"Narada said,--'Listen to me, O child, as I tell thee of the assembly
house of the Grandsire, that house which none can describe, saying it
is such. In the Krita (golden) age of old, O king, the exalted deity
Aditya (once) came down from heaven into the world of men. Having seen
before the assembly-house of Brahma the Self-created, Aditya was
cheerfully wandering over the Earth in human form, desirous of
beholding what could be seen here. It was on that occasion, O son of
Pandu, that the god of day spoke unto me, O bull of the Bharata race,
of that celestial Sabha (assembly) of the Grandsire, immeasurable and
immaterial and indescribable, as regards form and shape, and capable of
delighting the heart of every creature by its splendour. Hearing, O
bull of the Bharata race, of the merits of that Sabha, I became, O
king, desirous of beholding it. I then asked Aditya, saying,--"O
exalted one, I desire to behold the sacred Sabha of the Grandsire. O
lord of light, tell me, O exalted one, by what ascetic penances, or by
what acts, or by what charms or by what rites, I may be enabled to
behold that excellent sin-cleaning Sabha."--Hearing these words of
mine, Aditya the god of day, the deity of a thousand rays, answered me,
"O chief of the Bharata race, thus: Observe thou, with mind rapt in
meditation, the Brahma vow extending for a thousand years." Repairing
then to the breast of the Himavat, I commenced that great vow, and
after I had completed it the exalted and sinless deity Surya endued
with great energy, and knowing no fatigue, took me with him to the
Sabha of the Grandsire. O king, it is impossible to describe that
Sabha, saying--it is such, for within a moment it assumes a different
form that language fails to paint. O Bharata, it is impossible to
indicate its dimensions or shape. I never saw anything like it before.
Ever contributing to the happiness of those within it, its atmosphere
is neither cold nor warm. Hunger and thirst or any kind of uneasiness
disappear as soon as one goeth thither. It seems to be made up of
brilliant gems of many kinds. It doth not seem to be supported on
columns, it knoweth no deterioration, being eternal. That self
effulgent mansion, by its numerous blazing, celestial indications of
unrivalled splendour, seems to surpass the moon, the sun and the fire
in splendour. Stationed in heaven, it blazes forth, censuring as it
were the maker of the day. In that mansion O king, the Supreme Deity,
the Grand-sire of all created things, having himself created everything
by virtue of his creative illusion, stayeth ever. And Daksha,
Prachetas, Pulaha, Marichi, the master Kasyapa, Bhrigu, Atri, and
Vasistha and Gautama, and also Angiras, and Pulastya, Kraut, Prahlada,
and Kardama, these Prajapatis, and Angirasa of the Atharvan Veda, the
Valikhilyas, the Marichipas; Intelligence, Space, Knowledge, Air, Heat,
Water, Earth, Sound, Touch, Form, Taste, Scent; Nature, and the Modes
(of Nature), and the elemental and prime causes of the world,--all stay
in that mansion beside the lord Brahma. And Agastya of great energy,
and Markandeya, of great ascetic power, and Jamadagni and Bharadwaja,
and Samvarta, and Chyavana, and exalted Durvasa, and the virtuous
Rishyasringa, the illustrious Sanatkumara of great ascetic merit and
the preceptor in all matters affecting Yoga; Asita and Devala, and
Jaigishavya acquainted with truth; Rishava, Ajitasatru, and Mani of
great energy; and the Science of healing with its eight branches--all
in their personified forms, O Bharata; the moon with all the stars and
the stellar conjunctions; Aditya with all his rays; the winds; the
Sacrifices, the Declarations of purpose (in sacrifices), the Vital
principles,--these illustrious and vow-observing beings in their
personified forms, and many others too numerous to mention, attend all
upon Brahma in that mansion. Wealth and Religion and Desire, and Joy,
and Aversion, and Asceticism and Tranquillity--all wait together upon
the Supreme Deity in that palace. The twenty tribes of the Gandharvas
and Apsaras, as also their seven other tribes, and all the Lokapalas
(chief protectors of several regions), and Sukra, and Vrihaspati, and
Vudha, and Angaraka (Mangala), Sani, Rahu, and the other planets; the
Mantras (of the Sama Veda), the special Mantras (of the same Veda);
