O
thou whose wealth is asceticism, the sons of these snakes, with their
grandsons, are innumerable. Reflecting upon this, I shall not name them to
thee. O best ascetics, in this world the number of snakes baffles
calculation, there being many thousands and millions of them."
So ends the thirty-fifth section in the Astika Parva of the Adi Parva.
SECTION XXXVI
(Astika Parva continued)
"Saunaka said, 'O child, thou hast named many of the serpents gifted with
great energy and incapable of being easily overcome. What did they do
after hearing of that curse?'
"Sauti said, 'The illustrious Sesha amongst them, of great renown, leaving
his mother practised hard penances, living upon air and rigidly observing
his vows. He practised these ascetic devotions, repairing to Gandhamadana,
Vadri, Gokarna, the woods of Pushkara, and the foot of Himavat. And he
passed his days in those sacred regions, some of which were sacred for
their water and others for their soil in the rigid observance of his vows,
with singleness of aim, and his passions under complete control. And the
Grandsire of all, Brahma, saw that ascetic with knotted hair, clad in rags,
and his flesh, skin, and sinews dried up owing to the hard penances he was
practising. And the Grandsire addressing him, that penance-practising one
of great fortitude, said, 'What is that thorn doest, O Sesha? Let the
welfare of the creatures of the worlds also engage thy thoughts. O sinless
one, thou art afflicting all creatures by thy hard penances.
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