"Lomasa said, 'At that very time, the mighty king, Vrihadyumna, of high
fortune, who was the _Yajamana_ of Raivya, commenced a sacrifice. And
the two sons of Raivya, Arvavasu and Paravasu, were engaged by that
intelligent monarch, to assist him in the performance of the ceremony.
And, O son of Kunti, taking the permission of their father, they two
went to the sacrifice, while Raivya with Paravasu's wife remained in the
hermitage. And it came to pass that one day, desirous of seeing his
wife, Paravasu returned home alone. And he met his father in the wood,
wrapped in the skin of a black antelope. And the night was far advanced
and dark; and Paravasu, blinded by drowsiness in that deep wood, mistook
his father for a straggling deer. And mistaking him for a deer,
Paravasu, for the sake of personal safety, unintentionally killed his
father. Then, O son of Bharata, after performing the funeral rites (of
his father), he returned to the sacrifice and there addressed his
brother saying, "Thou wilt never be able to perform this task
unassisted. I again, have killed our father, mistaking him for a deer. O
brother, for me do thou observe a vow, prescribed in the case of killing
a Brahmana. O Muni, I shall be able to perform this work (sacrifice),
without any assistant." Arvavasu said, "Do thou then thyself officiate
at this sacrifice of the gifted Vrihadyumna; and for thee will I,
bringing my senses under perfect control, observe the vow prescribed in
the case of slaying a Brahmana."'
"Lomasa said, 'Having observed the vow relative to the killing of a
Brahmana, the sage Arvavasu came back to the sacrifice. Seeing his
brother arrive, Paravasa, in accents choked with malice, addressed
Vrihadyumna, saying, "O king, see that this slayer of a Brahmana enter
not into thy sacrifice, nor look at it. Even by a glance, the killer of
a Brahmana can, without doubt, do thee harm." O lord of men, immediately
on hearing this, the king ordered his attendants (to turn out Arvavasu).
O king, on being driven out by the king's attendants, and repeatedly
addressed by them--"_O slayer of a Brahmana_"--Arvavasu more than once
cried, "It is not I that have killed a Brahmana." Nor did he own that he
had observed the vow for his own sake. He said that his brother had
committed the sin, and that he had freed him therefrom. Having said this
in anger, and being reprimanded by the attendants, the Brahmana sage of
austere penances, retired in silence into the woods. There betaking
himself to the severest penances, the great Brahmana sought the
protection of the Sun. Thereupon, the revelation teaching the _mantra_
relative to the worship of the Sun, became manifest unto him and that
eternal deity who obtaineth his share (of the sacrificial butter) first,
appeared before him in an embodied form.'
"Lomasa said, 'The celestials, O king, were well pleased with Arvavasu
for his acts. And they made him engaged as the chief priest in the
sacrifice (of Vrihadyumna), and Paravasu to be dismissed from it. Then
Agni and the other celestials (of their own accord) bestowed boons on
Arvavasu. And they also prayed that his father might be restored to
life. He further prayed that his brother might be absolved from his sin;
that his father might have no recollection of his having been slain;
that Bharadwaja and Yavakri might both be restored to life; and that the
solar revelation might attain celebrity (on earth). Then the god said,
"So be it," and conferred on him other boons also. Thereat, O
Yudhishthira, all of these persons regained their life. Yavakri now
addressed Agni and the other deities, saying, "I had obtained a
knowledge of all the Vedas, and also practised penances. How came it
then, O chiefs of the immortals, that Raivya succeeded in killing me in
that way?" Thereupon the gods said, "O Yavakri, never act again as those
have done. What thou askest about is quite possible, for thou hast
learnt the Vedas without exertion, and without the help of a preceptor.
But this man (Raivya) bearing various troubles, had satisfied his
preceptor by his conduct, and obtained (from the latter) the excellent
Vedas through great exertions and in a long time."'
"Lomasa said, 'Having said this to Yavakri, and restored all those to
life, the celestials with Indra at their head, ascended to heaven. Here,
O Yudhishthira, is the sacred hermitage of that sage embellished with
trees bearing blossoms and fruits at all seasons. O tiger among kings,
dwelling at this spot, thou wilt be delivered from all thy sins.'"