Read Mahabharata Vol. 2 (Penguin Translated Texts) Online
Authors: Bibek Debroy
‘After that, the valorous Kounteya defeated the Suhmas and the eastern Suhmas in battle
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and marched on towards Magadha. Defeating Danda and Dandadhara and many kings, he attacked Girivraja, with all of them on his side. O king! Having subjugated Jarasandha’s son and extracted tribute from him, the powerful one marched with all of them against Karna.
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The earth trembled with his fourfold army. The best of the Pandavas fought with Karna, the destroyer of enemies. O descendant of the Bharata lineage! He vanquished Karna in battle and brought him under his sway. He then defeated the powerful kings who lived in the mountains. Later, in a great battle, using only the strength of his arms,
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Pandava defeated the immensely strong Modagiri. O king! He then defeated the immensely strong and brave Vasudeva, the king of Poundra and the immensely energetic king who dwelt in the marshes along the
Koushiki.
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Both these warriors were terrible in valour and were surrounded by large armies. O great king! He then attacked the king of Vanga.
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He vanquished Samudrasena and King Chandrasena, the king of Tamralipta
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and Kacha, the ruler of Vanga. The bull among the Bharata lineage conquered the ruler of the Suhmas, all those who lived along the ocean and all the mlecchas.
‘Having thus conquered many countries and extracting riches from them, Pavana’s powerful son
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then reached the Louhitya.
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He extracted tributes and riches of all kinds from all the kings of the mlecchas who lived in islands in the ocean—sandalwood, aloe, garments, the best of gems and pearls, gold, silver, diamonds and priceless coral. They showered the Pandava,
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whose spirit was boundless, with great riches that amounted to hundreds of millions.
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Returning to Indraprastha, Bhima, terrible in valour, tendered all those riches to Dharmaraja.’
Vaishampayana said, ‘In similar fashion, after worshipping Dharmaraja, Sahadeva left for the south with a large army. The lord first conquered the entire land of the Shurasenas.
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The descendant of the Kuru lineage, supreme among powerful ones, then subjugated the king of Matsya.
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In a great battle, he defeated
Dantavakra, emperor among kings. Having forced him to pay tribute, he restored the throne to him. He then vanquished Sukumara and King Sumitra and conquered the other Matsyas and the Patachcharas. The illustrious one swiftly conquered the country of the nishadas and Goshringa, supreme among mountains. Then he defeated King Shrenimana. After conquering the new country, he marched against Kuntibhoja and he
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happily accepted the suzerainty.
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On the banks of the Charmanvati
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he encountered King Jambaka’s son,
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who had earlier been defeated by Vasudeva because of an earlier enmity. O descendant of the Bharata lineage! He instantly engaged in a battle with Bhoja and having defeated him, marched towards the south.
‘Having extracted tribute and many riches from them,
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he took all these and advanced towards the Narmada. The powerful and valorous son of the Ashvins defeated in battle Vinda and Anuvinda from Avanti,
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who were surrounded by large armies. Having extracted riches from them, he advanced towards the city of Mahishmati.
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The powerful Pandava Sahadeva, bull among men, engaged in battle King Nila there. The great battle struck terror in the hearts of the fearful. It destroyed armies and threatened life. The illustrious god of fire provided succour to his enemy. Horses, chariots, elephants, soldiers and armour from Sahadeva’s army were seen to be blazing. The mind of the descendant of the Kuru lineage was bewildered. O Janamejaya! He was incapable of giving a fitting reply.’
Janamejaya asked, ‘Why did the illustrious Agni become Sahadeva’s adversary in war? O brahmana! He was seeking to accomplish a sacrifice.’
Vaishampayana replied, ‘It is said that the illustrious god of fire lived in Mahishmati and was once caught in an act of adultery. In earlier times, after he had sported himself as he willed in the disguise of a brahmana, he was brought before King Nila.
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The virtuous king ordered him to be punished in accordance with the sacred texts and the illustrious fire-god blazed up in anger. On seeing this, the king was surprised and bowed his head before the wise one.
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At this, the illustrious fire-god bestowed his favours on the king. The one who achieves the end of all sacrifices offered a boon to the king and the lord of the earth asked for the boon that his forces might always be free from fear. O king! Ever since then, whenever ignorant kings have tried to conquer that city, they have been consumed instantly by the fire. O extender of the Kuru lineage! From that day, the women from the city of Mahishmati became unacceptable.
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Because of Agni’s boon, the women could no longer be restricted.
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They are their own mistresses
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and act as they will. O supreme among men! O great king! From that day, out of fear of Agni, all kings have avoided that kingdom.
