Vaisampayana said, "O chief of the Bharata race! then the son of Kunti
went at a slow pace to the two rivers Nanda and Aparananda, which had
the virtue of destroying the dread of sin. And the protector of men
having reached the healthy hill Hemakuta, beheld there very many strange
and inconceivable sights. There the very utterance of words caused the
gathering of clouds, and a thousand volleys of stones. And people at its
sight were struck sad, and were unable to ascend the hill. There the
winds blew for aye, and the heavens always poured down rains; and
likewise the sounds of the recitation of the sacred writ were heard, yet
nobody was seen. In the evening and in the morning would be seen the
blessed fire that carries offerings to the gods and there flies would
bite and interrupt the practice of austerities. And there a sadness
would overtake the soul, and people would become sick. The son of Pandu,
having observed very many strange circumstances of this character again
addressed his questions to Lomasa with reference to these wonderful
things.
"Lomasa said, 'O slayer of foes! O king! I am going to tell thee as we
heard it before; do thou attend to the same with intent mind. In this
peak of Rishava, there was once a saint known by that name. And his life
had lasted for many hundred years. And he was devoted to penances and
was greatly wrathful. And he, forsooth, for having been spoken to by
others, from wrath addressed the hill thus, "Whoever should utter any
words here, thou must throw stones at him, and thou must call up the
winds to prevent him from making any noise." This was what the saint
said. And so at this place, as soon as a man utters any words, he is
forbidden by a roaring cloud. O king! thus these deeds were performed by
that great saint, and from wrath he also forbade other acts. O king!
tradition says that when the gods of yore had come to the Nanda,
suddenly came over (there) a number of men to look at the celestials.
Those same gods at whose head stood Indra did not, however, like to be
seen; and so they rendered this spot inaccessible, by raising
obstructions in the form of hills. And from that day forward, O Kunti's
son! men could not cast their eyes at any time on what looked like a
hill, far less could they ascend the same. This big mountain is
incapable of being seen by one who hath not led an austere life, nor can
such a one ascend it. Therefore, O son of Kunti! keep thou thy tongue
under control. Here at that time all those gods performed the best
sacrificial rites. O Bharata's son! Even up to this day these marks
thereof may be seen. This grass here hath the form of the sacred _kusa_
grass: the ground here seemeth to be overspread with the sacred grass;
and, O lord of men! many of these trees here look like the spots for
tying the sacrificial beasts. O Bharata's son! still the Gods and saints
have residence here; and their sacred fire is observed in the morning
and in the evening. Here if one bathes, his sin is forthwith destroyed,
O Kunti's son! O most praiseworthy of the race of Kuru! do thou,
therefore, perform thy ablutions, together with thy younger brothers.
Then after having washed thyself in the Nanda, thou wilt repair to the
river Kausiki, the spot where the most excellent and severest form of
penances was practised by Viswamitra.' Then the king with his
attendants, having washed his body there, proceeded to the river
Kausiki, which was pure and delightful and pleasant with cool water.
"Lomasa said, 'This is the pure divine river by name Kausiki. O chief of
Bharata's race! and this is the delightful hermitage of Viswamitra,
conspicuous here. And this is a hermitage, with a holy name, belonging
to Kasyapa of mighty soul; whose son was Rishyasringa, devoted to
penances, and of passions under control. He by force of his penances
caused Indra to rain; and that god, the slayer of the demons Vala and
Vritra, dreading him, poured down rain during a drought. That powerful
and mighty son of Kasyapa was born of a hind. He worked a great marvel
in the territory of Lomapada. And when the crops had been restored, king
Lomapada gave his daughter Santa in marriage to him, as the sun gave in
marriage his daughter Savitri.'
"Yudhishthira said, 'How was the son of Kasyapa, Rishyasringa, born of a
hind? And how was he endowed with holiness, being the issue of a
reprehensible sexual connexion? And for what reason was Indra, the
slayer of the demons Vala and Vritra, afraid of that same sagacious boy,
and poured down rain during a period of drought? And how beautiful was
that princess Santa, pure in life, she who allured the heart of him when
he had turned himself into a stag? And since the royal saint Lomapada is
said to have been of a virtuous disposition, why was it that in his
territory, Indra, the chastiser of the demon Paka, had withheld rain? O
holy saint! all this in detail, exactly as it happened, thou wilt be
pleased to narrate to me, for I am desirous of hearing the deeds of
Rishyasringa's life.'
