"'Bhishma said, "King Nahusha hearing the pass to which Chyavana was
reduced, quickly proceeded to that spot accompanied by his ministers and
priest. Having cleansed himself duly, the king, with joined palms and
concentrated attention, introduced himself unto the high-souled Chyavana.
The king's priest then worshipped with due ceremonies that Rishi, O
monarch, who was observant of the vow of truth and endued with a high
soul, and who resembled a god himself (in splendour and energy).
"'"Nahusha said, 'Tell me, O best of regenerate persons, what act shall we
do that may be agreeable to thee? However difficult that act may be,
there is nothing, O holy one, that I shall not be able to accomplish at
thy bidding.'
"'"Chyavana said, 'These men that live by catching fish have all been tired
with labour. Do thou pay them the price that may be set upon me along
with the value of these fish.'
"'"Nahusha said, 'Let my priest give unto these Nishadas a thousand coins
as a price for purchasing these sacred one as he himself has commanded.'
"'"Chyavana said, 'A thousand coins cannot represent my price. The question
depends upon your discretion. Give them a fair value, settling with thy
own intelligence what it should be.'
"'"Nahusha said, 'Let, O learned Brahmana, a hundred thousand coins be
given unto these Nishadas. Shall this be thy price, O holy one, or dost
think otherwise?'
"'"Chyavana said, 'I should not be purchased for a hundred thousand coins,
O best of monarchs! Let a proper price be given unto them. Do thou
consult with thy ministers.'
"'"Nahusha said, 'Let my priest give unto these Nishadas a crore of coins.
If even this does not represent thy price, let more be paid unto them.'
"'"Chyavana said, 'O king, I do not deserve to be purchased for a crore of
coins or even more. Let that price be given unto those men which would be
fair or proper. Do thou consult with the Brahmanas.'
"'"Nahusha said, 'Let half of my kingdom or even the whole be given away
unto these Nishadas. I think that would represent thy price. What,
however, dost thou think, O regenerate one?'
"'"Chyavana said, 'I do not deserve to be purchased with half thy kingdom
or even the whole of it, O king! Let thy price which is proper be given
unto these men. Do thou consult with the Rishis.'"
"'Bhishma continued, "Hearing these words of the great Rishi, Nahusha
became afflicted with great grief. With his ministers and priest he began
to deliberate on the matter. There then came unto king Nahusha an ascetic
living in the woods and subsisting upon fruit and roots and born of a
cow. That best of regenerate persons, addressing the monarch, O king,
said these words, 'I shall soon gratify thee. The Rishi also will be
gratified. I shall never speak an untruth.--no, not even in jest, what
then need I say of other occasions? Thou shouldst, without any scruple,
do what I bid thee.'
"'"Nahusha said, 'Do thou, O illustrious one, say what the price is of that
great Rishi of Bhrigu's race. O, save me from this terrible pass, save my
kingdom, and save my race! If the holy Chyavana became angry, he would
destroy the three worlds: what need I say them of my poor self who is
destitute of penances and who depends only upon the might of his arm? O
great Rishi, do thou become the raft unto us that have all fallen into a
fathomless ocean with all our counsellors and our priest! Do thou settle
what the price should be of the Rishi.'"
"'Bhishma said, "Hearing these words of Nahusha, the ascetic born of a cow
and endued with great energy spoke in this strain, gladdening the monarch
and all his counsellors, 'Brahmanas, O king, belong to the foremost of
the four orders. No value, however great, can be set upon them. Cows also
are invaluable. Therefore, O chief of men, do thou regard a cow as the
value of the Rishi.' Hearing these words of the great Rishi, Nahusha
became, O king, filled with joy along with all his counsellors and
priest. Proceeding then to the presence of Bhrigu's son, Chyavana, of
rigid vows, he addressed him thus, O monarch, for gratifying him to the
best of his ability.
