Janamejaya said, "It behoveth thee to narrate to me in full the
greatness of the Brahmanas even as the mighty ascetic Markandeya had
expounded it to the sons of Pandu."
Vaisampayana said, "The eldest son of Pandu had asked Markandeya saying,
'It behoveth thee to expound to me the greatness of Brahmanas.'
Markandeya answered him saying, 'Hear, O king, about the behaviour of
Brahmanas in days of old.'
"And Markandeya continued, 'There was a king, by name Parikshit in
Ayodhya and belonging to the race of Ikshvaku. And once upon a time
Parikshit went a-hunting. And as he was riding alone on a horse chasing
deer, the animal led him to a great distance (from the habitations of
men). And fatigued by the distance he had ridden and afflicted with
hunger and thirst he beheld in that part of the country whither he had
been led, a dark and dense forest, and the king, beholding that forest,
entered it and seeing a delightful tank within the forest, both the
rider and the horse bathed in it, and refreshed by the bath and placing
before his horse some stalks and fibres of the lotus, the king sat by
the side of the tank. And while he was lying by the side of the tank, he
heard certain sweet strains of music, and hearing those strains, he
reflected, "I do not see here the foot-prints of men. Whose and whence
then these strains?" And the king soon beheld a maiden of great beauty
gathering flowers singing all the while, and the maiden soon came before
the king, and the king thereupon asked her, "Blessed one, who art thou
and whose?" And she replied, "I am a maiden." And the king said, "I ask
thee to be mine." And the maiden answered, "Give me a pledge, for then
only I can be thine, else not." And the king then asked about the pledge
and the girl answered, "Thou wilt never make me cast my eyes on water",
and the king saying, "So be it," married her, and king Parikshit having
married her sported (with her) in great joy, and sat with her in
silence, and while the king was staying there, his troops reached the
spot, and those troops beholding the monarch stood surrounding him, and
cheered by the presence of troops, the king entered a handsome vehicle
accompanied by his (newly) wedded wife. And having arrived at his
capital he began to live with her in privacy. And persons that were even
near enough to the king could not obtain any interview with him and the
minister-in-chief enquired of those females that waited upon the king,
asking, "What do ye do here?" And those women replied, "We behold here a
female of unrivalled beauty. And the king sporteth with her, having
married her with a pledge that he would never show her water." And
hearing those words, the minister-in-chief caused an artificial forest
to be created, consisting of many trees with abundant flowers and
fruits, and he caused to be excavated within that forest and towards one
of its sides a large tank, placed in a secluded spot and full of water
that was sweet as _Amrita_. The tank was well covered with a net of
pearls. Approaching the king one day in private, he addressed the king
saying, "This is a fine forest without water. Sport thou here joyfully!"
And the king at those words of his minister entered that forest with
that adorable wife of his, and the king sported with her in that
delightful forest, and afflicted with hunger and thirst and fatigued and
spent, the king beheld a bower of Madhavi creepers[8] and entering that
bower with his dear one, the king beheld a tank full of water that was
transparent and bright as nectar, and beholding that tank, the king sat
on its bank with her and the king told his adorable wife, "Cheerfully do
thou plunge into this water!" And she, hearing those words plunged into
the tank. But having plunged into the water she appeared not above the
surface, and as the king searched, he failed to discover any trace of
her. And the king ordered the waters of the tank to be baled out, and
thereupon he beheld a frog sitting at the mouth of a hole, and the king
was enraged at this and promulgated an order saying, "Let frogs be
slaughtered everywhere in my dominions! Whoever wishes to have an
interview with me must come before me with a tribute of dead frogs." And
accordingly when frogs began to be terribly slaughtered, the affrighted
frogs represented all that had happened unto their king, and the king of
the frogs assuming the garb of an ascetic came before the king
Parikshit, and having approached the monarch, he said, "O king, give not
thyself up to wrath! Be inclined to grace. It behoveth thee not to slay
the innocent frogs." Here occurs a couple of _Slokas_. (They are
these):--"O thou of unfading glory, slay not the frogs! Pacify thy
wrath! The prosperity and ascetic merits of those that have their souls
steeped in ignorance suffer diminution! Pledge thyself not to be angry
with the frogs! What need hast thou to commit such sin! What purpose
will be served by slaying the frogs!" Then king Parikshit whose soul was
filled with woe on account of the death of her that was dear to him,
answered the chief of the frogs who had spoken to him thus, "I will not
forgive the frogs. On the other hand, I will slay them. By these wicked
wretches hath my dear one been swallowed up. The frogs, therefore,
always deserve to be killed by me. It behoveth thee not, O learned one,
to intercede on their behalf." And hearing these words of Parikshit, the
king of the frogs with his senses and mind much pained said, "Be
inclined to grace, O king! I am the king of the frogs by name Ayu. She
who was thy wife is my daughter of the name of Susobhana. This, indeed,
is an instance of her bad conduct. Before this, many kings were deceived
by her." The king thereupon said to him, "I desire to have her. Let her
be granted to me by thee!" The king of the frogs thereupon bestowed his
daughter upon Parikshit, and addressing her said, "Wait upon and serve
the king." And having spoken these words to his daughter, he also