‘O king! The virtuous Sahadeva saw that his soldiers were engulfed in fear and surrounded by the fire, they trembled like a mountain. He touched water and made himself pure and then spoke to Pavaka.
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“O Pavaka! O one with the black trails! I worship you and it is for your sake that I have undertaken this task. You are the mouth of the gods. You are the sacrifice. You purify and you are the purifier. You are the bearer of sacrificial offerings. It is from you that the Vedas
have come into being and thus it is that you are known as Jataveda. O bearer of sacrificial offerings! Please do not cause an obstruction to this sacrifice.” Having uttered these words, Madri’s son spread kusha grass on the ground. O descendant of the Bharata lineage! In accordance with the prescribed rituals, that tiger among men sat down before the advancing fire, before all his frightened and anxious troops. Like the great ocean which does not cross the shoreline, the fire did not cross him. The fire approached Sahadeva, god among men and descendant of the Kuru lineage, and spoke to him in affectionate words, “O descendant of the Kuru lineage! Arise. I acted thus only to test you. I know all your intentions and those of Dharma’s son.
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O supreme among the Bharata lineage! However, I am bound to protect this city, as long as there are heirs to carry forward King Nila’s lineage. O Pandava! However, I will accomplish what you desire in your heart.” Then Madri’s son arose with a happy heart. Bowing his head and joining his hands in salutation, the bull among men worshipped Pavaka. When Pavaka retreated, King Nila arrived and welcomed Sahadava, tiger among men and lord of all warriors. He
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accepted the homage and made him a tributary. Then Madri’s victorious son advanced in a southern direction.
‘He vanquished the immensely energetic Traipuras.
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The mighty-armed one conquered the lord of Potana. With a great deal of effort, the mighty-armed one then subjugated Ahriti, king of Surashtra,
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whose preceptor was Koushika. While in the region of Surashtra, the intelligent one sent an ambassador to King Rukmin Bhishmaka of Bhojakata, who had great standing, was devoted to dharma and was a friend of Indra himself. O king! For the sake of Vasudeva,
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the mighty-armed king and his sons happily accepted the suzerainty.
‘Taking a lot of riches, the lord of war went from there to Shurparaka and the region named Upakrita, ruled by a clan. The immensely
energetic and immensely strong one conquered them and the region of Dandaka.
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The immensely wise one conquered and brought under his sway the kings who are born from mleccha wombs and live in islands in the ocean, the man-eating nishadas, the Karnapravaranas, those known as the Kalamukhas and who are a cross between men and rakshasas, all of the Kolla mountains, Murachipattana, the island known as Tamra, Mount Ramaka and King Timingila. He used messengers to subjugate and obtain tribute from the forest-dwelling men who had only one leg
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and the cities of Samjayanti, Picchanda and Karahataka. Likewise, he used messengers to subjugate and obtain tribute from the Pandya, the Dravidas, the Chodras,
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the Keralas, the Andhras, the Talavanas, the Kalingas, the Ushtrakarnikas, the Antakhis,
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the Romas
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and the city of the Greeks.
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O lord of kings! Madri’s intelligent son then went to Bharukaccha.
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He sent envoys to the great-souled Poulastya Vibhishana.
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The conqueror of enemies and one with dharma in his heart
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used conciliation and knowing this to be determined by destiny, the intelligent lord
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happily accepted the suzerainty and sent many kinds of riches—firstly sandalwood and aloe, and then divine ornaments, expensive garments and priceless jewels.
‘Then the powerful and intelligent Sahadeva returned. He thus subjugated with conciliation and conquest. After making the kings pay tribute, the conqueror of enemies returned. O king! O Janamejaya!
O bull among the Bharata lineage! He handed all of this over to Dharmaraja and having accomplished his task, lived happily there.’
Vaishampayana said, ‘I will now describe the deeds and conquests of Nakula and how that lord vanquished the region that had once been conquered by Vasudeva.
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Taking a large army with him, the intelligent one left Khandavaprastha and headed towards the west. The earth trembled with the lion-like roars of his warriors and sounds made by the edges of his chariot wheels.
