Vaisampayana said,--"the ever-victorious Nakula, the son of Pandu,
having reached Hastinapura, formally invited Bhishma and Dhritarashtra.
The elder of the Kuru race with the preceptor at their head, invited
with due ceremonies, came with joyous hearts to that sacrifice, with
Brahmanas walking before them. And, O bull of the Bharata race, having
heard of king Yudhishthira's sacrifice, hundreds of other Kshatriyas
acquainted with the nature of the sacrifice, with joyous hearts came
there from various countries, desiring to behold king Yudhishthira the
son of Pandu and his sacrificial mansion, and brought with them many
costly jewels of various kinds. And Dhritarashtra and Bhishma and
Vidura of high intelligence; and all Kaurava brothers with Duryyodhana
at their head; and Suvala the king of Gandhara and Sakuni endued with
great strength; and Achala, and Vrishaka, and Karna that foremost of
all charioteers; and Salya endued with great might and the strong
Valhika; and Somadatta, and Bhuri of the Kuru race, and Bhurisravas and
Sala; and Aswatthama, Kripa, Drona, and Jayadratha, the ruler of
Sindhu; and Yajnasena with his sons, and Salya that lord of earth and
that great car warrior king Bhagadatta of Pragjyotisha accompanied by
all Mlechcha tribes inhabiting the marshy regions on the sea-shore; and
many mountain kings, and king Vrihadvala; and Vasudeva the king of the
Paundrayas, and the kings of Vanga and Kalinga; and Akastha and Kuntala
and the kings of the Malavas and the Andhrakas; and the Dravidas and
the Singhalas and the king of Kashmira, and king Kuntibhoja of great
energy and king Gauravahana, and all the other heroic kings of Valhika;
and Virata with his two sons, and Mavella endued with great might; and
various kings and princes ruling in various countries; and, O Bharata
king Sisupala endued with great energy and invincible in battle
accompanied by his son--all of them came to the sacrifice of the son of
Pandu. And Rama and Aniruddha and Kanaka and Sarana; and Gada,
Pradyumna, Shamva, and Charudeshna of great energy; and Ulmuka and
Nishatha and the brave Angavaha; and innumerable other Vrishnis--all
mighty car-warriors--came there.
"These and many other kings from the middle country came, O monarch, to
that great Rajasuya sacrifice of the son of Pandu. And, O king, at the
command of king Yudhishthira the just, mansions were assigned to all
those monarchs, that were full of various kinds of edibles and adorned
with tanks and tall trees. And the son of Dharma worshipped all those
illustrious monarchs as they deserved. Worshipped by the king they
retired to mansions that were assigned to them. Those mansions were
(white and high) like the cliffs of Kailasa, and delightful to behold,
and furnished with every kind of furniture. They were enclosed on all
sides with well-built and high white-washed walls; their windows were
covered with net-works of gold and their interiors were furnished with
rows of pearls. Their flights of stairs were easy of ascent and the
floors were all laid over with costly carpets. They were all hung over
with garlands of flowers and perfumed with excellent aloes. White as
snow or the moon, they looked extremely handsome even from the distance
of a yojana. Their doors and entrances were set uniformly and were wide
enough to admit a crowd of persons. Adorned with various costly
articles and built with various metals, they looked like peaks of the
Himavat. Having rested a while in those mansions the monarchs beheld
king Yudhishthira the just surrounded by numerous Sadasyas (sacrificial
priests) and ever performing sacrifices distinguished by large gifts to
Brahmanas. That sacrificial mansion wherein were present the kings and
Brahmanas and great Rishis looked, O king, as handsome as heaven itself
crowded with the gods!"
Thus ends the thirty-fourth section in the Rajasuyika Parva of the
Sabha Parva.