Bhishma said thus: “O Dharmaja!
I tell you a conversation between Seven saints and King Vrishadarbhi. Kashyapa, Athri, Visvamitra, Goutama, Bharadwaja, Jamadagni, Vasishta, are called Sapta Rishis (seven saints). Arundhati, wife of Vasishta always accompanies her husband,wherever he goes. A servant maid called Ganda serves them. Her husband was Pasusakha. He also accompanies them always.
Once there was a great famine. Food was not available for eating. It became difficult for humans to keep themselves alive. At that time, these seven saints were searing for food. They found a dead body kept on pyre for cremation. As all the saints were suffering with hunger, they were about to eat that dead body.
King Vrishadarbhi beheld that situation. “O Saints! what are you doing. It appears you are suffering with hunger. I am the king of this area. I will give you sumptuous food and sufficient water. Please come along with me. Not only that, I will make permanent arrangement for your sustenance. I give you sufficient money, grains, cows, carts, villages as charity.” said King Vrishadarbhi.
“O King! we never receive anything from anybody as charity. If we receive anything freely, it is nothing but poison. Perhaps you do not know about us. Hence you talked like that. You can go.” said those saints.
King Vrishadarbhi went back to his city. He kept some gold inside some fruits and sent them to the saints through his ministers, for eating. Accordingly, the ministers went to the Saints and offered those fruits to the saints. By simple touch, the saints grasped that those fruits contain gold. They smoothly rejected those fruits and went away.
The ministers went back and told the King what had happened. The King was enraged with great wrath. He performed a Homa (burning sacred fire) and created a demon called Kritti from that Homa. The King ordered Kritti to kill all the saints and cut them into pieces. Kritti went in search of the saints.
At that time the Saints were searching for some fruits to eat. A Sanyasi called Sunassakha approached them and joined them in search of fruits. All of them could not find a single fruit. They went near a pond to pick up atleast some lotus stems for eating. There, Kritti appeared and obstructed them from picking up the stems.
They requested Kritti: “We are suffering with hunger. We could not find anything for eating. Let us eat atleast these stems to subside our hunger” they requested.
“If that is so, tell me your names and then get into the pond” said Kritti.
All the saints realised that it was a demon which had come to kill them. Hence, they revealed their names, with equivalent words, explanations and derivatives which could not be understood by Kritti. Meanwhile Sunassakha told his name correctly, as it was.
Kritti grew angry. “Why you are confusing me. Cannot you tell your name correctly and straight?” said Kritti.
“What! when I told my name correctly, you are finding fault with me. Even if I tell correctly you could not understand. My Mantra Danda will tell you my correct name.” so saying Sunassakha beat Kritti with his Manthra Danda on its head. With that blow, Kritti fell on the ground and reduced to ashes.
Then all of them went into the pond and picked up louts stems and cleaned them and kept the bundle of lotus stems on the bund of the pond. Again all of them went inside the pond to perform daily rituals. When they returned back, they did not find the bundle of lotus stems. They were suspecting each other.
They kept Sunassakha as mediator and made promises.
First Athri said: “Had I stolen the lotus stems, I would be inflicted with the sin of beating a cow, making excretion and urinating in front of Sun, studying Vedas on inauspicious days.
Then Saint Vasishta said: The person who had stolen the lotus stems will be inflicted with the greater sin of evading studying of Vedas; having sexual intercourse being a sanyasi; having a dog along with him; selling of his own daughter; not rescuing a person who sought refuge; asking for charity knowing fully well that that person has nothing to give etc.
All the other saints, Arundhati, including the servant maid and her husband made similar promises to prove their innocence. All of them cursed the one who stole the lotus stems. At last Sunassakha said that giving away the lotus stems to the so called thief is equivalent to giving away his daughter to a wise and learned virtuous brahmin. All astonished for his words. They all suspected that Sunassakha stole those lotus stems.
“O Sunassakha! we are all suffering with hunger. Kindly give those stems to us.” requested those sages and Arundhati.
“O great saints! kindly forgive me. I am telling the truth. With a view to know your mind, I have concealed the bundle of stemps. Please take them and subside your hunger.” so saying Sunassakha brought the bundle of lotus stemps.
Sunassakha continued to say: “I cannot hide myself anymore. I am Devendra. I have come and joined you to save you from Kritti, the demon, created by King Vrishadarbhi for the purpose of killing all of you. I killed that demon. As you are all freed from greediness, you attained Punya Lokas. Let all of us go to heaven.” said Devendra. Then the seven saints, Arundhathi along with Devendra departed to heaven.
“O Dharmaja! As the seven saints were endowed with the virtuous quality of not receiving anything from others freely, they attained divinity. You also discard greediness and attain greater heights.” said Bhishma.
