Verse 1
The tiger in the cow-pen· Verses 1–8
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1When his son Sudyumna had gone in this way, Manu the son of Vivasvat, wanting sons, did austerities on the Yamuna for a hundred years. 2Then Manu worshipped the god Hari, the master, for the sake of children, and got ten sons, each like himself, with Iksvaku the eldest. 3But Prsadhra, a son of Manu, was made a keeper of cows by his teacher, and he guarded the cows carefully, holding through the night the vow of the hero's seat. 4Once a tiger came into the cow-pen at night while it was raining. The cows that were lying down got up in fear and ran about the enclosure. 5The strong one seized one of them, and she cried out, sick with fear. Hearing her crying, Prsadhra went after him.
6Taking up his sword quickly, on a night when the host of stars had gone under, not knowing what he did, he struck off the head of the brown cow, taking her for the tiger. 7The tiger too, his ear cut off and struck by the sword's point, went out from there in great fear, letting his blood fall along the way. 8Prsadhra, killer of enemy heroes, thinking he had killed the tiger, saw when the night had brightened the brown cow killed by his own hand, and he grieved.