2 - The Birth of the Sparrows.

The story of the Birds continued-Kandhara, king of the birds killed a Rákhasa Vidyud-rúpa for killing his brother, and, marrying the Rakhasa’s wife, had a daughter by her named Tárkshi who was the Apsaras Vapu-She married Drona-When pregnant by him she was killed at the battle of the Kauravas and Pándavas, and there laid four eggs from which the four Birds were born— The Birds were nourished by the Muni S’hamika. 

Márkandeya spoke.

1 The king of the birds, Garuda by name, was the son of

2 Arishţanomi: Garuda’s son was renowned as Sampáti: and his son was Supárshva, heroic, mighty as Váyu: Supárshva’s son

3 was Kunti; Kunti’s son was Pralolupa. And he had two sons Kanka and Kandhara.

4       On the top of Kailása, Kanka saw the Rákshasa famed as Vidyud-rúpa, whose eyes were like a lotus leaf, a follower

5 of Kuvera, who was busied in a banquet, clad with strings of bright garlands, sitting in company with his wife on a beau tiful

6 clean rocky seat. Then the Rákshasa, immediately he was seen by Kanka, filled with anger, said, “Wherefore hast

7 thou come hither, O vilest of the egg-born? Why hast thou approached me when I am in company with my wife? Such is not the rule of the wise in matters that must be accomplished in secret.” 

Kanka spoke.

8 “This mountain is common both to you and me and to other creatures also; what special ownership then canst thou, Sir, have here?” 

Márkandeya spoke.

9 The Rákshasa with his sword slew Kanka, while he was thus speaking, who fell defiled with the streaming blood, quivering and senseless.

10 Having heard that Kanka was slain, Kandhara the king of the birds, bewildered with anger, resolved speedily to slay

11 Vidyud-rúpa. Having gone to the mountain-top, where Kanka lay slain, the king of the birds, his eyes swollen with anger and resentment, and sighing like the king of the Nágas

12 performed the Sankalana for his elder brother. Where sits the slayer of his brother, there he went, rocking the lofty

13 mountains with the mighty wind from his wings. He, with blood-red eyes, overtopping the mountains, and forcibly hurling down masses of clouds with his wings, used to destroy

14 his enemies suddenly. There he saw that demon, whose thoughts were intent on drinking, whose face and eyes were of a copperish colour, and who was seated on a golden couch,

15 whose crest was covered with strings of garlands, who was adorned with yellow sandal, whose face was very horrible with teeth that resembled the inside of the Ketakí leaf.

16 And he saw, seated on the Rákshasa’s left thigh his long-eyed wife, named Madaniká, whose voice was soft as the cuckoo’s.

17 Then Kandhara, whose mind was filled with wrath, addressed that inmate of the cave, “O thou of utterly evil soul! Come

18 forth and fight with me. Since thou hast murdered my trustful elder brother, therefore I will bring thee, while en

19 grossed in drunkenness, down to Yama’s abode. To-day, slain by me, shalt thou go to all those hells that are the abodes of the murderers of those who trust in them, and of the murderers of women and children.” 

Márkaņdeya spoke.

20 Addressed even thus by the king of the birds in his wife’s presence, the Rákshasa, filled with anger, then answered the

21 bird. “If thy brother has been slain, then have I displayed my valour; thee, too, to-day, will I slay with this sword, O 

22 bird. Stay a moment, thou shalt not move here alive, O vilest of birds.” 

Thus he spoke and seized his bright sword that resembled

23 a mass of collyrium. Then took place a marvellous battle between the king of the birds and Kavera’s warrior, such

24 as between Garuda and Indra. Then the Rákshasa, in anger swiftly hurling his sword, black as charcoal, flung it against

25 the king of the birds. And then the king of the birds, slightly springing up from the ground, seized it with his beak, as

26 Garuda seizes a serpent; and the egg-born one broke it with his beak and talons, and shook it. Thereupon, the sword

27 being broken, they began to fight with their arms. Then the Rákshasa, being attacked in the breast by the king of the birds, was speedily deprived of arms, feet, hands and head.

28 When he was killed, his wife besought protection of the

29 bird: somewhat fearful, she said, “I am thy wife.” That noblest of birds, taking her, returned to his abode, having obtained a recompense for his brother by the slaughter of

30 Vidyud-rúpa. And she, the daughter of Menaká, with beautiful eyebrows, capable of assuming forms at pleasure, on reaching the house of Kandhara, took a form resembling Garuda’s.

