MAHABHARATA 

 

THE BOOK OF THE ASSEMBLY HALL

The Building of the Hall

 

 

            And before Krishna’s face to great Arjoon

Maya with clasped hands bending, mild and boon

His voice as gratitude’s: “Me the strong ire

Had slain of Krishna or the hungry fire

Consumed: by thee I live, O Kunti’s son:

What shall I do for thy sake?” And Arjoon,

“Paid is thy debt. Go thou and prosper: love

Repays the lover: this our friendship prove.

“Noble thy word and like thyself,” returned

The Titan, “yet in me a fire has burned

Some deed to do for love’s sake. He am I,

The Titan architect and poet high,

The maker: something give me to create.”

Arjoon replied, “If from the grasp of Fate

Rescued by me thou pray’st, then is the deed

Sufficient, Titan: I will take no meed.

Yet will I not deny thee: for my friend

Do somewhat and thy debt to me shall end.”

Then by the Titan questioned Vasudev

Pondered awhile what boon were best to have.

At length he answered: “Let a hall be raised

Peerless, thou great artificer high-praised, —

If thou wilt needs do somewhat high designed, —

For Yudhisthere such hall as may thy mind

Imagine.Wonderful the pile shall be,

No mortal man shall copy although he

Labour to grasp it, nor on transient earth

Another equal wonder shall have birth.

Vast let it be. Let human and divine

And the Titanic meet in one design.”

Joyful the builder took the word and high

The Pandav’s hall he made imperially.

(But first the heroes to the King repair,

Just Yudhishthere, and all their story there

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Tell out. The Titan also they present,

Their living proof of great accomplishment.

Nobly he welcomed was by that just King.

There in high ease, befriended, sojourning

The life of elder gods dethroned of old

The Titan to the Pandav princes told.

Short space for rest took the creative mind

And inly planned and mightily designed

A hall imperial for those mighty ones.

With Krishna then consulting and the sons

Of Pritha on a day of sacred light

All fate-appeasing ceremonies right

He ordered and with rice in sugared milk

Sated the priests, silver and herds and silk.

In energy of genius next he chose

Ten thousand cubits, mapped a mighty close,

Region delightful where divinely sweet

The joy of all the seasons seemed to meet.

Four were the sides, ten thousand cubits all.

This was the measure of the Pandav’s hall.

 

But in the Khandav plain abode in ease

Janardan mid the reverent ministries

Of the great five: their loves his home renew.

But for his father’s sight a yearning grew

And drew him thence. He of the monarch just

And Pritha craved departure. In the dust

His head he lowered at her worshipped feet,

He for the whole world’s homage only meet.

Him she embraced and kissed his head. Next he

His sister dear encountered lovingly.

Wet were his eyes as with low words and few,

Pregnant and happy, admirably true

He greeted that divine fair girl and heard

Of her sweet eloquence many a tender word

That to her kin should travel; reverent

She bowed her lovely head. And Krishna went

To Draupadie and Dhaum and took of these 

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Various farewell, — soft words her heart to ease,

But to the priest yielded the man divine

Obeisance just and customary sign.

(Thereafter with Arjoon the hero wise

His brothers met and in celestial guise,

Like Indra with the great immortals round,

All rites that to safe journeying redound

Performing, bath and pure ablution made

And worship due with salutation paid,

Garlanded, praying, in rich gems arrayed,

All incenses that breathe beneath the sun

To Gods and Brahmans offered. These things done

Departure now was next. Stately he came

Outward and all of venerable name

Who bore the sacred office, had delight

Of fruit and grain yet in the husk and white

Approved curds, much wealth; and last the ground

He trod and traced the gyre of blessing round.)

So with a fortunate day and fortunate star

And moment in his chariot built for war,

Golden, swift-rushing, with the Bird for sign

And banner, sword and discus, bow divine

And mace round hung, and horses twin of stride,

Sugrive and Shaibya went the lotus-eyed.

