SECTION CXXI
"Narada said, 'Removed from his place and pushed away from his seat with
heart trembling in fear, and consumed by burning remorse, with his
garlands dimmed in lustre and his knowledge clouded, shorn of his crown
and bracelets, with head swimming and every limb relaxed divested of
ornaments and robes, incapable of being recognised, sometimes not seeing
the other residents of heaven, filled with despair, and his understanding
a perfect blank, king Yayati fell headlong towards the earth. And before
the king fell down, he thought within himself, 'What inauspicious and
sinful thought was entertained by me in consequence of which I am hurled
from my place?' And all the kings there, as also the Siddhas and the
Apsaras, laughed at seeing Yayati losing his hold, and on the point of
falling down. And soon, O king, at the command of the king of the gods,
there came a person whose business it was to hurl down those whose merits
were exhausted. And coming there, he said unto Yayati, 'Extremely
intoxicated with pride, there is none whom you hast not disregarded. In
consequence of this your pride, heaven is no longer for thee. Thou
deservest not a residence here, O son of a king. Thou are not recognised
here, go and fall down.' Even thus the celestial messenger spoke unto
him, Nahusha's son then said, repeating the words three times, 'If fall I
must, let me fall amongst the righteous.' And saying this, that foremost
of persons that had won high regions by their acts, began to think of the
particular region whereon he should fall. Beholding meanwhile four mighty
kings, viz., Pratardana, Vasumanas, Sivi, the son of Usinara, and
Ashtaka, assembled together in the woods of Naimisha, the king fell
amongst them. And those monarchs were then engaged in gratifying the lord
of the celestials by performance of the sacrifice known by the name of
Vajapeya. And the smoke arising from their sacrificial altar reached the
very gates of heaven. And the smoke that rose thus, looked like a river
connecting both the earth and the heaven. And it resembled the sacred
stream Ganga while descending from heaven to earth. And smelling that
smoke and guiding his course by it, Yayati, the lord of the universe,
descended on the earth. And the king thus fell amongst those four lions
among rulers, who were all endued with great beauty, who were foremost of
all the performers of sacrifices, who were, indeed, his own relatives,
and who resembled the four regents of the four quarters, and looked like
four mighty sacrificial fires. And thus, in consequence of the exhaustion
of his merits, the royal sage Yayati fell amongst them. And beholding him
blazing with beauty, those kings asked him, saying, "Who are thou? Of
what race, country, or city are thou? Art you a Yaksha, or a god, a
Gandharva, or a Rakshasa? Thou does not seem to be a human being. What
object hast you in view?' Thus questioned, Yayati answered, 'I am the
royal sage Yayati. Fallen am I from heaven in consequence of the
expiration of my virtue. Having desired to fall amongst the righteous, I
have fallen amongst you.' The kings then said, 'O foremost of persons,
may that wish of thine, be realized. Accept you our virtues and the
fruits of all our sacrifices.' Yayati replied saying, 'I am not a
Brahmana competent to accept a gift. On the other hand, I am a Kshatriya.
Nor is my heart inclined towards lessening the virtues of others.'
"Narada continued, 'About this time, Madhavi, in course of her
purposeless wanderings, came there. Beholding her, those monarchs saluted
her and said, 'What object hast you in coming here? What command of
thine shall we obey? Thou deservest to command us, for all of us are thy
sons, O you that are endued with wealth of asceticism!' Hearing these
words of theirs, Madhavi was filled with delight and approaching then her
father, she reverentially saluted Yayati. And touching the heads of all
her sons, that lady engaged in ascetic austerities said to her father,
'Being my sons these all are your daughter's sons, O king of kings. They
are not strangers to thee. These will save thee. The practice is not new,
its origin extends to antiquity. I am your daughter Madhavi, O king,
living in the woods after the manner of the deer. I also have earned
virtue. Take you a moiety. And because, O king, all men have a right to
enjoy a portion of the merits earned by their offspring, it is for this
that they desire to have daughter's sons. Even this was the case with
thyself, O king (when you madest me over to Galava).' At these words of
their mother, those monarchs saluted her, and bowing down unto also their
maternal grandsire, repeated those very words in a loud, incomparable,
and sweet voice, and making, as it were, the whole earth resounded
therewith, in order to rescue that maternal grandsire of theirs who had
fallen down from heaven. And at that time Galava also came there, and
addressing Yayati, said, 'Accepting an eighth part of my ascetic
austerities, ascend you to heaven again.'"
--------------------END OF PARVA 5 : UPA-PARVA 121 ---------------------
