expound to me the greatness of Brahmanas.'
Markandeya answered him saying, 'Hear, O king, about the behaviour of
Brahmanas in days of old.'

"And Markandeya continued, 'There was a king, by name Parikshit in
Ayodhya and belonging to the race of Ikshvaku. And once upon a time
Parikshit went a-hunting. And as he was riding alone on a horse chasing
deer, the animal led him to a great distance (from the habitations of
men). And fatigued by the distance he had ridden and afflicted with
hunger and thirst he beheld in that part of the country whither he had
been led, a dark and dense forest, and the king, beholding that forest,
entered it and seeing a delightful tank within the forest, both the
rider and the horse bathed in it, and refreshed by the bath and placing
before his horse some stalks and fibres of the lotus, the king sat by
the side of the tank. And while he was lying by the side of the tank, he
heard certain sweet strains of music, and hearing those strains, he
reflected, "I do not see here the foot-prints of men. Whose and whence
then these strains?" And the king soon beheld a maiden of great beauty
gathering flowers singing all the while, and the maiden soon came before
the king, and the king thereupon asked her, "Blessed one, who art thou
and whose?" And she replied, "I am a maiden." And the king said, "I ask
thee to be mine." And the maiden answered, "Give me a pledge, for then
only I can be thine, else not." And the king then asked about the pledge
and the girl answered, "Thou wilt never make me cast my eyes on water",
and the king saying, "So be it," married her, and king Parikshit having
married her sported (with her) in great joy, and sat with her in
silence, and while the king was staying there, his troops reached the
spot, and those troops beholding the monarch stood surrounding him, and
cheered by the presence of troops, the king entered a handsome vehicle
accompanied by his (newly) wedded wife. And having arrived at his
capital he began to live with her in privacy. And persons that were even
near enough to the king could not obtain any interview with him and the
minister-in-chief enquired of those females that waited upon the king,
asking, "What do ye do here?" And those women replied, "We behold here a
female of unrivalled beauty. And the king sporteth with her, having
married her with a pledge that he would never show her water." And
hearing those words, the minister-in-chief caused an artificial fores