‘“When the sacrifice was completed, Sagara was honoured by all the gods. He thought of the ocean, Varuna’s abode, as his son.433 After ruling over the kingdom for a long time, the lotus-eyed one handed over the burden to his grandson and went to heaven. O great king! Anshuman, with dharma in his soul, ruled over the earth, up to the frontiers of the ocean, as his grandfather had. His son was Dilipa, devoted to dharma. Having handed over the kingdom to him, Anshuman left. But Dilipa had heard about the great destruction of his fathers.434 Overwhelmed with grief, he thought about their end. The king made great efforts to bring down the Ganga. But though he tried with all his strength, he could not ensure the descent. He had a handsome son, devoted to dharma. He was known as Bhagiratha. He was truthful and no one spoke ill of him. Instating him in the kingdom, Dilipa resorted to the forest. O bull among the Bharata lineage! O descendant of the Bharata lineage! After obtaining success in austerities, in due course of time, that king went to the forest and then to heaven.”’
404(107)
‘Lomasha said, “That great king and emperor, a maharatha and a great archer, was the delight of the minds and eyes of all the worlds. That mighty-armed one heard about the terrible destruction of his fathers from the great-souled Kapila and how they had failed to attain heaven. With misery in his heart, the lord of men handed over the kingdom to his advisers and went to the slopes of the Himalayas to torment himself with austerities. Cleansed of sins, he performed austerities to worship Ganga. O best of men! He saw the Himalayas, supreme among mountains. It was adorned with peaks of many forms, decorated with minerals. It was embraced on all sides by clouds floating on the wind. It was adorned with rivers, groves and ridges. It was infested by lions and tigers in its caves and caverns. There were birds of diverse forms that sung diverse tunes—bhringarajas,435 swans, datyuhas,436 waterhens, peacocks, shatapatras,437 cuckoos, jivajivakas,438 chakoras with black-tinged eyes and those that love their young. The waterbodies were beautiful and decorated with lotuses. They were ornamented with the sweet notes of cranes. The flat plains were frequented by kinnaras and apsaras. In all directions, the trees had been marked by the sharp tusks of the elephants of the directions.439 The place was frequented by vidyadharas440 and adorned with diverse gems. It was infested by snakes with virulent poison, their tongues flaming. Some parts were like gold, others glittered like silver. Some places were like a mass of collyrium. He reached these Himalayas.
‘“The best of men engaged in terrible austerities there. He lived for a thousand years on fruits, roots and water. After one thousand celestial years had passed, the great river Ganga showed herself in personified form. Ganga asked, ‘O great king! What do you wish from me? What can I give you? O best of men! Tell me and I will do as you say.’ Having been thus addressed, the king replied to the daughter of the Himalayas.441 ‘O granter of boons! O great river! My grandfathers, the sixty thousand great-souled sons of Sagara, were taken to Vaivasvata’s eternal world by Kapila, while they were searching for the horse. They confronted Kapila’s energy and were instantly destroyed. Having been destroyed, they cannot reside in heaven until their bodies are sprinkled with your water. O immensely fortunate one! Take my fathers, Sagara’s sons, to heaven. O great river! I am praying to you for their sake.’ Having heard the king’s words, Ganga, worshipped by all the worlds, was extremely delighted with Bhagiratha’s words and replied, ‘O great king! There is no doubt that I will do what you say. But when I descend from the sky to the earth, my force will be difficult to bear. O king! There is no one in the three worlds who can withstand it, other than Nilakantha442 Maheshvara, foremost among the gods. O mighty-armed one! Satisfy Hara, the granter of boons, through your austerities. The god will sustain my fall on his head. He will do what you desire for the welfare of your fathers.’ O king! On hearing these words, the great king Bhagiratha went to Mount Kailasa and satisfied Shankara443 through austerities. O king! After some time had passed, the supreme of men obtained from him the boon that he would bear Ganga, so that his fathers might be entitled to reside in heaven.”’
