the leader of a herd, serving his mate. 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 judgement prevaileth not against the ordinance, the ordinance prevaileth against individual judgement. The wise never sanction anything discountenanced by the ordinance. Thou art born, 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, deer, kings behave in the matter of slaying animals of thy spieces exactly as they do in the matter of slaying foes. It behoveth thee not, therefore, to reprove me thus from ignorance. Animals of thy spieces 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. Wherefore reprovest us they ? For his especial sacrifices Agastya performed the homa with fat of the deer.
"The deer then said, -'O king, men do not let fly their arrows at their enemies when the latter are unprepared. But there is a time for doing it (viz., after declaration of hostilities). Slaughter at such a time is not censurable.'.
"Pandu replied, 'It is well-known that men slay deer by various effective means without regarding whether the animals are careful or careless. Therefore. O deer, why dost thou reprove me I
"The deer then said, "O king, I did not blame thee for thy having killed a deer, or for the injury thou hast done to me! But, instead of acting so cruelly, thou shouldst have waited till the completion of my act of intercourse. What man of wisdom and virtue is there that can kill a deer while engaged in such an act? The time of sexual intercourse is agreeable to every creature and productive of good to all, Oking. - with this my mate and I was engaged in the gratification of my sexual desire. But that effort of mine hath been rendered futile by thee 1 O king of the Kurus, as thou art born in the race of the Pauravas ever noted for white (virtuous) deeds, such an act hath scarcely been worthy of thee 1
