SECTION CIV
(Sambhava Parva continued)
"Bhishma continued, 'In olden days, Rama,
the son of Jamadagni, in anger at the death of his father, slew with his battle
axe the king of the Haihayas. And Rama, by cutting off the thousand arms of
Arjuna (the Haihaya king), achieved a most difficult feat in the world. Not
content with this, he set out on his chariot for the conquest of the world, and
taking up his bow he cast around his mighty weapons to exterminate the
Kshatriyas. And the illustrious scion of Bhrigu's race, by means of his swift
arrows annihilated the Kshatriya tribe one and twenty times.
"And when the earth was thus deprived of
Kshatriyas by the great Rishi, the Kshatriya ladies all over the land had
offspring raised by Brahmanas skilled in the Vedas. It has been said in the
Vedas that the sons so raised belongeth to him that had married the mother. And
the Kshatriya ladies went in unto the Brahamanas not lustfully but from motives
of virtue. Indeed, it was thus that the Kshatriya race was revived.
"In this connection there is another old
history that I will recite to you. There was in olden days a wise Rishi of the
name of Utathya. He had a wife of the name Mamata whom he dearly loved. One day
Utathya's younger brother Vrihaspati, the priest of the celestials, endued with
great energy, approached Mamata. The latter, however, told her husband's
younger brother--that foremost of eloquent men--that she had conceived from her
connection with his elder brother and that, therefore, he should not then seek
for the consummation of his wishes. She continued, 'O illustrious Vrihaspati,
the child that I have conceived hath studied in his mother's womb the Vedas
with the six Angas, Semen tuum frustra perdi non potest. How can then this womb
of mine afford room for two children at a time? Therefore, it behoveth thee not
to seek for the consummation of thy desire at such a time. Thus addressed by
her, Vrihaspati, though possessed of great wisdom, succeeded not in suppressing
his desire. Quum auten jam cum illa coiturus esset, the child in the womb then
addressed him and said, 'O father, cease from thy attempt. There is no space
here for two. O illustrious one, the room is small. I have occupied it first.
Semen tuum perdi non potest. It behoveth thee not to afflict me.' But
Vrihaspati without listening to what that child in the womb said, sought the
embraces of Mamata possessing the most beautiful pair of eyes. Ille tamen Muni
qui in venture erat punctum temporis quo humor vitalis jam emissum iret
providens, viam per quam semen intrare posset pedibus obstruxit. Semen ita
exhisum, excidit et in terram projectumest. And the illustrious Vrihaspati,
beholding this, became indignant, and reproached Utathya's child and cursed
him, saying, 'Because thou hast spoken to me in the way thou hast at a time of
pleasure that is sought after by all creatures, perpetual darkness shall
overtake thee.' And from this curse of the illustrious Vrishaspati Utathya's
child who was equal unto Vrihaspati in energy, was born blind and came to be
called Dirghatamas (enveloped in perpetual darkness). And the wise Dirghatamas,
possessed of a knowledge of the Vedas, though born blind, succeeded yet by
virtue of his learning, in obtaining for a wife a young and handsome Brahmana
maiden of the name of Pradweshi. And having married her, the illustrious
Dirghatamas, for the expansion of Utathya's race, begat upon her several
children with Gautama as their eldest. These children, however, were all given
to covetousness and folly. The virtuous and illustrious Dirghatamas possessing
complete mastery over the Vedas, soon after learnt from Surabhi's son the
practices of their order and fearlessly betook himself to those practices,
regarding them with reverence. (For shame is the creature of sin and can never
be where there is purity of intention). Then those best of Munis that dwelt in
the same asylum, beholding him transgress the limits of propriety became
indignant, seeing sin where sin was not. And they said, 'O, this man,
transgresseth the limit of propriety. No longer doth he deserve a place amongst
us. Therefore, shall we all cast this sinful wretch off.' And they said many
other things regarding the Muni Dirghatamas. And his wife, too, having obtained
children, became indignant with him.
"The husband then addressing his wife
Pradweshi, said, 'Why is it that thou also hast been dissatisfied with me?' His
wife answered, 'The husband is called the Bhartri because he supporteth the
wife. He is called Pati because he protecteth her. But thou art neither, to me!
O thou of great ascetic merit, on the other hand, thou hast been blind from
birth, it is I who have supported thee and thy children. I shall not do so in
future.'
"Hearing these words of his wife, the Rishi
became indignant and said unto her and her children, 'Take me unto the
Kshatriyas and thou shalt then be rich.' His wife replied (by saying), 'I
desire not wealth that may be procured by thee, for that can never bring me
happiness. O best of Brahmanas, do as thou likest. I shall not be able to
maintain thee as before.' At these words of his wife, Dirghatamas said, 'I lay
down from this day as a rule that every woman shall have to adhere to one
husband for her life. Be the husband dead or alive, it shall not be lawful for
a woman to have connection with another. And she who may have such connection
shall certainly be regarded as fallen. A woman without husband shall always be
liable to be sinful. And even if she be wealthy she shall not be able to enjoy
that wealth truly. Calumny and evil report shall ever dog her.' Hearing these
words of her husband Pradweshi became very angry, and commanded her sons,
saying, 'Throw him into the waters of Ganga!' And at the command of their
mother, the wicked Gautama and his brothers, those slaves of covetousness and
folly, exclaiming, 'Indeed, why should we support this old man?--'tied the Muni
to a raft and committing him to the mercy of the stream returned home without
compunction. The blind old man drifting along the stream on that raft, passed
through the territories of many kings. One day a king named Vali conversant
with every duty went to the Ganges to perform his ablutions. And as the monarch
was thus engaged, the raft to which the Rishi was tied, approached him. And as
it came, the king took the old man. The virtuous Vali, ever devoted to truth,
then learning who the man was that was thus saved by him, chose him for raising
up offspring. And Vali said, 'O illustrious one, it behoveth thee to raise upon
my wife a few sons that shall be virtuous and wise.' Thus addressed, the Rishi
endued with great energy, expressed his willingness. Thereupon king Vali sent
his wife Sudeshna unto him. But the queen knowing that the latter was blind and
old went not unto him, she sent unto him her nurse. And upon that Sudra woman
the virtuous Rishi of passions under full control begat eleven children of whom
Kakshivat was the eldest. And beholding those eleven sons with Kakshivat as the
eldest, who had studied all the Vedas and who like Rishis were utterers of
Brahma and were possessed of great power, king Vali one day asked the Rishi
saying, 'Are these children mine?' The Rishi replied, 'No, they are mine.
Kakshivat and others have been begotten by me upon a Sudra woman. Thy
unfortunate queen Sudeshna, seeing me blind and old, insulted me by not coming
herself but sending unto me, instead, her nurse.' The king then pacified that
best of Rishis and sent unto him his queen Sudeshna. The Rishi by merely
touching her person said to her, 'Thou shalt have five children named Anga,
Vanga, Kalinga, Pundra and Suhma, who shall be like unto Surya (Sun) himself in
glory. And after their names as many countries shall be known on earth. It is
after their names that their dominions have come to be called Anga, Vanga,
Kalinga, Pundra and Suhma.'
"It was thus that the line of Vali was
perpetuated, in days of old, by a great Rishi. And it was thus also that many
mighty bowmen and great car-warriors wedded to virtue, sprung in the Kshatriya
race from the seed of Brahmanas. Hearing this, O mother, do as thou likest, as
regards the matter in hand.'"
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