(the rites of) Harimat and Vasumat, the Adityas with Indra, the two
Agnis mentioned by name (viz. Agnisoma and Indragni), the Marutas,
Viswakarman, and the Vasus, O Bharata; the Pitris, and all kinds of
sacrificial libations, the four Vedas. viz., Rig, Sama, Yajuh, and
Atharva; all Sciences and branches of learning; Histories and all minor
branches of learning; the several branches of the Vedas; the planets,
the Sacrifices, the Soma, all the deities; Savitri (Gayatri), the seven
kinds of rhyme; Understanding, Patience, Memory, Wisdom, Intelligence,
Fame, Forgiveness; the Hymns of the Sama Veda; the Science of hymns in
general, and various kinds of Verses and Songs; various Commentaries
with arguments;--all in their personified forms, O king, and various
Dramas and Poems and Stories and abridged Glosses--these also, and many
others wait upon the Supreme Deity in that Sabha, Kshanas, Lavas,
Muhurtas, Day, Night, Fortnights, Months, the six Seasons, O Bharata,
Years, Yugas, the four kinds of Days and Nights (viz., appearing to
man, to the Pitris, to the gods, and to Brahma) and that eternal,
indestructible, undeteriorating, excellent Wheel of Time and also the
Wheel of Virtue,--these always wait there, O Yudhishthira; and Aditi,
Diti, Danu, Surasa, Vinata, Ira, Kalika, Suravi, Devi, Sarama, Gautami
and the goddesses Pradha, and Kadru;--these mothers of the celestials,
and Rudrani, Sree, Lakshmi, Bhadra, Shashthi, the Earth, Ganga, Hri,
Swaha, Kriti, the goddess Sura, Sachi Pushti, Arundhati, Samvritti,
Asa, Niyati, Srishti, Rati,--these and many other goddesses wait upon
the Creator of all. The Adityas, Vasus, Rudras, Marutas, Aswinas, the
Viswadevas Sadhyas, and the Pitris gifted with the speed of the mind;
these all wait there upon the Grandsire. And, O bull amongst men, know
thou that there are seven classes of Pitris, of which four classes have
embodied forms and the remaining three without embodied forms. It is
well known that the illustrious Vairajas and Agniswattas and
Garhapattyas (three classes of Pitris) range in heaven. And those
amongst the Pitris that are called the Somapas, the Ekasringras, the
Chaturvedas, and the Kalas, are ever worshipped amongst the four orders
of men. Gratified with the Soma (juice), first, these gratify Soma
afterwards. All these tribes of Pitris wait upon the Lord of the
creation and cheerfully worship the Supreme Deity of immeasurable
energy. And Rakshasas, Pisachas, the Danavas and Guhyakas; Nagas,
Birds, and various animals; and all mobile and immobile great
beings;--all worship the Grandsire. And Purandara the chief of the
celestials, and Varuna and Kuvera and Yama, and Mahadeva accompanied by
Uma, always repair thither. And, O king of kings, Mahasena (Kartikeya)
also adoreth there the Grandsire. Narayana himself, and the celestial
Rishis, and those Rishis called Valakhillyas, and all beings born of
females and all those not born of females, and whatever else is seen in
the three worlds--both mobile and immobile, were all seen by me there,
know O king. And eighty thousand Rishis with vital seed drawn up, and O
Pandu, fifty thousand Rishis having sons, were all seen by me there.
And all the dwellers in heaven repairing thither behold the Supreme
Deity when they please, and worshipping him with a bow of their head
return whence they came. And, O king of men, the Grandsire of all
created beings, the Soul of the universe, the Self create Brahma of
immeasurable intelligence and glory, equally kind unto all creatures,
honoureth as they deserve, and gratifieth with sweet speech and gift of
wealth and other enjoyable articles, the gods, the Daityas, the Nagas,
the Brahmanas, the Yakshas, the Birds, the Kaleyas, the Gandharvas, the
Apsaras, and all other exalted beings that came to him as his guests.
And that delicious Sabha, O child, is always crowded with persons
coming and going. Filled with every kind of energy, and worshipped by
Brahmarshis, that celestial Sabha blazes forth with the graceful
possessions of Brahma and looks extremely handsome, O tiger among kings
as this Sabha of yours is unrivalled in the world of men, so is that
Sabha of Brahma, seen by me unrivalled in all the worlds. I have seen
these Sabhas, O Bharata, in regions of the celestials. This thy Sabha
is unquestionably the foremost in the world of men!'