high? Art thou that foremost of sky-ranging bodies-the sun-emerging from dark masses of clouds ? Beholding chee falling from the solar course, possessed of immeasurable energy and the splendour of fire or the sun, every one is curious as to what it is that is so falling, and is, besides, deprived of consciousness 1 Beholding thee in the path of the celestials, possessed of energy like that of Sakra, or Surya, or Vishnu, we have approached thee to ascertain the truth! If thou hadst first asked us who we were, we would never have been guilty of the incivility of asking thee first. We now ask thee who thou art and why, thou approachest hither? Let thy fears be dispelled ; let thy woes and afflictions cease! Thou art now in the presence of the virtuous and the wise. Even Sakra bimself-the slayer of Vala-cannot here do thee any injury! O thou of the prowess of the chief of the celestials, the wise and the virtuous are the support of their brethern in grief 1 Here there are none but the wise and virtuous like thee assembled together! Therefore, stay thou here in peace. Fire alone hath power to give heat. The Earth alone hath power to infuse life into the seed. The sun alone hath power to illuminate everything. So the guest alone hath power to command the virtuous and the wise.
Thus ends the eighty-eighth section in the Sambhava Parva of the Adi Parva.
SECTION LXXXIX
(Sambhava Parva continued)
"Yayati said, 'I am Yayati, the son of Nahusha and the father of Puru. Cast off from the region of the celestials and of Siddhas and Rishis for baving disregarded every creature, I am falling down, my righteousness having sustained diminution. In years I am older than you, therefore, I have not saluted you first. Indeed, the Brahmanas always reverence him who is older in years or superior in learning or in ascetic merit.'
"Ashtaka then replied - Thou sayest. O monarch, that he who is older in years is worthy of regard. But it is said that he is truly worthy of worship who is superior in learning and ascetic merit.'
"Yayati replied to this._'It is said that sin destroyeth the merits of four virtuous acts. Vanity containeth the element of that which leadech to hell. The virtuous never follow in the footsteps of the vicious. They act in such a way that their religious merit always increaseth. I myself had great religious merit, but all that, however, is gone. I will scarcely be able to regain it even by my best exertions. Beholding my fate, he
