Chapter 218

“Vaisampayana said, ‘Then that bull of Bharata’s race went to the sacredwaters on the banks of the southern ocean, all adorned with the asceticsresiding there. And there lay scattered five such regions where alsodwelt many ascetics.

But those five waters themselves were shunned by allof them. Those sacred waters were called Agastya, and Saubhadra andPauloma of great holiness, and Karandhama of great propitiousnessyielding the fruits of a horse-sacrifice unto those that bathed there,and Bharadwaja, that great washer of sins. That foremost one among theKurus, beholding those five sacred waters, and finding them uninhabited,and ascertaining also that they were shunned by the virtuous asceticsdwelling around, asked those pious men with joined hands, saying, ‘Why Oascetics, are these five sacred waters shunned by utterers of Brahma?’Hearing him, the ascetics replied, ‘There dwell in these waters fivelarge crocodiles which take away the ascetics that may happen to bathe inthem. It is for this, O son of Kuru’s race, that these waters areshunned.’

“Vaisampayana continued, ‘Hearing these words of the ascetics, thatforemost of men endued with mighty arms, though dissuaded by them went tobehold those waters. Arrived at the excellent sacred water calledSaubhadra after a great Rishi, the brave scorcher of all foes suddenlyplunged into it to have a bath. As soon as that tiger among men hadplunged into the water a great crocodile (that was in it) seized him bythe leg. But the strong-armed Dhananjaya the son of Kunti, that foremostof all men endued with might, seized that struggling ranger of the waterand dragged it forcibly to the shore. But dragged by the renowned Arjunato the land, that crocodile became (transformed into) a beautiful damselbedecked with ornament. O king, that charming damsel of celestial formseemed to shine for her beauty and complexion. Dhananjaya, the son ofKunti, beholding that strange sight, asked that damsel with a pleasedheart, ‘Who art thou, O beautiful one? Why hast thou been a ranger of thewaters? Why also didst thou commit such a dreadful sin?’ The damselreplied, saying, ‘I am, O mighty-armed one, an Apsara that sported in thecelestial woods. I am, O mighty one, Varga by name, and ever dear untothe celestial treasurer (Kuvera). I have four other companions, allhandsome and capable of going everywhere at will. Accompanied by them Iwas one day going to the abode of Kuvera. On the way we beheld a Brahmanaof rigid vows, and exceedingly handsome, studying the Vedas in solitude.The whole forest (in which he was sitting) seemed to be covered with hisascetic splendour. He seemed to have illuminated the whole region likethe Sun himself. Beholding his ascetic devotion of that nature and hiswonderful beauty, we alighted in that region, in order to disturb hismeditations. Myself and Saurabheyi and Samichi and Vudvuda and Lata,approached that Brahmana, O Bharata, at the same time. We began to singand smile and otherwise tempt that Brahmana. But, O hero, that Brahmana(youth) set not his heart even once upon us. His mind fixed on puremeditation, that youth of great energy suffered not his heart to waver, Obull among Kshatriyas, the glance he cast upon us was one of wrath. Andhe said, staring at us, ‘Becoming crocodiles, range ye the waters for ahundred years.'”