Gifted with great intelligence, he became fatigued with his penances on account of the great strain on his energies made by the composition of the Mahabharata. At that time, Sumanta and Jaimini and Paila of firm vows and myself as the fourth, and Shuka his own son, were his disciples. All of us, O king, seeing the fatigfue of our preceptor, waited dutifully upon him, engaged in doing all that was necessary for removing that fatigue of his.
कृत्वा भारतमाख्यानं तप:श्रान्तस्य धीमतः। शुश्रूषां तत्परा राजन् कृतवन्तो वयं तदा॥ सुमन्तुजैमिनिश्चैव पैलश्च सुदृढव्रतः। अहं चतुर्थः शिष्यो वै शुकोव्यासात्मजस्तथा॥