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Rh into) a beautiful damsel be-decked with ornament. O king, that charming damsel of celestial form seemed to shine for her beauty and complexion. Dhananjaya the son of Kunti, beholding that strange sight, asked that damsel with a pleased heart,-'Who art thou, O beautiful one? Why bast thou been a ranger of the waters? Why also didst thou commit such a dreadful sin? The damsel replied, saying.---'I am, O mighty-armed one, an Apsara that sported in the celestial woods. I am, O mighty one, Varga by name, and ever dear unto the celestial treasurer (Kuvera). I have four other companions, all handsome and capable of going everywhere at will. Accompanied by them I was one day going to the abode of Kuvera. On the way we bebeld a Brahmana of rigid vows, and exceedingly handsome, studying the Vedas in solitude. The whole forest (in which he was sitting) seemed to be covered with his ascetic splendour. He seemed to have illuminated the whole region like the Sun himself. Beholding his ascetic devotion of that nature and his wonderful beauty, we alighted in that region, in order to disturb his meditations. Myself and Sauraveyi and Samichi and Vuvuda and Lata, approached that Brahmana, O Bharata, at the same time. We began to sing and smile and otherwise tempt that Brahmana. But, O hero, that Brahniana (youth) set not his heart even once upon us. His mind fixed on pure meditation, that youth of great energy suffered not his heart to waver. O bull among Kshatriyas, the glance he cast upon us was one of wrath. And he said, staring at us,-'Becoming crocodiles, range ge the waters for a hundred years.'"

Thus ends the two hundred and eighteenth section in the Arjunavanavasa Parva of the Adi Parva.

Vaisampayana said, "Varga continued,-'We were then, O foremost one of Bharata's race, deeply distressed at this curse. We sought to propitiate that Brahmana of ascetic wealth that departed not from his vow. Addressing him, we said, --Inflacted with a sense of our beauty and youth, and urged by the god of desire, we have acted very improperly. It behoveth thee. O Brahmana, to pardon us! Truly, O Brahmana, it was death to us that we had at all come hitherto tempt thee of rigid vows and ascetic wealth! The virtuous, however, havt said that women should never be slain. Therefore grow thou in virtue.

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