[1-127] Vaishampaayan Jee said - "Then Dhritraashtra said - "O Vidur, The funeral ceremony of both, Paandu and Maadree should be celebrated in royal manner. Cattle, gems, clothes etc should be given in alms for the peace of the soul. Kuntee should perform the rites for Maadree as she pleases. Maadree's body should be covered in such a way that neither the Sun, nor the wind can touch it. Do not lament for Paandu because he was a very worthy King."

Then Vidur Jee, with consultation of Bheeshm, made arrangements for their last rites in a royal manner at a certain place. Hundreds of people began to distribute gems among the crowd on this occasion. People from all walks of life were following them wailing. When the King had been give bath and had worn new white clothes, he seemed as if he was a living body and was only sleeping on a costly bed. When all the funeral ceremonies were over, Kaurav set the fire to the dead bodies of Paandu and Maadree. As the fire was set to the pyre, Kaushalyaa (Paandu's mother)*, Kuntee, Vidur, Bheeshm, and others wailed for him. They consoled Paandu's bereaved sons. The Paandav started sleeping on the floor with their friends. Seeing this many others also renounced their beds. They mourned them for 12 days.

* Note :
I don't know how Paandu's mother's name has been given here as Kaushalyaa, in KMG's version of MBH. She was not even the princess of Koshal Desh. Everybody knows that his mother's name was Ambaalikaa and she was Kaashee's princess. Was Kaashee in Koshal Desh in those times?

[1-128] Then Bheeshm and Kuntee offered Pind Daan. All became clean and returned to Hastinaapur, but still they grieved for the departed King. Seeing this, one day, Vyaas Jee came to Hastinaapur and said to his mother Satyavatee - "O Mother, Our days of happiness have gone and the days of sorrow are coming. Sin will begin to increase day by day, so go now to forest and pass your days there in contemplation. Do not witness the annihilation of your race in your old age."

Hearing this she went to Ambikaa and said to her - "Because of the deeds of your grandsons, this Bharat dynasty will perish, so if you permit, I would go to forest with Kaushalyaa who is grieving for her son." She took the permission of Bheeshm also and came to the forest with her both daughters-in-law. She got engaged in Tapasyaa and left her body for Heaven in due course of time.

Bheem is Poisoned

Vaishampaayan Jee continued - "Paandu's sons were growing in princely manner in their father's house. Whenever they played with their cousins, Dhritraashtra's sons, they showed their superiority in all manners - in education, in games, in consuming food etc. Bheem used to beat all his cousins. Sometimes he caught 10 of them together and drowned them in water till they were nearly dead. When Kaurav used to climb a tree to pluck the fruits, Bheem shook the tree with a hit of his foot and the fruits and his cousins all came down together. Sometimes he used to hold them by their hair and dragged them along the ground. By doing their their various body parts broke - somebody's hand, somebody's shoulder, somebody's knees. He did all this in his childishness not by malice.

Seeing all this Duryodhan, the eldest son of Dhritraashtra, started being jealous with him, and that wicked started sinning towards Paandav through his ignorance and ambition - "This Bheem is very powerful, there is no other one who can be compared with him. I have to destroy him by any means. He alone is enough to fight with all of us. When he will be sleeping in the garden, I will throw him in Gangaa, then I will arrest Yudhishthir and Arjun and then I will reign solely." Thus he was looking for some appropriate time when he could do this.

Once at a beautiful place of Pramaankoti on the banks of Gangaa, he built a beautiful palace for water sports. He kept there all kinds of comfort articles and named it "Jal Kreedaa Grih". When it was all ready, his servants informed him about it. Duryodhan then invited Paandav to come there for water sports in Gangaa River. So all princes went there for sports. Arriving at the palace, they dismissed their servants and entered the palace. The palace was beautiful and they soon started playing and feeding each other.  The wicked Duryodhan mixed a powerful poison in some food to kill Bheem. He fed that food to Bheem with affection, then all started playing in water. After playing in water when all became tired, they came out of the water and lay down on the ground. Bheem also lay down. The cool air helped spreading the poison in his body and soon he got unconscious. Seeing this Duryodhan tied him with the chords of shrubs and threw him into the waters. He sank down in the water until he reached Naag Kingdom. There thousands of Naag bit him with their poison. The vegetable poison was neutralized with the Naag's poison. The Naag had bitten him all over his body except his chest, because its skin as very tough to bite for them and they could not pierce it.

