Chapter 14

“Vaisampayana said,–‘Thus addressed by Vidura, king Dhritarashtra becamehighly pleased, O monarch, with the act of Yudhishthira and Jishnu.Inviting then, after proper examination, thousands of deserving Brahmanasand superior Rishis, for the sake of Bhishma, as also of his sons andfriends, and causing a large quantity of food and drink to be prepared,and cars and other vehicles and clothes, and gold and jewels and gems,and slaves both male and female, and goats and sheep, and blankets andcostly articles to be collected, and villages and fields, and other kinesof wealth to be kept ready, as also elephants and steeds decked withornaments, and many beautiful maidens who were the best of their sex,that foremost of kings gave them away for the advancement of the dead,naming each of them in due order as the gifts were made. Naming Drona,and Bhishma, and Somadatta, and Valhika, and king Duryodhana, and eachone of his other sons, and all his well-wishers with Jayadratha numberingfirst, those gifts were made in due order. With the approval ofYudhishthira, that Sraddha-sacrifice became characterised by large giftsof wealth and profuse presents of jewels and gems and other kinds oftreasure. Tellers and scribes on that occasion, under the orders ofYudhishthira, ceaselessly asked the old king.–Do thou command, Omonarch, what gifts should be made to these. All things are readyhere.–As soon as the king spoke, they gave away what he directed.[30]Unto him that was to receive a hundred, a thousand was given, and untohim that was to receive a thousand was given ten thousand, at the commandof the royal son of Kunti.[31] Like the, clouds vivifying the crops withtheir downpours, that royal cloud gratified the Brahmanas by downpours ofwealth. After all those gifts had been distributed, the king, O thou ofgreat intelligence, then deluged the assembled guests of all the fourorders with repeated surges of food and drink of diverge tastes. Verily,the Dhritarashtra-ocean, swelling high, with jewels and gems for itswaters, rich with the villages and fields and other foremost of giftsconstituting its verdant islands, heaps of diverse kinds of preciousarticles for its rich caves, elephants and steeds for its alligators andwhirlpools, the sound of Mridangas for its deep roars, and clothes andwealth and precious stories for its waves, deluged the Earth. It was evenin this way, O king, that that monarch made gifts for the advancement inthe other world of his sons and grandsons and Pitris as also of himselfand Gandhari. At last when he became tired with the task of making giftsin such profusion, that great Gift-sacrifice carne to an end. Even thusdid that king of Kuru’s race perform his Gift-sacrifice. Actors and mimescontinually danced and sang on the occasion and contributed to themerriment of all the guests. Food and drink of diverse tastes were givenaway in large quantities. Making gifts in this way for ten days, theroyal son of Amvika, O chief of Bharata’s race, became freed from thedebts he owed to his sons and grandsons.”‘