Verse 1

¹Those sages, Bhrgu and the rest, who look to the safety of the worlds, saw that with no one to guard them men come to be no better than cattle. ²So the speakers of Brahman called Sunitha, the hero's mother, and anointed Vena lord of the earth, though the king's officers did not approve of him. ³Hearing that Vena had come to the king's seat and how hard his rule was, the robbers went to ground at once, like mice frightened by a snake. ⁴Once up on the king's seat, swollen with the eight powers, he looked down on those who were greatly favoured; he was stiff with himself and thought himself much. ⁵Blind with pride like this and puffed up, like an elephant with no goad on it, he rode about in his chariot as though he were shaking heaven and earth.

⁶No sacrificing, no giving, no pouring of offerings anywhere, twice-born ones. So, by the beating of drums, he put a stop to dharma everywhere.