Page:The Mahabharata of Krishna-Dwaipayana Vyasa (1884).djvu/206

172 celestials, becoming objects of his sight, by soft speeches succeeded in winning him away from his ascetic austerities.

"And the gods said, 'O lord of the Earth, thou shouldst take care so that virtue may not sustain a diminution on Earth! Protected by thee, virtue itself will in return protect the universe!' And Indra said, 'O king, protect thou virtue on Earth, attentively and rigidly! Being virtuous, thou shalt, for all time, behold (in after life) many sacred regions! And thou I am of heaven, and thou art of the Earth, yet art thou my friend and dear to me. And, O king of men, dwell thou in that region of the Earth, which is the most delightful, which aboundeth in animals, is sacred, full of wealth and corn, well-protected like heaven, of agreeable climate, graced with every object of enjoyment and blessed with fertility. And, O monarch of Chedi, this thy dominion is full of riches, of gems and precious stones, and containeth besides much mineral wealth. The cities and towns of this region are all devoted to virtue; the people are honest and contented; they never lie even in jest. Sons never divide their wealth with their fathers and are ever mindful of the welfare of their parents. Lean cattle are never yoked to the plough or the cart, or engaged in carrying merchandise; on the other hand, they are well-fed and fattened. In Chedi, O thou reverencer of the gods and guests, the four orders are always engaged in their respective vocations. Let nothing be unknown to thee that happens in the three worlds. I shall give thee a crystal car such as the celestials alone have, capable of carrying thee through mid-air. Thou alone, of all mortals on the Earth, riding on that best of cars, shalt range through mid-air like a celestial endued with a physical frame. I shall also give thee a triumphal garland of unfading lotuses wearing which in battle thou shalt not be wounded by weapons. And, O king, this blessed and incomparable garland, widely known on Earth as Indra's garland, shall be thy distinctive badge.'

"And the slayer of Vitra also gave the king, for his gratification, a bamboo pole for protecting the honest and the peaceful. And after the expiration of a year, the king planted it on the ground for the purpose of worshipping the giver