THE VARUNA SABHA

SRIMAD MAHABHARATA - SABHA PARVA - LOKAPALA SABHAKHAYANA PARVA - CHAPTER 9 - THE VARUNA SABHA

“Narada said ‘O Yudhishthira, the divine 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 has been built by Vishwakarma within the waters. It is surrounded on all sides by many divine trees made of gems, jewels and yielding excellent fruits and flowers. Many plants with their weight of blossoms, blue, yellow, black and darkish, white and red, that stand there, are excellent bowers around. Within those bowers hundreds and thousands of birds of diverse species, beautiful and multi-coloured, always pour forth their melodies.

“The atmosphere of that Sabha is extremely delightful, neither cold nor hot. Owned by Varuna, that delightful Sabha of pure white consists of many rooms and is furnished with many seats. There sits Varuna attired in divine garment, decked in divine ornaments and jewels, with his queen, adorned with divine scents and covered with paste of divine fragrance. The Adityas wait upon and worship the respected Varuna, the lord of the waters (Jaleshwara in Sanskrit). Vaasuki and Takshaka, the Naagaa called Airaavata; Krishna and Lohita; Padma and Chitra filled with great energy; the Naagaas called Kambala and Ashwataraa; Dhritarashtra and Balaahakaa; Manimaan, Kundaladhara, Karkotaka and Dhananjaya; Panimat and the mighty Kundaka, O lord of the Earth; Prahlada and Mushikaada, and Janamejaya – all having auspicious marks, mandalas and extended hoods; - these and many other snakes.

“O Yudhishthira, without anxiety of any kind, wait upon and worship the illustrious Varuna. O king (Yudhisthira), Bali – the son of Virochana, and Naraka the subjugator of the whole Earth; Prahlaada and Viprachitti, and those Danavas called Kaalakanja; Suhanu, Durmukha, Shankha, Sumanaa and also Sumati; Ghatodara, Mahaapaarshwa, Krathana and also Pithara; Vishwaroopa, Suroopa, Viroopa and Mahaashiraa; Dashagreeva, Vaali, Meghavaasaa and Dashaavara; Kaitabhaa, Vitatoota, Samhraada, and Indrataapana – these Daityaas and Danavaas, all decorated with ear-rings, garlands and crowns, dressed in the divine garments, 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 Sabha the illustrious Varuna, the deity bearing the noose (Paasha in Sanskrit) as his weapon.

“O king (Yudhishthira), there are also the four oceans, the river Bhagirathee (present-day Ganga), the Kaalindi (the modern-day Kaalindi river in and around the Sundarbans, West Bengal, India), the Vidishaa (possibly the modern-day Betwa river in Madhya Pradhes, India), the Vennaa (modern-day Venna river in Maharashtra, India), the Narmada of rapid current (modern-day Narmada river); the Vipaashaa (modern-day Beas river), the Shatadru (modern-day Sutlej river), the Chandrabhaagaa (modern-day Chenab river), the Saraswati (modern-day Saraswati river); the Iraavati (modern-day Ravi river), the Vitastaa (modern-day Jhelum river), the Sindhu (modern-day Sindu river), the Devanadi; the Godavari (modern-day Godavari river), the Krishnavennaa (possibly modern-day Krishna river) and that queen of rivers the Kaveri (modern-day Cauvery river); the Kimpuna, the Visalya and the river Vaitarani (modern-day Vaitarani river) also; the Tritiya, the Jeshthila, and the great Sone (modern-day Son river); the Charmanwati (modern-day Chambal river) and the great river Parnasa; the Sarayu (modern-day Sarayu river), the Varavatya, and that queen of rivers the Langali, the Karatoya (modern-day Karatoya river), the Atreyi (modern-day Atrai river), the red Mahanadi (modern-day Mahanadi river), the Laghanti, the Gomati (modern-day Gomti river), 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 (Yudhishthira), wait upon and worship the lord Varuna.

“The points of the heavens (Disha in Sanskrit), the Earth, and all the Mountains, as also every species of aquatic animals, all worship Varuna there. Various tribes of Gandharvaas and Apsaraas, devoted to music, both vocal and instrumental, wait upon Varuna, singing hymns of praise to him. 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. 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 (Varuna). O bull of the Bharata race (Yudhishthira), such is the Sabha of Varuna seen by me before, in the course of my wanderings. Listen now to the account, I give of the Sabha of Kubera.’”