unto all creatures, honoureth as they deserve, and gratifieth with sweet speech and gift of wealth and other enjoyable articles, the gods, the Daityas, the Nagas, the Brahmanas, the Yakshas, the Birds, the Kaleyas, the Gandharvas, the Apsaras, and all other exalted beings that came to him as his guests.  And that delicious Sabha, O child, is always crowded with persons coming and going.  Filled with every kind of energy, and worshipped by Brahmarshis, that celestial Sabha blazes forth with the graceful possessions of Brahma and looks extremely handsome, O tiger among kings as this Sabha of yours is unrivalled in the world of men, so is that Sabha of Brahma, seen by me unrivalled in all the worlds.  I have seen these Sabhas, O Bharata, in regions of the celestials.  This thy Sabha is unquestionably the foremost in the world of men!”

SECTION XII

“Yudhishthira said,—­’O thou foremost of eloquent men, as thou hast described the different Sabhas unto me, it appeareth that almost all the monarchs of the earth are to be found in the Sabha of Yama.  And, O master, almost all the Nagas, and principal Daityas, and rivers, and oceans, are to be found in the Sabha of Varuna.  And so the Yakshas, the Guhyakas, the Rakshasas, the Gandharvas and Apsaras and the Deity (Yama) having the bull for his vehicle, are to be found in the Sabha of the lord of treasures.  Thou hast said that in the Sabha of the Grandsire are to be seen all the great Rishis, all the gods, all the branches of learning.  As regards the Sabha of Sakra, however, thou hast named, O Muni, all the gods, the Gandharvas, and various Rishis.  But, O great Muni, thou hast mentioned one and only one king, viz., the royal Rishi Harishchandra as living in the Sabha of the illustrious chief of the gods.  What act was performed by that celebrated king, or what ascetic penances with steady vows, in consequence of which he hath been equal to Indra himself?  O Brahmana, how didst thou also meet with my father, the exalted Pandu, now a guest in the region of the Pitris?  O exalted one of excellent vows hath he told thee anything?  O tell me all as I am exceedingly curious to hear all this from thee.”

“Narada said,—­’O king of kings, I shall tell thee all that thou askest me about Harischandra, I shall presently tell thee of his high excellence.  He was a powerful king, in fact, an emperor over all the kings of the earth.  Indeed, all the kings of the earth obeyed his sway.  O monarch, mounted alone upon a victorious car adorned with gold, that king by the prowess of his weapons brought the whole earth with her seven islands under his sway.  And, O monarch, having subjugated the whole earth with her mountains, forests, and woods, he made preparations for the great sacrifice called the Rajasuya.  And all the kings of the earth brought at his command wealth unto that sacrifice.  All of them consented to become distributors of food and gifts unto the Brahmanas