The Pandavas receive as a gift an assembly 
hall that rivals even Lord Krsna's.

The sage Vaisampayana is telling the history of the Pandavas to their great-grandson, King Janamejaya. As the narration continues, Lord Krsna and Arjuna have guarded the Khandava Forest so that Agni, the fire-god, could consume it and all the creatures within it. Agni thus devoured the forest. Only the Danava [see "Characters," page 30] named Maya survived, because he had taken shelter of Arjuna.

Lord Krsna Request Maya Danava Built

IN THE PRESENCE of Lord Krsna, Maya honored Arjuna again and again with folded hands and gentle words.

"My dear Arjuna," Maya said finally, "you saved me from Lord Krsna's fury and the flames of the fire-god, although he was eager to burn me. Tell me, what can I do for you in return?"

Arjuna said, "O great Asura, you have done all that is necessary. Always be a kind friend to me, as I am to you."

Maya said, "O best of men, O mighty one, your words are worthy of your stature. And yet, Bharata, I wish to do something to show my love for you. I am the Visvakarma of the Danavas, for my skill is vast, and it is my special desire to build something for you, O Pandava."

Arjuna said, "You feel I am the one who saved you when your life was in danger, but it is improper for me to ask something in return. At the same time, O Danava, I do not wish to frustrate your earnest wish. So do something for Lord Krsna, and that will be your way of thanking me."

Maya then urged Sri Krsna to make a request, and for a moment the Lord thought, "What shall I ask of him?"

Then Sri Krsna said, "O Daiteya, construct an assembly hall that you consider appropriate for King Yudhisthira's earthly reign. Erect such a congress hall that all who see it in the world of man will be amazed and no one will be able to build one like it. Build the royal edifice so that we may behold in it the most clever designs of the gods, Asuras, and human beings."

Maya accepted the instruction with deep satisfaction, and he happily decided to build for the Pandava king a parliament hall that would resemble a large celestial spacecraft.

Lord Krsna and Arjuna then precisely explained to King Yudhisthira all that had happened at the Khandava Forest and presented to him the skillful Maya. Yudhisthira properly honored Maya, who accepted the reception, respectfully honoring the king in return. O Bharata, the master craftsman of the Daityas then narrated to the sons of Pandu many ancient stories of the gods. Then, after catching his breath and thinking deeply on his project, Maya began to build the assembly hall for the exalted sons of Pandu.

According to the wish of Prtha's sons and the great soul Krsna, the mighty Maya commenced his labor with an auspicious ceremony held on a sacred day. On that occasion the powerful Daitya designer satisfied brahmanas by the thousands with offerings of sweet rice and varieties of valuable gifts. He then measured out a charming terrain approximately 12,000 feet all around and rich with the beauty of all seasons.

Lord Krsna Leaves for Dvaraka

Having lived happily in Khandavaprastha, constantly worshiped by the sons of Prtha, who adored Him so much, Lord Krsna, who is worthy of all honor, now made up His mind to depart, for He was eager to see His father Vasudeva. Lord Krsna, Janardana, enchanting with His large beautiful eyes, first took permission from Yudhisthira, the king of justice. Then Sri Krsna, who is to be adored by the entire universe, worshiped His aunt Prtha by touching His head to her feet. Kunti responded by kissing and smelling the Lord's head and embracing Him. Lord Krsna then saw His sister, Subhadra. As that supreme master of the senses approached her, whom He loved so dearly, tears filled His eyes. To His lovely sister, who spoke in clear and lovely tones, the Supreme Lord uttered words that were precise, cheerful, meaningful, beneficial, and appropriate for the occasion. Subhadra spoke to her most beloved brother about their relatives, begging Him to send her news, and then she repeatedly worshiped Him, placing her head on His feet and boldly declaring her eternal devotion to Him.

After Sri Krsna, head of the Vrsni clan, had affectionately taken leave of His devoted sister, he went to see Draupadi and the royal priest Dhaumya. The Lord, the greatest of personalities, worshiped the saintly Dhaumya and comforted Draupadi. He then gently took her permission to depart.

The learned Lord, full of strength, then went with Arjuna to see the other Pandavas. Krsna stood surrounded by the five brothers like Indra amidst the immortals. With hymns, garlands, obeisances, and a variety of fragrances, Sri Krsna, best of the Yadus, then honored the demigods and twice-born sages.

