Section CXXV

“Lomasa said, ‘When the god who had performed a hundred sacrifices (Indra) beheld the demon Mada of a frightful mien, coming towards him with open mouth, his intention being to devour him, and looking like the god of death himself, while his own arms remained paralysed, he through fear repeatedly licked the corners of his mouth. Then the lord of the celestials, tortured with fright, spake to Chyavana saying, ‘O Bhrigu’s son! O Brahmana! verily I tell thee as truth itself, that from this day forward the two Aswins will be entitled to the Soma juice. Be merciful to me! My undertaking can never come to naught. Let this be the rule. And I know, O saint of the sacerdotal caste! that thy work can never come to nothing. These two Aswins will have a right to drink the Soma juice, since thou hast made them entitled to the same. And, O Bhrigu’s son, I have done this but to spread the fame of thy powers, and my object was to give thee an occasion for displaying thy powers. My other object was that the fame of the father of this Sukanya here might spread everywhere. Therefore be merciful to me: let it be as thou wishest.’ Being thus addressed by Indra, the wrath of Chyavana of mighty soul was quickly appeased, and he set free the demolisher of hostile cities (Indra). And the powerful saint, O king! distributed Mada (literally intoxication), and put it piece-meal in drinks, in women, in gambling, and in field sports, even this same Mada who had been created repeatedly before. Having thus cast down the demon Mada and gratified Indra with a Soma draught and assisted king Saryati in worshipping all the gods together with the two Aswins and also spread his fame for power over all the worlds, the best of those endued with speech passed his days happily in the wood, in the company of Sukanya, his loving wife. This is his lake, shining, O king! and resounding with the voice of birds. Here must thou, together with thy uterine brothers, offer libations of water to thy forefathers and the gods. And, O ruler of earth! O scion of Bharata’s race! having visited it and Sikataksha also, thou shalt repair to the Saindhava wood, and behold a number of small artificial rivers. And O great king, O scion of Bharata’s race! thou shalt touch the waters of all the holy lakes and reciting the hymns of the god Sthanu (Siva), meet with success in every undertaking. For this is the junction, O most praiseworthy of men, of the two ages of the world, viz., Dwapara and Treta. It is a time, O Kunti’s son! capable of destroying all the sins of a person. Here do thou perform ablutions, for the spot is able to remove all the sins of an individual. Yonder is the Archika hill, a dwelling place for men of cultured minds. Fruits of all the seasons grow here at all times and the streams run for ever. It is an excellent place fit for the celestials. And there are the holy cairns of diverse forms, set up by the celestials. O Yudhishthira! this is the bathing spot belonging to the Moon. And the saints are in attendance here on all sides round--they are the dwellers of the wood and the Valakhilyas, and the Pavakas, who subsist on air only. These are three peaks and three springs. Thou mayst walk round them all, one by one: then thou mayst wash thyself at pleasure. Santanu, O king! and Sunaka the sovereign of men, and both Nara and Narayana have attained everlasting regions from this place. Here did the gods constantly lie down, as also the forefathers, together with the mighty saints. In this Archika hill, they all carried on austerities. Sacrifice to them, O Yudhishthira! Here did they, also the saints, eat rice cooked in milk, O protector of men! And here is the Yamuna of an exhaustless spring. Krishna here engaged himself in a life of penances, O Pandu’s son. O thou that draggest the dead bodies of thy foes! the twin brothers, and Bhimasena and Krishna and all of us will accompany thee to this spot. O lord of men, this is the holy spring that belongeth to Indra. Here the creative and the dispensing deity, and Varuna also rose upwards, and here too they dwelt, O king! observing forbearance, and possessed of the highest faith. This excellent and propitious hill is fit for persons of a kindly and candid disposition. This is that celebrated Yamuna, O king! frequented by hosts of mighty saints, the scene of diverse religious rites, holy, and destructive of the dread of sin. Here did Mandhata himself, of a mighty bow, perform sacrificial rites for the gods; and so did Somaka, O Kunti’s son! who was the son of Sahadeva, and a most excellent maker of gifts.