Geographical and Economic Studies in the Mahabharata: Upayana Parva c4.s1.2

c4.s1.2

In this article I have confined myself to the geographical allusions of the *Sabhāparva*, and that too with the identifications of the names of various tribal republics and monarchies which appeared at the time of the *Rājasūya* sacrifice to pay tribute to *Yudhiṣṭhira*. The importance of the *Upāyanaparva* as it is a sub-section of the *Sabhāparva* is further increased by the mention of the products of the individual countries whose representatives came to pay their tributes to the all-conquering Pāṇḍava brothers. After the *Arthaśāstra* of Kauṭilya the *Upāyanaparva* is only somewhat fuller source of information of the economic resources of India as she was then comprehended. Fortunately in the course of my studies I had the opportunity of consulting the critical edition of the *Sabhāparva* published by the Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute, while it was still at the press, through the courtesy of Dr. P. M. Joshi and Dr. R. N. Dandekar to whom my thanks are due. It must be said that this critical edition of the *Sabhāparva* has greatly improved upon the previous texts, and at several places restituted the correct ancient forms. At places, however, I have differed from the readings suggested by the learned editors, and I have adopted the variants suggested in the footnotes. In doing so I have, to the best of my ability, given reasons for adopting the variant readings. As far as possible I have given cross references in the *Mahābhārata* from the critically edited Parvas which have appeared (*Ādi-*, *Sabhā-*, *Āraṇya-*, *Virāṭ-* and *Udyoga-parvas*). but occasionally I have also referred to the 1836 Calcutta edition of the *Mahābhārata*.