Vaishampayana said : That best of the Bharata race Arjuna then went to the sacred Tirthas situated on the shores of the south sea, all adorned with the ascetics.

There were five Tirthas where also lived many ascetics, but these sacred waters themselves were shunned by the ascetics.

(They were named) Agastya, Subhadra, the greatly holy Pauloma, Karandhama which yielded the fruit of a horse-sacrifice and the great washer of sins Bharadvaja; these five Tirthas that best men saw.

The Pandava, the descendant of Kuru (Arjuna), finding them uninhabited and ascertaining that they were shunned by the ascetics, asked with joined hands those pious men that lived near them, “Why these Tirthas are shunned by the Brahmavadis (the utterers of the Vedas).”

The Celestial said : O descendant of Kuru, there dwell (in their waters) five large crocodiles which carry away the ascetics (who go to bathe in them); therefore these Tirthas are shunned by all.

Vaishampayana said: Having heard these words of the ascetics, the mighty armed hero, that best of men, though dissuaded by them, went to see those Tirthas.

Then coming to that excellent Tirtha Subhadra, named after a great Rishi, that hero, that chastiser of foes, plunged into it to take a bath.

Thereupon a large crocodile under the water seized the leg of that best of men, the son of Kunti Dhananjaya.

But the mighty-armed, the son of Kunti, thee foremost of all strong men, seized that aquatic animal and dragged it up to the shore.

Dragged up by the illustrious Arjuna, that crocodile became a most handsome women adorned with all ornaments.

O king, that charming and celestials-like damsel appeared to shine in her own beauty. Thereupon the son of Kunti Dhananjaya, seeing that wonderful sight, spoke thus in great happiness to that lady, "O beautiful lady, who are you? O lady of the lake, where do you live? Why did you commit such a dreadful sin before?"

Varga said : O mighty-armed hero, I am an Apsara, a sporter in the celestials gardens.

O greatly strong one, my name is Varga, I am ever beloved of the cclestials treasurer (Kubera). I had four other friends, all handsome and all capable of going everywhere at will. we

One day accompanied by them, I was going to the abode of the protector of the world; when we were all going, we saw a Brahmana of rigid vows.

Who was exceedingly handsome and who was studying the Vedas in solitude. O king, the whole forest was covered with the effulgence of his asceticism.

He seemed to have illuminated the whole region like the sun. Seeing his that severe, excellent and wonderful asceticism, alighted in that region, wishing to disturb his asceticism.

O descendant of Bharata, myself Saurabhi, Samichi, Budabuda and Lata all came to that Brahmana at the same time. O hero, we sang, we laughed, we tried to tempt the Brahmana in various ways.

But he did not set his mind on us even for a moment. O best of the Kshatriyas, his mind, । being fixed on the meditation of the pure, the greatly effulgent (Brahmana), did not suffer his heart to waver.

Angrily looking at us, he cursed us saying, "Becoming crocodiles, live in water for one hundred years."