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Sabha Parva

Episode 123

SECTION XXVI, SECTION XXVII, SECTION XXVIII, SECTION XXIX

2,341 words · 12 min read

Previously in the Mahabharata…
"Bhagadatta, hearing this, said,--'O thou you who hast have Kunto for thy your mother, as thou you art to me, so is Yudhishthira also. I shall do all this. Tell me, what else I may do for thee you.

continued,--thus addressed, replied unto to , saying,--'If thou you wilt will give thy your promise to do this, thou you hast have done all I desire. And having thus subjugated the king of Pragjyotisha, of long arms, the son of , then marched towards the north--the direction presided over by the lord of treasures. That bull amongst men, that son of , then conquered the mountainous tracts and their outskirts, as also the hilly regions. And having conquered all the mountains and the kings that reigned there, and bringing them under his sway, he exacted tributes from all. And winning the affections of those kings and uniting himself with them, he next marched, O king, against Vrihanta, the king of Uluka, making this earth tremble with the sound of his drums, the clatter of his chariot-wheels, and the roar of the elephants in his train. Vrihanta, however, quickly coming out of his city followed by his army consisting of four kinds of troops, gave battle to Falguna (). And the fight that took place between Vrihanta and was terrible. It so happened that Vrihanta was unable to bear the prowess of the son of . Then that invincible king of the mountainous region regarding the son of irresistible, approached him with all his wealth. snatched out the kingdom from Vrihanta, but having made peace with him marched, accompanied by that king, against Senavindu whom he soon expelled from his kingdom. After this he subjugated Modapura, Vamadeva, Sudaman, Susankula, the Northern Ulukas, and the kings of those countries and peoples. Hereafter at the command of , O monarch, , did not move from the city of Senavindu but sent his troops only and brought under his sway those five countries and peoples. For , having arrived at Devaprastha, the city of Senavindu, took up his quarters there with his army consisting of four kinds of forces. Thence from there, surrounded by the kings and the peoples he had subjugated, the hero marched against king Viswagaswa--that bull of 's race. Having vanquished in battle the brave mountaineers, who were all great warriors, the son of , O king, then occupied with the help of his troops, the town protected by the king. Having vanquished in battle the king, as also the robber tribes, of the mountains, the son of brought under his sway the seven tribes called Utsava-sanketa. That bull of the Kshatriya race then defeated the brave Kshatriyas of Kashmira and also king Lohita along with ten minor chiefs. Then the Trigartas, the Daravas, the Kokonadas, and various other Kshatriyas, O king, advanced against the son of . That Prince of the Kuru race then took the delightful town of Avisari, and then brought under his sway Rochamana ruling in Uraga. Then the son of (), putting forth his might, pressed the delightful town of Singhapura that was well-protected with various weapons. Then , that bull amongst the son of , at the head of all his troops, fiercely attacked the regions called Suhma and Sumala. Then the son of , endued with great prowess, after pressing them with great force, brought the Valhikas always difficult of being vanquished, under his sway. Then Falguna, the son of , taking with him a select force, defeated the Daradas along with the Kambojas. Then the exalted son of vanquished the robber tribes that dwelt in the north-eastern frontier and those also that dwelt in the woods. And, O great king, the son of also subjugated the allied tribes of the Lohas, the eastern Kambojas, and northern Rishikas. And the battle with the Rishikas was fierce in the extreme. Indeed, the fight that took place between them and the son of was equal to that between the gods and the Asuras in which Taraka (the wife of ) had become the cause of so much slaughter. And defeating, O king, the Rishikas in the field of battle, took from them as tribute eight horses that were of the colour of the parrot's breast, as also other horses of the hues of the peacock, born in northern and other climes and endued with high speed. At last having conquered all the Himalayas and the Nishkuta mountains, that bull among men, arriving at the White mountains, encamped on its breast."


