And when after a full year that best of ascetics was unable to find any
fault whatever in Pritha, who was engaged in ministering unto him,
well-pleased he said unto her, 'O gentle maid, I have been well-pleased
with thy attentions, O beautiful girl! Do thou, O blessed girl, ask even
for such boons as are difficult of being obtained by men in this world,
and obtaining which, thou mayst surpass in fame all the women in this
world.' At these words of his, Kunti said, 'Everything hath already been
done in my behalf since thou, O chief of those that are versed in the
_Vedas_, and my father also, have been pleased with me! As regards the
boons, I consider them as already obtained by me, O Brahmana!' The
Brahmana thereupon said, 'If, O gentle maid, thou dost not, O thou of
sweet smiles, wish to obtain boons from me, do thou then take this
_mantra_ from me for invoking the celestials! Any one amongst the
celestials whom thou mayst invoke by uttering this _mantra_, will appear
before thee and be under thy power. Willing or not, by virtue of this
_mantra_, that deity in gentle guise, and assuming the obedient attitude
of slave, will become subject to thy power!'"
Vaisampayana continued, "Thus addressed, that faultless maiden could
not, O king, from fear of a curse, refuse for the second time compliance
with the wishes of that best of the twice-born ones. Then, O king, that
Brahmana imparted unto that girl of faultless limbs those _mantras_
which are recited in the beginning of the _Atharvan Veda_.
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