03.094
Vaiśampāyana said.
Then the king, Kunti's son, bountiful in gifts, set out and, reaching Agastya's hermitage in Durjayā, dwelt there. (03-94-1)
There, the king asked Lomaśa, the foremost of speakers: 'For what reason was Vātāpi subdued here by Agastya?' (03-94-2)
What was the power of that demon, the destroyer of humans? And for what reason did the anger of the great-souled Agastya arise? (03-94-3)
Lomaśa said.
There was a demon named Ilvala, O delight of the Kauravas. Formerly, in the city of Maṇimatī, Vātāpi was his younger brother. (03-94-4)
The son of Diti spoke to the brāhmaṇa devoted to austerity, saying, 'O revered one, grant me a son who is equal to Indra.' (03-94-5)
That brāhmaṇa did not give his son, who was equal to Indra, to him. Thereupon, the asura became extremely angry at the brāhmaṇa. (03-94-6)
He whom one summons with words, who had gone to the realm of Vaivasvata (Yama); he, assuming a body again, is seen living once more. (03-94-7)
Then, Vātāpi, the asura, was turned into a goat, well prepared, and after making the Brāhmaṇa eat him, he (Ilvala) called him forth again. (03-94-8)
The great asura Vātāpi, having burst through the side of the brāhmaṇa, smiled as he came out, O king, O lord of the people. (03-94-9)
Thus, O King, the wicked-minded Ilvala, son of Diti, repeatedly fed Brāhmaṇas and then killed them. (03-94-10)
Agastya, the revered one, at that very time saw his ancestors hanging with their faces downward in a pit. (03-94-11)
He asked those who were suspended, "Respected ones, why are you here?" They, the expounders of Brahman, replied to him, "(We remain) for the sake of offspring." (03-94-12)
They told him: “We are your own fathers; we have reached this pit and are hanging here, desiring offspring.” (03-94-13)
If you produce for us an excellent son, an offspring of Agastya, then we would obtain liberation from hell, and you, as a son, would attain the highest destiny. (03-94-14)
The brilliant one, devoted to truth and righteousness, spoke to them: 'O fathers, I shall do as you wish. Let your mental anguish depart.' (03-94-15)
Then, while considering the progeny, the divine sage did not find a suitable woman for the sake of his own offspring. (03-94-16)
He collected the finest limbs corresponding to each essence, and with those matching limbs, he created an excellent woman. (03-94-17)
He, the sage of great austerity, created her for himself and gave her to the king of Vidarbha, who was afflicted with the desire for a son. (03-94-18)
There, she was born—fortunate, shining like lightning; by her appearance she grew, having an auspicious face. (03-94-19)
O Bhārata, having seen her just born, the king of Vidarbha, the lord of the earth, joyfully announced it to the twice-born. (03-94-20)
O lord of the earth, all the Brāhmaṇas rejoiced at her. Those twice-born gave her the name “Lopamudra.” (03-94-21)
She grew, O great king, possessing a most beautiful form, just as a lotus-pond flourishes in water, swiftly like the splendid flame of fire. (03-94-22)
A hundred beautifully adorned maidens and a hundred obedient female attendants attended upon her, who was in the prime of youth, O king. (03-94-23)
She, O lord, attended by a hundred female servants and among a hundred maidens, sits radiant like Rohiṇī in the sky. (03-94-24)
Even though she was young and possessed of good character and conduct, no man desired her for marriage, out of fear of that great-souled one. (03-94-25)
But that maiden Satyavati, by her beauty, even surpassed the apsaras. By her character, she gladdened her father and likewise her own people. (03-94-26)
But, having seen the young girl of Vidarbha, thus endowed, the father thought in his mind, 'To whom should I give my daughter?' (03-94-27)
