nquered the earth, together with the sea--that source of
gems--and all the cities (or the earth), O great king! The sacrificial
grounds prepared by him were to be found all over the earth on all sides
round--not a single spot, but was marked with the same. O great king!
the mighty monarch is said to have given to the Brahmanas ten thousand
padmas of kine. When there was a drought, which continued for twelve
consecutive years, the mighty king caused rain to come down for the
growth of crops, paying no heed to Indra, the wielder of the
thunder-bolt, who remained staring (at him). The mighty ruler of the
Gandhara land, born in the lunar dynasty of kings, who was terrible like
a roaring cloud, was slain by him, who wounded him sorely with his
shafts. O king! he of cultured soul protected the four orders of people,
and by him of mighty force the worlds were kept from harm, by virtue of
his austere and righteous life. This is the spot where he, lustrous like
the sun, sacrificed to the god. Look at it! here it is, in the midst of
the field of the Kurus, situated in a tract, the holiest of all. O
preceptor of earth! requested by thee, I have thus narrated to thee the
great life of Mandhata, and also the way in which he was born, which was
a birth of an extraordinary kind.'"

Vaisampayana said, "O scion of Bharata's race! Kunti's son, thus
addressed by the mighty saint, Lomasa, immediately put fresh questions
to him, with regard to Somaka."

SECTION CXXVII

"Yudhishthira said, 'O best of speakers! what was the extent of power
and strength possessed by king Somaka? I am desirous of hearing an exact
account of his deeds and of his power.'

"Lomasa said, 'O Yudhishthira! there was a virtuous king Somaka by name.
He had one hundred wives, O king, all suitably matched to their husband.
He took great care, but could not succeed in getting a single son from
any one of them, and a long time elapsed during which he continued a
sonless man. Once upon a time, when he had become old, and was trying
every means to have a son, a son was born to him, Jantu by name, out of
that century of women. And, O ruler of men! All the mothers used to sit
surrounding their son and every one giving him such objects as might
conduce to his enjoyment and pleasure. And it came to pass that one day
an ant stung the boy at his hip. And the boy screamed loudly on account
of the pain caused by the sting. And forthwith the mothers were
exceedingly distressed