405(108)
‘Lomasha said, “After hearing Bhagiratha’s words, to do that which would ensure the welfare of the gods, the illustrious one replied to the king, ‘O mighty-armed one! O supreme among kings! For your sake, I will bear the pure, auspicious and divine river of the gods when she falls from the sky.’ O mighty-armed one! Having said this, he444 went to the Himalayas, surrounded by his terrible attendants, who held diverse upraised weapons. Having established himself there, he told Bhagiratha, best of men, ‘O mighty-armed one! Now ask the river, the daughter of the king of the mountains. I will bear the best of rivers when she falls from heaven. Having heard these words spoken by Sharva,445 the king bowed and began to meditate on the Ganga, his mind controlled. On seeing the king meditating and Ishana446 established there, the one with the pure waters was suddenly dislodged from the sky. On seeing her fall, the gods, together with the maharshis, and the gandharvas, the nagas and the rakshasas, assembled to witness the sight. Then Ganga, daughter of the Himalayas, infested with fish and crocodiles and full of giant whirlpools, fell down from the sky. O king! Hara bore Ganga, the girdle of the sky. Falling on his forehead, she looked like a garland of pearls. O king! Thus did the one who goes to the ocean divide herself into three streams. Her water, filled with foam, looks like an array of swans. In some places, she is coiled tortuously. In others, she stumbles. In others, she speeds like a drunken woman, clad in a garment of foam. In some places, her waters raise a great roar, uttering the supreme of sounds. In this fashion, she performed many acts on falling from the sky.
‘“On reaching the surface of the earth, she told Bhagiratha, ‘O great king! Show me the path that I should follow. O lord of the earth! It is for your sake that I have descended on earth.’ O best of men! Hearing these words, King Bhagiratha went to the place where the bodies of the great-souled sons of Sagara were kept, so that they might be purified with the sacred waters. Having borne Ganga, Hara, worshipped by the worlds, went to Kailasa, best of mountains, with the thirty gods. Going to the ocean with Ganga, the king forcefully filled up the ocean, Varuna’s abode. The king thought of Ganga as his daughter. His desires having been fulfilled, he offered oblations to his ancestors there. I have told you everything about the three-streamed Ganga and how she descended on earth to fill up the ocean, which was drunk up by the great-souled one for a specific reason, and how Agastya brought Vatapi, the killer of brahmanas, to his destruction. O lord! O great king! I have told you everything that you asked.”’
406(109)
Vaishampayana said, ‘O bull among the Bharata lineage! In due course, Kounteya447 travelled to the two rivers Nanda and Aparananda, the cleanser of sins and fear. On reaching Mount Hemakuta, the granter of health, the king saw many extraordinary and unthinkable things. From mere words, clouds are created there and there are showers of thousands of stones, so that people are saddened that they are incapable of ascending. The wind always blows there and the gods shower down. In evening and in the morning, the lord who is the bearer of sacrificial offerings,448 is seen. The Pandava saw many such extraordinary things and again asked Lomasha about these extraordinary things.
‘Lomasha said, “O destroyer of enemies! O king! I will tell you as I have heard it earlier. Listen attentively to me. An ascetic by the name of Rishabha lived on this Mount Rishabha. The ascetic was aged many hundreds of years and was extremely prone to anger. On being addressed by others, he angrily told the mountain, ‘Shower stones on whoever utters a word here.’ The ascetic summoned the wind and said that not a sound should be uttered. Thus, if a man speaks a word, he is restrained by the clouds. O king! Through such deeds, the maharshi performed some acts out of anger and he restrained others from being done.
‘“O king! We have heard that in ancient times, the gods came to Nanda and suddenly men assembled, in their desire to see the gods. The gods, with Shakra at the forefront, did not desire to be seen. By erecting mountains, the
y made the region difficult of access. O Kounteya! From that day, men cannot even look at the mountain, not to speak of ascending it. O Kounteya! One who has not performed austerities cannot see the great mountain, or climb it. Therefore, control your speech. It was here that the gods performed great sacrifices. O descendant of the Bharata lineage! Their marks can be seen even today. The durva grass here is like kusha grass449 and the ground is strewn with it. O lord of the earth! There are many trees that look like sacrificial stakes. O descendant of the Bharata lineage! The gods and the rishis live there even today. Their sacrificial fires can be seen in the evenings and in the mornings. O Kounteya! If one bathes there, one’s sins are instantly destroyed. O best of the Kuru lineage! Therefore, perform your ablutions there, together with your younger brothers. Then, having washed your limbs in Nanda, go to Koushiki, where Vishvamitra performed terrible and supreme austerities.”’
