nd who resembled the four regents of the four quarters, and looked like
four mighty sacrificial fires. And thus, in consequence of the exhaustion
of his merits, the royal sage Yayati fell amongst them. And beholding him
blazing with beauty, those kings asked him, saying, "Who art thou? Of
what race, country, or city art thou? Art thou a Yaksha, or a god, a
Gandharva, or a Rakshasa? Thou does not seem to be a human being. What
object hast thou in view?" Thus questioned, Yayati answered, "I am the
royal sage Yayati. Fallen am I from heaven in consequence of the
expiration of my virtue. Having desired to fall amongst the righteous, I
have fallen amongst you." The kings then said, "O foremost of persons,
may that wish of thine, be realized. Accept thou our virtues and the
fruits of all our sacrifices." Yayati replied saying, "I am not a
Brahmana competent to accept a gift. On the other hand, I am a Kshatriya.
Nor is my heart inclined towards lessening the virtues of others."'

"Narada continued, 'About this time, Madhavi, in course of her
purposeless wanderings, came there. Beholding her, those monarchs saluted
her and said, "What object hast thou in coming here? What command of
thine shall we obey? Thou deservest to command us, for all of us are thy
sons, O thou that art endued with wealth of asceticism!" Hearing these
words of theirs, Madhavi was filled with delight and approaching then her
father, she reverentially saluted Yayati. And touching the heads of all
her sons, that lady engaged in ascetic austerities said to her father,
"Being my sons these all are thy daughter's sons, O king of kings. They
are not strangers to thee. These will save thee. The practice is not new,
its origin extends to antiquity. I am thy daughter Madhavi, O king,
living in the woods after the manner of the deer. I also have earned
virtue. Take thou a moiety. And because, O king, all men have a right to
enjoy a portion of the merits earned by their offspring, it is for this
that they desire to have daughter's sons. Even this was the case with
thyself, O king (when thou madest me over to Galava)." At these words of
their mother, those monarchs saluted her, and bowing down unto also their
maternal grandsire, repeated those very words in a loud, incomparable,
and sweet voice, and making, as it were, the whole earth resounded
therewith, in order to rescue that maternal grandsire of theirs who had
fallen down from heaven. And at that time Galava also c