Anushasanika Parva — The history of Jamadagni

Yudhishthira said After the Rishi had disappeared, what did the king do and what also his highly-blessed wife? Tell me this O grandfather.

Bhishma said Not seeing the Rishi, the king, Stricken with shame, toilworn, and losing his senses, returned to his palace, accompanied by his queen.

Entering his mansion in a dejected spirit, The spoke not a word with any one. He thought only of that conduct of Chyavana.

With a despairing heart he then went to his room. There he beheld the son of Bhrigu stretched as before on his bed.

Seeing the Rishi there, they wondered much. Indeed, they began to think upon that very strange incident. The sight of the Rishi removed their fatigue.

Seated once more by his side, they again began to gently press his feet as before. Meanwhile the great ascetic continued to sleep soundly as before. Only, he now lay on another side.

Gifted with great energy, he thus passed another twentyone days. Moved by fear, the royal pair showed no change in their attitude or sentiment towards the Rishi.

Awaking then from his sleep the ascetic addressed the king and the queen, saying-do you rub my body with oil, I wish to have a bath.

Famishing and toilworn though they were, forthwith they volunteered their services and soon approached the Rishi with a rich oil that had been prepared by boiling it a hundred times.

While the Rishi was seated at his ease, the king and the queen, silently, continued to rub him. Gifted with great ascetic merit, the son of Bhrigu did not once utter the word Sufficient.

Bhrigu's son however saw that the royal pair were totally unmoved. Rising up all on a sudden, he entered the bath room.

The various articles necessary for a bath and such as were fit for a king's use, were ready there. Without using, any of those articles, the Rishi once more disappeared there and then by his Yogapower, before king Kushika (and his wife). This, however, O chief of Bharatas, failed to disturb the equanimity of the royal pair.

The next time the powerful Rishi was seen seated, after a bath, on the throne. It was from that place that he then showed himself to the king and the queen, O delighter of the Kurus.

With a cheerful face, king Kushika, together with his wife, then offered the Rishi cooked food with great respect. Gifted with wisdom, and with heart totally unmoved, Kushika made this offer.

The Ascetic said Let the food be brought. Assisted by his wife, the king soon brought there the food.

There were various kinds of meat and different preparations also thereof. There was a great variety of vegetables also and potherbs.

There were juicy cakes too among those dishes and several agreeable kinds of confectionery, and solid preparations of milk. Indeed, the viands were different in kinds and taste. Among them there were also some foodforest produces-such as ascetics liked and took.

Various sweet fruits fit to be eaten by kings, were also there. There were Vadaras and Ingudas and Kahsmaryyas and Bhallatakas.

The food that was offered contained such things as are taken by householders, as also such things as arc taken by the forest dwellers. Through fear of the Rishi's curse, the king had caused all kinds of food to be gathered and got ready for his guest.

All this food, brought from the kitchen, was placed before Chyavana. A seat was also placed for him and a bed too was spread. The dishes were then caused to be covered with white cloths. Soon, however, Chyavana of Bhrigu's race put fire to all the things and reduced them to ashes.

Gifted with great intelligence, the royal pair showed no anger at this conduct of the Rishi, who once more, after this, disappeared before the very eyes of the king and the queen.

The royal sage Kushika thereupon stood there in the same posture for the whole night, with his wife by his side, and without speaking a word. Gifted with great prosperity, he did not yield to wrath.

Every day, good and pure food of various sorts, excellent beds, profuse articles needed for bath, and cloths of various sorts, were collected and kept ready in the palace for the Rishi. Indeed, Chyavana could not find any fault in the conduct of the king.

Then addressing king Kushika, the twice born Rishi said to him, “Do you with your spouse, yoke yourself to a car and take me on it wherever I shall direct."

Unhesitatingly, the king answered Chyavana having asceticism for wealth, saying-So be it! And he further enquired of the Rishi, asking-Which car shall I bring? Shall it be my pleasure car for making pleasure journeys or, shall it be my war-chariot?

Thus addressed by the delighted and contented King, the ascetic said to him-Do you promptly get ready that chariot with which you attack hostile cities! cities! Indeed, that warchariot of yours, with every weapon, with its standard and flags, its darts and javelins and golden columns and poles, should be made ready. Its rattle resembles the tinkling of bells. It is adorned with numberless arches made of pure gold. It is always furnished with hundreds of high and excellent weapons!

The king said So be it, and soon made his great warchariot ready. And he yoked his wife thereto on the left and his own self on the right, And the king placed on the chariot, among its other articles, the goad which had three handles and which had a point hard as adamant and sharp as the needle.

Having placed every article upon the car, the king said to the Rishi-O holy one, where shall the chariot proceed? O let the son of Bhrigu issue his order.

This your chariot shall proceed to the place which you may be pleased to direct! Thus addressed, the holy' man replied to the king, saying-Let the car go hence, dragged slowly, step by step. Obeying my will, do you two proceed in such a way that I may not feel any exhaustion.

