Yudhishthira Hosts Grand Festivities in the Sabha
With the Rajasuya sacrifice complete, Yudhishthira opens his sabha for a festival of giving. He feeds thousands, gifts mountains of wealth, and fills the air with music and fragrance for seven nights. The assembly that gathers to honor him is not just of kings, but of sages, celestial musicians, and the very gods themselves.
The Rajasuya sacrifice was over. The fire had been lit, the offerings made, the rituals completed. Now King Yudhishthira entered his sabha (assembly hall) to begin what came after the rite: the giving.
He fed ten thousand brahmanas with ghee, payasa (rice cooked with milk), roots, and fruits. He gave each of them unused garments, many garlands, and one thousand cows. The cries of “what an auspicious day” from the crowd seemed to touch heaven itself. The supreme among the Kurus then worshipped the gods with music, diverse songs, and many fragrances.
For seven nights, the great-souled Yudhishthira was served by wrestlers, dancers, fighters, raconteurs, and minstrels. The hall became a festival. When the homage had been paid, Yudhishthira and his brothers took pleasure in that beautiful sabha, like Shakra (Indra) does in heaven.
But the true measure of the moment was the assembly that had gathered. Rishis and kings from every country were seated with the Pandavas.
The sages were a constellation of wisdom: Asita, Devala, Satya, Sarpamali, Mahashira, Arvavasu, Sumitra, Maitreya, Shunaka, Bali, Baka, Dalbhya, Sthulashira. Krishna Dvaipayana — Vyasa himself, the grandfather and compiler of the epic — was there, with his disciples Shuka, Sumantu, Jaimini, and Paila. Then came Tittira, Yajnavalkya, Lomaharshana and his son Apsuhomya, Dhoumya, Animandavya, and the sage Markandeya. Dozens more, each a name that carried the weight of austerities and knowledge — Koushika, Parasharya, Balavaka, Shinivaka, the immensely fortunate Parvata, Pavitrapani, Savarni, Bhrigu, Sanatana, Kakshivana, Nachiketa, Goutama. They were immersed in dharma, self-controlled, with their senses under restraint, learned in the Vedas and the Vedangas (auxiliary sciences). All these supreme rishis waited upon Yudhishthira in the sabha, discoursing about pure tales.
The kings formed a map of the earth. There was Munjaketu, Samgramajit, the valorous Ugrasena, Kakshasena, the undefeated Kshemaka. Kamala, king of Kamboja. The mighty Kampana, who alone made the Yavanas tremble the way the Kalakeya asuras were made to tremble by the wielder of the vajra (Indra’s thunderbolt). King Jatasura, beloved by the Madras. Kings Kunti and Kuninda of the Kiratas. Anga, Vanga, Pundra, Pandya, Udraja, Andhraka. The king of the Yavanas, Chanura. Devavrata, Bhoja, Bhimaratha. Shrutayudha of Kalinga, Jayatsena of Magadha, Susharma, Chekitana, Suratha the destroyer of enemies. From Videha, Kritakshana. Sudharma, Aniruddha, the immensely strong Shrutayudha, the invincible Anuparaja, the great alms-giver Kshemajit.
And there were the Vrishnis. Shishupala, king of Karusha, was present with his son. The invincible Vrishni princes, who were like the gods, had come: Ahuka, Viprithu, Gada, Sarana, Akrura, Kritavarma. Shini’s son Satyaki. Bhishmaka, Ahriti, the valorous Dyumatsena. The great archers from Kekaya. Yajnasena of the Somakas. All the immensely powerful princes of the Vrishnis who had learnt the science of archery from Arjuna, dressed in deer and antelope hides. Among them were Rukmini’s son, and Samba, and Yuyudhana Satyaki.
Then the celestial beings arrived. Dhananjaya’s eternal friend, the gandharva Tumbaru, was there. So was Chitrasena with his advisers, and many other gandharvas and apsaras (celestial dancers), skilled in singing and music, knowledgeable in the beating of tala (rhythm). Kinnaras, excellent pupils of laya (musical tempo), came with them.
At Tumbaru’s command, those learned ones sang in celestial tones, as was laid down in the rules. They pleasured and paid homage to Pandu’s sons and to the rishis assembled in the sabha — all rigid in their vows and devoted to the truth. They paid homage to Yudhishthira the way the gods do so to Brahma in heaven.