Sūta said: ‘Having thus cursed the king, the wrathful Śṛṅgī approached his father, who sat there in that pasture bearing the dead snake. Seeing his father with the dead serpent on his shoulder, Śṛṅgī was filled with rage once more; from grief he shed tears and said to his father: "Hearing of this affront to you, O father, by that ill-natured king Parikṣit, I in my anger cursed that king — as this basest of the Kuru line deserves so dreadful a curse: on the seventh day that sinner shall be led by Takṣaka, best of serpents, to the darkest abode of Vaivasvata (Yama)." His father said to him, O brahmin — [to his son,] so overcome with anger — "You have done nothing that pleases me, son; this is not the dharma of ascetics. We dwell in the domain of that lord of men, lawfully protected by him; his misdeed does not please me [as grounds for revenge]. Whatever way the king may act, we, [people] of our own station, must always forgive [him], son; for dharma, once destroyed, destroys [the destroyer] — of this there is no doubt. Were the king not to protect [us], great calamity would befall us; we could not practice dharma in comfort, son. Protected by kings, whose vision rests [in] the śāstras, we practice abundant dharma, and they too rightly have a share in it. And Parikṣit especially — like his great-grandfather — protects us, as it befits a king to protect his subjects. He, now hungry, weary, and worn out, being unaware of this [my] vow, did this without doubt. Therefore you, out of childishness, hastily did something wrong; in no way, son, does the king deserve a curse from us."’