“Bhishma said, ’I shall narrate to thee, O Yudhishthira, in this connection, the discourse between Sumitra and Rishabha that took place in olden times.  Listen to it.  A royal sage of the Haihaya race, Sumitra by name, went out a hunting.  He pursued a deer, having pierced it with a straight shaft.  Possessed of great strength, the deer ran ahead, with the arrow sticking to him.  The king was possessed of great strength, and accordingly pursued with great speed his prey.  The animal, endued with fleetness, quickly cleared a low ground and then a level plain.  The king, young, active and strong, and armed with bow and sword and cased in mail, still pursued it.  Unaccompanied by anybody, in chasing the animal through the forest the king crossed many rivers and streams and lakes and copses.  Endued with great speed, the animal, at its will, showing itself now and then to the king, ran on with great speed.  Pierced with many shafts by the king, that denizen of wilderness, O monarch, as if in sport, repeatedly lessened the distance between itself and the pursuer.  Repeatedly putting forth its speed and traversing one forest after another, it now and then showed itself to the king at a near point.  At last that crusher of foes, taking a very superior shaft, sharp, terrible, and capable of penetrating into the very vitals, fixed it on his bowstring.  The animal then, of huge proportions, as if laughing at the pursuer’s efforts suddenly distanced him by reaching a point full four miles ahead of the range of the shaft.  That arrow of blazing splendour accordingly fell on the ground.  The deer entered a large forest but the king still continued the chase.’”

SECTION CXXVI

“Bhishma said, ’The king, having entered that large forest, came upon an asylum of ascetics.  Fatigued with the toil he had undergone, he sat himself down for rest.  Beholding him armed with bow, worn out with toil, and hungry, the ascetics approached him and honoured him in due form.  Accepting the honours offered by the Rishis, the king enquired of them about the progress and advancement of their penances.  Having duly answered the enquiries of the king, those Rishis endued with wealth of asceticism asked that tiger among rulers about the reason that led his steps to that retreat.  And they said, ’Blessed be thou, in pursuit of what delightful object hast thou, O king, come to this asylum, walking on foot and armed with sword and bow and arrows?  We wish to hear whence thou art coming, O giver of honours.  Tell us also in what race thou art born and what thy name is.’  Thus addressed, O bull among men, the king proceeded to duly give unto all those Brahmanas an account of himself, O Bharata, saying, ’I am born in the race of the Haihayas.  By name I am Sumitra, and I am the son of Mitra.  I chase herds of deer, slaying them in thousands with my arrows.  Accompanied by a large force and my ministers and the ladies of my household, I came out on a hunting