Mahabharata (English)

by Kisari Mohan Ganguli | 2,566,952 words | ISBN-10: 8121505933

The English translation of the Mahabharata is a large text describing ancient India. It is authored by Krishna-Dwaipayana Vyasa and contains the records of ancient humans. Also, it documents the fate of the Kauravas and the Pandavas family. Another part of the large contents, deal with many philosophical dialogues such as the goals of life. Book...

'Narada said—

O Yudhishthira, the celestial Sabha of Varuna is unparalleled in splendour. In dimensions it is similar to that of Yama. Its walls and arches are all of pure white. It has been built by Visvakarma (the celestial architect) within the waters. It is surrounded on all sides by many celestial trees made of gems and jewels and yielding excellent fruits and flowers. And many plants with their weight of blossoms, blue and yellow, and black and darkish, and white and red, that stand there, or excellent bowers around. Within those bowers hundreds and thousands of birds of diverse species, beautiful and variegated, always pour forth their melodies.

The atmosphere of that mansion is extremely delightful, neither cold nor hot. Owned by Varuna, that delightful assembly house of pure white consists of many rooms and is furnished with many seats. There sits Varuna attired in celestial robe, decked in celestial ornaments and jewels, with his queen, adorned with celestial scents and besmeared with paste of celestial fragrance.

The Adityas wait upon and worship the illustrious Varuna, the lord of the waters.

And Vasuki and Takshaka, and the Naga called Airavana;
Krishna and Lohita;
Padma and Citra endued with great energy;
the Nagas called Kamvala and Asvatara;
and Dhritarashtra and Valahaka;
Matimat and Kundadhara and Karkotaka and Dhananjaya;
Panimat and the mighty Kundaka, O lord of the Earth;
and Prahlada and Mushikada, and Janamejaya,

—all having auspicious marks and mandalas and extended hoods;

—these and many other snakes. O Yudhishthira, without anxiety of any kind, wait upon and worship the illustrious Varuna.

And, O king, Vali the son of Virocana, and Naraka the subjugator of the whole Earth;
Sanghraha and Vipracitti, and those Danavas called Kalakanja;
and Suhanu and Durmukha and Sankha and Sumanas and also Sumati;
and Ghatodara, and Mahaparswa, and Karthana and also Pithara and Visvarupa, Swarupa and Virupa, Mahasiras;
and Dasagriva, Vali, and Meghavasas and Dasavara;
Tittiva, and Vitabhuta, and Sanghrada, and Indratapana

—these Daityas and Danavas, all bedecked with ear-rings and floral wreaths and crowns, and attired in the celestial robes, all blessed with boons and possessed of great bravery, and enjoying immortality, and all well of conduct and of excellent vows, wait upon and worship in that mansion the illustrious Varuna, the deity bearing the noose as his weapon.

And, O king, there are also the four oceans, the river Bhagirathee, the Kalindi, the Vidisa, the Venwa, the Narmada of rapid current;
the Vipasa, the Satadu, the Candrabhaga, the Sarasvati;
the Iravati, the Vitasta, the Sindhu, the Devanadi;
the Godavari, the Krishnavenwa and that queen of rivers the Kaveri;
the Kimpuna, the Visalya and the river Vaitarani also;
the Tritiya, the Jeshthila, and the great Sone (Soane);
the Carmanvati and the great river Parnasa;
the Sarayu, the Varavatya, and that queen of rivers the Langali, the Karatoya, the Atreyi, the red Mahanada, the Laghanti, the Gomati, the Sandhya, and also the Trisrotasi

—these and other rivers which are all sacred and are world-renowned places of pilgrimage, as also other rivers and sacred waters and lakes and wells and springs, and tanks, large or small, in their personified form, O Bharata, wait upon and worship the lord Varuna.

The points of the heavens, the Earth, and all the Mountains, as also every species of aquatic animals, all worship Varuna there. And various tribes of Gandharvas and Apsaras, devoted to music, both vocal and instrumental, wait upon Varuna, singing eulogistic hymns unto him. And all those mountains that are noted for being both delightful and rich in jewels, wait (in their personified forms) in that Sabha, enjoying sweet converse with one another.

And the chief minister of Varuna, Sunabha by name, surrounded by his sons and grandsons, also attend upon his master, along with (the personifiedform) of a sacred water called go. These all, in their personified forms, worship the deity. O bull of the Bharata race, such is the assembly room of Varuna seen by me before, in the course of my wanderings.

Listen now to the account I give of the assembly room of Kuvera.'"

Conclusion:

This concludes Section IX of Book 2 (Sabha Parva) of the Mahabharata, of which an English translation is presented on this page. This book is famous as one of the Itihasa, similair in content to the eighteen Puranas. Book 2 is one of the eighteen books comprising roughly 100,000 Sanskrit metrical verses.

FAQ (frequently asked questions):

Which keywords occur in Section IX of Book 2 of the Mahabharata?

The most relevant definitions are: Varuna, Sabha, Yudhishthira, Vali, Bharata, Naga; since these occur the most in Book 2, Section IX. There are a total of 80 unique keywords found in this section mentioned 96 times.

What is the name of the Parva containing Section IX of Book 2?

Section IX is part of the Lokapala Sabhakhayana Parva which itself is a sub-section of Book 2 (Sabha Parva). The Lokapala Sabhakhayana Parva contains a total of 9 sections while Book 2 contains a total of 7 such Parvas.

Can I buy a print edition of Section IX as contained in Book 2?

Yes! The print edition of the Mahabharata contains the English translation of Section IX of Book 2 and can be bought on the main page. The author is Kisari Mohan Ganguli and the latest edition (including Section IX) is from 2012.

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