Vaishampayana said, ‘The king and his companions washed their limbs there. Then they went to the sacred and beautiful Koushiki, the river whose waters are auspicious.’
407(110)
Vaishampayana said, ‘O bull among the Bharata lineage! This is the sacred Koushiki, the river of the gods. Vishvamitra’s hermitage is resplendent here. This is the hermitage of the great-souled Kashyapa, famous by the name of Punya. His son was Rishyashringa, an ascetic who had controlled his senses. Through the power of his austerities, he made Vasava450 rain. Because of his fear, the slayer of Bala and Vritra451 showered down at the time of a drought. Kashyapa’s son, the energetic lord, was born from a deer. He performed a great and extraordinary deed in Lomapada’s territory. When the crops were restored,452 King Lomapada bestowed his daughter Shanta on him, as Savita did for Savitri.453
‘Yudhishthira asked, “How was Kashyapa’s son Rishyashringa born as the son of a deer? This is against the norms of sexual intercourse. How did he acquire asceticism? Why was Shakra scared of that wise child? Why did the slayer of Bala and Vritra shower down at the time of a drought? What kind of beauty did the princess Shanta, rigid in vows, possess? How did she tempt him when he was in the form of a deer? It has been heard that rajarshi Lomapada was a follower of dharma. Why did the chastiser of Paka454 not rain down in his territory? O lord! O exalted one! Tell me all this exactly, and in detail. I wish to hear about Rishyashringa’s deeds.”
‘Lomasha said, “The brahmana rishi Vibhandaka had controlled his soul through austerities. He was as radiant as Prajapati and his semen was always successful. Hear how the powerful Rishyashringa was born as his son. He was extremely energetic and though young, was respected by the aged. He was born in a great lake. Going to the great lake, Kashyapa stayed there for a long time, engaged in austerities. The rishi, worshipped by the gods and the rishis, became exhausted. O king! There, when he was washing in the water, he saw the apsara Urvashi and spilt his semen. O king! A thirsty doe drunk it up with the water and conceived. Whatever has been decreed by destiny and laid down by fate must inevitably happen. From that doe was born a son, the great rishi Rishyashringa.455 He was always engaged in austerities and grew up in the forest. O king! There was a horn on the head of that great-souled one and because of that, he became famous as Rishyashringa. O king! Except for his father, he never saw another man and therefore, his mind was always fixed on brahmacharya.
‘“At that time, there was a lord of Anga famous by the name of Lomapada and he was Dasharatha’s friend. It has been heard that, driven by desire, he committed falsehoods on brahmanas. That lord of the earth was then abandoned by brahmanas. Without a priest, the king acted as he willed. The one with the thousand eyes456 stopped showering and the subjects suffered. The lord of the earth asked wise brahmanas, full of austerities, who were capable of making the lord of the gods shower again. ‘How will Parjanya457 rain again? Show me a way.’ Thus asked, each of those wise ones expressed his own view. But one supreme sage among them told the king, ‘O Indra among kings! The brahmanas are angry with you. Find a way to appease them. O king! Fetch the sage’s son Rishyashringa. He lives in the forest, immersed in virtue, and is inexperienced about the female sex. O king! If that great ascetic comes to your territory, I have no doubt that Parjanya will immediately shower rain.’ On hearing these words, the king performed deeds to cleanse his soul. He went away and returned only when the brahmanas had been appeased. On hearing that the king had returned, the subjects received him back. Then the lord of Anga summoned his advisers, who were wise in offering counsel. He consulted so that endeavours might be made to bring Rishyashringa. With the aid of his advisers, who were learned in the sacred texts, skilled in the ways of artha and knowledgeable about policy, the unblemished one thought of a method.
