Chapter 45
“Meanwhile the great ascetic Jaratkaru wandered over the whole earthmaking the place where evening fell his home for the night. And giftedwith ascetic power, he roamed, practising various vows difficult to bepractised by the immature, and bathing also in various sacred waters.
Andthe Muni had air alone for his food and was free from desire of worldlyenjoyment. And he became daily emaciated and grew lean-fleshed. And oneday he saw the spirits of his ancestors, heads down, in a hole, by a cordof virana roots having only one thread entire. And that even singlethread was being gradually eaten away by a large rat dwelling in thathole. And the Pitris in that hole were without food, emaciated, pitiable,and eagerly desirous of salvation. And Jaratkaru, approaching thepitiable one, himself in humble guise, asked them, ‘Who are ye hanging bythis cord of virana roots? The single weak root that is still left inthis cord of virana roots already eaten away by the rat, dwelling in thishole, is itself being gradually eaten away by the same rat with his sharpteeth. The little that remains of that single thread will soon be cutaway. It is clear ye shall then have to fall down into this pit withfaces downwards. Seeing you with faces downwards, and overtaken by thisgreat calamity, my pity hath been excited. What good can I do to you.Tell me quickly whether this calamity can be averted by a fourth, athird, or even by the sacrifice of a half of this my asceticism, O,relieve yourselves even with the whole of my asceticism. I consent to allthis. Do ye as ye please.’
“The Pitris said, ‘Venerable Brahmacharin, thou desirest to relieve us.But, O foremost of Brahmanas, thou canst not dispel our affliction by thyasceticism. O child, O first of speakers, we too have the fruits of ourasceticism. But, O Brahmana, it is for the loss of children that we arefalling down into this unholy hell. The grandsire himself hath said thata son is a great merit. As we are about to be cast in this hole, ourideas are no longer clear. Therefore, O child, we know thee not, althoughthy manhood is well-known on earth. Venerable thou art and of goodfortune, thou who thus from kindness grievest for us worthy of pity andgreatly afflicted. O Brahmana, listen, who we are. We are Rishis of theYayavara sect, of rigid vows. And, O Muni, from loss of children, we havefallen down from a sacred region. Our severe penances have not beendestroyed; we have a thread yet. But we have only one thread now. Itmatters little, however, whether he is or is not. Unfortunate as we are,we have a thread in one, known as Jaratkaru. The unfortunate one has gonethrough the Vedas and their branches and is practising asceticism alone.He being one with soul under complete control, desires set high,observant of vows, deeply engaged in ascetic penances, and free fromgreed for the merits or asceticism, we have been reduced to thisdeplorable state. He hath no wife, no son, no relatives. Therefore, do wehang in this hole, our consciousness lost, like men having none to takecare of them. If thou meetest him, O, tell him, from thy kindness toourselves, Thy Pitris, in sorrow, are hanging with faces downwards in ahole. Holy one, take a wife and beget children. O thou of ascetic wealth,thou art, O amiable one, the only thread that remaineth in the line ofthy ancestors. O Brahmana, the cord of virana roots that thou seest weare hanging by, is the cord representing our multiplied race. And, OBrahmana, these threads of the cord of virana roots that thou seest aseaten away, are ourselves who have been eaten up by Time. This root thouseest hath been half-eaten and by which we are hanging in this hole is hethat hath adopted asceticism alone. The rat that thou beholdest is Timeof infinite strength. And he (Time) is gradually weakening the wretchJaratkaru engaged in ascetic penances tempted by the merits thereof, butwanting in prudence and heart. O excellent one, his asceticism cannotsave us. Behold, our roots being torn, cast down from higher regions,deprived of consciousness by Time, we are going downwards like sinfulwretches. And upon our going down into this hole with all our relatives,eaten up by Time, even he shall sink with us into hell. O child, whetherit is asceticism, or sacrifice, or whatever else there be of very holyacts, everything is inferior. These cannot count with a son. O child,having seen all, speak unto that Jaratkaru of ascetic wealth. Thoushouldst tell him in detail everything that thou hast beheld. And, OBrahmana, from thy kindness towards us, thou shouldst tell him all thatwould induce him to take a wife and beget children. Amongst his friends,or of our own race, who art thou, O excellent one, that thus grievest forus all like a friend? We wish to hear who thou art that stayest here.'”
