Yudhishthira Asks Lomasha About Rishyashringa's Story

Yudhishthira, hearing the name Rishyashringa, presses Lomasha for the full story: how a sage could be born from a deer, why Indra feared him, why the drought struck Lomapada's kingdom, and how the princess Shanta tempted the innocent forest-dweller. Lomasha agrees to tell everything.

Chapter 407 · ~1 min

Rishyashringa's Birth and Lomapada's Plan to Bring Him

Vibhandaka, a sage of immense austerity, sees the apsara Urvashi while bathing and spills his semen. A thirsty doe drinks it and conceives, giving birth to Rishyashringa — a boy with a horn on his head who knows nothing of the world beyond his father. Meanwhile, King Lomapada of Anga, abandoned by brahmanas for his falsehoods, suffers a drought. The brahmanas tell him that only Rishyashringa can bring rain — and the king turns to courtesans to lure the innocent sage from the forest.

Chapter 407 · ~2 min

Courtesan Tempts Rishyashringa with Pleasures

A courtesan arrives at a forest hermitage where a young sage, Rishyashringa, has lived his entire life without ever seeing a woman. She pretends to be a brahmacharin (celibate student) and tempts him with food, garlands, and embraces — until he is overwhelmed with desire and she departs, leaving him sighing in emptiness.

Chapter 408 · ~2 min

Vibhandaka Discovers His Son's Disturbed State

Vibhandaka returns to the hermitage and finds his son Rishyashringa alone, sighing repeatedly, his mind disturbed, his duties neglected. He asks what happened — and who came while he was away.

Chapter 408 · ~1 min

Courtesan Abducts Rishyashringa to Anga

Vibhandaka leaves his hermitage again to gather fruit, giving the courtesan a second chance. She returns, and Rishyashringa, delighted and deluded, agrees to go with her. She tempts him into a boat, unmoors it, and transports him to the king of Anga — where rain suddenly falls, flooding the world.

Chapter 410 · ~1 min

Vibhandaka's Anger Pacified by Hospitality

Vibhandaka decides to burn up the king of Anga and all his possessions. He travels to Champa, exhausted and hungry — but along the way, he is honoured by herdsmen who claim all riches belong to his son. Region after region, he hears the same words. His anger is appeased. When he reaches the king's city, he sees his son and daughter-in-law Shanta, and his fury dissolves entirely.

Chapter 410 · ~1 min