Week 14 Reading Diary: The Indian Storybook

The Indian Storybook by Richard Wilson

For the final week of reading for Indian Epics, I have chosen to read some famous Indian stories. For the first part of the week, I will be reading about the dispute between Vishvamitra and Vashishta over the ownership of a sacred cow that grants wishes. The sacred cow that the two men were fighting over was named Sabala. King Vishvamitra was a well-liked king, but he was always in search of an enemy. The only problem with this was that he befriended everyone he met, so it was hard to find an enemy. King Vishvamitra was an avid hunter and enjoyed the hunting for game. One day he went to the forest with some of his men to hunt. As he and his men were wondering, they came across the home of the sage, Vashishta. Vishvamitra and his men were hungry, so Vashishta offered him food. Vashishta had an entire feast prepared for the men. Vishvamitra was confused as to how he was able to make such a grand feast while isolated in the forest. Vashishta went on to tell the king that Indra blessed him with a sacred calf that was able to yield any sort of riches. Vishvamitra became angry when Vashishta refused to give him the cow, after he offered thousands of dollars. Regardless of the refusal, Vishvamitra took the cow anyway. The cow grew very angry at Vishvamitra and was able to conjure up an entire army. Vishvamitra soon ended up becoming a hermit after seeing that the Kshatriyas had to power when they were up against Brahmins.  

(Sabala the Sacred Cow. Source: Wikimedia Commons)

Bibliography. The Indian Storybook, Richard Wilson. (1914)