Chapter 33
Vaisampayana said,–“the ever-victorious Nakula, the son of Pandu, havingreached Hastinapura, formally invited Bhishma and Dhritarashtra. Theelder of the Kuru race with the preceptor at their head, invited with dueceremonies, came with joyous hearts to that sacrifice, with Brahmanaswalking before them.
And, O hull of the Bharata race, having heard ofking Yudhishthira’s sacrifice, hundreds of other Kshatriyas acquaintedwith the nature of the sacrifice, with joyous hearts came there fromvarious countries, desiring to behold king Yudhishthira the son of Panduand his sacrificial mansion, and brought with them many costly jewels ofvarious kinds. And Dhritarashtra and Bhishma and Vidura of highintelligence; and all Kaurava brothers with Duryyodhana at their head;and Suvala the king of Gandhara and Sakuni endued with great strength;and Achala, and Vrishaka, and Karna that foremost of all charioteers; andSalya endued with great might and the strong Valhika; and Somadatta, andBhuri of the Kuru race, and Bhurisravas and Sala; and Aswatthama, Kripa,Drona, and Jayadratha, the ruler of Sindhu; and Yajnasena with his sons,and Salya that lord of earth and that great car warrior king Bhagadattaof Pragjyotisha accompanied by all Mlechcha tribes inhabiting the marshyregions on the sea-shore; and many mountain kings, and king Vrihadvala;and Vasudeva the king of the Paundrayas, and the kings of Vanga andKalinga; and Akastha and Kuntala and the kings of the Malavas and theAndhrakas; and the Dravidas and the Singhalas and the king of Kashmira,and king Kuntibhoja of great energy and king Gauravahana, and all theother heroic kings of Valhika; and Virata with his two sons, and Mavellaendued with great might; and various kings and princes ruling in variouscountries; and, O Bharata king Sisupala endued with great energy andinvincible in battle accompanied by his son–all of them came to thesacrifice of the son of Pandu. And Rama and Aniruddha and Kanaka andSarana; and Gada, Pradyumna, Shamva, and Charudeshna of great energy; andUlmuka and Nishatha and the brave Angavaha; and innumerable otherVrishnis–all mighty car-warriors–came there.
“These and many other kings from the middle country came, O monarch, tothat great Rajasuya sacrifice of the son of Pandu. And, O king, at thecommand of king Yudhishthira the just, mansions were assigned to allthose monarchs, that were full of various kinds of edibles and adornedwith tanks and tall trees. And the son of Dharma worshipped all thoseillustrious monarchs as they deserved. Worshipped by the king theyretired to mansions that were assigned to them. Those mansions were(white and high) like the cliffs of Kailasa, and delightful to behold,and furnished with every kind of furniture. They were enclosed on allsides with well-built and high white-washed walls; their windows werecovered with net-works of gold and their interiors were furnished withrows of pearls, their flights of stairs were easy of ascent and thefloors were all laid over with costly carpets. They were all hung overwith garlands of flowers and perfumed with excellent aloes. White as snowor the moon, they looked extremely handsome even from the distance of ayojana. Their doors and entrances were set uniformly and were wide enoughto admit a crowd of persons. Adorned with various costly articles andbuilt with various metals, they looked like peaks of the Himavat. Havingrested a while in those mansions the monarchs beheld king Yudhishthirathe just surrounded by numerous Sadasyas (sacrificial priests) and everperforming sacrifices distinguished by large gifts to Brahmanas. Thatsacrificial mansion wherein were present the kings and Brahmanas andgreat Rishis looked, O king, as handsome as heaven itself crowded withthe gods!”
Thus ends the thirty-fourth section in the Rajasuyika Parva of the SabhaParva.
