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One day Sala while out a-hunting, beheld a deer and pursued it, on his car, and the prince said to his charioteer, "Drive thou fast." And the charioteer, thus addressed, replied unto the king, saying, "Do not entertain such a purpose. This deer is incapable of being caught by thee. If indeed Vami horses had been yoked to thy car, then couldst thou have taken it."
Return thou contentedly! And Atreya, thus addressed by the king, returned and told his preceptor all that had happened, and hearing this sad intelligence, Vamadeva's heart was filled with wrath, and repairing in person to the king he asked him for his steeds, and the king refused to give the Rishi what the latter asked, and Vamadeva said, 'O lord of earth, give me thou my Vami horses.
At last afraid of the king, the charioteer said, "The Vami horses are those belonging to Vamadeva; they are fleet as the mind." And unto his charioteer who had said so, the king said, "Repair thou to the asylum of Vamadeva." And reaching the asylum of Vamadeva the king said unto that Rishi, "O holy one, a deer struck by me is flying away.
If I have lived in their observance, let four fierce and mighty Rakshasas of terrible mien and iron bodies, commanded by me, pursue thee with desire of slaying, and carry thee on their sharp lances, having cut up thy body into four parts. Hearing this, the king said, 'Let those, O Vamadeva, that know thee as a Brahmana that in thought, word, and deed, is desirous of taking life, at my command, armed with bright lances and swords prostrate thee with thy disciples before me. Then Vamadeva answered, 'O king, having obtained these my Vami steeds, thou hadst said, 'I will return them. Therefore, give me back my Vami steeds, so thou mayst be able to protect thy life. Hearing this, the king said, 'Pursuit of deer hath not been ordained for the Brahmanas.
It behoveth thee to make it capable of being seized by me by granting me thy pair of Vami horses." The Rishi then answered him saying, "I give thee my pair of Vami horses. But after accomplishing thy object, my Vami pair you should soon return."
And Atreya, thus addressed by the king, returned and told his preceptor all that had happened, and hearing this sad intelligence, Vamadeva's heart was filled with wrath, and repairing in person to the king he asked him for his steeds, and the king refused to give the Rishi what the latter asked, and Vamadeva said, "O lord of earth, give me thou my Vami horses.
In this world, however, O king, animals like these carry me and persons like me as also all others. At this the king answered, 'Let four assess carry thee, or four mules of the best kind, or even four steeds endued with the speed of the wind. Go thou with these. This pair of Vami horses, however, deserves to be owned by Kshatriyas.
Alas, what a pity it is! And reflecting in this strain, the Rishi said unto a disciple of his, after the expiration of a month, 'Go, O Atreya, and say to the king that if he has done with the Vami steeds, he should return them unto thy preceptor. And the disciple Atreya, thereupon, repairing to the king, spoke unto him as instructed, and the king replied saying, 'This pair of steeds deserves to be owned by kings.
Alas, what a pity it is!" And reflecting in this strain, the Rishi said unto a disciple of his, after the expiration of a month, "Go, O Atreya, and say to the king that if he has done with the Vami steeds, he should return them unto thy preceptor."
This is the boon that I ask, O thou foremost of Brahmanas!" "Markandeya continued, 'Hearing these words of the queen, that Muni, O thou foremost of the Kuru race, said, "So be it." And thereupon king Dala became highly glad and gave unto the Muni his Vami steeds, having bowed down unto him with reverence!"
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