Chapter 54 - King Vishvamitra attempts to carry Shabala away by force

O Rama, perceiving that Shri Vasishtha would not willingly consent to part with the cow, Vishvamitra resolved to carry her away by force.

O Raghava, while Shabala was being forcibly carried off, distracted with grief, she began to reflect thus: “Why has the holy Vasishtha abandoned me? In what way have I offended the holy sage? Why are the servants of the king dragging me away from the hermitage? lam innocent and docile, the holy muni is dear to me; what fault have I committed that the Mahatma Vasishtha should abandon me?”

Sighing again and again, Shabala, shaking off the hands of the king’s attendants, swiftly ran and placed her head at the feet of the holy sage. Standing before Shri Vasishtha, shedding tears and lamenting loudly, she cried: “O Lord, O Son of Brahma hast you verily abandoned me? Why are the servants of the king taking me away from your presence, by force?”

Seeing the sorely stricken Shabala, Shri Vasishtha addressed her as he would his own sister, saying: “O Shabala, it is not by my will that you are thus being carried away, neither hast you offended me in any way, O Dear One. Drunk with desire, the king is taking you from me by force. I have not the power to defend you. The king is a warrior and lord of the earth, he is attended by a mighty army with horses, elephants and chariots, verily he is mightier than I.”

Shabala, who was skilled in argument, listened to the words of Shri Vasishtha and said: “O Holy Sage, the power of a warrior is as nought compared to that of a holy sage. O Illustrious Lord, the strength of a sage is divine and based on the exercise of spiritual practices and discipline, it is therefore limitless; you are, O Lord, immeasurably stronger than a kshatriya. The power of that mighty king Vishvamitra, is great, but he cannot equal your strength and splendour. O Lord, through your strength and energy suffer me to destroy the power and pride of this wicked wretch.”

Shri Vasishtha answered: “Be it so! Create an army by your spiritual energy, that will destroy the forces of the king.”

Lowing loudly, Shabala, in obedience to the sage, instantly produced hundreds of foreign soldiers, who began to destroy the army of Vishvamitra while he was looking on. Perceiving his army about to be overthrown, King Vishvamitra became enraged and, mounting his chariot, his eyes red with anger, he advanced to the attack. With various weapons, he began to slay thousands of men, and Shabala, seeing the army created by her, annihilated, now produced strange beings called shakas in such numbers, that they filled the whole earth. Highly valorous, their skins shining like gold, clad in yellow armour, furnished with scimitars and maces, they started to consume the army of Vishvamitra like a raging fire.

Then the great Vishvamitra, with the aid of yogic weapons, began to create disorder in the ranks of the forces produced by Shabala.