Puranic Encyclopaedia: A Comprehensive Dictionary with Special Reference to the Epic and Puranic Literature c9.3868

c9.3868

During this period there lived two Brahmins named Devasvāmī and Karambhaka in the city of Vetasapura. They were friends. A son was born to each of them. The son of Devasvāmī was named Vyāli. The name of the son of Karambhaka was Indradatta. When Vyāli was a child, his father died. Seeing their grief the father of Indradatta left the country. Both of the boys, having nobody to look after them, went to perform penance, before Subrahmaṇyasvāmī. Subrahmaṇya ordered them in their sleep to go to Varṣa in Pāṭalikā, the city of King Nanda, and to learn every thing from him. The boys immediately went to the city of King Nanda and enquired about the teacher Varṣa. The people told them that Varṣa was a fool. They were sorry to hear it. Still they did not turn back. They reached the house of Varṣa, and entered the house which was the abode of rats and bats, the walls of which were crumbling due to rain as it had not been thatched for a long time. The courtyard was full of Cassiatora plants. Inside the house, here and there on the floor, Cyperus-grass was growing. The wife of Varṣa who was in utter penury stood up and welcomed them. She told them about her husband. "He is waiting for a disciple who would learn everything at first hearing." Vyāli and Indradatta agreed to bring such a disciple and they started on a journey in search of a boy. They were the two travellers who came to the house of Vararuci.