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The Seventy-Sixth Chapter
"You should nurture them, O Bhadra, even in my absence, in every way." Thus spoke Vasu, and he was pleased by your grace. || 323 ||
"This is self-evident, why do you say this to me? There is no doubt in this, O Venerable One, as it should be. || 324 ||
"You are worthy to perform the rites for the next world," said the best of the twice-born, and the king honored him with a garland of fragrant flowers. || 325 ||
Then, having attained perfect restraint in the Kshirakadamba forest, he renounced all possessions at the end and attained the highest realm of the gods. || 326 ||
The mountain, too, being a scholar of all scriptures, sat in the place of his father and took delight in explaining all teachings. || 327 ||
In that very city, Narada, too, a learned man, accompanied by other learned men, shone with fame through his explanations, being established in subtle intellect. || 328 ||
As time passed for them, on one occasion, in a gathering of the virtuous, a great dispute arose regarding the interpretation of the phrase "Aja should be offered." || 329 ||
"A three-year-old barley seed, devoid of the power to sprout, is called Aja," said one. || 330 ||
"The wise say that the worship of the gods with the offerings made from its transformation is called Yajna," said Narada, following the established tradition. || 331 ||
"The mountain, however, declared that the word Aja refers to a particular kind of animal, and the offering of its transformed products in the fire is called Yajna," said the learned, following the tradition. || 332 ||
"Hearing the words of the two, the virtuous, led by the twice-born, said, 'This wicked mountain is envious of Narada, and therefore he is saying that Dharma is established through the killing of living beings.' || 333 ||
"To establish this wicked doctrine, the mountain, filled with malice, said, 'He has fallen, he is unworthy, therefore, he is unfit for conversation or any other interaction.' || 334 ||
"Thus, with a slap of his palm, he scorned him in anger, and they proclaimed the fruit of such a wicked mind right there. || 335 ||
"Thus, rejected by all, the mountain, his pride broken, went to the forest. There, a demon named Mahakala was wandering, disguised as a Brahmin. At that time, he was old..." || 336 ||