This was followed by a continuation of Mahabharata:
As Arjuna headed North towards Himalaya, the other Pandavās and Draupadi headed back to Kamyaka. Arjuna reached Indrakila, beyond Himalaya and saw an ascetic with matted hair sitting under a tree. The great ascetic asked a few questions on why Arjuna was carrying weapons and tried to persuade him to discard weapons in the holy area but Arjuna was not persuaded and able to reply satisfactorily. Happy with answers ascetic revealed himself to be Indra and gave Arjun a boon. Arjun didn't wish for comfort or heavens as he was on a mission. Then Lord Indra asked Arjuna to please Bhagvan Shiva and then he will give Arjun celestial weapons. Arjun meditated upon the Lord. Deep in meditation, Arjuna heard hooves pounding towards him. Mooka, in the form of a boar, was heading his way. He instinctively picked up his bow and arrow to shoot the boar. Just then he heard a voice asking him to stop. Unable to do as commanded, Arjuna released the arrow, piercing the boar. Simultaneously another arrow also pierced the boar, killing it instantly. A hunter and huntress came into Arjuna's view, rebuking him for killing their prey. After much arguing, Arjuna and the hunter decided to use their weapons to fight it out. Exhausted, Arjuna fell and prayed to the Lord for help. He gathered some dust and made a Shivalinga and a garland with the flowers of a nearby plant. When he placed the garland around the Shivalinga, it disappeared, only to magically appear on the neck of the hunter. Recognizing the divinity of the hunter, Arjuna fell at his feet and asked for forgiveness. Lord Shiva, pleased with Arjuna's bravery and prowess, awarded him the Paśupata astra, and the other celestial beings also conferred their divine weapons on him. This pleased Indra immensely and he took Arjuna with him to Indraloka.
In Indraloka, while Arjuna relaxed watching the dancing apsaras, and spending time learning music and dance from Chitrasena (Gandharva king), Urvashi, one of Indra's apsaras, fell in love with Arjuna and wished to be his. Arjuna was horrified at the thought as he respected her, as he would a mother. Humiliated, Urvashi cursed him to be a eunuch for the rest of his life, but with Indra's intervention it was reduced to a year. (As we would see in Virāta Parvā, that was Arjuna's disguise in his 13th year of exile). Arjuna used his skills in warfare to defeat the Nivatakavachās and Kālakeyās who were a source of constant trouble for Indra.
The Pandavās, minus Arjuna, decided to go on a teerthayatra, taking Sage Lomasa's advice. They traveled far and wide, and also visited Prabhāsa where they spent time with Sri Krishna, and Sri Balarama. There was considerable excitement, with only two years left of their exile. They then headed towards Himavan and climbed the peak of Gandhamadana with the help of Ghatotkacha, to reach Badarikāsrama, the ashram of Sage Badarika. Once Draupadi had found the most sweet smelling flower, Saugandhika and wished to have many more. Bheema, in his search for the flower, found himself in a deep dense forest. He encountered a monkey lying in his path with its tail blocking his way. He asked the monkey to move its tail, but the old monkey said he was unable to move due to age. When Bheema tried lifting its tail, he couldn't. After learning that the monkey was none other than Sri Hanuman, his brother, his joy knew no bounds. Taking his blessings and the promise that Sri Hanuman will support them in the war (by residing on the flag of Arjuna's chariot), Bheema continued his search for the elusive flower. Suddenly he chanced upon a magnificent palace with beautiful gardens lined with the same flowers. In his joy, he went about collecting as many as he could. The guards standing by attacked him for plucking the flowers without permission, but he was able to overpower the entire lot. Kuberā, the deva, was in his palace when he heard of Bheema's rampage. He told his guards to stand back and let Bheema pick the flowers.
With time going by quickly, Arjuna decided to return to his brothers. Indra's charioteer Matali drove Arjuna to Badarikāsrama, where all his heroic tales, his embarrassment with Urvashi and also his friendship with Chitrasena were regaled. The Pandavās decided to start finding their way back to Kāmyaka, and stopped at Sage Vrishaparvā's ashram on their way down south.
One day Bheema went hunting by himself after informing Yudhisthira. Suddenly he was trapped in the grip of a mighty python. Unable to free himself, he realized that the python was no ordinary being. Soon he learned that the snake was King Nahusha who had been cursed by Sage Agastya, and could only be redeemed with Yudhisthira's blessings. Yudhisthira was worried that Bheema hadn't returned, and went in search. He found him in the grip of the python and agreed to answer all the questions posed by the accursed snake to free his brother. With all the questions answered, the snake resumed his original form and ascended to heaven. With that, the brothers decided to return to Kāmyaka and devoted the 12th year preparing themselves for agyatvas and war.