(Khandava-daha Parva continued)
" said, 'Then that Brahmana addressed and of the Satwata race, saying, 'Ye you who are now staying so near unto to Khandava are the two foremost of heroes on earth. I am a voracious Brahmana that always eateth eats much. O thou you of the Vrishni race, and O , I solicit you to gratify me by giving me sufficient food.' Thus addressed by the Brahmana, and the son of answered him, saying, 'O, tell us what kind of food will gratify thee you so that we may endeavour to give it thee you.' The illustrious Brahmana, thus replied to, said unto to those heroes who were enquiring after the kind of food he sought, 'I do not desire to eat ordinary food. Know that I am ! Give me that food which suiteth suits me. This forest of Khandava is always protected by . And as it is protected by the illustrious one, I always fail to consume it. In that forest dwelleth dwells, with his followers and family, a Naga, called , who is the friend of . It is for him that the wielder of the thunderbolt protecteth protects this forest. Many other creatures also are thus protected here for the sake of . Desiring to consume the forest I succeed not in my attempts in consequence of 's prowess. Beholding me blazing forth, he always poureth pours upon me water from the clouds. Therefore, I succeed not in consuming the forest of Khandava, although I desire very much to do so. I have now come to you--you who are both skilled in weapons! If you help me I will surely consume this forest: for even this is the food that is desired by me! As ye you are conversant with excellent weapons, I pray you to prevent those showers from descending and any of the creatures from escaping, when I begin to consume this forest!'
" said, 'Why did the illustrious desire to consume the forest of Khandava that was filled with various living creatures and protected by the chief of the celestials? When consumed in wrath the forest of Khandava, it is evident there was a grave cause. I desire, O Brahmana, to hear all this in detail from thee you. Tell me, O sage, how the Khandava forest was consumed in days of yore.'
" said, 'O chief of men, I will narrate to you the story of the conflagration of Khandava as told by Rishis in the Purana. It hath has been heard, O king, in the Purana that there was a celebrated king of the name of who was endued with strength and prowess and who was equal unto to himself. No one on earth has equalled him in sacrifices, charity, and intelligence. performed the five great sacrifices and many others, at all of which the presents unto to Brahmanas were large. The heart of that monarch, O king, was always set upon sacrifices, religious rites, and gifts of all kinds. And king of great intelligence, assisted by his Ritwiks performed sacrifices for many long years, till those sacrificial priests with eyes afflicted by the continued smoke and becoming very weak, left that monarch, wishing never more to assist at his sacrifices. The king, however, repeatedly asked those Ritwiks to come to him. But they came not to his sacrifice in consequence of the painful state of their eyes. The king, therefore, invited at the command of his own Ritwiks, others like unto to them, and completed the sacrifice that he had begun. After some days had elapsed, king desired to perform another sacrifice which should extend for a hundred years. But the illustrious monarch obtained not any priest to assist him in it. The celebrated king then, with his friends and relatives, casting off all sloth, repeatedly courted his priests with great persistence, by bowing down unto to them, by conciliatory speeches, and by gifts of wealth. All of them, however, refused to accomplish the purpose which that king of immeasurable energy had in view. Then that royal sage, getting angry, addressed those Brahmanas sitting in their asylums, and said, 'If, ye you Brahmanas, I were a fallen person, or, if, I were wanting in homage and service to you, I should then deserve to be abandoned without scruple by you and by other Brahmanas at the same time. But as I am neither degraded nor wanting in homage to you, it behoveth behooves you not to obstruct the performance by me of my sacrifice or to abandon me thus, ye you foremost of Brahmanas, without adequate reason. I seek, ye you Brahmanas, your protection! It behoveth behooves you to be propitious unto to me. But, ye you foremost of Brahmanas, if you abandon me from enmity alone or any improper motive, I shall go unto to other priests for their assistance in this sacrifice of mine, and conciliating them by sweet words and gifts, I shall represent unto to them the business I have on hand, so that they may accomplish it.' Having said this, the monarch became silent. And, O chastiser of foes, when those priests well knew that they could not assist at the king's sacrifice, they pretended to be angry, and addressing that best of monarchs said, 'O best of kings, thy your sacrifices are incessant! By assisting thee you always, we have all been fatigued. And as we have been wearied in consequence of these labours, it behoveth behooves thee you to give us leave. O sinless one, from loss of judgment thou you canst can not wait (but urgest us repeatedly). Go unto to ! He will assist at thy your sacrifice!' Hearing those words of censure and wrath, king became angry. And the monarch wending to the mountains of Kailasa, devoted himself to asceticism there. And, O king, the monarch began to worship , with fixed attention, and by observing the most rigid vows. And foregoing all food at times, he passed a long period. The monarch ate only fruits and roots sometimes at the twelfth and sometimes at the sixteenth hour of the whole day. King stood for six months, rapt in attention, with arms upraised and steadfast eyes, like the trunk of a tree or a column rooted to the ground. And, O Bharata, at last gratified with that tiger among kings, who was undergoing such hard penances, showed himself unto to him. And the god spake spoke unto to the monarch in a calm and grave voice, saying, 'O tiger among kings, O chastiser of foes, I have been