Chapter 4

“Vaisampayana said,–“Then that chief of men, king Yudhishthira, enteredthat palatial sabha having first fed ten thousand Brahmanas withpreparations of milk and rice mixed with clarified butter and honey withfruits and roots, and with pork and venison.

The king gratified thosesuperior Brahmanas, who had come from various countries with foodseasoned with seasamum and prepared with vegetables called jibanti, withrice mixed with clarified butter, with different preparations ofmeat–with indeed various kinds of other food, as also numberless viandsthat are fit to be sucked and innumerable kinds of drinks, with new andunused robes and clothes, and with excellent floral wreaths. The kingalso gave unto each of those Brahmanas a thousand kine. And, O Bharata,the voice of the gratified Brahmanas uttering,–‘What an auspicious dayis this! became so loud that it seemed to reach heaven itself. And whenthe Kuru king entered the palatial sabha having also worshipped the godswith various kinds of music and numerous species of excellent and costlyperfumes, the athletes and mimes and prize-fighters and bards andencomiasts began to gratify that illustrious son of Dharma by exhibitingtheir skill. And thus celebrating his entry into the palace, Yudhishthirawith his brothers sported within that palace like Sakra himself inheaven. Upon the seats in that palace sat, along with the Pandavas,Rishis and kings that came from various countries, viz., Asita andDevala, Satya, Sarpamali and Mahasira; Arvavasu, Sumitra, Maitreya,Sunaka and Vali; Vaka, Dalvya, Sthulasira, Krishna-Dwaipayana, and SukaSumanta, Jaimini, Paila, and the disciples of Vyasa, viz., ourselves;Tittiri, Yajanavalkya, and Lomaharshana with his son; Apsuhomya, Dhaumya,Animandavya; and Kausika; Damoshnisha and Traivali, Parnada, andVarayanuka, Maunjayana, Vayubhaksha, Parasarya, and Sarika; Valivaka,Silivaka, Satyapala, and Krita-srama; Jatukarna, and Sikhavat. Alamva andParijataka; the exalted Parvata, and the great Muni Markandeya;Pavitrapani, Savarna, Bhaluki, and Galava. Janghabandhu, Raibhya,Kopavega, and Bhrigu: Harivabhru, Kaundinya, Vabhrumali, and Sanatana,Kakshivat, and Ashija, Nachiketa, and Aushija, Nachiketa, and Gautama;Painga, Varaha, Sunaka, and Sandilya of great ascetic merit: Kukkura,Venujangha, Kalapa and Katha;–these virtuous and learned Munis withsenses and souls under complete control, and many others as numerous, allwell-skilled in the Vedas and Vedangas and conversant with (rules of)morality and pure and spotless in behaviour, waited on the illustriousYudhishthira, and gladdened him by their sacred discourses. And so alsonumerous principal Kshatriyas, such as the illustrious and virtuousMujaketu, Vivarddhana, Sangramjit, Durmukha, the powerful Ugrasena;Kakshasena, the lord of the Earth, Kshemaka the invincible; Kamatha, theking of Kamvoja, and the mighty Kampana who alone made the Yavanas toever tremble at his name just as the god that wieldeth the thunder-boltmaketh those Asuras, the Kalakeyas, tremble before him; Jatasura, and theking of the Madrakas, Kunti, Pulinda the king of the Kiratas, and thekings of Anga and Vanga, and Pandrya, and the king of Udhara, andAndhaka; Sumitra, and Saivya that slayer of foes; Sumanas, the king ofthe Kiratas, and Chanur the King of the Yavanas, Devarata, Bhoja, and theso called Bhimaratha, Srutayudha–the king of Kalinga, Jayasena the kingof Magadha; and Sukarman, and Chekitana, and Puru that slayer of foes;Ketumata, Vasudana, and Vaideha and Kritakshana: Sudharman, Aniruddha,Srutayu endued with great strength; the invincible Anuparaja, thehandsome Karmajit; Sisupala with his son, the king of Karusha; and theinvincible youths of the Vrishni race, all equal in beauty unto thecelestials, viz., Ahuka, Viprithu, Sada, Sarana, Akrura, Kritavarman, andSatyaka, the son of Sini; and Bhismaka, Ankriti, and the powerfulDyumatsena, those chief of bowmen viz., the Kaikeyas and Yajnasena of theSomaka race; these Kshatriyas endured with great might, all well-armedand wealthy, and many others also regarded as the foremost, all waitedupon Yudhishthira, the son of Kunti, in that Sabha, desirous ofministering to his happiness. And those princes also, endued with greatstrength, who dressing themselves in deer-skins learnt the science ofweapons under Arjuna, waited upon Yudhishthira. And O king, the princesalso of the Vrishni race, viz., Pradyumna (the son of Rukmini) and Samva,and Yuyudhana the son of Satyaki and Sudharman and Aniruddha and Saivyathat foremost of men who had learnt the science of arms under Arjunathese and many other kings, O lord of the Earth, used to wait onYudhishthira on that occasion. And that friend of Dhananjaya, Tumvuru,and the Gandharva Chittasena with his ministers, any many otherGandharvas and Apsaras, well-skilled in vocal and instrumental music andin cadence and Kinnaras also well-versed in (musical) measures andmotions singing celestial tunes in proper and charming voices, waitedupon and gladdened the sons of Pandu and the Rishis who sat in thatSabha. And seated in that Sabha, those bull among men, of rigid vows anddevoted to truth, all waited upon Yudhishthira like the celestials inheaven waiting upon Brahma.”