such an act hath scarcely been worthy of thee.  O Bharata, this act must be regarded as extremely cruel, deserving of universal execration, infamous, and sinful, and certainly leading to hell.  Thou art acquainted with the pleasures of sexual intercourse.  Thou art acquainted also with the teaching of morality and dictates of duty.  Like unto a celestial as thou art, it behoveth thee not to do such an act as leadeth to hell.  O best of kings, thy duty is to chastise all who act cruelly, who are engaged in sinful practices and who have thrown to the winds religion, profit, and pleasure as explained in the scriptures.  What hast thou done, O best of men, in killing me who have given thee no offence?  I am, O king, a Muni who liveth on fruits and roots, though disguised as a deer.  I was living in the woods in peace with all.  Yet thou hast killed me, O king, for which I will curse thee certainly.  As thou hast been cruel unto a couple of opposite sexes, death shall certainly overtake thee as soon as thou feelest the influence of sexual desire.  I am a Muni of the name of Kindama, possessed of ascetic merit.  I was engaged in sexual intercourse with this deer, because my feelings of modesty did not permit me to indulge in such an act in human society.  In the form of a deer I rove in the deep woods in the company of other deer.  Thou hast slain me without knowing that I am a Brahmana, the sin of having slain a Brahmana shall not, therefore, be thine.  But senseless man, as you have killed me, disguised as a deer, at such a time, thy fate shall certainly be even like mine.  When, approaching thy wife lustfully, thou wilt unite with her even as I had done with mine, in that very state shalt thou have to go to the world of the spirits.  And that wife of thine with whom thou mayst be united in intercourse at the time of thy death shall also follow thee with affection and reverence to the domains of the king of the dead.  Thou hast brought me grief when I was happy.  So shall grief come to thee when thou art in happiness.’

“Vaisampayana continued, ’Saying this, that deer, afflicted with grief gave up the ghost; and Pandu also was plunged in woe at the sight.’”

SECTION CXIX

(Sambhava Parva continued)

“Vaisampayana said, ’After the death of that deer, king Pandu with his wives was deeply afflicted and wept bitterly.  And he exclaimed, ’The wicked, even if born in virtuous families, deluded by their own passions, become overwhelmed with misery as the fruit of their own deeds.  I have heard that my father, though begotten by Santanu of virtuous soul, was cut off while still a youth, only because he had become a slave to his lust.  In the soil of that lustful king, the illustrious Rishi Krishna-Dwaipayana himself, of truthful speech, begot me.  A son though I am of such a being, with my wicked heart wedded to vice, I am yet leading a wandering life in the woods in the chase of the deer.  Oh, the very gods