31 Of her, he then begat a daughter named Tárkshi, (namely Vapu the loveliest of the Apsarases, who was consumed by the fire of the Muni’s curse). Then the bird gave her the name Tárkshí.

 32 And Mandapála had four sons of boundless intellect, Jaritári

33 the eldest and Drona the youngest, best of dvijas. The youngest of them, righteous in soul, thoroughly read in the Vedas and Vedángas, married her the beauteous Tarkshi,

34 with the consent of Kandhara. And after a while Tárkshi conceived; when she had gone seven fortnights in her preg nancy,

35 she went to Kurukshetra. The very terrible battle between the Kurus and Pandavas was then being fought, and, in consequence of her action being predestined, she entered into

36 the battle. There, then, she beheld the contest between Bhagadutta and Arjuna. The sky was thick filled with arrows,

37 as if with locusts. Discharged from the bow of Arjuna an arrow, black as a serpent, fell with great force and pierced

38 the skin of her belly. Her belly being pierced, four moon-like eggs fell on the ground as if on a heap of cotton, from the

39 fact that their allotted period of life was not ended. At the same time that they fell, fell the great bell, the cord of which was cut by an arrow, from the noble elephant Supratika.

40 It reached the ground evenly all around, cutting into the surface of the ground, and covering the eggs of the bird which lay upon flesh.

41 And after king Bhagadatta, ruler of men, was slain, the fight between the armies of the Kurus and Pándavas went on

42 many days. At the end of the battle, when Dharma’s son Yudhishthira approached the son of Shántanu to hear the high

43 souled Bhishma proclaiming the entire laws, à sage named Shamíka came to the spot where, O best of dvijas, lay the eggs

44 within the bell. There he heard the voice of the little birds chirping, whose voices were inarticulate on account of their

45 infancy, although they had transcendant knowledge. Then the Rishi, accompanied by his disciples, lifted up the bell and saw with surprise the young motherless and fatherless birds.

46 ‘The venerable Muni Shamíka, having so soon them on the ground there, filled with astonishment, addressed his attendant dvijas.

47 “Well was it said by the chief of the dvijas, Uśhanas himself, the regent of the planet Venus, when he saw the army of

48 the Daityas intent on fleeing, hard-pressed by the gods. ‘Yo must not go, turn yo back; why run yo away, yo feeble ones? Abandoning valour and glory, where have yo gone?  Yo shall

49 not perish. Whether one perishes or whether one fights, one possesses life as long as God originally created, not as

50 long as one’s mind desires. Men perish, some in their homes, some in flight; so, too, do they meet their death when

51 eating food and drinking water. So, too, others, when sporting themselves, seated in the chariot of Love, free from sickness, their bodies unpierced by arrows, fall into tho power

52 of the King of the departed. Others, when intent on austerities, are led off by the servants of the King of the departed: and others occupied in meditation and study have not gained

53 immortality. Of yore, Indra hurled his thunderbolt against Sambara, yet that demon, though pierced thereby to the heart,

54 did not perish. By that very thunderbolt, indeed, and by the same Indra, when their time was come, the Dánavas

55 were slain, the Daityas forthwith perished. Perceiving this, yo should not fear: return yo.’ Then those Daityas, abandoning

 56 the fear of death, turned back. This speech of Uśhanas is proved true by these most noble birds, which even in the superhuman battle did not meet with destruction.

 57 Whence comes the laying of the eggs, O brahmans? Whence comes the even fall of the bell? And how comes it that the 58 ground is covered with flesh, fat, and blood? Certainly these must be some brahmans; they are not ordinary birds. The favour of destiny shows groat good-fortune in the world.”

59 Having spoken thus he looked at them and spoke again, “Return, go to the hermitage, taking the young birds with you.

60 Where these egg-born may have no fear of cat, or rat, of

61 hawk or ichneumon, there let the birds be placed. O dvijas, what is the use of great care? All creatures are destroyed or preserved by their own actions, as have been these young

 62 birds. Nevertheless, men must exert themselves in all matters; he who does a manly act gains commendation from us, the good.”

63 Thus urged by that illustrious Muni, those young Munis, taking those birds, went then to their own hermitage, delightful to ascetics, where clusters of bees settled on the boughs of

64 the trees. And he, the noblest of dvijas, gathering wild roots, flowers, fruits, grasses, such as his mind loved, performed

65 the various religious ceremonies ordained by the Veda to all the deities, to Vishnu, Rudra, and the Creator, to Indra, Yama, and Agni, to Varuna, to Vrihaspati and Kuvera, and also to Vayu, to Dhátri and Vidhátri.