Simhasanadvatrimshika 20.p8

20.p8

Going on for another six yojanas, as they proceeded ahead, a terrifying snake with a dreadfully fierce mouth, spitting venomous fire, stood blocking the road. Seeing that snake, they fled in fear. The king, however, set out to proceed along the path. The snake approached, coiled around the king, and bit him. Then, although coiled by it, falling into a swoon from the rush of venom, he climbed that extremely impassable mountain, saw the yogin Trikālanātha, and bowed down to him. Merely upon the sight of the yogin, the snake released him and went away; the king, too, was freed from venom. The yogin said: “Noble man, why have you come with such extreme hardship to this non-human realm teeming with great perils?” The king said: “O master, I have come only to behold you.” The yogin said: “Have you experienced great hardship?” The king said: “There is no hardship at all; merely by beholding you, all sin has vanished. What is hardship? Today I am blessed, for the sight of the great is extremely difficult to obtain. Moreover: as long as this body is firm and the senses are sound, for just so long must one perform what is beneficial to oneself.”