Having thus complied with all worldly duties, He who is the best of all steadfast beings prepared to depart. Continuing to play the role of a human prince, He distributed riches, along with bowls of curd, fruit, and whole grains, to the praiseworthy brahmanas and respectfully circled them. After He had mounted a swift golden chariot equipped with His club, disc, sword, and Sarnga bow and flying the flag of Garuda, the lotus-eyed Lord set out behind His faithful steeds Sainya and Sugriva when the stars, the day, and the hour were all auspicious.

Drawn by love, King Yudhisthira climbed onto the chariot, and moving aside the Lord's expert driver, Daruka, the Kuru monarch took the reins. Arjuna also mounted the chariot, and with a pure white yak-tail fan fitted with a large golden handle, he fanned clockwise around the Lord's head.

Bhimasena, the great controller, was subdued by his love for Krsna, and with his two youngest brothers he followed behind Lord Krsna, who was surrounded by the royal priests and citizens. As mighty Kesava, Krsna, slayer of hostile warriors, was thus followed by His loving cousin-brothers, He shone like a liberated spiritual master followed by his loving disciples.

The Lord bid farewell, hugging the distraught Arjuna and honoring Yudhisthira and Bhimasena and the young twins. As He did so, He was in turn repeatedly hugged by the two eldest Pandavas and saluted by the twins. Then after conversing with them and encouraging them, Sri Krsna sent the Pandavas and their loyal followers back to their city and proceeded like a second Indra toward His own transcendental city.

With their eyes the Pandavas followed Lord Krsna as far as their vision would allow, but with their minds they traveled along with Him, for they were continuously rapt in love for Him. So attractive and dear was Lord Krsna to the Pandavas that their minds were not satiated, and He seemed to disappear all too quickly from their sight. The sons of Prtha were fully devoted to Govinda, Lord Krsna, and they constantly thought about Him. Indeed, they desired nothing but to be with Krsna and serve His lotus feet. Thus when Sri Krsna departed, the Pandavas returned to their city, sadly resigned to His absence, and Krsna Himself proceeded on schedule to the city of Dvaraka.

Maya Travels to Bindu-Saras

Then Maya said to Arjuna, the best of victors, "I bid you farewell now, but I shall quickly return. North of Kailasa, near Mainaka Mountain, where all the Danavas are about to offer sacrifice by the sacred lake of Bindu-saras, I once fashioned out of jewels a charming vessel that remained in the assembly hall of the truthful King Vrsaparva. If it is still there, O Bharata, I shall get it and come here. Then I shall construct for Pandu's illustrious son Yudhisthira a wonderful assembly hall bedecked with all kinds of gems a hall that will gladden the hearts of all who see it.

"O pillar of the Kurus, within the Bindu-saras lake lies a magnificent club, hidden there by King Yauvanasva after he had killed his enemies in battle. That amazing weapon, flecked with drops of gold, is hard, heavy, and unyielding under pressure. Experts estimate that the club has the power of hundreds of thousands of ordinary clubs, for it can crack any surface. It would be ideal for Bhima, just as the Gandiva bow is ideal for you. There is also a great conch shell of Varuna's named Devadatta, which produces a mighty sound. All this I shall bestow upon you without doubt." Having said this much to Arjuna, the son of Prtha, the Asura departed toward the northeast.

North of Kailasa, near Mount Mainaka, sits a lordly mountain of jewels named Hiranya-srnga [Gold Peak]. There one will find the charming Bindu-saras lake, on whose banks King Bhagiratha dwelled for many years watching the Ganges, which since then is known as the Bhagirathi. That exalted monarch, ruler of all earthly creatures, performed one hundred outstanding sacrifices to worship the Supreme Lord, O best of the Bharatas. At those ceremonies, the king had bejeweled sacrificial posts and golden altars erected for the sake of beauty, and not as a permant standard for subsequent religious rites. So potent was that sacrificial ground that even Lord Indra, the thousand-eyed husband of Saci, achieved perfection there by worshiping the Supreme Lord. And there Lord Siva, the perennial lord of ghostly beings, having created many planets with his fierce prowess, was surrounded and adored by thousands of his creatures.

