Chapter 62

“Narada said, ‘Nabhaga’s son, Amvarisha, O Srinjaya, we hear, fell a preyto death. Alone he battled a thousand times with a thousand kings.Desirous of victory, those foes, accomplished in weapons, rushed againsthim in battle from all sides, uttering fierce exclamations. Aided by hisstrength and activity and the skill he had acquired by practice, he cutoff, by the force of his weapons, the umbrellas, the weapons, thestandards, the cars, and the lances of those enemies, and dispelled hisanxieties.[105] Desirous of saving their lives, those men, doffing theircoats of mail, implored him (for mercy). They sought his protection,saying, ‘We yield ourselves to thee.’ Reducing them to subjection andconquering the whole earth, he performed a hundred sacrifices of the bestkind, according to the rites ordained in the scriptures, O sinless one!Food possessed of every agreeable quality was eaten (at those sacrifices)by large classes of people. At those sacrifices, the Brahmanas wererespectfully worshipped and greatly gratified. And the regenerate classesate sweet-meats, and Purikas and Puras, and Apupas and Sashkalis of goodtaste and large size, and Karambhas and Prithumridwikas, and diversekinds of dainties, and various kinds of soup, and Maireyaka, andRagakhandavas, and diverse kinds of confectionary, well-prepared, soft,and of excellent fragrance, and clarified butter, and honey, and milk,and water, and sweet curds, and many kinds of fruits and roots agreeableto the taste.[106] And they that were habituated to wine drank in duetime diverse kinds of intoxicating drinks for the sake of the pleasurethat those produced, and sang and played upon their musical instruments.Avid others, by thousands, intoxicated with what they drank, danced andmerrily sang hymns to the praise of Amvarisha; while others, unable tokeep themselves erect, fell down on the earth. In those sacrifices, kingAmvarisha gave, as sacrificial presents, the kingdoms of hundreds andthousands of kings unto the ten million priests (employed by him) Havingperformed diverse sacrifices the king gave unto the Brahmanas, assacrificial presents, numbers of princes and kings whose coronal lockshad undergone the sacred bath, all cased in golden coats of mail, allhaving white umbrellas spread over their heads, all seated on goldencars, all attired in excellent robes and having large trains offollowers, and all bearing their sceptres, and in possession of theirtreasuries. The great Rishis, seeing what he did, were highly gratified,and said, ‘None amongst men in past times did, none in future will beable to do, what king Amvarisha of profuse liberality, is doing now. Whenhe, O Srinjaya, died who was superior to thee in respect of the fourcardinal virtues and who superior to thee, was, much more superior to thyson, thou shouldst not, therefore, saying, ‘Oh, Swaitya, Oh, Swaitya’,grieve for the latter who performed no sacrifice and made no sacrificialpresent.'”