Page:The Mahabharata of Krishna-Dwaipayana Vyasa (1884).djvu/106

72 of joke, to excite thy laughter. It behoveth thee to forgive me and revoke thy curse.—And seeing me sorely troubled, the ascetic was moved, and he replied, breathing hot and hard,—What I have said, must come to pass. Hear what I say and lay it to thy heart. O pious one! When Ruru, the pure son of Pramati, will appear, thou shalt be delivered from the curse the moment thou seest him.—Thou art the very Ruru and the son of Pramati. On regaining my native form, I will tell thee something for thy good.'

"And that illustrious man and best of Brahmanas then left his snake body, and attained his own form and original brightness. He then addressed the following words to Ruru of incomparable power. 'O thou first of created beings, verily the highest morality is sparing life. Therefore a Brahmana should never take the life of any creature. A Brahmana should ever be mild. This is the most sacred injunction of the Vedas. A Brahmana should be versed in the Vedas and Vedangas, and should inspire all creatures with confidence. He should be benevolent to all creatures, and forgiving, even as it is his paramount duty to retain the Vedas in his memory. The duties of the Kshetria are not thine. To be stern, to hold the sceptre and to rule the subject are the duties of the Kshetria. Listen, O Ruru, to the account of the destruction of snakes at the sacrifice of Janamejaya in days of yore, and the deliverance of the terrified reptiles by that best of Dwijas, Astika, profound in Vedic lore and mighty in spiritual energy.

And so ends the eleventh Section of the Pauloma of the Adi Parva.

 

Sauti continued:—"Ruru then asked, 'O best of Dwijas, why was the king Janamejaya bent upon destroying the serpents? And why were they saved by the wise Astika? I am anxious to hear all this in detail.'

"The Rishi replied, 'O Ruru, the important history of