nk, O prince, that thou hast heard something about that man
of meditations, Bhrigutunga. There, O king, before thee is that lofty
peak. And, O foremost of kings, yonder is Vitasta, the sacred stream that
absolveth men from all sins. The water of this stream is extremely cool
and limpid, and it is largely used by the great sages. O prince, behold
the holy rivers Jala and Upajala, on either side of the Yamuna. By
performing a sacrifice here, king Usinara surpassed in greatness Indra
himself. And, O descendant of Bharata, desirous of testing Usinara's
merit and also of bestowing boons on him, Indra and Agni presented
themselves at his sacrificial ground. And Indra assuming the shape of a
hawk, and Agni that of a pigeon, came up to that king. And the pigeon in
fear of the hawk, fell upon the king's thigh, seeking his protection.'"

SECTION CXXXI

"The hawk said, 'All the kings of the earth represent thee as a pious
ruler. Wherefore, O prince, has thou then stopped to perpetrate a deed
not sanctioned by the ordinance? I have been sore afflicted with hunger.
Do thou not withhold from me that which hath been appointed by the Deity
for my food,--under the impression that thereby thou servest the
interests of virtue, whereas in reality, thou wilt forsake it, (by
committing thyself to this act). Thereupon, the king said, 'O best of the
feathered race, afflicted with fear of thee, and desirous of escaping
from thy hands, this bird, all in a hurry, hath come up to me asking for
life. When this pigeon hath in such a manner sought my protection, why
dost thou not see that the highest merit is even in my not surrendering
it unto thee? And it is trembling with fear, and is agitated, and is
seeking its life from me. It is therefore certainly blameworthy to
forsake it. He that slayeth a Brahmana, he that slaughtered a cow--the
common mother of all the worlds--and he that forsaketh one seeking for
protection are equally sinful.' Thereat the hawk replied, 'O lord of
earth, it is from food that all beings derive their life, and it is food
also that nourisheth and sustaineth them. A man can live long even after
forsaking what is dearest to him, but he cannot do so, after abstaining
from food. Being deprived of food, my life, O ruler of men, will surely
leave this body, and will attain to regions unknown to such troubles. But
at my death, O pious king, my wife and children will surely perish, and
by protecting this single pigeon. O prince