Page:The Mahabharata of Krishna-Dwaipayana Vyasa (1884).djvu/261

Rh Sakuntala's words alone, my people would have been suspicious and my son also would not have been regarded as pure.

Vaisampayana continued, "The monarch then, O thou of the Bharata race, seeing the purity of his son established by the celestial messenger, became exceedingly glad. And he took unto him that son with joy. And the king with a joyous hear then performed all those rites upon his son that a father should perform. And the king smelt his child's head and hugged him with affection. And the Brahmanas began to utter blessings upon him and the bards began to applaud him. And the monarch then experienced the great delight that one feeleth at the touch of one's son. And Dushmanta also received that wife of his with affection. And he told her these words, pacifying her affectionately. 'O Goddess, my union with thee took place privately. Therefore, I was thinking of how best to establish thy purity. My people might think that we were only lustfully united and not as husband and wife; and therefore, this son that I would have installed as my heir-apparent would only have been regarded as of impure birth. And, dearest, every hard word thou hast uttered in thy anger, have I, O large-eyed one, forgiven thee. Thou art my dearest.' And that royal sage, Dushmanta, having spoken thus to his dear wife, then, O Bharata, received her with offerings of perfume, food, and drink. And king Dushmanta then, bestowing the name of Bharata upon his child, formally installed him as the heir-apparent. And the famous bright wheels of Bharata's chariot, invincible and like unto the wheels of the cars owned by the gods, traversed every region filling the whole earth with their . And the son of Dushmanta reduced to subjection all the kings of the earth. And he ruled virtuously and earned great fame. And that monarch of great prowess was known by the titles of ' and '. And he performed many sacrifices like Sakra or the lord of the Marutas. And Kanwa was the chief priest in those sacrifices in which the offerings to Brahmanas were great. And the blessed monarch performed both the cow- and the horse-sacrifices. And Bharata gave unto Kanwa a thousand