Chapter 150

“Yudhishthira said, ‘O best of the Bharatas, when a person commits sinfrom want of judgment, how may he be cleansed from it? Tell me everythingabout it.’

“Bhishma said, ‘I shall in this connection recite to thee the oldnarrative, applauded by the Rishis, of what the regenerate Indrota, theson of Sunaka, said unto Janamejaya. There was in days of yore, a kingpossessed of great energy, called Janamejaya, who was the son ofParikshit. That lord of earth on one occasion, from want of judgmentbecame guilty of killing a Brahmana. Upon this, all the Brahmanastogether with his priests abandoned him. Burning day and night withregret, the king retired into the woods. Deserted by his subjects too, hetook this step for achieving high merit. Consumed by repentance, themonarch underwent the most rigid austerities. For washing himself of thesin of Brahmanicide he interrogated many Brahmanas, and wandered fromcountry to country over the whole earth. I shall now tell thee the storyof his expiation. Burning with the remembrance of his sinful act,Janamejaya wandered about. One day, in course of his wanderings, he metIndrota, the son of Sunaka, of rigid vows, and approaching him touchedhis feet. The sage, beholding the king before him, reproved him gravely,saying, ‘Thou hast committed a great sin. Thou hast been guilty offoeticide. Why has thou come here? What business hast thou with us? Donot touch me by any means! Go, go away! Thy presence does not give uspleasure. Thy person smells like blood. Thy appearance is like that of acorpse. Though impure, thou seemest to be pure, and though dead thoumovest like a living! Dead within, thou art of impure soul, for thou artever intent upon sin. Though thou sleepest and wakest, thy life, however,is passed in great misery. Thy life, O king, is useless. Thou livest mostmiserably. Thou hast been created for ignoble and sinful deeds. Sireswish for sons from desire of obtaining diverse kinds of blessings, andhoping they perform penances and sacrifices, worship the gods, andpractise renunciation.[438] Behold, the whole race of thy ancestors hasfallen into hell in consequence of thy acts. All the hopes thy sires hadplaced upon thee have become fruitless. Thou livest in vain, for thou artalways inspired with hatred and malice towards the Brahmanas–them, thatis, by worshipping whom other men obtain long life, fame, and heaven.Leaving this world (when the time comes), thou shalt have to fall (intohell) with head downwards and remain in that posture for innumerableyears in consequence of thy sinful deeds. There thou shalt be tortured byvultures and peacocks having iron beaks. Returning thence into thisworld, thou shalt have to take birth in a wretched order of creatures. Ifthou thinkest, O king, that this world is nothing and that the next worldis the shadow of a shadow, the myrmidons of Yama in the infernal regionswill convince thee, dispelling thy unbelief.'”