Towards Badarika-ashram

Arjuna had been in the heavens for almost five years. Soon he would return. The sage Lomasha told the other Pandavas that they should meet Arjuna as he descended from heaven onto the summit of the Gandhamadana mountain. They decided to go there to await Arjuna’s arrival.

The path to the mountain peak, however, was fraught with danger. So Lomasha asked Yudhisthira to tell his servants and most of the Brahmins to stay back, because the journey would prove too difficult for them.

Then Bhima placed Draupadi on his shoulders, and the party, with only a few Brahmins, made its way along a few craggy mountain paths into the himalayan range. The terrain was rugged; the climb arduous.

At last they came to the Alakananda river, said to descend to earth from the heavens. They worshipped the holy river and bathed in its crystal waters.

The brothers looked around at the brilliant scenery surrounding them on a high mountain plateau. It seemed as though they had arrived on a heavenly planet. Blossoming trees of every colour gave off celestial fragrances. The ground was carpeted with soft bluish grasses and expanses of wild flowers. Transparent lakes filled with blue lotuses and crowded with swans and other birds lay amid groves of fruit trees. The musical sounds of cuckoos, peacocks and countless other birds filled the air. Lomasha told the Pandavas that the king of the gods, Indra, came daily to this region to perform rituals and offer prayers.

The brothers saw in the distance what appeared to be a number of massive white mountains, but Lomasha told them that these were the bones of Naraka, a mighty demon slain by Lord Vishnu in a past age. The sage related the story as they travelled onward toward Gandhamadana.

As they approached the mountain, the path became increasingly difficult. Leaving behind the heavenly terrain, they moved slowly along snow-bound and rocky paths.

Suddenly, a violent wind blew up and filled the air with dust and dried leaves, which blinded the Pandavas. Bhima held onto Draupadi, who became terror stricken as she heard trees crash to the ground around them. It almost felt like the mountain itself was being torn asunder by a celestial power.

Each of them sought whatever shelter they could find beneath rocks or some huge trees. when the dust storm subsided, rain fell in torrents. rivulets and streams began flowing everywhere, covered in froth and mud. As the rain continued, the streams grew louder and wider, carrying away bushes. The sky was thick with black clouds throwing out lightning that seemed to play with grace upon the mountainsides.

Gradually the storm abated and the sky cleared. The sun shone brightly and steam began to rise from the ground.

The travellers emerged from their secure places and reunited, then continued toward Gandhamadana, their minds set upon seeing their beloved Arjuna again.