“And during his rule there were no men of mixed castes, no tillers of the soil (for the land, of itself, yielded produce), no workers of mines (for the surface of the earth yielded in abundance), and no sinful men.  All were virtuous, and did everything from virtuous motives, O tiger among men.  There was no fear of thieves, O dear one, no fear of famine, no fear off disease.  And all four orders took pleasure in doing their respective duties and never performed religious acts for obtaining fruition of desires.  And his subjects, depending upon him, never entertained any fear.  And Parjanya (Indra) poured showers at the proper time, and the produce of the fields was always pulpy and juicy.  And the earth was full of all kinds of wealth and all kinds of animals.  And the Brahmanas were always engaged in their duties and they were always truthful.  And the youthful monarch was endued with wonderful prowess and a physical frame hard as the thunderbolt, so that he could, taking up the mountain Mandara with its forests and bushes, support it on his arms.  And he was well-skilled in four kinds of encounters with the mace (hurling it at foes at a distance, striking at those that are near, whirling it in the midst of many, and driving the foe before).  And he was skilled also in the use of all kinds of weapons and in riding elephants and horses.  And in strength he was like unto Vishnu, in splendour like unto the maker of day, in gravity like unto the ocean, and in patience, like unto the earth.  And the monarch was loved by all his subjects, and he ruled his contented people virtuously.’”

SECTION LXIX

(Sambhava Parva continued)

“Janamejaya said, ’I desire to hear from thee about the birth and life of the high-souled Bharata and of the origin of Sakuntala.  And, O holy one, I also desire to hear all about Dushmanta—­that lion among men—­and how the hero obtained Sakuntala.  It behoveth thee, O knower of truth and the first of all intelligent men, to tell me everything.’

“Vaisampayana said, ’Once on a time (king Dushmanta) of mighty arms, accompanied by a large force, went into the forest.  And he took with him hundreds of horses and elephants.  And the force that accompanied the monarch was of four kinds (foot-soldiers, car-warriors, cavalry, and elephants)—­heroes armed with swords and darts and bearing in their hands maces and stout clubs.  And surrounded by hundreds of warriors with lances and spears in their hands, the monarch set out on his journey.  And with the leonine roars of the warriors and the notes of conchs and sound of drums, with the rattle of the car-wheels and shrieks of huge elephants, all mingling with the neighing of horses and the clash of weapons of the variously armed attendants in diverse dresses, there arose a deafening tumult while the king was on his march.  And ladies gifted with great beauty beheld from the terraces of goodly mansions that heroic