(Sambhava Parva continued)
" said, 'What did the do for which he was cursed? And who was the Brahmana ascetic from whose curse the god had to be born in the Sudra caste?'
" said, 'There was a Brahmana known by the name of . He was conversant with all duties and was devoted to religion, truth and asceticism. The great ascetic used to sit at the entrance of his hermitage at the foot of a tree, with his arms upraised in the observance of the vow of silence. And as he sat there for years together, one day there came into his asylum a number of robbers laden with spoil. And, O bull in Bharata's race, those robbers were then being pursued by a superior body as guardians of the peace. The thieves, on entering that asylum, hid their booty there, and in fear concealed themselves thereabout before the guards came. But scarcely had they thus concealed themselves when the constables in pursuit came to the spot. The latter, observing the Rishi sitting under the tree, questioned him, O king, saying, 'O best of Brahmanas, which way have the thieves taken? Point it out to us so that we may follow it without loss of time.' Thus questioned by the guardians of peace the ascetic, O king, said not a word, good or otherwise, in reply. The officers of the king, however, on searching that asylum soon discovered the thieves concealed thereabout together with the plunder. Upon this, their suspicion fell upon the Muni, and accordingly they seized him with the thieves and brought him before the king. The king sentenced him to be executed along with his supposed associates. And the officers, acting in ignorance, carried out the sentence by impaling the celebrated Rishi. And having impaled him, they went to the king with the booty they had recovered. But the virtuous Rishi, though impaled and kept without food, remained in that state for a long time without dying. And the Rishi by his ascetic power not only preserved his life but summoned other Rishi to the scene. And they came there in the night in the forms of birds, and beholding him engaged in ascetic meditation though fixed on that stake, became plunged into grief. And telling that best of Brahmanas who they were, they asked him saying, 'O Brahmana, we desire to know what hath has been thy your sin for which thou you hast have thus been made to suffer the tortures of impalement!'"
(Sambhava Parva continued)
" said, 'Thus asked, the tiger among Munis then answered those Rishis of ascetic wealth, 'Whom shall I blame for this? In fact, none else (than my own self) hath has offended against me!' After this, O monarch, the officers of justice, seeing him alive, informed the king of it. The latter hearing what they said, consulted with his advisers, and came to the place and began to pacify the Rishi. fixed on the stake. And the king said, 'O thou you best of Rishis, I have offended against thee you in ignorance. I beseech thee you to pardon me for the same. It behoveth behooves thee you not to be angry with me.' Thus addressed by the king, the Muni was pacified. And beholding him free from wrath, the king took him up with the stake and endeavoured to extract it from his body. But not succeeding therein, he cut it off at the point just outside the body. The Muni, with a portion of the stake within his body, walked about, and in that state practised the austerest of penances and conquered numberless regions unattainable by others. And for the circumstances of a part of the stake being within his body, he came to be known in the three worlds by the name of Ani- ( with the stake within). And one day that Brahamana acquainted with the highest truth of religion went unto to the abode of the . And beholding the god there seated on his throne, the Rishi reproached him and said, 'What, pray, is that sinful act committed by me unconsciously, for which I am bearing this punishment? O, tell me soon, and behold the power of my asceticism.'
"The , thus questioned, replied, 'O thou you of ascetic wealth, a little insect was once pierced by thee you on a blade of grass. Thou you bearest now the consequence of the act. O Rishi, as a gift, however small, multiplieth multiplies in respect of its religious merits, so a sinful act multiplieth multiplies in respect of the woe it bringeth brings in its train.' On hearing this, Ani- asked, 'O tell me truly when this act was committed by me. Told in reply by the that he had committed it, when a child, the Rishi said, 'That shall not be a sin which may be done by a child up to the twelfth year of his age from birth. The scriptures shall not recognise it as sinful. The punishment thou you hast have inflicted on me for such a venial offence hath has been disproportionate in severity. The killing of a Brahmana involves a sin that is heavier than the killing of any other living being. Thou you shall, therefore, O , have to be born among men even in the Sudra order. And from this day I establish this limit in respect of the consequence of acts that an act shall not be sinful when committed by one below the age of fourteen. But when committed by one above that age, it shall be regarded as sin.'
" continued, 'Cursed for this fault by that illustrious Rishi, the had his birth as in the Sudra order. And was well-versed in the doctrines of morality and also politics and worldly profit. And he was entirely free from covetousness and wrath. Possessed of great foresight and undisturbed tranquillity of mind, was ever devoted to the welfare of the Kurus.'"
