Shamatha said, ’Gaya, the son of Amurttaraya, was one of the foremost of royal sages.  Listen to me, O Bharata, as I recite his meritorious deeds.  It was here, O king, that Gaya had performed many sacrifices distinguished by the enormous quantities of food (that were distributed) and the profuse gifts that were given away (unto Brahmanas).  Those sacrifices, O king, were distinguished by mountains in hundreds and thousands of cooked rice, lakes of clarified butter and rivers of curds in many hundreds, and streams of richly-dressed curries in thousands.  Day after day were these got ready and distributed amongst all comers, while, over and above this, Brahmanas and others, O king, received food that was clean and pure.  During the conclusion also (of every sacrifice) when gifts were dedicated to the Brahmanas, the chanting of the Vedas reached the heavens.  And so loud, indeed, was the sound of the Vedic Mantras that nothing else, O Bharata, could be heard there.  Thus sacred sounds, O king, filled the earth, the points of the horizon, the sky and heaven itself.  Even these were the wonders that persons noticed on those occasions.  And gratified with the excellent viands and drinks that the illustrious Gaya provided, men, O bull of the Bharata race, went about singing these verses.  In Gaya’s great sacrifice, who is there today, amongst creatures, that still desireth to eat?  There are yet twenty-five mountains of food there after all have been fed!  What the royal sage Gaya of immense splendour hath achieved in his sacrifice was never achieved by men before, nor will be by any in future.  The gods have been so surfeited by Gaya with clarified butter that they are not able to take anything that anybody else may offer.  As sand grains on earth, as stars in the firmament, as drops showered by rain-charged clouds, cannot ever be counted by anybody, so can none count the gifts in Gaya’s sacrifice!”

“O son of the Kuru race, many times did king Gaya perform sacrifices of this description, here, by the side of this Brahmasara!”

SECTION XCVI

Vaisampayana said, “After this the royal son of Kunti who was ever distinguished for his profuse gifts unto Brahmanas, proceeded to the asylum of Agastya and took up his abode in Durjaya.  It was here that that foremost of speakers, king Yudhishthira asked Lomasa as to why Agastya had slain Vatapi there.  And the king also enquired after the extent of that man-destroying Daitya’s prowess, and the reason also of the illustrious Agastya’s wrath being excited against that Asura.

“Thus questioned, Lomasa said, ’O son of Kuru race, there was in the city called Manimati, in days of yore, a Daitya named Ilwala, whose younger brother was Vatapi.  One day that son of Diti addressed the Brahmana endued with ascetic merit, saying, ’O holy one, grant me a son equal unto Indra.’  The Brahmana, however, did not grant the Asura a son like Indra.  And at this, the Asura was inflamed