Chapter 8

“Narada said,–‘O Yudhisthira, I shall now describe the assembly house ofYama, the son of Vivaswat, which, O son of Pritha, was built byViswakarma. Listen now to me. Bright as burnished gold, that assemblyhouse, O monarch, covers an area of much more than a hundred yojanas.

Possessed of the splendour of the sun, it yieldeth everything that onemay desire. Neither very cool nor very hot, it delighteth the heart. Inthat assembly house there is neither grief nor weakness of age, neitherhunger nor thirst. Nothing disagreeable findeth a place there, nor anykind of evil feelings there. Every object of desire, celestial or human,is to be found in that mansion. And all kinds of enjoyable articles, asalso of sweet, juicy, agreeable, and delicious edibles in profusion thatare licked, sucked, and drunk, are there, O chastiser of all enemies. Thefloral wreaths in that mansion are of the most delicious fragrance, andthe trees that stand around it yield fruits that are desired of them.There are both cold and hot waters and these are sweet and agreeable. Inthat mansion many royal sages of great sanctity and Brahmana sages alsoof great purity, cheerfully wait upon, O child, and worship Yama, the sonof Vivaswat. And Yayati, Nahusha, Puru, Mandhatri, Somaka, Nriga; theroyal sage Trasadasyu, Kritavirya, Sautasravas; Arishtanemi, Siddha,Kritavega, Kriti, Nimi, Pratarddana, Sivi, Matsya, Prithulaksha,Vrihadratha, Vartta, Marutta, Kusika, Sankasya, Sankriti, Dhruva,Chaturaswa, Sadaswormi and king Kartavirya; Bharata and Suratha, Sunitha,Nisatha, Nala, Divodasa, and Sumanas, Amvarisha, Bhagiratha; Vyaswa,Vadhraswa, Prithuvega, Prithusravas, Prishadaswa, Vasumanas, Kshupa, andSumahavala, Vrishadgu, and Vrishasena, Purukutsa, Dhwajin and Rathin;Arshtisena, Dwilipa, and the high-souled Ushinara; Ausinari, Pundarika,Saryati, Sarava, and Suchi; Anga, Rishta, Vena, Dushmanta, Srinjaya andJaya; Bhangasuri, Sunitha, and Nishada, and Bahinara; Karandhama,Valhika, Sudymna, and the mighty Madhu; Aila and the mighty king of earthMaruta; Kapota, Trinaka, and Shadeva, and Arjuna also. Vysawa; Saswa andKrishaswa, and king Sasavindu; Rama the son of Dasaratha, and Lakshmana,and Pratarddana; Alarka, and Kakshasena, Gaya, and Gauraswa; Rama the sonof Jamadagnya, Nabhaga, and Sagara; Bhuridyumna and Mahaswa, Prithaswa,and also Janaka; king Vainya, Varisena, Purujit, and Janamejaya;Brahmadatta, and Trigarta, and king Uparichara also; Indradyumna,Bhimajanu, Gauraprishta, Nala, Gaya; Padma and Machukunda, Bhuridyumna,Prasenajit; Aristanemi, Sudymna, Prithulauswa, and Ashtaka also; ahundred kings of the Matsya race and hundred of the Vipa and a hundred ofthe Haya races; a hundred kings of the name of Dhritarashtra, eightykings of the name of Janamejaya; a hundred monarchs called Brahmadatta,and a hundred kings of the name of Iri; more than two hundred Bhishmas,and also a hundred Bhimas; a hundred Prativindhyas, a hundred Nagas, anda hundred Palasas, and a hundred called Kasa and Kusa; that king of kingsSantanu, and thy father Pandu, Usangava, Sata-ratha, Devaraja,Jayadratha; the intelligent royal sage Vrishadarva with his ministers;and a thousand other kings known by the name of Sasa-vindu, and who havedied, having performed many grand horse-sacrifices with large presents tothe Brahmanas–these holy royal sages of grand achievements and greatknowledge of the Sastras, wait upon, O King, and worship the son ofVivaswat in that assembly house. And Agastya and Matanga, and Kala, andMrityu (Death), performers of sacrifices, the Siddhas, and many Yogins;the Prtris (belonging to the classes–called Agniswattas, Fenapa,Ushampa, Swadhavat, and Verhishada), as also those others that haveforms; the wheel of time, and the illustrious conveyer himself of thesacrificial butter; all sinners among human beings, as also those thathave died during the winter solstice; these officers of Yama who havebeen appointed to count the allotted days of everybody and everything;the Singsapa, Palasa, Kasa, and Kusa trees and plants, in their embodiedforms, these all, O king, wait upon and worship the god of justice inthat assembly house of his. These and many others are present at theSabha of the king of the Pitris (manes). So numerous are they that I amincapable of describing them either by mentioning their names or deeds. Oson of Pritha, the delightful assembly house, moving everywhere at thewill of its owner, is of wide extent. It was built by Viswakarma after along course of ascetic penances. And, O Bharata, resplendent with his owneffulgence, it stands glorified in all its beauty. Sannyasis of severeascetic penance, of excellent vows, and of truthful speech, peaceful andpure and sanctified by holy deeds, of shining bodies and attired inspotless robes, decked with bracelets and floral garlands, with ear-ringsof burnished gold, and adorned with their own holy acts as with the marksof their order (painted over their bodies), constantly visit that Sabha(Assembly). Many illustrious Gandharvas, and many Apsaras fill every partof that mansion with music; both instrumental and vocal and with soundsof laughter and dance. And, O son of Pritha, excellent perfumes, andsweet sounds and garlands of celestial flowers always contribute towardsmaking that mansion supremely blest. And hundreds of thousands ofvirtuous persons, of celestial beauty and great wisdom, always wait uponand worship the illustrious Yama, the lord of created beings in thatassembly house. Such, O monarch, is the Sabha, of the illustrious king ofthe Pitris! I shall now describe unto the assembly house of Varuna alsocalled Pushkaramalini!”