The Great Epic of the Bhārata dynasty 2.9: navamo'dhyāyaḥ

2.9.1

nārada uvāca |
yudhiṣṭhira sabhā divyā varuṇasya sitaprabhā |
pramāṇena yathā yāmyā śubhaprākāratoraṇā || 1 ||

'Narada said--O Yudhishthira, the celestial Sabha of Varuna is unparalleled in splendour. In dimensions it is similar to that of Yama. Its walls and arches are all of pure white. It hath been built by Viswakarma (the celestial architect) within the waters. It is surrounded on all sides by many celestial trees made of gems and jewels and yielding excellent fruits and flowers. And many plants with their weight of blossoms, blue and yellow, and black and darkish, and white and red, that stand there, or excellent bowers around. Within those bowers hundreds and thousands of birds of diverse species, beautiful and variegated, always pour forth their melodies. The atmosphere of that mansion is extremely delightful, neither cold nor hot. Owned by Varuna, that delightful assembly house of pure white consists of many rooms and is furnished with many seats. There sitteth Varuna attired in celestial robe, decked in celestial ornaments and jewels, with his queen, adorned with celestial scents and besmeared with paste of celestial fragrance. The Adityas wait upon and worship the illustrious Varuna, the lord of the waters. And Vasuki and Takshaka, and the Naga called Airavana; Krishna and Lohita; Padma and Chitra endued with great energy; the Nagas called Kamvala and Aswatara; and Dhritarashtra and Valahaka; Matimat and Kundadhara and Karkotaka and Dhananjaya; Panimat and the mighty Kundaka, O lord of the Earth;

2.9.2

antaḥsalilamāsthāya vihitā viśvakarmaṇā |
divyaratnamayairvṛkṣaiḥ phalapuṣpapradairyutā || 2 ||

2.9.3

nīlapītāsitaśyāmaiḥ sitairlohitakairapi |
avatānaistathā gulmaiḥ puṣpamañjaridhāribhiḥ || 3 ||

2.9.4

tathā śakunayastasyāṃ nānārūpā mṛdusvarāḥ |
anirdeśyā vapuṣmantaḥ śataśo'tha sahasraśaḥ || 4 ||

2.9.5

sā sabhā sukhasaṃsparśā na śītā na ca gharmadā |
veśmāsanavatī ramyā sitā varuṇapālitā || 5 ||

2.9.6

yasyāmāste sa varuṇo vāruṇyā saha bhārata |
divyaratnāmbaradharo bhūṣaṇairupaśobhitaḥ || 6 ||

2.9.7

sragviṇo bhūṣitāścāpi divyamālyānukarṣiṇaḥ |
ādityāstatra varuṇaṃ jaleśvaramupāsate || 7 ||

2.9.8

vāsukistakṣakaścaiva nāgaścairāvatastathā |
kṛṣṇaśca lohitaścaiva padmaścitraśca vīryavān || 8 ||

2.9.9

kambalāśvatarau nāgau dhṛtarāṣṭrabalāhakau |
maṇimānkuṇḍaladharaḥ karkoṭakadhanaṃjayau || 9 ||

2.9.10

prahlādo mūṣikādaśca tathaiva janamejayaḥ |
patākino maṇḍalinaḥ phaṇavantaśca sarvaśaḥ || 10 ||

and Prahlada and Mushikada, and Janamejaya,--all having auspicious marks and mandalas and extended hoods;--these and many other snakes. O Yudhishthira, without anxiety of any kind, wait upon and worship the illustrious Varuna. And, O king, Vali the son of Virochana, and Naraka the subjugator of the whole Earth; Sanghraha and Viprachitti, and those Danavas called Kalakanja; and Suhanu and Durmukha and Sankha and Sumanas and also Sumati; and Ghatodara, and Mahaparswa, and Karthana and also Pithara and Viswarupa, Swarupa and Virupa, Mahasiras; and Dasagriva, Vali, and Meghavasas and Dasavara; Tittiva, and Vitabhuta, and Sanghrada, and Indratapana--these Daityas and Danavas, all bedecked with ear-rings and floral wreaths and crowns, and attired in the celestial robes, all blessed with boons and possessed of great bravery, and enjoying immortality, and all well of conduct and of excellent vows, wait upon and worship in that mansion the illustrious Varuna, the deity bearing the noose as his weapon. And, O king, there are also the four oceans, the river Bhagirathee, the Kalindi, the Vidisa, the Venwa, the Narmada of rapid current; the Vipasa, the Satadu, the Chandrabhaga, the Saraswati; the Iravati, the Vitasta, the Sindhu, the Devanadi; the Godavari, the Krishnavenwa and that queen of rivers the Kaveri; the Kimpuna, the Visalya and the river Vaitarani also; the Tritiya, the Jeshthila, and the great Sone (Soane); the Charmanwati and the great river Parnasa;

