The Mahabharata of Krishna-Dwaipayana Vyasa BOOK 1 ADI PARVA SECTION LXXI (Sambhava Parva continued)

  The Mahabharata of

Krishna-Dwaipayana Vyasa BOOK 1

ADI PARVA

 SECTION LXXI

(Sambhava Parva continued)

"Vaisampayana said, 'The monarch then, as he proceeded, left even his

reduced retinue at the entrance of the hermitage. And entering quite

alone he saw not the Rishi (Kanwa) of rigid vows. And not seeing the

Rishi and finding that the abode was empty, he called loudly, saying,

'What ho, who is here?' And the sound of his voice was echoed back. And

hearing the sound of his voice, there came out of the Rishi's abode a

maiden beautiful as Sri herself but dressed as an ascetic's daughter. And

the black-eyed fair one, as she saw king Dushmanta, bade him welcome and

received him duly. And, showing him due respect by the offer of a seat,

water to wash his feet, and Arghya, she enquired about the monarch's

health and peace. And having worshipped the king and asked him about his

health and peace, the maiden reverentially asked, 'What must be done, O

king! I await your commands.' The king, duly worshipped by her, said unto

that maiden of faultless features and sweet speech, 'I have come to

worship the highly-blessed Rishi Kanwa. Tell me, O amiable and beautiful

one, where has the illustrious Rishi gone?'

"Sakuntala then answered, 'My illustrious father hath gone away from the

asylum to fetch fruit. Wait but a moment and thou wilt see him when he

arrives.'

"Vaisampayana continued, 'The king not seeing the Rishi and addressed

thus by her, beheld that the maiden was exceedingly beautiful and endued

with perfect symmetry of shape. And he saw that she was of sweet smiles.

And she stood decked with the beauty of her faultless features, her

ascetic penances, and her humility. And he saw that she was in the bloom

of youth. He therefore asked her, 'Who art thou? And whose daughter, O

beautiful one? Why hast thou come into the woods also? O handsome one,

gifted with so much beauty and such virtues, whence hast thou come? O

charming one, at the very first glance hast thou stolen my heart! I

desire to learn all about thee; therefore tell me all.' And thus

addressed by the monarch, the maiden smilingly replied in these sweet

words, 'O Dushmanta, I am the daughter of the virtuous, wise,

high-souled, and illustrious ascetic Kanwa.'

"Dushmanta, hearing this, replied, 'The universally-worshipped and

highly-blessed Rishi is one whose seed hath been drawn up. Even Dharma

himself might fall off from his course but an ascetic of rigid vows can

never fall off so. Therefore, O thou of the fairest complexion, how hast

thou been born as his daughter? This great doubt of mine it behoveth thee

to dispel.'

"Sakuntala then replied, 'Hear, O king, what I have learnt regarding all

that befell me of old and how I became the daughter of the Muni. Once on

a time, a Rishi came here and asked about my birth. All that the

illustrious one (Kanwa) told him, hear now from me, O king!

"My father Kanwa, in answer to that Rishi's enquiries, said, 'Viswamitra,

of old, having been engaged in the austerest penances alarmed Indra, the

chief of the celestials, who thought that the mighty ascetic of blazing

energy would, by his penances, hurl him down from his high seat in

heaven.' Indra, thus alarmed, summoned Menaka and told her, 'Thou, O

Menaka, art the first of celestial Apsaras. Therefore, O amiable one, do

me this service. Hear what I say. This great ascetic Viswamitra like unto

the Sun in splendour, is engaged in the most severe of penances. My heart

is trembling with fear. Indeed, O slender-waisted Menaka, this is thy

business. Thou must see that Viswamitra of soul rapt in contemplation and

engaged in the austerest penances, who might hurl me down from my seat.

Go and tempt him and frustrating his continued austerities accomplish my

good. Win him away from his penances, O beautiful one, by tempting him

with thy beauty, youth, agreeableness, arts, smiles and speech.' Hearing

all this, Menaka replied, 'The illustrious Viswamitra is endued with

great energy and is a mighty ascetic. He is very short-tempered too, as

is known to thee. The energy, penances, and wrath of the high-souled one

have made even thee anxious. Why should I not also be anxious? He it was

who made even the illustrious Vasishtha bear the pangs of witnessing the

premature death of his children. He it was who, though at first born as

Kshatriya, subsequently became a Brahmana by virtue of his ascetic

penances. He it was who, for purposes of his ablutions, created a deep

river that can with difficulty be forded, and which sacred stream is

known by the name of the Kausiki. It was Viswamitra whose wife, in a

season of distress, was maintained by the royal sage Matanga (Trisanku)

who was then living under a father's curse as a hunter. It was Viswamitra

who, on returning after the famine was over, changed the name of the

stream having his asylum from Kausik into Para. It was Viswamitra who in

return for the services of Matanga, himself became the latter's priest

for purposes of a sacrifice. The lord of the celestials himself went

through fear to drink the Soma juice. It was Viswamitra who in anger

created a second world and numerous stars beginning with Sravana. He it

was who granted protection to Trisanku smarting under a superior's curse.

I am frightened to approach him of such deeds. Tell me, O Indra, the

means that should be adopted so that I may not be burnt by his wrath. He

can burn the three worlds by his splendour, can, by a stamp (of his

foot), cause the earth to quake. He can sever the great Meru from the

earth and hurl it to any distance. He can go round the ten points of the

earth in a moment. How can a woman like me even touch such a one full of

ascetic virtues, like unto a blazing fire, and having his passions under

complete control? His mouth is like unto a blazing fire; the pupils of

his eyes are like the Sun and the Moon; his tongue is like unto Yama

himself. How shall, O chief of the celestials, a woman like me even touch

him? At the thought of his prowess Yama, Soma, the great Rishis, the

Saddhyas, the Viswas, Valakhilyas, are terrified! How can a woman like me

gaze at him without alarm? Commanded, however, by thee, O king of the

celestials, I shall somehow approach that Rishi. But, O chief of the

gods, devise thou some plan whereby protected by thee, I may safely move

about that Rishi. I think that when I begin to play before the Rishi,

Marut (the god of wind) had better go there and rob me of my dress, and

Manmatha (the god of love) had also, at thy command, better help me then.

Let also Marut on that occasion bear thither fragrance from the woods to

tempt the Rishi.' Saying this and seeing that all she had spoken about

had been duly provided, Menaka went to the retreat of the great Kausika.'"