Yudhishthira Asks Narada About the Celestial Halls

Verse 1 (2.6.1)

सम्पूज्याथाभ्यनुज्ञातो महर्षेर्वचनात्परम् । प्रत्युवाचानुपूर्व्येण धर्मराजो युधिष्ठिरः ॥

sampūjyāthābhyanujñāto maharṣervacanātparam | pratyuvācānupūrvyeṇa dharmarājo yudhiṣṭhiraḥ

When the great sage had finished speaking, Yudhishthira, king of dharma, honoured him, and with his leave answered him point by point.

Note on the text: Speaker heading printed as "वैशमापायन उवाच" (misspelt); normalised to वैशम्पायन.

Verse 2 (2.6.2)

भगवन्न्याय्यमाहैतं यथावद्धर्मनिश्चयम् । यथाशक्ति यथान्यायं क्रियतेऽयं विधिर्मया ॥

bhagavannyāyyamāhaitaṃ yathāvaddharmaniścayam | yathāśakti yathānyāyaṃ kriyate'yaṃ vidhirmayā

"O blessed one, you have set out this settled teaching of dharma rightly and as it truly is. As far as my strength allows, and as is proper, I keep to this rule.

Note on the text: Corrected भगवत्याय्यम् → भगवन्न्याय्यम् (misprint in Wikisource; the vocative भगवन् and न्याय्यम् are needed, as in the critical edition).

Verse 3 (2.6.3)

राजभिर्यद्यथा कार्यं पुरा वै तन्न संशयः । यथान्यायोपनीतार्थं कृतं हेतुमदर्थवत् ॥

rājabhiryadyathā kāryaṃ purā vai tanna saṃśayaḥ | yathānyāyopanītārthaṃ kṛtaṃ hetumadarthavat

Whatever the kings of old did, and in whatever way, was without doubt done for good reason and to good purpose, its aims rightly secured.

Note on the text: Removed a stray comma after कार्यं.

Verse 4 (2.6.4)

वयं तु सत्पथं तेषां यातुमिच्छामहे प्रभो । न तु शक्यं तथा गन्तुं यथा तैर्नियतात्मभिः ॥

vayaṃ tu satpathaṃ teṣāṃ yātumicchāmahe prabho | na tu śakyaṃ tathā gantuṃ yathā tairniyatātmabhiḥ

We wish to walk their good path, my lord, but we cannot travel it as those self-controlled men did."

Verse 5 (2.6.5)

एवमुक्त्वा स धर्मात्मा वाक्यं तदभिपूज्य च । तं तु विश्रान्तमासीनं देवर्षिममितद्युतिम् । मुहूर्तात्प्राप्तकालं च दृष्ट्वा लोकचरं मुनिम् ॥

evamuktvā sa dharmātmā vākyaṃ tadabhipūjya ca | taṃ tu viśrāntamāsīnaṃ devarṣimamitadyutim | muhūrtātprāptakālaṃ ca dṛṣṭvā lokacaraṃ munim

Having spoken thus and honoured those words, the righteous king saw the divine sage of boundless splendour seated and rested. After a while, judging that the moment had come, and looking at that sage who wanders through the worlds,

Note on the text: Corrected एकमुक्त्वा → एवमुक्त्वा (misprint in Wikisource; the critical edition reads evam uktvā). Removed stray wiki quote marks (` and ') around the second line, which is not in the critical edition (found in the vulgate recension); the first and third lines are CE 2.6.5, which the automatic alignment missed.

Verse 6 (2.6.6)

नारदं सुस्थमासीनमुपासीनो युधिष्ठिरः । अपृच्छत्पाण्डवस्तत्र राजमध्ये महाद्युतिः ॥

nāradaṃ susthamāsīnamupāsīno yudhiṣṭhiraḥ | apṛcchatpāṇḍavastatra rājamadhye mahādyutiḥ

Yudhishthira the Pandava, of great splendour, sitting close to Narada as he sat at ease, questioned him there in the midst of the kings:

Note on the text: Corrected नादरदं → नारदं and माहद्युतिः → महाद्युतिः (misprints in Wikisource: a transposed akshara and a lengthened vowel).

