(Sambhava Parva continued)
"Vaisampayana said, 'After this Indra again asked Yayati, "Thou didst
retire into the woods, O king, after accomplishing all thy duties. O
Yayati, son of Nahusha, I would ask thee to whom thou art equal in ascetic
austerities." Yayati answered, "O Vasava, I do not, in the matter of
ascetic austerities, behold my equal among men, the celestials, the
Gandharvas, and the great Rishis." Indra then said, "O monarch, because
thou disregardest those that are thy superiors, thy equals, and even thy
inferiors, without, in fact, knowing their real merits, thy virtues have
suffered diminution and thou must fall from heaven." Yayati then said, "O
Sakra, if, indeed, my virtues have really sustained diminution and I must
on that account fall down from heaven, I desire, O chief of the celestials,
that I may at least fall among the virtuous and the honest." Indra replied,
"O king, thou shall fall among those that are virtuous and wise, and thou
shall acquire also much renown. And after this experience of thine, O
Yayati, never again disregard those that are thy superiors or even thy
equals."'
"Vaisampayana continued, 'Upon this, Yayati fell from the region of the
celestials. And as he was falling, he was beheld by that foremost of royal
sages, viz., Ashtaka, the protector of his own religion. Ashtaka beholding
him, enquired, "Who art thou, O youth of a beauty equal to that of Indra,
in splendour blazing as the fire, thus falling from on high? Art thou that
foremost of sky-ranging bodies--the sun--emerging from, dark masses of
clouds? Beholding thee falling from the solar course, possessed of
immeasurable energy and the splendour of fire or the sun, every one is
curious as to what it is that is so falling, and is, besides, deprived of
consciousness! Beholding thee in the path of the celestials, possessed of
energy like that of Sakra, or Surya, or Vishnu, we have approached thee to
ascertain the truth. If thou hadst first asked us who we were, we would
never have been guilty of the incivility of asking thee first. We now ask
thee who thou art and why thou approachest hither. Let thy fears be
dispelled; let thy woes and afflictions cease. Thou art now in the
presence of the virtuous and the wise. Even Sakra himself--the slayer of
Vala--cannot here do thee any injury. O thou of the prowess of the chief
of the celestials, the wise and the virtuous are the support of their
brethren in grief. Here there are none but the wise and virtuous like thee
assembled together. Therefore, stay thou here in peace. Fire alone hath
power to give heat. The Earth alone hath power to infuse life into the
seed. The sun alone hath power to illuminate everything. So the guest
alone hath power to command the virtuous and the wise."'"