Listen, O son, as to how he did this. The heat that is
perceptible in the heads of elephants, the bitumen of mountains,[1402]
the moss that floats on water, the slough of snakes, the sores that
appear in the hoofs of bulls, the sterile tracts of earth that are full
of saline matter, the dullness of vision of all animals, the diseases
that appear in the throats of horses, the crests appearing on the heads
of peacocks, the eye-disease of the koel,[1403] each of these was named
Fever by the high-souled Mahadeva. This is what has been heard by us. The
liver-disease also of sheep, and the hiccup of parrots are also each
known as forms of Fever. To this must be added the toil that tigers
undergo, for that also, O, righteous king, is known as a from of Fever.
Besides these, O Bharata, amongst men, Fever enters all bodies at the
time of birth, of death, and on other occasions. This then that is called
Fever is known to be the dreadful energy of Maheswara. He is endued with
authority over all creatures and should, therefore, be held in respect
and worshipped by all. It was by him that Vritra, that foremost of
virtuous persons, was overtaken when he yawned. It was then that Sakra
hurled his thunderbolt at him. Thunderbolt, penetrating the body of
Vritra, O Bharata, divided him in twain. Divided in twain by the
thunderbolt, the mighty Asura possessed of great Yoga powers, proceeded
to the region of Vishnu of immeasurable energy. It was in consequence of
his devotion to Vishnu that he had succeeded in overwhelming the whole
universe.
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