Bishwamitra then ordered his men to drag the cow away by force. In obedience, his soldiers tied a rope to the neck of Nandini and tried to take her away. Nandini then approached Basistha and said, "Sir, What crime have I committed? Why do you suffer me to be insulted thus by the King's men? Are you displeased with me? Why have you given me away to the King."
The
sage said, "Nandini, It is not by my will that the King is taking you.
Angry that I would not sell you to him, he has decided to abduct you by force.
If you do not wish to go, it is up to you."
The
sacred calf then grew angry. Its wrath was terrible to behold. With eyes
reddened by anger, howling with rage, it attacked the troops of Bishwamitra.
From her tail, showers of burning coal shot out and burned many an unwary
soldiers. In an instant, a vast army emerged from her body. The Pallavas
emerged from her tail, from her udders the army of Dravidas and Sakas came
forth. Her womb gave birth to an army of Yavanas (greeks), and from her dung,
the Savaras emerged. From her urine came an army of Kanchis. The froth from her
mouth gave rise to a host of Paundras and Kiratas and many other barbarous
tribes.
This
vast army, created from the body of the divine calf, attacked the armies of
King Bishwamitra, and utterly destroyed them. When Bishwamitra saw the
destruction unleashed on his forces by the ascetic power of Basistha, he grew
disgusted with the power of Kshatriyas. He then saw that not all his might, nor
all his wealth, could hope to equal the ascetic power of a Brahmana.
He
then abandoned his large kingdom and regal riches, becoming a hermit. He set
his mind on asceticism. He became a great sage, famed for his yogic powers.
However, he never forgot his humiliation at the hands of Basistha, and became
his enemy.
There
was a king named Kalmashapada, a descendant of Ikshvaku, who was famed for his
learning. (This King was orignally called Pravriddha, but his feet had become
disfigured when he they came in contact with water that had been charged with
incantations for a curse. Kalmashapada=blemished-feet). While traveling in a
forest, he encountered an ascetic, while walking on a narrow path. The path
would admit just one. An argument ensued regarding the right of way, each
maintaining that the other ought to yield. Inflamed with rage, not stopping to
consider his actions, the King struck out at the ascetic with his horse-whip.
Angered, the Rishi cursed the King to become a flesh-eating Rakshasa.
