Page:The Mahabharata of Krishna-Dwaipayana Vyasa (1884).djvu/146

112 navas, having said unto him 'Be it so,' then went to Hari the god of gods, of great soul, the lord of Yogees. And the latter sanctioned everything that had been said by Gadura. And the worshipful lord of the heavens again said unto Gadura, 'I shall bring away the Soma when thou placest it down."' [sic] And having said so, he bade farewell to Gadura. And the bird of fair feathers then went to the vicinage of his mother with great speed.

"And Gadura in joy then spake unto all the snakes, 'Here have I brought the amrita. Let me place it on some kusa grass. O ye snakes, sitting here, drink of it after ye have performed your ablutions and religious rites. As said by ye, let this my mother become from this day a freed-woman, for by me hath been accomplished your bidding.' And the snakes having said unto Gadura 'Be it so,' then went to perform their ablutions. And Sakra in the meantime taking up the amrita wended back to the heavens. And the snakes, after performing their ablutions, their daily devotions, and other sacred rites, returned in joy, desirous of drinking the amrita. And they saw that the bed of kusa grass whereon the amrita had been placed was empty, the amrita itself having been taken away by a counter act of deception. And they thereupon began to lick with their tongues the kusa grass as the amrita had been placed thereon. And the tongues of the snakes by that act became divided in twain. And the kusa gras too from contact with amrita became sacred from that time. And thus by the illustrious Gadura was amrita brough (from the heavens) and brought for the snakes, and by him thus were the snakes made of divided tongues.

"And the bird of fair feathers very much delighted, enjoyed himself in those woods accompanied by his mother. And he of grand achievements, deeply reverenced by all rangers of skies, gratified his mother by eating of the snakes.

"And that man who would listen to this story, or read it to an assembly of good Brahmanas, must surely go to heaven acquiring great merit from the recitation of (the deeds of) Gadura."