Section LV

"Cyavana said, 'Do you accept a boon from me. Do you also, O chief of men, tell me what the doubt is that is in your mind. I shall certainly accomplish all your purposes.'

"Kusika said, 'If you have been gratified by me, O holy one, do you then, O son of Bhrigu, tell me your object in residing in my palace for sometime, for I desire to hear it. What was your object in sleeping on the bed I assigned you for one and twenty days continuously, without changing sides? O foremost of ascetics, what also was your object, again, in going out of the room without speaking a single word? Why didst you, again, without any ostensible reason, make thyself invisible, and once more become visible? Why, O learned Brahmana, didst you again, lay thyself down on the bed and sleep as before for one and twenty days? For what reason didst you go out after you were rubbed by us with oil in view of your bath? Why also, after having caused diverse kinds of food in my palace to be collected, didst you consume them with the aid of fire? What was the cause of your sudden journey through my city on the car? What object hadst you in view in giving away so much wealth? What was your motive in showing us the wonders of the forest created by the Yoga-puissance? What indeed was your motive for showing, O great ascetic, so many palatial mansions made of gold and so many bedsteads supported on posts of jewels, and gems? Why also did all these wonders vanish from our sight? I wish to hear the cause of all this. In thinking of all these acts of thine, O perpetuator of Bhrigu’s race, I became stupefied repeatedly. I fail to find what the certain motive was which influenced you! O you, that art endued with wealth of penances, I wish to hear the truth about all those acts of thine in detail.'

"Cyavana said, 'Listen to me as I tell you in detail the reasons which had impelled me in all these acts of mine. Asked by you, O monarch, I cannot refuse to enlighten you. In days past, on one occasion, when the deities had assembled together, the Grandsire Brahman said some words I heard them, O king, and shall presently repeat them to you.' In consequence of a contention between Brahmana and Kshatriya energy, there will occur an intermixture in my race.^[1] Your grandson, O king, will become endued with great energy and puissance. Hearing this, I came hither, resolved to exterminate your race. Indeed, I came, O Kusika, seeking the utter extermination of your race,—in fact, for consuming into ashes all your descendants. Impelled by this motive I came to your palace, O monarch, and said unto you, 'I shall observe some vow. Do you attend upon me and serve me dutifully. While residing, however, in your house I failed to find any laches in you. It is for that reason, O royal sage, that you are still alive, for otherwise you wouldst have by this time been numbered with the dead. It was with this resolution that I slept for one and twenty days in the hope that somebody would awake me before I arose of my own accord. You, however, with your wife, didst not awaken me. Even then, O best of kings, I became pleased with you. Rising from my bed I went out of the chamber without accosting any of you. I did this, O monarch, in the hope that you wouldst ask me and thus I would have an opportunity of cursing you. I then made myself invisible, and again showed myself in the room of your palace, and, once more betaking myself to Yoga, slept for one and twenty days. The motive that impelled me was this. Worn out with toil and hunger you two would be angry with me and do what would be unpleasant to me. It was from this intention that I caused thyself and your spouse to be afflicted with hunger. In your heart however, O king, the slightest feeling of wrath or vexation did not rise. For this, O monarch, I became highly delighted with you. When I caused diverse kinds of food to be brought and then set fire to them, I hoped that thyself with your wife wouldst give way to wrath at the sight. Even that act however, of mine was tolerated by you. I then ascended the car, O monarch, and addressed you, saying, 'Do you with your wife bear me.' You didst what I bade, without the least scruple, O king! I became filled with delight at this. The gifts of wealth I made could not provoke your anger. Pleased with you, O king, I created with the aid of my Yoga puissance that forest which thyself with your wife didst behold here. Listen, O monarch, to the object I had. For gratifying you and your queen I caused you to have a glimpse of heaven. All those things which you have seen in these woods, O monarch, are a foretaste of heaven. O best of kings, for a little while I caused you and your spouse to behold, in even your earthly bodies, some sights of heaven. All this was done for showing the puissance of penances and the reward that is in store for righteousness. The desire that arose in your heart, O monarch, at the sight of those delightful objects, is known to me. You becamest desirous of obtaining the status of a Brahmana and the merit of penances, O lord of Earth, disregarding the sovereignty of the earth, nay, the sovereignty of very heaven! That Which you thoughtest, O king, was even this. The status of a Brahmana is exceedingly difficult to obtain; after becoming a Brahmana, it is exceedingly difficult to obtain the status of a Rishi; for even a Rishi it is difficult to become an ascetic! I tell you that your desire will be gratified. From you, O Kusika, will spring a Brahmana, who shall be called after your name. The person that will be the third in descent from you shall attain to the status of a Brahmana. Through the energy of the Bhrigus, your grandson, O monarch, will be an ascetic endued with the splendour of fire. He shall always strike all men, indeed, the inhabitants of the three worlds, with fear. I tell you the truth. O royal sage, do you accept the boon that is now in your mind. I shall soon set out on a tour to all the sacred waters. Time is expiring.'

"Kusika said, 'Even this, O great ascetic, is a high boon, in my case, for you have been gratified by me. Let that take place which you have said. Let my grandson become a Brahmana, O sinless one! Indeed, let the status of Brahmanahood attach to my race, O holy one. This is the boon I ask for. I desire to once more ask you in detail, O holy one! In what way, O delighter of Bhrigu, will the status of Brahmanahood attach to my race? Who will be my friend? Who will have my affection and respect?'"^[2]