said,--"that heroic and foremost of the Pandavas endued with great energy, crossing the White mountains, subjugated the country of the Limpurushas ruled by Durmaputra, after a collision involving a great slaughter of Kshatriyas, and brought the region under his complete sway. Having reduced that country, the son of () with a collected mind marched at the head of his troops to the country called Harataka, ruled by the Guhakas. Subjugating them by a policy of conciliation, the Kuru prince beheld (in that region) that excellent of lakes called Manasa and various other lakes and tanks sacred to the Rishis. And the exalted prince having arrived at the lake Manasa conquered the regions ruled by the Gandharvas that lay around the Harataka territories. Here the conqueror took, as tribute from the country, numerous excellent horses called Tittiri, Kalmasha, Manduka. At last the son of the slayer of Paka, arriving in the country of North Harivarsha desired to conquer it. Thereupon then certain frontier-guards of huge bodies and endued with great strength and energy, coming to him with gallant hearts, said, 'O son of , this country can be never conquered by thee you. If thou you seekest seek thy your good, return hence. He that entereth enters this region, if human, is sure to perish. We have been gratified with thee you; O hero, thy your conquests have been enough. Nor is anything to be seen here, O , that may be conquered by thee you. The Northern Kurus live here. There cannot be war here. Even if thou you enterest enter it, thou you will not be able to behold anything, for with human eyes nothing can be seen here. If, however thou you seekest seek anything else, O Bharata tell us, O tiger among men, so that we may do thy your bidding. Thus addressed by them, smilingly addressing them, said,--'I desire the acquisition of the imperial dignity by the just, of great intelligence. If your land is shut against human beings, I shall not enter it. Let something be paid unto to by ye you as tribute. Hearing these words of , they gave him as tribute many cloths and ornaments of celestial make, silks of celestial texture and skins of celestial origin.

"It was thus that tiger among men subjugated the countries that lay to the North, having fought numberless battles with both Kshatriya and robber tribes. And having vanquished the chiefs and brought them under his sway he exacted from them much wealth, various gems and jewels, the horses of the species called Tittiri and Kalmasha, as also those of the colour of the parrot's wings and those that were like the peacocks in hue and all endued with the speed of the wind. And surrounded, O king, by a large army consisting of the four kinds of forces, the hero came back to the excellent city of Sakraprastha. And offered the whole of that wealth, together with the animals he had brought, unto to the just. And commanded by the monarch, the hero retired to a chamber of the palace for rest."


said,--in the meantime, also endued with great energy, having obtained the assent of the just marched towards the eastern direction. And the tiger among the Bharatas, possessed of great valour and ever increasing the sorrows of his foes, was accompanied by a mighty host with the full complement of elephants and horses and cars, well-armed and capable of crushing all hostile kingdoms. That tiger among men, the son of , going first into the great country of the Panchalas, began by various means to conciliate that tribe. Then that hero, that bull of the Bharata race, within a short time, vanquished the Gandakas and the Videhas. That exalted one then subjugated the Dasarnas. There in the country of the Dasarnas, the king called Sudharman with his bare arms fought a fierce battle with . And , beholding that feat of the illustrious king, appointed the mighty Sudharman as the first in command of his forces. Then of terrible prowess marched towards the east, causing the earth itself to tremble with the tread of the mighty host that followed him. Then that hero who in strength was the foremost of all strong men defeated in battle Rochamana, the king of Aswamedha, at the head of all his troops. And the son of , having vanquished that monarch by performing feats that excelled in fierceness, subjugated the eastern region. Then that prince of the Kuru race, endued with great prowess going into the country of Pulinda in the south, brought Sukumara and the king Sumitra under his sway. Then, O , that bull in the Bharata race, at the command of the just marched against of great energy. The , hearing of the intentions of the son of , came out of his city. And that chastiser of all foes then received the son of with respect. Then, O king, those bulls of the Chedi and the Kuru lines, thus met together, enquired after each other's welfare. Then, O monarch, the offered his kingdom unto to and said smilingly,--'O sinless one, upon what art thou you bent?' And thereupon then represented unto to him the intentions of king . And dwelt there, O king, for thirty nights, duly entertained by . And after this he set out from Chedi with his troops and vehicles."


