Chapter 82
“Sanjaya said, ‘While Yudhishthira, Vasudeva, and others were thusconversing, Dhananjaya came there, desirous of beholding that foremostone of Bharata’s race, viz., the king, as also his friends andwell-wishers.
“Sanjaya said, ‘While Yudhishthira, Vasudeva, and others were thusconversing, Dhananjaya came there, desirous of beholding that foremostone of Bharata’s race, viz., the king, as also his friends andwell-wishers.
“Vaisampayana said, ‘Hearing these words of Yudhishthira, Narada replied,’O son of Pritha, listen with thy brothers to me as I recite this oldstory, O Yudhishthira, exactly as everything happened. In olden days, amighty Daitya named Nikumbha, endued with great energy and strength wasborn in the race of the great Asura, Hiranyakasipu.
“Vrihadaswa said, ‘Having passed that night, king Nala decked inornaments and with Damayanti by his side, presented himself in due timebefore the king.
“The blessed and holy one said, ‘In days of yore, a blessed woman wascreated by Brahman, called Tilottama, by culling grains of beauty fromevery beautiful object in the universe.
The holy one said, “After the krita-yuga had elapsed, the gods, desirousof performing a sacrifice, duly made preparation for one according to thedirections laid down in the Vedas. They collected clarified butter andthe other requisites.
“Dhritarashtra said, ‘O holy one, it is even so as thou, O Narada,sayest. My wish also is precisely such, but, O holy one, I have no power(to carry them out)!’
“Dhritarashtra said, ‘After Abhimanyu’s slaughter when the next day came,what did the Pandavas, afflicted with grief and sorrow do?
“Vrihadaswa said, ‘Beholding the agitation of the virtuous and wise Nala,Kesini returned unto Damayanti and related everything unto her.
‘Narada continued, ‘As soon as those festivities came to an end, thebrothers Sunda and Upasunda, desirous of the Sovereignty of the threeworlds, took counsel and commanded their forces to be arranged.
“Bhishma said, ‘Then Narada, that holy Rishi, that friend of Narayana,recited the following narrative of the discourse between Sankara and hisspouse Uma.’