‘“After some time, the king had three sons through her. Their names were Shala, Dala and Bala. After some time, since his soul was set on austerities, the king instated the eldest Shala on the throne and left for the forest. One day, Shala went out hunting. He saw a deer and pursued it on his chariot. He told the charioteer, ‘Drive me faster.’ The charioteer replied to the king, ‘Do not insist on this course of action. You would have been able to catch the deer only if Vamya horses had been yoked to the chariot.’ The king then told the charioteer, ‘Tell me about Vamya horses. Otherwise, I will kill you.’ Having been thus addressed by the king, he was frightened of the king’s anger, as well as of Vamadeva’s curse, and said, ‘Vamya horses are those that belong to Vamadeva. They are as swift as the mind.’ On hearing this, the king told him, ‘Go to Vamadeva’s hermitage.’ Having gone to Vamadeva’s hermitage, he told the rishi, ‘O illustrious one! I pierced a deer and it has run away. You should give me a couple of Vamya horses so that I can catch it.’ The rishi replied, ‘I will give you the Vamyas. But when you have finished, you must return them immediately.’ Having accepted the horses and having taken the rishi’s permission, he yoked the Vamya horses to his chariot and pursued the deer. But when he was travelling, he told the charioteer, ‘These horses are gems. They do not deserve to be possessed by a brahmana. I am not going to return them to Vamadeva.’ Having thus spoken, he caught the deer. He returned to his city and lodged the horses in the inner quarters of the palace. The rishi thought, ‘This prince is young. Having obtained these excellent horses, he is enjoying them. He will not return them to me. What a nuisance!’ Having thought this, when a month had passed, he told his disciple. ‘O Atreya! Go to the king and tell him that if he is through with the horses, he should return the Vamyas to your preceptor.’ He went and told the king. But the king replied, ‘These horses deserve to be possessed by kings. Brahmanas do not deserve such gems. What will brahmanas do with horses? Return.’ Returning, he told this to the preceptor.
‘“On hearing these unpleasant words, Vamadeva was filled with anger. He himself went to the king and asked for his horses. But the king refused. Vamadeva said, ‘O king! Return the Vamya horses to me. You have undertaken a deed that others cannot accomplish. Varuna will kill you with his terrible noose. You are trying to create a split between brahmanas and kshatriyas.’ The king replied, ‘O Vamadeva! These two bulls have been trained well and are docile. They are the appropriate mount for a brahmana. O maharshi! Take them and go wherever you want. The chants themselves bear someone like you.’124 Vamadeva said, ‘O king! The chants indeed bear someone like me, but that is in the next world. O king! In this world, these are my mounts, and for others who are like me.’ The king replied, ‘Then let four donkeys bear you. They are excellent. Or there are fleet horses. Use those. But these Vamyas deserve to be possessed by a kshatriya like me. Behold. They cannot belong to you.’ Vamadeva said, ‘It has been said that a brahmana’s vow is terrible. O king! If I have lived by such vows, then terrible giants with bodies made of iron and holding sharp spears will slice you into four parts.’ The king replied, ‘O Vamadeva! Let those who bear sharp spears know that you, a brahmana, are willing to kill in speech, thought and deeds. On my instructions, let them kill you, with your disciple.’ Vamadeva said, ‘O king! A brahmana can never be chastised, in speech, thought and deeds. But one who is learned in the brahman and has practised austerities, can prove superior to the best in this world.’ O king! When Vamadeva spoke these words, rakshasas arose, terrible in form. With raised spears, they rushed towards the king, so as to kill him. In a loud voice, he cried out, ‘O brahmana! Even if all the Ikshvakus, Dala and the vaishyas who are ruled by me tell me, I will not give up the Vamyas. O Vamadeva! They are not ones who follow dharma.’ While he was still speaking, the yatudhanas125 struck the lord of the earth and he fell down on the ground.