‘He first marched on the prosperous and beautiful Rohitaka, beloved of Kartikeya. It was rich in cattle, horses, wealth and grain. There was a great battle there with the Mattamayuraka warriors. The immensely radiant one then conquered the desert region, the land known as Sairishaka that was rich in grain, Maheccha, the Shibis, the Trigartas, the Ambashthas, the Malavas, the five groups of Karpatas and the brahmanas known as Madhyamikaya and Vatadhana. Having circled again, that bull among men defeated the clans known as Utsavasamketa who dwelt in the forests of Pushkara, the immensely powerful Gramaneyas who lived on the banks of the Sindhu,
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the clans of shudras and
abhira
s
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who lived along the Sarasvati,
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all those who live on fish and all those who live in the mountains, the land of the five rivers, the western Paryatas, the northern Jyotika, the city named Vrindataka and Dvarapala. The immensely radiant one defeated them all and the Harhunas and all the kings who dwelt to the west.
‘Having brought all this under his rule, the Pandava
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sent
messengers to Vasudeva and he
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and his ten kingdoms accepted his
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rule. Then he marched to Shakala, the city of the Madras. Using conciliation, the powerful one made an ally of his maternal uncle Shalya.
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O lord of the earth! The king honoured him, as was due to a deserving guest. The lord of warriors took a large quantity of riches and departed. He then defeated the extremely fearful mlecchas who lived along the sides of the ocean, the Pahlavas and the Barbaras.
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Having conquered all these kings and extracted tribute, Nakula, supreme among men, returned. O great king! Such were the riches collected by the great-souled one that ten thousand camels carried it with difficulty. In Indraprastha, Madri’s brave and fortunate son went to Yudhishthira and offered the riches to him. Thus did Nakula, bull among the Bharata lineage, conquer the western regions, protected by Varuna and conquered earlier by Vasudeva.’
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This section has ninety-seven shlokas and three chapters.
Chapter 255(30): 54 shlokas
Chapter 256(31): 25 shlokas
Chapter 257(32): 18 shlokas
255(30)This section is about the rajasuya or royal sacrifice.
Vaishampayana said, ‘Protected by Dharmaraja and supported by truth, with all the enemies subjugated, the subjects were always engaged in their respective tasks. Because revenue was collected in the right way and rule was in accordance with the principles of dharma, the clouds poured forth the desired rain and the country was swollen in prosperity. Because of the king’s deeds, everything prospered, especially the breeding of cattle, agriculture and trade. O king! Dacoits and thieves, and even the king’s servants, were not heard to speak lies to each other. Yudhishthira was always devoted to dharma and during his reign, there never were droughts, too much of rain, disease, fires or loss in consciousness. Other kings only came to him for pleasant tasks, to show respect and offer tribute out of their own volition,
and not for any other reason. The accumulation of riches acquired through dharma became so large that it would have been impossible to spend it in hundreds of years. Having ascertained the size of his granary and treasury, King Kounteya,
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lord of the earth, mentally decided to perform the sacrifice.
‘Separately and collectively, his well-wishers told him, “O lord! It is time for the sacrifice. Do what is necessary to perform it.” While they were speaking in this way, Hari
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arrived—the ancient rishi, the soul of the Vedas, visible only to those who know him, supreme among all established things, the origin and dissolution of the universe, the preserver of what was, is and will be, Keshava, the destroyer of Keshi,
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the protecting wall of all the Vrishnis and the one who provides sanctuary in times of distress. Having placed Anakadundubhi in charge of his forces and taking a great deal of riches for Dharmaraja, Madhava, tiger among men, arrived with a large army. He entered that supreme city to the sound of chariots, his wealth adding to the inexhaustible ocean of riches that were already there. With Krishna’s arrival, the city of the Bharatas rejoiced, like a place without a sun when the sun arrives, or a place without the wind when the wind arrives. Yudhishthira delightedly met him and offered him homage in accordance with the prescribed rites.
‘When they had asked about each other’s welfare and he
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was happily seated, that bull among men
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told Krishna, in the presence of Dhoumya and Dvaipayana at the forefront of the officiating priests, Bhima, Arjuna and the twins. “O Krishna! It is because of you that the entire earth is under my rule. O Varshneya! It is through your favours that I have obtained great riches. O Madhava! O son of Devaki! As is prescribed, I now wish to devote all this to the welfare of brahmanas and the sacrificial fire. O mighty-armed Dasharha!
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With my younger brothers as companions, please grant me permission for you to be instated in the sacrifice. O mighty-armed one! O Govinda! O Dasharha! When you have been instated in the sacrifice, I will become free from sin. O lord! O Krishna! Otherwise, grant me, and my younger brothers, permission to undertake this sacrifice. For, with your permission, I will be able to perform that supreme sacrifice.” After greatly praising his
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many qualities, Krishna replied, “O tiger among kings! You are a universal emperor and can perform the great sacrifice. When you have performed the sacrifice and obtained its fruits, we will accomplish what we desire. Perform the sacrifice you wish. I am always established in your welfare. Appoint me in whatever office you want. I will act in accordance with all your words.” Yudhishthira said, “O Krishna! O Hrishikesha! When you are willingly present here, it is certain that my resolution will be achieved and my success is assured.” Having thus obtained Krishna’s permission, Pandava
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and his brothers began to prepare the means for the rajasuya.
