The Mahabharata/Book 1: Adi Parva/Section 71

Section LXXI. ( Sambhava Parva continued. )

Vaisampayana said, "The monarch then, as he proceeded, left even his reduced attendants at the entrance of the asylum. And entering quite alone, he saw not the Rishi (Kanwa) of rigid vows. And not seeing the Rishi and finding that the abode was empty, he hailed loudly, saying, 'What ho, who is here?' And the sound of his voice was echoed back, loud as it was. And hearing the sound of his voice, there came out of the Rishi's abode a maiden beautiful as Sree herself but dressed as an ascetic's daughter. And the black-eyed fair one, as soon as she saw king Dushmanta, bade him welcome and worshipped him duly. And showing him due respect by the offer of a seat, Padya and Arghya, enquired after, O king, about the monarch's health and peace. And having worshipped the king and asked him about his health and peace, the maiden, reverentially asked, 'What must be done, O king! I await your commands.' The king duly worshipped by her, then said unto that maiden of faultless features and sweet speech, 'I have come to worship the greatly fortunate Rishi Kanwa. Tell me, O amiable and beautiful one, where has the illustrious Rishi gone?'

"Sakuntala then answered, 'My illustrious father hath gone away from the asylum to fetch fruits. Wait but a moment and thou wilt see him when he arrives.'"

Vaisampayana continued, "The king not seeing the Rishi, and addressed thus by her, beheld that the maiden was exceedingly beautiful and endued with perfect symmetry of shape. And he saw that she was of sweet smiles. And she stood decked in beauty for her faultless features, for ascetic penances, and for humility. And he saw that she was in the bloom of youth. She therefore asked her, 'Who art thou? And whose daughter, O beautiful one! Why hast thou come into the woods also? O handsome one, gifted with so much beauty and such virtues, whence hast thou come? O charming one, at the very first glace hast thou stolen my heart!' And thus addressed by the monarch in the asylum, the maiden smilingly replied in these sweet words:—'O Dushmanta, I am the daughter of the virtuous, wise, high-souled, and illustrious ascetic Kanwa!'

Dushmanta, hearing this replied, "The universally worshipped and greatly fortunate Rishi is one whose seed hath been drawn up. Even Dharma himself might fall off from his course, but ascetics of rigid vows can never fall off so. Therefore, O thou of the fairest complexion, how hast thou been born his daughter? This great doubt of mine it behoveth thee to dispel!'

Sakutala then replied, 'Hear, O king, what I have learnt regarding all that befell me of old and how I am the daughter of the Muni! Once on a time, a Rishi came here and asked about my birth. All that the illustrious one (Kanwa) told him hear now of me, O king!

"'My father Kanwa, in answer to that Rishi's enquiries said, Viswamitra of old having been engaged in the most austere of penances alarmed Indra the chief of the celestials who thought that the mighty ascetic of blazing energy would, by his penances, hurl him down from his high seat in the heavens. And Indra thus alarmed, summoned Menaka, and told her, "Thou, O Menaka, art the first of all the celestial Apsaras! Therefore, O amiable one, do me this service. Hear what I say. This great ascetic Viswamitra, like unto the Sun himself in splendour, is engaged in the most severe of penances. My heart is trembling with fear. Indeed, O slender-waisted Menaka, this is thy business! Thou must see that Viswamittra, of soul rapt in contemplation and engaged in the most austere of penances, who might hurl me from my seat. Go and tempt him, and frustrating his continued austerities accomplish my good! Win him away from his penances, O beautiful one, by tempting him with thy beauty, youth, agreeableness, arts, smiles and speech." Hearing all this, Menaka replied, "The illustrious Viswamitra is endued with great energy and is a mighty ascetic. He is very wrathful also as is known to thee. The energy, penances, and wrath of the high-souled one have made even thee anxious. Why should not I also be anxious? He it was who made even the illustrious Vasishta bear the pangs of witnessing the premature death of his children. He it was who though at first was born a Kshatria subsequently became a Brahmana by strength of his ascetic penances. He it was who for purposes of his ablutions created a deep river that can with difficulty be forded, and which sacred stream is known by the name of the Kausiki. It was Viswamitra whose wife in a season of distress was maintained by the royal sage Matanga (Trisaku) who was then living under a father's curse as a hunter. It was Viswamitra who, returning after the famine was over, changed the name of the stream laving his asylum from Kausiki into Pãrã. It was Viswamitra who, in return for the services of Matanga, himself became the latter's priest for purposes of a sacrifice. The lord of the celestials himself went from fear to that sacrifice for drinking the Soma juice. It was Viswamitra who in anger created a second world and numerous stars beginning with Sravana. He it was who granted protection to Trisanku under a superior's curse. I am frightened to approach him whose deeds are such! Tell me, O Indra, the means that should be adopted so that I may not be burnt by his wrath. He can burn the three worlds by his splendour, can, by a stamp, cause the earth to quake. He can sever the great Meru from the earth and hurl it at any distance. He can go round the ten points of the earth in a moment. How can a woman like us even touch such a one full of ascetic virtue, like unto blazing fire, and having his passions under complete control! His mouth is like unto the blazing fire, the pupile of his eye are like the Sun and the Moon, his tongue is like unto Yama himself. How shall, O chief of the celestials, a woman like us even touch him? At the thought of his prowess, Yama, Shoma, the great Rishis, the Saddhyas, the Viswas, the Valakhillyas, are terrified! How can a woman like me refrain from gazing at him in alarm? Commanded, however, by thee, O king of the celestials, I shall somehow approach that Rishi. But, O chief of the gods, devise thou some plan whereby, protected by thee, I may safely move about that Rishi! I think that when I begin to play before the Rishi, Maruta (the god of wind) had better go there and rob me of my dress, and Manmatha (the god of love) had also, at thy command, better help me then. And let also Maruta on that occasion bear thither fragrance from the woods to tempt the Rishi." Saying this, and all she said having been duly provided, Menaka then went to the retreat of the great Kaushika.

And thus endeth the seventy-first Section in the Sambhava of the Adi Parva.