Chapter 29 - A quarrel over the Cow: Jamadagni murdered

Summary: A Quarrel over the Cow: Jamadagni Murdered: The Cow disappears.

Vasiṣṭha said:

1. With great anger Jamadagni spoke to him once again—“The property of a Brāhmaṇa should not be taken away by a sensible person.

2. Taking away the cow from me by force, O evil-minded one, you will incur sin. I think your life has come to an end. Otherwise you would not have. done this.

3. What you wish to take away by force is impossible anyway. If the cow itself were to join the fray the king will be ruined.

4. Instead of making gifts, the forcible removal (of the property) of Brāhmaṇa ascetics is being pursued. What person desirous of continuing to be alive will desire this, except Arjuna who professes to live for a hundred years?”

5. On being told this by him, that infuriated powerful minister, urged by god of Death, bound the cow firmly with ropes and dragged.

6. Urged by his previous actions with their inevitable future results, Jamadagni furiously resisted him with all his might, while he was dragging the cow.

7. “As long as I am alive, I will not leave this cow”. Thinking thus the great sage whose anger was aroused held on to the neck of the cow steadfastly with his hands.

8. Then Candragupta who was extremely ruthless and who was overwhelmed with anger, commanded his soldiers thus:—“Take him away”.

9: At the behest of their lord, the servants of the king surrounded the sage and seized him with force, though he was unassailable in the world.

10. They hit him with sticks, whips, long poles and their own fists and removed him very far away from the presence of the cow.

11. Though he was being struck in that manner, though he was pained much, yet he did not become infuriated. He continued to retain his forbearance. Indeed, not to give vent to anger is the greatest asset of good men.

12. He was capable of annihilating or defending the entire universe by the power of his penance. Thinking that there would be the loss of power of penance, he did not give vent to his anger.

13. Formerly, Jamadagni used to get extremely overwhelmed with anger. But he had been consoled by Rāma on behalf of his mother. Thereafter the sage of great penance had been always calm and quiet.

14. When that sage of great splendour was hit and hurt very much, his limbs, bones and joints were shattered. He fell on to the ground and lost consciousness.

15. When the sage fell senseless the evil-minded minister was beset with fear. He ordered his servants to bring the cow quickly with force.

16. Then they bound the cow along with its calf by means of ropes, O king. They hit it with whips and desirous of taking it away dragged it.

17. On being dragged by many of them and on being hit and hurt with whips and poles by them, the cow gave vent to its anger.

18. Pained by too much wippings, it became extremely furious. It tugged at the tight ropes and cut them. Thus it released itself.

19. It got itself released from the binding ropes but it was surrounded everywhere by the soldiers. Making the sound of Huṃhā (i.e. bellowing sound), it rushed at everyone angrily.

20. Hitting and lashing at everyone all round by means of its horns, hoofs and tip of the tail, the infuriated cow routed the entire army of the king and his minister.

21. After routing all the servants quickly, the sacred cow went up to the sky, even as all living beings remained looking on.

22. Thereafter, those ruthless soldiers who had been foiled in their attempts (to remove the cow), whose limbs were broken and bodies wounded, bound its calf by force and went away with it.

23. Taking the calf alone without the cow, that sinner (minister) came to the presence of the king along with the servants.

24. After approaching the king and bowing down to him the sycophant minister narrated everything to him feeling greatly agitated and afraid.