As Bheem gained his consciousness, he burst his shrub ropes and he pressed Naag under him. A few of them escaped and informed their King Vaasuki that one man had drowned probably after drinking poison, he was unconscious but surprisingly he got his consciousness back after they bit him. Hearing this Vaasuki went there and saw Bheem. Now there was one snake named Aryak who was the grandfather of the father of Kuntee. The King saw his relative and embraced him and asked Aryak how to please him - by giving him gems, money etc.

Aryak said - "If you are pleased with him, there is no need of giving him money, money is nothing for him. Please permit him to drink Raskund and thus acquire immeasurable strength. Each Kund (vessel) contains the strength of 1,000 elephants. Let this prince drink it as much as he can." Vaasuki permitted him to give him that drink. Bheem drank 8 more such Kund and then he lay down on an excellent bed prepared by serpents."

[1-129] Vaishampaayan Jee said - "After the sports all princes returned to Hastinaapur, some on horses, some on elephants, of course without Bheem. All princes were talking on the way, "Perhaps Bheem has gone before us." Duryodhan was happy to note that Bheem was not there. As all came home, Yudhishthir who did not know vices and wickedness considered all honest like himself, asked Kuntee - "Has Bheem come back? I looked for him at all places but did not find him. I am doubtful about him. We thought that he might have come here before us and now he is not here, where has he gone? Have you sent him somewhere? He had been asleep and now he is not here. I think he is no more." Kuntee got worried about him, so she said to him - "No Son, I have not seen Bheem, he has not come here. Go back and find him soon."

Then she called Vidur and said to him - "Vidur, All have come back, but Bheemsen has not come back, where has he gone? All brothers have come back from he garden except he. Kaurav are crooked-minded. Duryodhan doesn't like him. I am afraid for him from Duryodhan's side. i am afraid lest he has killed him." Vidur Jee said - "Don't be so much worried about him. You take care of others. If you will blame Duryodhan for this, he might kill others also. The great sage said that "They will live long." so he will come back soon."

Vaiushampaayan Jee aid - "After saying this to Kuntee, Vidur Jee went to his home and Kuntee still worried about Bheem continued to live in her palace.

Bheem woke up on 8th day with great strength because of drinking Ras. The Naag told him that he would have the strength of 10,000 elephants in his body because of the Ras he drank, and no one would be able to defeat him in fight. Then they asked him to take bath in holy water and go back to his palace. Bheem took bath in the holy water, wore white clothes and flower garland of white color, and ate Paramaanna (rice and sugar pudding), Naag gave to him. He took their blessings and rose from their kingdom. Naag placed him in the garden where he came from, and from there he ran back to his home. He described the whole event to his brothers including whatever happened to him in Naag Lok also. Yudhishthir said - "Never tell this to anyone and protect one another with great care." So from that day they started taking care of each other and Vidur also started taking care of them continually.

After some time Duryodhan again mixed some fresh poison in Bheem's food, but Yuyutsu (Dhritraashtra's son from his Vaishya's wife) who was a friend of Paandav, informed Bheem about this. Still Bheem swallowed it and it didn't affect him. When Duryodhan failed in his attempts to kill Bheem in this way; Duryodhan, Shakuni and Karn planned to kill Paandav by other ways. Paandav knew about them and they escaped from them by Vidur's advice.

Meanwhile Dhritraashtra noticed that his sons were roaming idle and were becoming naughty, he appointed Gautam (Kripaa) as their Guru and sent them there. Thus they started getting trained for arms under his guidance."