When
the king and queen entered the cottage and sat in their places, with the
assembled sages and seekers, Vasishta suggested to the latter to move into
their own hermitages, and asked the king the reason for his coming to his place
accompanied by the queen and none else. The king communicated to his preceptor
the nature and depth of his grief, and prayed for the only remedy that could
remove it, namely, his Grace.
Listening
to that prayer, Vasishta was lost in deep meditation. Perfect silence
prevailed. The king too sat in the lotus posture on the bare floor and merged
his mind in God; the queen attuned her mind with the Divine.
At
last, Vasistha opened his eyes and said, "King! The will of God can be
thwarted by no man, whatever his might or authority. I have no power to
override the decree of the Divine. I cannot manifest enough Grace to confer,
through my blessings, the son you desire. You have drawn on yourself a curse.
On one occasion, when you were approaching the
Kamadhenu
was pained at the neglect, she was hurt that you had failed to honor her; she
felt that your people will start dishonoring the cow, since the king himself
had failed in his duty. When rulers, who do not revere the Vedas or adore
Brahmins who learn and practice the Vedas or neglect the cow which sustains
man, continue to rule without restraint, she argued, there will be no Dharma in
the land.
"Kamadhenu
cursed you that day that you should have no son to succeed to your throne; she
declared, however, that when you take the advice of the Guru and start in
humility and reverence to serve the cow and worship her in gratitude, the curse
will be rendered ineffective and you will be rewarded with a son and heir.
"Therefore,
worship the cow from this moment, with your queen, as laid down in the sacred
texts and you are certain to have a son. The hour is near when cows start
returning home from the pasture. My treasure, the divine cow, Nandini, is fast
approaching the hermitage. Go, serve her with devotion and steady faith. Give
her food and drink at appropriate hours. Wash the cow and take her out to the
pastures and see that no harm comes to her while she grazes."
Vasishta
then initiated the King and Queen in the ritualistic vow of 'Cow Worship'
(Dhenuvratha); he sent them into the cow-shed with holy water and offerings for
the worship and himself walked towards the river for ablutions and evening
prayers.
Continued...
Love.
