Sri Vasista
-7 O Rama, thus Gaadhi, the Chandala, ascended the throne, acquired many queens, and the ministers looked upon him with great regard and respect. He established the rule of law all through the Kingdom and thus endeared himself to his people. They lived in peace without any fear or hardship. In this process, Gaadhi, the chandala, forgot his caste origins completely. With compassion and concern he ruled over the kingdom for eight years in full zest. One day he simply removed all the decorative jewellery from his body. He was no longer in those symbols of lordship. He felt that these decorations are of no significance. In such a simple attire, he moved into the balcony of his palace.
-16 From there he saw a group of chandalas singing in lovely tones, tuned to some stringed instruments. Then one old man, one of their chiefs, got up and said. 'Oh, Katariya, (this is name of gadhi, the chandala), does the king here, recognise you as a good musician and honour you? Does he offer gifts to you? We are very happy to see you here. It is really a joy to meet one's relatives and friends'. This the old man addressed to the bare chested king. The king did not reply to these queries in spite of repetition of the questions From this the women in the palace and the people around came to the conclusion that their king was a 'chandala'.
-31 . Ignoring the singers, the king entered his palace, By now the palace - residents were stunned that their king was a chandala and so ignored his prence. In fact they treated him like an untouchable corpse. The servants, in spite of their devotion to him, did not come near to serve him. The citizens avoided him. The courtiers did not pay any attention to his orders. All felt that his presence was inauspicious. People started running away from him as if a demon was approaching them. Thus he became like a stranger among his own people. People, and the ministers took to the extreme step of purifying themselves through religious rites as redemption from the associations with a chandala for several years.
-41 . They raised fires to enter into them and thus purify themselves. As the fires were lit, they blazed high into the skies. People started crying hoarse at their fate. Women poured out in wailing. Men lost their sense of discrimination. As the ministers entered the fires. their trusted followers broke into loud wailings. The city was full of the smell of burnt flesh. Winds carried the smell far and wide. Sparks flew out creating an illusion of a canopy of stars. The entire city was thus devastated. Thieves had a field day. Looking at this, the kindly king Gavala (Gadhi, the chandala) became distressed. He thought thus.
-45 . 'All this calamity is due to me. What is the use of this life of mine which is cataclysmic to my people. I shall now invite death' and jumped into fire. As Gavala jumped into fire, Gadhi, the brahmin who was offering worship to sun felt deep burning sensation in his throat and woke up.
Sri Valmiki
As Vasista narrated this, sun entered the horizon and all the assembled people rose to leave for their evening rituals. Next day as the sun rose, they came back to the assembly.
