on his father, the gods said unto one another, ‘What
shall support this child?’ Then Vasava said,
‘Let the child suck my fingers,’ Thereupon
from the fingers of Indra issued milk sweet as nectar.
And since Indra from compassion, said, ‘He will
draw his sustenance from me,’ and showed him
that kindness, therefore, the gods named that child
Mandhatri.[103] Then jets of milk and clarified butter
dropped into the mouth of Yuvanaswa’s son from
the hand of the high-souled Indra. The boy continued
to suck the hand of Indra and by that means to grow.
In twelve days he became twelve cubits in stature
and endued with great prowess. And he conquered
the whole of this earth in the course of a single
day. Of virtuous soul, possessed of great intelligence,
heroic, devoted to truth and a master of his passions,
Mandhatri vanquished, by his bow Janamejaya and Sudhanwan
and Jaya and Suna[104] and Vrihadratha and Nriga.
And the lands lying between the hill where the sun
rises and the hill where he sets, are known to this
day as the dominion of Mandhatri. Having performed
a hundred Horse-sacrifices and a hundred Rajasuya
sacrifices also, he gave away, O monarch, unto the
Brahmanas, some Rohita fish made of gold, that were
ten Yojanas in length and one Yojana in breadth.
Mountains of savoury food and comestibles of diverse
kinds, after the Brahmanas had been entertained, were
eaten by others, (who came at his sacrifices) and
contributed to their gratification. Vast quantities
of food and eatables and drink, and mountains of rice,
looked beautiful as they stood. Many rivers,
having lakes of clarified butter, with diverse kinds
of soup for their mire, curds for their froth and
liquid honey for their water, looking beautiful, and
wafting honey and milk, encircled mountains of solid
viands. Gods and Asuras and Men and Yakshas and
Gandharvas and Snakes and Birds, and many Brahmanas,
accomplished in the Vedas and their branches, and
many Rishis came to his sacrifices. Amongst those
present there, none was illiterate. King Mandhatri,
having bestowed the earth bounded by the seas and
full of wealth upon the Brahmanas, at last disappeared
like the sun. Filling all the points of the compass
with his fame, he repaired to the regions of the righteous.
When he died, O Srinjaya, who excelled thee in the
four cardinal virtues and who, superior to thee, was
much superior to thy son, thou shouldst not grieve,
saying, ‘Oh, Swaitya, Oh, Swaitya’ for
the latter who performed no sacrifice and made no
sacrificial gift.’”
SECTION LXIII
“Narada said, ’Yayati, the son of Nahusha, O Srinjaya, we hear, fell a prey to death. Having performed a hundred Rajasuyas, a hundred Horse-sacrifices, a thousand Pundarikas, a hundred Vajapeyas, a thousand Atiratras, innumerable Chaturmasyas, diverse Agnishtomas, and many other kinds of sacrifices, in all of which he made profuse gifts unto the Brahmanas, he gave away unto the Brahmanas, having counted it first, the