Page:The Mahabharata of Krishna-Dwaipayana Vyasa (Volume 1).pdf/414

400 capital and the country began to abandon their wives and children and grew Teckless of one another, The people being afflicted with hunger, without a morsel of food and reduced to skeletons, the capital looked very much like the city of the king of the dead. full of only ghostly beings. On beholding the capital reduced to such a state, the illustrious and virtuous and best of Rishis, Vasistha was resolved upon applying remedy and brought back unto the city that tiger among kings, Samvarana along with his wife, after the latter had passed so long a period in solitude and seclusion. After the king bad entered his capital, things became as before, for, when that tiger among kings came back to his own, the god of a thousand eyes, the slayer of Asuras, poured rain in abundance and caused corn to grow. Revivfied by the foremost of virtuous soul the capital and the country became animated with extreme joy. The monarch, with his wife Tapati, once more performed sacrifices for twelve years, like the lord Indra (god of rain) performing sacrifices with his wife Sachi.

"The Gandharva continued, 'This, O Partba, is the history of Tapati of old, the daughter of Vivaswat. It is for her that thou art (called) Tapalya 1 King Sam varana begot upon Tapatí a son named Kuru, who was the foremost of ascetics. Born in the race of Kuru, thou art, Arjuna, to be called Tapatya.'”

Thus ends the hundred and seventy-fifth section in the Chaitraratha Parva of the Adi Parva.

Vaisampayana said, "That bul among the Bharatas, Arjuna, hearing these words of the Gandharva, was inspired with feelings of devotion and stood confestly like the full moon. And that mighty bowman, that foremost one in Kuru's race having his curiosity greatly excited by what he heard of Vasistha's ascetic power, asked the Gandharve, sayingI desire to hear of the Rishi whom thou hast mentioned as Vasistha. O, tell me in full about him ! O chief of the Gandharvas, tell me who this illustrious Rishi was that was the priest of our forefathers !' The Gandharva replied-'Vasistha is Brahma's spiritual (lit, mind-born) son and Arundhati's husband. Ever difficult.of being conquered by the very immortals, Desire and Wrath, conquered by Vasistha's