"Meanwhile the great Rishi Jaratkaaru roamed over the whole earth making the place where evening fell his home for the night. Gifted with the power of Tapas, he roamed, practising various vows (Sankalpa in Sanskrit) difficult to be practised by the immature, and also bathing in various sacred waters. The Muni (Jaratkaaru) had air alone for his food and was free from desire of worldly enjoyment. He became daily thin and grew lean-fleshed. One day he saw the souls of his ancestors (Pitris in Sanskrit), heads down, in a hole, by a thread of virana roots having only one thread entire. Even that single thread was being gradually eaten away by a large rat dwelling in that hole. The Pitris in that hole were without food, thin, pitiable, and eagerly desirous of salvation (Moksha in Sanskrit).
"Jaratkaru, approaching the pitiable one, himself in humble form, asked them, 'Who are you hanging by this cord of virana roots? The single weak root that is still left in this cord of virana roots already eaten away by the rat, dwelling in this hole, is itself being gradually eaten away by the same rat with his sharp teeth. The little that remains of that single thread will soon be cut away. It is clear you shall then have to fall down into this pit with faces downwards. Seeing you with faces downwards, and overtaken by this great calamity, my pity has been excited. What good can I do to you. O, tell me quickly whether this calamity can be averted by a fourth (1/4th), a third (1/3rd), or by the sacrifice of a half (1/2th) of this my Tapas (power), relieve yourselves with the whole of my asceticism. I consent to all this. You do as you please.'
"The Pitris said, 'Honourable Brahmacharin (Jaratkaaru), you desire to relieve us. But, O foremost of Brahmanas, you cannot eliminate our pain by the power of your Tapas. O child, O first of speakers, we too have the fruits of our Tapas. But, O Brahmana, it is for the loss of children that we are falling down into this unholy hell. The Pitamaha (Lord Brahma) Himself has said that a child is a great merit. As we are about to be fall in this hole, our ideas are no longer clear. Therefore, O child, we do not know you, although your manhood is well-known on earth. You are honourable and of good fortune, you who thus from kindness grieve for us worthy of pity and greatly pained. O Brahmana, listen, who we are.
"We are Rishis of the Yayavara sect, of rigid vows. O Muni (Jaratkaaru), from loss of children, we have fallen down from a sacred region (Punya Loka in Sanskrit). Our severe penances have not been destroyed; we have a thread yet. But we have only one thread now. It matters little, however, whether he is or is not. Unfortunate as we are, we have a thread in one, known as Jaratkaaru. The unfortunate one (Jaratkaaru) has gone through the Vedas and their branches (Vedanga in Sanskrit) and is practising Tapas alone. He being one with soul under complete control, desires set high, observant of vows (Sankalpa in Sanskrit), deeply engaged in ascetic penances, and free from greed for the merits of Tapas, we have been reduced to this deplorable state.
"He (Jaratkaaru) has no wife, no son, no relatives. Therefore, do we hang in this hole, our consciousness lost, like men having none to take care of them. O, if you meet him, tell him, from your kindness to ourselves - Your Pitris, in sorrow, are hanging with faces downwards in a hole. Holy one, take a wife and beget children. O you of ascetic wealth, O friendly one, you are the only thread that remains in the line of your ancestors. O Brahmana, the cord of virana roots that you see we are hanging by, is the cord representing our multiplied race. O Brahmana, these threads of the cord of virana roots that you see as eaten away, are ourselves who have been eaten up by Time. This root you see has been half-eaten and by which we are hanging in this hole is he that has adopted asceticism alone. The rat that you see is Time of infinite strength. He (Time) is gradually weakening the wretch Jaratkaaru engaged in ascetic penances tempted by the merits thereof, but wanting in knowledge and heart.
"O excellent one, his Tapas cannot save us. Look, our roots being torn, thrown down from higher regions, deprived of consciousness by Time, we are going downwards like sinful wretches. Upon our going down into this hole with all our relatives, eaten up by Time, he (Jaratkaaru) shall sink with us into hell. O child, whether it is Tapas, or yagna, or whatever else there be of very holy acts, everything is inferior. These cannot count with a child. O child, having seen all, speak to that Jaratkaaru of ascetic wealth. You should tell him in detail everything that you have seen. O Brahmana, from your kindness towards us, you should tell him all that would induce him to take a wife and beget children. Amongst his friends, or of our own race, who are you, O excellent one, that thus grieve for us all like a friend? We wish to hear who you are that stay here.'"
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