"'"Nahusha said, 'Rise, rise, O regenerate Rishi, thou hast been purchased,
O son of Bhirgu, with a cow as thy price. O foremost of righteous
persons, even this, I think, is thy price.'
"'"Chyavana said. 'Yes, O king of kings, I do rise up. I have been properly
purchased by thee, O sinless one! I do not, O thou of unfading glory, see
any wealth that is equal to kine. To speak of kine, to hear others speak
of them, to make gifts of kine, and to see kine, O king, are acts that
are all applauded, O hero, and that are highly auspicious and
sin-cleansing. Kine are always the root of prosperity. There is no fault
in kine. Kine always afford the best food, in the form of Havi, unto the
deities. The sacred Mantras, Swaha and Vashat, are always established
upon kine. Kine are the chief conductresses of sacrifices. They
constitute the mouth of sacrifice. They bear and yield excellent and
strength-giving nectar. They receive the worship of all the worlds and
are regarded as the source of nectar. On earth, kine resemble fire in
energy and form. Verily, kine represent high energy, and are bestowers of
great happiness upon all creatures. That country where kine, established
by their owners, breathe fearlessly, shines in beauty. The sins also of
that country are all washed off. Kine constitute the stairs that lead to
heaven. Kine are adored in heaven itself. Kine are goddesses that are
competent to give everything and grant every wish. There is nothing else
in the world that is so high or so superior!'"[305]
"'Bhishma continued, "Even this is what I say unto thee on the subject of
the glory and superiority of kine, O chief of Bharata's race. I am
competent to proclaim a part only of the merits that attach to kine. I
have not the ability to exhaust the subject!
"'"Then Nishadas said, 'O ascetic, thou hast seen us and hast also spoken
with us. It has been said that friendship with those that are good,
depends upon only seven words[306]. Do thou then, O lord, show us thy
grace. The blazing sacrificial fire eats all the oblations of clarified
butter poured upon it. Of righteous soul, and possessed of great energy
thou art among men, a blazing fire in energy. We propitiate thee, O thou
of great learning! We surrender ourselves to thee. Do thou, for showing
us favour, take back from us this cow.'
"'"Chyavana said, 'The eye of a person that is poor or that has fallen into
distress, the eye of an ascetic, or the eye of a snake of virulent
poison, consumes a man with his very roots, even as a fire that, blazing
up with the assistance of the wind, consumes a stack of dry grass or
straw. I shall accept the cow that ye desire to present me. Ye fishermen,
freed from every sin, go ye to heaven without any delay, with these
fishes also that ye have caught with your nets.'"
"'Bhishma continued, "After this, in consequence of the energy of the
great Rishi of cleansed soul, those fishermen along with all those fish
through virtue of those words that he had uttered, proceeded to heaven.
King Nahusha, beholding the fishermen ascending to heaven with those
fishes in their company, became filled with wonder, O chief of Bharata's
race. After this, the two Rishis, viz., the one born of a cow and the
other who was Chyavana of Bhrigu's race, gladdened king Nahusha by
granting him many boons. Then king Nahusha of great energy, that lord of
all the earth, filled with joy, O best of the Bharatas, said,
'Sufficient!' Like unto a second Indra, the chief of the celestials, he
accepted the boon about his own steadiness in virtue. The Rishis having
granted him the boon, the delighted king worshipped them both with great
reverence. As regards Chyavana, his vow having been completed, he
returned to his own asylum. The Rishi that had taken his birth from the
cow, and who was endued with great energy, also proceeded to his own
retreat. The Nishadas all ascended to heaven as also the fishes they had
caught, O monarch. King Nahusha, too, having obtained those valuable
boons, entered his own city. I have thus, O son, told thee everything
respecting what thou hadst asked me. The affection that is generated by
the sight alone of others as also by the fact of living with them, O
Yudhishthira, and the high-blessedness of kine too, and the ascertainment
of true righteousness, are the topics upon which I have discoursed. Tell
me, O hero what else is in thy breast."'"