Once there was a princess called Kesini. The king arranged for a swayamvara for her. Many princes from various kingdoms came for the swayamvaram. Among them there was a brahmana called Suthanva and an asura king called ‘Virochana’.
Kesini came to know about both of them. When they came to meet the princess, there was a golden seat in the hall and Virochana tried to sit on that. At that time, Kesini put a question to Virochana –
“Virochana! Who is greater, the brahmanas or the asuras? Why not the brahmana Suthanva sit on that seat?”
Vircohana:”We are the sons of Kashyapa. So we are greater sadhus than others. All worlds belong to us. Nobody be it a deva or a brahmana is greater than us.
Kesini: “Virochana! We will meet in the same place tomorrow morning. At that time we will decide who is greater, you or that brahamana!”
Next morning, all of them assembled as planned. Virochana was sitting on the golden seat. Suthanva entered the hall. Kesini immediately got up from her seat and offered the brahmana arghyam and paadhyam. Virochana did not show any sign of respect. He offered a small place in same seat itself for Suthanva to sit.
Suthanva: “A father and a son can share a seat. Two kings can share a seat. Two brahmanas can share a seat. But a Kshathriya and a Brahmana cannot share the same seat”.
Virochana: (spoke sarcastically) “It is true! You cannot sit with me. You need to sit on a wooden plank or on the Dharbhaasan. You are not qualified to sit in this high respectable seat”.
Suthanva: “Virochana! You don’t know anything. Even your father will sit down when I sit on a seat. That is the respect a Brahmana gets!”
Virochana: ”Let us not argue here. Let us go to knowledgeable ones to decide who is greater. I pledge all my properties on this. If they decide that you are greater than me, I will give all my properties to you.”
Suthanva: “Let us keep our lives itself as a pledge as property is of no use to me”.
Both of them decided to keep Prahalada (father of Virochana) himself as the judge who went to Kasyapa of great energy, for taking counsel with him.
Prahlada said,--'Thou art, O illustrious and exalted one, fully conversant with the rules of morality that should guide both the gods and the Asuras and the Brahmanas as well. Here, however, is a situation of great difficulty in respect of duty. Tell me, I ask thee, what regions are obtainable by them who upon being asked a question, answer it not, or answer it falsely.
Kasyapa thus asked answered.--'He that knoweth, but answereth not a question from temptation, anger or fear, casteth upon himself a thousand nooses of Varuna. And the person who, cited as a witness with respect to any matter of ocular or auricular knowledge, speaketh carelessly, casteth a thousand nooses of Varuna upon his own person. On the completion of one full year, one such noose is loosened. Therefore, he that knoweth, should speak the truth without concealment. If virtue, pierced by sin, repaireth to an assembly (for aid), it is the duty of every body in the assembly to take off the dart, otherwise they themselves would be pierced with it.
Hearing these words of Kasyapa, Prahlada told his son, "Sudhanwan is superior to thee, as indeed, (his father) Angiras is superior to me. The mother also of Sudhanwan is superior to thy mother. Therefore, O Virochana, this Sudhanwan is now the lord of the life." At these words of Prahlada, Sudhanwan said, "Since unmoved by affection for thy child, thou hast adhered to virtue, I command, let this son of thine live for a hundred years."
Source
Mahabharata, Book 5: Udyoga Parva: Section XXXV
Kesini came to know about both of them. When they came to meet the princess, there was a golden seat in the hall and Virochana tried to sit on that. At that time, Kesini put a question to Virochana –
“Virochana! Who is greater, the brahmanas or the asuras? Why not the brahmana Suthanva sit on that seat?”
Vircohana:”We are the sons of Kashyapa. So we are greater sadhus than others. All worlds belong to us. Nobody be it a deva or a brahmana is greater than us.
Kesini: “Virochana! We will meet in the same place tomorrow morning. At that time we will decide who is greater, you or that brahamana!”
Next morning, all of them assembled as planned. Virochana was sitting on the golden seat. Suthanva entered the hall. Kesini immediately got up from her seat and offered the brahmana arghyam and paadhyam. Virochana did not show any sign of respect. He offered a small place in same seat itself for Suthanva to sit.
Suthanva: “A father and a son can share a seat. Two kings can share a seat. Two brahmanas can share a seat. But a Kshathriya and a Brahmana cannot share the same seat”.
Virochana: (spoke sarcastically) “It is true! You cannot sit with me. You need to sit on a wooden plank or on the Dharbhaasan. You are not qualified to sit in this high respectable seat”.
Suthanva: “Virochana! You don’t know anything. Even your father will sit down when I sit on a seat. That is the respect a Brahmana gets!”
Virochana: ”Let us not argue here. Let us go to knowledgeable ones to decide who is greater. I pledge all my properties on this. If they decide that you are greater than me, I will give all my properties to you.”
Suthanva: “Let us keep our lives itself as a pledge as property is of no use to me”.
Both of them decided to keep Prahalada (father of Virochana) himself as the judge who went to Kasyapa of great energy, for taking counsel with him.
Prahlada said,--'Thou art, O illustrious and exalted one, fully conversant with the rules of morality that should guide both the gods and the Asuras and the Brahmanas as well. Here, however, is a situation of great difficulty in respect of duty. Tell me, I ask thee, what regions are obtainable by them who upon being asked a question, answer it not, or answer it falsely.
Kasyapa thus asked answered.--'He that knoweth, but answereth not a question from temptation, anger or fear, casteth upon himself a thousand nooses of Varuna. And the person who, cited as a witness with respect to any matter of ocular or auricular knowledge, speaketh carelessly, casteth a thousand nooses of Varuna upon his own person. On the completion of one full year, one such noose is loosened. Therefore, he that knoweth, should speak the truth without concealment. If virtue, pierced by sin, repaireth to an assembly (for aid), it is the duty of every body in the assembly to take off the dart, otherwise they themselves would be pierced with it.
- In an assembly where a truly censurable act is not rebuked, half the demerit of that act attacheth to the head of that assembly, a fourth to the person acting censurably and a fourth unto those others that are there.
- In that assembly, on the other hand, when he that deserveth censure is rebuked, the head of the assembly becometh freed from all sins, and the other members also incur none. It is only the perpetrator himself of the act that becometh responsible for it.
Hearing these words of Kasyapa, Prahlada told his son, "Sudhanwan is superior to thee, as indeed, (his father) Angiras is superior to me. The mother also of Sudhanwan is superior to thy mother. Therefore, O Virochana, this Sudhanwan is now the lord of the life." At these words of Prahlada, Sudhanwan said, "Since unmoved by affection for thy child, thou hast adhered to virtue, I command, let this son of thine live for a hundred years."
Source
Mahabharata, Book 5: Udyoga Parva: Section XXXV
In another Yuga
