SECTION CLXXXI
(Chaitraratha Parva continued)
"Vasishtha continued, 'The Brahmana lady, thus addressed by them, said,
'Ye children, I have not robbed you of your eye-sight, nor am I angry
with you. This child, however, of the Bhrigu race hath certainly been
angry with you. There is little doubt, the children, that the have been
robbed of your sight by that illustrious child whose wrath hath been
kindled at the remembrance of the slaughter of his race. Ye children,
while the were destroying even the embryos of the Bhrigu race, this child
was held by me in my thigh for a hundred years! And in order that the
prosperity of Bhrigu's race might be restored, the entire Vedas with
their branches came unto this one even while he was in the womb. It is
plain that this scion of the Bhrigu race, enraged at the slaughter of his
fathers, desireth to slay you! It is by his celestial energy that your
eyes have been scorched. Therefore, the children, pray the unto this my
excellent child born of my thigh. Propitiated by your homage he may
restore your eye-sight.'
"Vasishtha continued, 'Hearing those words of the Brahmana lady, all
these princes addressed the thigh-born child, saying, 'Be propitious!'
And the child became propitious unto them. And that best of Brahmana
Rishis, in consequence of his having been born after tearing open his
mother's thigh, came to be known throughout the three worlds by the name
of Aurva (thigh-born). And those princes regaining their eye-sight went
away. But the Muni Aurva of the Bhrigu race resolved upon overcoming the
whole world. And the high-souled Rishi set his heart, O child, upon the
destruction of every creature in the world. And that scion of the Bhrigu
race, for paying homage (as he regarded) unto his slaughtered ancestors,
devoted himself to the austerest of penances with the object of
destroying the whole world. And desirous of gratifying his ancestors, the
Rishi afflicted by his severe asceticism the three worlds with the
celestials, the Asuras and human beings. The Pitris, then, learning what
the child of their race was about, all came from their own region unto
the Rishi and addressing him said:
'Aurva, O son, fierce you hast been in your asceticism. Thy power hath
been witnessed by us. Be propitious unto the three worlds. O, control thy
wrath. O child, it was not from incapacity that the Bhrigus of souls
under complete control were, all of them, indifferent to their own
destruction at the hands of the murderous Kshatriyas. O child, when we
grew weary of the long periods of life alloted to us, it was then that we
desired our own destruction through the instrumentality of the
Kshatriyas. The wealth that the Bhrigus had placed in their house
underground had been placed only with the object of enraging the
Kshatriyas and picking a quarrel with them. O you best of Brahmanas, as
we were desirous of heaven, of what use could wealth be to us? The
treasurer of heaven (Kuvera) had kept a large treasure for us. When we
found that death could not, by any means, overtake us all, it was then, O
child, that we regarded this as the best means (of compassing our
desire). They who commit suicide never attain to regions that are
blessed. Reflecting upon this, we abstained from self-destruction. That
which, therefore you desirest to do is not agreeable to us. Restrain thy
mind, therefore, from the sinful act of destroying the whole world. O
child, destroy not the Kshatriyas nor the seven worlds. O, kill this
wrath of yours that staineth your ascetic energy.'"
--------------------END OF PARVA 1 : UPA-PARVA 181 ---------------------
