From Mahadeo's urine numerous vegetables began to spring up. Parvati
ate of these and became pregnant and gave birth to eighteen
threshing-floors [47] of Brahman gods and twelve threshing-floors
of Gond gods. All the Gonds were scattered over the jungle. They
behaved like Gonds and not like good Hindus, with lamentable results,
as follows: [48]
Hither and thither all the Gonds were scattered in the jungle.
Places, hills, and valleys were filled with these Gonds.
Even trees had their Gonds. How did the Gonds conduct themselves?
Whatever came across them they must needs kill and eat it;
They made no distinction. If they saw a jackal they killed
And ate it; no distinction was observed; they respected not
antelope, sambhar and the like.
They made no distinction in eating a sow, a quail, a pigeon,
A crow, a kite, an adjutant, a vulture,
A lizard, a frog, a beetle, a cow, a calf, a he- and she-buffalo,
Rats, bandicoots, squirrels--all these they killed and ate.
So began the Gonds to do. They devoured raw and ripe things;
They did not bathe for six months together;
They did not wash their faces properly, even on dunghills they
would fall down and remain.
Such were the Gonds born in the beginning. A smell was spread
over the jungle
When the Gonds were thus disorderly behaved; they became
disagreeable to Mahadeva,
Who said: "The caste of the Gonds is very bad;
I will not preserve them; they will ruin my hill Dhawalgiri."
Mahadeo then determined to get rid of the Gonds. With this view he
invited them all to a meeting. When they sat down Mahadeo made a
squirrel from the rubbings of his body and let it loose in the middle
of the Gonds. All the Gonds at once got up and began to chase it,
hoping for a meal. They seized sticks and stones and clods of earth,
and their unkempt hair flew in the wind. The squirrel dodged about
and ran away, and finally, directed by Mahadeo, ran into a large cave
with all the Gonds after it. Mahadeo then rolled a large stone to the
mouth of the cave and shut up all the Gonds in it. Only four remained
outside, and they fled away to Kachikopa Lohagarh, or the Iron Cave
in the Red Hill, and lived there. Meanwhile Parvati perceived that
the smell of the Gonds, which had pleased her, had vanished from
Dhawalgiri. She desired it to be restored and commenced a devotion. For
six months she fasted and practised austerities. Bhagwan (God) was
swinging in a swing. He was disturbed by Parvati's devotion. He sent
Narayan (the sun) to see who was fasting. Narayan came and found
Parvati and asked her what she wanted. She said that she missed her
Gonds and wanted them back. Narayan told Bhagwan, who promised that
they should be given back.