Page:Tales from the Indian Epics.djvu/52

46 through the marriage ceremony with the rishi Vrigu. She is therefore Vrigu's wife and not yours."

The demon king grew angry and paying no heed to the words of Agni, took the shape of a boar, and throwing Puloma across his back galloped at full speed through the forest. As he galloped he met the rishi Vrigu, who was returning from the sacred river where he had gone to bathe. When the great sage saw that the wild boar carried on his back his beautiful bride he cursed the boar as he ran. Instantly the boar was consumed and became a heap of ashes. Puloma fell to the ground and lay unconscious.

When Puloma had recovered from the fall Vrigu asked her who had pointed out their hermitage to the demon king Paulama, so that he might curse him. "It was Agni," answered Puloma weeping, for she thought that Agni had aided Paulama. Then Vrigu's wrath blazed up like a forest fire and he cursed Agni saying, "Henceforth everything that you touch will be consumed." Agni was very angry at the curse for he had in no way merited it. And he would have cursed Vrigu in turn, had Vrigu not been one of the race of the Brahmans whom he respected. So Agni went far away into a distant cave and hid himself. And because mankind had no longer any fire they could no longer offer sacrifices to the gods, nor did the gods receive any honour from them. At last in great distress the rishis and the Immortals met. "O Immortals" said the rishis, "we can no longer serve you, owing to the flight of Agni. Let us therefore pray to the god Brahmadeva and perhaps he may help us." Together, therefore, the rishis and the Immortals went to the throne of the god Brahmadeva and told him how Vrigu had cursed Agni the