Page:The Mahabharata of Krishna-Dwaipayana Vyasa (Volume 1).pdf/185

Rh who granted protection to Trisanku smarting under a superior's curse. I ain frightened to approach him of such deeds! Tell me, O Indra, the means that should be adopted so that I may not be burnt by his wrath. He can burn the three worlds by his splendour, can, by a stamp (of his foot), cause the Earth to quake. He can sever the great Meru from the Earth and hurl it to any distance. He can go round the ten points of the Earth in a moment. How can a woman like us even touch such a one full of ascetic virtues, like unto a blazing Gre, and having his passions under complete control? His mouth is like unto a blazing fire; the pupils of his eyes are like the Sun and the Moon ; his tongue is like unto Yama himself. How shall, O chief of the celestials, a woman like us even touch him? At the thought of his prowess Yama, Soma, the great Rishis, the Saddhyas, the Viswas, Valakhilyas, are terrified ! How can a woman like me gaze at him without alarm? Commanded, however, by thee, O king of the celestials, I shall somehow approach that Risbi. But, О chief of the gods, devise thou some plan whereby protected by thee, I may safely move about that Risbi, I think that when I begin to play before the Rishi, Marut (the god of wind) had better go there and rob me of my dress, and Manmatha (the god of love) had also, at thy command, better help me then. Let also Marut on that occasion bear thither fragrance from the wooods to tempt the Rishi. Saying this and seeing that all she had said about had been duly provided Menaka went to the retreat of the great Kausika.'"

So ends the seventy-first section in the Shambhava Parva of the Adi Parva.

" 'Kanwa continued.-'And Sakra, thus addressed by her, then commanded him who could approach every place (viz., the god of wind) to be present with Menaka at the time she whuld be before the Rishi, And the timid and beautiful Menaka then entered the retreat and saw there Viswamitra who had burnt, by his penances, all his sins, and was engaged still in ascetic penances. And saluting the Rishi, she then began to sport before him. And just at that time Marut robbed her of her garments that were white as the Moon, And she thereupon ran. as if in great bashfulness, to catch hold of her attire, and as if she was exceedingly annoyed with Marut. And she did all this before the very