asked the cause, and the king told him. Then
the rishi rose, and the king went with him to the palace of the
four queens. When they reached it, they called to the queens to come
out. The rishi then asked them why they quarrelled. The first queen
cried out, "Why should I have to do the dairy work?" And the second
queen cried out, "Why should I be only a cook-woman?" And the third
cried out, "Why should I have all the children to look after?" And the
fourth cried out, "Why should I have all the bother of sorting out all
the king's clothes?" The king said, "You must do these things because
I ordered you to." But the queens did not mind a word that he said,
and they all screamed together so loud that the king and the rishi
had to put their fingers in their ears to save themselves from being
deafened. For a while the rishi became absorbed in thought, and then
he turned to the first queen and said, "You have been placed in charge
of the dairy, have you not?" The first queen assented. "Then listen
to me," said Vasishta. "In a former life you were a cow, and near the
spot in the jungle where you used to graze was an altar to Shiva. And
every day at noon you used to come and stand near it and let milk
drop upon it. And, because in this way you honoured the god Shiva, you
have in this life become one of the queens of the king of Atpat. But
you did not in your former life attain to full merit. So the god
Shiva directed the king to place you in charge of his dairy, and the
king conveyed the god's directions to you. You should therefore obey
them, and you should honour the king as if he were Shiva himself. In
this way you will attain to full merit and ascend to Shiva's heaven,
Kailas." Vasishta then blessed the first queen. She prostrated herself
before him, and, giving up all thought of quarrelling, went away and
busied herself with her dairy work.

Then Vasishta turned to the second queen and asked, "What are
you quarrelling about?" She replied, "Why should I be just a
cook-woman?" The rishi thought for a while and said, "Lady, in a
former life you were the wife of a poor Brahman, and you used to beg
your food from door to door. But every Monday you used to fast, and
whatever grain you begged that day you used to cook and offer to the
god Shiva. And he was pleased with your devotion. Therefore in this
life he made you one of the queens of Atpat. And because you cooked
for the god Shiva, he directed the king to put you in charge o