came upon a large treasure. And the
treasure was seen by all those bulls among Kshatriyas who had been there.
Enraged at what they regarded as the deceitful behaviour of the Bhrigus,
the Kshatriyas insulted the Brahmanas, though the latter asked for mercy.
And those mighty bowmen began to slaughter the Bhrigus with their sharp
arrows. And the Kshatriyas wandered over the earth, slaughtering even the
embryos that were in the wombs of the women of the Bhrigu race. And while
the Bhrigu race was thus being exterminated, the women of that tribe fled
from fear to the inaccessible mountains of Himavat. And one amongst these
women, of tapering thighs, desiring to perpetuate her husband's race,
held in one of her thighs an embryo endued with great energy. A certain
Brahmana woman, however, who came to know this fact, went from fear unto
the Kshatriyas and reported the matter unto them. And the Kshatriyas then
went to destroy that embryo. Arrived at the place, they beheld the
would-be mother blazing with inborn energy, and the child that was in her
thigh came out tearing up the thigh and dazzling the eyes of those
Kshatriyas like the midday sun. Thus deprived of their eyes, the
Kshatriyas began to wander over those inaccessible mountains. And
distressed at the loss of sight, the princes were afflicted with woe, and
desirous of regaining the use of their eyes they resolved to seek the
protection of that faultless woman. Then those Kshatriyas, afflicted with
sorrow, and from loss of sight like unto a fire that hath gone out,
addressed with anxious hearts that illustrious lady, saying, 'By thy
grace. O lady, we wish to be restored to sight. We shall then return to
our homes all together and abstain for ever from our sinful practice. O
handsome one, it behoveth thee with thy child to show us mercy. It
behoveth thee to favour these kings by granting them their eye-sight.'"

SECTION CLXXXI

(Chaitraratha Parva continued)

"Vasishtha continued, 'The Brahmana lady, thus addressed by them, said,
'Ye children, I have not robbed you of your eye-sight, nor am I angry
with you. This child, however, of the Bhrigu race hath certainly been
angry with you. There is little doubt, ye children, that ye have been
robbed of your sight by that illustrious child whose wrath hath been
kindled at the remembrance of the slaughter of his race. Ye children,
while ye were destroying even the embryos of the Bhrigu race, this child
was held by me in my th