" But the queens did not mind a word that he said,
and they all screamed together so loud that the king and the rishi
had to put their fingers in their ears to save themselves from being
deafened. For a while the rishi became absorbed in thought, and then
he turned to the first queen and said, "You have been placed in charge
of the dairy, have you not?" The first queen assented. "Then listen
to me," said Vasishta. "In a former life you were a cow, and near the
spot in the jungle where you used to graze was an altar to Shiva. And
every day at noon you used to come and stand near it and let milk
drop upon it. And, because in this way you honoured the god Shiva, you
have in this life become one of the queens of the king of Atpat. But
you did not in your former life attain to full merit. So the god
Shiva directed the king to place you in charge of his dairy, and the
king conveyed the god's directions to you. You should therefore obey
them, and you should honour the king as if he were Shiva himself. In
this way you will attain to full merit and ascend to Shiva's heaven,
Kailas.
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