118 - Khanitra’s exploits concluded.

Canto cxix in the Calcutta edition.

Khanitra, on hearing of the destruction of the family priests, lamented and took the Blame on himself—He resigned the kingdom to his son Kshupa, departed to the forest, and died there in sanctity. 

1 Thereupon there was great dismay in all the world, inasmuch as those purohitas dwelling in separate cities perished

2 at the same time. Khanitra heard then that his brothers’ purohitas had reached their death, and that his brother’s minister

3 VisHva-vedin also had been burnt up. Khanitra the great king was extremely surprised, wondering “What is this?” o best

4 of munis; and knew not the cause. Then the king asked Vasishtha who had come to his palace, what the reason was why those, the minister and purohitas of his brothers, had

5 perished. When questioned by him the great muni related then how it had happened, what Sh’auri’s minister had said

6 and what Sh’auri had replied to him, and what he, that evil minister, had performed as a means of producing dissension

7 among the brothers and what the purohitas had done; for what reason they, the purohitas who were absolutely compassionate even to an enemy, had perished, while injuring that sinless

8 king. On hearing that, the king reproached himself exceedingly then, exclaiming, “Alas! I am sore stricken! “in Vasishtha’s presence, O dvija. 

The king spoke:

9 “Fie on me, who am of unholy composition, of scanty good fortune, destitute of splendour! Sin which is utterly contemned by all the worlds has been committed by me through the

10 fault of fate. That is the reason why those four brahmans have perished: what other man besides me will there be more

11 sinful on the earth? If I were not a man here on the earth, they, my brothers’ purohitas, would not have perished then.

12 Fie on the kingdom! fie too on my birth in the family of great kings—I who have become the cause of the destruction of the

13 brahmans! They, my brothers’ sacrificing priests, met their end while working at their masters’ object; no wicked men were they; I am wicked in causing their destruction.

14 What am I to do? Where am I to go? No one verily is a sinner on the earth but I who have become the cause of the brahmans’ destruction.” 

15 Thus grieving in heart, king Khanitra being desirous of

16 departing to the forest anointed his son to the throne. After anointing his son who was named Kshupa to the kingdom, the king departed to the forest, along with his three wives, to

17 perform austerities. Going there he, best of kings, being well-versed in the ordinances concerning vana-prasthas, performed

18 austerities three hundred and fifty years. Now, when his body had become emaciated through austerities, the noble king, having restrained all the organs of sense, quitted his life

19 while dwelling in the forest, O chief of brahmans. He went then to the sacred worlds which yield every desire and are undecaying, which are to be gained by kings by means of

20 horse-sacrifices and other sacrifices. And those his three wives quitted their life at the very same time with him, and gained the same world* along with him indeed, their most high souled lord. 

* For vapuh, samalokyam read avapuh salokyam as in the Poona edition.

21 This is the story of Khanitra’s exploits; when heard, it destroys stains; and it destroys the stains of those who read it, illustrioas sir. Hear next about Kshupa.