Lomasha said: -
1. O king, here is visible the river Samanga which is also called Madhubela. Yonder is Kardamela, the bathing place of Bharata.
2. When the lord of Sachi, (Indra) became devoid of his prosperity in consequence of killing Vitra, he was cleansed of his sins by bathing in the Samanga.
3. O foremost of men, here is the spot where the Mainaka has sunk into the interior of the earth. It is Therefore, called Vinasana. In order to obtain sons Aditi in the days of yore cooked his famous food.
4. O foremost of men, ascend this lofty mountain and put an end to your inglorious misery which is not worthy of uttering.
5. O king, yonder is the Kanakhala mountain, the favourite resort of the Rishis, O Yudhishthira, yonder is the great river Ganga.
6. Here in the days of yore the holy sage Sanatkumara attained ascetic success. O descendant of Ajmira, if you bathe in it, you will be cleansed of all your sins.
7. O son of Kunti, touch with your ministers this lake, called Punya and this Bhrigutunga (mountain) and also these two rivers called Tashniganga.
8. O son of Kunti, yonder is the charming hermitage of Sulasherasha. Abandon your anger and sense of self-importance.
9. O son of Pandu, yonder is the beautiful hermitage of Raivya where died the son of Bharadvaja, Yavakrit, learned in the Vedas.
Yudhishthira said: -
10. How did the mighty sage Yavakrit, the son of the ascetic Bharadvaja, acquire profound knowledge in the Vedas. How also did he die?
11. I desire to learn all this as they happened. I take delight in hearing the accounts of the celestials-like men.
Lomasha said: -
12. Varadvaja and Raivya were two friends. They both lived here always taking the greatest pleasure in each other's company.
13. Raivya had two sons, named Arvavasu and Pravashu. O descendant of Bharata, Bharadvaja had only one son named Yavakrit.
14. O descendant of Bharata, Raivya and his sons became learned and the other (Bharadvaja) became an ascetic. From their childhood their friendship was matchless.
15-16. O sinless one, seeing that his father who practised asceticism was slighted by the Brahmanas, while Raivya with his sons was greatly respected by them, the high-spirited Yavakrit was overwhelmed with sorrow and became pale. O son of Pandu, he underwent severe austerities in order to get the knowledge of the Vedas.
17. He exposed his body to a flaming fire. By thus practising great asceticism he filled Indra with great anxiety.
18. O Yudhishthira, thereupon Indra went to him and thus spoke to him, ‘Why have you been engaged in the severe austerities?’
Yavakrit said: -
19. O worshipped of the celestials, I am engaged in the severe asceticism, because I desire to possess such knowledge of the Vedas as has never been acquired by any Brahmana.
20. O chastiser of Paka, O Kaushika, my attempt is for obtaining the knowledge of the Vedas. By the force of my asceticism, I desire to acquire all sorts of knowledge.
21. O lord, the knowledge of the Vedas that are to be learnt from teachers, requires long time to acquire. Therefore, I am engaged in this great attempt.
Indra said: -
22. O Brahmana Rishi, the way you have adopted is not the proper way. O Brahmana, why will you destroy yourself? Go and learn (the Vedas) from a preceptor.
23. O descendant of Bharata, having said this, Sakra (Indra) departed and Yavakrit of immeasurable prowess again engaged himself in asceticism.
24. O king we have heard that by thus undergoing severe asceticism, he again greatly agitated the lord of the celestials.
25. The slayer of Vala, the deity (Indra) again came to that great Rishi who was engaged in that great austerity and forbade him to do it.
Indra said: -
26. You are doing all this with the intention that the knowledge of the Vedas might be manifest in you and in your father, but your attempt can never be successful. Your act is not well-advised.
Yavakrit said: -
27. O king of the celestials, if you will not do what I desire, I shall, then, by observing stricter vows, practise still more severe austerities.
28. O king of the celestials, know that if you do not fulfill all my desires, I shall then cut off my limbs and offer them as a sacrifice to a blazing fire.
Lomasha said: -
29. Having known the firm resolution of that high-souled Rishi, that intelligent deity (Indra) reflected (for a moment) and hit upon a means by which to dissuade him.
30. Thereupon Indra assumed the garb of an ascetic Brahmana, who was many hundred years of age and who was weak and consumptive.
