mother and most of my well-wishers, are all in the city of Hastinapura.
Therefore, if ye are minded to seek our welfare, cherish ye them with
care, uniting together as they are overwhelmed with sorrow and
afflictions. Grieved at our departure, ye have come far! Go ye back, and
let your hearts be directed with tenderness towards the relatives I
entrust to you as pledges! This, of all others, is the one act upon
which my heart is set, and by doing this ye would give me great
satisfaction and pay me your best regards!'"

Vaisampayana continued, "Thus exhorted by Yudhishthira the just, the
people in a body set up a loud wail exclaiming,--_Alas, O king!_ And
afflicted and overwhelmed with sorrow on remembering the virtues of
Pritha's son, they unwillingly retraced their steps asking leave of the
Pandavas.

"The citizens having ceased to follow, the Pandavas ascended their cars,
and setting out reached (the site of) the mighty banian tree called
_Pramana_ on the banks of the Ganges. And reaching the site of the
banian tree about the close of the day, the heroic sons of Pandu
purified themselves by touching the sacred water, and passed the night
there. And afflicted with woe they spent that night taking water alone
as their sole sustenance. Certain Brahmanas belonging to both classes,
_viz_., those that maintained the sacrificial fire and those that
maintained it not, who had, with their disciples and relatives, out of
affection followed the Pandavas thither also passed the night with them.
And surrounded by those utterers of _Brahma_, the king shone resplendent
in their midst. And that evening, at once beautiful and terrible, those
Brahmanas having lighted their (sacred) fires, began to chant the
_Vedas_ and hold mutual converse. And those foremost of Brahmanas, with
swan-sweet voices spent the night, comforting that best of Kurus--the