‘“The lord of the earth summoned the foremost of courtesans. The king told the courtesans, who were skilled in everything, ‘O beautiful ones! Find out some means of bringing the rishi’s son Rishyashringa to my territory. Tempt him and gain his confidence.’ Those women were scared out of fear for the king’s curse. They turned pale, lost their senses and said that the task was impossible. But there was one among them who was old and she told the king, ‘O great king! I will attempt to bring the one with the ascetic riches here. But you will have to ask for some objects of desire that I have in mind. I will then be able to tempt the rishi’s son Rishyashringa.’ The king ordered that everything she wished for should be obtained. He gave her a lot of riches and many gems. O lord of the earth! She took several women with her, endowed with youth and beauty. Then she swiftly went to the forest.”’
408(111)
‘Lomasha said, “O descendant of the Bharata lineage! To ensure the success of the king’s objective, she contructed a hermitage on a boat—both because the king ordered it and because it fitted with her own wishes. It was beautifully adorned with many artificial trees with flowers and fruit. It had many bowers and creepers that yielded succulent fruit to satisfy every desire. She made it extremely beautiful and enticing. That hermitage on a boat was beautiful, extraordinary and an unsurpassed sight. Then she moored the boat a short distance away from Kashyapa’s hermitage. She sent out some men to survey the area frequented by the sage. Deciding on a course of action and perceiving a chance, the courtesan summoned her daughter, who possessed great intelligence, and sent her to Kashyapa’s son. That skilled one went to the hermitage and approached the rishi’s son, who was always engaged in austerities.
‘“The courtesan said, ‘O sage! Is everything well with the ascetics here? Are there plenty of roots and fruit? Do you find pleasure in this hermitage? I have come here to visit you. Are the austerities of the ascetics increasing? I hope your father has not diminished in energy. O brahmana! I hope he is pleased with you. O Rishyashringa! Are you able to pursue your studies?’
‘“Rishyashringa replied, ‘You shine with radiance like the light. I think that you are worthy of showing obeisance. I will give you water to wash your feet, and according to dharma, fruits and roots to satisfy your desires. Please be seated on this mat made of kusha grass, covered with black antelope skin and made comfortable. Where is your hermitage? O brahmana! What is the name of the vow that you are observing, like a god?’
‘“The courtesan said, ‘O son of Kashyapa! My beautiful hermitage is three yojanas away, on the other side of the mountain. My dharma is not to accept obeisance. Nor do I touch water to wash my feet.’
‘“Rishyashringa replied, ‘I will give you ripe fruit, bhallas,458 amlakas,459 parushakas,460 ingudas,461 dhanvanas462 and priyalas463 to satisfy your desires.’”
‘Lomasha said, “But having discarded all of these, she gave him extremely expensive food. This was beautiful to look at and extremely tasteful and they were very pleasurable to Rishyashringa. She gave him fragrant garlands and radiant and colourful garments and the best of drinks. Then she played, laughed and amused herself. She played at his side with a ball, like a flowering creeper that was moving around. She touched his body with hers and embraced Rishyashringa again and again. She bent the branches and p
lucked the flowers from trees like sarjas,464 ashokas and tilakas.465 Then, as if without shame, and overcome with liquour, she tempted the maharshi’s son. Having seen the change in Rishyashringa, she pressed him again and again with her body. Then, pretending that the time for agnihotra had come, she slowly went away, casting backward glances. At her departure, Rishyashringa was overcome with desire and lost his senses. Because of his feelings for her, he felt emptiness. He sighed again and again in distress.
‘“At that instant, Kashyapa Vibhandaka appeared. His eyes were tawny, like a lion’s. He was covered with body hair, up to the tips of his nails. He possessed learning, conduct and meditative faculties. He approached and saw his seated son, alone, immersed in thought, and with his mind disturbed. His eyes were raised up and he sighed repeatedly. Vibhandaka told his dejected son, ‘O son! Why has wood for the sacrificial kindling not been brought? Have you still not performed agnihotra today? Have the sacrificial ladles been cleaned? Have you brought out the sacrificial cow and her calf today? O son! You do not seem as you used to be. You are immersed in thought and have lost your senses. Why are you so dejected today? I am asking you. Who came here today?’”’
Mahabharata Vol. 3 (Penguin Translated Texts) Page 12