"Lomasa said, 'This is the pure divine river by name Kausiki. O chief of
Bharata's race! and this is the delightful hermitage of Viswamitra,
conspicuous here. And this is a hermitage, with a holy name, belonging
to Kasyapa of mighty soul; whose son was Rishyasringa, devoted to
penances, and of passions under control. He by force of his penances
caused Indra to rain; and that god, the slayer of the demons Vala and
Vritra, dreading him, poured down rain during a drought. That powerful
and mighty son of Kasyapa was born of a hind. He worked a great marvel
in the territory of Lomapada. And when the crops had been restored, king
Lomapada gave his daughter Santa in marriage to him, as the sun gave in
marriage his daughter Savitri.'

"Yudhishthira said, 'How was the son of Kasyapa, Rishyasringa, born of a
hind? And how was he endowed with holiness, being the issue of a
reprehensible sexual connexion? And for what reason was Indra, the
slayer of the demons Vala and Vritra, afraid of that same sagacious boy,
and poured down rain during a period of drought? And how beautiful was
that princess Santa, pure in life, she who allured the heart of him when
he had turned himself into a stag? And since the royal saint Lomapada is
said to have been of a virtuous disposition, why was it that in his
territory, Indra, the chastiser of the demon Paka, had withheld rain? O
holy saint! all this in detail, exactly as it happened, thou wilt be
pleased to narrate to me, for I am desirous of hearing the deeds of
Rishyasringa's life.'

"Lomasa said, 'Hear how Rishyasringa, of dreaded name, was born as a son
to Vibhandaka, who was a saint of the Brahmana caste, who had cultured
his soul by means of religious austerities, whose seed never failed in
causing generation, and who was learned and bright like the Lord of
beings. And the father was highly honoured, and the son was possessed of
a mighty spirit, and, though a boy, was respected by aged men. And that
son of Kasyapa, Vibhandaka, having proceeded to a big lake, devoted
himself to the practice of penances. And that same saint, comparable to
a god, laboured for a long period. And once while he was washing his
mouth in the waters, he beheld the celestial nymph Urvasi--whereupon
came out his seminal fluid. And, O king! a hind at that time lapped it
up along with the water that she was drinking, being athirst; and from
this cause she became with child. That same hind had really been a
daughter of t