Yavakrita

Tormented by envy that his ascetic father receives no honour while a rival sage and his sons are celebrated, Yavakrita resolves to obtain the Vedas through sheer austerity rather than study. He burns his body in a great fire, disturbing Indra himself — who tries twice to dissuade him, first with advice, then with a parable of a sand bridge across the Ganga.

Yavakrita has obtained every boon he desired, and his father Bharadvaja sees the danger. To warn his son against arrogance, Bharadvaja tells him the ancient story of Medhavi — a sage's son who believed himself untouchable, insulted the wrong man, and died when the mountains that held his life were shattered by buffaloes.

Yavakrita spoke sweetly to his father, promising to honour Raibhya. But the promise was only words. Feeling fearless, he continued to take great pleasure in causing injury to other rishis — unchanged by the story he had just heard.

Pursued by the rakshasa and finding every water source dried up, Yavakrita flees to his father's agnihotra for refuge. But a blind shudra guard bars the door, restraining him by force while the rakshasa closes in with the spear.

Raibhya hears of Yavakrita's misconduct and is consumed by such fury that his heart seems to burn. He plucks a lock of hair and offers it into the fire — a woman arises. He plucks another — a rakshasa with terrible eyes appears. He commands them to kill Yavakrita, and they go to execute his order.

After being revived, Yavakrita asks the gods — with Agni at the forefront — how Raibhya was able to slay him, a learned ascetic who had accomplished the vow of knowing the brahman. He cannot understand how he, who mastered the Vedas easily, could be killed by Raibhya, who studied with such difficulty.