(Sambhava Parva continued)

"Bhishma continued, 'In olden days, Rama, the son of Jamadagni, in anger
at the death of his father, slew with his battle axe the king of the
Haihayas. And Rama, by cutting off the thousand arms of Arjuna (the
Haihaya king), achieved a most difficult feat in the world. Not content
with this, he set out on his chariot for the conquest of the world, and
taking up his bow he cast around his mighty weapons to exterminate the
Kshatriyas. And the illustrious scion of Bhrigu's race, by means of his
swift arrows annihilated the Kshatriya tribe one and twenty times.

"And when the earth was thus deprived of Kshatriyas by the great Rishi,
the Kshatriya ladies all over the land had offspring raised by Brahmanas
skilled in the Vedas. It has been said in the Vedas that the sons so
raised belongeth to him that had married the mother. And the Kshatriya
ladies went in unto the Brahamanas not lustfully but from motives of
virtue. Indeed, it was thus that the Kshatriya race was revived.

"In this connection there is another old history that I will recite to
you. There was in olden days a wise Rishi of the name of Utathya. He had
a wife of the name Mamata whom he dearly loved. One day Utathya's younger
brother Vrihaspati, the priest of the celestials, endued with great
energy, approached Mamata. The latter, however, told her husband's
younger brother—that foremost of eloquent men—that she had conceived
from her connection with his elder brother and that, therefore, he should
not then seek for the consummation of his wishes. She continued, 'O
illustrious Vrihaspati, the child that I have conceived hath studied in
his mother's womb the Vedas with the six Angas, Semen tuum frustra perdi
non potest. How can then this womb of mine afford room for two children
at a time? Therefore, it behoveth thee not to seek for the consummation
of thy desire at such a time. Thus addressed by her, Vrihaspati, though
possessed of great wisdom, succeeded not in suppressing his desire. Quum
auten jam cum illa coiturus esset, the child in the womb then addressed
him and said, 'O father, cease from thy attempt. There is no space here
for two. O illustrious one, the room is small. I have occupied it first.
Semen tuum perdi non potest. It behoveth thee not to afflict me.' But
Vrihaspati without listening to what that child in the womb said, sought
the embraces of Mamata possessing the most beautiful pair of eyes. Ille
tamen Muni qui in venture erat punctum temporis quo humor vitalis jam
emissum iret providens, viam per quam semen intrare posset pedibus
obstruxit. Semen ita exhisum, excidit et in terram projectumest. And the
illustrious Vrihaspati, beholding this, became indignant, and reproached
Utathya's child and cursed him, saying, 'Because thou hast spoken to me
in the way thou hast at a time of pleasure that is sought after by all
creatures, perpetual darkness shall overtake thee.' And from this curse
of the illustrious Vrishaspati Utathya's child who was equal unto
Vrihaspati in energy, was born blind and came to be called Dirghatamas
(enveloped in perpetual darkness). And the wise Dirghatamas, possessed of
a knowledge of the Vedas, though born blind, succeeded yet by virtue of
his learning, in obtaining for a wife a young and handsome Brahmana
maiden of the name of Pradweshi. And having married her, the illustrious
Dirghatamas, for the expansion of Utathya's race, begat upon her several
children with Gautama as their eldest. These children, however, were all
given to covetousness and folly. The virtuous and illustrious Dirghatamas
possessing complete mastery over the Vedas, soon after learnt from
Surabhi's son the practices of their order and fearlessly betook himself
to those practices, regarding them with reverence. (For shame is the
creature of sin and can never be where there is purity of intention).
Then those best of Munis that dwelt in the same asylum, beholding him
transgress the limits of propriety became indignant, seeing sin where sin
was not. And they said, 'O, this man, transgresseth the limit of
propriety. No longer doth he deserve a place amongst us. Therefore, shall
we all cast this sinful wretch off.' And they said many other things
regarding the Muni Dirghatamas. And his wife, too, having obtained
children, became indignant with him.

"The husband then addressing his wife Pradweshi, said, 'Why is it that
thou also hast been dissatisfied with me?' His wife answered, 'The
husband is called the Bhartri because he supporteth the wife. He is
called Pati because he protecteth her. But thou art neither, to me! O
thou of great ascetic merit, on the other hand, thou hast been blind from
birth, it is I who have supported thee and thy children. I shall not do
so in future.'

"Hearing these words of his wife, the Rishi became indignant and said
unto her and her children, 'Take me unto the Kshatriyas and thou shalt
then be rich.' His wife replied (by saying), 'I desire not wealth that
may be procured by thee, for that can never bring me happiness. O best of
Brahmanas, do as thou likest. I shall not be able to maintain thee as
before.' At these words of his wife, Dirghatamas said, 'I lay down from
this day as a rule that every woman shall have to adhere to one husband
for her life. Be the husband dead or alive, it shall not be lawful for a
woman to have connection with another. And she who may have such
connection shall certainly be regarded as fallen. A woman without husband
shall always be liable to be sinful. And even if she be wealthy she shall
not be able to enjoy that wealth truly. Calumny and evil report shall
ever dog her.' Hearing these words of her husband Pradweshi became very
angry, and commanded her sons, saying, 'Throw him into the waters of
Ganga!' And at the command of their mother, the wicked Gautama and his
brothers, those slaves of covetousness and folly, exclaiming, 'Indeed,
why should we support this old man?—'tied the Muni to a raft and
committing him to the mercy of the stream returned home without
compunction. The blind old man drifting along the stream on that raft,
passed through the territories of many kings. One day a king named Vali
conversant with every duty went to the Ganges to perform his ablutions.
And as the monarch was thus engaged, the raft to which the Rishi was
tied, approached him. And as it came, the king took the old man. The
virtuous Vali, ever devoted to truth, then learning who the man was that
was thus saved by him, chose him for raising up offspring. And Vali said,
'O illustrious one, it behoveth thee to raise upon my wife a few sons
that shall be virtuous and wise.' Thus addressed, the Rishi endued with
great energy, expressed his willingness. Thereupon king Vali sent his
wife Sudeshna unto him. But the queen knowing that the latter was blind
and old went not unto him, she sent unto him her nurse. And upon that
Sudra woman the virtuous Rishi of passions under full control begat
eleven children of whom Kakshivat was the eldest. And beholding those
eleven sons with Kakshivat as the eldest, who had studied all the Vedas
and who like Rishis were utterers of Brahma and were possessed of great
power, king Vali one day asked the Rishi saying, 'Are these children
mine?' The Rishi replied, 'No, they are mine. Kakshivat and others have
been begotten by me upon a Sudra woman. Thy unfortunate queen Sudeshna,
seeing me blind and old, insulted me by not coming herself but sending
unto me, instead, her nurse.' The king then pacified that best of Rishis
and sent unto him his queen Sudeshna. The Rishi by merely touching her
person said to her, 'Thou shalt have five children named Anga, Vanga,
Kalinga, Pundra and Suhma, who shall be like unto Surya (Sun) himself in
glory. And after their names as many countries shall be known on earth.
It is after their names that their dominions have come to be called Anga,
Vanga, Kalinga, Pundra and Suhma.'

"It was thus that the line of Vali was perpetuated, in days of old, by a
great Rishi. And it was thus also that many mighty bowmen and great
car-warriors wedded to virtue, sprung in the Kshatriya race from the seed
of Brahmanas. Hearing this, O mother, do as thou likest, as regards the
matter in hand.'"