‘“On learning that the king had been killed, the Ikshvakus instated Dala on the throne. Brahmana Vamadeva then went to the kingdom and spoke these words to King Dala. ‘O king! It has been said in all dharma that gifts must be given to brahmanas. O Indra among kings! If you fear to transgress dharma, immediately give the Vamyas to me.’ Having heard these words of Vamadeva, the king was angered and spoke to his charioteer. ‘Bring me one of those beautiful and poisonous arrows that have been carefully kept. Pierced by it, Vamadeva will lie down prone on the ground in pain and dogs will tear him apart.’ Vamadeva said, ‘I know that you have a son who is ten years old. O Indra among kings! He has been born from your queen Shyenajit. Urged by my words, you will soon kill that beloved son with your terrible arrows.’ O king! Thus instructed by Vamadeva, that arrow, fiery in power, killed the prince in the inner quarters of the palace, as soon as it had been released by Dala. On hearing this, the king said, ‘O Ikshvakus! I will perform a pleasant task for you. I will kill this brahmana today. Bring me another of my fiery arrows. O lords of the earth! Witness my valour now.’ Vamadeva replied, ‘O Indra among men! This is a terrible and poisonous arrow. You have aimed it at me. But you will not be able to aim or shoot.’ The king said, ‘O Ikshvakus! Behold. I am unable to release the arrow that I have grasped. I will not be able to perform the task of killing him. Let Vamadeva live and may he have a long life.’ Vamadeva said, ‘Touch the queen with this arrow and you will be freed from your sin.’ The king did as he had been asked to and the princess spoke to the sage. ‘O Vamadeva! O brahmana! If I have honoured my husband and have lain down with him day after day, let me be able to serve brahmanas and attain the sacred worlds after death.’ Vamadeva said, ‘O one with the beautiful eyes! You have saved the king’s lineage. Ask for an unequalled boon and I will give it to you. O princess! O unblemished one! Rule over your relatives and this extensive kingdom of the Ikshvakus.’ The princess said, ‘O illustrious one! I ask for the boon that my husband should now be freed from his sin. May you bless him, with his sons and relatives. O foremost among brahmanas! This is the boon that I want.’ On hearing the princess’s words, the sage said that it would be that way. At that, the king was extremely happy. He bowed in obeisance and returned the Vamyas.”’
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Vaishampayana said, ‘The rishis and the Pandavas again asked Markandeya, “Is there anyone who has a longer life than you?”
‘He told them, “Yes, there is a rajarshi named Indradyumna. When his merits were exhausted, he fell down from heaven, exclaiming, ‘My deeds have been lost.’126 He came to me and asked me whether I knew him. I told him, ‘We are not chemists.127 We pursue our goals by tormenting our bodies and minds. We do not perform acts for the sake of wealth. There is an owl in the Himalayas by the name of Prakarakarna. He may know you.’ But the Himalayas where he lives, is a long distance away from here. He became a horse and carried me to the place where the owl was. Then the rajarshi asked it, ‘Do you know me?’ It reflected for some time and then said, ‘No. I do not know you.’ Hearing these words, rajarshi Indradyumna again spoke to the owl. ‘Is there anyone who has a longer life than you?’ The owl replied, ‘There is a lake by the name of Indradyumna. A crane named Nadijangha lives there and he is older than we are.128 Ask him.’ Indradyumna then took me and the owl to the lake where the crane named Nadijangha lived. We asked it, ‘Do you know the king named Indradyumna?’ It thought for a while and replied, ‘No. I do not know King Indradyumna.’ We asked it, ‘Is there anyone who has had a longer life than you?’ It replied, ‘There is a tortoise named Akupura who lives in this lake. He is older than I am.’ We replied, ‘Perhaps he knows about this king. Let us ask Akupura.’ The crane then spoke to the tortoise Akupura. ‘We need to ask you something. Please be kind enough to come to us.’ Hearing this, the tortoise emerged from the lake and came to where we were standing, on the banks of the lake. When it came, we asked it, ‘Do you know of this king named Indradyumna?’ It thought for some time and then its eyes were filled with tears. Its heart was agitated and it trembled. It almost lost its senses. Then it joined its limbs in salutation
and said, ‘How can I not know that king? In earlier times, when kindling the sacrificial fire, he erected sacrificial stakes one thousand times.129 This lake was created from the hooves of cattle he gave away as gifts. I have lived here ever since then.’ As soon as we heard these words of the tortoise, a celestial chariot descended from the world of the gods and words were heard about Indradyumna. ‘Heaven is ready for you. That is your appropriate place. Your deeds are great. Go there in a cheerful frame of mind. The words about sacred deeds touch the heaven and the earth. As long as there is sound, so long does man live. Whenever a being’s evil deeds are recounted on earth, he descends to the inferior worlds as long as those words are recounted. Therefore, right till the end, any man on earth should be engaged in good deeds. He should avoid evil conduct and seek refuge in dharma.’ On hearing this, the king replied, ‘Wait until I have returned these seniors to the places I brought them from.’ He brought me and the owl Prakarakarna to our usual places. Then he returned in that chariot to the place that was appropriate for him. Though I have a long life, this is what I have witnessed.” This is what Markandeya told the Pandavas.
