SECTION LXXXVIII
(Sambhava Parva continued)
"Vaisampayana said, 'Alter this Indra again
asked Yayati, 'Thou didst retire into the woods, O king, after accomplishing
all thy duties. O Yayati, son of Nahusha, I would ask thee to whom thou art
equal in ascetic austerities.' Yayati answered, 'O Vasava, I do not, in the
matter of ascetic austerities, behold my equal among men, the celestials, the
Gandharvas, and the great Rishis.' Indra then said, 'O monarch, because thou
disregardest those that are thy superiors, thy equals, and even thy inferiors,
without, in fact, knowing their real merits, thy virtues have suffered
diminution and thou must fall from heaven.' Yayati then said, 'O Sakra, if,
indeed, my virtues have really sustained diminution and I must on that account
fall down from heaven, I desire, O chief of the celestials, that I may at least
fall among the virtuous and the honest.' Indra replied, 'O king, thou shall
fall among those that are virtuous and wise, and thou shall acquire also much
renown. And after this experience of thine, O Yayati, never again disregard
those that are thy superiors or even thy equals.'
"Vaisampayana continued, 'Upon this, Yayati
fell from the region of the celestials. And as he was falling, he was beheld by
that foremost of royal sages, viz., Ashtaka, the protector of his own religion.
Ashtaka beholding him, enquired, 'Who art thou, O youth of a beauty equal to
that of Indra, in splendour blazing as the fire, thus falling from on high? Art
thou that foremost of sky-ranging bodies--the sun--emerging from, dark masses
of clouds? Beholding thee falling from the solar course, possessed of
immeasurable energy and the splendour of fire or the sun, every one is curious
as to what it is that is so falling, and is, besides, deprived of
consciousness! Beholding thee in the path of the celestials, possessed of energy
like that of Sakra, or Surya, or Vishnu, we have approached thee to ascertain
the truth. If thou hast first asked us who we were, we would never have been
guilty of the incivility of asking thee first. We now ask thee who thou art and
why thou approachest hither. Let thy fears be dispelled; let thy woes and
afflictions cease. Thou art now in the presence of the virtuous and the wise.
Even Sakra himself--the slayer of Vala--cannot here do thee any injury. O thou
of the prowess of the chief of the celestials, the wise and the virtuous are
the support of their brethren in grief. Here there are none but the wise and
virtuous like thee assembled together. Therefore, stay thou here in peace. Fire
alone hath power to give heat. The Earth alone hath power to infuse life into
the seed. The sun alone hath power to illuminate everything. So the guest alone
hath power to command the virtuous and the wise.'"
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