Chapter 18
“Salya said, “Then Indra, glorified by the bands of Gandharvas andcelestial nymphs, mounted on Airavata, the king of elephants,characterised by auspicious marks.
“Salya said, “Then Indra, glorified by the bands of Gandharvas andcelestial nymphs, mounted on Airavata, the king of elephants,characterised by auspicious marks.
Vaisampayana said, “O thou foremost of the Bharata race, king Yudhisthirathen asked the illustrious Markandeya a difficult question aboutmorality, saying, ‘I desire to hear, O holy one, about the high andexcellent virtue of women.
“Yudhishthira said, ‘O thou of mighty arms, tell me, after this what isbeneficial for us. O grandsire, I am never satiated with thy words whichseem to me like Amrita.
“Bhishma continued, ‘In olden days, Rama, the son of Jamadagni, in angerat the death of his father, slew with his battle axe the king of theHaihayas. And Rama, by cutting off the thousand arms of Arjuna (theHaihaya king), achieved a most difficult feat in the world.
“The Brahmana said, ‘In this connection, O blessed lady, is cited theancient story of what kind the institution is of the five sacrificingpriests. The learned know this to be a great principle that Prana andApana and Udana and Samana and Vyana are the five sacrificing priests.'”
“Vaisampayana said, ‘Then Yuyudhana, the great hero of the Satwata race,came to Yudhishthira with a large army of foot, and horses and cars andelephants.
“Markandeya said, ‘The illustrious Dhundhu, O king, was the son of Madhuand Kaitabha, and possessed of great energy and prowess, he underwentascetic
“Parasara said, ‘That man who, having obtained this car, viz., his bodyendued with mind, goes on, curbing with the reins of-knowledge the steedsrepresented by the objects of the senses, should certainly be regarded aspossessed of intelligence.
“Bhishma, continued, ‘Listen, O mother, to me as I indicate the means bywhich the Bharata line may be perpetuated. Let an accomplished Brahmanabe invited by an offer of wealth, and let him raise offspring upon thewives of Vichitravirya.’
“The Brahmana said, ‘In this connection is cited the ancient story of thediscourse between Narada and the Rishi Devamata.’