‘The Pandavas happily said, “That was proper. You did the right thing in restoring King Indradyumna to heaven again, when he had fallen from the world of heaven.” He replied, “Devaki’s son Krishna also saved rajarshi Nriga, when he had descended into hell and was in distress. He returned him again to heaven.”’130
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Vaishampayana said, ‘O bull among the Bharata lineage! Dharmaraja Yudhishthira again asked Markandeya, without sin, old in his austerities and with a long life. “O one learned in dharma! You know about the gods, the danavas and the rakshasas, the various lineages of kings and the eternal lineages of the rishis. O supreme among brahmanas! There is nothing in this world that is unknown to you. O sage! You know about the celestial stories of men, serpents and rakshasas. O brahmana! The famous Kuvalashva was born in the unvanquished lineage of the Ikshvakus. I wish to hear the details about why his name was changed to Dhundhumara. O best among the Bhargava lineage! I wish to learn about this. What was the reason why the wise Kuvalashva’s name was changed?”
‘Markandeya replied, “O King Yudhishthira! I will tell you the story. Listen. The account of Dhundhumara is full of dharma. O lord of the earth! Listen to it, how King Kuvalashva of the Ikshvaku lineage, lord of the earth, became Dhundhumara. O son!131 O descendant of the Bharata lineage! There was a famous maharshi by the name of Utanka. O Kourava! He had his beautiful hermitage in the desert regions. O great king! Wishing to worship Vishnu, the lord Utanka performed difficult austerities for a large number of years. Pleased with him, the illustrious and worthy one himself appeared before him. As soon as he saw him, the rishi prostrated himself and praised him with many hymns. ‘O god! All beings, with the gods, the asuras and men, and all mobile and immobile objects, have been created by you. O immensely radiant one! Brahma, the Vedas and all that is capable of being learnt has been created by you. O god! The heaven is your head. Your eyes are the moon and the sun. O one without decay! The wind is your breath. The fire is your energy. All the directions are your arms. The great ocean is your stomach. O god! The mountains are your thighs. O Madhusudana! The sky is your navel. The goddess earth is your feet. The herbs are your body hair. Indra, Soma, Agni, Varuna, the gods, the asuras and the great serpents bow down before you and praise you with many hymns. O lord of the earth! You permeate all beings. The immensely powerful practitioners of yoga and the maharshis praise you. When you are satisfied, the universe is at peace. But when you are angered, there is great fear. O supreme among beings! You alone are the dispeller of all fear. You are the cause of happiness to gods, humans and all beings. O god! Through three strides, you covered the three worlds. The prosperity of the asuras was destroyed by you. Through your valour, the gods attained supreme bliss. O immensely radiant one! It was your wrath that vanquished the Indras among the daityas. You are the creator and the destroyer of all beings. Worshipping you, all the gods attain happiness.’
