of Vidura. He was thus the brother of Dhrita-rashtra and of the illustrious Pandu. And Vidura was free from desire and passion and conversant with the rules of government, and was the god of justice born on earth under the curse of the illustrious Rishi Mandavya. And Krishna-Dwaipayana, when he met his mother as before, informed her how he was deceived by the eldest of the princesses and how he had begotten a son upon a Sudra woman. And having spoken thus unto his mother, the Rishi disappeared in her sight.
"Thus were born, in the field (wives) of Vichittra-virya, even from Dwaipayana, those sons of the splendour of celestial children and expanders of the Kuru race."
Thus ends the hundred and sixth Section in the Sambhava of the Adi parva.
( Sambhava Parva continued. )
Janamejaya said, "What did the god of justice do for which he was cursed? And who was the Brahmana ascetic from whose curse the god had to be born in the Sudra caste?"
Vaisampayana said, "There was a Brahmana known by the name of Mandavya. He was conversant with all duties and was devoted to religion, truth, and asceticism. That great ascetic used to sit at the entrance of his asylum at the foot of a tree, with his arms upraised in the observance of the vow of silence. And as he had sat there for years and years together, one day there came into his asylum a number of robbers laden with spoil. And, O thou bull of the Bharata race, those robbers were then being pursued by a superior body of the guardians of the peace. And the thieves entering that asylum hid their booty there, and in fear concealed themselves thereabouts before the guards came. But scarcely had they thus concealed themselves, the constables in pursuit came into the spot. The latter, observing the Rishi sitting under the tree, questioned him, O king, saying, 'O thou best of Brahmanas, which way have the thieves taken? Point it out to us so that we may follow it without loss of time.' Thus
