Yudhishthira said: -
1. O great Rishi, I am desirous of hearing why Vindhya (mountain), made senseless with anger, suddenly began to increase its bulk.
Lomasha said: -
2. The sun between his rising and setting went round that king of mountains, that great golden mountain named Meru.
3. Seeing this, the Vindhya mountain spoke thus to the sun, “As you every day go round Meru and honour him.
4. O sun, so do thou the same by going round me.” Having been thus addressed, the sun thus replied to that king of mountains.
5. “O mountain, I do not walk round it out of my own desire. He who has created this universe has assigned this path to me.”
6. Having been thus addressed, the mountain, O chastiser of foes, desiring to obstruct the path of the sun and the moon, suddenly began to increase its bulk in anger.
7. Thereupon all the assembled, celestials came to Vindhya, the great king of mountains and tried to dissuade him from what he was doing. But he did not heed their words.
8. Then the assembled celestials all went to the Rishi living in his hermitage, that ascetic, that foremost of virtuous men, the wonderfully powerful Agastya; and they told him all.
The celestials said: -
9. The king of mountains Vindhya, giving way to anger, is obstructing the path of the sun and the moon and the course of the stars.
10. O best of Brahmanas, O greatly exalted one, except you there is none who can prevent him from doing it.
Lomasha said: -
11. Having heard the words of the celestials, the Brahmana went to the mountain. Going there with his wife, he spoke thus to Vindhya.
12. “O foremost of mountains, I wish to have a path given to me by you, as I intend to go to the southern country for some purpose.
13. O king of mountains, wait till I return, you can then increase your bulk as much as you like.”
14. O chastiser of foes, having made this agreement with Vindhya, (he went away) and up to the present day the son of Varuna (Agastya) has not returned from the southern country.
15. Thus have I narrated to you, as you asked me to do, why Vindhya does not increase its bulk on account of the prowess of Agastya.
16. O king, now hear how the Kalkeyas were destroyed by the celestials when they obtained their prayer from Agasthya.
17. Having heard the words of the celestials, the son of Mitra and Varuna said, “Why have you come? What boon do you solicit from me?” Having been thus addressed, the celestials said to the Rishi.
18. “O high-souled one, we desire this act to be done by you, namely to drink up the ocean. Then we shall be able to kill these enemies of the celestials, known by the name of Kalkeyas, along with their followers.”
19. Having heard the words of the celestials, the Rishi said, “So be it. I shall do what you desire and also that which would be beneficial to the world.”
20. O vow-observing man, having said this, he then went to the lord of rivers, the ocean, accompanied by the Rishis who had become successful in asceticism and by the celestials.
21. Men, snakes, Gandharvas, Yakshas and Kinnaras followed the high-souled (Rishi), with the desire of seeing that wonderful feat.
22-23. They then all came to the fearfully roaring ocean which was as it were dancing with billows made by the winds and was, as it were laughing with masses of froth, created by the dashing of waves at the mountain cave.
24. The celestials, the Gandharvas, the great Nagas, the greatly exalted Rishis, all came with Agastya to the great ocean.
Thus ends the hundred and fourth chapter, Agasthya’s going to the sea, in the Tirthayatra of the Vana Parva.