(Sambhava Parva continued)
" said, 'Upon the birth of those three children, Kurujangala, Kurukshetra, and the Kurus grew in prosperity. The earth began to yield abundant harvest, and the crops also were of good flavour. And the clouds began to pour rain in season and trees became full of fruits and flowers. And the draught cattle were all happy and the birds and other animals rejoiced exceedingly. And the flowers became fragrant and the fruits became sweet; the cities and towns became filled with merchants, artisans, traders and artists of every description. And the people became brave, learned, honest and happy. And there were no robbers then, nor anybody who was sinful. And it seemed that the golden age had come upon every part of the kingdom. And the people devoted to virtuous acts, sacrifices and truth, and regarding one another with love and affection grew in prosperity. And free from pride, wrath and covetousness, they rejoiced in perfectly innocent sports. And the capital of the Kurus, full as the ocean, was a second Amaravati, teeming with hundreds of palaces and mansions, and possessing gates and arches dark as the clouds. And men in great cheerfulness sported constantly on rivers, lakes and tanks, and in fine groves and charming woods. And the southern Kurus, in their virtuous rivalry with their northern kinsmen, walked about in the company of Siddhas and Charanas and Rishis. And all over that delightful country whose prosperity was thus increased by the Kurus, there were no misers and no widowed women. And the wells and lakes were ever full; the groves abounded with trees, and the houses and abodes of Brahmanas were full of wealth and the whole kingdom was full of festivities. And, O king, virtuously ruled by , the kingdom was adorned with hundreds of sacrificial stakes. And the wheel of virtue having been set in motion by , and the country became so contented that the subjects of other kingdoms, quitting their homes, came to dwell there and increase its population. And the citizens and the people were filled with hope, upon seeing the youthful acts of their illustrious princes. And, O king, in the house of the Kuru chiefs as also of the principal citizens, 'give', 'eat' were the only words constantly heard. And and and of great intelligence were from their birth brought up by , as if they were his own sons. And the children, having passed through the usual rites of their order, devoted themselves to vows and study. And they grew up into fine young men skilled in the Vedas and all athletic sports. And they became well-skilled in the practice of bow, in horsemanship, in encounters with mace, sword and shield, in the management of elephants in battle, and in the science of morality. Well-read in history and the Puranas and various branches of learning, and acquainted with the truths of the Vedas and their branches they acquired knowledge, which was versatile and deep. And , possessed of great prowess, excelled all men in archery while excelled all in personal strength, while in the three worlds there was no one equal to in devotion to virtue and in the knowledge of the dictates of morality. And beholding the restoration of the extinct line of , the saying became current in all countries that among mothers of heroes, the daughters of the king of Kasi were the first; that among countries Kurujangala was the first; that among virtuous men, was the first; that among cities Hastinapura was the first. became king, for , owing to the blindness, and , for his birth by a Sudra woman, did not obtain the kingdom. One day , the foremost of those acquainted with the duties of a statesman and dictates of morality, properly addressing conversant with the truth of religion and virtue, said as follows."
(Sambhava Parva continued)
" said, 'This our celebrated race, resplendent with every virtue and accomplishment, hath has all along sovereignty over all other monarchs on earth. Its glory maintained and itself perpetuated by many virtuous and illustrious monarchs of old, the illustrious () and and myself have raised you (three) up, in order that it may not be extinct. It behoveth behooves myself and thee you also to take such steps that this our dynasty may expand again as the sea. It hath has been heard by me that there are three maidens worthy of being allied to our race. One is the daughter of (Surasena of) the Yadava race; the other is the daughter of Suvala; and the third is the princess of Madra. O son, all these maidens are of course of blue blood. Possessed of beauty and pure blood, they are eminently fit for an alliance with our family. O thou you foremost of intelligent men, I think we should choose them for the growth of our race. Tell me what thou you thinkest think.' Thus addressed, replied, 'Thou you art our father and thou you art our mother, too. Thou you art our respected spiritual instructor. Therefore, do thou you what may be best for us in thy your eyes.'
" continued, 'Soon after heard from the Brahmanas that , the amiable daughter of Suvala, having worshipped () had obtained from the deity the boon that she should have a century of sons. , the grandfather of the Kurus, having heard this, sent messengers unto to the king of Gandhara. King Suvala at first hesitated on account of the blindness of the bridegroom, but taking into consideration the blood of the Kurus, their fame and behaviour, he gave his virtuous daughter unto to and the chaste hearing that was blind and that her parents had consented to marry her to him, from love and respect for her future husband, blindfolded her own eyes. , the son of Suvala, bringing unto to the Kurus his sister endued with youth and beauty, formally gave her away unto to . And was received with great respect and the nuptials were celebrated with great pomp under 's directions. And the heroic , after having bestowed his sister along with many valuable robes, and having received 's adorations, returned to his own city. And, O thou you of Bharata's race, the beautiful gratified all the Kurus by her behaviour and respectful attentions. And , ever devoted to her husband, gratified her superiors by her good conduct; and as she was chaste, she never referred even by words to men other than her husband or such superiors.'"