(Sambhava Parva continued)
"Vaisampayana said, 'The monarch then, as he proceeded, left even his
reduced retinue at the entrance of the hermitage. And entering quite alone
he saw not the Rishi (Kanwa) of rigid vows. And not seeing the Rishi and
finding that the abode was empty, he called loudly, saying, "What ho, who
is here?" And the sound of his voice was echoed back. And hearing the
sound of his voice, there came out of the Rishi's abode a maiden beautiful
as Sri herself but dressed as an ascetic's daughter. And the black-eyed
fair one, as she saw king Dushmanta, bade him welcome and received him
duly. And, showing him due respect by the offer of a seat, water to wash
his feet, and Arghya, she enquired about the monarch's health and peace.
And having worshipped the king and asked him about his health and peace,
the maiden reverentially asked, "What must be done, O king! I await your
commands." The king, duly worshipped by her, said unto that maiden of
faultless features and sweet speech, "I have come to worship the highly-
blessed Rishi Kanwa. Tell me, O amiable and beautiful one, where has the
illustrious Rishi gone?"
"'Sakuntala then answered, "My illustrious father hath gone away from the
asylum to fetch fruit. Wait but a moment and thou wilt see him when he
arrives."'
"Vaisampayana continued, 'The king not seeing the Rishi and addressed thus
by her, beheld that the maiden was exceedingly beautiful and endued with
perfect symmetry of shape. And he saw that she was of sweet smiles. And
she stood decked with the beauty of her faultless features, her ascetic
penances, and her humility. And he saw that she was in the bloom of youth.
He therefore asked her, "Who art thou? And whose daughter, O beautiful
one? Why hast thou come into the woods also? O handsome one, gifted with
so much beauty and such virtues, whence hast thou come? O charming one, at
the very first glance hast thou stolen my heart! I desire to learn all
about thee; therefore tell me all." And thus addressed by the monarch, the
maiden smilingly replied in these sweet words, "O Dushmanta, I am the
daughter of the virtuous, wise, high-souled, and illustrious ascetic
Kanwa."
"'Dushmanta, hearing this, replied, "The universally-worshipped and highly-
blessed Rishi is one whose seed hath been drawn up. Even Dharma himself
might fall off from his course but an ascetic of rigid vows can never fall
off so. Therefore, O thou of the fairest complexion, how hast thou been
born as his daughter? This great doubt of mine it behoveth thee to
dispel."
"'Sakuntala then replied, "Hear, O king, what I have learnt regarding all
that befell me of old and how I became the daughter of the Muni. Once on a
time, a Rishi came here and asked about my birth. All that the illustrious
one (Kanwa) told him, hear now from me, O king!
"'"My father Kanwa, in answer to that Rishi's enquiries, said, 'Viswamitra,
of old, having been engaged in the austerest penances alarmed Indra, the
chief of the celestials, who thought that the mighty ascetic of blazing
energy would, by his penances, hurl him down from his high seat in heaven.
Indra, thus alarmed, summoned Menaka and told her, "Thou, O Menaka, art
the first of celestial Apsaras. Therefore, O amiable one, do me this
service. Hear what I say. This great ascetic Viswamitra like unto the Sun
in splendour, is engaged in the most severe of penances. My heart is
trembling with fear. Indeed, O slender-waisted Menaka, this is thy
business. Thou must see that Viswamitra of soul rapt in contemplation and
engaged in the austerest penances, who might hurl me down from my seat. Go
and tempt him and frustrating his continued austerities accomplish my good.
Win him away from his penances, O beautiful one, by tempting him with thy
beauty, youth, agreeableness, arts, smiles and speech." Hearing all this,
Menaka replied, "The illustrious Viswamitra is endued with great energy
and is a mighty ascetic. He is very short-tempered too, as is known to
thee. The energy, penances, and wrath of the high-souled one have made
even thee anxious. Why should I not also be anxious? He it was who made
even the illustrious Vasishtha bear the pangs of witnessing the premature
death of his children. He it was who, though at first born as Kshatriya,
subsequently became a Brahmana by virtue of his ascetic penances. He it
was who, for purposes of his ablutions, created a deep river that can with
difficulty be forded, and which sacred stream is known by the name of the
Kausiki. It was Viswamitra whose wife, in a season of distress, was
maintained by the royal sage Matanga (Trisanku) who was then living under
a father's curse as a hunter. It was Viswamitra who, on returning after
the famine was over, changed the name of the stream having his asylum from
Kausik into Para. It was Viswamitra who in return for the services of
Matanga, himself became the latter's priest for purposes of a sacrifice.
The lord of the celestials himself went through fear to drink the Soma
juice. It was Viswamitra who in anger created a second world and numerous
stars beginning with Sravana. He it was who granted protection to Trisanku
smarting under a superior's curse. I am frightened to approach him of such
deeds. Tell me, O Indra, the means that should be adopted so that I may
not be burnt by his wrath. He can burn the three worlds by his splendour,
can, by a stamp (of his foot), cause the earth to quake. He can sever the
great Meru from the earth and hurl it to any distance. He can go round the
ten points of the earth in a moment. How can a woman like me even touch
such a one full of ascetic virtues, like unto a blazing fire, and having
his passions under complete control? His mouth is like unto a blazing fire;
the pupils of his eyes are like the Sun and the Moon; his tongue is like
unto Yama himself. How shall, O chief of the celestials, a woman like me
even touch him? At the thought of his prowess Yama, Soma, the great Rishis,
the Saddhyas, the Viswas, Valakhilyas, are terrified! How can a woman like
me gaze at him without alarm? Commanded, however, by thee, O king of the
celestials, I shall somehow approach that Rishi. But, O chief of the gods,
devise thou some plan whereby protected by thee, I may safely move about
that Rishi. I think that when I begin to play before the Rishi, Marut (the
god of wind) had better go there and rob me of my dress, and Manmatha (the
god of love) had also, at thy command, better help me then. Let also Marut
on that occasion bear thither fragrance from the woods to tempt the
Rishi." Saying this and seeing that all she had spoken about had been
duly provided, Menaka went to the retreat of the great Kausika.'"'