addressed her in wrath saying, "Since thou hast deceived many Kings for
this untruthful behaviour of thine, thy offspring will prove
disrespectful to Brahmanas!" But having obtained her, the king became
deeply enamoured of her in consequence of her companionable virtues, and
feeling that he had, as it were, obtained the sovereignty of the three
worlds, he bowed down to the king of the frogs and reverenced him in due
form and then with utterance choked in joy and tears said, "I have been
favoured indeed!" And the king of the frogs obtaining the leave of his
daughter, returned to the place from which he had come and some time
after the king begot three sons upon her and those sons were named Sala
and Dala and Vala, and some time after, their father, installing the
eldest of them of all on the throne and setting his heart on asceticism,
retired into the forest. One day Sala while out a-hunting, beheld a deer
and pursued it, on his car, and the prince said to his charioteer,
"Drive thou fast." And the charioteer, thus addressed, replied unto the
king, saying, "Do not entertain such a purpose. This deer is incapable
of being caught by thee. If indeed _Vami_ horses had been yoked to thy
car, then couldst thou have taken it." Thereupon the king addressed his
charioteer, saying, "Tell me all about _Vami_ horses, otherwise I will
slay thee." Thus addressed the charioteer became dreadfully alarmed and
he was afraid of the king and also of Vamadeva's curse and told not the
king anything and the king then lifting up his scimitar said to him,
"Tell me soon, else I will slay thee." At last afraid of the king, the
charioteer said, "The _Vami_ horses are those belonging to Vamadeva;
they are fleet as the mind." And unto his charioteer who had said so,
the king said, "Repair thou to the asylum of Vamadeva." And reaching the
asylum of Vamadeva the king said unto that _Rishi_, "O holy one, a deer
struck by me is flying away. It behoveth thee to make it capable of
being seized by me by granting me thy pair of _Vami_ horses." The
_Rishi_ then answered him saying, "I give thee my pair of _Vami_ horses.
But after accomplishing thy object, my _Vami_ pair you should soon
return." The king then taking those steeds and obtaining the leave of
the _Rishi_ pursued the deer, having yoked the _Vami_ pair unto his car,
and after he had left the asylum he spoke unto his charioteer saying,
"These jewels of steeds the Brahmanas do not deserve to possess. These
should not be returned to Vamadeva." Having said this and seized the
deer he returned to his capital and placed those steeds within the inner
apartments of the palace.
[8] An Indian creeper of the order of _Goertnera racemosa_. It
bears large white flowers of much fragrance.
"'Meanwhile the _Rishi_ reflected, "The prince is young. Having obtained
an excellent pair of animals, he is sporting with it in joy without
returning it to me. Alas, what a pity it is!" And reflecting in this
strain, the _Rishi_ said unto a disciple of his, after the expiration of
a month, "Go, O Atreya, and say to the king that if he has done with the
_Vami_ steeds, he should return them unto thy preceptor." And the
disciple Atreya, thereupon, repairing to the king, spoke unto him as
instructed, and the king replied saying, "This pair of steeds deserves
to be owned by kings. The Brahmanas do not deserve to possess jewels of
such value. What business have Brahmanas with horses? Return thou
contentedly!" And Atreya, thus addressed by the king, returned and told
his preceptor all that had happened, and hearing this sad intelligence,
Vamadeva's heart was filled with wrath, and repairing in person to the
king he asked him for his steeds, and the king refused to give the
_Rishi_ what the latter asked, and Vamadeva said, "O lord of earth, give
me thou my _Vami_ horses. By them hast thou accomplished a task which
was almost incapable of being accomplished by thee. By transgressing the
practices of Brahmanas and Kshatriyas, subject not thyself, O king, to
death by means of the terrible noose of Varuna." And hearing this, the
king answered, "O Vamadeva, this couple of excellent well-trained, and
docile bulls are fit animals for Brahmanas. O great _Rishi_, (take them
and) go with them wherever thou likest. Indeed, the very _Vedas_ carry
persons like thee." Then Vamadeva said, "O king, the _Vedas_ do, indeed,
carry persons like us. But that is in the world hereafter. In this
world, however, O king, animals like these carry me and persons like me
as also all others." At this the king answered, "Let four asses carry
thee, or four mules of the best kind, or even four steeds endued with
the speed of the wind. Go thou with these. This pair of _Vami_ horses,
however, deserves to be owned by Kshatriyas. Know thou, therefore, that
these are not thine." At this, Vamadeva said, "O king, terrible vows
have been ordained for the Brahmanas. If I have lived in their
observance, let four fierce and mighty Rakshasas of terrible mien and
iron bodies, commanded by me, pursue thee with desire of slaying, and
carry thee on their sharp lances, having cut up thy body into four
parts." Hearing this, the king said, "Let those, O Vamadeva, that know
thee as a Brahmana that in thought, word, and deed, is desirous of
taking life, at my command, armed with bright lances and swords
prostrate thee with thy disciples before me." Then Vamadeva answered, "O
king, having obtained these my _Vami_ steeds, thou hadst said, '_I will
return them_.' Therefore, give me back my _Vami_ steeds, so thou mayst
be able to protect thy life." Hearing this, the king said, "Pursuit of
deer hath not been ordained for the Brahmanas. I do punish thee,
however, for thy untruthfulness. From this day, too, obeying all thy
commands I will, O Brahmana, attain to regions of bliss." Vamadeva then
said, "A Brahmana cannot be punished in thought, word or deed. That
learned person who by ascetic austerities succeedeth in knowing a
Brahmana to be so, faileth not to attain to prominence in this world."'
