(Chaitraratha Parva continued)
"'The Gandharva continued, "Then, O Partha, Adrisyanti, who had been
residing in Vasishtha's asylum, brought forth (when the time came) a son
who was the perpetuator of Saktri's race and who was a second Saktri in
everything. O foremost of Bharatas, that best of Munis, the illustrious
Vasishtha himself performed the usual after-birth ceremonies of his
grandson. And, because the Rishi Vasishtha had resolved on self-
destruction but had abstained therefrom as soon as he knew of the
existence of that child, that child, when born, was called Parasara (the
vivifier of the dead). The virtuous Parasara, from the day of his birth,
knew Vasishtha for his father and behaved towards the Muni as such. One
day, O son of Kunti, the child addressed Vasishtha, that first of Brahmana
sages, as father, in the presence of his mother Adrisyanti. Adrisyanti,
hearing the very intelligible sound 'father' sweetly uttered by her son,
addressed him with tearful eyes and said, 'O child, do not address this
thy grandfather as father. Thy father, O son, has been devoured by a
Rakshasa in a different forest. O innocent one, he is not thy father whom
thou regardest so. The revered one is the father of that celebrated father
of thine.' Thus addressed by his mother that best of Rishis of truthful
speech, gave way to sorrow, but soon fired up and resolved to destroy the
whole creation. Then that illustrious and great ascetic Vasishtha, that
foremost of all persons conversant with Brahma, that son of Mitravaruna,
that Rishi acquainted with positive truth, addressed his grandson who had
set his heart upon the destruction of the world. Hear, O Arjuna, the
arguments by which Vasishtha succeeded in driving out that resolution from
his grandson's mind."
"'The Gandharva continued, "Then Vasishtha said, 'There was a celebrated
king of the name of Kritavirya. That bull among the kings of the earth was
the disciple of the Veda-knowing Bhrigus. That king, O child, after
performing the Soma sacrifice, gratified the Brahmanas with great presents
of rice and wealth. After that monarch had ascended to heaven, an occasion
came when his descendants were in want of wealth. And knowing that the
Bhrigus were rich, those princes went unto those best of Brahmanas, in the
guise of beggars. Some amongst the Bhrigus, to protect their wealth,
buried it under earth; and some from fear of the Kshatriyas, began to give
away their wealth unto (other) Brahmanas; while some amongst them duly
gave unto the Kshatriyas whatever they wanted. It happened, however, that
some Kshatriyas, in digging as they pleased at the house of particular
Bhargava, came upon a large treasure. And the treasure was seen by all
those bulls among Kshatriyas who had been there. Enraged at what they
regarded as the deceitful behaviour of the Bhrigus, the Kshatriyas
insulted the Brahmanas, though the latter asked for mercy. And those
mighty bowmen began to slaughter the Bhrigus with their sharp arrows. And
the Kshatriyas wandered over the earth, slaughtering even the embryos that
were in the wombs of the women of the Bhrigu race. And while the Bhrigu
race was thus being exterminated, the women of that tribe fled from fear
to the inaccessible mountains of Himavat. And one amongst these women, of
tapering thighs, desiring to perpetuate her husband's race, held in one of
her thighs an embryo endued with great energy. A certain Brahmana woman,
however, who came to know this fact, went from fear unto the Kshatriyas
and reported the matter unto them. And the Kshatriyas then went to destroy
that embryo. Arrived at the place, they beheld the would-be mother blazing
with inborn energy, and the child that was in her thigh came out tearing
up the thigh and dazzling the eyes of those Kshatriyas like the midday sun.
Thus deprived of their eyes, the Kshatriyas began to wander over those
inaccessible mountains. And distressed at the loss of sight, the princes
were afflicted with woe, and desirous of regaining the use of their eyes
they resolved to seek the protection of that faultless woman. Then those
Kshatriyas, afflicted with sorrow, and from loss of sight like unto a fire
that hath gone out, addressed with anxious hearts that illustrious lady,
saying, "By thy grace. O lady, we wish to be restored to sight. We shall
then return to our homes all together and abstain for ever from our sinful
practice. O handsome one, it behoveth thee with thy child to show us mercy.
It behoveth thee to favour these kings by granting them their
eye-sight.'"'"