“Markandeya, hearing this, answered, ’Be merciful to all creatures, and devoted to their good.  Love all creatures, scorning none.  Be truthful in speech, humble, with passions under complete control, and always devoted to the protection of thy people.  Practise virtue and renounce sin, and worship thou the manes and the god and whatever thou mayst have done from ignorance or carelessness, wash them off and expiate them by charity.  Renouncing pride and vanity, be thou possessed to humility and good behaviour.  And subjugating the whole earth, rejoice thou and let happiness be thine.  This is the course of conduct that accords with virtue.  I have recited to thee all that was and all that will be regarded as virtuous.  There is nothing appertaining to the past or the future that is unknown to thee.  Therefore, O son, take not to heart this present calamity of thine.  They that are wise are never overwhelmed when they are persecuted by Time.  O thou of mighty arms, the very dwellers of heaven cannot rise superior to Time.  Time afflicts all creatures.  O sinless one, let not doubt cross thy mind regarding the truth of what I have told thee, for, if thou sufferest doubt to enter thy heart, thy virtue will suffer diminution!  O bull of the Bharata race, thou art born in the celebrated family of the Kurus.  Thou shouldst practise that which I have told thee, in thought, word and deed.’

“Yudhishthira answered, ’O thou foremost of the regenerate ones, at thy command I will certainly act according to all the instructions thou hast given me, and which, O lord, are all so sweet to the ear.  O foremost of Brahmanas, avarice and lust I have none, and neither fear nor pride nor vanity.  I shall, therefore, O lord, follow all that thou hast told me.’”

Vaisampayana continued, “Having listened to the words of the intelligent Markandeya, the sons of Pandu, O king, along with the wielder of the bow called Saranga, and all those bulls among Brahmanas, and all others that were there, became filled with joy.  And having heard those blessed words appertaining to olden time, from Markandeya gifted with wisdom, their hearts were filled with wonder.”

SECTION CLXLI

Janamejaya said, “It behoveth thee to narrate to me in full the greatness of the Brahmanas even as the mighty ascetic Markandeya had expounded it to the sons of Pandu.”

Vaisampayana said, “The eldest son of Pandu had asked Markandeya saying, ‘It behoveth thee to expound to me the greatness of Brahmanas.’  Markandeya answered him saying, ’Hear, O king, about the behaviour of Brahmanas in days of old.’