vision destroyed by darkness, as they were swept along by the wind carrying stone-dust, O Bhārata. (03-143-9)
A great sound arose from the trees broken by the wind, falling violently on the earth, and from other earth-born things. (03-143-10)
"Is the sky indeed falling? Are the mountains splitting upon the earth?"—Thus all of them thought, deluded by the wind. (03-143-11)
They, afraid of the wind, searched all around the nearest trees, anthills, and uneven places with their hands and hid themselves. (03-143-12)
Then the mighty Bhīmasena, raising his bow, took Kṛṣṇā with him and, joining her, stood resorting to a tree. (03-143-13)
Dharma-king and Dhaumya hid themselves in the great forest, while Sahadeva, having taken the Agnihotra fires, hid on the mountain. (03-143-14)
Nakul, the Brāhmaṇas and others, as well as Lomaśa, the great ascetic, approached the trees and, terrified, hid themselves here and there. (03-143-15)
As the wind slowed, the dust (in the air) settled, and the rain with large drops quickly arrived. (03-143-16)
Then, streams mixed with stones, covering everything on all sides, fell continuously there, driven by a swift wind. (03-143-17)
Then, O lord of men, the waters flowing toward the ocean, scattered in all directions, appeared frothy and filled with foam. (03-143-18)
They carried abundant water covered with foam and bubbles, rushed forth with a great roar, dragging trees along with them. (03-143-19)
At that time, when the rain and wind had stopped and calmness set in, as the water receded, the sun arose and the low-lying areas became visible. (03-143-20)
All of them departed slowly; they came together, O Bhārata, and the heroes again set forth towards Mount Gandhamādana. (03-143-21)
