03.193
Markandeya said.
After Ikṣvāku had passed away, O King, Śaśāda, a supremely righteous soul, obtained the earth and became king in Ayodhyā. (03-193-1)
But the heir of Śaśāda was Kakutstha, a powerful man by name; and by him, Kakutstha and Pṛthu were the sons of Anenas. (03-193-2)
Viṣvagaśva was the son of Pṛthu; from him was born Ārdra. From Ārdra (was born) Yuvanāśva; Śrāvasta was his son. (03-193-3)
The king Śrāvastaka was born, who built the city Śrāvastī. The powerful Bṛhadaśva was the descendant of Śrāvastaka, and Bṛhadaśva’s son was Kuvalāśva, as he is known. (03-193-4)
Kuvalashva had twenty-one thousand sons; all were proficient in various branches of knowledge, strong, and difficult to overcome. (03-193-5)
But Kuvalāśva became superior to his father in virtues. Then, at the proper time, Bṛhadaśva installed him in the kingdom. Kuvalāśva, O great king, was a hero and the best among the righteous. (03-193-6)
But the wise king Bṛhadaśva, having transferred his fortune to his son, the destroyer of enemies, went to the hermitage for penance. (03-193-7)
Then Uttaṅka heard that royal sage Yudhiṣṭhira, O king, Bṛhadaśva, the foremost among the twice-born, had set out for the forest. (03-193-8)
Uttaṅka, possessed of great brilliance and immeasurable spirit, approached and blocked him—the foremost of all weapon experts and the best among men. (03-193-9)
Uttaṅka said.
You ought to provide our protection yourself, at least for now. O king, let us live without anxiety by your favor. (03-193-10)
O king, since you, a noble soul, are protecting the earth, she will be free from anxiety; you should not go to the forest. (03-193-11)
Indeed, the great duty of caring for the subjects is observed here; it is not so seen in the forest. Let your mind not be of such a kind. (03-193-12)
O best of kings, nowhere is such a duty seen as was formerly performed by royal sages in protecting their subjects. The subjects are to be protected by the king; you ought to protect them. (03-193-13)
O king, I am indeed not able to practice austerity peacefully near my hermitage amidst these plains and deserts. (03-193-14)
The ocean, filled with sand and dangerous, is thus called. It is many yojanas wide and many yojanas long. (03-193-15)
There was Dhundhu, a very fierce lord of demons, of great strength and valor, the son of Madhu and Kaiṭabha, by name Dhundhu. (03-193-16)
O king, one of immeasurable valor dwells in the interior of the earth. Having slain him, O great king, you are worthy to go to the forest. (03-193-17)
O king, he lies in severe austerity for the destruction of the gods and the worlds. (03-193-18)
Having thus obtained the boon from the grandsire of all worlds, O king, he became invulnerable to the gods, daityas, rākṣasas, nāgas, yakṣas, and all gandharvas. (03-193-19)
Destroy him—for your welfare; do not let your mind act otherwise. You will obtain great and unchanging, eternal fame. (03-193-20)
The breath of that cruel, sleeping one, buried within sand, arises at the end of the year; whenever that happens, the earth, along with its mountains, forests, and groves, trembles. (03-193-21)
By his breath, a great cloud of dust is raised, covering the sun's path; for seven days the earth trembles, with sparks, with flames, with smoke, indeed very terrible. (3-193-22)
Because of him, O king, I am unable to remain in my own hermitage. Destroy him, O king of kings, desiring the welfare of the worlds. May the worlds now be at peace, with that demon destroyed. (03-193-23)
In my opinion, you alone are indeed sufficient for his destruction. With your energy, Viṣṇu will also be invigorated. (03-193-24)
Earlier, Viṣṇu granted me a boon that, for the slaying of the fierce great asura, the king who is to kill him will be endowed with Viṣṇu’s own invincible energy. (03-193-25)
O king, assume that power, and on earth—difficult to withstand—destroy that malicious demon of fierce might. (03-193-26)
O King, Dhundhu who is of great brilliance cannot be destroyed by little energy; indeed, even in hundreds of years, it is not possible. (03-193-27)
