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said " Silly man! Who taught you this method, that meeting with a beloved one, freedom from disease and annihilation of sins can be, thus, effected! This river is full of foul-smelling water polluted by baths of leprous and filthy people coming there from various countries, and alwaya ready in swallowing heaps of boncm of dead bodies, and how can such a river fulll your much-desired objects ? Ah ! great infatuation! Ah I following one after another, without due consideration. What the wise men say is quite true:
कर्णविषेण हि दग्धः किं किं न करोति बालिशो छोकः।
क्षपणकतामपि धत्ते पिबति सुरां नरकपाछेन ॥१॥ 1. Karnavişeņa bi dagdhủ kim kim na karoti bäliso lokah.
Kșapaņakatāmpi dhatté pibati surām narakapālena ! 1. What are the things that a multitude of ignorant people, burnt by the poison (circulated) from one ear to another, does not do ? One cares for renunciation from all worldly objects but drinks wine in the skull of a man.
Now, if by drowning oneself here the accomplishment of desired object is effected, Ah! Where is the fault of these fishes and crabs, because they live in the current of the river during all their life. What more can I say? Leave aside your sorrow. Abandon the idea of unnatural death. Do your duty. Such a person cannot die although he may have been caught in the Jaws of Death. However in case he perhaps dies, his life-less body floats up on the surface of the water, then, what is the use of bewilderment or lamentation ?" just at that moment, a rutting elephant roared, an auspicious musical sound was heard, a bard uttered a benediction, and a pair of Indian cranes made a pleasing sound. They said “O good man ! these good omens indicate that he is still alive. Gobhadra said " Let it be so by the efficacy of your speech." In this way, they prevented Gobhadra from any untimely death. Gobhadra stayed there, for two or three days.
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