Verse 7 (2.6.7)

भवान्सञ्चरते लोकान्सदा नानाविधान्बहून् । ब्रह्मणा निर्मितान्पूर्वं प्रेक्षमाणो मनोजवः ॥

bhavānsañcarate lokānsadā nānāvidhānbahūn | brahmaṇā nirmitānpūrvaṃ prekṣamāṇo manojavaḥ

"Swift as thought, you range constantly through the many worlds of every kind that Brahma created in the beginning, beholding them all.

Note on the text: Corrected भवात् → भवान् (misprint in Wikisource; the nominative pronoun is needed, as in the critical edition).

Verse 8 (2.6.8)

ईदृशी भवता काचिद्दृष्टपूर्वा सभा क्वचित् । इतो वा श्रेयसी ब्रह्मंस्तन्ममाचक्ष्व पृच्छतः ॥

īdṛśī bhavatā kāciddṛṣṭapūrvā sabhā kvacit | ito vā śreyasī brahmaṃstanmamācakṣva pṛcchataḥ

Have you ever before seen a hall like this one anywhere, or one finer than this? Tell me, O brahmin, for I ask you."

Note on the text: Corrected भविता → भवता (misprint in Wikisource; दृष्टपूर्वा needs the agent "by you", as in the critical edition). Removed the speaker heading "वैशम्पायन उवाच", printed as a third line of this verse; it belongs to the next verse.

Verse 9 (2.6.9)

तच्छ्रुत्वा नारदस्तस्य धर्मराजस्य भाषितम् । पाण्डवं प्रत्युवाचेदं स्मयन्मधुरया गिरा ॥

tacchrutvā nāradastasya dharmarājasya bhāṣitam | pāṇḍavaṃ pratyuvācedaṃ smayanmadhurayā girā

Hearing these words of the king of dharma, Narada smiled and answered the Pandava in a sweet voice:

Verse 10 (2.6.10)

मानुषेषु न मे तात दृष्टपूर्वा न च श्रुता । सभा मणिमयी राजन्यथेयं तव भारत ॥

mānuṣeṣu na me tāta dṛṣṭapūrvā na ca śrutā | sabhā maṇimayī rājanyatheyaṃ tava bhārata

"Among men, my son, I have neither seen nor heard of a hall made of jewels like this one of yours, O king, O Bharata.

Verse 11 (2.6.11)

सभां तु पितृराजस्य वरुणस्य च धीमतः । कथयिष्ये तथेन्द्रस्य कैलासनिलयस्य च ॥

sabhāṃ tu pitṛrājasya varuṇasya ca dhīmataḥ | kathayiṣye tathendrasya kailāsanilayasya ca

But I shall describe to you the hall of Yama, king of the ancestors, and that of wise Varuna, of Indra, and of Kubera who dwells on Kailasa.

Verse 12 (2.6.12)

ब्रह्मणश्च सभां दिव्यां कथयिष्ये गतक्लमाम् । दिव्यादिव्यैरभिप्रायैरुपेतां विश्वरूपिणीम् ॥

brahmaṇaśca sabhāṃ divyāṃ kathayiṣye gataklamām | divyādivyairabhiprāyairupetāṃ viśvarūpiṇīm

And I shall describe the divine hall of Brahma, where no weariness is known, furnished with things divine and earthly to suit every wish, and taking every form,

Note on the text: Only the first line is in the critical edition (2.6.12, line 1); the second line is not (found in the vulgate recension).

