12.141
Yudhiṣṭhira said.
O Grandfather, greatly wise and expert in all śāstras, please tell me what is the duty that serves as the refuge for one who seeks protection.
Bhīṣma said.
O great king, the duty of protecting those who have sought refuge is supreme. O best of the Bharatas, you are indeed worthy to ask this question.
O great king, kings such as Nṛga, having protected those who sought refuge, attained the highest perfection.
It is said that the pigeon, seeing his enemy come for refuge, honored him as per the rules and even invited him with his own flesh.
Yudhishthira said.
O Bhārata, how did the pigeon formerly feed the enemy who had come for refuge with his own flesh, and what state did he attain?
Bhīṣma said.
O king, listen to the divine story that destroys all sins—the tale of King Mucukunda as narrated by Bhārgava.
O Pārtha, in ancient times, King Mucukunda, having bowed in reverence, asked Bhārgava about this matter, O best of the Bharatas.
Bhārgava narrated the story to the one who was serving him: "O king, this is how the pigeon attained success."
O mighty-armed king, listen attentively to the story, which is endowed with certainty of righteousness and accompanied by desire and purpose, as spoken by me.
A certain wicked bird-hunter of vile conduct, accepted by the times, roamed the earth; he was dreadful and evil.
He is like a crow: black-bodied, rough, intent on evil, with a narrow waist, thin neck, short legs, and a large jaw.
He had neither any friend, nor relative, nor kinsman; indeed, he was completely abandoned by them because of that terrible deed.
He, the king, would always take alkali, kill Brāhmaṇas in the forest, and sell their birds.
Thus, while the wicked one continued his conduct, a very long time passed, but he did not realize his unrighteousness.
For him, who was enjoying eternal companionship with his wife, and was deluded by the conjunction of fate, no other way of life was pleasing.
Then, at some time, a very great tumult of wind arose for him, who was dwelling in the forest, as if causing those trees to fall.
The sky, crowded with clouds and adorned with circles of lightning, was covered in a very short time, just as the ocean is by the position of a ship.
Indra, overjoyed, instantly filled the earth with water by pouring down torrents of rain.
Then, bewildered and having lost consciousness in the world overwhelmed by torrents, afflicted by cold, he saw that entire forest with a deeply agitated heart.
He, the bird-killer, could not find any low ground or any place at all, for the path through that forest was completely flooded.
The birds were swept away by the force of the wind and vanished at that time. The deer, lions, and boars took shelter in dry places and stayed there.
Driven by the great storm of wind and rain, those forest-dwellers, terrified and hungry, wandered together through the forest.
But he, with limbs afflicted by cold, did not stand still and went on. In the forest groves, he saw a tree dark as a cloud.
The hunter, overcome by cold, saw the pure sky, filled with stars and resembling a white lotus, now cleared of clouds.
The wicked-minded one looked around at the directions and the boundary. O lord, since the village settlement was far from that region, he decided to spend that night there in the forest.
He respectfully joined his palms and addressed the tree, saying: "O Bhārata, I seek refuge in the deities present here within this (tree)."
He placed his head on the stone, spread leaves on the ground, and, overwhelmed by great pain, the bird-killer then slept.
