name of Sunahsakha!'

"'"Yatudhani said, 'Thou hast mentioned thy name only once. The explanation
thou hast offered I have not able to catch. Do thou, therefore, mention
it again, O regenerate one!'

"'"Sunahsakha said, 'Since thou hast been unable to catch my name in
consequence of my having mentioned it only once, I shall strike thee with
my triple stick! Struck with it, be thou consumed into ashes without
delay!'"

"'Bhishma continued, "Struck then, on the head, by the Sannyasin, with his
triple stick which resembled the chastisement inflicted by a Brahmana,
the Rakshasi who had sprung from the incantations of king Vrishadarbhi
fell down on the earth and became reduced to ashes.[423] Having thus
destroyed the mighty Rakshasi, Sunahsakha thrust his stick into the earth
and sat himself down on a grassy plot of land. The Rishis then, having,
as they liked, plucked a number of lotuses and taken up a number of
lotus-stalks, came up from the lake, filled with joy. Throwing on the
ground the heap of lotuses which they had gathered with much toil, they
plunged once more into it for offering oblations of water to the Pitris.
Coming up, they proceeded to that part of the bank where they had
deposited the lotus-stalks. Reaching that spot, those foremost of men
found that the stalks were nowhere to be seen.

"'"The Rishis said, 'What sinful and hard-hearted man has stolen away the
lotus-stalks gathered by our hungry selves from desire of eating?'"

"'Bhishma continued, "Those foremost of regenerate persons, suspecting one
another, O crusher of foes, said, 'We shall each have to swear to our
innocence!' All those ascetics then, famishing with hunger and worn out
with exertion, agreeing to the proposal, took these oaths.

"'"Atri said, 'Let him who has stolen the lotus-stalk touch kine with his
foot, make water facing the sun, and study the Vedas on excluded days!'

"'"Vasishtha said, 'Let him who has stolen the lotus-stalks abstain from
studying the Vedas, or leash hounds, or be a wandering mendicant
unrestrained by the ordinances laid down for that mode of life, or be a
slayer of persons that seek his protection, or live upon the proceeds of
the sale of his daughter, or solicit wealth from those that are low and
vile!'

"'"Kasyapa said, 'Let him who has stolen the lotus-stalks utter all kinds
of words in all places, give false evidence in a court of law, eat the
flesh of animals not slain in sacrifices, make gifts to und