SECTION XII
"Yudhishthira said,--'O you foremost of eloquent men, as you hast
described the different Sabhas unto me, it appeareth that almost all the
monarchs of the earth are to be found in the Sabha of Yama. And, O
master, almost all the Nagas, and principal Daityas, and rivers, and
oceans, are to be found in the Sabha of Varuna. And so the Yakshas, the
Guhyakas, the Rakshasas, the Gandharvas and Apsaras and the Deity (Yama)
having the bull for his vehicle, are to be found in the Sabha of the lord
of treasures. Thou hast said that in the Sabha of the Grandsire are to be
seen all the great Rishis, all the gods, all the branches of learning. As
regards the Sabha of Sakra, however, you hast named, O Muni, all the
gods, the Gandharvas, and various Rishis. But, O great Muni, you hast
mentioned one and only one king, viz., the royal Rishi Harishchandra as
living in the Sabha of the illustrious chief of the gods. What act was
performed by that celebrated king, or what ascetic penances with steady
vows, in consequence of which he hath been equal to Indra himself? O
Brahmana, how didst you also meet with my father, the exalted Pandu, now
a guest in the region of the Pitris? O exalted one of excellent vows hath
he told you anything? O tell me all as I am exceedingly curious to hear
all this from thee."
"Narada said,--'O king of kings, I shall tell you all that you askest
me about Harischandra, I shall presently tell you of his high
excellence. He was a powerful king, in fact, an emperor over all the
kings of the earth. Indeed, all the kings of the earth obeyed his sway. O
monarch, mounted alone upon a victorious car adorned with gold, that king
by the prowess of his weapons brought the whole earth with her seven
islands under his sway. And, O monarch, having subjugated the whole earth
with her mountains, forests, and woods, he made preparations for the
great sacrifice called the Rajasuya. And all the kings of the earth
brought at his command wealth unto that sacrifice. All of them consented
to become distributors of food and gifts unto the Brahmanas that were fed
on the occasion. At that sacrifice king Harishchandra gave away unto all
who asked, wealth that was five times what each had solicited. At the
conclusion of the sacrifice, the king gratified the Brahmanas that came
from various countries with large presents of various kinds of wealth.
The Brahmanas gratified with various kinds of food and enjoyable
articles, given away unto them to the extent of their desires, and with
the heaps of jewels distributed amongst them, began to say,--King
Harischandra is superior to all kings in energy and renown.--And know, O
monarch, O bull of the Bharata race, it was for this reason that
Harischandra shone more brightly than thousands of other kings. The
powerful Harischandra having concluded his great sacrifice, became
installed, O king, in the sovereignty of the earth and looked resplendent
on his throne. O bull of the Bharata race, all those monarchs that
perform the sacrifice of Rajasuya, (attaining to the region of Indra)
pass their time in felicity in Indra's company. And, O bull of the
Bharata race, those kings also that yield up their lives without turning
their backs on the field of battle attain to the mansion of Indra and
live in joy with him. Those again that yield up their bodies after severe
ascetic penances also attain to the same region and shine brightly there
for ages. O king of the Kuru race, O son of Kunti, your father Pandu,
beholding the good fortune of Harischandra and wondering much thereat,
hath told you something. Knowing that I was coming to the world of men,
he bowed unto me and said,--Thou shouldst tell Yudhishthira, O Rishi,
that he can subjugate the whole Earth inasmuch as his brothers are all
obedient to him. And having done this let him commence the grand
sacrifice called Rajasuya. He is my son; if he performeth that sacrifice,
I may, like Harischandra, soon attain to the region of Indra, and there
in his Sabha pass countless years in continuous joy. I told him in
reply,--O King, I shall tell your son all this, if I go to the world of
man. I have now told you what he said, O tiger among men. Accomplish
then, O son of Pandu, the desires of your father. If you performest that
sacrifice, you shall then be able to go, along with your deceased
ancestors, into the same region that is inhabited by the chief of the
immortals. It hath been said,--O king, that the performance of this great
sacrifice is attended with many obstacles. A class of Rakshasas called
Brahma Rakshasas, employed in obstructing all sacrifices, always search
for loop-holes when this great sacrifice is commenced. On the
commencement of such a sacrifice a war may take place destroying the
Kshatriyas and even furnishing occasion for the destruction of the whole
Earth. A slight obstacle may involve the whole Earth in ruin. Reflecting
upon all this, O king of kings do what is for your good. Be you watchful
and ready in protecting the four orders of your subjects. Grow, you in
prosperity, and enjoy you felicity. Gratify you the Brahmanas with
gifts of wealth. I have now answered in detail all that you hast asked
me. With your leave I will now go to the city (Dwaravati) of that
Dasarhas."
Vaisampayana said,--'O Janamejaya, having said this unto the son of
Pritha, Narada went away, accompanied by those Rishis with whom he had
come. And after Narada had gone away, king Yudhishthira, O you of the
Kuru race, began to think, along with his brothers, of that foremost of
sacrifices called Rajasuya.'
--------------------END OF PARVA 2 : UPA-PARVA 12 ---------------------