‘Pandava,
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destroyer of his enemies, instructed Sahadeva, supreme among warriors, and all his advisers, “The brahmanas prescribe articles for this sacrificial ceremony. Let those be collected along with all the utensils and auspicious objects. Let the ingredients Dhoumya mentions be swiftly brought. In due order, as is required, let the men bring them. In their desire to do that which pleases me, let Indrasena,
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Vishoka
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and Arjuna’s charioteer Puru be employed to acquire the required food. O supreme among the Kuru lineage!
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Let every object of desire be brought, fragrant and succulent, so that the minds of brahmanas are delighted and pleased.” As soon as these words were uttered by the great-souled Dharmaraja, Sahadeva, supreme among warriors, announced that it had all been done.
‘O king! Dvaipayana then appointed the officiating priests.
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They were immensely illustrious brahmanas, who seemed to be personifications of the Vedas themselves. Satyavati’s son
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himself acted as the brahman. Susama, bull among the Dhananjayas, became the chanter of Sama.
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Yajnavalka, supreme among those who are established in the brahman, became the chief adhvaryu. Vasu’s son Paila, aided by Dhoumya, became the hotar. O bull among the Bharata lineage! The groups of sons and disciples of these, all learned in the Vedas and the Vedangas, became assistants to the hotars. Having invoked the auspicious day and arranging everything according to the rites, they organized the great sacrifice for the gods, in accordance with what is laid down in the sacred texts. Given specific instructions, artisans built large shelters that were filled with jewels and were like the mansions of the gods.
‘Then that king, supreme among kings and supreme among the Kuru lineage,
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instructed his adviser Sahadeva, “Quickly send swift messengers with invitations.” Hearing the king’s words, he
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immediately sent messengers. “Invite to the kingdom all the brahmanas and all the owners of land, all the vaishyas and all the respected shudras. Bring them all here.” On the Pandava’s instructions, invitations were sent to all the lords of the earth and more messengers were sent with invitations.
‘O descendant of the Bharata lineage! When the time was right, the brahmanas instated Kunti’s son Yudhishthira in the rajasuya. O Indra among men! When Dharmaraja Yudhishthira, always devoted to dharma, was instated, he went to the sacrificial ground, surrounded
by thousands of brahmanas, his brothers, his relatives, his well-wishers, his advisers and kshatriyas who had arrived from many countries. Accompanied by his ministers, that best of kings was like dharma personified. Brahmanas arrived from different directions. They were learned in all the branches of knowledge, the Vedas and the Vedangas. On Dharmaraja’s instructions, thousands of artisans constructed separate dwelling places for them and their companions. These had all the qualities and were stocked with food and garments. O king! Shown due favours, the brahmanas lived there, recounting many tales and watching the actors and dancers. A great and unending sound was heard as those great-souled brahmanas cheerfully ate and spoke. “Give, give!” “Eat, eat!” Such were the sounds that were always heard. O descendant of the Bharata lineage! Dharmaraja separately gave hundreds and thousands of cattle, beds, gold and women. Thus did the sacrifice of the great-souled Pandava begin, the unmatched warrior on earth, as Shakra is in the world of the gods. O bull among the Bharata lineage! Then King Yudhishthira sent Pandava Nakula to Hastinapura, to bring Bhishma, Drona, Dhritarashtra, Vidura, Kripa and all the brothers who were attached to Yudhishthira.’
Vaishampayana said, ‘The victorious Nakula went to Hastinapura and the Pandava
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invited Bhishma and Dhritarashtra. Having heard of Dharmaraja’s sacrifice and learned about sacrifices, they happily set out, with the brahmanas at the forefront. O bull among men! Others also came in hundreds, content in their hearts and desiring to see Pandava Dharmaraja’s sabha. O descendant of the Bharata lineage! All the kings arrived from all the directions. They brought with them many expensive jewels.
