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drawing water from it, they laboured very much for removing the creepers that covered its mouth. After the mouth had been |
cleaned, they beheld within the well a very large lizard residing within it. The young men made strong and repeated efforts for |
rescuing the lizard from that situation. Resembling a very hill in size, the lizard was sought to be freed by means of cords and |
leathern tongs. Not succeeding in their intention the young men then went to Janardana. Addressing him they said, 'Covering |
the entire space of a well, there is a very large lizard to be seen. Notwithstanding our best efforts we have not succeeded in |
rescuing it from that situation.' Even this was what they represented unto Krishna. Vasudeva then proceeded to the spot and |
took out the lizard and questioned it as to who it was. The lizard said that it was identical with the soul of king Nriga who had |
flourished in days of old and who had performed many sacrifices. Unto the lizard that said those words, Madhava spoke, 'Thou |
didst perform many righteous acts. No sin didst thou commit. Why, then, O king, hast thou come to such a distressful end? Do |
thou explain what this is and why it has been brought about. We have heard that thou didst repeatedly make gifts unto the |
Brahmanas of hundreds upon hundreds of thousands and once again eight times hundreds upon hundreds of ten thousands of |
kine.[351] Why, therefore, has this end overtaken thee?' Nriga then replied unto Krishna, saying, 'On one occasion a cow |
belonging to a Brahmana who regularly worshipped his domestic fire, escaping from the owner's abode while he was absent |
from home entered my flock. The keepers of my cattle included that cow in their tale of a thousand. In time that cow was given |
away by me unto a Brahmana, acting as I did from desire of happiness in heaven. The true owner, returning home, sought for |
his lost cow and at last saw it in the house of another.' Finding her, the owner said, 'This cow is mine!' The other person |
contested his claim, till both, disputing and excited with wrath, came to me. Addressing me one of them said, 'Thou hast been |
the giver of this cow!' The other one said, 'Thou hast robbed me of this cow--she is mine! I then solicited the Brahmana unto |
whom I had given that cow, to return the gift in exchange for hundreds upon hundreds of other kine. Without acceding to my |
earnest solicitations, he addressed me, saying. 'The cow I have got is well-suited to time and place. She yields a copious |
measure of milk, besides being very quiet and very fond of us. The mills she yields is very sweet. She is regarded as worthy of |
every praise in my house. She is nourishing, besides, a weak child of mine that has just been weaned. She is incapable of being |
given up by me.' Having said these words, the Brahmana went away. I then solicited the other Brahmana offering him an |
exchange, and saying, 'Do thou take a hundred thousand kine for this one cow.' The Brahmana, however, replied unto me, |
saying, 'I do not accept gifts from persons of the kingly order. I am able to get on without help. De thou then, without loss of |
time, give me that very cow which was mine.' Even thus, O slayer of Madhu, did that Brahmana speak unto me. I offered to |
make gifts unto him of gold and silver and horses and cars. That foremost of Brahmanas refused to accept any of these as gift |
and went away. Meanwhile, urged by time's irresistible influence, I had to depart from this world. Wending to the region of the |
Pitris I was taken to the presence of the king of the dead. Worshipping me duly Yama addressed me, saying, 'The end cannot be |
ascertained, O king, of thy deed. There is, however, a little sin which was unconsciously perpetrated by thee. Do thou suffer the |
punishment for that sin now or afterwards as it pleases thee. Thou hadst (upon thy accession to the throne) sworn that thou |
wouldst protect (all persons in the enjoyment of their own). That oath of thine was not rigidly kept by thee. Thou tookest also |
what belonged to a Brahmana. Even this has been the two-fold sin thou hast committed.' I answered, saying, 'I shall first |
undergo the distress of punishment, and when that is over, I shall enjoy the happiness that is in store for me, O lord!' After I |
had said those words unto the king of the dead, I fell down on the Earth. Though fallen down I still could hear the words that |
Yama said unto me very loudly. Those words were, Janardana the son of Vasudeva, will rescue thee! Upon the completion of a |
full thousand years, when the demerit will be exhausted of thy sinful act, thou shalt then attain to many regions of inexhaustible |
felicity that have been acquired by thee through thy own acts of righteousness. Falling down I found myself, with head |
downwards, within this well, transformed into a creature of the intermediate order. Memory, however, did not leave me. By |
thee I have been rescued today. What else can it testify to than the puissance of thy penances? Let me have thy permission. O |
Krishna! I desire to ascend to heaven! permitted then by Krishna, king Nriga bowed his head unto him and then mounted a |
celestial car and proceeded to heaven. After Nriga had thus proceeded to heaven, O best of the Bharatas, Vasudeva recited this |
verse, O delighter of the Kurus. No one should consciously appropriate anything belonging to a Brahmana. The property of a |
Brahmana, if taken, destroys the taker even as the Brahmana's cow destroyed king Nriga! I tell thee, again, O Partha, that a |
meeting with the good never proves fruitless. Behold, king Nriga was rescued from hell through meeting with one that is good. |
As a gift is productive of merit even so an act of spoliation leads to demerit. Hence also, O Yudhishthira, one should avoid |
doing any injury to kine.'"[352] |
SECTION LXXI |
''Yudhishthira said, V sinless one, do thou discourse to me more in detail upon the merits that are attainable by making gifts of |
