Chapter 232
“Vaisampayana said, ‘When the fire blazed forth in the forest ofKhandava, the infant birds became very much distressed and afflicted.Filled with anxiety, they saw not any means of escape. Their mother, thehelpless Jarita, knowing that they were too young to escape, was filledwith sorrow and wept aloud.
And she said, ‘Oh, the terribleconflagration, illuminating the whole universe and burning the forestdown, approacheth towards us, increasing my woe. These infants withimmature understanding, without feathers and feet, and the sole refuge ofour deceased ancestors, afflict me. Oh, this fire approacheth, spreadingfear all around, and licking with its tongue the tallest trees. But myunfledged children are incapable of effecting their escape. I myself amnot capable of escaping, taking all these with me. Nor am I capable ofabandoning them, for my heart is distressed on their account. Whomamongst my sons, shall I leave behind, and whom shall I carry with me?What (act) should I do now that is consistent with duty? What also doyou, my infant sons, think? I do not, even by reflection, see any way ofescape for you. I shall even cover you with my wings and die with you.Your cruel father left me some time before, saying, ‘Upon this Jaritari,because he is the eldest of my sons, will my race depend. My secondSarisrikka will beget progeny for the expansion of my ancestors’ race. Mythird, Stamvamitra, will be devoted to asceticism, and my youngest,Drona, will become the foremost of those acquainted with the Vedas.’ Buthow hath this terrible calamity overtaken us! Whom shall I take with me?As I am deprived of judgment what should I do that is consistent withduty? I do not see, by the exercise of my own judgment, the escape of mychildren from the fire!’
“Vaisampayana said, ‘Unto their mother indulging in these lamentations,the infant ones said. ‘O mother, relinquishing thy affection for us, gothou to a place where there is no fire. If we are killed here, thoumayest have other children born to thee. If thou, O mother be killed, wecan have no more children in our race. Reflecting upon both thesecalamities, the time hath come for thee, O mother, to do that which isbeneficial to our race. Do not be influenced by affection for thyoffspring, which promises to destroy both us and thee. If thou savestthyself, our father, who is even desirous of winning regions of felicity,may have his wishes gratified.’
“Hearing what the infants said. Jarita replied, ‘There is a hole here inthe ground near to this tree, belonging to a mouse. Enter this holewithout loss of time. You shall have then no fear of fire. After ye haveentered it, I shall, ye children, cover its mouth with dust. This is theonly means of escape that I see from the blazing fire. Then when the firewill be put out, I shall return hither to remove the dust. Follow myadvice if you are to escape from the conflagration.’
“The infant birds replied, ‘Without feathers we are but so many balls offlesh. If we enter the hole, certain it is that the carnivorous mousewill destroy us all. Beholding this danger before us, we cannot enterthis hole. Alas, we do not see any means by which we may escape from thefire or from the mouse. We do not see how our father’s act of procreationmay be prevented from becoming futile, and how also our mother may besaved. If we enter the hole, the mouse will destroy us; we remain wherewe are and the sky-ranging fire will destroy us. Reflecting upon both thecalamities, a death by fire is preferable to a death by being eaten up.If we are devoured by the mouse within the hole, that death is certainlyignoble, whereas the destruction of the body in fire is approved by thewise.'”