I tell you a conversation between Seven saints and King Vrishadarbhi. Kashyapa, Athri, Visvamitra, Goutama, Bharadwaja, Jamadagni, Vasishta, are called Sapta Rishis (seven saints). Arundhati, wife of Vasishta always accompanies her husband,wherever he goes. A servant maid called Ganda serves them. Her husband was Pasusakha. He also accompanies them always.
Once there was a great famine. Food was not available for eating. It became difficult for humans to keep themselves alive. At that time, these seven saints were searing for food. They found a dead body kept on pyre for cremation. As all the saints were suffering with hunger, they were about to eat that dead body.
King Vrishadarbhi beheld that situation. “O Saints! what are you doing. It appears you are suffering with hunger. I am the king of this area. I will give you sumptuous food and sufficient water. Please come along with me. Not only that, I will make permanent arrangement for your sustenance. I give you sufficient money, grains, cows, carts, villages as charity.” said King Vrishadarbhi.
“O King! we never receive anything from anybody as charity. If we receive anything freely, it is nothing but poison. Perhaps you do not know about us. Hence you talked like that. You can go.” said those saints.
King Vrishadarbhi went back to his city. He kept some gold inside some fruits and sent them to the saints through his ministers, for eating. Accordingly, the ministers went to the Saints and offered those fruits to the saints. By simple touch, the saints grasped that those fruits contain gold. They smoothly rejected those fruits and went away.
The ministers went back and told the King what had happened. The King was enraged with great wrath. He performed a Homa (burning sacred fire) and created a demon called Kritti from that Homa. The King ordered Kritti to kill all the saints and cut them into pieces. Kritti went in search of the saints.
At that time the Saints were searching for some fruits to eat. A Sanyasi called Sunassakha approached them and joined them in search of fruits. All of them could not find a single fruit. They went near a pond to pick up atleast some lotus stems for eating. There, Kritti appeared and obstructed them from picking up the stems.
They requested Kritti: “We are suffering with hunger. We could not find anything for eating. Let us eat atleast these stems to subside our hunger” they requested.
“If that is so, tell me your names and then get into the pond” said Kritti.
All the saints realised that it was a demon which had come to kill them. Hence, they revealed their names, with equivalent words, explanations and derivatives which could not be understood by Kritti. Meanwhile Sunassakha told his name correctly, as it was.
Kritti grew angry. “Why you are confusing me. Cannot you tell your name correctly and straight?” said Kritti.
“What! when I told my name correctly, you are finding fault with me. Even if I tell correctly you could not understand. My Mantra Danda will tell you my correct name.” so saying Sunassakha beat Kritti with his Manthra Danda on its head. With that blow, Kritti fell on the ground and reduced to ashes.
Then all of them went into the pond and picked up louts stems and cleaned them and kept the bundle of lotus stems on the bund of the pond. Again all of them went inside the pond to perform daily rituals. When they returned back, they did not find the bundle of lotus stems. They were suspecting each other.
They kept Sunassakha as mediator and made promises.
First Athri said: “Had I stolen the lotus stems, I would be inflicted with the sin of beating a cow, making excretion and urinating in front of Sun, studying Vedas on inauspicious days.
Then Saint Vasishta said: The person who had stolen the lotus stems will be inflicted with the greater sin of evading studying of Vedas; having sexual intercourse being a sanyasi; having a dog along with him; selling of his own daughter; not rescuing a person who sought refuge; asking for charity knowing fully well that that person has nothing to give etc.
All the other saints, Arundhati, including the servant maid and her husband made similar promises to prove their innocence. All of them cursed the one who stole the lotus stems. At last Sunassakha said that giving away the lotus stems to the so called thief is equivalent to giving away his daughter to a wise and learned virtuous brahmin. All astonished for his words. They all suspected that Sunassakha stole those lotus stems.
“O Sunassakha! we are all suffering with hunger. Kindly give those stems to us.” requested those sages and Arundhati.
“O great saints! kindly forgive me. I am telling the truth. With a view to know your mind, I have concealed the bundle of stemps. Please take them and subside your hunger.” so saying Sunassakha brought the bundle of lotus stemps.
Sunassakha continued to say: “I cannot hide myself anymore. I am Devendra. I have come and joined you to save you from Kritti, the demon, created by King Vrishadarbhi for the purpose of killing all of you. I killed that demon. As you are all freed from greediness, you attained Punya Lokas. Let all of us go to heaven.” said Devendra. Then the seven saints, Arundhathi along with Devendra departed to heaven.
“O Dharmaja! As the seven saints were endowed with the virtuous quality of not receiving anything from others freely, they attained divinity. You also discard greediness and attain greater heights.” said Bhishma.
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