shineth with its flames, they, O king! seeing the horse, were flushed with delight.  And they being incensed, sent forward by their fate, paid no heed to the presence of the magnanimous Kapila, and ran forward with a view to seizing the horse.  Then, O great king!  Kapila, the most righteous of saints,—­he whom the great sages name as Kapila Vasudeva—­assumed a fiery look, and the mighty saint shot flames towards them, and thereby burnt down the dull-headed sons of Sagara.  And Narada, whose practice of austerities was very great, when he beheld them reduced to ashes, came to Sagara’s side, and gave the information to him.  And when the king learnt this terrible news which proceeded from the mouth of the saint, for nearly an hour he remained sad, and then he bethought himself of what Siva had said.  Then sending for Ansuman, the son of Asamanjas, and his own grandson, he, O chief of Bharata’s race! spake the following words, “Those same sixty thousand sons of unmeasured strength having encountered Kapila’s wrath, have met their death on my account.  And, O my boy of stainless character! thy father also hath been forsaken by me, in order to discharge my duty (as a king), and being desirous of doing good to my subjects."’

“Yudhishthira said, ’O saint, whose sole wealth consists in religious practices!  Tell me for what reason, Sagara, the foremost of kings, abandoned his own begotten son, endued with valour—­an act so difficult (for all other men).’

“Lomasa said, ’A son was born to Sagara, known by the name of Asamanjas, he who was given birth to by the princess of Sivi.  And he used to seize by throat the feeble children of the townsmen, and threw them while screaming into the river.  And thereupon the townsmen, overwhelmed with terror and grief, met together, and all standing with joined palms, besought Sagara in the following way, “O great king!  Thou art our protector from the dreaded peril of attack from a hostile force.  Therefore it is proper for thee to deliver us from the frightful danger, proceeding from Asamanjas.”  And the most righteous of the rulers of men, having heard this frightful news from his subjects, for nearly an hour remained sad and then spake to his ministers, saying, “This day from the city let my son Asamanjas be driven forth.  If ye wish to do what will be acceptable to me, let this be quickly done.”  And, O protector of men! those same ministers, thus addressed by the king, performed in a hurry exactly what the king had commanded them to do.  Thus have I narrated to thee how the magnanimous Sagara banished his son, with a view to the welfare of the residents of the town.  I shall now fully narrate to thee what Ansuman of the powerful bow was told by Sagara.  Listen to me!