Beholding the animals, the monarch
pierced them both with five of his sharp and swift arrows winged with
golden feathers. O monarch, that was no deer that Pandu struck at, but a
Rishi's son of great ascetic merit who was enjoying his mate in the form
of a deer. Pierced by Pandu, while engaged in the act of intercourse, he
fell down to the ground, uttering cries that were of a man and began to
weep bitterly.
"The deer then addressed Pandu and said, 'O king, even men that are slaves
to lust and wrath, and void of reason, and ever sinful, never commit such
a cruel act as this. Individual judgment prevaileth not against the
ordinance, the ordinance prevaileth against individual judgment. The wise
never sanction anything discountenanced by the ordinance. Thou art born, O
Bharata, in a race that hath ever been virtuous. How is it, therefore,
that even thou, suffering thyself to be overpowered by passion and wrath
losest thy reason?' Hearing this, Pandu replied, 'O deer, kings behave in
the matter of slaying animals of thy species exactly as they do in the
matter of slaying foes. It behoveth thee not, therefore, to reprove me
thus from ignorance. Animals of thy species are slain by open or covert
means. This, indeed, is the practice of kings. Then why dost thou reprove
me? Formerly, the Rishi Agastya, while engaged in the performance of a
grand sacrifice, chased the deer, and devoted every deer in the forest
unto the gods in general. Thou hast been slain, pursuant to the usage
sanctioned by such precedent.
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