"Lomasa said, 'Hear how Rishyasringa, of dreaded name, was born as a son
to Vibhandaka, who was a saint of the Brahmana caste, who had cultured
his soul by means of religious austerities, whose seed never failed in
causing generation, and who was learned and bright like the Lord of
beings. And the father was highly honoured, and the son was possessed of
a mighty spirit, and, though a boy, was respected by aged men. And that
son of Kasyapa, Vibhandaka, having proceeded to a big lake, devoted
himself to the practice of penances. And that same saint, comparable to
a god, laboured for a long period. And once while he was washing his
mouth in the waters, he beheld the celestial nymph Urvasi--whereupon
came out his seminal fluid. And, O king! a hind at that time lapped it
up along with the water that she was drinking, being athirst; and from
this cause she became with child. That same hind had really been a
daughter of the gods, and had been told of yore by the holy Brahma, the
creator of the worlds, "Thou shall be a hind; and when in that form,
thou shall give birth to a saint; thou shalt then be freed." As Destiny
would have it, and as the word of the creator would not be untrue, in
that same hind was born his (Vibhandaka's) son a mighty saint. And
Rishyasringa, devoted to penances, always passed his days in the forest.
O king! there was a horn on the head of that magnanimous saint and for
this reason did he come to be known at the time by the name of
Rishyasringa. And barring his father, not a man had ever before been
seen by him; therefore his mind, O protector of men! was entirely
devoted to the duties of a continent life. At this very period there was
a ruler of the land of Anga known by the name of Lomapada who was a
friend of Dasaratha. We have heard that he from love of pleasure had
been guilty of a falsehood towards a Brahmana. And that same ruler of
the world had at that time been shunned by all persons of the priestly
class. And he was without a ministering priest (to assist him in his
religious rites). And the god of a thousand eyes (Indra) suddenly
abstained from giving rain in his territory; so that his people began to
suffer and O lord of the earth! he questioned a number of Brahmanas,
devoted to penances, of cultivated minds, and possessed of capabilities
with reference to the matter of rain being granted by the lord of gods,
saying, "How may the heavens grant us the rain? Think of an expedient
(for this purpose)." And those same cultured men, being thus questioned,
gave expression to their respective views. And one among them--the best
of saints--spake to that same king, saying, "O lord of kings! the
Brahmanas are angry with thee. Do some act (therefore) for appeasing
them. O ruler of the earth! send for Rishyasringa, the son of a saint,
resident of the forest knowing nothing of the female sex, and always
taking delight in simplicity. O king! if he, great in the practice of
penances, should show himself in thy territory, forthwith rain would be
granted by the heavens, herein I have no doubt at all." And, O king!
having heard these words Lomapada made atonement for his sins. And he
went away; and when the Brahmanas had been appeased, he returned again,
and seeing the king returned, the people were again glad at heart. Then
the king of Anga convened a meeting of his ministers, proficient in
giving counsel. And he took great pains in order to settle some plan for
securing a visit from Rishyasringa. And, O unswerving (prince)! with
those ministers, who were versed in all branches of knowledge, and
exceedingly proficient in worldly matters, and had a thorough training
in practical affairs, he at last settled a plan (for gaining his
object). And then he sent for a number of courtesans, women of the town,
clever in everything. And when they came, that same ruler of the earth
spake to them, saying, "Ye lovely women! Ye must find some means to
allure, and obtain the confidence of the son of the saint--Rishyasringa,
whom ye must bring over to my territory." And those same women, on the
one hand afraid of the anger of the king and on the other, dreading a
curse from the saint, became sad and confounded, and declared the
business to be beyond their power. One, however, among them--a hoary
woman, thus spake to the king, "O great king! him whose wealth solely
consists in penances, I shall try to bring over here. Thou wilt,
however, have to procure for me certain things, in connection with the
plan. In that case, I may be able to bring over the son of the
saint--Rishyasringa." Thereupon the king gave an order that all that she
might ask for should be procured. And he also gave a good deal of wealth
and jewels of various kinds. And then, O Lord of the earth, she took
with herself a number of women endowed with beauty and youth, and went
to the forest without delay.'"