ave come to this resolution. O
revered sir, abandoning me thou mayest obtain another wife. By her thou
mayest again acquire religious merit. There is no sin in this. For a man
polygamy is an act of merit, but for a woman it is very sinful to betake
herself to a second husband after the first. Considering all this, and
remembering too that sacrifice of thy own self is censurable, O, liberate
today without loss of time thy own self, thy race, and these thy children
(by abandoning me).'

"Vaisampayana continued, 'Thus addressed by her, O Bharata, the Brahmana
embraced her, and they both began to weep in silence, afflicted with
grief.'"

SECTION CLXI

(Vaka-vadha Parva continued)

"Vaisampayana said, 'On hearing these words of her afflicted parents, the
daughter was filled with grief, and she addressed them, saying, 'Why are
you so afflicted and why do you so weep, as if you have none to look
after you? O, listen to me and do what may be proper. There is little
doubt that you are bound in duty to abandon me at a certain time. Sure to
abandon me once, O, abandon me now and save every thing at the expense of
me alone. Men desire to have children, thinking that children would save
them (in this world as well as in the region hereafter). O, cross the
stream of your difficulties by means of my poor self, as if I were a
raft. A child rescueth his parents in this and the other regions;
therefore is the child called by the learned Putra (rescuer). The
ancestors desire daughter's sons from me (as a special means of
salvation). But (without waiting for my children) I myself will rescue
them by protecting the life of my father. This my brother is of tender
years, so there is little doubt that he will perish if thou diest now. If
thou, my father, diest and my brother followeth thee, the funeral cake of
the Pitris will be suspended and they will be greatly injured. Left
behind by my father and brother, and by my mother also (for she will not
survive her husband and son) I shall be plunged deeper and deeper in woe
and ultimately perish in great distress. There can be little doubt that
if thou escape from this danger as also my mother and infant brother,
then thy race and the (ancestral) cake will be perpetuated. The son is
one's own self; the wife is one's friend; the daughter, however, is the
source of trouble. Do thou save thyself, therefore, by removing that
source of trouble, and do thou thereby set me in the path of virtue.