Verse 13 (2.6.13)

देवैः पितृगणैः साध्यैर्यज्वभिर्नियतात्मभिः । जुष्टां मुनिगणैः शान्तैर्वेदयज्ञैः सदक्षिणैः । यदि ते श्रवणे बुद्धिर्वर्तते भरतर्षभ ॥

devaiḥ pitṛgaṇaiḥ sādhyairyajvabhirniyatātmabhiḥ | juṣṭāṃ munigaṇaiḥ śāntairvedayajñaiḥ sadakṣiṇaiḥ | yadi te śravaṇe buddhirvartate bharatarṣabha

frequented by gods, by the hosts of ancestors and the Sadhyas, by self-controlled sacrificers, by tranquil bands of sages, and by the Vedic sacrifices with their gifts to the priests, if you have a mind to hear of it, O bull of the Bharatas."

Note on the text: The first two lines are not in the critical edition (found in the vulgate recension); the last line is the second line of CE 2.6.12.

Verse 14 (2.6.14)

नारदेनैवमुक्तस्तु धर्मराजो युधिष्ठिरः । प्राञ्जलिर्भ्रातृभिः सार्धं तैश्च सर्वैर्द्विजोत्तमैः ॥

nāradenaivamuktastu dharmarājo yudhiṣṭhiraḥ | prāñjalirbhrātṛbhiḥ sārdhaṃ taiśca sarvairdvijottamaiḥ

Thus addressed by Narada, Yudhishthira, king of dharma, with joined palms, together with his brothers and all those foremost brahmins,

Verse 15 (2.6.15)

नारदं प्रत्युवाचेदं धर्मराजो महामनाः । सभाः कथय ताः सर्वाः श्रोतुमिच्छामहे वयम् ॥

nāradaṃ pratyuvācedaṃ dharmarājo mahāmanāḥ | sabhāḥ kathaya tāḥ sarvāḥ śrotumicchāmahe vayam

the high-minded king of dharma replied to Narada: "Describe all those halls to us; we wish to hear of them.

Note on the text: Corrected प्रत्यवाचेदं → प्रत्युवाचेदं (misprint in Wikisource; प्रत्युवाच, as in the critical edition).

Verse 16 (2.6.16)

किन्द्रव्यास्ताः सभा ब्रह्मन्किंविस्ताराः किमायताः । पितामहं च के तस्यां सभायां पर्युपासते ॥

kindravyāstāḥ sabhā brahmankiṃvistārāḥ kimāyatāḥ | pitāmahaṃ ca ke tasyāṃ sabhāyāṃ paryupāsate

Of what materials are those halls made, O brahmin? How wide are they, and how long? Who attend upon the Grandsire in his hall?

Verse 17 (2.6.17)

वासवं देवराजं च यमं वैवस्वतं च के । वरुणं च कुबेरं च सभायां पर्युपासते ॥

vāsavaṃ devarājaṃ ca yamaṃ vaivasvataṃ ca ke | varuṇaṃ ca kuberaṃ ca sabhāyāṃ paryupāsate

And who attend in their halls upon Vasava, king of the gods, upon Yama son of Vivasvat, upon Varuna and upon Kubera?

Verse 18 (2.6.18)

एतत्सर्वं यथान्यायं ब्रह्मर्षे वदतस्तव । श्रोतुमिच्छाम सहिताः परं कौतूहलं हि नः ॥

etatsarvaṃ yathānyāyaṃ brahmarṣe vadatastava | śrotumicchāma sahitāḥ paraṃ kautūhalaṃ hi naḥ

All this, rightly told, we wish to hear from you together, O brahmin sage, for our curiosity is great."

Verse 19 (2.6.19)

एवमुक्तः पाण्डवेन नारदः प्रत्यभाषत । क्रमेण राजन्दिव्यास्ताः श्रूयन्तामिह नः सभाः ॥

evamuktaḥ pāṇḍavena nāradaḥ pratyabhāṣata | krameṇa rājandivyāstāḥ śrūyantāmiha naḥ sabhāḥ

Thus addressed by the Pandava, Narada replied: "Hear now from me, O king, of those divine halls, one by one."