SECTION LXII
"Narada said, 'Nabhaga's son, Amvarisha, O Srinjaya, we hear, fell a prey
to death. Alone he battled a thousand times with a thousand kings.
Desirous of victory, those foes, accomplished in weapons, rushed against
him in battle from all sides, uttering fierce exclamations. Aided by his
strength and activity and the skill he had acquired by practice, he cut
off, by the force of his weapons, the umbrellas, the weapons, the
standards, the cars, and the lances of those enemies, and dispelled his
anxieties.[105] Desirous of saving their lives, those men, doffing their
coats of mail, implored him (for mercy). They sought his protection,
saying, 'We yield ourselves to thee.' Reducing them to subjection and
conquering the whole earth, he performed a hundred sacrifices of the best
kind, according to the rites ordained in the scriptures, O sinless one!
Food possessed of every agreeable quality was eaten (at those sacrifices)
by large classes of people. At those sacrifices, the Brahmanas were
respectfully worshipped and greatly gratified. And the regenerate classes
ate sweet-meats, and Purikas and Puras, and Apupas and Sashkalis of good
taste and large size, and Karambhas and Prithumridwikas, and diverse
kinds of dainties, and various kinds of soup, and Maireyaka, and
Ragakhandavas, and diverse kinds of confectionary, well-prepared, soft,
and of excellent fragrance, and clarified butter, and honey, and milk,
and water, and sweet curds, and many kinds of fruits and roots agreeable
to the taste.[106] And they that were habituated to wine drank in due
time diverse kinds of intoxicating drinks for the sake of the pleasure
that those produced, and sang and played upon their musical instruments.
Avid others, by thousands, intoxicated with what they drank, danced and
merrily sang hymns to the praise of Amvarisha; while others, unable to
keep themselves erect, fell down on the earth. In those sacrifices, king
Amvarisha gave, as sacrificial presents, the kingdoms of hundreds and
thousands of kings unto the ten million priests (employed by him) Having
performed diverse sacrifices the king gave unto the Brahmanas, as
sacrificial presents, numbers of princes and kings whose coronal locks
had undergone the sacred bath, all cased in golden coats of mail, all
having white umbrellas spread over their heads, all seated on golden
cars, all attired in excellent robes and having large trains of
followers, and all bearing their sceptres, and in possession of their
treasuries. The great Rishis, seeing what he did, were highly gratified,
and said, 'None amongst men in past times did, none in future will be
able to do, what king Amvarisha of profuse liberality, is doing now. When
he, O Srinjaya, died who was superior to you in respect of the four
cardinal virtues and who superior to thee, was, much more superior to thy
son, you shouldst not, therefore, saying, 'Oh, Swaitya, Oh, Swaitya',
grieve for the latter who performed no sacrifice and made no sacrificial
present.'"
--------------------END OF PARVA 7 : UPA-PARVA 62 ---------------------
