Vyasa Meets the Exiled Pandavas and Guides Them to Ekachakra
Wandering in disguise as ascetics, the exiled Pandavas and their mother Kunti are lost in the wilderness. They meet their grandfather, the sage Vyasa, who reveals he foresaw their exile and has come to guide them to a safe haven where they must wait in secret.
The Pandavas were moving fast. After the dice game and their unjust exile, they had left their kingdom and entered the forests, disguised as ascetics with matted hair, wearing tree bark and deerskin. Kunti, their mother, was with them. Sometimes they had to hurry, carrying her. Sometimes they could walk slowly, in the open. They travelled through the lands of Matysa, Trigarta, Panchala, and Kichaka, killing animals for food, seeing beautiful woods and lakes. In their exile, they studied the Vedas, the Vedangas, and nitishastra (the science of statecraft).
It was during this wandering that they met their grandfather.
The sage Vyasa, also known as Krishna Dvaipayana, stood before them. The Pandavas and Kunti immediately saluted him respectfully and stood with joined palms.
Vyasa spoke first. He told them he had known in advance that Dhritarashtra’s sons would not follow the righteous path and would banish them unjustly. “Having known this,” he said, “I have now come for your welfare. It is not right to sorrow. Know that this will bring future happiness.”
He addressed the tension they might have felt. “There is no doubt that you and they are equal in my eyes. But men love more those who suffer from ill fortune or are young. Therefore, my love for you is now greater. As a result of that love, I wish to do something good for you.”
His instruction was direct. “Listen to me. Not far from here, there is a beautiful town that is a safe place for you. Go and live there in disguise and wait for my return.”
Having comforted them, Vyasa, the conqueror of enemies, led the Pandavas to that town: Ekachakra.
He then spoke specifically to Kunti. “O daughter! Live. Your son Yudhishthira, the son of dharma, will rule righteously over all the kings on earth. Well versed in righteousness, he will conquer the earth through his virtue, aided by the might of Bhima and Arjuna. There is no doubt that he will rule.”
He painted a picture of their future. “Your sons and those of Madri, all maharathas (great chariot-warriors), will enjoy themselves happily in their own kingdom. Conquering the entire earth, those tigers among men will perform rajasuya (the royal consecration sacrifice), ashvamedha (the horse sacrifice) and other sacrifices, in which the alms given will be very large. They will rule over the kingdom of their father and grandfathers and ensure their friends and relatives enjoy pleasures and prosperity.”
With this promise, the rishi Dvaipayana took them to the house of a Brahmin in Ekachakra. He told the best of the Pandavas, “Wait for me. I will return for you. You will find great happiness if you learn to adjust to time and place.”
With joined hands, they agreed. “So it shall be.”
Then the lord Vyasa, the fortunate sage, went away to where he wanted to go.