“Mandhatri said, ’Thou hast, O king, studied all the doctrines of Vrihaspati.  O best of men, the doctrines laid down by Usanas also are known to thee.  I desire to know what is the origin of Chastisement.  What was awake before Chastisement?  What also is said to be its end?  How came Chastisement to depend upon the Kshatriya?  Tell me all this.  O thou of great wisdom!  I come to thee as a disciple ready to give thee the tutorial fee.’[368]

“Vasuhoma said, ’Listen, O king, as to how Chastisement, that upholder of the world, arose.  The soul of righteousness, it is eternal, and was created for maintaining the due government of all creatures.  It hath been heard by us that once upon a time, the Grandsire of all the worlds, viz., the divine Brahman desiring to perform a sacrifice, failed to find a priest possessed of qualifications like himself.  For this reason he conceived in his brain and held the foetus there for many long years.  After a thousand years had passed away, the great god sneezed.  In that act, the foetus fell from his head.  The divine being, O chastiser of foes, that thus took birth from Brahman was called by the name of Kshupa.  Possessed of great powers, he became a lord of creatures.  That Kshupa became the priest, O king, in the sacrifice of the high-souled Grandsire.  Upon the commencement of that sacrifice, of Brahman, O best of kings.  Chastisement disappeared in consequence of the visible form that the Grandsire was then obliged to assume.[369] Chastisement having disappeared, a great confusion set in among all creatures.  There was no longer any distinction between what should be done and what should not.  All distinction, again, between clean and unclean food ceased.  Men ceased to distinguish between what drink was allowable and what drink was otherwise.  All creatures began to injure one another.  There were no restraints in the matter of the union of the sexes.  All idea of property ceased.  All creatures began to rob, and snatching meat from one another.  The strong began to slay the weak.  Nobody cherished the slightest consideration for his neighbour.  The Grandsire then, having worshipped the divine and eternal Vishnu, addressed that great boon-giving god, saying, ’It behoveth thee, O Kesava, to show mercy on the present occasion.  Let it be so ordained by thee that the confusion that has occurred may disappear.’  Thus addressed, that foremost of deities, armed with an enormous Sula,[370] having reflected long, created his ownself into the form of Chastisement.  From that form, having Righteousness for its legs, the goddess Saraswati created Danda-niti (Science of Chastisement) which very soon became celebrated over the world.  After this the great god armed with the enormous Sula, having again reflected for some time, appointed a few among the gods as the lords or rulers of their respective classes.  It was then that he made the divine Indra of a thousand eyes the ruler of the deities.  Yama the son of Vivaswat