Verse 18

¹⁸Sunitha, who was Anga's wife, bore Vena, a violent man; and it was his bad conduct that wore the royal sage down, so that he walked out of the city. ¹⁹It was he, dear one, whom the sages cursed in their anger, whose words are thunderbolts; and when his life had gone out of him they churned his right arm. ²⁰Then the world had no king, and robbers harried the people; and Prthu, the first lord of the earth, was born of a portion of Narayana. ²¹That king was a store of good conduct, a good man, a friend to brahmins, great of soul. How did his offspring turn out bad, so that he went away out of heart? ²²Or what wrong did the sages, who know dharma well, have in view when they laid the brahmin's rod on Vena, a king who himself carried the rod and its vow?

²³The guardian of the people is not to be held in contempt by the people, even when he does wrong, for by his own heat he carries the strength of the world's guardians. ²⁴Brahmin, tell me this, what Sunitha's son did. I trust you and I am devoted, and of things high and low you know the most.