the son of Ayu, and the perpetuator of the line of thy ancestors.
Even I am that one. For having affronted the Brahmanas I, by (virtue of)
Agastya's malediction, have come by this condition. Thou art my agnate,
and lovely to behold,--so thou shouldst not be slain by me,--yet I shall
to-day devour thee! Do thou behold the dispensation of Destiny! And be it
a buffalo, or an elephant, none coming within my reach at the sixth
division of the day, can, O best of men, escape. And, O best of the
Kurus, thou hast not been taken by an animal of the lower order, having
strength alone,--but this (hath been so) by reason only of the boon I
have received. As I was falling rapidly from Sakra's throne placed on the
front of his palace, I spake unto that worshipful sage (Agastya), 'Do
thou free me from this curse.' Thereat filled with compassion, that
energetic one said unto me, 'O king, thou shall be freed after the lapse
of some time.' Then I fell to the earth (as a snake); but my recollection
(of former life) did not renounce me. And although it be so ancient, I
still recollect all that was said. And the sage said unto me, That person
who conversant with the relation subsisting between the soul and the
Supreme Being, shall be able to answer the questions put by thee, shall
deliver thee. And, O king, taken by thee, strong beings superior to thee,
shall immediately lose their strength, I heard these words of those
compassionate ones, who felt attached unto me. And then the Brahmanas
vanished. Thus, O highly effulgent one, having become a serpent, I, doing
exceedingly sinful acts, live in unclean hell, in expectation of the
(appointed) time.' The mighty-armed Bhimasena addressed the serpent,
saying, 'I am not angry, O mighty snake,--nor do I blame myself. Since in
regard to happiness and misery, men sometimes possess the power of
bringing and dismissing them, and sometimes do not. Therefore one should
not fret one's mind. Who can baffle destiny by self-exertion? I deem
destiny to be supreme, and self-exertion to be of no avail. Smitten with
the stroke of destiny, the prowess of my arms lost, behold me to-day
fallen unto this condition without palpable cause. But to-day I do not so
much grieve for my own self being slain, as I do for my brothers deprived
of their kingdom, and exiled into the forest. This Himalaya is
inaccessible, and abounds with Yakshas and the Rakshasas, And searching
about for me, they will be distracted. And hearing t