Page:The Mahabharata of Krishna-Dwaipayana Vyasa (1884).djvu/387

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ADI PARVA.
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raise up offspring from the seed of some Brahmana of high ascetic merit.'"

Thus ends the hundred and twentieth Section in the Sambhava of the Adi Parva.


Section CXXI.

Sambhava Parva continued. )

Vaisampayana said, "Thus addressed, Kunti replied unto her heroic lord king Pandu—that bull amongst the Kurus—saying, 'O thou virtuous one, it behoveth thee not to say so unto me! I am, O thou of eyes like lotus-leaves, thy wedded wife, and devoted to thee! O Bharata of mighty arms, thyself shalt, in righteousness, beget upon me children endued with great energy. Then shall I ascend to heaven with thee! O prince of the Kuru race, receive me in thy embraces for begetting children! I shall not certainly, even in imagination, accept any other man except thee in my embraces! What other man is there in this world superior to thee? O thou virtuous one, listen to this Pauranic narrative that hath been, O thou of large eyes, heard by me, and that I shall presently narrate.

"'There was in ancient times a king of the race of Puru, known by the name of Vyushitaswa. He was devoted to truth and virtue. Of virtuous soul and mighty arms, on one occasion, while he performed a sacrifice, the gods with Indra and the great Rishis came to him. And Indra was so intoxicated with the Soma juice he drank, and the Brahmanas with the large presents they received, that both the gods and the great Rishis began themselves to perform everything appertaining to that sacrifice of the illustrious royal sage. And thereupon Vyushitaswa began to shine above all men like the sun appearing in double splendour after the season of frost is over. And the powerful Vyushitaswa was endued with the strength of ten elephants. And he soon enough performed the horse-sacrifice, overthrowing, O best of monarchs, all the kings of the East and the North, the West and the South, and exacting tribute from them all. There is a

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