PLATE TWO
Just as King Ambarīṣa was about to break his Ekādaśī fast. Durvāsā Muni, the great and powerful mystic, appeared on the scene unannounced. The King humbly requested the sage to eat, and Durvāsā gladly accepted. However, he asked the King to wait a few moments while he performed the necessary rituals of bathing and meditating in the Yamunā River. As the King waited and waited, the proper period for breaking the fast was rapidly expiring, yet he could not eat without offending Durvāsā. In this dilemma, the King consulted with the palace  brāhmaṇas  and decided to drink water—for drinking water is considered as both eating and not eating. When Durvāsā Muni returned, he could understand by his mystic power that the King had drunk water without his permission, and he angrily spoke as follows: “Alas, just see the behavior of this cruel man! He is not a devotee of Lord Viṣṇu. Being proud of his material opulence and his position, he considers himself God. Just see how he has transgressed the laws of religion. Mahārāja Ambarīṣa, you have invited me to eat as a guest, but instead of feeding me, you yourself have eaten first. Because of your misbehavior, I shall show you something to punish you.” As Durvāsā Muni said this, his face became red with anger. Uprooting a bunch of hair from his head, he created a demon resembling the blazing fire of devastation to punish Mahārāja Ambarīṣa. ( pp. 116–123 )