The Mahabharata

Book 2 Sabha Parva

Kisari Mohan Ganguli

[1883-1896]

SECTION VII

“Narada said,–the celestial assembly room of Sakra is full of lustre. He hath
obtained it as the fruit of his own acts. Possessed of the splendour of the sun,
it was built, O scion of the Kuru race, by Sakra himself. Capable of going everywhere
at will, this celestial assembly house is full one hundred and fifty yojanas in
length, and hundred yojanas in breadth, and five yojanas in height. Dispelling
weakness of age, grief, fatigue, and fear, auspicious and bestowing good fortune,
furnished with rooms and seats and adorned with celestial trees, it is delightful
in the extreme. There sitteth in that assembly room, O son of Pritha, on an excellent
seat, the Lord of celestials, with his wife Sachi endowed with beauty and affluence.
Assuming a form incapable of description for its vagueness, with a crown on his
head and bright bracelets on the upper arms, attired in robes of pure white and
decked with floral wreaths of many hues, there he sitteth with beauty, fame, and
glory by his side. And the illustrious deity of a hundred sacrifices is daily
waited upon. O monarch, in that assembly by the Marutas in a body, each leading
the life of a householder in the bosom of his family. And the Siddhyas, celestial
Rishis, the Sadhyas in all, the gods, and Marutas of brilliant complexion and
adorned with golden garlands,–all of them in celestial form and decked in ornaments,
always wait upon and worship the illustrious chief of the immortals, that mighty
represser of all foes. And O son of Pritha, the celestial Rishis also, all of
pure souls, with sins completely washed off and resplendent as the fire, and possessed
of energy, and without sorrow of any kind, and freed from the fever of anxiety,
and all performers of the Soma sacrifice, also wait upon and worship Indra. And
Parasara and Parvata and Savarni and Galava; and Sankha, and the Muni, Gaursiras,
and Durvasa, and Krodhana and Swena and the Muni Dhirghatamas; and Pavitrapani,
Savarni, Yajnavalkya and Bhaluki; and Udyalaka, Swetaketu, and Tandya, and also
Bhandayani; and Havishmat, and Garishta, and king Harischandra; and Hridya, Udarshandilya.
Parasarya, Krishivala; Vataskandha, Visakha, Vidhatas and Kala. Karaladanta, Tastri,
and Vishwakarman, and Tumuru; and other Rishis, some born of women and others
living upon air, and others again living upon fire, these all worship Indra, the
wielder of the thunderbolt, the lord of all the worlds. And Sahadeva, and Sunitha,
and Valmiki of great ascetic merit; and Samika of truthful speech, and Prachetas
ever fulfilling their promises, and Medhatithi, and Vamadeva, and Pulastya, Pulaha
and Kratu; and Maruta and Marichi, and Sthanu of great ascetic merit; and Kakshivat,
and Gautama, and Tarkhya, and also the Muni Vaishwanara; and the Muni Kalakavrikhiya
and Asravya, and also Hiranmaya, and Samvartta, and Dehavya, and Viswaksena of
great energy; and Kanwa, and Katyayana, O king, and Gargya, and Kaushika;–all
are present there along with the celestial waters and plants; and faith, and intelligence,
and the goddess of learning, and wealth, religion, and pleasure; and lightning.
O son of Pandu; and the rain-charged clouds, and the winds, and all the loud-sounding
forces of heaven; the eastern point, the twenty seven fires conveying the sacrificial
butter, Agni and Soma, and the fire of Indra, and Mitra, and Savitri, and Aryaman;
Bhaga, Viswa the Sadhyas, the preceptor (Vrihaspati), and also Sukra; and Vishwavasu
and Chitrasena, and Sumanas, and also Taruna; the Sacrifices, the gifts to Brahmanas,
the planets, and the stars, O Bharata, and the mantras that are uttered in sacrifices–all
these are present there. And, O King, many Apsaras and Gandharvas, by various
kinds of dances and music both instrumental and vocal, and by the practice of
auspicious rites, and by the exhibition of many feats of skill, gratify the lord
of the celestials–Satakratu–the illustrious slayer of Vala and Vritra. Besides
these, many other Brahmanas and royal and celestial Rishis, all resplendent as
the fire, decked in floral wreaths and ornaments, frequently come to and leave
that assembly, riding on celestial cars of various kinds. And Vrihaspati and Sukra
are present there on all occasions. These and many other illustrious ascetics
of rigid wows, and Bhrigu and the seven Rishis who are equal, O king, unto Brahma
himself, come to and leave that assembly house, riding on cars beautiful as the
car of Soma, and themselves looking as bright therein as Soma himself. This, O
mighty armed monarch, is the assembly house, called Pushkaramalini, of Indra of
a hundred sacrifices that I have seen. Listen now to the account of Yama’s assembly
house.”