SECTION CXXI

“Narada said, ’Removed from his place and pushed away from his seat with heart trembling in fear, and consumed by burning remorse, with his garlands dimmed in lustre and his knowledge clouded, shorn of his crown and bracelets, with head swimming and every limb relaxed divested of ornaments and robes, incapable of being recognised, sometimes not seeing the other residents of heaven, filled with despair, and his understanding a perfect blank, king Yayati fell headlong towards the earth.  And before the king fell down, he thought within himself, ’What inauspicious and sinful thought was entertained by me in consequence of which I am hurled from my place?’ And all the kings there, as also the Siddhas and the Apsaras, laughed at seeing Yayati losing his hold, and on the point of falling down.  And soon, O king, at the command of the king of the gods, there came a person whose business it was to hurl down those whose merits were exhausted.  And coming there, he said unto Yayati, ’Extremely intoxicated with pride, there is none whom thou hast not disregarded.  In consequence of this thy pride, heaven is no longer for thee.  Thou deservest not a residence here, O son of a king.  Thou art not recognised here, go and fall down.’  Even thus the celestial messenger spoke unto him, Nahusha’s son then said, repeating the words three times, ’If fall I must, let me fall amongst the righteous.’  And saying this, that foremost of persons that had won high regions by their acts, began to think of the particular region whereon he should fall.  Beholding meanwhile four mighty kings, viz., Pratardana, Vasumanas, Sivi, the son of Usinara, and Ashtaka, assembled together in the woods of Naimisha, the king fell amongst them.  And those monarchs were then engaged in gratifying the lord of the celestials by performance of the sacrifice known by the name of Vajapeya.  And the smoke arising from their sacrificial altar reached the very gates of heaven.  And the smoke that rose thus, looked like a river connecting both the earth and the heaven.  And it resembled the sacred stream Ganga while descending from heaven to earth.  And smelling that smoke and guiding his course by it, Yayati, the lord of the universe, descended on the earth.  And the king thus fell amongst those four lions among rulers, who were all endued with great beauty, who were foremost of all the performers of sacrifices, who were, indeed, his own relatives, and who resembled the four regents of the four quarters, and looked like four mighty sacrificial fires.  And thus, in consequence of the exhaustion of his merits, the royal sage Yayati fell amongst them.  And beholding him blazing with beauty, those kings asked him, saying, “Who art thou?  Of what race, country, or city art thou?  Art thou a Yaksha, or a god, a Gandharva, or a Rakshasa?  Thou does not seem to be a human being.  What object hast thou in view?’ Thus questioned, Yayati answered, ’I am the