Ashvamedhika Parva — The Story of Marutta and Brihaspati continuned

Do you, O Brihaspati, sleep in peace, and do you like your servants, do you seek the welfare of the celestials, and do the celestials, O Brahmana, protect you.

Brihaspati said I do sleep in peace, in my bed, O Lord of the celestials, and my servants are to iny liking, and I always seek the well being of the celestials, and they cherish me well.

Indra said Whence then is this pain, mental or physical, and why are you pale and changed in appearance at present, tell me, O Brahmana, who those people are, who have caused you pain, so that I may slay them all.

O Indra, I have heard that Marutta will celebrate a great sacrifice at which rich presents will be given by him (to Brahmanas) and that at his sacrifice Samvarta will act as the officiating priest, and, therefore, do I wish that he may not officiate as priest at that sacrifice.

Indra said-You, O Brahmana, has attained all the objects of your desire when you have become the excellent priest of the celestials, versed in all the sacred hymns, and have got over the influence of death and decrepitude, what can Samvarta do to you now?

Prosperity of al rival is always painful, and do you, therefore, with your attendant gods persecute the Asuras with their kith and kin, and slay the most prosperous among them; hence, O Lord of the gods, am I changed in appearance at the thought that my rival is prospering, therefore, O Indra, do you, by all means, restrain Samvarta and king Marutta.

Do you, O Jataveda, following my direction, go to king Maruttato present Brihaspati to him and say to him that this Brihaspati will officiate at his sacrifice and make him immortal.

Agni said I shall presently, O worshipful one, go there, as your messenger, to present Brihaspati to king Marutta; and to make Indra's words true, and to show respect to Brihaspati, Agni departed.

Vyasa said Then the great Fire-God went on his errand, laying waste all the forests and trees, like the powerful wind, roaring and revolving at random at the end of the winter season.

Marutta said See! I find the Fire-God come in his own embodiment, this day, therefore, do you, O Muni, offer him a seat and water, and a cow and water for washing the feet.

Agni said I accept your offerings of water, seat, and water for washing the feet, O sinless one, do you know me as the messenger of Indra, come to you as ordered by him.

Marutta said O Fire-God, is the glorious King of the Celestials happy, and is he pleased with us, and are the other celestials loyal to him? Do you enlighten me duly on all these matters.

Agni said O king, Shakra is perfectly happy, he is pleased with you, and wishes to make you free from decrepitude, and all the other gods are loyal to him, do you, O king, listen to the message of the King of the Celestials.

And the object for which he has sent me to you is to present Brihaspati to Marutta; O prince, let this priest perform your sacrifice, and make you who are only a mortal, attain immortality.

Marutta said This twice-born Brahmana Samvarta will perform your sacrifice, and I pray to Brihaspati, that he having acted as priest to Mahendra it does not appear well for him now to act as priest to mortal men.

If this Brihaspati officiate as your priest, then you will by the blessings of the King of the Celestials attain the highest place in the celestial mansion and acquiring fame you will, forsooth, conquer the heavenly region.

And, O king, if Brihaspati act as your priest you will be able to conquer all the regions inhabited by men, and the heavenly regions and all the highest regions created by Prajapati and even the entire kingdom of the celestials.

You must never come again thus to present Brihaspati to Marutta; for know, O Pavaka, (Agni), if you do, I losing my temper, will burn you with my fierce evil eyes.

Vyasa said Then fearing destruction by fire, and trembling like the leaves of the Ashvatha tree (Ficus religiosa), Agni returned to the gods, and the great Shakra seeing that carrier of oblations (Agni) in the company of Brihaspati said as follows:

Indra said You, O Jatavada (Agni), went to present Brihaspati to Marutta according to my direction, now what did that sacrificing king say to you, and did he accept my command?

Agni said, Your message was not acceptable by Maruita and when urged by me, he clasping the hands of Brihaspati, said again and again, that Samvarta would act as his priest.

And he also observed that he did not wish to attain the worldly and the heavenly regions, and all the highest regions of Prajapati, and that if he were so minded, he would accept the terms of Indra.

Do you return to that king and meeting him, tell him these words of mine, full of meaning and if he obey them not, I shall strike him with my thunderbolt.

Agni said Let this king of the Gandharvas go there as your messenger, O Vasava, for I am afraid to go there myself, Know, O Shakra, that highly enraged Samvarta, addicted to ascetic practices, told me these words in anger, 'I shall burn you with my fierce evil eyes if you on any account come again here to present Brihaspati to king Marutta.'

Shakra said Jataveda, it is you who burns all other things and there is none else who can reduce you to ashes; all the world is afraid to come in contact with you, O carrier of oblation, these words of yours are worthy of no credence.

You, O Shakra, have encompassed the dominion of the heaven and the earth and the sky by the strength of your own arms, but even thus how could Vritra (of old) wrest from you the sovereignty of the celestial regions?

Indra said I can reduce my enemies to submission and can even reduce the size of a mountain to an atom, if I will it. But, O Vahni, as I do not accept the libation of Soma drink if offered by an enemy, and as I do not strike the weak with my thunderbolt (Vritra got the better of me for a time) But who among mortals can live in peace by creating enmity with me.

I have banished the Kalakeyas to the earth, and removed the Danavas from the celestial region, and have terminated the existence of Prahlada in heaven, can there be any man who can leave in peace by exciting my enmity.

Agni said Do you, O Mahendra, remember that formerly when the sage Chyavana officiated at the sacrifice of Sharyati with the twin gods Ashvins, and himself appropriated the Soma offering alone, you were filled with anger, and when bent upon preventing preventing Sharyati's sacrifice, you did violently strike Chyavana with your thunderbolt, that Brahmana, O Purandara, yielding to anger, was able by the power of his devotions to seize and hold fast your hand with your thunderbolt in it.

And in anger, he again created a terrible loO king enemy of yours, the Asura named Mada assuming all shapes, on seeing whom you did shut your eyes with fear, whose one huge jaw was placed on earth, and the other extended to the celestial regions, and who looked terrible with his thousand sharp teeth extending over a hundred Yojanas, and had four prominent ones thick a set, and shining like a pillar of silver, and extending over two hundred Yojanas. And when grinding his teeth he followed you with his terrible and uplifted pike with the object of slaying you, you on seeing that terrible monster, presented a (pitiful) sight to all the bystanders. Then, O destroyer of Danavas, overcome with fear of the monster, with your hands clasped in prayer, you did seek the protection of the great sage.

The power of Brahmana,s O Shakra, is greater than that of the Kshatriyas, none are more powerful than Brahmanas and knowing duly, as I do, the power of Brahmanas I do not, O Shakra, wish to quarrel with Samvarta.