He performed three Asvamedha yajnas on the bank of the Ganges, and to
make sure that everything was well in the kingdom, he often patrolled
around on his chariot pulled by black horses and decorated with the Lion
flag. One day he saw a totally unqualified man, disguised as a king, who was
beating a cow and a bull. The bull was already standing on one leg only, and
the cow was crying - and Parikshit realized that they were the
personifications of Dharma and Earth. The legs of Dharma are the four
principles of religion - austerity, cleanliness, compassion and truthfulness.
Truthfulness is the last divine quality that can still resist somehow in the age
of Kali, and without which, religion has no more meaning.
The Earth was crying because of the sufferings of innocent people, for all
the abandoned women and children, for the brahminical class who had
become awfully neglectful, for the ruthless rulers, for the increasing
consumption of non-vegetarian foods, for famines and droughts, and for
the general degradation of society. But above all, she was crying for the
disappearance of Lord Krishna, who had descended to alleviate the burden
of the earth, consisting of the uncontrolled growth of armies and weaponry.
Parikshit was angered by the sight of the personification of Kali yuga, who
was tormenting the cow and the bull so cruelly, and challenged the criminal
to a fight, as this was the duty of a good king. Terrified, the Kali purusha
immediately abandoned all pretence of arrogance and surrendered, begging
the emperor for mercy. Because the evil doer had surrendered, Parikshit
permitted him to remain in the kingdom, but only in those places where
people chose to engage in slaughtering and eating animals, consuming
liquors, spread prostitution and gambling, and where gold was hoarded. In
this way, if the leaders of society - the rulers and the members of the
government, the brahmanas and religious persons - remain away from these
sources of contamination, society can stay healthy.
However, the effects of the bad times started to show. One day, during his
traveling, Maharaja Parikshit was alone, fatigued, tormented by hunger and
thirst, in the middle of a forest. Looking for a water reservoir, he entered
the hermitage of Samika Rishi, where he saw the Rishi sitting in silence with
eyes closed, deeply immersed in meditation. The king asked for some water,
but the Rishi did not answer or move at all. Annoyed, Parikshit retaliated
against the apparent lack of respect of the Rishi with a prank in very bad
taste, hanging a dead serpent around his neck - in a mock imitation of the
great ascetic Shiva, the Lord of yoga.
