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नकुलाख्यान (nakulAkhyAna)

 
Mahabharata
English
Nakulākhyāna (“the narrative of the mungoose”). § 11 (Parvasaṅgr.): I, 2, 609.--§ 786b (Anugītāparvan): At the conclusion of Yudhishṭhira's horse-sacrifice, after everybody had been gratified, a blue-eyed mungoose, with one side of its body changed into gold, came and said, in voice as loud and deep as thunder, that this great sacrifice was not equal to a prastha of powdered barley given away by a liberal brahman of Kurukshetra, who was observing the uñcha- (or the pigeon-) vow. Asked by the brahmans the mungoose related: The brahman named lived with his wife, son, and daughter-in-law, and practised penances
he used to eat every day at the sixth division
during a famine he had nothing to eat day after day
one day in the month of Jyaishṭha, while the sun was in the meridian, he was picking up grains of corn, but got nothing
one day, after the sixth division had come, he obtained a prastha of barley, which they reduced to powder for making saktu
having finished their recitations and libations, etc., they divided the powdered barley among themselves, so that each got a kuḍava
then came a guest, who ate all the portions, the wife, son, and daughter-in-law with difficulty prevailing upon the brahman to give their portions as well. The guest turned out to be Dharma
flowers were rained down from heaven
D.-ṛ, D., G., Devadūtas, etc., and B.-ṛ. standing in vimānas and dwelling in Brahmaloka were struck with wonder
“I have been rescued, and others who have not yet come (anāgatāḥ) have been rescued for countless yugas
he that gives away 100 having 1, 000, 10 having 100, and a handful of water having no wealth, are equal in merit, ” citing Rantideva (c), Nṛga (d), and Śibi Auśīnara
“thou hast conquered Brahmaloka.” The brahman, with his wife, son, and daughter-in-law, proceeded to heaven on a celestial chariot. The mungoose continued: “I came out of my hole, and by the contact with the powder of barley, etc., my head and half of my body became gold
in order to convert the rest of my body into gold I repeatedly repair to the hermitages of ascetics and to the sacrifices of kings
I came hither with high hopes, but I have not been made into gold.” Then the mungoose disappeared (XIV, 90).-That mungoose was Dharma, who having injured Jamadagni (f) had been cursed by the Pitṛs, but became freed from the curse by disparaging himself in the form of Yudhishṭhira (XIV, 92).