‘“Having been thus praised by the great-souled Utanka, Vishnu Hrishikesha spoke to Utanka. ‘I am pleased with you. Ask for a boon.’ Utanka replied, ‘It is already enough of a boon that I have seen Hari, the eternal being, the divine lord who is the creator of the universe.’ Vishnu said, ‘O supreme among brahmanas! I am pleased with your steadfastness and your devotion. O brahmana! O twice-born one! But you must accept a boon from me.’ O supreme among the Bharata lineage! Thus instructed by Hari to ask for a boon, Utanka joined his hands in salutation and asked for a boon. ‘O lord! O one with the lotus eyes! O great lord! If you are pleased with me, let my mind always be fixed on dharma, truth and self-control, eternally, and let me always be devoted to you.’ Visnu replied, ‘O brahmana! Through my favours, all this will happen. A yoga will manifest itself in you. United with it, you will accomplish a great task for the dwellers of heaven and the three worlds. A great asura named Dhundhu is now performing terrible austerities for the destruction of the worlds. Listen. I will tell you who will kill him. There will be a famous king by the name of Brihadashva. He will have an obedient and sacred son, known by the name of Kuvalashva. O brahmana rishi! On your instructions, this best of kings will use my powers of yoga and become Dhundhumara.’132 Having thus spoken to Utanka, Vishnu disappeared.”’
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‘Markandeya said, “O king! When Ikshvaku died, Shashada became the king of Ayodhya and obtained the earth. He had the greatest dharma in his soul. Shashada had a valorous son named Kakutstha. Kakutstha’s son was Anenas and Anenas’s was Prithu. Prithu’s son was Vishvagashva and Vishvagashva begot the wise Ardra. His son was Yuvanashva and his son was Shravasta. King Shravasta built Shravasti.133 Shravasta’s son was the immensely strong Brihadashva and Kuvalashva is known as Brihadashva’s son. Kuvalashva had twenty-one thousand sons. All of them were learned, powerful and unassailable. Kuvalashva surpassed his father in all the qualities. O great king! In due course of time, Brihadashva instated the supremely brave Kuvalashva, who was always immersed in dharma, in the kingdom. Having handed over the prosperity to his son, the wise king Brihadashva, the destroyer of his enemies, went to a hermitage to practise austerities. O king! O Yudhishthira! Utanka, supreme among brahmanas, heard that rajarshi Brihadashva had left for the forest. Then the immensely energetic Utanka, limitless in his soul, went to that supreme among men, foremost among those who were skilled in the use of all weapons. He tried to restrain him.
‘“Utanka said, ‘O king! It is your duty to protect and you should perform that duty. It is through your favours that we live without anxiety. O king! Protected by a great-souled one like you, we will be without anxiety. Therefore, you should not depart for the forest. Great dharma can be seen in protecting the subjects. That cannot be seen in the forest. Therefore, give up such an inclination. O Indra among kings! There is no dharma that can be seen, which is like protecting the subjects. This is what rajarshis have practised earlier. Protect the subjects, as they should be protected by the king. O king! Else, I will not be able to perform my austerities without anxiety. There is a desert region near my hermitage and there is an ocean of sand known by the name of Ujjanaka. It is many yojanas long and many yojanas wide. An extremely valorous, powerful and terrible Indra among the danavas dwells there. He is the son of Madhu and Kaitabha and this extremely terrible one has the name of Dhundhu.134 O king! This infinitely valorous one lives under the ground. O great king! Kill him and then go to the forest. He lies there, engaged in terrible austerities for the sake of destroying the world. O king! He will destroy the thirty gods and the world. He cannot be killed by the gods, the daityas, the rakshasas, the nagas, the yakshas or any of the gandharvas. O king! He has obtained such a boon from the grandfather of all the worlds. Destroy him and be fortunate. Do not have any other resolution. Achieve a great deed and attain eternal and undecaying fame. That cruel one sleeps under the sand. He breathes at the end of the year. At that time, the entire earth, with it
s mountains, forests and groves, begins to tremble. His breath raises a great cloud of dust that obstructs the path of the sun. The earth trembles for seven days. There are sparks and flames, mixed with terrible smoke. O king! It is for this reason that I cannot remain in my own hermitage. O Indra among kings! Therefore, destroy him for the welfare of the worlds. When this asura has been killed, the worlds will be healthy again. I think that you are quite capable of destroying him. Your energy will be increased by Vishnu’s energy. Earlier, Vishnu gave me a boon for his destruction. Whichever king kills that terrible and great asura, will be united with Vishnu’s own unassailable energy. O Indra among kings! Accept that energy, which the earth finds difficult to bear. O protector of the earth! The immensely energetic Dhundhu cannot be killed by someone who has limited energy, even if he tries for a hundred years.’”’
Mahabharata Vol. 3 (Penguin Translated Texts) Page 34