2.9.11

ete cānye ca bahavaḥ sarpāstasyāṃ yudhiṣṭhira |
upāsate mahātmānaṃ varuṇaṃ vigataklamāḥ || 11 ||

2.9.12

balirvairocano rājā narakaḥ pṛthivīṃjayaḥ |
prahlādo vipracittiśca kālakhañjāśca sarvaśaḥ || 12 ||

2.9.13

suhanurdurmukhaḥ śaṅkhaḥ sumanāḥ sumatiḥ svanaḥ |
ghaṭodaro mahāpārśvaḥ krathanaḥ piṭharastathā || 13 ||

2.9.14

viśvarūpaḥ surūpaśca virūpo'tha mahāśirāḥ |
daśagrīvaśca vālī ca meghavāsā daśāvaraḥ || 14 ||

2.9.15

kaiṭabho viṭaṭūtaśca saṃhrādaścendratāpanaḥ |
daityadānavasaṃghāśca sarve rucirakuṇḍalāḥ || 15 ||

2.9.16

sragviṇo maulinaḥ sarve tathā divyaparicchadāḥ |
sarve labdhavarāḥ śūrāḥ sarve vigatamṛtyavaḥ || 16 ||

2.9.17

te tasyāṃ varuṇaṃ devaṃ dharmapāśasthitāḥ sadā |
upāsate mahātmānaṃ sarve sucaritavratāḥ || 17 ||

2.9.18

tathā samudrāścatvāro nadī bhāgīrathī ca yā |
kālindī vidiśā veṇṇā narmadā vegavāhinī || 18 ||

2.9.19

vipāśā ca śatadruśca candrabhāgā sarasvatī |
irāvatī vitastā ca sindhurdevanadastathā || 19 ||

2.9.20

godāvarī kṛṣṇaveṇṇā kāverī ca saridvarā |
etāścānyāśca saritastīrthāni ca sarāṃsi ca || 20 ||

the Sarayu, the Varavatya, and that queen of rivers the Langali, the Karatoya, the Atreyi, the red Mahanada, the Laghanti, the Gomati, the Sandhya, and also the Trisrotasi--these and other rivers which are all sacred and are world-renowned places of pilgrimage, as also other rivers and sacred waters and lakes and wells and springs, and tanks, large or small, in their personified form, O Bharata, wait upon and worship the lord Varuna. The points of the heavens, the Earth, and all the Mountains, as also every species of aquatic animals, all worship Varuna there. And various tribes of Gandharvas and Apsaras, devoted to music, both vocal and instrumental, wait upon Varuna, singing eulogistic hymns unto him. And all those mountains that are noted for being both delightful and rich in jewels, wait (in their personified forms) in that Sabha, enjoying sweet converse with one another. And the chief minister of Varuna, Sunabha by name, surrounded by his sons and grandsons, also attend upon his master, along with (the personified form) of a sacred water called go. These all, in their personified forms, worship the deity. O bull of the Bharata race, such is the assembly room of Varuna seen by me before, in the course of my wanderings. Listen now to the account I give of the assembly room of Kuvera.'"

2.9.21

kūpāśca saprasravaṇā dehavanto yudhiṣṭhira |
palvalāni taḍāgāni dehavantyatha bhārata || 21 ||

2.9.22

diśastathā mahī caiva tathā sarve mahīdharāḥ |
upāsate mahātmānaṃ sarve jalacarāstathā || 22 ||

2.9.23

gītavāditravantaśca gandharvāpsarasāṃ gaṇāḥ |
stuvanto varuṇaṃ tasyāṃ sarva eva samāsate || 23 ||

2.9.24

mahīdharā ratnavanto rasā yeṣu pratiṣṭhitāḥ |
sarve vigrahavantaste tamīśvaramupāsate || 24 ||

2.9.25

eṣā mayā saṃpatatā vāruṇī bharatarṣabha |
dṛṣṭapūrvā sabhā ramyā kuberasya sabhāṃ śṛṇu || 25 ||