PLATE TWO

Just as King Ambarisa was about to break his Ekadasi fast. Durvasa
Muni, the great and powerful mystic. appeared on the scene unan-
nounced. The King humbly requested the sage to eat. and Durvasa gladly
accepted. However, he asked the King to wait a few moments while he
performed the necessary rituals of bathing and meditating in the
Yamuna River. As the King waited and waited, the proper period for
breaking the fast was rapidly expiring, yet he could not eat without
offending Durvasa. In this dilemma, the King consulted with the palace
brahmanas and decided to drink water—for drinking water is con-
sidered as both eating and not eating. When Durvasa 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 Visnu. Being
proud of his material opulence and his position, he considers himself
God. Just see how he has transgressed the laws of religion. Maharaja
Ambarisa, 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 Durvasa Muni said this, his face
became red with anger. Uprooting a bunch of hair from his head, he cre-
ated a demon resembling the blazing fire of devastation to punish
Maharaja Ambarisa. (pp. 116-123)
