Arvavasu indignantly denied theaccusation but none heeded him, and he was
ignominiously expelled from that hall of sacrifice by the orders of the king.
Arvavasu repeatedly protested his inno- cence. "It is my brother
who hascommitted the sin-and even then it was through a mistake. I have saved him by
performing expiatory rites."
This made matters worse for him for nobody believed that the expiation
he had undergone was not for his own crime and every one thought that he was adding false
accusation against a blameless brother, to his other sins.
The virtuous Arvavasu who, besides being falsely accused of a monstrous
crime, was also traduced as a liar, retreated to the forest in despair of finding justice
in the world and betook himself to rigorous austerities.
The gods were gracious and asked him: "O virtuous soul, what is
the boon you seek?" High thinking and deep meditation had in the meantime cleansed
his heart of all anger at his brother's conduct; and so, he only prayed that his father
might be restored to life and that his brother might be freed from wickedness and the sins
that he had committed.