(finally) dwell in heaven for ever!” And the gods and the Rishis and Utanka, hearing this were exceedingly gratified and all of them said, “Let it be as thou wishest!” And, O king, having also blessed him with many other speeches, the gods and the great Rishis then went away to their respective abodes.  And, O Yudhishthira, after the slaughter of all his sons, king Kuvalaswa had still three sons left, and, O thou of the Bharata race, they were called Dridaswa and Kapilaswa and Chandraswa.  It is from them, O king, that the illustrious line of kings belonging to Ikshvaku’s race, all possessed of immeasurable prowess, hath sprung.

“’It was thus, O best of king, that that great Daitya of the name Dhundhu, the son of Madhu and Kaitabha was slain by Kuvalaswa and it was for this also that king came to be called by the name of Dhundhumara.  And indeed, the name he assumed was no empty one but was literally true.

“’I have now told thee all that thou hadst asked me, viz., all about that person in consequence of whose act the story of Dhundhu’s death hath become famous.  He that listeneth to this holy history connected with the glory of Vishnu, becometh virtuous and obtaineth children.  By listening to this story on particular lunations, one becometh blessed with long life and great good fortune.  And freed from every anxiety one ceaseth to have any fear of diseases.’”

SECTION CCIV

Vaisampayana said, “O thou foremost of the Bharata race, king Yudhishthira then asked the illustrious Markandeya a difficult question about morality, saying, ’I desire to hear, O holy one, about the high and excellent virtue of women.  I desire to hear from thee, O Brahmana, discourse about the subtle truths of morality.  O regenerate Rishi, O best of men, the Sun, the Moon, the Wind, the Earth, the Fire, the father, the mother, the preceptor—­these and other objects ordained by the gods, appear to us as Deities embodied!  All these that are reverend ones are worthy of our best regard.  So also is the woman who adoreth one lord.  The worship that chaste wives offer unto their husbands appeareth to me to be fraught with great difficulty.  O adorable one, it behoveth thee to discourse to us of the high and excellent virtue of chaste wives—­of wives who restraining all their senses and keeping their hearts under complete control regard their husbands as veritable gods.  O holy and adorable one, all this appears to me to be exceedingly difficult of accomplishment.  O regenerate one, the worship that sons offer to their mothers and fathers and that wives offer to their husbands, both seem to me to be highly difficult.  I do not behold anything that is more difficult than the severe virtue of chaste women.  O Brahmana, the duties that women of good behaviour discharge with care and the conduct that is pursued by good sons towards their fathers and