The burning of the Khandava forest.

Once Krishna, Arjuna with their wives Rukmini and Subhadra were strolling near the banks of the Yamuna by the Khandava forest. At that time the fire God Agni came to them in the guise of a Brahman and asked them for some food. They asked him what he wanted. Then he revealed to them that he is the fire God and wanted to burn the Khandava forest. Every time he wanted to burn down the forest Lord Indra the God of the God's and in charge of rains would unleash rains and put down the fire. Lord Indra would do that because he wanted to save one of his friends residing there in the woods of Khandava. When Arjuna and Krishna said that they would help him devour the forest he was happy. But Arjuna said that he wanted a bow and an in exhaustible supply of arrows to prevent rains from falling on the forest. He also wanted a chariot with horses which would carry him to any place in a jiffy. Krishna was given the discus or the chakra weapon. The duo Arjuna and Krishna put themselves in the opposite sides and were preventing each droplet of rain that fell into the forest with their weapons. Arjuna made a sheet of arrows to protect it from the rains. They killed all the animals that were running away from the forest. The Asuras were living in that forest then that is the reason the Agni wanted to burn that down. The Asura Maya who is the renowned builder of the Asuras was living there at that time. He pleaded with Arjuna to leave him and Arjuna let him off. Later he would build a Palace for the Pandavas. There also lived a group of Saranga birds which also escaped the fire. There was one Rishi by name Mandapala of severe penances. When he died he went to heaven but was not admitted inside there on the reason that he didn't have any son to carry his name and also to give the oblations to his ancestors. That was the reason he was sent out from the high heavens. Mandapala then took the birth of a bird because the birds have short spells of sex and their life time is also short so that within a short time he could again reach the abode of Indra after begetting sons because it is for the religious rites, studying the Vedas and obtaining the children are men born in this world. This is discharged through sacrifices, renunciation and getting offspring. Since he neglected his duties towards his forefathers he was barred from entering the heavens. He came down to Earth and took two wives now by name Jaritha and Labitha. He joined with Jaritha and obtained four sons with her and knowing Vedas even when they were still in their eggs. Even when they were in the eggs he went away from Jaritha to his second wife by name Labitha. Some time had passed after that and her four sons were now born from their eggs. Now Jaritha lived with her four sons whose wings are yet to be fully grown in that Khandava forest when the fire God was devoring that forest. Rishi Mandapala was not living with her then and was with his other wife Labitha, not in the Khandava forest. jaritha said to her children who are not yet fully grown and who could not fly on how she could save them. 'I am not able to carry any of you from this place with my wings. Which one to save and which one should I leave behind. Shall I cover myself over you so that I may also die with you. Your father that sinful person has left me when I am in distress. I do not know what I can do now. Upon hearing her lamentations her sons' who were conversant with Vedas even before they were born said to their mother 'Leave us here mother. No use in you also dying with us. If you are alive you can beget children afterwards and out lineage would go on. On the contrary if you die then with that our lineage would come to an end and our father who desires to reach heavens will not be able to see his desire fulfilled. To then the Jaritha said 'there is a rat hole down the tree. I saw one rat going out of it. will you go and hide yourself in that hole'. To this her children replied 'what if there are other rats in that hole. Then we will be dead'. Leave us here mother. We will pray to the God of fire and we hope he would spare us'. 'If we stay here the death is uncertain. But if we go into the hole then the death is certain. Already the winds have started to blow in the opposite direction and we may even escape the fire. You mother escape from this calamity'. To them the Jaritha said 'I myself saw one of the mice taken away from the hole by a hawk. So you can now go inside the hole'. The sons replied 'There may be other mice inside the hole. WHATEVER A PERSON DOES WHEN HIS REASONING HAS BEEN DISTURBED CANNOT BE SAID TO BE HIS DELIBERATE ACT. HE HAS DONE SOME THING IN HASTE. You are telling some stories to drive away our fear. If we go to the hole we will become the meal for the mice living there. That is certain. If we remain here we may escape the fire. There is a chance for us to escape from the fire. So here we remain. You please go away and save yourself'. After this the Jaritha went away to a place where there was no fire and prayed incessantly. The son's then prayed to the Agni 'Oh! God Agni, we are the son's of Rishi Mandapala. We are forsaken by our parents. We do not know where our Mother is. Neither we know where our father is. Our wings are not fully grown. We have hope in only you. Please do not consume us'. To this the Agni said to them 'Your father Rishi Mandapala had already spoken to me about you. I will not kill you. You are all endowed with great Vedic knowledge. What can I do to you'. To this they said please devour the cat residing there with its entire family. They are doing us a lot of trouble. So be it said Agni and let off the birds and killed the cats. After the fire had departed the Jaritha came there with anxiety and was happy to see her son's safe. The Rishi Mandapala also came there at that time to see his children. Jaritha was angry with him for having had left her and gone to her rival Lapitha. But the children were very courteous to him. Rishi Mandapala then lamented about the fate of a person having two wives Saying no wife gives his respect.