"Bhishma continued, 'In olden days, (Parasu) Rama, the son of Jamadagni, in anger at the death of his father, slew with his battle axe the king of the Haihayas. (Parasu) Rama, by cutting off the thousand arms of Arjuna (Kaarthaveeryaarjuna - the Haihaya king), achieved a most difficult feat in the world. Not content with this, he (Parasurama) set out on his chariot for the conquest of the world, and taking up his bow he cast around his mighty weapons to destroy the Kshatriyas. The illustrious descendant of Bhrigu's race (Parasurama), by means of his swift arrows annihilated the Kshatriya tribe twenty one times.
"When the earth was thus deprived of Kshatriyas by the Maharishi (Parasurama), the Kshatriya ladies all over the land had offspring raised by Brahmanas skilled in the Vedas. It has been said in the Vedas that the sons so raised belongs to him that had married the mother. The Kshatriya ladies went into the Brahamanas not with the motives of Kaamaa but from motives of Dharma. Indeed, it was thus that the Kshatriya race was revived.
"In this connection, there is another old history that I will recite to you. There was in olden days a wise Rishi of the name of Utathya. He had a wife of the name Mamata whom he dearly loved. One day Utathya's younger brother Brihaspati endued with great energy, approached Mamata. The latter, however, told her husband's younger brother -- that foremost of expressive men -- that she had conceived from her connection with his elder brother and that, therefore, he should not then seek for the accomplishment of his wishes.
"She continued, 'O illustrious Brihaspati, the child that I have conceived have studied in his mother's womb the Vedas with the six Angas, this seed should not be lost in vain. How can then this womb of mine afford room for two children at a time? Therefore, it is your duty not to seek for the accomplishment of your desire at such a time. Thus addressed by her, Brihaspati, though possessed of great wisdom, succeeded not in suppressing his Kaamaa. The child in the womb then addressed him and said, 'O father (Brihaspati), stop from thy attempt. There is no space here for two. O illustrious one, the room is small. I have occupied it first. The seed is not lost. It is your duty not to pain me.'
"But Brihaspati without listening to what that child in the womb said, sought the embraces of Mamata possessing the most beautiful pair of eyes. He, however, at that point of time in which the moisture of the vital seed was stopped by the one who was already in the cage (womb), as he seeing this come stopped the seed by the way of the feet. So, the exited vital seed was left on the ground. The illustrious Brihaspati, seeing this, became indignant, and reproached Utathya's child and cursed him, saying, 'Because you have spoken to me in the way you have at a time of Kaamaa that is sought after by all creatures, ever lasting darkness shall overtake you.'
"From this curse of the illustrious Brishaspati, Utathya's child who was equal to Brihaspati in energy, was born blind and came to be called Dirghatamaa (enveloped in perpetual darkness). The wise Dirghatamaa, possessed of a knowledge of the Vedas, though born blind, succeeded yet by Dharma of his learning, in obtaining for a wife a young and handsome Brahmana lady of the name of Pradweshi. Having married her, the illustrious Dirghatamaa, for the expansion of Utathya's race, fathered upon her several children with (Rishi) Gautama as their eldest.
"These children, however, were all given to greedy and foolish. The Dharmic and illustrious Dirghatamaa possessing complete mastery over the Vedas, soon after learnt from Surabhi's son the practices of their varna and fearlessly betook himself to those practices, regarding them with respect. (For shame is the creature of sin and can never be where there is purity of intention).
"Then those best of Munis that stayed in the same ashrama (those Munis that were staying in the same ashrama as Dirghatamaa was staying), seeing him cross the limits of Dharma (as he learnt and was following the practices of varna of Surabhi's son) became angry, (and those Munis) saw sin where sin was not. They (those Munis) said, 'O, this man (Dhirgatamaa), crossed the limit of Dharma. No longer does he deserve a place amongst us. Therefore, we shall all cast this sinful wretch off.' They said many other things regarding the Muni Dirghatamas. His wife, too, having obtained children, became angry with him.
