TRIBUTES PAID BY KINGS TO YUDHISHTHIRA

SRIMAD MAHABHARATA > SABHA PARVA > DYOOTA PARVA > CHAPTER 50 - TRIBUTES PAID BY KINGS TO YUDHISHTHIRA

“Duryodhana said, ‘Listen now, O Bharata (Dhritarashtra), about all the most-costly articles I saw, belonging to the Paandavaas, and brought one after another by the kings of the earth. Seeing that wealth of the enemy, I lost my reason and scarcely knew myself. O Bharata (Dhritarashtra), listen as I describe that wealth consisting of both that were manufactured and produced of the land. The king of Kamboja (possibly modern day Cambodia) gave innumerable skins of the best kind, blankets made of wool, of the soft fur of rats and other borrow dwellers, and of the hair of cats, all inlaid with threads of gold. He also gave three hundred horses of the Tittiri and the Kalmaashaa species possessing noses like parrots. He also gave three hundred camels and an equal number of female donkeys, all fattened with the olives and the Peelusha.

“Innumerable Brahmanas engaged in rearing cattle and occupied in servant position for the satisfaction of the illustrious Dharmaraja Yudhishthira waited at the gate with three hundred millions of tribute (Bali in Sanskrit) but they were denied admission into the palace. Hundred upon hundreds of Brahmanas possessing wealth of cows and living upon the lands that Yudhishthira had given them, came there with their handsome golden Kamandalus filled with clarified butter. Though they had brought such tribute (Bali in Sanskrit), they were refused admission into the palace. The Shoodra kings that stayed in the regions on the seacoast, brought with them, O king (Dhritarashtra), hundred thousands of serving girls of the Kaarpaasika country, all of beautiful features, slender waist, long hair and decorated in golden ornaments; and also many skins of the Raanku deer worthy of Brahmanas as tribute to king Yudhishthira. The tribes Vairaamaa, Paaradaa, Vangaa, with the Kitava who lived upon crops that depended on water from the sky or of the river and also they who were born in regions on the sea-shore, in woodlands, or countries on the other side of the ocean waited at the gate, being refused permission to enter, with goats, cows, donkeys, camels, vegetables, honey, blankets, jewels and gems of various kinds.

“That great warrior king Bhagadatta, the brave ruler of Praagjyotisha and the mighty sovereign of the Mlechchaas, at the head of a large number of Yavanas waited at the gate unable to enter, with a considerable tribute (Bali in Sanskrit) comprising of horses of the best breed and possessing the speed of the wind. King Bhagadatta (seeing the assembly) had to go away from the gate, making over a number of swords with handles made of the purest ivory, well-adorned with diamonds and every kind of gems. Many tribes coming from different regions, of whom some possess two eyes, some three and some had eyes on their foreheads, and those also called Aushneeshaanas and Nishaadas, some cannibals and many possessing only one leg, I say, O king (Dhritarashtra), standing at the gate, being refused permission to enter.

“These diverse rulers brought as tribute ten thousand horses of various colours, black necks,  huge bodies, great speed, much easily manageable and celebrated all over the world. These horses were all of goodly size and delightful colour. They were all bred on the coast of Vankhu. There were many kings that gave to Yudhishthira much gold and silver. Having given much tribute they obtained admission into the palace of Yudhishthira.

“The people that came there possessing only one leg gave to Yudhishthira many wild horses, some of which were as red as the cochineal (cochineal is a scarlet dye used for colouring food, made from the crushed dried bodies of a female scale insect.), some white, some possessing the colours of the rainbow, some looking like evening clouds, and some that were of multi coloured. They were all filled with the speed of the mind. They also gave to the king (Yudhishthira) enough gold of superior quality. I also saw numberless Chinaas, Hoonaas, Shakaas, Uddraas, many mountain living tribes, many Vrishnis, Haarahoonaas, and dark tribes of the Himavat (present-day Himalayas), many Nipaas and people residing in regions on the sea-coast, waiting at the gate being refused permission to enter.

“The people of Baalhikaa gave to him as tribute ten thousand horses, of goodly size, black necks and daily running two hundred miles. Those horses were of many shapes. They were well-trained and celebrated all over the world. Possessed of symmetrical proportion and excellent colour, their skins were pleasant to the touch. The Baalhikaas also presented numerous blankets of woollen texture manufactured in Chin (present-day China) and numerous skins of the Raanku deer, clothes manufactured from jute and others woven with the threads spun by insects. They also gave thousands of other clothes not made of cotton, possessing the colour of the lotus. These were all of smooth texture.

“They also gave soft sheep-skins by thousands. They also gave many sharp and long swords, scimitars, hatchets and fine-edged battle-axes manufactured in the western countries. Having presented perfumes (Rasaan Gandhaam in Sanskrit), jewels and gems of various kinds by thousands as tribute, they waited at the gate, being refused admission into the palace. Shakaas, Tukhaaraas, Kankaas, Romashaas (possibly Romans) and men with horns bringing with them as tribute (Bali in Sanskrit) numerous large elephants, ten thousand horses, hundreds and hundreds of millions of gold waited at the gate, being refused permission to enter.

“The kings of the eastern countries having presented numerous valuable articles including many costly carpets, vehicles, beds, armours of diverse colours decked with jewels and gold and ivory, weapons of various kinds, chariots of various shapes – beautifully made and adorned with gold, with well-trained horses trimmed with tiger skins, rich and mulit-coloured blankets for decorative cover of elephants, various kinds of jewels and gems, arrows long and short and various other kinds of weapons, obtained permission to enter the sacrificial palace (yagna sadanam in Sanskrit) of the Mahatma Paandavaa (Yudhishthira)!’”