Page:The Mahabharata of Krishna-Dwaipayana Vyasa (1884).djvu/145

 ( Astika Parva continued. )

Sauti continued, "And Gadura said, 'O Purandara let there be friendship between thee and me as thou desirest. My strength, know thou, is great and hard to bear. O thou of a thousand sacrifices, the good never approve of speaking highly of their own strength, nor do they speak of their own merits. But being made a friends, asked by thee, O friend, I will answer thee, although self-praise without reason is ever improper. I can bear on a single feather of mine, O Sakra, this Earth with her mountains and forests and with the waters of the ocean, and with thee also stationed thereon. Know thou, my strength is such that I can bear without fatigue even all the worlds put together, with their animate and inanimate objects.

Sauti continued, "O Saunaka, after Gadura of great courage had thus spoken, the chief of the gods—the wearer of the (celestial) crows, the lord bent upon the good of the worlds, replied, saying, 'It is as thou sayest. Everything is possible in thee. Accept now my sincere and hearty friendship. And if thou hast no business with the Soma, return it to me. Those to whom thou wouldst give it would always oppose us.' And Gadura, answered, 'There is a certain reason for which the Soma is being carried by me. I shall not give the Soma to any one for drink. But where I myself, O thou of thousand eyes, place it down, thou lord of the heavens canst then, taking it up, instantly bring it away.' And Indra then said, 'O thou oviparous one, I am highly gratified with this speech now spoken by thee! O thou best of all rangers of the skies, accept from me any boon that thou desirest.

Sauti continued, "And Gadura, recollecting then the sons of Kadru and remembering also the bondage of his mother, caused by an act of deception, owing to the well-known reason (the curse of Aruna), said, 'Although I have power over all creatures, yet I shall do your bidding. Let, O Sakra, the mighty snakes become my food!' And the slayer of the Da-