Myths of the Hindus & Buddhists

The Return of the Pandavasto accept cheerfully what was offered them by the agedsovereign and make the best of it. And on this occasionthey did not break their rule. Apparently seeing no flawin this giftof a barren tract of wilderness for a home,they did homagenew capital.Once there, however, their energyto Dhritarashtra and set forth to theirknew no bounds. Offering the necessary sacrifices of propitiation, they had theground measured off for a new city, and proceeded tobuild, fortify,and adorn it till there stood on the plain thefamous Indraprastha, a fit abode for the very gods, not tospeak of emperors, such were its beauty and magnificence.Not content with building a city, the brothers set aboutorganizing their dominions and their administration, andtheir subjects, realizing the wisdom and beneficence of thesenew rulers, felt themselves happy indeed to have passedunder their sway. There was no misery in that kingdomcaused by arrears of rent. The peasant obtained easy accessto his sovereign. Justice was well administered ;order wasmaintained ; peace and prosperity were united on all sides.At this time it was suggested to Yudhishthira that heought to hold a Coronation Sacrifice, and the thoughtbegan to cause him some anxiety. On every hand hesought the advice of his ministers, but not until he hadobtained that of Krishna, his new and trusted friend,could he be sure of the right course. He was aware ofthe many motives kindness, flattery, self-interest, and therest that guide men in the giving of counsel, and to hismind there was but one soul that was above all suchinfluence. The Coronation Sacrifice was not a rite to beundertaken lightly.It meant the establishment of theking who itperformed as suzerain over all his fellows.To do this it was necessary to bring together an immense