The Mahabharata of Krishna-Dwaipayana Vyasa, Volume 1 eBook
(Chaitraratha Parva continued)
“The Gandharva continued, ’Then, O Partha,
Adrisyanti, who had been residing in Vasishtha’s
asylum, brought forth (when the time came) a son who
was the perpetuator of Saktri’s race and who
was a second Saktri in everything. O foremost
of Bharatas, that best of Munis, the illustrious Vasishtha
himself performed the usual after-birth ceremonies
of his grandson. And, because the Rishi Vasishtha
had resolved on self-destruction but had abstained
therefrom as soon as he knew of the existence of that
child, that child, when born, was called Parasara (the
vivifier of the dead). The virtuous Parasara,
from the day of his birth, knew Vasishtha for his
father and behaved towards the Muni as such. One
day, O son of Kunti, the child addressed Vasishtha,
that first of Brahmana sages, as father, in the presence
of his mother Adrisyanti. Adrisyanti, hearing
the very intelligible sound father sweetly uttered
by her son, addressed him with tearful eyes and said,
’O child, do not address this thy grandfather
as father? Thy father, O son, has been devoured
by a Rakshasa in a different forest. O innocent
one, he is not thy father whom thou regardest so.
The revered one is the father of that celebrated father
of thine.’ Thus addressed by his mother
that best of Rishis of truthful speech, gave way to
sorrow, but soon fired up and resolved to destroy
the whole creation. Then that illustrious and
great ascetic Vasishtha, that foremost of all persons
conversant with Brahma, that son of Mitravaruna, that
Rishi acquainted with positive truth, addressed his
grandson who had set his heart upon the destruction
of the world. Hear, O Arjuna, the arguments by
which Vasishtha succeeded in driving out that resolution
from his grandson’s mind.’
“The Gandharva continued, ’Then Vasishtha
said, ’There was a celebrated king of the name
of Kritavirya. That bull among the kings of the
earth was the disciple of the Veda-knowing Bhrigus.
That king, O child, after performing the Soma sacrifice,
gratified the Brahmanas with great presents of rice
and wealth. After that monarch had ascended to
heaven, an occasion came when his descendants were
in want of wealth. And knowing that the Bhrigus
were rich, those princes went unto those best of Brahmanas,
in the guise of beggars. Some amongst the Bhrigus,
to protect their wealth, buried it under earth; and
some from fear of the Kshatriyas, began to give away
their wealth unto (other) Brahmanas; while some amongst
them duly gave unto the Kshatriyas whatever they wanted.
It happened, however, that some Kshatriyas, in digging
as they pleased at the house of particular Bhargava,
came upon a large treasure. And the treasure
was seen by all those bulls among Kshatriyas who had
been there. Enraged at what they regarded as
the deceitful behaviour of the Bhrigus, the Kshatriyas
insulted the Brahmanas, though the latter asked for
mercy. And those mighty bowmen began to slaughter
the Bhrigus with their sharp arrows. And the
