Chapter 181

“Vasishtha continued, ‘The Brahmana lady, thus addressed by them, said,’Ye children, I have not robbed you of your eye-sight, nor am I angrywith you.

This child, however, of the Bhrigu race hath certainly beenangry with you. There is little doubt, ye children, that ye have beenrobbed of your sight by that illustrious child whose wrath hath beenkindled at the remembrance of the slaughter of his race. Ye children,while ye were destroying even the embryos of the Bhrigu race, this childwas held by me in my thigh for a hundred years! And in order that theprosperity of Bhrigu’s race might be restored, the entire Vedas withtheir branches came unto this one even while he was in the womb. It isplain that this scion of the Bhrigu race, enraged at the slaughter of hisfathers, desireth to slay you! It is by his celestial energy that youreyes have been scorched. Therefore, ye children, pray ye unto this myexcellent child born of my thigh. Propitiated by your homage he mayrestore your eye-sight.’

“Vasishtha continued, ‘Hearing those words of the Brahmana lady, allthese princes addressed the thigh-born child, saying, ‘Be propitious!’And the child became propitious unto them. And that best of BrahmanaRishis, in consequence of his having been born after tearing open hismother’s thigh, came to be known throughout the three worlds by the nameof Aurva (thigh-born). And those princes regaining their eye-sight wentaway. But the Muni Aurva of the Bhrigu race resolved upon overcoming thewhole world. And the high-souled Rishi set his heart, O child, upon thedestruction of every creature in the world. And that scion of the Bhrigurace, for paying homage (as he regarded) unto his slaughtered ancestors,devoted himself to the austerest of penances with the object ofdestroying the whole world. And desirous of gratifying his ancestors, theRishi afflicted by his severe asceticism the three worlds with thecelestials, the Asuras and human beings. The Pitris, then, learning whatthe child of their race was about, all came from their own region untothe Rishi and addressing him said:

‘Aurva, O son, fierce thou hast been in thy asceticism. Thy power hathbeen witnessed by us. Be propitious unto the three worlds. O, control thywrath. O child, it was not from incapacity that the Bhrigus of soulsunder complete control were, all of them, indifferent to their owndestruction at the hands of the murderous Kshatriyas. O child, when wegrew weary of the long periods of life alloted to us, it was then that wedesired our own destruction through the instrumentality of theKshatriyas. The wealth that the Bhrigus had placed in their houseunderground had been placed only with the object of enraging theKshatriyas and picking a quarrel with them. O thou best of Brahmanas, aswe were desirous of heaven, of what use could wealth be to us? Thetreasurer of heaven (Kuvera) had kept a large treasure for us. When wefound that death could not, by any means, overtake us all, it was then, Ochild, that we regarded this as the best means (of compassing ourdesire). They who commit suicide never attain to regions that areblessed. Reflecting upon this, we abstained from self-destruction. Thatwhich, therefore thou desirest to do is not agreeable to us. Restrain thymind, therefore, from the sinful act of destroying the whole world. Ochild, destroy not the Kshatriyas nor the seven worlds. O, kill thiswrath of thine that staineth thy ascetic energy.'”