‘O descendant of the Bharata lineage! All of them were welcomed with honour—Dhritarashtra, Bhishma, the greatly intelligent Vidura,
all the brothers with Duryodhana at the forefront, all the kings with the preceptor
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at the forefront, Subala the king of Gandhara, the immensely strong Shakuni, Achala, Vrishaka, the supreme warrior Karna, Rita, Shalya the king of the Madras, the maharatha Bahlika, Somadatta of the Kuru lineage, Bhuri, Bhurishrava, Shala, Ashvatthama, Kripa, Drona,
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Jayadratha the king of Sindhu, Yajnasena
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and his son, Shalva the lord of the earth, the greatly famous Bhagadatta, king of Pragjyotisha, all the mlecchas who lived along the shores of the ocean, the kings from the mountains, King Brihadbala, Vasudeva from Pundra, the king of Vanga, the king of Kalinga, Akarsha, Kuntala, the Vanavasya, the Andhrakas, the Dravidas, the Simhalas, the king of Kashmir, the immensely energetic Kuntibhoja, the immensely strong Suhma, all the other kings and warriors from Bahlika, Virata and his sons, the maharatha Machella, kings, the sons of kings, the lords of many countries, the immensely valorous Shishupala, invincible in battle, and his son, Rama,
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Aniruddha, Babhru, Sarana, Gada, Pradyumna, Samba, the valorous Charudeshna, Ulmuka, Nishatha, Pradyumna’s valorous son and all the other Vrishnis who were maharathas. They all went to the Pandava’s sacrifice. Many other kings from the middle regions also went to the great rajasuya sacrifice of Pandu’s son.
‘O king! On Dharmaraja’s instructions, dwelling houses were provided to all of them. They had many rooms and were adorned with lakes and trees. There, Dharma’s son showed them the best of honours. Having been shown due homage, all the kings went to their assigned dwelling houses—as tall as the peaks of Kailasa, beautiful, stocked with every kind of object and surrounded by strongly built and white walls on every side. There were nets of gold and the floors were paved with precious stones. The stairs were gentle to climb and there were expensive seats and carpets. They were decorated with wreaths and garlands and perfumed with the best of aloe. They
were white like a swan’s feathers and could be seen from the distance of a yojana. The doors were wide, permitting easy entry and were characterized by every quality. They were constructed out of many metals and looked like the peaks of the Himalayas.
‘After resting there for some time, those lords saw Dharmaraja Yudhishthira, surrounded by many
sadasya
s
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and donating innumerable gifts. O king! Crowded by sadasyas, kings and great-souled brahmanas, the place looked as beautiful as the vault of the sky,
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crowded with immortals.’
Vaishampayana said, ‘Having shown homage to his grandfather
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and preceptor
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and having welcomed them, Yudhishthira spoke these words to Bhishma, Drona, Kripa, Drona’s son
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and Vivimshati.
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“All of you must show me every favour at this sacrifice. All my great riches here are yours. Be kind towards me, without any constraints, and as you desire.” The eldest of the Pandavas had already been instated in the sacrifice. Having thus spoken, he immediately appointed each with a suitable office in the sacrifice. Duhshasana was put in charge of food and other objects of pleasure. Ashvatthama was appointed to the task of tending to the brahmanas. Sanjaya was appointed to the task of welcoming the kings. The immensely wise Bhishma and Drona were in charge of what should be done and what should not be done. The king gave Kripa the task of looking after the gold, gold coins and jewels and also the distribution of dakshina. Similarly, he appointed other tigers among men to other tasks.
‘Having been brought there by Nakula, the guests Bahlika, Dhritarashtra, Somadatta and Jayadratha enjoyed themselves, as if they were the masters. Kshatta
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Vidura, knowledgeable in every aspect of dharma, was in charge of the treasury. Duryodhana received all the tribute that was brought. All the worlds assembled there, wishing to see Dharmaraja Pandava’s sabha and participate in the supreme fruits. No one came there with a tribute that was less than one thousand.
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Everyone made Dharmaraja prosper with many jewels. The kings rivalled each other and, donating riches, proudly said, “Let the Kouravya attain the sacrifice with my riches alone.” O king! The sacrificial grounds of the great-souled Kounteya were resplendent with dwelling houses which had chariots in front, guards, soldiers, chariots of the lords of the earth,
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brahmana dwelling houses, mansions constructed like divine chariots and decorated with many colourful jewels, the assembled kings, wealth and prosperity. Yudhishthira seemed to rival the god Varuna in riches. The sacrifice had six fires and large amounts of dakshina. Everyone was satisfied with every object of desire—abundance of grain and plenty of food. It was crowded by well-fed people. A large amount of gifts of jewels were brought to the assembly. Those skilled in the knowledge of mantras offered libations, clarified butter and oblations at the sacrifice and gratified the gods and the maharshis. Like the gods, the brahmanas were also gratified with gifts, food and great wealth. All the varnas were delighted at the sacrifice.’