Pandavas Endure Storm on Mount Gandhamadana

The Pandavas entered Mount Gandhamadana with their companions — Draupadi, the sage Lomasha, the priest Dhoumya, and the brahmanas who had accompanied them into exile. The mountain rose before them, dense and ancient, and they moved forward into its shadow. Then the storm came. It arrived not as a gradual change in weather but as a sudden violence. A gigantic cloud of dust rose from the earth, carrying a mass of dry leaves, and covered the sky, the ground, and heaven itself. Nothing could be seen. The travelers could not even communicate what they were thinking to one another — the darkness was so complete that they could not see who stood beside them. They were battered by rocks and dust carried on the wind. Trees were torn from the earth and flung down around them. The sound of other trees breaking filled the air, and in their confusion, the travelers thought: *Is the sky falling down on the ground? Are the mountains splitting asunder?* They were frightened. They felt their way with their hands, groping for trees, anthills, and uneven terrain along the road, and lay down wherever they could find cover. Bhimasena, the strongest among them, grasped his bow and grasped Krishna (Draupadi) and sought shelter under a tree. Dharmaraja Yudhishthira and Dhoumya lay down together in the great forest. Sahadeva, who carried the agnihotra (sacred fire) with him, lay down under a mountain. Nakula, the other brahmanas, and the greatly ascetic Lomasha were alarmed, and seeking refuge in the trees, they too lay down. The wind died down. The storm of dust was calmed. Then a great downpour started from the heavy clouds — torrential rain and hail, driven by the swift wind, flooding the ground on all sides. Rivers that flowed toward the ocean became covered with foam and dirt and overflowed their banks. Bearing large quantities of water and overflowing with foam, they rushed with a thunderous roar, uprooting gigantic trees. Then the rain subsided. The wind died down. The water flowed down to the lower regions. The sun appeared. Slowly, one by one, the travelers emerged from their shelters and assembled. They had survived. They looked at one another, gathered themselves, and once again proceeded toward Mount Gandhamadana.