due time the king had a son born unto him, who came to be named
Suvarnashthivin[89] on earth. And in consequence of the boon, that child
began to increase (his father's) wealth beyond all limits. And king
Srinjaya caused all desirable things of his to be made of gold. And his
houses and walls and forts, and the houses of all Brahmanas (within his
dominions), and his beds, vehicles, and plates, and all manners of pots
and cups, and palace that he owned, and all implements and utensils,
domestic and otherwise were made of gold. And in time his stock
increased. Then certain robbers hearing of the prince and seeing him to
be such, assembled together and sought to injure the king. And some
amongst them said, 'We will seize the king's son himself. He is his
father's mine of gold. Towards that end, therefore, we should strive.'
Then those robbers inspired with avarice, penetrating into the king's
palace, forcibly took away prince Suvarnashthivin. Having seized and
taken him to the woods, those senseless idiots, inspired with avarice but
ignorant of what to do with him, slew him there and cut his body in
fragments. They saw not, however, any gold in him. After the prince was
slain, all the gold, obtained in consequence of the Rishi's boon,
disappeared. The ignorant and senseless robbers struck one another. And
striking one another thus, they perished and with them that wonderful
prince on the earth. And those men of wicked deeds sank in an
unimaginable and awful hell. Seeing that son of his, obtained through the
Rishi's boon thus slain, that great ascetic, viz., king Srinjaya,
afflicted with deep sorrow, began to lament in piteous accents. Beholding
the king afflicted with grief on account of his son, and thus weeping,
the celestial Rishi Narada showed himself in his presence. Listen, O
Yudhishthira, to what Narada said unto Srinjaya, having approached that
king, who afflicted with grief and deprived of his senses, was indulging
in piteous lamentations. Narada said, 'Srinjaya, with thy desires
unfulfilled, thou shalt have to die, although we utterers of Brahma, live
in thy house. Avikshit's son Marutta even, O Srinjaya, we hear, had to
die. Piqued with Vrihaspati, he had caused Samvatta[90] himself to
officiate at his great sacrifices! Unto that royal sage the illustrious
lord (Mahadeva) himself had given wealth in the shape of a golden plateau
of Himavat. (With that wealth) king Marutta had performed diverse
sacrifices. Unto him