SECTION CLXXX
(Chaitraratha Parva continued)
"The Gandharva continued, 'Then, O Partha, Adrisyanti, who had been
residing in Vasishtha's asylum, brought forth (when the time came) a son
who was the perpetuator of Saktri's race and who was a second Saktri in
everything. O foremost of Bharatas, that best of Munis, the illustrious
Vasishtha himself performed the usual after-birth ceremonies of his
grandson. And, because the Rishi Vasishtha had resolved on
self-destruction but had abstained therefrom as soon as he knew of the
existence of that child, that child, when born, was called Parasara (the
vivifier of the dead). The virtuous Parasara, from the day of his birth,
knew Vasishtha for his father and behaved towards the Muni as such. One
day, O son of Kunti, the child addressed Vasishtha, that first of
Brahmana sages, as father, in the presence of his mother Adrisyanti.
Adrisyanti, hearing the very intelligible sound father sweetly uttered by
her son, addressed him with tearful eyes and said, 'O child, do not
address this your grandfather as father? Thy father, O son, has been
devoured by a Rakshasa in a different forest. O innocent one, he is not
thy father whom you regardest so. The revered one is the father of that
celebrated father of thine.' Thus addressed by his mother that best of
Rishis of truthful speech, gave way to sorrow, but soon fired up and
resolved to destroy the whole creation. Then that illustrious and great
ascetic Vasishtha, that foremost of all persons conversant with Brahma,
that son of Mitravaruna, that Rishi acquainted with positive truth,
addressed his grandson who had set his heart upon the destruction of the
world. Hear, O Arjuna, the arguments by which Vasishtha succeeded in
driving out that resolution from his grandson's mind.'
"The Gandharva continued, 'Then Vasishtha said, 'There was a celebrated
king of the name of Kritavirya. That bull among the kings of the earth
was the disciple of the Veda-knowing Bhrigus. That king, O child, after
performing the Soma sacrifice, gratified the Brahmanas with great
presents of rice and wealth. After that monarch had ascended to heaven,
an occasion came when his descendants were in want of wealth. And knowing
that the Bhrigus were rich, those princes went unto those best of
Brahmanas, in the guise of beggars. Some amongst the Bhrigus, to protect
their wealth, buried it under earth; and some from fear of the
Kshatriyas, began to give away their wealth unto (other) Brahmanas; while
some amongst them duly gave unto the Kshatriyas whatever they wanted. It
happened, however, that some Kshatriyas, in digging as they pleased at
the house of particular Bhargava, came upon a large treasure. And the
treasure was seen by all those bulls among Kshatriyas who had been there.
Enraged at what they regarded as the deceitful behaviour of the Bhrigus,
the Kshatriyas insulted the Brahmanas, though the latter asked for mercy.
And those mighty bowmen began to slaughter the Bhrigus with their sharp
arrows. And the Kshatriyas wandered over the earth, slaughtering even the
embryos that were in the wombs of the women of the Bhrigu race. And while
the Bhrigu race was thus being exterminated, the women of that tribe fled
from fear to the inaccessible mountains of Himavat. And one amongst these
women, of tapering thighs, desiring to perpetuate her husband's race,
held in one of her thighs an embryo endued with great energy. A certain
Brahmana woman, however, who came to know this fact, went from fear unto
the Kshatriyas and reported the matter unto them. And the Kshatriyas then
went to destroy that embryo. Arrived at the place, they beheld the
would-be mother blazing with inborn energy, and the child that was in her
thigh came out tearing up the thigh and dazzling the eyes of those
Kshatriyas like the midday sun. Thus deprived of their eyes, the
Kshatriyas began to wander over those inaccessible mountains. And
distressed at the loss of sight, the princes were afflicted with woe, and
desirous of regaining the use of their eyes they resolved to seek the
protection of that faultless woman. Then those Kshatriyas, afflicted with
sorrow, and from loss of sight like unto a fire that hath gone out,
addressed with anxious hearts that illustrious lady, saying, 'By thy
grace. O lady, we wish to be restored to sight. We shall then return to
our homes all together and abstain for ever from our sinful practice. O
handsome one, it behoveth you with your child to show us mercy. It
behoveth you to favour these kings by granting them their eye-sight.'"
--------------------END OF PARVA 1 : UPA-PARVA 180 ---------------------