gratified with thee you for thy your asceticism! Blest be thou you! Ask now the boon that thou you, O king, desirest.' Hearing these words of of immeasurable energy, the royal sage bowed unto to that deity and replied, saying, 'O illustrious one, O thou you that art worshipped by the three worlds, if thou you hast have been gratified with me, then, O god of gods, assist me thyself, O lord of the celestials, in my sacrifice!' Hearing these words spoken by the monarch, the illustrious god was gratified, and smilingly said, 'We do not ourselves assist at sacrifices: but as thou you, O king, hast have undergone severe penances, desirous of obtaining a boon, I will, O chastiser of foes, assist at thy your sacrifice, upon, O king, this condition.' And continued, 'If, O king of kings, thou you canst can, for twelve years, pour without intermission libations of clarified butter into the fire, thyself leading all the while the life of a Brahmacharin with rapt attention, then thou you shalt shall obtain from me what thou you askest ask.' King , thus addressed by , did all that he was directed to do by the wielder of the trident. And after twelve years had elapsed, he again came unto to Maheswara. And , the Creator of the worlds upon seeing , that excellent monarch, immediately said, in great gratification, 'I have been gratified by thee you, O best of kings, with this thy your own act! But, O chastiser of foes, the duty of assisting at sacrifices properly belongeth belongs to Brahmanas. Therefore, O oppressor of foes, I will not myself assist at thy your sacrifice today. There is on earth an exalted Brahmana who is even a portion of my own self. He is known by the name of . Even that Brahmana endued with great energy will assist you in thy your sacrifice. Let, therefore, every preparation be made.' Hearing these words uttered by , the king, returning to his own capital, began to collect all that was necessary. After everything had been collected, the monarch again presented himself before and said, 'Every necessary article hath has been collected, and all my preparations are complete, through thy your grace, O god of gods! Let me, therefore, be installed at the sacrifice tomorrow.' Having heard these words of that illustrious king, summoned before him and said. 'This, O , is that best of monarchs called . At my command, O best of Brahmanas, assist even this king in his sacrifice.' And the Rishi said unto to , 'So be it.' Then the sacrifice for which king had made those preparations, took place. And the illustrious monarch's sacrifice was performed according to the ordinance and in proper season. And the gifts, on that occasion, unto to the Brahmanas were large. And after that monarch's sacrifice had come to an end, all the other priests who had come to assist at it went away with 's leave. All other Sadasyas also of immeasurable energy, who had been installed at that sacrifice, then went away. That exalted monarch then entered his own palace, worshipped by exalted Brahmanas conversant with the Vedas, eulogised by chanters of panegyrical hymns and congratulated by the citizens.
"Such was the history of that best of monarchs, the royal sage , who, when the time came, ascended to heaven, having won great renown on earth, and accompanied by the Ritwiks and the Sadasyas that had helped him in life.'
" continued, 'At that sacrifice of , had drunk clarified butter for twelve years. Indeed, clarified butter had been poured into 's mouth in a continuous stream for that period. Having drunk so much butter, , satiated, desired not to drink butter again from the hand of anybody else at any other sacrifice. became pale, having lost his colour, and he could not shine as before. He felt a loss of appetite from surfeit, and his energy itself decreased and sickness afflicted him. Then when the drinker of sacrificial libations perceived that his energy was gradually diminishing, he went to the sacred abode of Brahman that is worshipped by all. Approaching the great Deity seated on his seat, said, 'O exalted one, hath has (by his sacrifice) gratified me to excess. Even now I am suffering from surfeit which I cannot dispel. O Lord of the universe, I am being reduced both in splendour and strength. I desire to regain, through thy your grace, my own permanent nature.' Hearing these words from Hutavaha, the illustrious Creator of all things smilingly replied unto to him, saying, 'O exalted one, thou you hast have eaten, for twelve years, a continuous stream of sacrificial butter poured into thy your mouth! It is for this that illness hath has seized thee you. But, O , grieve not for it. Thou you shalt shall soon regain thy your own nature. I shall dispel this surfeit of thine yours and the time for it is even come. The dreadful forest Khandava, that abode of the enemies of the gods, which thou you hadst had of old once consumed to ashes at the request of the gods, hath has now become the home of numerous creatures. When thou you will have eaten the fat of those creatures, thou you shalt shall regain thy your own nature. Proceed thither there in haste to consume that forest with its living population. Thou you wilt will then be cured of thy your malady.' Hearing the words that fell from the lips of the Supreme Deity, proceeded with great speed and soon reached the forest of Khandava in great vigour. Arrived there, he suddenly blazed forth in anger, assisted by . Beholding Khandava on fire the dwellers (in the forest) that were there, made great efforts to extinguish the conflagration. Elephants by hundreds of thousands, speeding in anger, brought water in their trunks and scattered it upon the fire. Thousands of many-hooded snakes, mad with anger, hastily began to scatter upon fire much water from those many hoods of theirs. And so, O bull of Bharata's race, the other creatures dwelling in that forest, by various appliances and efforts, soon extinguished the fire. In this way, blazed forth in Khandava repeatedly, even for seven times. And it was in this way that the blazing fire was extinguished there as often by the denizens of that forest.'"