Yudhishthira Asks Lomasha About Rishyashringa's Story

Yudhishthira turned to Lomasha with questions that had clearly been forming since the rishi first mentioned Rishyashringa's name. "How was Kashyapa's son Rishyashringa born as the son of a deer?" he asked. "This is against the norms of sexual intercourse. How did he acquire asceticism? Why was Shakra — Indra himself — scared of that wise child? Why did the slayer of Bala and Vritra shower down at the time of a drought? What kind of beauty did the princess Shanta, rigid in vows, possess? How did she tempt him when he was in the form of a deer?" He paused, then added: "It has been heard that rajarshi (royal sage) Lomapada was a follower of dharma. Why did the chastiser of Paka not rain down in his territory? O lord! O exalted one! Tell me all this exactly, and in detail. I wish to hear about Rishyashringa's deeds." The questions were precise. Yudhishthira wanted the full arc: the miraculous birth, the threat Rishyashringa posed to the gods, the drought that struck a righteous king, and the woman who brought the horned sage out of the forest. He did not ask for fragments. He asked for the whole story. Lomasha began his narration.