The twin incarnations, Nara and Narayana, along with Brahma, Yama, and Sthanu, perform sacrifice at Bindu-saras lake when the cycle of one thousand eons has elapsed. There Lord Vasudeva faithfully performs thousand-year sacrifices to constantly demonstrate to the learned and gentle souls the proper path of piety. At this same place, Lord Krsna gave away thousands and millions of gold-wreathed stakes and highly luminous altars.

After arriving there Maya took the club and conch, O Bharata, and from King Vrsaparva he obtained crystal building material for the Pandavas' assembly hall. Helped by Raksasa servants, Maya took all that he desired for his service and brought it back to Indraprastha.

Maya's Construction

At Indraprastha, the Asura built an incomparable assembly hall blazing with jewels and divine glory. Its fame spread throughout the three worlds.

Maya then presented the excellent club to Bhimasena, and he gave the superlative conch shell named Devadatta to Arjuna.

The assembly hall extended to a circumference of 10,000 kiskus* and had treelike columns of solid gold. The brilliant body of the capitol hall was as supremely radiant as the body of fire, or of the sun or moon. Shining with divine luster, the celestial edifice glowed and blazed, its effulgence defeating the sparkling radiance of the sun.

* 10,000 cubits, or approximately 5,000 yards or meters.

Long and wide, standing erect and covering the sky like a vast cloud shrouding a mountain, the sinless mansion, flawless and gleaming, dispelled the fatigue of all who entered its chambers. Fashioned of the best materials, garlanded with surrounding walls studded with jewels, and stocked with gems and many riches, it appeared to be handsomely crafted by the cosmic builder, Visvakarma, for not even the Sudharma hall of Dvaraka or the mansion of Brahma could match the beauty of the unique structure Asura Maya had created.

Maya instructed eight thousand Raksasas, known as the Kinkaras, to carefully guard the building and provide transportation for its construction. Those terrifying servants had powerful, gigantic bodies and could fly in outer space. Their eyes were blood-red and tawny, their ears were shaped like seashells, and they bore weapons.

Within the royal hall, Maya fashioned a unique lotus pond, in which the spreading lotus petals were made of cat's-eye gems and the lotus stalks of other jewels. The pond was perfumed by sweet-scented lotuses and lilies; it was busy with flocks of birds, lush with blossoming flowers, and brightly painted with turtles and fish. Wide, comfortable stairways led bathers into its waters, which were crystal clear and plentiful in all seasons, and heavenly breezes stirred the delicate pearl-drop blossoms that gathered on the surface. Some kings who approached that lake filled with heaps of gems could not understand that it was a lake although they saw it right before their eyes and they fell into its waters.

Nearby the assembly hall were giant, ever-flowering trees with bluish bark, refreshing shade, and enchanting shape. All about were very fragrant forests adorned with lotuses, swans, ducks, and cakrabirds.

The wind picked up the fragrance from the flowers growing profusely on the land and water and carried the sweet scents to the Pandavas for their pleasure. It took Maya about fourteen months to make the assembly hall, and then he presented his exquisite creation to Yudhisthira, who was celebrated as Dharmaraja, the king of virtue.


Hridayananda Dasa Goswami, who holds a Ph.D. in Indology from Harvard University, is Professor of Vaisnava Theology at the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, California. He frequently speaks at universities and is translating the Mahabharata and other Sanskrit works.

Characters

A guide to people and places mentioned in this episode.

Asuras demons

Bharata the dynasty descended from King Bharata; a member of that dynasty

Brahma first created being in the universe

Daiteya "son of Diti"

Daityas the demon sons of the progenitor Kasyapa and his wife Diti

Danavas the demon sons of Kasyapa and his wife Danu

Draupadi the wife of the five Pandava brothers

Garuda the divine eagle who carries Lord Visnu

Indra the king of the heavenly planets

Janardana Lord Krsna (other names of Krsna used here are Kesava, Govinda, and Vasudeva)

Kailasa the abode of Lord Siva

Kunti the mother of the Pandavas

Pandavas the five brothers Yudhisthira, Bhima (or Bhimasena), Arjuna, and the twins Nakula and Sahadeva

Prtha Kunti

Raksasa a class of demons

Sthanu Lord Siva

Siva Lord Krsna's partial expansion who ultimately destroys the universe

Visvakarma the architect of the demigods

Yama the lord of death