"Markandeya continued, 'After Vamadeva had said this, there arose, O
king, (four) _Rakshasas_ of terrible mien, and as they, with lances in
their hands, approached the king for slaying him, the latter cried
aloud, saying, "If, O Brahmana, all the descendants of Ikshvaku's race,
if (my brother) Dala, if all these Vaisyas acknowledge my sway, then I
will not yield up the _Vami_ steeds to Vamadeva, for these men can never
be virtuous." And while he was uttering those words, those _Rakshasas_
slew him, and the lord of earth was soon prostrated on the ground. And
the Ikshvakus, learning that their king had been slain, installed Dala
on the throne, and the Brahmana Vamadeva thereupon going to the kingdom
(of the Ikshvakus), addressed the new monarch, saying, "O king, it hath
been declared in all the sacred books that persons should give away unto
Brahmanas. If thou fearest sin, O king, give me now the _Vami_ steeds
without delay." And hearing these words of Vamadeva, the king in anger
spoke unto his charioteer, saying, "Bring me an arrow from those I have
kept, which is handsome to behold and tempered with poison, so that
pierced by it Vamadeva may lie prostrate in pain, torn by the dogs."
Hearing this, Vamadeva answered, "I know, O king, that thou hast a son
of ten years of age, called Senajita, begotten upon thy queen. Urged by
my word, slay thou that dear boy of thine without delay by means of thy
frightful arrows!"'
"Markandeya continued, 'At these words of Vamadeva, O king, that arrow
of fierce energy, shot by the monarch, slew the prince in the inner
apartments, and hearing this, Dala said there and then, "Ye people of
Ikshvaku's race, I will do ye good. I shall slay this Brahmana today,
grinding him with force. Bring me another arrow of fierce energy. Ye
lords of earth, behold my prowess now." And at these words of Dala,
Vamadeva said, "This arrow of terrible mien and tempered with poison,
that thou aimest at me, thou shall not, O ruler of men, be able to aim
nor even to shoot." And thereupon the king said, "Ye men of Ikshvaku's
race, behold me incapable of shooting the arrow that hath been taken up
by me. I fail to compass the death of this Brahmana. Let Vamadeva who is
blessed with a long life live." Then Vamadeva said, "Touching thy queen
with this arrow, thou mayst purge thyself of the sin (of attempting to
take the life of a Brahmana)." And king Dala did as he was directed and
the queen then addressed the _Muni_, and said, "O Vamadeva, let me be
able to duly instruct this wretched husband of mine from day to day,
imparting unto him words of happy import; and let me always wait upon
and serve the Brahmanas, and by this acquire, O Brahmana, the sacred
regions hereafter." And hearing these words of the queen, Vamadeva said,
"O thou of beautiful eyes, thou hast saved this royal race. Beg thou an
incomparable boon. I will grant thee whatever thou mayst ask. And, O
thou faultless one, rule thou, O princess, these thy kinsmen and this
great kingdom of the Ikshvakus!" And hearing these words of Vamadeva the
princess said, "This, O holy one, is the boon I seek, viz., that my
husband may now be freed from his sin, and that thou mayst be employed
in thinking of the weal of his son and kinsmen. This is the boon that I
ask, O thou foremost of Brahmanas!"'
"Markandeya continued, 'Hearing these words of the queen, that _Muni_, O
thou foremost of the Kuru race, said, "So be it." And thereupon king
Dala became highly glad and gave unto the _Muni_ his _Vami_ steeds,
having bowed down unto him with reverence!'"