"'"Viswamitra said, 'Let him who has stolen thy stalks become a servant that behaves with deceit towards his master! Let him be the priest of a king! Let him be the Ritwik of one that should not be assisted at his sacrifices!'
"'"Parvata said, 'Let him who has stolen thy stalks be the chief of a village! Let him make journeys on asses! Let him leash hounds for a living!'
"'"Bharadwaja said, 'Let him who has stolen thy stalks be guilty of all the demerits that become his who is cruel in his behaviour and untruthful in speech!'
"'"Ashtaka said, 'Let him who has stolen thy stalks be a king destitute of wisdom capricious and sinful in his behaviour, and disposed to rule the Earth unrighteously!'
"'"Galava said, 'Let him who has stolen thy stalks be more infamous than a sinful man! Let him be sinful in his acts towards his kinsmen and relatives! Let him proclaim the gifts he makes to others!'
"'"Arundhati said, 'Let her who has stolen thy stalks speak ill of her mother-in-law! Let her feel disgust for her lord. Let her eat alone any good food that comes to her house!'
"'"The Valakhilyas said, 'Let him who has stolen thy stalks stand on one foot at the entrance of a village (for earning his subsistence)! Let him. while knowing all duties, be guilty of every breach!'[434]
"'"Sunahsakha said, 'Let him who has stolen thy stalks be a Brahmana that sleeps in happiness, having disregarded his daily Homa! Let him, after becoming a religious mendicant, behave in whatever way he pleases, without observing any restraint!'
"'"Surabhi said, 'Let her who has stolen thy stalks be milked, with her (hind) legs bound with a rope of human hair, and with the aid of a calf not her own, and, while milked, let her milk be held in a vessel of white brass!'"[435]
"'Bhishma continued, "After the Rishis and the royal sages had sworn these diverse oaths, O Kuru king, the thousand-eyed chief of the deities, filled with joy, cast his looks on the angered Rishi Agastya. Addressing the Rishi who was very angry at the disappearance of his lotus-stalks, Maghavat thus declared what was passing in his mind. Hear, O king, what the words were that Indra spoke in the midst of those regenerate and celestial Rishis and royal sages.