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31.RISHYASRINGA
Romapada gave his daughter Shanta in
marriage to Rishyasringa.
Though all ended as he had planned, the
king was uneasy in his mind, for he was
afraid that Vibhandaka might come in
search of his son and pronounce a curse
on him.
So, he sought to mollify Vibhandaka by
lining the route he would take with cattle
and kind and by instructing the cowherds
in charge to say that they were
Rishyasringa's servants and had come to
welcome and honor their master's father
and place themselves at his service.
Not finding his son anywhere in the
hermitage, the enraged Vibhandaka
thought that this might be the work of the
king of Anga.
He crossed intervening rivers and villages
and marched to the capital of the king as if
to burn him in his anger. But as at each
stage of the journey he saw magnificent
cattle which belonged to his son and was
respectfully welcomed by his son's
servants, his angry mood passed gradually
as he approached the capital.
When he came to the capital, he was
received with great honor and taken to the
king's palace where he saw his son sitting
in state like the king of the gods in
heaven. He saw by his side his wife, the
princess Shanta, whose great beauty
soothed and pleased him.
Vibhandaka blessed the king. He laid this
injunction on his son: "Do all that will
please this king. After the birth of a son,
come and join me in the forest."
Rishyasringa did as his father bade him.
Lomasa concluded the story with these
words addressed to Yudhishthira: "Like
Damayanti and Nala, Sita and Rama,
Arundhati and Vasishtha, Lopamudra and
Agastya, and Draupadi and yourself,
Shanta and Rishyasringa repaired to the
forest in the fullness of time and spent
their lives in mutual love and the worship
of God. This is the hermitage where
Rishyasringa. lived. Bathe in these waters
and be purified." The Pandavas bathed
there and performed their devotions.
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