Chapter 65

“‘The Brahmanas said, ‘Let offerings be made unto the high-souledMahadeva of three eyes. Having duly dedicated those offerings, O king, weshall then strive to gain our object.’ Hearing these words of thoseBrahmanas, Yudhishthira caused offerings to be duly made unto that deitywho loved to lie down on mountain-breasts. Gratifying the (sacrificial)fire with (libations of) sanctified butter according to the ordinance,the priest (Dhaumya) cooked Charu with the aid of Mantras and performedthe necessary rites. He took up many flowers and sanctified them withMantras, O king. With Modakas and frumenty and meat, he made offerings tothe deity. With diverse kinds of flowers and with fried paddy, of verysuperior kind, Dhaumya, well-versed in the Vedas, performed the remainingrites. He next presented offerings according to the ordinance unto thoseghostly beings who formed Mahadeva’s train. And offerings were next madeto Kuvera, the chief of the Yakshas, and unto Manibhadra also. Unto theother Yakshas also and unto them that were the foremost ones among theghostly companions of Mahadeva, the priest offered due worship, havingfilled many jugs with food, with Krisaras and meat and Nivapas mixed withsesame seeds. The king gave away unto the Brahmanas thousands of kine. Hethen directed the presentation, according to due rites, of offerings untothose night-wandering beings (who live with Mahadeva). Surcharged, as itwere, with the scent of Dhupas, and filled with the fragrance of flowers,that region, sacred to the deity of deities, O king, became exceedinglydelightful. Having performed the worship of Rudra and of all the Ganas,the king, placing Vyasa ahead, proceeded towards the place where thetreasure was buried. Once more worshipping the Lord of treasures, andbowing unto him with reverence and saluting him properly, with diversekinds of flowers and cakes and Krisara, having worshipped those foremostof gems, viz., Sankha and Nidhi, and those Yakshas who are the lords ofgems, and having worshipped many foremost of Brahmanas and caused them toutter blessings, the king endued with great puissance, strengthened bythe energy and the auspicious benedictions of those Brahmanas, causedthat spot to be excavated. Then numerous vessels of diverse anddelightful forms, and Bhringaras and Katahas and Kalasas andBardhamanakas, and innumerable Bhajanas of beautiful forms, were dug outby king Yudhishthira the just. The wealth thus dug out was placed inlarge ‘Karaputas’ for protection.[182] A portion of the wealth was causedto be borne upon the shoulders of men in stout balances of wood withbaskets slung like scales at both ends. Indeed, O king, there were othermethods of conveyance there for bearing away that wealth of the son ofPandu.[183] There were sixty thousands of camels and a hundred and twentythousand horses, and of elephants, O monarch, there were one hundredthousand. Of cars there were as many, and of carts, too as many, and ofshe-elephants as many. Of mules and men the number was untold. Thatwealth which Yudhishthira caused to be dugout was even so much. Sixteenthousand coins were placed on the back of each camel; eight thousand oneach car; four and twenty thousand on each elephant; (while proportionateloads were placed on horses and mules and on the backs, shoulder andheads of men). Having loaded these vehicles with that wealth and oncemore worshipping the great deity Siva, the son of Pandu set out for thecity called after the elephant, with the permission of the Island-bornRishi, and placing his priest Dhaumya in the van. That foremost of men,viz., the royal son of Pandu, made short marches everyday, measured by aGoyuta (4 miles). That mighty host, O king, afflicted with the weightthey bore, returned, bearing that wealth, towards the capital, gladdeningthe hearts of all those perpetuators of the Kuru race.'”