SABHA
PARV MAHABHARAT BOOK 2 CHAPTER 47
Mahabharat
Book 2 Chapter 47 : English
SECTION L
Mentions
the Kings who brought tributes to Yudhishthir
Duryodhan
said,--'Listen now, O Bharat, about all the most costly articles
I saw, belonging unto the sons of Pandu, and brought one after another
by the kings of the earth. Beholding that wealth of the foe, I lost
my reason and scarcely knew myself. And, O Bharat, listen as I describe
that wealth consisting of both manufactures and the produce of the
land. The king of Kamboj gave innumerable skins of the best king,
and blankets made of wool, of the soft fur of rodents and other
burroughers, and of the hair of cats,--all inlaid with threads of
gold. And he also gave three hundred horses of the Titteti and the
Kalmasha species possessing noses like parrots. And he also gave
three hundred camels and an equal number of
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she-asses,
all fattened with the olives and the Pilush. And innumerable Brahmans
engaged in rearing cattle and occupied in low offices for the gratification
of the illustrious king Yudhishthir the just waited at the gate
with three hundred millions of tribute but they were denied admission
into the palace. And hundred upon hundreds of Brahmanas possessing
wealth of kine and living upon the lands that Yudhishthir had given
them, came there with their handsome golden Kamandalus filled with
clarified butter. And though they had brought such tribute, they
were refused admission into the palace. And the Sudra kings that
dwelt in the regions on the seacoast, brought with them, O king,
hundred thousands of serving girls of the Karpasika country, all
of beautiful features and slender waist and luxuriant hair and decked
in golden ornaments; and also many skins of the Ranku deer worthy
even of Brahmanas as tribute unto king Yudhishthir.
And
the tribes Vairamas, Paradas, Tungas, with the Kitavas who lived
upon crops that depended on water from the sky or of the river and
also they who were born in regions on the sea-shore, in woodlands,
or countries on the other side of the ocean waited at the gate,
being refused permission to enter, with goats and kine and asses
and camels and vegetable, honey and blankets and jewels and gems
of various kinds. And that great warrior king Bhagadatta, the brave
ruler of Pragjyotisha and the mighty sovereign of the mlechchas,
at the head of a large number of Yavanas waited at the gate unable
to enter, with a considerable tribute comprising of horses of the
best breed and possessing the speed of the wind. And king Bhagadatta
(beholding the concourse) had to go away from the gate, making over
a number of swords with handles made of the purest ivory and well-adorned
with diamonds and every kind of gems. And many tribes coming from
different regions, of whom some possess two eyes, some three and
some had eyes on their foreheads, and those also called Aushmikas,
and Nishadas, and Romakas, some cannibals and many possessing only
one leg. I say, O king, standing at the gate, being refused permission
to enter.
And
these diverse rulers brought as tribute ten thousand asses of diverse
hues and black necks and huge bodies and great speed and much docility
and celebrated all over the world. And these asses were all of goodly
size and delightful colour. And they were all bred on the coast
of Vankhu. And there were many kings that gave unto Yudhishthir
much gold and silver. And having given much tribute they obtained
admission into the palace of Yudhishthir. The people that came there
possessing only one leg gave unto Yudhishthir many wild horses,
some of which were as red as the cochineal, and some white, and
some possessing the hues of the rainbow and some looking like evening
clouds, and some that were of variegated colour. And they were all
endued with the speed of the mind. And they also gave unto the king
enough gold of superior quality. I also saw numberless Chinas and
Sakas and Udras and many barbarous tribes living in
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the
woods, and many Vrishnis and Harahunas, and dusky tribes of the
Himavat, and many Nipas and people residing in regions on the sea-coast,
waiting at the gate being refused permission to enter. And the people
of Valhika gave unto him as tribute ten thousand asses, of goodly
size and black necks and daily running two hundred miles, And those
asses were of many shapes. And they were well-trained and celebrated
all over the world. And possessed of symmetrical proportion and
excellent colour, their skins were pleasant to the touch. And the
Valhikas also presented numerous blankets of woollen texture manufactured
in China and numerous skins of the Ranku deer, and clothes manufactured
from jute, and others woven with the threads spun by insects. And
they also gave thousands of other clothes not made of cotton, possessing
the colour of the lotus. And these were all of smooth texture. And
they also gave soft sheep-skins by thousands. And they also gave
many sharp and long swords and scimitars, and hatchets and fine-edged
battle-axes manufactured in the western countries. And having presented
perfumes and jewels and gems of various kinds by thousands as tribute,
they waited at the gate, being refused admission into the palace.
And
the Sakas and and Tukharas and Kankas and Romas and men with horns
bringing with them as tribute numerous large elephants and ten thousand
horses, and hundreds and hundreds of millions of gold waited at
the gate, being refused permission to enter. And the kings of the
eastern countries having presented numerous valuable articles including
many costly carpets and vehicles and beds, and armours of diverse
hues decked with jewels and gold and ivory, and weapons of various
kinds, and cars of various shapes and handsome make and adorned
with gold, with well-trained horses trimmed with tiger skins, and
rich and variegated blankets for caprisoning elephants, and various
kinds of jewels and gems, arrows long and short and various other
kinds of weapons, obtained permission to enter the sacrificial palace
of the illustrious Pandav!'"
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