And the king having
spoken to him in the same way, gave him the steed that had been yoked on
the left wheel of his car. And having given away the horse unto him, the
king proceeded on his journey. And then there came unto the king another
Brahmana desirous of obtaining a horse. And the king soon gave him the
horse on the left front of his car, unyoking the animal. And having done
so, the king proceeded on his journey. And then there came unto the king
another Brahmana desirous of obtaining a horse. And the king said unto
him, '_Returning, I will give thee a horse_.' But the Brahmana said,
'_Let the steed be given to me soon_.' And the king gave him the only
horse he had. And seizing the yoke of the car himself, the king began to
draw it. And as he did so, he said, '_There is now nothing for the
Brahmanas_.' The king had given away, it is true, but he had done so
with detraction. And for that speech of his, he shall have to fall down
from heaven." And after the _Rishi_ had said so, of the two that
remained, one asked, "Who amongst us two shall fall down?" And the
_Rishi_ answered, "Vasumanas." And the enquirer asked, "For what
reason?" And Narada said, "In course of my wanderings I arrived at the
abode of Vasumanas. And at that time the Brahmanas were performing the
ceremony of _Swastivachana_ for the sake of a flowery car.[11] And I
approached the king's presence. And after the Brahmanas had completed
the ceremony, the flowery car became visible to them.
Pages:
205
206
207
208
209
210
211
212
213
214
215
216
217
218
219
220
221
222
223
224
225
226
227
228
229