And in
that chamber was a bed-stead covered with very valuable coverlets. And
Jaratkaru lived there with his wife. And the excellent Rishi made an
agreement with his wife, saying, 'Nothing must ever be done or said by
thee that is against my liking. And in case of thy doing any such thing, I
will leave thee and no longer continue to stay in thy house. Bear in mind
these words that have been spoken by me.'
"And then the sister of the king of the snakes in great anxiety and
grieving exceedingly, spoke unto him, saying, 'Be it so.' And moved by the
desire of doing good to her relatives, that damsel, of unsullied
reputation, began to attend upon her lord with the wakefulness of a dog,
the timidity of a deer, and knowledge of signs possessed by the crow. And
one day, after the menstrual period, the sister of Vasuki, having purified
herself by a bath according to custom, approached her lord the great Muni.
And thereupon she conceived. And the embryo was like unto a flame of fire,
possessed of great energy, and resplendent as fire itself. And it grew
like the moon in the bright fortnight.
"And one day, within a short time, Jaratkaru of great fame, placing his
head on the lap of his wife, slept, looking like one fatigued. And as he
was sleeping, the sun entered his chambers in the Western mountain and was
about to set. And, O Brahmana, as the day was fading, she, the excellent
sister of Vasuki, became thoughtful, fearing the loss of her husband's
virtue.
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