Next in his love the monarch Yudhishthere

Mounted, and Daruk, the great charioteer,

He put aside. Himself he grasped the rein,

Himself he drove the chariot o’er the plain.

And great Arjoona mounted, seized the white

Wind-bringer with the golden staff and bright

And called with his strong arm the circling wind;

And Bheema and the princes twin behind

Followed, and citizen and holy priest:

With the horizon the procession ceased.

All these with the far-conquering Krishna wend,

As a high sage whom his disciples tend,

So for a league they journeyed; then no more

He suffered but Yudhishthere’s will o’erbore 

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And forced return; then grappled to his breast

Arjoon beloved. Greeting well the rest

Religiously the monarch’s feet embraced

Govinda, but the Pandav raised and kissed

The head of Krishna beautiful-eyed. “Go then,”

He murmured, yet even so the word was vain

Until reunion promised. Hardly at length

He stayed them with entreaty’s utmost strength

From following him on foot; so glad has gone

Like Indra thundering to the immortal’s town.

But they stood following with the eyes their light

Until he vanished from the paths of sight.

Ev’n then their hearts, though distance now conceals,

Run yet behind his far invisible wheels.

But the swift chariot takes their joy and pride,

Too swift, alas! from eyes unsatisfied

With that dear vision, and reluctant, slow,

In thoughts that still with Krishna’s horse-hooves go,

Ceasing at last to their own town again

Silent they wend, the lion lords of men.

So entered the immortal Yudhishthere

Girt round with friends his glorious city; here

He left them and in bowers for pleasure made

 With Draupadie the godlike hero played.

But Krishna, glad of soul, in whirling car

Came speeding to his noble town afar

With Daruk and the hero Satyakie

Swift as the great God’s winged favourite he

Entered, and all the Yadav lords renowned

Came honouring him, with one the chief and crowned.

And Krishna stayed his father old to greet

And Ahuk and his glorious mother’s feet

And Balaam, his brother. His own sons

He next embraced and all their little ones.

Last of his elders leave he took and went

 To Rukminie’s fair house in glad content,

In Dwarca he; but the great Titan Mat

Still pondered and imagined cunningly 

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A jewelled brightness in his thought begun,

An audience hall supreme for Hades’son.

(So with the conqueror unparalleled,

Arjoon, the Titan now this discourse held:

“To the great hill I go and soon return,

Whose northern peaks from Coilas upward burn.

There when the Titans sacrifice of yore

Intended by the water Bindusor,

Rich waste of fine material was left,

Wondrous, of stone a variegated weft

That for the mighty audience hall was stored

Of Vrishaparvan, the truth-speaking lord.

Thither I wend and make, if yet endure

All that divine material bright and pure,

The Pandav’s hall, a glory to behold,

Admirable, set with jewelry and gold

Taking the heart to pleasure. These besides

A cruel mace in Bindusor abides,)

Massive endurance, studded aureate,

Ponderous, a death of foes, commensurate

With many thousand more in murderous will.

There after slaughter huge of foes it still

Lies by a king relinquished. This believe

For Bheem created as for thee Gandeve.

There too the mighty conch Varunian lies:

Thunders God-given swell its ocean voice.

Expect these from my hand infallibly.”

Thus saying went the Titan hastily

To the north-eastern edge of heaven where high

Soars Mainac hill into the northward sky

From Coilas. Golden soar its ridges large

And noble gems it stores and bright the marge

Of Bindusor. The high conceiving Lord,

King of all creatures and by worlds adored,

Here grandiose offerings gave and sacrifice

By hundreds, and with excellent device,

For beauty not to old tradition, made

Pillars of sacrifice with gems inlaid 

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And monumental temples massed with gold.

Long here enduring Bhagiruth the bold

Through tedious seasons dwelt, yearning to see

Ganges, his self-named river Bhagirathie.

Nor these alone, but he, the Argus-eyed

Lord of imperial Sachi, to his side

Victory by sacrifice compelled. Creating

World systems, energy irradiating

He sits here whom the awful ghosts attend,

Shiva, who no beginning has nor end.

