Chapter 69

“Janamejaya said, ‘I desire to hear from thee about the birth and life ofthe high-souled Bharata and of the origin of Sakuntala. And, O holy one,I also desire to hear all about Dushmanta–that lion among men–and howthe hero obtained Sakuntala. It behoveth thee, O knower of truth and thefirst of all intelligent men, to tell me everything.’

“Vaisampayana said, ‘Once on a time (king Dushmanta) of mighty arms,accompanied by a large force, went into the forest. And he took with himhundreds of horses and elephants. And the force that accompanied themonarch was of four kinds (foot-soldiers, car-warriors, cavalry, andelephants)–heroes armed with swords and darts and bearing in their handsmaces and stout clubs. And surrounded by hundreds of warriors with lancesand spears in their hands, the monarch set out on his journey. And withthe leonine roars of the warriors and the notes of conchs and sound ofdrums, with the rattle of the car-wheels and shrieks of huge elephants,all mingling with the neighing of horses and the clash of weapons of thevariously armed attendants in diverse dresses, there arose a deafeningtumult while the king was on his march. And ladies gifted with greatbeauty beheld from the terraces of goodly mansions that heroic monarch,the achiever of his own fame. And the ladies saw that he was like untoSakra, the slayer of his enemies, capable of repulsing the elephants offoes–And they believed that he was the wielder of the thunderbolthimself. And they said, ‘This is that tiger among men who in battle isequal unto the Vasus in prowess, and in consequence of the might of whosearms no foes are left.’ And saying this, the ladies from affectiongratified the monarch by showering flowers on his head. And followed byforemost of Brahmanas uttering blessings all the way, the king in greatgladness of heart went towards the forest, eager for slaying the deer.And many Brahmanas, Kshatriyas, Vaisyas, and Sudras, followed the monarchwho was like unto the king of the celestials seated on the back of aproud elephant. The citizens and other classes followed the monarch forsome distance. And they at last refrained from going farther at thecommand of the king. And the king, then, ascending his chariot of wingedspeed, filled the whole earth and even the heavens, with the rattle ofhis chariot wheels. And, as he went, he saw around him a forest like untoNandana itself (the celestial garden). And it was full of Vilwa, Arka,Khadira (catechu), Kapittha (wood-apple) and Dhava trees. And he saw thatthe soil was uneven and scattered over with blocks of stone loosened fromthe neighbouring cliffs. And he saw that it was without water and withouthuman beings and lay extended for many Yojanas around. And it was full ofdeer, and lions, and other terrible beasts of prey.

“And king Dushmanta, that tiger among men, assisted by his followers andthe warriors in his train, agitated that forest, killing numerousanimals. And Dushmanta, piercing them with his arrows, felled numeroustigers that were within shooting range. And the king wounded many thatwere too distant, and killed many that were too near with his heavysword. And that foremost of all wielders of darts killed many by hurlinghis darts at them. And well-conversant with the art of whirling the mace,the king of immeasurable prowess fearlessly wandered over the forest. Andthe king roamed about, killing the denizens of the wilderness sometimeswith his sword and sometimes by fast-descending blows of his mace andheavy club.

“And when the forest was so disturbed by the king possessed of wonderfulenergy and by the warriors in his train delighting in warlike sports, thelions began to desert it in numbers. And herds of animals deprived oftheir leaders, from fear and anxiety began to utter loud cries as theyfled in all directions. And fatigued with running, they began to falldown on all sides, unable to slake their thirst, having reachedriver-beds that were perfectly dry. And many so falling were eaten up bythe hungry warriors. While others were eaten up after having been dulyquartered and roasted in fires lit up by them. And many strong elephants,maddened with the wounds they received and alarmed beyond measure, fledwith trunks raised on high. And those wild elephants, betraying the usualsymptoms of alarm by urinating and ejecting the contents of theirstomachs and vomiting blood in large quantities, trampled, as they ran,many warriors to death. And that forest which had been full of animals,was by the king with his bands of followers and with sharp weapons soonmade bereft of lions and tigers and other monarchs of the wilderness.'”