I should be borne away pleasantly, and let all your people see this march that I make through their midst. No person that comes to me, as I proceed along the road, should be driven away. I shall distribute riches among all.

To the Brahmanas who may approach me on the way, I shall grant their wishes and bestow upon all of the them gems and riches without stint.

Let all this be done, O king, and do not entertain any scruples!-Hearing these words of the Rishi, the king called his servants and told them-Ye should without any fear, give away whatever the ascetic will command. Then profuse jewels and gems and beautiful women, and pairs of sheep, and coined and uncoined gold, and huge elephants resembling, hills or mountain summits, and all the ministers of the king, began to follow the Rishi as he was carried on that chariot.

Cries of Oh and Alas arose from every part of the city which was plunged in grief at that extraordinary spectacle. The Rishi struck the king and the queen suddenly with that goad having a sharp point. Though thus struck on the back and the cheeks, the royal pair still showed no sign of agitation. On the other hand they continued to carry the Rishi on as before.

Trembling from head to foot, for no food had passed their lips for fifty nights, and exceedingly weak, the heroic pair somehow succeeded in dragging that excellent chariot.

Repeatedly and deeply cut by the goad, the royal pair became covered with blood. Indeed, O king, they then looked like a couple of Kinshuka trees in the flowering season.

Seeing the plight to which their king and queen had been reduced, the citizens became afflicted with great grief. Filled with fear of the curse of the Rishi, they kept silent under their misery.

Collected in masses they said to each other-See the might of penances! Although all of us are angry, we are still unable to look at the Rishi.

Great is the energy of the holy Rishi of purified soul! See also the endurance of the king and his royal spouse.

Though exhausted with fatigue and hunger, they are still carrying the car! The son of Bhrigu, despite the misery he caused to Kushika and his queen, could see no sign of dissatisfaction or agitation in them.

Bhishma said The perpetuator of Bhrigu's race, seeing the king and the queen totally unmoved, began to distribute wealth very largely as if he were a second Lord of Treasures.

At this deed also, king Kushika showed no mark of dissatisfaction. He did as the Rishi ordered. Seeing all this, that illustrious and best of ascetics became pleased.

Descending from that excellent car, he unharnessed the royal pair. Having freed them, he addressed them duty.

Indeed the son of Bhrigu, in a soft, deep, and delighted voice, saidI am ready to give an excellent boon to you both.

Delicate as they were, their bodies had been pierced with the goad. Moved by affection, that best of ascetics softly touched them with his hands, whose healing virtues resembled those of ambrosia itself, O chief of the Bharatas.

Then the king answered Myself and my wife have felt no exhaustion Indeed, all their fatigue had been removed through the power of the Rishi, and hence it was that the king could say so to the Rishi.

Pleased with their conduct, the illustrious Chyavana said to them I have never before spoken falsehood; It must, therefore be as I have said.

This spot on the banks of Ganga is very charming and auspicious. I shall, observing a vow, live for a little while here, O king.

Do you return to your city. You are exhausted! You shall come again. Tomorrow, O king, you shall returning with your wife, see me here.

You should not give to anger or grief. The time is come when you shall reap a great reward! That which is coveted by you and which is in your heart will indeed be done.

Thus addressed by the Rishi, king Kushika, with a pleased heart, replied to the Rishi in these pregnant words.

I have entertained no anger or grief, O highly blessed one! We have been cleansed and sanctified by you, O holy one! We have once more become youthful. See our bodies have become greatly beautiful and possessed of great strength.

I do not any longer see those wounds that were caused by you on our bodies with your good! Verily, with my wife, I am in good health.

I see my goddess become as beautiful in body as an Apsara. Indeed, she is endued with as much beauty and splendour as she had ever been before.

All this, O great ascetic, is due to your favour, Indeed, there is nothing wonderful in all this, O holy Rishi of power ever unbaffled.

Thus addressed by the king, Chyavana said to him – You shall, with your wife, return here tomorrow, O king.

With these words, the royal sage Kushika was sent away. Saluting the Rishi, the king, endued with a handsome body, returned to his capital like a second king of the celestials.

The counsellors then, with the priest, came out to welcome him. His troops also and the dancing women and all his subjects, did the same.

Surrounded by them all, King Kushika, shining in beauty and splendour, entered his city, with a delighted heart, and his praises were sung by bards and encomiasts.

Having entered his city and performed all his morning rites, he ate with his wife. Gifted with great splendour, the king then passed the night happy.

Each saw the other to be possessed of fresh youthfulness. All their sufferings and pains having ceased, they saw each other to resemble a celestial, Gifted with the splendour they had got as a boon from that foremost of Brahmanas, and possessed of exceedingly lovely features and beautiful forms, both of them passed a happy night in their bed.

In the interval spreader of the feats of Bhrigu's race, viz., the Rishi having penances for his wealth, converted by his Yogapower, that charming wood on the bank of Ganga into a retreat full of wealth of every kind and adorned with every variety of jewels and gems on account of which it excelled in beauty and splendour the very abode of the king of the celestials.