said,--that chastiser of all foes then vanquished king Srenimat of the country of Kumara, and then Vrihadvala, the king of Kosala. Then the foremost of the sons of , by performing feats excelling in fierceness, defeated the virtuous and mighty king Dirghayaghna of Ayodhya. And the exalted one then subjugated the country of Gopalakaksha and the northern Kosalas and also the king of Mallas. And the mighty one, arriving then in the moist region at the foot of the Himalayas soon brought the whole country under his sway. And that bull of Bharata race brought under control in this way diverse countries. And endued with great energy and in strength the foremost of all strong men, the son of next conquered the country of Bhallata, as also the mountain of Suktimanta that was by the side of Bhallata. Then of terrible prowess and long arms, vanquishing in battle the unretreating Suvahu the king of Kasi, brought him under complete sway. Then that bull among the sons of overcame in battle, by sheer force, the great king Kratha reigning in the region lying about Suparsa. Then the hero of great energy vanquished the Matsya and the powerful Maladas and the country called Pasubhumi that was without fear or oppression of any kind. And the long-armed hero then, coming from that land, conquered Madahara, Mahidara, and the Somadheyas, and turned his steps towards the north. And the mighty son of then subjugated, by sheer force, the country called Vatsabhumi, and the king of the Bhargas, as also the ruler of the Nishadas and Manimat and numerous other kings. Then , with scarcely any degree of exertion and very soon, vanquished the southern Mallas and the Bhagauanta mountains. And the hero next vanquished, by policy alone, the Sarmakas and the Varmakas. And that tiger among men then defeated with comparative ease that lord of earth, the king of the Videhas. And the hero then subjugated strategically the Sakas and the barbarians living in that part of the country. And the son of , sending forth expeditions from Videha, conquered the seven kings of the Kiratas living about the Indra mountain. The mighty hero then, endued with abundant energy, vanquished in battle the Submas and the Prasuhmas. And winning them over to his side, the son of , possessed of great strength, marched against Magadha. On his way he subjugated the monarchs known by the names of Danda and Dandadhara, And accompanied by those monarchs, the son of marched against Girivraja. After bringing the son of under his sway by conciliation and making him pay tribute, the hero then accompanied by the monarchs he had vanquished, marched against Kansa. And making the earth tremble by means of his troops consisting of the four kinds of forces, the foremost of the Pandavas then encountered that slayer of foes. And, O Bharata, having subjugated and brought him under his sway, the mighty hero then vanquished the powerful king of the mountainous regions. And the son of then slew in a fierce encounter, by the strength of his arms, the mighty king who dwelt in Madagiri. And the Pandava then, O king, subjugated in battle those strong and brave heroes of fierce prowess, viz., the heroic and mighty Vasudeva, the king of Pundra and king Mahaujah who reigned in Kausika-kachchha, and then attacked the king of Vanga. And having vanquished Samudrasena and king Chandrasena and Tamralipta, and also the king of the Karvatas and the ruler of the Suhmas, as also the kings that dwelt on the sea-shore, that bull among the Bharatas then conquered all Mlechchha tribes. The mighty son of having thus conquered various countries, and exacting tributes from them all advanced towards Lohity. And the son of then made all the Mlechchha kings dwelling in the marshy regions on the sea-coast, pay tributes and various kinds of wealth, and sandal wood and aloes, and clothes and gems, and pearls and blankets and gold and silver and valuable corals. The Mlechchha kings showered upon the illustrious son of a thick downpour of wealth consisting of coins and gems counted by hundreds of millions. Then returning to Indraprastha, of terrible prowess offered the whole of that wealth unto to king the just."

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Vaisampayana said,--"thus also Sahadeva, dismissed with affection by king Yudhisthira the just, marched towards the southern direction accompanied by a mighty host.

Episode 124 · Sabha Parva

SECTION XXX

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