31. He began to construct a dam of sands at that spot of the Bhagirathi where Yavakrit used to go to perform his ablutions.
32. As that foremost of Brahmanas paid no heed to the words of Sakra (Indra), he Therefore, began to fill Ganga with sands.
33. Without stopping for a moment, he threw handfuls of sands into the Bhagirathi and to construct the dam thus attracting the notice of the Rishi,
34. When that foremost of Rishis, Yavakrit, saw him thus earnestly engaged in bridging (the Ganges), he broke out into a loud laughter and thus spoke.
Yavakrit said: -
35. O Brahmana, what are you doing? What is your intention? Why are you in vain making this great attempt?
Indra said: -
36. O sire, I am trying to bridge the Ganga, so that a comfortable way may be made across it. People meet with great inconvenience in again and again crossing and recrossing it.
Yavakrit said: -
37. O ascetic, you cannot bridge this mighty river. O Brahmana, desist from what is impracticable; attempt some thing practicable.
Indra said: -
38. I have undertaken this heavy task, as you have engaged yourself in these great austerities to obtain the knowledge of the Vedas, an attempt which can never be successful.
Yavakrit said: -
39. O lord of the celestials, O chastiser of Paka, if you consider these my attempts as fruitless, as yours are.
40. O lord of the celestials, be pleased to do for me what is practicable. Favour me with boons by which I may excel all other men.
Lomasha said: -
41. Indra granted him boons as was asked by the great ascetic. He said, “as you desire it, the Vedas will be manifest in you as well as in your father.
42. Your all other desires also will be fulfilled.” Having thus obtained all that he desired, he came to his father and said.
43. O father, the Vedas will be manifest in you as well as in me. In have obtained boons by which we shall excel all other men.
Varadwaja said: -
44. O son, as you have obtained all that you desired, you (as a matter of course) will (now) be proud. And when you will be filled with pride, destruction will soon overtake you.
45. O son, there is a story told by the celestials as an instance (of this). In the days of yore there was a greatly powerful Rishi, named Valadhi.
46. Being afflicted with grief for the death of his son, he performed great asceticism, to get a child who would be immortal. He obtained such a son.
47. But the celestials, though very much favourably disposed towards him, did not still make his son immortal like the celestials. They said that on no condition a mortal can be made immortal.
Valadhi said: -
48. O foremost of the celestials, these mountains are existing for an ever-lasting time; indestructible as they are, they will be the instrumental of my son's immortality.
Varadwaja said: -
49. Afterwards a son was born to that Rishi, named Medhavi, who was of very wrathful temper. Having heard all about his birth he grew haughty and began to insult the Rishis.
50. He roamed over the earth committing various mischief to the Rishis. He one day met with the intelligent and greatly powerful (Rishi) Dhanushakha.
51. Medhavi maltreated him; Therefore, that greatly powerful Rishi cursed him saying, “Be reduced to ashes.” But he was not reduced to ashes.
52. Thereupon having seen this, Dhanushakha caused the mountain which was the instrumental cause of his life to be shattered by buffaloes.
53. When the instrumental cause of his life was destroyed, the child (Medhavi) suddenly died. Thereupon taking up his dead son the father began to lament.
54. Now hear from me the verse that was recited by the Rishis learned in the Vedas when they saw the Rishi thus mourning.
55. “On no condition can a mortal overcome what has been ordained by Fate. Dhanushakha shattered even mountain by buffaloes.”
56. Thus having obtained boons, young ascetics are (generally) filled with pride and perish in no time. Do not become one of them.
57. O son, this Raivya is greatly powerful, so are his two sons. Therefore, be careful never to approach him.
58. O son, this Raivya is a great Rishi and an ascetic of wrathful temper. If wrathful he can do you harm in anger.
Yavakrit said: -
59. O father, I shall do as you command me. Never be in anxiety for it. As you, my father, deserve to be respected by me, so is Raivya.
Lomasha said: -
60. Having thus replied to his father in sweet words, Yavakrit began fearlessly to take pleasure in wantonly injuring the Rishis.
Thus ends the hundred and thirty-fifth chapter, the history of Yavakrit in the Tirthayatra of the Vana Parva.