Yudhishthira's Ashwamedham 14 - The Story Of The Mongoose Poem by Unnikrishnan Sivasankara Menon

14. The Mongoose Starts its Narration


The mongoose said to the Court
In a resounding voice, loud and clear,
"This Yaagam, the sacrifice is not
Equal to the little barley of the ascetic."

Yudhishthira asked the mongoose,
"The ascetic who? Can you explain? "
"It is a long story, " the mongoose said.
" Half my body is gold, because of him,

"There lived in Shravasti, an ascetic Brahmana
With his wife, son and daughter-in-law.
They were very poor and had chosen
Unccha vritthi as their livelihood.

"That is, they pick, like pigeons, the grains
Left in the field after harvesting, for food.
Long back, severe drought gripped the land
There was no food anywhere, many died.