510
who discovered the reason of his coming, and pursued him *[1] Then Śiva returned home having accomplished his object, and Párvatí delighted told him of the coming of Andhaka, and the god said to her, " I have to-day slain a former mind-born sun of thine, named Andhaka, and he shall now be a Bhŗingin here, as nothing remains of him but skin and bone." When Śiva had said this, he remained there diverting himself with the goddess, and Manipushpeśvara and the other five descended to earth.
" Now, king, hear the long and strange story of these two, Pingeśvara and Guheśvara."
Story of the metamorphases of Pingeśvara and Guheśvara.:—There is on the earth a royal grant to Bráhmans, named Yajnasthala. In it there lived a rich †[2] and virtuous Bráhman named Yajnasoma. In his middle age he had two sons born to him; the name of the elder was Harisoma and of the younger Devasoma. They passed through the age of childhood, and were invested with the sacred thread, and then the Bráhman their father lost his wealth, and he and his wife died.
Then those three wretched son?, bereaved of their father, and without subsistence, having had their grant taken from them by their relations, said to one another, " We are now reduced to living on alms, but we get no alma here. So we had better go to the house of our maternal grandfather, though it is far off. Though we have come down in the world, who on earth would Welcome us, if we arrive of our own accord. Nevertheless let us go. What else indeed are we to do, for we have no other resource?"
After deliberating to this effect they went, begging their way, by slow- stages, to that royal grant, where the house of their grandfather was. There the unfortunate young men found out, by questioning people, that their grandfather, whose name was Somadeva, was dead, and his wife also.
Then, begrimed with dust, they entered despairing the house of their maternal uncles named Yajnadeva and Kratudeva. There those good Bráhmans welcomed them kindly, and gave them food and clothing, and they remained engaged in study. But in course of time the wealth of their maternal uncles diminished, and they could keep no servants, and then they came and said to those nephews in the most affectionate way, ' Dear boys, we can no longer afford to keep a man to look after our cattle, as we have become poor, so do you look after our cattle for us." When Harisoma and Devasoma's uncles said this to them, their throats were full
- ↑ * All the India Office MSS. read gatvá for jnátvá. I have adopted this; and I take tatkáranam adverbially. MS. No. 1882 has gatovijnáta.
- ↑ † It appears from the India Office MSS. that dhanaván should be inserted after bráhman. In śloka 82, the India Office MSS. read chiyráyatam which I have adopted.