kine. O thou of mighty arms, I am never satiated with thy words!' |
"Bhishma said, 'In this connection is recited the old history of the discourse between the Rishi Uddalaki and his son called |
Nachiketa. Once on a time the Rishi Uddalaki endued with great intelligence, approaching his son Nachiketa, said unto him, |
'Do thou wait upon and serve me.' Upon the completion of the vow he had observed the great Rishi once more said unto his |
son, 'Engaged in performing my ablutions and deeply taken up with my Vedic study, I have forgotten to bring with me the |
firewood, the Kusa blades, the flowers, the water jar, and the potherbs I had gathered. Do thou bring me those things from the |
riverside.' The son proceeded to the spot indicated, but saw that all the articles had been washed away by the current. Coming |
back to his father, he said, 'I do not see the things!' Afflicted as he then was with hunger, thirst, and fatigue, the Rishi Uddalaki |
of high ascetic merit, in a sudden wrath, cursed his son, saying, 'Do thou meet with Yama today!' Thus struck by his sire with |
the thunder of his speech, the son, with joined palms, said, 'Be appeased with me!' Soon, however, he fell down on the earth, |
deprived of life. Beholding Nachiketa prostrated upon the earth, his sire became deprived of his senses through grief. He, too, |
exclaiming, 'Alas, what have I done,' fell down on the earth. Filled with grief, as he indulged in lamentations for his son, the |
rest or that day passed away and night came. Then Nachiketa, O son of Kuru's race, drenched by the tears of his father, gave |
signs of returning life as he lay on a mat of Kusa grass. His restoration to life under the tears of his sire resembled the sprouting |
forth of seeds when drenched with auspicious showers. The son just restored to consciousness was still weak. His body was |
smeared with fragrant unguents and he looked like one just awaking from a deep slumber. The Rishi asked him, saying, 'Hast |
thou, O son, acquired auspicious regions by thy own acts? By good luck, thou hast been restored to me! Thy body does not |
seem to be human!' Thus asked by high-souled father, Nachiketa who had seen every thing with his own eyes, made the |
following answer unto him in the midst of the Rishis, 'In obedience to thy command I proceeded to the extensive region of |
Yama which is possessed of a delightful effulgence. There I beheld a palatial mansion which extended for thousands of |
Yojanas and emitted a golden splendour from every part. As soon as Yama beheld me approaching with face towards him, he |
commanded his attendants saying, 'Give him a good seat, verily, the king of the dead, for thy sake worshipped we with the |
Arghya and the other ingredients.' Thus worshipped by Yama and seated in the midst of his counsellors, I then said mildly, 'I |
have come to thy abode, O judge of the dead! Do thou assign me those regions which I deserve for my acts!' Yama then |
answered me, saying, 'Thou art not dead, O amiable one!' Endued with penances, thy father said unto thee, 'Do thou meet with |
Yama! The energy of thy sire is like that of a blazing fire. I could not possibly falsify that speech of his. Thou hast seen me. Do |
thou go hence, O child! The author of thy body is indulging in lamentations for thee. Thou art my dear guest. What wish of |
thine cherished by thee in thy heart shall I grant thee? Solicit the fruition of whatever desire thou mayst cherish.' Thus |
addressed by him, I replied unto the king of the dead, saying, 'I have arrived within thy dominions from which no traveller ever |
returns. If I really be an object deserving of thy attentions, I desire, O king of the dead, to have a sight of those regions of high |
prosperity and happiness that have been reserved for doers of righteous deeds.' Thus addressed by me, Yama caused me to be |
mounted upon a vehicle of splendour as effulgent as that of the sun and unto which were harnessed many excellent steeds. |
Bearing me on that vehicle, he showed me, O foremost of regenerate persons, all those delightful regions that are reserved for |
the righteous. I beheld in those regions many mansions of great resplendence intended for high-souled persons. Those |
mansions are of diverse forms and are adorned with every kind of gem. Bright as the disc of the moon, they are ornamented |
with rows of tinkling bells. Hundreds among them are of many storeys. Within them are pleasant groves and woods and |
transparent bodies of water. Possessed of the effulgence of lapis lazuli and the sun, and made of silver and gold, their |
complexion resembles the colour of the morning sun. Some of them are immovable and some movable. Within them are many |
hills of viands and enjoyable articles and robes and beds in abundance. Within them are many trees capable of granting the |
fruition of every wish. There are also many rivers and roads and spacious halls and lakes and large tanks. Thousands of cars |
with rattling wheels may be seen there, having excellent steeds harnessed unto them. Many rivers that run milk, many hills of |
ghee, and large bodies of transparent water occur there. Verily, I beheld many such regions, never seen by me before of |
happiness and joy, approved by the king of the dead. Beholding all those objects, I addressed the ancient and puissant judge of |
the dead, saying, 'For whose use and enjoyment have these rivers with eternal currents of milk and ghee been ordained?' Yama |
answered me saying, 'These streams of milk and ghee, know thou, are for the enjoyment of those righteous persons, that make |
gifts in the world of men. Other eternal worlds there are which are filled with such mansions free from sorrow of every kind. |
These are reserved for those persons that are engaged in making gifts of kine.[353] The mere gift of kine is not worthy of |
praise. There are considerations of propriety or otherwise about the person unto whom kine should be given, the time for |
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