Nar and Naraian there and Brahma there

And Hades and the Immovable repair, —

Revolving when a thousand ages wend,

To absolve with sacrifice the cycle’s end.

Here now ambitious of religion gave

Long years his mighty offerings Vasudev,

Devoutly, and bright temples raised their head,

Memorial columns golden-garlanded,

Unnumbered, multitudinous, immense.

Thither went Maia and recovered thence

Conchshell and mace and for the audience hall

The old Titanic stone marmoreal.

All mighty wealth the servile giants guard,        

The Titan genius gathered and prepared

This famous hall unparalleled, divine,

Where all the jewels of the earth combine.

 To Bheem he gave that mighty mace, the shell  

God-given called, whose cry unutterable

When from the great conch’s ocean mouth ‘tis hurled

Far borne, trembling of creatures fills the world,

To great Arjoona. But immense the hall

Ten thousand cubits spread its bulk and all

Its sides ten thousand, upon mighty boles

Columnar elevate: nor either rolls •

The sun through heaven, moon nor vast fire so bright.

Slaying the sunshine with superior light

It blazed as if aflame, most luminous, white,

Celestial, large, raised like a cloud to soar 

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Against the heavens whose lustre it o’erbore.

Nor weariness nor sorrow enter might

That wide and noble palace of delight.

Of fair material was it made, the walls

And arches jewelled were of those rich halls.

Such wonder of creative genius won

The World’s Designer to companion,

For neither Brahma’s roof nor Vishnu’s high

Might equal this for glorious symmetry.

Nor yet Sudharma, Indra’s council hall,       ,

With Maia’s cunning strove. At Maia’s call

Eight thousand Helots of the Giants’ blood

Upbore the pile and dreadful sentries stood,

Travellers on wind, huge-bodied, horrible,

Shell-eared, far-strikers, with bloodshot eyes and fell.

And in the middle a lotus-lake he made

Unparalleled, white lotuses displayed,

And birds innumerable and all the stems

Of that fair blossom were of beauteous gems

And all the leaves were sapphires: through them rolled

Gold tortoises and wondrous fish of gold.

Marble mosaic was the stair: the wave

Translucent ran its edges fine to lave,

Wrinkled with soft cool winds that over it sped.

A rain of pearl drops on the floor was shed,

And seats from slabs of precious stone combined

The marble banks of that fair water lined.

And all around it ever-flowering trees

Of various race hung dark and huge with ease

Of cool delightful shade, sweet-smelling woods

And quiet waters where the white swan broods

And ducks and waders of the ripples. Sweet

The wind came from them, fragrance in its feet

The lotus gave and lily of the land,

And with its booty the great brothers fanned.

Full fourteen months he laboured: the fifteenth

Saw ready jewelled arch and luminous plinth.

Then only came the Titan, and declared 

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To the just King his mighty hall prepared.

 

Ceremony of entrance Yudhishthere

Then held. Thousands of Brahmins luscious cheer

Of rice with sugared milk enjoyed wherein

Honey was mingled; flesh besides they win

Of boar and stag and all roots eatable

And fruits and sesamum-rice that tastes full well

And grain of offering and pedary

Yea, meats of many natures variously

Eaten and chewed, of drinks a vast array;

And robes brought newly from the loom that day

Were given, all possible garlands scented sweetly

To Brahmins, from all regions gathering, meetly

Presented, and to each a thousand cows.

O then was air all thunder with their vows:

The din of blessing touched the very skies.

With these the notes of instruments arise

Varied, celestial, and sweet fumes untold.

Before the son of Hades mighty-souled

Wrestlers and mimes made show and those who play

With fencing staves and jongleurs. For that day

He who installed the deities, worshipping,

Was the greatest of the Kurus and a king.

He by his brothers hemmed, high worship done,

With saint and hero for companion,

In that his palace admirably bright,

Like Indra in his heaven took delight. 

Sabhaparva, Adhyayas 1-3,

Adhyaya 4 incomplete 

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