O thou foremost of the Bharata race, the whole earth was covered by his
qualities that descended upon him from a long line of ancestors, like the
rays emerging from the sun. And, O bull of the Bharata race, endued with
great energy that monarch married two twin daughters of the king of Kasi,
both endued with the wealth of beauty. And that bull among men made an
engagement in secret with his wives that he would love them equally and
would never show a preference for either. And the lord of the earth in the
company of his two dearly loved wives, both of whom suited him well,
passed his days in joy like a mighty elephant in the company of two cow-
elephants, or like the ocean in his personified form between Ganga and
Yamuna (also in their personified forms). The monarch's youth however,
passed away in the enjoyment of his possessions, without any son being
born unto him to perpetuate his line. The best of monarch failed to obtain
a son to perpetuate his race, even by means of various auspicious rites,
and homas, and sacrifices performed with the desire for having an
offspring. One day the king heard that the high-souled Chanda-kausika, the
son of Kakshivat of the illustrious Gautama race, having desisted from
ascetic penances had come in course of his wanderings to his capital and
had taken his seat under the shade of a mango tree. The king went unto
that Muni accompanied by his two wives, and worshipping him with jewels
and valuable presents gratified him highly. That best of Rishis truthful
in speech and firmly attached to truth, then told the king,--"O king of
kings, I have been pleased with thee. O thou of excellent vows, solicit
thou a boon." King Vrihadratha then, with his wives, bending low unto that
Rishi, spoke these words choked with tears in consequence of his despair
of obtaining a child.--"O holy one forsaking my kingdom I am about to go
into the woods to practise ascetic penances. I am very unfortunate for I
have no son. What shall I do, therefore, with my kingdom or with a boon?"'

"Krishna continued,--'Hearing these words (of the king), the Muni