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ADI PARVA
307

me to bave sprung from Bharadwaja, but not in any woman's womb ! I am a Brahmana of high birch, Drona by name, come to thee with the desire of obtaining thy wealth I'

"On hearing him, that illustrious grinder of the Kshatriya race replied, 'Thou art welcome, O best of regenerate ones! Tell me what thou desirest. Thus addressed by Rama, the son of Bharadwaja replied unto that foremost of all smitters desirous of giving away the whole of his wealth,-'

Othou of multifarious vows, I am a candidate for thy eternal wealth.'-'O thou of ascetic wealth,' returned Rama, 'My gold. and whatever other wealth I had, have all been given away unto Brahmanas! This Earth also, to the verge of the sea, decked with towns and cities, as with a garland of flowers, I have given unto Kasyapa. I have now my body only and my various valuable weapons left. I am prepared to give either my body or my weapons. Say, which thou wouldst have! I would give it thee! Say quickly

"Drona answered,-'O son of Bhrigu, it behoveth thee to give me all thy weapons together with the mysteries of hurling and recalling them !'

"Saying. --So be it,' the son of Bhrigu gave away all his weapons unto Drona,-indeed, the whole science of arms with its rules and mysteries. Accepting them all, and thinking himself amply rewarded, that best of Brahmanas then, glad at heart, set out, for (the city of) bis friend Drupada."

Thus ends the hundred and thirty-first section in the Sambhava Parva of the Adi Parva.

SECTION CXXXII

(Sambhava Parva continued)

Vaisampayana said.-"Then, o king, the mighty son of Bharadwaja presented himself before Drupada, and addressing that monarch, saidKnow me for thy friend! Thus addressed by his friend, the son of Bharadwaja, with a joyous heart, the lord of the Panchalas was ill able to beat that speech. The king, intoxicated with the pride of wealth, contracted his brows in wrath, and with reddened eyes spake these words unto Drona :-'O Brahmana, thy intelligence is scarcely of a high order, in as much as thou sayest unto me, all on a sudden, that thou art my friend ! O thou of dull apprehension, great kings can never be friends with such luckless and indigent wights as thou! It is true there was friendship between thee and me before, for we were then both equally circumstanced. But Time, that impaireth everything in its course, impaireth friendship also. In this world, friendship never