"The husband (Rishi Dirghatamaa) then addressing his wife Pradweshi, said, 'Why is it that you also have been dissatisfied with me?'
"His wife (Pradweshi) answered, 'The husband is called the Bhartri because he supports the wife. He is called Pati because he protects her. But you are neither, to me! O you of great merit of Dharma, on the other hand, you have been blind from birth, it is I who have supported you and your children. I shall not do so in future.'
"Hearing these words of his wife, the Rishi (Dirghatamaa) became angry and said to her and her children, 'Take me to the Kshatriyas and you shall then be rich.'
"His wife replied (by saying), 'I desire not wealth that may be procured by you, for that can never bring me happiness. O best of Brahmanas, do as you like. I shall not be able to maintain you as before.'
"At these words of his wife, Dirghatamaa said, 'I lay down from this day as a rule that every woman shall have to adhere to one husband for her life. Be the husband dead or alive, it shall not be lawful for a woman to have connection with another. She who may have such connection shall certainly be regarded as fallen. A woman without husband shall always be liable to be sinful. Even if she be wealthy she shall not be able to enjoy that wealth truly. Character assassination and evil report shall ever haunt her.'
"Hearing these words of her husband Pradweshi became very angry, and commanded her sons, saying, 'Throw him into the waters of Ganga!' At the command of their mother, the wicked Gautama and his brothers, those slaves of greedy and foolish, exclaiming, 'Indeed, why should we support this old man?' tied the Muni (Dirghatamaa) to a raft and leaving him to the mercy of the (river) stream returned home without guilt. The blind old man (Rishi Dirghatamaa) drifting along the (river) stream on that raft, passed through the territories of many kings.
"One day a king named Bali knowledgeable with every duty went to Ganga to perform his washing. As the monarch (Bali) was thus engaged, the raft to which the Rishi (Dirghatamaa) was tied, approached him. As it came, the king (Bali) took the old man (Rishi Dirghatamaa). The Dharmic Bali, ever devoted to truth, then learning who the man was that was thus saved by him, chose him (Rishi Dirghatamaa) for raising up offspring.
"Bali said, 'O illustrious one, it is your responsibility to raise upon my wife a few sons that shall be Dharmic and wise.'
"Thus addressed, the Rishi (Dirghatamaa) endued with great energy, expressed his willingness. Thereupon king Bali sent his wife Sudeshna to him. But the queen (Sudeshna) knowing that the latter (Rishi Dirghatamaa) was blind and old did not go to him, she sent to him her nurse. Upon that Shudra woman the Dharmic Rishi of passions under full control fathered eleven children of whom Kakshivat was the eldest.
"Seeing those eleven sons with Kakshivat as the eldest, who had studied all the Vedas and who like Rishis were utterers of Brahma and were possessed of great power, king Bali one day asked the Rishi (Dirghatamaa) saying, 'Are these children mine?'
"The Rishi (Dirghatamaa) replied, 'No, they are mine. Kakshivat and others have been fathered by me upon a Shudra woman. Your unfortunate queen Sudeshna, seeing me blind and old, insulted me by not coming herself but sending to me, instead, her nurse.'
"The king (Bali) then pacified that best of Rishis (Dirghatamaa) and sent to him his queen Sudeshna. The Rishi (Dirghatamaa) by merely touching her person said to her, 'You shall have five children named Anga, Vanga, Kalinga, Pundra and Suhma, who shall be like to Surya (the Sun) himself in glory. After their names as many countries shall be known on earth. It is after their names that their dominions have come to be called Anga, Vanga, Kalinga, Pundra and Suhma.'
"It was thus that the line of Bali was preserved, in ancient days, by a Maharishi. It was thus also that many mighty bowmen and great chariot-warriors (Maharatha in Sanskrit) wedded to Dharma, sprung in the Kshatriya race from the seed of Brahmanas. Hearing this, O mother (Satyavati), do as you like, as regards the matter in hand.'"
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